Metro, Volume 1, Issue 06

July 8 – 21 Volume 1 ■ Issue 6

Utah Schools Flunk

Schools not safe, GLSEN reports

UofU Admins Face Scrutiny Why was LGBT Center’s Hackford-Peer fired?

Pride Banners Were Nixed Downtown Alliance: “Unity,” “Justice” too controversial

Did Center Lock Out Employees?

Rumors swirl following temporary closure Sports WNBA lesbian stands tall

A&E Rocker reunites with hair band — now out, bald and sexy MoDigs Shocks Salt Lake

Ruby Ridge Would you like some honey with your locusts?

2

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

JULY 8, 2004

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

3

News WORLD AND NATIONAL

Oregon to Vote on Anti-Gay Measure

4

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

A measure to amend Oregon’s constitution to ban same-sex marriages will appear on the Oregon ballot this November, due to an overwhelming response to petitions created by same-sex marriage opponents.

On June 29, an antigay marriage group calling itself “The Defense of Marriage Basic Rights Oregon Coalition” delivered director Roey Thorpe petitions containing more than 244,000 signatures in support of the measure to the Secretary of State’s office.

The group, which spearheaded the proposed amendment, needed only 100,840 valid signatures to put the initiative on the ballot.

“It is pretty amazing. This shows the wide-ranging support for this issue,” said Defense of Marriage Coalition political director Tim Nashif, according to a June 30 Reuters article. He who added that the coalition would “run a full-out campaign” to ensure the amendment passes, including

buying ad space on television.

Basic Rights Oregon, a pro-gay marriage group, criticized the Coalition’s activities, saying that food bank clients had to sign the petitions to receive food baskets. Despite the coalition’s promises that all signatures were witnessed, the organization also says petition supervisors did not oversee the petitions at various churches. Almost 950 Oregon churches were involved in the grass-roots move to garner signatures.

“While it is disappointing that the measure is likely to be on the November ballot, we are committed to defending the thousands of Oregonians who would be profoundly harmed by a loss of equal marriage protections and responsibilities,” said Roey Thorpe, the group’s director.

This proposed measure comes only three months after commissioners in Multnomah County ordered county employees to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. An Oregon judge later stopped the procedure after 3,000 licenses had been issued to give the state’s Legislature and courts more time to consider the issue. — JV

Anti-Gay Senate Candidate Drops Out of Race After Sex Allegations Anti-gay Republican candidate Jack Ryan dropped out of the Illinois Senate race June 25 over allegations of sexual misconduct involving his ex-wife, Star Trek: Voyage actress Jeri Ryan.

The allegations, contained in court papers filed over the visitation of the couple’s son, were unsealed earlier in June. In the documents, the release of which both Ryans protested, Jeri Ryan states her then-husband took her to unnamed sex clubs in New Orleans, New York and Paris and asked her to engage in sexual activity with him in front of other patrons.

After a trip to a New York sex club, during which her ex-husband had promised not to “insist” they go to such clubs again, Jeri Ryan said he took her to a Parisian club and asked for the same thing.

“People were having sex everywhere,” the documents quote Jeri Ryan as saying.

“I cried, I was physically ill. Respondent became very upset with me, and said it was not a turn on for me to cry.” Although Jeri Ryan has since released a press statement saying her ex-husband would make “an excellent senator,” she has not withdrawn her allegations.

While Ryan said he had arranged “ro-

mantic getaways” for himself and his wife that year, he also said these trips “did not include the kind of activities she describes.”

“We did go to one avant-garde nightclub in Paris, which was more than either one of us felt comfortable with. We left and vowed never to return,” a June 25 CNN.com article quoted him as saying.

Upon the documents’ release, the Illinois congressional delegation remained largely silent about the issue, with only Rep. Ray LaHood immediately calling for Ryan’s resignation. But upon Ryan’s resignation, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said in a statement that Ryan had “made the right decision” and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist did not offer words of support to the former candidate.

In published statements, Ryan said he opposes “same-sex marriages, civil unions, and registries” and supports Frist’s Defense of Marriage Act in order to defend and define “the traditional family unit.”

“The breakdown of the family over the past 35 years is one of the root causes of some of our society’s most intractable social problems — criminal activity, illegitimacy, and the cyclical nature of poverty.”

“I believe that we are all equal before God and should be before the law. Homosexuals deserve the same constitutional protections, safeguards, and human dignity as every American, but they should not be entitled to special rights based on their sexual behavior.” — JV

Notable Quotes “The media has gotten out of control.”

— Jack Ryan, whose U.S. Senate bid was cut short amid allegations that he pressured his (now ex-) wife, actress Jeri Ryan, to have public sex

“The Constitution was never meant to be a tool to limit the rights of the people or mandate discrimination.”

— Salt Lake Tribune columnist and radio personality Tom Barberi in one of his final columns.

“Do all of us a big favor in the upcoming election: boot out the Republican Legislature. Don’t worry about the state becoming too liberal. A liberal Democrat in Utah is a flaming conservative anywhere else!”

— Salt Lake Tribune columnist and BYU professor Laurie Wilson in the same column.

LUCY JUAREZ

“God Abhors You”

Thousands gather at Dolores Park in preparation for the 2004 San Francisco Dyke March.

50,000 Dykes March in San Francisco

by Mandy Q. Racer

Dykes poured from the park into the street’s bottleneck, filling it from sidewalk to sidewalk, each of which was lined with supporters both male and female. The marchers extended for a number of blocks impossible to count without somehow hovering above the entire affair, which is touted as the largest Dyke March in the nation. Five blocks from the march’s terminus in the Castro district, one of the leaders stopped the march and mounted a trolley provided for elderly and disabled dykes.

From the trolley’s roof she used a megaphone to proclaim that the march was at that point 50,000 women strong.

“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

— Jesus, as reported by Matthew in the King James Version of the Bible

“According to USA Today, many colleges and universities around the country are trying to be more gay-friendly. In a related story, Oral Roberts University is now Anal Roberts University.”

— Conan O’Brien

Senate to Vote on FMA in July

Sports Editor David Nelson Contributing Writers Scott Abbott, Brandie Balken, Lee Beckstead, Xenia Cherkaev, Janice Eberhardt, Jace Garfield, Ann Hess, Beau Jarvis, Lynette Malmstrom, Laurie Mecham, LaDonna Moore, Sally Neilson, Rob Orton, William T. Park, Scott Perry, Nicholas Rupp, Mandy Q. Racer, Ruby Ridge, Joel Shoemaker, Jim Struve, JoSelle Vanderhooft, Ben Williams Photographers Lucy Juarez, William H. Munk, Shauna Sanchez 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 801-323-9500 | 877-870-0727 Jill Brooks | jill@slmetro.com Sebastian Cruz | sebastian@slmetro.com Distribution Chad Keller, Director Courtney Moser, Northern Utah Copyright © 2004 Salt Lake Metro.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner, including electronic retrieval systems, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

One copy of this publication is free of charge to any individual. Additional copies may be purchased for $1. Anyone taking or destroying multiple copies may be prosecuted for theft at the sole discretion of the publisher. Reward offered for information that leads to the arrest of any individual willfully stealing, destroying or trashing multiple copies.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers or staff.

Salt Lake Metro is published bi-weekly on alternating Thursdays by

Metro Publishing, Inc. 352 S. Denver Street, Suite 350 Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801) 323-9500 Fax: (801) 323-9986

SALT LAKE METRO ■

5

just go away.”

“I think now is as good a time as any to vote on it,” added Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.

“There are those in the U.S. Senate that want to hide from this issue, and with a vote, they can’t hide,” he continued. “And there needs to be enough time for the American public to know where their senators stand. Are they a friend of marriage, or are they a foe? This is one way to find out.”

Critics on both sides of the aisles have suggested that the White House may be behind the sudden vote, using it as a way to charge conservatives and win Democratic votes in the Midwestern swing states.

The White House “would be foolish not to push [the amendment],” said Rev. Lou Sheldon, leader of the Traditional Values Coalition. “This is a leverage issue. We know it.”

“This is abundant proof that this is all about politics and not at all about marriage,” said Cheryl Jacques, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, a pro-gay lobby group which endorses Kerry.

“The timing of this national vote two weeks before the Democratic convention could not be more obvious.”

Although the debate is not scheduled until mid-July, the Senate has held hearings on the topic of same-sex marriage over the past few months. —JV

Events Editor Greg Harrison

■

Senate Republican leadership announced June 18 that debate on the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) will begin July 12, two weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Boston. The amendment’s supporters say they may lack the two-thirds majority of 67 votes to send the amendment to the states.

According to the latest figures posted by the neoconservative group Focus on the Family, one of the FMA’s most prominent supporters, only 31 of the 100 senators firmly back the proposed amendment. Forty-seven oppose it and 20 remain undecided — including eight democrats and 12 Republicans.

Despite these numbers, senators who have long backed the amendment — such as John Cornyn (R-Tex.), chair of the subcommittee on the Constitution in the Judiciary Committee — say they had no choice but to bring the debate to the floor, even though the amendment may not pass.

“This matter has been thrust on the American people,” a San Francisco Chronicle article quoted Cornyn as saying. “I think at first many people were sort of in shock when they first saw the images of same-sex couples being married in San Francisco and then in Massachusetts, thinking this could not be.

And then they were more or less in denial. I think that sort of describes some of our colleagues, thinking that maybe this matter will

Editor Brandon Burt

JULY 8, 2004

No men, no permit to march, no politicians, and no corporate sponsors. The rules are brief and strict and uphold the grassroots origins of the 12th annual San Francisco Dyke March. Organized by a handful of women, the march operates under a small budget: according to the San Francisco Chronicle, this year’s organizers and volunteers worked to the tune of a mere $20,000, most of which funded a sound system that projected across the grounds of Dolores Park — which disappeared under the nearly 20,000 women that joined in the estrogen revelry.

Since the march operates without a permit, the parade route is a well-guarded secret, although it was obvious where it would begin: Hundreds of motorcycles lined the corner of Dolores Park — the march would commence with the chestrattling vibrations of Dykes on Bikes.

Although no permit was requested, San Francisco police took great care to open streets to the unimpeded march.

“Uprooting Racism” was the theme of the 2004 march. The march’s website explains why dykes must fight racism: “We choose to devote our energies to dismantling the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy that keeps our minds, bodies, children, friends, sisters and families enslaved … We must risk wanting something better, risk envisioning a world where dykes, women, people of all races and ethnic backgrounds can come together in shared power and voice.”

The roaring of Harleys heralded the start of the march in a crowd so thick the vibrations passed directly from the body of one woman to the next. A dyke climbed a traffic light, straddled the street sign and stripped off her sport bra in a gesture mirrored by the many who chose to march topless — the march was a slowly-moving safe zone in which every participant was welcomed and protected. Those swarming the streets were honored by women in the apartment windows above who removed their shirts as well in a gesture of solidarity and celebration.

— Less-than-clever acrostic placard displayed by street preachers attempting to incite participants at the 2004 Utah Pride Festival

Publisher Michael Aaron

News

U. Administration Under Fire Hackford-Peer’s Supporters to Ask for Wilson’s Resignation

LOCAL AND REGIONAL

U of U LGBT Resource Center Director Fired Gay, Lesbian Program to Merge With Ethnic Diversity Office

6

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

by JoSelle Vanderhooft On June 24, University of Utah Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center Director Ruth Hackford-Peer arrived at work expecting to meet with Dr. C. Dwayne Wilson, interim Student Diversity Center director, about what Hackford-Peer felt were their differing opinions on the Center’s purpose in the university community.

Instead, she discovered Dr. Wilson and a representative from human resources waiting for her in the office.

“Dr. Wilson handed me a letter saying Ruth Hackford-Peer that ‘the purpose of this memo is to notify you that your work will be terminated at the close of business today,’” said Hackford-Peer. “I talked with the HR person and she said basically when you accept a position with the University of Utah you have a six-month probationary period.” This means the university does not need to present a reason for terminating an employee during this time, or even to provide that employee with written warnings.

“There’s no appeal unless I think there was illegal discrimination,” Hackford-Peer continued, “and if that’s the case I have 120 days to file that.”

Although Hackford-Peer was not, according to her, given any reason for her termination, she nonetheless said that some possibilities have crossed her mind, including her reservations regarding a newly created Student Diversity Center at the University of Utah.

“What is happening is that the Resource Center and the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs (CESA) — which is about 30 years old and is across the hall — both report to the same person: to the associate VP for diversity,” she said. “I guess, for whatever reason, they decided one person should oversee both centers.”

Although Hackford-Peer said that she “didn’t really take issue” to this change at first because she thought both CESA and the Resource Center would maintain their own programs, a proposed summer 2004 student orientation program combining CESA with gay and lesbian students changed her mind.

“I was informed that this would be an LGBT Center and CESA orientation — that we are now the student diversity center and all of our programming would be the same programming,” Hackford-Peer said. At this time she “expressed concern” over “how the needs for LGBT students — LGBT white

students for sure — are very different needs from those of students of color.”

“Some of my concerns for white students who were at this orientation were they would be LGBT students who may be comfortable being out in the community, but by going to this orientation they would be outed to lots of different people who may not be allies,” Hackford-Peer continued. “That didn’t feel really safe to me because I just don’t think the university is at that point. The Center’s only two years old. It’s had an interim director for 18 months, and I just came in January. We need to get our programming really solidified.”

Evan Done, University of Utah Lesbian and Gay Student Union (LGSU) president, agreed.

“The individual identities of minorities on campus are very important and it’s inappropriate to homogenize those identities under the auspices of one giant student diversity center, because something is definitely lost in that transition,” he said.

Additionally, Hackford-Peer said she thinks a disagreement with Wilson over the Resource Center’s programming — particularly academic advising — may have contributed to her termination.

Wilson was out of the office and had not returned phone calls requesting an interview at the time of this article’s deadline.

“I went to a meeting with the interim director and he said the only reason we have an advisory board is for political reasons.

They don’t really have any power to create the direction for the center. And I felt like that was a bad move,” she said. “We have these amazing people on our advisory board and I’m hearing from them that the academic outreach in the classrooms is important, that community outreach is important that programming like university Pride and our National Day of Silence is really important.”

“Then I’m hearing from the interim director that we should be focusing on advising and retention and it needs to be an 8-to-5, sit-at-your-desk job where we wait for students to come in and do case management.

That, too, is a real loss.”

“It’s not just the academic parts of people we’re concerned about,” she continued. “A lot of the students who come in to talk to me have family concerns, religious concerns — it’s not always ‘I’m getting a C or D in this class.’”

Done agreed, saying that he and other gay and lesbian students had been given the message that programs such as “lavender graduation” and the Resource Center’s speakers bureau (where Hackford-Peer addressed classes about issues of sexual orientation and gender identity) “weren’t necessary.”

“We had been sent the message repeatContinued on page 18.

Several University of Utah students who frequently utilized the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center’s services have said they are upset over HackfordPeer’s firing. Some, such as Lesbian and Gay Student Union (LGSU) president Evan Done are taking action.

“In the next week, I’m going to be asking the U. administration to ask for C. Dwayne Wilson’s resignation from his position as interim Student Diversity Center director and the subsequent dissolution of the student diversity center,” he said. “Following that, I’m going to ask that the LGBT Resource Center and the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs (CESA) be placed under the office of student affairs.”

Unlike the university’s Women’s Resource Center and the Disability Resource Center, CESA and the LGBT Resource Center are currently under the Office of Academic Affairs.

Therein lies the problem, said Done.

“The [Resource Center’s] mission statement hasn’t been changed,” he said. “It’s the direction the resource center has been lead in.” That is, away from “programming activities” and “strictly into academic advising.”

“This is all a problem because administratively we fall under the Department of Academic Affairs, and really an organization like ours should have been created under the Department of Student Affairs.”

While student Lauren Littlefield, last year’s LGSU co-president, disagree with Done on asking for Wilson’s resignation, she nonetheless thinks the director should be “reprimanded for the way he handled this situation.”

“It was handled very poorly and I think he would admit that himself,” she said. “More dialogue needs to happen between Dr. Wilson and the students before all of these changes are made, because those two spaces in the Union [CESA and the Resource Center] are there for us. They’re there for us to have a safe space to be on campus, they’re there for us to use a computer, they’re there for us to talk to our advisors.

They’re our spaces.” — JV

Alliance Rejected Pride Banners “Justice” and “Unity” Among Words Considered Too Controversial

by JoSelle Vanderhooft Due to concerns over politically charged words, Utah 2004 Gay Pride Day banners did not fly downtown for the first time in the last two years.

“We submitted twelve banners with twelve different words on them to the Downtown Business Alliance, and there were four words they objected to,” said Erin Litvak, development director for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Utah.

According to Litvack, the four banned words were sexuality, gender, justice and unity.

“The banner program has a specific guideline that says we don’t take political, religious or controversial messages,” said Michelle Higham, banner program manager for the Downtown Business Alliance, a group consisting of downtown business and property owners as well as members of Salt Lake’s arts and cultural communities.

“Basically the program is to promote downtown events and activities,” Higham added. “We’ve gotten calls the past years we’ve allowed the Gay Pride banners to go up, so I know [the four banners] would be something that would bring attention. We want to run a good program that nobody has any problem with — that adds vitality to the downtown area.”

“Their overall reasoning [for objecting to the four banners] was that … the words we had chosen were too politically charged,” Litvak concurred.

Although the seven-member Business Alliance committee typically reviews all banner submissions, Higham said the case involving this year’s Pride banners worked a little bit differently. “Basically, they [the Center] never submitted an application,” she said. “They sent in their designs a week or two before [the banners] were supposed to go up.”

Because the Alliance never received the

Center’s application, Higham said the committee never got to review the submitted banners. Instead, she reviewed the designs herself and met with center representatives to discuss them.

“I told them that the banner [with the word] sexuality would probably be out because it’s controversial in Utah,” she said.

“There were two others I told them might be out, and those were unity and justice because of gay marriage, because that’s definitely a political issue right now.”

“If they had presented [the banner with the word unity] at another time when this wasn’t an issue it might not be considered political,” she continued, adding that committee members can overturn her decisions. Additionally, Higham also told center representatives that banners with the words community, diversity, humanity, visibility, history and integrity were “perfectly acceptable.”

Nonetheless, Litvak said the Center did not want to “compromise our choice of words” by allowing the Alliance to post only those banners it deemed acceptable. Instead, the Center opted to ask the Salt Lake Public Library for permission to hang all thirteen banners on Library Square — permission the library’s director quickly gave, according to library employee Dana Tumpowsky.

“We offer books and materials on all of those subjects in the library, and frankly there’s not much difference,” she said.

“The library is a community center, a gathering place for everyone regardless of background, educational training, status in life, ethnic background, or sexual preference,” said Tumpowsky. “None of that is a requirement when you walk in the doors. Libraries are for all, and I would like to think that’s the reputation that the library is known for.”

