Vol. 30, No. 18, September 5 - September 18, 2008

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 1

SEPTEMBER 5 - SEPTEMBER 18 VOLUME XXX, NUMBER 18 WWW.BALTIMOREGAYLIFE.COM

IN THIS ISSUE

PAGE 16: SEXY POLITICS: MY ENCOUNTER WITH FIERCE

PAGE 35: FIND YOUR FEET: WHAT IS YOGA?

PAGE 37: HERO AIDSWALK 2008 CALLS ON MARYLANDERS TO ADDRESS THE HIV/AIDS CRISIS: AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS LEONE

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 2

PA G E 2 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 3

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 3

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 4

WHAT’S INSIDE FEATURES PAGE 14 Whatchoo Talkin’ Bout, Willis? Rejoice! Chris Willis— gospel singer-turned-dancehall hitmaker—finally has something to celebrate. By Mikey Rox

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 27 – FICTION Leather for Days. By Shayna Rockswell

PAGE 16

PAGE 30 – PENCIL ME IN

Sexy Politics: My Encounter with FIERCE. By Shayna Robinson

Calendar. By Maddy Dwertman

PAGE 37

PAGE 30 - MUSIC

HERO AIDSWalk 2008 Calls on Marylanders to Address the HIV/AIDS Crisis. An Interview with Chris Leone.

Sensibility and Sensation. By DJ Alex Funk

PAGE 32 – DINING OUT

NEWS

CiCi’s Pizza Buffet. By John Cullen and Marty Shayt

PAGE 33 - THEATRE

PAGE 5 – LOCAL NEWS Local Author Set to Release 3rd Novel; GLCCB Announces Outoberfest; Marc Evan Hurley; Dine Out for Life on Thursday, September 18. Compiled by Maddy Dwertman

241 W. Chase Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone: 410.837.7748 Fax: 410.837.8889 Email: editor@baltimoregaylife.com Brian Flottemesch President of GLCCB Maddy Dwertman Editor editor@baltimoregaylife.com

Michael Nguyen Art Director Sales National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 CONTRIBUTORS Nicole Bettis John Cullen Marry Elaine Mario Fernandez Alex Funk Bill Kelley Marvelous Marva Kelly D. McClain Rev. Irene Monroe David Placher

Shayna Robinson Shayna Rockswell MIkey Rox Marty Shayt SirK Gwendolyn Ann Smith Braondon Voss Rex Wockner Prudence Worthington

HEALTH

PAGE 7 – NATIONAL NEWS

PAGE 35 –FIND YOUR FEET

365 Open GLBTs at Democratic Convention; Calif. Supremes: Doctors Can't Discriminate Against Gays; Law Schools to Honor Hyatt Boycott; Zogby Poll: Americans Would be OK with a Gay President; Knights Give $1 million to Undo California Marriages; GLAAD: 1,049 U.S. Daily Newspapers Accept Gay Wedding Announcements; Poll: New Jerseyans Ready for Same-Sex Marriage; Indian Tribe Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage; Arkansans to Vote on Gay Adoption Ban; Equality California Gives $4 Million to Save Same-Sex Marriage. Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley.

What is Yoga? By Kelly D. McClain

PAGE 10 – INTERNATIONAL NEWS 600 March in Mumbai; Berlin Gay Holocaust Memorial Vandalized; Argentina Extends Pensions to Gay Couples; 10 Olympians were Openly Gay; British Spy Agency Seeks Openly Gay Members; Lithuania Blocks EU Antidiscrimination Truck from Public Property;35,000 at Ottawa Pride; 300 Gay Cops, Staffers March in Manchester; Only Publicly Gay Man at Olympics Wins Gold Medal.

By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley.

HOME PAGE 39 –REA: ESTATE Seven Days, Seven Projects for a Kitchen that Sells

COMMUNITY & COLUMNS PAGE 29 – DO AS I SAY Love in the Age of the Interweb. By Miss Prudence Worthington

PAGE 40 - FROM THE TOP Getting Collared. By SirK

PAGE 41 - COMMUNITY CALENDAR

art@baltimoregaylife.com sales@baltimoregaylife.com

On the Stage

OPINIONS

PAGE 44 - POSTAGE

PAGE 18 America’s Next Top Tanswoman. By Gwendolyn Ann Smith

FOR FUN

A Constant Somersault. By David Placher

PAGE 28 – Q PUZZLE

Will “ Feminists for Obama” Help Us at DNC?

By Rev. Irene Monroe

Urinetown

Coming From Where I’m From. By Nicole Bettis

By Marry Elaine

IMHO: Auntie Mario. By Mario Fernandez

PAGE 43 – QUOTE UNQUOTE

LHAC: We’re Experiencing History in the Making.

By Marvelous Marva

By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley

PAGE 42 – HOMOSTROLOGY

PAGE 46– BSCENE Gossip’s by Nikki Bettis

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.

PA G E 4 •

VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.BALTIMOREGAYLIFE.COM. September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 5

LOCAL NEWS Local Author Set to Release 3rd Novel Local author KI Thompson, from Columbia, Maryland, is set to release her third novel, Cooper’s Deale on September 15. She has two other novels published with Bold Strokes Books—the award winning House of Clouds (2008 Sapphic Readers' Award, 2008 Indie Book Award Finalist for Historical Fiction and 2008 Golden Crown finalist for Dramatic Fiction) and Heart of the Matter. Her short stories are published in Erotic Interludes (2-5), Fantasy: Untrue Stories of Lesbian Passion and Best Lesbian Romance 2007, as well as Best Lesbian Romance 2009. The Will to Wynne, an historical romance set during the American Revolutionary War, is due out in 2010.

In Cooper’s Deale, two would-be lovers and a decidedly inopportune murder spell trouble, no matter which way the cards fall.

Nothing ever seems to go right in Addy Cooper’s life. To begin with, she loses her job in California when her boss is arrested for importing Russian brides and exporting bootleg copies of yet-to-be-released movies. Her partner dumps her for the butch UPS delivery driver. And to top it all off, the grandmother who raised Addy and Tommy, her mentally disabled brother, dies suddenly when a piece of space debris the size of a Kenmore dishwasher lands on her, killing her instantly.

Returning to the small town she grew up in, Addy is forced to support herself and Tommy by taking on boarders. Her life appears to be returning to normal until she finds herself caught between two love interests, both of whom suspect her of murder. What more can go wrong? Plenty.

Thompson will launch her newest book in Baltimore with three events in September. On September 21 at 4 p.m., Thompson will read and sign all of her books, including Cooper’s Deale and the award-winning House of Clouds, at a single women’s social sponsored by Read Street Books & Coffee (229 W. Read St., Baltimore, MD). She will also sign books at the Baltimore Book Festival on September 27 from 1-3 p.m. and September 28 from noon-2 p.m. If you miss her in Baltimore, Thompson will be in PTown for Women’s Week beginning on October 12.

If you come out to any of these events, you may get a glimpse of Thompson’s work in progress, a historical romance set during the last two years of the American Revolution.

For additional information about KI Thompson and upcoming events, visit www.boldstrokesbooks.com, www.baltimorebookfestival.com or kithompson.com/blog.

GLCCB Announces Outoberfest The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore (GLCCB) is bringing back Outoberfest! In celebration of National Coming Out Day, the Center will be holding a block party and open house in the 200 block of W. Chase Street on Saturday, October 11 from noon until 6 p.m.

Featuring food and retail vendors, community groups and local entertainers, the event is geared primarily toward LGBT youth, but everyone is encouraged to attend. In addition to the block party, the Outoberfest open house will highlight the many programs and services of the GLCCB. The GLCCB will move its signature gala—Outrageous—to February 2009.

For additional information, or if you would like to participate as a vendor, visit www.glccb.org or call Paul Liller at 410-837-5445 x17.

Marc Evan Hurley On August 20 at 11:10 a.m., Marc Evan Hurley passed away at Stella Maris Hospice in Towson, Maryland, of complications of colon cancer. He was 46.

Mr. Hurley was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from the Baltimore Culinary Institute and worked as a chef at Grauls Market in Timonium, Maryland in the prepared foods division for 9 years.

Dine Out for Life on Thursday, September 18 Baltimore restaurants are gearing up for Moveable Feast’s 15th annual Dining Out for Life. The organization’s oldest and second largest fundraiser, Dining Out for Life is a fundraising event that everyone can participate in. Diners can support the organization simply by dining out at one of the 45 participating restaurants on September 18. All restaurants have agreed to donate at least 20% of their dinner sales to Moveable Feast. Eleven restaurants will donate more than 20% this year, with Getrude’s at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Meli Patisserie and Bistro in Fells Point, The Brewer’s Art in Mt. Vernon and Woodbury Kitchen donating 50%. In addition, a handful of restaurants will donate a portion of their lunch proceeds, and XS in Mount Vernon will donate proceeds from breakfast, lunch and dinner. More restaurants are participating at a higher percentage this year than any other year.

For 19 years, Moveable Feast has been providing services to communities in Baltimore City, the five surrounding counties and the Eastern Shore. The organization’s primary mission is to deliver meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, feeding not only the direct client but also children and other family members. Over the past 4 years, Moveable Feast has also begun delivering to women living with breast cancer. In addition to nutritional services, the organization has a culinary training program that trains people to secure above minimum-wage employment in food industries and two transportation programs—People on the Move, a shuttle service that transports homeless individuals in Baltimore City, and medical transportation for clients.

In March, Moveable Feast moved into its first permanent home in East Baltimore, about 6 blocks from Johns Hopkins Hospital. The primary tenant in a building that houses 7 nonprofits, the organization now has a wonderful kitchen that will allow staff to increase client services, as well as expanded office and preparation space.

Moveable Feast’s oldest and second largest fundraiser, Dining Out for Life is of great importance to the expansion of the organization. “The proceeds of Dining Out for Life are unrestricted funds that enable us to increase services to our clients. It gives us stability feed children or other family members that restricted government funds do not allow us to serve. It also helps with training programs and other programs the organization offers,” explained Ted Blakenship, Moveable Feast’s development associate.

We’ll all be hungry on September 18, so check out the list of participating restaurants at www.mfeast.org and make reservations to dine out for life.

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

He is survived by his family— brothers Tim and Ted Hurley, sisterin-law Jodie Raver-Hurley and nephew Thomas Hurley, Jr. Memorial services were held at Loring-Byers Funeral Home in Randallstown, Maryland.

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 5

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 6

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

July 25 - August 7, 2008

• PA G E 6

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 7

NATIONAL NEWS

by Rex Wockner with Bill Kelly

365 Open GLBTs at Democratic Convention Don't Tell,' and we can oppose divisive constitutional amendments that would strip civil rights and benefits away from LGBT Americans because discrimination has no place in a nation founded on the promise of equality," Mrs. Obama said.

Some 365 openly GLBT delegates and other participants attended the Democratic National Convention in Denver—up from 275 at the 2004 convention, according to National Stonewall Democrats.

California led the way with at least 63 GLBT delegates, alternates, state committee members and pages, followed by New York with 28 and Florida and Texas with 21 each, Stonewall reported.

"In the world as it should be, anyone willing to put in an honest day's work can make a good living and support their family. [And] employers are held accountable for discrimination against LGBT Americans. The federal government fully protects all of us -- in the world as it should be -including LGBT Americans, especially against hate crimes. That's the world as it should be."

At the other end of the spectrum, states with a single GLBT attendee included Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi and Wyoming. And there were none from American Samoa, Nebraska, North Dakota and the Virgin Islands.

Stonewall said it was happy with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's selection of Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., as his running mate.

"The Democrats now have a national ticket that is ready to lead our party to victory this November," said Executive Director Jon Hoadley.

The Human Rights Campaign called Biden "a proven and effective advocate for fairness and equality."

"Sen. Biden's record in the United States Senate is one of support and understanding that has been unwavering throughout his career," said HRC President Joe Solmonese.

As the convention opened Aug. 25, speakers at the main podium addressed gay issues.

"Barack Obama will close the book on the old politics of race and gender and group against groups, and straight against gay," said U.S. Sen.

Calif. Supremes: Doctors Can't Discriminate Against Gays Doctors can't discriminate against gay people because they disapprove of homosexuality, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously Aug. 18.

The ruling came in the case of Guadalupe "Lupita" Benítez of Oceanside in San Diego County, who was denied assistance in getting pregnant by North Coast Women's Care Medical Group, the only such facility covered by her insurance plan.

Doctors at the group claimed their

Barack Obama and vice presidential candidate Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention. DNCC/Jackson Solway photo Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who is ill with brain cancer.

fellow Democrats. Because, boy, do we ever need a change."

Democratic National Committee Treasurer Andrew Tobias told delegates: "In just the last eight years, the Republicans have cut the value of the U.S. dollar almost in half and added $4 trillion to our children's debt. They've done this in just eight years. And now they want four more? As an investor, I yearn for a president who looks to financial heroes, not corporate lobbyists, for economic advice. As a gay man, I yearn for a president who believes in equal rights for all Americans. But most of all, as an American, I yearn for a president that the world can root for and be inspired by. Because having much of the world on our side again would not only be good for our national security, it would be good for business. Vote Obama, my

Obama and the party platform are in agreement with gay leaders on every gay issue except marriage.

Christian beliefs prevented them from inseminating Benítez.

tions, thus precluding any such establishment or its agents from telling patrons that it will not comply with the Act."

But the court declared that constitutional protections for religious liberty do not excuse unlawful discrimination.

"Defendant physicians contend that exposing them to liability for refusing to perform the IUI (intrauterine insemination) medical procedure for plaintiff infringes upon their First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of religion. Not so," the court said.

"California's Unruh Civil Rights Act imposed on business establishments certain antidiscrimination obliga-

PA G E 7 •

Obama has said he believes "marriage is the union between a man and a woman ... a sacred union -God's in the mix."

But he opposes constitutional amendments -- state or federal -- to enforce his definition of marriage, and supports civil-union laws that grant same-sex couples the rights of marriage.

On Tuesday, Aug. 26, Michelle Obama attended a luncheon for gay delegates and dignitaries, receiving a raucous reception.

"We can work together to repeal laws like DOMA and 'Don't Ask,

Lambda Legal's Jennifer Pizer, who argued Benítez's case before the court, commented: "There's a great diversity of religious beliefs in California, and they're all protected—but not to the point where laws are violated and other people are hurt. Each of us is protected both in our religious beliefs and also from religiously based discrimination in the doctor's office and other commercial settings."

July 25 - August 7, 2008

Hillary Clinton mentioned gays briefly in her Tuesday remarks to the full convention.

"I ran for president ... to fight for an America defined by deep and meaningful equality -- from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights, from ending discrimination to promoting unionization to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families," she said.

On Wednesday, openly lesbian U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., addressed the convention on health care issues. She didn't mention gay issues or her sexual orientation.

At the convention's end on Thursday, in his nomination acceptance speech, Obama said, "I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination."

Benítez said that even though her battle with the medical group took nearly 10 years to win, "it was worth it."

"It's wrong and shocking that some doctors felt their religious beliefs allowed them to ignore the law and discriminate," she said. "This isn't just a win for me personally and for other lesbian women ... it's a win for everyone, because anyone could be the next target if doctors are allowed to pick and choose their patients based on religious views about other groups of people."

Benítez, 36, now has three children.

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 8

NATIONAL NEWS Law Schools to Honor Hyatt Boycott About 200 GLBT activists and others gathered at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego on July 18 to launch a boycott of the hotel. The hotel's owner, prominent local businessman Doug Manchester, donated $125,000 to the campaign that placed an initiative on the November ballot to amend the California Constitution to undo the state Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage.

Prominent British gay activist Peter Tatchell (pictured), who was in town to serve as international grand marshal of the gay pride parade, joined the demonstration. Photo by Rex Wockner

The Association of American Law Schools said Aug. 18 it will move the events of its January 2009 annual meeting from San Diego's Manchester Grand Hyatt to the Marriott hotel next door.

Attendees are scheduled to stay in, and events had been planned for, both hotels.

The Hyatt is being boycotted by gay groups, unions and others because the owner of the local hotel, Doug Manchester, gave $125,000 to the campaign to amend the California Constitution to re-ban same-sex marriage. Voters will face a ballot proposition to that effect Nov. 4.

"Several years ago the Association booked rooms at the

Zogby Poll: Americans Would be OK with a Gay President Sixty-five percent of Americans could support an openly gay candidate for president of the U.S. and 71 percent would be fine with the appointment of an openly gay Cabinet secretary, a Zogby International poll has found.

San Diego Marriott and the Manchester Grand Hyatt," the AALS Executive Committee said. "Our contracts with the hotels provide that each hotel reserve a block of guest rooms, and leave to the AALS the choice of where to locate the AALS Registration, Exhibit Hall, Section Programs, Presidential Programs, and House of Representatives meetings. We will honor our contracts with both hotels, and we have exercised our option to hold all AALS events at the Marriott to ensure the maximum participation by our members."

"Faculty and staff at law schools will soon receive housing information and you will be able to choose your individual hotel room on a first-come, first-served basis."

the East or West of the nation, Democrats and independent voters, Asians and blacks, and Catholics and Jews.

Support came from 86 percent of people age 18-24, 66 percent of people age 35-69, and 60 percent of people over age 70. The lowest level of support (49 percent) came from people age 25-34.

