Metro - 3 - May 27, 2004

May 27 – June 9 Volume 1 ■ Issue 3

Rally Draws Hundreds to Capitol Steps Student organizer demands hate crime law

Hatch Calls for Marriage Amendment Says gay families not as good as traditional

Rhubarbarians Descend on Town Festival attracts diverse crowd Log Cabin Group Axed From NC Republican Convention

Gays “not normal,” says state chairman Sports IOC allows transsexuals to compete in 2006 games Arts and Entertainment Two female singers to perform in Salt Lake Movie Reviews Check these before heading to the flix

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News WORLD AND NATIONAL

Gay Marriage? Pope Says Nope!

Salvation Army Chokes on Big Apple Benefits

In an address May 22 to visiting American bishops, Pope John Paul II once again went on the offensive against gay marriage.

“Family life is sanctified in the joining of man and woman in the sacramental institution of holy matrimony,” he said. “The Church teaches that the love of man and woman made holy in the sacrament of marriage is a mirror of God’s everlasting love for his creation.”

“Many today have a Pope John Paul II clear understanding of the secular nature of marriage, which includes the rights and responsibilities modern societies hold as determining factors for a marital contract, but there are some who appear to lack a proper understanding of the intrinsically religious dimension of this covenant.”

President Bush is scheduled to meet the pope in Rome on June 4, where it is believed that the same-sex marriage issue will be discussed.

For nearly two years, the Catholic Church has been on the frontlines against gay marriage initiatives in the U.S., Canada and Europe — most recently in Spain where efforts to allow same-sex marriage are gaining momentum. — MA

Rather than provide benefits to its gay and lesbian employees, the greater New York division of the Salvation Army is threatening to close its soup kitchens and other projects, according to the New York Post.

Earlier this month, the New York City Council passed a bill requiring firms that do business with the city of New York to offer health benefits to partners of gay employees. The bill is still sitting on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s desk for his signature, who says he opposes the bill. Support for the measure within the City Council, however, is sufficient to override a veto.

The Post quotes insiders as saying, “The Army will not change its policy. You cannot change theological views. Those are so deeply embedded, they form the root of the faith itself.”

The Salvation Army is one of the largest private organizations providing aid to over five million people within the city, including operation of soup kitchens, shelters, foster care programs, and HIV service programs. — MA

Chicago Man Charged With Extortion A Chicago man has been preying on closeted gay men through internet chat rooms, blackmailing them for thousands of dollars, say federal investigators.

Brett T. Wohl of Chicago was charged with extortion in a federal criminal complaint filed May 20. According to an unnamed victim, Wohl asked him for compromising photos during an offer to engage in sex. He then threatened to turn the photos over to the man’s wife unless the man wired $1,000 to his bank account. He later asked for an additional $2,500, at which time the man went to authorities.

Federal authorities say Wohl may have violated conditions of an earlier judgment against him. In October 2002, Wohl pled guilty to one felony count of extortion after threatening to divulge to another victim’s coworkers a record of sexual conversations they had over the internet if the victim didn’t pay him $3,700.

Wohl was sentenced to four months in prison, four months of home confinement and three years of supervised release.

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Romney Booed at Boston Graduation Angry over Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s presence as keynote speaker, graduates participating in Suffolk University’s commencement exercises turned their back on Romney during his May 24 address.

Some students of the Boston university were escorted out after heckling Romney for his anti-gay stance regarding same-sex marriage, while others wore armbands and attached rainbow tassels to their graduation-day mortarboards. Still other Massachussetts Governor Mitt Romney students did not attend the ceremony at all, but instead organized an “alternative commencement.”

Some students criticized the university for inviting Romney to speak at all, saying his presence violated the school’s nondiscrimination policy.

Romney has been an outspoken opponent of gay marriage since a state Supreme Judicial Court ruling made Massachusetts the first U.S. state to recognize marriage rights for gays and lesbians.

After several of Romney’s attempts to block the ruling failed, Massachusetts began May 17 to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Most recently, Romney invoked a 91 year-old law preventing out-of-state couples from getting married in Massachusetts if the marriage would not be recognized in their home state. — BB

N.C. Republicans Boot Gay Group From Convention Just days before the start of the North Carolina Republican State Convention, Chairman Ferrell Blount wrote a letter informing Log Cabin North Carolina that it would not be allowed a table at the state convention. Later at the convention, the GOP adopted a platform supporting a constitutional amendment denying marriage rights to gays and lesbians, said that public schools should be forbidden from teaching that homosexuality is normal, that gay and lesbian couples should not be allowed to adopt children, and came out in opposition to domestic partner benefits for unmarried couples.

During the convention, state Republican Party Chairman Ferrell Blount barred reporters from the platform North Carolina Repubdebate, but later reaslican Party Chairman sured them that there Ferrell Blount had been very little dissention in the party ranks.

Gay Republicans were outraged at Blount’s decision to exclude them after they had already paid for a table at the convention. “Log Cabin Republicans believe that at a time when our country is at war, we ought to be bringing Republicans together, not dividing them, and certainly not excluding them from their own state convention,” said LCR Executive Director Patrick Guerriero.

In early April, state Log Cabin organizer Ed Farthing purchased a table at the state convention on behalf of LCNC. The state party, which had been soliciting party members to purchase tables at the convention, accepted the money and issued the table to the gay Republican group.

However, state GOP Chairman Ferrell Blount later returned the money, criticizing LCNC in a letter.

According to Blount’s letter, “homosexuality is not normal and should not be established as an acceptable ‘alternative’ lifestyle.” Because “the North Carolina Republican Party and the Log Cabin Republicans do not seem to share the same agenda,” the letter went on to say, gay Republicans would “not have a table at our convention, as this would seem counterproductive to the Republican Party’s agenda.”

“Chairman Blount’s actions are an affront to fair-minded Republicans across the state of North Carolina. To flip-flop and refuse to allow loyal Republicans a seat at their own convention is petty and short sighted,” Farthing responded.

According to the LCNC website, its agenda is compatible with that of the state Republican party: “We are loyal Republicans. We believe in low taxes, limited government, strong defense, free markets, personal responsibility, and individual liberty. Log Cabin represents an important part of the American family — taxpaying, hard working people who proudly believe

in this nation’s greatness. We also believe all Americans have the right to liberty, freedom, and equality.”

According to Chris Barron, LCNC political director, the Republican Party is actually more diverse than this episode would seem to indicate. “The Republican Party is not owned by Ferrell Blount,” Barron said. “The Republican Party is the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, a party built on expanding the definition of liberty. The GOP is made up of individuals with diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and interests.”

Barron said that GOP leaders should be more concerned with building party unity than with excluding some groups. “Real issues face North Carolinians today, and our party’s chairman should be committed to solving these problems, uniting our party, and building the North Carolina GOP,” Barron said. “Our party should be talking about taxes, the war on terror, securing our children’s future, and protecting North Carolina’s economy. With an important governor’s race this fall, with a key senate race this fall, and with the balance of power in North Carolina’s legislature up for grabs, the chairman of the North Carolina GOP should stop dividing Republicans.”

Excerpts from the North Carolina Republican Party platform: Republicans believe that a two-parent family, where a husband and wife live in harmony in one home, provides the ideal environment for raising children and is the best model for family life. We praise the courageous efforts of single parents who work hard to provide stable homes, and we recognize that single parents often succeed and two-parent families sometimes fail.

We, therefore, oppose efforts to redefine the traditional family structure and offer the Republican Party as a refuge for everyone concerned with about the breakdown of family life in America.

We believe that homosexuality is not normal and should not be established as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle either in public education or in public policy. We do not believe that public schools should be used to teach children that homosexuality is normal, and we do not believe that taxpayers should fund benefit plans for unmarried partners.

We oppose special treatment by law based on nothing other than homosexual behavior or identity. We therefore oppose actions, such as “marriage” or the adoption of children by same-sex couples, which attempt to legitimize and normalize homosexual relationships. We support the Defense of Marriage Act. We also stand united with private organizations, such as the Boy Scouts, who defend moral decency and freedom according to their own long-held and wellestablished traditions and beliefs.

LOCAL AND REGIONAL

WILLIAM T. PARK

Hatch Urges Senate to Amend U.S. Constitution

Left to right: Rally organizer Josh Nowitz, Representative David Litvack, Representative Jackie Biskupski and Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.

Student Organizes “Rally Against Rage” Which Draws Hundreds

WILLIAM T. PARK

by William Todd Park The Capitol steps were filled with enthusiastic supporters of hate crime legislation Saturday, May 22. The event, dubbed “Rally Against Rage” was the brainchild of 18 year-old Wasatch Academy student Josh Nowitz, who was conducting research for his senior thesis. He came across the startling conclusion that there is no enforceable hate crime law in the state of Utah, so he decided to organize the rally.

Speaking with confidence and clarity, Nowitz passionately argued the need for effective hate crimes legislation to be enacted in Utah. He was not alone: He introduced a host of local leaders who have been staunch allies in championing Rally organizer and Wasatch this cause.

Academy student Josh Nowitz Mark Alvarez, administrator of minority affairs in the office of Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson, cited statistics that Utahns “support hate crime legislation, although the legislature does not.” He pointed out that the bill, as written, does not infringe upon First Amendment rights and cautioned against trying to alter the constitution. “It is not there to take away people’s rights.”

Utah Representative Jackie Biskupski countered the accusation that hate crime laws are a means for targeted groups to be above criticism. She referred to examples of the hate-motivated crimes perpetrated against segments of the American population that aren’t as well publicized because they don’t result in murder, including a dramatic 1600% increase in hate-motivated violence against Muslims in 2001. Biskupski acknowledged that although Utah does in fact have a hate crime statute on record,

it has been “rendered useless because of vague wording in the bill.”

Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, chief law enforcement officer of the state, has long been an advocate of hate crimes legislation.

Expressing embarrassment that Utah is one of the only states left in the nation that does not have an enforceable hate crimes statute, he pledged the passage of an effective bill to be one of his primary goals this year.

Former state representative Frank Pignanelli introduced a bill in 1991 but because of the intransigence of other legislators was unable to enact a law that would allow effective prosecution of hate crimes. The late Sen. Pete Suazo then teamed up with Representative David Litvack, who has sponsored legislation for four years running. Litvack challenged those in attendance to hold elected officials accountable and to bring an end to hate and intolerance.

“Why hasn’t the bill passed in the past four years?” asked rally attendee Megan Risbon. Representatives Litvack and Biskupski both responded that other legislators heavily suggested that if sexual orientation language were removed from the proposed bill, it would have passed.

Nowitz exhorted the crowd to get involved by contacting their lawmakers and letting them know how they feel about hate crimes legislation. Reducing the issue to its core, he stated, “It’s not about Native American rights, it’s not about gay rights, it’s about human rights.” He closed in challenging those in attendance, “Make it an issue. Everyone here can make a difference.

Get involved.”

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Saying that “alternative family forms are not just as good as traditional families,” Sen. Orrin Hatch called upon Congress May 21 to amend the U.S. Constitution thereby denying marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.

In the wake of some 1,000 gay and lesbian couples receiving marriage licenses in Massachusetts last week, Hatch said, “Marriage is not about adult desires for affirmation and benefits. it is about the well-being of children.”

Not only would the “radical change” of allowing civil recognition of same-sex marriage harm those children, warned Hatch, it would also prevent heterosexual couples from marrying.

“Some advocates for same-sex marriage argue that traditional marriage will continue the same as before. Unfortunately, this has not been the experience in other countries,” Hatch said. “Scandinavia, for example, witnessed a dramatic drop in traditional marriages once same-sex marriages were permitted. The net effect was to diminish the importance of marriage altogether, and that is what will happen here if we do not maintain the traditional definition of marriage as one man and one woman.”

While Scandinavia isn’t a country, Denmark has recognized civil unions since 1989. Today marriage rates among Danish heterosexuals are the highest they’ve been since the early 1970s.

Citing fears that non-heterosexual relationships may not always be Senator Orrin Hatch, (R-UT) monogamous, Hatch recounted an anecdote about two men who were involved in an open relationship. “I am sorry, but this is not a marriage,” thundered Hatch. “I simply do not understand why these two men felt they needed to be declared to be married by the state. There is not even a pretense of fidelity here.”

According to Hatch, without a federal amendment, the issue will be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. “We should not and cannot wait for this to happen,” said Hatch.

“It has become clear … that we need a Constitutional solution to this problem.

There is simply no other means of reining in activist judges who seek to impose their will.”

Anti-gay congressmen, such as Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn., have acknowledged that there are not enough votes in the Senate to send a Constitutional amendment to the states for ratification. However, following events in Massachusetts, gay marriage has become a hot-button issue this election year. — BB

Publisher Michael Aaron Editor Brandon Burt Events Editor Greg Harrison Sports Editor David Nelson Contributing Writers Scott Abbott Brandie Balken Lee Beckstead Xenia Cherkaev Janice Eberhardt Jace Garfield Ryan Oliver Hansen Ann Hess Beau Jarvis Lynette Malmstrom Laurie Mecham LaDonna Moore Sally Neilson William T. Park Scott Perry Nicholas Rupp Mandy Q. Racer Ruby Ridge Jim Struve JoSelle Vanderhooft Ben Williams Photographers Lucy Juarez William H. Munk Jim Ollett Proofreader Nicholas Rupp Art Director Michael Aaron Graphic Designer Kris Kramer Marketing and Public Relations Director Chad Keller Sales Director and Office Manager Steven Peterson Sales Executives Jill Brooks Jeff McElhiney Bob Tubbs Distribution Chad Keller, Director Courtney Moser, Northern Utah Copyright © 2004 Salt Lake Metro.

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352 S. Denver Street, Suite 350 Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801) 323-9500 Fax: (801) 323-9986 MAY 27, 2004

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LUCY JUAREZ

LOCAL AND REGIONAL NEWS

Carrie and Elisia Ross-Stone say goodbye to Salt Lake on their “Rainbow Ride” from San Francisco to New York City

Pedaling for Revolution

by Mandy Q Racer Riding into Salt Lake City on matching blue bicycles, Carrie and Elisia Ross-Stone were welcomed by Mayor Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson on May 14. Mayor Anderson introduced the Ross-Stones to the 40 people gathered at the City and County Building.

“These two courageous women,” he said, “are donating four months of their lives to an arduous crusade.” After ceremoniously dipping their toes in the Pacific Ocean on May 2, the Ross-Stones left San Francisco, embarking on a cross-country bicycle trip in the name of equal marriage rights.

“Gay and lesbian couples are entitled to the same basic rights and protections under the law that all couples enjoy,” Mayor Anderson said. He added that visibility, such as that exhibited by the Ross-Stones, is crucial: “When we put a face on it, [people realize that] we are fundamentally all the same.

[That visibility] changed my views in my life.”

Let the opponents “get to know you,” he said, and “those that advocate marriage equality will prevail. It is within the realm of reality … it’s just a matter of time.”

Carrie described the start of their ride in San Francisco, where they could “still feel the energy in City Hall.” On they went from there to Reno, Nevada, where they met with “a group of pissed-off young voters.”

The Ross-Stones explained that they are bringing this palpable energy to Utah, and they will carry the energy from Utah, “like a torch,” spreading it across the country.

A panel discussion about equal civil marriage rights was held May 15 at the AndersonFoothill library. Carrie opened the discussion by saying how “thrilled and pleasantly surprised” she was with their Salt Lake reception.

“We’ve never been so welcome,” Elisia said.

The Ross-Stones described the impetus behind the 2004 Rainbow Ride Across America: “We felt compelled to do something about [equal marriage rights.] We are two 50 year-olds being treated like children by the government.”

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The finish line has been changed from Delaware to New York. From the Golden Gate Bridge to the Statue of Liberty, the Ross-Stones plan to complete their journey the weekend of July 10.

The Ross-Stones’ first Rainbow Ride in 2003, from Florida to California, didn’t garner the media attention that this year’s ride is attracting. “Last year, no one wanted to talk about it,” Carrie said at that evening’s sWerve “monthlies” event. This year, the Ross-Stones are riding a tidal wave of publicity incited by the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling that legalizes gay marriage.

“Why not call it what it really is?” Carrie asked. Not gay marriage, but “equal civil marriage rights. Who wants gay marriage? I want the same rights. I’m already gay; that’s beside the point,” she said. “Who are these people to say she’s not my family?” Reaching over to touch Elisia’s leg, Carrie added, “She deserves a title that is significant and meaningful.”

Carrie and Elisia first met about ten years ago. During the interview, Elisia sat forward and animatedly described the women’s beginnings: “We kept migrating into each other’s space,” she said. In 1998, Carrie followed Elisia around at a New Year’s Eve party so she could kiss her at midnight.

Elisia described that first kiss as “haunting.” Fireworks accompanied a later kiss on the beach — a firecracker was set off at the moment of contact. “We tried it again, but it didn’t work,” Carrie joked as Elisia smiled and tapped Carrie’s foot with her own.

Carrie underwent a double mastectomy the same year that Elisia had a hysterectomy. These surgeries, one on top of the other, shook the women and acted as the final catalyst that placed them on the trailhead of their journey. “Why wait?” they asked themselves.

Elisia was a nurse and Carrie a lawyer.

They sold their home and “bought a little cottage for almost nothing … it’s teeny,” Carrie said. “We don’t have an income;

we’re full time activists.” The Ross-Stones run a website, RainbowLaw.com, that instructs gay and lesbian couples in the matters of estate planning. Those who cannot afford a lawyer may purchase documents tailored to the buyer’s state. The sales of these documents sustain the Ross-Stones, but they still struggle financially.

Even so, “We get up and our needs are met … It’s an intense way to be: a civil rights activist,” Carrie said.

“You have to like to work, which we do,” Elisia added. “Working in a way that’s blissful. We’re living our bliss,” Carrie explained.

They bantered easily back and forth, each woman finishing the other’s sentences.

After the 2003 ride, the Ross-Stones were well prepared for the second journey.

They’ve made a few new ground rules, including staying closer together. At one point, Elisia was blown by a tailwind thirty miles in front of their RV, completely lost to Carrie’s sight. This year, Elisia ended up with two flat tires and waited two hours while Carrie, panic-stricken, searched for her.

The Ross-Stones’ ride journal is posted on their website, but out of concern for their safety, their route is not detailed.

When riding into Texas last year, they were warned to be careful of the Ku Klux Klan, and drivers sometimes purposefully ran the Ross-Stones off the road. It was also in Texas, however, that a group of young boys shouted, “They’re gay!” and waved at the Ross-Stones while grinning and cycling past.

When asked about the highs and lows of their trip, Carrie said to the sWerve event attendees, “These are the victory moments.

Really, the most frustrating are talking to the people close to us … that are convinced that [our relationship] is bad.” Carrie’s sister is one of those people. “There’s no way I could ever change her mind or reach her,” she said.

Unlike other minority communities, Carrie explained, the experience of a gay person is often one of isolation. For example, those within an African-American community experience discrimination and hatred as a unit — mother, father, brother and sister all face it together. Not so for gay people: “We experience this alone,” Carrie said.

A member of the audience stood and thanked the Ross-Stones for making their journey, and for “being at peace with” themselves rather than relying on antagonism. Carrie thanked her and said, “This is what we will remember going up the mountain. Better than gasoline.”

Utah’s eastern mountain range loomed in front of the Ross-Stones Saturday night, and Carrie spoke of the difficulty of passing over them. A bend ahead seems to signal the end of an incline, inspiring the rider, but when it’s reached, the hill continues upward. “It’s lucky that you can’t see the whole hill,” Carrie said, speaking symbolically as well as literally. But “if the pioneers came over in covered wagons, it can be done.” As Elisia said, “Each push of the pedal is a revolution.”

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Notable Quotes “It’s an embarrassment, frankly, that the state does not have an enforceable hate-crimes statute,” — Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff speaking at the Rally Against Rage.

“There’s no way a pro-gay marriage Republican governor would ever be nominated president or vice president. He had to do something to indicate his displeasure.”

— Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia speaking of Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s position on same-sex marriage.

“She deserves a title that is significant and meaningful.”

— Rainbow Ride “grannie” Carrie RossStone talking about her wife, Elisia, speaking at an event in Salt lake City

“The church cannot allow the gay rights movement to hitch itself to the civil rights movement. It is insulting, offensive, and racist. It is to compare my skin with their sin.”

— Reverend William Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington and a founder of a group of pastors against gay marriage called “Not on My Watch Coalition” “I should have done daytime long ago. I have fun every day — it’s the best job I’ve ever had.”

