O&AN July 2012

JULY 2012

VOLUME 11 I ISSUE 7

CRITICAL CONDITION anderbilt’s Prescription V for Health Care Equality

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N E W S

LOCAL Nashville Pride festival brings thousands downtown Estimates have numbers at the highest ever

by O&AN STAFF REPORTS

NASHVILLE - Saturday, Jne 16, saw one of the largest GLBT gatherings in the South, as thousands came out to play at the 2012 Nashville Pride Festival.

This was the 24th year Pride has been held in Nashville, and organizers say it was the biggest yet. The festival began with an Equality Walk along Broadway and Demonbreun before continuing with almost 100 vendors and several performances on three stages throughout Riverfront Park.

Some of those attending said it’s important to hold this festival every year because it helps the community not only celebrate the advances they have made but also the things they still want to accomplish.

“I was actually adopted by two moms, so I’m very proud to be here; so I’m here for them, and I’m here for everybody,” Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva told

LOCAL Getting hitched at Knoxville PrideFest

by PATRICK ARMSTRONG, MANAGING EDITOR editor@outandaboutnewspaper.com

KNOXVILLE - At this year’s PrideFest, 24 couples participated in the area’s first mass commitment ceremony.

Surround by friends, family and other festival goers, the couples, whose relationships have lasted anywhere from six months to 28 years, all said their “I do’s” and kissed simultaneously.

Having been together for three years, Mystica Knoxville Mass Commitment Ceremony by Patrick Armstrong and Chris were one of the couples that participated in the ceremony. They originally had their commitment date set for March but changed it when they heard about the mass ceremony.

“We just decided to go for it. Why wait? We’re in love,” Mystica said, who wore a white wedding dress with red flowers stitched on it.

Justin McKamey and Clay Davis have been together for 14 years - ever since high school. This was their first commitment ceremony, and they started wearing their rings before the ceremony.

“The opportunity arose,” McKamey said, “and we’ve been together for so long.”

He said the key to a lasting relationship is “real communication.” They met in an AOL chatroom, when it was popular at the time, before talking on the phone for a year.

“My dad paid for the cell phone,” McKamey said, “so when he got $600 cell phone bills, he was a little upset.”

Their paths had crossed multiple times without them realizing, as McKamey frequented the Krystal where Davis had worked at the time. Eventually, Davis asked McKamey to go to his youth group, and they finally truly met each other for the first time. According to the men, it “really was” love at first sight.

O&AN affiliate News Channel 5 over the weekend. “I think it’s really important, because we have to let everyone know it’s okay to be who you are, to be yourself. And it just feels good when you’re with a group of people, and everybody’s chanting it, and everybody’s saying it. It’s just a good feeling.”

The festival didn’t come without controversy. Several protesters also set up downtown to denounce the festival, but overall everyone stayed peaceful.

Out & About Newspaper estimates over 500 participants in the Equality Walk and over 8,000 in attendance for the entire festival.

Photo by Keith Hinkle

“There wasn’t anybody after, it’s always been him,” McKamey said. “No matter how bad things get, no matter the stuff that happens, whatever the partner does or whatever comes into your life, talk it out. Don’t get mad. Don’t just run away from it. Just stick with it. It’s all about teamwork and communication.”

The ceremony started with children dropping red and pink rose peddles around the front of the stage. As each couple made their way forward, they poured colored sand into a glass container as they made their way toward the front. Surrounding the 24 couples during the ceremony were friends, family and observers.

The Rev. Jill Sizemore from the Metropolitan Community Church, the Rev. John Gill from Church of the Savior United Church of Christ, and Commissioner Amy Broyles from District 2 in Knox County proceeded over the ceremony.

The city of Knoxville recently added sexual orientation and gender identity to it’s nondiscrimination ordinance. Nashville Metro Council passed a similar ordinance last year, but it was overturned by the state.

“Our new mayor is not only a woman, she’s progressive. She very, very smart.

She had her law department craft it in such a way that the state cannot touch it,” Broyles said. She added that she hopes the county will pass a similar ordinance and this might help other cities draft similar legislation.

Broyles said see loved the festival: “I have a great time every year. I’ve been coming to these for years. Ever since they first started having them when I was, I guess in college.”

With a 6, a 10 and a 20 year old, she has taught her children to be proud of who they are. She said she was proud to answer her 6-year-old daughter’s question when she asked where she was going today. “She goes ‘well, who’s getting married today?’ I said a whole bunch of gay and lesbian couples. And she said ‘great!’ To them that’s just like anybody else.”

JULY 2012

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615-246-2787 PHONE 615-596-6210 FAX

outandaboutnewspaper.com

STAFF

PUBLISHER Jerry Jones

jjones@outandaboutnewspaper.com

MANAGING EDITORS

LAYOUT & PRODUCTION

editor@outandaboutnewspaper.com

nward@outandaboutnewspaper.com

SALES MANAGER

ADVERTISING DESIGN

ahaley@outandaboutnewspaper.com

dhuff@outandaboutnewspaper.com

DISTRIBUTION

WEBMASTER

gwebster@outandaboutnewspaper.com

rhuber@outandaboutnewspaper.com

Ben Rock & Patrick Armstrong

Neil Ward

Donna Huff

Allen Haley

George Webster

Letter from the editor

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

Two weeks ago, I had a difficult decision to make.

It felt like I had just come aboard here at the paper but had been offered an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.

I also wondered about my long-term plans for Out & About Newspaper. Would everything I set in motion just fall apart?

Then I thought about the exceptionally amazing people I’ve met during this journey...

I thought of Josh Robbins sharing his touching story while I got to know Chris Sanders, Anne Gullick, and more of the hard-working folks at TEP. I thought of spending time with Brent Meredith and Chuck Long at “Out & About Today” and finally meeting Pam Wheeler after being Facebook friends for years.

I thought of the bond I found with the haute Hollis Hollywood and through her the unflappable Kitty Kincaid, the inspiring Elizabeth James and the ever-so-lovable the Music City Sisters.

I thought of all the great nights dancing away at QDP. That’s when I realized things wouldn’t fall apart when I stepped down. My community wouldn’t let it.

Patrick Armstrong wouldn’t either.

Working with Patrick these past two weeks, I’m confident he’ll continue the work I started and take gay news in Nashville to even greater heights.

Thanks to Nashville and Tennessee for reading my ramblings.

Thanks to Jerry Jones, Neil Ward, Donna Huff, Allen Haley and Ryan Huber for the great months we shared.

And even greater thanks to all my writers and photographers; without you, none of this would have been possible.

Rock on! *B:)

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Ryan Huber

Rivendell Media, 212-242-6863 1248 Route 22 West, Mountainside, NJ 07092

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Ellen Angelico, Zack Barnes, Joseph Brownell, Ryan Darrow, Shannon Freeman, Jessica Gibson, Hollis Hollywood, Beth Roth, Ryan Whipkey, and Joe Morris

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Gina Anderson, Jessi Coggins, Keith Hinkle, Ethan James, Sid Niazi, Jeremy Ryan, and Kelly Searcy

OPPORTUNITIES

Out & About Newspaper welcomes volunteer writers, photographers and videographers throughout the year. If you’re interested in contributing to our publication, send an email to editor@outandaboutnewspaper.com with a resume, contact information and samples of your work if available. Our volunteer staff is unpaid, but contributors do receive credit for their work in our print publication and online. Those seeking an internship in journalism or mass communications are strongly encouraged to apply.

LEGAL

Out & About Newspaper strives to be a credible community news organization by engaging and educating our readers. All content of Out & About Newspaper is copyrighted 2008 by Out & About Nashville, Inc. and is protected by federal copyright law and shall not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. All photography is licensed stock imagery or has been supplied unless otherwise credited to a photographer and may not be reproduced without permission. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representations does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of the person or persons.

Out & About Newspaper accepts unsolicited material but cannot take responsibility for its return. The editor reserves the right to accept, reject or edit and submission. All rights revert to authors upon publication. The editorial positions of Out & About Newspaper are expressed in editorials and in the editor’s notes as determined by the editor. Other opinions are those of writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Out & About Newspaper or its staff. Letters to the editor are encouraged but may be edited for clarity and length. All letters sent may not be published.

Out & About Newspaper only accepts adult advertising within set guidelines and on a case by case basis.

