OCTOBER 17 - OCTOBER 31, 2008 VOLUME XXX, NUMBER 20 WWW.BALTIMOREGAYLIFE.COM
IN THIS ISSUE
PAGE 5: 2009 RIPPED GENES MALE MODEL CALENDAR RELEASED
PAGE 16: READY FOR THE BALTIMORE WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL? OK!
PAGE 26: GAY BASKETBALL TEAMS COME OUT READY TO PLAY: AN INTERVIEW WITH DEMARCO MAJORS, STAR OF SHIRTS & SKINS
WHAT’S INSIDE FEATURES PAGE 14 Focus on Women Filmmakers
PAGE 16 Ready for the Baltimore Women’s Film Festival? Ok! Gay Baketball Teams Come Out Ready To Play: An Interview with DeMarco Majors, Star of Shirts & Skis
PAGE 30 - MUSIC
2009 Ripped Genes Male Model Calendar Released; Turnaround, Inc. Celebrates October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month; Strike Against AIDS Raises Over $17K. Compiled by Maddy Dwertman
PAGE 6 – NATIONAL NEWS Google Opposes Prop 8; Schwarzenegger Vetoes Harvey Milk Bill; California Protects Gay Seniors; Lambda Legal Sues Tenn. City; U.S. HIV Ban Still Not Dead; Connecticut Supremes Legalize Same-Sex Marriage; Polls Flip on California Marriage, Gays Losing Now; Etheridge, Michaels to Marry; Jay Leno Supports Same-Sex Marriage; Pittsburgh Diocese Leaves Episcopal Church. By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley.
PAGE 10 – INTERNATIONAL NEWS Ahmadinejad: We Don't Execute Homosexuals; Portuguese PM Not Interested in Civil Unions; Comic who Blasted Pope Won't be Prosecuted; 18,000 at Taipei Pride; New Ecuadorean Constitution Gives Gay Couples Marriage Rights; British Treasury Minister Enters Civil Partnership. By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley.
OPINIONS
Maddy Dwertman Editor
editor@baltimoregaylife.com
Michael Nguyen Art Director
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National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media 212-242-6863
Calendar. By Maddy Dwertman Manifest Destiny, Absurdism, Nihilism. By DJ Alex Funk Page 40: A Few Qs: Richard Morel. The Renowned Remixer/Producer—whose New Album, Death of the Paper Boy, Drops Oct. 28—Talks Rock and Rocking the Vote. By Mikey Rox
PAGE 32 – DINING OUT Mount Vernon Stable and Sallon. By John Cullen and Marty Shayt
PAGE 33 - THEATRE On the Stage
COMMUNITY & COLUMNS PAGE 29 – DO AS I SAY Missing Festive History. By Miss Prudence Worthington
PAGE 41 - COMMUNITY CALENDAR
FOR FUN PAGE 28 – Q PUZZLE Direct Hits
PAGE 18
PAGE 42 – HOMOSTROLOGY
Talking the Talk. By Gwendolyn Ann Smith
By Marry Elaine
Two Worlds to Some. By David Placher
PAGE 43 – QUOTE UNQUOTE
A Failed Economy Hurts Us More. By Rev. Irene Monroe
By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley
Coming From Where I’m From. By Nicole Bettis
PAGE 46– BSCENE
art@baltimoregaylife.com
Sales
H.A.V.O.C. By Shayna Rockswell
PAGE 30 – PENCIL ME IN
PAGE 5 – LOCAL NEWS
Brian Flottemesch President of GLCCB
PAGE 22 – FICTION
PAGE 26
NEWS
241 W. Chase Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone: 410.837.7748 Fax: 410.837.8889 Email: editor@baltimoregaylife.com
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Black Pride. By Jay W.
CONTRIBUTORS Nicole Bettis John Cullen Marry Elaine Alex Funk Bill Kelley Rev. Irene Monroe David Placher
Shayna Rockswell Mikey Rox Marty Shayt Gwendolyn Ann Smith Rex Wockner Prudence Worthington
Gay Life is a publication of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore. Gay Life is published every other Friday in Baltimore, Maryland, with distribution throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Copyrighted 2008. All Rights Reserved. Gay Life is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of Gay Life or its publisher.
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LOCAL NEWS 2009 Ripped Genes Male Model Calendar Released
Turnaround, Inc. Celebrates October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month
TurnAround, Inc. will celebrate October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month with a special event and launch of two new programs designed to call attention to this pervasive societal problem that “hides in plain sight.”
The Towson-based nonprofit has joined with University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) to host “Metamorphosis”, a multi-media performance, exhibit and community town hall forum focused on the theme of domestic violence and the need to eliminate it. Discussions will focus on: “Getting Personal: What Can I Do To Stop Violence Against Women?”“Metamorphosis”, which is free and open to the public, will be held Tuesday, October 21, on the campus of UMBC at 1000 Hilltop Circle. Doors open at 6 p.m.; the program begins at 6:30 p.m. Fashion photographer Robert W. Mercer, Jr. recently released his 2009 Ripped Genes calendar, the third of the very popular series. The Baltimore native is well known for producing fashion events, training models and having his hand in almost anything that is good fashion. He is especially proud of the maturation of his calendars, with this next one presenting equally interesting, photogenic and diverse men. Mercer continues to hone his skills when searching various modeling agencies and online model sites, always on the lookout for a look or presence in someone that seems sincere, progressive and real.
The 2009 calendar introduces 14 new models, brings back 2 from the '08 version, and sizzles with the one and only Marco Dapper on the cover. Dapper, a Los Angeles based actor/model, spent a day and a half with Mercer in Baltimore. "It all started when I saw him in the independent film, Eating Out 2. I realized then that I wanted to photograph him. I find his look compelling and his personality in the film a likeable and sincere one. I only hoped it would translate to his real personality. I'm happy to say it did," commented Mercer. The 2009 edition is a 16 month calendar and includes enough sexy and smart men to last well into 2010. Moreover, unique Question and Answer section accompanies each month so you can find out more about what makes each guy tick. Robert Mercer and his calendar models have been featured on local television stations as well as in regional publications. They have made personal appearances in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and Washington, D.C. For additional information, visit www.fashionenterprisesonline.com.
As part of its mission to aid victims of domestic violence, TurnAround has joined with Target department stores to launch its Sanctuary program. A natural extension of TurnAround’s transitional housing program, Sanctuary collects new items to create “Safe Start Kits” for women and families leaving abusive relationships. A list of needed items can be found at www.target.com or any Target store. As part of its mission to help prevent sexual assault and domestic violence, TurnAround now offers a Speakers Bureau comprised of trained volunteers who wish to help others. These survivors share their moving and inspirational stories to raise awareness of both sexual assault and domestic violence. They partner with the agency’s Community Education and Training Department to speak at community functions, schools, and colleges and are also available for media interviews. For further information on these and other services provided by TurnAround, visit www.turnaroundinc.org or call 410-377-8111.
Strike Against AIDS Raises Over $17K
AIDS Action Baltimore (AAB) held its annual Strike Against AIDS bowling fundraiser on Sunday, October 5 at Hillendale Lanes. With more participants than in 2007, the duck pin bowling party raised $17,730 to provide assistance to individuals in the Baltimore community who are suffering from HIV/AIDS.
Dedicated to supporting individuals with HIV/AIDS, AAB raises money to support its own patient services programs, which provide financial assistance for housing, utilities, medicine and medical bills, and to advocate for more efficient and more effective services and research programs for individuals with HIV.
For additional information about AAB, visit www.aidsactionbaltimore.org.
www.glccb.org Services. Groups. Events. Our calendar is now online.
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NATIONAL NEWS by Rex Wockner with Bill Kelly
Polls Flip on California Marriage, Gays Losing Now A TV ad showing San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom saying California is going to have samesex marriage "whether you like it or not" is being credited with flipping poll numbers to favor the Nov. 4 ballot proposition to amend the state constitution to undo the state Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage.
sex marriage) running as high as 55 percent, and support for Prop 8 (which means one opposes same-sex marriage) running as low as 38 percent, two polls released Oct. 6 and 7 show voters now have flipped.
The ad continues: "Four judges ignored 4 million voters and imposed same-sex marriage on California. It's no longer about tolerance. Acceptance of gay marriage is now mandatory.
"People change their minds about Proposition 8 when they hear the lie that churches will lose their tax-free status if they won't marry same-sex couples," said Kors. "Even though this is not true.
Equality California said its internal polling shows 47 percent of likely California voters want to re-ban same-sex marriage and 43 percent want to keep it legal. Likewise, a CBS 5/SurveyUSA poll found 47 percent support for a ban and 42 percent opposition to it.
"This door's wide open now. It's gonna happen. Whether you like it or not!" Newsom says in a clip included in the ad paid for by forces supporting passage of Proposition 8.
"So this is crunch time. With less than a month before the election, we must get on the air now to answer these lies and swing votes back to our side. And the only way to do that is to raise more money. The generous $15.8 million that our supporters have given isn't enough."
"That changes a lot of things: People sued over personal beliefs. Churches could lose their tax exemption. Gay marriage taught in public schools. "We don't have to accept this. ('Whether you like it or not!') Yes on 8."
Gay activists admit the ad is effective, even though it contains "lies." But equally important, they say, the pro-8 side has raised some $10 million more than the anti-8 side, allowing the forces that want to re-ban same-sex marriage greater access to the television airwaves. One of the gay side's current ads shows the parents of a lesbian pleading with voters not to "eliminate" marriage for anyone. Another shows two women looking at family photos, including a picture from one woman's gay niece's wedding. The other woman expresses discomfort with same-sex marriage before agreeing with the first woman that she's not "willing to eliminate rights and have our laws treat people differently." On Oct. 9, the gay side launched a third ad, taking direct aim at
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has riled up the anti-gays. Photo by Rex Wockner
the "lies" in the Newsom ad.
"Our worst nightmares are coming true," Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors said in an urgent fundraising appeal Oct. 7.
"Today we learned of the massive $25.4 million our opponents have raised so far. They are using this war chest to broadcast lies: 24/7 and up and down the state of California. And the polls show the lies are working. We need your donation now."
Although other recent polls have shown opposition to Prop 8 (which means one supports same-
The EQCA polling, a compilation of the group's daily tracking polls, was conducted by Lake Research Partners. It questioned 1,051 randomly dialed likely voters between Sept. 29 and Oct. 2 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent. The current ads against same-sex marriage can be viewed at tinyurl.com/3jp23l and tinyurl.com/4f36lk. The current ads in favor of same-sex marriage can be viewed at tinyurl.com/noprop8-1, tinyurl.com/noprop8-2 and tinyurl.com/noprop8-3.
To donate to save same-sex marriage in California, visit NoOnProp8.com/home.
Schwarzenegger Vetoes Harvey Milk Bill
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill Sept. 30 that would have created a day honoring the late legendary gay activist and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk.
"I respect the author's intent to designate May 22nd as 'Harvey Milk Day' and a day of special significance for California public schools and educational institutions to honor Harvey Milk as an important community leader and public official in the city and county of San Francisco," Schwarzenegger said in his veto message. "However, I believe his contributions should continue to be recognized at the local level by those who were most impacted by his contributions."
The executive director of Equality California, Geoff Kors, called the veto "a disappointment to thousands and thousands of Californians who regard Harvey Milk as a national hero."
"This is a sad reminder of the lack of understanding of both the LGBT community and of the impact of Harvey Milk," Kors said. "As one of the first openly gay leaders in this country, Milk inspired Americans in every corner of our nation to stand proud in the face of adversity, and he gave his life in the pursuit of equality. This fall, his story will be celebrated in movie theaters nationwide as a tribute to a legacy that extends far beyond California." Milk settled in the Castro district in
1972 and opened a camera store. He went on to pioneer a populist gay rights movement in the city and, in 1977, was elected to the Board of Supervisors, becoming the third openly gay candidate elected in U.S. history.
He and Mayor George Moscone were shot to death inside City Hall on Nov. 27, 1978, by then recently resigned city Supervisor Dan White, who was angry that Moscone wouldn't let him un-resign and that Milk had lobbied Moscone not to reappoint White. White's lenient sentence for the killings (seven years and eight months with parole) led to the famed White Night Riots in San Francisco on May 21, 1979.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Photo by Rex Wockner
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Polls have shown support for same-sex marriage as high as 55 percent and as low as 42 percent. They have clocked opposition to same-sex marriage as high as 47 percent and as low as 38 percent. Seven to 10 percent of voters have polled as undecided on Prop 8.
Google Opposes Prop 8
Google has officially come out in opposition to Proposition 8, the Nov. 4 ballot measure that would undo the California Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage by amending the state constitution.
Singer Melissa Etheridge is getting married. GLAAD photo
Etheridge, Michaels to Marry
Singer Melissa Etheridge, 47, and actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, 33, are getting married, Etheridge told the TV show Extra on Oct. 1.
"Yes, we have four children and we're trying to find the right time," Etheridge said.
California's Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in June. On Nov. 4, voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to undo the ruling.
"It is the chilling and discriminatory effect of the proposition on many of our employees that brings Google to publicly oppose Proposition 8," said co-founder Sergey Brin. "While we respect the strongly-held beliefs that people have on both sides of this argument, we see this fundamentally as an issue of equality. We hope that California voters will vote no on Proposition 8—we should not eliminate anyone's fundamental rights, whatever their sexuality, to marry the person they love." Brin said Google does "not generally take a position on issues outside of our field," but that this was a special case because of Prop 8's direct effect on so many Google employees.
GLSEN Study Finds Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT Students Experience Harassment On Tuesday, October 7, GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, released The 2007 National School Climate Survey, the most comprehensive report ever on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students. The report was released in conjunction with the announcement that GLSEN will partner with the Ad Council on a multiyear national public education campaign targeting anti-LGBT language among teenagers.
The survey of 6,209 middle and high school students found that nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students (86.2%) experienced harassment at school in the past year, three-fifths (60.8%) felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and about a third (32.7%) skipped a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe. “The 2007 National School Climate Survey reveals that, on a whole, the situation is still dire for many LGBT youth when it comes to school safety,” GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings said. “It’s hard to believe that anyone who reads this report could continue to turn the other way as our nation’s LGBT stu-
dents are bullied and harassed at alarming rates. The good news is there’s hope. The 2007 National School Climate Survey also shows that when schools and educators take action, they can make a drastic difference.”
Key Findings of The 2007 National School Climate Survey include:
A Hostile School Climate and the Effects on Academic Achievement:
86.2% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 44.1% reported being physically harassed and 22.1% reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
73.6% heard derogatory remarks such as “faggot” or “dyke” frequently or often at school.
More than half (60.8%) of students reported that they felt unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation, and more than a third (38.4%) felt unsafe because of their gender expression. 31.7% of LGBT students missed a class and 32.7% missed a day of school in the past month because
of feeling unsafe, compared to only 5.5% and 4.5%, respectively, of a national sample of secondary school students.
