Vol. 30, No. 11, May 30 - June 12, 2008

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MAY 30 - JUNE 12, 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 17

TWILIGHT ON THE TERRACE: KICK OFF PRIDE WEEKEND IN STYLE

PAGE 26

DESTINATION HIPPO: DJ ALEX FUNK TAKES CLUB HIPPO TO MIAMI ON JUNE 14 PAGE 28

TRANSGENDER WOMEN LAUNCH POWER OF THREE CONFERENCE: AN INTERVIEW WITH TONA BROWN

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WHAT’S INSIDE FEATURES PAGE 14 Kathy Griffin’s Outrageous D-List Antics Land Highly-Anticipated 4th Season. A Must Read Interview

by New Gay Life Columnist Marvelous Marva

Editor editor@baltimoregaylife.com

Michael Nguyen Art Director art@baltimoregaylife.com

Maddy Dwertman Sales sales@baltimoregaylife.com

Distinctively Different--African-American Transgender Women Launch Power of Three Conference: An Interview with Tona Brown. Interview by Maddy Dwertman

Destination Hippo: DJ Alex Funk Takes Club Hippo to Miami on June 14. Interview by Maddy Dwertman

Maryland Becomes 7th State to Enact Anti-Bullying Law that Protects All Students; Maryland Viral Hepatitis Task Force Draws Attention to High Rates of Infection; “Spread the Word and Not the Disease”: HIV Youth Summit Set for June 19; HERO Announces New Interim CEO/Executive Director; Maryland Court of Appeals does Not Recognize De Facto Parenting; Governor O'Malley Signs 2 Bills that Expand Protections to LGBT Families. Complied by Maddy Dwertman

Rocket to Venus. By John Cullen & Marty Shayt

PAGE 6 – NATIONAL NEWS

PAGE 38 – REAL ESTATE

California Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage; Frank: Transgender People were Terrible Lobbyists; Florida Student Wins Case Against School Over Gay Symbols: Actress Nixon would Marry Girlfriend; First Openly Gay Illinois Legislator Dies. By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley

Tips to Help You Gear Up for the Homebuying Season.

ARA Content

PAGE 8 – INTERNATIONAL NEWS

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.

PAGE 31 – PENCIL ME IN Calendar. By Maddy Dwertman

PAGE 40 – THEATRE On the Stage

HOME

COMMUNITY & COLUMNS

Moldovan Pride Parade Thwarted by Violent Mob; EuroCommission: OK to Fire Gays for Religious Reasons; Bounty Killer Banned from Guyana; Tel Aviv to Erect Monument to Gays Persecuted by Nazis; Hong Kong Regulator Interfered with Freedom of Speech; Gays Sue Swedish Tax Authority; Malaysian Police Raid Sauna. By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley

PAGE 29 – FICTION

OPINIONS

PAGE 43 – DO AS I SAY

Cereal: The Adventures of Pico Darling.

By Espy Robinson

PAGE 31 – PENCIL ME IN Events Calendar

PAGE 41 – COMMUNITY CALENDAR A Most Festive Weekend. By Miss Prudence Worthington

PAGE 47 - MARKETPLACE

Foxes in the Henhouse.

By Gwendolyn Ann Smith

CONTRIBUTORS Shayna Robinson John Cullen Marty Shayt Maddy Dwertman Gwendolyn Ann Smith Marry Elaine Rex Wockner Mario Fernandez Miss Prudence Bill Kelley Worthington Marvelous Marva Carlo Brando Zepeda Rev. Irene Monroe David Placher

33rd Annual Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival Announces Line-Up

PAGE 32 – DINING OUT

PAGE 18

National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media 212-242-6863

Twilight on the Terrace: Kick Off Pride Weekend in Style

PAGE 26 – MUSIC

PAGE 4 – LOCAL NEWS

Brian Flottemesch President of GLCCB

PAGE 17 – BALTIMORE PRIDE 2008

PAGE 28

NEWS

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

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Objects that Appear Square, May Actually be Round.

By David Placher

FOR FUN PAGE 35 – Q PUZZLE

A Fleeting Moment of Democracy for California’s Same-Sex Couples. By Rev. Irene Monroe

Count Me Out

In My Homo Opinion: It’s Only a Word.

By Mario Fernandez

By Marry Elaine

Aromatic Delights, Frozen Images, Fallen Angels and a Loving Kiss

By Carlo Brando Zepeda

By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley

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PAGE 42 – HOMOSTROLOGY PAGE 43 – QUOTE UNQUOTE

VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.BALTIMOREGAYLIFE.COM. M AY 3 0 - J u n e 1 2 , 2 0 0 8

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LOCAL NEWS Maryland Becomes 7th State to Enact Anti-Bullying Law that Protects All Students

GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings On May 13, Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law a comprehensive anti-bullying bill that protects all students from bullying and harassment, becoming only the seventh state to enumerate categories of protection that include sexual orientation and gender identity.

“This is a historic day for Maryland students,” GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings said. “We applaud Governor O’Malley and the bipartisan supporters in the Maryland legislature for taking action to make Maryland schools safer. Feeling safe in school is directly related to academic achievement and student success.

This law is an important step in reducing bullying, improving school climate and making school better for

all Maryland students.”

having no anti-bullying policy at all.

The landmark bill makes Maryland just the 11th state to protect students from bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and only the seventh to protect students on the basis of gender identity/expression. Maryland already requires schools to report bullying incidents. This law will now require each school district to develop bullying prevention programs for students, staff, volunteers and parents.

Enumerated anti-bullying policies also have a beneficial effect for the student population as a whole, LGBT and non-LGBT alike. The 2005 GLSEN report From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America, conducted by Harris Interactive, found that students whose schools have a policy that specifically includes sexual orientation or gender identity/expression are less likely than other students to report a serious harassment problem at their school (33% vs. 44%).

Passage of the comprehensive Maryland bill is particularly important because research shows that safe schools laws that specifically enumerate protected categories are more effective than laws that do not.

In GLSEN’s 2005 National School Climate Survey, chronicling the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students in schools, LGBT students who were covered by a comprehensive safe school policy that specifically protects sexual orientation were less likely to report being harassed at school (31.6% vs. 40.8%), far more likely to tell school officials when incidents of harassment occurred (26.4% vs.

16.1%) and more than twice as likely to have a teacher intervene when harassment occurred versus students covered by a non-enumerated, or "generic," policy.

“Equality Maryland is thrilled that this common sense measure, which specifically addresses bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity, has transcended the politics of division with its overwhelming,

bi-partisan passage and enactment into law,” said Dan Furmansky, Executive Director of Equality Maryland.

“It’s crucial that Maryland take bolder steps to address bullying, harassment and intimidation of our students, and this is a good step in making sure schools in no way gloss over the harassment, threats and violence directed specifically at LGBT and questioning youth.”

Besides Maryland, the 10 other states to include protection for sexual orientation in a safe schools law are California, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. Only California, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey and Vermont also include gender expression.

In fact, having a non-enumerated policy in place made virtually no difference to student experience versus

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HERO Announces New Maryland Court of Appeals does Interim CEO/Executive Director Not Recognize De Facto Parenting On June 1, Ms. Lenora Davis will assume the position of Interim CEO/Executive Director of HERO, Inc (Health Education Resource Organization). She has demonstrated her commitment to HERO, Inc. and the community by serving on the HERO, Inc. Board of Directors for 14 years in various positions.

Specifically, she served as President of the HERO, Inc. Board of Directors from 1996 through 2000. Under her leadership, HERO, Inc. was able to secure funding to construct the building we now know as HERO at 1734 Maryland Avenue. Ms. Davis and Ms. Ahlstrom have been working diligently over the last eight months to restore HERO, Inc. to its leadership position in the community. HERO, Inc. continues to serve nearly 3,000 clients and their families in Baltimore and the surrounding counties who are infected and affected by HIV, as well as promoting prevention education and HIV/AIDS testing.

The push for the summer months will be to produce a phenomenal HERO AIDSWALK Maryland 2008 on September 21, 2008 in Patterson Park. Ms. Davis and Mrs. Ahlstrom are both members of the Development Committee of HERO, Inc. The committee is composed of volunteers who are committed to HERO’s success. Mrs. Ahlstrom will continue to serve on the

Development Committee and perhaps serve on the Board of Directors.

Ms. Davis with Mr. Chris Leone, HERO’s Chief Development Officer, has plans to reach many sectors of the community for a successful HERO AIDSWALK Maryland.

Susan Ahlstrom, Esq., the outgoing Interim CEO/Executive Director of the HERO has reached the end of her Interim period and will leave her position on May 30, 2008. Ms. Ahlstrom is looking forward to returning to her legal career and spending time with her family.

Ms. Davis is looking to the future of HERO, Inc. Currently, she will continue the plan of development that she and Ms. Ahlstrom have put into motion. She is relinquishing her position as President of the Board of Directors but will continue to work with the current Board to strengthen and expand its membership, further develop HERO’s relationship with other HIV and substance abuse providers, work with HERO’s existing grant providers to continue to provide valuable services to our community, develop relationships with new grant providers so that HERO can better serve an ever increasing number of residents who face HIV/AIDS, and build a stronger relationship with the Baltimore City Health Department and with elected governmental officials.

Maryland Viral Hepatitis Task Force Draws Attention to High Rates of Infection Hepatitis Awareness Month is coming to a close, but the Maryland Viral Hepatitis Task Force, an advocacy group recently formed to address this public health issue, calls on Marylanders to seek education about and get tested for Hepatitis.

1 in 12 people worldwide are infected with hepatitis B or C. This is over 10 times the number of individuals infected with HIV/AIDS. Each year, hepatitis B and C kill over 1.5 million people.

On Monday, May 19, the Maryland Court of Appeals struck down the concept of de facto parenting. In a 61 decision, the Court ruled that a person who has served as a parental figure, but does not have a biological or legal relationship with the child, cannot petition for custody or visitation rights absent a finding of unfitness of the other parent or “exceptional circumstances.”

The status of de facto parent has been used by same-sex co parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and others that may not be legally or biologically related, but have nonetheless parented a child to ask a judge for custody or visitation rights. In a surprising decision, the court ignores the best interests of children to have access to de facto parents who have been a large part of their lives.

This decision overturned the ruling of two lower courts that granted a lesbian mother visitation rights with her former partner’s daughter.

The two women had lived together for eleven years before one adopted a baby from India. Although the partner of the legally recognized adoptive mother did not formalize her relationship with the child through a second-parent adoption, she claims that she did act as a parent to her. A hearing is pending to determine if the non-adoptive mother meets “exceptional circumstances” criteria that would allow her to secure future visitation rights.

This Court of Appeals decision will impact other cases involving visitation rights and children of same-sex parents.

Governor O'Malley Signs 2 Bills that Expand Protections to LGBT Families On May 22, Governor O'Malley signed to two pieces of legislation—The Healthcare Facility Visitation and Medical Decisions Act (Senate Bill 566) and The Recordation and Transfer Tax bill (Senate Bill 597). SB 566 extends eleven protections to unmarried couples, including allowing couples to visit one another in the hospital, sharing a room in a nursing home, making funeral decisions for each other. SB 597 adds "domestic partners" to the list of family members a person can add to the deed of their home without paying recordation and transfer fee and taxes.

“Spread the Word and Not the Disease”: HIV Prevention Youth Summit Set for June 19 The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) AIDS Administration will hold an HIV Prevention Youth Summit, “Spread the Word and Not the Disease”, on June 19th, at the Baltimore Holiday Inn (301 W. Lombard St.) from 9 a.m. until 4:15 p.m.

“The participants who attend this summit will walk away with better strategies to work with youth,” said DHMH Secretary John M. Colmers.

“The end result is improved HIV prevention programs—and outcomes—across Maryland.”

The summit is targeted to peer educators, interested youth, caregivers, and program staff. Features include a youth panel, free HIV counseling and test-

Based on the results of a national survey, it is estimated that over 100,000 individuals in Maryland are infected with Hepatitis C. Approximately 80% of those infected remain unaware of their infection. www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

What are

ing services, exhibits, and educational workshops.

“Participants will have the opportunity to network and to learn about best practices in the HIV prevention programs that target youth," said Heather Hauck, director of the AIDS Administration.

Registration is free and is available on-line registration at www.afterschoolinstitute.org, by calling 410-332-7467, or by e-mail to amclean@afterschoolinstitute.org.

Summit sponsors are the DHMH AIDS Administration, the Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore City Health Department, and The After-School Institute.

you thinking?

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NATIONAL NEWS

by Rex Wockner with Bill Kelly

California Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage to opposite-sex couples, these statutes are unconstitutional."

With language and legal conclusions that could not have been stronger, the California Supreme Court granted same-sex couples access to marriage May 15.

The weddings should begin June 16 or shortly thereafter. California law contains no residence requirement, so same-sex couples from elsewhere can take advantage of the change as well.

The court, in a 4-3 decision, struck down the state's opposite-sex definition of marriage as well as a 2000 voter-passed initiative (Proposition 22) that further restricted marriage to opposite-sex couples.

The court said both laws were unconstitutional, citing a fundamental right to marry under the state constitution and the constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law.

The court further determined -- in a move that legal analysts said was unprecedented for a supreme court -that any discrimination based on sexual orientation is constitutionally subject to the strictest level of scrutiny by courts, which will make it much harder for any level of government to defend itself in any arena where gays, lesbians and bisexuals are not treated the same as heterosexuals.

This was accomplished by the court declaring sexual orientation to be a so-called "suspect classifica-

Police closed Castro Street the evening of May 15 so San Francisco gays could celebrate the California Supreme Court ruling striking down the state's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. Wockner News photo by Michael Petrelis, petrelisfiles.com tion," which means a government will have to prove it has a specific "compelling interest," rather than a mere "rational basis," for treating GLB people differently in any way. "[R]etaining the designation of marriage exclusively for oppositesex couples and providing only a separate and distinct designation ['domestic partnership'] for samesex couples may well have the effect of perpetuating a more general premise—now emphatically rejected by this state—that gay individuals

and same-sex couples are in some respects 'second-class citizens' who may, under the law, be treated differently from, and less favorably than, heterosexual individuals or opposite-sex couples," the ruling, written

by Chief Justice Ronald M. George, said. "Under these circumstances, we cannot find that retention of the traditional definition of marriage constitutes a compelling state interest. Accordingly, we conclude that to the extent the current California statutory provisions limit marriage

The court also said: "There can be no question but that, in recent decades, there has been a fundamental and dramatic transformation in this state's understanding and legal treatment of gay individuals and gay couples. California has repudiated past practices and policies that were based on a once common viewpoint that denigrated the general character and morals of gay individuals, and at one time even characterized homosexuality as a mental illness rather than as simply one of the numerous variables of our common and diverse humanity. This state's current policies and conduct regarding homosexuality recognize that gay individuals are entitled to the same legal rights and the same respect and dignity afforded all other individuals and are protected from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation, and, more specifically, recognize that gay individuals are fully capable of entering into the kind of loving and enduring committed relationships that may serve as the foundation of a family and of responsibly caring for and raising children."

The decision concluded: "[I]n light of the conclusions we reach concerncontinued on the next page

Florida Student Wins Case Against

Frank: Transgender People were Terrible Lobbyists School Over Gay Symbols Openly gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.,

After a trial in which a Florida high-school principal testified that he believed clothing or stickers featuring rainbows make people automatically envision gay sex acts, a federal judge ruled May 13 that Ponce de Leon High School had violated students' First Amendment rights.

says transgender people did a terrible job of lobbying for inclusion in the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. A version of the measure, known as ENDA, that protects sexual orientation but not gender identity has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is pending in the Senate.