Utah Fails to Provide Safe Schools Utah Schools Ranked Near Bottom in “State of the States” Report

by Rob Orton

■

SALT LAKE METRO ■

7

the promotion of monogamous heterosexing any discussion with a student simply ual marriage. School materials are prohibbecause they are alone. The policy, in the ited from the instruction of advocacy for opinion of the UEA, was intended to protect homosexuality. the teacher from unsubstantiated accusaAlthough it is mandated in Utah to teach tions of undesirable conduct by the student HIV/AIDS education, abstinence is the main or the student’s parent. focus. All states except California accept The UEA has no agenda encompasssome federal funding for abstinence-only ing these societal obstacles. The focus of programs. Contraception education is not this organization is currently set on racial mandated in Utah and is left to the local issues, test scores, and administrative polischool or district to control. Furthermore, cies for educators. Salt Lake School District advocacy or encouragement of the use of was silent when asked to respond with the contraceptive specific school district methods or devices UTAH policy and protection for is prohibited.

GRADE gay and lesbian youth.

Some misconUtah passed same-sex ceptions are clearly State of the States 2004 marriage prohibition A Policy Analysis of Lesbian, Gay, visible as the in 1995. State legislaBisexual and Transgender (LGBT) report points out: tion for hate crimes and Safer Schools Issues “Oklahoma law discrimination has been POSSIBLE UTAH requires that AIDS continually scoured for GENERAL EDUCATION (20) : 8 prevention educaany references to sexual Student/Teacher Ratio (5) : 1 Teacher Salary (5) : 2 tion must specifiorientation or gender (5) : 1 cally teach students Per-pupil Expenditure identity. The impact this Graduation Rate (5) : 4 that, among other legislation has on educaSTATE SAFE SCHOOLS LAW (30) : 0 things, engaging tion is due to policies Sexual Orientation Inclusive (24) : 0 in homosexual that prohibit teachers Transgender Inclusive (6) : 0 activity is primarto advocate or discuss STATE NON-DISCRIMINATION LAW (20) : 0 ily responsible for anything that conflicts Sexual Orientation Inclusive (16) : 0 Transgender Inclusive (4) : 0 contact with the with state law.

SEXUALITY EDUCATION (15) : 15 AIDS virus.”

Gay and lesbian Statewide Requirement to Most state students in the Salt Lake Teach HIV/STD Education (5) : 5 laws prohibiting School District have Statewide Requirement employment disvoiced that they need to Teach Sexuality Education (10) : 10 crimination do not LOCAL SAFE SCHOOLS POLICIES more support from the (15) : 0 explicitly include community. They feel Sexual Orientation Inclusive (12) : 0 gender identity and Transgender Inclusive that their peers and their (3) : 0 expression. While school administration SCHOOLS LAW THAT STIGMATIZES LGBT PEOPLE (-10) :-10 threaten their freedom, only three state (100) : 13 education non-dis- TOTAL: development, and qualcrimination laws ity of education.

SALT LAKE METRO GRAPHIC explicitly cover Many feel they will transgender students specifically, the Federal come out of school and still be in the dark courts and guidance from the Office of Civil about important key issues that are a part Rights of the U.S. Department of Education of their every day life. They feel they were have made clear that, for purposes of Title IX, not provided with the knowledge and insex discrimination includes discrimination formation they need for their current or fubased on the failure to conform to gender ture health needs. Others feel they cannot stereotypes. express their identity out of fear of losing Utah educators are impeded from adtheir educational and civil privileges. dressing topics of sexual orientation, genFaculty advisors are one of the requireder identity, sexually transmitted diseases, ments for non-academic clubs. It is difHIV and AIDS. Policy makers have moficult and sometimes impossible to find tioned teachers in the opposite direction advisors in a school because they are afraid of truth and information, toward avoidof losing their employment. They are reance and evasion. This has propagated an luctant to become involved because of the environment where civil freedom has taken conflict with school policies and state laws, on the color of harassment and abuse, and and a lack of job protection. at the cost of educational value and to the There are a handful of high schools in Salt extreme, the lives of our youth.

Lake School District that have gay and lesWithout specific legal guidance of policy bian organizations. As a result of public misand state laws, educators are helpless to deconceptions about gay-straight alliances, liver the truth to our youth. They continually non-academic clubs in Utah cannot receive find themselves against the wall with quesdepartmental funding. For that reason, tions that demand answers, and limitations these clubs have been targeted and publicly put on the answers they can provide. scrutinized to the extent that negative Thirty-six states do not have workplace stigmas have been placed on the entire gay protections for teachers, administrators, community as being the pivotal shut-down faculty or staff of schools. Only fourteen for educational diversity in general. have protections with specific categories of At the university level, Utah State Unisexual orientation and/or gender identity. versity, University of Utah, and Weber State If a student were to stay after class to ask University have gay student unions and their teacher about a sensitive condition gay-straight alliances which meet regularly that may or may not have a sexual context, within the campus. Weber State University the teacher is bound by Utah Education has adopted policies to promote diversity of Association policy that warns against — and faculty and student body, reporting that this in some schools forbids the teacher engaghas had a positive affect on both.

JULY 8, 2004

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) released on June 27 the release of its “2004 State of the States” report. The report summarizes state laws that affect school environments and school safety for all students — particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.

Utah’s grade? A big ‘F’.

GLSEN’s report gives Utah educators a glimpse of how Utah’s educational environment is viewed by the rest of the nation.

Utah’s educational environment teaches children rules about what can be acknowledged and what can be discussed. Children insist their education embrace the elements which they encounter every day — thus forcing educators to acknowledge topics that students know and see as the truth.

While the Utah Education Association now allows in this “One Nation Under God” discussions of race, cancer, life, death, and disability, among the remaining real-life needs that Utah still tiptoes around lies sexual identity and expression. GLSEN would like to change this.

Established in 1995, GLSEN is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all queer students. GLSEN believes that schools should have no tolerance for harassment or discrimination of any type.

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” The basis was that the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws.

Fifty years after this judgment of Brown vs. Board of Education, which affirmed that every child deserves an equal opportunity to get an education, GLSEN published an unprecedented national survey of our public school systems from grades K-12, evaluating policies that enhance a safer learning environment.

States that scored high on the 2003 GLSEN National School Climate Survey were the most supportive of gay and lesbian civil rights, education, and legislation. States that scored extremely low have none of these, and additionally often have legislation or policies that countermine the social interest and civil rights of the gay community.

States that scored 100-70 percent on the GLSEN Report in descending order: New Jersey, Minnesota, District of Columbia, Vermont, California, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Connecticut. New Jersey, at 95 percent, was the highest state score.

States that scored 15-3 percent in descending order: South Carolina, Utah, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Idaho, Arizona, Mississippi. Mississippi, with its score of -3, was the only state to score below zero.

Utah does not have any safe schools laws: statewide anti-harassment nondiscrimination laws that are inclusive of the categories of sexual orientation and gender identity. These safe schools policies must be passed by at least one local school board in order to count on the evaluation.

Utah is one of a handful of states which have prohibitions on the positive portrayal of homosexuality in schools and requires

Salt Lake City does have an advantage over other communities: The Youth Activity Center (YAC) — a space located by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Utah. They provide a broad range of services for youth including activities, resources, education and a “safe place.”

Another very important service YAC is providing is distribution of school safety kits.

The packet is an excellent source of information about civil rights, harassment, protection, and corrective and evasive action.

Students who embark on the overwhelming objective of starting a gay-straight alliance invariably come to YAC with questions and conflict. YAC has become an advocate for school alliances and has helped students meet the requirements to obtain permission for organizing and gathering.

Regardless of how important the YAC services are, it is important to point out that it is a community-based organization which serves the myriad of community needs for gay and lesbian youth. There are undeniable needs for representation and advocacy in our youth’s educational environment which at least match, if not exceed, those of the community.

The Utah chapter of GLSEN has been out of existence for over two years. Gay students who want and need protective or academic advocacy must seek assistance to combat the barrage of conflict which is inevitable, either from school officials or their peers, or to stem any type of supportive organization.

Students who are targeted because of sexual orientation or identity are more likely to become physically abused by their peers. The GLSEN findings say that despite “unprecedented levels of school violence, there is not a corresponding sense of urgency to remedy one of the key factors that contributes to this violence.”

Unchecked harassment correlates with poor performance and diminished aspirations: Gay youth who are harassed have significantly lower GPAs than their peers; one-fourth of gay and lesbian students who cannot identify supportive faculty report they have no intention of going to college.

Queer students who were not protected from violence and harassment were more likely to skip school simply because they were too afraid to go. Harassment continues at unacceptable levels: 84 percent of queer students report being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation.

Most report that faculty never or rarely intervene when present.

When two students held their high school hostage in Columbine, the entire nation went on an anti-firearm rampage invoking policies against violent behavior and threatening verbiage that simulate the reign of terror these students imposed.

State legislation popped up like dandelions everywhere to prevent the sale, manufacture or distribution of particular firearms for any reason, simply because they looked like the weapons used in this attack.

Whether we are learning how to teach from our children, or being taught how to learn from our children, we will inevitably have to deal with these topics in our education. Just as Brown vs. Board of Education taught the need for social reform of racial biases, our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth will unavoidably show us that their freedom for expression and M identity must be unequivocally allowed.

Candidate Profile

LOCAL AND REGIONAL NEWS

Third-Party Candidate Champions Free Choice, Gay Marriage

JOEL SHOEMAKER

by JoSelle Vanderhooft

Tami Marquardt, interim director of the Center

Center Closed for Remodeling Coffee Shop Employees Must Reapply for Jobs A temporary closure for repairs and restorations at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Utah’s coffee shop comes as a new business model is considered. Coffee shop employees have been told they’ll have to reapply, according to Tami Marquardt, the Center’s interim director In its first major renovation since opening, the Stonewall Coffee Company and Gallery Room at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Utah will be getting new floors, new furniture, updated equipment, and a thorough cleaning the first two weeks of July, with a scheduled reopening July 16.

But along with the closure, Marquardt says a committee is now looking at a new business model for the coffee shop as well as a new manager. “It’s a dilemma,” she said. “Do we have the coffee shop as a for-profit operation, or as a non-profit, hospitality program?”

Marquardt says she considers the coffee shop the “alpha” program for the Center, acting as its most accessible and visible resource, giving the public a mix of coffee and counseling.

As the Center undergoes other changes — including the hiring of a new, permanent director to replace Paula Wolfe, who resigned in April — it’s time to consider

8

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

by Joel Shoemaker

Visit us online at

changes for the coffee shop, says Marquardt. A three-person committee is talking with Starbucks, Gastronomy, Inc., Coffee Garden and others to consider a wide range of options.

According to Marquardt, the shop’s employees were asked to reapply after the reopening so that the new manager, whoever that may be, has autonomy over the shop’s operations.

Marquardt says some confusion with the employees occurred because of a breakdown in communication. She says the current coffee shop manager neglected to inform the employees about the closure or the plans to pursue a new business model.

But she says each employee is valued, and has been encouraged to reapply.

The coffee shop’s renovations are being made possible with a mix of professional and volunteer help. Signature Books, the owner of the building, is paying for half of the costs as part of tenant improvement.

Board members and other volunteers are lending their time and resources too.

During the coffee shop remodeling project, the Center’s administrative offices will remain open.

Gubernatorial candidate Dr. Ken Larsen isn’t your typical Utah politician. After all, how many Democrats and Republicans have founded a church for pot smokers or cruised State Street solely to be ticketed?

And how many have sued the state and the county clerk for the right to marry a man?

“Back in ’95 or ’96 I was in the middle of several lawsuits trying to make a point,” Larsen, a heterosexual man, explained in a telephone interview. “I took my lawyer to the Salt Lake County Clerk and asked for a marriage license, which they denied on the grounds we were both men.”

“But Article Four of the Utah Constitution says ‘both male and female citizens of this state shall enjoy equally all civil, political and religious rights and privileges,’” he continued. “As I read that, if a woman has the right to marry a man, then a man has the right to marry a man. And if I can’t marry another man because I’m not a woman then I don’t have equal rights with women, do I?” Although, according to Larsen, the state dismissed his suit on “technical reasons,” he says he proved his point: “The Constitution is a big joke in the U.S. courts. It’s whatever the courts and the justices decide.”

But Larsen thinks the Utah and U.S. Constitutions shouldn’t be laughed off. In fact, his concern over the erosion of what he sees as constitutional freedoms led this “62 year-old divorced grandpa who thinks he can help” and like-minded friends into forming the Personal Choice Party (PCP).

As Larsen describes it, his party is “kind of like the Libertarian philosophy — except it’s the exact opposite.”

“The platform is personal choice, and not a word more,” he said. “Each individual is free to decide what personal choice means for them.”

“Instead of looking for something with which we disagree so we can not associate, we look for something on which we agree so

we can associate [and] make something happen rather than debate forever,” said Larsen.

While Larsen said he cannot speak for the positions of all candidates in a party which upholds independent thought as the party line, he thinks several PCP’s candidates probably share similar ideas about gay marriage.

“If I’m elected governor, I promise within 24 hours of taking office I will issue an executive order to all state officers including county clerk to immediately end and desist all discrimination on the basis of sex or number of partners when issuing marriage licenses or filing legal marriages,” Larsen said. “[Gays and lesbians] have their own ideas of how they want to relate to other people and we’re talking about consenting adults. There aren’t any victims, where do we all come off telling them how to live?”

Larsen also said that his convictions to champion gay marriage come from his Mormon background. Although no longer a member of that church, Larsen still believes in the “notion of free agency” proposed during the “war in heaven” in Mormon theology. Here, Lucifer suggested “forcing people to be good so nobody would make any mistakes and get lost” while Jesus advocated letting people “be free to choose”.

“I thought that it was very anti-Mormon for anybody to ask the government to control anybody’s personal lifestyle,” Larsen said. “For goodness’ sakes, Utah was founded by people who wanted the freedom to practice their own lifestyle without government interference. In fact, so was America.”

If elected in November, Larsen also promised to champion the rights of all “persecuted minorities” including “drug users,” gun owners, gamblers, nudists and people in the “adult entertainment” industry.

“I think if I could just talk all the persecuted minorities into tolerating each other and working together for everybody’s freedom, for goodness’ sakes — we might find we have a majority,” he said. “So maybe if the pot smokers could tolerate the gun owners could tolerate the gays could tolerate the adult entertainment people and work for everybody’s freedom we could all get our freedom.”

Dr. Ken Larson’s campaign website can be found at KenCan.PersonalChoice.org/

Center: Search for New Director Nearly at End

by Joel Shoemaker The end of the search for a new director for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Utah could come mid-July.

Kent Frogley, head of the search committee, says the position closed June 30 and the board is expected to vote on the applicants July 12.

As many as 20 individuals applied for the position, most from inside the state, Frogley says. The previous director was Paula Wolfe, who resigned in April after serving

five years.

“We have a pool of outstanding applicants,” said interim director Tami Marquardt. “We hope to announce and welcome a new executive director in the very near future.”

Meanwhile, the Center’s second “town hall meeting” is scheduled for July 10.

In lieu of an advisory board, the Center holds a town hall meeting with organizations and concerned individuals in order to gain feedback and focus for the Center.

Representatives for more than 60 groups

are expected to attend this regularly-scheduled meeting.

Topics include a Pride Day wrap-up, as well as strategic planning with the Don’t Amend Alliance and Equality Utah concerning the proposed amendment to the Utah State Constitution regarding samesex marriage.

The meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. at the CAP Head Start Offices, 1307 S. 900 West in Salt Lake City. Those wishing to attend should RSVP to Doug Fadel at douglaskf@aol.com.

Utah Activists Hit the Road to Educate Voters in Swing States

by Mandy Q. Racer

Michelle Sherwood and Ben Tettlebaum

the 7000-mile trip. All excess monies will be donated to MoveOnPAC.org. “Our goal is not making money. We want to raise money so we can register voters,” Tettlebaum said.

Sherwood agreed: “Otherwise we’ll get really, really skinny.” The trip will happen whether supported by donors or by the activists’ willingness to starve themselves.

Upon their October return, Democracy for Change will shift its concentration to one that is “locally driven.” Sherwood and Tettlebaum will work under the Don’t Amend Alliance by going door to door across Utah in an attempt to convince voters to get out to the polls in November to vote against the amendment. Another referendum that may appear on November’s ballot is the Utah Clean Water, Quality

Growth and Open Space Initiative — if so, Democracy for Change will support that issue as well.

Sherwood and Tettlebaum’s trip is one of many that Driving Votes has helped to organize. The combined effect may be minimal on voters who are currently registered. However, they might be able to change the minds of a few who believe that their vote doesn’t make a difference. These newly empowered voters may very well tip the already shaky political scale.

The nonprofit’s website is slated to be up and running soon at DemocracyforChange.org. In the meantime, all inquiries may be directed to Tettlebaum at (801) 870-8338, btettleb@hotmail. com, or Sherwood at (801) 558-1663.

Herriman Mayor Blocks Don’t Amend Booth ing to registered voters?” McCoy continued. “We don’t have any nefarious plan to recruit people into the gay lifestyle. That’s not what our campaign is about.”

While Utah ACLU Director Dani Eyer agreed with McCoy’s take on the situation, she added that government leaders can put limits on a public forum’s subject or content as long as they consistently apply the restrictions to all parties.

McCoy, however, said that Herriman officials did not mention any nonpartisan rules at the time Don’t Amend applied for their booth. — JV

Department of Corrections

■

9

A photo of Edie Carey (June 24, page 21) taken by Salt Lake Metro photographer Shauna Sanchez was credited to Lucy Juarez, another of our photographers. This is the second time we’ve done this to poor Shauna, and we’re deeply sorry.

SALT LAKE METRO

Herriman Mayor J. Lynn Crane refused to allow a booth for the Don’t Amend Alliance at the five-year-old city’s founders day party held Saturday June 26. Although event organizers denied the booth on grounds of a never-before enforced policy banning political speech at the event, campaign volunteers for congressional candidate Beau Babka and Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman were allowed to march in the parade. No other booths were ejected from the celebration.

“If you open a public forum, you can’t pick and choose who gets to be there,” said Don’t Amend Alliance political issues committee director Scott McCoy. “We basically were discriminated against because of who we are and our position.”

“What do they have to fear from us talk-

■

In direct contrast stands Sherwood’s political background, which is pretty much nonexistent. “My family doesn’t talk about politics … they won’t,” she said. This road trip represents the “first time ever” that she has been politically involved. Inspired by the recent legislative session, her anger merged with Tettlebaum’s and thrust her headfirst into the movement. In fact, Sherwood’s May birthday was a joint affair: one part celebration of birth, two parts John Kerry house party.

The proposed amendment, now headed for November’s ballot, spurred heated discussions between Sherwood and Tettlebaum. On a March evening, “We were talking in the kitchen,” Sherwood said, and their nonprofit organization, Democracy for Change, was born. As one might imagine, the brainchild of Sherwood and Tettlebaum is rather complex. “Ben is all about the environment and I’m all about civil rights,” Sherwood said. Nevertheless, the two solidly agree on one objective: getting Democrats elected.

“Yeah, I want to get Bush out of office,” Tettlebaum said, but the activists’ shared desire lies beyond that aim. Democracy for Change’s overarching goal is “To empower people to vote. Giving money to a campaign doesn’t really educate [people] about the candidates themselves or the issues,” Tettlebaum said. That’s why he and Sherwood will head out on July 5, aiming for the impact that is born of a face-to-face connection.