The reported grade point average of students who were more frequently harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender expression was almost half a grade lower than for students who were less often harassed (2.8 versus 2.4).
Positive Interventions and Support:
Students in schools with a GayStraight Alliance reported hearing fewer homophobic remarks, experienced less harassment and assault because of their sexual orientation and gender expression, were more likely to report incidents of harassment and assault to school staff, were less likely to feel unsafe because of their sexual orientation or gender expression, were less likely to miss school because of safety concerns and reported a greater sense of belonging to their school community.
The presence of supportive staff contributed to a range of positive indicators including fewer reports of missing school, greater academic achievement, higher edu-
cational aspirations and a greater sense of belonging to their school community.
Students from a school with a safe school policy that included protections based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression heard fewer homophobic remarks, experienced lower levels of victimization related to their sexual orientation, were more likely to report that staff intervened when hearing homophobic remarks and were more likely to report incidents of harassment and assault to school staff.
Despite the positive benefits of these interventions, only about a third of students (36.3%) reported having a Gay-Straight Alliance at school. The same number of students (36.3%) could identify six or more supportive educators and only a fifth (18.7%) attended a school that had a comprehensive safe school policy.
The percentage of states with comprehensive safe school laws is also low. Only 11 states and the District of Columbia protect students from bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation, and only seven states and DC protect students on the basis of gender identity/expression. The
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NAT’L NEWS Pittsburgh Diocese Leaves Episcopal Church
The Pittsburgh diocese of the Episcopal Church broke with the church Oct. 4, in no small part due to the national church's tolerance for same-sex unions and openly gay clergy and bishops.
Deputies to the diocese's 143rd annual convention voted 240-102 (with 6 abstentions and 2 ballots determined to be invalid) to join the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone of America, which covers Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Clergy voted for the break 121-33 and laity voted for it 119-69.
"We deeply value our shared heritage and years of friendship with those still within that denomination, but this diocese could not in good conscience continue down the road away from mainstream Christianity that the leadership of the Episcopal Church is so determined to follow," said the Rev. Peter Frank, diocesan communications director.
"We are deeply thankful to the Province of the Southern Cone for offering us a clear way to stay within the Anglican Communion as the necessary work of building a new province goes forward."
Some of the diocese's 70 parishes and 210 clergy are expected to now withdraw from the diocese and reaffiliate with the Episcopal Church. One other U.S. diocese has left the church for the same reasons—
California's Diocese of San Joaquin.."
Connecticut Supremes Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
Three down, 47 to go. Connecticut's Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage Oct. 10, following in the footsteps of California and Massachusetts.
In a 4-3 decision, the justices said denying same-sex couples equal access to marriage violated the state constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law.
"Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay people are entitled to marry," the decision said. "To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others."
The ruling is expected to take effect around Nov. 7. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said he would not challenge the decision in any way. Gov. M. Jodi Rell said she didn't like the ruling but has no plans to oppose it.
"The Supreme Court has spoken," she said. "I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision—either legislatively or by amending the state constitution—will not meet with success." The case was brought in 2004 in New Haven Superior Court on behalf of eight gay and lesbian Connecticut couples who had been denied marriage licenses. The couples now have been together for between 10 and 32 years and are raising a total of 14 children. The court's 85-page decision can be read online at tinyurl.com/conndec.
Same-sex marriage also is legal in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa and Spain—and will
become legal in Norway in January.
California Protects Gay Seniors
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Sept. 28 to help prevent anti-gay bias in senior-care facilities and nursing homes. The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, requires licensed health care professionals who have constant interaction with seniors to attend a training program on preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. "Some members of the (GLBT) community living in nursing homes have been denied their most basic rights, including the simple choice to spend time with a loved one, because of their sexual orientation or gender identity," said Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors. "We appreciate the support of Gov. Schwarzenegger and the Legislature for approving this measure, which will proactively create a culture of respect and understanding for all seniors living in care facilities."
EQCA said basic rights such as the choice to live in the same nursing home with a partner and the right to hospital visitation are routinely denied to older same-sex couples.
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Jay Leno Supports Same-Sex Marriage
TV talk show host Jay Leno expressed unequivocal support for same-sex marriage on his Oct. 1 broadcast.
During a chat without talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, Leno said: "I come from Massachusetts, and they've had it in Massachusetts for a long time. And it's fine. The world doesn't collapse.
"You know, I must admit, I go to West Hollywood—people know that's the gay area. The nicest area, the cleanest area, the safest area. I mean, I don't get it. I mean, if two people want to have something together—the economy is falling apart, I don't care what you do!"
DeGeneres said to Leno, "They are trying to ... stop gay people from marrying, like somehow Portia and I staying at home watching Dancing with the Stars is affecting anybody
TV talk show host Jay Leno supports same-sex marriage. Photo by Rex Wockner
U.S. HIV Ban Still Not Dead
Two months after Congress and President George W. Bush repealed a law banning HIV-positive visitors and immigrants, the Department of Homeland Security announced Sept. 30 that it has "streamlined" the process for issuing waivers to HIVpositive foreigners who wish to visit for fewer than 30 days.
"The timing of these regulations is deeply troubling," said Victoria Neilson, legal director of Immigration Equality. "Congress issued a bipartisan message to this administration: Remove HIV as a barrier to travel and immigration. Instead of simply ending the HIV travel ban, the administration is again treating HIV differently from any other medical condition." The July repeal of the statutory ban was included in a bill that re-funded the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which Bush was keen to get done. But regulatory changes at the Department of Health and Human Services also are needed to remove HIV from a list of "communicable diseases of public health significance" for visa purposes—a list that exists under a different law than the one that was repealed. Meanwhile, under Homeland Security's streamlined waiver process, a short-term HIV-positive traveler still will have to meet several stringent criteria, as well as give up the right to apply for a green card from within the U.S., even if he or she marries a U.S. citizen. "Rather than continuing forward with this unnecessary and potentially harmful visa-waiver process rule, the president should actively work to ensure that his administration eliminates HIV from this disease list before he leaves office in January,"
said U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, who led the effort in the House of Representatives that repealed the statutory ban.
Lambda Legal Sues Tenn. City
Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit against Johnson City, Tenn., Sept. 30 on behalf of Kenneth Giles, whose photo was released to the media after he was arrested in a sting operation targeting men who have sex with each other in public environments.
Photos of 39 other men arrested in the crackdown also were released.
"In America, the police do not get to add an extra punishment to people they don't like," said Lambda's Greg Nevins. "They also do not get to ignore the principle of innocent until proven guilty. The JCPD went out of its way to humiliate Mr. Giles and caused irreparable damage."
On Oct. 1, 2007, the police department issued a press release, personally approved by the police chief, that included photos of the men at the scene of their arrests. Local news gave the story and photos big play, and revealed the men's addresses.
Lambda later reviewed more than a year's worth of the police department's press releases and found that out of some 600 releases, none concerning arrests was accompanied by photos—nor personally approved by the chief. One of the 40 men later committed suicide and several were fired, including Giles, who was a nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital.
Lambda Legal claims the police department violated federal equalprotection law in singling the men out for harsher treatment by making their images available to the media.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS by Rex Wockner with Bill Kelly
Ahmadinejad: We Don't Execute Homosexuals
overlook every morality? This goes against the values of a society. It is the divine rule of the prophets. And then, of course, in Iran, it's not an issue as big as it is of concern here in the United States. There might be a few people who are known. In general, our country would not accept it. And there's a law about it, too, which one must follow."
In a Sept. 26 interview with the radio program Democracy Now!, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his nation does not execute people for the crime of engaging in gay sex. There have been persistent, though unconfirmed, reports for years that Iran hangs men for committing sodomy.
Amy Goodman Interviewer showed Ahmadinejad a photo of the 2005 hanging of teens Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, widely reported to have been executed for engaging in gay sex together, and asked: "July 19 is a day that is honored around the world, where two gay teenagers, Iranian teens, were hung. This is a picture of them hanging. They were two young men, named Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni. Do you think gay men and lesbians should die in Iran?"
Ahmadinejad responded: "No, there is no law for their execution in Iran. Either they were drug traffickers or they had killed someone else. Those who kill someone else or engage in acts of rape could be punished by execution. Otherwise, homosexuals are not even known who they are to be hung. ... So, we don't have executions of homosexuals. Of course, we consider it an abhorrent act, but it is not punished through capital punishment. It's basically an immoral act. There are a lot of acts that can be immoral, but there's no capital punishment for them." "I don't know where you obtained these pictures from," he continued.
Iran is known to have executed several teens and men accused of engaging in sodomy, but in the cases that have been publicized in recent years the individuals were accused of other crimes as well, such as rape.
U.S. TV interviewer Larry King quizzed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his nation's treatment of gays Sept. 23. Screen-capture photo
"Either they're a network of drug traffickers or some other—or people who generally might have killed someone else. You know that we take our sort of social security seriously, because it's important."
Ahmadinejad also again denied that he'd said in New York last year that there are no gay people in Iran.
"I didn't say they don't exist; I said not the way they are here (in the U.S.)," he said. "In Iran, it's considered as a very unlikable and abhorrent act. People simply don't like it. Our religious decrees tell us that it's against our values, and all divine laws, actually, believe in the same. Who has given them permission to engage in homosexual acts? It's considered as an abhorrent act. It shakes
Portuguese PM Not Interested in Civil Unions
Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates is not interested in creating civil unions for same-sex couples.
"Homosexual unions are not on the political agenda," he said Sept. 27. "It is not in the government's program and the (Socialist Party) will not be instructed by other parties."
Two civil-union-related bills were slated for discussion in Parliament on Oct. 10.
Comic who Blasted Pope Won't be Prosecuted
Famous Italian comic Sabina Guzzanti will not be prosecuted for saying in July that Pope
the foundations of a society, the family foundation. It robs humanity. It brings about diseases.
"It should be of no pride to the American society to say that they defend homosexuals and support it. It's not a good act, in and by itself, to then hold others accountable for banning it. And it's not called freedom, either. Sure, if somebody engages in an act in their own house without being known to others, we don't pay any attention to that. People are free to do what they like in their private realms. But nobody can engage in what breaks the law in public."
"Why is it that in the West all moral boundaries have been shaken?" he asked. "Just because some people want to get votes, they are ready to
Benedict XVI will go to hell for the church's treatment of gay people.
The decision not to pursue an investigation was made by Justice Minister Angelino Alfano. A local prosecutor in Rome had suggested Guzzanti's comments broke a law that protects the dignity of Roman Catholics. A Vatican spokesman said the church approved of the decision to drop the matter.
18,000 at Taipei Pride
Some 18,000 people marched in the rain in the Taipei, Taiwan, gay pride parade Sept. 27.
It was believed to be the largest gay pride parade in Asia to date, and was the city's ninth pride march.
Organizer Wang Ping said it's great that more
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has said it suspects that other charges often are tacked onto sodomy cases to prevent the public outrage that would accompany executions carried out solely for the crime of consensual adult gay sex. The group also has said it believes executions solely for gay sex are taking place out of the public eye. "Our suspicions (are) that their current practice really is to rid society of lesbians and gay men," the organization said last year.
Human Rights Watch, on the other hand, has said it cannot fully document any executions in Iran in recent years carried out solely for the crime of consensual adult gay sex. Democracy Now! airs daily, among other places, on Pacifica, NPR, community and college radio stations.
gay people are daring to be out but that they need to also take part in gay rights activism.
New Ecuadorean Constitution Gives Gay Couples Marriage Rights
Sixty-five percent of Ecuadoreans approved a new constitution Sept. 28 that, among much else, grants all the rights of marriage to stable, monogamous same-sex couples who live together.
At the same time, the document bans gay adoption and says marriage is only between a man and a woman. The constitution also prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and HIV status; imposes upon Ecuadoreans a duty to respect and learn about sexual-orientation and gender differences; and requires schools to teach
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about sexual rights.
President Rafael Correa has spoken forcefully in favor of equality for gay couples.
"Jesus of Nazareth never preached hatred, homophobia or segregation; instead he knew to say, 'Love one another,'" Correa said in July.
"It is false that (the constitution) is recognizing as family the union of homosexuals. What we are doing is recognizing the dignity of all people without discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, etc."
"Let's hope, now that there's been so much talk about moral incompatibilities between the new constitution and the Gospel, sometimes utilizing falsehoods, that we also can talk with equal force about the profound incompatibility of the social situation—of that inequality, of that existing social injustice—with the Gospels," Correa said.
British Treasury Minister Enters Civil Partnership
British Treasury junior minister Angela Eagle and her partner of 18 years, Maria Exall, entered an official civil partnership Sept. 27.
Civil partnerships in the United Kingdom carry the same rights and
British Treasury junior minister Angela Eagle and her partner of 18 years, Maria Exall, entered an official civil partnership Sept. 27. Photo: AngelaEagleMP.co.uk
responsibilities as marriage.
Eagle and Exall tied the knot in South London at the Southwark Register Office, accompanied by about 50 guests. A reception at Eagle's home and then a party at a bar followed.
Eagle, a Labour member of Parliament and Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, is the only open lesbian in the House of Commons.
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Focus on Women Filmmakers: Baltimore Women’s Film Festival, October 23-26 The Baltimore Women’s Film Festival, set to take place Thursday, October 23 through Sunday, October 26 at Landmark’s Harbor East Cinema, will screen over 100 films in which women play significant roles in the production, direction and completion of the film. The 2008 lineup includes a variety of shorts, documentaries, animation, music videos and feature length-films. An interactive event, BWFF will have over 30 filmmakers in attendance to discuss their work. Gay Life had the wonderful opportunity to speak with the directors or producers of five of the films showing at this year’s festival. The Baltimore Women’s Film Festival will donate 50% of all ticket sale proceeds to the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center, which provides innovative, integrated, high-quality and cost-effective care for breast cancer patients. For a complete schedule of screenings and events, visit www.bwfilmfestival.com. human face. Also, the project that I visited, the Orongo Widows and Orphans Project, … I wanted them to have a video that they could show people to tell what kind of work that they do. The film was also shown on World AIDS Day at the South African Broadcasting Corporation. In watching the trailer, it was very interesting to see how the AIDS epidemic has contributed to positive social transformation. To what extent have the Orongo women influenced wife inheritance practices outside of their immediate village? They have people from all over Kenya coming to this project and they are actually helping to sort out cases in other villages…. On both occasions that I visited the project, there were about 4 women from other regions coming to ask for help. I think the impact could be much broader if they had funding.
My Dead Husband’s Land
My Dead Husband’s Land recounts the story of an HIV-positive widow, Betty Tom, and her fight against discrimination that that has transformed her community in Kenya. The local Luo culture prevents women from inheriting and owning their deceased husbands’ land. HIVpositive widows who are disproportionately affected, as they’re perceived as “sick and dirty” and unable to contribute positively to their communities. In challenging practices they consider oppressive, they have revolutionized the culture. Every widow at Orongo now has the right to refuse being inherited.
