broward news - To Parent Directory

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e press
south florida
ALL THE NEWS FOR YOUR LIFE. AND YOUR STYLE.
FOUR MORE YEARS: Wilton Manors’
Sherritt up for re-election. Page 6
in this week’s ‘extra’
Nile Rodgers, the man
behind ‘I’m Coming Out’
and ‘We Are Family,’ brings
his ‘Disco Inferno’ to town.
PAGE 26
www.expressgaynews.com
MARRIAGE TERMINATOR?: Arnold
moves to squash S.F. mayor. Page 9
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
GOT MARY? Activists are taking aim
at the veep’s lesbian daughter. Page 23
Some steamy action heats up the screen in ‘Gypsy 83,’ one of the titles featured in the Fun Under the Sun film festival, which is to be come an annual
part of the event.
Basking in the fun
President Bush on Tuesday called on Congress to promptly pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage so that the
states could ratify it. It would take two-thirds of the members of both houses in Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the
states before a gay marriage ban would become part of the Constitution. (Photo by Susan Walsh/AP)
Bush faces backlash
over marriage ban
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
WASHINGTON — Gay civil
rights groups, including the
nation’s largest gay Republican
organization, denounced President
Bush’s endorsement this week of a
constitutional amendment to ban
gay marriage, calling the president’s action an election year ploy
to secure support from conservative religious voters.
“Today, the president of the
United States, solely for political
gain, called upon Congress to
amend the United States
Constitution to enshrine our second-class citizenship in the
nation’s most revered document,” said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National
Gay & Lesbian Task Force. “This
is a despicable new low.”
Although gay rights groups
Ft. Lauderdale’s Fun Under the Sun
to draw Winter Party revelers
By MARY DAMIANO
were expected to raise sharp
objections to the president’s
action, gay Republican leaders
were just as forceful in their opposition to the development, saying
that gay GOP groups would most
likely sit out the election rather
than endorse the president.
Officials with the national gay
group Log Cabin Republicans
Richard Fasenmyer had a dream to create an event that
would shine a spotlight on Fort Lauderdale and promote the
many gay and gay-friendly businesses in the community.
A successful businessman and philanthropist, he formed
the Gay Business Alliance nearly two years ago, and the group
began to make a blueprint for the event that would be called
Fun Under the Sun.
When Fasenmyer died unexpectedly in December 2002, the
event lost his vision, and his financial support, but the members of the board of the Gay Business Alliance were determined not to lose sight of his dream.
Now that dream has come true. Fun Under the Sun, which
will take place March 4-10, has become one of the most highly
anticipated events in South Florida.
There really does seem to be something for everyone and
every taste at Fun Under the Sun. You want sports? There is a
golf tournament, kayaking, and a 27-mile bike ride. Interested
Please see AMENDMENT on Page 11
Please see FUN UNDER THE SUN on Page 25
broward news
Former Anita Bryant backer
files local gay marriage suit.
PAGE 4
local life
Imperial Point couple has thrived
through 43 years of highs and lows.
PAGE 15
2
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
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FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
broward news
Marriage lawsuit worries local activists
Rubin’s tactics criticized
in ‘high-noon’ challenge
of Florida statute
By PHIL LaPADULA
Fort Lauderdale took center stage in the
national debate over gay marriage Feb. 25
when a local attorney filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s law
banning same-sex nuptials. But some local
gay activists criticized the tactic of attorney
Ellis Rubin, worrying that his approach to the
issue could hurt the marriage rights cause.
Rubin walked into the Broward County
Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale Feb. 23 and
asked to talk with Clerk of Courts Howard
Foreman. According to Foreman, Rubin asked
him if he would issue a marriage license for
two gay men, one of whom Rubin declined to
name because the man is a government
employee who is not out of the closet.
Foreman, who as a state senator cast one
of five votes against Florida’s anti-gay
Defense of Marriage Act, told Rubin that he
sympathized with the gay marriage cause
but had no choice but to enforce the state’s
law against same-sex unions.
“We talked about the Florida statute, we
talked about political philosophy,” Foreman
said. “But I just told him that the statute is
very clear and I couldn’t issue a license.”
Rubin then informed Foreman that he
would be back at “high noon” on Wednesday
to file a lawsuit.
Foreman said he could not have issued
the license even if the couple had been heterosexual because they were not present in
his office.
“If two people are going to take the plunge
and try to make history, you’d figure that
they’d both be there,” Foreman said, adding
that he also thought it was odd that Rubin
wouldn’t even provide the name of one of the
partners seeking a marriage license.
Rubin said he just wanted to find out
whether Foreman would enforce the law
before challenging it in court.
“I asked if he would enforce the statute
that we’re questioning,” he said. Rubin said
he will reveal the name of the other partner
in the lawsuit “at the proper time.”
Meanwhile, Rubin has added the names
of 175 people to the lawsuit who signed a
petition that he circulated at gay bars.
“If any person wants to be a plaintiff in
our lawsuit, all they have to do is contact my
office,” Rubin said.
Rubin said he is suing based on the
Florida constitution.
“We allege that the Florida constitution
guarantees equality to every person,” Rubin
said. “We allege that the statute [against gay
marriages] violates the Florida constitution.”
Foreman said he has known Rubin for
several years and “he loves the high-media
cases. The cameras were there before I had a
chance to get [to work that day,]” he said.
Unlikely ally fought for Bryant
Back in the 1970s, Rubin would have been
the last person you would expect to fight for
gay marriage. Then, Rubin fought for Anita
Bryant and against Dade County’s gay
rights ordinance. In 1977 Rubin filed a lawsuit to try to overturn that pro-gay law.
“At that time, I was of a different mindset,” Rubin explained. “I’ve come to realize
that I was mistaken and I was wrong.”
Rubin noted that in January 2002 he publicly
apologized for supporting Bryant’s crusade.
Since then, Rubin has sought the limelight on a number of high-profile cases. In
September 2002, he filed a lawsuit on behalf
of a former federal inmate who said he had
prior knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks and
that the government ignored his warnings.
William Russell Ash, one of the plaintiffs
named in Rubin’s marriage lawsuit, said
that he and his partner are “trying to
become the first legally married gay couple
in the U.S. We’re trying to send a clear message that hate and discrimination aren’t
family values nor are they spiritual beliefs.”
Responding to press reports about his
“checkered past,” Ash acknowledged that
he had past criminal convictions. Ash confirmed that his record included a conviction
for “living off the proceeds of prostitution”
and a citation for allowing an underage person into a bar that he owned.
He said his past problems stemmed from
the emotional trauma he suffered after
being sexually abused by a priest as a child.
Local attorney Ellis Rubin, who once fought for Anita Bryant, filed a lawsuit Feb. 25 challenging the constitutionality of Florida’s law that bans same-sex marriage. (Photo by Wilfredo Lee/AP)
But he said his past is irrelevant to the lawsuit.
“With the same past, if I were straight, I
would still be allowed to get married,” Ash
said.
Ash and his unnamed partner are residents of both Broward County and San
Diego. Ash is hopeful about the case. “We
feel we got an excellent judge and have an
excellent chance of winning,” he said.
Gay activists question strategy
But Stratton Pollitzer, South Florida director of Equality Florida, is not convinced.
He criticized Rubin for acting alone without consulting any of the organizations that
have been working for the gay marriage
cause.
“I think his strategy is poor,” Pollitzer
said. “He has not reached out to us or to any
of the organizations that are working on
marriage equality, such as the National
Center for Lesbian Rights and the Freedom
to Marry Coalition.
“I don’t understand his tactics because he
hasn’t communicated with us. You should at
least tap the resources available before you
go calling a press conference.”
Pollitzer said that he could not judge
Rubin’s motivations, but he was concerned
that the gay marriage movement could be
hurt by his solo approach. “This issue is
very important to many South Florida gay
families, and if he is simply playing
around for personal gain, that would be
terrible,” Pollitzer said.
In an article in the South Florida SunSentinel, Karen Doering, a staff attorney
with the National Center for Lesbian Rights
in Tampa, questioned Rubin’s tactic of listing
people as plaintiffs in a lawsuit who have
merely signed a petition.
Deoring also worried that if Rubin’s lawsuit is unsuccessful it could have a far-reaching negative impact on the gay marriage
movement.
Rubin responded to the criticism, noting
that he has participated in 5,000 trials in the
past 50 years, including civil rights cases.
A similar lawsuit was filed Feb. 23 against
Los Angeles County on behalf of a gay couple
and a lesbian couple who were denied marriage licenses. The plaintiffs include the Rev.
Roy D. Perry, founder of the Metropolitan
Community Churches, who is suing along with
his partner, Phillip Ray DeBlieck.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
33
broward news
Wounded soldier battles Iraqis, gay ban
Closeted Army major
says troops dislike Bush,
don’t want to be in Iraq
By PHIL LaPADULA
While riding a helicopter in Iraq, “Joe”
took an AK-47 bullet in the abdomen. The
bullet sliced out part of his liver and barely missed his spine.
“I felt a sting and then my legs got really warm,” he says.
He woke up in a hospital in Germany.
Today, Joe takes a multitude of medications. Some days, he can’t even drink water
without getting sick.
But the daily pill popping isn’t the hardest thing for Joe to swallow.
Living in the closet despite nearly two
decades of decorated military bothers him
more than his injuries.
A distinguished honor graduate of West
Point, Joe is a veteran of Desert Storm, the
war in Afghanistan and the invasion of
Iraq. He’s won the Purple Heart.
But like an Iraqi dissident during the
Saddam era, Joe, who remains on active
duty in South Florida, has to tell his story
in the shadows to avoid possible retribution under the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell policy.
“I have fought for half my life for freedom,” he says. “I’m fighting for a free country, but I’m basically not living in one if I
can’t be who I am.”
U.S. should get out of Iraq
During his service in Iraq, Joe says he
encountered a hostile population. “They
want us gone, and personally I don’t think
we should be there,” he says.
“In Desert Storm, we were fighting Iraqi
soldiers who were basically starving to
death. Most of the [American] soldiers who
were killed in Desert Storm were killed
from friendly fire. It’s very different this
time. We are basically fighting everybody —
women, children, civilians. Nobody wants
us to be there. You don’t trust anyone. You
don’t even know who the enemy is.”
Joe thinks the U.S. should get out of
Iraq and let a U.N. force take over.
Joe has seen U.S. soldiers hit civilians
with the butts of their rifles and knock
them down on the ground.
“You have some soldiers that kind of go
overboard,” he says. “Some of the things
I’ve seen, I wouldn’t treat an animal that
way.”
i
MORE INFO
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
P.O. Box 65301
Washington, DC 20035-5301
Phone: 202-328-3244
Fax: 202-797-1635
E-mail: sldn@sldn.org
Web: www.sldn.org
If the military finds out you’re gay, expect to get the boot. (Photo by Carole Fawcett)
“We’re not doing anything except making it worse. We keep them hostile; we
keep them angry. The Iraqi people feel
like we’re basically coming in and taking
over their country. You won’t talk to one
U.S. soldier who will tell you that we
should be over there.”
Joe supported the war in Afghanistan
because it was directed at a country harboring terrorists who had attacked the
U.S.
“I was all for it, and I was praying we
would find bin Laden,” he says. But he
sees the current Iraq situation as a political dispute.
Many of the soldiers blame President
Bush for their predicament and is highly
unpopular with the troops in Iraq, Joe
says. He recalls the cool reception the
president received from troops during his
Thanksgiving visit.
“The soldiers were walking around
talking to each other and stuff, and basically just ignoring him, like he wasn’t
there,” says Joe. “I’ve never seen a commander-in-chief being treated that way.
Usually they would be like crowding
around, wanting to meet him or shake his
hand; it would be such an honor.
“I haven’t heard one soldier say, ‘I hope
Bush gets re-elected.’ He’s almost as bad
as Saddam to us.”
Gay soldiers have to keep quiet
While previously stationed at a base in
the U.S., Joe had a four-year relationship
with another officer. The other soldiers at
the base thought they were just roommates.
“There’s a kind of gay underground in
the military,” he says. Occasionally, he has
met people he could trust to keep his
secret, such as a doctor at one base.
“He told me it was all right to be open
with him,” Joe recalls.
Joe’s story is not unique. Steve Ralls,
director of communications for the
Service Members Legal Defense Network,
a Washington D.C., a group that works with
gay and lesbian military personnel, has
spoken to numerous gay soldiers who have
returned from Iraq.
Service members contact the organization because they have questions about the
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, because they
have decided that they can no longer continue to serve, or because they are experiencing problems with their commanders.
“We’ve heard from individuals who
served with colleagues who knew that they
were gay or lesbian and felt that it was safe
to be out in their units,” Ralls says.
“We’ve also heard from individuals
who found the situation very difficult. It
tends to vary from unit to unit, and it
really depends on the climate that individual commanders set.”
SLDN has been conducting outreach to
gay vets of Iraq.
“We want to determine how the [Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell] policy is being implemented during a time of war,” Ralls says. “A
service member who identifies himself in
the press as gay will almost undoubtedly be
discharged,” Ralls says.
Most service members who reveal
their homosexuality receive honorable
discharges, says Ralls.
But some gay service members have
been forced to repay scholarship money,
such as Capt. Monica Hill, a physician at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Hill received
her medical training in the military, but
when her partner became ill with terminal cancer, she requested a leave.
Hill made it clear that she wanted to continue to serve. But once the military found
out the reason for her hiatus, it discharged
her and billed her for medical school.
Ralls advises gay service members who
are being investigated or interviewed not
to answer any questions about their sexual
orientation without having a lawyer.
“The military gives service members
the right to remain silent regarding their
sexual orientation or anything else,”
Ralls says.
But Joe wonders how his country can
send him to fight for a free Iraq while denying him personal freedom at home.
“I’m tired of fighting for my country
and feeling like I don’t live free.”
6
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
broward news
Sherritt seeks second council term
Incumbent is in all-gay
field of Wilton Manors
council candidates
By PHIL LaPADULA
Four years ago, Craig Sherritt made history when his election to the Wilton
Manors City Council created a gay majority in an elected city legislature for the first
time in Florida and only the second time in
U.S. history. At the time, there were already
two openly gay city council members in
Wilton Manors, and Sherritt’s election produced a 3 to 2 majority. It was the same year
that Wilton Manors elected its first openly
gay mayor, John Fiori.
This year, Sherritt is one of three openly gay candidates running for two positions
on the five-member city council. It’s the
first time in the city’s history that all of the
council candidates standing for election
are openly gay. The other two candidates
are Doug Blevins and Joe Angelo. Sherritt
said the fact that all of the candidates are
gay has “leveled the playing field to the
point where it’s become a non-issue.”
“To tell you the truth, the gay issue hasn’t come up in any of the debates,” Sherritt
said. “The debates have focused on experience and knowledge of the city. I think that
being a gay candidate is much less of an
issue than it was four years ago.”
Sherritt did identify one issue of particular concern to the gay community —
maintaining an independent police department. “We in Wilton Manors take a lot of
pride in having our own police department,” he said. “I want to keep our police
department independent and free of the
Broward Sheriff ’s Office. We have very
well trained and gay-sensitive police force,
and I think losing that would be disastrous.
That’s one sacred cow I would definitely be
in favor of keeping.”
Sherritt has been interested in politics
since he was a teenager. He recalled reading
an article in Good Housekeeping that
inspired him to become an activist. The
article was a survey that asked readers
what types of people they would be willing
to support for president. It then listed
numerous occupations, religions and political philosophies. “We [gay people] ranked
down at the bottom along with the communists and atheists,” Sherritt said. “I remember thinking this has got to change.”
Sherritt grew up in Dade County and
graduated from Florida International
University in 1983. He received his law
degree from Layola University in New
Orleans in 1988. He worked for six years as
a legal aide attorney specializing in family
law, and served as assistant state attorney
general for Democrat Bob Butterworth.
Sherritt’s activism goes back more than
20 years to his first work on the Dade
County Coalition for Human rights in 198081. He currently serves as a precinct captain for the Broward County Democratic
i
CRAIG SHERRITT
Age: 43
Residence: Wilton Manors
Birthplace: Miami-Dade County
Education: Layola University Law School
Occupation: Lawyer, city council member
954-564-4358
Contact info: reelectcraig2004@aol.com
Executive Committee.
Sherritt thinks the city has come a long
way in the four years since it joined West
Hollywood, Calif., as one of two U.S. cities
with a majority gay council. “When the gay
majority was first elected, I think that there
were a lot of straight people who were nervous,” Sherritt said.
“I feel good about the fact that most of
those nervous people are no longer nervous. They now look at us as professionals
who have had a very positive influence on
the city. I think we’ve become a model city
to follow as far as economic development is
concerned. We have taken a city that was
economically troubled just a few years ago
and turned all that around.”
He noted that Wilton Manors has
emerged as a well-known gay destination
nationwide. “Now, you can go to
Provincetown and when you mention
Wilton Manors, people know where it is.”
Sherritt said the major issues facing the
city include parks, development, affordable
housing and streetscaping. If re-elected, he
said he would focus on finishing the devel-
Craig Sherritt is one of three openly gay candidates
running for Wilton Manors City Council. (Photo
courtesy of City of Wilton Manors)
opment of Richardson Park and Snook
Creek Park. He would also work to finish
streetscaping projects on Wilton Drive and
Powerline. “I think sometimes the western
part of our city has not gotten the attention
it should get,” Sherritt said.
Sherritt is not endorsing anyone for
mayor, but he noted that Scott Newton, who
has been endorsed by openly gay Mayor
Jim Stork, “has a pretty solid base of support.”
“It’s likely that we’ll end up with a gayfriendly mayor,” Sherritt said. “It shows
the maturity of the city that people are
going to vote not just on sexual orientation,
but they are going to look at someone’s
experience and competency.”
Shores faces triumph, tragedy
Theater slated to close
just weeks after winning
Curtain Up Awards
By MARY DAMIANO
It should have been a great night for
Rich Simone.
The man who has been artistic director at
the Shores Performing Arts Theater for two
years was the most thanked and most awarded man at the 7th Annual Curtain Up Awards,
which honor South Florida theater. The
awards ceremony was held Feb. 23 at the Stage
Door 26th Street Theater in Wilton Manors.
The Shore’s production of “Blood Brothers”
won in seven out of 10 categories, including
best direction of a musical for Simone, who
was also honored for his set design work in
“The Goat” at GableStage Theater.
But the honors were bittersweet. On Feb.
21 the Shores’ board of directors voted to cut
short its current season and close the theater, with an eye toward reopening in the fall
with the show Simone had just begun working on, the gay musical “When Pigs Fly.” The
show was to be a joint production between
the Shores and Creative Arts Enterprises,
which produced last September’s Lavender
Footlights Festival of gay play readings, also
at the Shores Theater.
Ironically, The Shores also took the prize
for most innovative and progressive theater.
The news that the Shores Theater was
ending its season spread quickly through
the sold-out crowd, and the news cast a pall
on the evening. The Shores Theater was the
most nominated theater at this year’s ceremony, with 25 nods in three productions.
Meredith Lasher’s award for best costume design set the stage for a “Blood
Brothers” sweep.
The second award of the evening was
for Simone’s set design work at
GableStage. Simone’s usual kinetic energy
was replaced by a stunned devastation.
Simone’s partner in life and at the theater,
Jack Meier, accepted the Shores’ award for
most innovative and progressive theater.
“A lot of sweat, a lot of blood and a lot of
tears were involved in keeping the theater
up and going, and it’s all because of Rich’s
vision,” Meier said
Joe Adler, who won for best director of a
play, also praised Simone for his work at
the Shores. Simone triumphed again, with
his award for best direction of a musical
for “Blood Brothers.”
By the end of the evening, when “Blood
Brothers” won the award for best musical,
Meier, who accepted it, couldn’t hold back
the tears.
Gay performers score big
Other gay artists were also recognized
with awards. One of Florida’s most prolific playwrights, Michael McKeever, won the
award for best new work for his comedy,
“Running With Scissors”.
“Running With Scissors” won each of
the three categories for which it was nominated, including Paul Tei for best supporting actor in a play and Karen Stephens for
best supporting actress in a play.
E.L Losada, one of the most visible
actors on the local scene, won the award for
outstanding new male performer, and took
the stage amid thunderous applause.
