Liberty Press July 2017 by Liberty Press Kansas

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Liberty Press

Volume 23, No. 11 • Editor: Kristi Parker • Contributors: Nolin Christensen, Charlene Lichtenstein, Mama, Dr. Robert N. Minor • Staff Reporters: Grayson Barnes, Emily Beckman, Ciara Reid, Jamie Rhodes • 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......................................5 KANSAS NEWS........................8 LEATHER LIFE.......................12 MINOR DETAILS....................13 MAMA KNOWS BEST............16 OUT IN THE STARS...............16 AROUND KANSAS.................17 ON THE COVER: Save a Veteran.............................5 Travel.....................................10,12

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OP/ED

A Monthly Collection of Opinions and Editorials.

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In Honor of Independence Day: Save a Dog, Save a Veteran By Jamie Rhodes WICHITA - A common question I get walking around with my dog, Dixon, is, “So do you train dogs? Are you going to give him up once he’s trained?” The reason for this question: Dixon wears a vest because he is my service dog. These questions remind me of when I get my free meal at Applebee’s on Veterans Day (I’m an Air Force veteran). I’m often overlooked while the older gentleman wearing the “Vietnam Veteran” hat is asked by the hostess, “Are you a veteran?” then is seated before me while the other male veterans get a “thank you for your service.” This, unfortunately, proves people still judge others from the outside. Perhaps it’s because I’m still young, I don’t have a prosthetic, or perhaps it’s because I’m a female. Due to MST (Military Sexual Trauma), I deal with anxiety and depression that is heightened in certain settings, circumstances and situations. On the outside, I may go about my day-to-day activities just like any normal woman, but what others don’t see, is the battle and struggle I deal with in my thoughts on a day-to-day basis. In Wichita alone, nearly 66,000 veterans suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Almost half of those veterans have applied, or are on a two-year waiting list, for a service dog. Per the Veterans Affairs, in 2014 approximately 20 veterans committed suicide each day. 18% of all deaths from suicide among U.S. adults were veterans. Currently, no suicides are known among those veterans who own a service dog. Service dogs can help lower stress and anxiety for those who have PTSD and those who have a need for medication. The current cost to train a

Jamie and Dixon on a recent trip in New Orleans.

certified service dog can be over $18,000. Tony Turner and Chip Neumann founded Midwest Battle Buddies (MWBB) in 2015. They are a non-profit organization created to help veterans with a certified service dog for very little to no out-ofpocket expense. Most dogs are acquired with the help of local animal shelters and paired with veterans while the veteran trains the dog, with the assistance of the trainer. Neumann, and dog trainer and owner of Canine Companion

Kollege, Tammy Hazlett, work closely with the teams to ensure proper training. “I hope to change the laws and standards for service dogs to make it much harder for a dog to be certified,” Hazlett said, “and make it illegal to have one of these substandard animals as a service dog. Our veterans train their dogs for months, and more, to be certified. It takes a great deal of work from them to get to that point…the idea that some people belittle this commitment and do not follow through with the hard work and commitment our veterans do to be certified, is disrespectful and should not be tolerated. “My goal as the trainer is to help the veterans train their dogs for their specific needs as service dogs and to give them ongoing support with any changes to their health and specific needs. I want to find the best possible match for the veterans so that bond between the dog and them is strong and they work together as a team. My end goal is for every veteran to be able to get out and enjoy the freedom they fought so hard for with the help of their Battle Buddy.” C u r r e n t l y, M W B B h a s five teams that make up the beginners group, four certified teams, which includes myself and dog, Dixon, and Navy veteran, Ken Bower and his Husky, Keno. Bower has PTSD and is a survivor of the USS Cole Bombing. There are seven in the advanced group including

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Combat Gulf War Navy veteran, Jennifer Trzicky, who suffers from PTSD, agoraphobia and is also a survivor of MST: “Since I have been with Midwest Battle Buddies, I am able to get my life and freedom back. I can go out because my [service] dog, Houdini, has my six. Not only have I been getting better, but have met great heroes like myself to bond with. I am becoming whole again.” “I have been told that not only have our veterans been able to greatly reduce their medication, but in some cases the veterans have told me they would not be here today without the program,” Neumann said. MWBB is having a fundraiser July 17 at Crestview Country Club. For more information, or to donate, visit Midwest Battle Buddies, Inc. or Chip Neumann on Facebook. l

Letters Well done, editor Dear editor: Your story about the letter in the purse (to give nothing away) was a stunner! Well done. (You should enter it in a contest.) Pat MacDonald PS - I love LP and read it from cover to cover every month. Thanks so much!

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Kansas News She&Her Productions announces first Fringe show KANSAS CITY - The Respectful Prostitute, directed by James Weber, is showing at the 2017 KC Fringe Festival on July 22, 25, 27, and 29 at the Unicorn Theatre’s Jerome Stage. This social commentary about corrupt politics, homosexual oppression, the power of white privilege, and the criminalization of black men was written by Jean-Paul Sartre in 1946 and blatantly addresses the suffocating racial tension, gender bias, sexual oppression, and stereotyping of the era.

