PAGE 2 | LIBERTY PRESS |MAY 2017 WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Presented by:
One of the largest Pride Festivals in the Midwest.
June 2nd, 3rd & 4th
Berkley Riverfront Park, Kansas City, Missouri • Gaypridekc.org •
Kansas City Pride
Headline Acts:
Material Girl - Friday
DJ Citizen Jane- Friday
Well Strung- Saturday
Betty Who- Saturday David Hernandez- Sunday Frenchie Davis - Sunday
Plus an incredible line up of Kansas City’s finest regional and local entertainers and bands. For a limited time, a discounted Single Day Pass is available for $7.50 or 3-day Pass for $18.00 (website only). Hampton Inn, Country Club Plaza is offering a KCPrideFest discounted room rate thru May 15th (website only).
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
“ EXQUISITE. -Chicago Tribune
MAY 2017 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 3
AN EMOTIONAL POWERHOUSE”
MAY 30-JUNE 4 • KAUFFMAN CENTER BroadwayInKC.com • 816.994.7222 • Groups 10+: 1.866.314.7687
Tickets available online and at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Box Office.
PAGE 4 | LIBERTY PRESS |MAY 2017 WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Liberty Press
Volume 23, No. 9 • Editor: Kristi Parker • Contributors: Nolin Christensen, Charlene Lichtenstein, Mama, Dr. Robert N. Minor, Stephanie Mott • Staff Reporters: Grayson Barnes, Emily Beckman, Ciara Reid, Jamie Rhodes • Contributing Photographers: • Cover Design: Troy Dilport • Graphic Designer: Troy Dilport • Webmaster: Ren Autrey • Publisher: Liberty Press, LLC • Printer: Valley Offset Printing Subscriptions are $18/year
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OP/ED......................................6 KANSAS NEWS........................7 TRANS-FORMATIVE..............12 MINOR DETAILS....................17 MAMA KNOWS BEST............18 OUT IN THE STARS...............18 NATIONAL NEWS..................21 AROUND KANSAS.................24 LEATHER LIFE.......................26 ON THE COVER: Gay Canadian artist...................8 KC Pride....................................11 Booty and the Beach................22
Andover Public Library
Andover Derby
Derby High GSA, Derby Public Library
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
Kansas City
ACLU of Kansas, Hamburger Mary’s, LIKEME Lighthouse
Manhattan
June 2017 DEADLINE May 24 ON-STANDS June 2
tinyurl.com/herscopes Charlene Lichtenstein’s groundbreaking astrology book HerScopes: A Guide To Astrology For Lesbians is the best in sun sign astrology! The secrets that are revealed about each sign continue to amaze. Makes a great gift.
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, Mimi's Cheese Shop & Other Delights, On the Wild Side, People’s Grocery, Positive Connections office, Queer-Straight Alliance meetings, Radina’s Bakery & Café (3 campus locations), Riley County Health Dept., Rockstar Home Fusion, Sisters of Sound Music, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Varsity Donuts
Mulvane
Naughty Tiger Gifts
Newton
Bethel College Student Life Center
MAY 2017 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 5
Salina
Ad Astra Books and Coffeehouse, The EndIron Inn, Mokas, Mokas South, Peaceful Body Wellness Retreat, Salina Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Saline County Health Dept.
Wichita
Adult Superstore, Albero Cafe, The Anchor, Beautiful Day Cafe, Bike Walk Wichita, Bionic Burger (N. Ridge Rd.), Book-A-Holic (Parklane, w. 21st), Bungalow 26, Camelot Cinema, The Center, Charlie's Pizza Taco, Circle Cinema, Club Boomerang, Club Inferno, College Hill United Methodist Church, The Cotillion, Crazy J’s Furniture & Sleep Shop, Delano BBQ, Dempsey's Burger Pub, The Donut Whole, DT's Outlet (West St.), Felipe's (N. Woodlawn), Finishing School for Modern Women, First Unitarian Universalist Church, Fit For A Queen, Hell Bomb Tattoo, Hunter Health Clinic, J’s Lounge, Kirby’s, KMUW, KU Internal Medicine - Midtown, Lotus Leaf Cafe, Mead’s Corner, Moe’s Sub Shop, The Monarch, The Orpheum, Peace & Social Justice Center, Picasso's Pizza, Pine Valley Christian Church, Planet Hair, Planet Sub (east), Positive Directions, Rain Café & Lounge, Reverie Coffee Roasters, Rocky's, Saigon, South Wind Women's Center, Spice Merchant, Table of Hope MCC, Tanya's Soup Kitchen, Therapeutic Specialists, Unity of Wichita, Vagabond Coffeeshop, Vegas Video, Watermark Books, Wichita Brewing Co. (both locations), Wichita Public Library - downtown, WSU's Brennan Hall II, WSU's Elliott School, WSU's McKnight Art Center, WSU Spectrum meetings, WSU's Office of Diversity & Inclusion, XY Bar, Ziggy's Pizza
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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 Orlando To the Wichita Community: Shortly after the Orlando mass murder at the Pulse nightclub, the Wichita community came together in a rare and unique way. A fundraiser was planned in a very short time, every bar owner stepped up to the plate, every person who could be contacted in that brief time responded and almost $10,000 was raised. Of that money, half went to the fund for people who were yet hospitalized and without a job at Pulse, and the other half went directly to the family of one of the victims. The family was that of Luis Vielma. A family that has struggled to raise a family with both parents working minimum wage jobs in restaurants, and sharing a two-bedroom house with three kids. Because of the generosity of the Wichita community, the Vielma family
just moved into a home big enough to offer Kimberly her own bedroom for the first time in her life. You might recall that Kimberly is the sister who didn’t get to have her quinceanera so that the family could properly bury Luis. There are many things that could divide the Wichita community, and yet we are capable of so much more. I am so very proud of the people who sat on the planning committee for this event. Every single bar owner in the city was in attendance at least one time. That speaks volumes about what we are capable of should we decide to work together. Many thanks to all who helped and contributed. I will refrain from naming people since I will surely leave someone out. From the bottom of my heart and the hearts of the entire Vielma family, thank you Wichita for your love and generosity. You have truly changed lives by your giving. Gratefully, Rev. Jackie Carter Table of Hope MCC
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Kansas News
of entertainment. The festival began in 1977 as a benefit for the Kansas City Art Institute. Now, 200,000 people visit annually. The tradition continues this year from Sept. 2-Oct. 15, including Columbus and Labor Day.
MAY 2017 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 7
said. Information on how to get tickets to see ICT Roller Derby live, as well as details about how to join, are available online at www.ictrollerderby.com. l
Wichita’s premier roller derby league rebrands as ICT Roller Derby Paige the elephant is off-duty permanently.