South African filmmaker Mia Malan spoke with Gay Life about how this documentary project started, her decision to produce the film in an African style and the impact the women of Orongo have had outside their own village. How did you become interested in this particular documentary project? I’m a journalist from South Africa. I moved to Kenya and started an
HIV journalism project for Internews Network. When I started training journalists, it was around cultural issues. One of the big issues in Kenya is wife inheritance. There are a lot of issues relating to HIV and gender that revolve around this. When I started the training, one of the case studies that the organization sent me was Betty Tom, who is the woman in the film. When she told her story, it was just something that hit right at you. Even though I was training journalists, this is a story that I had to go tell myself…. I wanted to make an example of a positive story about HIV because all of the stories that generally come out of Kenya about HIV are negative and rarely have a
This video is going to be used by the Kenyan Human Rights Commission…to introduce this practice in other villages where they do work. And they are also looking at the possibility of translating the video into Luo itself.
In filming the documentary, did any of the women shed light on why the death rates of men and women affected by HIV in Kenya are so disparate? In the film, Florence Gundo comments on it. They believe that women in the village are much more open about HIV than men are. When a woman realizes that she’s been infected, she talks about it and goes to a clinic. Because they talk openly about it, it’s psychologically easier to cope with and it also opens you up to help. The men seem to not talk about it, not acknowledge it…which results in them not finding help or treatment and not accessing any kind of counseling…..
How has audience reception to the film differed in Africa and the U.S.? In Africa, people understand the culture much more. I also think the film has been produced in a much more African style. American films are much more snappy and faster than this one. When I produced the film, I had to make a choice. I knew that the Kenyan Human Rights Commission may want to use it for communities and Africans like stories being told slowly and they like people repeating things. I had a low budget, so I could only produce it in my way. It was more important to me that Africans could understand it and that it could be used in communities than to make it completely commercialized. What I did do for America is a little more of an introduction for the film.
Obviously, Africans identify with the issues of culture, especially the issue of land. That is a very central theme in the film. In Africa, land is different than in the Western world. It is your life…. You need to own land in Africa to be worthy. In this community in Orongo and in many parts of Africa, you can’t buy land. You have to inherit it. That is what made Betty Tom’s case so devastating when she was initially kicked off her land. There was no way for her to come up with money and say “I want to buy this piece of land.” It was like, either it belongs to you or it doesn’t….
Many audiences, however, can understand and take something away from the film. It is about human rights…the basic right to be treated well if you don’t necessarily do things in exactly the same way as the majority of people. Also, there’s the fact that things change…. It’s really a story of how a community coped with change. There are very definite ways that the Chief of that community had to explain this form of change and take the people through the concept of change. The culture had to change because society changed. Do you have any upcoming projects in the works? I’m leaving Internews, so I’m going to be a night international journalism fellow in South Africa next year to help South African journalists report on stories that relate to health policy. I would hope that there will be a lot of HIV/AIDS stories with a gender component…. and that I can help the media really play a role in upkeeping women’s rights and human rights in general. My Dead Husband’s Land screens Sunday, October 26 at 6 p.m.
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Private Life
Exploring the boundaries of gender and gender roles, Private Life, a period drama, offers a glimpse into the history of lesbian and gay life in the UK. Director Abbe Robinson spoke with Gay Life about what sparked her interest in creating this short and the importance of LGBT filmmakers telling stories that have been left out of the history of film.
Can you speak briefly on what the film is about?
It’s set in the early 1950s in the north of England. It’s a love story between two women, but you don’t know that at the beginning. It’s a brief encounter. The main character is a supervisor at a textile mill factory. She leaves work and goes on the train and meets a guy on a platform. It’s set up like she’s having an affair with a guy. But, they swap clothes and go to different places. She meets her lover and various things happen to them throughout the night. It’s got a little bit of comedy and drama in it as well.
What led you to make this particular film?
I was reading a book about the history of lesbian and gay life in the UK. I live in the North of England and was reading about mill workers who used to travel to Manchester where they would go to underground clubs to meet each other. That was really interesting to me.
The cinematography in the film is amazing, especially for a “lowbudget” film.
It was a low-budget film, but for a short, it wasn’t as low as a lot. We did get a certain amount of funding that meant we could actually shoot on film. We found a lot of locations that we could use for free. We actually did have the opportunity to shoot on a steam train. We’re lucky that we had those types of facilities and locations around where we were shooting.
How long has it been on film circuit and how has it been received?
It’s been on the circuit since September 2006, which is quite a long time. It’s exceeded our expectations, really. It’s won now 15 awards and been to over 100 film
festivals. The film is out on DVD now in the states…released by Wolf Video.
What attracted you to the Baltimore Women’s Film Festival?
We look at festivals and decide if it’s a festival that would be feasible for the film. One good thing about our short film is that it crosses over categories. It’s played at big mainstream film festivals in America and Europe, gay and lesbian film festivals and women’s film festivals. We’ve had a lot of festivals to apply to.
I hope that people will go the festival and see lots of short films. It’s important for LGBT filmmakers to tell stories that have been left out of the history of film so far. Although it’s a story of two women, it has gay men in there as well. Both lesbians and gay men can enjoy the film…which isn’t always the case with short films that cater to either one or the other.
Are you currently working on other projects?
I did another short funded by the UK film council before this one, The Piper, which was a kind of urban fairy tale with a lesbian story. That was made in 2005. It was a much lower budget film, but it kind of gave us something to show people and helped us get more funding for Private Life. I’ve got another short film that I’m working on and am also writing a feature film about politicians in the UK. Private Life screens with a collection of short films examining gender roles on Friday, October 24 at 10 p.m.
Til Death Do Us Part
In Til Death Do Us Part, battered women incarcerated for killing their lovers relate their untold stories—from first falling in love, to the abuse they endured from their spouses, to the murder, trial, parole process, and, for one woman, release—thus shattering the widespread stigma that a woman can leave an abusive relationship at any time. Filmmaker Vita Lusty spoke with Gay Life about societal attitudes and legislation concerning battered women, audience reactions and what she hopes to accomplish through the documentary.
What initially sparked your interest in examining incarcerated battered women? I was watching the news one day after dinner and there was a 20-second clip of a woman in prison who was taken as a sex slave from Mexico at age 15. She was kept by an elderly gentleman for several years. When he sexually harassed the neighbor, the woman’s husband came over and beat him to death with a baseball bat. The sex slave, Maria Suarez, took the baseball bat and buried it. She received 15 years to life. The man who actually beaten the assailant to death received 7 years. After seeing this, I heard that there was a battered woman’s group in prison and I thought it would be really compelling just to hear their stories because in the news you only get these little sound bites. I made a few phone calls and all of the doors just opened at once. I was able to get into the prison and attend meetings bimonthly for over a year.
The voices of the incarcerated women are featured prominently in the film. What do you hope for audiences to take away? The women had actually never had a defense. Up until 1992, abuse was inadmissible in the state of California in murder trials. It was considered hearsay…. Basically, these women were brought into a jury situation and the facts were really jilted and they were convicted of murder one and two. I wanted to do a documentary where they had a chance to provide that testimony, to have their defense, and share their stories from their perspectives…because they had never had that opportunity before.
I went in and interviewed over 40 women. I wanted to structure it from the moment they fell in love with their abuser through the first moment of abuse to the moment that they snapped and killed their husbands. Then I took it through the arrest, the trial, parole, habeas hopes, the legislative system…. And then I followed one woman who was freed after 19 years. Unfortunately, 90 minutes doesn’t really cover all that I saw and wanted to include…. Have laws around the admission of abuse in trials changed? I know it changed in California and Massachusetts. I think a few other states are working on it, but the country as a whole has no laws in place to recognize battered women’s syndrome or any type of domestic abuse defense…. Even in the state of California, being the most progressive state for women victims, they still put the victim on trial and force them to prove that they were victims.
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also worked as a short documentary that can bring some awareness and encourage dialogue and motivate people to be more active about knowing their own status.
Seen But Not Heard
Seen But Not Heard explores the historical antecedents, current trends, and emerging activism concerning HIV/AIDS among African-American women. This documentary project seeks to start a dialogue and create a framework for solutions.
New York-based filmmaker, Cyrille Phipps spoke with Gay Life about how she became involved in AIDS activism, the factors that contribute to the invisibility of HIV/AIDS among AfricanAmerican women and the constant struggle for increased funding to properly address the epidemic.
What led you to create a documentary about African American women and HIV/AIDS? I’ve been doing social issues documentaries since the early 90s. I was also working with an organization in New York called Seeing Through AIDS. It is a program that came out of an organization called Media Network, a nonprofit media group here in the city. They would take films from a number of different organizations and individuals that dealt with HIV/AIDS and went to hospitals, community centers, healthcare centers ….. These narrative videos that were produced would deal with issues of grief, shame, stigma…. That’s how I got involved in AIDS activism and awareness.
By 2001 or 2002, I began to realize that numbers were really affecting black women. I started doing more research, talking to people, volunteering with different organizations. Finally, I started writing some grants to get some funding. I was fortunate to get some from the Paul Robeson Foundation in New York City, which led me to my initial production. By that time, it was 2006 and it just happened to be the 25th anniversary of the discovery of HIV/AIDS. At that time, there were a number of different events happening throughout the city, so I was able to document everything that was going on and interview people that I was already familiar with…. This was actually intended to be a longer piece and still will be, but I used this as a trailer initially. Watching it and seeing people’s response, I realized that it
In spite of the shocking rates of HIV/AIDS among African-American women, it seems very little attention is given to the epidemic among this particular population. What are some of the factors contributing to this invisibility? Black women tend to be invisible overall. Some of the social issues that we are confronted with add to the invisibility. African-Americans have some of the highest incident rates in a number of different diseases…whether it’s high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer. If you consider some of the social circumstances that black women are facing, it’s understandable that they have some of the highest risk factors in relation to HIV/AIDS and other diseases. If you’re having difficulty paying bills, if you’re a single mother, if poverty is an issue, homelessness…domestic violence, then you tend to put your children’s health and your family’s health ahead of yours. That’s unfortunately been kind of the history of black women…always putting others before themselves. There has to be reeducation. Women need to understand that if you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of your family.
In communities of color, healthcare services are also lacking. This also has an impact. The media certainly doesn’t help. And, unfortunately, the black church has been slow in responding to AIDS…. Sexuality and homosexuality contribute to this silence. A number of churches are becoming more active and there’s more dialogue. At this point now, the epidemic, or the pandemic as I call it, is now full-speed ahead, so it’s a catch-up game that we end up playing. The disease has advanced so quickly and spread so far within the community that it’s going to take an extremely large effort. So you have plans to continue producing a longer feature documentary? Yes. I’m always researching and fundraising, so it’s an ongoing process. The numbers keep increasing and the disease is starting to evolve, almost like it’s becoming a main partner in the community. As I’m producing it, I’m able to communicate how it has changed over time. Also, the fundraising is a very frustrating part of producing this project. It often feels like no one seems to care about black women. I’ve heard many thousands of times, “Well, it’s a great idea. It’s a great project, but we can’t give you funding at this particular point in time….” It’s incredible that so little funding has been dedicated to this issue. We tend to be seen as a throw away aspect of our country. If we’re trying to engage in nation-building and restructure the country, we have to make sure that everyone is doing well
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physically as well as economically. How far can legislation go in tiding the epidemic? In the mid to late-80s, when white gay men decided they were sick and tired of dying…they got out in the street and protested and got in the media. They had an incredible impact on how HIV/AIDS has affected the white, gay community. During that particular time, there was an entire reeducation. There was a change in legislation, increase in funding. Institutions were developed. When you make a commitment to support something, change does happen. Change is happening now, but it’s happening to such a small degree. There are organizations that are doing important work, but it’s very small pockets. A lot of the funding has been stripped during the Bush Administration…. I’ve talked to people working in organizations in BedSty, the South Bronx…areas that are hit the hardest, and they’re losing funding.
If you consider the Black community within the US, it would be the equivalent to the African continents that are being devastated by AIDS. Our community is smaller, but there are more people being infected and dying here in the US and we are not receiving the funding from our own government to alleviate that or even address the issue…. They give you LUSTY - continued from page 13
…As Americans, we live in a place where we think we’re the most progressive country in the world. We think we’re the most privileged people on earth. And then you really take a look at these people who were at the wrong place at the wrong time in history and we still have no means to protect them…nor do we have the means of pulling them out of prison after 20 years serving a murder 1 or 2 charge when they should have been tried for selfdefense. There’s no means of justice for these women. There are people dying in prison under false charges because we are not involved enough in this society to change our laws and take into account domestic abuse and battered women’s syndrome. Even if these women get parole, their parole can be reversed by the government. Some women have had their parole reversed three or four times…. It’s completely shocking. Legislation is obviously part of it. But, even if laws changed, do you think the outcome of these cases would be that different given the persistence of societal attitudes about abused women? People working around this issue are trying to educate members of the jury and people on the parole board…but honestly, most of those
money. They take it away. They give you a little back. It’s a constant hustle. You have these abstinence programs and no one has demonstrated that it works. How are you going to alleviate a disease like HIV/AIDS that’s a sexually transmitted disease by countering it with abstinence programs?
A lot of advocates who are working around HIV/AIDS issues don’t believe that this is just a medical issue. It’s a social disease in the sense that you can’t just treat it as if you’re dealing with a physical illness…. Not being able to deal with psychosocial issues also has had a great impact.
What do you hope audiences take away from the documentary? Even if the film just starts a dialogue among your friends or in your community, that’s a very powerful thing…. What I’m hoping to do in the future as the film develops, is to include dialogues with women and men, or even among men only...having discussions about how they deal with their sexual behavior so we can make it an open dialogue. Primarily for women, they have to have some venue where they can see themselves reflected and be selfempowered. Seen But Not Heard Screens on Sunday, October 26 at 6 p.m.
people are older men. They are more preoccupied with why, for instance, these women stay in these relationships…. How have audiences responded to the film thus far? It’s shown at some film festivals. Internet users that have seen my movie feel that the perspective is skewed because I’m letting the women speak. The male users feel like they’re on the hot seat and have a violent reaction to the movie. They feel like I’m attacking them. One viewer accused me of using prostitutes as subjects…. They hear what I was saying about battered women’s syndrome, but they can’t seem to process it. They claim that it’s an excuse…. It’s a little frustrating to get this kind of reception. It was also made on a shoe-string budget. I hope that in time it eventually ends up growing and makes a difference out there. Right now, it’s still early on and the reception has been lukewarm. There are women who are battered that email me and feel like it’s their voice. So, it’s the good and the bad together. Til Death Do Us Part Screens on Friday, October 24 at 12:30 p.m.
