Quest Vol. 13 No. 3

*Quest News* Volume 13 No. 3 March 2, 2006 Compiled & written by Mike Fitzpatrick Top Story: Wisconsin Assembly Sets Vote On Marriage Equality Ban Assembly Vote Hot Topic At Fox Cities “Building Marriage Equality” Conference Madison, Appleton – As Quest goes to press, the Republican leadership of the Wisconsin Assembly has set February 28 for a vote on AJR-67, the proposed amendment to the Wisconsin constitution to ban all legal recognition for same sex and other unmarried couples. Both supporters and opponents of the measure expect it to pass after floor debate. Unlike its first passage, however, the proposed amendment is expected to pass by a closer and more partisan vote. Capitol insiders have told Quest that several Democrats will join with the Republican majority to pass the bill, thus putting the proposed amendment to a voter referendum on November 7. Quest has also learned that at least one Republican will speak against the bill and others are likely to vote “no.” News of the vote electrified the more than 130 attendees at the “Building Marriage Equality” conference in Appleton February 25. According to conference coordinator Aaron Sherer, the day long event was “past capacity.” “We literally couldn’t fit any more people in if we wanted to,” Sherer told Quest. “There’s really no more space.” Conference staff had to make up extra copies of every handout for the more than thirty walk-ins, a number of whom admitted they were energized by the Assembly vote announcement. Attendees heard “No On The Amendment” campaign director Mike Tate explain why opponents expected Wisconsin to be the first state to defeat such a ballot measure. Tate reiterated his message in a follow up interview with Quest. Fair Wisconsin Campaign To Start March 1 Tate first advised that the official “Fair Wisconsin” campaign in opposition to the ballot measure will kick off March 1, the day after the bill’s expected passage. Press conferences will be held daily around the state, beginning in Madison and Milwaukee, the respective home bases of lead sponsor organizations Action Wisconsin and Center Advocates. A mass mailing announcing the establishment of the campaign organization reached the two civil rights groups’ donor bases this past weekend. Fair Wisconsin’s preview website (at: www.fairwisconsin.com) characterizes the referendum as instigated by “cynical lawmakers (who) have forced a measure onto the November ballot that would forever deny civil unions and marriage to lesbian and gay couples. It would also threaten domestic partner benefits.” The site is also expected to “go live” on March 1. Tate’s assessment of the pending Assembly vote was equally blunt. “It’s been pretty clear from the beginning that there’s a lot of people on the side that pushing this amendment for pure partisan reasons,” Tate told Quest. “They’re trying to hang this around Jim Doyle’s neck. They think it will be a tool to bring out additional conservative voters.” Tate thinks Republican leaders are in for a surprise. “I think that assumption is wrong,” Tate said. “I think this amendment will be opposed by a wide variety of people - Democrats, Republicans, independents - that realize that this isn’t the role of government. A civil unions ban is not what we want to do here. There are serious harms that this civil unions and marriage ban will cause.” Tate also confirmed that he was aware of the widespread insider rumors of internal polling conducted by the Republican Party of Wisconsin that showed the amendment battle to be a dead heat, with a majority of GOP women opposing the bill. “I don’t know the specifics about that (poll), but that would play in line with what we know about Wisconsin voters,” Tate told Quest. “Wisconsin voters are fair and independent. There are a lot of Wisconsin voters who will vote ‘no’ on this civil unions ban who don’t know anyone who’s gay or may be uncomfortable with the concept of gay families. They know that this isn’t their ‘call’- this isn’t the role of government.” Tate also cited other polling already available. “The Wisconsin public is overwhelmingly in favor of civil unions and domestic partner benefits. Those would be banned if this thing would be voted into our constitution,” Tate said. “Wisconsin voters are fair and independent. They don’t want to put discrimination in the constitution.” “The only poll that matters is the one that comes out on Election day,” Tate added. Editor’s Note: Quest first received a tip on the alleged poll from a GOP insider in January but has been unsuccessful in obtaining a hard copy or sufficient confirmation that the polling is more than a rumor. However, the story of a poll showing a statistical “tie” of 43-41% in favor of the referendum, with a slight majority of Republican women opposing the measure has been remarkably consistent. 256 Days Until The Ballot Without delving into particulars, Tate sketched out Fair Wisconsin’s overall game plan. “What we’re going to be doing is spending the next 256 days talking about why the civil unions and marriage band will be bad for Wisconsin,” Tate said. “Defeating the civil unions and marriage ban will happen because of the people who live here (in Wisconsin). They’re fair and independent. There’s a strong libertarian streak that runs through people who identify with both political affiliations.” Tate sees a Wisconsin tradition that will work in Fair Wisconsin’s favor. “We have a strong tradition of bucking national trends,” he said. Tate also credits the more than two years of grassroots organizing that has been done by both Action Wisconsin and Milwaukee’s Center Advocates a key factor in the coming fight. “They have built a base of organization that will be easy to build off and expand,” Tate said. “Between our great organization and the voters of Wisconsin who are fair and independent, we’re very confident we’re going to defeat the ban.” Money will be an issue in the equation for success, however. “This is going to be a multi-million dollar campaign,” Tate said. “We are actively raising raising money and if anyone who wants to help us out can go to actionwisconsin.org and contribute online. However, we anticipate that fund-raising will be a challenge, we also anticipate being able to raise enough money to win!” World & National News: Seven Soldiers Charged In Gay Internet Porn Scandal Raleigh - The Army has charged seven paratroopers from the celebrated 82nd Airborne Division with engaging in sex acts in video shown on a gay pornographic website, authorities said February 24. Three of the soldiers face courts-martial on charges of sodomy, pandering and engaging in sex acts for money, according to a statement released Friday by the military. Four other soldiers, whose names were not released, received nonjudicial punishments. The Army has recommended that all be discharged. The charges do not mention the name of the site, but the division has said previously it was investigating allegations that soldiers appeared on a gay pornography website. A spokesman for the division said the charges are a result of that investigation. The website on which the Army has said soldiers appeared does not make any direct reference to the division or Fort Bragg, a sprawling post about 