She&Her Productions’ adaptation takes place in a present-day setting, but only had to be slightly altered f o r m o d e r n i t y, b e c a u s e these seemingly-antiquated circumstances are still entirely relevant. The first character seen is THE PROSTITUTE, who has just moved to Montgomery, Ala. She’s found a new client and things are looking up . . . until THE NEGRO starts banging on her door. He’s being chased by an angry mob and is wanted by law enforcement for the crime of a white man, a crime she bore witness to - and, though she wants to be a good person, she refuses to help him.

“Please, ma’am, please. Please tell them that I didn’t do anything.” The production features local Kansas City actors Jennifer Coville, Cori Anne Weber, Stevie Haynes, and Peter Leondedis, and will incorporate multimedia projections to help convey its message of introspection and social accountability. The play contains sensitive-yet-necessary content that many will find disturbing and is not appropriate for young audiences. Tickets are $10 in addition to the onetime purchase of the $5 Fringe Festival admission button. Vi s i t w w w. r p f r i n g e k c . wordpress.com for show times. More info at www. sheandherproductions.com.

Michael Timothy Dieker debuts new musical Run, in one-night-only benefit for Lawrence’s Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center LAWRENCE - The roles have been cast, the sets are being built, the costumes are being stitched, and tickets are now on sale for Michael Timothy Dieker’s new musical Run, playing Saturday, July 29 at 7:30pm at Maceli’s, 1031 New Hampshire St., in Lawrence. Run is a never before seen take on the classic heroes journey, with colorful comic book settings and characters, as well as plenty of nods and winks to some favorites in tights (with or without capes), but telling an unforgettable story about a group of regular people learning to survive, create, and fall in love in the aftermath of traumas past

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and present, and trying to be or become heroes in their own lives. Dieker has partnered with the Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center for this event in an effort to join the fight and help spread awareness about sexual trauma and abuse, its effects on victim survivors, what can be done to help support them, and what can be done to foster a culture of consent in the community. From every $15 ticket sold, $14.25 will go directly to the Care Center. Run explores topics not expected in a musical, like mental health, suicide, sexual assault and abuse, but it always brings things back to a light and colorful comic book place. Its message is one of hope, family, and human resilience. The cast includes Timothy Burns, Skye Reid, Andrew Ramaley, Mario Bonilla, Jacob Liles, Alice Dale, Jimmy Uhlemeyer, Scott Olcott, Christian Johanning, and Michael Timothy Dieker. Tickets are on sale at macelis.ecwid.com/Run-theMusical-p83533731. l

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The Smell of the Kill doesn’t offer much to work with REVIEW By Grayson Barnes WICHITA - The Smell of the Kill, by Michelle Lowe, was John Dalton-White’s directorial debut at Wichita Community Theatre (WCT). After originally premiering in Cleveland, Ohio in 1999, in 2002 it showed at the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway. It went on for a surprising 40 performances. I say “surprising,” because there isn’t much to work with. Dalton-White and his crew did their best, nonetheless. The story is about three women, Nicky, Molly, and Debra, who are cleaning up after dinner in the kitchen of Nicky’s 1.2 million-dollar home. They are together ONLY because their husbands are college buddies. Notably absent are the menfolk, whose hyper-masculine bellows occasionally toll from another room. The boisterousness of the bro-bonding is perfect audible cover for the gals to discuss their marital dissatisfaction. The guys play parlor golf, break things, torture the cat, and toss their (golf) balls into the kitchen at their wives when there is no dessert. The women are Barbietypes with actual barbs. They variously pair up and claw at the wayward third who wanders offstage to attend to the husbands’ or an unseen baby’s needs. Collectively the trio swipe at their husbands. Except for Debra. Nicky’s husband has been accused of embezzling seven million dollars (his “moral

limit”) and awaits trial. Molly’s husband hasn’t slept with her in years, yet is pathologically stalker-ish. He shows up unexpectedly at her “ladies who lunch” moments and gave Molly a watch with an alarm set for every two hours so she can call him. Regardless, she wants a baby, so blushingly innocent Molly managed to have an affair in spite of her helicopter husband. Dutiful Debra claims to love her man. Will she to stick to that, even when the boys get conveniently trapped in the new meat freezer (for all Nicky’s husband’s deer) in the basement? It just happens to have a persnickety lock. What should the women do? The action takes place solely in the kitchen/great room. For the story, it had to be upscale enough to give us the sensibility that the existence of these people was at least bordering Original Housewives level. Bob Lancaster, the set designer, did that with his muted gray and white scheme. It gave the area the feel of stateliness, but provided a neutral backdrop for the actors. He also included a pantry clearly visible to the audience for a few moments of “set humor.” The difficulty at the small WCT is making a space large enough for a script which requires large emotional movement from the actors. They needed enough room to roil about without caroming into pieces or each other. Lancaster’s construction deftly met the variables. Charlene Grinsell played Nicky. Her physical intensity

was understated yet comedic. She constantly threatened to boil over and make a very bad mess on the stove, but cleaned up after a few drips and simmered some more. Jessica Heidrick was Molly. She remained the adroitly doeeyed “straight man,” (ala Betty White) even after providing us with her revelation. While Nicky was ready to roil, Darian Leatherman’s Debra was an expertly gossipy yet stolid “church lady.” Debra was the broadest character in the bunch. Leatherman kept herself just holier-than-thou enough to make us believe she wasn’t going to budge off her bit of moral high ground. When Debra (Leatherman) confessed her philandering husband had kicked her out of HER house, she decided he should freeze too. It was a startling change-up when Leatherman carried this off without giving this “turn around” moment in the play away too soon – a nicely sweet treat in what was thin fare as far as the play itself.

