Volume
13 No. 17 September 14,
2006Compiled & written by Mike Fitzpatrick
Top
Stories:
Anti-Amendment Attorney Group & 19 State Bar Presidents Speak Out On Ballot Issue
Madison - Wisconsin’s top lawyers have taken a close look the proposed constitutional amendment banning civil unions and gay marriage and don’t like what they see.
Attorneys Against the Ban (AATB) announced its launch here September 5.
The group has been formed to educate and mobilize attorneys throughout
Wisconsin against the proposed constitutional amendment banning civil
unions and gay marriage.In just its first week, the group has garnered the support of more than 100 Wisconsin attorneys who have pledged their opposition to the ban and who are supporting AATB’s efforts. AATB organizers believe that hundreds more attorneys statewide will pledge their opposition in the coming weeks.
“As a lawyer and guardian of the law and our constitution, I am outraged that this amendment would use the constitution to remove rights and to discriminate against citizens,” Carol Skinner, an attorney in Hudson told Quest.
The group is particularly concerned that the ban could have far-reaching legal consequences. “The ban’s prohibition of any ‘legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals’ is so broad it is frightening,” Betsy Abramson, a Madison attorney, said. “I think that a lot of people don’t realize that, legally, this ban is about more than just gay marriage. It could also affect civil unions and legal arrangements between all unmarried couples.”
Amy Scarr, an attorney in Madison, noted that similar bans in other states have had harrowing consequences for domestic violence survivors. “In Ohio, batterers used an amendment similar to the one proposed in Wisconsin to undo domestic violence protections sought by their girlfriends. These men said that allowing ex-girlfriends to get restraining orders against them violated the amendment’s prohibition against any legal status like marriage. We do not want this to happen in Wisconsin,” Scarr said.
AATB’s website contains answers to frequently asked legal questions about the ban, allows individuals to download copies of its brochure detailing the dangers of the ban, contains a list of Wisconsin attorneys who have joined the group, and more. Visit the website at: www.attorneysagainsttheban.org.
A day later Fair Wisconsin announced that Presidents of the State Bar of Wisconsin had spoken out against the civil unions and marriage ban. Seventeen former presidents, the bar’s current president and president-elect released a joint statement, noting that they spoke as individuals not as representatives of the Bar.
“We oppose the proposed constitutional amendment banning civil unions for all unmarried couples and marriage for gay and lesbian couples,” the top attorneys said.
The presidents cited three primary concerns about the amendment, noting the purpose of the state’s founding document in explaining their primary concern. “Our Constitution exists to grant rights, not deny them,” they wrote. “Our founding fathers drafted our Constitution to embrace rights and freedoms which were to stand firm through all time and through all political changes. Wisconsin’s Constitution, like the United States Constitution, is a document which grants rights to citizens. It is not, has not been, and should not be used as a political means to restrict the rights of any citizens.”
The attorneys then noted that Wisconsin law already restricts marriage. “Historically, restrictions on various classes of people from marrying have been enacted through statute, not by constitutional amendment. For example, Wisconsin had prohibited people with epilepsy from marrying. Currently, Wisconsin state law restricts marriage to a legal union between a man and a woman. As such, amending the Wisconsin Constitution is unnecessary to achieve the end of prohibiting gay and lesbian couples from marrying,” they wrote.
Lastly the bar presidents were concerned about the adverse effects on “Wisconsin children and families if the proposed constitutional amendment passes. “The proposed constitutional amendment could harm the health and welfare of Wisconsin children and families. For example, it could preclude children from obtaining health care benefits or preclude parents from making emergency health care decisions for their children. Similar bans in other states also have been used to deny legal protections to battered women who live with, but are not married to, their abusers,” they wrote
The leaders of Wisconsin’s legal community concluded by urging “Wisconsin citizens to reject the proposed constitutional amendment by voting ‘No’ on November 7.”
World & National News:
Schwarzenegger Signs One, Vetoes Another
Gay BillSacramento - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger added to his mixed record on gay rights by signing one bill on September 5 protecting LGBT people from discrimination in state programs, then vetoing a second bill that would have protected gay students a day later.
Schwarzenegger signed the Nondiscrimination in State Programs and Activities Act, sponsored by state Senator. Sheila Kuehl, an out lesbian Democrat from Santa Monica, that bans discrimination in state-operated or state-funded programs on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
The bill, which faced strong opposition from conservative religious groups, will protect all Californians who use services such as food stamps, financial aid and police and fire protection.
However, on September 6 Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation that would have barred discrimination against gays in public schools.
That measure, also sponsored by Kuehl, would have prohibited the instruction, use of textbooks or school-sponsored activities that adversely reflect on people based on their sexual orientation -- adding to an existing law that bars discrimination in schools based on race, sex, color, creed, handicap, national origin or ancestry.