The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a student who had been forbidden to wear clothing, stickers, buttons or symbols supporting gay rights.

"I've never seen a worse job of lobbying done by the transgender community," Frank told the Oregon gay newspaper Just Out in its May 2 issue. "They seem to think that all they had to do was to get the gay and lesbian community to say 'OK.' I think they thought that this was a train, and that they were a car on the train."

"I said to them, 'You've got to work this, you've got to lobby people.' They did a terrible job of lobbying, and so we didn't have the votes," Frank said.

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"Standing up to my school was really hard to do, but I'm so happy that I did because the First Amendment is a big deal to everyone," said plaintiff Heather Gillman, a junior at the school in the Florida Panhandle.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Smoak ordered the school to cease its unconstitutional censorship of students who want to express support for gay equality, and warned the district not to retaliate against students over the lawsuit.

Openly gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank.

Photo by Rex Wockner

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The case came about after Gillman and other students told the ACLU they were routinely intimidated by school officials for doing things like writing "gay pride" on their arms and notebooks or wearing rainbow-themed clothes.

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Actress Nixon would Marry Girlfriend Actress Cynthia Nixon, who played Miranda on HBO's Sex and the City and reprises her role in the new film of the same name, likely would marry her girlfriend, Christine Marinoni, if New York state legalizes same-sex marriage.

"I think that to get married to her would be a little act of rebellion," Nixon told London's Daily Mirror on May 12. "It's like if you've never had the vote and then you get it you're going to run out there and vote. ... If it becomes legal, I think we would."

Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon.

GLAAD photo

Nixon, 42, also said she never came out of the closet after leaving her longtime boyfriend, and the father of her two children, several years ago.

Outside the California Supreme Court in San Francisco on May 15 as the court issued its decision striking down California's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. Wockner News photo by Michael Petrelis, petrelisfiles.com ing the constitutional questions brought to us for resolution, we determine that the language of section 300 limiting the designation of marriage to a union 'between a man and a woman' is unconstitutional and must be stricken from the statute, and that the remaining statutory language must be understood as making the designation of marriage available both to opposite-sex and same-sex couples. In addition, because the limitation of marriage to opposite-sex couples imposed by section 308.5 [Prop 22] can have no constitutionally permissible effect in light of the constitutional conclusions set forth in this opinion, that provision cannot stand.

"Plaintiffs are entitled to the issuance of a writ of mandate directing the appropriate state officials to take all actions necessary to effectuate our ruling in this case so as to ensure that county clerks and other local officials throughout the state, in performing their duty to enforce the marriage statutes in their jurisdictions, apply those provisions in a manner consistent with the decision of this court."

California's Legislature has twice passed laws opening marriage to same-sex couples but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed them, saying such a decision should be made by the courts or a vote of the people.

Now that the Supreme Court has spoken, Schwarzenegger issued a statement May 15 saying: "I respect the Court's decision and as Governor, I will uphold its ruling.

Also, as I have said in the past, I will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling."

A voter initiative to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, which would overturn the Supreme Court decision, likely will be on the California ballot in November.

Anti-gay forces are believed to have turned in enough valid petition signatures to meet the required threshold, though the final determination on that has not been made.

While a simple majority of voters can amend the state constitution, it is not clear which way California voters would go on same-sex marriage in 2008, especially when confronted with such a draconian tactic as amending the constitution. There are several factors suggesting that gay people could prevail, including such things as Barack Obama drawing younger voters to the polls, John McCain not being able to inspire a large turnout by religious-right voters, the precedent of Massachusetts' 2004 legalization of same-sex marriage, Schwarzenegger's opposition to the amendment, and California's increasingly gay-friendly climate since voters last visited the issue eight years ago.

"I had been with men all my life and I had never met a woman I had fallen in love with before, but when I did, it didn't seem so strange." she said. "I don't define myself. I'm just a woman in love with another woman.

"I never felt like there was an unconscious part of me that woke up or came out of the closet. There wasn't a struggle or an attempt to suppress. I met this woman and I fell in love with her."

First Openly Gay Illinois Legislator Dies Larry McKeon, Illinois' first openly gay and first openly HIV-positive state legislator, died May 13 of a severe stroke. He was 63.

McKeon represented a district of Chicago's North Side in the state House of Representatives from 1997 to 2007.

An Army veteran and former cop, McKeon also served as Mayor Richard M. Daley's liaison to the GLBT community prior to his election to public office.

McKeon retired last year, citing health issues related to HIV and cancer.

"People are so much more comfortable with this issue now," said Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the lead lawyer for the gay side in the Supreme Court case.

Both sides in the initiative fight are gearing up for what has been called the mother of all gay rights battles.

Schwarzenegger first expressed opposition to the proposed amendment last month in San Diego, calling it "a total waste of time."

"First of all, I think that it would never happen in California because I think that California people are much further along with that issue," he said. "And, number two, I will always be there to fight against that, because it would never happen. I think we need a constitutional amendment so that foreign-born citizens can run for president, but not about gay marriage. That's a total waste of time."

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

by Rex Wockner with Bill Kelly

Moldovan Pride Parade Thwarted by Violent Mob The gay pride parade in Chisinau, Moldova, was canceled May 11 after the bus carrying the 60 marchers was halted by hundreds of screaming anti-gay protesters who tried to pry open the door, smash the windows and disable the engine.

repeated attack by the crowd.

Another crowd of approximately several hundred people surrounded GenderDoc-M office demanding that pride participants exit the office. ... The office remained blocked for several hours."

Police stood by and watched. For more than 45 minutes.

All other pride events also were canceled.

In the end, protest leaders boarded the bus and agreed to let it pass if the activists destroyed all their banners and flags, and popped all their rainbow balloons.

Gay activists attempted to stage the march even though Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca had banned it "to avoid any tensions in society."

The activists did so as the homophobes cheered.

"After ceasing of all materials, the two men ordered to unblock the bus and let it go," said Boris Balanetkii, head of the pride organizing group, GenderDoc-M. "The bus headed towards GenderDoc-M office, followed by a car with members of the crowd. Participants left the office in dispersed groups on alert of possible

Euro Commission: OK to Fire Gays for Religious Reasons In a case brought by Irish unions, the European Commission ruled that schools, hospitals and other institutions owned by religious bodies can discriminate against gay people in hiring and firing, the Irish Examiner reported May 8.

The ruling, which affirmed existing Irish law, also affects other groups of people whose behavior or beliefs clash with a church's ethos.

More than 90 percent of primary schools in Ireland are owned and run by the Roman Catholic Church, which considers gay sex objectively disordered and mortally sinful.

Bounty Killer Banned from Guyana Authorities in the South American nation of Guyana have banned Jamaican singer Bounty Killer from performing there because his lyrics promote violence, including against gay people.

The singer has experienced protests and concert cancellations in Europe for the same reasons.

His lyrics include: "Bun a fire pon a kuh pon mister fagoty ... Poop man fi drown a dat a yawd man philosophy ... You know we need no promo to rub

He cited objections from religious people, schoolchildren, people posting on the Internet and others who "accuse sexual minorities of aggressiveness and violation of spiritual and moral values."

The gay pride parade in Chisinau, Moldova, was canceled May 11 after the bus carrying the 60 marchers was halted by hundreds of screaming anti-gay protesters who tried to pry open the door, smash the windows and disable the engine.

GenderDoc-M photo

that

GenderDoc-M's activities are legal and said it "considers unjustified the refusal of the Chisinau city hall to authorize a march of solidarity by GenderDoc-M reasoning that it is a possible threat to the public order, as

this motive is disproportional with the right to freedom of assembly, guaranteed by ... the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms."

out dem homo ... Mi ready fi go wipe out this fag wid pure laser beam."

member Itai Pinkas with strong support from Mayor Ron Huldai.

to some viewers.

In April, iTunes deleted tracks by fellow Jamaican dancehall singers Buju Banton, Elephant Man and T.O.K. from its North American service because their songs promote violence toward, or murder of, gays.

There are similar monuments in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen and Sydney, Ynet said.

Banton's 1992 hit "Boom Bye Bye," for example, advocates shooting gay men, dumping acid on them and setting them alight.

Hong Kong's Broadcasting Authority wrongly restricted freedom of speech when it reprimanded Radio Television Hong Kong for airing a program called "Gay Lover," High Court Judge Michael Hartmann ruled May 8.

Chirtoaca's ban was illegal, under a 2007 Moldovan Supreme Court ruling that followed the city's ban of the 2006 parade.

The

court

determined

Its lyrics include: "Boom bye bye / Inna batty bwoy head / Rude bwoy no promote no nasty man / Dem haffi dead / ... Send fi di matic an / Di Uzi instead / Shoot dem no come if we shot dem / ... Guy come near we / Then his skin must peel / Burn him up bad like an old tire wheel."

Tel Aviv to Erect Monument to Gays Persecuted by Nazis An official monument in memory of the gay men and women persecuted and murdered by the Nazis will be erected in Tel Aviv's Meir Garden, according to Ynet News.

The report said the Third Reich killed tens of thousands of homosexuals and persecuted a quarter of a million.

The project was spearheaded by openly gay Tel Aviv City Council

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Hong Kong Regulator Interfered with Freedom of Speech

The authority claimed the program lacked balance.

Hartmann disagreed, saying: "RTHK did no more than faithfully record the fears, hopes, travails and aspirations of persons who happened to be gay. It did so faithfully, in an unprejudiced manner."

He added: "It is now recognised in our law that the prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sex refers not only to gender but also to sexual orientation."

Broadcasting Authority rules require programs on controversial topics to be impartial, but Hartmann said the authority should not have embraced the discriminatory notion that homosexuality may be offensive

Gays Sue Swedish Tax Authority A Swedish gay couple who got married in Canada is pushing forward with their suit against Sweden's taxation agency for categorizing their union as a registered partnership instead of a marriage.

Lars Gårdfeldt and Lars Arnell, who both are Lutheran ministers, lost twice in lower courts but now hope the Supreme Administrative Court, which has agreed to hear the case, will make them Sweden's first fully married same-sex couple.

Sweden has had a registered partnership law that grants same-sex couples all the rights and obligations of marriage since 1995.

Malaysian Police Raid Sauna Police in Penang, Malaysia, raided a sauna May 10 and arrested 14 men and confiscated 1,800 condoms, the local Star newspaper reported.

Six of the men were found naked in bathrooms, the report said.

Police have raided the venue twice before and now plan to recommend that local authorities shut it down, a spokesman said.

The raid was part of a crackdown on immoral activities, the spokesman said.

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

Sundays 9 AM

Traditional Celebration

10 AM Hospitality Time - Community 11 AM Praise Celebration & Family Service

Metropolitan Community Church of Baltimore - (410)NOW-MCCb Cb 401 W. Monument Street (at Eutaw) www.mccbaltimore.org

www.glccb.org Services. Groups. Events.

Our calendar is now online.

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oldiers and gays will gather on Thursday June 12 at 9 p.m. for the fourth season premiere of Bravo's critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning series Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.

With Griffin performing standup at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C., opening the Oprah-inspired Kathy Griffin Leadership Academy in Mexico, hosting Air New Zealand's Pink Flight from San Francisco to Sydney, and ministering a wedding in Queens, this season’s adventures promise not to disappoint. The series will moves to its regular 10 p.m. timeslot on Thursday, June 19.

A

So far, 2008 has been a successful year for Griffin who had her Emmy moment with Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List winning for Outstanding Reality Series.

The series also won a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Reality Program at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

After disappointing reports that Kathy could not be conferenced in to us due to loud beeping sounds on the hotel phone line, Gay Life columnist Marvelous Marva reached her via cell phone in Hawaii to ask her about the new season, politics, entertainment, her life as “D List Celebrity”, and where the celebrities we've all been wondering about register on the gaydar scale.

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Marvelous Marva: Hey, Kathy. Sounds like a lot of drama.

Kathy Griffin: I’m yelling at the hotel phone people. It really is a whole lot of drama.

MM: It’s full of drama, honey. If you were gay, you’d be so perfect.

much less have someone take a picture of it.

So I gotta tell you again, I really have this thing figured out.

MM: The “D List” is the new “A List”.

KG: That’s what I’ve decided.

As long as we’re in that together.

I have something I’ve just got to say to you. I think that you are so f*cking funny. I don’t know another way to say it. I look at your sitcom and your stand-up and I’m in tears.

KG: It comes back on June 12 for 10 episodes.

KG: Oh, thank you.

MM: I’m all over you Kathy. I’m your biggest fan.

MM: I’m with you. Where’s the humor today?

We need it.

KG: Right on.

KG: You’re right.

MM: Kathy, first let me say that you’re an Emmy Award-winning American stand-up comedian, you’re a producer, an actress, a gay icon... you’ve also been a voice actress, which a lot of people may not realize, and a red carpet commentator... and you’re a self-proclaimed "D-list celebrity".

KG: You’re darn right I am.

MM: From a career standpoint, Kathy, does it get much cooler than that?

KG: I don’t think so. I am telling you, I think I have it all figured out. Being on the “A List” sounds great, but I really don’t want someone going through my garbage. I don’t want someone taking my picture in a bathing suit. I don’t even want to see myself in a bathing suit,

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MM: I love your stand up... I am positively crazy about your reality show.

MM: I’m happy to know your fourth season is approaching, so I wanted to say congratulations! How are you feeling about the success of the show... and did you ever think that it would not only be a big hit, but that it would make it to a fourth season?

KG: No, I didn’t because I thought, well, alright, what are they going to do with me?

Season 1, it’s them following me around to crappy auditions or getting botox. And then, all of sudden…boom. Season 2, I go to Iraq.

Boom. Season 3, I get divorced and my dad dies. I perform at a maximum-security prison.

Now we’re really conscious of always trying to up the ante.

It was supposed to be some harmless little show that followed my pathetic life around.

Now, I’m pretty sure they’re trying to kill me on that show. I think the season finale, eventually,

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will be them coming to my room and I’m dead lying in a pool of my own urine from sheer exhaustion.

MM: I just have to ask you about what was labeled by some... as the controversy comment of the year in your acceptance speech for winning an Emmy Award.

KG: Here’s what I love. I love upsetting groups, especially groups that are self-righteous. Anything fundamental is bad. If you say, “Well, I’m a fundamentalist”blank”, whatever it is, be careful. I love messing with the Christians. I love messing with the scientologists. I love messing with anything that is politically correct. The reason that I gravitate toward the gay community, is that the gay community is in fact a group…and they are unified and mobilized and they are writing laws and getting laws passed. But, at the same time…more so than any other group, they have such a great sense of humor about themselves. When you are part of an oppressed minority, you have to laugh. That’s the only way to get through things.

MM: Sometimes you laugh to keep from crying.

KG: Exactly.

MM: Are you still catching hell for that? No pun intended...

And did you see when Barbara Streisand... yelled at a heckler because he didn’t find funny a George Bush skit portraying him as a bumbling idiot at her show... she told him and I quote... "Why don't you shut the f- - - up. If you can't take a joke, why don't you leave and get your money back.... “ What do you think about her comments to him?

KG: I love her, of course, because, you know my inner gay man was dancing a happy dance.

