Challenge - April 2013

The Best Damn Newsletter in New Jersey! ®

CHALLENGE The Newsletter of the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County – Serving New Jersey’s GLBTI Communities Continuously Since 1972

Volume 39, Issue 3, April 2013

I Am an Effnennlufu!

by Andy Skurna

Homosexual is a bad word in my opinion.

No, homosexuals aren’t bad. I just think we need a better word to describe people who develop romantic, affectionate pair bonds with people of the same gender. We are long overdue for a linguistic makeover!

I have always been interested in etymology, the study of word origins. It is at times a muse. Etymologically speaking, I dislike “homosexual.” The word was coined by 19th century German psychologist Karoly Maria Benkert. He combined the meanings of two root words, homo and sexus.

First, I don’t like the choice of homo. It has two different origins/meanings, which seems to confuse the less intelligent of our species. According to my 1985, Second College Edition, American Heritage Dictionary (printed on actual paper), homo (the word) is defined as “A member of the genus Homo, which includes the extinct and extant species of man.” When used as a prefix, homo means same. So, arguably, a homosexual can be either someone who has sex with someone of the same sexuality, or someone who has sex with humans.

“Human” is often shortened to just “man.” For example humankind = mankind.

Second, the word “sexual” seems too narrow, too limiting to encompass all the components/conditions involved with falling in love. It places way too much emphasis on genitalia, and all the dirty, seedy, forbidden ickyness that challenges our morality, which is still too deeply rooted in Puritanical and Victorian hypersensitivities.

These root words have Greek and Latin origins, like almost all scientific words. And I think that for far too long, far too many have equated the word with “man sex.” In case you haven’t noticed, man and sex are NEVER portrayed as a good combination out in the world. According to those same antiquated, judgmental views, men should never have sex. Sure, humans have to allow men to have sex — otherwise we’d go extinct.

But any sex that a man has that is not utilitarian, solely for the purposes of procreation, is seen as negative.

This has not always been the case, and even today it is not the case in every culture. I recently read a scholarly article that described how Old Testament-era cultures believed all life came from men’s sex organs, and women just provided the storage facility while we waited for the man’s child to make its appearance. And it is very well documented that men were required to make temple sacrifices to the gods.

The sacrifice of greatest value was none other than his lifegiving fluid. To help him more efficiently make his offering the temples hired prostitutes. It is also written in the same

historical documents that there were female prostitutes for straight men, and “natural eunuch” (aka homosexual male) prostitutes for men who were not straight to make their sacrifice. Hence, the origins of “man shall not lie with a man as he does a woman.” But I digress.

When it comes to today’s forces that control our families, religions and governments, man + sex is never a good mix.

All men are perceived as predators, unless it is someone we know; then there is a chance they may be a nice guy, but they still have “dirty” ambitions.

Although the word homosexual is not limited to only one gender, most references I’ve seen reserve its use for men.

Even the infamous 1967 Mike Wallace documentary “The Homosexuals” focused almost exclusively on males.

Homosexual women are almost always referred to as lesbians. Of course this means they are natives of the island of Lesbos…or they could be females who have sex with other females. Again, ambiguous.

I have come to this little etymological playground as a result of a debate that took place a few months ago on the GAAMC Facebook group. One member voiced his opposition to the use of the word “queer” when referring to members of the LGBTI community. Referring back to my American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition, I learn that “queer” means several things such as "1. Deviating from the expected or normal; strange. 2. Odd or unconventional in behavior; eccentric. 3. Of a questionable nature or character; suspicious." The 6th definition? “Offensive slang for Homosexual.” (continued on page 6)

Inside Challenge Letter From The President.... ...........................page 1 Challenge Information.... ................................ page 2 GAAMC Events.............................................. page 2 The Bulletin Board......................................... page 3 Rally for Marriage Equality............................... page 3 Gleanings: Queer news from around the world .... page 4 This Month's Contributors................................ page 6 Calendar ..................................................... page 7 Dancing to Architecture: music reviews............. page 9 Waves of Action Rebuilding the Jersey Shore........ page 10 The Little Box of Concerts.............................. page 11 Tech Treats................................................. page 12 Poetry: Rawhide/Ramrod—Remembered; Sundaes at the Bar................................... page 12 Down and Out in New Jersey.......................... page 13 Good Eats!: recipes..................................... page 13 GAAMC Information...................................... page 14

Page 2 CHALLENGE April 2013 CHALLENGE Volume 39, Number 3 April 2013 ISSN 0277-1675 Staff Editor .....................Allen Neuner Assistant Editor ............. Bill Stella Advertising Manager ............. open Circulation Manager ............. open List Manager ................ Sue Harris Submissions The deadline for all articles, inserts, and advertisements is the fifteenth of the previous month. All submissions must be provided as electronic files.

E-mail submissions to Challenge @ GAAMC.org.

Ad Rates Single issue: Full page, $125.00; Half page, $85.00; Quarter page, $45.00; Business card, $25.00. For multi-issue rates, contact the Editor at Challenge @ GAAMC.org.

GAAMC members may place one free classified ad per month, of no more than 200 characters in length.

Change of Address Please let us know your new address! All address changes should be sent to the List Manager at ChangeAddress@GAAMC.org.

Challenge is © 2013-2014 by the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt not-for-profit corporation. All rights reserved. All articles reflect the views of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of GAAMC, its officers, or executive board. All copyrights revert to the original contributors upon publication. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the contributor. All articles, contributions, and advertisements are printed at the discretion of the Editor and/or GAAMC Executive Board.

GAAMC Events for April 2013 Discussion Groups OpenTalk: A regular weekly discussion group, open to all. 7:00, in the Library.

Moderators: Kerry (Apr. 1); Gordon (Apr. 29); Sherri (Apr. 22); all moderators, Apr. 15. Topic for Apr. 29: Marriage equality and anti-bullying update; guest, Troy Stevenson of Garden State Equality. Discussion group does not meet on Film Festival nights.

Committee Meetings All committee meetings are open to members and guests. This month: April 1, Challenge Committee; April 15, TBA. 7:00; locations to be announced.

Main Events [All start at 8:00 unless otherwise listed.]

April 1: Open Mic Night. No fooling, GAAMC's Got Talent!

Welcome to GAAMC’s first Open Mic Night of 2013! Can you sing?

Dance? Do magic tricks? Write and read poetry? Bring it on!

Contact Sherri at Programs @GAAMC.org for your 5 minute spot.

Have more than one performance piece prepared? You may get a shot at an encore performance!

April 8: GAAMC Film Festival Presents: Jean Cocteau's Orphée is the tale of the myth of Orpheus, set in 1950's Paris with, naturally, a French flair. Prior to the showing, Martin will give us his insights on the brilliance and history of Cocteau as a film maker. An ancient tale with a modern flair — irrésistible! Note: The movie will start at 7:00.

April 15: Women’s Tea Tasting / Men’s Coffee Chat. The Program and Discussion Committees received requests to have opportunities during the year for womenonly and men-only discussions at GAAMC. Kerry and Sherri host Janette Alexander, a guest speaker who will discuss aspects and origins of the Japanese tea ritual. Gordon and Elias will host the men’s group and announce the topic closer to the date.

Make sure to invite your friends to this special evening at GAAMC. April 22: Rant-a-Palooza For Spring! Back by popular demand! Each person will have a full minute to rant about something that gets under your skin or a full minute to sing the praises of the wonderful events in your life. A minute is both longer and shorter than you think! If you run overtime, you go to the end of the queue to finish after everyone else has had a turn. Let yourself go — catharsis is fun!

April 29: Pastabilities! GAAMC’s most popular fund-raiser is back! Board members and select volunteers make delicious, nutritious pasta offerings. You bring $10 to help us make ends meet. Both GAAMC and the Fellowship thank you! If you have a special recipe you’d like to share with your GAAMC friends, contact us at Programs@GAAMC.org or Info@GAAMC.org, and put Pastabilities in the header!

Coming in May! May 6: Singer/songwriter Mindy Schmitt brings heart and spirit into her songwriting, soft and sweet one minute, with rocking guitar and vocals the next. Her folk-rock style hints of influences such as Melissa Ferrick and the Indigo Girls, but distinctive. Mindy writes and sings about love, the environment, living life to its fullest and the many ups and downs of being human On stage with just her voice and her guitar, she has played venues all over the east to acclaim.

