Metro, Feb. 16, 2006

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Utah’s Gay and Lesbian Biweekly Newspaper Volume 3 ■ Issue 4 February 16–March 1

SL Council Supersedes Benefits Order Salt Lake employees still await insurer’s ruling

Two Bills Aimed at Gay/Straight Clubs It takes 60 requests to bring sponsor to talk to affected kids

Team Salt Lake Hopes for 100

Athletes going to Gay Games asked to sign up locally

Super Bowl Snubs Gay NFL Player

Legislative Session Bill Tracker Laurie’s Guide to Understanding Utah Ruby Snuggles with the Bears Log Cabin Responds to Gov’s State of the State Gay Agenda

Utah State Legislative Session 2006 Two Bills Attack Gay-Straight Alliances

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SALT LAKE METRO ■ FEBRUARY 16, 2006

by JoSelle Vanderhooft Utah’s gay-straight alliances face two challenges to their existence this legislative session in the form of nearly identical bills in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Sponsored by Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, Senate Bill 97 instructs schools to deny the use of its property to clubs whose charter or activities encourage criminal conduct, support bigotry or discuss human sexuality. Among other things, the last of these is defined as “encouraging self-labeling of students in terms of sexual orientation,” disclosing “attitudes or personal conduct” of students and their family members regarding sexual orientation or beliefs about sex, discussing contraception and promoting sex outside marriage. Schools could also deny clubs if they deem them threats to the “physical, emotional, psychological or moral well-being” of students and staff or go outside “boundaries of socially appropriate behavior.”

School boards would decide which clubs meet the above standards.

Undisclosed health problems have kept Buttars away from much of the legislative session. In his absence, no senators have come forward to carry SB 97. No action has been taken on it as of Feb. 8, when it was listed on the Senate Education Committee’s agenda but not considered.

On Jan. 28, a virtually identical bill was introduced in the House. Sponsored by Aaron Tilton, R-Springville who worked closely with Buttars in the drafting of SB 97, House Bill 393 may eventually be harsher than the one in the Senate. Though HB 393 does not presently discuss this, Tilton told the Deseret News his bill may mandate a rating system for clubs “so a parent would be made aware ... of the (club’s) nature, that might conflict with a value they might hold.”

Both bills require parents to sign permission slips before students can join any curricular or extracurricular club.

Though the reason for the creation of two identical bills has not been disclosed, Stan Burnett, Gay Lesbian Buisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah Youth Director, said their existence didn’t surprise him.

“It just shows that the work against the GLBT young people and GSAs isn’t just centered in one person,” he said. “I think

they are a minority voice within the legislature but obviously we can’t rely on Senator Buttars being the only voice.”

Though Buttars and Tilton have conflated GSAs with clubs that discuss and promote sex, Burnett says GSAs do not do this, calling such statements “willful misrepresentation of facts.”

“The current club requirements for every district I’m aware of prohibits that,” he said.

“It’s part of everyone’s constitution and part of the understanding of the faculty advisors.

The students are very aware of it.”

He cited the formation of Provo High School’s GSA last October as an example of this.

“In the case of Provo High School, the principal gave a very clear description about what the rules are about talking about sex before they started their club,” he said. “I can guarantee that if Provo High School students were ever discussing sex in their GSA it would be within the same day that school club would be brought down.”

Hal Newman, faculty advisor of Hunter High School’s GSA said he thinks the word “gay” in gay-straight alliance is the reason GSAs have been mentioned in these bills.

“Notice they don’t call them gay straight alliances, they call them gay clubs,” he said. “It really is a misnomer. The GSA isn’t about human sexuality. In fact it says that in our club charter.

We do not encourage students to express what their orientation is. In fact I don’t know the sexual orientation of the vast majority of students who have come through the GSA at Hunter because we don’t ask. It’s a place where students can come regardless of their orientation and feel safe and learn about issues that, yes, do confront the gay community often. But it is not about sexuality.”

He defined Hunter High’s GSA as “a support, social and service club.” Students, he said, have attended everything from Equality Utah’s lobbying training sessions to talks about financial management. They have also put together cooking demonstrations, bulletin boards about anti-transgender violence and have organized off-campus movie nights.

“We also spend a good deal of time talking about activities in the schools and how nontraditional couples can attend those and letting students know the administration is

Continued on page 4

FEBRUARY 16, 2006 ■ SALT LAKE METRO ■ 3

Utah State Legislative Session 2006 Two Bills Attack Gay-Straight Alliances

BILL TRACKER HB10 – DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND DATING VIOLENCE AMEND. (LITVACK)

Continued from page 2

Provides for protective orders against those in dating situations.

supportive of our activities,” said Newman.

“We have so many students who enjoy the club that’s why they’ve been so active and involved this year in trying to save it from the legislature.”

In fact, some of those students (with their parents’ permission) lobbied against HB 393 on Feb. 7, including three non-members who identified themselves to Newman as “straight allies” who admired the work of Hunter High’s GSA. “It was very interesting to see the legislators’ reaction when the kids introduced themselves,” he said. “We may have changed some minds that day.”

He added that the three students had tried to speak to Tilton only to be ignored at first.

“He came out a number of times and would look at us, shake his head no and walk away,” he said. But after the students sent the representative over 60 requests, Newman said he finally came out to speak to them.

“He maintained, and one of my students made the statement, that he said the bill would not prohibit GSAs but, my goodness, the definition of human sexuality in the bill is so broad it basically gets rid of the GSAs period,” he said.

Tilton did not return a phone call seeking comment on his bill.

Utah’s first controversy over gay-straight alliances occurred in 1996, when students at East High School attempted to organize the state’s first such club. In response, the Salt Lake City school board placed a ban on all noncurricular clubs which was later lifted.

Passed out of the House Law Enforcement Comm. with a unanimous vote. Currently on House 3rd Reading Calendar.

HB85 SUB. – ABORTION BY A MINOR, PARENTAL NOTIFICATION AND CONSENT (GIBSON) Requires parental consent for abortions performed on a minor.

Has passed the House 65:8 and the Sentate Judiciary Committee 5:0. It will now be heard by the full Senate.

HB90 – CRIMINAL PENALTY AMEND. (LITVACK) This year’s hate crime bill.

Passed out of the House Judiciary Comm. Feb. 2 with a 10:3 vote. It is now up for seond reading by the House.

HB148 – PARENT AND CHILD AMEND.

(CHRISTENSEN, L.) Restricts “in loco parentis” when contrary to the wishes of the biological parent, regardless of the interest of the child.

Bill passed the House Judiciary Comm. and

HB304 – VOIDING TRANSACTIONS AGAINST PUBLIC POLICY (CHRISTENSEN, L.)

Restricting benefits and rights afforded to gay and lesbian couples through contracts, legal proceedings or municipal laws.

Passed the House Law Enforcement Comm. 7:2 and is now headed to the House Floor.

HB393 – PUBLIC ED. CLUB AMEND. (TILTON)

Restricts school clubs from discussing sexuality, including one’s views on sexual orientation. Requires parent consent to join.

The bill is currently in the House Education Comm.

SB19 – AMEND. TO INDOOR CLEAN AIR ACT Prohibits smoking in private clubs and bars. (WADDOUPS)

Bill passed the Senate and passed the House Health & Human Services Comm. 6:1. It is now on the House Floor.

SB43 – MINIMUM WAGE AMEND. (MAYNE) Increases the minimum wage to $7 per hour

Bill is stuck in the Work Force Services Senate Comm.

SB96 SUB. – INSTRUCTION AND POLICY RELATING TO THE ORIGINS OF LIFE (BUTTARS)

Requires all theories of origin of life be taught in public schools and that no theory has been agreed upon by scientists.

Passed the Senate 16:12 and the House Education Comm. 7:6. It is now on th House floor.

SB97 – STUDENT CLUB AMEND. (BUTTARS) This bill is now held in committee and replaced by HB393.

Capitol Hill Rally Draws Crowd Mike Thompson, executive director of Equality Utah (above), speaks Feb. 7 at a political rally to members and supporters of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah outside the state Capitol.

The rally was part of The Center’s Winterfest Flurries. Representatives of Utah Stonewall Democrats, Utah Log Cabin Republicans and Rep. Biskupski urged support of gay issues and for hate-crimes legislation and parental rights.

Wendy Bradshaw and Evelyn Garlington (right) attended, holding a sign that stated, “If you couldn’t marry the person you loved, how would that make you feel?”

DISCUSSION & SIGNING

TAB HUNTER

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SALT LAKE METRO ■ FEBRUARY 16, 2006

Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star

Saturday • February 25 • 7:00 PM Borders - Murray 132 E. Winchester • 801.313.1020 Co-sponsored by Salt Lake Metro

NATIONAL AND WORLD Gay Former NFL Player Claims He Was Shut Out of Super Bowl New York, N.Y. — One of only three NFL players to ever publicly reveal his homosexuality says the league discriminated against him by refusing to let him into the Super Bowl earlier this month.

Former New York Giants offensive lineman Roy Simmons said he wasn’t granted media access to the game because he is gay and HIV-positive, and because he has said other pro football players are closeted homosexuals.

“I stood outside the (Super Bowl) media center and watched many past and present football players come in and out, Simmons, who also played for the Washington Redskins, told Newsday. “I asked myself, ‘Why me? Was it because I’m gay and HIV positive?’ I was once part of the inner circle — now I’m standing on the outside looking in.”

Simmons has recruited high-powered attorney Gloria Allred, who delivered a letter calling for an investigation to an NFL representative outside the league’s Park Avenue offices yesterday.

Allred says that after her client was told there was no more room in the media center while other players and celebrities were granted passes even though they applied days later, according to Newsday.

Although Simmons, who played his last NFL game in 1985, was not working for any media outlet, he said former players often watch the Super Bowl from inside the media center.

