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2 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY OWNERS AND PUBLISHERS Michael Daniels & Chris Hayes EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / ART DIRECTOR Chris Hayes hayes@outlookmedia.com ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR / PHOTOS Robert Trautman traut@outlookmedia.com
SNAPSHOT photos by traut
THE WEXNER CENTER’S ANDYLAND WAS A VERITABLE SMORGASBORD FOR THE SENSES! AND EVERYONE WAS THERE! WHAT A FANTASTIC HONOR TO BE INCLUDED IN SUCH AN EVENT - AND ALL IN THIS AMAZING EXHIBIT FROM THE MOST IMPORTANT ARTIST OF THE 20TH CENTURY, ANDY WARHOL! ~ LOVE NINA!
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SNAPSHOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..........2 ABOUT TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....3,26 LETTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..........4 COMMUNITY CORNER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..........6 EXAMINED LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..........9 TRANSNATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..........9 OUT BUSINESS NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........11 FEATURE: TRANS DAY OF REMEMBRANCE. . . . .13-16 DEEP INSIDE HOLLYWOOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........18 ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....18 MUSIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........20 BOOKMARKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........20 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........22 SEX TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........23 SAVAGE LOVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........25 THE LAST WORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........27 SCOPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........27
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NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008 VOLUME 13 NUMBER 20
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 3
ABOUT TOWN
by Adam Leddys
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13 WHEAT & WORDS Michael Daniels speaks @ Panera Bread at Olentangy Plaza, 875 Bethel Rd: The Executive Chapter of AmSpirit Business Connections presents Michael Daniels of Outlook Weekly and Network Columbus. 7:30a; free.
original body care products and home décor. SatSun, 10a-6p.
OUR QUEENS PUT THEM ALL TO SHAME Pageant @ Axis, 775 N High St, 614.291.4008: Pageant takes you behind the scenes as 52 ordinary gentlemen go to extraordinary lengths in order to be crowned the 34th Miss Gay America. Come for the movie, stay for the drag show, and then party with us! 8p; $7.
BAD TO THE BONE Bad Girls: A Femme Fatale Dance Party @ Wall Street, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800: Featuring special performances by the bacKspace dance troupe & the IDKE Columbus Collective, hosted by Dani Campbell of A Shot at Love. 9p; $5.
CAN WE AFFORD TO LIVE DOWNTOWN YET? State of the Young Professional @ Arena Grand Movie Theater, 175 W Nationwide Blvd: The Columbus Chamber presents an update on the challenge Rebecca Ryan, founder of Next Generation Consulting, issued for the Columbus region to become a more attractive place for young professionals to live, work, and play. Reception & networking. 5p; free. WORKINGMAN AUTHENTICITY MEETS INDIE ECCENTRICITY Backyard Tire Fire @ Newport Music Hall, 1722 N High St, 614.294.1659: BTF performs tracks from their acclaimed new release, The Places We Lived. 7p; $15-$17. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 WHAT DO YOU WANT? Living the Law of Attraction with Victoria Vetere, Enlightened Life Coach @ Alphastate Pilates, Yoga, and Somatic Education Studio, 433 W 3rd Ave, www.enlightenedlifecoaching.com: Join Victoria Vetere for empowering information about creating the life YOU want (instead of the one you’ve settled for). 7:30p-8:30p; free. IT TAKES TWO TO MAKE A THING GO RIGHT Andy Warhol: Outer and Inner Dichotomies @ the Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N High St, wexarts.org: A two-day symposium examining Warhol’s work, featuring guests who worked closely with Andy. Fri 7p, $8; Sat 10:30a-4p, free. See page 26 for more info.
COLUMBUS HOMOS ARE TALKING! CHAT social night @ Club Diversity, 863 S High St, www.clubdiversity.com, 614.224.4050: Social for single gay guys. 5p-9p.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15 WHERE THE WOMEN ARE Women’s Minyan @ Roth-Resler Theater, JCC of Greater Columbus, 1125 College Ave, www.jccgalleryplayers.org: Gallery Players kicks off its 60th season with the Columbus premiere of Women’s Minyan by Naomi Ragen. Thru Nov 16. Sat 8p, Sun 2:30p; $8-$18. YOU’RE A SUPERSTAR Superstar: A Warhol Symposium @ Chop Chop Gallery, 78 Parsons Ave, 614.309.3213, chopchopgallery.com: A panel discussion and multimedia presentation featuring superstars from the Warhol stable. 8p-12a. See page 26 for more info. PROP 8 SUCKS! Prop 8 Protest @ The Statehouse, Broad & High: Come join the national protest against Prop 8 and the other anti-gay ballot measures. Expect rain, shouting, and civil upheaval. Fun! 1:30p - 4p; free. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 SHADOWBOX DOES IT AGAIN Jesus Christ Superstar @ Shadowbox Theatre, 164 Easton Town Ctr, 614.416.7625, www.shadowboxcabaret.com: Powerful and political, Jesus Christ Superstar follows the lives of Jesus and Judas from the time of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem to his crucifixion. Full of 21st-century attitudes, the high-energy production boldly draws parallels between Christ’s time & ours. Every Sun thru Nov 16. 3p & 7:30p; $20-30.
BOB EVAN’S ANYONE? Breakfast with Scot @ Landmark Gateway Theater, 1550 N High St, 614.545.2255: Adapted from the novel by Michael Downing, Breakfast with Scot is a touching comedy that tells the story of a very ‘straight’ gay couple. See back-page ad for more info.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17 133 EGGS BEAT PER MINUTE Mondays with Moxie @ Whole Foods Market, 3670 W Dublin-Granville Rd, 614.760.5556: A little swank. Food with attitude. Moxie is where to be on Mondays. Free food, cash bar. 6p-8p; free.
CELEBRATE Cultural Arts Center 30th Anniversary @ the center, 139 W Main St, 614.645.7500: The Cultural Arts Center celebrates 30 years with studio demonstrations and sales, food, wine, and entertainment all through the evening. 5:30p-9p; free.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 I-69. WHO DOESN’T? Drag Bingo @ Score Bar, 145 N 5th St, 614.849.0099, scorebarcolumbus.com and @ Slammers 202 E Long St, 614.221.8880: Viva Velure and Anisa Love hosts this night of dropping balls and prizes. 10p; free.
JUST BE Called to Be @ North Congregational UCC, 2040 W Henderson Rd, www.transitioningtogether.org/calledtobe: An affirming dialogue with the trans community featuring Rev Malcolm Himschoot. Fri, 7:30p-9:30p, free; Sat 8:30a-4p, $15.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19 WHERE THE BOYS ARE Boy Night @ Wall Street, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800: High-energy dance music with DJ Michele. $3 Long Islands. 10p; no cover w/ college ID.
NO MINERS DIED IN THE MAKING OF THIS CRAFT SHOW Tiny Canary @ Junctionview Studios, 889 Williams Ave, www.tinycanary.com: An alternative for the gift giving season, Tiny Canary, a modern arts and crafts market, will feature independent designers and makers of everything from jewelry and clothing, to
PUCKALISCIOUS A Midsummer Night’s Dream @ the Southern Theatre, 21 E Main St, 614.469.0939, www.ticketmaster.com: CAPA and CATCO present a new twist on an old trick as the bard’s classic is presented with an all-Indian and Sri Lankan cast. Wed-Sun; $40-$11. See page 18 for more details. NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
4 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
LETTERS To the Editor:
abominables will protest then...as they should. A country that was founded on freedom of religion should never use biblical quotes as the foundation of its arguments. If every time a gay married, God killed a kitten, I would have been the first person to support Prop 8. But the truth is, no kittens died, no puppies ran away and not one angel lost her wings. So until gays are given the same rights as all the other heterosexual sinners, I suggest we picket. No taxation without representation. It helped the British Parliament. It helped in the American Revolution. It helped with immigrants turned permanent residents earn the right to vote. (Thank you wikipedia.) And it may just help the gays.
To the 69% of the black population of California who voted FOR prop 8: Thank you so much for your votes on Tuesday. On Tuesday you stood beside many of your gay brethren to help elect our nation’s first black president. You made your voices heard, shouting that equality is real in America, regardless of the color of one’s skin. At the same time and on the same ballots you voted for another issue of equality. Gay marriage. You voted against it. You’ve reminded us again that so many in America believe that equality is an inalienable right for most people - just not gay people. So thank you, for reminding us who our friends are, for reminding us that hypocrisy is alive and well in America, and for reminding us that OUR fight is nowhere near over.
A Pastoral Letter: To Our Same-Gender-Loving Brothers And Sisters, Their Families, Friends And Allies
Doug H
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
No Taxation Without Representation
Grace to you and peace on this day after the general election and in the days ahead. We have come through an historic election and many of us were involved in important ways, working for the candidates and issues that we care about. Regardless of how one feels about the presidential results, the votes on ballot measures addressing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) concerns were disappointing. While these ballot measures were only in a handful of states, the results affect us all. We write to express our solidarity and the assurance that we are not alone. We acknowledge the significant progress made in spite of the results, and the good news of God’s presence with us, especially as we seek to move forward from this place. First and foremost, we praise God and lift up with deep gratitude all who gave so much to the cause of equality and justice in this election as volunteers or
To the Editor: Taxation without representation? I, too, was almost among the 18,000 citizens that bought into California’s ploy to boost their economy. “Let the gays think they can marry and watch them frolic from the north, east and south. Watch them pour thousands of dollars into airfare, hotels, Prada and Tiffany’s. And then as we pay off $700B with their hard earned cash, we can smirk as their rights as human beings is stripped away from them.” When will the gays get the chance to vote on heterosexual rights? I suggest that we start Prop 9 - Any heterosexual that has premarital sex cannot marry. Because premarital sex is an abomination, too (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). The
Michelle Hanson
staff to campaigns, with donations and through their prayers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! As in 2004, the year leading to this election was marked by significant events giving marriage rights to same sex couples, namely, the California Supreme Court decision last May and the Connecticut Supreme Court decision in October. To preserve the court’s decision in California, we witnessed an unprecedented effort to defeat a discriminatory constitutional amendment, Proposition 8. People of faith provided significant leadership and support to this effort, joining with others to raise millions of dollars and log hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours in phone banks, canvassing neighborhoods, and getting out the vote. Similar efforts were waged to defeat ballot measures in Arizona and Florida, as well as to defeat an anti-gay measure in Arkansas affecting adoption rights. Through these political processes, we once again endured an onslaught of homophobic lies and deceit, which drove a wedge in many of our communities, demeaned our lives, and devalued our relationships and families in order to enshrine heterosexist bigotry into the core documents of more state governments. How could we not be disappointed and angry? How could we not carry a deep sense of righteous indignation at this injustice? The votes on our lives and our equality are unfair, unjust and wrong. They violate the core promise of our faith to treat others as we want to be treated and the promise that every American citizen makes, no matter their religious belief, to uphold the values of liberty and justice for all. Martin Luther King, Jr said that the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice. Old Testament theologian Walter Brueggemann adds, “the moral arc of the gospel bends toward inclusion.” The testament of the Open and Affirming movement within the United Church of Christ and beyond is that we are making progress, mostly in small steps and sometimes in leaps and bounds. Al-
though the progress of equality and justice may have been slowed, we continue forward. Even in disappointment, there are many things about which we can be proud and hopeful. The election results may not feel like progress now, but as Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry says, “If we lose, we must lose forward.” That is, we must continue to learn and grow from all of our efforts, the relationships that have been built and the amazing organizing networks that have been created. Let us be present to each other, especially now, as we cope with these disappointing results, learn from them and move on. So, let us attend to one another with love and compassion, being vessels for one another of God’s gracious, loving and healing presence. May the solidarity we share strengthen us and our resolve for the challenging journey that lies ahead. The struggle is far from over and one day our “yes” will come. This is a confident hope, rooted in the gospel promise of love, justice and abundant life. “God is turning the page!” as our sister, The Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder says. “And, if it is God’s will, then there is nothing in heaven or earth that can stop it.” So, let us continue to be vigilant, creative in our efforts, just in our actions and loving in all we do. May God bless you, each and every one, and may God bring you the peace that surpasses understanding - the peace that only God can give.