The Kansas City Renaissance Festival ends elephant ride BONNER SPRINGS – The Kansas City Renaissance Festival has been a longstanding tradition in the Kansas City community by listening to the concerns and cares of their valued patrons. With that in mind, the Kansas City Renaissance Festival decided to end its elephant ride this upcoming season. It had received countless letters, phone calls, and Facebook messages from patrons asking to end this outdated ride. Although it is eliminating this ride, the Kansas City Renaissance Festival will still feature multiple attractions and rides including a Zipline, giant swings, 20 stages of non-stop entertainment, and of course turkey legs! In addition to the classics, new events to the festival this upcoming season include a Dragon Encampment, Highland Hill Ranch, Escape Rooms, Living History Tours, and an Obstacle Course. The Kansas City Renaissance Festival is celebrating 41 years
WICHITA – Entering into its 11th season, Wichita’s roller derby league, formerly ICT Roller Girls, is now officially ICT Roller Derby. The change comes at a time when the sport, worldwide, is making efforts to become more inclusive. As of the 2017 season, men, as well as women, are invited to skate with ICT Roller Derby. The league’s junior team, ICT Roller Juniors, is now also accepting male skaters ages 1117. “As members of the Women’s
Flat Track Derby Association since 2010, we’ve looked to the organization for leadership in shaping the current and future state of roller derby. As WFTDA has committed to inclusive and anti-discrimination practices as well as partnered with the Men’s Roller Derby Association we decided it was time to have a gender-inclusive team and a roller derby team for everyone in Wichita,” the Director of ICT Roller Derby, Susan Weathers,
E D I R P
APRIL 5TH STARTING
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PAGE 8 | LIBERTY PRESS |MAY 2017 WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
The Secret of the Midnight Shadow and Other Secrets: Daryl Vocat
Gay Canadian artist’s work on display at the Ulrich By Grayson Barnes “I have had the luck to lead two distinct lives.”
--Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boys Scouts Association
WICHITA - Daryl Vocat opened his April 14 Artist Talk at the Ulrich Museum of Art on the Wichita State University campus with the above quote, commenting that one might be familiar with the man who had a distinguished military career and afterward founded scouting. Lord Baden-Powell’s quote referenced his having an incredible influence twice – first as a British Army officer serving during the Second Boer War; second as a man who developed leaders among young men. However, Vocat’s work subverts Lord Baden-Powell’s words and the idea of “two distinct lives” by examining the scouting subculture. Vocat finds the visual culture, at least, a paean of mixed messages -- piles of young men in close proximity during their developmental years
in conjunction with budding feelings they are programmed to deny, especially if they are attracted to other boys. As a gay man and a former Boy Scout, Vocat recognized the pubescent awkwardness of the illustrations in his Boy Scout Handbook. He started working with these images back in grad school by creating prints that juxtaposed slightly tweaked handbook illustrations with other pictures. For example, in one early print, Vocat shows two smiling young boy scouts staring into each other’s eyes. One boy touches the other’s face. Behind them is an image of two adult men kissing. It is as if the youthful glance and touch foretell the future. Vocat’s exhibit at the Ulrich, “The Secret of the Midnight Shadow and Other Secrets” continues on this theme, as a three-dimensional pop-up book of sorts. Black and white figures of boys arranged in a series of vignettes float away from the
Daryl Vocat, Boy falling and out-stretched hand, detail. 2006–2009. Acrylic on MDF board and paper cut-out leaves. Courtesy of the artist
wall, which is painted in a dark blue. Silhouettes of anemic trees hover in the background. On some of the branches green and orange paper leaves flutter – a flicker of impermanence in contrast to the solidly constructed boy shapes. The images of boys are trolled from the Boy Scout Handbook. Vocat wanted to “start from a familiar place,” but he altered them to make them “playful, inviting,” and, sometimes, “sinister.” One boy, legs bare, is draped, ghost-like, in a sheet. He stares at us through eye holes cut in the fabric. Is he wearing only underwear, or, is he naked, since the corner of the cloth disguises his pubic area? Three boys wearing masks smile at the viewer. Their arms are flung over each other in friendly camaraderie. They are clad only in tighty-whiteys suggesting the innocence of youth. Perhaps they are there for US to ogle. Another boy falls backwards from the sky. A disembodied arm dangles, relaxed, from above. Is it salvation reaching for him, or a perpetrator flinging him earthward? These scenes successfully do what Vocat wants and that is to “not make a lot of declarations, but [to] just raise a lot of questions.” These
images of boys, some depicted running around in various states of dishabille, elicit slightly uncomfortable responses, but the solidity and simplicity of the images keep the vignettes far enough afield from voyeurism. Instead, we are propelled into the awkward experiences of young men and how they might navigate the nighttime forest of imminent puberty, friendship, and that all-too-sudden life-shift where it’s no longer okay to run around in a mask and Underoos or crawl around howling like a wolf. At this juncture an even darker forest looms – that of sexuality. Vocat received his Master of Fine Arts degree from York University in Toronto. His work has been acquired by institutions such as the New York Public Library Print Collection, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives, and the Saskatchewan Arts Board, among others. The exhibition “The Secret of the Midnight Shadow and Other Secrets” will be on view through Aug. 6. For more information on this and other exhibits, visit ulrich.wichita.edu or call 316978-3664. For Daryl Vocat’s homepage, see www.darylvocat. com. l
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Kansas City PrideFest 2017 to feature exciting national acts By Ciara Reid, staff reporter KANSAS CITY - There are few certainties in life – death and taxes being the two items cited most – but for those in the LGBTQ community, we can add another: the annual gay Pride festival. Every June, Kansas Citians (and surrounding communities) attend the city’s Pride festival for the performances, music, and the chance to make new friends. This year’s list of performers is stacked: Material Girl on Friday, June 2; Australian pop star Betty Who is slated to perform Saturday, June 3; and Well Strung, slated to perform June 3, are just a few of the big names onboard. Liberty Press had the chance to ask Bill Svoboda, events coordinator with EventPros, the company organizing KC PrideFest, about what goes into planning the festival and what might be in store for this year’s attendees. Liberty Press (LP): What is your role in the planning of KC Pride? Bill Svoboda (BS): EventPros, Inc. has had a multi-year contract with the Kansas City Diversity Coalition (KCDC), a 501(c)3 that organizes the annual KC PrideFest. As part of our agreement, I serve as Executive Director for the festival. We work year round in the planning of this annual event which always takes place on the first weekend in June. LP: What does the event planning board look for in terms of talent, performers, and other activities? BS: I meet with the Kansas City Diversity Coalition board on a monthly basis. This year the KCDC hosted a “Pride’s Got Talent” competition. Many of the local acts were winners in that competition and will be performing on the main stage. You will get a chance to see the Heartland Men’s Chorus and the KC Freedom
Band as well as local and regional musicians who applied to perform. The enthusiastic KCDC board has established a list of short- and long-term goals for the festival. Every year we have been adding or expanding on what we currently provide. So each year there will be something new to see. LP: What can festivalgoers expect from this year’s Pride - are there any changes or new events this year that readers should know about? BS: We are most excited about the national acts we are bringing in this year. From DJ Citizen Jane on Friday to Well Strung and Betty Who Saturday and then rounding out the weekend with David Hernandez and Frenchie Davison Sunday, there is something for everyone. We feel our festivalgoers will enjoy this awesome musical journey. We have expanded the marketplace with well over 120 vendors and increased the number of food vendors. There is a really cool Kids Zone open on Saturday and Sunday and we have expanded the Health Fair. If the weather cooperates with a nice breeze, festivalgoers will be amazed by the giant semi-truck-sized kites that Great American Kites and Events will fly over the park on Saturday and Sunday. LP: What are some tips for attendees to make the most out of their Pride experience? BS: If out-of-town guests are looking for a great hotel, we suggest they book a room at the Hampton Inn & Suites on the Plaza. The reservation includes breakfast and puts guests minutes away from all the bars and only five miles from the festival grounds. The discounted rate is only available through our website gaypridekc.org and will end May 15. Discounted festival tickets
Above: Australian pop star Betty Who. Below: gay American Idol finalist David Hernandez.
