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FEBRUARY 2013
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2013
FEBRUARY 2013
Liberty Press
Volume 19, No. 6 • Editor: Kristi Parker • Contributors: Paul Berge, Dave Brousseau, Chef Curtis, Nolin Christensen, Danny Cooper, Steve Einsel, Greg Fox, Cassie Lehnherr, Charlene Lichtenstein, Mama, Audrey McQueen, Dorothy Miller, Dr. Robert N. Minor, Stephanie Mott • Staff Reporters: Helen Barnes, Amanda Barr, Angie Combs, Alisha Petersen, Ciara Reid • Contributing Photographers: Danielle Creek • Cover Design: Troy Dilport • Graphic Designer: Troy Dilport • Webmaster: Ren Autrey • Publisher: The Liberty Press Subscriptions are $18/year
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
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On the Cover:
Entertaining and powerful ‘It Gets Better’ performance comes to the Lied Center Page 23
The “Liberty Press” and its contents may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without the express written consent of the publisher. All rights reserved. Unsolicited material may not necessarily be acknowledged or returned, is assumed intended for publication unless otherwise stated, and becomes the sole property of the Liberty Press. Letters to the editor and bylined columns reflect the views and opinions of the authors only and are not necessarily those of the Liberty Press, LLC or its staff. The Liberty Press reserves the right to refuse or restrict advertisements at the editor’s discretion. Advertisers and agencies assume liability for claims arising from the content of their ads. Publication of the name, photograph or likeness of any persons, organization or business in articles or advertisements in the Liberty Press in no way indicates or reflects their sexual orientation. First copy free, additional copies may be obtained for a nominal fee from the publisher.
P.O. Box 16315 Wichita, KS 67216-0315 phone: (316) 652-PRESS [7737] e-mail: editor@libertypress.net www.libertypress.net © 2013 The Liberty Press
CONTENTS THE QUEENS ARE ‘GOING TO CAMP’ in K-State’s 8th annual drag show........................................................................................................... 10 CRIQUI RUNS FOR Lawrence City Commission.....................................13 WICHITA PREMIERE SHARES HISTORY of Wichita’s women’s movement........................................................................................19 LIBERTY PRESS’ Best of Gay Wichita ballot................................................ 25 TOPEKA SPERM DONOR faces child support claim.................................26
Regulars OP/ED editorial cartoon, poll results, Comments from the Web.......... 6-7 EDITORIALLY SPEAKING The Politics of our Love Life..............................6 WICHITA BEARS PICNIC BASKET Sweetheart Chocolate Waffles...........11 MOVIE MINUTE Zero Dark Thirty...........................................................14 MINOR DETAILS Love and Sex on Valentine’s Day................................16 BOOKENDS A Little f’d Up and Riding Fury Home.................................18 LEATHER LIFE Protecting Yourself.........................................................21 TRANS-FORMATIVE Open Letter to the President..................................22 AUDREY ASKS Xplicit and Fabulous.......................................................24
Around Kansas listings are free to non-profit/volunteer-based groups. Send your additions or corrections to editor@ libertypress.net.
IN EVERY ISSUE DISTRIBUTION LIST..................... 7 POINTS OF INTEREST.................. 8 MAMA KNOWS BEST.................. 15 POLL QUESTION........................ 26 COMICS....................................... 27 AROUND KANSAS...................... 28 CLASSIFIEDS.............................. 29 CALL FOR................................... 29 OUT IN THE STARS.................... 29
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OP/ED
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2013
A Monthly Collection of Opinions and Editorials.
The opinions represented here do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Liberty Press. We reserve the right to edit and cut submissions for space and grammatical content.
By Danny Cooper
H
Online Readers Poll
Results! Do you plan to quit smoking this year? Don't Smok Yes No
28 1 4% 1
3%
Don't Smoke Don't Smoke Yes Yes No
No 93%
93%
The Politics of our Love Life
as any other group of the wrong places. The moral of people had to have the story eventually always rules their personal romantic out the chance of ever finding relationships defended in the monogamy. court of public opinion? The Maybe the media doesn’t answer would be yes. Bi- realize the damage it does racial couples were the first to the psyche of young gays group of people to openly face and lesbians. The pop culture discrimination in the United images of what it means to be States. However, after several gay, in many ways, were more years of fighting the Supreme damaging to the “gay” image I Court unanimously decided this saw growing up than what I heard type of discrimination could no from my family. For several longer continue. The landmark years these were the images that Supreme Court Case Loving v. I relied on when finding my way Virginia ruled that two people in the “gay world.” Sometimes regardless of race could marry. these became a self-fulfilling It sounds absolutely crazy prophecy that started much that this was the law of the younger than I was aware of. land for hundreds of years even The fast life of promiscuous during the late 1900s. We can behavior is reiterated by take our personal struggle for society’s perception of our marriage equality and follow culture. Without dealing with a similar line of rationale that these images or “stereotypes” the Lovings did. For it is not about the color of skin, gender, sexuality, socio- “The moral of the story economic status, nor about eventually always rules something that is merely out the chance of ever tangible. At the end of the finding monogamy.” day it is about love. Love for us in the gay community seemingly comes we are bound to reinforce these in several forms but what form “norms” as defined by those is the most valid? Does it mean outside our community. random hook-ups, the person Like the lessons I received you dance with on Saturday from the media, I also grew up night, the chance meeting with in a semi-religious household someone in a grocery store, or often hearing what it meant even a friend turned romantic to be gay or lesbian. Most of interest? Just like a heterosexual what I heard was superficial couple any one of those could and the rest negative. Even in lead to a lasting relationship, past relationships, I have been the only difference is that challenged not to be too gay or the heterosexual couple can “real” men do this, etc. eventually marry. As countless behavioral The media has produced studies on the issue of gender several films where each of and sexuality have shown, these the examples I have given types of critiques chip away at have worked out in a romantic the core of us as human beings. courtship. For us unfortunately, It allows that little voice of doubt the media normally marginalizes and confusion to make its way us into two different categories - into our heads. If we listen to the the sexual animals just looking little voice inside and are not true for a quick hook-up or the quirky to ourselves then how can we be gay just trying to find love in all in a stable relationship?
FEBRUARY 2013
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
The religious right is probably the largest perpetrator of attempting to define who we are. Until recently, they have been largely successful. I believe the core problem is that we aren’t allowed to marry; that our hopes stop at the relationship or dating phase. Living in Kansas it seems we aren’t even allowed to think we could have the possibility to ever marry. The denial of marriage has an adverse effect on gays. According to the American Psychiatric Association, scientific research provides no evidence that justifies neither the discrimination of GLT people nor the denial of equal rights; including gay marriage. Several studies provided by the APA make the clear point that many mental health problems and the wellbeing of gays and lesbians are directly related to the denial of marriage. Furthermore, the APA asserts that being denied the right to
marry causes greater mental health consequences to gays and lesbians and is not rooted in pre-existing conditions. Being denied the ability to marry who you love goes beyond a “religious” significance. In reality the gay community is left out of a legal and social sphere of everyday life. Our love and how we find love cannot be defined by the media, and it cannot be defined by our family, or our churches. Love is found between two adults who happen upon it when unexpected. Love can be sexual, or it can be intellectual, it can be poetic, or it can be realistic. The only people that can define what true love is are those who are currently experiencing it. l Danny Cooper is a graduate in Theatre and is currently finishing his 2nd and 3rd degrees in Political Science and International Studies. He has traveled and worked throughout Latin America, South Korea and most recently the Middle East. Follow him on twitter @brasildan.
