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Utah’s Gay and Lesbian Newspaper April 15, 2006
Protesters Arrested at BYU Against anti-gay policies of BYU and LDS Church
Spring Fashion Issue A sneak peak at this year’s look for the new season
SLCC Gives ‘Artivism’ a Try Scalia: Gays Have No Constitutional Rights
Prom Guide for Gays and Lesbians WIlliams: Where Have All the Radicals Gone? Laurie Lowers Herself to Bathroom Humor Q Agenda
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WORLD Biological Mom Loses Child Custody to Lesbian Lover London — An appeals court in London has confirmed a ruling granting primary care of two young sisters to the former lesbian partner of their biological mother. The ruling, handed down April 6, follows the mother’s move from Leicester to Cornwall in defiance of a judicial order giving the former partner shared contact with the girls ages 7 and 4, the Times of London said. “We have moved into a world where norms that seemed safe 20 or more years ago no longer run,” Justice Mathew Thorpe, who headed the three-judge panel, said in his ruling. The Times said panel member Justice Heather Hallet hesitated over a ruling that would set a precedent regarding same-sex couples in custody battles. “I am very concerned at the prospect of removing these children from the primary care of their only identifiable biological parent who has been their primary carer for most of the young lives and in whose care they appear to be happy and thriving,” she said.
Kidnapers Targeting Gay Iraqis Baghdad — Armed gangs are regularly kidnapping and holding for ransom Iraqis — many of them gay — according to a United Nations-sponsored media group. IRIN reports that hundreds of people have
been seized throughout the country and American troops seem helpless to prevent it. A Baghdad gay organization tells the news service that 12 of its members have been killed by kidnappers when their ransom demands could not be met. Another 70 have been threatened with kidnapping. “We’re trying to help these people, but it’s getting very difficult, and our organization has been targeted twice since last month,” Mustafa Salim, a spokesperson for Rainbow for Life, told IRIN. “We know for certain that those killed were targeted because of their sexual preferences.” Iraq’s small gay community is mostly closeted. Homosexuality was a crime under the regime of Saddam Hussein and there has been no improvement since the US led invasion.
Canada Greenlights Gay FM Radio Station Toronto, Ont. — The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has awarded an FM license for a Toronto gay radio station. Although there are a number of internetbased gay stations, the Toronto station is believed to be the first conventional station serving the gay community anywhere in North America. The license was granted to Rainbow Media and is one of a number of new low-wattage stations being created in Canada. With only 50-watts of power the station will be available only in downtown Toronto.
Company spokesperson Camela Laurignano said the station will be up and running within 12 months. It also will stream its broadcast over the Internet. Laurignano said the station will feature news, music, publicity for events and openline programs targeted at Toronto’s LGBT market. Toronto, Canada’s biggest city, has an estimated half-million gays. Canada already has a gay television network, Out TV, available on digital cable.
‘Brokeback’ Enters Chinese Vernacular Hong Kong — The word ‘Brokeback’ has entered the Cantonese vocabulary. Translated as ‘dun bui’ it is showing up in newspapers and in advertising in Hong Kong to describe gay or non conventional relationships. Although the film is officially banned in China, it has been permitted in the former British colony and DVDs — mostly illegal copies — are being distributed throughout the country. Recently the Ming Pao Daily News reported that male pop stars Leo Ku and Justin Lo held hands at a concert “brokeback style.” But “dun bui” also is being used to describe other types of pairings. The Apple Daily called two politicians who were prevented from forming a political party “obviously a brokeback couple.” While not implying they were gay, the word was used as a reference to the film’s gay characters inability to shun social convention.
Jamaican Students Riot, Try To Kill Gay Student Kingston, Jamaica — Students at the University of the West Indies rioted as police attempted to protect a gay student and escort him from the campus. The Daily Gleaner reports that the student had been chased across the Mona
campus by another student who claimed the gay man had attempted to proposition him in a washroom. Dozens of students joined in the chase and the student sought protection in a university building. The mob demanded that campus security turn the student over. With security guards badly outnumbered, college authorities called in police, fearing the gay man would be killed. The Gleaner reported that a contingent of police in full riot gear battled with students in an effort to protect the gay man. Students threw objects from all directions at the officers. At one point the gay man was stabbed by another student, although the injuries are reportedly superficial. The crowd only began to disperse when one officer drew his gun and fired a shot in the air. Violence against gays is all too common in Jamaica. In January a young man plunged to his death off a pier in Kingston after reportedly being chased through the streets by a mob yelling homophobic epithets. Earlier this month four people were charged with the killing of Lenford “Steve” Harvey a gay man who ran Jamaica AIDS Support for Life. Harvey was shot to death on the eve of World AIDS Day last December. Support for Life provides support to gay men and sex workers. In 2004, Jamaica’s most vocal advocate of gay rights, Brian Williamson, was murdered. Gay sex is illegal in Jamaica, punishable by ten years in jail, with the possibility of hard labor. The gay man rescued by police at the university was taken to a police station where the claims he had propositioned another student are being investigated. If the claim is substantiated he could face charges.
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NATIONAL Senate Immigration Bill Removes Added Burden on Same-Sex Couples Sought by House
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Washington, D.C.—The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday passed a guest worker program granting an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants a path to U.S. citizenship. While binational same-sex couples will continue to face discrimination under the Senate-proposed program, it stands in stark contrast to last year’s House-passed measure that would criminalize harboring undocumented immigrants, including same-sex partners with expired visas. “The Judiciary Committee’s bill is good news for America,” said Immigration Equality Executive Director Rachel B. Tiven, “but lesbian and gay families are still cruelly discriminated against under immigration law, despite Congress’ promise to value families.” “Nobody should be forced to choose between the person they love and breaking the law,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “The House version would force a same-sex partner to turn in their loved one or risk criminal penalties. American families are being torn apart under the current structure and there is absolutely no reason to increase their burden.” The version passed by the Senate Judi-
ciary Committee includes an amendment protecting groups and individuals from being prosecuted for knowingly or unknowingly offering humanitarian assistance to illegal immigrants. Under the Senate’s Judiciary Committee bill, participants would receive a valid visa status that would enable them to work for up to six years. After the six-year work period, an individual under this program would pay a fine and then become eligible to apply for permanent residency. The Senate Judiciary bill goes a long way toward addressing many problems within the U.S. immigration regime but it is neither comprehensive nor fair. The bill fails to address the second-class nature of same-sex relationships despite the guiding principle of family unity within the Senate bill and within the larger immigration system. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender immigrants, as well as their U.S. citizen partners continue to be devalued as their relationships go unrecognized. Immigration Equality addresses the widespread discriminatory impact of U.S. immigration laws on the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and HIV-positive immigrants, their families and loved ones. www.immigrationequality.org
Scalia: Gays Have No Constitutional Rights by Doreen Brandt Washington, D.C. — A speech given earlier this month by Supreme Court Justice
Antonin Scalia has drawn the ire of gay and lesbian civil rights activists who worry the landmark high court ruling on sodomy could be revisited. Scalia rarely speaks to the media and seldom allows the press into speeches he gives but a recording of a March 8 address at the University of Freiberg in Switzerland was obtained by CNN. In one portion of the speech to law students at the university, Scalia brings up the issue of homosexuality. “Question comes up: is there a constitutional right to homosexual conduct? Not a hard question for me. It’s absolutely clear that nobody ever thought when the Bill of Rights was adopted that it gave a right to homosexual conduct. Homosexual conduct was criminal for 200 years in every state. Easy question.” Earlier this month, the governor of South Dakota signed a law making it illegal for a woman to have an abortion. It is widely expected that the law will be appealed, opening the way for the Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade. A similar scenario could also send sodomy back to the high court. In 2003, in a 6–3 decision, the Supreme Court overturned laws against sodomy, saying that states cannot make laws regarding the private sexual conduct of Americans. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas dissented. “The court has largely signed on to the so-called homosexual agenda,” Scalia wrote for the three. He took the unusual step of reading his dissent from the bench. “The court has taken sides in the culture war,” Scalia said, adding that he has “nothing against homosexuals.” With the high court more conservative than it was three years ago, gay leaders are
worried the court may reverse itself. “Justice Scalia stubbornly refuses to see that all Americans have a right to liberty and privacy under the law,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Justice Scalia was dangerously out of step with Americans in 2003 when the Supreme Court decided this question and he remains so today. “This is just the latest example of why it’s so critical that fair-minded Americans think of the Court when they head to the ballot box. With the Supreme Court tipping further to the right, these sentiments could one day become reality,” said Solmonese.