Schwarzenegger said the measure wouldn’t have enhanced protections offered under current law against discrimination based on sexual orientation. “I think that it is covered by the Education Code. It says it all, that we fight prejudice,’’ Schwarzenegger said, though he claimed that he remains “totally committed 100% to fight prejudice in our schools.”
Kuehl called the veto ``inexplicable’’ and said she had “deeply amended’’ the measure in response to Schwarzenegger’s initial opposition. In its original form, the measure would have required schools to teach students about the contributions of prominent gays, which drew fire from conservative organizations.
Leaders for the LGBT advocacy group Equality California said Schwarzenegger’s reasoning makes no sense. “The governor unfortunately seems to be paying attention to the far right wing that has really been vocal and loud in their opposition to this bill, and they have really delivered a lot of misinformation and created a very vocal opposition among their constituents,’’ Political Director Seth Kilbourn said.
Travolta’s Same-Sex Kiss Pics Renew Gay Rumors
Hamilton, Ontario - The National Enquirer’s publishing of a photo of John Travolta kissing another man on the steps of his private plane here has
renewed
widespread rumors about the Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction gay
side.Whispers about John Travolta’s sexuality that have blown through Hollywood for years are getting louder now that the actor was caught kissing another man in Canada. In photographs published in a recent issue of the Enquirer, Travolta is seen planting a kiss on the lips of an unidentified man on the steps of his private plane at an airport in Hamilton, Ontario.
Travolta, has been flying his Boeing 707 in and out of Hamilton as production gets underway in Toronto on the remake of Hairspray, in which he cross dresses to play the role of Edna Turnblad.
The tabloid noted that Travolta, whose left arm is on the man’s back, got “up on one toe while puckering up with his pal.” While the kiss could be nothing but a friendly peck the pictures are fueling longtime speculation about the star’s sexual orientation.
Travolta waited until he was 37 to get married and become a father. Shortly after the Enquirer published claims by porn star Paul Barresi - who alleged he had a two-year affair with the actor - Travolta married actress and fellow Church of Scientology follower Kelly Preston. The couple has two children: Jett, 14, and Ella Bleu, 6.
Barresi, who reportedly received $100,000 from the tabloid, later retracted his story after discussions with Travolta’s lawyer. “I was having a nervous breakdown,” Barresi told Jim D’Entremont of The Guide, a gay publication. “I just wanted it to be over. But when the dust settled, I regretted the retraction a lot more than I regretted that initial call to the Enquirer.”
The allegations have not been limited to tabloids. In a 1991 cover story in Time entitled “Scientology: A Thriving Cult of Greed and Power,” the magazine reported that, according to former Scientology security head Richard Aznaran, Church leader David Miscavige repeatedly joked about Travolta’s alleged “promiscuous homosexual behavior.”
In 1998, Travolta was named in a lawsuit from a gay man who claimed the Church of Scientology promised to “cure” him of his homosexuality and cited Travolta as a success story. Michael Pattinson alleged he “reasonably relied upon” Travolta’s marriage to Preston as proof that “Scientology processing and courses would ‘handle’ my own homosexuality.”
Responding to the lawsuit, Travolta’s lawyer Jay Lavely told the New York Daily News: “Travolta is a happily married man, which proves he isn’t gay.”
Only five years ago, a business executive alleged in Globe that Travolta made a pass at him in the sauna of Spectrum Club, a fitness gym in Valencia, California. Travolta had made several visits to the club while filming Swordfish nearby, it was independent confirmed. Mark claimed he rebuffed the actor’s alleged advances because he was chubby and “really hairy on his back, upper arms and chest.”
Travolta moved to Hollywood and landed a few minor roles in film and TV before he was asked, at 21, to play teenager Vinnie Barbarino on the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. The series lasted four seasons and made Travolta a star.
For his role in Hairspray, Travolta has to dress as a woman. His character’s husband is played by Christopher Walken. The film, which is shooting in Toronto through December, is due for release next summer.
State News:
Wisconsin
Ban Supporters Masquerade As County Fair WorkersMineral Point - Local police were called to the Iowa County Fair here over the Labor Day weekend to force a group supporting the proposed marriage and civil union ban to leave the grounds after they were discovered to be impersonating county fair workers.
The four day fair, which ran August 30 through September 3, welcomes political groups who rent booth space in the fair’s exhibit hall. Among the booths at this year’s fair were the local district Democratic and Republican parties and Wisconsin Won’t Discriminate, the southwest Wisconsin action network for Fair Wisconsin - the group opposing the amendment.
WI Coalition logo The group supporting the ban donned T-shirts imprinted with the words “Fair Worker.” Group members set up at the fair’s front gate next to actual fair staff taking tickets and handed out their brochures to every car entering the grounds. Brochures allegedly referred to the Wisconsin Coalition For Traditional Marriage, a group affiliated with the Family Research Institute of Wisconsin, the organization coordinating support for the constitutional amendment that would prohibit any legal recognition of unmarried couples, regardless of sexual orientation.