Sixty-seven percent could support an openly gay vice-presidential candidate and 69 percent are OK with an openly gay candidate for Senate.

Democrats were more supportive (77 percent) than Republicans (52 percent), and women (67 percent) were more supportive than men (63 percent).

"These results prove that most Americans want to be fair to gay people," said Chuck Wolfe, president of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute. "Our aspiration is to always see each other as individuals first, and though we may not always succeed at that, our underlying fairness and decency means that one day soon we will. This marks tremendous progress for our community and for the voting public."

Ninety percent of Asians said they would be fine with an openly gay presidential candidate, followed by 69 percent of African Americans, 67 percent of Hispanics and 64 percent of whites.

Support for a gay presidential candidate was highest among the youngest adults, people who live in PA G E 8 •

Jews (89 percent) and Catholics (81 percent) polled much more open to the idea than Protestants (53 percent).

The mid-August poll questioned 1,089 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

There are more than 415 openly

GLBT elected officials in the U.S., ten times more than 20 years ago.

Knights Give $1 million to Undo California Marriages The Roman Catholic fraternal organization Knights of Columbus has given $1 million to the campaign to amend the California Constitution to undo the state Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage.

Voters will face a ballot measure to that effect Nov. 4.

"Right-wing organizations ... will stop at nothing to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry," said Equality California Executive Director Geoffrey Kors. "They want to target same-sex couples to be treated differently under the California Constitution, a document that was created to ensure our equality. We need your help to stop them!"

Such help can be provided at http://www.eqca.org/NOon8/donate.

September 5, - September 18, 2008

GLAAD: 1,049 U.S. Daily Newspapers Accept Gay Wedding Announcements The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said Aug. 18 that 1,049 daily U.S. newspapers now accept same-sex wedding announcements— a 15-fold increase since 2002.

According to the group, 83 percent of all U.S. newspaper consumers now read a paper that accepts wedding announcements from same-sex couples, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have newspapers that print announcements for gay and lesbian couples, all but three of the nation's top 100 media markets are home to newspapers with an inclusive announcement policy, and every daily newspaper in nine states and the District of Columbia prints wedding announcements for same-sex couples.

The states batting 100 percent are Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont. In addition, California and New York each have only one daily newspaper that will not print the announcements.

However, of the 1,049 papers, only 339 of them ever have received a same-sex wedding announcement to print, GLAAD found.

"Local newspapers across the country are reflecting the growing visibility of our lives and our commitments by opening their pages to these stories," said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "When we seize that opportunity to share our milestones and celebrations, we help Americans see the diversity of our community and recognize the common ground that we share."

A new GLAAD Web page offers an interactive state-by-state map of newspapers with inclusive policies, guidelines for submitting announcements, and related resources and tips.

Poll: New Jerseyans Ready for Same-Sex Marriage A Zogby Poll released Aug. 19 found that 59 percent of New Jerseyans support granting same-sex couples access to marriage "if public officials conclude that the civilunion law has not worked to provide same-sex couples the legal protections that marriage would."

Thirty-six percent oppose the idea.

Sixty-nine percent said marriage equality is inevitable in New Jersey, while 21 percent think it isn't.

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 9

In the meantime, 57 percent of New Jerseyans would support Gov. Jon Corzine's following the lead of New York Gov. David Paterson and recognizing same-sex marriages entered into outside the state. Thirty-seven percent oppose the idea.

Seventy-one percent said there will be no backlash against legislators who vote to legalize same-sex marriage, and 67 percent said legalizing same-sex marriage won't "hurt the institution of marriage for heterosexual couples."

"No one should doubt the meaning of these numbers," said Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality. "New Jersey wants to end discrimination in marriage, and is ready for our public officials to do it right now. The civil-union law is one of the greatest civil rights failures of our time. New Jersey sees that, and understands that justice delayed is justice denied."

Zogby polled 803 likely voters in mid-August and reported an error margin of 3.5 percent.

Indian Tribe Legalizes SameSex Marriage The Coquille Indian Tribe in Oregon legalized same-sex marriage in August after tribe member Kitzen Branting, 25, and her partner, Jeni Branting, said they wanted to get married.

The tribe is a federally recognized sovereign nation and is not bound by the Oregon Constitution, which bans same-sex marriage.

However, the move may conflict with the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from treating same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose.

It could possibly test the limits of tribal sovereignty.

Tribe chief Ken Tanner told the Oregonian newspaper that Native Americans are "sensitive to discrimination of any kind."

"For our tribe, we want people to walk in the shoes of other people and learn to respect differences. Through that, we think we build a stronger community," he said.

The tribe's culture committee reviewed tribal history and concluded that same-sex partnerships had been accepted with no exclusions from tribal citizenship, the community or spiritual activities.

Kitzen Branting told the newspaper, "I wanted my tribal family to say, 'Yes, we recognize that you are equal to any other tribal member, and you are just as important, and your spouse should have the same rights as any other spouse.'"

Jeni Branting said, "We just want to do what everyone else does."

The couple will marry in May in the tribe's meeting hall in Coos Bay.

Arkansans to Vote on Gay Adoption Ban A measure to ban adoption and fostering by gay and other unmarried couples is set to appear on the November ballot in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Family Council Action Committee collected 85,389 signatures of registered voters to force the proposal to a vote.

In 2006, Arkansas' Supreme Court struck down a regulation that barred gays from becoming foster parents.

Opponents of the new proposed law said they will sue to remove the initiative from the ballot, arguing it violates the state constitution and has other legal problems.

Equality California Gives $4 Million to Save Same-Sex Marriage Equality California announced Aug. 26 that it has given another $1 million to the campaign to beat back a proposed constitutional amendment to re-ban same-sex marriage in California -- bringing the group's total donations to $4 million.

Voters will decide the matter Nov. 4.

Three recent polls have found that between 51 percent and 54 percent of California voters oppose the amendment and between 40 percent and 42 percent support it.

"Thanks to ... the amazing generosity of many EQCA supporters, we have met the latest challenge by the Knights of Columbus (which recently gave $1 million in support of the amendment)," said EQCA Executive Director Geoffrey Kors.

"Unfortunately, the opposition has now made their next move. We've just learned that they have made a multimillion-dollar television ad buy in eight media markets across California and they are going to start weeks before most campaigns start running advertising."

"This is the fight of our lives," Kors said. "The supporters of Prop 8 have called this their last chance to win the culture war—and they are willing to spend tens of millions of dollars to ensure their victory."

Donations to fight the amendment can be made at http://www.eqca.org/NOon8/donate.

The California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in May and the ruling took effect June 16. The court said the state constitution contains a fundamental right to marry and that the ban on same-sex marriage violated the document's guarantee of equal protection under the law.

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 9

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 10

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

by Rex Wockner with Bill Kelly

600 March in Mumbai Some 600 people took part in the Queer Freedom March Aug. 16 in Mumbai (Bombay), India.

The date, one day after Indian Independence Day, was chosen "to say that it's time for us to get our freedom from being treated as criminals under Indian law," said Vikram Doctor, one of the organizers.

Marchers set off from August Kranti Maidan, a park in South Mumbai where in August 1942 Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi launched the Quit India movement, the call for the British to leave the country once and for all.

"Today we invoke the father of our nation's spirit and call on the British government to apologize for the legacy of hatred they left us in the form of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code," gay activist Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil said before the parade stepped off.

"Through this law, the idea of treating homosexuals as criminals was imposed by the colonial government on the more tolerant traditions of India.

Through laws like Section 377, the British imposed Victorian ideas of morality that have come back to haunt us in the form of rising HIV rates among queer men who are forced to have sex in secret and unsafely, in the form of persecution of hijras (eunuchs) who are treated as unnatural despite their ancient history in India, and in the form of the suppression of the lives of women who love women."

Section 377 bans gay sex under penalty of up to 10 years in prison. An ongoing court case could see the law "read down" so it no longer applies to consensual sex between adults.

Berlin Gay Holocaust Memorial Vandalized Berlin's new memorial commemorating the tens of thousands of homosexuals persecuted by the Nazis was damaged by vandals Aug. 16.

The large, gray rectangular block— 11.8 feet (3.6 meters) tall and 6.2 feet (1.9 meters) wide—is breached only by a small window on one side through which visitors can view a 90-second black-and-white art film of two men kissing.

The vandals smashed the window.

The following day, openly gay Mayor Klaus Wowereit joined a demonstration at the site, saying: "An attack against this memorial is clearly directed against homosexuals—that can be said without waiting for further police investigations.

We must show our condemnation of this act of intolerance and homophobia."

Ironically, the $942,000 box— designed by the Danish-Norwegian duo Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset and paid for by the federal government—is accompanied by a plaque that reads, "A simple kiss could land you in trouble."

"In many parts of the world people PA G E 1 0 •

are still persecuted because of their sexual identity, homosexual love is a criminal offense and a kiss can spell danger," it says.

The memorial, unveiled May 27, sits in the Tiergarten park, half a block from the Brandenburg Gate across from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

Some 54,000 homosexuals were arrested by the Nazis and 7,000 were exterminated.

Some 600 people took part in the Queer Freedom March Aug. 16 in Mumbai (Bombay), India. Photo by Minal Mehta

was informally presented to Argentina's Congress in May by the head of the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism.

The bill now sits with the Ministry of Justice, Security and Human Rights, which likely will arrange for it to be formally introduced into Congress by the executive branch.

10 Olympians were Openly Gay

Argentina Extends Pensions to Gay Couples

Of the 10,500 athletes who competed in the Beijing Olympics, only 10 were publicly gay, reported Outsports.com.

Argentina extended its pension system to cover same-sex couples Aug. 18.

Of those, nine were lesbians. The lone gay man was Australian diver Matthew Mitcham.

When a couple has lived together for five years prior to one of the individuals' deaths, the surviving partner will qualify.

The out lesbians were Judith Arndt (Germany, cycling), Imke Duplitzer (Germany, fencing), couple Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg (Norway, handball), Natasha Kai (U.S., soccer), Lauren Lappin (U.S., softball), Victoria "Vickan" Svensson (Sweden, soccer), Rennae Stubbs (Australia, tennis) and Linda Bresonik (Germany, soccer).

The move, the first gay-rights measure implemented nationwide, came in the form of a decree from the federal government.

Activists plan to continue pushing for a national civil-union law like the ones already in place in several Argentine cities.

A bill legalizing same-sex marriage

Outsports also took note of openly bisexual U.S. softball player Vicky Galindo.

September 5, - September 18, 2008

British Spy Agency Seeks Openly Gay Members Britain's domestic spy agency, MI5, hopes to recruit more gay members and encourage current agents to come out.

The agency has hired top gay lobby group Stonewall to help make it happen.

"I am optimistic that in 10 to 15 years (MI5's) employment profile will look very much like modern Britain," said Stonewall head Ben Summerskill. "There is no reason why there shouldn't be a lesbian or gay director-general."

Lithuania Blocks EU Antidiscrimination Truck from Public Property The mayors of Vilnius and Kaunas in Lithuania blocked the European Union's antidiscrimination truck from parking on public property in their cities Aug. 20-22.

The European Commission, which sponsors the touring truck, responded by arranging for it to visit supermarket parking lots instead.

The "For Diversity - Against Discrimination" truck travels Europe

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 11

35,000 at Ottawa Pride

Some 1,200 marchers and 34,000 spectators turned out for the 19th gay pride parade in Ottawa, Ontario, on Aug. 24. Photo by Ima Ortega, Capital XTRA! Some 1,200 marchers and 34,000 spectators turned out for the 19th gay pride parade in Ottawa, Ontario, on Aug. 24.

The march went down Wellington Street to City Hall, with stops at the Parliament Buildings and the federal Supreme Court, both of which played a role in Canada's legalization of same-sex marriage.

"It's important for us to keep ... celebrating those victories," Capital Pride spokesman Julien Lavoie told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

"And maybe there's still some inequalities that gays and lesbians face."

promoting diversity and tolerance and raising awareness about EU legislation prohibiting discrimination based on gender, disability, age, religion, belief, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

In banning the truck, Kaunas Mayor Andrius Kupcinskas stated that the "homosexual festival may cause many negative emotions."

"The mayors of Vilnius and Kaunas are sending a clear message that LGBT people are still not welcome in their diverse communities and are creating some kind of 21st-century apartheid," said Lithuanian Gay League Chair Vladimir Simonko.

"Homosexuals who find it impossible to live in such a situation are forced to emigrate to more tolerant European cities."

Last year, Kaunas banned the truck from entering the city at all.

300 Gay Cops, Staffers March in Manchester In the largest such grouping ever, 300 gay and lesbian police officers and staffers marched in the gay pride parade in Manchester, England, Aug. 23.

The cops came from 16 police forces around the United Kingdom.

"I am totally overwhelmed with the response we have had this year," Sgt. Julie Barnes-Frank, coordinator

of Greater Manchester Police's Lesbian and Gay Staff Affiliation, told the Press Association. "Each year our presence gets bigger and bigger and this year it is true to say there's never been anything like it in the world."

Meanwhile, England's most southwesterly county, Cornwall, saw its first gay pride parade Aug. 23 in the city of Truro.

Some 600 people marched and the Gay Police Association flag flew from the Truro Police Station.

Only Publicly Gay Man at Olympics Wins Gold Medal The only publicly gay man participating in the Beijing Olympics won a gold medal in 10-meter platform diving Aug. 22.

In so doing, Matthew Mitcham of Australia recorded the highest-scoring dive in Olympic history.

"I think it's something to beat next time," Mitcham, 20, told the Sydney Morning Herald afterward.

"Everything, absolutely everything, has been for this. I knew it was a far chance but I did everything, absolutely everything I could, to give myself the best chance of doing it. It's actually happened. I never thought it would."

Mitcham's

partner,

Lachlan

continued on page 13

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 1 1

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 12

Find luxury, comfort, convenience and style in both of our beautifully appointed all-suite hotels. We're just footsteps off historic Charles Street in downtown Baltimore.

Our suites are filled with world-class amenities and our personal attention to detail will make any stay a memorable experience. In addition to our comfortable features, we offer complimentary high-speed internet in every suite and your choice of two restaurants, a lounge, a gourmet deli and a dessert shop.

410.727.2222 www.TREMONTS.com PA G E 1 2 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 13

INT’L News - continued from page 11

Fletcher, attended the Olympics on a grant from Johnson & Johnson's Athlete Family Support Program.

"Coming out publicly, that was a first," said Mitcham's mother, Vivien.

"The highest score awarded to an Olympic dive ever, another first. How many more firsts can this child get?"

Mitcham came out in a May interview with the Herald.

Of the 10,500 athletes who competed in the Olympics, only 10 were publicly gay, according to Outsports.com.

The other nine were lesbians: Judith Arndt (Germany, cycling), Imke Duplitzer (Germany, fencing), couple Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg (Norway, handball), Natasha Kai (U.S., soccer), Lauren Lappin (U.S., softball), Victoria "Vickan" Svensson (Sweden, soccer), Rennae Stubbs (Australia, tennis) and Linda Bresonik (Germany, soccer). Outsports also took note of openly bisexual U.S. softball player Vicky Galindo.

Hammerseng, Nyberg and Kai also took home gold medals.

Lappin and Galindo won silver medals and Bresonik snagged a bronze.

Newsweek Encounters Obstacles Reporting on Gays in Iraq Newsweek ran into obstacles left and right in attempting to do a story on gays in Iraq, the magazine reported on its Web site Aug. 26 in an article titled, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Do Kill."

"Nobody wants to talk about gays in Iraq, much less who is killing them," the article said.

After weeks of inquiries, the magazine set up a meeting with Nadir, who helps run one of the "safe houses" foreign activists fund for Iraqi gays.

But the night before their meeting, Nadir was visited by the Mahdi militia, the armed wing of the organization led by Shiite cleric Moqtada alSadr, and Nadir then called off the meeting.

"That was only one of many problems reporting on gays in Iraq," Newsweek said. "Iraqi authorities scoffed at the subject—when not scolding a reporter for even asking about it. Some of Newsweek's own local staff were wary of the story.

Virtually no government officials would sit for an interview. And the United Nations human rights office, which has a big presence in Iraq, dodged the subject like a mine field."

Gay men the magazine did manage to talk to told stories of being

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

thrown out of their homes and "savagely attacked" by Shia extremists from the Badr Corps or members of the Mahdi Army.

Killing gays has become "honorable" in Iraq, the report said.

"And raping them is OK because it isn't considered a homosexual act— only being penetrated or providing oral sex is."

The report concluded, "Changing Iraq's attitudes toward its gay minority may prove even harder than ending the war."

Church to Separate Bodies of Cardinal Newman and Partner In preparation for making him a saint, the Roman Catholic Church will dig up the body of influential 19th-century English Cardinal John Henry Newman and move it to a church in Birmingham.

The move will separate Newman's body from that of fellow priest Ambrose St. John, with whom Newman lived for three decades and beside whom he demanded, in his will, that he be buried. The men's graves share a headstone.

Newman's will said: "I wish, with all my heart, to be buried in Father Ambrose St. John's grave—and I give this as my last, my imperative will."

September 5, - September 18, 2008

Some British gay activists have suggested the decision is based on a desire to obscure evidence of Newman's alleged homosexuality prior to canonization.