Wal-Mart Won’t Quit on ‘Brokeback’ by Ross von Metzke Hollywood — Despite large scale protests from right wing organizations of the American Family Association, notoriously down home and conservative discount retailer Wal-Mart has announced it won’t be pulling Brokeback Mountain from the shelves. The Academy Award Winner for Best Director was released on DVD amid questions as to whether or not Wal-Mart, which has shied away from controversy in the past, would sell the film. But gay rights groups are singing WalMart’s praises this week. Not only will they sell Brokeback Mountain, but still shots of stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal will be prominently displayed in the stores. The AFA is predictably outraged. “It wasn’t even a blockbuster movie, so if Wal-Mart isn’t trying to push an agenda, why would they put it at the front door?” Randy Sharp, director of special projects for the association, told the Los Angeles Times. The Tupelo, Miss. based AFA has launched an Internet campaign against
Wal-mart, accusing the chain of pushing a pro-gay agenda. The organization posted a message on its Website asking “concerned Christians to let their local Wal-Mart managers know how they feel and that they are not pleased over the chain’s decision to promote and carry the pro-homosexual movie.” “Wal-Mart is trying to help normalize homosexuality in society,” Sharp said. “But how many copies are they going to have to sell to recruit the losses of customers who they’ve offended and will no longer shop at Wal-Mart?” A spokesman for Wal-Mart disagreed, telling the Associated Press stocking Brokeback is good for business. “Wal-Mart provides movie selections in our stores and online, recognizing that a broad segment of our customer base wants to buy the latest titles,” Jolanda Stewart said in a statement. “We serve a broad customer base and therefore offer an expansive assortment of movie titles to meet the needs of the diverse consumers that shop our stores.”
Holocaust Remembrance Day to Commemorate Victims Utah’s observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day will be held on Friday, April 28, at noon, in the Main Auditorium of the Salt Lake City Public Library, 210 E. 400 S. Holocaust Day will be marked by activities, including the governor’s proclamation and the lighting of a candle by Abe Fox, a Holocaust survivor. For details, contact Laura Green at 801-581-0102, extension 133.
HRC in Search of Volunteers The Human Rights Campaign is in search of volunteers to assist with upcoming events: April 22 — Table Captain’s Party June 3 — Bruce Bastian’s Pride Party
June 4 — Pride Day June 24 — HRC Gala Dinner Interested parties should visit hrc.org to sign up and obtain additional information on opportunities and benefits offered by the organization.
Library Screens Queer Program The Sprague Library in Sugarhouse is currently screening In the Life, an hour-long television newsmagazine dedicated to queer issues and culture. The program is a collaboration between the Utah AIDS Foundation and KUED, and aims to reach those in isolated communities with vital information. Segments of the show include teen suicide, HIV/AIDS prevention and education, arts and cultural events highlighting the artistic achievements of queer people and their allies, social and professional obstacles facing our community, relationship and family issues, and global events.
The program airs at 7:00pm, the second Wednesday of the month at the Sprague Library located at 1100 E. 2131 South. For more information about the series, visit inthelifetv.org or call 487-2323.
Outreach Ogden Opens Door for Queer Youth OUTReach Ogden, a Northern Utah queer youth organization, is contributing a safe and comfortable weekly social event for gay, lesbian, bisexual, questioning youth and their allies, ages 14 to 17. Each Wednesday night, OUTReach offers snacks, games, arts & crafts, and discussion panels to bring the community youth together. Also, in the near future, the organization hopes to bring a Thursday night social gathering for those between the ages of 18 to 25. OUTReach Ogden is located at 536 24th Street, suite 2B, and is open Wednesdays from 5:30pm to 8pm.
REGIONAL Fired Gay Worker Told Employment Hearing Pointless
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Carson City, Nev. — A man who said he lost his job at Nevada’s reformatory for boys in Elko because he’s gay and black has been turned down on procedural grounds in a bid to get a state hearing officer to reinstate him. Hearing officer Pat Dolan said John Young III, who was told last month by the superintendent of the Nevada Youth Training Center that he couldn’t stay on as a group supervisor, filed his appeal with the wrong entity and should refile it elsewhere. Dolan said he lacked jurisdiction given the allegations of discrimination and Young, if he hasn’t already done so, should take his case “without delay” to the state attorney general, the state Equal Rights Commission and the state Personnel Department, among others. Young, a probationary employee who hired on with the state in February 2005 and was assigned to Elko last April, said he never got any on-the-job training, job evaluations, formal reprimands or even verbal warnings about his work at NYTC prior to getting his walking papers Feb. 3. Dolan said Young wrote that his problems stemmed from the fact that “I’m an African American whose sexual orientation is of the same sex-gender, which in this field is frowned upon.” The hearing officer said a review of Young’s personnel file showed no evidence of evaluations, reprimands or counseling, just as Young claimed. Dolan also said work performance standards for Young’s position are required by law to be on file but were not. While it’s standard practice in Nevada to allow agencies to dismiss probationary workers without cause, Dolan said that standard “does not empower an appointing authority to reject such a probationary employee for any cause.” State law says an employer can’t fire someone or otherwise discriminate against that person because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability or national origin. Dolan added that Young’s allegations raise “serious concerns” about his treatment that need to be resolved.
LOCAL
until Provo police asked them to get up and escorted them off campus. Each arrested marcher left a lily behind until a pile of flowers had accumulated as a memorial to young people who were unable to resolve the conflict their church had created between their sexuality and religion. BYU junior Matt Kulisch, a Mormon student who participated in the action, cited his faith as part of his motivation for being arrested with the Equality Riders. “My church has always taught me the principle of standing for something true. My integrity demanded this message of God’s love for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people be told in its entirety.” Kulisch added, “Others have died because they did not receive this message. If I can’t put my life on the line in their memory then I’m not being who I should be.” “The fact that Matt and so many other students like him have come forward on this ride to stand with us as we bring a message of inclusion to these schools is really inspiring,” said Jacob Reitan, co-director of the Equality Ride. “The Ride is just the beginning of what we hope will be a youth movement sweeping the country, ending religion-based discrimination once and for all.” On Monday, April 10, five riders and supporters were arrested afRandi and Phil Reitan, Equality Riders and parents of co-director Jacob Reitan ter attempting to deliver speeches co-director. “It’s particularly fitting during on discrimination on the campus. Reitan the Christian Holy Week that we remember and his parents, Randi and Phil Reitan, those whose lives were not able to bloom as well as Equality Riders Diane Bedwell because of the despair they felt from their and Rebecca Solomon were arrested in the church’s teachings on homosexuality.” courtyard of the campus student center As the marchers reached the gates of the and later released without bail after signing campus, they stepped forward with their a summons. Bedwell and Solomon had atlilies as stories and names of the individutempted to read letters from closeted BYU als who had committed suicide were read students in front of a lunchtime crowd of aloud. The riders and students crossed students. The Reitan parents tried to speak onto campus one by one as the dead were about their experiences in raising a gay remembered, and lay down in the grass child. Jacob Reitan began a speech about
MELL BAILEY
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MAGON WILSON
Nine current and former BYU students and 15 Equality Riders were arrested April 11 on the campus of Brigham Young University for their part in a procession carrying Easter lilies onto the campus in remembrance of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have committed suicide because of the church’s oppressive stance on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members. “The lilies are symbolic of both life and death,” said Haven Herrin, Equality Ride
The crowd of protesters at Kiwanis Park in Provo
STEPHANIE HOUFEK
Dozens Arrested During ‘Equality Ride’ Protest at BYU
Soulforce Equality Ride Co-director Jacob Reitan being excorted from the Brigham Young University campus by campus security.