As to that, The Smell of the Kill is a collection of differences slightly above and below a line of “tepid.” It is measured, yet not terribly deep. It is threatening, but forgettable. Its premise is plausible, although the narrowness of the characters and their reasoning makes the punch-line predictable. The Smell of the Kill is funny, however only mildly and not genuinely. It is 80 minutes with no intermission, which instead of keeping me captivated, made me feel captive. This is utterly the fault of the writing, not the actors. A funny, thoughtful, wellarticulated play would have surprised, entertained, and amused us right up to the end. In The Smell of the Kill, however, about halfway through, we know exactly what’s going down. I wish Dalton-White had a bit more to work with on his first round at WCT. The actors also deserve some extra applause for seeing it through. For future shows at WCT, visit www.wichitact.org. l

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Girl Splash: The Summer Event for Women: Five Days of Sun-Filled Lesbian Fun, July 18-22

Provincetown, Mass. – The countdown is on for the tenth-anniversary celebration of Girl Splash, the epic summer event for women in Provincetown. From July 18-22 ProvincetownForWomen.com presents a fun-filled schedule of events featuring parties, performers, special land and sea activities, plus everything that makes Provincetown so special in summer. New for the tenth anniversary is a foodie tour, a garden party, an inn stroll, movies under the stars, and a day-long tour of Cape Cod. The unique offerings include Girl Splash Idol; a traditional Cape Cod Clambake on the Beach; relaxing at one of the few lesbian beaches in the country; an all-lesbian sunset

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Champagne Sail, Dune Tour and Sunset Beach Fire, and more. Also new to Girl Splash this year will be the addition of “Bride Pride, the World’s Largest All-Girl Wedding and Renewal Ceremony,” now in its second year. (see inset). Provincetown’s last women’s event this year is Women’s Week, Oct. 9-15. Now the l o n g e s t - r u n n i n g w o m e n ’s festival, celebrating its 32nd anniversary, this week-long celebration starting on Columbus Day each year features over 150 events including comedy acts, live musical performances, literary panels, a fun run, golf tournament, art openings, book signings, workshops, gatherings, a drag show, sporting events and much more. For more info, visit www. WomensWeekProvincetown. com. For more info about women’s events in Provincetown, visit www.ProvincetownForWomen. com. l

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Bride Pride Turns Up The Heat With All-Girl Wedding And Renewal Ceremony Provincetown, Mass. – For the second c o n s e c u t i v e y e a r, women from all over the planet will converge on Provincetown to proclaim their love at Bride Pride, a group wedding and renewal ceremony scheduled to take place on July 22 during Girl Splash. Awardwinning political humorist Kate Clinton will perform the ceremony. If there are at least 100 couples, the brides will become

part of recorded history. The producers have applied to Guinness Book of World Records in an effort to capture the title for World’s Largest All-Girl

Wedding. The event will take place on the grounds of historic Pilgrim Monument at High Pole Hill Road at 11am. Advance registration is required, visit www.rouxprovincetown.com/ bride-pride. l

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Leather Life By Nolin Christensen aka Master C

Making a Difference

his month I’m veering off from the leather/BDSM and speaking to everyone. July is the month we celebrate the independence of our nation. What I want to say is something more personal. When this nation fought for its independence it was done with resistance and a war. People died so that we can enjoy our freedoms. As the LGBT community, we too have fought for our rights. It was also done with resistance. We marched, we did sit-ins, we locked arms. We didn’t fight a war, but we fought, with many

getting arrested. And we have come a long way. But the fight is not over yet. Until we see that our rights are wholly secured, we will have to continue to resist, continue to fight. When we started our freedom fight, it was just us. But along the way we gathered allies who fought with us and alongside us. Well, it’s time we up the ante. We need to expand this fight for justice. We need to fight for the right and the freedoms of ALL marginalized people. This is no longer just about us; this is about ALL of us. We see every day other groups of people who are being stripped of basic rights. Therefore, we need to get more involved, we need to do more resistance, and we need to stand up for others. We need to be willing to get arrested. We need to say enough is ENOUGH. One of the first things that ALL of us can do is vote. We have power when we all vote. We’ve done it before. In our early fight, we went to the polls in droves and elected people who were our allies. We need to continue to do this. Because until we ALL have equality, NONE of us will have equality. l