JULY 2012

N E W S

LOCAL TEP holds annual meeting, votes in new officers

by JOE MORRIS, STAFF WRITER jmorris@outandaboutnewspaper.com

NASHVILLE - Despite a frosty climate for GLBT issues in the state capitol, the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) says there’s still much to celebrate as it gears up for this fall’s elections.

The organization held its annual meeting on June 2 at the Nashville CARES offices.

Attendees from around the state were on hand to discuss policies at the state and local levels, and look at the recently ended state legislative session’s wins and losses.

“The 107th General Assembly had a significantly chilling effect on the safety and Jonathan Cole welfare of our community,” said former TEP president, now vice-president Jonathan Cole. “Some of these bills were familiar; some of them were new.”

Cole called attention to the “Police the Potty” bill, which would have criminalized transgender people found using a restroom or changing room that did not align with their original gender. Under pressure from TEP and other groups, the bill was withdrawn in the state senate. Also in this year’s general assembly, there was legislation to prevent “gateway” sex acts (referred to as the “no hand-holding” bill), a proposal to provide religious-freedom cover for anti-homosexual speech and acts, and the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, which has become a perennial favorite

among some legislators.

All of these cause damage to sex education in schools and should be targeted for defeat or repeal by society in general, not just the GLBT community, Cole explained.

“We are fighting hard against these bills, because parents deserve better,” he said. “Your phone calls, emails and letters help. We will continue to push despite strong opposition.”

Commenting on the growing number of gay-straight alliances in Tennessee schools and Knoxville’s recently passed ordinance adding sexual orientation and gender identity to its employee protections, Cole said all is not quite as lost as some would have it to be.

“We have seen some important victories, including joining in the lawsuit against the ‘special access to discriminate’ law,” he said. “We are working to expand the number of local governments offering workplace protections and hope to get those passed in Memphis. We are working on legislation to stop bullying and to finally get birth-certificate repeal passed so transgendered people can get a new birth certificate. We are on the road to full equality, and TEP has a proud tradition of a board, volunteers and committees, and grassroots activists working to make that happen.”

TEP also elected a new slate of officers and board members who began terms on July 1. They include Drew Baker, Michelle Bliss, Bleu Copas, Mequet Hribar, Jeff Kirwan, Mary Littleton, Rebecca Lucas, Matia Powell, Chris Sanders, Tommy Schlindwein and Herb Zeman. Board members beginning their second year of service include Wes Aull, Latoya Belgrave, Jonathan Cole, Ryan Ellis, Anne Gullick and Brandon Hutchison.

New officers were also chosen. They are Chris Sanders, chairman of the board and president; Jonathan Cole, vice president; Matia Powell, treasurer; Mequet Hribar, secretary; and Ryan Ellis, at large.

Given Tennessee’s increasingly conservative government, TEP’s goal moving forward will be to hold the line on GLBT issues. However, that doesn’t mean that outreach and education will take back burner, noted Sanders.

THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30 Exhibition organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE | 615-244-3340 | FRISTCENTER.ORG Members/Youth 18 and younger FREE John Constable. Brighton Beach, with Fishing Boat and Crew (detail), 1824. Oil on paper, 24 1/2 x 30 in. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 782-1888. © Victoria and Albert Museum / V&A images

FC2420_Mab_Constable_OutandAbout.indd 1

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2:37 PM

N E W S

LOCAL OutCentral’s Gay 5K race draws largest attendance

by JOE MORRIS, STAFF WRITER jmorris@outandaboutnewspaper.com

Building off the much-reviled “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, OutCentral Cultural Center chose to say gay, and in a big way, during its annual 5K fundraiser on June 23.

Newly christened the “Gay 5K,” the event drew 170 registrants in its fifth year, the largest number to date. Runners gathered at Shelby Bottoms in East Nashville for the race, which also included a one-mile kid’s race.

New this year was a “sleep in” category, which allowed a registrant to get a t-shirt but skip the actual race itself. Upwards of two dozen people chose that option, which may well be expanded upon next year in order to further boost involvement.

Photos courtesy of OutCentral

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JULY 2012

NATIONAL Prominent Boy Scouts Board Member Calls to End Ban on Gay Scouts and Leaders

work from within the BSA Board to actively encourage dialogue and sustainable progress.”

Turley made his announcement after Jennifer Tyrrell, an ousted lesbian den leader from Bridgeport, Ohio, started a petition on Change.org calling for an end to the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay troops and leaders, and calling on national board members of the Boy Scouts to speak out in favor of equality. Earlier in June, the Boy Scouts announced publicly that a resolution was introduced before their board to end the Scouts’ long-held policy barring gay troops and leaders.

“When the Boy Scouts kicked me out for being gay, I felt so excluded, like I was nothing, and like I was disappointing my seven-year-old son and his entire pack of Cub Scouts,” said Tyrrell. “But the overwhelming support I’ve received from thousands of scouts and scout leaders, as well as hundreds of thousands of people from around the country, has meant the world to me. We are at a tipping point, with national leaders within the Boy Scouts now taking a firm stand to help end discrimination.”

Tyrrell and others are now calling on another prominent Boy Scouts board member, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, to join Turley and speak out against the Scouts’ antigay policy.

“As the CEO of AT&T, Randall Stephenson is already doing a lot for the gay community,” Tyrrell said. “His company provides nondiscrimination protections, healthcare benefits for same-sex partners, and much more for gay employees.

The last thing AT&T wants is to undermine its excellent reputation for supporting LGBT people by failing to support a resolution that would bring equality to the Boy Scouts of America.”

Thousands of scouts and scout leaders have joined in Tyrrell’s call for an end to the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay troops and leaders. In June, Eagle Scout Zach Wahls, whose online video in support of his two lesbian moms went viral last year, delivered more than 275,000 signatures to the Boy Scouts of America’s National Annual Meeting, calling for an end to their antigay policy. Wahls also announced last week that he was forming a new organization inspired by Tyrrell’s story, Scouts for Equality, to rally the scouting community to end the policy barring gay troops and leaders.

“Jennifer Tyrrell’s story has inspired hundreds of thousands of people around the country, awakening a new movement urging the Boy Scouts of America to allow gay troops and gay scout leaders,” said Michael Jones, Deputy Campaign Director at Change.org. “Jennifer began this campaign with just a few strokes on her computer, and now she’s ignited a movement that is reaching everyone from corporate leaders to famous celebrities.”

by O&AN STAFF REPORTS

NEW YORKJames Turley, Chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young and a Board member of the Boy Scouts of America, announced on Tuesday, June 13, yesterday that he supports an end to the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay scouts and gay scout leaders.

In a statement Ernst & Young's James Turley takes a stand against the Boy Scouts' ban on issued by Ernst & gay scouts and leaders. Young, Turley said that he will work from within the Boy Scouts as a national board member to help change their policies.

“Ernst & Young is proud to have such a strong record in LGBT inclusiveness,” Turley said. “As CEO, I know that having an inclusive culture produces the best results, is the right thing for our people and makes us a better organization.

My experience has led me to believe that an inclusive environment is important throughout our society and I am proud to be a leader on this issue.

“I support the meaningful work of the Boy Scouts in preparing young people for adventure, leadership, learning and service, however the membership policy is not one I would personally endorse,” he continued. “As I have done in leading Ernst & Young to being a most inclusive organization, I intend to continue to

NATIONAL Sen. Kerry pushes for lift on banning of gay blood donation

by O&AN STAFF REPORTS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Representative Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) today sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) voicing support for a new pilot study reviewing the policy that bans gay and bisexual men from donating blood.

The HHS pilot study will assess alternative blood donor deferral criteria for men who have sex with men. Currently, any man who has had sex with another man since 1977 is banned for life from donating blood. The policy was enacted in the 1980s, when the risk of AIDS from transfusion was first recognized. However, since then,

technological advances in blood testing, policy changes in other nations, and vocal opposition from the blood banking community have spurred a reexamination of the outdated policy.

“We’ve been working on this a long time and I applaud Secretary Sebelius for taking this important step toward ending the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood, and instead relying on the science of today not the myths of 20 years ago,” Kerry said. “I’m confident that the findings of these new studies will pave the way to get this policy off the books.”

He was also hopeful for an informed evaluation of the final roadblocks to healthy, responsible Americans donating blood.

“Patients across the country desperately need lifesaving blood transfusions, yet perfectly healthy would-be donors are turned away based solely on sexual orientation,” Quigley said. “Equality for the LGBT community is closer than ever but outdated and discriminatory policies like this must evolve to match advancements in science and technology.”

