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FEST M L FI NAL O I T A INTERN JEWISH FIL D N A L E V E L M FESTIVAL • C
2 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY OWNERS AND PUBLISHERS Michael Daniels & Chris Hayes EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / ART DIRECTOR Chris Hayes hayes@outlookmedia.com
SNAPSHOT
HERE ARE MORE PHOTOS FROM BRAVO's annual fundraiser, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, packed the Statehouse atrium with guests, more than 65 of whom were then wined and dined at 9 private homes throughout the area.
photos by Don Fackler
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR / PHOTOS Robert Trautman traut@outlookmedia.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mette Bach, Danielle Buckius, Wayne R Besen, Chris Crain, Jennifer Vanasco, Tom Moon, Regina Sewell, Leslie Robinson, Gregg Shapiro, Mick Weems, Julianne French, TF Barton, Romeo San Vicente, Jeff Fertig, Simon Sheppard, Tristan Taormino, Dennis Vanke, Mario Pinardi, Rick Kramer, Aaron Drake, Jennie Keplar, Scott Varner, Derrik Chinn, Dan Savage, Felice Newman, Tim Curran, Chris Hughes, Stephen J Fallon, Felice Newman, J. Eric Peters, Crystal Hawkins, Brent Wilder, Matthew Burlingame, Jacob Anderson-Minshall, Matthew Veritas Tsien, Cheri Meyers
BUSINESS & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Michael Daniels mdaniels@outlookmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 212.242.6863 ADVERTISING DEADLINE Each Wednesday 8 days prior to publication. Call us at 614.268.8525. HOW TO REACH US Outlook Media, Inc. 815 N High St, Suite ii Columbus, OH 43215 614.268.8525 phone 614.261.8200 fax www.outlookweekly.net web www.outlookmedia.com business www.myspace.com/outlookweekly friends www.flickr.com/outlookweekly photos SUBSCRIPTIONS Call 614.268.8525
READERSHIP: 210,000 PEOPLE / MONTH Outlook Weekly is published and distributed by Outlook Media, Inc. every Thursday throughout Ohio. Outlook Weekly is a free publication provided solely for the use of our readers. Any person who willfully or knowingly obtains or exerts unauthorized control over copies of Outlook Weekly with the intent to prevent other individuals from reading it shall be considered guilty of the crime of theft. Violators will be prosecuted. The views expressed in Outlook Weekly are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or personal, business, or professional practices of Outlook Media, Inc. or its staff, ownership, or management. Outlook Weekly does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any interpretation, advice, opinion, or view presented. Outlook Media, Inc. does not investigate or accept responsibility for claims made in any advertisement. Outlook Media, Inc. assumes no responsibility for claims arising in connection with products and services advertised herein, nor for the content of, or reply to, any advertisement. All material is copyrighted ©2008 by Outlook Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
MAR 06 - MAR 12 VOLUME 12 NUMBER 36
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
SNAPSHOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........2 ABOUT TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........3 COMMENTARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........4 COMMUNITY CORNER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........6 EARTH TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........8 OUT BUSINESS NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......11 EXAMINED LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......13 NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......15 FEATURE: FILM FESTIVALS . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .16-27 DEEP INSIDE HOLLYWOOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......24 ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......24 INTERVIEW : BOB MOULD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......26 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......27 PUCKER UP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......28 SAVAGE LOVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......29 SPOTLIGHT : TABLOID THE MUSICAL . . . . . . . . .......30 THE LAST WORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......31 SCOPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......31 NEXT WEEK: GREEN COLUMBUS!
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 3
ABOUT TOWN by Chris Hayes THURSDAY, MARCH 6 CITY OF ANGELS The Angels of Lemnos @ MadLab, 105 N. Grant Ave, 614.221.5418, www.madlab.net: Nathan Spandrel spends the frigid winter days on the streets of the city searching for his “Gift from God” promised to him by his fifth grade teacher. We follow this childlike man’s journey through his present and past. Nathan finds his “Gift”, an abandoned baby in a city trash can. He believes the baby is an angel that fell from the sky and is determined to take his “angel baby” floating back to heaven. He spends a touching moment giving up his precious living gift. Nathan learns that redemption and lasting peace can only be attained through the forgiveness of those that haunt him from his past. Through March 29. 8p; $6$15. FILM NOIR The 32nd Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) @ Tower City Cinemas at Tower City Center, 216.623.FILM (3456), www.clevelandfilm.org: For the past 32 years, the CIFF has been the premier film event in Ohio. Today the CIFF presents a full survey of contemporary international and American Independent filmmaking, with more than 120 features and over 100 short subjects from almost 60 countries. Various times. GAY FOR PAY Out@Wex @ Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N. High St, 614.292.3535, wexarts.org: The annual three-day festival of queer film returns. See pages 16-17 for full details. FEMINISTS WELCOME Women’s History Month @ the Ohio Statehouse, High St bwt State & Broad, 614.728.2130, ohiostatehouse.org: Special Women’s History Month exhibition in Ohio Statehouse Map Room. Through Mar 31. Free. FRIDAY, MARCH 7 Come Together, Right Now… TransOhio Transgender and Ally Symposium @ Stonewall Community Center, 1160 N High St, 614.299.7764, www.stonewallcolumbus.org, www.transohio.org: Sessions, sessions and more sessions! Keynote speaker and performers are to be announced soon! Through March 9. You Can Dance…For Inspiration The 2008 OhioDance Festival @ various locations, www.ohiodance.org/festival.html: 2 days of classes, workshops and panel discussions. Special features include Guest Speaker Claire Porter who will teach a master class in Text and Movement. Kevin Ward receives the OhioDance award for Outstanding contributions to the Dance Artform and will also teach a Contemporary master class. Louise Guthman receives the award for Outstanding contributions to Dance Education. Is that a Penis or a Flower Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe @ Sundance Channel: Tonight catch the U.S. Television premiere of James Crump’s debut documentary Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe. The film airs as part of Sundance Channel weeklong series of documentaries focusing on photography. 8:30p, check carrier for channel.
SATURDAY, MARCH 8 23 FRAMES PER SECOND 4th Annual Columbus Jewish Film Festival @ various venues throughout town, 614.231.2731, www.cjfilmfest.org: The Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Columbus will present six days of gripping drama, thought-provoking documentaries, and heartwarming comedies during its 4th annual film fest.This year’s festival features 11 features and documentaries from Argentina, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico and the United States. Through Mar 13. See page 20 for more info. PUMMEL THIS HORSE OSU Men’s Gymnastics @ St Johns Arena, www.osuglbt.org: Join the OSU alumns for the OSU vs Oklahoma Gymnastics meet. Meet at U Cafe at 5:30p and prepare for the flexibility of the athletes. The group will gather in the section of St John’s above the rings as the meet gets started. 7p; Tickets may be purchased at the door. SUNDAY, MARCH 9 I HEARD SHE CHOKED ON A DIET PILL Tabloid The Musical @ Shadowbox Cabaret, Easton Towne Center, 614.416.7625, shadowboxcabaret.com: After a ten year hiatus from self-producing original, full-length musical productions Shadowbox returns with Tabloid The Musical premiering tonight! Smart, witty, and upbeat Tabloid weaves the lives of a recently deceased starlet and her estranged family with a tabloid columnist and the paparazzi. Through April 13. 7:30p, $20 / $10 students and seniors. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12 JUST A DAY DREAM BELIEVER Thurber House Evenings with Authors presents Mary Doria Russell @ the Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Ave, 614.464.1032, www.thurberhouse.org: Russell, an Ohioan and a New York Times bestselling author for her novel, The Sparrow, will read from her latest novel, Dreamers of the Day. 7:30p; $18 adv, $20. FOR A PIE GenWex Trivia Night / Mixtape Exchange @ Wexner Center for the Arts Performance Space, 1871 N. High St, 614.292.3535, wexarts.org/rsvp: Is pink your favorite Trivial Pursuit category? Are you a closet Jeopardy fan? Then join the Wexner Center’s young patrons’ group for our first Trivia Night and show off your knowledge of useless pop culture trivia. Useless, that is, until now, when you could win some great prizes, not to mention bragging rights. You can join up with friends and enter as a team of four, or come solo and we’ll match you with a team on site. The evening also features our first mixtape exchange. If you bring a mixtape/CD that night, you’ll be able to take home someone else’s. 6p-9p; free. BLAST OFF The Outer Sounds Music Fest w/ Blastronauts @ Rumba Cafe (tonight), Hudson at Summit, and Scarlet and Grey Café (tomorrow), www.myspace.com/blastronauts: Blastronauts are releasing their debut EP, Interstellar Groove Machine, with a mini music fest. The Outer Sounds will feature 5 of the best in indie, psychedelic, alternative and folk acts each night as well as DJ Lyno and redline spinning between sets and a couple of comedians. Blastronauts will close out each night with a 45 minute set. MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
The Reader Poll
4 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
COMMENTARY by Chris Crain
John McCain the McMaverick? The presumptive GOP nominee may buck his party on some issues, but gay Republicans should find no solace in the Arizona senator. I understand why the gals on Grey’s Anatomy call Patrick Dempsey McDreamy, and I certainly get why Eric Dane is McSteamy, but I don’t really understand why John McCain is so attractive as the “McMaverick Republican” to GOP moderates, especially if they are gay. When Mitt Romney bowed to mathematical realities after Super Duper Tuesday and quit the presidential race, McCain became the presumptive nominee. Log Cabin Republicans responded with barely contained jubilance. Log Cabin’s favored primary candidate was Rudy Giuliani, a relative gay rights moderate, who bowed out even earlier. That didn’t dampen Log Cabin’s enthusiasm over Romney’s departure. “Governor Romney [spent] tens of millions of dollars to hide his record and to distort the record of his opponents,” the gay GOP group said in a statement. “In the end, voters did not find this version of Mitt Romney to be credible. Too many voters learned the truth about his record, and that record didn’t match his new found conservative rhetoric.” While there’s no question Log Cabin had a score to settle with Romney, who promised as recently as 1994 that he would be a more effective advocate for gay rights than Ted Kennedy. But is it really the Log Cabin view that Romney’s pro-gay past is inconsistent with being a true conservative, and his anti-gay presidential campaign reflects “newfound conservative rhetoric”? I had thought the gay Republican view was that individual freedom and equality of opportunity are centrals tenet of true conservatism and a founding principle of Abraham Lincoln’s Republican Party.
The message from Log Cabin was also clearly directed at other Republican politicians with records supportive of gay rights: There’ll be hell to pay if you flip-flop on us. But is that really the likely message GOP politicos will take? Or will those with aspirations to higher office (and don’t they all?) shy even further away from supporting gay rights because they know any attempt to tack back to the right later on will be met with greater acrimony than if they stuck with the safer anti-gay party line? It is true, of course, that Romney transparently reinvented himself for a presidential run, but LCR’s fave Giuliani did so as well to some extent. Before Rudy ran for president, he said he favored repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and civil unions for gay couples. He reversed himself on both issues, though he still marginally supported domestic partnerships. As bad as Romney and even Rudy were, Log Cabin can’t be too happy with McCain, the McMaverick Republican. The longtime senator from Arizona has certainly been more consistent on gay issues, but he’s been consistently bad. Like George Bush, McCain also says he opposes discrimination of any sort and yet (like Bush) he opposes repeal of the ban on gays in the military and is against even basic gay civil rights laws, whether discrimination in the workplace or tackling hate crimes. McCain does oppose a federal marriage amendment (on federalism grounds), but the president doesn’t get a vote on constitutional amendments and there’s zero likelihood that a President McCain will waste an iota of political capital opposing congressional Republicans on a marriage amendment. His party maverick streak has never extended to social issues like abortion or gay rights.