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e h t r o f y d a e R ’s n e m o W e r o Baltim Film Festival?
! K O
ontemporary LGBT cinema inundates viewers with PFLAG, rainbow flag waving mothers and the coming out stories of gay youth disowned by their families. In Ready? OK!, James Vasquez resists these popular stereotypes, bringing audiences the story of a single mother, Andrea, as she struggles to embrace the individuality of her ten-year-old son Joshua, who is obsessed with dresses, dolls and cheerleading. A film that has touched audiences both straight and gay, male and female on the festival circuit, Ready? OK! comes to the Baltimore Women’s Film Festival on October 24.
C
The film’s director, James Vasquez, and producer, Carrie Preston, spoke with Gay Life about the writing and filming of Ready? OK!, its cross-over appeal and its Baltimore premier.
What inspired you to write Ready? OK!? And, briefly, what is the film about?
JV: The movie centers around a ten-year-old boy who wants to join his Catholic School’s allgirl cheerleading squad. Really, the story is about his mom [Andrea, played by Carrie Preston] and is told through his mom’s pointof-view as she sees her little boy not being like all of the other little boys. The little boy, [Joshua, played by Lurie Poston] is in Catholic
school and the mother gets called in for several meetings with Sister Vivian and the head priest. It’s about her releasing any preconceived notions of what her son should be and, in the process, releasing any preconceived notions of what she should be and what she should be doing. She begins to come to terms with a peace about herself and her family. Mixed in with herself and the boy, is the mom’s twin brother who has returned home after many years of being gone and their mother, the little boy’s grandmother, who is very much a free spirit and supports the little boy in letting him discover who he is and letting that be ok. At the end, there’s a nice little happy ending where everyone loves each other and is ok with discovering and growing.
It’s loosely based off of real events in my life. I went to Catholic School and in second grade my best friend and I tried to join our second grade cheerleading squad. We rehearsed all week for the pep rally and as we were getting ready to run on stage, we were both pulled off stage by the head nun and told, “nope, little boys can’t be cheerleaders.” So, the basic premise is autobiographical. I really wanted to tell a story, however, through a parent’s perspective. Whether the little boy is gay or grows up to be gay is not the point. It shouldn’t be about the labels. It’s almost a parent’s coming out story….
CP: James has a fascination with kid culture and coming-of-age stories. He definitely knew that he wanted to write about this kid and write it from the mother’s point-of-view. He and I really collaborated to bring her story to light in a way that wasn’t always being depicted in gay cinema. A lot of times the mother is usually the enemy or the rainbow flag-totting mom. We wanted to show a
woman who was really struggling to do the right thing by her child. That was what really drew me to the part. Often, moms are not as complexly written as this one is. It was great to collaborate with someone who I had known for so long because we were really able to work together on fleshing her out.
Carrie, you are both the producer of the film and you play the mother…
CP: If you’re going to make an independent film, you have to get a team of people around you who are willing to work for very little or no money and just for the love of each other and the love of the story. In the film, my husband plays the next door neighbor (Michael Emerson from Lost). My real life brother plays my brother. With my brother and I, the history was all there. You just sit down and don’t really have to talk about any kind of back story. It’s all there. You’re comfortable and you can just look in their eyes and see where the scene takes you. That is what makes it so rich. James knew exactly the strengths of the people he was writing it for. We were also able to give him feedback.
James, how did knowing who would play particular roles in the film impact the writing process?
JV: Carrie and I have known each other for 18 years. We were drama students together at Julliard. She and I and my partner, Mark Holmes, started our production company, Daisy Three Pictures about 5 years ago. I had this idea for Ready? OK! and wanted Carrie to play the mother…. I knew the story I wanted to tell and the characters I wanted, but it was nice to have specific faces and voices in the
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back of my mind as I wrote the story. I really got to tailor it to their strengths and what I thought they could bring to the story. It was probably the most relaxed, fun enjoyable set I’ve been on.
Where has Ready? OK! been shown and how have audiences responded to it?
JV: We’ve had a great run so far. We’re at about 27 film festivals…. The response has been unbelievable. Gay audiences are responding because they see themselves in this little boy… in the character who’s not quite like the other little kids. We’re also getting straight audiences, which is what I love about the film because it has a cross-over appeal. Mothers are seeing it and loving it and appreciating that they can see their story as well as their child’s story up on screen. Mothers are coming back and bringing their husbands…so we’re getting these rough, straight men who leave the theatre with a new appreciation for their kids. The little boy, Lurie Poston, is amazing. The audiences, by the end of the movie, are literally cheering for this kid…. People are leaving really excited and laughing and having a good time.
CP: It’s not just a gay audience. Women, really respond to it, especially parents. It really is a family film. Parents are so moved by it because it handles that subject matter in a very true and delicate and subtle way. We’ve gotten such positive feedback.
We’ve sold the movie to Wolf, which will help it get out to a larger audience. It comes out on DVD in the spring and will be on LOGO in the summer. There are so few distributors for small, independent films right now, so we feel very fortu-
nate….
Why did you choose to have the film play at the Baltimore Women’s Film Festival?
CP: We were really hoping to get into some women’s festivals because the movie is just as much for women as it is for a gay audience. We sent it Baltimore and they took us. It wasn’t difficult to get into the gay festivals. It was more of the cross-over festivals that we were gunning to get into. Baltimore is one of the first nongay festivals that we’ve gotten into.
Do both of you have other works in progress?
CP: I’m on the new HBO series, True Blood, which is airing now and just got picked up for another season. I’m in a movie called Towelhead that is out in theatres and I’m in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the Woody Allen film. I also have another film coming up called Duplicity starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owens.
JV: Our first film, 29th and Gay, is out on DVD, released by TLA releasing…. I have a couple scripts in the works—one is a very family-friendly movie and one is a Christmas movie. We really like to tell gay stories that you can take your mother to and women’s stories that have a very broad appeal. We want to tell these stories that maybe people haven’t heard, but that everyone can relate to.
For additional information about Ready? OK!, visit www.readyokmovie.com. For a complete schedule of film screenings at the Baltimore Women’s Film Festival, October 23-26, visit www.bwfilmfestival.com.
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OPINIONS
TRANSMISSIONS Talking the Talk by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
ecently, a group of transgender bloggers and activists got together and held a "Trans For Obama" day. A number of very smart, very wise, and very witty transgender folks and their allies took to the keyboards, raising support for the Illinois senator in his bid for the White House. At the end of the day, they raised $5,346 for Obama. Overall, they've raised $10,746. This is a lot of money for a group of people often viewed as living on the streets. As a transgender woman myself, I know what it is to struggle to keep a roof over ones' head. I've had times when $53.46 would be an awful lot of money.
R
On top of this, those of us in the transgender community are also viewed as being on the fringe—a marginalized group without political clout. Without delving too far into the Human Rights Campaign's views of transgender people, we're viewed as the group you cut out of legislation when you want to make it palatable to mythical "normal" Americans. We're the group that people trot out when they want something to demonize—even amongst our so-called liberal allies.
So a lot of money was raised for Obama's campaign by a group of transgender people. This in and of itself may not be that surpris-
Take a deep breath… It’s a busy world, to say the least. Whenever we find ourselves multi-tasking - whether out of choice, necessity, or habit - our bodies, minds and emotions race in many directions at once. For many of us, this high-speed, chronically stressful engagement begins the moment we awaken until we collapse back into bed at night. We can’t sustain this level of constant busy-ness without experiencing negative consequences, and often we find ourselves feeling scattered, depleted, and breathless. 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. Breathe easy.
ing. But, what opened my eyes was the fact that the Obama campaign acknowledged this gift in their own blog. This group of people, largely marginalized, was presented right there on the candidate’s very own website.
I noted that it was a careful statement, of only a few sentences long. Senator Obama is not quoted at all, nor is anything said to indicate that he is aware of this happening at all. One could suspect that he had no knowledge at all of transgender issues, and some lower-level lackey was responsible for this. Indeed, one could surmise that transgender people were nowhere on the radar. This, however, would be wrong.
"The transgendered community has to be protected. I just don't have any tolerance for that sort of intolerance. And I think we need to legislate aggressively to protect them."
These are the words of Barack Obama, from 2004. While he hasn't made as clear a statement since then, he has made other statements in the press that are inclusive of gender identity.
He has included transgender people at other points too, including inviting a transgender firefighter to a group dinner in 2007. The Presidential candidate also supports an Employment Non-Discrimiation Act that is inclusive of gender identity, as well as expanding hate crime statures.
In the interest of equal time, I wanted to include statements from the moccasin campaign about transgender issues, whether good or ill. Just about the only thing I could find was a 2007 stump speech where the candidate from Arizona noted he did not know the meaning of the acronym LGBT, that he is opposed to any form of discrimination, yet he supports "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as well as opposes marriage for salesex couples. In one of the only interviews with McCain that focused on LGBT issues, he seemed unable to use the word transgender, or to not hear it in those questions that included it. His answers were carefully worded, not saying he did not support gay rights, but instead couching it in his own claims of being a "federalist", amongst other ways around the questions. To be, I am inclined to the candidate who actually seems aware of LGBT issues, who can actually use
the words, and who seems willing -at least to some extent -- to fight for my rights. This is important to me.
The next four years will be critical ones for our country. As well the economic train wreck and a number of other issues, the rights of LGBT people will continue to be a hot issue. Marriage remains contested, with California's recent marriage victory being under voter consideration this election season, and many other states sure to face their own challenges in the next four years. Employment NonThe Discrimination Act and the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act are sure to come before congress—and possibly the president's desk—within that same time. It is likely that the next president will, at some point, have to discuss transgender issues whether he wants to or not. I'd like someone who can say the word now to be the one to do it then.
Maybe for you, there are bigger issues. You may prefer the McCain/Palin ticket for some other issues that you feel trump your rights as a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person. Maybe you just don't like Obama or Biden. Heck, maybe you have a thing for self-proclaimed "Hockey moms" from Alaska. That's your right.
I'm also aware that they're all politicians, and they all have their own agendas. They'll say what they have to in order to appeal to their constituents. Obama is sure to say things more in line with progressive values, much like McCain is going to tow the social conservative line. At the end of the day, however, I need to consider that one of these two presidential candidates has spoken out on my behalf as a transgendered American. That's worth a lot to me, and it should be worth a great deal to you, too. Gwen Smith notes that the above states can just about also be on Biden and Palin. You can find her on the web at www.gwensmith.com.
What are
you
thinking?
editor@baltimoregaylife.com
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VOICE OF ONE
Two Worlds to Some
to bring a date that is of the same sex without starting any office whispers? As we know, most people are hungry to learn, and gossip is delicious to eat. These questions that develop in some minds remind us how necessary a Friday and Saturday night can be to our sanity. It’s not only a relief from the possible unknown reactions of co-workers, but also an accepting environment among others with similar likings.
by David Placher
riday and Saturday night adventures often carry many of us away from the realities we live during the Monday through Friday business week. The workload of a 10-hour business day transforms our natural instinct into routine behavior that suppresses our ability to communicate with others with substantially similar to our personalities. Familiar co-worker faces greet us Monday through Friday, but Friday and Saturday nights hold adventure and feelings of freedom. Grand Central on Friday night and the Hippo on Saturday night are common venues for the gay Baltimorean. Many flock to these destinations, on these specific nights, in order to see others who have the same interests. Sometimes intoxication lifts the minds and offers a sense of greater freedom, allowing individuals to think and execute random unexplainable conduct that would be unimaginable to the weekday co-worker, but natural to the weekend night environment. Who we are on the weekend nights is often the opposite from what we are during the business workday. The purpose of a weekend night is to temporarily unleash oneself onto the city wilds after five consecutive days of restriction threatens to destroy who we really are as people.
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Can these two worlds ever naturally co-exist—the world of the gay life and the world of business—without causing a collision that would be disruptive to the workplace? Could a person that is in a same sex relationship have a picture of his or her partner on the desk without having to provide an explanation to office visitors? Would that photo somehow be viewed differently than a picture of a heterosexual family on a co-worker’s desk? What about company picnics and other outings? Is it possible
We are aware of our personality distinctions between a work week and a Friday and Saturday night release. Nothing is more evident of this complete awareness than the way we select our attire. Generally, most people have the option to wear business casual to work. We also have the option to wear business causal clothes to clubs; however, we choose not to. Some wear t-shirts that reveal arms developed by constant weightlifting. Could you imagine walking into your office showing your body? Setting aside dress codes and routine business rules, if dress codes did not exist or were more flexible, could you see yourself wearing the same thing you wear on a Friday and Saturday night to work?
Our personalities and behavior are also probably different on a Friday and Saturday night outing. There’s no need to censor speech when verbally communicating with others; no need to monitor nonconforming nonverbal gender behaviors. In the workplace environment, a constant awareness of others’ perceptions is often necessary to success.
Every now and then, we find ourselves trapped between two worlds. In one world, we find absolute freedom of expression. In the other, certain degrees of restriction. Some people do not understand the two worlds in which many reside. The world of Friday and Saturday night freedom is a world that is essential. If someone fails to understand this freedom, they are probably either residing entirely in a world of complete acceptance or trapped completely in a world of restriction.
David Placher is an attorney. He enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and exploring the outdoors.
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n
s
Trans Tra T s
United
OPINIONS SPEAKING OUT! A Failed Economy Hurts Us More
"We need a more institutional response to create a system that can manage some of the underlying problems with bad mortgages, help homeowners stay in their homes, protect the retirement and savings of working Americans."
WE ARE A TRANSGENDER GROUP THAT FIGHTS FOR YOUR RESOURCES AND POLITICAL RIGHTS TUESDAYS 4pm TO 9pm THURSDAYS 4pm to 6pm ADDRESS: 10 West Biddle Street Suite 1F E-MAIL: Trans.United@yahoo.com PHONE: 410-528-0444 or 443-904-3401
But when asked to present a detailed economic plan, Obama said he would not present his plan until the Treasury and Federal Reserve have presented theirs.
by Rev. Irene Monroe
n the face of a financial Armageddon, the economy has come to the center of the campaign, where it should have been all along. But the moment all Americans have been waiting for—the McCain-Obama debate—was a yawn.
I
The melodrama and histrionics of whether the debate would happen titillated anxious taxpayers’ hopes about a recovery and taunted our worse fears about the $700 million bailout rescue package for Wall Street potentially drowning those of us residing on Main Street. But for those looking for a clash of the Titans on this issue, we got instead a clash of ideologies and temperaments, along with a visual clash—a young African American outsider challenging and old white-haired fixture of government.
Neither candidate addressed how a failing economy hurts the LGBTQ community. And, sadly, no one was expecting it, including our community. Neither, in fact, had a taxpayerfriendly solution to Wall Street's mess. Instead, each exchanged sharp criticism of the other's record on economic plans for the country. So let's take a look:
Obama emphatically states that working Americans need help in this economy and, if in office, his administration would develop an "a more stable and permanent solution" to the financial crisis.
