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Kathy Richstatter
KS Realtor ABR, e-PRO, GRI, SRES Kathy@KansasRainbow.com www.KS.PenFedRealty.com
316 316--641 641--3954
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February 27 8 P.M.
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2016
Editor's Desk
Moving Forward I really like gay and lesbian weddings. It feels odd to say I like ANY weddings but samesex weddings are so unique. It’s fun to go and see what the couple has put together for a ceremony because it doesn’t follow traditional rules. One dress, two dresses, NO dresses, walk down the aisle, wait at the altar, groomsmen, groomswomen, man of honor, bridesmen - all expectations are thrown out the window and the couple creates their own special day. The locations are varied, with many gays and lesbians having mixed feelings about a church. And the attendance is encouraging with more and more family members and straight allies taking part in the celebrations. Rev. Jackie Carter told me at a recent wedding that she has performed about one same-sex ceremony a week since the law was changed in Kansas in November 2014. As you can read in this issue, her church, First MCC, has paid the price with continued vandalism. Despite that, Rev. Carter and First MCC move forward, and couples move forward with wedding plans. The new year brings a season of moving forward and the Liberty Press is no different. We are making many exciting changes and additions this year . We are expanding pages, adding a few new monthly features, welcoming new writers and expanding our distribution. Towards the end of 2015, F5 magazine was extremely generous in donating its wire racks to us. Start looking for new floor and table racks at lots of new locations in the coming months. I’m also excited to welcome some new youth writers to our ranks. Jeromiah Taylor and Isabella Parker are both juniors at East High in Wichita. Emily Beckman is a student and the copy editor for The Grizzly at Butler Community College in El Dorado. I feel extremely lucky to have trans activists Elle Boatman and Brenda Way joining us as well. And finally, many thanks and a big welcome to our new roaming photographer Matthew JonesArnone. Some of the new features to look for include a monthly update on what’s happening down at The Center, a few national news items, and pictures of you and your friends! I hope you enjoy the additions we’ve made and are continuing to make to improve the paper. I’ve enjoyed serving the Kansas community for the past 21 years and am super excited about the next 21! Here’s to moving forward - for the Press, for you and for your relationships.
--Kristi Parker
FEBRUARY 2016
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Liberty Press
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Volume 22, No. 6 • Editor: Kristi Parker • Contributors: Beacon Youth Group, Nolin Christensen, Greg DaltonWhite, Greg Fox, Charlene Lichtenstein, Mama, Dr. Robert N. Minor, Stephanie Mott, Lainie Rusco • Staff Reporters: Grayson Barnes, Emily Beckman, Elle Boatman, Blake Hampton, Isabella Parker, Ciara Reid, Jeromiah Taylor, Brenda Way • Contributing Photographers: Matthew Jones-Arnone, Jeromiah Taylor, JohnTsiavis • On the Cover: Top to bottom: Teal and Taylor Pearson, Shay Koehler and Craig Meitler, Jen Benkert and Kristen Goche, Randy Case and Donald Meitler • Cover: Troy Dilport • Graphic Designer: Troy Dilport • Webmaster: Ren Autrey • Publisher: Liberty Press, LLC • Printer: Valley Offset Printing
TRANS-FORMATIVE..............24 MINOR DETAILS....................25 WHAT'S NEW AT THE CENTER?...............................26 MAMA KNOWS BEST............28 OUT IN THE STARS...............28 OUT ON THE TOWN.............29 AROUND KANSAS.................32 LEATHER LIFE.......................33 KYLE'S BED & BREAKFAST...33 Kansas Newlyweds .................21 Professor Grayson Barnes.......16 Renee Duxler steps down........12 and more!........
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FEBRUARY 2016
OP/ED
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. We want to hear from you! Visit www.libertypress.net to answer our Readers Poll. Send your letters and feedback to editor@libertypress.net.
Valentine's Day isn't always romantic for LGBT students By Isabella Parker, staff reporter
V
alentine’s Day is the day of love, a day where a person and their partner can spend time together and remind each other of all those fun little things that make the stars shine a little brighter. However, for many people in the LGBT community, celebrating Valentine’s Day in an open and romantic way can often be more difficult than it should be. Discrimination, negativity, and even availability can become large issues for people in nonheterosexual or non-cisgender relationships. Societal discrimination is an unfortunate but extremely prevalent issue for the LGBT community. It is often more difficult for people in an LGBT relationship to feel comfortable going out to see a movie, eat dinner, or spend time together publicly than it is for those in a heterosexual relationship. Many people find it difficult to be accepted in their communities because of their sexual identity or gender identity, and for Sasha Ulloa, an LGBT high school student, the “constant fear of judgment” from her peers constrains her ability to spend time with her partner in a way that makes her feel comfortable. Despite the reality of discrimination, many couples are able to move past this to continue to spend time and relax with the person they love. On top of the discrimination that many people face, another
difficult obstacle is simply getting through the holiday as a ‘single pringle.’ For several friends of mine, the most challenging bump on Valentine’s Day is simply not having anyone to share it with. Finding someone within the LGBT community who is attracted to you is usually much more difficult than it is for those seeking a heterosexual relationship just because of general availability. While there are still plenty of fish in the sea, catching a fish that is right for you can be difficult, and having a holiday that celebrates love is not always the best thing for a person who is struggling to be in an accepting relationship. Despite the struggles and the negativity that many people are faced with, there are a large number of couples in the LGBT community who see Valentine’s
Day as it should be seen, a day for people to celebrate their loved ones, whether it’s good friends or long-lasting lovers. Cameron Splichal, a student in Wichita, says that celebrating Valentine’s Day with his partner is a way for him to “just be another normal couple.” The unfortunate and often extremely difficult struggles that members of the LGBT community deal with when it comes to publicity in their relationships do not need to prohibit them from having fun and feeling loved on Feb. 14. l
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THE AUSTRALIAN BEE GEES SHOW A MULTIMEDIA TRIBUTE CONCERT 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 13
JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 2015 – 2016 PERFORMING ARTS SERIES
jccc.edu/TheSeries 913-469-4445 NO ONLINE FEES | FREE PARKING WINE & BEER AVAILABLE
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FEBRUARY 2016
Proactive bill to add protections to the state anti-discrimination law receives hearing By Elle Boatman, staff reporter TOPEKA - As a blustery winter continues to blow its way across the state, Kansas’ 2016 legislative session in Topeka is already heating up - and Equality Kansas (EQKS) and its allies have hit the ground running. HB 2323, a proposal to amend the Kansas Act Against Discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity, was the subject of a judiciary committee hearing on Jan. 14. Tom Witt, executive director of EQKS, says that, amidst a drought of progressive legislation advancement, this has restarted the conversation. “My expectations are that this bill will restart proactive conversations that have been absent from the statehouse for several years.” While many opponents either dismiss the importance of the bill or hide behind scare tactics and fear-mongering, supporters
of the bill emphatically reiterate the facts – that approving protections for the LGBT community will not infringe on religious liberty or allow sexual predators to abuse children. Jackie Carter, pastor at First Metropolitan Community Church in Wichita, attended the hearing and described a contentious atmosphere in which equality took a backseat to religious propaganda. “Instead of looking for ways to make this work, and to understand what is happening in our state, the response … was that [discrimination] is not a problem.” Carter goes on to say, “Religious freedom is the right to worship God in ways that are consistent with your own understanding of God. It is not the right to refuse services to a certain group of people if you own or operate a public business.” EQKS state chairperson,
Sandra Meade, provided testimony at the hearing specifically addressing how this legislation provides protection for transgender Kansans, a community that faces an incredible amount of discrimination in virtually every facet of life from family and faith to employment and housing. “It’s time we take a direct approach to confronting the misinformation, and it’s time for legislators to demand better,” says Meade. “People’s lives depend on wise leadership and compassionate understanding at a time when the worst demagoguery is being used to build unsubstantiated fear of human beings who are simply trying to live their lives with a modicum of dignity.” HB 2323 is not the first of its kind in Kansas. Nearly a half dozen similar efforts to add gender identity and sexual
orientation to state law were made in 2005 and 2007-11 without success. Simultaneously, so-called “religious freedom” bills have been proposed, and defeated, every year since 2011 and this legislative session promises more of the same. Witt stresses the importance of everyone getting involved in the fight for equality and urges Kansans to contact their representatives. “Whenever bills start moving in the legislature we send out action alerts to our mailing list, and when those go out we need people to call and write immediately because stuff is moving fast. Ringing that building’s phones off the hook has stopped a lot of bad stuff from passing.” Visit eqks.org in order to join Equality Kansas, sign-up for the mailing list, find action alerts, and much more. Read and follow the latest in the legislature at kslegislature.org. l
DUSTY RHODES I am excited to have the great services of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate to offer to you.
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Kansas News JCCC hosts multimedia Bee Gees Show OVERLAND PARK – The Australian Bee Gees Show, with
more than 15 years of perfecting its routine, has captured the energy and soul of one of music’s most successful bands. The tribute to the Bee Gees is a fully-produced, multimedia concert. It will be performed at 8pm Saturday, Feb. 13, at Johnson County Community College’s Yardley Hall. The Bee Gees, formed in 1958, consisted of brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The three were well known for decades, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a popular music act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as writers and performers who defined the disco music era in the late 1970s. The Australian Bee Gees Show will take you on a nostalgic trip through the legacy of songs the brothers Gibb left behind. Tickets, $42 and $32, and information about a pre-show dinner are available through the JCCC Box Office at 913-469-4445 and online.