Since Sherwood and Tettlebaum will not only register voters, but plan to educate them as well, they are equipped with information about national and local elections with the help of Driving Votes, a nonprofit organization of which Tettlebaum is the Utah State Captain. DrivingVotes.org boasts a bevy of information and resources: from voter registration packets tailored for each swing state to information about joining a planned road trip or creating one’s own.

Are they nervous to confront prospective voters across the country? The energetic and outgoing Sherwood isn’t: “I’m much more nervous about knocking on doors for Don’t Amend [in Utah] than I am about this.” Tettlebaum is also prepared for the challenge. He says that his modus operandi is “to argue,” but admits being frustrated with “people who [are] not registered to vote and [don’t] want to. Whether or not they want to be involved they have to live with [the consequences]. The key thing is information,” Tettlebaum stressed. “We want people to get involved.”

Currently, Democracy for Change is “focused on funding and mobilizing people in Utah to either go with us or go on their own trips.” The responses are already rolling in; even Utah Rep. Ralph Becker, D-Capitol Hill/Avenues, has contacted them to offer his help.

The activists are seeking people who will sponsor a few pennies or more per mile of

JULY 8, 2004

On July 5, a half-Chinese lesbian Texan and a straight Jewish farm boy from Missouri set out on a “nationwide voter education movement.” Now roommates in Salt Lake City, Michelle Sherwood and Ben Tettlebaum hope to affect the outcome of this November’s crucial election via a politically driven road trip. In July and August, Sherwood and Tettlebaum will travel to five swing states: Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, Missouri and Pennsylvania. There they will visit Democratic-rich areas in order to register voters and educate people about the upcoming election.

Sherwood returned from a prolonged visit to Texas at the end of February to the news that House Joint Resolution 25 — the constitutional amendment to prohibit same sex marriage — had passed in the Utah House with a vote of 56-16. “It seemed like there were just a few people that knew what was going on … not nearly enough considering what was happening,” Sherwood said. “The legislature pushes it through before people find out.”

Sherwood and Tettlebaum were present the night the bill was altered by the Senate and sent back to the House for the final vote. Sherwood described the experience: “[Rep.] Jackie Biskupski got up and thanked everyone in the galley for all their support and for being active, and then she asked all the representatives to recognize the masses of queers in the room.”

“The seating was full and they were making others wait outside,” Sherwood continued. “So all the representatives started clapping and Jackie was already standing and [Rep.] David Litvack jumped up to clap and then slowly all — even the jackasses — stood and clapped. Amazing. The same guys that were just shitting on everyone in the galley stood up for us. Then they sat down and passed it 58-14. After the clapping we had actually lost two of our votes.”

“We were really pissed after that night,” Tettlebaum said. “It was like this sinking feeling in my chest … It set a spark in us.

Something had to be done.” That Tettlebaum is straight didn’t stop him from feeling violated by the bill’s passage: “I felt personally wronged.” The event, he said, was something that might be expected in some other countries, but not in the U.S. “It happened within the structure of our democracy,” he said, still shaken three months after the fact.

Tettlebaum’s father, Harvey Tettlebaum, is the treasurer of the Missouri Republican Party. “I grew up in that environment,” Tettlebaum said. His father is grassrootsoriented, and, according to his son, was instrumental in turning Missouri into a Republican state. Even though father and son are working in opposition, Tettlebaum’s father “is very supportive of what I’m doing because I’m involved. He’s a staunch Republican, but really a model for grassroots [organization].”

LUCY JUAREZ

Gay Rights, Environment Key Issues in “Democracy for Votes” Campaign

Opinion

10

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

A Tale of Two Centers Our community is more dynamic and complex than ever before, and as such it is vital that we keep the lines of communication open between all our various clubs and organizations. If the community is a body, then communication between its constituent parts represents the body’s nerve impulses. When the nervous system doesn’t work effectively, the body cannot function properly, if at all.

Indeed, the community is growing and changing so fast that sometimes it’s impossible to keep up with each new development. But with so much at stake, it’s ever more important that we are able to respond to events in real time. Miscommunications are bound to happen at the best of times, and that is why it is now high time for us to invent new and better ways of sharing information.

When the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Utah temporarily closed its coffee shop for remodeling, it was a lack of communication that caused the shop’s employees to conclude they had lost their jobs. Wild rumors began to circulate, and it took a great deal of negotiation and damage control to get people calmed down again.

It is the worst sort of capitalist organization that allows its employees, as in the case of Ruby Tuesday’s — a downtown chain restaurant that recently closed its doors — to show up for work one day to find a note on the door instructing them to pick up their paychecks at a lawyer’s office. Corporate America is used to treating its employees like chattel — all the more reason the Center, as one of our own enlightened gay and lesbian organizations, should rise above expectations and take every opportunity to include employees in the process of making decisions that will affect their livelihoods.

Now it seems the employees will be allowed back, but they will need to reapply for their jobs. This is just the sort of thing that would make employees at any organization feel threatened. Simply holding a meeting at which the employee’s concerns were discussed before the closure occurred would have gone a long way to allay that sense of threat.

Similarly, rumors are running rampant as to the future of the University of Utah Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center. Perhaps administrators were technically within their rights to fire without notice an employee who was still, according to U. policy, within her six-month probationary period.

However, when administrators clammed up afterward about the Resource Center Director Ruth Hackford-Peer’s firing, the whole thing began to take on a sinister look. Was Hackford-Peer fired because she was doing her job too well, creating such a high profile for the U.’s gay and lesbian community that it made the new administration nervous?

Now it appears the Resource Center could be absorbed by the U.’s Center for Ethnic Student Affairs, bringing under one roof two organizations that may, at times, be at odds with each other. If some sort of Wal-Martesque mega-diversity center is created, will it be able to efficiently serve the interests of gay and lesbian students as well as of students of color?

Only time will tell, but by stonewalling the media as well as the university gay and lesbian community, U. administration has ensured a flurry of rumors that will only serve to confuse the issue and make it that much more difficult to get straightened out later.

From the Editor Shades of Gray

by Brandon Burt

We live in a black-and-white nation — people here don’t go in for those confusing shades of gray. Things are good or bad, right or wrong. Americans have attention-deficit disorder: Any issue that cannot be fully examined in a 30-second television spot is not worth considering.

Nuanced positions on issues get politicians nowhere — the winning candidate is often the one who can take even the most complicated issue and oversimplify it until any argument becomes meaningless.

Take, for example, the widespread success of rightwingers’ most recent campaign against gays and lesbians.

Neoconservatives know that on issues of basic fairness, Americans generally side with the underdog unless you can scare the bejeebers out of them.

That’s why they frame the argument this way: Marriage is under attack! The liberal elitists and organized perverts from both coasts hate traditional American values so much they want to destroy heterosexual families! And who’s going to help them do this? Activist judges!

Well, when you put it this way, clearly there’s only one thing for the American public to do: Vote for Bush, who’s guaranteed to stack federal courts with Scalia-caliber right-wing judges.

If, in this way, the issue can be suitably reduced to the typical good-vs.-evil neocon argument, it becomes much easier to convince voters how scary gays and lesbians are.

This translates to more anti-gay sentiment and (they hope) to bigger wins at the polls come November.

Because his position on marriage rights for gays and lesbians takes a bit of time to explain, John Kerry has been having some difficulty with Republican operatives over this issue. Kerry was one of the few U.S. Senators with the cojones to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.

Yet now that he’s running for president, he’s gone on record as being against gay marriage.

To his opponents, this flip-flop represents a chance to paint him as an opportunistic, wishy-washy candidate. If he can’t take a stand on this issue, they ask, how could he ever lead our country?

For his part, Kerry’s campaign has been putting the word out that his position is actually much more complicated: It is finely nuanced, well thought-out — scholarly, even. Kerry opposes anti-gay marriage amendments whenever separatebut-equal domestic partnership arrangements are threatened or not offered. As such, he would most likely oppose Utah’s proposed amendment, were he asked to take a position on our local politics. There, that wasn’t so hard, now was it?

Well, maybe. It is pretty amazing that our movement has made it so far that domestic partnership laws are considered a moderate solution to the problem of marriage inequity.

On the other hand, the anti-gay right wing has become so smug, strident and radically hateful that it really is our only option to take the most extreme position possible on our issues, too. For us, there is only one correct answer: genuine marriage rights with full-faith-and-credit recognition of those rights in every state. And that is what we should continue to push for.

Kerry is wrong on the marriage issue. So that means he’s as bad as Bush, right? Why not vote for a third-party candidate? Why vote at all if both major candidates are the same?

This is more black-and-white thinking. With his handling of this issue, Kerry may have made himself something less than 100-percent wonderful in our eyes. However, he’s a hell of a lot lighter shade of gray than Bush is.

Four more years of a Bush administration will sufficiently transform our country’s political landscape to a point where our political enemies will be able to start taking back the hardfought wins our movement has experienced over the past few decades. Our country is in danger of sinking back into the McCarthy-era darkness of yesteryear, complete with witch hunts.

And guess which unpopular political group would be among the first to be burned at the stake?

They don’t call us faggots for nothing.

Letters

Bit of Paris or Brave New World?

From the Bottom of His Cardiac Organ

Living in Utah, you would have to be in some druginduced stupor to miss the influence of the LDS Church. If you’re a transplant to the area, you’ve doubtless been baptized into the snack-chip casserole culture and were welcomed to the neighborhood by smiling faces who were ready to share their faith and their excess zucchini crop. We homegrown Utahns are all-too-well acquainted with funeral potatoes, green Jell-O, and the indescribable but distinct accent.

As a teen, I was not at all receptive to the LDS influence, but after spending a number of years out of state and experiencing so many cultures in my travels, I came to appreciate in a genuine and enduring sense, what we have in Salt Lake City, my hometown.

I will readily tell those who complain about the area and the quirks that are part and parcel with the local basse-couture that they should make a foray into the Bible Belt and rethink their position. I daresay that most of us probably don’t agree theologically with many of our Mormon acquaintances, but I echo a bishop’s comment to a friend of mine: “That doesn’t mean we can’t be good neighbors.”

Unfortunately the neighborhood is changing.

Recently, the Church bought the Triad Center and has designs for it to further expand its influence. The Main Street Plaza has been referred to as “a little bit of Paris,” but anyone who has been to gay Paree knows that the

Editor: Thanks for the great article about organ and tissue donation. Your reporter did a nice job getting this information out to our community. It’s important for the gay community to know that most of us can donate organs and tissues, but that there are a few limitations just like in the straight community.

If people want to learn more about organ and tissue donation, they can go to www.

YesUtah.org or call 1-866-YES-UTAH. Also, I’m glad Salt Lake Metro is distinguishing itself as a news source for the gay and lesbian community. Keep it up.

Ben Dieterle Salt Lake City

I Matter

Scott Peterson Kearns

Letters to the Editor

or email letters@slmetro.com

in Our divine wisdom and power, choose as Our scapegoat) spill, We will exact the same, plus interest. This bloodthirsty mentality has flooded our nation from the top down, turning Americans into a league of vampires. Brainwashed, we actually believe that we have the right to torture and kill those who may be — or may not be; it doesn’t really matter — associated with Al Qaeda, Saddam, Osama, fill-in-the-blank here at your whim.

The vile events that took place at the U.S. military prison, Abu Ghraib, are the direct result of this attitude. Prisoners were beaten, forced to lie naked in piles, made to simulate sexual acts upon one another or to masturbate in front of each other, and raped. The images that crossed our precious television screens every night during the Abu Ghraib unveiling were horrifying, terrifying. What seem to me even worse are the mass-distributed emails that justify these inhumanities: “Because of 9/11,” the emails claim, “they deserve it!”

What the hell? The events of September 11 were as horrifying to me as they were to the rest of the nation, but any knee-jerk reaction that uses those events to justify our violent response is deeply misguided and dead wrong. I could not in good conscience celebrate America’s Independence Day this year; I am deeply ashamed to be the American portrayed by these thoughtless, tasteless, mindless emails. If being patriotic means I condone the torture, humiliation or murder of any individual, count me out.

11

I’m having a little trouble swallowing the red, white and blue this year.

As a matter of fact, if any more of it is stuffed down my throat I do believe I’ll vomit. I fully admit to the patriotism that swelled my chest in the days after September 11 when the American flag lined each and every street.

The sympathy that was extended to our nation from across the globe floored me, and I wept.

It was our response, spearheaded by a vengeful president, that heralded the first twinges of what felt like heartburn in the back of my throat. The bitter sensation has since erupted in enraged flames, a fire that is newly stirred each time I read the paper, watch the news or open my email.

A few weeks ago, a coworker sent a patriotic tidbit my way via e-mail. After reading only a few lines of what turned out to be a nationalistic poem of the NRA variety, I scanned the images before hastily deleting the damned thing. Among these was a drawing of the New York skyline as the back of a hand — the buildings drawn as bent fingers with the middle finger righteously upheld — and one of the American eagle gripping a rifle in its claws, sighting down the barrel. Justice. Revenge. It’s all the same to Americans.

Godlike, we lay down the law: For every drop of Our blood you (or whomever We,

■

or fax 801-323-9986

by Mandy Q. Racer

SALT LAKE METRO

Write us at: Metro Publishing, Inc. 352 S. Denver Street, Suite 350 Salt Lake City, UT 84111

American Terrorism

■

Salt Lake Metro welcomes letters from our readers.

plaza is neither, especially in light of comments by Steven Allred, Salt Lake City deputy city attorney: “The people who are on that plaza now are there by invitation.”

Alors, merde!

Rather than Paris, it would appear that the Church would have its own Vatican minus the culture, the arts, the pageantry, and the grandeur. Black-and-white clad missionaries carrying literature don’t compare well to the legacy, stateliness, and color of the Swiss Guard. The nondescript and plain may be a prized mark of modesty and “not of the world” for observant Mormons, but it is the polar opposite of what attracts business and creative talent to the city.

Development based on narrow moral guidelines is eerily reminiscent of a science fiction utopia. While morals unquestionably have their place, regulating behavior and branding questioning free thinkers as savage may appear to have fulfilled Aldous Huxley’s literary prophecy. Homogenous development has not only turned away prospective newcomers, it has historically been the soil that has spawned veritable ghettos where cultural inbreeding and fear of outsiders has raised suspicion and stifled healthy social interaction.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson has worked tirelessly with the Church to diversify its development of the downtown area. In a recent speech to the Downtown Merchants Association, the mayor threw down the gauntlet, challenging church leaders to include plans for “lively retail, mixed-income housing and many entertainment options — including restaurants and nightclubs.” It

JULY 8, 2004

Editor: It seems KSL has the same idea about gays and lesbians as the U.S. did back in the early days about blacks — we only count as one-tenth of a person in their eyes, as black votes counted as a seventh of one vote in those days [“KSL Reports Small Attendance Figure,” June 24].

When even the Deseret News says there were 50,000 people at Pride, how can KSL keep a straight face when they report only 5,000 — or worse, “hundreds” — of people were there?

When executive producer Kim Thomas says “no one cares” about the numbers, he really means he doesn’t care about the numbers. Most of his audience doesn’t care about the numbers. His bosses don’t care about the numbers — at least they don’t care to get them right.

But guess what? I care about the numbers. I care that my efforts are accurately and fairly reported. It matters that I woke up, got dressed and went down to Library Square on a beautiful Sunday morning and stood to be counted. It matters when I make the effort to march on the street. It matters when I take the time to pick up my phone and talk to my senator.

If the discrepancy were small, I could believe it was an honest mistake. If I had seen honest and fair coverage from KSL in the past, I could believe it was an honest mistake. If KSL’s owners weren’t pumping millions of dollars into campaigns against gay and lesbian people, I could believe it was a mistake.

Frankly, it was just business as usual for a news station that can’t get it right about issues they can’t stand.

by William Todd Park

is not an attack on theology or orthodoxy to have profitable businesses in the vicinity of the sacred, nor is it a contradiction for different faiths to thrive in the same area.

The flip side of this coin is that the Mormon influence will always be an integral part of the Utah culture. Like it or not, “This is the place.”

While the Church does exert considerable political and financial influence, it is not the enemy. There will always be challenges where we disagree, but if anyone knows the pitfalls of judging a people based on morality, the gay community certainly does. The challenge is not to rise above the LDS-dominant culture, but rather to thrive in the midst of it.

The steadily increasing numbers at the Pride Festival demonstrate we’re doing exactly that.

The response to a new BYU campus downtown shouldn’t be saber-rattling, but rather something that steers the city in a direction we want it to go. We may not have the money to open businesses that bring out the best in a creative and diverse community, but we can certainly patronize those that do. To invigorate and celebrate the best parts of our city, we have to participate in making it ours.

Salt Lake City has the rare luxury of a mayor who seems to care as much about the people of the city as he does its economic growth and sustainability. He clearly sees that the two are inextricably connected. Unless we care to see yet another suburban sprawl suck the life out of a potentially powerful cultural center, we have to put our words into action and our money where our mouth is.

We can inject a life into the city by being part of it or we can take the easy road, take a soma tablet and think happy thoughts about the brave new world of Salt Lake City while the bright colors fade to gray.

AberRant Laugh ’Til It Hurts

by Laurie Mecham Salt Lake Metro columnist

801.713.0678 3737 S. State Street, SLC www.thepapermoon.com

12

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

A Private Club For Members

According to my friend (a.k.a., my therapist), one aspect of good mental health is the ability to recognize “other people’s stuff” as being just that.

This allows you to understand that when your lover says, “I would rather have a colonoscopy than host your Bunko group,” you understand that he is not judging or criticizing your choices, he is merely talking about his own personal psychology in relation to those choices.

A second important quality that an emotionally healthy person possesses is the ability to laugh at the absurd. For example, if your girlfriend gets angry a week before her birthday because you have not yet made dinner reservations and so she predicts that you are not going to celebrate adequately, you can simply laugh and say, “Wow, it must suck to be you.” (My therapist actually uses these words. God, I love him.)

I know that when I’ve lost my sense of humor, I’m in trouble. I think of this because there is so very much in the world and in Utah that we can either laugh or cry about right now. (Hint to local papers: world + Utah = not the same thing.)

Here is something funny I read in The Salt Lake Tribune Public Forum the other day: “Left unchecked, rogue judges intent on finding new rights in the Constitution will succeed … in extending marriage benefits to gays.”

Wow. Rogue judges. “Run fer yer lives!

Rogue judge stampede!” (Actually, the elephant party has been on quite the rampage.)

I looked up “rogue” in my thesaurus, because that’s usually a pretty fun activity.

There is the cool kind of rogue, the adventurer: daredevil, explorer, gambler, hero (probably not), heroine (girl judges?), pioneer (Rogues of ’47?), pirate (Rogues of the Caribbean), etc. But the author of the letter probably meant the evil, scary kind of rogue, synonyms for which include: bastard, bugger (tee hee), criminal, devil, knave (“knave judges” would have been good), monstrosity, SOB, and villain.

Geez — kinda makes me want to be called a rogue. In fact, I will be sure to try to employ some of these terms in every day use, instead of more pedestrian language like “guy” and “creep.”

Whatever image the letter writer had in mind, it strikes me as funny. And the line about “finding new rights” in the Constitution is downright high-larious. Yeah, that old Constitution sure is an obscure document, all right. I mean, it was written in Aramaic and then translated by a whole bunch of different people, and the language is still strange and archaic. Oh, wait, I’m thinking of the Bible. Never mind.