Last week we asked:
McCain also vigorously opposes any form of legal recognition whatsoever for same-sex couples. He even favored Arizona’s draconian antigay ballot measure in 2006, which would have prohibited not just gay marriages and civil unions, but even basic domestic partnerships. It was so severe that it stands out as the only antimarriage ballot initiative to be rejected by U.S. voters. It’s true that McCain doesn’t pander to the right with rhetoric about “traditional family values,” even last week when he was trying to win over conservatives as the presumptive GOP nominee. Many moderates and libertarians still love McCain for calling out Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as “agents of intolerance” back in 2000. But let’s not forget how McCain sucked up to both of them in advance of this presidential run, even speaking at Falwell’s Liberty University, which routinely expels gay students. What’s worse, McCain is promising something much more dangerous than coded anti-gay rhetoric: judges and justices like Bush’s Supreme Court appointees who, in McCain’s words, “enforce, and not make, our laws.” Ultimately the question of marriage will reach the Supreme Court, when some states refuse to recognize gay marriages from other states, and justices insistent on divining “original intent” — as opposed to the plain meaning of the Constitution — will no doubt rule the wrong way. The year is 2008, not 1992, and it is long past time for social moderates and gay Republicans to expect more of the GOP standard bearer than John McCain offers. Chris Crain is former editor of the Washington Blade and five other gay publications and now edits GayNewsWatch.com. He can be reached via his blog at www.citizencrain.com
Do you think today’s Gay Civil Rights Movement can be compared to the Black Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s’? Yes 55.1% No 44.9% Why? Those who answered Yes: group • While the discrimination • So many of our colof blacks was blatant and leagues and friends are no codified, gay discrimina- longer hiding in the closet tion is more implicit mak- and are now “seen”. They ing it more difficult to should also be heard and combat. permitted to be as every• One word - “equality” one else is. • But not to the same de- • Both groups faced disgree. Today, gay’s have al- crimination ready made significant • We are still a group peoprogress but for blacks in ple feel comfortable disthe 1960’s, it was still criminating against in pretty much at a totally public, our BASIC rights uphill battle with. Also, are denied! being black for most blacks is a pretty apparent Those who answered No: and obvious recognizable • The number of laws and feature. Many gays can go constitutional amendabout their lives without ments pose a much more anyone knowing about difficult codified target to their sexuality and stay strike down; and as long reasonably buffered from as religious groups conany direct anti-gay socie- sider our community an tal behaviors. At the core, abomination our progress there is much similarity will be painfully slow. when looking at the dy• It does not have the monamics of prejudice and mentum, or larger dedicabigotry and the consetion by its people quences and toll it takes • Because there is not a on those being targeted. real union in the gay comYes, there are comparisons munity, mostly everything but overall it has been a is about sex much tougher battle for • Gay vs color blacks. • Gays could go anywhere • Same struggles different Log on to: www.outlookweekly.net to take this week’s poll.
GR OUP
19%
S
OU CH RCE E AR : AME RICAN RES
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
CATEGORY
NOV 2 ’04
MAR 3 ’08
DIFFERENCE
AMERICAN DEAD
1,122
3,973
2,851
AMERICAN WOUNDED
8,124
29,203
21,079
IRAQI CIVILIAN DEAD
16,342
88,994
NATIONAL DEBT
$7,429,629,954,236
$9,330,185,458,840
DAYS ‘TIL 2008 ELECTION
1,463
246
72,652 $1,900,555,504,604 (1,217)
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 5
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
6 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
COMMUNITY CORNER
OHIO SPLASH BOOSTS NUMBERS, OFFERS FREE WOMEN’S SWIM CLINIC You may have been to one of their elaborate drag shows or perhaps a bingo fundraiser, or maybe you’ve seen them wearing gold medals in pictures taken at competitions around the world. But when they’re not out on the town or traveling to international destinations, the place you’re most likely to find them is in the pool, three times a week, training with a crew of talented local coaches. Yes, we’re talking about the Ohio Splash, central Ohio’s United States Masters swim team for GLBT swimmers, their friends and allies. The team includes a diverse and support-
ive group of individuals and is committed to creating a positive workout environment for swimmers of all levels. The team is open to all, and offers several opportunities to compete in national and international competitions each year. Since the team was started more than 10 years ago, Splash swimmers have competed in cities across the globe from New York, Atlanta, San Francisco and Philadephia, to Montreal, Sydney, Amsterdam and Paris. The team has a strong reputation on the competitive swimming circuit and regularly comes home from
meets with handfuls of medals from individual and relay events, sprint distance to open water swims. Even more than its medals, though, the team is proud to be an inclusive environment for swimmers looking to improve their stroke, without any history (and sometimes no interest) in competing, who simply want to swim once or twice a week for the exercise. The team is working to boost its numbers and invites swimmers of all levels to join them at any of their 3-4 practices a week. More info about the team and practices can be found at www.ohiosplash.org.
Interested in joining? Want to learn more? On Sunday March 9th, the Ohio Splash hosts a free women’s swim clinic from 3:30-5p at the downtown YWCA located at 65 S. 4th St. No workout experience necessary; if you can swim across a pool, you are welcome to attend. Several women coaches will be on deck to offer an introduction to the team and individualized workouts for swimmers from novice to competitive. For more information or to register, please call 614.262.6558 or email: livgg@hotmail.com
CMTO REGISTRATION BEGINS
GAY HOCKEY IS ON
The Columbus Metropolitan Tennis Organization began accepting registrations for 2008 season March 1. Registration for all levels of the singles and doubles leagues ends on March 31, with play beginning May 1. Registration fees for the singles league will be $35; doubles players will pay $25 per person ($50 per team). CMTO will two different singles leagues for the first time this summer. Players can choose between a round robin format with assigned matches each week, or a challenge ladder system with matches arranged by the participants. Please see the CMTO web site for more information. CMTO offers competition for players ranging from the beginner (NTRP 2.0) to the experienced (NTRP 4.0 and up). A two-day tournament is held in August, and for the first time, will be open to both CMTO league members and outside players. For over 12 years, CMTO has offered the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered tennis players of Columbus a summer league. More information about CMTO, and downloadable registration forms, can be found at www.cmto1.org.
Gay Hockey Ohio (GHO) is Ohio’s first GLBT / GLBT-friendly hockey team. They have a diverse group of members and fans, varying in ages, skill level and sexual orientation . At present, we are largely self-funded, although we are seeking sponsors. A newcomer to central Ohio’s GLBT sports, GHO was started in June, 2005 with our first team – the Mayhem. They had barely enough skaters to make a team. This Fall they added a second team – the Havoc and skated approximately 40 players between the two teams. Both teams are part of the Chiller Adult Hockey League and play at the various Chiller rink locations around the City. The Havoc had a rough first season this Fall. The Mayhem are becoming much more competitive and made it to the first round of playoffs every session in 2007 (Winter, Summer and Fall). Mayhem’s last playoff game was a real nail-biter. The game was tied at the end of regulation play and remained that way after a 5-minute sudden death overtime, forcing a shootout between the teams. Special awards this year go to Forest Edwards – Most Valuable Player; Udo Schmidt-sinns – Rising Star; and Jim Pun – Rookie of the Year. The officers for 2008 are Mark Miller, President; Colette Haley, Vice President; Forest Ed-
wards, Treasurer; Uwe Scharffy, Secretary; and Ryan Jones, Social Chair. If you are interested in joining us or supporting us, you may contact them at info@gayhockeyohio.com or check out our website at gayhockeyohio.com.
for all those who come out to enjoy and support it.” Among the events scheduled for this year’s race are a Kids’ Sprints competition and Ohio Series Criterium race on Saturday afternoon; a Saturday night street party with food, drinks, live entertainment and children’s activities; and a final set of criterium races on Sunday afternoon. The races will feature both men and women cyclists in multiple professional categories. The criterium courses will cover a number of the hilly, tree-lined streets on either side of Grandview Avenue, the city’s main thoroughfare. Event sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are available by contacting Jeff Shaw at 614-224-5844 or jeffs@shawpp.com. The Germain Tour de Grandview Cycling Classic is Ohio’s premier cycling event, attracting an international field of more than 300 professional cyclists to central Ohio each year, as well as hundreds of cycling enthusiasts and spectators. Celebrating its 16th year in 2008, the Tour is organized by the non-profit Grandview Community Association with the support of the City of Grandview Heights, local volunteers and sponsoring businesses. More information is available at www.tourdegrandview.com.
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
TOUR DE GRANDVIEW CYCLING CLASSIC TO RETURN JUNE 28-29 The Germain Tour de Grandview Cycling Classic will celebrate 16 years in central Ohio when the event returns to Grandview Heights June 28 and 29. A favorite stop for top professional cyclists from the U.S. and around the world, the event features two days of world-class bicycle racing through the streets of suburban Grandview, as well as a number events and activities for spectators and cyclists alike. “The Germain Tour de Grandview is a wonderful tradition and one of the great summer events in central Ohio,” said Grandview Heights Mayor Ray DeGraw. “We’re pleased to be bringing the race back for the 16th time in 2008 and look forward to another star-studded field, some incredible racing, and a great time
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 7
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
8 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
EARTH TALK From the Editors of E
Dear EarthTalk:
Dear EarthTalk:
What is the status of sharks around the world? I see occasional stories about sharks attacking humans, but on balance aren’t we a lot more brutal to them then they are to us?
What are some of the best online sources of environmental information? Hip2bGreen
Pam Hitschler It’s true that humans do a lot more damage to shark populations than vice versa. Marine biologists report that sharks are in rapid decline around the world. In the North Atlantic Ocean, shark populations have declined more than 50 percent over the past 20 years alone, with some species now nearing extinction. Experts see the primary cause as overfishing, which depletes sharks as well as their prey. Sharks are especially vulnerable to illegal “longlines” (fishing nets strung across dozens if not hundreds of miles of ocean), where they get inadvertently snared along with the tuna and swordfish fishermen intend to catch. Rising demand for shark fin soup in is also contributing to the demise of sharks. According to a report by Wildaid, shark fins are among the most expensive seafood products in the world, selling for some $700 per kilogram on the Hong Kong market. With prices like that, many longline fishermen, who are already operating illegally, are happy to augment their incomes by “finning” a few sharks along the way. (Finning is the practice of removing a fin from a shark and discarding the rest of the carcass at sea.) Often, threatened wildlife species manage to maintain their numbers in spite of excessive human predation. But sharks face an especially uphill battle, says renowned shark expert Ransom Myers, because they “take a long time to mature and have relatively few babies.” So what is being done to save sharks? In the U.S., the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act is the primary law that oversees the conservation of U.S. fisheries and has established various management regulations for 39 species of sharks in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. It outlaws finning if the carcass is dis-
carded but not if the rest of carcass is kept, clearly an unfortunate loophole. The U.S. also helped develop a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization treaty (the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks) whereby 87 countries agreed to develop their own plans for the conservation of sharks. However, only two countries - the U.S. and Australia - have lived up to the agreement. The U.S. plan is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has been working with regional fisheries authorities to make sure fishermen are sticking to cautiously low quotas regarding the number of sharks they are allowed to catch. What can consumers do to save the sharks? The Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California urges consumers to avoid all shark products, not just on restaurant menus but also all souvenirs such as jaws and teeth, and shark-cartilage pills, which have been touted as cancer cures but which have been proven to be completely ineffective and are now widely considered a scam. The aquarium also encourages consumers to support with their pocketbooks conservation groups working to protect sharks and oceans, and specifically those working to set aside marine reserves that are off-limits to fishing.
One of the best places to start in venturing out into eco-cyberspace is the website of a green group you already know - perhaps one for whom you have donated money or volunteered. Most groups use their websites to keep their supporters updated on the issues they cover, and provide links to many other green websites. Beyond such groups, several independent “third-party” sources also provide useful information on a wide range of environmental topics, from consumer tips to news to action alerts. One leading green website is Grist (grist.org), which reports environmental news in a witty and engaging manner, billing itself as “gloom and doom with a sense of humor.” Checking out Grist’s daily rundown of environmental news is de rigueur among eco-activists, and many regular folks keep tabs on it, too. Other excellent news sources include Environmental News Network (enn.com), and Environmental News Service (ens-newswire.com). And one new kid on the block is The Daily Green (thedailygreen.com), which bills itself as the “consumer’s guide to the green revolution.” Owned by major magazine publisher Hearst, The Daily Green offers news, green tips and advice, and a plethora of green home, food and lifestyle topics. The Green Guide (thegreenguide.com), run by National Geographic, is probably the best online source for green consumer information, specializing in green living tips, product reviews and environmental health news. Looking for guidance on saving water around the house, choosing among non-toxic paints or packing greener lunches for your school-age kids? The Green Guide would be a good place to start. If you’re interested in more comprehensive looks at green issues and topics, emagazine.com
posts much of the content of its flagship E – The Environmental Magazine, along with weekly news and commentary. Visitors can also access 18 years worth of in-depth articles - the magazine has been turning out bi-monthly print issues since 1990 - on just about every green topic imaginable. Those interested in social networking and the environment should look to Care2 (care2.com), the world’s largest online environmental community. The site offers its eight million members free e-mail accounts and provides lots of background information on just about every environmental issue. A handful of green ‘blogs are starting to get a lot of media attention and web traffic. The king of them all is Treehugger (treehugger.com), which offers several posts each day from a stable of thinkers committed to environmental issues. Its coverage is not comprehensive, but Treehugger excels at tapping into trends in environmental thinking and culture. Another source of environmental tips and culture online is IdealBite (idealbite.com), a blog-style site offering up “bite-sized ideas for light green living.” And then there are the “click-to-donate” websites, where visitors can read up on a variety of conservation campaigns and then contribute money via credit card. Ecology Fund (ecologyfund.com), the Rainforest Site (the rainforestsite.com) and Red Jellyfish (redjellyfish.com) are some of the leaders in this category. So cue up that browser and start clicking. You’ll be amazed at what you can learn, let alone accomplish!