May 13: GAAMC’s Film Festival continues its march toward Pride Month with Paris Was a Woman, a documentary of salon society in Paris between the two World Wars. A masterful piece of storytelling that incorporates diaries, home movies, and professional interviews of the figures guiding art and literature in Paris during its Golden Age. Learn more about the names you may only have read about! This is an experience you won’t soon forget.

Note: The movie will start at 7:00.

Note: All programs and discussion groups are subject to change without notice. For the most up-to-date information, go to GAAMC.org.

April 2013

CHALLENGE

Bulletin Board Our Youth wants all high school seniors to remember that the deadline for applying for an Our Youth Diversity Scholarship is April 1st! That's the date when all applications must be received by Our Youth. For more information, contact Rob De Anthony at 201-839-5869.

The Pride Center will host a Male Erotic Art Exhibit and Sale on Saturday, April 6th from 1 to 5 pm, at its Highland Park location. For your $5 admission price, you get to meet and greet the 10 artists who will be displaying and selling their art this year. The event includes a chance to bring your own art supplies and practice your drawing skills, with a live model between 3 and 4 pm. Light refreshments will be served.

NOTE: This event is for those 18 and older only.

GLBT of Hunterdon County invites all those 21 and under to a Lifeguard Workshop sponsored by The Trevor Project. This workshop uses an age-appropriate curriculum and trained facilitators to address topics such as recognizing the warning signs for depression and suicide, and examining the impact of language and actions on the experiences and mental health of young LGBTQ people. The event takes place Tuesday, April 9th, from 6 to 8:45 pm at the North County Branch Library in Clinton. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Matthew Loscialo at 908-300-1058, GLBT's of Hunterdon County's website: www.glbtofhunterdoncountyofnj.com The Pride Center invites you to Spring Clubfest, being held once again at The Club at Woodbridge, on Saturday, April 20th from 8 pm to midnight! Activities include swimming, basketball, racquetball, tennis, running, rock climbing, field hockey, volleyball, and soccer. There's also a hot tub, massage therapy, and tarot readings, not to mention food and desserts!

Tickets are $10 for members and $15 for non-members.

Coming April 29, Pastabilities returns to GAAMC. The popular fundraiser features Italian specialties and desserts created and served by GAAMC's Board members and volunteers! And it's only $10 per person! Mark your calendars to reserve April 29! Mangia bene, paisans!

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Rally For Marriage Equality

by Mickey Suiter

There will be a rally for marriage equality on the Green in Morristown on Friday, May 3rd from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. The rally is being sponsored by four Unitarian churches located in Morristown, Plainfield, Princeton, and Summit, and will coincide with the denomination’s annual business meeting at the Hyatt Hotel in Morristown on May 3rd and 4th.

The group of four churches has proposed that the 51 New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey Unitarian churches pass a resolution urging that both state and federal law support marriage equality. The plan is to hold a public march and rally Friday evening from the Hyatt Hotel to the Morristown Green (about two blocks away).

Three speakers will talk about marriage equality issues: — Rev. Allison Miller of MUF — Gordon Sauer of GAAMC — Annette Marquis, UUA LGBTQ and Multicultural Ministries Program Manager Please plan to join our Unitarian friends and GAAMC members at this local rally. There will be members of the press attending so it is important that we have a large crowd. We will meet in front of the Hyatt on Speedwell Ave. between 5:00 and 5:30 PM. More information will be posted on our Facebook page and Yahoo group as it becomes available, or see Mickey at any Monday night meeting.

Grace Church (Episcopal) in downtown Newark will present Our Stories in Song: Music of LGBT Composers on Sunday, May 5th, at 4 pm in the church at 950 Broad Street. The concert benefits HMI:Newark, which offers services for LGBTQ youth, and the Music Society of Grace Church. Performers include mezzo Lacey Jo Benter, sopranos Abigail Hayes Lennox and Amelia Watkins, baritone Timothy McDevitt, and pianist Bryan Wagorn. Tickets are available at www.hmi.org/gracechurch or music @ gracechurchinnewark.org.

Emily Kubin has created a program, Emily's Hats for Hope Initiative, to knit hats for the homeless. Emily, along with a volunteer crew of knitters and crocheters, makes the hats, which she then takes to the soup kitchen at Church of the Redeemer in Morristown. Volunteer knitters/crocheters are always welcome to join in! Donations of yarn, or of money to purchase yarn, are also welcome. For more information, check out Emily's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EmilysHatsForHopeInitiative/

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Page 4 CHALLENGE April 2013

Gleanings

Queer news from around the world The Department of Justice has filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to find a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, arguing the law violates the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. DOMA’s section 3 prohibits the federal government from recognizing legally married same-sex couples. "It is abundantly clear that this discrimination does not substantially advance an interest in protecting marriage, or any other important interest," the DOJ brief reads. (SeattlePI.com)

to the full House. Final votes aren't expected until later in the legislative session. (Huffington Post) Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D) signed legislation establishing civil unions for same-sex couples. The bill reached final passage in the legislature under the leadership of State House Speaker Mark Ferrandino (D), the first openly gay lawmaker to lead that chamber. Colorado still prohibits same-sex marriages because of an amendment to their state constitution. (Bloomberg.com)

The Obama administration has filed a The Vermont House has voted 139-5 to brief at the Supreme Court claiming Caliapprove legislation that requires outfornia's Proposition 8 is unconstitutional of-state employers to provide equal because it discriminates against same-sex benefits for gay and straight employees couples. If the court agrees with the in Vermont. The move came on the administration's argument, it could strike 13th anniversary of the passage of the down laws in California and seven other state's once-controversial civil unions states that grant legal benefits to samelaw.

(The Times Argus, Barresex couples without allowing them to Montpelier) marry. The brief does not argue that all state bans on same-sex marriages are unA marriage equality bill pending in the Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images. constitutional. (National Public Radio) Illinois House may need up to a dozen more votes to pass, according to Speaker Michael Madigan President Barack Obama signed legislation reauthorizing the (D).

Illinois congressional delegates this week urged state Violence Against Women Act, and for the first time the law lawmakers to act on the bill.

The measure has already includes explicit protections for LGBT Americans. "Today is passed in the state Senate and Governor Pat Quinn (D) has about all the Americans who face discrimination based on said he would sign it if it reaches his desk. (Chicago Phoenix) sexual orientation and gender identity when they seek help," Obama said at a signing ceremony. Rea Carey, executive direc- Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) said he supports civil unions for tor of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said the new same-sex couples, only to have his staff negate it a day later, law provides tools for LGBT victims of violence to get the saying, "He opposes gay marriage and opposes changing Ohio's help they need. (Metro Weekly, Washington DC) constitution to allow for civil unions." In an interview about Rob Portman's (R-OH) change of heart on the issue, KaDozens of well-known Republican politicos, including four Senator sich had told a reporter, "If people want to have civil unions former governors, have signed onto a brief submitted to the and have some way to transfer their resources, I'm for that. I Supreme Court arguing in favor of marriage rights for same- don't support gay marriage." (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland) sex couples and urging the Court to find California's Proposition 8 unconstitutional. The document is at odds with the The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a woman position of House Republican leaders, whose lawyers are seeking parental rights after the dissolution of a same-sex defending the principle that marriage can be restricted by relationship during which she established a bond with the law to heterosexual couples without running afoul of the biological child of her former partner. The court found that Constitution. "We are trying to say to the court that we are a clear mother-child relationship existed, which helped judicial and political conservatives, and it is consistent with validate a co-parenting contract entered into by the couple. our values and philosophy for you to overturn Proposition 8," (The Topeka Capital-Journal) said Ken Mehlman, the former chair of the Republican NaUtah Senate bill SB262, which would have prohibited discriminational Committee. (The New York Times) tion in housing and employment based on sexual orientation and 110 members of the House of Representatives have signed gender identity, died before it even hit the Senate floor. Supporta letter calling on President Obama to take action to pro- ers of the bill acknowledged The Church of Jesus Christ of Lattertect LGBT workers from discrimination — although the letter day Saints did not give its blessing to the legislation, modeled afhas the notable absence of members of Democratic leader- ter non-discrimination ordinances passed in 16 municipalities ship and Republican lawmakers. In a letter dated March 20, across Utah with the support of the LDS Church. (FoxNews.com) the lawmakers called on Obama to sign a much sought-after executive order requiring federal contractors to have non- Pending legislation in Arizona would restrict the use of genderdiscrimination protections for their LGBT workers. A news designated restrooms to persons with a corresponding gender on statement accompanying the letter credits Representatives their birth certificates, an idea critics say could turn transgender Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Jared Polis (D-CO), the most senior people into criminals. State Senator Nancy Barto (R) said the law openly gay member of the U.S. House, with leading the 110 would require those held by police to produce birth certificates to back up claims they're using the correct restroom. "Otherwise," House members in this effort. (Washington Blade) said state Representative John Kavanagh (R), "you're going to go Committees in both houses of the Minnesota Legislature to jail, which is where you belong." (Arizona Daily Star, Tucson) have passed that state's marriage equality bill by comfortable margins. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Maryland's state Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee the bill by a 5-3 vote, moving it to the full Senate, while the struck down a bill that would have banned anti-transgender House Civil Law Committee passed the bill 10-7, sending it discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodation by a 6-5 vote. (Washington Blade) (continued on next page)

