Expanded PrideFest, Pride Parade Break Attendance Records
23,000 Estimated Attendees At PrideFest, Over 2,000 For 75-Minute Long Parade
Milwaukee - The good news is the 2006 edition of PrideFest was the most attended in the festival’s history. The not-so-good news is Wisconsin’s largest LGBT festival needed three days to break the 2005 record, set in just two.
  Certainly cool, rainy evenings the first two nights had a lot to do with suppressing the weekend’s potential numbers, but some are pointing to the failure the market the festival’s promotional Pride Guides outside of the Milwaukee area as another cause.
Cho, Fair Wisconsin Charge Record Friday Night
  Chilly temperatures and light rain did not deter 6,171 patrons and volunteers from attending PrideFest’s return to Friday nights at the Henry B. Maier “Summerfest” grounds. PrideFest officials initially estimated a lower. number.
  “The official tally through the gate was 4,313 paid admissions, although we rounded it up to at least 4,500 because we had early trouble with the scanners processing the admission tickets,” PrideFest co-chair Scott Gunkel told Quest on June 9. “But with volunteers and other non-paid admissions, the final total of people on the grounds was well over 5,000.”
  “We will have to check the books, but it may be an all time high,” Gunkel added.
  Early Saturday afternoon, PrideFest announced officially that 6,171 had passed through the gates Friday night, which included paid and volunteer admissions, plus re-admissions to the grounds. That is a festival record.
  The attendance was a 60% increase over the Friday attendance in 2003, the most recent year that a Friday night was included in PrideFest’s schedule.  The previous high attendance was in 2001 with 4,762.
  The festival’s main stage line-up featuring comedienne and gay icon Margaret Cho, cross-dressing comic and Wigstock founder Lady Bunny, gay rapper LISP and a Fair Wisconsin presentation on the pending gay union ban referendum generated block-long lines of customers at the festival’s 6 PM start. The huge early turnout caught PrideFest officials by surprise.
  “We have the volunteers to staff the booths, we just didn’t schedule enough of them early enough,” PrideFest Communications Director Paul Williams told Quest. With a bit of juggling, the issue was resolved quickly however.
  Once inside patrons were able to explore the newly-redesigned Miller Area of the Summerfest grounds. Traffic flow through the area has been improved. PrideFest is the first festival to use the new space.
  Most of the vendors were open for business, though many of the not-for-profit groups’ spaces remained empty. The new PUMP! dance area throbbed with a thousand dancers and their admirers. Despite the cool weather the beer kiosks, wine cooler stands and the new martini bar appeared to be doing brisk business.
  The evening’s main stage events kicked off with the PrideFest Awards ceremony. Festival awards were presented to Carmen Murguia, a Latina poet and activist who has been active in the LGBT community for many years, and the Cream City Foundation, which has provided critical start up and support funding to many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations, including PrideFest.  Murguia received the Stonewall Award and the Cream City Foundation received the Community Service Award.
  Following a set by Milwaukee favorites Pulsation, the Voices From Fair Wisconsin community meeting began. The highlight of the nearly two-hour long presentation was a  talk by Ray Vahey,  who with his partner of 49 years Richard Taylor officially “came out” at least year’s PrideFest. Taylor, who recently underwent chemotherapy, was unable to be present.
  Vahey, 68, explained how the 80 year old Taylor’s recent health problems prompted the couple to hold an advance commitment ceremony at his bedside, despite their already-announced plans for a formal union event in October. “It was preview of the wonderful moment to come, to which I  am inviting  everyone who donates to Fair Wisconsin,” Vahey said. “I’m not kidding - if you donate, we’ll mail you announcement!”
  Vahey explained that he suspected the couple has fewer years ahead of them than behind them, but that he and Taylor would like to live the time they have left “as full and equal citizens of Wisconsin and the United States.”
  Following the community rally, the night’s fireworks signaled the start of the entertainment portion of  the main stage show. “For the first time, they actually got the rainbow colors exactly right,” delighted PrideFest attendee Patrick Prudlow of Milwaukee said.
  The fireworks then moved to the stage where Lady Bunny fired up the crowd with a medley of classic and contemporary pop songs, raunchily re-worked lyrically. “Don’t you wish your boyfriend was hung like me?” Bunny lip-synced to her own track, sending up the Pussycat Dolls chart topper - one of the more printable lyrics. The statuesque drag queen archived near-basketball player height with a nearly three-foot high blonde wig.
  Rapper LISP followed doing two numbers, including his niche hit “Sexual Homo.” The audience listened politely but were clearly waiting for the night’s headliner, Margaret Cho and erupted wildly with a raucous standing ovation as the gay rapper announced her entrance.
  Despite showers that seemed to grow heavier as her hour-long set progressed, Cho held the crowd completely, first getting political about the coming November Wisconsin civil union ban referendum, then attacking President Bush’s support of the federal marriage ban.
  “What we need is a Constitutional ban protecting us from him!” Cho spat to roars from the appreciative crowd.
Cho kept the audience enraptured with a mix of material from her new “Assassin” tour and classic bits, such as her imitation of her mother’s reaction to the gay porno book Ass Master. Cho continued with a long phone message from her mother: “If you don’t pick up now, Margaret, it proves you are gay!”
  Cho also assisted with the final highlight of the evening, the presentation of an oversized $9,000 check to Fair Wisconsin given by Gunkel and accepted for the “No on the Amendment” coalition by Paul Williams, who accepted for campaign director Mike Tate, who at the last minute accepted an invitation to speak to the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention in LaCrosse, which also began last night.
  Along with the revised attendance figures released Saturday, PrideFest also upped the Fair Wisconsin donation to $10,000.
Sun Shines On PrideFest’s Saturday Session
Mild temperatures and bright sunshine greeted attendees at PrideFest’s biggest day June 10. Overall attendance appeared on par with previous PrideFest Saturdays. However, the evening’s chilly, blustery weather sank the numbers of fans willing to brave 40’s wind chill to watch the electrifying final show of the night by 80’s electro-pop rockers Berlin.
  As might be expected the “gayest” events run throughout the day attracted the largest crowds. The expanded Rainbow Stage with the Pride Idol semi-finals and Wisconsin rocker Ronnie Nyles outdrew Main Stage attractions. The Dance Pavilion replaced a day-long disco beat with a number of well received acts, especially the hilarious re-working of The Wizard Of Oz as a combination drag show and cheerleader dance routine by the Minneapolis troupe Cheer! Dorothy Cheer!
  Also attracting an overflow crowd was the sassy youth competition “So You Think You Can Prance?” a mix of dance competition and drag ball scene. The emcee and judging kept the audience in stitches throughout the preliminary event, which concluded Sunday afternoon.
  One area which suffered from success was the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center Cafe & Wine Garden. Several scheduled acts such as Women’s Voices Milwaukee and the Shaia Fahrid Belly Dance troupe drew such large numbers it prevented festival goers from accessing the Milwaukee LGBT History Project exhibits.
  One dubious PrideFest tradition also saw an unusual twist this year. The ritual anti-gay “Christian” protesters demonstrating at the main gate were joined by a PFLAG mom carrying the simple message “God Blessed Me With A Gay Son, Amen.” The colorful, handmade sign quietly but effectively drowned out the verbose bile being spouted by the bull horn carrying “men of God.”  Festival goers entering and exiting the grounds often stopped to give the woman a hug or a kiss.