Contacts: Wildaid, www.wildaid.org; Monterey Bay Aquarium, www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp. Got an environmental question? E-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php. MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 9
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
10 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 11
OUT BUSINESS NEWS by John Herman
PLAIN TALK ABOUT FANCY MORTGAGES: STICK WITH THE OLD-FASHIONED 30-YEAR FIXED The word “candidate” derives from the word “candid”, and politicians running for office this year have learned that voters prefer frank talk, not a sales pitch. The same is true for homeowners shopping for a mortgage. As we prepare for springtime – which is historically the best time to buy a home – it is appropriate to talk about ways to weed out the hype about exotic residential mortgages in favor of oldfashioned fixed rate loans. The most recent bull market in real estate was artificially inflated by high-risk loans that encouraged consumers to leverage themselves to the max. The old fashioned and reliable 30year fixed rate mortgage – which helped to steadily grow this nation’s housing market for many decades – was upstaged by sexier, trendier, more exotic residential mortgages. Too many borrowers got in over their heads and are now paying a painful price, and the current mortgage crisis has left consumers shellshocked and wary. Many bad loans were made to good people within the past few years, and millions of borrowers got stuck with ultra fancy mortgages that were inappropriate, expensive, and downright difficult to comprehend. To avoid that trap while getting the most from your mortgage dollars, it pays to learn as much as possible about various types of loans and refinancing programs. Choose those that help
you grow equity in realistic, manageable ways. Highly leveraged loans have their place in the market, but for most homebuyers, especially those who are not professional investors, such mortgages can be a financial nightmare. Especially in 2008, it is prudent to opt for a low-risk, no-frills mortgage with user-friendly terms and conditions that will not change with the weather but will help you safely withstand any economic climate or storm. Here is the straight sauce on three of the most exotic – but more risky – home loans. Hybrids: Suddenly hybrids came into fashion, playing upon the emotions of those who associate anything named “hybrid” with ecological responsibility and energy independence. And while these hybrid mortgages blended the best of several different types of loans into one convenient and user-controlled package, most were structured around a typical adjustable interest rate mortgage. In today’s climate an adjustable rate is too volatile for most homeowners, and the other hybrid features are just more high-risk bells and whistles. No Money Down Mortgages: Then there were those dreaded no-moneydown loans. We all want to get something for nothing, and no-money-down is a phrase that usually precedes a get rich quick sales pitch. In the real estate business no down payment is
another way of saying “no equity”, however, and if you buy without putting anything down and property values plummet you learn the meaning of “upside down”. Scores of homeowners are “upside down” in their loans, or in other words they now owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Pay the biggest down payment you can manage, because it is money in the bank. Negative Amortization Loans: Another exotic loan that makes perennial comebacks is the negative amortization loan. With this kind of mortgage you can make monthly payments ad infinitum and still wind up owing more on your mortgage than you did when you first took out the loan. Negative amortization mortgages become wildly popular during every major real estate bull market and then go out of favor when homeowners experience the dark side of these equity-draining loans. Each generation of Americans learns about negative amortization by first becoming enamoured by them and then learning to hate them. But even if you tell your children and grandchildren about them they probably will have to live to learn for themselves how risky these highly leveraged and suspiciously seductive loans can be. By now most homeowners understand that adjustable rates and no-equity loans are dangerous in a rising interest rate environment,
but a few years ago the ARM was marketed as the quickest path to wealth. For many it was, because they could use a low rate to buy property that was soon sold for fast profits. But in a slower market with the potential for unexpected rate hikes, avoid the ARM. Stick with the retro reliability of a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, and enjoy an ideal combination of cheap rates, low risk, predictable payments, and easy-to-understand terms. When applying for a loan, also specify that you want mortgages that do not contain prepayment clauses that penalize you for paying them off early. Today’s interest rates are at historically low levels, with fixed rates hovering around 5 ½ percent on 30-year fixed rate loans and at or below 5 percent on 15-year notes. Housing prices continue to be once-in-a-lifetime bargains, and 2008 will be a banner year for those who buy affordable homes with exceptionally attractive mortgage rates. Buy wisely, enjoy your home, and don’t worry about the mortgage meltdown drama. For “straight” talk from gay-friendly lenders and Realtors, contact www.GayRealEstate.com and www.GayMortgageLoans.com. These sites host the world’s largest online network of real estate specialists serving the GLBT community. Or call toll free at 1-888-420-MOVE (6683).
OHIO DEPT OF DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORY OF WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES
www.ohioinsurance.gov. The comprehensive public education program, provided by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), is designed to assist small businesses with information about business risks and insurance options. According to a 2006 report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic-owned businesses grew by 31 percent between 1997 and 2002 – three times the national average for all business. The Insure U for Small Business curriculum includes six categories of insurance information for small businesses: group health and disability; business property and liability; commercial auto; group life and key person life; home-based business insurance; and workers compensation (for businesses operating outside of Ohio). After reviewing the curriculum’s helpful explanations, tips and considerations, small business owners and managers can test their knowledge about insurance issues by taking an online quiz. “Small businesses are a major engine of our state’s economy, employing hundreds of Ohioans and generating immense economic activity,” said Director Hudson. “Hispanic business owners need to understand the array of business risks they face, as well as how to protect themselves with the right insurance coverage. Insure U for Small Business will help
Hispanic business owners and managers make smarter insurance decisions.” Research conducted by the NAIC in March revealed that many small businesses — defined as those with fewer than 100 employees — are exposed to serious risks that could be mitigated by a better understanding of insurance options. Key findings of the research show: • Only 47 percent of small businesses offer heath insurance to their employees. Of those, 24 percent report changing the fee structure, deductibles or other components in the past year to offset the rising cost of premiums. Only 35 percent of small businesses have business interruption insurance, which covers expenses like payroll and utility bills that often continue after a major event (e.g., a fire or storm) shuts down a company. Because rebounding from a disaster can take a considerable amount of time, small businesses need to understand this risk and the available insurance options. • Only 48 percent of small businesses carry commercial auto insurance. The others apparently rely on personal auto insurance. However, personal auto insurance policies typically have lower liability limits and may even exclude business-related liability. • While 71 percent of small businesses say they are very dependent on one or two key people for their success and viability, only 22 per-
cent have Key Person life insurance, a type of policy that enables a business to weather the death of a key employee or buy out the key person’s heirs if ownership rights are involved. • Among home-based businesses, 48 percent depend on their homeowners insurance to protect their businesses. However, most homeowners insurance policies severely limit coverage of business property and may totally exclude business-related liability claims. “Insure U for Small Business in Spanish represents a major commitment by the NAIC and Governor Strickland to help Hispanic small business owners,” Director Hudson said. “It builds on the momentum of the NAIC’s highly successful Insure U consumer education program introduced more than a year ago.” The U.S. Treasury’s Financial Literacy and Education Commission has made the Insurer U program part of its National Financial Education Network. Ohioans who have questions about insurance should contact the Ohio Department of Insurance at 1-800-686-1526. Language Line translation services is available for non-English speaking consumers who have questions. Ohio consumers can find the Insure U web site, in English and Spanish, by going to www.ohioinsurance.gov. There is also a Spanish–language version there as well.
Lt. Governor Fisher recently announced Iris Cooper as the new head of small business initiatives at the Department of Development. An article from today’s news regarding this development is pasted at the bottom of this e-mail. I met with Ms. Cooper today and had a great conversation with her about her efforts and the work of GOWIO. One of her first initiatives is to put together a women’s business resource directory, which will be completed by April. I wanted to pass along the Web site to you in case you do not have it already. Please share it with your colleagues and encourage them to sign up to be listed in the directory: http://www.odod.state.oh.us/edd/osb/WomenBusinessOwnersDirectory.htm
INSURANCE DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF “INSURE U EN ESPANOL” FOR HISPANIC SMALL BUSINESSES Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson announced the launch of the Insure U for Small Business En Espanol section on the Ohio Department of Insurance web site,
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OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 13
THE EXAMINED LIFE by Tom Moon, MFT
My Partner is Bulimic Q: My partner has been acting very erratic for the last few months. He gets agitated and flustered over things as insignificant as watering the plants. He gets mad at things I say as if they’re critical and attacking, when I know they aren’t. He worries constantly about money, even though we don’t have money problems. Last weekend after we had a nasty fight he collapsed in tears and confessed the big secret of his life. He told me he’s bulimic and has been bingeing and purging to control his weight off and on for at least eight years. For the last year it’s been mostly on. He’s had a few sessions with therapists over the years, but he never told any of them about this. In fact, aside from two old friends, nobody else knew about it until he told me. So here’s my problem. I told him that we have to get him into treatment, but he adamantly refused to consider it. He says we can’t afford it (not true), and that anyway, now that he’s told me he’s sure he can stop on his own. When I heard that I kind of lost it. I told him that it’s complete bullshit to think he can stop on his own. Unfortunately, I threatened to leave him if he doesn’t get help. I love him and didn’t mean that, but it really hurt him and now he says he’s afraid to trust me. I’m scared and confused. What can I do to help him?
A: What you’re facing may be more common than many of us previously knew. In a study published last year, researchers found that more than 15 percent of gay or bisexual men had at some time suffered from some form of eating disorder. The comparable figure for straight men was less than five percent: for lesbian and bisexual women it was under 10 percent; and for straight women it was about eight percent. All of the subjects for this study were New Yorkers, so we don’t know how much these conclusions apply to gay men generally. But the results certainly suggest that too many gay men are suffering, like your partner was, in silence, secrecy, and shame. Since most bulimics do feel ashamed and are highly secretive about their behavior, disclosing the truth to you was a very significant first step for your partner to take. It showed deepening trust in you as well as a desire to change. Your initial response wasn’t very skillful, but it was perhaps an understandable response to the panic you probably felt at the shock of his disclosure and at his initial resistance to treatment. Begin by apologizing for threatening to leave him, and offer him every reassurance that you will stand by him and support him in his recovery. I also suggest you offer him support and encouragement in any efforts he makes to stop
bingeing and purging. Frequent vomiting is highly destructive: it can cause gastric and dental problems, cancers of the throat and voice box, as well as many other physical problems. In addition, it also causes electrolyte imbalances; vitamin deficiencies, dehydration and malnutrition, and these are almost certainly factors in the emotional volatility you’ve been observing. He’ll be better off, physically and emotionally, if he can stop purging. If he can do it on his own, great; if he can’t, he’ll learn something very important about his condition. Having said that, I should add that I do agree with you that he needs therapy. Bulimia is a complex problem with deep roots, and the cycle of bingeing and purging is only the tip of a very deep iceberg. Bulimics typically suffer from depression or anxiety, low self-esteem, and a sense that they have no control over their lives. A history of early child abuse (including sexual abuse) or neglect is common. So I suggest you begin to think of the issue of treatment in a new way. To tell him that he needs therapy because he won’t be able to control his symptoms without it is a discouraging message which probably frames the issue for him as one of personal weakness and lack of self control. Instead, discuss therapy as a path for helping him understand and re-
solve the deeper underlying stresses. An important component in most treatment programs for eating disorders involves education, and one way to help him and yourself might be to learn more about the issue. I suggest you buy two books: for your partner Overcoming Bulimia: Your Comprehensive, Step by Step Guide to Recovery, by McCabe, McFarlande and Olmstead, and for yourself Bulimia: A Guide for Family and Friends, by Sherman and Thompson. Read and discuss these books together. You might also have a few sessions with a couple’s therapist to discuss how you can more effectively work together in coping with the issue. If he begins to associate therapy with education, cooperation, support, and exploration instead of personal defectiveness or threats of abandonment he may begin to see individual treatment as an attractive, rather than a threatening, option. Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. His website is tommoon.net.