70 miles south of Raleigh. Quest has been able to identify the site in question as Dink Flamingo’s Active Duty (www.activeduty.com), which advertises itself as offering “Hot American Soldiers Having Wild Gay Sex.” After being unavailable for several weeks the site appears to have returned to business. As of February 19, the site was offering new passwords to paid customers and new memberships to those who agree they are not related in any way to the U. S. government investigation, among other criteria. “As far as we’re concerned, it’s isolated to the unit, and our investigation determined that these seven individuals were the only ones” involved, 82nd Airborne spokesman Maj. Thomas Earnhardt said. Earnhardt said the three soldiers charged criminally under the Uniform Code of Military Justice had been appointed military attorneys, but he said the lawyers would be unavailable for comment at Quest’s deadline. The three soldiers who face courts-martial are: Spc. Richard T. Ashley, Pfc. Wesley K. Mitten and Pvt. Kagen B. Mullen. The Army did not release their ages or home towns, but said all seven paratroopers were members of the 2nd Battalion of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The nonjudicial punishment received by the four other soldiers included reduction to the rank of private, 45 days of restriction to the unit area, 45 days of extra duty and forfeiture of a month’s pay. Dennis Ashe, the alleged owner of the Active Duty.com domain name according to the site on which it is formally registered, lists an address in Fayetteville, the city that adjoins Fort Bragg. A phone number listed for the registered owner was not in service on February 24, and e-mails to the owner have been regularly returned as undeliverable. Though the site has a North Carolina mailing address, web operations appear to be based in Arizona. The 15,000 paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne are among the Army’s most elite soldiers, all having volunteered to serve in a unit that trains to deploy anywhere in the world within 18 hours. The military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy states that being gay “alone is not a bar to service, but homosexual conduct is incompatible with military service.” Service members who are found to violate the policy can be removed from the military. No Review For Matthew Shepard’s Killer’s Case Cheyenne - A federal judge has refused to grant a review to the case of Russell Henderson, one of two men convicted in the 1998 murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard. U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer rejected Henderson’s motion for a writ of habeas corpus February 16. Henderson’s attorney, Tim Newcomb, argued that Henderson was never told of his right to appeal, thus effectively denying Henderson his right to appellate counsel. A state district court and the Wyoming Supreme Court previously rejected Henderson’s motion. In April 1999, Henderson pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery and murder of Shepard. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, but prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty because of the plea deal. Henderson and Aaron McKinney beat Shepard and tied him to a fence outside Laramie in October 1998. Shepard was alive when he was found 16 hours after the beating, but died later from his injuries. The murder ignited a nationwide debate over whether more laws were needed to discourage hate crimes. McKinney is also serving two life terms. Genetic Study: “Mom Made You Gay” Los Angeles - New research adds a twist to the debate on the origins of sexual orientation, suggesting that the genetics of mothers of multiple gay sons act differently than those of other women. Scientists found that almost one fourth of the mothers who had more than one gay son processed X chromosomes in their bodies in the same way. Normally, women randomly process the chromosomes in one of two ways - half go one way, half go the other. The research “confirms that there is a strong genetic basis for sexual orientation, and that for some gay men, genes on the X chromosome are involved,” study co-author Sven Bocklandt said. Bocklandt is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at Los Angeles. The link between genetics and sexual orientation has been a hot topic for more than a decade as a few scientists have tried to find genes that might make people gay or straight. In the new study, Bocklandt and colleagues examined a phenomenon called “X-chromosome inactivation.” While females have two X chromosomes, they actually require only one and routinely inactivate the other, Bocklandt said. “That way, both men and women have basically one functional X chromosome,” he added. Men have both an X and Y chromosome, but the Y chromosome plays a much smaller role, he said. Women typically inactivate one of their two X chromosomes at random. “It’s like flipping a coin,” Bocklandt said. “If you look at a woman in any given (bodily) tissue, you’d expect about half of the cells to inactivate one X, and half would inactivate the other.” In the new study, researchers looked at 97 mothers of gay sons and 103 mothers without gay sons to see if there was any difference in how they handled their X chromosomes. The findings appear in the February issue of the journal Human Genetics. “When we looked at women who have gay kids, in those with more than one gay son, we saw a quarter of them inactivate the same X in virtually every cell we checked,” Bocklandt said. “That’s extremely unusual.” Forty-four of the women had more than one gay son. In contrast, 4% of mothers with no gay sons activated the chromosome and 13% of those with just one gay son did. Bocklandt thinks he and his colleagues are moving closer to understanding the origins of sexual orientation. “What’s really remarkable and very novel about this is that you see something in the bodies of women that is linked to a behavioral trait in their sons,” he said. “That’s new, that’s unheard of.” “We’re trying to understand one of the most critical human traits: the ability to love and be attracted to others,” Bocklandt added. “Without sexual reproduction we would not exist, and sexual selection played an essential role in evolution. Yet, we have no idea how it works, and that’s what we’re trying to find out.” “As with any research, the knowledge you acquire could be used for benefit or harm,”Bocklandt concluded. “But if [scientists] would have avoided research because we were afraid of what we were going to find, then we would still be living in the stone age.” First-Married New York Gay Couple To Split New Platz, NY - After two years of married life, the first gay couple to be unofficially married here is splitting up. Billiam vanRoestenberg told MidHudsonNews.com that his husband, Jeffrey McGowan and he, were getting divorced. The couple lived in Plattekill. The couple was the first to be married by New Paltz Village Mayor Jason West, and other village officials, who wound up defying state law and performing solemnization ceremonies between other couples before he was barred by the courts from performing any others. Two Unitarian clergywomen and a New Paltz village trustee would later perform other