Yes, over the years those zany bastard judges have managed to “find” brand new rights in the Constitution. Like the crazy idea that a black individual is actually one whole person.

Then there is interpreting “men” to mean “people,” including women. I mean, where was that stuff ever written in the Constitution? And it must have been some bugger of a judge who came up with the wacky new idea of allowing women the vote.

So you just gotta laugh. Michael Moore makes me laugh. Yes, he fills me with angst too, but I still laugh. Ever since viewing Fahrenheit 9/11, I’ve had the song “Believe It or Not” going through my head. (Moore uses it as background music for footage of the time Dubya held his “mission accomplished” photo op aboard a Navy air craft carrier.)

Look at what’s happened to me, I can’t believe it myself.

Suddenly I’m up on top of the world, It should’ve been somebody else.

Believe it or not, I’m walking on air.

I never thought I could feel so free-eee-EEE. Flying away on a wing and a prayer, Who could it be?

Believe it or not — it’s just me!

Moore gets you on a lot of levels: humor, horror, disbelief, outrage. Viewing one of his films is like seeing dirty pictures of your parents or observing the Utah legislature or, well, reading the newspaper. Any of these can reduce you to a laughing, sobbing hysterical psychological mess.

Many of us found humor at this year’s Pride parade. There was a rag-tag group of street preachers with their “G.od A.bhors Y.ou” signs and their Bibles and a couple of desperatelooking wives with dental problems crouching behind them. Apparently this is what these devils have landed upon as a career.

I don’t really care for their job choice, but to be realistic, not everyone can make a living selling tchotchkes on eBay. So their job is to stand on the corner of the Pride parade and bellow hateful-yet-religious diatribes at the marchers.

I wonder if they are all independent contractors, or if they work together? Maybe they travel from town to town on a tour bus.

Come to think of it, whatever happened to the old bus that Black Sabbath used to tour in? They probably wouldn’t have had to modify the decor much to convert it to the Street Preacher’s Fire ’N’ Brimstone bus.

A friend commented about how she’s seen these monstrous Bible-thumpers change. They used to spout the basic fundamentalist cry for repentance, but now they’re saying really horrible things like “I’ll be drinking tea with Jesus while the flames of hell lick your perverted bones,” or “If you allow your puppies to lick themselves, they deserve to die from chlamydia!”

Fortunately, maintaining a sense of humor isn’t too difficult with these knaves.

They’re badly dressed (mostly in black, and this was a hot day.) I imagine that they looked at the Queer Aquatics Club boys, breezing by in their Speedos, with at least two kinds of envy.

They are not particularly witty, articulate or, well, bright. As the all-woman sWerve contingent passed, one preacher yelled, “God hates homosexuals and your … the way … uh …” He just kind of sputtered out.

Maybe he hadn’t thought of what to say to women. Maybe he’s always had trouble talking to girls.

The best, though, was the rogue with the cardboard megaphone. In a flash of brilliant originality, he hollered, “Go back to the kitchen!” Daisy was seated to my left.

Unruffled, her calm reaction was a testament to her outstanding emotional health.

She simply turned to me and asked, “Why? Is there cake?”

Laurie Mecham is a whiz at spelling.

Virginia Boycott Will Spite Devil of Hatred

by JoSelle Vanderhooft

Obituary Donny Eastepp

■

SALT LAKE METRO ■

13

Donny passed away July 1 at age 43 from complications of AIDS in Salt Lake City. His mother Mercy and brother Scott were at his side. Born February 19, 1961 in New York City to Charly and Mercy Eastepp, Donny was raised in Houston, Texas. He worked in the hospitality industry most of his life and tended bar in both Houston and Salt Lake where he owned and managed the In-Between Tavern.

Donny was extremely active in Salt Lake City’s gay community. A member of the Golden Spike Rodeo Association (now UGRA), Donny represented the association as a founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah. As Emperor XII, Donny, with the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire, established a fund to help people with AIDS at Christmas time. Since 1988, this fund has since helped thousands of people with AIDS. Donny is survived by his mother Mercy, brothers Chuck, Scott and Kenny; nephews, nieces and many loving friends. He was preceded in death by his father, his grandparents and by longtime companions Bobby Dubray and Randy Bird. His family would like to thank the hospice staff, the University of Utah Medical Center staff and his friends in Salt Lake City.

JULY 8, 2004

Sometimes, art mirrors life a little too closely for comfort.

In Robert Bolt’s (in)famous play about Sir Thomas More A Man for All Seasons, More and his son-in-law William Roper have a heated argument about law in which Roper says he would cut down any law to get at the devil.

“This country’s planted thick with laws from coast to coast,” More responds. “And if you cut them down … d’you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then?”

I think that would be a good question to ask most legislators, particularly those in Virginia. For those of us more concerned with the political goings on in the Beehive State, let me recap. On April 21, the Virginia General Assembly passed HB 751, its own piece of anti-gay marriage legislation. But unlike our own HJR 25 last March this particular bill goes further.

I’ll just let the legislation speak for itself: “A civil union, partnership contract or other arrangement between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges or obligations of marriage is prohibited. Any such civil union, partnership contract or other arrangement entered into by persons of the same sex in another state or jurisdiction shall be void in all respects in Virginia and any contractual rights created thereby shall be void and unenforceable. (Italics added for emphasis.)”

Now, I’m a fairly conservative person and I accept the federalist argument that marriage laws are best left to individual states to decide. But Virginia’s HB 751 goes further than defining marriage. This bill’s language prohibits a host of legal contracts between parties, regardless of the parties’ relationship.

To me, this is a vicious attack not just on the rights of gay Virginians, but an attack on straight people, too. In order to “get at the devil” of gay marriage, the Virginia legislature seems to have forgotten straight people of the same sex who have the constitutional right to enter into contracts with one another.

Want to leave your entire estate to your twin sister upon your death? According to HB 751’s wording, it can’t be done. Want your father to have sole custody of your children when you die? Unless you’re his daughter, forget about it.

Alarmist? Possibly. After all, when presented with scenarios such as these, the Virginia legislature said this wasn’t their intent. But if so, I don’t see how or why. The bill says that any contract entered into by members of the same sex is prohibited. It doesn’t postulate that two people who want to share inheritance might balk at the thought of sharing a bed.

That’s what happens when you take a swipe at the devil: You sometimes end up bloodying your own nose.

A non-Virginia based gay couple, David and Jay, decided they didn’t want to stand upright in the winds that would follow. They launched a website at www.VirginiaIsForHaters.org (a parody of Virginia’s 35 year-old “Virginia is for Lovers” ad campaign) which advocates boycotting industries and companies that directly benefit Virginia’s economy — not only tourism but several Virginiabased businesses including (controversially) pro-gay clothing company J. Crew.

Virginia is for Haters’ organizers say that their intent isn’t to harm gay-friendly businesses but to get them to tell the Virginia legislature that HB 751 is hurting their sales, and as such

they might want to rethink its implications.

“Boycotts are blunt instruments, but desperate times call for desperate measures,” Jay says in one of his posts. “To those of you in Virginia who support our cause but might be harmed by this law, we can only offer our apologies. Please, let your legislators know how you feel!” And of course, they do not support boycotting Virginia’s gay-owned businesses.

While some of the site’s visitors retorted that a boycott was a bad idea, or that it won’t make a difference (“you’re only five percent of the population!” one guest book signer screamed), I would disagree. Historically, boycotts have had tremendous political impact, especially the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott which resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court declaring segregation on public transportation illegal one year later.

Even if gays, lesbians and straight people who see the danger of bills like HB 751 are a tiny minority, they can still use a boycott to send a big message. If you’re going to cut down rights to get at us, then you can do so without our money, our patronage, or our cooperation. And it will hit you in the places it hurts most: the pocketbook and the state coffers. As word gets out and all people consider the ramifications of legislation such as this, we won’t be a tiny minority for very long.

This summer, don’t vacation in Virginia.

And until the federal courts declare HB 751 unconstitutional, don’t buy anything that would directly benefit Virginia’s economy if you can help it. It’s never right to strike down laws to chase the devil, but people who court the devil by striking them down can’t be entertained until they come to their senses.

Ruby Ridge Living religious-bumper-sticker and magneticfish crowd.

From contemporary Christian music to best selling apocalyptic novels to modest prom dresses — and now a

by Ruby Ridge Bible-based diet that makes you slimmer Cupcakes, I have and morally superior. tangible proof that Let me tell you: With Bush in the White the straight people House, a soft-sell crusade against Islam are losing their (oh, did I say Islam? Sorry — I meant terminds. I was trolling ror), and VeggieTales on sale on DVD, it’s the aisles of Sam’s a great time to be a Christian consumer.

Club, when lo and So, peaches, I have decided to ride behold: One of their the supply-side wave of devout demand deeply discounted by opening a franchise of religiously inbook titles jumped out and brought my spired smoothie bars called “King of the cart full of Hot Pockets and paper towels Juice.” Can’t you just see a cookie-cutter to a grinding, screeching mall-front in the Gatehalt. It was The Maker’s way selling Holy Moses Diet by Dr. Jordan Floats and Damascus Rubin.

Daiquiris? The T-shirt I have decided to Have you heard of concession would be, ride the supplythis book? It’s a diet and like, totally righteous self-improvement book and awesome! side wave of based upon Biblical I must admit I’m havdevout demand principles. It has sold ing trouble coming up kabillions of copies to with a Happy Meal for by opening the portly, suburban, Lent, but I’m sure the a franchise end-of-days Christian Last Super-Sized Supper demographic (which will be really popular. of religiously apparently is huge — no I know what you are pun intended). The idea inspired thinking: Ruby you are of a South Beach/Zone/ going to burn in hell smoothie bars Atkins fad diet for the for such sarcasm and faithful is so inspired called “King of sacrilege. But seriously and so grossly crass at darlings, this faux-rethe Juice.” the same time, you can’t ligious consumerism help but be transfixed is just appalling. The by the idea. whole notion of Christ The diet itself is as a loving, compassionate, inclusive not far off being a kosher diet with an teacher has been cast aside because it emphasis on whole foods and balanced just doesn’t sell in today’s marketplace of eating but it goes well beyond that by ideas. Now we have action-figure kickadding prayer, meditation and strucass judgmental Jesus who looks like Vin ture based upon Biblical verses and Diesel and sounds like Sean Hannity. principles. For some people with more Let’s face it: If Jesus were on earth compliance skills than I have, I’m sure today, he wouldn’t be allowed in most of it would be really beneficial. But what the churches bearing his name. He was really rocked my world was the idea of tolerant, 33 years old, unmarried and he mass merchandising trivial products to hung around with fishermen. Do you the outwardly religious. think the LDS Church would let him be a Mel Gibson has opened the door scout leader? Hell, no! for mass-religious merchandising for Ruby Ridge is one of the more opinionated the holier-than-thou crowd with his members of the Utah Cyber Sluts, a non-profit film The Passion of the Christ. With the entertainment group that raises funds and international and domestic box office supports local charities. Her opinions are her receipts making more money than God, own and fluctuate wildly due to water retention and anger-management issues. it’s inevitable that we are going to be barraged with more products for the

14

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

The Passion of the Fruit Juice

If you're looking for

Honesty, Integrity & Reliability in your Mortgage Lender, Think DIVERSITY 1ST!

www.diversity1st.com

A Thousand Words Called Up

by Scott Perry

www.womyn4women.com 801.268.6487

■

15

You can subscribe on our web site and also check out our reasonable advertising rates.

Or send a check or money order to W4W, P.O. Box 575708, Salt Lake City, UT 84157-5708.

SALT LAKE METRO

Please help this unique publication grow by advertising in and subscribing to W4W. W One-year subscriptions are only: $25 - 12 printed issues, each one mailed in a discreet envelope $12 - 12 downloadable issues (PDFs) sent each month to your e-mail address

■

A monthly magazine for lesbians and their friends in Utah and beyond!

Womyn 4 Women is a localized and empowering publication written from a lesbian perspective for women of all sexual identities. W4W’s articles cover: • women’s stories • art • travel • relationships • community events and many other timely issues.

JULY 8, 2004

Five feet, four inches.

I scribbled the benchmark on the door of my bedroom closet. I was still a good head away, but if I could just make it to five feet, four inches I’d be okay.

Five-foot-four was the height of Freddie “the Flea” Patek — shortstop for the 1973 Kansas City Royals. They were my favorite team that year — largely because I idolized Freddie. Mom even embroidered me a Royals ball cap, which Donna Bridgewater, the school bully, tossed into the girls’ toilet the first day I wore it to school.

Like most other boys, my summers were all about baseball. I (like Freddie) played shortstop for the Blue Barons. We were in the minor league of our neighborhood’s little league, but at least I was in the infield. One Saturday, a stellar (albeit lucky) catch netted me a quarter from the ump. I spent it on a Tiger’s Blood snow cone — not exactly the Cy Young award, but gratifying nonetheless.

When I wasn’t practicing or playing, I was preparing. I’d spend an entire afternoon seasoning my glove with linseed oil. My brother Mark said it was good for the leather. I was actually doing it to loosen it up. My hands, which were the size of silver-dollar pancakes, could barely squeeze it shut. It had so far only been used as a barricade to keep grounders from going between my legs.

I also won an aluminum bat that year for selling the most candy bars door-to-door and it was also the summer I for all intents and purposes lived at Derks Field. Mark and I were the ’70s equivalent of mall rats: Ball rats, I guess you could say. We’d buy a ticket to just about every home game, but rarely stayed in our seats. We’d sneak to the box seats behind home plate and get kicked out by the ushers.

We ran around the stadium, scaling the concrete stairs like peanut salesmen on uppers.

The Salt Lake Angels were the AAA farm team of the California Angels. It was there we got our first glimpses of future big-leaguers like Mickey Rivers, Rudy Meoli, even Tommy Lasorda, who was then coach of the Albuquerque Dukes. Once a year, the California Angels would roll into town for an exhibition game.

(I still have an autographed Nolan Ryan card that I’m thinking about passing down to my nephew, but with its eBay value going the way it is, he may have to settle for an autographed Dick Lange.)

Mark and I had the run of the park. We’d taunt the program barkers, try to get hired on as underage concessionaires, then run up to the broadcast booth where Augie Navarro was calling the play-by play. He’d whack his pencil on the desk, and in his deadpan drone announce, “Marcano grounds out to third.”

After the games, we became stage-door Johnnies and waited outside the locker room door in hopes of scoring some autographs.

We’d usually nab one or two, if we could get to the players before their wives or girlfriends did. It was sort of disheartening to watch these gods turn into regular guys when they changed from their crisp white uniforms into street duds. We knew they really weren’t like that; their real lives were on the field.

The best part of the game was hanging out at the bullpen. I’d lean over the concrete wall, like I did at the lion pit at Hogle Zoo.

That’s where I became friends with all of the relief pitchers. Mark would be at the dugout groveling for broken bats, so this allowed me some quality one-on-one time with the guys.

I don’t know just what it was we talked about — probably nothing, which makes me think I was probably a distraction from their warmups — but the players knew me by name, and didn’t seem put off by my starry-eyed chatter.

I’d watch, mesmerized at the speed of the fast balls and loved to hear the “thhhuk!” of the ball as it slapped into the catcher’s mitt.

I missed most of the actual game, watching instead this high-speed game of catch.

Of all of them those summers, Bruce Heinbechner was my idol. He was a long, lanky relief pitcher who was the nicest guy on the roster.

Beyond cool. Beyond heroic. He was superhuman. And, at the last game of the season, he gave me a brand new ball.

No dings, no stains, not even an autograph: perfectly white cowhide. I couldn’t take my eyes off it as I rode home in Mom’s Impala, tracing the stitching with my finger as we drove through the streets of Poplar Grove.

Fall hit, and the world series got underway.

Donna McGuire prowled the neighborhood with her 25-cent grid sheet. We always bought a dollar’s worth, and waited anxiously by the phone until she’d call us with our scores. I never won one. When winter came, Mark and I would look through old Derks Field programs in anticipation of the next season.

We also had a dice game that would recreate an actual game using real player stats and abilities. I was always the Royals. Mark was always the Angels. My Freddie Patek versus his Jerry Remy.

When spring rolled around, we’d scan the sports pages to see who was being traded, who was on the injured list. There was never the politics of holding out for more, or wanting to be traded. It was all about who could hit and whose fastball would be the first to break 100 mph.

I opened the paper one morning and was hit with my own curve ball: Bruce Heinbechner had been killed in a car crash while at spring training in Houston. Not just killed — decapitated.

I’d seen cowboys and Indians shoot ’em up and cried at the end of Where the Red Fern Grows. Mark and I had analyzed Roberto Clemente’s plane crash and even buried Gil Hodges’ trading card in our garden when he died, but this one hit home. This was personal. Bruce was the first person I actually knew to die. He was my friend, not just a bunch of stats with a stick of gum attached. I pictured the mass of twisted metal. It was a sports car — a convertible. The image of his headless body slapped into my mind with a “thhhuk!”

His confident, smiling face replaced with terrorized eyes and a wide-open mouth.

My head sank. I headed to my room. Take me out, coach.

The ball he gave to me was on my nightstand with my two other treasures: a pinewood derby car and freckle king trophy. I held it up and stared at it like a red-headed Hamlet.

Bruce. Decapitated.

The papers said he was going to be the hottest rookie reliever in the majors. They also had it that he was probably showing off his car’s horsepower when he crashed. All I knew for sure is that Bruce Heinbechner was a superstar who was still grounded enough to befriend a little kid.

I stood under the pencil mark on my door — still short. But something was different. I had grown. I could feel the pain of it.

JOEL SHOEMAKER

16

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

“12% = Victory.”

That’s the phrase written on the dry-erase board behind the desk of Don’t Amend Alliance campaign manager Scott McCoy. The phrase refers to a poll conducted by Deseret News/ KSL-TV poll published June 27, which attempts to gauge public support for a proposed Utah State Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and anything like it. It will be on the November 2 general election ballot, and some say the amendment threatens many aspects of life for gay and lesbian couples.

According to the Deseret News, when 909 registered voters were asked, “Would you vote for or against a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage,” 55 percent said “Definitely” and seven percent more said, “Probably yes.”

“If I know 62 percent are in favor,” said McCoy in a June 29 interview with Salt Lake Metro, “I can move 12 percent through education.”

For McCoy and the Don’t Amend Alliance, which is leading the fight against the amendment, education will be key. McCoy says that although he takes the 12 percent figure to heart, it’s the poll itself that reveals much of the task that lies ahead for the alliance.

According to McCoy, the response to the poll’s followup question reveals that many are misinformed about the proposed amendment’s impact. When pro-amendment respondents were asked, “Would you still vote for the amendment if it not only banned same-sex marriage, but also civil unions and common law marriages?” five percent actually changed their mind against the amendment, and four percent said they didn’t know what way they would vote.

McCoy says educating the public on the full impact

of the amendment will “peel off the layers” of support.

He says much of his objective is convincing people that the amendment is not a simple up-or-down vote on same-sex marriage, but one that is double-layered, with a dangerous second layer.