  Blustery winds increased as the afternoon drew to a close and after the sun set, the festival grounds grew less hospitable. The evening’s headliners show initially appeared to draw only about two thirds of number at Friday’s appearance by Margaret Cho. Bow Wow Wow’s perky Annabella Lwin charged up the crowd with renditions of the group’s sole U. S. hit “I Want Candy” and a jungle beat driven version of “These Boots Are Made For Walking.”
  “Would you buy that if we release it as a single?” Lwin asked the gyrating crowd, who roared back in the affirmative. “Well then, I’m holding each and every one of you to that promise!”
  Following the British rockers was New York drag icon Princess Diananda’s impersonation of Diana Ross’ Vegas act with an extra surprise tossed in. The impersonator took a tumble over a stray microphone cord midway through her act, though she recovered nicely, not missing a lip-sync.
  The night’s true show stopper came next. Martha Wash, of Weather Girls fame, came on in full diva mode and reworked her song line-up on the fly throughout her half-hour performance. Her performance of her signature “It’s Raining Men” likely will be considered the night’s festival highlight.
  Following Wash’s standing, screaming ovation-garnering set, Saturday’s fireworks - actually sponsored by another lakefront event - seemed anticlimactic. The twenty minutes of down time to re-work the stage and the estimated forty-something degree wind chill combined the shrink Main Stage audience to about 800 for the final act of the night: Berlin.
  Berlin suffered a further injustice: lead singer Terri Nunn’s microphone volume was AWOL for the first two numbers. The crowd was screaming, but not for the band. They wanted the technical staff to fix the problem. The light finally dawned on the diminutive diva and the band subsequently redid the numbers. Nunn also scored points with her hardcore fans by reaching out to touch members of the crowd as she rode on the shoulders of a clearly nervous but plucky PrideFest security staffer. The band later invited about fifty fans onstage for their final number.
Sunday’s Milwaukee Pride Parade Wows Thousands
  For the revitalized Milwaukee Pride Parade, the second time’s the charm. With dozens of marching units from three states and the unfurling of a block-long rainbow flag, the parade’s 2006 edition wowed an estimated 2,000 watchers on Sunday. Entries from Chicago, Minneapolis, Appleton, Green Bay, Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee and other cities strutted their stuff before the cheering bystanders, some waving rainbow flags and others holding professionally printed placards stating “Gay Marriage Doesn’t Scare Me - Not Having Healthcare Does!” The latter were distributed by the unions representing the teaching assistants in the University of Wisconsin.
  Stepping off about five minutes late with the Great Lakes Harley Riders leading the march, the entire review passed smoothly, taking about 75 minutes in all. A coterie of  fundamentalist protesters attempted to lead off the parade but were literally forced to the sidewalks by mounted police. A police horse immediately adjacent to the protesters relieved itself shortly after the group had set up its banners, making an unintentional but humorous editorial on the message being spouted by the “Christians.”
  The parade was organized in sub-groups, with the political and not-for-profit groups following the bikers. Senator Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) offered bystanders miniature American flags. Freshly out of the closet, Milwaukee School Board member Liz Morales made her pride parade debut atop a lavender convertible.
  PrideFest tie-ins were scattered throughout the parade. The Minneapolis gay pep squad Cheer! Dorothy Cheer! reprised portions of their wildly funny take on The Wizard Of Oz to the delight of the crowd. Hunky Dante’s Cove hero Charlie David melted many hearts atop the Here! network convertible.
  Among other parade highlights, Chicago’s R.O.T.C. (Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps) wowed parade spectators with their gun-twirl and toss routines, the Milwaukee Bruisers - the city’s new professional women’s rollerskating team and their cheer leading squad demonstrated their prowess, and the Starbucks parade unit tossed sample bags of the company’s signature roast to delighted coffee addicts on the sidewalks.
  Several of the Milwaukee bars outdid themselves with some of the biggest, most elaborate floats and parade entires in the history of Milwaukee Pride, regardless of sponsor. The Club M & M “Last Call’s Over But The Memories Linger” float brought both cheers and tears from the crowd. Triangle’s parade-ending unfurling of a block-long rainbow flag brought a fitting close to the cavalcade.
  Many of the parade watchers then headed over to the nearly deserted PrideFest grounds for the festival’s final day of events. There they enjoyed  the 6th annual Leather Review, the Pride Idol finals and an open air version of the drag ball scene made famous in the documentary Is Paris Burning?
  Warmer weather and an earlier start time brought out a bigger audience for the festival’s final headliner show. Both Belgium’s DHT Featuring Edmee and EnVogue brought screams of delight from fans.
  DHT’s energetic male lead, 29 year-old Da Rick (Flor Theeuwes), ping-ponged on and off the Miller Stage, hi-fiving the crowd and passing out autographed photos of the duo. Lead singer Edmee showed she was more than a dance artist with her poignant re-working of Paul Davis’ 1970’s chart topper “I Go Crazy.” Of all the acts appearing over the weekend, DHT was the group that most consistently kept the crowd at near frenzy.
  Between the star attractions, emcee Jackie Beat and New York-based comic Michele Balan - recently seen on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” - kept the crowd in good humor. In a mockery of the Holier Than Thou crowd, Miss Beat reasoned that the best way to prevent homosexuality was to eliminate drama clubs from high schools across America. She then launched into a song parody outlining her plan. Balan reprised her act performed earlier to a smaller crowd in the dance pavilion. Her set-concluding review of the latest sex toys had the audience in tears.
  Alternately hot, cool but always sexy, EnVogue brought a fitting close to this year’s PrideFest Main Stage shows. Now a trio with a tribute album to girl group legends soon to be released, Cindy, Maxine and Terry mixed sassy with sultry throughout their hour-long set, heavy with 90’s classics  such as “Never Gonna Get It” and “Whatta Man.” EnVogue was the perfect throw down to an exciting weekend of community building, music and celebration.
  Though final attendance figures have yet to be released officially, PrideFest 2006 appears to have had record-breaking year. After touting an all-time best 6,171 figure for Friday attendance, festival officials were officially mum about Saturday’s total. Quest was told the figures for Saturday were “between nine and ten thousand,” which would be a 23% drop from 2005’s record of 12,984 attendees when using the higher figure.
  Though Quest estimated that Sunday’s PrideFest attendance was between three and four thousand, based on head count approximations combining simultaneous attendance at both the Dance Pavilion and the Main Stage headliner show, the turnstile count appeared to have been higher. Late Sunday evening the PrideFest website unofficially announced over 23,000 had been on the festival grounds throughout the weekend. Official attendance and sales figures are expected later this summer.
  One official figure had been announced, however. According to ARCW Food Pantry Manager Randy Bash, slightly over 10,000 lbs. of canned and packaged food items were donated by PrideFest attendees over the weekend, a new record for the annual drive. PrideFest offered free admission for early festival goers who donated at least a minimum specified number of shelf-stable food items.

