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APRIL 4 - APRIL 17, 2008 VOLUME XXX, NUMBER 7 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
LIVE, LOVE BE’MORE: BALTIMORE PRIDE 2008 RAPIDLY APPROACHES
PAGE 41
CONFESSIONS OF A SOCIAL DOYENNE: AN INTERVIEW WITH PRUDENCE WORTHINGTON
PAGE 37
NATIONAL BLACK JUSTICE COALITION BRINGS NATIONAL CONVENTION TO BALTIMORE
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WHAT’S INSIDE FEATURE
If Obama Can Throw His Pastor Under the Bus, What Will He Do to Us? By Rev. Irene Monroe
PAGE 14 CenterLink: Community Centers Remain at the Heart of LGBT Communities Across the Nation. Interview by Maddy Dwertman
PAGE 41
PAGE 31 - PENCIL ME IN
NEWS
PAGE 32 - THEATER
PAGE 4 - LOCAL NEWS
The Winter's Tale at Baltimore Shakespeare Festival and 1776 at Olney Theatre Company.
PAGE 5 - NATIONAL NEWS Oregon Man is Pregnant; Barbara Walters Wins GLAAD Award; Vermonters Favor Same-Sex Marriage; HRC Addresses Web Glitch that Displays Users’ Contact Info; Michael Stipe Comes Out; Family Research Council Apologizes to Gays; Married Gay Man Denied New Passport; George Michel to Perform in U.S., Canada; McGreevey Ménage à Trois: Did They or Didn’t They? By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley.
Brian Flottemesch President of GLCCB Editor editor@baltimoregaylife.com
Michael Nguyen Art Director art@baltimoregaylife.com
Maddy Dwertman Sales
120 Rally in London Against Deportation of Gay Iranian; Norway Plans to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage; 302 Couples Register in Mexico City; Police Reportedly Close Beijing Gay Bath Houses; Aussie Officials Told to Detail Homosexual Experiences; Activist Files Complaint Against Polish President; ILGA-Europe to Meet in Vienna; Mayors Decline to Sign ILGAEurope Appeal; Euro Mayors Invited to Moscow Pride; Israel Grants Gay Palestinian Residency to Live with Partner; Poles Disagree with President Over EU Charter; Guadalajara Wants to Relocate Gay Bars. By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley. Equality Forum 2008: Nation’s Largest LGBT Civil Rights Forum Set to Kick Off in Philadelphia
National Advertising Rep. Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 CONTRIBUTORS John Cullen Shayna Robinson Marty Shayt Maddy Dwertman Gwendolyn Ann Smith Marry Elaine Sydnei SmithJordan Mario Fernandez Rex Wockner Bill Kelley Miss Prudence Rev. Irene Monroe Worthington David Placher
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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PAGE 37 National Black Justice Coalition Brings 2008 National Convention to Baltimore
OPINONS
Calendar. By Maddy Dwertman
PAGE 38 - REAL ESTATE Need More Room? Don’t Move—Improve. Courtesy of ARAContent
COMMUNITY & COLUMNS PAGE 10 - BUSINESS PROFILE CASA Workers’ Center Open in Baltimore
PAGE 26 - COMMUNITY CALENDAR PAGE 28 - DINING OUT By John Cullen and Marty Shayt
PAGE 29 - FICTION
PAGE 7 - INTERNATIONAL NEWS
PAGE 25
sales@baltimoregaylife.com
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Confessions of a Social Doyenne: An Interview with Prudence Worthington
Live, Love, Be’More: Baltimore Pride 2008 Rapidly Approaches; As Tax Time Approaches, Sentate Debates Continue Over Domestic Partner Tax Bills. Compiled by Maddy Dwertman
241 W. Chase Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone: 410.837.7748 Fax: 410.837.8889 Email: editor@baltimoregaylife.com
IMHO: Fags and Their Hags By Mario Fernandez
Cereal: The Adventures of Pico Darling. By Shayna Robinson
PAGE 40 - DO AS I SAY Prudence Answers Your Questions. By Miss Prudence Worthington
PAGE 44 - QUOTE UNQUOTE By Rex Wockner with Bill Kelley
PAGE 45 - B-SCENE Out in Mt. Vernon
PAGE 47 - MARKETPLACE PAGE 47 - SERVICE DIRECTORY
FOR FUN PAGE 35 - Q PUZZLE The Rd. Out
PAGE 42 - HOMOSTROLOGY By Marry Elaine
PAGE 18 ll Treatment By Gwendolyn Ann Smith The Belated Beauty By David Placher
VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.BALTIMOREGAYLIFE.COM. April 4 - April 17, 2008
• G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com
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April 4 - April 17, 2008
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LOCAL NEWS Live. Love. Be’More: Baltimore Pride 2008 Rapidly Approaches
The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore (GLCCB) is gearing up for the 33rd Annual Baltimore Pride, which will be held on June 21 and 22. As one of the oldest Pride events in the country, Baltimore Pride has celebrated the diversity of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in Maryland and throughout the mid-Atlantic for over 30 years. Attended annually by more than 30,000 people, Baltimore Pride is recognized as not only the premier LGBT event in Maryland, but also as one of the foremost festivals in Baltimore City. The parade and block party are held on Saturday in Mount Vernon, one of the most historic areas in the city and the center of LGBT activities in Baltimore. The festival takes place alongside the beautiful Druid Hill Park, which provides a gorgeous setting for Sunday’s festivities.
As Tax Time Approaches, Senate Debates Continue Over Domestic Partner Tax Bills As April 15 approaches, the unfair tax penalties levied by the government against LGBT people gain heightened visibility. LGBT individuals are continually required to pay significant amounts of tax dollars into a system that refuses to recognize their most basic legal protections and forces them to pay for privileges automatically bestowed upon heterosexual couples. If LGBT domestic partners are fortunate enough to receive healthcare benefits from their partners, they are taxed on these benefits as income, unlike spousal benefits. When individuals add a partner to an automobile title, they must “sell” half of the car to their partners and pay taxes. If an LGBT person’s partner passes away, he or she is required to pay an inheritance tax on any jointly owned property, a penalty from which spouses and family members are exempt. Two key tax bills—Inheritance TaxExemptions-Domestic Partners (SB523) and Recordation and Transfer Taxes-Domestic Partners (SB597)—reached the Senate this legislative session.
The Maryland Senate approved SB597, which would allow domestic partners the same right as married couples to avoid paying taxes when adding each other to home property deeds in order to create joint ownership. But, SB523, which would exempt domestic partners from inheritance taxes, might not get a vote this year. With Maryland’s budget problems, some lawmakers claim that the state cannot afford to extend tax breaks to LGBT couples at this time. Opponents argue that the bills will provide tax-avoidance loopholes for couples, both LGBT and heterosexual, while also undermining traditional marriages. Proponents, however, maintain that providing LGBT couples with the same benefits as heterosexual couples should outweigh the negligible fiscal impact of both bills. Since real estate transfer taxes accrue to local governments and the inheritance taxes accrue to the state, Inheritance-Tax Exemptions is unlikely to receive approval. The House has not voted on a companion bill.
Once again, Pride weekend will kick off a day early with Twilight on the Terrace at Gertrude’s at the Baltimore Museum of Art on Friday, June 20. At this evening of hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, music, dancing and art, guests can enjoy a martini while taking a stroll through the Baltimore Museum of Art's beautiful sculpture garden or put down their drink and grab a dance partner. DJ Alex Funk will be manning the turntables at one of Baltimore's most unique cocktail parties. Other annual Pride events approaching are the King & Queen of Pride Pageant at Grand Central on May 4 and Voice of Pride at Club Hippo on May 11. With a couple of new additions still in the planning stages, be sure to check out upcoming issues of Gay Life for more complete coverage of Pride 2008. An online competition determined the theme for Baltimore Pride 2008. Community members were invited to submit theme concepts via the Baltimore Pride website during the month of February. Three finalists were chosen: "Catch the Rainbow," "Wave of Change," and "Live. Love. Be'more." which is a twist on the 2008 international Pride theme of "Live - Love - Be". With more than 50% of the total votes, "Live. Love. Be'more!" took the prize, with the other two themes splitting the remaining votes nearly equally. “We had such an overwhelming response to our online theme voting, that we've also decided to let the community decide who this year's headliner and grand marshal will be,” stated Joel Rosado, Development Director of the GLCCB. “I’m hoping that this will increase community involvement in the decisions of the Baltimore Pride season.” Potential performers include: Amanda Lepore and Amuka (Sheila Brody), Frenchie Davis and Gay Pimpin’ with Jonny McGovern. Website visitors can view performers’ bios and vote at www.baltimorepride.org throughout the month of April. The Baltimore Pride Committee is already in full swing and welcomes community members to join them at their biweekly meetings held on Wednesdays at 6:30pm at the GLCCB. The next meeting will take place on April 9. Individuals interested in volunteering at Pride should contact the GLCCB at 410-837-5445 to register for the next volunteer orientation. For additional information about Baltimore Pride 2008, visit www.baltimorepride.org. PA G E 4 •
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• G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com
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NATIONAL NEWS
BY REX WOCKNER WITH BILL KELLEY means a lot to them," Shepard said. "They try to engage their friends and their community and everyone in the same fight. That's what I did. I appreciate this award so much, [but] I'm no different than anyone else here tonight, or out there in the world, trying to make a difference."
Oregon Man is Pregnant
This was the first time in several years that GLAAD considered gay media to be eligible for its awards, following a controversy that flared up last year over exclusion of all gay media outlets.
Barbara Walters won an award from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation March 17 at the New York edition of the media-watchdog group's annual awards. GLAAD photo A Bend, Ore., man is pregnant, he told The Advocate on March 26. Thomas Beatie told the magazine he'd had a sex-change operation, become a man and married his wife but kept his female reproductive organs. "Sterilization is not a requirement for sex reassignment, so I decided to have chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy but kept my reproductive rights," Beatie said. "I stopped taking my bimonthly testosterone injections. It had been roughly eight years since I had my last menstrual cycle, so this wasn't a decision that I took lightly. My body regulated itself after about four months, and I didn't have to take any...drugs to aid my pregnancy." Beatie's wife, Nancy, can't have children because she had to have a hysterectomy several years ago. Beatie said he and his wife are having problems with people who are upset about his pregnancy, which came about via home insemination. "Doctors have discriminated against us, turning us away due to their religious beliefs," he said. "Health care professionals have refused to call me by a male pronoun or recognize Nancy as my wife. Receptionists have laughed at us. Friends and family have been unsupportive; most of Nancy's family doesn't even know I'm transgender." The couple's baby girl is due July 3. The Advocate said it confirmed Beatie's pregnancy with his obstetrician-gynecologist.
GLAAD also holds annual award ceremonies in Los Angeles, San Francisco and southeastern Florida.
Vermonters Favor Same-Sex Marriage Fifty-four percent of Vermont voters support opening marriage to samesex couples while 37 percent oppose it, WPTZ-TV reported March 26.
Barbara Walters Wins GLAAD Award Barbara Walters won an award from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation March 17 at the New York edition of the mediawatchdog group's annual ceremonies. Walters was honored for her 20/20 story "My Secret Self: A Story of Transgender Children." She said the award meant more to her than "all the Emmys" she has received. Other winners included Matthew Shepard's mother, Judy; the TV shows Boston Legal, 60 Minutes and Anderson Cooper 360; the soap opera As the World Turns; The New York Times; GQ; AfterElton.com; and singer Rufus Wainwright. "I'm just a mom who does what a mom does when something really
The figures come from opinion surveys filled out by 7,000 people who took part in Town Meeting Day and reflect an 8-percent jump in support for same-sex marriage over last year's findings. The survey is not scientific. In 2000, Vermont became the first U.S. state to enact a civil-union law, granting same-sex couples "all the same benefits, protections and responsibilities under Vermont law, whether they derive from statute, policy, administrative or court rule, common law or any other source of civil law, as are granted to spouses in a marriage." Nearly 1,300 Vermont couples and more than 8,000 couples from elsewhere have entered into a Vermont civil union, according to Secretary of State Deborah L. Markowitz.
HRC Addresses Web Glitch that Displays Users' Contact Info The Human Rights Campaign on March 19 addressed a problem with its Web site that reveals the full contact information of people who forward HRC's e-mailed action alerts to friends, send them to mailing lists, or paste them into blogs or Web sites. The problem occurs only when the original e-mail recipient does not go to HRC's Web site and act on an alert before sharing the e-mailed alert with others. In that scenario, when others click over to HRC's site from the shared alert, they see the original recipient's full contact information.
In addition, in that scenario, when another person takes action at HRC's site after clicking from the shared email, HRC's database seems to pair the original recipient's e-mail address with the second person's name and additional contact information. Thereafter, the original recipient receives HRC e-mails addressed to the second person by name.
has changed from Rex to Robert to, currently, Boris.
The misidentification apparently can happen more than once to the same person. The name associated with this reporter's e-mail address
"When they [people] help spread the word by clicking the 'Tell a Friend' option, an individual's contact information is protected by the
www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •
In the past week, other recipients of HRC's e-mail alerts—and recipients of alerts from other organizations using similar software— reported the same experience. In response to the situation, HRC will add a disclaimer to its e-mail alerts.
April 4 - April 17, 2008
system," said spokesman Trevor Thomas. "[But] because there are those who forward our emails without using the 'Tell a Friend' option, HRC will be including the following disclaimer on all future actions: 'This link is specific to you, so please take action on this campaign before you forward to your friends.'" Taking heed of HRC's disclaimer before forwarding or posting an emailed alert will protect one's contact information, though not one's name, from being seen by people the alert was shared with.
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NATIONAL NEWS Michael Stipe Comes Out
McGreevey Ménage à Trois: Did They or Didn't They?
R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe officially came out March 18 in an interview with Spin magazine. "It was super complicated for me in the '80s," Stipe said. "I was totally open with the band and my family and my friends and certainly the people I was sleeping with. I thought it was pretty obvious. ... I'd just never felt strongly enough about a particular relationship to say, 'Yeah, he's my boyfriend, that is what it is.'
A former driver for gay former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey said March 16 that he, the governor and the governor's wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, engaged in three-way sex multiple times from 1999 to 2001. "We called it the Friday Night Special... a hard-core consensual sex orgy," Teddy Pedersen, 29, told the New York Post. "He liked watching me, and she would watch me while she was [performing sex acts] with Jim. In my opinion, me being a part of their sexual relationship enhanced it for both of them."
"Now I recognize that for public figures, to be very open about their sexuality helps some kid somewhere," he said.
