March 11, 2015
Issue 1572
Longtime Phoenix drag bar faces demolition March 30
Paula Poundstone talks health and fitness before Tucson show OBSERVER STAFF Emmy Award-winning comedian Paula Poundstone ranks among Comedy Central’s 100 greatest stand-ups of all time, was the first woman to perform standup at the White House Correspondents dinner and was inducted into Comedy Hall of Fame in 2010. She’s a regular on NPR’s “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” and on stage at the Fox Tucson Theatre. Observer Weekly caught up with her by phone last week on a break from her current tour.
One end of the 47-foot Ted DeGrazia mural that’s expected to be lost.
OBSERVER STAFF PHOENIX -- The former 307 Lounge building, home of a longtime Phoenix drag bar and two murals by Tucson artist Ted DeGrazia, reportedly is
Inside
scheduled for demolition March 30 despite neighborhood efforts to save it. Long gone are the days when drag giantess Tish Continued on page 3
SCOTUS schedules marriage-equality arguments April 28
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NRA Facebook page peppered with Giffords death threats Page 5
TIHAN’s Empowerment Award presented to George Vissichelli Page 6
When Hollywood helps — and we don’t Page 3
Gay man’s mother becomes surrogate, carries his baby Page 6
PP: Well, once I get up, I’m fine, you know. I go to work early. Tomorrow morning, I probably will be picked up Continued on page 16
CODAC celebrates opening of first-ofits-kind treatment center for LGBTQIs TUCSON -- CODAC Behavioral Health Services celebrated the March 5 opening of its newest integrated health and wellness center located at 3130 E. Broadway Blvd, at the corner of Broadway and Country Club. The event included a brief formal program, refreshments, entertainment and tours.
Tucson judge refuses to grant same-sex divorce
Musical work honors suicide victim Tyler Clementi
OW: First off, thank you for doing a morning interview. Are you a morning person?
WASHINGTON, D.C. -The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled arguments for April 28 in a consolidated marriageequality case involving plaintiffs from four states, according to SCOTUSblog. The court will hear appeals handled by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, so far the only appeals court to uphold bans on same-sex marriage. Last week’s announcement included a departure from standard procedure: Audio recording from inside the courtroom should be released by 2 p.m. the day of the hearing.
This newly renovated location is home to four programs that meet the unique health needs of: Continued on page 15
Dennis Regnier, CODAC president and CEO, cut a grand opening ribbon of the first-of-its-kind health center for the LGBTQI community.
Marriage equality ‘offends’ Rand Paul; lynch those blacks; and the week’s GOP pearl-clutching By R.D. Smith GUEST COLUMNIST Presidential candidate Rand Paul thought (out loud) last week that a good way to stretch the GOP umbrella was to say marriage equality “offends” him.
The court does not allow videotaping of its proceedings. This combined case includes cases from Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky. A decision is anticipated in June, and is widely expected to settle the issue of same-sex marriage nationally.
He allowed as how the country may yet outlaw it in favor of some sort of separatebut-equal contract. Meet radio-host chupacabra Andrea Shea King, ready to revive lynching.
Continued on page 10
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Citizen-led initiative brings marriage equality to Finland HELSINKI -- Finnish President Sauli Niinisto recently signed into law a marriage-equality bill that resulted from a citizen-led campaign. Finland thus became the last Nordic nation to establish same-sex marriage, but the law doesn’t take effect for two more years. Parliament passed the measure 105 to 92 -- the first ever to be passed by the Finnish government through a citizen initiative, according to Finnish news site YLE. Finland has recognized same-sex civil unions since 2002.
Lawsuit seeking to force Alabama to issue licenses MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The National Center for Lesbian Rights has joined other groups in filing an amended complaint to force Alabama probate judges to stop . . . er . . . dicking around, and issue marriage licenses to any qualified same-sex couple. This turns the groups’ earlier challenge into a class-action lawsuit representing all same-sex couples in the state, against all the county probate judges. The new pleading is in the court of U.S. District Judge Callie Granade, who overturned Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriage and then issued further rulings demanding that her order be obeyed. So far, probate judges (who issue the marriage licenses in Alabama) are also under orders from anti-LGBT Chief Justice Roy Moore of the state’s Supreme Court, who demands that they defy Granade’s orders. Asked by the state news site AL.com how his position differed from former Gov. George Wallace standing in the schoolhouse door to prevent racial integration, Moore replied: “George Wallace moved. I can’t move from my position because I’m bound to uphold the Constitution.” Gasbag.
Marriage equality for Nebraskans delayed until May ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- A federal judge’s ruling last week would have allowed marriage equality in Nebraska this week, but the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the ruling until a May 12 hearing that will combine Nebraska’s appeal with three others. The stay could mean that the U.S. Supreme Court decision in four other cases, expected by June, will decide the matter for Nebraska as well. In the Nebraska case, U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon had hoped that his ruling would take effect immediately and force Nebraska to recognize the marriage of Susan and Sally Waters
OBSERVER while Sally is still alive. She has terminal cancer. Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said in his appeal that it doesn’t matter whether Waters is alive when the case is adjudicated because her partner can always seek an amended death certificate. Nebraska’s appeal was combined with cases from Missouri, Arkansas and South Dakota.
Gym complaints over trans woman get whiner booted MIDLAND, Mich. -- A female member of Planet Fitness gym in Midland filed a series of complaints about a trans woman using the women’s locker room, so the gym took action -and booted out the complainer. The slogan of Planet Fitness is “judgement free zone,” and apparently it’s serious about that. The ex-member had complained to local staff, corporate headquarters and other members of the gym. The incident is notable because Midland is in a Republican part of Michigan, not in the Detroit area.
Adam Carolla not apologizing about anti-gay persona Comedian Adam Carolla insisted in an interview with Huffington Post Live last week that he isn’t concerned about his racist and anti-gay image. “Tough shit” and “I don’t care” were among his responses. “You are in charge of your own feelings,” he told his critics. “I am not in charge of your feelings. I’m here to make jokes; I’m here to make commentaries; I’m here to share my opinions. Tough shit if you don’t like it.” A viewer had asked Carolla for his opinion on a blog called Calling Out Carolla, which keeps a list of his offensive jokes and tweets. “I’m done apologizing, I really am,” Carolla said.
Man gets hung up with beach balls on wood-slatted chair VALALTA, Croatia -- You think you’ve had an embarrassing moment or two, but try this one. Mario Visnjic had been for a skinny dip in the ocean and retired for a nap on a nice old-fashioned slatted chair on the beach. Unfortunately for Visnjic, he didn’t plan to STAY in the chair. Apparently swimming nude in the cool ocean caused his testicles to shrink up, and lying in the warm sun caused them to expand and drop down -- through the slats of the chair. Nap over, Visnjic discovered he was trapped -- or at least a vital part of him was.
WEEKLY
A maintenance crew with saws eventually sawed the chair into pieces to keep Visnjic in one piece. Full disclosure: This happened a year and a half ago, but the Observer tries to bring our readers the news whenever and wherever we find it.
Michael Sam joins ‘Dancing With the Stars’ next season National Football League hopeful Michael Sam has signed on for the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars,” according to an announcement by the show. Joining Sam, 25, will be Patti LaBelle, Olympian Nastia Liukin, and actress Suzanne Somers. Previous seasons of the show have been won by NFL players Hines Ward, Emmit Smith and Donald Driver. Sam is the first openly gay player to be drafted in the NFL. Not currently signed to a team, he has said he plans to enter this month’s Veterans’ Combine for another shot.
