Vol. 30, No. 4, February 22 - March 6, 2008

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FEBRUARY 22 - MARCH 6, 2008 Volume XXX, Number 4 W W W. B A L T I M O R E G A Y L I F E . C O M

IN THIS ISSUE PAGE 4

LAMBDA RISING SET TO CLOSE SHOP AFTER 22 YEARS

PAGE 36

DR. FRANK SPINELLI RELEASES ADVOCATE GUIDE TO GAY MEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS

PAGE 30

READ STREET BOOKS REOPENS AS LIVE PERFORMANCE VENUE ON MARCH 1

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WHAT’S INSIDE FEATURE

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 14

PAGE 26 - MOVIES

Suri’s Age of Shiva Brings Bombay to Baltimore.

Interview by Maddy Dwertman

Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges. By Rob Scheer

NEWS

Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at Centerstage. By Maddy Dwertman

PAGE 4 - LOCAL NEWS

Cover Photo by Jose Villarubia

Lambda Rising Set to Close Shop after 22 Years; Atty.

General Doug Gansler Endorses Gay Marriage; Charges Dropped Against Former Dixon Spokesman Anthony McCarthy. Compiled by Maddy Dwertman

PAGE 29 - PENCIL ME IN

PAGE 6 - NATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS

PAGE 32 - BOOKS

New Push to Amend California Constitution on Marriage; Ruling: N.Y. Must Recognize Same-Sex Marriages from Elsewhere; Justice Department Gay Group Unbanned; Oregon Couples Finally can Register. By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley

Books in Brief. By Richard Oloizia

PAGE 8 - INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS

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

Michael Nguyen Art Director art@baltimoregaylife.com

Gay Weddings Decline in UK; Olivia Newton-John to Perform at Sydney Mardi Gras; Another Anti-Gay Attack in Jamaica; Gay Men Arrested for Homosexuality in Senegal; Palestinian Gay Group Sets Out on its Own; Euro Commission Warns Netherlands on Discrimination; Dutch would be OK with Gay Prime Minister; Eight Men Jailed in Egypt on Homosexuality Charges; Cuban Culture Minister Supports Same-Sex Marriage; Romania Considers Same-Sex Marriage Ban; Swedish Court: Lesbians Can Buy Puppies; Israel OKs Gay Adoption; U.N. Turns Down Gay Groups. By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley

CONTRIBUTORS Joel Rosado Maddy Dwertman Rob Scheer Mario Fernandez Garrott Smith Jack Fertig Gwendolyn Ann Smith Bill Kelley Rex Wockner Rev. Irene Monroe Richard Oloizia Miss Prudence Worthington David Placher Leslie Robinson

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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AIRS Presents Baltimore’s Own Oscar Night. By Maddy Dwertman

HEALTH PAGE 36 Coming Out Healthy: Dr. Frank Spinelli Releases Advocate Guide to Gay Men’s Health and Wellness. Interview by Maddy Dwertman

HOME PAGE 38 - INTERIOR DESIGN Home Decorating Tips: Copy an Inspiration Room on a Budget. ARAcontent

COMMUNITY & COLUMNS PAGE 12 - DEAN’S LIST

INCrowd International Decks Out First Annual Fundraiser.

By Joel Rosado

A Collegiate Calendar of Events. By Garrott Smith

PAGE 26 - COMMUNITY CALENDAR

OPINONS

PAGE 12 - BUSINESS PROFILE

PAGE 18

Read Street Books Reopens as Live Performance Venue.

Interview by Maddy Dwertman

PAGE 41 - DO AS I SAY

sales@baltimoregaylife.com

National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media 212-242-6863

Calendar. By Maddy Dwertman

PAGE 17 - NONPROFIT NEWS

Athlete Auction Action.

By Leslie Robinson

Maddy Dwertman Sales

PAGE 28 - THEATER

How Young is Too Young?

By Gwendolyn Ann Smith

Prudence Responds to Your Questions.

By Miss Prudence Worthington

Possibilities for Positive Perceptions of Baltimore.

By David Placher

PAGE 42 - QUOTE UNQUOTE

IMHO (In My Homo Opinion): Gaydar...Ding! Ding! Ding!

By Mario Fernandez

PAGE 45 - B-SCENE

Make a Difference: GoodSearch & GoodShop.

By Joel Rosado

By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley Miss Gay Baltimore at Club Hippo. Photos by Jay W. Photos

FOR FUN

A Love That Knows No Bounds.

By Rev. Irene Monroe

PAGE 35 - Q PUZZLE

Gladys Bentley: Bad as She Wants to Be.

By Rev. Irene Monroe

PAGE 40 - Q SCOPES

Broken-Hearted Clean Out Closets, Pisces! By Jack Fertig

VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.BALTIMOREGAYLIFE.COM. F E B R U A RY 2 2 - M a r c h 6 , 2 0 0 8

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LOCAL NEWS Lambda Rising Set to Close Shop after 22 Years

A

fter fifteen years, Michael Lemmon, manager of Baltimore’s only LGBT bookstore, Lambda Rising, will be moving on to Saratoga Coffee. Just weeks after Lemoine’s resignation, Lambda founder and owner Deacon Maccubbin announced that he will be closing the doors of the 22-year-old Baltimore store. Gay Life visited with Lemoine on his final day to talk about his fondest memories of Lambda, concerns about the store’s closing and future plans.

Why did you initially come to Lambda Rising?

I’ve always had a passion for selling books and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. There was an opening here and I came in and was hired. I saw the potential here from a community that was very supportive and it wasn’t just a bookstore, but also a support center for the community.

The community center was always there, but we always functioned in conjunction with it. Along with providing goods to sell, we’re also an information center. We welcomed people from out of town. People came here to get an idea of what the community was like, to find out what areas are safe for LGBT people.

The community center does a lot of great work, but with more of a clinical, office-type feel. We’ve always had a more open, public face and down here people can walk in and out freely with a more neighborly feel. They can take it at their own pace and ask only what they want to ask. We have played off of each other though and it worked to both of our benefits. Often we could draw the people in and I have recommended many people to go upstairs for professional and support services that we can’t offer.

What are some of your fondest memories of working at Lambda Rising?

One of the main things I’ve always loved was the support we have received from John Waters. He has always been such a proponent of reading and independent bookstores and would come in every 2 to 3 weeks. When he would travel to his apartment in New York, where he

saw the opening and closing of many independent bookstores, he would come back and say: “You’re still here. That’s great.” Those statements always made me feel pretty proud of the store. We have also had Waters here for book and DVD signings.... Events with him were always the most successful and were the easiest and most fun we ever got to throw. He would always say something funny to floor the audience and could shock even the most jaded customer that walked in.

We also had a lot of people come in here that had nowhere else to turn— straight parents that did not know how to deal with their child telling them that they were gay—and we were able to put information in their hands. Watching people find something that they had not been able to find somewhere else and seeing it make a difference…those moments were always pretty amazing.

How have things changed over the years?

When I first started, there was not much of a trans community. It was more centered around people being gay and coming into the store with “coming out” questions. Now, coming out has become so easy for a lot of kids because of the resources that are available. This is, of course, taken in the context of where the kids are coming from. In Baltimore, I’ve never felt any level of hate for being in a gay and lesbian bookstore.

Now, there has been a whole resurgence of trans people looking for resources on who to deal with transitioning. It’s not as easy for trans people to get resources as it is for gay people. I’ve had parents come in here and talk to me about their child

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identifying as transgender, asking: What do I do? Who can I talk to? Is there something I can read?

What does the closing of Lambda Rising mean for Baltimore’s LGBT community?

There is really no other place like this for people. That has been my concern for the past 4 or 5 years. If something were to happen and the store closed, where would the community turn? I have had the added bonus of getting to serve the community in addition to the retail perspective. I had a double responsibility to answer to the owner and the community. The community members will be the ones to suffer.

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What’s in store next for you?

We’re going to be opening a coffee store on East Saratoga St., Saratoga Coffee. Given the market, we would like to include books and turn it into a small, general bookstore. We want it to also be a nice place to get local products that are made by local people. All of our coffee will be roasted here in Baltimore. It will be a business for Baltimore from Baltimore wholesalers.

The press release announcing the closure of Baltimore’s Lambda Rising indicated that stores in Washington, D.C. and Rehoboth Beach, DE will continue to operate. You can stop by and visit Michael at Saratoga Coffee (222 E. Saratoga St., Baltimore, MD).

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Atty. General Doug Gansler Endorses Gay Marriage

Attorney General Doug Gansler comes out in support of gay marriage.

On February 14, Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler endorsed gay marriage, becoming the first statewide elected official to do so. Stating his belief that banning same-sex unions is discriminatory, Gansler spoke openly before the Senate panel: “It would be hard for me to have this job knowing there is something so wrong in our society. I just think it’s wrong to discriminate against any people because they think differently or because of their sexual orientation.”

Despite Gansler’s certainty that “we will have gay marriage in the state of Maryland and across the United States” in the next 10 to 15 years, the gay marriage bill remains a long shot this legislative session. Governor Martin O’Malley supports civil unions rather than gay marriage and other lawmakers continue to favor a constitutional ban. As Gansler himself admitted, “I don’t know if we have the political courage to pass gay marriage. We’ll probably end up getting civil unions…but I think we can at least start the dialogue.”

Charges Dropped Against Former Dixon Spokesman Anthony McCarthy The Baltimore County state’s attorney office announced on February 14 that no charges will be filed against Anthony McCarthy, former top aide and communications director for Mayor Shiela Dixon. McCarthy has been on leave since November 2007 when allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior with a minor surfaced. The state’s attorney office has not commented on the case, but released a statement confirming that it had “completed its review of an investigation regarding Anthony McCarthy and has determined that no criminal charges will be filed.”

Prior to joining Dixon’s mayoral administration in 2007, McCarthy was Dixon’s chief of staff when she was president of City Council from 1999-2000, and worked for a number of local publications, including the Baltimore Times, The Afro-American, and Gay Life newspaper. He also

With charges dropped, Anthony McCarthy hopes to resume his position with the Dixon administration. served as a pastor at Unity Fellowship church until last November. According to The Sun, McCarthy told reporters: “Being an openly gay minister is not the easiest thing in the world to be. There’s a lot of questions that come with that.

I’ve done nothing wrong. I was accused of something and now it’s over, and I would hope that I could go on with my life.”

www.glccb.org Services. Groups. Events.

Our calendar is now online.

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NATIONAL NEWS

BY REX WOCKNER

New Push to Amend California Constitution on Marriage Anti-gay groups are paying signature-gatherers in hopes of placing an initiative before voters in November to amend the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

Previous attempts to collect enough voter signatures to force a ballot vote have failed.

Gay leaders said the effort is being supported by the National Organization for Marriage and ProtectMarriage.com.

"We are committed to a vigorous opposition campaign," said Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California. "We are determined to make sure voters understand the very real pain that comes with marriage discrimination and how these types of amendments will only bring harm to California families."

Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California. File photo

Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Photo by Rex Wockner

Lorri Jean, CEO of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center. File photo

Delores Jacobs, CEO of The San Diego LGBT Community Center. File photo

under Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who succeeded Ashcroft.

Five other states have same-sex civil-union or domestic-partnership laws that extend all or nearly all state-level rights and obligations of marriage: California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Vermont. In addition, three states (Maine, Hawaii and Washington) and the District of Columbia have laws that extend limited spousal rights to same-sex couples.

According to the CEO of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, Lorri Jean, "Californians are tired of these costly and divisive campaigns."

"These out-of-state extremists continue to expend time and resources to write discrimination into our California Constitution," she said. "We believe voters will reject this measure and the politics of hate and division it represents."

Delores Jacobs, CEO of The San Diego LGBT Community Center, urged Californians to "reject these efforts by refusing to sign the petitions and talking with their friends and family members about why marriage discrimination is wrong."

Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said such an amendment "would enshrine discrimination for generations of Californians."

Ruling: N.Y. Must Recognize Same-Sex Marriages from Elsewhere A New York appellate court ruled unanimously Feb. 1 that the state must recognize same-sex marriages from countries that allow them— Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain and South Africa—and from Massachusetts, the only U.S. state that allows them.

"Congratulations to all same-sex couples validly married outside of New York state," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, which filed the case. "You are now considered married in New York as well."

"If a marriage is valid in the state or country in which the marriage took place, New York law generally requires the recognition of that marriage," said Arthur Eisenberg, the NYCLU's legal director. "This case involved a straightforward application of that principle."

Canada has no citizenship or residency requirements for getting married, and numerous U.S. same-sex couples have crossed the border and tied the knot, often in a one-day visit.

Justice Department Gay Group Unbanned U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey has unbanned the Justice Department's gay group, DOJ Pride, the Washington Post reported Feb. 5.

The case, Martinez v. County of Monroe, was filed in 2005 on behalf of Patricia Martinez, an employee of Monroe Community College in Rochester, who married her wife, Lisa Golden, in Ontario and then was not allowed to add Golden to her health-insurance plan.

In 2003, the group was barred from holding its annual pride-month celebration by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, who also reportedly prohibited the group from posting information on agency bulletin boards or using its e-mail system.

The case dealt solely with whether the time-honored "marriage recognition rule" applies to same-sex marriages.

Ashcroft said it was unwritten department policy not to sponsor events without a presidential proclamation. The policy was continued

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But Mukasey now has issued an equal-employment-opportunity policy prohibiting discrimination against any employee organization and has informed DOJ Pride of the change, the Post said.

In a statement, Mukasey said the Department of Justice will "foster an environment in which diversity is valued, understood and sought."

Same-sex couples in Oregon finally were able to begin using the state's registered-partnership law Feb. 4.

Massachusetts is the only state that lets gay couples marry. Couples from most other states cannot marry there because of a racist state law from 1913 that prohibits people from marrying in Massachusetts "if [the] marriage would be void if contracted in" their home state.

It had been delayed for a month by anti-gay activists who challenged the legal determination that they hadn't collected enough valid voter signatures to send the law to a ballot referendum.

Gay couples from Rhode Island and New Mexico are among those who can marry in Massachusetts, as those states have no laws specifically banning same-sex marriage, even if they don't offer it themselves.

In the end, the opponents' drive fell short 96 signatures.

The California Legislature has twice passed a bill legalizing full marriage for same-sex couples, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has twice vetoed it. A ruling by the California Supreme Court in a case seeking legalization of same-sex

Oregon Couples Finally can Register

The law grants registered couples the state-level rights of matrimony, including in such areas as inheritance and joint income-tax filing.

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marriage will be issued by early June. The gay activists working most directly on the court challenge see the court's signals in the case so far as encouraging.

Full same-sex marriage also is legal in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa and Spain. Non-Canadian couples can get married in 12 of Canada's 13 provinces and territories during a one-day visit. The process takes longer in Quebec, although there is an approved way to circumvent the province's waiting period.

Numerous nations grant registered same-sex couples some, most or all rights and obligations of marriage

under registered-partnership, domestic-partnership or civil-union laws.

They include Andorra, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Greenland, a self-governing division of Denmark, also has a civil-union law. In yet other nations, such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil and Mexico, such rights are granted by city, state or provincial laws.