Family Research Council Apologizes to Gays The vice president for policy at the Family Research Council, Peter Sprigg, apologized March 27 for having said he wants to export gays from the U.S. In a March 19 interview with Medill News Service, while speaking against a pending bill that grants immigration rights to gay Americans' foreign partners, Sprigg said, "I would much prefer to export homosexuals from the United States than to import them into the United States because we believe that homosexuality is destructive to society." The gay group Immigration Equality said it demanded an apology for the crack, and got one. "I used language that trivialized the seriousness of the issue and did not communicate respect for the essential dignity of every human being as a person created in the image of God," Sprigg said. "I apologize for speaking in a way that did not reflect the standards which the Family Research Council and I embrace." Immigration Equality Executive Director Rachel Tiven commented: "This is a welcome apology in response to a chilling statement that should have never been uttered. Still tonight, loving families ripped apart by discriminatory immigration laws will keep fighting for equal rights. We look forward to the day when everyone joins Peter Sprigg in his recognition of the essential dignity of every human being—regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."
BY REX WOCKNER WITH BILL KELLEY
Ex-Gov. McGreevey issued a statement saying Pedersen is telling the truth. Mrs. McGreevey issued a statement saying both men are lying. Openly gay former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey. Wockner News photo by Andrés Duque
The McGreeveys are engaged in an acrimonious divorce battle
"This happened, this happened in the past, and now we need to move on with our lives," ex-Gov. McGreevey said March 17. "For all of our sakes, particularly our daughter, we need to close this chapter and look toward the future. This was referenced in an earlier draft of my book, and I had it removed. I still hope Dina and I can resolve our issues privately." Mrs. McGreevey countered: "Theodore Pedersen's claims...are completely false and were prompted by Jim McGreevey. This all has to do with the publicity I have received since Gov. [Eliot] Spitzer resigned. Jim has enlisted one of his cronies in trying to distinguish that situation from his own, and to discredit me in the media. He cannot stand it when I am receiving attention in the media rather than him." Gov. McGreevey came out on Aug. 12, 2004, in his now-infamous "I am a gay American" speech. He then resigned the governorship on Nov. 15, 2004. Mrs. McGreevey has said she didn't know her husband was gay prior to August 2004.
Married Gay Man Denied New Passport The U.S. government has declined to issue a passport to Jason HairWynn of Attleboro, Mass., because his last name is the result of his having gotten married to his boyfriend. Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts. If Hair-Wynn wants to renew his passport—he's an AIDS counselor who is scheduled to work in orphanages in Ghana in July—he will have to legally change his name back to what it was before he got married, the local Sun Chronicle newspaper reported. In a letter to Hair-Wynn, the State Department said: "We are unable to comply with your request for a name change based on the documentation you sent because of the Defense of Marriage Act [which states:] 'In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administration bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word "marriage" means only a legal union
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between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word "spouse" refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.'" "I can't even process this," HairWynn told the newspaper. "It is weird to get discrimination in writing." He said the Social Security Administration gave him a new Social Security card with his married name on it, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles reissued his documents as well. But Hair-Wynn says working with kids in Ghana is important enough that he'll change his name again to be able to renew his passport.
George Michael to Perform in U.S., Canada For the first time in 17 years, openly gay pop singer George Michael will bring a concert tour to North America, starting June 17 in San Diego and ending Aug. 3 in Fort Lauderdale. The 20-city tour also will visit San Jose, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los
Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Toronto, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, Atlanta and St. Petersburg. Tickets for the "25 Live" tour go on sale April 6. The tour dovetails with Michael's new double CD "Twenty-Five," which features 29 songs, some of them new, including duets with Paul McCartney and Mary J. Blige. He also is releasing a two-disc DVD of 40 videos. Michael has sold more than 85 million records. He has had seven U.S. No. 1 singles and won two Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award and two Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting, according to the press release annoucing the tour. He has had 11 British No. 1 singles and seven British No. 1 albums, and recently was declared the mostplayed artist on British radio in the past 20 years, the statement said.
• G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
BY REX WOCKNER WITH BILL KELLEY
120 Rally in London Against Deportation of Gay Iranian Kazemi then sought asylum in Britain but was rejected. In 2006, he fled to the Netherlands, which detained him and is preparing to return him to the UK. The UK had planned to fly Kazemi back to Iran as soon as he returned to Britain but, following media coverage and political pressure, the Home Office has agreed to review his case one more time before forcing him to go home. "My father [said] the authorities had executed Parham and that I must not return to Iran as the authorities would do the same to me," Kazemi said in a recent statement. "Parham was charged with [the] crime [of] being homosexual." According to Kazemi's father, Parham named Mehdi as his lover prior to his execution. Iran is known to have executed several teens and men accused of engaging in sodomy, although in nearly all the cases that have been publicized in recent years the individuals were accused of other crimes as well, such as rape. Some 120 protesters picketed Prime Minister Gordon Brown's residence in London on March 22 demanding that Mehdi Kazemi not be deported to Iran, where he fears he'll be executed for being gay. OutRage! photo Some 120 protesters picketed Prime Minister Gordon Brown's residence in London on March 22 demanding that Mehdi Kazemi not be deported to Iran, where he fears he'll be executed for being gay. "There needs to be a fundamental reform of the way the Home Office processes LGBTI asylum applications," said protest co-organizer Peter Tatchell. "The government refuses to explicitly rule that homophobic and transphobic persecution are legitimate grounds for granting asylum. This signals to asylum staff and judges that claims by LGBTI people are not as worthy." Kazemi went to London to study in 2005 and Iran later charged his boyfriend, Parham, with sodomy and executed him, according to Kazemi's father.
Norway Plans to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage Norway's government announced plans March 14 to open marriage to same-sex couples. The nation has had a registered-partnership law that gives gay couples the same rights as marriage since 1993. The government's minister of children and equality, Anniken Huitfeldt, said letting gay couples marry "won't weaken marriage as an institution; rather, it will strengthen it." "Marriage won't be worth less because more can take part in it," she told Aftenposten. The law would permit same-sex couples to marry in churches, adopt children and receive state-funded medical assistance in getting pregnant. The bill is expected to pass Parliament before summer, although two government ministers -Minister of Local Government Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa and Transport Minister Liv Signe Navarsete -- said they oppose the part that would fund assisted fertilization for lesbian couples. The state Lutheran Church of
Norway, which counts 85 percent of the population as members, is conflicted on same-sex marriage and likely will allow parishes to choose whether to perform gay weddings. Full marriage is open to same-sex couples in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Massachusetts. Numerous nations have civil-union or registered-partnership laws that grant same-sex couples some, most or all rights and obligations of marriage.
302 Couples Register in Mexico City Three hundred two couples have taken advantage of Mexico City's civil-union law since it came into force in March 2007. Unions have been registered in 15 of the city's 16 boroughs, led by Cuauhtémoc, with 59 unions, and Iztapalapa, with 46. Some 94 percent of the unions were between people of the same sex. The law allows gay and straight couples -- as well as two friends, roommates or extended family members -- to register their relationship and receive spousal rights in
www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has said it believes additional charges are tacked onto sodomy cases to prevent the public outrage that would accompany executions carried out solely for the crime of consensual adult gay sex. The group also has said that executions solely for gay sex likely are taking place out of the public eye. According to Britain's Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association, "Deporting gay and lesbian people to Iran is akin to deporting Jews back to Nazi Germany." But Human Rights Watch asserts that it cannot fully document any executions in Iran in recent years carried out solely for the crime of consensual adult gay sex, though it does acknowledge that men have been sentenced to death for "consensual homosexual conduct." "It is not known whether [the sentences] were carried out," the group said March 28.
areas such as inheritance, pensions, property, co-parenting and medical decisions. Only one couple has dissolved a civil union, and one union ended when a partner died. The state of Coahuila, which borders Texas, is the only other locale in Mexico with a civil-union law.
Police Reportedly Close Beijing Bathhouses Beijing police raided and closed two gay bathhouses on March 20 and 21, according to a report circulated on Asian gay mailing lists by AIDS activists in China and Malaysia. The March 26 report said the city's most popular gay bathhouse, Club Oasis, was raided March 20, and 70 patrons and employees were taken into custody. It said the patrons were released 30 hours later but the staff remained jailed. The report said another Oasis bathhouse near Dongsishitiao Bridge was raided March 21 and the staff, but not the customers, were taken into custody. The report, which carried the byline of well-known Chinese AIDS
April 4 - April 17, 2008
activist Wan Yanhai, said a third bathhouse reportedly had met a similar fate at the same time, but provided no details. The report also included a list of other recent alleged police actions against gay men, including a bar raid and temporary closure, raids of cruisy parks, and arrests of sex workers tracked down via their Web postings.
Aussie Officials Told to Detail Homosexual Experiences Some 300 ministerial staffers in need of security clearances in the government of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd have been told to fill out a 25-page form detailing their sexual partners, extramarital affairs, homosexual experiences, personal finances and drug use. The questions allegedly are designed to ferret out individuals who might be vulnerable to blackmail. Government officials also plan to interview friends of the staffers to attempt to confirm the accuracy of the self-reported information. Special Minister of State John Faulkner told The Sunday Telegraph:
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Int’l
NEWS INT’L NEWS - continued from page 7
"I'm ensuring the government makes the obtaining of these security clearances a high priority, given the nature of the work and the sensitivity and classification of material that is handled.... The higher level of clearance is more intrusive." Ministers' chiefs of staff and media advisers are among those who have been told they need clearance.
Activist Files Complaint against Polish President Well-known New York City gay activist Brendan Fay filed a complaint with the Polish consulate general after Polish President Lech Kaczynski displayed a photo and video clip from Fay's 2003 Canadian wedding during a March 17 nationally televised address in which Kaczynski denounced same-sex marriage. The Polish broadcast also showed Fay's and husband Thomas Moulton's marriage certificate. In the speech, Kaczynski urged that Poland not adopt the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights because it might force Poland to recognize or legalize same-sex marriages. "This could clash with the prevailing moral order in Poland and force us to accept an institution which contradicts the convictions of the great majority," Kaczynski said. In a letter to Poland's consul general in New York, Fay protested: "We are frustrated to hear that images from such a joyous day are used to spread intolerance. I request a meeting to discuss the matter of civil rights raised by the Polish political leader's remarks and the uses/misuse of our wedding photographs. ... We would never have agreed to permit our photographs as part of a homophobic campaign." Consul General Krzysztof Kasprzyk has agreed to meet and called Kaczynski's actions a "pitiful incident." The Polish gay group Campaign Against Homophobia commented: "The message and the choice of images used in the address is a clear sign of ignorance and overt homophobia. It is an embarrassment that an image of a foreign, happily married couple ... should be used to promote hatred and misconceptions in our country by the head of state.
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"[I]n light of Lech Kaczynski's decision to ban the [gay] Equality Parade
twice [when he was] mayor of Warsaw, we worry that the president is consciously capitalizing on the fears of a certain part of Polish society towards lesbians and gays."
ILGA-Europe to Meet in Vienna The European branch of the International Lesbian and Gay Association will stage its annual conference in Vienna this year Oct. 30 to Nov. 2. "The theme... is 'Think globally, act locally,' and reflects the work of ILGA-Europe and its members on advocating for international human rights standards and practices and their implementation at the local level," the group said. The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, Thomas Hammarberg, will take part in the gathering, and Austrian President Heinz Fischer and Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer are serving as honorary organizers. For more information, see ilgaeurope.org/conference.
Mayors Decline to Sign ILGA-Europe Appeal The mayors of Riga, Latvia, and Tallinn, Estonia, have declined to sign a pledge from the European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association in support of the rights of GLBT people to freedom of assembly and expression. Nineteen European mayors have signed the document—from Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, Budapest, Cologne, Copenhagen, Dublin, Ljubljana, London, Luxembourg, Manchester, Nicosia, Paris, Stockholm, Venice, Vienna, Winterthur and Zurich. In his written refusal, Riga Mayor Janis Birks said: "The Riga City Council truly supports your initiative, greatly appreciates the actions of the campaign and all the possible positive effects generated by the project [but] the decision on the appeal should rather remain an individual competence of each city." Tallinn Mayor Edgar Savisaar submitted the pledge to a City Council committee, which advised him that his signature was unnecessary because minorities are not mistreated in the city. There has been no response yet from several cities.
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Euro Mayors Invited to Moscow Pride Organizers of Moscow's third gay pride events, scheduled for May 30-31, have urged the mayors of Berlin, Paris and London to attend the events. The city's first two pride parades were banned by Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who called them "satanic," and people who attended the public events that replaced the parades were violently attacked by anti-gay demonstrators. Writing to openly gay Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit, openly gay Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë and gay-friendly London Mayor Ken Livingstone, Moscow Pride organizers Nikolai Baev and Nikolai Alekseev said: "Please take part in our conference and rally. This could principally change the situation in Moscow. This would give us a real chance that our civil rights will be respected by Moscow administration and that violence will be avoided."
Israel Grants Gay Palestinian Residency to Live with Partner Israel has granted residency to a 33-year-old gay Palestinian to live with his Israeli partner in Tel Aviv because the Palestinian had received anti-gay death threats while living in the West Bank. The move was unprecedented, and even straight couples rarely receive such permission. A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces' coordinator of government activities in the territories said an exception was made because the man's life was apparently in danger. The man will be required to renew the IDFissued residence permit monthly until the Interior
Ministry rules on his five-year-old application for a more permanent status.
Poles Disagree with President over EU Charter Sixty-five percent of Poles support the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, which would commit Poland to the European Union's gay-friendly Charter of Fundamental Rights. And only 19 percent believed President Lech Kaczynski's March 17 televised warning that adopting the treaty could force Poland to recognize or legalize same-sex marriages, a poll for the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper has found. The treaty became a hotter topic in Poland after Kaczynski came under fire for using a photo and video clip from New York City gay activist Brendan Fay's 2003 Canadian wedding during the nationally broadcast speech in which he issued the gay-marriage warning. Fay filed a complaint with Poland's New York consul general, Krzysztof Kasprzyk, who called Kaczynski's use of the photo and video "pitiful". On March 29, a Polish television network flew Fay and his husband, Thomas Moulton, to Warsaw for an interview. The Polish gay group, Campaign Against Homophobia, accused Kaczynski of "ignorance and overt homophobia." "[I]n light of Lech Kaczynski's decision to ban the [gay] Equality Parade twice [when he was] mayor of Warsaw, we worry that the president is consciously capitalizing on the fears of a certain part of Polish society towards lesbians and gays," the group said.
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Guadalajara Wants to Relocate Gay Bars The Mexican city of Guadalajara is threatening to move gay clubs out of the city center in advance of the 2011 Pan American Games that will take place in the city, according to Carlos Oceguera, who owns two such clubs. A February story in the daily newspaper La Jornada Jalisco made the same claim, with the headline "Guadalajara mayor's office attack against gay clubs; it doesn't want them in the Historic Downtown." Oceguera said city officials believe the presence of businesses catering to gays gives the city a "bad and promiscuous image" for tourists. "They claim that our lifestyle is offensive to the clean conscience of the citizens of Guadalajara and that we have to sacrifice our personal economic interests to the good citizens of Guadalajara," Oceguera said. "In order for us to have a presentable face to visitors, homosexuals have to go out of the center." Oceguera said that while local media have reported on gay business owners' "discontent" with the apparent plan, "we now need some international help since the local authorities are not paying attention to our protests." Among the clubs possibly threatened are Caudillos, Circus, La Prisciliana, Club Ye Ye, Azul, Azul Vip, El Aposento, Mundo Cool, Máskaras and Red Light, La Jornada Jalisco said.