March 11, 2015
Dallas mayor signs Supreme Court list on marriage equality DALLAS -- Mayor Mike Rawlings may have been a little slow in publicly supporting marriage equality, but when he "came out," he did it in a big way. Rawlings is one of 225 mayors putting his name on a pro-equality amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case involving same-sex marriage, set for a hearing on April 28. "I am speaking for hundreds of thousands of citizens of Dallas," Rawlings told the Dallas Morning News. "I wanted to make sure the Supreme Court knows that there is a mayor in Texas, and in one of the top 10 cities in the country, that feels that the city of Dallas will be better off" if marriage equality is achieved. As recently as 2013, Rawlings refused to support a Dallas City Council resolution in support of same-sex marriage.
Pat Robertson: Boycott child’s same-sex wedding The Rev. Pat Robertson advised a viewer last week on his “700 Club” TV show to avoid her gay child’s wedding and not to allow attendance by the one parent who wants to be supportive of their child.
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The viewer said one parent was adamant about not attending “because it’s against the Lord’s plan.”
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Robertson, of course, has long opposed anything that might make the LGBT community feel human, but this time he added that allowing one parent to attend the wedding would indicate “that [your child’s] conduct is splitting your marriage.” Or . . . not allowing it would indicate that someone is being a ruthless control freak. One of those things, for sure.
Slovenia approves marriage equality despite protesters LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- The Slovenian Parliament approved samesex marriage last week with the same rights and benefits as opposite-sex couples receive, Global Post reported.
Editor-In-Chief Bob Ellis Executive Editor Nicholas K. M. Pafford Senior Editor Greg Miller Assistant Editor Christine Beall Assistant Editor Christopher L. Pankratz Phoenix Area Distribution T-Media Promotion Send Classifieds, Inquiry Letters, etc to: info@observerweekly.com
About 2,000 angry demonstrators gathered outside Parliament and vowed to overturn the law by popular vote once again.
Publication of names or photos of any person or organization in the Observer Weekly is not to be construed as indication of the sexual orientation of such person, organization or advertisers or any employees thereof. Opinions expressed by contributors, advertisers or in PSA’s are not necessarily those of the Observer, its staff or advertisers. The Observer assumes responsibility for its own editorial policy only.
They would need to collect 40,000 signatures in order to get the issue on the ballot, according to Global Post. Even if the petition drive succeeds, Slovenia changed its referendum rules in 2013 and no longer allows referenda on human-rights issues.
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The vote was 51-29 with five abstentions. The new law is similar to one rejected in a voter referendum in 2012.
March 11, 2015
OP-ED
OBSERVER
When Hollywood helps — and we don’t
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Letter to the Editor Our “See Jane Sing” tickets were “ELIMINATED!”
Saving the DeGrazia Mural Dear Editor,
Dear Editor, I was surprised and excited when I opened my Christmas present from my kids – third row center pit seats, at Centennial Hall in Tucson, to “See Jane Sing.” Imagine my disappointment when my tickets were cancelled, less than a week before curtain. The show suddenly decided on additional band members to accompany Jane Lynch. They are not putting them on stage to preserve our seats; instead the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation, the fundraising host of the event, chose to place the band in the orchestra pit, leaving more space on stage for their pre-show reception. Unfortunately, the situation left the Centennial Hall’s box office no choice but to “eliminate” our seats.
My Father owned the then known as the 307 when Ted DeGrazia painted those murals. My fathers name was Wiz Hubbard. It was home of "the world's greatest martinis"! He and Ted were very close friends and he would come over to the house for visits. I remember as a child watching Ted paint the Angels sitting in the Martini Glasses. The 307 was thriving in the 50's until 1960 when he passed away at the age of 54. There are so many fond memories of that classic place. It's another era gone by the way side. It's very sad we will be loosing this part of "historic" Phoenix and works from one of our best known Arizona artist. Sandy Mickey
In a sense, Hollywood’s portrayals of LGBT people help us gain equality, but what doesn’t help are the attitudes of some people within the community.
By Adam Sandel THE ADVOCATE If you haven’t caught NBC’s miniseries “The Slap” yet, you should. It’s a finely crafted tale, told from multiple perspectives, of how the lives of a family and their friends begin to unravel after a man slaps someone else’s kid at a birthday party. The man in question, a hot-headed straight alpha male with anger and control issues, is played with simmering intensity by Zachary Quinto. His performance is so compelling that you not only forget the actor is gay, you forget he’s an actor. Quinto came out publicly in 2011 after the suicide of gay teen Jamey Rodemeyer, stating, “Living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality.” He continues to be a vocal advocate for LGBT equality. There’s a lot at stake when any of us comes out. The stakes are that much higher when a public figure comes out, especially an actor such as
Quinto, whose livelihood depends on the industry and the public accepting him in many different roles, including heterosexual ones. There are two important ways that Hollywood advances the cause for LGBT equality. When prominent performers come out, they become positive role models for young people who are struggling with their own sexuality. When films and television shows depict the lives of LGBT characters, they can spread compassion and understanding to a mass audience. But there are two common reactions among LGBT people that all too often work against these positive steps forward. When performers such as Jim Parsons, Ricky Martin, or Wentworth Miller finally have the courage to make the career-risking move of coming out, the response from many gay people is not one of encouragement or congratulations, but of the catty “Surprise, surprise — like we haven’t known that for years” variety. Having been through the difficult Continued on page 11
It’s insulting that The Hillel Foundation refuses to offer any restitution other than replacement seats at the back of the house -- not even an invite to the pre-show reception that’s indirectly responsible for the loss of an up-close opportunity that my three guests and I were so looking forward to. Diane Dee-Dee Simmendinger Temple
I heart Hillary Dear Editor, I'm not quite sure how totally trashing Hillary Clinton in the Feb. 18 edition of the Observer advances the causes or politics that you favor. Jim Hannan
Longtime Phoenix drag bar faces demolition March 30 Continued from page 1 Tanner’s “cleaning lady” would have to stop the show long enough to sweep the stage clean of coins the audience threw in piles. (Only one person in Arizona was present in Lubbock, Texas, the first time the 300-pound Tish put on an extremely long gown, stood on a chair and became a normally proportioned Helen Traubel -- but that’s another story!) News stories indicate the smaller DeGrazia mural (a ballerina pirouetting in a cocktail glass) will be salvaged, courtesy of the DeGrazia Foundation.
enough to accommodate that project. When the 307 left this building in 2000, Brian Smith at Phoenix New Times wrote (under the headline: “307 Going Down?”) that the 307 “was once considered the town’s crème de la crème of seedy joints. In later years, it proved to be safer than your average downtown sports bar.” At the time, the 307 was moving a few blocks away and being rechristened 307 on Central.
According to estimates, the 47foot “history of distilling alcohol” mural would cost $250,000 to save because it’s painted plaster on brick.
Smith quoted Richard Black, a.k.a. Celia Putty, as explaining the headscratcher of a name. The 307 had been at 222 E. Roosevelt St. for years, but Black said originally it was at 307 E. Roosevelt. One of life’s mysteries solved!