“The ticket takers, being bona-fide volunteer fair workers themselves, didn’t know anything was amiss and didn’t know what was in the brochures, until the fair office started hearing complaints. And then more complaints,” Wisconsin Won’t Discriminate blogger Coleman wrote in a report on the incident.
Fair officials then asked the group to leave the entrance area. When the group refused, local police intervened. The group left and apparently no arrests were made.
The ban supporters could have obtained a booth, even with last minute notice, according to Iowa County Fair commissioner Phil Crawford. “The group would have been welcome to pay their fee and secure exhibit space like anyone else,” he said.
Crawford also noted that the fair commission has never allowed anyone to distribute any kind of literature at the fair gates, or on the fair grounds themselves. “It’s just not appropriate,” he said. “People are coming to see the pigs and the chickens, not to be confronted by any political campaign.”
ARCW Receives $2 Million Grant To Open Second Dental Clinic
Milwaukee - The AIDS Resource Center Of Wisconsin has been awarded a new 5-year, $2 million grant to establish and operate a dental clinic for HIV patients through the agency’s Green Bay office. the clinic will be funded through the Health Services & Resources Administration from Part F of the Ryan White CARE Act. The grant is ARCW’s fourth Special Project of National Significance grant to be awarded by the federal government.
With additional capital funding from northeast Wisconsin area foundations, ARCW will construct an HIV Specialty Dental Clinic in its Green Bay office including a patient reception area, two dental suites, and dental x-ray area. The clinic is expected to be opened in February, 2007.
ARCW also will hire a dentist, dental hygienist and dental assistance/customer service representative to staff the clinic and provide high quality dental care to a projected 500 people with HIV over the 5 year grant period. The clinic is expected to draw patients from ARCW’s northeast and northern regions, along with central Wisconsin counties served by Madison’s AIDS Network.
Beginning in February, 2007, ARCW will operate the clinic two days a week with the future growth of the clinic based on the needs of the clinic’s
patients. Anyone living with HIV - regardless of where they live in Wisconsin will be invited to receive their care in ARCW’s new dental clinic in Green Bay or ARCW’s dental clinic in Milwaukee.
ARCW’s Vice President Mike Gifford told Quest that further details will be forthcoming as ARCW begins to work on this grant in the weeks ahead. Gifford also acknowledged agency grant writer Dan Bitenc, Health Services Director Cindee Shapiro and Dental Clinic Director Steve Debbink, DDS, “for their important and insightful work on this grant.”
Focus On The Family Joins Wisconsin Marriage Ban Battle
Milwaukee - A co-sponsored, complimentary August 29 training seminar here for “pastors and Christian leaders” marked the formal entry of one of the nation’s largest Religious Right organizations into the ballot battle over the proposed amendment to the Wisconsin constitution banning gay marriage and civil unions.
The day-long “Standing In The Gap” seminar on homosexuality issues is co-sponsored by the James Dobson helmed group and the Family Research Institute of Wisconsin, the statewide organization organizing support for the amendment. The event was held at the non-denominational New Testament Church of Milwaukee, 10201 West Bradley Road from 8:30 AM - 3 PM.
Among the topics addressed by Focus On The Family speakers at the conference were “Debunking the ‘Born Gay’ Myth,” “Responding To Pro-Gay Revisionist Theology,” “Straight Thinking on ‘Gay’ Marriage,” and “Marriage Under Fire In Wisconsin.” The seminar was billed as addressing the “culturally confusing, divisive and timely topic” and equipping attendees “to more effectively convey God’s truth about homosexuality - compassionately and without compromise.”
Focus On The Family recently released “Why Not Gay Marriage,” a DVD and accompanying booklet with that promises “answers to some of the most-often asked questions in the ‘gay marriage’ debate.” Nearly 70 minutes in length, the DVD features Focus on the Family’s Glenn Stanton, who travels the country approximately 12-15 times a year debating the issue.
“The way we have made gains in the pro-life movement, is by finally getting our talking points right - finally being able to talk persuasively about the unborn child, “ Stanton said in a press release announcing the DVD. “We thought, we need to do that on this issue. The same-sex marriage issue is like the abortion issue in that it’s a hugely consequential issue that addresses fundamental questions about what it means to be human.”
With a reported annual revenue in 2005 nearing $138 million, the Colorado-based Focus On The Family is the second largest Religious Right group in the United States according to “The Top Ten Power Brokers Of The Religious Right,” a recent report issued by the liberal Americans United For The Separation of Church and State. Although sometimes mistakenly identified as a minister, James Dobson is a child psychologist who founded Focus on the Family in 1977 and whose syndicated columns and radio broadcasts are widely available in Wisconsin.
In 2005 the Wisconsin Legislature voted to hire lawyers from the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a Dobson-founded, self-described “Christian legal team” to insert the legislature into the lawsuit brought by the Wisconsin chapter of the ACLU and six lesbian couples against the state over domestic partner benefits. Wisconsin Public Television recently utilized an ADF-provided attorney to make the case for the proposed constitutional amendment banning legal recognition for all unmarried couples in a “mock trial” to be aired next month on the network.