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Business
PROFILES CASA Workers’ Center Open in Baltimore courses and tenant, worker and women's associations. By facilitating the creation of workers’ associations to take a leadership role in the Center's operations, and by combining educational courses with employment services and training opportunities, CASA ensures that the community it serves is personally invested in the Center. In 2002, CASA opened an office in Baltimore City to provide legal rights counseling and leadership development to workers. Following the release of Baltimore’s Day Labor Report, recommending the creation of an employment and training center, CASA worked with the Mayor's office to secure funding for a Workers’ Center that opened at 2224 East Fayette Street in January 2008. Founded in 1985, CASA of Maryland was created by Central American refugees and North Americans in response to the human needs of the thousands of Central Americans arriving to the D.C. area after fleeing wars and civil strife in their countries of origin. CASA works to create strong, economically and ethnically diverse communities in which all people—especially women, low-income people and workers—can participate and benefit fully, regardless of their immigration status. In addition to providing vocational training and English language skills to Maryland’s Latino immigrant community, CASA also engages in advocacy and organizing work related to these issues. In the early 1990’s, the growing number of workers congregating on street corners seeking employment led CASA to open its first Workers’
Center in Silver Spring, MD. Due to informal labor market conditions, many workers were abused, mistreated, and under-paid (or not paid at all) by their employers. Workers lacked information about their rights and responsibilities, facilities such as public restrooms and safe areas in which to interact and negotiate with employers. In addition, neighborhood associations and local businesses also expressed concerns about the effects of unorganized hiring sites on the neighborhood.
“The Center provides a safe space for workers who are looking for work to find employers who are looking for workers for a day, week or other relatively short period of
time. We seek to create an environment in which workers can find employers in a setting where they will not be abused and exploited as they so often are,” explained Elizabeth Alex, lead organizer and manager of CASA of Maryland. CASA’s fourth Workers’ Center in the state, the Baltimore Workers’ Employment Center, introduces a wonderful opportunity for homeowners and small business people. As Elizabeth Alex stated: “Employers are getting the work that they need done and paying a fair wage. At the same time, money is going directly to the workers who need money, but are also very highly-qualified.” For additional information about CASA of Maryland or to inquire about hiring skilled workers, visit www.casademaryland.org or call 410.732.7777.
The Silver Spring Center has grown to house an employment placement program, health education and outreach program, a bilingual health information hotline, a legal services program, seven levels of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes, citizenship prep courses, a vocational training program, financial literacy
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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 SPONSORED BY
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What is the primary purpose or mission of CenterLink? We are working diligently to provide leadership training opportunities to center leaders and to provide technical assistance and capacity-building services to all centers. We, for example, help centers develop job descriptions or policies for boards of directors. We also provide new start-up groups with technical assistance, information on how to start a center, how to effectively fundraise and how to apply for nonprofit 501(c)3 status. CenterLink also serves as the national voice for community centers on issues such as hate crimes and bullying. We work to create a network of folks at the grassroots level to ensure that LGBT folks on local levels are represented on a national level. How has the community center movement evolved over time and remained relevant to LGBT civil rights struggles? Community centers are the heart and soul of the LGBT community in their home locations. As far as we have progressed in the LGBT movement, community centers remain that one safe, nurturing, welcoming space place for the individual struggling to come out. They allow people to come into a place without any judgment about sexual orientation or gender identity. What community centers have also become are places that provides services for the community members at all stages of their life, whether they be struggling with work issues, becoming a partner, becoming a parent or working through other difficult issues.
INTERVIEW BY MADDY DWERTMAN
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enterLink (formerly The National Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Centers [NALGBTCC]), was founded in 1994 as a member-based coalition to support the development of strong, sustainable LGBT community centers. Based in Washington DC, CenterLink serves over 168 community centrs across the country in 45 states and the District of Columbia through networking opportunities for center leaders, peer-based technical assistance and training and various capacity-building services. Despite the influential role of local LGBT community centers in the national LGBT movement, media attention given to more wellknown national advocacy organizations, such as Human Rights Campaign and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, often overshadows the important work of both CenterLink and individual community centers. Gay Life spoke with CenterLink’s executive director, Terry Stone, about the history and evolution of CenterLink, its role in the national LGBT civil rights movement and hitting the road this summer with Cyndi Lauper and the 2nd annual True Colors Tour in support of LGBT equality. How did NALGBTCC begin? Community Centers go back to the 1970s. CenterLink started in 1987 as an informal gathering of leaders from LGBT centers across the country during the annual conference of the National Gay and Lesbian Health Association. These leaders began to gather at an annual forum for peer PA G E 1 4 •
support and the exchange of ideas. Over the years, the center leaders continued to stay in contact and work together. In 1994, as part of the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, leaders gathered for an all-day meeting at the Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center of New York. That is where the organization was more formally created as a dues-paying membership organization. For the next 10 years, community center leaders met regularly to share ideas, network, build skills and provide technical support to one another…. In 2004, CenterLink hired first executive director and opened a national office in Washington, DC. April 4 - April 17, 2008
Community centers have adapted services to meet the needs of their communities. In a lot of cities, it is not a big issue to be out or be open about who you love, but there is always a need for a space where you are comfortable to be with folks who are just like you. Look at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. One of the first two community centers in the country that opened in 1971, it is now an organization with an annual budget of $43 million and over 200 employees. Although the L.A. center is in one of the most accepting cities in the country, it is still relevant in its community. In smaller locations, people that don’t have welcoming communities are brave enough to stand up and say here we are, this is what we do and this is why you need to work with us. Community centers prove their relevance and value to their communities because they continue to adapt to change that is expressed by individuals who walk through their doors every day of the week. NALGBTCC just changed its name to CenterLink. What influenced the change? We went through a year-long process during which we talked with folks in the community and worked with Better World Advertising, which helped with the branding process, to look at how we identify as an organization. We did not have an official logo before. Our former name, National Association of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Centers was descriptive of who we serve, but it was so long and cumbersome that it got in the way of people listening when we introduced ourselves. We would spout off this long list of words…. It represented the work we did, but the name did not generate any connection to who we were. We wanted to help people engage whenever they saw our name. “Center” is the word that is
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most important, so we decided that needed to be included. Over the last few years as we have moved into our offices in D.C., we have become that link for centers across the country when they need assistance, want to talk to each other, and are looking to engage in public policy and advocacy work. CenterLink rose to the top as the name that really identifies who we are, what we do and why we exist. We’re going to be coming out with a new website soon that will put the new name and logo in front of more folks. We are really a community of community centers. There are 168 community centers across the country. Of those centers, 100 are dues- paying members, but we still work with and assist centers whether they are dues-paying or not. What is CenterLink’s role in the upcoming True Colors Tour? We are really excited because it is our chance to really participate at the national level around the issue of LGBT equality. By linking work at the local level to a national tour, we
hope people will better understand the value of community centers and the services they provide. It is not only about garnering national attention to association, but also bringing visibility to community centers. Each local Center in the cities where the tour is coming will be given a group of tickets that they can use for their own fundraising purposes. They will also be able to attend the concert and have a table set up to provide information to attendees about the work they are doing. The tour really understands that this is unique partnership because we have local links to the actual facilities and places that people go to on a daily basis. It’s a wonderful link for the tour. Community centers are the grassroots places struggling for LGBT equality. For additional information about CenterLink, visit www.lgbtcenters.org. True Colors Tour 2008 will be coming to Washington, D.C. on June 7, 2008 at DAR Constitution Hall. For information on performers and to purchase
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OPINIONS
TRANSMISSIONS Ill Treatment by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
here are few topics as cringeworthy for a transgender person as health care. I think I can be safe in saying that this is one of the biggest challenges that a transperson can face—and I'm not even talking about the more obvious transgender issues of genital reconstruction or chest surgery. It all, however, starts with these largely trans-specific procedures.
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To much of the medical community, the issue of such surgery is treated as fringe medicine, not worthy of inclusion with what they might consider more legitimate medical care. It's viewed as a curiosity at best, with many considering it to be unethical. Many of the practitioners of genital reconstructive surgery or
other such procedures are seen as somewhere outside the norm, and not part of the medical mainstream. Their argument is that such procedures remove otherwise healthy tissue with no medical gain to be had. Some might even go so far as to say it goes against the Hippocratic oath: That such care, even though it has been wished for by a patient who has undergone psychiatric evaluation and other tests to assure that it is a wise choice, goes against the notion of doing no harm. It also turns out to also be a personal moral issue, with doctors questioning treatment based on moral or religious grounds over proper patient care. Adding a wrinkle to it all are the
Take a deep breath… It’s a busy world, to say the least. Whenever we find ourselves multi-tasking - whether out of choice, necessity, or habit - our bodies, minds and emotions race in many directions at once. For many of us, this high-speed, chronically stressful engagement begins the moment we awaken until we collapse back into bed at night. We can’t sustain this level of constant busy-ness without experiencing negative consequences, and often we find ourselves feeling scattered, depleted, and breathless. It’s important to create time to slow down and re-center ourselves regularly in order to return to a place of physical, mental, emotional, and subtle balance. Hatha Yoga practice links deep, regular, soothing breathing with gentle, fluid, mindful movement to return body, mind, emotions, and spirit back to a place of balance and wellness. Join Certified Yoga Instructors Tim Hurley and Kelly O’Neal each week at the Center for Gentle Beginner Yoga and enjoy the priceless benefits of feeling balanced, centered, and deeply relaxed. Classes are held on Sundays at 3:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. (please arrive a few minutes early) in Room 201 at the Center. Classes cost $9.00 each, and a portion of that cost is donated back to the Center. For more information, check the Programs link at www.glccb.org or call 410-837-5445. Breathe easy. PA G E 1 8 •
healthcare insurers, who typically exclude transgender-related treatment as a matter of course. Most insurers cite such care as "cosmetic" or even "experimental," the latter being an odd choice to call a 50+ year-old procedure that has its roots in turn of the previous century medical procedures. Likewise, most such treatments might otherwise be covered for those who have not identified as transgender: a woman who does not identify herself as transgender will find it less difficult to get a hysterectomy than a transman, even if both are facing the procedure due to cancer or pre-cancerous conditions. Never mind that few of us can even afford health insurance, let alone be able to afford the most basic of medical care—but that is a topic for another time. What this leads to are two things. For one, you have a medical establishment that is distrustful, even hostile toward transgender procedures, people, and their caregivers. At best, many will assume that the average transgender person is in need of psychotherapy rather than any other treatment, and may be trying to "abuse the system" simply to get needed medical care. In the case of the hysterectomy patient I mentioned above, this man was turned away from care because it was assumed that—as he wanted a hysterectomy as part of his transition— his need for it due to a pre-cancerous condition was somehow less legitimate. In another case, a transman by the name of Robert Eads was turned away by over 20 clinics because his presence in their offices and hospitals might otherwise upset their non-transgender patients. Eads died as a result of cervical cancer. His cancer might have been treatable by any of the doctors who turned him away, had they treated him early enough—instead of turning him away over their discomfort. In another well known case, more than a decade ago, a transgender woman by the name of Tyra Hunter died due to internal bleeding in Washington, D.C. after a traffic accident. It is fairly well known that medical technicians on the scene halted treatment for her injuries for several minutes to mock her after one of the caregivers in question cut open her pants leg, revealing her genitals. What is perhaps less known is that she was also left to sit at the hospital, further untreated by a doctor who let the hemorrhaging continue.
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Our insurers turn us away not solely for genital reassignment, but for any care they deem is somehow related to our trans-ness. Really, this is like a blank check for them to deny us from any medical care, strictly because of our transgender selves—any tenuous connection can be used against us, citing hormone treatment or other care as being one of the contributors to our malady. Stories like these are what cause the second issue: transgender people do their best to avoid medical care due to potentially negligent treatment. When we see doctors and other health professionals, we are laid bare, literally and otherwise. Our medical history is their concern, and that history is often present on our own flesh. We are vulnerable to those we trust our health care to. As we often face derision, we therefore avoid trusting our care to anyone but ourselves, believing it best to not subject ourselves to such treatment if we don't have to. This means that medical issues that might have been minor to begin with become major. Although largely insignificant, I have health issues that I've avoided taking to a caregiver simply because I don't want to have to hear, yet again, about my gender. I don't want to be addressed by pronouns I abandoned nearly 15 year ago. I don't want to be told that my medical issues are somehow, in some small way, tied to my transgender self—therefore unworthy of their care. I know I'm not alone in this. Instead, many of us self-medicate or go to less than reputable caregivers, or simply avoid the issue of health until it may be too late—each of which, then, tells the medical establishment that their assumptions of us being part of some fringe are well-founded. Yet even "the fringe" deserves proper health care. The Hippocratic oath becomes hypocrisy: "Doing harm" is exactly what we suffer. You can find Gwen Smith on the web at www.gwensmith.com.