The proposed amendment, passed by the state House and Senate in the final days of this year’s legislative session, does in fact have two components: The first defines marriage as a “legal union between a man and a woman.” The second part states that “no other domestic union, however denominated, may be recognized as a marriage or given the same or substantially equivalent legal effect.”

McCoy says the second part is overly broad, threatening many aspects of life for all types of partnerships — gay or straight. Hospital visitations, tax benefits, inheritance decisions, child support and maintenance obligations, domestic partner benefits and more, all become murky legal waters for unmarried couples if the amendment were to pass, he says.

“The optimist in me says the legislature was in such a rush to put this together that it came out so broad, but the realist in me says they knew what they were doing,” says McCoy. But even with the threat of the amendment passing, McCoy remains positive.

“I think they handed us an opportunity,” says McCoy, “because when people hear about part two, they change their minds about the amendment.”

To make sure people hear about part two, a fully equipped, fully staffed downtown headquarters comes in. Ironically located above a gown shop called “LatterDay Bride” in an office building located at 175 W. 200 South, the 11-room headquarters is staffed with nine full-time paid employees and four interns. Rolls of blue and white “Don’t Amend” stickers pile on desks. Volunteers work steadily to individually stick address labels on piles of envelopes.

Sub-leased from an engineering firm for $2,000 a month, it’s at this location the volunteer, field, political and fundraising operations for a campaign that stretches from St. George to Logan is coordinated. McCoy says such an expansive headquarters at this early phase in the campaign wouldn’t have been possible without a $250,000 donation from local philanthropist and WordPerfect co-founder Bruce Bastian.

One massive task for the headquarters is recruiting volunteers.

Teinnamarrie Nelson, volunteer coordinator for the alliance, has a goal of getting 3,000 volunteers to work one million hours for the campaign. As of now, she says, between one and two hundred people have put in about two to three thousand hours. They do “phone-banking” every Tuesday, and door-to-door canvassing Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.

The door-to-door work, she says is the biggest challenge for the volunteers.

“With all the missionaries we have,” Nelson says, “you would think the door-to-door stuff would be easy. But it’s not.”

Still, Don’t Amend sees the face-to-face contact as the most influential work they do, helping to build a connection with the voter. In fact, a main thrust of Don’t Amend’s strategy is getting out in front of as many people as possible.

In addition to going door-to-door, Don’t Amend hopes to be at every city festival in the state. Volunteers were scheduled for Tooele and Riverton over the weekend of July 4, and Cedar City on July 10, to name a few.

Not always are they welcome.

A recent e-mail sent from McCoy to Don’t Amend supporters asserted that the mayor of Herriman denied Don’t Amend a booth at Fort Herriman Days because they “didn’t want ‘our kind’ of booth there.” Salt Lake Metro was unable to reach Herriman Mayor Lynn Crane for comment. But Fort Herriman Days Chair Jeff Crane said the decision was based on a three year-old rule that

State Constitutional Amendments to Ban Same-Sex Marriage

JOEL SHOEMAKER

limited booths to non-political, non-partisan organizations. Crane said this was the first time they denied an organization based on the rule.

The main goal in the outreach programs is to identify “no” voters, of which over 6,000 have been identified, according to McCoy. Once a person is identified as being against the amendment, Don’t Amend makes sure that individual is registered to vote, and actually gets to the voting booth on or before the election.

Registering voters is another major project. On Pride Day, Nelson says volunteers registered 200 new voters, many who were motivated to register because of the amendment. McCoy estimates 400,000 registered “no” voters are needed to defeat the amendment.

Aside from festivals, Don’t Amend will soon kick off their “Out Against Discrimination” campaign at local bars, clubs and other gathering places. Beginning with a July 30 kick-off party at the Circle Lounge, volunteers will begin the twice monthly event, being on hand to educate and inform people about the amendment.

And when people aren’t being sought in public places, Don’t Amend goes private with house parties hosted at supporters’ homes or places of business. Don’t Amend has produced a seven-minute DVD that serves as the centerpiece for the party.

Again stressing education, McCoy says the house parties are particularly effective because it allows Don’t Amend a chance to fully explain their opposition to the

Teinamarrie Nelson, Don’t Amend Alliance volunteer coordinator amendment. As of now, 52 house parties are scheduled from St. George to Logan with a goal of 300 parties by election day.

The house parties also serve as a major instrument for fundraising. McCoy says each party has a fundraising goal of $750, some raising more, some less.

Few at Don’t Amend shy away from saying the effort is going to need considerable cash.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

SALT LAKE METRO GRAPHIC

Vote August 3 Vote November 3 Pending 2nd vote of legislatures Legislative process pending Legislation expected Signatures being gathered Already constitutionally banned Amendment passed to allow the state legislature to define marriage Missouri will be the first to decide on a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Voters will decide on the amendment in an August 3 primary ballot.

Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma join Utah with asking voters to approve a state constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage on the November 3 general election ballot.

JULY 8, 2004

Massachusetts, Tennessee and Wisconsin approved similar measures in their state legislatures, but must approve them again in 2005 to go to statewide votes. If approved a second time, Wisconsin would vote on a measure that year, and Massachusetts and Tennessee would vote in 2006.

■

Delaware, Louisiana, and Michigan have constitutional amendments pending in their state legislatures.

Arkansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio and Oregon are gathering signatures to place constitutional amendments on their ballots through the citizen initiative process.

Alaska, Nebraska, and Nevada already have bans against same-sex marriage written into their constitutions.

17

Hawaii passed an amendment allowing the state legislature to define marriage. — JS

■

Support quality news.

Tell our advertisers “I saw you in the Metro!”

SALT LAKE METRO

Ohio and Pennsylvania are expected to have constitutional amendments introduced in state legislatures.

FEATURE convince them to not actively support the amendment.

In charge of fundraising is Mike Further, McCoy says Don’t Amend will Thompson, Don’t Amend’s Director of assert through the campaign that a conDevelopment, who moved from Denver stitutional amendment banning same-sex specifically to work for Don’t Amend. marriage isn’t necessary in Utah because Along with an aggressive mail campaign, of laws already on the books that make it he says one major source for large sums impossible already. of contributions will most likely come “If the amendment fails on November from online donations, accepted through third, gay marriage will the organization’s still be illegal, three laws website. will still be on the books Just in the first preventing it, and we still weeks of acceptwon’t have basic rights,” ing online donahe says. “But we will have tions, Don’t Amend the hope that some day received an average in the future we will be gift of $100 per able to achieve those individual, topping basic rights.” $10,000, according McCoy also says that to Thompson. argument may draw in “Donors are conservatives. “We aren’t investors,” says in a situation that we Thompson. “When need to pass an imperpeople understand fect amendment,” McCoy it’s a winnable says. cause, people give.”

As for the opposition As for political to Don’t Amend, McCoy strategy, McCoy —Scott McCoy is anticipating the Eagle says that through Forum of Utah leadpolling early on, ing the “yes” campaign.

Don’t Amend has President Gayle Ruzicka identified the key did not return Salt Lake arguments that work best. He says Don’t Metro’s calls or e-mails for comment Amend is steering clear of trying to conon this article. Rep. LaVar Christensen, vince people to be in favor of same-sex R-Draper, the amendment’s sponsor, was marriage — a battle that would be impossaid by his secretary to be out of the counsible to win in Utah. try and unavailable for comment as well.

Instead, Don’t Amend will use a nonMcCoy says his biggest fear in the compartisan approach that unites left-wing ing fight is that supporters of the amendliberals with conservative groups that ment will demagogue the issue, portray oppose constitutional changes. gays and lesbians as villains, and capital“We don’t care how we get your ‘no’ vote, ize on people’s fears and stereotypes. just as long as you’re ‘no,’” says McCoy. Above all, McCoy stresses the need for He says he’s coordinating a meeting gays and lesbians to get involved in the with the Libertarian Party, a group that fight. opposes same-sex marriage but could “In Utah, victories for us are rare, and find common ground with Don’t Amend that lends to us an apathy that hurts us,” in their opposition to changing the state’s he said. “But this doesn’t have to be one of constitution. He hopes to do the same those times. More than ever before, this is with the Constitutional Party and the the time to get involved.”

M Personal Choice Party.

McCoy says he’s also working to arrange The Don’t Amend Alliance web site is at www.DontAmendAlliance.com. a meeting with the LDS Church, hoping to CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

“In Utah, victories for us are rare, and that lends to us an apathy that hurts us. But this doesn’t have to be one of those times.

More than ever before, this is the time to get involved.”

U of U LGBT Director Fired

18

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

Continued from page 6.

edly that specific LGBT programming was not the focus of the center when the Center’s mission statement clearly states that it is,” he said. “So there was this power struggle between what the mission statement says and how we, LGBT students, perceived that it should be run and the interim student diversity center’s shaping the Center into only an academic-advising center.”

Hackford-Peer also said she wonders if the Resource Center’s increasing visibility over the last school year helped contribute to her present situation.

“We had a very successful lavender graduation and Day of Silence,” she said.

“Students are coming in and accessing the services and the Resource Center is really in

a place to grow. And in some ways, I think that’s threatening. I think its softening it to merge the programs into [a single] student diversity center. Then there doesn’t have to be ‘LGBT’ on the wall out there.”

Regardless of the reason, Hackford-Peer’s termination comes as a surprise to her, her students and many of the university employees with whom she worked.

“In my experience with her, she was very professional, she was creative, she had a good sense of humor,” said Lori McDonald, an employee of the Dean of Student Services office. “I thought she was dedicated. Those are all words that come to mind.”

JULY 8, 2004

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

19

Sunday, July 11 SOCCER ANYONE? Come play or watch the weekly gay and lesbian soccer game, an informal pick-up game for people of all abilities and types.

2:30pm, Fairmont Park, 2300 S. 900 East in the central field.

231-9453.

Monday, July 12

METRO PICKS Thursday, July 8 A HUNCHBACK IN LOGAN... Some of the best opera in the state is not performed in the Capitol Theatre, but in our northernmost county of Cache. The month-long Utah Festival Opera began July 7 and features Rigoletto, The Secret Garden, Cinderella and Brigadoon.

Through August 7, Ellen Eccles Theatre, Logan Utah. Tickets $17–55. ufoc.org

Eldar Djangirov, a Kyrgyzstani prodigy pianist now living in the United States. This event is free, but tickets are required and available at the gate.

5–11:30pm through July 11.

Washington Square, 450 S. 200 East. SLCJazzFest.com.

Free.

Saturday, July 10

DANCE WITH THE DEAD. ...OR WHIPS AND CHAINS IN SOUTH Colorful kimonos, SALT LAKE. Meet Ms. International International Ms. Leather 2000 paper lanterns, and the Leather 2000 Jo Romano-Blas Jo Ramano-Blas. See July 8. sounds of Taiko drums at an amazing night of fetish. will fill the streets of Salt Lake and Ogden Proceeds go to support this year’s Ms. as the annual Obon Festival celebrates the World Leather spirits of family ancestors. If nothing else, contest.

9pm, Modiggity’s, you must come for the Japanese food prea private club for pared specially for the event. members, 3424 S. State Street. 832-9000. modiggitys.com

Friday, July 9 FEELS SO GOOD. The Salt Lake Eldar Djangirov, see July 9.

International Jazz Festival returns to Washington Square and expands itself into the Grand and Little America Hotels. Headliners this year are Chuck Mangione and seventeen year old

All day beginning at 1pm. Salt Lake Buddhist Temple at 211 W. 100 South, and Ogden Buddhist Church at 155 North Street. Taiko performance at 7:30pm and religious Japanese folk dance at 8pm in Salt Lake. www.SLBuddhist.org.

TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY. Fundamentalist preachers and pastors around the country will be direct- Global Funk. See July 14. ing their flocks to call their senators today to demand they stop same-sex marriage. Help flood the phone banks of Washington with a call in favor of our rights. Don’t let them get the last word!

Senator Orrin Hatch: 524-4380 Salt Lake, 625-5672 Ogden, 375-7881 Provo.

Senator Bob Bennett, 524-5933 Salt Lake, 625-5676 Ogden, 379-2525 Provo.

TWILIGHT THEATER. Sundance Institute presents the 2004 Sundance Outdoor Film Festival with free weekly screenings.

This week, watch When We Were Kings, winner of a special Jury Prize at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival chronicling the “Rumble in the Jungle,” 1974 Muhammad Ali-George Forman heavyweight boxing match. The film is preceded by From Somalia to Salt Lake, a film exploring the filmmaker’s move from war-torn Somalia to his new home in Salt Lake City.

Dusk, Gallivan Center, 50 E. 200 South. Free. www.sundance.org

Tuesday, July 13 WANNA COMPARE GUNS? Stonewall Shooting Sports of Utah holds its monthly indoor shoot.

7pm, Doug’s Shoot’n Sports, 4926 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville.

July 18 at 11am — outdoor shooting-range meeting, Lee Kay Center, 6000 W. 2100 South.

StonewallShootingSportsUtah.org

Wednesday, July 14 AN IMPORTANT CAUSE. Volunteer to help the Don’t Amend Alliance. Many positions are available and vital, including clerical, canvassing, phone banks, booth staffing and more.

7pm, First Unitarian Church, 569 S. 1300 East.

Call Teinnamarrie Nelson at 746-1314.

JULY 8, 2004

DO YA WANNA FUNK? Global Funk of Portland brings its driving, improvisational rock/organic, incendiary grooves/sophisticated jazz/funk mix to Salt Lake as the Come Alive Concert Series kicks off at the Gallivan Center with the first of seven weekly concerts. Food, craft booths and a separate kids’ zone.

SALT LAKE METRO

■

7pm, Gallivan Center, 50 E. 200 South. Free. www.GallivanEvents.com, 535-6110.

Thursday, July 15 BIZ AND BREWS. Mix with other business owners at the monthly GLBT Business Guild mixer.

20

■

5:30pm, Brewvies, 677 S. 200 West. Free.

550-1700 or utahglbtbusinessguild.org.

Michelle Shocked. See July 15.

CLASSICAL GAS. In its twentieth season, the Park City International Music Festival features world-renowned classical artists performing together in supercharged concerts from July 12 through August 15. This year, five concerts are being performed in Salt Lake City. See the inset for a complete listing of concerts for the next two weeks.

PCMusicFestival.Com

SON OF A TUG. Tim McGraw comes to town and every guy who likes his men in cowboy hats and boots and with a bit of hair on his chest likely already has tickets. Whether he will be singing songs from his upcoming album, “Live Like You Were Dying,” or not, we’re sure this will be a good show.

7:30pm, USANA Amphitheatre, 5400 S. 6200 West, West Valley City. Tickets $41–56 through SmithsTix, 467-TIXX.

MOSHOCKITY’S. Blues & Gospel & Country & Western Swing & Honkytonk & Folk from East Texas & Texarkana. That’s how singer Michelle Shocked describes her sound. She is touring after re-releasing her album, Captain Shocked. “It’s blues with an upbeat, “ she explains. “You may be singing the blues, but the fact is, you’re singing!”

She adds further, “People imagine blues is being down and out, miserable and hopeless. But in truth, it’s a journey 8:30pm and 10:30pm, Modiggity’s, a private club for members, 3424 S. State Street. Tickets $18–23. 832-9000. modiggitys.com.

Monday, July 19 A GOOD AMENDMENT. And the Banned Played On returns as local actors dignitaries read from banned works. A fundraiser for Plan B Theatre Company.

7pm, Jeanne Wagner Theatre, 138 W. Broadway. Tickets $25 through ArtTix at 355-ARTS. www.PlanBTheatreCompany.org

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET. “It was pretty much the hardest secret I’ve ever had to keep,” Sara McLachlan says of her clandistine wedding to her band’s drummer, Ash Sood. “We planned it for two months and my parents didn’t even know ... but it was fantastic.”

So ended all the rumors that she was lesbian. “It seems to me, that just about every performer, at some point in their career, there are stories of them being gay, but I don’t know, I probably played into it, too. I have a lot Sara McLachlan. See July 19 of gay friends, and if the general public sees me hanging out at a lesbian bar — which I’ve been known to do — then rumors will fly.” The question is, will she hang out at a lesbian bar in Salt Lake after her performance?

7:30pm concert, E-Center, 3200 Decker Lake Drive, WVC. Tickets $45–65, (800) 888-8499.

9:30pm after party, Modiggity’s, a private club for members, 3424 S. State Street. 832-9000.

“Beautiful in the Non-traditional Sense”

by Bill DeLoach Looking for an evening of intriguing and maybe controversial art? Like to toss in some great food and drink specials and stir in a bit of spoken word with a digital art show and live music? Look no further than the Dangerous Art Show and gallery stroll.

The event is sponsored by the Cabana Club and hosted by New Visions Gallery in conjunction with the Underground Artist Association. After a leisurely walk among the art exhibits, stroll down to the Cabana Club for some excellent food and entertainment. All of these treats for the senses will provide a wonderful evening.

According to event organizer Brad Ford, the Dangerous Art exhibit is “not intended to offend, but rather to educate a public that has the reputation of being somewhat traditional or conservative.”

He says, “We hope to shake up the community, open some minds and generate some discussion.” The selected pieces may be seen as dangerous in regards to their subject matter, execution of physical shape, or an expression of a ‘threatening’ mental perception or idea.

Brad continues, “We would like to show the viewer that there is more to the world of art than work that has the sole purpose of being visually pleasing on the face of it, exhibiting a variety of work that is thought-

Tuesday, July 20, 8 pm BENEFIT CONCERT $40

Stanfield Art Gallery, 751 Main St, Park City Ginastera – Sonata Op. 49 for Cello and Piano Chopin – Sonata for Cello and Piano Brahms – Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano

■

Sunday, July 18, 8pm Full details: Park City Community Church www.PCMusicFestival.com Ravel – Duo for Violin and Cello Bartok – Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin and Piano Brahms – Piano Quartet in C Minor Op. 60

SALT LAKE METRO 21

Thursday, July 15, 8pm St. Mary’s Church, Hwy 224 Brahms – Sonata for Cello and Piano in E Minor Schickele – Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano Fauré – Piano Quartet in G Minor

Saturday, July 17, 8pm Dumke Recital Hall, University of Utah Ravel – Duo for Violin and Cello Martinu – Serenade for Two Clarinets and String Trio Brahms – Piano Trio Op. 101 in C Minor

■

THE PARK CITY & SLC MUSIC FESTIVAL

Nevermore Land, Mary Brooks

The opening of the Dangerous Art show and gallery stroll begins 6:00 p.m. July 16 and runs through August 18 at the New Visions Gallery, 47 E. 400 South. The Cabana Club, a private club for members, is at 31 E. 400 South. www.ArtGodz. com/danger.

JULY 8, 2004

THE SALT LAKE METRO Guide to

provoking or somehow beautiful in the non-traditional sense.”

A juried exhibition, Dangerous Art is open to all media forms done by visual artists 16 years and older. The selection process began in early June and climaxed with the chosen entries being announced June 7. The collection consists of a wide variety of mediums — from the usual oil, acrylic and photography to lithography, found objects, papier-mâché, silver gelatin prints and mixed media. Local Utah artists are joined by colleagues from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New York and Pennsylvania.

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 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

22

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

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

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

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

Wednesdays 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

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

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

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 Integrity. Episcopal ministry.