"What we're looking at right now is to provide the Treasury and the Federal Reserve with as broad authority as necessary to stabilize markets and maintain credit," Obama told the Associated Press.
Why?
"It is critical at this point that the markets and the public have confidence that their work will be unimpeded by partisan wrangling, and that leaders in both parties [will] work in concert to solve the problem at hand." Whereas Obama has a “Nottelling-you yet” rescue package for the economy, McCain has a “BlameObama” package.
McCain blames Obama, via blaming the Democrats too, for not taking immediate action to stop the current financial meltdown. "The crisis on Wall Street started in the Washington culture of lobbying and influence peddling, and he was square in the middle of it," McCain said of Obama.
McCain criticizes Obama for his ties to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, for taking large campaign contributions from both—collecting a sizable sum of $126,349 from those sources—which is only second to his buddy Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Christopher Dodd, who has received $165,400. He also points out that the former head of Obama's vice presidential search team, Jim Johnson, received a multimilliondollar severance deal after stepping down as Fannie Mae CEO. "Maybe just this once he could spare us the lectures, and admit to his own poor judgment in contributing to these problems," McCain said.
But Obama is for advocating tax increases on people making over $250,000 a year and cutting taxes on the middle class. During the debate McCain tried to
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continued on page 39
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 to stop any of 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 to receive great feedback, but you do. This article is dedicated to you. You can ask absolutely anything you want from, “How do I tell her that I like her?” to “When do I 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
I heard the military doesn’t let gay people in. Is this true? If so, why?
Tara, 24, female Columbia, MD
Yes, Tara. Unfortunately, it is true. The military, as well as so many other institutions in U.S high society, has a notion that gay people aren’t good enough to serve this county. (Why you would even want to, is a mystery to me, but that’s another issue.) I’ve heard all kinds of arguments posed in efforts to rationalize this bullshit, including “allowing openly gay men into the military would be detrimental to operations and morale, and poses a safety risk”, and “an openly gay man or woman in the military would likely be subject to harassment or assault by the other soldiers.” Um… didn’t they use to use those same arguments to prevent women and blacks from joining the military? That is, until they realized that they needed them. The truth is, if ANY person is willing to put his or her life on the line for this country, he or she should be honored for being exactly who they are.
Since I came out, my dad hasn’t said two words to me. He says it’s because I’m a sinner, and if I want a relationship with him, I have to give up being gay. What do I do?
Matt, 24, male Annapolis, MD
Matt, I can’t tell you what to do exactly, but I can give you a sugges-
tion. From the sounds of the situation, you know who you are, and quite frankly, no matter how much you deny or dismiss it, you’re still that person. So you can act like however your dad wants you to act and be miserable, or you can be who you are and try to make him understand that you didn’t choose to be gay and you can’t chose not to be.
My girlfriend doesn’t satisfy me…sexually? I can’t fake it much longer. What should I do?
Anonymous, 27, female Baltimore, MD
Talk to her! Tell her what you like. Never be scared to communicate in a relationship. It’s the only way to solve any problem. If you’re afraid of hurting her feelings, choose your words carefully. Don’t tell her why she’s not satisfying you. Tell her how she can…or show her. There are a 101 ways to fix this. Just don’t ignore the problem because it will only get worse Email any questions or comments to nikki@baltimoregaylife.com.
ATTENTION! Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the GLCCB or Gay Life.
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FICTION
hold it like this, can you see it? Isn't that cute? You sure are loved. So nice to have all these greetings and cards and flowers and get well wishes in here for you. You got so many, the nurse start putting them on my side of the room. I got a few, but not nearly as many as you, so I hope you don't mind me reading them to you. You got so many! I just thought you'd like to hear them. Want another one? Yeah? Okay. This is a big one. Let's read this one.
H.A.V.O.C by Shayna Rockswell "...Forever and ever. All my love, Dad. That's a nice one. Look at the pretty flower there on the front. Can you see it? Isn't that pretty? Let's read another one.
"Dear Pico, hope all is going better and you will be full force again soon. I think of you always. Kiss, Elaine. That one's cute. It has a little bear on it that has a band-aid on its head. If I
"Hello Darling, You are ever so loved. I hope this finds you not dead. And if you are, I hope this finds you happy and sexy and good-looking in the afterlife. And even if you are dead, I will not say I told you so and to stay away from that woman. You never listen. And now, possibly, you are dead at the hands of her. I pray that you are not because I love you and I want to see you again. I am coming as soon as I can, love all over your face, Ce Ce. Ain't that a shame! Oh, Pico! Look who's here!"
"Hey Darling! Hey Mrs. Johnson! You two staying out of trouble?"
"Oh, yes! But you know your friend was in here last night, the
male nurse, and, well, he had to change me, my pamper, you know, and, well, I was a little embarrassed, so I told him next time I'll just wait for the shift change, wait till you come on in the morning and I'll get you to do it."
"Are you sure Mrs. Johnson? All of the staff here, myself included, are very professional and we have certain standards we go by, but if you're feeling uncomfortable, I understand." "I knew you would."
"How's Pico today?"
"Oh, you know, been the same since that last surgery. Y'all got that machine so pumped full of drugs, I can't tell if the child's half dead or not. Just as well, though. I wouldn't want to be awake for all this craziness. Do you know if that movie star's confessed yet or not?"
"On the news this morning they said they were only questioning her. They still have the other one, Claire something, locked up too, but I guess they can't figure out who pulled the trigger. I guess we’ll just
have to wait and see."
"You think they'll make Pico testify? This could be big. Big like O.J., big."
"Maybe. If poor Darling ever wakes up." "So sad."
"Well, in any case, Pico's got a special visitor today. Hopefully that will be some motivation."
"I've been reading the cards, like you said I could do. I think it's working."
"Keep it up, Mrs. Johnson. I'm sure Pico appreciates it. I'll be back in a little while with breakfast."
"I wonder who's coming to see you today, Pico? You must be pretty important. You got all these famous friends coming to see you. You ain't famous, though, are you? Maybe you've been on one of those ‘Reality TV’ shows. I don't watch that stuff, so I wouldn't know if you were. But you must be pretty important for all those news vans parked out there for you. They've been there all day and all night for two weeks. And every day at 3 o'clock the doctor goes out
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continued on page 31
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GAY BASKETBALL
TEAMS COME OUT READY TO PLAY
aptain of the gold-medal winning San Francisco Rockdogs at the 2006 Chicago Gay Games and first active pro-men’s pasketball player (ABA) to come out, DeMarco Majors is the face of a new generation of young, gay athletes. Majors was recently selected to the Out 100 and is the star of Logo’s new Shirts & Skins, which follows the true story of the San Francisco Rockdogs as players struggle to put aside their differences and love lives in pursuit of defending their championship title.
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Majors and the Rockdogs will be playing in the DC Capital Classic, a gay basketball tournament hosted by the DC Sentinels on October 24 and 25 as a fundraiser for Whitman Walker Clinic and Foods and Friends. Gay Life caught up with Majors in NYC, his new home, to talk about winning gold, how his team caught the attention of LOGO, what it’s like being out on the court and his future plans.
How did the San Francisco Rockdogs get started? And, where does the team play?
An Interview with DeMarco Majors, Star of Shirts & Skins
The San Francisco Rockdogs began back in the 90’s. However, the team you are seeing now is from the 2001 rebirth of the Rockdog tradition. With DeMarco Majors, Jey White, Francis Broome, Rory Ray and Coach Alex, Bill Kendall. We laid out our ideas for a basketball team and if we were only going to be a basketball team…. That vision has carried us through some rough years. But it has been worth it! There are only 3 or 4 gay basketball tournaments a year and we get together and play in those. We will be attending
the DC Sentinels basketball tournament October 24 and 25. We don’t play in any other outside leagues…. When we were younger, we used to get in leagues around the bay area often, but some of us moved away and started new careers. Now the younger guys have a great opportunity to continue in what we built.
What was it like winning gold at the Gay Games?
The feeling of winning that gold medal was an amazing a feeling of peace…. For one moment, you remember 2002 gay games and the tears shed, screaming due to bad calls by the refs…you remember the promise we all made to each other that we would win the next gay games. For that one brief moment, everything
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made sense and you knew that this was only the beginning. A few of us knew what we had on our hands was something special, from the moment we all stepped on the court together. Being able to win the Gold in the States, not to mention Chicago—not far from my hometown.... It was close enough to feel like I gave my father and grandmother something to sing about as they passed not long before the games started. So that was incredibly special for me.
Do the Rock Dogs plan to compete in 2010 in Cologne?
As of right now, we have not sat down and made a decision on Cologne. That is a huge commitment and we will have a sit down together over a meal and plan accordingly IF we go.
How did the Rock Dogs catch the attention of LOGO?
A fellow Rockdog had an amazing idea and he was determined to share with the world what he thought was a special group of guys that the world would benefit knowing. As you see MTV/Logo agreed, and we were very grateful to them for allowing us to share our lives with everyone.
What are the some of the highlights of the season?
Well, there are 4 episodes that are in rotation on www.logoonline .com/shirtsnskins. My personal highlights were spending time during dinner at Blue restaurant. The fashion show was just a ton of fun and I have to give a huge thank you to The Lookout bar for allowing us to do our fashion show there…. You should have seen all the guys doing everything they possibly could to enjoy themselves, make everyone feel welcome and a part of our family. The Turnout was great and we doubled our goal. It was so much fun to see everyone working hard and together.
Have you received much feedback about Shirts & Skins?
Every single day I’m getting great feedback on the show…. It was my dream come true!! Walking past magazine racks and seeing people you don’t identify with…. On TV you can’t relate to the character or scripted lifetime drama episodes. With us, you have 13 guys, 13 different characters, 13 different life circumstances, 13 gay men…not to mention 11 openly gay African American men accepting of themselves and America accepting them.
What are people saying?
The response on MySpace, Downlink...and just walking around, people say the craziest things. Also, the
real admirers of the show whose lives were headed down a different path and were led to our show and found hope in hearing the stories of our lives are just…wow…man, God has a plan for real. You just never know!
You were the first pro-men’s basketball player to come out while playing?
Yes, I was the first openly gay promen’s basketball player
What made you decide to come out?
Honestly, I asked myself a question…. Do you think you would be a better ball player if you no longer had any worries? I thought about it and the answer came next: “Well, your fear has been you. It’s just a part of you. Just let go of it already.” It was literally eating me up inside. Next thing you know, I was working for a bar in the Bay area. Joe Hawkins asked to interview me and I came out on his show, KeepingItReel.com
What have been some of the obstacles of being out in the largely closeted professional athletic world?
Some of the obstacles are already gone because after you have just told the truth, a large burden is off your shoulder. Next is, how will my teammates receive me now? Attitudes completely change when that information is out there. However, if you are out working everybody and the Captain of the team is a Openly Gay Proud Black Man, honestly, what could they say? When I lived in fear, there was nothing worse than what was in my head and all the names I called myself. I sabotaged my own career in the name of fear…so honestly there were no stunts anyone could pull because I was already on top. Some people shake your hand. Others don’t care. Some are spiteful and mean to the core…. I felt that first hand. I tore an MCL in my knee dealing with that one. Yet, I’m still allowed to be here…living my dream of taking basketball as far as I can!
You recently relocated. What are your plans in NYC?
Well, since I have been here I have enjoyed modeling. The energy during fashion week is crazy and hitting that runway was insane…a great experience! Also, I am in a new project with film Director Maurice Jamal in the show Friends and Lovers Ski Trip II. So a bit of acting and modeling are my new hobbies and I’m loving both. However, the project that has been taking quite a bit of time is putting together is a non-profit continued on page 39
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QPUZZLE "Direct Hits"
Across
Down
1 Lorca's mouth 5 Singular men's shorts? 10 Without a date 14 Ryan of porn 15 "The closet" opening? 16 Prod with a rod 17 Kinsey director 19 "Take a crack ___" 20 Not out 21 One who wears a capote 23 Da. that the Stonewall riots began 24 Hairspray director Adam 26 The Family Stone director Bezucha 29 Stand next to Cassatt 30 Area of expertise for Ted Allen 31 Daisy Miller author James 33 Larry Kramer and peers 37 Pride bracelet's place 38 Cats inspirer's monogram 39 Breeder need 40 "Leave that alone!" to Jon Barrett 42 Sucker 44 Figure out in your head 45 Actor Milo of Oz 47 Independence Day director Emmerich 49 Chicago director Rob 52 Hydrocarbon ending 53 Rubber 54 Vin Packer and Ann Bannon, for example 58 Actress Collette 59 My Own Private Idaho director 62 Infamous Idi 63 Master's demand for oral sex 64 Switch end 65 Singer k.d. 66 Garbo, for one 67 Sound like Harvey Fierstein
1 Netanyahu, from the land of the cut 2 Top Norse deity 3 Cock opening 4 1984 Lily Tomlin movie 5 Like a crude dude, say 6 Scores for Burke 7 "___ be my pleasure!" 8 WWII area 9 Genre for Marion Zimmer Bradley 10 Shine, like Liberace's rings 11 Family figure 12 The Seven Samurai director Kurosawa 13 Invitation to mount 18 Food Network chef Cat 22 A Chorus Line song 24 Homoerotic, e.g. 25 Women-only part of Arab household 26 Christmas poem opening 27 Al who blew it 28 Bottom's offer to pay? 32 Waters of the blues 34 Marlene's role in Blue Angel 35 Sergei of The Opposite of Sex 36 Material for Sylvia Beach? 41 Having sex for one, with "off" 42 Uses plastic at Barneys, e.g. 43 Sacred head 44 One who tickles you pink 46 Murder, ___ Meowed 48 Words that come after "come" 49 It may be picked up in a bar 50 It arouses two body openings 51 Took to the police station 54 Regressive diva? 55 Comic-juggler Felder 56 Actor John of Nowhere and Flawless 57 Bus ___ 60 Gay-friendly Detroit org. 61 Cross-dresser Jeanne d'Arc, for one
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DO AS I SAY Missing Festive History by Prudence Worthington
Good Day My Goslings,
he ever shortening days mark the onset of my favorite season: Autumn. There is a cold snap in the air that requires a shift from Martinis to Manhattans. I do so hope you have put away your summer white, especially shoes! My darling friend and stylist, Latoine Dupree, just informed me that October is Gay History Month! How fabulous to have your very own month. I was completely unaware and must confess that I was more than a little curious about this history. With my usual inquisitive nature, I set about educating myself on the topic. I quickly came to realize that most chronicles of Festivity were missing historical topics which I feel are significant in popular culture of Festives today. I, therefore, shall endeavor to fill in those voids left by historians in an attempt to set the record straight.