If the NFL does not investigate Simmons’ claim, the former player may consider a discrimination lawsuit against the league, Allred said.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said yesterday that NFL offices are “literally inundated with last-minute requests for Super Bowl game tickets, party tickets and press credentials like the one made by Roy Simmons.”

He said it was impossible to meet all the requests.

Aiello says that the NFL asked Simmons

to speak to a group of rookie players earlier this year, evidence, he said, the league doesn’t think of him as an outcast.

But according to Newsday, Simmons maintains that the NFL is extremely homophobic. In his book, Out of Bounds, Simmons wrote that it is more acceptable for a football player to sell drugs or beat his wife than it is for him to be openly gay.

Simmons, 49, is one of three NFL players to come out, joining David Kopay and Esera Tuaolo. All three came out after they had ended their playing careers.

Arab Men Given Five Years for Homosexuality United Arab Emirates — A United Arab Court has jailed and sentenced eleven gay men who were accused of being gay after they were discovered preparing for a gay wedding.

The men, who were arrested last November, were given five year sentences for homosexuality and one year sentence for obscenity, according to reports from Gay.com. A twelfth man was given a one year jail sentence for obscenity but was acquitted of homosexuality along with another 14 other men.

According to some reports, the men were arrested wearing women’s clothes and preparing to walk down the aisle in a mass wedding celebration.

In November, press reports indicated that the UAE’s Interior Ministry would be giving the arrested men hormone treatments to “cure” them of their homosexuality. Homosexuality is illegal in the UAE and hormone injections are used in an attempt to cure gay men and turn them straight.

According to the Associated Press, this is the latest in a string of raids and arrests in countries where homosexuality is illegal.

Authorities in Egypt arrested more than a dozen gay men attending a boat party, a move that led to international condemnation and criticism from the European Union.

Last year, more than 30 men in Saudi Arabia were arrested for taking part in a gay wedding party. And in several countries, hard-line tactics have led to the banning of gay news websites and online chat rooms.

FEBRUARY 16, 2006 ■ SALT LAKE METRO ■ 5

LOCAL

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SALT LAKE METRO ■ FEBRUARY 16, 2006

Center Hosts First Winterfest Conference

by JoSelle Vanderhooft On Feb. 10, the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah held a day-long conference on topics of queer identity and rights, officially marking the final weekend of Utah’s first annual Winterfest.

The conference began at 8:30 a.m. with an opening speech by singer and activist Holly Near. Near, who performed a concert titled “Song-Talk” at the Rose Wagner Black Box Theatre the previous evening, spoke about her work as a musician and an activist in the gay rights, women’s and peace movements. She also spoke about avoiding “burn-out” as an activist, and about the “little things people can do to change the world,” such as being conscientious about the ways they treat others and trying new tactics when old ones fail to work.

“The act of saying hello to one another is a powerful thing,” she said. “In the ways we say hello to one another we can change our communities without even noticing it.”

The day was divided into three sessions containing four panels each. With names such as “Barriers to Health Care Access: Is It a Gay Thing,” “Internalized Homophobia” and the panel discussion “Gender Warriors,” each examined an aspect queer identity, culture or the struggle for human rights.

In the discussion titled “In God We Trust?: Religious Politics, Sexual Politics: Organizing for a Progressive, Queer Future” New York University associate professor Ann Pellegrini discussed the relationship between Christian theology and political discussions of gay and lesbian sex, especially in the 2004 elections and the two Supreme Court cases on sodomy laws, 1986’s Bowers v. Hardwick and 2003’s Lawrence v. Texas.

She also discussed what she saw as flaws in arguing homosexuality’s biological basis or by arguing that gays are “just like everyone else and want traditional values.”

“The second might be more successful, but I think it’s ceding too much ground,” said Pellegrini, a professor of Performance Studies and Religious Studies. “Think of all that’s being taken for granted here. Why are civil rights impingent upon people being just like everyone else?”

A following session titled “Queer Theory & You: Genitals, Clothing, Pleasure, and Shame” introduced participants to the study of queer theory. Presented by Kathryn Bond Stockton, Professor of English and Director of Gender Studies at the University of Utah, this session introduced the discipline of queer theory and explained its differences from the study of gay and lesbian culture and history.

“Queer is slang for homosexual, but it also means strange,” Stockton said. “Queer theory wants to move beyond the confines of homosexuality to spread strangeness across all sexualities.” Stockton explained how this was possible by examining the complex relationship between clothing and gender expression, sexual pleasure, identity and, ultimately, shame.

“What I want you to know is clothes are still seen as a form of vanity and vanity is still seen as women’s shame,” she said. “Which means men can’t love their clothes and love grooming without being seen as gay.”

Other sessions included “The Sanctity of Marriage – Featuring Those Who Cast the First Stone,” a reading from author Bryan

Harris’ irreverent book about the sex lives of anti-gay politicians. “Tending Yourself, Tending the Tribe: Psychological Survival in the Face of Anti-Gay Politics” focused on tactics for combating the psychological and emotional trauma activists can face when dealing with anti-gay legislation.

The conference closed with a speech by Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. He spoke out against anti-gay bills in the 2006 legislative session and praised the efforts of The Center and the gay rights movement in general.

“Against literally hundreds of years of persecution and discrimination built into the DNA of our society we — you — have accomplished so much,” he said.

He encouraged listeners to respond to anti-gay discrimination with “pride, anger and righteousness.”

“This is about more than passing discriminatory laws and resolutions,” he said.

“It is absolutely about hurting people, hurting me, you and our families and the people who are coming out for us. We need to face the realities of what this anti-gay industry in America is creating, what its products are.”

The Winterfest conference also included a luncheon, a silent auction and tables representing organizations such as Log Cabin Republicans and the University of Utah Lesbian and Gay Student Union, merchants like King’s English Books and individual authors selling their books.

Winners of Salt Lake Gay Film Festival Announced The inaugural Salt Lake City Gay and Lesbian Film Festival ended Feb. 5 with a free sixhour showing of HBO’s Angels in America, a discussion of gay and lesbian themes in films through history, and a showing of the festival’s top film, Eighteen.

The festival drew hundreds of participants who watched a total of 32 films at Brewvies Cinema and Pub and Regency Theatres Trolley Square Cinemas.

Top films were selected by a panel of judges who spoke informally with moviegoers after each film. The festival’s Jury winners are: Best Feature (Gay Male): Eighteen Best Short (Gay Male): Fairies Best Short (Lesbian): Hung Organizers are beginning work on next year’s festival and hope to have several screenings through the rest of this year.

“We will be looking for national sponsors now that we have a successful first festival behind us,” said Mell Bailey, festival cochair. “Next year we hope to bring in more films, show them more often, and be able to afford 35mm versions of as many films as possible to bring up the quality of the experience.”

Co-chair and film booker Tim Keller, who also books Utah State University’s annual gay and lesbian film festival, Pridefest, said, “Bringing in gay films throughout the year will offer Utah’s gay and lesbian community opportunities to view films they wouldn’t otherwise be able to see without traveling to another city.”

Upcoming films will be featured on the festival’s website, saltfest.org. Those who wish to support the group’s efforts can join and receive newsletters and discounts to events.

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Utah Symphony & Opera, in collaboration with Daynes Music Company, will host a two-day public sale of high quality Steinway & Sons pianos Feb. 22–23 in the Abravanel Hall lobby. Ten percent of all proceeds will directly benefit Utah Symphony & Opera, going towards the purchase of new pianos for both Abravanel Hall and the Utah Opera Production Studio.

“This is an excellent opportunity to buy superior pianos at substantial savings while supporting Utah Symphony & Opera,” said Spencer Clark, communications manager of the Utah Symphony and Opera.

Private appointments granted on a firstcome, first-served basis will be scheduled Feb. 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The general public is invited Feb. 22 from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Feb. 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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In the months leading up to the Chicago Gay Games (held July 15–22), McGowan says he and Fadel will continue their work.

This means finding ways to place teams in the same hotel, coordinating uniforms and getting athletes connected with other competitors in their sport so they can train and socialize. They’ve also planned several public events. In March, there will be a social for “people who have registered and people wondering if they should.” They also plan for all participants to march in the Pride Parade in June and hold a barbecue for athletes two weeks before the games.

“We’re trying to keep everyone not only in the loop but excited about it, and letting them know there’s more stuff coming up. It doesn’t just begin when the games begin,” he said.

Though McGowan is still looking for competitors interested in any sport, he cautioned athletes to sign up as soon as possible, as some sports are filling up fast and will soon close. For example, golf was “at 95% capacity” as of Feb. 7.

He also said that the team will help anyone who signs up.

“If people are interested in, for instance, training for the marathon or triathlon we’ve got several people going to do the tri who are training together,” he said. “The cyclists are helping people with their cycling. There’s a lot of help going on.”

Less than ten athletes represented Utah in the 2002 Sydney Games, but the team did incredibly well for such small numbers, winning over 20 medals. That’s a number McGowan is sure the team will top this year.

Still, Douglass makes it clear that winning medals isn’t everything.

“You feel a real sense of pride for the community you come from, for the Utah GLBT community,” she explains. “You’re representing a community when you go to the Gay Games.”

McGowan also hopes Team Salt Lake will encourage the development of gay-friendly sporting leagues in Utah, particularly among sports that have yet to organize into teams.

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FEBRUARY 16, 2006 ■ SALT LAKE METRO ■ 7

by JoSelle Vanderhooft While the 2006 Winter Games are well under way in Turin, Italy, Utah cyclist Margaret Douglass has her eyes on a prize a bit closer to home: gold medals at the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago.

Of course, she’s just happy to participate in the first place.

“It’s one of the most empowering experiences I’ve ever had,” said Douglass, who holds five gold and two silver medals between the 1994 Gay Games in New York City and the 2002 Games in Sydney, Australia.

“You grow in your personal life, in who you are and what you want to become.”