— Ellen DeGeneres accepting her first Daytime Emmy Award for “Best Talk Show” for her show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” airing since September. The show won three other awards, making it the most honored talk show of the year.

“There is simply no other means of reining in activist judges who seek to impose their will.”

— Utah Senator Orrin Hatch addressing the U.S. Senate on the need to pass the federal marriage amendment.

“I’m for it.”

— Pete Coors, owner of Coors Brewing Company, when asked whether he’d support an amendment to the Colorado State Constitution banning gay marriage.

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Lesbians Not Immune to SexuallyTransmitted Infections

by JoSelle Vanderhooft Although lesbians have the lowest rates of sexually-transmitted infection among adult populations, they are nonetheless at risk for contacting several sexually transmitted infections including herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia and even HIV. Despite this reality, several lesbians may not be getting the treatment they need to catch such infections in their early stages because of medical misinformation and social misconceptions about who gets STIs. “Have you ever been told that if you have sex only with women that you are not at risk for sexually transmitted diseases?” asked Dr. Jeanne Marazzo and Shana Sniffen in an article from the University of Washington’s health website. According to the article, many lesbians do not get routine tests for STDs because they — or even their medical providers —feel it is unnecessary.

Ann Hess, a former Utah Planned Parenthood worker who specialized in working with at-risk lesbian populations, agreed.

“Most of the lesbians I know do not practice safe sex — they don’t use dental dams.

And one thing everyone must understand is that oral sex is a way of transmitting HIV.” However, says Hess, there are a host of other STIs for sexually-active lesbians to consider. “It’s not just HIV. It’s chlamydia; it’s genital warts; it’s gonorrhea; it’s herpes,” she said. “All of these things except chlamydia — which is transmitted through body fluids — can be transmitted skin-to-skin whether you’re with a man or a woman.”

Despite the risks, Hess said that lesbians often don’t get tested because of a social stigma still attached to lesbian sexuality.

“There’s rejection everywhere for lesbians,” she said. “No one’s talking about lesbianism, or asking about sex with women, so it gets put on the back burner.”

Clay Vetter, Utah Planned Parenthood Education director, says America’s rigid gender roles and identities may also be responsible for the misconception that lesbians don’t generally get STIs. “American culture tends to look at lesbian sex as the least risky form of sexual behavior because the culture perceives men as the transmitters of STIs,” he said. “The culture views men as sexual beings that are always in pursuit and always raking up the number of sexual accomplishments. So this makes it feel like men are most likely to have sex to transmit infections.”

All of this is very bad news to Vetter because popular ideology had very little to do with the reality of STIs. “People assume that if someone identifies as lesbian that they somehow have no risk of contacting so-called ‘heterosexual infections,’” he said. “This is simply not true. Infections don’t discriminate.”

While age, race, gender and sexual orientation don’t matter to viruses and bacteria, some forms of sexual activity still place certain groups at more risk for contracting STIs than others.

“Identified lesbians do have some of the lowest HIV rates, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to it,” Vetter said. “This is because we know that HIV is more likely transmitted through anal intercourse where there’s some kind of ripping and tearing, so there’s some kind of penetration usually from

an infected partner one way or another.”

Although Vetter said he did not want to speak for all kinds of lesbian sexuality, he added “usually, there’s just less of that for lesbians.”

Vetter also said that sexual identity may have little to do with sexual practice. Thus, lesbians may be engaging in sexual behaviors that carry a greater risk of infection, including having sex with men.

“One of the partners may identify as lesbian and still have heterosexual experiences,” he said. “People’s identities don’t always reflect their behavior for a variety of complex and wonderful reasons.”

Both Vetter and Hess stressed the importance of regular STI testing. Additionally, lesbians should be honest with their health care providers about their sexual orientation, said Vetter. Lesbians should “seek out providers whom they feel comfortable with, with whom they can say from the getgo ‘I’m a lesbian and these are the kinds of sexual experiences I have,’” he said. “If a provider cannot handle that, report that provider and move on. If you don’t feel safe enough to talk about the behaviors that are part of your sexual history, they’re not going know what to look for.”

Hess said that practicing safe sex and disclosing sexual history to partners are also good ways to combat STIs. “We’ve really got to get to the point where we’re not awkward about this anymore,” she said. “So many people feel like [disclosing sexual history] ruins the mood or it’s embarrassing, but all I can say is getting a lump on your labia is even more of a mood-breaker.”

She also said that lesbians should be aware of what STIs they’re being tested for when going to clinics. “People go in and want to be tested for everything, but that’s not possible,” she said. “To say, ‘I want to be tested for everything,’ would be about $2,000 of tests and blood samples. So they may say, ‘I got tested,’ but they may not realize what they got tested for.”

Both Vetter and Hess agreed that lesbians should assume their partners are infected. “I always look at partners as being infected,” Vetter said. “At the same time, I don’t view that as negative, or that it’s a statement on their sexual behaviors.”

“It’s about living in a mode of the best possible prevention, rather than the most possible denial,” he added.

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Opinion

Small Town Does Not Necessarily Mean Small Minds Conventional wisdom has it that it is impossible to engage in a meaningful dialogue regarding gay and lesbian rights in small-town America. The perception among gay people is that those who live in such places are close-minded, insular, even bigoted.

All too often, this perception is reinforced by actual events — events such as the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepherd near Laramie, Wyo. While it’s true that gays often find vastly increased tolerance in larger cities, it is equally true that increased tolerance comes only through visibility. The idea that smaller communities are scary, foreign, frightening and off-limits to us — that the closet door must slam shut as soon as one leaves the city — may be a strategy for our self-preservation, but it also prevents small-town residents from getting to know us for who we really are.

It may be natural for some of us to have a fear of the hinterlands — particularly those of us who came out of the closet there and experienced firsthand what small-town hospitality was all about.

It’s not unusual for an entire town to get riled up against a perceived threat to their stability, their well-being. The fact that many anti-gay politicians and religious leaders are willing to exploit fears and myths common among people in the heartland doesn’t help.

We know, though, that the truth is on our side — we’re not the ravening sex maniacs, the perverse villains intent on 8

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destroying the American family that our political enemies claim we are. Sooner or later, people will discover they’ve been being conned, particularly if they already know one or more out gay people.

The question isn’t whether gay people in small towns exist — the question is whether there is any evidence of their existence.

Lesbians and gays were in evidence at the Sanpitch Rhubarb Festival last weekend in Mount Pleasant, population 2,700.

Along with organizers and participants who were happy to engage in the general, good-natured silliness of the event, one vendor wore his “don’t amend” badge, indicating his stance against the proposed anti-marriage amendment to the Utah Constitution.

In doing so, he was taking a brave step toward initiating dialogue. By wearing that badge, he was indicating his willingness to talk to curious folks about the issue — folks who may never have heard that there are two sides to the debate.

Sure there are busybodies in every small town: people who just can’t mind their own business, and who can’t wait to tell others what theirs should be. In every Mayberry there are bigots, reactionaries and loudmouths.

But if we left it up to the bigots, reactionaries and loudmouths to tell the good citizens of Mount Pleasant — or any other small town — who we are, we shouldn’t be surprised when they get it wrong.

From the Editor Killing My Television

by Brandon Burt At some point in the 1990s, I became a television snob. I started telling people I didn’t watch network TV — pfeh — I only watched PBS, the History Channel and BBC America.

This state of affairs continued to annoy my social contacts until about the time Absolutely Fabulous became absolutely lame after its third season. So great was my disappointment, my horror — how could Patsy and Edina lose their edge like that?

— I finally lost my grip on popular culture, snipped the umbilical cord and gave up television entirely.

Well okay, it was probably some boyfriend or other who encouraged me to stop watching. But after a couple weeks, I started to think there might be something to this “kill your television” thing.

For one thing, I had so much more free time than I had as a TV junkie. Why, I could learn to play the accordion! Take up wheelthrown pottery! Read books, catch up on my laundry, renew old friendships!

Clearly, giving up television was a lifeenhancing decision.

Not only did I have more time in which to get my thoughts together, I had more control over the images fueling those thoughts.

Instead of watching television news with its blatant disregard for human intelligence, I came to rely exclusively upon the written word — daily newspapers, The New Yorker, the Internet — for all the information that is necessary for a person to function as a contributing member of our democracy.

Yes, life was good. If my social contacts didn’t find me insufferable when I was a PBS watcher, they certainly did now that I was off the cathode-ray tit altogether.

The first signs of trouble were subtle, almost imperceptible. Friends would make reference to some celebrity heartthrob or wildly successful reality program. Ashton who? I would ask. Playing it what?

Suddenly I was incapable of holding up my end of a spirited discussion. Was the reality show mean-spirited, destined to scapegoat the gay men trying to dupe the innocent young girl into believing they were actually straight? Who knew? I had never watched the thing. Was Ashton a hunk or a dork? These were the important questions of the day, and without the rudder of TV to guide my way, I found myself utterly lost at sea.

Even worse than my general cluelessness was a disturbing hypersensitivity I was developing to all forms of advertising.

Having been spawned in front of the tube, I had learned at an early age to tune out commercial images. I had developed an uncanny ability to predict how long a commercial break would last and how that interval might translate into snack-making kitchen activities, allowing me to re-enter the TV room at the exact moment the program resumed.

If, instead, I chose to remain in the room during those important messages from our sponsor, my brain automatically clicked into self-preservation mode: I could stare directly at an entire 30-second ad and, moments later, not know which indispensable product

or useful service had been being marketed.

Certainly some portion of those messages was making its way past my prefrontal cortex and into my subconscious, as evidenced by occasional, inexplicable cravings for a certain sugar cereal, and a deep, abiding conviction that one particular brand of tile cleaner was far superior to all others. Still, I rather enjoyed the narcoleptic effect television ads had on my conscious mind — each commercial was like a mini-vacation.

When I gave up television, however, I lost the ability to mentally block out ads. Billboards, formerly invisible, suddenly started catching my eye, and I would find myself driving down I-15 intensely curious about which fast-food chain featured a semiliterate cow encouraging me to “eet mor chikin.”

Ads on the sides of busses distracted me more and more, and it became increasingly difficult to find the Sunday funnies amidst the common-carrier dross.

Could it be that television was the only thing standing between me and some odd, advertising-induced type of adult-onset attention deficit disorder? Minus the influence of that anesthetizing, 60-Hz, smallscreen flicker was I doomed to an intellectual life resembling that of a magpie? (Oh, look! Something shiny!)

At some point — perhaps due to the breakup with the non-television-watching boyfriend — I began allowing myself to watch select programs. There’s only so much free time that can be filled enriching one’s mind — being boyfriendless, one can either turn on the TV or do something disastrous like seek an advanced degree.

Sure, it became difficult to maintain the snob façade the month my favored programs became Spongebob Squarepants and South Park. But, hey, it was only a couple cartoons — at least I wasn’t a regular viewer. I could still scoff at devotees of reality programming.

But then, finally, it happened: I found myself trapped at Redburn’s bar on American Idol night.

I was enthralled. It was trashier and better than any game show. Idol had everything! Suspense! Bitchiness! Amateur performers you could laugh at!

Oh, it was just a diversion at first — I wasn’t hooked or anything. Sure, I liked some of the contestants more than others, but I didn’t really care about any of them.

Why, I could give up Idol any time I liked!

Then came the dark week LaToya got booted off. I was inconsolable. “How could they?” I asked my friends. “You voted for her, didn’t you? Both phones, right?” It was all Jasmine’s fault — all she had to do was turn on the waterworks and, bingo! Instant sympathy vote. Talentless hack.

And that was it: my descent into trash television was complete.

In many ways, my life is better now. I no longer bore my friends with fatuous declarations of how much free time I have. (Who has free time anymore?) My brain has reinstalled its ad-blocking software, and I no longer risk driving off the road when I see a particularly flashy Wendover billboard. Everything is a bit more glamorous — we can’t all be stars, but we can vote for them!

And, seriously, it was bound to happen anyway. What passes for reality in the ’00s can’t compare to reality programming.

Letters

Three Little Words

Shame on Matheson

Once again, it’s time for those three little words.

No, not those three little words, although goodness knows we all could use a little more love in this world. I’m talking about the three little words you’re probably sick of hearing whether you’re a political party animal or politically challenged.

I’m talking about The Gay Agenda. The three little words some members of antigay groups have used a lot in the wake of last June’s Lawrence vs. Texas decision. Now that gays and lesbians in Massachusetts can legally marry, I suspect we’ll hear these three little words even more — only this time with feeling.

So what, exactly, is the idea behind the so-called Gay Agenda? Perhaps Focus on the Family president Dr. James Dobson can explain. In his most recent newsletter, Dobson defined the Gay Agenda as a “master plan” to achieve the following laundry list of coveted aspirations: “… universal acceptance of the gay lifestyle … muzzling of the clergy and Christian media, granting of special privileges and rights in the law, overturning laws prohibiting pedophilia, indoctrinating children … through public education, and securing all the legal benefits of marriage to any two or more people who claim to have homosexual tendencies.”

A daunting agenda, I think, for a group of people so politically diverse they can’t agree on a strategy to oppose something as insidi-

Editor: Three cheers to the Stonewall Democrats who had the intestinal fortitude to literally stand against Jim Matheson at his speech at the state Democratic convention. He punched this community in the gut and then had the gall to ask for our money, our support and our time.

Matheson won with the slimmest of margins in the last election. He won on our backs. His campaign was filled with young gay men and women running door-todoor, honking and waving, making phone calls and performing every other menial task necessary to make a campaign run.

Many of us opened our checkbooks for the first time for him and our political committees wrote even larger checks.

Then he feels compelled to prematurely ejaculate his support for Bush’s hate-filled amendment — an amendment not about creating law (even the conservative press says the amendment’s chances are slim) but about slapping our community back to its second-class place.

Matheson stares in amazement that we care about this issue. I stare back at him that he doesn’t get it. How could he? Those with the power and the rights see no problem with others not having them.

Shame on Matheson. Perhaps if he could have shown a fraction of the courage the 50 or so delegates did at the convention, we’d have helped keep him in office.

Shane Young

by JoSelle Vanderhooft

ous as an anti-gay constitutional amendment.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans come from every ideology and “lifestyle” imaginable. In Utah alone, the Stonewall Democrats and Log Cabin Republicans have thriving chapters. Far from wanting to destroy their faith, one can find devoted queer members in all Christian denominations (and indeed, in all faiths) whether or not their respective religions accept them. Finally, gay people will always hold differing opinions due simply to differences in race, class, culture and ethnic backgrounds.

So if gay folks are so diverse, how can people like Dobson argue that all non-heterosexual people essentially want to destroy king and country?

Some political essayists would argue that Dobson’s words are based in ignorance and fear. Scholars specializing in the history of anti-Semitism and racism might contend that education has little to do with it. After all, one can know a great deal about a certain race or religion and still despise its members.

I do not know Dobson’s conscience, and therefore I have no right to judge him. But as a writer, I can analyze the language he uses.

Let’s unpack Dobson’s definition of the Gay Agenda. In his newsletter, Dobson claims that all people with “homosexual tendencies” want the “gay lifestyle” to be accepted universally. Yet he fails to define this so-called lifestyle’s characteristics. He says that these people want special rights and privileges, but aside from same-sex marriage and polygamy, he again fails to provide a definition. Finally, Dobson ac-

cuses non-heterosexual people of wanting to hurt children, either by sexually molesting them or “indoctrinating” them through “public education.”

Any way you slice it, Dobson’s message comes across clearly. In statements such as these, he portrays gay people not as individuals, but as an amorphous swarm, which “covets” a set of vague but threatening principles that will hurt normal America if enacted.

I find such a portrayal alarming. Words such as these strip people of their humanity and make them easy targets for distrust and violence. After all, who wouldn’t want to protect his or her children from an evil swarm?

People, straight and gay alike, who care about gay people’s safety and health need to challenge these three little words with some words of our own. Instead of remaining silent when groups like Focus on the Family publish such things, we must expose the untruth behind such writings. And we should do so not only in public forums such as newspaper editorial pages, but in letters to our state representatives and community leaders. We need to counter emotion with reason, because propaganda such as this relies upon the emotional human tendencies to hate and destroy.

When people who believe or want to believe that gay people are monsters are given little choice but to see them as people, believing these three little words becomes difficult if not impossible.

Instead, they might find themselves saying those other three — infinitely more satisfactory — words.

A stretch? Possibly. But you know which words I mean: “You have rights.”

M

Taylorsville

Delusions of Entitlement

by William Todd Park

Letters to the Editor Salt Lake Metro welcomes letters from our readers. Rants, gushes, thoughtful diatribes, pats on the back, incredulous expressions, rabble-rousing raves and maudlin sob stories are all welcome!

Write us at: Metro Publishing, Inc. 352 S. Denver Street Suite 350 Salt Lake City, UT 84111 or email letters@slmetro.com.

Salt Lake Metro reserves the right to edit for clarity and brevity. Letters under 300 words are given preference. True, full name, address and phone number must be included for verification purposes.

The book that most recently fed my brain is the sequel to Tom Brokaw’s best-seller The Greatest Generation.

Brokaw has revitalized the good and noble in our collective national consciousness with the many real-life examples of the intrepid spirit that epitomizes the word “American.”

For the generation of Americans who lived through the Great Depression and the war years, ingenuity, resilience and character were more than lofty compliments for a chosen few.

It was how they lived.

What strikes me when my grandparents remember those times is that they never complain. It makes me wonder why it is that so many — in a country full of opportunity, wealth, and comfort — snivel about trivial inconveniences. The underlying message is that there is an expectation that everyone is entitled to some privilege or advantage without lifting a finger.

Rather than seizing the abundant opportunities, self-proclaimed victims cry foul and point accusing fingers at convenient scapegoats. This insidious attitude is something I refer to as delusions of entitlement.

Delusions of entitlement don’t happen overnight. It takes some time for the habits to be ingrained and to alter one’s sense of reality. Obscenely large judgments won by smiling, telephone-book lawyers, Powerball mega-lotteries, and a panoply of “direct marketing” companies appeal to the basest greed and envy.

Public assistance programs designed to be remedies all too often worsen the problem,

typically causing a pattern of generational dependency through endless bureaucracy.

Before long, those afflicted drool like Pavlov’s dogs when the selfish stimulus is rewarded.

Worse are the symptoms that manifest with the slightest scent of ending an entitlement: weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth at lawmakers, employers and family members. Extreme cases even include public name-calling! One might suggest this awful condition ironically had its roots in FDR’s New Deal and LBJ’s Great Society, or it might simply be that our culture encourages us to get all we can, trumping all the best and well-intentioned elements of these economic programs.

Lawyers, politicians, and the consummate combination — parents — have forever agonized over the question of fairness and entitlement, but there will always be those who are more equal, much to the chagrin and delight of George Orwell. Legislators may attempt to bridge gaps and inequalities through incentives based on noble objectives, but end up forging alliances that exemplify the timeless maxim, “Politics makes strange bedfellows.”

The result of those bizarre liaisons has produced a most heinous genetic mutation: pork.

Despite the President’s pledge in his 2004 State of the Union address to “spend tax dollars wisely,” the list of pork-barrel pet projects is better suited to a David Letterman monologue than an Omnibus spending bill. The laughing stops, however, when budget experts see lots of red ink in bad places.

In January, Berna Brannon of the Cato Institute projected that more money will be paid out in Social Security benefits than collected in 2018 if reforms aren’t made to the current system. That’s not in some future generation.

It’s on our horizon.

The primary role of government is governing and providing opportunities, not issuing handouts. The key is tempering that role with social and fiscal responsibility. It may be naive to suggest, but wouldn’t it make more sense for the government to end their irresponsible deficit spending instead of legislating personal relationships?

Before the days of big government, the sense of entitlement was simply quiet enjoyment of one’s home, family, and pastimes, not collecting on what was supposedly owed. People felt a genuine sense of responsibility to contribute rather than take. Patriotism and citizenship weren’t slogans, but duties that some of them fought for quite literally. It was a different time, to be sure, but not fiction.

Perhaps the Delusion of Entitlement had its genesis farther back when a jealous, disenfranchised Cain uttered the ultimate words in flippant selfishness, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

When I consider that we euphemistically use the term “family” to refer to other gay people, my answer is an unequivocal yes.

Granted, it’s far easier to point out a problem than to actually do something about it, but I would submit that it’s time to stop pointing our fingers at others as the cause of our problems and own up to our own mistakes. We might even try to help those in need. Most people would be surprised to find that those at the center of the issue are often key to the solution.