Gay leader Peter Tatchell called the exhumation "an act of grave robbery and religious desecration."

"It violates Newman's repeated wish to be buried for eternity with his lifelong partner," Tatchell told The Independent. "They have been together for more than 100 years and the Vatican wants to disturb that peace to cover up the fact that Cardinal Newman loved a man. It's a shameful, dishonorable betrayal of Newman by the gay-hating Catholic Church."

When St. John died, Newman wrote, "I have ever thought no bereavement was equal to that of a husband's or a wife's, but I feel it difficult to believe that any can be greater, or anyone's sorrow greater, than mine."

Church officials claim that Newman was not gay and that saints' graves must be easily accessible to the faithful.

They have accused Tatchell and others of mistakenly superimposing today's categories onto Victorian times when intense and passionate but celibate same-sex relationships apparently were common among Anglo-Catholics.

• PA G E 1 3

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 14

In a recent interview, the wide-eyed Willis spills the milk on his storied past, including his pursuit of all things musical, raising God’s roof and how being gay ultimately turned him away, meeting his match in DJ Guetta, why he’ll never be considered a one-hit wonder, processing his success, and the most important lesson he’s learned so far.

Like how it’s never too late for that one big break.

Although the mainstream public is just learning your name, you’ve been performing professionally for the better part of 20 years. What influenced you to pursue music?

A couple things. My parents were very musical—my mom played piano and my dad was a musician— so there was always music in our house. But it probably wasn’t until MTV happened that I was like, ‘Ah, that’s what I want to do.’ That was probably my biggest influence.

As an aspiring artist growing up in Dayton, Ohio, what experiences helped shape who you are today?

Whatchoo Talkin’ Bout,

Willis?

by Mikey Rox

Rejoice! Chris Willis—gospel singer-turned-dancehall hitmaker—finally has something to celebrate. fter years of lending his effervescent vocals to some of the world’s most successful acts—including Kelly Clarkson, CeCe Winans, Kenny Rogers and Quincy Jones—the powerhouse, along with his internationally known producing partner French DJ David Guetta, at last has earned a spot among the Billboard elite. In fact, just several weeks after its release, “Love is Gone”, the club banger that’s lifted Willis on high, has peaked on the perennial (and nearly impossible to penetrate) Hot 100, Pop 100 and Top 40 Mainstream charts in addition to becoming YouTube’s most popular video of all time in the electronic music category.

But—divine intervention aside—how did it get there?

A

PA G E 1 4 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

I started out in gospel, so we were always in church. I just kinda got involved—the local scene, singing in groups—and my brothers and sisters and I used to sing as a quartet, so we were constantly involved in music. In high school, it was show choir. When I went to college in Alabama, I was involved in choirs and groups there. I just kept being involved in music, never really thinking about it as a career until after I finished school. My first job as a singer was out in California with a group that sang in churches, and we did like 300 concerts a year for two years. That was the point where I was like, you know what, I can do this for a living.

So from the beginning, until about 2003 when you came to New York, you were primarily performing gospel music?

Up until about 1998, I was doing mostly gospel. It wasn’t until after ’98 that I signed a deal with a small label. There was this big corporate takeover and they were buying all the small companies and letting go of all the artists that weren’t doing as much. I thought, ya know, I’m gonna embrace this as freedom and pursue a mainstream thing.

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 15

How did your sexuality affect your gospel career?

Very hard. I was very much in the closet, and I had all this angst inside.

I always felt like God really understood—but that wasn’t the message I was receiving in the church. So, when I moved out on my own I really internalized that message that God makes us who we are and that it’s up to us to embrace that or not. I chose to embrace all those things as freedom, and that freedom begat the freedom I experience now.

Did being gay have anything to do with you transitioning from gospel to more mainstream music?

Absolutely. I think there’s this unspoken denial that you go through in gospe—maybe so in other musical art forms too—but I just felt for me it just wasn’t easy to keep perpetuating that.

Would you be able to make it as an out gospel artist today?

I don’t really think about it that much. I just chose to go in another direction—and I’m really grateful that I did.

All right, so you met DJ David Guetta (pronounced Get-ta)— with whom you share credit on your latest hit “Love is Gone”— in Paris. How did that happen, and when did you start collaborating?

It’s part destiny, accident, serendipity. I was working with a band from France in Miami, just after ’98 when I finished with gospel, and as a consolation prize I got to go to Paris to do some publicity for them for their album that we had finished. One of the guys just happened to know David, and we were in David’s restaurant—David and his wife were running a few restaurants in Paris at the time—and we had a mild introduction. David, at the time, was working on an album and he was looking to do a compilation album with some instrumental tracks and some vocal. I’d been really used to meeting producers, so I sort of brushed it off like, ‘Oh, yeah, another producer.’ But, he invited me to the studio, and said, ‘Hey, let’s just vibe and see what happens.’

Believe it or not, the very next day we wrote “Just a Little More Love”.

great! I’m so happy that it’s happening, because it’s the culmination of a lot of dreams and hopes after being in Europe for a long time. It’s nice to have some love at home.

I don’t want to jinx you, but how do you plan to avoid being a onehit wonder?

Strangely enough, this is the only song that’s a big hit in America, but we’ve actually had four or five songs that were huge hits in Europe already. I don’t really think about it too much. I’m such a ‘live in the moment kind’ of person—the pressure obviously is on to recreate what you’ve done—but I pretend like it didn’t happen and just try to write the best song I can come up with. Ya know, I do what I love to do. If people love it, great. If they don’t—and it’s a great piece of work that I love and it’s gonna have legs—then it’s gonna do what it’s gonna do anyway.

What’s been the best of your journey so far?

The journey is an education. I always want to be in a position to learn something new. I love the travel.

What have you learned?

Not to take yourself too seriously.

Because, ya know, it’s music. We were just at Billboard today, and it’s very serious business, a lot of money involved, but if you focus on that, it’s very easy to get frustrated. I really just try to dwindle things down to a matter of fun. If I’m not having fun, I don’t want to be involved. But as long as I’m having a good time and people respond to that—and it’s reflected in my work and my songs— that, I think, is the biggest lesson: Make it fun. Have fun! GL Who is Mikey Rox? Who gives a fuck!

But you can visit him at www.mikeyrox.com.

It must be nice then, after 10 years or so, to see things come to fruition.

It’s always been my ambition to have some noise here in America.

I’m so glad to see that happen!

That song—“Love is Gone”—has really taken off here. Can you explain it?

I want more! (Laughs) No, it’s www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 1 5

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 16

SEXY POLITICS:

My Encounter with FIERCE

by Shayna Robinson

As a response to the discussion around radical youth culture, Gay Life writer Shayna Robinson traveled to New York City to meet the Fierce Independent Educated Radicals for Community Empowerment. Here's her story.

T

he office at West 24th Street is something like your favorite auntie’s house—big comfy couches, tons of pizza in the self-serve kitchen, lovely table lamps with pink bulbs probably, the familiar smell of non-parental respect and freshly brewed coffee wafting through the halls with the loud sounds of Spike Lee’s documentary When the Levees Broke and Rihanna’s “Disturbia” to complement.

And on this particular night, on the occasion of my first visit to this lovely space, I am greeted as soon as I step foot off of the elevator by 15 or so limber bodies huddled around the floor, working diligently at not-so-fancy Mac desktops, chit-chatting in a corner, “making a stencil for the posters and banners we’re taking to the Hurricane Katrina anniversary rally,” someone tells me.

To get my lecherous gaze under control, I commit myself to staring at the art on the walls and not at the well-dressed, good-looking, young people that surround me. Posters from previous rallies and events and pictures of members, old and new, hang in ordinary fashion, while an ornately designed poster professing the ways of sex safe lurks near the bathroom. I set my heavy bag down on the floor in a corner near a lone condom that has fallen from somewhere, perhaps the bookshelf overloaded with papers and books about sex and activism nearby. I discretely scoop it up and put it in my back pocket.

PA G E 1 6 •

I think I’m caught when someone makes moves to talk to me. “I like your hair,” they say. I breathe relief. “I’m trying to grow mine out like that but I’m going to have to wait for a while.”

“I like yours too, the way it is,” I say back.

In that moment, I notice that there are desks and cubicle divider-like structures set up at the back of the big room behind the large projection screen showing a New Orleans 9th Ward resident telling the story of their escape from flood waters. I recognize Rickke’s strong chin from a picture, next to the words Executive Director, on the FIERCE website working at a desk there.

I introduce myself. Rickke thinks we’ve met before, “in the Bay area?”, and I don’t know if that is some ultra-chic coded queer speak, some affectionate ritual, like David the Gnome’s people rubbing noses, or just a simple question.

“Um…I never lived there, but I’ve hung out there a few times,” I gesture back.

The conversation moves on quickly, though, to a mini tour of the rest of the office and introductions of other staff. There’s Krystal and Des and of course Glo, whom I have already met, technologically, on the phone, and personally, in the most awkward elevator ride of which I have ever been a part (fucking at first sight is not very professional and I'm here on business). And then there’s John, who's a member, heads up the outreach team, and is one of the two people that I’m sort of here to talk to.

So John and I tip-toe back across the room over the sea of people trying not to step on their limbs or digits to a larger conference room with a huge table in the center and lots of serious chairs surrounding it. Kim is already there copying notes from a big dry-erase board at one end of the room. John goes to turn Rihanna down on deceiving little speakers connected to an iPod that produce every pop, lick and kick of the current track in a big way. “Should I turn it down more? Is it too loud?” John asks.

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 17

“Oh, no. Not at all. It’s good,” I say.

Kim, the self-proclaimed speech person, and John, the self-identified interview-giver, are quite the dynamic duo. They categorically finish one another's sentences and have a short hand full of determined periods of silence and knowing looks that is hard to understand to an outsider like me. Not in a negative way though. They both are more than happy to share with me what they are working on.

It's a detailed plan for their next FIERCE Friday event, a party--to get old members involved again and to reach out to new ones. John and Kim have been sitting at this table for a while figuring out the number of people they want to be there, what do with them once they get there, and what to do to ensure they'll come back for future FIERCE events.

It's a very structured and organized looking plan, in neat, bold hand writing on the white board. I'm impressed so I ask where they learned to do that sort of thing.

"The Education for Liberation Project [ELP]," says Kim."It teaches us how to be better organizers and helps us with leadership development."

John chimes in, "There are three levels of it: ELP 1, ELP 2, ELP 3 [...]

The first one was on different forms of oppression. We also did the Know Your Rights training. There were workshops and lots of discussions."

Kim talks about the difficulties encountered in ELP 2, which just had its graduation last week. "When you have different people from different backgrounds with different opinions, things start to clash. And there are moments when its frustrating, but, you know, you have to just agree to disagree," John echoes.

They both tell me their goal is to become activists and advocates "and all that stuff", to become staff at FIERCE, to be like Yasmeen, FIERCE's Leadership Development Director. "Her personality and the way she handles situations, she diffuses them very well. She says something and you're just like..." and Kim lets out a long sigh that's way deeper and having to do with more than what we're talking out loud about.

Kim and John continue to answer my asinine questions and occasionally escape into back-and-forth banter about how Kim's picky about her pictures and how John pouts when he doesn't get what he wants. They rant about their experiences with FIERCE like a person does when showing you a photo album from a recent vacation, half reminiscing, half gloating, like when John did the GLSEN PSA with Lance Bass for this year's Day of Silence and how his

picture is at the top of FIERCE's website.

Kim tells me they are sort of celebrities in the neighborhood. "In the Village, we're very well-known.

'Ya'll are FIERCE!' They don't know our names they just say 'FIERCE!' and then we're like, 'We're having an event this Friday, you should come!'"

"That's the thing about FIERCE. It's all about the membership," says John.

"If there's no youth, there's no FIERCE," says Kim. "The staff always encourages the members to take part and take leadership roles," John finishes.

Throughout, they are each poised and highly engaging to the point at which I am a little intimidated. They speak about FIERCE's current campaign for a 24 hour LGBTQ youth center, the urgency possessed by homeless youth, and the lack of support for youth from nearby community centers, particularly the YES Center.

"We need people to focus on us because youth, their voices are not heard, and gay youth, their voices are definitely not heard, so we need people to advocate for us and to help us so our voices can be heard. That's definitely not happening at YES," says Kim. "FIERCE is the best place to start because they deal with so many things within the LGBT community," John says.

"I'm very happy I'm here because I would be oblivious to so many things," says Kim, in response to John's discussion of work FIERCE did around the murders of Lawrence King and Sean Bell and the work they are doing around the 3 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

And then our formal talk is over. I attempt to take some portraits of them inside near the kitchen but the light is too dim and the pictures are, of course, not up to their standards.

So we follow some other folks up the stairs and onto the roof, where people are spray painting bed sheets and pillow cases using the stencils cut out earlier in the office. Sky high buildings tower all around us and I become giddy and nervous at the same time, perhaps from the paint fumes, perhaps from the height, but mostly because I am so happy and honored to have been there, so overjoyed to have met John and Kim, so desperately wanting to be so fierce like them all. GL John and Kim would love the opportunity to talk to other young radicals here in Maryland. To join the discussion or to become their Pen Pal, send your info to staff@baltimoregaylife.com.

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 1 7

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 18

OPINIONS transmissions America's Next Top Transwoman

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith 'm not a big fan of reality television. So much of it seems cheap and tawdry, just a thin veneer over the likes of Jerry Springer.

And while many do seek to break the bounds of their genre, there remain far too many Wife Swap and Date My Ex type shows. These are programs designed to function at the lowest levels, both financially and demographically.

I

With this in mind, I have to wince a bit at the addition of a transgender person on Tyra Bank's big reality show, America's Next Top Model.

When its 11th season begins this September, Isis—a young transwoman who was last living in a

homeless shelter—will be amongst the contestants.

Isis will not be the first transwoman on television, not by a long stretch. Aleshia Brevard made a good career out of small parts of variety shows in the 1970s, even though she was not yet out. In more modern days, Calpernia Addams has made it through a season of Transamerican Love Story on the LOGO network, while Alexis Arquette did a run on VH1s The Surreal Life. A transwoman named Laverne is also on VH1, on I Want to Work for Diddy. Also notable. a transwoman named Nadia Almada won the top price in season 5 of Big

It’s a busy world, to say the least.

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

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

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

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

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

Join Certified Yoga Instructors Tim Hurley and Kelly D, McClain 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.

PA G E 1 8 •

Likewise, television has long been home to drama and comedy featuring transgender characters. The 1977 television season, for example, saw the debut of Soap featuring Billy Crystal as Jodie Campbell, a transsexual who turned out to be gay, and who later married and had a child during the run of the program. That same year, All That Glitters debuted, with Linda Gray playing a transsexual model named Linda Murkland.

This led to Bosom Buddies, David Duchovny's transsexual character in Twin Peaks, and more transsexual murderer characters in police dramas than I care to shake a stick at.

More recently, we've seen Helen Shaver as a transsexual in the illfated Richard Dreyfus vehicle, The Education of Max Bickford, and transgender storylines on All My Children, Ugly Betty, Dirty Sexy Money and many more.

Oh yes, and let us not forget decades of bad talk shows.

Indeed, one could well argue that Isis' run on American's Next Top Model is a bit of a Johnny come lately, hardly noteworthy. There are some things, however, that do make this stand out.

Take a deep breath…

Breathe easy.

Brother in the UK a small handful of years ago.

For one, this is a real transwoman with a real story, and that story is going to play out on a network station rather than on basic cable. This is the one definite difference from all of the above. She does not shy away from her transgender nature, and seems ready to bust into new territory.

Likewise, many viewers may not have even considered that a transwoman could be a model, assuming that the average transwoman will appear more like low drag than high fashion. Finally, this is also a transwoman of color, from a lower socioeconomic class than what is typically seen on television. This busts the stereotype many seem to have of transsexuality somehow being a hobby of well-to-do Caucasians.

Isis was very much hand-picked for the show, having been spotted during a photo shoot with America's Next Top Model contestants and individuals in shelters such as the one she was discovered in. It was supposedly only later that the staff knew of Isis' transgender nature.

September 5, - September 18, 2008

The show itself has tried to break stereotypes, including a winning plus-size model last season, as well as many gay contestants.

Yet, as I said at the beginning of the article, I'm not a fan of reality television. I know that it is often wellscripted, and that the production crew does all it can to make sure that dramatic, interesting things happen for the cameras.

Because of this, I cannot help but be a bit cynical, and assume that Isis is there because she'll get ratings.

People in the media—like me—will write about her. Religious groups will provide plenty of coverage from the "no press is bad press" side of things. People will tune in strictly to see someone they view as a freak, or at least freakish. America's Next Top Model, therefore, will likely be more than willing to set up Isis as much as they can.

They might be sympathetic, telling you about the plucky transsexual, pulled in from the streets and cleaned up into a beauty. They'll tell you of her plight, about the discrimination she has faced, and how brave she is in the face of daunting odds.

These are not bad things—but let us never forget that they're being played up for dramatic intent, rather than being directly educational.

People may well learn from Isis' run on the show, but the underlying goal is ratings, not education.

Of course, they might go another route with her, treating her as a spoiler, as an interloper into the sorority of modeling. At any rate, I hope the best for Isis, and also hope that people will indeed learn a thing or two from the program.