First of all, I went to see the concert…. She has the guy come out and do this dead on impression of Bush.

It was really completely harmless. So I love that she said that. She’s one of those people…like Rosie O’Donnell, where people are really looking to pick her and anything she says apart…. So when they talk about you on Fox News, you know you’ve arrived.

MM: You were being considered to join the panel of The View.... replacing Rosie O’Donnell, and Whoopi Goldberg was ultimately selected....

KG: Yes. MM: (Both of whom I know are good friends of yours. Both of whom you are also funnier than...). But they got Sherri Shepherd to take over the remaining spot…who they are having second thoughts about... (And you’re also funnier than she is too!)

KG: Thank you.

MM: Would you welcome the offer to join the panel on The View... if it was proposed to you again?

Oh, and, did Barbara Walters mention you in her book?

KG: She did not mention me in her book and let me tell you, that hurts.

It makes me wish that I was an African-American Senator, because at least then she would have mentioned our affair. But, what about that blowing Oprah’s mind, by the way? What about Oprah just turning to the audience and shouting, “Is she having an affair with a black man?”

MM: I saw that. It was almost like two retired whores together, but whatever.

KG: Oh, I know.

I know that The View is probably not an appropriate job for me because I would be constantly getting into trouble there. I was constantly getting in trouble there when I was just guest hosting. So I probably would not do well working for Disney. Not that I would be on The View saying “F*ck it Jesus”, but it’s a pretty uptight environment.

I like those girls, but I don’t like that the show is run by a fat, bald, middle-aged white guy who is a Republican. Why is he running what is supposed to be a women’s show?

MM: An open-minded women’s show.

KG: Yeah. An open-minded women’s show. He sits there and gives Elizabeth her Fox News talking points. And, I just thought, if you’re finally going to give women a shot…because obviously the late night world is so sexist and dominated by men, it’s ridiculous… at least have someone running the show who can represent the cross section of women in America . I don’t think a middle-aged Republican white guy is it.

MM: I’ve never been so interested in an election or even politics for that matter, but this one is so captivating... I’m like a MSNBC girl now...

What are your views on this election... and what do you think Hillary Clinton is thinking? Is she behaving like a sore loser?

KG: I voted for Hilary in the California primary, but I’m going to vote for Obama in the general. I have female guilt about it…because I want a woman to be president and I do like her and think she’s so smart. But, she lost me on a few things, so I turned into an Obama person. But, I’m also one of those optimists wondering if there might possibly be a dream ticket… I don’t think she’s a bad candidate at all. I just prefer him…she really lost me continued on page 17

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Baltimore

PRIDE 2008 Twilight on the Terrace: Kick Off Pride Weekend in Style Now the official launch of Pride weekend, Twilight on the Terrace began in 2006 as a house party hosted by Eric Walters, one of the GLCCB’s most active volunteers. The success of this one-of-akind cocktail party, coupled with community feedback expressing a desire for a more “upscale” party to launch the weekend of festivities, initiated a search for a larger venue. In 2007, John Shields and John Gilligan of Gertrude’s offered to host the event on the restaurant terrace in the Baltimore Museum of Art sculpture garden. Due to last year’s success, Gertrude’s has offered the entire restaurant for the 2nd annual Twilight on the Terrace, which will be held on Friday, June 20 from 8 – 11 p.m.

This year’s event will consist of an open bar featuring signature martinis provided

by Stoli, who is sponsoring Baltimore Pride 2008, decadent hors d’oeuvres provided by Gertrude’s and dancing on the terrace with everyone’s favorite DJ, Alex Funk. There will also be a small silent auction.

Although Twilight on the Terrace is a fundraiser to benefit Baltimore Pride, it is purely a party with drinks, food and dancing. “No speeches are planned, so guests may simply enjoy the evening as it evolves,” explained event chair Eric Walters. “The party starts before sunset and the atmosphere changes as the sun goes down and the lights of the fountains and sculpture garden come on.”

Only in its second year as an official Pride event, Twilight on the Terrace has already established itself as an annual favorite for many in Baltimore’s LGBT community. “It’s the perfect mix of food and drink, dancing, beautiful scenery and fun people that make this event incredibly memorable,” Joel Rosado, Former Development Director of the GLCCB, affirmed.

For additional information or to purchase tickets ($75/person) to the event, call 410837-5445 x17 or email jrosado@glccb.org.

GRIFFIN - continued from page 14

on the war vote. I felt like she could never really explain that. And, I like that he is open to talking to all world leaders. Right now, I feel that the rest of the world sees us like we used to see Russia when I was a kid…we thought it was this “Evil Empire”. And I think that no world leader should say, “Well, I refuse to even talk to other leaders.”

MM: Yeah. Why don’t we just keep fighting and kill each other instead of talking.

KG: Exactly. I’m like, look, let’s not be stupid. They’re both politicians.

They both take a lot of money from the pharmaceutical companies. All of that stuff. None of them are going to be liberal enough for me. I’m a crazy, lefty, Dennis Kucinich-loving liberal.

But, I do feel that Obama does excite the country more than she does. I also think she’d be an amazing Vice President and I hope that their egos can be set aside because it really would be the dream ticket.

MM: It probably would be the dream ticket…if Bill Clinton weren’t in the picture…

KG: It’s funny that people were so excited about him being the first lady, but I don’t think anyone knows what to do with him….

So, I hope Obama wins, but I hope Hilary has a prominent position

because she has broken barriers.

Obama just has that JFK quality where he energizes people and gives us some optimism and he’s smart as fuck…. I really resent the notion of him being “elitist”.

MM: How the hell is he elitist?

KG: No shit.

MM: Yeah. They did the Rev. Wright thing that was completely blown out of the water. But, what about the pastor, Rev. John Hagee, that McCain went after?

KG: That is what’s so hysterical to me. The Republicans better stop playing that game because they’ll never win at the crazy pastor game.

MM: Okay, on a lighter note... or then again this might be rather heavy... Have you heard that Mariah Carey married actor Nick Cannon... without a pre-nup? She’s said to be worth over $400 million...

KG: That’s a lot of money and I think she just met him too.

MM: What do you think the Donald (Donald Trump) would say about not her having a pre-nup...? And do you think Nick Cannon will just be another Kevin Federline.... and Mariah another Brittany Spears?

KG: Let me say this. Nick Cannon is a successful guy, but I think it’s always odd when someone gets

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married that quickly. What I do love about Mariah, oh, and I love to talk about her in my act…she’s the kind of crazy that just keeps giving.

Believe me, when she had the breakdown with the ice cream and the rainbows, I knew that wasn’t going to be the last we were going to see of the crazy. She’s got more crazy to give us. As a comedian, I really owe her a muffin basket because it’s really just like a gift.

MM: They’ve passed the law legalizing same-sex marriage in California. I know you have incredible support from the gay community... as well as dear friends who are gay…and you’re a gay icon. So how did you feel when you heard of the law being passed?

KG: It’s a milestone and it’s a baby step at the same time. I got so many emails from my gay friends that day. Some of them were, “Let’s celebrate!” or “Will you come to my wedding?” A lot of them were nervous that this will now force an amendment to the constitution. So, lifting the gay ban and an amendment are two different things. I’m hoping that we’re all moving to a place where people are less threatened by something that is zero threat at all, which is gay marriage.

My gay friends are happy and they’re also cautious at the same time.

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I think it’s important that we liberals and gay rights supporters don’t get complacent and think the fight’s over because those crazy bible belters are just getting started….

MM: Okay, last question, Kathy. You know there really is a Gaydar scale.

So there is a list of entertainers that the jury is still out on, and maybe you can help clear up some of the doubt... Oh and this includes being previously gay or taking a test drive in gay waters....

KG: Ok. MM: That would be Oprah.

KG: Yeah…. Hopefully.

MM: Lindsay Lohan.

KG: I’m going to say yeah.

MM: Eddie Murphy.

KG: Oh, for sure. He’s just a brother on the down low. He wouldn’t consider himself gay, but he’s still probably having sex with men.

MM: Senator Larry Craig.

KG: Oh, off the charts gay!

MM: Queen Latifah KG: I don’t know about her…. She’s one of those celebrities where I can’t tell if she’s gay. All of my lesbians desperately want her to be gay because she’s so hot. So I would say, I think there’s a lot of hope.

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OPINIONS TRANSMISSIONS Foxes in the Henhouse

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith he American Psychiatric Association (APA) is beginning the long, difficult path towards creating the next edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This book, currently known as DSM-IV, started live many decades ago under the U.S. Census Bureau before beginning the “bible” of mental issues. This is the book that defines every transgender person seeking legitimate care from the medical establishment. By this book, we’re 302.85 (Gender Identity Disorder), 302.3 (transvestic fetishism), or otherwise trapped within the binding of the book.

was known as DSM-III that I first heard of it. Transsexuality was classified differently in the book then it was under DSM-IV and while arguably it was improved—some will always prefer the previous classifications—many felt it simply did not go far enough. I agree. If anything, the stigma of this text listing transsexuality as a mental disorder makes little sense, especially when all the usual treatment indicates physical— not mental—change. Likewise, in the last decade or so, much has changed in the overall understanding of transgenderism that is not a part of the current DSM standards.

It was way back when the book

So why am I not happy that the

T

Take a deep breath…

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.

APA has set up a workgroup that will be involved in the revision of the GID entry?

Chairing this task force is one Dr. Kenneth Zucker. Zucker, of the infamous Clarke Institute (now known as the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health) of Toronto, Canada, is a proponent of reparative therapy, using so called “ex-gay” treatments on gendervariant youth. Essentially, his methods involve isolating these kids from their gender-preferred peer group, removing toys and other goods that reinforce their gender of choice, and otherwise limiting their freedom of expression in an attempt to “cure” them. His thinking is outdated and outmoded, and, in my opinion, does little to help these youth.

On Zucker’s work group, we also find Dr. Ray Blanchard. A long-time part of the Clarke Institute, Blacnhard is known for the creation of the term “autogynehilia,” which seeks to explain transgenderism as “a man’s paraphilic tendency to be sexually aroused by the thought or image of himself as a woman.” It is this theory that J. Michael Bailey turned into the book The Man Who Would Be Queen, in which he sought to define transsexuals as either gay men or autogynephilic men.

Blanchard was also well-known for making transsexual women jump through any number of hoops in order to get care, including attaching a “phallometer” to their genitals, running films of aberrant sexual behavior, and measuring the turgidity of these transwomen’s phalluses.

Oh, yes, for the female to males in the crowd, you apparently don’t belong in their world. So, sorry. You can wink out of existence at any time, now.

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.

The rest of the ten-person work group holds views similar to those of Blanchard and Zucker.

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.

It is likely that there will be plenty of changes, groups, debates, and other issues yet to arise on what will prove to be a long, long path to DSM-V. Nevertheless, that these two would have a prominent position at the APAs table should be a cause of concern. We could indeed get a revision to the current classifications— but not the sort of revision we could safely live with.

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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Indeed, we could see gender identity disorder replaced entirely with a Bailey-esque approach. Transgender

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people could end up in two camps: either as some extreme form of homosexuality that causes someone to feel so attracted to their same gender that they feel the need to be the opposite gender (yes, it was just as confusing for me to write that as it was to read it), or as someone who is “turned on” by the notion of being a woman. I doubt that individuals in either of these classifications would be considered for any sort of treatments to assist them with living in their preferred gender.

I should add that neither of these classifications work: I’m living proof. I am a transwoman who is bisexual, and in a long term lesbian relationship. So much for “extreme homosexuality.” I am also not sexually aroused by the notion of being feminized. I simply identify as female. This shouldn’t be that difficult to figure out.

When I was an elementary school student, I found myself sent to the school psychiatrist. My problem? I cried a lot at school, and it was up to the shrink to cure me of this behavior.

There was no attempt to get to the bottom of my actions, which were usually brought on by other students beating me up. Rather, this psychiatrist used her own “reparative therapy” to teach me to suppress my feelings. You can guess how well this worked in the long term.

This is what could happen to any number of gender variant adults and youth who are forced into treatments that have been proven to not work, and may actually cause far more harm than good. This would fly in the face of decades of successful care of transgender people ranging from cross-gender socialization all the way to surgery to correct one’s body.

The DSM, once revised, will remain the standard for a decade or more. Zucker, Blanchard, and their confederates could well be sealing the fate for a generation of transgender people, forcing them further into a world of pathology and disorder simply because they have a gender identity incongruent with their physical form.

We as a community cannot allow this to happen.

Gwen Smith fancies herself to be perfectly sane, in spite of a DSM diagnosis to the contrary. You can find her on the web at www.gwensmith.com.

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Objects That Appear Square, May Actually Be Round

by David Placher irect discrimination involves treating someone less favorably because he or she possesses a certain attribute in a particular situation. Attributes consist of, but are not limited to, a person’s race, gender, age, and sexual orientation. Although it would be foolish to believe that direct discrimination is extinct from today’s society, direct discrimination varies in prevalence depending on what attribute is being discriminated against.

Questions have always been raised as to whether these attributes are placed in a hierarchy: Does society view one type of discrimination more harshly than others? Direct discrimination often collides with social practicality, forcing a hierarchy that rates what forms of direct discrimination are more acceptable than others based on the discriminator’s perception of the victim’s voluntary and involuntary appearance.

D

Race is defined as dividing people into populations or groups based on a visible trait of skin color. In today’s society, most people have learned from school, social settings or other environmental factors that discrimination based on race is completely unacceptable. Racial discrimination is deemed highly unacceptable largely due to the fact that people are unable to hide their race. A person that is of Asian descent, for example, cannot hide their displayed physical attributes. Direct discrimination against any group based on race would leave a selected population economically devastated, educationally deprived, and socially crippled.

Capitalistic societies that tolerate such direct discrimination are usually financially burdened by victims because they are unable to obtain opportunities; thus creating the need for a welfare state.

A person’s gender can be defined as a classification of either male or female that a person is assigned at birth based on sex organs. Most peo-

ple view this type of discrimination as unacceptable because a person cannot hide his or her assigned gender. Discrimination against a person that is classified as transgender, however, is more likely to occur because a person voluntarily makes alterations to his or her physical appearance to bring it into conformity with his or her emotional and mental state. Transgender is the state of one’s gender, either male or female, not conforming to one’s assigned gender at birth. This definition may be an oversimplification; the fact is that most people believe transgender persons choose to transform their identity. Although inappropriate, I believe many people view discrimination against transgender individuals as tolerable because they claim that a transgender individual places himself or herself in a situation that is noticeable.

Many people believe they possess the talent and physical appearance to hide their natural age, even though this self-belief is often based on an intentionally deceptive internal voice. A person in their 40s does not look like they are in their 20s. A person in their 60s does not look like a person in their 40s. Although someone could argue that people do use cosmetics to camouflage their natural age, the counterargument is that these cosmetics only hide a couple of years. Direct discrimination based on age is usually deemed unacceptable because a person cannot hide their age.

fail to comprehend the reality of the business world and the environments in which others live.

We see many professionals that are homosexual on a daily basis, but these professionals voluntarily hide their sexual orientation by changing their body language, emotions or conduct to appear heterosexual.