Informal cohabitation of same-sex partners has become legally recognized in Austria, Colombia, Croatia, Hungary, Israel and Portugal—and in parts of Australia, Italy and the U.S.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS Romania Considers Same-Sex Marriage Ban Romania's parliament is considering defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Current law defines it as "between spouses."

A bill passed unanimously Feb. 4 by the Senate Judiciary Committee would change the law to read, "The marriage between a man and a woman is the basis of the family."

Human Rights Watch denounced the measure.

"There is no excuse for playing politics with families' welfare," said Boris Dittrich, advocacy director of HRW's LGBT Rights Program.

Boris Dittrich, advocacy director of Human Rights Watch's LGBT Rights Program.(Photo: HRW)

"These proposals not only deliberately discriminate against same-sex couples but threaten their families, including children. It is an insult to Romania's achievements elsewhere in overcoming discrimination."

Another Anti-Gay Attack in Jamaica Another in a string of violent attacks on Jamaican gays occurred Jan. 29 in the town of Mandeville, Human Rights Watch reported Feb. 1.

A mob of 15-20 men approached a house where four males lived and demanded they leave the community because they are gay, HRW said. The attackers later broke down the door and beat and slashed the inhabitants.

Police arrived 90 minutes after being called and rescued three of the men. The fourth man fled, with the attackers in pursuit, and is feared to be dead. Blood was found at the mouth of a nearby pit, suggesting, HRW said, that the man fell into it or was killed nearby.

Two of the other three men were taken to a hospital. One had a severed left ear, Scott Long, director of Human Right Watch's spine damage and his arm broken in two Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender places.

Rights Program. File photo "This incident is the latest in a string of homophobic mob violence over the last year," HRW said.

"Roving mobs attacking innocent people and staining the streets with blood should shame the nation's leaders," said Scott Long, director of the group's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program. "Official silence encourages the spread of hate."

More International News at

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Gay Weddings Decline in UK The number of same-sex civil partnerships taking place in the United Kingdom dropped 55 percent in 2007 over 2006—likely reflecting a decline in pent-up demand since the law took effect in December 2005.

The figures were gathered by the Local Government Association from officials in 40 localities.

The Office of National Statistics has recorded a similar drop-off.

More than 16,000 couples formed a civil partnership in 2006 but only 4,060 did so in the first half of 2007, agency records show.

However, the total number of civil partnerships to date exceeds government estimates issued when the law took effect. Officials had expected to see a maximum of 22,000 partnerships by 2010.

Olivia Newton-John to Perform at Sydney Mardi Gras Seventies pop star and gay favorite Olivia Newton-John will perform at the party that follows the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade March 1.

Newton-John, 59, said the appearance is payback for four decades of support from gay people.

"The gay community has always been a major supporter of mine and I am hopelessly devoted to each and every one of them," she said. "I can't wait."

Gay Men Arrested for Homosexuality in Senegal Up to 20 men have been arrested on suspicion of homosexuality in Dakar, Senegal, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission said Feb. 4.

A British Broadcasting Corporation report three days later said at least some of the men had been released from custody. The BBC had no further details.

The arrests occurred after the magazine Icône published photographs of a local gay wedding that took place more than 18 months ago.

IGLHRC said the sensationalistic magazine paid $3,000 to acquire the photos.

"We are afraid for our lives, especially those of us shown in the photographs," said local activist Jean R.

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BY REX WOCKNER WITH BILL KELLEY "Some of us have gone into hiding and others are fleeing the country."

Penal Code Article 319 punishes homosexual acts with up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000.

Palestinian Gay Group Sets Out on its Own Al-Qaws, the Palestinian LGBT project of Jerusalem's Open House gay center, has spun off as an independent organization.

"With this decision, our community begins a new journey with a committed leadership group and widespread local activists, friends and supporters," the group said in a press release.

Al-Qaws achieved official status as a nonprofit organization in November, and renamed itself "AlQaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in the Palestinian Society."

"This new phase presents new opportunities with promises of growth through self-definition for Palestinian LGBTQs," said Director Haneen Maikey.

Euro Commission Warns Netherlands on Discrimination The European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities has told the Netherlands to fix laws that permit anti-gay churches and religious schools to discriminate against gay people in hiring, local media reported Feb. 4.

Vladimír Spidla said the European Commission could haul the country before the European Court of Justice if it doesn't beef up gay protections within two months' time.

European Union law bans employers from discriminating based on sexual orientation, disability, age, race and religion.

The European Commission is the executive branch of the 27-nation European Union.

Several other nations also received warnings about their implementation of various aspects of the EU's Employment Equality Directive, which was supposed to be fully implemented by the end of 2003.

Dutch would be OK with Gay Prime Minister Seventy-eight percent of Dutch people would be OK with having a

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gay prime minister, according to a poll of 21,000 members of TV program EenVandaag's permanent opinion panel, NIS News Bulletin reported Feb. 6.

The panel also would be fine with a prime minister who is female (93 percent approval), unmarried (90 percent approval), atheist (87 percent), black (75 percent) or Jewish (53 percent).

But only 27 percent of the panel would support an Islamic prime minister and only 33 percent would be OK with a fundamentalist Christian prime minister.

Eight Men Jailed in Egypt on Homosexuality Charges Human Rights Watch on Feb. 5 highlighted the cases of eight men incarcerated in Cairo, Egypt, following homosexuality-related arrests or convictions.

Two men were arrested last October while having an argument on the street, after one of them told police officers he was HIV-positive.

They were handcuffed to a desk for four days in the office of the Morality Police, were later subjected to anal probes and forced HIV testing, reportedly tested positive, and remain in custody in a hospital handcuffed to beds 23 hours a day.

Two other men were arrested because their phone numbers or photographs were in the possession of the first two men. They also were forcetested for HIV and remain in custody pending possible filing of charges.

Four additional men were arrested in November after they secured a lease and moved into the apartment of one of the first four men. They were tortured in custody; deprived of food, drink and blankets; and forcetested for HIV. In January, the four were convicted of "habitual practice of debauchery" and sentenced to one year in prison. On Feb. 2, the convictions were upheld on appeal.

One of the men was told he is HIVpositive and is incarcerated in a hospital chained to a bed 23 hours a day.

"These cases show Egyptian police acting on the dangerous belief that HIV is not a condition to be treated but a crime to be punished," said Scott Long, director of Human Rights Watch's LGBT Rights Program. "HIVtests forcibly taken without consent, ill treatment in detention, trials driven by prejudice, and convictions without evidence all violate international law."

HRW has urged authorities to drop all charges, stop chaining detainees to hospital beds, and make sure the eight men receive good medical care for any serious health conditions.

Cuban Culture Minister Supports Same-Sex Marriage Cuba's culture minister, Abel Prieto, has come out in support of same-sex marriage, the Miami Herald reported Feb. 6.

"I think that marriage between lesbians, between homosexuals can be perfectly approved and that in Cuba that wouldn't cause an earthquake or anything like that," Prieto, who is a member of the Politburo, told reporters after a screening of a new documentary about folk singer Silvio Rodríguez.

Prieto, 57, also is a member of the Council of State, Cuba's governing body. The Herald noted that he is the only top government official with "shoulder-length hair."

Prieto's statement is one of several pro-gay developments in Cuba in the past year.

In November, Mariela Castro Espín, director of National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), said her dad, Raúl Castro, supports letting open gays serve in the military.

Raúl Castro is leading Cuba during his brother Fidel's lengthy illness.

Castro Espín also has said the island will begin offering sex-change operations.

"There are 27 transsexuals waiting for the operation [and] the medical team is being trained," she told the Buenos Aires newspaper Clarín three months ago. "As soon as it's ready ... they will start to operate."

In December, two Havana lesbians were symbolically married in CENESEX's courtyard. Mónica, 19, and Elizabeth, 28, tied the knot before 60 friends and supporters in the first-ever same-sex union to receive support from a government agency.

The ceremony was filmed by students from the Cuban Higher Institute of Art. And last July, the Roman Catholic vicar general of Havana, Monsignor Carlos Manuel de Céspedes GarcíaMenocal, wrote that he supports "stable same-sex relationships" being "protected by civil laws."

"Contemporary Western society is no longer the same as that which arrived at present clarifications concerning marriage," Céspedes said.

Swedish Court: Lesbians Can Buy Puppies Lesbians must be allowed to buy dogs, a Stockholm appeals court affirmed Feb. 11.

A kennel owner in the Stockholm suburb of Värmdö, Anette Sjöholm, continued on page 10

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Int’l

NEWS INT’L NEWS - continued from page 9

had refused to sell a puppy to a lesbian, Smila Bergström, because Sjöholm had read that transvestites are involved in animal pornography and she believed that made homosexuals untrustworthy.

The court unanimously rejected Sjöholm's defense, as did a lower district court, according to a report in the Stockholm publication The Local.

Sjöholm must pay Bergström $3,085 in damages for discrimination and harassment, and reimburse $6,940 to the state Ombudsman against Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation for its legal expenses.

Israel OKs Gay Adoption Israel's Justice Ministry announced Feb. 10 that same-sex couples can adopt children.

"When it is for the good of the adopted child, it is possible to agree to requests from same-sex couples to adopt a child who is not the child of one of the partners," the ministry announced on behalf of Attorney General Menachem Mazuz.

Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog welcomed the move, saying: "There is no reason why same-sex couples who meet the criteria for adoption should not be able to join the process of adoption and of parenthood. We must adapt to the spirit of the times and the changes that are afoot."

Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers denounced the decision, saying it will lead to children being placed in an unnatural environment.

U.N. Turns Down Gay Groups The United Nations Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations is again opposing and delaying gay groups’ requests for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

On Feb. 11, the committee recommended denial of, or deferred action on, the applications of Spain's State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals (FELGTB); the Brazilian Association of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals (ABGLT); and the Dutch national gay organization COC (its former initials are now its full name).

"It was a shocking first experience at the U.N.," said Joyce Hamilton of COC, whose application, along with that of ABGLT, was deferred. "This blatant structural discrimination against LGBT organizations shows the need for a continued battle."

FELGTB's application was recommended for rejection in a tie vote.

Support for the application came from Colombia, Dominica, Israel, Peru, Romania, the United Kingdom and the U.S. Opposition came from Burundi, China, Egypt, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia and Sudan. Four nations abstained—Angola, Guinea, India and Turkey—and Cuba missed the vote.

"Even getting this negative recommendation was difficult in the NGO committee today," said FELGTB's Toni Poveda. "Representatives of Egypt, Pakistan and Qatar constantly came up with additional questions for us and claimed that proceeding to a vote on whether or not to grant consultative status to the group—before all questions are answered—would constitute preferential treatment."

The negative recommendation actually puts FELGTB in a better position than COC and ABGLT. "There is clearly a group of countries in this committee which insists on blocking the applications of LGBT groups from one session to another, preventing them to reach the full ECOSOC, where [this committee's] position does not have a majority," said FELGTB's Sylvia Jaén.

"We were successful in overcoming this situation but unfortunately our Dutch and Brazilian friends were not."

Groups that have succeeded in achieving ECOSOC consultative status in recent years include the Swedish national gay group RFSL (its former initials are now its full name), Canada's Coalition gaie et lesbienne du Québec, the Danish National Association for Gays and Lesbians, the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany, International Wages Due Lesbians, Australia's Coalition of Activist Lesbians, and the European branch of the International Lesbian and Gay Association.

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

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Traditional Celebration

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

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The status allows nongovernmental organizations— some 2,900 in all—to access U.N. meetings, deliver oral and written reports, contact country representatives and organize events.

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SURI’S AGE OF SHIVA BRINGS BOMBAY TO BALTIMORE

INTERVIEW BY MADDY DWERTMAN PHOTO BY JOSE VILLARUBIA

anil Suri, local gay Indian novelist and tenured mathematics professor at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, was born and raised in Bombay, India. At age twenty, he came to the United States to study mathematics and earned his Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Carnegie Mellon. Suri, however, has always enjoyed writing as a hobby. In 2001, his highly acclaimed first novel, The Death of Visnhu, debuted and he went on to win the 2002 Barnes and Noble Discover Prize and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Seven years later, he has returned with a second novel, The Age of Shiva. He will be reading from his newest work at the Enoch Pratt Library (400 Cathedral St.) on April 19.

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Gay Life was fortunate enough to catch up with Suri amidst his busy tour schedule to discuss how his heritage, sexuality and mathematical mind inform The Age of Shiva.

apply to anyone they want. This theory is good for mathematics, but not for fiction. Readers are looking for the details and they don’t want abstraction.

It definitely took me a moment to move away from being the mathematician I was trained to be.

You’re both a mathematician and a novelist. How did you become interested in writing and how much does your study of mathematics affect your writing?

Although it is part of a trilogy, how is the Age of Shiva different from your first novel?

I became interested in writing because I needed some other dimension beyond mathematics. In our society, and in academia in particular, you face a strong pressure to conform to just one thing and get very good at it. I felt that through writing I could meet different people and express myself differently. So, it was sort of a secret hobby for many years.

My first book [The Death of Vishnu] was very detailed and orderly in structure. This book [The Age of Shiva] is more expansive and has a much different feel to it. The books do not have the same characters or the same story.

It’s a three part trilogy with each part inspired by a different deity in the Hindu trinity. This one is Shiva. He is the deity most associated with longing. He’s an ascetic and he withdraws for the world. This causes people who yearn for him to feel intense longing because he’s unattainable. This romantic or erotic streak runs through the novel, making it different from the first, which was much more energetic and action-filled.

Initially, the mathematics did inform my writing, but not necessarily in very good ways. I used to have this theory, just like in mathematics, that if you have an unknown variable “x”, it can stand for everything. I thought characters could be very abstract and readers could fill in details and make them PA G E 1 4 •

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Hindu mythology is vividly woven throughout both texts.

Were you raised Hindu?

I was, but I didn’t really know anything about mythology or Hindu philosophy. It was a very cultural participation in the religion where you celebrated festivals and participated in rituals but did not know what was behind them. When I was about fifteen, I kind of drifted away, and I would now call myself an agnostic more than anything else. The mythology and philosophy, however, are fascinating to me and can be interpreted in a very secular sense.

The Age of Shiva offers readers very rich portraits of Indian history—a woman struggling to establish herself against the patriarchal landscape of post-independence India; the rise of religious nationalism and conflicts between Hindu and Muslim cultures. You obviously draw upon your Indian heritage and early years in Bombay. Are parts of the novel also autobiographical?

What I like to do is use something related to people that I know as a starting point. What I used in this novel is the fact that my family came from Rawalpindi, which is in Pakistan. My family was a Hindu family so in 1947 when the country was partitioned into India and Pakistan, they had to flee….. I’ve been hearing about this traumatic event in their lives ever since I was a kid, so some of the characters in the novel had to have this history interwoven into their lives. This was also a jumping off point to make something different.

Neither of your novels have openly gay characters. Does your sexuality impact your writing?

Before writing either of these two novels, I was writing several things that involved gay characters. I even started a novel that had a gay character…[but] that never really took off For this novel, The Age of Shiva, the gay identity allows me…to question things that might be conventional wisdom…to probe into relationships that you wouldn’t otherwise examine. I wanted to explore the limits of maternal love—the eroticism between mothers and their sons, which is an important relationship, especially for gay men. My sexuality allowed me to look into this with much more depth than perhaps someone else might.