are available for $7.50 a day or a weekend pass for $18 and are only available thru May 25. After that, tickets are $10 per day. Parking is limited on the festival grounds, so a great alternative is to park in the city market or along Main St. in downtown KC and take the free
Streetcar to the Grand Street Pride entrance. I also suggest guests go to the festival website, which outlines what you can and cannot bring to this wonderful Pride celebration. For more information, visit: www.gaypridekc.org. l
PAGE 12 | LIBERTY PRESS |MAY 2017
They are Not Transgender Rights
T
hey are not transgender rights. They are human rights for people who happen to be transgender or gender non-conforming (TGNC). Human rights. Civil rights. American rights. Kansas rights. Rights that belong to every person on the planet by virtue of the fact that we exist. No person, no city, no state, and no country can give us our rights. They can either recognize our rights or not. And they do deny our rights. So, in the truth of things, I am not fighting for our rights. They belong to us. I am, along with a multitude of others, trying to get the monsters who are denying our rights to stop doing so. We live in a state that has made a choice to deny the rights of people who are TGNC. We live in a country where the federal government is now doing the same thing. We live in a world where the rights of TGNC human beings are trampled routinely - often violently - and the world seems to do everything in its power to forget the fact that we are human beings. You can tell that we are human beings by our beating hearts, by our tear-filled eyes, by our broken souls. You can also tell that by our resilience, by our resistance, and by the revelations of our true spirits. And you can tell it by our refusal to give up, by the ever-growing group of other human beings who see us as human beings, and who are coming forward in ever-growing numbers to say so. They are also not
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
transgender issues. They are issues that affect human beings who are trans and gender non-conforming. Please don’t give credit for these issues to the people who are not allowed to live openly, to the victims of this ongoing crime against humanity. They are not our issues. They are issues that belong to people, cities, states, and countries; to a world that far-too-often fails to see us as human beings. The good news is that the world is changing, albeit begrudgingly and slowly. And I still believe that we will see the end of legalized discrimination against transgender Americans in my lifetime - the end of legalized discrimination against LGBTQ+ Americans. So, as I learn to speak and write more effectively about the issues that affect TGNC Americans, I try to choose words like Americans, Kansans, citizens, and human beings. Rights that are being denied to transgender citizens. Issues that affect gender nonconforming human beings. Because, we are citizens and we are human beings. You can tell that by our beating hearts, by our tear-filled eyes, by our broken souls. By our resilience, by our resistance, and by the revelations of our true spirits. And you can tell that by our refusal to give up. 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.
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Way over the rainbow: Todrick Hall’s performance pays homage to original Oz
REVIEW By Grayson Barnes WICHITA - I didn’t know what to expect when I went to see Todrick Hall’s Straight Outta Oz show on April 7 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Wichita. No. Idea. At. All. I knew Hall was a finalist on American Idol, that he did a stint as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and that this tour was to promote his 2016 (visual) album Straight Outta Oz, but that’s all I knew. Instead of googling anything before the concert, I decided to reserve judgment and “go cold,” if you will. My first experience as I walked from the foyer into the theatre was volume-esque. The show hadn’t even started yet. The bass was cranked on a Lady Gaga mashup. I vaguely wondered if the antique plaster molding of the grand old Orpheum could handle the
vibration as I took my seat, but when I looked up at the stage. I was rapt. Projected over the set was a series of videos featuring multiple images of Hall singing and dancing with himself to covers of pop songs, interspersed with resplendent music videos of his original songs. Some showed Hall in drag, which elicited screams from the assembling audience. I later found out these were ones he created and posted to YouTube – part of what helped propel him to fame. I was kind of disappointed when the visual feast stopped, since I had, effectively, gone to YouTube Heaven, however, as a confessed Postmodernist, I got a bigger kick out of what came next, because when the show began, it blossomed into an amalgamation of Hall’s autobiography, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, sexuality, and social commentary.
The singer takes us through his life, beginning from the time he was a shy boy. He reveals the influences of his parents – the support of his mother and the hyper-masculine bent of his father, who told him “gays don’t go to heaven.” We watch him fall in love for the first time with another boy. There is an on-stage kiss. Hall, realizing he wants to be an entertainer, begins navigating the matters of finances, self-confidence, and casting directors. Finally he makes a deal with a producer (the Wizard), who gives him his first job. This journey is replete with Oz imagery: the set is appointed with yellow-brick stairs and an architectural gate emblazoned with the word “Oz;” there are stewardesses from “Flying Monkey Airlines;’ and Hall himself becomes the Scarecrow, the Lion, and a passel of other Oz characters. The lyrics of the
songs mirror this, as in, “over the rainbow” and “there’s no place like home.” Straight Outta Oz also turns some tropes on their heads, such as the “Catholic High School Girl.” Instead, Hall becomes the Catholic High School BOY clad in a blue blazer and shorts. The “Lusty Casting Director” is, this time, female. Entwined with this is the open acknowledgement of gay sexuality, with the kiss (of course), men dancing as couples, and DRAG. Since the live show, I looked at (listened to?) the album and it IS more richly produced than the stage show – lightyears more – but the tour does an impressive job of capturing the extravagance of Hall’s vision. Straight Outta Oz was performed with the same energy. There was barely sufficient time between scenes for Hall to change costumes – continued on page 21
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The Flaming Lips Saturday, June 3
Safelite® AutoGlass SUNDOWN PARADE
TEXTRON OPENING NIGHT FIREWORKS
WICHITA SYMPHONY TWILIGHT POPS
LoCash Sunday, June 4
Midwest Ford Dealers Presents
BLACKTOP NATIONALS COX KIDS CORNER • WICHICON FIESTA DEL RIO • HOT AIR BALLOONS HILAND DAIRY ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Kansas Health Foundation
RIVER RUN
WICHITA EAGLE MEDALLION HUNT STEAM City • LA RAZA FEST • TECH MIDWEST CNH INDUSTRIAL BUCKAROO/BUCKARETTE RODEO
Gospelfest featuring Jonathan Nelson Monday, June 5
Less Than Jake Wednesday, June 7
Mavis Staples Thursday, June 8
KAKE TOUCH A TRUCK • CRAFTAPALOOZA
CAPITOL FEDERAL FIREWORKS FINALE
Koch Industries Presents Common, Friday, June 9
DONATE BUTTONS SO CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN NEED CAN JOIN THE PARTY! Visit WichitaRiverfest.com or WichitaFestivals.com to give. $5
$10
Purchase at INTRUST Bank Arena Office Wichita Festivals Office - 444 E. William Dillon’s, QT and other retail locations. Online at SelectASeat.com
For up-to-date information download the Riverfest Mobile App.