(801) 566-1311 11am Glory to God Community Church. 375 Harrison Blvd., Ogden (801) 394-0204

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

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

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

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

Last Thursdays 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

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 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

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

Wednesdays 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

Thursdays 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

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

Tuesdays and Thursdays 7-8pm Queer Utah Acquatics Club.

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

First and Third Saturdays 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

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

SwerveUtah.com.

Sundays 2pm Northern Utah Women Recreational Opportunities Club. Social organization for women in the Ogden area. groups.yahoo.com/group/OgdenOutdoorWomen 11am-3pm Pride Softball League.

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

Kaos168@hotmail.com

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.

2:30pm Soccer. Fairmont Park, 2300 S. 1100 East. Open play. Martin Grygar, (801) 231-9453, jesper2@hotmail.com 3pm Volleyball. Fairmont Park, 2300 S. 1100 East. Open play. Martin Grygar (801) 231-9453, jesper2@hotmail.com

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

Third Wednesdays 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

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

Saturdays or Sundays 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

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

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

Fridays 7:30-9pm Alcoholics Anonymous.

Español. Gallery Room at the Center, 355 N. 300 West 8pm Alcoholics Anonymous. St. Paul’s Church, 261 S. 900 East

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

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

Testing Mondays 5-7pm HIV Antibody Testing. Drop In. Free first Mondays. Utah AIDS Foundation 1408 S. 1100 East. Tyler 801-487-2323 Second and Fourth Wednesdays Free HIV/STD testing and counseling.

Gallery Room at the Center, 361 N. 300 West

Women Lesbian support group. Call to get info.

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

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.

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

First Saturdays 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

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

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

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

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

Wednesdays 5pm Southern Utah University Pride Club. All welcome to participate. Blue Kat, 90 W. Hoover Street, Cedar City laundra@suu.edu, suu.edu/ksuu 7pm Salt Lake Community College GLBT Student Union. South City Campus, Room W111G. Gordon Storrs, (801) 957-4562, Gordon.storrs@slcc.edu.

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

Openly gay lead singer Rob Halford, flanked by the rest of Judas Priest, has agreed to reunite with the band. They have launched a tour, will be featured in OZZfest and have released a new four-CD compilation, Metalogy.

Judas Priest Reunites with OZZfest, Own Tour and Album

by David Nelson

SALT LAKE METRO ■

23

Additional information is available online at JudasPriest.com, RobHalford.com and Ozzfest.com.

■

Halford said. “I’m gonna be joining them next and doing the vocals for the record.

The whole music is written. It sounds great. All the great things you expect from Priest will be on this record. It’s the classic moments. We’re not trying to be clever; we’re being who we are.”

Halford, who described his status as a gay man on MTV in 1998 and on CNN in 2002, said that coming out hasn’t hurt his career.

“I’m removing the stereotype,” he said to CNN. “There are gay and lesbian people in all walks of life, in all different types of professions. I just happen to be a gay man who sings in a heavy-metal band.”

“When I [came out], it was without thought or consequence — I just said it,” he recalled. “A lot of people said, ‘Yeah, so what?’ A lot of other people went, ‘Tell us something we didn’t already know.’

From that moment until now, I’ve been totally unaffected by it, which is the way it should be.”

Halford has long wanted to rejoin his former band and singles out his fans, among others, who convinced him to do so last year.

“I would love the opportunity to go for one more round, as they say,” he said. “I would love to just get onstage together and play again.”

“Many of you wished over and over for an opportunity to experience original Judas Priest, and it is a comforting thought to know we all get to ride the reunion side-by-side,” he said to his fans.

“Thank you for your continued support, prayers and, of course, the relentless enthusiasm! I thank you with all my soul and heart.”

JULY 8, 2004

The much-anticipated Judas Priest heavy-metal reunion with openly gay vocalist Rob Halford will be featured at OZZfest IX performances including those in Denver on July 24, Seattle on July 27, the San Francisco Bay Area on July 29 and San Bernardino, California on July 31. Halford will also front the band’s independent 30th-anniversary world tour including performances in Nampa, Idaho on July 26 and Marysville, California on July 30.

What’s been called the definitive Judas Priest line-up of Halford, lead guitarist Glenn Tipton, lead guitarist K.K. Downing, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis, the band will divide its time between the two tours and recording a new album.

OZZfest is returning for an incredible ninth year, and has come to define summer for many a metalhead. As in previous incarnations, the concert will present more than 20 bands on two stages, with the Iron Man of Rock and Roll, Ozzy Osbourne, headlining the main stage.

“You have the original Black Sabbath and the original Judas Priest! What more could you want?” OZZfest Founder Sharon Osbourne said. “The music starts at 9:30 a.m. and doesn’t stop until Ozzy leaves the stage at 11:00 p.m. And seeing Ozzy onstage is a better ride than any fucking rollercoaster.”

Preparing for their OZZfest IX performances as well as their own tour, the Judas Priest members have also promised a new album to be published by Sony Music in November, their first since Painkiller in 1990. “[The other band members are] working over there [at an English studio],”

Now Playing AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS Wrongly marketed as a Jackie Chan star vehicle, this exceptionally messy and racially offensive ensemble picture — made all the more puzzling by the Hong Kong star’s producer status — is that most frightening of horror films: the unfunny comedy. Based loosely on the Jules Verne novel, the plot involves a Victorian-era race around the world led by Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan), accompanied by his faithful valet, Passepartout (Chan).

Their pointless adventures bring them into contact with lots of nonwhite people from other lands, who are seemingly happy to be subjugated by England. Chan shows off some remedial martial-arts moves in between all sorts of gratuitous slapstick violence that plays more as sadistic than as silly. In the end, only young children will find it amusing, while the adults who accompany them may feel as if they’ve sat in the theater for 80 days.

Grade: D / Kinsey Scale: 1 (Co-star Jim Broadbent played a gay bartender in The Crying Game. Kathy Bates, who appears as Queen Victoria, starred in Fried Green Tomatoes and has a recurring role on Six Feet Under.)

THE CLEARING When businessman Wayne Hayes (Robert Redford) is kidnapped, his wife, Eileen (Helen Mirren), works frantically with the FBI to secure his release, while Wayne attempts a more personal negotiation with his unpredictable kidnapper (Willem Dafoe). Though physically separated, husband and wife become closer as they both discover surprising revelations about their relationship. This is being sold as a thriller, but suspense takes a backseat to a personal story that mines character for its drama. The performances have to carry the weight of a tale that occasionally turns soporific as the action grinds to a halt.

Luckily, the cast is a delight, particularly Redford and Mirren, who are quite moving in their evocation of a love strong enough to transcend the ultimate test.

Grade: B / Kinsey Scale: 1 (Mirren costarred in the Sapphic romance Losing Chase, and Dafoe appeared in the homoerotic Auto Focus. Co-stars Alessandro Nivola and Diana Scarwid have both appeared in queer-themed films.)

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW Climatologist Jack Hall’s (Dennis Quaid) dire warnings of a new ice age come true as tornados demolish Los Angeles, baseball-

size hail rains over Tokyo, and a tsunami swamps Manhattan, all in advance of a mega-storm that will freeze the northern hemisphere. As if worldwide catastrophe weren’t enough, Hall also faces the possibility of losing his teenage son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who’s trapped in the New York Public Library. This disaster melodrama rises above its inane plot on the strength of Quaid’s roguish charm, an excellent supporting cast, and superior computergenerated special effects, particularly as the twisters lay waste to L.A. But genuine thrills are kept to a minimum, thanks to too many action scenes that amount to little more than people trudging through snow.

Grade: B / Kinsey Scale: 1 (Quaid played the closeted husband in Todd Haynes’ Far from Heaven. Co-stars Ian Holm, Dash Mihok, Sela Ward, Tamlyn Tomita, and Perry King have all appeared in queer-themed projects.)

DE-LOVELY Legendary songwriter Cole Porter (Kevin Kline) bedded men, but always returned to the arms of his wife and muse, Linda (Ashley Judd). This biopic unfolds as if it were a Porter musical, offering his career highlights while it limns the offbeat romance between this devoted but turbulent couple. The Porters come across as little more than actors in their own play, and this glossy confection of a movie never actually gets at what motivated Linda to stay in such a heartbreaking, inequitable relationship. Director Irwin Winkler’s decision to hire the pop stars of today to sing Porter’s songs is also unfortunate. Their mostly mediocre cameo performances are a distraction, making the drama appear to be little more than a feature-length ad for a soundtrack.

Grade: B- / Kinsey Scale: 4 (The drama doesn’t shy away from Porter’s affairs with men, but the emphasis is on his relationship with Linda. Kline previously played gay in In & Out, while Judd lit up the screen with Salma Hayek in Frida. Co-stars Jonathan Pryce and James Wilby played queer characters in, respectively, Carrington and Maurice.)

DODGEBALL Unless nice-guy Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn) can come up with $50,000 fast, his Average Joe’s Gym faces a takeover by slimy Globo Gym CEO White Goodman (Ben Stiller). The amount seems beyond the under-financed LeFleur’s reach, until gym rat Gordon (Stephen Root) suggests they enter a national dodgeball

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

tournament that will pit LaFleur’s uncoordinated weaklings against Goodman’s steroid-pumped elite. This silly slapstick comedy might be the happiest surprise of the summer, as a cast of first-rate clowns clearly revel in the chance to deliver hilarious lines and demonstrate their superior physical-comedy skills.

While there’s a bit too much of Stiller’s by-now-tedious angry-man act, Vaughn and the rest of the Average Joe’s crew comprise a team of lovable losers truly worth rooting for.

Grade: B+ / Kinsey Scale: 2 (One character is bisexual and — as might be expected in a movie that takes place in the homoerotic world of sports, even if it is dodgeball — there are queer jokes aplenty. Stiller played a metrosexual in Zoolander and one-half of the vaguely homoerotic team of Starsky and Hutch.

Vaughn was cross-dressing Norman Bates in the Psycho remake. Co-stars Hank Azaria and Jason Bateman have played gay characters.)

FAHRENHEIT 9/11 Filmmaking provocateur Michael Moore takes aim at the Bush administration with this passionate documentary that begins with the contested 2000 presidential election, jumps to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and then examines the aftermath of those events - from curtailment of civil liberties under the Patriot Act, to our current occupation of Iraq. Moore gathers excerpts from the administration’s own sound bites, man-on-the-street interviews, network news clips, and devastating footage from the Iraqi war zone to build his case for American regime change. He paints a devastating portrait of a rogue government — in the pocket of corporate interests — that has taken full advantage of the post-9/11 climate of fear. Moore gives us the very definition of the “ugly American” with this discomforting and unforgettable film.

Grade: A / Kinsey Scale: 0 (There is no sexual content of any kind, but the subject matter is vital to every American regardless of orientation.)

GARFIELD Fat, lasagna-loving Garfield (the voice of Bill Murray) is annoyed when his human, Jon (Breckin Meyer), brings home an innocent, not-too-bright dog named Odie. But when Odie is dog-napped, it’s Garfield to the rescue. If that sounds like a slim premise, it is — and quite beside

Don’t Miss An Issue: Subscribe Now! Yes! I would like to subscribe to the biweekly Salt Lake Metro (beginning May 2004).

13 issues for $13.95 26 issues for $24.95 Send me without a wrapper:

24

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

NAME ADDRESS CITY/STATE

ZIP

EMAIL*

PHONE

PLEASE CHARGE MY CREDIT CARD: MASTERCARD VISA DISCOVER AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD NO: EXPIRES

/

SIGNATURE A CHECK IS ENCLOSED.

*All information, including your email address, is collected only for the purposes of transacting business of Metro Publishing, Inc. We will not sell your personal information for any reason without your express permission. For your convenience, credit card orders will automatically renew after the end of the subscription period unless you call the offices and unsubscribe at 801.322.0727. Subscriptions are sent the day of printing via third class mail.

MAIL TO: METRO PUBLISHING, INC. 352 S. DENVER STREET #350 SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84111

the point. The real reason this movie exists is to pump up the revenue stream of a comic-strip character who’s seen more popular days, and if audiences are mildly entertained in the process that’s just gravy. Thank goodness, then, for Bill Murray, who gives the CGI cat a much-needed shot of new personality.

His voice performance is frequently witty and probably largely improvised, bearing more than a passing resemblance to his old Saturday Night Live lounge-singer routine. In other words, it’s something he can do in his sleep that will keep adults who wind up taking kids to see the movie from dozing off.

Grade: B- / Kinsey Scale: 1 (There’s a Garfield-delivered reference to “alternative lifestyles” as Odie winds up in a pair of lederhosen. Queer actor Alan Cumming voices a fey cat named Persnikitty, and Will & Grace’s Debra Messing voices Garfield’s feline girlfriend, Arlene.)

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN In his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) learns that Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), an inmate of Azkaban prison for his role in the death of Harry’s parents, has escaped and may be coming for Harry next. That’s the simple version: the more complicated tale involves shape-shifting animals, mistaken identities, time travel, and a very large teenager-hungry tree. Meanwhile, the kids in the cast are maturing, growing into their roles without a trace of awkwardness. The most important development, though, is the film’s running time.

Even though the books get longer as the series goes on, this film installment is a little shorter than the first two, thanks to a looser, less slavish devotion to its source; as a result, it plays much more briskly.

That may upset literal-minded devotees of the novels, but will delight those who want their movies to actually move.

Grade: A / Kinsey Scale: 1 (The large cast has lots of experience in queer-themed projects. Oldman played Joe Orton in Prick up Your Ears; co-star David Thewlis was Paul Verlaine in Total Eclipse; Emma Thompson recently appeared in Angels in America; and Julie Walters costarred in Billy Elliot and the independent films Sister My Sister and Just Like a Woman.)

THE NOTEBOOK Octogenarian Noah Calhoun (James Garner) spends his days trying to reach out to his dementia-afflicted wife, Allie (Gena Rowlands), by repeatedly telling her the story of their early life together.

That WWII-era romance unfolds as a Romeo-and-Juliet-style tale, as upperclass young Allie’s (Rachel McAdams) uptight mother (Joan Allen) tries to keep her daughter away from blue-collar Noah (Ryan Gosling). Garner’s moving performance is the best thing about this weepie based on Nicholas Sparks’ bestseller, but he’s acting in a vacuum opposite Rowlands, whose confusion never registers as authentic. The flashbacks to the couple’s youth also come across as false. McAdams and Gosling never connect emotionally; the blandly pretty McAdams offers a petulant, onenote performance, and Gosling’s shaggy, anachronistic appearance evokes not the 1940s but the 1960s.

Grade: C- / Kinsey Scale: 1 (Twenty years ago Garner played sexual panic for laughs when he portrayed a straight mobster who falls for what he thinks is a drag queen in Victor/Victoria.)

SHREK 2 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.

Grade: A / 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.)

SPIDER-MAN 2 Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) has mixed feelings about being Spider-Man. He also has a full plate of trouble. His erstwhile girlfriend (Kirsten Dunst) may marry a man she doesn’t love; his best friend (James Franco) wants to kill Spider-Man to avenge his own father’s death; his beloved aunt is bankrupt; and, worst of all, Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) wants to destroy New York.

Director Sam Raimi balances these stories and keeps breathing life and humor into a sequel-ready franchise that could, in less caring hands, simply become an assembly line of big-budget blockbusters, all sensation and no emotional weight. Spider-Man, however, is a complicated superhero — a beleaguered, sometimes weak Everyman who happens to be able to save the lives of people in speeding trains with his super-strong sticky web. And he’s just what the summer movie schedule needs.

Grade: A- Kinsey Scale: 1 (Molina starred as Joe Orton’s lover in Prick Up Your Ears, while Franco played James Dean in the TV biopic of the same name.

Queer as Folk’s Hal Sparks — comicbook nerd Michael Novotny — appears in a cameo role.)

THE STEPFORD WIVES A fresh start in the suburbs sounds like a wonderful idea to Joanna Eberhart (Nicole Kidman) and husband Walter Kresby (Matthew Broderick) after Joanna loses her high-powered network-TV job. Behind the walls of gated Stepford, Conn., Walter quickly bonds with the local men; but the town’s women — perky, submissive, and oddly fond of chintz — repulse Joanna, who becomes downright frightened when, one by one, her new friends mutate into typical Stepford wives. Screenwriter Paul Rudnick’s attempt at campy black comedy meets with only partial success. The dialogue is hilarious, and the cast sparkles, particularly Glenn Close as the spookiest of the wives. But an insufferable, tacked-on ending drags on seemingly forever as a 70-minute idea is stretched to a featurelength 90 minutes.

Grade: B- / Kinsey Scale: 3 (Conservative Stepford welcomes its Log Cabin brethren, as one gay partner discovers when he, too, transforms into a Stepford “wife.” Gay screenwriter Rudnick wrote Jeffrey and previously collaborated with Stepford director Frank Oz on In & Out. The cast boasts one genuine queer icon in Bette Midler. Nearly all of the principals — Kidman, Broderick, Close, Roger Bart, Jon Lovitz, David Marshall Grant, Matt Malloy, and Lorri Bagley — have appeared in gay-themed movies or plays. Mike White of Chuck & Buck fame has a cameo.)

THE TERMINAL Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) lands at Kennedy Airport, only to discover that a coup has struck his homeland, rendering his passport invalid. Since he cannot legally enter the United States, he is temporarily consigned to the airport’s international transit lounge. Days stretch into months, but charming Viktor adapts to terminal life, befriending airport habitues and finding romance with flight attendant Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Director Steven Spielberg delivers a thin fable that wallows in schmaltz and product placement. The characters never register as flesh-and-blood human beings, Hanks and Zeta-Jones lack chemistry, and the film’s condescending tone toward naivebut-wise Viktor and the airport’s mostly immigrant staff is downright offensive.

With Kennedy Airport meticulously recreated inside a soundstage, this is a triumph of production design over character and story.

Grade: C- / Kinsey Scale: 1 (Hanks first became famous for his cross-dressing role on the sitcom Bosom Buddies; he went on to win an Oscar for his portrayal of an AIDS-afflicted gay lawyer in Philadelphia. Screenwriter Sacha Gervasi previously co-wrote the queer-themed comedy The Big Tease. Co-star Diego Luna appeared in Before Night Falls.)

TWO BROTHERS From Jean-Jacques Annaud, director of 1988’s highly-praised The Bear, comes this tale of tiger cubs whose lives take very different turns on the road to freedom in the wild kingdom. When their father is shot by big-game hunter Aiden McRory (Guy Pearce) and their mother is captured, one of the adorable cubs ends up in a circus performing tricks while the other fights for sport in a royal menagerie. Eventually the brothers are reunited and must band together to escape the horrors of life in captivity. When Annaud’s cameras are aimed at the beautiful four-legged creatures, the film soars. But unlike The Bear, this film’s plot necessarily includes humans, whose charms are considerably less evident than those of their four-legged co-stars. And when the two-footers dominate the action, the movie becomes a tiger-less tease.

Grade: B / Kinsey Scale: 1 (Pearce starred in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.)