Valentine N’ Dine with HOAMC WICHITA - Heart of America Men’s Chorus (HOAMC) is hosting Valentine N’ Dine, an evening of good food, chocolate, wine and romance to be held Sunday, Feb. 14 from 5-8pm at The Egg Crate, 8606 W. 13 th Suite 1 5 0 . Ti c k e t s a r e $ 1 4 f o r singles or $25 for groups
FEBRUARY 2016
of two. Reservations are suggested but not required. To make reservations reply to the Facebook event or call 316-708-4887. Meat and meatless lasagna, salad, garlic bread and dessert will be on the menu. Drinks provided
with your ticket include tea, coffee, and wine. At 5:30pm, 6:30pm and 7:30pm raffle baskets will be given out. Get a free raffle ticket by leaving your name and e-mail address. There will also be musical entertainment during the event. HOAMC is honored to provide a gay-friendly event that is also open to anyone who would like to attend.
Interpersonal Psychiatry Transgender Support Group LAWRENCE - Best of Lawrence 2015 winner, Interpersonal Psychiatry is now hosting a free bi-weekly support group for individuals dealing with transgender issues that started Jan. 9. The group is open to all transgender people as well as family members and supporters. Topics such as gender identity, coming out, and issues with family and employers are welcome. The group will be facilitated by psychiatrist, Dr. Hiten Soni and meets in room 206 at his Lawrence office, 901 Kentucky. For more information contact, I n t e r p e r s o n a l P s y c h i a t r y, 785.393.6167, ip-psych.com or drsoni@ip-psych.com.
continued on page 17
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First MCC, Pastor continue work despite vandalism, threats By Blake Hampton, staff reporter WICHITA - Pastor Jackie Carter and about five or more volunteers were taking food off of several pallets into the kitchen of their church, the First Metropolitan Community Church (First MCC). It was a Tuesday, when she and others feed those who come for First MCC’s weekly food pantry. Despite the good deeds, Pastor Carter has been experiencing consistent harassment - from threatening calls to her church being vandalized - since November 2014. On Nov. 12, 2014 same-sex marriage was declared legal in Kansas. Pastor Carter was the first pastor to publicly perform a gay marriage. It was covered on several Kansas news outlets, and as such became a face for the group that she is a part of, the Wichita Clergy Supporting LGBTQ Equality. These events
have made her a target for people who disagreed with the decision. Pastor Carter has received numerous death threats. First MCC has had to replace over 89 windows. Stones were initially thrown. It has, however, escalated to bricks. Just recently security lines were cut. On that evening activities were taking place, so Pastor Carter and other locals were inside when the incident happened. “I was very afraid that night,” Carter said. “If I wouldn’t have been here I probably would’ve felt fine, but there were eight of us here. We had called others to come in and check on us. We didn’t want to risk leaving because there has just been too much violence in the past.” Before that event a BB gun was used to shoot through stained glass. Police were called. There was no further investigation after determining that the weapons used to make
Carter
the holes were non-lethal. Despite the events that have happened, Pastor Carter is willing to keep moving forward. “It’s about making a difference,” she said. “Within a month we will feed almost 5,000 people with our food pantry.” Some of those that have been fed have come to Pastor Carter and said that they would assist by occasionally patrolling the grounds. Pastor Carter has been at First MCC for almost eight years and has worked to create a good reputation for the church. This reputation precedes the
community within the church and spreads its message of “Love not Hate.” “I’ve met with people outside of Christianity who came and gave what they could to help,” she said. “There have been Atheists, Muslims, Jews, Agnostics, all who would come and say, ‘I may not be a part of the church, but I support what you and your church are fighting for.’ “Silence is our biggest enemy,” Carter continued. “So we have to do what we can to stand up for what we believe in and for us that’s love.” Pastor Carter is still performing same-sex weddings. She is still a part of the Wichita Clergy Supporting LGBTQ Equality, and when the call is made she will go and speak with others who fight for equality. Donations are always welcome. For more information, visit mccwichita.com. l
A new, positive direction for Duxler
Executive director of local AIDS organization steps down
Duxler at PDI's office on Commerce St.
By Brenda Way, staff reporter WICHITA - Positive Directions was quiet, the front door was locked, and most of the lights had been turned off. On the big stage in the back, I sat down with Renee Duxler and saw how much she loves her Wichita community. It felt like I was sitting down with an old friend and, in a way, I was. A small shock went through the LGBT and HIV+ community in the first week of January when Duxler posted on her Facebook page
that she would be stepping down as Executive Director of Positive Directions, Inc. (PDI). PDI has been an integral part of HIV+ care and prevention in Wichita and is responsible for fundraisers such as ArtAID and Wichita’s AIDS Walk, raising money to support its services - client casework, HIV testing, a grocery center, and so much more. Duxler’s impressive social service portfolio over the past 12+ years includes work as an adjunct professor of women’s studies and social work at WSU, at the Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center (WASAC), Rainbows United Inc., Dr. Sweet’s clinic at KU Med and, for the past 22 months, at PDI. Even with death from infections decreasing, the rate of infection has stayed the same. Duxler says the sensationalism of HIV has disappeared and with it, awareness and visibility. When she came on-board at PDI, Duxler immediately focused on the organization becoming more visible to the HIV+ and LGBT communities as well as Wichita as a whole. She said she has always been
transparent about not intending to stay with PDI forever. Her plan from the beginning was to push the program forward, gain financial stability for the organization and then move on and hand it off to someone else. With this focus in mind, she got straight to work bringing new life to ArtAID, PDI’s biggest fundraiser, which had started to wane in interest. Many people felt that drastically reduced funds raised by the event meant ArtAID was finished. But the breath of life she gave to the fundraiser through new artists, a new producer, and a new salon helped raise more money in the last two years than any of the 19 previous years. Duxler spoke of this as being one of her proudest accomplishments at PDI. When asked about surprises she had when joining the organization she said, “We are here for the benefit of the people who need our help and I don’t understand why politics ... get in the way in the ways they do, and how much they do. That’s been frustrating for me.” Despite Positive Directions’ rocky past, Duxler dedicated herself
to making progress, mending professional relationships, and overcoming some of the hurdles of cooperation. Even after talking about the harder points of the executive director position, the smile comes back to her face when she talks about how much she enjoyed seeing the faces of PDI’s clients, many of whom she had met while working at KU Med. So many of these reunions would be moments of excitement, hugs, and smiles. A new door of opportunity has opened for Duxler with the Alzheimer’s Association and she has stepped down from her position with PDI as of Jan. 15. (No successor has been appointed at the time of this writing.) “It’s been a difficult decision,” she said, “but feels like a great moment to hand over the reins and move on.” It was an emotional last day at PDI for Duxler, so much of her heart and time over the past 22 months has gone into the organization. “Leaving [PDI] behind, and leaving my staff behind, is a very emotional thing for me,” she said. “We’re a family here.” l
FEBRUARY 2016
National News Melissa Etheridge announces upcoming concert cruise starring Joan Jett and the Blackhearts plus many more Grammy award-winning artist Melissa Etheridge recently announced an upcoming concert cruise titled “Melissa Etheridge & Friends Rock The Boat,” leaving from Tampa, FL Oct. 31
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
New GLAAD study reveals startling truths about Americans’ feelings on LGBT issues NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s LGBT media advocacy organization, unveiled its second annual Accelerating Acceptance report, which reveals a startling level of complacency and ambivalence among Americans on LGBT issues. The survey was fielded online from Oct. 5-7, 2015 among 2,032 adults ages
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Motheryhwh ganesh
jehova
father rabbi
teacher
I AM
buddah
vishnu
Muhammad
adonai
Jesus
gentle whisper
friend parent
creator
and returning Nov. 5. Tickets are currently on sale for this firstever Melissa Etheridge cruise. On board Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas, the ship will be making stops in Key West, Fla. and Cozumel, Mexico and then back to Tampa. Etheridge has invited her musician friends featuring performances by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, as well as The Cains, Lucy Angel, New Hollow, Olivia Lane and more to be announced soon. Over the five-day journey, Etheridge will make two performances and will also interact with the passengers during a meet & greet and nightly events such as costume parties and much more. The multiplatinum singer/songwriter has also secured the top-notch spinmaster DJ Tracy Young to run the turntables as well as guest speakers on the boat discussing health and wellness tips and even a financial expert. For tickets and updates, visit: www.MelissaEtheridgeCruise. com.