Many actors and actresses, politicians, professional sports players and media reporters are homosexual, but they suffer from split-appearance syndrome, meaning they constantly transform to display a different public and private image. The question that naturally follows is: Why should the public place race, gender, age and sexual orientation on equal levels of protectionism when a person cannot hide his or her race, gender, or age, but can hide sexual orientation? I spent months contemplating this question before discovering an answer: Protections are necessary to stop others from destroying a person’s livelihood, to prevent a group of people from becoming victims of destructive stereotypes and to prevent homosexuals from developing a self-paranoia.

We cannot escape the fact that we live in a capitalistic society and rely on our careers for living expenses.

There are people in society constantly trying to discover private information about others and investigating rumors in order to either further their own careers or to be spiteful.

There are also people with homophobic beliefs that can be damaging.

And, there are some homosexuals who are overly paranoid that others will discover their true sexuality, thus creating a possible mental health issue. Because society is not completely accepting of all individuals, laws are needed to protect homosexuals from individuals with homophobic beliefs. Laws are also needed to prevent negative repercussions that often result when an individual finally accepts and makes know their homosexual orientation.

Anti-discrimination laws are needed and should continue to include sexual orientation.

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

Sexual orientation is defined as an enduring romantic sexual or affectionate attraction toward others. A majority of people believe a person’s sexual orientation is determined by nature, or more commonly stated, determined by biology. A minority of people believe nurturance defines a person’s sexual orientation, meaning the environment in which a person is raised plays a role in defining and developing their sexual orientation. Whether it is nature or nurture is irrelevant. The fact is that people actively discriminate against others based on sexual orientation. Unlike race, gender, or age, a person possesses the ability to hide and disguise their sexual orientation.

Homosexuals, for example, can act as human chameleons by changing their appearance and constantly shifting their behavior to conform to different environments. Although some activists will say things like, “Why hide who you are?”, “Stop pretending?” or “Be yourself!”, activists that make these statements

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OPINIONS A Fleeting Moment of Democracy for California’s Same-Sex Couples A conservative backlash in California has already begun with opponents gathering signatures to place defining marriage as between a man and a woman on the November ballot.

by Rev. Irene Monroe have learned as both a pastor and also as a member belonging to several minority groups— African-American, women and lesbian—that a popular opinion on an issue does not always reflect the right choice. Too often the right choice and the moral high ground on an issue derive from a small struggling group trying to be both seen and heard among the cacophony of dissenting voices and opposing votes. And it is with this group that we see democracy’s tenacity working, where those relegated to the fringes of society can begin to sample what those in society take for granted as their inalienable right.

I

Last week we saw democracy work. In a 4-to-3 decision, California Supreme Court ruled that a “separate and unequal” system of domestic partnership for same-sex couples is not only blatantly discriminatory, but also unconstitutional.

"In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation, and, more generally, that an individual's sexual orientation—like a person's race or gender—does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights," the Court wrote.

But the knot is not completely tied for California’s same-sex couples.

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But California won’t be alone it is efforts. Florida will vote on a constitutional amendment in November, and Arizona, presidential hopeful John McCain’s state, is considering doing the same. Twenty-seven states already have constitutional amendments prohibiting same-sex marriage, defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

But with heterosexual marriage being so sacred, conservatives fail to see how it is constantly desecrated on any given weeknight by being slotted for family entertainment— television shows like The Bachelor that cavalierly join people together for high Nielsen ratings.

Also when society narrowly defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman, it polices not only the sexual behaviors of lesbian and gay people, but also polices the sexual behaviors of heterosexuals. Handcuffing marriage to a heterosexual paradigm merely chokes its possibility of ever flourishing and lasting, especially as we are coming to understand the fluidity of not only gender and sexual identities, but also of the constant changing configuration of family units.

In the Court’s need to deal fairly with same-sex couples given the widespread public sentiment against same-sex marriage, did it ignore the will of the people?

But the California Court’s decision can be read two ways.

The Court upheld the democratic process by offering same-sex couples marriage and not “marriagelite” with civil unions. Or, the Court overstepped its authority, imposing its will on an issue that the country, let alone the state of California, is not ready for.

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With purportedly more than 1.2 million signatures gathered to place on the November ballot, more than twice the requisite number needed to initiate the process of passing a constitutional amendment to put the question on the 2008 election ballot, is the democratic process thwarted?

To put lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people’s equal rights on the ballot for a popular vote is both wrong-hearted and wrong-headed.

If I had waited for slave holders to free my ancestors predicated on a ballot vote, we all wouldn’t be living in the America we know today.

The proponents of the ballot question are a well-financed and wellorganized voting constituency. And,

as a tyrannical majority they represent themselves as a formidable might that has power and money, and not as a group of people advocating a moral right. Marriage for them is defined solely as between a man and a woman, and any variation of their gender prescription within this institution is vehemently beaten down. They use the ballot not to promote justice, but instead to promulgate their bigoted agenda.

Democracy works only when their side wins.

Democracy can only begin to work when those relegated to the fringes of society can begin to sample what others in society take for granted as their inalienable right.

And sometimes for that to happen

IMHO It’s Only a Word

ords fascinate me. It never ceases to amaze how words can be used, or misused, for a variety of purposes. Some of these purposes can be noble; others are more sinister and louche in nature.

W

Words can inspire and empower.

They can also be used to subjugate and denigrate. Words like “bitch,” “slut,” and “whore” are particularly insidious. They have become so commonplace that they have lost their original negative connotation. Let’s forget that no matter how funny

by Mario Fernández not their use can be, these words are not good things to be called. Just because these words are the majority of the dialog in a Jeff Stryker video does not make them an admirable character trait.

Unless, of course, you want to be a prison bitch in a Jeff Stryker video.

Then there are the unspeakable words. You know the ones that I mean.

These are primarily ethnic slurs; some are more anatomical in nature. The ethnic slurs, like the “N” word, or the “S” word for Hispanics, are terms that are rooted in hate and a desire to demean and debase. Other examples are the “D” word for Italians or the “K” word for Jews. Again, these are terms bathed in ignorance. Having been on the receiving end of countless ethnic slurs, I can attest that there is no justification for using these words in any context.

There is also the “F” word for homos. Strange how throwing around the word “fag” is not seen as offensive as tossing around the word “faggot.”

Personally, I believe that the reason it’s not seen as offensive is because the word “faggot” is generally preceded by the word “f**cking” and, at least in my experience, is primarily used by overgrown frat boys whose IQ could be graded, generously, in the double digits.

I don’t take issue with other words for homos: terms like fairies, pansies, poofters, fruit, lavender boys, smurfs, twinks, etc…although I do prefer the www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

people, like our Massachusetts lawmakers and now California’s, have to step in to make the democratic process work for us all.

While LGBTQ families in California have not seen the last in this ballot battle, they are getting, at least for now, a sample of what we LGBTQ families in Massachusetts can take for granted—democracy.

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.

term “queer.” It’s just so much more interesting and desirable to be queer, don’t you think? I’d much rather be queer (which is generally defined “as noticeably different from what is generally found or experienced; differing in some odd way from what is usual or normal”) than normal (which usually means “according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle; conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern”). I don’t ever want to conform, and while I do not consider myself a deviate, there are those who would consider me one just because of who I was born to love.

There are, however, two words that I find very offensive and never use.

One is the “Cee U Next Tuesday” word. Whether it’s aimed at a woman or a man, it’s just a nasty, demeaning, and disempowering word. It’s a very short, direct, harshsounding word and it lands like a blow to the stomach. It’s not a funny word; it’s a word meant to emotionally eviscerate.

A similarly offensive word in my vocabulary is the “R” word. The “R” word you ask? You know the one; it’s so vile, vulgar, and disgusting that my stomach roils at the mere thought of it. I’m referring, of course, to the word “Republican.”

I don’t generally get involved in politics; I can’t help but continually put my stiletto heels through the slats of my political sandbox. I studiously avoid political discussions in the office because there’s too much injustice, prejudice, and inequality all around us for me not to have a strong opinion.

It’s difficult enough persuading straight people that the color teal is never coming back and never should have been fashionable in the first place.

I find the usage of words particularly interesting during a presidential campaign. Words will get thrown around during a campaign; they are often misused to mislead. It’s difficult enough to sort through the rhetoric and the obfuscation of “facts”, statistics, and campaign records just to get a clear understanding of the candidate’s position on the important issues of the day. So you would think during this time of political correctness that a word generally defined as: “giving freely; generous; marked by generosity; tolerant of views differing from one's own; broad-minded; specif., not orthodox; favoring reform or progress, as in religion, education, etc.; specif., favoring political reforms tending toward democracy and personal freedom for the individual; progressive…” would be perceived as complimentary. Not so, for the word whose definition you find above is “liberal.” How liberal became a dirty word in this country is a great example of how words can be turned around and misused. How right wing conservative extremists commandeered that fine, noble, and admirable word and made into something as embarrassing as being a Baltimore Oriole fan is one of the great bamboozles perpetrated on the American public. Before you know it, they’ll have the majority of the American public (or at least the red states) believing that it’s in the national interest to have all homos wear pretty pink triangles and invite them for scenic train rides to “special” camps in the countryside.

I’ve been called the “S” word and I’ve been called the “F” word. I’ve been called a lot of words. Some I have issue with; others I don’t. You can certainly call me liberal any time. Just don’t ever call me late to cocktail hour!

E-mail Mario at mfernandez@baltimoregaylife.com.

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Carlo Brando Zepeda

MEET THE WRITERS

OPINIONS

Carlo Brando Zepeda was born in San Salvador, El Salvador, the smallest country in the Central America region. He and his beautiful younger sister moved to Los Angeles, CA in 1982, escaping a bloody and brutal civil war. Carlo graduated from Belmont High School and then went on to attend the University of Southern California. While attending USC he was scouted by famed fashion photographer Bruce Weber, who not only introduced him to the fashion industry. Carlo stopped his educational career and began a modeling career that eventually took him to every corner of the globe. He lived in Paris, France for six years where he had the opportunity to work with some of the best fashion designers, magazines and photographers and had the opportunity to meet some the world’s most fascinating people. While living in Paris, Carlo was spotted by fashion designer Calvin Klein and became the face and the body for Obsession cologne. For two seasons, he was also the face of Dior men’s cologne.

Aromatic Delights, Frozen Images, Fallen Angels and a Loving Kiss

by Carlo Brando Zepeda This essay was written early fall 2007 and has garnered the attention of literary critics and non-fiction readers alike.

It is neither a restaurant nor a food critique, instead a highlight of the wonderful and fun places one can easily find in Mount Vernon. City Café has stood the test of time and day after day, patrons visit this wondrous place to experience a unique and friendly place that serves tasty culinary treats.

The crisp and chilly wind blowing through the city on this beautiful fall day is a new and delightful treat since summer has decided to stick around for a few more weeks. The frosty breeze goes through the thick Argentinean wool of my olive green sweater that was a present from a photo shoot not too long ago in Italy.

The sky is icy blue, filled with soft white clouds where angels rest their wings from far away travels. With each step I take, the breeze comes and goes, rushing through my vulnerable skin. Walking fast and steady from the parking space on Park Avenue to City Café on Eager Street to meet my beloved was a small feat.

As the café appears in the near distance, music waves dance with the wind. An upbeat Whitney Houston sings “My love is your love; it will take an eternity to break us.” The closer I move towards City Café, the louder the music becomes—the better Whitney sounds too. Three beautiful young women dressed in chic basic black dresses and fishnets wait for the traffic light to turn green at Eager and Cathedral. One of them feels the beat of the music and dances joyfully as the other two excitedly speak of the good time they will have tonight. I can smell the floral scent of the perfume one of them is wearing—I don’t want the light to turn so I can continue to enjoy her aroma of delight. As we cross the street, the young women go right, and I go left, to the back entrance of the place I have learned to enjoy. The scent lingers behind them and rich smells of Provence lavender, roses and morning glory stay in my mind.

Inside, the crowd fills the restau-

rant with laughter and conversation; some people silently sit waiting for their dates and some of them somberly dine glancing to the strangers all around. Nothing really changes in this place. The music continues to play too loud; I want to say something to management, but then again why, are going to dismiss me for trouble? The collage of framed photographs adorning the wall that leads to the tiny bathrooms is still the same. The people smiling for the camera on opening day look frozen in time. The photographs show the history of this local establishment.

Someone should dust the frames as they look old and sadly forgotten.

The lighting in this place is not something superb or terribly exciting; did someone tell the restaurant designer that red light-bulbs make a difference in how everyone looks?

Well, they don’t. Above the bar the sign that reads “Mojitos” has been announcing the drink special since early summer. At the hostess station the friendly Mexican guy, Manuel, greets people with a warm smile and murmurs, welcome.

Sitting at one of the high tables by the bar is a man dressed in a pinstripe suit and brown suede shoes.

His white shirt is a perfect backdrop to showcase his Tuscan red tie with tiny yellow dots. At his left sits a tall, beautiful young black woman wearing a short, red satin halter dress simply accessorized with faux diamond earrings and circular shiny bangles around her tiny wrist. Her stilettos look perfectly attached to her lean long legs. Her brown hair is tightly pulled back on a bun.

Tastefully adorning her upper back is a bold tattoo that claims, “I am.”

She is? She could easily pass for anyone’s muse.

From our table in the back closest to the bar, we can easily recognize and analyze everyone. By the way, the muse with the satin red dress is not a she but a he, as this was later confirmed by the server Ethan, who most people consider an Adonis and a supermodel wannabe.

From our seat, everyone has a story to tell. At least that’s how it seems.

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Carlo is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Liberal Studies at Loyola College in Baltimore Maryland, where he works as a Graduate Assistant for Academic Services. In the past, Carlo has held professional positions that enabled him to work with diverse populations, including working as a case manager at APLA (AIDS Project Los Angeles), Youth Programs Director for Pueblo Nuevo (a non-profit organization in Los Angeles). No professional endeavor or responsibility has given him more pleasure and pride than working with HIV infected youth in Costa Rica.

For one and a half years he worked as an AIDS educator in San Jose, Costa Rica, where he had the opportunity to create and implement programs that benefited two main communities; the sex workers and young gay men.

In his free time Carlo enjoys spending time with his handsome and supportive partner Daniel and with Tucker, their beautiful yellow Labrador. “My family is the nucleus of my existence,” Carlo explains, “without them my life would be sad, dull, and quiet.” Family and friends are vital to the every day life for this man. He enjoys writing and traveling with his partner and with friends, reading and spending time working in his very small garden.

The smell of the fried calamari being devoured by the female couple next to us is killing me. I can smell the jalapeños and the tangy marinara sauce that accompanies the dish. The fresh aroma becomes more intense when the woman with thick glasses and bulky fingers squeezes two lemon wedges on top of it all. No calamari for me tonight.

All around us characters move about the large room; some of them are time bombs ready to explode and others are fallen angels from above. Drag queens have existed since the days of Caesar, and still today, but in our society they have always been in the fringes of isolation, mockery and repulse. At the bar, Erin, the petite bartender with a huge heart serves the men who have been sitting there since the clock claimed the end of the day. She serves the regular guy with extramarital affairs a beer, then two martinis with three olives to the guys in the rear. This man is one of those guys: desperate, lonely, pathetic, and owner of a broken heart. She knows that Daniel and I loyally wait for her

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to come greet us and make an appearance. And when she does it is not surprise what she delivers: two fresh cosmopolitans flooding our glasses.

Three tables around, the clinging of wineglasses celebrating a new engagement takes over the restaurant and suddenly everyone applauds with cheer. Children run to embrace the young couple and congratulate their new beginning.