There was an offer to pay for moving the building, but developers didn’t feel they could postpone their plans long
The 307 reportedly was a bar for 70 to 80 years and a drag bar for about 20 before closing in 2000.
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March 11, 2015
Tucson judge refuses to Faux 'dominatrixes' grant same-sex divorce seduce jail guards,
28 inmates scamper
OBSERVER STAFF TUCSON -- A Tucson family-law judge has refused to grant a divorce to a married lesbian couple, citing the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, even though same-sex marriage has been legal in Arizona since Oct. 17. Judge Sean Brearcliffe says he does not have to follow the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals -- the same argument being promoted by Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court. But Brearcliffe went even further: He ruled that the petition by Tucsonan Martha Morris, 67, would be dismissed with prejudice -- meaning it could not be refiled or reconsidered -- unless Morris agreed to an annulment or requested a stay.
Morris wasted no time in acquiring a Southern Arizona Legal Aid attorney to appeal Brearcliffe’s decision. This should have been a simple divorce, since there are no children, no shared property and no alimony request. “I don’t care if there’s some notoriety,” Morris told the Arizona Daily Star in regard to contesting Brearcliffe’s ruling. “This is wrong. If the circuit judge says we can get married, then we can certainly get divorced.” Possibly so -- anywhere but in Brearcliffe’s courtroom. He was appointed to his position in 2013 by Gov. Jan Brewer.
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Army takes step toward protecting trans members WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Army announced a change last week that will make it more difficult to discharge transgender troops. The authority for such discharges has been moved from the local level to the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs.
NOVA MUTUM, Brazil -- Guards at the public jail in this major agricultural center in central Brazil should have known something was too good to be true. Three of the guards were found naked and handcuffed inside the jail after a 3 a.m. visit from three women dressed as dominatrixes in which the women set up a mass jailbreak. Once the "dominatrixes" unlocked the doors, 28 inmates escaped. Oopsie.
The Department of Defense took a similar step in the final months of "don't ask, don't tell," which barred lesbian and gay troops from serving openly, according to the LGBT military group SPARTA.
The women apparently drugged the guards with spiked whiskey after convincing them to take part in an orgy, investigators said.
Transgender status, if it becomes known, is still grounds for discharge from the Army, and other branches of the military have yet to follow the Army's latest move.
A bag of lingerie and dominatrixstyle "police" uniforms was left at the site, according to reports.
Naked photos of one of the guards were shared thousands of times on social media. "Whoever wanted to escape left by the front door," chief warden Angelina de Andrades Ferreira said. "From the moment they drank the whiskey, the agents don't remember a thing. One was found dizzy, trying to wake up. Another slept for the whole afternoon and couldn't even be questioned." She said the three prison officers had been arrested and will be charged with "facilitating a jailbreak" and "culpable embezzlement" because of the theft of firearms. Eight of the escapees were quickly recaptured, and a manhunt was organized. One of the dominatrixes reportedly is the girlfriend of an 18-year-old who is among the escapees.
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March 11, 2015
OBSERVER
NRA Facebook page peppered with Giffords death threats
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Mennonite pastor faces deportation to Honduras
Pastor Max Villatoro, his wife Gloria, and their four children.
OBSERVER STAFF IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The pastor of a Mennonite congregation in Iowa City is facing deportation to Honduras. Pastor Max Villatoro, 41, whose wife and four children are U.S. citizens, was picked up March 3 -- reportedly without being allowed to say goodbye to his family. Because of his activities in the community, he has widespread local support. More than 100 people rallied in his support last week outside the jail where he was being held. Villatoro does not deny that 16 years ago, he took the advice of friends and paid to use a Social Security number in order to get a driver’s license, and was caught. OBSERVER STAFF The National Rifle Association’s Facebook page last week became a forum for death threats and insults aimed at former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Tucson. The outpouring of bile came as a result of Giffords addressing Congress on the subject of background checks for gun purchases. Giffords has become an advocate for modest gun controls since an attack in Tucson in which six people were killed and 17 wounded, including a debilitating head wound for Giffords. “Stopping violence takes courage,” Giffords told her former peers. “The courage to do what’s right, the courage of new ideas. . . . Now is the time to come together and be responsible.” The response of NRA members was immediate. Some just suggested that Jared
Loughner should have been a better shot or used more devastating ammunition. One (woman, apparently) suggested “someone should take her out!!!” and another said “might have to shoot her again!” More than one said simply, “she should have died.” The list was extensive, and the unanimous feeling was that Giffords is not entitled to an opinion unless she agrees with this pack of knuckledraggers. The bill Giffords was supporting, formally known as the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2015, has at least four GOP coauthors -- Rep. Bob Dold of Illinois, Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Rep. Peter King of New York and Rep. Pat Meehan, also of Pennsylvania -- along with several Democrats. It’s given no chance of passage in the current Congress.
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That was in 1999, and in the meantime Villatoro built a career as a minister and fathered a family. After
two denials of his plea to remain in the U.S., the government began deportation proceedings against him. President Obama’s November executive order offered the Villatoro family some hope, but of course Republicans have now tied that up in court. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Gail Montenegro said in a statement that Villatoro is “an ICE enforcement priority” because of his “criminal history” -- the use of the Social Security card and a 1998 drunken driving conviction. Online petitions of support have multiplied, but Villatoro is expected to be deported before the end of the month.
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Community Voices
Recognizing a fabulous man: TIHAN’s Empowerment Award presented to George Vissichelli
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Gay man’s mother becomes surrogate, carries his baby
George Vissichelli
By Scott Blades Executive Director TIHAN TIHAN’s Empowerment Award is presented each year to one person living with HIV who exemplifies the amazing contributions of the many people with HIV who display exceptional courage and achievement. Earlier this year, we requested input from the community, and received many nominations, asking us to honor and recognize some of the amazing people who are models of empowerment for people living with HIV: CarePartners living with HIV who are facing life threatening challenges and/or dealing with health challenges of their partners and loved ones; CarePartners who, despite the obstacles, are reaching for huge goals, and achieving them; CarePartners who are taking the courageous steps of publicly sharing their stories in order to increase understanding and compassion; and CarePartners who devote their time and talents to supporting others with HIV and serving as role models for living well. At TIHAN’s Annual Meeting and Appreciation Event on Feb. 24, we recognized 17 amazing people living with HIV who were nominated for their leadership and achievements in the HIV community. And we selected just one of these nominees to be the recipient of our 2014 Empowerment Award: George Vissichelli.
March 11, 2015
Sandra / On The Tree Top Photography
George first came to TIHAN as a registered CarePartner in 2003. When John, his partner of nearly 20 years, died suddenly in 2011, George leaned on his network of friends and family and community agencies for support, including TIHAN and its volunteers and staff.
OBSERVER STAFF
‘urgh,’ but they don’t understand.
DONCASTER, England -- AnneMarie Casson is speaking out about serving as the surrogate mother so her gay son could have a child, Pink News reported last week.
“[Miles] is not biologically tied to me, other than he’s my grandson. I love being a parent and for Kyle to experience that, I would do that for him,” she said.
A positive and resilient individual, George soon came to TIHAN in a different capacity only a few months after this tragedy – wanting to get involved as a volunteer. He wanted to give back and do the same for others going through difficult times as TIHAN had done for him.
Kyle Casson, 27, was turned away from a number of surrogate agencies because British law states two parents must apply for the parental order. Out of desperation, Casson went to his mother.