Marriage ban opponents also have support from national groups. Both the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay And Lesbian Task Force have links relating to Fair Wisconsin on their websites. However, those groups are dwarfed in scope by the Dobson operation. In an exclusive 2005 Quest interview, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman noted: “Focus On The Family has more money and more employees than every gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered organization combined.”
Milwaukee Gay Arts Center Seeks Support To Prevent Closure
Milwaukee - The recent shuttering of Queer Life’s offices here has called the future of the highly regarded Milwaukee Gay Arts Center into doubt. Though rumors of a change in ownership have swirled through the local LGBT community following emails to staff asking for submissions for a possible October issue, the offices remain dark and have put a financial burden on the arts center which shares the space with the monthly.
In a September 7 appeal to its supporters, MGAC director Paul Masterson detailed the center’s dilemma. “The Milwaukee Gay Arts Center’s primary purpose is to serve and promote the betterment of the Milwaukee LGBT community through providing a safe, secure and friendly environment for LGBT artists to express, display and perform LGBT relevant visual and performing arts as well as provide arts related educational opportunities,” Masterson wrote.
Masterson listed the critical praise for the venue. “Since March 2005, the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, a non-profit arts and educational organization, recognized as a ‘hidden gem’ by the Shepherd Express and as ‘Featured Gallery’ in the April 2005 Historic Third Ward’s Gallery Night and Day, strives to fulfill this mission through its varied programming of visual and performance arts as well as education,” he wrote.
Masterson also cited MGAC’s support of the city’s LGBT community. “(The MGAC) has contributed directly to ARCW and Center Advocates,” he continued. “It has also donated the use of its Walker’s Point venue for fund raising and other events for the LGBT Community Center, SAGE, the LGBT Film & Video Festival, Women’s Voices Milwaukee, Milwaukee Momentum, ARCW Bag Boyz, SSBL, the Visioning Project, PrideFest, Pride Parade, FORGE and HIT.”
“Now the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center desperately needs your support,” Masterson continued. “Our need is immediate. Since the current state of Q Life is unclear, the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center is in an awkward financial position. Our rent, previously split with Q Life, is due and the upcoming theater presentation of ‘Perestroika,’ (which opened September 8) involves significant production costs.”
Masterson has asked his supporters to show “your support either through simply attending the play or by a contribution to provide underwriting for operational costs.”
Masterson noted that the MGAC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and donations are tax deductible. To financially support the center, contact MGAC by phone at: 414-383-3727 or by email at: milwgac@yahoo.com.
Direct donations may also be made through www.paypal.com using the MGAC account under milwgac@yahoo.com.
The Uncommon Theatre production of Tony Kushner’s Tony Award winning play, Perestroika - Angels in America Part II, continues the saga of Mormons, Republicans and the AIDS crisis of the 1980’s in a black comedy-tragedy. Set in New York City , the play is about ideological conflicts in a society that extols freedom yet institutionalizes homophobia. The struggle towards reconciliation is the task of the individual with the help of ghosts and angels.
The play’s formal Opening Performance, on Thursday, September 14, will be followed by continuing performances on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through October 7. All performances are at 7:30 PM.
General Admission Tickets are $20. Senior & student tickets are available for $10 on the night of each performance only. Tickets may be purchased online at: www.uncommontheatre.net or at the box office one hour before curtain. The box office can accept payment by cash or check only.
The Milwaukee Gay Arts Center is located at 703 South 2nd Street.
Ban Opponents’ Two-Day Canvass Reaches Over 25,000 Households
Madison - Over 500 volunteers knocked on more than 25,000 doors in at least seventeen Wisconsin cities August 26-27 to urge likely voters to oppose the proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay civil unions and marriages.
According to statistics reported August 28 on the Fair Wisconsin website “No On The Amendment” blog, at least 509 volunteers were involved in the two-day “Walk the Talk” weekend canvass. In Milwaukee, 101 volunteers powered six different canvasses. Nine people talked to voters in Mineral Point. Green Bay had 22 volunteers, Eau Claire had 33, and 248 volunteers talked to Madison voters.
The intensified canvass was Fair Wisconsin’s second concentrated effort to have volunteers bring their message to voters statewide on a one-to-one basis, following an intensive two weekend push last April. Also, smaller groups of canvass volunteers have been going out 1-2 times weekly in neighborhoods nearby many of the ten offices operated by the group around Wisconsin.
The “Walk The Talk” weekend comes following the end of the first week of Fair Wisconsin’s commercials running in the Milwaukee media market, one that reaches nearly half the state’s voters. The canvass also comes just prior an August 29 Milwaukee seminar on homosexuality issues and the proposed ban being co-sponsored by the Family Research Institute of Wisconsin and the national Religious Right organization Focus On The Family.