Douglass is just one of over fifty Utahns signed up for the 2006 Gay Games as part of Team Salt Lake. It’s a record number, and one co-organizer Mark McGowan wants to see increase.

“Our goal is 100 and it’s looking more and more like we’ll be able to do that,” said McGowan, a tennis player who put together Team Salt Lake for the 2002 Sydney Gay Games.

The members of Team Salt Lake represent a diverse number of individual and competitive sports. So far, said McGowan, they have signed up for tennis, cycling, golf, the marathon and triathlon, even billiards and darts.

The flag football league Salt Lake Avalanche will also go, as will the women’s basketball league and an eight-member bowling team.

Then, there are the swimmers. According to McGowan, the Queer Utah Aquatic Club (QUAC) plans on taking “forty-five to fifty” people to compete in aquatic sports like synchronized swimming, diving and water polo. In fact, QUAC members already account for a large percentage of athletes who have registered so far. McGowan attributes this to the aquatic clubs’ strength as well as the efforts of QUAC president Doug Fadel, who serves as Team Salt Lake’s other cochair. Fadel is organizing the aquatic events while McGowan handles “everything else.”

“The swimming is so organized here and they do such a great job,” McGowan said.

“We’re really excited to start seeing this [come together].”

Polynesian

Athletes attending the Gay Games are asked to sign up at website

He doesn’t shy away from the possibility of hosting the Gay Games in Salt Lake, either.

“Honestly, of course we want to win but we want to see everyone have a really good time and start participating here at home, getting our other leagues organized,” he said. “This is probably one of the best opportunities to go. You don’t have to fly halfway around the world, it’s very affordable and it’s one of the most fun and powerful feelings you’ll ever get.”

The Salt Lake Men’s Choir had 40 singers attend the 2002 Gay Games for its Cultural Festival, singing in the Sydney Opera House and the opening and closing ceremonies.

The choir, however, will not be going to Chicago.

Athletes interested in signing up for Team Salt Lake may do so by visiting teamslc.org, or by contacting either co-chair. They can also register directly on the Games’ website at gaygameschicago.org by including Team Salt Lake on their entry form. Mark McGowan can be reached at mark@rainbowmo untainrealty.com.

Electronica

Team Salt Lake Hopes for 100 Athletes

Variety

but has yet to make a ruling.

According to the Deseret News, the council’s plan if approved would allow 58 to 96 people to be enrolled. The cost to the city is estimated to be between $140,000 and $225,000.

To qualify their loved ones, employees must prove joint financial obligations in the form of things like joint house loans, credit cards, checking accounts or life insurance policies.

Last September, Love said she wanted to expand on the mayor’s order to insure more people.

Though Anderson and Love both agree that insuring gay domestic partners is important, Anderson criticized the council’s plan.

“My proposal was simply to provide equity for employees regardless of marital status or sexual orientation,” Anderson told the Deseret News. The City Council’s plan, he added, “dodges the issue of equality altogether.”

Jane Marquardt, Equality Utah chair, agreed. In September she said the plan was “shying away from making an active statement” that gay employees have family members to support just like their straight counterparts.

Love said the council’s plan was not an attempt to side step the issue of gay rights.

“Gay couples are still recognized with this benefits package,” she said, “But I think we all along wanted to make it broader so we could reach more employees that had nontraditional relationships that were in long-term caring relationships. We wanted to have the fairest possible benefits package for our employees. In our public meetings

African

by JoSelle Vanderhooft The Salt Lake City Council unanimously approved a benefits plan Feb. 7 allowing city employees to designate an adult, whether a sibling, parent, friend or domestic partner, to receive insurance benefits. It is now awaiting approval by the city’s insurer, the Public Employees Health Plan to see if it meets their criteria for coverage before people can be enrolled.

The City Council has been working on this plan since September 2005, when members Dave Buhler, Eric Jergensen and Jill Remington Love met with city attorneys to discuss their ideas. They did this in the wake Salt Lake City Council Member of Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson’s Jill Remington Love Sept. 21 executive order, which granted insurance benefits to the domestic partners of city employees gay and straight. Six days after the signing, PEHP filed suit to determine if the executive order constituted a contract negotiation or a law which would be struck down by 2004’s Amendment 3, which banned gay marriage.

Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund and several Salt Lake City residents also sued to block the order. Third District Court Judge Stephen Roth heard the case on January 5

Variety

City Council Passes Benefits Plan

we acknowledged how important this was for the gay community. I think and hope we have the support of many in the gay community and certainly the gay political action groups in the community.”

Since the council last considered the benefits plan at its Jan. 10 meeting, Representative LaVar Christensen, R-Draper, has proposed legislation that would change how the city pays for additional insurance coverage. Titled “Public Employer Benefits Plans,” House Bill 327 would allow public employers to offer benefits plans only if the supplemental benefits were not paid with public funding “of the state or its political subdivisions.” It would also prohibit plans from being established through an order or “the action of a public employer’s chief executive officer.” It would also permit legislative bodies to determine whether or not to offer additional insurance benefits.

Last August, Christensen said he would introduce such legislation if Utah law didn’t prohibit Anderson’s executive order.

“I believe that’s tantamount to the San Francisco mayor performing same-sex marriages on the city hall steps in disregard of California law,” he told KSL Radio at the time.

“If LaVar Christensen is able to pass this it would affect our ability to [implement the plan],” Love said. “I’m hoping the fact that we did it when we did it and did it in the way we did it — a unanimous vote by the council — will give him pause. I hope he will allow local governments to provide benefits to their employees.”

Introduced Feb. 1 and amended Feb. 2, the bill is not currently scheduled for another reading or a committee hearing.

Letters Premiere Film Festival a Hit

Editor Michael Aaron Arts Editor Tony Hobday

Editor, I wanted to congratulate Salt Lake Metro for organizing the Salt Lake City Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. There where some great films shown, as well as film shorts, featured throughout the week.

I was able to make it to most of them and there was always a crowd for all the films. If you missed out seeing this year’s gay and lesbian film festival, try to catch it next year; you won’t be disappointed and the VIP pass price made it affordable for everyone. The locations and times of the festival were excellent choices, both at Brewvies and Regency Theatres. Considering all the new product being produced now, our community can definitely support a gay and lesbian film festival every year.

Proofreader Nicholas Rupp Contributing Kim Burgess Writers Matthew Gerber Tony Hobday Laurie Mecham David Nelson Paul E. Pratt Ruby Ridge Darren Tucker JoSelle Vanderhooft Ben Williams Contributing William H. Munk Photographers Joel Shoemaker Display Ad Steven Peterson Sales 860-7505

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Office Mgr. Tony Hobday Intern Rusty Baum Distribution Jarrod Ames Kenni Littlefield Courtney Moser Copyright © 2006 Metro Publishing, Inc. 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. Salt Lake Metro is a trademark of Metro Publishing, Inc Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers or staff.

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SALT LAKE METRO ■ FEBRUARY 16, 2006

President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer:

Michael Aaron Steven Peterson Steve Whittaker Larry Tanner

Guest Editorial Governor Promises Hope

by Gordon Storrs, Utah Log Cabin Republicans Orlan and I listened to Gov. Huntsman’s State of the State address last week. As I listened, many of the concerns I’ve had recently about being a Republi-

can in this state nearly disappeared. The governor talked of those issues that make a real difference for all Utahns and chose not to discuss those issues that divide and separate people. As a candidate, Huntsman spoke often of assuring a place at the table for all Utahns. Certainly all of the initiatives proposed in the speech begin to do that.

The prosperity he talked about, the jobs, the economic development, the transportation affect everyone. It is prosperity for all — not just a few. This is a governor who understands that government is for all, not just the majority. I could not have been prouder. This is a governor who does not equivocate on the importance of every individual. The governor’s plans are broad based. He is creating coalitions with all of the Legislators. He is clearly a progressive governor. This is a governor and a Republican agenda that merit all of the support we have the capacity to give.

A coalition needs to be built upon progressive, moderate Republican thought and theory that can see the majority party remain in its position of power. We need to work to elect progressive republicans to office to balance those who feel that we are in the clear majority and that we can arrogantly trample on the rights of people and leave out those who have a lot to say but are in the minority. At all turns our governor is trying to open up government and to encourage everyone to participate.

This coalition of progressives will make a difference and could even include some of the Democrats in the state and will help restore balance to government. Hopefully, as Log Cabin Republicans, we can help make these dreams of a truly responsive government come true. We will be able to mediate the bigoted, hateful policies of the arrogant part of the Legislature while emphasizing the real values written into our county and state party platform: Those principles being government at the lowest level possible, dignity and worth for every individual, security, personal freedom, and economic justice.

We have some work to do.

Editor, I feel great! It’s taken me about two weeks, but I finally received a full refund for the three (Larry H. Miller) Megaplex gift cards my friends and I received for Christmas. The cards do say they are non-refundable, but after explaining that I am gay and, in good conscience, could not feel good about spending money at a Larry H. Miller business after observing the bias and prejudice exhibited by Mr. Miller relating to Brokeback Mountain, they refunded the total value of the cards.

But even more important than the money, it gave me the chance to explain why they were losing my business. They stated that they would like to earn back my business, and that gave me the opportunity to state what they would have to do. I used some of the ideas I’ve read in the Metro [“Join the Boycott Against Miller and His Companies,” Opinion, Jan. 19].

I told them that before I would ever return as a customer of a Larry H. Miller business, I would have to see some positive steps taken to show their organization is trying to overcome its hate and prejudice of gays.

Here are some suggestions: • Stop making business decisions that show contempt for gay customers.

• Honor the worth of each and every Miller employee by putting in place a policy barring discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

• Send one of those $1000 scholarship checks to the Matthew Shepard fund at Weber State University.

I told them that these are only suggestions, but similar actions could go a long way in convincing me to shop at a Larry H. Miller business again.