Photo by JohnTsiavis
18 and older. Among the survey’s key findings: Perhaps because marriage equality was so widely covered by the media in 2015, half of all non-LGBT Americans are now under the false and potentially dangerous impression that ‘gay people have the same rights as everybody else.’ Further, many Americans are unconcerned by or unaware of LGBT issues. Over a quarter (27%) of non-LGBT Americans say that violence against transgender people is not a serious problem. This, despite the fact that at least 21 transgender women, mostly women of color, were murdered in the U.S. in 2015. Similarly, 37% of non-LGBT Americans say that homelessness among LGBT youth is not a serious problem. According to The Williams Institute at UCLA, however, approximately 40% of all homeless youth identify as LGBT. Roughly a third of nonLGBT Americans profess no strong opinion about important LGBT issues. Interestingly, this ambivalence appears across segments, including allies. The full report is available at glaad.org/acceptance. l
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FEBRUARY 2016
Visual Justice at the Ulrich Museum provides an unflinching and memorable look at America Review By Jeromiah Taylor, staff reporter WICHITA - The powerful images of Gordon Parks come together in the stunning exhibition Visual Justice on display at Wichita State University’s Ulrich Museum of Art. The Museum celebrated the opening reception of Visual Justice on Jan. 16 and the exhibit will be on display until April 10. Parks, one of the greatest and most influential photographers of the 20 th century, a black Kansan who surmounted poverty and racism, in many ways lived the American dream, though he did not capture it; instead his compelling art illuminates the frequently painful American reality. Many of Parks’ photo-essays for Life magazine are well represented as well as his often overlooked accomplishments in experimental color photography. Visual Justice provides an unflinching and memorable look at America and its longterm sicknesses of racism and systemic poverty. The majority of Parks’ most recognizable images come from the powerful Life magazine photo-essays which depict black Americans as disadvantaged and struggling, though most importantly, as human. In one of his more daring ventures, The White Devil’s Day is Almost Over, Parks shadowed Malcolm X along with the separatist movement Nation of Islam. Despite NOI’s national reputation as a dangerous radical organization and Parks’ own profound disagreements with Malcolm’s ideologies Parks refused to sensationalize or vilify the fiery activists and painted a nuanced portrait of a humane movement. The explosive artworks of Visual Justice are defined by this kind of artistic integrity and moral accountability. In Harlem Gang Leader, Parks’ first assignment for Life, Parks personalizes Harlem’s gang members and befriended Red Jackson, the young leader
of a neighborhood gang. Over the course of a month Parks told the story of Red’s life through moving portraits of brutality, deprivation and tenderness. This balanced portrayal was a step towards racial acceptance and a brave artistic stance. Parks’ photographic talent sparked change on more than one occasion and even lifted families out of poverty. In A Harlem Family Parks captured the challenges faced by the Fontenelles. The collection, defined by an embittered sorrow, shows the cramped life and overwhelming despair of an impoverished African-American family. There is no relief or beaming exception in the forsaken, bleak images of A Harlem Family. The troubling photos disturbed Life readers so much that many sent checks to the editor. As a result the Fontenelles were moved to a furnished home in Queens. Sadly, the father and son were killed in a house fire the following year and death soon followed for the rest of the
Top: Gordon Parks, Untitled, Los Angeles, California, 1963. Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Wichita. Courtesy of and © The Gordon Parks Foundation Far left: Gordon Parks, Red Jackson, Harlem, New York, 1948. Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Wichita. Courtesy of and © The Gordon Parks Foundation
Fontenelles. Visual Justice is not all grit and tears however. Several vibrant and experimental color photographs are displayed revealing Parks’ diversity and range of skill. The formative stages of Parks’ career are also given attention through his fashion photography; the likes of which got him noticed as a young man in St. Paul. What is most memorable about Visual Justice however is not content, but perspective. Parks’ talent as a photographer and his sensitive, wise gaze communicate messages of affection, repulsion, empathy, sorrow and outrage. While justice was a theme, Parks’ true area of expertise was
Ulrich Museum patrons take in Visual Justice during the opening reception Jan. 16. Photos by Jeromiah Taylor
visual poetry. Gordon Parks was an American visionary and a timeless talent. The resounding photographs of Visual Justice provide lessons on an artistic, moral and human level. With subjects ranging from proud old women, scalded men and dead children, Parks’ photos each possess a quiet dignity, an immense power and prodigious talent. Visual Justice is a must see; a much needed look into the mirror for Americans as people and as artists. l
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KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS
SAMUEL BRINTON NUCLEAR ENGINEER AND LGBT ADVOCATE AT K-STATE FEB. 15
4-5 P.M. AMIDST THE GLOW OF NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY 6:30-7:45 P.M. YOU CAN’T CHANGE WHAT WE NEVER CHOSE BOTH IN 1109 ENGINEERING HALL Sponsored by: K-State College of Education: Not Just a Year of Social Justice Education; LGBT Resource Center, Multicultural Engineering Program, LGBT and Allies
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2016
Butler Community College professor Grayson Barnes makes transition, positive impact
By Emily Beckman
EL DORADO - As a young girl, Helen Barnes would tell her parents that the body she was in felt all wrong. Now, Professor Grayson Barnes is happier than he has been in a long time. Childhood Until her third grade year, Helen Barnes dressed like a boy. For a number of years, she got away with asking people to call her Buddy. Then eventually she was forced to get cat-eye glasses, and her mother told people there was no one in their house by the name of Buddy, that the person who lived there was a girl and her name was Helen. “I felt my entire life that I didn’t fit in in very specific ways. I liked girls, but I wasn’t gay. I liked doing boy things, but I wasn’t a boy ... I didn’t realize that there were alternatives until about 20 years ago,” Barnes says.
E v e n t u a l l y, B a r n e s h i t puberty, concerned the changes that were happening to her body would be what she was stuck with forever. “All through my life, it was kind of like once in awhile I would hear this voice in the back of my head saying: ‘You’re really a man; you’re really a boy,’” Barnes says. Becoming Grayson Three years ago, Barnes began going to therapy. “About a year ago I decided to actually make some changes, and I started with dressing more masculine,” Barnes says. “I went through my closet and got rid of my girly clothes. I had cut my hair earlier in the year ... I had really long hair and wanted a more masculine hairstyle.” On Oct. 13, 2014, Barnes went public. “I came out on Facebook and came out to my colleagues big time,” Barnes says. “There
and Present lms by and about Kansas native Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951) 2014 bio-pic e Czar of Black Hollywood followed by the digitally remastered 1925 silent lm Body and Soul and a Q&A with Tallgrass staff and guests
THURSDAY, FEB 25 at 6:00 PM WICHITA ART MUSEUM
was a school meeting … so at the meeting on my nametag I crossed out the name Helen and wrote in Grayson and thought, ‘This is it, the world’s gonna know,’ and I have been so much happier ever since.” In May 2015, Barnes began taking hormones. Since then, he has seen some changes in appearance: his shoulders have widened; his pants size has dropped; and he had to buy a razor. In addition, he has undergone changes mentally. “I think that I retain a lot of the strength and intellect of the person that I was before. But that person was extremely unhappy; extremely unfulfilled. And I think now I am very happy and I can see where I can go. And previously I felt I had kind of hit the wall,” Barnes says. “It’s weird because I notice that as a woman I would be at meetings and people wouldn’t listen to me. I would say something and the man next to me would repeat exactly what I said and people would listen to him. It’s not necessarily in the educational setting. [Now] they listen to me more. What I say is taken with a little more thinking, without being brushed off. Which is weird because if someone has something to say it shouldn’t matter what gender we perceive them as, we should listen to them all very carefully.” The name Grayson was inspired by a number of things. It reminds him who he is and who he strives to be. “I guess my personal style is exemplified by my name, that I chose, that I’m using now, because not only am I thinking of myself in a gray area, and a son whose father’s middle name is Gray, it makes me think of grace. It reminds me to be the son of grace and to be graceful and thoughtful and understanding and gentle,” Barnes says. “I want to be, or continue to be, a kind and sympathetic man, strong, but open and generous and all those things. Those strong sides of masculinity that we tend to not see, and oftentimes I think as men, we’re educated
not to use. We’re supposed to be forceful and loud, well, what about being strong and gentle at the same time? And funny. I want to be funny. Or funnier. I think I’m kind of funny already, but it might be jokes that only I get.” Impact of Teaching Since he was young, Barnes knew he wanted to write. He studied art and creative writing at Wichita State University. “I had a vision I would die over my typewriter,” Barnes says. Eventually, he combined his love of art and history and earned a degree in Art History. Through soul-searching, Barnes says he realized that he was pretty good at helping people and decided to be a teacher. He currently teaches Humanities 1, Humanities 2 and Art Appreciation at Butler Community College. He still continues his passion for writing by writing articles for the Liberty Press. “It seems that what I believe about teaching is when we have something in our heads it makes us contributors to society,” Barnes says. “If we think about things instead of react to things like an amoeba, then we’re also making better decisions; people aren’t controlling us.” Impact of Art Since he was seven years old, Barnes has been going to museums. “One of the things that I notice a lot is I pay attention to everything, and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I have spent most of my life looking at stuff. I gauge people when they walk into a room … I look at colors out the car window,” Barnes said. “I think what art has done … it’s allowed me to be an observer. It makes me look at people, because people are the most important subject.” Support Through the stages of his change, Barnes has had support continued on next page
FEBRUARY 2016
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. Kansas News continued from page 10
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Music theater professor wins top Kennedy Center award
By Lainie Rusco
Barnes
from family, friends and the Wichita transgender community. Before starting the process, Barnes talked to his dad who told him, “You are my kid and I love you and you need to do whatever you need to do to support your physical and emotional self.” Barnes says he is appreciative of the support from his father, a conservative Air Force veteran. “Truthfully, if he hadn’t been supportive of this, I don’t know that I would have even started,” Barnes says. “Because I love my dad and he’s important to me. When I grow up I want to be like him; I’ve always wanted to be like him.” His friends and roommate have provided a supportive network as well. “I have friends that I have known for 20 years now and they are behind me 100 percent,” Barnes says. In addition, Barnes is a part of WiTCoN, the Wichita Trans Community Network. WiTCoN alternates between informational meetings and social gatherings for transgender people and their allies. The group provides him mentors, as well as allows him to be a mentor to others.