Kerry and Quigley have led bicameral efforts calling for a revised policy, first sending a letter to HHS in June 2010. That same month, the HHS Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability reviewed the lifetime ban and recommended the policy be revised because it was “suboptimal,” allowing highrisk individuals to donate while preventing donations from low-risk individuals, such as healthy gay and bisexual men.

The Advisory Committee’s full recommendations can be found at www. hhs.gov/ash/bloodsafety/advisorycommittee/recommendations/06112010_ recommendations.pdf.

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N E W S

NATIONAL GLBT community centers serve more than 1.7 million people annually

by O&AN STAFF REPORTS

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Despite the slow economic recovery, GLBT community centers manage to provide vital resources to 1.7 million people annually according to a comprehensive report released by CenterLink and the Movement Advancement Project (MAP).

The 2012 LGBT Community Center Survey Report: Assessing the Capacity and Programs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Centers surveyed 79 GLBT community centers nationwide. Centers showed good revenue growth over the past two years, resulting in combined 2011 revenue of $106.8 million. However, centers remain thinly staffed, with almost one in five relying on no paid staff at all.

GLBT community center clientele is diverse and often not specifically served by community centers that serve larger local populations: 86% of GLBT community centers offer specific programming for transgender people, 86% for GLBT youth, 73% for GLBT older adults and 62% GLBT people of color.

GLBT community center patrons are racially and ethnically diverse, with 40% of centers reporting that more than half of their patrons identify as people of color.

“In many regions, community centers are the only resource where GLBT community members can access not only indispensable services but also break isolation and build a network of support,” said Terry Stone, Executive Director of CenterLink. “This report surfaces how centers serve the most vulnerable members of our communities, especially GLBT youth, and enrich the lives of GLBT people in multifaceted ways.”

In many regions, local GLBT centers are the only organizations serving the GLBT community, offering a variety of much-needed resources the include the following: hysical and Mental Health Programs: Large P centers spent approximately one-quarter of their 2011 budgets on physical and mental health programs, including general health and wellness programs, health and mental health care referrals, STI and HIV/AIDS-related programming, and facilitated support groups.

I nformation and Education Programs: Centers provide patrons with a variety of informational and educational resources, and 71% have in-house libraries. In response to the economic downturn, one-fourth of centers offer directories of local jobs and employment counseling or job training.

egal Services and Programs: While two-thirds of L centers provide GLBT-friendly legal referrals, only 20% provide direct legal assistance such as legal document preparation. ocial and Recreational Programs: GLBT S community centers provide patrons with opportunities to socialize and connect with other GLBT people.

ommunity Outreach and Civic Engagement: C GLBT community centers provide referrals to GLBT-friendly local resources such as schools and healthcare providers. Half of centers (51%) also engage directly in policy work, including public education efforts and partnerships with local GLBT and allied organizations to advance safe schools and anti-bullying policies, transgender-inclusive CENTERS cont’d on page 21

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JULY 2012

BUSINESS Plan for the future with Capital Financial Group

by BEN ROCK, MANAGING EDITOR benrock@outandaboutnewspaper.com

The team at Capital Financial Group make sure all of a client’s assets and all his wishes flow from himself to whomever he wants them to, such as his spouse, even though they are may not legally be considered spouses. There are some other obstacles that the group helps GLBT couples navigate as well.

“With mutual funds, there are breakpoints issued to legally married couples and a lot of mutual funds you deal with will issue breakpoints to same-sex partners,” Ross says. “It has to do with local laws, essentially. Since Tennessee has none, there’s been a lot of grey area with that. It’s not that the breakpoints can’t be had; we’ve not been told: ‘No, you can’t have it.’ It’s been more of a case of the request never being asked before.

“The base line of it all is to make sure that a

couple’s getting all that they can possibly get from the system, to make it as easy as possible on paper to be like a married couple, and to make sure that their wishes as a same-sex couple are fulfilled.”

Capital Financial Group Sales Manager Fanci Worthington feels what sets her and Ross’s team apart is that they do not treat their clients in same-sex relationships like they do their opposite-sex, married clients.

“The thing of it is, of course, everyone is the same,” Worthington says. “We are all the same, we just have different orientations. However, when it comes to financial planning, the needs are totally different. I think addressing those needs with a very thoughtful approach and being able to make sure that CAPITAL cont’d on page 21

Brentwood-based Capital Financial Group has a message for the same-sex couples in Tennessee who do not think they have to plan for their financial future on their own: they don’t.

“The biggest eye opener for me was realizing that so many same-sex couples don’t realize the options that they have,” says Caleb Ross, financial services professional. “They automatically assume [because same-sex marriage isn’t legal] it just has to be separate, that they’re just stuck this way and that things will just not happen the way they want it to happen. The thing is that’s just not true at all.”

Ross explains that with current tax code, there are some things in planning a same-sex couple’s financial future that cannot be overcome, but there are many things that can be.

“Financially speaking, a lot of it involves what we would call estate-planning issues or distribution of wealth,” he says. “Making sure that documents are set up a certain way so that if something happens to one partner all the financial decisions are transferred to the partner they want it to get transferred to and making sure money is transferred to the person they want it to go to.”

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CRITICAL CONDITION anderbilt’s Prescription V for Health Care Equality

by BEN ROCK, MANAGING EDITOR benrock@outandaboutnewspaper.com

After five years of participation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center has achieved the status of “Leader in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health Care” in the Human Rights Campaign’s Health Care Equality Index.

By meeting the “Core Four” criteria of the HEI survey, Vanderbilt is one of 234 hospitals and clinics in the nation and the only one in Tennessee to receive this designation.

“Vanderbilt has a long history of inclusive policies and practices when it comes to caring for patients and supporting employees,” said assistant professor of anesthesiology Jesse Ehrenfeld of the hospital’s patient nondiscrimination policies, visitation policies, employment nondiscrimination policies and training in LGBT and intersex patient care.

“We didn’t achieve this milestone overnight,” Ehrenfeld said. “Rather, our designation as a leader in LGBTI health is a recognition of a concerted effort to make certain that all policies and practices are inclusive of LGBTI patients.”

Andre Churchwell, associate dean for diversity for the School of Medicine, said the status is a source of pride for the medical center campus.

“The leadership at Vanderbilt, including those at the highest levels at both the medical center and the university, have made this a priority,” Churchwell said. “There is an understanding that a broader definition of diversity is crucial for success, if you don’t have this broad view of patient and employee equality, success as a medical center is not possible.”

The announcement of Vanderbilt University Medical Center as one of HRC’s Leaders in LGBTI Health Care coincides with the launch of the School of Medicine’s new Program in LGBTI Health.

“I think it is safe to say that while Vanderbilt has always had a forward-thinking policy of inclusion, that there is a new articulation and emphasis on programming and developing resources around supporting the health of LGBTI patients,” Ehrenfeld said. “Going through the HEI certification process, we realized that these resources needed a defined home. We’re in the early formative phases of this program. We’re excited but there’s more work to be done.”

Having worked to address health disparities for LGBTI patients and been highly involved in achieving the HEI designation, Ehrenfeld will co-direct the Program in LGBTI Health with MD/PhD student Kristen Eckstrand.

“Our first priority inside the Medical Center is the patients,” Eckstrand said. “We want to make sure that not only do LGBTI patients feel comfortable coming here and being open, but when they do, we want to make sure they get the care they deserve and that it is appropriate to them.”

“The Program in LGBTI Health is a new articulation of a series of activities that, for the first time, have been brought to together in a coordinated way,” Ehrenfeld said.

“Our specific interest in LGBTI health comes from our desire to ensure that we provide the best care possible for

all patients.”

Ehrenfeld and Eckstrand’s overall vision for the program is to promote national leadership in providing excellent patient care, education, research and advocacy for the LGBTI community. Specifically, they want to ensure LGBTI patients receive the care they need in an environment that supports their unique needs while making sure that VUMC employees and trainees possess the skills and knowledge needed to deliver the highest quality of care for LGBTI patients. The Program in LGBTI Health will also seek to ensure the hospital and university’s educational efforts and activities include LGBTI topics and its research programs reflect the need to advance its knowledge and understanding about LGBTI health.