The Reader Poll
Last week we asked:
Do you support a non trans-inclusive ENDA?
Yes 58% No 42% NEXT WEEK’S QUESTION:
Yours in the struggle,
Do you believe transgender should be included in ENDA legislation?
Rev Mike Schuenemeyer Executive, Health and Wholeness Advocacy UCC Wider Church Ministries Rev Ruth Garwood Executive Director UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns
Log on to: www.outlookweekly.net to take this week’s poll.
SO
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
20
ES
Hypocrisy Is Alive And Well In America
TI M URC E: L OS ANGELE S
CATEGORY
NOV 2 ’04
NOV 10 ’07
DIFFERENCE
AMERICAN DEAD
1,122
4,193
3,071
AMERICAN WOUNDED
8,124
30,774
22,650
IRAQI CIVILIAN DEAD
16,342
97,062
NATIONAL DEBT
$7,429,629,954,236
$10,624,730,227,798
DAYS ‘TIL 2008 ELECTION
1,463
-6
80,720 $3,195,100,273,562 (1,469)
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 5
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
6 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
COMMUNITY CORNER COLUMBUS TO PROTEST PASSAGE OF PROP 8
From the Body Beautiful Project: On the steps of city hall on November 15th at 1:30pm, our community will take to the streets and speak out against Proposition 8 and all of the other pro-equality losses that we have faced in our lifetime, in our parents’ lifetime, and for many generations before us. We need organizers in every major city to work with us and get out the protest! Let the country hear our voices together. Let them see that we are a strong, adamant, and powerful community that deserves equal rights, and can’t be defeated. Contact: shieldmaiden@gmail.com.
FAITH LEADERS & CLERGY GATHER TO STAND UP FOR GAY & TRANSGENDER OHIOANS
November 13 will be a historic day at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium in Columbus. For the first time ever in Ohio, faith leaders who support fairness in employment and housing for all Ohioans, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, will come together for genuine, proactive conversations with each other and elected leaders from across the state. It is currently legal to fire, refuse to hire or promote, and refuse public accommodation, housing, and credit to people based solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Equal Housing and Employment Act (HB 502 and SB 305) was introduced with bi-partisan support on March 11, 2008. SB 305 has received proponent and opponent testimony and could move to a committee vote yet this year. More than 100 faith leaders from around Ohio representing most mainline denominations will gather in Columbus to voice their support for equality of opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens of Ohio. Speakers include Bishop John Selders of the United Church of Christ, Bishop Bruce Ough of the United Methodist Church, Brynna Fish, a Jewish Educator from Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, and Karen Do’on Weik, a Buddhist. Spokespeople from each region will be on hand. Central Ohio reps are Ret Rev Grayson Atha, United Methodist Church; Rev F. Allan Debelak, Redeemer Lutheran Church in Columbus; and Deacon Deniray Mueller, Trinity Episcopal Church. Northeast Ohio reps are Rev Pam Branscome of Community Church of Chesterland, United Church of Christ, and Rabbi Stephen Weiss, B’nai Jeshurun Congregation Cleveland. Reps from Northwest Ohio include Rev Lynn O’Dell, Unity of Toledo, and Rev. Cheri Holdridge, The Village Church, Toledo, (a partnership of the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church). From Southeast or Central Ohio is Kim Welter, Equality Ohio. From Southwest Ohio are Rev Lesley
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
Jones, Truth & Destiny Covenant Ministries of Cincinnati, and Rev Paula Jackson, Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Cincinnati. And from Western Ohio is Rev Beth Holton, St Paul United Methodist Church of Dayton, and Rev Amy Russell, Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Dayton.
CAMPING EXCURSION OFFERS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOR TRANSGENDER YOUTH AND ALLIES
November 14-16 marks the second annual Midwest Trans Youth Conference (MTYC), an event dedicated to transgender, gender nonconforming, questioning and significant other, friends, family and allied (SOFFA) youth, ages 24 and under. The event, themed “Spark a Revolution,” will take place at Camp Whitcomb/Mason in Hartford, WI, just 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee on Lake Keesus. Participants will stay in staff-supervised lakeside cabins while utilizing the campground’s lodge for most of the activities. The three-day conference features caucuses, workshops, team building exercises and special events to promote youth leadership, educate on grassroots activism, and further a sense of community among transgender youth in the Midwest. This year’s keynote speaker will be Andy Marra, the Asian-Pacific Islander (API) media manager for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Marra was recently highlighted in an article by The Advocate, the nationally renowned news and culture magazine for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, where she was hailed as a national leader of the transgender movement. “Building on the success of last year’s conference, we have been able to attract nationally known speakers and entertainers to MTYC 2008, including the Good Asian Drivers, Milwaukee’s own Miltown Kings, and Andy Marra, former chair of the Board of Directors for the National Center for Trans Equality,” said Jay Botsford, event co-founder and program coordinator for Project Q, the youth program of the Milwaukee LGBT community center. “The change of venue also gives to the youth an opportunity to focus more intensely on substantive programming, build a greater sense of community, and create meaningful connection in a retreat-like setting.” The conference is the foremost transgender/gender non-conforming youth event in the Midwest, with last year’s conference sparking similar youth-only gender conferences in cities nationwide. The MTYC is a collaborative effort by Affirmations, the community center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies in Ferndale, MI and Project Q, the youth program of Milwaukee’s LGBT Center. Those interested in finding out more about attending the event should contact Laura at LSorensen@GoAffirmations.org, or 248-677-
TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE VIGIL ANNOUNCED
7214, or go to the website www.mtyc.org.
Local and statewide organizations invite you to the 10th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is held in November each year to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender, each was a victim of violence based on bias or prejudice against transgender people. The list of deaths available at http://www.rememberingourdead.org only contains those deaths known to the transgender community or that have been reported to the media. The Day of Remembrance is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in1999. Rita Hester’s murder - like most anti-transgender murder cases - has yet to be solved. This year’s vigil will take place on Wednesday, November 19, beginning at 7p at King Avenue United Methodist Church, located at 299 King Avenue. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is intended to raise public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people. The Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of transgender people who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance gives transgender people and their allies a chance to step forward and stand in vigil, memorializing those who have died by anti-transgender violence. Sponsors of this year’s event are: Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO), OSU Multi-Cultural Center, TransOhio, Equality Ohio, PFLAG-Columbus, Gender Dysphoria Program of Central Ohio, Stonewall Columbus, The Crystal Club, Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC-Ohio), Speak OUT, King Avenue United Methodist Church, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), OSU GLBT Alumni Association, and Delaware Gay Straight Christian Alliance. King Avenue United Methodist Church is handicap accessible. The vigil will be ASL interpreted.
ACLU COMMENDS OBAMA-BIDEN BAN ON DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LGBT APPLICANTS FOR JOBS IN THE NEW ADMINISTRATION The American Civil Liberties Union commends the Obama-Biden transition team for including sexual orientation and gender iden-
tity in its non-discrimination policy as it prepares to assume power in January. Although President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 11478, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, there are no explicit federal protections from gender identity bias in government hiring. Christopher E. Anders, ACLU senior legislative counsel, said: “As the new administration gears up, it should be focused on hiring the best people for the job. By including sexual orientation and gender identity in its non-discrimination policy, the Obama-Biden transition team makes clear that it will focus on the relevant qualities that actually predict an applicant’s success on the job - professional experience, character, skills and education. President-elect Obama and vice presidentelect Biden, by explicitly rejecting the bigotry and intolerance of the past, are committing that gay, lesbian, and transgender professionals can serve in government without fear of discrimination. This is a critical next step in securing the basic rights of LGBT community. “The inclusion of gender identity is a bold departure from the past, and it sends a clear message. The ACLU recommends that President-elect Obama follow up by banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in federal contracting and urging Congress to pass a gender-identity inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).” The Obama-Biden transition non-discrimination policy can be viewed at http://change.gov/page/s/application. To learn more about the ACLU’s “Transition Plan: Actions For Restoring America,” go to: http://72.3.233.244/about/37256res20081020 .html.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: C-NOTE ART SHOW
Have you ever seen a piece of artwork that grabs you but makes your wallet hide from sticker shock? Well that simply won’t happen at the C-Note price point art show and sale, where every piece of art is $100. All of the work is original work from local independent artists. Every imaginable style of art will be presented, including ceramics, paintings, jewelry, photography, and woodwork. Artists are encouraged to submit their work by December 1. Contact Ashley Voss at coreroc@gmail.com or 614.634.1415. Junctionview Studios will host the show on December 12 & 13. Junctionview, located at 889 Williams Ave in Grandview, is home to over 50 local artist and studios. For more information on C-Note, contact Ashley or visit www.cnoteartshow.com.
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 7
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
8 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 9
THE EXAMINED LIFE by Tom Moon, MFT
I Can’t Find a Relationship! “I can’t find a relationship,” the man in my office laments. In fact, he has many relationships with long-standing and valued friends and family members. But these relationships don’t count - love must be romantic or it isn’t a “relationship.” He wonders what’s wrong with him. He’s good-looking. He’s intelligent. He has a good job. He’s a generous and loyal friend. He knows he has a lot to offer. Still, his romantic connections with other guys seem never to last more than a few months before one of them breaks it off. He knows he has a lot to be grateful for, but it’s hard for him to feel content when he’s surrounded by messages which tell him that only those who are in love and coupled can really be happy. I honestly don’t see anything “wrong” with this guy. I work with men who are single and men who are coupled, and I don’t see any obvious differences between the two groups. The single men don’t generally strike me as any less mature or any more afraid of intimacy than the coupled men, for instance. So much of finding a partner seems to involve a lot of random chance and dumb luck. I have to admit that I’ve always felt some personal ambivalence about romantic love. There’s no
denying that it is one of the great adventures of life. It’s a rollercoaster ride of agony and ecstasy, which makes it intensely exciting, but hardly the road to inner peace and contentment. Its initial phase, at least, is mostly based on a combination of sexual desire and projection. We create - out of our wounds and unmet needs, and in reaction to our secret fears that we’re not attractive or lovable - an idealized picture of our ‘soul mate’ - the lover whose job is to soothe, heal, and transform us; the one person who was specially created to meet all our needs and rescue us from loneliness and the monotony of ordinary life. Then we project this image onto some unsuspecting guy who happens to look the part. In other words, “falling in love” involves not knowing one another. “Love is blind,” as the saying goes. But when the experience is mutual, nothing is more intoxicating. There’s a dark side, though. We all know how “love” can be demanding, suspicious, petty, possessive, jealous, and completely selfish. Inevitably, in most romantic relationships, the projections begin to dissolve because the lovers can no longer ignore the mounting evidence that their soul mate is, when all is said and done, a mere mortal. Often, at that point, a crisis ensues as the
lovers “fall out of love.” Long-term relationships seem to be those in which both partners at this point decide to “stand in love” - to hang in there and work their way toward a love that is more realistic and grounded. Romantic love, then, is at best an initial, immature phase of love; real depth of connection transcends it. Is it possible to be both single and sane simultaneously? I think so, and the first step is to let go of any notion that life doesn’t begin, or is incomplete, until the boyfriend shows up. The second step is to let go of the passivity that characterizes so many devotees of romanticism, and to begin to think of love in terms of loving rather than being loved. Scott Peck, in The Road Less Traveled, defined genuine love as “the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing another’s spiritual growth,” which is not the sexiest definition I’ve ever heard. But it’s a noble concept, and it can be adopted as a conscious ideal. We can ask ourselves “For whom am I willing to extend myself? How might I do it more deeply, and more effectively?” In the modern spiritual classic A Course in Miracles, the opposite of love is said to be not hatred, but fear. Few students of the mind would disagree.