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The Gay Mecca of Latin America: Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, Argentina A vacation to Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, is highly recommended for a quick relief to ease away the stress. Especially with the recent announcement that foreign visitors will now be refunded the VAT (value added tax) paid on hotel services using foreign debit or credit cards throughout Argentina. It should be no surprise that Buenos Aires, the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage, is one of the most LGBT-friendly cities in the world. Strung along the Rio de la Plata, this city brimming with Latin sensuality and European sophistication has much to offer the LGBT traveler, from luxurious, welcoming hotels and restaurants where beef reigns supreme, to exciting nightlife where visitors can dance to techno or learn the sultry tango. Hotels: Almost every hotel in

Buenos Aires is gay-friendly, including the city’s most luxurious in the Recoleta neighborhood, from the gilded marble Alvear Palace, where concierges know everything gay in the city, to the Four Seasons, where Madonna stayed during the filming of Evita, using the hotel mansion’s balcony to practice her Don’t Cry for Me routine. Trendy Palermo has small boutique hotels like the Fierro, known for its gourmand-friendly atmosphere, and Home, with its cozy spa, grassy backyard pool, and DJ’d lobby bar. El Lugar Gay, Spanish for ‘the gay place’ is the gay-owned, men-only hotel just off Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo, with a rooftop patio offering weekly gay tango lessons. Restaurants: Beef rules in Argentina. Get a juicy slab of it at La Cabrera in Palermo, an Argentine parrilla continued on page 14

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Minor

Details By Bob Minor

Why Is the Idea of Privilege So Controversial? “White privilege.” “Male privilege.” “Heterosexual privilege.” “Class privilege.” “Able-bodied privilege.” “Christian privilege.” Though the concept of the privilege of the dominant group that’s based on culturally accepting their characteristics as the norm and others as deviants from a norm that’s somehow c ons idered more natural, American, and human has been around for decades, it’s very mention to a person in those dominant groups often raises the level of a discussion’s heat. People not a part of those dominant groups are regularly, and often silently, aware of what those phrases mean to their daily lives, but the dynamics of our culture’s intersection of the categories we use to divide people complicates the discussion. And when government or other institutions act to mitigate privilege, those actions often evoke complaints of reverse discrimination. We see this in the stereotypical attacks on affirmative action – the often misunderstood but most conservative attempt to correct historical discrimination that the government could come up with – or the mainstream but inaccurate images we’re supposed to carry around about who receives the most “help” from the government. Why is it difficult, then, for people in dominant groups to recognize the privileges their group has just for being the right color, sexual orientation, gender, class, religion, or body-type? Why is it almost a knee-jerk reaction to go into anecdotaljustifying denial? Well, it’s complicated.

First, we’d like to believe that we’re self-made people who’ve earned by our actions alone all that’s implied when the concept of privilege is raised. That’s, as historians point out, one of the most pernicious and irrepressible American myths. It’s so ingrained, and so used by American leaders, that to point out all the help we’ve gotten - from the roads we ride on to the tax money others have paid into our education - is often interpreted as evidence of some sort of personal failure. Part of the loss of sense of community is amnesia that forgets that we’ve benefitted from that community. And it’s a sad self-concept that can only accept one’s value if they’re “self-made” when everyone is a combination of their own achievement and what’s been handed to them. It not only negates one’s own reality, but teaches that any help we give someone is a sign that they’re actually failures. Second, group identity is installed in us emotionally and with the fear that we might be isolated from that very group. We come to need the identity that the group gives us because we rely on it to define who we are. So, when the privilege of that group is pointed out, our reaction is less likely to be a thoughtful consideration of the idea but an emotional response that could include guilt, shame, fear, and threatened loss. We can diminish those feelings quickly with anger, offense, denial, and a search for the opinions of others who reject the concept. It’s often the case that the response is to go into one’s own victim talk, reciting how we of the dominant group have been victims of this person or that. We might even claim that the

other group has it better – though few would thereby be willing to wake up the next morning with the identity of that non-dominant group. I’ve often challenged people who say that LGBTQ people aren’t really discriminated against to try an experiment – for the next six months tell everyone around you that you’re LGBT or Q. But even assuring them that it’s only an experiment and six months later they can say “Just kidding,” no one who’s denied that there’s any discrimination has yet taken me up on it. Third, because our society is an intersection of multiple oppressions that each privilege a certain group, most people experience more than one. So when one privilege is pointed out, they’re often able to respond by how they’re the victims of another privilege as if that other non-privilege negates the original observation. The most pervasive of these are the privileges of economic class. So if someone points out my white privilege, I can respond with examples about how class privilege has treated me and – here’s the misunderstanding – act as if I don’t have any privileges just because people identify me as white. “Well, I’ve had it hard too” is often a response of how much more difficult everything is in our culture if you’ve not come from an economically upperclass family. And one of the functions of many of the other privileges is actually to keep the class system in place by dividing people from each other in terms of these other identities. The American cultural system has a long history of preferring that we keep these arguments

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going so that the majority – working-class people – doesn’t ever unite to bring down the powers that be who make money off of our divisions. So, if I might get personal with a few everyday examples: I’m a white, non-heterosexual, ablebodied, man from a workingclass background. My white privilege means, for example, that when I walk around a store I don’t have to wonder if someone is following me expecting me to steal something or ever have to think about anything in terms of the pinkish-cream color of my skin. As able-bodied, my privileges include that I never have to determine if a place I visit is accessible. My male privileges include that people often pay attention to me when I say the same thing a woman has just said that listeners had let go or that I don’t have to respond to questions about my objectivity as a man when I write about gender issues. Yet, I don’t have the privilege of never worrying about how someone will respond when I tell them about my partner. And I don’t have the privilege of not worrying about budgeting or falling into debt. And I haven’t even touched on privileges that come with identifying with the right religion that’s afraid it’s losing those privileges and claiming they’re the ones being persecuted. But that’s another story. 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.