“Just a few short years ago the health care industry wasn’t having conversations about LGBT health care equality,” said HRC President Chad Griffin, responding to the new programs like Vanderbilt’s. “Now, thanks to advocacy by the LGBT community and some standout leaders, growing numbers of health care providers are making an explicit commitment to treat all patients with dignity and respect. The health care industry is beginning to heed the call for fairness and compassion.”

At a press conference held on June 19 with Griffin and HRC at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC, Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius discussed how much work remained to be done to end discrimination in America’s health care system, but the once invisible issue of LGBT health care equity has continued to gain national prominence.

“I commend the LGBT and health care communities for the progress made,” Sebelius said, “and I am proud to be part of an administration that has a historic record of accomplishment for the LGBT community. We will continue to take action to ensure that LGBT Americans get equal treatment in health care settings and that all patients are treated with the dignity they deserve.”

“Equal and inclusive health care saves lives,” Griffin said. “Increasing numbers of hospitals across the country are working to ensure LGBT patients receive care free of prejudice and discrimination. We thank the HEI 2012 participants for their hard work and dedication to ensuring health care equality for all patients.”

The HEI 2012 report is based on the voluntary participation of hospital respondents. The annual survey has grown tremendously in participation since it began in 2007. This year, a record 122 surveys were completed, representing 407 individual health care facilities nationwide. The HEI survey questions apply to written policies and practices related to LGBTI health.

This year’s survey found a 40 percent increase in rated facilities, which totaled 407 nationwide. It also found an impressive 162 percent increase in the number of facilities achieving the status of “Leader in LGBT Health Care Equality,” special recognition given to facilities earning a perfect rating by meeting four core criteria for LGBT patient-centered care laid out in the HEI.

The “Core Four” Criteria The Healthcare Equality Index measures how equitably healthcare facilities in the United States treat their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients and employees. The index focuses on four core policy categories: patient non-discrimination; visitation; employment non-discrimination; and training in LGBT patient-centered care.

1

Patient NonDiscrimination Policies

a. Patient non-discrimination policy (or patients' bill of rights) is publicly available and includes the term "sexual orientation" b. Patient non-discrimination policy (or patients' bill of rights) is publicly available and includes the term “gender identity”

2

Visitation Policies

a. Visitation policy explicitly grants same-sex couples (partners/ spouses/significant others) the same access as different-sex couples b. Visitation policy explicitly grants same-sex parents the same access as different-sex parents for visitation of their minor children

3

Employment NonDiscrimination Policies

a. Employment non-discrimination policy (or equal employment opportunity policy) includes the term “sexual orientation” b. Employment non-discrimination policy (or equal employment opportunity policy) includes the term “gender identity”

4

Training in LGBT Patient-Centered Care

Provides training for key staff members in LGBT patient-centered care

VANDERBILT cont’d on page 12 JULY 2012

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VANDERBILT cont’d from page 11 The HEI helps hospitals assess themselves against established best practices and ensure that they are complying with requirements for nondiscrimination.

These include a requirement issued last year by the Joint Commission, the largest accrediting body for U.S. hospitals, calling on all accredited facilities to extend nondiscrimination protection to LGBT patients.

More than 90 percent of HEI 2012 participants explicitly prohibit discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual patients, and 76 percent ban discrimination against transgender patients. Additionally, about 75 percent of respondents have a written policy explicitly granting equal visitation rights to same-sex couples and same-sex parents. This represents a significant increase since the Department of Health and Human Services issued rules in 2011 requiring all hospitals that receive federal Medicare and Medicaid funding - nearly every hospital in America - to protect the visitation rights of LGBT people.

For the first time, the HEI additionally required participating facilities to document that high-level managers in key work areas had received expert training in LGBT health needs. As a result, more than 1,000 health care administrators across the country participated in training provided through the HEI. However, there is still progress to be made.

“LGBTI health disparities are very real and must be addressed,” Ehrenfeld said, addressing his hopes for Vanderbilt’s Program in LGBTI Health. “The national Lambda Legal survey in 2010 reported that 56 percent of LGB and 70 percent of transgender patients reported bias or discrimination when accessing health care. I hope that we are able to inspire others, in Tennessee and across the nation, to join us in supporting LGBTI patients.”

He and Eckstrand said Vanderbilt is working to produce important research and will be applying for further research grants in this area. Since national data has also shown 64 percent of medical students reported feeling inadequately trained to care for LGBTI patients, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine has already integrated training of key topics into the medical school curriculum.

“This model has been successful at Vanderbilt and can easily be replicated at other institutions across the country,” Eckstrand said.

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HEI 2012 Leaders in LGBT Healthcare Equality Seventy-one survey respondents responded “yes” to all of the Core Four HEI criteria, earning Leader status for 2012. These 71 respondents represent 234 facilities that protect their LGBT patients and employees from discrimination, ensure equal visitation access for same-sex couples and same-sex parents through explicitly inclusive policies and provide staff training on LGBT patient-centered care.

Penobscot Community Health Care (11 facilities), Bangor, ME

University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, IA California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA Kaiser Permanente (36 facilities), Oakland, CA L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, Los Angeles, CA Lyon-Martin Health Services, San Francisco, CA San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, San Francisco, CA Scripps Health (28 facilities), San Diego, CA Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center, Santa Cruz, CA UC San Diego Health System, San Diego, CA UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco, CA University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA Multnomah County Health Department (9 facilities), Portland, OR Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR Group Health (30 facilities), Seattle, WA UW Medicine (2 facilities), Seattle, WA Valley Medical Center, Renton, WA 1 World Medicine, Las Vegas, NV

WEST COAST

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital, Muncie, IN Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, St. Louis Park, MN Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH University Hospitals of Cleveland (8 facilities), Cleveland, OH University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH

MIDWEST

AIDS Care, Rochester, NY Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, New York, NY Catskill Regional Medical Center, Harris, NY NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY VillageCare Health Center, New York, NY AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic City, NJ

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL Jackson Health System (9 facilities), Miami, FL Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Tallahassee, FL Feminist Women’s Health Center, Atlanta, GA Grady Health System (12 facilities), Atlanta, GA Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta, GA Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC Durham Regional Hospital, Durham, NC

Legacy Community Health Services, Houston, TX The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (5 facilities), Greenville, SC

Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS, Phoenix, AZ

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

SOUTHWEST

Baystate Health (9 facilities), Springfield, MA Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Northampton, MA Faulkner Hospital, Boston, MA Fenway Health, Boston, MA Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Newton, MA Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Newton Lower Falls, MA

SOUTHEAST JULY JULY2012 2012

Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia, PA George Washington University Hospital, Washington, DC Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC MedStar-Georgetown Medical Center, Washington, DC National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC Sibley Memorial Hospital, Washington, DC Specialty Hospital of Washington - Hadley, Washington, DC Whitman-Walker Health, Washington, DC Christiana Care Health System (2 facilities), Wilmington, DE Adventist HealthCare Inc. (2 facilities), Rockville, MD Bon Secours Health System (14 facilities), Marriottsville, MD Chase Brexton Health Services, Baltimore, MD Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD Northwest Hospital Center, Randallstown, MD

NORTHEAST OOUUTTAANNDDAABBOOUUTTNNEEW WSSPA PAPPEERR. .CO COM M

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L I F E

NAMES Armstrong named managing editor

NAMES A.J. Busè earns top position with local AAF

by O&AN STAFF REPORTS

by O&AN STAFF REPORTS

Award-winning newspaper editor Patrick Armstrong Nashville marketing and advertising professional A.J. Busé has been appointed has been named managing editor and creative director governor of the American Advertising Federation’s District 7, which is composed for Out & About Newspaper, with the departure of Ben of 23 local advertising clubs in Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Rock, who has accepted a communications coordinator Georgia. position with a national nonprofit.

Based in Washington, DC, the American Advertising Federation represents Armstrong, a native of Lebanon, Tennessee, has the advertising industry through a national network of nearly 200 local federations, a Masters of General Communication degree from representing 40,000 advertising professionals, and more than 200 AAF college Austin Peay State University and is the former editor-inchapters with more than 6,500 student members. The mission of AAF is to protect chief of The All State newspaper. and promote the well-being of advertising through a unique, nationally-coordinated “We’re so excited for Ben and wish him grassroots network of advertisers, agencies, media companies, local advertising the best of luck as he continues to grow his clubs and college chapters. professional career in communications,” As governor, Busé will oversee AAF’s annual District ADDYReg Awards, said Jerry Jones, president and publisher of government relations activities and quarterly board of directors meetings held Out & About Newspaper. “We are equally in various locations throughout the Southeast. BusÈ has been a member of the pleased that a national search has Nashville AAF chapter since 1992, serving as the club’s president in 2004-2005 and resulted in someone of Patrick’s caliber cochairing AAF’s national convention at Opryland Hotel in 2005. to take the reins from Ben.” Before launching his own advertising and public relations business in 1997, “I’m excited to take what all Brand New Day, Busé worked at a handful of area advertising agencies. He is I have learned at The All State and currently a marketing consultant for Saint Thomas Health in Nashville, managing APSU and apply it to Out & About orthopedic and neuroscience marketing efforts for Saint Thomas Hospital, Baptist Newspaper,” Armstrong said.