Some political analysts are pointing to the Fair Wisconsin campaign as the reason for more than ten digit drop in support for the amendment, which would bar legal recognition of all unmarried couples regardless of sexual orientation. Though a Spring, 2006 St. Norbert College poll showed a 60% support for the amendment, recent polls have indicated a 48-49% support for the constitutional ban.
The slide in the polls appears to have caused some concern among amendment supporters. In her August 21 weekly radio program entitled “Beware The Polls,” FRI-WI Executive Director Julaine Appling admonished listeners to not “be easily swayed for the numbers you hear touted on a candidate or on an issue – especially the marriage issue.”
“Regardless of which poll we’re looking at support for the amendment is still leading the way,” Appling reminded listeners, as she cited the 20-0 success record gay marriage ban amendments have had nationwide, one as recently as this past June in Alabama.
However, Wisconsin has been the first state to see a broad-based coalition of political, religious, business and labor groups go on record opposing such a ban, as outlined at the Fair Wisconsin website. Though there have been claims by ban supporters of 5,000 churches representing over two million voters, no similar endorsement list has yet been published.
Milwaukee Brewers Donate $10,000 To AIDS Walk Wisconsin
Milwaukee - The Milwaukee Brewers hit a grand slam September 1 for AIDS Walk Wisconsin, scoring a win for the more than 3,000 people living with HIV/AIDS served by the state’s largest AIDS service organization.
The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin has announced that through the personal support of Brewer’s owner Mark Attanasio, his wife Debbie, and the Brewers Charities, AIDS Walk Wisconsin is $10,000 closer to a very successful walk on Saturday, September 30. “Thank you to the Attanasios and to Brewers Charities for their generous support of the fight against AIDS in Wisconsin,” Doug Nelson, ARCW Executive Director and CEO commented in the press release announcing the donation.
ARCW is less than one month away from the 17th annual AIDS Walk Wisconsin. ARCW hopes to draw 5000 walkers to what has been the largest annual fund raiser for the disease since its inception in 1989. The walk annually supports prevention, treatment, and social service programs for individuals living with HIV and AIDS in every corner of the state.
Among the sponsors for this year’s walk are: American TV & Appliance, Brewers Charities, Clear Channe Outdoor, Dynacare Laboratories, Gilead Sciences, Great Harvest Bread Company, Jewel-Osco, Lamar Transit, Lamers Bus Lines, Managed Health Systems, Midwest Airlines, Milwaukee County Parks, Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, Muzic In Motion, Onmilwaukee.com, Prime Financial Credit Union, ProHealth Care, Promolux, Riverview Antique Market, SC Johnson, Shepherd Express, Sprint, Starbucks, The Onion, Tibotec Therapeutics, Van Galder Bus Lines, Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy, WE Energies, Wells Fargo, Weyco Group, Whole Foods and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
To learn more, register or make a donation for this year’s AIDS Walk, visit the AIDS Walk Wisconsin website at: www.aidswalkwis.org.
Comedienne Margaret Cho In November 9 Orpheum Concert
Madison - Comedienne Margaret Cho will be making a very special appearance at the Orpheum Theatre here on Thursday, November 9 at 8 PM. Opening for Margaret will be her special guest “Lisp.”
Cho’s appearance at Milwaukee’s PrideFest last June broke all-time first night attendance records for the LGBT festival.
Margaret is not currently on a national tour which makes the Madison show even more special. This is one of a limited number of shows where she develops new material in combination with fan favorites from previous shows so Madison fans get a chance to see some material before anyone else.
Cho started performing stand-up at age 16 in a comedy club called The Rose & Thistle above a bookstore her parents ran. Soon after, she won a comedy contest where first prize was opening for Jerry Seinfeld. Arsenio Hall introduced her to late night audiences, Bob Hope put her on a prime time special and, seemingly overnight, Margaret Cho became a national celebrity.
In 1994, she starred in a short-lived ABC sitcom All-American Girl and then in 1999, Cho chronicled her experience on the sitcom in an off Broadway one-woman show called I’m The One That I Want. The film, broke the record for the most money grossed per print in movie history.
After the success of her first show, Cho launched Notorious C.H.O. in 2001, a smash-hit 37-city national tour that culminated in a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. . Cho embarked on her third sold-out national tour, Revolution, in 2003. In 2004, Cho took her politically charged State of Emergency tour through the swing states of the Presidential election.
State of Emergency eventually evolved into her fourth national show, Assassin. Her most political and topical work to date, Assassin toured the US, Canada and Australia and was filmed at the Warner Theatre in Washington D.C. The concert film premiered in select theatres and on the gay and lesbian premium channel Here! TV in late 2005.
Cho has also completed her first narrative feature, Bam Bam and Celeste, which she has described as a fag and fag hag Dumb and Dumber. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in late 2005
Margaret was recently the recipient of the First Amendment Award from the ACLU of Southern California, and the Intrepid Award from the National Organization for Women (NOW). She has also been honored by GLAAD, American Women in Radio and Television, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), and PFLAG for “making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for all, regardless of race, sexual orientation or gender identity.”