April 2013

CHALLENGE

Page 5

Gleanings

(continued from previous page) In Texas, local school districts that offer domestic partner benefits to their employees would receive a cut in state funding under legislation proposed by Texas state Representative Drew Springer (R). "Our tax-dollars are for educating kids, not for enacting policies that attempt to get the state to recognize homosexual relationships," Springer said. (Dallas Voice) Christine Quinn (D), the openly lesbian speaker of the New York City Council, released a video formally announcing her campaign for mayor. If she wins, Quinn will be New York City’s first woman mayor and first openly LGBT mayor. (The New York Times) Friends of slain Clarksdale, Miss., mayoral candidate Marco McMillian say he was romantically involved with the man charged with his murder, Lawrence Reed. Reed's friends denied he is gay and suggested he panicked after McMillian made sexual advances. McMillian's family members say the murder should be investigated as a hate crime, something local authorities have so far not done.

The FBI will try to find evidence that the murder was a hate crime under federal law. Mississippi's hate crimes laws do not extend to crimes related to a victim's sexual orientation. (The ClarionLedger, Jackson MS) Lech Walesa, former president of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize winner, last week lashed out at openly LGBT elected officials, saying they deserve to be separated from the rest of the national parliament "behind a wall." "They have to know that they are a minority and must adjust to smaller things," Walesa said during a television interview.

Parliamentary leaders responded by temporarily moving two openly gay and transgender members to the front row, a position of honor. (ABC News) Mexico's Supreme Court has ruled that two commonly used words that roughly translate to "faggot" are hate speech and not protected by constitutional freedoms of expression. "Even though they are deeply rooted expressions in Mexican society, the fact is that the practices of the majority of society can't validate the violations of basic right," the court said of the words "punal" and "maricones." Advocates praised the ruling, but some said it would have little effect outside the media and public forums. (The Washington Post)

The Canadian House passed a bill addressing violence and discrimination against transgender individuals by a vote of 149-137. Its fate in the Senate is unclear. Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Conservative) opposes the measure. (Ottawa Citizen, ON) A new strain of meningitis that can kill quickly has been "marching through" the gay community in New York, health officials warned this week. Victims include men who have had sex with men they've met without getting to know them, making it harder to track the disease. "All they know is a screen name and a physical description," said Dr. Jay Varma, deputy commissioner for disease control at the city's health department.

Seven of the 22 cases so far have resulted in deaths. (The New York Times) The Committee of Student Life at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY, in conjunction with students at San Jose State University in San Jose, CA, started a "We the People" petition to get President Barack Obama's support and encourage the FDA to change its policy on men who have sex with men. Both college campuses ban blood drives because it conflicts their respective schools' polices on non-discrimination, so the students decided to take their wishes to hold blood drives all the way to the top. "Nothing else we've done seems to be working," Cody Gray, an openly gay Sarah Lawrence senior and the chair of the Committee on Student Life, told the media. "This is a way for us to actively make a stand." (CBS News) The Phi Alpha Tau fraternity at Emerson College in Boston has launched a social media campaign to raise money for Donnie Collins, an FTM transgender brother whose health insurance does not cover surgery to remove his breasts. (Boston Herald) Michelle Shocked responded to reports that she gave an anti-gay rant at an appearance in San Francisco with an open letter to her fans. In her letter, Shocked said, "I do not, nor have I ever, said or believed that God hates homosexuals (or anyone else). I said that some of His followers believe that. … When I said [on-stage] 'Twitter that Michelle Shocked says "God hates faggots,"' I was predicting the absurd way my description of, my apology for, the intolerant would no doubt be misinterpreted. … And to those fans who are disappointed by what they've heard or think I said, I'm very sorry: I don't always express myself as clearly as I should. But don't believe everything you read on facebook or twitter. My view of homosexualty has changed not one iota. I judge not." (BuzzFeed)

LGBT advocates have called on the Roman Catholic Church and newly-elected Pope Francis to tone down its anti-gay rhetoric, which they said harshened under Pope Benedict XVI. The new Pope, F r om t op: formerly Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, had opChri st i n e Qui n n ; posed legislation allowing same-sex couples to M i c h e l l e S h o c k e d; marry in his native Argentina in 2010, saying the S co t t K en n edy effort was "a move by the father of lies," a biblical reference to the devil. However, the former cardinal also said the church should speak with "respect" and "understand- Scott Kennedy, an out gay comedian who had his own ing" toward individuals when discussing its teachings on sexu- Comedy Central special, a busy road schedule, and frequent ality, and pushed behind the scenes for gay civil unions in his late-night appearances, died in his sleep in late March in Los Angeles. The comedian made over 50 USO tours in Iraq and country instead of marriage. (The Washington Post) Afghanistan, doing as many as five shows a day, and later New Zealand's Parliament is swiftly moving on a marriage organizing his own touring show to entertain the troops. He equality bill that would also allow same-sex couples to adopt. also produced and performed in benefits for Los Angeles' Members of Parliament backed the legislation by a 2-to-1 Project Angelfood, which provided daily meals for people Scott Kennedy was 50 years old. margin at its first reading, surprising opponents who com- with HIV/AIDS. (LubbockOnline.com) plained the bill was being rushed. (The New Zealand Herald)

Page 6 CHALLENGE April 2013

I Am an Effnennlufu! (continued from page 1)

IT'S TAX SEASON !

However, the younger you are, the more likely you are to use "queer".

Most will say it is an act of defiance or rebellion much the way some African Americans refer to each other as the “N” word, and some homosexuals call themselves and each other the “F” word.

Maybe they choose it for its sheer efficiency, choosing a single-syllable word instead of LGBTIQA.

KEVIN P. SUSZKO, PC Certified Public Accountant

None of these are acceptable to me. Therefore, I am announcing a new movement and calling on activists everywhere to abandon our Latin label, and come up with a new name for ourselves!

- TAX PLANNING & PREPARATION - FINANCIAL PLANNING - ACCOUNTING SERVICES - DAY & EVENING APPOINTMENTS - OFFICES IN NEW JERSEY & NYC

I will start the ball rolling with my own recommendation: effnennlufu.

I call the language I speak English. (And since my maternal grandfather’s name was Hawthorne, I am looking back to my roots.) Effnenn is the Middle English verb “to make equal or even.” Lufu is the Middle English origin of the word “love.”

That’s right! I am an out, proud and often loud effnennlufu!

Now, let me hear some Evangelical morality dictator or some bellicose, bigoted politician just try to use that term the way they seem to frequently to push out a guttural, disgusted “ho-ma-SEX-ule.” It is much easier for people to drive themselves to a level of disapproval so low that they almost vomit when they say the word that means “man sex.” But I don’t think it will be so easy to put down “make equal love.”

