Liberty Press October 2016

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JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 2016-2017 PERFORMING ARTS SERIES

AN EVENING WITH GARRISON KEILLOR 8 p.m. Friday, October 21

jccc.edu/TheSeries 913-469-4445 NO ONLINE FEES FREE PARKING WINE & BEER AVAILABLE

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Liberty Press

Inside:

Volume 23, No. 2 • Editor: Kristi Parker • Contributors: Nolin Christensen, John Dalton-White, Greg Fox, Charlene Lichtenstein, Mama, Dr. Robert N. Minor, Stephanie Mott • Staff Reporters: Grayson Barnes, Emily Beckman, Annette Hope Billings, Blake Hampton, Isabella Parker, Trevor Reichle, Ciara Reid, Jeromiah Taylor • Contributing Photographers: Lindsey Byrnes • Cover Design: Troy Dilport • Graphic Designer: Troy Dilport • Webmaster: Ren Autrey • Publisher: Liberty Press, LLC • Printer: Valley Offset Printing

KANSAS NEWS........................8 MAMA KNOWS BEST............16 OUT IN THE STARS...............16 NATIONAL NEWS..................20 TRANS-FORMATIVE...............21 WHAT'S NEW AT THE CENTER?...............................21 MINOR DETAILS....................22 BRIDGES................................24 LEATHER LIFE.......................27 KYLE'S BED & BREAKFAST...27 AROUND KANSAS.................28 ON THE COVER: Party & Play: Meth in the Gay Community............................15 Tallgrass Film Festival..............18 Tegan and Sara..........................23

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OP/ED

A Monthly Collection of Opinions and Editorials.

The opinions represented here do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Liberty Press. We reserve the right to edit and cut submissions for space and grammatical content.

Send your letters and feedback to editor@libertypress.net.

Letters Thank You from Wichita Pride

Dear editor: Wichita Pride Inc. would like to thank all those individuals and organizations who participated in the past month’s Wichita Pride Festival.

We would like to thank our festival sponsors, Cargill, T-Mobile, AARP-Kansas, Equality Kansas, Patricia’s, Wichita NOW, and the Miranda Allen Campaign. It is because of these corporate sponsors that we can have a pride festival.

Everyone please thank them and show your support whenever possible.

To all the vendors!! We had a record number of vendors who participated this year and we would like to thank each of them: AARP – Kansas, Miranda Allen for Congress, Beauty of Life, Bike Walk Wichita, Xclusive, Big Sky Rentals, Cargill, Gabriel Costilla for State Senate, Equality Kansas, Everytown for Gun Safety, Dan Giroux for Congress, GLSEN, Hormel Foods, Hunter Health Clinic, The Kamayan Truck, Kansas Academy of Family Physicians, Kansas City Anti-Violence, K-STEP, Kansas University Medical Center, PFLAG–Hutchinson, PFLAG–Wichita, PLAGAL, Positive Directions, Protection 1, Renewal by Andersen, Sprint, Stewie’s Got Pride, Table of Hope MCC, The Center of Wichita, T-Mobile, Unity of Wichita, Trust Women, Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center,

Corrections In the September 2016 edition, in an article entitled “Students, faculty to celebrate 40 years of LGBT groups at WSU,” the article lists Robert Teutsch as former president of Spectrum, when he actually served as a copresident. We sincerely regret the error.

Wichita Bears, Wichita NOW, Wichita Police, Wichita Pride, Wichita Screen Printing, WSU – NAMI, WSU Spectrum, WiTCoN, WOOLF, and YWCA Women’s Crisis Center.

Thank you to all the people who showed your pride and your support to the GLBTQ community by marching in the parade: AARP–Kansas, Cargill, Club Boomerang, Cox Communications, Dan Giroux for Congress, Equality Kansas, Everytown for Gun Safety, Gabriel Costilla for State Senate, GLSEN, Miranda Allen for Congress, Miss Gay Wichita, Patricia’s, PFLAG–Wichita, Pine Valley Christian Church, Pipster Views, Rocky’s, Table of Hope MCC, The Center of Wichita, T-Mobile, Trust Women, Wichita Bears, Wichita NOW, Wichita Prime Timers, Wichita Two-Spirit Society, WiTCoN, WOOLF, and WSU Spectrum.

Special thank you to Patricia’s.

You have supported pride for many years. Your contributions to Bitchy Bingo the past year was greatly appreciated.

Everyone LOVED the “fun” gifts! To Club Boomerang, thank you for the support and the use of equipment. You always go above and beyond to help this community.

To our entertainers who are too numerous to list individually.

To each of you, thank you for taking the time to come perform for the attendees. Extra thank you to our headliners: Mykul Jay Valentine and Women Without Purses.

To those individuals who came and volunteered, we could not have an event without you.

Thank you for your time and help.

To April at the Mid-America All-Indian Center thank you for your patience and help. To the Wichita Police Department: Sgt. O’Brian, Sgt. Rusco, Sgt. Brunscheen and the officers who helped patrol the festival and parade, THANK YOU!!

We hope to see all of you there again next year.

Wichita Pride Inc. Board

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Kansas News

Skeen

Wichita Bears’ La Cage to benefit the Wichita Children’s Home

Trust Women Foundation receives $100,000 grant

WICHITA - The Wichita Bears recently announced its upcoming drag show, “La Cage Broadway Divas - South Broadway, that is!” on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7pm. This year’s venue is Club Inferno, located at 1544 S. Ida. Admission is $7 at the door or $5 with a children’s picture book.

All tip proceeds will go directly to the beneficiary.

Be prepared to see hirsute men doing their best impressions to songs made famous by Broadway divas and songs that the divas of South Broadway may present.

WICHITA - Trust Women Foundation announced it is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in New York.

Trust Women, a leading pro-choice and reproductive rights organization based in Wichita, will use the grant for direct services. Trust Women operates Trust Women South Wind Women’s Center Wichita, which opened in 2013, and Trust Women South Wind Women’s Center Oklahoma City, which opened just recently.

“This grant will help us directly fulfill our mission — to open clinics that provide abortion care in underserved communities so that all women can make their own decisions about their health care,” Julie A. Burkhart, the founder and CEO of Trust Women, said.

“Oklahoma City had been without an abortion provider since 2014. Our clinic there, like our clinic in Wichita, will offer reproductive health care as well as transgender health care.

The clinic will offer abortion care up to the full legal limit of 21.6 weeks since last menstrual period.”

Arnold Babel, president of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, said the congregation supports Trust Women’s mission.

“This congregation has been blessed with resources that enable us to support projects that put our Unitarian Universalist

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

principles into practice in the world,” he said. “UUs have a longstanding commitment to equality for women, which certainly includes access to women’s health care. We’re pleased to be able to help ensure that women in Kansas and Oklahoma continue to have access to a full range of reproductive health services.”

Anita Skeen author talk and signing WICHITA - Watermark Books & Cafe will host poet Anita Skeen for a reading and signing of The Unauthorized Audubon on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 6pm. Skeen is professor in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) at Michigan State University, where she is the arts coordinator and director of the RCAH Center for Poetry.

Skeen taught in the MFA program at Wichita State University where she received the Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 1987, as a member of the board of directors of the Kansas Humanities Council, she helped create “ Ta l k i n g a b o u t Literature in Kansas Libraries,“ a reading and discussion program.

The Unauthorized Audubon (2014) is a collection of poems about imaginary birds accompanied by the linocuts of anthropologist/ visual artist Laura B. DeLind. l

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Windmeyer to speak on leadership, respect at Wichita State

By Trevor Reichle

WICHITA - As any LGBT person knows, having allies – even those who are the most unexpected – is a crucial part of self-acceptance and confidence.

For Shane Windmeyer, that unexpected friendship came in the form of Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-Fil-A, a company whose values and operations have been regarded as “right-wing” or “anti-LGBT.”

Windmeyer will be speaking on the meaning of that relationship and the importance of leadership, respect and civility at 6pm on Oct. 12 at Wichita State University’s Hubbard Hall in room 208.

Windmeyer is the creator of CampusPrideIndex.org, a national service that rates colleges and universities on a five-star scaled based on how LGBT-friendly they are.