“Congratulations Jenny Steve!” the little kids scream.

and

“Oh my God!” a grandmother exclaims. “This is so wonderful. My grandson is going to get married,” the proud grandmother with her Russian accent cries out.

A short Latin busboy carrying a heavy load of dirty dishes suddenly stops to witness the momentous occasion. A female server delivers what appears to be a bottle of champagne to commemorate this once in a lifetime experience. Others continue to smile from ear to ear, and the bride to be happily displays her new engagement gear. The guys sitting at

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the bar appear not to be interested in the festivities. For them, watching the tacky movie playing on the television set mounted on the wall is more interesting.

Like the loud pop music and the dusty framed photographs on the way to the bathrooms, the menu has not changed since the time I first landed at this joint. We typically order the vegetarian nachos to start our dinner. There is nothing vegetarian about the nachos since chicken is a vital ingredient of the recipe.

Someone should tell the chef that chicken is not a vegetable.

Nonetheless, it is one of our favorites and like many times before, Erin does not need to ask what we would like to have tonight. Erin has become one of our favorite women in town.

She is a force to be experienced at least once in a lifetime. Beauty and brains all in one are hard to find nowadays.

Diagonally across from us, facing Eager Street, is a middle age blonde woman feeding a small baby some of her mashed potatoes and gravy.

Her two other young children are sitting around the table enjoying their chicken fingers and fried potatoes. They are not concerned or amused that directly behind them is a group of drag queens flamboyantly dressed in sequins, fur, feathers

and high heels.

“Eat your fries, and please don’t make a mess,” the mother tenderly requested from the children.

“Mom, can I have another bite of your mashed potatoes?” her daughter asked.

“Sure, but make sure you eat your food,” the mother told her daughter.

“What about me?” the young boy enquired.

“Pass me your plate, please,” mom told her son.

The colorful drag queens are dressed fantastically. One of them carefully and gracefully picks up her martini and shrugs her masculine shoulders in approval. Her fitted sequin blue dress shines bright, and it gives the illusion she is covered with blue fish scales. The blonde beauty sitting next to her is wearing an eighty’s inspired frock—big sleeves, low neckline and a skirt fitted through the hips. She reminds me of one of the bitchy characters in Dynasty. The third drag queen wears a black gown with silver trimmings and fur. Her strappy shoes look like they have walked the streets of our city for many lonely miles. All three are giggling, chatting, and from time to time the blonde bombshell waves to the little baby in her mother’s arms. Whitney Houston is no longer

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playing loudly in the stereo; she has been replaced by Madonna who seems to be the crowd’s favorite as they clap and tap their feet with every beat of her standard songs.

Wearing her ever present smile, Erin arrives with our vegetarian nachos and sits them in the middle of the table. But first warning us like many times before that, the plate is hot. “I’ll bring your silverware,” Erin tells us. She looks around the table and checks to see if she needs to bring another cosmopolitan to our table. Daniel signals her with a nod, and another round is to be brought out.

From a distance, we can hear the sound of plates, cups and glasses getting a good soak and spoons, knives and forks being thrown around. A server rushes past the drag queens with a large tray of desserts and the blonde bombshell dramatically exclaims, “Geerl, look at that deliciousness.”

“I’m going to order me one of them,” the bitchy drag queen tells her friends.

It is no ordinary miracle to find a place like City Café in a city where a lot of people feel hopeless, without a dream and searching for an answer or meaning in their lives. At City Café, time has stood still and sometimes revolved in high speed; the wonders of the exceptional minutes spent conversing, dining, committing, knowing and loving, mark the wondrous mysteries of this unlikely place. City is not a legendary Parisian café—rarely will you witness a patron wearing a three piece suit and women dressed in Chanel or Dior. But this place is better than other trendy and fashionable establishments in the area. This evening started with a chilly wind and closed with a warm finale that included holding hands and a kiss from Daniel. The characters I met tonight will once again come out to play.

Unspoken words, popular songs, aromatic delights, frozen images, desperate souls and friendly hearts will always be part of this fun and eccentric Mount Vernon spot.

“I hear you loud and clear Pat,” the blond proclaims. “But I don’t need one of them,” she admits to them. The server disappears with the tray of deliciousness, but the scent of chocolate and apple pie lingers behind.

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MUSIC Destination Hippo: DJ Alex Funk Takes Club Hippo to Miami on June 14 We’ve been to Paris. We’ve been to Rio de Janeiro. We’ve been to Brooklyn. DJ Alex Funk is now ready to take Club Hippo to Miami on Saturday, June 14.

A native of the DC suburbs, DJ Alex Funk discovered his calling when he bought his first pair of decks 11 years ago. After playing on the West Coast from San Francisco to LA for 3 years, he banged out some of the biggest underground and mainstream parties in Southern Sweden before returning to the states. Alex relocated to Baltimore from DC in 2005, and become resident DJ at Kamp in Canton. He broke into the gay scene at Baltimore Pride and has since been karaoke DJ at Grand Central, as well as DJ of the amazing Destination Hippo parties and a number of fundraiser for the Gay & Lesbian Community Center

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of Baltimore. Fans will also be able to find him in residence at the new upscale Thursday night party Red Carpet at Red Maple.

Gay Life sat down with DJ Alex Funk to talk about his work in the Baltimore scene and what sets Destination Hippo apart as the party you don’t want to miss.

I’ve heard a lot about Destination Hippo. How did this party concept come about and what sets it apart from other parties?

The party concept is that most people, especially younger people, don’t have money to travel. Flying somewhere and getting a hotel room costs a lot of money. You can blow $2,500 for a weekend not even going that far. So, I began to think, what if I took my musical experiences from living all over…in Europe, on the

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East Coast, on the West coast, and brought it to Baltimore? People can come to the Hippo and we’re going to take you to Paris, to Rio, to Brooklyn, to Miami.

With the Paris party, for example, I brought in Euro-disco and Euro-tech house. I always take the radio pop hits and overlay them with the sound of various places. Rio de Janeiro was top 40 versus Latin house and tribal rhythms and I also brought a live drummer, Warren H. The next party was Brooklyn, which involved bringing in elements of Indie rock…glitchy, dirty, edgier underground sounds and guitar samples with your expected top 40. I also and set up a rig right on the edge of the dance floor instead of sitting in the DJ booth…bringing in the live show, low-fi Brooklyn aesthetic.

Miami will bring in some of the Latin elements, but it will also pull out the slick, cutting-edge production aspect of Miami parties. Besides bringing the live drummer back, I’m bringing in the AV Club to do some live video mixing. It’s about stepping it up to the next level every time.

You cannot ignore fresh, new ideas and trying new events. There are people making effort to do things differently, to do things better, to try things that might not work. I didn’t know if Destination Hippo was going to work, but it has a life of its own now. Destination Hippo is a brand now. People know that the party is going to be good and take people exciting places.

Destination Hippo is also unique because it brings a very mixed crowd to a gay night club—women and men, black and white, gay and straight, transgender, Latino.

Baltimore tends to view itself as neighborhoods and micro-communities, but it’s a city. Baltimore’s future greatness is dependent on the divisions of Baltimore healing enough that people feel like they are part of Baltimore…not just “I live in Mt. Vernon. I am a gay man who goes to this event on a particular night.” Rather, they’ll just say, “I’m a Baltimorean and not have it be a qualified statement.”

You’ve definitely got people talking about your parties and coming back.

It’s been a trip and a lot of work, but it’s been really successful. It’s always a goal of mine to surprise people, because that’s what keeps people coming back to a brand. If they don’t know exactly what they are going to get, they’ll come because they are curious.

How has it been overall in the Baltimore scene?

I’m not from Baltimore. I’ve lived in New York, San Francisco,

bounced all around Europe.

Baltimore is a great city that is kind of afraid of being great. There are so many great people, but there seems to be a fear of pushing outside what is comfortable. I moved to Baltimore because it’s a city of opportunity.

I’ve been here for 3 years and I’ve had to make all of my opportunities.

There’s plenty of room for opportunities, but you have to take it and make it yourself. I started as the karaoke DJ at Central for 8 months.

It’s all about alliances, and working with Hippo is great. There’s a reason they’ve been open for 35 years. It’s a growing relationship. The fact that Chuck Bowers allows me to have the parties is great. The GLCCB has also obviously been wonderful to work with. I’m getting plugged into the “Baltimore rhythm” now.

Baltimore is a great city with great problems that is divided in so many ways…. It’s a typical modern urban landscape in post-industrial America. You have the abandoned industrial sector and the fall out of race riots. But, the people here, the audiences have been receptive to music that’s beyond what is expected. As long as you meet the demand of “I want to hear Brittany, Rihanna and Beyonce”, then I can take it somewhere else.

Baltimore is such a divided city, so there was extreme popularity with the straight, yuppy crowd, but I had to beg for anything at the gay nightclubs. Doing gay pride was my way of putting myself out there and letting folks know what I have to offer.

I design and build sound and video systems, so I’m very nightclub capable and very much looking to get involved.

How did you get involved with the GLCCB? When I was done with Kamp, I hired a PR person because I’m not a local. One of my goals was getting involved with Gay Pride. She got me connected with Pride and the GLCCB. Since then, I’ve done Outrageous and I’ll be doing Twilight on the Terrace at Gertrude’s again this year.

Where else can people find you in the upcoming months?

Starting on May 19, I’ll be the resident DJ at the new Thursday party at Red Maple—Red Carpet at Red Maple. It was previously just called “men’s night”, but now Robert Mercer from Fashion Enterprises is the main promoter for it. He’s brought me in and it promises to be a very interesting party. He’s about bringing in celebrities, fashion models and other unique things to make people ask: “Is this a Thursday?”

The 33rd Annual Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival Announces Line-Up

by Holly Pruett oes it feel, at times, like it’s all just too much? Cataclysmic climate change, economic freefall, and George W still in office!

D

I know how you feel, and I know what you need. There’s one sure cure for cynicism and despair: a week of women in the Michigan woods.

The Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival is back for its 33rd year, August 5th-10th.

The Festival is more than an escape—though it’s great for clearing your lungs of city smog and shaking off your Internet and cell phone addictions.

Michigan is a place to experience what’s missing from our mass-produced, terror-alerted culture. The Festival is a place of contagious creativity, of passion and fashion and fierce inspiration. It’s a land run by women of all ages who dare to defy stereotypes and refuse to play by the rules.

Michigan is community created anew each year. First-timers and old hands work side-by-side to deliver a full system of community services. It provides a hint of what the world might feel like if it were powered by an ethic of taking care instead of taking over.

It’s also a party without parallel.

The six-day event features forty performances spanning every genre, every generation, and a world mix of sounds. For as little

as $66/day (advance purchase, 6day rate), an all-inclusive ticket delivers concerts on three stages, hundreds of workshops, a film festival, dances, sporting events, and a crafts bazaar, along with delicious meals, campgrounds with hot outdoor showers, and a full range of support services.

This Year’s Line Up Joining many long-time audience faves, one-third of this year’s performers are festi-virgins.

Making its Festival debut in a setting that’s hosted thousands of vagina dialogues is Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues. Directed by Alix Olson in honor of the 10th anniversary of V-Day, the Tuesday and Thursday Acoustic Stage performances feature Elvira Kurt, Marga Gomez, Staceyann Chin, and other special guests.

This year’s Singer Songwriter Spotlight includes the Malaysian indie-folk of Mei Chern, Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competition winner Julie Clark, Pittsburgh native Nicole Reynolds, and Detroit folk rocker Sista Otis.

Chinese musical virtuoso Yang Ying returns to Michigan after her 1996 performance with Cobra, the first women's rock and roll band to travel outside of China. Also on the intimate Acoustic Stage: crowd pleasers Natalia Zukerman, Jambalaya, and Ellis with Ann Heaton.

To check out DJ Alex Funk’s sound, visit www.funkempire.com.

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Distinctively Different— African-American Transgender Women Launch Power of Three Conference: An Interview with Tona Brown Interview by Maddy Dwertman and highlights of coming out as transgender?

In December 2007, three transwomen—Tona Brown, a classically trained violinist and opera singer; Cydne Kimbrough, a HIV/AIDS counselor and diversity trainer; and Tanya Alkhaliq, an author and minister—came together to discuss how to educate others about issues pertaining to trans-women of color. Out of these conversations, the idea of The Power of Three Conference was birthed. Through this national conference, these three successful individuals seek to elevate and educate attendees understanding of “trans” issues in today’s culture, while serving as empowering and motivating role models.

Gay Life had the opportunity to speak with Tona Brown, the concept creator of the conference and the “Women of Distinction” social network of educated and professional trans-women of color, about how the conference came about, what it seeks to achieve and the importance of shattering society’s stereotypes of trans-individuals.

How did the idea for the Power of 3 national conference tour originate?

It originated because I met these young ladies [Cydne and Tanya], and we were just sitting around talking one day when we saw that there was a tour about sex workers going around to colleges. I said, “Well, if these girls and guys are willing to talk about their experiences, then we really should get together and let people know about black trans-people and issues. So it started from a general conversation, moved to deciding what we would want to share, and eventually to developing the conference.

What is the primary purpose of the conference?

It’s about awareness more than anything else. Also, to educate people because there are still so many misconceptions about trans-people in general, and especially trans-people of color. So, our goal is to let people know not only that we’re here, but also that we’re professionals. What I love about the other two girls is that they do things in their careers that are completely different than myself.

That’s why we call it “The Power of Three” – three people from three different backgrounds and educational and career-oriented places come together to send a message.

One of the major highlights has been the support I’ve gotten from people that I would have never imagined…including certain religious people. What really resounded with me more than anything that was negative, was all of the positive outcry…even some of the articles that come out in very conservative areas. In Virginia, some people threw the Bible at my article, but there were also people that I went to high school with that I hadn’t seen in years who spoke up and said, “No. You’re not going to put this young lady down because she’s doing something positive. Period.”

All three of you have had to overcome a number of barriers and break various stereotypes in your professional lives. That is pretty amazing.

Unfortunately, in our community, we don’t have any role models. I can’t think of any who have been public.

There have been women and gentlemen we know who are trans who have gone to the clubs and tried to take care of people…like grandmothers…gay families….but no one who was willing to come out publicly.

I actually came out internationally in 2006 with the Tranny Road Show, so this is another reason that I felt it was imperative to start something like this and build support. And we do get a lot of verbal support and interest.

The other thing that is so important and revolutionary about this conference is that there is a divide in the LGBTQI community. We’re trying to bridge the gap between gays and lesbians or between trans and lesbians to let people know that we are people like everyone else. That is something that radiates when individuals listen to what we are speaking about or ask about our message. Most people just assume that if someone is gay, that they understand transgenderism.

That’s not , however, always true.

For you personally, what have been some of the unique struggles

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Negatively, I used to do a lot of work in churches, not interfaith or Unitarian or universalist. …Of course, those jobs slowly fizzled out.

I’ve spoken with a number of the pastors of the particular churches and they felt like their hands were tied because I went public. They didn’t have anything against me, but they thought their congregation would worry because I was working with children. Again, this is a stereotype that we have to break. Just because someone is trans or LGBTQI, doesn’t mean you’re a pedophile. But if someone does not come out and say, “Yes. We have succeeded. We’re just like everyone else,” then we’re always going to have those stipulations and stereotypes put upon us.

I am very proud of the other two young ladies because they have not been outed as much as myself. And they didn’t hesitate at all to launch the conference.

Was it a difficult decision to come out or was it something you felt you simply had to do?