“I didn’t mean to be a role model,” Margaret told Quest. “I just speak my truth. I guess speaking from your heart really creates a huge impact... If I could encourage people to use their voices loudly, then that’s my reward.”
Tickets for the Cho event will go on sale to the public Saturday, September 16 at 10 AM at the Orpheum Box office, Ticketmaster, by phone at 608-255-4646, or online at: www.frankproductions.com. Tickets will also be available Monday through Friday from 10AM to 5 PM at the Madison Ticket Agency in the West Lobby of Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Baptist, UCC Churches Unite To Set Concert Against the Marriage Ban
Madison - The First Baptist Church and the First Congregational United Church of Christ here are sponsoring a concert against the proposed constitutional amendment banning marriage and civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. The duo of Susan Drake and Julie Jennings will perform at First Baptist Church, 518 North Franklin Avenue, at 7 PM. on Saturday, October 7.
Susan Drake and Julie Jennings are songwriters and singers from Saint Louis, Missouri. Susan and Julie bring crisp social critique, bold honesty, emotional integrity, and passion for life to their songs. Partners in life, they apply these gifts and much love to co-parenting their children, Sarah and Andrew.
Susan and Julie also are both ordained ministers in the United Church of Christ. Susan works as a hospice chaplain, and Julie is a chaplain to youth in detention. They have been making music together since 1999.
A free will offering will be taken to support the Fair Wisconsin campaign. Susan and Julie will also participate in a
special worship service at First Congregational UCC at 10 AM the next morning, October 8.
The two churches have organized the concert to support and encourage opposition to the amendment to the state constitution on the ballot on 7 November. The amendment will prohibit not only same-gender marriages but any legal recognition of relationship “substantially similar” for any unmarried couple regardless of sexual orientation.
Amendment opponents point out that in other states that have passed similar measures, domestic abuse protection for heterosexual cohabitating couples has ended. It has also invalidated domestic partner benefits for many employers. For more information on the ban visit the Fair Wisconsin website at: www.fairwisconsin.com.
For more information about the concert, contact Jeff Rabe at First Congregational UCC by phone at: 608-233-9751 or by email at: jrabe@firstcongmadison.org.
Ugly Ducklings Set For September 28
Madison - StageQ, Inc. a local not-for-profit theater company has announced its production of the dramatic play Ugly Ducklings by Carolyn Gage. The show opens Thursday, September 28 and will run through Saturday, October 21 at the Bartell Theatre on 113 E. Mifflin Street here.
Ugly Ducklings picks up where Tea and Sympathy and The Children’s Hour left off. Set in a girls’ summer camp, the play explores the dynamics of homophobia in a same-sex environment.
Angie, a middle-class college student, is falling in love with another counselor at the camp, Renée, who is a working-class “out” lesbian.
Against a backdrop of intense homophobia, the young women struggle with their feelings for each other and the problems of defining themselves in a society that insists they be invisible. The camp legend about a monster in the lake parallels the adult phobias about lesbianism, and, confronted with an attempted child suicide, campers and counselors are compelled to face their worst fears in the microcosmic world of the summer camp. This powerful and moving drama deals with girls’ changing self-image and sense of place in the world.
Critics have praised the play. Washington D.C.’s Metro Weekly raved “If it is possible that a piece of theatre can be both gritty and sublime at the same time, then Venus Theatre has achieved it in their world premiere production of Carolyn Gage’s Ugly Ducklings,” while the Washington Blade tabbed the show as “Radically redefining beauty . . . Ugly Ducklings reveals how notions of homosexuality can shatter the souls of girls and women . . . an impressive work. . . . a brutally honest examination of what it means to be a young lesbian, . . .”
Performance times will be Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM. Matinees will be offered at 2 PM on Sundays, October 8 & 15.
Tickets are $10 for Thursdays and Sundays; $15 for Fridays and Saturdays. A benefit performance for GSA for Safe Schools will be run September 29. For more information about the benefit, visit the GLSEN website at: www.glsenscw.org.
Season tickets are also available for all four shows in the 2006-2007 season for $48 each. Visit the stage Q website at www.stageq.com for more information.
Simon’s Lost In Yonkers Opens Madison Theatre Guild 61st Season
Madison - Neil Simon’s comedy Lost In Yonkers has opened the 61st of the Madison theatre Guild here. Simon’s Pulitzer Award winning semi-autobiographical play shows the playwright both onstage at age 13 and, in the writing itself, as a legendary playwright at the pinnacle of his extraordinary career.
Jay and Arty Kurnitz, aged 16 and 13 respectively, have come to live with their domineering grandmother above her candy store in Yonkers in 1942. A dark comedy, full of wry and astute observations on life, love, and the human condition, the play has been making audiences laugh uproariously even as these beautifully realized characters touch their hearts.
The Theatre Guild’s stellar cast includes Carl Cawthorne, Judy Kimball, Ilona Pinzke, Vikki Williams, Ben Winter and introduces Tim Smith and Oliver Redsten as Jay and Arty Kurnitz. Production design by Scott Leisman.