None of us can single-handedly save the world, but we can make a difference with what is in front of us.

There will always be those around us with that tired “he who dies with the most toys wins” mentality, but the one who has the most toys in the end is still dead. The question is: Will our epitaph be selfish or selfless?

M MAY 27, 2004

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Community Comes Through Participation

by Janice Eberhardt I think the one key element that glues the gay community together is participation. Involvement begins by just showing up for various gay events or other public events that affect our lives. Which, when you think about it, are the same issues straight citizens are motivated to rally for: a clean and safe environment, non-corrupt leadership and representation, and our civil rights, to name just a few concerns shared by all humankind.

Sometimes I find myself sliding out of the journalist’s role of observing and recording events into becoming part of the action. It’s hard to remain aloof and objective when I’m covering events that I care about.

For instance, one of my recent experiences placed me among the activists surging toward the state capitol building in the Solidarity March on April 25. This event, in support of the March for Women’s Lives in Washington D.C., was organized by three or four Lesbian Avengers — not exactly

your mainstream feminist group. Yet these women were able to attract both straight and gay women participants, along with their children and supportive men, plus a very protective escort by the Salt Lake Police Department.

We gathered at the steps of the capitol building to hear speakers identify the laws that limit women’s rights and access to reproductive choices. While I was sitting on the ground listening and scribbling notes, a little girl who is just learning how to walk, toddled over to check me out, leaning fearlessly against my knee. She curiously watched me taking notes while sucking on her binky. She pointed at my pen and paper as if to ask me what I’m doing.

Now that I think of it, I’m doing what I can to make things better for that little girl.

I could see that she had the makings of a future activist, especially with her mother bringing her to such grassroots events. It gave me hope.

The day before the march, I attended the county Democratic convention. I was pleased to see such an impressive turnout of gay delegates in the Stonewall Caucus meeting. There were at least 65 people

there who had gotten involved at the most accessible local level by attending their district caucus meetings in March to become elected county and state delegates who, in turn, vote for the party’s representatives.

Unfortunately, the man who won my district’s nomination, Tim Cosgrove, indicated that he would most likely support adding the anti-gay marriage amendment to the state constitution. I asked him after the vote if we could talk about how this proposed amendment is not just a gay issue, but an issue of equality.

As Equality Utah’s board member Scott McCoy warned the Stonewall Caucus, the anti-gay marriage amendment extends far beyond banning and recognizing out-ofstate gay marriages — it also binds the hands of fair-minded legislators to pass laws based on equality.

As I left the Stonewall Caucus meeting, a woman asked me what Stonewall was.

I was proud to explain that the name is carried in honor of the gay patrons of the Stonewall Inn who in 1969, stood up to the harassment by the New York City Police and fought back. Thirty-five years and many successful battles later, we are still fighting for equal rights.

Prior to the county convention, I listened to a panel of women who lead four politi-

AberRant Mental Porn Erects Only Barriers

by Laurie Mecham Do you remember when you were about 11 or 12 years old and you first learned about sex? I was eleven; I was at a slumber party. After the repugnant revelation sunk in, one of the girls broke the stunned silence by cheerfully asking all the other girls how many children they wanted. I mustered enough calm to mask my revulsion and sagely replied, in my best world-weary 40 year-old semi-British voice, “I’m planning to adopt.”

I know something like this happened to you. Maybe you were lucky enough to inherit a dirty magazine and didn’t have to hear it from some self-satisfied, obnoxious cousin from California, but at a certain point, you experienced the shock of that first carnal knowledge.

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Then, as if learning about how Tab A goes into Slot B wasn’t disturbing enough, you realized with horror that your parents must have done it. And without any conscious intent, a picture — one that you never asked for, never wanted to see — formed in your mind.

“Aaaaauugghhh!” you’d scream, grinding your fists into your temples. “It burns!”

Thank God that maturity brings deeper understanding — or at least that familiarity breeds indifference — because most of us manage to move on with our lives, to somehow get past that moment of unwanted discovery, to make the bad pictures go away.

Growing up allows us to put those vivid and disturbing images aside so that we can once again look at adults as simply the goofy, poorly dressed, un-hip people that they are — unless we don’t. There is a lot of hateful, fearful, right-wing, Bible-totin’ vitriol being slung around us faggots these days, and I think I’ve realized why: It’s those pictures.

A friend of mine (okay, he’s my therapist, but we’re on a mutual first-name basis) told me that people are very good porn directors. When the word “gay” first pops up on a person’s radar, the movie starts to take shape. Now, if you are gay, this can be a very fun and cool phenomenon. But when it hits you in the middle of a white-bread, Ozzie and Harriet (or Cliff and Clair Huxtable) heterosexual moment, it yanks you back through time, developmentally speaking.

Like the phenomenon that occurs when you go back for a visit with the parents and your Dad starts in on your career choice, the awareness of different sexual orientations seems to make people turn 10 years old again.

And that’s OK, for a minute. But when adults hang onto that 10 year-old developmental age along with the drama and the revulsion and the excitement and the dirty movies, they might feel ashamed. They might be ashamed of the nasty shit they can think up.

cal support organizations: the League of Women Voters, Women’s State Legislative Council, Utah Democratic Women’s Club and Professional Republican Women. All four group leaders said their membership is diminishing. These groups were formed to educate women on political issues and it appears that not many women are interested in becoming politically educated these days. Perhaps that has something to do with the erosion of women’s rights in this country.

On a hopeful note, I participated in a very positive and reaffirming event on April 23. The Breast Dialogues, the brain baby of Jennifer Nuttall, director of the Adult Programs at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Utah, gave women a forum to express their feelings about breasts and related topics.

It was an honest and powerful event, though a few women objected to having men in the audience. I applaud the creativity and courage of those women and one transsexual who shared their awkward, painful, resentful, amused and appreciative feelings about breasts. We need more of this kind of brave expression to strengthen not only our lesbian community, but the entire feminist community of this state and country.

Participation starts by just showing up.

When they meet you and your partner and realize that you’re gay, they don’t picture you at the breakfast table or at Fred Meyer or even walking your two adorable pugs in fabulous his-and-his Diesel jeans.

They’ve got you in a poorly-lit room with shag carpets and fake wood paneling, and there might be close-ups.

No wonder they’re all shook up. I mean, what if we did it to them? Picture George Bush whispering to Laura, “Wanna play Find the Weapon of Mass Destruction?” Or how about a wheezing Dick Cheney putting his pacemaker through its paces, pumping away at Lynne?

We’d be pretty disturbed, too.

It would be so perfect if we could get the panties-in-a-knot Christian Right to do a little guided imagery: “I want you to think about your pastor, or your favorite teacher, or maybe your parents. Picture that person with their lawfully-wedded spouse. Everyone got that? Now get them naked and throw them on the bed. Picture his semi-erect penis going in and out of her semi-moist vagina, over and over, faster and faster …”

I think they’d be shocked all over again.

Would they get it? Would they want to grow up? Would they be willing to give up a fabulously rich fantasy life as a porn director?

It might take something really drastic to level the playing field. It might be something like The Little Constitutional Amendment that Couldn’t. But I want to see the tables turned, to somehow illuminate the source of this incredibly huge wave of American homophobia.

I want to tell George and Mitt and that turncoat Jim Matheson that if you’re going to direct porno films, at least be an equalopportunity employer. Have roles for some straight folks. Cast a few of your friends and family. And hey, we still have a few privacy laws on the books — I didn’t audition for your porn movie, so keep me out of it.

Laurie Mecham says, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful; hate me because I’m stupid.”

Ruby Ridge Living Flight of Fancy

by Ruby Ridge Well, darlings, I’m back from safari to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and do I have stories to tell!

After an exhausting travel itinerary, an airport security breach in Baltimore, a power outage on the Amtrak to D.C., a plague of cicadas and a week in god-awful humidity, I am just a physical and emotional wreck.

But on the flip side, the museums were fabulous, the food was outstanding, my meetings on Capitol Hill went well and I had a ringside seat to the political circus that is D.C. — so of course it was all worth it.

Kathy, my agent at Omnibus Travel, whom I positively adore, booked me a flight on Southwest Airlines without warning me about the Southwest Airlines operating “culture.” To say it was a different kind of air travel experience would be an understatement.

Have you ever flown with these people?

At first the chipper flight attendants with their ad-lib banter and casual demeanor were kind of cute. But then it became really disturbing: I kept having flashbacks of the movie Office Space. Remember that scene with the hyper-friendly waiter at Chotchkie’s wearing the uniform with all the lapel pins?

Imagine that guy on the plane’s microphone and you have the complete mental picture.

After thirty minutes with no chance for escape it was coach-class hell, people!

I have always been a husky gal who tends to self-medicate with food. So I tried to alleviate my anxiety and seek comfort in the in-flight snack. Ah yes: the little blue box of non-perishable culinary delights.

There were peanut butter crackers, little graham crackers shaped like bears, and some shortbread cookies. It was like a little Nabisco communion for the faithful in the sky. I must confess though, I did find some rather hateful solace knowing that all of the Atkins Diet martyrs on board were wailing

and gnashing their teeth in lo-carb hell.

Still, even that spiteful reassurance subsided when I read the disclaimer on the bag of peanuts. I’m not kidding — it actually said, “This product was packaged in a facility that processes peanuts and other nut products.” Oh, really Sherlock? It’s that type of litigation aversiveness and political correctness that puts calorie disclosures on bottled water. Somewhere over Nebraska, my angst evaporated and I dozed off.

I have to say Southwest Airlines has been very supportive of our community. Their corporate culture is quirky, but it works.

They provide an inexpensive alternative to traditional airlines and through price

competition, everyone benefits. Would I fly them again? Sure. Would I recommend them to other folks? Sure — as long as you are forewarned and prepared for the whole experience up front.

I just wish someone had warned me before they forced the passengers to do the toilet paper relay race down the aisle, because at 37,000 feet, darlings, my mind is just way too fragile!

Ruby Ridge is one of the more opinionated members of The Utah Cyber Sluts, a camp drag group that raises funds for local charitable causes. Her opinions are her own and fluctuate wildly due to an unpredictable drug interaction between eyeliner and Zoloft.

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A Thousand Words It’s the Shoes

by Scott Perry I transferred our old home movies to VHS. One afternoon, as my mom and I watched them, the memories washed by with chuckles and sighs.

There was Grandma Aggie (Mom went on again how cranky she used to be) and “Uncle Bus” (where the hell did that name came from?) Kids growing, elders dying off — and then it happened.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” mom shook her head in shame. “It’s all my fault.”

The image on the screen was of me — her little Scotty at age four — dressed as Raggedy Ann. I was waving at the camera like a good boy.

Mom put her hands in her face. So I guess it started way back in the Kennedy era: Jackie in her pink suit, Scotty in Red braids and gingham.

Next stop, high school: For pep assemblies, I wasn’t the least bit hesitant to don a frock and wig and lip sync to everything from opera to Julie Andrews. The girls thought I was funny. The football players called me a fag and pushed my car into a ditch.

Coming out to mom was a no-brainer — she sensed I was gay from day one — but Dad was another story. Although he was married to the ex-wife of a gay man, he was a bit squeamish that his son would rather swap recipes than fish stories.

When I told him not to worry, that I was just “the same old guy,” and wouldn’t be all of a sudden wearing dresses, he seemed somewhat consoled. On my way out the door, I covertly asked his wife if she’d help me with my Halloween dress. A week later, I was standing in Dad’s kitchen, as Rose stitched the hem of my size-14 wedding gown.

He came home from work and his jaw hit the floor.

Yep, I was the same old guy — who went on to dress as Cleopatra, Little Orphan Annie, Norma Desmond, Baby Jane Hudson, JonBenet Ramsey, Monica Lewinsky and the Flamingo Hotel and Casino.

One Halloween I called my friend to inform him I had finally found a pair of size12 double-wide flats with little polka-dot bows on the toes. I couldn’t keep my eyes off them as we went on to discuss other news of the week. As we spoke, I walked around the living room, breaking them in.

I hung up and decided it was time for dinner. I headed for the Avenues Smith’s.

When I arrived I breezed through the parking lot. Life was pretty good and I took a deep breath of crisp autumn air. I grabbed a cart and waved to a friend — old what’shis-name — and headed through the sliding doors.

“Clickety-clack, clickety-clack!”

I looked around to see if Ben Vereen was around when, to my horror, I discovered the source of the tapping: my own two feet!

Not only that — the shoes did nothing for my flannel shirt and 501s.

I ran back to my car as fast as one can in crepe soles and started shopping at Albertson’s from that day forward.

All this, but I must confess to you one thing: I’ve never been to Coronation. You’d think with the hours I’ve spent at the D.I. evening wear rack that I would have attended at least one of thse organza extravaganzas, but I leave this highest of holy days to the pros.

You see, I have a hard time separating my flannel from my flounces. I tend to be more of an Indigo Girls vs. Bob Mackie. It must be hereditary — my mom couldn’t tell her Raggedy Ann from her Raggedy Andy.

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Mark Thrash looks back on his reign and his life

by JoSelle Vanderhooft

E

mperor XXVII Mark Thrash is quick with a smile and even quicker with an anecdote, particularly when talking about one of his many hobbies.

“I love being on stage,” he explains over a cup of peach tea at Salt Lake Coffee Break.

“I dance, I sing, I do acting and I play the saxophone. Stage work has always been a love of mine, and it’s something I do on the side that a lot people do not know about.” He smiles again. “Being a Gemini, I have various aspects of my life.”

Perhaps no statement comes closer to defining Thrash’s life than this. Along with over five years of involvement with the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire and various appearances on the Utah stage (as the writer of a one-act play for AIDS awareness week and an actor in A Soldier’s Play for People’s Production Company, an all African-American theatre troupe), Thrash also holds a PhD in Psychology Counseling from BYU. He has also counseled patients suffering from severe depression and terminal illnesses.

Although Thrash never really considered staying in Utah permanently, a strong hunch convinced him to remain after completing his graduate studies.

“I’m a true believer that we’re put in situations to achieve certain things,” he says. “I really felt that I was a person who could help expose people to a wider acceptance not only of African-Americans, but of gay individuals.”

“Most people tell me when they meet me that they’re usually taken aback because they’ve never met someone as approachable as me, someone as easy to talk to. As a result of that, I think I’m able to open the eyes of a lot of people who may not talk to someone who is African-American and someone who is also gay. It’s nothing I ever try and hide — I think both are pretty obvious when you meet me.” And he laughs.

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The youngest of nine children born to a “full-blooded German” father and a “half-Cherokee Indian and half African-American” mother, Thrash spent his childhood in Arkansas, the state where he was born. Although his Illinois-born siblings frequently had difficulties dealing with the racial prejudice they experienced in this state, such attitudes never particularly bothered Thrash. Rather, he saw such treatment as “a growing experience.”

“My family environment was very healthy,” he explains. “We were never taught to feel like we were wronged, or we were owed something or we had been mistreated because of something negative that had happened to us. It doesn’t matter that this happened — it matters how you grow up to let it affect you.”

A healthy family environment also helped Thrash to come out as gay when he was sixteen. As he explains it, “I was never taught that being gay was wrong.”

After coming out, Thrash said he never felt he should hide his identity, due in part to the racism he had experienced growing up: “I figured I was going to be judged by the way I looked either way, so what difference does it make if I’m going to be judged for my sexual lifestyle as well?”

Instead of hiding, Thrash would gently make fun of the few people who taunted him with familiar quips such as “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” Indeed, he did not try to hide when three skinhead men beat him up shortly after he moved to Utah County — nor did he try to hide when applying to BYU’s graduate school of psychology.

“I was a person who had been open from the beginning about who I was and what my sexuality was,” Thrash explains, noting that he was also open about his status as a non-Mormon. At the time he applied there BYU had recently come under investigation for having a lack of minority faculty and students on campus, a fact which he thinks helped convince officials to accept him.

“It was a time when they needed someone like me who could help their numbers, so I think they were able overlook a lot more than they normally would. The agreement was that I just wouldn’t talk about [my sexuality] basically,” he said.

“I found it very funny that a college was approaching ‘don’t ask don’t tell.’”

Although BYU’s faculty didn’t ask, Thrash didn’t necessarily refrain from telling. Instead, while pursuing his studies, he counseled several gay and lesbian LDS students struggling with their sexual identity. Although an official help group was never formed, Thrash served as the school’s “unofficial gay and lesbian counselor.” He would go to other counseling groups on campus that he felt “had a very negative approach” to dealing with homosexuality to let the students there know he wanted “to offer another option.” Thrash’s mother became an integral part of her son’s counseling activities by helping

parents of BYU students understand their gay children, talking to parents about her experiences having a gay child so they could learn how to make the coming out process easier for their children.

After graduating, Thrash moved to Salt Lake County where he quickly got a job in South Jordan at a grief counseling center.

Here he works with terminally ill patients and others suffering from depression. As part of his work, Thrash discouraged the overuse of antidepressants. (Utah has the third highest rate of anti-depressant prescriptions in the country.) Thrash and the counseling center’s other counselors try to help patients learn to overcome their problems without becoming dependent on medication.

“Although anti-depressants are helpful to some individuals, I think more often than not they’re just a process that elongates the therapy that someone really needs to help solve their problem. It becomes so self-debilitating it’s just amazing. And I think one reason is because they’re not given any other options.”

During this time, Thrash also overcame a challenge he had struggled with since childhood: his weight. “Up until about six years ago, I was a man with a 42-inch waist, weighing close to 350 pounds,” Thrash remembers. “I had always been a larger individual and never thought I’d be someone smaller.”

Nonetheless, Thrash decided he would go to the gym because he knew “it was just something healthy to do.” He was surprised and delighted when he began seeing results. Soon he had completely transformed his physical appearance.

Yet despite the transformation, Thrash still thinks he has some way to go towards feeling comfortable with his appearance.

“The weird thing is that inside I still feel like I’m that overweight child. So no matter what I do to go to the gym, when I look in the mirror I still see that overweight child, usually. So it’s something I still have to deal with in my life, because our own self-perception is something we all deal with. I think we’re always our own worst self-critics.”

After his reign’s end, Thrash has considered pursuing several other opportunities to continue serving others. “I’ve been approached by various people and various groups about moving into the political realm,” he says.

He’s also considered applying to be the Gay and Lesbian Community Center’s new executive director, a position Paula Wolfe recently vacated.

“I know that I will always have some kind of work in the community,” he says.

“I just don’t know what direction I’ll take next. But doing what I can to help others will always be a part of my life, no matter where I am.”

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College of Monarchs HMIM Emperor I Pepper / HMIM Empress I Deanna The Court was originally the Imperial Court of Utah with the first crowning of Emperor and Empress taking place at The Rusty Bell in June 1976. The Court was primarily a social group whose first year sparked curiosity and interest. Today, the dedication of Pepper, the first Lesbian Emperor, is still significant. She is still an active member of the Board of Directors and a driving force in the Royal Court.

HMIM Emperor II Fred Ringle / HMIM Empress II Paul Still being a new organization and defining its role in the Salt Lake Valley, the Court was still filled with surprises and “camp.” Paul North was elected Empress by a write-in vote and is still the only successful write-in candidate the Royal Court has had. At PR Ball, Fred and Paul reversed roles and Fred went in drag, while Paul went in leather. Paul only did drag twice the whole year he was Empress ... something uncommon today.

HMIM Emperor III Weldon Young / HMIM Empress III Carole Martindale As the Court started to find its existence to be more prominent, the values and beliefs of the organization were then molded. Empress III Carole Martindale was the first and only straight woman to be elected to the position. Campaigns lasted 6 weeks and there were 5 Empress Candidates and 3 Emperor Candidates the year that Carole and Weldon won. The court ventured out for many exciting campouts with the emphasis on “camp!” For many years Carole acted as the administrator for The Monarchs’ AIDS Fund and remains an active member of the College of Monarchs.

HMIM Emperor IV Joe Conti / HMIM Empress IV Dusty In February 1980 a special meeting took place to have all court members resign and surrender their court cards in front of the Reigning Emperor. The meeting took place at Denny’s on 300 West & North Temple and lasted 10 minutes. This was the beginning of the RCGSE, with Joe and Dusty as Emperor and Empress. The election that year was one of the most heated in all campaigns to date. The Elected Emperor, Gordon Steel, purchased billboards throughout the city, spawning a campaign rule that no campaigning would be allowed outside the gay community. The Elected Empress that year, who won by one vote, resigned three months into her reign.