weddings. VanRoestenberg operated a chicken farm in the New Paltz area. He was an unsuccessful candidate for county legislature last year. McGowan is a retired Naval officer. McGowan and vanRoestenberg were the first of a dozen same-sex couples to be married on February 27, 2004. McGowan is said to have been the partner to have sought the split. “I am so distraught over this,” vanRoestenberg told MidHudsonNews.com. The courts have since then ruled that marriage, as defined by the state Constitution, is a union between a man and a woman. No court decision invalidated any of the solemnizations between the same-sex couples in New Paltz. Feingold Hires LGBT Outreach Firm Washington, DC - Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) has announced the hiring of Scott & Yandura to assist the Senator’s leadership PAC, The Progressive Patriots Fund, with the organization’s outreach to the LGBT community. Scott & Yandura develops creative outreach strategies and grassroots campaigns for businesses, organizations, and individuals who want to expand their influence, grow their resources and gain access to new markets. S & Y is the preeminent firm for candidates, organizations and businesses looking to strengthen relationships with the LGBT community in the United States. “By working together I hope to gain a more in-depth knowledge of the concerns facing LGBT Americans as I continue my work on the issues that so many in the community care about,” Feingold said. As a three-term Democratic Senator from Wisconsin, Russ Feingold is a longstanding advocate for the LGBT community in the United States Senate. In 1996 Feingold was one of only 14 Senators to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act, and he continues to stand on the frontlines in the fight for equality as the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee holding hearings on the Federal Marriage Amendment. Mark Perriello, a Senior Associate with Scott & Yandura will be working with Senator Feingold’s Progressive Patriots Fund and its staff to strengthen relationships with the LGBT community nationally. “Senator Feingold is a true champion for our community,” Perriello said. “When people hear about his straightforward leadership and outstanding record they are very impressed.” Man Pays $100,000 For ‘Brokeback’ Shirts Los Angeles - A man who just spent $100,000 on two used plaid shirts says he couldn’t be happier about it. The shirts were worn by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in the movie “Brokeback Mountain.” As Tom Gregory sees it, the shirts not only represent the relationship of the characters in the film, they also represent the battle for acceptance by gay people. Gregory is a long-time gay activist who said he plans to keep the shirts “as they were, on the hangar, entwined.” He said he would never wear them, or separate them. The distributor of the movie donated the two shirts to benefit Variety, the Children’s Charity of Southern California. They were sold on ebay, and Gregory’s winning bid came just 28 seconds before the auction came to a close. State News: Doyle Signs Law Limiting Anti-Gay Funeral Protests Westboro Wackos Also Must Contend With Motorcyclist Counter Protesters. Madison - Flanked by members of ten state families who have lost their soldier sons and daughters in Iraq, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle signed the Funeral Dignity Act here on President’s Day, February 20. The bipartisan-sponsored bill passed both houses of the legislature with only three dissenting votes on February 2. Doyle’s signature made Wisconsin the first to enact such a law since the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church began conducting their anti-gay protests at military funerals, although 14 others are considering similar bills in response to the church’s protests at dozens of military funerals across the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Wisconsin’s law applies to protests within 500 feet of the entrance of a memorial service or a funeral, beginning one hour before and lasting to one hour after the event. The law punishes first-time violators with up to $10,000 fines and nine months in jail. A second offense could bring up to a 3-year jail term. Attorneys for the church, whose 75-member congregation is made almost entirely of family members of the denomination’s leader Fred Phelps, claim they will test the constitutionality of the Wisconsin law. An earlier attempt by the state of Kansas to limit the church’s strident, “God hates fags”-laced protests was found unconstitutional in 1999. Whatever the fate of the new law, future Phelps family protests will have to deal with Wisconsin contingent of the Patriot Guard Riders, a national motorcycle group made up in large part of military veterans who physically block mourners’ views of the Westboro placards and rev their engines to drown out the hate-filled speech. According to state Patriot Guard coordinator Greg MacDonald of Manchester, the Wisconsin unit formed very quickly and numbers several dozen riders. “I was disgusted by these protesters who disrupt the funerals of Wisconsin soldiers and decided to fight back,” MacDonald said. According to the national organization’s website (www.patriotguard.org) the Patriot Guard is only six months old and describes itself as “a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security.” The group doesn’t “care what you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a ‘hawk’ or a ‘dove.’ It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what your income is. You don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.” According to the group’s website, there are now Patriot Guard contingents in 46 states, with only Alaska, Massachusetts, Michigan and Vermont remaining to be organized. Losing Attorney In Action WI Suit Has Assets Garnished Wauwatosa - Attorney James Donohoo, who filed a frivolous lawsuit against Action Wisconsin over that group’s comments about an anti-gay preacher’s apparent death threats, has had his bank accounts garnished in an attempt to collect the $87,452 awarded to the gay civil rights group in mid-January. Madison attorney Lester Pines garnished about $20,000 from Donohoo’s accounts about one week after Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Patricia McMahon tossed the suit as frivolous and ordered Donohoo to pay the legal fees Pines’ firm had charged to AW for their defense. The garnishment came to light in a February 18 story by Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel political columnists Cary Spivak and Dan Bice. “I’m an idiot,” Donohoo told the columnists. “There was $14,000 just going through there just for a day. That was my fault - I’m a schmuck.” Donohoo claimed he felt the loss for “about an hour.” “I knew (AW’s lawyers) were pretty ruthless and they might come at me instantly, and they did,” Donohoo added. “They wanted to garnish me and they did - just so I would feel the indignity of it.” “There was nothing unusual about garnisheeing Mr. Donohoo’s bank account,” Pines countered. “What is unusual is that he would publicize this fact.” Donohoo claims that he is appealing McMahon’s order to pay the award. Overture Center Welcomes Bill