Violence Against Transgender People Barnes explains that transgender people have recently been a target of hate crimes. “There is a societal danger to people who don’t fit some sort of norm or box, so the possibilities of physical violence are everywhere,” Barnes says. He also says that there is a pornography industry that uses derogatory terms against transgender people. “I would say that we certainly have a problem in our society, that people will hate a trans person yet they want to go to bed with a trans person. Or they want to watch a video of a trans person having sex,” Barnes said. “To me that’s a sign that we’re seriously broken. And if we are objectifying people like that, we are distancing them from ourselves. And it makes those people, who should be recognized as people, much easier to hate, kill [and] destroy. And I think about that every day.”
continued on page 24
WICHITA - Linda Starkey, chairwoman of the School of Performing Arts at Wichita State University, has been awarded the Region V Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Gold Medallion. It is the organization’s most prestigious award and considered one of the great honors in theater education. The award was presented to Starkey at the conclusion o f W S U ’s p r o d u c t i o n o f Smokey Joe’s Café, Jan. 20, at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in Minneapolis. Each year, the festival honors individuals or organizations who have made extraordinary contributions to the teaching and producing of theater and who have supported KCACTF. Region V encompasses seven states. Starkey, who has worked at Wichita State for 25 years, teaches voice, is program director of musical theater and has served in a variety of roles at the university and in the Wichita community. She has served as a music director, stage director, actor and pianist for more than 100 productions. She is music director for the Music Theatre Wichita teen choir summer program, where she works with 40-60 high school students each year.
Get to Know the Bears Night and Meat Loaf Cook-Off WICHITA - Are you someone who identifies as a bear or bear admirer? Are you a woman who would like to be a female member known as a Goldilocks? Then plan to attend “Get to Know the Bears Night” to be held at The Center, 800 N. Market, Saturday, Feb. 20 from 4-8pm. There will be a social hour from 4-5pm with hors d’oeuvres and a signature drink. At 5pm pizza will be delivered. A movie will be shown, but people are encouraged to mingle and have a good time getting to know the bears.
Starkey
The Wichita Bears is a social group for men who identify as a bear, cub or otter, men who admire bears and women who would like to join in on activities or charitable events. Meat Loaf Cook-Off Do you have a killer meat loaf recipe you would like to enter into a contest? Then plan to enter the Wichita Bears Meat Loaf Cook-Off at J’s Lounge, 513 E. Central, on Sunday, Feb. 28. There will be a $25 entry fee with a $100 grand prize and special prizes for second and third place People’s Choice. Tickets to taste the meat loaves and vote are $5. The tasting will begin at 5pm. Please contact Greg Dalton-White at gwhite15@cox.net to enter. In addition to the great meat loaves entered, the Bears will provide mashed potatoes with gravy, vegetables and rolls. All proceeds will go the Bears to benefit their charitable endeavors.
TROCKS’ spoof delivers ballet with a twist OVERLAND PARK – Those tutu hilarious dancers who have performed around the world are back again this year at Johnson County Community College. The Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo – known as the TROCKS – will storm Carlsen Center’s Yardley Hall at 8pm Saturday, Feb. 6, with their gloriously irreverent take on ballet. It’s an outrageous spoof when farce collides with classical ballet and guys perform both the men’s and women’s roles. Tickets are $40 and $50. They are available from the JCCC Box Office at 913-469-4445 or online. l
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The Valentine’s Day Gift that Keeps On Giving
JUN 15-19
FEBRUARY 2016
V-Day Wichita joins ‘One Billion Rising for Justice’ campaign
A benefit reading of A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer: Writings to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls WICHITA - On Feb. 14 at 7pm, V-Day Wichita will present a one-night-only benefit reading of V-Day’s A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer at Wichita Community Theatre, 258 N. Fountain. All proceeds will go directly to the Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center. Performers include Don Wineke, Darian Leatherman, Vonda Schuster, Liesl Wright, Jill Miller, Teri Mott, Marta McKim, Dan Schuster, Jenny Wood and many, many others. It is directed by Mark Anderson, Tanya Anderson, and Stacy Chestnut Last year over 5,800 V-Day
and A Prayer and Any One Of Us: Words From Prison and screenings of V-Day’s documentary Until The Violence Stops and the PBS documentary What I Want My Words To Do To You. For the fifth year Wichita has joined this global movement as part of the V-Day 2016 Wichita Campaign. This special benefit performance is presented this year as part of V-Day’s campaign One Billion Rising For Justice, a global call for women survivors of violence to gather safely in places where they are entitled to justice – courthouses, police stations, government offices,
benefits were held around the world raising funds and awareness towards ending violence against women. These events raised over $5 million through performances of Eve Ensler’s award-winning play, T h e Va g i n a M o n o l o g u e s , r ea d i n g s f r o m V- D a y’s A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant
school administration buildings, workplaces, places of worship – and release their stories through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, sit-ins, and testimonies. To learn more about V-Day Wichita find it on Facebook. To learn more about V-Day and its campaigns visit www.vday.org. l
JUN 29-JUL 3
JUL 13-17
JUL 27-31
AUG 10-21
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VISUAL JUSTICE:
The Gordon Parks Photography Collection at WSU
ON VIEW: January 16 – April 10, 2016
Gordon Parks, Untitled, New York, 1963. Gelatin silver print, 8 x 10 in. Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University. Museum purchase/gift of The Gordon Parks Foundation, Courtesy of and ©The Gordon Parks Foundation The exhibition and associated programs are made possible by generous contributions from the Samuel M. and Laura H. Brown Charitable Trust administered by INTRUST Wealth, Mickey Armstrong, Kansas Health Foundation, and the Fidelity Bank Foundation. Additional support provided by Marcia and Ted D. Ayres, Ann and Martin Bauer, Joan S. Beren, Eric Engstrom and Robert Bell, Gridley Family Foundation, Rex and Denise Irwin, Jane C. McHugh, and Keith and Georgia Stevens.
This celebration of the Ulrich Museum of Art’s most recent Gordon Parks acquisitions surveys the life work of one of this country’s most important photographers. He captured the injustices of the Civil Rights Movement alongside the stark realities of world strife through images taken throughout the second half of the 20th century. Many of Gordon Parks’ best known photo essays for Life magazine are represented in this exhibition.
FOUNDATION
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2016
Kansas-born author Julian Jones’ debut novel embraces Kansas locale, LGBT characters Liberty Press recently spoke with Jones about his debut novel.
By Ciara Reid, staff reporter ERIE - Author Julian Jones may live in Los Angeles, but his heart will always be in Kansas, where he was born and raised. His debut novel, Bohunk’s Big To-Do, is set in Erie, KS, where Jones grew up. The novel features protagonist Bo Mickey, who has run away from home to get away from his mother, who just married his boyfriend. That synopsis may sound like heavy material, but Jones describes his book this way: “First and foremost, I wrote this book to be a fun and sexy read – easy entertainment – endearing characters – a conversational rural voice – humor derived of quirky characters and smalltown values.”
Liberty Press: You’ve lived in Los Angeles for 20 years. Why set your first book in the Midwest? Julian Jones: Growing up gay in rural Kansas, I wanted to read books about guys like me. But so much LGBT literature is set in big cities. And when I was growing up, most gay characters were either ashamed or victims. That never interested me. I wanted to read about gay protagonists in rural settings who liked themselves. I made do with the strange characters and derelict settings of Southern Gothic fiction, and I came to love that genre. That off-kilter humor is still my favorite. Bohunk’s Big To-Do is borne of that. I couldn’t find the book I wanted to read, so I wrote it myself. LP: The idea first came to you in the mid-90s. Tell us a little about that journey. JJ: I initially thought I would write it as a screenplay. I’d had some success with stage plays at K-State and I was newly arrived in L.A., so I was trying to conform to the medium. But I got distracted. I needed to be young in my new city. Next thing I knew 20 years had passed. I wish I’d gotten the story on paper sooner, but I had a lot of fun killing time. LP: Your protagonist gets distracted too,
doesn’t he? JJ: He does. Bo Mickey’s been hurt by the two people he loves most. His mom recently married his boyfriend. That’s his focus. He’s hurt, and sometimes he’s vengeful, and he’s 22-years old so he’s always selfish and horny. These preoccupations keep him from seeing everything that’s happening around him. LP: In literary terms, Bo Mickey is what’s known as an unreliable narrator. Tell us more about that. JJ: A narrator can be unreliable for different reasons. In A Clockwork Orange, he’s a sociopath. Holden Caulfield is an admitted liar. Bo Mickey is neither Information: malicious nor Visit: www.bohunksbigtodo.com dishonest. He’s naïve and not The book is currently available very bright. He on amazon.com and createspace.com tells his story in for $15.99. earnest, it’s very important to him, but even so he sometimes jumps truth. He’s too impressionable. to the wrong conclusion or A couple times early on, when lets his pride color the facts. he thinks he has made up his Sometimes he withholds the mind about Mom and Troy, it’s truth intentionally because he because of what someone else doesn’t want to admit his own said or did. If he were to have blame in it. Most of the time, all the facts, the choice he makes he’s just too single-minded. at the end of the book would be Meanwhile, a whole second a reaction to that. Who Bohunk story unfolds around him that Mickey really is would still be a he doesn’t see at all. question mark, to the reader and to himself. LP: Why is it important that Bo not see the whole story? LP: Readers find themselves in JJ: Bo isn’t able to ingest all a unique position at the end of of the facts and still resolve Bohunk’s Big To-Do. They know his problems from a place of more than the protagonist who narrated it. JJ: Bo will get there eventually, when he’s ready, just like we all do. It’s never too late to look back on things differently. A little more experience, a little more maturity, and everything we thought we knew takes on a different meaning. It’s the big todo that lingers well after we’ve closed the book. l
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Valentine’s Day 2016 holds new meaning for Kansas LGBT newlyweds
By Ciara Reid, staff reporter
A
s Valentine’s Day 2016 approaches, many LGBT couples are planning a romantic evening out, a low-key dinner in, or just taking time to appreciate each other. Liberty Press spoke with four LGBT newlywed couples in the Kansas City and Wichita area about what it means to be married (legally!), and their plans for the most romantic holiday of the year. Kristen Goche and Jen Benkert Married October 10, 2015 Liberty Press: How did you two meet? Kristen: I had a really good friend in town and our last stop of the night was at Missie B’s where I met Jen for the first time. I thought Jen was really cute, intriguing and was excited to get to know her better. I always made an effort to go out and do things where I knew Jen would be in attendance. I had a major crush on her and I still do. LP: What prompted you to get married? Who proposed, and how?
