Vol. 30, No. 10, May 16 - May 29, 2008

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MAY 16 - MAY 29, 2008 VOLUME XXX, NUMBER 10 W W W. B A L T I M O R E G A Y L I F E . C O M

IN THIS ISSUE PAGE 4

MOVEABLE FEAST’S 6TH ANNUAL RIDE FOR THE FEAST

PAGE 22

NUMBER OF WOMEN LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS CONTINUES TO RISE: AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. SUSAN BLUMENTHAL

PAGE 41

SECOND ANNUAL TRUE COLORS TOUR COMES TO DC ON JUNE 7

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WHAT’S INSIDE FEATURES PAGE 14 Famous Stylist, Television Star and Designer Carson Kressley Hits the Road as Host of the True Colors Tour. Interview by Maddy Dwertman

PAGE 28 – DINING OUT Ra Sushi. By John Cullen and Marty Shayt

PAGE 32 – THEATRE

PAGE 6 – NATIONAL NEWS Congress’ Highest-Ranking Vet Calls for DADT Repeal; Interracial Marriage Pioneer Dies; Michigan Supremes Kill Off Gay Partners’ Health Insurance; Presbyterian Minister Cleared in Wedding Cases; Carly Simon: ‘I Don’t Consider Myself to be Not Gay’; Milk Sculpture to be Unveiled at S.F. City Hall; GLAAD Awards to Air on Bravo; Soap Opera Gay Kiss Offends ‘Family’ Group; Gay Bishop to Enter Civil Union.

By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley.

PAGE 7 – INTERNATIONAL NEWS PAGE 8 – INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Editor Michael Nguyen Art Director art@baltimoregaylife.com

Maddy Dwertman Sales sales@baltimoregaylife.com

National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media 212-242-6863

Latvian Officials Want to Fence in Pride; Serbia Vows to Protect GLBT Eurovision Attendees; Canadian Charity Must Pay Fired Lesbian, Stop Discriminating; Australia to Extend Almost Equality to Gay Couples; Aussie Territory Forced to Back Down on Gay Equality; UK Spinster Sisters Denied Gay-Couple Rights; Gays Attacked After Rally in St. Petersburg; Gay Man Elected to Nepal Parliament; Singapore TV Station Fined for Too-Gay Broadcast;

By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley.

OPINIONS

Rob Scheer Marty Shayt Gwendolyn Ann Smith Sydnei SmithJordan Rex Wockner Miss Prudence Worthington

Gay Life is a publication of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore. Gay Life is published every other Friday in Baltimore, Maryland, with distribution throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Copyrighted 2008. All Rights Reserved. Gay Life is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of Gay Life or its publisher.

Company at Maryland Ensemble Theatre and Antony and Cleopatra at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

PAGE 40 – FILM Big-Budget Alternatives. By Rob Scheer

PAGE 41 – MUSIC Cyndi Lauper, the B-52s, Rosie O’Donnell and Special Guests Celebrate the 2nd Annual True Colors Tour

HOME PAGE 38 – INTERIOR DESIGN Mini-Makeover Ideas for Your Kitchen. Courtesy of ARAContent

COMMUNITY & COLUMNS PAGE 26 – COMMUNITY CALENDAR PAGE 29 – FICTION Cereal: The Adventures of Pico Darling.

By SIR. Robinson

PAGE 43 – DO AS I SAY Domestic Disturbance. By Miss Prudence Worthington

PAGE 43 – QUOTE UNQUOTE

By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley

PAGE 47 - MARKETPLACE

CONTRIBUTORS John Cullen Maddy Dwertman Marry Elaine Mario Fernandez Bill Kelley Rev. Irene Monroe David Placher Shayna Robinson

PAGE 31 – PENCIL ME IN Calendar. By Maddy Dwertman

Moveable Feast’s 6th Annual Ride for the Feast will Raise Funds to Feed Individuals Living with HIV/AIDS and Breast Cancer; Equality Maryland’s 2nd Annual Night Out for Equality Gala Features Special Guest George Takei.

By Maddy Dwertman

editor@baltimoregaylife.com

Chicago—A Welcoming Destination for LGBT Visitors

Number of Women Living with HIV/AIDS Continues to Rise: An Interview with Susan Blumenthal.

Interview by Maddy Dwertman

PAGE 4 – LOCAL NEWS

Brian Flottemesch President of GLCCB

PAGE 27 – TRAVEL

HEALTH – PAGE 36

NEWS

241 W. Chase Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone: 410.837.7748 Fax: 410.837.8889 Email: editor@baltimoregaylife.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 18 The Top-Ten Stupid Non-Transgender Tricks

By Gwendolyn Ann Smith

FOR FUN PAGE 35 – Q PUZZLE

Evolution Never Matures

By David Placher

COP OUT

Our Mother of the Marriage Equality Movement Dies

By Rev. Irene Monroe

By Marry Elaine

PAGE 42 – HOMOSTROLOGY

IMHO: Part Tres—Looking for Love Goes International

By Mario Fernandez

VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.BALTIMOREGAYLIFE.COM. PA G E 2 •

May 16 - May 29

• G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com

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LOCAL NEWS Moveable Feast’s 6th Annual Ride for the Feast will Raise Funds to Feed Individuals Living with HIV/AIDS and Breast Cancer Moveable Feast’s 6th annual Ride for the Feast, a 2-day, 140 mile bike ride from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to Baltimore City, will take place May 17-18. All proceeds from the ride will directly benefit Moveable Feast, the sole provider of free nutritional meal programs and transportation for people living with HIV/AIDS or breast cancer in Baltimore City, the surrounding counties and the eastern shore of Maryland.

Currently, there are 93 riders registered. Each rider has pledged to raise a minimum of $1200. Riders range in age from 8 to 73 years old, each with their own reason for participating. Many have lost friends or family to HIV/AIDS or breast cancer. Several riders are HIV positive.

This year, The Ride is particularly important to Moveable Feast because the organization has lost $35,000 in federal funding. This funding loss forces Moveable Feast to make difficult decisions about who should be cut from services.

The Ride is an opportunity to raise the funds needed to restore all

clients to a satisfactory level of services.

“I am impressed with the level of dedication and commitment of our riders, and the volunteers who provide behind-the-scene support for this event. Fundraising efforts and the 140 mile ride requires tremendous effort, and the riders never waiver on their commitment to raise money for people who they will never know,” said executive director Tom Bonderenko. “It is because of these riders, and the generosity of the people who sponsor them, and the support we receive from the corporate community, that more than 650 people each week receive services from Moveable Feast .”

Ride for the Feast is produced entirely in-house by Moveable Feast. All expenses of the event are underwritten by corporate, foundation and individual donors so every dollar raised by the riders will go directly to the services of Moveable Feast.

For additional information or to register, visit www.rideforthefeast.org.

Equality Maryland’s 7th Annual Night Out for Equality Gala Features Special Guest George Takei Maryland's largest LGBT civil rights group, Equality Maryland, will hold its 7th Annual Night Out for Equality Gala on Sunday, June 1 at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel and Conference Center (5701 Marinelli Rd., Bethesda, MD 20852). This exquisite annual banquet with dinner, music and dancing will feature an exciting program of distinguished guests.

Television and film star George Takei will be the special guest and keynote speaker at the gala. Famous for his portrayal of Mr. Sulu in Star Trek, Takei has more than 30 feature films and hundreds of television roles to his credit.

He recently appeared on the hit NBC series Heroes and his voice is frequently heard on Sirius Radio’s Howard Stern Show. A spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign’s Coming Out Project, Takei embarked in April 2006 on a nationwide speaking tour, “Equality Trek”, in which he spoke about his life as a gay Japanese American. For his courage and leadPA G E 4 •

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ership, Takei will receive the Out for Equality Award at the gala.

Other awardees include: State Sen. Gwendolyn Britt (posthumous), who will receive the Advocate for Equality Award; Takoma Park Mayor Bruce Williams, who will receive the Out for Equality Award; Montgomery County Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg, who will receive an Ally for Equality Award; and Attorney General Doug Gansler, who will also receive an Ally for Equality Award.

With Emcee Candace Gingrich, music by DJ Cory and DJ Nan, and a spectacular silent auction featuring items including a 7-day cruise from R Family Vacations, the gala promises to be an inspiring and entertaining celebration.

Tickets, which are currently on sale, can be purchased at www.equalitymaryland.org.

Guests must RSVP by May 29.

• G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com

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We don't debate, or simply tolerate; we celebrate your sexuality and spirituality!

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Traditional Celebration

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editor@baltimoregaylife.com www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

May 16 - May 29, 2008

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NATIONAL NEWS

by Rex Wockner with Bill Kelly

Congress' Highest-Ranking Vet Calls for DADT Repeal U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., whose military rank was the highest of any veteran now in Congress, has urged fellow lawmakers to join him in repealing the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that bars open gays from the military.

Sestak, a three-star admiral who spent 31 years in the Navy, is one of 17 congressional veterans co-sponsoring the repeal bill.

"It is easy for me to see why Don't Ask, Don't Tell should be repealed," Sestak said May 3. "Once you have served in war and faced danger with a gay service member, how can you come home and say gay people should not enjoy equal rights?"

Sestak's comments came at the Equality Forum, an annual GLBT conference and festival in Philadelphia.

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1246), which would

repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell and allow GLB personnel to serve openly, has 142 co-sponsors in total.

"Veterans like Adm. Sestak, who have dedicated their lives to serving this country, are leading the movement in Congress to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell," said Aubrey Sarvis of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. "These lawmakers agree with senior military officers, including former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and retired Army Maj. Gen. Vance Coleman, that when it comes to defusing IEDs, tending to injured troops, deciphering enemy codes and flying reconnaissance missions—sexual orientation is irrelevant. Seventy-nine percent of the American people agree with them and it is time that Congress finally repeal this law."

Interracial Marriage Pioneer Dies Mildred Loving died May 2 at age 68. She and her late husband filed the lawsuit that led to the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down all bans on interracial marriage.

Last year, on the 40th anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia ruling, Mrs. Loving came out in support of extending marriage rights to samesex couples.

"My generation was bitterly divided over something that should have been so clear and right," she said. "The majority believed that what the judge said, that it was God's plan to keep people apart, and that government should discriminate against people in love. But I have lived long enough now to see big changes. The older generation's fears and prejudices have given way, and today's young people realize that if someone loves someone they have a right to marry.

"Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the 'wrong kind of person' for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights.

"I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all.

That's what Loving, and loving, are all about."

Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin Cathcart said: "Mrs. Loving and her husband are a testament to the power of standing up for equality and fairness. Love always wins over hate and bigotry in the end—though the road to justice can be long.... We are grateful for her leadership."

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Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis. File photo

Michigan Supremes Kill Off Gay Partners' Health Insurance The Michigan Supreme Court took away gay partners' employmentbased health insurance May 7 in a 52 ruling.

The decision to block same-sex partner benefits prohibits all public employers, including state universities, from recognizing same-sex couples as such.

The court based its decision on a 2004 constitutional amendment passed by voters. The amendment not only banned same-sex marriage but also banned recognition of similar unions for any reason.

It states: "To secure and preserve the benefits of marriage for our society and for future generations of children, the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose."

benefits policies to allow domestic partners to continue being covered.

The new policies let an employee designate any other adult as a beneficiary—when the two individuals live together, are not married, are not related and share finances.

It is unclear whether the court would also apply the sweeping language of the amendment to private companies and other situations if future legal cases move beyond the arena of public institutions.

Presbyterian Minister Cleared in Weddings Case The top court of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ruled April 29 that a lesbian minister who married gay couples didn't violate church law.

The General Assembly's Permanent Judicial Commission let California minister Jane Spahr off the hook because, it said, the weddings did not amount to legal or ecclesiastical marriages.

Numerous individuals and the GLBT organization National Pride at Work had sued over the restrictions.

Spahr had previously been "rebuked" over the ceremonies by a regional judicial committee.

In the interim, however, some public employers—including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and the Ann Arbor Public Schools—have tweaked their

The denomination's ministers are allowed to bless same-sex unions as long as the ceremonies are not called marriages and don't closely resem-

• G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com

ble a traditional wedding.

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Carly Simon: 'I Don't Consider Myself to be Not Gay' In an interview published May 1 in the San Francisco gay weekly Bay Area Reporter, '70s pop-music legend Carly Simon said, "I don't consider myself to be not gay."

The double-negative quasi-coming-out occurred when interviewer Gregg Shapiro inquired: "After speaking with you this morning, I'm going to be interviewing Cyndi Lauper regarding her True Colors tour, which features gay and straight artists performing to raise money for the Human Rights Campaign and other LGBT organizations. I'm wondering if Cyndi called you and asked you to be a part of the True Colors tour, might you get involved?"

Simon replied: "Well, the part that I could be involved in is the gay and lesbian part. The part that would be hard for me is to commit to a tour because I'm not very comfortable being onstage. But the part that would be easiest for me would be singing on behalf of all of us. I don't consider myself to be not gay."

Shapiro responded: "Wow! Well, it's great to have you as part of the family."

"Thank you!" Simon said. "I mean, I've enlarged all of my possibilities.

There are a lot of extremely personal stories to tell about that, but we won't go into that right now. Let's just say that it just depends upon who I'm with."

Attempts to contact Simon through her publicist, record label and MySpace page were unsuccessful as of press time.

Milk Sculpture to be Unveiled at S.F. City Hall A sculpture of slain gay legend Harvey Milk will be unveiled at San Francisco City Hall on May 22, which would have been his 78th birthday.

Fundraising for the sculpture began in 2003, under the auspices of The Harvey Milk City Hall Memorial Committee. A competition was launched in 2006 to select an artist and, last month, the San Francisco Arts Commission formally approved the placement of the

sculpture in City Hall's Ceremonial Rotunda.

"This tribute to Harvey Milk is long overdue," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "It is indeed time for his legacy to be commemorated with a place of honor and distinction in San Francisco's City Hall."

"Harvey would be very proud of the consortium of people who came together to make this dream a reality," said Milk's close friend Daniel Nicoletta, co-chair of the memorial committee. "It [is] a great honor to help to give voice and vision to this enduring tribute to someone who gave so much to us."

Milk settled in the Castro district in 1972 and opened a camera store.

He went on to pioneer a populist gay-rights movement in the city and, in 1977, was elected to the Board of Supervisors, the equivalent of a city council, becoming the third openly gay candidate elected in U.S. history.

He and Mayor George Moscone were shot to death inside City Hall on Nov. 27, 1978, by then recently resigned city Supervisor Dan White, who was angry that Moscone wouldn't let him un-resign and that Milk had lobbied Moscone not to reappoint White.

White's lenient sentence for the killings (seven years and eight months with parole) led to the famed White Night Riots in San Francisco on May 21, 1979.

GLAAD Awards to Air on Bravo A compilation of this year's four GLAAD Awards ceremonies—held in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and South Florida—will air on the Bravo cable channel June 27 at 7 p.m. EDT/PDT. "The broadcast ... marks two historic milestones: the first televised airing of the celebration on a fully distributed national cable network, and the most widely broadcast gayspecific event in television history," GLAAD said in a statement.

Boyfriends Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer, characters on As The World Turns, kissed for eight seconds on the April 23 episode, thrilling gay fans who had complained that the characters hadn't kissed for 211 days.