Because really, in the grand scheme of things, every time people are exposed to a transgender person, they have the opportunity to learn, Every time the dialogue is in the public arena, change can happen.

Even though there will be an editorial buffer between Isis and the viewers, she is and remains a potentially positive transgender voice in front of a sizable viewership.

That can't hurt, can it?

Gwen Smith is not America's Next Top Model, and definitely does not want to work for Diddy. You can find her on the web at www.gwensmith.com.

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 19

VOICE OF ONE

A Constant

Somersault

by David Placher any people are under the false belief that all Floridians reside in a gayperfect environment filled with beautiful men and women.

Some people also foolishly believe that the gay scene in South Beach, Miami is an accurate reflection of the entire state; that hot men are on every beach. Last week I went on a business trip to Florida, a state in which I was a former resident. As the plane touched down in Orlando, I started to wonder why my current relationship status is the same as my tenure in Florida: single. My history in Baltimore started a little over two years ago. I was presented with an opportunity to leave Florida and relocate to Maryland. When this opportunity was presented, I developed an internal feeling that I desperately needed a change. In hindsight, I wonder if I in some desired to escape the gay scene that I had grown accustomed to and seek a different gay scene.

M

Central Florida is consumed with entertainment jobs. The main entertainment industry consists of theme parks that include Walt Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World and Six Flags. If there is a stereotype that gay men love this type of work, look no further than central Florida for hard core evidence. With this type of work comes job instability. People that desire these jobs relocate to central Florida for the adventure, but leave central Florida unexpectedly and empty handed because a vast majority of entertainment jobs are unstable. It is difficult to develop a relationship with someone that can be relocated overnight.

When it came time to move, I

decided on Baltimore because it was located close to my new place of employment. Stubbornly thinking that I would definitely find someone, I became overly picky, discounting anyone that I instantly thought was unattractive. After two years in Baltimore and only two short-term relationships, I wonder if I am “relationship dysfunctional”. I blame everything external for my indecisiveness when it comes to relationship. Although I believe Baltimore and DC have several hot guys, I still find myself single. At 32-years-old I have never had a long-term relationship.

When I explain my continued single status to my friends—you know the friends that are also in the same situation—their answer is always: “Go find a one-night stand.” This logic, however, leaves one lonely in the evenings and desperate in the mornings. A lot of one night stands seem to break away after the short fling dissipates. In the mornings you awake to a new day, but the new day is yet a reflection of the previous day.

You are still alone.

Personally, I am still trying to figure out what type of person I am into. I find dark-haired Jewish or Arabic type men very attractive. I am also drawn to individuals with outgoing and fun personalities. Does having a “type” mean I will find someone that fits the description?

Does it mean I will instantly reject all other types? What about occupation? Do I look for a professional?

Do I enact some intrapersonal nondiscriminatory policy and not consider an individual’s occupation?

It is so difficult to figure these things out. Although I would be fine if I ended up alone, I believe we all try to avoid this situation. Having said that, the best advice I have heard on the subject is the following: “If it happens, it happens. But you can’t go looking for it.” For the present, I subscribe to this philosophy, but I am eagerly awaiting an adventuresome happening. I’m hoping you may have someone in mind.

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

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

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.

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 1 9

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 20

OPINIONS SPEAKING OUT! Will "Feminists for Obama" Help Us at DNC? "He can't take on this issue now and win the election. Wait until he gets into office. I think he'll do it," argues Gaby Meadows, a lesbian from Maine.

by Rev. Irene Monroe ichelle Obama won't use the F-word. Alice Walker called it by another name.

Her daughter, Rebecca Walker, an icon of the "Third Wave" of feminism, redefined the F-word and then denounced it. And when Hillary Clinton used the F-word, before she ran for president, she got clobbered with rumors stating she was an L.U.G.—lesbian until graduation—because she got married to Bill, and then an L.A.G—lesbian after graduation—because of her marriage to Bill.

M

With the Democratic National Convention this month, the delegates that identify themselves as "Feminists for Obama" will come out in droves. The trek to Colorado will be made by dykes, dykettes, dykelings, bi-sisters, trannies, and, oh yeah, our straight sisters, too. But as my LBT friends have pointed out to me, the sisterhood between straight feminists and us is strained at best and nonexistent at worst.

And with Hillary Democrats moving slowly over to the Obama camp, we LBT women also move with hesitancy given Obama's stance on same-sex marriage.

While the fault lines are already rearing up among "Feminists for Obama", so too are the fault lines of gender expressions and sexual orientation, as LBT women attempt to convince our straight sisters that our families, like theirs, matter.

And while I believe many of our straight sisters understand our struggle, will they forge a sisterhood with us against a presidential candidate who supports civil unions for same-sex couples but not marriage?

PA G E 2 0 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

During the DNC in 2004, our issues got swept under the convention-floor rug. In the Democrats' effort to neither bash Bush nor bring up hot-button topics that might turn away swing voters, the elephant in the middle of the convention floor was the issue of marriage equality.

And as the Democrats donned Republican drag, the DNC left Boston reneging on one of its platform promises: to support "equal responsibilities, benefits and protections" for LGBTQ families.

But in the Democrats' rhetoric to secure a safer world for all children, they did not understand that our children must grow up with the same rights as others and that the children of LGBTQ parents must also have those rights.

And can we, this time, rely on straight "Feminists for Obama" to help us?

Feminists for centuries have fought for reproductive justice and family protection. But they have also viewed us LBT women as a liability to the women's movement. In 1969, Betty Friedan, then president of the National Organization for Women, and an icon of the "Second Wave" of feminism, called us "the Lavender Menace". This created not only a chasm between straight and LBT feminists, but also even bigger chasms between black and white feminists, and between black men and women that still exist today and have me worried that these tensions will get played out on the convention floor.

Going into DNC 2008, "Feminists for Obama" face not only the expected infighting classic to the feminist movement, but they also face, with the current backlash to feminism, their own struggle for legitimacy.

And, a woman who benefited from the all the feminist movements—past and present—and could be important to their cause is not a feminist: the Democratic presidential nominee's wife, Michelle Obama.

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

continued on page 22

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 21

COMING FROM WHERE I’M FROM

by Nicole Bettis lot of us have questions about relationships, coming out, and family issues, but we just don’t feel comfortable talking to the people in our circle. The fear of being judged and mistreated is enough alone to stop us from seeking the advice we need. I know. I’ve been there. I didn’t have a space where I was free to ask whatever I wanted and receive great feedback, but you do. This article is dedicated to you.

You can ask absolutely anything you want from, “how to tell her you like her” to “where to tie the knot.” You can even write in anonymously. It’s totally up to you. There are no limits.

In each issue you will receive advice from yours truly and maybe even realize that there is someone out there in your exact situation. If I haven’t been there I know someone who has, and, coming from where I’m from, that means a lot.

A

How can I get my girlfriend to tell her family about us? It’s been three years. I feel like she is ashamed of me.

I was in that situation not too long ago. My girlfriend would always just say she had her reasons for not coming out to her family. Your girlfriend may have her reasons too. Ask her what they are, and then ask yourself if they’re acceptable or not. Remind her of your patience, but also let her know how you feel. Although the conversation will be very emotional on both parts, be sure not to let it turn into a screaming match or you both my wind up spending the night alone.

Trisha, 25, female Baltimore, MD What do you do when your family doesn’t understand your reasons for being gay? I want my family to get to know my girlfriend but they won’t even try!

Unfortunately, a lot of us go through this type problem at one time or another and the sad part is, every situation is different so there is no one-set solution that works for everyone. One thing that I do think will help your situation is for you to ask your family to get to know YOU first. Be open and talk to them about your lifestyle (the parts you feel most comfortable with) and ask them for their feedback, not their judgments. Part of the problem is that, in their eyes, you’ve changed and they may feel as though they really don’t know you anymore. So before you ask them to accept and

get to know a complete stranger, let them learn to love the real you.

These things take time and can’t be rushed, so be patient and they may eventually come around.

Anonymous, 26, female Harford County What is a civil union? My boyfriend keeps asking me to have one but I don’t really know what it is. Is it legally binding?

Well, a Civil Union is basically an affirmation of same-sex partnership—a ceremony celebrating partnership shared by a same-sex couple or a couple who choses not to marry.

Before it was legal for gay people to marry at all, a lot of us had civil unions to commit to one another just as heterosexual people do when they marry. The only difference is, it’s not legally binding and the government doesn’t acknowledge it. Even though it’s not legally binding, it’s still a huge commitment, so only accept if you’re serious about taking your relationship to the next level.

Marcus, 17, male Washington, DC I’ve recently cut 95% of the negativity out of my life. This action has left me quite lonely. Why do I feel like this feeling will last for awhile, and where can I find conversation, if not my soulmate, in the lesbian community?

You may feel like the feeling will last awhile because when we make decisions we usually do so in order to feel better, not to replace one bad situation with another. But at any rate, your decision was very brave and will prove to be beneficial to you in the long run. Many of us hold on to people that take more from our lives than they put into it, just so we won’t feel alone. You took the mature approach and did what you had to do for you. Finding companionship is kind of hard in the glbt community, so I would suggest looking into the groups at the GLCCB and checking out some lesbian events listed in the BWOA website.

Just be patient and you’ll be enjoying great company before you know it. Good Luck!

Juan 25, female Baltimore, MD Email any questions or comments to nikki@baltimoregaylife.com.

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 2 1

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 22

MONROE - continued from page 20

Michelle Obama told Washington Post writer Anne E. Kornblut in May 2007, just months after her husband's announcement of his run, that she's not a feminist.

"You know, I'm not that into labels," Michelle Obama told Kornblut. "So probably, if you laid out a feminist agenda, I would probably agree with a large portion of it...I wouldn't identify as a feminist, just like I probably wouldn't identify as a liberal or a progressive."

When white feminists pounced on Michelle Obama for not using the Fword, many African-American sisters came to her rescue, stating that many African-American women don't use the term "feminist" but instead prefer the term "womanist" because of the racism embedded in the feminist movement and the strained history

that remains unaddressed.

But if truth be told, the creation of the word "womanist" was to conceal "the Lavender Menace", keeping on the down-low the homosocial and homosexual relationship between two black church women.

Alice Walker specifically devised the term in response to Jean Humez's introduction to the book Gifts of Power: The Writings of Rebecca Jackson, Black Visionary, Shaker Eldress. Humez suggested that Rebecca Jackson and Rebecca Perot, who were part of an AfricanAmerican Shaker settlement in Philadelphia in the 1870s and lived with each other for more than 30 years, would be labeled lesbians in today's climate of acknowledging female relationships. Humez supported her speculations of the

IMHO Auntie Mario

’m a fabulous uncle, if I do so say myself. I love my nieces and nephews unconditionally, spoil them rotten, and teach them important life lessons like which silverware to use first and how to mix the proper Cosmopolitan. I’m the gay Auntie Mame. I revel in taking my nieces and nephews to art galleries, to New York for shows at Rockefeller Center and for shopping at Tiffany’s. I take them to Europe for their first time. I include them in my Sunday brunches with my fabulous

by Mario Fernández friends, a veritable potpourri of personalities: gay, straight, bi, trannies, black, white, yellow, purple, green, pierced, tattooed, Democrat, Republican (well, not too many Republicans…I don’t want them to be enticed and ensnared by the Republican agenda!).

I

I know that my role as an uncle is to be an educator, a facilitator to all things fabulous and to all things possible. I understand that I play an important role as a fabulous auntie. Their minds are like sponges and it’s my job to expand their horizons. When they start regurgitating their Baltimore county-living, elitist, suburban, Volvo-driving crap that surrounds them on a regular basis, I challenge their thinking. I make them watch Life Is Beautiful, Fahrenheit 9/11 and An Inconvenient Truth. I make them read the political articles in Rolling Stone and Graydon Carter’s wonderfully perceptive editorial missives in Vanity Fair. I explain to them what a chad is and how an election was stolen with it. I go to great lengths to ensure that they understand that it’s not proper or remotely ethical for a company that manufactures voting equipment to funnel millions of dollars into Republican (or Democrat…hey, I’m bi-partisan on this issue) presidential election campaign coffers.

PA G E 2 2 •

Jackson-Perot relationship by pointing to the homoerotic dreams the women had of each other. Walker disputed Humez’s right, as a white woman from a different cultural context, to define the intimacy between two African-American women.

sage out." Of the 4,300-plus delegates, 255 delegated were identified as LGBTQ. And where one would think that these people should have been the loudest advocates for marriage equality, they too skirted the issue for fear of losing the election.

But many African-American sisters don't use either term because both have been and continue to be used for lesbian-baiting in the African-American community that has kept black women from identifying themselves even to each other, let alone publicly.

Let's not make this mistake again.

In the last convention, DNC delegates who were supporters of marriage equality were disallowed from bringing signs into Boston's Fleet Center for what were cited as "security reasons" and "the campaign want[ing] to get a consistent mes-

Why? Because the distance between straight "Feminists for Obama" protecting their families and LBT women protecting our families is just a child away A native of Brooklyn, Rev. Irene Monroe served as a pastor at an African-American church before a Ford Fellowship took her to Harvard Divinity School for a doctorate.

I patiently explain to them that early Streisand is vastly superior to later Streisand. They fully understand that the phrase is not “Disco Sucks!”, but “Disco Rules!” They know that Madonna gets props for reinventing herself and changing with the times, but she cannot and will never be a good actress. I’m OK with not getting my Beck and Moby CDs back, because I know that, at least, they’re not listening to Britney or (Gasp! The horror!)

Hedi Montag. I also explain to them how much less tedious Lindsay Lohan has become now that she’s finally come out of the closet. As a corollary, I have explained the difference between a “lipstick lesbian” (Portia Di Rossi) and a “butch lesbian” (Ellen DeGeneres). That was actually an easy lesson for them to grasp. As I explained to them, when in doubt, look to see who’s wearing the wedding dress and who’s wearing the tux. Wedding dress equals lipstick lesbian and tuxedo equals butch lesbian.

I correct them when they slip into their teenage vernacular and refer to something lame or objectionable as “That’s so gay.” I know that they don’t mean anything by it and I don’t correct them in an angry way, but I correct them nonetheless. As I have often told them, you wouldn’t refer to something lame or objectionable as “That’s so African-American,” or “That’s so AsianAmerican.” I have taught them that an acceptable alternative to “gay” is what my dear, darling Prudence (who I’m sure is very well known to our regular readers) calls “festive.” They have also learned that the word “faggot” is never to come out of their mouths unless it’s in the context of St. Joan of Arc and a burning wood pyre. They can, however, say “fag” if they’re in London and are dying for a cigarette. They can also say it if it’s followed by the word “hag” and they’re talking about my closest female friends and confidantes.

They have also been taught that Emimen may be occasionally lyrically clever, but he’s no Cole Porter; that The Hills is not a reality show; and that Project Runway is a metaphor for the American Dream. They know that vodka is always stored in the freezer and that if you must eat hamburger, it’d better be covered with pancetta and bleu cheese. They must be open to culinary delights like hummus, sushi, guava jelly and queso blanco. They understand that the proper after-dinner drink in the fall and winter is a good port. Conversely, the proper after-dinner drink during the spring and hot days of summer is lemoncello. They were also taught the Coco Chanel life lesson on the art of accessories; pile them on, look at yourself in the mirror with a measured and detached eye, and remove just one accessory.

Good grooming also falls under purlieu of Auntie Mario’s life lessons.

Perfume or cologne is not sprayed on until we reek of a floral marinade and gag everyone in the elevator. We spray it into the air and we walk into it.

Subtlety is everything when it comes to scents. Sweating must be occasionally tolerated, especially if one deigns to participate in strenuous physical activity. It should not, however, be countenanced. Facials, waxings, manicures and pedicures are not frivolous expenditures. They must be thought of as preventive maintenance. And the most important life lesson that I have imparted to my nieces and nephews is that aging is a natural part of life. It must, however, never be encouraged and it should be delayed at all costs.

E-mail Mario at mfernandez@baltimoregaylife.com with the most important life lessons you learned from your favorite auntie.

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 23

LHAC

(Let’s Have A Conversation)

We’re Experiencing History in the Making

by Marvelous Marva ow how cool is that I ask... (smile) For those of us who are not quite old enough to have experienced things like not being able to vote... both women & blacks... and other outrageous displays of unfairness by others in many ways, it’s not necessary to list all of what has occurred and what others have endured for today to be a better day for us all... because I know you get it.

N

It is a wonderful thing that is happening in this country today... Not solely because the nominee for a major political party is a black man-Barack Obama--but because of all that he stands for... all that he wants to both change and do for this country and its people—all of its people!

Not just those in the blue states or the red states... not just those who look like him... but for all people collectively as it should be!

I am and have always been a person who looks at the bright side of things... because it is the little girl in me who would rather we all get along as oppose to fight. I don’t want to fight. I would much rather love than fight. Yeah, I know that everyone doesn’t think or want the same... but being the type of thinker and believer I am... I’m putting my money on most of us preferring the same... so we must not allow negative forces to have any power. I try to defuse them with positivity when I can.

ATTENTION

Usually after thinking about people who hate others and are full of selfishness, greed, the need for power over others and all those

other ugly traits that people like that have... I actually feel sorry for them.