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WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

Wichita Pride 2017

Pictures by Kristi Parker

Buenos Aires continued from page 12

or steakhouse. Visitors who want to splurge on a formal experience head to Cabaña Las Lilas overlooking the Puerto Madero waterfront. Argentine beef is on the plate and all around in gay bar and restaurant Pepo Pepona in Palermo, with male dancers and hunky waiters with pepper grinders, spicing up the service. Especially busy during the Sunday Feria de San Telmo Street Fair, PrideCafe is a great place for a snack and to chat with locals.

Nightlife: This South American City That Never Sleeps has one of the world’s best nightlifes, including an unparalleled nocturnal LGBT scene. Gays and music-loving straights mingle at Amerika, one of the city’s largest clubs. Contramano, popular with Bears and a mature crowd, was established soon after Argentina’s military dictatorship ended, heralding the country’s emerging freedom. Living up to its name, Glam in Barrio Norte offers an elegant scene with beautiful men throughout its several spaces. Sitges offers a humorous drag show along with dancing.

Lesbians flock to Bach Bar, and Casa Brandon in the Villa Crespo neighborhood, a unique gay cultural space offering art, talks and other cerebral events. Nothing says Buenos Aires like tango, and two LGBT choices of milongas, or tango halls, are La Marshall and Tango Queer, both offering lessons for beginners. Festivals: There’s something year-round for the LGBT community in this vibrant city. During the southern hemisphere’s summer season, November is the gayest month, honoring 1967’s pre-Stonewall founding of Argentina’s LGBT rights group Nuestro Mundo.

Manuel Puig, author of Kiss of the Spiderwoman, was an early member. Argentina’s national LGBT rights march, known as Orgullo - Spanish for Pride - takes place in Buenos Aires the first or second Saturday of November. That same month, dance the gay Argentine way during the Tango Queer Festival, or watch gay films during Asterisco, Argentina’s International LGBT Film Festival. The city government of Buenos Aires throws its own gay festival, BA Diversa, full of events, talks, sports, art exhibits and more each August, timed with the G-Networks gay travel and business conference. l

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

JULY 2017 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 15

latow F a r I with

SEPTEMBER 9 AT THE ORPHEUM THEATRE The Secret (Smart) Life of Bees

This Cuttlefish Dazzles Reasons to be Amazed by the Octopus

In the Quantum World, Physics Gets Philosophical

Keeping Your Habits Private in a Connected World

Did Dark Matter Doom the Dinosaurs?

PAGE 16 | LIBERTY PRESS |JULY 2017

would run for office (shaking my head and gulping a beer down). Did you hear about the flights in Phoenix canceled because it is too hot for the planes? Not Signed Mama, What do you think about the big Uber scandal? Riding Cautiously You give a man too much power and he goes all stupid! Look at the other men that are the head of something and have scandals and investigations against them. Just a bunch a dang idiots. If I was not on a fixed income I

In today’s technology it is too hot for a plane? Well it does get hotter than Hades in Arizona. My beer would never stay cool enough, that is why I live in Raytown. I wish Eunice would move there; It might take the curl out of her out-dated hairdo! Have you heard they made a Ken doll with a man bun, Mama? A Collector

e are able to mix business with pleasure this July as a rush of planets simmer in Cancer and eventually meander into lusty Leo. Make your big move while the heat is on. Ouch!

ARIES (MAR. 21 - APRIL 20) Chatty gay Rams might still be trying to find out what will make their home the center of their universe. So use your gift of gab to ask advice from those with a good design sense and a handyman’s abilities. There are modest changes that will greatly enhance your surroundings. Maybe it’s time to get rid of a few old things. Even that “lucky” orange ottoman. TAURUS (APRIL 21 - MAY 21) Put your money where your mouth is, queer Bull. That means that all of your bragging will have to be backed up with real action and financial acumen. You are up to the task as long as you keep your promises in perspective. When in doubt, try to find a well-endowed benefactor to help grease your wheels. Hmm, is that what we are calling it nowadays? GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUNE 21) You make a great first impression now, pink Twin. So don’t be shy. Get Out there and show the world the meaning of Pride. You are full of great ideas that will not only impact your world, but help humanity at large. You may even reap financial benefits as you go on a speaking tour. What massive fee will you charge? Make it eye-popping lucrative. CANCER (JUNE 22 - JULY 23) Get into the epicenter of all of the activity and use your perceptive powers to gain greater power and prestige. Gay Crabs with a yearning to make a difference in our community will be given the opportunity. What type of difference do you have in mind? Operate from an altruistic motive and anything you do, for whatever reason, will have a great outcome. Especially for you.