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Green Lake - Delegates from United Church of Christ congregations around Wisconsin have gone on record against the proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage that will be on the ballot in November. The vote came after a year of discussion in many of the 231 UCC congregations in the state and an hour of debate on the floor of the denomination’s annual meeting held at the Green Lake Conference Center.
  The final vote was by a show of voting cards. Out of 443 delegates, only about twenty cards were raised in opposition to the denomination taking a stand against the amendment, and another dozen or so abstained from voting.
  In opening the debate on the resolution, the Rev. Curt Anderson, senior pastor at First Congregational UCC in Madison, said same-sex marriage is already illegal in Wisconsin, so the amendment will have no effect on the legality of marriage. But it will prohibit civil unions for same-sex couples and may affect domestic partner insurance benefits for unmarried heterosexual couples.
  “The only effect of this proposed constitutional amendment is to hurt gay and lesbian people,” Anderson said. “This amendment is unjust.” Anderson also is a leader in the statewide faith group opposing the ban, Christians For Equality In Wisconsin.
  Few voices were raised in opposition to the denomination taking a stand against the proposed constitutional amendment. Two delegates noted that their congregations had taken positions supporting the amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman and prohibits a legal status “identical or substantially similar to that of marriage.”
  The Rev. David Denoon, pastor of Plymouth Congregational UCC in Burlington, pleaded for people to “enthusiastically abstain” from voting on the church resolution since “both sides continue to polarize and put this in a win-lose situation.”
  In the end, though, the sentiment was clearly to go on record against the proposed constitutional amendment. The Rev. David Moyer, the conference minister who leads the UCC in Wisconsin, praised the delegates for showing “that in a polarized and highly divided culture, we can be involved in a conversation in a respectful way.”
  The UCC joins the Wisconsin United Methodist Conference and the Wisconsin Jewish Conference in going on record against the amendment. Regional ecclesiastical bodies of the Presbyterian Church USA and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have gone on record against the amendment, as have a number of individual congregations and other church-related groups.