Hospital and Middle Tennessee Medical Center. He is also a longtime member of “Journalism is my passion, and I the Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce and was formerly a graphic designer think the First Amendment is our and editor of special issues for Out & About Newspaper. most important law. I can’t wait to get Busé earned both a Bachelor’s in Advertising and a Master’s in Mass started in this role and tell stories that Communication from Middle Tennessee State University. He also has a Certificate are meaningful and important to the community.” in Business Excellence from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Working with Armstrong as he finishes his final issue, Rock is bittersweet Vanderbilt University. about his decision to step down but is confident about the publication’s continued success under Armstrong’s leadership.

“I’ve invested so much during my time at Out & About Newspaper that I find it hard to leave,” he said. “I plan to stay on board as a staff writer and follow through

on several of the interviews and stories I’ve already arranged. I’m introducing Patrick to my community and media contacts and leaving him my notes and editorial calendar. That combined with his impressive portfolio and great talent should set the paper up for a very successful future.”

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JULY 2012

ATHLETICS Grizzlies place 15th in international competition across the pond

by O&AN STAFF REPORTS

The Nashville Grizzlies Rugby Football Club returned home from the Sixth Biannual Mark Bingham Cup International Rugby competition as recipients of the first ever Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation Award for Outstanding Team Sportsmanship in the game of rugby. The 20 man Nashville team competed in the top division of tournament play in Manchester, England, including five matches over three days, June 1-3.

Overall the team finished 15th out of 38 teams competing from Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Ireland, Scotland, The Netherlands and the U.S. Luck of the draw matched up the Grizzlies against perennial powerhouses NYC’s Gotham Knights A side, Manchester’s Village Spartans A side, Washing D.C. Renegades B side, Sydney Convicts B side and a combined team in the semi final that included players from Atlanta Bucks and Philadelphia Griffons.

The Grizzlies’ team in Manchester boasted Bingham veterans and newbies, including Luke Anderson, Jimmy Arredondo, John Bledsoe, Joey Brakefield, Glen

Cook, Alan Couch, Jamie Day, Jeremy Dykes, Jon Glassmeyer, Thomas Hormby, Brandon Kahna, Michael Kiggins, John Lee, Alex Mustafa, John Purdom, Todd Shelton, Marquise Thomas, Daniel Vincent, Vince Vogelsang and Josh Wall. Joey Bushkotter, Van Pond, Scott Ridgway and Nick Bettress provided sideline and logistical support so the players could stay focused on the games.

Rugby Union teams may have up to 25 players on a roster for the tournament.

The extra players provide rest or injury relief for the 15 players active on the field during play. Teams designated as an A or B side are those that brought enough qualified players and supporters to field more than one full team. Several teams with less than 15 on their initial roster combined to field a team with sufficient subs to continue through at least five matches.

Wall, team captain, scored in the first match versus Renegades but was sidelined with an injury for the rest of day. Kahna earned Man of the Match for his exceptional work tackling and kicking as Fullback.

Arredondo stepped in as captain for the matchup with the home team Manchester Spartans in the afternoon. Mustafa played at the top of his game until he was taken out of the tournament by a knee injury. Lee earned Man of the Match for his aggressive work in the rucks and strategic thinking in support of the back line on defense.

The second day kicked off again at 9 a.m. against NYC Gotham A. Despite repeated valiant efforts at the NYC try (goal) line, the Grizzlies held Gotham again and again with remarkable tackling, defense and a scrum that beat every team played during the tournament. Kiggins earned Man of the Match for the brutal tackles he served up to Gotham as well as his ready ability to play well in any position the team needed him.

In the 1 p.m. quarter-finals the Grizzlies kicked off against The Convicts B side, who went on to win the Bingham Plate division while their A side took home the top prize. Wall returned as captain and the Grizzlies led charge after charge deep into Convicts territory. Unfortunately, Brakefield was taken out of the tournament with an injury following an especially heroic open field tackle. Though usually playing forward, Vogelsang earned Man of the Match honors for jumping into Wall’s position as inside center with the back line.

GRIZZLIES cont’d on page 22

JULY 2012

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A R T S

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ART Frist offers exhibition insight with iPad gallery guides

by O&AN STAFF REPORTS

MUSIC Bow down to the Illuminati Princess

by PATRICK ARMSTRONG, MANAGING EDITOR editor@outandaboutnewspaper.com

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts has developed an interactive gallery guide to accompany the exhibition “Creation Story: Gee’s Bend Quilts and the Art of Thornton Dial”, which opened Friday, May 25. The guide is available on the Frist Center’s website for visitors to download free to their iPads and features expanded content on the works included in the exhibition, as well as contextual and historical information on the artists.

“Creation Story: Gee’s Bend Quilts and the Art of Thornton Dial” explores the parallels and intersections in the works of the world-famous Gee’s Bend quilters and the self-taught master of assemblage art, Thornton Dial. Quilts made by the women of Gee’s Bend, a small rural community southwest of Selma, Alabama, feature scraps of old cloth sewn into sophisticated orchestrations of color and dynamic geometric compositions that have gained them international acclaim.

Similarly, Alabama-based artist Thornton Dial repurposes discarded materials to create his vibrant assemblages that weave together memories of his own life with reflections of on universal experiences of struggle and triumph.

Created as an iBook, the interactive gallery guide not only includes the informational text of the printed Creation Story gallery guide, but also features additional resources to help visitors gain an in-depth understanding of the Gee’s Bend quilters and Thornton Dial. Interactive gallery guide users will be able to zoom in on images of various artworks, view archival photographs of the Gee’s Bend community, watch videos about Thornton Dial’s artistic practice and more without ever navigating away from the gallery guide page.

“We are always looking for ways to offer additional portals for understanding to provide a richer experience for our visitors,” says Susan Edwards, executive director of the Frist Center. “The interactive gallery guide is a wonderful way to harness the capabilities of new media and expand the way in which our visitors experience an exhibition. It’s something they can use prior to visiting to give them a foretaste of the exhibition’s content, while they’re in the galleries as they contemplate the artwork, or even after they’ve left the building and realize there’s something they wanted to know more about.”

“While the exhibition itself is rich with beauty and meaning, the astonishing stories of the lives and works of both the Gee’s Bend quilters and Thornton Dial can be told more completely in this interactive gallery guide,” reflects Frist Center Chief Curator Mark Scala. “The guide will allow us to provide our visitors with a deeper sense of the artists-who they are, where they come from, and why they are moved to create.”

The Frist Center collaborated with Amanda McCadams of Digital Wonder Cabinet to develop the interactive gallery guide. The gallery guide is available for free download from the Frist Center’s website, fristcenter.org/calendar-exhibitions/ detail/creation-story-gees-bend-quilts-and-the-art-of-thornton-dial under the “Resources” header.

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JULY 2012

Imagine a unique and avant-garde blend of Cher, Lady Gaga and Marilyn Mansion, and you have the Illuminati Princess.

You might think an artist like this is a pop or rock musician, but that’s not the case with this up and coming Nashville artist. This princess is a rapper. And a man.

Twenty-one-year-old Gregory Grey grew up in Nashville with an interest in illustrating comic books and creating new characters. As the years went by, he realized he could become his own character.

“The Illuminati Princess is Gregory Grey,” he said. “Looking how I do isn’t just for photo-shoots or public appearances. I wear what you see, to the grocery store, to the movies or just to go shopping. It’s when I feel the most confident.”

Growing up in a very musical house and participating on a competitive dance team for more than five years, Grey always knew he had rhythm. At age 7, the first thing he ever rapped was part of a Spice Girls song “If You Can’t Dance.”

