October 01, 2014
Relationship violence is the scourge of our society
Issue 1549
‘HUMP’ opens downtown Could Wednesdays become at R BAR: Tucson’s new gay night out? OBSERVER STAFF Tucson used to have a dozen gay bars. But, as anyone who goes out knows, the past couple of years have not been kind to Tucson’s gay nightlife. Woody’s, The Biz and Colors have all closed their doors, and even some of the most popular gay events, like Out West at Old Tucson Studios, don’t occur anymore. But there is reason to be optimistic, says Pete King, the man behind the popular G3 Gay Happy Hours.
By Lavina Tomer WINGSPAN ANTI-VIOLENCE Paint Pima Purple takes place in October as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This month-long campaign serves to raise awareness and to enlist the community’s help in putting an end to domestic abuse. Oct. 17 is Wear Purple Day. A purple ribbon folded like we have folded AIDS/HIV awareness ribbons for decades will also honor survivors and victims of intimate partner violence. The National Resource Center on LGBT Aging surveyed 2,560 Continued on page 3
Inside Half of HIVpositive gay men in U.S. aren’t getting proper treatment
With the launch of his newest venture “HUMP,” which takes place every Wednesday at The Rialto Theatre’s new lounge, R BAR, King contends Tucson’s gay social scene is on trend. “Downtown is where it’s
By R.D. Smith GUEST COLUMNIST It’s long overdue to point out something that seems to get overlooked: U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren isn’t leading anything, so far.
A community conversation – Latinos and HIV Page 6
Gay bathhouses face steady decline
OBSERVER STAFF
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OCALA, Fla. -- The city of Ocala’s ban on dropped pants was . . . er . . . brief.
Gabby Giffords’ national stature keeps growing
Ocala City Council members repealed the twomonth-old law earlier this month after the NAACP threatened a lawsuit. The measure had become so controversial that the city’s mayor urged the council to reconsider it shortly after Ocala was notified of the intent to sue.
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gourmet food shops and stores are coming in. Add to that the new light rail line and plans to build more apartments, a couple of new hotels, and even more nighttime entertainment options and you have an exciting, Continued on page 3
Facing suit, Florida Does the 21st century city drops its ban on need the blessing of the 20th-century pope? dropped pants
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California governor signs law outlawing ‘gay panic’ legal defense Page 10
at and I think our community should be a part of it,” King says. “There has been a remarkable transformation of Congress Street in the past couple of years, with upscale restaurants, bars and nightclubs popping up seemingly overnight. Now even
The law banned anyone on city property from wearing their pants 2 inches “below the natural waist in a way that
exposed their underwear or buttocks.” Offenders faced a fine up to $500 plus jail time up to six months. The ban had been introduced by Councilwoman Deborah Rich, Black-Old. “It’s not true that I did this to profile black men,” she said. “As you can see, I’ve been black a long time. I have a black son, I have two black grandsons and two black great-grandsons.” The controversy over a fashion fad (which will pass soon enough once people stop making fools of themselves over it) repeats the generation gap Continued on page 5
She’s become an articulate spokesperson for how the American public feels about banksters, student debt and maybe a handful of other issues, but the polls showed the public got there long before Warren emerged as a spokesperson. part of it,” Clinton said. In other words, Warren is reflecting public opinion rather than creating it. She stands out among our politicians because she seems to be living in the current century rather than looking back at the last one, as most of our “representatives” do. That’s what made last week’s exchange between CNN’s Fareed Zakaria and former President Bill Clinton a bit of an eye-popper. Zakaria asked whether Clinton thinks Warren is the “future of the Democratic Party.” “I think she’s an important
The obvious next question would have been, “And how do the Clintons plan to catch up with a party that’s rapidly leaving Billary at the station?” In fact, aside from Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders (who isn’t even a Democrat -- yet), name me a “leader” (cough) from the Democratic Party who doesn’t run on issues that should have been addressed 10 or 15 years ago -- if the candidates bother to address an issue at all in their campaigns. Yes, some of those issues Continued on page 7