Milwaukee Police Build Bridges At PrideFest
Milwaukee - The Milwaukee Police Department made a two-pronged effort to improve relations with the city’s LGBT community at the annual PrideFest celebration here June 10 and 11. A four member panel on police-community relations and active recruitment for open positions on the city’s police and fire squads drew interest from dozens of festival attendees.
  Milwaukee police are listening to residents’ concerns, the panel told members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender community at PrideFest on June 10 during a forum on police relations with the community. “I think it helps us service the community better. When we know what their issues are and what their concerns are, it allows us to take that back to the street officers and say, ‘These are some of the concerns, this is where we can be doing better,’ “ Captain Mary Hoerig told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after the forum.
  Hoerig sat on the panel with Assistant Police Chief Joseph Whiten, Executive Director for the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission David Heard and Commissioner Leonard Sobczak, also from the Fire and Police Commission.
  Besides holding forums, officers try to improve community relations by participating in “cultural competency” training, Hoerig said. “It’s dealing with trying to educate officers about different types of cultures and bringing the individual culture’s expectations and needs to the officers. It’s not about changing attitudes; it’s about helping behavior,” Hoerig said of the program.
  Police also told the ten attendees at the forum that officers look to reach out to residents to help curb violence. Panelists also addressed questions regarding hate crimes, Hoerig said. “I know that they’re interested in having some dialogue about the hate-crime statute enhancer, and I’m willing to help out in any way I can in evaluating that,” Hoerig said.
  On June 10 and 11 recruiters also talked to several dozen interested PrideFest attendees at a booth set up in the festival’s vendor area.
  According to Margi Cargile, who works for the city’s Fire and Police Commission as a human resources specialist, this was the second time in three years the city has recruited for open police, fire and other positions with the city of Milwaukee.
  “We have collected a lot of names over the years here,” Cargile told Quest, admitting that it would be hard to pin any particular hire to PrideFest, “though my guess is ‘Yes.’”
  Cargile felt the active recruiting send a positive message to the LGBT community. “Our being here simply says to the community that we are a desirable place to work, you can change an organization from the inside out,” she said. “If you join an organization like the city of Milwaukee (as an employee), you can make a difference. We are welcoming and a great place to work!”
  Cargile also noted that several of the open positions with the city currently offer domestic partner benefits. Domestic partner benefits  have been negotiated as part of over a dozen union contracts  according to Cargile.