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Comments from the Web
“You are doing such a great job. I always love reading the latest issue! And such a nice range of different topics covered.” --Wichita, KS
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Find Liberty Press here! Dodge City
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Bookshelf, Ecumenical Christian Ministries, Einstein Bros. Bagel, Hashinger Hall, Henry’s, Java Break, KU’s Dean of Students office, KU’s Multicultural Resource Center, La Prima Tazza, Lawrence Public Library, Love Garden Sounds, The Mirth Café, NetworQ, Queers & Allies office, The Raven Bookstore, Rudy’s Pizzeria, Third Planet, Wheatfield’s Bakery, Wilde’s Chateau 24, Yello Sub, Z’s Divine Espresso
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Cabaret opens in February at The Forum WICHITA - “What good is sitting alone in your room? Come, hear the music play!” The Theatre Company at The Forum announced a Valentine’s Day opening of Cabaret, the winner of 12 Tony awards, by John Kander and Fred Ebb. It’s 1931 Berlin and the republic is being torn apart by radical politics. But inside the Cabaret, life is beautiful - alive with the seedy glamour and
Steve Hitchcock plays the Emcee in The Theatre Company’s Cabaret.
kind of freedom never known before. A broke American finds himself entangled in the dreams of a young club performer. Here he finds the pleasures, and the dangers the Cabaret possesses. Directed by Kathryn PageHauptman, the musical stars Allison Nock as Sally Bowles, Steve Hitchcock as the Emcee, Dan E. Campbell as Herr Schultz, Briley Meek as Fraulein Kost, and Ray Wills as Ernst. Performances are Feb. 14Mar. 3 at The Forum Theatre, 147 S. Hillside, Thursday/ Friday/Saturday evenings at 8pm; Sunday matinees at 2pm. Tickets are $23 Thursday/ Sunday; $25 Friday/Saturday. For tickets, call 316.618.0444 or visit www.forumwichita.com.
FEBRUARY 2013
6815 W. Kellogg. The gathering to celebrate and honor Charles Darwin’s birthday features guest speaker Teresa MacDonald, Director of Education at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum. In addition to thoughtprovoking science, the evening will include hors d’oeuvres, birthday cake, a cash bar and a silent auction. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. To make reservations, e-mail martha_ pint@hotmail.com. For more i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t w w w. greatplainsau.org.
Wichita Bears’ Valentine Sweetheart Dinner
By Steve Einsel
Local group presents Darwin Day WICHITA - The Great Plains Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State is hosting the Third Annual Darwin Day Event on Saturday, Feb. 9th from 6:30–8:30pm at the Best Western Airport Inn,
WICHITA - Wichita Bears’ Valentine Sweetheart Dinner is set for Saturday, Feb. 9 at 7pm at the South Forty. The cost is $15 per person or $25 per couple. Proceeds will be donated to First MCC’s Food Pantry. The menu includes lasagna, breadsticks, salad, and a choice of desserts. Reservations are required and must be made by Tuesday, Feb. 5. There are several ways to make reservations: *Mail: Wichita Bears, 3906 E. Longview, Wichita, KS 67218; Checks made payable to Wichita Bears * E-mail: wbinfo@wichitabears. org * Call/Text: Ben 316.285.2871 * Facebook: www.facebook/ wichitabears * Web: www.wichitabears. org * Or contact any Wichita Bears member for tickets. The Wichita Bears are looking forward to enjoying the weekend before Valentine’s Day with friends and family at the South Forty. After dinner there will be time for visiting and dancing. A program is not planned, but some games will be played, raffles and basically, just a nice night out. The Wichita Bears meet every third Sunday of the month in the Spangles Community Room at Kellogg and Broadway. Watch for further events coming up with the Wichita Bears this spring and summer. l
FEBRUARY 2013
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
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Lied Center Presents Saturday
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it gets better
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2013
The queens are ‘Going to Camp’ in K-State’s 8th annual drag show
By Alisha Petersen
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MANHATTAN - For the past seven years Kansas State University has held a drag show, which has sold out for the last five. This year “Going to Camp: The Aesthetics of Drag” will be in Anderson Hall on the K-State Campus in Manhattan. The opening show is on Feb. 8 at 7pm, with a second performance on Feb. 9 at 11pm. Tickets are free, but the theater fills up fast. A great line-up of entertainers has been assembled: “Hot, Sticky and Sweet” featuring Monica Moree, Patti O’Dur, Victoria Fox, Ty Woo, and Lil’ Kim Chi; along with Penny Tration, Monica St. James, Chelsea Pearl, Catia Lee Love and Celia Putty. Penny Tration can be seen on Season 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. A variety of K-State organizations sponsor this event, including the Diversity Program Council, the Student Government Association, the LGBT Resource Center and the Students of Cultural Studies (SOCS). SOCS decides the theme for the drag shows, which this year, will explore how drag queens use humor to open up social discourse and challenge conventional gender roles. Dusty Garner, who has a
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Penny Tration
Master’s degree in Social Justice in Gender Research, started the show seven years ago when he saw how drag could positively affect a community. Viewers perceived alternative sexual identities in a non-threatening way and became more openminded as a result. “I am so lucky to have a good support team,” he said. “The hardest part [about planning the show] is not physically being there.” Garner lives in Arizona, so he depends on his team to keep the energy and interest up for the coming performance, and to publicize the event. He also holds classes a few weeks before the show discussing concepts such as gender vs. sex and other topics important to the GLBTQ community. “K-State gets a lot of rural students,” Garner said. For some of them, “this is their first chance to explore their sexuality.” In higher education, programs designed to broaden students’ world views and encourage diversity sometimes aren’t funded. “We really have to thank K-State for making this possible,” Garner said. Funding for GLBTQ programs was removed in Missouri because they were deemed “immoral.” The show began as a QueerStraight Alliance fundraiser to send students to conferences like
FEBRUARY 2013
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Sweetheart Chocolate Waffles Pamper your Sweetheart with Breakfast in bed on Valentine’s Day 2 c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 3 Tbsp. and 1/2 tsp. white sugar 1 Tbsp. and 1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 1/3 c. and 1 Tbsp. buttermilk 4 eggs 1 c. melted butter 1 c. cornstarch Preheat waffle iron. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, sugar and cocoa. Stir in buttermilk, eggs and butter until mixture is smooth.
Chocolate Hard Sauce 2 tsp. butter, softened 1/3 c. confectioner’s sugar 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. milk 1. To make hard sauce: stir together softened butter, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Sauce should be fairly stiff. 2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot with hard sauce. 3. Serve with your sweetheart’s favorite breakfast beverage; sausage or bacon, cup of fruit and a single rose. l Creating Change. It has evolved into an educational tool. Garner (aka Monica Moree) does a piece at the end of the performance to the song, What Makes a Man a Man. Moree transforms in front of the crowd from a drag queen to an everyday Joe, becoming a visual testimonial to the fluidity of gender.
Tickets can be picked up at the Union Program Council office (3rd floor of the K-State Student Union) from 9am4:30pm starting Monday, Feb. 4. For questions regarding tickets, call the UPC office at 785-5326571 or visit www.k-state.edu/ upc/index.htm. l
to win tickets to the It Gets Better concert!
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Criqui runs for Lawrence City Commission By Ciara Reid, staff reporter LAWRENCE - An opportunity to build a better Lawrence. That’s the main reason Scott Criqui officially threw his name into the hat to be elected the next City Commissioner of Lawrence. “A better Lawrence,” he says, “starts with a strategic vision and a long-range plan based on both our strengths and our needs as a community.” The primary is Feb. 26 and the general election is April 2. Should Criqui succeed in getting elected, he will serve as the Lawrence City Commissioner for a term of two to four years. According to the City of Lawrence website, the City Commission includes five elected officials. Three of these five are up for election every two years. The two with the most votes are elected to four-year terms, and the third place official receives a two-year term. As City Commissioner, Criqui would have the opportunity to elect the Mayor and Vice Mayor each year, help set policies for the city, approve budgets and pass ordinances and resolutions. Criqui didn’t make the decision to run for City Commission lightly. He had conversations with more than 100 residents about what they wanted to see happen in their Lawrence community. On his website www.scottcriqui.com, Criqui says residents wanted to see more better-paying jobs, improved quality of life, and the continuation of a Lawrence community dedicated to opportunities for everyone. Criqui lives with James
Edmonds, his partner of nine years. The LGBTQ community is very important to Criqui: “The LGBTQ community will greatly benefit from our strategic vision plan, because it will increase engagement with our citizens and allows us to determine our community’s priorities. Which, in Lawrence, equality and justice are very important.” He believes Lawrence citizens want responsive, accountable, and transparent government regardless of who they are or what they represent. “Identity politics only serve to fracture our communities,” he says. His successful background in non-profits and social services, he says, speaks to his ability to access and identify the needs of the community and then to actively work towards addressing those needs. “I see the role of a commissioner in the same way,” he said. His experience should put any undecided voter at ease. A University of Kansas graduate, Criqui has been the recipient of several prestigious community awards, including the League o f Wo m e n Vo t e r s H e l e n Fluker Open and Accessible Government Award in 2012. A 2010 Leadership Lawrence graduate, a vice chair of the Kansas Equality Coalition, and a member of the City of Lawrence Retiree Attraction Task Force – this is just the shortlist of what Criqui brings to his campaign. Currently, Criqui works at Trinity In-Home Care as its Human Resources Manager. At Trinity, he is responsible for a $2.1 million budget and more than 200 personnel staff.