Part of the tragedy of the human condition is that, as social animals, we all want to live in intimate connection with others, but our wounds and our fears make so many of us fearful of offering to others that which we all most want and need. Anyone who takes the ideal of love seriously must also take the necessity of inner work seriously. The process of emotional and spiritual growth is a life-long process of befriending oneself, of coming into intimate and compassionate relationship with our own vulnerabilities. This is difficult work, but what we befriend in ourselves we can befriend in others. Sometimes we owe it to others to be “selfish.” I wonder how our lives would change if, instead of being so preoccupied with finding a boyfriend, we devoted the same passion to the question “How can I open my heart and extend myself to others ever more effectively?” Is that idea just a utopian dream on my part? Maybe. On the other hand, I have noticed that those who grapple seriously with that question do seem to be the ones who are most likely to find what measure of Utopia is to be found in this life. Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. His website is tommoon.net.
TRANSNATION by Jacob Anderson-Minshall
ADVOCATING FOR OUT-OF-HOME YOUTH “It’s a pretty disturbing picture,” Jody Marksamer says of the new study by the Equity Project examining why LGBT youths enter the juvenile justice system and what their experiences inside are like. For the past three years Marksamer - who uses male pronouns but says he doesn’t like to talk about his gender identity - has coordinated the Equity Project, a collaboration between the National Center for Lesbian Rights (nclrights.org), Legal Services for Children (a San Francisco Bay Area organization), and the National Juvenile Defenders Center (a national resource service for juvenile offenders). “We surveyed and interviewed judges, defenders, prosecutors, probation officers, and detention workers,” Marksamer says of the study. “Then we had focus groups with young people across the country.” A report on the findings, which will be available later this year, includes practice and policy recommendations for juvenile delinquency systems and highlights jurisdiction that are treating LGBT youth fairly and respectfully. “Different places in the country are doing a lot of training [so] they can really zealously advocate for their clients and understand the context of their LGBT clients’ lives,” Marksamer said. But a number of administrators contacted responded “in a very aggressive and homophobic manner,” Marksamer reveals. “Stating that this survey was ‘crap’…that LGBT youth are treated just
like everybody else…[they’re] just crazy.” As director of NCLR’s youth project, Marksamer’s advocacy and education is focused on LGBT youth, especially those no longer at home. “Young people are now coming out at younger ages. And when families are unable to handle that, LGBT youth [end] up in the child welfare system because…they’re kicked out or they run away.” Even homeless shelters aren’t always an option, Marksamer says, especially for transgender youth who may not fit into sex-segregated housing. All these factors contribute to the “unfortunate and alarming” statistics that Marksamer says indicate between 20% and 40% of all homeless youth in the US identify as LGBT. Meanwhile Marksamer says that in order to survive, other queer kids participate in the street economy “that makes them very vulnerable to arrest, exploitation and violence.” Many of these adjudicated or homeless LGBT youths end up in foster care, where Marksamer says laws keep LGBT youth relatively safe (at least in California and Oregon). He coauthored 2006’s “Best Practice Guidelines for Serving LGBT Youth in Out of Home Care” to provide recommendations to foster parents and child welfare agencies working with LGBT kids. While birth parents may be partially responsible for sending LGBT kids to the streets, Marksamer
contends, “Parents do come around. [Especially] if they can get support [and] counseling.” And, he argues, “When a young person turns 18, and they’re out of the system, the support of their family is really important.” In addition to his work with NCLR and the Equity Project, Marksamer co-founded PISSAR, an organization focused on bathroom access. He sits on the board of the foster youth empowerment organization, California Youth Connection, and cofounded The Bay Area Out of Home Youth Advocacy Council to help the San Francisco Bay Area implement the state’s Foster Care Non-Discrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Another “huge problem” garnering Marksamer’s attention is sexual assault in detention facilities, “perpetuated by the way that people are treated…and the way that the power system is set up and encouraged by the guards. “There’s no reason anybody who’s in prison or jail or juvenile detention facilities should be sexually assaulted,” Marksamer maintains. “It’s a violation of the fourth amendment as well as the constitutional rights of people who are in facilities. The jail and juvenile justice facilities have a constitutional responsibility to ensure the safety of those people in their facilities, and they’re not doing that.” This summer Marksamer submitted comments
on a draft set of standards that the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission will eventually require facilities to abide by. “We’re very hopeful,” he says. “They had incorporated the concerns that we had raised in our testimony and recognized the vulnerability of LGBT people to assaults in prison and juvenile detention facilities.” Trans writer Jacob Anderson-Minshall (jake@trans-nation.org) co-hosts Gender Blender on Portland, Oregon’s 90.7FM KBOO radio, streaming live at KBOO.fm. NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
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OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 11
Spotlight:
OUT BUSINESS NEWS by Adam Leddy
Tim Kempf & Scott Suskowicz duoHOME Business partners Tim Kempf and Scott Suskowicz of duoHOME are out and proud entrepreneurs. For the past year, they have offered eclectic home furnishings and design services to a very receptive Cleveland clientele. In districts like the Detroit Shoreway, duoHome and other GLBT-owned businesses are leading the revitalization efforts of longneglected Cleveland neighborhoods. With their home furnishings and interior design enterprise, Tim and Scott hope to affect a renaissance in their neighborhood. From their unique storefront - something Columbusites would expect to find in the Short North - the duo are hard at work inspiring Clevelanders to “live beautifully.” On the eve of duoHome’s one-year anniversary, we caught up with the pair to find out more about interior design, their shop and their philanthropy. Adam Leddy: Tell us a little bit about the history of duoHOME. Tim Kempf: Scott and I both worked at the Ohio Design Centre in Beachwood. The ODC is a “to-thetrade” resource, meaning you must be an interior designer or architect to shop there. Scott worked there for over ten years, and I worked there for almost fifteen. We are both formally educated in design, and have been best friends for almost fifteen years. Scott and I had talked casually about opening our own design studio/retail store for several months, but really began working on the concept and researching sites beginning in May 2007. We opened November 23, 2007. AL: Where are you located? TK: We’re in the historic BANK building in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, which we are hoping will become Cleveland’s “gayborhood.” In addition to
duoHOME, there is also Kitsch City, a darling card and retail shop, Latitude 41 Degrees North and Krazy Mac’s, two delicious restaurants that are also gay-owned and very open about it. And, as you know, the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland is directly across the street from us, too. AL: What have your store and the other gayowned enterprises brought to Gordon Square, and to Cleveland in general? TK: I like to think duoHOME, as well as Kitsch City, Latitude, Krazy Mac’s, LUXE, and Room Service are all definitely helping to gentrify a once blighted and somewhat scandalous neighborhood. Scott and I hope that, within a year or so, as the Capitol Theater re-opens in 2009 and Near West Theatre builds its permanent home on our block, joining long-time Gordon Square anchor Cleveland Public Theatre, our neighborhood will be to Cleveland what the Short North is to Columbus. We hope Gordon Square can help put Cleveland on the map. And, to be honest, we are secretly hoping duoHOME will be an inspiration to people to live beautifully. AL: How would you describe the business climate for GLBT-owned establishments in Cleveland? TK: The local community has been very welcoming, and I believe the city has been fairly welcoming as well. We are blessed with having our local councilman in the same building as us. Councilman Matt Zone has been very, very welcoming and supportive. The GLBT community has been supportive, and we hope to grow that client base substantially in 2009. duoHOME is a comfortable store where you can shop with your lover or your friends, no matter what your “alphabet” status - GLBTQ or whatever!
The Transgender Economy: Our Money Is As Good As Your Money Queercents (http://www.queercents.com), a personal finance blog serving the LGBT community, announces the launch of its series on transgender finances, Our Money is as Good as Your Money (http://www.queercents.com/category/transgender-finances/). This groundbreaking series, written by Ashley A. Wilson, helps address the needs of the transgender community with personal and relevant posts about finances. In the coming weeks, Wilson shares her thoughts with readers about the unique financial situations impacting transsexuals: “Sometimes It’s Ugly: Health Insurance and the Transgender Community” “Gender, Hormones and Health Insurance: ‘We Don’t Cover That!’” “Who Did You Tell Them You Are? Names, Social
Security Numbers and Paychecks.” “How Are You Going to Pay for Gender Reassignment Surgery?” “Doctors, Healthcare Givers and Transsexuals: Discrimination Happens” “Spending How-to’s: So You Look Like a Guy but You Want to Buy a Dress” By day, Wilson is a fundraising and development consultant serving nonprofit organizations. She has a BS in journalism from Temple University and an MS in library and information science from Drexel University. As a Queercents contributor, Wilson writes in a practical, hands-on way intended to help the transgender community navigate the complex world of transitioning and acclimate to financial life in a different gender. Money matters in more ways than one! For more info: http://www.queercents.com.
AL: What’s new and exciting at duoHOME? TK: Our Wee People Collection has just expanded to include tee shirts and limited edition, hand-painted holiday ornaments. Cleveland artist Laurel Herbold is our “house artist” and many of her items are available exclusively through duoHOME. We are also happy to have recently added an “Inspiration Station” from Compendium, the supplier of our Positively Green card line. Inspiration Station has journals and gift books that soothe your soul and lighten your heart. Finally, we will also have Postively Green holiday cards in the store very soon. And, we have a ridiculous amount of holiday ornaments in the store - we have three Christmas trees, including a twelve-footer! AL: duoHOME is not just a store, but an enterprise. What services do you offer outside the store? TK: duoHOME provides full service residential interior design services. We also consult on commercial projects, mostly offices and small businesses. The design side of our business continues to grow, and we hope to make it the primary focus of our business. However, the retail store will always be a huge component of our business - it is our desire to make high-design, well-made and well-priced items available to everyone. AL: How does the business give back to its community? TK: Each December, we have an annual Holigay Shopping Day that benefits the LGBT Center. We do-
nated an auction item to their annual garden party this year. Scott and I have agreed to donate design services to “freshen up” the center’s interiors. duoHOME has also donated gift certificates to a variety of charities and benefits within our neighborhood. AL: What do people find intimidating about design, and how do you help them overcome their fears? TK: I think that for many people, interior designers themselves are very intimidating. Scott and I are very approachable and unintimidating. Working with an interior designer is a very personal process we want to know who sleeps where, we look in your closets and drawers, we check out your cabinets. A client should always be comfortable and at ease with a designer. We are not here to dictate style and taste, but rather to help shape and refine yours. We do encourage clients to buy the best of any particular item they can, be it a lamp, bed linens, or a sofa. Well-made and well-designed pieces are destined to become classics. AL: What makes a room or home a design success? TK: When a client says, “This room is even more incredible than I imagined it could be,” then Scott and I have done our job. No single design element makes any project a success. Total client satisfaction is our measure of success. duoHOME is located at 6507 Detroit Ave in Cleveland. Visit duoHOME online at www.duohome.com or call 216.651.4411.