learning from the history of religion-based be making a public speech. discrimination. All were escorted off campus “It was truly remarkable,” said Equality before their public statements could be rider Jonathan Awtrey, “I don’t think we’ve completed. had crowds like this at any other school “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day where we weren’t openly welcome on camSaints at one time did not allow African pus. Many of the students wanted to know American members,” Jacob Reitan said after what they could do to make LGBT people his release. “Through the church’s belief feel safe and welcome at their school. in ‘continuing revelation,’ that shameful Several of them were concerned that their practice has ended. It is time for the LDS church’s message of love was being diluted [Church] to realize that their policies against by its anti-gay stance.” lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender “It’s clear the students were ready for people are also part of an unacceptable histhis discussion,” Awtrey added. “I wish the tory of religious discrimination.” administration had gotten the message.” The Riders and their supporters were The Soulforce Equality Ride is “a journey arrested because of stringent guidelines set to change the heart and mind of America down by the university in order to restrict dion the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual and alogue during the Equality Ride stop. Equaltransgender equality,” according to organizity Riders were told they could not hand out ers. They are following in the footsteps of the literature, set up a display table or hold a formal presentation or speech. It was this last restriction that led to the arrest of the five Riders. “We will not accept limitations on this dialogue,” said Herrin. “There are countless LGBT Mormons who have committed suicide because of their church’s policies on sexuality and family. We’re here to tell their stories and make sure they didn’t die in vain.” Organizers released a statement prior to their visit that explained their reasons for visiting the school. “BYU’s student conduct policy prohibits LGBT students from attending the school. Students who are found to be LGBT face suspension or expulsion. In addition to this policy, the LDS Church has opposed the equality and dignity of LGBT people, in church and in society, with particular virulence. Gay and lesbian Mormons are often coerced into heterosexual marriages and dangerous and unproven ‘reparative therapy’ to attempt to change their sexual orientation. Despair caused by church policies has led to a high suicide rate among LGBT Mormons.” Equality riders that stayed within the school’s rigid guidelines car- Current and former BYU students and Soulforce Equality Riders wait with Easter lilies as ried out successful conversations names of those known to have committed suicide because they could not reconcile the teachings of the LDS Church with their being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. with hundreds of students. As the riders sat around tables fielding Freedom Rides of the 1960s using principles questions in the student center courtyard of non-violence to confront military and during a crowded lunch hour, University religious colleges and universities with poliadministrators and security officers wearcies banning enrollment of queer students. ing dark suits and earpieces milled around The Equality Ride now heads to Colorado in groups of two or three watching closely. to meet with students at Colorado Christian Single riders had to answer questions from University in Lakewood and the Air Force crowds as large as 25–30 students, carefully Academy in Colorado Springs. Q regulating their voices so as not to appear to
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Nearly a year and a half after marrying his male partner in Canada, a gay member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints may be in trouble with church authorities. On March 15, Buckley Jeppson of Washington, D.C. told the Associated Press that a senior church official said Jeppson’s union with husband Mike Kessler was incompatible with church teachings. According to Jeppson, stake president Nolan Archibald has repeatedly encouraged him to resign from the church to avoid a disciplinary hearing. Such hearings are held when church leaders deem a member’s behavior incompatible with church teachings. Disciplinary hearings are often a prelude to excommunication — where an individual loses his or her church membership and the ability to take the sacrament. Though excommunicated members can still attend church services they are barred from actively participating in them, from tithing or donating to church charities and from wearing temple garments. They also have their names removed from church records and are unable to enter LDS temples. In the past, church members have been excommunicated for several reasons. These include committing murder, participating in the adult film industry and publishing theological and scholarly texts that contradict church claims. However, this is the first widely documented case where a Mormon in a legally same-sex marriage has been threatened with excommunication. Current LDS teaching defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman and considers gay sex — and all sex outside marriage — sinful. Gays and lesbians can remain members in good standing only by remaining celibate. Additionally, the LDS church has also donated money to support legislation banning same-sex marriage in Hawaii, Alaska and California. Jeppson told the Associated Press that he would not resign willingly, even though he does not expect to be victorious if the disciplinary action goes forward. “I feel I have been forced to the edge of a cliff, where I stand holding hands with my
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Editor’s Note: Due to a printing error last issue, the feature story was unreadable. This is a reprint for those interested.
husband, my daughter and her husband, and our ancestors,” he said. “Our hands are joined with those of gay Mormons who are being shunned throughout the world. I will not leap off the cliff, denying my heritage and my faith, to save the Church from embarrassment. The Church is going to have to push me and live with the consequences of their decision — in this life and in the afterlife to come.” He added that he would prefer the church to simply ignore him and let him attend as he has always done. “I’m not attending in a dress or wearing a boa or anything,” he said. “I show up in my suit and white shirt and split after sacrament meeting. I just want to participate and I want to worship quietly in a safe place.” Archibald has declined to comment specifically on the situation, saying that he needs to keep matters involving church members confidential. He did say, however, that Jeppson’s take on the situation was “a total misrepresentation of the conversation we had.” Letters Jeppson gave to the Associated Press indicated that he and Archibald have been discussing the status of his membership since November, 2005. The Mormon Alliance, an organization seeking to “identify and document ecclesiastical/spiritual abuse in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” has expressed support for Jeppson and Kessler. The group has called the threatened disciplinary action “particularly hypocritical” due to Jeppson’s status as a legally married man. “Buckley Jeppson and Mike Kessler went to considerable trouble and inconvenience to make their union a legal marriage,” wrote Mormon Alliance trustee Lavina Fielding Anderson. “For Buckley to be threatened with church discipline for his fidelity in this marriage is a shocking revelation that the LDS Church really does have a double standard.” The LDS Safe Coalition, a two-yearold initiative supporting gay and lesbian Latter-day Saints, has also organized a campaign to send pink flowers to Nolan Archibald, members of Washington DC’s Stake high council and the church’s entire stake presidency.
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April 16–31, 2006 Events
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Gay Mormon Marries Partner, May Face Excommunication
GLBT Community Center of Utah
Variety
Buckley Jeppson and Mike Kessler
LOCAL
Call to Duty Tours Utah to Overturn ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ by Kim Burgess Alexander Nicholson loved the army. The son of a military family, he joined at 19, already able to speak four languages. His talent should have led to a bright career as an intelligence officer. Instead, he was discharged for being gay under the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law. “It was a rough time,” he said. Nicholson was particularly angry when he learned that the captain who dismissed him was carrying on an affair with a Alexander Nicholson married, enlisted mother. “I’d like to see him again and hear him say I’m immoral. I’d have some words for him.” Deciding to fight the law that sidetracked his career, Nicholson organized the Call to Duty Tour, a speaking panel of veterans who advocate overturning DADT. The Tour made its first stop at Harvard University in February and then traveled through the South and Midwest. On March 30, it arrived at the University of Utah’s Quinney College of Law. The fivemember panel included Nicholson, Admiral Alan Steinman, army linguists Patrick English and Jarrod Chlapowski and former marine Juliann Song. Steinman, former Surgeon General for the Coast Guard and the highest ranked openly gay veteran, began the meeting with a history of DADT. The law passed in 1994 despite a RAND study showing that gays could serve successfully in the armed forces. Recently, 35 countries have lifted their bans on gays in the military. Prior to DADT, military recruits were questioned about their sexual orientation and barred from service if they were openly gay. DADT was a compromise between President Bill Clinton, who wanted to allow gays to serve, and the military, which wanted to maintain the ban. Under DADT, the military would not inquire about service members’ sexual orientations. GLB men and women could serve unless they stated that they are gay, attempted to marry a gay partner or
engaged in homosexual conduct. Steinman emphasized that the law has been costly. “$400 million has been spent to train replacements for the personnel discharged because they are gay. You’re losing trained people.” Panelists English and Chlapowski are two of the trained people the military lost. Both spoke of their decision not to re-enlist because of fears of a gay discharge. “I lost my family,” Chlapowski said. Stressed by the constant secrecy demanded by DADT, both men had came out to their units and found acceptance. Still, concerns lingered that a change in command could end the positive atmosphere. “It’s variable. You just need to get a commander who’s homophobic and they have the legal right to discharge you,” English said. “You can’t even talk to psychologists or chaplains because they could tell your commander that you’re gay.” Juliann Song also experienced pressure as a gay marine. Song was stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina, the site of a 1988 “lesbian witch hunt” when dozens of women where discharged over rumors they were gay. “My blood pressure went up a lot at Parris Island,” she said. Eventually Song left the marines to attend Columbia University Journalism School. After hearing each speaker’s story, the group took questions and comments from an interested audience of 20. Several veterans in attendance discussed their own stress under DADT. “I was enlisted for 10 years and in the closet the whole time,” one woman said. Asked what gay rights supporters can do to overturn DADT, the panelists suggested contacting state representatives and encouraging support for HR 1059, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act. The bill seeks to “enhance the readiness of the Armed Forces by replacing the current policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces, referred to as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.” For more information, go to calltodutytour.org.
Queer Community Leagues Pre-Season Registration Underway
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MOUNTAIN WEST FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE The Spring Season of the Mountain West Flag Football League starts Thursday, April 27 with games held at 1700 South River Park. Team and individual registration will be held April 20. All levels of play are encouraged to register. In addition to current sponsors Rainbow Mountain Realty, Equality Utah, and Utah AIDS Foundation, the league is in search of one more organization to support a team. Also, paid referee positions are still available as well as several volunteer slots. Interested parties should email Mark at mwflagfootballleague@comcast.net or visit mwffl.org. An all-star team will be selected as the Salt Lake Avalanche, participating in the Chicago
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Gay Games this summer and the Dallas GayBowl this fall. The Fall Season of the league is scheduled to begin in August.
PRIDE COMMUNITY SOFTBALL LEAGUE Diamonds are a gay’s best friend, and so begins the Pride Community Softball League season in early May. Games will be played Sunday afternoons at Jordan Park, 1000 W. 900 South. Visit pridesoftball.org or email Dan at kaos168@hotmail.com to register. Team sponsorship fee is $300 and individual player fee is $25. An end-of-season awards banquet is included in the cost. Teams currently registered for the 2006 Season include MoDiggity’s, The Trapp/ Trapp Door, Paper Moon, Rainbow Mountain Realty, Moriarty’s Antiques, Buca Di Peppo, and others.
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.