Soap Opera Gay Kiss Distresses 'Family' Group Boyfriends Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer, characters on the TV soap opera As The World Turns, kissed for eight seconds on the April 23 episode, thrilling some gay fans who had complained that the characters hadn't kissed for 211 days.

But the American Family Association was mortified and mobilized its members to blast Procter & Gamble Productions with complaints.

"Gay activists are hopeful that the P&G effort will desensitize viewers to the homosexual lifestyle and help make the

"We continue to tell this and all our stories based on what we think is best creatively," they said.

YouTube has the tinyurl.com/4huk27.

clip.

See

Openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire will enter an official civil union with his partner of 20 years, Mark Andrew, in June.

Robinson's 2003 consecration as bishop caused a serious rupture that continues to grow in the worldwide Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch.

The awards broadcast will be followed by an airing of the Academy Award-winning gay-cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain.

Services. Groups. Events.

Our calendar is now online.

But in a statement to AfterElton.com, the program's producers called the latest smooching "the natural evolution of the relationship between Luke and Noah."

Gay Bishop to Enter Civil Union

The Bravo channel reaches 84 million U.S. residences.

www.glccb.org

unhealthy and immoral lifestyle more acceptable to society, especially to children and youth," AFA founder Donald Wildmon said in an action alert in which he called the kisses "repulsive."

Openly gay New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson. GLAAD photo

Robinson, who has received death threats, said he wants to get formally partnered to protect Andrew before going to August's Anglican Communion Lambeth Conference in England. The gathering of some 800 bishops from around the globe happens only once a decade.

Robinson has been banned from the conference's official sessions by the Anglican spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. He plans to take part in auxiliary events.

Conservative Anglican bishops and laity also are upset that the U.S. and Canadian branches of the communion have refused to block local churches from conducting blessings of same-sex couples.

www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

by Rex Wockner with Bill Kelly

Latvian Officials Want to Fence in Pride Latvia's prime minister and integration minister said April 24 that they want Riga's gay pride parade to again take place inside a fenced-in park, to protect celebrants from violent anti-gay protesters.

Last year, armed with a court ruling that the ban on the 2006 parade was unconstitutional, more than 500 GLBT people marched inside Vermanes Park under heavy police protection, dodging only a paint bomb, an ice-cream cone and a few firecrackers.

In 2006, after the City Council banned the parade, organizers held a service at a church and meetings at a hotel. The attendees were attacked by

Christian, ultranationalist and neoNazi protesters who pelted them with eggs, rotten food and feces.

In 2005, about 150 marchers attempted to march in the streets.

They were outnumbered by around 1,000 anti-gay protesters who hurled insults, bottles and rotten eggs; blocked the streets; and forced the parade to be rerouted. The protesters chanted "No sodomy" and "Gays fuck the nation."

The move to again fence in Pride was criticized by the director of the Latvian Human Rights Center, Ilze Brands-Kehre, who accused the government of interfering with freedom of assembly.

Anti-gay protesters at the 2006 pride events in Riga, Latvia. Photo

by Nikolai Alekseev

Serbia Vows to Protect GLBT Eurovision Attendees

Canadian Charity Must Pay Fired Lesbian, Stop Discriminating

Belgrade's police department has promised to protect the throngs of GLBT people who typically travel to the Eurovision Song Contest—being held in Serbia this year because a Serbian singer won it last year.

The large Ontario charity Christian Horizons, which helps disabled people, must pay $23,000 to a lesbian it fired and stop discriminating based on sexual orientation, the provincial Human Rights Tribunal ruled April 25.

The vow came at an April 24 meeting between the Gay-Straight Alliance, Interior Ministry officials, contest officials, Belgrade police and the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation.

Connie Heintz will receive $8,000 for being discriminated against, $10,000 for suffering a poisoned work environment and $5,000 for willful and reckless infliction of mental anguish. She also will be compensated for nearly two years' lost wages and benefits plus interest, minus any income she made working elsewhere.

"The issue, and fears upon this matter, are mostly a product of lots of threats of cleric-fascistic organizations in Serbia -- such as Obraz, whose president…uses every single public appearance to announce open hunt on LGBT population of fans who are about to attend the ESC 2008," the Gay-Straight Alliance said in an English-language press release.

Kurt Krickler of the European Pride Organisers Association, which has taken interest in the matter, said "it's difficult to judge" if the meeting means Belgrade will be safe for GLBT contest attendees.

"I believe the Serbian authorities have realized that the safety of LGBT song contest fans is an important issue, and at least the authorities seem to understand that it would badly damage Serbia's image

Serbian singer Marija Serifovic won last year's Eurovision Song Contest, so this year's contest is in Belgrade, where far-right groups have threatened to harm the throngs of gay people who typically travel to the campy extravaganza. ESC photo abroad if incidents of homophobic violence occurred," Krickler said in an interview.

"I am convinced the police will do everything to prevent homophobic incidents but of course there cannot be a policeman behind every foreign visitor. ... I would still recommend gay visitors to keep a low profile and, for example, not wave

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rainbow flags in the streets."

The campy song contest, now in its 53rd year, is hugely popular among European gays. Forty-three nations have entered this year's competition, which culminates May 24.

The European Broadcasting Union will stream the contest over the Web at broadcast quality. See eurovision.tv for details.

• G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com

Horizons operates with substantial government funding and does not restrict its services to people who share its beliefs, which, the tribunal said, makes it a "public service" subject to the Ontario Human Rights Code.

The tribunal also ordered the agency to stop requiring staff to sign a "Lifestyle and Morality Statement" that banned them from engaging in extramarital, premarital or gay sex and from using or endorsing alcohol or tobacco.

"When faith-based and other organizations move beyond serving the interests of their particular community to serving the general public, the rights of others, including employees, must be respected," said Barbara Hall, chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

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Australia to Extend Almost Equality to Gay Couples Australia's government said April 29 it will change some 100 laws to extend equal rights to same-sex couples.

But the move will not include access to marriage, which is explicitly banned by existing law.

"The changes will provide for equality of treatment under a wide range of Commonwealth laws between same-sex and opposite-sex de facto couples," said Attorney-General Robert McClelland.

"They will make a practical difference to the everyday lives of a group of our fellow Australians who have suffered discrimination under Commonwealth laws for far too long."

Areas targeted by the plan include taxes, pensions, social security, health care, elder care, veteran entitlements, workers compensation and workplace benefits.

All the changes are expected to be in place by the middle of 2009.

Aussie Territory Forced to Back Down on Gay Equality The Australian Capital Territory, where Canberra is located, was forced to rewrite its civilunion bill after the federal government promised to overturn it.

The weakened measure passed the territory's Legislative Assembly on May 9.

At issue was not the civil unions themselves, but the marriage-like ceremony that was to accompany them.

"Given the stubborn refusal of the federal government to consider any compromise, the territory has decided to amend its legislation to provide for a form of civil partnerships without ceremony," said ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell.

He accused the feds of wielding "undemocratic 19th-century colonial-style power."

UK Spinster Sisters Denied Gay-Couple Rights The European Court of Human Rights ruled 152 on April 29 that two elderly sisters in England who never married, and lived together their whole lives, have no right to the inheritance-tax exemption granted to civilly partnered same-sex couples.

Joyce Burden, 90, and Sybil Burden, 82, say this means that when one of them dies, the other will have to sell the family home to pay approximately $460,000 in inheritance taxes.

Married couples, as well as same-sex couples who enter a civil partnership, are exempt from inheritance tax, but other inheritors are taxed at 40 percent of the value of the home that exceeds $600,000. The sisters' home has grown in value to $1,750,000.

The sisters have argued that the tax law is "unfair" and makes them "second-class citizens."

Gays Attacked After Rally in St. Petersburg Homophobes attacked gay activists in St. Petersburg, Russia, May 3 after about 25 activists staged an "International Day of Silence" action in Chernyshevsky Park. The activists had taped their mouths shut, handed out leaflets and sat on benches.

www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

Although police guarded the action itself, two participants were beaten after the action ended.

The Interfax news service described the assailants as "dressed as rappers."

They punched and kicked rally co-organizer Igor Petrov, head of the Russian LGBT Organizations Network, and Ignat Fialkovskiy, press secretary of the local gay film festival, then ran away as police approached. The activists were not seriously injured.

Day of Silence rallies also took place in the Russian cities of Novokuznetsk and Yaroslavl, and in several other nations.

The Novokuznetsk action took the form of a "flash mob" in which 20 activists, linked via online social networks, came together to quickly distribute fliers, then disassemble before police could react. One participant was injured when a group of skinheads set upon the activists.

The Yaroslavl action also used the "flash mob" approach. Nine people took part and 600 fliers were distributed. Only four people who received the information expressed objections to it.

"We were able to (get out) the word about the problem of emotional harassment and violence, discrimination and intolerance based on sexual orientation and gender identity," said Valery Silantiev, a Russian organizer of the Day of Silence events. "The attacks on the participants of the event in St. Petersburg and Novokuznetsk confirmed the relevance of the problem."

Novokuznetsk is about 1,800 miles (3,000 km) southeast of Moscow and has a population of about 550,000. Yaroslavl is about 150 miles (250 km) northeast of Moscow and has a population of about 613,000.

May 16 - May 29, 2008

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Int’l

NEWS Veteran Spanish gay activist Jordi Petit of Barcelona was awarded the Catalonian government's highest honor, the Cross of Saint George, on April 22. Photo by Rex Wockner

Spanish Activist Awarded Government Honors Veteran Spanish gay activist Jordi Petit of Barcelona was awarded the Catalonian government's Cross of Saint George on April 22. "(It) is the highest award that is granted in Catalonia, a very honorific distinction that each year the government of Catalonia grants to a few people, more or less 20, who have distinguished themselves by their work or their life—in science, art, culture, social movements, etc.," Petit said in an interview.

Well-known gay activist Sunil Babu Pant has been elected to Nepal's Constituent Assembly, which will draft the nation's new constitution and also function as parliament during the drafting process. IGLHRC photo

Gay Man Elected to Nepal Parliament

The ceremony, followed by a champagne reception, was heavily covered by all media.

"So many people have congratulated me, including strangers in the street," Petit said.

The awards were handed out by José Montilla, president of the autonomous Catalonian government.

Well-known gay activist Sunil Babu Pant, 35, has been elected to Nepal's 601-member Constituent Assembly, which will draft the nation's new constitution and also function as parliament during the drafting process.

Pant was not elected directly, but was chosen by the Communist Party of Nepal (United) as one of its representatives when the party received enough votes to secure five proportional-representation seats in the assembly.

"We are honored to send Pant as our representative," General Secretary Ganesh Shah told The Times of India. "We hope it will improve the lives of a people who are the most repressed in Nepal, disowned both by society and their own families."

In a note posted on a gay-activism mailing list, Pant said: "The support and solidarity I have from locally and abroad will make my job easier and (I) hope the flag of the LGBT communities will continue flying high in Nepal and in other countries too. Friends and activists like you from all over the world have (been) my source of inspiration."

Singapore TV Station Fined for Too-Gay Broadcast Singapore's Media Development Authority has fined MediaCorp TV's Channel 5 $11,000 for airing a program that was too gay-friendly.

The home and decor series "Find and Design" made the error of being too accepting when it helped a gay couple transform their game room into a nursery for their adopted baby, the authority said.

"The episode contained several scenes of the gay couple with their baby as well as the presenter's con-

gratulations and acknowledgement of them as a family unit in a way which normalises their gay lifestyle and unconventional family setup," the regulator said April 24. "This is in breach of the Free-to-Air TV Programme Code which disallows programmes that promote, justify or glamourise gay lifestyles."

Gay sex is illegal in Singapore and could lead to a two-year jail sentence.

Last year, Channel 5 was fined $3,700 for showing a lesbian kiss on the imported U.S. series "Without a Trace".

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CARSON KRESSLEY

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will benefit the Human Rights Campaign, CenterLink (the nation’s LGBT community centers) and Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National.

Gay Life spoke with Carson Kressley from his New York home about the upcoming tour, hosting the new reality show How to Look Good Naked and his plans for launching his own talk show.

How did you get involved with the True Colors Tour?

I went to the True Colors Tour last summer in Atlantic City and I got to go backstage and meet Cyndi Lauper and Margaret Cho and some of the girls from The Gossip…just a really cool group of people.

The producers asked, “Hey, do you want to introduce the second act?” I was like “OK. Sure. I would love to.” It was kind of like American Idol for hosting. It was super fun. This year when they were organizing the tour, they said they loved having me and asked me if I would be interested in hosting the whole thing. I said, “I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’d love to.” So, I’m going to give it a whirl.

So it’s one of those opportunities that just sprung up.

Yeah. It’s like the story of my life.

I think it will be super fun and there’s nothing like road tripping across the country in the summer time. Traveling with Cyndi and Rosie O’Donnell should be really cool….

A lot of artists are going to be on portions of the tour. Are you hosting the entire tour or just appearing in select cities?

Famous Stylist, Television Star & Fashion Designer, Hits the Road as Host of the True Colors Tour INTERVIEW BY MADDY DWERTMAN

ccomplished stylist, television star, author and fashion designer, Carson Kressley is out to make over the world. Best known as one of the stars of Bravo's Emmy Award winning series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Kressley’s most recent television credits include serving as host of Lifetime’s hit show How to Look Good Naked and judge on the CW reality series Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants. His film credits include Thee Perfect Man and The Year without Santa Claus.

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Kressley recently launched his new collection of women's wear and men's wear, Perfect by Carson Kressley, exclusively on QVC. Also a writer, he is the best-selling author of the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy companion book, the style-help guide Off the Cuff, and the children's book You're Different and That's Super.

In addition to helping to bridge the gap between peoples of different genders and sexual orientations, Kressley is an avid philanthropist, championing a wide array of charities and organizations. This summer, Kressley hits the road as host of the 2nd Annual True Colors Tour, which

May 16 - May 29

I‘m doing the whole thing. They can’t get rid of me. I’m like a bad cough.

The cool thing about the tour is that every city is a little bit different. In Florida we have Debra Cox. Out in LA, we have Wanda Sykes… Cyndi Lauper, of course, and the B-52s will be on the whole tour along with Rosie.

This year’s tour is focusing on encouraging the LGBT community and their straight allies to get out and vote this fall. What’s your take on the candidates?

Obviously I’m a big democrat. We’re really really fortunate in the Democratic Party to have 2 amazing contenders this year. I like them both, but my favorite is Hillary Clinton. I’ve been a Clinton supporter since Bill Clinton and voted for Hillary when she ran for the Senate in New York State where I live. It’s natural for me to continue supporting her in this primary. I think she can get the job done.

You’ve got a lot going on outside the tour as well. You recently moved from making over straight men to helping women feel good about their appearance. What’s the purpose of your new show, How to Look Good Naked?

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That’s been a really cool experience. I spent four years doing Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and dressing guys. That’s actually pretty easy because the guy picks up a shirt of the floor and it smells clean. He’ll put it on and we make it look amazing and he’s happy.

Whereas dealing with women, it’s just a lot more difficult because they are so much more informed and they are so influenced by the media and advertising…and have so many more body issues. It’s really been a learning experience for me. But, ultimately, it all boils down to the same thing: It’s not how you look. It’s how you feel about how you look. Feeling the best you can feel about your body and how you dress is really important.

How to Look Good Naked is really more of a self-esteem makeover.

Changing the way people think about themselves can be really powerful stuff and it’s something that is really gratifying for me because I know what it’s like to not like yourself. A lot of people say, “Well, how do you know how to tell women what to wear or how do you know how to tell them to feel good about themselves?” I’ve been in the same boat. Not that I hate my body, but as a closeted gay person, it’s similar.