Jen: I think it was really the next natural step. We loved each other and were already living together. I know the thing that really made me make the final decision was thinking about my future and realizing there was no version that Kristen wasn’t in and I needed to make her a permanent part of my future. We a l w a y s t h r o w b i g birthday parties for each other and I made a really big deal of her 34th birthday and got about 50 of our friends and family to come to a potluck at our house. I put together a slide show with a few of our favorite songs and a ton of pictures from the last two years. Everyone at the party watched it while I scattered rose petals all over the dining room. When it was over all of our party guests came into the dining room followed by Kristen. I got down on one knee. She had no clue!
LP: This will be your first Valentine’s Day as a married couple. Any special plans?
Jen: We tend to make a bigger deal of our anniversary than Valentine’s Day, but I am sure we will do something nice this year. We will actually be moving the day after Valentine’s Day so I was thinking a picnic on the floor of our new place would be nice. It will be the first place we live together without a roommate. LP: What advice do you have for LGBT couples considering marriage? Jen and Kristen: Even though it may feel like there is pressure to fit into a traditional wedding mold do what you want to do. At first it was hard for us to break out of the idea of doing the traditional thing to make our families more comfortable. We ended up doing our own interpretation of a wedding and it turned out perfectly. Also, don’t break the bank! Money was one of the most stressful parts of the wedding, but we ended up scaling our wedding back to save money and it was the best decision we made. Donald Meitler and Randy Case Married May 5, 2015 LP: How did you two meet? Donald: Randy had moved to Wichita from Kansas City in 2009 to look for a job and ended up as the DJ for the South Forty [Fantasy Complex]. I loved to two-step. When I first met Randy, I thought he didn’t really see anything in me until one night a friend told me that Randy really wanted to get to know me. First off we danced to make sure he could follow and he did really well. We dated for over a year. On May 8, 2011, at the club while Randy was DJing I got down on one knee and asked him for his hand in marriage with a ring. We set our wedding date around a year of that date May 5, 2012. We took a year to plan our
Goche and Benkert
Union, knowing at first marriage was not legal yet in the state of Kansas. We met with Jackie Carter from MCC three times, talked about ourselves and why we wanted to marry each other and plans. Our Union day was very special. My son and daughter stood up with me and Randy’s son and his sister stood up with him. We wrote our own
vows; we had Unity Sand that all our guests poured in a vase , including Jackie, our wedding party, and Randy and I. This vase sits in our main living room. I had turned 55 on May 2, so our date 5-5-12 was a special moment for me. We talked that if it ever became legal in Kansas that we would get legally continued on page 22
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on Feb.13, 2015, then I really would like to drive to Oklahoma City for a night of two-stepping with each other. We always try and get away for dancing.
married in the same month and day. LP: How has married life been for you both?
Craig Meitler and Shay Koehler Married October 23, 2015
Donald: Married life has been filled with lots of love and laughter, lots and lots of twostepping and great friends. We never take each other for granted. We talk about getting a kingsized bed, but then we sleep in one and just can’t imagine that space between us. I guess it’s just knowing the other is within touch. My daughter and her husband had moved from Hays to Wichita and live about five miles from us; they now have two little girls that are the heart of both of us. My son and his partner got married on Oct. 23, 2015 and live about five miles from us also.
LP: How did you two meet? How long have you been together? Craig: My husband, Shay Koehler, and I met 17 years ago in Dallas while in flight attendant training for American Airlines. Upon completion of training I went to Chicago and he went to New York. Throughout the years we would run into each other throughout the country in various airports, where we both would chat and secretly admire one another. As the years passed we both had transferred to Dallas and one day in early 2005 we were assigned the same trip. After that trip we started talking over the phone and one thing led to another and before long we were officially dating. We have been together since March 15, 2005.
LP: This will be your first Valentine’s Day as a (legally) married couple. Any special plans? Donald: We get to celebrate our second granddaughter’s first birthday. Avery Jean was born
LP: What prompted you to get
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Meitler and Case
married? Who proposed, and how? Craig: In September 2013 I was accepted to a nursing program online that would further my nursing career. The program was to run from January-August 2014. We had discussed a trip to Hawaii after the program’s completion to celebrate. In December 2013, Hawaii had passed same-sex marriages. Prior to this we both had agreed that we would not go out of state to marry, rather we would simply wait for it to pass in Kansas. We also agreed that a commitment ceremony (Holy Union) was not necessary because through all this we have acted as a married couple; joint checking, health insurance (via American Airlines), retirements, car loans, and a mortgage. However, once I heard the news about Hawaii allowing same-sex marriages and knowing that we were planning a trip after August 2014 and I simply asked Shay if he wanted to go big in Hawaii and get married? He naturally said yes.
same yet different at times. We lived as a married couple prior to actually getting married, so in our day-to-day there hasn’t been much of a change. We are lucky that we have so many family and friends that love and support us that even those relationships didn’t change once we all became in-laws. One thing for me that is different since our marriage is my Catholic employer now allows me to carry additional life insurance on Shay since the Supreme Court decision. What a nice feeling knowing in the eyes of the law we are equal to other married couples. On a lighter note, it was a little different when referring to Shay as my husband versus my partner the first few times. Old habits I guess. Teal and Taylor Pearson Married December 20, 2015 LP: How did you two meet?
LP: How has married life been for you both?
Taylor: We both worked at the same place and became good friends quickly. We were friends for about a year and a half, even took a vacation to Colorado prior to us “hooking up.” We officially got together following
Craig: Married life feels the
continued on page 30
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
and members of congregations, from Wichita, from Kansas City, and I am certain from points beyond. It was an honor to stand with these brave people as they braved more than the cold on this day. They were braving the act of publicly outing themselves as LGBTQ allies. It is not my intention to write about the positions of the Methodist Church. I am not knowledgeable enough to do so - AND - I don’t believe it serves An Unconditional any useful purpose here. It is Act of Faith - Rev. the Great Plains Conference of my intention to talk about the Cynthia Meyer Comes the United Methodist Church in unconditional love and faithful courage I witnessed. Out to Her Methodist Topeka. The people with whom I C u r r e n t l y, t h e U n i t e d Congregation Methodist Church - Book stood that day, were not there in spite of their faith. They were n Jan. 3, Rev. Cynthia of Discipline states, “The there because of their faith. practice of homosexuality is Meyer was called by Because their faith tells them God to acknowledge the incompatible with Christian unconditional love is supposed teaching. Therefore self-avowed beauty of diversity of God’s to be just that - unconditional. creation and the unconditional practicing homosexuals are not Not because their faith tells to be certified as candidates, truth about God’s love. She did them that they are standing in so publicly in an intentional, ordained as ministers, or opposition to God. Because their appointed to serve in the United courageous, and life-changing faith tells them that walking sermon before her congregation, Methodist Church.” with God demands standing As Rev. Meyer met with sharing that she is in a committed up for all human beings who officials from the denomination relationship with another th are subjected to oppression and , she was not entirely on the 15 woman. marginalization. a l o n e . A b o u t 1 5 0 p e o p l e Rev. Meyer is pastor at And not because their faith gathered outside the Great Edgerton United Methodist embraces fear. Because their Plains Conference building on Church in Edgerton, KS. On Jan. faith engages courage. The a chilly, windy, winter day. I was 15, just 12 days after her sermon, courage to raise their voices in honored to stand with pastors she met with the authorities at support of a person who needs their love. Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord Jenny Brown, Jenny Brown, LMFTLMFT is my light and my salvation Individual, couple, and family therapy whom shall I fear? The Lord is Individual, couple, and family therapy stronghold of my life - of Experience in LGB and T+ issuesthe whom shall I be afraid?” Experience in LGB and T+ issues Talking with my friend Linda, who made an hour-long trip to be there, we acknowledged that this
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Barnes continued from page 17
Advice Barnes has pointers for anyone who is going through the same thought process as he did: “Make sure you have a support group in place. Find people who support you. If you have any doubts at all, make sure you get a therapist. Be careful in how you progress. Understand that the choices you make are going to impact the rest of your life.” Friends to transgender people can help as well, Barnes says. “And as far as everyone else who has a friend who’s trans: be there. You may not know exactly what it is that they’re going
FEBRUARY 2016
vigil was a step on the road; a very long road that takes its toll on real, living human beings. It takes the lives of far-toomany young people who have determined that they cannot face the torment of choosing between authenticity and faith. Enter a horrible, undeniable, twisted irony - authenticity is one of the most precious and unconditional acts of faith any human being can choose. This understanding walks together with understood certainty - this precious act of unconditional faith undoubtedly lit the spark of life for a child in the desperate act of choosing between life and death. Also walking on this road is the indisputable fact that the people with whom I stood that day, who chose to brave the cold, also chose to brave the consequences of being an ally. I am a firm believer that the rainbow stretching across the sky speaks definitively about the diversity of God’s creation and the unconditional love God shares so freely with everyone. And I have no doubt that someday, God’s love for everyone will prevail. In the meantime, I will always be thankful that I made the choice that day to be a part of an unconditional act of faith. l Stephanie Mott is a transgender woman from Topeka. She is the executive director of the Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project, and a commissioner on the City of Topeka Human Relations Commission. Reach her at stephanieequality@yahoo.com.