T
Drama
Drag
The origins of drama date back to the 5th century BC in Classical Greece. Dramatic competitions were held during the festival of Dionysus, the God of wine which appears to be no coincidence at all. It seems alcohol still plays a major role in the drama within the Festive community and is sometimes thrown in the face of another. We refer to this as High Drama, but I contend it is a waste of perfectly good booze. This versatile art form is alive and well in your community and can usually be witnessed wherever two or more of you gather.
Drag is yet another Festive activity for which we can thank the Classical Greeks. Classical Greece is beginning to sound like a very Festive place! In the theatre, young boys played all the female roles on stage, and often times, off stage. This practice was employed through the time of Shakespeare before it fell out of favor. 'DRAG' was the acronym for "dressed as girl”, which still holds true today. The term took on the current meaning in the theatre community in the 1870’s and “Drag Queen” appeared in print in 1941 which leads us to….
Vodka
Wigs
The elixir of life dates back to the middle ages in what is now Poland. The word is first found in court documents dating from 1405, so obviously queens have been drinking it for many centuries. The name is derived from a similar word meaning water; mother’s milk would seem more appropriate, in my humble opinion. Although vodka has been helping people get laid for years, it was, in some cultures, strictly medicinal. Most astonishingly, vodka did not find its way into a martini until well into the 20th century!
Employed throughout history as fashion or merely decorative head protection, wigs appear in most early cultures, yet seemed to fall out of style with the decline of the Roman Empire. They once again rose to popularity in Europe during the16th century as a means of compensating for hair loss or improving one's personal appearance. Royal patronage was crucial to the revival of the wig. Queen Elizabeth I famously wore a red wig elaborately curled while Kings Louis the XIII and XIV pioneered wig-wearing among men from the 1620s onwards.
So you see, Queens have been sporting false tresses for ages!
Sarcasm
"Sarcasm" appeared in English in 1579, from Late Latin "sarcasmos”. It is often mistaken for irony, which is an altogether different animal. Oscar Wilde, one of the biggest Festives to walk the earth, noted that "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but the highest form of intelligence", successfully employing both irony and sarcasm in one definitive statement. Judging by what you pass of as sarcasm at the average Festive gathering, you might want to study some of Mr. Wilde’s work.
Flannel
Many a stylish Lesbian would not be caught dead outside her boudoir without some item of apparel crafted from this versatile material. It is also a wardrobe staple in the Bear community, and you may even find the occasional mainstream Festive sporting this fabric in colder months. The origin of the word is uncertain, but fabric similar to flannel can be traced back to Wales, where it was well known as early as the 16th century. The French word flanelle was used in the late 17th century, and the German Flanell was used in the early 18th century. At this juncture I must pose a question to you people: Since you have a bear community, a transgender community and even a leather community, where is your cashmere community? Give it some thought dears and get back to me.
Jock Strap
The jock strap is the quintessential masculine garment whose fascination was achieved in locker rooms across the nation. While highly utilized in the pornography industry, it is still actually worn for sporting events. Invented in 1874 by Charles Bennett of the Chicago sporting goods company, Sharp & Smith, the original name was the Bike Jockey Strap. It was first intended for bicyclists, and secondly, for horseback riders. The "bike jockey strap" became known as a "jock strap" and later, simply a "jock".
a bunch of flaming Marys. Do try to remember boys that, after 40, you are no longer their demographic.
Poppers
The scientific name for this recreational drug is amyl nitrate, which has a long history of use in treating angina, as well as serving as an antidote to cyanide poisoning; who knew? Originally developed in the late 19th century, it reached public acclaim in the free love era of the 70’s when everyone from the milk man to your congressman were devotees. Studies show it is less popular with the heterosexual crowd than in days past, but you Festive folks still keep the poppers industry alive!
Golden Girls
The Golden Girls originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985 until May 9, 1992, and starred Beatrice Betty White, Rue Arthur, McClanahan and Estelle Getty. Numerous progressive topics were highlighted, including Festive Marriage. Sociologists are mystified at the fascination four aging women hold for Festive men and continue their research on the matter. I speculate that the show was really just four women behaving like gay men, much like the more recent Sex and the City.
Interweb Porn and Hookups
When the late 20th century inventors of the interweb set about creating this concept, I would wager they never intended to transmit so much smut around the world. How many millions of men are currently online with aspirations of an easy sexual encounter of polishing their horn to amateur videos on Xtube? Now that there exists a forum for the average Joe to become a porn star, where do we go next with the interweb? Have we reached all the frontiers of this medium? I think not. So you can see how much has been left from the pages of your very own history. I truly hope my research helps solidify the long story of Festivity on this planet. I am sure that as time passes, other bits of your long past will come to light, but until then, remember to do as I say.
Abercrombie & Fitch
Founded in 1892 by David T. Abercrombie, A&F had been an outfitter of sporting and excursion goods which was reinvented into a “lifestyle” concept in the 1980’s. The homo eroticism of “sporting goods” is, to this day, employed in by their marketing department as barely clad boys wrestle footballs from each other in most of their advertising. How ironic that their customer base is—how shall I put this delicately?—
Happy Festive History Month,
Prudence.
P.S. You may forward enquires regarding today's ever-changing etiquette to prudence@baltimoregaylife.com
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PENCIL ME IN MUSIC Saturday, October 18 & October 26 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 from 9 p.m. til 1 a.m. at the Genie Room @ The Kasbah (2324 Boston St., Baltimore, MD). Free b4 11 p.m. For additional information, visit www.myspace.com/fireflyent.
Thursday, October 23 The Cone of Uncertainty: New Orleans after Katrina
Writer and visual/performance artist Jose Torres Tama performs a 30-minute excerpt from his solo piece that recounts his escape from the flooded New Orleans on a stolen school bus. Join in a post-performance discussion with Torres Tama and explore the role of the performance artists as social provocateur. The program will conclude with a community conversation on larger issues of race and class in the U.S., the historical context of the storm and the displacement of thousands of Latinos. FREE. For additional information, call 301405-7794 or visit www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.
Community Mediation Program’s 5th Annual Mediation Celebration Join Community Mediation Program (CMP) to honor Mr. Robert J. Mathias, Esq., who has served on Community Mediation Program’s Board of Directors for 10 years and provided provide quality conflict resolution services to people of all incomes across Baltimore city, with the Baltimore Peacemaker Award. Enjoy a light dinner, open bar, silent and live auctions from 6 until 9 p.m. at DLA Piper, LLP (The Marbury Building, 6225 Smith Avenue, Baltimore, MD) to help support Community Mediation Project and their work to provide free mediations in Baltimore. For tickets ($30) and additional information, contact 410-467-9165.
Friday, October 24
Baltimore Choral Arts Society Plays the Pratt
Looking for a new venue to check out local artistic talent? The GLCCB’s Pride in the Arts reception will feature the work of artists Joey Irizarry and Bonnie Cunningham. Come to browse the work, enjoy wine and cheese and mingle with community members from 7-9 p.m. at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore (241 W. Chase St., Baltimore, MD). For additional information, call 410-8375445 x10.
Saturday, October 25 Dawg Chase 5K & Walk
Runners and walkers alike are invited to join the Y of Central Maryland and UMBC in raising money for the Y Annual Giving and the UMBC Athletic Scholarship Fund. A perfect event for the entire family, the Dawg Chase features a 5K for runners around UMBC’s campus, and a one-mile course for walkers at the UMBC Track Stadium (1000 Hilltop Circle, Catonsville, MD). For additional information and to register, visit www.ymaryland.org or call 410-455-1532.
Whether or not you are going to be into her rockabilly aesthetic on the current album or just go back and dig out your cassette single of "Brass in Pocket", show some respect to a truly passionate musician.
Director Tom Hall and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society present an interactive performance designed for the whole family, including an audience sing-along to some great American choral classics. Come out to the Enoch Pratt Free Library (400 Cathedral St., Baltimore MD) at 2 p.m. Part of Free Fall Baltimore, seating is first-come, firstserved. For additional information, call 410-5237070 x201 or visit www.baltimorechoral arts.org.
Absurdism
Ben Folds featuring Regina Spektor - "You Don't Know Me" Way to Normal, Epic Records 2008
Great Halloween Lantern Parade Beware the Jabberwocky! Giant Monster Raising! With more than a thousand candle-lit paper and bamboo lanterns carried through Patterson Park by the folks who made them, this is a spectacle you don’t want to miss. Add in the influence of Lewis Carroll's wildly imaginative world, crazy creative floats, a totally new Parade route, a grande finale monster-raising party, the best costume-watchin' in town, multiple bands and a Ghost Town filled with goodies and games, the parade is a must see! The line-up starts at 7 p.m at the Creative Alliance (The Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD) and the parade starts at 7:30 p.m. Free! For additional information, visit www.creativealliance.org.
Sunday, October 26 Art Blast @ BMA
Explore art big and small at the 3rd Annual ArtBlast, a free fun-filled day of performances, artmaking and gallery activities for all ages! From the larger-than-life lions that greet you at the BMA’s front steps to hand-crafted miniature rooms, art comes in all shapes and sizes. Take a bite-sized tour for children, experience mini food tastings and dance to big sounds performed by local artists. Activities begin at 11 a.m. and wrap up at 5 p.m. at the Baltimore Museum of Art (10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD). The event is part of Free Fall Baltimore, but no advance reservations are required. For a complete list of activities, visit www.artbma.org.
Public Moves Federal Hill
GLCCB Presents Pride in the Arts
Manifest Destiny, Absurdism, Nihilism
It’s to re-discover the value of community, the pleasures of play, and the wonder of doing something different! Find a neighbor, grab a friend, and take your family to re-charge your inner batteries by joining the Shua Group and American Visionary Art Museum on Sunday, October 26 for this extraordinary event. A community performance atop Federal Hill, Public Moves Federal Hill, will feature Baltimoreans of all ages and colors, shapes and sizes, backgrounds and experiences. Inspired by the everyday movement on the hill, each person in the performance will play a part in creating it. After the performance, you’re invited to go check out the American Visionary Art Museum for FREE. For additional information, or to become involved in the performance, visit www.publicmoves.net.
by DJ Alex Funk
Manifest Destiny
Pretenders – “Break up the Concrete”
You know the Pretenders—even if you can't think of exactly who they are or are able to name a song of theirs or are too young. The big guns are "Brass in Pocket" and "I'll Stand by You", and I'm sure those of you who are real fans will be disgusted that is all I'm going to list. The Pretenders are a London-based rock band that has been in existence since 1978. The sound that made them famous in the early years was a unique and well-crafted blend of punk rock edge with pop production and lead singer Chrissie Hynde's beautiful, but accessible voice. After the first two groundbreaking albums, the band's history is spotted with constant line-up changes, drugoverdoses, and rockstar love battles, but there is one constant—Chrissie Hynde. Over the years, as the lead singer and writer, Hynde gave a value to the music by her determination to continue to put out music as "The Pretenders". Where many others would have hung up the name and moved onto "another project", she has stuck it out through good and bad, and the current album is really good. Its roots in post-punk rock are still there, but this album is a much more grown up. The sound on this album is a kind of "sophisticated rockabilly", and Hynde has the writing skills to keep it all together. Go check it out.
Chrissie Hynde's unwavering attitude of musical determinism is beautiful. Even though the line-up of the band changed radically over the years, as did the sound, Hynde's unwillingness to compromise on her personal drive and integrity has allowed the Pretenders to ultimately stay relevant for a span of 30 years.
Heading an entirely different direction from constancy of character and determination to deliver a real product, let's head to the other end of the spectrum. Some of you may not be familiar with Ben Folds (of Ben Folds Five and as an independent artist) and Regina Spektor, but those of you who are familiar with the artists are probably opinionated strongly one way or the other about them. Ben Folds’ style is mostly low-key snarky humor set to rolling piano ballads. Regina Spektor's style ranges from catchy pop songs to Bjork-style vocal experimentation setup to unorthodox violin music. The two of them coming together for a production piece would be worthy of writing about, but the fact that the video for the song was produced by the creators of "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job" elevates the piece to "perfect summary of right now" status. This song is a quirky simple ditty about frustrations with a lover that you've been with for quite some time. I'm not recommending this as great music, but it's culturally significant and pretty amusing.
Nihilism
Kid Cudi – “Day 'N' Nite” (Crookers Remix) Fools Gold Records 2008
So I've given you true dedication. I've given you well-produced musical absurdism. I leave finally with pure Nihilism. I'm a big fan of Crookers’ production work for dancefloor mayhem. This track is a little different.... It definitely has an unbridled "wild" quality to the synth programming, but the thing that sets this apart as a dance tracks is the way the vocals are allowed to stand proudly out from the beats. NonTop40 dance music with lyrics you can follow?! What is this, 1992? No, it's right now and this track is great.
More of Less happens the 3rd Friday of Every Month at the Hexagon. $5, BYOB, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
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CEREAL - continued from page 23
in front of the little podium they've got set-up there with the microphones and stuff and updates them on your condition. I watch it right here on Channel 12. I guess that Heather person being a big Hollywood star makes it newsworthy even if you ain't famous. Oh! Listen! Someone's knocking at the door. Get ready! You ready? I'm ready. Come in!" "...Xander, Xavier, get in here! I don't want to have to tell you again! Xylia don't touch anything, you got it! Xandie pull your dress down! Xifira and Xepher, hold Mommy's hand!" "Oh my word! Look who it is!"
"Please excuse them. They're acting like little shits today because Daddy had to work and couldn't take them to the zoo. I swear to god Xander, if you don't cut it out!"
"Not a problem. They can just come over here and sit with me. That's right, come on over, child, and sit with Mrs. Johnson. Oh, you want to get up here on the bed, too? Oh alright and up you go! Wow! You're heavy! Just don't touch that sweetie. Oh, okay! Yeah, see it makes the bed go up and down. Okay, that's enough. Okay, there we go. You can go on and talk to Pico. We're all fine over here."
"Thank you, Mrs. Johnson is it? Thank you, Mrs. Johnson. You know, sometimes I'm just a little "aaah!" with them, but it's okay. I'm okay. Keep it together. Okay! So Pico. Hi Pico! I'm Christabella Jordan-Hipp! You can call me Christie!"
"The child can hear you. You don't have to scream."
"Oh, sorry. Okay, hey, I'm Christie and I am here on behalf of Goodwill Ambassadors of Help Against Violence of Celebrities, or H.A.V.O.C., as those of us in the industry like to call it. We are a GLSEN - continued from page 7
report found that having a generic law that did not include specific categories was essentially as effective for LGBT students as having no law at all.
