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Editor's Desk
Strength in numbers. Pride celebrations have always been lifechanging experiences for me. I get energized by the sheer number of LGBT people and their supporters. I would think to myself, “How can anyone deny this many people?” I remember running beside by first Pride Parade in Wichita with my friend Brock. We were too scared to join in, but excited nonetheless. The parade ended in Naftzger Park downtown; we watched from the alley across the street. The skinheads got in a tussle with Fred Phelps’ gang outside the fenced-in park. We saw someone pull a switchblade as the queers frolicked away unknowingly inside. It didn’t dampen our spirits. The following April I was lucky enough to attend the 1993 March on Washington. Brock and his boyfriend Jerry and I drove “straight” through to D.C. without stopping. Neither Brock nor I could get off work so we went for the weekend. Kansas to Washington, D.C. and back in a weekend. It was beyond empowering. There were so many people!! We were newly out and walked around dazed by the Radical Faeries, the AIDS Quilt, the leather contingency, and the thousands upon thousands of regular folks. We never made it to the stage. We didn’t know there WAS a stage! I became Wichita’s Pride co-chairperson the next April - kind of by accident, on a whim, under emergency circumstances, pushed by friends. I founded the first PrideFest here that year - I wanted to bring a little bit of Washington, D.C. home so others could experience what I had the year before. There wasn’t enough budget for my festival so I decided to sell ads for a guide to raise money. There had been guides before, but they had never made a profit. I didn’t know this. And lo and behold my guide made a $500 profit. What happened that summer was karmic. Two weeks after the event I went to Stonewall 25 in New York. Words can’t describe that experience. It changed me. It spawned what had already been brewing inside. I had left my job as an oil and gas accountant in February. I figured I would go back to accounting, but after Stonewall I knew things were going to be different. I had started this journey to New York with my last $400. I slept in the car, on a friend’s hotel room floor, and ate what I had packed in a large cooler. I left New York and went to Provincetown, and then I headed to Chicago. My best friend from high school lived there with her husband; they were both business majors. I arrived in Chicago with my plan formulated. I was going to start a newspaper based on my experience with the Pride Guide. Now, I just needed to talk it through with another business-minded person. My friend who was a devout Christian, who spoke to me often about seeking out a church, LOVED the idea. I felt like it was a sign. The rest, as they say, is history. So back to the sheer number of LGBT people and allies. Here in Kansas our community has been under constant attack from our own governor. It’s gone on for months and gets tiring and demoralizing. I’m tired of being treated like I don’t belong here when in fact I’m PROUD to be a Kansan and love my city. So for this Pride issue, I’m hoping that the sheer number of supporters inside these pages helps you feel less alone, that there is strength in our numbers, that goodness will overtake hate, that there are thousands of Kansans who support and embrace us. Try to surround yourself with positivity this Pride.
--Kristi Parker Pictured: Brock Waddill (top left), Jerry Marley and Kristi Parker at the 1993 March on Washington.
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Liberty Press
Inside:
Volume 22, No. 10 • Editor: Kristi Parker • Contributors: Nolin Christensen, Greg Fox, Charlene Lichtenstein, Mama, Dr. Robert N. Minor, Stephanie Mott, Phoenix Nesmith • Staff Reporters: Grayson Barnes, Emily Beckman, Annette Hope Billings, Elle Boatman, Blake Hampton, Isabella Parker, Trevor Reichle, Ciara Reid, Jeromiah Taylor, Brenda Way • Contributing Photographers: Matthew Jones-Arnone • Cover Design: Troy Dilport • Graphic Designer: Troy Dilport • Webmaster: Ren Autrey • Publisher: Liberty Press, LLC • Printer: Valley Offset Printing
OP/ED......................................6 KANSAS NEWS......................10 DISTRIBUTION SITES............15 NATIONAL NEWS..................16 MINOR DETAILS....................30 OUT ON THE TOWN.............32 TRANS-FORMATIVE...............37 AROUND KANSAS.................38 LEATHER LIFE.......................39 KYLE'S BED & BREAKFAST...39 MAMA KNOWS BEST............40 OUT IN THE STARS...............40 THE BEACON BIT..................46 WHAT'S NEW AT THE CENTER?...............................47
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OP/ED
A Monthly Collection of Opinions and Editorials.
The Rainbow Anniversary
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Positive Directions decision short-sighted Dear editor:: As a volunteer, along with several others, who proudly chose to help the employees of Positive Directions, Inc. (PDI) serve and assist the needs of those men and women in the Wichita area living with HIV/AIDS, I am shocked and saddened by its closing. However, I was even more shocked to read the one-sided article in the May issue of Liberty Press [“Positive Directions changes focus, cuts services,” pg. 24]. PDI provided case management to approximately 200 people, ranging from acquiring prescription drug coverage to housing and various medical issues (such as vision). Most all of these people and their case management will be transferred over to the only “other organization” in the area: KU Medical and Dr. Sweet’s
clinic, which already handles around 2,000 people. PDI also helped people with clothing through donations of used clothes to a clothing bank as well as occasional toiletries. Regarding the food bank, contrary to Mr. Durfee’s claim, NONE of the food provided to clients was for ANY “specialized nutrition plans.” All the food was basic food stuffs. The food bank also provided each person with a half-gallon of milk AND a dozen eggs each time they came in, which was once per week, either on Tuesday or Wednesday. No other food banks offered milk and eggs to people unless they had a family/kids at home. For Thanksgiving of last year, PDI also gave out turkeys and bags of fixings so that its clients could have a decent Thanksgiving meal. As a member of the LGBTQ community here, I think Mr. Durfee and the Board of PDI, instead of reinvigorating, reinvesting and re-energizing the mission of the agency, have committed a very misinformed and short-sighted decision that will be, in both short and long term, detrimental to many people and the community. Shame on them. Reid
By Isabella Parker
F
or years, the LGBT+ community has fought and struggled for equality. On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court finally recognized that same-sex marriages should be legal in all states. Immediate relief flowed through not only my mind, but many others as well. I remember clearly when the Utah government allowed
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they also have some concerns for the future of the LGBT+ community. Alex Meyer, a sophomore, says that “discrimination is still evident” in schools and workplaces, and Cameron Spliechal, also a high school sophomore, has noticed that “it [the Supreme Court decision] has gotten a lot of backlash.” Nevertheless, this improvement in government policy towards same-sex marriages is a far step forward from where we were as a country. Knowing that thousands of couples across the country are now able to experience more equality with their loved ones is something that gives hope to the progression of social justice in the United States. Some could argue that this law does not change much in the regard of discrimination, especially for transgender people in the nation, but there is no doubt that it has definitely allowed our country to continue to grow and recognize all people as equals, no matter
“Hopefully this policy will inspire more people to take action against injustices in the U.S.” for same-sex marriage, my mother’s two friends (who had been dating for years) ran to the courthouse and became the first same-sex couple married in the U.S. Mormon capital. The joy that they shared with themselves and their friends was overpowering and inspiring. Friends and family of mine have also expressed this inspiring feeling in regards to the law that was passed, but
the sexual orientation. Hopefully this policy will inspire more people to take action against injustices in the U.S., and bit by bit we can truly change so many lives by destroying discrimination and increase acceptance. This June 26, make sure to remember that our country’s decision has sparked a hope for a brighter future for the LGBT+ community. l
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Riverfest Artist in Residence to create functional installation Tulsa-based Rachel Hayes to create large fabric art piece WICHITA – Wichita Festivals, Inc. (WFI) and Harvester Arts announced in April that Riverfest 2016’s Artist-in-Residence is award-winning fiber/installation artist, Rachel Hayes. She has been visiting Wichita regularly since January to create SunSails, an installation built of nylon weatherproof fabric and hightension cable. Assisted by local artists who are sewing hundreds of fabric “flutters” that will adorn the nearly 50-foot-wide art piece, Hayes will begin installation of SunSails May 23. Longtime Wichita Festivals volunteer and local architect Terry Wiggers, senior vice president of SJCF Architecture, is teaming up with Hayes to bring her installation to life. “These beautiful, interactive sculptures will not only provide visitors with a colorful, immersive experience, they will also provide some much needed shade over Cox Kids Corner on the Hyatt Lawn,” Ann Keefer,
vice president of program development for WFI, said. “Designed for easy installation, SunSails can be used at other events such as the upcoming 4th of July celebration. This gift to the community will add to the vibrancy of downtown and the riverfront.” The artwork is designed to provide shade as well as inspiration. “Each SunSail will be angled to provide shade points as the sun moves throughout the day, and thus encourage people to move around to each one, and notice different ‘colorscapes’ and views of the river,” Hayes said. “The wind will also catch, move and lift the ‘flutters,’ keeping the piece in constant motion along with the changing weather.” “Wayne White’s Sundown Parade puppets were a huge hit last year,” Kate Van Steenhuyse, co-founder and CEO of Harvester Arts, said. “This year we wanted to treat the Riverfest audience to a completely
different experience that they could enjoy throughout the entire nine days of the festival.” A number of free activities featuring the artist are planned through June 24. No reservations are required: Rachel B. Hayes: Artist Talk, 7pm, May 27 at Harvester Arts, 215 N. Washington. SunSails artwork installation in progress, May 23-June 3 at Cox Kids Corner on the Hyatt Lawn.
Rendering of SunSails
Safelite® AutoGlass Sundown Parade, 6:30pm, June 3. Hayes and other members of the Riverfest Artist-in-Residence team will participate. Light and Shade, works by Rachel B. Hayes, on display 6-9pm, May 27 and June 24 or by appointment May 27- July 8 at Harvester Arts, 215 N. Washington. continued on page 14
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KC’s LGBT film festival returns to Westport
KANSAS CITY - Are you ready to be inspired, educated, and maybe even titillated? No matter what you’re looking for, there’s a film for you on the slate for Out Here Now: the Kansas City LGBT Film Festival, which returns to the Tivoli Cinemas in Westport from June 23-30. The festival, now in its 17th year of placing LGBT films front and center, features a diverse array of compelling stories from filmmakers across the country, a few of whom are returning home to Kansas City to screen their work for the community. The opening weekend celebration includes the Midwest premiere of the gay indie feature, Retake on Thursday, June 23. Director Nick Corporon and star Tuc Watkins, both Kansas City natives, will be in attendance for the screening of this haunting examination of the nature of love, identity, and authenticity. Audiences may remember Corporon’s award-winning short film Barbie Boy, which screened as part of the festival
in 2014, and recognize Watkins from appearances on Desperate Housewives, One Life to Live, and Parks & Recreation (among others). The festival’s offerings on Friday, June 24 include the documentary feature Strike A Pose, which revisits the backup dancers from Madonna’s Blonde Ambition tour and its accompanying documentary Truth or Dare, sharing their stories of working with the singer and finding their own paths in life afterward. In addition, a collection of short films will be screened, including The Boy Next Door from Kansas City native John McCrite, who will be on hand for the event. O n S a t u r d a y, J u n e 2 5 , film aficionados can treat themselves to Reel in the Closet, a documentary that connects modern viewers to queer history and individuals through found footage from the home movies they left behind. Directed by Stu Maddux (who attended the
Upper right: The Same Difference will show on Saturday, June 25 with a discussion following.