How have attitudes about sexuality changed in India since you came to the U.S. from Bombay?

There has been a dramatic change, especially in the last two years. The last page of the major newspaper Time Out Bombay is actually a gay section. On their website, there are several gay organizations that freely and

openly talk about their events. It’s still not like here. There are no permanent bars, but hey have lots of dances…film festivals and groups that meet. It is very active and thriving in big cities. I don’t know how it is in smaller places. You have to always remember that it is a very conservative society if one looks at the overall landscape of India. Bombay and Delhi are much more westernized and modern than other areas. This is a big contrast from when I grew up. I didn’t know a single gay person and there was no mention of it newspapers and magazines.

Have you confronted any obstacles while negotiating your heritage and sexuality?

Not really. My mother has a master’s in psychology, so she has been a great resource to have. There were never any hang-ups that I had about being gay. It was a very easy coming-out process. A lot of my adult life I spent in this country so I was in a comparatively nurturing atmosphere. I didn’t have to deal with day-to-day type situations that might cause that type of conflict.

Having been in the U.S. since 1979, do you identify yourself as an Indian novelist?

Technically, I’m an Indian-American novelist. In terms of the actual material, it is all about India. So in that sense, you could say I’m more of an Indian novelist. I haven’t started writing about the U.S. yet, but I might in the future.

How did you end up in the Baltimore-DC area?

Years ago I was in a relationship with someone that I knew in Pittsburgh and he got a job in Baltimore. I had a choice between UMBC, Georgia Tech, and Syracuse. This was the best choice in terms of my partner being here and the best professionally in terms of the research contacts I knew I could make in this area.

You are working on a third novel that will complete the trilogy. What types of issues do you plan to explore in the upcoming book?

Yes. It’s coming along, but it will be awhile before I can really sit down and go deeper into the story…. The third part of the Hindu trinity is Brahma, so he is central to the third book. Vishnu is the preserver or caretaker of the universe. Shiva is the destroyer or the ascetic and Brahma is the creator. The first novel was a snapshot of India in contemporary times, the second tells us how we got there; and the last will look at the possibilities that the immediate future holds for India.

For additional information about Manil Suri and upcoming events, visit www.manilsuri.com.

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NONPROFIT NEWS INCrowd International Decks Out First Annual Casino Royale

by Joel Rosado

his past weekend, Washington, DC-based nonprofit INCrowd International held its first annual fundraising party, Casino Royale. It’s hard to say anything negative about a party where the guests are dressed to the nines, the Bacardi is free flowing and guests have the opportunity to mingle with the one and only Patti Labelle.

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Hosted at the Galleria at Lafayette Square, Casino Royale lived up to its promise to be a multi-cultural black tie fundraising extravaganza to benefit the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Monument Project Foundation. The MLK Jr. National Monument Project Foundation has already raised over $90 million of their $100 million goal, and the monument is scheduled to be completed on the National Mall in Washington, DC in 2009.

As my guest and I entered the first level, three lovely ladies dressed in all black with stunning jewelry (the kind that you have to return to the jewelers in the morning) greeted us.

By the time we checked our coats, made it downstairs to the main level and grabbed a Bombay Sapphire on the rocks for myself and flavored Bacardi and sprite for my guest, a dozen members of the event staff had already greeted us. When you added up all of the greeters, bartenders, casino dealers, showgirls and shot girls, there must have been one staff member for every two guests, but I took advantage of the personal service.

I am usually not a fan of crowds of people in tuxedos and little black cocktail dresses, but I couldn’t help but be amazed by the near flawlessness of everyone’s attire. Though many guests chose to dress in traditional formal attire, the majority chose to spice things up with a little bit of glam and a lot of glitz.

Representing the more relaxed style of the Baltimore community, I decided to break away from the mold with an all black outfit of skinny jeans, a v-neck and blazer with my most sparkly jewelry. I momentarily second guessed my choice when I

walked through a large group of tuxes lingering at the entrance, but relaxed when I saw what was waiting for us on the main floor.

The star of the night was a beautiful black woman in a silver Toni Braxton, circa “Unbreak My Heart” video, dress with an extremely revealing side slit and a mini train following behind her. She could teach a beauty queen a thing or two about gliding in an evening gown.

With a full range of dress colors and styles that complimented their fresh from the salon up-dos, the other ladies did not disappoint either. The gentlemen who chose to break away from the traditional tuxedo wore everything from white tuxedo jackets and blazers to vests with fedoras and sunglasses.

After taking in the beautiful scenery and sipping on a drink ordered from a bar constructed completely out of ice, I headed for the hors d’oeuvres. Working my way backwards from the mini éclairs and chocolate covered strawberries to the moderately spicy shrimp skewers and elaborate cheese platters, I encountered Vegas-style showgirls interspersed with the buffet tables. I made a mental note to investigate the possibility of featuring elaborately dressed human centerpieces at a future event.

We took full advantage of the unlimited access our exclusive passes afforded us and made a trip into the VIP area with comfortable couches and the largest bar. We also ventured backstage where we found Lil’ Mo preparing to perform, sound technicians working out last minute kinks and go-go boys dancing behind screens alongside the stage.

The go-go boys had the most thankless of all the staff jobs that night, dancing in the dark with no contact from their adoring crowd. I do love watching individuals volunteering their skills for a worthy cause.

The most important moment of the night, Ms. Patti Labelle’s appearance, came and went a little too fast.

I was initially disappointed when I

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didn’t feel a rush of emotion when I first saw her walk past me. It wasn’t until later in the night that I found myself saying repeatedly: “I just met Patti Labelle.... I…I...just met Patti Labelle.” Even with her hovering entourage, including the mandatory burly bodyguards, she was as warm and friendly as I imagined she would be.

During the short program portion of the night, InCrowd presented several awards. This year ’s Humanitarian award went to Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, but her busy schedule prevented her from attending.

Grammy award winning Patti Labelle received the Lifetime Achievement award. During her heartfelt acceptance, she said that she has always felt accepted and at home with the DC community. She closed with, “this is better than winning a Grammy!” InCrowd also bestowed Trailblazer awards upon

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three pioneers from the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community: the Human Rights Campaign, the UMMAH Endowment Fund and Dwight Powell (editor-in-chief of CLIK magazine).

Overall, it was a great event. The down side was the attendance. Let’s review: beautiful people, runwayworthy outfits, free Bacardi drinks, delicious food, Patti Labelle and a worthy cause. So, where was everyone? If you’re like me, you probably receive weekly invites to fundraisers from more causes that one person can care about. But, next year when you hear someone mention INCrowd’s Casino Royale, buy yourself a ticket. I recommend the VIP pass.

To find out more about INCrowd International, visit www.incrowdinternational.com.

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SIMON: I guess. We runners wear short shorts, y’know.

OPINIONS CHARLIE: Honey, it just isn't the same.

General Gayety Athlete Auction Action

SIMON: Why not? I look good in mine.

CHARLIE: I’m sorry, Simon. I didn't mean to insult you. You have a beautiful ass. Let's concentrate on getting you off it.

by Leslie Robinson

read on Advocate.com that the Los Angeles Rebellion, described as “a straight-inclusive gay rugby team,” was recently due to hold its Third Annual Bachelor Auction Fundraiser. Naturally, this led me to imagine two prospective bidders in the audience that night at the gay bar.

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SIMON: One date.

CHARLIE: Who knows? The date could actually be on Valentine's Day. A little romance, a little wine, you two might hit it off. You could be washing his uniform for the rest of your days.

SIMON: Hmm. CHARLIE: I just want to roll around on the field.

CHARLIE: Another?

SIMON: What if all you get out of this is dinner?

SIMON: I'm nervous.

CHARLIE: One more of those martinis and you'll be bidding on the busboy.

CHARLIE: The food better be damn good. God, it’s crowded in here. I wonder how many of these guys are actually going to bid?

SIMON: What am I doing here? I don't do this kind of stuff. I’m . . . shy.

SIMON: I just had a horrible thought.

CHARLIE: Not tonight. Tonight you’re a tiger.

CHARLIE: There's a surprise.

SIMON: Meow.

SIMON: Didn't you say there are straight guys on this team? What if I get one of them? What if it’s a set-up? What if I find myself on some reality show?

CHARLIE: What time is it?

SIMON: 8:45.

CHARLIE: I really doubt the straight guys would be willing to go out with gay men. Talk about taking one for the team.

CHARLIE: 15 minutes to zero hour.

SIMON: We still have time to see Atonement. Again.

CHARLIE: We're staying right here, and we're going to bid. You need a date, and I need to get up close and personal with a jock.

SIMON: God, what if he wants to talk about rugby? I don't know anything about it! How do you play?

CHARLIE: I don't know and I don't care. What I do know is they wear short shorts and throw themselves at each other. How can that be bad?

SIMON: There's something about a scrum . . ..

SIMON: Or maybe women bid on the straight guys. I see one or two females.

CHARLIE: All will become clear in a few minutes.

SIMON: Will you be crushed if you don’t win a date?

CHARLIE: No. I’ll just go to the next auction on the calendar. Bid for gay basketball players, or swimmers, or soccer players.

SIMON: There are more dating auctions?

CHARLIE: Yeah, a scrumptious butt in those shorts.

CHARLIE: There should be. In fact, why do they all have to be jocks? You could hold an auction at your work.

SIMON: Do they wear their uniforms on the date?

SIMON: Yeah, right. Gay accountants.

CHARLIE: If you pay enough.

CHARLIE: With your lovely rear end, you'd fetch a pretty penny.

SIMON: Rugby shirts! I had one in high school.

CHARLIE: I'm pretty sure you can't build a conversation around that. Look, just ask him how to play. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to explain it all to you.

Leslie Robinson owned a rugby shirt in junior high. E-mail her at LesRobinsn@aol.com, and read more columns at www.GeneralGayety.com.

Possibilities for Positive Perceptions of Baltimore hat do visitors think about the City of Baltimore? Is it the Baltimore that The Wire portrays—drug dealing and political corruption run amuck?

Is it a Utopia-like, dynamic, robust, metropolitan Baltimore filled with economic prosperity, endless opportunity and extravagant diversity? Or, are visitors simply disinterested due to lack of knowledge of Baltimore? I believe the best way to answer this question is for any Baltimorean to look around and try to form an objective opinion based on his or her everyday encounters and envision possibilities for change. With that in mind, the Baltimore city government

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can take three simple steps to help redefine and reshape its image among visitors: (1) Remove the trash strewn along the railroad within the city limits; (2) Strongly promote Baltimore’s unique cultural diversification; and (3) Launch an aggressive tourist campaign that highlights Baltimore’s proximity to the District of Columbia.

Most weekdays, I take the MARC train to and from DC. Oftentimes when I am on the train, I momentarily stray from my reading materials and look outside the window. Within what I believe is Baltimore city limits, I see litter and graffiti (especially

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around the west Baltimore MARC train stop) that appears to have been there for years— untouched by human hands since its arrival.

Although Baltimore boasts several well-kept areas and breathtaking architectural structures, the unspoken and unforgotten fact remains: Trains do not pass these locations. A visitor traveling on MARC or Amtrak trains forms an opinion of Baltimore based on landscapes of trash and graffiti distributed along the railroad.

This opinion, which will most likely be unfavorable, plants a seed of misimpression and misunderstanding in the visitor’s perception that will grow into a weed as the train travels

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by David Placher

through Baltimore. Baltimore can create an organic herbicide to alleviate this perception by simply sending cleanup crews to dispose of the trash and erase the graffiti. Signs disclosing trains’ arrival to and departure from city limits should also be placed along the tracks.

Last year I attended Ukrainian, Greek and Italian festivals, Artscape and gay pride. I was only aware of these events by either word-of mouth or reading about them in a weekly magazine. Baltimore, in conjunction with event promoters, should create brochures that list the dates and loca-

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TRANSMISSIONS

How Young is Too Young? by Gwendolyn Ann Smith hen I first started to deal with my own transgender nature, I grabbed what few books I could on the subject, trying to find out what I could, desperately looking for some sort of guideposts in dealing with an issue I’d been struggling with—that I know of—since I was three years old.

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Of particular note to me in one of these few books was that people did not begin to deal with their own transgender leanings until they were in the mid-30s, at the earliest. At that time, I was in my early 20s. The book in question was about five years old at the time.

Since that time, I’ve seen this age drop further. Mid 20s is still not that uncommon, mind you, but I hear of more and more teen transgender men and women. At least one stateside surgeon reported doing genital reassignment surgery on patients as young as fifteen, but only in the rarest of cases. In one recent article, a fourteen-year-old and her parents have travelled from England to the United States in order to undergo hormone treatment to delay puberty.

This after the teen in question attempted to overdose a couple of times, as well as once threatening to cut off her male genitals.

Incidentally, I’ve noticed over the last few years more and more Transgender Day of Remembrance events in high schools as well. None at my old alma mater, but just knowing that there are people who can feel so empowered to do so in high school warms my heart. I remember my own high school years, and I know that as much as I wish I could

have transitioned then, there was simply no way I could have done so as a teen.

Yet, it isn’t just teenagers who are transitioning.

In Castle Rock, Colorado, an eightyear-old is returning to their school as a girl. She has not yet undergone any of the measures above, but is living in her preferred gender. The school is doing what they can to accommodate this student, including a pair of gender-neutral bathrooms and providing information packets for students and parents on transgender issues. For better or worse, too, the teachers will be avoiding pronouns with this student, instead addressing her only by name.

How wonderful is this?

As I said above, I was first aware that something was different about gender identity when I was threeyears-old, and was told I could not have the same sort of shoes as the other girls. I was regularly crossdressing, in private, by the time I was seven. Much like the first example above, I tried to castrate myself when I was twelve. How might my own life be different if I had had the opportunity to transition as an eightyear-old, or start testosterone blockers at fourteen?

I’ve mentioned it before that one of the only regrets I have—if you can call it such—is that I did not have a proper childhood. As much as I would like to say otherwise, my childhood was that of a boy, one put into situations uncomfortable, even at times alien in feel. I simply could not truly identify with that they told me I was.

ATTENTION

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

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

As a result, there are gaps in my knowledge. Things that, while simple, were never passed along to me.

There are things I’ve had to glean at a much older age about my gender that others picked up in grade school, and some things will always be lost to me. The nature I have— but I contend that lack some of the nurture that helps a non-transgender girl become a woman.

Likewise, testosterone blockers would have changed my own physical life experience. My body would have developed differently, and I might have had less work to do with voice, less issues with body size and body hair. For female to males, it could mean a transition without binding or chest reconstruction, and no periods to fight through.

This said, I wonder how young is too young. I don’t ask this out of any misguided fears, much like what one would see from the more conservative elements of our culture.

Nevertheless, we’re discussing times well below the age of consent. Most transgender support groups will barely accept a member in their teens, let alone one whose age is in the single digits. The medical profession contends that hormone blockers will lead to a raft of other medical issues, such as osteoporosis, while

others argue over just how certain these young transgender girls and boys about their gender identity.

I can’t answer the issues about bone density or other physical issues like it—but I do know that I was sure from an early age, and that belief did not end. This wasn’t a “phase” any more than I suspect it is for the above cases. I suspect that for both of them, there are hundreds more.