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OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 15
NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL by Mette Bach
Friends Again It started with a letter. I wrote it to my ex, telling her how much I missed her, divulging everything I admired about her, all of the ways in which she had impacted me. It was a positive exercise. I was determined to forgive, forget, move on. I told myself I would mail it only if I still felt comfortable with the idea after a few days. The letter was on my bedroom floor, under a pile of laundry, when she called. I was amazed to hear her voice on the other end, asking my forgiveness, wanting my friendship. She called and we spoke. It was that simple, that complicated. I wanted nothing more than to forget everything that had happened between us and to have a laugh with my best friend again. It had been too long. Two weeks later, she called again and we had another ten minutes of pleasantries that culminated in silent tears on both ends and a quick good-bye. Eventually, we built up our skills. We could talk about her family or mine, about a recipe we’d come across on the Food Network or about something either of us had just read. Topics had to be adequately neutral and conversations adequately short. She surprised me again when she called and asked for more, “I don’t just want us to be friendly on occasion,” she said, “I want us to be friends.” This was huge. We’ve both managed to stay
friends with people who we’ve shared minor bonds with: part-time lovers, shag buddies and quickies we once had have stayed around, warranting phone calls, invites to parties or camping trips. But our relationship had been different – intimate, intense. Even though I still loved her when we broke up and I still love her now, I could not envision being friends with someone I wanted to share a life with. It seemed morbid. It was better – easier – to cut the ties, to bottle the feelings, to drown the hurt in work or booze or other distractions. This invite to friendship was a tricky one. What did it mean? Would it be terribly unhealthy for me? Perhaps I should talk to my therapist first. “Of course I want to be friends,” I blurted, not missing a beat. “I missed you.” “I’ve missed you like crazy,” she started to cry. I started to cry. Our sob fest continued as we told each other about the countless times we’d thought of each other and how awful it had been that there was this burden of silence between us. Even these last few phone calls, they had been nice but they had also been heavily censored. Of course, we would be friends. Why had I been so unsure? I had been hesitant of my own capacity, of her capability, of my desire, of her desire. When I thought about why I was mad at
her, the idea of staying friends seemed unthinkable, absurd and entirely unreasonable. When I wasn’t thinking about why I was mad, I just missed her. I missed her jokes, her goofy dance moves, her proclivity for naps and television. I missed her outlook, her savoir faire, her way of being. I had had innumerable conversations with her in my own head, as though she was still in my life, even when she wasn’t. When I thought about it, it wasn’t our romantic connection or even our sexual connection that I missed the most. It was everything else. I missed my friend. It had been seven months since the split, eight months since things got weird and maybe that was enough time for both of our egos to heal. I have two good friends, who were once a co-habitating couple, who have inspired me on many levels in the past few months. Their relationship ended, they moved apart. They each dated other people and had other co-habitating relationships and now they live with each other again, this time as roommates and best friends. The love between them is obvious. They wish each other well, they support each other, they are kind and loyal and healthy. I asked them what their secret was to becoming friends. They looked at each other and said that time was a key factor. They also said it helped them when they became involved with other people. Time…and other lovers?
Check and check. My ex and I have had the better part of a year and we’ve both dated and felt new things for other people. She came through town a few days ago and we saw each other and it was great and there was more crying. I never used to cry. Before this break up, I was one of those people who cries once a year and usually from something frustrating like a stubbed toe or a paper cut. The last eight months have marked a considerable shift in hydration. I can shed tears at anything now – a manipulative commercial, a romantic comedy, some guy walking his dog in the park. The catalyst doesn’t matter. The tears just come. I’m thankful to her for this. I’ve been on this planet for over three decades and have never had to confront the pain of missing someone so badly that it aches. She gave me that and so many other things. Could I be friends with her? Of course I could. It was the quickest, easiest decision I’ve ever made.
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FEATURE STORY
The Wexner Center presents the second annual Out @ Wex film festival Thursday–Saturday, March 6–8. A cinematic celebration of innovative queer filmmaking, this three–day, five-film festival includes visiting filmmakers, a celebration party, and the area premiere of Tom Kalin’s latest film Savage Grace, starring Julianne Moore. This screening will be intro-
duced by Kalin and the film’s producer Christine Vachon (who was the subject of a Wexner Center film retrospective in 2006). The festival also includes screenings of a star-studded documentary about designer Karl Lagerfeld and a short film by Massilon, Ohio native William E. Jones that is one of the highlights of this year’s Whitney Bienniel. A complete schedule is below.
Tickets for each night of the series are $7 general public; $5 members, students, and senior citizens; except for the Savage Grace screening, which is $10 general public and $8 members, students, and senior citizens. All films will be screened in the center’s state-of-the-art Film/Video Theater, 1871 N. High St. inside the Wexner Center. More information: 614 292-3535
or www.wexarts.org. Convenient parking is available in Ohio State’s Ohio Union Garage and Arps Garage, both with entrances from North High Street and College Road. Parking is also available nearby at the South Campus Gateway Garage, located one block east of North Street between 9th and 11th Avenues. continued on pg 18
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achingly acute depiction of teenage girls wrestling with friendship, heterosexual and same-sex crushes, and the ordinary cruelty of adolescents, as played out by a trio of girls hanging out at the municipal swimming pool one fateful summer. Preceded by No Bikini, a touching short from Canada, as much about gender discovery as about finding inner strength.
Thursday, March 6 AREA PREMIERE / INTRODUCED BY TOM KALIN AND CHRISTINE VACHON 7p: Savage Grace (Tom Kalin, 2007). 89 mins. Director Tom Kalin burst onto the national scene with his debut feature, Swoon, one of the most dazzling works within the new queer cinema of the early 1990s. His latest, Savage Grace, is an equally subversive take on the true-crime genre. Based on a best-selling account of the rich and dissolute heirs to the Bakelite plastics fortune, Savage Grace stars Julianne Moore as a desperately insecure social climber with an unnaturally close bond to her handsome gay son (Eddie Redmayne), a viperish disdain for her husband (Stephan Dillane), and a taste for all the excess that a stylish 1950s jet-setter could grab. Drugs, sex, and incest tell the rest of the story, in Kalin’s remarkably evocative rendition of this grabbed-from-the-tabloids anti-morality tale.
Friday, March 7 7p: Water Lillies (Celine Sciamma, 2007). preceded by No Bikini (Claudia Morgado Escanilla, 2007) 8 imns. Set in the suburbs of Paris, Water Lilies has charmed audiences internationally with its MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
Saturday, March 8 Noon (screening continuously throughout the day) Free In The Box video space: Tearoom (William E. Jones, 1962/2007). Silent. 56 mins. Book signing: 6p A highlight of the current Whitney Biennial exhibition, filmmaker William E. Jones’s Tearoom is a revelatory visual document of footage captured by a hidden police camera in a public men’s room in Mansfield, Ohio in 1962, an elaborate entrapment devised to catch men of various races and classes meeting to have sex with other men. Through extensive research, Jones located the unedited original footage, which he presents with virtually no intervention on his part – a radical example of film presented “as found” for the purpose of circulating pre-Stonewall gay images that have otherwise been suppressed. The Mansfield tearoom bust was a considerable scandal in its day, with the lives of dozens of men effectively ruined through the entrapment, and Jones’s re-play of the footage is an act of notable restoration. A native of Massillon, OH, and now living in Los Angeles, Jones received post-production support for Tearoom from the Wexner’s Art & Technology residency program, and his booklength background study to the film will be available in the Center’s Bookshop.
3:30p: Before I Forget (Jacques Nolot, 2007). 108 mins. Included on the ten best film list of last year by no less than John Waters, Before I Forget is a disarmingly matter of fact look at the life of an aging French hustler named Pierre, played with conviction by Jacques Nolot, who also happens to be the film’s writer and director. Having lived for over twenty years with HIV, Pierre finds himself at a crossroads after the death of the man who’s supported him for years and he’s forced to face the passing of his youth.
9:30p: Itty Bitty Titty Committee (Jamie Babbit, 2007) video, 87 mins. From Jamie Babbit, the director of But I’m a Cheerleader, comes the equally uproarious and affirming Itty Bitty Titty Committee, following the evolution of Anna from a lesbian wallflower to a member of the CIA (Clits in Action), a radical dyke art group based on The Guerilla Girls. The cast includes Melonie Diaz, Daniela Sea, Guinevere Turner, Jenny Shimizu, Clea Duvall and Melanie Lynskey With music by Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill and Le Tigre.
7p: Lagerfeld Confidential (Rodolphe Marconi, 2007) 89 mins. Reception from 8:30–10p “Fashion is ephemeral, dangerous, and unfair.” – Karl Lagerfeld Thus speaks the international fashion icon in Lagerfeld Confidential, an unprecedented look at the designer working in his studio and directing photo shoots, while maintaining a surprisingly (but not entirely) candid conversation about his life with the film’s director. Shot over two years, and studded with appearances from the likes of Nicole Kidman, Anna Wintour and Baz Luhrmann, it delivers a startling look at how unthinkable luxury can coexist with unthinkable isolation. continued on pg 20
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4th Annual Columbus Jewish Film Festival set for March 8-13 The Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Columbus will present six days of gripping drama, thought-provoking documentaries, and heartwarming comedies during its 4th Annual Columbus Jewish Film Festival from March 8 to 13. This year’s festival features 11 features and documentaries from Argentina, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico and the United States, to be shown at six venues throughout the city – including the Drexel Theater in Bexley and the Drexel Gateway. “One of the highlights of this year’s film festival will be an entire day of documentaries at the Drexel Gateway on Sunday, March 9,” said Emily Schuss, film festival director. “In addition, Block’s Bagels will be serving complimentary bagels during the event, which we are calling ‘Block’s and Docs.’ The documentaries range from a father-son road trip to boxing, and from female comics to the eviction of Jewish settlers from their Gaza homes.” Additional special events taking place during the film festival include an Opening Night Party on Saturday, March 8, at the Columbus Museum of Art, during which the Distinguished Arts Award will be given; a pre-screening reception at Bexley’s Michael Garcia salon on Monday, March 10; an Educational Symposium, “Can Confronting the Past Heal a Community?,” in tribute to the late Benson A. Wolman, on Tuesday, March 11, at the Wexner Center for the Arts, and a special appearance by Oded Gur Arie, son of “The Champagne Spy,” on Wednesday, March 12. “The films – many of them produced independently outside of the U.S. – do not adhere to the movie rating system as we know it,” said Schuss. “However, the majority of the films we show would be the equivalent of a PG-13 movie, with a few exceptions. We have tried to determine what these films would be rated, had they been produced in the U.S., and then made sure to let our filmgoers know – either through print publicity or on our website.” Films to be shown, venues, and event details during the Columbus Jewish Film Festival are as follows. Opening night – Saturday, March 8, at the Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St., downtown: My Mexican Shiva – a dramatic comedy about how the death of a man results in the celebration of his life. Directed by Alejandro Springall, this feature was produced in Mexico in 2006. The 102-minute film is in Spanish, Hebrew and Yiddish, with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 7:30 p.m. The Opening Nigh Party – complete with Mexican food and drinks – will begin after the first film ends at approximately 9 p.m. During the party, this year’s Distinguished Arts Award will be given to Dr. Wayne Lawson, Director Emeritus of the Ohio Arts Council. The Bubble - a drama about three young IsMAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
raelis who share an apartment in Tel Aviv’s hippest neighborhood; when one of the men falls in love with a Palestinian man, he and his roommates conspire to help his lover stay on in Tel Aviv illegally. Directed by Eytan Fox, the feature was produced in Israel in 2006. The 117minute film – most recently selected for both New York’s Tribeca and Berlin International film festivals – is in Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is R for graphic sexuality. Film starts at 10:00 p.m. (Audiences may remember Eytan Fox’s film, Yossi & Jagger, which was shown at the Columbus Jewish Film Festival in 2005.) “Blocks and Docs” – Sunday, March 9, at the Gateway Drexel Theater, 1550 N. High St., on the OSU campus: Souvenirs – A documentary about a father and son who take a road trip to retrace the father’s trail with the Jewish Brigade, with which he served during World War II and the “souvenirs” he may have left behind with the local girls. Directed by Shahar Cohen and Halil Efrat, the documentary was produced in Israel in 2006 and won an Israeli Academy Award for Best Documentary. The 75-minute film is in Hebrew with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 11 a.m. Orthodox Stance – A documentary about Dmitriy Salita, a champion boxer and an uncompromising Orthodox Jew. Directed by Jason Hutt, the documentary was produced in the United States in 2006. The 82-minute film is in English and rated PG-13. Film starts at 1 p.m. Making Trouble – A documentary that tells the story of six of the greatest female comic performers of the last century - Molly Picon, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner and Wendy Wasserstein. Directed by Rachel Talbot, the film also was produced in the United States in 2006. At 85-minutes, the film is in English and rated PG-13. Film starts at 3 p.m. 5 Days – A gripping documentary that captured history being made when the Israeli Defense Force moved to evict the 8,000 remaining Jewish settlers from their Gaza homes. Directed by Yoav Shamir, the film was produced in Israel in 2005. The 94-minute film is in Hebrew with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 5 p.m. On Monday, March 10, at the Drexel Theater, 2254 E. Main St., Bexley: Gorgeous! (Comme Ty Es Belle) - A snappy romantic comedy set in Paris that celebrates the au courant Parisian woman, with tons of wit, smarts and not an insignificant amount of sexiness. Directed by Lisa Azuelos, the feature was produced in France in 2006. The 84-minute film is in French with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 7:30 p.m. A pre-film reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Michael Garcia’s A Salon, 2440 E. Main St., Bexley.