Barney Frank to Speak at Demo Fund Raiser In an interview about his announcement not to seek a 12th term, Rep. Tom DeLay, who is generally scathing towards the Democrats, was asked to name a Democrat with strong morals. He chose openly gay Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. “He’s a strong, moral Democrat,” the former majority leader told MSNBC. “I respect him greatly. He’s a true liberal and he’s unashamedly a liberal.” The unashamed liberal will be in Utah to speak at a Utah Stonewall Democrats fund raiser on April 21 at the University of Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Limited seating is available and a “gourmet buffet” will be served. Frank was elected to Congress in 1980 after serving eight years in the Massachusetts House and three years as Chief Assistant to Boston Mayor Kevin White. Redistricting forced him to run against eight-term incumbent Margaret Heckler in 1982, where he won by 20 points and has easily won reelection since. He is a 1962 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Harvard University and a Cum Laude graduate of Harvard Law School in 1977. Frank came out in a 1987 interview with the Boston Globe and found himself embroiled two years later in a prostitution-ring scandal that earned him a reprimand from the U.S. House of Representatives. He won 66 percent of his constituents’ vote the following election. Known for his witty candor and passion for liberal causes, Frank is one of the Democrats’ most respected members. He is the ranking Democrat on the House Finance Services Committee which oversees the entire financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking, and housing industries. The Almanac of American Politics has called Frank “one of the intellectual and political leaders of the Democratic Party in the House, political theorist and pit bull all at the same time.” Politics in America has noted his “penchant for trying to match liberalism with hard-nosed pragmatism in order to move the legislative ball.” He is an ardent fighter, especially when he is fighting on the side of the minority voice. “I’m used to being in the minority. I’m a lefthanded gay Jew. I’ve never felt, automatically, a member of any majority,” he once said. A recent Washingtonian magazine survey of Capitol Hill staffers gave Frank the title
of the “brainiest” Democratic member and funniest member of the House. Frank is well known for his extremely active role in the gay civil rights movement, rising to the fore during the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and ENDA debates back during the Clinton administration. He also became known for drawing lines in the sand. During a ‘witch hunt’ by the GOP who were trying to start a whisper campaign that newly-elected House Speaker Tom Foley, a married Democrat, was gay, Frank responded by threatening to “out” six closeted Republican congressmen. The rumors immediately dissipated. In what has become known as “The Frank Rule,” the representative has stated that it is unacceptable to out a closeted gay person “unless that person uses their power or notoriety to hurt gay people.” Many activists use that rule today. Last year, Frank butted heads with Bush appointee Scott Bloch, who refuses to carry out the policy that President Bush has publicly proclaimed of protecting federal employees against discrimination based on their sexual orientation. “Many of us who disagree with President Bush on a wide range of issues were pleased when he announced that he would adhere to the policy set forward by President Clinton to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workforce,” Frank said. “In fact, when this policy was challenged after its promulgation by President Clinton in 1998, the House voted by a 252 to 176 majority to affirm it.” Last month, Frank again criticized the Bush administration, saying it is backpedaling on the issue of security clearances to lesbians and gay men. “Members of the GLBT community serve their country with distinction everyday, and the political appointees in the Bush administration should value their service,” he said in a written statement. The fund-raising dinner for Utah Stonewall Democrats begins at 7:00 p.m. and ticket holders will be able to enjoy the “Frida Kahlo through the lens of Nickolas Muray” exhibit at the Utah Fine Arts Museum. A Mexican buffet and cash bar for those who want to imbibe in margaritas will be available and local jazz vocalist Melissa Pace will entertain. Tickets are $60 and corporate tables are available through Nikki Boyer at 532-5330 or Adam Bass at 414-4586.
Barney Frank Quotes
married to my father, no one had ever called her Elsie Fag.”
“I’m used to being in the minority. I’m a left-handed gay Jew. I’ve never felt, automatically, a member of any majority.”
“Bush, Sr. used to say we have more will than wallet. So he urged the country to attack poverty with a thousands points of light, none of which could be eaten.”
On campaign financing: “We are the only people in the world required by law to take large amounts of money from strangers and then act as if it has no effect on our behavior.”
“When you’re engaged in a political fight, if you’re doing something that really, really, really makes you feel good, then it’s probably not the best tactic.”
“People might cite George Bush as proof that you can be totally impervious to the effects of Harvard and Yale education.” “People have been scared straight, and between now and Election Day will be one of the purest periods in American life.” “The fact that they’re a congressionally chartered group should no more incline people to give to that group than the fact that it’s National Pickle Month should make them eat more pickles.” On the need for congressional reform: “I am one of those who talks about in Washington a vast rightwing conspiracy. It now seems clear to me that we instead have had a vast right-wing kleptocracy.” “I don’t like to waste words. And I think there is too much bloviating around from politicians. It seems to me that politicians ought to use the same words as other people.” “Rather than the boy who cried wolf, George Bush is the reverse. He claims that there is nothing wrong when there is. He’s the boy who cried, ‘Nice doggie.’” On his opposition to the death penalty: “While I have never read about a person about to be executed whom I will miss, I do not believe fallible people should do irrevocable things if there is any alternative.” In response to Rep. Dick Armey, R-Texas, claim that calling him “Barney Fag” was a mere mispronunciation: “My mother says that in 59 years since being
“One of the problems you have in politics is people don’t ever want to disagree with their friends. Politicians get a lot of undeserved credit for standing up to their enemies. It’s not only easy to stand up to your enemies; if you’re a politician, it’s generally profitable. The hardest thing to do is to stand up to your friends when you think they’re wrong.” In 1984, during an all-night House Floor debate on school prayer, Rep. Marjorie Holt, R-Md., declared “this is a Christian nation.” To which Frank, who was chairing the debate at the request of the House leadership, said “if this is a Christian nation, how come some poor Jew has to get up at 5:30 in the morning to preside over the House of Representatives?” With regard to anti-choice Republicans, who were advocating cuts in health care programs that benefited women and children, Frank commented “conservatives believe that from the standpoint of the federal government, life begins at conception and ends at birth.” In 1985, when the Reagan Administration reiterated its contention that the country could count on a rising tide to lift all boats, Frank was dubious, noting “if you don’t own a boat and you are standing on tip toes in the water, a rising tide is not a cause for celebration.” When Frank supported raising the speed limit to 65 m.p.h. he told liberals who disagreed with him that he would “only listen to people on this issue who actually drive 55 m.p.h.”
SLCC Symposium Promotes ‘Artivism’ “Artivism,” conceptually is the process of using art as an outlet to surmount social, political, and sexual oppression that affects the lives of every race, color, and creed. One notable “artivist” recently visited Utah to speak out on the subject. Stephanie Gentry-Fernandez, a mixedrace lesbian and humanitarian from San Francisco, attended the Utah Service Symposium as the keynote speaker on March 23 at the Salt Lake Community College, Redwood Campus. Led by Utah college students, the symposium displayed art pieces of different mediums depicting the pain and isolation of oppression.
Gentry-Fernandez’s theory “Pyramid of Oppression,” centers on the idea that the smallest acts of subjugation eventually elevate to the point of “violence.” She believes the problem begins with off-color jokes and diluted remarks depicting racism and sexism; and over time scales into life-threatening events. Gentry-Fernandez read, to more than a hundred audience members, some of her thought-provoking poems. She also spoke candidly about her personal life and how she overcame certain obstacles through writing poetry.
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Q Spring Fashion
Kirsten fills out the full-zip track jacket by Cadella Marley (yes, Bob Marley’s eldest daughter) in her Catch A Fire line of laidback style and preppy punk attitude. Finished with sporty contrasting piping down sides of sleeves, front kangaroo pocket, full mesh lining with Bob Marley graphic at center of backside, and gel-printed logo wording at left chest and center of backside.
Photographer Brek Joos, the fashions of Foxtrot America and models Andy Godwin, Kirstin Seline and Tom Maughan bring you the latest must-haves in fashion as the weather slowly gets warmer.
Andy lays back in a striped shirt of the Buffalo collection by David Bitton
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All three models are sporting Buffalo Jeans by David Bitton’s 2006 spring-summer line.
Go to Estilo!
Tom will stay cool this season in this 100% cotton Ben Ryan cut-off muscle shirt.
FOXTROT !MERICA #O
"/54)15% -%. 3 7/-%. 3
Rad Denim • Designer Apparel Vintage • Remade Vintage In-House Labels Local Designer Labels
Trolley Square 801.466.3144
Cadella Marley’s line of Bob Marley graphic tees and tanks looks great on Tom and Andy.
Kirsten shows off some spring colors with a striped sleeveless top and Hot Kiss fashion jeans.
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Unmask your heart.
Unmask your mind.
Unmask yourself.
Saturday, April 29
from 8pm to Midnight
Salt Lake Hardware Building 105 North 400 West, Salt Lake City $5 per person in advance, $8 at the door.