How sad it must be to have such poison within. In my heart I pray for these types of people... and most importantly I thank my higher power for being blessed with a much more beautiful inside... (smile) So when you see me that’s usually why there’s a smile on my face. My insides are beautiful and it makes me feel good about myself... and I try to keep the outsides looking just as nice... lol.

Anyway, I have to comment on Hillary’s performance at the DNC... and let me tell you why... I tore her a new ass with her behavior in the primary. Yes. I did. And I meant what I said…but I am a flexible woman who will always be open to learning and altering her way of looking at people, places & things. Having said that, what I have come to understand is that Hillary actually took a devastating blow at the whipping by Barack Obama and her eventual loss to him. It was a shock to her and literally rocked her whole world. She was devastated. Her behavior was that of someone who was hurt. She was delirious and not thinking clearly, which we have all experienced before, and at these times we may say and do things because of that condition....

It is a process to get over and move past. She has finally come out from the sting of the blow... & for the first time in a long time....

Hillary Clinton gave a speech that I felt was an honest one endorsing Barack Obama. She is back on her game! (Smile) The lesson for me is to be conscious of allowing others the time they need... to process certain things in life... in their time... not mine or anyone else’s... and perhaps not be so critical.

Moving right along to McCain’s choice for his VP—Sarah Palin. Was that the biggest joke in political history or what? What could this fool have been thinking? Joe Biden…who by the way I said months ago would make a great choice for Obama’s VP... will chew her up and spit her continued on page 27

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 2 3

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 24

PA G E 2 4 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 25

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 2 5

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 26

PA G E 2 6 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 27

LHAC - continued from page 23

out. Now there’s absolutely no competition whatsoever. Let me figure out what I’m going to wear to Obama’s inauguration... lol... ‘cause the joke is over!

FICTION

smell the tight leather they wore in a full one-piece body suit that covered even their face. They pushed my head back with a left hand and came to sitting on my lap in a straddle.

Bringing their masked face close to mine, I braced myself for the penetration of a sharp object into my gut or lungs or both.

"You scared?" they asked, taking my face in both hands.

I said nothing.

Leather for Days

by Shayna Rockswell Drip. Drip.

Drip. Drip.

Water leaked near me somewhere.

I couldn't tell if I was staring at the back of my eyelids or if the room I was in was just that dark. Something swept across my foot. I heard it scurry behind me. I tried to jump but found my hands were tied behind me and mounted to the chair in which I was sitting. I grabbed at the knots, twisting my fingers awkwardly, flexing my wrist until I felt a hand slap me across my face. I turned hard in defense of the rest of an attack I couldn't possibly anticipate.

"Stop!" A voice called out.

"Who's there?" I called back.

"Shut the f*ck up!" they yelled again.

Whack came the slap again.

This time I fought my jaw to be still and to take the sting.

"Good," they said. "Sit there and take it."

I did. I sat. Silently. And took it.

Blow after blow. Until finally a bare bulb flashed on revealing a soggy, shaking body crouched in a corner to my right. A long, thick, heavy chain linked to an oversized iron collar at their neck held them in place.

Through the thick fog of unconsciousness I worked hard to wave off, I saw that the crumpled person in the corner was Heather. She looked at me and said nothing.

"You must think you're pretty hot shit," the voice said.

And then another bare bulb flicked on above my head. The shadow of a body lurched toward me. "If you try anything funny, you're dead. So is she," they said as they came near.

Once standing above me, I could

"You sacred?" they asked again, this time pulling their ear close to my mouth to await a response.

I was paralyzed.

Reaching behind their back to get at something while I gulped hard, they pulled the mask from their face. But under it was another mask that looked identical to Mayor Hinton's face.

She laughed, hushed at first and then erupted into a loud, mouthgaping cackle, lips almost touching my nose.

"Boo!" She snapped her fingers in front of my face to bring me out of my confusion. "Pico, I'm just fucking with you!"

Still unmoving and silent, the Mayor went to slap me again, but I flinched, which made her move quick to cradle me in her arms. "I'm sorry. I had no idea how hard I was hitting you. These damn gloves!" she said examining the welts and red spots on my face.

Realizing I had yet to shake my muting hysteria and my distrust that this too was a part of my torture, I heard Mayor Hinton call over my shoulder, "Heather, something's wrong. I think we scared Pico half to death."

I heard the long clang-a-lang of the chain scrape across the floor and the shifty sounds of bare feet stepping.

Another hand came to my forehead and tilted my head back directly into the light. "Christ, Hinton, what did you do? It was supposed to be a joke, like we talked about." Heather pulled up on my eyelids trying to break the trance. "You've gone and f*cked it all up," she yelled. "Now, Pico's in f*cking shock and that's really fantastic. I knew this whole thing was a little too much." Heather took the iron collar from her neck and dropped it to floor. It didn't land with a loud thud though, more like the hollow echo of thick styrofoam.

"I think that fucking thing is giving me a rash," she said pushing Mayor Hinton from my lap and taking the seat for herself.

McCain doesn’t even know this woman... and neither does anyone else. Governor of Alaska... Sheezzz... what a terrible move on his part. He should have picked Condeleeza Rice or anybody else and shook up everything. But this chick? He just put the last nail in his own coffin.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Hello Marva. I Just wanted to send a note to let you know how much I thoroughly enjoy reading your column. It is refreshing, light, funny and insightful, and I can't wait for each installment. I find you to be witty, and your analogies are dead on!! It was a wonderful debut article and I was quite sure you would be a hit. Your new biggest fan.

Now for my question: I am a middle-age gay man who definitely makes a statement when I enter a room, yet I’m not a flaming gay guy.

I am intelligent, nicely and uniquely dressed at all times. I am attractive and completely single. I have no tolerance for nonsense and drama free.

I live a wonderful life and am laid back enjoying the smell of the roses on a regular basis. I am what would be described as a submissive gay man and am totally okay with that position. My problem is that I do not approach men at all. And for some reason, I have found that the type of aggressive man I am attracted to will not approach me, assuming that I am either out of his league or am already in a relationship. Please give me some advice. I think you are so interesting in your way of thinking.

Thank you.

Lamont S. Pikesville, MD. Lamont, thank you for your comments on my column. They mean a lot to me.

As far as your question, it’s kinda funny because I too am single and I

almost feel like I’m in a similar boat.

I actually went out and had a T-shirt made saying “LADIES I AM SOOOOOO SINGLE”. Yes. I did... and I’ve only worn it once to the Hippo... so go figure... lol.

But, seriously speaking, I’ve always feel like asking for what you really want can only be respected by others... whether we’re talking a potential relationship or anything else in life. On occasions, rejection is a part of the outcome... but nothing beats a failure but a try... (smile) Because it sounds like you are initially shy, here’s something you can try: Have some really cute, unique business cards made up... that simply say: “My name is Lamont. I find you very interesting and would love to have lunch. Please email or call me at your convenience... I’m curious to find out if I’m right.” Have a silhouette picture of two people (men) sitting at a table across from each other in the middle of your card... and include your email and phone number. That should take care of the initial introduction. All you have to do is hand it to the potential beau and walk away... saying nothing... because the card says it all. Now how cool is that.... I think I’m gonna order me some cards...lol.

The bottom line is, those of us who are single and would prefer not to be, have just got to come up with a new more aggressive way of saying: “I’ve had it with this single life and I’m not gonna take it anymore.” I’ll tell you, Lamont, it makes me want to open up another nightclub...one especially for gay single professional men & women. It’s sad that we have nowhere to go.

I hope you take me up on my advice and let me know how things turn out.... I’m thinking that it’s a great idea. Good luck!

Marva!

Email me with any questions or comments at Marvelousmarva@baltimore gaylife.com.

continued on page 28

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 2 7

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 28

CEREAL - continued from page 27

"Pico, can you hear me? If you can hear me, blink both eyes," Heather's eyes darted back and forth between my own. "Pico, blink your eyes," she repeated.

Nothing. At least not outwardly. I had become alive again on the inside, I had re-inhabited my body. I understood fully what was happening, that Mayor Hinton had schemed to have those people break into my house and carry me away, to bring me here, some basement in some abandoned building on the west side, enlist the aid of my dearest lover, and to slap me around because she thought it was funny. I knew this and in return I would make them believe that they had taken it too far, that not only was it a bad idea, but a dangerous one. I let a bit a drool drip from my lip.

"Pico's foaming at the mouth," the Mayor yelled. "Someone call an ambulance."

"Calm down, Hinton. We're the only two here and that is not foam," Heather responded between soft breaths she blew on my eyelids to get them to blink. "Come on, honey, just let me know you hear me," she said back to me. "Blink."

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," Mayor Hinton paced behind my chair.

"Asha's going to fucking kill me. I was just supposed to deliver this invitation to you two for her Legend's Ball. But I thought we could act out some role play in the meantime. I hear Pico's good at role play."

"What?" Heather begged. "You told me Pico was into this, that this is what you discussed and agreed to beforehand. I thought I was just being a part of a Pico's fantasy. Now you're saying, this wasn't Pico's idea at all?"

Heather rose up off of me and moved toward Mayor Hinton."You got us all here to work your own shit out."

"I didn't think it would get out of hand like this. That wasn't my intention," replied the Mayor.

"That wasn't your intention? I didn't leave my husband and my family to come to Baltimore to be with the person who could possibly be the best thing that ever happen to me so that you could have them go fucking catatonic off of your sick power trip.

So don't talk to me about your f*cking intentions. You better pray to God that Pico recovers fully from this and lives to fuck another day, otherwise you and I will have a problem," Heather bit back.

I laughed out loud at this. I hoped that neither one of them heard it, but they did. They both came running back over to me shouting my name, asking if I could hear them, if I could tell them I was okay. I tried to keep up the blank face for as long as I could but Mayor Hinton's do-or-die gaze and Heather's overwhelmingly desperate one made me laugh and cry out respectively.

PA G E 2 8 •

"You're okay!" the Mayor shrieked.

Heather took to planting a big wet kiss on my mouth.

"I knew everything was fine. You we're just fucking around, weren't you Pico?" asked the Mayor, moving a hand to unzip the leather suit and sticking it inside to where her skin was.

Heather untied my hands and stood me up from the chair.

QPUZZLE "Urinetown"

"Did you really leave him to come here to me?" I asked her.

She smiled and nodded.

"See, Heather. Everything's fine.

No harm done," the Mayor continued as she stroked inside her suit.

"Am I really possibly the best thing to ever happen to you?" I asked.

She blushed. We went to a staircase at the back of the dark room and began to climb, hands held.

"Hey, don't forget your tickets for the Ball," the Mayor yelled after us.

"You can come to my office any time and pick them up. And thanks for tonight. That was great!" the Mayor said as we reached the door at the top of the stairs. As we pushed through to leave, a grunt of climax escaped from below.

Need to catch up? Read the full story at theadventuresofpicodarling.blogspot.com.

Send your thoughts to picodarling@baltimoregaylife.com.

Across

Down

1 Stuff for oral gratification 5 Cartoonist DiMassa 10 Where a cobbler puts the tongue 14 Current currency of Ibiza 15 Hunter that comes out at night 16 Hot L Baltimore producer 17 Atop 18 Traffic cop's tool 19 Wilde land 20 Activities in Urinetown?

23 Butch's mate 24 Where they yell "Cut!" 25 Bastille Day's mo.

28 Presidential work by Vidal 32 Larry Kramer, for one 35 Painter Kahlo 37 Prince Valiant's boy 38 Ripley portrayer Matt 40 Actor Spacey 41 Poppycock 42 John of Aida fame 43 With 64-Across, perform 20-Across illegally?

46 Where the Mets wave their sticks 49 Teams in A League of Their Own 50 Fey Dudley Do-Right's org.

54 Jazzman Fred 56 One of Ours novelist Willa 58 River of Ulrichs' country 59 Estimates the stats of 63 Ox tail?

64 See 43-Across 67 Verb of Verlaine 68 Prefix for Da Vinci's land 69 Stew in Sitges 70 Pt. of SSS 71 Cash drawers 72 R. Nureyev's land, once

1 David Geffen's position at DreamWorks 2 Well endowed 3 "... ___ take arms against ..." (_Hamlet_) 4 Virginia Stephen's married name 5 The Sound of Music song 6 George Frenn statement?

7 Quilt subject 8 Logo TV show lead character 9 Matriculate 10 Cold shower 11 Olive Watson, to the IBM fortune 12 They move your dinghy 13 It may come before long 21 Eleanor's husband's middle name 22 ___ Woman (Lynda Carter character) 25 Stone film 26 Moist ending 27 Tyler of Lord of the Rings 29 Gay Men's Friendships author 30 It tops a queen 31 Marlon Brando's ___ Waterfront 32 Mouth-to-mouth pro 33 Gielgud's john 34 P-town's Crowne Pointe, e.g.

36 Opera figures 39 On the ball 44 Restrain 45 Old coins of Lorca's land 46 Triangles, e.g.

47 Satisfying 48 Shakespeare wrote a comedy of these 51 Hangs loose 52 Olympic awards for Louganis 53 Like the beginning of Gone with the Wind 55 CBS show in which semen may be evidence 57 Invitation to a manhunt? (abbr.)

60 Pasta tubes 61 And others, for Nero 62 Bear market order 65 Nongay, briefly 66 "Getting to Know ___" (The King and I)

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 29

DO AS I SAY Love in the Age of the Interweb

by Prudence Worthington

Devoted Readers,

ou will be relieved to hear that my recent visit to Mrs. Ford’s spa was as rejuvenating as you could ever wish for me. I was accompanied by my dear friend Lulubelle Elizabeth Jackson Lee Stuart from Atlanta. Why southerners hold onto every name remains a mystery and results in the messiest of monograms. I regularly suggest she drop all but her current married name, but she will not submit. Lulu, as I call her, was full of tales from the great south and quite enthusiastic about a recent birthday, as her husband bestows significant jewelry on this “holiday”. She has him well trained.

Naturally, we began discussing the topic of relationships, love, etc. when she informed me of unfortunate behavior she gleaned at the last Junior League event. Her reports are the inspiration for today’s “sermon” so mix a smart cocktail, sit back and read on.

Y

Love in the computer age The interweb is a marvelous tool providing ease of communication and commerce in our modern age. As useful as it proves to be, it is much abused by commoners. Apparently, the eldest son of Sally Beth Hennessy discovered his relationship had ended by merely reading his Facebook page. It seems his girlfriend had altered his dating status from “taken” to “single” as she did on her own page. While I applaud her creative use of the interweb, her actions prove she is pure white trash.

Mary Lou Jenkins had been enjoying a torrid affair with the contractor building her summer home. As soon as the last nail was pounded, she received a three line email ending the relationship.

No phone call or explanation. Not even flowers. It seems that last nail was the only thing getting pounded that day.

As I understand, in the days before electrics, affairs were sometimes ended in writing, but usually in the form of remorseful letters with good penmanship. This was probably socially acceptable in the era of hoop skirts, but not so much today. I hope you people realize that though you may have met on the interweb, it is not proper to end your relationship there.

Ma Bell is no cupid Understandably, many break ups take place by means of the telephone. This device at least allows two people to converse about their expired love.

While grocery shopping, Marie Saint James of Baltimore heard her blueberry cellular device rumble in her Prada bag. She was delighted to see a message waiting from her current amour. Her spirits were dashed when she read the one poorly spelled sentence ending their affair. Is this the bottom of the barrel for bad taste? I think not.

Bad Politics Perhaps the most sensational public break up to

date was executed by former New York Mayor, Rudy Guiliani. Rudy married Donna Hanover following the annulment of his first marriage.

Apparently Catholics throw holy water on a failing marriage and poof, it disappears. Many years (and two children) later, Rudy called a press conference announcing the end of his marriage to Donna. It seems he had neglected to tell her of his plans prior to the public announcement. She was significantly mortified and the press had a field day. I haven’t heard if this marriage was annulled too, but we can all pray, can’t we?

Traxie’s My dear friend and constant companion, Traxie Muldoon, has a rich and varied history of amour. I realize she has entertained more troops than the Andrew sisters, but this does not diminish the depth of feeling for which she is capable. On more than one occasion, she discovered the end of her affairs through gossip in the powder room of smart supper clubs. An especially cowardly paramour ended an affair in the form of a message on her answering machine. One man broke with her by means of a wedding invitation: Traxie was not the bride.

Years ago we thought she had found her fourth husband when the relationship reached its third year of monogamy. Two weeks after our return from a European tour, she had no communication from her beloved and she began to realize she had been dumped with no explanation whatsoever, not even a post-it. Medication aided in her recovery and his mysterious death proved suprisingly therapeutic as well.

So Darlings, my advice is this: Should you wish to contribute to our nation’s rising homicide rate, proceed with your break up in any of the above manners. Do not, however, come seeking advice from me when your tires are slashed. I propose you people be honest and face each other when your love expires.

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

On to a letter, shall we?

Dear Ms. Worthington, Thank you for what you so modestly refer to as ramblings, dear. They are often very poignant and the owners and advertisers of this festive rag should regard them as a huge asset.