Cast Your Vote for 9th Annual Cybersocket Web Awards Nominees for the 9th Annual Cybersocket Web Awards have been announced and voting has begun at the official website (http://www.cybersocketwebawards.com/index.php). Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees. Voting will only be open until December 31st, so vote for your favorites now. You are allowed to vote only once per email address in each category, so please choose wisely! If we receive more than one submission from the same email account, your votes will not be counted. We track email and IP addresses, so please don’t submit extra votes. The lucky winners will be announced on February 9th, 2009 at the 9th Annual Cybersocket Web Awards show in Hollywood, CA , in conjunction with the 2009 BIZ Conference. Each
winner will be presented with a beautiful, personalized trophy. This is sure to be an amazing night. More details TBA. Each year the Cybersocket Web Awards show recognizes outstanding achievements in the world of queer online media and entertainment. If your website wasn’t nominated this year, don’t be discouraged. There are many of amazing sites out there, but we can only feature the top nominees. Note to webmasters and nominees: Check the banner section of the Web Awards site for pre-made banners that you can add to your site. Let your visitors know that you’ve been nominated and encourage them to vote for you by linking the banner to the voting page. NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
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OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 13
FEATURE STORY by Adam Leddy
STEPHEN M. CHAFFIN, AGE 39 Stephanie Chaffin’s death at 39 from heart disease was a shock to her friends and coworkers. “She was one of the bravest people I ever met,” said Ellen Ringler, co-director of Partners for Active Living, Stephanie’s employer at the time of her passing. Meral Crane, clinical director of the Gender Dysphoria Program of Central Ohio and an iconic figure in the local trans community, remembers Stephanie as someone who gave until it hurt, digging deep into her limited finances to come up with small donations when Crane took up collections to support Stonewall Columbus. Crane, Ringler, and others who remember Chaffin remain profoundly affected by her kindness and humanity. Though Stephanie was born male, she had undergone electrolysis and hormone replacement therapy and lived as a woman. That is why friends were distraught to learn that she would be sent to her finale repose as a man. From Stephanie’s Columbus Dispatch obituary: Stephen M. Chaffin, age 39, departed this life
Sunday, February 25, 2007 at his residence. He was of Christian faith, employed by Partner [sic] To Active Living. Preceded in death by grandparents, adoptive parents Noah and Ethel Chaffin and brother Bob Hill. Survived by mother, Carol Hoskins; siblings, Patty (Randy) Trent, Tonya Hoskins and Chris Chaffin; special friend, Gwendilynne Farrar; and a host of other relatives and friends. To see Stephanie in men’s clothing at the funeral was “very upsetting” to Ringler and her colleagues. “We didn’t know Stephen,” she said. “We only knew Stephanie.” The tenth annual Transgender Day of Remembrance is being observed across the country this month, and in Columbus on November 19th. The day pays special tribute to those who have died as a result of violence inspired by anti-transgender hatred or prejudice, and also to people like Stephanie Chaffin, who in death have one final indignity, one final denial of their identity, perpetrated upon them.
GLBT OR GLB(T)? Trans people are misunderstood. Even among gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, and the organizations that represent their interests, considerable education is necessary before we can consider ourselves a GLBT movement rather than a GLB(T) movement. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force makes a four-point case for the inclusion of the transgender (or transgendered) community in the movement for equality: • Many transgendered people are gay, lesbian, or bisexual. • Many gay, lesbian, and bisexual people are also transgender. • Trans people have always been present in the GLB community. Drag and butch/femme culture, as well as androgyny and gender-bending are hallmarks of transgender influence. • Lesbian, gay and bisexual people frequently challenge gender boundaries in their social (in addition to sexual) behavior, and are often vic-
tims of hate crimes because of their gender presentation. It is difficult, however, to gauge the degree to which gay and lesbian people consider themselves in solidarity with the trans community. A poll commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign in late 2007 suggested that 70% of GLB people were in favor of moving forward a non-trans-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) through Congress rather than passing no bill at all, but activists who opposed the non-inclusive bill criticized the methodology of the poll and pointed to other surveys that contradicted its results. Debate over political tactics and expediency aside, if in fact gay and lesbian people have not fully embraced the trangender community’s struggle as their own, it is reasonable to assume that this stems in part from a lack of understanding about what exactly it means to identify as transgender.
TOWARD UNDERSTANDING The first step toward understanding what it means to be transgender is to discard fixed notions of what gender actually is. As TransOhio, an organization that serves Ohio’s transgender and ally communities, puts it, “Gender, sex, and identity are far more complex than the description of one’s physical self.” For many people, the traditional biological labels of male and female simply don’t work. For instance, a person born with the physical characteristics of a man may also be born with or develop a certainty that his identity is actually that of the opposite sex. Sex and gender, in other words, are separate concepts, and one’s gender identity need not match his or her born sex. Transgender is a term used to cover a wide range of identities and expressions. The American Psychological Association applies it to “people whose gender identity (sense of themselves as male or female) or gender expression differs from that usually associated with their birth sex.” By this definition, a heterosexual man who dresses in women’s clothing may be considered transgender, though he may or may not identify as such. A transgender person is typically considered transsexual if he or she wishes to live fulltime as a member of the opposite (to birth) sex. Transsexual people often, but not always, undergo medical procedures toward this end. The process, known as transitioning, can involve taking hormones and undergoing surgeries designed to alter sex characteris-
tics. For many people, transitioning goes no further than adopting changes in grooming and dress to approximate those of the opposite sex. Those who choose to avail themselves of hormone replacement therapy and/or surgical procedures, and the extensive therapy recommended to ease the transition, face a long, expensive, and risky transition process. Few insurers cover the drugs or procedures, and out-of-pocket costs can run to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Male-to-female (MTF) transsexuals may begin by taking female sex hormones and removing body hair through electrolysis. Tracheal shaves lessen the appearance of an Adam’s apple. Vocal feminization surgery may be necessary to change the pitch and tone of the masculine voice (hormones are not sufficient to feminize one’s voice). Facial feminization surgery alters the bone and cartilage structure in all or selected parts of the face. Sex reassignment surgery (SRS) can craft a vagina after removal of the testicles and inversion of the penis. Many MTF transsexuals will also opt for breast and buttocks augmentation. Female-to-male (FTM) transitioning, less common than MTF, may involve mastectomy/chest reconstruction, hysterectomy, and genital reconstruction surgery to construct the penis. Costs typically exceed those associated with MTF transitioning. The surgical procedures carry incredible risk and vary widely in their success. All are expenNOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
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KNOW YOUR TERMS One stumbling block for GLB people in relating to the transgender community is ignorance of trans terminology. Some terms are interchangeable while others are not; words that you may use without thinking may actually be insulting to trans people. GLAAD provides a glossary that is a good starting point for self-education on the trans community: GENERAL TERMINOLOGY Sex The classification of people as male or female. At birth, infants are assigned a sex based on a combination of bodily characteristics including: chromosomes, hormones, internal reproductive organs, and genitals. Gender Identity One’s internal, personal sense of being a man or a woman (or a boy or girl.) For transgender people, their birth-assigned sex and their own internal sense of gender identity do not match. Gender Expression External manifestation of one’s gender identity, usually expressed through “masculine,” “feminine” or gender variant behavior, clothing, haircut, voice or body characteristics. Typically, transgender people seek to make their gender expression match their gender identity, rather than their birth-assigned sex. Sexual Orientation Describes an individual’s enduring physical, romantic, emotional and/or spiritual attraction to another person. Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same. Transgender people may be heterosexual, lesbian, gay, or bisexual. For example, a man who becomes a woman and is attracted to other women would be identified as a lesbian. TRANSGENDER-SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY Transgender An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. The term may include but is not limited to: transsexuals, crossdressers, and other gender-variant people. Transgender people may identify as female-tomale (FTM) or male-to-female (MTF). Use the descriptive term (transgender, transsexual, cross-dresser, FTM or MTF) preferred by the individual. Transgender people may or may not choose to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically. Transsexual (also Transexual) An older term which originated in the medical and psychological communities. Many transgender people prefer the term “transgender” to “transsexual.” Some transsexual people still prefer to use the term to describe themselves. However, unlike transgender, transsexual is not an umbrella term, and many transgender people do not identify as transsexual. It is best to ask which term an individual prefers.
Altering one’s birth sex is not a one-step procedure; it is a complex process that occurs over a long period of time. Transition includes some or all of the following cultural, legal and medical adjustments: telling one’s family, friends, and/or co-workers; changing one’s name and/or sex on legal documents; hormone therapy; and possibly (though not always) some form of surgical alteration. Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) Refers to surgical alteration, and is only one small part of transition (see Transition above). Preferred term to “sex change operation.” Not all transgender people choose to or can afford to have SRS. Journalists should avoid overemphasizing the importance of SRS to the transition process. Cross-Dressing To occasionally wear clothes traditionally associated with people of the other sex. Cross-dressers are usually comfortable with the sex they were assigned at birth and do not wish to change it. “Cross-dresser” should NOT be used to describe someone who has transitioned to live full-time as the other sex, or who intends to do so in the future. Cross-dressing is a form of gender expression and is not necessarily tied to erotic activity. Cross-dressing is not indicative of sexual orientation. Gender Identity Disorder (GID) A controversial DSM-IV diagnosis given to transgender and other gender-variant people. Because it labels people as “disordered,” Gender Identity Disorder is often considered offensive. The diagnosis is frequently given to children who don’t conform to expected gender norms in terms of dress, play or behavior. Such children are often subjected to intense psychotherapy, behavior modification and/or institutionalization. Replaces the outdated term “gender dysphoria.” Intersex Describing a person whose biological sex is ambiguous. There are many genetic, hormonal or anatomical variations which make a person’s sex ambiguous (i.e., Klinefelter Syndrome, Adrenal Hyperplasia). Parents and medical professionals usually assign intersex infants a sex and perform surgical operations to conform the infant’s body to that assignment. This practice has become increasingly controversial as intersex adults are speaking out against the practice, accusing doctors of genital mutilation. TRANSGENDER TERMINOLOGY TO AVOID Defamatory Terminology Defamatory: “deceptive,” “fooling,” “pretending,” “posing,” or “masquerading” Gender identity is an integral part of a person’s identity. Please do not characterize transgender people as “deceptive,” as “fooling” other people, or as “pretending” to be, “posing” or “masquerading” as a man or a woman. Such descriptions are extremely insulting.
Transvestite DEROGATORY see Cross-Dressing
Defamatory: “she-male,” “he-she,” “it,” “trannie,” “tranny,” “gender-bender” These words only serve to dehumanize transgender people and should not be used (See Defamatory Language).
Transition
For more usage in terms:
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http://www.glaad.org/media/guide/transfocus.php
sive and require considerable pre- and post-operative investment in money and maintenance from the patient. Unfortunately, the failure of most insurers to cover the necessary hormones and medications has led patients to procure needed supplies from suspect online pharmacies and a thriving black market, adding to the risks of transition. For surgery, many patients must travel overseas to places like southeast Asia for more affordable, but riskier, procedures. Patients with limited financial means may forego therapy altogether. All transgender people who transition, surgically or otherwise, do so at considerable personal effort and expense, and only after painstaking consideration of the costs and benefits. These are not wanton choices or passing whims, but deeply personal attempts to express something that is fundamental to a person’s identity. That we do so little to help trans people cover the costs and mitigate the risks of transitioning should be cause for shame and outrage. Sadly, this is merely one among many hardships transgender people must endure.
impunity. And trans youth, most of whom are unprotected by comprehensive anti-bullying legislation in our schools, may be kicked out of their homes and forced to fend for themselves on the streets. For gay and lesbian people, these injustices are all too familiar. It would seem unthinkable, then, that GLB people would ever leave the trans community behind to bear such discrimination on its own. In addition to discrimination in housing, employment, and accommodations, transgender people face a set of injustices all their own. Trans Ohioans cannot change the gender marker on their birth certificates or driver’s licenses. Probate courts vary in their treatment of name changes, and as a result, petitioners may be subjected to embarrassing, probing questions in open court. Further, while the costs associated with name changes are minimal, they add to the total cost of transitioning, and subsidies or vouchers from local governments or social service agencies would remove a small burden from a process full of much larger ones.