The rational approach seems the simplest. Take these children on a case-by-case basis, and listen to their needs and feelings. Answer the questions on bone density, but weigh them carefully against the needs of a transgender youth to lead an otherwise productive life.

Meanwhile, educate in the hopes that more parents will be ready for the ay their child comes to them needing help with issues of gender.

In the above examples, these kids only got to where they are with the support of their families.

How young is too young? When your child comes to you asking for help, that should never be a question.

Gwen Smith still doesn’t have a decent pair of Mary Janes. You can find her on the web at www.gwensmith.com.

BEGINNERS YOGA CLASS Hard work has its rewards…and its complications.

Balancing work with family and other obligations often leaves us feeling depleted and stressed out.

How can we prompt our bodies to respond more favorably to these challenges?

Yoga – a great alternative to marathon TV-watching, happy hour, and insomnia.

Explore a Gentle Beginner’s Yoga class at GLCCB. Join Certified Yoga Instructors Tim Hurley and Kelly D.McClain at the Center for Gentle Beginner's Yoga, and enjoy the priceless benefit of true health through stress reduction, greater flexibility, and improved core physical strength.

Classes are held every Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and every Wednesday 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 fee is donated back to the Center.

FOR WEDNESDAY CLASSES only an 8 class Yoga Access Pass is available for $50.00. Contact the GLCCB at 410-837-5445 ext. 10 for details or to purchase a Yoga Access Pass.

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OPINIONS Gladys Bentley: Bad as She Wants to Be lack History Month. Black History Month is that time of year when the achievements and courage of people of African descent are acknowledged and celebrated.

However, for decades now, Black History Month has not once acknowledged or celebrated the contributions of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

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Our omission from the annals of black history would lead you to believe that the only shakers and movers in the history of people of African descent in the U.S. were and still are heterosexuals. And because of this heterosexist bias, the sheroes and heroes of LGBT people of African decent—like Pat Parker, Audre Lorde, Essex Hemphill, Joseph Beam, and Bayard Rustin—are known and lauded within a subculture of black life.

Along with the pantheon of noted black leaders who are always lauded this month, I want to personally celebrate the courage and strength of sistah-warrior Gladys Bentley.

The invisibility of bisexuals, transgenders, queers and women of color is not because there is a paucity of us that exist or made history, but instead our invisibility is evidence of how race, gender and sexual politics of the dominant culture are reinforced in ours.

As we move into Black History Month to be followed

by Women's History Month, I am reminded of Gladys Bentley, a 250-pound African-American lesbian known as “America's Greatest Sepia Piano Player” and the “Brown Bomber of Sophisticated Songs.”

Bentley's fall from the entertainment spotlight, however, is a cautionary tale about what can happen to us during a repressive political era when both church and state are our enemies.

Known to perform in her infamous white tuxedo and top hat, Bentley's gender-bending would label her by today's term as a "stone butch." But in black queer parlance of that era, she was a “bulldagger.”

And the police consistently harassed her for wearing men’s clothing.

By the ‘50s, the country was on a campaign to restore traditional gender roles that were disrupted by W.W. II, and McCarthyism was its policing mechanism. Special attention, however, was given to LGBTQ people.

With the absence of 16 million men, predominately white, in the workforce, women, and ethnic and queer minorities filled those vacancies.

Women of the time not only transgressed traditional career opportunities, but also traditional dress codes. Women wearing pants to work and on the street, and their availability to purchase pants in department stories, gave women in the ‘40s and ‘50s the freedom to dress down and still be viewed as acceptable.

For gender-bending lesbians like Bentley, the wearing of pants - usually confined to the privacy of their home, lesbian bars and on the performance stage - was a welcomed freedom. However, without the consent of the time, except in the private and acceptable spaces where pants were permissible, Bentley wore pants since the ‘20s.

As troubling as that was, especially given her public lesbianism, Bentley accosted the sanctity of marriage with her active participation in this country’s racial and gender obsession—interracial marriage.

Had her “woman-friend” been AfricanAmerican, their coupling would have clearly been

Bentley is, therefore, best understood in a context of not only how gender roles and sexual relations in the 1950s influenced, shaped and policed LBTQ women in the Black Church, and by extension the entire black community, but also how the homophobia of the Black Church exploited the repressive era of McCarthyism to force Bentley to conform and deny her lesbianism.

A talented pianist and blues singer, and one of the most notorious and successful AfricanAmerican lesbians in the U.S. during the Harlem Renaissance, Bentley (1907-1960) cultivated a large LGBTQ following up until the 1950s. As an African-American woman whose success derived from her raunchy and salacious lyrics to popular tunes, Bentley not only openly sang about sex, but she also openly lived and celebrated her sexual orientation as an out lesbian.

“It seems I was born different. At least, I always thought so,” Bentley told Ebony Magazine back in the ‘50s. “From the time I can remember anything, even as I was toddling, I never wanted a man to touch me. Soon I began to feel more comfortable in boys’ clothes than in dresses.”

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by Rev. Irene Monroe

subjected to condemnation and jeering, but their same-gender loving relationship would not have conjured up the wrath, fear and disgust that interracial marriage did. With anti-miscegenation laws operating in all states until 1967, and with LGBTQ people today being denied both the right of both state and church weddings, Bentley single-handedly performed a coup d’etat against the institution of marriage and the prohibition against miscegenation. She married her white girlfriend in a civil wedding ceremony.

To punish her, the forces of McCarthyism made Bentley conform, the Black Church stopped railing against her, and the black press lauded her conformity. For supposedly taking female hormones to cure her of her lesbianism, Bentley wrote an article for Ebony Magazine proclaiming, “I am woman again!”

Now as a churchwoman and ordained minister, the ceremonial act of compulsory heterosexuality had to be consummated. She married a man, albeit 16 years her junior.

With the church’s belief in a heterosexual paradigm as the model to showcase black humanity in order to win God-given civil rights, the dynamic between the black press and the Black Church set up a new sexual McCarthyism.

The cautionary tale here is that it is not so different today.

Courtesy of Rev. Irene Monroe and the Bilerico Project: A Daily Experiment in LGBTQ. For additional Black History month postings, visit www.bilerico.com.

Rev. Irene Monroe

MEET THE WRITERS A native of Brooklyn, Rev. Irene Monroe is a graduate of Wellesley College and Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University. She served as a pastor at an African-American church before a Ford Fellowship took her to Harvard Divinity School for a doctorate. Monroe has been profiled in Oprah Winfrey's magazine, O, as well as on CNN's Paula Zahn Now and CNN Headline News.

She has written columns for publications such as In Newsweekly, The Witness, Advocate magazine, the Windy City Times, Washington Blade, the Boston Globe, and many more. Monroe’s award-winning essay, “Louis Farrakhan's Ministry of Misogyny and Homophobia,” was greeted with critical acclaim. Her “Let Your Light Shine Like a Rainbow: 365 Days a Year-Meditations on Bible Prayers” will be out in June 2008.

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A Love That Knows No Bounds Mildred Loving vs. the Commonwealth of Virginia, June 12, 1967

by Rev. Irene Monroe n this Valentine’s Day I am reminded of no greater challenge to marriage equality than same-sex marriage.

However, the precedent for samesex marriage was set by an African American woman named Mildred Loving (1942- ) who I am honoring as one of my sheroes for Black History Month.

O

Mildred Loving gained notoriety when the U.S. Supreme Court decided in her favor that anti-miscegenation laws are unconstitutional.

Loving’s crime was then this country’s racial and gender obsession—interracial marriage.

Married to a white man, Mildred Loving and her husband were indicted by a Virginia grand jury in October 1958 for violating the state’s “Racial Integrity Act of 1924.”

The trial judge stated the following to the guilty couple: “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and He placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with His arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that He separated the races shows that He did not intend for the races to mix.”

The trial judge suspended their sentences on the condition the Lovings leave Virginia and not return to the state together for twenty-five years.

The Lovings initially agreed and left, but soon after returned, and decided to fight their case.

On June 12, 1967, Chief Justice

Earl Warren delivered the opinion of the Court: “Marriage is one of the ‘basic civil rights of man,’ fundamental to our very existence and survival. To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discriminations.

Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.

These convictions must be reversed.”

Since the beheading of St. Valentine in Rome in the year 270 A.D., marriage has been controlled by church heads and heads of states and not by the hearts of lovers.

When Emperor Claudius II issued an edict abolishing marriage because married men hated to leave their families for battle, Valentine, known then as the “friend to lovers” secretly joined them in holy matrimony. While awaiting his execution, Valentine fell in love with the jailer’s daughter, and in his farewell message to his lover, he penned “From your Valentine!”

May the “Loving spirit” of Mildred and the justice acts of St. Valentine be with us on this day.

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OPINIONS PLACHER - continued from page 18

tions of these festivals and place these brochures next to other tourist attraction brochures at the BWI and Reagan International airports, and the Pennsylvania and Washington Union railroad stations. This would provide event information to both the Baltimorean traveler and the visitor.

Additionally, it would place

Baltimore’s gay pride weekend on equal footing with other festivals, by providing inclusive, citywide promotional material.

This past weekend, I rented The Invasion, staring Nicole Kidman. A few months ago, I watched Live Free or Die Hard, staring Bruce Willis. Upon juxtaposing these two current releases, I discovered one common thread: Both movies’ main scenes start in DC and

IMHO Gaydar…Ding, Ding, Ding!

by Mario Fernández ay men have a finally attuned sense of gaydar that absolutely befuddles their hags. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve been having a cosmo (or five) with one of my hags and we end up arguing which of the cute guys at the bar are straight and which are gay.

G

More than once, I’ve had to prove my point by coming back to the table either a little disheveled from a brief, but insanely hot tête-àtête in the bathroom with said object of speculation, or with phone digits firmly secured in my hot little hand.

So my hags have finally agreed that my sense of gaydar is beyond reproach. I am, after all, the one who picked out all of the gay boys in “Boy Meets Boy” a few seasons back. But, they still want to know how gaydar works. So here goes… (By the way, I checked with Goddess Barbara and she said that my gay card would not be revoked if I disclosed some of our closely guarded gaydar secrets.)

Gaydar works very much like radar. Think of gay men like submarines always pinging their immediate surroundings with their sonar/gaydar.

Gay men are always on the hunt, like straight women at a shoe sale or lesbians at a tool sale at Home Depot. We scan every man we see and he immediately registers on our gaydar screen. If he’s gay, gay only for a while in college, gay curious, or can be talked into being gay after a few beers, the gaydar goes, “Ding, ding, ding!” It’s an automatic reading like a Geiger counter detecting high levels of radioactivity. Except, in this case, it would be a Gayness counter. Of course, your Gayness counter should be calibrated just like any other fine piece of machinery. The extremes should be easy to set-up: John Wayne-straight on one end to gayer than Elton John’s wardrobe on the other.

Upon closer examination, the obvious physical gay signs will manifest.

Waxed eyebrows? Gay! Designer eyeglasses? Gay! Tinted contact lenses?

Gay! Soul patch? Gay! Pinched look and tightness around the eyes? Gay with money and a good doctor! Fabulous complexion and a healthy sunkissed look? Gay who borrows his hag’s bronzer and blush. On the psychoPA G E 2 2 •

eventually end in Baltimore. It appears that Hollywood continues to link DC and Baltimore. Whether the reason resides in the cost of production or less-restricted permit requirements, Baltimore appears to be a favored location. Baltimore should take advantage of such a connection and promote itself as one with DC. Launching an aggressive tourist office and advertising campaign could help to accomplish this aim. I believe most taxpayers would approve allocating additional funds for promotion because the ultimate rewards would include more tourist dollars, which create a greater source for tax revenue.

Whether it is property values, crime or community acceptance, every Baltimorean has a vested interest in generating ideas to help enhance the image of Baltimore. This responsibility should not be placed exclusively on the shoulders of a few, but rather expanded to include as many Baltimoreans as possible from communities across the city. A collective of ideas and thoughts from a large diverse group is more powerful than a handful of individual agendas.

Without thought-provoking strategies and creative ideas, we forfeit ourselves and our community to laziness by accepting the realities and problems that surround Baltimore.

logical side, cranky, bitchy and judgmental? Definitely gay who’s now on the same menstrual cycle as his hag.

Check the clothes. Men’s Capri pants and sleeveless t-shirts? Twink!

Sleeveless flannel shirt and jean cut-offs? This one’s tricky—it could go one of three ways. If the shoes are flip flops, Twink! If the shoes are boots, Leather Daddy or Lesbian!

Check the jewelry and accessories. Silver band on thumb? Gay! Ear cuff?

Gay! Fierce man purse? Gay! Tribal tattoos on the arms or the small of the back? Gay! Genital piercings? Gay! Manscaping? Another tricky one—used to be gay, but now very much appropriated by straight men. Cashmere scarf even during the summer? Gay! Accessories, in general, are just plain gay. Why are they gay? you ask. Because gays have known from the beginning of time that our ability to accessorize is the only thing that separates us from the lower life forms.

Other dead giveaways: wearing designer sunglasses at nine in the morning (obviously just coming in from last night’s rave; trying to hide the fact that they haven’t slept in 48 hours); wearing sarongs at the beach; naturally long eyelashes,; plastic flamingoes in the front yard; and having a toy dog a la Paris Hilton. But, the one dead giveaway of all giveaways—the mother of all giveaways, if you will—is the gay lisp.

If you’re gay, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There is a certain cadence to “gayspeak” that is like catnip to other gays. It must be the rhythm, the volume, the exaggerated vowels that immediately announce the fact that you are part of the tribe, that you walk on the right and fashionable side of the street. It never fails; it’s like a dog whistle. Only other gay men can detect the gay lisp. It’s our unspoken language, like twins, triplets, and other multiples who speak their own unintelligible language that only they understand. It’s like smelling weed at a concert, a silent fart in yoga class, or what I perceive performing cunnilingus to be like. You don’t have to see it to know what it is; the smell alone tells you everything you need to know. The gay lisp is exactly the same way. The second you hear it, you know the speaker is family.

“Haven’t you ever been fooled by a straight man that you thought was gay?” you ask. “What about bisexuals?” you say. How can you tell? Don’t they give a false reading on the Gayness counter? No, they really don’t.

Bisexuals, like their straight cousins, don’t dress or accessorize as well.

Their use of jewelry is minimal and unibrows are common. They wear Dockers and spray way too much Aramis cologne. They listen endlessly to classic rock radio stations, use the word “dude”, have Donald Trump combovers, or are already Hair Club for Men customers.

Of course, there is a dead giveaway for straight men and bisexuals as well.

And it’s the reason why I gave up dating straight men and bisexuals long ago: You just can’t get the smell off of it!

Mario Fernández is an ad exec by day and well, it’s been a bit of a dry spell, so let’s not talk about what Mario does by night. He’s an accomplished painter, photographer, writer, traveler, and raconteur. He has had two exhibits of his paintings and photographs at the GLCCB and has also had travel photographs published in The Baltimore Sun. He lives in Timonium with his hopelessly spoiled but absolutely adorable canine companion, Hubbell. In his spare time, Mario makes killer cosmos, religiously practices yoga in hopes of staying limber and flexible for his next (and hopefully, last) husband, obsessively frets over how gravity is no longer his friend, watches way too many Project Runway marathons and compulsively moisturizes.