“I thank my beautiful, beautiful, beautiful partner, Ricky J. Martinez,” Losada
said. “I owe this to him.”
The fate of the Shores Theatre
Barry Steinman, president of the Shores
Theatre board of directors, said the decision
to cut short the season was solely a financial
one. Steinman said the first two shows of the
season, “Bat Boy” and “Christmas Survival
Guide” did not do well.
Rich Simone, artistic director of the Shores Theater,
was the big winner at the Curtain Up Awards on
Feb. 23 (Photo by Bill Calcaterra)
He said they will continue their children’s theater productions and summer theater camp, and are looking into getting a
loan to purchase the theater, which they now
rent with an option to buy.
If the board is able to get a loan, they will
also be able to satisfy their deficit and plan a
marketing strategy that will allow them to
reopen in the fall with “When Pigs Fly,” he
said.
Simone has not yet made a decision
about his future involvement with the
Shores Theatre.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
7
broward news
Stonewall Library looks at relocation options
Organization to seek local
input, introduce new ED
By PHIL LaPADULA
At the end of 2004, Stonewall Library &
Archives will begin a new chapter in its
life when it is forced to move from its current location at 1717 N. Andrews Ave. On
March 1, the library’s members and the
public are invited to help the library write
that new chapter by attending a “state of
the library” meeting at Hagen Park
Community Center in Wilton Manors.
The meeting will focus on the library’s
relocation efforts as well as other longterm goals and projects, said Brad Koogler,
the organization’s new executive director.
“It’s an opportunity to get community
input into our relocation efforts,” Koogler
said. “We have a committee looking into
i
MORE INFO
“State of the Library” meeting
Hagen Park Community Center
2020 Wilton Dr., Wilton Manors
7:30-9 p.m.
Brad Koogler
954-763-8565
options for temporary and long-term space.
We’re looking at existing buildings and
parcels of land with no buildings. We’re also
looking at proposals from developers.”
Koogler said the library was looking at locations in the Wilton Manors and Fort
Lauderdale areas.
The library will have to move from its
current location in the Gay & Lesbian
Community Center’s building before
construction begins on a new complex
on the property. In the long term, the
library is seeking 5,000 to 10,000 square
feet of space.
“The ideal situation would be a 10,000square-foot space,” Koogler said.
The library was offered 5,000 square feet
in the new GLCC building but turned it
down as inadequate to meet its growing
needs, said Bill Peters, executive director
of the GLCC.
Koogler said the library will provide a
“general assessment and accounting of the
organization” at the March 1 meeting.
Koogler said the library grew from a
$20,000 budget three years ago to a $150,000
budget in 2004.
“I was really impressed when I came
in,” he said. “This is an organization
that’s on solid footing. We’ve got a product that’s marketable. Part of my job is
just to continue to market the organization and to fundraise.”
The library is financed by membership
fees, private donations and
foundation grants.
Koogler said the library
plans to expand its mission
of “sharing and preserving
the gay culture and history”
on both a local and international level. In spring 2005,
the library will host a traveling exhibit from the
National
Holocaust
Museum in Washington DC
about the Nazi persecution
of gay people.
“It will be a landmark
event for the organization
and
the
community,”
Koogler said. “It will be the
only Florida stop on the
tour and one of five or six
stops nationally. We’re hoping that the exhibit will
draw people in from all over
the state.”
Koogler started his new
job Feb. 2 after moving to
South
Florida
from
Columbus,
Ohio.
In
Columbus, Koogler was associate editor for Outlook
News, a statewide gay weekly
newspaper. He was also president of Network Columbus, a
gay chamber of commerce.
Brad Koogler, the new executive director of Stonewall Library &
Archives, will discuss the organization’s relocation efforts at a ‘State
of the Library’ meeting March 1. (Photo by Carole Fawcett)
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FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
broward/dade news
Black Gay Pride in town this weekend
Organizers say being
black and gay isn’t all
black and white
By MUBARAK DAHIR
When Donnell Morris goes out with his
partner, Michael Albetta, to a gay restaurant in Wilton Manors, and it’s time for the
check, the server always ends up handing
the bill to Albetta. Morris thinks he knows
why: Albetta is white. Morris is black.
“They don’t think I could pay it,” he
says.
On the other hand, Morris, 30, tells how
a close friend who is black, gay and HIVpositive has tried to get into AfricanAmerican churches to talk about AIDS.
“They don’t want to hear it,” he says,
shaking his head.
These incidents represent the dual dilemma that Donnell and other black gay and lesbian activists say is an all too common feature of black gay life: Racism among gays,
and homophobia among blacks.
“It’s like we only ever get offered half
the loaf,” says Bishop S.F. Mahee, 32, a
senior pastor for the Great Congregation,
a primarily black gay and lesbian church
in Fort Lauderdale. “But I refuse to
choose between being black or queer. I’m
not one or the other first. They are simultaneous and equal.”
Helping people merge these two sometimes unwelcoming identities, says Mahee,
was one of the primary motivations
behind establishing Gay Black Pride of
South Florida, which this year celebrates
five years. Scheduled for February 27-29,
events include an art exhibit, a picnic and
a worship service, among other things.
There are 27 black gay pride events
around the world, says Mandy Carter, an
African-Amercan lesbian activist in North
Carolina, and one of the founders of the
International Federation of Black Prides.
“It’s not good enough to have a ‘general’
gay pride,’” says Carter. “Those are really
white gay prides. We need to have our own
institutions that acknowledge our black
culture, not just our gay culture. There’s a
clamor across the country for them.”
Black gay and lesbian people often feel
alienated from larger gay pride events, “as
if we get dissolved in them,” says Carter.
The estrangement takes the form of everything from music to language. As one
example, she notes most AfricanAmericans don’t speak of being “gay”;
instead, they more frequently say “samegender loving.”
The resistance to gays and lesbians by
black churches — an overwhelming cultural and political force for AfricanAmericans — is another hot-button topic
absent at general gay pride events, but
addressed at black gay pride.
“For the most part, they’re still breathing fire and brimstone at us,” says Morris.
“On the whole, black churches have been
very hostile.” But because the churches
play such an integral role in the lives of a
large segment of African-Americans, they
can’t be ignored, he says.
“It’s not enough to break away from the
churches. We have to try to stay, and say,
‘This is our church too. We belong here.’”
And for black men, being gay remains a
i
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Broward Main Library
Feb. 27
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Family Reunion Picnic
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Feb.28
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Bishop S. F. Mahee, founder of Gay Black Pride of
South Flrodia, refuses to choose whether being
black or lesbian is her “first” identity. They are
“simultaneous and equal,” she says. (Photo by
Carole Fawcett)
Interdenominational Worship Service
Gay and Lesbian Community Center
of South Florida
Feb. 29
11:00 am.
For more info, call 954-772-4056
Donnell Morris of Gay Black Pride South Florida loves basketball, hip hop and men. Not all black men so easily merge their masculinity and sexuality. (Photo by Carole Fawcett)
tremendous social taboo.
“In black circles, there is a pervasive
thought that being queer is a white man’s
disease, that the black man didn’t know
homosexuality until the white man showed
up in Africa,” says Mahee.
Black men in particular feel the need to
come across as strong, and being gay is
seen by some African-Americans as the
epitome of emasculating the black man.
“Culturally, it’s presented that being gay
means you are weak and soft,” says Morris.
“It goes against the very idea of black masculinity. Yet I play basketball, I like hip
hop, and I can speak ‘black slang’ in the
right situation. And I’m an openly gay
man, too.”
Many black gay men also worry that
being gay means having to trade in their
“blackness” for their “gayness.”
He believes black gay pride events may
be able to reach a portion of black gay men
that larger, predominantly white pride
events cannot. “I know a lot of black folks
who wouldn’t dare go to [general] gay
pride. One thing that might get them to
step out is black gay pride.”
It’s urgent to reach out to black gay men,
he says, because HIV is devastating the
black gay community. “One in three black
gay men is affected by HIV — that’s unacceptable. It’s scary.”
He believes the rate is so high largely
because many black men are “on the
DL” — the down low.
“They don’t consider themselves gay. In
hiding their sexuality, they don’t use condoms. I hear it all the time: ‘You can’t get a
man pregnant, so why use a condom?’” In
addition, AIDS is still widely viewed as a
“white gay man’s disease.”
Thus, black men who have sex with
other men, but who do not see themselves
as gay, often feel immune.
While black gay pride is primarily
aimed at African-American gays and lesbians, activists hope the event will raise
their visibility among the wider gay and
lesbian population, and the AfricanAmerican population.
“One reason we have this event is to
show everyone it’s OK to be black and gay,
black and lesbian; that we are all family,”
says Morris.
And he’s certain the event can bring
black gays and lesbians together with
straight blacks and white gays: His parents
and his partner will all be there.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
9
national news
State officials move to block S.F. gay marriages
Attorney general resists
pressure from Gov.
Schwarzenegger
By JOE CREA
SAN FRANCISCO — More than 3,200
couples have been married in San
Francisco since Mayor Gavin Newsome
instructed city clerks to issue marriage
licenses to same-sex couples two weeks
ago, and local officials around the country,
including Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daley,
have expressed tentative support for the
idea of issuing gay marriage licenses.
Last Friday, San Francisco filed a suit
against the state charging that Proposition
22, the popular 2000 initiative that a majority of Californians passed defining marriage as the union of one man and one
woman,
violates
the
California
Constitution.
Attorney General Bill Lockyer said he
will ask the state’s high court whether San
Francisco’s issuing of same-sex marriage
licenses violates state law.
“The people of California who have
enacted laws that recognize marriage only
between a man and a woman, and the samesex couples who were provided marriage
Newlyweds Kevin Cahill (left) and Chip Lenno share a
piece of cake after exchanging wedding vows this
week in San Francisco, which has filed suit demanding
that state officials recognize marriage licenses issued
by the city to gay couples. (Photo by Ben Margot/AP)
licenses in San Francisco deserve a speedy
resolution to the question of the legality of
these licenses,” Lockyer said late Monday.
The California Supreme Court is not
required to take either case and could wait
until the lower courts issue rulings in the
matter.
Several social conservative groups filed
lawsuits in lower courts but two judges
refused to halt the wedding spree. The next
hearing in those cases is scheduled for
March and, for now, the marriages continue.
Political strategists say that Lockyer, a
Democrat, was muscled into the gay marriage debate by Republican California Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who fired off a
fax last Friday night to the home of a
Lockyer aide in which he wrote that the
actions of San Francisco’s mayor presented “an imminent risk to civil order.”
Lockyer, who is a possible Democratic
challenger for governor in 2006, rebuffed
Schwarzenegger’s directives and said last
Saturday that the governor’s statement
was “designed for consumption at the
Republican convention.”
On NBC’s “Meet the Press” this week,
Schwarzenegger reiterated his position that
Mayor Newsome was breaking the law by
handing out same-sex marriage licenses.
Moderator
Tim
Russert
asked
Schwarzenegger if he would support gay
state Assemblyman Mark Leno’s proposed
legislation legalizing gay marriage, and
Schwarzenegger said he would not “deal
with hypotheticals.”
Jeff Bissiri, chair of the Log Cabin
Republican club of California, said that
while his group supports civil marriage
equality, he criticized Newsome’s actions
in San Francisco saying that they “feed
into the fear mongering that goes on by
opponents of gay rights.
“Massachusetts was enough [for many
opponents],” Bissiri said. “We are going
through the legal process in that state to get
gay marriage. That was pro-active enough.”
Newsome, a former wine and restaurant
entrepreneur, defended his decision to
issue same-sex marriage licenses and told
CNN that denying gay couples the freedom
to marry “is wrong and inconsistent with
the values this country holds dear.”
Democrats challenge Newsome
To Newsome’s surprise, his actions to
issue same-sex marriage licenses have
come under fire by fellow Democrats,
notably California senators Barbara Boxer
and Dianne Feinstein.
Boxer, who is up for re-election this fall,
said that she supports the state’s current
domestic partnership law, calling it “a very
good, workable law.”
And Feinstein, who is not up for re-election this year, echoed Boxer’s sentiments.
“If the mayor believes that law is unconstitutional, the place to go is the court,”
Feinstein told the Los Angeles Times.
Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.),
who is gay, told the Boston Globe that he
worries that the renegade actions taken by
Newsome in San Francisco could generate
more support to amend both the
Massachusetts and U.S. constitutions.
“The big question is, if people become
convinced that it will bring to their states
what happens in Massachusetts, we’re in
trouble,” Frank said.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
national news
Bush installs anti-gay federal appeals court nominee
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bypassing Senate Democrats, President
Bush installed Alabama Attorney General William Pryor as a
U.S. appeals court judge Feb. 20 in his second “recess appointment” in five weeks. Pryor’s appointment to the 11th Circuit
Court of Appeals, which is one level below the U.S. Supreme
Courth and has jurisdiction over Florida, Alabama and Georgia,
has been vigorously opposed by Democrats who have objected to
his past comments and writings on abortion and homosexuality. Bush praised Pryor as a “leading American lawyer” and said
he had been pushed past the Senate’s confirmation process
because of “unprecedented obstructionist tactics.” The
Constitution gives the president authority to install nominees
when Congress is not in session. But the appointments are good
only until the end of the next session of Congress, in this case
the end of 2005. Last month, Bush used a similar appointment to
promote Mississippi federal judge Charles Pickering to the 5th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Pryor came under fire for filing a
Supreme Court brief in a Texas sodomy case comparing homosexual acts to “prostitution, adultery, necrophilia, bestiality, possession of child pornography and even incest and pedophilia.”
President Bush last week
bypassed Congress to appoint
to a federal appeals court
Alabama Attorney General
William Pryor, who has come
under fire for once comparing
homosexuality to incest and
pedophilia.
Calif. lesbians, formerly a couple,
battle for custody of children
Calif. gay man settles with UPS
over alleged discrimination
SAN FRANCISCO — A three-judge Court
of Appeal will decide between two women
who both claim custody rights to twin girls
for which one woman provided the eggs
and the other carried to term, the San
Francisco Chronicle reported. The couple
separated after almost six years of raising
the children together, and both sides gave
arguments to the appellate court last week,
according to the Chronicle. The judges will
decide whether or not the fact that the
women raised the children together outweighs the fact that the egg donor signed a
written waiver of maternal status before
the birth, the newspaper reported. Jill
Hersh, who represents the egg donor, took
issue with a trial judge’s earlier ruling that
her client knowingly waived her rights,
according to news reports. “We have two
natural mothers (who) should be treated
the same way as two natural parents in any
other relationship,” Hersh told the
Chronicle. Diana Richmond, who represents the birth mother, contends that her
client has the right to raise the children as
a single parent, according to the Chronicle.
ATLANTA (AP) — A gay man who sued
United Parcel Service Inc. for allegedly denying him and his partner the same benefits as
married couples withdrew his complaint last
week after the two parties reached an out-ofcourt settlement. Daniel Kline, 47, of San
Francisco, had sued Atlanta-based UPS in
Alameda County Superior Court last
August, accusing the company of discrimination after it rejected his request for an outof-state transfer as he sought to follow his
partner, 51-year-old Frank Sories, to Chicago.
The suit claimed the company’s
“Management Initiated Transfer Policy” violates the Federal Employment & Housing
Act’s prohibitions on marital status discrimination. “We’re hopeful that this lets other
employers know that if they deny benefits to
employees who are in same-sex relationships
that they provide to married employees,
they’re opening themselves up to being
sued,” said Jon Davidson, senior counsel at
the New York-based Lambda Legal.
Colo. lawmaker wants to stop schools
from teaching about homosexuality
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — A lecturer at the
University of North Carolina has apologized
for sending a stinging e-mail to her students
about one of their classmates who said he
opposed homosexuality. Still, the message has
provoked controversy on campus and a
request by U.S. Rep. Walter Jones for investigations by state and federal officials. And university officials have said they will monitor
the class for fairness. The instructor, Elyse
Crystall, sent the message Feb. 6 to students in
her “Literature and Cultural Diversity” class
after one student said during a class discussion that he opposed homosexuality. “What
we heard Thursday at the end of class constitutes ‘hate speech,’” she wrote. She referred to
the student by name, saying he was a perfect
example of the topic of discussion: privilege.
She called him “a white, heterosexual,
Christian male” who “can feel entitled to
make violent, heterosexist comments and not
feel marked or threatened or vulnerable.”
DENVER (AP) — A state lawmaker wants to
block Colorado teachers from discussing
homosexuality in the classroom, unless they
are talking about disease prevention. The
bill, introduced last week, was prompted in
part by a dispute in the Boulder Valley School
District, part of Republican Rep. Shawn
Mitchell’s district. He said officials in the
Boulder Valley School District recommended
that the school board allow discussion of
homosexuality and bisexuality throughout
the curriculum beginning in kindergarten,
angering many parents. The district has
included discussion about homosexuality in
its health curriculum in middle and high
school for about 20 years but allows parents
to pull their children out if it violates religious or personal beliefs. Officials are currently reviewing the health curriculum for
all grade levels and the board is expected to
vote on their recommendations this spring.
N.C. college instructor apologizes
for e-mail criticizing anti-gay student
From staff and wire reports
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
11
national news
Gay Republicans may sit out ’04 election
AMENDMENT, continued from Page 24
called the president’s action a calculated
decision to write off as many as 1 million
gay votes that the president received, mostly
from gay Republicans, in the 2000 presidential election.
Exit polls in the 2000 election estimated
that Bush received about 25 percent of the
gay vote, with Democratic presidential
candidate Al Gore receiving about 75 percent of that vote.
This year, Bush and his campaign advisers have apparently decided it would be far
more advantageous for the president to
embrace a highly divisive social issue such
as gay marriage to bolster his political base
of socially conservative and fundamentalist
Christian voters, according to Democratic
Party consultant Stanley Greenberg.
Losing the moderate vote
Greenberg, in television interviews this
week, said the Bush strategy of waging an
election battle in the “culture war” could energize social conservatives to turn out to the
polls but could also turn off moderate voters.
In a statement he delivered in person at
the White House on Feb. 24, Bush said he was
prompted to move ahead with his endorsement of a constitutional ban on gay marriage following a Massachusetts court ruling
legalizing same-sex marriage. He said he was
also troubled by the decision earlier this
month by San Francisco Mayor Gavin
Newsome to issue marriage licenses to thousands of “people of the same gender.”
“Today, I call on the Congress to promptly pass and to send to the states an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of a man and a
woman as husband and wife,” Bush said.
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“The amendment should fully protect
marriage, while leaving the state legislatures free to make their own choices in
defining legal arrangements other than
marriage.
White House Press Secretary Scott
McClellan told reporters that the president’s reference to states defining “legal
arrangements” other than marriage could
include civil unions and domestic partnership arrangements.
But McClellan declined to specify
whether Bush would seek changes in the
wording of the Federal Marriage
Amendment, the proposed constitutional
amendment seeking to ban gay marriage
introduced in Congress by Rep. Marilyn
Musgrave (R-Colo.). Gay rights attorneys
have said the Musgrave amendment would
most likely ban or invalidate civil unions
as well as domestic partnership laws.
Musgrave and her supporters dispute
this claim, saying the amendment would
only ban same-sex marriage and would
leave state legislatures free to pass civil
union or domestic partner laws.
In press conferences and television
appearances across the country, gay civil
rights activists said they strongly oppose
any version of a constitutional amendment, calling civil unions unacceptable
measures that are “separate and unequal.”
“To use the Constitution to discriminate
against our families is un-American,
shameful and divisive,” said Cheryl
Jacques, president of the Human Rights
Campaign, the nation’s largest gay political
group. “This amendment would be the first
to reinstate discrimination in our
Constitution. There is no doubt in my mind
that the American people will see this as an
ugly and discriminatory game of politics.”
Patrick Guerriero, executive director of
the Log Cabin Republicans, the nation’s
largest gay Republican group, said the
president’s decision to support a marriage
amendment would make it unlikely that
the group will endorse his re-election.
“As conservative Republicans, we are
outraged that any Republican — particularly the leader of our party and this
nation — would support any effort to use
our sacred United States Constitution as a
Patrick Guerriero, national leader of the Log Cabin
Republicans, said this week the gay GOP group would
withhold its support from George W. Bush and focus
its election year efforts entirely on defeating a federal marriage amendment, which the president
endorsed on Tuesday.
way of scoring political points in an election year,” Guerriero said.