e2e FuturEpreneurship Expo with
Randy Newman, Friday, June 9
Kids 5 and younger get in FREE! Powered by
Spirit AeroSystems Rockin’ on the River
OK Go, Saturday, June 10
PAGE 16 | LIBERTY PRESS |MAY 2017
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
WICHITA PRIDE 2017 - JUNE 16-18, 2017 DRAG SHOW
COMMUNITY RALLY
FAMILY PICNIC
PRIDE FESTIVAL
DANCE PARTY
PRIDE PARADE
www.wichitapride.org
316-530-LGBT
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Minor
Details By Bob Minor
More Collateral Damage is Just the Price of Making America Macho Again
T
he politics and administration of the Trump phenomenon are a full-blown affirmation of what’s now called “toxic masculinity.” Observers point out that it’s both an appeal to men (mostly white) who feel that their and America’s masculinity is threatened as well as a glorification of the masculine gender conditioning that’s been part of American society for generations. Calling it “toxic masculinity” makes it sound as if it’s something other than what it actually is: the full living out of a generations-old American male gender role that many thought was waning. It’s none other than our culture’s dominant definition of masculinity out in full force. There are many elements of this role such as the putting down of anything judged feminine or just not masculine enough while promoting a female role that makes women trophies and support personnel for the macho ego. Those elements have been called sexist and misogynistic for they invoke the stereotypes of frat boy references to women as sexual objects and body parts. Look at those men and women who laugh at Trump and company’s “boys will be boys” stuff as if it’s a joke to be humored and dismissed. They excuse, and even adore, it as if we shouldn’t expect better. Look at how the solution to international problems is blowing something up or showing off American muscles (“Feel my guns.”). Nuance and extensive negotiations with world leaders that treat them as equals go out the window when every international disagreement feels like a man-on-man bar fight to prove that this president (and country) is the king of the hill (the effective meaning of:
“Make America Great Again”). Look at how the way to deal with issues involves blasting one’s strength whether through tweets or military displays. Look how the President courts those leaders in the Pentagon who represent the military’s embodiment of “real” manhood where teamwork is a group of men working together to beat, defeat, or kill other men while there’s the “collateral damage” of others that masculinity says is just the way it must be. But behind getting the country to bet on this conditioned version of masculinity and the belief that it’s how real manliness should express itself, is the central tenet that we’ve got to take our little boys and rid them of any emotions that would keep them from being victorious Captain America type warriors. Since boys are born, like girls, with their full humanity intact, the relentless conditioning process that’s still in place today must get them out of touch with an array of human emotions. For some it starts earlier than others, but most boys can recall the ridicule, rejection, threats, and even violence that include calling a boy “cry baby,” “sissy,” “wuss,” or “gay” and those playground penalties for just coming across as weak. When an elementary school boy is bullied with gay slurs, it’s really about him not performing this male gender role well enough. A boy soon learns that real men don’t hurt, show fear, or admit to confusion. He also learns that his manhood will never be questioned if he substitutes for these “feminine” emotions by hiding in cold reason, intimidation, bullying, anger, and violence. And the more he accepts this, the more unconsciously he’ll just flip into
“manly” responses. A boy learns not to pay attention to his hurts – in fact, he should “play hurt.” That will eventually keep men from going to the doctor, much less a counselor, soon enough to prevent them from dying earlier than women. And when someone is out of touch with their own hurting, it becomes more difficult to recognize that they’re hurting others. They might even counter complaints with: “That doesn’t hurt” or “It’s your own fault.” But literal violence is usually not the way conditioned masculinity’s suppression of feelings plays out. Take our newest Supreme Court justice who was nominated by President Macho-Image and approved by his most conditioned political followers. He’s a prime example of going with a principle and his worked-out rational mental system rather than recognizing that, as a result, a human being will die. Senator Franken called it “absurdity,” but it was conditioned manhood and its inability to see that it’s hurting another human being on display in its more genteel, privileged, aloof, sophisticated, and, therefore, more dangerous, way. In a court case under discussion, Judge Neil Gorsuch opted for his self-understanding of cold hard law while the other two judges on his 10th U.S. Circuit Court panel found a clause that would prevent the death of a freezing truck driver. The infamous case was TransAm Trucking v. Administrative Review Board, popularly known as the “Frozen Trucker Case.” In sum, when a trucker in extremely below
MAY 2017 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 17
zero temperatures found his brakes frozen on an interstate highway and the truck’s cabin heat broken, could no longer feel his feet, and had no help for 30 minutes after he called in, the trucker unhitched his trailer and drove to safety. The trucker was fired and the case eventually came to Gorsuch’s court. His one-man dissent effectively concluded that the trucker should have just frozen to death because that is in keeping with the consistent way that Gorsuch sees jurisprudence. After all, we can’t set a bad precedent here or make an exception just because someone is going to die! The trucker is just the collateral damage of enforcing the law in this manner. In this he is the spitting image of his predecessor, Justice Antonin Scalia. If he were still alive, Scalia would still be using his religious and legal justifications (he hid behind the trope that he was just a consistent originalist) to justify discrimination against LGBT people and other minorities while golfing with rich buddies who shared his justifications. It’s not that they couldn’t be appropriately emotional people when it came to their friends and family. It’s that their public presentation in their profession must be rational rather than personal. Just buck up, buddy. It’s merely more collateral damage from conditioned masculinity. 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: Why It’s So Hard to Accept Gay People and Why It’s So Hard to Be Human; and Gay & Healthy in a Sick Society. Contact him at www. FairnessProject.org.
PAGE 18 | LIBERTY PRESS |MAY 2017
Dear Mama, I want to hear your thoughts on the United Airlines incident. Curious
Mama, What do you think of all these bombings? Worry Wart I think that we might be heading for big trouble. Darth Cheeto is the wrong person to have access to weapons. The only good thing to come from his leadership is my ability to realize Eunice is a good smart person. He makes a rock look smart. God help us all.
Well good Lord, what kind of idiotic company even allows such a process to begin with? What in the hell is wrong with this world. We have a leader always golfing and dropping bombs and airlines that can take away your seat and drag you off a plane with injuries. That damn plan is not that great! The seats are too small and close together and they are too expensive! This world is in BIG TROUBLE! You cannot say Mama didn’t warn you! Mrs. Harper, Do you get those annoying phone calls about reducing your college debit or lowering your rates on your credit cards? Not signed
F
our retrograde planets upset our careful little world this May. Our thoughts may be muddled and our opinions may unleash large unintended consequences. But what the heck? Say it as you see it and shake your world.
Those damn phone calls are more annoying than hemorrhoids on a bumpy road. I hate those calls because it is always a new phone number they call from. I’d like to make a law banning those kinds of calls and Darth Cheeto from the world. The calls are as frequent as that orange idiot posting on Twitter. Mama, Big plans for Mother’s Day this year? Someone’s Child I probably have a family dinner with my kids and grandchildren, that I will have to cook, clean up after and serve! But I am not complaining, besides who knows if we will make it to Mother’s Day with that bad hair, orangehead, moron running things.
LEO (JULY 24 - AUG. 23) Day-to-day tasks can either be a mindless escape or an overwhelming burden. Try to organize any project and enlist a few helping hands to ease your load. Proud Lions who can liven up any mundane task with a gay collection of people, food and drink will accomplish more than those who don’t. So try to mix your business with a little more pleasure now.
TAURUS (APRIL 21 - MAY 21) Travel will have detours and landscape changing surprises. So be prepared for anything and everything, queer Bull. If you have been bored by the ho-hum of your life, see how fast things can upend to something much more exciting. Will you find yourself on a cruise ship bound for the high seas or part of an exclusive club focused on traveling to “Out”er space? Let’s guess.