T. Jones and the Arnie Zane Dance Company Madison - Bill T. Jones and the Arnie Zane Dance Company, winner of New York Dance and Performance Award, will celebrate the grace and radiance of African American dance in a multi-layered performance on Tuesday, March 7 at 7:30 PM, in Overture Hall, 201 State Street here. “Bill T. Jones not only sets his dancers in marvelous motion, he makes your thoughts go round as well,” writes the Washington Post. “He offers a mystery, leaves many trails scented with possibility, brings you close enough to care—and then snaps down the curtain. What could be more delicious?” The company’s newest production, Blind Date, combines movement, music and the spoken word into a visually arresting examination of compelling social and political questions, with text drawn from Yukio Mishima’s short story “Patriotism.” Also on the program is Nowhere But Here, a pure dance piece performed to Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements. And what could make the performance more exciting, engaging and interesting than an opportunity to meet the artist? Don’t miss your chance to interact with the stars of the show in a free post-performance question and answer session with the members of Blind Date immediately after the show. Bill T. Jones’ rehearsal director, Janet Wong, will also welcome intermediate and advanced level dancers in the Madison area to join her for a master class on Monday, March 6 from 7-8:30 PM, in Overture Center for the Arts’ Wisconsin Studio, third floor. Pre-registration is required. For more information, or to register, contact Beth Racette at 608- 258- 4177. The program is funded in part by Funded in part by the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts, with lead funding from National Endowment for the Arts and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin, and the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission. Tickets to Bill T. Jones and the Arnie Zane Dance Company are available for $47, $37 and $29 at the Overture Center Ticket Office, 201 State Street, by calling 608-258-4141, TTY: 608-258-4967. Tickets may be also purchased online at: www.overturecenter.com. Children under the age of 6 will not be admitted. 2006 PrideFest To Return To Friday Nights Milwaukee – Friday night has been added to the 2006 PrideFest schedule. PrideFest will be held June 9th, 10th and 11th. For the past two years, the festival had been held on Saturday and Sunday only. “Friday night at PrideFest will once again be a great way to kick off Pride weekend in Milwaukee,” PrideFest Task Force President Scott Gunkel said. The festival will be open Friday, June 9th from 6 - 10 PM with a $5 reduced rate admission. Entertainment and special attractions will be announced at a later date. The fun will continue Saturday and Sunday, June 10 - 11. For more information about PrideFest, visit www.pridefest.com or call 414-272-3378. PrideFest, Wisconsin’s largest celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture and community, is held annually at Henry W. Maier Festival “Summerfest” Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront. ARCW Sets Make A Promise 2006 Milwaukee - The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin has set Saturday, March 25 as the date for it’s 20th annual Make A Promise dinner, dance and silent auction at the Midwest Airlines Center here. This year’s “Strictly Ballroom” theme will allow attendees to witness firsthand the infectious magic that takes place when the spectacular world of competitive ballroom dance meets the fight against AIDS. In partnership with East Towne Ballrooms, Make A Promise will provide an evening of furious and seductive ballroom dance with the help of 24 of Milwaukee’s hottest professional ballroom dancers. ARCW also has announced that it will honor the following people at Make A Promise 2006: Governor Jim Doyle, former ARCW board member Jose Milan of National Association of Theatre Owners of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, and Dr. Richard Olds, the Linda and John Mellows Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Make A Promise will also offer one of Milwaukee’s largest and most colorful silent auctions with items ranging from a luxurious stay in Tuscany to original artwork that cannot be found anywhere else. “There is no shortage of interesting items to bid on at this silent auction,” ARCW Development Director Dan Mueller told Quest. The silent auction will begin at 5:30 PM, closing at 7:45 immediately prior to dinner service. A live auction for the Tuscany package is scheduled for 8:45 PM. Three levels of ticket pricing are available for this year’s Make A Promise dinner. “Fox Trot” general seating will be $85 per ticket (tables of ten, $850). “Cha Cha” preferred dinner seating is $125 per ticket (tables of 10 $1,250) and includes complimentary wine with dinner and $25 in “auction cash” that can be applied to winning silent auction bids. Premiere, dance floor-side “Tango” seating at $200 per ticket (tables of 10, $2,000) seating includes all of the above plus complimentary parking. Attendees at the “Tango” tables will also have a group photo opportunity with Governor Doyle. Reservations may be made online at: www.arcw.org. Click on the “strictly Ballroom” logo to securely purchase tickets. Reservations may also be made by phone at 273-1991 in Milwaukee or 800-359-9272 statewide. “Fire Exit” Recalls The Heyday of Madison’s Hotel Washington Madison - Broom Street Theater proudly presents Fire Exit, a new comic-drama written by Madison playwright Greg Harris and directed by Broom Street Theater veteran Greg Johnson, who will be making his BST directorial debut. Fire Exit is the story of five friends who reunite after seven years apart and break into the burned-out remains of a nightclub they once frequented, attempting to relive old times and recall past friendships. But sometimes the past is more eager to return than expected, and as the friends soon find out, rekindling the embers of old memories can have unexpected results. Some fires, it seems, can never be put out. Meet Heidi and Lex - a lesbian couple attempting to weather a rough patch in their relationship. Meet Mitch – a former drag queen still living the wild days of his youth, even as middle age stalks him. Meet Evan - a former club bouncer dealing with the fallout from his past. And meet Joe – a man who left Madison for New York shortly after the fire changed his and all of their lives forever. Stirring the ashes of the recent past, Fire Exit is a play that takes the audience on a hallucinatory journey through the club culture of the 80’s and 90’s, and prominently features classic dance music of the era as well as brand new pieces composed by musician Sean Lane. According to Harris and Johnson, Fire Exit is inspired by Madison’s legendary Hotel Washington, destroyed in a controversial fire 10 years ago, and promises to be a red-hot evening of theater as only Broom Street Theater can deliver. Fire Exit also boasts a talented 13-member cast including veteran Broom Street actors Greg Johnson, Sarah Cross, Frannie Lyons, Nikki Watson and John Eichenlaub, and welcomes BST newcomers Greg Harris, Ashley Eckergren, Sean Lane, Chris Sayotovich, Austin