I urge all Metro readers to refrain from spending money at a Larry H. Miller business, but most importantly to tell them why they have lost your business. The Larry H. Miller website link (www. lhm.com) will allow you to send a quick “contact us” email. We can change hate and prejudice one business at a time!

Steve Gardiner Salt Lake City

NAACP On Their Own Editor, For the record, Ms. Williams, I dare liken our two movements to each other [“No Apology from NAACP,” Letters, Feb. 2].

When I hear someone called a nigger, I know what it feels like because I have, time and time again, been called a faggot with the same venom.

When I read what African Americans went through during segregation, I could relate because I was forced to use another locker room by myself for P.E., or was declined a spot on the team because the coach thought I would upset the morale of the other boys. I was isolated every day because I looked fragile, was perceived to be gay and was a creative child who didn’t fit in with the other kids. I relate to African Americans finding a job that pays a decent wage, because for two years I have been unemployed/underemployed because I appear to be gay. I can understand the frustration

your people feel when they find out employers hired someone with fewer qualifications because of how they perceived them. And I know firsthand the heartbreak of employers telling you “off the record” why they went with someone else. I know how it tears you apart, looking at all the extra you have had to do with your education, and the efforts made to have a flawless work history, to have a bigot launch an assault on you, holding you to a separate standard from the rest because you were different, because you weren’t of the dominant norm and persuasion.

So the next time you and the NAACP need something, or need support for your African American-only cause, remember, Ms. Williams, it was far more important to accept the money from Larry Miller. Remember that, in Utah, you sold the legacy of Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr. for a token scholarship. Remember that your nasty response burned a bridge that can never be fully repaired. I can’t and won’t speak for the entire GLBT community, but I, and many others, will remember this day. We will always have something more important to do than to further waste time in a partnership with the NAACP. You made it clear that the GLBT community is on its own here in Utah.

I hope our leaders were listening.

Wade Preston Salt Lake City UT

Pain is the Same Editor, Ms. Williams needs to move out of her ethnocentrism and stop whining about the injustice done to her [“No Apology from NAACP,” Letters, Feb. 2]. I, like most Americans, am appalled by slavery, but that was one hundred and fifty years ago. I’m tired of hearing about black abuse. I didn’t do it and neither did my parents. As a gay man, I know about not being hired or promoted because of who I am. As a gay man, I know about being beat up in school because of who I am. As a gay man, I know about being forced to take a “sex test” when applying for a job. Get over it, Jeanetta; your pain is no more than mine.

Darrell Johnson Salt Lake City

Work Together or Hang Together

of innocents like Sakia Gunn and Matthew Sheppard. Those who incite the violence are just as guilty as the psychotic thugs who do the beating and murdering. The recent terrorist attack in New Bedford is the direct result of the kind of homophobic bigotry that no one should be excusing. Solidarity isn’t just an expression; it’s a principle that must be adhered to to give us a chance to change this country for the better.

Finally, the absurdity of sputtering that “I’m more persecuted than anyone else in the whole wide world” line simply panders to the divisive tactics that the rulers of this country use so effectively. Blathering like that is more suited to the Jerry Springer Show than to serious political discourse. In any case, the most

Lambda Lore King Was Inclusive

by Ben Williams Twenty years ago, on the same day Coretta Scott King’s funeral was held in Atlanta, Georgia, she had come to Utah to promote her husband’s birthday as a state holiday. She spoke at the First Baptist Church on 1300 East.

I had taken off my lunch hour to go and listen to this remarkable lady. She said that it is important for young people to understand the struggle for human rights because they are going to be carrying into the future the torch that Martin Luther King, Jr. ignited. I feel the same about the need to pass on the legacy of the Stonewall Rebellion to every new gay generation.

I often wonder if Mrs. King’s remarkable courage influenced me in a way I did not comprehend back then, because later in the month of February, 1986, I came out of the closet. I often wonder, too, if anyone besides me celebrates the anniversary of their coming out of the closet? And if not, why not?

Coming out is certainly the single most courageous act any gay person commits in his or her lifetime. It’s the paradigm shift where upon all acts, before or afterward, are viewed and considered. Coming out is what binds us as a people in our struggle for the essential human right—that of being allowed to love and be loved.

Thinking about Mrs. King’s inclusiveness in her vision of human rights, I couldn’t help but contrast her dedication to her and her husband’s dream to Jeanetta Williams’ unfortunate diatribe [“No Apology from NAACP,” Letters, Feb. 2] on how dare gay people consider their civil rights struggle on par with that of African Americans.

Ms. Williams rhetorically asked how do we as gays equate our struggle with “400 years of slavery in America, free labor building this country, separate eating facilities, separate bathroom facilities, segregated seats on the public buses, segregated schools, water hose turned on us, police dogs turned on us, restricted from voting, less pay for doing the same jobs of whites, not hired when qualified and seeing white less qualified persons getting hired, discrimination in housing, and the list goes on.”

Perhaps Ms. Williams does not know that just four years after the Dutch brought African Americans to Virginia as slaves, Richard Cornish was hung for being a homosexual.

Perhaps she didn’t know that “sodomy” was punishable by death in all of the American colonies and was illegal in much of the United States until 2004. And, by the way, the last I checked, slavery was abolished 140 years ago.

Gays have had their own hardships, if differently. We have been imprisoned at hard labor, castrated, given electric shock treatments, institutionalized in insane asylums,

blackmailed, called security risks, ghettoized, and fired from jobs for moral turpitude. We are even excluded from serving our country because we are considered less than equal.

Does Ms. Williams think we have not also had water hoses turned on us, our churches burned down, our fragile family units dissolved? I wonder if Ms. Williams is saying that when gays are victimized, it is somehow different than when African Americans are, or maybe she is simply so blinded by her own struggles that she has self-imposed blinders.

Speaking just from my own experiences, I have been physically assaulted three times for being gay. The last time was in downtown Salt Lake City while walking with friends.

The police, instead of helping me, chastised me for being out late. Just last Saturday while shopping at a local grocery store, I was called a “fag.”

I guess Ms. Williams believes that homosexuals have never been involved in the black civil rights movement of the 1960s. Maybe she doesn’t know Utah’s Stephen Holbrook and his work with voting rights in Alabama, but certainly she should know who Bayard Rustin is. Rustin was one of the leading principals behind Martin Luther King’s belief in

persecuted group here is the Native Peoples who were nearly annihilated, fighting to the bitter end, and enduring suicide rather than submitting to slavery.

The rulers of this nation, the less than one-tenth of one percent who own sixty percent of the wealth, manufacture racism, anti-worker bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, and anti-immigrant sentiments hoping that we’ll never unite against them. Superstitious groups, 99% of the press, and both major parties aid them, yet, amazingly, they haven’t permanently divided us. We have to honor the principle that we should work together so we don’t hang together.

Bill Perdue Roseville, Calif. non-violence. He was gay, Ms. Williams.

Finally, I would like to remind Ms. Williams that no black child has ever had to tell her parents that she is black. No black child has ever been thrown out of the family unit for being black. At least in the black struggle for equality, the family and religious institutions were there to support, protect and nurture.

All too often, that is not the case in the gay struggle for equality.

FEBRUARY 16, 2006 ■ SALT LAKE METRO ■ 9

Editor, The exchange of views between NAACP President Jeanetta Williams and Michael Aaron about the honors recently accorded hatemonger Larry Miller by the NAACP raises serious issues about how different movements and organizations ought to relate to each other and to the broader, common struggle for social change.

For the record, it was a grave error allowing a compulsive bigot like Miller to masquerade behind the good name of the NAACP, no matter how much money he brought to the table. It was similar to the actions of a few gay organizations that accepted money from Coors, and while muting their criticism, gave Coors the cover to continue his union-busting and homophobic campaigns. It’s fine to accept donations with no strings attached, but something else entirely to bestow credibility on bigots.

Letting Miller or Coors pose as benefactors and friends of tolerance cheapens the good name of the organizations involved and is disloyal to the long and costly struggles against all forms of bigotry.

Williams says that “The NAACP has always fought for the rights of everyone and not a select group.” That’s true most of the time, and credits the political acumen and solidarity of most of the NAACP’s leadership.

But not now, and not in Salt Lake. Honoring a bigot like Larry Miller misleads and disheartens the movement as a whole. Where do we draw the line? Applaud Bush and Rice for “Honesty in Government?” Give a pat on the back to the Wal-Mart Waltons for treating their employees decently? Congratulate

Ariel Sharon for humane behavior towards Palestinians? Applaud some doctor-killing right-to-life goon for supporting women’s rights? Cheer Cheney’s efforts to protect Iraqis and GIs from harm? Give Ford an award for consumer safety? Praise the Catholic Church for its child protection efforts? It doesn’t matter how much money they cough up, integrity and solidarity come first.

Promoting the bigotry of Larry Miller was a mistake, and an acknowledgement is overdue—unless, of course, you’re of the opinion that mere dykes and faggots are sinful freaks of nature, unfit to be treated like humans.

Bigotry like that emanates daily from pulpits, the White House and in businesses, and triggers the murder, lynching and beating

AberRant

An Open Letter to the Citizens of Oregon Regarding Utah Politics

by Laurie Mecham

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SEE THE SPARKS FLY!

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KINGSBURY HALL PRESENTS

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 | 7:30 PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 | 2:00 PM KINGSBURY HALL Tickets: 581-7100 | www.kingtix.com

My dear fellow Oregonads, First of all, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have so graciously allowed me to merge during rush hour. Sometimes I’ve wondered if you were just being kind because I (still) have out of state plates, but often you have not been in a position where you could see my license plate and you still slowed so that I could pull into traffic ahead of you. This was unheard of in Utah, unless I personally allowed someone to merge, which I frequently did. Since my ex-husband is now living in Hawaii and traveling the world on the coattails of his new new-age wife, I have often asked the universe, “what the hell about KARMA?” Perhaps my karmic reward is being realized in tiny ways on my daily commute.