VIRGO (AUG. 24 - SEPT. 23) Queer Virgos can go overboard in their pursuit of pleasurable times. (Maybe that is the idea?) Any party you plan can whip up to a frenzy festival. Any artistic project you undertake may become an international monster. Are you ready to tangle with the beast? If so, pace yourself before you make merry and try to control events as they unfold. Uh oh. Too late!
CANCER (JUNE 22 - JULY 23) Relationships can go from fizzy to fizzle if you let deeply buried grievances take you into heartburn territory. Try to remain cool, calm and cuddly no matter how stressed you may be. But if you feel compelled to say something critical, practice your spiel in the mirror first. You want your message to be accepted. Even better, wait until the summer, gay Crab.
Cucumber Sandwiches 1 carton (8 oz.) cream cheese 2 tsp ranch salad dressing mix 12 slices pumpernickel rye bread 2-3 medium cucumbers In a bowl, combine cream cheese and dressing mix. Spread on one side of each slice of bread (both slices if you feel frisky). Peel cucumbers if desired; thinly slice and place on six slices of bread. Top with remaining bread. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings. Thanks for reading my column. Happy Mother’s Day! l Have a question for Mama? E-mail MamaTHarper@aol.com.
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ARIES (MAR. 21 - APRIL 20) If you have been grumbling about the path that your career is taking and the idiots who you have to report into, expect a bit of push back now. Sapphic Rams yearn for success and are tired of waiting for the crumbs. Maybe it’s time to take your recipe and bake your own plans? If so, try to graciously extricate yourself from any tough situation. No scorched earth please.
GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUNE 21) Pink Twins may think that they have all the right love moves but just wait. Your best moves may miss the mark or have an unintended impact on a lover. Try to be open and sensitive as you navigate the minefield of your amorous affairs. When in doubt, let others take action first. If you are both waiting, at least wait together in a champagne bath.
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
LIBRA (SEPT. 24 - OCT. 23) Any home project that seems simple at first might not turn out to be very simple after all. But don’t panic, proud Libra. You can wrangle any out-of-control home improvement by taking your time and surveying the plan carefully. A few helping hands couldn’t hurt either. Especially if they apply the right pressure in the right places. Ahem. SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 22) Whatever you have to say now, gay Scorp, let the thought swirl in your head before you release them. Not only will you sound far wiser this way, you will avoid any miscommunications or gaffes. In fact, give yourself a total rest from anything that requires concentration and diplomacy. Escape if you can. And if you can’t, try to be the strong silent type.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 - DEC. 22) Money may have a way of slipping out of your fingers and trickling down the drain now. You have an eye for extravagance and a yearning for glamour, but try to rein in your budget, if you can. Gay Archers may make some financial missteps now because they are not thinking clearly and are anxious for results. Ah, but what type of results? CAPRICORN (DEC. 23 - JAN. 20) As you step up into the public eye, you may find that all is not what it appears to be. The public stage can swivel around and open up a trap door if you are not careful. Pink Caps always prefer to have things strong, steady and predictable. That may not be the case now. So be very flexible and keep your sense of humor. You DO have a sense of humor, don’t you?? AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 - FEB. 19) Aqueerians think they have a bit of extra ESP now. This may be true. But, before you polish up and rub your crystal ball, ask yourself how accurate has your intuition been? Try to parse all of the little voices whispering in your head. You are getting many signals and premonitions. Some are serious and some are just for mischief and mirth. Oh ho, ho, ho. PISCES (FEB. 20 - MAR. 20) Friends may lead you into reckless, but fun, action. Everyone wants to have a good time! And your choices of diversions and parties are limitless now. But before you bungee jump off a skyscraper for just the sheer thrill of it all, take a look around and assess your risks. Guppies love to go with the convivial flow. Can you really stop before you circle the drain?
(c) 2017 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.
MAY 2017 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 19
PAGE 20 | LIBERTY PRESS |MAY 2017
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Newest metropolitan gay bar has something for everyone By Jamie Rhodes WICHITA - On New Year’s Eve last year, the latest gay bar opened in Old Town: XY Bar. Representing the male c h r o m o s o m e s X Y, J e r r y Nguyen, who owns the bar with his partner Chad Porter, thought of the name. Porter, Nguyen and general manager, Dave Perkins, have been on a constant mission since then to please the Wichita gay nightclub scene; and they believe it’s working. This is Nguyen and Porter’s first time in the bar business, but with 20 years of experience and owning 11 bars in Kansas, Perkins is no novice. One of the purposes of opening XY Bar has been to mimic the atmosphere of the larger bars one would experience in Oklahoma City or Kansas City with a large enough bar and dance floor where people have space to move around. Perkins and Nguyen like to keep a variety of events and themes going seven nights a week, so customers have a different experience each time. Mondays are generally more mellow where people can come in and relax with a drink after work. The rest of the week brings about a Karaoke and college night. It is a dance bar so there is a variety of all different types of music. Throughout the week, the bar plays an assorted selection of sounds from pop, R&B, soul, oldies, today’s hits, and EDM (Electronic Dance
Music). Wednesdays are more popular EDM nights and now Sundays feature live blues. The third Sunday of every month patrons are entertained by a drag show with local and outof-town performers, a comedy act every quarter, and on the last Monday of every month the community can experience Rhonda’s Revue with no cover charge. Described by Perkins as a “lounge act,” Miss Rhonda Van De Tramp (Randy Ervin, resident hostess) brings in different talents to perform in front of the crowd. Some are amateur performers and others have had a lot of experience in front of an audience. From the burlesque dancers of American Rose Theater to the Heart of America Men’s Chorus, along with other singers, dancers, magic acts and comedy routines, Rhonda’s Revue captures it all. “We are a metropolitan gay bar that appeals to everybody,” Perkins said. “Probably about 30% of the patrons are straight, but the flow of people who come in all want to have a good time; they don’t care if it’s gay or straight. The demographic is also very wide from 21 to 70.” XY Bar has also played host to an array of charity events. “We are out there in the community because we want to support the community just like they support us,” Perkins said. He believes the bar hit a market that was much needed in
bridges Died: Gilbert Baker, 65, creator of the rainbow flag, March 31, 2017 in New York City. Baker was a native of Chanute, KS who also lived in Wichita, Topeka and Parsons before being stationed in San Francisco with the U.S Army. He created the rainbow flag in 1978 for the San Francisco gay Pride parade. The flag was initially eight colors, but was cut to six due to limited availability of fabrics. 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.
Dave Perkins, general manager, and Jerry Nguyen, co-owner, stand outside the new gay bar, XY, in Old Town.
Wichita, especially in Old Town. All the other bars have been very supportive, just as XY has been of them. The next big event the bar is planning for is Pride Month
in June, which will bring a full month of activities including a neon glow party, a Black and Blue Ball, and a Lesbian Luau. l
MAY 2017 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 21
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. Hall continued from page 14
National News LGBTQ youth disproportionately incarcerated in the U.S. juvenile justice system Almost 60% of incarcerated girls are sexual minorities LOS ANGELES - A new study by scholars at the Williams Institute found that sexual minority youth are incarcerated at disproportionately high rates. Once they are incarcerated they are more likely to be held for long periods of time and experience sexual victimization. Sexual minority youth include those that identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, as well as those that identified as mostly straight but had some attraction to the same sex. Key findings include: * Almost 60% of all incarcerated girls are sexual minorities. * Sexual minority youth are 2-3 times more likely to be held in custody for more than a year compared to heterosexual youth. * Gay and bisexual boys were nearly 11 times more likely than straight boys to report having experienced sexual violence by peers.