Perkins, Abby Jensen, Joshua Paffel and Brandon Rice to the mix. Fire Exit continues Broom Street Theater’s 37th season in the Madison area and premieres March 3 at the Broom Street Theater building, 1119 Williamson Street. The show runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 PM until April 9. Doors open at 7:40 PM and tickets can be purchased at that time for $7. Come see why Broom Street Theater is Madison’s favorite live-theater venue according to the Madison Isthmus readers’ polls two years running. It’ll be four-alarm fun with Harris and Johnson’s hot new play Fire Exit – playing exclusively at Broom Street Theater - Madison’s only year-round original and experimental works theater. “No On the Amendment” Speakers’ Training Set For March 8 Green Bay - The Action Wisconsin Speaker’s Network and the Green Bay Action Network will co-sponsor a training for people interested in learning how to voice their opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment to the state’s constitution that will ban any legal recognition to same-sex and all other unmarried couples. The training will be held Wednesday, March 8 at the Preble Park Presbyterian Church, 607 Ravenswood Drive on the city’s northeast side from 6-9 PM. With the vote in the Republican-controlled Assembly likely having passed by the time you read this story (see the Top Story in this issue), knowing what to say and how to say it quickly will win critical votes for the November 7 referendum. National experts now believe that the ground work that has been done by anti-amendment groups in the state over the last two years can make Wisconsin the first state to defeat this anti-gay initiative. Action Wisconsin has already trained 698 people in twelve communities statewide on how to communicate effectively about the harms of the amendment. Our trained supporters inform their circles of friends and family, and many speak to organizations such as their church, service club, or sports team. To stop the amendment we need to have thousands of personal conversations with our family, friends, and co-workers. This training is for anyone and everyone interested in stopping the amendment. You do not need to be a public speaker; we want all of our supporters to feel comfortable articulating the arguments against the amendment. Be outspoken for equality! Register to attend the March 8 training by calling Lindsay at: 608-441-0143, Ext. 309, by emailing her at: speaker@actionwisconsin.org or by signing up online at: www.actionwisconsin.org. RSVP by March 7 at 10 PM (CST). Stage Q Brings Back “Walmartopia” To Overture Center Madison - Walmartopia - a future so horrible, it must be stopped! After a sold-out run at the Bartell Theater last December and January, the Stage Q production of Walmartopia returns by popular demand for one weekend only to the Capitol Theater in the Madison Overture Center March 17 and 18. Walmartopia is latest musical comedy by Catherine Capellaro and Andrew Rohn, the creators of Temp Slave, The Musical. When Vicki, a struggling Wal-Mart employee, speaks out about the company’s working conditions, she finds herself jettisoned into 2035, where she faces the ultimate nightmare: an America run entirely by the Wal-Mart empire. Capellaro and Rohn used news stories about Wal-Mart’s realities to shape this absurdist comedy. Walmartopia is an expanded, full-length version of the wildly popular one-act play that debuted in Mercury Players’ 10th Anniversary Playfest in Madison, Wis. It features a live band and the original songs “Hijack It,” “Nibbled to Death by Guppies,” “Think Outside the Big Box,” and many more. Tickets for the show can be ordered at the Overture Center box office at: 608-258-4141. For more information, including samples of the rave reviews and songs from the show, go to the Walmartopia website at: www.walmartopia.com. OutReach Makes Progress in Executive Director Search Madison - The Personnel Committee of OutReach, the LGBT Community Center for Dane County and South Central Wisconsin, is pleased to announce the receipt of a significant number of highly qualified candidates for the position of Executive Director. According to Connie Bettin, Personnel Committee Chair, “We cast our net widely, and got what we wanted -- applicants with impressive qualifications from within Madison, and from all over the country, literally coast to coast.” The Personnel Committee has conducted an initial screening and is in the process of scheduling first-round interviews. “The OutReach Board decided to take its time with this process,” Board President Bill Turner said. “Now that the applications are in, however, we’re moving quickly. Our top applicants will undoubtedly have other options, so we want to talk to them as soon as we can. Judi Trampf and Connie Bettin are doing an outstanding job on behalf of OutReach in this critical process.” MetLife Financial Rep Working With the LGBT Community Green Bay - Sue Graber, a financial service representative with MetLife Financial Services here is a financial professional now working with the area’s growing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. She will devote her energy to helping people in the community achieve their goals by making smart decisions with their money. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for the relationship that develops between a financial professional and a client,” Graber said. “My goals are to focus on the unique issues that present financial challenges in our community. Graber will assist non-traditional couples cover each other financially in case something were to happen to either of them. She also can review the issues that surround real estate and transferring it securely. Graber also can help same-sex couples make smart decisions with their money so they can retire with a comfortable lifestyle. She also can help with financial planning for shorter-term goals. Graber can also review the options available in order to reduce taxable income and assist LGBT business owners with securing financial protections for both employers and employees. “The LGBT community has unique issues that should be addressed by someone who is familiar with solving their needs” Graber said in announcing her new services. “Priorities sometimes differ from those seen in the straight community.” Graber can be reached by phone at: 800-994-6688 or 920-498-2711, Ext. 123. She may also be contacted by email at: sgraber1@metlife.com or by visiting her website at: suegraber.metlife.com. Latina Author Aspuro y Gonzalez To Appear March 21 Milwaukee - Outwords Books, Gifts & Coffee is delighted to welcome former Milwaukeean Maytee Aspuro y Gonzalez for a publication party on Tuesday, March 21 at 7 PM to celebrate the release of her debut novel, Hesed, a timely and insightful exploration of the tension between contemporary religious institutions and people with lesbian and gay identities. Set in Chicago, Hesed follows the lives of two women with divergent world views. Elizabeth Ann Kelly is a young, devout Anglican priest, new to a troubled, ethnically diverse neighborhood. Beth carries an unspoken burden that has molded her life and her vision of the future. Nicole Isabel Thera is a respected business consultant