Phone: 973–376–4121 P. O. Box 701 Short Hills, NJ 07078 E-Mail: KPSCPA@GMAIL.COM

This Month's Contributors Daniel Herzog is an off-again, on-again member of GAAMC (currently on). A graduate of Juniata College, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and Rutgers, Daniel is a published author, poet, and reviewer; has served on the boards of many professional organizations; has worked in the counseling field; and has presented papers and lectured at conferences and universities. (pg. 13) Charlie Murphy has held many positions in GAAMC during the organization's lifetime. He is the first recipient of GAAMC's David Morris Award for Lifetime Achievement. (pg.13) Tony Puma's career in sales/marketing/advertising and public relations influences his poetry style: less abstract, more to-the-point. He belongs to the Italian-American Writers Association, Red Wheel Barrow Poets, Poets House (NYC), South Mountain Poets, and Hudson Valley Poets-on-theLoose. Through the prism of poetry, he sees, hears, feels, and captures emotions in words. (pg. 12)

Andy Skurna currently serves as GAAMC's President, Webmaster, and the Editor of our Pride Guide. Other community services include Communications Co-Chair for Rainbow Cafe Morris, a social/support group for northern New Jersey's LGBTIQA teens formed in 2012, and Executive Member at Large for the Morris County Branch of the NAACP. In his professional life, he has worked on or worked with computers and related technologies for more than 30 years. (pg. 1, 12) Bill Realman Stella writes Dancing to Architecture because writing about music is like that. He hosted the eclectic pop music show Highest Common Denominator in his mind for twenty years before getting it on the radio for six, and will host it again. Bill has collected music since age 4, when for each song he'd hear on the radio, he'd ask his mom "Do they have a record?" Making a record good enough to share is still a small miracle. If you'd like Bill to write, DJ, or promote for you, get in touch. Comments and suggestions also welcome.

Visit http://HowToFindTheBestMusic.blogspot.com or write bearealman @ gmail.com. (pg. 9, 10, 11)

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April 2013

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Page 7

April 2013 Calendar

Recurring Contact Information

* Hackensack Peer Support Groups: 800-508-7577; www.njbuddies.org † Pride Center, Highland Park: 732-846-2232; www.pridecenter.org ‡ Hudson Pride Connections Center: 201-963-4779; HudsonPride.org λ LGBT Center Rainbow Lounge, Princeton: www.princeton.edu/lgbt ♦ North Jersey PrimeTimers: www.meetup.com/North-Jersey-Primetimers Monday – Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm - HIV testing, Morristown; 973-889-6802 9:00 am to 1:00 pm - HIV testing, Asbury Park; 800-947-0020 10:00 am to 5:00 pm - HiTOPS Health Center, Princeton; www.hitops.org; 609-683-5155 x 211 Every Monday 10:30 am - The Wellness Community, Newark; 973-565-0300; info @ hyacinth.org 6:30 pm - Yoga, Jersey City ‡ 7:00 pm - GAAMC, Morristown (see page 2) 7:00 pm - Bowling, Union; merenl @ comcast.net 7:30 pm - S.E.L.F. HIV Men’s support group, Hackensack * 7:30 pm - New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus choir practice, Princeton; 609-396-7774; www.njgmc.org 7:30 pm - Overeaters Anonymous, Highland Park † 8:00 pm - Bowling, Green Brook; qcrollers @ aol.com 8:00 pm - Wellness Group, Jersey City ‡ Every Tuesday 12:30 pm - The Wellness Community, Newark; 973-565-0300; info @hyacinth.org 4:00 pm - Treatment Adherence Support Group, Jersey City; 201-432-1134; info @hyacinth.org 6:30 pm - Transview, Jersey City ‡ 6:30 pm - AA Group, Jersey City ‡ 7:00 pm - NA Group, Jersey City ‡ 7:30 pm - Tuesday Night Lesbian Connection, Bound Brook; 908-791-3764 7:30 pm - Men’s HIV support group, Asbury Park; 732-775-5084; apstillpoz @ yahoo.com 7:30 pm - Positive Yoga, Oradell * 8:45 pm - Bowling, Belleville; 973-256-5936; NJGLB @ aol.com 9:00 pm - Bowling, Jersey City; 201-933-6028; JoeyNJ @ aol.com 9:15 pm - Bowling, Edison; 732-548-4550; cnjgbl @ yahoo.com 01 Mon 7:00 pm - Support Group for Lesbians with Cancer, New Brunswick; 732-235-6781; slirzero @ umdnj.edu 7:00 pm - Lesbian Hot Topics, Asbury Park; www.jsqspot.org 8:00 pm - Young Men's Social Network, Highland Park † 02 Tue 6:00 pm - Gay Pride Business Network, New Brunswick; www.GPBN.net 7:30 pm - LGBT Fellowship, Belleville; 973-751-0616 7:30 pm - ComeOUT & Play, Highland Park † 7:30 pm - NJ Women Coming Out Support, Highland Park † 03 Wed Noon - "Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics", Princeton λ 5:30 pm - Hudson County HIV/AIDS Services Planning Council, Jersey City ‡ 6:15 pm - Francesca di Rimini, Rockaway ♦ 7:30 pm - Gay Dad’s discussion group, Highland Park † 7:30 pm - Workshop: Setting & Achieving Your Goals, Jersey City ‡ 04 Thu 4:00 pm - The After School Hang Out, Highland Park †

Every Wednesday 10:30 am - The Wellness Community, Jersey City; 201-432-1134; info @hyacinth.org 6:00 pm - Positive People peer support group, Hackensack * 6:00 pm - SAGE, Jersey City ‡ 7:30 pm - Men’s Living Out group, Highland Park; njwarrior @ aol.com † 7:30 pm - Gay Men’s Coming Out group, Highland Park; pdumpert @ gmail.com † 8:30 pm - Pride Night meeting, Newark Every Thursday 6:00 pm - Our Youth weekly support group, Jersey City; www.myspacenj.org 6:30 pm - Double Jeopardy peer support group, Hackensack * 6:30 pm - Hudson Men of Pride, Jersey City ‡ 7:00 pm - Sexual Assault Survivor Support, Princeton; www.hitops.org 7:30 pm - Rainbows on Cleveland Street, Orange; 973-256-5936; rbowsoncleveland @ aol.com 7:30 pm - Writers group, Highland Park † Every Friday 3:00 pm - Youth Connect, Jersey City ‡ Every Sunday 10:45 am - MCC of Christ the Liberator, Highland Park; mccliberator @ excite.com † Noon - St. Francis of Assisi Church, Glen Ridge; 973-731-7765; stfrancisnj.org 2:30 pm - Liberation in Truth Unity Fellowship Church, Newark; 973-621-2100 5:30 pm - Central Jersey Rainbows Bowling League, Bradley Beach; CJRBowling @ gmail.com

7:00 pm - Coffee Night, Edison; njlgh.onefireplace.com 05 Fri 5:00 pm - Class of 2014 Happy Hour, Princeton λ 7:00 pm - Positive Women peer support group, Hackensack * 7:00 pm - Two Spirits, Princeton λ 7:30 pm - Karaoke, Highland Park † 06 Sat 2:30 pm - First and Third for GLBTI youth, Princeton; 609-683-5155; www.HiTOPS.org 07 Sun 4:00 pm - Dignity Metro NJ Mass, Maplewood; 973-509-0118; Dignitymetronj @ msn.com 6:30 pm - Gay Men’s Opera Club; 732-249-9034; hagol @ msn.com 08 Mon 6:30 pm - HIV Testing, Highland Park † 7:00 pm - "The Islamic Case for Same-Sex Love", Princeton λ 7:30 pm - PFLAG of Morris County, Mendham; 973-727-5288; pflag.morris @ verizon.net 7:30 pm - PFLAG, Princeton; 609-663-5155; www.pflagprinceton.org