Myofascial Release and Massage Therapy
Study finds declining LGB teen suicide attempts CHICAGO - A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found LGB teen suicide attempts in the U.S. declined after samesex marriage became legal. The research noted declines in states that passed laws allowing same-sex marriages before the Supreme Court made it legal nationwide. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for all U.S. teens. Suicidal behavior is much more common among GLB kids and adults; about 29% of these teens in the study reported attempting suicide, compared with just 6% of straight teens.
and there were enough to rival a Cher concert. In two appearances Hall sashayed forth in elaborate drag as the Wicked Witch and “The Wrong Bitch.” Hall also has a cheeky eye for detail too. I particularly enjoyed the glittering red Timbs he wore on his personal Yellow Brick Road, and the fact that, in one number where the male dancers were outfitted in animal coats, the big dude sported the bear fur. The original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz encapsulated the author’s personal experiences, people he knew, and was a criticism of American values at the beginning of the 1900’s, all wrapped up in an exotic fantasy world. Hall’s Straight Outta Oz pays homage to that. Bottom line, I think L. Frank Baum would have approved.
Todrick Hall brought his Straight Outta Oz tour to two stops in Kansas.
For more information about what’s happening at the Orpheum Theatre, visit wichitaorpheum.com. l
Gary Martens & Larry Bunker
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WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Shake what your mama gave you in a kaleidoscope of prints and patterns prepped to get soaking wet | By Mikey Rox
S
tep onto any gay beach – from Miami’s Haulover to Asbury Park’s 5th Ave. to Will Rogers Beach in Los Angeles – and you’ll bear witness to a veritable catwalk of loosey-goosey board shorts, fitted trunks, and skintight Speedo-like swimwear. While anything goes on the summer’s sandy shores – especially if the area is clothing optional (better pack those dark lenses!) – this year’s styles continue last year’s thighs-the-limit trend with a twist: Button-closure shorts with waist-specific sizing. Here we cultivate some of the more stimulating designs for 2017 with a smattering of tradition tossed in for good measure. The King of the Jungles You won’t have to cast a wide net to bring all the bottoms to your beach towel in Original Penguin’s lion photoprint snap-togethers that are anything but cowardly. Mesh briefs on the inside help keep your animal in its cage. $79, originalpenguin.com The DSLs Loose lips sink ships but the all-over open-mouth print on Andrew Christian’s Kiss Me bikinis – featuring a snuggle pocket to hug your goodies just right – will have the Navy’s finest bellowing “Land Ho!” But how’d they know your name? $41, andrewchristian.com The Aloha-You-Doins Hawaii-based designer Reyn Spooner emphasizes “Mai iloko mai” – which translates to “That which is within matters” – in his islandinspired, above-the-knee board shorts constructed with four-way stretch, a drawstring tie with Velcro closure, and UPF 50 protection, available in colors like ink, smoke, and seafoam. $75$85, reynspooner.com
The Royal Tenenbums While England likely doesn’t top your list of must-plan summer getaways, Craghoppers’ Northbeach shorts, photoprinted with a breezy British seascape, are fortified with SolarShield Zinc Oxide UPF 40+ protection and an antichlorine finish to prevent fading so you can turn up at the hotel pool on this side of the pond. $60, craghoppers. com The Top-to-Bottoms Versatility best describes the multi-purpose, boldhued floral mid-thighs from Descendant of Thieves – they’re just as legit on the beach as they are in a bar – that you’ll wish your oneway boy toy would take a cue. $89, descendantofthieves. com
Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. He splits his time between homes in New York City and the Jersey Shore with his dog Jaxon. Connect with Mikey on Twitter @mikeyrox.
The Polly Wanna Partys Fans of ABC’s Shark Tank will feel fully vested in the Caribbeaninfluenced parrot-print trunks from Tipsy Elves – shark Robert Herjavec made a deal in 2013 with founders Evan Mendelson and Nick Morton, providing a $100,000 investment for 10% of the company – but your pair will only set you back a couple-a Jacksons. $40, tipsyelves.com The Schools Frat-tastic Chubbies continues its foray into snap-shut shorts – it’s ‘sky’s out, thighs out’ elastic waists have dominated its swim collection for the past few years – with a few new additions for summer ’17. Seven designs in all, from mono-colored to wild prints – like this salt-water fish style – feature four-way stretch fabric and a zipperclose back pocket for all the important documents you’ll need to take a dip. Anything can happen these days. $70, chubbiesshorts.com l
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
58th Annual Art and Book Fair returns Mother’s Day weekend
WICHITA - The Friends of the Wichita Art Museum are getting ready for the 58th Annual Art and Book Fair May 13-14. The fair features artworks, gently used or rare books, a chance to see the sculpture garden, take a tour of the museum, be entertained by musical groups, and feast on delicacies from the Muse or local food trucks, all for no admission charge. It runs from 10am-5pm on Saturday and 11am-5pm on Sunday at the Wichita Art Museum, 1400 W. Museum Blvd. The Art Fair Tents will be scattered around t h e m u s e u m ’s g r o u n d s displaying a wide variety of works made by artists from far away and local favorites. The art fair will feature the works of 50 artists from 12 states across the U.S. who have been selected through a jury application process. There are works of art in painting, ceramics, photography, jewelry, 3-D and 2-D multimedia, fiber, wood, glass, and printmaking. The Book Fair Book collectors from all over the region flock to this annual event to look for great “finds” in new, used and rare books. Thousands of books in every conceivable genre will be available inside the Museum.
58th
ANNUAL
PRESENTS
Local Authors New for this year, in response to community requests, local book authors will be on hand to sign and sell their published works. A wide variety of subjects will be available, including children’s books.
MAY 2017 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 23
Melissa Etheridge to perform at Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre
Entertainment In addition to art and books, throughout the Art and Book Fair there will be a wide variety of musical entertainment to enjoy. Lunch and Snacks The Art Museum’s Muse Café will have a special menu on Saturday and will serve Mother’s Day specials on Sunday. And outside some of the area’s best food trucks will be on hand to serve lunch and snacks. Linnebur and Miller Art Photography Artists Linnebur and Miller will create one-of-a-kind, Old Master photo portraits for purchase by costuming and posing individuals, friends and families in an 18th century art scenario. Printed photos will be available at the event, with digital copies e-mailed later.
Melissa Etheridge, who grew up in Leavenworth, KS, has played that area many times but has never made a tour stop in Wichita. She appeared on the very first cover of Liberty Press in September 1994.