On Tuesday, March 11, at the Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N. High St., on the OSU campus: Greensboro: Closer to the Truth – A documentary about the Nov. 3, 1979 murders of five Communist Workers Party members by the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazis in Greensboro, N.C., and how – 25 years later – the horrific event has changed the lives of witnesses, spouses, and the murderers themselves. Directed by Adam Zucker, the 83-minute film in English was produced in the United States in 2007. Rated PG-13. Film starts at 6 p.m. Following the film, a light dinner will be served at 7 p.m., with discussion leaders facilitating small group conversations based upon the evening’s theme “Can Confronting the Past Heal a Community?” At 7:45 p.m., Greensboro director Adam Zucker will give a keynote presentation, followed by a panel discussion and question-and-answer session at 8 p.m. Panel members include Prof. David Goldberger of the OSU Moritz College of Law, OSU Prof. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, and Jane Ramsey, executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. On Wednesday, March 12, at the JCC of Greater Columbus, 1125 College Ave., Bexley: The Champagne Spy – A documentary about Major Ze’ev Gur Arie, a Mossad operative drafted in 1960 to penetrate the circle of German scientists developing weapons of mass destruction in Egypt. While his father was away, his son, Oded, was told that he must never speak about this secret because his father’s life depended on it. He didn’t – until now. Directed by Nadav Schirman, the film was produced in Israel and Germany in 2007 and won an Israeli
Academy Award for Best Documentary. The 90minute film is in Hebrew with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 7:30 p.m. Following the film, Oded Gur Arie will be on hand to greet filmgoers during a dessert reception. On Thursday, March 13, at the Arena Grand, 175 W. Nationwide Blvd., downtown: Sweet Mud – A feature about a 12-year-old boy, Dvir Avni, who lives on a kibbutz in southern Israel in the 1970s with his mentally ill mother, Miri. In this closed, unique society, bound by rigid rules, Dvir navigates between the kibbutz motto of equality and the stinging reality that his mother has, in effect, been abandoned by their collective community. Directed by Dror Shaul, the feature was produced in Israel and Germany in 2006. The 100-minute film is in Hebrew with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 7 p.m. Only Human – A wonderfully twisted Spanish comedy about the unfolding comedy of errors that occurs when a hyperactive Jewish family’s elder daughter brings home her Palestinian fiancé. Directed by Dominic Harari and Teresa de Pelegri, the feature was produced in Argentina in 2004. The 85-minute film is in Spanish with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is R for some sexual content, nudity and language. Film starts at 7:30 p.m. To see a complete film and event schedule, order tickets, or view film trailers, visit the film festival website at www.cjfilmfest.org. continued on pg 22
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Cleveland Film Fest’s 10% Cinema Segment Mixed and mingled between and amongst the other festival offerings, about 130 features and 160 short films of GLBT interest will be shown at this year's Cleveland Film Fest. Known as the "10% Cinema," the collection contains some of the world's best gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender films from across the globe.
Boystown (Chuecatown) Friday, March 14 at 11:45a Saturday, March 15 at 9:45p Loosely based on a Spanish comic book, BOYSTOWN is a romp through Madrid’s chic gay district, known as “Chuecatown.” Victor is an insufferably smug real estate agent with the body of an Adonis. His greatest desire is to gentrify some beat-up flats in the heart of Chuecatown so he can rent them to upwardly mobile gay couples. What Victor wants, Victor gets. Only problem is, the flats are still occupied, mostly by little old ladies unwilling to sell. Victor circumvents this obstacle by bumping off the grannies and making it look like suicide. Meanwhile, Leo and Rey, a cuddly working-class couple who love comic books and beer more than fine arts and aesthetics, are left one of the coveted apartments. Seeing as how they’re the wrong kind of gays for Victor’s development, he resorts to seducing Leo to try to coerce him into selling. Reminiscent of Pedro Almodovar’s outrageously colorful films, BOYSTOWN features a chase through a steamy bath house that’s worth the price of admission alone. (In Spanish with English subtitles). – BB
Finn’s Girl Friday, March 14 at 9:45p Saturday, March 15 at 11:45a Dr. Finn Jefferies is many things: an expert in women’s reproductive health, an abortion provider, a lesbian, and a single mom to Zelly, her out-of-control adolescent daughter. Finn’s partner, Nancy, has been dead of breast cancer for a year, and Finn is struggling with all her commitments. The abortion clinic was Nancy’s
project, and though Finn has taken it over, her heart isn’t in its administration. Her new girlfriend is a junior doctor at the clinic and is pressuring her to become more involved in their relationship. Zelly is too often left alone after school and is getting in trouble- swearing, stealing, and smoking pot in an expression of frustration with her unusual family situation. Zelly’s dad shows up occasionally to ask Finn to give him custody rights. Abortion protesters are becoming violent, taking occasional shots at Finn and making threatening phone calls to Zelly. Meanwhile, there are a couple of cool cops assigned to guard the family. They spend so much time watching over the kid that they develop a friendship. FINN’S GIRL is a warm film that focuses less on the potentially sensationalistic elements of Finn’s occupation and sexual orientation and more on the difficulties of a mother-daughter relationship. —BB
A Four Letter Word Tuesday, March 11 at 12p Wednesday, March 12 at 9:45p Chronicling the stories of four Manhattanites in New York City: Luke, in all his sparkling glory… gay cliché or merely lover of fun? Marilyn, a selfabsorbed, control freak, recovering alcoholic… will she or won’t she? Zeke, the principled sex shop employee… can you change stereotypes, and should you? Peter, struggling with the next step of commitment… is love really worth it? It’s monogamy vs. anything but. Against the backdrop of the sex shop where they work, Luke and Zeke become unlikely allies in this philosophical inquiry of love. Luke is happy in his promiscuous lifestyle until he meets someone worth knowing his name the next morning. But is the object of his affection who he appears to be? Zeke helps him to unravel the mystery. A FOUR LETTER WORD- and not necessarily the one you think- is a fun-filled exploration of the urban gay-male soul. – CCP
Holding Trevor Saturday, March 8 at 9:45p Sunday, March 9 at 2:15p Since age 16, floundering telemarketer Trevor (screenwriter Brent Gorski) has been taking care of his on-again, off-again boyfriend/best friend, Darrell, a troubled heroin addict. But this past trip to the hospital is the last straw: Trevor can’t wait for Darrell to change any longer. Or at least he says he can’t. Trevor still visits Darrell daily in hopes that this time his friend will get clean. Trevor’s other friends - Jake (Jay Brenner of “Shortbus”), a struggling musician who is devastatingly promiscuous, and Andie, a lonely fashion designer - desperately want him to move on with his life. At a trendy Hollywood party, Trevor meets hunky Ephram, the intern who admitted Darrell to the hospital. Ephram makes Trevor smile uncontrollably, and the two quickly develop an intimate relationship. Trevor finally seems ready to leave his past behind. When Jake throws an HIV-free party, Darrell unexpectedly shows up high and begging for more help. Can Trevor say no? Rosser Goodman’s HOLDING TREVOR skillfully explores the possibility of making changes in one’s life. But something still seems to be holding Trevor back… – EJB
Jerusalem is Proud to Present (Yerushalayim Geaa Lehatzig) Tuesday, March 11 at 9:45p Thursday, March 13 at 12p Political activities are probably more complex in Jerusalem than in any other city in the world; every day, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian religious leaders struggle for balance. In the summer of 2006,
Jerusalem was to host the first ever series of World Pride events, culminating in a pride parade. What seemed to be a noble idea soon ripped the city, already divided from hundreds of years of struggle, even further apart than ever. When Open House (Jerusalem’s LGBT community center) planned the events of World Pride, religious leaders found a common foe. All three religions decided to band together to fight the “defiling of the Holy City.” This in no way deterred Open House, as the activists stood strong in the face of anti-gay sentiments, death threats, and violence. The leaders of Open House fought their way to create what they believed to be an antidote to the hatred and ignorance so widespread throughout the city. JERUSALEM IS PROUD TO PRESENT stands as a witness to an important battle in the worldwide fight for LGBT civil rights. (In Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish and English with English subtitles) – WFG
Shelter Saturday, March 15 at 7p Sunday, March 16 at 2:15p Zach had dreams of a better life: he dreamt of going to art school; he dreamt of leaving his dead end job as a fry cook; and, he dreamt that his sister, Jeannie, and her young son would find someone else to support them. Just a year out of high school, after being turned down by Cal Arts, still cooking away at the restaurant, and constantly having to cancel plans to babysit since Jeannie’s social life seems to be more important than her own son – Zach is beginning to think those dreams are dead. Luckily, Zach has two ways to escape his reality: tagging abandoned buildings with his artwork and surfing. It’s through the latter that Zach truly feels like himself. By chance, Zach runs into his best friend’s older brother, Shaun, who has just moved back from Los Angeles to recover from a bad breakup. Even though Zach is warned that Shaun is “you know, a fag,” they quickly begin to spend as much time as possible together. It’s in these moments, beautifully filmed on the beaches of Southern California, that Zach starts to realize who he really is, what love is, and the sacrifices you endure make to make your dreams come true. – W.F.G. continued on pg 27
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 23
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
24 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
DEEP INSIDE HOLLYWOOD by Romeo San Vicente
MADONNA OFFERS FILTH AND WISDOM It had to happen. Madonna, after years of enduring almost unanimous disdain for her acting abilities, has traded for a spot behind the camera. The finished product is called Filth and Wisdom, and it recently premiered at the Berlin Film Festival to both boos and bemusement. It stars Richard E. Grant and musician Eugene Hutz (of the band Gogol Bordello) in a loose, grungy storyline that has more in common with Madonna’s Desperately Seeking Susan roots than with her later divalike Evita star turns. But its supporters are calling it a refreshing new path for the disco diva. Mrs. Ritchie may have an uphill cred mountain to climb, but given her enormous fan base, it’s almost a lock that distribution is imminent. Ready or not, her latest reinvention will be as an auteur.
IAN ZIERING MOVES FROM 90210 TO OB/GYN
RACHEL WEISZ FINDS LOVE ON THE NILE
Stretch marks, bloated ankles, and morning sickness can be hilarious. At least, that’s what the makers of Baby on Board are hoping, given the success of other recent pregnancy-themed movies. The new comedy stars Heather Graham and Jerry O’Connell as a married couple whose career-driven lives are thrown for a loop when she gets - to borrow a phrase from a recent box-office smash - “knocked up.” Ian Ziering - once the owner of the shiniest, fluffiest mullet in all of Beverly Hills, 90210 - plays Graham’s pal, a gay obstetrician, who does his best to help out in the face of the bitterness and awful advice that she and O’Connell get from their friends, played by John Corbett and Katie Finneran. (Finneran, you may recall, played the snarky lesbian sister on the short-lived Wonderfalls.) Currently shooting in Chicago, Baby on Board should be delivered into theaters in 2009.
Oscar winner Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener) looks like she could pull off some Cleopatra-style Nefertiti eyeliner - a good thing, considering that she’s going to be starring in a romance set in ancient Egypt. Gay Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar (The Others, The Sea Inside) will direct the film, about a slave (Oscar Isaac of The Nativity Story) who falls in love with his mistress (Weisz), a professor in Alexandria, at the dawn of the Christian era. Ashraf Barhom (The Kingdom, Paradise Now) co-stars as a zealous Christian monk. Since snagging her statuette for The Constant Gardener, Weisz has taken on a broad variety of roles in movies like The Fountain, Fred Claus, and Definitely, Maybe, and this as-yet-untitled project - which starts shooting this month - promises to keep the talented pro’s resume soundly eclectic.