Beatrice Béatrice

WSU Schools of Music and Performing Arts present

et

Benedict

An Opera Theatre Presentation

Sung in French with English dialogue and titles Rated G

7:30 p.m., October 13-15

2 p.m., October 16

Miller Concert Hall, Duerksen Fine Arts Center, WSU Main Campus

Free for WSU students General public tickets: $20, $18 and $10

• By Hector Berlioz, based on “Much Ado About Nothing” by Shakespeare

For more information, call (316) 978-3233 or visit wichita.edu/fineartsboxoffice

According to the website, Wichita State University has a three-star rating, while Kansas State gets four-and-a-half stars.

The University of Kansas and Emporia State both receive twoand-a-half stars.

The ratings are based on a variety of factors, including the inclusion of LGBT people in institutional policies, counseling availability, recruitment and retention efforts, campus safety, housing and residence and more.

Windmeyer is also the author of The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students, the first college guide to analyze colleges and universities based on their LGBT-friendliness.

Wi n d m e y e r, a K a n s a s

native raised in Hiawatha, is an Emporia State graduate, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Communication there before graduating with his Master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University. He currently lives in Charlotte, NC with his husband Thomas Feldman, who, after 20 years together, he finally married in 2015.

Tickets are $5 for community members and free for WSU students when they bring their student ID. Tickets are available in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in room 208 of the Rhatigan Student Center and will also be available at the door prior to the event. l

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Allen appears as moderate option in Senate race

By Trevor Reichle K I O WA - M o r e t h a n t h e traditional two parties are being represented this year in the Senate race in Kansas’ Fourth District. Miranda Allen, a businesswoman and previous Republican candidate for the district in 2012, is running again – this time as an independent.

Allen, whose campaign slogan promises “Common Ground for Kansas,” made the decision to run as an independent this year after seeing how

successful Greg Orman’s 2014 independent run was in the state.

While Orman did not win the election, his independent bid garnered enough support to win nearly 43% of the vote that year against incumbent Republican Pat Roberts’ 53%.

It wasn’t just Orman’s success at gaining traction, however, that pushed Allen to make the decision to switch. After a period of being convinced that independents just shouldn’t run, Allen made the decision that it was time to shake up the traditional system, as “both parties act in their own interests,” Allen said.

“I’ve really seen how the two-party system in and of itself is the issue,” Allen said.

“They fight against each other for their own survival and they really aren’t concerned with you and I, the voter. We all need to be represented, and we’re not right now. Our voices need to be heard.”

A look at Allen’s stances on issues reads very middle-of-theroad, voicing support for LGBT rights and equal pay while also defending the right to bear arms and wanting to invest in small businesses and agribusiness.

Allen is a Kiowa businesswoman, serving as the CEO of Radiofrequency Safety International in Barber County since 2008. She is also the founder of Project Pink, a non-profit organization aimed at “helping struggling pregnant women sharpen their skills to be more independent and selfsufficient,” according to her website.

“People are fed up with politics as usual, politicians that say one thing and do something completely different and also with the gridlock – the continual ‘kicking the problem down the road’ just so we can have some divisiveness between the two parties and then we never get implementation or a solution,” Allen said. “I think people in general want more moderation. If you look at [the fourth district], 34 percent are unaffiliated voters.”

A big component of Allen’s campaign, it seems, has been freedom of choice in all areas.

For her supporters, this has appeared as a primary reason for casting their vote for her.

“I’m glad that as a society, we’re becoming more nond i s c r i m i n a t o r y, b u t o u r legislators have to get in the 21st century. I’m a very big advocate for opportunity and choice. It’s your choice, it’s my choice,” Allen said. “Whether that be on women’s issues, marriage equality, whether that’s the racial divisions that we see. It’s about everyone being treated equal and having accessibility to opportunities.

“Many times I think that we’re fighting different issues, but when we start to come together – I’ve seen this with the [pro-choice] community we actually have a lot of the same equality requirements. I think we’re all fighting just to be heard and to have our voices be heard in a way that’s nondiscriminatory.” l

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TransKansas IV conference informative and affirming for attendees

By Grayson Barnes TOPEKA - The TransKansas IV conference took place on Aug. 26-27 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka. Presented by the Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project (K-STEP), TransKansas explores topics that affect the lives of transgender, gender non-conforming, nonbinary people, their families, their employers, and their allies.

Breakout sessions at the conference included ones on non-binary people, updates on transgender law, parenting transgender children, racism and trans-prejudice, and mental health, to name a few. There were also discussion forums for transgender and non-conforming people, their families, allies and associates. Many of the sessions were eligible for continuing education credit.

In “The Letter,” psychiatrist Hiten Soni, MD, of Interpersonal Psychiatry in Lawrence, talked about the need that transgender people have to, in many states, secure letters from mental health and medical providers in order to “prove” that they are transgender. This proof is often necessary in order to obtain hormone treatment, gender confirmation surgery (GCS), and, also to change gender markers on official paperwork.

Currently, Kansas will not allow anyone to change their marker on a birth certificate.

Dr. Soni talked about the steps for getting a letter, but also fiercely questioned, that since those desiring general cosmetic surgery or mental health care for issues other than gender dysphoria don’t need letters, why should transgender people?

“It is an insult to a person’s sovereignty that you do not have control over your life,” he said. “That letter is for the SURGEON’S mental health and because of systemic bigotry.”

He concluded that this is an institutional problem and needs to be fought wholeheartedly in order for change to happen.

Stephanie Mott, the President/ Executive Director of K-STEP, gave her story about how she came to “live authentically” in her session, “Words That Work.”

Her delivery was peppered with

humor and a very particular way of reframing the transgender journey by using very specific language. Mott used the phrase “beginning to live authentically” as opposed to “transitioning,” because it removes the image of a transgender person having once been the opposite gender.

She says people need to think of “trans people as always having been the gender they ARE -their BODY just has to catch up.”

Mott also avoids using FTM (female to male) or MTF (male to female) for the same reasons. Avoiding phrases like “LGBTQ issues,” is also important, because it sounds like LGBTQ people are the problem, not society. Instead, Mott opts for substituting “issues faced by LGBTQ people.”

John “Hawk” Co-Cké/WaKo-Sa-Moie (lady who travels) spoke on the “History, Mystery and Pride of our Two-Spirit People.” John/Wako is the Prevention Specialist for the Suicide and Substance Abuse Incentive at the MuscogeeCreek Nation Behavioral Health in Okmulgee, OK. He/She shared that many Native American tribes have an acceptance of more than two genders. Being other than simply male or female was also associated with magical power. Acceptance by one’s tribespeople was a given. Those outside the binary were referred to as “Two-Spirits,” since they embodied both masculinity and femininity. Wako/John told stories of male-bodied women who were warriors and healers and female-bodied men who shared their skills and gifts with their people.

Alyssa Bryant is Tulsa’s only openly transgender lawyer.

In “The Protections Afforded Transgender Americans by Title VII and Title IX,” Bryant reviewed a number of cases that have paved the way for changes that will, hopefully, solidify support for transgender inclusion and protection. The beginning was not favorable, since the sticking point was the wording in both Title VII and Title IX, which states “sex” and not “gender.” Although a number of circuit courts have ruled that

“sex” is NOT indicative of “gender,” some newer cases at higher levels have started to affirm otherwise.

The current agreement about Title IX, is that it does protect transgender students and many schools are working to make sure they are in alignment with this understanding, because it can affect their funding. Bryant said that an excellent example of how to do this is the Tulsa School District. She was part of the group that developed the district’s policies supporting transgender students.

The “Trans-Masculine Forum,” which was an opportunity for people to ask questions and share information of interest to transmen. Participants ranged from those still questioning their gender to men who had been living authentically for some time. There were also attendees who were simply interested in what transmen might have to say about life, love, health needs, and other concerns.

John "Hawk" Co-Cke

There was no moderator, but after introductions, everybody joined in and took part in the discussion. l

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Experience the cult phenomenon, Rocky Horror, live on stage

By John Dalton-White WICHITA - WSR Signature Theatre is thrilled to present the original stage version of Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show, the musical that inspired the iconic 1975 film, live on stage for seven performances, Oct. 21-23 and Oct. 28-31.

Performances will begin at 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 7pm on Sundays and 11:59pm on Oct. 31 and will be held at the Wichita Scottish Rite, 332 E. 1st St. Due to building policy, outside props will not be permitted. An approved prop bag will be available to purchase before the show for a minimal fee.

Directing The Rocky Horror Show is Deb Campbell.