What are
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The Belated Beauty ty; harmful home environments; and substance abuse. It is difficult for any governmental or private program to solve this problem because there is no one fix-all solution. Non-homeless persons’ feelings of pity and blame, as well as their inferior treatment of homeless persons, offer a glimpse into how society cares for others in unfortunate circumstances.
by David Placher Homeless on Howard Street that I am Standing on the corner for all to see Holding a sign, but everyone is blind To the ground I stand on, the street below Fractured, bumpy, difficult, and I have no where to go My internal self is looked down on as a sin My every day win is when someone gives A penny, a dime, some cash to unwind my addiction To something harmful to all, but me For you see, the voices inside tell me it is ok Ok, so I take it to live another day I think the voices are silent to all Except to me Without the substance I would be lost In a difficult, chaotic world One that which everyone lives in but me My beauty shines inside But darkness is too strong on the outside for anyone to see Here I am, again, asking for money from a stranger But this stranger is different, so I think I was class of ‘65 or was it ‘75? The stranger would know, he graduated with me, so I think And there he goes, a wife, a kid, what does he think? He sees me on the side of the road Holding this sign But he is also bind Gives me nothing And there he goes Survival is hard on me, Pays little, only what I receive My problems mean nothing Just another human being on the street With a sign Asking for money, so you give to me to go away But staunchly as I am, My home is Howard Street Until the end
The homeless population in Baltimore is self-evident. It is not uncommon to see a person standing along MLK Boulevard with a sign disclosing his or her homeless status and requesting money. It is also not unusual for a homeless person to panhandle in the downtown area. People that typically find themselves in this situation are usually ignored and their status in society is viewed as inferior. There are four main causes that force a person to become homeless: mental illness; financial instabili-
Pity is a sympathetic sorrow evoked by the suffering or misfortunes of another. When some people see a homeless person, their first reaction is to donate because they feel sympathy towards the homeless. This donation involves giving money or something of value. However, this generosity of the donor is often followed by the question: “If I give money, am I enabling this person to buy drugs or liquor?” This is largely due to the donor not knowing what caused the person to become homeless. The donor, however, should sidestep this internal question and provide assistance. The homeless person may not have an addiction, but rather a mental illness or a financial problem. Or they may be a victim of abuse. Donors must realize that they cannot monitor a stranger’s conduct and control his or her spending habits after providing a donation. A donation may, however, provide just the assistance that the individual is seeking. Blame surfaces when a non-homeless person holds the homeless person responsible for his or her own situation; therefore, the non-homeless person will provide no assistance. The designation of blame may rest in the belief that homelessness is selfinflicted. Although this belief is farfetched to some, it does exist. The problem with the concept of blame, for example, is that a person could opt to be homeless in order to escape an abusive environment; in this situation, the blamer would be blaming the victim for being a victim. Inferior treatment is fueled by a non-homeless person’s belief that he or she is intelligently superior or better than a homeless person. This involves effectively invoking the Darwinistic theory of survival of the fittest. The problem with constructing this dichotomy of inferior and superior is that the theory abandons a patriotic spirit. For example, some people honor their country by joining the United States military. Under warlike conditions, a person may witness a shocking event that results in permanent mental illness. Depending on the depth of the mental illness, this could ultimately force continued on page 21
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OPINIONS
If Obama Can Throw His Pastor Under the Bus, What Will He Do to Us? religious convictions—“he say?”— were formed during his 20’s at Trinity while working as a community organizer with local churches on the South Side of Chicago.
by Rev. Irene Monroe hen the religious narrative you tell about your life to the American public is revealed to be vastly different than the one you actually lived, you have more than a credibility problem—you have a dilemma, as Obama is finding out.
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And the dilemma is not just that Obama’s religious narrative is fictitious, but so too is the media spin on his pastor. While the moral high ground to address the public’s shock over Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s condemnations on America’s foreign and domestic polices appeared to be Obama’s address on race, Obama actually ran aground with many African American Christians by anchoring the public’s outrage and his fear of losing the presidential bid on the back of one of this nation’s most revered African American ministers. “He’s used Jeremiah, and Trinity is his strongest base. He handled the media abysmally, and the uncle reference was demeaning. Many of us said we saw it coming,” a member of Trinity told me in anonymity in order to not have the press come after him. Rev. Wright was the man who brought Obama to Christ, presided over his nuptials, baptized him and his daughters and served as the inspiration for his bestseller, The Audacity of Hope. And while Obama has now denounced Rev. Wrights’ incendiary remarks, after twenty years of hearing them, suspicion nonetheless still surfaces about his professed faith as a Christian. Although Obama was reared in a non-religious household and religion came to Obama late in life, his PA G E 2 0 •
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As a central, powerful and revered institution within the AfricanAmerican community, the Black Church captivated Obama’s attention. He says he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change.” Since his address, however, he has raised the question in the minds of many black Christians as to how much he really covets the power of the Black Church for his own political aggrandizement, rather than for its religion. While MSNBC talk-show host Tucker Carlson was the first to publicly suggest Obama's faith is "suddenly conspicuous," suggesting that Obama has only recently begun addressing his religious background as part of "a very calculated plan on the part of the Democratic Party to win" religious voters in the 2008 presidential race, the suspicion is now looming even larger. If Obama, however, is indeed using religion to win votes, he unfortunately placed himself in a difficult quagmire—not only with LGBTQ and liberal voters, but also by remaining a member of Trinity. Why? Because he worships in a conservative black church within a liberal denomination. And Trinity is provisionally open to the idea of same sex marriage. In July 2005, the UCC General Synod overwhelmingly passed a Resolution of Marriage Equality. But, in August 2005, Wright spoke against the Synod’s position, causing my LGBTQ parishioners to leave. “Please tell me what is going on here? Why does it appear we are under attack? Maybe I am reacting, but this seems to be even from the folks we admire in the church that black same- gender loving issues are not important. We are still seen as gay and white,” stated a gay member of Trinity. In the church’s magazine, The Trumpet, his article “Maybe I Missed Something!” shows how LGBTQ issues are not a priority in his presentday prophetic social gospel intended to ameliorate the social conditions of all God’s African-American children.
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IMHO Fags and Their Hags
et’s start with a definition of a fag hag. My favorite comes from the Urban Dictionary: This is a woman who prefers the company of gay men because she recognizes their effervescence, incisive wit and sheer brilliance regarding the human condition. This woman appreciates the fact that gay men know how to drill down to the bittersweet core of an issue and make light of it where necessary, and simultaneously make dark humor of it where otherwise necessary. It is a by Mario Fernández gift that comes from being an outsider: Rather than lying down and taking a beating, as some do, the exalted gay man rises from the ashes and finds the ridiculous glory in being an outsider. In this endeavor, he seeks the company of a woman, and she of him...because regardless of intentions, women and men enjoy the company of those who feel "right" to each other.
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his hag. This is commonly known as a fag hag shag; it invariably leads to disastrous results and, like voting Republican, it just should not be done. The relationship between a fag and his hag is deliciously complex. Gay men have always been harbinger, the canary in the coalmine, if you will, of the Next Big Thing. Fags practically invented disco, added the glam to rock and put the designer in drugs. The keeping up with the latest and hottest trends factor is a major attraction for the hag. Plus, the hag gets a man to pick up other men with. They can go to bars and compete about who can get some guy's phone number first. The hag is the confidant who knows where all the bodies are buried; knows where the fag keeps the porn and the (ahem) toys (and has explicit instructions to remove said objects should anything ever happen to said gay man); knows how old he really is; knows what kind of vodka he keeps in his freezer; has his pharmacist and plastic surgeon on speed dial; and reassures him that the twink cruised him when he really sneered at him ‘as if….’ The hag will also forgive the fact that the fag has a better skin regimen than she does. The fag knows when it’s his hag’s time of the month because they’re on the same cycle. He knows what she really weighs; what she looks like without makeup; when her chocolate binge is imminent; when it’s Grey Goose time and when she’ll settle for Smirnoff. Fags and their hags do not cut each other any slack. They will tell each other he/he is not good enough for you and when he/he is cheating on you. They will also remind each other when it’s sale time at Barney’s and when it’s time for another round of Botox. So how do you know if you are a true fag hag? Here’s a quick quiz…. n If you know who Mouse Tolliver is, you’re a fag hag.
n If you have more than one Madonna, Cher or Bette Midler CD, you’re a fag hag.
n If you can apply flawless lip liner, you’re fag hag.
n If you know that a bear is not just a mammal in the order Carnivora, you’re a fag hag. n If you can out drink your fag, you’re a fag hag.
n If you’d rather go to a drag show than a Broadway show, you’re a fag hag.
A fag hag is also the gay man’s favorite accessory. Yes, this accessory is treasured above other vitally important accessories like ear cuffs, Prince Alberts and toy dogs. This accessory usually comes in the form of a heterosexual woman. Fag hag synonyms include fruit fly, homo honey, fruit loop, Goldilocks, flame dame, sissy missy, queer dear and fairy godmother.
n If you went to the prom with your fag, you’re a fag hag.
Fags and their hags go together like condoms and lube, like poppers and shirtless boys on the dance floor, like eyeliner and frosted tips, like tabs of E and bottles of water…well, you get the idea. And, just so that you know, I don’t buy into the idea that all hags have to be overweight women living vicariously through their gay best friend. My hags are not overweight, lonely or all female.
Always remember, fags need their hags as much as their hags need them. So hag wannabes, keep your eye out for the nelly boy in high school who keeps making you mix tapes, the Gap sales clerk who lets you know that the item you wish to purchase will be on sale next week and the guy who's in line at your aesthetician's for his mannies and peddies--they're all looking for a posse of one. So get out there and find yourself the gay man of your life!
A rich relationship can develop between a straight woman and a gay man because there is no sexual tension. The fag may pick out his hag’s panties, but he does not want to get into them. The fag-hag relationship allows the participants to separate intimacy and sexuality. However, the intense intimacy between a fag and his hag can sometimes lead to a fag sleeping with
n If you know what a red handkerchief worn on the left or right means, you’re a fag hag. And if you know what a dark red one means, you may as well be a gay man.
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.
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a person to become homeless. The person that was once treated as a hero is now treated with little respect. Adoption of the survival of the fittest approach disrespects the veterans’ service by doing nothing and providing no aide. Throughout my lifetime, I have experienced different types of feelings towards the homeless. The older and more mature I get, the better I understand the underlying problems of homelessness and the more my treatment of the homeless changes for the better. The reality is that I or a close friend may one day find ourselves in a homeless predicament. How I treat the homeless today may be what I am faced with in the future. I titled both the poem and this opinion article “The Belated Beauty” because a homeless person’s beauty within is often ignored as his or her homeless status overshadows any talents or unique character traits he or she possess. This beauty typically remains unappreciated until the title of “homeless” is stripped from that beautiful person on the street. David Placher is an attorney. He enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and exploring the outdoors. His relationship classification is forever single. www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •
ATTENTION
Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the GLCCB or Gay Life.
We welcome your letters and opinions. Submissions should include a name, address and phone number for verification and may be edited for content and length. Send submissions by e-mail to editor@baltimoregaylife.com or fax to 410.837.8889 or by mail to Editor, 241 W. Chase Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. April 4 - April 17, 2008
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MONROE - continued from page 20
“While our denomination grappled with how to address that human problem, the denomination also, at that Synod, voted to ordain a homosexual. Guess which item made the newspapers? Maybe I missed something!” And in his closing tirades on the issues, Wright stated this: “Are 44 million Americans with no health care insurance less important than ‘gay marriage?’ Why aren’t Black Christians in an uproar about that? Maybe I am missing something!” When the article came out in light of the United Church of Christ’s stance on ordaining and marrying LGBTQ people, it was disheartening for many to know that Pastor Wright broke rank with his liberal denomination to stand in solidarity with a more conservative Black Church position.
We don't debate, or simply tolerate; we celebrate your sexuality and spirituality!
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“Folks were very hurt by his remarks he made in the Trumpet article. I wanted to know where he really stood with us on same-gender loving issues. When the chair of the same-gender family wrote Wright about the church addressing black heterosexism and black homophobia, he said we have done that for over the thirty years and that his sermons should speak for his support on these issues. In his articles he said he was not putting same-gender loving persons down. Rather, he was simply showing how society appears to only be focused on those issues and not the issues that impact Black issues. I reminded him that I am a black female out lesbian. I do not choose to be one or the other which is all of my being,” stated a lesbian member of Trinity I wonder now how much of Obama’s views on gay civil right are shaped by Trinity. If they are not, does he use those Christian views to avoid giving us our full civil right? Or is Obama perhaps playing us as much as he has played his pastor?!
11 AM Praise Celebration & Family Service
Metropolitan Community Church of Baltimore - (410)NOW-MCCb Cb 401 W. Monument Street (at Eutaw) www.mccbaltimore.org
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It was also not surprising that when Obama appeared on CNN’s “Situation Room” with Wolf Blitzer, he stood where his pastor does on the issue. “Well, I think that marriage has a religious connotation in this society, in our culture, that makes it very difficult to disentangle from the civil aspects of marriage. And, as a consequence, it would be extraordinarily difficult and a distraction to try to build a consensus around marriage for gays and lesbians. What we can do is form civil unions that provide all the civil rights that marriage
April 4 - April 17, 2008
entails to same-sex couples. And that is something that I have consistently been in favor of. And I think that the vast majority of Americans don’t want to see gay and lesbian couples discriminated against when it comes to hospital visitation and so on.” Many African American Christians now suspect that Obama is using the "race card" to win their votes, at the expense of pitting their interests against gays. For example, when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004, Obama campaigned at the Salem Baptist Church on Chicago's South Side. It's the 22,000-member black mega-church of Rev. James Meeks, who has called homosexuality an evil sickness. Outside of the hallowed walls of church, the Rev. James Meeks is State Senator James Meeks. Obama knew to pander to his base. When news first got out about Wright's Afrocentric theology and Sunday sermons that disparagingly speak ill of whites and Israel, Obama began immediately to distance himself. Yet, these same sermons were not a problem for Obama when they were spiritually nurturing him into becoming a public figure. Now Obama will no longer continue to speak and write about the special relationship with his pastor, because it has run afoul of his ambitions. In explaining his relations to the media about Wright, Obama described him as a crazed uncle we all have in our family. And, in his address, Obama stated that he “can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother.” However, I beg to differ. There is a distinct difference between the biological family you are born into and the church family you choose to worship with. And so too is there a distinct difference between telling the truth to the American public and telling us a lie. If Obama can throw his pastor under the bus, what will he do to LGBTQ voters on his way to the White House? 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.
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Equality Forum 2008: Nation’s Largest LGBT Civil Rights Forum Set to Kick-Off in Philadelphia
quality Forum 2008, the largest annual national and international LGBT civil rights forum set to take place from April 28 to May 4 in Philadelphia, will feature 34 substantive programs, 14 parties and 15 special events. There is no registration fee and all subsequent programs and the LibertyPA/Equality Advocates Pennsylvania Statewide Reception are free.
E
Federal elections and political issues will be a focus at Equality Forum 2008, which will feature a national politics panel, national military panel and national legal panel. Additionally, “A Conversation with Barney Frank” will be held on May 4; the Liberty PA/Equality Advocates Pennsylvania Statewide Reception will honor Congressmen Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and Joe Sestak (DPA); and the International Role Model Award will be bestowed upon New Mexico Governor Bill Richards at the International Equality Dinner. “The 2008 elections will have profound impact on LGBT civil rights from the hoped-for passage of EDNA to the likely nomination of Supreme Court Justices,” stated Malcolm Lazin, executive director of Equality Forum. “Equality Forum 2008 brings together federal and state elected officials and major community leaders for that discussion.” The international focus of Equality Forum 2008 will be Gays and Lesbians in the Muslim World. With various panel discussions, a screening of A Jihad for Love followed by a Q&A with director Parvez Sharma, and “A Conversation with Irshad Manji,” a lesbian Muslim reformer who is the best-selling author of The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith and creator of the acclaimed PBS documentary, Faith without Fear, programs will examine the status and plight of gays and lesbians in Muslim nations. Other highlights of this year’s week-long forum include: a retrospective of the work of Duane Michals, a preeminent contemporary gay photographer; the 4th annual interfaith service at historic Christ Church; and SundayOUT! in Old City, the largest annual LGBT street festival in the Philadelphia region. Equality Forum is a non-profit organization that develops innovative, high-impact educational programming and content in the form of documentary films, history projects and educational forums to enhance public understanding of LGBT issues. For additional information on Equality Forum 2008, visit www.equalityforum.com. Also, be sure to check out exclusive interviews with some of Equality Forum 2008’s featured panelists in the next issue of Gay Life.
www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •
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CALENDAR COMMUNITY
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Friday April 4
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.