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Pick up Queer Prom tickets at the GLBTCCU Youth Activity Center For more information email: stan@glbtccu.org or call 801-539-8800 ext. 14
For GLBT and allied youth 13-20 years old.
Apples and Oranges Editor, As an elementary school teacher I hear it all the time out of the mouth of babes — the homophobia that is taught at home and in society in general. Kids call each other “gay” to humiliate and hurt each other. When I have students sing songs with the word “gay” in them, kids giggle and think something dirty is being suggested. One “progressive” boy even told the class that gay use to mean happy until some “weirdo” changed it. Some people are missing the point over the protest against Larry Miller being asked to be a keynote speaker at the University of Utah. Comparing his selection to that of Michael Moore’s visit to Utah Valley State College is like comparing apples and oranges. It is not about the issue of free speech. Michael Moore was not asked by the UVSC administration to be a keynote speaker. Michael Moore was asked to share a political view by the student government; a view that
is rarely expressed in Utah County. The protest against Larry Miller is more against the university recognizing someone who clearly does not value all Utah’s citizens but only the straight ones, a view that is espoused by the majority. Miller’s refusal at the time to explain his pulling of Brokeback Mountain from his theaters and his temper tantrum towards a KSL reporter is one of several reasons why people question Miller’s choice as a speaker. After all the bashing gays endure in this state especially during this past legislative session, it is impossible not to question the University’s decision. But then money talks the loudest in Utah.”
Ben Williams Salt Lake City QSaltLake welcomes letters from our readers. Email them to letters@qsaltlake.com or mail them to PO Box 511247, Salt Lake City UT 84151. We reserve the right to edit for length, libel or appropriateness.
Who Are The Illegals? by Marta Donayre The recent immigration debate has stirred up a lot of emotions in this country. Not too long ago, the same emotions rose around the issue of same-sex marriage. As a Latina lesbian immigrant, I can’t help but feel continually targeted. On the one hand my immigrant brothers and sisters call me “immoral.� On the other hand my lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer brothers and sisters call me “illegal.� In the end, both only perpetuate the “otherness� stigma that affects immigrants and LGBTQ people. Sadly, both groups fail to see that they have more similarities than differences. Both LGBTQ people and immigrants are accused of breaking “the law.� To some these are sodomy laws (repealed only as recently as 2003), to others immigration law. Yet powerful people wrote both legal codes to enforce their personal biases on those deemed “other.� In the heat of the argument, the humanity of people like me is completely lost since the “other� is less deserving, or needs to be eliminated somehow. Unfortunately, both groups also advocate for justice and equality, but only for themselves. During immigration protests I vigorously chant “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!� But this chant really means “just us,� since the LGBTQ community is never included. The assumption is that all immigrants are heterosexual. As an immigrant, my own movement leaves me behind. Likewise, I also vigorously chant along to “What do we want? Equality! When do we want it? Now!� at LGBTQ rallies and protests. But the LGBTQ community has made it very clear that there are some that are more equal than others through their citizenship rhetoric. The argument is that citizens are more deserving than non-citizens. The immigration debate in the LGBTQ community is only limited to partnership recognition. Most times, this is muddled in with marriage. Unless I, as an immigrant, am the appendix of an American citizen whose rights are violated I do not count at all. The assumption is that all LGBTQ people are citizens. As a lesbian, my
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It’s About Fairness by David Nelson While I listened on April 9 to the conversations, read the handwritten signs and spoke with the other demonstrators who waved flags and banners, I felt like I was at one of the countless familiar demonstrations, marches and vigils that I’ve attended during more than 26 years in Utah and the United States. Utah Minuteman Project Chairman Alex Segura organized our demonstration against illegal immigration at Washington Square in Salt Lake City. Those who supported illegal immigration organized a different demonstration on the other side of the square. As a lifetime Democrat, I noticed a few familiar faces among our more than 200 demonstrating Americans who were also men, women, children, seniors, retired, unionized workers, married, unmarried, families, students, homeless, professionals, bikers, American Indians, European descendants, black, Hispanic, gay, straight, peace activists, military veterans, body builders, people with disabilities, natives, naturalized, politicians, churchgoers and even some pedestrians who joined us for brief times. We were united as much by our casual humor and pleasantries as the verbal harassment against us that was tossed just as casually by those who disagreed with us. They were just as diverse and enthusiastic as we were, but clearly more hostile. There was just one idea marking the difference between us: that equality under law is more
Contributors Kim Burgess, Angela D’Amboise, Mell Bailey, Matthew Gerber, Tony Hobday, Brek Joos, Jere Keys, Danny McCoy, Laurie Mecham, Ross von Metzke, William H. Munk, David Nelson, Paul E. Pratt, Ruby Ridge, Kim Russo, Joel Shoemaker, Darren Tucker, JoSelle Vanderhooft, Ben Williams, Magon Wilson QSaltLake is published twice monthly the Wednesday on or before the 1st and 16th by
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nate to learn that all forms of oppression are the same. They are rooted in the notion that group A is better than group B based on a label. Because group A is inherently better, then this group deserves something more and better, and that they deserve it before group B. The label could be that of citizenship status, gender, sexual orientation, income level, skin color, religion, disability, class, etc. Now I understand that no advocate for justice and/or equality can see the fruits of the tree of oppression as being different. When a person advocates for equality, he or she must not see people as unequal. When a person advocates for justice, they cannot advocate for “just us.� I hope that my brothers and sisters on both sides of this argument can also learn this lesson and that we can all work together against all forms of oppression.
than a slogan. Some gay Americans are tempted to consider the extension of U.S. civil rights to illegal aliens as morally or even legally equivalent to protecting their own equal rights; a kind of “all for one and one for all� spirit. There’s a reason that noncitizens are simply ineligible for those protections: They’re not citizens. Like all nations, we export a lot of things worldwide, but our rights are for citizens and those working to become citizens. While more than 962,000 legal immigrants enter the United States every year to become citizens, up to three million illegal aliens enter the United States every year and don’t even try to become citizens. Up to 20 million U.S. illegal aliens account for five percent of workers and eight percent of residents, but 29 percent of prisoners. Up to 8.4 million illegal aliens receive some kind of federal welfare. By most estimates, illegal aliens pay far less taxes, if at all, than their residency costs. These upside-down costs make gay Americans even more disadvantaged in the fiscal and political struggles for public policies and funding. U.S. government health care budgets for 2005 to 2008 will increase more than $1 billion to pay for uninsured emergency care which is disproportionately enjoyed by illegal aliens. Bear Stearns Asset Management, Inc. analysts reported in 2005 that “The social expenses of [illegal-alien] health care, retirement funding, education and law enforcement are potentially accruing at $30 billion per year.� To describe this differently, imagine increasing our federal HIV-AIDS budget by more than $1 billion or our hate crime, domestic violence and HIV education budgets among others as part of an annual $30 billion reallocation. Beyond the governmental disadvantage, business leaders who choose to hire illegal aliens affect gay Americans, especially youth, who are wage-depressed or displaced from entry-level jobs overall and service jobs specifically. Most illegal aliens don’t even need the U.S. jobs, however. Pew Hispanic Center pollsters reported in 2005 that “only [five percent of illegal aliens] who have been in the [United States] for two years or less were unemployed while still in Mexico� and, contrary to popular opinion, they resemble “the core of Mexico’s labor force� not its least-skilled or least-paid workers as their desperate actions suggest. As long as corporate America provides gay workers with better and more inclusive nondiscrimination protections and partner benefits than our federal and state governments, the loss of our jobs to lower-paid illegal aliens will continue to harm our workers. Some gay Americans continue to fuzz the edges between nondiscrimination and
immigration laws by describing how gay illegal aliens who marry U.S. citizens aren’t protected by federal LPR legal permanent residency while nongay illegal aliens remain protected as they always have. While this is true, it’s a deficiency in our federal marriage laws not our federal immigration laws. None of the several immigration reform bills in the Congress would change that deficiency. The two matters have nothing to do with each other. A Native American woman told us how, if anyone had the right to protest illegal aliens, she did — and she joined our demonstration. The United States is an immigrant nation; after all, her ancestors were the original long-distance immigrants. But, in the first 100 years of our nation, it received an average of two immigrants a day. Since 1996, it receives an average of two immigrants a minute. Things have changed. The Ellis Islandera laws weren’t nice or welcoming, but they were fair. Immigrants could be turned away because of unacceptable education, work experience or health, among other reasons. What hasn’t changed, however, is the idea that legal immigrants who play by the rules are welcomed, included and protected equally. It’s an idea that gay Americans should know well.