Campbell serves as the Artistic Director at Signature Theatre and is well known to Wichita audiences for her work on shows such as the annual production of 1776, Urinetown and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Susan Cato Hearn serves as Music Director. Hearn has a vast theatre and music career in the South Central Kansas region. She teaches music at Southwestern College in Winfield and is the soprano soloist for the Plymouth Congregational Church.

Choreographing the production is Molly Tully, who audiences will remember from her work on Our Town, Steel Magnolias and numerous Mosley Street melodramas.

John Dalton-White is the Stage

Manager.

The Rocky Horror cast includes: Shane Schrag as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Solomon Dold as Rocky, Sam Warner as Riff Raff, Shannon McMillan as Magenta, Ryan Schafer as Brad, Amanda Huehl-Phillips as Janet, Abri Geist-Dennis as Eddie, Tully as Columbia, Dan E. Campbell as Dr. Scott and Teri Mott as the Narrator.

Other cast members are Rachel Crook, Josie JenkinsStankiewicz, Christy Campbell, Sean Gestl, Sydney Anderson, Gabbe Meloccano, Mikaela Celine, Emma Navarro, Jewell Martinez, Paul Savage and Scott Oppegard.

Tickets for The Rocky Horror Show are available at Wichita Select-a-Seat or are available at the door and will range from $10-$18. l *PLEASE NOTE: This show contains mature subject matter including explicit language, sexual references, and implied violence, and is recommended for adult audiences only.

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

Documentary to premiere on National Coming Out Day

WICHITA - This year’s National Coming Out Day will see the world premiere of Out Here In Kansas, a documentary exploring the relationship between Christians and the gay community. The premiere will be on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at Roxy’s Downtown, 422 ½ E. Douglas. Doors will open at 6pm for those who would like to order dinner and drinks. A social hour begins at 6:30pm and the half-hour documentary will be shown at 7:30pm, followed by a filmmakers Q&A around 8pm. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.

Out Here in Kansas is based on a pair of news articles, published 14 years apart by longtime journalist Adam Knapp, who directed the film. It centers around three people: • Burt Humburg, a fundamentalist Christian who realized he was gay as he was winding up his career as an All-American football player.

• Joe Wright, Humburg and Knapp’s former pastor, who was instrumental in making gay marriage illegal in Kansas.

• Adam Knapp himself, who felt God put him in a unique position to seek answers from the polar opposites and tell their story.

Knapp arranged for Humburg and Wright to have a discussion.

It was the first time they’d interacted in nearly 20 years.

In the meantime, Knapp unexpectedly became part of the story.

O u t H e re I n K a n s a s will appear in the Kansas International Film Festival Nov. 4-10 in Overland Park. For more information, or to see the trailer, visit OutHereInKansas.com.

About the director Adam Knapp has been a journalist his entire adult life and has worked in all mediums of news: print, television, radio and online. He won three national sports-writing awards for the Wichita Eagle and has covered more than 300 Wichita State basketball games.

He also created, edited and eventually sold a newspaper in Andover. His first attempt at screenwriting, a dark comedy called Cinderella Boy, advanced to the worldwide quarterfinals of Final Draft’s Big Break contest. Out Here In Kansas is the first film he’s directed. l

Editor/DP Kenneth Linn (left) and Director Adam Knapp on set at the Equality House.

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. OCTOBER 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 15

| By Jeromiah Taylor Party and play (PAR-tee and play) verb. gayspeak word used in reference to getting high on methamphetamine and having sex.

A

fter Martin Sultzman’s close friend shot himself in the head while high on meth, the 34 year old addict had a lot to think about.

“He got so high that he blew his brains out,” Sultzman said. “It’s unfortunate that it took something as drastic as that to happen before it made me wake up, but it made me wake up.”

Over an ironically youthful repast of an M&M cookie and lemonade, Sultzman, now recovered, shares his sliver of a much larger story: that of meth use in the gay community.

In the past 15 years meth has achieved great prominence in the gay community, the largest consumer of “party drugs.”

Meth use is a mainstay of bar culture and an integral part of rural communities, although its popularity has spread even into affluent suburbs.

In Wichita, meth is a serious threat to the safety of the gay community.

Kayla Del Rio, a family nurse practitioner at KU Wichita Medical Practice Association, has experience with meth use in her at-risk community. Del Rio’s practice specializes in Hepatitis C, HIV, and transgender care.

Although it is not routine to drug test patients without their consent Del Rio knows that meth use is a grave reality in the community.

“It may be more significant than we know,” Del Rio said. “Most methamphetamine users tend to be MSM [men who have sex with men].”

There is a startling intersection between HIV infection and methamphetamine use.

Sultzman’s catastrophic journey began with his HIV contraction.

“I had tested positive because my ex was out cheating so that’s how I ended up contracting it,” Sultzman said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know what to do. I was just lost.”

The stress of diagnosis led to Sultzman’s involvement with meth use.

“I had some friends [who] smoked meth and so my thing was at that point, because I was so vulnerable … I thought it was time for me to try something I [hadn’t] tried before,” Sultzman said. “I started using and it was a different world … it was something that made me feel different than I normally felt.”

In Sultzman’s case HIV led to meth use, but often times it is the other way around.

One of meth’s affects is strong sexual

arousal. In addition, the drug significantly impairs impulse control because of its effects on the brain.

These factors lead to high risk sexual behaviors which increase HIV contraction. “[When you’re on meth] all you want to do is have sex and that’s it,” Sultzman said.

“Because it makes you horny, and of course people who are on it are not thinking about protecting themselves.”

Del Rio has heard firsthand about the connection between HIV and meth use.

“I have been told by patients that there are methamphetamine parties where participants inject or inhale meth, then ‘hook-up’ which not only increases the chances of STI’s [sexually transmitted infections] and promiscuity, it increases addiction to all those who are bringing others to these parties,” Del Rio said.

“Bath houses and prostitution appear to be a concern in our community and drugs play a big role in these situations.”

Meth appeals specifically to gay people for other reasons as well.

“I think that with being gay you’ve had so many people in your life tell you that what you’re doing is a sin or this is not right,” Sultzman said. “And what does meth do?

Meth makes you feel good. You don’t have to worry about meth telling you you’re stupid for being gay. I think that’s one of the things we steer towards because it’s an outlet that makes us feel really good but we don’t realize the side effects.”

Studies show that meth aids in “cognitive escapism” or the ability to mentally remove

yourself from unpleasant realities.

Systemic oppression, such as that faced

by LGBT people, lends itself to addiction and self-medication.

Not only is meth a unique demographic challenge that worsens HIV in the gay community it causes countless other problems that affect individuals and the community.

Meth addiction, like all addiction, erodes the addict and inevitably culminates in tragedy.

“Meth drives people to do things, that prior to being an addict, they would never imagine doing,” Del Rio said. “It leads to poor lifestyle decisions such as prostitution, stealing, and at times homelessness to support the habit.”

The addiction alters personalities and changes lives.

“It does seem that users become engulfed by the addiction, losing things that may have once been of great value,” Del Rio said. “I have seen relationships fall apart, patients become homeless, loss of hygiene, and other destructive behaviors.”

Sultzman relates to the power of meth as well.

“There’s nothing healthy about this drug,” Sultzman said. “People are stupid on it; people don’t think when they are on it.”

Sultzman says he withdrew from his family and became a shadow of his former self.

“I’m such a people person,” Sultzman said. “[But] I didn’t want to be around people because I didn’t want them to see me in that state because I didn’t look like Martin. I looked like I was a junkie because I was so into it and I needed it and I had it.”

Meth’s influence over individuals is deeply entwined with its role in the community. continued on page 24

PAGE 16 | LIBERTY PRESS | OCTOBER 2016

Who the hell cares?! I have more important things to worry about than some overpaid actor’s life! Like, who is going to run this country! God help us all.

Where is a good hairdresser when you need one!

Dear Mama, Are you going to watch the Presidential debates with the rest of America? Wondering I do not believe I will. I am not fond of clowns, so I will just sit this one out. Do not bring in the clowns bring in the beer.

Mama, Did you hear Brad and Angelina are getting a divorce?

No life

Mama, What do you think about George H.W. Bush saying he is going to vote for Hillary this election? Not signed Nothing surprises this old widowed woman anymore.

Anything is possible. I guess Mr. Bush likes good hair and that is why he’s voting for the lady. Also, the other person is a jackass - plain and simple!