Oh for Pete’s sake, I have heard it all! That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Man bun what an ironic name for a man that has a beehive. Just call it “I want to be a girl” bun. Next Barbie will have a girl penis. Good Lord, Mattel! Anything to make a dollar.

Boiled Eggs Depending on how many you want, boil that number of eggs. Put eggs in pot with just enough water over the tops of the eggs. Turn on medium heat. When the water reaches a rolling boil take it off the burner and cover the pan. Let it stand for 12 minutes.

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

Then run cold water over the eggs for a few minutes. Once the egg is cool enough to be handled, peel the shell under running cold water. This helps the shell come off. Once done you have your boiled eggs. Enjoy plain or with some salt. This is for those people that do not cook (Eunice). Happy 4th of July everyone! Be safe and thanks for reading my column. l Have a question for Mama? E-mail MamaTHarper@aol.com.

Support your local gay mag! Own a business? Work for a business? Know a business? Refer them to us. Advertising pays.

LEO (JULY 24 - AUG. 23) SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 - DEC. 22) You possess that certain special Gay Archers have an urge to merge something now, proud Lion. It can be an throughout the summer. That means not aura or another worldly knowingness. only focusing on the deeper meaning And it will enable you to ascertain in any of your relationships, but also others’ motives and secrets. Will you conjuring ways to heighten the connection. use your foggy charm to predict the future? Oh why So think of ways that you can fully express yourself. You not. And be sure to include a few special bosom burn with desire and want partners and lovers to do the buddies in your new age antics. The more the merrier. same. Will whips do the trick? Only if they agree. Or so the spirits say. CAPRICORN (DEC. 23 - JAN. 20) VIRGO (AUG. 24 - SEPT. 23) It will seem like you cannot get away Friends come to your rescue in any area from work now, Pink Cap. But don’t of your life that requires a strong helping despair and keep your eye on the ultimate hand. They can even be relied upon to prize. Relationships will start to form, offer sage professional advice to help solidify and strengthen as the summer you get ahead. But don’t over burden them with your progresses. So put in the effort on a variety of projects gripes, queer Virgo. At some point you must pull back and see how much you can achieve to establish balance in and relax. Just enjoy your posse for the convivial your life. Or will you go head over heels? Nice position! company they offer. Do I smell party? AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 - FEB. 19) LIBRA (SEPT. 24 - OCT. 23) Life is all fun and games and Aqueerians Proud Libras can make the greatest are in the center of all of the fun. But is advancements in their careers, now that that all there is to life now? Decidedly they see the map to success. You have not as you realize that some effort needs to be focused been carefully curating your ascent and are now ready on your exercise, diet and health. Whether you need to to go forward. Check any contract carefully to be sure relax and de-stress or take up rigorous personal training, that you are getting everything you deserve. And listen make your decision before the summer gets too hot. You carefully to all offers and caveats. You want to be clear can never be too hot, though! in your expectations. Proceed and succeed. PISCES (FEB. 20 - MAR. 20) SCORPIO (OCT. 24 - NOV. 22) Guppies start their summer sizzle as Do you have an itch to discover new homebodies. Everything they need seems lands? Plan a few intimate getaways to be close at hand. But before you get your now and see how you can make them fingers caught in the middle of (ahem) things, start to as romantic as possible. Gay Scorps explore more creative ways to fill your time. Take acting love adventure and what better way or dance lessons or learn to paint. There is something to be to experience the thrill than with a delightful travel said for learning to pole dance. Ah, but with whose pole? companion. Who knows? Your thrills and chills may not require you to travel far. Maybe you just need traveling hands.