By the way, did I read correctly that you are married to a man of Jewish descent? If so, how wonderful! I'm sure some of the seniors in that overgrown village still remember at least one popular swim club legally posting the sign, "No Blacks, No Jews, No Dogs Allowed." At least the laws have changed. And so have some people, I'm sure.

Kudos, for I think you have made matters very clear in regards to both racism and interracial attraction. I might add, in regards to dating in general, whether within or outside of one's race, that unfortunately not everyone is dealt the same hand. Or face. Or body. The oft loved Christina may believe everyone is beautiful in every single way, but my good friend Janis and I still had to learn a harsh truth at the tender age of seventeen.

I would imagine there are more than a few deserving festives who must brace themselves every two weeks for what might be your next provocative anecdote or reference. Even I was somewhat taken aback by your recent use of the "cr" word...really my dear!! But no direct offense taken here, since I am a bit of a racial mutt, long past middle age in festive years and living quietly amongst the Amish on some much needed borrowed time.

With best regards, Ms. Tacoh LaBelle

My Dear Ms. LaBelle, Judging from your thoughtful note, you are a woman of excellent breeding who has shared some past experiences similar to those of my own.

You almost read correctly that yes, I was married to an exceptional Jewish man, but have lo these many years, worn the widows weeds. Your note struck a chord with me, for following our wedding announcement in the New York Times, many social institutions closed their doors to me and my husband. That, of course, is all in the past and now everyone is welcome at Mrs. Ford’s spa in California and even WASPS vacation in the Catskills.

I am concerned, should this republican regime continue, we will see some slipping back into these old habits, so do vote for Mr. Obama. The White House desperately needs some Kennedy flair and Michelle is just the lady to provide it. As always, I am delighted my scribblings bring some joy to my readers .

Fondest Regards, Prudence.

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 2 9

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 30

PENCIL ME IN MUSIC Friday, September 5 – Sunday, September 7 Atlantic Stampede Rodeo The Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association (ASGRA) rounds up their annual rodeo. The weekend kicks off at Remington’s and gets dirtier with the rodeo competition on Saturday and Sunday at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. For a full schedule of events, visit www.asgra.org.

Saturday, September 6 Elle @ The Genie Room Firefly Entertainment presents Baltimore’s premiere women’s night. Exclusively feminine. Innovatively unique. You won’t want to miss this weekly women’s party each and every Saturday from 9 p.m. ‘til 2 a.m. at the Genie Room @ The Kasbah (2324 Boston St., Baltimore, MD). $8 b4 11 p.m. For additional information, visit www.myspace.com/fireflyent.

Many Moons Festival 2008 Come Celebrate with Towson University's Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson U.'s Center for the Arts from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. This full day festival features 10 accomplished performing arts groups of traditional and innovative music and dance, arts & crafts, storytelling, Anime, martial arts and foods and teas from around the world. For tickets ($13 in advance; $15 at the door; $5 students and children) and additional information, call 410-704-2787.

Friday, September 15 Candye Kane Sings the Blues The “Annie Sprinkle of the Blues” returns to Baltimore! Blues Diva and former Porn Queen Candy Kane will put on a high octane concert at the Creative Alliance (3134 Eastern Ave.) beginning at 7:30 p.m. Proudly bisexual, this “fit, fat and fine” diva puts on a heartfelt and scorching performance not to be missed! Proceeds from the event will go toward Candye’s medical and living expenses incurred during a recent bout with pancreatic cancer. For tickets ($16) and additional information, visit www.creativealliance.org or call 410-276-1651.

Saturday, September 13 Dancing Under the Stars Enjoy FREE live music and dancing when D.C.'s own Chuck Brown, the Godfather of Go-Go takes the stage. Lorenzo Evans of goLo will offer dance lessons at 8 p.m. and dancing will continue in the South Plaza from 9-11 p.m. For additional information, call 202-647-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

Deaf Awareness Day at Baltimore National Aquarium Back by popular demand! Interpreters will sign narrate for deaf and hearing impaired individuals during scheduled public programs at the National Aquarium (501 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, MD). This includes feedings at the Sting Ray & Puffin exhibits in the Main Aquarium, Play! The Dolphin Show and other educational presentations. For more information or discounted coupons, call 410-659-4291 (voice) or 410-625-0720 (TTY), email jmaddern@aqua.org or visit www.aqua.org. 9 a.m.3 p.m.

Fusion Summit for Unity and Justice With concerns about "social justice" frequently in the news and on many people's minds, Fusion's

PA G E 3 0 •

unique program will explore issues of social justice and demonstrate how Fusion's fiscal sponsorship model and collaborative partners strive to build unity and relationships to create innovative programs of social change. Featuring the nearly two dozen community projects associated with Fusion, topics will range from an urban neighborhood farm to direct services for women impacted by violence and incarceration, to promoting parental involvement, teaching drumming, dance and yoga for healing and self-empowerment. Workshops, presentations, films, music art, spoken word will be used to spark discussions around education, criminal justice, the environment, racism, arts and culture in the nonprofit world will span from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at 2640 St. Paul St., Baltimore, MD. Admission is free. For additional information, visit www.fusiongroup.org.

Sensibility and Sensation

by DJ Alex Funk band doesn't provides their own answer. The track which answers the opening track's question is “A Better Son/Daughter.” Over the thundering drums of a marching band, the singer near shouts affirmations that we shall overcome all these pitfalls of self-doubt and rise to the occasion. “You'll fight and you'll make it through. You'll fake it if you have to....” I won't spoil all the clever turns of words. You'll have to buy the album to get the goods.

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens Gay Day Visit Hillwood (4155 Linnean Ave., Washington, DC) for an extraordinary day of activities and programs welcoming and celebrating the GLBT community from 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. Enjoy garden demos; a dynamic lecture on Mrs. Post’s fabulous jewelry; a talk about Mrs. Post's gowns , a sneak peek into Mansion rooms not traditionally open to the public; family art activities; floral arrangement demos; performances by DC Different Drummers, DC Lambda Squares and Rock Creek Singers; Straight Eights Car Club, Punch on the Portico, and much, much more!

For the first time ever, Hillwood extends this special day into the evening with the Mansion remaining open and an exclusive screening of the 1939 movie The Women. All in partnership with One in Ten. Beginning at sunset, the film stars Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell and Norma Shearer. Bring your picnic spreads or order from the café—and don’t forget your blankets! For tickets ($15) and additional information, visit www.hillwoodmuseum.org.

Wednesday, September 17 HIV/STD Seminar Bernard Gibson, Community Health Educator with the Baltimore City Health Department, will host a free HIV/STD seminar from 6-7 p.m. at the GLCCB (241 W. Chase St., Baltimore, MD). Come before or stay after for free HIV and syphilis testing from 5-8 p.m. For additional information, call 410-837-5445.

Thursday, September 18 Chase Brexton 30th Anniversary Lecture Series In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Chase Brexton Health Services will hold three Thursday evening lectures from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at The Belvedere Hotel (1 E. Chase St., Baltimore, MD). Dr. Mayer, Professor of Medicine and Community Health at Brown University and Director of the Brown University AIDS Program, will present lessons in creating new opportunities for the development of culturally-unique care, prevention, education and research programs for sexual and gender minority patients.

Dining Out for Life Join thousands of people in Baltimore to participate in one the most rewarding dining experiences of the year. By simply eating out at a participating restaurant, at least 20 percent of proceeds that day will go to Moveable Feast to help feed hundreds of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS and other life-challenging conditions such as breast cancer.

For a list of participating restaurants, visit www.mfeast.org.

by DJ Alex Funk he seasons have turned again.

Oh, how we shall miss those sun-drenched summer days stretching on and on and on. The air has just a hint of coolness to it, signaling our transition into fall. I've chosen this issue's selections with an ear towards the times ahead.

T

Sensibility Rilo Kiley The Execution of All Things Saddle Creek Records 2002 This album is the second of four albums from the LA-based indie rock group Rilo Kiley. The band's name is pronounced with long i's (Ry-Loh Ky-Lee). Fronted by former child actress Jenny Lewis, the band has a sound that merges 60's protest folk-rock with a modern indie pop rock aesthetic. This second album stands out in the band's discography as chock full of listenable, well-written songs organized into an album format that has great flow from one track to the next. This is the perfect album to carry us from the carefree partying of the summer into the more thoughtful weeks of changing leaves and sensible sweater-vests.

This is a great album. This album is not musically brilliant – don't get me wrong, it's quite good—but the reason it stands out is the lyrics.

Right off the bat, “The Good That Won't Come Out” perfectly captures the sense of personal impotence you can feel making our way through the world. Do we rise to the challenge?

Or do we “...go out and embarrass myself by getting drunk and falling down in the street”? Luckily the

Sensation Cut /// Copy In Ghost Colours Modular Records 2008 If you don't care for clever lyrical twists and turns set to folk-rock backing, but prefer Bronski Beatstyled vocals set to danceable New Wave and post-punk glampop grooves, then I have the trick for you. “'Yes. No. Maybe.' is all I need to hear from you” cries lead singer of the Melbourne, Australia-based band Cut Copy on the second track of their sophomore album, In Ghost Colours. There are many other words on the album which are equally meaningful, but then this album isn't about words at all. Cut Copy began in 2001 as a project of a DJ/graphic designer Dan Whitford.

It has since grown into one of this year's hot bands to tour with the likes of Daft Punk, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, et al. This is a performance-oriented production and the emphasis is on presentation, flow, and energy. Nothings stands out on the album, but that's clearly by design; the tracks roll seamlessly from one to the next giving the album a stream of consciousness feeling. Even though the album is solidly rooted in the New Wave/post-punk sound, there are several musical references that read as Pixies-style indie rock and even some Postal Service-style synth work. This is great music full of drama, catchy hooks, and wellorchestrated builds. Buy a copy and leave it in the car or download it to your mp3 player for some upbeat retro-style jogging.

What are you thinking? editor@baltimoregaylife.com

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 31

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 3 1

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 32

DININGOUT CiCi’s Pizza Buffet

by John Cullen and Marty Shayt t’s dinner time and you’re really starving, but your wallet isn’t looking so full? Along with a bunch of friends, we tried “Cici’s Pizza Buffet” in Catonsville where you get “all you can eat” salad, pasta, pizza and dessert for a bargain $5.99. “All you can drink” soft drinks cost another $1.79—but then you could always opt for just water and save two bucks! (Gay and gray?

Seniors can get the buffet with drink included for $5.29!) Tucked away in a strip mall off of Rte 40 just outside the beltway, this is the kind of place that your parents may have taken you to when you were a kid, but the would-be upscale, aspiring trendsetter gay in you may shy away from trying. There’s plenty of kid (and adult!) proof plastic topped tables, TV screens distracting you from every angle, lighting bright enough to read a book and, if you need a break while eating your fill, there’s a game room in back. It’s “seat yourself” in the large dining room so we moved three tables together ourselves to create a table big enough for our group of nine gay men bold enough to invade this suburban bargain dining spot.

I

There are four sections to the long “self-serve” buffet. The salad section has a surprisingly nice selection of greens (that are actually green!), cherry tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms and olives with several choices of dressing (including a low fat/low cal option!). The salad fixings look fresh and inviting. (They taste good too!) In contrast, the pasta section, looking like it passed the “al dente” stage untold hours before, doesn’t tempt us. Thin marinara and cheese-whizzy looking sauces doesn’t help. None of us try the pasta offerings (but a demanding friend tried the pasta at the Laurel location and liked it a lot! Go figure!)

The pizza section stretches out for a good 10 feet. (Cici’s says it uses only 100% whole milk mozzarella) Pizzas pop up without rhyme or reason at the whim of the staff. There are no labels to tell you what’s what (which Marty finds disconcerting and a tad confusing!). Don’t spend too long trying to figure out what they are—the best looking pizzas can disappear quickly! While plain cheese or pepperoni pizzas pop up frequently, interesting combo pizza can be rarer and they get grabbed by PA G E 3 2 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

customers lucky enough to be nearby when they show up. One pizza has concentric circles of red looking like a “Target” logo which turns out to be BBQ sauce! We pass on a macaroni and cheese pizza that looks like a carb-oholic’s dream! One of our guys claims that he had a “bacon, lettuce and tomato” pizza (somehow, we don’t feel unlucky that we missed out on that!). A spinach pizza was excellent (unfortunately, only one popped up the whole time we were there and poor Marty never got to try a piece!)

“Garlic bread” made from pizza dough with cheese was surprisingly available and yummy. Our group of pizza eaters started avoiding eating the crusts and instead grabbing more pizza—and soon there were embarrassing tall piles of crusts piling up on our table! (Wasteful, but perhaps fair, considering how Cici’s sometimes compensates for low prices with a light toppings on their pizzas!). Regardless, the men at our table hit the buffet for seconds and thirds of pizza! It’s surprisingly good considering what we paid for this bargain feast!

The desserts section—if you still have room and the inclination— includes sweet apple pizza, cinnamon rolls (looking like they too were made from leftover pizza dough!), and chocolate brownies. Everything was tasty (if only there was some soft ice cream to go with them! <Sigh!>) Cici’s promotes itself as a “gourmet buffet”. Gourmet? That may be stretching things! Cici’s does provide a great eat-out bargain. (That’s probably why it has grown from one location in Texas to be a chain of 700 restaurants). Hey! Don’t forget to ring that Texas cow bell next to the exit on the way out! <Smile> BASICS: CiCi’s Pizza Buffet (Catonsville), 6473 Baltimore National Pike, 410-719-1001, www.cicispizza.com. Open 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sun – Thurs, until 10 p.m. on Sat & Sun. No liquor. Afterwards, consider looking for more bargains at the “Dollar” store or the “Big Box” pet store across the parking lot.

Feedback or suggestions? Email us at diningout@baltimoregaylife.com.

Missed a review and wish you could find it? Visit http://hometown.aol.com/ gaylifediningout/.

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 33

THEATER

Mark Barnhart, Tad Janes and Tom Majarov in Incorruptible on stage at Maryland Ensemble Theatre through October 4. (Photo: Misti Morningstar)

ON THE STAGE 1984

The Matchmaker

Rooms a Rock Romance

Through October 5 Catalyst Theater Company, DC 202-494-3776 www.catalysttheater.org

September 10 – October 5 CenterStage, Baltimore 410-332-0033 www.centerstage.org

Through September 7 MetroStage, Alexandria, VA 703-548-9044 www.metrostage.org

Doubt: A Parable

Peace

Suessical

Through October 5 Everyman Theatre, Baltimore 410-752-2208 www.everymantheatre.org

Through September 28 Washington Shakespeare Company, Arlington 703-418-4808 www.washingtonshakespeare.org

September 20 through September 28 Pumpkin Theatre, Baltimore 410-828-1814 www.pumpkintheatre.com

Rabbit Hole

Take Me Out

Through August 31 Olney Theatre Center 301-924-3400 www.olneytheatre.org

September 19 through October 19 Fells Point Corner Theatre, Baltimore 410-276-7837 www.fpct.org

Elegies September 26 through October 5 Spotlighters Theatre, Baltimore 410-752-1225 www.spotlighters.org

Incorruptible Through October 4 Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Frederick 301-694-4744 www.marylandensemble.org

Resurrection

la Cabaret de Carmen

The Road to Mecca

September 26 through October 5 Theatre Project, Baltimore 410-752-8558 www.barethemusicalinbaltimore.com

Through October 12 Studio Theatre, D.C. 202-332-3300 www.studiotheatre.org

Through October 5 Arena Players, Crystal City, VA 410-728-6500 www.arenastage.org

Romeo & Juliet Maria/Stuart Through September 14 Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, D.C. 202-393-3939 www.woollymammoth.net

September 9 – October 12 Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C. 202-547-1122 www.shakespearetheatre.org

Trumbo Through September 28 RepStage, Columbia 410-772-4900 www.repstage.org

Viva la Vivienne!

September 8 – September 24 Everyman Theatre, Baltimore 410-752-2208 www.everymantheatre.org

What’s a Little Death Through September 14 Theatre Project, Baltimore 410-752-8558 www.theatreproject.org

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 3 3

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 34

PA G E 3 4 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 35

HEALTH Find Your Feet...

by Kelly D. McClain

What is Yoga?

Yoga is one of the most popular forms of Yoga in the U.S. and many different styles of Yoga include Iyengar principles.

Kripalu Classes are extremely gentle, focusing on mind-body awareness.

Kripalu practitioners emphasize the meditative aspect of the asanas.

t first thought, everyone thinks of yoga as physical. For me, yoga has helped me to overcome challenging positions in life.

It has taught me how to breathe in the midst of tense situations. I have learned to be present in the moment, regardless of where my mind wants to be.

Kundalini

Yoga is an ancient Indian philosophy that enhances personal growth and well-being. The word Yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India where Yoga originated. Practicing Yoga results in a union between the mind, body and spirit. Yoga is not a religion, but its principles are complementary with most spiritual paths. Anyone, regardless of body type, age, experience or physical abilities, can practice Yoga.

Classes, practiced at a vigorous pace, vary from day to day and from studio to studio.

A

Classes emphasize rapid breathing techniques, chanting, and mantra (word or syllable) meditation. The objective is to open and awaken the kundalini energy stored at the base of the spine.

Power Yoga

ViniYoga Classes feature a gentle, holistic approach to Yoga. Some flow is involved, but the pace is much slower than other classes.