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PROUDLY PRESENTS

The 12th Annual L.E.G.A.L. International Conference of GLBT Criminal Justice Professionals And National Police Week May 10th to May 15th 2008

George Washington University Conference Center 800 21st Street, NW Washington, DC 20052 Host Hotel State Plaza Hotel 2117 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 1-202-833-6967

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT www.midatlanticgoal.org

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THE CENTER PAGE The official page of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland.

WELCOME TO THE CENTER! Here is our schedule of free or low-cost support groups, meetings, and services. Unless otherwise noted, all events are held at the Center at 241 W. Chase Street, Baltimore. Please call the Center at (410) 837-5445 for more information unless another contact is provided below.

TRANSGENDER PROGRAMS

ACHIEVE, CULTIVATE, & EDUCATE (ACE) SERIES ACE classes provide learning opportunities for the LGBT community in a safe and affirming environment to enhance and enrich community members’ lives. Visit www.glccb.org for more information.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Every Monday at 8:30 p.m., and every Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in room 201. Visit www.aa.org for information, resources, help, and other meeting times and locations.

GENDER IDENTITY GROUP (GIG) A support group for anyone who transgender, gender queer, or anyone who varies from traditional gender expression. Meets every 2nd Saturday at 8:00 p.m in room 201. For more information e-mail GIG@glccb.org or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/giginmd/ or www.myspace.com/gender_identity_group

GIG: Baltimore Trans-Masculine Alliance (BTMA) is GIG’s FTM support group that meets on the 4th

BEGINNERS’ YOGA Sunday afternoons at 3:30 p.m in room 201. Gentle beginners’ yoga with instructor Tim Hurley, RYT for $9.00 per person.

Saturday at 6:00 pm in room 202. For more information e-mail BTMA@glccb.org or visit www.myspace.com/ btma.

Wednesday evenings at 7:15 p.m in room 201. Beginners’ yoga with Kelly O’Neal, CYT for $9.00 per person.

For Wednesday classes only, an eight (8) class Yoga Access Pass can be purchased for $50.00. See www.glccb.org or call 410-837-5445 ext. 10 for details and rules.

GIG: Tran*quility is GIG’s MTF support group that meets on the 4th Saturday at 8:00pm in room 201. For

GAY BINGO Every Wednesday at Club Hippo. Hosted by Roger Dimick. Cash prizes, progressive jackpot, giveaways. Proceeds benefit the GLCCB and AIDS Action Baltimore. Early bird games begin at 8:30 p.m. Call the Hippo at (410) 547-0069 for more information.

HIV and STD TESTING

more information e-mail tranquility@glccb.org or visit www.transworld.org

WOMEN’S PROGRAMS WOMEN OUT AND ABOUT A social group for lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women who want to meet new people while doing fun stuff.

Meets the 1st Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in room 201 to plan future activities. For more information about planned activities contact Kelly at BWOAEvents@yahoo.com.

HIV testing at the center is better than ever! In addition to the traditional antibody testing, we offer a viral test that can detect infections within days or weeks after they occur. This test has been used by blood banks for years, and is now being offered to individuals.

WOMEN OF COLOR

Testing is confidential and can be done for HIV, gonorrhea, chalmydia and syphilis. Test results are generally available in two weeks. Testing and results are available during these times:

THE WOMB

Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays

5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Testing is provided through a collaboration between the GLCCB Health Committee, Johns Hopkins’ Project LifeLYNES, and the Batimore City Health Department.

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS Sunday Men’s Rap - Meets every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. in room 201. Visit www.na.org for information, resources, help, and other meeting times and locations .

A collective group committed to providing a safe, confidential, and supportive space for lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning women of all colors. Meets every Thursday in room 201 at 7:30 p.m.

The Womb is going on hiatus while it goes through restructuring to make it better than ever. Check back here or at www.glccb.org for updates about this great program. Kae Love the Infinite One thanks the community for supporting this program.

MEN’S PROGRAMS MEN LIKE ME An open support group for adult males who love other men. Come discuss issues of coming out, homophobia, relationships, etc. in a safe and supportive space. The objective is to empower participants to take better care of themselves and each other. Facilitated by licensed clinicians. Meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month in Room 202 at 6:00 p.m. For more information e-mail Shane at MenLikeMe@glccb.org.

GAY FATHERS’ COALITION

PEER TO PEER This program provides individuals with confidential peer to peer support and referrals via phone, internet, and inperson. Services are available during these times: Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Saturday

6:00 6:00 6:00 2:00

p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

-

8:00 8:00 8:00 4:00

GFC-Baltimore is a not for profit organization dedicated to helping gay, bisexual, and questioning men who have children. Our group is a self-help organization. Meetings are open to the public. The group meets the 2nd Friday of each month in room 201. For more information send e-mail to info@gfcbaltimore.org.

p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

www.glccb.org

You can contact our peer counselors by calling 410-837-8888 (General Hotline), 410-234-8057 (Youth Hotline) or www.myspace.com/digyts.

PRIDE IN THE ARTS The GLCCB is proud to offer free and low-cost art receptions and movie screenings on the 4th Friday of the month. Art receptions and movie screenings will showcase local GLBT talent as well as our community’s straight allies. Check out the GLCCB’s calendar at www.glccb.org or go to www.myspace.com/glccb for upcoming Pride in the Arts events. Artists interested in submitting work for exhibit or screening should contact 410-837-5445 ext. 10.

YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT S UFFICIENT A S I aaM M (SAIM) A supportive group for youth and young adults 24 years of age and under. Youth are welcome to drop-in and try out this successful and long-running program which features a rap group, special activities, speakers, trips, and pizza! SAIM meets every Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in Room 201.

Enclosed is my gift of:

PUMP AND VOGUE A youth education group geared towards youth in the house and ball scene. Educational sessions on HIV risk reduction provided by Baltimore Black Pride. Meets the third Friday of the Month from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in room 201.

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland. Serving Greater Baltimore since 1977.

President Bryan Flottemesch president@glccb.org Executive Director Craig Wiley exec@glccb.org

Website www.glccb.org info@glccb.org

W

e are a 501(c)(3) grassroots support and social organization serving all GLBT persons in Baltimore and Central Maryland, connecting them to the information, services, and programs they seek. The Center serves approximately 6,000 visitors and 3,000 callers annually. We rely heavily upon support from the community to provide these and other services all year long.

Please consider making a gift today, either by mailing your contribution with this coupon or donating online at www.glccb.org/Main/donate.htm www.glccb.org/Main/donate.htm. Thank you.

Pride w w w . m y s p a c e . c o m / g l c cBaltimore b Website www.baltimorepride.org

Gay Life Website www.baltimoregaylife.com

241 W. Chase Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone: 410-837-5445 Fax: 410-837-4114 Part of the GLCCB’s mission is to provide quality support services, appropriate facilities and professional resources for the development and well-being of individuals and groups. While the GLCCB is committed to positive and enriching experiences for all who use its services, the group descriptions listed, content, and the views expressed are those of the facilitators or organizers and do not necessarily reflect those of the GLCCB. The GLCCB is a 501(c)(3) organization.

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$10

$25 $35 $50

$ ___________

Please charge my: Visa MasterCard Amex Discover Card #: Exp. Signature: Name: Address: City Phone: E-mail:

State:

Zip:

Please make your check payable to GLCCB and return this form to GLCCB, P.O. Box 22575, Baltimore, MD 21203. You may obtain, on request, a copy of the current financial statements of the GLCCB at 241 W. Chase Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, (410) 837-5445. Documents and information filed under the Maryland Charitable Organization Solicitation Act may be obtained from the Maryland Secretary of State for the cost of copying and postage.

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MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Gay Life & Night of the Cookers Present

GoodSearch and GoodShop

Wednesday, February 27 5-8pm

by Joel Rosado hat if the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore (GLCCB) earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to help the GLCCB support Baltimore’s GLBT community? Well, now it’s just that easy!

W

GoodSearch.com is the new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charity of your choice. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo and watch the donations add up! You can even add a GoodSearch toolbar to your browser so that searching the internet and supporting the community will always be right at your fingertips. GoodSearch at work, GoodSearch at home and tell your

coworkers, family and friends to GoodSearch too!

The giving doesn’t stop with just your internet searches.

GoodShop.com, a new online shopping mall that donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to the GLCCB, has teamed up with Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, eBay, Bloomingdale’s, Barnes & Noble and all your other favorite stores.

The best part is that every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting the GLCCB and our community. So next time you go online to book your vacation, buy a new collar for your favorite four-legged friend, preorder that album you’ve been waiting for all year or even bid on those new Jimmy Choo pumps, you can finally say: “It’s for charity!”

Gay Life Happy Hour

DRINK SPECIALS

* Appetizers * Raffles

This is the newest and simplest way to transform your every day searches and purchases into every day donations. Just go to www.GoodSearch.com and enter GLCCB as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to tell your friends!

Joel Rosado is Development Director of the GLCCB..

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

885 N. Howard St. Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 383-2093

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Tuesday February 26

CALENDAR

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

COMMUNITY

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

Friday February 22

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

Saturday February 23

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

Gender Identity Group (GIG) Trans-Masculine Alliance (BTMA) GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.myspace.com/gender_iden tity_group 6 p.m.

GIG Tranquility GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.myspace.com/gender_iden tity_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.

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

Consumer Planned Activity 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.

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

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

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

Reel Awakenings “Boy Culture” & “The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls in Love” Maryland Theatre 21-27 South Potomac St. Hagerstown, MD Tickets: $7 www.reelawakenings.org 3 p.m.

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

Monday February 25

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

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

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

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

Sunday February 24

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

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

Rainbow Youth Alliance Owen Brown Interfaith Center 7246 Cradlerock Way Columbia, MD 410-290-8292 8 – 10 p.m.

Wednesday February 27

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday February 28

Dinner Out Community Triangle of Washington County Leila’s Kitchen 4 E. Franklin St. Hagerstown, MD www.communitytriangle.org for location 6:30-9:30 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.

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

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

Friday February 29

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

Saturday March 1

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

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

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

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

Sunday March 2

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

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

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

Monday March 3

Town Hall Meeting on Health Reform in Maryland Frederick Public Library 110 E. Patrick St. Frederick, MD Maryland Citizen’s Health Initiative 410-235-9000 www.healthcareforall.com.

6-9 p.m.

Tuesday, March 4

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

Baltimore Women Out and About (BWOA) GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 7:30 p.m.

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

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

Consumer Planned Activity 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.

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

Wednesday March 5

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 March 6

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

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

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

Confidential HIV/STI Testing & Counseling GLCCB Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 5-8 p.m.

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

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

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

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

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MOVIES (Photo: Focus Features)

Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges

by Rob Scheer Many consider Martin McDonagh one of the best young playwrights of modern times, showing a fresh voice and a flair for violence, dark comedy and twisted manner of storytelling.

When making the transition to film, I worried that to make McDonagh suitable for a broader audience, his voice would have to be diluted or made more mainstream/palatable to John Q. American. Thankfully, his feature film debut, In Bruges, retains virtually all of the best aspects of McDonagh's writing, and is, in fact, the first great film of 2008.

Insidiously clever without ever shoving your nose in it, and infusing well-worn territory with freshness and exciting flair, this film loses nothing on repeat viewings, even if (like McDonagh's plays) it might not be everyone's cup 'o tea.

After the assassination of a priest (Ciaran Hinds) goes awry, resulting in a little boy getting a bullet through the head, håit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are sent by their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to hide out until he can figure out what to do with them.

The men are ordered to do said hiding out in Bruges [in Belgium]. Over the course of the film’s first 45 minutes, Ray (wracked with guilt) and Ken (who's genuinely enjoying the trip) do little more than wait for Harry's phone åcall. What takes place beyond that point would be criminal to give away, but as anyone familiar with McDonagh's works knows, things are probably not going to turn out okay for anyone.

Redemption rarely comes for his characters, and if it does, it's usually through death.

McDonagh's plays have been cited for their persistent tonal shifts.

While these shifts are present in In

Bruges, he does a wonderful job of deftly balancing humor, violence and emotion, often during the same scene. The dialogue is frequently hilarious, as is McDonagh's predilection towards the amusingly lowbrow. He's just as prone to witty lines (Ray comments: "I grew up in Dublin, I love Dublin. If I grew up on a farm and was retarded, Bruges might impress me. But I didn't, so it doesn't.") as he is to broad comedy (like in the memorable sequence where a fat American tourist repeatedly struggles to catch a dodgy Ray after he calls him and his family elephants).The humor and the violence may be what most people remember about In Bruges, but it's the surprising emotional depth that really enriches it.

There's been much talk/debate about the film's "offensive" content, particularly the supposedly racist/homophobic/sexist/intolerant nature of some of the dialogue.

There are numerous references to race, "poofs" and other denegrations, with the most memorable being Ray's reference to something being as unbalanced as "a big f**king fat, retarded black girl on a see-saw with a midget." Not only does this sort of language give us an idea of the sort of men these guys are, but also offers a fairly decent representation of how certain types of people actually talk.

And it's just f**king funny.

Though McDonagh has directed shorts before (he won an Oscar for Six Shooter), this makes for a startlingly accomplished feature-film debut. What's most impressive about In Bruges is the nearly perfect structure. The film establishes itself very clearly as one thing and then takes us by surprise as it smoothly shifts its shape numerous times. The film successfully avoids the playwright's curse; yes, the dialogue is excellent, but it's never the whole show. Whether cleverly acknowledging the genre expectations ("Don't be stupid, this is the shootout.") or reveling in its surreal nature ("They're filmin' midgets!"), the dialogue is just as important here as the visual cues. And I, for one, didn't expect as much action as there was. A superb blending of genres that's often howlingly funny, enormously sad and startlingly violent within the same sequence, In Bruges is the best feature-film debut in quite some time.

Free smoking cessation classes are now being offered at Chase Brexton Health Services. Quit smoking in a confidential and supportive group setting with trained smoking cessation counselors.

The next session begins Monday March 3rd 2008 For more information or to register, call 410-837-2050, ext. 1700 Chase Brexton Health Services, Inc. Building B, 1st floor (right of elevator) 10 W. Eager Street Baltimore, MD 21201 FREE (Nicotine patches provided at 4th session) Centered in the gay and lesbian community, Chase Brexton Health Services provides a broad array of health services in a supportive, understanding, and non-discriminatory environment.

For more of Rob Scheer’s writings, log onto his film blog, I Don’t Like Renee Zellweger, at robscheer.blogspot.com.

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THEATER

On the Stage All that I Will Ever Be Through March 9 Studio Theatre, D.C. 202-332-3300 www.studiotheatre.org Argonautika Through March 2 The Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C. 877-487-8849 www.shakespearetheatre.org Comedy of Errors Through February 24 Baltimore Shakespeare Festival 410-366-8596 www.baltimoreshakespeare.org A Doll’s House Through March 2 Howard County Center for the Arts Chesapeake Shakespeare Company 410-313-8874 www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com Doubt: A Parable Through March 9 Olney Theatre Center, Olney 301-924-3400 www.olneytheatre.org Fool for Love Through March 9 Spooky Action Theatre, Silver Spring 202-248-0647 www.spookyaction.org

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Michael Jean Dozier and Howard W. Overshown star in Centerstage’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, directed by Irene Lewis.