“Community members should vote for me because I am the candidate that has the plan and leadership abilities to execute a process that will enhance community participation and establish a community vision,”
Criqui says. For more information or to donate to Criqui’s campaign, go to www.scottcriqui.com. Checks made out to “Criqui for Commission” can be sent to P.O. Box 2076, Lawrence, KS 66044. l
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FEBRUARY 2013
REVIEW Zero Dark Thirty Rated R for strong violence, including brutal disturbing images, and for language From Dorothy: The following review will be my last for the Liberty Press. It’s been a wonderful experience these past 15+ years and I’m grateful to Kristi for letting me do it. But I’m letting go of things in my life right now to make room for other endeavors. I’m retiring in July from my day job too! If you like my reviews you can continue to read them occasionally on my blog – madcowmoviereviews.com. All the best to Liberty Press and all of its readers in Kansas. Love, Dorothy P.S. Go see Life of Pi. It’s wonderful!
tt½ - There are many spoilers in this review, so if you plan to see it and you care, you’d better stop right there. Film critics will be writing about this movie far into the future with many points of view, about the torture and the claim that this is a partial documentary. I happen to be particularly interested in the character of Maya. As a military movie it doesn’t come close to The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscarwinning masterpiece, or even Saving Private Ryan, just as gritty but about a much lowertech war. Director Bigelow was beginning to make a film about the search for Osama Bin Laden when the U.S. caught and killed him, so she switched gears. Thus we have Zero Dark
Jessica Chastain in Columbia Pictures’ Zero Dark Thirty - 2012
To the degree that we “identify” with the major characters, the movie might be seen to sanitize torture and defend it. Certainly the CIA people are not thrilled to hear Obama say that the USA doesn’t torture people, when they know they do, in “off chart” black sites overseas. Dan warns Maya that she shouldn’t be the last one left holding a dog leash. Yet no one says “whew, it’s a good thing we applied torture or we would not have found Bin Laden.” And for the common viewer the scenes are horrible, evoking sympathy for the victims. I was debating with myself how long I could watch before giving up and leaving the theatre. It may be naïve of me to point out that at “Even the great Kathryn Bigelow had to this movie showed insert a cornball, trashy sexist ending ...” least real people suffering rather than in the old war Thirty, the story of the 10-year search and movies in which our enemies die right away and we are spared their suffering. Neither capture, written by Mark Boal. The brilliant Jessica Chastain plays Maya, did Bigelow leave out the terror among a CIA undercover agent who, it turns out, the women and children in the Bin Laden was a major player throughout. Her buddy compound. Dan (Jason Clarke) administers torture for a I joked to my spouse when leaving for while and then returns to Langley for a more the movie that I fully expected Maya to be cleaned-up, although probably not “normal,” a lot like Carrie on Homeland, immersed as I’ve been in that TV series. To my surprise, life. The film opens with what seem like the two women indeed share some qualities endless and excruciating scenes of “enhanced of the new American shero. Like men interrogation” including but not limited to heroes, they are dedicated and smart, often water boarding. The fact that this happened mavericks, and while they have sidekicks is undisputed. Whether these activities are and collaborators, they often work alone. moral, whether they “work,” or whether Since the beginning of time the world they were essential to finding Bin Laden are has adored heroes and Americans today different questions. I agree with Manohla love them especially, to the point of skewing Dargis at the New York Times. The U.S. history, ignoring the enormous amount of military and CIA operatives who did these collaboration required among many people things believed in them. We do not see them to bring about social change. agonize, since they probably didn’t agonize. The woman hero follows the same path They are presented unsentimentally. To my but with a special twist. Maya, like Carrie, is driven to distraction about her mission. mind, this is a good thing and about time.
tttt- You should see it - I’d see it again! ttt- Entertaining but flawed tt- It didn’t kill me; see it at a $1 theatre t- Skip it - it’s not worth the popcorn
She has no friends or lovers (unlike Carrie) and spends all of her waking time, almost to the point of insanity to catch the bad guys. She is smart but her maverick quality isn’t entirely based on logic but also intuition, like the witches of the past. As in real life, men snicker when she speaks up but she gives them back as good as they give. She has no emotional intelligence. She wins. But in the end, after enormous triumph, she is alone. We are still dealing with The Woman of the Year. There is a real Maya but I would have to meet her to believe that she really resembles the Chastain character. Chastain didn’t meet her, of course and we can only imagine what the life of a woman CIA undercover agent is like. Not run-of-themill, to be sure. But the story line is too Hollywood and too conveniently gendered to make it convincing to me. Maya even, in a Carrie-ish hysterical way, notes the number of days the government fails to act after “she” discovers the compound that she knows for sure is Bin Laden’s hide-out. She writes these numbers with red crayon (lipstick?) on a glass office wall, each day becoming more hysterical. Picture a man doing this. Even the great Kathryn Bigelow had to insert a cornball, trashy sexist ending depicting Maya getting on an enormous military plane by herself. The pilot tells her she must be someone very important to have it to herself and asks her where she wants to go. Realizing that she has nowhere to go, she cries. Fade. Credits. I was reminded of the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in continued on page 27
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H
i Mama, After being alone after seven years, I am wondering is there really such a thing as finding true love or Mr. Right? Every person I have found has done nothing but play mind games and is totally dishonest with me. I don’t know what to do Mama, so I wanted to come to you. What do I do? As I am tired of being alone on these cold winter nights. Anonymous I am sure there is such a thing as Mr. Right and true love - just turn on the Hallmark Channel and you will find it in all their damn movies. Good grief, if life was like a Hallmark Channel movie we all would be shitting happy faces! Let’s face it, men always play mind games and lie. That is why they are men or should I say pigs! What you need on these cold lonely nights is an electric blanket, cheesecake, and a can a beer. You will be warm, full, and tipsy without all the crap of a man talking! OK some questions for your column?? How about your advice on vintage jewelry or how about some advice on vintage women’s clothing? And just and FYI, I sell that stuff that is why I am asking. Anonymous Well good Lord! Are you calling my style vintage (old)? Let me tell you it took me over 60 years to get my look down. It is not vintage or old it is classic and don’t you forget it! So sell your junk all you want!! My advice is buy what you want and like and to hell with everyone else!
Dear Mama, My mother and I just cannot get along and I do not know what to do about it. Can you help? For one thing when I was little I had this pet bunny rabbit that I loved so much. I took care of it all the time. I would run home after school just to pet it and play with it. One day I came home and it was gone. I was so heartbroken. Mama told me I left the cage open and it ran away. It was years later that my evil older sister told me that it was not fried chicken we had that night. How can I get along with the old bat when she does things like this to me and my rabbit? For Pete’s Sake! I know this is you writing me, Eunice! Get the hell over it. We were poor and I needed to feed you damn ungrateful kids. Cheer up. The damn rabbit would be dead by now anyhow! If you respected your Mama you might get along with me!! Mama, Do you celebrate or like St. Valentine’s Day? Heart On
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I don’t like it but the damn retail stores make us celebrate it. So I buy a 5 lb. box of chocolates and a six-pack of beer and I call it good! So stick that in your Heart and suck on it!
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I just have to say R.I.P. Dear Abby. If it was not for her I would not have this column! l Have a question for Mama? E-mail MamaTHarper@aol.com or friend Thelma Harper on Facebook.