New Gay Fund Worth Over $100,000
Milwaukee - Robert Starshak and Ross Draegert have established the Birch Lodge Fund worth over $100,000 with the Cream City Foundation as part of their support of the new Donor Advised Fund Initiative to encourage gifts of $10,000 or more for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities.
  “We are fortunate to have individuals in southeastern Wisconsin committed to the success of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities,” Maria Cadenas, Executive Director of the Cream City Foundation said. “Partnerships and contributions like this go a long way toward achieving quality programs and to ensure the success for sustainable LGBT funding.”
  “The Birch Lodge Fund is vital to the continued growth and prosperity of Wisconsin,” Kevin Loos, President of the Cream City Foundation added. “Not only does the fund show the benefit of having a philanthropic tool, such as the Cream City Foundation, but it creates a known source of income for top programs working for meaningful change benefiting all LGBT people in Wisconsin. We are proud to be a vehicle for Robert and Ross?s philanthropic spirit and commitment to equality.?
  Starshak, Vice-President of the Cream City Foundation, and Draegert will use the fund to make a historic contribution to Action Wisconsin Education Fund, an organization aiming to provide educational resources on legal matters and other issues for Wisconsin’s LGBT citizens and their families, and to educate the general Wisconsin public about the consequences of anti-LGBT prejudice.
  “It is important for each of us to stand up for a community that is fair, just, and equal to all its citizens, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,”Starshak said. “The current political climate and legislative measures such as the proposed ban on civil unions and gay marriage make it even more important for us to contribute and support LGBT organizations and programs.”
  “We are committed to funding LGBT needs through Cream City Foundation because we believe strongly in the benefit of combined economic power to make a difference,” Draegert noted. “The Cream City Foundation has been there to help move LGBT programs and organizations forward, and we are exited to help its mission through our own fund.”
  Cream City Foundation launched its Donor Advised Fund Program in early 2006 with the creation of the Joseph R Pabst Community Infrastructure Fund, which is currently funding a partnership between the Nonprofit Center and the Cream City Foundation to provide organization and leadership development workshops for LGBT leaders.
  The Cream City Foundation was established in 1982 to provide charitable grants to programs and projects that improve the quality of life for LGBT communities in Southeastern Wisconsin. The Foundation funds grants and initiatives that would work to establish real social change in the treatment and quality of life for LGBT individuals.