University of Missouri) and copresented by GLAMA (Gay and Lesbian Archive of MidAmerica), the film includes never-before-seen video from the 1930’s onward. Also on Saturday, Nneka Onuorah’s striking film debut, The Same Difference, shines a long overdue spotlight on the unique challenges facing queer people of color. Exploring the internal homophobia and gender roles that play out within the African-American community, Onuorah examines the judgments that stud-onstud couples, bisexual women and pregnant aggressives face
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from their peers. An audience discussion facilitated by Starzette Palmer of the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project and featuring guest respondents from the Kansas City area follows. In all over 40 films and special events will take place during the month of June. Festival organizer Jamie Rich has marshaled an impressive field of compelling new films, community partners, and engaging events. Learn more about the festival, browse the full lineup of events and screenings, and pre-order tickets today at www. outherenow.com. l
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June 11 & 12
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Sat 8pm • Sun 4pm
Folly Theater 300 West 12th, KCMO
Dustin S. Cates, artistic director
HMC’S 30TH SEASON IS UNDERWRITTEN BY HOTEL PHILLIPS
15/16 season
tickets: hmckc.org or 816.931.3338
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Kansas News
K-STEP to hold free trans education event
Annual Lawrence Pride Picnic
TOPEKA - The Kansas Statewide Education Project (K-STEP) will present an event aimed to educate the public about what it means to be transgender on Saturday, June 18 at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 SW 10th Ave. The event, entitled Trans and Gender Non-Conforming: An Educational Experience, runs from 2-5pm and is free and open to everyone. Presenters include Phoenix Nesmith, Luc Bensimon, and Stephanie Mott on such topics as What does it mean to be transgender?, What is gender non-conforming, gender queer, gender fluid?, What’s the big deal about pronouns?, How does anti-trans legislation affect the lives of TGNC people?, and How to be a better ally? There will be personal stories and a question and answer session.
LAWRENCE - For the fourth year, NetworQ is hosting its annual Pride Picnic for a celebratory day among friends in Clinton Park, 901 W. 5th St., in Lawrence. The organization provides burgers and hot dogs, and picnic-goers are asked to bring a side dish and a preferred beverage. The picnic will run from 2-7pm on Saturday, June 11. The University of Kansas in Lawrence hosts Gaypril - a month-long celebration of Pride with events for the students every April so that school is still in session. NetworQ started the Pride Picnic so locals had a place to celebrate during the traditional Pride month of June. l
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GREAT CONCERT LINEUP! SAFELITE速 AUTOGLASS S U N D O W N PA R A D E
COX KIDS CORNER HILAND DAIRY ICE CREAM SOCIAL
THURSDAY, JUNE 9 - SATURDAY, JUNE 11
CAPITOL FEDERAL FIREWORKS FINALE Presented By
DONATE BUTTONS SO CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN NEED CAN JOIN THE PARTY! Visit WichitaRiverfest.com or WichitaFestivals.com to give. Purchase Buttons at INTRUST Bank Arena Box Office, Wichita Festivals - 444 E. William, Dillons, QT, and other retail locations. Online at SelectASeat.com
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WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
The 2016 legislative session is drawing to a close (hopefully)
By Thomas Witt, Executive Director Equality Kansas T O P E K A - T h i s y e a r ’s legislative session, which opened the second Monday in January, saw a number of bills that would impact the Kansas LGBT community. Some were carry-over bills from last year’s session, while others were newly introduced this year. The bright spot in the session was the hearing on House Bill 2323, which Equality Kansas supported. HB 2323, introduced in 2015 by friend and ally Representative John Carmichael (D-Wichita), would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to the Kansas Act Against Discrimination (KAAD) - our state’s non-discrimination law. The hearing, scheduled just four days into the new session, was packed with spectators. The Speaker Pro Tem of the House, the House Republican Majority Leader, and the Lieutenant Governor were just part of the crowd that lined the Judiciary Committee walls in a standingroom-only hearing. Equality Kansas state board chair, Sandra Meade, led off the testimony for backers of the bill. She told the committee about what it meant to be transgender in a state that does not respect her right not to face discrimination, and that, as a veteran in our armed forces, she deserves the same protection as everyone else. At the end of her presentation,
conservative Judiciary chairman John Barker (R-Abeliene), thanked her for her service to our nation. He later told Equality Kansas representatives that testimony in favor of the bill gave him “a lot to think about.” Unfortunately, HB 2323 failed to make it out of committee, and will need to be re-introduced next year. The darkest day this year was the passage of Senate Bill 175, which Equality Kansas opposed. Called the “Student Association Religious Freedom Act,” SB 175 will allow university student groups to deny participation based on “sincerely held religious beliefs.” A carry-over bill from 2015, the bill was brought up for a final-action vote with no warning and no chance to fight it. Signed into law by Gov. Brownback, the bill will require Kansas universities to continue to fund student groups who will now be able to exclude women, people of color, LGBT people, and people of non-Christian faiths, from participating in their taxpayer-funded activities. Senate Bill 331 was one of the most ridiculous bills introduced this session, and was quickly buried by Senate leadership, who apparently realized LGBT and women’s advocates would use it as a vehicle to demand equal treatment. Entitled the “Kansas Firearms Industry Non-Discrimination Act,” it would have added gun stores and gun makers to the Kansas Act Against Discrimination, the same law lacking protections for LGBT Kansans. Equality Kansas and Planned Parenthood hijacked the hearing, demanding, if the KAAD were to be amended, that the bill be amended to include LGBT Kansans and family planning clinics. Senate Bill 341 dealt with health care. It would have required Kansas Medicaid providers to use so-called “STEP Therapy” to cut costs to the state. This would be accomplished by continued on page 44
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Ten Shockers named to Fine Arts Hall of Fame WICHITA - Ten Shockers were inducted into the 2016 Wichita State University College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame on May 14 at a special gala in the Marcus Welcome Center. The 2016 categories and inductees are: Alumni: Former WSU students who have distinguished themselves in the arts and who have been out of school for at least five years. •Karla Burns, award-winning Broadway musical performer •Matt Wilson, internationally renowned, award-winning jazz percussionist •Eddie Martinez, international performer Contributors: Community donors or patrons who have given time and resources for the betterment of the fine arts at Wichita State. •Mickey and Pete Armstrong, patrons of the visual and performing arts
•Anita and Larry Jones, patrons of the performing arts Mentors: Current or retired WSU faculty, staff or administrators who have supported, inspired and motivated the Wichita State community in fine arts. •Clark Britten, commercial art and graphic design professor • Wa l t e r A . D u e r k s e n , musician, dean emeritus and arts administrator •George Gibson, nationally renowned singer and voice professor Sponsored by The Friends of Fine Arts, an organization that supports the arts at WSU, this honor recognizes individuals who have excelled in the areas of visual art, design, music, theater, musical theater and dance. It also recognizes significant contributions by faculty, staff,
Three of the 2016 inductees include Karla Burns, and Larry and Anita Jones.
community patrons and donors on behalf of the College of Fine Arts. Inductees are chosen by a selection committee that includes WSU administrators, College of Fine arts patrons and retired faculty members. “The College of Fine Arts has a long and storied tradition of superb faculty backed by unbelievably supportive patrons who have mentored students that have gone on to national and international prominence
in their chosen profession,” said Rodney Miller, fine arts dean. “This class is but a fraction of the deserving people who have been associated with the fine arts at Wichita State.” The College of Fine Arts at is one of the most respected schools of visual and performing arts in the nation and comprises the School of Art, Design and Creative Industries; the School of Music; and the School of Performing Arts. l
Riverfest continued from page 7
Artist Rachel Hayes at work. Local artists will help Hayes to create the art piece SunSails that will bring beauty and shade to the festival.
The Riverfest Artistin-Residence program was established in 2015, in partnership with Harvester Arts. “We aim to make Riverfest – with its vast audience of more than 400,000 attendees – an
annual arts destination,” Kristin Beal, co-founder and COO of Harvester Arts, said. Beal, also an artist, has worked as creative consultant for the Safelite® AutoGlass Sundown Parade since 2013. l
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Distribution Sites Andover
Andover Public Library
Derby
Derby High GSA
El Dorado
Pathways Psychological Services
Emporia
Emporia State GSA
Hutchinson
Bluebird Books, Hutchinson Community College GSA, Hutchinson High School GSA, PFLAG Hutchinson, Prairie Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Junction City
Devil's Tail
Kansas City
Hamburger Mary’s, LIKEME Lighthouse
Lawrence
Community Mercantile, KU’s Dean of Students office, KU’s Multicultural Resource Center, Lawrence Public Library, Wheatfield’s Bakery
Manhattan
Aggie Station, Arlan's Fine Wines & Spirits, Auntie Mae's, The Bluestem Bistro, The Chef Café, First Congregational Church, K-State Ecumenical Christian Ministry, K-State LGBT Resource Center, K-State Student Union, K-State Women's Clinic, Mimi's Cheese Shop & Other Delights, On the Wild Side, People’s Grocery, Positive Connections office, Queer-Straight Alliance meetings, Radina’s Bakery & Café (two locations), Riley County Health Dept., Rockstar Home Fusion, Sisters of Sound Music, StreckerNelson Gallery, Varsity Donuts
Mulvane
Naughty Tiger Gifts
Newton
Bethel College Student Life Center
Salina
Ad Astra Books and Coffeehouse, The EndIron Inn, Mokas, Mokas South, Peaceful Body Wellness Retreat, Salina Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Saline County Health Dept.
Topeka
The Break Room, Bunker Coffee Company, Central Congregational United Church of Christ, Classic Bean (two locations), Field of Greens,
Flowers by Bill, Gravity Gallery, Lazio’s Coffee Bar, Metropolitan Community Church of Topeka, NOTO Burrito, Pinkadilly, Positive Connections, PT’s Coffee Roasting Co., The Razor’s Edge, Serendipity, Three Flowers Metaphysical, Topeka/ Shawnee County Public Library, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka, The Upstage Gallery, Washburn Mabee Library, Washburn Union, YWCA
Wichita
Adult Superstore, Albero Cafe, The Anchor, Artichoke Sandwich Bar, Artist At Large, Beautiful Day Cafe, Bike Walk Wichita, Bionic Burger (N. Ridge Rd.), Book-AHolic (Parklane, w. 21st), Bungalow 26, Camelot Cinema, The Center, Charlie's Pizza Taco, Circle Cinema, Club Boomerang, College Hill United Methodist Church, The Cotillion, Crazy J’s Furniture & Sleep Shop, Delano BBQ, Dempsey's Burger Pub, The Donut Whole, Doo-Dah Diner, DT's Outlet (all 3 locations), East High GSA, E.C. Tyree Health & Dental Clinic, Elektrik Chair, E.M. Shorts Guitar, Eric Fisher Academy, Felipe's (N. Woodlawn), Fisch Haus, First Metropolitan Community Church, First Unitarian Universalist Church, Fit For A Queen, Harris & Co. Frame Shop, Hell Bomb Tattoo, Hue Gallery, Hunter Health Clinic, J’s Lounge, A Journey in the Light, Kirby’s, KMUW, KU Internal Medicine - Midtown, The Labor Party, Le Monde, Light and Sound Spa, Lotus Leaf Cafe, Lucky's Vape Lounge, Lynne Ziegler Gallery, Mead’s Corner, Melange Jewelry, Moe’s Sub Shop, The Monarch, The Orpheum, Patricia’s (all 3 locations), Peace & Social Justice Center, Picasso's Pizza, Pine Valley Christian Church, Planet Hair, Planet Sub (both locations), Planned Parenthood, Positive Directions, Rain Café & Lounge, Reverie Coffee Roasters, Safe Place Opportunity Zone, Saigon, Skeletons Out of the Closet, South Wind Women's Center, Spektrum Muzik, Spice Merchant, The Store, Tanya's Soup Kitchen, Therapeutic Specialists, The Tire Store, Uhlik Music, Vagabond Coffeeshop, Vegas Video, Watermark Books, What's Brewing?, Wichita Brewing Co. (west), Wichita Public Library downtown branch, WSU's Brennan Hall II, WSU's Elliott School, WSU's McKnight Art Center, WSU Spectrum meetings, WSU's Office of Diversity & Inclusion, Ziggy's Pizza
Would your business or organization like to be a distribution point? It’s free! Contact Kristi at editor@libertypress.net to arrange for delivery of complimentary copies.