HMIM Emperor V Krazy Pete / HMIM Empress V Joanie Lynn The fifth reign was the first to start after the break up of ICU and Joanie and Pete decided that taking care of the in-town organization was important. They attended only two out-of-town coronations. They initiated the new voting system that required the punch vote which is still in place to this day. It ensured a fair result and the Salt Lake City Police Department counted the ballots. It was also decided that instead of Krazy Pete and Joanie Lynn becoming Emperor and Empress I of the new court, they would be known as Emperor and Empress V, and the past would be honored and the previous four reigns would be acknowledged as they had been.

HMIM Emperor VI Bob Stevens / HMIM Empress VI Marita Gayle Emperor VI, Bob, was responsible for volleyball teams and a tournament played between Denver and Salt Lake City and started a successful court softball team. He also started the court poker run which still exists. Court meeting attendance that year was one of the highest ever.

The largest crowd to date attended the 6th reign coronation with over 1,000 people. Bob and Marita were the monarchs to sign the papers that gave The Sovereign Court of Denver their Charter. Marita started the subtitles and the spike titles that are selected by elected Monarchs (i.e. The Heart of the Spike, The Champagne Empress).

HMIM Emperor VII Michael Ball / HMIM Empress VII Tina St. Clair The seventh reign was one of firsts, traditions and turmoil. Michael and Wilma were lovers when they ran and won. They did not run as a ticket, which was not allowed, but won together just the same. Michael started the Gay Bowling League, still running today. In December 1982, Wilma called the president of the board, Marita Gayle, up on stage and had her read Wilma’s resignation speech. The audience and Marita were in shock. An emergency meeting was held in the office of The Sun to dismiss the resignation, but because it had been notarized nothing could be done. The community was outraged, Wilma was a very popular Empress, and a rally was sponsored to show support for Wilma to maintain her title. She stuck to her guns and in January of 1983, the reigning Princess Royale, Tina Sinclair, was crowned Empress VII Regent.

HMIM Emperor VIII Alan Anderson / HMIM Empress VIII Auntie Dé By proclamation, Alan created the Board elections of the Prince Royale and Princess Royale, which take place prior to Victory Brunch the morning after Coronation. Empress XVI, Stephanie Thomas’s proclamation voided Alan’s by creating a public election of the offices. These elections only lasted for three reigns. She rescinded her proclamation and Alan’s was reinstated.

Both Alan and Auntie De’ remain very active in our community. Alan last served as President of the Board for Reign XXIII. De’ consistently remains active in the Utah Gay Rodeo Association, most recently serving as Grand Marshall for their first Gay Rodeo in the summer of 2000.

An RCGSE tradition has been for Auntie De’ to host the Empress Tea Party during Coronation festivities. This fun party goes hand in hand with Auntie De’ and her fun loving attitude.

HMIM Emperor IX Lee Trinka / HMIM Empress IX Annie Daniels The ninth reign established the reigning Monarchs as copresidents of the RCGSE. Empresses once served as President and Emperor as Vice-President. Lee was a past Rainier Emperor in Seattle, Washington. Annie was known for her accuracy and attention to detail, as well as her amazing ability to see things outside the box. The reign was also responsible for establishing the AIDS fund, governed by the College of Monarchs, making the Court one of the first organizations in our community to officially address and help people affected by HIV/AIDS. Through this fund, the court has raised thousands of dollars to help hundreds of individuals and organizations.

HMIM Emperor X Scott Stites / HMIM Empress X Mother Bob As the RCGSE grew and established itself as a community based volunteer organization with a cause to help combat the AIDS epidemic, still to this day, the AIDS Awareness week is one of the most educational and community building activities the court has in Utah. Emperor X Scott Stites issued a proclamation, which created AIDS Awareness Week for the court each October to raise funds and awareness. The Reigning Emperor is responsible for this annual event.

HMIM Emperor XI Robb Bullock / HMIM Empress XI Clariss Cartier The Royal Court began to evolve into an organization of power and stamina. The 11th reign worked on the relationships within the city. Clariss and Robb were part of the very first Community Council and the first Monarchs to meet with a Mayor of Salt Lake City, Palmer DePaulis. Clariss was responsible for creating the Mr. & Miss Gay Utah Pageant, and has served as President of the Board of Directors seven times since her reign.

HMIM Emperor XII Donny Eastepp / HMIM Empress XII Donnie Marie The 12th reign was very successful in that the Emperor and Empress had so much love and respect for each other. They traveled well, raised a lot of money and had incredible backing and support. Donnie Marie was the first and only Native American to be elected Empress and was very proud of her heritage.

HMIM Emperor XIII Larry White / HMIM Empress XIII Desireé

exciting and energetic performing Empresses on the circuit and truly loved performing for her audience.

HMIM Emperor XIV Gary Broadhead / HMIM Empress XIV Betty John

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MAY 27, 2004

HMIM Emperor XXVIII Mark Thrash

Betty and Gary were the first Monarchs to be elected that had reigned together as PR’s. They started the Lifetime Achievement Award, now an annual tradition, giving the first award to HMIM Empress XXVIII Heidi Ho West Waters Empress VI Marita Gayle. As PRs, they started the PWA Christmas fund, originally toys for tots, HMIM Princess Royale XXVIII Krystyna Montiel-Closet Shaylee adding extra rewards and benefits for those individuals with HIV/AIDS.

HMIM Emperor XV Bruce Harmon / HMIM Empress XV Bianca The 15th reign was filled with great entertainment. Bianca was known for her beauty and talent as a performer and was asked to perform at many Coronations around the circuit. She was one of the first Empresses named Heir Apparent to the founder of our International Court System, the Widow Norton, Empress I Jose. Bruce was instrumental in getting the Court its 501(c)3 status and initiated the Pageant Committee and the Mr., Miss and Ms. Gay Pride Pageant. Their step-down was held in the Grand Building at the State Fairgrounds where guests were seated on the main floor during the first set and asked to move upstairs for a completely different floor plan and seating arrangement during the second.

HMIM Emperor XVI Jeff Smith / HMIM Empress XVI Stephanie Thomas Jeff and Stephanie were incredibly close – in fact they had a child together. Concerned with making sure that the organization ran as a well oiled machine, this reign focused on the workings of the court. Budget controls were implemented to ensure tight controls and the number of Court titles were limited to 64 per reign to make them more meaningful to the recipients.

Jeff was known for his business sense and served for several years as President of the Board.

Stephanie was our first lesbian Empress and still remains an active member of the RCGSE. She also currently serves on the board of the PWACU.

HMIM Emperor XVII Jeff Freedman / HMIM Empress XVII Keisha Diamanté Guy Larsen was elected among three candidates for Emperor that year. Due to a job transfer 3 days later, he resigned and the Board immediately confirmed Jeff Freedman as Emperor as the next highest vote-getter. Jeff went on to create the Barony of Northern Utah, which is now the Imperial Rainbow Court of Northern Utah. By proclamation, Keisha instituted regulations limiting one pageant title per reign per person. This helped distribute titles more evenly through the court, encouraging more people to run for pageant titles.

HMIM Emperor XVIII Marshall Brunner / HMIM Empress XVIII Walter Marshall and Walter got along famously, with Walter being an amazing performer and Marshall being incredibly efficient on the business side. Marshall was instrumental in gaining recognition for Wilma to be acknowledged as the seventh elected Empress, The Madwoman Empress. Marshall continues to remain a strong influence in the court. Walter’s talents were honored many times out of town when the RCGSE would bring home the “Best Entrance Award.” The team embraced the powers of the court and used it for the benefit of the community. Their PRs, Peter Christie and Sheneka, were the first to be elected by the community in the general election.

HMIM Emperor XIX Wop / HMIM Empress XIX Marci Malloy Marci and Wop were the second pair of Monarch’s to serve previously together as Prince & Princess Royale, the first being Emperor and Empress 14, Gary and Betty John. Wop is our third lesbian Emperor. Marci is known far and wide as one of Salt Lake City’s most exciting and energetic performers. Marci also created, by proclamation, The Excellence of the Spike Award which is presented to an individual chosen by the reigning Monarchs, who has shown extraordinary support to each reign yearly at Coronation. Marci was a passionate and emotional Empress at times. She often broke into tears in her many dramatic and poignant performances.

HMIM Emperor XX Peter Christie / HMIM Empress XX Sheneka Christie Peter and Sheneka were the third pair of Monarchs to serve previously together as Prince and Princess Royale. By proclamation, Sheneka created the State Crown, consisting of Golden Spikes set in a band commemorating the founding year of our court, to be worn at all official state functions. Peter created the Drive of the Spike Scholarship fund dedicated to empowering our community through education. At Victory Brunch after stepping down, Peter was named as Heir Apparent to the founder of the International Court System, the Widow Norton, Jose I; is 7th in line of succession, and continues to serve on the International Court Council.

HMIM Emperor XXI Adam Ganz / HMIM Empress XXI Tasha Montiel By proclamations, Adam instituted the Emperor’s ring, now given to each Emperor as they complete their reign. In order to recognize individuals who are dedicated to our court from outside of our empire, he created the position of two Citizens For Life per reign. Tasha was responsible for creating Cancer Awareness Week in March. She also made the top ten titles for each reign, working titles with responsibilities and duties. This ensures more individuals participating in more activities to create awareness and help raise funds for our community.

HMIM Emperor XXII Jeff Kosewski / HMIM Empress XXII Yvette By proclamation, Jeff requires that candidates running for office hold at least one function during the year prior to their running on order to gain more experience and raise additional funds. He also arranged that the Golden Spike Awards are hosted by the Anniversary Monarchs. Yvette requires that Monarchs and PR’s not receive their numbers until they step down, and that one outstanding board member and two outstanding court members be recognized when the other Emperor and Empress awards are given out. Jeff’s strong business skills and Yvette’s great people skills made them a very strong team.

HMIM Emperor XXIII Earl Kane / HMIM Empress XXIII Bridgette Bridgette had only been doing drag a year prior to her being elected Empress. During their reign, Earl and Bridgette had a very successful Carnival weekend and also brought back game shows as a successful fund raiser. Bridgette rebuilt and raffled off a car, raising over $1100!

Together they traveled to over 29 different coronations. Earl has served twice as President of the Board, and Bridgette also remains an active member of the community.

HMIM Emperor XXIV Chris Trujillo / HMIM Empress XXIV Veronika The RCGSE was awarded The Red Ribbon Award for a community organization for the second time from the PWACU during the 24th reign. Veronika hosted one of our most successful Cancer Awareness Weeks. By proclamation, Chris required that each month and each year a court member be recognized for outstanding contributions made to the organization. Veronika did away with proclamations except for Lifetime Titles, and required a review and rewrite of the by-laws every five years to be voted on by the general membership.

HMIM Emperor XXV Rhett / HMIM Empress XXV Felicia The 25th reign enjoyed immense popularity out-of-town and at home. Rhett and Felicia involved the Prince and Princess Royale heavily and the four were strong leaders who led by example. The reign broke many records and did things considered to be “firsts.” Having a membership body of over 100, providing an information booth at Gay Pride Day and raising a large amount of funds from Carnival are only a few of the great things they accomplished. The 25th reign professionalized the Court’s web site, and created an informative newsletter.

HMIM Emperor XXVI Franke Holt / HMIM Empress XXVI Cortney Cartier HMIM Emperor XXVII Bobby Childers / HMIM Empress XXVII Agness Malloy

The 13th reign had the most incredible sets for shows, events and pageants. Larry White was Cheesecake very talented in set design and his partner Bree Chardonnay helped their reign throughout their year. Famous for her many fabulous hats, Desiree’ was also known as one of the most

18

Reign XXVIII Imperial Family: Imperial Crown Prince Chad Keller Imperial Crown Princess Paris Bruner-Childers Imperial Prince Consort Thom Lee Imperial Princess Consort Sinsation Czar Mike Sperry Czarina Alexis Imperial Duke His Grace Lil’ B Imperial Dutchess Her Grace Tiffany Crystal Grand Marquis Derek Beebe Vaughn Grand Marquessa Celeste Jordan Grand Duke Dwayne Sessions Grand Dutchess MacKenzie Baron Alfredo Boscan Baroness Mame Cherie Count Paul Cucunato Countess Tracie Aviary Grand Jester Hunter Down Grand Jestress Benetha Certa Viscount Sebastian Cruz Viscountess Porchea Steel Christie King Father Alan Anderson Queen Mother Sheneka Christie Imperial Father to the Emperor Rhett Larsen Imperial Father to the Empress Earl Kane Imperial Mother to the Emperor Felicia Imperial Father to the Empress Marshall Brunner Imperial Aunt to the Emperor Cortney Montiel-Cartier Imperial Uncle to the Empress Peter Christie Fairy Godmother to the 28th Reign Yvette Malloy Entertainer to the 28th Reign Nova Starr Court of Jesters Salt City Kings Court of Jestresses Utah Cyber Sluts Knight of Camaraderie Sir “J” Fraga Knight of Composure Sir Ray Duncan Knight of Camaraderie Sir Von Seils Knight of Composure Sir Alan Stephensen Keeper of Devotion Chuck Whyte Guardian of Devotion Charese Jamison Lord of Dreams Yet To Come Brad Earl Lady of Dreams Yet To Come Legacy Vaughn Lord of Charm and Beauty Juan Carlos Claudio Lady of Charm and Beauty Kennedy Cartier Prince Charming Jason Bowen Princess Charming Ashlee Vaughn Royal Family To Princess Royale 28 Krystyna Montiel-Closet Shaylee Royal Princesses Kassidy From Hell Vaughn, Kennedy Cartier Royal Fathers Pepper Prespente, Franke Holt Royal Mothers Tasha Montiel, Veronika Royal Ruby Brothers Juan Carlos Claudio, Aaron Lewis, Derek Bebee Vaughn, Justin Davis, Bobby Fairbanks, Nikki Reeves Royal Ruby Sisters Miss Millie, Alexis Montiel, Ashlee Vaughn, Dixxie Vaughn, Kendra, Shardonne Diamond Royal Hoochie Sister Princess Kyra Faye Prespente Royal Ruby Harmony Brother Austyn Riley The Keeper of the Shining Ruby Heart Thom Lee The Royal Shining Beacon of Light, The Consort and Advisor to the Princess Chyna Cartier The Angelic Voice of the Princess Michelle From Hell The Princess’ Royal Ballroom The Paper Moon The Keeper of the Princess’ Royal Ballroom Toni Fitzgerald Royal Wardens of Extravagant Wit The Utah Cyber Sluts The Ruby Studded Cowboys & Cowgirls UGRA Shining Knights & Guardians Hunter Down, Ken Sucmioff, Parker Here Pageant Titles Mr. Gay Utah XXII Wendy (We) Miss Gay Utah XXII Legacy Vaughn Ms. Gay Utah XXII Jewels Mr. Gay Pride XIV Lil B Miss Gay Pride XIV Kassidy “From Hell” Vaughn Ms. Gay Pride XIV Heidi Shelton Mr. Golden Spike Universe XXII Scottie West Vaughn Miss Golden Spike Universe XXII Aleesha Ashley King of Hearts XXVII Juan Carlos Queen of Hearts XXVII Kennedy Cartier Closet Ball Queen 2003-2004 Joe Clark sponsored by Sinsation Board of Directors Allen, Ryan Anderson, Alan Boscan, Alfredo (Al) Childers, Bobby DeForest, Wade Ball Coordinator Gray, Glen Crown Princess 28 Kane, Earl Larsen, Heidi HMIM Empress 28 Larsen, Rhett Treasurer Mackie, Ishrath Martinez, Thom Princess Royale 28 Prespentt, Pepper Sperry, Mike Secretary Stephensen, Alan Thrash, Mark HMIM Emperor 28 Tollstrup, Doug President of the Board Wilson, Scott

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Heidi-Ho West Waters reaches out

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Red feather boas, sparkling outfits, champagne and drag performances every night: the glamorous life of an empress, right?

Think again — ruling an empire is hard work. Empress XXVIII HeidiHo West Waters says the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire has spent the last year raising $45,000 for charitable organizations and $5,000 for scholarship funds. People living with AIDS and homeless youth alike have benefited from the Court’s largesse.

The position of empress carries a lot of responsibility in its title: “A lot of our fundraisers are drag shows, so people stereotype us as ‘the drag queens,’” Waters said, “but the focus is to come out and have some fun and raise money for people less fortunate.”

Not all members on the RCGSE board are performers. Waters herself is not — although she is willing to lip sync “I Am Woman” for the shows.

Waters is also not the first straight woman to be empress — she believes in diversifying the community by working not just inside it, but outside of it as well. That way the Court can show what it — and the community as a whole — can do. “If we demand tolerance, we need to live tolerance,” she said.

Waters says she has always been involved in the gay and lesbian community. She’s been involved with the court for 22 years. “I like the acceptance and the way I am treated in this community,” she said.

Her ties to the community run deep: According to Waters, most members of her immediate family are gay.

During her reign, Waters has placed a strong focus on cancer-related charities. She oversaw Cancer Awareness Week and raised money for the Cancer Wellness House and for City of Hope, as well as for a private recipient who needed reconstructive surgery after having a facial tumor removed.

During her own battle against cancer, Waters came to understand the difficulties faced by patients applying for state medical assistance. “You try to get help from the state and basically they say, ‘Well, you

make too much money or you’re not totally disabled,’” she said. “There aren’t a whole lot of support groups out there for women with cancer, or for children.”

Over the last couple of years, the RCGSE has also become involved in outreach programs to benefit youth and to get more women involved in the organization. “What’s really made me happy is the response and support from the women in the community. That’s very exciting for me,” said Waters.

Waters has been concerned with reaching out to gay people of color, com-

bating bigotry and ignorance. “Someone of color who is gay has more challenges than someone who is white and is gay,” said Waters. “We need to be aware of those challenges. I would like to see a little more cohesiveness with different organizations in our community. We’re all in the same boat — we need to love one another.”

According to Waters, it is important for the community to stand together as a whole, perhaps now more than ever: “We get enough flack from people outside our community. We need to be unified.”

M

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FEATURE

The Court Through the Ages

by Nicholas Rupp

Despite what most gay and lesbian Utahns think, the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire isn’t a bunch of catty drag queens vying to be the biggest bitch of all.

Well, it isn’t just that. At its core, the RCGSE is as much about helping people as it is about the performance of drama, both onstage and off. The Court’s members have been raising money and awareness for community organizations — both gay-related and not — longer than just about any other gay and lesbian organization in the state.

Originally designed to showcase drag performers and raise awareness for the burgeoning gay rights movement, the concept of royal courts began in San Francisco in 1965 with Utah establishing its first royal court in 1976. Since then, the organization has evolved from a campy, fun social group to one devoted to fundraising, charity and … campy fun. Below are just a few of the highlights in the RCGSE’s nearly 30-year history.

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1976 June — The International Imperial Court System grants a Court charter to the Imperial Court of Utah. The crowning of the first Emperor and Empress takes place at the Rusty Bell.

1977 April — The original Sun Tavern hosts the first formal coronation. Empress II Paul is elected by write-in and does drag only twice during his yearlong reign — two things which are unheard of in future reigns.

1978 — Coronation moves to the old Salt Palace, where it remains for the next 12 years.

1979 — The Imperial Court of Utah creates the first gay rodeo organization in the state, the Golden Spike Gay Rodeo Association. It would eventually become the Utah Gay Rodeo Association.

1979 August — Empress IV Lois Lane resigns three months into her reign.

1980 February — In a 10-minute meeting at Denny’s at 300 W. North Temple, the Imperial Court of Utah becomes the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire.

1980 May — Emperor candidate Gordon Steel purchases full-size billboards throughout Salt Lake City and wins the election. The RCGSE board adds a cam-

paign rule limiting campaigning to the gay community and gay-owned businesses, reportedly to prevent “unfair politics.”

1981 May — Thanks to the election controversy in the previous year, Emperor V Krazy Pete and Empress V Joanie Lynn create a new, more reliable punch vote system. They also enlist the Salt Lake City Police Department to count votes — a job that, surprisingly, the force happily accepts.

1982 December — Empress VII Wilma resigns after seven months in office, going so far as to have a copy of her resignation speech notarized.

1983 June — RCGSE organizes “A Day in the Park” to help revitalize Utah Pride Day. 1984 — RCGSE holds the first HIV/AIDS fundraiser in Utah and submits bylaws and a certificate of incorporation to the state for the first gay and lesbian community center.