E

xpect an October full of shocks and surprises. Rocky retrograde Uranus opposes Mercury and Sun in Libra and squares Mars in Capricorn. Life will certainly not be boring. So hold onto your goody bag and be prepared for a rather big BOO!

ARIES (MAR. 21 - APRIL 20) Relationships may have their ups and downs now and that means that you will be given a rare chance to either change things dramatically or end things definitively. But could this create repercussions in your career? Proud Rams who mix business with pleasure could get bitten on the butt. But I think some of you like it that way.

TAURUS (APRIL 21 - MAY 21) Try to get yourself in shape or make some important changes to your health regime now. And don’t rely on your gut to guide you. Your instincts on what is expected from you on the job may be off kilter.

Even a big escape from all of the stress may not bring the relief you hope. What is a gay Bull to do? How about a staycation full of assorted tricks and treats?

GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUNE 21) Pink Twins will learn to juggle deeply satisfying friendships with hot and sexy lovers now. Maybe these two types of relationships will mix up where certain friends become more like bosom buddies.

It is all to you to decide what and who you want. But why further complicate your life when it is already a maze of intrigue and lively passions? Why not??

CANCER (JUNE 22 - JULY 23) Things have been heating up at the office and gay Crabs may be feeling steamed and cooked. But any upheavals in your career will be tempered by happier moments at home and even within certain relationships now. In fact you may be able to divert your stressful attention on all of the political maneuverings at work with stress-reducing maneuverings at home. Ahem.

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

Dear Mama, I have a co-worker that is never happy, always in a bad mood and nothing is ever their fault. They are bringing down the rest of the group. Do you have any ideas how to make the situation better? Miserable at work

1-2 bay leaves 2 tsp. sugar 1 tbs. paprika 1 tbs. ground allspice or cloves 6 carrots, pared and quartered 1 lb. small white onions, peeled 6 stalks celery 2 tbs. flour salt and pepper to taste

Oh, I am familiar with this type of person. I have one of these people in my family. Unless your co-worker quits or gets let go, you’re stuck. Look at it this way, at least you only have to deal with it during your shift. I have to deal with my family member the rest of my life. Lord, help! I wish Eunice would just move to New Jersey! Vinton, bring me a beer.

In Dutch oven, thoroughly brown meat in hot shortening, turning often. Add two cups hot water and the next nine ingredients. Cover; simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove bay leaves. Add vegetables. Cover and cook 3045 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

In a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and flour until smooth. Stir slowly into stew.

Cook and stir until bubbly, about three minutes.

Here is another great recipe from my kitchen:

Mama’s Beef Stew 2-3 lbs. beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 tbs. shortening 2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 large onion, sliced

LEO (JULY 24 - AUG. 23) Say what you need to say and let the buffalo chips fall where they may, proud Lion. There are events that are totally out of your control that can wreak havoc on your best laid plans, especially if they involve any type of travel - for business or vacation. But if you remain flexible, you will deftly glide through any mine fields. Hmm, how flexible can you really be?

VIRGO (AUG. 24 - SEPT. 23) It will be hard to be practical and thrifty now, queer Virgo, while there are so many wild and exciting things and people to do. The constant out-flowing of cash goes against all of your best efforts and can make you a little nervous. Don’t fight it too much, but do your best to ride the waves of need and greed. Maybe you will find a well-endowed benefactor to take the edge off. Ouch!!

LIBRA (SEPT. 24 - OCT. 23) You are pushed out into the limelight whether you are ready or not. And there is a great chance, proud Libra, that you will not be quite ready for your close-up.

Never mind! In this world of 15-minute fame anything that happens now may spark up, but then it will slowly simmer down again. You will see that the world has a short memory . . . thank goodness!

SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 22) Don’t rely on your intuition to guide you now, queer Scorp. Even though you are acutely strategic and prescient, you may be off-base in your assumptions, especially at work. Keep cool, calm and collected while inside you may be a burning cauldron of apprehension. All of this will pass and you will retain your reputation for being cool while very hot.

Thanks for the questions, Kansas! Keep them coming.

Come see me Oct. 15 (Saturday) at Club Inferno for the Wichita Bears La Cage Show. l Have a question for Mama? E-mail MamaTHarper@aol.com.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 - DEC. 22) Friends and acquaintances may get into your act now, gay Archer. The good times not only rock and roll, they mosh and break dance. This could be a grand time for all if everyone pays their own expenses. But if this bill of excessive fun constantly lands in your lap you may have to speak up . . . diplomatically. Can you do that? I guess we will have to see.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 23 - JAN. 20) What are your long-term plans, pink Cap? Where do you see yourself headed?

All bets could be off now as your professional plans could be in for a massive readjustment. What you are expecting may not come to pass. What you would never expect could be right around the corner. Then what? Be flexible, optimistic and strategic. Life will not be dull.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 - FEB. 19) There are many things going on in the background that may prove to be surprising or life-changing. And maybe you need to be a little secretive and conniving yourself, Aqueerius. Some great ideas will filter back to you from some faraway source and you can use this information to spread your own potent personal message. The world will be at your feet. Don’t trip.

PISCES (FEB. 20 - MAR. 20) Plan some festive get-togethers with pals now, Guppie. Not only will some of these relationships become more intense, you might find that one friend in particular can become especially close to you. Pool your resources, but keep an eye on the bottom line and stay within your budget. You can win big, but also lose big monetarily. Ah but what a way to go!

(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. OCTOBER 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 17

PAGE 18 | LIBERTY PRESS | OCTOBER 2016

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

14th annual Tallgrass Film Festival to feature four LGBT films Closet Monster

By Ciara Reid, staff reporter WICHITA - The 14th annual Tallgrass Film Festival, scheduled for Oct. 12-16, will feature more than 190 independent films from 33 countries around the world, including four films in the LGBT category. The festival will also host a special viewing of the cult hit Welcome to the Dollhouse on Sunday, Oct. 16. The event will feature a conversation with the film’s star, actress Heather Matarazzo, who is openly lesbian.

Closet Monster, directed

by Stephen Dunn, depicts protagonist Oscar Madly,

approaching adulthood and having to face dysfunctional parents, his sexuality, and a gay bashing he witnessed as a kid. The film was awarded Best Canadian Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Pushing Dead, directed by Tom E. Brown, features actors James Roday (of the show Psych), and Danny Glover. The film, which labels itself “an AIDS comedy,” tells the story of an HIV-positive struggling writer. When he accidentally deposits a $100 birthday check, he is dropped from his health plan for earning too much. The

film follows his journey as he tries to come up with the $3,000 a month he needs for medication.

The festival’s LGBT category includes two documentary films.

Tickled is a documentary in which journalist David Farrier stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As described on the film’s website, Farrier delves deeper and comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesn’t stop him getting to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.

Growing Up Coy tells the story of the Mathis family and their highly publicized legal battle and landmark civil rights case as they fight for their 6-year-old transgender daughter’s right to use the girls’ bathroom

Pushing Dead

at her elementary school in Colorado.

In an interview with Liberty Press, director Eric Juhola said that when they started filming with Coy and her family in early 2013, transgender issues were not yet Matarazzo in the mainstream media. “The Supreme Court had recently ruled in favor of samesex marriage, but it seemed that the ‘T’ of the LGBT community had been left out of the fight for equal rights,” Juhola said.

“I knew I wanted to make a film about a transgender person fighting for their rights, and when the family’s lawyer told me about Coy and her parents, I thought it could be a really interesting way to explore the issue - through the eyes of an all-American family navigating what ‘trans’ means like the rest

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. OCTOBER 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 19

of the country, and what happens Movies, show dates and times: when they stand u p f o r t h e i r Closet Monster kid’s rights in Friday, Oct. 14, 9:45am, The Orpheum a conservative Sunday, Oct. 16, 10am, Roxy’s Downtown community.”

T h e c r e w Pushing Dead b e g a n f i l m i n g Friday, Oct. 14, 12:45pm, Scottish Rite with the Mathis family six weeks Sunday, Oct. 16, 12:45pm, The Orpheum before they went public with their Welcome to the Dollhouse story, just prior Sunday, Oct. 16, 3:30pm, The Orpheum to when their attorney filed the Growing Up Coy paperwork with Friday, Oct. 14, 3pm, Roxy’s Downtown the Colorado Civil Saturday, Oct. 15, 9:30am, Garvey Center Rights Division.