Grey then started recording heavier music similar to a marriage of Bjork and Nine Inch Nails. Considering himself a writer, much of his earlier music sounded like poetry. Listening to these recordings when he was older, he thought of them as more therapeutic musings. “I think that after living with the music for a while, I felt as though I was taking myself way too seriously,” he said.

Grey never thought about traveling down this road. He had always listened to a predominantly hip-hip playlist with a mix of other genres. It wasn’t until his sister told him she had a dream about him becoming a rapper. “Naturally, I thought that was absolutely hilarious. Later on that day, I ended up writing an entire song, which started me on this journey,” Grey said.

Now, he is recording his first collaboration with Raja Gemini, winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season three, with the release around the end of July. There are a few other projects on the table for the Illuminati Princess, but he is focusing his creative juices into his forthcoming EP, which will be released in the next few months.

His current single “Stay On My Grind” was released on June 1 and “Bow Down” came out in mid-December. Both are available on iTunes and Amazon.

Grey hopes his lyrics lead people to drift away from reality. “I live in my own imagination most of the time, and I want to allow people to create their own world,” he said.

Bullying was something Grey had to endure growing up. His struggles involved concerned parents, church leaders and teachers. “Never for a second do I want any of my fans to accept that. There will be a time in your life, where you say ‘enough is enough,’” he said.

Grey wants his fans to feel confident and free after listening to his music: “Each and every one of us have a responsibility to ourselves to be happy and fulfilled, and if that means wearing nine inch stripper shoes and pursuing rap music, then so be it.”

MUSIC Straight rapper says ‘Gay is Okay’

by ELLEN ANGELICO, CONTRIBUTING WRITER eangelico@outandaboutnewspaper.com

I’ll admit I underestimated Adair Lion.

His new song, “Ben,” features the message “Gay is Okay,” making it the first pro-gay hip hop song by a straight rapper. But with lyrics like, “Gay is okay / the number one thing a rapper shouldn’t say / I said it anyway / and I made history,” I figured this was the boastful swagger so common in hip hop, an ulterior motive to stir up controversy for the sake of stirring up controversy.

Fortunately, I was wrong. Dialogue, not controversy, is what Lion wants to stir up.

“If you open up dialogue, people will understand that it’s okay and eventually come around,” Lion says. “Even my mom, with her very conservative views, she listened to the song and was like, ‘Yeah, I saw it.’ She wasn’t very happy with it, but later on, she came around. It’s really nice that the dialogue can be opened.”

Lion is making a difference in the only way he knows how - through music - and he feels that is the best way to do it.

“You can be a TI or a Jay-Z and be like, ‘gay is okay,’ even Lady Gaga’s pretty open about gay being okay, but their power of influence is in music,” he explains. “I’m a painter; I’m going to paint a picture of two women holding a baby. I’m not to go out and do an interview in Time magazine and be like, “Yeah, I’m a painter and I think that gay is okay.” It’s not as powerful as you doing your art. If their power of influence is in music and they’re not making a song that says ‘gay is okay,’ then they’re not doing all they can do for that cause.”

Lion is also very clear about “Ben”’s intended audience: “When I was making the song, it wasn’t for the LGBT community to spin around and say, ‘Look, look!’ It wasn’t for that. It was for hip hop and people in my genre and people that are Christian and people that are like me that listen to the same stuff that I listen to, that go to the same hood places and clubs.

“I thought it was very important for a straight rapper, even though I’m

nobody,” he adds. “I spent more time on this song probably than I have on any other song I’ve ever done, because the issue is so much bigger than who I am and so much bigger than the length of the song.”

Even though Lion considers himself a “nobody,” “Ben” has made people take notice.

The Huffington Post, Perez Hilton, and Gawker have all picked up his video. Of “Ben,” Gawker’s headline states, “The World’s First Pro-Gay Hip Hop Song is Actually Not Half Bad,” and it’s true. It’s a legitimate hip hop song. Obviously there’s a very political message, but it doesn’t feel like the song couldn’t exist without it. However, the underground hip hop blogs where Lion first gained popularity have basically ignored “Ben.” “I’ve taken a lot of criticism,” he says. “A lot of the blogs that used to follow me, that’s where I had my popularity before. Those guys, I’m thinking they’re my homies, my friends, they’ll be down for whatever. But there’s still a lot of ugly views towards the LGBT community, especially in hip hop. It’s just not cool.”

“Ben” has made an impact on the ground level as well.

“I can’t even tell you how many messages I’ve gotten that have said, ‘Adair, your song, ‘Ben’, saved my life,’” he says. “Even if it’s just helping those kids, it’s well worth it for me. I don’t really care if people are going to shun me out of hip hop for that. I believe this in my heart, so I felt like I had to share it.”Adair Lion’s LP “Michael and Me” drops on June 25th, featuring the single, “Ben.”

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MUSIC Idina Menzel is not a H8R

TELEVISION A gay country boy can survive

Adam Freeman takes on Redneck Island

by BEN ROCK, MANAGING EDITOR benrock@outandaboutnewspaper.com

“Happy Gay Pride!” Idina Menzel said with a heartfelt laugh and a smile to a group of men at her concert Saturday, June 16, as she searched her fans for a companion to sing “Take Me or Leave Me”.

Waving her over enthusiastically, one of the men stood up as she approached and wrapped his muscular arms around her in a huge hug. She flicked his mustache playfully and asked him if he was going to sing.

Sadly, he didn’t know the words.

“That’s okay,” she said with a grin, “I liked hugging you anyway.”

Since her debut as the bisexual performance artist Maureen in “RENT”, Menzel has been as big of a fan of the GBLT community as it is of her. She has been an advocate for gay rights, working with the Human Rights Campaign, the Give a Damn Campaign and the NOH8 campaign.

Menzel’s activism mirrors that of her most popular character, Elphaba from Broadway’s “Wicked”. She wants people to find out who they are, take a stand and do the right thing for each other.

“It’s about taking the time to find out who you really are and not having to adapt or change that for anyone,” she said. “It’s about knowing when you hit upon that thing that makes you a unique and that that’s the thing that makes you stand out in the world. Sometimes it’s a little scary to do that, but when you do - when you let those vulnerabilities be seen - your life will be more fulfilling.

Menzel has also been especially involved with those campaigns concerning marriage equality, stemming somewhat from the early controversy that surrounded her own biracial marriage to fellow “RENT” star Taye Diggs.

“I’ll be honest: I don’t think that we’ve experienced as much of a struggle as same-sex couples have as far as civil rights go,” she said. “I mean, we were allowed to get married in this silly country.”

Since there was a time when biracial couples were not allowed to wed, there were some prejudices against them, Menzel said. However, she did not want people to infer that her experiences were similar those of the gay community’s struggles for equality. Instead, she praised the president for taking a stand for human rights.

“It took some balls, you know,” she said. “I thought he would wait until after elections to do some of those things. Even if there is a strategic side to it, it took some balls, so I hope he got appreciated for that.”

Menzel also encouraged the opponents of same-sex marriage to really get to know a gay person and learn to understand them.

“The bigger thing would be to learn and understand each others’ backgrounds and unlearn the prejudices we have as people from where we’ve grown up,” she said. “You have to keep searching to understand each other. Whether you’re black or white, straight or gay, whatever your experience is, you have to keep striving to educate yourself and learn empathy and understanding and not to generalize people and stereotype.”

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JULY 2012

by JOSEPH BROWNELL, CONTRIBUTING WRITER jbrownell@outandaboutnewspaper.com

A self-confessed “rhinestone redneck”, Adam Freeman knew he would have his work cut out for him when he agreed to be the first openly gay contestant on a CMT reality show. If that wasn’t daunting enough, imagine his thought at being thrown onto an island with a bunch of other rednecks and you can see why Freeman might’ve been a bit hesitant to join the cast of “Redneck Island”.

“Going in I thought, Oh hell! I’m gonna get beat up!” Freeman jokes.

“These [rednecks] were in their camo, and I showed up on the island like a disco ball.”

While the definition for the word redneck can run the gamut, Freeman is quick to point out the underlying premise of what it means to be a redneck: “[A redneck] is very laid back, really into their family and being Southern, and knows how to have a good time with very little.”

When pressed about what makes a gay redneck, Freeman acknowledges that a gay redneck “knows how to have a better time!”

If you’ve yet to catch “Redneck Island”, think of it as “Survivor” with beer and challenges to win a golden Port-A-Potty. Throw in a Dolly Parton tribute artist and you’d only just scratch the surface of what CMT has in store for Freeman and the rest of the “Island”’s contestants.