You feel ashamed…like you have a thing that you don’t like about yourself. Women dealing with their bodies is like their coming out process.

It’s the same thing I went through coming to grips with being gay and being proud of that and accepting it and going beyond acceptance to almost flaunt it. I tell the women on the show, “There is no one else who can be you but you. And there are some great things you have going on. This life is short and you’ve got to be proud of what you got and get out there and start enjoying life.” It’s pretty cool stuff.

It’s very refreshing to see a makeover show that’s not all about dieting and weight loss.

We’ve been a little bit brainwashed in society…. Being tall and thin, that’s wonderful and all, but somehow we’ve gotten pigeonholed into thinking that there’s only one version of beauty. Even as a gay man that happens. The rock hard abs and going to the gym…the pressure to be a certain type. We really need to widen our horizons and realize that there are a lot of versions of beauty and it’s not all about how you look.

You’ve had fantastic ratings.

We were the highest rated reality show on the network in their 20 year history. The show just premiered in Australia and was the number one show on network TV over there. We want it to be entertaining and touch a nerve with viewers and give them information.

We’re out in LA right now working on the second season. We want to make it bigger and better and give people info that they can apply to their own lives while also being inspiring.

“

What about Queer Eye? Are there any remaining episodes we haven’t seen?

All of the episodes have been aired.

There were 100 of them, which me and all the other guys in the show are super proud of. That’s longer than Gilligan’s Island or Knots Landing. If you’re an insomniac and you watch Bravo you can still catch some of the episodes running at 3 in the morning.

We’ve been a little bit brainwashed in society…. Being tall and thin, that’s wonderful and all, but somehow we’ve gotten pigeonholed into thinking that there’s only one version of beauty.

”

Since you burst onto the scene with Queer Eye, you’ve become one of the most well-known, or at least most recognizable gay men in entertainment. We still see a lot of gay men on TV as fashion designers, hair stylists, interior decorators…. Do you feel that gay men remain confined to primarily stereotypical roles, or is this opening up?

I think just the fact that we were on a major network as real live gay guys just being ourselves was a really cool step forward.

Some of us have gotten a little complacent about our position in society and aren’t out there voting and being heard and being active in the community. We still have a long way to go outside the entertainment world and inside, until we have equal rights like our straight counterparts. But, I do think it’s getting better.

What’s next?

Right now, I’m finishing the second season of How to Look Good Naked that airs July 21. This fall, I’m continued on page 42

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Business

PROFILES Squidfire: Unique Wearable Art an Alternative to Conventional Clothing The brainchild of Jean-Baptist Regnard and Kevin Sherry, Squidfire, was born in the summer of 2004. A locally LGBT-owned and operated tshirt business, Squidfire offers the public alternatives to shopping malls and corporate clothing chains while providing comfort and originality.

With all images designed and printed by hand, Squidfire clothing functions dually as wearable art. A resounding success, Squidfire designs are carried by stores internationally and gaining attention among networks and celebrities.

Gay Life spoke with co-founder Jean-Baptist Regnard about Squidfire’s unique concept, successful growth and what’s in store for the future.

What inspired you to venture into creating wearable art?

I honestly had no luck shopping at conventional malls and chain stores. I essentially regretted having to wear extremely plain clothing as I refused to buy t-shirts with logos or words emblazoned on them.

SquidFire is much more than a clothing line though. Beyond providing original design, what is the primary purpose of the company?

We just want everyone to recognize that we're only trying to show the art we create on clothing.

I do not consider ourselves to be in the fashion world. We don't have gimmicks. Se just simply take art and put it on t-shirts, which are like blank canvasses. We travel all over the country attending art festivals and we really appreciate when people from 5 to 85-years-old appreciate our work.

The Spring Art Mart in Mount Vernon that took place last weekend has been a resounding success the past two years. Did you have any other event highlights this year?

It was pretty amazing that we got to rent the Lyric Opera House for our holiday show. We wanted to take advantage of such a beautiful space and really put our own signature on the event, so we had a professional hula hoop troupe, a drag queen hostess who gave out candy canes to the shoppers and a live band. It’s also a great feel-

ing knowing that artists from as far as Chicago and Manhattan trust us enough to venture down to Baltimore to vend at our events.

Squidfire has rapidly expanded in the national and international market. Do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs looking to launch a successful business venture?

Squidfire is successful and that's because you really have to make great sacrifices both socially and financially. There’s no way we got into 90 stores internationally by accident. You really have to give 110% if you want to be successful. There are tons of options out there for people wanting to buy t-shirts, so we never stop creating.

What have been your biggest accomplishments to date?

Being recognized by Disney that shot a film in town last summer called Step Up 2…. I have no

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idea how they found us, but we're heavily featured in that movie. We also were worn by a contestant on Top Chef a few weeks ago. The national craft store chain, Michaels, commissioned Squidfire to create some iron-on patches for them.

Maybe the biggest accomplishment Squidfire has had is celebrating our 3-year anniversary last November and the fact that my business partner and best friend, Kevin Sherry, and I are still are friends.

What's coming up this year for Squidfire?

We're about to launch our new designs any day now. We have about 25 new designs. Nothing is set in stone, but we constantly daydream about opening a store…but we'll wait for the perfect opportunity.

To find out more about Squidfire and to view clothing designs, visit www.squidfire.com.

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OPINIONS

TRANSMISSIONS The Top Ten Stupid Non-Transgender Tricks

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

kay, here’s the deal. I feel the need to vent a little—so allow me to get a little catty and curmudgeonly. I want to talk about a few dumb things that people do when it comes to transgender people. Call these the top ten stupid non-transgender tricks.

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1. We’re not all male-to-female.

Don’t believe the popular media.

There are plenty of female-to-male transgender people out there. For that matter, there are also those who are carving out their own gender spaces, away from “male” and “female.” Just because the Jerry

Springers of the world seek to show you a small slice of the transgender pie doesn’t mean we’re not a whole lot more diverse.

2. What I do to my body doesn’t affect yours.

I’d be very rich if I had a dollar for every time a non-transgender person—while discussing transsexual procedures—felt the need to discuss how they could never, ever go through such themselves. Yes, we know you couldn’t or wouldn’t. We are, and we have very deep-set feelings for doing so. This is about our

3. It’s not bravery; it’s self-preservation.

Perhaps this relates to the first item, but one thing that is very often brought up when one comes out as transgender is how brave him, her or hir is. And maybe there is some bravery to be had to opt to continue living your life in a world that is often openly hostile to us.

Nevertheless, simply deciding to do what you need to do to remain a functioning human being is far from valor-worthy.

4. Pronoun trouble.

I’ve been living this life for a long time now, and I’ve been living in my preferred gender for about a third of it. I’m a she and a her. I’m not a him, not a he. I am sure as hell not an it.

5. The dreaded name issue.

It’s one of those weird questions that come up all too often when talking with non-transgender people about being transgender. They want to know what one’s old name was.

I’ve yet to figure out the relevance. Is it just a feeble attempt at small talk, or are they trying to figure out if they met you “before”?

Take a deep breath…

6. How about them old photos?

It’s a busy world, to say the least.

Whenever we find ourselves multi-tasking - whether out of choice, necessity, or habit - our bodies, minds and emotions race in many directions at once.

For many of us, this high-speed, chronically stressful engagement begins the moment we awaken until we collapse back into bed at night.

We can’t sustain this level of constant busy-ness without experiencing negative consequences, and often we find ourselves feeling scattered, depleted, and breathless.

It’s important to create time to slow down and re-center ourselves regularly in order to return to a place of physical, mental, emotional, and subtle balance.

Hatha Yoga practice links deep, regular, soothing breathing with gentle, fluid, mindful movement to return body, mind, emotions, and spirit back to a place of balance and wellness.

Join Certified Yoga Instructors Tim Hurley and Kelly O’Neal each week at the Center for Gentle Beginner Yoga and enjoy the priceless benefits of feeling balanced, centered, and deeply relaxed.

Classes are held on Sundays at 3:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. (please arrive a few minutes early) in Room 201 at the Center.

Classes cost $9.00 each, and a portion of that cost is donated back to the Center.

For more information, check the Programs link at www.glccb.org or call 410-837-5445.

Breathe easy.

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bodies, not yours. We don’t hand out medals for your genital and gender congruity.

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This is much like #5. No, you don’t need to see some 15-year-old photos of me—and if you do, it’s actually somewhat insulting to tell me what a “perfect man” I was. I mean, really now, if I was so perfect—would I have transitioned?

7. Take a picture, it will last longer.

Although it is rare that it happens nowadays, there have been times in my past where I’ve found myself stared at for being transgender.

Either that, or I’m drop-dead gorgeous and they can’t help themselves.

Nevertheless, staring remains a rude act either way.

8. Innie or outie?

Asking me what I have in my pants is also pretty rude. Unless you are somehow planning on using whatever’s there, then it remains none of your business. By the same token, if someone is preoperative, is it really appropriate to ask them how they are hiding or augmenting parts of their anatomy? I mean, unless you’re looking for tips.

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9. What’s on the other side.

I have no unique ability to tell you what it is like to be a man. I can’t tell you the secrets. If I knew all these things, maybe I never would have felt the need to transition. Heck, I’m not even sure I can tell you what it is to be a woman! I can only tell you what it is to be a “Gwen,” nothing more, nothing less.

10. Realness.

I am solid and corporeal. Therefore I’m real. It is not necessary for you to tell me if I’m somehow “convincing enough” to be seen as a “real woman”.

Conversely, telling me that I’m “really a man” does nothing for either of us.

I’m glad that you could somehow “never tell I was really a man”, but hey, I was having trouble telling that you weren’t single-celled.

Now I’m not saying that you, dear reader, do any of these things. I’m sure you’d never dream of such things. Yet, whether you have or not, I’m sure you’ve likely seen or heard them from others.

Also, I would like to see, for example, the passage of a transgender-inclusive federal hate crime bill, or employment non-discrimination act that isn’t afraid to talk about gender identity. I want to see elected officials actually bother to support all their constituents, let alone certain large gay, lesbian, bisexual and, oh, transgender rights organizations. These are vastly more important than, say, someone asking me what my old name was.

I want to see those who truly victimize us, who beat us and who murder us put into a place where they will not be able to victimize me or my ilk.

More than that, I want to see a world where such acts don’t occur. I dream big, because someone has to.

Yet every so often I am reminded that big issues do not spring forth fully formed. They start with a lot of little, tacky misconceptions about transgender people—and even though these things listed above cause me to grit my teeth, I do continue to do my best to smile. At the least, maybe it gives me another chance to educate.

But it won’t stop me from venting.

Gwen Smith is so real, you’d never be able to tell she was once a child.

You can find her on the web at www.gwensmith.com

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Evolution Never Matures

tions are required to control any of these four senses.

by David Placher hen I look at old civil war photographs, I notice the vast age differences, but strikingly similar heights of soldiers ranging from early teenage boys to elderly men. From my perspective, all age groups appear to be within a few inches in height of one another. In photos of Abraham Lincoln standing beside these soldiers, however, Lincoln’s 6’3” height towers above the rest. In today’s society, Lincoln’s height would be nothing uncommon among the population. If one juxtaposes the height differences between the civil war era and today, could one conclude unequivocally that evolution exists?

Did diets and medical technology change an entire civilization by accelerating evolution in height within a short time frame? I think the answer to both questions is yes. After spending time thinking about human anatomy, the purpose of this article is to look into my imaginary crystal ball and explain two evolutionary changes that I believe will occur in the distant future.

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The five senses most people possess include vision, taste, touch, smell, and hearing. Vision is the ability to interpret information from visible light reaching the eyes. Vision can be controlled by closing the eyelids. Taste is the ability to detect the flavor of a substance, such as food. These tastes are often described as sweet, salty, sour and bitter. The ability to control this sense is very easy—simply do not eat.

Touch is the faculty by which external objects or forces are perceived through contact with the body. The ability to not touch anything is the ability to control this sense. Smell is the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals. This sense can be controlled by inhaling and exhaling through the mouth or holding breath. No additional body func-

The one sense that remains is hearing. Hearing is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibration via an organ such as the ear. Hearing is the only sense of the five that sometimes requires additional body functions to prevent. For example, when someone hears a loud and annoying sound, that person must use their hands to terminate the sense of hearing. A person cannot simply voluntarily choose to not hear. That is distinguishable from someone daydreaming and not attending to certain sounds, such as a light noise in the background. I believe evolution will allow people to eventually control their hearing without using their hands to block unwanted noises. If you review the anatomy of the ear, there is a section called the tragus which is a small projection just in front of the ear canal that cannot be controlled. I project that eventually we will evolve to control our hearing, without using hands, by shutting our tragus, which will stop unwanted noises from penetrating our ear.

Food is necessary for survival. The type and amount of food available for human consumption is controlled by economics, supply and demand, and personal satisfaction. Within the next century, the availability of food may dcecrease, forcing alternative means to satisfy human hunger. My futuristic prediction is that a pharmaceutical company will develop a pill to allow us to fulfill our hunger, without actually eating. This will be safe and effective. Centuries of long-term use, however, will decrease the size and shape of our stomachs.

I must admit, I am the type of guy that enjoys thinking about unique and different things. I believe it is imperative for everyone to think about things outside normal everyday thoughts of work, environment, family and friends. The ideas that we possess and the theories we develop separate us from one another and show a true spirit of individualization. Without these thoughts, we find ourselves thinking in commonality based on our daily routine, thus destroying our gift to imagine and ponder and hindering our ability to contribute intellectually to society.

David Placher is an attorney. He enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and exploring the outdoors. His relationship classification is forever single.

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OPINIONS Our Mother of the Marriage Equality Movement Dies Massachusetts legalized such an ungodly act as same-sex marriage not only would it bring about the death of the institution of marriage, but it would also bring about the demise of civilization.

by Rev. Irene Monroe s the nation celebrated Mother’s Day last Sunday, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans did not forgot our mother of the marriage equality movement who died the prior week—Mildred Jeter Loving.

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There is no greater challenge before us than the issue of marriage equality. In the U. S. Supreme Court decision that struck down this country's anti-miscegenation laws as unconstitutional, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote for the court stating the following: "Marriage is one of the ‘basic civil rights of man’, fundamental to our very existence and survival.… Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the state."

None of our presidential hopefuls in his or her campaign promises to Americans will heed to the June 1967 ruling for us. They should, at least, however, learn from the history lesson of Mildred Loving’s tenacity that brought about a decision in her favor, that soon too will the courts rule in ours.

“I think marrying who you want is a right no man should have anything to do with. It’s a God- given right,” Loving stated on ABC news 41 years ago.

But that God-given right has been violated throughout American History. And while we know African Americans have always had a tenuous relationship with the institution of marriage beginning with slavery, so too have many other Americans.

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Many also said the righteous hand of God would in that defining moment stop same-sex marriage with ugly protests, with town clerks engaging in civil disobedience by refusing to issue licenses, and with last minute unavoidable and inexplicable legal snafus.

But none of that happened.

And get this: The sky didn’t fall either!

The ugly rhetoric against same-sex marriage is all too familiar to this country's legal battle against miscegenation But the campaign for same-sex marriage will succeed for us because the campaign to strike down anti- miscegenation laws did for Mildred Loving.