WICHITA – Grammy awardwinner Melissa Etheridge brings her summer tour to Wichita’s historic Orpheum Theatre on Sunday, July 23. It will be the first time the Kansas born and raised singer has ever played in Wichita. For more information about Etheridge is one of rock the 58th Annual Art and Book music’s great female icons. Her Fair, visit wichitaartmuseum. critically acclaimed eponymous org/artbookfair. l debut album was certified double platinum. Etheridge’s popularity built around such memorable songs as Bring Me Some Water, Similar Features REGIONAL AND NATIONAL ART MARKET a n d A i n ’t I t BOOK SALE • ENTERTAINMENT • FOOD TRUCKS Heavy for which she won her first Grammy for Best FREE ADMISSION Female Rock Vocal. Etheridge hit SAT. MAY 13 10AM - 5PM her commercial SUN. MAY 14 11AM - 5PM and artistic stride with her fourth album, WICHITA ART MUSEUM Yes I Am, a nod 1400 WEST MUSEUM BOULEVARD to her coming WICHITA, KS 67203 • 316-268-4921 o u t p u b l i c l y, featuring the hits I’m the Only One and Come to My Window, a searing song
of longing that brought her a second Grammy. The six times platinum album spent more than two and a half years on the album chart. Etheridge is also an Oscar winner for Best Original Song in 2007. In 2011 Etheridge made her Broadway debut as St. Jimmy in Green Day’s rock opera, American Idiot, where she replaced Billie Joe Armstrong for one week, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Edge Media Network declared Etheridge “is a singer who can fire it up like Janis Joplin, touch the heart like Elvis Presley and steam up the windows like her musical hero, Otis Redding.” Tickets to see Melissa Etheridge at 7:30pm on Sunday, July 23 are on sale now through Select-A-Seat. Tickets are priced at $55 upper balcony, $70 orchestra rows L-W and lower balcony, $94.50 orchestra rows G-K, and $125.50 orchestra rows A-F, and can be purchased online at www.selectaseat.com, by phone at 855.755.7328, and in person at the Select-A-Seat Box Office at Intrust Bank Arena. l
PAGE 24 | LIBERTY PRESS |MAY 2017 WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL. Wichita Northeast High School GSA, Peace and Social Justice Center of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Jbell2@usd259.net South Central Kansas, 1407 N. Topeka, Manhattan, 481 Zeandale Road, (785) Wichita, (316) 263-5886, director@ 537-2349, www.uufm.net, services Wichita Northwest High School GSA, wichitapeace.org, www.wichitapeace. Sundays at 10:45am. amcdonald@usd259.net, meets every org Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Monday after school. Wichita Pride, info@wichitapride. Topeka, 4775 SW 21st St., (785) 272Wichita Southeast High School GSA, org, www.wichitapride.org, annual 9233, www.uuft.org, services Sundays (316) 807-2271, psychsteve2@yahoo. at 10:30am. celebration held in September. com Unity of Wichita, 2160 N. Oliver, (316) Social Wichita West High School GSA, 682-7511, www.unityofwichita.com, astucky@usd259.net 10am Sunday service, activities through Heart of America Men’s Chorus, the week. Wichita, (316) 708-4837, www.hoamc. Support Community Centers org Woodland United Methodist Church, Beacon Youth Group, Topeka, Junction City Teddy Bears, c/o Kevin 1100 W. 15th Street N. in Riverside, The Center, 800 N. Market, Wichita, beacontopeka@gmail.com, queer youth (316) 285-0007 www.thecenterofwichita. Stilley, 2 Oak Valley Dr., Manhattan, www.woodlandumc.com, office@ group for ages 12-20. Meets Mondays (785) 556-8188, trlrhouseman@webtv. woodlandumc.com, services 9 and 11am; org at 5:30pm at Central Congregational families welcome. net Church, 1248 SW Buchanan St., the Kansas State University LGBT NetworQ, Lawrence, www.Kansas Student groups 1st, 4th, and 5th Mondays and Unitarian Resource Center, 207 A/B Holton Hall, NetworQ.org, events are listed on Universalist Fellowship of Topeka, 4775 Manhattan, (785) 532-5352, lgbt@kwebsite and FB page. Bethel College GSA, North Newton, SW 21st St., 2nd and 3rd Mondays. state.edu, www.k-state-edu/lgbt advisor: Gabriel Fonseca gfonseca@ Wichita Bears, presidentwichitabears@ Central Plains Area Agency on Aging, bethelks.edu, President: Zachary Health yahoo.com, www.wichitabears.org 2622 W. Central Suite 500, Wichita, Preheim zacharyrpreheim@bethelks.edu (316) 660-5120, www.cpaaa.org, E.C. Tyree Health & Dental Clinic, Wichita Organization of Leather D e r b y H i g h S c h o o l G S A , CPAAA is available to assist seniors, 1525 N. Lorraine, Wichita, (316) 681Fetishes, (316) 201-6242, www. tkellenbarger@usd260.com caregivers, and adults with disabilities 2545, www.tyreeclinic.com woolfks.com through life’s transitions and with F re e S t a t e H i g h S c h o o l G S A , various levels of support. HIV/AIDS Client Emergency Fund Wichita Prime Timers, PO Box 3275, Lawrence, sponsors: Hilary Morton administrered by the Junction City 67201, ICTPrimeTimers@aol.com, COMCARE Crisis Intervention Teddy Bears, c/o Kevin Stilley, 2 Oak www.primetimersww.com/Wichita, hmorton@usd497.org, and Kim Grinnell kgrinnell@usd497.org Services, 934 N. Water, Wichita, Valley Dr., Manhattan, (785) 556-8188, social group for mature gay men. (316) 660-7500 free 24/7, www. trlrhouseman@webtv.net, for people in Highland Park High School's Parity, sedgwickcounty.org the Manhattan/Junction City area Spiritual Topeka, LGBTatHP@outlook.com, facebook.com/LGBTatHP Get Connected, Wichita, (316) 285Hunter Health Clinic, 2318 E. Central, 0007, LGBTQIA youth group for ages Wichita, (316) 262-3611, FREE HIV A Journey In The Light Ministries, Hutchinson High School GSA, faculty 2231 S. Bluff, Wichita, (316) 302-6225, 12-21. Meets at The Center, 800 N. confidential or anonymous testing with advisor: Mr. Westmoreland, chairperson: Sunday Praise and Worship services at Market, every Friday from 7-9pm. Spanish and Vietnamese interpreters. Kara Vaughn. 11am;Wednesday Discipleship Training GLSEN Greater Wichita, wichita@ KU Internal Medicine-Midtown, at 7:30pm. The Independent School GSA, chapters.glsen.org. KU School of Medicine, 1001 N. Wichita, sponsor: Matt Hanne matt. Minneapolis, Wichita, (316) 293-1840, College Hill United Methodist Church, hanne@theindependentschool.com Headquarters Counseling Center, (877) 472-8227 toll-free, (316) 293-2652 2930 E. 1st, Wichita, (316) 683-4643, Lawrence, (785) 841-2345 free 24/7, www.collegehillumc.org, Sunday K-State Sexuality and Gender Alliance HIV Program www.hqcc.lawrence.ks.us Celebrations at 8:30, 9:40 and 11:00am. (SAGA), meets every Thursday at 6:30 LGBT Health Coalition of Sedgwick Healthy Transitions, for heterosexually First Congregational United Church in Willard Hall, room 120. County, Wichita, (316) 285-0007, www. married gay men in KC. A phone and of Christ, 700 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan, Lawrence High School GSA, sponsors: wichitalgbthealth.org face-to-face interview required, Mark (785) 537-7006, www.uccmanhattan. Shannon Draper SDraper@usd497.org, McCarthy, LPC (816) 931-0011x4. Positive Connections, 2044 SW org, Sunday services at 10:45am; Taize and Lindsay Buck LBuck@usd497.org services Thursday at 7pm, An Open and Fillmore, Topeka, (785) 232-3100, HIV+ Men’s Support Group, Wichita, Manhattan High School GSA, mhs_ Affirming Congregation. www.pcneks.org (316) 