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National News SPLC releases findings on highly secretive Council for National Policy membership M O N T G O M E R Y, A L The Southern Poverty Law Center(SPLC) recently obtained the Council for N a t i o n a l P o l i c y ’s ( C N P ) secretive 2014 Membership Directory, and released the findings. A full list of members is available on the Center’s website (www.splcenter.org/ hatewatch/2016/05/17/cnpbehind-curtain). While the names of some members has leaked over the years, the last time a list of CNP members was made public was 1998. The CNP operates behind the scenes and provides a venue three times a year for powerful American politicians and others on the right to meet privately to build the conservative movement. In SPLC’s analysis, it found that the CNP is a key meeting place where mainstream conservatives interact – and are possibly influenced by extremist individuals, including those who regularly defame LGBT people with falsehoods, describe Latino immigrants as a dangerous group of rapists and disease-carriers, and spread lies about American Muslims. Two of the favorite issues discussed at CNP meetings are “Homosexual issues” and “Radical Islam.” While the group’s members have been a secret until now, it is important to note that the people mixing with CNP’s membership are key leaders in American society, including President George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Clarence Thomas. CNP also held a candidate forum last October, where speakers included Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul, and Rick Santorum. From an extremist perspective, here are a few people that are most relevant: * Tony Perkins, head of the anti-LGBT Family Research Center * Frank Gaffney, head of the anti-Muslim Center for Security Policy
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* M i c h a e l P e r o u t k a (on CNP’s board of governors), for many years served on the board of the League of the South, a neo-Confederate hate group that advocates for a newly seceded South ruled by white people * Joseph Farah (on CNP’s board of governors), runs the conspiracist online “news” outlet, WorldNetDaily * Mat Staver, head of the anti-LGBT Liberty Counsel * Tim Wildmon, head of the American Family Association * W. Cleon Skousen, longtime speaker for the John Birch Society, and defender of the Mormon Church’s thenpolicy of excluding black people from its priesthood. Tenth annual NWA Pride Celebration set for June 16-19 FAYETTEVILLE, AR - The Northwest Arkansas Center for Equality has announced that Northwest Arkansas Pride, the largest LGBT pride celebration
Race Season 7 fan favorite Trixie Mattel, and the annual White Party among other popular events. More information, can be found at nwapride.org. TIME COVER – Battle of the Bathroom
in Arkansas, will be held June 16-19 with events in Fayetteville and Bentonville. In the ten years since the first official Pride parade in Fayetteville, NWA Pride has become one of the fastest growing LGBT events in the region. Fayetteville sets the scene for several major events, including the annual Pride Parade along Dickson Street, a one-night-only performance by RuPaul’s Drag
NEW YORK - In the May 30 issue, Time examines the debate over the use of public bathrooms by transgender A m e r i c a n s . Wa s h i n g t o n Bureau Chief Michael Scherer reports why the Obama administration took action on this issue, its rich history in the context of civil rights and how it may impact the political landscape at the local, state and federal level. Scherer writes: “In a divided country, the social battle lines have been drawn once again in our most private of public places. State legislatures have been besieged, and school committees have split. Pastors have become politicized in the pulpit, and the gay-rights lobby has abandoned its past hesitancy to embrace the transgender cause.” Judy Chiasson, of the Los Angeles Unified School district,
which allowed transgender students to use the bathrooms they identify with since 2005, tells Time: “I have never had misconduct by a transgender student. A lot of fears people expressed, we have never realized those, we have never seen them. We’ve been doing this for 11 years. It works.” Gavin Grimm, who was labeled a girl at birth, but identifies as a boy, tells Time: “I don’t know of many people who would endure the humiliation and ostracization of changing your name and changing your gender presentation and asking people to refer to you with pronouns and mannerisms of the opposite sex just so they could go into a restroom and ogle men or women.” Jayne Ellspermann, principal of West Port High School in Marion County, Fla., tells Time: “The bottom line is that each student needs to feel secure and comfortable in the school that they’re going to attend. We can’t leave out the marginalized students.” Scherer concludes: “Never mind the fights to come. That sentiment alone is a sign of how much our nation has already changed.” l
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PAGE 18 | LIBERTY PRESS | JUNE 2016
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Political lampooning – Kansas style
Fock’s News pokes fun at the ultra-conservative By Trevor Reichle, staff reporter WICHITA - Earlier this year, Wichita filmmaker Wynn Ponder decided it was time to give progressive Kansans a voice to prove to people all over the country that we are made up of more than just the color of Republican Red. This idea became the backdrop of Fock’s News, a new YouTube show orchestrated by Ponder in an effort to poke fun of Fox News, which is known for its famously conservative slant on the news topics of the day. According to Ponder, the show is meant to serve as an “intelligent rallying cry” for the politically smart to both poke fun at the ideas outlets like Fox News perpetuate while also opening up a conversation among more liberal people. While the show largely discusses politics, it has also served as a venue to lampoon
pop culture, sports and other subjects. The show also intends to feature Kansas-centric episodes, highlighting such topics as Gov. Sam Brownback’s “Kansas Experiment” – a topic that is sure to hit home for citizens across the state. Ponder described the character of Byron J. Fock – played by Byron Love – as a fundamentally innocent man echoing the things he hears from conservative media on a daily basis. “We wanted to say the things Fox News says and say them with more zeal and more innocence,” Ponder said. “The most cutting statement you could make about right-wing media is to take it to the furthest point of exaggeration, but with a likeable spokesperson.” Ponder, who runs Cinema 1 Film & FX in Wichita, hopes the episodes will show that “the left-wing intelligent can find that there is something to make
Byron Love plays Byron J. Fock on the new YouTube show Fock's News produced by Wichitan Wynn Ponder.
fun of and it can be made fun of successfully.” Part of the reason why Ponder created the show to be politically satirical was his fascination with certain political figures gaining prominence in recent elections. “The shift in right-wing consciousness has polarized our country,” Ponder
said. “When Sarah Palin got onto the [Vice Presidential] ticket in 2008, I was amazed. … When Palin started getting taken seriously, I believe it set the stage for Trump. If people are angry enough at something, they just want to strike out at something.” The show is slated to produce ten episodes total. l
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Kansas woman finds strength to come out despite hardships By Isabella Parker, staff reporter HUTCHINSON - Jody McClure, a 36-year-old certified life coach, has had many difficult experiences in her journey to accept herself and be accepted by others. Labeling herself as a “country kid,” she understands the difficulties in coming out in a conservative home. She married her high school sweetheart, but soon realized that his relationship with her could not move forward unless she had a better understanding of herself. He wanted kids, but the idea of becoming a parent with a husband was too much for her to bear. Divorce soon followed, and when her family realized that McClure was questioning her sexuality, they revolted. “It was a nightmare,” she said about being banished from her home and attacked both verbally and physically. The lowest point of her life found her sleeping in a ditch on the brink of suicide, but the idea of leaving her nieces without a goodbye was too much. She looked to her religion, to her God, and found strength. McClure says that she felt her God say, “Fix your eyes on me, not your earthly father,” and she was able to focus on the good that she could do with her family and with those who are also struggling. After she was able to pick herself up, McClure began to struggle with alcoholism from the combined stress and pressure of being exiled from her family while trying to come
out. McClure knew that she was struggling, but she didn’t know how to help herself grow stronger. “I realized I have to learn how to love myself, and be happy with my choices,” she said. She decided that in order to grow as a person she needed to forgive her family and become confident in herself. She overcame her struggles and difficulties by relying on and accepting herself for who she is, and she has realized that she wants to help bring awareness to the struggles that many LGBT people are faced with every day. She hopes to write a book describing her “muddy journey” and how she was able to learn to love herself. Her difficulties have inspired her to help others who are struggling with family and acceptance issues. Her ability to love herself even through her hardships is extremely inspiring, and hopefully that strength will help inspire others who are facing similar issues. l
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Kansas City lawyer an advocate for LGBTQ rights By Ciara Reid, staff reporter KANSAS CITY - For anyone in the LGBTQ community looking for an advocate in the law profession, Madeline Johnson has your back. Johnson is a senior partner at Edelman, Liesen & Myers LLP. She focuses on gender law, employment law, education law, and family law. Her education and experience were homegrown. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in German from the University of Missouri, then went on to obtain her Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. She is entrenched in the community, serving as the Chairwoman of the Board for the Kansas City Justice Project, and an ambassador with the Mid-America Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. She also invests her time as a director of mentoring at the Transgender Institute. Johnson says her progression to practicing law focused on LGBTQ rights was a natural one. “It was really a ‘natural’ or logical progression for me to use the skill set I had as an attorney to advance the rights and legal needs of the LGBT community after coming out,” Johnson says. “My own journey involved a great deal of selfsuppression and hiding. As a result, facilitating others in achieving a life of expressing their authentic gender identity is now my passion.” She says she is happy to have the ability to advocate for others who experience discrimination simply for being who they are. Johnson is also a believer in the power of mentorship for the next generation. She recently spoke to students at David Brown’s LGBTQ legal seminar at the University of Kansas Law School. She discussed the current state of discrimination law, name change laws, and birth certificate amendments. Johnson says the student interest was piqued upon hearing about the ‘lack of protection’ for the LGBTQ community. “Although there may not be explicit protections in many jurisdictions when it comes to statutes concerning employment
discrimination or discrimination in education or public accommodations, a good attorney can plead a case in ways that relief through the courts is possible,” she says. Johnson adds that anyone within the LGBTQ community who believes they have been discriminated against should always talk to an attorney. “Never assume because protections are not explicit that you cannot take action,” she advises. “A good attorney knows how to work within the existing laws and may be able to help someone win a lawsuit even if the road to victory is not obvious,” An area of particular focus for Johnson is gender law. For trans persons, the process of a name change can be stressful. A good attorney can take the pressure off of a person trying to change their name on their own, Johnson says. “There are ways to plead your case to get gender recognition done at the same time in many instances, though this is not information that may be readily available to someone representing themselves in court,” she says. A major controversial headline that has congested newsfeeds lately is the North Carolina ‘bathroom bill.’ Johnson believes bathroom bills are unconstitutional. “Enforcement is not practical and they encourage people to invade the privacy of others much more than protecting the privacy of persons as supporters claim,” she says. Johnson adds that it should not take long for any such laws that may actually pass to go away once cisgender people who are mistaken as trans persons in the “wrong” bathroom start suing for violation of their own privacy. The bill creates an illusory issue, Johnson says.
Gender law expert Madeline Johnson is a partner at Edelman, Liesen & Myers L.L.P.