Lisa Cerbone Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD http://www.myspace.com/ readstreetbooks 8 p.m.
Saturday April 5
Arts & Crafts Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 4:30-6 p.m. Harford Rainbow Society Dinner Out Visit www.harfordrainbow.com for location in Joppa 7 p.m. Movie & Game Night Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-8:30 p.m. New Image (Narcotics Anonymous) LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6-7:30 p.m. Sufficient As I aM (SAIM) Youth & Young Adults 24 & Under GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 12:30 p.m. T. D. Broscoff Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD http://www.myspace.com/ readstreetbooks 8 p.m. Tony Furtado Live @ Coffee East 5 Goldsborough St.
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Easton, MD 21601 443-786-2750 8 p.m.
Sunday April 6
Beginners Yoga with Tim Hurley, RYT GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 $9/person 3:30 p.m. Denial, Disparity & Forgiveness HIV/AIDS Grace United Methodist Church 5407 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 410-433-6650 6 p.m. (dinner & fellowship) 6:45 p.m. (program) 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. Sunday Afternoon @ the Movies Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center 2505 E. Oliver St. Baltimore, MD 21213 www.thespiraldancebookstore.com 1-3 p.m.
Monday April 7
Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday April 8
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LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30 - 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. Howard County/Columbia PFLAG Owen Brown Interfaith Center 7246 Cradlerock Way Columbia, MD 410-290-8292 (Collette Roberts) www.pflagmd.org 7:30-9 p.m. Rainbow Youth Alliance Owen Brown Interfaith Center 7246 Cradlerock Way Columbia, MD 7:30 p.m. Positive Influence LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Wednesday April 9 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.
Easton, MD 21601 443-786-2750 8 p.m.
‘Tini Lounge Happy Hour GG’s Restaurant & Martini Bar 41 N. Potomac St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 4:30-10:00 p.m.
Arts & Crafts Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 4:30-6 p.m.
Thursday April 10
Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 8:30 p.m. JUMP (Just Us Making Progress) Confidential HIV Support Group The Portal 2419 Greenmount Ave., Suite 1 Baltimore, MD 21218 410-235-5241 www.theportalbmore.org 7-8:30 p.m. Real Estate Review Education Series White Marsh Library 8133 Sandpiper Circle Baltimore, MD 21236 Free admission 7-8:30 p.m. Support Group for Individuals with Mental Health Issues Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-7:30 p.m. Women of Color Group GLCCB 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 7:30 p.m.
Friday April 11
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. Janine Wilson Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD http://www.myspace.com/ readstreetbooks 8 p.m. John Principato Band Live @ Coffee East 5 Goldsborough St.
April 4 - April 17, 2008
Saturday April 12
Elisa Nicolas Live @ Read St. Books 229 W. Read St. Baltimore, MD http://www.myspace.com/r eadstreetbooks 8 p.m. GIG (Gender Identity Group) GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.myspace.com/gender_identity_group 8 p.m. Movie & Game Night Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-8:30 p.m. New Image (Narcotics Anonymous) LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6-7:30 p.m. 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 April 13
Food for the Soul Sundays Hosted by K. Love & WAHHT! GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-837-5445 8 p.m. Narcotics Anonymous Sunday Men’s Rap GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.na.org 11:30 a.m. Sailaway Pride Night Weather Rail Bar Loews Hotel 126 West St. Annapolis, MD 5-9 p.m.
Social Activity (Varies) Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 1-6 p.m. Spiral Dance Showcase Spice & Margaret Lockalear Spiral Dance Womyn’s Center 2505 E. Oliver St. Baltimore, MD 21213 www.thespiraldancebookstore.com 5-7 p.m.
Monday April 14
Men Like Me Open Support Group GLCCB, Room 202 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 menlikeme@glccb.org 6 p.m. PFLAG Columbia/Howard County Parent Forum Owen Brown Interfaith Center 7246 Cradlerock Way Columbia, MD 7:30-9 p.m.
Tuesday April 15
Alcoholics Anonymous LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30-7:30 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. Positive Influence LGBT Community Hall 40 W. Church St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 6:30-7:30 p.m. Rainbow Youth Alliance Owen Brown Interfaith Center 7246 Cradlerock Way Columbia, MD 7:30 p.m.
• G A Y L I F E • www.baltimoregaylife.com
Wednesday April 16 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 April 17
Alcoholics Anonymous GLCCB, Room 201 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 www.aa.org 8:30 p.m. JUMP (Just Us Making Progress) Confidential HIV Support Group The Portal 2419 Greenmount Ave., Suite 1 Baltimore, MD 21218 410-235-5241 www.theportalbmore.org 7-8:30 p.m. Support Group for Individuals with Mental Health Issues Hearts & Ears 10 W. Biddle Street Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 www.heartsandears.org 6:30-7:30 p.m. Women of Color Group GLCCB 241 W. Chase St. Baltimore, MD 21201 7:30 p.m.
Confidential HIV/STI Testing & Counseling GLCCB
TTuesday, 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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DINING OUT By John Cullen and Marty Shayt ith ever-rising gas prices and a rollercoaster economy, we value dining out bargains more than ever before! The catch is that these bargains only occur on a single night of the week and a surprising number of fellow bargain hunters are often competing for tables at prime time dining hours! Here are a few of our favorite bargains that we would like to share with you:
W
CITY CAFE (MONDAY): 1/2 Off Burgers! (Burgers are normally $11 and come with choice of fries or coleslaw. Extras like cheese or mushrooms cost $1 extra). The “southwestern chicken taco soup”, available in a cup, makes a nice appetizer if you’re in the mood. The opportunity to flirt with the cute waiters makes the challenge of getting a table at prime time on bargain night worth the effort for Marty! (Mt Vernon: 1001 Cathedral St., www.citycafebaltimore.com) GOLDEN WEST CAFÉ (MONDAY): 1/3 Off Burgers! (Burgers are normally $10 and even on bargain night come with your choice of fries, peanut noodles or side salad.) (Hampden, 1105 W. 36th St., www.goldenwestcafe.com) MT VERNON STABLES (MONDAY): 1/2 Off Ribs (“Just the Meat!” and not the platters—side dishes cost extra!) We’re not big into ribs, but a full rack at $7 is definitely a bargain and our friends who enjoy ribs suck the bones to get every juicy morsel! John’s favorite is “The Whole Ensalada”—a great salad with generous chunks of chicken breast in an edible taco bowl. At the regular price of $8, it’s still a bargain! Marty regularly orders the “My Thai” wrap at $8.50. (Mt Vernon, 909 N. Charles St., www.citycafebaltimore.com) HULL STREET BLUES (TUESDAY): A big selection of about a dozen $10 entrees recently included small filet mignon, salmon & pasta with shrimp. Yes, for $10 bucks, you get veggies included! We both enjoy the homemade soups here—a cup of a seafood bisque we both ordered was sinfully rich. (John used a piece of bread to soak up every last drop in
the bowl.) Wine fans will be glad to find a selection of decent wines at $6/glass. Desserts are homemade and worth the indulgence and splurge if your budget allows! Marty usually ogles the bartenders (however straight!) in the adjacent bar because they’re cute and friendly. (Locust Point, 1222 Hull St., www.hullstreetblues.com) GERTRUDE’S (TUESDAY): Located inside the Baltimore Museum of Art, Gertrude’s offers a broad selection of entrees at $10. You typically get the regular menu as well as the list of $10 specials so you check to see how much they normally are! An extra special is that a side salad or cup of soup is available for $4 (which is still a bargain compared to normal “fine dining” prices)! We’ve really enjoyed “Can’t believe it’s not Crab” faux crab cakes, Salmon alla Bella, and Mama Lan’s Five-Spice Chicken. With it staying light outside later and temps getting warmer, we suggest a stroll through the adjacent outdoor sculpture garden. (Charles Village, 10 Museum Dr., www.gertrudesbaltimore.com) HELEN’S GARDEN (WEDNESDAY): Once you get past the hassle of finding a parking spot near Canton Square and John gets over feeling claustrophobic as we walk through the VERY narrow, long entrance hall, Helen’s offers a large number of $12 entrée specials. Be warned: Appetizers and desserts are not bargain priced and can quickly add up if you’re on a budget. Since desserts have often been a disappointment, we often stay with ordering just an entrée. Marty is fond of the pecan crusted trout and John usually opts for one of the pork chop specials that have never disappointed him! After dinner, a walk around Canton Square is always nice and offers plenty of people watching opportunities! (Canton, 2908 O’Donnell St., www.helensgarden.com) Hey, if you know of a bargain dining out place that we don’t, tell us about it! You can email us at diningout@baltimoregaylife.com.
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editor@baltimoregaylife.com
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Illustration by Sydnei SmithJordan, adversecreations@yahoo.com
FICTION Cereal: The Adventures of Pico Darling by Shayna Robinson Less than surprising, I awoke to a not a single pair of clean underwear in my whole f*cking apartment. The one’s from the night before were a mess. So after a few hours of lying around in bed, eating a bowl, getting off, smoking a bowl, I sashay-ed bare-assed, denim rubbing skin, to the Sudsville. My green laundry bag slung over one shoulder, detergent and other smelly-good stuff in a twice-wrapped plastic bag over the other. A paisley pouch full of quarters tied to my belt. The Mat was unusually empty for a late Sunday afternoon. Nearly every dryer sat dormant, not spinning. A few front loaders twirled, but nothing close to the perpetual pinwheel symphony that usually accompanied my trips there. I’ve never been a believer in sorting so I casually dumped the contents of the whole big bag into the nearest machine. I popped in some change, emptied about two capfuls of deter-
gent in one slot at the top and another one capful of fabric softener in the next slot over. (I am committed to softening, however.) I threw the empty bag back over my shoulder and leaned into the start button. I took a seat across from a woman eating a chicken box. Her eyes stared at a TV above my head while her teeth and lips sucked and pulled on some gristle. She didn’t seem to notice me. I sunk back into the chair and pulled my phone from my pocket. I tried calling Ce Ce. I tried calling Ce Ce again. I tried calling Ce Ce a third time; still, I did not connect. My service had finally been shut off. At first I had the audacity to be disappointed; I figured Asha would have taken care of something as simple as a cell phone bill. I sat there shaking my head, tssking away. Then suddenly, I had the sense enough to worry. Had none of last night actually happened?
Maybe it was all just a wet dream. Maybe Ce Ce and I had gotten really f*cked up, bingeing on whatever drugs she had brought in her purse and she told me some crazy story about f*cking Asha Hennessy, which I imagined corporally. Maybe I never even saw Ce Ce or talked to her on the phone. I hadn’t really not shown up for work, had I? I thought to call Joey down in the warehouse to confirm that I had, in fact, been there. The f*cking disconnection message blared in my ear before I could get to the first ring. F*CK! I pushed my elbows down hard into the tops of knees, which made the heels of my feet grind into the checkered tiled floor.
Jamming the phone back into my pocket, I then brought the green bag from my shoulder to the back of my neck so that I was grabbing either side with each hand, like a towel draped over me. I must have looked like quite the defeated footballer, in the locker room, after a hard fought, but ultimately lost, championship match because the woman was no longer fixed on the TV, but on me. I couldn’t take her stare so I got up to check on my machine. It was all sudsy inside. Watching the spin made me dizzy. I needed air. continued on page 30
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CEREAL - continued from page 29
Outside it was still bright although the sun was setting. I puffed on a cigarette, trying to calm myself, trying to be reasonable and logical. I pulled the phone from my pocket again, at the same time, stepping aside to let someone carrying two huge black trash bags full of what I assumed was dirty laundry through Sudsville’s front door. I’ll check my incoming calls, I thought. At least that way I’d be sure that Ce Ce certainly had called me. She did! On Friday at 2:34! Okay. I stepped down off of the sidewalk to let someone else pass. Another drag. Okay, so Ce Ce called Friday while I was at work and then I called her back at 8:16 and we spoke for 12 minutes and 57 seconds. Great!
“Pico, don’t be afraid,” this one said. “I’ve been looking for you all night.” “Why?!?” I yelled, gripping the bag tighter. “I have a message for you,” getting closer. “Oh, yeah?!? Well I have a message too that says why the f*ck are you chasing me like this?!?”
Some three hours later, I was still in front of Sudsville piecing together the minutes of the last day of which my phone had no record. By then, that woman had finished eating her chicken box, folded her fresh sheets, and gone. The sun left with her. My ass was numb from sitting on the curb so long. I got up and went inside. My wet clothes were still in the front loader. I pulled out the soppy items and shoved them back into the big green bag. (I’ve never trusted machine dryers.) I headed for home.
“I’ve had people all over this city on the lookout for you. I even decided to mount up myself,” the voice said as it got closer. “When I finally spotted you, I couldn’t let you get away.”
About half way there, I heard a ticking behind me. 1 turned around and saw nothing but dark night. I kept moving but the ticking got louder. I turned again. I saw no one on the street, not in front of me or behind me, not on either side but the ticking got closer and sounded more like a clacking. Clack-clack, clackclack. I quickened my pace. A soft burn was forming on my left ass cheek where the denim of my jeans rubbed harder. Clack-clack, clackclack, clack-clack. It was getting faster, louder, closer.
“This is un-f*cking-believable!” I exclaimed. “First, I hallucinate that I got ass-f*cked by Asha Hennessy over a trashcan backstage at the Kennedy Center and now Mayor Hinton? In uniform? On horseback? In the middle of Mount Vernon? ”
Bursting into a full-on sprint, I booked it down St. Paul Street but the clacking wouldn’t let up. It was chasing me. Speeding past Brewer’s Art, the paisley pouch smacked against opposing thighs. It hurt. I hooked a sharp right at Eager and headed for the alley next to the Hippo, green bag still in hand—in case I needed to defend myself, I thought. And wouldn’t you know, as I turned that corner, I saw the strangest thing. A horse. It was coming at me, charging. Someone was on top of it, riding. I spun around and tried to run back out of the alley when, low and behold, another horse with another rider. I was trapped. I froze. “Pico?” A voice called out. The horses halted.
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It became clearer to me as my eyes began to focus that my big green, sopping bag, wouldn’t be defending me from creepy headless horsemen tonight, no, but from something far more terrifying—mounted police. A third horse entered the alley with another uniformed rider that sat slighter than and seemingly the leader of the other two.
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I checked all around me looking for an escape root. There were none. “I’m really not going to hurt you, just relax,” the voice said just as the horse stalked up to the single lamp that dimly lit the area near where I was standing. I gasped. It was the f*cking mayor of Baltimore City.