293-3405, mmadecky@kumc.edu gsa@hotmail.com Positive Directions, 416 S. Commerce First Unitarian Universalist Church Living Positive, a support group of Wichita, 7202 E. 21st St., (316) 684- Maize South High School GSA, #108, Wichita, (316) 263-2214, (316) for people living with HIV and their sponsor: Shelly Walston swalston@ 3481, officemanager@firstuu.net, www. 263-5214, www.pdiks.com caregivers. Meets 1st Tuesdays at 6pm. usd266.com, meets 2nd Fridays. firstuu.net. Call 785-537-7006 for location. Saline County Health Dept., 125 W.. Elm, Salina, (785) 826-6602, www. Metropolitan Community Church People Respecting Individuality and O n e D a y A t A Ti m e , Wi c h it a , of Topeka, 4425 SW 19th, (785) 272- Diversity in Education (P.R.I.D.E.), sschd.org Alcoholics Anonymous meetings held 1442, office@mcctopeka.org, www. Emporia State University, Rochelle Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8pm at First Sedgwick County Health Dept., 2716 MCCTopeka.org, services Sundays at Rowley, Box 4022, 1 Kellogg Circle, MCC, 156 S. Kansas. W. Central, Wichita, (316) 660-7300, 10am. Emporia 66801, (620) 341-5723 www.sedgwickcounty.org rrowley1@emporia.edu PFLAG Hutchinson, PO Box Pine Valley Christian Church, 5620 2488, Hutchinson, (620) 899-2345, South Wind Women's Center, 5107 E. 21st St., Wichita, (316) 685-2421, PRISM, Pittsburg State University, find pflaghutch@gmail.com E. Kellogg, Wichita, (316) 260-6934, churchoffice@pvcconline.org, www. them on Facebook. www.southwindwomenscenter.org, PFLAG Lawrence/Topeka, sffeist@ pvcconline.org Spectrum KU, University of LGBTQIA-friendly health services. msn.com, www.pflagnekansas.org, Prairie Unitarian Universalist Kansas, Lawrence, (785) 864-3091, meets 1st Sundays, 2-4pm. Location T h e S w e e t E m e r g e n c y F u n d , F e l l o w s h i p , 1 8 0 9 E . 3 0 t h , rockchalkcentral.ku.edu/organization/ alternates between Lawrence and KUSM-W MPA, 1010 N. Kansas, Hutchinson, (620) 663-8002, www. SpectrumKU Topeka. Check website or e-mail for Wichita, (316) 293-3405 prairieuufellowship.org location. Spectrum: LGBTQ & Allies, Riverside Christian Church (Disciples Wichita State University, Twitter.com/ Politics/Activism The Face of Trans*, www.thefaceof of Christ), 1001 Litchfield, Wichita, Wsuspectrum, meets Thursdays at 7pm trans.com in the Lucas Room (RSC 265). E q u a l i t y K a n s a s , w w w . (316) 263-0900, www.riversidedisciples. Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center, org, services Sundays at 10:30am. kansasequalitycoalition.org, chapters Wichita East High School GSA 355 N. Waco, Suite 100, (316) 263across the state. Ta b l e o f H o p e M e t r o p o l i t a n Wichita Heights High School GSA, 0185 office, (316) 263-3002 crisis line C o m m u n i t y C h u r c h , 1 5 6 S . nmagoon@usd259.net Flint Hills Human Rights Project, 24/7, advocate@wichitasac.com, www. Kansas, Wichita, (316) 267-1852, fhhrp@yahoo.com wichitasac.com, free, confidential sexual w w w. m c c w i c h i t a . c o m , w w w. Wichita North High School GSA, assault services to all genders and sexual Kansas Statewide Transgender godlovesyouperiod.com, Sunday (316) 204-5621, kellykk00@yahoo.com, orientations. Education Project, (785) 215-7436, services at 10:30am. rhorning@usd259.net, cwidmer@ stephanie.mott@k-step.org, www.kWichita Transgender Community usd259.net, meets every Wednesday at step.org, provides transgender education Unitarian Universalist Congregation lunch in room A213. Network, social group meets the 1st of Lawrence, 1263 N. 1100 Rd., (785) and resources. week of each month and the support 842-3339, www.uufl.net, 9:30am group meets the 3rd Thursday of each program, 11am service month at The Center, 800 N. Market, at 7pm. l
WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
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WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.
Leather Life By Nolin Christensen aka Master C
Return to the Underground Editor’s note: This column may contain content that is offensive to some people.
W
ith everything that is happening in the world (i.e. Chechnya) and in the United States (the Trump circus), I can’t help but wonder if those of us in the Leather community will be forced underground again. Part of me doesn’t want us to return there, but part of me also yearns for that. Let me explain. When the leather community first formed we operated in a very secret environment. This is what I refer to as the underground. Not only were gay leather men in the closet, there was also a back door in the closet that opened to this secret leather underworld. We didn’t have to worry about undesirables coming into the community as we had a vetting process to weed out the bad apples. We didn’t have to worry about what people thought because we were not seen. We didn’t have to worry about AIDS because it didn’t exist at that time. We didn’t have to worry what people were writing or misinforming others about the lifestyle because we WERE the lifestyle. There is a nationwide resurgence of returning to this underground. There are some communities and some areas that are going back to being under the radar. They are small, they exist with very few individuals and you have to know someone to get into them. Why is this happening?
There are many reasons, but let me explain the two biggest. The biggest reason for this is what many call the “watering down of the lifestyle.” The original Leather community was masculine gay men. The watering down is that there are very few masculine gay men left. It’s like anyone can be part of the community. This has caused the leather gay men to retreat back into their homes and into the closed groups. Another big reason is we have people who come into the community, who only have minimal experience and are professing to be knowledgeable about the lifestyle AND claim to know the “real” history of the community. Unfortunately, they don’t. They don’t know crap about the various types of play or the safety that is required and they certainly don’t know s**t about the history. Yet because they have presented themselves as educators or writers, people are being taken in with the incorrect information. No wonder those of us that have been around for a long time are fed up with it. So, yes, part of me wants to return, but I know that going back is probably not going to happen. One, the elders who would be able to teach the correct info are very few. And since we don’t have a good vetting process anymore it makes it very hard to get rid of the bad apples. Many of us have tried, but found ourselves at the crucifixion of the internet. And as you all know, the internet is “always” correct. (yes, sarcasm intended!) So, will what is happening in the world force us back anyway? Who knows? But I know one thing, right now we can’t go back. We would lose so many years of progress in our fight to no longer be persecuted. We ALL must fight for the rights of EVERYONE regardless of who they are. This is why some of us have not returned to the underground. As much as I would like to, there’s just too much at stake. We must continue to combat hate and bigotry. l
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RETURN OF THE
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