“Since the first National School Climate Survey in 1999, we have seen little improvement in the overall school climate for LGBT students which is disturbing in that improving school climate facilitates student safety and relates to positive educational outcomes,” GLSEN Research Director Dr. Joseph Kosciw said. “Although the results of this report illustrate the grim experience in school for many LGBT students, it also highlights the important role that educators and institutional supports can play in
group of individuals, who happen to be celebrities, that supports those ordinary folks who experience violence or harm at the hands of other celebrities. We are so very sorry to hear of this unnatural tragedy and hope that you can survive it and come to know that not all celebrities are hurtful people. That we celebrities work really hard to bring you quality entertainment and fare and that we are people too and sometimes we succumb to the pressures of the crazy lives we lead. Can you hear me? Did you get that, Pico? I work tirelessly to eradicate the stigma of celebrity and hope you can forgive my fellow colleague in her transgression against you."
"That's lovely, dear. So lovely of you to come. I'm sure Pico will love the fact that you came to visit, but if you could just get this one here, Xylo is it? This one is stepping on my tube and it makes it hard for me to...."
"God dammit, Xylia! Didn't I tell you not to touch anything? Okay that's it, we're done. We're leaving right now!"
"Thank you. I couldn't breathe for a second, there. But yes, I will be sure to let Pico know you stopped by."
"Thank you, again, Mrs. Johnson. I'll leave my card here. This is my private cell number on the back. Have Pico call me with anything, anything at all and on behalf of Goodwill Ambassadors of H.A.V.O.C. I'd like to thank you again." "No problem."
"Xavier, I saw that! Get out of your nose, Xandie! Xifira and Xepher, hold mommy's hand!" "Nurse!"
Need to catch up? Read the full story at theadventuresofpicodarling.blogspot.com. Send your thoughts to picodarling@baltimoregaylife.com. remedying the situation.”
GLSEN's biennial National School Climate Survey is the only national survey to document the experiences of students who identify as LGBT in America's secondary schools. The 2007 survey includes responses from 6,209 LGBT students between the ages of 13 and 21 from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data collection was conducted through community-based groups, online outreach, and targeted advertising on the social networking site MySpace.
To download the full report, visit www.glsen.org/binary-ata/GLSEN_ ATTACHMENTS/file/000/001/12901.pdf.
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DININGOUT Mt. Vernon Stable & Saloon by John Cullen and Marty Shayt
he Mt Vernon Stable & Saloon is something of a Mt. Vernon gay -riendly institution and it’s easy to assume that everyone (at least everyone gay) in Baltimore knows about it. (Yes, you’ll find copies of both Baltimore and DC gay publications on the landing to the lower bar.) The main dining room lays up a short flight of stairs— you’ll find a small bar and a large dining room with a mix of tables and banquette seating amidst wonderfully eye-catching art, what-nots and decorations. (Keep your eyes open and don’t miss catching the full size replica of King Tut’s sarcophagus complete with gilding!) There’s also a larger bar, a small dining room and an extra restroom downstairs (good to know since there’s only a one-person-at-a-time rest room off the main dining room!) Sometimes we enjoy sitting at a table near the big windows facing the street so we can watch who’s walking by! The kitchen is open until midnight,t which makes it a good place to keep in mind if you’re hungry after you’ve been to the Spotlighters or CenterStage theaters, or caught a show at the Lyric or Meyerhoff.
T
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
There are a lot of appetizers to pick ranging from $6 - $9. We still remember the days when we could think about ordering the humongous Chicago Onion Loaf ($9) without having our cardiologist on call nearby. It’s huge, it’s full of fat and calories, it’s darn good and enough for 4 people to share! These days, we’re more likely to order a cup of Marty’s favorite Corn and Crab Chowder ($4). The Corn and Crab Chowder is a flavorful soup full of good stuff that is consistently delicious and leaves us glad we ordered it. Definite “Thumbs Up” on both the onion loaf and the soup!
The menu has pages (and pages!) of sandwiches, salads, “boboli” (aka pizza!) and entrees to pick from (and don’t forget to pay attention to the specials of the day listed on the chalk board at the top of the stairs)! Reading the menu can take some time the first go-around, but the humorously sly menu titles and descriptions are worth your time to wade through.
Many of our friends swear by the baby back ribs platter with fries and choice of slaw or applesauce ($17). They love the ribs and suck the
bones clean! If you like a bargain, come here on Monday evening when you can get “Just the Meat” version (no fries or slaw included) of the ribs for half price (an amazing $7 and, at that price, you can splurge on a side order of fries and it’s still a bargain!) We tend to opt for light fare here and avoid the big entrees. John is a big fan of the “Whole Ensalada” ($8)—with a good size portion of spicy chicken (or you can opt for beef) mixed up with lettuce, tomatoes, onion and cheddar in a crispy taco shell that you can nibble on! (John asks to skip the sour cream and double up on the salsa that it comes with.) It’s consistently good and rates a “thumbs up” from John. When he’s in the mood for “comfort” food, John goes for “The 2 Hot” ($9)—your choice of an old-fashioned hot turkey or roast beef sandwich with lots of gravy and—and another bargain with the fries and slaw included! Marty likes the burgers here ($8 plus .50 each for toppings, but $2 extra for fries). When he’s watching what he’s eating, he’ll opt for the “Veg-o-matic”—a veggie wrap with provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, carrots and sun-dried tomato spread, but he really prefers the “My Thai” wrap ($9) with oodles of chicken and veggies in a spicy Thai peanut sauce. We’ve both tried the “Chicken Caesar” ($10) which comes with choice of grilled or jerk (spicy) chicken. We both enjoy the jerk chicken option which is a little out of the ordinary. If you express any interest at all, your server will try to tempt you with offerings on the dessert tray. We’ve often had enough by then and end up passing on dessert (but will admit that they look and taste good)! This is a good place to keep in mind for coffee and dessert after a movie or show since it is routinely open late. BASICS: Mt. Vernon Stable & Saloon (Mt. Vernon), 909 N. Charles St, 410685-7427 www.mvstable.com. Open 7 days a week, serving from 11:30 am to 12 midnight; brunch on Sat & Sun. Walking distance to the Hippo, Grand Central and all the other Mt. Vernon watering holes. Feedback or suggestions? Email us at diningout@baltimoregaylife.com. Missed a review and wish you could find it? Visit http://hometown.aol.com/ gaylifediningout/.
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THEATER
Michael Panzarotto, Andrew Macomber II, Megan Rippey and Bruce Levy in Dracula, on stage at Vagabond Players October 24 through November 23.
ON THE STAGE All’s Well that Ends Well November 6 – December 7 Washington Shakespeare Company, Arlington 703-418-4808 www.washingtonshakespeare.org
A Beautiful View Through November 2 Studio Theatre, D.C. 202-332-3300 www.studiotheatre.org
Citizen Josh Through October 26 Arena Players, Crystal City, VA 410-728-6500 www.arenastage.org
A Doll’s House October 24 - November 22 Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Frederick 301-694-4744 www.marylandensemble.org
Dracula October 24 – November 23 Vagabond Players, Baltimore 410-563-9135 www.vagabondplayers.org
Filthy Rich November 5 – December 14 Everyman Theatre, Baltimore 410-752-2208 www.everymantheatre.org
Food for Fish Through October 26 Single Carrot Theatre, Baltimore 443-844-9253 www.singlecarrot.com
Hats! Through November 2 Spotlighters Theatre, Baltimore 410-752-1225 www.spotlighters.org
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical November 11 – November 23 Hippodrome Theatre, Baltimore
410-837-7400 www.france-merrickpac.com
Intelligence Through November 9 RepStage, Columbia 410-772-4900 www.repstage.org
Macbeth Through October 26 Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Ellicott City 866-811-4111 www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com
Mermaids, Monsters & the World in Purple Through October 26 Kennedy Center, Family Theatre 202-467-4600 www.kennedy-center.org
Pearl Bailey…By Request Through November 9 MetroStage, Alexandria, VA 703-548-9044 www.metrostage.org
Phantom of the Opera Through November 16 Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore 410-649-1660 www.tobysdinnertheatre.com
Romeo & Juliet Through October 18 Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C. 202-547-1122 www.shakespearetheatre.org
www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu
True West Through November 8 Bay Theatre Company, Annapolis 410-268-1333 www.baytheatre.org
The Underpants Through October 19 Olney Theatre Center 301-924-3400 www.olneytheatre.org
Waiting for Godot October 24 – November 2 Baltimore Theatre Project 410-752-8558 www.theatreproject.org
Watch, a Haunting Through November 2 Strand Theatre, Baltimore 443-874-4917 www.strandtheatrecompany.org
The Way of the World Through November 16 Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C. 202-547-1122 www.shakespearetheatre.org
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? October 22 – November 30 CenterStage, Baltimore 410-332-0033 www.centerstage.org
The Ruzante Project October 29, November 12 Germano’s Trattorio, Baltimore 410-752-4515 www.germanostrattoria.com
Take Me Out Through October 19 Fells Point Corner Theatre, Baltimore 410-276-7837 www.fpct.org
To be Young, Gifted & Black Through October 26 Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, UMD College Park 301-405-ARTS
Nancy Robinette as Mrs. Wishfort and Todd Scofield as Waitwell in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of William Congreve’s The Way of the World, directed by Michael Kahn. (Photo: Carol Rosegg)
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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.
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DEMARCO - continued from page 27
organization in NYC working with homeless and suicidal young adults within our community. We’re opening up a forum and opportunity for them to come in and tell us what the needs are of the streets. You can’t help unless you listen first…. I have been homeless before and it is no joke, so having someone to listen to you lets them know that the individual matters and someone really cares. That builds faith. All God said was that a mustard seed could move mountains…. Look what it did for me!
I heard you’re going to be in DC in late October for a gay basketball tournament. Who’s going to be playing and what’s the set-up of the tournament?
Well, I don’t have information about what teams are going to be attending the tournament, but the MONROE - continued from page 20
show the American electorate that Obama is just not ready for the job. And he drilled in his point with constant refrains, like, “I'm afraid Senator Obama doesn't understand” and “What Senator Obama doesn't seem to understand” and “Senator Obama still doesn't understand.”
However, when asked two days after his debate with Obama if he would support a $700 billion Wall Street bailout package that has been brokered by the Bush administration and Congress, McCain said on Sunday's ABC's “This Week with George Stephanopoulos: “Hopefully yes. This is something that all of us will swallow hard and go forward with. The option of doing nothing is simply not an acceptable option.”
But, truth be told, neither candidate, in my opinion, knows how to patch up Wall Street's mess. And us Main Street residents have cause to fret about failing banks jeopardizing social security, Medicare, and the few dollars and cents that trickle down to our social programs. For example,
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Rockdogs will be there and we’re excited to see our sister team host their own tournament. I am very proud of them. We see the tournament as an opportunity to bond with the other basketball teams around the country. Some of us have been in the gay basketball scene for almost eight years, so seeing some of the other teams you have gotten close to over the years is very exciting…. And it’s fun to see all the younger guys as well as new teams. It’s so great to see that you have done your part of growing this league and providing the opportunity for others to have a place to enjoy being in their own skin and playing a good game of basketball. For additional information on DeMarco Majors and Shirts and Skins, visit www.logoonline.com. For additional information on the DC Capital Classic, visit www.ngbaus.com.
aside from HIV/AIDS prevention programs that will be slashed if not all together eradicated, our Medicare and social security benefits will be slashed disproportionately more than the rest of the population, if we are partnered/ married, simply because we are LGBTQ taxpayers. Why? With only two states recognizing same-sex marriage, we not only are forced to file separate income tax forms, but, as a consequence, we are also thrown into higher tax brackets. To add insult to injury, our social security benefit packages won't benefit our partners like those of heterosexuals. All of us hope for a speedy solution to our country’s financial crisis— but one, I say, that takes into account the way all its taxpayers share households, including its LGBTQ partnered and married citizens.
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.
September 19, - October 2, 2008
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MUSIC A Few Qs: Richard Morel The Renowned Remixer/Producer—whose New Album, Death of the Paper Boy, Drops Oct. 28—Talks Rock and Rocking the Vote. Interview by Mikey Rox
man/And your mom/And you tell me its all ok/She had to die anyway.” Can you fill in the blanks of that story? Judging by the rest of the lyrics, it sounds like you had it bad for this guy. Death of the Paper Boy is your third autobiographical album, but unlike the others— which, in their own rights, had depth and elements of darkness—this one, as you put it yourself, is entirely based on “things that bring you down.” Where do these songs— and the accompanying experiences—come from? Should we be worried about you?
Ironically, the things that bring you down are also the things that lift you up the highest. A broken heart couldn't exist without love. So while the record does tell a story of loss and longing, it also represents the power of human relationships and how we are powerless in the light of those relationships. And, no, you shouldn't be worried about me; I enjoy the ride.
“Nova,” one of Paper Boy’s 11 tracks, is especially poignant. You paint a pitiful yet familiar picture with your lyrics: “We pulled to the side of the road/To do another line in the Nova/On a photograph of your old
The theme of the song is love, unspoken and unrealized. The events are from when I was around 16 or 17 on a trip to the Cape (Cod) with my best friend. He had run away from home a couple times and the back of his car was filled with things that were important to him. One was a photo of his mom. She had died when he was 12. At that point in my life, my emotions and hormones were so tied up and messed up it was impossible to know what was really happening. There's an urgency to love when you're a kid that is unparalleled. At the time I would have done anything to be able to turn it off. Now, I find comfort that I can still feel on such an intense level.
Along with your band Morel, you also produce remixes under the name Pink Noise— the latest of which, Yoko Ono’s “Give Peace a Chance,” reached #1 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. Given your success with your legal name, why the divergence? Don’t you get confused about who you are from day to day?
The first remix I did was for the Pet Shop Boys' song "Se A Vida E." I called it the “Pink Noise
Mix.” It stuck, so I've done remixes under that name since. I like the alter ego because it frees me to go to a different place musically. That said, I am confused about who I am pretty much every day.
Those who follow your work know that you frequently collaborate with former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman Bob Mould. You’ve guested on each other’s albums, and together you host the popular Blowoff parties in D.C., NYC, and now San Fran. What is it about Bob that clicks with you more than anybody else?
When we first became friends we realized a common ground in the music we liked and expanded on that. We’re the same age, so the overlap made it easy for us to communicate artistically. We both bring different strengths to the equation, and we have fun doing it.
Finally, it’s almost time—time to head to the polls. I know you’ve got an opinion on the upcoming election, the candidates and the issues—I’ve seen you in action myself. Who’s got your vote? Obama.
Who is Mikey Rox? Who gives a fuck! But you can find him at www.mikeyrox.com.
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR Friday October 17
Baltimore, MD 21201 www.na.org 11:30 a.m.
Baltimore, MD 21201 www.chesapeakesquares.org 8-10 p.m.
Tyler Heitzman
Sailaway Pride Night
Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD www.myspace.com/readstre etbooks 8 p.m.
Weather Rail Bar Loews Hotel 126 West St. Annapolis, MD 5-9 p.m.
Consumer Planned Activity
Saturday October 18
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 October 19
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.
Living Sober (AA)
Social Activity (Varies) Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 1-6 p.m.