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Minor
Details By Bob Minor
Love and Sex on Valentine’s Day
V
alentine’s Day encourages a whole season of love, whatever that means in American culture. At least it means that the new year begins with stores overflowing with candy, flowers, cards, stuffed animals, jewelry, and other paraphernalia needed to show how buying proves we’re in love. Valentine’s Day is a patterned American written and oral exam testing whether you really do love someone, and whether you’re really loved by someone. If they truly love you, they’ll show it through the day’s products. It’s not all bad. If it is a reminder to take the time in a busy life to express love, how can that in itself hurt? Yes, someone shouldn’t need a special day to do this, but the commercialism that defines the Day also restricts how regularly we get the space to celebrate love. The problem is that instead of celebrating love between two people just as they are as human beings, the Day is more a celebration of culturally defined patterns that are not only meant to sell products and services but that also tell us how and what love should be. As a part of that, a lot of
other words that could relate to love have been usurped by our society to actually mean sex, because sex sells even better than patterned love. We would expect that, since we’re a society that’s very sick about both. There are, for example, those religious people who claim that the Model of perfect love in the universe includes allowing the children this Divine Model is supposed to love to suffer eternal child abuse, lovingly teaching that his children actually deserve the most despicable and endless suffering this Model can come up with unless they follow some formula the religion sets out to save them from it. All along the claim continues that that is real love. Then we use words that do not mean sex, but could designate more, to mean sex: Are you two intimate? Have you slept together? Are you two close? Have you made love? Are you two lovers? What do you think of polyamory? All societies fall when they practice immorality? Did you hear that she lost her virtue? Though none of the above words means sex, we spontaneously take them to refer to it. And that too reflects the cultural confusion over sex as well as love, intimacy, closeness,
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immorality, and virtue. Then in our confused discussions of “love” we talk about different kinds of it. One’s love for one’s children “is not the same” as one’s love for one’s lover or one’s love for one’s pet or country as if we are clear about what the nature of love is and as if we are not talking about whether or not we are having sex with someone or something. It was among a bunch of progressive theologians that I suggested that the government should have no business telling an adult who or what they can or cannot love. “Oh,” the response came back, “then it would be okay for someone to fall in love with their horse.” I frankly don’t care whether someone loves their pets, but that response was the problem. They had assumed that “falling in love” meant falling into a sexual act. And imagine if we actually spoke of someone “sleeping with their horse” as cowpokes did in the old West. Why would someone jump to the conclusion that that meant sexual activity was involved? Yet, that’s where we go because we haven’t reconciled ourselves either to love or sex culturally. Sometimes it’s done for the best of reasons. In the Hebrew Scriptures, David and Jonathan have a close, intimate, same-sex relationship. It even involves a same-sex covenant between them. And when Jonathan dies, David publicly mourns, saying: “Oh, Jonathan, my love for you was
FEBRUARY 2013
more than for women.” Now, there’s nothing in all that that indicates their close same-sex friendship involved sexual activity between them. The fact is, we just don’t know. And in a less homophobic culture than ours, such samesex friendships were almost expected. But to argue either that they must have been sexual or that they couldn’t have been sexual, represents a confusion about intimacy and sex that was depicted in another form in the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally. Harry’s thoroughly culturally patterned claim was that a man and woman can’t have a close friendship without sexual activity being involved. The film concluded that Harry was right. But is he right? Or is this just the confusion of being brought up in a culture that says sex is the means to express close, intimate love. If that is so, then Will could not have loved Grace. We will not be able to understand the intimate bonds that can exist between a gay man and a heterosexual woman (which we might even demean with the words “fag hag” and all that connotes), or between a lesbian and a gay man. If love is really understood as an unconditional relationship, then sex cannot be made necessary for it. That would add a condition, just as any statement such as “If you love me, then…” indicates that there are really conditions and expectations attached to what we are calling love. If love is a commitment to the best of another, and a decision to stand by and with that other in life, then that love is as true for a father and his son, a mother and her daughter, or any other mutually agreed upon human relationship. But, even more, unconditional love cannot have as a condition the requirement that the other will love one back. And how that love is expressed will differ in any loving relationship for that very reason. Sex, then, can become one of the ways to express love that does so if mutually agreed upon. But there are hundreds of other ways to express love, closeness, and intimacy. And all of them are choices human beings can make. l
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
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PAGE 18
I
By Cassie Lehnherr
have been complaining recently that there are not enough new female writers coming out with books that are moving in their story. I have never been interested in the story of a sparkling vampire charming a quiet teen or an aristocratic playboy out to seduce all of the ladies. I have a hard time getting into something that will later be adapted into Hollywood’s latest blockbuster. Or if it is non-fiction, I have been craving something more to read than an account of the latest “young mother getting away with murder” story or another contrived book on politics.
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Needless to say, I was overly relieved when reading the two picks of this month. I have now found two new women authors with something to say. I wish I had Julie Zeilinger, author of A Little F’d Up: Why Feminism Is Not a Dirty Word (Seal Press, $16), as a friend in adolescence up through my first year of college. I may have not been so concerned about the next party, but rather what I could do to change the world. She is only 19 years old and already blazing the women’s equality trail like so many great pioneers before her. She is wellinformed, pithy, critical, and very funny in her first book (she fronts the well-known feminist blog, the FBomb, as well) on why teenage girls and young women need to ignore the stigma around the word feminism and be less apathetic when it comes to social and political issues. In A Little F’d Up, Zeilinger covers how young women can use feminism as a survival tool in adolescence and high school.
She also examines the history of the feminist movement while focusing on prominent figures such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Gloria Steinem, to name a few. Her point being, the more young women (even men) involved in the movement, it will have more impact on social issues such as equality and raising awareness of global violence against women without the prejudice and misassumption of being a “femi-Nazi.” Chana Wilson’s Riding Fury Home: A Memoir (Seal Press, $17), I had the privilege of reading another talented, strong, and brilliant woman with a statement to make. In this gutwrenchingly honest memoir, Wilson begins with her mother’s
FEBRUARY 2013
attempt at suicide while Wilson was just seven years old. Trapped in an unhappy marriage and dealing with the loss of her brother, her mother is sent to a mental hospital after the attempted suicide. She does not know until college, that her mother had been in a love affair with another woman who is also married. This fact and the electroshock therapy (aimed to “cure” her of her lesbianism) are two of the main factors contributing to her mother’s despair. When her mother is released from the hospital she is then released to the care of Wilson, who became her sole caretaker up until Wilson begins college. The story then shifts into Wilson becoming her own. She falls in love with her best friend, Kate. The women’s movement of the 1970’s was a much easier time for someone to come out as a lesbian, especially if you were a child of the homophobic 1950s, like Wilson. Her mother’s affair with a woman is then revealed and then so begins the mother/ daughter journey of redemption and healing from the struggle with homophobia and mental illness. Times are changing and more women’s and LGBT voices are being heard. While these books were very sad at times, it was very enjoyable and refreshing to read two new authors promoting growth and healing and I hope there is much more to come during these divided times. l
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Page 19
World premiere shares history of Wichita’s women’s movement
WICHITA - The Wichita Center for the Arts Theatre is proud to present a world premiere, Radiating Like a Stone, adapted by Anne Welsbacher and Gina Austin-Fresh from the book of essays, Radiating Like a Stone: Wichita Women and the 1970s Feminist Movement, collected and edited by Myrne Roe. Performances begin at 8pm Feb. 13-16 and 2pm, Feb. 17 at The Wichita Center for the Arts, 9112 E. Central. (Note: Recommended for mature
to life selections from Myrne Roe’s book and some of its noted contributors, including Wichita leaders Nola Foulston, Jo Ann Pottorff, Anita Skeen (from whose poem the title is derived), and many more in Wichita’s artistic, social, political, and academic communities, as well as “ordinary” women who did extraordinary things. Some of this issues addressed include inequality, abortion rights, rape injustice, access to birth control, sexual freedom,
audiences.) As Adele and her teenage daughter Zoey pack for their move, items they pull from trunks and boxes—a bikini, a bumper sticker, an infant’s never-worn shirt—propel Adele into memories of the 1970s women’s movement in her hometown of Wichita. She is stunned to learn that her 16-yearold daughter is not only unaware of how much happened in that tumultuous decade, but she is also oblivious to how recently many women’s achievements have been won. This original script brings
and domestic abuse, along with many stories of triumph. The third production in The Wichita Center for the Arts Theatre’s 2012-13 season, Radiating Like a Stone, features an ensemble cast that includes Danzel Muzingo Bond, Deb Campbell, Kay Carroll, Joyce Cavarozzi, Sanda Moore Coleman, Trisha Garnes, Terri Ingram, Suzanna Matthews, Teri Mott, Carol Wilson, and Beth Wise. Gina Austin directs. Reserved seating tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $10 for students. Order tickets by calling (316) 3150151. l
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Sunday Worship, 10 AM FREE Community Meal Saturday, February 9, 5-6:30pm
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Ash Wednesday Worship, February 13, 7pm 32nd Anniversary Celebration Dinner, Saturday, February 23, 6pm Worship, February 24, 10am Metropolitan Community Church of Topeka 4425 SW 19th Street, Topeka, KS 66604 Phone: 785.272.1442 office@mcctopeka.org www.mcctopeka.org
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2013
FEBRUARY 2013
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Leather Life By Nolin Christensen aka Master C
This column is dedicated to explaining to others what the Leather lifestyle is about and what we do.