“I don’t think you’re hallucinating, hon. At least, not to hear Asha tell it. She’s hooked, won’t shut the hell up about you. She said that she’s had her people trying to get in touch with you all day but that you’re phone’s not working so she put me on the case, since I run this city and all.” “And that’s why you’re out here in a f*cking cop suit chasing me down the street? That’s ludicrous!” “Yes, that and the fact that I love the feel of a horse.” She lie down on the animal and pet it lightly. “So I am supposed to tell you that you’re expected at BWI tomorrow at noon for a flight. Go to the Delta counter; they’ll have your ticket there.” “Oh yeah, and why should I believe you?” “Don’t believe me, believe Asha. I did all those years ago when she gave me a job and look at me now, I’m the mayor!” she said and threw her head back into throaty laugh. Un-f*cking-believable.
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PENCIL ME IN Saturday, April 5
Womyn’s Wellness Fair To kick-start its Womyn’s Holistic Healing Services, The Spiral Dance Womyn's Center (2505 E. Oliver St., Baltimore, MD 21213) hosts a Womyn's Wellness Fair. With a variety of holistic healing practitioners, including massage therapists, herbalists, acupuncture therapists, chiropractors, homeopathic practitioners, nutritionists, yoga therapists and reiki masters, participants will be given the opportunity to engage in numerous private 10-minute mini-sessions and consultations from 1-4 p.m. For additional information (Cost: $10), visit www.thespiraldancebookstore.com or call 443-854-3494.
Sunday, April 6
Meals on Wheels 16th Annual Culinary Extravaganza 25 of Baltimore’s finest chefs present gourmet cuisine for those in attendance for one night, but proceeds will feed thousands of Meals on Wheels’ homebound clients for days. Hosted by The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center and Spectrum Catering’s Chef Paul Lever, the evening’s festivities will include music and live and silent auctions. For tickets ($150) and additional information, visit www.mealsonwheelsmd.org/culinary/ or call 443573-0930.
Tuesday, April 8
Positive Voices Performance at PFLAG Meeting The Columbia/Howard County Chapter of PFLAG will host Positive Voices, a local group that shares experiences living with HIV and AIDS through music. Positive Voices of Baltimore consist of 3 long-term survivors with almost 55 years of living with HIV/AIDS among them. These experienced educators speak and answer questions, open and frankly, about what it is really like to live with the disease. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., PFLAG meetings are held at Owen Brown Interfaith Center (7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21045) and are confidential, free and open to everyone. For additional information, visit www.pflagmd.org.
Wednesday, April 9
From the Streets to the Courts: Prostitution & the Legal System The many dangers to the health and safety of those involved in prostitution are well documented but does our legal system provide adequate resources to help these vulnerable people? Join the University of Maryland's School of Law Students Supporting the Women's Law Center (SSWLC) as they present an engaging panel discussion at University of Maryland School of Law Ceremonial Courtroom (500 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201). The dialogue, moderated by Baltimore Sun reporter, Jonathan Bor, includes expert panelists Judge Charlotte Cooksey of the Prostitution Reform Court, Sidney Ford, Executive Director of You Are Never Alone (YANA), and a YANA friend. All attendees are welcome to mingle at reception following the discussion. For additional information about this free symposium, contact sswlc@law.umaryland.edu.
Thursday, April 10
Capote in Kansas: Book Discussion Group Stimulate your mind. Come out to the GLCCB Cyber Center at 7:30 p.m. to join in a discussion of Kim Powers’ Capote in Kansas: A Ghost Story. Powers explores the relationship between
Truman Capote and Harper Lee (author of To Kill a Mockingbird) as both are haunted by characters of novels they penned years before. For additional information, call the GLCCB at 410-837-5445.
Friday, April 11
Out of Order at Maryland Art Place (MAP) MAP’s annual self-hung benefit exhibition, silent auction and party (8 Market Place in Power Plant Live, Baltimore) features original artwork created by hundreds of emerging are artists that will be made available for purchase through a silent auction. Guests are invited to mingle with some of the region’s most interesting artists, collectors and art enthusiasts while enjoying a selection of great food, music and an open wine and beer bar. Proceeds from artwork sales will be split 50/50 between MAP and the artist and will directly support MAP’s exhibitions and programs throughout the year. For tickets ($40) and additional information about this event, visit www.mdartplace.org or call 410-962-8565.
Sunday, April 13
Japanese-Style Garden Day at Hillwood Museum Spring brings a burst of splendid colors to Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens (4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC). Thirteen acres of lush lawns and formal gardens come to life with dozens of flowering shrubs and trees all blooming in concert with thousands of spring flowers. To celebrate, Hillwood offers engaging workshops, informative tours, and family fun days, from early April to late June. From 1-5 p.m., visitors can enjoy cherry blossom season with a stroll through the Japanese-style garden while enjoying traditional Japanese music and dance. Families can also create their own model Japanese-style garden to take home. For additional information and reservations (Estate donation ranges from $5-12), visit www.Hillwoodmuseum.org or call 202-686-5807. Spring into Bach Award winning pianist, William Larsen, will perform an all Bach recital as the final event of the 20072008 Cultural Series of the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore (514 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201). Beginning at 1 p.m., the free program includes Bach’s Italian Concerto in F major, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor, and Overture in the French Style in B minor. For additional information, visit http://www.firstunitarian.net/calendar.asp or call 410-685-2330. Women’s KISS Musical Variety Concert Women’s KISS (Kickass Independent Singer Songwriters), a nonprofit offering a platform dedicated to promoting independent female singer/songwriters, presents 4 female regional musicians with distinct backgrounds and styles, ranging from acoustic rock and folk to jazz and blues. Erene, Sahffi, Sarah Pinsker and Susan Souza will perform from 3-6 p.m. at Creative Alliance at the Patterson (3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD 21224). For additional information on individual artists, visit www.womenskiss.org. To purchase tickets ($12/$10 members), visit www.creativealliance.org.
www.glccb.org Services. Groups. Events. Our calendar is now online.
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THEATER Kathleen Coons & Steven Carpenter in Baltimore Shakespeare Festival’s The Winter’s Tale.
ON THE STAGE 4 By Tenn Through April 13 Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre, Baltimore 410-752-1255 www.spotlighters.org 1776 April 9 – May 11 Olney Theatre Center 301-924-3400 www.olneytheatre.org All Wear Bowlers Through April 20 Studio Theatre, D.C. 202-332-3300 www.studiotheatre.org Antony and Cleopatra April 26 – July 6 The Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C. 877-487-8849 www.shakespearetheatre.org Bad Dates Through April 20 Olney Theatre Center 301-924-3400 www.olneytheatre.org
Cymbeline April 10 – April 27 dog & pony dc Roundhouse Theatre, Silver Spring www.dogandponydc.com The Gem of the Ocean Through April 27 Everyman Theatre 410-752-2208 www.everymantheatre.org The History Boys Through May 4 Studio Theatre, D.C. 202-332-3300 www.studiotheatre.org
West Side Story April 18 – April 28 CCBC, Essex 410-780-6369. www.ccbcmd.edu
Lost in Electroland April 17 – April 27 Theatre Project, Baltimore 410-752-8558 www.theatreproject.org
The Winter’s Tale Through April 27 Baltimore Shakespeare Festival 3900 Roland Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21211 410-366-8594 www.baltimoreshakespeare.org Wizard of Oz Through June 8 Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore 410-995-1969 www.tobysdinnertheatre.com
The Pastor’s Anniversary Through April 28 Arena Players, Baltimore 410-728-6500 http://arena-players.strategiccommercegroup.com/ Strega Nona Through April 19 Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Frederick 301-694-4744 www.marylandensemble.org
Ida Through April 8 Rep Stage, Columbia 410-772-4900 www.repstage.org Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Through June 8 Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia 410-995-1969 www.tobysdinnertheatre.com
Camelot Through April 6 Hippodrome Theatre 410-547-SEAT www.broadwayacrossamerica.com
Julius Caesar April 27 – July 6 The Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C. 877-487-8849 www.shakespearetheatre.org
The Cripple of Inishmaan Through April 26 Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Frederick 301-694-4744 www.marylandensemble.org
Kimberly Akimbo April 18 – May 18 Vagabond Players, Baltimore 410-563-9135 http://www.bcpl.net/~thevag/ PA G E 3 2 •
Kiss of the Spiderwoman Through April 20 Signature Theatre, Arlington 703-820-9771 www.signature-theatre.org
Stunning Through April 6 Wooly Mammoth Theatre Company 202-393-3939 www.woollymammoth.net These Shining Lives April 24 – June 1 CenterStage 410-332-0033 www.centerstage.org Thom Pain Through April 13 Rep Stage, Columbia 410-772-4900 www.repstage.org Three Days of Rain Through April 13 Fells Point Corner Theatre, Baltimore 410-276-7837 www.fpct.org/press
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1776 playing at Olney Theatre Center in Baltimore. (Left to Right): Harry A. Winter as Benjamin Franklin, Rob Richardson as Thomas Jefferson, and Paul Binotto as John Adams debate the finer points of independence.
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QPUZZLE The Rd. Out
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Across
Down
1 Got a little behind 5 Plays Sheehan's sport 10 One with a foamy head 14 Triangle ratio 15 "___ at time!" (No threesomes!) 16 Heterogeneous mixture 17 Gay rodeo persona? 19 Cumming on The L Word 20 Director Stephen 21 Bewitched actor Dick 23 Hersey's A Bell For ___ 24 Aviator Earhart 26 Author Jong 28 Canonized gay guy? 32 Playwright ___ Robin Baitz 35 Sailor's rear 37 Queer, to straights 38 Wax-covered balls from Holland 40 Box to Vidal 42 What to lean on while singing "Come to My Window" 43 Shore of Palm Springs 45 Hot-tub buildup 47 Martin of the Daughters of Bilitis 48 With one's ass in a sling 50 Two-masters 52 Set straight 54 Nothing tail 58 Poet James 61 Not like the sound of music, traditionally 62 Title for producer R. Cowen or D. Lipman 63 Minnelli singing in clubs? 66 Star Canyon serving 67 Beatles manager Brian's nickname 68 Bit from Ted Casablanca 69 Ulrich of a landmark gay rights case 70 Straps at Rita's stable 71 Style of Marcel Duchamp
1 Actor Milo of Oz 2 Bring to bear 3 ___ Gay 4 Give meaning to "life," e.g. 5 Whipping boy 6 Prov. of Xtra 7 Kenan's ___ the Dead Bury Their Dead 8 The F word, on some tests 9 Runners' coups in Glenn Burke's sport 10 Drag queen competition? 11 Legally Blonde character 12 Star quality 13 Give a lot of mouth 18 Light head 22 Circumcision, for one 24 Train that comes quickly 25 Noted Andy Warhol subject 27 "Is ___ boy or ..." 29 Dry as a bone 30 Arouse 31 "We're here! We're queer!" e.g. 32 Knight job for Alec Guinness 33 Top Norse deity 34 Peter Pan pooch 36 Pester, as Albert to Armand 39 Margaret in a military skit? 41 Went out with 44 Mata ___ 46 Tickle pink 49 Patience and Sarah author Isabel 51 Stone-faced 53 Become husband and husband on the fly 55 "Ring My Bell" singer Ward 56 Lay in the hammock 57 Animal role in The Emperor's New Groove 58 The Beatles' "Love ___" 59 Come out 60 Silence for Saint-Saens 61 Misrepresented stats, perhaps 64 Some NLGJA members have worked here 65 Delta of Venus author
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National Black Justice Coalition Brings 2008 National Convention to Baltimore Created four years ago as a response to anti-gay rhetoric in black communities, and black churches in particular, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to ending racism and homophobia while building a more inclusive movement for the rights and empowerment of black LGBT people.
black communities; (3) media and communications, which encompasses efforts to deliberately pitch black LGBT stories or stories with a black LGBT angle to media outlets (4) outreach, the grassroots component of the organization that partners with local LGBT organization across the country to promote and support various events.
As the only nationwide Black LGBT civil rights organization, NBJC often serves as the authoritative source on LGBT issues as they affect Black communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, NBJC offers constituents key insight into and advocacy work around many issue areas, such as: HIV/AIDS in Black LGBT and samegender loving communities; hate crimes; LGBT youth trends and concerns; racism and homophobia; abuse of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”; and religious-based homophobia.
NBJC holds an annual black church summit, and a leadership development conference every 2 years. This is the first year that the organization has held a major 3-day convention that offers separate intensive tracks: (1) Health and Wellness Summit (Thursday) dedicated to eradicating negative health disparities within the AfricanAmerican community and featuring dynamic performances by local and national artists; (2) Annual Black Church Summit (Friday); and (3) Leadership Development and Mobilization Summit (Saturday).
On both the national and local levels NBJC focuses its work in four major areas: (1) politics and policies, which involves lobbying and meeting with politicians and both the state and federal levels; (2) religion, which entails both outreach to black clergy and the publication of materials around how to create inclusive congregations in
The 2008 “Power of Us” National Convention, to be held in Baltimore April 24-26 at Renaissance Harborplace Hotel, will convene the nation’s preeminent thinkers to highlight Black LGBT and same gender loving couples, families, high
profile activists, religious and spiritual leaders, organizers, artists and designers. Nearly 1,000 individuals are expected to attend. According to Herndon Davis, Director of Media and Communications for NBJC, the convention has multiple purposes. “We aim to bring people together, not just black LGBT people, but everyone who is a supporter, to solve community problems. We have over 50 national experts who are speaking from their own unique perspectives to help provide a pathway to solutions. The gathering also exists to confirm who we are as black LGBT people. Sometimes you think you’re in a vacuum…. If you’re in an area that’s not near a big city, you think you’re the only one. Essentially, “The Power of Us” cre-
ates an opportunity to meet, network and learn something.” Among the notable individuals participating in this year’s convention are: Dr. Sandra Gadson, Past President of the National Medical Association, who will deliver the Health & Wellness Summit keynote on African-American health disparities; Bishops Eugene V. Robinson and Carlton Pearson; Rep. Jason Bartlett (D-CT); Judge Darrin Gayles; and Leah Daughtry, Chief of Staff of the Democratic National Committee. TV Host Marcellas Reynolds (Style Network and Big Brother) will emcee. For a complete schedule of the 2008 “Power of Us Conference,” visit www.nbjc.org.” Participants can register for all sessions and events or for individual summits.
Find luxury, comfort, convenience and style in both of our beautifully appointed all-suite hotels. We're just footsteps off historic Charles Street in downtown Baltimore. Our suites are filled with world-class amenities and our personal attention to detail will make any stay a memorable experience. In addition to our comfortable features, we offer complimentary high-speed internet in every suite and your choice of two restaurants, a lounge, a gourmet deli and a dessert shop.
410.727.2222 www.TREMONTS.com www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •
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REAL ESTATE Need More Room? Don't Move—Improve ccording to the National Association of Realtors, the continuation of a soft market is predicted for existing home sales in the coming months. This comes as bad news for people who are considering selling their homes in the near future.