Produced by the Guild at the Bartell Theatre, 113 E. Mifflin Street, 7:30 PM evening performances began September 8 and will run Fridays and Saturdays through September 23. Matinees are scheduled at 2 PM on September 16, 17 and 23. Ticket Prices are $12 for matinees and $15 for evening performances. To obtain tickets, call 608-238-9322 or purchase online at: www.madisontheatreguild.org.
Gay Widower Vahey Asks “$50 For Our 50th” To Oppose Wisconsin Ban
Milwaukee - The surviving half of a gay couple together for over 49 years has asked opponents of the proposed amendment to ban gay civil unions and marriage to donate $50 to honor what would have been their Golden Anniversary on September 16.
In a email sent to thousands of Fair Wisconsin supporters September 5, Ray Vahey asked recipients to honor his relationship with the late Richard Taylor, who passed away in late July, just weeks shy of the couple’s 50th anniversary.
“This summer I lost the love of my life, Richard Taylor,” Vahey began.
“Richard and I planned a September 16 celebration to mark our 50th anniversary, but sadly he didn’t live to see that day. After 49 years, the most important thing I can do is tell our story and help Fair Wisconsin tell the stories of others like us.”
Taylor then recounted how during World War II when Richard was 17, he convinced a reluctant father to allow him to join the Navy. “Richard voluntarily put himself into harms way to protect our freedom and the rights of Americans for generations to follow. Richard fought in every theater of the war, including in the Battle of the USS Wisconsin, which is depicted in a painting that hangs today in our state Capitol,” Vahey wrote.
Vahey then told of how the couple met and fell in love in 1956. “It was a very different time, a time when we were forced to stay silent about our love for one another,” Vahey wrote. “We kept that silence for decades. In fact, we kept silent until just last year.”
Vahey then explained why they broke their silence. “It was the civil unions and marriage ban that persuaded us to speak out,” he wrote. “We often remarked that this last year of our lives was the best one we spent together. That’s why we both became so involved in Fair Wisconsin.”
“In June 2005, we spoke publicly about our love in front of hundreds of people at PrideFest,” Vahey continued. “It felt great to share our story with so many others, and we vowed to speak against injustice for as long as we drew breath.”
“From his hospital bed, Richard wrote this year’s PrideFest speech with me,”Vahey continued.. “He could not attend, but said, ‘Ray, remember I’m standing right beside you.’”
Vahey then recounted the couple’s final days. “This summer Richard grew ill and had to undergo chemotherapy,” Vahey wrote. “We had a date to celebrate our 50th anniversary with a commitment ceremony, but suddenly, it seemed we could not wait. We did not want to lose our last opportunity to make our commitment public, something that friends and family could be there to share with us. Rev. Georgette Wonders performed the ceremony right there in the hospital, even though we still hoped to keep our September date.”
“For the first time, we were joined by relatives and friends we love, in person and in spirit from across the country,” Vahey added. “Our first 48 years were wonderful, but our last year together was by far the most spectacular because of what it felt like to be more open about our lives and to join all of you in struggling against the ban.”
“After a valiant struggle, Richard died on July 28. As I continue to fight for a more Fair Wisconsin, I know he is standing by me even today,” Vahey continued. “I know Richard wanted to join me in this struggle. I have kept our anniversary celebration date. On September 16, friends and family will instead celebrate Richard’s memory.”
Vahey concluded by asking for recipients to consider making a contribution to Fair Wisconsin. “This contribution will help Fair Wisconsin continue to tell the stories of families like ours and so many others who will be deeply affected by the ban,” Vahey concluded.
Fair Wisconsin has set up a special, secure site to allow anyone to honor Vahey and Taylor by making a contribution, To access the donation site, visit Fair Wisconsin at: www.fairwisconsin.com.
There also will be a formal celebration of the Vahey and Taylor’s years together September 16 from 1-4 PM at the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, 1342 N. Astor Street. To RSVP for the “Memorial Tribute & Celebration of 50 Years of Love,” call 414-271-2656, Ext.112 or Ext.125.
Feature Story:
AIDS In Wisconsin 2006: Five Questions For AIDS Network’s Bob Power
Interview by Mike Fitzpatrick
Madison - Between now and the end of September, Wisconsin’s two AIDS service agencies will hold major walk fundraisers. Saturday, September 16 will mark the 4th Annual AIDS Walk, Roll & Stroll here. Billed as “Madison’s Only AIDS Walk,” the AIDS Network-sponsored 7K event will step off from Brittingham Park at 10 AM with a a route that follows along Lake Monona bay, then circles back through the downtown Madison area. This year’s goal is to have 500 walkers and teams raise $40,000.
There is still time to get involved in this year’s event. Call Angela Dupont, Events Manager for AIDS Network by email at: adupont@aidsnetwork.org or by phone at: 608-252-6540, Ext.30. For more information online visit: www.walkrollandstroll.org.