Protecting Yourself
R
ecently a friend of mine went out with someone who was visiting his hometown. The visitor was someone who professed to be part of the leather community where he lived. My friend knows about the leather community and is in the process of learning more about it. However, since this was a quick hook-up, he was unable to vet the person (vetting is a way in the leather community to find out about someone before you either play or get them involved in your community). What happened between them was something that was close to abuse. So this begs the question, “How do you keep this from happening to you when you meet a leather person?” There are a couple of things you can do.
1) Explain your knowledge or lack thereof of the leather life and its rules. An honest Leatherman will be willing to help you and will work with you within the area of your knowledge. 2) Establish a safe word. Honest leather folk when playing with someone for the first time will establish a safe word to use. A safe word is one that when used, all play STOPS at that point because someone in the scene has reached their limit. If someone is unwilling or does not want a safe word, it’s a safe assumption that you should avoid playing with them. Only VERY experienced leather folks should ever play without a safe word. And even then they still should have a safe word. 3) When playing with someone for the first time and it’s not someone who is local or is known in the community, you should always have a “call” buddy. A call buddy is someone who you call when you leave for the date, they know where you will be and you will call them at a specified time after the date. If you are comfortable, you can also tell your play partner that you have a call buddy and specified times to call. Honest and reputable people will appreciate that and will help you to keep that commitment. If you cannot get the person to abide by any of these three suggestions, then it’s probably best not to play with them. So keep it safe, play safe and always be safe. l
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PAGE 22
Open Letter to the President
D
ear Mr. President, I am deeply moved by the steps that are being taken to find some way to prevent gun violence in the United States. I am also deeply aware that our conversation is far too narrow. It is frightfully clear that we need common-sense gun regulation. It is equally clear that the defunding of mental health care in the United States has led to much violence in our society. There is reason for great concern regarding the prevalence of violence in our video games, movies, and television programs.
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
I don’t know the answers to what we should do about these things, and neither does anyone else. That’s why we have the conversations that are happening now, with a diverse group of people, with many different beliefs and ideas. How we get these people to represent America’s interests, as opposed to their own interests, is not tasked to me. It is tasked to you and the Vice President. I would say that it is also tasked to Congress, but that would seem too impossible a dream today, even for America. As you know far too well, individual and special interests in Congress are entrenched
foxholes in a war that is being conducted against, not for, the American people. My great fear is that the conversation about how to stem the tide of violence in the United States is, as I said, far too narrow. I don’t understand how we can have a comprehensive conversation about violence without also talking about how the Violence Against Women Act is still not funded. What kind of message are we sending? What kind of message pervades into our understanding of violence when it continues to be legal in much of this country to terminate a person’s employment because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender? What kind of message do we share with millions of underprivileged youth when our own United States Senators and Representatives debate their humanity as to whether or not they are worthy of an equal chance? When our jails and prisons are disproportionately filled with young black men who have never truly had an equal chance? What kind of message do
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we force into the hearts of our citizens when we marginalize people because they have a different religious belief system? Yes, this country was founded on the right to bear arms. This country was also founded on the right to freedom from religious intolerance. I know where you stand on each of these issues, and I applaud you for allowing us The Audacity of Hope. I hope that you might somehow make certain that the conversation includes the pervasive acts of violence our country enacts upon ourselves. I believe America has lost her identity. This is not who we are. It is what we have allowed ourselves to become. And in the same way, we can truly become one people, of amazing diversity, fighting for everyone, and not with everyone. My name is Stephanie Mott. I am the founder and executive director of the Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project. I am the state chair of the Kansas Equality Coalition. I am the office assistant in the Shawnee County Commission continued on page 28
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Page 23
Entertaining and powerful ‘It Gets Better’ performance comes to the Lied Center
By Ciara Reid, staff reporter LAWRENCE - Millions of LGBTQ people, young and old, felt less alone through countless inspiring YouTube videos with the tagline ‘it gets better.’ Those who felt there was no escape from bullying saw that really – things DO get better. And on Feb. 16 at the Lied Center at the University of Kansas, people will have the opportunity to see the message in a new medium, thanks to collaboration between Speak Theater Arts and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. The idea to transform the message of it gets better into a musical performance stemmed from an idea from Liesel Reinhart, co-artistic director of the Speak Theater Arts group in Los Angeles and creative director of the it gets better performance and tour. In 2010, the Gay Men’s Chorus made an it gets better video of the chorus singing True Colors. Reinhart says it’s almost impossible not to be moved by it. “The feeling was, maybe there are people who need this, maybe more, and we can help.”
The it gets better project and the Gay Men’s Chorus got on board immediately. “I wrote a treatment and took it to the chorus and they liked it,” says Reinhart. Soon, they were booking shows before one even fully existed. The focus was more than solely on the performance aspect. “We wanted outreach to be a good part of it,” she says. Bill Bowersock is the show’s producer. He’s been a member of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles since 1993, and has been their concert producer for the past 18 years. A graduate of the University of Kansas, the show’s stop at the Lied Center will be a nostalgic trip home for him. “I’m very excited to come back to Lawrence and experience the differences,” he says. “I was there as a student – out to all my friends – but it wasn’t a time in gay history when we were out to everybody.” He worked closely with Reinhart on the show. The show’s premise of combining storytelling with factual experiences resonates with Bowersock.
It Gets Better
Saturday, Feb. 16, 7:30pm The Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Lawrence Tickets are $17 for adults; $7 for students/youth* * Parental discretion is advised for young children as the performance will include strong language and will cover adult issues. Information: www.itgetsbettertour.org/ and lied. ku.edu/ Like Liberty Press on Facebook and win two tickets to It Gets Better! Giveaways weekly!