VIOLENCE AND THE REMEMBERED EXCLUSION UNDER THE LAW If transgender people feel excluded from the movement for GLBT equality, it is because they too often are. Many cities and states have enacted policies extending legal protections to gay and lesbian people, but few have made provision for gender identity and expression in their nondiscrimination statutes. Columbus, for instance, bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in housing, employment, and access to public accommodations, but the law has not yet been updated to make mention of gender identity or expression. (In fairness, Columbus was ahead of the curve in protecting gay and lesbian citizens, and at the time of the statute’s passage, inclusion of gender identity or expression in such laws was almost unheard of.) Franklin County protects its employees, and both the county commissioners and Columbus City Council have urged the state legislature to pass the Equal Housing and Employment Act, a trans-inclusive bill that would outlaw discrimination in these policy areas. Transgender people report stunning levels of discrimination in the workplace. According to a study by the Williams Institute: • Up to 57% of transgender employees reported that they experienced employment discrimination on the job. • Between 22 and 31% of transgender respondents were harassed at work and 19% were denied promotions. • Unemployment among transgender people is as much as 12 times higher than the national average. Many workplaces are unequipped or unwilling to provide a safe space for trans-identified employees, and in most jurisdictions, they are under no legal obligation to do so. Trans people who are not legally protected from discrimination come out at work at their own risk; in many cases, simply finding work is an exercise in frustration. NGLTF contends that “transgender people are disproportionately represented in the homeless population because of the frequent discrimination they face at home, in school, and on the job.” In this area, discrimination means disaster. Trans adults may lose their incomes if they are out at an unfriendly workplace. Lack of health insurance for those in transition means high out-of-pocket costs for medical necessities, forcing into poverty those who might otherwise be able to afford decent housing. Adults who can afford housing are at the mercy of landlords and lenders, who in most parts of Ohio may discriminate against trans people with
Life, in short, is difficult for transgender people, and the current state of public policy in Ohio and nationally makes it even more so. That transgender people can live with such pride, grace, and dignity when the odds are stacked so heavily against them is admirable, even heroic. The Transgender Day of Remembrance honors those who are no longer with us. Unfortunately, many of them left us before their time, cut down by acts of horrific violence. Perhaps our greatest failing in regard to the trans community is our inability to sign into law hate crimes legislation that will, at the very least, require the federal government to track the number of hate crimes motivated by gender identity as it currently does those motivated by sexual orientation. (The results of last week’s election will make the failure to pass a hate crimes bill and an inclusive ENDA inexcusable.) With or without improvements in our legislation, until Americans decide that we can no longer bear the unnecessary deaths of trans people on our collective conscience, perhaps the best that we can do is to make sure that those we have lost never stray far from our memories. To that end, the following is a short list of people who died of violence inspired by their real or perceived gender identity or expression, whose lives we honor on the Day of Remembrance: Valerie Hill, Akron, OH: Shotgun wound to the abdomen. Edna Brown, Atlanta, GA: Shot to death. Jose Angel Osuna, San Diego, CA: Shot several times in the chest and stomach. Harvey Aberles, New York, NY: Shot to death by NYPD. Tracy Thompson, Cordele, GA: Head wounds, most likely caused by a baseball bat. Delores Mack, Hahnville, LA: Strangled. Mimi Young, Washington, DC: Stabbed to death. Jessica Mercado, New Haven, CT: Stabbed multiple times, then burnt. And because we also honor those who died peacefully, but whose lives were beset by more difficulty than a gentler society would allow: Stephanie Chaffin, Columbus, OH: Natural causes. The Day of Remembrance vigil will take place on Wednesday, Nov 19, beginning at 7p at King Avenue United Methodist Church, 299 King Avenue. To donate to the Stephanie Chaffin Fund, visit http://www.transohio.org/donate.html. Donations made to this fund are tax-deductible through Stonewall Columbus. For more information, email TransOhio@gmail.com For more names of the deceased, visit www.rememberingourdead.org.
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TRANS-PARENTING by Christelie Dunlap Every family is unique, and that is beautiful! Some families also get the honor of being unusual, or even “rare.” Our family’s journey began unremarkably - joined in marriage as husband and wife in 1996, we each had careers, spent time with extended family, and even bought land and a log-home kit. Twoand-a-half years of assembling a house together will either break you up or bring you closer. I was pregnant with our daughter when we moved in. She was born, and our life changed in so many ways. Before our daughter’s first birthday, my then-husband, a transsexual, faced a decision - transition from male to female, or die. Fortunately for us, my nowwife, Monica, took the harder road and chose life. Transition complete, now our five-year-old daughter has two living, loving parents: her Mommy and her Moni
(rhymes with Mommy), whom she knows also as Daddy. We share many of the same frustrations and challenges as any same-sex couple with children. Lack of recognition that we’re both the parents; the questions of “why would you put a child through this?;” or a well-intentioned, “Wow! Your child is so well-adjusted!” as if that’s somehow a surprise. As you might expect, the problem or problem source is adults. Kids are cool. Unique to our situation is that our daughter randomly ‘outs’ Monica by calling her “Daddy.” We had attempted to shift her completely away from the term “daddy,” but she got terribly upset, perhaps thinking that Monica no longer wanted to be her parent. When she was young, people just took it as a little kid getting vocabulary or pronouns confused. Now it generates a double-take, and perhaps some staring. There is also the daily decision about
cross-dressers and their spouses/significant others. • COLAGE: www.colage.org. Support for youth and adults from TRANSOHIO, with at least one LGBT parent. http://transohio.org • Columbus AIDS Task Force: www.catf.net. HIV testing; supOHIO RESOURCES port and services for people liv• The Alpha Omega Society: ing with HIV/AIDS. www.aosoc.org. Support and re- • CrossPort Cincinnati: sources for heterosexual cross- www.transgender.org/crossprt. dressers and their families. Social, educational, emotional, • The Apothecary Shop: and functional support for the www.theapothecaryshop.com. transgender community. Pharmacy serving unique needs • The Crystal Club: www.theof the trans community. crystalclub.org. Support group • BRAVO (Buckeye Region Anti- for transgender people and their Violence Organization): spouses/significant others. www.bravo-ohio.org. Survivor • Equality Ohio: www.equalityadvocacy and assistance for vic- ohio.org. Statewide education tims of hate crimes, discrimina- and advocacy organization cretion, domestic violence, and ating an Ohio where everyone sexual assault. can feel at home. • Central Ohio CD Support: • Gay People’s Chronicle: www.crossohio.org. Support for www.gaypeopleschronicle.com.
TRANSGENDER RESOURCES
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when (or if) to come out. At a public names did not match those on the the afternoon, and we had a typical playground, parents often exchange child’s birth certificate. We now know meal, with our daughter bouncing bephone numbers in hopes of getting kids that, no matter where we would go, we tween us, making us clearly a family together for play dates. At what point do will have to have “the talk” with school unit. I had not paid much attention to you delve into a discussion about one system officials. the other patrons, but as we left, I noparent being trans-identified? Or, do you Medical coverage is also a problem. ticed. Two separate tables had a couple just not try? We try. Most times we just The prevailing rumor and research is at each of them, all women. They absee where it goes. that folks have been denied coverage solutely beamed at us, and I realized Day to day, we don’t think of our fam- based on the knowledge that they were that we, as a two-moms family, were a ily as different or needing explanation. trans, so we’ve been very careful. In role model to others. Perhaps some of that comes from eight Ohio, we’ve only found one provider that Our daughter knows that her daddy is years of marriage before transition, when covers same-sex couples. Even though a girl, has seen pictures of Monica as a we had the privilege of being part of the we’re married, we’re treated as domestic young boy, and our wedding photos. In mainstream majority. But occasionally, partners by the insurance company. her words, “most boys grow up to be explanation is inescapable. On the whole, we have been very forboys, and sometimes they grow up to be Our daughter broke her arm and we tunate. Most of our family and friends girls.” She’s confident that she’s going to ended up in the emergency room. The have been understanding, or at least tol- grow up to be a girl. She also knows a nurse asked, “Which one’s Mom?” All erant, as we have come out to them. Our variety of folks in the trans community, three of us indicated that I was Mom. little rural church continues to be aweso she is used to seeing folks in varying Immediately, the nurse turned her back some. It’s been great to build new friend- stages of transition. on Monica and spoke only to me, deliber- ships in the GLBT community. Our Fortunately, most people, kids inately excluding her from the conversadaughter’s Montessori school has been cluded, take cues from you as the partion. Although Monica could have great - the administration and staff are ent. If you and your partner act naturally, protested (she’s the other bio-parent, very GLBT-friendly, and they field quesbehave and believe that your family is a after all), she wanted the attention to be tions about our family/parental structure valid family model, then your children, focused on treating the broken arm. with, “Some families have one mommy their friends, and most of the folks We believe that we need to stand in or one daddy, or two mommies or dadaround them will not perceive it as a solidarity with other two-moms and two- dies. This is her family.” problem. After the initial curiosity and dads families. Attitudes must change. My favorite experience, I have to say, questions, people do seem to move on, We’ve worked hard to answer, “We’re was at a restaurant. It was the middle of and even forget. both the parents” going forward. Since Monica did not transition until after our daughter was Shane Morgan & Karen Patrick of TransOhio (transohio.org) provide some dos born, the parent and don’ts in relating to trans people: (father) name on Don’t • Ask what a person’s “real” name is the birth certifi• Assume a person is male or female when • Tell someone they look like a “real” cate is not Mongender is not obvious man/woman ica. When we did • Ask if “those” are real - whatever “those” some paperwork may be Do with the public • Ask to see “it” whatever “it” may be • Educate yourself school system, it • Ask if the person used to be a boy or a girl • Ask respectful questions had not occurred • Ask “So, are you gay?” • Ask which gender the person would prefer to us as a prob• Refer to a person as a “trannie” to be addressed as lem. However, we • Ask what a person used to look/sound like • Ask permission before asking what could got push-back as • Ask when the “the choice” was made be deemed a personal question “concern for the • Ask why...but if the person wants to tell • Ask if there is a pronoun you should use child’s safety” you why, then pay attention • Respect boundaries and privacy when the current • Say, “So, you’re a drag king/queen, right?” parent/guardian
Biweekly publication out of northeast Ohio. • GenderBloc: www.GenderBloc.org. Radical queer activist organization at the University of Cincinnati. • Gender Dysphoria Program of Central Ohio: www.genderprogram.com. Counseling for transgender people. • Kaleidoscope Youth Center: www.kaleidoscope.org. Creating safe and empowering environments for LGBT youth in central Ohio. • Outlook Weekly: http://outlookweekly.net. Central Ohio’s weekly GLBT newspaper. • PFLAG Columbus: www.pflagcolumbus.org. Support for the family and friends of LGBT people. • PFLAG Dayton: www.pflagdayton.org. • SpeakOUT: www.speakout-
The Dos & Don’ts
cols.org. Straight allies advocating for the GLBT community. • Stonewall Columbus: www.stonewallcolumbus.org. Programming, support, and advocacy for central Ohio’s GLBT community. • Transcendence: www.transbg.org. Transgender group at Bowling Green State University. • TransFamily of Cleveland: www.transfamily.org. Support, education, and advocacy for Cleveland’s trans community. • TransOhio: http://transohio.org. Education, support, advocacy for transgender Ohioans.
ing discrimination and moving public opinion toward equality for LGBT people. • FTM International: www.ftmi.org. Resources for FTM families and communities. • Hudson’s FTM Resource Guide: www.ftmguide.org. Info on topics of interest to FTM trans people. • Human Rights Campaign: www.hrc.org. National advocacy for the GLBT community. • InterPride: www.interpride.org/12/2008_Ev ents.htm. National Pride calendar for GLBT community. • National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE): www.nctequality.org. National advocacy for trans community. NATIONAL RESOURCES • National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF): www.thetask• American Civil Liberties Union: www.aclu.org/lgbt. Fight- force.org. National advocacy for the GLBT community.
• Out & Equal Workplace Advocates: www.outandequal.org. National organization devoted to the LGBT community in the workplace. • PFLAG: www.pflag.org. Support for the family and friends of LGBT people. • Queertransmen.org: www.queertransmen.org. Canadian site with news and resources for transmen. • Tgcrossroads: www.tgcrossroads.org. Educational organization serving FTM trans people. • Transster.com: www.transster.com. Photo repository of female to male FTM gender reassignment surgeries. • World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH): www.wpath.org. Devoted to the understanding and treatment of gender identity disorders
REMEMBER OR INSPIRE THIS WORLD AIDS DAY!