A
Gone are the days when potential buyers would fight over every listing that comes on the market, driving up prices in the process. Now homes may linger on the market for months, fetching far lower prices. The national median home price for existing single-family homes was $206,200 in the fourth quarter of 2007, down 5.8 percent from just a year prior. Because buying a new home typically requires first selling your current home, many people who want to "move up" to a bigger or nicer home are choosing to stay in their current homes and upgrade them rather than put them on the market. Home improvements offer many benefits: they not only make your home more comfortable, but can also be a prudent investment. Popular projects include: kitchen remodels, bathroom additions, deck additions, siding and window replacement—all improvements that, in addition to making a home more livable, may actually increase the value of a home. But with the economy being as tough as it is lately, where will people find the money to pay for their improvements? A popular option is to tap into the equity in the very house you're planning to fix up. "When it comes to funding home improvement projects, consumers with equity in their homes have mul-
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tiple options, such as taking out a home-equity loan, setting up a homeequity line of credit or refinancing an existing mortgage," says Stephen Semprevivo, president of LowerMyBills.com, a free online service that can help consumers compare low rates on monthly bills and reduce the cost of living.
Here is a quick guide to financing choices: Home-equity loan: With a homeequity loan you take out one lump some of money based on the equity you already have in your home. The amount you borrow and the interest rate are fixed at the start of the loan. These loans typically last from 5 to 15 years. Home-equity line of credit (HELOC): Like a credit card, a home-equity line of credit functions as an open line of credit, only it is borrowed against your house like a second mortgage. The benefits of using a home-equity line of credit instead of a credit card are that the interest rate for a home-equity line of credit is almost always lower than that of a credit card and the interest you pay is usually tax deductible. Cash-out refinance: A cash-out refinance allows you to refinance your mortgage for more than you currently owe, leaving cash on the table that you can put toward your home improvements. Unlike a home-equity
line of credit or home-equity loan, a cash-out refinance does not require taking on the additional burden of a second loan. Don't want to take the gamble of borrowing against your house? Don't despair. "Homeowners that don't have a lot of equity in their homes, or don't want to tap into that equity, may find that simply refinancing their homes can help offset home improvement costs," says Semprevivo. Interest rates are near record lows. If you bought your home a few years ago you may well be able to refinance at a lower rate. That lower rate can yield substantial savings that can go a long way in paying off your home improvement bills. Want to find out which option offers the best scenario for you? There are benefits and drawbacks to any home loan so it's a good idea to discuss your options with a trusted financial professional. Whether you go with a home-equity loan, a home-equity line of credit or a refinance, your interest payments will likely be tax deductible, and no matter which financing option you choose, upgrading your home can add value and comfort. Better get started right away though so you can enjoy those improvements in time for summer. Courtesy of ARAcontent
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DO AS I SAY Prudence Answers Your Questions by Miss Prudence Worthington Dear Prudence, I read your article about pretty up drinks and I have to say that I agree with the majority of what you said. My friends and I are fond of the prettily colored fruity up drinks and are now more conscious about what the situation is before we order them. My question has to do with another recreational substance: the ever popular “blow”. I recently threw a fabulous party, with the help of some of my more style-oriented friends, and found out at the end of the night that there had been some recreational use in one of my bathrooms. I was offended on two levels: no one seemed to take into consideration my feelings on the subject of drug use in my home and no one offered any to the hosts (not saying that I would have accepted, of course). I am confident that if you can tackle the topic of fellatio during a party, you can handle this situation as well.
had to go as far as turning my back or going someplace else before I have gotten relief. I wish there were a social egg timer that would signal them to move on to the next victim.
Thanks, Tootless on the Town
Confounded Confessor, Sweetness, you are obviously in demand socially which carries such a burden. I too share your pain, for many an evening I have been held hostage by unwelcome autobiographic diatribes*. One should never be subjected to stories of botched facelifts, cheating husbands and worst of all, communicable diseases contracted from gigolos. Regrettably, there is no single remedy for the ill bred manners of others, but I will endeavor to supply some antidotes.
My Dear Toot, How smart you are to read my column as well as heed my advice. I applaud your desire for self-improvement. I also commend you for exercising your hostess skills. I am often surprised by the numbers of perennial party guests who never entertain in their own homes, but that is a topic for another day. Before I move on to your dilemma, I must remark that in smart circles, “blow” fell out of fashion in the eighties. How positively retro of your acquaintances to select this as their narcotic of choice, but I suppose everything old is new again with you kids. Perhaps we will see the reappearance of laudanum* for recreational use any day now. Darling, you have every right to feel as you do on this matter. Whether you would partake is irrelevant to this situation. The sophisticated junkie would have approached you discretely to share his or her pharmaceuticals. This would allow you as hostess to accept or decline, and simultaneously state your feelings on the matter. Your guests’ activities also indicate a third breach of etiquette: Monopolizing a lavatory for activities other than those required by nature or the application of cosmetics during a bustling soiree. Tsk tsk indeed. I cannot surmise from the tone of your correspondence if you intend to banish said friends from your social register which is, of course, your choice. I therefore recommend, upon the occasion of your next fete, to sweetly suggest to these attendees that you would prefer the absence of narcotics at your gatherings. I assure they will spread the word to all the other potential rehab candidates in your circle. And one last note, my Dove: When reading my epistles it is wisest to agree with ALL of what I say. Dear Prudence, I have a recurring problem for which I hope you can offer some advice. Occasionally, I like to go out to the local bar and have a cocktail to unwind a little, sometimes alone, but mostly with a friend or two. However, almost without fail, before the first cocktail is gone, some “regular” has gravitated his or her way to where I am and has begun to monopolize the conversation. Trust me, I may not be a riveting conversationalist, but shouldn’t I be entitled to have a drink at a place I like with people I like and be left alone? Granted, there’s usually booze involved—it is a bar after all, I know—but the next thing I know I’m reliving the offender’s life in excruciating detail. I used to smile and nod politely, but lately I’ve begun to fidget openly and look around the room in hopes the other person will excuse himself or herself and leave me alone. I’ve even PA G E 4 0 •
I know it’s foolish to seek solitude in the company of others, but when I’m out I don’t want to talk shop or listen to others’ problems or opinions. What happened to frivolity? Call me selfish. I’ve even considered going to straight bars where no one knows me. It’s difficult to be tactful and honest without being perceived as rude or unapproachable. What do you recommend someone do in these situations? Sincerely, Barstool Confessor
Your social egg timer concept is truly inspired, but I fear it will never take hold in America’s self-absorbed culture. One may apply some of the following techniques. More than once I have been known to expound: “I have had such a harrowing week, I simply could not hear another tale of woe. Could we keep things light and gay?” If that doesn’t work, you may take a “fake” cellular phone call, after all, those things do vibrate. I find vigorously soliciting financial donations for my favorite charity rather effective as well. Perhaps you know something embarrassing about the offender and this is good time to bring it up. In extreme circumstances, you might “accidentally” spill your drink on them while claiming your nerves are just too frazzled for heavy topics. Weeping openly is, of course, a last resort but very effective when accompanied by a “recently departed relative or favorite pet”. If the situation is so very dire, you may claim to have contracted SARS, MRSA or the bubonic plaque, for the common cold does not seem to deter these individuals. Additionally, you might adopt an air of aloofness which helps to fend off the needy masses, but requires the fortitude to be thought of as cold. If one cares little for others’ opinions, one might pick one’s nose, describe a canker on one’s posterior or ask to borrow money: Extreme measures indeed, but highly effective. Ultimately, you must determine your threshold for pain. As we all know, it is easy enough to change our own behavior and nearly impossible to change that of others. This certainly makes being perceived as rude or unapproachable like an easy solution, does it not? Good luck, my kitten. In closing I would like to add that no problem is too big or too small to be scrutinized under the microscope of propriety. I encourage you to direct your dilemmas to prudence@baltimoregaylife.com. I will be most delighted to help you with your conundrums.* You’re always on the path to fabulous when you do as I say.
Kisses,
Prudence * As always darlings, I encourage you to look up the words you don’t understand.
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S
ince September 2007, Gay Life correspondent Prudence Worthington has been schooling our readership on today’s ever-changing etiquette. We sat down with Miss Worthington to gain some insight into her “special brand” of wisdom.
Miss Worthington, thank you for clearing your schedule for this interview.
Could you be more specific, please? Ah, much more civilized, is it not? Of course I imply my heritage. Good breeding provides the blue print for a life well lived. My family came to these shores in the 17th century and has been setting social standards to this day. Please ignore my detractors, for I did not attend the first Thanksgiving. One may attempt to rise to the lofty heights of social doyenne through marriage and hard work, but few ever succeed. My East Hampton neighbor, that Stewart woman, has been trying for years. She hasn’t quite grasped that our kind do not make our own paper; we send our domestics out for it.
Darling, the pleasure is all yours, but do call me Prudence. After all, I will be baring my soul to you and my readers.
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Well then, Prudence, onto the questions. Your column covers a wide range of topics. Where do you get your inspiration? Really, you can’t be that obtuse. Obviously my inspiration is derived from the outre behavior of the masses, especially the boys in the Festive community. They provide fodder enough for volumes larger than Ulysses. Chronicling their exploits could carry me well into my twilight years. I do hope you comprehend the burden upon my shoulders. Imagine shepherding all you lambs over the barren hillsides of propriety and gracious living. What does one wear for that task? Usually Channel. You refer to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community as Festive. Why is that? I introduced the moniker while answering the question of a young reader. It easily rolls off the tongue and does not require a canister of oxygen to complete. Adopting “Festive” will certainly prove considerably more positive as you battle the Republican army in your struggle for freedom. Who would listen to Sally Kern if her rants included: “I honestly think Festivity is the greatest threat this country has.”? It’s such a simple and civilized alteration and it need not take long to catch on. Is this your first literary endeavor? A woman in my position relies heavily on her literary skills. Running two households alone requires constant instruction. The epistles I dictate to my domestics are intensely detailed, so dispensing sound advice comes naturally to me, of course. While I have counseled numerous syndicated “advice columnists”, I believe this to be my first published work under my own name: The Van Burens never quote their sources. Poor lambs, they actually rely upon the income from their endeavors, so there are no qualms between us. Another form of charity, I suppose. How does someone become a “woman in your position”? Generally by birth, darling. You seem to be implying that your family is responsible. Could you be more specific? My dear, how you do neglect the use of the word “please” when posing a question? www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •
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PRUDENCE - continued from page 41
You live next to Martha Stewart?
HOMOSTROLOGY by Marry Elaine
ARIES (March 20 - April 19) Your gentle desires urge to be engaged. Be brave in realizing them.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20) Now is a time to make family and enjoy the family you have made. If you feel lonely in your pursuits, it is only because you are pursuing in the wrong directions. Make time to feel the love people are sending to you. French kiss as much as possible. Success wants very badly to come your way.
SCORPIO (October 23 November 21) Others’ needs are loud; do not compromise your own. Wearing glitter helps. Eat frosting, wear frosting, love like frosting. Do not save the best for last: let it come first. Soon, it might be all that does come. You and a Pisces might be best friends soon. The color orange seems important.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 -
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20) Feelings of exhaustion are traps. Feelings of love are propelling. Ride them. Hard. This is no time to be shy. Purging old habits makes rooms for new commitments. Celebrate this purging by letting new habits in. It is a good time right now to allow yourself to be caught up. You can think later; go with your most honest responses. Combining and intimating with Sagittarians will go endlessly well.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22) Nurture your good heart. Direct and honest communication is vital right now, with yourself and with others. Prioritize sexuality. You are confident in embodying roles the way you want; take it a step further and be bold in creating the roles you choose to embody.
December 20) Swim. In whatever ways you can. Locate wetness and move in it. Make wetness and move in it. Avoid mirrors and the din of gossip. Stretch. Thinking about Janet Jackson throughout your daily endeavors will be helpful. Desires to move and leave and change drastically might be strong. Traipse thoughtfully to avoid throwing away the good with the bad. You and Gemini: volatile and wonderful.
CAPRICORN (December 21 January 19) An intimate, silent dance you routinely perform is tense. Be clear and be kind. Your steady patience allows you to maintain a vision with a grand scope. Tend to your health. Momentary excitements and long-term commitments can coexist.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February
LEO (July 23 - August 22) You should probably quit your job or do the closest thing to it. Your grandeur is not being adequately acknowledged and that is just a shame. Walk quickly away from that and don’t hold back any energy you feel; there will be plenty more to come by.
VIRGO
(August 23 - September 22) Visit. Forgive. Utterly give over and let someone kiss you. Don’t worry about how messy the results are. Lately things might be painful. Open yourself up to all the many ways you can relate; it will be easier to feel that you are already touching than to reach out. Go for a very long walk with a very big lemonade and have very nice conversation, in your head or out loud.
LIBRA
for you. Assess. Locate clutter and sources of claustrophobia; get rid of them and go with yourself.
(September 23 - October 22) Toni Braxton is a Libra. When you wake up, listen to “Take This Ring”. As you fall asleep, listen to “Take This Ring”. This is a good anthem
18) Make noises and hear noises. Avoid words. Wear bright colors. Wink at everyone you think you might want to wink at. Someone from a long time ago misses you. When people approach you, genuinely converse. Hopefully you will encounter and let in a spirit that misses you and you will realize you have missed as well.
PISCES (February 19 - March 19) Your feelings are very loud in your own head and it can be easy to forget that others can’t hear them unless you express them. Groom your ability to hear honesty and speak honesty. Someone wonders when they will walk with you again. Look to your past selves and consider which you would like to walk as. You and a Scorpio will get along very well. Marry Elaine is very psychic and a huge fag.
PA G E 4 2 •
Only during the summer, Dear. I winter in Manhattan. There is always some commotion when she is in residence. It may come as no surprise that she is terrible to her domestics. I, however, do not believe she should been incarcerated in spite of her questionable behavior. You appear very devoted to your staff. Well, my kitten, I do rely upon them so much and their devotion is rewarded. Why just last week I provided Rosita with a dental examination. I await her gratitude as well as a pitcher of martinis. Where could she have gone? I am devastated with thirst. Additionally, I rely heavily on my driver, Silvio. The traffic in Manhattan is deplorable, yet he handles this very adeptly. His dashing good looks are a favorite amongst the ladies and I do hope he does not found himself shot by a jealous husband. That’s not too much to ask from one’s domestic, is it? He resembles so many of the boys in the Festive community with his bulging biceps and glowing tan, yet he spends not one day in the gymnasium or tanning salon. And Rosita is...? My personal maid, darling. She let you in. The Republican Mafia would have her shipped back to her native land where she is wanted for “political crimes”. She does pay her taxes as the Worthington’s require that everything be done by the book. Ah, finally, the martinis, care for one darling? No thank you, I don’t usually drink before noon. You should, my sweet, for gin is the embalming fluid of the living. How do you think I stay so fresh? Well since you agreed to bare your soul, what are your thoughts on plastic surgery? As you can see, I haven’t the need of facial augmentation, for I am blessed with superior bone structure and dewy skin. There are those unfortunates who are helped by elective surgery. This practice, however, is much abused in polite society and further a field. Half of my Manhattan coterie resemble characters from the Batman comics with their frozen smiles and raised eyebrows. When one’s face is pulled so tight that one’s lips never touch, the constant drooling can be problematic. No, my Dove, the key to youth includes gin in ample amounts, avoid the sun and forgo strenuous work. How did you come up with the idea for your column? As mentioned in my premier missive, the notion was supplied by Liza.