J u h o l a s a y s Tickled they continued filming for more Thursday, Oct. 13, 12pm, Scottish Rite than two years, Sunday, Oct. 16, 9:15am, Scottish Rite during which time they were able For more information on films, show times, and to capture the events, visit www.stubbornlyindependent.com. tumultuous time when the case was in the public eye, and up until the conclusion of the case and the fallout it caused with the Mathis family. “It was important to us to film over a longer period of time [years] to not only see the outcome of the case, but also to see how Coy and her family were changed by it,” he said.

Since the Mathis family won their landmark case, they have fully retreated from the spotlight, and have not participated in publicity surrounding the documentary – a decision Juhola fully respects.

“It very much makes sense after you see their journey on camera,” he says.

Juhola hopes this film resonates with parents and school communities who may come face-to-face with how to handle a transgender child in their family or school. “There is so much misinformation out there about what transgender means, and the socalled ‘threat’ that transgender people pose in public restrooms,” he said. “I hope that spending 90 minutes with Coy and her family will help people to see the issue through a different lens of compassion and understanding. I also hope that this film is seen by lawmakers in the 13 states that are currently suing the Obama administration over their guidelines about how to treat transgender students. I’d like them to know that misguided ‘bathroom bills’ undermine transgender students’ sense of belonging in the world and do more harm than good.”

Juhola will be in attendance at the screenings for a Q&A session following the film. l

Kathy Richstatter

KS Realtor ABR, e-PRO, GRI, SRES Kathy@KansasRainbow.com www.KS.PenFedRealty.com

Growing Up Coy

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PAGE 20 | LIBERTY PRESS | OCTOBER 2016

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

National News

prevention programs.

But in the brief, get-toknow-me videos posted on her official Miss Missouri Facebook page, there is scant mention of the main reason that she has attracted so much attention: Ms. O’Flaherty is the first openly lesbian contestant to compete in the pageant.

“She is changing the conversation and proving to people that you can be who you are,” said Steve Mendelsohn, the deputy executive director of the Trevor Project, which works to end suicide among LGBT youths. “The pageant is really about the beauty of individuals.

And individuals come in all identities.”

O’Flaherty has chosen suicide among LGBT youths as the social platform part of

Photo book captures Fire Island event Renowned photographer, Susan Kravitz’ new book, Mascara, Mirth & Mayhem: Independence Day on Fire Island, hit bookstores on July 4th - the 40th anniversary of the “Invasion.”

The book is a collection of photographs taken by Kravitz over the past 30 years at the annual LGBTQ event known as the Invasion of the Pines.

The Invasion occurs every July 4th and involves participants from the Fire Island communities of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. It began in 1976, when a member of the Cherry Grove community had been refused service in a Pines’ restaurant because he had been dressed in drag.

In protest, a small group of Cherry Grove residents crossdressed and took a water taxi to the Pines on Independence Day, to stand up against this “height of insult” by “invading” their neighboring community.

Four decades later, the Invasion has evolved into an event that celebrates freedom of expression by thousands of people, straight and gay.

Available for order at www. mascaramirthmayhem.com.

Missouri woman is Miss America Pageant’s first openly lesbian contestant ST. LOUIS - Erin O’Flaherty, 23, one of the contestants in the Miss America pageant, wants fans to know a few things about her: She was raised on a farm; she is a trained livestock judge; and she supports suicide-

the competition. She grew up in Ohio and South Carolina. In 2015 she moved to St. Louis, where she owns a clothing boutique with her aunt.

She was named one of four finalists in the pageant’s Miss America Women in Business scholarship.

In June, after being crowned Miss Missouri, she said she struggled with her sexuality growing up in Florence, SC. “Knowing I might be gay but also being very feminine was kind of confusing for me because I didn’t fit into the stereotypical category I had in my head for a woman in the LGBT community,” she told Cosmopolitan.com.

O’Flaherty didn’t make the top 15 in the pageant that was held Sept. 11 in Atlantic City.

Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields was crowned Miss America 2017. l

?

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. OCTOBER 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 21

What’s New at

T Trans-Legislative

Y

ou can well be sure that there will be antitrans bills introduced in legislatures across the country in the first few months of 2017.

They will be billed as protecting women and children. They will be billed as protecting religion.

They will be billed as protecting everyone.

Kansas will be right there too, undoubtedly introducing our particular brand of cowardice

is the single most significant contributor to suicide risk, substance abuse, homelessness, and other negative outcomes.

You might wonder why more people don’t know about these legislative attacks on already vulnerable adults and children.

Unfortunately, mainstream press far-too-often finds more value in selling newspapers than they find in saving the transgender teens whose lives are nonchalantly

“[Legislators] will conjure up fears about safety where all evidence clearly shows those fears are not supported ...” pretending to be courage.

The perpetrators of these publicly committed hate crimes will smile as they openly deny that their bills are further discriminating against some of the most marginalized people in our country - those of us who happen to be transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC).

They will deny the science of gender identity and the scientific recognition of organizations like the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

They will conjure up fears about safety where all evidence clearly shows those fears are not supported, and they will dispute or ignore the real fears and welldocumented violence faced by TGNC people throughout the country every single day.

These snakes in legislative clothing will attempt to convince their misled minions that these bills are designed to protect them. All the while, their bills add horrifying invalidation to TGNC youth, for whom invalidation

tossed in the trashcan.

You might wonder what can be done. The answer to this question is both complicated and simple. The simple opportunity to make a difference is coming soon. The date with difference is Nov. 8. The United States will elect a new president. And across the country, states will be electing new legislators.

Here in Kansas, every single legislative seat in the state is up for election. Citizens of Kansas will have the opportunity to replace a significant number of Brownback-supporting, antiequality, truth-denying, trans youth-attacking legislators.

There is one highly important consideration. Equality-loving, youth-protecting Kansans must vote like transgender children’s lives depend on it - because they do.

If you want to know more about which candidates care about saving the lives of TGNC teenagers, contact Equality Kansas - www.eqks.org. 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.

his month The Center of Wichita celebrates its sixth year!! Can’t believe this all started six years ago!

Sally from the library had the following input this month: She is adding a study to the Counselor-School section of the Center Library that has some very interesting data concerning what happens to LGBTQ youth when they have no support at home, at school (no alliances, no antibully programs, no protections, no designated bathrooms, no teacher, counselor, principal support) and little community help (such as one recent home opening up with 15 beds for the homeless youth living on the streets.) In this particular state suicide rates have doubled in the 15-19 year old age group since 2011.

What research has shown is that the single largest factor in teen and young adult LGBTQ people is family acceptance vs. rejection. The following items

contribute to these high suicide rates: 1) Not allowing their child to socialize with other LGBTQ youth. 2) Not allowing their child to participate in supportive organizations such as a GSA. 3) Not addressing bullying that their children face when they are perceived as LGBTQ. 4) Not protecting their child against derisive comments about LGBTQ people by uninformed relatives or family friends. 5) Not providing a family climate where a child feels safe to come out to their parents. 6) Endorsing statements or comments that make a child fear they will be kicked out of their home or will lose their families if they come out.

U n f o r t u n a t e l y, t h e s e behaviors and attitudes are commonplace in some families. l (This information is from The LGBTQ Crisis-Responding To The Empirical Research On Suicide)

Table of Hope October Events: Church Lady Bingo: Ghost Busters

Friday, October 7th: Doors open at 5:00, Games at 7:00

Club Boomerang - 1400 E 1st Street Blessing of the Animals Sunday, October 15th, 10:30AM North Linwood Park Bring your leashed pet!

Save the Date: Gratitude Gala Saturday, November 19th Meaningful. Empowering. Worship. 10:30AM Sundays

156 S Kansas St. In Wichita

www.GodLovesYouPeriod.com

PAGE 22 | LIBERTY PRESS | OCTOBER 2016

Minor

Details

By Bob Minor

What Must a Woman Go Through to Become a U.S. President?

W

hat must a woman endure to become president of the United

States?

The office of president has been defined for generations in terms of white, male gender roles. That definition requires someone to live their gender as if they’re members of America’s repository of manhood expectations, the military.

“Commander in Chief,” a title applicable only to the president’s role over the military, not the citizenry in general, is now used far beyond the duties of president as leader of the armed forces. Though he’s our president, not our commander, we succumb to its use in acceptance of the expectation that he be a male warrior, for we define ourselves as a warrior state with teamwork defined as a group of men ready to beat, defeat, or kill other men.