Guerriero said the president’s action
came as a terrible blow to “hundreds of
loyal gay and lesbian Republicans and our
allies” who work in the Bush administration and on the Bush re-election campaign.
Guerriero said Log Cabin will remain
in the Republican Party to continue its
fight for gay civil rights, even if the group
doesn’t support Bush’s re-election.
“We will mobilize all our resources and
grassroots strength to fight this anti-family constitutional amendment,” he said.
Odds against amendment
Republican leaders in the House and
Senate said they would have a difficult
time garnering the two-thirds vote needed
to pass a constitutional amendment to ban
gay marriage, despite President Bush’s
call this week for Congress to “promptly”
pass such an amendment.
Congressional observers said a majority
of Democrats were expected to vote against
a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage
and a significant but undetermined number of Republicans were expected to join
their Democratic colleagues in opposing a
marriage amendment.
“Amending the Constitution is a huge
issue,” Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist
(R-Tenn.) said at a Capitol Hill press briefing Tuesday. “We’re going to go about this
in a very thoughtful way.”
Prior to Bush’s announcement this
week endorsing a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, GOP
leaders had yet to set a date for a hearing
or a vote on such an amendment.
This week, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas),
who chairs the Senate Judiciary
Subcommittee on the Constitution,
announced he would hold a hearing on
March 3 to “examine the national implications” of the Massachusetts court decision
legalizing same-sex marriage in that state.
Don Stewart, Cornyn’s press secretary,
said Cornyn plans to call another hearing
in late March to discuss the Federal
Marriage Amendment, the proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage introduced by Rep. Marilyn
Musgrave (R-Colo.). But Stewart said
Cornyn and his Senate colleagues, including Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chair of
the full Senate Judiciary Committee, have
yet to set a timetable for a final hearing to
mark up a proposed amendment and to
send it to the Senate floor for a vote.
As of late this week, no date had been
set for similar hearings in the House on a
marriage amendment.
Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia who specializes in U.S. elections, said that a constitutional amendment seeking to ban gay
marriage would most likely fail.
Constitutional amendments require
approval by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress. They must also be
approved by three-fourths of the states.
“Bush knows this won’t pass,” Sabato
said. “So why is he doing this? It accomplishes his purpose of energizing his conservative base and it draws out the differences
between him and [leading Democratic presidential candidate John] Kerry.”
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12
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
police beat
Wash. man sentenced to 67 years for killing gay couple
COLVILLE, Wash. (AP) — Richard L. Keenum will serve at least 50 years in prison for the execution-style murders of two men in a remote cabin last October. Keenum, 32, insists he found
Matthew L. Raynor, 32, and his roommate, 52year-old Russell C. Markvardsen dead when he
arrived to burglarize their home in the Onion
Creek area, north of Colville. “I did not kill
Russell Markvardsen, and I did not kill Matt
Raynor,” Keenum said at his sentencing last
week. A jury convicted Keenum of two counts of
first-degree murder earlier this month. Members
of Raynor’s family joined prosecutor Jerry Wetle
in calling for the maximum sentence of 67 years.
Stevens County Superior Judge Rebecca Baker
rejected court-appointed defense attorney
Lorinda Noble’s request for a minimum sentence
of 53 years. Under state law, Keenum must serve Washington state prosecutor Jerry Wetle
at least 50 years. No motive was suggested for the sought the maximum sentence of 67 years,
slayings, but several witnesses said Keenum had which was handed down last week, for Richard
made comments about disliking gays. L. Keenum, accused of killing a gay couple in
Markvardsen and Raynor were partners.
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Ex-prosecutor promises full
independent probe of N.Y. bishop
Oct. rape trial date set
for former Mass. gay minister
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A former federal
prosecutor promised a thorough independent investigation of sex abuse allegations
against Roman Catholic Bishop Howard
Hubbard, while establishing e-mail and
voice mail sites for anyone to provide
information in the case. At a news conference last week, Mary Jo White, hired by
the Albany diocese’s review board, said
several attorneys and investigators from
her New York City law firm were already
at work. The board examines claims of
clergy sex abuse. Hubbard has denied two
recent allegations of improper gay relationships in the 1970s and others raised in
a recently uncovered letter written in 1995.
The bishop said he has kept his vow of
celibacy and has dismissed several priests
from the 14-county diocese for credible sex
abuse claims. The priest who allegedly
wrote the confidential 1995 letter, Rev.
John Minkler, was found dead at his suburban Albany home Sunday. The cause of
his death is under investigation.
BOSTON (AP) — A judge has set a tentative
date for October for the criminal trial of former priest Paul R. Shanley, a key figure in
the clergy sexual abuse scandal. The trial
would come more than two years after
Shanley was charged with child rape. He
also faces pending lawsuits by 10 victims
and their family members who refused to
sign onto a massive $85 million settlement
with the church. Prosecutors had sought to
have the case tried before civil litigation,
which lawyers said could still be delayed to
follow the criminal trial. “It would not be
conceivable to me that the civil case will go
before the criminal case,” Roderick
MacLeish Jr., the lawyer for alleged victim
Gregory Ford, told the Boston Herald.
Shanley was once known for his street ministry to gay and troubled youth. He became a
focal point of the church abuse scandal after
internal church records disclosed in separate civil lawsuits showed that officials did
not remove him from parish work even after
they received complaints about statements
he made about sex between men and boys.
Tulsa City Council candidate
arrested during anti-gay rally
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A Tulsa City
Council candidate remained in custody
Feb. 18 after he was arrested during a gaymarriage opposition rally the day before at
the state Capitol. An Oklahoma Highway
Patrol trooper arrested Paul Tay on Feb. 17
after the two scuffled when the officer
tried to gain control of Tay’s weapon,
which turned out to be fake. He was arrested on complaints of inciting a riot, desecrating a flag, disturbing the peace and
obstructing an officer. Tay arrived at the
rally on a bicycle that was pulling a wagon
containing an Oklahoma state flag with
Nazi swastikas taped on it. He was dressed
in camouflage, a helmet and ski goggles.
Tay allegedly shouted slurs against gays,
blacks and police officers in protest of his
arrest. Tay’s Tulsa attorney, Kurt
Hoffman, said his client is misunderstood
but not mentally ill. “I agree with a lot of
Mr. Tay’s intentions — some of his ways of
setting those out seem shocking, especially to the general public,” Hoffman said.
German city official stabbed
by woman, slightly wounded
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — The justice
minister of Hamburg was stabbed in the
leg by a woman during a campaign event
Feb. 19, German police said. Roger Kusch,
a member of the city’s ruling Christian
Democrats, was campaigning for this
month’s elections when a 41-year-old
woman allegedly came up behind him,
pulled out a folding knife and stabbed him
in the thigh, police spokesman Ralf Kunz
said. Bystanders grabbed the woman and
turned her over to police. Kusch was treated at a hospital for minor injuries. Mayor
Ole von Beust said the stabbing “was evidently the act of a misguided individual.”
Kusch, 49, and von Beust were embroiled
in controversy last year when Hamburg’s
interior minister was fired after threatening to go public with allegations that von
Beust promoted Kusch because the two
men had an affair.
From staff and wire reports
EX
XPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
13
14
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
local life
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
PAGE 15
Four decades of love
Relationship weathered
family hostility and
alcoholism
By MUBARAK DAHIR
Tom Hughes and Mel James know a little something about what makes a home.
After all, they’ve been making one together for more than 43 years.
The night four decades ago that Hughes,
80, and James, 69, first met at the Drury
Lane bar in Philadelphia, they were dressed
in jackets and ties. “Back in those days, you
had to dress up to go out,” recalls Hughes.
He remembers when he first spotted
the then-26-year-old James. “It was like
Cape Canaveral blew up.”
James couldn’t help but notice Hughes,
as well. “He was very handsome — and he
knew it.”
Despite the strong physical attraction,
the two men didn’t consummate their desire
for more than a month. Hughes, who was
working in a paper mill and had recently
moved out of the house he shared with his
wife of 13 years and their three children,
was living at the YMCA. James, who at the
time was “very young and naive,” was a new
elementary school teacher living about half
an hour south in Wilmington, Delaware.
The men simply didn’t have a place to go.
While they waited, they went on dinner dates and walks through Rittenhouse
Square. Soon after they met, Hughes took
James to the Lark, a gay bar in suburban
Philadelphia. It was the first time James
had seen two men dancing. He ran down
the back stairs and out the bar.
“I was horrified,” says James.
“I thought I’d lost him,” says Hughes.
But within a few minutes, James cautiously returned through the front door.
With a lot of reassurance, Hughes was able
to convince James to dance with him. “He
was trembling in my arms,” says Hughes.
In just a few months, Hughes moved
into James’ small apartment in Delaware.
But the first home the two men tried to
make together would be tested by
Hughes’ parents, strict Roman Catholics.
“You are no longer my eldest son,” his
father told him in a face-to-face confrontation.
“Leave that man you are living with
and come home to the people who love
you,” his mother wrote in one of many
letters. Hughes read the handwritten
pages, and thought to himself, “Mel’s the
one who really loves me.” It would be 25
years before Hughes would make peace
with his parents.
In the meantime, the two men’s love
would be tested by something even more
volatile than hostile family members.
This time, the threat would come from
within the relationship, and would nearly
tear them apart both emotionally and
physically: This enemy was alcohol.
Hughes and James were both drinking
heavily. In their stupors, they would often
get into fist fights. One Christmas, James
was home decorating the tree for the holidays. Hughes arrived, inebriated, and
tried to choke him. Another time, James
pushed Hughes through a glass door.
Hughes still has the scar on his right forearm as a reminder.
“The booze was out of hand,” admits
James. “And I was an absolute bitch.”
Circumstances, however, would keep
the two men together even when their
love seemed to evade them: James had
twice lost his license due to drunk driving, and depended on Hughes to take him
to work. Hughes, in return, had lost his
job, and relied on James to pay the bills.
“We needed each other,” says James.
There were times Hughes threatened
to leave. He would grab his antique portrait of George Washington off the wall,
his lamp out of the living room, and run
upstairs to pack a knapsack. As he’d
trudge down the stairs, there would be
James, blocking the front door: “Don’t
go,” he’d say.
Despite the hardships, Hughes never
did walk out that front door. Luckily for
their relationship, he did finally go into
recovery for his drinking addiction.
Later, James would follow.
“If it wasn’t for recovery, we wouldn’t
Mel James (left) and Tom Hughes relax in their backyard swinging chair. Not all of their 43 years together
have been so smooth. (Photo by Carole Fawcett)
i
MEL JAMES
Age: 69
Residence: Imperial Point, FL
Birthplace: Denton, MD
Education: Union College, Barbourville, KY
(B.A., education)
Occupation: Retired school teacher
Relationship status: Together 43 years
have made it,” says Hughes.
“When we got sober, we found out we
were once again the people we had fallen
in love with years earlier,” says James.
Hughes dismisses the notion that there
are any “shortcuts” to holding a relationship together over four decades. “It’s
never easy, and everyone will have their
own struggles,” he says, sipping a soda as
he sits relaxed and barefoot in tan shorts
Tom Hughes (left) shares an intimate moment with Mel James, his partner of 43 years. The sex may have
died out a few years ago, the men say, but the affection has never flagged. (Photo by Carole Fawcett)
Inside: COMMUNITY CALENDAR, Page 16 FACES IN THE NEWS, Page 17
i
TOM HUGHES
Age: 80
Residence: Imperial Point, FL
Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA
Education: Temple University Electronics
School
Occupation: Retired archivist
Relationship status: Together 43 years
and a long sleeve blue shirt in the couple’s
Imperial Point home. But he has learned
two things about a relationship over the
years: “Don’t leave, and say ‘I’m sorry.’”
On their 25th anniversary, the two men
had a commitment ceremony, and just this
past fall, they went to the jewelry store and
bought matching gold bands. “I figured,
after 43 years, it’ll stick,” laughs Hughes.
Despite a lifetime commitment, the
two men don’t call themselves “married,”
and they are at odds over whether or not
they think marriage for gay and lesbian
people is the right way to go. “I prefer
‘civil unions,’” says Hughes. “I do believe
marriage is for a man and a woman for
procreation, and I think the right wing
wouldn’t make such a stink.”
James isn’t so sure. “We should be entitled to anything a straight marriage provides, and we’re not,” he points out with
audible anger in his voice. “I hope all these
marriages that are taking place stay legal.”
These days, the disagreements are fewer
and a lot less hostile. Instead, the snowbirds, who began coming down here 7 years
ago because Hughes “was tired of freezing
my ass off,” spend their retirement years
meeting friends at Chardees, playing pea
knuckle, and throwing dinner parties.
And as fate would have it, now Hughes
is the one who cannot drive, and James is
his wheels. “You see,” says Hughes, with a
grin, “after all these years, I still need him.
16
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
community calendar
SATURDAY
FEB. 28
GAY & LESBIAN WORLD TRAVEL EXPO. Greatest showcase of gay and gay-friendly destinations and vacation
options. From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Embassy Suites, 1100 S.E.
17th Street Causeway. Admission: $5.
www.gaytravelnews.com/expo.
FIFTH ANNUAL GAY BLACK PRIDE SOUTH FLORIDA.
Picnic at Hagan Park from 1 p.m.; a club event at Jay’s
from 9 p.m. and at Jay’s W. from 11 p.m. All events free.
954-772-4056 or e-mail: bishopmahee@yahoo.com.
HOLLYWOOD PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL
AFFAIRS. Family movie day. From 12 noon to 4 p.m. at
McNicol Recreation Program, 1411 s. 28th Ave. Adults:
$5.50; Ages 5-16: $4.50. Price includes transportation,
movie, popcorn, & soda. 954-258-0028.
RICK ZEITLER MEMORIAL. Honoring the life of Rick
Zeitler. All who wish to honor him are welcome. Unity
Church, 101 North West 22nd (at Swinton Ave.), Delray
Beach. 10 a.m. 561-276-5796.
ONGOING EVENTS
FARMERS MARKET. Fruit, flowers, and vegetables at
Hagen Park in Wilton Manners, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
CONGREGATION ETZ CHAIM. Religious service for
Jews in South Florida. 3970 N.W. 21st Ave., Oakland
Park. Call: 954-564-9232.
FLORIDA STORM SOCCER. Always looking for new
players and sponsors. www.FloridaStormSoccer.com or
by e-mail: info@FloridaStormSoccer.com.
LESBIAN CHORUS FT. LAUDERDALE. Need singers,
director, pianist and volunteers. Contact
KathyScaman@yahoo.com, or call: 561-866-0208.
COUNSELING. The Mental Fitness Center. Non-profit center
offering services by donation/sliding scale. 954-822-7160.
KAYAK RENTAL. Colohatchee Boat Ramp, Wilton
Manors. Sat. & Sun. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It's a big gay world and the Gay & Lesbian World
Travel Expo this Saturday in Miami aims to prove it.
Plan your next trip with help from experts from all
aspects of the travel business, including the staff of
Out Traveler magazine. (Photo courtesy of Gay &
Lesbian World Travel Expo)
MONDAY
MARCH 1
ONGOING EVENTS
SUNDAY
FEB. 29
COMING OUT. SunServe Counseling & Psychology support and guidance. Sunshine Cathedral, 1480 S.W. 9th
Ave., Ft. Lauderdale. 954-764-5557, ext. 1.
COMPULSIVE EATERS ANONYMOUS. Meets Mon. – Wed.
10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m. at Religious Science Center, N.E. 15th
Ave. and 26th Street. No dues or fees. 954-748-5156.
WILTON MANORS LIBRARY BOOK DISCUSSION.
Wilton Manors Library, 500 N.E. 26th St. Meets from
10:30a.m.-7:30 p.m. 954-357-7444.
FIFTH ANNUAL GAY BLACK PRIDE SOUTH FLORIDA.
Ecumenical service. Gay & Lesbian Community Center.
Service begins 12 p.m. 1717 N. Andrews Ave., Fort
Lauderdale. 954-463-9005.
TUESDAY
MARCH 2
ONGOING EVENTS
“ISSUES OVER THE RAINBOW.” MarkyG hosts this
morning radio talk show @ 7.25 a.m. on PARTY 93.1
FM. www.Party91.3.com.
“BRIDGING THE GAP.” Rene Bray hosts this call-in-talk
radio show dedicated to creating a bridge between straight
and gay communities. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on WTAN 1340 AM.
www.TampaBayGay.com/BTG. 1-800-263-8559.
HOLY ANGELS PARISH. Independent Catholic Church.
All welcome. 2330 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors (east of
the Alibi). Services: Sunday at 11 a.m.; Daily (Mon.-Sat.)
at 5:30 p.m. 954-565-4642 or 954-731-8173.
FRANCISCANS OF FT. LAUDERDALE. Looking for men
and women of faith who feel called to walk in the footsteps of Francis of Assisi. 954-731-8173.
NEW HOPE FIRST COMMUNITY CHURCH. 500
Gulfstream Blvd., Delray Beach. Services at 10:30 a.m.
and Contemporary Service at 1 p.m. 561-921-0069 or
www.newhopefla.org.
UNITY BY THE OCEAN. 3703 Galt Ocean Dr., Ft. Lauderdale.
Service and children’s school at 10:30 a.m. Weekly classes on
Thurs. at 7:15 p.m. Other events contact 954-568-1002.
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRITSONG. Sheraton Hotel in
Ft. Lauderdale. (Cypress Creek Rd. & I-95). Services at
10 a.m. A “church on fire” with a passion to worship
God. 954-418-8372.
ST. STEPHEN’S EPISCOPAL PARISH. 2750 McFarlane
Rd., Coconut Grove. Services: Low service at 8 a.m. and
song service at 10 a.m. Laying-on-of-Hands, AIDS
Ministry. 305.448.2601.
ST. JOHN’S ON THE LAKE. First United Methodist Church.
4760 Pine Tree Drive, Miami Beach. 305-531-7166.
SUNSHINE CATHEDRAL. 1480 S.W. 9th Ave., Ft.
Lauderdale. Sharing the light of the world. 954-462-2004.
CIRCLE OF LIGHT MCC MIAMI. 21st Street Recreation
Center, 2100 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Services
at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. “The Soul of the Community”.
305-535-2287.
DIVINE MERCY AMERICAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 2749
N.E. 10th Ave., Wilton Manors. Weddings and Holy
Unions. Services: Sat. @ 7:30 p.m., Sun. @ 11 a.m., and
Mon. at 10 a.m. Call for locations. 954-567-1930,
www.divinemercyfla.org.
SANCTUARY: SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
1400 N. Federal Hwy., Ft. Lauderdale. Services at 10:30
a.m. Inclusive, affirming, serving. 954-564-7600.
HOLY ANGELS NATIONAL CATHOLIC CHURCH. 2330
Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors. Services: Sun. at 11 a.m.
and weekdays incl. Sat. at 5:30 p.m. 954-565-4642 or
www.nationalcatholicchurch.org.
MEDITTERANEAN DINNER. Ferdo’s Grill, Ft. Lauderdale.
Best Middle Eastern fare in South Florida. $ cost of food/beverage. 7 p.m. 954-564-4958. www.sofloproductions.com.
TUESDAY’S ANGELS DINNER. 6th fund-raising dinner.
Chardees in Wilton Manors. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Dinner at 7:15 p.m. Contact Ron Webb: 954-492-8679.
ONGOING EVENTS
ATLANTIC COAST DINGHY CLUB. Gay-friendly sailors
and boating enthusiasts in an activity-oriented group.
For info on ACDC visit
www.atlanticcoastdinghyclub.org, or email: acdcboard@yahoogroups.com.
WEDNESDAY
MARCH 3
WILTON MANORS CANDIDATES FORUM. Wilton
Manors Elementary School, N.E. 26th St. and 3rd.
6:30 p.m.
ONGOING EVENTS
SAGE MEN’S SINGLE GROUP. For Men without partners. Monthly dinner. Contact Wayne Morris at 305965-8682 or email: www.sagesingles@aol.com.
THURSDAY
MARCH 4
PICK-A-FLICK. Muvico Theatres, Pompano Beach. All
vote on today’s movie and view as a group. To register,
call 954-564-4958 or visit: www.sofloproductions.com.