“Transgender persons have used public facilities for centuries. The religious right has just redirected their bigotry from gay marriage, now that they’ve lost, to transgender persons in
public bathrooms. It’s pretty well documented that the cisgender population poses a much greater threat to transgender persons than trans persons pose to the cisgender population.” l
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Capital City Equality Center starts to take shape
By Annette Hope Billings TOPEKA - When does a dream of an LGBTQ community center reach reality status? When concerned people gather to propose it or when a building is acquired to house it? In the case of the center being developed in Topeka, Capital City Equality Center (CCEC), Executive Director Dan Brennan believes the dream is well on its way to becoming a reality. The idea was borne from a series of events that identified a need to members of Topeka Pride for the city to be more affirming for LGBTQ citizens. A needs survey was conducted which identified themes centered around a safe meeting place. Organizers began discussions of a community center last May. The shared vision for a center was to provide services to and coordinate referrals for LGBTQ citizens in need of assistance. The center would be led and staffed by volunteers including a board of directors and community consultants. Continuing discussions led to the formation of CCEC as a corporation last August. The corporation has since been granted 501(c)(3) designation t h i s p a s t J a n u a r y. T h a t designation was accomplished due to a successful crowdfunding effort that drew in more than sufficient donations in a month’s time. Plans for the center are not that it will necessarily create resources, but fill gaps and serve as a conduit to existing community resources. In line with that goal, organizers are currently compiling a list of
businesses and service providers who are affirming to the LGBTQ community. “We want to give people somewhere they can feel comfortable,” Brennan said. “We want people to know they have a place — a community. The center will provide a space for people to meet, share experiences and support one another.” The organization’s current focus is on fundraising and finding a building for the center. Considerations for a location include that it be on a bus route, handicapped accessible, have gender-neutral restrooms, parking and private space for one-on-one counseling/support. The center will also contain an area highlighting Topeka LGBTQ history. One of the most important hopes for CCEC, according to board president Stephanie Mott, is that its presence and services to the community will reduce self-harm and suicide among LGBTQ citizens. “It’s been a dream that I believe Topeka can support,” Mott said. Brennan emphasized the center will welcome all people. He hopes it will become a gathering place for anyone who feels left out of the community at-large or anyone facing discrimination. “Everyone should be treated with respect and love,” he said. Tax deductible donations to the center can be made via its website at: www.capcitycenter. org or mailed to: Capital City Equality Center, P.O. Box 8155, Topeka, KS 66608. l
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Three new bars serving the LGBT community open in Wichita By Blake Hampton, staff reporter WICHITA - Creating a sense of community has always been important to LGBT people. It’s something members of the community and its allies strive to find ways to achieve. For the owners of three new bars it’s their way of creating that sense of community - by getting to meet others, discuss important topics and/or just having fun dancing and drinking the night away. Club Inferno, 1544 S. Ida, opened May 18. Owner Robert Sanders has owned clubs such as Club 1507 before and feels that now more than ever is his time to come back into the nightlife scene. “We want to find a way to be more united with other clubs. We want to help create community events, make a way for people to bar hop. Why we’re doing this again is because people have continually asked, even entertainers, when we’d come
back,“ Sanders said. Club Inferno is open to anyone from 2pm-2am. There will be food and drinks. It’s restaurant, Hell’s Kitchen, will have Inferno burgers, pizza, and other munchies. There is a dance floor and there will be various drag shows throughout the week. Thursday nights welcome the Brown Sugar Show, Saturday nights Divas of Inferno, and Sundays the Drag King show Sizzle Night. Another new club is actually a new addition to an existing bar. Club Boomerang, 1400 E. 1st St., has successfully been in Wichita for a little over a year, and the owners are very proud of its new addition. Attached to the club is a new leather bar called The Back Room. “We’ve had many people come to us and say that they miss a more adult bar. When my partner and I travel we find that continued on page 48
The Back Room, a new leather bar, is part of Club Boomerang.
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Newly commissioned song, I Rise, is based upon poetry by Dr. Maya Angelou
KANSAS CITY - Heartland Men’s Chorus (HMC), Kansas City’s gay men’s chorus, pays tribute to the late U.S. Poet Laureate Dr. Maya Angelou by commissioning a song inspired by four well-known poems written by the world renowned poet and civil rights activist. HMC is the first chorus in the nation to receive the rights from the late poet’s estate to create music that uses her poetry. The song, titled I Rise, was created by internationally acclaimed musician and composer (and Kansas City resident) Mark Hayes. It is written for men’s voices and includes an orchestra of 16 instrumentalists. It will make its world premiere in its entirety on Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12 as part of the Chorus’ 30th anniversary concert, also titled I Rise, at the Folly Theater in downtown Kansas City. Four of Dr. Angelou’s poems
are used as source material in the song: On the Pulse of Morning, Caged Bird, Equality, and Still I Rise. “Maya Angelou’s name and poetry are synonymous with Civil Rights and elevating oneself and one’s surrounding community,” HMC Artistic Director Dustin Cates said. “It’s only fitting, as Kansas City’s gay men’s chorus, to present a significant choral work for not only our own audience, but for anyone who hears it in the future, wherever they may be.” After presenting I Rise in Kansas City, Heartland Men’s Chorus will travel to Denver for the International Gay and Lesbian Choral Festival where HMC will perform it for thousands of singers, composers and directors on Tuesday, July 5 at Buell Theater in the Denver Performing Arts Center. The commissioning of I Rise was made possible by a generous gift from Bob Batterson and
Songs of My Soul
Jori Costello
“Songs of My Soul” is a one-woman performance piece and tribute honoring the beginning of the women’s music movement and celebrating 40 years of women’s community and culture. From the personal to the fictional character, Jori acts out the soundtrack of her life with songs and lyrics that weave together a timeline of coming of age, relationships, breakups, spirituality, activism, and a deep reverence for all things “Changed”. Featuring the music of Holly Near, Cris Williamson, Meg Christian, Ferron, Lucie Blue Tremblay, and Dr. Berniece Johnson Reagon.
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his husband Todd Green in memory of Batterson’s loving and encouraging mother Joyce Batterson, a woman who embraced social justice and personal fortitude. Additional underwriting
support was provided by Les Longberg, Steve Joss, Brian Williams in memory of Steve Metzler, Keith and Anne Wiedenkeller, Jarene and Lee Stanford in honor of Matt Stretz, and Lee Vandenbos. l
On the road again! ABILENE, RUSSELL, TOPEKA - The Heartland Men’s Chorus (HMC) is hitting the road again following a wonderfully successful concert tour last month of Hays and Salina. On Friday, July 1, a touring ensemble of the Chorus will make stops in Topeka, Abilene, and Russell singing a few a cappella songs at each stop that are appropriate for the July 4 weekend. All performances are free and suitable for all ages. The first stop will be at noon in Topeka on the front lawn of Equality House, 1200 SW Orleans St. Coincidentally, this location is directly across the street from the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. The singers will turn toward the church compound to ensure their voices of diversity and inclusion can be heard by those who hide behind outlandish signs and hateful beliefs. The second stop will be at 2:30pm in Abilene on the front steps of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and
Museum, 200 SE Fourth St. hopefully singing for a crosssection of tourists who will be visiting the central Kansas landmark. HMC’s third stop will be at 5pm in Russell at the Deines Cultural Center, 820 N. Main St. Russell is known as the boyhood hometown of two U.S. Senators, Bob Dole and Arlen Specter. The Chorus will overnight in Colby and then continue on to Denver for the GALA Choruses International Festival where they will be performing to a sold-out crowd in the 3,000-seat Buell Theater at the Denver Performing Arts Center on July 5. l
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
The Midwest’s Most FABULOUS Film Festival Returns to Kansas City
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JUNE 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 25
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WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
KC pride festival expected to draw over 20,000 to celebrate diversity and equality
KANSAS CITY - Presented by the Kansas City Diversity Coalition, KCPrideFest 2016 returns to the Berkley Riverfront Park in downtown Kansas City, June 3-5. Headlining performances include Grammy nominee DJ Tony Moran, Ty Herndon, DEV (former member of The Cataracs), and Beverly McClellan (finalist from the hit TV show The Voice). Additional entertainment by local performers in the Kansas City metro area and beyond round out this year’s festivities. Last year’s event brought an unprecedented number of attendees, 2016’s estimated attendance is 20,000.
Friday, June 3 Internationally known DJ Tony Moran is a two-time, Grammynominated producer known for his popular remixes of pop artists including: Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Madonna, and many others. As an internationally recognized DJ he has performed all over the world including in Brazil, Bangkok, Mexico, and Canada. In the States this DJ performs for some of the biggest clubs, festivals, and circuit parties. Friday’s festival hours are 6pm-midnight. Attendees will be provided free entry to Missie B’s and Sidekicks with their festival wristband after the festival closes.
Saturday, June 4 DEV (Devin Star Tailes) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, model, and radio show host. DEV was signed to Universal Republic in 2010 and her debut single Bass Down Low, peaked at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Top Heatseekers chart. DEV has also achieved international acclaim in the UK, Canada, and the Republic of Ireland. Also performing Saturday is country music artist Ty Herndon. Herndon has charted a total of 17 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Following an incident in
Fort Worth, Herndon’s sexuality became a topic of interest within the country music industry. Although his rep denied it, the speculation came to an end on Nov. 20, 2014 in an interview with People magazine when Herndon came out as a gay man. Fans of Madonna or Lady Gaga won’t want to miss Material Girl, a cover band that captures the elegance and essence of these two superstars. The lead vocalist is spot on with Madonna in her prime. Supported by her stellar band and dancers, she will present a world-class concert. Then these talented musicians will perform a complete set of Lady Gaga songs. Saturday’s festival hours are noon-11pm.
Gay country music star Ty Herndon will perform Saturday, June 4.
Sunday, June 5 Closing out the festival on Sunday is Beverly McClellan, an openly lesbian artist and a finalist in the first season of the TV series The Voice. Prior to auditioning for the show, McClellan had already recorded five independent albums without having been signed by any record label. In June 2011, she appeared on the cover of SHE magazine, a South Florida lesbian magazine. In addition, the stage will have non-stop entertainment from some of Kansas City’s local and regional acts including the Heartland Men’s Chorus, Vigil and Thieves, Heartland Trans Chorus, Holmes Street Band, and Mid-America Freedom Band. Sunday’s festival hours are noon-7pm. Other highlights of the festival include: the Market Place with close to 100 vendors, the Commerce Bank Kids Zone, which will be open from noon– 6pm on Saturday and Sunday and will have a balloon artist, a face painter and inflatables, the Body Shop – Your Health Stop, an area with various kinds of testing and information, Renaissance Festival characters roaming the park, volleyball on Sunday sponsored by the Gay Volleyball League, huge
DEV, a songwriter, rapper, model and radio show host, will appear at the festival on Saturday, June 4.
kites provided by the Great American Kites and Events (weather permitting), a food court and the Youth Hangout Festival-goers can either park on the grounds for $5 or take the new KC Streetcar and
walk the Grand Street Viaduct to the festival grounds. Single day admission is $5, a weekend pass is $10. Check www. gaypridekc.org for up to the minute information. l
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Hamburger Mary’s of KC featured on hit CBS show Undercover Boss By Trevor Reichle, staff reporter KANSAS CITY - Many dream of having their business featured on national television, but few ever see this become a reality. For gay restaurant and bar Hamburger Mary’s, the latter became true. The franchise, which has
featured on a reality show focused on business – again, not specifying what show that would be. After initially declining the offer due to the risky nature of the proposition, he was eventually told by producers what show it was and was sworn to secrecy. The show had never
Gay twin brothers Ashley and Brandon Wright own the national chain Hamburger Mary's. They went undercover at several franchise sites, including the Kansas City location, for the CBS reality series Undercover Boss.