(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. JULY 2017 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 17 South Central Kansas, 1407 N. Topeka, Unitarian Universalist Congregation usd259.net, meets every Wednesday at Wichita, (316) 263-5886, director@ of Lawrence, 1263 N. 1100 Rd., (785) lunch in room A213. wichitapeace.org, www.wichitapeace. 842-3339, www.uufl.net, 9:30am Wichita Northeast High School GSA, program, 11am service org Jbell2@usd259.net Wichita Pride, info@wichitapride. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Wichita Northwest High School GSA, org, www.wichitapride.org, annual Manhattan, 481 Zeandale Road, (785) amcdonald@usd259.net, meets every 537-2349, www.uufm.net, services celebration held in September. Monday after school. Sundays at 10:45am. Social Wichita Southeast High School GSA, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of (316) 807-2271, psychsteve2@yahoo. Topeka, 4775 SW 21st St., (785) 272Heart of America Men’s Chorus, com 9233, www.uuft.org, services Sundays Wichita, (316) 708-4837, www.hoamc. at 10:30am. Wichita West High School GSA, org Community Centers astucky@usd259.net Unity of Wichita, 2160 N. Oliver, (316) Junction City Teddy Bears, c/o Kevin 682-7511, www.unityofwichita.com, Stilley, 2 Oak Valley Dr., Manhattan, The Center, 800 N. Market, Wichita, Support (316) 285-0007 www.thecenterofwichita. (785) 556-8188, trlrhouseman@webtv. 10am Sunday service, activities through the week. net org Beacon Youth Group, Topeka, beacontopeka@gmail.com, queer youth Kansas State University LGBT T h e L G B T S o c i a l C l u b o f Woodland United Methodist Church, group for ages 12-20. Meets Mondays Wichita, monthly social outings 1100 W. 15th Street N. in Riverside, Resource Center, 207 A/B Holton Hall, at 5:30pm at Central Congregational for the Wichita LGBT community, www.woodlandumc.com, office@ Manhattan, (785) 532-5352, lgbt@kChurch, 1248 SW Buchanan St., the lgbtsocialclubwichita@yahoo.com. Find woodlandumc.com, services 9 and 11am; state.edu, www.k-state-edu/lgbt families welcome. 1st, 4th, and 5th Mondays and Unitarian us on Facebook. Universalist Fellowship of Topeka, 4775 Health NetworQ, Lawrence, www.Kansas Student groups SW 21st St., 2nd and 3rd Mondays. NetworQ.org, events are listed on E.C. Tyree Health & Dental Clinic, Central Plains Area Agency on Aging, website and FB page. Bethel College GSA, North Newton, 1525 N. Lorraine, Wichita, (316) 6812622 W. Central Suite 500, Wichita, advisor: Gabriel Fonseca gfonseca@ 2545, www.tyreeclinic.com Wichita Bears, presidentwichitabears@ bethelks.edu, President: Zachary (316) 660-5120, www.cpaaa.org, yahoo.com, www.wichitabears.org CPAAA is available to assist seniors, Preheim zacharyrpreheim@bethelks.edu HIV/AIDS Client Emergency Fund caregivers, and adults with disabilities administrered by the Junction City Wichita Organization of Leather through life’s transitions and with Teddy Bears, c/o Kevin Stilley, 2 Oak Fetishes, (316) 201-6242, www. D e r b y H i g h S c h o o l G S A , tkellenbarger@usd260.com various levels of support. Valley Dr., Manhattan, (785) 556-8188, woolfks.com trlrhouseman@webtv.net, for people in F re e S t a t e H i g h S c h o o l G S A , COMCARE Crisis Intervention Wichita Prime Timers, PO Box 3275, Lawrence, sponsors: Hilary Morton the Manhattan/Junction City area Services, 934 N. Water, Wichita, 67201, ICTPrimeTimers@aol.com, hmorton@usd497.org, and Kim Grinnell (316) 660-7500 free 24/7, www. Hunter Health Clinic, 2318 E. Central, www.primetimersww.com/Wichita, kgrinnell@usd497.org sedgwickcounty.org Wichita, (316) 262-3611, FREE HIV social group for mature gay men. confidential or anonymous testing with Highland Park High School's Parity, Get Connected, Wichita, (316) 285Spanish and Vietnamese interpreters. Spiritual Topeka, LGBTatHP@outlook.com, 0007, LGBTQIA youth group for ages facebook.com/LGBTatHP 12-21. Meets at The Center, 800 N. KU Internal Medicine-Midtown, A Journey In The Light Ministries, Market, every Friday from 7-9pm. KU School of Medicine, 1001 N. Hutchinson High School GSA, faculty Minneapolis, Wichita, (316) 293-1840, 2231 S. Bluff, Wichita, (316) 302-6225, advisor: Mr. Westmoreland, chairperson: GLSEN Greater Wichita, wichita@ (877) 472-8227 toll-free, (316) 293-2652 Sunday Praise and Worship services at Kara Vaughn. chapters.glsen.org. 11am;Wednesday Discipleship Training HIV Program at 7:30pm. The Independent School GSA, Headquarters Counseling Center, LGBT Health Coalition of Sedgwick Lawrence, (785) 841-2345 free 24/7, College Hill United Methodist Church, Wichita, sponsor: Matt Hanne matt. County, Wichita, (316) 285-0007, www. www.hqcc.lawrence.ks.us 2930 E. 1st, Wichita, (316) 683-4643, hanne@theindependentschool.com wichitalgbthealth.org www.collegehillumc.org, Sunday K-State Sexuality and Gender Alliance HIV+ Men’s Support Group, Wichita, Positive Connections, 2044 SW Celebrations at 8:30, 9:40 and 