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own movement leaves me behind. Ironically, both groups put forward the same arguments. “If they only understood how we suffer,� the logic goes, “they would change their hearts and minds and support us.� So both camps go out to the public to do just that: share their stories of how they are being wronged. Yet, when it comes time to hearing the other side, for instance for the immigrants to hear the LGBTQ plight or vice versa, something funny happens. The openness that is asked of others is refused when it is their turn. We allow in ourselves the same bigotry we point to in others. No matter what the speaker may have to present, heterosexual immigrants and LGBTQ
citizens can only see and listen through the filter of bias. The immigrant will always be the undeserving “illegal,� the LGBTQ person will always be the undeserving “immoral.� Then, I ask, how can either movement really achieve justice and equality? Aren’t we, as people, giving back the exact thing we don’t want for ourselves? Aren’t both communities victims of the same oppressive bias and bigotry? Are we not perpetuating the myth of the “other� onto each other? To this I say, “Do onto others as you would wish them do onto you.� I am ashamed to say that a few years ago I did not understand this. At the time I was caught up in the cycle of creating hierarchies of oppression. I too thought that citizens should come first, even though I myself am an immigrant. But I was fortu-
Bathrumor by Laurie Mecham Before the advent of the blogosphere, bathrooms were the places where unpublished writers could have their, um, “work” seen by the public—well, half of the public, anyway. Through bathroom graffiti, anonymous authors penned their philosophies on life, made political statements and reached out to an unseen audience in search of friends. OK, the search for friends part is probably wrong; it was more a search for either sex or revenge. These hastily-scribed essays were sharp, succinct and to the point.
LaWrence MILLer SUX dOG NuTZ I spent a morning in the Portland Department of Motor Vehicles recently. A trip to the ladies’ room took me down memory lane (a two-lane, one-way street, designated by a dashed white line down the center). I hadn’t realized how rare bathroom graffiti has become in my life until I saw it Portland DMV style. I guess I’ve gradually moved up in the world—better restaurants, classier restrooms. Women who move in the circles that I inhabit don’t scratch up the bathroom stalls. They post notices instead. Is it just me, or have other people seen the Bathroom Warning Note phenomenon? It appears to me that people are having some really terrifying experiences in public restrooms. These events are so traumatizing that they induce victims to print out Dire Warnings on 8½ x 11-inch all-purpose paper and affix them to the walls with half-inch Scotch Invisible Tape refills.
RUBY RIDGE STUFFS HER BRA In my old workplace, there was a big, laser-printed sign by the light switch that said, “Before Turning Off Lights, Be Sure No One Is In Restroom.” Now, this is just a triple occupancy suite, so it seems like that shouldn’t be a hard request. But I got thinking about the person who went to the trouble to go back to her desk, print the sign, schlep back to the restroom and tape it up, securely. Oh, honey, who are you? You’re kind of bossy, huh? Did you know that it is incorrect to capitalize every word, unless it is a title? You must really, really be afraid of the dark. It seems like you could just dab, yank up your pants and take five steps to the door to turn the light back on. Either you were frozen with fear or it just went dark at a terribly inconvenient time, in which case I don’t want to know more. I’m sorry that you found it so… disturbing. At my new workplace, there is a sign in the ladies’ room, again a three-seater: “Please be sure to flush THOROUGLY.” This is inside one of the stalls, and it has been there for months. Again, it seems that someone has been overly traumatized by a trivial event. I don’t feel pity
Fruitzilla! by Ruby Ridge Pumpkins have you noticed how the baby fags and dykes are using the word queer? Bless their self-empowered little hearts, but for someone my age the word “queer” grates on my nerves like press-on nails on a chalk board. Sort of like the word “sensational,” now that Wendy’s has done that annoying ad campaign for their over-priced salads. I mean really, kittens, don’t you just want to bitch-slap that woman every time she says ‘sensational?’ I know I do … but I digress. The whole issue of the word queer came to light when I noticed someone had edited my last column and taken out all of my references to gays and lesbians. I don’t know if we were tight on space or just being incredibly politically correct, but suddenly my hate crimes rant was filled with the more concise but more irritating word “queer.” Okay, so three times may not qualify as “filled” to some people, but to one as hypersensitive and under-medicated as I am, it seemed awash in queerness. The whole “Q” thing is so de rigueur these days that I shouldn’t get upset. I should be thrilled that the youngsters are reclaiming the word for themselves and neutering all of its negative connotations; sort of like how the young urban black kids have reclaimed “nigger.” So kudos to them. But for my oppressed generation there is another word that desperately needs to be salvaged and given the “queer” eye makeover and I am talking about the word “fruit.” Yes, petals, as a loud, proud and defiant FRUIT, I believe it’s time to add a capitalized “F” to the alphabet soup that is our GLBTQ moniker.
for this woman, except that it must be a drag to be so anal-retentive. Ha ha. Really, think about the implications here. All two year-olds know the truth that you find so disturbing: EVERYBODY POOPS. Some poops sink and some float. Some poops are big and some are small. Sometimes the big ones don’t all disappear in the first flush. Shit, as they say, happens. But you are a grown woman, with a job and a computer. You are going to have to get a grip and learn to deal with reality, because before you know it, someone is going to explain the birds and the bees to you and you’ll realize that your parents did it and then you’ll really have some issues.
Michael Aaron is a FAG! After seeing Bathroom Trauma Happened Here signs in two different states, I began to wonder if this is a universal phenomenon. Do people everywhere suffer psychic insults in restrooms? Admittedly, I’ve only researched a small sample. In fact, I haven’t even checked the men’s room. What about you guys? Have you ever seen anything like this? Have any guys ever left a sign that says, “Please don’t pee here... or here.” What about, “Please report any splinters in the glory holes to management.” Just guessing. Laurie Mecham is a Lying Psycho Bitch! From HELL!
Last time I heard GLBTQ stood for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer, but that was a month ago so it has probably changed at least three times since then. Sometimes I see LGBTQ with the lesbians going first because apparently, despite their opposition to all things male, it’s convenient to use the patriarchal vestige that lets women symbolically go first. Either that or the rest of us are just scared shitless by angry politicallycorrect lesbians in academia that decide these things and we just caved. Who knows? Sadly in trying to hyper-articulate our diversity, the increasingly worthless GLBTQ label broadcasts to the world that as a community we couldn’t reach a consensus if our lives depended on it. Now before you take me too seriously let me reassure you all I’m just joking ... about adding the big “F,” I mean. The last thing we need is yet another politically-correct subcategory that divides and weakens us, rather than building up our collective sense of community. We are so caught up in defining our self-identified label, that it’s no wonder other people do it for us with catchier, easier to use shorthand terms like fags, deviants and pedophiles. Ask yourself what will you remember ten minutes from now … GLBTQ or pervert? Now ask what someone in the straight community will remember? Ladies and gentleman of the court of public opinion, this fruit rests his or her case. Ciao!
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Yes, petals, as a loud, proud and defiant FRUIT, I believe it’s time to add a capitalized “F” to the alphabet soup that is our GLBTQ moniker.
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 watching our diverse immigrant community pull off a fabulously cohesive and effective protest rally, while we can barely agree on a slogan for Pride.
Lost Radicals by Ben Williams Peter, Paul, and Mary once sang, “Where have all the flowers gone?” I often rephrase the question and ask, “Where have all the gay radicals gone?” You know, the ones who pushed the envelope, the ones to whom being queer was more than a theory. Times change. If you live very long you are painfully aware of that fact. Radical. You Radical. You are too radical! Epitaphs hurled to keep you in your place. But what is so dangerous and menacing about being radical? Radical… hmmm, let’s look at the true meaning of the word:
Radical adj. 1. Arising from or going to a root or source; basic 2. Departing markedly from the usual or customary; extreme 3. Favoring or effecting fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions: 4. Linguistics: Of or being a root; a radical form. 5. Botany: Arising from the root or its crown; radical leaves. 6. Slang: Excellent; wonderful. n. 1. One who advocates fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions: radicals seeking to overthrow the social order. 2. Mathematics: The root of a quantity as indicated by the radical sign. 3. An atom or a group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron. It appears to me that many of today’s gay leaders in and out of Utah are afraid to death of being considered radical. This was not always the case. In the recent past, gay men and women embraced the word and took ownership of it. There were once Radicalesbians in Utah writing manifestos, as well as Radical Faeries putting spells on patriarchy. Utah’s National Organization for Women Ruby Fruit Chapter also fought patriarchy, mostly without spells and Queer Nation
Utah was once the epitome of radicalism, even chanting “I Hate Straights.” In the late 1980s and into the 1990s, however, “assimilation” replaced radical as the buzz word of an increasingly vocal group of new leaders who felt that gay liberation could only come full circle when it no longer needed to exist. These new leaders were mostly made up of a new queer subgroup, the gay professional. Gay became a career instead of a vocation. One’s gay credibility was now based on how many letters you had attached behind your name. I wonder if this was the origin of the love affair with acronyms that have become meaningless in the GLBTQITS community. (Did I leave anyone out?) Some may argue, and I am sure they will, that the gay civil rights movement was simply growing up, while others, including myself, feared that the movement was shifting to the political right as to become more mainstream. Mainstream, normal, typical, conventional, ordinary. Are we selling our gay souls to become ordinary? Many gay people have even stopped identifying themselves as a separate folk, one with a distinct history and culture. We have almost become reactionary, making our sexuality disconnected from our hearts, as it was before Stonewall. I hear people all the time saying that they are not defined by their sexuality anymore, as if this was progressive. Excuse me? When I hear people say that, I want to cringe. It appears to me, if no one is gay anymore then why do we need gay civil rights? I submit that being gay is more than what someone does with their genitalia. I have always maintained that if I became paralyzed from the waist down I would still be a gay man. My spirit is gay. My perception of the world is from that of a gay man. I am not a heterosexual man. I cannot pretend to understand his perspective just because I am biologically male. Somewhere along the way the word gay has become derogatory even among our own people. If it has, we have lost something more dear and precious than anything we could possess. So I suppose there is little hope for those who no longer believe they are uniquely, exceptionally, distinctively and remarkably dissimilar from heterosexuals to ever embrace the word “radical.” I could be wrong.