1985 May — The ninth reign establishes a charitable AIDS fund, making the RCGSE one of the first organizations in Utah to recognize and assist people living with (and dying from) HIV/AIDS. 1985 October — Emperor X Scott Stites issues a proclamation that creates Court AIDS Awareness Week to raise funds and awareness about the disease.

1987 — Reign XI creates the “Mr. & Miss Gay Utah” pageant and becomes the first monarchy to formally meet with the mayor of Salt Lake City, Palmer DePaulis.

1988 — Prince Royale Gary Broadhead and Princess Royale Betty John of the twelfth reign initiate the People With AIDS Christmas fund to assist the US Marine Corps Toys for Tots program with toys for children with HIV. 1991 — Reign XV establishes the RCGSE as an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

1991 May — Coronation moves, for one year, to the Grand Building at the State Fairgrounds.

1992 — Emperor and Empress XVI, Jeff Smith and Stephanie Thomas, get along so well during their reign that they have a child together. Later that year, Emperor XVII establishes the Barony of Northern Utah to serve as the second International Court presence in the state.

1996 — Emperor XX creates the Drive of the Spike Scholarship fund to “empower our community through education.”

1998 March — Empress XXI establishes Cancer Awareness Week in March to raise money for cancer research and assistance.

1999 — Empress XXIII Bridgette rebuilds and auctions a car, raising $1,100 for charity.

2000 — The Barony of Northern Utah gets approval from the International Imperial Court to become the Imperial Rainbow Court of Northern Utah.

2001 June — Reign XXV is the first RCGSE reign to host an informational booth at Utah Pride.

M

Tickled Pink

by Beau Jarvis OK, I admit it: I used to snicker at people who drank White Zinfandel. My thoughts went something like, “Why drink a wine that more closely resembles iced tea or grape Kool-Aid than real wine?”

Luckily, that was as far as I made it down wine snobbery lane. A very enlightened wine instructor helped me do a U-turn when she shared her cardinal rule of wine enjoyment: “If you happen to like a particular wine, then who cares what anyone else thinks about it? Just drink it and enjoy.” Wine is all about enjoyment. If you happen to like White Zinfandel, please, continue to drink it and enjoy.

I must admit, it takes a courageous soul in the often über-pretentious fine dining culture to order a glass of pink wine. I’ve seen an entire table collectively roll its eyes at a courageous (or blissfully naïve) thirtysomething ordering a lone glass of White Zinfandel amidst a sea of flexing Cabernet and viscous Chardonnay.

Well, I now proclaim myself to be a rosé drinker, and I’m damn proud of it! I still don’t particularly care for White Zinfandel, but I have discovered a nice little world of pink wines outside the White Zin realm that are perfect for picnic quaffing.

My partner and I recently vacationed on the Caribbean island of Martinique in the French Antilles. Martinique, while not easy to get to — requiring a marathon five-stop string of flights guaranteed to make the most seasoned traveler’s tuchus numb — is quite literally a chunk of France in the tropics.

After spending one morning lying on the beach making our own skin a nice shade of rosé, we decided to have a light lunch at the nearby café. I needed a nice cool drink. I looked around at my fellow (mostly European) vacationers and noticed small carafes filled with something suspiciously pink in color.

Having never visited Paris or the south of France during warm weather months, I

didn’t realize this was the same Provençal Rosé that is enjoyed in hundreds of French outdoor cafés when the temperature rises.

Feeling a little adventurous and very thirsty, we ordered a carafe of rosé to go along with our fruits de mer crepes.

Wow. I was in taste bud nirvana. What a fantastic warm-weather wine. The rosé was nothing like I expected. It had a decidedly fruity aroma yet it was dry, light and refreshing in the mouth. This wine was very easy to drink and went well with our food.

I’ve since learned that most rosé wines from Provence are blends of several red grapes including Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault.

Rosé wines get their color from limited exposure to red grape skins. Basically, this means the grape skins are separated from the fermenting juice before the juice becomes red.

After the vacation, I made my way to the wine store and found two rosé gems — one from France and the other from Spain — both under seven dollars!

The French rosé is from the Languedoc region. Les Jamelles Cinsault Rosé 2002 ($6.95) is made from 100 percent Cinsault grapes. This rosé is a pretty pink color and offers up fresh fruit scents of raspberry and strawberry. Drinking a chilled glass of this wine made me think of two phrases: “easydrinking” and “fresh.”

Marques de Caceres Rioja Rosado 2002 ($5.95) is from Spain’s Rioja region. At less than six bucks, this wine is a muy grande bargain. It’s nearly red with pink highlights.

This pink Spaniard is bursting with bright berry and subtle floral scents. Taste it and you’ll see how a wine can be fruity, dry and smooth all at the same time.

Both rosés go well with nearly any food that’s normally tossed in the picnic basket.

Try these wines with cold pasta dishes, olives, chicken, fish — even mom’s potato salad. Like me, you too will soon be a proud pink wine drinker. Cheers!

Beau Jarvis is a Sommelier, wine consultant and wine educator. He operates basicjuice.com — an independent wine review and info website.

JEREMIAH MAYBEE

Red,White & Bubbly

Friends and staff of Native Wines aboard their ugly truck camp it up at the Rhubarb Festival May 22 in Mount Pleasant, Utah. In its fifth year, the festival draws a very diverse crowd to the small town. The winery also hosts the Honest Apple Days festival in October.

“Rhubarbarians” Invade Mount Pleasant

by Jeremiah MayBee For the fifth year running, Mount Pleasant celebrated its annual Sanpitch Rhubarb Festival May 22. The event, sponsored by Native Wines, is something of a tongue-incheek send-up of other small-town agricultural festivals, complete with a parade, eating contests and festival royalty known as “the Rhubarbarians.”

It all started with a parade through downtown Mt. Pleasant. Unlike other parades — such as Salt Lake’s Pioneer Days parade — this one featured no clowns, being more reminiscent of a Midwestern, 1930sera small-town parade. It did, however, feature the “masked mower brigade” — a group of 20 or so people wearing black Zorro-style masks performing a synchronized riding routine on lawnmowers.

The parade also featured entrants in an “ugly truck” contest, in which participants competed to see who had the most unsightly vehicle. The trucks in the contest were not made ugly with paint or other foreign materials — they just became ugly through a truck’s natural rusting and denting process. Some should have been laid to rest in the 1980s, and one truck was so rusted out it was little more than a frame and a motor — most impressive because of the fact that it was still able to run at all.

After the parade, Native Wines hosted food vendors selling rhubarb pie, rhubarb jelly, rhubarb syrup, rhubarb soda, rhubarb barbecue sauce — even pickled rhubarb.

Native Wines makes its wines from just about everything except grapes, and the

festival was an opportunity for the winery to show off its unusual rhubarb wine. According to proprietress Winnie Wood, the wines made by Native Wines are “beyond organic. They are wild-crafted.”

“Our wines are made from heirloom variety fruit that grows around here,” Wood said. “It’s wild fruit that we pick off the mountains — like elderberries, chokecherries, rosehips, and of course rhubarb.”

This year’s winner of the raw rhubarb eating contest was Chaz Salanoa, 17, from St. George. When asked what it felt like to be the raw rhubarb-eating champion Salanoa said, “This is my first time trying rhubarb.

I want to puke, but who knows? Maybe this will become my favorite food since I won $100.” Contestants were each given a 12-ounce plate of raw rhubarb and had one minute to eat as much as they could. The victorious Salanoa managed to gorge himself on 6.25 ounces of the vegetable.

With its offbeat campiness and gayfriendly atmosphere, the festival has become a favorite among its dozens of gay and lesbian attendees. This year, a gay-friendly campsite — known as “fairy camp” — was established in a field next to the winery. A group calling itself “Womyn on Wheels” (seemingly comprised of members of Salt Lake’s “Dykes on Bikes” contingent) rode in the parade. Salt Lake’s gay wine club, qVinum, also made the trek.

The Sanpitch Rhubarb Festival takes place in Mount Pleasant each year near Memorial Day. Native Wines winery is open to the public Saturdays from 12:00-6:00 p.m February though December.

Support Quality News in Utah Support Our Advertisers MAY 27, 2004

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Queeriscaping Dirty Admissions, Dirty Fingernails

by Brandie Balken “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate.” — Steven Wright All right, all right, after only two columns I seem to have established my reputation as a “plant snob” with no sense of humor. I asked my girl what her thoughts were on this, to which she replied, “Well — you could lighten up a little. People do like to read things that are entertaining.”

As you might well imagine this was not the response I had hoped for, so I asked myself, “Could this possibly be true? Am I an all-tooserious gardener with a xeriscaping agenda?”

The answer, my friends, was a resounding “yes!”

I’ll admit: My goal with this column is to provide useful information, helpful resources and perhaps motivation to be a little more mindful of water usage. I almost said “conservative” there, but I would never encourage anyone to be more conservative.

Let it be noted, though, that from this point on I will strive to be more entertaining.

However, I will not reform my original goal. I am an opinionated lesbian gardener with a passion for tough, tolerant and beautiful beings, and will no sooner back down from my defense of xeriscape superiority than back down from my defense of equal rights for all Americans.

That said, let’s begin: I’d like to dedicate this column to all the annual lovers, barefooted bluegrass runners and homegrown tomato eaters. There are many things that you can do to decrease the amount of water and effort these needy plant kids require.

Think additives. When you’re planting containers for your patio or porch, mix in a granular- or crystal-form “hygroscopic” additive. Hygroscopic is just a big ol’ fancy word that means “attracts water from the surrounding area.”

These additives can increase water retention and decrease frequency of watering as much as 50 percent. The granulars are ideal for containers — they’re incredibly easy to mix in with a trowel before you plant. But if you’re looking for an additive for an existing

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bed or a large bank of lawn, consider a liquid polymer. These are also very user-friendly: You just attach the container to your hose, and spray it on. All the directions you’ll need are on the packaging, and you’ll find a much less thirsty area in the peak heat of summer.

Drip it, drip it good. Stop overhead watering! I know this isn’t always possible with large lawns and flowerbeds, but if you have a vegetable garden or a perennial bed, use a drip hose. A drip system will effectively deliver water to the important part of the plant, the root zone, without wasting water on the surrounding soil or evaporation.

Drip watering is so much more effective for plants that have dense foliage or broad leaves. Take a good look at a cucumber or a begonia the next time you have an opportunity, and just imagine the drops of water hitting the foliage and running off to the sides, far away from the thirsty roots. If you lay down your soaker now, it will be beneath the foliage of summer, out of sight, and out of the ravaging evaporative effects of the sun.

Mulch, mulch, mulch. Need I say it again?

Mulch your beds! This will not only cut down on the amount of weeding you have to do, but will also cut down on the frequency of watering. Mulching lessens evaporation, and can also provide vital nutrients if you choose well. Look for an organic mix that has some humus — this will break down nicely over time into rich, fertile soil.

Trees are the answer. Plant a tree. If I can’t convince you to tear up that dried out, burned up corner of lawn and plant a beautiful xeriscape bed, at least you could plant a tree in it. Trees still require water, but will eventually shade that parched section of lawn and make it less consumptive.

Look into the Honey Locusts (Gleditsia tricanthos). Some of the most beautiful varieties are “Shademaster” and “Sunburst.”

These will provide nice, dappled shade that will lessen water needs of the lawns or beds below, but not so much as to stunt or kill what you already have planted.

Another lovely characteristic of the Locusts is that they are relatively drought tolerant after being established, and their little pinnate leaves are so fine they don’t require raking in the fall.

So, pumpkins, these are my offerings to you, if you happen to be a lover of the moisture-loving plants. Plant wisely, water thoughtfully and enjoy thoroughly.

Brandie Balken is a horticulturist in Salt Lake City and can be seen at Cactus & Tropicals.

Lambda Lore Sons of Belial

by Ben Williams In the beginning was the Word and the Word was “sodomite.”

Just kidding. Actually, a word equated with samesex doings for thousands of years in the Bible was “Sons of Belial.” These SOBs were considered worthless, wicked and thoroughly depraved.

While ancient text does not give us the lowdown on who Belial was, traditionally he was known as a deceitful, lustful, and lewd god. Old John Milton the Puritan even had Belial as one of the principal angels in hell after being tossed out on his ear with Lucifer.

Now I want to share a story from the Holy Bible with you. About 3,000 years ago — more or less — the concubine of a Levite priest “played the whore against him” and ran away to Bethlehem rather then get a whupping.

This Levite hightailed it to Bethlehem to fetch his woman. On the way home the pair stopped for the night in the town of Gibeah, an ancient Israel party town where every man did that which is “right in his own eyes.”

The couple was enjoying the hospitality of a certain old man, when some of Gibeah’s sports spotted a new ass in town. Looking for some action, they “beset the house round about,” beat on the door and hollered for the old man to bring out his guest “that we may know him.” Literally and Biblically!

The old man was horrified by this effrontery and — probably protecting his own ass — said, “Here, take my virgin daughter and the whore of a concubine … but unto this man do not so vile a thing.”

No dice. Wanting some man-on-man action, the Gibeahites wouldn’t listen, so the Levite — covering his own ass — threw his concubine out the door. Figuring it was the best they were going to get, the Gibeahites “knew her and abused her all the night.”

The next morning, the Levite rose, had a cup of java, scratched his butt and went to see what was up with the concubine. He spotted her lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold, and he said “Up, and let us be going.” The concubine, who was either really pissed off or dead, didn’t answer, so the Levite plopped her on his ass and took her home.

Now, this is where it gets really creepy: The Levite, when back home, took out a knife and butchered her right there on the spot, dividing her into twelve pieces. He then sent the bloody bits to “all the coasts of Israel,” as a way of announcing the “lewdness and folly” that had been committed.

Boy, did this make the Israelites mad — not at the Levite but at those damn SOBs in Gibeah. The other tribes of Israel convened and decided the best revenge would be to forbid their daughters from marrying the Benjaminites. And, oh yes, they demanded the Gibeah perpetrators be turned over to them for execution, “to put evil away from Israel.”

The Benjaminites gave them the raspberry and said “up yours,” which turned out to be a bad move: In retribution, all but six hundred Benjaminite men were wiped out.

Here it gets really crazy: The remaining eleven tribes have a rethink about the ban on marriages with the Benjaminites. They are fearful that Yaweh would punish the

whole tribe of Israel if one tribe were allowed to bite the dust.

Fortunately, someone who took notes remembered that no one from the town of Jabesh-gilead came to the war assembly, and suggested, “Let’s go kill them.” Sounded good at the time, so 12,000 men went to Jabesh-gilead, killed “every male there and every female who has lain with one,” and gave all the virgins to the Benjaminites.

After all that trouble, guess what? They were still short two hundred virgins! Ugh! Once again, after giving it some thought, a clear-headed Israelite remembered that it was almost time for the annual feast of the Lord in Shiloh, during which “the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance“ — and they were virgins, too!

So here was the plan: The Israelites told the two hundred still-wifeless Benjaminites to “go hide by the road, and catch you every man his wife.”

The horny Benjaminites did just that and when the virgins of Shiloh started dancing, out popped the Benjaminites and grabbed the girls they wanted. (Kind of a reverse Sadie Hawkins Dance.)

The two-hundred Benjaminites then went home with their virgin wives to “replenish their war-ravaged towns,” and from one of those Gibeah Benjaminites came Saul — the first king of Israel.

I like Bible stories don’t you? Amen.

Ben Williams is the director of the Utah Stonewall Historical Society and a long-time community activist.

Obituaries Gloria E. Anzaldúa Gloria E. Anzaldúa, the self-described “Chicana tejana lesbian-feminist poet and fiction writer,” passed away due to complications from diabetes May 15, 2004.

Anzaldúa’s knuckles were rapped when she was caught speaking Spanish at recess in grade school. At Pan American University, she and all Chicano students were required to take two speech classes in an effort to eradicate their accents.

“How do you tame a wild tongue, train it to be quiet, how do you bridle and saddle it? How do you make it lie down?” Anzaldúa asked in her book Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. “Wild tongues can’t be tamed, they can only be cut out.”

Anzaldúa’s wild tongue was never broken. She became a prolific author, teacher and theorist, and was actively pursuing her doctorate at the time of her death.

Born in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley to an immigrant Mexican family, Anzaldúa felt neither Mexican nor American, trapped in the airless space between: a mestiza. She is best known for her theory about border culture, from which the term mestiza springs: “A borderland is a vague and undetermined place created by the emotional residue of an unnatural boundary.”

Anzaldúa pushed beyond physical borders to explore the psychological. She exposed the life experience of the biracial lesbian, one to whom a sense of belonging is denied on the basis of her identity, in order to create a sense of place for all women.

In addition to her many honors, Anzaldúa was awarded the 1991 Lesbian Rights Award and the Sappho Award of Distinction in 1992. She is recognized as an icon of the feminist movement, one who challenged mestizas to embrace other communities, to love themselves, and to heal the open wound that is the borderlands. — MQR

Felicia – Wade Adam Deforest Empress XXV Felicia was taken from us this year after an unsuccessful battle with cancer. She was a great leader whose loss will be deeply felt by those who loved her.

Felicia did many great things for the RCGSE and she had a great passion for helping those less fortunate. She expecially cared for gay youth and through her efforts the RCSGE Children and Young Adult Fund was created. In addition to serving as Empress XXV, she held numerous pageant titles and served as the President of the Board for the 27th Reign and part of the 28th Reign, until her health prevented her from further service. She was very outgoing and loved to meet new people wherever her travels took her. Her memory will live on forever with the Royal Court of the Golden Spke Empire. — RCGSE

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METRO PICKS Friday, May 28 I Kissed a Girl MoDiggity’s* brings in yet another singer-songwriter to Salt Lake City.

Jill Sobule, who sang “Supermodel” for the Clueless soundtrack, “Happy Town” and “I Kissed a Girl,” returns for a one-night performance. See the story in this section.

8pm, MoDiggity’s, 3424 S. State Street. Tickets $12 and $17, 832-9000.

Krystyna and the Vikettes The Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire officially kicks off this year’s coronation with the PR Ball — Viking Adventure, Journey Through the Fjords. Princess Royale Krystyna Shaylee presents the evening, which will be followed by a bar tour at 10pm.

7pm, Hilton City Center Alpine Ballroom, 255 S. West Temple.

one will be a show to remember. Two-story waterfalls, wild animals and every diva in the world will be there.

6pm, Hilton City Center Alpine Ballroom, 255 S. West Temple.

Monday, May 31 No One Will Be Up for Breakfast Victory Brunch celebrates the new reign of the Royal Court.

The United Courts of Texas follow up brunch with a victory party of their own, complete with Texas Twister Shots.

11am, Trapp Door*, 609 W. 100 South

Tuesday, June 1 Sun and Music Are Free. You Bring the Lunch The Gallivan Center brings the “Lunch Brunch Concert Series” back to downtown Salt Lake City through September 16. What better way to escape the work doldrums than immerse yourself in a free concert for an hour a day in the middle of the city?

Noon to 1pm, Gallivan Center, 239 S. Main St.

Saturday, May 29

Wednesday, June 2

And Now for Something Completely Different Coronation continues with the Out of Town Show — Gathering of the Maharajas.

More Instruments Than You Can Shake a Stick At Enoch Train is comprised of eight accomplished musicians with ninety exotic instruments and hundreds of years of folk hymn heritage. They join Kurt Bestor in a benefit performance for Healing Hands for Haiti, a non-profit organization that has served the needs of disabled people in Haiti for almost six years.

8pm, Hilton City Center Alpine Ballroom, 255 S. West Temple.

Sunday, May 30 Out With the Old, in With the New Coronation 2004 — Namaste, Evening in the Majestic Ruins of the Maharaja. The biggest balls of them all are put on yearly by the Royal Court. If you haven’t done one yet, this

7:30pm, Kingsbury Hall, Tickets $25/$40, (435)882-2712, www.healinghandsforhaiti.org

Gilgal Gardens is an unintentional tribute to all that is whacked in this state. See Saturday, June 5 for the garden tour.

Pop Opera Broadway in Utah brings back Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera with some of the most lavish sets, costumes and special effects ever to have been created for the stage. Adapted from Gaston Leroux’s classic novel of mystery and suspense, this award-winning musical has woven its magical spell over standing room audiences in more than 90 cities worldwide.

8pm (with a 2pm matinee on Sundays) Capitol Theatre through July 11. Tickets $30–75 through ArtTix, 355-ARTS

Thursday, June 3 Will There Be a Band? “Titanic: the Artifact Exhibit” has traveled to 22 cities around the world and will be at the ZCMI Center Mall from May 29th through January 8, 2005. The exhibit is presented by the Utah Museum of Natural History and tells the story of the Titanic tragedy and features 200 artifacts.