What this national model does to our young boys is itself inhuman. When my fifth-grade son began his first season of football, he hadn’t yet been fully conditioned in masculinity.

He came up to me before his first game and said: “Dad. The coach is going to say, ‘kill the other team,’ but he doesn’t

really mean it.” This was a new language for a young boy, but over the years he’d learn that that’s how real men think.

So, what happens in a woman’s life as she makes her way up through this system to ultimately run for this bastion of manhood? The answer is in many ways captured by that old quip comparing Ginger Rogers to her male cinema dance partner: “She did every step

Because of laws such as Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972, later generations of women have had more opportunities, achieved more in the public sphere, and been able to fight for equal treatment in education than they could in the years a woman who is today 68 years old came through. But the fight is far from over while the backlash against women’s attainments still falls back on tired female, genderrole expectations.

What did a young girl have to experience from the time a fully human baby was born and people needed to know if the baby should have pink or blue blankets? Even the most enlightened parents right after World War II, and many today, treated girls in terms of what’s expected of females who eventually should grow up with, no matter what else they accomplish in the meantime, the goal of getting a man to love and protect them.

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

the limits of the female gender role endures. For example, when college senior Hillary Clinton was one of the few women in a large Harvard classroom taking her law school admissions test, some men started yelling: “You don’t need to be here.” “There’s plenty else you can do.” Even: “If you take my spot, I’ll get drafted, and I’ll go to Vietnam, and I’ll die.”

A woman must steel herself to play above the ubiquitous insults that criticize her for challenging the role and at times bettering males in the process. When a woman is in the public sphere, as she is, it’s easy to make a long list of those we know.

Who is surprised when Secretary Clinton concludes: “I know that I can be perceived as aloof or cold or unemotional.

But I had to learn as a young woman to control my emotions.

And that’s a hard path to walk.

Because you need to protect yourself, you need to keep steady, but at the same time you don’t want to seem ‘walled off.’ And sometimes I think I come across more in the ‘walled off’ arena. And if I create that perception, then I take responsibility. I don’t view myself as cold or unemotional. And neither do my friends. And neither does my family. But if that sometimes is the perception I create, then I can’t blame people for thinking that.”

We’re approaching what could be a historically monumental moment in American politics that catches the U.S. up with those other nations who’ve already had female chief executives, but we must recognize how difficult it is to do all the dance steps a man does but backwards and in high heels.

And as if to rub it in, as she fights for the presidency itself, her opponent is no normal candidate like a Romney or McCain. He’s one who crudely and brashly symbolizes and espouses everything that women have to endure as they negotiate America’s dance. l

“A career-oriented woman isn't complimented as someone who is a natural born leader and go-getter the way a man is.”

Fred Astaire did, but had to do it backwards and in high heels.”

It’s one thing to talk about how our culture takes our whole and complete, caring, loving, nurturing, and fully human little boys and with its dominant male gender role and its accompanying homophobia forces them into a male straight jacket. But to have been born a woman who is never supposed to live this conditioned male role and instead must fit all the feminine stereotypes creates a more heart-wrenching battle for our little girls.

We know how a woman’s place is installed early through the way boys taunt other boys.

As if girls are the worst things in the world, we can still hear: “You walk like a girl. You talk like a girl. You run like a girl.

You throw a ball like a girl. You carry your books like a girl. You like girl’s things. You look like a girl. You dress like a girl.”

None of this would work if it weren’t an effective childhood criticism against a boy doing only what girls are supposed to do. And the corollary of girls being taught to feel like something less still convinces them that pleasing a man is a woman’s key to wholeness.

A career-oriented woman isn’t complimented in this mainstream as someone who is a natural born leader and go-getter the way a man is. She is seen as out for her own good and might even be subject to lesbian-slurs – “Don’t you like boys?” – that work when a culture looks down on lesbians.

And from childhood on, she experiences numerous personal reminders that a girl who rejects

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.

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. OCTOBER 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 23

Tegan and Sara bring pop bliss to devoted Kansas City crowd Liberty Press writer talks with Sara Quin

By Ciara Reid, staff reporter KANSAS CITY - Dancing to heartache never felt so good.

Touring on the heels of their eighth album Love You to Death, Tegan and Sara have become masters of crafting songs that effortlessly blend inescapable melody with the limitless complications of love and relationships.

Liberty Press spoke with Sara Quin on the eve of their North American tour, which kicked off in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada and included a Kansas City stop on Sept. 13. The day before a huge tour is hectic. In addition to several interviews, the band conducted two full production rehearsals at their venue in Saskatoon, completed a photo shoot for their look book, and squeezed in radio promos.

Canadian twin sisters Tegan and Sara, who just recently celebrated their 36th birthday, started their career 17 years ago with the album Under Feet Like Ours. The duo caught fire with 2004’s S o Jealous, which

included one of their biggest and most beloved hits to date, “Walking with a Ghost.” So Jealous elevated their visibility, mostly in the indie rock and alternative scene, and landed on numerous “best albums” lists for that year.

Their last two albums, 2013’s Heartthrob and this year’s Love You To Death, introduced a pop synth sound and a focus on piano rather than guitar, which was the prominent instrument on their previous works. To say Tegan and Sara “went pop” is a disservice to their dedication to their craft – for them, it was a natural desire and progression towards the genre.

While their music prior to Heartthrob had them consistently associated with the indie/alternative/folk genre, Heartthrob opened the doors to the possibilities of pop prominence. They may have transformed their sound, but the quality of their music has not waned. Love You to Death is as strong lyrically and musically as their breakthrough album released 12 years ago.

Sara says their progression towards pop music was natural; it would not have felt authentic to them to make a rock record. “For us, we were listening to so much pop, and hip hop productions, and absorbing and taking it all in, which was shaping and inspiring what we were doing in our own studios,” she says. “For me, I found myself less drawn to the guitar, even as early as The Con.” Tegan and Sara have built a steadfast legion of fans over the years, and have gained an even bigger following as their music has hit the masses. With eight albums in their repertoire, settling on a set list can be challenging. For their current tour, the set list is 25 songs, with time allotted for talking to the audience at various intervals.

Sara says in the end, she and Tegan are people pleasers. “We definitely feel there is a populous vibe to what we do, and we are happy to engage,” she says. Their show in Kansas City was a fastpaced, well-balanced celebration of their most adored songs and favorites from their new album.

One of the things that makes a Tegan and Sara show such a personal and unique experience is their witty onstage banter. Throughout the evening, the duo addressed the crowd; the twins bicker with each other the way siblings do, much to the delight of the crowd. “It satisfies me,” Sara says.

“It’s a little bit of our personality.”

Frankly, the twins are hilarious.

Their banter is so comedic at times, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine them doing a stand-up comedy tour.

They have long been revered for their involvement in the LGBTQ community; both women are gay and are vocal regarding LGBTQ issues. For their video for “Faint of Heart,” they featured LGBTQ youth, who portrayed queer icons like David Bowie and Prince. “What’s happening internationally in the LGBTQ community is always at the forefront

of our minds,” Sara says. “I feel proud of who I am, and of our community.”

Regarding the Pulse Nightclub shootings in Orlando, Sara said that if anything positive can come from the devastation that occurred in June, its greater empathy and more motivation for everyone – gay or straight – to become more involved and continue to fight.

Near the end of our interview, I couldn’t help myself; I seized the opportunity to thank Sara for being a much-needed gay presence at a time in my life when I had little to no connections in the LGBTQ community. In 2004, I was a college student at the University of Kansas, still coming to terms with being gay, and had just discovered the band by way of “Walking with a Ghost” on the college radio station. Somewhere along the way, I read that both Tegan and Sara were gay. Their songs, which already resonated with me, became directly relatable.

“We are happy to do it, and happy to talk with you,” Sara said in response to my gushing of praises.

“It’s amazing how powerful it is to just be yourself.” l

Photo by Lindsey Byrnes

PAGE 24 | LIBERTY PRESS | OCTOBER 2016 Meth continued from page 15

“We’re killing each other,” Sultzman said. “That drug does essentially what any kind of date rape drug would do, because it gets you to that point where you’re ready to have sex. As a community I think we could try to stand together a little bit more. I think we’re so divided.

I think if we stick together and try to get people through it, instead of not caring what they’re doing I think that it would be a different place.”