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Chris Botti. See Wed. April 26
by Tony Hobday tony@qsaltlake.com
bonnet you own, girls, because this definitely ain’t no beauty contest.
16SUNDAY
11am door open, The Trapp, 600 W 102 South, a private club for members.
I don’t give a hoot what people say about EASTER. There is nothing more invigorating than sitting around the table with your friends and family coloring hardboiled eggs and speckling them with tiny Scooby Doo and Bratz stickers and then hiding them in the backyard under two feet of snow where they seemingly fall victim to the effects of the Bermuda Triangle until Summer. Maybe this year I’ll hunt for boys dressed in pastel Bermuda shorts. Q If you’re not “family value” conscious apparently like most homos, and all you want to do is get tanked, then head on over to Club Try-Angles for an EASTER PARTY. BBQ Buffet and an Easter egg hunt provided (not sure if you’ll be hunting for Gene’s eggs or not and Stan can’t even find his own).
Q Because this issue of QSaltLake is dedicated to fashion, I decided to include the following event sponsored by the Utah Arts Council Design Arts Program. Last month they released a call for Utah designers to submit their work to be featured in the fourth annual DESIGNARTS UTAH ’06 exhibit held through June and July. Any design field is eligible to enter, not only fashion. So get those creative juices flowing because submission deadline is April 28.
2pm doors open, Club Try-Angles, 251 W 900 South, a private club for members.
Q If you’re more into a frilly Easter, then The Trapp is the place to be today as it’s hosting an EASTER BONNET CONTEST. Pull the dozens of hat boxes out of your closet and find the most dreadful
Call 533-3585 for more information or visit arts.utah.gov for the entry form.
17MONDAY Q If your lover or spouse is constantly riding your back — and not in a good way — or your boss is always badgering you at work, may I suggest a sure-fire way of tuning them out. Attend TAO Institute’s MEDITATION, NATURAL GREAT PEACE, a six-week class that teaches the art of open-eye meditation. Your lover, spouse, and/or boss will never be the
wiser — they may just think you’ve swallowed one too many Prozac. 6:30-9:30pm, Mondays through June 10, TAO Institute, 150 S 600 East. Call 521-0055 for more information.
18TUESDAY Q Will Rogers said, “I never met a man I didn’t like.” I whole-heartedly agree even though the context of his statement is likely different from my horny interpretation. The multi-Tony award winning THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES hits the stage for a one-night musical jamboree that’s as flamboyantly American as crème cheese-filled Fuji apple pie. 7:30pm, Ellen Eccles Theatre, 43 S Main Street, Logan, UT. Tickets $20-35, call 355-ARTS or visit arttix.com.
19WEDNESDAY Q Dubbed an “apocalyptic fairy tale”, Caryl Churchill’s intellect-stabbing antiwar play FAR AWAY comes as a regional premiere and an innovative theatrical event. Known as art-installation, community members are encouraged to sign up for the roles of political prisoners forced to parade in elaborate hats en route to their execution, during a short scene of the production. Tonight through May 7, Studio Theatre, Rose Wagner Center, 138 W Broadway. Tickets $10–15, call 355-ARTS or visit arttix.com for show times. To sign up as an extra, visit toothandnail.com.
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20THURSDAY Q Illusion is such a unique concept, one I embrace when I look in the mirror at my beer gut and see only a washboard stomach. But I digress. It’s probably marital bliss for Kevin and Cindy Spencer to have magical powers. Their show THE SPENCERS: THEATRE OF ILLUSION, according to audiences everywhere is breath-taking and entertaining. You will leave the theatre asking “how’d they do that?” and “Can you learn that? I really think it would help our relationship.” 7:30pm, tonight and Friday, Ellen Eccles Theatre, 43 S Main Street, Logan. Tickets $10–20, call 355-ARTS or visit arttix.com.
21FRIDAY Q RCGSE’s own William Munk, Mr. Golden Spike proudly presents A COMEDY OF ERRORS, a comic-themed drag show fundraiser, which is part of a number of pre-Coronation shows. See the 29th and 30th on this calendar as well as upcoming issues of QSaltLake for more exciting RCGSE events. 9pm(ish), Paper Moon, 3737 S State Street, a private club for members. Tickets $5–6 at the door.
Q If the documentary Gay Sex in the ’70s is not exactly anatomically pleasurable for you, perhaps you will connect with THE SEX HABITS OF AMERICAN WOMEN, the new show presented by Pygmalion Productions Theatre Company. Set in the ’50s, but smartly juxtaposed with contemporary times, it follows women’s sexual liberation over the past fifty years. 8pm, tonight through Saturday, May 13, Leona Wagner Black Box Theatre, Rose Wagner Center, 138 W Broadway. Tickets $18, call 355-ARTS or visit arttix.com.
Q All right you Rydell High alumni, GREASE is back for yet another reunion. Paint on your leather pants, slip into your red stilettos, tease your hair into a bird’s nest, and call yourself Sandy, the frigid boy-tease turned chain-smoking street slut. 7:30pm, Terrace Plaza Playhouse, 305W Pleasant View, Ogden. Call 801-393-0070 for ticket information.
22SATURDAY Q Start Earth Day out on a good note by supporting VEG FEST 2006 (no, that does not mean wake up, smoke a doobie, and stare at the boob tube all day). The Student Organization for Animal Rights (SOAR) presents this day-long festival of music, games, films, prizes, and animal-friendly foods. 10am-6pm, Salt Lake Public LibraryDowntown, 210 E 400 South. Free.
Q If nothing else inspires active behavior in you today, at least take your dog or a kite or a picnic basket to Sugarhouse Park. While there, be sure to look for the participants of the ANNUAL WALK FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION event
and cheer them on for a cause that sheds much needed light on a dark and haunting reality. 11am-2pm, Sugarhouse Park, 1300 E 2100 South. To participate in the walk, pre-register by calling 593-3705 before April 14th.
Q Salt Lake City-based DEBI GRAHAM BAND, the 2005 SLAMMY winner for “Band of the Year” and “Best Female Vocalist”, bring their acoustic indie rock style to MoDiggity’s stage tonight. If you have never heard them play, I highly recommend you do so, you will not be disappointed. 8pm, MoDiggity’s, 3424 S State Street, a private club for members. Tickets $6-8 at the door.
23SUNDAY Q As the weather hopefully warms up, more and more outdoor social activities will start to blossom including SL Women in Action’s SPRING HIKE. SLWA is a recreational and social community group that hosts many outdoor activities in a non-competitive and “dramafree” environment. Noon-3pm, location TBA. Visit slwomeninaction.com for more info.
26WEDNESDAY Q Stand up and be heard without saying a word. That is the premise behind GLSEN’s NATIONAL DAY OF SILENCE, an annual event where students across the country silently “voice” the truth about bullying and harassment in school. This year’s event is expected to be the highest-supported to date. So for those GSA’s of Utah that have yet to register should do so immediately. Visit glsen.org or dayofsilence.org for registration and additional information.
Q Trumpeteer CHRIS BOTTI graces Kingsbury Hall with his velvety-tone pop jazz. Quickly becoming a renowned artist, Chris has collaborated with several of today’s top musicians including Sting, Paula Cole, Natalie Merchant, and Michael Buble. As well as many others, who are included on his new album “To Love Again.” 8pm, Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah, 1395 E Presidents Circle. Tickets $35. Call 355-ARTS or visit smithtix.com.
27THURSDAY
7pm, Art Barn, 54 Finch Lane. Call 596-5000 for more information. Free
28FRIDAY Q Women who dress like men, dress like men who dress like women … or something like that, I guess. The annual DYKES IN DRAG, one of the more popular RCGSE events, returns to the Paper
9pm(ish), Paper Moon, 3737 S State Street. Tickets $5-6 at the door.