FRIDAY
MARCH 5
ONGOING EVENTS
TWENTY SOMETHINGS. Social Group for ages 20-29
at PrideLines Bldg., 180 N.E. 19th St., Miami. Meets at
7:30 p.m. with peer-to-peer support at 6:30. Contact
Kevin 305-528-5072 or www.twentysomethings.net.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
17
faces in news
Performing power couple Ricky J. Martinez and his partner E.L. Losada. They sing, they dance, they act,
they write, and they look darn cute together too! Losada won the Curtain Up Award Monday, Feb. 23 for
outstanding new male performer, just moments after wowing the sold-out house with a number from “Bat
Boy.” (Photo by Bill Calcaterra)
Playwright Michael McKeever, a winner for the Feb. 23 Curtain Up Awards’ best new work, with his partner Stuart Meltzer at the after party, held at Stork’s. In his speech, McKeever thanked Meltzer “for all of it.”
(Photo by Bill Calcaterra)
Janyce Forster and Bonnie Fraley — together 15 years — at the Thursday, Feb. 19 celebration of the second
anniversary of Sister Speak, held at Pride Factory. (Photo by Steven Shires)
Michael Albetta (left), of the Dolphin Democrats, the gay and lesbian Democratic group, with Broward
County Sheriff Ken Jenne, at the Jefferson/Jackson dinner Feb. 21. (Photo by Steven Shires)
Chuck Nichols, head of Tuesday’s Angels, at a Sunday, Feb. 22, benefit screening of “Latter Days” at the
Gateway Theater in Fort Lauderdale. (Photo by Bill Calcaterra)
Women relax at the second anniversary of Sister Speak, held Thursday, Feb. 19, at Pride Factory. (Photo by
Steven Shires)
e press
forum
south florida
South Florida’s gay and
lesbian newspaper
EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION
Executive Editor CHRIS CRAIN
Editor MUBARAK DAHIR
Managing Editor PHIL LAPADULA
Arts Editor MARY DAMIANO
Correspondents BRYAN ANDERTON, ADRIAN BRUNE,
LOU CHIBBARO JR., JOE CREA, LAURA DOUGLAS-BROWN,
BINNIE FISHER, MIKE FLEMING, MATTHEW A. HENNIE,
BRIAN MOYLAN, KEVIN NAFF, KEN SAIN,
CHRISTOPHER SEELY, RHONDA SMITH, PENNY WEAVER,
STEVE WEINSTEIN, CYD ZEIGLER
Contributors DAN AIELLO, CAROL ANNE BURGER,
MARK RUTHERFORD, MICHAEL SASSER,
JOHN SIEGFRIED, JENNIFER TROVATO,
J. MICHAEL WOODS
Staff Photographers BILL CALCATTERRA,
CAROLE FAWCETT, STEVE SHIRES
Art Director CHARLIE MOUNTAIN
Webmasters GARY HALLOCK, ARAM VARTIAN
SALES & ADMINISTRATION
President STEVEN GUERRINI
Chief Financial Officer RON VERBLAAUW
Office Manager LOGAN KENT
Display Advertising
954-568-1880 (PHONE); 954-568-5110 (FAX)
Sales & Marketing Manager KEVIN HOPPER
Account Executives
CRAIG COMBS, ANTHONY VERRICO
National Ad Representative
RIVENDELL MEDIA: 212-242-6863
Classified Advertising
877-863-1885 (PHONE); 954-568-5110 (FAX)
classifieds@expressgaynews.com
Classifieds Sales RALPH LANKFORD
Distribution Manager CHARLIE BRAUN
DISPLAY AD DEADLINES:
Placement by Fridays, 5 p.m.
Camera Ready Artwork by Tuesdays, Noon
CLASSIFIED AD DEADLINES:
Placement by Tuesdays, 4 p.m.
Artwork by Tuesdays, Noon
ALL MATERIAL in the Express Gay News is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Express
Gay News. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein
is neither inferred or implied. The appearance of
names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or
persons. Although this paper is supported by many
fine advertisers, the Express cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.
EDITORIAL POSITIONS of the
Express Gay News are expressed in editorials and
in editors’ notes as determined by the paper’s editors. Other opinions are those of the writers and
do not necessarily represent the opinion of the
Express Gay News or its staff.
TO SUBMIT A LETTER OR COMMENTARY:
Letters should be fewer than 400 words;
commentaries should be fewer than 750 words.
Submissions may be edited for content and length,
and must include a name, address and phone number
for verification. Send submissions by e-mail to
forum@expressgaynews.com, by fax to 954-5685110 or by regular mail to the Express office, attn:
Letters/Commentary.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
ADDRESS: 5399 Northeast 14th Ave., Suite 1
PHONE: 954-568-1880
FAX: 954-568-5110
E-MAIL: editor@expressgaynews.com
INTERNET: www.expressgaynews.com
PUBLISHER: Unite Media LLC
FOUNDER/PUBLISHER (2000-03): Norm Kent
© 2004, Unite Media LLC
All rights reserved.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
PAGE 18
editorial
Kicking things off
with a big kiss
Expect passion, honesty and an unblinking eye
at Express Gay News, which debuts this week
with a new format and distribution schedule.
By MUBARAK DAHIR
HEN I VISITED TOM
Hughes and Mel James in
their brightly appointed
Imperial Point home early
this week, I confess I had one
thing on my mind: Would
they kiss for the camera?
No, Tom and Mel aren’t a couple of hot
porn stars, and I wasn’t having a sordid
little fantasy.
What I was doing, however, was imagining their faces embraced in a lip lock on
the pages of the Express Gay News.
Tom is 80; Mel is 69. They have been
together for more than four decades, and
the story of their struggle to love one
another is told in the debut section of this
week’s “Local Life” section, on page 15.
But back to the smooching. I had hoped
Tom and Mel would allow us to capture an
intimate moment on our pages for good
reason: There is a dearth of images of
mature gay men in the gay press. Visuals
of older men in moments of affection are
rarer still.
As the new editor for the re-launch
issue of this newspaper, I wanted to show
readers that we would not only be willing
to feature the largely unseen images of
gay and lesbian people, but that we would
work hard to hunt for them.
That pledge is not just limited to covering the lives of older gay men. It’s no
secret that lesbians and people of color
have been traditionally under-represented
in much of the gay and lesbian press, too.
With the re-launch of this paper, there
w
i
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
Story suggestions:
editor@expressgaynews.com
Letters, column submissions:
forum@expressgaynews.com
Calendar submissions:
calendars@expressgaynews.com
Bitch Session: bitch@expressgaynews.com
is a renewed commitment to seeking out
all the people who make up the alphabet
soup that form the gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender communities. When you
pick up our pages, we want you to see the
multi-faceted, always complex, and sometimes clashing members that make our
lives so spirited, so intricate, and so vital.
As part of that commitment, this week
we are proud to feature on page 8 how
many of South Florida’s black gay men
and lesbians are working to merge their
sometimes conflicting identities. They
invite everyone, regardless of race or sexual orientation, to join in the events at
this weekend’s Black Gay Pride of South
Florida.
ANOTHER PROMISE WE WILL MAKE:
This newspaper will be the best source of
local news and entertainment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in
South Florida.
While we will bring you headline
national and international news, too,
these pages will focus on in-depth reporting of gay and lesbian life in South
Florida that you won’t find anywhere else.
Our writing and reporting will carry a
sophisticated understanding and analysis
of the issues that affect gay men and lesbians in ways that can’t be found outside
the sharp prism of a gay newspaper.
My hope is that you will feel like you
have to pick up the Express each and
every week, or you’ll be missing out on
something important and interesting.
When Norm Kent founded the Express
in 2000, there was no serious gay and lesbian publication here that tackled news
and grappled with the sometimes sticky
issues of a burgeouning gay and lesbian
population. Under his direction, the
Express filled a vacuum for informed
reading on gay men and lesbians in South
Florida. Those of us at this paper applaud
Norm’s pioneering work.
Today, with Norm pursuing other goals
and no longer involved with this newspaper, those of us here — and particularly
me as the editor — assure you that we will
undertake our jobs with fiercely impartial
professionalism.
We will be more than just a local cheerleader. This paper will not be afraid to ask
tough questions from anybody, whether
they be homophobes or high-profile insiders. Hard-hitting, objective and fair news
will be the hallmark of this paper beyond
anything else.
At times, that might earn us the ire of
some in our own community, and that’s
OK. We want to win your respect more
than your blind admiration. Sometimes,
that means pissing people off. I suspect
Norm, too, will have a bone to pick with
us at one time or another in the future.
We welcome those discussions with you
about how we are doing, because this is
your newspaper, too. Help us do a better job.
Let us know about the important events
or difficult conflicts happening in your
neighborhood. Show us how and where
and why you do the things that make gay
and lesbian life important to you.
Write a letter to the editor. Pen a guest
op-ed column. Even if you just want to
vent about your own gay life, join in our
new weekly feature, the “Bitch Session,”
on page 45.
We promise we’ll always listen.
AS FOR TOM AND MEL? TURN TO
page 15 and see for yourself:
They weren’t shy at all about planting
a big wet one on each other in front of the
camera. We thank them for kicking off
our re-launch issue with such passion.
And we promise every week to bring
you more of that kind of passion that
makes a newspaper worth
reading.
@ Mubarak Dahir is edi-
tor of the Express
Gay News and can be
reached at mdahir@expressgaynews.com.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
19
letters
Many gay men
oppose marriage
To the Editors:
I write to you as a gay man in a longterm, loving relationship. Not only am I
100 percent against gay marriage, I
guarantee you that most masculine,
mature gay men do not refer to their
partners as “husbands” as some gay
marriage activists are being quoted
these days.
Much of the American press has mistakenly reported, if not outright supported, the bogus argument that the lack of a
government-issued marriage license is
the major reason why gay men and
women do not couple up. That argument
is simply not true.
Gay men or women who love each
other and want to couple up, do just that
and have done so forever. If there is love
in a relationship, there is the potential
for joy, happiness and longevity. A government-issued license isn’t critical to
making the relationship work, just as the
lack of it won’t destroy it. Love is not a
piece of paper.
As a proud gay man, I have always
been embarrassed and saddened that
“hot” men are usually more popular that
“good” men. And the proof of that shallow gay syndrome is that long-term gay
relationships are the exception, rather
than the rule.
The media seem to ignore not only us,
but the fact that historically among gay
people, love has come in a very poor second in the battle of “love and relationship” versus “ anonymous sex and the
single life.”
Gay marriage activists deceptively
claim that a marriage license would
bring value, security and longevity to
gay relationships. Then why, in spite of
not having a marriage license, does
almost every successful long-term gay
couple manage to get vehicles legally registered in both names, share joint checking accounts, insurance coverage and
wills, and put leases or mortgages in
each other’s names, and so on?
When you live together because of
love, the government doesn’t matter. In fact, you do
your best to bring meaningful things yourselves
into the relationship.
Gay activists and misguided members of the
press do not have a monopoly on speaking out on this
issue. My gay partner of
16 years is not my “husband” and never will be.
He is a long loved, deeply
respected gay man who is
my life partner.
Many of us are gay,
proud and very dedicated
to love and happiness.
And, we choose not to
destroy or alter traditional
marriage.
KENNETH ADAMS
Fort Lauderdale
Tampa killings
show gay danger
To the Editors:
Re “Tampa gay community on edge,” news, Jan.
12):
There is a reason why
the practice of homosexuality is denounced by
every major religion from Catholicism to
Scientology. There is a reason why homosexual acts are condemned by every religious leader from Pope John Paul to the
Dalai Lama.
This reason is the practice of homosexual acts is unhealthy, dangerous and
wrong.
These poor young men in Florida
believed the lies of those who push the
homosexual agenda, and have now paid
with their lives. Very sad indeed.
But there is help available.
Homosexuals can go straight. It is not too
late. Nothing is impossible to someone
who honestly seeks to change.
ROBERT RAUSH
Santa Monica, Calif.
Don’t get hung up
on the ‘m’ word
To the Editors:
Let’s ask ourselves whether the
good fight should be for the rights and
privileges every other culture in
America enjoys, but should we use a
word other than “marriage”? Do we
really want to be associated with a
word that has a 50-percent failure rate
among heterosexuals?
If I were in a committed relationship,
I would not want to have to travel to New
England to legitimize it in the eyes of the
law. I would not have to call it “marriage” to feel legitimate.
What I would want under the law is
for the relationship to be legally recognized, to receive the same tax credits
and breaks as every other American
couple, to adopt a child without challenge if my partner and I so desired, to
visit my partner in the hospital without
restraint and to inherit all we worked
toward as a couple should he die — and
vice versa.
LEE A. SCHOENBART
La Jolla, Calif.
Send letters and op-ed column submissions to forum@expressgaynews.com
THE
Q
Should Broward
County begin
issuing marriage
licenses to samesex couples, as
they have been in
San Francisco?
Well, I believe we should have the
right to marry the one we love,
the same as everyone else.
Personally, it’s just a piece of
paper, however, it’s the principle
that matters — equality — and
that’s what the Constitution is
based on.
Thomas Jones, 39
Cashier
Fort Lauderdale
Sure, we should have the same
rights as everyone else. I’m not in
a relationship at this time, but I
believe that should I wish a marriage certificate and a ceremony,
I’m entitled to one.
Karla McGillvarz, 27
Baker
Fort Lauderdale
Personally, I don’t believe the
community or country is ready for
same sex marriage certificates
and ceremonies. My partner and
I have been together for over
seven years and we have never
encountered any problems.
Aaron Hess, 32
Construction
Fort Lauderdale
Suggest question about what’s going on in your world to forum@expressgaynews.com.
I’m all for it. Same-sex marriage
should be national. To discriminate
is shameful. This administration
seeks to take away rights rather
than grant them. It’s purely a
campaign ploy.
Joe Puleo, 40
Podiatrist
Miami
Interviews and Photos by Bill Calcaterra
20
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
viewpoint
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
MARK KOENIG
It’s insulting for activists to brand gays
as ‘cowards’ or ‘self-hating’ if we don’t
think marriage is the top election priority.
Still backing
George W. Bush
IT’S MADDENING TO LISTEN TO GAY
activists and politicians pontificate on
the necessity of voting Democratic in
the upcoming presidential election. It’s
also insulting to those of us who do not
think that gay marriage is the most significant issue in the upcoming election
to be branded “cowards” or “self-hating” by those on the left.
Any fair-minded individual, gay or
straight, who examines the facts rather
than listening to the puerile rants of
the myopic left, will come to the
inescapable conclusion that to vote for
the Democratic presidential candidate
— who, it now appears certain, will be
John Kerry — is to vote to critically
compromise our national security and
invite another Sept. 11-scale act of terrorism, if not one much worse.
This is the one issue in the
November election that renders all others irrelevant in comparison.
Let’s examine the facts: George W.
Bush has rid the world of two brutal,
oppressive dictatorships, emasculated a
third (Libya) and put others in the
Middle East region on notice. He has
dealt a near-fatal blow to the Islamic
terrorist organization that attacked us
on 9-11. Clearly we are safer now than
before that fateful day.
This simply would not have happened under the leadership of any current Democratic candidate for president.
BUSH HAS BUILT THE MORALE OF
our nation’s armed forces and continues
to command the respect of those serving
in the military, a respect that John
Kerry, given his voting record in the
Senate and anti-military statements dur-
ing the Vietnam era, will never have.
Kerry and his Democratic challengers for the nomination (with the
notable exception of Joe Lieberman)
consistently characterize the war in
Iraq as illegitimate and Islamic terrorism as a “law-enforcement problem,”
not one for the military.
This is the approach Bill Clinton
took after the 1993 World Trade Center
bombing, and we witnessed the resulting carnage on 9-11. These are the same
folks that would subordinate our
authority to act in our own national
interest to that of the United Nations.
Kerry also is on record as voting
against nearly every new weapons system developed over the last 20 years. He
voted against pushing Saddam out of
Kuwait in the first Persian Gulf war,
and most recently, effectively voted for
allowing Hussein to return to power by
opposing continued funding of the current war in Iraq.
Bush, on the other hand, has explicitly endorsed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. This is, of
course, very unfortunate. But it hardly
rises to the heights of importance suggested by the hysterical rants of those
such as Georgia state Rep. Karla
Drenner (D-Avondale), who recently
stated that she saw no difference
between a vote in favor of such an
amendment and what happened under
Hitler in Nazi Germany.
This sort of talk does nothing to
improve the reputation of those oppos-
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ing the measure. Rather, it makes us
look foolish at best.
The reality is that even if passed by
Congress, such an amendment would
have to be ratified by 38 states to be
adopted, something still not accomplished even after 32 years with the
Equal Rights Amendment.
SO LET’S PUT THINGS IN
perspective. Yes, gay men and lesbians
need to mobilize to fight against those
who would deny us the same legal rights
as married heterosexual couples. I believe
this can and should be done under the
moniker of “civil union,” since “marriage” is a religiously-charged term
which is probably best left to those who
consider it sacred.
I personally couldn’t care less what
the arrangement is called, as long as
my rights to inheritance, tax status
and determination over my partner’s
care should he become terminally ill
are the same as those of “married”
couples. I maintain we have time to
fight this good fight — but first things
first.
If the party in power in Washington
fails to protect us against another, possibly cataclysmic Islamo-Fascist terror
attack, our precious civil rights won’t
much matter.
Mark Koenig is a software technician in
@ Atlanta
and can be reached at
mjkoenig7@hotmail.com.
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EXPRESS GAY NEWS
viewpoint
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
21
JENNIFER VANASCO
It’d be nice to have our wedding cake
and eat it too, but moral victories are
for those not facing familial annihilation.
Civil unions
are enough
WHEN I HEARD THAT SAN FRANCISCO
was issuing marriage licenses, I started
crying.
There’s something miraculous about
that; about the idea that, right before
Valentine’s Day, long-term couples and
newly in-love couples and all gay couples
in between were suddenly able to pledge
their commitment to each other in a way
that was recognized by — well, if not the
state, then at least the city.
Gay couples lined up to get married in
wedding dresses and tiaras and jeans and
baseball caps. They held hands and leaned
against each other and marveled at their
good fortune, as do we.
The word “marriage” — versus the
term “civil unions” — does matter, no matter how much the pragmatists within us
might wish it does not. It has a resonance
about it. “Marriage” says “full equality”
in a way that “civil unions” never can.
Married. Those couples in San
Francisco — more than 3,000 of them —
have gotten married, thanks to the new
mayor of San Francisco, who ordered all
language on marriage forms to be gender
neutral. Actual marriage seems like a taste
of true freedom, a celebration of mythic
true love, instead of the cold practicality
that “civil unions” implies. And yet.
AT THE SAME TIME, GAY ACTIVISTS IN
Massachusetts have been siding with religious conservatives in the Legislature’s
marriage debate there.
Some realist legislators wanted to put
“civil unions” — rather than marriage —
into a constitutional amendment that
would be put on the ballot in 2006.
Now that a high court ruling has
declared that only gay marriage, not civil
unions, will fulfill the state Constitution,
many state legislators are trying to head
off the possibility that the legal recognition of gay partnerships will be banned
by popular vote.
But some gay activists said this was a
moral issue and that anything less than
full marriage was not acceptable.
Now, 2006 is a long time away. Maybe the
world will have changed by then. Maybe
two years of gay and lesbian marriage, if
there’s no injunction to stop them, will
convince the good citizens of that liberal
state that the world won’t end if gay men
and lesbians are treated equally.
Or maybe two years will give conservatives enough time to build a power base
that will vote to deny gays marriage
rights in Massachusetts forever.
Both the right and some on the gay left
say that marriage is a moral issue. And
yes, of course it is. To many of us, it is
one of the most important benchmarks of
our equality or lack thereof.
But marriage is also a practical issue,
and that’s what irritates me here.
GAY COUPLES WANT TO MARRY NOT
just because it is nice to be recognized,
but because, in many cases, it is essential
to be recognized.
There are gay parents and gay partners
who wrangle over visitation rights when
they go to hospitals, because they are not
“officially” married. There are gays who
don’t have health benefits because they’re
not married; who lose their houses because
their partners die and they’re not married;
who are forced into separate nursing
homes because they’re not married.
All those benefits of marriage that
we’ve been enumerating for years are not
made-up statistics. They are real numbers
that affect real people. And so, yes, in theory, applying the word “marriage” to our
partnerships would be all sunshine and
roses, a wonderful moral victory.