Page 8 CHALLENGE April 2013 09 Tue 7:00 pm - Bisexual, Bicurious, Highland Park † 7:00 pm - Julius Caesar at the Met, New York City ♦ 7:30 pm - PCNJ Board of Trustees meeting, Highland Park † 7:30 pm - Yoga for Men, Highland Park † 8:00 pm - Men's Social Night, Highland Park † 10 Wed 7:30 am - Living Out Women, Highland Park † 6:00 pm - Gay Pride Business Network, Asbury Park; www.GPBN.net 6:00 pm - Queering the Color Line family dinner, Princeton λ 6:00 pm - Booked for Supper, Highland Park † 6:30 pm - North Jersey Prime Timers' monthly meetup, Little Falls ♦ 11 Thu 4:30 pm - A Talk with Michael Stuart Gottlieb, Princeton λ 7:00 pm - Qspot Book Club, Point Pleasant 7:00 pm - Under the Rainbow, Highland Park † 7:30 pm - PFLAG of North Jersey, South Orange; 908-789-7489; pflagwaver @ aol.com 7:30 pm - Alternate Thursdays, Montclair; kjdinkin @ comcast.net 7:30 pm - Kollege of Kink, Highland Park † 12 Fri 7:30 pm - Rock Band/Guitar Hero, Highland Park † 7:30 pm - Shanghai Quartet, Montclair ♦ 13 Sat 1:00 pm - Youth Drop-In, Highland Park † 7:30 pm - Movie Social, Highland Park † 7:30 pm - Dignity New Brunswick gay Catholic liturgy; 732-968-9263; dignitynb @ earthlink.net 14 Sun 6:00 pm - Gay Men’s Classical Song Club, Kingston; pbrown02 @ worldnet.att.net 15 Mon 7:00 pm - Support Group for Lesbians with Cancer, New Brunswick; 732-235-6781; slirzero @ umdnj.edu 7:00 pm - Lesbian Hot Topics, Asbury Park; www.jsqspot.org 8:00 pm - Young Men's Social Network, Highland Park † 16 Tue 4:30 pm - Annual Meredith Miller Memorial Lecture: Anne Fausto-Sterling, Princeton λ 7:00 pm - ComeOUT & Play, Highland Park † 7:30 pm - Lesbian Alliance of Princeton; 609-924-8174; Loisj @ msn.com 7:30 pm - PFLAG of Hunterdon County, Flemington; 908-752-1370; pflaghc @ yahoo.com 8:00 pm - PFLAG of Bergen County, Paramus; 201-287-0318; www.bergenpflag.org 8:00 pm - NJ Women, Secaucus; info @ njwomen.org 17 Wed 4:30 pm - A Talk with Antony Fauci, M.D., Princeton λ 7:30 pm - Havurah board meeting, Edison; njlgh.onefireplace.com 7:30 pm - United in Grace discussion/support group, Jersey City; 201-946-0650; greg.perez @ comcast.net 8:30 pm - Bowling, Boonton ♦

18 Thu 4:00 pm - The After School Hang Out, Highland Park † 6:30 pm - New Volunteer Orientation, Jersey City ‡ 7:00 pm - GAAMC board meeting, Morristown; All GAAMC members are invited to attend.

7:00 pm - GLSEN Training, Highland Park † 7:00 pm - PCNJ HIV Planning Committee, Highland Park † 7:30 pm - NJ Women Coming Out Support Group, Highland Park † 7:30 pm - PFLAG of Northwest NJ, Sparta; 973-729-9909 7:30 pm - Volunteer Group Meeting, Jersey City ‡ 19 Fri 7:00 pm - Positive Women peer support group, Hackensack * 7:30 pm - Dignity New Brunswick social; 732-968-9263; dignitynb @ earthlink.net 8:00 pm - Out of the Box open mic night, Highland Park (sign-up begins 7:30); outoftheboxinfo @ mac.com 20 Sat 2:30 pm - First and Third for GLBTI youth, Princeton; 609-683-5155; www.HiTOPS.org 7:00 pm - Rainbow Bowling, Bradley Beach; 732-774-4540 7:00 pm - NJ Gay Film Society & Potluck Dinner Club, location TBA; gayfilms @ bigfoot.com 7:30 pm - Games Night, Highland Park † 8:00 pm - The Mikado, New York City ♦ 21 Sun 4:00 pm - Dignity Metro NJ Mass, Maplewood; 973-509-0118; Dignitymetronj @ msn.com 4:00 pm - TrueSelves trans support group, Highland Park † 23 Tue 3:00 pm - Health Drop-In Hours, Princeton λ 6:30 pm - Dinner at Charlie Brown's, Millburn ♦ 7:00 pm - Bisexual, Bi-curious and Allies Support Group, Highland Park † 7:00 pm - Stonewall Democrats, Highland Park † 7:30 pm - Yoga for Men, Highland Park † 8:00 pm - Men's Social, Highland Park † 8:00 pm - To Love & Ruckus, Princeton λ 24 Wed 6:00 pm - Gay Pride Business Network, Asbury Park; www. GPBN.net 7:30 pm - Living Out Women, Highland Park † 25 Thu 2:00 pm - "Ally Project: Understanding and Addressing Microaggressions", Princeton λ 7:00 pm - Under the Rainbow, Highland Park † 26 Fri 7:30 pm - Living Soulfully, Highland Park † 8:00 pm - Shabbat Service, Highland Park; njlgh.onefireplace.com 27 Sat 1:00 pm - Youth Drop-In, Highland Park † 7:00 pm - Gay Bowling, Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park; 732-776-6160 30 Tue Noon - "Exiles within Exiles: Herbert Daniel, Gay Brazilian Revolutionary", Princeton λ

The Best Damn Newsletter in New Jersey! ®

CHALLENGE

What the ***&@Ç#!*** is the masthead doing in the Calendar?

April 2013

CHALLENGE

Page 9

Dancing To Architecture™:

Music Reviews & News with a Queer Ear

by Bill Rea lma n Stella

Welcome! This month, it's an (almost) All Teen Girl Scientist Monthly Edition of Dancing To Architecture. What's that? You say you haven't heard their fantastic new, now, Modern Dances — the only album with fresh flowered faces?

You say you'd like to hear more about "these kids" and their new-fangled "Rock and Roll"?

I can help.

On my early short list as potentially Best Album of the Year, please allow me to introduce to you Teen Girl Scientist

Monthly ~ Modern Dances.

IT. IS. EPIC. I fell in love with these songs. Then, I soon realized that the band's name, no matter how cool it is, takes REPETITION some getting used to. RepetiIS CALLED tion is called for! So repetition FOR! we shall have!

Teen Girl Scientist Monthly ~ Modern Dances is . . .

Track after track of undiluted unrelenting magnificent Modern Rock for frenzied, sweaty dancing until my hair is wet and every joint aches from burning all the energy I have in return for every bit of what the band gives. (NOTE: This now is no hyperbole. It is proven fact. I was moved to body -bouncing exhilaration / exhaustion at their March 21 Brooklyn show. Thanks for the Energies, TGSM!)

Teen Girl Scientist Monthly's Modern Dances is Rock and Roll.

Modern Dances includes all the energy Punk Rock claims exclusively for itself, but with more joy, excitement, and Modern Dances-ability than Punk, keeping the influence of it but letting in room for much more.

Teen Girl Scientist Monthly ~ the only periodical rock band known! I'm loving listening to this! My heart is leaping! Even the flower-faced cover art is effin' awesome!

THRILL! as "Hear Boys Talk" takes us on a radio-ready retrofuture trip to 1980s Modern

Rock-with-a-jet-pack: Matt Roi Berger's incessant vocal gallops over strummed, competing acoustic and electric guitars, a chipper bass line, carnival keyboards, and intriguing sustains. (Maybe by next month I'll have figured out who Matt's voice reminds me of…)

CHILL! (at least part-time) as Morgan Lynch's vocals on "Faith" shift seamlessly from inquisitive to in-control to quiet confidence to loud confidence, accompanied by gorgeous strings, oft-changing changes that'd make lesser bands crumble and a bass line which I swear reminds me of Pink Floyd and The Sweet, (anachronous as that may be).

FILL THE BILL! and shout along with the holy-fuck-how-cool-a-line-is-that refrain: "My heart is a burning car for you" in "Ghost Coast." Talk about drive! Matt and Morgan and the entire band race full-tilt past the penultimate "Away away away, away from the following, ‘rousing and hollering / Away away away; I got it bad bad bad bad bad bad BAD," to the fiery final chorus.

Which doesn't cover the paganistic valentine that is "Light as a Feather," the fun-n-punkish bounce of "Summer Skin" or the jangly optimism-overdespair (plus strings!) of "Outside," nor the rest of their great songs.

Even the slower moments have a dramatic intensity missing from too many socool - but - so - hip / too - cool indie rockers.

And did I mention the string trio? NO?! Let's correct that! No synthesized "strings" for Teen Girl Scientist Monthly! They employ real cello, viola and violin on arrangements in the Goldilocks-spot between "too-cold": smooth, background strings and "too-hot": rhythmic, Electric Light Orchestra-type jams. On Modern Dances, when you hear strings, no Rock is harmed in the process.

TGSM describe themselves on their Bandcamp page as "a 6-piece rock group from Brooklyn. They sound like Ra Ra Riot and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah making out in the bathroom." Treat yourself and click over now to teengirlscimo.bandcamp.com to hear Modern Dances in its entirety.