At any rate, there is definitely a “we’re all in this together” kind of attitude that prevails on the Portland roads, and for that, I thank you.

Anyway, to the point of this letter. I have had discussions with several of you—well, a couple of you with whom I work—about Utah, her people and her politics. You have been quite curious and rather credulous when you hear some of these things firsthand. So I’m taking this opportunity to give the rest of you an idea of Utah life and politics. As you are a very generous people, I trust that you will receive this information with compassion.

First, about our elected representatives.

Utah is one of the states that has a strong religious presence, and there is a conservative majority which holds the bulk of power — O.K., I’m going to cut the crap.

Utah is a theocracy. That’s all you need to know. If you ask, “why don’t the people do something about it?” the answer is that there aren’t enough folks who recognize that there is any problem about which to do something. Those who don’t agree with the theocracy live in a little slice of Salt Lake City and elect Democrats and lesbians.

I should also tell you that Utahns at large did not elect Chris Buttars. He was put into office by West Jordanians, a group of young Aryan Republicans who married at 22, bought poorly-constructed identihouses, and are busily having babies and raising them to be teen mothers and gang members. Buttars’ current pet legislation is aimed to get rid of school clubs that provide safe haven to gay kids. Yes, there IS great irony in the wording of the bill, which not only mentions human sexuality but also says that school boards should deny clubs that promote bigotry. I guess that would make a Chris Buttars fan club out of the question. And yes, the irony is lost on most folks.

Gayle Ruzicka is not an elected official, she was appointed to office by Phyllis Schlafly and Mark Hoffman.

There are a couple of other issues you may want to know about. Rep. Peggy Wallace introduced a bill to increase the court filing costs for divorce from $95 to $500. Her logic is based on solid scientific evidence that basically says, “I’ll pay ten thousand dollars to my attorney to get a divorce, but ask me to give five hundred bucks to the county and you can forget it. I’ll just stay with the miserable son of a bitch.” But please remember that this is not the metropolis of PDX. Representative Wallace actually does not know anyone who has divorced, at least no one that she still speaks to.

Her circle of friends just all hang on to their miserable lives with the help of the Lord and the pharmacist.

Representative Curtis Oda wants to eliminate age restrictions for hunting. The age “restriction” I’m referencing is eleven.

Yes, I’m talking about armed eleven-year-olds.

Under the proposed legislation, parents could prop the tyke in the bouncy chair with a bottle and a rifle. Remember, however, that in Utah you still can’t marry your first cousin until both of you are at least 55.

Preventing convicted criminals from being licensed to provide childcare is considered too harsh (on the criminal, that is).

Yes, the Utah House is reluctant to be so damn punitive to known criminals. Hell, they’re only taking care of children. It’s not like they’re torturing animals, which under Utah law will remain only a class A misdemeanor. By the way, if you spray paint something like, “Welcome back, Elder Jones” on state-owned property, it’s a class B misdemeanor.

Is this all becoming clear to you, my damp, liberal friends? Allow me to summarize: Whether to wear a seat belt is a matter of personal freedom. Whether to have a drink must be legislated.

Guns – personal freedom.

Sex – requires government oversight.

Child abuse – freedom.

Child custody – government.

Misinformation on human origins – the school’s job.

Misinformation on human sexuality – parents’ job.

Birth control – bad.

Abstinence – good.

Ritalin – good for my kid.

Ritalin – bad for your kid.

Red state – good.

Blue state – bad.

Red college – bad.

Blue college – good.

White – safe.

Brown – scary.

Wine – evil.

Prozac – normal.

I hope that you find this explanation helpful. I’d also like to thank you for all of the great work you’re doing for peace, the homeless, and the environment. I really look forward to getting to know you better.

Sincerely, Laurie Mecham

Gayle Ruzicka is not an elected official, she was appointed to office by Phyllis Schlafly and Mark Hoffman.

Ruby Ridge Living Da Bears

by Ruby Ridge Muffins, one of the best things about being a galactically-recognized style maven, and member of a globally important group like the Utah Cyber Sluts, meeting all sorts of interesting people in and around our community. As part of our never-ending mission to fight injustice, support the downtrodden and make the world a safer place for questionable glamour, the Utah Cyber Sluts really get around … and now that I think about it, so does our group! So far this year, our various performances and service projects have raised funds for Camp Pinecliff Weekend (the annual camp for people with HIV/AIDS and caregivers), the South Valley Sanctuary (a domestic violence shelter that also admits into its program men from samesex relationships), and the GLBTCCU—although God only knows where our contribution goes now that The Center has dropped plans for their crisis and referral line … which we all thought was the greatest idea since sliced bread (and those waterproof Band-Aids with dinosaurs on them).

But NOOOOO… something actually useful, like a centralized place to disseminate health information, make crime reports, refer gay and lesbian people and youth in crisis to appropriate service providers, and promote gay community resources would make way to much sense. So don’t hold your breath until that idea becomes a reality, cherubs. Ugh, don’t get me started or I will need a defibrillator and a really, really big cocktail.

Wow… I am really off on an angry tangent. My happy little column was actually supposed to be about one of our favorite community groups and avid supporter of the Sluts, the Utah Bear Alliance. People,

these fuzzy little love muffins are just delightful to work with and a fun bunch of guys to be around. They have an amazingly full calendar of activities (see it online at utahbears.com with something for everyone, not just the hirsute and husky amongst us. I must admit, I was slightly nervous about attending a bear event … you know, with me being so svelte, petite and delicate and all, but I must tell you, kittens, the Utah Bears made me feel quite at home. Their monthly Sunday brunch that rotates to various valley restaurants is a fabulous little get-together that I highly recommend to everyone.

We see many of the Bears every Monday at Club Try-Angles, where we host our ten-week season of bingo through January, February and March.

(Shameless self-promotion Ruby? Not really, darlings, because unlike so many people burdened with a conscience, I have absolutely no sense of shame … so there!) I have to tell you about an odd bingo occurrence last year that absolutely defied logic. In 2005, when our bingo was held at Todd’s Bar and Grill, we inexplicably broke all their existing kitchen sales records. Hmmmm, let’s see … thirty guys all weighing over 200–250 pounds and a huge hamburger and fries special for $3.50 … who knew that combination would go so well together? God bless their Lipitorchugging, little plaque-clogged hearts! Oh, I kid, I kid. But, darlings, if you want a really fun time, come join the Bears and the Sluts for the annual Mr. Utah Bear and Mr. Utah Cub contest March 10–12. The fur will fly … in a good way! Ciao cubbies!

I was slightly nervous about attending a bear event… you know, with me being so svelte, petite and delicate and all

Ruby Ridge is one of the more opinionated members of the Utah Cyber Sluts, a Camp Drag group of performers who raise funds and support local charities. Her opinions are her own and fluctuate wildly due to irritability and paying 33 cents an ounce for Shake and Bake. Doesn’t that seem excessive for a bag of breadcrumbs and pepper? I swear to God, after I finish this box I’m starting a boycott.

FEBRUARY 16, 2006 ■ SALT LAKE METRO ■ 11

Tab Hunter Hollywood Confidence

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SALT LAKE METRO ■ FEBRUARY 16, 2006

By David Nelson

In a world where celebrity is measured in months, if not weeks, few ordinary mortals can say with a poker face how long their favorite entertainers will continue to be noticed. When pressed to imagine most of the inhabitants of today’s A-lists 50 years from now, the certainty of even the most stalwart of fans withers.

Not so, it seems, with the Hollywood icons of 50 years ago. While it was admittedly less likely that stars then would have their indelible careers compared to those of their predecessors, who often performed without the promotional movie-magic machinery that had become routine by the 1950s, there was nonetheless a kind of collective public expectation that these new American superstars were

so much larger than life, they set a standard that would become difficult to equal by their contemporaries—and successors.

It was in this Golden Age of Hollywood that Tab Hunter became an instant star and a number-one box-office attraction, recorded a number-one hit song and survived a major sex scandal, all by the time he was 25 years old. His fame was so immediate and so notable, he joined the ranks of superstardom and helped fuel another emerging industry: tabloid journalism.

Five years after Hunter became a household name, studios had developed new stars to meet the demands of fickle fans and he found himself scrambling to find work, struggling just to survive. Yet survive he did, recreating himself as a cult

star and film producer in a career that spans five decades.

Hunter navigated the usually opposing interests of the entertainment and tabloid worlds, ultimately to succeed where others failed. He turned his idol status into becoming a veteran actor in 50 movies, 56 television programs and more than 200 television appearances, singer of 46 single recordings and nine album recordings, producer of two movies, writer of a movie and a book, competitor in figure skating and horsemanship, loyal son, and partner in a 23-year gay relationship.

But first, Hunter was Arthur Andrew Kelm, who soon used his mother’s maiden surname, Gelien. He was an introverted and extremely attractive young boy who was discovered by a Hollywood agent and

transformed with the help of studio publicists into movie star Tab Hunter.

Hunter tells in his memoirs, Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star, which he coauthored with film-noir documentarian Eddie Muller, how it all happened and what it felt like to be created, packaged and sold to the American public. How it felt to appear, usually shirtless, on-screen, off-screen and on every newsstand in America with actresses Linda Darnell, Tallulah Bankhead, Natalie Wood, Rita Hayworth, Divine, Lana Turner, Debbie Reynolds and Sophia Loren, and actors Gary Cooper, Van Heflin, John Wayne, Fred Astaire and Robert Mitchum, all while dealing with the reality of being gay in a time when even the word didn’t exist.

“Tab was great to work with, completely devoid of any movie-star vanity,” Muller described. “What I appreciated was that he clearly wanted a collaborator, not a ghostwriter, and the process was delicate at times—Tab had spent so long not talking about being gay that it was a real revelation for him to discuss it so frankly.