Northeast Wisconsin Pride Event Canceled
Hilbert - The Green Bay/Fox Cities area’s regional pride event, held in recent years on a gay-owned farm here has been called off for 2006. The Argonauts of Wisconsin, who have sponsored the event for the last three years, failed to obtain needed beer and vendor licenses for the Northeast Wisconsin PrideFest originally scheduled for July 8, according to committee member Tom DeGraves.
  “The member assigned to obtain the licenses failed to appear at the monthly council meeting,” DeGraves told Quest. “their next meeting isn’t until after our scheduled date.”
  DeGraves dismissed the decision of the Madison Pride Committee earlier this year to move the MAGIC Picnic and Parade to the same weekend as the Hilbert event as a motivation for the decision. “The northeast pride has been mostly a locally-attended event,” he said. “Over the last few years we’ve only maybe only one or two people come up from Madison.”
  DeGraves noted that recent turnovers in membership in the thirty year old leather/Levi social group have not helped with organizing this year’s pride event. “We’re going through a tough period right now,” he said.
  Rumors of a July gay pride event supposedly to be held at the new Leicht Park festival grounds in downtown Green Bay circulated through the area’s gay community in early May. A Quest check for local permit requests or an organizing committee turned up nothing.

Democrats Rally Against Gay Unions Amendment
LaCrosse - Delegates to the state’s Democratic convention on June 10 railed against a proposed amendment to the state constitution banning gay marriage and civil unions.
  Mike Tate of Fair Wisconsin, the lead statewide organization campaigning against the amendment, implored the crowd to join the group and work to defeat the amendment. He called the amendment a quote “cynical ploy” to drive up Republican turnout at the polls in November. Delegates gave Tate one of the loudest standing ovations of any speaker at the weekend conclave.
  A message left by The Associated Press at the offices of the state Republican Party was not returned. In the history of the statewide ballot measures around the country over the last two years, the Wisconsin Democratic Party was the first statewide Democrat organization to come out officially against such bans.
  The Wisconsin Democrats were joined a day later when the Minnesota Democrat Farmer Labor Party (DFL) meeting in Rochester added its official opposition to a similar constitutional amendment proposed in that state. The DFL-controlled State Senate rejected Republican attempts to pass the proposal earlier this year.

Judge: “Minister's Murder Was Hate Crime”
Milwaukee - The 2005 shotgun slaying of a Milwaukee minister by two men, allegedly justified because the minister had made sexual advances toward one of them, qualified as a hate crime, though none was charged, a judge said June 16.
  "I can come to no other conclusion. Mr. Ward's suspicion or belief that Mr. Jemison was gay was a factor in the commission of the crime," Judge Charles F. Kahn said while sentencing Marcus Christopher Ward II and Marchand L. Grady respectively to life and 22 years in prison. Both originally had been charged with first degree intentional homicide.
  The 21 year old Ward, who had been taken in by the minister and lived in the his basement, pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide in the killing of Allen K. Jemison. At trial, Ward had testified that he had convinced Grady to actually shoot the 46 year old man. Grady was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide last March after a jury trial.
  Ward, who had changed his story to police several times about his relationship with Jemison, moved into Jemison's home in 2003. According to the criminal complaint, Jemison was killed in his bed by two blasts from a sawed-off shotgun in May 2005. The slaying was discovered when Jemison’s body was found by his father.
  Ward apologized to Jemison's family at the sentencing, admitting that it was his decision to kill Jemison by getting Grady's help.
  However, Grady again claimed innocence during the sentencing hearing. "What did I ever do to Marcus to make him put me into a situation like this?" Grady said.
  Kahn sentenced Grady, a previously convicted felon, to life in prison for the first-degree intentional homicide conviction, with eligibility for parole when he is 72. As a felon, Grady will also concurrently serve time for the felonies of possession of both a firearm and a short-barreled shotgun.
  Ward, who had no previous criminal convictions, was sentenced to 40 years, including 22 years in prison his first-degree reckless homicide conviction.  Ward also received an additional four years' probation for convictions of misdemeanor theft and felony possession of a short-barreled shotgun.