But moral victories are for people who
aren’t facing annihilation of their
finances or their families.
Right now, we just can’t afford the luxury of moral victories when practical victories are so much more important.
Let us fight for civil unions now, so
long as they have the exact same benefits
of marriage. “Marriage” is too loaded a
word; it’s like “abortion” and it will be
very hard for us to win on a large scale.
Civil unions can provide us the protection
we need when we need it.
Years from now, when the rights of
partnership are granted to gay couples by
most of the 50 states (and, I hope, the federal government as well), we can go before
the Supreme Court and convince them
that civil unions are a new form of the old
“separate but equal” travesty.
Later, we can have our wedding cake
and eat it, too. For now, let’s just concentrate on feeding those who are starving
for social justice.
Jennifer Vanasco is a Chicago-based syndi@ cated
columnist and can be reached at
vanasco@chicagofreepress.com.
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FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
on the record
“Cartoon character Cathy finally got
engaged to her boyfriend in today’s Valentine
edition of her strip. Meanwhile, Marcie and
Peppermint Patty are moving to
Massachusetts.”
Tina Fey, co-anchor of the “Weekend
Update” news skit on NBC’s “Saturday Night
Live” (Entertainment Weekly, Feb. 27)
“I have done nothing to hinder the city
government from implementing the domestic
partner registry. I am doing nothing as a
council person to hinder a person’s right to go
up there today and register as a domestic
partner.”
Cleveland Heights (Ohio) City Councilman
Jimmie Hicks, Jr., after filing a lawsuit this
week to stop the DP registry approved by city voters. Hicks had opposed the idea of a registry but said voters should decide. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Feb. 24)
“Activist courts have left the people with one recourse. If we’re to prevent the meaning of marriage from being changed forever, our nation must enact a constitutional
amendment to protect marriage in America.”
President Bush at the White House on Tuesday, announcing his support for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages (Feb. 24)
“Today the president of the United States,
solely for political gain, called upon Congress to
amend the United States Constitution to
enshrine our second-class citizenship in the
nation’s most revered document. This is a despicable new low.”
Matt Foreman, executive director of the
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, after Bush
made his announcement (Washington Blade,
Feb. 27)
“I hereby direct you to take immediate steps
to obtain a definitive judicial resolution of this
controversy.”
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a
fax sent to Attorney General Bill Lockyer, demanding he stop the gay marriages taking place in San
Francisco (San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 22)
“The governor can direct the highway patrol. He can direct the next ‘Terminator 4’
movie if he chooses. But he can’t direct the attorney general in the way he’s attempted
to do.”
Bill Lockyer, responding to Schwarzenegger’s request; the attorney general announced
this week he would ask the California Supreme Court to resolve the dispute (San
Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 22)
“We all started walking, and he said, ‘I’m putting you under citizen’s arrest,’ and I
started laughing, and he said, ‘No really, I’m going to arrest you,’ And I said, ‘Oh great,
I love a man in a uniform, bring him on.’”
Bill Jones, a 75-year-old gay San Francisco retired official who volunteered to perform
some of the gay marriages at city hall, after 37-year-old Jake Olthof tried to arrest him
for violating state law (San Francisco Examiner, Feb. 19)
“The institution of marriage doesn’t need protection from loving, caring gay South
Carolinians like our son and his partner; it needs protection from demagogues and
hypocrites like John Graham Altman III who spew bigotry and who have more exspouses than they have clean underwear.”
James and Irene Smith in an e-mail that made
its way through the South Carolina House of
Representatives. The Smiths sent it to a friend,
who forwarded it to Rep. Altman (R-Charleston),
a leading opponent of gay marriage. Altman is in
his third marriage (South Carolina Post &
Courier, Feb. 19)
“We don’t want gay rights for queers. Send
them all back, and send them all back to Africa.”
Jeff Schoep, the self-titled ‘commander’ of the
National Socialist Movement, while wearing a
uniform emblazoned with swastikas, speaking at
a demonstration against gay marriage at the
North Carolina capitol in Raleigh (Associated
Press, Feb. 22)
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
action! alert
Missing Mary?
Veep’s lesbian daughter
targeted by Web site
By CHRISTOPHER SEELY
The masterminds behind the Stop Dr.
Laura campaign are at it again, waging a
full-scale attack on Vice President Dick
Cheney’s lesbian daughter, who they say
has been conspicuously silent about her
father’s stance on gay marriage.
Gay activists John Aravosis and Robin
Tyler launched the Web site
DearMary.com on Feb. 13. They want to
convince Mary Cheney to stand up to her
father and publicly oppose the amendment, Aravosis said.
“She has been put in a unique place to
make more difference than all of us can
make combined,” Aravosis said. “With
power comes responsibility.”
Cheney in the past worked as a paid gay
liaison for Coors Brewing Company and
served on the board of the Republican Unity
Coalition, a gay rights group, Aravosis said.
But Cheney, 34, resigned from RUC last
year. She is now director of vice presidential operations for the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign, with an annual salary
nearing $75,000 after taxes, according to
the Washington Post.
Mary Cheney should speak out not
only because of her personal family life
but also because of her professional role,
Aravosis said.
“This is not some wallflower lesbian
making cookies for her woman at home,”
Aravosis said.
Officials at the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign did not respond to interview requests.
DURING HER TENURE AS
professional gay advocate, Cheney urged the
Republican Party not to focus on gay issues.
“We can make sexual orientation a nonissue for the Republican Party, and we can
help achieve equality for all gay and lesbian
Americans,” Mary Cheney said in an April
2002 statement, according to Newsweek.
But now some conservative Republicans
are actively supporting state and federal initiatives to ban gay marriage, and Cheney’s
father, the vice president, has said he will
follow President Bush’s lead on the issue.
Dick Cheney said in 2000 that gay marriage should be decided by states, but
recently said he will support Bush if the
president backs a constitutional amendment banning legal recognition of gay
couples, according to the Associated Press.
ACTION! INFO
www.dearmary.com
The lesbian daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney
has remained silent about her father’s support for a
constitutional ban on gay marriage, prompting gay
activists to ask, “Have you seen Mary Cheney?”
(Photo courtesy of DearMary.com)
This week, the president announced in
a White House press conference that he
is, in fact, endorsing a constitutional
amendment to prevent states from issuing
marriage licenses to gay couples.
Mary Cheney, who is in a long-term
relationship, has made no public comment on her father’s position on the federal amendment.
Gay writer Michelangelo Signorile
took Cheney to task in a column titled
“Dear Mary” published in the Jan. 20
New York Press. Signorile’s column
inspired DearMary.com, Aravosis said.
Signorile, who has visited the site,
called it “a good tool to educate people”
and reiterated his belief that Mary
Cheney needs to speak up now to be
viewed favorably by history.
“Mary Cheney should publicly say that
she disagrees with the president and with
her father,” Signorile said. “And I believe
she cannot work for a campaign that would
support a federal marriage amendment.
And if they do support it, I believe she
should step down.”
In its first five days, the Web site posted more than 2,150 letters to Mary Cheney
and received an average of 50,000 hits per
day, Aravosis said.
Some 90 percent of the letters have a
compassionate tone, he said.
But one gay couple that waited in line
in San Francisco for a marriage license
shamed Mary in their letter on the site,
saying that her silence made her worse
than her father, who publicly supports a
gay marriage ban.
“If you do not speak now, Mary, you will
rightfully be remembered only as part of the
biggest disgrace against what being
American is all about — the belief that
everyone is equal,” wrote Mikko and Ari
from West Hollywood, Calif. “We hope you
do the right thing. We wait for your answer.”
ABOUT ACTION ALERT: Action Alert is a Forum section feature that informs readers of issues for response
and lobbying. Send suggestions and comments to forum@expressgaynews.com.
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24
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
SING OUT, MARY: Gay men offer up a little harmony
during the South Florida Choral Festival. PAGE 34
FOR ART’S SAKE: Gay playwright Jon Robin Baitz’s piece,
‘Ten Unknowns,’ asks hard questions about art. PAGE 30
e tra
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
PAGE 25
Gay businesses expect boost from Fun events
FUN UNDER THE SUN, continued from Page 1
Fun Under the Sun Film Fest
in something the whole family can enjoy?
Try the family event at the Young Art
Children’s Museum, or Art Explosion.
Love movies? There’s a three-day gay film
fest at Cinema Paradiso. Love to party?
There are parties galore: pool parties,
morning parties, after parties, women’s
parties, a blowout beach party. You name it
and there’s a party for it. Perhaps your
taste runs toward exclusive, world-class
entertainment. Then you’ll want to attend
the very exclusive private concert by
Broadway star Patti Lupone. Want to get
your best buddy involved? There’s even
yoga for you and your dog.
“It was a very conscious decision to
make it a really diverse schedule of activities,” said Michael Kenny, chair of the
Gay Business Alliance. “We didn’t want
it to be a circuit party weekend because
that’s not what Fort Lauderdale is.”
One of the ways the Gay Business
Alliance helped bring Fasenmyer’s
dream to fruition was to partner with the
Gay and Lesbian Foundation of South
Florida. “Not only have we received
financial assistance from them, but the
special assistance they’ve brought to us
has simply been invaluable,” Kenny said.
David Phelps, director of the Gay and
Lesbian Foundation of South Florida,
remembers when he was first approached
about getting involved with Fun Under
the Sun.
“Because of the Foundation’s 10 year
history with Winter Party, it obviously
has an established history of how to put
on a major event. We’ve learned from
mistakes.”
While Phelps believes that Miami-Dade
and Broward each have their own special
characteristics, he also believes that the
north and south parts of South Florida
should unite for more events. “If we’re
going to make progress as an LGBT community, we need to focus on our efforts as
one region,” he said. “Instead of looking at
everything competitively, we need to look
at how we can collaborate.”
Kenny agrees. “This is a really cool
example of the community starting to
work together from a regional perspective,” he said.
Phelps was partially responsible for
the timing of Fun Under the Sun, and
how it dovetails with Winter Party the
weekend of March 13. “With Winter
Party and Fun Under the Sun all happening within the same 10-day period, it is
going to be an extraordinary experience
Double D Avengers
Three of the bustiest Russ Meyer stars — Kitten
Natividad, Haji, and Raven De La Croix — make a
comeback in “The Double-D Avenger,” a sexy action
comedy in the tradition of boobilicious cult films.
Big, busty Chastity Knott must use her amazing
abilities as a costumed crime fighter, the Double-D
Avenger, to stop villainous bikini bar owner Al
Purplewood and his sexy, murderous strippers.
Thursday, March 4, 5 p.m. Preceded by the short
film, “Six Point Nine.”
Showboy
A mockumentary about a gay writer who abandons his career as a writer to pursue his lifelong
dream of becoming a high-kicking, sequin-wearing Las Vegas showboy. Thursday, March 4, 8
p.m. Preceded by the short film “Precious
Images.”
Gypsy 83
A road trip movie about two best friends — a
gorgeous gay guy and a gorgeous full-figured
girl — who are stuck in a small town hit the road
to enter a talent show. Stars Sara Rue from TV’s
“Less Than Perfect.” Friday, March 5, 7 p.m.
Preceded by the short film, “Chaplin.”
Gay boys kick up their heels in ‘Showboy,’ one of the films featured in the Fun Under the Sun festival.
for the entire region,” Phelps said.
According to Kenny, the goal of Fun
Under the Sun is multi-faceted: To support gay and lesbian and gay-friendly
businesses, to help further the reputation
of Fort Lauderdale for visitors, to show
residents as a welcoming, diverse community, and to benefit several organizations. SunServe, which recently opened
the Noble McArtor Senior DayCare
Center, Gamma Mu, which awards scholarships for graduate studies, and the Gay
and Lesbian Community Center of South
Florida will all benefit from money
raised by Fun Under the Sun. Kenny said
the organizations were chosen based on
their reputation to do good work and
their level of involvement.
Phelps, who is originally from
Australia, has a hometown view of what
Fun Under the Sun can become. “At some
time in the near future, it can move to a
Sydney Mardi Gras kind of event, where
it is 10 days of cultural community celebration, partying, film, and where we
appeal to all segments of the community,” he said. Phelps added that while the
term Mardi Gras might have negative
connotations, he sees Fun Under the Sun
growing to that size and scope. “It’s a
unique celebration that goes on a number
of days,” he said. “You have 500,000 people going into Sydney to celebrate, gay,
straight, bisexual, transgender or not
identifying at all. They’re just there
because they want to celebrate.”
Kenny is also looking forward to many
more Fun Under the Sun events to come. “I
would love to see it become an annual event
that has a whole range of activities for different interests, for different income levels, that
continues to reinforce that we are a welcoming community both to live in and to visit.”
The Film Festival
One of those most highly anticipated
events at Fun Under the Sun is the Fort
Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film
Festival. While the Miami Gay & Lesbian
Film Festival has been going strong for
five years, only recently have some of the
events been held in Broward County.
With this event, organizers would like to
establish Fort Lauderdale as a destination for gay and lesbian cinema.
Please see FUN UNDER THE SUN on Page 36
My Life on Ice
The story of a year in the life of a gay French
teenager, a figure skater, seen through the lens
of his video camera. Friday, March 5, 9 p.m.
Preceded by the short film, “Rick and Steve the
Happiest Gay Couple.”
Born to be Wild
Documentary about the leading men of the
American Ballet Theatre. Saturday, March 6, 1
p.m. Preceded by the short film, “Parking.”
The Look
A group of friends come to New York for a modeling competition. Saturday, March 6, 3 p.m.
Preceded by “Gaydar.”
When Ocean Meets Sky
Documentary about Fire Island. Saturday, March
6, 5 p.m. Preceded by “Pieces of Silver.”
Unconditional Love
A man and a dumped wife team up to solve the
murder of their favorite pop star. Rupert
Everett, Kathy Nates. Saturday, March 6, 7 p.m.
Preceded by “Backyard Movie,”
AKA
A disaffected British 18-year-old assumes another identity to enter high society. Saturday,
March 6, 9 p.m. Preceded by “Stunt Cocks.”
26
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
music
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
ANDY ZEFFER
Nile Rodgers, whose ‘Disco Inferno’ comes
to the Broward Center this weekend, talks
about ‘I’m Coming Out’ and ‘We Are Family.’
Freak out with chic
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DIG OUT YOUR FINEST POLYESTER AND
slip on the platform shoes. A fusion of disco
and dance is descending upon the Broward
Center for the Performing Arts for one
night only, Sunday, February 29th.
“Disco Inferno” will feature performances by Nile Rodgers of Chic, the
Trammps, Rose Royce and Thelma
Houston. The man behind it all is
Rodgers, who, with Chic, exploded on the
disco scene with classic dance floor hits
like “Le Freak” and “Good Times.” But
Rodgers’ musical talents go far beyond
Chic’s late 70’s hits. He has produced
some of the most prolific albums in pop
history, including David Bowie’s “Let’s
Dance,” Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” and
The B-52’s “Cosmic Thing.”
Rodgers’ successful “Disco Inferno”
tours began by accident. For the last two
years running, Chic has sold out shows at
the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles with a
similar concept. The first year the group
headlined a show that paid homage to the
25th anniversary of “Saturday Night
Fever.” Though Chic had nothing to do
with the film, the other artists playing the
venue did. Rodgers noticed when those
artists played with Chic, it completely
changed their sound.
“We are a live band and always have
been,” said Rodgers. “And a lot of the
artists from the area are produced
artists. They are singers that just go in
and do a vocal while the producer comes
up with a concept. So when the artists
performed with us, it just changed the
whole artistic credibility of their performance and vibe. We really noticed a
difference in the house.”
Rodgers did another show the following year with the same results, drawing a
crowd of 18,500 people.
“I thought maybe this was a good idea
because people have a great connection to
this kind of music,” said Rodgers. “It’s
very celebratory and uplifting. In most
cases it was the anthem of a generation.”
Rodgers feels a strong connection to
gay fans and has a huge gay following.
The main driving force behind Chic was
that the 70’s were a celebratory period of
social and political gains from the 60’s, he
said. The music celebrated the hardfought battles of the black civil rights
movement, the end of the Vietnam War,
The Patient and any other person
responsible for payment has the right to
cancel payment, or be reimbursed for
payment for any other service, examination, or treatment which is performed as a
result of and within 72 hours of responding to
the ad for the free service, examination or treatment.
i
MORE INFO
Nile Rodgers’ Disco Inferno
Broward Center for Performing Arts
Feb. 29, 7 pm.
Tickets: www.browardcenter.org
or 954-462-0222
Nile Rodgers of the disco group Chic says he connects with gay music fans through his love of divas,
and first got the inspiration for writing ‘I’m Coming
Out’ while hanging out at a gay bar.
the women’s movement and the advancement of gay civil rights.
“That’s why we have artists like
Sylvestor and the Village People, and I
wrote songs like ‘I’m Coming Out’ for
Diana Ross and ‘We Are Family’ for
Sister Sledge,” said Rodgers. “Those are
the victories we were celebrating with
our music”.
Rodgers got the idea to write “I’m
Coming Out” while hanging out at a gay
club in New York called the GG Barnum
Room. The gay clubs in New York had the
best underground music, so Rodgers frequented them to find out what the next
big thing music would be. After seeing
three different drag queens dressed as
Diana Ross, Rodgers imagined what it
would be like if Ross were to come out of
the closet. For gay men the song came to
mean one thing, and for Ross a completely
different one.
“Diana Ross is not gay, so her singing
‘I’m Coming Out’ was not about coming
out of the closet,” said Rodgers. “But it
was like she was coming out of another
form of the closet because she was leaving Motown and she had been under the
thumb of Berry Gordy her whole life and
this was the one thing she had done on
her own.”
Another connection Rodgers has with
his gay audiences is his affinity for legendary divas. In addition to Dianna Ross,
he names Madonna and Grace Jones as
favorites.
Madonna, he said, “was the most professional person I may have worked with
in my whole life.”
And he called Grace Jones “a superstar,
and one of the most artistic, opinionated
and misunderstood divas of all time.”
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
27
28
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
A strong, new voice for Wilton Manors.
D o u g ’s p r i o r i t i e s i n c l u d e t h e s e S U P E R S E V E N i s s u e s :
1. Working to ensure Sensible Growth with Vision.
2. Assisting lower-income and senior residents.
3. Enhancing Code Enforcement programs for a safer, more attractive community.
4. Encouraging and promoting a variety of visual, cultural and performing arts.
5. Enhancing existing businesses and enticing new corporate opportunities to our city.
6. Maintaining our city police department and police programs.
7. Building an inclusive community of acceptance and understanding.
Doug
Elect
Blevins
for Wilton Manors
CITY COUNCIL
On Tuesday, March 9th, help bring a strong, new voice to Wilton Manors. Elect a City Council Candidate with a record of success. Doug is committed
to neighborhoods and local business. A proven leader, Doug will continue to bring about positive change for our community. So vote for Doug Blevins
and vote for a safe, clean, well-planned community for ALL of Wilton Manors. For comments and questions please contact: ELECTDOUG@aol.com.
Web page: http://hometown.aol.com/electdoug/myhomepage/business.html
Pd. Pol. Adv. by the Doug Blevins Election Campaign. Non-Partisan. Approved by Doug Blevins. Carol Moran, Treasurer.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
cultural cocktail
MARY DAMIANO
Look for Chalize Theron to make a killing at
the Academy Awards this Sunday for her
riveting role as a lesbian serial killer.
Oscars are about
more than awards
I DON’T REMEMBER MY FIRST MOVIE,
and I don’t remember my watching my
first Academy Awards. I only know that
both the movies and Oscar have always
been there, and have always been a big
part of my life.
I’ve spent years of my life in darkened
theatres watching movies. It’s one of the
places I feel most at home. But through
darkness comes enlightenment. Movies
have taught me, entertained me, moved
me and inspired me. I can honestly say
that if not for the inspiration I derived
from “Shakespeare in Love,” I would not
have a career as a writer.
I used to have an Oscar party every
year — I think the year “Silence of the
Lambs” won was my last year. The year
“Moonstruck” was nominated for Best
Picture — “The Last Emperor” won — I
did an Italian-themed party, complete with
homemade pizzas and Italian desserts.