Helping somebody put their legacy down on paper is a pretty heavy responsibility and I’m glad it all worked out so well.”

It’s Hunter’s story of how he kept his bearings when he was suddenly no longer the boy-next-door heartthrob, no longer under the protective wing of the Warner Bros. Studios publicists, and no longer in demand as a “star.” It’s his story of how he soldiered on with perseverance, determination and faith. And, like the best-loved Hollywood movies, it has a happy ending.

Hunter was “created” when star maker and talent agent Henry Willson renamed Art Gelien with the heartthrob moniker that referred to one of the young actor’s hobbies. Willson did the same for other movie idols, including Rock Hudson and Rory Calhoun. Hunter tells us that he “hated” the name. It didn’t matter much.

He was known as the “Sigh Guy” and soon moved beyond Hollywood to master other media.

“Television, not the movies, gave me the chance to find myself, to offer more than an ‘image,’” Hunter described in his book. “[F]or the first time, I got to play the villain. The show aired on October 4, 1956—the first episode ever broadcast of the legendary series Playhouse 90.”

Just weeks later, Dot Records executives convinced Hunter to record a new version of the country-music song “Young Love.”

His version topped the Billboard magazine music charts for 12 weeks, knocking legendary singer Elvis Presley from the spot.

“Before the week was out, I was cruising along Sunset Boulevard when my voice wafted from the car radio,” Hunter wrote.

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Hunter to Discuss His Book in Utah

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“Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star” Written by Tab Hunter with Eddie Muller Published in 2005 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill Hardback, 378 pages, ISBN 1565124669, $24.95

Tab Hunter’s a veteran 1950s Hollywood idol, actor in 50 movies, 56 TV programs and more than 200 TV appearances, singer of 46 single recordings and nine album recordings, producer of two movies, writer of a movie and a book, competitor in figure skating and horsemanship, loyal son, and partner in a 23-year gay relationship. He returns to Utah when Borders Bookstore and Cafe in Murray hosts an in-store public book discussion and signing of his memoirs on Feb. 25 at 7:00 p.m.

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“I almost piled into a palm tree. Swerving the T-Bird to the curb, I cranked up the volume, and sat there slack jawed, remembering what Randy Wood had said at our first meeting: ‘I can always tell a record’s going to be a hit when I hear it on a car radio.’”

It was during this time of hit movies, hit television and a hit song that Hunter met and, for two years, dated bisexual Psycho movie star Anthony Perkins, who later married and died in 1992 of HIV/AIDS complications.

“My relationship with Tony began that day in the Chateau [Marmont hotel],” Hunter wrote. “We were drawn to each other because we were both ambitious young actors swimming in the Hollywood fishbowl where the water is deep and murky and treacherous, especially if you’ve got a ‘secret.’”

In an October interview published by the gay and lesbian Advocate magazine, Hunter described his brief interaction with the very nascent gay Hollywood of 1950—a kind of world-within-a-world to which he was unaccustomed and generally uninterested in pursuing.

“The one time I [socialized with gay

Borders Bookstore and Cafe 132 East Winchester Street (6400 South) Murray, Utah (801)313-1020

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FEBRUARY 16, 2006 ■ SALT LAKE METRO ■ 13

Tab Hunter: Hollywood Confidence Continued from page 13

people], it was this very innocent party in Los Angeles that a friend took me to—just guys standing around someone’s house having drinks,” Hunter said. “But it was raided and we were all arrested. [M]y main interest away from filmmaking wasn’t socializing, it was horses because that was my touch of reality. There I was, shoveling the real stuff as opposed to the Hollywood brand.”

Hunter made his first visit to Utah when he played Lt. William Fowler in the 1959 Columbia Pictures Corp. movie They Came to Cordura, which was filmed near St. George. He described the small town’s only diner jokingly as “the Filthy Fist (actually the Big Hand, the lone eatery in St. George, Utah, aptly renamed by cast and crew).”

In an exclusive interview, Hunter told Salt Lake Metro of his first look at Utah beyond the notable St. George diner.

John Waters Gets Own here! TV Series

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‘Prince of Perversity’ Promises These Films “Will Corrupt You”

By Paul E. Pratt “I am amazed by the number of things that can happen to you in America,” admits John Waters incredulously. “Who would have ever thought I would have my own television show?”

Waters and his fans have new LGBT premium channel here! Network to thank. This month, the director best known for his own body of off-beat, off-kilter and in-poor-taste films, such as Pink Flamingos and Serial Mom, kicks off his adventure in television: John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You. From February through May, the network presents viewers with a collection of 14 films hand-selected by the “Prince of Perversity.”

To choose the films, Waters says he asked himself what films he might show to guests in his home. “These really would be the ones!” he confesses. “I have presented many of these movies at film festivals. Some are just movies I really like.”

The here! series is only one of the many projects that keeps Waters busy. He just wrapped a Christmas tour, played the Grim Reaper in a TV pilot called ‘Til Death Do Us Part, filmed his one-man show for DVD and is readying another album, called A Date with John Waters. Let’s not forget he is also working extensively to bring his film Cry Baby to Broadway, where Hairspray continues to wow audiences.

“I’m a busy boy!” Waters only half-jokes.

Still, when here! approved of the idea for

“Of course, back then it was a small town, but it was an amazing area where we shot the movie,” Hunter said. “It was quite beautiful. I’ve been back several times since for the horses and the skiing.”

In fact, Hunter said, he learned to ski in 1979 at Alta ski area.

“Alta, Park City and the rest are so special,” he says.

“I’m excited. I always look forward to coming back there and visiting with friends.”

Hunter said he’s still overwhelmed with the response his book has received, noting that it’s been reviewed favorably by critics, selected as an editor’s choice and available now by several book clubs, including the gay and lesbian InsightOut book club.

“I had to write the book to give my spin of my life before anybody else did,” Hunter told Metro. “It’s better to get it from the horse’s mouth than the other end. I didn’t want to pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. What they get

John Waters Presents…the director couldn’t resist.

“They told me my mission was to lure intelligent gay people and get some crazy straight people to watch, too,” Waters says. “I couldn’t think of a better assignment.”

“These are just movies that, to me, are completely original and like no other movie,” he continues. “They are surprising, difficult movies to take and sometimes just plain horrifying.”

The final selections run the gamut in subjects, age and length. Viewers might be familiar with more recent choices, such as 2001’s L.I.E. and The Fluffer, both of which received significant coverage in the mainstream gay press. However, Waters suspects few have ever heard of — much less seen — films like Pink Narcissus (1971) and Fuego (1969).

The oldest feature is 1968 camp classic Boom, directed by Joseph Losey and starring super-couple Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The six-minute short Sissy Boy Slap Party (2004) holds the distinction as newest on the list. “[here!] really pushed the envelope beyond just presenting normal gay films, which are sometimes just horrible,” Waters confesses. “If they’re allowing me to show Irreversible on TV, they obviously did not censor me in any way.”

That film chronicles the beating and rape of a beautiful Parisian, and the subsequent exacting of revenge upon the culprit. Writer/ director Gaspar Noe’s cinematic masterpiece is one of several international entries. In addition to Irreversible, Porn Theatre (La Chatte a Deux Tetes) and Criminal Lovers (Les Amants Criminels) are French; Who Killed Pasolini (Pasolini, un Delitto italiano) is Italian.

is an honest story from me.”

In his book, Hunter seems eager to show that he prefers living by example than the role that many activists enjoy—something with which he never felt comfortable because of how his mother raised him.

“So many people are in your face, now,” Hunter told Metro with a laugh. “When I started out back then, I was scared of my own shadow. I had a strict, religious, German mother who always told me ‘Nothing is for show,’ and here I am in show business.”

This upbringing combines with Hunter’s hobbies of horsemanship, figure skating and skiing to reinforce his opinion that the new gay and lesbian interest in competitive and recreational sports is good.

“I think it applies to everyone to get off their duff and get out and do something,” he said. “It’s great to get with groups of people. It’s always more fun to do things in groups. Horses and the other sports are a major part of my life. I was active in the American Horse Shows Association riding ‘hunters’ and ‘jumpers,’ which is where I got my name.”

Hunter’s opinion of gay Hollywood changed apparently enough since his 1950 arrest that, when he met gay filmmaker John Waters and actress Divine in 1980, Hunter agreed to play Todd Tomorrow in the acclaimed 1981 cult movie Polyester. After meeting TV executive Allan Glaser in 1983, Hunter produced and played Abel Wood, again with Divine, in the 1985 cult movie Lust in the Dust. Hunter and Glaser have been partnered ever since and work together on many projects.

From the studio-classic movies Battle Cry and Damn Yankees!, and the western-classic movies Gunman’s Walk and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, to Hunter’s cult-classic movies, he remains relevant, and by telling his story on his terms, he continues to be noticed.

“This was quite a year, what with the completion of my memoirs and the release of my greatest-hits CD, followed by a whirlwind publicity tour that zigzagged the country,” Hunter wrote. “It took me to places I hadn’t been since the old Warner Bros. days of the 50s. Touring this great land of ours gave me the opportunity to meet many new friends and allowed me to reconnect with many old ones.”

For more information, visit tabhunter.com

First out of the chute is one of America’s best: Freeway. The 1996 classic revisits the Little Red Riding Hood story almost as one might imagine Waters himself telling it. (Waters says he’s exchanged letters with the actual director, Matthew Bright, who confesses drawing inspiration from Waters’ work.)

“Most people are used to seeing Reese Witherspoon playing a sugar-coated character, and she plays it very well,” Waters says. “In this she plays this redneck monster, juvenile delinquent. I think they would be amazed by her performance in this movie.”

The film stars current Oscar-nominee Witherspoon as a white-trash runaway trying to make her way to visit her grandmother. Witherspoon has all-star cast supporting her, including Kiefer Sutherland as a sleazy serial-killer, Brooke Shields as his wife, Brittany Murphy as a budding lesbian, and Amanda Plummer and Jeffrey hottie Michael T. Weiss as Witherspoon’s parents.