and owner of the Elysian Fields, an entertainment establishment consisting of a pub, restaurant and dance club that caters to the lesbian and gay community. Nicole’s public life is balanced with a quiet existence designed to contain the harsher consequences of a troubled life. As their respective journeys progress, the two women are confronted with personal and social challenges that ultimately alter the way they see themselves and each other. Hesed has a March, 2006 release date and is published by Cavalier Press Cuban born Aspuro y Gonzalez currently resides in Madison. She holds a Masters in Management from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Masters in Religious Studies from Edgewood College in Madison. She is a Career Executive with the State of Wisconsin. Maytee Aspuro y Gonzalez will read and sign copies of Hesed at the March 21 event to be held at Outwords, 2710 N. Murray Ave. in Milwaukee. This is a free event and everyone is welcome. For further information, please call 414-963-9089 or visit the bookstore’s website at: www.outwordsbooks.com. Madison Gay Softball Registration Begins Madison - The newly renamed Madison Gay Softball League, SSBL-Madison, is accepting registrations for the 2006 season. Participants, 18 and older, can sign up Tuesday, March 7 from 6-8 PM at The Shamrock. All skill levels are encouraged and welcomed to join. Surveys will be conducted to see if there is interest to add a competitive league with the current recreational league. Softball players can go to the league’s website at: ssblmadison.com for information. Questions also can be e-mailed to the league commissioner at: commissioner@ssblmadison.com. Time Warner Cable Welcomes here! Green Bay – Time Warner Cable and here! Networks, announced today that here! – America’s first gay and lesbian television network – is now available to Time Warner Digital Cable customers in Green Bay as a monthly subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service. With the SVOD service, digital customers will have access to here!’s diverse lineup of premium gay and lesbian- themed programming by purchasing a single monthly subscription. “By offering here! as a subscription service, Time Warner is meeting the high demand for diverse, the best in premium gay and lesbian-themed entertainment, as much and as often as viewers choose to watch for one affordable price,” said Maria Dwyer, Vice President, Affiliate Sales and Marketing. Time Warner Cable now offers a variety of here! original and acquired programming including hit movies, series, comedies, specials and documentaries for one monthly subscription charge for $5.95 to digital customers in the greater Green Bay area. Customers will have the opportunity of choosing from a wide selection of titles by simply tuning to digital channel 944 and selecting “premiums” where they can watch here! at any time for one monthly set price. With Time Warner’s subscription video-on-demand service, viewers will have instant access to here!’s monthly program lineup with the power to pause, rewind and fast-forward right from the remote. here!, which owns the world’s largest library of gay and lesbian television programming, is currently in production with made-for-network movies, original series and specials including: John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You, a film series hosted by the legendary director from his hometown of Baltimore; In Her Line of Fire, an original film starring Mariel Hemingway as a lesbian action hero; Dante’s Cove, an original gothic horror series; and Deadly Skies, an original film starring Antonio Sabato, Jr. as a nuclear scientist trying to save the world from an oncoming asteroid. Recent successful shows include Margaret Cho’s concert film, Assassin; Birch and Co., a talk show hosted by Elizabeth Birch, former Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign; and Third Man Out, the critically-acclaimed made-for network movie starring Chad Allen as a gay private investigator. here!, America’s first gay television network, was established in 2002. here!, currently available to more than 42 million households, offers a wide variety of groundbreaking original movies and series plus the world’s largest gay and lesbian film library targeted to a broad-based gay and lesbian audience. here! is available across the U.S. via satellite and carried by major cable providers nationwide. For more information, visit here!’s website at www.heretv.com. To purchase the here! on a monthly SVOD package, customers should call Time Warner Cable at 800-236-1704. Digital service customer can also order by going to 944 and clicking their remote. 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Wisconsin Assembly Sets Vote On Marriage Equality Ban
Assembly Vote Hot Topic At Fox Cities “Building Marriage Equality” Conference
Madison, Appleton – As Quest goes to press, the Republican leadership of the Wisconsin Assembly has set February 28 for a vote on AJR-67, the proposed amendment to the Wisconsin constitution to ban all legal recognition for same sex and other unmarried couples. BME poster

Both supporters and opponents of the measure expect it to pass after floor debate.
Unlike its first passage, however, the proposed amendment is expected to pass by a closer and more partisan vote. Capitol insiders have told Quest that several Democrats will join with the Republican majority to pass the bill, thus putting the proposed amendment to a voter referendum on November 7. Quest has also learned that at least one Republican will speak against the bill and others are likely to vote “no.”
News of the vote electrified the more than 130 attendees at the “Building Marriage Equality” conference in Appleton February 25. According to conference coordinator Aaron Sherer, the day long event was “past capacity.” “We literally couldn’t fit any more people in if we wanted to,” Sherer told Quest. “There’s really no more space.” Conference staff had to make up extra copies of every handout for the more than thirty walk-ins, a number of whom admitted they were energized by the Assembly vote announcement.
Attendees heard “No On The Amendment” campaign director Mike Tate explain why opponents expected Wisconsin to be the first state to defeat such a ballot measure. Tate reiterated his message in a follow up interview with Quest.

Fair Wisconsin Campaign To Start March 1
Tate first advised that the official “Fair Wisconsin” campaign in opposition to the ballot measure will kick off March 1, the day after the Mike Tate

bill’s expected passage. Press conferences will be held daily around the state, beginning in Madison and Milwaukee, the respective home bases of lead sponsor organizations Action Wisconsin and Center Advocates. A mass mailing announcing the establishment of the campaign organization reached the two civil rights groups’ donor bases this past weekend.
Fair Wisconsin’s preview website (at: www.fairwisconsin.com) characterizes the referendum as instigated by “cynical lawmakers (who) have forced a measure onto the November ballot that would forever deny civil unions and marriage to lesbian and gay couples. It would also threaten domestic partner benefits.” The site is also expected to “go live” on March 1.