On June 12, 2007 Freedom to Marry joined with several of the nation's leading civil rights organizations to hold a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Loving v.

Virginia decision, which affirmed the freedom to marry as a “basic civil right” of every American.

Lending her support to the commemoration, Mrs. Mildred Loving wrote, “When my late husband, Richard, and I got married in Washington, DC in 1958, it wasn't to make a political statement or start a fight. We were in love, and we wanted to be married. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the ‘wrong kind of person’ for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. I am proud that Richard's and my name are on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or

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straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about.”

In quelling the tension between black civil right activists of the 1960s who stated that marriage equality for LGBTQ Americans is not a civil right, one of the organizations that spearheaded the Loving case—the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.—marked the 40th anniversary of Loving by stating the following: “It is undeniable that the experience of African Americans differs in many important ways from that of gay men and lesbians; among other things, the legacy of slavery and segregation is profound. But differences in historical experiences should not preclude

the application of constitutional provisions to gay men and lesbians who are denied the right to marry the person of their choice.” And, on April of 2006, NAACP LDF filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case brought by New York same-sex couples challenging their exclusion from marriage.

A resolution authored by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin passed the House of Representatives on June 11, 2007 by unanimous consent, commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia decision that ended the ban on interracial marriage in the United States and recognizing that marriage is one of the “basic civil rights of man” at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment protections.

IMHO Part Tres: Looking for Love Goes International

love to travel. Travel broadens your horizons, educates you, challenges you, makes you grow and understand things in a different way. The discomfort of plane rides, crowded airports trains, buses, smelly taxis…they have all led me to one important conclusion: Take first class whenever you can. No, seriously, first class is the only way to go.

Why in the world would you have to subject yourself to being sandwiched between two people on a plane, one has had only the most cursory,

by Mario Fernández who passing acquaintance with deodorant and the other whose pores exude a steady stream of stale oregano and garlic? So save the air miles, dears, and spend them wisely. Take coach domestically and spring for first class on the transatlantic trips; you’ll be glad you did.

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Now, I know you want to know if I’m member of the mile high club ‘cuz you’re a bunch of nosy bitches. Has he partied with a flying mattress, a dolly trolley, a horny businessman they ask? Of course I have. I’ve always had a hard time keeping my hands to myself. Besides, what else is there to do on an eight-hour flight? You can only drink so much wine, eat so much food, watch movies you wouldn’t watch at home and nap only so much. If you’re open to it and don’t mind hot encounters in cramped spaces, hooking up in the air is a wonderful way to while away the airborne hours.

I have allergies (I know, what a cliché, another queen with allergies) so I take a wonderful little antihistamine at night; not only is there the allergy benefit, it knocks me on my ass and sends me on to a rendezvous with Mr. Sandman (and Mr. Pitt, Mr. Damon, and Mr. Law) in no time flat. However, if you normally take a sleeping aid, I don’t recommend taking it on an www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

For us LGBTQ Americans, who would have thought that the audacious actions of a demure African American young woman from Caroline County, Virginia would be the reason our paths crossed.

But the teachings of Mildred Loving we must not forgot!

Let us hold in memory the “Loving-spirit” of Mildred.

A native of Brooklyn, Rev. Irene Monroe is a graduate of Wellesley College and Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University. She served as a pastor at an AfricanAmerican church before a Ford Fellowship took her to Harvard Divinity School for a doctorate.

ATTENTION Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the GLCCB or Gay Life.

We welcome your letters and opinions. Submissions should include a name, address and phone number for verification and may be edited for content and length. Send submissions by e-mail to editor@baltimoregaylife.com or fax to 410.837.8889 or by mail to Editor, 241 W. Chase Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.

overnight flight. You want to be somewhat awake in case an opportunity for a romp in the restroom comes up. You never really fall deeply asleep on a plane, and the 30-minute naps are better for you anyway.

You’ll be a bit tired when you get to your destination, but you won’t be suffering from major jet lag. Just personal experience, girls, I’m not a doctor (although I’ve played hide the stethoscope with many a doctor in my time and they are a randy bunch, let me tell you).

Traveling to a Muslim country like Morocco, for instance, is illuminating.

You are surrounded by such beauty—the architecture, the desert, the cities, the Casbah, the snake charmers, the mint tea, the smell of cumin permeating the air, the intoxicating smell and colors of the markets, the men, and, oh yes, did I mention the men?

Moroccan men are HOT! I was in the Casbah in one of those state-run tourist traps full of cheap rugs, tunics, jewelry, etc. when I was approached by not one, but two sexy men. One was probably not much older than 17 or 18 and he spied my rainbow plastic band on my wrist.

“I see you wrist,” he uttered excitedly in endearingly broken English.

“I am one too. But I can’t say it much loud, someone may understand and I get throw in jail. Can I have you wrist band? We have sex in the bathroom.

I show you where.”

“I don’t want to have sex with you just for a wrist band. It would be wrong and I would feel bad. You’re selling yourself short and I don’t want to take advantage of you.” I said, lying through my teeth.

“No, no, no…. It would mean much to me because only way I can show who am I without get trouble with police,” he said earnestly.

I, of course, put up a vigorous defense while he took my hand and led me to the bathroom, took down my…well, you’re a creative bunch, I’m sure you can use your imagination and fill in the blanks here! Needless to say, I walked out of the bathroom with a smile while he walked out with a smile and as the proud owner of a new rainbow wrist band. A fair and equitable trade in both of our eyes!

Not an hour later, a similar exchange took place with the owner of a very chi-chi poo poo rug store. He was older, very distinguished, a hint of an English accent, a bit of gray on the sides of his head, and obviously well educated. We sized up each other very quickly and within minutes, I was in his office on all fours, screaming Allah Akbar, falafel, and babaganoush. Oh, my, what a delicious thrashing he gave me; I smile now as I think about it.

My travel companions asked, “Where were you? We lost track of you.”

“Nowhere special—just looking at rugs.” I said disingenuously as I remembered spending quite some time looking DOWN at rugs when I was on all fours not an hour earlier.

My Arab host sent me a beautiful rug, which I still have. A very sweet thing to do, and every time I walk on it, it reminds of my efforts in bettering relations between countries and cultures and how broadening travel can be!

E-mail Mario at mfernandez@baltimoregaylife.com.

Tell me all about your travel adventures!

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HEALTH Number of Women Living with HIV/AIDS Continues to Rise: An Interview with Dr. Susan Blumenthal

BY MADDY DWERTMAN

uring the 9th annual National Women’s Health Week, celebrated May 11-17, Rear Admiral Susan J. Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.A., senior policy and medical advisor for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, calls on policymakers to take steps toward reducing the number of women living with HIV/AIDS.

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not know they were at risk, their healthcare providers did not know they were at risk. In 1985, you had a n 8% of HIV/AIDS cases in the U.S. were in women. Today, about 27% of cases are in women. And, worldwide, 50%. This underscores why women need to be targeted in our research and prevention trials and education efforts.

Second, over the past 25 years of the epidemic, it’s become in many ways a forgotten epidemic in America. Because of dramatic advances from our national medicine research, new medications have been discovered that have significantly cut mortalities from the disease. So this generation of young people is growing up in a time when people aren’t dying hideous deaths in the U.S. and there’s not picketing going on of federal agencies, and so forth. As a result, many people now think of AIDS more like heart disease or diabetes, for which there are effective medications. We can’t ignore the fact that this is still a very devastating illness, which is infectious in nature.

While we have shifted our focus to the global epidemic and there’s a lot of activity in terms of global strategies to fight HIV/AIDS, we have in some ways neglected the disease in the U.S. in recent years. Our message is that we have to fight the disease on many fronts. The fact that we’ve made great strides in terms of decreasing the mortality rate does not mean that there are not new infections. In fact, there are 40,000 infections every year and it is anticipated the in the next month, the CDC [Centers for Disease Control] will release new figures that show this number is much higher.

What is driving the rapid increase in infection among women and girls?

A leading U.S. government health expert and spokesperson for over 20 years, Dr. Blumenthal has held numerous positions, including as assistant surgeon general of the U.S.; first-ever deputy assistant secretary for women’s health; and White House advisor on health issues.

Currently distinguished advisor on health and medicine at the Center of the Study of the Presidency and a clinical professor at Georgetown and Tufts Schools of Medicine, her work has included a focus on HIV/ADS since the beginning of the epidemic in the early 1980s.

Gay Life had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Dr. Blumenthal about changing perceptions of the epidemic, women and HIV/AIDS, and the urgent need for our country to formulate a national strategy around HIV/AIDS so that it does not reemerge as a major killer.

You’ve held a number of prestigious government positions and your work has included a focus on HIV/AIDS since the start of the epidemic. How did you first become involved in this area of work?

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I was working at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the behavioral medicine research branch.

At the beginning of the epidemic, changing behavior was the only tool we had to stem the tide of the epidemic. One of the tasks of the NIH and National Institute of Mental Health was to recruit new scientists to the field because it was a brand new field and there was a lot of stigma and people did not understand transmission. We really needed to get our nation’s top scientists to work in this area.

Women have been neglected in HIV research, treatment, care and prevention efforts in the U.S. and around the world. This lack of attention to women’s health issues combined with biological differences in the ways HIV affects men and women, socioeconomic inequities and environmental factors have led to a dramatic rise in the number of women living with HIV as well as HIVrelated deaths among women. It is still the leading cause of death for black women ages 25-34.

The NIH convened a number of meetings to stimulate scientists and this generation of researchers to fight this disease…and also to educate the public about the importance of changing their behavior…to identify what high risk behaviors were and to prevent the transmission of the disease. That was the only time I can remember when a pamphlet was sent out to all Americans to warn them of this new emerging disease.

There seems to be very little research around HIV transmission among women who have sex with women.

The “alarm” around HIV/AIDS has decreased since the virus was first discovered. What can the public and private sectors do to elicit a greater response to ever-increasing rates of infection?

There are two things. A lot of my work focuses on women’s issues. Helping to expose inequities in women’s health care is important. For example, because our national research prevention and medication clinical trials [around HIV/AIDS] did not include women in the beginning, women did May 16 - May 29

Yes. According to the CDC, there are no confirmed cases of female to female transmissions of HIV in the U.S. database, but case reports of female-to-female transmission of HIV and welldocumented cases of female-to-male transmission indicate that vaginal secretions and menstrual blood are potentially infectious. Sexual transmission of HIV is most common between men and between men and women, but it is often ignored in health material that it can occur between two women. To reduce risk, women who have sex with women, should know their own and their partner’s serostatus (whether they are HIV positive or negative), the risk of exposure through a mucus membrane and the benefits of using some sort of protection. amfAR’s recent survey of public perceptions of

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women living with HIV/AIDS revealed pervasive negative views.

What are some of the steps we need to take to begin transforming these views?

The other inequity I wanted to mention was gender-based violence.

Approximately 20% of women report that fear of gender-based violence has inhibited their communication about HIV with their partner.

A critical strategy to combat the stigma involves education and communication. The survey shows that less than 30% of Americans discuss HIV with their spouse or partner and less than 1 in 5 discuss HIV with a potential sexual partner. To educate, we need to give more science-based, evidence-based information about sexual and reproductive health among women. We need to make HIV-testing, as the CDC is recommending, part of standard, routine health care…so it’s like being tested for HIV or some other disease and is not parceled off from mainstream healthcare.

We have a long way to go in terms of shattering stigma. One in 5 Americans from the survey said they would not be comfortable having an HIV-positive woman as a close friend. Few Americans believe that HIV-positive women should have children although we now have tools to prevent transmission to the child.

Again, what happens when you take a disease off the front burner of a national agenda, is that it builds up a lot of mythologies. For example, we’ve done a lot of work with cancer.

It was a disease that was in the closet. Nobody talked about it, but now we’re shining the light of day on it.

The more you talk about, the more you realize you know someone who has cancer…and with that comes effective advocacy and more initiatives for funding and treatment.

Do you feel that the government moving in the right direction in addressing HIV/AIDS? No. Globally, the Office of National AIDS Policy is no longer operating in the White House. Those functions have been moved to the Domestic Policy Council We do have enormous efforts under way in terms of PEPfar [President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief], the global AIDS initiative, but there is not a national AIDS strategy for the U.S. That type of complacency suggests that we have somehow conquered the disease. It reminds me of when the surgeon general of the U.S., in 1967, declared that the war against infectious diseases was over. Then, AIDS was unanticipated. We had almost eradicated smallpox, and we were thinking more about chronic continued on page 40

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www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

May 16 - May 29, 2008

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CALENDAR COMMUNITY

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Friday May 16

Body & Soul Connections

Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center 2505 E. Oliver St. Baltimore, MD 21213 www.thespiraldancebookstore.com 7-9 p.m.

Brothers of Baraza Men of Color Discussion Group The Portal 2419 Greenmount Ave., Suite 1 Baltimore, MD 21218 410-235-5241 www.theportalbmore.org 7:30-9 p.m.

Saturday May 17 Arts & Crafts

Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 4:30-6 p.m.

Movie & Game Night Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-8:30 p.m.

New Image (Narcotics Anonymous) LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6-7:30 p.m.

Sufficient As I aM (SAIM) Youth & Young Adults 24 & Under GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 12:30 p.m.

Triple Bill with Jenn Freidman, Bill Grady, EmikoLive @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD http://www.myspace.com/r eadstreetbooks 8 p.m.

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Sunday May 18

Center 7246 Cradlerock Way Columbia, MD 7:30-9 p.m.

GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 $9/person 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday May 20 Alcoholics Anonymous LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Beginners Yoga with Tim Hurley, RYT

Glenn Roth Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD http://www.myspace.com/r eadstreetbooks 8 p.m.

Narcotics Anonymous Sunday Men’s Rap GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.na.org 11:30 a.m.

Sailaway Pride Night Weather Rail Bar Loews Hotel 126 West St. Annapolis, MD 5-9 p.m.

Dual Recovery Anonymous Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Chesapeake Squares Club Square Dance Waxter Center 1000 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.chesapeakesquares.org 8-10 p.m.

Consumer Planned Activity

Social Activity (Varies) Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 1-6 p.m.

Sunny Isle Blues Band Coffee East 5 Goldsborough St. Easton, MD 21601 443-786-2750 7 p.m.

Womyn's Birthday Party and Potluck Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center 2505 E. Oliver St. Baltimore, MD 21213 www.thespiraldancebookstore.com 5-7 p.m.

Monday May 19

Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 8:30 p.m.

PFLAG Columbia/Howard County Parent Forum Owen Brown Interfaith

Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 4-6:30 p.m. & 7:308:30 p.m.

Positive Influence LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday May 21

Beginners’ Yoga with Kelly D. McClain, CYT GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 $9/person 7:15 p.m.

Gay Bingo (to benefit GLCCB & Aids Action) Club Hippo 1 W. Eager St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-547-0069 8:30 p.m.

Power Inside Women’s Rap Power Inside Office 325 E. 25th St., 1st floor Baltimore, MD 21218 3-4:30 p.m.

Rapscallion Radical Art Collective

Hagerstown, MD 21740 www.rapscallionart.org 7 p.m.

‘Tini Lounge Happy Hour GG’s Restaurant & Martini Bar 41 N. Potomac St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 4:30-10:00 p.m.

GIG: Baltimore TransMasculine Alliance GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.myspace.com/btma 6 p.m.

Thursday May 22

GIG: Tran*quility

GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 8:30 p.m.

Movie & Game Night

Alcoholics Anonymous

JUMP (Just Us Making Progress)

GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.transworld.org 8 p.m.

Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Confidential HIV Support Group The Portal 2419 Greenmount Ave., Suite 1 Baltimore, MD 21218 410-235-5241 www.theportalbmore.org 7-8:30 p.m.

New Image (Narcotics Anonymous)

Support Group for Individuals with Mental Health Issues

GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 12:30 p.m.

Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Women of Color Group GLCCB 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 7:30 p.m.

Friday May 23

LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6-7:30 p.m.

Sufficient As I aM (SAIM) Youth & Young Adults 24 & Under

Woody Lissauer Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD http://www.myspace.com/r eadstreetbooks 8 p.m.

Sunday May 25

Narcotics Anonymous

Body & Soul Connections

Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center 2505 E. Oliver St. Baltimore, MD 21213 www.thespiraldancebookstore.com 7-9 p.m.

Brothers of Baraza Men of Color Discussion Group The Portal 2419 Greenmount Ave., Suite 1 Baltimore, MD 21218 410-235-5241 www.theportalbmore.org 7:30-9 p.m.

Saturday May 24 Arts & Crafts

Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 4:30-6 p.m.

Sunday Men’s Rap GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.na.org 11:30 a.m.

Sailaway Pride Night Weather Rail Bar Loews Hotel 126 West St. Annapolis, MD 5-9 p.m.

Social Activity (Varies) Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 1-6 p.m.

Monday May 26

Tuesday May 27

May 16 - May 29

Club Hippo 1 W. Eager St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-547-0069 8:30 p.m.

Alcoholics Anonymous LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30-7:30 p.m.

‘Tini Lounge Happy Hour

Dual Recovery Anonymous

GG’s Restaurant & Martini Bar 41 N. Potomac St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 4:30-10:00 p.m.

Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Chesapeake Squares Club Square Dance Waxter Center 1000 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.chesapeakesquares.org 8-10 p.m.

Thursday May 29

Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 8:30 p.m.

Consumer Planned Activity

Community Triangle Dinner Out

Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 4-6:30 p.m. & 7:308:30 p.m.

Rey Azteca 75 Eastern Blvd. North, Centre at Antietam Creek Hagerstown, MD 21740 301-797-0515 6:30 p.m.

Positive Influence LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Rainbow Youth Alliance Owen Brown Interfaith Center 7246 Cradlerock Way Columbia, MD7:30 p.m.

Trans-United Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6-8 p.m.

Wednesday May 28

Beginners’ Yoga with Kelly D. McClain, CYT GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 $9/person 7:15 p.m.

JUMP (Just Us Making Progress) Confidential HIV Support Group The Portal 2419 Greenmount Ave., Suite 1 Baltimore, MD 21218 410-235-5241 www.theportalbmore.org 7-8:30 p.m.

Support Group for Individuals with Mental Health Issues Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle Street Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Women of Color Group GLCCB 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 7:30 p.m.

Confidential HIV/STI Testing & Counseling

Men Like Me

Open Support Group GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 menlikeme@glccb.org 6 p.m.

40 W. Church St.

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Gay Bingo (to benefit GLCCB & Aids Action)

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GLCCB

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 5-8 p.m.

241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-837-5445

HERO Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 2-4 p.m.

Thursday 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

1734 Maryland Avenue Baltimore, MD 21201 410-685-1180

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TRAVEL

Chicago A Welcoming Destination for LGBT Visitors Chicago is proud to be home to one of the most active and friendly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities in the world. Boasting renowned arts and cultural organizations, a thriving LGBT sports scene, and hundreds of LGBT-owned businesses and social hubs throughout the city Chicago, which also hosted Gay Games VII in 2006, is known internationally as a welcoming destination for LGBT travelers.

Arts and Culture With hundreds of performing arts organizations located throughout the city, including a variety of renowned LGBT organizations, Chicago is widely recognized as a cultural mecca. The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus entertains audiences with innovative musical programming that explores themes ranging from love to politics to the sometimes fabulous, sometimes challenging world of being gay. The award-winning About Face Theater presents works that strive to challenge audience's intellects, imaginations, self-conceptions, moral expectations and ideas about gender and sexuality. Each year, Chicago is also home to the Reeling Film Festival, the second oldest LGBT film festival in the United States.

While LGBT travelers are welcome at any hotel in the city, properties near the Boystown neighborhood are known for being particularly LGBT-friendly. The Neighborhood Inns of Chicago are three stylish hotels located in Lakeview— the City Suites Hotel, Majestic Hotel and Willows Hotel. Those looking for a smaller venue can check out three elegant B&Bs located minutes from Boystown and Andersonville—the Ardmore House, the Villa Toscana and House 5863. The Hawthorne Terrace Best Western is a charming boutique hotel nestled in the heart of Lakeview.

Pride Celebrations Each June, Chicago celebrates Pride Month with dozens of social, cultural, political and athletic events. The culmination of Pride Month is the annual Gay Pride Parade, which takes place on the last Sunday of the month (in 2008, the Parade will be held on Sunday, June 29). The Parade, which attracts more than 400,000 viewers, steps off from the corner of Belmont and Halsted and proceeds through the Boystown neighborhood.

Halsted Street Market Days is a mid-summer street festival in Boystownthat takes place each year in August (2008 date: August 9-10).

During the festival, Halsted Street is closed to vehicular traffic for two days of music, dancing and food. Festival organizers believe that Market Days is the largest street festival in Illinois, with more than 300,000 attendees each year.

Andersonville's MidSommarfest in early June (2008 date: June 14-15) and Lakeview's Pride Fest on the Saturday before the Pride Parade (2008 date: June 28) are also popular festivals with an LGBT flavor.

Neighborhoods

Sports Organizations

In addition to hundreds of LGBT-owned and friendly businesses and social hubs throughout the city, Chicago has an official City of Chicago-designated LGBT neighborhood, Lakeview (Boystown), marked by 22 rainbow-ringed and illuminated 20-foot pylons on Halsted Street, from Belmont to Waveland Avenues. Known by the locals as "Boystown", this highly eclectic gay quarter features fine restaurants, outdoor cafes, vintage clothing, high fashion and several blocks of LGBT bars ranging from classic Chicago pubs to sultry lounges, from hard-core leather scenes to booming, high-energy dance clubs.

Wandering Halsted and Broadway streets, the neighborhood's main thoroughfares, a visitor might feel as if he or she had stumbled onto a gay pride celebration.

Chicago has a thriving LGBT sports community and is home to several large LGBT sports membership organizations that manage and support more than 4,000 local athletes on an annual basis. These include the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association, Windy City Athletic Association, the Women's Sports Association, Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Chicago, Chicago Smelts, Team Chicago and the Illinois Gay Rodeo Association. Athletes from around the world compete in the many LGBT international sports tournaments hosted in this sports-loving town—from basketball to softball, volleyball to tennis, and ice hockey to road races.

Andersonville, an old Swedish enclave, has steadily developed into a very popular, yet low-key lesbian and gay neighborhood. Andersonville, a sort of "Girl's Town", features one of the few remaining independent women's bookstores in the nation, a sleek LGBT gym, coffee houses, art galleries and a wide variety of ethnic culinary experiences. LGBT-owned restaurants, gourmet delis and ethnic food stores add elegance to the somewhat bohemian scene.

Andersonville has also become an exciting nighttime destination, and is home to many LGBT bars, including a swank wine bar, taverns, dance clubs, leather bars and some of the friendliest neighborhood pubs you will find in the city.

Hollywood Beach, long recognized as the city's LGBT beach, is a pleasant 15-minute walk away through the beautifully landscaped and garden-laden streets of Andersonville.

Accommodations From luxe 5-stars to trendy boutique properties to student-friendly hostels, Chicago is home to dozens of hotels that can suit any travel style and budget. www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

Center On Halsted Center on Halsted opened early 2007, and has become Chicago's premiere LGBT destination. The Center houses more than a dozen community service partners plus a theater, gymnasium, organic grocery store, café, technology center and other unique gathering spaces for LGBT programs and services.

Media There are several LGBT media outlets located in Chicago that provide resources for both local residents and visitors. These outlets include Boi Magazine, Chicago Free Press, ChicagoPride.com, Gay Chicago Magazine, Pink Magazine and the Windy City Media Group.

The Chicago Office of Tourism, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, is the official City agency dedicated to promoting Chicago to domestic and international visitors and to providing innovative visitor programs and services. To download the free Chicago Navigaytour, a comprehensive visitor guide to the city written and designed specifically for gay and lesbian travelers, visit http://www.navigaytour.com/website/chicago.html.

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DINING OUT Ra Sushi

By John Cullen and Marty Shayt n the ground floor of the new, up-scale Eden apartment building in booming Harbor East, Ra Sushi’s large windows face both Lancaster Street and the water. A franchise chain based out of Scottsdale, Arizona, this is Ra Sushi’s first restaurant in the northeast. The interior is modern and airy, with the bar, dining room and separate sushi bar flowing together. A huge floor to ceiling blown-up photo of an Asian woman’s face dominates the dining room, intensely red round large lanterns hang from the tall ceilings and clear bamboo stalks cleverly separate the entrance from the dining area.

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Arriving early on week nights has advantages: Ra Sushi offers “happy hour” pricing for select drinks as well as sushi & appetizers not only in the bar but also in the dining room. There’s even a small “happy hour” menu in addition to the large main menu! Our server is animated and enthusiastic with excellent customer service skills. Marty asserts that a server with this kind of attitude (regardless of gender!) makes all the difference in a dining out experience.

The regular menu is daunting with many different varieties of sushi to pick from ($3- 16). Having only casual experience with sushi, we ask our server and she recommends the “Crispy Spicy Tuna” Sushi ($4.75). We divvy up the four pieces of deep fried sushi while taking advantage of the option of “low sodium” soy sauce. The contrast of a spicy, crunchy outside and typical soft inside is unusual and leaves us enthused. When we ask for forks and knives instead of the “default” chop sticks, our server offers chopstick “cheaters”—an ingenious little plastic spring doohickey that fits on the end of the chopsticks and turns them into far more easy-to-handle tongs. (We wonder why Ra Sushi is the first Asian or sushi place we’ve ever come across with these!)

We try more light fare—Marty opts for Miso soup ($3.25) - he’s a fan of Ra’s version that features a rich broth with seaweed and tofu.

John tries another “happy hour” bargain, “Tootsy Maki” ($3.75)—six pieces of crab, shrimp, & cucumber wrapped in rice with some crunch (the roll has nothing do with Dustin

Hoffman in drag!): Marty (who’s a sushi fan) samples some and likes it; John (who’s less of a sushi fan) finds it bland compared to “Crispy Spicy Tuna” and wishes it came accompanied with ginger and wasabi.

For our main course, the entrée salad options catch our eye and we decide against more sushi, Asian noodle dishes ($11-$14), or larger non-sushi “entrees” ($12-$20).

Marty opts for the “Tuna2” salad ($12.75) with seared Ahi and Albacore tuna, while John goes for the “Nutty Grilled Chicken” salad ($8.50). The salads arrive and “wow” us with an artful, Asian inspired arrangement of shapes and colors. Portions are large and definitely entrée sized. Marty’s chunks of grilled tuna stand out against vivid avocado slices and pieces of asparagus served on a bed of dark mixed greens. John’s slices of grilled chicken mingle with avocado slices, chopped nuts, orange slices, carrots and edamame. The default rice wine vinaigrette on John’s salad is so subtle though that it’s like having no dressing, so he adds soy sauce to add some zip. By contrast, Marty’s dark brown garlic ponzu sauce dressing nicely enhances both the tuna and salad. Regardless, both large plates end up empty!

Since we’re both pretty full, we enjoy just a fortune cookie for dessert.

BASICS: Ra Sushi (Harbor East), 1390 Lancaster St, 410-522-3200, www.rasushi.com.

Food served 11 am – 11 pm daily, bar open to 1 am, “Happy Hour” M-F 4-7 pm. Emphasis on sushi, but other options available. Street parking can be tight and is largely metered; valet parking is offered for $7.

Do you have feedback or know a place we need to check out? Email us at diningout@baltimoregaylife.com

you thinking?

What are editor@baltimoregaylife.com

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Illustration by Sydnei SmithJordan, adversecreations@yahoo.com

FICTION Cereal: The Adventures of Pico Darling

by SIR. Robinson ell, since you asked—his name was Dusty Davis and I was in love with him mostly because he looked like David Bowie to me with one green and one brown eye. He had legs so hairy I would braid it when we lay together on the grass of the soccer field at the neighborhood park. He would hum little songs while I wrestled with the tight curls around his knees.

Sometimes he would whistle. I had never been able to whistle. He thought it was funny that something so simple came so difficult to me. “Just blow,” he’d say. And I would. I’d lick my lips like he did, then purse them mirroring him, and force out a little air like so, but no sound ever came out. After about the fifth day of playing boyfriend/boyfriend and the third day of his attempts at showing me how to whistle, he came up with an idea.

W

We went to his house one day after meeting in the park after school. No one was home accept for his grandmother who sat quietly in a big armchair in the living room watching The Price Is Right. I remember that well because it was the first time I had ever encountered the script typed at the bottom of the screen of a TV. “She can’t hear nothing,” Dusty said and he whistled loud right at the back of her head. She didn’t even flinch.

In the basement of that house, Dusty stood in front of me and stuck his left index finger in my mouth and told me to curl my lips around it. “Remember how this feels,” he urged. “This is how you hold your mouth.” He pulled the finger out taking my face in the rest of his hand and licked it, chin to nose. “Wet. Like this.” He blew his sweet breath at my eyelids forcing them to close. “Just breathe…just breathe…just breathe…” he whispered as we collapsed into a mound of 12-year-old soft tissue onto the floor.

We did things that day I had never done before and haven’t since. Things I could never tell. They are private and they are lovely.

“So did you ever learn to whistle?”

“Wherrwww….wherrwww,” chirped and the group laughed.

I

“Well, thank you so much, Pico, for sharing your story today. Everyone, let’s thank Pico for being so brave in sharing a first with us.”

“Thank you, Pico. Thanks. Thank you,” they said amidst their applause.

“And that concludes our session for the day. I want to remind you that you should get acquainted with the items in your Welcome Kits. Be ready for a quiz! Tomorrow, we will cover chapters 5 and 6 in our workbooks, How to Say No to Her, and Its Not You, It’s the Job. See ya, tomorrow.”

I peeled the stickered nametag from my shirt and tossed it in a waste bin as I exited Meeting Room #2. Ce Ce was waiting for me on the other side of the door just as she had been for the previous three days when the orientation session broke out for the day. She took my Welcome Kit from me as we met and began to rifle through it.

“Here it is,” she said, pulling a little black device from the gift bag. I gogo-gadget armed it back from her.

“This is serious stuff. Don’t break it,” she snapped.

“I won’t. I’m just trying to get it…to…”

“But you know what? You don’t even have to do that, because they’re already in there,” she said swiping the thing back from my hands.

“Wow!!” I conceded. Miraculously, any number I would ever need to dial had already been programmed into Zee Phone.

“Keep this with you at all times.

This is how she gets in touch.” Ce Ce handed it back to me. She explained further that it was new sensory technology developed especially for Asha and her ever-expanding network of employees, doctors, producers, lawyers, marketers, designers, friends and lovers by the folks over at Apple. Zee Phone was not yet available to the public and “probably never will be,” Ce Ce told me.

“Is Heather’s number in here?” I asked, using the pointer to scroll through.