$50
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 17
Never Forget Freddy
For all the good times ,
support and love. We miss you everyday! Love, Fat Bottom Girls (actual size)
The Nov 27 edition of Outlook Weekly is our World AIDS Day feature. For that issue, we are offering black/white ads (like above) for a special price to give our readers the opportunity to memorialize or motivate our community, Remember someone you lost or give words of hope for only $50 and 10% of all proceeds will be donated to the Columbus AIDS Task Force. Simply email Michael (mdaniels@outlookmedia.com) your text and photo for the ad, along with your contact information, and he’ll be in touch to get your payment. You can also call 614.268.8525 for more info. We must receive ad components and payment information no later than Nov 19!
RADIO OUTLOOK SATURDAYS 8A-9:30A ON WVKO 1580AM RADIO OUTLOOK SATURDAYS 8A-9:30A ON WVKO 1580AM RADIO OUTLOOK SATURDAYS 8A-9:30A ON WVKO 1580AM RADIO OUTLOOK SATURDAYS 8A-9:30A ON WVKO 1580AM RADIO OUTLOOK SATURDAYS 8A-9:30A ON WVKO 1580AM RADIO OUTLOOK SATURDAYS 8A-9:30A ON WVKO 1580AM NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
18 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
DEEP INSIDE HOLLYWOOD by Romeo San Vicente
©paramount pictures
© www.wallpaperbase.com
© cnn
© images.worshiptheglitch.com
ELTON JOHN AND BEN STILLER SING ABOUT AIDS
DE ROSSI JOINS BETTER OFF TED
KEVIN SMITH TO HAVE A CLOSE ENCOUNTER
AMY SEDARIS RETURNS TO THE TUBE
Remember in Team America when they parodied Rent by including a musical number called “Everybody’s Got AIDS”? Looks like what was once just a piece of satire may now be coming to fruition. Sir Elton John says he’s collaborating with Ben Stiller on a movie musical about a Broadway singing-and-dancing star who discovers he’s got AIDS, and then has to go home and explain the situation to his wife and kids. And in case you were wondering, John insists that it’s a comedy. It sounds a little dubious, sure, but don’t forget that Stiller is coming off the smash hit Tropic Thunder, which managed to find laughs in any number of unlikely, touchy subjects. If this thing ever gets off the ground, Romeo can’t wait to see it.
It’s been a busy year for Portia de Rossi, between her storybook wedding with Ellen DeGeneres and the constant rumors about an Arrested Development movie. Now it looks like the Aussie actress will be returning to television in an ABC mid-season replacement sitcom called Better Off Ted. De Rossi plays Veronica, the severely coiffed boss at Veridian Technologies, a research and development firm known for its groundbreaking inventions and somewhat questionable business ethics. The show focuses on the titular Ted (Jay Harrington of Desperate Housewives), one of Veronica’s employees. Better Off Ted‘s creator, Victor Fresco, brings impressive comedy credentials to the table as one of the driving forces behind Andy Richter Controls the Universe and My Name is Earl. Look for Ted on your TiVo in early 2009.
When it comes to gay issues, Romeo thinks that Kevin Smith is one of the coolest straight dudes on the planet; the comedy auteur loves to include gay and lesbian characters while goofing on queer sex just as much as he does on all the hetero kinds. So strap on your astronaut suit, because Smith is about to leave orbit. The man behind Clerks and Zack and Miri Make a Porno recently announced that he’s planning a fatherson comedy set in outer space. No word yet on what specific gay humor the film will have, but since it’s Smith, we can almost certainly predict that there will be some. Before blasting off, Smith will make his first horror movie, Red State, about an unhinged, Fred Phelps-ish fundamentalist.
If you were a fan of Strangers with Candy, the polymorphously perverse sitcom starring Amy Sedaris as rapacious bisexual “user, boozer, and loser” Jerri Blank, you’ll be excited to hear this news. Sedaris and her Candy collaborator Paul Dinello have just signed a deal with 20th Century Fox TV for a new comedy series that Sedaris will write and create. She’ll also star on the new show, which will be partially scripted but will also allow Second City alum Sedaris - sister of gay essayist David and BFF of queer designer Todd Oldham - to improv. No word yet on what the sure-to-be-outrageous sitcom will actually be about, but Sedaris and Dinello will shop it around to networks before the end of the year, with hopes of winding up on cable.
Romeo San Vicente once met a stranger with candy. They wound up living together for three years. Romeo can be reached care of this publication or at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com.
ARTS by Rolanda Copley
COLUMBUS TO EXPERIENCE RARE VISION OF SHAKESPEARE’S MIDSUMMER What do India, acrobats, Shakespeare, and Columbus’s Southern Theatre have in common? Nothing, unless you’re director Tim Supple. Commissioned by the British Council in 2004, Supple’s fantastical production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream combines all these elements so seamlessly it almost makes you wonder why no one ever thought of it before. Of course Midsummer should be cast entirely with performers from India and Sri Lanka. Of course they should be supplemented with an all-Indian ensemble cast of martial arts experts, acrobats, dancers, and street performers. Of course the whole production should tour to Columbus and debut in the beautiful Southern Theatre. But wait, what? Yes, it’s true. Although the production has toured extensively throughout the UK and India, Columbus will be only the third city in the US to experience this remarkable presentation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Cast entirely with actors, dancers, martial arts experts, musicians, and street acrobats from India and Sri Lanka, the script of one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays will be delivered not only in English, but also Tamil, Malayalam, NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
Sinhalese, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, and even Sanskrit. If you’re South Asian language-challenged, not to worry. Producer and tour manager CAPA, in association with CATCO, has thought of everything, and will provide English supertitles for the sticky parts. However, the action happening on stage will likely leave no doubt as to the storyline, whether or not dialogue is being spoken in English. Supple’s reinterpretation of Midsummer is nothing if not physical. In other words, this ain’t your mama’s Shakespeare. Lips roughly brush against ears, sultry eyes seem to undress, and bodies intertwine with visceral force, all of which brings to the stage an almost tangible sense of the mismatched lovers’ frantic chaos. And if that’s not enough to blissfully send you into sensory overload, there are traditional South Asian dances and songs, displays of martial arts expertise, and agile acrobats dangling above the stage from colorful swaths of fabric. But make no mistake: This once-in-a-lifetime production isn’t about bling. It’s about shaking up your preconceptions about Shakespeare and reconnecting you in a whole new way. Supple’s Midsummer features faces and
voices and words you wouldn’t normally associate with historic British literature, but his unfettered vision offers a mesmerizing, Indianinspired spectacular that has captivated audiences the world over. There is a reason its 12 performances at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Complete Works Festival at Stratford-Upon-Avon, England, received 12 standing ovations. And that’s because this production makes it all work. A Midsummer Night’s Dream will run WedSun, Nov 19-23, at the Southern Theatre (21 E Main St). Show times are Wed at 7p; Thur at
11a; Fri & Sat at 8p; Sun at 2p. Tickets are $40, $35, $30, and $11 (Thurs only) at the Ohio Theatre ticket office (39 E State St), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call 614.431.3600 or 614.469.0939. The Southern Theatre ticket office will open two hours prior to the performance. Rolanda Copley is Publicist for CAPA, a member organization of the Columbus Arts Marketing Association. For more information, visit www.camaonline.org.
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 19
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
20 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
MUSIC
FILM
A Few Qs:
Richard Morel
by Michael A. Knipp
by Mikey Rox
The renowned remixer/producer - whose new album, Death of the Paper Boy, droped October 28 - talks rock, alter egos, and pink music.
THE STATE OF GAY CINEMA ACCORDING TO CHUCK Chuck Griffith has two words for LGBT filmmakers: Try harder. Not only is the award-winning director of 2001’s Thank You Good Night unimpressed by what gay directors are content to call cinema, he thinks they’re completely ruining the queer celluloid image. And that’s putting it mildly. “I’ve seen a lot, and what I’ve seen is horrific without any excuse for it,” explains Griffith, 33, whose TV credits include work on Six Feet Under and Judd Apatow’s illfated college comedy Undeclared. “Shelter was the milquetoast gay film of 2008, and while it had great production value and pretty solid acting, how many coming out stories do we need to see?” Griffith is referring, of course, to director Jonah Markowitz’s boy-meets-man, boy-fall-in-love-with-man, boy-comes-out-to-family surf story that made the requisite festival rounds upon its release last year, racking up several awards including Best New Director at the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award for Best Feature. “Where’s the edge?” he asks. “Where are the stories for the other 99 percent of the gay community that’s already out and doing something, [stories that are] worth telling in a compelling way?” Hard-pressed to find an answer to that question, Griffith decided to takes matters into his own hands. But years after founding Roaring Leo Productions, a company that Griffith says is committed to “making films for people who love film,” the redheaded renegade still isn’t satisfied with how queer-themed movies have evolved. “I feel like gay cinema is stuck in the ghettoized community of 1995, where the gay community was going through a celebration of being gay - an adolescence, if you will - in response to the AIDS crisis that brought on so much fear. “I think that was fine back then, but with online social networking, the gay experience extends beyond Green-
wich, Chelsea, and Castro Street. Yet we’re making films for us to relive our early 20s rather than making films that help define the community we want to be in the future.” That sentiment, in a nutshell, lays the foundation for Roaring Leo. According to Griffith, there was “a need in the film world for someone to help guide filmmakers through the process, to help them avoid the marketing pitfalls that I went through in making [Thank You Good Night].” The company’s first project, a DVD titled Best of Breed: Volume 1, which was released earlier this year, features four shorts from four directors - Ethan Feldbau, Lou Peterson, Leah Meyerhoff and David Kagan - that push the limits of what audiences expect from traditional gay fare. “The common theme explored in each film is the sensory experience,” Griffith says. “In [Feldbau’s] Plastic, the young boy can’t deal with his own identity and must experience life through other people. Encounter [by Peterson] is about the sensuality that one can feel without touch. Wonderful Sandwiches [from Meyerhoff] is about using a barrier in order to achieve intimacy; and [Kagan’s] The Process is about the need and desire for touch.” Because each of the films are examples of extreme illusion presented artistically, Griffith admits that Best of Breed isn’t for everyone; the DVD’s primary purpose is to get people talking about art in gay cinema. “These films are there to make you think, because I believe the gay community can think if they want to.” As for gay directors? Well, Griffith has all but given up hope. He hasn’t, however, given up on the gay consumer. His suggestion? Invest in filmmakers trying to do something different. “It doesn’t take much,” he says. “Just go and find something that does more. And if [you] can’t invest [yourself], write letters to Here! and TLA. They’re worried that no one wants to see anything better than A Four Letter Word and Eating Out 2, so that’s what you’re gonna get. “It’s up to the consumer to do something about that.” Michael A. Knipp is a New York City-based freelance writer and the founder of Line/Byline Communications. Reach him at michael.knipp@gmail.com.