13 locations across the United States currently, was featured on the May 15 episode of Undercover Boss, a CBS show in which high-positioned members of a company go undercover as entry-level employees of their own company. Hard-working employees are subsequently rewarded for their hard work and dedication through a variety of prizes. Jeff Edmondson, owner of the Kansas City location, had gotten wind of the potential feature through members of the company’s corporate office. While he did not know specifically what show it was going to be, he was later contacted by producers to be
previously followed a gayor drag-centered business – an opportunity in which Edmondson was happy to take part in. “While we are openly and flamboyantly gay, 80% of our customer base is straight and they love it,” Edmondson said. “We want to show people that we are regular people just like them, except we’re gay.” Edmondson also praised producers in their approach to the show’s previously unexplored territory. “They were excited to put a positive light on the LGBT community through the LGBT community,” he said. continued on page 35
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
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First MCC changes name, hosts first summer concert series Concerts kick off in June with Nikki Moddelmog By Blake Hampton, staff reporter W I C H I TA - C o m i n g t h i s summer, MCC Table of Hope, formally known as the First Metropolitan Community Church (FMCC), is bringing to Wichita a new Summer Concert Series. There will be four shows throughout the season. The series is to benefit the church’s food pantry and pet food pantry. With performers from across the nation each show will be unique for anyone attending. The first concert kicks off the series on June 24. It’ll be a dinner and show featuring Nikki Moddelmog at Sedgwick County Park, Shelter #4. Moddelmog, a Wichita musician, has a folk song feel to her music and is known for putting on a good show. Dinner is part of the ticket price and starts at 6pm. Table of Hope will be providing pulled pork sandwiches, with chips, a drink, and various other sides. The concert starts at 7pm. The other shows include Seattle-based comedian/ musician/songwriter Lisa Koch, July 30 at Hyde Park Recreation Center, 201 S. Greenwood. Dinner will also be provided at 6pm before the show at 7pm. Local singers/actors ShawnMichael Morse and his sister Jenny Mitchell will perform a cabaret-style show called “Sibling Rivalry” at Roxy’s Downtown Aug. 7 at 2pm.
Comedian Lisa Koch will perform as part of the series on July 30.
Finally, St. Louis-based singer/ songwriter/activist Summer Osborne is coming to Club Boomerang Sept. 9. An opening act starts at 6pm, Osborne performs at 7pm with a Meet and Greet/wine and cheese following the concert. Tickets are $20 per concert or the church is offering a special deal of $60 to see the whole series. Concertgoers who plan on seeing every show, with this deal, one of them will be free. Tickets may be purchased in advanced by calling 316-7443913 or will be available at the time of the concert. Church board member, Teal Pearson is organizing the whole series. Some years ago she organized a fundraiser for the church featuring comedian Vickie Shaw. “I had started going to FMCC about six years ago. About two years in I decided I wanted to try something new to help the church,” Pearson said. “So I again pitched the idea about having another show as a fundraiser, and then Kristi Parker suggested doing a whole series. I said all right and got to work.” Pearson and other members of the church have been networking and looking for help in order to make these shows a reality. Recently, FMCC officially changed their name to MCC Table of Hope. “We felt that the name is summery of what this church does. Not only feeding hearts with our church services, but their bodies as well,” Pastor Jackie Carter said. The church’s food pantry is one of the largest in the state of Kansas. Each month it feeds thousands of people. Handing out food boxes that contain meat, canned goods, breads, and other foods needed. This is done every Tuesday at the church, and anyone is welcome to the table. The church also has a pet food pantry on the third Friday of every month. This program has fed between 200300 pets each time. Pearson is doing everything possible to make this series help MCC Table of Hope continue to
feed those who need it most. “We want this series to bring people together, get people out interacting, and having fun,” she said. l
Moddelmog brings a rich voice to series
By Kristi Parker WICHITA - Nikki Moddelmog didn’t pick up a guitar until she was 23 or 24. Friends in Lawrence taught her how to play, she told KMUW in an interview. Since those days she has become a very popular artist in Wichita with bookings all over the city most weekends. She will be playing solo as a fundraiser for Table of Hope’s food pantry on June 24 at Sedgwick County Park, shelter #4. The concert, which kicks off a summer concert series, includes a dinner of pulled pork sandwiches at 6pm. From the first note, Moddelmog sounds familiar. The rich voice, the intricate melodies, the unapologetic lyrics bring to mind such artists as Michelle Shocked, Lisa Loeb, Patti Griffin and, clearly, Ani Difranco, her website says. Moddelmog grew up in the Mennonite farming town of Moundridge -- but you wouldn’t know it by looking at her. With her homemade tie-dye shirt and flowing skirt, she hardly
fits the conservative Kansas stereotype. Moddelmog credits some influential friends she made when she first started learning guitar for her music career. “Really, my friends are why I’m sitting here today,” she said in the KMUW interview. “I met Terry Quiett and Guinn Walker. Both of them amazing songwriters. They really pushed me. I said, ‘They’re normal guys. They’re writing songs. I’m gonna take a stab at it.’ I played the songs for them and they seemed to like them so I kept doing it. Their friends liked my songs too.” Going straight from college into marriage and then going through a divorce, music became a great outlet for Moddelmog. “It was a transition and Nikki never really got to be Nikki,” she explains. “It was a great outlet to write and grow. And write in a style that was very vulnerable. And yet I didn’t have to talk to anyone about it. I could just say it.” She sings of imagined lovers, deafening silence, false starts and neglected beds. One reviewer explained her this way: “Nikki is a charming and disarming mélange of contradictions. Her songs come from an old-soul-meetsHello-Kitty philosophy of life. In a time of cynicism, she is refreshingly trusting and awkwardly self-assured. She ain’t no poser. She’s genuine, and she’s good.” Moddelmog has released two solo albums and one EP with her band The Mischief M a k e r s . Ti c k e t s t o t h e fundraising concerts are $20/ ea. or buy all four concerts in the series for $60 through June 24. Call 316.744.3913 for tickets. l
PAGE 30 | LIBERTY PRESS | JUNE 2016
Minor
Details By Bob Minor
Do Politicians Really Value What You Do?
T
he Republican Speaker of the House and failed vice-presidential candidate met ceremoniously in early May with a volatile, narcissistic reality TV star who is the presumptive Republican presidential candidate. The 45 minute meeting produced hype, not information, and exhibited the gamesmanship central to many political campaigns. It evoked another round of the questions that people pose during political posturing. But the key to understanding it is that it involved two very different politicians who both must maintain their image of
power within the same Party. There are political season questions that are regularly asked about both major parties, with the expectation of rational answers. How could someone support that guy? Why would someone support one candidate or another? In another conversation, the questions might be: why isn’t someone condemning discriminatory laws? Don’t they understand that those laws won’t hold up in court? Or: do you think someone is going to govern the way they campaign? Can I trust someone’s promises?
People will ask similar questions throughout any election cycle, especially one with both apparent main-party presidential candidates having the lowest approval ratings in generations. And the real answers to the questions tell us what candidates actually value. As many politicians become acclimated to holding office, their overriding goal becomes maintaining their positions and power. So uppermost in the minds of those down-ticket in presidential elections is weighing the chances of whether their or another presidential candidate might win and how
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
based upon the value placed upon obtaining and maintaining their positions. When election becomes one’s value, then all they might otherwise value is subordinated to it. And there are many ways to do that. They sideline, postpone, play down, or talk as if they don’t absolutely value the causes they would otherwise support. They’re now persuaded that this is the way to get and maintain office and convinced that once securely in office they’ll champion what they believe that they highly value. They tell a group that “this
“When do they take the chance of losing office because of the greater principles they claim to value?” best to maintain access and clout when she/he does or doesn’t. Will my decision mean I keep my legislative committee assignments or be punished? Will I be appointed to chair a prestigious committee? Will I get party financial support for my reelection? What should be a means (holding office) to achieving goals for constituents and country, becomes the end: getting elected, reelected and maintaining power. So what politicians often do and say is
isn’t the time” to push their cause because they - the right candidate the group should support - can’t get elected if they advocate for certain causes. Every oppressed group knows marginalization through being told that they have to wait with the excuse that that’s how you’ve got to play politics. They deflect a group’s needs and demands by instructing them to reflect upon, and be thankful for, “how far they’ve come.” They mustn’t overexpect and should instead show gratefulness to all who’ve helped them come this far. They patronize a group by saying they don’t understand the real world of politics as well as the politician does. They thereby redefine the problem as the group’s own lack of political savvy and intelligence, not their difficulties. And speaking of political realities: a real danger is that anyone attaining public office might never feel, or be, secure enough to safely take up these postponed issues. When does one feel secure
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
enough to value something greater than getting reelected and keeping power? When does someone actually prioritize for the values they profess and we wish they would? When do they take the chance of losing office because of the greater principles they claim to value? Have we all just given in to a form of hopeless politics instead of change? Granted: politics is the art of compromise. But should one compromise before they’ve advocated for their ideal proposal and never begin negotiations there? Granted: change often happens in increments, rather than all at once. Thus, each proposal should be understood as assuming a next step. But the test of honest incrementalism is whether it’s actually advocating a step forward to a valued goal or just an excuse to never move further. Is it an excuse to never follow up? Does it reveal that the professed ultimate values aren’t worth fighting for? It’s the responsibility of democratic citizenship to hold one’s representatives to the real end of it all, not just to get them elected. Citizens make it clear to their representatives what they want the end to be and then expect their representatives to
work out how that is going to happen given political realities. So, the answers to the questions we have regarding why politicians do what they do are often political ones reflecting what posturing politicians think they require to gain and maintain position. That’s the logic behind them. You can hear, for example, these political calculations in Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan’s words after meeting with Donald Trump. Not surprisingly, Ryan is protecting his political career. Not only did he posture himself for future political runs by distancing from the losing presidential candidate whom he shared the ballot with, saying: “I didn’t agree with Mitt Romney on everything.” But he also positioned himself as the powerbroker who must approve of Trump. While the media fawned, Ryan talked about his discussions with Trump as probes of what they can agree upon and as a “process” he commands by drawing endorsement out. In addition he defined Trump’s supporters as a “new group of conservatives” being brought into his fold. Throughout, politician Ryan spoke of determining whether Trump does or will agree with
JUNE 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 31
conservative (that is Ryan’s) principles. And in so doing he’s masterfully doing what politicians do: valuing most the maintenance of personal power and position. 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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PAGE 32 | LIBERTY PRESS | JUNE 2016
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
OUT on the Town
WSU Drag Show, Apr 22|The Back Room opening, Apr 20
Photos by Matthew Jones-Arnone
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
JUNE 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 33
PAGE 34 | LIBERTY PRESS | JUNE 2016
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
WSU summer class, Sociology of Sexualities, dispels myths, examines social constructs of sexuality
By Trevor Reichle WICHITA - Beginning June 6, “Sociology of Sexualities,” a class available at Wichita State University, will begin for the summer semester. The eightweek online class is taught by Dr. Jennifer Pearson, a sociology professor at Wichita State. While there are a variety of sexuality and gender-related classes available to students both for sociology and other majors, the class will be focusing on a different perspective of
Things to know WSU students can still enroll in the summer class through June 6. Enroll by visiting myWSU account or an advisor. Details: Starts June 6; Online class; 8-weeks long; Taught by Dr. Jennifer Pearson, faculty advisor to the LGBT student group Spectrum.
sociology – more specifically, how it is shaped in various cultures around the world. “There are already sexualities classes on campus, but this one’s unique in that it’s looking at sexuality in a sociological perspective,” Dr. Pearson said. “We’re really focusing on the social construction of sexuality.” The focus of the class, while primarily sociological, covers a wide area of ground in terms of what sexuality is and isn’t. Topics such as theories regarding sexuality (such as the “born this way” idea), social interactions, research, and one’s own control of sexuality will be covered as well. “The focus is really going to be on how complex, how diverse, how culturally-specific sexuality is and that it’s not just this biological force – that it’s shaped so much by culture, relationships, and context,” Dr. Pearson said. While sexual orientation plays a big role in terms of the class
material, it isn’t the lone focus. Dr. Pearson noted that there are several groups of people who are often overlooked or stigmatized when it comes to sexuality, such as those from other cultures and people with disabilities. Nonetheless, unpacking what sexual orientation and sexual social conduct means takes a big role in the overall understanding of sexuality, as highlighted by the course. “We have all these categories of sexuality, but they don’t really fit with reality,” Dr. Pearson said. Dr. Pearson hopes that students will walk away with a broader understanding of sexuality and what it looks like across various social constructs, as well as dispelling myths about sexualities within different cultural groups. “I think we have a very narrow understanding about what sexuality is and where it comes from, what it’s for and what it should look like,” Dr.