10am–9pm Mon–Fri, 10am–7pm Sat. ZCMI Center second floor. Tickets $6–$20 through Ticketmaster or 325-7328

Kiss Me Kate Salt Lake City’s own Shakespeare Theatre returns for a seventh season with The Taming of the Shrew. In this hilarious play, Shakespeare casts the battle of the sexes as a boisterous farce, and the result is pure comedy.

7:30pm Thurs–Sat, 2:30pm Sun through June 20, Babcock Theater, University of Utah. Tickets $18/$10 students, 581-7100 or 355-ARTS.

Friday, June 4 The Road to Recovery Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon are hosting the 6th Annual Rainbow Roundup. Speakers, ice cream social, banquet, workshops and a dance for newcomers and old timers.

June 4–6, Holiday Inn, 999 S. Main Street, www.rainbowroundup.org

Saturday, June 5 ANITA AND STEVE SHEVETT

View From Above Lambda Hiking Club hosts an ‘easy hike’ to the Salt Lake Overlook up Millcreek Canyon. Meet at the Chevron station parking lot at 700 E. 200 South to carpool to the trail head.

The Tony-nominated creators of Avenue Q: (l to r) composer/lyricists Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez, director Jason Moore, and librettist Jeff Whitty. Utah Conteporary Theatre is hosting a Tony Awards party at the Forum Gallery. See June 6.

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10am, Randy 532-8447, GayHike.org. * a private club for members

It’s a Joseph Smith Sphinx! The biannual Gilgal Garden tour features free guided tours of the 12 “you gotta see ‘em to believe ‘em” gardens.

There will also be musical performances and an introductory lecture by Peter Lassig, former head gardener at Temple Square.

Proceeds benefit the ongoing restoration of the gardens.

9am–4pm, Gilgal Gardens, 749 E. 500 South, 582-0432

Sunday, June 6 We All Love Broadway Musicals. Utah Contemporary Theatre will host a Tony Awards Gala Party at 6pm, Sunday June 6th at the Forum Gallery. Telecast of the 2004 Tony Awards will be on big screens, live entertainment from nominated musicals as well as Forbidden Broadway. Food and beverages will be provided.

6pm, Forum Gallery, 511 W. 200 South. Tickets $20 advance, $25 at the door, 886-3019 UtahContemporaryTheatre.org.

Monday, June 7 Row, Row, Row Your Boat Be part of the ultimate summer experience with the I.J. & Jeanne Wagner Jewish Community Center Rowing Leagues. From the beginning to the advanced rower, this league will get your body trained and in shape for the sport of rowing.

Great Salt Lake Marina, 502-8276.

June 10 Voice of America Doug Fabrizio of kuer fm90 will interview outgoing Morning Edition radio host Bob Edwards.

Edwards has woken America up for thirty years and is widely proclaimed the voice of National Public Radio. He is now traveling to member stations pitching his new book, Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism.

7pm, Jeanne Wagner Theater, 138 W. Broadway.

Tickets $20 through ArtTix, 355-ARTS

Jill “I Kissed a Girl” Sobule Returns to Salt Lake City

Carey to Play Benefit Concert for Equality Utah

by Mandy Q. Racer Edie Carey is no stranger to Utah, thanks to Michael Mitchell, executive director of Equality Utah, the state’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender political advocacy group. “Michael Mitchell has been so incredibly supportive,” Carey told Salt Lake Metro. “Any time he sees an opportunity he throws me in the mix.”

Mitchell, cofounder of the Gay/Lesbian American Music Awards, met Carey when her song, “If I Were You,” was nominated in the acoustic/folk category. According to Carey, Mitchell told her, “I’m going to get you to come out to Salt Lake.”

True to his word, he arranged performances for Carey at the 2002 Winter Games and at the Center Peace event at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Utah.

This year, Carey will return to Salt Lake for a fundraiser benefiting Equality Utah. “I get asked a lot to do different various benefits, but I really like to do ones I have a personal connection to,” Carey said. “Being able to use music is so cool — that that’s a way for me to participate and that’s a way to hopefully get some people out that otherwise wouldn’t go to a purely political event.”

Carey’s lyrics, whether exultant or melancholy, are always intensely personal. “My songs are all very confessional,” Carey said.

She does, however, draw some boundaries between her public and private life: “I don’t talk about my personal life on stage … that’s just mine. I don’t feel it’s necessary to be labeled and then be thought of as a musician. I just want to be thought of as a good musician and a good songwriter, and anything beyond that … it doesn’t really matter to me.”

Carey’s resistance to labels that attempt to pin down her sexuality has, at times, placed her in opposition to members of the gay community. Her sense as an outcast within a community “that is supposed to

You probably first heard of Jill Sobule in 1995, when she had a hit single on the airwaves called “I Kissed a Girl.” It was one of the first Top 40 songs ever to deal with a same-sex crush. Many people have been following her career since 1990 when she released her first album, Things Here are Different, which was well-reviewed, but commercially ignored.

Sobule’s vocal style has been said to be influenced by Cyndi Lauper and her songwriting has been called smart, witty and quirky. PlanetOut considered her “a cross between Lily Tomlin and Tom Waits – a sly, ironic troubadour whose lyrics are infused with feminism, a queer sensibility, and more than a little tenderness. How many other singers would ... pen an obsessive bossa nova ode to Mary Kay Letourneau, the Washington schoolteacher who seduced her 15-year-old student?”

Sobule’s work has been widely acclaimed by music critics and publications, including The New Yorker, which called her “a feisty post-punk feminist whose work brings to mind a cross between Liz Phair and Gertrude Stein.” Her commercial

success has been fairly limited, however, sparking Ink19 to rant that she is “criminally underappreciated ... One Jill Sobule is worth a million Britneys and Christinas.”

Most recently, Sobule’s “I Saw A Cop” was the opening track in Skott Freedman’s CD compilation Bi the People, a collection of songs written and performed by bisexual singers. The song has a Nashville flavor and the line “I saw a cop and she pulled me over. Now I think I’m really over you.”

Sobule last performed in Salt Lake at Kingsbury Hall last year. She returns for a one-night performance at MoDiggity’s on Friday, May 28. — MA May 28, 8pm, MoDiggity’s, 3424 S. State Street, a private club for members. 832-9000.

be open and welcoming to everybody” was concretized by her experience as a nominee at the GLAMA ceremony.

In 1999, Ani DiFranco was given the OutMusic Award after marrying a man. “People were so up in arms,” Carey said. The DiFranco furor “gave voice to the feelings I was feeling at the time: ‘I don’t belong here.

No one wants me here. Is it okay that I’m here? As a bisexual, do I not count?’”

This brutal honesty colors the entire spectrum of Carey’s music. “If I Start to Cry” is a piece about Carey’s fractured relationship with her father. “That song was incredibly hared for me to write … I finally was brave enough to say the words,” Carey said. “Songs can be too honest. Sometimes they’re more honest than regular conversation.”

Carey’s intimate bond with her fans is undeniable, and fostered by her candor.

She makes a point to connect with each individual whenever and however she can, many times staying after concerts talking with and even hugging fans. Faced with the prospect of one day becoming so popular she will no longer be able to do so, Carey is worried. “That really scares me. I really love that connection with fans,” she said. “You feel like you own an artist a little bit when you go and see them.”

Edie Carey will perform at the Vortex, 404 S. West Temple, Sunday, June 6 at 7 p.m. Email Michael@EqualityUtah.org for more information. Tickets are $5 for Equality Utah Members, $10 for non members. Visit EqualityUtah.org to join, or sign up that night for the discount.

Women’s Retreat Affirmation (gay and lesbian Mormons) is sponsoring a women’s retreat June 11-13 near Portland, Ore. Women interested in attending are encouraged to register

by June 3, 2004. For more information contact Alyson Bolles: (971) 506-7540, alyson@affirmation.org or visit www.affirmation.org/women.

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Now Playing BREAKIN’ ALL THE RULES Grade: BQuincy Watson (Jamie Foxx) responds to losing both his job and his girlfriend by penning a how-to book on breaking off relationships using business-termination tactics. The book becomes a runaway bestseller that falsely cements Quincy’s reputation as a player, muddying an already complicated situation when he meets and falls for his cousin Evan’s (Morris Chestnut) main squeeze, Nicky (Gabrielle Union). This undemanding romantic comedy derives its laughs from light slapstick, multiple cases of mistaken identity, and a talented pug. The humor never rises above the sitcom level, but the pooch’s drunk act and an amiable ensemble that includes Jennifer Esposito and Peter MacNicol provide a pleasant, if mindless, diversion.

Kinsey Scale: 0 (No queer content whatsoever, but Esposito did appear in Boys Life 3 and Kiss Me, Guido.)

GODSEND Grade: C Eight years ago, Paul (Greg Kinnear) and Jessie Duncan (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) were grieving over the loss of their son, Adam (Cameron Bright), and agreed to Dr. Richard Wells’ (Robert De Niro) proposal to clone the child. Now, as the new Adam ages and his behavior grows increasingly violent and erratic, the couple realizes that the cloning procedure at the Godsend Institute might have been the gateway to hell. This sci-fi thriller boasts an A-list cast and a slick, handsome production, but the ridiculous, cliché-ridden script offers few scares as it mixes and matches elements from better movies.

De Niro sleepwalks, Romijn-Stamos demonstrates her ability to make her lower lip quiver, and only Kinnear gives a nuanced performance, as a man riven by guilt and grief.

Kinsey Scale: 1 (Kinnear and Romijn-Stamos have both played queer characters. De Niro played a homophobe who learns a lesson in Flawless.)

HELLBOY Grade: B+ Discovered as an infant by Allied soldiers during a World War II raid on a Nazi paranormal operation, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) grows up to be a red-skinned, cat-loving, Baby Ruth-chomping FBI operative, complete with horns and tail. When Professor Broom (John Hurt), his adoptive father, is murdered, Hellboy travels to Russia in search of the killer and comes face to face with his origins and his apparently apocalyptic destiny.

The story is silly and the villains are clichéd, but Guillermo del Toro directs this atmospheric, comic-book-inspired adventure yarn with great verve, nicely balancing impressive special effects with near nonstop action and welcome bursts of humor.

Best of all is Perlman, who infuses the heroic, sardonic, and otherworldly creature with warm humanity.

Kinsey Scale: 1 (Perlman appeared in the gay-themed comedy Happy, Texas, while Hurt has essayed a number of memorable queer characters, including Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant. Co-star Selma Blair made her screen debut in In & Out.) KILL BILL: VOL. 2 Grade: B The Bride (Uma Thurman) returns in this final chapter (perhaps — director Quentin Tarantino’s already talking about a third volume) of the blood-drenched revenge fantasy about a wronged woman on a rampage. But the second part doesn’t pack the maniacal wallop of the first. In place of the earlier film’s frenzied blood orgy come the answers to the questions Vol. 1 dangled in front of the audience but shrugged off in its quest to have the highest body count in film history. Backstory involving The Bride’s kung-fu training and a couple of unexpected plot twists keep things interesting, as does Tarantino’s constant need to display his love for and ability to stylishly rip off the movies that influenced him. Just be prepared for long waits between savage sword fights.

Kinsey Scale: 1 (Thurman starred in Gus Van Sant’s Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.)

LAWS OF ATTRACTION Grade: D Audrey Miller (Julianne Moore) is a top Manhattan divorce attorney. In Movieland, that means she’s wound too tightly, wears her hair up most of the time, never dates men, and really needs some dude to come along and “loosen her up.” Enter Daniel Rafferty (Pierce Brosnan). He’ a divorce lawyer, too, but the scruffy, disorganized, and virile kind. The two find themselves on opposing sides in the courtroom, but because they fall into bed early on in the film — she was begging for it, dontcha know — they spend most of that court time fighting about their relationship. And that’s about it. This is the kind of unfunny comedy that paints heterosexual relationships with the broadest possible battle-of-the-very-traditional-sexes brush and substitutes wacky physical comedy for witty repartee. Its badly miscast stars — and unlucky audiences — deserve better.

Kinsey Scale: 1 (Moore is a veteran of gay director Todd Haynes’ films Far From Heaven and Safe. Co-star Parker Posey, as a fashion designer who seeks a divorce from her cheating, rock-star husband, has been in numerous films with gay themes. And for the record, she’s the only actor in this film whose scenes are not cringe-inducing.)

MAN ON FIRE Grade: C+ John Creasy (Denzel Washington) is a burned-out, alcoholic counterterrorism veteran who takes a job as bodyguard for a 26

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Kinsey Scale: 0 – not gay at all 6 – Gay as a bunny.

9-year-old girl (Dakota Fanning) in kidnap-plagued Mexico. But this strange film can’t decide whether it wants to be the story of a downcast man redeemed by contact with a child who loves him, or a standard-issue Hollywood revenge flick with extra helpings of graphic violence. As soon as the audience wraps its collective mind around Washington’s moody performance and Fanning’s poised-beyond-her-years personality (and impending kidnapping), the tone abruptly changes and bodies start getting mowed down. The unlikely pairing of a veteran Oscar winner and a whip-smart little girl makes the first half of the movie completely watchable; yet a Walking Tall/Punisher-style vigilante bloodbath makes the second half a big, yawning anticlimax.

Kinsey Scale: 1 (Washington is now somewhat notorious for his career advice — which went something like this: never kiss another man onscreen — to a young Will Smith, just as that actor was preparing to play gay in Six Degrees of Separation. Washington went on to star in Philadelphia.

Supporting cast member Mickey Rourke played a drag queen in the little-seen indie film Animal Factory, and co-star Radha Mitchell played a lesbian in High Art.)

MEAN GIRLS Grade: B Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), home-schooled in Africa her entire life, moves to America and quickly finds herself at what can only be described as Lord of the Flies High School, where the caste system is vicious. Simultaneously falling in with the “art weirdos” (read: queer kids) and the “Plastics” (rich, beautiful girls), she’s put up to the prank of infiltrating the latter to exact revenge on them for their years-long torment of kids lower on the social totem pole. The snag: in doing so, she finds herself craving their attention, acceptance, and access to cute boys.

Saturday Night Live writer Tina Fey’s script is a dead-on attack of the uniquely horrible world of adolescent females, and it only suffers when forced to make nice in the third act. So while not the classic teen-angst comedy that was Heathers — where the revenge took on unapologetically murderous dimensions — it’s still a hilarious glimpse of high school hell.

Kinsey Scale: 4 (Co-star Daniel Franzese plays the type of rebellious, chubby, high school gay boy you wish you had had the nerve to be, and co-star Lizzy Caplan is his comrade in popular-kid terrorism — a maybe-lesbian-maybe-not girl named Janis Ian. These two steal every scene they’re in, and if there were such a thing as artistic justice in Hollywood, they’d get their own queer Ghost World-esque sequel.)

NEW YORK MINUTE Grade: CAcademically inclined Jane Ryan (Ashley Olsen) and her rebellious, Metallica T-shirt-wearing sister, Roxy (Mary-Kate Olsen), look alike, but they’re polar opposites. And when the constantly feuding pair go to New York City for a day, the sparks fly and the slapstick begins in this simple-minded kiddie movie. The two get tangled up with Chinese organized crime (including a very un-Chinese Andy Richter using an offensive accent), a truant officer (Eugene Levy), a rich businessman (SNL’s Darrell Hammond), a senator (Andrea Martin), and, most importantly, a pair of cute boys who help out when things get too sticky. This is a labored, “wacky” film that exists primarily to establish the individuality of the Olsen Twins and, failing that, to douse their blouses with Slurpees and mud. In other words, little girls will aspire to become the nearly 18-year-old stars, their mothers will overlook the sexy subtext, and more than a few dads might find themselves volunteering for movie chaperone duty.

Kinsey Scale: 1 (There’s a scene in a beauty salon in which a clearly gay male hairstylist helps give the girls a hip-hop-style makeover and also transforms the senator’s pet pooch into a doggie drag queen, a blatant riff on Legally Blonde 2’s gay dog, Bruiser.)

SHREK 2 Grade: A They could have called this delightful sequel Meet the Parents, if that title hadn’t already been taken, because it sums up the plot nicely. Shrek (the voice of Mike Myers) and his new bride, Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) in tow, visit the land of Far Far Away to show Fiona’s parents (Julie Andrews, John Cleese) that she’s happily become an ogre in order to marry Shrek. Appalled that his daughter has wed a monster instead of the self-absorbed Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), the king enlists the help of a mean-spirited Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) in an attempt to steal Fiona back. What follows is witty, sweet, and love-affirming, leaving behind the smutty double entendres and (most of) the low-brow flatulence humor of the original. It’s that rarest of sequels — one that’s vastly superior to its precursor, and one that will leave you happily ever after.

Kinsey Scale: 2 (Although there’s no explicitly queer content, it could be argued that the story, with its “love whom you choose” message, is a metaphor for same-sex marriage; in addition, one of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters (voiced by Larry King) is a man in drag. Myers played gay in 54, Andrews starred in Victor/Victoria, Saunders stars on TV’s Absolutely Fabulous, and Antonio Banderas, who voices Puss-in-Boots, is a veteran of Pedro Almodovar’s films and played gay in Philadelphia. Everett, it goes without saying, is gay full time.)

A SLIPPING DOWN LIFE GRADE: C+ Evie Decker (Lili Taylor), a lonely North Carolina kiddie-park employee, wonders if she should live or die. Her reason to keep living comes in the form of an idiosyncratic local rock star, Drumstrings Casey (Guy Pearce), whose rambling, spoken-word interludes between bar-band numbers mesmerize Evie. When she decides to make her obsession known by carving his name in her forehead, he has no choice but to become involved in her life. Their off-kilter romance leads to an impromptu wedding, family strife, and, strangely enough, some kidnapping. As a film, it’s simply average, with “indie” stamped all over it, from the small-town weirdo characters to the shoestring budget. And as an alternative love story, it fails.

Yet Taylor, always a welcome presence on-screen, keeps things afloat with her quiet, sadness-incarnate performance, saving an otherwise unremarkable film from mediocrity.

Kinsey Scale: 1 (There’s no queer content, but the cast has plenty of queer-themed film experience. Taylor was Valerie Solanas in I Shot Andy Warhol, played a lesbian photographer in Ready to Wear, co-starred in the lesbian indie Gaudi Afternoon, and also appeared on Six Feet Under. Pearce starred in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of The Desert, while co-star Sara Rue is in Gypsy 83. Clea DuVall (But I’m a Cheerleader, Carnivale) makes a cameo appearance.)

13 GOING ON 30 Grade: B+ Disappointed when the cool kids desert her 13th birthday party, Jenna Rink (Christa Allen) makes a wish to be “30, flirty, and thriving.” In the morning, Jenna (now played by Jennifer Garner) wakes up to find herself morphed into a highly successful Manhattan magazine editor, but with the emotions of her teenage self and no memory of the last 17 years. This romantic comedy adds a fresh twist to a well-worn plot by adding a backstory that covers those missing years, as Jenna realizes that her accomplishments and popularity came at a terrible price. The comely Garner displays a charming flair for sometimes boisterously physical humor that is well-matched

by Mark Ruffalo as an old friend who never quite got over an adolescent crush.

Kinsey Scale: 1 (Andy Serkis plays Jenna’s gay boss.

Ruffalo appeared in 54, and co-star Joe Grifasi had a recurring role on the queer sitcom Some of My Best Friends.)

TROY Grade: CTrojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) ignites a powder keg when he runs off with Spartan king Menelaus’ (Brendan Gleeson) wife, Helen (Diana Kruger). In answer to this insult, Menelaus’ brother, Mycenaean king Agamemnon (Brian Cox), unites the Greek tribes to make war on Troy. Joining him in the campaign is godlike warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt), fighting for neither king nor country, but purely for glory. This Greek mythology “lite” transforms formidable legend into soapy melodrama, wasting fine individual fight choreography, luminous cinematography, and Eric Bana’s transcendent performance as Paris’ protective brother, Hector. Inane dialogue, battles rendered in obvious CGI, and the egregious miscasting of the wimpy Bloom and petulant Pitt doom this would-be epic. It’s all cheese, no whiz.

Kinsey Scale: 2 (Achilles’ exceptional closeness with his cousin Patroclus leads one to wonder how Greek these Greeks really are. The battle togs of both sides reveal lots of shapely legs, and Bloom and Pitt display their bare bottoms — the best argument for why either was cast. Cox, Bloom, and co-stars Sean Bean and Peter O’Toole have all appeared in queer-themed films.)