11:00am. (SAGA), meets every Thursday at 6:30 (316) 293-3405, mmadecky@kumc.edu Fillmore, Topeka, (785) 232-3100, in Willard Hall, room 120. First Congregational United Church Living Positive, a support group www.pcneks.org of Christ, 700 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan, Lawrence High School GSA, sponsors: for people living with HIV and their Positive Directions, 416 S. Commerce (785) 537-7006, www.uccmanhattan. Shannon Draper SDraper@usd497.org, caregivers. Meets 1st Tuesdays at 6pm. org, Sunday services at 10:45am; Taize and Lindsay Buck LBuck@usd497.org #108, Wichita, (316) 263-2214, (316) Call 785-537-7006 for location. services Thursday at 7pm, An Open and 263-5214, www.pdiks.com Manhattan High School GSA, mhs_ O n e D a y A t A Tim e , Wi c h i t a , Affirming Congregation. Saline County Health Dept., 125 W.. gsa@hotmail.com Alcoholics Anonymous meetings held Elm, Salina, (785) 826-6602, www. First Unitarian Universalist Church Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8pm at First of Wichita, 7202 E. 21st St., (316) 684- Maize South High School GSA, sschd.org MCC, 156 S. Kansas. 3481, officemanager@firstuu.net, www. sponsor: Shelly Walston swalston@ Sedgwick County Health Dept., 2716 usd266.com, meets 2nd Fridays. PFLAG Hutchinson, 2534 N. Main, firstuu.net. W. Central, Wichita, (316) 660-7300, Hutchinson, 620-842-8272, pflaghutch@ Metropolitan Community Church People Respecting Individuality and www.sedgwickcounty.org gmail.com of Topeka, 4425 SW 19th, (785) 272- Diversity in Education (P.R.I.D.E.), South Wind Women's Center, 5107 PFLAG Lawrence/Topeka, sffeist@ 1442, office@mcctopeka.org, www. Emporia State University, Rochelle E. Kellogg, Wichita, (316) 260-6934, MCCTopeka.org, services Sundays at Rowley, Box 4022, 1 Kellogg Circle, msn.com, www.pflagnekansas.org, www.southwindwomenscenter.org, Emporia 66801, (620) 341-5723 meets 1st Sundays, 2-4pm. Location 10am. LGBTQIA-friendly health services. rrowley1@emporia.edu alternates between Lawrence and Pine Valley Christian Church, 5620 Topeka. Check website or e-mail for T h e S w e e t E m e r g e n c y F u n d , E. 21st St., Wichita, (316) 685-2421, PRISM, Pittsburg State University, find location. KUSM-W MPA, 1010 N. Kansas, churchoffice@pvcconline.org, www. them on Facebook. Wichita, (316) 293-3405 The Face of Trans*, www.thefaceof pvcconline.org Spectrum KU, University of trans.com Kansas, Lawrence, (785) 864-3091, Prairie Unitarian Universalist Politics/Activism rockchalkcentral.ku.edu/organization/ Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center, Fellowship, 1809 E. 30th, 355 N. Waco, Suite 100, (316) 263E q u a l i t y K a n s a s , w w w . Hutchinson, (620) 663-8002, www. SpectrumKU 0185 office, (316) 263-3002 crisis line prairieuufellowship.org kansasequalitycoalition.org, chapters Spectrum: LGBTQ & Allies, 24/7, advocate@wichitasac.com, www. across the state. Riverside Christian Church (Disciples Wichita State University, Twitter.com/ wichitasac.com, free, confidential sexual of Christ), 1001 Litchfield, Wichita, Wsuspectrum, meets Thursdays at 7pm Flint Hills Human Rights Project, assault services to all genders and sexual (316) 263-0900, www.riversidedisciples. in the Lucas Room (RSC 265). fhhrp@yahoo.com orientations. org, services Sundays at 10:30am. Wichita East High School GSA Kansas Statewide Transgender Wichita Transgender Community 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, Education Project, (785) 215-7436, Network, social group meets the 1st stephanie.mott@k-step.org, www.k- C o m m u n i t y C h u r c h , 1 5 6 S . nmagoon@usd259.net week of each month and the support step.org, provides transgender education Kansas, Wichita, (316) 267-1852, group meets the 3rd Thursday of each w w w. m c c w i c h i t a . c o m , w w w. Wichita North High School GSA, and resources. month at The Center, 800 N. Market, godlovesyouperiod.com, Sunday (316) 204-5621, kellykk00@yahoo.com, at 7pm. l Peace and Social Justice Center of services at 10:30am. rhorning@usd259.net, cwidmer@

PAGE 18 | LIBERTY PRESS |JULY 2017

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

JULY 2017 | LIBERTY PRESS | Page 19

FREE RIBS!!! PAGE 20 | LIBERTY PRESS |JULY 2017

Come celebrate Wichita’s 147th

WE WERE GAY BEFORE IT WAS COOL.

birthday at XY bar. We’ll be serving free ribs at 6:00PM and having a party at 10:00PM to commemorate the occasion.

W I C H I TA’ S 1 4 7 T H

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION F R I DAY J ULY 21ST R I B S AT 6:00P M PA RT Y AT 10:00P M

UPCOMING EVENTS JULY 3RD - 4TH

FRIDAY, JULY 21ST, 10PM

1/2 PRICE DRINKS

WICHITA BIRTHDAY PARTY

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12TH, 8PM

MONDAY, JULY 24TH, 8PM

facebook.com/xybarict

COMEDY NIGHT

RHONDA’S REVIEW

xybarict

Hosted by Jeremy Ricci

235 N. Mosley, Wichita Ks

SUNDAY, JULY 15TH, 8PM

316-201-4670

DIVA DRAG SHOW

Check Facebook For Details