I teach Hatha Yoga and would highly recommend it for people

who are beginning to explore Yoga.

Classes include poses and focused breathing, requiring concentration and discipline. It is a gentle way of learning the foundation of asanas for other types of Yoga.

All styles of Yoga offer benefits that include physical improvements, such as becoming more flexible, stronger and healthier, and preventing or recovering from injury. Yoga can also provide emotional benefits such as calming, focusing the mind and lifting the spirit.

Although there are various sources of ancient text that discuss Yoga, the basis of Yoga has been clarified through the words of Patanjali. Often called “the father of yoga”, he created, sometime between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D., The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In this work, Patanjali compiled 195 sutras, or principles, that are essentially an ethical blueprint for living a moral life and incorporating the science of yoga into your life. Here the “Eight Limbs” of Yoga were established:

The physical part of Yoga includes asanas (poses or postures) that teach poise, balance and strength.

Asanas are practiced to improve the body's physical health and clear the mind in preparation for meditation in the pursuit of enlightenment.

2. Niyamas, how you treat yourself or your attitude towards yourself 3. Asanas, physical poses or postures 4. Pranayama, breathing exercises 5. Prathayara, withdrawal of the senses 6. Dharana, concentration 7. Dhyana, meditation 8. Samadhi, enlightenment I first began practicing Yoga with a video. Each time I used it, I never felt anything. One day, I decided to participate in a free introductory class, of which I anticipated there being dozens of students eager to learn about Yoga. I was the only student, and that experience prepared me for a new life. Not only did I feel the energy of the teacher, but I also gained from her the intended experience of feeling from a gentle perspective. I told her I had never done Yoga before and from the basics I learned how to breathe properly with each movement and how my alignment contributed to my reaching my potential. Her cues enabled me to correct my posture, which was something I couldn’t get from a video.

Not long after I moved to Baltimore 3 years ago, I joined the YMCA with a goal to tone my body a few months before traveling to the Caribbean. Along with lifting weights and boosting cardio, I took pilates and Yoga classes. After each Yoga class, I felt more refreshed and connected with the universe. I felt an increasing ability to concentrate.

I learned to continue the flow of air through my body with pranayama (breathing). I also learned what it meant to be present in the moment.

My muscles became more flexible and strong while my mind adapted that flexibility and strength to accept the challenges I would face in my future.

The following is a list of different styles of physical Yoga:

Ashtanga Classes are based on a set series of poses, often practiced at a vigorous pace, that emphasizes continuity of movement and purification.

Bikram Classes consist of the same 26 poses practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees with humidity level around 60 percent.

Iyengar

Yoga is more than the physical asanas. Yoga is learning to properly breathe. Yoga is learning to align

Classes focus on the precision and correct alignment of each pose. Props are used to help alignment. Iyengar

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

1. Yamas, your attitude towards others and the world around you

continued on page 38

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 3 5

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 36

PA G E 3 6 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 37

much more than any other population, particularly in Baltimore and Washington, DC. In Baltimore, the rate of infection in African-American women has gone from 10% two years ago to 36%. A good chunk of them are women in heterosexual relationships who caught it from their partners who were either using drugs or didn’t know they were infected and hadn’t been tested. AfricanAmerican men account for 80% of newly reported cases. Overall, African-Americans account for 75.4% of new HIV cases and 81.5% of AIDS cases. Whites account for 17.6% of HIV new HIV cases and 13.3% of AIDS cases. 63% of new infections are in males and 37% in females.

HERO AIDSWalk 2008 Calls on Marylanders to Address HIV/AIDS Crisis An Interview with Chris Leone ith both private and government funding for HIV/AIDS services diminishing, while rates of infection continue to rise, HERO (Health Education Resource Organization, Inc.) urges Marylanders to take responsibility for their own city and community by joining in AIDSWalk 2008 on September 21. AIDSWalk 2008—“The Family Reunion”—highlights the importance of strong families and health support systems to infected individuals.

W

HERO’s Chief Development Officer, Chris Leone, talked with Gay Life about the evolution of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, rising infection rates in the African-American population, shrinking funds for HIV/AIDS services and the importance of all of us stepping up to talk about and address these issues.

What range of services does HERO provide?

We operate a day-time drop-in center, which is a tool to get individuals who may not be ready to access services in the door. We serve 2 meals a day—a hot meal and one to take home. Downstairs, we have a research center, lockers, showers, washer/dryer…. When someone hits the door at HERO, they can access every state, federal and local program available to them, whether it be healthcare, housing, legal services….

When people walk in the door, they are in all likelihood, already sick. We need to get them healthy and stable before we do anything else. Do they need medical services?

Do they have stable and adequate housing? Often, they’re homeless or living half in a shelter, half not. Do they need help with an SSI or SSD claim, help with expunging something from their record? If they have children, do they have guardianship papers drafted if something happens to them? Those are the emergency situations that we take care of. We really try to treat the whole person.

We have a housing assistance program where we can help pay for part of their rent. If they need treatment, we try to get them into an inpatient program. If they’re sick, we try to find them a bed in a rehabilitation center. We also have mental health services where they can

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

meet with a counselor and talk about anything. They can get financial assistance if they have a bill that’s outstanding. If people come in the door and have a lot of credit issues, we can hook them up with a pro bono attorney to deal with bankruptcy issues. Just getting some of this stuff off their back is important. Stress is one of the biggest things when it comes to their health.

How has the perception that HIV/AIDS is “treatable” altered prevention and treatment?

All of these avenues that back in the ‘80s and early ‘90s were open to people with HIV are slowly getting closed because the perception is that the disease is now treatable.

What they’re forgetting is that it’s a quality of life issue, not just a life issue. What types of lives do these people have? HIV is affecting the African-American population now

September 5, - September 18, 2008

One of the running problems with the gay community now is the attitude that HIV is “I’ll just take a pill and I’ll be fine. It’s treatable now.

The misconception lies in that if that if you have an allergic reaction to one of the medications, it’s not just a pill, it’s 5 pills, 10 pills…it’s significant. Your body can mutate and you can be reinfected with another strain of HIV. That’s why we tell people who are HIV positive that even if they’re with another person that is HIV positive, the y still need to use protection. One strain reacts well with certain meds and another strain reacts well with different meds. There are about 25 different strains now. It’s not just a once you get it, you got it kind of thing.

The perception that HIV/AIDS is treatable has also impacted access to benefits. The Social Security Administration has changed the requirements for disability. It used to be that if your CD4 count was below 500 and your viral load was over 10,000 and you had 1 opportunistic infection (such as shingles or pneumonia), you were almost guaranteed to get benefits. Since the disease has changed, so has the definition of being disabled. Now you need 2 opportunistic infections operating within a 3 month period.

A lot of people think that individuals with HIV and AIDS are getting benefits. No. They are getting denied benefits.

What about statistics on HIV infection among transgender individuals?

Baltimore City has been very slow to react to HIV in the transgender community…and I suspect that had the ACLU not gotten involved, even less would be getting done. The Baltimore City Health Department is dealing with transgender issues and saying that the city is not providing adequate services to people who are transgender, especially • PA G E 3 7

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 38

YOGA - continued from page 37

your body to withstand the challenges of the world. Yoga is learning to simultaneously focus on what is happening in front of you and around you. Yoga is learning to slow down in a face-paced world. Yoga is healing. Yoga is patience. Yoga is being.

In the words of B.K.S. Iyengar, creator of Iyengar Yoga and author of Light on Yoga, “The practice of Yoga helps anyone to gain good health, mental peace, emotional equanimity and intellectual clarity. With a healthy body, clear mind and pure emotions, the practitioner can learn to excel in [whatever he choses].”

PA G E 3 8 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

Be well.

Always remember to check with your doctor before performing any exercise. Yoga is non-competitive.

Work at your own ability level and be sure to respect your body and its limitations. Use props and ask your teacher for modifications.

Kelly D. McClain is a registered yoga teacher (RYT) currently teaching Beginner's Yoga on Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. at the GLCCB. Send your questions or requests for more information at HaYoga.Kelly@yahoo.com.

Also, visit Tim Hurley, RYT at the Center on Sundays at 3:30 p.m.

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 39

REAL ESTATE Seven Days, Seven Projects for a Kitchen that Sells n today's market, selling a home involves much more than posting a "for-sale" sign in the yard.

Preparation is key. In fact, experts agree that property appearance and condition play a big role in the home-sale process.

I

While home improvements can increase buyers' interests, most sellers hesitate to renovate, fearing they may not recoup their costs in the sales price.

However, with strategic updates in key rooms, such as kitchens, sellers can increase the value of a home—giving them a leg up on their neighbors to sell more easily and command a higher selling price.

With just a week's time, a small investment and a bit of elbow grease, you can easily turn your kitchen into your selling feature with these seven projects.

Clean Up! Although you may love your children's artwork or favorite magnets on the fridge, prospective homebuyers want to envision a home as theirs—not yours. Start your kitchen update by making a clean sweep of the room. Remove everything from the top and sides of your refrigerator and clear off countertops. By eliminating clutter and personal effects, your kitchen will look neat, clean— and even larger.

Fix Up Your Faucet The faucet is the workhorse of the kitchen—and a focal point. So add new life to your sink area with a fashionable and functional new faucet. For an affordable price, you can find beautiful pulldown models, such as Moen's Solidad pulldown kitchen faucet. Potential buyers will be amazed with the functionality and the updated styling that it brings to the whole room.

Pull it Together Once you've updated the faucet, pull the rest of the finishes in the room together by updating the hardware. Drawer pulls and knobs in a beautiful stainless finish are a simple project and can add a finishing touch that dramatically updates the look of new or older cabinets.

Become Ultra-Organized Be prepared! Potential buyers will

open your closets, cabinets and drawers to assess the storage availability in your home. Be sure that you organize each of these areas to make your kitchen look like a storage dream—not a nightmare. Many cabinet manufacturers, such as Masterbrand cabinets, offer custom shelves to help organize, or you can find simple organization systems at local retailers. No matter what system you choose, your organization won't go unnoticed.

Curtain Call Windows are a selling point in any room—allowing nature into a home by providing a source of sunlight. Be sure that windows and blinds are free of dust, fingerprints or pet nose prints for a bright and cheerful display. Adding a neutral, but classic curtain can be a nice touch to frame these focal points of the room.

Follow the Light Does your kitchen still have the "builder-basic" or outdated brass lighting fixtures? As a focal point above your kitchen table, be sure to update your hanging chandelier with a model in a finish that coordinates with the rest of the room. A variety of classic-designed light fixtures in stainless steel or oil rubbed bronze finishes are available at local home improvement stores and will instantly light up your kitchen décor—literally.

Cosmetic Cover-ups You've lived in your kitchen so long that you may not notice the small paint chips in the trim or stain on the carpet, but to prospective homebuyers, these stick out like a sore thumb. A fresh coat of paint on walls and trim will always add more value than its cost and let buyers know that your home is well kept and clean.

Open House September 7 12-3 p.m.

Stephen D. JohnSon RealtoR® Columbia Sales Office 10805 Hickory Ridge Road Columbia, MD 21044

Within a week you can easily increase the value of your home in the eyes of potential buyers—as well as provide an enjoyable space for yourself until you sell!

Voice Mail: 410-715-7891 Fax: 410-730-7186 stephen.johnson@longandfoster.com stephen@longandfoster.com

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 3 9

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 40

FROM THE TOP Getting Collared a SIR. In other words, even though he is taking the “passive” role, he is still in control.

by SirK n the leather “lifestyle” everything has some significance. If you’re not careful, you could be telling people you’re cruising for something that you might not want.

It gives the old adage “be careful what you wish for, you might just get it” a whole different meaning.

I

For example, you better know your hanky colors, what they mean and what back pocket they should be in BEFORE you go cruising or you could get into an awkward situation where ignorance would not be bliss. Hell, it might even hurt— and not in a good way! How do you find out what color means what? A detailed explanation is posted in the lobby of the Baltimore Eagle and on the web site.

With that in mind, I’ve seen a lot of “dog” collars on people that have been wearing them in an incorrect fashion. First, let me explain their proper significance. This particular piece of a leatherman’s ensemble means more than any flogger, armband or style of hat one might wear.

The dog collar signifies that the wearer has willingly become property and is in a place of submission to the SIR. Whether they know it or not, this relationship automatically relegates them to the position of “boy.” Quite logically a SIR wearing a collar is like Tia Chambers wearing white after Labor Day. It just isn’t done.

The title of SIR or boy is ingrained in you, and they are not interchangeable. SIR can be a bottom (a few who have won the title of SIR are), but that doesn’t mean he’s not

Why does only the boy wear the collar? Not only does it signify property but it is a commitment to one another. In other words, it’s like exchanging rings at a wedding ceremony. Come to think of it, it is a wedding ceremony—of sorts. The SIR purchases the collar for his boy.

(If he’s a SIR that cares about his boy, he will listen and take note of what style the boy prefers.) And in front of their friends—sometimes just an intimate gathering at the Eagle, sometimes in a more formal setting—the SIR puts on the collar and lock. Then they both say a few words of commitment and the SIR keeps the key.

Some old-school (strict) SIRs use this collar as a way to keep their boy in line. One yank and the boy knows he’s in for some chastisement. Of course, if the SIR is an old-school SIR he will make the boy perform a degrading act or some other kind of punishment in front of others.

New school SIRs use other tactics that are mild but effective. All I have to do is raise my voice (and that’s easy for me to do since one of my pastimes is singing. In other words I can belt it out—ah…belts) and that will get the boy’s attention. He knows if he doesn’t stop and listen to me then I might just get rough.

He’ll figure it out quickly—if he’s any boy worth his salt.

I urge caution to all newbies—both SIR and boy. This is something you want to consider seriously. I speak more to the boy. Are you willing to be submissive and follow the lead of another man? It can be a rewarding, growing experience. Be careful which SIR you select. My advice to anyone seeking to be a subservient, “boy” is to talk to one. Or, find a SIR. Most of us will happy to show you the ropes. Ropes. Ah, well I guess that’s for another time.

Have a question about anything leather or fetish but too afraid to ask? Contact SirK at MDLeatherSIR2008@thebaltimoreeagle.info.

The new baltimoregaylife.com

coming soon!

PA G E 4 0 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 41

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Friday September 5

Church 100 W. Washington St. Shepherdstown, WV 25443 3 p.m.

1000 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.chesapeakesquares.org 8-10 p.m.

Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center 2505 E. Oliver St. Baltimore, MD www.thespiraldancebookstore.com 11a.m.-12 p.m.

Narcotics Anonymous

Consumer Planned Activity

Sarah Donner

Sailaway Pride Night

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

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

GED Preparation Class

Saturday September 6 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.

Volleyball Out for Fun War Memorial Park Martinsburg, WV Email HOTTT@nationwide.com for details 3 or 4 p.m.

Sunday September 7 Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 6:30 p.m.

Beginners Yoga with Tim Hurley, RYT GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 $9/person 3:30 p.m.

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

Sunday Afternoon at the Movies Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center 2505 E. Oliver St. Baltimore, MD www.thespiraldancebookstore.com 1 p.m.

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

Men Like Me GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 menlikeme@glccb.org 6 p.m.

Tuesday September 9 Alcoholics Anonymous LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Boyds Al-Anon Open Door Metropolitan Community Church 15817 Barnesville Rd. Boyds, MD 20841 www.al-anon.orgwww.opendoormcc.com 7:30 p.m.

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

Living Sober (AA)

Chesapeake Squares Club Square Dance

Shepherdstown Presbyterian

Waxter Center

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.

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

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

Pre-natal Yoga Lifeline Power Yoga 111 Allegheny Ave. Towson, MD 21204 www.lifelinepoweryoga.com Suggested Donation 1:30 p.m.

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

Wednesday September 10 Beginners’ Yoga with Kelly D. McClain, RYT GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 $9/person 7:15 p.m.

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

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

Rapscallion Radical Art Collective 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 www.rapscallionart.org 7 p.m.

‘Tini Lounge Happy Hour

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

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

Thursday September 11 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 September 12 Gay Father’s Coalition GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 info@gfcbaltimore.org

229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD http://www.myspace.com/re adstreetbooks 8 p.m.

GIG: Gender Identity Group GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.myspace.com/gender_i dentity_group 8 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.

Partners of Trans People GLCCB 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-837-5445 6 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.

Volleyball Out for Fun War Memorial Park Martinsburg, WV Email HOTTT@nationwide.com for details 3 or 4 p.m.

100 W. Washington St. Shepherdstown, WV 25443 3 p.m.

Wednesday September 17

Narcotics Anonymous

Beginners’ Yoga with Kelly D. McClain, CYT

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

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

Monday September 15 Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday September 16 Alcoholics Anonymous LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Boyds Al-Anon Open Door Metropolitan Community Church 15817 Barnesville Rd. Boyds, MD 20841 www.al-anon.orgwww.opendoormcc.com 7:30 p.m.

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

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

GED Preparation Class

Womyn’s Music Showcase

Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center 2505 E. Oliver St. Baltimore, MD www.thespiraldancebookstore.com 11a.m.-12 p.m.

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

Consumer Planned Activity

Sunday September 14

Positive Influence

I Love You and Miss You Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD www.myspace.com/ readstreetbooks 8 p.m.