Miles is a union of Kyle’s sperm with an egg from an anonymous donor.
He jumped in with a big heart and put his hands to work to support others and help TIHAN thrive. George serves as a Link Specialist volunteer in the TIHAN office, arriving every Wednesday morning with a big smile for a shift that usually stretches into the entire day. He readily fills in when we are low on volunteer coverage, and he has played a key role in training new volunteers.
The baby, Miles, is now 8 months old and Casson has applied to adopt him. A judge has ruled that he is eligible to do so. Anne-Marie Casson told the Daily Mail: “When he first came to me and his dad, I thought ‘I could do it.’ Some people, when they did find out, said
The happy father says the family will explain Miles’ parentage to him in stages, at age-appropriate times. “I understand that not everyone will agree with it, but they can have their opinions,” he said. “I paid for it myself, it’s not taxpayers’ money, I own my own home, I am going back to work.”
George is also a key volunteer at TIHAN’s Poz Café lunch, serving in whatever role he is asked to do, and staying late to help clean up and transport supplies back to the office. He has spent hours and hours at the office to work on other projects, including doing data entry and analysis for last year’s CarePartner Satisfaction Survey. George also joined the TIHAN board of directors and currently serves as a positive voice on our board. And, he supports HIV awareness
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Where God's love for all is the good news!
In March -- messages focus on healthy communication
March 11, 2015
OBSERVER WEEKLY 80 percent of Arizonans prioritize K-12 funding; courts agree, Gov. Doozy doesn’t By R.D. Smith GUEST COLUMNIST
This isn’t a recent thing. Voters back in 2000 approved an initiative ordering the state to increase school funding considerably.
Preliminary reports indicate he may have suffered a heart attack. Shafer was Playgirl magazine's 1992 "man of the year," then came out publicly as gay and worked the title for all it was worth.
When legislators blew the voters a big raspberry, the case went to court, and in 2013 the Arizona Supreme Court said the Legislature couldn’t undermine the clear intent of the voters -- it was time to pay up.
In response, Gov. Doug Ducey offered another raspberry. He wants all parties to be reasonable and settle up fairly.
KPHO-TV
A crowd described as "hundreds" protested at the Capitol last week against yet another round of Arizona education cuts. bigger than the schools. He’s facing $500 million in red ink this fiscal year and up to $1 billion next year.
What part of “voters wanted this” is hard to understand? “Fairly” would be doing what the voters have been asking for years, que no?
Almost any bookkeeper could tell you that the $100 million in corporate welfare Ducey wants to dole out could at least make a dent in that deficit -- if Ducey doesn’t kill it.
Arizona school funding has dropped 17.5 percent (adjusted for inflation) over the past seven years. And not because voters approved it.
Overall, this is what happens when you have a state run by anti-tax fanatics -- check out Kansas, Wisconsin . . . Arizona!
In January, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper -- apparently giving up that the state will ever honor the voters’ wishes -- asked the parties involved to sit down and discuss how to settle the tug-of-war.
And where do legislators stand on funding your public schools? Well, it was reported that on Feb. 23, a committee killed (by one vote) a bill to allow wineries a tax credit for donating to PRIVATE schools. After that vote, the Republican leadership dropped two other bills that would have subsidized donations to PRIVATE schools.
It wouldn’t look so crass if Ducey would try.
Gay model/actor Dirk Shafer found dead in vehicle WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Dirk Shafer, once one of the most recognized faces (and bodies) in America, was found dead last week in a vehicle a few blocks from his West Hollywood home.
Recent polling showed that 80 percent of Arizonans attach either a high or very high priority to K-12 public school funding, in which the state currently ranks 46th among the 50 states.
The courts have ordered the state to increase school funding this year by $331 million, with back payments now around the billion-dollar mark.
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Public schools may be on their own.
Instead of addressing the courtordered school funding, Ducey has refused to suspend $100 million in corporate tax cuts due to take effect in July. Bye-bye one-third of the school funding right there.
The governor’s big beef with school funding, or one of them anyway, is that he thinks too much of the spending bypasses the classroom.
Of course, Ducey’s budget woe is
That could well be true, but how
does defying a court order on school funding address that problem? And then there’s that thing about voters wanting the schools funded, and voting specifically to tax themselves in order to do it. Why doesn’t the governor just say he doesn’t want to do it, and quit trying to pretend that the $13 million school increase he’s offering is anything but an insult to his voters?
He wrote, directed and starred in a 1995 mockumentary, "Man of the Year," about his time as a semi-closeted gay man in the role of a heterosexual sex symbol. In 2001, he wrote and directed "Circuit," a film about gay circuit parties. He said he originally posed for Playgirl as "validation" because he never considered himself attractive. In August 2012, Playgirl brought him back for a 20th anniversary photo spread. He was most recently working as a Pilates and fitness instructor. Shafer was born in Carbondale, Ill. He was 52.
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March 11, 2015 OBSERVER WEEKLY Marriage equality ‘offends’ Fireside Chat will Rand Paul; lynch those return next week blacks; and the week’s GOP pearl-clutching
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Continued from page 1 A rose is a rose is a rose ... just don’t call it that. Well, in the corner he’s backed himself into these days, that statement probably does seem OK. Back here in reality, a major poll now says 53 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage. Among people under 30 (where Paul’s strength supposedly lies), even Republicans support marriage equality by 61 percent. Of course, there’s no way of knowing how many of those vote a straight Republican ticket no matter whose name is there or what the candidate said about anything. That’s not something people would usually admit to pollsters, even if asked. So as for Paul’s statement, so what? He might lose 12 votes from his core support, since libertarians generally think that telling people who they can and can’t marry is one of many things the government should butt out of.
Shootings involving Coast Guard trio linked to 'obsession' BOURNE, Mass. -- Court records released last week don't shed much more light on the Feb. 5 shooting death of Lisa Trubnikova and the wounding of her wife and a police officer who responded to calls about gunshots. Coast Guardsman Adrian Loya reportedly had been obsessed with Trubnikova for years, beginning when they were both stationed in Alaska along with Trubnikova's wife, Petty Officer Anna Trubnikova. Authorities say Loya killed Lisa
Trubnikova, who also was a petty officer in the Coast Guard, during a home invasion in this normally quiet Cape Cod town. Loya lived in Virginia and apparently drove to Massachusetts several days before the shootings, renting a motel room near the Trubnikova home. Bourne Police Officer Jared MacDonald, injured in the rampage, recently returned to work with a procession in which Anna Trubnikova participated.