VAN HELSING Grade: CWhen Dr. Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) arrives in Transylvania to vanquish the vampire Dracula (Richard Roxburgh), he finds himself in a country teeming with monsters that include Frankenstein’s creature (Shuler Hensley) and a werewolf (Will Kemp). Though he likes to work alone, Van Helsing makes an exception for the headstrong Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), the woman he’s vowed to protect and who insists on teaming with him to vanquish the festering evil.

Jackman’s charm, coupled with some excellent special effects and a wonderfully atmospheric prologue that evokes the spirit of ’30s-era horror classics, promise a bang-up frightfest. But the movie quickly deteriorates into a monster mishmash, thanks to banal dialogue, overly frantic and pointless action scenes, and an inane story.

Kinsey Scale: 2 (There are homoerotic overtones to interactions between Van Helsing and Dracula and between Anna and Dracula’s brides. Jackman is currently playing gay singersongwriter Peter Allen on Broadway in The Boy From Oz. Beckinsale and co-stars Kevin J. O’Connor, Robbie Coltrane, and Samuel West have appeared in queer-themed films.)

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and … Spring 5/5 stars

by Xenia Cherkaev Kim Ki-Duk’s latest film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and … Spring is about a spiritually imperfect but persistent Buddhist. The film opens on a floating shrine in the middle of a serene lake where an old Buddhist monk lives with his young protégé. The story is told in five tightly woven vignettes corresponding to the seasons, which revisit the boy’s life in 10- to 20-year intervals.

The vignettes tie together only loosely and yet build upon each other — they are examples of trials and lessons rather than keynotes in the plot. There is no overall driving action; no bank to rob or girl to woo, only one man’s relationship with eternity. Kim has made several films before this one, and is best known for The Isle, another film that involves floating houses.

However, Spring, Summer has none of The Isle’s brutality, blood, or fishhooks. Lust is shown but murder takes place in the real world, beyond the floating shrine. The old monk acknowledges that lust is natural but warns that it will lead to further emotional upsets, which in this balanced cycle will have to be atoned for. In the first spring the young boy ties stones to animals’ backs and watches them suffer, and awakes the next morning with a stone tied to his own back. In the summer a pet rooster watches the young monk’s love affair. In the fall, a complacently meowing cat’s tail is used as a disciplining calligraphy brush. Several

doorways in this film have no connecting walls around them and echo the lack of strict commandments for the young monk who instead has a path to follow and karmic punishment for straying from it.

The film feels deceptively simple. There is little dialogue and the characters’ religious slowness and value of every moment is mirrored in Kim’s long, meticulously planned takes and attention to detail. Shots are frequently framed by foliage or other natural elements. The result is cinematographic meditation, quite opposite from the post-modern melee of Wong Kar Wai or Quentin Tarantino. The film never leaves the floating monastery and its immediate surroundings. Even in the young man’s throws of torment, it does not stray from its long takes. The effect is a visually captivating, timeless, deep Buddhistic description of one life in five seasons.

Directed by Kim Ki-Duk. Opens June 4 at the Tower Theatre, 876 E. 900 South.

Community Calendar Arts First & Third Wednesdays 7-9pm DiverseCity Writing Series.

Free writing workshop for all ages and writing levels. The Center, 361 N. 300 West Sara Gunderson (801) 957-4992

Third Fridays 6-9pm Gallery Stroll. Several dozen of Salt Lake’s finest galleries remain open until 9 p.m. for viewing. Laura Durham (801) 533-3582

Men’s Groups Second & Fourth Tuesdays 7:30-9pm Gay and bisexual men support group. 18 years and older.

Friendship, conversation. Gallery Room at the Center, 355 N. 300 West. gmsgglccu@yahoo.com

Northern Utah

James’ Journey to Jerusalem 3.5/5 stars

by Xenia Cherkaev James (played by Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe), a young dreadlocked Christian from South Africa and a firm believer in the goodness of human nature, is sent by his village on a pilgrimage to Zion. At his entrance to Israel, however, things go awry, and James is jailed on suspicion of being an illegal laborer. James is bailed out by a man named Shimi, who holds his passport hostage and puts him to work for menial wages. Unwavering James befriends Shimi’s elderly father and under the old man’s advice not to be a “freier” — a sucker — starts his own network of black market labor.

James’ Journey is an allegory for lost dreams and morals in the face of capitalistic pleasure. Even the pastor at a local church encourages James to make money (and then give the church a cut), and recruits labor from his congregation. The film opens and closes with an African folk song and brightly drawn picture-book illustrations. Framed thusly, the film is wholly imaginary; a modern fairytale outlining the values of contemporary Israeli culture. That James can understand Hebrew perfectly and yet cannot speak it feels strange until you realize that he is a symbolic character against whose honest unflinching optimism this unholy land is judged.

Like all Bible stories, the film is a simplified metaphor of the message it is trying to convey and seldom elicits a strong emotional reaction. It is refreshing to see a film flout the convention of realism and revel in parable, but James’ Journey is too allegorical, and although Shibe’s acting is earnest, we quickly feel as if we are in a picture book.

Still, if you can bear with the wide-eyed gullible James, the film is a solid critique of Israeli society by its own lofty ideals.

Directed by Ra’anan Alexandrowicz. Opens May 28 at the Tower Theatre, 876 E. 900 South.

slmetro.com

Mondays Pride Alliance of USU. Meets while school is in session. TSC 335.

Courtney Moser, (435) 753-3135, cmoser4@comcast.net, www.usu. edu/pride

Political First Tuesdays 7:30pm Log Cabin Republicans. Salt Lake County Building, 2001 S. State Street, room N4010. www.LRCUtah.org

Second Tuesdays 3-4:30pm Public Safety Liaison Committee. Police are available for discussion regarding the safety of the gay and lesbian community. Gallery Room at the Center, 361 N. 300 West 7:30-9pm Parents and Friends of Lesbian and Gays. Group meeting.

Black Box Theater at the Center, 355 N. 300 West

Fourth Tuesdays 7pm Human Rights Campaign meet-up. Organize against the Federal Marriage Amendment. Multiple locations. hrc.org

First Wednesdays 5:30-7pm Utah Stonewall Democrats.

Executive committee meeting to discuss strategy. Black Box Theater, 355 N. 300 West. njmikeutah@yahoo.com, www.UtahStonewallDemocrats.org

First Sundays 10am-1:30pm Human Rights Campaign steering committee meeting.

Gallery Room at the Center, 361 N. 300 West. HRCSaltLakeUT@aol.com

Eleventh Day of Every Month 3-4pm Homeless Youth Task Force.

Group meets monthly to address the needs of homeless youth. Gallery Room at the Center, 361 N. 300 West

Religious Sundays 4pm Affirmation. Gay and lesbian Latter-day Saints. SLC, Ogden and Provo meeting sites. Rick Bickmore, (801) 860-6497, www.affirmation.org 9am First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake. 569 S. 1300 East. (801) 582-8687 9am Holladay United Church of Christ. All are welcome in our diverse community of faith. 2631 E. Murray-Holladay Road (801) 277-2631

11am Metropolitan Community Church of SLC. 823 S. 600 East.

(801) 595-0052 Noon Restoration Church of Jesus Christ. 2900 S. State Street. (801) 359-1151 7pm Reconciliation. For those wishing to hold to some of the tenets of the LDS church. Regular lessons taken from approved church manuals. Russ (801) 2593800, (801) 296-4797

Quarterly Family Fellowship. A diverse collection of Mormon families engaged in the cause of strengthening families with homosexual members. SLC, Ogden and Provo.

Gary or Millie, (801) 374-1447, wattsfam@aol.com, www.LDSFamilyFellowship.

Social Second Mondays

7:30pm Alternative Gardening Club.

Learn about plants, trees and foliage in general. Meet at the Sugarhouse Park Rose Bldg. in the northeast corner of the park. Don (801) 484-6414, roylance@msn.com.

Sundays 11am Latte Day Saints. Sunday morning coffee, bread and conversation.

Xetava Gardens in Kayenta. 815 Coyote Gulch Court, Ivans Aimie, (435) 6350624, sugltcc@yahoo.com

Third Sundays 7pm Family movie night at Doug and Kim’s. Movie, popcorn and socializing. Doug or Kim, (435) 668-9702

Special Interest First Tuesdays

Second Tuesday

Wednesdays

7:30-9pm Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Group meeting.

Black Box Theater at the Center, 355 N. 300 West

6pm BDSM Discussion Group. Utah Power Exchange’s weekly coffee klatch. Stonewall Coffee Co., 361 N. 300 West. UtahPowerExchange.org

Wednesdays

Last Thursdays

Noon Men’s sack lunch. A purely social group of local men meet to eat and chat. Gallery Room at the Center. 361 N. 300 West

7pm Utah Bear Alliance. General meeting for bears, cubs and admirers. Black Box Theater at the Center, 355 N. 300 West. Noal Robinson, (801) 949-3989

Wednesdays 6:45pm Food, Flicks and Fags. Meet in the pool hall of Brewvies to pick the flick of the night. Admission $2.

Men and women 21 and older. 677 S. 200 West 7:30pm Lavender Tribe. A spirituality group that explores everything from auras to Zen meditation. Dave, (801) 521-3857, www.lavendertribe.org 7pm* Affirmation/Reconciliation Movie Night. A combined activity for those from an LDS background. Sugarhouse 10 Theaters, 2227 S. Highland Drive.

(801) 296-4797 *time depends on movie schedule

Thursdays 7:30pm Line Dancing. Utah Gay Rodeo Association offers free lessons. Paper Moon, 3737 S. State Street.

Fridays 7-11:30pm Off the Wall Improv. Stand up comedy featuring up-and-coming comics from across the nation. Black Box Theater at the Center, 355 N. 300 West Jake Arky, (801) 824-1359

Second Sundays 1pm South Valley Potluck Club for GLBT people that live between I-215 and the point of the mountain. draperlastresort@aol.com.

Second or Third Weekends 7pm Spicy Dinner Group. Casual suppers held at various locations in the Salt Lake City area. Bring your signature dish whether it is Gumbo Florentine or chicken vindaloo. Logan, (801) 654-2849

Various Weekends Couples Social. Salt Lake Couples is a social group for long-term, committed couples. Strengthening relationships, social networking, fun. Jesse, (801) 231-7776, groups.yahoo.com/groups/ slcouples

Third Tuesdays

9:30am Provo Community Church.

175 N. University Ave., (801) 375-9115

7pm Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays. Claudia, (435) 673-3356

11am Glory to God Community Church. 375 Harrison Blvd., Ogden (801) 394-0204

First Wednesdays

7-8:30 Integrity potluck. Open to all; a fun social gathering. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 4615 S. 3200 West IntegrityUtah.org

9am Glory to God Community Church. 375 Harrison Blvd., Ogden (801) 394-0204

11am Integrity. Episcopal ministry.

(801) 566-1311

5pm Southern Utah University Pride Club. All are welcome to participate.

The Blue Kat, 90 W. Hoover Street, Cedar City. laundra@suu.edu, www. suu.edu/orgs/pride

Southern Utah

Wednesdays 7pm Dinner and a Homo. An evening of fun and flicks with the community.

Bijou Theater at Bluff and Sunset, St. George. Aimie, (435) 635-0624, sugltcc@yahoo.com

7-9:30pm Bi-Poly Group. Bisexual and Polyamorous group meeting. Black Box Theater at the Center, 355 N. 300 West

Third Saturdays 10am Western Transsexual Network.

Meet and discuss issues relating to gender change. Gallery Room at the Center, 361 N. 300 West 7pm Engendered Species – Crossdressers and Transgender people.

They meet most weekends for dining and discussion and always the third Saturday for an open house. The Center, 361 N. 300 West, (801) 320-0551

First Sundays 11am Utah Bear Alliance brunch.

Social/service organization for Bears, Cubs and their admirers. Call for locations. Noal Robinson, (801) 949-3989

Sundays 4pm Latin Divas. Latin drag organization plans for shows, activities and fund raisers. Black Box Theater at the Center, 361 N. 300 West. Juan Lopez (801) 577-5927

Sports and Fitness Mondays

7pm Goodtimes Bowling League. Bonwood Bowl, 2500 S. Main St. Singles, beginners welcome. $10/night. Scott Millar, (801) 832-9745 7-8pm Queer Utah Acquatics Club.

Fairmont pool, 1044 E. Sugarhouse Dr. douglaskf@aol.com, quacquac.org

11am-3pm Pride Softball League.

Come join – we will fit you onto a team. Jordan Park, 1000 S. 900 West.

Kaos168@hotmail.com

Sundays 9am Frontrunnrs/Frontwalkers. Liberty Park/Avenues routes. Meet in front of Barbacoa Mexican Grill, 859 E 900 South. Geoff Partain, (801) 712-9558, alliance@aros.net, FrontRunnersUtah.org

Varying Saturdays

11am-Noon Queer Utah Acquatics Club. Water polo. Fairmont Pool. 1044 E. Sugarhouse Drive. Men’s and women’s teams; beginners and advanced teams. douglaskf@aol.com, quacquac.org

Unless noted otherwise, activites for youth are held at: Youth Activity Center at the Center, 355 N. 300 West. “bob,” (801) 539-8800, ext. 14

Noon Slug Rugby. Salt Lake Rugby Assoc. All women of all levels welcome.

Sugarhouse Park, 2100 S. 1300 East. www.slugrugby.org

7pm Young Women’s Support Group.

Open discussion, activities.

11am Utah Singles for single lesbian women. The Center, 361 N. 300 West. groups.yahoo.com/group/lesbian_singles

Youth Ages 13-19

First Wednesdays Second & Fourth Wednesdays 7pm Queer Slam. Open work-

2:30pm Soccer. Fairmont Park, 2300 S. 1100 East. Open play. Martin Grygar, (801) 231-9453, jesper2@hotmail.com

shop for all young people into poetry slams and gettin’ the word out!

Third Wednesdays

3pm Volleyball. Fairmont Park, 2300 S. 1100 East. Open play. Martin Grygar (801) 231-9453, jesper2@hotmail.com

7pm In Tune. For young singers, songwriters and musicians.

3pm Basketball. Fairmont Park, 2300 S. 1100 East. Pick-up games.

Martin Grygar, (801) 231-9453, jesper2@hotmail.com

Thursdays

11am-3pm Pride Softball League.

Hundreds of players of both genders.

A fun social gathering. Newcomers welcome. Jordan Park, 1000 S. 900 West. kaos168@hotmail.com

Fridays

7pm Young Men’s Group. Ages 13-19.

Open discussion and activities determined by participants and facilitator.

7:30pm Movie night.

Saturdays 2pm Queers in Action. Want to hold a “Queers for Peace” sign at a rally, plan Utah’s Queer prom, or start your own group? Join us.

Third Sundays 11am Stonewall Shooting Sports shoot. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Lee Kay Center for Hunter Education and Public Shooting Range.

6000 W 2100 S. StonewallShootingSportsUtah.com

4pm Gayme Time. PlayStation2, XBOX games. Use ours or bring yours. Board games and cards also available.

First Saturdays

Saturdays or Sundays

Generation Gap. An opportunity to share coming out stories and other queer stories between generations.

Stonewall Coffee Co., 355 N. 300 West. “bob,” (801) 539-8800, ext. 14

10am or Noon Motorcyclists. Gay Bikers of Utah meet most weekends to ride through different scenic areas.

Beans & Brews Tuesdays 6pm to decide route. 5900 S. State. Jamie, 598-0760, gaybikersofUT@yahoogroups.com

Third Sundays 2pm Collage of Utah. Support group for children of gay or lesbian parents.

Youth Activity Center at the Center, 355 N. 300 West Erica Summers, (801) 583-5300

Substance Abuse Tuesdays 8pm Alcoholics Anonymous. St. Paul’s Church, 261 S. 900 East

Wednesdays

Second Tuesdays 7pm-8:30pm Stonewall Shooting Sports meeting. Doug’s Shoot and Sports, 4926 S. Redwood Road. www.StonewallShootingSportsUtah.com

3pm Alcoholics Anonymous. Jubilee Center, 309 E. 100 South, rear door

6pm Slug Rugby. Salt Lake Rugby Assoc. meets for practive and play.

Women of all levels welcome.

Sugarhouse Park, 2100 S. 1300 East. www.slugrugby.org

2pm Northern Utah Women Recreational Opportunities Club. Social organization for women in the Ogden area. groups.yahoo.com/group/OgdenOutdoorWomen

10am Lambda Hiking Club. Parking lot at 700 E. 200 South. Day hikes, overnight hikes during summer. Winter activities. Bring sturdy shoes, sun protection, food and water. Randy, (801) 532-8447, GayHike.org

Sundays

Thursdays

Sundays

First and Third Saturdays

8pm Alcoholics Anonymous. Washington Terrace, 4601 S. 300 West, Ogden

6:30pm Frontrunners/Frontwalkers. A beautiful route through north Bonneville Drive and up City Creek Canyon. Group meets at 11th Avenue and B Street, near the guardrail. Geoff Partain, (801) 712-9558, alliance@aros.net, FrontRunnersUtah.org

6:30pm sWerve Monthly. Gathering for lesbian and bisexual women to meet in a safe, social environment.

SwerveUtah.com.

Tuesdays and Thursdays

6pm Slug Rugby. Salt Lake Rugby Assoc. meets for practice and play.

All women of all levels welcome.

Sugarhouse Park, 2100 S. 1300 East. www.slugrugby.org 6:30pm Frontrunners/Frontwalkers.

Walkers make a 3-mile loop, runners do a 4-mile run at Sugarhouse Park. Meet at the northeast corner of Sugarhouse Park in the Garden Ctr parking lot. Geoff, (801) 712-9558, alliance@aros.net, FrontRunnersUtah.org

Wednesdays

Third Saturdays

Young Adult Ages 18-30 Mondays 7:30pm University of Utah Lesbian/Gay Student Union. Union Building, Room 411. (801) 587-7973, www.utah. edu/lgsu

Fridays 7:30-9pm Alcoholics Anonymous.

Español. Gallery Room at the Center, 355 N. 300 West

7pm Pride Alliance of USU. Meets when school is in session. TSC 335.

(435) 797-4297, www.usu.edu/pride

8pm Alcoholics Anonymous. St. Paul’s Church, 261 S. 900 East

Saturdays

Tuesdays

6pm Alcoholics Anonymous. St. Mary’s Church, 50 W. 200 North, Provo

8pm Weber State University Delta Lambda Sappho Union. Junction Room, Student Union. Katharine MacKay, (801) 626-6782, Julie_Drach@hotmail.com

Wednesdays

Testing

5pm Southern Utah University Pride Club. All welcome to participate. Blue Kat, 90 W. Hoover Street, Cedar City laundra@suu.edu, suu.edu/ksuu

Mondays 5-7pm HIV Antibody Testing. Drop In. Free first Mondays. Utah AIDS Foundation 1408 S. 1100 East. Tyler 801-487-2323

7pm Salt Lake Community College GLBT Student Union. South City Campus, Room W111G. Gordon Storrs, (801) 957-4562, Gordon.storrs@slcc.edu.

Second and Fourth Wednesdays Free HIV/STD testing and counseling.

Gallery Room at the Center, 361 N. 300 West

Saturdays Various times Gay LDS Young Adults, An organization that welcomes everyone but has a focus on young adults with an LDS background. glya@hotmail.com, glyautah@yahoo. com, www.glya.com

Women Lesbian support group. Call to get info.

University of Utah Women’s Resource Center. 581-8030, www.sa.utah.edu/women

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Sports GLISA and Rendez-Vous Ink Deal Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association leaders announced on May 11 that they signed a partnership agreement with Rendez-Vous Montreal 2006.

“In signing this agreement,” said GLISA board member Catherine Meade, “we would like to underscore the outstanding work that has been accomplished over the last three years by the Rendez-Vous Montreal 2006 team in their goal to offer the world’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community a sports and cultural festival on an unprecedented scale, one that will be financially viable and distinguished by its spirit of openness.”

Part of the agreement gives Rendez-Vous Montreal 2006 exclusive rights to the World Outgames trademark. In return, GLISA will

promote World Outgames to the community of sports teams and federations all over the world. Other mutually-beneficial financial arrangements are also included in the agreement.