When he arrived, Freeman, a Nashville hairdresser, could only have hoped that the reactions from fellow contestants would be the worst of his problems on “Redneck Island”.

“I flipped out [when I got there]. I couldn’t take my lip gloss and there was no electricity for my hair dryer,” he says. “It was like taking a walker from a handicapped man. I felt naked for the first few weeks.”

Survival is in his nature though. Having struggled with his sexuality through two marriages and a Southern Baptist family, Freeman is no stranger to life-altering change.“Growing up I learned to suppress who I was to make everyone happy,” he says, “but I was miserable and hit rock bottom much like a drug addict...except there is no rehab for being gay. I had to deal with it and stop lying to everyone and myself.

“It hurts those around you when you’re hurting in life yourself,” he continues.

“I had to open up and share who I was. While I lost some people in my life, I also gained some great people, and now my family accepts my partner and me.”

Those great people include his five children, which understandably was a drawback to taping the show. “Being away from my kids was harder than coming out,” he says.

Overall, Freeman’s journey helped inspire his decision to join the cast and show the world exactly who he is. “The [other contestants] weren’t people that were accepting of gays, but they opened up being there with me,” he explains. “I really hope I can reach out to the youth in the South, so they don’t have to go through the years that I went through.”

Freeman also hopes that his appearance will show people that you can be who you are. “I’m Adam, I’m from the South, and I’ll drink some beer with ya,” he quips. “But I’m still gay.”

Watch Freeman and the rest of the cast of CMT’s “Redneck Island” Saturday nights at 10/9 CT or online at www.CMT.com.

NIGHT From Sapphire, to Dee Ranged Rob Harper shares thoughts, expectations on the future of Nashville drag

by HOLLIS HOLLYWOOD, CONTRIBUTING WRITER hollis@outandaboutnewspaper.com

faster departure. “I left my panty hose in the dryer. Be back in 15 minutes.”

Drag Queen Problems, I suppose.

Thirty minutes later, we were sitting in the dressing room and the transformation had begun.

O&AN: Tell me about where you come from and when you started performing drag.

Dee RangeDee: I was born in Cincinnati and I started right before I graduated high school. This is my 14 year of doing drag.

O&AN: You don’t look old enough to have done this for 14 years.

Dee: Well I moisturize!

O&AN: Were you out in high school?

Dee: My senior year I was. I was just telling someone this the other day: I was always doing these art projects and everything I did revolved around drag queens.

Culture Club was like my biggest thing growing up, and then RuPaul came along and [drag] was just “in there” with me.

O&AN: Were you a visual artist or a performer?

Dee: Both. I always sewed growing up and I always made costumes and wanted to be a fashion designer. I sculpted and painted and did makeup. I just wanted to do everything.

“I’m so sorry, but I have to run home really fast,” Rob Harper said, apologizing for a sudden arrival and even

O&AN: What kind of performing did you do before you started drag?

Dee: I was into theater and did drama and stuff in school. My whole life I was in shows.

JULY 2012

O&AN: Tell me about your drag debut. Was it a typical Halloween experience?

Dee: Yes. It was. There was a youth support group called CYG for teens who were coming out of the closet and a teacher of mine, who was a lesbian, suggested that a friend and I go and check it out. She obviously knew we were struggling. So we went and soon enough there was a Halloween party, and I thought, “Oooh yes. I want to try that.” I wasn’t Dee Ranged at first, though; I was Sapphire. Everything I wore was blue.

O&AN: Were you fishy? Were you dramatic?

Dee: Oh, no. It was bad. I thought of myself more as a club kid than a drag queen. Everything is a learning process, you know, but that was the real beginning. It was rough. Hang on. I have pictures here somewhere.

It’s rough, though. Don’t freak out.

O&AN: Did you paint yourself the first time?

Dee: Yeah. I’ve always painted myself. Only once have I let someone else paint me and that was for the first pageant I entered. And I will never let anyone else paint me again.

O&AN: How did Sapphire transform into Dee Ranged?

Dee: My first boyfriend and I were just goofing off one day, and I said, “You know, I really want to try doing [drag] in a show, a talent contest. But I don’t want to be Sapphire.” He asked, “Well what’s your name going to be?” And I was kind of obsessed with Deelite DEE RANGED cont’d on page 20

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A R T S

&

E N T E R T A I N M E N T

DEE RANGED cont’d from page 19 and I knew I wanted to be “Dee”-something. I thought “Dee Lish” maybe, but he suggested “Dee Ranged” and I said, “OK!” So that’s where it all started.

O&AN: What was Dee Ranged like when she first sprang to life?

Dee: I mean I’ve always been crazy. I didn’t want to be a typical drag queen. I wanted to the off-the-wall. I wanted to be something people would remember.

O&AN: What was the first pageant you entered?

Dee: It was called Miss Pipeline, and it was all for newcomers. I think there were ten or twelve contestants. I won three pageants that year, and I knew I was on the right track. I wasn’t touring like I am now, but I knew I was onto something.

O&AN: Until you relinquish your crown this summer, you are the reigning Miss Universal Show Queen 2011. Were you Emcee here at PLAY before you won that pageant or did it bring you here?

Dee: No. I was the emcee at PLAY already. I’ve been here nearly three years.

Carmella [Marcella Garcia] was leaving to take time off to care for her mom, and the Princess was taking a job in Chicago, so they needed an Emcee. I just happened to have worked here the weekend before, and they offered me the job and moved me to Nashville. I lived at Columbus at the time. Like I said, in Ohio they have a totally different concept of drag and they don’t really pay their girls as well as they do here. We girls have great salaries and benefits and we’re really lucky. It’s a job. But in Ohio they don’t treat it like that. Even the style is different, most of them are boy queens instead of trannies.

O&AN: You volunteer to paint faces and help with a lot of turnabout fundraisers and support aspiring performers in Nashville. Do you enjoy working with new queens and those just sticking their heel in the water?

Dee: Yeah. It’s a dying art form, and we have a responsibility to take the time to teach new drag queens the correct way. Everyone goes through what we call the “Diva Stage.” It’s where they start off and they know everything and exactly how to do it. I know I went through it. I’m sure everyone in this room went through it. But there are a bunch of right ways to do drag and there are definitely wrong ways to do it. So teaching people is important. Unfortunately making sure they are listening can be a task.

O&AN: Are you a part of a house or affiliated with a drag family?

Dee: No. There is a circuit of nationally known acts and I’m a part of that. I just travel once a month to get my name out there. YouTube really helps. I mean I have stalkers on it. They show up at my shows. It’s crazy.

O&AN: The Internet fame YouTube can give a girl must be a double-edged sword.

Dee: Definitely. Recently I worked in another city and I had brought my Tourette’s mix, which is something I made years ago. I turned it in at the bar and they sampled the music into their computer. Well they put on another girl’s Tourette’s mix. The same exact thing that I do, except it was all jumbled around so I had no idea what I was doing. So that’s the downfall of YouTube: everyone wants to copy another queen.

O&AN: You mentioned wanting to encourage new performers to prevent drag as an art form dying out.

lesBians neeDeD for Doctoral canDiDate survey:

did you witness domestic violence as a child?

were you a victim of childhood abuse?

Dawn Beatty

Dawn Beatty is a doctoral candidate at Seton Hall University and is a licensed therapist in Franklin, TN. She is collecting data to explore the relationship between the absence or presence of childhood abuse (or witnessing domestic violence in childhood), the type of adult attachment style survey participants have in intimate relationships, and the risk of domestic violence existing in their current lesbian relationships.

Participation is voluntary and confidential; Questionnaires take approx. 45 minutes to answer.

If you are interested in participating in this confidential study, please call 615/587.5490 or email dawnmariebeatty@gmail.com.

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What else do you think the at-large drag community in Nashville or any other city can do to keep it alive and growing?

Dee: I don’t think there is a clear answer. I think people need to realize first of all where we came from and what had to get done for us to be where we are now. The drag race show, is great, but it is a reality television show; people have to remember that. It’s not the best drag out there just because it’s on TV, and it’s really not about drag; it’s about your television personality. A lot of these things they are showing on camera, when they are getting ready and stuff, the tricks that we’ve been doing for years behind the scenes. No one was really supposed to know how we did it. And that’s what was fun about it: the illusion of drag. Well now it’s even harder because we have to perform with everyone knowing exactly what we do back here. So you’ve got to twist things in your brain and make them see something completely crazy onstage.