Tate’s assessment of the pending Assembly vote was equally blunt. “It’s been pretty clear from the beginning that there’s a lot of people on the side that pushing this amendment for pure partisan reasons,” Tate told Quest. “They’re trying to hang this around Jim Doyle’s neck. They think it will be a tool to bring out additional conservative voters.”
Tate thinks Republican leaders are in for a surprise. “I think that assumption is wrong,” Tate said. “I think this amendment will be opposed by a wide variety of people - Democrats, Republicans, independents - that realize that this isn’t the role of government. A civil unions ban is not what we want to do here. There are serious harms that this civil unions and marriage ban will cause.”
Tate also confirmed that he was aware of the widespread insider rumors of internal polling conducted by the Republican Party of Wisconsin that showed the amendment battle to be a dead heat, with a majority of GOP women opposing the bill. “I don’t know the specifics about that (poll), but that would play in line with what we know about Wisconsin voters,” Tate told Quest. “Wisconsin voters are fair and independent. There are a lot of Wisconsin voters who will vote ‘no’ on this civil unions ban who don’t know anyone who’s gay or may be uncomfortable with the concept of gay families. They know that this isn’t their ‘call’- this isn’t the role of government.”
Tate also cited other polling already available. “The Wisconsin public is overwhelmingly in favor of civil unions and domestic partner benefits. Those would be banned if this thing would be voted into our constitution,” Tate said. “Wisconsin voters are fair and independent. They don’t want to put discrimination in the constitution.”
“The only poll that matters is the one that comes out on Election day,” Tate added.
Editor’s Note: Quest first received a tip on the alleged poll from a GOP insider in January but has been unsuccessful in obtaining a hard copy or sufficient confirmation that the polling is more than a rumor. However, the story of a poll showing a statistical “tie” of 43-41% in favor of the referendum, with a slight majority of Republican women opposing the measure has been remarkably consistent.

256 Days Until The Ballot
Without delving into particulars, Tate sketched out Fair Wisconsin’s overall game plan. “What we’re going to be doing is spending the next 256 days talking about why the civil unions and marriage band will be bad for Wisconsin,” Tate said. “Defeating the civil unions and marriage ban will happen because of the people who live here (in Wisconsin). They’re fair and independent. There’s a strong libertarian streak that runs through people who identify with both political affiliations.”
Tate sees a Wisconsin tradition that will work in Fair Wisconsin’s favor. “We have a strong tradition of bucking national trends,” he said.
Tate also credits the more than two years of grassroots organizing that has been done by both Action Wisconsin and Milwaukee’s Center Advocates a key factor in the coming fight. “They have built a base of organization that will be easy to build off and expand,” Tate said. “Between our great organization and the voters of Wisconsin who are fair and independent, we’re very confident we’re going to defeat the ban.”
Money will be an issue in the equation for success, however. “This is going to be a multi-million dollar campaign,” Tate said. “We are actively raising raising money and if anyone who wants to help us out can go to actionwisconsin.org and contribute online. However, we anticipate that fund-raising will be a challenge, we also anticipate being able to raise enough money to win!”

Seven Soldiers Charged In Gay Internet Porn Scandal
Raleigh - The Army has charged seven paratroopers from the celebrated 82nd Airborne Division with engaging in sex acts in video shown on a gay pornographic website, authorities said February 24. Three of the soldiers face courts-martial on charges of sodomy, pandering and engaging in sex acts for money, according to a statement released Friday by the military.
Four other soldiers, whose names were not released, received nonjudicial punishments. The Army has recommended that all be discharged.
The charges do not mention the name of the site, but the division has said previously it was investigating allegations that soldiers appeared on a gay pornography website. A spokesman for the division said the charges are a result of that investigation. The website on which the Army has said soldiers appeared does not make any direct reference to the division or Fort Bragg, a sprawling post about 70 miles south of Raleigh.
Quest has been able to identify the site in question as Dink Flamingo’s Active Duty (www.activeduty.com), which advertises itself as offering “Hot American Soldiers Having Wild Gay Sex.” After being unavailable for several weeks the site appears to have returned to business. As of February 19, the site was offering new passwords to paid customers and new memberships to those who agree they are not related in any way to the U. S. government investigation, among other criteria.
“As far as we’re concerned, it’s isolated to the unit, and our investigation determined that these seven individuals were the only ones” involved, 82nd Airborne spokesman Maj. Thomas Earnhardt said. Earnhardt said the three soldiers charged criminally under the Uniform Code of Military Justice had been appointed military attorneys, but he said the lawyers would be unavailable for comment at Quest’s deadline.
The three soldiers who face courts-martial are: Spc. Richard T. Ashley, Pfc. Wesley K. Mitten and Pvt. Kagen B. Mullen. The Army did not release their ages or home towns, but said all seven paratroopers were members of the 2nd Battalion of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
The nonjudicial punishment received by the four other soldiers included reduction to the rank of private, 45 days of restriction to the unit area, 45 days of extra duty and forfeiture of a month’s pay.
Dennis Ashe, the alleged owner of the Active Duty.com domain name according to the site on which it is formally registered, lists an address in Fayetteville, the city that adjoins Fort Bragg. A phone number listed for the registered owner was not in service on February 24, and e-mails to the owner have been regularly returned as undeliverable. Though the site has a North Carolina mailing address, web operations appear to be based in Arizona.
The 15,000 paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne are among the Army’s most elite soldiers, all having volunteered to serve in a unit that trains to deploy anywhere in the world within 18 hours.
The military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy states that being gay “alone is not a bar to service, but homosexual conduct is incompatible with military service.” Service members who are found to violate the policy can be removed from the military.
No Review For Matthew Shepard’s Killer’s Case
Cheyenne - A federal judge has refused to grant a review to the case of Russell Henderson, one of two men convicted in the 1998 murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard.
U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer rejected Henderson’s motion for a writ of habeas corpus February 16. Henderson’s attorney, Tim Newcomb, argued that Henderson was never told of his right to appeal, thus effectively denying Henderson his right to appellate counsel. A state district court and the Wyoming Supreme Court previously rejected Henderson’s motion.