TREVOR NO LONGER HELD In spite of the impact of the “New Queer Cinema” in the early 1990s, it’s still something of a small miracle when a gay indie movie rises up from the cracks and finds its way into real theaters outside of the film-festival circuit. Holding Trevor is one of those movies. From writer/producer Brent Gorski and director Rosser Goodman, Trevor is a dark comedy with a cast of unknowns, about queer 20-somethings navigating the suddenly deep waters of adult life. Will it attain the same appreciation that the recent “new naturalist” movies (aka the “mumblecore” films of upstart directors like Andrew Bujalski) about aimless youth have been getting from critics and audiences? The debate begins when the film gets released in May.
Romeo San Vicente is not ashamed to say that he had Luke Perry-esque sideburns in 1991. He can be reached care of this publication or at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com
ARTS
CHOREOGRAPHY PROJECT SEMIFINALISTS ANNOUNCED Twelve semifinalists have been selected in the third Columbus Choreography Project and awarded $1,250 to complete their new works. Supported by the Greater Columbus Arts Council and BalletMet, the project, which began in 2004, provides funding and a venue for local dance artists to explore the art of creating dances. Three choreographers will receive $2,500 fellowships after the final adjudication in April. Eighteen applicants presented works-inprogress at adjudications the week of Jan 28. The semifinalists were selected by preliminary adjudicator Melanie Bales, faculty member in The Ohio State University Department of Dance. The applicants presented works in styles including ballet, contemporary, modern and liturgical dance. The semifinalists’ works will be adjudicated Apr. 10 at the BalletMet Performance Space by a distinguished panel of dance experts. The diverse works range from contemporary to modern jazz to dance theatre. Semifinalist Nicole Cafera received a fellowship in the 2004 inaugural competition. The semifinalists are: Christian Broomhall; MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE
Nicole Cafera; Patrick Carmichael; Justin Gibbs; Sarah Hixon; Kristina Isabelle; Christine Mangia; Jimmy Orrante; Emily Ramirez; Jackson Sarver; Anna Sullivan, and Jeff Wolfe. Participating choreographers must be Franklin County residents who intend to maintain residency from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008. Applicants may not be students of any degree- or certificate-granting institution. Fellowship winners of the 2005-2006 Columbus Choreography Project were not eligible to apply.
The City of Upper Arlington’s Cultural Arts Division and UA Arts co-sponsor the Doris Nelson Arts Scholarship and The Judith Chalker Literary Arts Scholarship. Applications are now available for these scholarships for high school seniors who reside in Upper Arlington and plan to pursue the arts. The application deadline is Friday April 18, 2008. The Doris Nelson Arts Scholarship is named for the City of Upper Arlington’s first Arts Manager, and are two scholarships awarded to Upper Arlington high school seniors who plan to continue further study in the arts. These scholarships will be awarded to students who create and/or perform in the following arts categories: vocal music, instrumental music, dance, theatre, film, video and visual arts. Named for the City of Upper Arlington’s second Arts Manager, The Judith Chalker Literary Arts Scholarship is awarded to an Upper Arlington high school senior who plans to continue further study in the literary arts. It will be awarded to a student who creates work in
fiction, including drama, fantasy, and poetry, or non-fiction, including biography, essay, and narrative non-fiction. The outstanding women for whom these awards are named believed strongly in nurturing the arts in us all. Past recipients of the scholarships have gone onto arts internships, arts colleges and rewarding careers in the arts. Recently a 2007 Doris Nelson Scholarship winner Drew Mehraban shared with the Cultural Arts Division, “I very much appreciate your support last year by granting me the Doris Nelson Arts Scholarship for performing arts – instrumental…it was an honor and a great help to me financially.” The Cultural Arts Division is honored to have helped him and other students dedicated to following their dreams in the arts. For additional information about these scholarships contact your high school counselor or call the Upper Arlington Cultural Arts Division at 614.583.5310, or visit our Web site: www.ua-ohio.net.
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 25
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
26 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
MUSIC
Bob Mould’s District Line Bob Mould is here, he's queer and he'll talk about it, but he'd rather let you get to know him through "District Line," his highly personal, intimate and introspective album about the complexity of love and life at—or longing for—the hands of another. Bob Mould, the genius behind seminal post-punk outfit Husker Du as well as the guiding force behind 90's alternative-rock heavyweight Sugar, will tour the U.S starting March 5th. The tour will feature both classic material from Mould's considerable body of work, as well as new songs from his forthcoming Anti- debut, District Line. As tight and unfettered as its cover art, Bob's new album is a satisfying return to form for his fans— which include everyone from the Foo Fighter's Dave Grohl to Daft Punk's Thomas Bangaltar—as well as a great introduction for the unfamiliar to one of alternative rock's most important musicians. As the gay publicist for a gay artist who's not always been "out," I listened closely to Bob Mould's District Line album to try to hear the "queer" in it. What I found was that regardless of the specificity of the lyrics, I related to the album as a whole, so I'm guessing you will, too. Some songs were a bit more specific, like "Who Needs To Dream?" So I asked Bob about the queer aspect of the album. "The stories on the record are a hybrid of autobio-
graphical and observational, typically within the same song. 'Who Needs To Dream' is indeed manspecific, with the 'chasing the one who's running away while being chased by the one you don't want' line being a good entry point. 'Stupid Now' is the making a fool of yourself for someone who isn't interested. (I am not the best at picking apart my own lyrics, I usually respond better to someone else's interpretation.) A few things that I think are important: The universal nature of relationships. Gay relationships are different in some specific ways, but the universal nature of relationships, love, longing, joy, disappointment, are generally the same no matter what. I've always tried to highlight this. My contentment as a gay man — an element that was definitely missing for the first 40 years of my life — is something I'm very conscious of and feel important to impart to others. I was one of those self-hating homosexuals, but now that I have a fully integrated life, I feel like my work is much stronger." And as they say, all work and no play...Many may recognize Bob Mould as one of the two DJs and hosts behind the wildly successful Blowoff parties. The other is electronic maestro Richard Morel (who also tours in The Bob Mould Band). www.myspace.com/bobmould
BOB MOULD- DISTRICT LINE OUT NOW ON ANTI-Records2008
SEE BOB MOULD LIVE 03.08.2008 - 9:00 PM - Grog Shop 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, Ohio Tickets are $15 and available at www.ticketmaster.com or www.grogshop.gs
BOOKMARKS by William J. Mann
Tim Miller Invites Us To Peek Into His Glory Box As He And His Partner Alistair Mccartney Are Pushed To The End Of The World In Mccartney’s New Novel! Imagine for a moment that you lived in a country where your boyfriend or girlfriend, life partner (whatever you want to call them) could be deported at any moment, there would be a knock at the door and your lover would be pulled from your bed and taken away. Imagine having to separate because of the laws of that country won’t allow you to stay together. Imagine that you and your lover would both have to quit your jobs, sell the house and leave that nation to make a life together in a more civilized country. What country is this? Russia? Iran? Nope, sorry, you don’t make it to the final round of Jeopardy! That country is the United States of America and that is the situation that all bi-national lesbian and gay couples face in America. Unlike most western countries (Canada, Australia, Holland, Spain, Belgium, England, France, Sweden and many others) that have begun to honor gay relationships with immigration rights, in the US, where lesbian and gay partnerships are given none of the same special privileges that all heterosexual marriages are afforded, when an American citizen falls in love with someone from another country they will quickly realize what a homophobic American pickle they’ve gotten themselves into. Solo performer Tim Miller and writer Alistair McCartney have been living in this Kafkaesque MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
situation for fourteen years since their relationship began in London in 1994. This bi-national gay poster couple will be all over Ohio in March. Miller dives into this political material in his performance Glory Box which will be performed March 19 at Ohio Wesleyan University, March 21at C-Space in Cleveland and March 25 at Miami University. In a work that is disarmingly funny, pissed off, sexy and challenging. Miller explores in Glory Box his relationship with his Australian partner Alistair McCartney, charting their struggles to make a life together in the United States, a country that does not have any kind of immigration rights for committed long-term gay relationships. No stranger to controversy (Miller was one of the notorious NEA 4, the four performances artists who had their grants taken away in 1990 for the content of their work), Miller’s performances have been at the center of the culture wars, the fights against AIDS and the struggle for lesbian and gay culture for all of the 90s. But all that pales by comparison to what Millers says will be “the fight of my life” as he tries to claim his equal rights as an American citizen in the most intimate of places, his committed love relationship. Just as Tim and Alistair once again find themselves in the midst of their struggles with the biased immigration laws of this country, potentially having to dismantle their home together in Los
Angeles once Alistair’s H1B work visa expires, Alistair’s first novel The End of the World Book (University of Wisconsin Press) is out and making a big splash on the literary scene. It’s a novel in which the main character-who just happens to be named Alistair-recounts both the story of his life and the history of the world, and even more specifically, the world’s end, clearly a topic that is on everyone’s minds these days. But what’s even more striking and exciting about this novel is that it’s also an encyclopedia-A to Z-a kinky, irreverent archive of memories, dreams, homoerotic obsessions and philosophical fixations. And this is not your average encyclopedia! McCartney covers everything from Abercrombie and Fitch to Aristotle, Britney Spears to Socrates, Justin Timberlake to Terrorism, not to forget offering stories about growing up in Australia and his life with another character by the name of “Tim Miller.” Gay readers will be particularly intrigued by its twisted, provocative take not only on core aspects of pop culture but also Gay culture: AIDS, bare backing, crystal, gay music, gay pornography, just to name a few.
sity’s GLBT Resource Center is pleased to welcome internationally acclaimed performance artist Tim Miller in his performance of his solo work Glory Box at 8p on the Chappelear Drama Center Main Stage on Ohio Wesleyan Campus (45 Rowland Ave, Delaware, OH). Tickets are free, but donations to benefit GLBT programming on Ohio Wesleyan’s campus will be accepted. For more information, or to reserve tickets. Call 740.368.3196. On March 20 at 7p, Alistair McCartney & Tim Miller read at Suspect Thoughts Books (4903 Clark Ave, Cleveland, OH, 216.631.2665), free. On March 21, Tim Miller performs his award-winning show 1001 BEDS as a benefit for Cleveland LGBT Community Center at C-Space, (4323 Clark Ave, Cleveland, OH, 216.631.2233 ), at 7:30p; $15. On March 25, Tim Miller performs Glory Box at in Studio 88 at the Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Miami University, Oxford Ohio. Curtain is at 8pm and admission is FREE but tickets are required. Please contact the Miami Box Office at 513.529.3200 or online at www.tickets.muohio.edu
March 18 at 8p Alistair McCartney reads for free at Ohio Wesleyan University’s Mean Bean Café, upstairs lounge located at 2 N Sandusky St, Delaware, Ohio. March 19 Ohio Wesleyan Univer-
William J Mann is the award-winning author of “The Men from The Boys” and “Kate”. Tim Miller can be reached through his website at http://hometown.aol.com/millertale/ and Alistair at http://hometown.aol.com/meaningme/
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 27 continued from pg 22
gender reassignment with an unparalleled level of intelligence and tenderness. Her autobiographical film is as much about the humor of her mother, the love of her father, and the strength of her sisters as it is about reassignment. Touching, funny, and smart, SHE’S A BOY I KNEW deals so deftly with a sometimes difficult subject that it is, as it should be, as much about love and acceptance as it is about gender issues. –JBH
She’s A Boy I Knew Sunday, March 9 at 7p Tuesday, March 11 at 1:45p There once was a boy with nightmares of abandonment and an increasing feeling of discomfort. Hiding the notion of really being a girl, he excelled at hockey, did well in school, and met and married the lovely Malgosia. After searching for women’s clothes in the trash and dealing with a lifetime of pain, he admitted his secret and faced his fears. His story of becoming a woman highlights the love and support that made the ordeal bearable. Home movies bring us into the Haworth family history and interviews with his parents and sisters deal sincerely with overwhelming questions: Would Steven be safe and successful as a woman? What happens to the memories of the brother, the son, the husband? As the time of surgery nears, his family’s concerns seem to focus on his safety rather than on the change, a marked sign of acceptance. Gwen, formally Steven, tells the story of this
Vivere Friday, March 7 at 7p Saturday, March 8 at 2p Francesca is on the hunt yet again for her wayward younger sister, Antoinetta. So instead of spending a quiet Christmas Eve at home, she takes the family taxi and is off to Rotterdam to try to find Antoinetta, who has run off with her rocker boyfriend. The escapade turns out to be a search for herself, not just her sister. Along the way, Francesca encounters a car accident and in the car is Gerlinde, an older woman who
seems unsure of where she is or where she is going. Motherless Francesca is tired of dutifully taking care of everyone- her sister, her father, even strangers- but she finds herself in the same circumstance yet again as she accepts Gerlinde into her taxi. In a series of overlapping narratives and flashbacks, information is revealed regarding Gerlinde’s life leading up to the crash- a series of leavings, endings, and breakups. In Francesca, she starts to see her salvation, but does she want to be saved? The two women embark on a tormented journey of intimate explorationinto each other’s lives and into themselves. VIVERE reflects the story of three women on the run… saving each other… saving themselves. (In German with English subtitles) – CCP XXY Friday, March 7 at 10p Monday, March 10 at 4:45p
to “choose“ her sex by her parents. She is forced into considering the removal of her penis when her parents invite a plastic surgeon to their home to discuss her future. But the potential operation is not the only complication for Alex, she strikes up a friendship with the plastic surgeon’s teenage son, Álvaro–who it seems is as confused about sex and sexuality as is Alex. As we watch Alex and Álvaro discover their true selves, we find that their parents are more confused and fearful of the truth than the teenagers. The parent’s prejudices and beliefs on what is right and natural unknowingly hurt the children more than they could possibly know. The only non-judgmental viewpoint comes from the filmmaker herself who allows the story to unreel openly and gracefully, which opens the door to tolerance and understanding. (In Spanish with English subtitles) – W.F.G.