Saturday September 13 Eric Scott Live @ Read St. Books

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

Living Sober (AA) Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church

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.

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

Pre-natal Yoga Lifeline Power Yoga 111 Allegheny Ave. Towson, MD 21204 www.lifelinepoweryoga.com Suggested Donation 1:30 p.m.

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 4 1

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.

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

Thursday September 18 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 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 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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 42

HERO - continued from page 37

male-to-female. They are being put in male shelters where they suffer abuse, rape….

HERO has a building across the street from our office that we’re trying to turn into HIV+ transgender individuals. The city is building a new homeless shelter on the southside and they are trying to section off a portion of it for transgender individuals…but I still think that it’s going to be inadequate.

What about infection rates among Latinos?

Hispanics account for 2.2% of newly reported HIV cases in the city and 4.5% of AIDS cases. The low rates, however, have a lot to do with immigration issues. Often, they don’t want to be involved in anything that requires giving a name and social security number.

We’re trying to partner with local organizations to get into the Hispanic community.

In terms of education, what are some of the major issues that still aren’t being talked about?

Knowledge of the disease and knowledge of prevention is so important. We’re still not recognizing the rapid increase of the disease among African-American women who identify as heterosexual and are in committed relationships.

Also, Senior citizens. With the advent of Viagra and people living longer, people are being sexually active longer. Senior citizens grew up in a world where HIV didn’t exist. As Americans get older, they’re in these retirement communities and they’ve got their own rooms and they’re hanging out and playing cards and they’re sexually active and they’re not using condoms. I don’t know of any targeted prevention programs that are focusing on seniors specifically. We haven’t gotten funding. It’s not being talked about. The numbers are not as alarming as people need to jar them into recognition of an issue…but it’s at a point now that if we move quickly and get education and condoms to them quickly, we can prevent a lot of infections. The other outcome is to let it get to the point where they’re infected and it’s too late.

People don’t’ want to do anything until it’s a crisis. Had they moved on HIV/AIDS in 1981 in the proper way, we wouldn’t be where we’re at today.

How are diminishing funds, both private and government, impacting the organization?

HERO as an organization is at a crossroads. We not only rely on private funds, but also government PA G E 4 2 •

funds to provide services to our clients. In terms of private funds, when the disease was gay and white, there were checks being written every day. Now that it’s poor and African-American, no one is writing checks. Money from the government to support AIDS programs has dwindled since Clinton left office. The problem has not gone away, but the money has. The funding we get through Ryan White and the Maryland AIDS administration grants is inadequate and every time we turn to the city for help, we’re getting doors shut on us. We have 3,000 clients and they aren’t offering any type of solution. If we lose health department funding, our 3,000 clients will be on the street—literally tossed to the wind.

These aren’t people who have families, who have support structures.

We’re not treating the same clients as Chase Brexton. We are an operation of last resort for many people.

People come to us voluntarily, or stumble in, or hear from a friend that we may be able to help. They’re recently released from prison, undereducated…. If these people get abandoned, they’re going to be on the streets. It’s just going to exacerbate a situation that’s already bad in the city.

We also need to understand that it’s not just a problem that the city or the state or the federal government needs to take care of.

Marylanders need to step up and help out and do what they can do to fix the situation. It’s taking responsibility for your own city and your own community. We want to continue to give services. That’s all.

So fundraisers, such as AIDSWalk, become critical to the survival of the organization.

We just want to stress how important it is for people to come and participate. We as people need to address HIV/AIDS. We can’t depend on the government to do this. Whether it be the gay community, the African-American community, the straight white community…it’s everyone’s problem.

In addition to supporting HERO’s programs and services, you’ll also enjoy a special guest appearance from the DC Cowboys who will perform three numbers during the closing ceremony. We are very happy that they are coming on board to help us out. GL AIDSWalk 2008 will be held on Sunday, September 21, 2008 in Patterson Park. For additional information or to register, visit www.heroinc.moonfruit.com.

HOMOSTROLOGY

by Marry Elaine

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22) watch What's Love Got To Do With It. honor Tina Turner (who is currently touring at age 69, who's work shows her lucidity has not waned since 1980) by seeing the ways you two favor each other and massage out of yourself more steps like hers.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22) more fizziness and foaminess. more froth. more sequins. less mirrors, more posing. persevere, without question, in your honesty.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21) your doubleedgedsword traits are flourishing and are ready to be lovely. your candid nature can be caustic and can also be tender. your intimacy with yourself can facilitate closeness to others or make you unavailable. your precision and your lack of shame lace fingers and bring success.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 20) delicious time with yourself hones and proliferates your magic. some of your most honest and smartest thoughts happen while masturbating and while applying mascara. you have very special bonds to certain individuals that you may have left dormant in another room in your heart. awaken them. you have been lucky to come across people you can conjure such spells with. don't avoid the ferocity of your love. don't shame or fear yourself out of offering it or of feeling it come in.

CAPRICORN (December 21 - January 19) interact with water in a way you never have before. stretch a part of your body that you usually let sit idle. eat protein in a form you never have before. your acute self knowledge can carry you strong through many lives, or you can use it to limit yourself. don’t fulfill your own prescriptions: sit back and listen to who you are.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)

with a sagittarius. kiss harder than usual.

ARIES (March 20 - April 19) situations ask you about your integrity. the challenge is to employ what you have learned—to dredge up any wisdom you have gained. and to validate it. next steps: more roughage. find bravery to let things pass through you. you tend to find comfort in archiving— maybe you can find strength in feeling a new confident comfort. one that accounts for your agency. you are not just a Troubleshooter or a problem solver, you are a Chooser.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20) you have recommitted to accessories, unnecessary beauty and expression, and i am so excited to see how you manifest it. your resilient beauty is evident in the unwavering longterm love all over your life.

GEMINI

(May 21 - June 20) llover, we used to make truth and fire and i would leave you and masturbate through the truth to test it and hone it and feel it return to you throw more flames with you i made so much selves with you i made so much love with you i got scared at the emptiness of my colon i want to come together with you again. allons-y?

CANCER (June 21 - July 22) focus on recognizing abundance in your life. celebrate lushness and feel gratitude. realize the infinite pool from which that which is most dear comes. love, independence, innovation, resilience, enchantedness and enchantingness: there will always be enough to fulfill any call for them. there can be as much in you as in those around you. acting from scarcity is limiting.in a bad way.

LEO (July 23 - August 22)

PISCES (February 19 - March 19)

bathe thoroughly. teach yourself through repetition. the quests towards your goals are multi genre. look for synonym ways to get where you are headed.

invert. whatever you do parttime, do fulltime; whatever you do fulltime, cut to parttime. (re)convene

Marry Elaine is very psychic and a huge fag. Email her at letspretendweremarried@baltimoregaylife.com.

pursue every crush and every tingle. open yourself up to pain as a symptom of circulating blood.

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 43

QUOTE UNQUOTE "Barack Obama will close the book on the old politics of race and gender and group against groups, and straight against gay."

—U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, DMass., speaking to the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 25.

"We support the full inclusion of all families, including same-sex couples, in the life of our nation, and support equal responsibility, benefits, and protections. We will enact a comprehensive bipartisan employment non-discrimination act. We oppose the Defense of Marriage Act and all attempts to use this issue to divide us."

—From the 2008 Democratic Party platform. DOMA prohibits the federal government from treating same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose and purports to exempt states from having to recognize other states' same-sex marriages.

"What can I say? I'm the luckiest girl in the world. She's officially off the market. No one else gets her. And now she'll cook and clean for me."

—Ellen DeGeneres, who married actress Portia de Rossi on Aug. 16, to People magazine, Aug. 19.

"Neither Jennifer nor I are admitting to being the wife."

—Lesbian San Diego City Councilwoman Toni Atkins confirming that she and partner Jennifer LeSar will marry in September, to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 15.

"It (same-sex marriage) has a lower profile (than in the 2004 presidential election), but it will be an issue in people's minds. The bigger issues will be the economy, terrorism, health care, energy."

—Karl Rove, George W. Bush's campaign "architect," to the Los Angeles Times, Aug. 14.

"I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me, as a Christian ... it's also a sacred union. God's in the mix.... I would not (support a constitutional amendment with that definition) because historically...we have not defined marriage in our Constitution. It's been a matter of state law that has been our tradition. Let's break it down. The reason that people think there needs to

BY REX WOCKNER WITH BILL KELLEY naked pictures of ourselves for strangers to see. Now almost all of us have done it. When we crossed that line most of us felt we were violating ourselves. But it got us laid.

We took more pictures -- better ones -- because the hotter our pictures, the more we got laid. When we questioned our choices, we reminded ourselves, 'We're gay, this is our culture, Manhunt is the 21st-century gay bar, and you can't stop progress.'

Besides, every fuck, we rationalized, was another chance to find a boyfriend. Yet the more we did this, the fainter grew the hope of finding something more meaningful than a hookup. As our hopes faded, we learned to see one another, and finally even ourselves, as things."

"Here is the hard truth—if you are looking for a life partner the numbers are not in your favor. If you take the total number of gay men in your city, subtract the number you are not sexually compatible with, minus the ones who have deal-breaking habits, minus the guys who you have nothing in common with, minus the pathological closet cases who play straight while playing around online, minus the ones who just plain annoy you—the universe of potential mates is remarkably limited. This harsh reality is true for gay men in large cities and especially for rural gay men who can't find a hunk in Podunk."

—Syndicated columnist Wayne Besen, Aug. 12.

be a constitutional amendment, some people believe, is because of the concern that about same-sex marriage. I am not somebody who promotes same-sex marriage but I do believe in civil unions. I do believe that we should not—that for gay partners to want to visit each other in the hospital, for the state to say: 'You know what? That's all right' I don't think in any way inhibits my core beliefs about what marriage are (sic). I think my faith is strong enough and my marriage is strong enough that I can afford those civil rights to others even if I have a different perspective or a different view."

—Barack Obama, speaking at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., Aug. 16.

"I think these last 10 years have seen just a huge shift in the psyche of this country as regards gay people. I think AIDS had a lot to do with it. So many families who really believed they'd 'never met one' were suddenly confronted with their sons becoming ill, and friends of sons. I think that brought a lot of it into the open. Certainly groups like ACT UP (and) Larry Kramer brought a lot of it into the open. But I think there also has just been a willingness on the parts of people like myself, people like Melissa Etheridge or Elton (John), to stand up and be counted that has hopefully lent some bravery to people who are not in (the public eye)."

—Out singer Janis Ian to Time magazine, Aug. 7.

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

—Journalist and author Michael Joseph Gross writing in Out magazine, September issue.

"As a normative way of socializing for gay men, online cruising is a disaster. We need to recognize its effects— including its tendency to isolate us, encourage objectification, and diminish our sense of life's nonsexual possibilities—as disasters. We need to recognize that too many of us, too much of the time, are cruising online because it is easier and feels safer than thinking about the love we are missing and the power we do not have. Too many of us, too much of the time, are cruising online because it's easier and feels safer than mustering the courage, patience, discipline, and imagination required to help ourselves and each other become the men that, in our strongest moments, we want to be."

—Journalist and author Michael Joseph Gross writing in Out magazine, September issue.

"Manhunt's annual income from memberships alone is roughly the same as the total amount of individual contributions to this country's two biggest gay political groups, the Human Rights Campaign and NGLTF. (Former NGLTF Executive Director Matt) Foreman says, 'If we could leverage their membership for activism, there's no limit to what we could do.'"

—Journalist and author Michael Joseph Gross writing in Out magazine, September issue.

"When we started cruising online, neither I nor any of my friends would have dreamed we'd post

September 5, - September 18, 2008

"If America becomes a place where our children are taken from us by law and forced to attend schools where they are taught that cohabitation is as good as marriage, that motherhood doesn't require a husband or father, and that homosexuality is as valid a choice as heterosexuality for their future lives, then why in the world should married people continue to accept the authority of such a government?

What these dictator-judges do not seem to understand is that their authority extends only as far as people choose to obey them. How long before married people answer the dictators thus: Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government."

—Science fiction writer Orson Scott Card writing in the Mormon Times, July "Some time ago, I was walking down the street, and this fortune teller grabbed me and dragged me back to her shop, very panicked.

She said: 'I have to tell you something. Your vagina is haunted. You have to get rid of this demon, or you will never have a happy relationship; you will never have good sex; you will never be happy.' I was really freaked out. She wanted me to give her all this money so she could do some spell on my vagina."

—Comedian Margaret Cho to the New York Post, Aug. 17.

• PA G E 4 3

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 44

POSTAGE Unsung Heroes of Baltimore Pride On behalf of Baltimore Pride, the GLCCB and the Baltimore Pride ’08 committee would like to take the time to thank a few people who didn’t make it in the Pride Guide or the Pride issue of the newspaper. We really appreciate the hard work of these people, and couldn’t have made it without them: Michelle Rose, DJ Lord Byron, Visa D ‘Kline, Usman Bacha, Danny Ducat, Dan Keim, Ada Buffet, Ryan Boffen, Steven Mitchell, Victoria Blair, The Charm City Boys, AmeriCorps, and ALL THE VOLUNTEERS! Thanks for making Baltimore Pride 2008 the best year ever!

SERVICE

DIRECTORY

ACCOMMODATIONS Baltimore Tremonts 222 St. Paul St. Baltimore, MD 21202 410-561-8886

ACCOUNTING Heiffner & Associates 6706 German Hill Rd. Dundalk, MD 21222 410-285-3920 AUTOMOTIVE Meineke Car Care Center 7604 Harford Rd. Parkville, MD 21234 410-665-0710 Tate Mini of Annapolis 25 Old Mill Bottom Rd. N. Annapolis, MD 21409 410-349-2131 BARS / NIGHTCLUBS Baltimore Eagle 2022 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-685-3219 Club Hippo 1 W. Eager St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-576-0018 Club Phoenix 1 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-837-3906

CHORUSES

New Wave Singers PO Box 2012 Baltimore, MD 21203 410-558-4692 CHURCHES Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore 320 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 20201 410-547-5486 First & St. Stephen’s United Church 6915 York Rd. Baltimore, MD 21212 410-377-5224

St. John’s of Baltimore 2640 St. Paul St. Baltimore, MD 21218 410-366-7733 COMPUTER / TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING Computer Handyman of Maryland 443-827-0433 CONSTRUCTION Laurence Construction David Meltzer 6999 Reiserstown Rd., Suite 1 Baltimore, MD 21215 410-764-7100 NLT Construction 9216 Liberty Rd. Randallstown, MD 21133 410-922-6475

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

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

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

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

Baltimore, MD 21210 410-235-7899

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

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

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

PA G E 4 4 •

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

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

David Ostrowski & Pat Stokeley Long & Foster Real Estate 410-931-6300 www.DaveMovesMd.com RESTAURANTS / CATERING Café Boheme 401 E. Pratt St. Baltimore, MD 21202 410-347-9898 Sascha’s 527 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-539-8880 Spice Company 4 W. University Pkwy.

Baltimore, MD 21218 410-235-8200 Synagogues Beth El Congregation of Baltimore 8101 Park Heights Ave. Baltimore, MD 21208 410-484-0411 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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 45

MARKETPLACE

Employment.

Love Candles? I'm looking for Fun People to join my team- Be in Business FOR Yourself, NOT By Yourself. Call laurie 571-723-3053.

ExECutIvE DIRECtoR Equality Maryland seeks candidates for Executive Director to manage fundraising/finances, press, program staff, and community outreach for dynamic LGBT civil rights organization. For complete description, visit www.EqualityMaryland.org .

Massage BRAD'S SPECIAl touCh A hot full body/full satisfaction massage in your home, hotel, or my NEW waterfront studio. Guys or couples. Visa/MC. 443-6950141, or www.specialtouchmassage.com GREAt MASSAGE Swedish or sensual, by attractive guy with awesome hands.

Incall/Outcall, reasonable rates, 15 years experience.

Craig 410-336-8956 or Craiginbaltimore@comcast.net

For Sale ANtIquE FuRNItuRE FoR SAlE Various pieces of furniture in good condition, including corner cabinet, farm table, chest of drawers, small desks. Pieces available for pick-up in Baltimore. Call 954-6557498.

House or Apartment for Rent EvERYoNE WIll lovE thIS 1BR IN lAuRAvIllE. 2nd floor, detached house, nearly new appliances, refinished floors, extra room, 12 windows. $799/mo includes heat, water, satelitte TV. Small pet(s) welcome. References!

Call 410-404-9411. houSE FoR RENt Beverly Hills/Lauraville, 3 bedroom restored porchfront cottage, hardwood floors, fenced back yard, lovely older neighbor. Would prefer a 2-3 year commitment. $1200/mo. Susan @ 443-600-1158, suekssl@aol.com.

reach

the local

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

It’s easy to place your Market Place ad.

Call us at 410.837.7748 We’ll do the rest! 25 words for $20!

25¢ per word after that. Box it or add a graphic for $5 more.

ANSWERS TO Q PUZZLE www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 4 5

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 46

Plus level class now forming See details at our website!

PA G E 4 6 •

September 5, - September 18, 2008

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

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 47

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

September 5, - September 18, 2008

• PA G E 4 7

gl 9 04 08 :gl Mar 21 2008 9/3/08 2:11 PM Page 48