(Photo: Richard Anderson)

The Glass Menagerie Through March 29 The Bay Theatre Company, Annapolis 410-268-1333 www.baytheatre.org Green Book March 1 – March 22 Arena Players, Baltimore 410-728-6500 www.arenastage.org A Hatful of Rain February 29 – March 30 Vagabond Players, Baltimore 410-563-9135 Hedda Gabler Through March 9 Washington Shakespeare Company, D.C. 703-418-4808 www.washingtonshakespeare.org High School Musical Through March 2 Hippodrome Theatre 410-547-SEAT www.broadwayacrossamerica.com Killer Joe Through March 8 Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Frederick www.marylandensemble.org Kiss of the Spiderwoman March 11 – April 20 Signature Theatre, Arlington 703-820-9771 www.signature-theatre.org

La Cage aux Folles Through March 9 Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore 410-995-1969 www.tobysdinnertheatre.com Major Barbara February 19 - March 23 The Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C. 877-487-8849 www.shakespearetheatre.org Mrs. Warren’s Profession Through February 24 Rep Stage, Columbia 410-772-4900 www.repstage.org Three Days of Rain March 14 – April 13 Fells Point Corner Theatre 410-276-7837 www.fpct.org/press Paradise Park Through April 6 Signature Theatre, D.C. 800-955-5566 www.signature-theatre.org Rent March 7 – March 9 Hippodrome Theatre 410-547-SEAT www.broadwayacrossamerica.com Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Through March 9 Centerstage, Baltimore 410-322-0033 www.centerstage.org Six Dead Queens and an Inflatable Henry Through March 8 The Mobtown Players, Baltimore 410-467-3057 www.mobtownplayers.com Stunning March 10 – April 6 Wooly Mammoth Theatre Company 202-393-3939 www.woolymammoth.net Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Through June 8 Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia 410-995-1969 www.tobysdinnertheatre.com Spinning into Butter Through March 2 Theatre Hopkins, Baltimore 410-516-7159 www.jhu.edu/~theatre Swimming in the Shallows Through March 8 Catalyst Theater Company, D.C. 1-800-494-TIXS www.catalysttheater.org Turn of the Screw Through February 24 Everyman Theatre 410-752-2208 www.everymantheatre.org

See more theater listings online at

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PENCIL ME IN Friday, February 22

U-People The Movie Screening K. Love the Infinite, founder of We Are Hip Hop Too (WAHHT!), and the GLCCB’s Pride in the Arts program present an exclusive screening of UPeople The Movie at the GLCCB (241 W. Chase St., Baltimore, MD). Hosted by out recording artist and co-producer Hanifah Walidah, the event will feature free vegan soul food, a meet and greet with Walidah and live performances after the screening. Tickets: $12. For additional information, contact K. Love at 443-804-1614 or the GLCCB at 410-837-5445.

Friday, February 22 – Sunday, February 24

Viva Brasil! Violence Next Door The weekend kicks off on Friday at 8 p.m. with a screening of Mari Gardner’s new documentary, Growing Up in the Favela and the Hood. Youth from Baltimore and Rio de Janeiro use video cameras to expose violence and corruption in their communities and work to break free of negative stereotypes. Nu World Art Ensemble will perform and a panel discussion with Baltimore Youth, Mari Gardner and Ray Cook, director of On Our Shoulders, will follow. On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., the Patterson (3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD) becomes a Carnival street party featuring samba lessons, a carnival show, DJ Paulinho with some Latin grooves and a cash bar. An open capoeira roda wraps up the weekend on Sunday from 2-6 p.m.

For ticket prices and additional information, call 410-276-1651 or visit www.creativealliance.org.

Saturday, February 23

The Michael Thomas Quintet As part of the Music for Peace and Justice Series, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis (333 DuBois Rd., Annapolis, MD) presents the swinging jazz and soulful blues of one of D.C’s hottest jazz groups. The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. and proceeds will benefit non-profit organizations in Anne Arundel County. For tickets ($25 or $15/students) and additional information about the complete 2008 season, call 410-2668044 or visit www.uucamd.org.

Saturday, February 23

Spirited Book Reading & Signing

Join RedBone Press at 5 p.m. to celebrate the release of Spirited: Affirming the Soul and Black Gay/Lesbian Identity. Editor Lisa C. Moore and Baltimore area contributors, including Rev. Beverly Saunders Biddle, Dr. Amina Binta and Tracee Ford, will host the reading and signing.

You’ll also get to check out what’s happening at Baltimore’s new Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center & Bookstore (2505 E. Oliver St., Baltimore, MD).

Tuesday, February 26 Stigma

kicks off its lecture series with a presentation on stereotypes and discrimination against people using mental health services. Come join Dr. Alicia Lucksted at 6:30 p.m. for a discussion about how to reduce the harmful effects of stigma in our lives and communities.

Wednesday, February 27 Gay Life Happy Hour

Gay Life and Mt. Vernon’s newest restaurant and lounge, Night of the Cookers, pump up the volume for February’s happy hour. Join us for cocktails, raffles and Chef Joshua Hill’s mouthwatering appetizers. The happy hour goes from 5-8 p.m., but it’s gay night until 2 a.m. in the upstairs Sweetwater Lounge. And, you’ll probably be back for dinner on Thursday!

Friday, February 29 – Sunday, March 2 Saturday, March 1 See sidebar.

Get ready antique hunters! The Hunt Valley Antiques Show, produced by Armacost Antiques Shows, returns to the Holiday Inn Select (2004 Greenspring Drive) in Timonium, MD. Fourty-four dealers from the U.S. and abroad will showcase fine furnishings, glass, ceramics, jewelry, paintings and more. Proceeds will benefit Family & Children’s Services of Central Maryland. The show runs Friday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. For tickets ($12 in advance; $15 at the door) and additional information about the weekend’s lineup of events, visit www.ArmacostAntiquesShows.com.

RIGHT: Simply superior. A Chippendale mahogany secretary, Massachusetts, 1770-80. Photo courtesy Ed Weissman, Antiquarian.

Sunday, February 24, 6 p.m.-Midnight

If you’re looking for an alternative to the bar scene, don’t miss Read Street Books’ (229 W. Read St., Baltimore, MD) grand reopening as a performance space. With a stage, new videocam screens, and three levels of seating, Read Street Books is ready to offer women live music every Saturday. Sponsored by Women’s KISS (Kickass Independent Songwriter Showcase), the evening will feature a live performance by KISS founder Susan Souza. BYOB. For additional information and a listing of upcoming shows, visit www.myspace.com/readstreetbooks.

Wednesday, March 5

Looking forward to retirement? Worried about your finances? Ameriprise Financial hosts a free discussion at 6:30 p.m. at the GLCCB (241 W. Chase St., Baltimore, MD). Refreshments will be provided. To register, call the GLCCB at 410837-5445 by March 4.

Thursday, March 6 WAHHT!

We Are Hip Hop Too! hits the university circuit with a collective performance at Towson University. K. Love the Infinite, Spoken Wordz, Dionne and Sankofa Griottes will bring hip hop, spoken word and new-soul to the University Union from 7:30-9 p.m. Free Admission. For additional information, call 410-704-2787.

Saturday, March 8

Spiral Dance Womyn’s Music Festival

This all-day event at St. John’s United Methodist Church (2640 St. Paul St., Baltimore, MD) hosted

by K. Love will showcase the talent of local female musicians, including Odd Girl Out, Dirty Mothers, Margaret Locklear, and the DC-based Bread & Roses Feminist Singers. The day’s festivities also include food and a silent auction. Proceeds will benefit Baltimore’s new Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center and Bookstore, which aims to enrich and empower the lives of local women. For tickets ($8-12, sliding scale) and additional information, visit www.thespiraldanceboostore.com.

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Friday, February 29 – Sunday, March 2

AIRS Presents Baltimore Oscar Night

Hunt Valley Antiques Show

Hearts & Ears (10 W. Biddle St., Baltimore, MD)

Hunt Valley Antiques Show

Since you’ll probably tune into the Oscar’s on Sunday night, come out and join AIRS (AIDS Interfaith Residential Services) at the B&O Railroad Museum (901 W. Pratt St., Baltimore, MD) for Baltimore’s own Oscar night. Enjoy dinner and cocktails, dance, bid on silent auction items (including a trip to Paris!) and experience the surprises and thrills of the 80th Academy Awards with friends while partying with a purpose.

AIRS is one of fifty nonprofits across the country that is licensed by the Television of Arts and Sciences to host an official Oscar event. The organization’s major fundraising event, it is also an opportunity for the community to find out about AIRS’ mission and primary activities. The event will also feature residents who have benefited from programs and services. All proceeds from this black tie dinner and dance party will benefit AIRS. AIRS has been providing affordable housing and services to people with disabilities (primarily HIV and AIDS) in Baltimore for twenty years. The organization currently operates 171 units of affordable housing and offers residents case management services and educational mentoring. Although this remains the core mission, its activities have evolved as the disease has changed over the years. As AIRS Executive Director Leslie Lertch explained, “We are now doing supportive housing and services for homeless and unstably housed youth and young adults. Our philosophy is that if we can engage youth in productive activities, first by having a stable place to go every night, that we can avoid the need for additional AIDS housing programs and gang violence and other forms of criminal activity.”

In 2003, AIRS began providing permanent housing to youth whose behaviors, such as street prostituting and house hopping, put them at risk for HIV and AIDS. “When we housed our first 17 kids,” said Lertch, “13 knew they were HIV positive. When we sent the other 4 in for health screenings, all found out they were positive. That’s when we realized we were dealing with a crisis.” AIRS has also started an outreach program that utilizes peer-to-peer education to teach youth healthy sexual behaviors and to help identify gaps in youth services. “I interview youth from different venues to see who is unstably house or at risk from different behaviors and then train them to take advantage of their skills in leadership and their influence amongst their peers. One of the biggest purposes of the program is to get youth to go back into the community to encourage peers to make healthier decisions,” stated outreach worker Charles Lamont.

On March 1, AIRS will open the only transitional living program for homeless youth in the entire state of Maryland. Initially, the program will house 7 youth in a structured 18-month program while also providing services and information to up to 150 youth per year. AIRS already has 20 units of permanent housing for youth and is working on opening a 43-unit permanent housing unit in Southern Park Heights for both single and parenting youth.

For additional information on AIRS Oscar Night, call 410-576-5070, or register online at www.airshome.org.

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Business

PROFILES

Gay Life had the opportunity to speak with owner Chris Bittner about the mission, evolution, and grand reopening of Read Street Books.

The space itself continues to exude that historical aura. Do you host any events that focus on local history or women’s history?

What was your original vision for Read Street Books and what changes has the shop gone through since its opening?

During Women’s History Month we display a lot of suffrage material and items from the second wave in the ‘60s that people know little about. Visitors can view an original document written by Susan B. Anthony, a photograph of Gloria Steinem…. There’s a lot of history that people remain unfamiliar with.

Our overall mission is to nurture the creative spirit of women in the city. We are a nice place for women to meet outside of the bar and actually talk without shouting to one another. We also try to do some good along the way…. Our coffee sales support the Save the Bay Foundation and we pick other local nonprofits that we can support….

This year we are giving money from donated book sales to Chase Brexton Health Services.

When people in the neighborhood found out I was going to open a bookstore, books magically started to appear in front of the store in the morning. I could not profit off people donating books, so we decided to sell the books for about 25 cents a piece and give the profits to a local charity.

Read Street Books Reopens as Live Performance Venue on March 1st

F

or women seeking community and creative inspiration in a relaxing atmosphere, you will find what you are looking for at Read Street Books and Coffee in Baltimore’s historical Mt. Vernon cultural district. Now in operation for two years, the quaint bookstore and coffee shop has expanded into a multifunctional artistic space, offering visitors not only a unique array of new and used books, but also art installations, workshops and live performances. On March 1, Read Street Books, in partnership with Susan Souza of Women’s KISS (Kickass Indpendent Songwriter Showcase), will reopen as a live performance space for local musicians. The expanded space includes a stage, three stories (with video screens on the 2nd and 3rd levels) and enough seating for a crowd of fifty.

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The store itself used to be only one side when we opened two years ago.

At the time, there simply wasn’t room to offer as much. When the next store space became available, I was fortunate enough to get it and we broke through the wall on the first anniversary of our opening. We now have an expanded menu, workshops, classes, discussions, poetry nights, rock to ragtime to classical music performances….

What originally inspired you to open an independent bookstore?

Ronald Reagan. During his administration, I was laid off five times…with downsizing and companies moving, and I told myself that I would not be dependent on someone else for my livelihood….

Well, I still work full time, but this will hopefully one day become my real job.

The atmosphere here is so welcoming and quaint. It’s almost like taking a step back in time.

Well, the building has an odd history. I have been able to trace the history back to 1830. During the renovations, we found amazing things in the walls—newspapers from 1850, including headlines announcing Napoleon’s seizure of power; old bottles, one with a label describing a tavern at the corner of Chase St. and Tyson Alley; hundreds of metal umbrella rods; a notice of a demonstration of a wonderful new machine that made icy water. It was almost as if no one cleaned for 200 years.

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What other types of events do you have planned for the future?

We’re in the early stages of planning a lesbian book festival. There are a surprising amount of authors local to Maryland, DC and Virginia.

We hope to have it on Pride weekend with a gathering on Friday night, talks and lectures on Saturday afternoon, a party on Saturday night and book signings on Sunday.

Again, this would be an alternative to the bar scene.

Since we’re not a bar, we’re also child-friendly. Some people have brought children to performances. In the summer, we’d like to start a story-time for gay mothers and their children.

As far as the live performances, Susan [Souza] has us booked every weekend. Through March, performances will be on Saturday nights. In the latter part of April, we’ll begin to feature original musicians on both Friday and Saturday nights. Susan will be performing live at our grand opening on March 1st.

For additional information regarding installations, meetings, workshops, classes and private events, contact Chris Bittner or Lisette Howe at 410669-4103. For entertainment bookings, contact Susan Souza at 443-739-7540.

Upcoming performers are listed at www.myspace.com/readstreetbooks.

Read Street Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-669-4103 www.myspace.com/ readstreetbooks Hours: Monday–Friday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m.–11 p.m. or midnight (for performances) Sunday 10 a.m.–10 p.m. (for L Word screenings)

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Capote In Kansas: A Ghost Story by Kim Powers Addled by drugs and alcohol, a near-death Truman Capote is plagued by the ghosts of the people whose deaths he chronicled in his greatest book, In Cold Blood. Well-known novelist Harper Lee, Capote’s (possibly lesbian?) childhood friend who accompanied him as companion and researcher on the trip to Kansas that produced In Cold Blood, is the only one who has a shot at understanding Capote, but she too has ghosts of her own to exorcise.

BOOKS BOOKS IN BRIEF

By Richard Oloizia

Landing by Emma Donoghue Landing is a story about how far people will step outside their comfort zones to be with the one they love. It’s told through the eyes of Sile O'Shaughnessy, a cosmopolitan Irish flight attendant, and Jude Turner, a sheltered museum archivist from Ireland, Ontario, who meet aboard a transatlantic flight and strike up a long distance love affair.