The XXY condition, the term used to describe males with an extra X chromosome, is one of the most commonly found chromosome abnormalities in humans – about one in every 500 males have this condition, but many do not show any symptoms. The XXY condition can sometimes be a painful and self-questioning conundrum, as in the case of Alex, who is a hermaphrodite. She has been raised as a girl since birth, but is now, at puberty, being made
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MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
28 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
PUCKER UP by Tristan Taormino
An Expert’s Guide to Hand Jobs for Men and Women Examining the myths, merits, and sparse vocabulary of hand sex Last week in Los Angeles, I produced a new sexed movie with porn star Penny Flame, all about how to get people off with your hands. I first shot Penny for the fourth edition of my reality series, Chemistry, and that’s when I saw her gifted mitts in action. In one scene, she started giving a handjob to a guy, and I was mesmerized. She used her hands in such creative ways, culminating in this technique where she stroked his shaft with one hand while using her other hand to work his head. She started out with a flat palm pressing and twisting against his head, then cupped her fingers and turned her wrist like she was juicing a lemon. Lying on his back, the male performer - who, I’m pretty sure, has had plenty of pairs of hands on his dick during his career - snapped his (other) head up and actually said, “Oh my God, what are you doing to me?” Penny just giggled and kept it up. He looked ready to explode. Later, she put her fingers to work on performer Adrianna Nicole, with equally ecstatic results. In fact, they both had their hands all over each other, and it was quite a sight. Gone are the days of fakelooking girl-on-girl porno, when most starlets look disinterested or clueless (or even slightly scared) when faced with touching another woman; these chicks are fierce when it comes to fucking each other. When Penny’s fingers started moving against Adrianna’s muff, I thought the cameraman might have an epileptic seizure. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in my head: Penny needs to share her dexterous skills with the rest of the world! Months later, the deal with Penny finally came together, and we shot a great movie, with only one dilemma: What do we call it? Right now, the working title is Penny Flame’s Expert Guide to Hand Jobs for Men and Women. Wiktionary defines a handjob as “an act of masturbation performed by someone else’s hand,” which is pretty accurate. The problem is, when most people think of handjobs, they think of cocks. We’ve got plenty of cocks in the movie, but we also have lots of pussies, and I fear handjob doesn’t immediately bring “vagina” to mind which is why we tacked on “for men and women,” but that just makes the title more cumbersome, less catchy. Think about it: There are a ton of wellknown phrases for man-ipulating the male member (wack off, beat off, jack off), but little slang or even sexy shorthand that connotes using your digits on a woman to make her squirm or come. When I tried to explain one such hands-on scene in the movie to an agent in the industry, he replied, “So this is like The Expert Guide to Finger-Banging Girls or something?” Finger-banging! A descriptive word, certainly less polite than handjob, and dirtier than just fingering. But as a matter of fact, fingering and finger-banging imply penetration, which isn’t entirely accurate, since it’s not just about the banging. Manual clitoral stimulation is boring and way too much of a mouthful. There’s jerking off and the feminized jilling off, but that sounds like you’re alone when it’s happening. There are more descrip-
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
tive terms like rubbing, stroking, petting, diddling, frigging . . . none are quite right. When was the last time you used the word “frigging” in a sentence? I thought so. If I was telling someone about using my thumb and her friends in bed, I might say I “played with her pussy,” “worked her clit,” or “jerked her off.” Nothing sexy, nothing catchy. In addition to the lack of an inclusive, descriptive terminology out there, I just feel like handjobs in general get a bad rap. People think of them as something immature and unskilled - what teenagers do instead of having sex. Or they’re dismissed as “foreplay,” a brief warmup to bigger and better things like oral sex and intercourse. Some associate hand sex only with solo masturbation and too quickly abandon it as a form of partner pleasure unto itself. Maybe it’s because I’m queer, but I believe just the opposite: Hands are sexual tools. They’re like the naughty bits we don’t have to cover when we’re in public. When I’m attracted to someone, the first thing I check out is their hands. After all, if they’ve got good hands, anything is possible. When Susie Bright (susiebright.com) was the lesbian sex consultant for Bound, she was determined to get away from the typical soft-lit girl-ongirl implication-of-cunnilingus sex scene. These characters were going to fuck, and she told directors Andy and Larry Wachowski to linger seductively on their hands: “A lesbian’s hands are her cock. They’re the hard-on of the movie - that’s what you want to follow.” It’s still one of the hottest dyke sex scenes in a Hollywood film, and it’s all about the hands. But hands are not just about queer sex. Hands transcend sexual orientation; hands have no gender. One of the best handjobs I ever got was in college, from a guy I had a crush on for a long time. We were acquaintances, and after getting tipsy at a party, we ended up back in my room. I had my period, and we somehow agreed that there was no need to get a towel for under my butt and muddle through potentially messy fucking. This was, after all, essentially a drunken one-night stand - but that didn’t mean we weren’t going to do anything. He slid his hand down my panties and went to town. This guy totally knew his way around a pussy, and he teased my cunt before zeroing in on my clitoris. His middle finger was thick and confident, applying the perfect amount of pressure and movement for my demanding clit. With his thumb and ring finger, he tugged gently on my tampon string (which seemed like a bold thing to do with a random girl), and the combination of stimulations made me come. Hands are hot. Hands are versatile. Hands can rub you right and fill you up. Fingers can find the Gspot and the prostate better than anything else can. The trip from one pinky to the five-finger club can be a wild adventure. The next time you meet someone for the first time, and she (or he) extends a hand to you, think of the possibilities.
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 29
SAVAGE LOVE by Dan Savage
I am a gay man who has been in a relationship with my partner for nine years. My lover has always planned on undergoing a sex change, from male to female. There were money and health problems, but he’s ready now. I’ve always told him that I love him, no matter what. Now he’s gotten his breast implants and I have to admit I am completely weirded out by them. I feel like a hypocrite, but I don’t know what to do! I’ve never been with a woman, and I don’t want to be with one now. I also love my partner intensely. Any advice? I feel like a jerk! Support him for nine years and then peace out because of boobs? Hating Myself And His Breasts “If you are simply ‘weirded out by’ your partner’s new breasts, and you did not previously believe that sex reassignment would affect your feelings, it may simply be that you need time to adjust. However, if the feelings of being ‘weirded out’ persist or get worse, you need to break it off nicely. Your boyfriend is no longer your boyfriend, but your girlfriend, and no matter how much you love her personality and companionship, it may simply be that you’re gay and attracted only to males. If so, you didn’t do anything wrong, just made a mistaken guess as to your ability to remain attracted to her after she began working on her sex reassignment. Just keep in mind that she didn’t do anything wrong, either. No matter how much you love her, it wouldn’t be fair to either of you to remain in a relationship in which there was no sexual attraction. Also, keep in mind that continuing to refer to her as your ‘boyfriend’ and ‘he’ may very well drive her away regardless of your feelings and ability to cope, since this probably is not what she wishes to be seen as now that she’s working toward her goals.” “You were a jerk for saying I love you no matter what, HMAHB. What you should have said was, ‘I will always love you, but I am only wiling to have a sexual relationship with another man.’ And you can still say that, and still be roommates or partners, albeit the nonsexual type. This would leave you both free to seek someone else whom you are attracted to, and more important, who is attracted to you or your partner! Don’t leave your partner, leave the boobs! And give your partner the opportunity to find someone who really enjoys her new boobs. She paid enough for them!” “I am a 65-year-old gay man and have stayed with my lover for 36 years, although he changed to a woman 20 years ago. I said I would always love him, but when I first saw her naked after the surgery I was traumatized. I tried to make love with her for a year, but it was making me impotent - not only with her, but even with men, so I gave up. I have had to manage my strong, but exclusively gay sex drive with parttime affairs with married men and at the baths, always struggling to stay uninfected during a life of obligatory, though not unpleasant, promiscuity. She has had to accept my activity and chose herself to go without sex. It’s not a perfect solution, but there is none. People try to understand and accept her choice, but not mine. Gays cannot understand why I didn’t just leave, while heteros think I should have somehow learned to have sex with her. When people ask how I could stay with her, I ask what they would do if their lover lost his ability to have sex in a disabling acci-
dent. For us, our companionship was worth the sacrifice.”
“I am now dating a nonsmoking, nondrinking, infrequent meat eater, and have no problems at all. Yay!”
I’m 23, straight, and female. I have a fairly ravenous sexual appetite, and particularly enjoy administering oral sex to my lucky lovers. Unfortunately, I’ve happened upon (what seems to be) a unique dilemma. An hour or so after swallowing particular loads, I get intense stomachaches, quickly transitioning into intense diarrhea. This only occurs with maybe one in five men, and seems to be particular to the individual (i.e., if a man’s loads give me the shits, they always give me the shits; if a man’s loads don’t give me the shits, they never give me the shits). This has never really been too much of a problem for me in the past - I just didn’t call guys back when it occurred - but I have started dating a one-infiver who is witty, great in the sack, and gorgeous, and I want to keep seeing him. So I have a few questions for you: (1) Does this happen to anyone else? (2) Is it me or is there something wrong with some guys’ semen? (3) Is there any remedy, besides spitting?
I’m a gay man living in San Francisco. There are a couple of guys I’m into. Like an actual couple. I’ve messed around with each of them separately, and in both cases I was told to keep it hush-hush because the other didn’t know that he was being messed around on. My problem is not about their dishonesty or any of that bullshit. It’s none of my business. What I really want to know is this: How can I get them both in the sack at the same time?
Blowing Judiciously “As a board-certified OB/GYN, I can say that I have had a fair amount of experience with a class of chemicals known as ‘prostaglandins.’ This group of molecules is associated with inflammation throughout the body, and they receive a fair amount of attention in our specialty. Why? The prostaglandins are associated with smooth muscle contraction. To wit, a medicine named ‘prostin’ (Prostaglandin E2) is commonly used for labor induction through cervical softening and uterine contraction. Another prostaglandin, F2-alpha, is a potent uterine contractor, and finds its use as a third-line agent for postpartum hemorrhage in those women with poor uterine ‘tone.’ Almost essential to the administration of this latter medicine, lest a physician incur the wrath of the labor nurses, is the inclusion of a potent antinausea and antidiarrheal medicine - Phenergan and Lomotil respectively. Sure, you saved her life from hemorrhage, but omit these medicines and rest assured once the dust has settled all she’ll recall is the projectile vomiting and incessant diarrhea following the birth. “Lest I bore you further with these semantics, the take-home point is that semen contains fairly high levels of prostaglandins. And I do not imagine that these molecules are gender sensitive; anybody who swallows, be they heterosexual female, gay male, or the (I swear I’m not gay, I was just experimenting!) ‘straight’ male could be subject to these effects. “So what to do? Short of taking a preswallow dose of Lomotil, which would likely reflexively constipate the swallowee for several days afterward, I would recommend simply taking a dose of ibuprofen prior to the blow which has antiporstaglandin effects. Hope this helps!” “I have had the same problem with feeling sick to my stomach after swallowing. I noticed the following: It happens when a guy eats a lot of meat (such as on the Atkins diet - eeew); it happens if the guy is a smoker (tobacco); it happens if the guy drinks a lot of high-gravity beers (like Duvel, Trappist beers etc.); it happens even worse with all of the above when I have an empty stomach (such as in the morning).