Accessibility is a critical issue that is unique to the gay community. Meth is alarmingly available to people, including young people, due to its prevalence in gay bars and other gay venues. Sex is a direct result of meth use and is often unprotected.

Additionally, the process of “slamming” or injecting meth, previously a last resort, is now often a user ’s first exposure to the drug. Slamming, especially when it takes place in a sex fueled meth party, greatly increases HIV contraction. This culturally enforced habit makes it harder for gay people to engage with their community in

the context of sobriety, or even moderation.

“We have several patients that have contracted HIV and/ or Hepatitis due to IV drug use [including] methamphetamines,” Del Rio said.

As far as personal experience goes, Sultzman confirms that meth is startlingly accessible in the gay community.

“Every time I go out there’s somebody who’s got it and they’re doing it,” Sultzman said. “I would say meth is so accessible, [which is] why it’s very easy to do.”

However, there are steps that can be taken to combat the pandemic of meth use in the gay community.

Education and prevention are both high on Del Rio and Sultzman’s lists.

“Education on the effects meth has on an individual’s life, effects on hygiene, appearance, etc., and raising awareness is of the utmost importance,” Del Rio said. “Access to early treatment and therapy to attempt to identify the root of the addiction would decrease co-morbidities for this population. It seems some of my patients will hide their

emotions, abuse, and depression with drugs; early treatment and counseling may prevent lifelong travesty.”

According to Sultzman gay people have a responsibility to each other to improve their community and combat meth use.

“I just think that in general we need to understand that it is not something that someone can really stop by themselves,” Sultzman said. “It’s purely going to go off making sure the bars are promoting, ‘Hey this is going to affect you. Hey get a condom.

Do this, do that.’”

Sultzman, who is now

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

happily recovered and married to his husband, has two sons, and advice for anyone who has an interest in meth.

“It’s taken me a lot of years to get where I am,” Sultzman said. “I’ve gained so much now I would lose it in a heartbeat if [my meth use] was something that ever happened again. And hopefully someone seeing this would take a second thought about using because it’s not all it’s hyped up to be. People can make it seem like it’s a fun time.

That may be true, it may be fun at that point, but there’s so many things that come along with it.

It’s better for you not to do it.” l

bridges Awarded: Ramona Liera-Schwichtenberg the distinction of associate professor Emerita of Women’s Studies by the Office of Academic Affairs at Wichita State University in September 2016.

Died: Eric Porter, 38, after emergency surgery in Wichita on September 16, 2016.

If you or someone you know is having an anniversary, received a promotion or award, or a loved one has passed away, we will publish it free in Bridges. E-mail editor@libertypress.net.

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. OCTOBER 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 25

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WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

In honor of LGBT history month:

Gay Leather History

By Nolin Christensen

T

he gay Leather community that everyone has come to know and see originally began after WWII between the years 1942-1948. With gay military men returning from the war, they wanted to continue their bonds that they had created during the service. These men migrated to bigger cities on the east and west coasts such as New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles and later to large cities of the Great Lakes area like Chicago.

This is a community of masculine gay men, which was based on the military with military protocols and rules. Early on, the dress code was military uniforms (which is still used). However, after the movie The Wild One in 1953 the community embraced the leather biker subculture. This formulated the Gay Leather subculture as we know it today.

The earliest leather bars opened in the mid-50’s and early 60’s. In the mid-1950’s there was the Silver Dollar in New York, the Cinema in Los Angeles and Febes in San Francisco. In 1955 (and renamed in 1959) the Argos in Amsterdam, Netherlands opened. It was the first leather bar in Europe. Then in 1960 the Gold Coast opened in Chicago.

In 1961 The Tool Box opened in San Francisco. (Note, the Eagle bars came much later).

To become involved in the Leather community, one had to be invited into the community.

The community was inclusive to itself and exclusive to everyone else. To receive an invite you had to be masculine because no effeminate men were allowed (and back then effeminate men could be considered masculine by today’s standards). When you came into the community, you mentored with someone and you started your journey as a submissive learning from the

more dominant members of the community. New individuals were passed around from mentor to mentor for training and education.

And sex was a must. Leather is all about sex, heavy man on man. Very S&M based. It was rough play with no safe words, no boundaries. You relied on the Dominant to make sure you were kept safe (mentoring training insured this).

The Leather community was extremely secretive. They had to be. The McCarthy era was happening and leather men were considered an extreme perversion and perversion was viewed as part of the communist “red” scare that was prevalent in U.S. society. Not to mention that men-on-men sex was illegal everywhere. So we had to develop a way to communicate between ourselves. Some of the subtle ways were: Keys were attached to a belt loop. Worn on outside of pockets if you were looking for

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someone to play and have sex.

Keys tucked inside the pocket if you weren’t.

Bandana hankies tucked into the left or right back pocket.

The color of the hanky denoted what type of sexual play you are into and what you were looking for. Originally there were only about three to five colors. Now there is a color for every type of fetish. This was called flagging.

Black motorcycle boots.

Later black hiking boots. Along with this, during the daytime it was 501 Levi jeans and a white shirt. Wearing leather was for late at night.

The bottom button of a pair of 501 Levi jeans was unbuttoned, which was a sign you were looking for a sex partner (cruising).

Keys and hankies worn on the right or left side referred to as flagging. Originally the West Coast was left = dominant and right = submissive. On the East Coast, the opposite. Over time, the West Coast won. So, Keys/ hankies worn on the left side indicated you were a Top or Dominant. Keys/hankies worn on the right indicated you were continued on page 30

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WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. OCTOBER 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 27

Leather Life

By Nolin Christensen aka Master C

Puppies, puppies, puppies Editor’s note: This column may contain content that is offensive to some people.

O

ne of the many aspects of the Leather and BDSM culture is the scene play of puppy play. This is where one person portrays themselves as the handler or trainer and the other person portrays themselves as a puppy. The two interact just like a real dog handler/trainer and dog. The puppy person takes on the persona of a puppy, acting out just like a puppy would.

Over the last 10 years, puppy

play has become increasingly more popular. In fact, you may have seen puppies out at the bar in recent months. Puppy play can be a fun time for both individuals. One aspect (other than a puppy mask or a puppy tail) is the accessibility of items that can be used in the scene.

However, there are more “fun” items that can be found at any Leather/BDSM supply store.

When puppies get together to play, the play pen area is referred to as a mosh pit. It is a place where the puppies can interact with each other on a puppy level. I watched a mosh pit in San Francisco once where they provided the puppies with a cake (yes, a real cake with icing!). Let me tell you, that cake was everywhere. The puppies had to be hosed off before they could go anywhere! Man was it a mess! But they had a blast and the people watching had fun.

The trainers and handlers are just the same as a real dog trainer or handler. They teach the puppy things to do and various commands. This is a play scene where you can make is simple or you can make it as complicated

as you negotiate. It all depends on what you want to accomplish.

Even with puppy play, there are certain protocols that are observed. These are referred to as “the leash code.” The following is a short list of those: Remember, the leash has symbolic value to the handler and the puppy.

1) If a submissive is holding the leash in hand, he or she is “on task” and is unavailable.

2) If the leash is dangling, the submissive is fair game.

3) If the submissive holds the leash in his or her mouth, he or she is effectively gagged or speech-restricted.

4) The end of the leash should never touch the ground; this is disrespectful.

5) if the leash is attached to a fixture, the submissive is “chained” and should be left alone.

So when you see a puppy out at the bar you will know what you can and cannot do. If you are curious and have questions, please ask the handler. They will either explain or have the puppy explain.

This month at the monthly WOOLF gathering (Oct. 22), we will be doing a class on puppy play. So if you are interested or you just have questions, please come join us. Our munch starts at 5pm and we will have the class following the munch and general meeting. October’s meeting and class will all be at Club Boomerang. Come join us!! l

Spook up your cave at the Wild Side!!

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1128 Moro Manhattan, KS 66502 11am-6:30pm M-F • 11am-6pm Sat.

PAGE 28 | LIBERTY PRESS | OCTOBER 2016 Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Lawrence, 1263 N. 1100 Rd., (785) 842-3339, www.uufl.net, 9:30am program, 11am service

Wichita Pride, info@wichitapride. org, www.wichitapride.org, annual celebration held in September.

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Manhattan, 481 Zeandale Road, (785) 537-2349, www.uufm.net, services Sundays at 10:45am.