In April 1999, Henderson pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery and murder of Shepard. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, but prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty because of the plea deal.
Henderson and Aaron McKinney beat Shepard and tied him to a fence outside Laramie in October 1998. Shepard was alive when he was found 16 hours after the beating, but died later from his injuries. The murder ignited a nationwide debate over whether more laws were needed to discourage hate crimes.
McKinney is also serving two life terms.

Genetic Study: “Mom Made You Gay”
Los Angeles - New research adds a twist to the debate on the origins of sexual orientation, suggesting that the genetics of mothers of multiple gay sons act differently than those of other women.
Scientists found that almost one fourth of the mothers who had more than one gay son processed X chromosomes in their bodies in the same way. Normally, women randomly process the chromosomes in one of two ways - half go one way, half go the other.
The research “confirms that there is a strong genetic basis for sexual orientation, and that for some gay men, genes on the X chromosome are involved,” study co-author Sven Bocklandt said. Bocklandt is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at Los Angeles.
The link between genetics and sexual orientation has been a hot topic for more than a decade as a few scientists have tried to find genes that might make people gay or straight. In the new study, Bocklandt and colleagues examined a phenomenon called “X-chromosome inactivation.”
While females have two X chromosomes, they actually require only one and routinely inactivate the other, Bocklandt said. “That way, both men and women have basically one functional X chromosome,” he added. Men have both an X and Y chromosome, but the Y chromosome plays a much smaller role, he said.
Women typically inactivate one of their two X chromosomes at random. “It’s like flipping a coin,” Bocklandt said. “If you look at a woman in any given (bodily) tissue, you’d expect about half of the cells to inactivate one X, and half would inactivate the other.”
In the new study, researchers looked at 97 mothers of gay sons and 103 mothers without gay sons to see if there was any difference in how they handled their X chromosomes. The findings appear in the February issue of the journal Human Genetics.
“When we looked at women who have gay kids, in those with more than one gay son, we saw a quarter of them inactivate the same X in virtually every cell we checked,” Bocklandt said. “That’s extremely unusual.”
Forty-four of the women had more than one gay son. In contrast, 4% of mothers with no gay sons activated the chromosome and 13% of those with just one gay son did.
Bocklandt thinks he and his colleagues are moving closer to understanding the origins of sexual orientation. “What’s really remarkable and very novel about this is that you see something in the bodies of women that is linked to a behavioral trait in their sons,” he said. “That’s new, that’s unheard of.”
“We’re trying to understand one of the most critical human traits: the ability to love and be attracted to others,” Bocklandt added. “Without sexual reproduction we would not exist, and sexual selection played an essential role in evolution. Yet, we have no idea how it works, and that’s what we’re trying to find out.”
“As with any research, the knowledge you acquire could be used for benefit or harm,”Bocklandt concluded. “But if [scientists] would have avoided research because we were afraid of what we were going to find, then we would still be living in the stone age.”

First-Married New York Gay Couple To Split
New Platz, NY - After two years of married life, the first gay couple to be unofficially married here is splitting up. Billiam vanRoestenberg told MidHudsonNews.com that his husband, Jeffrey McGowan and he, were getting divorced. The couple lived in Plattekill.
The couple was the first to be married by New Paltz Village Mayor Jason West, and other village officials, who wound up defying state law and performing solemnization ceremonies between other couples before he was barred by the courts from performing any others. Two Unitarian clergywomen and a New Paltz village trustee would later perform other weddings.
VanRoestenberg operated a chicken farm in the New Paltz area. He was an unsuccessful candidate for county legislature last year. McGowan is a retired Naval officer.
McGowan and vanRoestenberg were the first of a dozen same-sex couples to be married on February 27, 2004. McGowan is said to have been the partner to have sought the split. “I am so distraught over this,” vanRoestenberg told MidHudsonNews.com.
The courts have since then ruled that marriage, as defined by the state Constitution, is a union between a man and a woman. No court decision invalidated any of the solemnizations between the same-sex couples in New Paltz.

Feingold Hires LGBT Outreach Firm
Washington, DC - Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) has announced the hiring of Scott & Yandura to assist the Senator’s leadership PAC, The Progressive Patriots Fund, with the organization’s outreach to the LGBT community.
Scott & Yandura develops creative outreach strategies and grassroots campaigns for businesses, organizations, and individuals who want to expand their influence, grow their resources and gain access to new markets. S & Y is the preeminent firm for candidates, organizations and businesses looking to strengthen relationships with the LGBT community in the United States.
“By working together I hope to gain a more in-depth knowledge of the concerns facing LGBT Americans as I continue my work on the issues that so many in the community care about,” Feingold said.
As a three-term Democratic Senator from Wisconsin, Russ Feingold is a longstanding advocate for the LGBT community in the United States Senate. In 1996 Feingold was one of only 14 Senators to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act, and he continues to stand on the frontlines in the fight for equality as the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee holding hearings on the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Mark Perriello, a Senior Associate with Scott & Yandura will be working with Senator Feingold’s Progressive Patriots Fund and its staff to strengthen relationships with the LGBT community nationally. “Senator Feingold is a true champion for our community,” Perriello said. “When people hear about his straightforward leadership and outstanding record they are very impressed.”

Man Pays $100,000 For ‘Brokeback’ Shirts
Los Angeles - A man who just spent $100,000 on two used plaid shirts says he couldn’t be happier about it. The shirts were worn by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in the movie “Brokeback Mountain.”
As Tom Gregory sees it, the shirts not only represent the relationship of the characters in the film, they also represent the battle for acceptance by gay people. Gregory is a long-time gay activist who said he plans to keep the shirts “as they were, on the hangar, entwined.”
He said he would never wear them, or separate them. The distributor of the movie donated the two shirts to benefit Variety, the Children’s Charity of Southern California.
They were sold on ebay, and Gregory’s winning bid came just 28 seconds before the auction came to a close.