“Jesus Christ, you didn’t fall in love with her, did you?” Ce Ce took the phone back from me and snapped her fingers over it then pointed the machine to the left.

“No!” I focused on the movement of her hand and watched its effects on the phone.

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“Leave that woman alone. She’s f*cking crazy. Did you meet April?”

She wiggled her finger a little more over the thing and then handed it back to me with Heather’s phone number, address, email, and exact, of-the-moment location, all lit up on the screen of Zee Phone.

“Yeah, so?”

“I’m just saying, they’re weird.

They play this little game with one another called Straight Girl that’s really disgusting. Stay away, I’m just saying. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I rolled my eyes at her.

I played with the gadget as we walked along the interior corridors of La Maison, Asha’s Chicago compound. Actually, the house was seven separate buildings linked by a series of bridges and walkways.

There were huge patios and lounge areas scattered every few yards.

People milled around them. Some on Zee Phones, some having intense conversations with others, some coming and going.

Suddenly Zee Phone started to vibrate in my hand.

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“Looks like you’ve got a message,” Ce Ce said.

Like an oasis emerging from the middle of a desert, a vision appeared before me. An image jumped from Zee Phone and projected itself. It was Asha, but not Asha. An illustration. An illusion. A replica of her. I touched with my hand and it sunk through. A trick of light.

“What?!?!?” I yelled. Ce Ce raised her eyebrows to me knowingly.

“Come with me tonight to the premiere of High Yellow Masterpiece?

There’s someone I want you to meet,” Asha’s image said. I stared at it, amazed by the quality of its rendering. Except for the occasional beams of light that sparkled around the edges sharing the secret of its photographic nature, I would’ve assumed that the being was she, herself. She had been hiding in Zee Phone all along, cramped, knees tucked to chest, in that tiny space before popping out to say hello.

“Come,” it said again.

“I will,” I said.

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CEREAL - continued from page 29

It shut off. The image died. The sound cut out. Nothing. I waved my fingers over Zee Phone, shook it hard, and gave it a light tapping on its screen, but nothing happened.

“It’s over dear,” Ce Ce chimed.

“Just as it appears, it’s gone. Asha’s got a flair for the dramatic,” she laughed out loud to herself. “Be there or be squared,” she mocked in her best impression, flinging her arm around my shoulder. I gripped her waist, laughing.

We walked like that all the way back to Blue Building, the personnel dormitory of La Maison, where Ce Ce and I shared a pleasant two-bedroom suite. There were 20 suites in all, which changed occupants frequently and were decorated personally by Karl Lagerfeld, who “doesn’t even do that kind of stuff,” Ce Ce reminded.

We passed by Matt Clean on the first floor, still wearing his nametag from the group session, as he was entering his suite. Nerdy but confident, he was Asha’s new dog trainer, having arrived at La Maison the same day as I. As we exchanged “Hi’s”, I noticed the contented disbelief in his eyes and wondered if mine held the same. I wondered what drew that look from him or from me, if I had it.

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Was it because his closet was full of clothes just-his-size the first time he opened it, like mine was, or because he discovered the cupboards were filled with his favorite foods the first time he got hungry there, like I did?

My thoughts didn’t stay with Matt long. In fact, they evaporated as soon as I caught a glimpse inside the door of his suite and who was sitting on the couch in a cummerbund and slacks, speaking with Zee Phone’s pseudo-Asha sitting next to him. At least it looked like him. I wasn’t sure.

I couldn’t be sure. I thought yes, I thought no, I decided it couldn’t be and therefore it wasn’t and continued on with Ce Ce to our place.

After only a few minutes and some very intense decisions on what not to wear, I was back out of our door and headed out of Blue Building for the car waiting to take me to the premiere, when I saw him again. He was coming out of Matt’s door and heading for the exit, whistling. I could never mistake that green eye…or that brown one.

“Dusty? Is that you?” I called out.

Want to see Pico go places you've only dreamed of? Send your thoughts to Picodarling@gmail.com. This serial will continue in the next issue

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PENCIL ME IN

Saturday, May 17 - Sunday, May 18

Ride for the Feast,

This 140-mile bike ride from Rehoboth Beach to Baltimore is Moveable Feast’s largest fundraising event.

Last year’s riders raised over $160,000 in pledges! With all event costs covered by sponsors and individual underwriters, every dollar raised by the remarkable riders goes programs to feed our neighbors living with HIV or breast cancer. If you’d like to ride, be on the crew, donate to a rider, or just learn more about the ride, visit www.rideforthefeast.org.

Saturday, May 17Sunday, May 18

Sunday, May 18

Spring Walking Tour at Clifton Park

Food & Wine Festival @ National Harbor Experience flavor with a view! The Food and Wine Festival at National Harbor in Prince George’s County promises tobe an elegant, inaugural event celebrating distinctive cuisine and fine wine. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about the latest culinary and varietal trends while sampling exquisite culinary products and boutique wines. Many world regions will be represented, providing a wide assortment of styles. For additional information, visit www.foodandwinenh.com

Saturday, May 17 3rd Annual White Affair

Ladies, you don’t miss one of the premiere parties in Baltimore brought to you by DV8 Productions! Put on your hottest white attire and come out to party at Lillies on the Harbor (500 Harborview Drive, Downtown Baltimore). With music by DJ Nitro and 2 cash bars, tickets are only $12 in advance. For additional information, visit www.myspace.com/girlpartiesnbmore.

New Hope Gay Pride Parade Featuring the Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corp Marching Band from New York City, New Hope’s 2nd annual gay pride parade kicks off, rain or shine, at 11 a.m. Following the parade, performances and a street fair featuring antiques, art and music will continue until 6 p.m. For a full schedule of events and ticketing information for New Hope Celebrates Pride weekend, visit www. newhopecelebrates.com.

New Wave Singers On the Road Again The New Wave Singers of Baltimore present On the Road Again at Govans Presbyterian Church (5828 York Rd., Baltimore, MD 21212. Come out and enjoy both a concert and silent auction while supporting a talented nonprofit community of LGBT choristers. For tickets ($15 in advance; $20 at the door), email nwmail@newwavesingers.org or call 410-558-4692.

Join the Friends of Maryland’s Olmsted Parks and Landscapes for a walk through Clifton Park, one of the city’s best public green spaces, and discover the Olmsted legacy in Baltimore. Tour leaders will explain the design and planning principles the Olmsted Brothers firm applied to each park and provide information about monuments, buildings and current park planning activities. Enter the park from St. Lo Drive and meet by the front steps of the Clifton Mansion at 1:45 p.m. for a 2-hour tour. For additional information and to make reservations ($10 in advance; $15 day of), call 410-235-9149 or email jbec423@comcast.net.

Wednesday, May 21 – Monday, May 26 DC Black Pride

The original and most inclusive Black Pride in the world celebrates its 18th anniversary on Memorial Day weekend. An exciting five-day event, including workshops, receptions, cultural arts activities, and nightclub events, festivities culminate on Sunday with the Black Pride Festival at Francis Field (2425 N St, NW Washington, DC). Fantasia headlines the Unity Party on Sunday night at the Avenue (649 New York Ave., NW Washington, DC), also featuring 3 hot special opening performances by Bry-Nt, KC Sullivan and Eriq J’Mar. For tickets and a complete schedule of events, visit www.dcblackpride.org.

Sunday, May 25

Family Fun Sunday at Hillwood Museum Start the summer on Memorial Day weekend with a leisurely stroll through Hillwood’s spectacular gardens (4155 Linnean Avenue, NW Washington, DC). Relax from 1-5 p.m. while putting on the green, as Mrs. Post’s guests once did, and create a summer memory with a hands-on art project. For additional information and admission pricing ($5-12), visit www.hillwoodmuseum.org.

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THEATER Amy Easton, Karen Paone, Denny Grizzle and Julie Herber in Steven Sondheim’s Company on stage at Maryland Ensemble Theatre in Frederick.

(Photo: Misti Morningstar)

ON THE STAGE 1776 Through May 18 Olney Theatre Center 301-924-3400 www.olneytheatre.org Antony and Cleopatra Through July 6 The Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C. 877-487-8849 www.shakespearetheatre.org Art Through June 29 Everyman Theatre 410-752-2208 www.everymantheatre.org The Color Purple Through May 18 Hippodrome Theatre 410-547-SEAT www.broadwayacrossamerica.com The Comedy of Errors June 6 – July 13 Chesapeake Shakespeare Company 866-811-4111 www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com Company Through June 21 Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Frederick 301-694-4744 www.marylandensemble.org

410-728-6500 http://arena-players.strategiccommercegroup.com/

410-563-9135 http://www.bcpl.net/~thevag/

The Happy Time Through June 1 Signature Theatre, Arlington 703-820-9771 www.signature-theatre.org

Polish Joke May 30 – June 29 Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre, Baltimore 410-752-1255 www.spotlighters.org

The Immigrant Through June 8 Fells Point Corner Theatre, Baltimore 410-276-7837 www.fpct.org

The Tempest June 6 – July 13 Chesapeake Shakespeare Company 866-811-4111 www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com

In the Heart of America May 28 – June 29 Rep Stage, Howard County 410-772-4900 www.repstage.org

These Shining Lives Through June 1 CenterStage 410-332-0033 www.centerstage.org

The Internationalist Through June 22 Studio Theatre, D.C. 202-332-3300 www.studiotheatre.org

Variations on Power Through May 18 Theatre Project, Baltimore 410-752-8558 www.theatreproject.org

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Through June 8 Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia 410-995-1969 www.tobysdinnertheatre.com

A View from the Bridge Through May 18 Arena Players, Crystal City, VA 410-728-6500 www.arenastage.org

Death of a Salesman Through May 18 Arena Players, Washington, DC 410-728-6500 www.arenastage.org

Julius Caesar Through July 6 The Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C. 877-487-8849 www.shakespearetheatre.org

Fair Play for Eve May 23 – June 8 Arena Players, Baltimore

Kimberly Akimbo Through May 18 Vagabond Players, Baltimore PA G E 3 2 •

The Visit Through June 22 Signature Theatre, Arlington 703-820-9771 www.signature-theatre.org Wizard of Oz Through June 8 Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore 410-995-1969 www.tobysdinnertheatre.com

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Andrew Long as Mark Antony and Suzanne Bertish as Cleopatra in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s (Washington, DC) production of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Michael Kahn. (Photo: Carol Pratt)

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QPUZZLE "Cop Out"

Across 1 Emulate Paul Cadmus 5 Police drama, with The 9 Cop D'Angelo of 50-Across 14 Mother of Brothers & Sisters 15 Put out 16 Wishful words 17 Beat the skins 18 Madonna's "Truth or ___" 19 Kahlo's father 20 Comedy drama about funeral directors 23 "Hedda Gabler" playwright 24 Used rubbers 28 Gets rough with 31 Symbol of Tammy Baldwin's party 32 Writer Castillo 33 Like the Seven Dwarfs 34 "___ Hai" 36 The A of ILGA 37 Verb of Verlaine 38 David Cicilline, for one 39 Drink like a fratboy 40 Legal org. that argued the Massachusetts marriage case 41 River of Wilde's land 42 Like Shirley MacLaine's magnolias 43 Regret not spitting 44 MTF operation 45 Hairstylist's dessert?

46 Like a muscle Mary pumping iron 48 "Candle in the Wind 1997" subject 50 Comedy series about roomies 55 Patronize, as a Star Canyon restaurant 58 Suffix with prefer 59 Clay Aiken was almost one 60 Line from Porter 61 Opposite of loads 62 Dixie Chicks' "Goodbye ___" 63 Cop Charles of 20-Across 64 ___ 911 (police comedy) 65 Barrie buccaneer www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

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Down 1 They may be split 2 _Trick_'s Spelling 3 Heart of the matter 4 Did some porking manually?

5 Most spread out 6 Fit to be tied 7 50-Across episode, now 8 Place of the first fig-leaf codpiece 9 Phallic-shaped biters 10 Samurai writer Saikaku 11 Drop of the head 12 Nonrecreational mouth-to-mouth 13 Shrek's shoe size, perhaps 21 Online auction site 22 Ferro's The Family of Max ___ 25 Beauty queens wear them 26 Comes after 27 Cop Jim of 64-Across 28 Cop Kima of 5-Across 29 One who's wanted 30 Piss off 31 It's for skin 34 Brass Rail and The Flame 35 Atlas Shrugged author Rand 36 They figure how long it will be before you need David Fisher 38 Miranda in The Devil Wears Prada 42 "Like a Virgin," for one 44 Suture for Dr. O'Malley, e.g.

45 Managed barely 47 Anticipate the coming of 48 "Divine Comedy" poet 49 Like a Peru native at a public lavatory?

51 Hot L Baltimore producer 52 Sandler of I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry 53 Fruit center 54 Woods of Legally Blonde 55 "Horny" animal 56 Always, to Shakespeare 57 Angle head

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Interior

DESIGN

Mini-Makeover Ideas for Your Kitchen f you dream of an updated, upgraded kitchen, don't feel guilty about it. Kitchens sell houses, as any real estate expert will tell you. They're also the heart of the home, where we spend most of our time, studies show. So improving this important living space is a sound financial investment, and an investment in your family's happiness.

I

You don't need to spend a lot to create a dramatic difference in your

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kitchen. A mini-makeover may be all that you need to turn that blah kitchen into the showpiece of your home.

"When people think of kitchen renovation, they usually think of the expensive ventures, like replacing cabinets, countertops and appliances," says Dan Auer of Faucet.com, a leading online retailer of decorative home products. "But starting small—with easy yet dramatic changes that can be done in a

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weekend—can make a big difference in the appearance and value of your kitchen."

Auer offers a few tips for getting started on your kitchen's minimakeover:

n First, pick up some home magazines or visit some model homes in your area to get ideas. Pay close attention to the projects that will make the most impact but will be easy to accomplish, like wall color, sinks and faucets, lighting fixtures, cabinet knobs and accessories.

n Forego the frustration of home improvement stores, where what you want may not be in stock, or where you can spend hours looking for someone to answer questions or get the product you want. Take advantage of online resources, like www.Faucet.com, where you can see exactly what's in inventory, and shop by style, finish brand or price range from a selection of more than 50,000 sinks, faucets and accessories all with just the click of a mouse. n A new faucet can vastly improve the look and usability of your kitchen. Installing a new one is a basic improvement within the abilities of the average homeowner.

When choosing your new faucet, keep in mind both the look you want to achieve and how you will be using the faucet.

For example, if you're often trying to regulate water temperature with one hand (while the other handles 10 other tasks), a single-hand faucet offers easy control. If you're creating a traditional or period-style look, consider a two-handle faucet.

Serious cooks may consider adding a pot-filler faucet, which mounts on

the wall near the range to allow you to fill a pot that's already on the stove.

n "Sinks are an important factor in a kitchen's overall appearance, yet many people overlook them completely," Auer says. Stainless steel, cast iron, single bowl, double bowl or even triple bowl—kitchen sinks now come in styles, sizes, colors and features to fit virtually every decor and work space.

The number of bowls you'll choose will depend on your personal preferences and how you use your sink.

Heavy food prep use may call for two or even three bowls, while use as a rinsing station may require only one bowl. The material you choose should complement the overall look of your kitchen. n Next, look up at your lighting.

While kitchens in some high-end new homes may already be decked out with the latest in lighting, chances are if you're in an older home you have some very basic overhead lighting. While this lighting might be functional, it's not always visually attractive.