Don't hesitate! Listen. Then GET IT!

(So long as the world remains vast and full of wonder, perhaps it's time I "get" to something else.)

It's astonishing that 2013 will go down as the first in over 15 years when nothing new really made me want to excitedly triple somersault (in my flippin' imagination!) until March. Usually I'm doing cartwheels as the year begins with a bang, surprised by new-to-me discoveries looking for a little attention in the few weeks between must-buys hyped for holiday gift-giving and the end of however few days remain when you might have a little disposable cash left from what you've been gifted. But I digress. Naturally nothing good occurs in a vacuum, so, days after Modern Dances came out, TGSM had company.

Kacey Musgraves ~"Merry-Go-Round", etc ~ Same Trailer Different Park

…requires more attention than it will get until next month. Know for now that, Paul Simon aside, I'm hard-pressed to think of a better-written, more beautifully produced set of songs in an American Folk/Pop vein since Carole King's Tapestry. (Not even Shelby Lynne.) The mainstream loves Musgraves; many critics, who look down their noses at her Nashville-meets-Brill-Building roots, wouldn't think to compare her to KIng. But Musgraves is a giant talent, not least for her "quirky puns, shrewd metaphors, and steely ironies." For those inclined to enjoy her light and sure touch, I strongly recommend her.

Q Nakia ~ Drown In The Crimson Tide

This six song EP isn't the knock-it-out-ofthe-park triumph my high expectations hoped for in the wake of Nakia's consistently sensitive belting of Rock classics as a finalist on NBC's "The Voice." Then I sent my expectations to a time-out, and somehow songs like the semi-autobiographical "Tight" sound better the second time around. Let Tide be what it is: an impressive first run at an R&Bflavored, mainstream Rock career — a rocky road to roll. Expectations be damned.

(continued on next page)

Nakia and Macklemore at SXSW 2013

Page 10 CHALLENGE April 2013

Pedro Menendez Fusion Ensemble ~ The Rhythm, Coleccionismo

On "Caldera" Argentine World Jazz composer Menendez delivers a light instrumental confection with intermingling Latin rhythms, synth pan-flutes, possibly not synth marimba, and (yes) a female vocal cooing, intermingled with a sensitive-guy male vocal sing-song. (A breathy bass voice interjects, too). Hear more similarly classy, smart harmonies at his Soundcloud.com page.

Toro & Moi ~ "Harm In Charge," "Say That" ~ Anything In Return

Uncharacteristically good vocals for Electronica, with odd echo chamber atmospherics unusually textured by downtempo piano and guitar licks Santana would grin at. All unleashed on enough electronic elements to lift a dance floor. So the basic body-pumping beats are well-handled, and the spirit is also moved.

Q UPDATE! The Cast of SMASH ~

Bombshell: The New Marilyn Musical

As this Challenge goes to print, several songs on the Bombshell Original Cast album have yet to be seen on the NBC series SMASH. That's pretty remarkable, considering that most Original Cast albums for Broadway and other shows usually don't come out for months after opening day.

Even TV show tracks tend to come out the day of or after the original broadcast, not weeks before. So we now all can anticipate these new songs' debuts on SMASH, Tuesday nights at 10PM (Eastern Time) on NBC. Two of these new tracks are sung by Bernadette Peters, who has appeared on past episodes in the part of former Broadway star Leigh Conroy, the mother of Ivy, one of the actresses vying for the role of Marilyn Monroe in Bombshell. It's no spoiler to note that the songs Peters sings on the album are in the character of Monroe's mother.

And as of the most recent episode of SMASH it looks like Ivy will get to play Marilyn after all. So it seems inevitable that Ivy, playing Marilyn Monroe (both acted by the very talented Megan Hilty), will get to be in Bombshell with her "real mother" on the series, who will play Marilyn's mother in Bombshell (Bernadette Peters)!

Got all that? Well. Now that I've discovered why for some people SMASH isn't an easy show to watch, it's probably best if you just tune in Tuesdays at 10.

An excerpt/reminder from last issue: Bombshell is that rare bird these days, a concept album. The beneficial effect of having a TV network underwrite your costs is you get to hire top shelf talent to compose, produce, perform and sing their ever-lovin' asses off. Top tracks are plentiful: "Let's Be Bad" and "The 20th Cen-

tury Fox Mambo" repeat from last year's CD, as well as "History Is Made At Night," (which could be GAAMC's theme song), all now in Bombshell's proper sequence. "I Never Met A Wolf Who Didn't Love to Howl" and "Don't Say Yes Until I Finish Talking" describe themselves perfectly. Paired together are new, end of Act One and start of Act Two tracks: "Cut, Print...Moving On" and "Public Relations". Two torchy ballads, "They Just Keep Moving the Line" and "Second Hand White Baby Grand" are, respectively, show-stopping and intimate. http://tinyurl.com/bombshellSMASH Consumer Alert: CRITICS' DARLINGS RIP-OFF OF THE MONTH

They Might Be Giants ~ Nanobots It looks like 80s bands who've run out of steam will downshift into the nostalgia market for as long as there are 80s survivors. When you're They Might Be Giants, you're well past 50, and your catalog has literally dozens of good songs in it (not counting hundreds of short songs of about a minute or less), I can't complain. About that. What IS effin' aggravating isn't just that this album is mediocre, it's that critics love it (I'm pointing at YOU, Village Voice and The New Yorker, so look guilty). TMBG's loyal fanbase is settling for rehashings of old TMBG elements, and not in the good way they've had of taking a snippet here and adding it to a something else there, to amazing result.

Instead Nanobots is full of rehashings of rehashings of rehashings, and critics have responded nostalgically to the return of "the band’s gentle pessimism" "with "the immediacy of great rock and roll." As a fan of TMBG since the early 80s, I spent many happy hours listening to Vin Scelsa's radio show Idiot's Delight while he played many of their songs. My loyalty is long, too. But it doesn't extend to lying about what I hear.

TMBG spent much of the '00s nurturing an audience for smart music for kids and their parents that is symbiotic with their Rock audience, so I neither expect nor desire their career's end anytime soon. But it's a problem that this adult Rock album is mostly indistinct from a General Audiences album. Short memoried critics and fans are at fault for crediting it as a "freaky" album.

"Darlings of Lumberland", Nanobots' best, most creative track, suffers from too closely resembling a lost late 70s/early 80s Frank Zappa session (right down to the Flo & Eddie-like vocals).

It's nice that TMBG tosses a bone at fellow Zappamaniacs (enough to care that the vocals emulate The Turtles — Flo & Eddie basically relinquished The Turtles name at the time to move past their 1960s image). But it still doesn't connect viscerally. To feel echoes of former glories, I prefer great soloists who can emulate styles of masters on evocative improvisations, like guitarist Warren Haynes does with the Allman Brothers, or how an abundance of skilled Jazz players perform as part of their repertoire. "Darlings" could belong on a Zappa tribute album consisting not of his songs but of songs in his style(s).

I have to suggest that TMBG's founding core, John Flansburgh and John Linnell, need to take a very long vacation, and recharge their compositional batteries. For precedents, David Byrne and David Bowie have recharged by listening to new young musicians, and have become something like elder statesmen, mentors and, most notably, collaborators with new talent. Whether or not I enjoy all of their collaborations is beside the point. (I don't.) John & John have unique compositional skills sorely lacking in the current generation, so the need is there.

I wrote an actual review of Nanobots over at Amazon.com: Just look for the two-star review with the most "not helpful" votes! If you're inclined, I'd appreciate your "Helpful" votes. Because it's sad when critics like music because they're nostalgic for AND tired of it, and it's worse when people fall for it.

Teen Girl Scientist Monthly ~ Modern Dances, Redux:

Because Repetition is called for!

Imagine if you will combining essences of World/Inferno Friendship Society's punkinfused, little big band carnivale, The Go! Team's cheery energy and Gogol Bordello's command of a variety of brisk-tempoed intensities. Shake briskly, and pour out a sweet, refreshing Teen Girl Scientist Monthly concoction that I just know you'll love! I'd never have imagined aspects of W/I, G!T and GB would resonate in any single other band, never mind finesse it into anything with this much freshness to experience. But now I get to adore all four of them. In other words, Modern Dances is So Very Recommended If You Like: World/ Inferno Friendship Society, Gogol Bordello, The Go! Team, Ra Ra Riot, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Architecture In Helsinki, Ted Leo. We now interrupt this music column for an important announcement.