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If he loses 12 core supporters, he’ll gain 100 “real Republicans” who had thought he was too liberal on social issues. But no recap of the wingnut week would be complete without mentioning radio host Andrea Shea King and her call for certain congresscritters -- specifically from the Congressional Black Caucus -- to “pay with their lives, hanging from a noose in front of the U.S. Capitol building.” Nice, Andrea! And she wasn’t content to shut up with that. She said those members of Congress only got elected because the voters in their districts are “all dumb clucks.” “Stupid, stupid people! Our lives are on the line and all they can think of is skin color! You know, ALL of us are going to turn black if we end up in a cage on fire! Stupid people!” I’d like to think that the sponsors of her radio show won’t get their sphincters unlocked for a week, but maybe that’s too
much to hope for -- if they’re sponsoring this troll to begin with, maybe decency simply isn’t in their makeup. Since King probably claims to be a journalist, she must be aware that journalists don’t really object to stupid people in the public spotlight because the stupid things they say can sell newspapers and ad time. But even journalists have to admit that sometimes stupid people cross a line, and Andrea done done that. She said her stupid thing in the context of whether she’s angrier with the people in Congress who boycotted Netanyahu’s campaign stop there, or angrier with the voters who put those people in Congress. Although she phrased it very stupidly, she was onto something with that last part. I noticed over the weekend that a Wisconsin union construction worker said union members who voted for Republican legislators -- and then last week watched the passage of more union-busting legislation -- feel “betrayed.” Betrayed -- betrayed, I tell you! Say WHAT? Anyone in a highpaying union job who has voted for Republican legislators within the past 20 years is an imbecile. Sorry, but what else would adequately describe such unbelievable dumbshittery? We’re still reading about the GOP landslide in November’s elections -which we all know is disproved by the voter turnout figures. With 36 to 38 of the registered voters voting, the GOP “mandate” couldn’t represent more than 18 or 20 percent of the total. So let’s stipulate that Andrea was correct in her assessment about the impact of stupid people, but just misguided in applying it (as she probably is with every word she utters, bless her flinty old heart). She should have said that all those millions of sane people who are eligible to vote but didn’t bother to do it are the reason we’re in this mess. Indeed. Stupid, stupid people!
March 11, 2015
OBSERVER WEEKLY
Page 11
When Hollywood helps — 'Small-government' Republican would police trans DNA and we don’t Continued from page 3 coming-out process themselves, why would gay people react to famous people coming out by mocking them? This response not only ignores the positive impact that out performers have on millions of young LGBT people, it reveals that above all else, you’re just kind of a bitch.
High-profile films such as “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Milk,” “The Kids Are All Right,” and “The Imitation Game” have immeasurably increased a worldwide audience’s understanding of the challenges faced by LGBT people. Yet many gay people ignore the value of those stories being told, and focus instead on complaints that queer characters are often played by straight actors. This complaint overlooks the reality of how films get made and what it is that actors do. Before any film gets made, someone has to convince a studio and/ or private investors to spend millions of dollars on the project. Those who agree to fund the film understandably hope to make a return on their investment. The most common way to ensure that a film reaches its audience is to cast the most high-profile actors possible. Today, most of those high-profile actors happen to be straight.
according to their gender identity could face two years in jail and up to $10,000 in fines.
Would “The Kids Are All Right” still be a good film had it starred out actors Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Paulson? Sure. Would it have grossed nearly $21 million and earned four Oscar nominations had it not starred Annette Bening and Julianne Moore? Probably not. Without major stars in the leading roles, the film would probably not have been made at all. If Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal had not starred in “Brokeback Mountain,” or Sean Penn had not starred in “Milk,” it’s highly unlikely that either film would have earned its eight Oscar nominations — or have been made at all. Had neither film been made, millions of people would never know that gay cowboys exist or that there once was a man named Harvey Milk. The argument that straight actors shouldn’t play gay roles is as ridiculous as the idea that gay actors shouldn’t play straight roles. The job of the actor is to play someone who they are not — and the finest actors thrive on the challenge of playing characters who are most different from themselves. For evidence of this, you need look no further than Zachary Quinto’s chilling performance in “The Slap.”
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Riddle's proposal and similar ones on the table in other states all ignore the fact that it's always the transgender person who is in more danger of harassment; cisgenders usually aren't at risk. Texas state Rep. Debbie Riddle
OBSERVER STAFF AUSTIN, Texas -- A bill recently introduced by a Texas Republican would go even further than other proposed new laws patrolling which bathrooms transgendered people use. State Rep. Debbie Riddle, RSpring, wants DNA testing of people over the age of 13 who insist on using gender-appropriate bathrooms and locker rooms for "a gender that is not the same gender as the individual's gender." Perhaps Riddle -- a horse breeder -- is simply packaging the products of her horses as legislative material. Up to now, you'd most likely be familiar with Riddle as the person who reported on "Anderson Cooper 360" that Mideast women come to the United States to give birth, then return to their home countries to raise their babies as terrorists who also have U.S. citizenship. Her newest concoction, House Bill 1478, carries penalties of up to a year in jail and fines up to $4,000 for peeing in the wrong place, according to LGBT news site Towleroad. Building managers who "repeatedly allow" trans people to use the bathroom
Just because it’s March doesn’t mean you can’t still be looking for your “purrfect” Valentine! Wouldn’t you know it, we have just the gentleman for you to meet! This gorgeous tuxedo-ed boy is a little shy, but warms up quickly and loved ear scratches. He is four years old, and has so much love to give his forever family. Because he has FeLV he needs to be an only fur-kid, or homed with other FeLV kitties.
Valentine
It also ignores the existence of intersex people, whose chromosomes may not match convention. Like a follow-up to a Kentucky proposal that would make "bathroom cops" of students and pay them $2,500 to turn in any trans student found in the "wrong" bathroom, Riddle's bill would make third parties criminally responsible for policing who uses restrooms. Trans blogger Lexi Cannes at State of Trans had this to say: "This is another in a string of ridiculous bathroom bills, each with a particular twist - in this case, the jailing of individuals who find themselves newly deputized as bathroom cops but unwilling to perform that duty." Attempts to pass such laws are simply intended as end runs around communities that seek to protect transgender citizens. There's no reason to think her bill won't pass in Texas' wingnut Legislature; if it does, it will take effect in September. Not surprisingly, Riddle's legislative web page lists her religion as "Baptist."
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As Clark Saw It
Zoe’s World
OBSERVER By Gary Clark
WEEKLY
March 11, 2015
California misanthrope files petition initiative to execute all gays
By Zoe "God, just make sure that hunk who turned me down at the bar is the first to go!"
OBSERVER STAFF Suddenly your Tea Baggin' Cousin Cuthbert doesn't seem quite so weird. An attorney who uses a mailbox service as an address has paid the $200 fee to start collecting 365,000 signatures on a voter referendum to sentence every homosexual person in California to death by firing squad "or by any other convenient method." ISIS must be squarely in this guy's corner! Very little information about Matt McLaughlin is available. He is currently
licensed to practice law in California, but apparently is not a trial lawyer -- no record of court cases seems to exist. Back in 2004, the same person using the same address filed a petition referendum to require the Bible to be taught to every public school student, but the signature drive went nowhere -- indicating that McLaughlin probably has no big group behind him. Just for good measure on his "kill the gays" petition, McLaughlin threw in $1 million fines right and left, plus gays would be barred from California for life -- besides being dead. Homosexual persons would be banned both from holding public office and receiving "any public benefit." And McLaughlin writes in oldfashioned terms like "buggery" and "sodomistic propaganda" -- but maybe those are words he used one time in a legal brief. He claims to be speaking for God, but maybe he isn't too intimate with the Bible: When he refers to Sodom and Gomorrah, he spells it "Gomorrha" -- an alternative spelling also favored by an obscure '70s Krautrock band. In the absence of real information about McLaughlin, LGBT Nation offered this list of assumed fun facts: • He's probably not fun to have around at dinner. • He's super homophobic – pathologically so. • He reads the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible. That's about as much as the public can conjecture. Aside from the fact that he's apparently as loony as a shit-house rat, you have to consider that he got indoctrinated at George Mason University Law School -- the school that's taxpayer funded but caters to right-wing types. That law school got a lot of publicity during the run of alumna Ken Cuccinelli, the homophobic former attorney general and failed gubernatorial candidate in Virginia. Advocating mass murder appears to be kosher as long as it's disguised as a legal filing. Apparently it isn't a hate crime as long as he doesn't single anyone out by name?