Fortunately, it's an easy job for a doit-yourselfer to replace a basic overhead fluorescent fixture with something equally bright but more visually appealing. Under-the-counter task lighting is also a must for a well-lit modern kitchen. And a few artfully placed pendant lights over a breakfast bar or kitchen island can impart elegance and practicality.

When you're ready to start shopping for your mini-kitchen makeover, log on to www.Faucet.com for more ideas, inspirations and easy shopping.

you thinking?

Courtesy of ARAcontent

What are

editor@baltimoregaylife.com

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HEALTH - continued from page 22

diseases. Since then, one new infectious disease has emerged every year.

tribute. We have overall, however, lulled ourselves into thinking that we’ve beaten the disease.

In the U.S., there is not the same focus on AIDS that there used to be 20 years ago because the mortality rates have come down. It is not one of the top 10 killers any longer because of the new drugs. In the U.S., but not globally, we have almost wiped out mother-child transmission…. So we’ve turned our attention to the international arena while forgetting the fact that well over 40,000 people are infected each year, over 1 million people are currently HIV-positive in the U.S. and one quarter of them don’t know that they are HIV-positive. Many people now see HIV/AIDS as a disease of the developing world.

From its discovery in 1981 until 2005, HIV/AIDS has infected more than 1.5 million people in the U.S. and 500,000 people have died. That means that every 13 minutes, an American is newly infected with HIV.

We have to be careful that we don’t grow complacent and then find ourselves with a reemerging major killer, particularly for a generation that is growing up at a time when there is not the same level of awareness about HIV/AIDS as there was when infection rates peaked in the mid-80s.

We very urgently need a national strategy. We have to fight the disease both here at home and abroad.

Women account for about one-third of the newly reported HIV/AIDS cases during the past 5 years in DC. Nine out of 10 of the cases were in African-American women. The number of DC women living with AIDS has increased by 76% over the past 6 years. This is why amFAR is calling for 10 actions to reduce the number of women living with HIV/AIDS.

To what degree do you think socioeconomic, racial and gender disparities among those infected impact the lack of a national strategy?

For additional information about the results of amFAR’s survey of public perceptions of women living with HIV/AIDS, visit www.amfar.org.

In Washington, DC, 1 out of 20 residents are now HIV-positive.

DC and Baltimore both have very high infection rates. Do you know where they currently stand in relation to other cities?

Rates in both cities are extremely high. The infection rates in DC are higher than in half the nations in SubSaharan Africa, including Ethiopia, Rwanda and Nigeria.

FILM Big-Budget Alternatives

by Rob Scheer These three smaller-scaled films, currently in limited release, are slowly expanding around the country (though all are currently playing in Baltimore) and they are probably the best things out there right now. When asked by someone of late what movie(s) they should go see, these three are the first titles out of my mouth, and a refreshing antidote to the big-budget summer blockbuster currently populating our multiplexes:

THE VISITOR A heartfelt, subtle film that functions as both a tremendously moving story of the possibilities implicit in basic human connection, and a low-key tackling of our country’s ever-present immigration situation, writer/director Thomas McCarthy’s follow-up to The Station Agent is really something special. It doesn’t hit you over the head with messages or bombastic emotion, but it always resonates as it tells the story of an introverted, buttoned-down writer/professor’s (Richard Jenkins) slowly evolving friendship with an immigrant couple he finds squatting in his Manhattan apartment. After years of playing scenestealing bit parts, character-actor Jenkins anchors this quietly compelling gem, and gives what is easily the best leading male performance so far this year. The Visitor is unquestionably a small film that doesn’t shoot for grand statements or widen its focus as it goes along, but it’s a rich character piece that really connects emotionally. It is certainly the sort of film that people complain we don’t get enough of.

YOUNG @ HEART

These factors do perhaps con-

I admit, I was resistant to this documentary purely on the basis of its gimmicky concept/trailer of adorable old people singing rock songs, but I wasn’t at all prepared for how touching, and rarely manipulative, the film itself is.

The smile/chuckle moments are there (seeing a gaggle of geezers singing “I Wanna Be Sedated”), but this is ultimately a movie about a group of people who spend their remaining time learning various rock songs to challenge themselves and prove to everyone (not least of which themselves) that they’re still alive, and won’t go quietly into the decrepitude of senility. Excelling in its human moments (e.g., a friendship that develops between three seniors forced to carpool together) as much as in its stirring concert performances, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention that this movie made me weep for about half its duration. I doubt you’ll see more affecting moments in a movie this year than one of the group’s members (with breathing tubes coming out of his nose) singing a beautiful Johnny Cash-esque rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You,” dedicated to two recently deceased chorus members. You'll likely cry, but you'll also leave the theater inspired, not drained.

SON OF RAMBOW Making a perfect companion piece to Michel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind, Garth Jennings’ immensely charming, quirky ‘80s-set paean to filmmaking centers around two seemingly incongruous elementary school outcasts, quiet Will (Bill Milner) and delinquent Lee Carter (Will Poulter). Despite Will’s family’s deeply conservative religious beliefs forbidding television and filmwatching, the two boys eventually collaborate on their own makeshift, homemade sequel to Sylvester Stallone's First Blood; the pair experience numerous complications along the way, chiefly the interference of too-hip-for-the-room French exchange student Didier (Jules Sitruk). By turns whimsical and sentimental, Rambow is more about the friendship between these boys and how they bonded through the filmmaking process than wacky “Rewind”-esque remake shenanigans, and that makes it more emotionally resonant than I was expecting (and it helps that both young leading actors are excellent). Coming equipped with an effectively oddball sense of humor, it’s probably not a movie for all tastes, but at the least, the last few minutes should put a lump in the throat of film aficionados and outcasts alike.

Rob Scheer is a local movie critic. You can read additional reviews at robscheer.blogspot.com.

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MUSIC Cyndi Lauper, The B-52s, Rosie O’Donnell and Special Guests Celebrate the Second Annual True Colors Tour

and this year’s other non-profit partners—CenterLink (the nation’s LGBT community centers) and Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National—are joining with the True Colors Tour to bring together Americans across the country to voice their solidarity for LGBT equality and raise public awareness about the issues that face the LGBT community.

he True Colors Tour will hit the road again this summer with an exciting new line-up of legendary and up and coming artists, including headliners Cyndi Lauper, The B52s, Rosie O’Donnell with host Carson Kressley and many more. After receiving rave reviews and a successful debut in 2007, the True Colors Tour is expanding to meet demand in many more cities.

The tour will kick off Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month on May 31st at Boston’s Bank of America Pavilion.

T

Produced by True Colors Concerts in partnership once again with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the 24 city North American tour is presented by Logo in support of the newly created True Colors Fund of Stonewall Community Foundation.

The concerts feature nearly five hours of nonstop music with exciting special guests appearing on

The True Colors Tour was conceived

by Cyndi Lauper stemming from her desire to give back to the community for the love and support they have given her throughout her career. The True Colors Tour is a celebration of the basic values and freedoms that should be shared by all Americans. Fans will experience these values through the music of both legendary icons and the newest and coolest acts this generation has to offer.

select dates throughout the tour, including Wanda Sykes, Tegan and Sara, Regina Spektor, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Joan Armatrading, Indigo Girls, Nona Hendryx, Deborah Cox and The Cliks.

“I’m so excited and honored that we’re taking True Colors out on the road again this year,” said tour producer and creator Cyndi Lauper.

“We had a blast last year and we are proud that the tour also brought about visibility and discussions of issues that LGBT citizens face in our country today. This year I am once again joined on the tour by an array of incredibly talented artists. The tour is a non-stop 5 hour music party with a message. This year the party only gets bigger and our message to the fans is to get out and vote in November. The True Colors Tour asks for equality for all, not just for some—the principal upon which this country was founded. So let’s celebrate and have fun this summer while we spread the word to get out the vote and all become a part of the changes in this country.”

This year’s tour will highlight the need for the LGBT community and their straight allies to get out and make their votes count this fall. HRC

"True Colors is a good way to get out the vote,” said The B-52s’ Fred Schneider, “and get out of the house and party!"

www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

May 16 - May 29, 2008

The True Colors Fund of Stonewall Community Foundation was created this year to generate financial support to directly benefit the tour’s non-profit partners. Funds will be raised through sales of official benefit t-shirts, an EBAY auction of tour and music memorabilia, the True Colors Jewelry Collection by Love & Pride, the tour's Official Jeweler, as well as individual donations to the fund by visitors to the tour’s website. The True Colors Jewelry Collection, selected by Cyndi Lauper from creations made by renowned designer Udi Behr, is currently in production and will launch this June. In addition, through the True Colors Fund, $1 of every ticket sold will once again be donated to HRC. “Thanks to the overwhelming success of the first True Colors tour last year, we were able to send a loud and unmistakable message to all Americans that it is past time our federal hate crimes laws be updated to include sexual orientation and gender identity. This year, we are going to build on the grassroots power of the tour by launching a massive, nonpartisan voter outreach campaign that will educate, engage and organize equality voters in this year’s election,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

“This year’s True Colors Tour will provide us with an historic opportunity to organize our community to achieve a powerful voice in the 2008 elections.”

For official tour & ticket information visit: www.truecolorstour.com. Cyndi Lauper, The B-52s, Regina Spektor and Tegan and Sara will be performing along with host Carson Kressley at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC on June 7.

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HOMOSTROLOGY

by Marry Elaine

The other corners might need your return, but right now they can wait. Pretend you have all the time in the world because it might be true.

LEO (July 23 - August 22) What is nagging you? What do you worry about when you wake from sleep? One thing bothers you, suddenly you are thinking about several things that bother you, now you end up in a familiar place of what is deeply wrong for you. What is that root nagging?

What would your life be, who would you be, if that nagging was resolved? It is time to take steps towards being that person and living that life. In whatever ways you can: The sooner you heal the nag, the longer you get to live with only a memory of it.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22) You have TAURUS (April 20 May 20) Virgo and Taurus are on the same page right now.

Sunday is best for romance. Be sure to remember positive feedback you receive, even though sometimes it is easier to archive the criticisms. Take time to feel proud of yourself—you should be.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20) You steadily bring much courage to every situation. It is time to muster the bravery you have been resting lately. There are ways of change that have love at their core—that do not involve disposal or shortsighted-ness. If anyone can figure out some of these ways right now, it is you. Someone loves you. Unconditionally. You should know that.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22)

Your imperative right now is to find the place in your life where there is the least amount of loneliness. None at all, if you can. Stay there. Because it feels good.

enormous high heels full of momentum right now.

Your goals are completely reachable: Daily find small ways of achieving them or feeling on your way towards it. Up your intake of fruity virgin mixed drinks. Spike them if you want. Do not hesitate because those around you are going to respond very well to who you are as you push and dance towards your (personal) ideas of success.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22) It is time to don a hire-me part in your hair and venture out toward newness. This will involve letting your guard down, even if only in surface and conversational ways. You might feel genuine and vulnerable; you might feel a little in love with yourself. Citrus, pink lemons in particular, will help you find robustness.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21) You will pull a lot of strength from a close love relationship. You might be surprised—by where you find it or by how much you find there. Either way, it will be lovely and right on time.

SAGITTARIUS

(November 22 - December 20) half person, half horse. difficult to know the boundaries within yourself and also difficult to know the boundaries between yourself and others. fiercely independent and also fiercely codependent. you

walk lines. it is time to attend to your limits: knowing them, expressing them, respecting them. once you do, others can. try to find a way to nurture the many and vacillating within yourself while maintaining the boundaries between yourself and others. except during sexual moments: then throw all that out because that is why you are so gifted at making people come.

CAPRICORN (December 21 - January 19) Romance is generally difficult to find in tightlywound situations. It involves some lush. Shed some layers, lick your lips a lot in conversation, and masturbate every day. Good things are coming. You know that feeling of getting penetrated while you are penetrating? Prioritize getting to know it. Someone in your life smells sweet. Stay near to them.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18) I anticipate you locating eroticism in places you didn’t expect. Keep your heart open so you can feel it— it is probably already there. You just don’t sense it yet.

PISCES (February 19 - March 19) You may find yourself especially porous right now. Now is a great time for learning. Absorb as much trivia as possible. Moisturize heavily— every butter and oil you can get your hands on, on every inch of you you can reach. A living situation may feel cramping: Instead of feeling stifled, develop new ways of interacting that allow you and those around you to move well and enjoy. It will make the short-term feel better and might carry over into forever.

ARIES (March 20 - April 19) Calm down. Think about hot showers and plush bathrobes. Think about bare, pink walls. Think about the serenity that comes after swallowing. Do what it takes to quiet anxiety. Surprises will be coming at you. Be open and listening. Take time before deciding how you feel about them. Your ability to not judge will be much appreciated.

Marry Elaine is very psychic and a huge fag.

KRESSLEY - continued from page 14

going into development on a talk show that we’ll also start filming this fall. We’ve got Ellen out there who’s an openly gay person with a very popular day-time talk show.

Hopefully there will be another one of us out there with a successful daytime talk show. That’s the next thing on the horizon.

I’m still designing a line of clothes for QVC and just trying to be the queen of all media.

What do you do in your free time, when you have it?

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May 16 - May 29

I like to go to the beach and hang

• G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com

out with my friends and just wear shorts and flip flops. I also have a couple of horses that I compete with and go to horse shows with my family. That’s my little attempt at being athletic.

I love the summertime. And then, before you know it, it’ll be fall and time to go back to school. No matter how old I get, I always feel like I’m going back to school.

For additional information about Carson Kressley, visit www.carsonkressley.com.

For dates, line-ups and tickets for the True Colors Tour, visit www. truecolors-

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DO AS I SAY Domestic

Disturbance

by Prudence Worthington the tabloids, do read on.

Hello Kittens, So glad to see you are back for more of my helpful little tips. Today I was reminded of how dear my dedicated domestics are to me. Rosita brought not one glass, but a whole pitcher of Bloody Marys to my bedside this morning. This display of devotion inspired today’s missive. I realize most of you don’t have domestics of your own, but you may marry well one day and find yourself with a full staff. We do, however, come into contact with members of many trades who help us through life, and I dedicate this tome to them. But first allow me to explain how Rosita came into my life.

I discovered my dear Rosita while cruising off the coast of South America. There she was adrift in the ocean on a raft constructed of fruit crates and inflated condoms. (So resourceful is she.) I plucked her from the sea like a caramel mermaid and we have been inseparable since. Having saved her life, she remains loyal to me to this day.

Rosita swears she has repaid the favor by reviving me on numerous occasions, yet none of this comes back to me. Apparently there is a bounty on her head in her native land, but as I have no need for money, I keep her here with me. She seems to appreciate that while sampling the contents of my liquor cabinet.

A few years ago, my neighbor, that Stewart woman, caused quite a stir in the community.

Apparently, between grinding flour and making her own oxygen, she found the time to assault the neighbor’s landscaper with her automobile. Worse yet, she was driving herself. It seems she did not like the neighbor’s horticultural improvements and vented her frustration on his staff. Rather like shooting the messenger isn’t it? This, of course threw the local domestics into a tailspin, for it could have meant a family member injured and loss of household income. Fortunately, it was no relation to dear Rosita and the whole incident eventually “blew” over as these things so often do. For those curious to read more of this tale, you may view the police report on the interweb at the following address:www.thesmokinggun.com/ archive/stewart.html The Stewart woman is not, regrettably, the only celebrity to abuse members of the service industry.