I started to feel like I was being like everyone else. Because I don’t have issues with being “passable” …because I was able to perform anywhere I went and succeed in this career, I started to feel fake. I know of others who refuse to openly come out, but if I’m complaining that we have no role models to look up to, then I need to be proactive about it to change that perception.

I also started to meet other young people on the road…in college, in

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FICTION Cereal: The Adventures of Pico Darling aving lived in Baltimore for so long, I am familiar with the tangled and incestuous web of personal relationships we humans weave.

I’ve grown accustomed to running into people from past lives in the most random of places doing the strangest of things at weird hours of the day. But there is something particularly odd about running into past lovers, especially bad ones.

H

For example, I had been putting the moves on a fine 50-somethingyear-old, I’ll call Lucille, when one day she announced that her kid was to stop by and see her. I thought nothing of it, but looking back, I should have known, for they had the same dewy skin and sad almond eyes that attracted me so much. They even had the same laugh. But I was blinded and deaf by the aching in my pants and in my heart.

Lo and behold, guess who should walk through the door to give Lucille a big hug? I’ll call him Eugene, a nightmare of a sex partner from my not so distant past. (I threw up a little in my mouth from the thought of the evening we spent together.) Even then it took a few seconds for their familial bond to become positively clear to me.

Lucille, who I so desperately wanted to f*ck, had bore Eugene who I had fucked and so desperately wanted to forget.

Random. Accidental. Awkward.

Inside scenes such as these are moments where one must decide to, first, acknowledge or disregard the encountering person’s presence entirely, then, approach them with caution or great flair. I find it best to react accordingly. They avoid eye contact and pass you by; you keep your hands in your pockets and

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your head down. They shout your name from across the street and wave vigorously; you smile bright and exclaim, “My, how long has it been!?!” They come out of nowhere and demand to know why you never called; you tell them you got a new phone and the Verizon guy couldn’t get the numbers to transfer. What they do and how they do it should determine your approach in the rather stressful situation in which you find yourself.

But sometimes, when the lover and their loving were good, it’s hard to keep your guard up and your thinking cap on. Sometimes you’re fourteen all over again and stuttering up a storm in the lobby of Blue Building.

“I…I…I…just-just-just believe it. It’s you.”

can’t

“Here you are? Didn’t know whatever happened to you? Never saw you after that time in the basement.

You left school. Moved away. Where did you go?”

He crooked his neck and squeezed his eyes tight, “What time in the basement?”

Sometimes you are unprepared for their response to you.

“You know, the time in the basement, when you taught me how to whistle?” And I whistled one of his old tunes back to him.

“I’m not sure what you are talking about?”

“Remember, you’re non-hearing grandmother was upstairs watching Price is Right. And you… you… you….” I moved closer to him and put my hand on his cock. “You

“Darling?” he asked.

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CEREAL - continued from page 29

taught me how to whistle.”

“No! I didn’t! You must have me confused,” he yelled throwing my hand away and glaring disgust.

Sometimes you are hurt by their denial.

“What’s the matter? You don’t remember me? Wasn’t that long ago, damn!”

“I don’t remember you like this.

You’re a fucking queer!”

“What the f•ck did you think I was when I was bent over your dick, dick!”

Sometimes things escalate.

That bastard took a step forward and swung. I took a step back as he did, so that the punch would not connect. He lunged again with the other arm, which I grabbed with both hands so that it too, would miss my face. I pushed him hard away from me. I started to run back down the hallway to my suite.

Then I stopped. It was then that I remembered I wasn’t a scrawny fourteen-year-old anymore, I was grown and big and strong and capable of kicking someone’s ass if I needed to so I spun around on my heels and charged back in his direction, doing some sort of jump kick to his stomach when I got close enough. He fell back. Just do what they do on TV, I thought. I kicked him again and then, remembering my nice leather Italian boots, I took to kneeing him. I used all of my force. I kneed and punched and hit as hard as I could but he wouldn’t stay down.

I took a moment for a deep breath and in that split second he tackled me to the ground. I struggled. I fought hard. He finally hit my face. I pulled on his hair. I bit him. He slammed my head down hard on the cement floor. I wedged my foot up onto his chest and pushed him off of me. I moved as quickly as I could to my feet.

“Stop! Stop it! Stop it!” Asha cried as she came to fill the space between us.

“What’s going on here? Please, stop it!”

I threw up my hands in an act of surrender. I felt a wetness drip from my nose. I licked it when it reached my lip. It was blood.

“Dusty? Pico? What’s going on?”

Asha demanded.

I looked over at Dusty who had blood coming from somewhere in his hair and trickling down next to the green eye. Behind him and to the side and filling up the rest of the space around us were many big men looking to intervene at a moment’s notice.

They waited for Asha’s signal.

She came to me. “Pico, what’s wrong? What happened?” I stood frozen, staring at him, breathing hard and still licking the blood. She offered me a piece of cloth and when I didn’t take it, she wiped my nose for me. She pulled my face to meet hers. “Pico? What’s wrong?” she said slowly.

“I’m going home,” I said and ripped the cloth from her, turned and marched back down the hall and to my suite.

After a long, hot bath I got into Ce Ce’s bed where she rubbed the bruised parts of me gently. We watched a rainstorm outside of the window for a while. I told her it wasn’t the first time I had been in a fight, but certainly the first in which I had drop kicked someone.

“What the hell are you doing drop kicking people?” She chuckled and kissed my forehead.

“You gotta do what you gotta do,” I said and kissed her back on the lips.

She smiled and we kissed some more. She kicked her leg up in the air mocking me.

“Don’t make me laugh, it hurts,” I told her.

Someone knocked softly on the door.

I could hear Ce Ce’s “come in” vibrate in her chest. Asha’s head peeked around the door. “Are you okay?” she asked.

I ignored her.

“Pico, I’m really sorry. I had no idea Dusty would act that way. I thought it would be nice for the two of you to see each other again. Had I known….”

“Had you known what, Asha? You can’t just orchestrate my life like this.

You’re not God, you’re just some lady. Some lady with too much money and not enough love in her life,” I said, never looking in her direction. Ce Ce rocked me a bit to calm me.

“I deserve that. I’m sorry, Pico. I’m sorry.”

Feeling like I had said my peace, for the night at least, I stuck out my hand behind me, inviting her into the bed with us. She took it slowly in hers and kissed its swollen knuckles.

Ce Ce kissed my lips again. I turned and met Asha’s mouth. I watched them both kiss each other.

Sometimes forget it ever happened at all.

Want to see Pico go places you've only dreamed of. Send your thoughts to picodarling@gmail.com.

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Saturday night at the Acoustic Stage has Emma’s Revolution opening for the legendary Holly Near.

Closing the show is Laura Love’s new bluegrass band Harper’s Ferry, exploring the intersection of African and European traditions.

And that’s just the Acoustic Stage!

The sun-kissed Day Stage kicks off Thursday with Angie Evans’ political grooves, Garrison Starr’s gorgeous vocals, and the sultry stylings of Patrice Pike. Friday’s Hip Hop at High Noon brings together some of the genre’s most groundbreaking female artists: Medusa from LA, Yo Majesty from Tampa, and the Bay Area’s JenRO. If you have anything left over after these MCs tear up the stage, you can throw yourself into Boyskout’s mosh pit. Saturday’s Day Stage swings with salsa impresarios Mayra Casales and CoCoMaMa, along with Canadian hip hop troubadour Kinnie Starr, and Blame Sally, considered San Francisco’s answer to the Dixie Chicks.

After Wednesday’s spectacular Opening Celebration, the Night Stage kicks into full gear with blues powerhouse Ruthie “Phenomenal Woman” Foster, followed by L Word superstars BETTY. Thursday night displays the full genius of Michigan’s genre-

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bending mixed bills: Brooklyn performance artist Hanifah Walidah, the old-school-new-school combo of Ferron with Bitch, and dance punk divas Von Iva. Friday night kicks off with the klezmer mania of Isle of Klezbos, followed by rising star Erin McKeown, and the full-on force of Toshi Reagon and Big Lovely. The Chix Lix review is back, this time featuring our favorite movie scores. And the Night Stage closes Saturday with two of the country’s hottest acts: Patty Larkin and Antigone Rising.

But Sunday is another day, opening with Ubaka Hill’s Drumsong Orchestra and Aleah Long’s One World Inspirational Choir. The everpopular Comedy afternoon features Marga Gomez with two comics new to Michigan but well known to Logo and Comedy Central viewers: Poppy Champlin and Sandra Valls.

Ruth Barrett’s Candlelight Concert puts the week to bed.

So now, more than ever, don’t you agree? You don’t just want to be there. You need to be there.

For additional information, visit www.michfest.com or www.myspace.com/michfest.

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PENCIL ME IN Monday, June 2

Gay Life Happy Hour on the Patio Join Gay Life at the Baltimore Eagle (2022 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD), for our first summer happy hour on the patio from 6-8 p.m. With drink specials, free appetizers, and prizes galore, this is a happy hour you don't want to miss. Special raffles include tickets to the True Colors Tour with Cyndi Lauper and the B52s and tickets to the Donna Summer Concert! For additional information, call 410-837-7748.

Tuesday, June 3

Baltimore Pride Date Auction

Saturday, May 31, June 7, June 13

Divas Outdoors

This is your chance to mix, mingle, and bid for a cause.

Come out to Grand Central (1001 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD) at 8 p.m. and bid on some of the city's MOST eligible people! Performers, personalities, community and business leaders will take the stage for your bidding pleasure. All participants will be paired with a dinner for two. For additional information, visit www.baltimorepride.org or call 410-837-5445.

Presented by Hillwood, One In Ten, Acuvue and Metro Weekly, Divas Outdoors at Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens will feature Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Joan Crawford in a film series presented over three nights on Hillwood's lush Lunar Lawn.

Scrumptious picnic spreads across the lawn will be judged by local culinary celebs in contests each night. Straight Eights, the Baltimore-Washington chapter of Lambda Car Club International, will display a selection of antique period cars on the Motor Court. The series will culminate with a Joan Crawford look-alike contest on June 13.

Saturday, June 7

A World Tour of Tastes, Arts & Culture

The ever-glamorous Monroe begins the series on May 31 with the classic 1953 musical comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. On June 7, Audrey Hepburn dances famously alongside Fred Astaire in the 1957 Oscar Award-winning Funny Face. Finally, Joan Crawford reaches new heights of camp in 1964's over-the-top cult-classic, Strait-Jacket, on June 13. Gates open at 6 p.m., with activities beginning at 7:30 p.m. Films are included in admission ($15/adults; $10/children). To make required reservations, call (202) 686-5807.

Saturday May 31, 2008 Smartish Pace Release Party

Come check out Issue 15 of the nonprofit poetry publication Smartish Pace at 8 p.m. and enjoy live poetry readings and music. $10 at the door includes a copy of the issue and all the food and drinks you can stomach! Poets include, Douglas Basford, Christopher Cunningham, Lia Purpura, Elizabeth Spires and Terrance Wedin. Folk and blues Band “Beans” and Baby Venam play live beginning at 9pm. For additional information, email Stephen Reichert at sreichert@smartishpace.com.

God-Dess & She Lesbian hip-hop duo God-Dess & She returns to Port in the Storm (4330 E. Lombard St., Baltimore MD) to perform live at 10 p.m. Come out for the show and an opportunity to purchase an autographed copy of their new release, Stand Up. Call 410-563-0465 for additional information and tickets.

Wine & Chocolate at Bikram Yoga Sip, savor and support the Women’s Law Center of Maryland. Come out to Bikram Yoga (911 W. 36th St., Baltimore, MD) from 6:30-8 p.m. and enjoy delectable chocolate treats, wine and hors d’oeuvres donated by popular local restaurants. Advance tickets only $20. To register, call 410-321-8761 or email vrupp@wlcmd.org.

Support high quality and affordable arts education for all at Young Audiences/Arts for Learning’s annual fundraiser at CenterStage from 6:30 p.m.-11p.m. The evening will feature arts and cuisine from the sunny beaches of Cuba to the colorful landscapes of India, menu tasting from top restaurants, a live and silent auction, and an awards ceremony honoring some of Maryland’s top artists. Proceeds will benefits arts education in Maryland schools and communities. To purchase tickets, call 410-837-7557 x13.

Thursday, June 12

Gaylarious–Featuring Judy Gold Capital Pride, Town Danceboutique and Riot Act kick off DC Pride with a great night of laughs, fun and debauchery. Featuring Judy Gold, comedians Jason Dudey, Zach Toczynski, Chris Doucette, Mimi Gonzalez and Matt Henry will also perform. 10% of all proceeds benefit Capital Pride and The Whitman Walker Clinic. Doors at Town Dounceboutique (2009 8th St., NW, Washington, DC) open at 8 pm.; show starts at 9 p.m. For tickets ($25) or additional information, visit www.riotactcomedy.com.

Hunks in Trunks With Pride just around the corner, Hunks in Trunks returns to Red Maple (930 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD). You can come early for dinner at 6 p.m. and stay to enjoy the show from 8-11:30 p.m. 10% of all proceeds from dinner and drinks will be donated to Equality Maryland.

An event supported by the RGroup, Hunks and Trunks features an all-male swimsuit fashion show including the male models from Robert Mercer’s Ripped Genes calendar. After the men strut their stuff, some of their Universal Gear swim suits will be auctioned off. The models will stay after to mingle and party with the audience. For dinner reservations, call 410-5470149. To order tickets by phone, call 410-997-0404.

www.glccb.org Services. Groups.

Events.

Our calendar is now online.

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DINING OUT Rocket to Venus

by John Cullen and Marty Shayt t’s called Rocket to Venus and it’s located in Hampden. We half expect to see a big rocket mounted outside—but there isn’t…. The exterior looks like two row houses merged together which have been a local corner bar forever. We expect the inside to resemble a set from Dr. Who or Lost in Space but it’s eclectic with a large u-shaped bar in the middle, booths and tables around the walls, a dark coffered ceiling, columns covered in shiny aluminum and lozenge-shaped windows filled with glass block. (From the menu, we learn that it’s named in honor of 3 young Hampden guys who tried to build a rocket ship to take one of them to Venus in 1928.)

I

It’s crowded on a week night so we’re glad to have reservations.

Although tables are close together, they inspire a bit of cross-table asides and exchanges. We order drinks while we wait and Wasabi peas on the bar (not peanuts or pretzels!) hint that the food will be eclectic too! Our table is ready on time and our waitress immediately brings a plate of French bread with olive oil and an extra carafe of ice water for the table (a nice touch!). We start by ordering three appetizers to share: Fried Pickles ($3), Brussels Sprouts ($4), and Pierogies ($5). The pickles are 3 long kosher spears, battered and deep fried with the spiced-up ranch dressing; the combo is interesting.

The Brussels sprouts are roasted in Balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

They’re so good that John wonders why he avoided Brussels sprouts for most of his life! The Pierogies are five small dumplings filled with potato, cheese and kimchi (Korean spicy cabbage). The pierogies win a unanimous vote as best of the three appetizers (but there’s not one crumb left of the other two either)!

The menu is limited, but there’s a printed-out list of the evening’s “specials”. Sandwiches ($6-11) come with salad, spicy fries or potato salad; other items range from $9-24.

For the main course, our guests opt for the Tenderloin Skewer ($14) and Grilled Steak ($24). Marty decides on the Thai Mussels ($10) and John goes for a New Orleans inspired “Po’ Boy” sandwich with fried oysters and prosciutto ($10).