“We have a program in the Gay Men’s Chorus where we go into high schools and sing and tell stories,” he says. Bowersock shares his own personal experiences with high school students, and he can see these stories impact the kids. He says that after they’ve been to a high school, bullied people see that it really does get better; the kids who torment those different than them start to see that they’re not so different. The process has been extremely collaborative. Reinhart describes hearing Sasha Sacket, one of the actors in the performance, sing at a party she attended. Immediately taken by what she heard, she asked him to audition for the performance. Not only did he get the part, but he has contributed several original songs which are now a part of the show. Those who attend the performance at the Lied Center will witness a seamless combination of fictional and nonfiction accounts on the topic of bullying. Throughout the performance, actors will step out of their roles and directly address the audience about their own personal experiences with growing up gay, acceptance, and bullying. The music includes popular songs by LeAnn Rimes, Gnarles Barkley, Kelly Clarkson, Alanis Morissette and Diane Warren. A unique aspect of this performance is its interactive component. The public had the opportunity to record and upload an ‘it gets better’ YouTube video for the chance to have it incorporated into an actual
performance. Additionally, each performance on the tour includes choir members from the community. “I think the focus for many of us is to get our middle school, high school and college age students – it’s a really great piece for college–age students,” says Anthea Scouffas, Engagement & Education Director at the Lied Center for the University of Kansas. “It’s really engaging; there are moments that are really terribly funny, and then some really poignant dialogue as well.” One of the most potentially inspiring moments of the show is the question and answer session at the end. Scouffas talks about the Q&A session at the premiere show at the University of Iowa last October: “One young boy – he was maybe in sixth or seventh grade – had just come out. His mother was incredibly supportive. It was an incredibly deep experience for both of them. He felt ‘this is going to be okay.’” The performance on Saturday night will be the culmination of an entire week’s worth of activities focused on the issue of bullying. Scouffas has been planning a selection of diverse and thought-provoking events the week leading up to the performance. Though event details are still being finalized, she says that the goal is to create something palpable. One particular event she’s planning is The It Gets Better World Café: A Community Dialogue on Bullying, set for Wednesday, Feb. 13. The event continued on page 28
PAGE 24
H
ello once again Kansas! This month I decided it would be fabulous to do two interviews in one article! If you read last month you might know that I am going to be doing a special drag king interview, but who knew it would be a drag kings interview?! So I thought long and hard of who I should round up and I decided to do the amazing Fabulous and his Road Dog Xplicit! Audrey McQueen: Hey boys, thank you guys for sitting down with me today to answer some questions! My first question is how long have you been performing? Xplicit: My first time doing drag was Mr. Kansas 2004 and it was because there were no contestants so I decided to man up and do it. Fabulous: I started on The Ladiesman Show at the former
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Club Glacier when I was 19 years old and just decided to do it! AM: Dang, it has been a while for you both! My next question is do you have any former titles? X: I am a former Kansas King, Mr. Kansas USofA M.I. 2010, Mr. Kansas International M.I. 2010 and 2011. I have also placed in the top 10 at USofA nationals for two years! F: Mr. Kansas USofA M.I. 2009, Mr. Newcomer 2009, Mr. Arkansas USofA M.I. 2010 1st alternate, and I have also placed in the top 10 at nationals for three years! AM: Who are some of your inspirations? X: I love Richard Cranium a former Mr. USofA M.I. simply because he opened up a lot of ideas for me as far as being
Xplicit
very androgynous and being very animated on stage. I was told once that a drag king’s target audience is gay men not lesbians. It is totally okay to portray that gay man role on stage. F: Most of my inspirations would be from specific artists like Usher, and Michael Jackson as far as dancing. Adina Ronee has helped me learn what it takes to take it to the next level as far as doing pageants and not being a club king! AM: Do you have any advice for anyone who would like to start doing drag? X: My advice to new performers would be 1. Get out there and explore other talents and performances outside of Wichita. Just go watch other entertainers 2. A performance should tell story. You should be portraying your artist or your song. 3. Costuming - you don’t want to see anyone, whether it’s a drag queen or king, wear the clothes they wore to the club the night before. If you’re going to buy something to perform in, make it your own, make it different, and stage worthy. Drag queens aren’t the only ones who should be wearing makeup! Take time on your appearance - stage lighting is different than house lighting! F: I would say my biggest advice for kings is to research other drag kings in other places - they will give you ideas. Always make something your own, people will know you for your performances and how you present yourself on stage. Another thing is not to be afraid of what you’re capable of - that five minutes on stage is your five minutes, it’s your time to show people who you are as an entertainer - be different, be extreme, step outside the box, make something
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Fabulous
new and exciting, and people will remember you for those things! AM: Do you have any future plans? X: I just want to make random appearances. One of my biggest goals was to obtain a national title, and now that I achieved that goal I want to take time for my personal life. But you haven’t seen the last of me! F: I am not done yet with national competing. Competing nationally takes a lot of time and energy, so I’m taking a break from the national level, but I perform when I can and it is a big part of my life! AM: Is there anything else you would like to say before we close today? X: I wanna give a shout out to my drag mother Adina Ronee, “Hey Momma!” My crew (you know who you are), my girl, my family, and my Road Dog Fabulous! And I would like to thank Wichita for all of their support throughout the years! F: I wanna do a shout out as well, thank you to mamma Adina, my parents for being so supportive of drag, all of my friends for supporting me and traveling with me and my girlfriend for being amazing, and coming to all my performances and to Xplicit for being my Road Dog! Thank you Xplicit and Fabulous for taking the time to do this interview with me! I will also be taking applications for Valentines so please shoot me a message if you’re interested, just kidding! Also make sure you mark your calendars for Mar. 22 - I will be giving up my Miss Gay Wichita crown at Our Fantasy Complex! And that was what Audrey Asked! l
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Page 25
2013 Best of Gay Wichita BALLOT
W
elcome to Liberty Press’ first Best of Gay Wichita 2013! Located to the right is the ballot to vote for your favorites in the LGBT community in Wichita. Voting is open Jan. 1-Feb. 8, 2013. Votes will be tallied and the winners will be announced in the March 2013 issue. Some notes: If you are unsure if your favorite would qualify, refer to the helpful title: Best of Gay Wichita. We want to know what the LGBT community thinks, with a focus on LGBT people, places and things. Feel free to fill out as many, or as few, categories as you like. To vote: Write in your picks, then send the ballot via snail mail to: Liberty Press PO Box 16315 Wichita, KS 67216-0315 Include as many ballots as you’d like - gather your friends and save a stamp! Or you may vote online at: www.libertypress.net
LGBT Event____________________________ LGBT Fundraiser_______________________ LGBT Organization_____________________ Bartender_____________________________ Dance Floor____________________________ Place to Grab a Beer____________________ Place to Meet Women____________________ Place to Meet Men______________________ Theme Night___________________________ Mixed Drink (what/place)________________ Overall Bar____________________________ Hair Salon_____________________________ Gay-friendly Restaurant/Coffeeshop_______ ______________________________________ Drag King_____________________________ Drag Queen____________________________ Local DJ______________________________ Local Musician/Singer___________________ Local Actor____________________________ Theater_______________________________ Educator______________________________ Massage Therapist______________________ Realtor________________________________ Attorney______________________________ Business Person________________________ Community Leader_____________________
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2013
Topeka sperm donor faces child support claim
TOPEKA - According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, Angela Bauer, 40, and her former partner, Jennifer Schreiner, are “kind of at a loss” about the Kansas Department for Children and Families’ (DCF) recent decision to file a child support claim against William Marotta. Marotta, also of Topeka, provided sperm that was used to artificially inseminate Schreiner three years ago. Marotta responded to Bauer and Schreiner’s Craig’s List
ad for a sperm donor in March 2009. Marotta agreed then to relinquish all parental rights, including financial responsibility to the child. When Bauer and Schreiner placed the ad, they had been together for eight years and already had adopted other children. The couple broke up in 2010 but co-parent their eight children, who range in age from 3 months to 25 years. “This was a wonderful opportunity with a guy with
an admirable, giving character three-year-old’s birth certificate who wanted nothing more than lists no father, and only names to help us have a child,” Bauer Schreiner as the mother. It is said. “I feel like the state of the same for the rest of their Kansas has made a mess out of children, Bauer said. the situation.” Because Kansas doesn’t Schreiner can no longer recognize same-sex unions, the provide health benefits to the couple had to file each adoption child because a diagnosis has left as a single parent. That law her incapable of working since also prevents the state from March. collecting child support from After the couple same-sex partners, filed for state even though Bauer assistance this year, volunteered to DCF demanded assume financial they provide the responsibility for her donor ’s name so daughter. it could collect To c o l l e c t child support. The child support from Online department said Bauer would mean Readers Schreiner had to recognizing her as provide the sperm a parent — opening Poll d o n o r ’s n a m e , the doors, she said, claiming that if she B e i n g L G B T, to increased legal didn’t, the agency why do you live rights for gay and would deny health in Kansas? lesbian parents. l benefits because she Visit Contributing: Associated was withholding www.libertypress.net Press information. to cast your vote! Bauer said the
FEBRUARY 2013 Dorothy continued from page 14
which our amazingly brave and competent heroine Lisbeth (Rooney Mara) - in the last scene of course - is left wistfully watching Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), her erstwhile lover, walk off with his real love interest. It is inconceivable that there wasn’t a group of CIA and military celebrating together what had to be seen by them as an enormous victory after 10 years of trying. Why would Maya be alone? Oh please. This kind of ending totally undermines the agency and empowerment of the woman character. Moral: You can have one or the other girl, but do not expect to have a relationship or for that matter a life if you want to be a hero. Male heroes can have all sorts of people falling all over them with admiration, not to mention beautiful women at every turn, or even wives at home, but YOU will be alone and lonely, having made the choice you made. Too bad. As for the movie as a movie, it pales in
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
comparison with The Hurt Locker. There is little character development or excitement as Maya and her colleagues piece together information and figure out what seem to be dead ends. We have to assume that most of the intervening time was spent staring into computers, important work but hard to
translate onto the big screen. The movie picks up only after the compound is found and they decide to go in. We are full of suspense as we watch the helicopters fly through the mountains. The men are geared up with extraordinary equipment, including multiplelens night-vision goggles. Here
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we get to Bigelow’s forté – giving us a notion of high-tech “modern warfare,” whether we like it or not. Yet, in the final analysis, the movie isn’t that good, in spite of the spectacular technical details. It’s the debates that will live on and I hope, in some circles, thinking about what women are really like. l
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. Peace and Social Justice Center of www.meditateinkansas.org South Central Kansas, 1407 N. Topeka, Lutheran Campus Ministry, Lawrence, Wichita, (316) 263-5886, director@ lutheran@ku.edu wichitapeace.org, www.wichitapeace. org Metropolitan Community Church of Topeka, 4425 SW 19th, (785) 272Wichita Pride, info@wichitapride. 1442, office@mcctopeka.org, www. org, www.wichitapride.org, annual MCCTopeka.org, services Sundays at celebration held in September. 10am.