Changing Tides

by Michael Thomas Ford Ben, a marine biologist living in Monterey, California, reconnects with Caddie, his estranged teenage daughter. At the same time, he forms a life-changing bond with Hudson, a grad student who is visiting Monterey as part of his research for a thesis he is writing on a presumably lost homoerotic John Steinbeck manuscript.

Map of Ireland by Stephanie Grant In 1974, the first year of busing in Boston, Massachusetts, seventeen-year-old Ann Ahern's lesbianism, which has isolated her from other white students, draws her to her African French teacher and leads her to a new perspective on race and sexuality in a turbulent time.

Always

by Nicola Griffith When she travels from Atlanta to Seattle to investigate a case of suspected real estate fraud, self-defense instructor and private investigator Aud Torvingen is pulled into a conspiracy of kickbacks, corruption, and greed. She also finds herself drawn to another woman as she hasn’t been since the death of her lover.

The Child

by Sarah Schulman Stew, a gay fifteen-year-old boy, meets thirty-two-year-old David on the Internet and begins a sexual relationship with him. It's one of the few refuges in Stew's unhappy life, but the affair is discovered and David is jailed for pedophilia. The loss of the one positive relationship in his life sets Stew on a meltdown course, with tragic results.

Mississippi Sissy by Kevin Sessums Sessums’s memoir of growing up as an outsider and coming to terms with his gayness in the 1960s in a small town in Mississippi is moving, harrowing, and funny.

Selfish and Perverse

by Bob Smith Nelson Kunker is a miserably single unproductive novelist and script coordinator for a poorly rated late night comedy TV show whose love life finally gets a boost after a chance meeting with Roy Briggs, an Alaskan salmon fisherman and student archeologist.

Hotel De Dream by Edmund White

Did straight author Stephen Crane, author ofThe Red Badge of Courage, really dictate, on his deathbed at age twentyeight, a novel about a teenage male prostitute in 1890s Manhattan? Almost certainly not, but that's the intriguing

The Mortal Groove by Ellen Hart

Her father’s gubernatorial campaign spells trouble for Twin Cities lesbian restaurateur Jane Lawless when Jane begins sniffing around a decades old unsolved murder that might involve several of her father’s key staffers and financial backers.

Murder In the Rue Chartres by Greg Herren

Gay private investigator Chanse MacLeod returns to post-Katrina New Orleans, determined to stay despite the devastation. When he discovers that Iris Verlaine, his last client before the storm, was murdered the night she hired him to find her long-missing father, he is drawn into a web of intrigue and evil that surrounds the Verlaine family.

The Indian Clerk by David Leavitt The fictionalized story of self-taught math genius Srinivasa Ramanujan, as told

by G. H. Hardy, the shy closeted Cambridge math professor who befriended him at the turn of the twentieth century before the First World War, features cameos

by Bertram Russell, D. H. Lawrence, and lots of mathematical formulas.

The IHOP Papers by Ali Liebegott

Twenty-year-old Francesca is a recovering alcoholic who finds comfort in cutting herself and harbors fantasies about her beautiful AA sponsor, Maria; her former philosophy teacher, Irene; and a soap opera heroine. She follows Irene to San Francisco, lands a job at the International House of Pancakes, and begins work on her memoir about losing her virginity and never quite finding love.

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QPUZZLE Broken-hearted

Across

Down

1 6 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 24 26 27

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 22 23 25 27 28 29 30 32 33 34 37 40 41 43 44 46 48 50 52 53 54

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Some band members blow them Showing excitement Pork products Lorca's friend Barbra's Funny Girl guy Lying on Pool shot that hits two balls Tested, to Marc Jacobs Gay-friendly Barrett Hot time for Colette Brokeback Mountain role for 52-Across Camaro model "I Could ___ Danced All Night" Title role for 52-Across after Brokeback Mountain Tries to seduce Gay porn director Francis Actor Callow Constellation over Rio Prepare for phone sex Last role for 52-Across, with "the" "___ the grass in the fields...": Whitman Alice portrayer on The Brady Bunch Dean Cain's kind of man?

Notice a cologne queen Blitz, to Esera Tuaolo Title role for 52-Across before Brokeback Mountain Piece of Aaron Copland Jim McGreevey's ex Star of Brokeback Mountain M. Hirschfeld's land Trucker's rod It makes gelatin get hard Behind DeGeneres' Finding ___ Use wrecking balls on Writer Dykewomon Give the once-over Killed, to King James Moshe from the land of the cut

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55 56 58 59 63

It may be hard to keep a straight one "___ the end of my rope!"

New York gay-popular resort A porn star may have a big one Elton John's "You Got to Love ___" One way to go Mine, to Renee Vivien Wet spot Lion or tiger or bear James Baldwin's birthplace Exotica director Egoyan Tales of the City character Hit boxers Sgt. Perry Watkins, e.g.

Steven's opening Bar by the altar at the Cathedral of Hope Wood that doesn't need moth balls Garment with a flared bottom Brandy bottle letters Clay of American Idol fame A Walk on the Moon screenwriter Vibrating sound "Sorry to say ..."

Moliere's mom Vital fluid carriers Sherman Hemsley religious sitcom Second year student, for short Evaded the issue like a drag queen?

Be a sugar daddy to JFK preceder George of It's My Party ___ Christian Andersen Title for producer R. Cowen or D. Lipman Tennessee Williams Summer and Smoke heroine Cold-cock What the fruits did in the orchard Barry Humphries' Dame He played Billy on One Life to Live Home st. of Harper Lee

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HEALTH Dr. Frank Spinelli compiles years of knowledge in a comprehensive guide focused on gay men’s health and wellness. (Photo: Aaron Cobbett)

Coming Out

Healthy Dr. Frank Spinelli Releases Advocate Guide to Gay Men’s Health and Wellness

INTERVIEW BY MADDY DWERTMAN

C

overing a diverse range of topics, including coming out to your doctor, physical exams, nutrition, substance abuse, and the male pap smear, Dr. Frank Spinelli has compiled his years of experience into a comprehensive healthcare guide geared toward gay men.

Created in partnership with The Advocate and Alyson Books, The Advocate Guide to Gay Men’s Health and Wellness offers gay men key information about specific health concerns and encourages them to actively participate in their own healthcare.

A board certified internist practicing in New York City, Dr. Spinelli previously served as the clinical director of HIV at Cabrini Green Medial Center. In addition, Spinelli is the “Go to Doctor” on LOGO, the gay health expert on the national radio show Twist, and has done spots for ABC News and the Today Show.

Gay Life spoke with Dr. Spinelli from his New York home about what led him to write this new guide, major health risks for gay men and preventive tips for maintaining a healthier lifestyle.

What type of audience is The Advocate Guide to Gay Men’s Health and Wellness geared toward?

When I first put the idea together for the book, I had just turned forty. There were health questions that I had been asking myself and questions that patients had been asking me…. When you think about health, people start to take stock of their life at around forty. They look back on their life and ask: How healthy am I? This reason influenced me to focus the book on gay men over forty.

The other influence was looking at my cousin, who is seven years younger than I, in comparison to myself. He’s been gay since puberty while I grew up heterosexual. I had a girlfriend and planned to get married. So I had to deal with coming out at a later age and putting myself out in society as a gay man. There are now more gays in the media and it’s easier for gay teens to come out. The only one I ever thought of was Don Ritter in Three’s Company.

In addition to being over forty, I focused on reaching the group that grew up much more closeted than now a days.

What led you to write a book specifically about gay men’s health and wellness? Are there specific health issues that gay men need to be aware of?

If you ask any doctor, they would say all men are examined in the same way. In the book, we focus on what would be more pertinent for a gay man. This would obviously include HIV, but also issues with anal cancer being more predominant among gay men, the concept of the anal pap smear, how MRSA (Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) is affecting the gay community….

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And, we also look at social issues— depression, alcohol dependence, smoking (which has led to increased lung cancer in gay community).

Alyson publishing saw this vision of having a comprehensive guide geared toward gay men with anecdotal information from my practice.

Some of the messages are very universal and there’s something in it for everyone to read, but it’s definitely geared toward gay men.

ed further and is even more resistant. The book does not aim to create alarm about another “gay plague”, but to give men information that they can be empowered with. If the develop a rash, they should be able to go to their doctor and say, “Hey, I heard about this. Do I have it?”

Active participation is more helpful than just taking an antibiotic, going home and not knowing exactly what you have.

You go into depth about MRSA in the gay community. What exactly is this and why haven’t people been talking about it?

Why is it important for gay men to seek out gay-friendly doctors and to disclose their sexuality?

Staphylococcus aureus is common bacteria that lives on the skin. Over the years, it mutated and became resistant to penicillin, hence MRSA developed. This was very common in hospitals and nursing homes. In 2002, we started seeing crops of it in highly-populated gay communities, such as L.A., Chicago, New York.

Spas, saunas, skin contact, overall lifestyle….contribute to its spread.

We have a problem and an epidemic.

When I started seeing it, I wasn’t seeing anything about it in the news.

People going to the hospital weren’t being treated properly because the doctors didn’t know much. After the book was published, another report came out that the disease has mutat-

Your relationship with your doctor is probably one of the most important ones you will have in your life. Your healthcare plan is a partnership. The only way that a doctor can take the best care of you is to know everything they could possibly know about you. Your sexuality and lifestyle dictate a lot about you.

There are so many issues with shame and internalized homophobia…and that’s how people make mistakes and illness can come about. I urge all of my gay patients to come out.

It’s also a matter of how a doctor approaches any patient—not so much to ask if patients are gay or straight, but if they engage in sex with men, women or both in a non-

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judgmental way. That allows patients to take their guard down and talk more openly.

What are three important preventative measures that gay men can take to maintain their health?

The guide also focuses on gay men’s body image. What specific health concerns are related to this heightened focus on physical appearance?

1. Find yourself a gay or gay-friendly doctor and get yourself a complete annual physical, even if you’re healthy.

There is a sense of wanting to look good. You don’t read a magazine without wanting to approve your appearance. We all want to be healthy and look good, but, especially if you’re living in a gay community, you can get lost and get too concerned with how you look rather than being true to yourself and how you feel. Gay men do put a lot of stress on their appearance—having great teeth, being muscular and lean.

I remember working in a New York gym and seeing all types of men.

There are healthy ways to work out and then I saw people with dimorphic body image, which is when men don’t see what they look like.

It’s almost like when anorexics looks at themselves and says they’re fat.

For gay men, this could entail plastic surgery, anabolic steroids, working out constantly and never being satisfied with how they look. The primary question is when does a focus on one’s image become a hindrance that disrupts your life or a psychological problem.

2. If you’re sexually active and not in a monogamous relationship, get an STD screening and HIV testing.

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3. Really learn about good nutrition, not crash dieting, and exercise regularly. Nutrition and exercise will promote longevity.

It seems that you’re quite a celebrity physician in your own right. How do you feel about your title of the gay Dr. McDreamy?

I think it’s flattering in one respect, but I’d rather be known as the author of The Advocate’s Guide to Gay Men’s Health and Wellness. I am so glad for the joint effort I had with the Advocate and Alyson Publishing for taking on the project. In the end, it’s ultimately about the book.

More health news at www.baltimoregaylife.com

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Interior

D ESIGN Home Decorating Tips: Copy an Inspiration Room on a Budget (ARA) - Raise your hand if you know what an inspiration room is. Anyone? While it sounds like a place to meditate or quietly think, it's actually an attractively decorated room from a magazine, showroom, or even a friend's home that you admire but don't have the budget to afford yourself.

This Inspiration Room features a top-of-the-line window and interior wood door from JELD-WEN. The closet door made from Douglas fir increases the design appeal with its natural wood beauty, while a fir casement window anchors the room’s exterior wall and creates a connection with the outside.

However, with a few easy tips, you can achieve a similar look without the hefty price tag. The trick, experts say, is to draw "inspiration" from these examples and emulate the look and style with more affordable furnishings and decorations.

"More people are wanting luxury in their homes, even if it's just a touch of elegance," says Joyce Richter, spokesperson for JELD-WEN Windows & Doors. "Not everyone can afford the opulence of a high-end inspiration room, but sometimes all it takes are a few key elements to make a room look like a million dollars."

Windows and doors can be those special touches that make a home feel like

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a castle, according to Richter. An inspiration room with high-end windows and doors can be emulated with equally impressive, and budget friendly, options that look just as good. By choosing products that offer style and affordability, homeowners can come surprisingly close to matching the elegant look of an inspiration room.

Here are a few tips from the experts at JELD-WEN on essential elements when emulating an inspiration room: 1. Invest in dramatic differences.

Invest in items that will make a striking difference. For example, homeowners often take doors for granted, but they take up a large amount of space and can make a dramatic visual impact. The same with windows, which offer the dual benefit of great looks and enhanced performance (think energy efficiency).

2. Focus on details.

The shape of a lamp or picture frame is often what stands out in an inspiration room, not the material or price tag. Ask yourself what you like about the product's detail, and then go searching for it.

3. Look for overlapping features.

Sometimes national manufacturers offer similar features in both their highend and more affordable products, so do your homework to see if these benefits are available across the board. For example, JELD-WEN offers on many of its window lines simulated divided lites (SDL), or a grid system, that divides the window into smaller sections and creates an interesting look.

4. Focus on color.

Incorporating colorful items such as bedding, or a lampshade, are often enough to take an ordinary room to the level of an inspiration room.

5. Bargain shop.

One person's trash is another person's treasure. Scour online auction sites, or estate sales, for unwanted high-end items that offer the style and price you are looking for.

6. Remember, it doesn't have to be exact.

Inspiration means infusing your style into the design, rather than exact replication. Trying to find the identical lamp or bedding from an inspiration room is highly unlikely. Most experts say get as close to the look and style as you can and then move on to the next Courtesy of ARAcontent

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QSCOPES Clean Out Closets, Pisces!

by Jack Fertig

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22) Your efforts at collaboration can be very fruitful, but might make the boss nervous. If you're organizing a union, be very careful. If you're simply doing your job, make sure to connect through normal channels, and welcome constructive criticism from above.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22) Remember your manners, dear! Although you're quite famous for them, an odd combination of aggressive outspokenness and eager playfulness has you acting out. There's a time and a place for everything. Make the time, find the place, and go wild!

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21) Efforts to soothe family situations can back-

Venus and Mercury aligning in Aquarius build up a provocative charm, but dissonance from Mars in Gemini can make it a lot more provocative than charming.

ARIES (March 20 - April 19) You could listen, learning a lot that could sharpen your perspective on goals and coming events, or you could tell the world what you already know and hope for. Can you provoke discussion with a few words and then listen and learn?

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20) Thinking the boss loves you and that you can do anything may be correct. Don't take that as an excuse for fancy spending. You'll gain much greater favor by exercising due economy and finding new ways to save.

fire horribly. Your choices are few and simple: Home could feel either like a "bawdy house" or like the unlucky family from Greek tragedy, the House of Atreus. Go for the fun; keep family connections terse, upbeat, and at arm's length.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 20) Fun and flirtation is just part of who you are. Your partner should accept that, but now it's a sore point. Are you overdoing it, or is Baby just being cranky? Either way, remember who comes first in your life, and be accommodating!