The pizzas were rectangular and on my
Hawaiian pizza, I sculpted an Oscar out of
pineapple tidbits. It looked really cool,
and was quite tasty too.
OK, so maybe sometimes I go overboard, but I truly love movies and I truly
love the Oscars. And while I’m not throwing a party Sunday night, I’ll be watching
— and reveling in the reminder of everything movies have given me.
i
MORE INFO
“The 76th Annual Academy Awards”
Sunday, Feb. 29 8 p.m.
ABC
Red carpet arrivals with Joan Rivers at 6 p.m. on E!
29
Top five things about the Oscars
The Simplicity: It’s the granddaddy
of all the awards shows. There’s a purity
to it. The top award is simply “Best
Picture.” It’s not Best Comedy or Best
Drama or Best Costume Epic. Right or
wrong, there’s an elegance to that.
The Clothes: I love those red carpet
arrivals. I love seeing all my favorite
stars all glammed up wearing some of the
most beautiful gowns in the world. But I
also love those moments when you want
to shake a star and scream, “Oh my God,
did you even glance in a mirror before
you left the house? Do you even own a
mirror? Fire everyone who told you that
thing looked good.”
The Speeches: Isn’t it fun to watch
your favorite stars, usually so poised and
in control, completely lose it when they’re
handed that little gold statuette?
Remember Gwyneth Paltrow when she
won for “Shakespeare in Love”, thanking
every dead relative she ever had? But
there are also those moments of unbridled
exuberance, like Adrian Brody dipping
Halle Berry to lay a great big wet kiss on
her, or the year before when Halle became
the first black woman to win a best Actress
Oscar. Those moments are gold.
The Hype: I relish all those magazines
that do the annual Oscar stuff. I literally go
through every page of Entertainment
Weekly’s annual guide and read everything
about every nominee. I live for that April
issue of Vanity Fair —The Hollywood Issue
— with all those sumptuous photos of stars
and great stories about the way Hollywood
is and the way it used to be. I even love E!’s
Ian McKellan in “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”
overdone, overwrought Oscar Day coverage, which begins around noon, and
although I could do without Joan Rivers’
obnoxious red carpet coverage, I’ll admit
that Oscar Day probably wouldn’t be the
same without her.
The Movies: The Oscars are a yearly
affirmation of why I love movies so much.
It’s a celebration of images that become
part of the fabric of our lives and experience. I cry when I watch those themed
montages of movies. The one about movies
shot in New York at the 2002 Oscars had me
a mess. I would have been in tears anyway
because I love movies set in New York and
Woody Allen actually made a rare appearance at the ceremony, but in light of how
New York had been changed, I was bawling.
Some top Oscar picks
Here’s my rundown on who I think will
take home the gold Sunday night:
Best Supporting Actor: As good as
Benicio Del Toro is, he won a Best
Supporting Oscar in 2000 for “Traffic”,
and voters like to spread the wealth
around. I think it comes down to Tim
Robbins and Alec Baldwin, however.
Baldwin has been around forever, and he’s
had one of those up and down careers, he
was a leading man, but now he’s more of
a character player, and an Oscar would be
a nice prize. I think people really respect
his work, and would like to reward him.
But Tim Robbins was very good in
“Mystic River” a mere shell of a man due
to a horrific kidnapping and sexual abuse
as a child. Really, it’s anyone’s category,
and everyone is deserving.
Best Supporting Actress: This is
Renee Zellweger’s year. She was the most
welcome thing in “Cold Mountain”, providing a much needed bit of comic relief from
Jude Law and Nicole Kidman’s desperate
pining for one another, as well as those
bloody Civil War scenes. Also, I think people really wanted her to win last year for
“Chicago”, but that they couldn’t deny
Nicole Kidman and her ugly prosthetic
nose in “The Hours.” Besides, when beautiful women ugly themselves up and deglam for a role, they have an edge on Oscar.
Best Actor: Bill Murray is the sentimental favorite here, because he’s so underrated and people love to see funny men do
serious roles with real depth, as Murray
does in "Lost in Translation". And wouldn’t it be a kick to see Johnny Depp’s swishy,
eye-make-up-wearing Captain Jack
Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The
Curse of the Black Pearl” actually win?
But Sean Penn has been overlooked so
many years, and his role as an anguished
father in “Mystic River” was riveting. I
cried half the time he was on the screen.
Best Actress: I cheered when Diane
Keaton won this category back in the 70s
for “Annie Hall,” and she was terrific in
"Something’s Gotta Give” — her role as
Erica was like Annie Hall all grown up.
But Charlize Theron’s role in "Monster"
took heart, soul, and most of all, guts.
She simply must win.
Best Director: Sofia Coppola is the
first American woman — and only the
third woman ever — to be nominated for
Best Director, so if she wins for “Lost in
Translation”, it makes Academy history.
The real question is can she beat Peter
Jackson of “Lord of the Rings: Return of
the King.”
I think it’s his year. I’m hoping for
Sofia Coppola, but she’s also nominated
for Best Original Screenplay, so I think
they’ll give her that and give the directing
honors to Peter Jackson, and women
might have to wait yet another year.
Best Picture: If “Lord of the Rings:
Return of the King” wins it will make history as the first fantasy film to ever win Best
Picture. I don’t think anything can stop
“Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”,
but I’ll be rooting for “Seabiscuit”. And
who knows?
Maybe the dark horse will win. It wouldn’t be the first time the little horse went up
against a competitor that was a whole bigger and had better odds.
30
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
theater
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
MARY DAMIANO
Gay playwright Jon Robin Baitz asks who actually creates
a work of art — the person who inspires it, or the one
who brings it into physical form, in ‘Ten Unknowns.’
Nicholas Richberg (from left), Heath Kelts, Deborah L. Sherman and Dennis Carrig pose questions about the
value of art and lifein Jon Robin Baitz’s ‘Ten Unknowns.’ (Photo by George Schiavone)
The consequences of art
GAY PLAYWRIGHT JON ROBIN BAITZ’S
play “Ten Unknowns” is an insightful think
piece that asks some provocative questions
about the creation and consequences of art.
The title refers to a 1949 art exhibit of
10 emerging artists. Malcolm Rafelson
(Dennis Carrig) was a young painter
whose work was shown at the exhibit.
Though his work was well received, he
became frustrated by the changing movements in the art world and fled to Mexico.
As the play begins, Rafelson has lived in
his self-imposed exile for 30 years.
Rafelson’s peaceful existence is complicated by Trevor Fabricant (Heath Kelts) a
hapless art dealer who has come to convince the old man that his work should be
exhibited in a New York gallery. In order
to help get Rafelson and his work in shape
for the retrospective, Trevor hires his former lover Judd (Nicholas Richberg) to be
Rafelson’s assistant. Judd, an artist, is
battling his own demons with heroin.
Into this trio comes Julia (Deborah L.
Sherman), a Berkley grad student doing
research on a species of frogs nearing
extinction. Rafelson is attracted to her
and wants her to model for him, and
invites her to stay in the house.
Of course there are secrets afoot, and
it’s not too much of a surprise when
they’re revealed. The main theme of the
play comes down to the possession of art.
i
MORE INFO
“Ten Unknowns”
Through March 7
Thursday — Saturday, 8 p.m.
Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
GableStage Theatre
1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables
305-445-1119
www.gablestage.com
$35
Who actually creates a work of art — the
person who inspires and directs it, or the
person who does the physical work to
bring a vision to life? And if a work of
art by an important artist is deemed valuable, does the worth plummet if the work
is found to be created by an unknown?
Where does the value of a painting lie —
with the painting or with its creator?
Sometimes “Ten Unknowns” comes off
as too wordy and lacks a real emotional connection. The best scenes are when Malcolm
and Judd’s passion for art intensifies and
explodes in the creation of new work, as in
one memorable scene before the end of the
first act. The two engage in an eroticallycharged artistic mating dance culminating
in a shared expression of creativity.
Carrig, who plays self-exiled painted
Malcolm Rafelson, looks uncannily like
Nick Nolte, and his performance is eerily
like watching Nolte at his best. Carrig’s
Rafelson is a man who must comes to
terms with his age and his diminishment,
in the face of brash youth.
As Judd, Nicholas Richberg turns in
another layered performance. His Judd is
manipulative and desperate for approval, yet
cavalier enough not to show it. Richberg
effectively portrays both Judd’s exaggerated,
smirky gestures and his fall into addiction.
Heath Kelts has many fine moments in
the unsympathetic role as Trevor, the
South African art dealer who schemes to
profit from Malcolm’s talent. He displays
torment brilliantly when he confronts
Judd about a kiss they’ve shared.
Deborah L. Sherman’s performance is
good, considering her role is a device
used to spark confrontation and change.
Where Judd and Rafelson and Trevor are
adept at lies and secrets, Julia is all about
truth. Sherman appears topless in scenes
when she models for Rafelson.
Overall, “Ten Unknowns” is a worthwhile piece of theatrical brain candy.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
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EXPRESS GAY NEWS
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
33
arts calendar
GOURMET CHOCOLATES MADE ON PREMISES
WE SHIP ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
Alert the bathhouses! 'The Divine Miss M,' Bette Midler, who got her start playing to gay guys in towels at the
'tubs' of New York City, will perform two concerts this weekend at the Office Depot Center in Sunrise.
SATURDAY
FEBRUARY 28
PIANO GALA & FAU SINGERS WITH ZARZUELAS.
FAU University Theatre, 777 Glades Rd., Boca Raton.
7:30 p.m. 561-297-3737 or 561-297-0033
LATIN JAZZ ENSEMBLES. Uwallo messengers and
Dame Mas at FAU’s LiberAL Arts Auditorium, 2912
College Ave., Davie. 561-297-3737 or 561-297-2848.
CLAY AIKEN AND KELLY CLARKSON CONCERT.
American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.
Show at 7 p.m. 305-960-8500.
CROSSBREED AND DEADSTAR ASSEMBLY. Culture
Room, 3045 N. Federal Hwy., Ft. Lauderdale. Show at
7:30 p.m. 954-564-1074.
BETTE MIDLER CONCERT. Office Depot Center, 2555
Panthers Drive, Sunrise. Show at 8 p.m. thru Sun.
Tickets: 954-835-8000.
ONGOING EVENTS
“DJINFOLY.” Through Feb. 28. Musical instruments of
Africa drawn from private collections. Explore how
music is used as a way of life. African-American
Research Library & Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd.,
Ft. Lauderdale. 954-625-2819.
“CONFEDERATE CURRENCY: THE COLOR OF MONEY,
DEPICTIONS OF SLAVERY IN CONFEDERATE AND
SOUTHERN STATES CURRENCY” Thru Feb. 29. Featuring
60 paintings by John W. Jones and the confederate money
from which the images are taken. Broward County Main
Library, 100 S. Andrews Ave., Ft. Lauderdale. 954-357-7464.
“PAPER ENGINEERING: THE POP-UP BOOK STRUCTURE”
Through March 16. Artists Vojtech Kubasta, Robert Sabuda
and Andrew Binder showcase 50 titles. Free at Bienes
Center for the Literary Arts at the Main Library, 100 S.
Andrews Ave., Ft. Lauderdale. 954-357-8692.
954-922-0441
Pompano Beach
Chocolates and Gourmet Gifts
SUNDAY
FEBRUARY 29
124 W. McNab Road on the SW corners of McNab and Cypress Roads
954-784-5656
Coral Gables
KLEZMER COMPANY. Florida Atlantic University
Auditorium, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton. Show at 3
p.m. 561-297-3758.
“CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR: THE FAB FOUR BEATLES WITH A FULL ORCHESTRA.” Mizner Park
Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton Show at
7:30 p.m. 561-962-4109.
NILE RODGERS’ “DISCO INFERNO” Featuring, the Tramps,
Rose Royce and Thelma Houston. Best Dressed ‘70s contest
after the show. Winner goes to Vegas. Broward Center for the
Performing Arts, 201 S.W. 5th Ave. 7 p.m. 954-462-0222.
THURSDAY
MARCH 4
FUN UNDER THE SUN: FORT LAUDERDALE. Through
March 8. Beach Dance Party, Sporting Events, Film Festival,
Women’s Events and more. Presented by the Gay Business
Alliance of Greater Fort Lauderdale at the Sheraton Yankee
Clipper. For more info, visit: www.FunUnderTheSun.org.
FRIDAY
MARCH 5
MOONLIGHT KYACKING. Fort Lauderdale seen under a
different light. Starts at 7 p.m. $35 per person.
Organized by Full Moon Kyacking. To register call 954654-4958 or visit www.sofloproductions.com.
CONTEMPLATION OF LIGHT. Through April 25. Wendy
Wischer’s images and light installations invite reflection.
Art & Culture Center of Hollywood, 1650 Harrison
Street, Hollywood. Adults $5; Students and seniors $3;
13 or younger free w/adult. Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.,
Thu.-10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m.-4 p.m. 954-921-3274.
“MAKING PORN” Through Feb. 29. Mathew Rush in an
Off-Broadway hit about the gay porn industry. Cinema
Paradiso503 S.E. 6th St., Ft. Lauderdale. Sat. 7 & 10
p.m., Sun. 2 & 7 p.m. Tickets: 800-965-4827 or
www.TicketWeb.com.
“MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL” Through March 28.
Actor’s Playhouse, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. 305444-9293 or www.actorsplayhouse.org.
148 N. Federal Hwy.,
Just South of the Airport
“42ND STREET” Through Feb. 29. Presented by
Broadway in Miami Beach. Jackie Gleason Theatre,
1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Showtimes are:
Tues.-Fri. 8 p.m.; Sat. 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 & 7:30 p.m.
305-673-7300 or www.gleasontheater.com.
THIRD FINE ARTS JURIED EXHIBITION. Through March
20. Paintings, sculptures and photos Tues. thru Sat. 10
a.m.-5 p.m. Free admission at Schacknow Museum of Fine
Arts, 7080 N.W. Fourth St., Plantation. 954-583-5551.
“FLORIDA FOLLIES” Through March 21. Seasoned performers re-define the idea of staying young. Starring
Florence Henderson, with Jack Carter. Parker Playhouse,
707 N.E. 8th St., Ft. Lauderdale. Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m.,
Wed., Sat., Sun. at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. 800-233-3123.
Dania Beach
The Original Chocolate Shoppe
Is he or isn't he? Clay Aiken won't answer questions about his personal life and avoids pronouns
when talking about love interests, but that doesn't
seem to bother his fans, be they gay men or 13year-old girls. He's coming to Miami with 'American
Idol' Kelly Clarkson for two shows this weeekend.
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213 Aragon Avenue Btwn Books
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305-774-6001
34
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
35
music
Gay men’s choral festival inspires laughter and reflection
‘It’s a gay men’s chorus,
not a pro hockey game.’
By PETER AYMONIN
MIKE MEINERS HAD BEEN TRYING FOR
years to get his father to go to a concert by
the Ft. Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus. But
it wasn’t until Meiners’ partner of seven
years, Darryl Painter, debuted with the chorus that Meiners was able to persuade his
dad and aunt to join him.
The three sat in the pews at Sunshine
Cathedral Feb. 21 at the second annual
Florida Choral Festival, which included
members of Washington DC Gay Men’s
Chorus and the South Beach Gay Men’s
Chorus, as well as the Ft. Lauderdale Gay
Men’s Chorus.
And what did Meiners’ dad think of
the concert?
“Well, he was very accepting and fine
during the performance, but afterwards,
he was like, ‘That was really gay,’”
Meiners laughed. “But it’s a gay men’s
chorus. It’s not like you’re going to a professional hockey game.”
The Florida Choral Festival is the
brainchild of Todd Wiley, artistic director
of the Ft. Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus.
While last year’s festival featured four
South Florida gay and gay-friendly cho-
ruses, this year Wiley decided to keep it
all gay male and invite the Washington
DC Gay Men’s Chorus a cappella group,
Potomac Fever, to participate.
The first half of the concert featured
each chorus performing individually. The
South Beach Gay Men’s Chorus, directed
by Christopher Rieder, set the tone for the
evening with the song “Children Listen,”
a lyrical admonition that little ones learn
from adults how to love or how to hate.
The boys from South Beach then gave a
whole new meaning to ABBA’s “Dancing
Queen. This feel-good disco anthem lightened up the repertoire and gave audience
members their first taste of what makes
gay choral concerts great fun.
Jeff Buhrman, the director from
Washington DC, conducted the second
half of the concert, in which the three
groups united in song. And Potomac
Fever took the audience by storm with
their a cappella performance, including
some wry humor that intertwined two
camp classics in a clever narrative twist,
which had the protagonist heading
“Downtown” to get over Johnny’s betrayal
in “It’s My Party”.
Coconut Creek resident Miguel Ubidia
said it was his first time attending a performance by the Ft. Lauderdale Gay Men’s
Chorus.
“It was like, wow, cool,” Ubidia said.
He was particularly moved by the story
behind the song, “Everything Possible.”
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A gay old time was had by all at the second annual Florida Choral Festival. (Photo by Bill Fleck)
Composer Fred Small was inspired to
write the lullaby for the infant child of
lesbian friends.
One of the highlights of the concert was
when the full choral ensemble challenged
America to accept homosexuals, with the
song “Color Out Of Colorado,” from the
musical “When Pigs Fly.” The premise for
the number is that you cannot take homosexuals out of American life and still have
anything that resembles the United States
of America. The opening chords call to
mind “America The Beautiful” while the
devilish lyrics utilize sidesplitting humor
to address the ridiculousness of eliminat-
ing a vital portion of American society.
At one point, uproarious applause and
whistles erupted from the audience when
a white fancy wedding umbrella opened in
the top row on stage, displaying a “Just
Married” inscription. It inspired a twominute standing ovation.
“I thought it was a nice statement considering the events of the last couple of
weeks,” Meiners said.
Though Meiners thoroughly enjoyed
the concert — particularly for the chance
to see his partner perform for the first
time — he did agree with his dad:” It was
the gayest thing I’ve ever seen.”
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2654 N. ANDREWS AVENUE #2 • WILTON MANORS, FL 33311
36
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
extra cover story
Film festival to be a featured aspect of Fun Under the Sun
FUN UNDER THE SUN, continued from Page 25
on the beach on Sunday,” Kenny said.
“Especially in today’s political climate,
this is the first sanctioned event, with city
permits and everything, for an event on
the beach, right in the heart of Fort
Lauderdale, where we’re celebrating our
gay and lesbian residents and businesses.
That’s a really fun and positive thing.”
Revelers and beach lovers will party to
the sounds of DJ Roland Belmares from
noon to 6 p.m. on March 6. Tickets are $20.
“I’m excited that Fort Lauderdale is getting a gay-themed beach party. I think
that’s a significant breakthrough and a
remarkable accomplishment,” Phelps said.
All the films in the three-day fest will be
held at Cinema Paradiso in downtown Fort
Lauderdale. There is a good mix of documentaries, feature films and shorts —
nearly 20 films in all.
Kenny sees a real opportunity for the
Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film
Festival to grow and expand. “I’d love to see
the film festival become a major, renowned
gay and lesbian film festival,” he said.
Patti Lupone
One of the jewels in the crown of Fun
Under the Sun is a private concert with
Broadway star Patti Lupone.
“The Patti Lupone event will be very special,” Kenny said. “It’s at a private home,
it’s intimate from the perspective of the
performer, and it’s not often that 300 people
have a renowned Broadway caliber singer
do a full performance just for them.”
Guests will enjoy dining and drinking
at a private Fort Lauderdale home, where
Lupone will perform a concert. Tickets to
this event are limited.
Lupone originated the role of Evita on
Broadway, and won the Tony that year. She
originated the role of Fantine in “Les
Miserables” as well as the role of Norma
Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard,” both in
London. Besides her many stage appearances, Lupone starred in the ABC show
Broadway star Patti Lupone will perform a concert
Saturday, March 6, at a private residence during Fun
Under the Sun.
“Life Goes On” and last winter played a
prison librarian in the HBO series “Oz.”
“I hope that with Patti Lupone we get
the recognition of having top-drawer
entertainment,” Kenny said.
The Patti Lupone private concert will be
held Saturday, March 6, at 7 p.m. It is
included in the $300 VIP Fun Under the Sun
pass. Individual concert tickets are $125.
Beach Party
Fun Under the Sun will also feature a giant
beach party, the first event of its kind geared
toward the gay and lesbian community.