Naomi Campbell was back in the news for attacking an airport security guard. You do know she has been accused not once but thrice of assaulting her staff with a telephone. And who can forget Russell Crowe launching his cellular device at a hotel clerk? I doubt Alexander Graham Bell intended his invention as the weapon of choice amongst Euro trash. Should you like to stay out of

Did you want extra spit in your soup?

My dear friend and constant companion, Traxie Muldoon, possesses a simple philosophy about gentleman callers: If they are rude to a waiter, she will not sleep with them on the first date. However skewed her moral code, she does have a point: One clearly should not abuse wait staff. Although you may intend to tip well, a waiter is not a member of your family and, as such, deserves a modicum of respect. They are, after all, providing you with sustenance. Trust me, darlings, no one is impressed when you bully a waiter.

Most particularly egregious are those women hating women who find fault with every action of a pretty young waitress. How kind of them to ruin everyone’s evening. Face it, girls, your beauty has faded so step aside for the next generation. You probably walked in those same shoes at that age.

These are also the women most likely to change their mind after everyone else has ordered. Should the waiter rely on memory to carry your selections to the kitchen, she takes it as a personal challenge to alter her selection and foul the entire order.

How many times must I receive the wrong meal courtesy of your desperate need for validation?

As if wait staff are not tortured enough, the end of a meal supplies the big mystery of the evening: the tip. I once met a woman who firmly believed that no tip should ever exceed $50.00.

She no longer dines with me. Honestly, possums, if you believe 15% or less is sufficient as a gratuity, I recommend you stay in your cave. Eighteen to 25% of the total, no matter how large, is considered de rigeur.

Friday and Saturday evenings should be regarded as “amateur night”. Your favorite bistro will surely be populated by common folk who don’t dine out with any frequency. The staff will be stretched to their limits by people who need interpreters to comprehend the menu. Best to stay home and have your domestic prepare your repast. Additionally, these are the worst evenings to invite 15 of your closest friends to a restaurant.

Your “generous” gesture only slows the kitchen, taxes the staff and delays the meals of all the other patrons. Stay home and hire a caterer for the love of God.

als, for even criminals receive bread and water.

Window shopping is a solo act.

My hearts go out to the darlings who provide us with assistance in the retail environment. I have witnessed them toil under the oppression of many a “customer” in desperate need of some emotional validation with no intent on purchasing a single item. What was absent from your formative years that you search so desperately for from a salesperson? No one should have to chaperon while you “window shop” all afternoon when you clearly should be on a therapist’s couch instead. Spending hours in a boutique, furniture or department store with a salesperson and purchasing nothing is plainly sadistic. Most of these people work on commission and make nothing until you open your wallet, so selecting a suit or sofa should not take a year. Sales people are not psychiatrists and cannot write the prescription you so obviously need.

I have a nice padded cell in a great zip code.

Many of my acquaintances find themselves in need of employment after their husbands trade them in for younger models. Real Estate seems to be the career of choice for the scorned woman.

Take heed, my dears, there is a brand of client who could bring Mother Theresa to the brink of homicide. I believe they are called “looky-loos” in the industry. In this arena, the casual shopper should leave the professionals alone until you are ready to list your own property. When you do finally put your house on the market, be sure to listen to your agent. They are the professionals in this situation and your minor knowledge is merely torture to them. When they tell you that your fuchsia dining room needs painting, just do it.

They may actually sell your house!

I sincerely hope you find no similarities to yourselves in my humble ramblings. As you know, it is so gratifying that my little suggestions bring civility to you dear readers. Kudos to those of you who are smart enough to do as I say!

Fondly,

Small note to restaurateurs worldwide: 1. No cocktail should take more than five minutes to land on the table, ever!

2. People, in general, tend to get cranky from hunger and thirst. Providing food and drink in a timely fashion tends to prevent any discord. Not a complicated concept, is it? I propose you place this information on the first page of your training manu-

www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

Prudence

P.S. You may forward enquires regarding today's ever-changing etiquette to prudence@baltimoregaylife.com.

May 16 - May 29, 2008

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QUOTE UNQUOTE "I think it (same-sex marriage) should be legalized. I think it's about finding your soul mate. It's finding that person you connect with. But most people don't get it right. Look at me! The thing is, I don't know if I ever will or won't get married again. I'm very happy where I am. I just think I jinx marriages, but that's not going to stop me from loving."

—Singer Janet Jackson to E! Online, April 22

"I'd be upset (if my boyfriend came out as gay) because I want to be with him.

It's so funny because I joke with him that it drives me crazy to be a girl sometimes, so in my next life I'm going to come back as a guy and (he's) going to be my bitch. But if he liked guys, I would be crushed."

—Singer Janet Jackson to E! Online, April 22..

"You (gay celebrities) get a lot of baggage coming at you from the gay world -- to behave in a certain manner, to say a certain thing and be a certain person.

And I've always been very lefty, very urban and very downtown in the way that I deliver my message, and that's very hard on a lot of middle-class, mainstream quote-unquote gay people.

I've never been one of 'the gays' -- I've always been one of the queers."

—Comic/singer/actress Lea DeLaria to the Kansas gay magazine Liberty Press, April issue.

"They let me play straight people and they let me play gay people. They let me play men and women and anything I want to play. So I'm really lucky in that respect because a lot of times if gay people come out they're just stuck playing a certain kind of role for the rest of their life."

"I couldn't win any fight. Anyone could beat me up. So in high school, as a juvenile delinquent hag, basically, I learned that people who would beat you up, if you could make them laugh, they wouldn't beat you up, and maybe they'd sleep with you!"

—Comic/singer/actress Lea DeLaria to the Kansas gay magazine Liberty Press, April issue.

—Gay filmmaker John Waters on TV's The Daily Show, April 22.

—Actress Tori Spelling to Philadelphia Gay News, April 11.

—Queer Eye food guy Ted Allen to San Diego's Gay & Lesbian Times, April 17.

"Under an Obama administration, the United States will lead by setting a strong example, which includes making clear that asylum for persecuted people is a bedrock principle of American and international law. Moreover, Obama will exert diplomatic pressure and employ other foreign policy tools to encourage other nations to address human rights abuses and atrocities committed against LGBT men and women."

"This is the 4000th post on JMG. As I said in December for post 3000, what HAVE we been going on about? Oh, wait. I do know: blah, bears, blah, gay marriage, blah, wingnuts, blah, Clintobama, blah-dee-freekin-blah.

Sheesh."

—Popular gay blogger Joe Jervis (Joe.My.God.), April 18.

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May 16 - May 29

poll supports this view. It found that three-quarters of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans were comfortable interacting with gay people."

—Lawrence J. Korb, assistant secretary of defense under President Reagan, testifying before the House Committee on Armed Services, April 16.

—Statement from Barack Obama's campaign, April 21.

"This tribute to Harvey Milk is long overdue. It is indeed time for his legacy to be commemorated with a place of honor and distinction in San Francisco's City Hall."

"I don't think that the LGBT community should take its cues from me or some political leader in terms of what they think is right for them. Real change comes from the bottom up, not the top down. As your president, I will fight to make LGBT equality a reality at the federal level. But it is the LGBT community that has to decide what is in their best interest, and to help make it happen by engaging actively with the political process."

—Barack Obama to the Carolinas gay newspaper Q-Notes, April 30.

"If you're reading these words I will have put down my camera, switched off the lights, drawn the curtains and taken my final bow. May all the efforts and work of a whole life, the quest for the moment of pure truth in the sublime communion of two beings under the spell of the undefinable desire for the other, inspire those who inherit my heart."

—From the final post on the blog of famed French gay porn director Jean Daniel Cadinot, who died April 23 of a heart attack at age 64.

"I just did my book-signing tour and I went to San Francisco and it was such a great moment because there's a drag queen called Suppositori Spelling and I've totally been a fan and wanted to meet her for years. I took a photo and will put it on my MySpace."

"I have something of a weakness for potato chips. An enormous weakness, actually. I live and die for salty, crispy food. I'd rather have potato chips than ice cream or chocolate."

BY REX WOCKNER WITH BILL KELLEY

"Over the past 10 years more than 10,000 personnel have been discharged as a result of (Don't Ask, Don't Tell), including 800 with skills deemed 'mission critical,' such as pilots, combat engineers, and linguists. These are the very job functions for which the military has experienced personnel shortfalls.

General John M. Shalikashvili, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1993 when the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy was enacted, no longer supports the policy because he now believes that allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the military would no longer create intolerable tension among personnel and undermine cohesion. A recent Zogby • G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com

—San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in a press release about a sculpture that will be installed in City Hall's Ceremonial Rotunda on May 22. Milk, an openly gay city supervisor, was assassinated in 1978.

"The episode contained several scenes of the gay couple with their baby as well as the presenter's congratulations and acknowledgement of them as a family unit in a way which normalises their gay lifestyle and unconventional family setup. This is in breach of the Free-to-Air TV Programme Code which disallows programmes that promote, justify or glamourise gay lifestyles."

—Singapore's Media Development Authority in an April 24 decision fining Channel 5 $11,000 for an episode of "Find and Design."

"I never struggled with it (being gay) or thought about it. It's something that tends to come up when you hit puberty, but my attendance at junior high and high school was brief and very sporadic. My parents didn't seem to have any issue with gayness. I had no religious upbringing whatsoever, so I had no concept of it being a sin."

—Running With Scissors author Augusten Burroughs to The Advocate, May 6.

"There are some inconvenient truths that I'm now a born-again, sanctified, saved-in-the-blood Christian. So much of what's said and done in the name of that Christianity is appalling. According to my Bible, which I didn't write, homosexuality is immoral. But homosexuality is no more or less a sin than fornication.

And I'm a fornicator with a capital F." —Singer Michelle Shocked to the Dallas Voice, April 18.

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www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

May 16 - May 29, 2008

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PA G E 4 6 •

May 16 - May 29

• G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com

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LADIES, LADIES, LADIES, Interested in a DJ position? Please send a resume and current (2007) CD of your music to: DJ Search 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201

SERVICE

ACCOUNTING Heiffner & Associates 6706 German Hill Rd. Dundalk, MD 21222 410-285-3920

AUTOMOTIVE Meineke Car Care Center 7604 Harford Rd. Parkville, MD 21234 410-665-0710 Tate Mini of Annapolis 25 Old Mill Bottom Rd. N. Annapolis, MD 21409 410-349-2131 BARS / NIGHTCLUBS Baltimore Eagle 2022 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-685-3219 Club Hippo 1 W. Eager St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-576-0018 Club Phoenix 1 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-837-3906

CHORUSES

New Wave Singers PO Box 2012 Baltimore, MD 21203 410-558-4692

CHURCHES Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore 320 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 20201 410-547-5486 First & St. Stephen’s United Church 6915 York Rd. Baltimore, MD 21212 410-377-5224

St. John’s of Baltimore 2640 St. Paul St. Baltimore, MD 21218 410-366-7733

COMPUTER / TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING Computer Handyman of Maryland 443-827-0433 CONSTRUCTION Laurence Construction David Meltzer 6999 Reiserstown Rd., Suite 1 Baltimore, MD 21215 410-764-7100 NLT Construction 9216 Liberty Rd. Randallstown, MD 21133 410-922-6475

First Unitarian Church 1 W. Hamilton St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-685-2330

COUNSELING / THERAPY Patti Desert, LCSW-C Singular Pathways 208 E. Melrose Ave. Baltimore, MD 21212 410-435-3755

Metropolitan Community Church of Baltimore 401 W. Monument St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-669-6222

Laura June, Ph.D. Belvedere Towers, Suite 105A 1190 W. Northern Pkwy.

Baltimore, MD 21210 410-235-7899

Memorial Episcopal Church 1407 Bolton St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-669-0220

Jeff Klug, LCSW The Rotunda, Suite 108 711 W. 40th St. Baltimore, MD 21211 410-241-4215

St. Bernadette Parish 801 Stevenson Rd. Severn, MD 21144 410-969-2785

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Solution to puzzle, page 35

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gay market. advertise in gay life! sales@baltimoregaylife.com

200 E. Joppa Rd. Towson, MD 21286 410-583-8846 Robin Richardson, LCSW-C The Rotunda, Suite 412 711 W. 40th St. Baltimore, MD 21211 410-261-3323 Women’s Growth Center 5209 York Rd. Baltimore, MD 21212 410-532-2476

FINANCIAL SERVICES Yoshiko Hayakawa First Financial Group 401 Washington Ave., 6th floor Baltimore, MD 21204 410-828-5400 x4178 FITNESS Mt. Vernon Fitness 1016 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.mvfit.com

FRAMING Fast Frame of Bel Air 1431 Rock Spring Rd. Bel Air, MD 21014 410-836-0017

HEALTH / DENTAL Chase Brexton Health Services 1001 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-837-2050 Dr. Samuel Westrick 3100 St. Paul St., Suite 5 Baltimore, MD 21218 410-243-5544

www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

Craiginbaltimore@comcast.net

BRAD'S SPECIAL TOUCH A hot full body/full satisfaction massage in your home, hotel, or my NEW waterfront studio. Guys or couples. Visa/MC. 443-695-0141, or www.specialtouchmassage.com

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MORTGAGE SERVICES Marva J. Laws American Financial Resources Bel Air, MD 410-734-6688 1-888-553-5513

JEWELERS Craig Coyne Jewelers 8113 Main St. Ellicott City, MD 21043 410-243-5544

LEGAL SERVICES Law offices of Constandin Alivizatos 111 S. Calvert St. Baltimore, MD 21202 410-385-5397

Richard Pazornik SunTrust Mortgage 410-561-4139 www.suntrustmortgage.com/rp azornik

Lynda Dee, Attorney at Law 201 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-332-1170 A. Allan Gertner, Attorney at Law 814 N. Calvert St. Baltimore, MD 21202 410-539-1870 National Adoption and Surrogacy Center Hilary Neiman, Esq. 30 Courthouse Square, Suite 106 Rockville, MD 20850 301-340-7228 Mark Scurti Hodes, Pessin & Katz, PA 410-938-8718 www.hpklegal.com Zavos Law Group Washington, DC Baltimore, MD 443-570-6205

LOCKSMITHS Robert’s Key Service 217 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-728-7484

May 16 - May 29, 2008

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Hearts and Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 PHARMACIES Mount Vernon Pharmacy 900 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-539-8030 Park Avenue Pharmacy 1535 Park Ave. Baltimore, MD 21217 410-225-0800

Real Estate Nancy Corporon RE/MAX Advantage Realty 8815 Centre Park Dr. Columbia, MD 21045 410-740-1200 Stephen Johnson Long & Foster Real Estate 10805 Hickory Ridge Rd. Columbia, MD 21044 410-715-7891 • PA G E 4 7

David Ostrowski & Pat Stokeley Long & Foster Real Estate 410-931-6300 www.DaveMovesMd.com

RESTAURANTS / CATERING Café Boheme 401 E. Pratt St. Baltimore, MD 21202 410-347-9898 Sascha’s 527 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-539-8880 Spice Company 4 W. University Pkwy.

Baltimore, MD 21218 410-235-8200

THEATRES Hippodrome Theatre France-Merrick Performing Arts Center 12 N. Eutaw St. Baltimore, MD 21202 410-547-SEAT Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore 5625 O’Donnell St. Baltimore, MD 21224 410-995-1969 Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia 5900 Symphony Woods Rd. Columbia, MD 21044 410-995-1969

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