through, but you can validate their process and tell them that you love them or care about them,” Barnes says. "If they need a bathroom escort, go with them. Don’t be afraid to be friends with trans people and defend them just as you would defend your other friends. "And if you have a friend who is going through the transition process ... this isn’t you, this is them. If you’re still confused about what you can do as a trans ally ... come to a WiTCoN meeting, come with your friend, it takes all of us. l
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Minor
Details By Bob Minor
Religious People, What's Most Important to You?
I
n January, the worldwide Anglican Communion announced that it would suspend its U.S. branch, the Episcopal Church, from key voting positions in the Communion for three years. Meeting in Canterbury, England, its leaders representing the Communion’s 44 national churches around the world, considered this a punishment for the affirmative response the Episcopal Church has taken toward LGBT clergy and marriage equality. “The traditional doctrine of the church in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds marriage as between a man and a woman in faithful, lifelong union,” the leaders of the Anglican Communion said in a statement during the meeting. “The majority of those gathered reaffirm this teaching.” Their action stipulates that the Episcopal Church can no longer represent the Anglican Communion on ecumenical and interfaith bodies, be appointed or elected to an internal standing committee, or take part in decision making “on any issues pertaining to doctrine or polity while participating in the internal bodies of the Anglican Communion.” This was a compromise sanction in light of stronger motions by right-wing leaders who sought for the full withdrawal of the U.S. Church. This is the latest move by the reactionary right-wing in the ongoing debate between them and progressive leaders that is splitting not only the worldwide Anglican Communion but also the American branch itself. A breakaway American right-wing group of Episcopal churches calling itself the Anglican Church of North
America has been aligning with African Anglicans to call for a crackdown on progressives. Its leader was present in the discussions with other
and support these institutions through their membership and financial donations? As an outsider to the denominations, from the Mormons to the Methodists and beyond, it’s not my question to answer, though it is always my question to ask people to think about consciously. Answering for religious people isn’t as easy for them as it looks to outsiders. It calls church members to search their own souls, their relationships, and their familiar lifestyles. I’ve not heard any response to the larger question that doesn’t assume the answer before the question is asked. If one believes that the unity of an institution
“[T]he question remains: who should suffer until change takes place? ” conservatives at the January meeting to encourage worse sanctions. On the other side, American Episcopal Church leader, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, an African American, told the gathering: “I stand before you as your brother. I stand before you as a descendant of African slaves, stolen from their native land, enslaved in a bitter bondage, and then even after emancipation, segregated and excluded in church and society. And this conjures that up again, and brings pain. “The pain for many will be real. But God is greater than anything. I love Jesus and I love the church. I am a Christian in the Anglican way. And like you, as we have said in this meeting, I am committed to ‘walking together’ with you as fellow primates in the Anglican family.” All of this continues to beg the larger, ongoing question that religious people must work through in their own lives: Which is more important, a stand for human rights or the unity of some church body? This continues to be a life or death question for LGBT people who get counseled by well-meaning allies to put up with it, realize that the time isn’t right, or have patience and understanding of believers. But, how long should they hold on
is a transcendent value, then women, all people of color, and LGBT members, will just have to be the ones to accept it, suck up the resulting tragedies in their own lives, and make guiltridden choices about leaving their religious communities. In 1847, the Baptist Convention split over the question of slavery. The new Northern Baptist Convention (now American Baptists) opposed slavery while the Southern Baptists supported it under the familiar “states rights” catchphrase for retaining bigotry. Each side, of course, believed that it possessed the true understanding of the Bible. The pro-slavery pastors argued correctly that they were supporting the traditional understanding and that abolitionist interpretations were a revisionist reading of their scriptures. There is no command to free the slaves in the New Testament, after all, while there are many cases where slaves are advised that the Christian thing to do is obey their masters even if they’re abusive to them. Reinterpretation of their texts was for Christians to fight over while the dominant
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interpretation supported the status quo. After the spilt, the Southern Baptist Convention became the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. In spite of its beginning supporting slavery, it continued to have the nerve to claim it was a moral voice for the whole country by rejecting civil rights, women’s leadership, and LGBT acceptance. Finally, in 1997 - 150 years later - its annual convention apologized for its stance on slavery. In the meantime, how many people had suffered and died while waiting for change? Both sides in that fissure had to face whether their ethical stance was worth the split. The unity of the entire nation would then be maintained in a bloody civil war. Then, as now, the conservative side always thinks that their values are actually worth a breakup. It’s usually the liberals who opt for unity rather than human rights in the belief that they will eventually change the holdouts. But the question remains: who should suffer until change takes place? Today, for example, should an LGBT person remain in a currently abusive institution to work to change it or should they move their support to alernatives that aren’t abusive and go on with their lives in the limited days they have on the planet? Are the people who are repressed by churches responsible for changing them? Should they even feel responsible? Should they be made to feel responsible by anyone else? Are they making excuses for these institutions similar to those abused spouses make for their abusers? These are major questions. They must be asked. And those who remain to fight should be careful not to condemn those whose spiritual path says: leave now. l Robert N. Minor, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas, is author of When Religion Is an Addiction; Scared Straight; and Gay & Healthy in a Sick Society. Contact him at www. FairnessProject.org.
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2016
What’s New at
W
elcome to the new monthly column dedicated to informing the community about Wichita’s LGBT community center. The Center is a place to call home for Wichita’s LGBTQA community. Located just north of downtown Wichita at the northeast corner of Market and Murdock, The Center shares the building with the offices of Equality Kansas and Christensen Financial Services. The Center of Wichita was started in 2010. Its first program, Get Connected, was formed in 2011. The Center curates an LGBTQA library and hosts meetings for various Wichita community groups. Center Programs Get Connected - For youth grades 6-12, Get Connected is a safe place for LGBTQA youth to gather and socialize providing they have parental permission. Get Connected has movie nights, game nights and various speakers. Snacks and food are provided. Get Connected is chaperoned by Center staff who have passed a background check. Contact the Center for dates and times. LGBT library – The Center hosts an LGBT library. The library has materials that are available for checkout to individuals, researchers and teachers. Kids Connect – A social support group for LGBTQA children pre-K-5th grade and their parents. Hosted by the parents, Kids Connect is a place where kids can interact with each other while parents can discuss and support each other. The group meets at 5:30pm on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Wichita LGBT Health Coalition - The Wichita LGBT Health Coalition was founded in 2011 by health professionals and community partners to improve access to existing health services and providers who serve LGBT clients. The Coalition provides an LGBT-Friendly Provider Directory listing local healthcare
providers who deliver competent services and who understand the unique health concerns of the LGBT community. (www. wichitalgbthealth.org) WiTCoN – Wichita Transgender Community Network. A social and support group for the Transgender community in the Wichita area. The social group meets the first week of each month and the support group meets the 3rd Thursday at 7pm. (www.witcon.org) Resource Center – The Center has a list of LGBT-owned and LGBT-friendly businesses and groups from across the greater Wichita area. (www. thecenterofwichita.org) There is also a variety of handouts and LGBT publications located just inside The Center’s entrance available to the community. Meeting Space The Center has several different meeting spaces that can be used by individuals and groups: T h e c o n f e re n c e ro o m i s for small groups and board meetings. A dry erase board is available for use. The library can be used for small meetings and gatherings as well as a place to read and relax. The lounge room is for less formal meetings and gatherings. The Media Room is a large multipurpose room for lectures, classes, dinners, meetings, conferences, and presentations. This room has an overhead projector, surround sound with DVD and computer connections. There is a small kitchen for those that rent space at The Center. All of the above meeting spaces are available for use for a nominal fee. There is off-street parking to the east of the building. Additional parking is available at nearby businesses (after hours). Wifi is available in all areas of The Center. Groups Various social clubs, social groups and support groups meet at The Center on a regular basis. continued on page 28
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Photos by Jeremy Daniel
FEBRUARY 2016
MARCH 1-3
CENTURY II CONCERT HALL
Tickets: 316.303.8100 • Groups 10+: 1.866.314.7687 wichitaTIX.com • BroadwayWichita.com
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Ms. Mama, Who is going to be your Valentine? Curious Cupid A cheesecake and a six pack of beer. I am too old to worry about that crap! It’s for you young folks. Watch out, cupid may shoot more than an arrow in your butt!