Dr. Pearson teaches the sociology class that is entirely online.
Pearson said. “By exploring the diversity in different sexualities across different groups and across different cultures, I’m hoping that will kind of open students’ minds or perspectives a little bit.” Wichita State students can enroll in the class now through their myWSU account, or can meet with an advisor to enroll. l
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. Hamburger Mary's continued from page 28
The producers looked at various Hamburger Mary’s locations searching for employees with the right personalities and with the best stories. When the show began filming at the Kansas City location, the crew told employees of the restaurant two different lines: one was that they were filming a show featuring two people learning the ropes of the business world and competing for a cash prize, and the other that they were filming a show based on the art of drag. One employee, Kenny, worked temporarily at the Hamburger Mary’s location in Kansas City throughout the process, despite originally being at a location in Clearwater, Fla. Kenny, who was essentially homeless and without a car, found a way to make it to work every day on time and consistently gave his all into his work. During the resolution of the episode, he was given a $5,000 cash prize and a new car.
The general manager of the Kansas City location was initially going to be featured on the show as well, but producers cut his segment for the actual broadcast. Nonetheless, producers followed through on all their promises to him. So far, Edmondson stated that the response to the episode has been nothing but positive on their end and that he feels more confident than ever in his business. “ I t r e a ff i r m e d t h a t w e are doing the right thing,” Edmondson said. “We expected we would get some negative backlash from the right-wing community, but we haven’t seen any of that.” Subsequently, while the show airs on Sundays, the phone was ringing non-stop the next day at the restaurant according to Edmondson. “We’re closed on Mondays, but I work Mondays and the phone was ringing off the hook with people wanting reservations,” Edmondson said. l
JUNE 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 35
You deserve the best in healthcare. It starts with your story and developing the skills to SpeakOUT! about your important health concerns. The online LGBT-friendly Provider Directory helps you locate professionals committed to serving the needs of the LGBT community. The Directory includes helpful resources to foster meaningful conversations with health personnel about your unique health goals.
For more information, visit us at wichitaLGBThealth.org Wichita LGBT Health Coalition is on Facebook!
PAGE 36 | LIBERTY PRESS | JUNE 2016
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Gay Music Theatre Wichita visiting actor stars in Oklahoma!
By Jeromiah Taylor, staff reporter WICHITA - Love has always been a big part of Claybourne Elder’s life. The actor, who is playing the role of Curly in Music Theatre Wichita’s production of Oklahoma!, grew up in the Mormon faith and married his partner in 2012. For Elder love and family were part of his experience with Mormonism. “ I t ’s n o t a c o m m o n experience coming from such a conservative place to have parents and family that are so supportive, but mine really were,” Elder said. “Loving me was the simple choice for them no matter what.”
Growing up Mormon shaped Elder into the person he is now and gave him access to the arts. “Mormons are really strong supporters of the arts and there is a strong community of Mormon artists in Utah,” Elder said. “Growing up in that community, everyone I knew took dance classes or played an instrument or sang in a choir. It was easy to find outlets for my artistic side there and so I was able to grow and learn a lot.” The love Elder received at the hands of his community fostered his creative side. Elder, who had been playing violin since he was very young, began musical theater after seeing his brother perform in a school play. A year later Elder performed in his first musical as the Artful Dodger in Oliver. Since then Elder has performed in a variety of productions including a Kansas City Repertory Theatre production of Into the Woods, but his current role has always been a dream of his. “I’ve wanted to play Curly in Oklahoma! for a long time,” Elder said. “People frequently ask actors what roles are on their ‘bucket list’ and this has been on mine for a long time. I
remember singing Oh, What a Beautiful Morning when I was a teenager, but getting to sing it with an orchestra is something I’ve always wanted to do.” Love found Elder again in the form of his husband whom he met while performing in Into the Woods in Kansas City. “We met because a mutual friend of ours, Moises Kaufman, who later co-officiated our wedding with Doug Wright, hired me to come out and do Into the Woods at the Kansas City Rep where my husband is artistic director,” Elder said. “We became friends right off the bat. Finally the last week I was in town I got up the nerve to ask him out. We had a great time and afterwards thought, ‘This is crazy, how will we ever make this work?’ That was almost seven years ago.” Elder’s family welcomed his husband into their arms as well. “My family loves my husband. Maybe more than me,” Elder said smiling. “When my sister first met him, we were driving him to the airport and after we dropped him off she
said, ‘So this might be awkward, but if things don’t work out between you two, would you mind if I stayed friends with him?’” The couple now splits their time between Kansas City and New York City. Elder intends to “keep expanding” and has taken up distilling and carpentry. “Right now I’m really into distilling and have started making my own whiskey,” Elder said. “It’s legal! I’m just not allowed to sell it.” According to Elder the key to surviving as a young LGBT artist in a conservative environment is to avoid “living in extremes. “Not everything is black or white,” Elder said. “Be your own kind of gay person, whatever that means to you.” As for family, patience is the key. “Be patient with the ones you love because it can take a long time for them to come around, but they almost always do,” Elder said. “It takes a lot of love on your part to have compassion for them as they try to understand you.” l
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
JUNE 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 37
TAKE CONTROL. Why let the state or a judge manage your assets or your life?
WILLS, TRUSTS, POWERS OF ATTORNEY, LIVING WILLS, AND PROBATE
What it Means to be TGNC
I
n many of my more than 400 public presentations about being transgender, I have borrowed an old, but relevant, statement - If you ask 100 transgender people what it means to be transgender, you will get 103 different answers. This is because by the time you get 100 transgender people to answer the question, three of us have changed our minds. Not to say transgender people are any more unable to make up our minds than anyone else. It speaks to the elusive nature
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Different if you live in a city or if you live in a rural area. Different if you have supportive family or if you lose everyone you have ever believed loved you. Different if you are Caucasian or if you are a person of color. Being TGNC also means something different to someone who lives in Denver, than it does to someone who lives in upstate New York, and yet something different to someone who lives in Houston. Not to mention North Carolina. All these different lived
“It means something different to different people because they have different livedexperiences. This does not make them less transgender.” of the question. What does it mean to be TGNC (Transgender/ Gender Non-Conforming)? Well, the short answer to the question has two parts. The first part is that it means something different to every TGNC human being. The second part is pretty simple. That’s okay. I’m gonna venture to say, if you use the word snow, it will mean something different to someone who lives in Denver, than it does to someone who lives in upstate New York, and yet something different to someone who lives in Houston. It means something different to different people because they have different lived-experiences. It is beyond important to recognize that different TGNC people have different livedexperiences, as well. This does not make them less transgender or gender non-conforming. This does not remove anyone’s right to identify as TGNC - or not. Lived experiences. Different if you were allowed to thrive or if you spent years dying silently.
experiences come together to make up what we know as a unique, individual human being. PROOFisO.K. BY: key _____________________________ O.K. WITH CORRECTIONS BY:__________ This concept really to learning to live together in harmony. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY • SUBMIT CORRECTIONS ONLINE I will share a few of the things it means to me. It means ADVERTISER: DAVID IJ.have BROWN LAW OFFIC PROOF CREATED AT: 7/18/2013 3:23 PM become constantly vigilant. I am SALES PERSON: Jenny Herrick PROOF DUE: intentionally and exceedingly C1-4 PUBLICATION: C1-60ANDBETTER NEXT RUN DATE: 08/01/13 aware myX surroundings SIZE:of2 col 2 in at all times. It means I have endured, and will continue to endure, being referred to by more pejoratives than I can keep track of. It means I have had to make decisions about maintaining relationships with family members versus living my life authentically. Being TGNC also means to me that I have been on an amazing journey of selfdiscovery. I have had no choice but to look deep within and learn about the person who is me. I have learned to love my TGNCness. This makes me one of the lucky ones. continued on page 48
PAGE 38 | LIBERTY PRESS | JUNE 2016 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,
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 Bethel College GSA, North Newton, advisor: Gabriel Fonseca gfonseca@ bethelks.edu, President: Zachary Preheim zacharyrpreheim@bethelks.edu Derby High School tkellenbarger@usd260.com
GSA,
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. 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.
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
COMCARE Crisis Intervention Services, 934 N. Water, Wichita, (316) 660-7500 free 24/7, www. sedgwickcounty.org
Highland Park High School's Parity, Topeka, LGBTatHP@outlook.com, facebook.com/LGBTatHP
Get Connected, Wichita, (316) 2850007, LGBTQIA youth group for ages 12-21. Meets at The Center, 800 N. Market, every Friday from 7-9pm.
Hutchinson High School GSA, faculty advisor: Mr. Westmoreland, chairperson: Kara Vaughn.
GLSEN Greater Wichita, wichita@ chapters.glsen.org.
The Independent School GSA, Wichita, sponsor: Matt Hanne matt. hanne@theindependentschool.com
Headquarters Counseling Center, Lawrence, (785) 841-2345 free 24/7, www.hqcc.lawrence.ks.us
K-State LGBT & Allies, meets every Thursday at 6:30 in Willard Hall, room 120.
Healthy Transitions, for heterosexually married gay men in KC. A phone and face-to-face interview required, Mark McCarthy, LPC (816) 931-0011x4.
Lawrence High School GSA, sponsors: Shannon Draper SDraper@usd497.org, and Lindsay Buck LBuck@usd497.org Manhattan High School GSA, mhs_ gsa@hotmail.com Maize South High School GSA, sponsor: Shelly Walston swalston@ usd266.com, meets 2nd Fridays. Pitt State GSA, Pittsburg State University, pittstategaystraightalliance@ gmail.com 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. Wichita East High School GSA, CFee@fcscounseling.com Wichita Heights High School GSA, nmagoon@usd259.net 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 Northeast High School GSA, Jbell2@usd259.net Wichita Northwest High School GSA, amcdonald@usd259.net, meets every Monday after school.