Student groups
Community Centers The Center, 1602 E. Waterman, Wichita Kansas State University LGBT Resource Center, 207 A/B Holton Hall, Manhattan, (785) 532-5299, www.kstate-edu/lgbt Open Roads LGBT Community Center, Hays, (785) 259-6526, openroadslgbt@gmail.com, www. openroadslgbt.org
Health Body Intuition Massage Therapy & Wellness Center, 302 E. 4th, Suite E, Pittsburg, (620) 875-1928, www. facebook.com/bodyintuitionpittsburg, offers spiritual and emotional wellness and massage therapy to those affected by HIV/AIDS. Douglas County AIDS Project, 346 Maine, Suite 160, Lawrence, (785) 8430040, www.douglascountyaidsproject. org Hunter Health Clinic, 2318 E. Central, Wichita, (316) 262-3611, FREE HIV confidential or anonymous testing with Spanish and Vietnamese interpreters. KU Internal Medicine-Midtown, KU School of Medicine, 1001 N. Minneapolis, Wichita, (316) 293-1840, (877) 472-8227 toll-free, (316) 293-2652 HIV Program LGBT Health Coalition of Sedgwick County, Wichita, (316) 285-0007, www. sedgwickcountylgbt.org Positive Connections, 1001 SW Garfield Ave, third floor, Topeka, (785) 232-3100, www.pcneks.org Positive Directions, 414 S. Commerce, Wichita, (316) 263-2214, (316) 2635214, www.pdiks.com Regional AIDS Project, Manhattan, (785) 587-1999 or (785) 238-5338 Junction City, rap@flinthills.com Sedgwick County Health Dept., 2716 W. Central, Wichita, (316) 660-7300, www.sedgwickcounty.org The Sweet Emergency Fund, KUSM-W MPA, 1010 N. Kansas, Wichita, (316) 293-3405
Politics/Activism Kansas Equality Coalition, www. kansasequalitycoalition.org, chapters across the state. Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project, (785) 215-7436, stephanie.mott@k-step.org, www.kstep.org, provides transgender education and resources.
Free State High School GSA, Lawrence, (785) 832-6050, phatcher@usd497.org, welcomes all queer, questioning and straight ally youth to talk about issues. Meets Wednesdays. KU Queers & Allies, University of Kansas, Lawrence, (785) 864-3091, qanda@ku.edu, www.ku.edu/~qanda Lawrence High School GSA, (785) 330-2391, ArlaKan@usd497.org, welcomes all LGBT, questioning and straight youth to talk about issues. Meets almost every Friday at 3:05pm in the LHS library. Manhattan High School GSA, mhs_ gsa@hotmail.com Pitt State GSA, Pittsburg State University, pittstategsa@gmail.com That Gay Group!, Wichita State U n i v e r s i t y, ( 3 1 6 ) 9 7 8 - 7 0 1 0 , thatgaygroup@gmail.com, www. wichita.edu/tgg
Social Heart of America Men’s Chorus, Wichita, (316) 708-4837, www.hoamc. org Junction City Teddy Bears, www. jctbears.com/index.htm NetworQ, Lawrence, KansasNetworQ@ yahoo.com, www.KansasNetworQ.org, meets at Maceli’s, 1031 New Hampshire Wichita Bears, presidentwichitabears@ yahoo.com, www.wichitabears.org Wichita Organization of Leather Fetishes, (316) 201-6242, www. woolfks.com Wichita Prime Timers, ICTPrimeTimers@aol.com, www. primetimersww.org/Wichita, social group for mature gay men.
Spiritual A Journey In The Light Ministries, 2231 S. Bluff (St. Christopher ’s Episcopal Chapel), Wichita, Sunday Praise and Worship services at 11am. First Congregational United Church of Christ, 700 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan, (785) 537-7006, www.uccmanhattan. org, Sunday services at 10:45am; Taize services Thursday at 7pm, An Open and Affirming Congregation. First Metropolitan Community Church of Kansas, 156 S. Kansas, Wichita, (316) 267-1852, www.mccwichita.com, www.godlovesyouperiod.com, Sunday services at 10:15am. First Unitarian Universalist Church of Wichita, 7202 E. 21st St., (316) 6843481, officemanager@firstuu.net, www. firstuu.net, A Welcoming Congregation. Kalpa Bhadra Kadampa Buddhist Center, 721 W. 13th St., Wichita, (316) 263-1533, info@meditateinkansas.org,
FEBRUARY 2013 Poyntz Ave. Get Connected, Wichita, (316) 4913778, LGBTQIA youth group for ages 12-21. Meets at The Center, 1602 E. Waterman, every Friday from 7-9pm. Headquarters Counseling Center, Lawrence, (785) 841-2345 free 24/7, www.hqcc.lawrence.ks.us
Pine Valley Christian Church, 5620 E. 21st St., Wichita, (316) 685-2421, churchoffice@pvcconline.org, www. pvcconline.org
HIV+ Men’s Support Group, (316) 293-3405, mmadecky@kumc.edu Lawrence/Topeka PFLAG, 785-2353831, sffeist@msn.com
Support
One Day At A Time, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8pm at First MCC, 156 S. Kansas.
Central Plains Area Agency on Aging, 2622 W. Central Suite 500, Wichita, (316) 660-5120, www.cpaaa.org, CPAAA is available to assist seniors, caregivers, and adults with disabilities through life’s transitions and with various levels of support. COMCARE Crisis Intervention Services, 934 N. Water, Wichita, (316) 660-7500 free 24/7, www. sedgwickcounty.org Flint Hills PFLAG, Manhattan, (785) 410-3130, fhpflag@sbcglobal.net, www. fhpflag.org, meets 3rd Tuesdays, 7pm, First Congregational Church, 700 Trans-Formative continued from page 22
office. I am a 55-year-old senior in the Bachelor of Social Work program at Washburn University in Topeka. I am a white, Christian woman who also happens to be transsexual. My world is defined by violence. Every decision I make is somehow influenced by the awareness of violence, protection from violence, or finding a way to eliminate violence. Someday, I hope to become a pastor, and I hope that I do and will bring love into the world, as love is the only answer to how we bring an end to violence. When we are talking, as a nation, about how we bring an end to violence, let us please not forget that denying the existence of a culture of violence against women in the United States is part of the problem. Let us not forget that poverty is an act of violence, as is discrimination of any kind. Thank you for being our President. Peace, Blessings & Joy (God’s PB&J) Stephanie IGB continued from page 23
will be a facilitated discussion on bullying that will include several groups made up of local religious, government, school and youth leaders.