Social Heart of America Men’s Chorus, Wichita, (316) 708-4837, www.hoamc. org

Community Centers The Center, 800 N. Market, Wichita, (316) 285-0007 www.thecenterofwichita. 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.

Peace and Social Justice Center of

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

South Central Kansas, 1407 N. Topeka, Wichita, (316) 263-5886, director@ wichitapeace.org, www.wichitapeace. org

Junction City Teddy Bears, c/o Kevin Stilley, 2 Oak Valley Dr., Manhattan, (785) 556-8188, trlrhouseman@webtv. net NetworQ, Lawrence, www.Kansas NetworQ.org, events are listed on website and FB page.

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 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.

Jbell2@usd259.net Wichita Northwest High School GSA, amcdonald@usd259.net, meets every Monday after school.

Wichita Southeast High School GSA, (316) 807-2271, psychsteve2@yahoo. com

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka, 4775 SW 21st St., (785) 2729233, www.uuft.org, services Sundays at 10:30am.

Wichita West High School GSA, astucky@usd259.net

Unity of Wichita, 2160 N. Oliver, (316) 682-7511, www.unityofwichita.com, 10am Sunday service, activities through the week.

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.

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,

F re e S t a t e H i g h S c h o o l G S A , Lawrence, sponsors: Hilary Morton hmorton@usd497.org, and Kim Grinnell kgrinnell@usd497.org Highland Park High School's Parity, Topeka, LGBTatHP@outlook.com, facebook.com/LGBTatHP Hutchinson High School GSA, faculty advisor: Mr. Westmoreland, chairperson: Kara Vaughn.

The Independent School GSA, Wichita, sponsor: Matt Hanne matt. hanne@theindependentschool.com K-State LGBT & Allies, meets every Thursday at 6:30 in Willard Hall, room 120.

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 People Respecting Individuality and Diversity in Education (P.R.I.D.E.), Emporia State University, Rochelle Rowley, Box 4022, 1 Kellogg Circle, Emporia 66801, (620) 341-5723 rrowley1@emporia.edu Spectrum KU, University of Kansas, Lawrence, (785) 864-3091, rockchalkcentral.ku.edu/organization/ SpectrumKU

Pine Valley Christian Church, 5620 E. 21st St., Wichita, (316) 685-2421, churchoffice@pvcconline.org, www. pvcconline.org

Spectrum: LGBTQ & Allies, Wichita State University, Twitter.com/ Wsuspectrum, meets Thursdays at 7pm in the Lucas Room (RSC 265).

Prairie Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1809 E. 30th, Hutchinson, (620) 663-8002, www. prairieuufellowship.org

Wichita East High School GSA, CFee@fcscounseling.com

Ta b l e o f H o p e M e t r o p o l i t a n Community Church, 156 S. Kansas, Wichita, (316) 267-1852, w w w. m c c w i c h i t a . c o m , w w w. godlovesyouperiod.com, Sunday services at 10:15am.

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 Heights High School GSA, nmagoon@usd259.net

Wichita Northeast High School GSA,

Support

Central Plains Area Agency on Aging, 2622 W. Central Suite 500, Wichita, (316) 660-5120, www.cpaaa.org, CPAAA is available to assist seniors, caregivers, and adults with disabilities through life’s transitions and with various levels of support.

COMCARE Crisis Intervention Services, 934 N. Water, Wichita, (316) 660-7500 free 24/7, www. sedgwickcounty.org Get Connected, Wichita, (316) 2850007, LGBTQIA youth group for ages 12-21. Meets at The Center, 800 N. Market, every Friday from 7-9pm.

GLSEN Greater Wichita, wichita@ chapters.glsen.org.

Headquarters Counseling Center, Lawrence, (785) 841-2345 free 24/7, www.hqcc.lawrence.ks.us Healthy Transitions, for heterosexually married gay men in KC. A phone and face-to-face interview required, Mark McCarthy, LPC (816) 931-0011x4.

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. OCTOBER 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 29

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PAGE 30 | LIBERTY PRESS | OCTOBER 2016 Leather History continued from page 26

a bottom or submissive.

Code words were used to communicate between individuals. These code words were used to gain access to bars and to social events. Going to the T-room, get a cup of coffee, playing the saxophone or mandolin are just a few.

Code words were also required to get into private venues and gatherings. Originally meetings were in private venues, usually warehouses with back alley entrances. You had to know someone in the community in order to attend. All attendees had to know the secret password and these passwords changed frequently. We had to avoid at all costs the McCarthy red hunt (the homosexual/communism witch hunt between 1947-57). So we developed what became known as motorcycle runs. These were outdoor gatherings in faraway places where the feds couldn’t find you. Oldest continuous run is Badger Flats put on by the Satyrs Motorcycle Club.

After the McCarthy era, starting in the early 1960’s, there was a marked increase in Leather/Men’s bars. Bars that were men only where the patrons had to wear leather or Levi, and no cologne or deodorant was allowed. The doorman would smell you to check. If there was any hint of cologne, you were not allowed in. Men with wedding rings were also not allowed (suspicion the person was an undercover cop). The bars were very dark. You could hear sex going on in the darkest areas. Because it was a gay bar and especially because we were having sex in the bar, the bars were always being raided (and shut down) by police.

When it came to policing, the Leather community policed their

own. Bad players were ostracized from the community or just not allowed in at all. This is why you never saw on the news anything about Leathermen and their sexual play (or anything about a scene gone wrong). If there was anything, it was kept out of the news by officials because they didn’t want the public to know such “perversion” existed.

The rough sex that Leathermen engaged in was called Sado/Masochism, also called “SM” or “S&M”.

Originally these were the only terms we had to describe the type of sexual play that went on between each other. Because gay sex and especially S&M sex was illegal, we had to be very careful about being caught.

Therefore we developed code words to help us find others of a like mind. During a conversion, they would ask, “Do you play the saxophone or mandolin.”

These code words were used to identify if someone was into the S (Sadist) or the M (Masochist).

The two words incorporated into this compound - “sadism” and “masochism” - were originally derived from the names of two authors. The term “Sadism” or “Sado” is derived from the name of the Marquis de Sade (Donatien Alphonse François de Sade 1740-1814).

Not only did he practice sexual sadism, he also wrote novels about these practices (best known is Justine).

The term “Masochism” was named after Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (18361895). He practiced masochism and wrote novels expressing his masochistic fantasies. It was the German psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing who first introduced the terms “Sadism” and “Masochism”’ into institutional medical

terminology in his work Neue Forschungen auf dem Gebiet der Psychopathia sexualis (“New Research in the Area of Psychopathology of Sex”) in 1890.

Thanks to the formation of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in 1968 and the Stonewall Riots in 1969, the era of gay rights started. From 1973-77 there were a number of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that upheld the right to create, own, possess and distribute porno material and then later to decriminalize homosexuality; and it seemed that overnight, police harassment of gay bars ceased and no time was lost in their rapid expansion all over the U.S. Thus began what has been called the Golden Age of Leather bars and the Leather community.

This Golden Age almost came to a screeching halt with the onset of the AIDS crisis that started in the early 1980’s.

Because of the heavy play and the fact that most gay men and especially Leather men didn’t form permanent relationships, the AIDS crisis hit the gay, and especially the Leather community, extremely hard.

Due to the fact we had to

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

operate in such secrecy, hardly anything was ever written down about the community or the lifestyle. With the loss of the Leather elders, much of the Leather history and knowledge (especially the small specifics) were lost. When family came in after our Leathermen died, they were disgusted by what they found and everything was tossed into the trash.

It was during the Golden Age timeframe that the first Leather club in Wichita was formed called The Wichita Linemen in the late 70’s. This club was very short-lived and was gone by 1978. The next club was Pegasus MC (originally called a Motorcycle Club, but after complaints from the straight motorcycle clubs, it was later changed to Men’s Club). Pegasus started in 1978 (noted in several Leather magazines at the time) and continued until about 199293. The next club was WOOLF, Wichita Organization of Leather Fetishes, which started in August 2002 and continues today.

Some of the Leather bars that existed in Wichita were: Boots, Barracks, T-Room, and the Link.

I think there was one earlier than Boots/Barracks, but I’ve been unable to confirm. l

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. OCTOBER 2016 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 31

PAGE 32 | LIBERTY PRESS | OCTOBER 2016

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.