April 4 - April 17, 2008
She and I were visiting Mrs. Ford’s little spa when she proposed I bring my superb advice to a broader audience. You know they really water down the drinks at that spa. Other publications scoffed at the idea. They thought it too scandalous due to the truthful foundations. Your petite publication was smart enough to recognize my wisdom. I sincerely hope I’m not casting pearls amongst the swine. How did you decide to submit your work to Baltimore Gay Life? Again, the suggestion was provided by Liza. She invited me to your charming village last year when she performed at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The audience was so full of Festive people that she thought I should direct my efforts towards them. They have been supporting her for years and it seemed a form of reciprocity so to speak. I perused all the local Festive publications and simply chose the most tasteful. Your friend Traxie Muldoon features prominently in some of your columns. Why is that? Traxie, my dear friend and constant companion, is my oldest confidant. We were finished at Miss Porter’s as young girls and have remained steadfast ever since. We then attended Brown before it became co-educational. Traxie, starving for male attention, left during junior year to pursue a career on the stage where she never made it past the chorus line. This unfortunate choice proved disappointing although every evening a line of admirers waited patiently by the stage door to squire her to dinner. She has never gone without male advances due mostly to her ample bosom. I suspect her breasts are large enough to qualify for government representation. I understand she lives with you now? Why yes, I shelter her from the many disappoints that plague her life. You know she is widowed three times with barely an annuity to show for it. She selects men who resemble her father in character, which always proves detrimental. I believe two of them lay at the bottom of the Hudson. Her constant presence is barely a strain on our friendship and she tries to provide little favors from time to time as acknowledgement of her gratitude. May I ask what type of favors? Most assuredly, Dearest. She constantly dotes on insuring the bars in the house and the cars are amply stocked. Any social event I decline she attends in my staid. As I have no interest in re-marrying, she personally “entertains” the gentlemen callers who set their sights on me. After an hour or so, they can’t remember why
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they visited and leave with the most impish smiles on their faces. Her constant stream of admirers provides bushels of bouquets which she thoughtfully places throughout the house for all to enjoy. And last, but not least, her exploits serve as topics for many of my columns. So you support her completely? Benevolence is one of my strong suits dear. Charity begins at home, does it not? Do you consider your column an act of charity? But of course I do, Darling. Bad behavior is obviously rampant in our culture. I merely provide a template for propriety and expose that which is unacceptable. Someone has to supply this necessary information, for it seems to be lacking nationwide. We need look no farther than Washington to prove this point. Are you sure you wouldn’t like a drink? No thank you. What can Gay Life readers expect from you in the coming year? My devoted readers can certainly expect a level of candor not shown in other publications. Some of the topics I should like to tackle include the proper treatment of one’s domestics, ending one’s relationships with style and interweb dating. I do implore my readers to correspond concerning their conundrums as this instills a “local” flavor to your publication. Their letters may broaden the range of topics. Don’t you agree? A thank you note every now and again would be pleasant as well. Would you ever consider running for office? Good heavens no, what would make you consider such a concept? One must be thoroughly egomaniacal or utterly insane to desire public office. I am assuredly a proponent of charity and public service, but the fortitude required to survive in politics is far beyond my capacity. I much prefer a life of leisure and philanthropy, including my little literary endeavors. Besides, I have my hands full with Traxie. Who do you plan to vote for in the Presidential election? Of the three most likely candidates, we can certainly erase the Republican from the slate. They have proven to be a misguided lot and their war on homosexuals and illegal immigrants is merely a smoke screen to camouflage more pertinent issues. Which leaves us at a significant point in history: Shall we elect a woman or a mixed-race man to the office of President? Mrs. Clinton is certainly trained in the ways of bringing the country to fiscal stability and Mr. Obama has finally taken a positive stand on equal rights for
you Festive people. Both very compelling arguments and I have not decided whom I favor more. I fancy my dream ticket would be as such: Mr. Obama as Vice President with Mrs. Clinton occupying the oval office for 8 years. We could then elevate Mr. Obama to President for two terms providing our great country with 16 years of improvements. You seem to be a very strong supporter of charities. Sweetness, it is simply one’s obligation to give back to community in any form within one’s means. It need not be money, for time and talent are wanted by any philanthropic organization. I also believe that it builds character, for when we help others we start to take note of small kindnesses in our day to day lives. One appreciates life more when one is reminded that others survive in far worse circumstances than our own. I cannot stress this more to the younger generations for whom I feel I am a mentor. Mentoring the younger generations? Could you please elaborate on that concept? As one grows older, it is our duty to take those younger than ourselves under our wings, in a manner. This act is beneficial on numerous levels, especially in the Festive community. Parents seem to be rearing their children with little social obligation, scarce manners and minimal savvy. So many young Festives have few positive role models during their formative years, yet we are capable of providing this. By cultivating wholesome relationships with the fresher generations, we may help them avoid some hardships and show them how to throw a successful soiree in the process. One may also grow friendships that will comfort us in our dotage. Have you ever been to a cocktail party populated by only octogenarians? I don’t want a life wherein the only “fresh” face I view over my martini glass is Ciel Rosenbaum’s latest facelift. One simply must surround himself or herself with amiable comrades of all ages. This discourse provides yet another subject to tackle: Ageism. Look for it in coming editions. Is there any topic you will not cover? To date, none has crossed my Chippendale desk. A family heirloom, you know. That is why I do so enjoy the letters from my readers. They supply issues of which I would not have conceived. Well, we have really run the gamut of subjects today. Thank you for your time and wisdom, but in closing, I have one last question that our readers are dying to know. Exactly how old are you? Rosita will show you to the door.
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QUOTE UNQUOTE "You journalists like to think that when we talk to you, that is our official coming out, but we have been out for ages before that. Brad and I support many nonprofits in Los Angeles and appear together on annual dinner programs as sponsors or various other events where we are listed together. Our names are carved in granite on the donor wall of East West Players; we have been out. You don't have your names carved in granite and say you are not out." —Actor George Takei, who played Sulu in the first Star Trek series, to the Florida gay magazine The Gazette, February issue.
"I think you can judge the level of success for any group of people by the reaction against it. And given the reaction of the so-called Christian Right—I would put that in quotes because I don't believe they're Christians at all—I would have to say that [gay] people have been wildly successful."
BY REX WOCKNER WITH BILL KELLEY
dark and out of view and if the parties don't leave used condoms lying around, to De Telegraaf, March 7.
"While I must confess I'm less than enthusiastic about the candidacy of Barack Obama, I ardently hope that he will defeat Hillary Clinton. I can't forget Hillary's position in support of the Defense of Marriage Act and her scabrous abstinence-only preachings while first lady, any more than I can erase from my brainpan Obama's using gay-hostile preacher Donnie McClurkin to shill for votes in South Carolina, or his refusal to be photographed with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom because he feared that might be interpreted as support for gay marriage."
Spitzer resigned. Jim has enlisted one of his cronies in trying to distinguish that situation from his own, and to discredit me in the media. He cannot stand it when I am receiving attention in the media rather than him."
—Longtime independent journalist Doug Ireland writing in New York City's Gay City News, March 13.
—Dina Matos McGreevey to ABC News, March 17.
—Rubyfruit Jungle author Rita Mae Brown to Time magazine, March 18.
"He liked watching me, and she would watch me while she was [performing sex acts] with Jim. In my opinion, me being a part of their sexual relationship enhanced it for both of them." —Teddy Pedersen, 29, a former driver for now-gay former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, claiming he had three-way sex with McGreevey and his wife, Dina, multiple times from 1999 to 2001, to the New York Post, March 16.
"This happened, this happened in the past, and now we need to move on with our lives. For all of our sakes, particularly our daughter, we need to close this chapter and look toward the future. This was referenced in an earlier draft of my book, and I had it removed. I still hope Dina and I can resolve our issues privately." —Jim McGreevey, confirming Pedersen's story in a March 17 statement.
"Theodore Pedersen's claims...are completely false and were prompted by Jim McGreevey. This all has to do with the publicity I have received since Gov.
"There are probably tons of gays and lesbians in the United States who might like to emigrate -- who might like to be 'exported' -- to saner countries. To places like, oh, Canada, Spain, Holland, etc., basically anywhere in the EU with the possible exception of Poland. You know, places with decent economies, strong currencies, marriage equality, and far, far fewer right-wing religious douchebags running around ruining everything for everyone else. ... I'm confident that with your organization's resources, and its proven ability to raise money, you could more than cover emigration expenses for hundreds if not thousands of gays and lesbians that might like to watch the coming financial collapse of the United States from Paris, London, Rome, or Madrid."
"We argue about immigration but we don't try to solve the immigration problem. It's an argument that is all about people's passions instead of trying to figure it out. We argue about gay marriage. In the meantime the planet is... potentially being destroyed. We've got a war that is bankrupting us. And we're going to argue about gay marriage? I mean, that doesn't make any sense." —Presidential candidate Barack Obama speaking in Medford, Ore., March 22.
"I now think it's time for the politicians to catch up to the public. The notion that you lock people up for smoking marijuana is pretty silly. I'm going to call it the
'Make Room for Serious Criminals' bill." —Gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., announcing he will introduce a bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, according to Politico.com, March 22.
"I don't think my generation is better or had it better. The one thing you'll never see again—and I'm not so sure it's bad you missed it—was the sexual revolution. You can't imagine what it was like to go home and have sex with someone different every day. ... People really did! In Provincetown there was a bar called Piggies, totally mixed, gay and straight, but it was outside of town and everyone had to walk home and every person would just have sex in the graveyard along the way. I mean, those days will never happen again. Going to places like Hellfire in New York City, you look back and it's so amazing, and that certainly did lead to terrible things like AIDS -and AIDS ruined everything for the rest of our lives. It ruined people taking chances. That's over. You missed that." —Gay filmmaker John Waters to New York magazine, March 24.
"I would much prefer to export homosexuals from the United States than to import them into the United States because we believe that homosexuality is destructive to society." —Peter Sprigg, vice president for policy at the Family Research Council, speaking against a pending bill that grants immigration rights to gay Americans' foreign partners, to Medill News Service, March 19.
—Gay writer Dan Savage responding to Sprigg on the blog of the Seattle alternative weekly newspaper The Stranger, March 20.
"Why should we try to maintain something that is actually impossible to maintain, which also causes little bother for others and, for a certain group, actually signifies much pleasure?" —Alderman Paul van Grieken of Amsterdam's Oud-Zuid district discussing new regulations that will legalize having sex in cruisy Vondel Park if it is done after
PA G E 4 4 •
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B-SCENE OUT IN MOUNT VERNON
www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •
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PA G E 4 6 •
April 4 - April 17, 2008
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SERVICE
DIRECTORY
ACCOMMODATIONS Baltimore Tremonts 222 St. Paul St. Baltimore, MD 21202 410-561-8886
ACCOUNTING Heiffner & Associates 6706 German Hill Rd. Dundalk, MD 21222 410-285-3920
AUTOMOTIVE Meineke Car Care Center 7604 Harford Rd. Parkville, MD 21234 410-665-0710 Tate Mini of Annapolis 25 Old Mill Bottom Rd. N. Annapolis, MD 21409 410-349-2131 BARS / NIGHTCLUBS Baltimore Eagle 2022 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-685-3219 Club Hippo 1 W. Eager St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-576-0018 Club Phoenix 1 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-837-3906
CHORUSES
New Wave Singers PO Box 2012 Baltimore, MD 21203 410-558-4692
CHURCHES Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore 320 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 20201 410-547-5486 First & St. Stephen’s United Church 6915 York Rd. Baltimore, MD 21212 410-377-5224
St. John’s of Baltimore 2640 St. Paul St. Baltimore, MD 21218 410-366-7733
COMPUTER / TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING Computer Handyman of Maryland 443-827-0433 CONSTRUCTION Laurence Construction David Meltzer 6999 Reiserstown Rd., Suite 1 Baltimore, MD 21215 410-764-7100 NLT Construction 9216 Liberty Rd. Randallstown, MD 21133 410-922-6475
First Unitarian Church 1 W. Hamilton St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-685-2330
COUNSELING / THERAPY Patti Desert, LCSW-C Singular Pathways 208 E. Melrose Ave. Baltimore, MD 21212 410-435-3755
Metropolitan Community Church of Baltimore 401 W. Monument St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-669-6222
Laura June, Ph.D. Belvedere Towers, Suite 105A 1190 W. Northern Pkwy. Baltimore, MD 21210 410-235-7899
Memorial Episcopal Church 1407 Bolton St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-669-0220
Jeff Klug, LCSW The Rotunda, Suite 108 711 W. 40th St. Baltimore, MD 21211 410-241-4215
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gay market. advertise in gay life! sales@baltimoregaylife.com
Solution to puzzle, page 35
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 •
reach
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
April 4 - April 17, 2008
MORTGAGE SERVICES Marva J. Laws American Financial Resources Bel Air, MD 410-734-6688 1-888-553-5513 Richard Pazornik SunTrust Mortgage 410-561-4139 www.suntrustmortgage.com/rp azornik NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Hearts and Ears 10 W. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-528-0444 PHARMACIES Mount Vernon Pharmacy 900 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-539-8030 Park Avenue Pharmacy 1535 Park Ave. Baltimore, MD 21217 410-225-0800
Real Estate Nancy Corporon RE/MAX Advantage Realty 8815 Centre Park Dr. Columbia, MD 21045 410-740-1200 Stephen Johnson Long & Foster Real Estate 10805 Hickory Ridge Rd. Columbia, MD 21044 410-715-7891 • PA G E 4 7
David Ostrowski & Pat Stokeley Long & Foster Real Estate 410-931-6300 www.DaveMovesMd.com
RESTAURANTS / CATERING Café Boheme 401 E. Pratt St. Baltimore, MD 21202 410-347-9898 Sascha’s 527 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-539-8880 Spice Company 4 W. University Pkwy. Baltimore, MD 21218 410-235-8200
THEATRES Hippodrome Theatre France-Merrick Performing Arts Center 12 N. Eutaw St. Baltimore, MD 21202 410-547-SEAT Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore 5625 O’Donnell St. Baltimore, MD 21224 410-995-1969 Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia 5900 Symphony Woods Rd. Columbia, MD 21044 410-995-1969
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