TransYouth of Kansas, Topeka, Paula@ tyks.org, www.tyks.org, providing support for transgender youth and their families. Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center, 355 N. Waco, Suite 100, (316) 2630185 office, (316) 263-3002 crisis line 24/7, wasac@wichitasac.com, www. wichitasac.com, free, confidential sexual assault services to all genders and sexual orientations. Medical & legal advocacy, support groups, adult & child crisis counseling, educational programs. l
Other potential activities include a global pride session that would focus on LGBTQ issues from around the world. “There will be someone speaking to issues in Africa and Asia, and the session will be moderated by Tami Albin, an expert on gender and gender identity,” she says. Scouffas is working on getting the university Greeks involved in a dialogue, as well as the area high schools’ Gay Straight Alliance programs. The Lied Center is also incorporating activities in which local middle school students create art about the issue of bullying, facilitated by teaching artist and drama therapist Christie Dobson. Throughout the it gets better project and performance tour, Reinhart has been consistently reminded that the work regarding equal rights for all is not yet done. “No fear of that,” she says. “We are not done.” Though the performance has a direct message attached to it, Reinhart wanted to make sure to entertain to all audiences. “I’ve been working on theater projects for social causes a long time,” Reinhart says. “One of my issues has been that theater can be very insular. I really wanted to try and create something that would be very appealing to the mainstream. Overall, the experience is very entertaining and appeals to a wide range of ages and audiences.” l
FEBRUARY 2013
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Products & Services
Help Wanted
Massage by Kenn 7am-9pm, open 7 days. No appointment necessary. (316) 204-0111, 1st time special, call for details. Sensual.
The Liberty Press is expanding! We’re looking for a commissioned ad sales person in the Lawrence/ Topeka area. Also looking for assignment writers in L a w r e n c e , To p e k a a n d Wichita. Must be able to meet deadlines, have e-mail, be familiar with the paper and be involved in the community. E-mail Kristi at editor@ libertypress.net for a brief application. No phone calls, please.
tinyurl.com/herscopes Charlene Lichtenstein’s ground-breaking astrology book HerScopes: A Guide To Astrology For Lesbians is celebrating its 10th anniversary! The secrets that are revealed about each sign continue to amaze. Makes a great gift. Classifieds are available for $5 for the first 15 words. E-mail editor@libertypress.net for other options, and pricing.
L
ove is in the air! Collect your valentines from a range of shapes, sizes and colors. Jolly Jupiter redirects and casts a lucky and expansive light on everything we do. So what exactly will we do?
ARIES (MAR. 21 - APRIL 20) Proud Rams not only have the gift of gab, they have the personal oil to set hearts on fire. Blend this combination of charisma this February to meet your match. There is someone special around every corner, it seems. But do you know exactly what and who you want? Indecision can lead you into wasteful temptations. Or maybe that is the plan? TAURUS (APRIL 21 - MAY 21) Before you empty your wallet for just another pretty face, examine the merchandise and see if it fits in your wardrobe. Queer Bulls are very generous and can even expand their fortunes this February. But try to hold on to more of your gotten gains through research and careful investment. Party with the bulls and bears .. and try to stick them with the bill. GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUNE 21) February is your month to shine. Pink Twins don’t have any trouble meeting, greeting and streaking through some of the most exclusive gatherings. You capture hearts as well as minds and will be able to implement some long-delayed projects by persuading influentials to join in. Who knows where it will lead? They say it is an open field for the 2016 elections . . . CANCER (JUNE 22 - JULY 23) Secret admirers make your love life more interesting (and complicated) than usual. Ready for a surprise? February delivers it in dollops. So tune your gaydar and be sure that your valentines are carefully distributed only to worthy recipients. How will you know who is who and what is what? Use your intuition . . . and deep-dive Google searches.
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Call for Presentations and Workshops
First Annual TransKansas Conference, Sept. 6-8 at Bert Nash Mental Health Center in Lawrence Submit an abstract, 150 words or less. Include contact information and bio (250 words max). E-mail conference@kstep.org or mail to Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project, PO Box 13, Topeka, KS 66601 1-1 ½ hour workshop/presentation proposals will be accepted through April 1. Workshop topics related to transgender issues including, but not limited to, transgender activism, transgender legal issues (name change, etc.), make up, hair removal, transgender and faith,
LEO (JULY 24 - AUG. 23) Friends provide happy and lucky opportunities for all proud Lions who expand their outreach. You can never have too many friends so make an effort to join more groups and organizations throughout February. Then stir up the masses with exciting social events designed to bring like minds together. Of course variety is the spice of life. How spicy do you want it? VIRGO (AUG. 24 - SEPT. 23) Q u e e r Vi rg i n s g e t s o m e l u c k y professional breaks this February. And these opportunities can play out either in advancing your career or deepening your commitment to one particular mentor. The most important thing is to maximize your advantage while the cosmic energy flows. Strategize and make a move. You are no longer a pawn so go for a checkmate. LIBRA (SEPT. 24 - OCT. 23) Love finds you anywhere you travel. Don’t sit at home waiting for a knock on the door. Find an excuse to take some time out to expand your horizons - whether that means across the world or across the street. Just think “new.” Expect more than your usual amount of adoration and flirtation from unexpected, unusual or foreign folks. And be a bit of that yourself. SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 22) February brings many sensual valentines to your inbox. How will you handle the deluge? Be picky and discerning. Choose a few notable admirers from the pack and see if you can press the flesh in person. Passionate proud Scorps will turn any quiet, boring encounter into a sizzling sensation. Or maybe that is because you are sitting on a radiator?
transgender persons of color, transgender literature/film, transgender history, transition in the workplace, teaching transgender, trans-feminine, trans-masculine, etc. For more information, contact Stephanie Mott at info@k-step. org. l
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 - DEC. 22) Relationships heat up as February becomes an opportune time to cement current partnerships. You are diplomatic and can soothe any rough situation (unless partners like it rough?). For those seeking new connections, plug into the social circuit and see who you can shock. Before you know it there could be some new light shed on old issues. Let’s hope it is a pink light. CAPRICORN (DEC. 23 - JAN. 20) Not only are you full of vim and vigor, you are ready to tackle any task no matter how large or small or detailed because the fates find ways to make any effort pay off in a big way. Good! Don’t let things pile up for tomorrow, pink Cap. The work that you can clear off your desk today will give you more time to relax later. If that is what you really want to do . . . AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 - FEB. 19) Fun is the most important thing to accomplish this February, Aqueerius. So let some of the more serious stuff stew on your back burner if possible. There is a world of wonder out there and it can take you to some of the most amazing experiences ever. Seek creative ways to inspire your life. Maybe that bathtub full of whipped cream is not such a bad idea. PISCES (FEB. 20 - MAR. 20) After a winter full of activity, it will be nice to relax and cocoon in familiar surroundings. Push your domestic agenda this February and resolve to make your home as inviting as possible. Guppies can reduce their stress and increase their mellowness. Share your good vibes with evenings filled with friends and family. Maybe they will even help you clean up?
(c) 2013 THE STARRY EYE, LLC., All Rights Reserved. For Entertainment Purposes Only. Lichtenstein’s blog www.thestarryeye.typepad.com covers everything new age. Her astrology book HerScopes: A Guide to Astrology For Lesbians is the best in tongue-in-cheek astrology. Order now at tinyurl.com/Herscopes.
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2013
FEBRUARY 2013
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
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!! OUR 3RD 3RD ANNUAL ANNUAL OUR
OSCARS PARTY! FEB 24TH 24TH FEB
“GRAND PRIZE WINNER” VOTING BALLOTING STARTS AT 10:30AM (BALLOTS AVAILABLE THEN) DURING BREAKFAST BRUNCH AND END OF THE PROGRAM .
SATURDAY MARCH 2ND
CELEBRATION START AT 10PM!!
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2013