HIV+ Men’s Support Group, Wichita, (316) 293-3405, mmadecky@kumc.edu Living Positive, a support group for people living with HIV and their caregivers. Meets 1st Tuesdays at 6pm. Call 785-537-7006 for location. 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 PFLAG Lawrence/Topeka, sffeist@ msn.org, www.pflagnekansas.org, meets 1st Sundays, 2-4pm. Location alternates between Lawrence and Topeka. Check website or e-mail for location. The Face of Trans*, www.thefaceof trans.com 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 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
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Leather Life By Nolin Christensen aka Master C
Be Proud Editor’s note: This column may contain content that is offensive to some people.
I
’m a proud gay man. I’m also a proud kinky man. Everyone should be proud of who they are, gay, straight and everything in between. But also if you’re kinky, you should be proud of that too. Many people look at us kinky folks and think we are bizarre and weird. Well we are not any more bizarre or weird than the next person. Every individual is wired differently and this is what causes them to be different from anyone else. And this is exciting!
Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone was exactly the same? Boring!! And yet there are folks out there who want all of us to be the same, to think the same, to act the same. Well, that’s a great fantasy because it’s just that, a fantasy. Just as no two people have the same fingerprints, no two people are wired the same sexually. Each of us has different likes and kinks. And all of this is what makes the world go round. These differences are what makes sex between individuals so fun and exciting. It’s a fun and great adventure to find out the sexual desires of another individual. And that’s what we do in the Leather and BDSM communities. We help people to explore and experience various different things so they can figure out exactly what turns them on. Because when you are turned on sexually, the sex between the individuals is so much more amazing! Almost everyone, if not everyone, has a fetish. Some are sexual in nature, some are not. A fetish is anything that gets you excited. And many people have fantasies about those fetishes. So
JUNE 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 39
when are you going to embrace those fantasies and fetishes and nourish the desire that is deep within you? Well, that’s kind of what happened 47 years ago in a bar in New York. Those people finally said enough is enough and they took to the streets and brought about a revolution of gay rights. However, the fight is not done. You know those kinky desires you have? Well, we still don’t have full rights to express and live those desires. We have made huge strides, but there is still more to do. Many of our brothers and sisters still can’t live openly about their kinky desire. W e are just now starting to discuss and embrace those who are born
one sex, but are actually another sex inside. These people are still unable to live their lives as the feel they are inside. There is so much more to be done in the fight for full and totally equal rights; including women’s rights, gay rights, lesbian rights, bisexual rights, and trans rights. We haven’t even scratched the surface about fetish rights, poly rights, and submissive rights. Each of us needs to help in whatever way possible to further the fight for full and total equal rights! So whoever you are, be proud. Be proud of who you are. Because you are one of a kind and THAT is something to be very proud of!! l
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Dear Mama, How do you deal with your family when they are being idiots? Wanting to be adopted We l l g o o d L o r d ! A l m o s t everyone has this problem. You just deal with them or ignore them. We do not get to pick our family, but we are stuck with them. Believe me, I have Eunice, Vinton, and Naomi.
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
This is why I drink beer occasionally. Just get the hell over it.
Dearest Mama, Do you have big vacation plans for the summer? Not Signed
Mama, What is the deal with all the rude drivers lately? Road Rage
Wake up and smell the coffee! I am an old lady on a fixed income. The only plans I have is the white sale at Niedermeyer’s in the Raytown Mall. Bubba bring me a beer!
It does seem like there are more of them. I tell you what it is. More and more people are so self-involved that they think they are the only person in the world. To fix this we need to start disciplining our children and or spanking the ungrateful brats. We also need to take away their damn cell phones. I am going to look into buying a tank to drive. Then we will see how rude people will be!
T
TAURUS (APRIL 21 - MAY 21) Although you may be on a tight budget, you may be tempted to spend on trifles and trinkets this summer. Queer Bulls feel the need to spoil not only themselves, but loved ones and pals. Do what makes your heart sing, but within reason. Small treats are not beyond possibilities, but first-class flights around the world will have to wait until you win the lottery. Optimism reigns!! GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUNE 21) You are a social powerhouse now, pink Twin. And that means that anything you need to do - whether launching a new pet project or meeting a particular person of influence or noodling into an especially important power group, can be achieved now. It may be easy or it may have challenges. But you are up for whatever life tosses at you. Get ready for a few hot buns! CANCER (JUNE 22 - JULY 23) Mystery is in the air, gay Crab. And that means that not only will you benefit by keeping your secrets to yourself, you can also learn a few tasty gossip tidbits by just listening closely. You will soon become the holder of all that is interesting and actionable. What will you do with all of this intelligence? Use it to take over the world! Heh, heh.
Well, you know that might be a good idea. I tell you what, I may do that in the next issue. I also know that this person calling themselves Chef is really Roselle Humplander from the Church Ladies League trying to get my recipe for Million Dollar Fudge. Well forget it chubs you’re not getting it!! But the recipe idea is good one! Thank you Wichita for all the support and questions. Have a great summer! l Have a question for Mama? E-mail MamaTHarper@aol.com.
tinyurl.com/herscopes
he summer is heating up and so are we during Pride Month. June brings Gemini energy to many areas of our life. So prepare to be very sociable, flirtatious and proud! Who knows where any of this can lead? Maybe astray? Oh, let’s hope so!
ARIES (MAR. 21 - APRIL 20) You seem to know just what to say to put others at ease and bring people together. This is a rare diplomatic moment so seize the day. Gay Rams are also especially intuitive now which means they can surmise a tense situation and defuse it. Do what you need to do to bring peace and calm between warring parties. Then you can really relax and enjoy the mellow vibe.
Hey Mama, I do not have a question but a suggestion. I think at the end of your column you should start putting a recipe for some dish
or dessert that you make. We all have heard what a great cook you are. I just thought this would be fun. Chef
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.
LEO (JULY 24 - AUG. 23) Surround yourself with good friends and happy company this June, proud Lion. You are not only very popular, you also know how to control the pride parade and lead them to your will and whim. So now that you have them where you want them, what will you really do? Try to be creative and productive. The things you accomplish now take you through the autumn. VIRGO (AUG. 24 - SEPT. 23) If you have been working hard, this may be the time to reap your corporate rewards. Queer Virgos are usually hard workers, but now you do not seem to waste any effort - all goes to a good gay cause and gets you noticed. Put your long-term plans into motion before your energy saps and you lose the momentum. Strike while the iron is hot and so are you. LIBRA (SEPT. 24 - OCT. 23) Take a trip around the world, proud Libra, even if your trip is around the block. You ache to see new vistas and experience adventurous places and people. If money or time is too tight to travel, expand your horizons any way you can. See a foreign film, eat at a new restaurant and mingle with a new exotic crowd. It will be refreshing and eye-opening . . . or is it popping? SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 22) Sexy queer Scorps know exactly the impact they have on others and are not afraid to use their charisma to get what they want. You sizzle and others are attracted to your flame. Okay, you have them. Then what? If you go out and get someone, be sure that you really want them. Otherwise you might be labeled a flirt. Perhaps that is enough now . . .
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SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 - DEC. 22) Get together with someone who is especially important to you and either chill out and relax or try to tackle some issue that is still unresolved. You can be especially charming when you want to be, gay Archer. So turn on your personal charm and see how far it can get you. You may get exactly what you want, but tit for tat is better in the long-term. Hmm it sure is! CAPRICORN (DEC. 23 - JAN. 20) You are able to not only be very efficient and productive, you can also enlist a lot of help from colleagues to tackle anything that you don’t or can’t do right now. You have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it all. Prioritize, focus and get to work. Be an industrious worker bee now, pink Cap. Then in the summer you can be the queen bee. AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 - FEB. 19) Aqueerians seem to be much more sociable than usual. And that is because there is, all of a sudden, many friendly and playful opportunities to get together and party down. Enjoy the festivities and see if you can add a bit of creative oomph into any event. Also find time to explore your artistic impulses through painting, dance or theater. Hmm what is your motivation? PISCES (FEB. 20 - MAR. 20) Family and home-based activities take precedence now, Guppie. So find any excuse to invite people over and enjoy your surroundings. And you might want to spruce up your home while you’re at it. Plan a family reunion where you can not only renew old ties, but also build more bridges. Will it be a kumbaya moment? Either that or a food fight.
(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.
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
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Hutchinson PFLAG starts new format in 3D
By Isabella Parker, staff reporter HUTCHINSON - The Hutchinson chapter of PFLAG has started a new program it’s calling PFLAG 3D. The idea is a twist on the “support group” format and stands for Dinner, Documentary, and Discussion. With different topics each month, there is always a fun reason to show up. It is still designed to provide services for any and all people associated with the LGBT+ community. The group meets once a month on the fourth Thursday, except for November and December. Each meeting starts with food, and once everyone’s comfortable, the topic of that month is presented. Different topics are addressed each month, ranging from trans education, coming out as teenagers and adults, LGBT history, and coming out. Discussion is open to anyone in the meeting, so long as the group maintains a feeling
of warmth, confidentiality, and open minds. Hutch PFLAG 3D Director Jon Powell noted that “parents are the most difficult to get involved,” so the 3D group makes it clear that parents are not only free to come, but encouraged to come. Several meetings are dedicated to how parents can handle children coming out, and how to maintain a comfortable home while learning to accept them. According to Powell, the PFLAG 3D organization’s first meeting was a tremendous hit. About 30 people attended, and by the end “everyone was in tears” because they were so moved by the discussion, Powell said. He hopes that this new format will become a supportive and educational trend that spreads to all PFLAG chapters. Look for next month’s topic in the ad in this month’s issue. l
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
JUNE 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 43
Lanna Allen - the Next Rung
Former firefighter continues journey, this time to law school By Grayson Barnes
WICHITA - Bright flowers greeted me as I walked up to Lanna Allen’s Craftsmanstyle rental. Those blossoms, however, were not nearly as sparkling as the smile that she met me with when she opened her door. I got “the tour” before we sat down to talk, as I hoped I might, since I was awed by the built-ins. They just don’t make them like this anymore. Allen, 34, has that same character. Recently, she was awarded a three-year scholarship to Washburn University to study law. It seems a natural jump for the woman who was Wichita’s first African-American female firefighter and who now works for the Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center (WASAC), but Allen downplays this by commending others for their support. About a year ago, Allen got involved with a number of community organizations through WASAC. One was the Wichita Urban Professionals. “I met Robert Moody and he brought this opportunity through the Wichita Bar Association,.” Allen explained “He really made the whole process less frightening. It gave me a chance to see if I had an aptitude for law.” After taking the entrance exam, she was given a scholarship and a Dean at Washburn increased the award by adding a stipend. This will allow Allen to concentrate on school for the first year because there is a possibility of an internship next summer. The internship is dependent on grades and performance. Allen is so excited that she doesn’t want to wait. There is homework already, too, due Aug. 22. “Yeah,” she laughed, “we have three briefs to prepare for the start of the semester!” Allen sees this move as an important next step in her career. Working for the Wichita Fire Department familiarized her with the idea of service to the community, but, after a few years, she felt mentally
and emotionally challenged. “I was there from 2007 to 2015 and only had about two and a half years before I was vested,” she said. “There was a lack of support and it was still sexist.