The “skewer” (aka kabob) is tender beef cooked exactly as ordered. It comes with a deep fried, battered ball of white rice; the crunchy coating outside and white rice inside is interesting, but ultimately this is just a big ball of white rice. (Why not brown rice? Why not sauce or gravy?) The steak is, well, a steak— but tender and cooked as ordered and served with mashed potatoes and a large Caesar salad. Marty’s mussels arrive piled high in a big bowl and the Thai sauce is spicy (but not too hot). John’s Po Boy, served on ciambatta bread that can barely hold all the contents, is yummy. His included house salad is a delight with pumpkin seeds, craisins and dark greens. No “doggy bags” for anyone tonight!

Both Marty and John recommend the “Veggie Wimpy Burgers” ($10)— four small homemade veggie burgers topped with fried onions and Swiss cheese. (We want to try other vegetarian options like “Sloppy Jo-fu” ($6)—Sloppy Joes w/Tofu) But beware of the Szechuan Noodles ($9) which, even though we like hot food, bordered on being too hot to be good.

Our guests wanted to try the apple and lemon pies from the local “Dangerously Delicious Pies” bakery ($5) and opted for “ala mode” ($1.50).

For a wild minute, John & Marty think about sharing the “PB&J Delight”—a peanut butter & jelly sandwich dipped in pancake batter, deep fried and served with vanilla ice cream and drenched in caramel ($7) but decide against giving our doctors a heart attack and pass! We jump on the offer to sample our guests’ pies— the lemon is good but the apple pie has been heated up enough to start melting the vanilla ice cream and leaves us wanting more!

BASICS: Rocket to Venus (Hampden) 3360 Chestnut Ave (corner of 34th), 410-2357887, www.rockettovenus.com. Open 5 p.m.-11 p.m. for dinner, bar open until 2a.m.; brunch on Sunday 12 noon – 7 pm. If you don’t like waiting, make reservations! Parking sometimes can be difficult, so allow time! After eating, consider a walk around the block or down the “Avenue” (36th between Chestnut and Falls) and enjoy Hampden!

Feedback? Know a place we should try?

Email us at diningout@baltimoregaylife.com

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QPUZZLE "Count Me Out"

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Across

Down

1 "Bottoms up!"

6 Nick was his master 10 The Lion King cad 14 "Flesh" in an Almodovar movie title 15 Bosom buddy 16 Jolie's ___, Or Something Like It 17 Hot blood 18 Fielder's call, to Bean 19 Queen's "subjects" 20 Prosecuting attorney in drag?

23 Castro, in San Francisco 24 Stick your chip in it 25 Britten's raincoat 28 Gossip columnist Barrett 31 Country with same-sex marriage since 2005 33 Like a fairy tale brother?

37 Personal from an anthropologist?

39 Like some Greek columns 41 Feminizing suffix 42 You can wrap it around your package 43 Ms. Flag after marrying a _M*A*S*H_ crossdresser?

46 James VI, e.g.

47 Really camp 48 Rip Torn's voice role in Hercules 50 Old abbr. of Nureyev's land 51 Long, slippery one 53 "Queer as a three-dollar bill," e.g.

58 Rita Mae Brown novel about paying off a debt with a hit?

62 Billy Elliot epithet 64 Male actor named Julia 65 Vintner's fruit 66 Errol Flynn's The Sun ___ Rises 67 Atop 68 City of Magnus Hirschfeld's land 69 They come between Mauresmo and opponents 70 Oral attention getter 71 Seals in the juices, to Traci Des Jardins

1 Loads 2 Solid gold measure 3 Purchase from goodvibes.com 4 Start of a Sappho title, perhaps 5 My Fair Lady lyricist 6 Top 7 It pokes you in prison 8 Got ready to play, like Etheridge 9 Miller's In Search of Gay ___ 10 Loose woman, in the land of Joe Orton 11 Like Rob Marshall's work 12 Toward the rear, to sailors 13 Lawyer's thing 21 Exotica director Egoyan 22 Like unhappy lovers, maybe 26 Hersey's A Bell For ___ 27 Non-asker/non-teller in training 29 Inexperienced one 30 Ball's partner 32 Anderson Cooper's area 33 Shower sights 34 Makes an uncowardly lion sound 35 Like deep-throating?

36 A. Spear's state 38 Richard of And the Band Played On 40 Fruit drink 44 Peeper lube 45 Geoffrey of _Frida_ 49 Greeks' operation against the Trojans, et al.

52 Isn't quite straight 54 Capote portrayer Robert 55 Michael Landon's ____ Teenage Werewolf 56 Social outcast 57 I Dream of Jeannie's Barbara, and others 59 Sources of anal probes?

60 You might get into them on a back road 61 One-armed bandit's opening 62 Boy played by Martin and Duncan 63 Cheer for Lorca

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REAL ESTATE

Five Tips to Help You Gear Up for the Homebuying Season t's time to gear up for the busy spring and summer homebuying season. Buyers and sellers alike have come to expect that there are greater options available during this time of year as more people tend to be in the market for a new home. So what is behind this trend and how can you make the most of the buying and selling season?

I

Why Now?

The Kids Many homeowners, especially those with school-aged children, prefer to plan their move around the summer. By starting the homebuying process in spring, most children can finish the year at their current school and start fresh at their new school in the fall.

The IRS Tax refund checks start hitting mailboxes in spring. For people in the market for a new home, a tax refund is an added bonus that they can put towards the down payment.

The Weather For people living in northern climates, the thought of moving during winter holds little to no appeal. As the weather turns milder, the idea of making a move becomes more realistic for many.

How do I Make the Most of the Season?

If you're one of the many millions of Americans buying or selling a home this year, you'd probably prefer to make the move as smooth as possible. Start early.

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that perfectly fits your needs can take a lot of time, especially if you don't know the process," says Frank Destra, managing director and senior vice president of national sales for Ditech, one of the nation's leading online mortgage lenders. "By learning and understanding the steps in buying a home, you will be ready to go through the process and complete it efficiently so you can soon begin enjoying your new home."

Here are some tips from Ditech that will help make your spring or summer move stress-free.

1) Review Your Credit Report.

Whether this is your first time buying a home or your 10th time, it is always in your best interest to keep an eye on your credit report to make sure your credit history is accurately reported. Your credit history has an impact on what loans you can qualify for as well as the interest rate you will be offered. Report any errors to the credit reporting agencies right away, so that your credit report is accurate when you're ready to apply for home financing.

2) Get pre-approved. Getting preapproved is one of the first steps in the home buying process. By getting pre-approved, you will receive a loan commitment for up to a certain amount from your lender before you find a home, based on a review of your credit and finances. Preapproval makes your home search more efficient by allowing you to focus only on the homes you know you can afford. It also is beneficial to have a pre-approval letter in your possession when you submit an offer on a home, so the seller knows you are serious about buying the home.

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3) Know what you want. Sitting down and figuring out what kind of home and neighborhood you would prefer in the beginning of your home search will save you a lot of time.

Make a list of the features that are most important to you. Start with determining the number of bedrooms and bathrooms as well as other personal requirements you might have such as an office versus a den, one or two stories, etc. Also, think resale before you ever set foot in a home.

The neighborhood, schools, parks, shopping, transportation accessibility, and proximity to key points in the city are all characteristics that will remain important when you decide to sell your home at some point in the future.

4) Review financing solutions.

There are a variety of financing options available to homebuyers, and your particular situation will play a factor in figuring out what financing solution might work best for you. An experienced loan officer will take the time to review the home

financing process, define terms, and listen to your concerns to get you a loan that fits your needs. In addition, home lenders such as Ditech (www.ditech.com) offer a number of online resources, such as payment calculators, glossaries, etc. to help homebuyers better understand which financing options might be right for them.

5) Negotiate. Once you find the home of your dreams, work with a real estate agent to negotiate the price and present your offer.

Motivated sellers may be willing to reduce their price, or even pay part of the closing costs. Also, if you are looking at new construction, make sure any incentives being offered are tied to the home. For example, if a builder offers a cruise or flat-screen TV, ask for the value of the item to be discounted from the purchase price of the home. You are purchasing a home and that should be your focus -- not the giveaways.

you thinking?

Courtesy of ARAcontent

What are

editor@baltimoregaylife.com

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THEATER Cheryl Lynn Bowers, Emma Joan Roberts, Kate Gleason and Kelly McAndrew in CenterStage’s production of Melanie Marnich’s These Shining Lives, directed by David Schweizer. (Photo: Richard Anderson)

ON THE STAGE

Scott Parkinson as Cassius, Dan Kremer as Julius Caesar and Tom Hammond as Brutus with the senate in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Julius Caesar, directed by David Muse.

(Photo: Carol Rosegg)

Anastasia June 6 – June 29 Vagabond Players, Baltimore 410-563-9135 http://www.bcpl.net/~thevag/

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

The Mousetrap June 11 – July 6 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

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

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

The Arabian Nights June 13 – June 29 Theatre Hopkins, Baltimore 410-516-7159

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

Art Through June 29 Everyman Theatre 410-752-2208 www.everymantheatre.org

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

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

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

Company Through June 21 Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Frederick 301-694-4744 www.marylandensemble.org Fair Play for Eve Through June 8 Arena Players, Baltimore 410-728-6500 http://arena-players.strategiccommercegroup.com/

Julius Caesar Through July 6 The Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C. 877-487-8849 www.shakespearetheatre.org Measure for Pleasure Through June 29 Wooly Mammoth Theatre Company, D.C. 202-312-5261 www.woolymammoth.net PA G E 4 0 •

The Tempest June 6 – July 13 Chesapeake Shakespeare Company 866-811-4111 www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com These Shining Lives Through June 1 CenterStage 410-332-0033 www.centerstage.org Stuff Happens June 18 – July 20 Olney Theatre Center 301-924-3400 www.olneytheatre.org 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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• G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com

CALENDAR COMMUNITY

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Friday May 30 Body & Soul Connections

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

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Sunday June 1

Tuesday June 3

GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 6:30 p.m.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous

Beginners Yoga with Tim Hurley, RYT

Alcoholics Anonymous

Dual Recovery Anonymous

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

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

Narcotics Anonymous

Chesapeake Squares

Saturday May 31

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

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

Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center 2505 E. Oliver St. Baltimore, MD 21213 www.thespiraldancebookstore.com 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sailaway Pride Night

Consumer Planned Activity

Arts & Crafts

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

Tina Ward Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD http://www.myspace.com/ readstreetbooks 8 p.m.

Arts & Crafts Fair

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

Catie Curtis Live @ Coffee East 5 Goldsborough St. Easton, MD 21601 443-786-2750 7 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.

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

Social Activity (Varies)

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 June 2

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

Gay Life Happy Hour @ Baltimore Eagle 2022 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21218 410-837-7748 6-8 p.m.

Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 4-6:30 p.m. & 7:30-8:30 p.m.

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

Wednesday June 4 FREE! Ameriprise Financial Planning Seminar GLCCB, Room 202 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 Call 410-837-5445 to register.

6:30 p.m.

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.

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

Thursday June 5

Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 8:30 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 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 June 6

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

Talia Segal Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD http://www.myspace.com/ readstreetbooks 8 p.m.

Volunteer Orientation GLCCB 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 6-8 p.m.

Saturday June 7 Arts & Crafts

Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444

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

www.heartsandears.org 4:30-6 p.m.

Gender Identity Group (GIG) GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.myspace.com/btma 8 p.m.

Karen Collins Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD http://www.myspace.com/ readstreetbooks 8 p.m.

Men Like Me Open Support Group GLCCB, Room 202 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 menlikeme@glccb.org 6 p.m.

Tuesday June 10

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

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

Thursday June 12

Movie & Game Night

Dual Recovery Anonymous

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

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

New Image (Narcotics Anonymous)

Chesapeake Squares

Free Real Estate Class

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

Rosedale Library 6105 Kenwood Ave Rosedale, MD 21136 Register with Jill Adams: JLAdams@cbmove.com 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Consumer Planned Activity

JUMP (Just Us Making Progress)

Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 4-6:30 p.m. & 7:30-8:30 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.

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.

Sunday June 8

Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 6:30 p.m.

Narcotics Anonymous

PFLAG Columbia/Howard County Owen Brown Interfaith Center 7246 Cradlerock Way Columbia, MD 7:30-9 p.m.

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

Positive Influence

Sailaway Pride Night

Owen Brown Interfaith Center 7246 Cradlerock Way Columbia, MD 7:30 p.m.

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 June 9

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

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

Rainbow Youth Alliance

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

Wednesday June 11

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

• PA G E 4 1

Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 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 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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HOMOSTROLOGY

by Marry Elaine

CANCER (June 21 - July 22) Have confidence: You move and choose with grace. Someone understands you beyond knowing and outside of words. Do not hesitate to lean, to feel love and to find strength.

LEO

(July 23 - August 22) A long marriage makes shorthand possible.

The Everything need not be said.

Much may stay within the head.

Because of old-time double-seeing.

Because of old-time double-being.

The early answers late.

So comfortably out of date.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20) I will bring you a whole person and you will bring me a whole person and we will have us twice as much of love and everything I be bringing a whole heart and while it do have nicks and dents and scars, that only make me lay it down more careful-like And you be bringing a whole heart a little chipped and rusty an’ sometime skip a beat but still an’ all you bringing polish too and look like you intend to make it shine And we be bringing, each of us the music of ourselves to wrap the other in

The aged photographs come clear.

To dazzle down the now-and-here.

I said: "Some day we'll have Franciscan China."

You said: "Some day the Defender will photograph your house."

You said: "I want you to have at least two children."

-Shorthand Possible by Gwendolyn Brooks

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22) “We blue-print not merely our survival but a flowering.”

-Gwendolyn Brooks

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22) When I die I’m sure I will have a Big Funeral

Forgiving clarities Soft as a choir’s last lingering note our personal blend I will be bringing you someone whole and you will be bringing me someone whole and we be twice as strong and we be twice as true and we will have twice as much of love and everything -Celebration by Mari Evans

Curiosity seekers …

Coming to see if I am really Dead… or just trying to make Trouble …

-The Rebel by Mari Evans

POWER OF THREE - continued from page 28

DC and Maryland, and I was appalled by some of their lifestyle choices and the mentality of “I can’t do any better.” I was contacted by Mr. Alex Shore from GLAAD, who heard about the tour and asked me to do some interviews. Things just went from there.

One of the things that we are learning from the tour is, again, that we have such a divide within our own community. You’ll be surprised how many LGBT organizations that claim to do transinclusive things, don’t do them at all. Or, they just do a social group or HIV testing.

Given the divisions with the LGBT community, will you also be bringing the conference to LGBT organizations and events?

I think the colleges will probably jump on it a little sooner than everyone else. We’re open though to go to community centers and other places that PA G E 4 2 •

SCORPIO

PISCES (February 19 - March 19)

(October 23 - November 21) Instead of feeling jealous, figure out what you want and what you can do to get closer. p.s. she loves you back. p.p.s. she doesn’t make you better—you just are wonderful.

One of your great assets is evolving: While it used to be a weapon that came in handy, it is becoming one of the reasons people love you so dearly for so long. Treat yourself very well. Indulge.

Every time you feel like enforcing one of your rules, do not.

SAGITTARIUS

ARIES (March 20 - April 19)

(November 22 - December 20) I hold my honey and I store my bread In little jars and cabinets of my will.