Quest had the opportunity to ask AIDS Network’s Bob Power five quick questions about the State of AIDS In Wisconsin in 2006.
Quest: How would you assess Wisconsin’s current overall status In the battle against HIV/AIDS?
Power: My gut response is we’re holding our own. On the positive side of things, the 374 new HIV infections in Wisconsin in 2005 marked a slight decrease from the 417 new infections in 2004. As the State of Wisconsin AIDS/HIV Surveillance reports tell us, the new infection rate has been remaining steady since 1998. What’s troubling to us at AIDS Network, is the continued decrease in prevention funding. If we really want to reverse the trend and see new infections decrease, we must do more to invest our money, time and effort into realistic, practical HIV prevention work.
On the care and support side of things, we again can see the glass both half full and half empty. Wisconsin continues to be committed to providing access to quality medical care and access to supportive services for those living with HIV/AIDS. Especially notable is the continued strength of Wisconsin’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), as well as the availability of Ryan White Title III funds to provide access to medical care for low-income, uninsured HIV+ people. Unfortunately, the realignment of priorities at the federal level for the Ryan White Care Act puts some of AIDS Network’s consumers in a real bind. While we understand the need to focus on a client’s medical needs, mental health issues and medication adherence, there is a practical side of things. How can our consumers keep medical appointments if they don’t have reliable transportation to get them there? How can our consumers achieve a successful medication adherence plan if they don’t have access to adequate nutrition? Once again, it seems to us that when the bureaucrats inside the Beltway start playing with funding, they lose sight of the practical situation consumers face on a day-to-day basis.
Quest: What has been the greatest success in battle against AIDS in the last year?
Power: As mentioned earlier, it definitely was a good thing to see the new infection rates decline somewhat. After 2004’s stark increase, we were relieved to see that didn’t play out in 2005. The additional money added to the Life Care and Early Intervention Services approved by Governor Doyle was also a boost for people living with HIV/AIDS.
For us at AIDS Network, one of our most promising new programs in development is a peer educator program designed to match an individual who has been newly diagnosed with HIV to a person who has some experience living with HIV/AIDS, including experience taking antiretroviral medications. This program is still in its early stages but promises to reduce isolation and provide education and mentorship for those just learning to manage HIV infection. Developing personalized tools and strategies to live well with HIV/AIDS is key to good medical outcomes for the HIV+ individual.
Quest: What remains the biggest challenge in battling HIV in Wisconsin?
Power: One challenge is the waning interest in HIV/AIDS, which in turn, negatively impacts the fundraising efforts. For several years, it seems the complacency about HIV/AIDS has only continued to increase. When the community doesn’t see the issue as an urgent one, the ability to raise sufficient funds becomes that much harder. Time and time again I hear things like, “AIDS fund raising? Been there. Done that.” While it’s understandable there is a certain amount of burnout from our donors, it is imperative for those of us in the HIV/AIDS field to continually remind the citizens of Wisconsin that there is an urgent need. People are still getting infected, people are still dying.
Another challenge is trying to split the small amount of prevention money available to address the needs of multiple at-risk populations. The Wisconsin AIDS/HIV Programs review of the HIV epidemic through 2005 clearly states that men who have sex with other men continued to be the population most heavily impacted by HIV in Wisconsin. Yet, other at risk populations such as, young men who have sex with men, African Americans, and women of color still have disproportionately high rates of HIV infection compared to their white male counterparts. How can we adequately address the needs of all these populations when prevention funding is woefully inadequate?
Finally, as we all know, Wisconsin is largely a rural state. This is certainly true our service area. It is often difficult for HIV+ individuals who live far from medical care or supportive services to get the help they need. Social isolation also remains a significant factor.
Quest: What do you think Wisconsin does better than others in fighting HIV/AIDS?
Power: Networking - Because Wisconsin’s overall prevalence rate is low, providers have had to collaborate with many agencies that serve the general public in order to address the support needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS. When HIV+ people are served by medical clinics, mental health providers, food pantries, shelters, and other agencies that also serve other populations, the wider community is integrated to serve the needs of those living with HIV/AIDS.
I also think that for the most part, we’re a very client-focused group of providers. At AIDS Network, we take pride in being a consumer-centered agency and we do all we can to meet the needs of those who have come to us for help.
Quest: What do you think is the most important reason why people should participate in AIDS Network’s “Walk, Roll & Stroll” this weekend?
Power: As I stated earlier, it is imperative for us to continue doing our walks, rides and dinners, if for nothing else, to keep the HIV/AIDS topic in the public’s eye. By participating in Madison’s only AIDS walk, you’ll be doing that and hopefully raising a bucketload of money to help those living with HIV today and to help prevent it from happening to others.
Quest has put the same five questions to ARCW’s Doug Nelson (changing the name of the event in the final query to AIDS Walk Wisconsin). We hope to share his insights with our readers in our next issue.