Q Keeping within the heart of this issue, the Salt Lake Community College Fashion Institute presents RAW COUTURE (ko—o-to ˘ or´, -tür´), the annual student designer fashion show. Be prepared for hot young things parading hot new fashions. Who will be the next Valentino, Christian Dior, or Jaclyn Smith. 7:30pm, Jeanne Wagner Theatre, Rose Wagner Center, 138 W Broadway. Tickets $17. Call 355-ARTS or visit arttix.com.
29SATURDAY Q “Unmask your heart. Unmask your mind. Unmask yourself. Unmask your privates.” Whoops, I went slightly overboard there. Forget that last one, it’s not really part of the theme for this year’s QUEER PROM: MASQUERADE; although the word prom is interchangeable with sexual deviance. Sorry little tykes and dykes, ages 13-20, be on your best behavior because you never know what he or she really looks like under that mask. 8pm, Salt Lake Hardware Building, 105 N 400 W. Tickets $5 advance, $8 at the door. Tickets are available at the GLBTCCU Youth Activity Center. Call 539-8800 ext. 14 for more information.
Q It’s so much fun watching someone do a fabulous impersonation but it’s also entertaining to watch a lame impersonation, unless of course it’s a lame impersonation of you. Ryann V. Taylor, RCGSE Princess Consort, hosts the “I LOVE MY EMPRESS” show. Performers will impersonate some of their favorite past Empresses of the Court. And maybe a few spiteful queens will do a hatchet job on one of their least favorite. 9pm(ish), Trapp Door, 615 W 100 South, a private club for members. Tickets $5–6 at the door.
30SUNDAY Q The 27th GOLDEN SPIKE AWARDS should be scandalous this year. Nominees for the Humanitarian Award include Chris Buttars, Larry H. Miller, and Evergreen International; the Community Service Award nominees include Larry H. Miller, Gayle Ruzicka, and LaVar Christensen; the Lifetime Achievement Award nominees include the Utah Republican Party, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 7pm, Trapp Door, 615 W 100 South, a private club for members.
Prom Season Tips for Queer Youth This prom season, millions of young people around the country are renting tuxedoes or buying dresses, worrying about whom to ask as their date (or who will ask them) and making plans for their school’s biggest party of the year. Every year a growing number of courageous lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students, who refuse to be excluded from the festivities, are exercising their right to bring a same-sex date to their school prom. The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah also hosts a Queer Prom, held this year on Saturday, April 29. See details in the QAgenda. If you’re in public school and thinking of bringing a same-sex date to your school prom this year, Lambda Legal Defense Fund has offered some important issues to consider: 1. Am I allowed to take a same-sex date to the prom? Yes. You are allowed to bring your same-sex date to prom. Schools sometimes object initially, but there are several reasons why a school cannot ban same-sex couples from school dances. First, you have a right to express yourself by bringing the date of your choice. Your attendance with your same-sex date is considered an “expressive activity” — you are expressing your identity and communicating that you and your date have the same right as any other couple to attend and enjoy the event. More than 20 years ago, a federal court recognized that the First Amendment protects this expression, when it ruled that high school senior Aaron Fricke had the right to bring his male date to the prom. The school’s concern that other students might react negatively to Aaron and his date did not justify banning Aaron. The school was required to take appropriate security measures to ensure the safety of all students at the event. You also have the right to equal treatment from your school. Some state education laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex or sexual orientation; some state antidiscrimination laws apply to schools; and Title IX, a federal law, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Equal protection guarantees of the state and federal constitutions also prohibit irrational discrimination based on sex or sexual orientation. 2. What should I do if my school tells me I can’t take a same-sex date to the prom and won’t sell me tickets? First, try to get the support of your parent(s) or legal guardian(s). Ask them to contact the school principal on your behalf and ask that the school provide the reasons for its denial to you in writing. If the school continues to object, contact Lambda Legal (see www.lambdalegal.org for contact information in your area) or a local attorney. 3. What if the principal says the school will let me bring my date but first we both must get our parents’ permission? Schools should not single out same-sex couples for different treatment. There is no legal justification for demanding permission for some couples because of their sex or sexual orientation. Unless a school requires parental permission for all couples, it should not demand that from you. And because a school might later argue that your parents’ special permission somehow relieved them of any duty to ensure your safety at the event, your parents should get a full explanation from the school. 4. How can we be sure that we’ll be safe?
To submit events to this calendar, email tony@qsaltlake.com. For advertising rates, call us at 1-800-806-7357 or email sales@qsaltlake.com
Schools cannot refuse to provide you with the same protection that they provide to all other couples. If you are concerned about your safety, you need to talk with your school principal or district superintendent before the prom. Provide them with as much detail as you can about what’s happened or who’s been threatened. In Aaron Fricke’s case, the court found that “meaningful security measures are possible, and the First Amendment requires that such steps be taken to protect rather than to stifle free expression.” You cannot be heckled or harassed out of attending your prom.
5. What if we’re two lesbians and we both want to wear tuxedos? Can the school set any dress code based on gender stereotypes? While schools can set general dress standards for prom — like requiring formal attire — they shouldn’t force you to wear clothes based on your gender. Barring a female student from wearing a tuxedo because only male students wear tuxes is sex stereotyping and may subject the school to a sex-discrimination claim under state education laws, antidiscrimination laws, Title IX or the U.S. Constitution. The right to express your gender identity through appropriate clothing should also be also protected by the First Amendment or a similar state law. But despite these arguments, courts sometimes have found that a school’s concern about safety, distraction or disruption is valid and have upheld sex-specific dress codes. So you should advocate for the right to wear the clothes that you want — the clothes that make you feel most comfortable and express your identity — but you also should consider alternatives. (For example, if you don’t win your battle to wear what you want, you still can protest the dress code by, for example, wearing a paper cutout tux as your corsage or an armband.) 6. Even if the school does take measures to ensure our safety, what can we do if we’re harassed by other students (or anyone) at the prom? You need to report any incidents to officials, security personnel or other monitors/chaperones at the dance. If you think there might be problems, enlist friends and allies who, for example, will get on the dance floor with you during that first dance to break the ice. This can set a fun, enjoyable, supportive and safe environment for the evening. 7. If we get to the prom and the school officials or monitors don’t let us in, what can we do? Ask to speak with the person in charge of the event and advocate with them. Let them know that you have a right to attend, that you will not cause any disruption and will abide by the same conduct rules (no fighting, no drinking) as all other couples. If you know before the actual night of prom that there might be problems, you can take steps that might prevent you from being turned away at the door. You could tell your school principal in advance that you’re bringing a same-sex date. If the principal objects, then you can advocate for your right to be there and address any issues the school may have beforehand. Once the principal’s on your side, ask for a short note from the principal stating that you are allowed to attend with your date. Bring it with you, and hopefully you’ll never need it. 8. Once inside, what if someone tries to stop us from dancing together? You have the right to participate in prom the same way that any other couple does. While the school can have rules of conduct that apply to everyone, it cannot create a special “no dancing” rule for you and your date. The same legal principles that allow you to attend with your date also allow you to participate fully and equally in the evening’s activities and fun. If someone tries to stop you, ask to speak with the person in charge and inform them of your rights. If you can, take along a copy of this Q&A for backup.
Please note that this is not legal advice. If you think you’ve been kept from attending your prom or discriminated against once you arrived, contact Lambda Legal or a local attorney. For more information on your rights in school, visit www.lambdalegal.org to download a copy of Lambda Legal’s “Out, Safe & Respected” tool kit, designed to help young people learn their rights in school and make sure they’re respected.
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Q Being a lover of creative writing and a bit of a bookworm, I wanted to add THE WORKING DOG: GRADUATE STUDENT READING SERIES to the calendar. Four U of U English Department Graduates: Jacob Paul, Mike White, Harmony Button, and Rachel Marston will each give a reading of their original works. This should be an interesting couple of hours, don’t miss it.
Moon for a night of whatever dykes do in drag.
QSaltLake photographer Kim Russo catches you out on the town. Cary Hasler, Thom Martinez and Trent at the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah
Walter Larrabee, Mike Baros and Trent at The Center Tori and Nick Constantino at Heads Up Thom Martinez reading his absolutely favorite newspaper Pepper Prespentte and Walter Larrabee at Heads Up Brown Sugar and Hunter, and Kaycee and Kyra Prespentte at Heads Up
SU\DO\KU
Juan Carlos and Kennedy Cartier
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Sean Lique and Lorie Bennett at Paper Moon
Krystyna Shaylee, Thom Lee
Paris Childers at Heads Up
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PEOPLE WITH AIDS COALITION OF UTAH provides educational and support services that en- lesbian_singles/ hance the quality of life for all people UTAH ALTERNATIVE GARDEN CLUB is for for anyone inimpacted by HIV/AIDS 484-2205 terested in gardens, flowers, plants www.pwacu.org UTAH AIDS FOUNDATION. and home projects. We meet the first Wed. of every month at the Sugar Helping with the complex issues of House Park garden building, 7:30pm. HIV/AIDS. 487-2323 utahaids.org
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