Dear Mama, What do you think of this militia situation here in the U.S.? Concerned Citizen I think they are a bunch of damned fools. They are no better than terrorists! They are just a bunch of overgrown men that want to play army. I say send them over to the Middle East and see how long they hold out there!
Mama, What do you think of Sarah Palin endorsing Donald Trump for President? Not Signed I am shaking my head. I am also laughing uncontrollably. Stupid does as stupid is! Those two make the country and our political scene the laughing stock of the world. Did I mention his hair also! What crawled on his head and died?
T
here are many ways to capture hearts this February, but none so successful as letting your passions flow. What gets you excited? Chances are it will get others excited too. Bring on the rampage!
ARIES (MAR. 21 - APRIL 20) You are ready and raring to go, go, go this February. And why not? You are full of sexy oomph that will need an Outlet before all your passion frays some wires and causes an outage. So plug into someone special and see if they become your biggest booster. This is not the time to be shy and demure. Of course that is something you never are anyway, gay Ram. TAURUS (APRIL 21 - MAY 21) Relationships are in for a re-evaluation this February. Some need an extra dose of excitement and some need more tender loving care. Whatever you need to make the partnership stronger, do it now. For those queer Bulls on the hoof, check out some new pastures. There might be a few strays looking to be hogtied and branded. Whoo hoo. GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUNE 21) There might be more Valentine’s love swirling around the office this February. So see who is occupying the next cubicle and make a move. Pink Twins are naturally chatty and flirtatious. Use your gift of gab to make new friends, smooth over rough spots in colleagues and build your empire for future success. A few home-baked sugar cookies couldn’t hurt either. CANCER (JUNE 22 - JULY 23) It seems to be party season for all gay Crabs who yearn to be in the center of all of the fun and ache to give their heart away to the right person. How to choose who is right for you, though? Suddenly you are on everyone’s valentines list. Good - make the most of this fortunate time to ramp up your romantic possibilities. And the possibilities are endless.
Dear Mama, Are you or have you seen the new Star Wars film? May the Force Be With You Yes, I have seen the new movie. Bubba dragged me to it when it came to the theater here in Raytown. I did not mind it at all. I will not discuss the details in case some moron has still not seen it! There is a shocking twist in the film. Yes that’s right, I, Thelma Harper aka Mama, am the new Darth Vader! So watch out Eunice and Vinton! Thank you once again for all the questions. Have a safe and happy St. Valentine’s Day! l Have a question for Mama? E-mail MamaTHarper@aol.com.
tinyurl.com/herscopes Charlene Lichtenstein’s groundbreaking astrology book HerScopes: A Guide To Astrology For Lesbians is the best in sun sign astrology! The secrets that are revealed about each sign continue to amaze. Makes a great gift.
FEBRUARY 2016 Center continued from page 26
If you are interested in what groups meet at The Center or you would like to use the space for your meetings, contact thecenterofwichita@gmail.com. Funding The Center of Wichita Inc. is a tax-exempt charity under the IRS code section 501(c)3 and is wholly funded by fundraising and charitable contributions. Its current monthly budget runs between $1,200 and $1,500 per month. Donations are always welcome and supporters are encouraged to consider monthly donations. Donations can be made in person at The Center at 800 N. Market or through the following online donation sites: PAYPAL using the e-mail thecenterofwichita@gmail.com and GOFUNDME at www. gofundme.com/The-Center-ofWichita Like The Center on Facebook a t w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / TheCenterOfWichita or visit www.thecenterofwichita.org. l
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 - DEC. 22) LEO (JULY 24 - AUG. 23) You have more than your fair share of If your surroundings are starting to secret admirers, gay Archer. Why not try look a little shabby, don’t panic, proud and figure out who is who and what is what Lion. You will be brimming with so you can direct your feelings to the right wonderful new decorating ideas that person? You can be especially perceptive will make your humdrum home into a palace. Show it off with a select few and plan some and intuitive when you focus on it and can use your innate home-entertaining soirees designed to capture the logic to your personal advantage now. Gather up your valentine of your dreams. Or at least the valentine valentines and see how they stack up. of the moment. CAPRICORN (DEC. 23 - JAN. 20) Friends can become lovers if you allow VIRGO (AUG. 24 - SEPT. 23) them to be, this February. Not only are You speak with passion and conviction you especially popular, you are also this February queer Virgo. So think about able to energize any gathering and make what you really want to say, prepare your everyone feel welcomed and special. message for the right audience and let it be said. Your opinions will carry weight and you can Soon you will be the one to know and invited to certain be very convincing. Use this gift of oratory to get what select circles. I guess that is because love is in the air. Do you want from whom you want. The real question is - I smell someone burning? Must be a pink Cap. what and who do you really want? AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 - FEB. 19) Make your professional mark this LIBRA (SEPT. 24 - OCT. 23) February. You have the passion and the There are some things that are even personal charisma to successfully move more valuable than gold. You will need to figure out what is most valuable to among the powerful and the influential and become one you this February - physical items or emotional ones. yourself. Aqueerians may not really want the power and Proud Libras love the glamour and glitter, but I think control, but when it is handed to you it will be hard for that you will need something more substantive to carry you to say no. Anyway, it is better for you to have it than you through the year. Search your choice of valentines some other zodiac sign! and seek a heart of gold. PISCES (FEB. 20 - MAR. 20) Your selection of valentines will expand SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 22) exponentially this February when you Not only are you the one to merely know, decide to get out of your routine and reach you are the one that everyone lusts after. out beyond your usual pool of suspects. So find opportunities to get in front of crowds and introduce yourself to large Guppies need to swim in larger waters and see who is groups of influential people. There are schooling around. Only then will you discover who is best one or two who will be especially helpful to you for you - someone you already have or someone new. No throughout the year. What is it about you that has the matter what, you will get a big catch. masses all hot and heavy, queer Scorp? Whatever it is, bottle it and sell it to others!
(c) 2016 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 is the best in sun sign astrology. Order now at tinyurl.com/herscopes.
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
OUT on the Town Dirty Dorothy Jan 8, 2016 Club Boomerang Photos by Matthew Jones-Arnone
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a company Christmas party. We are each other’s first samesex relationship and have been together 30 years. We consider ourselves to be soulmates. LP: You have been together for about 30 years. What prompted
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
you to get married? Who proposed, and how? Teal and Taylor: We have always considered ourselves committed to each other. Have always said if it became legal to get married we would, so we did. Taylor “officially”
proposed, although we had discussed it many times just not made the actual plans to do the wedding. Taylor had rainbow roses delivered to Teal and wrote a poem asking her to marry, about four months prior to the actual wedding. We both wanted to get legally married on our 30th anniversary, which was on Dec. 20. We all know what December in Kansas is like, uncertain. We had talked many times over the years about getting married and each time we always talked about getting married outdoors, therefore on Dec. 20 we had an outdoor wedding. We had planned it in a backyard, around two bonfire pits, having s’mores and hot chocolate. However, it was a 60 degree day and no snow, ice or rain, but the wind prevented us from having the in-ground bonfire pits, so we improvised and used a chimenea and a small
FEBRUARY 2016
metal fire pit. Nonetheless the day was wonderful. We had approximately 60 guests, almost half were kids that we have or previously have had in our daycare, along with nieces and nephews. Our current older daycare kids and nieces and nephews were involved in the wedding in many different ways. LP: What advice do you have for couples considering marriage, or couples (like myself!) who have recently gotten married? Taylor: After 30 years of being committed to each other, the best advice for anyone entering into a commitment is love, communication, patience, understanding and give and take. One of our rules that has helped is not going to bed angry. This has made for some late nights, but always resolve issues before going to bed. l
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas, 1407 N. Topeka, Wichita, (316) 263-5886, director@ wichitapeace.org, www.wichitapeace. org Wichita Pride, info@wichitapride. org, www.wichitapride.org, annual celebration held in September.
Social
Community Centers
Freethinking Parents Group, Are you raising kids without religion? You're not alone. Freethinking Parents meet 2-4pm, third Sundays at Botanica, Wichita. Info: www.facebook.com/ groups/586131888148529/
The Center, 800 N. Market, Wichita, (316) 285-0007 www.thecenterofwichita. org
Heart of America Men’s Chorus, Wichita, (316) 708-4837, www.hoamc. org
Kansas State University LGBT Resource Center, 207 A/B Holton Hall, Manhattan, (785) 532-5352, lgbt@kstate.edu, www.k-state-edu/lgbt
Health E.C. Tyree Health & Dental Clinic, 1525 N. Lorraine, Wichita, (316) 6812545, www.tyreeclinic.com HIV/AIDS Client Emergency Fund administrered by the Junction City Teddy Bears, c/o Kevin Stilley, 2 Oak Valley Dr., Manhattan, (785) 556-8188, trlrhouseman@webtv.net, for people in the Manhattan/Junction City area 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. wichitalgbthealth.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 Sedgwick County Health Dept., 2716 W. Central, Wichita, (316) 660-7300, www.sedgwickcounty.org South Wind Women's Center, 5107 E. Kellogg, Wichita, (316) 260-6934, www.southwindwomenscenter.org, LGBTQIA-friendly health services. The Sweet Emergency Fund, KUSM-W MPA, 1010 N. Kansas, Wichita, (316) 293-3405
Politics/Activism E q u a l i t y K a n s a s , w w w. kansasequalitycoalition.org, chapters across the state. Flint Hills Human Rights Project, fhhrp@yahoo.com Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project, (785) 215-7436, stephanie.mott@k-step.org, www.kstep.org, provides transgender education and resources.
