Metro, Jan 15, 2006 by QSaltLake Magazine

Utah’s Gay and Lesbian Biweekly Newspaper Volume 3 ■ Issue 2 January 19–February 1

Community Calls for Larry Miller Boycott Apology, nondiscrimination policy demanded

Salt Lake Council to Supercede Mayoral Order Anderson: Council shrinking from fight

Hate Crime Bill Differs from Previous Years Categories stripped.

Idaho Gay/Straight Alliance Gets Guff Republican Party likens gays to Hitler, pedophiles

Vote for Salt Lake’s Most Fabulous Ballot on Page 24

NAACP Offends Gay Agenda

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National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Receives $3 Million Gift funds will enable the Task Force’s Organizing & Training Department to expand its work to provide technical and financial assistance to organizations working to build public support for LGBT equality and repelling anti-LGBT attacks.”

Pope Speaks Out Against Abortion, Gay Relationships by Danny McCoy Vatican City — Pope Benedict XVI said that doctors should not give women the abortion pill because it hides the “gravity” of taking a human life, and also said it was wrong to give legal recognition to gay unions. Benedict once again reaffirmed church teaching on both abortion and the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman during an audience with officials from Rome and its surrounding Lazio region. Benedict said pregnant women, particularly those in difficult situations, needed concrete help, and said officials should “avoid introducing drugs that hide in some way the gravity of abortion, as a choice against life.” The Italian Bishops’ Conference has mounted a renewed fight against abortion and the RU-486 pill, turning abortion into a campaign issue for the first time since Italians upheld the law in a 1981 referendum the church sponsored in a bid to overturn it. Benedict also stressed that marriage between man and woman was the cornerstone of society and not some “casual sociological construction” that could be replaced. “It’s a serious error to obscure the value and function of the legitimate family founded on matrimony, attributing to other forms of unions improper legal recognition, for which there really is no social need,” he said. Gay and lesbian groups in Italy have been pushing for common law couples to have legal recognition in hopes the move might pave the way for granting legal status to gay couples.

Gay Club at Idaho High School Draws Criticism

by Angela D’Amboise Logansville, Ga. — A private Christian school in Georgia claims it had the constitutional right to expel a student after administrators learned she shared a lesbian kiss with another student at a slumber party and was also involved in a sexual relationship with another female student. Covenant Christian Academy said it was constitutionally protected when it made the decision to expel Jessica Bradley for “committing the major offense of sexual immorality.” The school’s Jan. 4 response came just days after the former student, 15, and her father, Ron Bradley, sued the school in Gwinnett Superior Court for $1 million. The school expelled Bradley after learning April 26 about her off-campus lesbian relationship. The Bradleys now live in Pennsylvania. CCA states in court records it is protected by the First Amendment and “ecclesiastical abstention” that prohibits courts from forcing a religious organization to define its beliefs. “The school is saying that it has the constitutional right to ban gays,” said David Clark, attorney for the Bradleys. Officials with CCA did not return calls seeking comment.

Coeur D’Alene, Idaho — Local Republicans and community members criticized officials at Lake City High School for allowing a GayStraight Alliance club. School officials say the club offers a “safe and tolerant atmosphere” for gay students. But Mike Oliver, who belongs to a group called the Constitution Party of Idaho, says the club creates “a breeding ground for pedophiles.” School officials and GSA advisers were invited to speak at the North Idaho Pachyderm Club, a Republican group, where they were met with comparisons to pedophiles and Adolph Hitler. School officials say the club meets all school guidelines.

New Jersey Passes Two Landmark Gay Rights Bills by Angela D’Amboise Newark, N.J. — New Jersey lawmakers voted this week to give same-sex couples the same rights as married couples regarding inheritance and funeral arrangements and to extend gay couples’ access to health benefits in the public sector. The two bills were passed overwhelmingly in the state legislature. Gov. Richard Codey is expected to sign both. New Jersey is one of several U.S. states that already offers same-sex couples some legal rights as partners, though it stops short of allowing gay marriage. One of the bills passed Jan. 9 sets out same-sex couples’ rights to inheritance and funeral arrangements while the other deals with health benefits for partners of employees of county and municipal governments, school boards and county colleges. Voters in 13 states have approved constitutional amendments in the past year-anda-half declaring their laws would recognize marriage only between a man and woman. Vermont and Connecticut recognize same-sex civil unions while Massachusetts has legalized gay marriage.