I label clearly, and each latch and lid I bid, Be firm till I return from hell.

I am very hungry. I am incomplete.

And none can tell when I may dine again.

No man can give me any word but Wait, The puny light. I keep eyes pointed in; Hoping that, when the devil days of my hurt Drag out to their last dregs and I resume On such legs as are left me, in such heart As I can manage, remember to go home, My taste will not have turned insensitive To honey and bread old purity could love.

-my dreams, my works, must wait till after hell by Gwendolyn Brooks

A new self-respect is birthing in you.

Your posture is changing. You might feel a little awkward as you carry yourself newly, but do not long for the past because that comfort had limits. Others respond well. Is your chest cavity opening? Seems like there is more room for breath and love and pride.

CAPRICORN (December 21 - January 19) Some people like to sleep alone; some people don’t. Some people are sluts; some people aren’t. Some people just like to make out. In certain instances, it is best to play with people who are like you. This week don’t dwell on work and see what your mind wanders to with all that spare time.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20) When he shuts a doorIs not thereYour arms are water.

And you are free With a ghastly freedom.

You are the beautiful half Of a golden hurt.

You remember and covet his mouth To touch, to whisper on.

Oh when to declare Is certain Death!

Oh when to apprize Is to mesmerize, To see fall down, the Column of Gold, Into the commonest ash.

-From To Be In Love by Gwendolyn Brooks

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)

Marry Elaine is very psychic and a huge fag.

Dance all the time.Fidget nonstop. Your rhythm quickens as the heat approaches. Your prowess amplifies and your senses are acute. Where you are usually Moderation, you might feel off calibration. Don’t hold back—you will gain a lot of insight from this quickness.

are willing to house us and want to learn something.

People need to understand that if they’re looking to be trans-inclusive, they should be seeking out this kind of program. When there is something that is out there that is positive, one would think that there would be an overwhelming response and inquiry about it. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. I hope that in the next 2 to 5 years this will change. I’d like to see every Pride organization in the country and around the world have programming like this. Also, I hope that people will begin to actively seek information about minority trans-people. It’s a different experience and it needs to be put out there for the masses to see and hear.

I am very pleased that I was able to find two other women. That is the hardest thing. For these young ladies to just say, “Hey, give me a call if you need anything,” and to be sincere about it is

M AY 3 0 - J u n e 1 2 , 2 0 0 8

incredible. So we packaged it and have been letting the media know about it and are trying to put forth a positive influence.

Will you be in the Baltimore-DC area any time soon?

Cydne does a lot of training for HIV awareness, has been on a number of Boards, and is also the President of Baltimore Black Pride. We will be at Baltimore Black Pride in October and I’ll be performing.

That brings up something else that is remarkable about the conference…we come together, but organizations also have our individual information in case they just need a musician, like Toronto Pride, which I’ll be performing at, or just need a training.

For additional information about The Power of Three Conference, visit www.wodconference.com.

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

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Page 43

DO AS I SAY A Most Festive

Weekend

by Prudence Worthington

Hello My Goslings, As the Wothington household settles back into our cozy East Hampton compound, my mailbox has been deluged with correspondence! It seems your village is hosting a Pride Festival June 20-21 and I am the recipient of numerous inducements to attend. Obviously, the weekend is brimming with activities and my presence has been requested at far too many gatherings to accept them all. For those I must decline, please accept my warmest apologies, but perhaps Traxie can attend in my absence. I enclose my itinerary with hopes that you may join me during my stay in your darling village.

in the Festive Community. Beads, candy and condoms fill the air as celebrants cheer on the progression. Occasionally a scantily clad man or two draws favorable response from the onlookers. One can here the cry “put your hands together” echoing from the loud speakers encouraging applause; all in all, an exceedingly festive affair. I have been warned, however, of one peculiar practice. Apparently there exists a tradition of exposing one’s privates in exchange for party beads; I will supply my own jewelry, thank you very much.

Twilight on the Terrace: Friday, June 20 2008, 8:00 p.m.

Drag Stage, Sunday, June 22, 2008, Noon - 6 p.m.

This Friday night soiree kicks off Pride weekend with bushels of style. An evening on the terrace at the Baltimore Museum of Art is apparently the place to see and be seen by the smart set. The Johns of Gertrude’s restaurant are exceptional hosts and their exquisite cuisine is equally matched by impeccable service. One does not wait for a cocktail at this party, for liquor flows freely courtesy of Stolichnaya. I suppose even those ghastly blue “up drinks” will be available. That darling of a dj, Alex Funk, will provide music allowing you people to show off your terpsichorean skills. For a restive break, you may wander the rambling sculpture garden, which hopefully no one will mistake for the dunes of Fire Island.

Day two of your festival takes us to lovely Druid Hill Park. An oasis in the urban landscape, this is a placid location to wind down the weekend. I am especially honored to have been asked to join the ladies for an all day drag extravaganza. Hours upon hours of royalty in full war paint performing in the sun. How do they do it? Thank goodness for waterproof mascara! The drama is heightened by the potential for full hair collapse should the weather turn sticky. The girls display all their stamina in this marathon of performances. So many sequins before dark, but without the benefit of stage lighting, a girl has to rely on something to dazzle the crowd. To borrow a theatrical phrase, break a leg, ladies!

Lesbian Tailgating: Saturday, June 21, 2008, 9:00 a.m. - ?

What a whirl wind weekend we have in store. The seemingly endless list of activities sparked my curiosity, for who could behind the planning of such a celebration? My inquisitive nature compelled me to ring my darling editor for answers. Surprisingly, the entire festival and events leading up to it are planned by the GLCCB of Baltimore. Who knew the Festive center was behind all of this.

The sweethearts of the Sapphic set have graciously extended an invitation to their annual gathering. Initially the concept of consuming beer in a parking lot put me off, but I suppose it’s rather like tailgating at the Grand Nationals—with no horses or grass of course. Traxie insisted I attend for who could say no to a group of gals who start drinking before lunch. I believe she mentioned “kindred spirits” or something of the sort. Promptly at 9:00 a.m., a fleet of SUV’s descends upon the asphalt behind Eddie’s Supermarket and brightly colored tents spring towards the sun. The crack of opening beer cans rings through the air as radios are tuned to the local country station. As a hostess gift, I am supplying a 50 gallon drum of sun screen as the girls always forget and resemble lobsters by mid-day. Let’s try to keep the brawling to a minimum this year. We are ladies after all.

High Heel Race: Saturday, June 21, 2008, 2:00 p.m.

This spectacle rivals the Kentucky Derby in excitement for one surely risks an ankle when entering this event. You must consider the unique stamina and perseverance required to trot an entire block in smart sling backs. I pray for the safety of the contestants as we wouldn’t want anyone to be “put down” on Charles Street. That would certainly dampen the festivities and make for a peculiar obituary. I suspected Jimmy Choo might be sponsoring the contest, or perhaps an insurance company, but the lovely folks at Spirits of Mount Vernon have stepped forward to crown the winner on their front steps. I believe I’ll stop in for some Veuve to sip whilst viewing the parade.

Parade and Block Party: Saturday, June 21, 2008, 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

No festival is complete without a parade, and Baltimore delivers. Leather clad bears and Queens on convertibles reveal a broad spectrum of lifestyles www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

A more astonishing discovery is that everything is free! Apparently other cities charge an admission cost for festival activities while you people receive the entire weekend for nothing. Apparently, donations are solicited during the events, but very few of you contribute. How very ghastly!

Whatever could be wrong with you? From where did you think the funds were coming, your taxes? I suppose some of you feel it is some form of Gay Reparations. I implore you, dear readers, when approached for a donation contribute something, for if each of you gave only 2 dollars, the entire weekend would be fully funded. So bring your beads, your rainbow clothing and your wallets, and remember to do as I say.

Kiss, Kiss,

Prudence

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

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• PA G E 4 3

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QUOTE UNQUOTE "This is very exciting, I gotta say.

Yesterday, if you haven't heard, the California Supreme Court overturned a ban on gay marriage. So I would like to say right now for the first time, I am announcing I am getting married. OK, thank you. I am—I will—thank you, I'll tell you who the lucky guy is soon.

And, uh, I'm so excited. If I'm this emotional now just saying it, I can't imagine how that's gonna be, but it's something that I've, of course, we've wanted to do, and we want it to be legal and we're just very, very excited."

there was an unconscious part of me that woke up or came out of the closet.

There wasn't a struggle or an attempt to suppress. I met this woman and I fell in love with her."

—Cynthia Nixon of Sex and the City fame to London's Daily Mirror, May 12. She plays Miranda.

"When Xena first started, I got a lot of mail from older British men—judges and lawyers mostly—asking me to walk all over them in my big leather boots!"

—Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) to Time Out London, April 28.

—Ellen DeGeneres on her TV show, May 16. Fiancée Portia de Rossi was in the audience grinning.

"Despite the tears of joy flooding through the gay community and despite the soothing gobs of liberal bliss pouring like warm honey over tens of thousands -- nay, millions -- of progressive humans worldwide, all of whom are cheering this landmark groundbreaking rainbow-colored California Supreme Court decision, seeing it as one of the most positive, hopeful shifts to occur in decades, the armies of rightwing darkness are screaming their dread, scraping their nails on the chalkboard of fear, rallying the bitterly faithful. ... As you read these very words, shrill cultural conservatives from Orange County to Fresno to Stockton are holding meetings in all sorts of grungy subbasements and moldy rec rooms and sterile Holiday Inn conference rooms, sipping watery Sanka and sweating profusely in their armpits and scowling like angry cats as they work to put a quick and painful stop to all this gay-loving God-hating nonsense, by way of an initiative on the November ballot outlawing icky and confusing gay marriage, by constitutional decree, once and for all. See? Same as it ever was: One beautiful step forward, one giant jackboot back."

—San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mark Morford, May 16.

"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. ... 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."

—Singer Carly Simon on May 1 when Bay Area Reporter contributor Gregg Shapiro asked her, "(I)f Cyndi (Lauper) called you and asked you to be a part of the True Colors (GLBT rights concert) tour, might you get involved?"

BY REX WOCKNER WITH BILL KELLEY

"I was wandering around Times Square (on my first day in New York in the 1950s) and this guy says, 'I'm going to Radio City Music Hall, would you like to come?' And I said, 'Oh, yes.' I thought, 'Wow, New York is everything I heard it was going to be!' We're in the audience, I'm a young hot-blooded Canadian and out come the dancing girls, a plethora of women—and I feel his hand brush my knee. I thought, well, it's an accident, then I felt it again.

What the fuck? I got up and ran out."

—Actor William Shatner (Captain Kirk) to the New York Post, May 13.

"Marry me. I mean it. I don't wanna wait. I don't wanna—I wanna make this official. ... I'm completely, completely in love with you. I even love the things about you that I hate. Because you make me feel like I don't have to be anyone other than who I am. And, to me, that feels like family, and that's what I want us to be. I want us to be a family, because that never ends. ...

Scotty, I am asking you, Will you please marry me?"

—Character Kevin Walker to character Scotty Wandell on the hit ABC-TV series Brothers & Sisters, May 4. Scotty said yes.

"Occasionally I don't like the probing and the questioning. But I put up with it because I grew up in a time when there were no role models. To be gay and lesbian was to be a failure. The good gay people killed themselves. And the others were drug addicts and bums.

There was no possibility for a life of integrity or respect. So I feel called to be as open as I can be about my life so that young lesbians and gay men will understand that they can have wonderful relationships, be mothers and fathers and make a real distinction for themselves in their careers. I owe it to those who come after me."

—New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson to Britain's Telegraph newspaper, April 29.

"It's a milestone, and I was really quite pleased that I got to be a part of it."

—Brothers & Sisters actress Calista Flockhart on the show's May 11 seasonfinale gay wedding, to USA Today, May 9.

"I think that to get married to her (girlfriend Christine Marinoni) would be a little act of rebellion. It's like if you've never had the vote and then you get it you're going to run out there and vote. ... If it becomes legal (in New York) I think we would."

"I've never seen a worse job of lobbying done by the transgender community (than on the federal Employment NonDiscrimination Act, ENDA). They seem to think that all they had to do was to get the gay and lesbian community to say 'OK.' I think they thought that this was a train, and that they were a car on the train. I said to them, 'You've got to work this, you've got to lobby people.'

They did a terrible job of lobbying, and so we didn't have the votes."

—Cynthia Nixon of Sex and the City fame to London's Daily Mirror, May 12. She plays Miranda.

"I had been with men all my life and I had never met a woman I had fallen in love with before, but when I did, it didn't seem so strange. ... I never felt like

PA G E 4 4 •

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—Openly gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, DMass., to the Oregon gay newspaper Just Out, May 2. A GLB-only version of ENDA has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is pending in the Senate.

"A certain kind of political humor flies here (in the U.S.) because of the fact that your government is so massive and borderline frightening. There's such a rightwing conservative Puritan strain in (the U.S.). In our country (Canada), it's the opposite. The authoritarian strain comes from the left, not the right. It's almost a mirror image. ... Political correctness is something that is almost an official tenet of Canadian life. Religion is certainly not a part of public life at all. You can't attack other people's religions the same way. There is a certain kind of insistence on tolerance in Canada that is intolerant."

—Openly gay comedian Scott Thompson of Kids in the Hall, to Philadelphia Gay News, April 25.

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

—Australian Attorney-General Robert McClelland announcing April 29 that Australia will change some 100 laws to extend equal rights to same-sex couples.

"Who in the hideous McGreevey battle are we supposed to root for? He, who seized on wifey as a beard to further his political cause, banging her occasionally to either procreate or to get closer to the man in the three-way? Or she, who aligned herself to a rising star to live a pampered life in the spotlight, then claimed complete ignorance when she finally got the memo the entire world had already digested? I say they should both go to hell!"

--Gay Village Voice columnist Michael Musto on his blog, May 6.

"For the third year in a row this man (Mayor Yuri Luzhkov) has deprived me and my fellow activists of the right to go on the streets with human rights slogans in support of sexual minorities, openly branding us as satanists and weapons of mass destruction. Two years ago, as part of the first Moscow Gay Pride, I tried to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier next to the Kremlin wall as a sign of our fight against fascism. I was allowed to go no further than the closed doors of Alexandrovskiy Garden where fascist extremists of contemporary Russia pulled the flowers out of my hands and crushed them while I was arrested by militia as a criminal. The next day Mayor Luzhkov said that gays wanted to be irreverent about our sacred place and 'they were justly beaten.'"

--Pioneering Russian gay activist Nikolai Alekseev writing in London's Guardian, May 8.

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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

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Solution to puzzle, page 35

House or Apartment for Rent

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HOUSE FOR RENT

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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Samuel J. Kelly, LCSW-C Ellen Schwartz Patterson, LCSW-C The Shell Building, Suite 108

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 •

HEALTH INSURANCE Trey Ellison III Alliance for Affordable Services Baltimore, MD 443-468-6171

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 Lynda Dee, Attorney at Law 201 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-332-1170 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

MORTGAGE SERVICES Marva J. Laws American Financial Resources Bel Air, MD 410-734-6688 1-888-553-5513 Richard Pazornik SunTrust Mortgage 410-561-4139 www.suntrustmortgage.com/rp azornik 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

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Long & Foster Real Estate 10805 Hickory Ridge Rd. Columbia, MD 21044 410-715-7891 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.

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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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