Though Freeway only saw limited theatrical release around the country, Waters suspects it was the most-seen movie on his list. “That’s really saying something about the other 13 films,” he points out.

“Who thought any of these films would be seen on TV?” he asks. Waters assumes inclusion in his series will bring the biggest viewing audiences each of the films has known.

He points out that with TiVo and rebroadcasts of the series on the premium channel, they can now be watched over and over.

According to Waters, nobody personally refused to allow a film to appear on his show. “Certainly nothing was rejected for taste reasons,” he says. “The only ones that didn’t make it were because we couldn’t get the rights or where there were complicated issues,” he says.

In addition to giving television viewers

personal insight into Waters’ movie-viewing tastes, the series takes audiences inside his private life. The director introduces each movie with monologues done in different rooms in his Baltimore-area home. If the series is well-received, he is ready to make an all-new list.

“I don’t have 12 more rooms in my house, I do have bathrooms, kitchens and a garage,” he jokes. “If there’s another season of this, we’ll have to see what we do. I know there are certainly more movies out there that will corrupt people!”

Complete list of films for John Waters Presents . . .

Freeway (directed by Matthew Bright, 1996) L.I.E. (directed by Michael Cuesta, 2001) Fuego (directed by Armando Bo, 1969) Baxter (directed by Jerome Boivin, 1989) The Fluffer (directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, 2001) Boom (directed by Joseph Losey, 1968) Beefcake (directed by Thom Fitzgerald, 1998) Criminal Lovers (AKA Les Amants Criminels) (directed by Francois Ozon, 1999) The Hours and Times (directed by Christopher Munch, 1991, 60 mins.), Shown with Sissy Boy Slap Party (directed by Guy Maddin, 2004, 6 mins) Pink Narcissus (directed by James Bidgood, 1971) Who Killed Pasolini (AKA Pasolini, un delitto italiano) (directed by Marco Tullio Giordana, 1995) Porn Theater (AKA La Chatte a Deux Tetes) (directed by Jacques Nolot, 2002) Irreversible (directed by Gaspar Noe, 2002) For more information, visit: www.heretv.com.

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FEBRUARY 16, 2006 ■ SALT LAKE METRO ■ 15

TAP DOGS

See Satuday, Feb. 25

THE GAY AGENDA

by Tony Hobday

To all the devoted fans of Eric Tierney, I would like to say that I knew that there would be big shoes to fill in bringing you an entertaining and insightful Gay Agenda each issue as the incomparable Mr. Tierney, however I did not realize just how big those shoes really are until I attended his memorial service last Friday. I learned that Eric is truly cherished and respected by a great number of people; it was both heart-warming and heart-wrenching at the same time. I will do my best to keep the standard that Eric brought to the Gay Agenda. Any and all comments and suggestions are welcome. To Eric—

SLAC

16THURSDAY

When you’re tapped out on cash and jobless, what do you do? Put together a striptease act with a few of your friends who haven’t got a clue. If that’s the plan, I highly suggest you get some tips from the Egyptian Theatre’s production of the Tony Award-winning musical THE FULL MONTY. Not exactly seething with sexuality; yet hot, hilarious, and heart-warming.

Wed.-Sat thru March 11, Egyptian Theatre, Park City. Ticket prices vary. Call 435-6499371 or visit parkcityshows.com for tickets and show times.

 The Center hosts a TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY FORUM tonight. All who identify

THE SALT LAKE ACTING COMPANY

A mysterious boy suddenly appears in the fragile lives of a family on the brink. Marked by a terrible secret in an Iowa field, this young stranger seems to know far too much about them... and what he doesn’t know he will feverishly invent.

Julia Jordan’s BOY is a complex, vivid, unfolding mystery that ultimately blossoms as a hard-won and beautiful hope.

Recommended for Mature Audiences.

as a transgender in one way or another are encouraged to attend. This is a great opportunity to socialize, network and discuss topics of interest. Kathleen Gage, the “street smarts” renowned inspirational speaker will lead the discussion.

with a martini glass and olive in hand and finish without losing the olive. It’s similar to “alcohol abuse” but without the alcohol, which makes me sigh in relief. Come cheer for your favorite team or favorite speedo package.

7pm, The Center, 355 N 300 W, Salt Lake City

10:30 am, Fairmont Aquatic Center, 1044 E Sugarmont Dr., Salt Lake City. Free

17FRIDAY IT’S A BALL BALL. I giggle just like Jack when I say the word ball, but it leaves me in stitches to say it twice. Try it with me, “ball, ball.” Oh my god, I think I peed a little. A drag show you will not want to miss as Team Swoosh presents “sheik” performances at the Trapp Door to raise money for the 2006 Gay Games.

8pm, Trapp Door, 102 S 600 W, Salt Lake City. $5 donation at the door.

 “The pool boy did it in the bathhouse with the riding crop!” Hop on the MURDER MYSTERY TRAIN for a sinister night of mayhem. Be the Hardy Boy or Trixie Belden you always wanted to be.

Monthly 6:30pm, Heber Valley Railroad, Heber City. Tickets $42 Adult/$27 Child. Visit www.simthtix.com

18 SATURDAY The Queer Utah Aquatic Club hosts its annual SKI N SWIM WEEKEND with a special ice skating event the “Quacapades.” This talented and hot group of QUAC members will delight all with a funfilled performance on ice. Sorry, Donald and the AFLAC duck had to bow out due to injuries — that’s so Michelle Kwon of them.

16

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SALT LAKE METRO ■ FEBRUARY 16, 2006

2:15–4:15pm, Gallivan City Centre, Salt Lake City. $12 includes skate rental. For additional event information go to www.quacquac.org

n a d r o

By Julia J

Jan. 31- Feb. 26

For Tickets call 363-SLAC or 355-ARTS www.saltlakeactingcompany.org

 Celtic meets pop as the GREAT BIG SEA takes the stage. The Park City Performing Arts Foundation presents these five good-looking Newfoundland gents who will tantalize you with soaring melodies, traditional Irish tunes, and tender ballads.

“An explosively joyful noise” —Washington Post.

7:30pm, Eccles Center for the Performing Arts, 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City. Tickets $15-$50 @ www.arttix.com

19SUNDAY Ski N Swim Weekend continues with an “ALL RELAY” SWIM MEET including a final race where each contestant must swim

 If you are not already aware or just don’t give a damn, the XX WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES started a couple of days ago in Torino, Italy. The best part of the Olympics is definitely the Figure Skating competitons. Although my favorite is the Men’s competition—go figure…skating, which is televised February 14 and 16, tonight features Ice Dancing. Now, don’t relate it to Fox’s Skating with Celebrities, that’s just trash on blades.

7pm, NBC

20MONDAY I hate déjà vu. CYBER SLUT BINGO at Club Try-Angles is developing a cult following and growing each week. It seems to be the place to touch your straight coworkers.

7pm, Club Try-Angles, a private club for members, 251 W 900 S, Salt Lake City

21TUESDAY Don’t expect, unless you cross your fingers, a Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding hire-a-hammer-swinging-thug-to-bashyour-opponent’s-knees-in love affair tonight during the LADIES SHORT PROGRAM, but do expect a lot of glitter, glamour, and triple sow cows.

7pm, NBC

22WEDNESDAY The Center holds a VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION in search of responsible dedicated volunteers to help expand the hours of the Center Space. Not only does it look good on your resume, but you will feel like a true humanitarian.

6pm, Center Space, GLBT Community Center, 355 N 300 W, Salt Lake City

23THURSDAY The TAO institute offers FENG SHUI FOR LIFE WITH SUSAN DUFFIELD; a month-long class that teaches the basic principles and practical application of Feng Shui to every space in your life. Is the head of the bed supposed to face the door or away from

the door? Like it matters since I always end up sleeping with my head at the foot of the bed.

Tonight thru March 23, 7pm, The Arts Organization, 150 S 600 E Ste 2C, Salt Lake City. $170. Call 521-0055 for more details.

24 FRIDAY The internationally renowned choir and AIDS awareness activist group SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR performs its rich and earthy South African rhythms tonight at Kingsbury Hall. The 26-member choir is accompanied by a four-piece rhythm section, drums and dancers.

7:30pm, Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah.

Tickets $17.50-$29.50 @ 581-7100 or visit www.kingtix.com.

 Forgive me for mentioning Larry H. Miller, but the irony is too good to pass up. The Larry H. Miller Charities foundation, whose mission statement is: “We give back to our communities by focusing our united service and corporate giving on youth and children with an emphasis on health and education,” hosts its annual LEAPIN’ LEANERS AND LOW TOPS fundraiser.

There’s nothing like teaching our children to become biased, uncultured, and just plain mean adults. And I haven’t seen one red cent donated to our community. Just a reminder for tonight, The First Amendment: Freedoom of Assembly.

7pm, The Delta Center

 Denim, plaid, muscle tees, and wifebeaters hugging toned masculine dancer’s bodies. Yippee. The multi award-winning TAP DOGS once again graces Utah with its presence of beautiful Australian blokes tap dancing their little hearts out.

Tonight 7:30pm, $24.50-$42.50 / Sun 2:00pm $22.50-$37.50. Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah, Call 581-7100 or visit kingtix.com.

26SUNDAY Club Try-Angles hosts its weekly SUNDAY TEA DANCE with DJ Dennis. I don’t know if that means Long Island or Liptons, but I know which I’d choose.

3pm-7pm, Club Try-Angles, a private club for members, 251 W 900 S, Salt Lake City

1WEDNESDAY I have to say that putting together this Gay Agenda calendar has been rather difficult as there is very little quality entertainment happening around the state.

That is until I stumbled upon this: WISEGUYS COMEDY CAFÉ WITH DUSTIN DIAMOND. I feel absolutely no hesitation in saying that this stand-up comedian will leave you Screech-ing.