“You can’t under-appreciate the dance
Art Explosion
Chris Yoculan is the kind of person the
Gay Business Alliance would like to attract
with Fun Under the Sun: A cultural tourist
who’s attracted to the arts and the beaches
of South Florida. “That’s what brought me
here,” Yoculan said. “I used to come here
for holidays and I’d go to Miami and Fort
Lauderdale. It was the art deco and design
that I’d go to Miami for, not the nightlife.
Fort Lauderdale has a great museum.”
After he moved to South Florida from the
Midwest, Yoculan quickly became a leader in
the local arts scene. For years he has been
one of the driving forces of ArtsUnited, an
organization dedicated to developing and
showcasing gay and lesbian artists. Their
signature event, Art Explosion, is now in its
fourth year. In addition to partnering with
Fun Under the Sun, Art Explosion has a
change of venue this year, and will bring the
event to Wilton Manors’ Hagen Park, where
tents will be erected to house the art.
Art Explosion is regarded as the most
popular one-night art event in South
Florida, and has developed quite a reputation.. “I have more artists than ever before
who recognize the name,” he said. “They
know all about us.” In addition to the visual artists, Art Explosion will feature book
signings, poetry, music dance, and live theatre, and will include performances by the
City Theatre, Sister Speak and Lambda
Chorale. The artwork will remain on display at Hagen Park through March 12.
Yoculan is pleased that ArtsUnited’s partnership with the Gay Business Alliance and
that Art Explosion is part of the Fun Under
the Sun event. “We are able to help the tourism
aspect of the city and really show that the
activities we were providing actually make a
difference in the economy,” Yoculan said.
Admission to Art Explosion is by $10
donation to ArtsUnited, or $5 for ArtsUnited
Members. Drinks and desserts will be
served. For more information, call 954-5302723 or go to www.artsunitedonline.org.
“With the organizations coming in, it’s
really become ArtsUnited,” Yoculan said.
“That’s what Art Explosion was supposed
to be about — all the arts, all the attributes
within the gay community coming together in one evening.”
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
37
38
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
television
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
BRIAN MOYLAN
Sci-Fi Channel’s ‘Mad, Mad House’ opts
to focus on silly reality show conventions
rather than genuine human interaction.
When cultures clash
WE’VE ALL BEEN “THE GAY PERSON”
at a dinner party.
You might have been the only openly
gay employee at the company picnic, a
family reunion or a cocktail party. But at
one time or another, you’ve probably been
in the awkward position of having to
speak for an entire population of people
with whom you identify.
Invariably, there is some person who
lacks knowledge of our existence — your
boss’s brother, your best friend’s date or
just some rube who is crashing the latest
glam event you’ve been invited to — and
he wants to ask all sorts of questions
about what it’s like to be gay.
It’s hard to be the first gay person who
someone has met, answering questions
such as, “When did you know?” or “What
do you do?”
When placed in that situation, there
are three choices. Be nice and answer all
the questions and hope that it will foster
some kernel of acceptance for gay people
the world over. Dismiss the questioner
and be the snide, catty queen that the
media so love to portray (see Jack from
“Will & Grace” or Carson Kressley of Fab
5 fame), and leave another potential bigot
in the wake.
Lastly, you can just vote him out of the
party and crush his hopes to win $100,000.
Well, the last one is only a choice if
you’re one of the “Alts” on the new Sci-Fi
Channel reality show “Mad, Mad World,”
which debuts Thursday, March 4 at 9 p.m.
On the show, five people with “alternative” lifestyles — hence the name
“Alts” — run a house with 10
contestants — all conservatives and mostly staunch Christians, vying to win a
$100,000 prize. The five are Art, a modern
primitive covered in tribal tattoos and
body piercings; Avocado, a naturist; Don,
a vampire; Fiona, a witch; and Ta’Shia, a
lesbian Voodoo priestess.
These “Alts” teach the contestants
about their ways, religions and rituals
and make them play little games based on
their respective dogmas. (Ironicially,
Ta’Shia’s lesbianism is a non-issue.) In
classic reality show style, at the end of
each episode, they vote off the one person
who is least accepting of their way of life.
AS A GAY MAN WATCHING THE SHOW,
I definitely empathized more with the
“Alts” than with the contestants.
Embracing something about myself that
i
MORE INFO
‘Mad, Mad House’
Sci-Fi Channel
Thursdays at 9 p.m.
The five ‘Alts’ on ‘Mad, Mad House,’ a weak reality
TV show, (clockwise from left): Art the modern
primitive, Don the vampire, Ta’shia the lesbian
Voodoo priestess, Avocado the naturist, and Fiona
the witch. (Photo courtesy of Sci-Fi Channel)
makes me different from the majority in
society definitely breeds a “live and let
live” attitude. If someone wants to pierce
and tattoo their body, drink blood, run
around naked, cast spells or worship
African ancestral spirits, that’s fine with
me — as long as no one gets hurt.
But the mainstream contestants have
much more difficulty with their hosts,
and were probably cast as such. They are,
essentially, that eagerly inquisitive, naïve
person at the party, and, as such, annoyingly persistent in their ideals. Having
been so comfortable living in middle
America, whether that be in New York
City or Davenport, Iowa, they aren’t
quick to accept others’ differences.
There should be enough drama
between the “Alts” and the contestants,
but, instead, “Mad, Mad House” has
decided to go the reality game show route,
where contestants engage in silly games
to stay on the show.
In the first episode, they have to
dredge around looking for items in a
“blood bath,” inspired by Don the vampire. It’s these hokey games and focus on
the players’ “strategy” that hold the
show back.
More interesting was everyone’s reaction to Ta’Shia’s Voodoo ceremony. Not
only did it teach the audience about a different religion (which is more innocuous
than it is usually portrayed in popular
media) but showed how people confront
situations that make them uncomfortable.
With more of this type of interaction,
“Mad, Mad House” might be a property
worth looking into, but by focusing
instead on silly games, it proves it’s a
show that can’t pay the rent.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
television
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
MARY DAMIANO
Even with the dirt and blood and gore — or perhaps
even because of it — “The Passion of the Christ”
is a beautifully done film whether you’re Christian or not.
The Passion of Mel Gibson
I’m no theologian, but as I
was watching Mel Gibson’s controversial new film, “The
Passion of the Christ”, I kept
thinking: What’s all the fuss
about?
Gibson has been accused of
creating a film that promotes
anti-Semitism. People say it’s
too bloody. Others say Gibson
has allowed his personal religious beliefs to overtake the film
and that it ignores sensitive
issues.
Gibson is no stranger to controversy. He’s raised the ire of
the gay community several
times over the years. And yet
he’s also tried to make good, as
with the seminar for gay and
lesbian filmmakers he hosted
back in 1997. Now Gibson is at
it again, angering religious
groups for his depiction of the
last 12 hours of Jesus’ life.
The thing about “The Passion
of the Christ” is that while it
doesn’t tell us anything we don’t
already know, it does tell that
story in a new, detailed way. This
is not a pretty movie. It’s a dirty,
gritty movie: The beatings that
Jim Caviezel, portrays Jesus Christ in the blood and guts film
Jesus submits to are savage. He
‘The Passion of the Christ.’ (Photo by Philippe Antonello/
is caned and beaten with a
Marquis Films Ltd.)
knout, an instrument designed
to tear flesh. A crown of thorns
is pounded into his head. As he carries
a dejected prisoner and also save his own
the heavy wooden cross through the
butt. He is utterly riveting.
streets, he is whipped and beaten and
Maia Morgenstern is mesmerizing as
jeered by Roman soldiers when he stumMary. She breaks down the situation into
bles. It’s agonizing to watch him being
its simplest form: Here is a mother who
nailed to the cross and then dropped and
must find a way to allow her son to do
lifted into place.
what he has to do, even if that means
But it’s this attention to detail that
watching him and helping him die.
makes you feel like you’re right there.
Morgenstern does this so beautifully that
You can all but taste the dust and grime
at times “The Passion of the Christ”
and blood
becomes her story.
Even with the dirt and blood and
As Jesus, Jim Caveizal has the tough
gore — perhaps because of it — “The
task of creating a character about whom
Passion of the Christ” is a beautifully
everyone already has strong ideas. He
done film. It’s poetic and lyrical and
does a fine job, in both the body of the
deeply intimate. The score, by John
film as well as the flashbacks, and humanDebney, is haunting and effective. Gibson
izes this iconic figure.
Gibson has said that he decided to make
poured his soul into this film, and it
“The Passion of the Christ” when he was
shows in every frame.
at a desperate point in his life, when he
“The Passion of the Christ” is done in
didn’t want to live and he didn’t want to
Aramaic and Latin, with English subtidie. “The Passion of the Christ” is clearly
tles. All of the actors had to learn their
lines in another language and then still be cathartic for the devoutly Catholic Gibson,
and the movie seems as if it was a personable to convey them with emotion.
al journey for the filmmaker. By the time
One of the most interesting characters
the movie is over, you feel a connection
is Pontius Pilate, played by Hristo Shopov.
with the filmmaker as well as the characHe portrays Pilate as a fair and deeply
ter, and you feel as if you’ve gone through
conflicted man who struggles to a find a
the journey with them both.
solution that will satisfy two angry mobs,
39
40
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
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CONTACT KEVIN HOPPER at 954-568-1880 or khopper@expressgaynews.com FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES
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home
interiors
DAMON LEE FOWLER
Even if white is a designer's trick,
sometimes color is the only way
to spruce up long winter doldrums
Color me — please!
A YEAR HAS PASSED SINCE WE MOVED
into our white-by-mandate apartment, and
after all the brave things I wrote about living with white, here's how it feels a year
later: boring as a tiddly-winks tournament.
I hate it, and honestly, I always have.
Frankly, the only all-white decor that
ever completely satisfied me was the
first morning of a new snowfall.
Even as a young architect enamored
by Richard Meier's compositions of stark
white walls and enameled ship's railings,
my designs were rich with contrasting
planes of bold color, and those ship's
railings were often chrome yellow, scarlet red or cobalt blue.
As for my present home, we did all
the tricks. The walls are covered with
artwork.
The beige carpet is scattered with
bright rugs, and a bright red corner cupboard brightens the stair landing.
Another scarlet chest warms the bedroom. Upholstery, bed linens and towels
are all deep-toned, and there's not a stick
of white or beige furniture to be found.
All those efforts help, but nothing
completely masks the cold reality that is
the walls: white, white and more white.
There's just so much you can scatter over
the walls and floor before it starts looking like a museum shop.
WHAT'S WORSE, WHITE WALLS
showcase every flaw — from dirt,
scratches, scuffs and water stains to
splinters, dents and nail-holes.
So what if white creates interesting
shadow patterns and brightens dark corners. So does a good color.
I'm to the point of painting something
tomato red or forest green — even tan
would suit — just to get some life in here. I
almost don't care how many coats of paint
it'll take to cover it up when we move out.
Paint is a cheap, easy way to transform a
room, covering flaws, giving substance to
washed out, over-lit rooms or brightness to
dull, dark ones.
It also unifies, pulling all the furnishings
together and helping spaces that open into
one another flow without seeming like one
big chopped-up room.
If you live in a rental unit where
painting is prohibited like me, you
will just have to put up with white for
now. But if painting is allowed (or you
own the place), here are some
thoughts on how to get the most from
color.
Using colors from the red, orange and yellow spectrums warms a room and makes it more inviting.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
PAGE 41
SOME LANDLORDS DON'T CARE IF
you paint as long as the walls are white
when you leave. If that's your situation,
or you are the kind of person who tires of
colors easily and are likely to want to
redo a room often, stay away from deep
tones.
The deeper the color, the more coats it
requires when putting it on and, later,
when covering it up — especially if the
under-paint or repaint is white or pastel.
Often a softer hue provides the same
enriching effect without the added labor.
When choosing a color for a room, take
several considerations beyond which color
is your "favorite."
It will need to match fabrics and painted furniture that you can't, or don't want
to, refinish. And it should also evoke the
mood you want to create.
This explanation is simplistic, but all
colors mix from a basic triad of primaries:
blue, yellow and red.
It's important to keep the properties of
those colors in mind. Generally, blue and
blue-yellow mixes (greens) are cooling and
soothing. Yellows, reds and red mixes
warm and excite.
There are exceptions: There's nothing
cool or calm about lime green — I don't
care how fashionable it is — and yet
some red-blue mixes (violets and purples) often do the job despite the red
base.
Many deep reds are as enveloping and
calming as a down comforter on a midwinter evening, and soft yellows simultaneously soften and cool.
Browns and grays are a mix of all
three basics together, which is why they
not only go with just about anything but
also cover the full mood spectrum.
LIVE WITH A COLOR BEFORE YOU
commit. Get as large a swatch as possible,
and lay it against the furniture. Pin it to a
wall that gets varying light and observe
how it changes throughout the day and
evening under the light conditions the room
offers.
Don't overlook the possibilities of
accent colors. All four walls don't necessarily need to be the same.
Accent walls can visually enlarge small
rooms, and patterns reduce big rooms to a
more intimate scale.
Finally, choose the right finish. Flat paint
can be the least expensive and the most forgiving of flawed surfaces. But unfortunately,
it isn't washable and mars easily. Use flat
paint only on well-protected walls.
High-gloss is easy maintenance and
very touchable — ideal for doors, window frames and moldings. But it shows
every flaw in the surface and sometimes
brightens colors in a way you may not
want.
Eggshell, satin and semi-gloss provide
smooth, low-sheen surfaces that are washable, forgiving of flaws, and highly touchable — the ideal all-purpose surface paint.
42
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
Q Puzzle
REAL ESTATE SERVICES
COMMERCIAL / SALE
DARRIN SPARDELLO COMMUNITY REAL ESTATE Palm
Beach/WPB/Lake
Worth.
(561)
262-4780.
darrinsells@yahoo.com.
WILTON MANORS CAFE Established 40 year business. Steady
built in gay Clientele. Fully Staffed. $90,000+ yearly sales. Priced
under market value at $44,900. Bob at ReMax (954) 396-5990.
EASTSIDE PROPERTIES Tony Naples, Broker/Owner. Fort Lauderdale. (954) 562-6355. Tony@TonyNaples.com
QUEEREYEHOMES.COM The complete Gay Guide to Real Estate in Ft Lauderdale & South Florida. Search homes, rentals &
classifieds.
SALE / FT. LAUDERDALE
FT LAUDERDALE 2 BR, 2 BA mobile home, oversized lot on lake,
east of I-95. New tiled kit & LR. New AC, W/D, DW & satellite dish.
Age 40+ Asking $39,900. Call (954) 728-8424.
RENT / FT. LAUDERDALE
DOWNTOWN HOLLYWOOD 1/1 NEWLY remodeled. Big corner lot,W/D. No pets. Single male/or couple. $850/mo + dep (954)
649-5680.
VICTORIA PARK Need room for friends or guests? Fully
furn 2 BR, 2 BA Guesthouse, close to Las Olas & Beaches. Priv
yard & Prkg. Shared small pool. Pets OK. Call for avail & rates
(305) 296-7744.
CHARM IN WILTON MANORS 2 BR, 1 BA corner, 1st fl, yard
fenced, community pool. Small pets OK. Stylishly updated w/
stainless appliances, laminate flrs, great colours! Small gated
complex in the heart of it all. Asking $135,000. Kevin Enright,
Coldwell Banker (954) 649-3878.
WILTON MANORS 2/1.5 remodeled, charming TH. New kit &
BA, new Mexican tile, D/W, micro. Walking distance to Georgies.
(954) 205-1959.
EAST FT LAUDERDALE 2/2, East/Central Ft Lauderdale. Newly
re-built in 2000. Community pool, corner unit, 1st fl. Cats OK.Asking $151,900. Kevin Enright, Coldwell Banker (954) 649-3878.
RENT / ELSEWHERE
SECLUDED CLIFF LAKE 2 BR, 2 BA Totally Remodeled “Country Setting” in middle of Ft Lauderdale.Waterfront Pool Home, Fpl,
Priv corner Lot. LOCATION! 1 traffic light to downtown at US1 &
Broward Blvd. 4 min to Beach, & 7 min to Airport. $549,000 By
Owner. Anita (954) 524-3560.
FT LAUDERDALE BEACH Fully furn condo on beach, jacuzzi,
tennis, sauna, pool. $1,300/mo. Eric Hammonds Reality, Inc (954)
568-0300, ext 105.
SHORE CLUB / SOUTH BLDG 2 BR, 2 BA, 1,700 sq ft corner
10th Fl. Panoramic Ocean & cityviews, w/ beachside pool & rec.
Underground + abundant guest prkg, semiprivate elevator. Super
buy, ready for your personal touch. $429K. Cell (206) 650-3590
or (954) 564-1814. jerrybinwa@aol.com
WEST PALM BEACH 2-story, 3/2, 1-car garage, completely remodeled, located east of I-95 & off Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. Reduced to $119,000. Betty Fay Scherer Realty, (561) 667-1659.
SALE / MIAMI
MIAMI BEACH 4 BR, 3.5 BA classic Mediterannean. Fpl, hdwd
flrs, walk to beach. A1 location. Must See for sale by Owner. (305)
532-7182.
You’re Not
In Kansas
Anymore!
This is the end of
your rainbow, and the time
to buy is NOW!
Low Interest Rates...
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Buying or Selling
CALL Fred Reissner
Let’s Go House Hunting!
954-661-5316
www.FredReissner-Realtor.com
2810 E Oakland Park Blvd. Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33306
FT LAUDERDALE TOWNHOUSE 2 BR, 1.5 BA, gated community, fenced backyard, W/D, DW, CAC, pool, tennis. Pets OK.
$1,050/mo. (954) 663-8083.
FT LAUDERDALE 3 BR, 2 BA, separate dining area, CAC, D/W,
WD, marble BA, jacuzzi, priv BBQ area. Lrg pool w/ deck. On-site
manager. Small 13-unit “Melrose-Place” style bldg. Near Wilton
Manors in Middle River Terrace. F/L/S. $1,095/mo. Call Charlie @
-954) 523-6274 or Gene (561) 376-4485.
HALLANDALE DELUXE 1 BR, 1.5 BA unfurn garden apt.
$625/mo. Yearly lease. 815 SE 2nd Ave. (954) 458-5909.
HOLLYWOOD OCEAN ACCESS 4 BR, 2 BA. Spa, lrg kit, could
be 3/1 w/ 1/1 effic. Great location, bring boat. $1,550/mo. IPS Reality (954) 662-1532.
LAKERIDGE / NEWLY REMODELED 1/1, tile throughout, new
fans, new kit. $750/mo. F/L/S. (954) 873-3117.
“Queer I”
Across
1. Abercrombie & Fitch
event
5. Madonna’s “Truth or
___”
9. Imitate Brian Orser
14. Singer Fure
15. Lena of “Queen of the
Damned”
16. Solid gold measure
17. “Queer I” of playwrights
Albert
19. “Queer I” of Samurai
tales
20. Poet McKuen
21. Team in “A League of
Their Own”
22. Diva Maria
23. Equipment at a David
Bohnett Cyber Center
24. She had her hand up
Lamb Chop
26. Like Alexander Pope?
29. “Queer I” of feminism
33. Parents and friends in
PFLAG, e.g.