WHITE CHICKS To catch a kidnapper, African-American sibling FBI agents Marcus (Marlon Wayans) and Kevin Copeland (Shawn Wayans) must go undercover as two young, white, shallow heiresses. Now, for the sake of argument, pretend for a moment that two men wearing ghostly white latex masks and fake breasts resemble anything more than scary Halloween party-level drag queens. Pretend that they’re able to fool every other character in the film into buying that they’re the “Wilson” (as in Hilton) sisters, two young women whose looks are, presumably, known to all. Even with that bit of disbelief suspended, this comedy fails because it’s simply full of worn-out, race-related humor — white people like fancy piano music! Black people like rap! — and nothing else to fill the dead space. Those responsible for this cinematic atrocity shouldn’t show their real faces for a while either.

Grade: F / Kinsey Scale: 2 (Director Keenen Ivory Wayans helmed Scary Movie, which featured a gay plot thread involving Shawn Wayans as a sexually ambiguous young man who meets his end after being stabbed in the head with an erect penis. Nothing quite so bawdy or bold happens here. It’s a straight drag comedy with the requisite sprinkling of harmless homosexual panic throughout, but it’s neither funny nor offensive.

Marlon Wayans, on the other hand, costarred in 1992’s decidedly homophobic Mo’ Money.)

Carandiru 3/5 stars

ZEITGEIST FILMS LTD.

MAGNOLIA PICTURES

HB FILMES

Prison Fantasy

Embedded With the Enemy The Other Georgia The Control Room 5/5 stars

Since Otar Left 4.5/5 Stars

by Xenia Cherkaev

by Xenia Cherkaev

by Xenia Cherkaev

Hector Babenco’s (Pixote, Kiss of the Spider Woman) Carandiru is about the infamous 1992 Brazilian prison riot which the police massacred 111 unarmed prisoners. The film tries to recreate the oppressively crowded and ill-managed conditions that lead up to the riot, as seen through the eyes of a young doctor working to prevent the spread of AIDS in the prison.

Carandiru feels more like a Genet fantasy than a real prison. Men come and go between cells as they wish, an AIDS-awareness drag show and the prisoner soccer game attract hundreds into the yard and are virtually unsupervised. Problems are solved by an inmate fixer and a ruling hierarchy of cons.

Two men (one of them a non-op transgender) fall in love, are married and given their own cell. Cells are never locked. Drugs come in freely and debts must be paid, one way or another. The only safe space is the “Yellow Wing” where inmates who would be killed in the main block are kept in perpetual musky darkness.

The doctor heals them all and listens to their life stories.

“Nobody here is guilty,” a prisoner jokingly tells the doctor before launching into his own sad story. Throughout the film, the inmates are shown in their own hellish and violent world to be humane, real people trying to survive. It is a world within a world, with its own rules and lives. The ending massacre is especially brutal because unknown cops are killing people we have met and grown to understand over the last two hours.

However, Carandiru pushes the edges of reality too far. It is possible that in this land of crack cocaine and handmade weapons nobody bothers the sweet, freshly married gay couple — but it’s hard to believe. Although Babenco can be somewhat forgiven for creating a fantasy prison in an effort to humanize his subjects and their environment, Carandiru is about an actual event, and the characters in this film are too good to be real.

Back in the days when Bush Jr. lauded the Geneva Convention (Remember that? It was last year) and Rumsfeld called Al Jazeera “the mouthpiece of Osama bin Laden,” the American media gave us a squeaky-clean war. The Control Room is a much awarded documentary about those bygone days in the CENTCOM — the American military outpost in Qatar in charge of media relations — and a behind-the-scenes look at Al Jazeera.

As the only free satellite news network in the Arab world, Al Jazeera is in a difficult position. Both the US government and Saddam’s Baath party accuse it of propaganda. On one hand, they are there to “wake up” the Arab world. The journalists are educated, liberal, and somewhat Westernoriented. Sameer Khader, one of Al Jazeera’s senior producers says, half-jokingly, that he would “trade in the Arab nightmare for the American dream.” Yet Al Jazeera journalists and producers feel a sort of pan-Arabism and, as much as they dislike Saddam, cringe to see Western tanks driving around an Arab capital. The American ideal of fighting to “liberate the Iraqi people” does not seem genuine to the Arab side, and the US military’s way of dealing with the media raises too many questions — questions about why the Jessica Lynch story monopolized the press conference the day U.S. troops entered Baghdad, or why American planes targeted and killed three journalists in one day.

The Control Room is not out to debunk America’s involvement in Iraq, but to show that Al Jezeera is no more nor less biased than the American media. Al Jazeera editors have no pretenses about their objectivity, and as we watch American journalists cheer the staged toppling of Saddam’s statue, it becomes apparent that they are not objective either. Objectivity is not possible in a war zone, and Al Jazeera is out to “show that the war has a human cost.”

By comparison, the American media’s desire to not show the war’s human cost becomes infinitely more sinister.

Set in contemporary Tbilisi, Since Otar Left is an intimate portrait of a three generational family of women and one absent man named Otar. The family consists of the elderly Eka, who reminisces about Stalinist times yet treasures a library of the then-illegal French literature, her middle aged daughter Marina, whose husband was killed in Afghanistan and who spends her days at the bazaar hawking off what she can, and Marina’s bright, Western-oriented daughter Ada. There is also that invisible son, brother, and uncle, Otar, who was once a medical student in Moscow but is now an undocumented construction worker in Paris.

Otar sends home cheery optimistic letters in French which keep the Francophile Eka proud and happy.

Or he did. When Otar falls to his death Marina and Ada cannot bring themselves to tell Eka that her beloved son is dead. They forge letters from the dead Otar and make excuses for him no longer telephoning. Eka, although old, has a mind of her own. When Ada and Marina return one day from fruit picking at their country dacha, they find that Eka has stripped the book-lined apartment to buy three tickets to Paris and somehow obtained the coveted visa.

The film touches on how three generations of Georgians deal with the fall of Communism. Eka is too old to do much except complain that Stalin would have sorted it out, and continue to enjoy life. Ada optimistically looks to the West, where she hopes to put her trilingual knowledge to work. Marina’s generation, as Marina’s boyfriend Tenguiz explains, has accepted lies all its life and is impotent to do anything drastic, so it continues in its daily drudgery, complaining about the constantly failing electricity and looking for things to hawk. Although the story of Otar feels familiar, its acting and understated direction make it fresh, genuine and poignant. Beyond its plotline, Otar is about moving on, past the deaths of our loved ones and the deaths of our social systems.

Opens July 9 at the Broadway Centre Theatres, 111 E. 300 South.

Opens July 16 at the Broadway Centre Theatres, 111 E. 300 South.

Opens July 9 at the Broadway Centre Theatres, 111 E. 300 South.

JULY 8, 2004 ■

SALT LAKE METRO ■

25

Sports WNBA Player Comes Out In a candid moment during an interview with the Minnesota gay and lesbian magazine Lavender, WNBA player Michele Van Gorp acknowledged being a lesbian. The 6’6” center for the Minnesota Lynx stated afterwards Minnesota Lynx center to several news Michele Van Gorp outlets, “This is who I am. It’s been publicly known by many, many, many people in the Twin Cities.”

“I’ve always just been true to myself, and as long as I’m happy within myself, then I’m going to be happy in life,” she continued. “It took me a long time to be comfortable with it, just dealing with it as a teenager. Everyone has different things that they have to be comfortable with, whether they are tall, short, straight, gay, black, white, orange or purple. That was just one of my many issues.”

Van Gorp and her partner Kyleen live in Vermont, where they joined in a civil ceremony.

Van Gorp started her basketball career in New York in 1999, where her sexuality was an issue. “I had a lot of issues in New York in my first year. The organization wasn’t very happy that Kyleen would come down to meet me at the team bus,” she stated.

Since leaving New York, she says she has had no further issues about her relationship with her partner. “I’m not going to live my life differently because someone else is scared of what society thinks,” she said in the Lavender interview.

The Minnesota Lynx has made no public comment on Van Gorp’s disclosure. — MA

Gay Games VII Accepting Registrations Individuals interested in participating in any of the sports, band or choral events for Gay Games VII in Chicago can now register at the group’s website, GayGamesChicago.org. The Games are scheduled for July 17–22, 2006 as what organizers are calling, “An eight-day celebration of participation, inclusion and personal best.”

Organizers expect 12,000 participants competing in 30 sports, along with worldclass athletes and artists, band and choral performances, nightly medal ceremonies, an arts festival, parties, and spectacular opening and closing ceremonies featuring entertainment, pageantry, and the parade of participants from more than 70 countries.

This year, the event has added five new sports to the roster, including rugby, darts, flag football, billiards and “dancesport.”

Montreal will host Rendez-Vous, billed as the first OUTgames July 29-August 5, 2006.

The city lost the official title of Gay Games after a dispute with the Federation of Gay Games last year. — MA

Equestrian

Venture Out

Paper Moon*

Gaming

Utah Gay Rodeo Association Utah Cyber Sluts Bingo!

26

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

ugra.net thepapermoon.com groups.msn.com/utahcybers Looking to join a group of gay or Radio City Lounge Fans Outdoors lesbian sports enthusiasts? Salt utah.citysearch.com/ MoDiggity’s Sports Pub* Lambda Hiking Club Lake Metro brings you this list of profile/10384552 modiggitys.com gayhike.org community resources.

Trapp* and Trapp Door* Sports Sunday at Trapp* and Northern Utah Women ROC thetrapp.com Aquatics Trapp Door* groups.yahoo.com/group/ Try-Angles*clubtry-angles.com thetrapp.com Queer Utah Aquatic Club ogdenoutdoorwomen quacquac.org Vortex* 801-363-2623 Sports Sunday at Try-Angles

Athletics

Bowling

City of Hope Run and Walk for Hope cityofhope.org Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Utah frontrunnersutah.org Gay and Lesbian Coed Indoor Soccer League

Salt Lake Goodtimes Bowling League

801-299-0909

Gay and Lesbian Soccer jesper2@hotmail.com

Utah AIDS Foundation Walk For Life utahaids.org Utah Pride 5K Run-WalkRoll utahpride.org

Billiards and Darts Brass Rail* utah.citysearch. com/profile/10407360

MoDiggity’s Sports Pub* modiggitys.com

scott.millar@comcast.net

Cycling

clubtry-angles.com

Federations Gay and Lesbian Athletics Foundation glaf.org Federation of Gay Games

Gay and Lesbian Motorcycle gaygames.com Gay Outdoors Riders of Utah groups.yahoo.com/group/ gaybikersofut

gayCyclingUtah groups.yahoo.com/group/ gaycyclingutah

Taco Wheels Moab Mountainbiking alysonadventures.com/bike/ gay/moab.htm

Utah Gay Mountain Bikers groups.yahoo.com/group/ utahgaymtnbike

gayoutdoors.com

GaySports gaysports.com gUTsports groups.yahoo. com/group/gutsports

Homophobia In Sports Project homophobiainsports.com

Outsports outsports.com Rendez-Vous Montréal 2006 Gay Sport and Cultural Festival montreal2006.org

Women’s Sports Foundation womenssportsfoundation.org

Shooting

Stonewall Shooting Sports of Utah stonewallshootingsp ortsutah.org

Skiing Utah Gay and Lesbian Ski Week gayskiing.org/skiing/ indexu.htm

Softball Pride Community Softball League glccu.com/programs.html

Volleyball Gay and Lesbian Volleyball 801-328-8891 x339 To get your group added to this list, send details to sports@slmetro.com * private club for members

Toronto Blue Jays President Paul Godfrey and Queer as Folk actress Sharon Gless pose for the camera during the Jays’ first Gay and Lesbian Community Day.

Toronto Blue Jays Hosts Gay and Lesbian Community Day Other Major League Teams to Follow Suit As the Toronto Blue Jays took the field on Friday June 25, 2004, the first Gay and Lesbian Community Day with the Blue Jays drew over 600 people to watch them defeat the Montreal Expos 3-1. The team’s website promoted the event with the slogan “Take me ‘OUT’ to the ballgame!” and promised that “all in-game activities and entertainment on this day will be geared towards the gay and lesbian community.”

The Toronto Pride Committee declared the game an official Pride Week event.

Openly gay Canadian Olympic gold medalist Mark Tewksbury presented a check in the amount of $1,500 to the committee on behalf of the ’Jays.

Queer as Folk star Sharon Gless threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Blue Jays mascot Ace. The national anthem was sung

by Simone Denny, singer of the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy theme song.

The 16,000 fans were polite in their applause when the message “Welcome Pride Toronto” was shown on the Sky Dome’s JumboTron. Enthusiastic cheers erupted when this year’s Pride Toronto theme mascot, the dancing fruit, came on the field to lead the crowd in “YMCA” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Toronto’s pride theme this year was “Bursting with Fruit Flavour.”

The day was a “symbolic gesture,” according to Paul Godfrey, president and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club. “We want the community to know that we are open and welcoming to all.” He added, “We don’t expect to hit a home run the first time, but we hope this will be a good start and that we can develop a base of support.” Mr. Godfrey said the team only received a handful of negative calls and letters prior to the event, and that he answered these personally.

Other major league baseball teams are planning similar gay community days, including the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago

Cubs, and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers have sponsored gay days in the past few years.

Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins and the San Francisco Giants are sponsoring AIDS Awareness Days this year.

Pride Softball Stats THROUGH JUNE 16

1. Modiggity’s 2. Mo’s Grill 3. Equality Utah 4. Try-Angless 5. Paper Moon 6. sWerve / Queers Kick Ash 7. Barton Obray 8. Rainbow Warriors 9. Photo Works

WINS

LOSSES

RUNS

6 4 4 3 2 2 1 1 1

0 1 1 2 3 4 5 5 5

7/69 12/79 6/72 22/71 5/64 2/34 5/33 6/32 0/37

Leading Female Hitters (base on 2.5 P.A. per game) NAME

TEAM

PA

AB

H

AVG

1. Ayule 2. Shari 3. Sharon 4. Patty 5. Amber

Barton Equality sWerve Paper Moon Mo’s Grill

14 17 15 18 13

13 14 13 17 12

10 9 8 10 7

.769 .643 .615 .588 .583

Leading Male Hitters (base on 2.5 P.A. per game) NAME

TEAM

PA

AB

H

AVG

1. Josh 2. Kirk 3. Ryan 4. Mark B. 5. Kevin

Mo’s Grill Tryangles Moon Equality Mo’s Grill

13 20 15 15 16

12 17 15 14 15

11 14 12 11 11

.917 .824 .800 .786 .733

Schedule July 11 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm

Mo’s Grill v. Equality Utah Try-Angles v. sWerve/Queers Kick Ash Paper Moon v. Pillar Photo Works v. Barton Obray

Schedule July 18 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm

Equality Utah v. Paper Moon Modiggity’s v. Try-Angles Mo’s Grill v. Photo Works Barton Obray v. sWerve/Queers Kick Ash

StarGayzer

by Madam Lichtenstein There will be time to gild your lily as Jupiter makes a sterling aspect to Saturn this week.

Cash in on your sweat equity. Hard work pays off in lucky and expansive ways. You have been working hard — haven’t you? Hmm.

x

ARIES (Mar 21 to Apr 20) Mother hens hatch a few eggs while Jupiter sextiles Saturn.

It is now time for those proud rams who have painstakingly and tenderly crafted their domestic surroundings to reap the rewards. You are tempted to sit back and relax but the heck with that! Invite a rousing crowd of compadres to help settle in the furniture. Will you overdo?

Will you really care?

c

TAURUS (Apr 21 to May 21) Over-the-top fun is in the making as Saturn sextiles Jupiter this week. Queer bulls are the masters of ceremony and have a few jolly things to say to get the ball rolling. As you boogie into the night with reckless Jupiterian abandon, things may get out of hand and you can wind up at the bottom of the heap by the morning. Alas, some things never change.

v

GEMINI (May 22 to Jun 21) For those pink twins who have enviously coveted the pos-

sessions of others, Jupiter and Saturn now give you a platinum card without credit limits. Money comes in — and goes out — but you don’t seem to care. The motto of the day is to spend like there is no tomorrow. Of course there will be a tomorrow. At least you can enjoy your poverty in relative comfort.

b

CANCER (Jun 22 to Jul 23) Gay crabs may have been suffering from a severe lack of

self-confidence these past few months, but now you are bursting with confidence and spunk. Thank Jupiter for goosing Saturn and delivering a joi de vivre that vooms. Speak up proud and queer, compadre, and ask for what you want. You will get it and much, much more.

However, more than a mouthful is usually wasted.

n

LEO (Jul 24 to Aug 23) Little voices cajole you into primping and preening. Good thing too — proud lions are beginning to look a bit mangy around the mane and could desperately use some sprucing up. Plan a new you when Jupiter sextiles Saturn this week and be prepared to overspend on all sorts of frivolous niceties. So what? Enjoy life while you can, pal.

Next week it is back to the ashes and sackcloth.

m

VIRGO (Aug 24 to Sep 23) Friends will get you into all sorts of trouble (if you are lucky)

when Jupiter sextiles Saturn. Queer virgins become the center of the social swirl and deliver more oomph than they ever thought possible. Travel in new circles and fan your flame of popularity. Before you know it your mere presence will set fire to any event. Will you become too hot to handle? Ouch!!

X

LIBRA (Sep 24 to Oct 23) While there are some gay Libras who seem content to loll their

way through their career, you will now realize that any effort on your part will have great impact on your upward mobility. Do not be lazy this week, cousin: Saturn and Jupiter conspire to teach you the importance of elbow grease on success. Spread your oil around. You never know who you will excite.

C

SCORPIO (Oct 24 to Nov 22) Pack your trail mix and set upon your happy excursion.

Proud Scorps and friends find adventure on the open road. Take that long awaited vacation or get out of town for the weekend. It will refresh and recharge you. This week will open your eyes and spark new philosophies. They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks — but you can certainly lead them to new ones.

Fun Stuff Crossword Puzzle Beat the Heat ACROSS 1 Sun glasses, e.g.

6 That’s one big horn 10 Bolted 13 Johnny Depp’s recent character 15 Sulk 16 Adam’s wife 17 Herb 18 To skin a pear 19 Lots of iced this by the pool 20 Bark in pain 22 New York kids cool off with this 24 Cease 26 Not fake 28 Advise 29 Groan 30 Southern Utah nat’l park with Kolob 31 Apple drink 32 Band instrument 33 Offers 34 MTV Real World gay celebrity ___ Renzi 35 Local daily 37 Detective slang 41 Upper left key on most keyboards 42 Land-rover 43 Pot 44 Analyze for quality 47 Accommodations while at 30 across

48 Southeast by East abbr 49 __ and span (very clean) 50 Furry fruit 51 Curse 52 __ __ for Red October 54 Royalty 56 Reverend ( abbr.)

57 Crown of the head 59 Tell 63 Is 64 Baker's need 65 Apache tent 66 Headed 67 Smart person 68 Proposal position DOWN 1 Sunscreen rating 2 Dessert 3 White-tailed sea eagle 4 Bryce is one of these 5 Infuse 6 Teaspoon abbr 7 Beehive State dweller – as spelled by others 8 Transparent gem native of Utah 9 Reverent 10 Delay 11 Punish 12 Cleaner 14 Building addition 21 Summer event

23 Dooms 24 Fly 25 Cab 27 Goddess 29 Mountain Standard Time 30 Bluish white metal 31 Roughing it home 33 Hectic 34 Performing couple

36 Sandy area 37 Rub hard for one of these 38 Colors 39 Globes 40 East northeast 42 Hebrew 44 Stellar 45 Bolus 46 Sifted 47 Giggle

WordSearch

L

E

M

O

N

July Fun

A

R

E

D

Find the words below in the grid. When you are done, the unused letters will spell out a hidden message. Pick them out from left to right, top line to bottom line. Words can go across, down and in three diagonals.