MIKEY ROX: Death of the Paper Boy is your third autobiographical album, but unlike the others, which had depth and elements of darkness, this one, as you put it yourself, is entirely based on “things that bring you down.” Where do these songs - and the accompanying experiences come from? Should we be worried about you? RICHARD MOREL: Ironically, the things that bring you down are also the things that lift you up the highest. A broken heart couldn’t exist without love. So while the record does tell a story of loss and longing, it also represents the power of human relationships and how we are powerless in the light of those relationships. And, no, you shouldn’t be worried about me; I enjoy the ride. MR: “Nova,” one of Paper Boy’s 11 tracks, is especially poignant. You paint a pitiful yet familiar picture with your lyrics: “We pulled to the side of the road/To do another line in the Nova/On a photograph of your old man/And your mom/And you tell me its all ok/She had to die anyway.” Can you fill in the blanks of that story? Judging by the rest of the lyrics, it sounds like you had it bad for this guy. RM: The theme of the song is love, unspoken and unrealized. The events are from when I was around 16 or 17 on a trip to the Cape (Cod) with my best friend. He had run away from home a couple times and the back of his car was filled with things that were important to him. One was a photo of his mom. She had died when he was 12. At that point in my life, my emotions and hormones were so tied up and messed up it was impossible to know what was really happening. There’s an urgency to love when you’re a kid that is unparalleled. At the time I would have done anything to be able to turn it off. Now, I find comfort that I can still feel on such an intense level. MR: Along with your band Morel, you also produce remixes under the name Pink Noise, the latest of which, Yoko Ono’s “Give Peace a Chance,” reached #1 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. Given your success with your legal name, why the divergence? Don’t you get confused about who you are from day to day? RM: The first remix I did was for the Pet Shop Boys’ “Se A Vida E.” I called it the “Pink Noise Mix.” It stuck, so I’ve done remixes under that name since. I like the alter ego because it frees me to go to a different place musically. That said, I am confused about who I am pretty much every day. MR: Those who follow your work know that you frequently collaborate with former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman Bob Mould. You’ve guested on each other’s albums, and together you host the popular Blowoff parties in DC, NYC, and now San Fran. What is it about Bob that clicks with you more than anybody else? RM: When we first became friends we realized a common ground in the music we liked and expanded on that. We’re the same age, so the overlap made it easy for us to communicate artistically. We both bring different strengths to the equation, and we have fun doing it. Who is Mikey Rox? Who gives a fuck! But you can find him at www.mikeyrox.com
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 21
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
22 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
CLASSIFIEDS HELP WANTED UNEMPLOYED? UNDEREMPLOYED? Do you routinely scan the classifieds? Are physical, emotional, or mental health issues or handicaps causing you roadblocks to successful and satisfying employment? Vision & Vocational Services and Outlook Weekly are partnering to provide free needs assessment. Call Rebecca Melton or Toi VanHorn at 614.294.5571 and mention this ad. You can Accomplish Anything - Outlook Media and Vision & Vocational Services are committed to helping you do so. HOUSING/FOR RENT FRANKLINTON 2-4 bedroom doubles with fenced
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
yards near bus line, Mt Carmel Hospital West. $495-625. Pets negotiable. 614.794.1951. OLDE TOWNE EAST One bedroom apartment, gas heat, hardwood floors. $370/month. Pets ok with deposit. 614.258.2298. OLDE TOWNE EAST 1096 & 1104 Bryden Rd, 1 BR apartments available, new kitchen, wd flrs, vaulted ceiling, $450/mo. More OTE rentals available. Call Beacon Property Mgmt. at 614.228.6700.
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OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 23
SEX TALK by Simon Sheppard
SPEAKING OF
HAIRY VS. SMOOTH
Some guys think hairy is hot, while other men clearly do not. “I’ve learned,” says one thoroughly hirsute dude, “that my abundant body hair is an absolute disqualifier for some prospective tricks. To others, though, it’s total catnip.” Sure, any physical feature, from big feet to blue eyes, will have its fans and detractors, but hairiness seems to be particularly polarizing. A perusal of online personal ads will find a goodly number that demand “smooth only,” while others seek only hyper-follicular fellows. There are hair fanciers who focus in on specific body parts, like treasure trails, fuzzy legs, or hairy asses. “Give me a buddy with bushy pubes and pits, and I’m happy,” one such fan confesses. Then there are fur fetishists who like hair everywhere. One of them says, “I really love lots of body hair, not just on the chest and legs, but on the ass, back, shoulders, all over. To me, it just shouts out masculinity.” He’s not alone; Bears are a whole subculture that celebrates chunky, hirsute, all-male males. Our fur fetishist rhetorically asks, “Who wants a guy who’s smooth as a girl?” Well, plenty of men, it turns out. For some dudes, even a smattering of strands is too much. “When I touch skin, I want it to be silky,” says one such seeker of smoothies. “I like my guy to be totally shaved. To me, body hair seems sloppy, even kind of dirty and gross.” It might be more than just a matter of aesthetics. Body hair’s a marker of maturity, too. Sure, there are very hairy 18-year-olds, but in general, fur increases with age. So those who get turned on by twink-type young men tend to prefer smooth torsos. Likewise, those who go for femmy guys are likely to like them fur-free. There can be racial overtones, too. East Asians tend to be very smooth, for instance, while South Asians do not. For some who fetishize - or just prefer - certain ethnicities, hair, or the lack of it, can be a prominent part of the package. There are even fads in body hair. Back in the 1970s, for example, mainstream gay porn featured plenty of hairy dudes. Now? Not so many. It’s often not a matter of casting, but rather of shaving. “Actually, it’s kind of creepy to fire up a porn video and see all these pre-pubescent-
looking guys,” complains our fur fan. “I know that the actors are of age, but even so...” It is, of course, easier to get rid of body hair than to amplify it, and growing numbers of men are shaving or undergoing electrolysis. Defurring does have some definite pluses: It can unveil a gym-goer’s hard-won pecs, and no hair down below will make dickie look longer. Not everyone fully defoliates, though. Rather than a total shave job, many men choose a hair-shortening trim. “When I’m in the locker room I always notice how many more men groom their pubes now than did just a few years back,” one exercise addict says. “Even straight guys trim their crotches, and since I’m a bush-fancier, that’s a bit of a bummer. On the other hand, they’re letting the rest of us know that they care about how their bodies look, and that can be kind of sexy.” Sometimes shaving goes beyond grooming and becomes outright erotic. Explains an observer of the kink community, “Body shaving scenes are hot for some men because they serve as sexy unveilings, whereby the skin becomes bared and more sensitive to the touch. But don’t forget the story of Samson. Since body hair says ‘masculine,’ shave scenes can also be read as power play, as coded castration rituals.” Perhaps one’s preferences hearken back to a yen for that thick-pelted gym coach, or a crush on a smooth-skinned merman on the swim team. One need not get quite so Freudian, though; it can just be a matter of “I like what I like.” In any case, as our observer points out, “Hair preferences are a lot more benign than exclusions based on race, age, or body type. I doubt that hearing ‘You’re too smooth for me’ has made many men feel very bad about themselves.” So whether you prefer romping in a luxuriant forest of fur or sliding smoothly across bare skin, if you keep in mind that there’s a real person underneath, you and your frisky fellow will both have a fine old time. Simon Sheppard is the editor of Leathermen and Homosex: Sixty Years of Gay Erotica, and the author of Sex Parties 101, Kinkorama, and In Deep: Erotic Stories, and can be reached at SexTalk@qsyndicate.com. Visit Simon at www.simonsheppard.com.
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
24 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 25
SAVAGE LOVE by Dan Savage
I’m a 32-year-old female engaged to a 34-year-old man. Some months ago, when we were both drunk, he “got up the nerve” to show me some bestiality porn and tell me how much the thought of me with a dog turns him on. He confessed that he was absolutely terrified that I would leave him over this but said he couldn’t hide it any more. I was pretty inebriated at the time, and I didn’t say much. We continued to watch dog-on-girl porn, which I can’t say turned me off, but mainly because it turned him on so much. Since then, he has brought up this subject when he’s inebriated. I’ve told him that as long as this fetish remains a fantasy, I won’t make an issue of it. I also told him that when I am sober it makes me fairly uncomfortable and that it exploits the animal involved. He argued what I’m sure a lot of people into bestiality believe: It isn’t cruelty or abuse if it’s a male dog doing what comes instinctively to that dog. He also told me that he once had a girlfriend who allowed a dog into their sex life, him as a voyeur, her as a participant in full-on sex with the animal. At that point I changed the subject and we had good old vanilla sex with no more talk of dogs, but he was really turned on, much more so than most times we have sex with no talk of bestiality. I love this man a lot and in every other way our lives are pretty wonderful. Perhaps he drinks a bit much, but we have both cut back on drinking in the past month - this is a commitment we have made to each other. The questions I have are these: Is just the fact that he is/we are watching this kind of porn animal abuse? Can this really remain just a fantasy for him, or will he seek this out again, especially since he has had it before? I know that bestiality is one of the fetishes you disapprove of, Dan, but I have no one else to ask about this. Dog Day Shafternoon Yes, DDS, I disapprove of bestiality - because, well, ick. And that, as anonymous dogfuckers have pointed out to me repeatedly over the years, is the same logic homophobes use to justify their bigotry. But when I go on the record about bestiality - and it’s always con - I do go out of my way to throw the animal lovers a bone: If I were a sheep, I’d certainly rather be screwed than stewed. But still. Ick.
Seeing as I’m biased against bestiality particularly dog-fuckery, as I don’t understand how people even keep dogs as pets - I’m going to recuse myself for a few paragraphs. “In most cases the animal is willing and able,” says Martin Weinberg, a professor in the Department of Sociology at Indiana University who has studied zoophilia. “It is difficult and dangerous to try and force an animal to do something it doesn’t want to do,” adds Weinberg. “However, bestiality is against the law in many states, even though I do not see it as abuse unless the animal is physically forced.” And then Dr. Weinberg makes an important point, one that your fiancé needs to take to heart, one that you might wanna have tattooed backward on his forehead the next time he blacks out: “But if the girlfriend isn’t interested in watching it (or in actually participating in the act), the man should be informed that trying to force her into doing so is (to me) partner abuse.” (Emphasis added.) Catch that? While your boyfriend’s interests may not qualify as animal abuse - and many would debate that point - hounding you about it endlessly does qualify as girlfriend/fiancée/wife abuse. “The man this woman is talking about, as far as we know, has never had sex with animals,” says Dr. Hani Miletski, author of Understanding Bestiality & Zoophilia. “He just likes to watch, which is very common. There are numerous sites online that feature bestiality, and many curious people visit them often. For some, it’s just curiosity.” And for some it’s so much more. Will your boyfriend, in Dr. Miletski’s opinion, be able to let this fantasy remain a fantasy? Or will he seek it out again? “It’s always difficult to predict what the future will bring,” says Dr. Miletski, “but my guess is that he will always use the idea of bestiality as a part, probably a major part, of his sexual fantasy. He will probably try to get his current girlfriend to go along with the fantasy and act it out…but if she doesn’t feel comfortable with that, she should continue to do and say what she has already done and said.” So what the hell do you do, DDS? I know what I would do: If my partner could only get it up while images of dogs fucking my ass danced in his head, that would be a deal breaker right there. But you’re more compassionate or tolerant or indulgent than I am, I guess, DDS, and you sound inclined to stay with this guy. And when drunk, DDS, you sound
like you might be tempted to give your fiancé what he wants. (“I can’t say [it] turned me off, but mainly because it turned him on so much,” “when I am sober it makes me fairly uncomfortable.”) So here’s how things are gonna play out if you stay with this dude: He’s going to bring this up again and again, and his commitment to cutting back on booze will be undermined - perhaps fatally - by what booze allows him to do, i.e., lower his inhibitions enough to go there, and by what booze allows you to do, i.e., contemplate fucking dogs with some level of comfort. I’m not saying you shouldn’t stay. But you gotta know what you’re signing up for: At the very least, you will be indulging him in dog-ongirl or dog-in-girl or dog-in-you dirty talk on a regular basis. And he will live in hope that, if you talk about this long enough, if he gets drunk and begs you often enough and can manage to get you drunk enough, you will, one day, go there. Don’t say you weren’t warned. I love my husband. But he won’t eat it. Absolutely won’t lick me down there. I do everything for him! We’ve even started ass play, with me sticking a finger in his ass while I blow him. But I’ve gone without oral for 15 years! I’ve explained to him that I can’t come - not hard! - without it. He insists that he never will go there and he has accused me of trying to make him do something totally against his moral code. I’m distraught to the point of wanting to cheat on him just to get some oral. What do I do? Unlicky In Love Cheat on him already, UIL. And while you’re online searching for a man who’ll go down on you - perhaps you can make an “eat-it-and-beat-it deal,” i.e., oral and JO only, with one of the many married men out there whose wives won’t let them eat it? I’m going to go online and Google “moral codes.” I’m curious about this mysterious moral code your husband cites, one that permits a finger up the butt during a blowjob but forbids cunnilingus entirely. I know it’s not a Catholic thing - I was an altar boy - but maybe it’s a Mormon delusion, like magic underpants and coffeephobia and “Mitt Romney 2012.” Download the Savage Lovecast (my weekly podcast) every Tuesday at www.thestranger.com/savage. mail@savagelove.net--
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
26 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
ABOUT TOWN by Adam Leddy CHOP CHOP GALLERY HOSTS WARHOL “SUPERSTARS” Local artists and Warhol enthusiasts Kim Glover and Matt Mascaro have partnered with Craig Dransfield and Ashley Puckett, owners of the Chop Chop Gallery, to present “Superstar,” a multimedia showcase and panel discussion bringing to Columbus some of the most prominent stars from the Warhol stable. The night will begin with a preview party from 7p-8p honoring the event’s sponsors. VIP guests will be granted first entry, with complimentary food and wine, priority seating for the panel discussion, and participation in the live “15 seconds of fame” podcast. Room permitting, doors will open to the public at 8p, at which time the artist panel discussion will begin, followed by live performances by Taylor Mead, John Giorno, Penny Arcade, and Bibbe Hansen. Digitized film installations by the artists will last until midnight. An East Village-style after-party will be held across the street at Carabar from 11p- 2a, featuring DJs, drag queens, and perform-
ance artists. Chop Chop notes that the evening is intended to be a “compliment” to the Wexner Center’s Other Voices, Other Rooms exhibit, and lauds Wexner director Sherri Geldin and her team for bringing the show to Columbus. Mascaro and Glover spoke to Outlook about the event. Adam Leddy: You’re going for a “grassroots” feel with this event. How did you choose Chop Chop as a venue? Matt Mascaro: The Factory and all that was really grassroots. The Warhol scene was akin to being in a place like the Chop Chop Gallery. It has a printing press, these wonderful cavernous galleries. It’s a great space. AL: Kim, why did you become involved with this event? Kim Glover: I would not have become so engaged if the energy were not so high, the ideas so exciting, and the collaboration so appealing. The only North Ameri-
can exhibit of the Warhol show currently at the Wexner Center is bound to create hype, and with that creative minds become engaged in different ways. Ashley and Craig brought the project to a whole new level. The collaboration had begun. Ashley, Matt, and Craig are incredible artists independently. The Superstars have done and are doing some incredibly fascinating work. I hope that Columbus recognizes this rare, exciting opportunity. AL: Why should the GLBT community be interested in this event? KG: There is a lot of depth to this event that I think will engage many people. The GLBT community will be interested because these artists have, to my knowledge, been outspoken and proud to express their freedom of sexual preference. MM: Some of the earliest recorded gay performance art came from this community of artists. John Giorno is an AIDS activist; Bibbe Hansen has been a huge collabo-
rator with drag queens and gay performance artists. Holly Woodlawn is immortalized in Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.” Holly and Divine were two of the first major drag performers. They really were the ones who kicked it up a notch into the realm of seriousness and not complete comedy, though obviously Divine was hilarious! The Chop Chop Gallery is located at 78 Parsons Ave in Columbus. Visit chopchopgallery.com for more details or email superstar@chopchopgallery.com.