35. Rick’s old flame
36. Colette’s king
37. Supporter of two plastic
grooms
38. Philosopher of Athens
40. Gershon of “Bound”
41. Bag opening?
42. Bearing
43. Basketball’s Mariah
Burton ___
45. “Queer I” of art Robert
47. Witherspoon of “Legally
Blonde 2”
48. George of “The Gay
Sisters”
50. Would-be master’s test
51. Nice buns, e.g.?
54. 1952 Olympics site
where Dick Button won
gold
56. Part of PMS
59. Industry in Tammy
Baldwin’s state
60. “Queer I” of novelists
62. No longer lying with
one’s partner
63. “Better ___ Chocolate”
64. “Baby Doll” band
65. Flat tops
66. Express love manually,
perhaps
67. Martina won the French
one in 1984
Down
1. Direction from Rick
Rodgers
2. River near
Michelangelo’s David
3. Give for a while
4. Announcement from the
cockpit
5. Day of many Hudson
flicks
6. “Six Feet Under” creator
Ball
7. Circumcision and more
8. Bowie collaborator
9. Many a place near Aspen
10. “Nymphs of the Valley”
writer Gibran
11. Kazakhstan sea
Answers on page 44
12. Scarlett’s plantation
13. Sappho’s H’s
18. Org. for Napoleon and
Illya
22. Kressley of “Queer Eye”
23. Two queens, e.g.
25. Sword handle
26. Smith of many
Mapplethorpe photos
27. Uranian, for example
28. Ask from one’s knees
30. Come to mind
31. Homophobia and
intolerance
32. Cartoonist DiMassa
34. Bones in the back
35. “Queer I” of acting
39 Like some meat
40. Club head?
42. Saint Sebastian and
others
44. Billy Bean boo-boo
46. Peninsula where the rain
falls mainly on the plain
49. Big Lovely singer
50. Burke of baseball
51. Steve’s partner
52. You lick it and stick it in
53. Poses for Bruce Weber
55. Have sex a la Austin
Powers
56. 411
57. Albert, to Nathan
58. Barbara of “I Dream of
Jeannie”
60. “___ De-Lovely”
61. British TV doctor
EXPRESS SOUTH FLORIDA
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
43
CLASSIFIEDS
PATTERSON PARK 3/1.5, tiled floors & new roof, W/D, DW,
CAC. Fenced back yard. Eric Hammonds Reality, Inc (954) 5680300, ext 105.
POINTSETTIA LANDINGS 1 & 2 BR apt in Pointsettia Heights,
$650 & $825. New tile, water incl. Laundry rm, pool, F/S. Please
call anytime (954) 649-8295.
WILTON MANORS & VICTORIA PARK 1/1 avail in both
neighborhoods. Small bldg, coin-op laundry, small pets OK, lrg
walk-in closet. $650/mo. F/S reqd. (954) 649-3878.
WILTON MANOR AREA/GAY COMPLEX. 1/1 tropical,
priv, new appl, tile & wd flrs, close to everything, pets
OK. $575/mo. F/S. Richard (954) 655-3550.
WILTON MANORS TOWNHOUSE 2 BR, 2.5 BA, newer appliances, heated pool in complex, W/D, walk to Shoppes of Wilton
Manors. No pets. $1,295/mo. F/L/S (954) 396-8998.
WILTON MANORS 2/2, cottage in quiet complex close to Alibi,
CAC, W/D on premises, tropically landscaped courtyard. $850/mo
+ sec. Call (954) 650-3340.
WILTON MANORS 2/2.5, newer TH, flex move in, new appliances, W/D, CAC. Eric Hammonds Reality, Inc (954) 568-0300, ext
105.
WILTON MANORS 3/2.5 TH, Micro, W/D, DW, CAC, canal waterfront. Eric Hammonds Reality, Inc (954) 568-0300, ext 105.
WILTON MANORS 2/2, updated, tiled flrs, DW, CAC, pool. Pets
OK. Eric Hammonds Reality, Inc (954) 568-0300, ext 105.
WILTON MANORS 2/2 duplex, near GLCC, newer appliances,
W/D, lrg LR. Eric Hammonds Reality, Inc (954) 568-0300, ext 105.
WILTON MANORS WATERFRONT APTS - 1 & 2 BR, up 2
months free. Features incl CAC, newly remodeled, tile, carpet,
D/W, pool, laundry facil on prop. Cats OK. Prices starting at
$717/mo w/ rental promo & good credit. Coral Ridge & Imperial
Pt, Laud by Sea also avail. Call Lee to see (954) 868-0528.
RENT / COMMERCIAL
WANTED TO SHARE
FT LAUDERDALE US1 & OAKLAND. 350-750 sg ft avail. Make
your own deal. 1-mo free rent. Owner/agent. (954) 401-2288.
LOOKING FOR QUIET, responsible Nova Scotia couple. Looking for house/condo to share Dec-Mar 04-05. Possibility of a sharing beautiful, spacious seaside NS home. (954) 698-0989.
RENT / FURNISHED HOUSING ANNOUNCEMENTS
FT LAUDERDALE BEACH 2/2 Fully furn/unfurn PH, 5th flr, 360
degree view from 3 balcs. Heated pool. $1,250/mo. $600 sec
depo. (954) 629-5754.
DO YOU KNOW TINA? Gay & bisexual men talk about your
Crystal Meth experiences for a new study. Confidential. Earn $30.
Call (305) 529-1911. University of Delaware.
OUR RATES HAVE CHANGED
Classified Order Form•classifieds@expressgaynews.com•Phone 877.863.1885
TO PLACE AN AD:
IN PERSON: Bring completed form with payment to the Express Gay News offices (M-F, 9am-5pm) 5399 Northeast 14th Ave., Suite 1 Fort Lauderdale. BY MAIL: Mail completed form with payment
to Express Gay News Classifieds, 5399 Northeast 14th Ave., Suite 1 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334. BY PHONE: Call in with completed form to 877.863.1885. BY FAX: Fax completed form and credit
card information to ATTN: CLASSIFIEDS 954.568.5110. BY EMAIL: Visit expressgaynews.com to place your order online. AD POLICY: Express Gay News reserves the right to edit, reclassify or reject
ads not meeting Express Gay News standards. No refunds for early cancellation. Misprints: Express Gay News is not responsible for misprints appearing after the first week. Check ads promptly.
DEADLINE FOR AD SUBMISSION • MONDAY AT 5:30PM FOR FRIDAY’S PUBLICATION
PICK YOUR CATEGORY RATE $12.50
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WRITE YOUR AD PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY
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TEXT:
AD RATES
Up to 25 words for $12.50 per issue. Additional words are 50¢ each per issue. This
includes Website posting. ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Photo/Logo $35 additional;
Boxed ad is $5 additional; Bolded ad is $5 additional; Hyperlink is $2 additional.
UP TO 25 WORDS: $12.50
ADDITIONAL WORDS _____ @ 50¢: ________________
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Your classified ad will be posted at www.washingtonblade.com
NAME:
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CHARGE TO MY AMEX VISA MC
44
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
CLASSIFIEDS
EMPLOYMENT
BUY / SELL
LEGAL SERVICES
HEALTH & FITNESS
$$ DISTRIBUTORSHIP $$
✔Pet Products
✔Dynamic Growth Industry
✔International Company
✔Established Accounts
✔Full Training
Investment req’d. For details call (800) 231-2530.
GAY VIDEOS FOR SALE Whole collection many dozens. 1
buyer only. Contact: rbowers2000@yahoo.com or (239) 5964891.
SHARI L. MOIDEL, ESQ.
Member of NY Bar, Am Imm Lawyers Assn. 3471 N. Federal Highway, Suite #300
en-vision.com/ShariMoidel
West Palm Beach....954.566.1610
EARNEST LAW FIRM, PA Real Estate,Title, Corporate, Business
Lit., Estate Planning. 500 SE 15th St., Suite 106, Ft. Lauderdale.
(954) 525-5644.
SOLOFLEX BAND RESISTANT SYSTEM Get fit for summer
now! Soloflex w/ bands, leg & butterfly attch. $300/OBO. Sells
new over $1,000. Call (954) 895-9873.
OLD CUTLER DENTAL ASSOCIATES, P.A. Cosmetic & General Dentistry. (20335 Old Cutler Road, Suite 200) Miami. (305)
238-6777.
21ST CENTURY DENTAL Don Nadel, DDS, MPH. (3038 N. Federal Highway, Bldg H.) Fort Lauderdale. (954) 568-9788.
COMPUTER
BODY & SOUL
VEHICLES
ADMIN / ACCOUNTING ASSIST Small office with gay-friendly environment needs an admin/accounting assistant. This individual will assist the business manager with a variety of duties, including but not limited to: preparing daily deposits, processing
credit card activity, posting of customer payments & credits, handling general accounting issues, assisting with research items,
sales support & general office/clerical duties. Qualifications: High
School diploma, bookkeeping/accounting background, computer
literate a must, QuickBooks, Excel & Word skills helpful. Excellent
communication skills. Send resume via fax to (954) 337-0428.
COMPUDOC
MAKES
HOUSECALLS
WWW.COMPUDOC4U.COM - Fort Lauderdale. (954) 584-6053 or
(954) 881-7013.
HOME IMPROVEMENT
J. ALEXANDERS NOW HIRING!
✔Grill
✔Line & Prep.
Apply in person, between 2pm-4pm. Ask for Kevin. (2415 N. Federal Hwy
Ft. Lauderdale).
MALE PERSONAL ASSISTANT BUSY executive seeks (18-35)
attractive & in-shape (a must). Duties incld running errands, caring for waterfront home & workout partner. Good PT job for student. Call eves @ (954) 630-3025.
PALM BEACH CORRESPONDENT The Express seeks a
news and feature writer to cover the Palm Beach Co. Gay &
Lesbian community. Previous newspaper or magazine writing experience req’d. Journalism degree a +. E-mail resume
to: phil@expressgaynews.com. Mail resume and clips to The
Express Attn: Phil LaPadula, 1595 NE 26th St. Wilton Manors, FL 33305
TELEMARKETING No Selling! Laid back environment. Up to
$10/hr + bonus, pending qualifications. Call Failla Insurance,
(800) 460-3925.
DOMESTIC HELP
HOUSECLEANER/KEEPER NEEDED Couple w/lrg home seeks
meticulous clean, organized, washing, & ironing. Exp & refs req’d.
Mail to: Frank @ PO Box 70402, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33307.
LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS
LIBERTY SUITES HOTELS *SEASON SPECIAL* PAY 3
NIGHTS & STAY 4 NIGHTS! Beautiful Studio & 1 BR apts.
✔Full kit
✔Pool
✔Laundry
Near Gay Dania Beach. Affordable daily/weekly & extended
stay. (954) 927-0090 or visit www.LibertySuites.com.
EXPERT AIR ADVICE, INC. Cooling is what we do best! Fort
Lauderdale. (954) 764-1990.
A 2001 YAMAHA YZF R6 champion edition. Second
owner. The frame & sub-frame are polished. It has a
blue micron slip-on exhaust, k&n air filter & tank bra.
All the maintenance was taken care of as needed,
Minor scratch & never get dropped or laid down. If
you have any questions or for more info just e-mail
us. sales@dongok-abiz.us
SCUDERI AUTOMOTIVE (801 W. Broward Blvd.) Fort Lauderdale. (954) 522-4697.
PETS
CLUB BOW BOW
DOGGIE Daycare,TLC and styling for small to medium dogs.
Boca Raton .....561.391.6439
PARROT KINGDOM Only handfed baby Parrots, cages & supplies. (2692 N. University Dr.) North of Sunrise Blvd. Sunrise. (954)
742-8100.
THE RED CANARY (849 NW 41st St). Exotic Birds, Cages & Accessories since 1960. Oakland Park. (954) 566-9988.
A DOG’S BEST FRIEND www.ADogsBestFriend.com. Broward.
(954) 791-2717.
FINANCIAL
EDWARD JONES INVESTMENT
DARCY J. Beeman
Fort Lauderdale.....954.566.4252
COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOANS Rod Pans - Home Loan Consultant. Serving East Ft. Lauderdale. (954) 332-2357.
REKKI / HEALING THERAPY Phillip Collins, Rekki Master
Therapist. Healing/Energetic, Hands-On-Healing Session. 1 hr. Ft.
Lauderdale. (954) 630-0788 or (917) 863-9184.
BODYWORK
HOT DAD FOR HIRE Local Hunk will soothe away your stress &
tension. 6’, 205#’s, 49”c, 32”w, 18”a. Blonde buzz cut, blue eyes,
smooth. Boy Billy avail too. http://dadforhire1475.20m.com.
(954) 646-8004, rcky45@aol.com
ELECTRICAL
THE ELECTRICIAN. (1536 NW 5th Ave.) Ft. Lauderdale.
Broward, Palm Beach, Dade. (954) 522-3357.
Answer to puzzle on page 42
CLEANING
MAIL BRIGADE SOLUTIONS For a cleaner home.
Broward/Boca. (954) 345-5565.
MOVING
ALWAYS MOVING (LICENSED/INSURED) Know what your
paying before you move. Flat rate. Serving BROWARD/DADE.
(305) 650-9080.
PSYCHIATRIC / COUNSELING
PSYCHOLOGICAL ALLIANCE, PI CAROLE A Wartenberg,
PhD. Laura Hohnecker PhD. (8358 W. Oakland Pk Blvd, #304) Sunrise. (954) 742-7449.
Administrative/
Accounting Assistant
Small office with gay-friendly environment needs an
administrative/accounting assistant. This individual will assist the
business manager with a variety of duties, including but not limited
to, preparing daily deposits, processing credit card activity, posting of
customer payments and credits, handling general accounting issues,
assisting with research items, sales support, and general office/clerical
duties. Qualifications: High School diploma, bookkeeping/accounting
background, computer literate a must, QuickBooks, Excel & Word
skills helpful. Excellent communication skills.
Send resume via fax to 954-337-0428.
Thomas Marshall Madison, Jr,
C.P.A., P.A.
2701 E. Oakland Park Blvd. Suite C
www.madisoncpas.com
tmmcpa@bellsouth.net
Phone: (954) 561-8959
Fax: (954) 561-8190
P.O. Box 11012, Fort Lauderdale, FL 333339
EdwardJones
Serving Individual Investors Since 1871
Darcy J. Beeman
Investment
Representative
3240 NE 32nd Street
Bus 954-566-4252 Fax 877-567-3837
www.edwardjones.com
Contact Us for a Free Review of your Portfolio
954-566-4252
Editors’ note: These are real
bitches, sent in by real readers,
about gay life's little annoyances,
and the big ones, too.
Got a bitch?
Call 1-800-858-8088 or e-mail:
bitch@expressgaynews.com
TO THE THIEF WHO PRETENDED
to be interested in me, but turned
out to be interested in my wallet:
You may have gotten away with my
cash, but you can’t get away from
karma. You may have stolen my
credit cards, but you haven’t stolen
my ability to trust.
I WISH MY HAIR WAS PERFECT.
I wish my body was perfect. I wish
my clothes were perfect. I wish my
job and my car and my house were
perfect. Then I, too, could be gay. Oh
wait — I am gay! Thank God everything I have is imperfect because
who would want to be like all you
boring perfect people.
YOU SAY YOU ARE EMBARRASSED
to be seen with me because you are
white and I am not. You were certainly not embarrassed when I had my
Latino burrito stuffed hilt deep in you.
WHY IS IT SO WRONG THAT MY
partner and I are 20 years apart in
age and very happy? It’s an equal
relationship.
MAYBE IF YOU GUYS WENT SOME
place other than the bar or the gym,
you’d discover a whole new world of
friendly, datable guys out there. Oh
wait, then you might miss out on some
meaningless, casual sex. Never mind!
WHEN I AM AT WORK AND YOU
see me busy serving five customers
without an attitude, the last thing I
want to hear from your non-tipping, boney ass is “smile.”
PLEASE DON’T TELL ME THAT
gorgeous bartender at my favorite
gay bar is straight, like everyone
says he is. Because he is my ultimate fantasy and that would be a
major disappointment.
I DO NOT CARE HOW MUCH YOU
say you love me. After almost one
year, how much of your lies, going
back on your word and threats did
you think I would take? Have a
nice life!
I’M 55 AND LIVED THE OPENLY
gay lifestyle all of my life, even in
the army. I had such a great time
driving a tank and being a military
policeman. My question is, what is
with gay Republicans? All of the
ones I know are so full of selfhatred. Tell your parents that you
are gay already, even if it means
you’ll “turn” Democrat!
ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN
Heritage Dictionary, a jock is a
“male athlete especially in college.”
Do not call yourself a jock if you go
to the gym three times a week, look
like a toothpick or a big whale, do
not play any sports and are over 25.
EXPRESS GAY NEWS
WHY IS THIS LESBIAN ONLY
attracted to straight women?
Because they’re feminine. Are
there any femmes in this town?
IF YOU’RE IN A MALE-FOR-MALE
chatroom and you describe yourself
as “srt8,” that lets me know upfront
that you are anything but.
WHY IS IT THAT AMERICA IS SO
upset with Janet Jackson flashing
one breast for half a second, yet has
nothing to say about the endless
tampon and feminine hygiene commercials that come on TV when I
am eating my dinner?
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
PAGE 45
WHY MUST MOST GAY MEN SEE
sex as necessarily a dominant-submissive thing? Be secure enough
just to enjoy its pleasures without
the B.S.
HOW IS GAY MARRIAGE A
devaluing of marriage? Every
time George Bush speaks, I wonder
how it is exactly that he came to be
in office.
ENOUGH WITH
pubic hair. When
sexy for a grown
Hitler moustache
playmate?
THE SHAVED
did it become
man to have a
like a Playboy
You can make more friends in two minutes
by just being interested in other
people than you can in two years by trying
to get other people interested in you.
TO SAY “YOU’RE HOT FOR A
black guy” or “I’m not normally
attracted to black guys but…” is not
a compliment. What’s the deal with
race? We are all the same race —
the human one.
STARING AT ME, FOLLOWING ME
around or trying to grope or touch
me as I walk by does less to get my
attention than if you just said hello.
DO THE NAKED FAT MEN WHO
rub and play with themselves in the
gym sauna really think that’s hot?
Perhaps if they spent that time actually working out, they could get more
of the attention they crave so much.
IF YOU WANT “NICE AND SWEET,”
call Ben and Jerry. If you want
something different, ask and you
may get my number.
I NEED SOMEONE TO EXPLAIN
this new, “I’m not gay, but I sleep
with guys” thing. Is there some
kind of night class or something
that you have to sign up for?
HOW ABOUT LESS TIME IN
front of the mirror and more time
cultivating a mind and soul? Yes, it
does require an effort. Narcissism
is overdone.
IF I DATE A MAN OF ANOTHER
race and have problems in the relationship, it’s not because he’s one
of “them,” it’s just because he’s an
asshole.
I’M LIVING IN THE SUBURBS
with my partner, a lawnmower and
a mortgage. How come nothing in
the gay media is even remotely relevant to me?
YOU SNUB ME IN FRONT OF YOUR
“friends” on the dance floor all
night just for smiling at you, but
when I go home (alone) I find a message from you on the sex hunt site
telling me you think I’m hot and
asking to hook up. Does that mean
I’m hot enough to do as long no one
sees you talking to me?
Got a
bitch?
CALL
1-800-858-8088
or e-mail:
bitch@expressgaynews.com
eclipse2
FEBRUARY 27 • www.expressgaynews.com
FEBRUARY 27 • www.expressgaynews.com
escorts
ESCORTS
2 BOYZ, 1 PRICE
Enjoy a hot time w/ 2 Latinos for 1
low rate. Musc, military boys w/
massive endowment. Clean, safe,
discreet. In/out. (703) 963-8367.
www.exoticlatino.com.
ZACK Hot former model boy. 24yo, tall,
lean, tight, smooth body. Versatile. Miami
to Palm Beach. (954) 684-9044 or (305)
288-2448.
KYLAN
Visiting (3/10-3/16)
XGL white, male model. Safe & discreet
encounters. Visiting South Beach. (202)
441-5385.
BODYWORK
HOT DAD FOR HIRE
Local Hunk will sooth away your stress
and tension. 6’, 205lbs-49”c, 32”w,
18”a. Blonde buzz cut, blue eyes, smooth.
Boy Billy avail too http://dadforhire1475.20m.com (954)646-8004,
rcky45@aol.com
TOMMY
EUROPEAN STUD
Blond hair/blue eyes, 5’11”, 175#. Smooth
swimmers build, 9.5x6 UNCUT! In/out calls.
Avail for travel. (646) 623-7760.
KEVIN
Athletic, swimmers build, 5’11”, 160#’s.
Versatile. Out calls only! Dade, Broward,
WPB. (561) 212-5759.
HOT DAD FOR HIRE Local Hunk will
soothe away your stress & tension. 6’,
205#’s, 49”c, 32”w, 18”a. Blonde buzz
cut, blue eyes, smooth. Boy Billy avail too.
http://dadforhire1475.20m.com. (954)
646-8004, rcky45@aol.com
MEN
Local • Live • Now
Miami 305-503-4191
Fort Lauderdale 954-880-9700
Call Toll FREE 1-800-777-8000
FREE
TRIAL
Use Code: 6542
1-900-446-1212 ($1.99/min) 18+
www.InteractiveMale.com
eclipse3

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