K

H

B

A

E

I

T

P

I

O

BARBECUE BEACH BEER CREEK DECK FIREWORKS

O

S

O

R

P

U

P

D

A

N

L

R

T

O

HIKE JEEP LAGOON LAKE LEMONADE MOAB

NAKED PARADE PARK PATIO PIONEER SUNTAN SWIMMING

HIDDEN MESSAGE: __ __ __

__

__ __ __

__ __ __

__ __

__ - __ __ __ __ __

__ __ __

__ __ __

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

48 Morose 50 Face card 51 River in Utah is this elsewhere 53 On 55 Artist's creation 58 Rear 60 Baboon 61 Ball holder 62 Moray — MICHAEL AARON

T

A

G

E

N

A

K

E

D

M

M

I

N

G

O

O

N

S

R

T

F

K

C

E

A

B

R

R

U

Y

Y

O

E

C

A

T

A

W

E

E

A

E

G

E

K

B

K

K

C

O

A

D

P

T

S

S

W

I

E

L

A

G

N

E

E

R

G

R

A

M

A

O

A

R

E

A

A

B

N

R

K

R

C

I

I

N

H

D

N

A

I

U

A

E

H

G

U

S

T

E

R

F

Z

B

D

H

J

E

E

P

P

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

V

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 to Dec 22) Others see you as an open book, but gay archers often have a bit of a secret life that is so outrageous (and fun) that it needs to be kept under wraps around the office lest their credibility be compromised. Well, this week draws back your curtain and there you are in all your glory. Denial will be useless. Be sure to wear clean underwear for your overexposure.

B

CAPRICORN (Dec 23 to Jan 20) If interactions with partners have been more strained

N

PISCES (Feb 20 to Mar 20) Guppies just loooove to have fun and this week will deliver it in dollops. Gravitate to anything creative or simply hop on the party train and chugalug with the crowd. You never know who will be dancing on the next table. But if you are in a relationship, don’t forget to bring your better half along — if you don’t want to be drawn and quartered when you get home.

■

27

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.

SALT LAKE METRO

M

■

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 to Feb 19) The job heats up in more ways than one. A splash around the water cooler provides more dampness than you expect. Aqueerians love to be pragmatic, but now the sextile between Jupiter and Saturn tosses you head over heels for the looker in the next cubicle. If you push your pencil in their direction, will they still love you in the morning? Lower your caffeine, lover.

JULY 8, 2004

than usual, allow the Jupiter and Saturn sextile to provide some much needed perspective on next steps. Pink Caps can see things very logically but logic doesn’t figure in affairs of the heart. Before you lay down the law, sequester your lover and review the habeas corpus. Will you be able to rest your case? The jury is out.

Queeriscaping Cover it Up

by Brandie Balken

“A garden must be looked unto and dressed, as the body.”

— George Herbert It’s summer. It’s hot, dry and hot. This is the time of year when many things are exposed that probably shouldn’t be. You know what I’m talking about: the person on that street who makes you say to your friend, “If I look like that, don’t let me leave the house.”

We’ve all seen it — and some of us have been it. These sights make my mind whisper, “cover it up.”

Do you know what else makes my mind chant that silent mantra, “cover it up, cover it up”? Dry, barren spots in planting beds, exposed soil slopes banking a lawn where everything else has died, and brown dirt between stepping stones. These areas — and many human body parts — should be covered, softened, draped if you will. Lucky for our gardens, there are a wide range of ground covers available to suit every space. I’ve chosen to focus on the less-known and, in my opinion, more interesting ground covers here, so hopefully you’ll see something new!

One of the great things about ground covers is that they can significantly reduce evaporation from the soil. They also lessen the number of weeds and help control erosion.

Ground covers also spread, naturally filling in an area — so pick something that you like, because over time, you’ll have a lot more of it!

I’ve broken down these ground covers into three categories: benign, average and aggressive. If you have a relatively small area that you’d like covered, and you want your ground cover to remain contained, choose from the benign category. If you have more than five square feet to cover check out the average category. If you have a lot of space, and just want it filled in, go aggressive — just be aware that aggressive plants will eventually need some controlling.

28

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

BENIGN: Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum spp.)

There are many different varieties of hens and chicks, but all are succulents and form a gorgeous rosette with offshoots appearing at the margins. They’re generally two to five inches tall and wide. These love hot, dry, sunny areas, and are also wonderful in containers.

Corsican Mint (Mentha requenii) Not only is this plant tolerant of foot traffic, but it also smells delicious! It forms groundhugging, glossy green mats with small rosy flowers — almost moss-like in appearance.

It tolerates sun to part shade.

Scotch/Irish Moss (Sagina) These are the classic mosses, not the easiest to establish, but worth the work. Scotch moss is golden yellow, while Irish moss is deep green. They both prefer partial sun and produce the daintiest little five-petaled white flowers.

They form a soft, dense mat that you want to run barefoot through — great for edging stepping stones and pathways.

AVERAGE Stonecrop (Sedum) This is another genera of plants that is large and diverse. They are all succulents, and all love the sun. Any and all sedums are a great choice for rock gardens. I would describe them too you but there are so many that I couldn’t spend time on anything else!

Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis) These plants are truly unique in appearance. They have deeply cut foliage that clasps the stem and grows six to 12 inches tall. They are a good spreader: ideal for under trees and shrubs or in long beds, between houses, etc. They are also evergreen, with the foliage turning purplish in the winter. They prefer shade to part sun.

Creeping Thyme, Mother of Thyme (Thymus spp.) Thyme is one of my all-time favorites. There are several varieties of this as well, and all are wonderful. These are lowgrowing, two to four inches tall. With foliage ranging from wooly grey to glossy yellow and green, they send up a pink blooming spike in mid-summer. Most varieties are steppable so they are a great choice for pathways, but I’ve also seen them used as a beautiful alternative to grass. They prefer sun to part shade.

Creeping Speedwell (Veronica repens) I love this plant. It has tiny, glossy green leaves that form a short mat approximately two to five inches tall that produces loads of flowers ranging from crystal blue to true white. It will tolerate almost any condition except full shade. It will tolerate foot traffic, dog traffic and car traffic. Plant it — you will thank me!

AGGRESSIVE Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrate) This plant is a showstopper. It has wine- to fuchsia-colored blooms held up by deeply lobed silvery foliage and will bloom all summer. The stems run along the ground, and branch out rapidly in a circular pattern. It prefers sun, but will tolerate part shade. For even more rapid spread, allow it to reseed.

Primrose (Oenothera speciosa) Have you noticed the lovely pink, cup-shaped flowers in large masses this year? That’s the primrose. These plants grow up to twelve inches tall and prefer sun but will tolerate partial shade. They are repeat bloomers and reseed very nicely. There’s also a yellow blooming variety.

Sweet Violet (Viola odorata) These violets are very similar in appearance to blue pansies, but do not burn out as the pansies do in the summer. They form individual plants four to six inches tall and wide. They spread by underground roots. They prefer the shade and are an excellent choice under evergreens and shrubs.

Purple Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperii) This is a funky, low-growing succulent that sports profuse fuchsia, aster-like flowers all summer. They perform best in full sun, and can tolerate a lot of heat and some drought.

This is a great choice for those who like something dramatic.

You see, there are so many choices for a well-dressed garden. If only it were so easy for us!

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

Red,White & Bubbly Add This to Your Wine List, Please

by Beau Jarvis Until now, I have avoided wine snobbery in this column. So forgive me if I seem a tiny bit presumptuous. There are some great restaurants around town. I’m sure we all have our favorites. But I must say good, solid, reasonably priced wines on local restaurants’ wine lists are few and far between. Yes, I understand there is no Utah “wholesale” market in which restaurants can purchase wine and offer it at reasonably low prices. However there are numerous $10 wine gems at state liquor stores that could add a lot of oomph to Utah’s wine-and-dine scene. Diners everywhere are demanding tasty, value-priced wine. And everyone knows that happy diners order more food and drink, which of course, makes for happy restaurant owners.

So, as part of my ongoing quest for universal happiness, I wish to submit a few suggestions to restaurants in our fair city. Here are my very own Luther-style 95 Theses for restaurant wine lists (well, I’ll spare you 87 of them and stick to just 8). To all you restaurateurs and foodies out there,

I graciously accept your thanks in advance.

House White — Is anyone aware that there is really good Chardonnay to be had for $8? Bogle California Chardonnay (2002) is an absolute steal. Imagine a glass of four or five dollar “house white” that actually tastes good. Instead of several sips’ worth of something that induces “bitter beer face,” customers may actually order a second glass.

Anything but Chardonnay — Some folks have had it up to here with Chardonnay.

Yet, what other white wine is a safe bet?

Riesling is a great alternative to Chardonnay-weary wine drinkers. It’s quite tasty and often has less alcohol than many other whites. (It tastes great and it’s less filling.)

A fine $10 Riesling is Schloss Schönborn (2001) from Germany. Just tell customers it’s a slightly sweet, tasty little German. And who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to have a tasty German?

Foreign and Fancy-sounding — Say hello to my little friend: the Spanish Verdejo (vairday-hoe) grape. This grape makes a fabulous food-loving wine. It’s crisp and fruity, yet not overbearing. And boy, does it sound foreign and fancy. Martinsancho Rueda Verdejo (2002) is only 13 dollars (that’s $1.30 per syllable). For $6 a glass in a restaurant, diners could drink white wine that goes with damn near everything on the menu. Worried about how to describe it to foreign wine-ophobes? Call it a zesty Chardonnay.

Impress a Date Wine — Nudge the romance scale up on a wine list in any restaurant with sparkling wine. Not only does bubbly make for starry-eyed lovers, it also makes for chow-hound diners. It really does make food taste better. Paul Chenau “Art Series” Brut Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine that rings in at $9.95. Imagine all the love flowing into the streets if restaurants offered this bubbly at $4.50 per glass.

House Red — In my book there is nothing worse than cheap, nasty red wine. Conversely, there aren’t too many things better than cheap, tasty red wine. More often than

not, “house reds” taste bad — really, really bad. What if this problem were solved with a really, really good house red? Get a load of René Barbier Mediterranean Red, a mighty agreeable wine. A (full!) bottle only costs $6. A restaurant could offer it for $4 per glass and find itself crawling with very happy red wine drinkers.

Fun & Funky — Wine drinking need not be a serious endeavor. Enter Ca Del Solo Big House Red (2002) by the wine iconoclasts of Bonny Doon Vineyards. This happy, fruity red wine comes with a screw cap and is a joy to drink. At $10 a bottle, almost any restaurant could offer it as a fun, casual wine.

Serious & Less Funky — Of course there are wine drinkers who like to use words like Reserva and Classico. Wine is serious stuff to them. Yet nothing is more disappointing than dropping a pile of bills on an overhyped, under-performing wine. The solution? Offer Aziano Chianti Classico (2001).

It is a serious-tasting wine with soul. Yet it hits the magic price point of $10. Class on a budget is hard to beat.

Cabernet, Please — Some may consider it sacrilege not to have California Cabernet on a wine list. However, in all honesty, less expensive California Cabs often aren’t very good. Actually, some more expensive Cabernets aren’t very good either. Yet Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon (2002) delivers textbook “Cal-Cab” flavor at a reasonable $13 per bottle. All the Cali-centric oenophiles will be grateful.

I urge you to clip out this column and petition your favorite restaurant to add a few of these selections to its wine list. I would suggest however that you do not deliver the suggestions in the same way that Mr. Luther delivered his “suggestions” those many years ago (i.e., don’t nail them to the door). Cheers.

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

Comics

A COUPLE OF GUYS Dave Brousseau

ADAM & ANDY James Asal

BITTER GIRL Joan Hilty

WordSearch

GET A RED T-SHIRT FOR GAY DAY AT LAGOON IN AUGUST

Crossword Puzzle

JULY 8, 2004

HIDDEN MESSAGE:

■

SALT LAKE METRO ■

Check us out online at slmetro.com

29

2nd Anniversary Steak Fry on July 18th WEEKLY EVENTS

We’ve brought Zipperz’ DJ Ryan out of retirement for Fridays!! Check him out!

30

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004

Your place to play! Open daily 2:00pm 251 W 900 S - SLC, UT 801-364-3203 Gay all day, EVERY day!! WWW.ClubTry-Angles.com

Roommates GAY ROOMATE WANTED to join fun all gay household Cottonwood Heights.

Avail now. Private bedroom w/closet,Cbl TV & Internet. $420/mo Great views. No Smokers or drugs. Kirk 913-5798 2 UOFU STNTS seek 3rd Avl July 7th New Home prvt bdrm $365 incl HSInternet & all utils W/D Cntrl Air Hotub Gated Comm 10 min to U No smkng pets Shawn 328-0110 pics at shawnj.com/b1.htm MALE ROOMMATE WANTED Downtown area 2 blocks from UofU Traxx line.

Rent Room, Shared Kitchen, Dining $300 Deposit, $325 Room + 1/3 Utilities. No Smoking/No Drugs. Max 569-1369.

For Rent CONVENIENT CONDO 2 bed, 2 bath condo for rent. Newer appliances incl. washer/dryer, no smoking, small pet OK. $750/month.

Convenient SSL location. Call 897-7068 ONE BEDROOM, one bath. Just remodeled. 3001 S 200 East. $500/mo. 801278-9642, 801-359-0586, ask for Connie.

Real Estate FRIENDLY INTENTION Community Cohousing, 16-26 private homes share 5 acres 10 minutes from downtown, SLC. 3BR, Loft, High Ceilings, 2Bath, Exceptional shared facilities, FSBO, $154,000.

Orchard, Wild Space, Play Areas, Garage FAILED SALE—Sold in 2 weeks.

1992 Multi with private park like yard.

Immaculate 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car. Central Air, vaults. Show fussy buyers. $167.500.

1782 W. Apls Way. Dawn Colbert, Signature Group RE, 801-979-3558 SUGARHOUSE HIDEAWAY—Incredible kitchen remodel, wood fplc, hardwood, granite counters, wine chiller, functional mother-in-law, deck, surround sound, 2 car w/opener, wkshp, extras. $225,000. Dawn Colbert, Signature Group RE, 979-3558 AVENUES INVESTMENT—Hardwood flrs, fplc, 3 bed, 2 bath, 1 car gar w/wkshp.

Walk-out, stainless steel appliances. One yr. lease in place. $209,000. Dawn Colbert, Signature Group RE, 801-979-3558

Attorney 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

Community Groups GLBT CONVERGYS EMPLOYEES Join our Yahoo! Group and meet up with other GLBT employees. http://groups.yahoo. com/group/cvg-glbt UTAH MALE NATURISTS A nonsexual group who likes to enjoy life au naturel.

Naked lunches, campouts, beach outings. groups.yahoo.com/group/utahmalenaturists

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, estate administration. 801-294-7777

Massage Therapists

323-9500

BIG HANDS Make A Big Difference 6’3” LMT downtown In/Out call. You should get the deep relaxation you pay for. Call Ben @913-1803 LMT #5606773-4701 JEALOUS??? Male massage therapist to the stars! Full body salt scrub/massage.

Downtown Salt Lake City (801) 205 1755 BEST THERAPISTS, Best Price, Best Place, Best Hours. Call for appointment 486-5500. Pride Massage. 1800 South West Temple, Suite A224.

MAN’S TOUCH. 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

Mobile Phones FREE AIRLINE TRAVEL and free phones for all “family” members. Camera phones $49.00. Keep your current mobile number. Call James at Penny Phones (801) 808-9898. Many Carriers & Plans.

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

PERSONALS Missed Connections SATURDAY, JUNE 12, at MoDiggity’s 10pm show. We chatted in line a couple of times, but I never got your name. You: short dark hair, white tank, glasses around your neck, and a gorgeous smile. Me: curly brown hair and black shirt. I would love to chat more.

REPLY TO BOX 15, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

SOFTBALL BABE You were watching at the Pride Softball League, looked like you were out for injury. I was in the white FCUK t-shirt and we traded grins.

Men for Men LIFE’S TOO SHORT to be alone GWM, 38 yrs old seeks LTR with a great guy. I’m outgoing and fun and a little kinky. You should be 30-40 yrs old with same goals.

Smoke and drug-free a must.

REPLY TO BOX 16, 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

EUROPEAN CONNECTION Sat 5Jun04 2PM. You on a date in blue shirt, me red hair in the white shirt wearing glasses.

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 12, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

REPLY TO BOX 7, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

HEY ASSHOLE You cut me off on Bangerter Hwy. I sped around you to flip you off, but you were too cute. You in red Honda Civic with white interior. Me in black Subaru WRX.

PROFESSIONAL with no time to date.

Just looking for short-term companionship with nice guy(s). Prefer smaller, smooth. Latin a plus.

REPLY TO BOX 19, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

REPLY TO BOX 18, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

SOMEONE CATCH your eye? Wanted to meet them, but were too shy? Get your own Missed Connections ad for just a buck at 323-9500 or slmetro.com COWBOY Saw you at the Trapp on karaoke night. You had a cream-colored cowboy hat and handlebar mustache (no - not the waiter). I had a Hawaiian shirt on and figured you’d shoo me away. I wanna ride your horse.

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!)

31

REPLY TO BOX 20, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

REPLY TO BOX 21, PERSONALS@SLMETRO.COM

■

NEW OFFICE CONDO’S, Redwood Rd. exposure in S. Jordan. Starting at $125,000. 980–5,733 sf available.

Cambridge office complex. Dawn Colbert, Signature Group RE, 801-979-3558

SERVICE DIRECTORY listings are a great value! Just $25 an issue. Less with contract. Call 323-9500 today!

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

SALT LAKE METRO

NEED A CHARMING yet professional office?

Downtown—Versatile spacious 2 story brick office bldg.116 So. 500 E. For Sale @ $460K or Lease $11/SF Tom 534-1573

Advertising

Handymen ADVANTAGE CLEANING Systems – Cleaning, Painting, Carpet cleaning, landscaping, hauling. You name it, we’ll do it! (Well... if it’s legal) 502-6071.

■

Commercial Real Estate

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

JULY 8, 2004

NEW LISTING—Perfect 2 bed, 1 bath starter. Stream runs behind. Walkout patio w/park-like backyard. Quiet location, mature trees surrounding make it an ideal place for someone who has a night job. Great daytime sleeping. Dawn Colbert, Signature Group RE, 801-979-3558 HOME FOR SALE, Priced to sell, $89,900, 720 West 500 North, SLC, 2 nice bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, 2 car carport, very clean and well kept. (801) 652-2986 Terry Simmons/REMAX GAY STREET. 1936 Tudor, 4 Bd, 2 bath in the West Capitol Hill neighborhood, several gay households. 242 W. Reed Ave (740 North) $149,900. John P Poulos 801-641-8998 poujoh@wfrmls.com 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

SERVICE DIRECTORY

If you see news happening that Salt Lake Metro should cover, please call our hotline at

32

■

SALT LAKE METRO

■

JULY 8, 2004