Group Formed to Attempt Gay Marriage Ban in Idaho Boise, Idaho — A new ultra-conservative group has formed in Idaho to again attempt a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the state. The Idaho Values Alliance was organized by Bryan Fischer, who served as state Senate chaplain in 2001. “The signal that we’ve gotten from legislative leadership on the House and Senate side is they’d like to see an amendment go forward,” said Fischer, who is acting as executive director of the Boise-based group. Fischer stated in a press conference that religious liberties are threatened in Idaho, citing the 2004 Boise City Council decision to remove a Ten Commandments monument from a city park and court decisions concerning prayer in public schools. “There isn’t any reason why that kind of encroachment won’t happen anywhere unless someone steps up and takes a stand on religious freedom,” he said. About 35 people attended Fischer’s news conference. He was introduced by Allen Gorin, a Jewish real-estate developer from Eagle who heads a group called Idahoans United for Israel. Fischer’s group fills a need in Idaho for a public policy group that includes people of different faiths, Gorin said. The Values Alliance “will not make faith an issue,” he said. “It will make values the issue.” Fischer said his group will lobby for tougher laws to remove violent sexual predators from society, for property tax relief and for protection from eminent-domain property seizures. He said the Values Alliance will also work to limit abortion rights in Idaho.

The Annual Awards of Utah’s Gay and Lesbian Community are Here Again. Vote Today on Page 24 and enter to win a trip to Fabulous Las Vegas

JANUARY 19, 2006 ■ SALT LAKE METRO ■ 5

Washington, D.C. — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation has announced that it was awarded a combined gift of $3 million over three years from the Arcus Foundation and its founder and president, Jon Stryker, to support its nationwide campaign of organizing, capacity building, advocacy and public education to advance equal rights and respect for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. “This combined award of $3 million by Mr. Stryker and the Arcus Foundation will make a huge difference to the LGBT movement at the state and local level,” said NGLTF executive director Matt Foreman. “Not only is it the largest award ever made to the Task Force in our 33-year history, it is the largest known gift ever given directly to support movement building and advocacy in the 50-plus year history of the modern LGBT rights movement.” The contribution comes at a crucial time for the gay community, which is facing a wave of ballot initiatives, constitutional amendments and other measures seeking to deny equal rights to gay and lesbian people and their families at the state, local and national level. Basic job discrimination laws, domestic partnership laws, civil union and marriage laws, adoption rights and family recognition are all under fire from heavily financed right-wing groups and are likely to appear on ballots in November 2006 in Arizona, California, Wisconsin, Minnesota and many other states. The award consists of a three-year grant for 2006–2008, of which $1 million reflects an individual contribution from Jon Stryker and $2 million from the Arcus Foundation. The award will be used to train leaders, organize local communities, strengthen coalitions between gay and non-gay allies, build the capacity of statewide organizations and strengthen the Task Force’s own capacity. “We strongly believe in the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, its talented staff and experienced board leadership,” said Arcus Foundation President Jon Stryker. “This is an urgent moment in the LGBT movement’s effort to achieve full human rights and dignity — the work at the state and local level has never been more important. This is the ideal time to increase our investment in one of our community’s most effective organizations, and we hope other donors will do so as well.” Over the past five years, Arcus has granted more than $1.6 million to the Task Force. Since 2001, the Task Force’s organizing department has grown to more than 11 full-time organizers and trainers; directly trained more than 2,000 people; worked substantially with state and local organizations in 26 states; and provided education, research, training, community organizing and leadership development to support local organizations in 22 ballot initiative campaigns, of which six out of seven were successfully contested by the gay movement in 2002–2003 and 13 out of 22 were successfully contested over the full five-year period. “Stronger state and national organizations, trained and skilled leaders, increased grassroots engagement and deeper coordination with allies are the keys to LGBT progress,” noted Urvashi Vaid, executive director of the Arcus Foundation. “These

School Claims Constitutional Right to Ban Gays

LOCAL

Larry H. Miller Pulls ‘Brokeback Mountain’ News of Larry H. Miller’s eleventh-hour decision to pull Brokeback Mountain from playing at the Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons theater has reached around the world. Media outlets in China, the U.K. and Australia carried the story and people worldwide made it the topsearched story on Yahoo! News over the first weekend. The night before it was to first screen at his theater, KCPW reporter Jonathan Larry H. Miller Brown asked Miller how Brokeback will play side-by-side against Work and the Glory American Zion (which Miller funded). “That’s a great question, and I think it’s going to be interesting to see that. I think it’s something that I have to let the market speak, to some degree, and not consider myself, because I don’t think I’m qualified to be the community censor,” Miller said. Later that night, Miller did, indeed, play censor and personally pulled the plug on the show. Jack Foley, Focus Features’ head of distribution, found out that night that the film had been pulled. Focus Features immediately released a

statement to the press: “Only hours prior to opening Brokeback Mountain, the management of the Jordan Commons Cinema, Salt Lake City, Utah, reneged on their licensing agreement with Focus Features and refused to open the film today as scheduled. The theater’s management gave no explanation. Given the gigantic grosses already being posted in Salt Lake City for Brokeback Mountain, this is their loss. We are thrilled that the film, which recently won Best Picture from the Utah Film Critics Association, is now being embraced by such a huge audience in Salt Lake City, regardless of the deplorable business practices of this one theater.” “It’s the most despicable practice that any exhibitor can do,” Foley told Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo, an online movie publication and box office reporting service. “It was a flagrant dismissal of a commitment, and without even a phone call. So I’m not in business with him anymore. It’s a breach of contract. It’s unethical. We can sue him.” When asked by Salt Lake Metro whether Focus would, indeed, sue the theater chain or refuse futher bookings, Foley would not comment. Films with a lower budget must be very decisive in rolling out film prints, each of which cost an average of $2,500. Focus has been receiving flack from many people chomping at the bit to see the show who complain that the roll-out has not been fast enough. The film opened Dec. 9 in just five theatres