Cheer! Dorothy Cheer! Spins The Wizard Over A New Rainbow

Quest: How would your describe Cheer! Dorothy Cheer! to someone who has never encountered the group before?

Woosley: Anytime I’ve ever said what is is we do, people look at me like I’m a cross-eyed cow! In a nutshell, we took a lot of the gay loves - cheerleading, Judy Garland, The Wizard Of Oz, upbeat pop music - put it all in a blender and came up with our show. A lot of us have a lot of acting background and we wanted to incorporate that as well. We’ve included dialogue snippets from a lot of popular, gay iconic films.
  “But we appeal to a general population. Everyone can relate to The Wizard of Oz. Everyone has seen it. Everyone knows the movie closely. And cheerleading is loved by gay men, lesbians, soccer moms, children, teenagers - well, everybody.

Quest: Has the routine stayed the same from year to year? Or do you freshen it?

Woosley: Every year we’ve added something. The organization Cheer! Dorothy Cheer! has been around for four years. The first year there were only three squad members and they only did a fifteen minute set - four dance routines and that was it. They were playing every little character, doing every little dance and after fifteen minutes of show they were worn out.
  Every year we’ve gained another member and added a different character. This year is our biggest improvement. We went from a thirty minute show to a fifty minute show. We added a lot of dialogue, put a lot of acting into it so we could stay true to the continuity and actually tell a story. It was more more like a play than a cabaret number that we could put in the middle of a drag show.

Quest: How many members are in the Dorothys?

Woosley: We have six dance members. We have two road crew. We have a legal liaison and a chef.

Quest: A chef?

Woosley: Of course, its a gay group darlin’!

Quest: And now you have every color of the gay rainbow.

Woosley: Yes, we have every color in the gay flag. Our new uniforms are based on that color scheme. (Cheerleading outfitter) Varsity Spirit was very willing to work with us. Normally you have to buy uniforms like in ten or more. They worked wonderfully with us and sold us one in each color.

Quest: Now that you’ve conquered PrideFest and the Pride Parade, where are you setting your sights next?

Woosley: Well, we always aim high. I’m the booking manager and next February I’ll start booking our 2007 season. Once we we get our show resume together, there’s no telling where we can go. We’ve already played at the Mall of America, we’ve done fashion shows for Macy’s department stores, and more. This show fits everywhere.  Everyone either loves the cheerleading aspect or the storyline or just the fact that we’re gay and beautiful!

Quest: And the twisted humor certainly helped. At PrideFest the audience just grew and grew as your act progressed. It was like salty peanuts. You sampled one and you had to finish the whole bowl!

Woosley: We get that at a lot of our venues. At the Minnesota AIDS Walk, they actually had to get extra police at our rest stop to keep the crowd moving and to get them off the walking route because we had accumulated so many watchers to our area!

Quest: And I also see that you are also a not-for-profit group.

Woosley: Yes, we are a not-for-profit organization. We cover our basic expenses and everything else we donate to our charities. A promotional videographer who saw us at an event has volunteered his time and services. Next year he’ll be putting together a brief DVD so people can see where we’ve been and what we do. So now when we say, “Sure, we played the Xcel Center (the premiere concert venue in St. Paul)” we’ll actually have proof!

Quest: Well, people at PrideFest and the Pride Parade certainly love you. What was your take on PrideFest?

Woosley: Ever since I attended PrideFest a couple of years ago, I have said “This is how Pride should be done!”
We really had a wonderful time. Everybody we came in contact with was so nice, friendly, supportive and professional. They were just wonderful! We just loved it. I just hope we get to come back to the Milwaukee area sometime soon! Book us now before we have our own sitcom! Please visit www.cheerdorothycheer.com!