March 11, 2015
Page 13 OBSERVER WEEKLY Musical work honors suicide Recognizing a fabulous man: TIHAN’s Empowerment Award victim Tyler Clementi The performance was in partnership with the Tyler Clementi Foundation; the work debuted last year in San Francisco and has performances scheduled in New York City, Seattle, Chicago, San Diego and Dallas. The project was spearheaded by Stephen Schwartz, Broadway composer and lyricist behind smashes like “Wicked” and “Pippin,” working with lyricist Pamela Stewart. Jane Clementi, Tyler’s mother, says “Tyler’s Suite” captures her son’s “big personality” perfectly.
Tyler Clementi, bullying victim as a college freshman.
OBSERVER STAFF LOS ANGELES -- Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers College freshman mourned by the world four years ago when he took his life after being bullied during his first weeks at college, was memorialized recently by two groups of musicians in Los Angeles. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles and the all-male string quartet Well-Strung presented a one-nightonly performance of “Tyler’s Suite,” an eight-movement choral piece based on Clementi’s life. One movement features a poem written by Clementi’s father, Joseph, and there are other elements contributed by the family. Tyler Clementi himself was a trained violinist.
Neither she nor her oldest son, James (also gay), remember Tyler being bullied as a child, and she thinks maybe that’s why he was unprepared for it as a college freshman. “Being in a new place. Transitioning to college. Just coming out. So many other factors. And it just snowballed; it rolled out of control,” she said. She encourages people to take the Clementi Foundation’s “Upstander Pledge” -- simply a pledge to reach out to bullying victims when you see it happening. Judging from posts and tweets, many people saw the video of Tyler caught having sex with another boy, but people were not reaching out to create a secure place for him.
presented to George Vissichelli
Continued from page 6 and education by attending outreach events and by sharing his own story in order to raise awareness in others. After experiencing incredible heartbreak, George turned his focus to staying positive and giving back, always honoring and remembering his partner John. Today, we are grateful to have him as a dedicated volunteer with a caring heart who is always ready with a hug. We are proud to present George Vissichelli with TIHAN’s Empowerment Award. Please join us in congratulating George! If you are living with HIV and interested in sharing your story as a speaker and presenter in the community, speaking to small groups or writing about your experiences, please contact us. TIHAN
has
great
volunteer
opportunities that can fit into any schedule, and for many different types of interests and roles, whether you are living with HIV, or are a friend and ally. Our next Volunteer Orientation is scheduled for March 21, 12:30-4:30 p.m. TIHAN’s Volunteer Orientation is a great way to learn more about HIV/ AIDS, TIHAN and our current volunteer opportunities, and how you can help make a difference. It’s also the first step to becoming a TIHAN volunteer. The cost of the orientation is $17 per person, but we have scholarships available. If you are interested in attending or if you would like more information please contact Mark Rosenbaum our office and volunteer coordinator at 520-299-6647 ext 204 or email him at volunteercoordinator@tihan.org. To download an volunteer application packet, visit tihan.org then click “Volunteer.”
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“That was really hard for us to see -- all these other people were being bystanders,” she said. The Upstander Pledge, she adds, is “Almost like the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It’s something Tyler didn’t receive, but we want to make sure everyone else receives it.”
Remember to send in your wedding announcements and photos to info@observerweekly.com so we can print them here for all the world to see. Donations accepted.
To volunteer, call Mark Rosenbaum For support services, call a Link Specialist For more information, events, or to donate, visit www.tihan.org
Monday BRODIES TAVERN - Service Industry Night 7 p.m.- 2 a.m. $2.50 House Well, Long Islands, Margaritas on Tap, $3 16 oz. BudBud Light-Mic Ultra Cans, Fireball Shots. IBT’s 11a.m.-2a.m. Taking Back Mondays hosted by Diva featuring *3-4-1 Well Vodkas (Regular, Grape & Cherry) 9 - Close. Karaoke Inside or Lounge on the Patio 9 p.m. VENTURE-N Open Noon-2am. Free Music. Free WiFi 2 for 1 Original Everything Happy Hour 5-6 pm.
Friday BRODIES TAVERN - Get the Party Started Friday 7 p.m. - 2 a.m. $3 Malibu Rum Black-House Long Islands-Pucker Vodka, Margaritas on tap-XX Pints IBT’s - 11a.m.-2a.m., Flawless Fridays featuring “Absolutely Flawless” Drag Show hosted by China Collins @ 9 p.m. DJ Import Inside after the show, Million$DJ on the Patio 9pm. GoGo Boys @11p.m. LOOKS - 6 p.m. to Close, Karaoke 8-12, $3.50 Absolute Lemon Drops, $5 Jamesons VENTURE-N - Open Noon-2am. Free Music. Free WiFi 2 for 1 Original Everything Happy Hour 5-6 pm.
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
BRODIES TAVERN - Two Buck Tuesday 7 p.m. - 2 a.m. $ 2 House Well, Fire Eater Shots, $2 Margaritas on Tap, $2 Long Islands IBT’s - 11a.m.-2a.m.; Taco Tuesdays. $1 Tacos. Drink Specials 9-Close: Mix-n-Match Mexican Beer Special, Tequila Specials (Patron $6, Milagro $4.50, Hornitos $4, Cuervo $3.50), Million$DJ Inside 9 p.m. VENTURE-N - Open Noon-2am. Free Music. Free WiFi 2 for 1 Original Everything Happy Hour 5-6 pm.
BRODIES TAVERN - Whiskey Wednesday 7-2 a.m. $3.25 Jack-Jim Beam-JamesonFireball-Makers Mark-Johnny Walker Red IBT’s - 11a.m.-2a.m., “Viva La Diva” Drag Show Hosted by Diva at 9. “Whiskey Breath” Drink Special Every Wednesday 9-Close. $2 Well, $3 Call, $4 Select Top Shelf Whiskey and Scotch Blend Whiskies. Million$DJ Inside after the drag show. VENTURE-N - Open Noon-2am. Free Music. Free WiFi 2 for 1 Original Everything Happy Hour 5-6 pm.Dave’s $3.50 Margaritas and Long Island Iced Teas
BRODIES TAVERN - Customer Appreciation 7-2 a.m. Two-for-One Well-Domestic Bottles, Margaritas on Tap House Kasiz Shots IBT’s - 11a.m.-2a.m. Therapy every Thursday. All Day *2-4-1 Drink Specials (excludes top shelf, wine & draft). Million$DJ Inside at 9 p.m., DJ Sid the Kid on the Patio 9 p.m. GoGo Boys @11 p.m. LOOKS - 6 p.m. to Close, Happy Hour 6-8, $3 Southern Comforts, $5 Long Islands VENTURE-N - Open Noon-2am. Free Music. Free WiFi 2 for 1 Original Everything Happy Hour 5-6 pm. 4.00 Titos/Absolut, Cosmos/Martis from Dan G
Saturday BRODIES TAVERN - Back Pocket Sabado Latino 7 p.m. - 2 a.m. $3 Magaritas on tap-Corona Bottles, $3.25 Latin Beers-XX Micheladas, $1 Tequila Shots-Corona Ritas IBT’s - 11a.m.-2a.m., Karaoke on the Patio 5 - 8 p.m., “Saturday Night Starlettes” drag show Hosted by Janee Starr 9pm, Million$DJ on the Patio 9 p.m., DJ Import Inside after the drag show. LOOKS - 6 p.m. to Close, $3 Flaming Shots From Hell, $5 Bombay Saphires VENTURE-N - Open Noon-2am. Free Music. Free WiFi
Monday 12-3 p.m. 4-5:30 p.m.