8pm, Tracks Brewing Company, 1641 N Main, Tooele. $12.50 Adv/$15 Day of show

UPCOMING March 4, 9am — Delegate Training at the Orson Spencer Hall Auditorium by Equality Utah. 355-3479.

25SATURDAY

March 11–19 — “The Magic Flute” by the Utah Opera. 355-ARTS.

The hits of Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday under one roof—THIS IS SO GAY. The Park City Performing Arts Foundation presents LAVAY SMITH & THE RED HOT SKILLET LICKERS. Ouch, but oddly enticing.

March 12, 10am — Fabulous Fun Bus to Wendover, RCGSE Cancer Awareness Week. slmetro.com.

March 19, 7pm — Salt Lake Men’s Choir spring concert, Anthems in Spring, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. 355-ARTS.

7:30pm, Eccles Center for the Performing Arts, 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City. Tickets $15$50 @ www.arttix.com

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FEBRUARY 16, 2006 ■ SALT LAKE METRO ■ 17

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Comics

Service Guide

A COUPLE OF GUYS by Dave Brousseau

ADVERTISING

EMPLOYMENT

SALT LAKE METRO is your way to reach Utah’s gay and lesbian market. Gay people eat out more often and travel more often and spend more each time they do. Call 323-9500 to place your classified or display ad today.

Ask about our new classified rates!

APPLE ONE Employment is seeking qualified people in many skills.

Apply and begin your qualification today. Employers, let us fill your staffing needs. Call Steven Whittaker at 801463-4828.

LITTLE LAVENDER BOOK is about to go to press with the WinterSpring 2006 issue. Call 323-0727 today.

ATTORNEYS MARLIN G. CRIDDLE, P.C. Serving Utah’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender communities. Estate Planning, Probate, Criminal Law, Bankruptcy, Corporations/Business. 4742299. marlincriddle.com

BITTER GIRL by Joan Hilty

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES

Q Puzzle

9 Atlas Shrugged author Rand 10 American figure skater Answers on page 17 41 Current coins of 11 Begins, on Broadway Amsterdam 12 Where Richard 42 Win the love of 43 Either of a hot pair Halliburton was lost ACROSS 13 Wet of twins 1 Samuel Barber’s 18 Sex drive, e.g.

46 Errol Flynn’s The Sun output 22 Bear hunter Boone, 6 Wine region south of ___ Rises briefly 47 Senator of a civil the Russian River 23 Canadian figure union state 10 Come and go skater 48 Tried to tackle tight 14 Spartacus venue ends, e.g.

15 Etheridge’s “I’m the 50 Madonna’s Peron ___ One” 16 Capable of perform- role 53 Cunt author Muscio ing 54 American figure 17 American figure skater skater 56 Novelist Patricia ___ 19 Ball lover Warren 20 Hrs. in Key West 57 Straddled a stallion 21 Let out 58 “With parsley,” for 22 Editor Wayne Craig Claiborne of Encyclopedia of 59 Boat bottom Homosexuality 60 Disney’s ___ and the 23 Brief issues?

24 Pesters, as Albert to Detectives 61 They make points by Armand touching the body 25 “___ the Ides of March” DOWN 28 Susan’s partner in 1 Margaret Mead ___ Thelma and Louise Me Gay 30 Mount the soapbox 2 Creator of Sal Mineo’s 31 Weapons that are Exodus character mounted 3 Religious offshoot 35 Cut 4 Octopus ejection 36 Skater Orser or 5 Money left on the skater Pockar bedside table 37 Bisexual writer 6 Bernstein’s staff Murdoch members 38 Sailors in your tub? 7 Stud fee?

40 Where five people in 8 Walk like you’re this puzzle perform fagged out

18

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SALT LAKE METRO ■ FEBRUARY 16, 2006

“Sole on Ice”

24 Roehm’s refusal 25 Tube opening?

26 The gay ___ Bombeck (Michael Thomas Ford nickname) 27 Hold one’s horses 28 Side dish for Gomer 29 HHH, to Sappho 31 Result of a sexually active Woody 32 Lake that seems to describe a Clive Barker movie?

33 Affluent, to Lorca 34 River of the country of the Singing Nun 36 Roseanne, once 39 Chop partner 40 Performing in the Globe, e.g.

42 Cowboy actor Jack 43 Show a lack of balls 44 Transsexual Richards 45 Two under for Spencer-Devlin 46 Transgender charac-

ter of _Rent_ 48 Panic place for Jodie 49 Subject of autoerotic fantasy?

50 Verb of Verlaine 51 It crosses Hollywood 52 Label on a lemon that isn’t a fruit 54 Eminem’s mentor Dr. ___ 55 Gregory Hines’ forte

MEINEKE CAR Care Center. 2190 W. 3500 S. WVC 973-0860 EOE. Best service, Best price. 10% discount with this ad! Exhaust, brakes, a/c, CV joints, oil changes, shocks, etc.

ESTATE PLANNING

JANE MARQUARDT & DOUG FADEL Attorneys at Law, providing comprehensive estate planning services, designed to your unique family situation. Trusts, wills, partnership agreements, estate admin. 294-7777

JEWELERS

JEWELRY LOSS You may be unaware of limited jewelry insurance through your home owners insurance. Your jewelry must be appraised for full value coverage. We will deal with your insurance company directly if you have a loss or damage. King’s Custom Jewelry 801-521-9114 CUSTOM DESIGN Jewelry. Relaxed atmosphere.

All types of stone settings.

Commitment rings, wedding rings, earrings, pendants. Repairs welcome.

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TRAVEL/TOURS HIGH COUNTRY Exploring • Custom Pack Trips • Horseback Rides • Snowmobile Trips • ATV Rides • Fishing Trips • Dutch Oven Dinners • Motorcycle Tours • More Call 801-547-2750.

Community Resources BISEXUAL

POLITICAL

SPORTS

BI MEN of Utah. Social and support group for bi/gay men of Utah.

AMERICAN CIVIL Liberties Union. Fighting for individual freedoms since 1958.

UTAH GAY Rodeo Association. PO Box 511255 SLC, UT 84151 ugra.net

CODE PINK, a women-initiated peace, social justice movement.

QUEER UTAH Aquatic Club invites swimmers and water polo players of ANY skill level.

groups.yahoo.com/group/BiGay-Men-Utah

EMPLOYEE CONVERGYS EMPLOYEES Would you like to meet your GLBT co-workers? groups.yahoo.com/group/cvg-glbt

FOOD/WINE GAY WINETASTINGS. qVinum is a fabulous group of wine lovers. qVinum.com

FRATERNAL ROYAL COURT of the Golden Spike Empire. Support your community!

acluutah.org

codepinkalert.com

SAME-GENDER MARRIAGE is a Feminist Issue: NOW’s mission is to promote equality for ALL women. utahnow.org

RELIGIOUS GAY RMS Social group for return missionaries of the LDS Church. Regular parties and group activities.

QuacQuac.org.

UTAH STONEWALL Shooting Sports. Gender- and sexual-minority firearm advocates in Utah. stonewallshootingsportsutah.org

TRANSGENDER

HEALTH

AFFIRMATION: GAY and Lesbian Mormons. Sunday meetings 534-8693

ENGENDERED SPECIES A social/support group resources for transgender people. 320-0551.

PEOPLE WITH AIDS Coalition of Utah 484-2205

RESOURCES

WOMEN’S SOCIAL

rcgse.org

www.pwacu.org

UTAH AIDS Foundation.

Helping with the complex issues of HIV/AIDS. utahaids.org

MEN’S SOCIAL UTAH MALE NATURISTS Naked lunches, outings and camping trips in a sex-free environment. umen.org

gayRMs.com

members.aol.com/wasatchweb

UTAH QUEER Events. Submit group events and see what’s happening in your community. groups.yahoo.com/group/ utahqueerevents

JOIN SLMETRO Yahoo group for breaking news and free or reduced arts and event tickets. groups. yahoo.com/slmetro

SINGLE LESBIAN? Meet other single lesbians for friendship and social events groups.yahoo.com/ group/lesbian_singles/

NEW IN TOWN? Interested in meeting new friends?

Join sWerve. swerveutah.com

Classifieds HELP WANTED ARE YOU a competent mental health professional looking for fulfilling work in the SLC area? Pried Counseling is searching for the right therapist to join our team. Please have a demonstrated understanding of issues impacting Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender clients. We offer a nice location, flexible hours and reasonable pay.

Please fax resume and letter of intent to (801)595-0669 or email jerry.buie@comcast.net

FOR RENT ROSE PARK Nice 2 bedroom. $475/month including utilities. Washer/dryer, storage, quiet area. 861 N American Beauty Drive (approx.

1000 West). Call Valene @ 262-0113 or 6998098. CDA Properties.

ROOMMATES WANTED TOWNHOME MASTER suite available with bath + walk-in closet. Near River Oaks golf course, easy freeway access, beautiful park-like setting, deck, central air. $450/month + utils. Call 815-7854.

TIRED OF THE BAR LIFE? Pride Counseling is offering a Gay Men’s Therapy/Support Group.

Gay men often find that their options to socialize limited to clubs and bars.

Most insurance companies billed, sliding fee scale. For information please call Jerry Buie LCSW at 595-0666.

QUEER TV. Comcast not giving you what you need? Sign up for DirecTV through this gay-owned and operated business and a $20 donation will be made to a gay charity.

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FOR SALE MISC. ANTIQUES Sewing machines, poster beds, etc. Call Walter 537-7827

MISC. ARE YOU HIV+?

Pride Counseling has restarted a Therapy/Support Group for men who are HIV infected and seeking support from others in similar situations. For information please call Jerry Buie LCSW at 595-0666

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FEBRUARY 16, 2006 ■ SALT LAKE METRO ■ 19

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