CAPRICORN (December 21 - January 19) Don't get too clever with your finances

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20) Your daring new perspectives are indeed brilliant, and

right now. Nothing beats old-fashioned work. Adaptability is good, but think ahead carefully before making any changes. Confiding in a colleague could be helpful, but choose your confidante very carefully!

you have the wit to get them across. Your ego, however, could get in the way. Have a good run, and work off that energy before any important conversation.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18) Can your fabulosity possibly be excessive?

CANCER (June 21 - July 22) Your seductive gifts are evident, perhaps a bit too much

Sometimes less is more. Your competitive streak in any game can also be over the top.

It should be more about fun than victory - and what's winning a game worth if it alienates your friends?

so. Dithering makes it worse. Decide quickly what and whom you want. Approach them gently, and hold some of what you offer in reserve. An aura of secrets and surprises will help!

PISCES (February 19 - March 19) Your psychic gifts are a bit stronger, but that's a

LEO (July 23 - August 22) Your energy for social action is admirable, although your

mixed blessing, perhaps exposing more family secrets than you really want to deal with. Cleaning out closets and storage can draw your energy in an easier direction.

efforts to recruit comrades to the cause may scare off more people than it attracts. Let your efforts speak for themselves, and you may draw more friends by example than by persuasion.

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Jack Fertig, a professional astrologer since 1977, is a founding member of the Association for Astrological Networking. He can be reached for consultations at 415-864-8302, through his website at http://www.starjack.com, and by e-mail at QScopes@qsyndicate.com.

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DO AS I SAY Prudence Responds to Your Letters

by Miss Prudence Worthington

Hey Pru, I just came out and after years of struggling with my identity I discover the gay community has its own identity crisis. I am exhausted with the many labels from queer to fag and especially “gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender community.” Try staying awake during that phrase or even texting it to a friend. So they have shortened it to “glbt” which is still not that easy to say. I want to be PC, but can’t we all fit under one smaller “umbrella”?

Tongue Twisted Twink.

Darling TTT, I’m so glad you have discovered your true self and are living your life out of the closet. That alone is a brave act worthy of a toast. You are now a role model for Tom Cruise and Anderson Cooper. Rosita has just arrived with the champagne so I will test your theory: “gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community.” Dear God, poor Rosita has visibly aged a year in the time it took to utter the lengthy phrase. My dumpling, you are wise to consult me for I have a solution at hand.

One cannot say “Gay Pride Festival” without “Festive.” So, from heretofore I dub you the Festive Community. What could be more politically correct? Such a pleasant spin this puts on simple phrases like “Let’s meet for happy hour at the Festive bar” or “We met in a Festive chat room.” The word “gay” will be replaced by such phrases as “what a Festive outfit” or “she is sooo Festive.” The GLCCB will now be called the Baltimore Festive Center. Stop by the Festive bookstore to pick up some Festive porn. Eliminating g.l.b.t. from your vocabulary will add hours to your day. That means more time at the Festive gym or viewing a Festive film at the Charles Theatre.

This new moniker will further the cause of the Festive Community.

Who would deny anyone the right of Festive Marriage? Would any politician dare introduce anti-Festive legislation? Imagine a teacher or priest being fired for being Festive. No children will be removed from their homes in Virginia because their parent is Festive. What redneck televangelist could blame the tragedy of 9/11 on America’s Festive population? Are you beginning to see the light? I hope so, now go forth you Festive people and spread the word.

Dear Madame Prudence, I am saddened by the unfortunate and dramatic end of a friendship and I need a bit of advice. Recently, a close friend of mine made false and irrational claims of my character and motives. She stated that I was jealous of her professional and academic achievements and that she could not trust me. This came out of nowhere! I felt devastated and emotionally hijacked since these words came out of the mouth of a dear friend. (She was number 6 on my speed-dial for heaven sakes!) I decided to ex-communicate her in order to preserve my self confidence.

But here is the whipped cream on the key lime pie: We work together, which means we are in constant contact. In fact, we share an office space! What should I do?

Emo-Hostage

Pauvre Emo, The loss of a dear friend can be as painful as tooth extraction, but the pain does eventually fade. As you tend the garden of your life, dead wood requires pruning. Do people really believe they have an abundance of relationships to dispose? Does a new friend pop up like a Kleenex? Rarely does one consider the consequences of the character www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •

assassination you describe. This behavior is symptomatic of larger problems and she will go on to make others miserable for years. I applaud your first step of removing this woman from your social set.

Now let me supply the next steps.

First, take 3 ounces of gin, a splash of vermouth, add ice and mix vigorously in a cocktail shaker. Strain this into a martini glass, garnish with olives and consume. Don’t you feel better already?

At the very least you should file a formal complaint with your supervisor, for very little action can be taken in the workplace if violations have not been documented. Should she continue her attacks, your employer is then obligated to handle the situation. It may seem a severe step, but without provocation, she called into question your professional and academic integrity. This creates an egregious and hostile work environment and should be dealt with by the Human Resources Department as it is tantamount to harassment. Assuming she has not won a Nobel Prize, her claim of jealousy paints her as a volatile employee who does not work well with others. If sharing an office becomes unbearable you may ask to be moved or put on separate shifts. Try to avoid contact with her and remember that you took the moral high road.

Dear Prudence, I have a complicated moral dilemma. An administrator of a charity, which I support, was caught doing a terrible thing following a charitable event in our community. I’m told he paid for the damage. Thankfully the media never found out because it could have cost them dozens of donors. Some in the know felt serious repercussions were in order, but all maintain an awkward silence.

Shouldn’t actions like this come with some consequence? I am considering withdrawing my support. What would you do?

Ms. Philanthropic Conundrum

Cherie Philanthrope, While this seems like a sticky wicket the matter is really quite simple.

This man is only one link in an organization. He must have some value or he would have been fired for these actions. Surely they realize he represents their institution. You must, however, separate the man from the charity and remember the core reason for your support.

If you feel your contribution is helping people, then by all means continue. Why should people suffer for one man’s actions? Personally, I would extract him from my social roll call as should others. One can only assume that he had a few highballs at said charitable event which led to his bad behavior. Angry drunks make bad party guests and you don’t want them abusing your domestics or pets.

Since you mentioned that others know of this offence, some additional penance might be in order. Acts such as this are rarely forgotten and could taint future support. Perhaps he can make a donation or sponsor his employer’s next event. That would show good will and benevolent support of his own organization which might make strides towards redeeming his tarnished reputation. One should exercise forgiveness, but contrition does help speed the plow.

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

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QUOTE UNQUOTE LGBT community. I will change that."

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Feb. 4 in "A Message to LGBT Americans: 'I Want to be Your President.'"

"I'm supporting her [Hillary Clinton] because I know her and I like her and she's smart and a tough girl. But I don't have much respect for either party. I just think Republicans are worse."

Cher to USA Today, Feb. 6. "[Coming out is] very powerful. It's not just about saying you're gay. It's about an existential moment in time where you face up to all those forces that are pushing you in one direction, and you look them straight in the face and you say, 'No, that is not who I am. I am this. And I own this.' It's so powerful that those of us who are straight have to figure out what we have to come out about, because everybody's got something to come out about. And when we see you do that, it encourages us, it inspires us. I don't think you know that. I don't think you recognize that, the power of that act."

Actress Judith Light, currently starring on ABC's Ugly Betty as Claire Meade, to the Palm Springs gay magazine The BottomLine, Jan. 18.

"Most of my friends are gay. I love them.

They're fun. We go out all the time. Gay men have the best taste. The best makeup—and they're hot."

Paris Hilton when asked by the gay newspaper Dallas Voice on Jan. 25, "Do you identify with the gay community—as a member of it?"

"With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion. With Barack Obama, we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay."

U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., endorsing Barack Obama for president of the United States, Jan. 28.

"The dream has never died. [It] lives on in those Americans—young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American, gay and straight—who are tired of a politics that divides us and want to recapture the sense of common purpose that we had when John Kennedy was president of the United States of America. That is the dream we hold in our hearts. That is the kind of leadership we long for in this country. And that is the kind of leadership I intend to offer as president of the United States of America."

BY REX WOCKNER WITH BILL KELLEY

"Mitt Romney's decision to withdraw from the presidential race was a smart one. After Super Tuesday, it became clear that Mitt Romney had no chance to win the GOP nomination. Governor Romney ran an aggressive campaign, spending tens of millions of dollars to hide his record and to distort the record of his opponents. In the end, voters did not find this version of Mitt Romney to be credible. Too many voters learned the truth about his record, and that record didn't match his new found conservative rhetoric."

"[Sen. Larry] Craig's peculiar hand and foot movements while in a bathroom stall don't constitute a crime. Even if he intended a silent sexual proposition, no law exists nor should one that criminalizes a request for noncommercial sex between adults. So the cops relied on a disorderly conduct charge, which outlaws any conduct that could 'arouse alarm, anger or resentment in others.'

I've probably written columns that violate that law. I know I've gotten e-mail that does."

Columnist Ann Woolner, Bloomberg.com, Jan. 25.

"It's a great day when we can look at a field of [Democratic presidential] candidates and determine that we are comfortable with all of them on gay rights and move on to other issues."

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese to The New York Times, Jan. 28.

"You would need a magnifying glass to see any real or substantive differences between the three candidates [on gay issues]."

Alan Van Capelle, executive director of New York's Empire State Pride Agenda, discussing Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards with a New York Times reporter, Jan. 28. Edwards later dropped out of the race.

"Let me tell you what I have been telling voters across America. I am fully committed to the fair and equal treatment of LGBT Americans. For seven long years, the Bush Administration has tried to divide us—only seeing people who matter to them. It's been a government of the few, by the few, and for the few. And no community has been more invisible to this administration than the

"If I say I was being stereotypical and I [then] do what 'shouldn't' be stereotypical, then I'm living my life for somebody else and I'm marching to the beat of somebody else's drummer, and that, I think, is a worse thing. [B]eing out is just about being who you are. It's a worse crime to have to be a certain [non-stereotypical] way. And really, I think that is being a little homophobic. It's just me being me, and if you don't like it, that's just too bad."

TV celebrity Carson Kressley, of Queer Eye fame, to AfterElton.com, Jan. 30.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama as he accepted the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., Jan. 28.

"Over the years, I've been deeply moved by the people who've told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. ... Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible. We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama."

Tales of the City author Armistead Maupin to CBS News, Jan. 27.

Patrick Sammon, president of the national gay group Log Cabin Republicans, in a Feb. 7 statement.

"Well, I hope you said how open-minded I am."

President George W. Bush to gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., after Bush's Jan. 28 State of the Union address. Bush had walked by Frank before the address and told Frank to say hello to whomever Frank was talking to on his cell phone. After the address, Frank informed Bush that Frank had been talking to his boyfriend, and Bush responded with the comment, the Boston Globe reported.

was frightening! And I thought he was the only gay person in the world, and I didn't wanna be like him. I figured out that the feelings that I had towards other boys were not to be revealed. So, you learn to live a double life."

"I've been in a relationship for the last six years and I'm happy. Her name is Jamie Price."

Singer k.d. lang to the Chicago gay newspaper Windy City Times, Jan. 23.

"My mother had a hairdresser who looked like, I don't know, Liberace on steroids. It

"[T]he worst thing [about being famous] is that I can't meet guys on Manhunt anymore.

Well, I guess I can. No. The worst thing I guess is there's a certain preciousness to privacy, and just having that anonymity to go to the grocery store and look a mess, and just go get your paper on a Sunday morning. But that's a small price to pay for all the great things, and that's what my job is now. With every job there are pros and cons, but I'm happy to take them. I usually get a better table at a restaurant."

Queer Eye's Carson Kressley to AfterElton.com, Jan. 30.

Caroline Kennedy writing in The New York Times, Jan. 27.

"No conservative who has not gone nuclear at the Bush administration's Medicare bill, or its doubling of federal education spending, or its adding $32 trillion to unfunded liabilities, or its long record of nanny-state initiatives, or its trampling of states rights in education, drug laws, marriage laws, and on and on ... has much of a leg to stand on when complaining - now -- about big government liberalism. In many ways, it's much worse coming from the Republicans, because Bush and his cronies have legitimized left-liberalism in ways that even Clinton could not (and did not). [L]et's be clear here: Compared to Bush, Obama is a conservative. He is promising nothing like the expansion of government or debt that Bush pushed through in eight years. Nothing like.

That doesn't mean I like the idea of even bigger government. It does mean that a little historical context helps."

Gay writer Andrew Sullivan on his blog, Jan. 29.

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B-SCENE

MISS GAY BALTIMORE

Photos by Jay W. Photos

@ CLUB HIPPO

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House for Rent

MARKETPLACE It’s easy to place your Market Place ad.

Call us at

410.837.7748 We’ll do the rest!

25 words for $20!

25¢ per word after that.

Box it or add a graphic for $5 more.

Employment.

LOVE CANDLES? I'm looking for Fun People to join my team- Be in Business FOR Yourself, Not BY Yourself. Call Laurie 571-723-3053.

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

SERVICE

Roommate Wanted

ROOMMATE TO SHARE HOUSE Looking for responsible professional to share 3 bedroom house. Nice neighborhood, close to highway and downtown. $600 utilities included. Call 443-889-0366.

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

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

Hamilton - For Sale By Owner $89,500 or Best Offer 3 bed/1.5 bath, single family, newly renovated, hardwood, kit w/granite & stainless, deck, large backyard.

Home will be sold to highest bidder on Sunday 2/24. Inspection Sat-Sun 2/23-2/24 12-5PM. Info: jrgroup@gmail.com

BALTIMORE’S BEST MASSAGE Leave your stress behind & feel your best. Available days, evenings and weekends. $5.00 discount for appointments before 6PM. Gift certificates available. Call Marc @ 410-653-3084.

Bank Owned Properties for Sale All Areas. Call for List. WHY PAY RETAIL? Homebucks Realty 877-468-0001 Hampden Only $154,900. Maint-free, Semidetach, country kit, CAC. WOW A GREAT BUY. Homebucks Realty 877-468-0001

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

Massage

House for Sale

DIRECTORY

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

2BR, 1 bath home for rent.

Living room, dining room, kitchen. Recently renovated.

Call 443-854-5187.

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

Solution to puzzle, page 35

BRAD'S SPECIAL TOUCH A hot full body/full satisfaction massage in your home, hotel, or my NEW waterfront Studio. Guys or couples. Visa/MC. (443) 695-0141 or baltomann@hotmail.com MASSAGE For a nice, loving touch, relaxing massage. For a private massage, call to make an appointment. Call Mike at 443-642-7093.

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

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

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

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

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

Anytime, online @ www.baltimoregaylife.com

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

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

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MORTGAGE SERVICES Marva J. Laws American Financial Resources Bel Air, MD 410-734-6688 1-888-553-5513 Richard Pazornik SunTrust Mortgage 410-561-4139 www.suntrustmortgage.com/rp azornik NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Hearts and Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 PHARMACIES Mount Vernon Pharmacy 900 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-539-8030 Park Avenue Pharmacy 1535 Park Ave. Baltimore, MD 21217 410-225-0800 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 THEATRES Hippodrome Theatre France-Merrick Performing Arts Center 12 N. Eutaw St. Baltimore, MD 21202 410-547-SEAT Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore 5625 O’Donnell St. Baltimore, MD 21224 410-995-1969 Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia 5900 Symphony Woods Rd. Columbia, MD 21044 410-995-1969

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