4:30-6:30 p.m.
6:30-7:30 p.m.
7-9 p.m.
7-10 p.m.
7-8:30 p.m. 7-9 p.m. 6 p.m.
sources
Mah Jongg Mondays Himmel Park Library. Ages 50+, 1035 N. Treat. In Our Own Voices, Women’s therapy group for survivors of sexual trauma, SACSA, 1600 N. Country Club, 520.327.1171 Cancer Support Group for LGBT People, Arizona Cancer Center at UMC-North, Rm 1127, 3838 N. Campbell Ave. 520.694.0347 Regardless of… NA LGBT Meeting, Trinity Presbyterian Church, 400 E. University Blvd. SAGA General for trans forlks and allies 1st Monday SAGA Desert Girlz for trans Femanine folks 2nd Monday Reveille Men’s Chorus Open Rehearsal, Rincon Congregational Church, 122 N. Craycroft Tucson Women’s Chorus rehearsal.Call for details: 520.743.0991 Desert Girlz meeting at Wingspan PFLAG en Español Meets the 1st Monday of each month at Fortin de las Flores: 243 W. 33rd St.
4 p.m.
LGBTQA Support Group. LGBTQ Affairs Office, UA Student Union level four. SAGA Desert Boyz for trans masculine folks 3rd Tuesdays
7-9 p.m.
Wednesday 3-8 p.m.
SAAF’s MSHAPE Lounge offers mens health resources
12-1 p.m.
Pink Triangle AA Meeting, 439 N. Sixth Ave. Everyday. Gender Spectrum support Group. UA Campus Health Service Building Room C312. $5 TMC Hospice LGBTQ Grief Support Group. 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, Peppi’s House Chapel, 2715 N. Wyatt Drive. RSVP at: 520-324-2438. Wednesday Night Christian Bible Study, Cornerstone Fellowship Social Hall, 2902 N. Geronimo Ave. Weekly Bears Coffee at Crave, 4530 E. Broadway Blvd.
3-4:30 p.m.
4:30-6 p.m.
6:30-7:30 p.m.
7-9 p.m.
BRODIES TAVERN - Funday 7 p.m. - 2 p.m. $2.50 House Well, $3 House Long Islands, Tap Magaritas, $1 House Kasiz Shots, $1.75 Domestic Pints IBT’s - 11a.m.-2a.m., Karaoke 4-8:30 p.m. “Cheap Ass Sunday’s” 9-Close feat. 2-4-1 Drinks and Bottle Beer (exclude top shelf, wine & draft), Karaoke Inside 9pm; DJ Sid the Kid on the patio 9 p.m. VENTURE-N - Open Noon-2am. Free Music. Free WiFi
Two Spirit support group. African American Student Affairs MLK Center, 1322 E. 1st Street. 6 p.m. Write Now! a writer’s group open to all at Revolutionary Grounds 606 N. 4th 6:30-7:30 p.m. Regardless of… NA LGBT Meeting, Trinity Presbyterian Church, 400 E. University Blvd. 7 p.m. Weekly Meditation Classes in Central Tucson, cost: $10, Kadam Meditation Center Arizona 1701 E. Miles St. 7-9 p.m. SAGA Desert Partnerz for cis-gendered 4th Thursday 7-10 p.m. Triangle Tribe, Men’s Support Group. Call 520-398-6826
3-8 p.m.
SAAF’s MSHAPE Lounge offers mens health resources
4-5:30 p.m.
Support Group for Transgender Survivors of Sexual Trauma, SACSA, 1600 N. Country Club Queer People of Color &
5:30-6:30 p.m.
Ajia Simone, Owner 426 E. Ninth St. 520.624.8400
10-11.30 a.m.
10-12 p.m.
2-5 p.m. 2:45 p.m.
Friday 4 p.m.
5:30-6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
Wingspan’s Eon Youth Program New Youth Orientation Fridays at 4p.m. Youth Center Open M-F Oasis LGBT Social Group. Email oasis.wingspan@gmail.com Bingo at MCC Every Friday call John 975-3166.
2nd Saturdays
Bears of the Old Pueblo Potluch 2nd Saturdays 520.444.2275 Transparents For parents of trans kids. RSVP SAGA to attend.
Sunday 9-11 a.m.
Co-ed Softball, all abilities welcome. Oury Park, 600 W.St. Mary’s
Advice For Life & Prayers for World Peace. Bud dha’s teachings, Kadampa Meditation Cen ter Arizona 1701 E. Miles St. LGBT Buddhist Medita tion Group meets every Sunday at The Three Jewels, 314 E. 6th St. in Tucson. Meditation sessions with readings, recordings, and discussion. Welcoming to all.For info call Jim at 520-884-4218. Mamasitas! Men’s Sports club at Menlo Park The New Men’s Massage Group. Sept 21 at 4 pm. Call Marc at 881-4582 to sign up. Or email bleu55@gmail. com in advance. It’s a great place to meet men. Safe, non-sexual but very sensual and a little erotic. Donation.
3-5p.m.
Men’s Social Network “H” Club open to entire LGBTQ community. This is a fun discussion, learning and participation group meeting for discussions on major words beginning with the letter “H.” Doesn’t meet the 1st Sunday of the month.
5:30 p.m.
Puertas Abiertas Latin/ Hispanic LBGTQ/Ally support group meeting at Wingspan 430 E 7th St – every 3rd Sunday of the month at 5:30pm.
Saturday
Thursday
SAAF’s MSHAPE Lounge offers mens health re-
Sunday
2:30-4:30p.m.
Tuesday 3-8 p.m.
March 11, 2015
OBSERVER WEEKLY
Page 14
March 11, 2015
OBSERVER WEEKLY Anti-immigrant ‘birther queen’ sought out same judge as anti-Obamacare Republicans OBSERVER STAFF BROWNSVILLE, Texas -Thousands of Americans may have wondered why the 26-state Republican challenge to Obama’s immigrant order was filed in, of all places, out-of-theway Brownsville, a smallish town at a southernmost extremity of the U.S.
-- Individuals age six and up who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and intersex community. Straight and cis gender allies are also welcome. This is the first center of its kind in Arizona. -- Adults ages 55 and older. -- Young adults ages 18-25. -- Adults with developmental disabilities.
That could also be why that old friend of minorities and Obamas, Orly Taitz, schlepped her latest case to Brownsville instead of filing in California, where she lives.
Each of these programs offer individualized mental health care, including psychiatry, case management, therapy, peer support, community groups and wellness coaching. The facility is also outfitted with exam rooms for primary care services, which will be available to members.
Taitz’s piece of work was filed with Hanen last July 14, when the federal government was trying to find a legal and humane way to handle droves of refugee kids from Central America. Her filing accuses the U.S. government of “trafficking illegal aliens” and demands either “an emergency immediate turnaround and deportation” of the kids or a two-month quarantine in a FEMA facility.