O&AN: So now that you are turning in your crown at the Miss Universal Show Queen 2012 pageant in June, what is next for Dee Ranged?

Dee: I’m chillin.’ I don’t know. There are always pageants. For some of us queens, pageants are in our hearts; that’s just how it is. I can’t get rid of that. But the turnaround now is not what it used to be. Even up to the point when I won EOY, you put a lot of money into a pageant. But when you win: you travel, you work, you make the money back. Now you’re putting your money in to win the pageant, but your booking fee now is minimal compared to these girls who are on the TV show. It’s crazy. And on top of that the airlines are charging so many fees for luggage and now even for carry ons. You just can’t escape any extra charge now. It’s hard to tell if pageants are worth it. And I’ve already won the ones that are in my heart. Now my focus is just being here and working. There used to be a huge drag scene in this city. Nashville used to be nationally recognized for good drag, and whether we’re the cast mates of PLAY or not, there still should be other good drag in this city. But there is not. We have a great group of girls at PLAY who are amateurs right now, and I’m trying to teach them. Because we have to bring more “good drag” back to Nashville.

Legends like Bianca Page would have expected that.

She started this local drag scene we are still a part of and she would want us to breathe life into it again.

B A C K and powers of attorney, however. Then, someone’s partner is treated how he wants him to be treated, just like any other spouse.

For more information, log on to the company’s website at capitalfinancialgroupllc.com.

CENTERS cont’d from page 10 protections and HIV/AIDS work. One-third of centers help register voters and conduct get-out-the-vote drives.

Computer Centers: Many GLBT community centers (88%) provide patrons with computer resources; 97% of large centers offer patrons access to computers compared to 72% of small centers. Large centers are defined as those with 2012 expense budgets of $150,000 or greater, while small centers are centers with expense budgets less than $150,000.

Many GLBT centers rely on a small number of staff to provide these services. Of the 61 centers that provided information about staff, 18% have no staff and rely entirely

on volunteers, and 41% have five or fewer paid staff. Small centers face particular staffing challenges; 46% have no paid staff, and the remaining 54% have between one and five staff.

Both large and small GLBT centers reported revenues increases from 2010 to 2011; small centers experienced a 20% increase in revenues from 2010 to 2011, compared to a 13% increase for large centers. Forty-six percent of 2011 revenues were from government grants, followed by 18% from individual donors and 10% from fundraising events.

“From health education and policy advocacy to employment counseling and legal services, community centers provide lifelines to many underserved GLBT communities,” said Ineke Mushovic, Executive Director of MAP. “We’re encouraged to see growing financial support at so many centers, and hope to see even greater investment in the vital role these centers play in the lives of GLBT people across the country.”

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CAPITAL cont’d from page 11 everything is accomplished in the way that the couple wants to see it accomplished takes not treating everybody the same.”

Worthington adds that financial planners need to be trained to have a full understanding of what is happening when a same-sex couple wants to plan their future when the law does not recognize the partnership. She also considers what to do when the relationship is recognized as a legal entity, so no matter what happens, she, Ross, and the rest of the team are ready.

“It would be a very smooth transition,” Ross says of a couple’s financial plan should same-sex marriage become legalized. “The stuff that we would do for people in a same-sex couple environment is going to be the same thing we’d do for a legally married couple. It’s just that samesex couples have to do it where legally married couples get a lot of benefits by default by law.”

Everything Capital Financial sets up are things they would do for a married couple to solidify the financial plan, he explains, but if a same-sex couple does not do it, they have no recourse. Their position would already be solidified, and then the changes that happen after the relationship is legally recognized would be beneficial.

The same-sex couple would then get tax breaks and the like, but the rest of the changes to their financial planning would be rather minor.

“And those changes would just enhance what we’ve already put in place,” Worthington says. “It takes just a little bit of thought to put into it, but then you’ve got a seamless transition no matter what happens. If somebody gets hurt, or if they die early, whatever it is, we’ve got a seamless transition, no matter what played out of all those scenarios.”

“The reason we exist is so that it is easy for you,” Ross says in explaining why working with a financial planner is important for all couples, not just homosexual ones. “A lot of people aren’t completely sure of what a comprehensive financial planning firm does. They might have relationships with a bank or a CPA or somebody like that, but that doesn’t necessarily enter the realm of what we do.

We work with their CPA, and we work with their banker. Whoever it is, we’re just there to add to that and give an overall strategy to everything the couple is already doing, adding to what they already have.”

Ross and Worthington still advise same-sex couples to set up living wills

M A T T E R

SOMETIMES IT’S HARD TO TELL WHO’S BEING ADOPTED. Adopt a pet from the Nashville Humane Association and find a faithful friend. Visit www.nashvillehumane.org to learn more.

BE PET-RIOTIC! ENJOY REDUCED ADOPTION FEES ON ALL ANIMALS FROM JUNE 30TH – JULY 8TH JULY 2012

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6/15/12 10:33 AM

B A C K

M A T T E R

GRIZZLIES cont’d from page 15 His size, speed and experienced showed as the Convicts hit a wall of Grizzlies led by Vogelsang again and again. This was Vogelsang’s third Bingham Cup with the Grizzlies. Though he announced his intention to retire from active play after the tournament, the team hopes it will not really be his last.

Sunday morning at 9:50 a.m., amidst a cold, driving rain, the Grizzlies met the combined Bucks/Griffons in the semi-finals for the Bingham Shield. Lee was taken out of the game during a big tackle in the last five minutes that stopped an offensive drive. Scrum half Todd Shelton earned Man of the Match for his quick work coming out of scrums and repeated tackles of his opposite number.

The Bucks/Griffons went on to beat Chicago for the shield. Manchester A took the Bowl in the second tier championship. Straffe Ketten, the Wild Men from Brussels, took home the Hoagland Cup, placing first in the second-16 competition and Kings Cross B took home the Hoagland Vase for winning tier two of this new competition division.

All injured Grizzlies are on the mend.

Tournament hosts Village Spartans choreographed a memorable fours days for more than 1,500 players and supporters. The official hotel was within easy walking distance of all the off-field events and Manchester’s festive Gay district along Canal street. The opening ceremony was held in the Hogwarts-like Great Hall of the massive Victorian City Hall. The Lord Mayor and her spouse, the Lady Mayoress, welcomed the packed room to huge applause. Alice Hoagland, mother of 9/11 Flight 91 Hero Mark Bingham and former S.F. Fog and USC Rugby player, inspired everyone with her reflections on her son’s experiences as a gay athlete and all that the tournament has accomplished for Gay men around the world in his memory.

The Grizzlies awarded Man of the Tournament honors to team president Jamie Day for his leadership and strength off and on the field in every minute of all five matches.

The equally ornate Palace Hotel hosted the closing dinner and ceremonies that included former International Rugby superstars Ben Cohen and Gareth Thomas.

EXPOSED

jorda n casey pe lfrey Birthday

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nashville, TenNess ee Hometown

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virgo

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I’m in the studio working on some new music, writing a new song or on stage playing a show. I hate to sound cliche’, but music is my life, can’t go a day without it. I also feel most confident surrounded by my closest friends, because without them, I’d be nowhere. I know I’m biased, but I honestly feel as though my friends are the most supportive, awesome, caring people I know!

What’s your favorite food?

That’s a really hard question for me. If I had to choose, I could probably narrow it down to either Greek or Thai. My friends and I probably keep quite a bit of East Nashville restaurants going with our attendance haha.

Boxers or Briefs?

Um..commando ;)

My greatest achievement has been:

Graduating from Belmont University and Playing for the Queen of England last year in London!

Two experiences that I will never forget!

If you won $1 million (tax free) and had to give half of it away, who would you give it to?

I would probably split it in half and give half to my family for supporting me through all of these years. I would also like to see my little sister not have to worry about paying for college since I kind of used up all those funds.

The other half I would donate to Blood:Water Mission, an organization whose sole mission is to empower communities to work together against the HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa.

SPOTTED O&AN PRIDE BOOTH NASVILLE PRIDE B

JULY 2012

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SPOTTED NASHVILLE PRIDE

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O U T A N D A B O U T N E W S PA P E R . C O M

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SPOTTED KNOXVILLE PRIDE

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DUI Tip:

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