“We are also pleased to announce today that Berlin will submit its proposal to become the next host city for the second World Outgames in 2009,” the GLISA Co-Presidents said. “This is an incredibly encouraging development for a young organization such as ours. Our vision is to be an inclusive, globally recognized, integrated association which celebrates, supports and promotes our culture through sports. Our mission is as a membershipbased, democratic, international association of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender sports organizations from around the world. We’ll ensure a safe place for athletes to play sports and will do so by providing quality services to our members, nurturing the growth of the sports movement, and promoting participation in sports events.”

Registration for Rendez-Vous opens June 1 at their site, www.montreal2006.org.

Former Detroit Tiger Billy Bean joins Billy Jean King and other notable sports figures, artists and dignitaries to promote Gay Games VII, to be held in Chicago July 2006. Bean is one of very few out professional sports figures.

Pro Baseball Player Teams With Gay Games 2006 Billy Bean, prominent gay spokesperson and 10-year professional baseball veteran, is joining the Federation of Gay Games Ambassadors program.

“For 20 years, the Gay Games has been instrumental in fostering positive images of the LGBT community through sports and culture,” said Bean from his home in Miami Beach. “As a lifelong athlete and gay man, supporting the Gay Games and its principles of participation, inclusion and personal best, is something I can embrace with a great amount of enthusiasm. I’m pleased to be asked to join the ambassadors.”

Bean joins a list of ambassadors supporting the federation’s 2006 Chicago Gay Games VII event, including tennis legend Billie Jean King, former U.S. Ambassador James Hormel, Olympic gold-medal swimmer Bruce Hayes, actress Judith Light and artist Tom Bianchi.

Bean, a California native, joined the Detroit Tigers in 1987 with a bang by tying a U.S. record with four hits in his first major league game. He subsequently played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. In 1996, in the prime of his career, Bean walked away from Major League Baseball, in part because of a year-long struggle dealing with the sudden death of his former partner, and the frustration of holding on to that secret alone. His desire not to let that happen to anyone else motivated him to come out in 28

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1999, sharing his story and urging people to use honesty as a foundation for life.

For the past five years, Bean has worked actively to dispel myths and stereotypes about gay people, particularly in athletics.

He serves as a national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign conducting outreach programs for young adults who are desperately in need of a role model.

“Billy’s accomplishments since his days in professional baseball have brought him widespread attention and admiration because he’s been working to make a positive difference in the world,” said federation co-president Roberto Mantaci of Paris. “He is a perfect addition to our Ambassadors program as the Gay Games has similar goals.”

Bean is one of very few former professional athletes and the only living former MLB player to acknowledge being gay. He and his partner of nine years, Efrain Veiga, share a real estate business redeveloping residential properties. He is the author of Going the Other Way: Lessons From a Life In and Out of Major League Baseball. A film adaptation of his book, produced by Storyline Entertainment, will air soon on Showtime.

“I’m also looking forward to participating at the Chicago Gay Games by playing in the tennis tournament,” said Bean.

“Although I won’t be playing softball, you can bet I’ll find time to attend a game or two to give some encouraging cheers.”

IOC Says Transsexual Athletes May Compete

by David Nelson International Olympic Committee executive-board members approved on May 18 a proposal by the committee’s Medical Commission that a person who has changed sex may compete in sports competitions. These conditions will be in effect at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

An ad-hoc committee met on Oct. 28 in Stockholm, Sweden, to discuss and issue recommendations on the participation of individuals who have undergone sex reassignment.

Committee members confirmed a previous recommendation that any “individuals undergoing sex reassignment of male-tofemale before puberty should be regarded as girls and women.” This also applies to individuals undergoing female-to-male reassignment, who should be regarded as boys and men.

Committee members recommended that individuals undergoing sex reassignment be eligible for participation in respective reassigned competitions if surgical anatomical changes have been completed (including external genitalia changes and gonadectomy), legal recognition of their assigned sex has been conferred by the appropriate official authorities, and hormonal therapy appropriate for the assigned sex has been administered in a verifiable manner and for a sufficient length of time to minimize gender-related advantages in sports competitions.

Committee members said that such eligibility should begin no sooner than two years after gonadectomy and that a confidential case-by-case evaluation will occur. If the gender of a competing athlete is questioned, the medical delegate (or equivalent) of the relevant sporting body shall have the authority to take all appropriate measures for the determination of the gender of a competitor.

Leaders of the Wasington-based political

action committee Human Rights Campaign applauded the new IOC rules. “Transsexual athletes deserve to be treated equally,” HRC President Cheryl Jacques said. “This ruling by the International Olympic Committee is one to be commended.”

Jacques also said that the IOC performed “gender-verification tests” previously but those were dropped before the 2000 Olympics.

In the past, there have been rare cases of athletes who have competed under one Cheryl Jacque, president of gender and later in life the Human Rights Campaign undergone sex reassignment. Occasionally, such an athlete has gone on competing under the new gender.

Such cases seem to have been dealt with individually by the responsible sports federations without any clear rules. They have, however, been extremely rare and do not seem to have created a significant problem for sports in general.

With the arrival of improved methods for the identification of transsexual individuals, and improved possibilities to rectify any sexual ambiguity, the number of individuals undergoing sex reassignment has increased. The increase has become particularly significant after the introduction of legislation with respect to sex reassignment in many countries.

The increasing number of cases of sex reassignment has also come to affect sports.

Although individuals who undergo sex reassignment usually consider sports competition an unlikely activity for them, there are some for whom participation in sports is important. Thus, the question has been raised whether specific requirements for their participation in sports can be introduced, and what any such requirements should be.

Fun Stuff Crossword Puzzle

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Life’s A Drag ACROSS 1 Assure 5 Sacred poem 10 Crossdressers (abbr) 13 Detached 15 Sleep disorder 16 Close to the ground 17 ____ Gras 18 Tempos 19 Card game 20 Before (prefix) 21 Hair removal product 23 ___ Sluts camp drag 25 Hair removal product with a ‘nasty’ name 26 Stroked 28 Get behind 31 Brook 32 Good drag queens do this under their arms 33 Sicilian volcano 34 Mayan 37 Cher and Madonna, for instance 38 Royal Court (abbr) 40 Columbus’ ship 41 Beer 42 Hawaiian Island 43 Sects 44 Occupied 45 Thief 46 Drag lover 49 Male children

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EYELASHES FEATHERS GLITTER GOWN LIPSYNC MASCARA

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Solutions to WordSearch and the Crossword Puzzle can be found in the Comics.

StarGayzer

by Madam Lichtenstein Do you feel a rumble in your jungle and a spring in your step? Adjust yourself and catch a sunbeam as the Sun enters giddy Gemini. Prepare to launch your best ideas and meet scads of new folks armed with new opportunities and new agendas. How much can you handle, buddy? I guess we will have to see.

ARIES (Mar 21 to Apr 20) The Sun makes

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a move into Gemini and gay rams become veritable chatterboxes. Your head is bursting with new ideas that need to be aired and floated about.

Polish up your social skills and try them on for size. It will seem that you can get anything and anyone you want with a few well chosen words.

More importantly — be choosy with the anything and anyone rather than the words.

TAURUS (Apr 21 to May 21) If money is the

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root of all evil, make an attempt to be very evil and very rooted. The Sun ambles into Gemini and increases your need and greed. But that isn’t a bad thing, queer bull. You manage to acquire a few precious trinkets in your quest for a few gems. You also manage to make a huge pile from a few droppings.

Why is this week different from any other week?

GEMINI (May 22 to Jun 21) There is a tendency for pink twins to over-extend themselves

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this time of year when the Sun makes a move into their own sign. Does it make any sense to choose a new summer wardrobe that is too tight and too bright? There is more than enough attention drawn to your every move anyway. You are captivated by your own magnificence. Pack a cage for your audience, though.

CANCER (Jun 22 to Jul 23) I am learning b to read tea leaves but really all I am doing is staring into a cup of hot water and looking at floating sludge. If you find yourself hopelessly peering into pea fog and trying to discern a few new moves, blame it on Sun in Gemini and resolve to let the future unfold as it will without expectations. Sometimes you have to go with the flow and not boss the course, pink crab.

LEO (Jul 24 to Aug 23) Proud lions are gunnning for bear when the Sun enters Gemini.

Bear, bull, whoever. The thing that really matters is that you amass the troops and get the crowd going in a certain direction while you command their attention. Don’t waste this time on personal agendas.

You are extraordinarily charismatic ... well at least for the next few weeks. Then it’s back to your cave.

VIRGO (Aug 24 to Sep 23) Opportunities mabound in your career as the Sun wends into Gemini. Launch your corporate assault while the senior staff vacations. Queer virgins often resign

themselves to working quietly in the background and hope that someone notices and rewards.

Forgetaboutit cousin, now is the time to grab what is due you. When are you putting in the revolving bar…?

(Sep 24 to Oct 23) Proud Libras may be XLIBRA feeling flat and uninspired but not for long.

There is a great deal to be gained by traveling and stimulating those lavender gray cells when the Sun enters Gemini. Plan a getaway to some exotic locale and prepare to learn a few new tricks. If money is tight or time too short, massage your brain with wilde things closer to home. No names please....

(Oct 24 to Nov 22) Boring, drones CSCORPIO may scoff at your passionate view of the world but just ignore them. The Sun pokes into Gemini and you are awash with sensuality and animal magnetism. But verve alone won’t stir your stewing pot. Be sure to stir up a bit of perspiration as well to get things in motion. Get out there, gay Scorp.

You just can’t phone it in and have it delivered... or can you??

(Nov 23 to Dec 22) If you have VSAGITTARIUS been feeling hemmed in and tied up, let the freedom of Sun in Gemini wash over you. Queer archers are free spirits and love to roam the pastures and feed upon the possibilities. Sounds fairly lonely to me. This is the time of year to connect with others, even on a superficial level. And who knows?

There may be someone out there who you would love to tie you up.

CAPRICORN (Dec 23 to Jan 20) The Sun in B Gemini has you where you want to be, applying grease to the grindstone, getting a few long standing issues out of the way and burning the midnight oil. The best results can be achieved with those gay Caps who use this time to reassess their entire living style. Diet, exercise and mental outlook needs to be refreshed and upgraded. Summer is here, baby. Strike a pose.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 to Feb 19) Stop being N so serious and direct your attention to the creative, dramatic, artistic and just plain fun. Sun in Gemini stirs your gay muse to try sometime more exciting off the beaten track. Be rowdy and party hearty, Aqueerius. There is more than meets the eye in every invitation. If you boogie till the cows come home you will always be assured of fresh milk... or whipped cream.

PISCES (Feb 20 to Mar 20) There are a few M things that you would like to get off your chest with certain relatives. It is not healthy to keep everything pent up inside. So prepare to unload and dump when the Sun ambles into Gemini. It may be that you have gone on too long dancing to others tunes. Now it is time to set your own course, do your own thing and set your own agenda. Get the picture guppie?

Cruise TheStarryEye.com for prescient horoscopes and insightful articles. Madam Lichtenstein is the author of the highly acclaimed “HerScopes: a Guide to Astrology for Lesbians” from Simon & Schuster. This book would have won the Pulitzer had the voting not been rigged.

MAY 27, 2004

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Comics

A COUPLE OF GUYS Dave Brousseau

ADAM & ANDY James Asal

BITTER GIRL Joan Hilty

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HIDDEN MESSAGE: I’M NOT A WOMAN, BUT I PLAY ONE AS A T.V.

Crossword Puzzle

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SERVICE DIRECTORY Accounting

Roommates U OF U AREA home to share. Looking for laid-back, responsible third in this 100 yr. old home. Huge Bedroom w/ walk-in closet. $375.00/mo. includes all utilities. Call (801)359-4967 ROOMMATE(S) for Craftsman bungalow. Westminster college area.

4 bedrooms, 2 full baths. Off street parking. Lots of storage and garden $300-$500 deposit required. No cats.

Jeff 582-9828

For Rent ONE BEDROOM, one bath. Just remodeled. 3001 S 200 East. $500/mo. 801278-9642, 801-359-0586, ask for Connie.

Real Estate

Commercial Real Estate CAMBRIDGE VILLAGE, new office condos. Starting at $125,000 10020 S. Redwood Rd. Custom Built or lease to own. Dawn Colbert, Signature Group 979-3558.

SELLER FINANCING, 4771 S State Street. 2700 sq. ft. building Remodeled.

Off street parking lot. Udot count over 40,000 cars per day. $474,000. Dawn Colbert, Signature Group 979-3558.

9.93 PRIVATE, wooded, serene acres in Summitt CountyViews and quiet.

Utilities available. Minutes from Park City. $275,000. Can build res. or duplex only.

Dawn Colbert, Signature Group 979-3558.

Home Furnishings

GAY NEIGHBORHOOD. 1936 Tudor, 4 Bd, 2 bath in the West Capitol Hill neighborhood, 242 W. Reed Ave (740 North) $149,900. John P Poulos 801641-8998 poujoh@wfrmls.com

CANDLESCAPE.COM your online CANDLE Store! Order online and mention slmetro for an additional discount.

We carry a wide variety of Glass Candles and supplies. A Gay Owned Company.

CLEAN, CLASSY cottage on the sunny side of the street. 3 bedrooms on one level, hardwood floors, new roof, updated kitchen. $94,900 in Rose Park. Brad Dundas, Stonebrook Realty 550.0330

PERSONALS

MAINTENANCE FREE, 1992 Multi. 3 Bd., 2 bath, 2 car garage. Vaults and a .17 acre park-like yard to die for. Room to grow. $167,500. 1782 W. Alps Way. Dawn Colbert, Signature Group 979-3558.

RHUBARB FESTIVAL – While the Ugly Truck Parade went by, you walked the other way in a cowboy hat and a strut that should be on film. I said hi and you looked back yards later and winked.

SUGARHOUSE Old charm. Hardwood floors, Ingelnook, tapered pilasters, solarium off formal dining. Original gumwood never painted over. 4 bd, 2 bth, mother-in-law. $189,900. Dawn Colbert, Signature Group 979-3558.

SUGAR HOUSE STARTER – 3BR/2BA w/ fenced yd + 1 C gar behind Singing Cricket cafe. $124,900, see at urbanutah.com. Babs De Lay, Broker cell: 201-UTAH URBAN CONDO at the Dakota lofts-1 BR $124,900. See tours at urbanutah.com. Babs De Lay, Broker cell: 201-UTAH DOWNTOWN TWIN HOME – model unit $138,650. 3BR/2BA, only one left. 586 No. 800W. See tour at urbanutah.com.

Babs De Lay, Broker, cell: 201-UTAH URBAN FARM! (almost!) Downtown mansion on .29 AC w huge garage + shop. 4 BR/4BA $234,900 See tour at urbanutah.com Babs De Lay, Broker, cell: 201-UTAH WESTMINSTER AREA 2BR condo w/ fireplace/patio and covered parking or Carriage Lane 2Br in Holladay. Both under $94,900! See tour at urbanutah. com Babs De Lay, Broker, cell: 201-UTAH

REPLY TO BOX 12, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

D SOL

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Missed Connections

SOCCER DUDE You: No shirt, long gray shorts. Me: 2002 Olympic shirt, levis.

We flirted, I was shy. You handle the ball well. I have some at home.

REPLY TO BOX 9, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

SALT LAKE MEN’S Choir concert. You sang in the front row. I was in the front row of the audience, I’ll be at the summer concert wearing a pink corsage.

CAFE TRANG – You in the convert. BMW, me in my Jeep. You took your laundry to the cleaners. We were all eyes. Wish I could have waited for you to come out.

REPLY TO BOX 4, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

SUBWAY 4TH SOUTH - I was walking through the parking lot and you were in the passenger seat of a car that nearly hit me. Wished she had so I could get mouth-to-mouth from you.

REPLY TO BOX 6, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

Men for Men CUTE STUD for luv. GWM 38 yrs old seeks GWM 35-55 for long-term relationship.

NS, ND a must. Check out my profile at outinsaltlakecity.com - UtahGrungeBoy. REPLY TO BOX 1, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

Pets FEELING CATTY? Want something furry snuggled up to you ar night?

Newborn kittens ready to adopt end of May. Free to good home. Gwen (+801)261-5442.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Don’t miss an issue of Utah’s gay and lesbian biweekly newspaper. Subscribe today for $24.95 for 26 issues at www.slmetro.com/subscribe or call 801-323-0727.

For Sale or Trade GET THAT HOURGLASS SHAPE YOU CRAVE! Custom Corsets:women/men, brides/grooms, drags/doms. Top quality waist compression for fashion & fun. saltlaketightlacer.com 801-596-2210 SAW SOMEONE and traded glances?

Want to get a second chance on meeting them? Get a “Missed Connections” ad for a dollar at www.slmetro.com/ classifieds or call 801-323-0727.

ACCOUNTING & MORE, Inc. Toni Johnson, Bookkeeping, Tax Preparation. 801-412-0600. 1800 S 900 E #4, SLC. a.a.more@earthlink.net

Attorneys MARLIN G. CRIDDLE, P.C. Serving Utah’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities. Estate Planning, Probate, Criminal Law, Bankruptcy, Corporations/ Business. 474-2299. marlincriddle.com

Audio Video DAN FAHNDRICH PRODUCTIONS. Creation in multi-media. Choreography of still or video images with music onto DVD. 801487-2593. dan.fahndrich@earthlink.net

Bars CLUB 161: WHERE THE MEN ARE 161 So. Pueblo St. (1440 West) Open Tue.-Sun. 7pm-2am. SEE AD INSIDE. Look for drink specials thru the week.

801-363-8161

Massage Therapists

Community Groups HEADS UP! We are a fun group of friends looking for others to join us to help us review movies and restaurants.

Seeking all lifestyles with no experience. Call 801-879-5564 if interested.

Estate Planning Services JANE MARQUARDT & Doug Fadel Attorneys at Law, providing comprehensive estate planning services, custom designed to your unique family situation, including trusts, wills, partnership agreements and estate administration.

801-294-7777

BEST THERAPISTS, Best Price, Best Place, Best Hours. Call for appointment 486-5500. Pride Massage. 1800 South West Temple, Suite A224.

GREAT MASSAGE. Stimulate your senses, or feel deep peace with a relaxing full body massage. Call Therron for an appointment 801-879-3583 for $5 off mention this ad. LMT#5608006

Photo Restoration FIX YOUR PHOTOS. Restore and/or colorize old photos. Retouch or alter in any way. Call 856-5780 or email staysik@hotmail.com

Handymen

Real Estate Agents

ADVANTAGE CLEANING Systems – Cleaning, Painting, Carpet cleaning and installation, landscaping, hauling.

You name it, we’ll do it, (If it’s legal) 502-6071.

NOT YOUR FATHER’S Realtor®. Brad Dundas, Stonebrook Real Estate Inc. 550-0330 or bradley@xmission.com. www.saltlakesgayrealtor.com

Travel

Jewelers CUSTOM DESIGN JEWELRY. Relaxed atmosphere. All types of stone settings.

Commitment Rings, Wedding rings, Earrings, Pendants, Repairs welcome.

Charley Hafen Jewelers. Trolley Square.

521-7711

10 NIGHT MEXICAN Riviera Cruise with air from SLC, $1,119 pp. dbl. occ. Nov 26, 2004. Ocean view cabin.

Includes all taxes. Call Rod at (888) 280-6673 or visit www.rodscustomtravel.com

IT’S GETTING LONELY here under this bridge. Need some hot hunks to play “strip Monopoly” or other such nonsense with. I promise you won’t get stuck in the mud. Let’s Play!

REPLY TO BOX 2, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

MODERN AESTHETIC 28 SWM Gay. Downtown seeks partner for conversation, arts performances, etc. Love travel, cooking, fine dining.

REPLY TO BOX 5, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

$1 PERSONALS extended through May. Go to slmetro.com/classifieds and get yours today!

GRYFF - Hot fun intellectual artistic spritualist/pagan Bi 32WM 175# 6’ seeks openness honesty fun-loving individuals to expand friendship base, and possibly more. Must be free-spirited and NO jealousy REPLY TO BOX 7, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

Women for Women WF, 38, busy and a little shy,looking for friend or more, esp other classy smart professional women. Wild side likes to romp and shop during stolen afternoons but can behave, too.

REPLY TO BOX 3, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

NEW IN TOWN, or interested in meeting new friends? Come to sWerve monthlies, 3rd Saturday of each month, GLBT Center. Info 539-8800 ext. 25 or www.swerveutah.com (join email list!)

MAY 27, 2004

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SALT LAKE METRO

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