The sanity of that idea is shown in studies indicating that immigrants crossing the border are healthier than the U.S. population as a whole because -- duh! -- how the hell would you walk 2,000 miles if you had Ebola? Makes no never-mind ... Judge Hanen was happy to oblige Taitz, challenging the federal government to produce evidence showing why he shouldn’t grant Taitz’s request. “We now have a real opportunity
CODAC celebrates opening of first-ofits-kind treatment center for LGBTQIs Continued from page 1
But the wingnuts know why (though they’d deny it, because this would be unethical): U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, whose bench is in Brownsville, is their best bet of winning when their legal premise is dicey.
The quarantine, of course, refers to the Ebola frenzy stirred up by GOPleaning media prior to the November congressional election. (Notice how the Ebola threat disappeared on Nov. 5?)
Page 15
The Living Out Loud LGBTQI Health & Wellness Center also offers gender confirmation support services, sexuality education and HIV medical care. to stop this ongoing trafficking of illegal aliens, which is being carried [out] by the federal government,” Taitz stated in a letter to the executive assistant of anti-immigrant U.S.Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (who actually does live in Taitz’s home state). “Judge Hanen is a judge who previously excoriated the U.S. government for human smuggling.”
not immediately deporting both the child and her undocumented mother.
The “smuggling” she refers to involves a woman caught smuggling a 10-year-old Central American girl across the border to join the child’s mother; the smuggler was prosecuted but the child was reunited with her mother, thus infuriating Judge Hanen.
She also insists that “a number” of homosexuals from Obama’s former church have died mysteriously (i.e., Obama is a disease-spreading “gay”) and that he has a great number of passports in different names.
Hanen then wrote that the federal government had “essentially collaborated in a criminal conspiracy” by
Now, this wasn’t Taitz’s first rodeo when it comes to filing shit-for-brains legal paperwork. She has been labeled “the birther queen” because of her continued insistence that Obama was born anywhere except in the U.S.
Hanen was probably as familiar with Taitz as she was with him; he acted on her filing right away but has told the Obama administration it might take him a while to consider a motion to get around to anything important. Hanen may not be the most unethical federal judge in America, but he’s enough to make Lady Justice lift her skirt to cover her face in embarrassment. Taitz actually has a very interesting background. Reportedly, she was born into a Jewish family in the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1992. She is licensed to practice law in California as well as operating a small string of dental clinics. And she speaks five languages, not counting the Plutonian dialect she speaks in politics.
“These populations are all very different and have different needs when it comes to their whole health care,” says Dennis Regnier, CODAC president and CEO. We are proud to be able to offer the core elements of excellent mental health and primary care, with staffing and program components that are specialized to the populations being served.” Those interested in seeking care can call 520-327-4505 or visit www. CODAC.org.
Page 16
OBSERVER WEEKLY
Paula Poundstone talks health Jury duty refused and fitness before Tucson show over court's stand against equality
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A longtime Jacksonville business owner refused jury duty last month because of court clerk Ronnie Fussell's decision to stop courthouse weddings rather than marry same-sex couples. "My point is, if they feel uncomfortable marrying same-sex couples, then I feel uncomfortable going in the courthouse," said Chapman, the openly gay owner of a hair salon for 20 years. A photo entitled “Stuff” from Paula Poundstone’s website. Continued from page 1 around 3:45. OW: Yikes. And you’re not a coffee drinker. PP: No, but I drink diet soda, which is terrible for you. I drink copious amounts. I drink it in the middle of the night. It’s by my bed. I’ve got to have enough caffeine in me to go to sleep. OW: Then, you chug a two-liter first thing when you wake up? PP: Yeah. But really, because I want to stave off dementia for as long as I possibly can, in many, many ways, I really have changed. I still dearly love a Ring Ding, don’t get me wrong. I believe it’s part of the bounty of life. But I threw away all of the junk food in my house. OW: Wow. PP: Yeah, I almost wept. I said a personal goodbye to each of the Three Musketeers. Kissed them on one cheek, kissed them on the other, and then I unwrapped the bar and put it on the mulch pile for all the fun size. And by the way, it’s not easy to find the fun size. You can find the bite size, which are worthless. And you can find that sort of strange log size. Those are the sizes they sell at the airport, so if the plane goes down, the entire passenger list can live off that Three Musketeers bar for at least a day. But I got rid of everything, really. And I bought a – Jesus, I’m going to rot in hell for even saying this -- I bought a desk treadmill. OW: Good God, what have you done with Paula?!
PP: I know it. But you know what? Something had to be done. I’ve been reading some brain literature, and one of the things I read was that when we were in the Serengeti still, we walked around an average of 12 miles a day. But now, as a result of all this computer crap, we have these very sedentary lives. So I got a desk treadmill. It’s not even causing me to misspell, by the way. I find my typos are no worse than they ever were. If anything, they’re a little bit better. OW: Well I saw you on Drew Carey the other night, and you looked great. I swear, it seems like you’ve stopped aging. Like, maybe there’s a portrait of you in an attic somewhere . . . PP: Oh, I’m very flattered. Don’t I wish that that were the case. But you know, I don’t want people to think I’ve gone to the other side. I was diagnosed with glaucoma, and when the doctor was talking to me about it, she said, “Okay, here are the things that you can’t do.” Then she said, “When you do yoga --” I went, “Stop right there. Let me save us both some time.” I don’t even want to be in a room with all those silly pads and those women with the really tight butts that purposely block the chip aisle at the Whole Foods. Oh, they do. They go in there right after their workout. They’re in their leotards and their tight yoga pants, and they’re flapping their rolled up Yoga mats. I can’t sit in a room with those women. Paula Poundstone performs at the Fox Tucson Theatre this Saturday at 8 p.m., where she’ll also be selling her latest CD, “I Heart Jokes,” and signing autographs after the [historically hourslong] show.
According to The Florida TimesUnion, Chapman has lived in the city since he was 2. "It's my town, and I'm gay," he said. "Don't make it harder than it is." Attorneys interviewing prospective jurors reminded Chapman that he could be held in contempt of court, and he said he was prepared for that. Instead, he simply was not selected for a jury and was told to go home. "There were 1,900 weddings performed in the courthouse in 2013," Chapman said. "There's a chapel in that courthouse for weddings. There's [taxpayer] money being lost on that courthouse because the clerks of the court do not feel comfortable marrying same-sex partners."
March 11, 2015
Oklahoma Repub determined to stop LGBT takeover OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma state Sen. Joseph Silk made headlines last week when he told The New York Times that LGBT Americans "don't have a right to be served in every store." "I say that sensitively, because I have homosexual friends" may have set off more reaction than his original statement. He shut down his campaign Facebook page to stop the onslaught. His sensitivity is probably why he introduced SB 440, a bill to "protect businesses and religious entities" from being "forced to violate their religious convictions" -- in other words, another bill to enforce religious discrimination while pretending to oppose it. This week, Silk's back trying to defend himself. His bill is to "protect private property rights," he now says. "The right to provide services should be the decision of the business owners," he said. "We need to keep our country free and stop this radical, intolerant movement." Aside from the fact that most states already have more than adequate protections for religious sensibilities, Silk doesn't seem to realize that when a person engages in business to serve the public, he/she may find themselves required by law to serve the public.