Trying To Double Down “I’m a straight dude with no threesome experience, so my advice here is purely theoretical. Maybe try mentioning a three-way with the couple to each member of it separately, and see if they’re into it? It’s pretty clear they each individually think this guy is pretty hot stuff if they’ve messed around with him before. Mention it to one or each of them separately, get them talking about it to each other, then hope for the best.” “Why do you think this is so complicated? You know they both want you - they’ve both had you. You ask them individually in private if they’d go for a threesome, but you don’t tell them that you slept with their partner already. If they agree, then when the three of you are together for brunch, you casually blurt out that you find yourself fantasizing about being in a threesome with them, because they are such a hot couple. They each feign surprise. You sincerely ask them to discuss it between the two of them - whether or not they would include you for a romp. You can propose it as an experiment, and if it feels too weird anyone can opt out and close the whole experiment down. Now who wouldn’t be reasonable enough to want to fuck with that?” “Quietly ‘arrange’ to ‘accidentally’ meet up with them both for romantic trysts at the same time. Be naked. Profit from the blazing row and the makeup sex. I take no responsibility for any face punching that may occur.” “Invite them out to (or over for) dinner as a couple. Lay it on the line: You want to do them both. Don’t mention the prior dalliances at all. They’ll stay totally silent about the affairs, both will think the other one doesn’t know, while you bang their brains out. Will they confess to each other afterward? Don’t know. As you say, not your problem.” “Find a hotel with rooms that have an adjoining door. Reserve them both. Call up man A and tell him to meet you in one of the rooms at, say, 8:30 for some hot lovin’. Call up man B and tell him to meet you in the next room at, say, 9:00 for some equally hot lovin’. Meet man A, strip him naked, gag him, and tie him to a chair. Tell him you’re going to the front desk for a bucket of ice. Meet man B, strip him naked, gag him, and tie him to a chair. Get yourself naked, open the adjoining door, drag man B’s sexy ass into the next room and plop him next to his equally sexy boyfriend. While they’re staring daggers at each other, suck them both off. Feel free to use the ice. By the time you’re through, maybe they’ll be into it. And you can sign me… ‘It Worked in My Imagination.’”
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
30 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY
ABOUT TOWN
Shadowbox Original Musical Premieres After a ten year hiatus from self-producing original, full-length musical productions Shadowbox announces Tabloid The Musical premiering March 9, 2007 at the sketch comedy and rock ‘n’ roll club headquarters in the Easton Town Center. Smart, witty, and upbeat Tabloid weaves the lives of a recently deceased starlet and her estranged family with a Tabloid columnist and the paparazzi. Written by Shadowbox’s head writer Jimmy Mak, with music from Executive Producer and CEO Steve Guyer, and Shadowbox musicians Adam Fauth and Matthew Hahn (lyrics by Mark Slack), the show will star Amy Lay as Tanya Michelle Jones. Stacie Boord will portray Sally Dubrowski, a columnist for the Weekly News Acquirer, with the assignment to cover the mystery surrounding the recent and untimely death of Jones. Christina Conner, Tom Cardinal, Julie Klein, Robbie Nance, Brandon Anderson, Katy Psenicka, and Mak fill out the cast of reporters, family members, and friends of Jones and Dubrowski. As with Shadowbox’s previous musicals (The Who’s Tommy – winter 2006, The Rocky Horror Show – fall 2006, Cabaret – winter 2007, Hair – fall 2007) Tabloid will combine talent from both its Columbus and Greater Cincinnati locations. But unlike previous productions Shadowbox’s “underground” promotion of the world premiere will make it a true event as well as utterly unique. “We haven’t been this excited about a production in a long, long time,” said Katy
Psenicka, director of media relations and choreographer for Shadowbox. “It’s taken us ten years to get back to this place and the collaborative effort we’re in the midst of is incredibly rewarding. I can’t remember the last time so much collective creativity was poured into a single Shadowbox project.” Indeed, every aspect of the show will highlight Shadowbox’s creative tour de force - from the promotion to the production itself. Shadowbox has been creating a buzz about Jones this winter by sending Lay and Conner, and other cast members to local events with paparazzi in tow. Shadowbox media relations department sent releases and press announcements regarding Jones’ appearances and antics and invites Columbus media to participate in the fun by reporting on Jones. “We got the Columbus press to get in on the fun and cover Lay as Jones to help perpetuate the persona of celebrity and help us create the buzz,” continued Psenicka. “Once we got that buzz going, we’re going to kill her (Jones) off, and that is where Tabloid The Musical begins.” Shadowbox has also created a very real webbased entertainment program on their aptly named Pop News Network (PNP). Real entertainment news will be covered alongside reports of Jones to further infuse the character into real-life Tabloid news. “With PNP, we will comment on all the goings on of today’s celebrities – including local ones,” explains Tabloid writer Jimmy Mak. “We’ll have video footage of characters from the show at real Columbus events, alongside real
Bethany Styles Goes Atomic By Noka Davers One of my closest friends, Bethany Styles, has just released a new album, Atomic. Her first album, Stylin, hit the top of the charts and is still very popular today being played all over the world, going multi platinum time and time again. Atomic lets us see Styles all grown up as she displays how much of a woman she has become, dismantling the teeny bopping girl image we have immediately loved when she debuted at 14 years old. A very talented Bethany gives us new songs on Atomic, such as “Showtime” and “On Top of the
Columbus celebrities.” A blurred line between reality and fantasy is exactly what director of Tabloid and Executive Producer and CEO for Shadowbox Steve Guyer hopes to achieve. “If we succeed with this infusion of fantasy into reality it will be a big deal when Jones dies,” said Guyer, “and that, I hope, will generate interest from the public and entice them to come and see the show.” Indeed, if the experiment is a success Shadowbox will take its model promotion / production to New York, with their eyes on a Broadway run, marking the second original full-length musical the troupe has taken to the Big Apple (Evo – fall 1996) “I really hope the media will join in the fun,” said Psenicka. “Not only will it bolster interest in the show locally as we premiere it in March, it will show their support for Shadowbox as we continue to represent the city of Columbus to the arts world at large and New York specifically. Plus, it will be lots of fun for them to get in on the fantasy.” Tabloid: The Musical opens 7:30p Sunday, March 9, and will run Sundays at 2:30p and 7:30p until April 13th. Tickets cost $20 / $10 students and seniors. For reservations contact the Shadowbox box office at 614.416.7625. Visit the Pop News Network (Google Tabloid The Musical) for this and other entertainment news and be on the lookout for press announcements regarding Tanya Michelle Jones.
World.” There is so much to be said about this album that space will never accommodate. This sensational new recording takes away to a sexier, raw, and much more mature Styles, not just displaying her talents, but her assets as well. Never before has an artist had the staying power, talents in both song and dance (which I taught her everything about dance!), charity participation, and all around good will to all those less fortunate to be as beautiful, talented, and well, beautiful! Atomic is one of those you will never get tired of listening to wherever, or whoever you are. All, I can really say is, “Get this album, Bitches!”
COLUMBUS NEXT MEETING: MARCH 11, 6P-8P; LOCATION: East Village (630 N High St): Rock, drag, & network • www.networkcolumbus.com MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008
OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 31
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THE LAST WORD by Mickey Weems
Our Queer National Anthem Just recently, Barack Obama was criticized by the extreme right for not being patriotic enough. The media is currently circulating a picture of him standing next to Hillary Clinton while the “Star-Spangled Banner” was playing. Unlike Clinton, however, Obama did not have his hand over his heart. This is proof that he is an Islamic terrorist. It was not enough for Barack to stand respectfully for the duration of the song. So far as his rabid attackers are concerned, Obama might as well have been pissing on the flag, giving a Black Power salute, and wearing an “I Heart Bin Laden” button where an American flag lapel pin should have been. In that case, my White faggot ass must be an Islamic terrorist as well. I don’t put my hand over my heart when the Anthem is played, and I have nothing against those who do. When I was a Marine in uniform, I saluted. As a civilian, I stand up, shut up, and face the flag. For most Americans, the right-hand-over-heart is not mandatory; standing up and staying off the cell phone is sufficient respect. For some fundamentalist Christians, the right hand is raised to heaven. Unfortunately, gum-chewing during the Na-
tional Anthem is apparently an acceptable option. Fine with me. We all show respect in many ways. But do we know anything about the song we honor? In 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote a poem called “Defence of Fort Henry.” His brother-inlaw, Joseph Nicholson, married the poem to music a few days later. The result was “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Here’s an interesting fact: the original tune was actually older than the words penned by Key. Our National Anthem’s melody was sampled directly from “The Anacreontic Song,” (a.k.a. “To Anacreon in Heaven”), a mildly obscene drinking song that was sung in taverns and whorehouses across England and the 13 Colonies. “The Anacreontic Song” was the anthem for the Anacreontic Society, a club of amateur male musicians, and was written by John Stafford Smith in the mid-1700s. The Anacreontic Society was named after their patron saint, Anacreon, an ancient Greek poet who celebrated fun, wine, and same-sex love.
Here is a chorus from the original song: And there with good fellows, We’ll learn to intwine The Myrtle of Venus With Bacchus’ wine Myrtle is a plant sacred to Venus, the Goddess of Love. Bacchus is the God of Wine. “intwining” both plants means to party and make love. And in this case, for men to party and make love with good fellows, just like Anacreon did. That’s pretty Queer! Perhaps we should really get into the spirit of the original song and raise our beers, appletinis, and vodka-Red Bulls during the National Anthem instead of immediately after it. We could engage in some minor tit play as we place our right hand over our breast. Or maybe we should place our hands over our crotches. Actually, many Americans do put their hands over their crotches during the National Anthem, come to think of it. That’s where your hands go when you respectfully hold one in the other in front of you. At least, that’s where my hands go. What I have suggested may strike some readers as utter nonsense. But there has been
so much nonsense spewed concerning the National Anthem. For example, Bush Jr. said the National Anthem should only be sung in English, even though he himself had sung it in Spanish during his first presidential campaign. True patriotism is not mouthed by the pious, nor is it pinned on a lapel as a fashion accessory. And it is definitely not expressed by placing a hand on the chest during a song originally written in honor of a Greek homo drunkard.
HOROSCOPES by Jack Fertig
ARIES (Mar 20 - Apr 19): Yours is the sign of the lone wolf, but you are now aiming for the role of head of the household. The responsibilities and obligations really don’t suit you. Try for the position of “elder statesperson” or dowager instead.
CANCER (Jun 21 - Jul 22): Acting on impulse can transform your relationship, and probably not for the better. Channel that energy into thinking ahead and talking about what you want, what your partner wants, and how you can deepen your connection.
LIBRA (Sep 23 - Oct 22): Courtesy is usually your strongest conviction. Now other deep beliefs provoke you to speak up against authority. Think carefully about mouthing off to the police or your boss. If you want to raise hell, find a public demonstration that suits your politics.
CAPRICORN (Dec 21 - Jan 19): Is your partner being too aggressive, or are you just being stubborn? You can do something about the latter. Fights come easily, but so does passion. You really need a struggle. Be nice, and you could get a good one!
TAURUS (Apr20 - May 20): Little domestic arguments can explode way too easily. Are you just being stubborn? How important are those details, anyway? Your arguments may be more aesthetic than logical, but they should still be explainable in a calm, friendly manner.
LEO (Jul 23 - Aug 22): Worrying about your health or work only makes problems - real or imagined - worse. Take positive steps, and check out anything that bears watching. Remember the difference between focus and obsession, and stick to the task at hand.
SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21): Your urge for arguments seems to be coming out of nowhere. Try to focus that energy toward digging into topics that interest you. Take up a good challenge to keep your mind busy and your mouth out of trouble!
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb18): Wanting too much can be a great spur to action, but acting impulsively on excessive desire is a sure path to accidents and illness. Meditate, think ahead, and confide in a friend with a cooler head before acting.
GEMINI (May 21 - Jun 20): Be very careful and conservative with your money. Household and property investments or any renegotiation of debt should be checked out very thoroughly. Sexual urges may take an emotional cost, challenging you to think more about your deeper needs.
VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sep 22): Your political aims are coming from somewhere deep in your gut, which is fine. But sensible strategy should come from your brilliant-but-now-vacationing brain. Artistic, creative expressions will give you the outlet you need.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 20): Your sexual appetite is surging, but so is your deeper desire for commitment. One is so much more easily satisfied than the other that you might find any effort frustrating. Try seeing the glass as half full
PISCES (Feb 19 - Mar 19): Acting on your playful urges will have far-reaching ramifications. Focus those desires responsibly and creatively. Infuriating people is not a mark of success per se, but be bold enough to risk pissing off the right people for the right reasons.
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.
MAR 06 - MAR 12 2008