Waves of Action

A Special Call To Action To The Gay Men of New Jersey Some weeks ago, as I was reading a recent issue of Philadelphia Gay News (Pick up your free copy at any Monday GAAMC meeting), I was pleased to see columnist Jim Kiley-Zufelt began "Party Out of Bounds" (yes, a regular feature about parties), with how good it felt to help clean up and rebuild Gateway National Park, the beaches at Sandy Hook, alongside 75 other volunteers. He wrote about turning his concerns — it was rumored that the park might never re-open — into the experience you get when you work to make a difference.

After all, "That’s my favorite beach in all of New Jersey, and since I spend a lot of weekends there recharging my batteries from spring through fall, I was very concerned," he wrote.

I know lots of people who visit Sandy Hook. Although I've heard from many kinds of people that they enjoy its beaches, especially Gunnison, it's mostly Gay Men. And that's why this is "A Special Call To Action To The Gay Men of New Jersey": We use it. We love it.

We should help fix it.

If you're reading this, don't hesitate, go to Waves of Action at www.ForTheShore.org to learn how you can help. NOW. Done that? All set to volunteer? Good.

As your reward, take in these awfully good other points made by Kiley-Zufelt: "The good news is the park will be back. The bad news is there’s still a lot of work to be done, and not just at Gateway. Driving from Long Branch to Highlands, I was astounded at the level of devastation. Entire buildings were swept away; there’s still sand everywhere; every business and building in downtown Sea Bright was critically damaged.

"It’s in our nature to have relatively short memories for disasters like this, especially when there are so many things competing for our attention. So please, don’t forget our neighbors at the Jersey Shore. If you can spare a couple dollars or a couple hours of your time, there are lots of people who could use a hand." Find the rest of Jim Kiley-Zufelt's column in the February 1-7, 2013 issue of PGN-The Philadelphia Gay News. (continued on next page)

April 2013

CHALLENGE

Page 11

T H E L I T T L E B O X O F C O NC E RT S ™ GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!

THE 2 BEARS —>

M ARTIN S WINGER

The ORIGINAL Bear Musician Friday, March 29, at MUF: Morristown Unitarian Fellowship 21 Normandy Heights Rd, Morris Twsp, NJ with Carolann Solebello The Minstrel Acoustic Concert Series FolkProject.org $8, 973-335-9489

BOY

Wed, March 27 World Cafe Live, Upstairs Philadelphia, PA $12 Doors: 7pm, Show: 8:00 pm ticketingstaff@worldcafelive.com 215-222-1400

April 8, Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Street, NYC Gay subtext-and context-intact, The 2 Bears travel from their lairs in London's danceclub underground to make a rare stateside appearance. At ConsequenceOfSound.net, Tony Hardy writes: "Grown men in comedic animal costumes? The 2 Bears can’t be accused of taking themselves too seriously and the duo’s debut album, Be Strong, exudes sheer fun as it embraces an honest love of classic House. ...

The tunes are always melodic, mostly feel-good and uplifting, while little touches in the arrangements keep things fresh and inventive … The 2 Bears are the London duo made up of Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard with DJ and radio host Raf Rundell."

COURRIER

April 14 & 15, at City Winery New York City April 18, World Cafe Live, Downstairs Philadelphia, PA CourrierMusic.com

GREG TROOPER

Sunday, April 7, 8 PM Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2

DREW HOLCOMB & THE NEIGHBORS Monday, May 6, 7:15 PM, Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 Doors: 6:30 PM, $15.00

WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY

GREAT DIVIDE

Thursday, March 28 Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ with Stolen Babies Friday, March 29 Irving Plaza, NYC with Rasputina Saturday, March 30 at Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA with Rasputina

Thursday, May 9 Rockwood Music Hall 196 Allen Street, New YorkCity Please note regarding shows at Rockwood: "There is a one drink minimum; General Admission; Very limited seating; Tickets do not guarantee seats." That means: In my experience, it's a small venue, the definitive intimate New York experience: Not much personal space, but the room has fantastic acoustics and a friendly atmosphere. Go and experience it for yourself.

RYAN CASSATA

Cassata will be appearing April 4 in Ewing, NJ at the Don Evans Black Box Theater in Kendall Hall. See the card, right, for other stops both near and far on his Spring Tour.

As Jim said, "If you can spare a couple dollars," then that, naturally, is most welcome.

Donate to Clean Ocean Action (COA), at Noisetrade.com/mickeyhart/jersey-shore and receive over two hours of music from...

Mickey Hart Band ~ Jersey Shore

FYI: "Mickey Hart is best known for his nearly three decades as an integral part of an extraordinary expedition into the soul and spirit of music, disguised as the rock and roll band the Grateful Dead. As half of the percussion tandem known as the Rhythm Devils, Mickey and Bill Kreutzmann transcended the

" C A S S ATA I S P A C K E D W I T H

TEEN GIRL SCIENTIST MONTHLY ENOUGH CONDENSED ENERGY TO POWER Friday, May 10 SEVERAL COOLER , MORE ESTABat Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA LISHED CRITICS' DARLINGS THROUGH A BOX SET'S WORTH OF HIP-SHAKING, E A R T H - Q U A K I N G H I T - M A K I N G . " 100% of the net proceeds of "Jersey Shore" will go to Clean Ocean Action, conventions of rock drumming. Their exwho've organized over 3,800 volunteers since tended polyrhythmic excursions were highNovember 2012 to aid Sandy relief. lights of Grateful Dead shows …[and]… fueled COA has long worked to improve the enviMickey's desire to learn about the various ronment of our shore communities. cultures that produced …[his]… ever-growing They tell us: "More than four months after arsenal of percussion instruments from Superstorm Sandy, families, communities, and around the world. ... Mysterium Tremendum, cities are still experiencing its effects and his first in studio album in five years, [is] the need help. As we stand tall and pull together follow up to his 2007 Grammy winning Global to recover and rebuild our homes and our Drum Project." — from the Noisetrade.com page. lives, we can always spare time for our neighThis special, download-only album is a 3-fer: bors, our future, and our communities.

Hart's new song simply titled "Jersey Shore," The Next Wave of Action will be April 27: inspired by the spirit of the communities T HE 28TH ANNUAL BEACH SWEEPS recovering from Sandy is "a tribute to the "This Earth Month, Clean Ocean Action will people and to the place we call The Jersey hold our 28th Annual Beach Sweeps. After a Shore," Hart says. AND a full length concert winter of recovery, getting our beaches clean recording of the band performing Live from for the summer is more important than ever. the Jersey Shore on August 17, 2012 at the "The following month is Back to the Beach, Stone Pony in Asbury Park, beginning with May 18: The week before Memorial Day will "Scarlet Begonias" and ending 13 songs later. be a “soft open” for many towns and busiPLUS four tracks from the latest Mickey Hart nesses; COA will be coordinating parties, conBand album, Mysterium Tremendum. certs, fundraisers and family events to kick off Recommended If You Like: The Grateful the summer season for locals."

Dead, Widespread Panic, Phish, Michael Franti Dancing To Architecture™ ©2013 Bill Stella. All ©, or ever ever *EVER* enjoyed a minute ® & ™ items included in the column for review purposes are ©, ® & ™ their respective owners. spent at the Jersey Shore.

The stylized Q indicates albums by (or significantly contributed to by) Out Bisexuals, Gay Men, Lesbians and Transgendered persons.

Page 12 CHALLENGE April 2013

Tech Treats

Dropbox and other goodies from “the cloud”

by Andy Skurna There has been a tremendous amount of buzz regarding “cloud computing” or storage in the cloud. But most people not in the information technologies (IT) business haven’t a clue what cloud computing is all about. I will try to clear the air and bring a little “I T” sunshine.

Simple pictures of clouds have been used for many years in computing and networking flow charts to signify Internetbased servers, files, and networks. Cloud storage or cloud computing simply means accessing files or programs over the Internet. Instead of getting the files and programs you want from hard drives and media (floppy disks, DVDs) in your computers, tablets, or smartphones, you get them from the cloud.