I didn’t want to wait to have a better quality of life.” While she sought the courage to step away, an opportunity came along with Landmark Forum Professional
Development Training. “My friends had told me about it and I did it and had a breakthrough career-wise. It made me think continued on page 44
PAGE 44 | LIBERTY PRESS | JUNE 2016 Allen continued from page 43
about leadership differently.” Her current position as LGBTQ and Correctional Outreach at WASAC lets Allen be both a leader and an advocate. She builds relationships with community organizations and adult detention facilities. “There is an epidemic of sexual assault and violence in prisons. My job is to help them understand their role and help them deal with this,” she said. “I respond to sexual assault cases, visit with victims, advocate. Prisons have to investigate claims and they don’t have to have happened recently. There is an audit process. Luckily standards are improving.” As an advocate, Allen has become passionate about vulnerable populations. She was searching for a way to do more and felt a law degree could definitely make that happen. Her spurs to action have been LGBTQ rights, the conditions of immigrants in detention, and sexual assault in the military or paramilitary organizations. “I can imagine what the last one might be like,” Allen added, “I didn’t expect to have my eyes opened to the need in Sedgwick County for someone Legislature continued from page 13
re-writing physician’s orders to use cheaper forms of medication and treatment methods, and only move to more expensive therapies if the first failed. This would have been devastating to people living with HIV. Equality Kansas worked with a number of healthcare advocates and providers to “carve out” exemptions in the final bill that will allow HIV patients to receive the medications as ordered by their doctors, without interference. Senate Bill 56, which Equality Kansas opposed, would have criminalized the teaching of material deemed “harmful to minors” in public schools. This presumably included books with LGBT-positive themes, authors, or characters. SB 56 died in the House Judiciary Committee after Equality Kansas presented the American Library Association’s list of 200 top “banned books,” which included children’s stories
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
to fight for LGBTQ rights.” This awakening is what draws her to the possibility of practicing in the area once she has her degree because, she scowled, “I am repulsed by the beliefs and policymaking locally.” Allen is looking forward to the next rung on her career ladder. Her excitement was palpable, as was her gratitude to those who are supporting her through this major change. “A lot of support has come from the Wichita Area Business Association (WABA), the Wichita Urban Professionals, and other local groups,” she said. “Certainly my contacts in the LGBTQ community: Tom Witt, Jackie Carter, Stephanie Mott. My co-workers have also been encouraging. They told me THIS is the only reason they would support me leaving! Now I need to find a place to live in Topeka. I think Stephanie will help me out.” With such an extraordinary change to look forward to, I asked Allen what she might say to someone else considering a big career move like this. She looked pensive for a few moments and said, “You can change ladders without going all the way back to the ground.” Spoken like a woman who knows how to climb. l such as Where’s Waldo? and James and the Giant Peach. We insisted the proponent of the bill, anti-LGBT Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook, provide a list of books that could be taught without having teachers thrown in jail. No such list was made available, and the committee chairman refused to let the bill proceed further. Finally, there were the “bathroom bills.” SB 513 and HB 2737 were identical bills introduced late in the session that would have outlawed trans* schoolchildren going to the correct bathroom. Both bills died at the end of the legislative session, but are likely to be reintroduced next year. We hope this legislative session is over, but we can’t count on it. Should the Kansas Supreme Court rule the current school finance system as unconstitutional, the legislature could be called back into session in July. Anything could happen. Stay tuned. l
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
JUNE 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 45
Mamma Mia! What a season!
JUN 15-19
JUN 29-JUL 3
JUL 13-17
JUL 27-31
AUG 10-21
316.265.3107 | mtwichita.org
DEFINITELY BROADWAY UNIQUELY WICHITA
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The Beacon Bit: A Youth Perspective By Phoenix Nesmith
S
o I finished watching Stonewall, you know, the one everyone boycotted because of its blatant erasure and whitewashing. Honestly, in some ways, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. But in others, it was much, much worse. Let me start off by saying that Stonewall is by no means an attempt at a historically accurate telling of the tale of the Stonewall Uprising. This movie is essentially a gay version of Titanic. It uses the events of Stonewall to create a cute story about this pretty little white cis gay boy named Danny who gets kicked out and has to move to New York City, where he’s all
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
The movie Stonewall
alone and scared, poor baby. But wait! There are OTHER GAYS and they know their way around the city! They take him in and show him the ropes, including pressuring him into doing sex work, which he is very clearly uncomfortable with and he does make it known to them that he is. The story is spun and the actual riots don’t start until literally over an hour and a half into the movie. This piece of trash is TWO HOURS LONG. TWO HOURS OF MY LIFE I WILL NEVER GET BACK. I’m not going to go into excruciating detail about the whole plot, because frankly I’m trying to forget it, but let’s just say that the start of the riot is
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not true to actual history at all. Brief history lesson: the Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in New York City in the 1960’s. At this time, there were bunches of anti-gay laws that made it completely legal for police to raid the bar whenever they wanted. Well, one night, there was a raid, and people got sick of it. One of the real heroes of Stonewall, the instigator that sent out the sparks that lit the fire, was a then-17 year old Puerto Rican trans woman named Sylvia Rivera. She, in the midst of chaos, threw an object (some say a shoe, others a brick, and still others a beer bottle) in the general direction of the cops, leading to the four-day-long uprising that launched gay liberation organizations across the country. Guess who is absolutely nowhere in the movie? That’s right, our girl Sylvia is not present anywhere in this nice little narrative. Instead, our precious, innocent little white cis gay boy Danny throws a brick into a window, throws his hands in the air, yells,
“GAY POWER!!” and singlehandedly starts the riots that changed the world forever. I don’t have to tell you that trans women don’t get a lot of media representation, nor do I have to point out that trans women of color get even less. But the worst part, THE VERY WORST PART, is that a line of text at the end of the movie declares it is dedicated to the “unsung heroes” of the Stonewall Riots. Oh yeah? “Unsung heroes” like the ones you completely forgot to mention despite the fact that they were crucial to the riots themselves and the movement that blossomed in their wake? The director of the movie claims that he didn’t just make it for queer folks. He wanted it to be for cis hets too, so obviously that means taking out those gaudy, unsettling trans ladies that ended up leaving lasting impacts on the world. I think it’s about time that we appreciate the efforts of all members of the LGBTQ community, not just those deemed desirable by a cisheteronormative society. l
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
What’s New at
B
ook review: Journey To Same-Sex Parenthood by Eric Rosswood. This book offers first-hand advice, tips and stories from gay couples. Same-sex couples are faced with many different options when choosing to have children today. In this book the activist and father guides and helps prospective LGBT parents
?
to explore five popular options: adoption, foster care, assisted reproduction, surrogacy, and coparenting. Drop by our library at The Center and look in the Gay Parents section. Starting in June we are launching our newest program, Stay Connected. This program is designed for those who have graduated from high school. This is a sister program to Wichita State’s Spectrum, where young adults can have another option for gathering that is not in a school environment. All young adults ages 17-25 are welcome. If you are interested, please contact The Center. The Center of Wichita Inc. is wholly funded by fundraising and charitable contributions. Please help support your local LGBT Center by making a tax-exempt donation. Learn more about us at www.TheCenterOfWichita. org. l
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HAPPY PRIDE! GOD loves
YOU
exactly
the way you are! ToH June Events Junk for Jesus Sale All Day Rummage Sale Saturday, June 4th 7:00AM - 3:00PM
5923 N East Parkview St, Park City KS
Nikki Moddelmog in Concert Friday, June 24th Dinner @6:00PM Show @ 7:00PM Sedgwick County Park, Shelter #4 Meaningful. Empowering. Worship. 10:30AM Sundays
New Service Time!
156 S Kansas St. In Wichita
www.GodLovesYouPeriod.com
PAGE 48 | LIBERTY PRESS | JUNE 2016 Trans continued from page 37
One of the ways I like to explore what some things means is to also explore what it doesn’t mean. Being transgender does not mean I am bad, sick, sinful, confused, or disordered. Being transgender does not mean I am a lesser human being. Being transgender does not mean I should have to deny my truth, in order to make someone else feel comfortable. Being TGNC does not mean I should have to choose between Box F and Box M. If you get rid of the boxes, the whole wide sky opens up. Who you are does not have to conform to anyone’s idea of who you should be. That, my friend, is freedom.
Bars continued from page 23
we’re drawn to leather bars. We like that kind of environment,“ Joshua Pfister, co-owner of Club Boomerang, said. “We got a lot of feedback from the leather group here in Wichita and they gave us ideas on decorations.” With thick concrete walls and a sound system of its own, the activities of the main club won’t invade into The Back Room. It’s open 5pm-midnight Sunday-Tuesday and 5pm-2am Wednesday-Saturday. There’s no cover charge. With specialty drinks, food,
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
That is authenticity. That is the most powerful act of self-love any human being can own. Be yourself. If you are TGNC, or love someone who is TGNC, or just care about human dignity and justice; it means we fight for the day when everyone can experience the unrestricted freedom to live their gender authentically. What does it mean to be TGNC? Whatever we say it means. 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.
a TV, billiards and darts, the owners say the feedback they have received during the month The Back Room has been open has been wonderful. The space can also be reserved for private parties. Rocky’s neighborhood bar, 604 S. Topeka, opened last month to a packed house, however owner Rocky Cornelson, a long-time bartender at The Store, was unable to be reached for comment. l
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The Back Room serves the growing leather community.
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
The whacky & whip-smart news quiz. Saturdays & Sundays | 10 am
Storytelling, with a beat. Saturdays | 1 pm
A journey through fascinating ideas. Sundays | 2 pm
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WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
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Celebrate PRIDE club Every Day!
PAGE 52 | LIBERTY PRESS | JUNE 2016
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Boomer a ng
1400 E 1st Street
www.ClubBoomerang.com
SUNDAY monday Club Hours: 5 - 12 Back Room Hours: Closed
Zipper Karaoke 5:00PM - 9:00PM $2 Wells and Domestics until 8 Sunday Funday Open talent show 10:00PM - Midnight HOsted by Candice Michelle And Aurora Van De Kamp
Be in the show! Sign up by 9:30PM
Thursday Club Hours: 8 - 2 Back Room Hours: Closed
Hosted by:
Divinity Masters
$4 Tuaca
Club Hours: Closed Back Room Hours: 5 - 12
BOGO Burgers
Buy a hamburger
Get one free!
$5 White Russian $3 Skyy
Tuesday
Club Hours: Closed Back Room Hours: 5 - 12
TACO TUESDAY! $.50 Tacos
$5 1-Topping PIZZA $5 Sex on the Beach $9 Domestic Buckets Womyn’s Wednesdays 8:00PM - 2:00AM
$3 margarita $3 jose quervo
Feat. Bartender Meagen!
FRIDAY
Saturday
Club Hours: 8 - 2 Back Room Hours: 5 - 2
Club Hours: 8-2 Back Room Hours: 5 - 2
EVENT NIGHT!
THe Boomerang Boys & Babes Starting at 11
Different Events Every Week
Friday, June 17th 10:00PM
Jamie Rae Downes
Friday, June 24th And EVERY FOURTH FRIDAY
Show starts at 10:30
Club Hours: 8-2 Back Room Hours: 5 - 12
in the club
Hosted by:
Open Cast Sign up at 9:30
Wednesday
LAUGH YOUR WIG OFF STAND-UP COMEDY SHOW 10:00PM - $4 Tickets
$5 Long Island $4 Stella Draft LIVE DJ Starting at 10 DANCE YOUR ASS OFF!