and broke records for per-screen revenue for the year, averaging $109,000 per screen in the first three days. The studio rolled out the film much more aggressively than originally planned to 484 theaters Jan. 6, rather than just over 200 theaters at the end of the month. Contrary to news reports coming out of Australia, Miller’s Megaplex was the only theater in the country to yank the film, according to Foley. A theater in Pasoul, Wash. had marketed the film, but had not yet secured it through Focus Features, leading many to assume the theater had pulled it. In an aggressive testosterone-fueled display against a female KSL Radio reporter, Miller yelled he “said everything I had to say when I pulled the movie.” Calls for comment by multiple news outlets, including Salt Lake Metro, yield a “no comment” from Megaplex general manager Dale Harvey. Brokeback has been playing extremely well in Salt Lake City since the Broadway Centre Cinemas opened it with a sold-out midnight showing Dec. 28. “Brokeback Mountain opened at the Broadway Cinema on New Years weekend, with smash hit results with a first week gross of $58,469. Success was expected in Salt Lake City which is why the market was opened early,” Foley told Salt Lake Metro. “This amount of business well exceeded our high expectations for the film there. The expansion in Salt Lake on Jan. 6 was also successful. We are happy with our great results in Salt Lake City.” Over the four-day New Year’s holiday, Broadway Cinemas’ receipts ranked tenth of all cities showing the film. It continues to be the theater’s top-grossing film, bringing in $18,823 last week. The film also tops all films showing at the Century 16 at $12,741 for its first weekend, however it ranks sixth in Sandy’s Cinemark 24 where it made just over $7,000. At the film’s Sydney Australia premiere, Heath Ledger called Miller’s decision to pull the film “immature.” “It’s all just really unnecessary,” Ledger told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Who gives a fuck? Personally I don’t think the movie is [controversial] but I think maybe the Mormons in Utah do. I think it’s hilarious and very

immature of a society. If two people are loving … I think we should be more concerned if two people express anger in love, than love. This talk is all a waste of energy.” Megaplex 17’s other current offerings are arguably less family-focused, such as the pot-smoking comedy Grandma’s Boy and the violent torture horror film Hostel. Megaplex employees showed support for the film on their name tags, noting Brokeback as their “Favorite Film.” “Most all of the [Megaplex] ‘team members’ are quite upset about [the cancellation] but have been advised to say ‘no comment’ to any questions asked,” said one Megaplex empoyee who asked for anonymity. “I was upset when my supervisor informed me that we had pulled the movie. I later heard that upper management was sitting in the office joking about the whole situation. I hate the fact that they have chosen not to see the movie and yet sit back and talk and joke about it.” “I can only imagine how some of my fellow ‘team members’ feel knowing that this is how Larry feels about them being gay, lesbian or bi themselves,” the employee continued.

Megaplex 17 also Pulls ‘Transamerica’ Brokeback Mountain was not the only film pulled from the offerings of the Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons. According to a report published on boxofficemojo.com, an agreement to show Transamerica beginning Jan. 20 has also been cancelled by the theater. According to a representative at the Megaplex 17, Transamerica had never been on lists maintained by the box office, but the film had been advertised on the theater’s website. It was removed from the site over the weekend. Calls to the film’s distributor have not yet been returned. Transamerica is a comedy-drama starring Felicity Huffman as Bree, a pre-operative male-to-female transexual. Huffman has recevied several best actress awards, including the Golden Globe, the Tribeca Film Festival, Satellite Awards and National Board of Review. She was also nominated as best actress by the Broadcast Critics Association.

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Thur

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“Breakfast Jam”

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NOON

RadioActive

12:30

Public Affairs

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Roots n’ Blues

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Folk, Acoustic

“A movie theater in Utah abruptly cancelled a screening of the movie Brokeback Mountain. They felt it was inappropriate for the community standards. Instead they ran Deliverance.”

Reggae

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—Ken Sanders, of Ken Sanders’ Rare Books, quoted in The Salt Lake Tribune

Folk, Acoustic

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Vintage Rock

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Alternative Rock

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Folk, Acoustic

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Drive Time

“No self-respecting cowboy of any century would tolerate anything to do with herding sheep. I would hazard a guess that most cowboys would rather be called [gay] than be labeled a sheepherder.”

Native American

Folk, Acoustic, Rock & More

Alternative Rock, Roots, Alternative Country, Soul & More

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Vietnamese