Internet-based solutions are everywhere. Each of the big names in the IT world offers their own special suite of services. Some are free to everyone, some are available only to registered owners/users, and others are offered to anyone for a fee. Surely you have heard of at least one of these: Google Docs, SkyDrive, iCloud, Dropbox, EverNote, Carbonite…the list could fill pages. Each service works slightly differently. Some are dedicated to one specific task, such as Carbonite’s automated backup service or EverNote's personal notepad service. But I want to focus on Dropbox, perhaps the most friendly and useful of the solutions.

Dropbox is the creation of twenty-something whiz kid Drew Houston. It uses a file storage structure similar to Apple’s to house files on their Internet connected servers. But what makes it extra special is that it employs a type of “push technology” that made Blackberry the go-to devices of road warriors throughout the 1990’s. For Blackberry users, when a new message hit their mailbox, Blackberry’s operating system, Symbian, sent or “pushed” the message out to their phone/device.

When using Dropbox, you store your files on their servers and install the Dropbox application, or app, on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Whenever a change is made

to any of your files, those changes are pushed out to all your devices. This makes working on a project infinitely easier than the good old days of carrying disks or emailing files. Open the file on your desktop PC and edit away.

When you “Save,” the changes you’ve made are automatically sent to your laptop, your tablet, and your smartphone — to any device onto which you've installed the Dropbox app. If you need to make an edit while riding the bus, open the file on your phone. When you get home or to the office, your changes will be waiting for you in your computer(s). No longer do you need to worry about which copy of the file is the most up-to-date.

Uh oh! Are you away from home, forgot your laptop, forgot to charge your tablet and didn’t pay your cell phone bill? No problem! Go to any Internet connection and log into your account on Dropbox.com and all your files are right there. Edit them, save the edits, and when you get back to your beloved gadgets…you guessed it, the changes will be waiting for you.

Dropbox, like Google Docs and other solutions, allows you to share access to folders within your account with others like your spouse, your classmates, business partners, clients, committee/team members — really anyone you choose. And you can control the list of people with whom you share your files, as well as the level of authority by the folder, not for your entire account. Dropbox works on almost every operating system, on virtually any device, is universally available, with accounts that hold ample storage for most of us, and it is free.

You may use any of the aforementioned services to make your life more efficient, and your data more secure. I prefer Dropbox because it is NOT a part of Apple, Google, or Microsoft. I prefer supporting a community of providers rather than putting all my eggs in one basket.

Please send any questions to Andy@Skurna.com and I will try to answer them in a future issue.

Poetry by Tony Puma © Tony Puma/MMXII

Rawhide/Ramrod— Remembered Oh, leather straps and belts I did procure and with prodigious welts through pleasures’ door I was emboldened in black cowhide to either bow or bend as masters’ bride this pleasured pain this give-and-take from those that reign till I’d slake.

Sundaes at the Bar Incongruous as it seems like teenagers at a malt-shop.

We indulge in ice creams that brings the night to a stop.

Vanilla and Chocolate and all with silent eyes bound.

In a bar serving alcohol not noticing all around.

A table for two, just met a dessert with varied flavors.

Tempus fugit and yet a memory to savor.

Good Karma I feel for my new friend.

My emotions, I cannot conceal and wait once again: Sundaes at the bar.

April 2013

CHALLENGE

Page 13

Good Eats!

Recipes from Chef Charlie Murphy Banana Brioche Bread Pudding 1 loaf brioche (about 1 pound) 4 cups heavy cream 1¼ cups plus 2 tbsp brown sugar

Pinch of salt 3 large eggs, plus 6 egg yolks 3 very soft ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the brioche into ½ inch cubes and put into large bowl.

In a saucepan, add the cream, 1 cup of brown sugar, and salt.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Whisk the eggs and yolks together. Strain through a fine mesh sieve over the brioche cubes.

Let sit for about 10 minutes. In a bowl, mash the bananas

with ¼ cup of brown sugar. Fold the mashed bananas into the bread cubes and transfer the mixture to an 8 by 11 baking dish.

Sprinkle the 2 tbsp of brown sugar and cover with foil. Bake until mostly set (about 35-40 minutes).

Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven when top is golden brown.

Fudge Brownie Bites with Cherry Mousse 1 box traditional fudge brownie mix (19.5 oz) ½ cup vegetable oil ½ cup cold water 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 envelope unflavored gelatin ⅓ cup boiling water 2 cups heavy whipping cream ⅔ cups sugar ½ cup chopped Maraschino cherries 3 tsp Maraschino cherry juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 15 by 10 by 1 inch jelly roll pan.

In a large bowl, combine brownie mix, oil, water, eggs, and vanilla and beat with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes.

Stir in chocolate morsels. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 18 minutes, then cool completely. Cut brownies using a 1½ inch cutter. Place on serving tray and set aside. In a small bowl, soften gelatin in ¼ cup cold water and let stand 2 minutes. Add ⅓ cup

boiling water, stirring until gelatin dissolves.

In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until soft peaks form.

Gently stir in gelatin, cherries, and juice. Cover and let chill for 2 hours.

To serve, pipe or spoon cherry mousse onto prepared brownies. For additional color, put a small mint leaf under the mousse or a piece of Maraschino cherry on top of the mousse.

Down and Out in New Jersey A prose poem by Daniel Herzog

When I am down, I am truly depressed. But on so many medications, that everything should be blotted out. Today, I got a request for a donation from PETA. It gave me a downer feeling, because the message was about a cat, a cat that had been subjected to much abuse at the Univ. of Wisconsin. It had had a cage drilled into its skull, so that electric shocks could be delivered to the cat's brain. It had had a caustic material poured into its ears to make it deaf. It was described by the students as "being depressed". And in the end the experiment on the cat was deemed a failure, the cat killed and decapitated so its brain could be studied. Who wouldn't be depressed about something as shocking as this?

The Best Damn Newsletter in New Jersey! ®

CHALLENGE

We promise: This is the last one . April Fools!

Page 14 CHALLENGE April 2013

GAY ACTIVIST ALLIANCE IN MORRIS COUNTY

Officers President (President@GAAMC.org) — Andy Skurna VP Community Services (Info@GAAMC.org) — Kerry Dinkin VP Operations — John DeLeeuw Secretary (Secretary@GAAMC.org) — Gordon Sauer Treasurer (Treasurer@GAAMC.org) — vacant Trustees Sue Harris, Ron Kennedy, Sherri Rase, Mitch Rubin, Mickey Suiter, Alexa Vasios Committee Chairs & Functional Officers Archivist — Mickey Suiter (Archives@GAAMC.org) By-Laws Review Committee — Andy Skurna Challenge Editor — Allen Neuner (Challenge @ GAAMC.org) Discussion Group Resources Committee — Gordon Sauer (Discussions@GAAMC.org) Information Committee — Mitch Rubin (FreeLibrary@GAAMC.org) Parliamentarian — Allen Neuner Pride Events Committee — Mickey Suiter Pride Guide Committee — Andy Skurna (PrideGuide@GAAMC.org) Program Committee — Sherri Rase (Programs@GAAMC.org) Webmaster — Andy Skurna (Webmaster@GAAMC.org)

GAAMC, the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County, has served New Jersey’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and intersexed communities since 1972. GAAMC is a notfor-profit volunteer-run organization that provides social, educational, and outreach programs. GAAMC also offers opportunities for individuals to become politically active on issues related to the GLBTI communities. Our intent is to maintain a positive, healthy, respectful, and supportive environment in a safe space.

Meetings are held every Monday evening at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Twsp., NJ (near the Morris Museum). Door usually open at 6:30.

Discussion groups meet from 7:00 to 8:00. The evening's program usually starts shortly after 8:00. Refreshments are available. For program information, see our homepage at www.GAAMC.org. Members and non-members are always welcome.

Annual membership dues are: Regular, $40/single, $70/couple; Students/Seniors, $30/single, $60/couple.

Those looking to help out at GAAMC can contact Kerry Dinkin at Info@GAAMC.org.

How to reach GAAMC Mail: PO Box 137, Convent Station, NJ 07961 Telephone: 973-285-1595 E-Mail: info@gaamc.org Home page: www.gaamc.org Mail List: groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/gaamc Facebook: www.facebook.com/gaamc Challenge online edition: issuu.com/gaamc

PREVIEWS OF COMING ATTRACTIONS! April 8th

April 15th

April 22nd

GAAMC Film Festival

TWO Discussion Groups!

60-Second Catharsis!

See "GAAMC Events", page 2, for more details!