Monday October 20
Alcoholics Anonymous
GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 8:30 p.m.
Marylanders of Color Collective Book Club Meeting Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center 2505 E. Oliver St. Baltimore, MD 21213 www.thespiraldancebookstor e.com 7-9 p.m.
Tuesday October 21
Alcoholics Anonymous LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Ashton Fletcher Trio Cabaret @ Germano’s 300 S. High St. Baltimore, MD 21202 7:30 p.m.
Boyds Al-Anon Open Door Metropolitan Community Church 15817 Barnesville Rd. Boyds, MD 20841 www.al-anon.org www.opendoormcc.com 7:30 p.m.
Dual Recovery Anonymous
Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church 100 W. Washington St. Shepherdstown, WV 25443 3 p.m.
Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Narcotics Anonymous
Chesapeake Squares
Sunday Men’s Rap GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St.
Club Square Dance Waxter Center 1000 Cathedral St.
Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 4-6:30 p.m. & 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Positive Influence LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Pre-natal Yoga Lifeline Power Yoga 111 Allegheny Ave. Towson, MD 21204 www.lifelinepoweryoga.com Suggested Donation 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday October 22
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.
POZ Men GLCCB 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 6 p.m.
Rapscallion Radical Art Collective 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 www.rapscallionart.org 7 p.m.
Talia Segal Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD www.myspace.com/readstre etbooks 8 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 October 23
Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 8:30 p.m.
Cabaret @ Germano’s Sally Fletcher Sings Another Time, Another Place 300 S. High St. Baltimore, MD 21202 7:30 p.m.
Gay Argentine Tango w/ Max Gonzalez Studio DNA 1301 Baylis St. Baltimore, MD 21224 7 p.m. – 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 October 24 Pride in the Arts
Presents Joey Irizarry & Bonnie Cunningham GLCCB 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-837-5445 x10 7-9 p.m.
Saturday October 25
GIG: Baltimore TransMasculine Alliance GLCCB, Room 202
Narcotics Anonymous Sunday Men’s Rap GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.na.org 11:30 a.m.
Sailaway Pride Night Weather Rail Bar
241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.myspace.com/gender_i dentity_group 6 p.m.
Loews Hotel 126 West St. Annapolis, MD 5-9 p.m.
GIG: Tran*quility
Social Activity (Varies)
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, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 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.
Sunday October 26
Alcoholics Anonymous
Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 1-6 p.m.
Monday October 27
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 October 28 Alcoholics Anonymous LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Ashton Fletcher Trio A Tribute to Ruby Glover Cabaret @ Germano’s 300 S. High St. Baltimore, MD 21202 7:30 p.m.
Boyds Al-Anon Open Door Metropolitan Community Church 15817 Barnesville Rd. Boyds, MD 20841 www.alanon.orgwww.opendoormcc. com 7:30 p.m.
Dual Recovery Anonymous
GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 6:30 p.m.
Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Beginners Yoga with Tim Hurley, RYT
Chesapeake Squares
GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 $9/person 3:30 p.m.
Living Sober (AA) Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church 100 W. Washington St. Shepherdstown, WV 25443 3 p.m.
Club Square Dance Waxter Center 1000 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.chesapeakesquares.org 8-10 p.m.
Consumer Planned Activity Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org
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4-6:30 p.m. & 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Positive Influence LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30-7:30 p.m.
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 October 29
Beginners’ Yoga with Kelly D. McClain, CYT GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 $9/person 7:15 p.m.
Gay Bingo (to benefit GLCCB & Aids Action) Club Hippo 1 W. Eager St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-547-0069 8:30 p.m.
‘Tini Lounge Happy Hour GG’s Restaurant & Martini Bar 41 N. Potomac St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 4:30-10:00 p.m.
Thursday October 30
Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 8:30 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
HOMOSTROLOGY by Marry Elaine
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22)
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20)
SCORPIO
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20)
I anticipate you locating eroticism in places you didn’t expect. Keep your heart open so you can feel it—it is probably already there. You just don’t sense it yet. (October 23 - November 21) You will pull a lot of strength from a close love relationship. You might be surprised—by where you find it or by how much you find there. Either way, it will be lovely and right on time.
SAGITTARIUS
(November 22 - December 20) Wear copper and carry current. You know people, but what about and how do you really know them? Get to know people better this week. Let people speak for themselves, and believe them when they do.
CAPRICORN
(December 21 - January 19) Practice humility. Approach everything with rigor and forgiveness.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)
Let your pleasure be your guide. Your pleasure as a woman. And don’t forget: There are two things that have no limit—femininity and the means of taking advantage of it.
PISCES (February 19 - March 19)
Stay inside your heart; fight temptations to drift up into your head. Commit to conversing, not monologuing. This will involve listening. Despite fear or discomfort, face conflict and stay honest and kind while moving in it.
ARIES (March 20 - April 19)
Your social instincts are awry right now. If you don’t mind being unpalatable, revel. And know that you’re in my heart, bitch. If you do mind, go against impulses. If you are usually visited, now is the time to plan a trip towards a friend.
Focus on creation and followthrough right now. You are pretty much unstoppable: Make sure to see your successes so that you can celebrate them.
Strive to be shameless. It is time to deeply challenge yourself. Don’t worry about keeping it together; you have done that for long enough. Get messy and wet. Trust that the gentleness you have shown others in the past will be shown to you.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22)
You can’t help but find yourself in bullshit situations. But truth is important to you and you should honor its importance by tuning out during bullshit and opening your pores when you sense that truth could be flowing in. Ask questions, more than you usually do and about things that you usually don’t.
LEO (July 23 - August 22)
Your feelings are very loud in your own head and it can be easy to forget that others can’t hear them unless you express them. Groom your ability to hear honesty and speak honesty. Someone wonders when they will walk with you again. Look to your past selves and consider which you would like to walk as. You and a Scorpio will get along very well.
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)
Nurture your good heart. Direct and honest communication is vital right now, with yourself and with others. Prioritize sexuality. You are confident in embodying roles how you want; take it a step further and be bold in creating the roles you choose to embody.
Marry Elaine is very psychic and a huge fag. Email her at letspretendweremarried @baltimoregaylife.com.
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QUOTE UNQUOTE "(Regarding) what my position is on homosexuality and you can pray it away ... I don't know what prayers are worthy of being prayed and I don't know what prayers are going to be answered or not answered. But as for homosexuality, I am not going to judge Americans and the decisions that they make in their adult personal relationships. I have one of my absolute best friends for the last 30 years who happens to be gay, and I love her dearly — and she is not my 'gay friend,' she is one of my best friends, who happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice that I have made, but I'm not going to judge people."
—Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to CBS News, Sept. 30.
"If there's any kind of suggestion at all from my answer that I would be anything but tolerant of adults in America choosing their partners, choosing relationships that they deem best for themselves — you know, I am tolerant and I have a very diverse family and group of friends and even within that group you would see some who may not agree with me on this issue, some very dear friends who don't agree with me on this issue. But in that tolerance also, no one would ever propose, not in a McCainPalin administration, to do anything to prohibit, say, visitations in a hospital or contracts being signed, negotiated between parties. But I will tell Americans straight up that I don't support defining marriage as anything but between one man and one woman, and I think through nuances we can go round and round about what that actually means. But I'm being as straight up with Americans as I can in my nonsupport for anything but a traditional definition of marriage."
—Sarah Palin during the vice presidential debate, Oct. 2.
"I'm sorry, but I don't trust someone who smiles all the time, even when they're saying cutting things. I don't trust someone who uses words like 'heck,' 'darn,' and 'doggone it' to show how genteel they are. I don't trust someone who says 'nucular' instead of 'nuclear.' (Why can't Republicans pronounce that word?) I don't trust someone who says 'Can I call you Joe?' then calls you 'Senator Biden' for 90 gosh darn minutes. I don't trust someone who says she's a mom when in actuality she's also a grandmother. (And yes, the unborn child is already a living being and has been for quite some time, according to Palin's principles.) But mainly, I don't trust someone who has pre-rehearsed answers and gives them even if they don't fit the questions!"
—Gay Village Voice columnist Michael Musto on his blog Oct. 2 after watching the vice presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.
BY REX WOCKNER WITH BILL KELLEY
I come from Massachusetts, and they've had it (same-sex marriage) in Massachusetts for a long time. And it's fine. The world doesn't collapse. You know, I must admit, I go to West Hollywood — people know that's the gay area. The nicest area, the cleanest area, the safest area. I mean, I don't get it. I mean, if two people want to have something together — the economy is falling apart, I don't care what you do!"
—Ellen DeGeneres on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Oct. 1.
""I vow to care for you as you've cared for me ... and to love you as my husband and the only man in my life."
—Actor George Takei, Sulu from the original Star Trek series, to his husband, Brad Altman, at their Sept. 14 wedding in Los Angeles.
—Host Jay Leno on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Oct. 1.
"Do I support granting same-sex benefits? Absolutely positively. Look, in an Obama-Biden administration, there will be absolutely no distinction from a constitutional standpoint or a legal standpoint between a same-sex and a heterosexual couple. The fact of the matter is that under the Constitution we should be granted — same-sex couples should be able to have visitation rights in the hospitals, joint ownership of property, life insurance policies, etc. That's only fair. It's what the Constitution calls for. And so we do support it. We do support making sure that committed couples in a same-sex marriage are guaranteed the same constitutional benefits as it relates to their property rights, their rights of visitation, their rights to insurance, their rights of ownership as heterosexual couples do."
—Joe Biden during the vice presidential debate, Oct. 2.
"It (to come out as gay) was the first decision I made as a father. I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that. ... I've never intended to lie to anybody at all."
—Singer Clay Aiken to People magazine, Sept. 26.
"Unlike other gay celebrities who have come out recently, like Neil Patrick Harris or Lance Bass, (Clay) Aiken denied that he was gay long beyond the point of ridiculousness, and he did it in a way that bordered on homophobic. When the Advocate asked him if he was gay during an American Idol press conference, he simply turned the other way, as if he never heard the question. In 2006, a sexually suggestive video of Aiken leaked from a gay dating Web site, but that same year, he gave a big interview to People where he implied he was straight. He even offered a cover-up for the video: it wasn't him, it was just somebody who looked exactly like him."
—Ramin Setoodeh writing at Newsweek.com, Sept. 25.
"The idea that being gay could ruin your career in Hollywood is more old school
"They are trying to ... stop gay people from marrying, like somehow Portia and I staying at home watching Dancing With the Stars is affecting anybody."
than reruns of Will & Grace. Ellen DeGeneres has the biggest talk show on TV after Oprah, and it's been a long decade since she broke down the closet door as the first openly gay sitcom star (Ugly Betty, Gossip Girl, even The Sopranos had a gay character). Plus, (Clay) Aiken got his start on what's arguably the gayest show on TV — American Idol. Aiken's announcement (that he's gay) almost overshadowed the other gay news of the week. Lindsay Lohan confirmed she's been dating a 31year-old woman named Samantha Ronson for 'a very long time.'"
—Ramin Setoodeh writing at Newsweek.com, Sept. 25.
"Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8."
—Actor Brad Pitt in a Sept. 17 statement announcing a $100,000 contribution to the campaign to defeat the Nov. 4 voter initiative to amend the California Constitution to undo the state's legalization of same-sex marriage.
"There's a California Proposition on the ballot that's a little confusing. It's Proposition 8. It's called, 'The California Marriage Protection Act' — but don't let the name fool you. It's not protecting anyone's marriage. Not yours. Not mine. The wording of Prop 8 is tricky. It's like if someone asked you, 'You don't want dessert, right?' But you do want dessert so you say, 'Yes,' which really means you don't want dessert. And if you say, 'No,' which means you do want dessert — it sounds like you don't. Either way, you don't get what you want. See — confusing. Just like Prop. 8. So, in case I haven't made myself clear, I'm FOR gay marriage. And in order to protect that right — please VOTE NO on Proposition 8. And now that you're informed, spread the word. I'm begging you. I can't return the wedding gifts — I love my new toaster."
—Ellen DeGeneres on her Web site, Sept. 24.
"Yes, we have four children and we're trying to find the right time."
—Singer Melissa Etheridge telling the TV show Extra on Oct. 1 that she and partner Tammy Lynn Michaels will be getting married.
"I don't see the marriage of two loving individuals as a threat to anyone else's relationship. I really don't understand the gut reaction that these people are having (to same-sex marriage). I think there's entirely too much preoccupation with what people do behind their bedroom doors. And I think it's unhealthy. ... I don't understand why they have to spend time thinking about it, worrying about it, wondering about it. I don't get it."
—Jeanne Phillips, who writes the Dear Abby column, to the Palm Springs gay magazine The BottomLine, Sept. 26.
"I have two kids — one is 6 and one is 12 — and my 12-year-old daughter has not known ... anything but George Bush. At least (adults) have a memory of somebody different, and a prospect that there will be somebody different in the future. It's been horrible for her to listen to the president, and listen to this fear-based, warmongering, torture-supporting, homophobic, anti-immigrant bullshit. ... It's going to be really close in Florida. But my hope is that when Barack Obama wins, we're going to know that those were LGBT votes. And last time they used us as a wedge, but this time we're going to be the edge."
—Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) speaking in Wilton Manors, Fla., Sept. 27, according to the South Florida Blade.
"I always spoke of Jane (Wagner) very openly, and everybody in the industry knew. Well, many people in the heartlands still don't get that I'm gay, that I have a partnership with Jane that's 37 years long, and after you're around for so long, it's sort of like grandstanding. What happened is that I was doing an interview and the guy finally just wrote it blatantly. When I was on the cover of Time and in Newsweek back in '77, (one article said) that I shared a house with Jane Wagner and the other one said I lived alone. So you never knew what anybody was gonna write."
—Lily Tomlin to Chicago's Windy City Times, Sept. 24.
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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
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
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
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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
MARKETPLACE
Employment
DESIGNERS/ARTISTS needed to create and install Holiday decorations in the Greater Baltimore area. Please call Sunny at the Plant Connection, 410-2991679, for more information.
House or Apartment for Rent MT. WASHINGTON Cottage—living room, bedroom, kitchen, sun room and bath. Working fireplace, central air. Secluded street. Must enjoy gardening. Call 410-664-4242.
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. ABSOLUTELY CHARMING 2 br/ 2 bath renovation near Hopkins University. All systems are brand new, beautiful exposed brick walls, new wood floors and huge open white kitchen, easy parking. Great location across from park. Roomy and bright. Take advantage of the Hopkins “Live Near Your Work” program. $219,000. Call 410889-6190 or 410-243-2000 to schedule an appointment.
CHALET Would you like to live in a Chalet on an acre of ground located 15 minutes from the heart of Baltimore and 10 minutes from Towson? Must like gardening and have excellent references. This is really a unique rental. Ideal for 2 or 3 adults. 410-243-2001
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
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