WEXNER CENTER HOSTS INTERNATIONAL WARHOL SYMPOSIUM To shed more light on Warhol’s work and continuing influence and on the occasion of the exhibition Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms - the Wexner Center presents the symposium “Andy Warhol: Outer and Inner Dichotomies,” Friday, November 14, and Saturday, November 15. The event will feature members of Warhol’s circle, as well as critics, curators, authors, and art historians. The schedule: Keynote Conversation Friday, November 14, 7p. Mershon Auditorium. $8 general public; free for members, Warhol Club cardholders, Ohio State
students/faculty/staff. Call 614.292.3535. Ticket includes one free gallery admission November 14 or 15. In the keynote address, Warhol critic and biographer Wayne Koestenbaum will converse with artist Francesco Vezzoli, whose fascination with celebrity rivals Warhol’s own. Saturday Sessions Saturday, November 15, 10:30a - 4p in the Film/Video Theater Free - no tickets or preregistration required. 10:30a: Welcome and Remarks Sherri Geldin, director, Wexner Center for the Arts and Eva MeyerHermann, curator, Andy Warhol:
Other Voices, Other Rooms. 11a: Give and Take The act of exchange permeates Warhol’s work in many different forms - the exchange of goods, the exchange of gazes, the exchange of bodies, to name a few. In this session, panelists discuss these and other related elements in Warhol’s work. Speakers include Callie Angel, curator, Andy Warhol Film Project at the Whitney Museum of American Art; Richard Meyer, associate professor of art history and fine arts, University of Southern California; Mary Woronov, actress (Chelsea Girls, ****, Hedy) and author. Bill Horrigan, director of media arts at the Wexner Center, will moderate.
12:30p: Lunch Break 2p: Beauty and the Banal Soup cans. Marilyn Monroe. Brillo boxes. Elvis Presley. In Warhol’s mind, one was as worthy of attention as any other. This session explores Warhol’s fascination with and blurring of beauty, fame, and the everyday. Speakers include Thomas Crow, professor at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University; Eva Meyer-Hermann curator, Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms; and Morgan Fisher, filmmaker and artist. Catharina Manchanda, senior curator of exhibitions at the Wexner Center, will serve as moderator. 3:30 PM: Closing conversation All are welcome to attend.
COLUMBUS NEXT MEETING: DEC 10, 6P-8P; LOCATION: SAGE AMERICAN BISTRO (2653 N HIGH) ; OUTLOOK'S HOLIDAY SHINDIGEXTRAVAGANZA WWW.NETWORKCOLUMBUS.COM
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 27
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THE LAST WORD by Jennifer Vanasco
No Time To Point Fingers My heart broke last week. A lot of our hearts did. I spent election night at New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, which was standing room only. We were all riveted to CNN. I was blogging, so I was staring at my laptop, switching back and forth between presidential election results and the Proposition 8 vote. Two things happened at the exact same moment: Obama was declared president-elect, and the numbers made it clear that we were losing marriage in California. At the center, everyone was laughing, cheering, crying, hugging strangers. They were jubilant. They didn’t know what I knew. My head was in my hands. I sobbed all the way to the subway. Passersby must have thought I was grieving the McCain-Palin ticket. But I felt betrayed by my own party, which came out to vote for Obama and, in the meantime, voted against me. I felt betrayed, also, by Barack Obama. In the polls leading up to election day, it was clear he was heading for a victory. He could have used some of that political capital to speak strongly against Prop 8. Instead, he reiterated that he believed marriage was between a man and a woman, before saying weakly
that constitutions shouldn’t be used to take rights away from people. The next day, gays across the country had an emotional hangover. What had happened? How could we have lost so definitively, after a summer when it seemed we had won? We lost Amendment 2 in Florida, which not only enshrined discrimination against gay marriage into the state constitution, but also made civil unions and domestic partnerships impossible. We lost in Arizona, which in 2006 had been the only state to fight back against an antigay marriage amendment (the one bright spot - it was conservative voters who pushed that through, not liberal ones). We lost in Arkansas, where voters decided that “unmarried couples,” code for gays and lesbians, cannot foster or adopt children, even though the state has three times as many children needing homes than people willing to take them in. Across the country, Obama won. Gays lost. What kind of change are people voting for, I wondered, if at the same time they elected Obama, they also voted against gay civil rights? Is this the kind of changed country I want to live in? We are right to be heartbroken and angry about this. We are right to march, we are right
to sue, we are right to contact our legislators, we are right to demand that Obama keep his campaign promise and guarantee federal civil rights for gay and lesbians couples. But we are not right to place blame. The past few days have become a witchhunt. There are those in our community who are looking for someone to finger for our loss. One target: African-Americans, who turned out in record numbers to support Obama and then voted 70 percent in favor of Prop 8 and against gay marriage. A second target: the Mormon Church, which raised the bulk of the money supporting Prop 8. But if we want to know who lost gay marriage in California, we have to look in a mirror. African-Americans may have voted against Prop 8, but so did 50 percent of whites - representing 63 percent of voters. And 53 percent of Latinos. And 49 percent of Asians. And yes, Mormons gave a lot of money. But we raised $43.6 million, compared to the other side’s $29.8 million. If we want a true target, we need to look in a mirror. We weren’t paying enough attention to Proposition 8. We were cocky - we believed that because Barack Obama was headed for a
landslide, Prop 8 would lose by a landslide as well. Instead of the rest of us non-Californians phone-banking to fight Prop 8, or leading education efforts, we were making cold calls for Obama and canvassing for votes in Pennsylvania and Indiana. We looked at the favorable numbers in September, we celebrated Connecticut giving us marriage in October, and we thought there was no way California - California! - would take a fundamental right away from us once it was already granted. We were wrong. We were wrong, but now is not the time to place blame. We need to move on to the next step - to letting the legislatures in New York and New Jersey know that we support their efforts to give us marriage in those states. And we must build a deeper, wider base of allies in California, Florida, Arkansas and Arizona, so that next time we have an opportunity to gain our rights back, we will not lose. Our hearts were broken. But we have no time to point fingers. Instead, we must pick up our own pieces and get back in the fight. Jennifer Vanasco is an award-winning syndicated columnist. Email her at jennifer.vanasco@gmail.com.
HOROSCOPES by Jack Fertig
SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21): You want a deep connection, but appear very protective, a bit distant. Still, you’re showing passion and strength that make you very attractive. The trick is in knowing - and showing - that you can include the one you desire in your protective embrace.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 18): Your friends are behind you, although you may need to do some politicking to get them properly lined up. Have a clear plan! Once that’s done, take any risk and reach for success.
TAURUS (Apr 20 - May 20): Don’t be stuck in your ways. Find new ways to get stuck! Your partner - for life or du jour wants suggestions. Whether it’s as simple as switching top and bottom or as complex as Japanese bondage, share the dream to make it real!
LEO (Jul 23 - Aug 22): There are subtler ways to sex up your home than going for high bordello or gothic dungeon clichés. Use your imagination; get playful. Plan an aphrodisiac dinner, and tell your guest the intent. That alone will guarantee the effect.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 20): Powerful, vivid dreams, scary as they are, reveal a lot about you. Write them down while the images are strong, and figure them out later. Some parts will elude and challenge you. That knowledge is worth chasing.
PISCES (Feb 19 - Mar 19): If you’re always right, what more is there to learn? Keep an open mind and listen to experts in whatever field interests you. Somewhere deep beneath your reasoning and theirs, however different, lies a common, essential truth.
GEMINI (May 21 - Jun 20): Flirtations at the gym or the office can lead to something hot and exciting. It could even be true love. In love or work, your focus on new techniques can prove satisfying for all involved.
VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sep 22): Your mouth is developing a wicked streak, but that could be a force for good. If you need a tutorial, read some Dorothy Parker. Or brush up on the latest safe sex info and share it with a buddy.
CAPRICORN (Dec 21 - Jan 19): Trust your hunches, especially in any social or political efforts. Speak up and share your views. Some people may treat you like Cassandra, but those who heed your forecasts will benefit.
ARIES (Mar 20 - Apr 19): Anyone can see you that you’ve got it, Sexy! Now they’re all waiting to see what direction you’re going to take it in. You’re up for something (or someone) new. Your first impulse is probably a good one - oh, so good!
CANCER (Jun 21 - Jul 22): Someone who shares your hobby or sport would like to share a bit more. Erotic scrapbooking? Strip backgammon? You can do kinky things with a crochet needle, and kitchenware and hardware offer endless possibilities.
LIBRA (Sep 23 - Oct 22): Your tongue is a little sharper than usual, especially in defense of ideas, things, and people that are most important to you. Stay calm and centered, and you can be most convincing!
Jack Fertig, a professional astrologer since 1977, is a founding member of the Association for Astrological Networking. He can be reached for consultations at 415.864.8302, www.starjack.com, and by e-mail at QScopes@qsyndicate.com.
NOV 13 - NOV 19 2008