Junction City Teddy Bears, c/o Kevin Stilley, 2 Oak Valley Dr., Manhattan, (785) 556-8188, trlrhouseman@webtv. net 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.com/Wichita, social group for mature gay men.
Spiritual A Journey In The Light Ministries, 2231 S. Bluff, Wichita, (316) 302-6225, Sunday Praise and Worship services at 11am;Wednesday Discipleship Training at 7:30pm. College Hill United Methodist Church, 2930 E. 1st, Wichita, (316) 683-4643, www.collegehillumc.org, Sunday Celebrations at 8:30, 9:40 and 11:00am. 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. Kalpa Bhadra Kadampa Meditation Center, 721 W. 13th St., Wichita. (316) 263-1533, weekly meditation classes, prayers and workshops. See calendar of events at www.MeditateInKansas.org, everyone is welcome. Lutheran Campus Ministry, 1421 W. 19th, Lawrence, lutheran@ku.edu Metropolitan Community Church of Topeka, 4425 SW 19th, (785) 2721442, office@mcctopeka.org, www. MCCTopeka.org, services Sundays at 10am. Pine Valley Christian Church, 5620 E. 21st St., Wichita, (316) 685-2421,
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churchoffice@pvcconline.org, www. pvcconline.org Prairie Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1809 E. 30th, Hutchinson, (620) 663-8002, www. prairieuufellowship.org Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Manhattan, 481 Zeandale Road, (785) 537-2349, www.uufm.net, services Sundays at 10:45am. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka, 4775 SW 21st St., (785) 2729233, www.uuft.org, services Sundays at 10:30am.
Student groups Derby High School tkellenbarger@usd260.com
GSA,
F re e S t a t e H i g h S c h o o l G S A , Lawrence, sponsors: Hilary Morton hmorton@usd497.org, and Kim Grinnell kgrinnell@usd497.org Highland Park High School's Parity, Topeka, LGBTatHP@outlook.com, facebook.com/LGBTatHP. Hutchinson High School GSA, faculty advisor: Mr. Westmoreland, chairperson: Kara Vaughn. The Independent School GSA, Wichita, sponsor: Matt Hanne matt. hanne@theindependentschool.com K-State LGBT & Allies, meets every Thursday at 5:30 in Leadership Studies room 123 Lawrence High School GSA, sponsors: Shannon Draper SDraper@usd497.org, and Lindsay Buck LBuck@usd497.org Manhattan High School GSA, mhs_ gsa@hotmail.com
Wichita Southeast High School GSA, (316) 807-2271, psychsteve2@yahoo. com Wichita West High School GSA, astucky@usd259.net
Support Beacon Youth Group, Topeka, beacontopeka@gmail.com, queer youth group for ages 12-20. Meets every Monday at 5:30pm at Central Congregational Church, 1248 SW Buchanan St., the 1st, 4th, and 5th Mondays and Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka, 4775 SW 21st St., 2nd and 3rd Mondays. 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) 340-2815, meets on the 1st Saturday, 10am-noon, call for location. Get Connected, Wichita, (316) 2850007, LGBTQIA youth group for ages 12-21. Meets at The Center, 800 N. Market, every Friday from 7-9pm. GLSEN Greater Wichita, wichita@ chapters.glsen.org. Headquarters Counseling Center, Lawrence, (785) 841-2345 free 24/7, www.hqcc.lawrence.ks.us
Maize South High School GSA, sponsor: Shelly Walston swalston@ usd266.com, meets 2nd Fridays.
Healthy Transitions, for heterosexually married gay men in KC. A phone and face-to-face interview required, Mark McCarthy, LPC (816) 931-0011x4.
Pitt State GSA, Pittsburg State University, pittstategaystraightalliance@ gmail.com
HIV+ Men’s Support Group, Wichita, (316) 293-3405, mmadecky@kumc.edu
Spectrum KU, University of Kansas, Lawrence, (785) 864-3091, rockchalkcentral.ku.edu/organization/ SpectrumKU Spectrum: LGBTQ & Allies, Wichita State University, Twitter.com/ Wsuspectrum, meets Thursdays at 7pm in the Lucas Room (RSC 265) when classes are in session.
O n e D a y A t A Ti m e , Wi c h it a , Alcoholics Anonymous meetings held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8pm at First MCC, 156 S. Kansas. PFLAG Hutchinson, PO Box 2488, Hutchinson, (620) 899-2345, pflaghutch@gmail.com
Wichita East High School GSA, CFee@fcscounseling.com
PFLAG Wichita, info@ictpflag.org, www.facebook.com/WichitaPFLAG, meets 2nd Thursdays, 6:30-8pm at College Hill United Methodist, 2930 E. 1st.
Wichita Heights High School GSA, nmagoon@usd259.net
The Face of Trans*, www.thefaceof trans.com
Wichita North High School GSA, (316) 204-5621, kellykk00@yahoo.com, rhorning@usd259.net, cwidmer@ usd259.net, meets every Wednesday at lunch in room A213.
Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center, 355 N. Waco, Suite 100, (316) 2630185 office, (316) 263-3002 crisis line 24/7, advocate@wichitasac.com, www. wichitasac.com, free, confidential sexual assault services to all genders and sexual orientations.
Wichita Northeast High School GSA, Jbell2@usd259.net Wichita Northwest High School GSA, amcdonald@usd259.net, meets every Monday after school.
Wichita Transgender Community Network, social group meets the 1st week of each month and the support group meets the 3rd Thursday of each month at The Center, 800 N. Market, at 7pm. l
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Leather Life By Nolin Christensen aka Master C
Rules Editor’s note: This column may contain content that is offensive to some people.
M
any people are not aware that the Leather community has rules that we follow. Some of these are based on the military rules and hierarchy from which we evolved. Others have been created so that we can keep ourselves safe. However, sometimes over time, some of the rules are forgotten or ignored. T h e Wi c h i t a L e a t h e r community has worked
extensively over the last 10 years to re-establish these rules from our history. These are sort of our way to structure ourselves. The problem is that some people just simply ignore the rules and are all about just playing or giving themselves a title to which they are not entitled too. For some it’s an ego boost, for others it’s a way to attract someone to play with. Just as in the military you don’t get to be a General without hard work and proving to others that you can do the job. We have that same rule in the leather community, you work hard so that the community is willing to recognize you for your achievements. There are many folks across the country that follow this. But there are others who do not. They see folks with a title or a community status recognition and they want it too. We see this same thing in the vanilla job and work market, they want the big title (CEO), but don’t want to work their way up to it. So this is why we ask people to check out folks before playing with them. To protect yourself. You need to make sure that the
person you are involved with or you want to play with is someone who people in the community respect. This is just another of the unspoken rules that everyone needs to follow whether you’re in the Leather community, the BDSM community, or the general community at-large. Always check out who you are involved with. So what are some of the rules other than the ones implied above? Well, another is Safe, Sane and Consensual. We recommend that everyone, leather or non-leather always plays safe, always plays sane and always has consent. Another is what we call a safe call. It’s a phone call you make to a designated person who is expecting your call AFTER you have played, dated, or been to see someone. It’s a call you make to let your friend know you are okay and safe. We use it a lot in our community and it’s something everyone in every community should use. Another very important item, one that every relationship (gay, straight, kinky) should use, is negotiation/communication. Talk about who’s going to do what, what you’re going to do, what are the do’s, what are the don’ts. Therapists from across the country have stated that BDSM/Leather relationships are
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healthier because they have this communication. And the most important rule we have is the use of a safe word. This is a word that you can easily remember that when used, whatever type of play or sex you are doing STOPS. My boys and I use Red, Yellow and Green. Easy to remember, easy to know what they stand for, and not something that we would use in a play session. So as you can see, we are not just all fun and games. We are not what you see in the porn videos. We have a structure, we have rules, we have a defined sense of play. And many of these are things you can use in your everyday life. Simply, they could be called life rules. They are things to keep you safe and protected. And in this world today, THAT’S really important. So if you are interested in learning more about our community, to learn any specific type of play or to learn about what rules we abide to, come look us up. WOOLF meets every 4th Saturday at 5pm for a munch at Club Boomerang and then meets at 7pm at The Center for a class. Check us out at www.woolfks.com for more information or a way to contact one of our members. See you soon at a kinky event coming your way. l
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2016
FEBRUARY 2016
LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
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LIBERTY PRESS - WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
FEBRUARY 2016
www.ClubBoomerang.com club
1400 E 1st Street
Boomerang
Dancers For Cancer Friday, Feb 5th 9:00PM Drag “Classics” Show Friday, Feb 12th 10:00PM Hosted by Jamie Rae Downes $4 Cover after 9PM
Candice Michelle’s 10 Year Drag anniversary Party Friday, Feb 19th 10:00PM HOsted by Candcie Michelle $4 cover after 9PM
Stand up Comedy Show Friday, Feb 26th 10:00PM
HOsted by Divinity Masters $4 cover after 9PM
New Menu Items!
Dinner Specials Starting at 5:00PM Open Thurs thru Sunday 5Pm - 2Am; Sunday 5PM - Midnight Drag - Karaoke - DJ - Dancers - Food - Drinks - and fun!