Wisconsin Gay News From Quest: Vol. 14 No. 12

Volume 14 No. 12 August 9, 2007 Compiled & written by Mike Fitzpatrick Top Stories: Tammy Endorses Hillary For Prez Baldwin Will Co-Chair Clinton’s Wisconsin Campaign Washington, D.C. - The Hillary Clinton presidential campaign announced the endorsement of Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin August 2 here. Baldwin will also serve as a co-chair of Hillary’s Wisconsin campaign and as a member of the campaign’s Health Care Policy Task Force. Baldwin will also co-chair the campaign’s LGBT steering committee. “I am proud to endorse Senator Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for President of the United States,” Baldwin said in a campaign press release. “Senator Clinton is supremely prepared and the candidate best able to ensure health care for all, reaffirm our commitment to the Constitution and rule of law, and re-establish our position of leadership in the world. She will be firm in protecting our national security and fair in addressing the aspirations and needs of all Americans. Hillary Clinton has been my friend and ally in the battle for health care for many years and I look forward to working with her to achieve our common goals when she becomes our next President,” Baldwin said. Baldwin was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, becoming the first woman to represent Wisconsin in Congress. She is a forceful advocate for creating a universal healthcare system for all Americans, and has worked to expand stem cell research and prescription drug benefits for seniors. “Tammy is such a strong voice on behalf of those who are too often left out of the political process. I’m honored she’ll play a leading role in our national campaign and in Wisconsin,” Clinton said. Baldwin sees Wisconsin as a critical part of the Clinton strategy to win the nomination. “The upper Midwest tends to have very high voter participation, and I always run campaigns that really engage the voters - we do a lot of grassroots organizing, not just TV advertising,” Baldwin told The Advocate following her endorsement. “We put a lot of resources into the voter mobilization. So part of (my discussion with Hillary) was, ‘Let’s make sure that Wisconsin’s a blue state next year,’ (and) have Senator Clinton take advantage of the real voter enthusiasm that exists in Wisconsin in the primary.” Milwaukee Council Adds Transgender Equal Rights Protections Milwaukee - The Common Council voted July 31 to update Milwaukee’s nondiscrimination ordinance, adding equal rights protections for the transgendered and gender non-conforming citizens living in the city. The new ordinance ends the city’s exemption from its own nondiscrimination rules, and adds military service members and gender identity and expression to the list of already protected categories that include race, sex, religion, ancestry and national origin. The ordinance also covers loved ones who suffer discrimination because of their association with a member of a protected class, and prohibits city license holders from discriminating, adding an important new enforcement tool. “We commend the Milwaukee Common Council’s action to extend nondiscrimination protections to transgender people,” Center Advocates Director Patrick Flaherty said in response to the passage. Michael Munson, co-founder and executive director of FORGE, said the new law was a step forward: “Anti-discrimination laws don’t prevent discrimination, but they do contribute to our goal of making a world where people are judged by what they do and not by the boxes they appear to fit – or not fit – into.” Forge is a national education and advocacy group for transgender people, their loved ones, and others based in Milwaukee. Center Advocates and FORGE conducted a 2007 survey that found that 20% of Milwaukee transgender people had been denied employment and 5% had experienced housing discrimination. Under both the old and updated versions of the nondiscrimination ordinance, people who experience housing or employment discrimination in the City of Milwaukee may file a complaint with the Equal Rights Committee, a body of Mayoral appointees that is in its own process of an overhaul. Persons found guilty of violating the ordinance face a fine of $500 - $5,000. Transgender people are people who identify as and express their gender in a way different from the gender assigned to them at birth. The measure, if signed by the Mayor as expected, means that for the first time a majority of the nation’s top 25 cities prohibit discrimination against transgender people. More than 12 states, including Wisconsin neighbors Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression, as do 124 Fortune 500 companies. Both Fair Wisconsin and Center Advocates plan to work to expand the state’s nondiscrimination to include gender identity after the Wisconsin budget is passed, probably sometime this autumn. Wisconsin companies with inclusive nondiscrimination provisions include Miller Brewing, SC Johnson, and Foley and Lardner. World & National News: Openly Gay Bishop Endorses Obama Concord, NH - The Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president on August 2, even though they don’t share the same views on issues critical to gays and lesbians. ‘’Frankly, I don’t think there’s any major candidate that is where we in the gay community would hope they would be on our issues,’’ V. Gene Robinson said in a conference call with reporters. ‘’That being said, I would say the senator has been enormously supportive of our issues. We appreciate his support for civil unions.’’ The continuing repercussions from Robinson’s 2003 election as bishop of New Hampshire threaten to break up the worldwide Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is part. His supporters hail him as a role model and civil rights pioneer. Robinson stressed that his endorsement was as an individual, not as bishop. ‘’I will not be speaking about the campaign from the pulpit or at any church function,’’ he said. ‘’That is completely inappropriate. But as a private citizen, I will be at campaign events and help in any way that I can.’’ Robinson said he hopes to persuade Obama to embrace marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Obama supports civil unions and rights for gay couples, but stops short of supporting gay marriage. Robinson, a registered independent and opponent of the war in Iraq, said he was drawn to Obama because of the Illinois senator’s experience with racism and discrimination, which Robinson also has experienced. ‘’I think it would be hard to be a person of color in this country and not be on the receiving end of that,’’ he said. ‘’I think we make a mistake when we think there has to be an act of hatred from one person to another for racism to occur, where our whole culture is set up to benefit one race over another.’’ Vermont To Consider Gay Marriage Burlington - The leaders of the Vermont House and Senate announced July 25 that they have formed a special commission to gauge Vermonters’ thoughts on expanding marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples. The announcement by House Speaker Gaye Symington of Jericho and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin of Putney comes seven years after Vermont made history with its first-in-the-nation civil unions law. The two Democrats said the commission will study applicable state laws and hold at least six hearings across the state before delivering a report on the issue to lawmakers in April 2008. “It’s time to ask if it is in Vermont’s best interest to retain separate legal status for gay couples,” said Symington, who supported gay marriage and civil unions as a member of the Vermont House seven years ago. Shumlin, who was president of the Senate during the civil union debate, said he did not support gay marriage at the time, but added that “much has changed in just a few years.” He said Vermonters are now ready to tackle the difficult issue. “If I had told someone back then that just a few years later our neighbor to the east would pass civil unions without a whimper, they would have said, “You’re crazy, Shumlin,’” he said. “But that is how quickly the conversation has evolved.” The political landscape regarding rights for gays and lesbians has changed since Vermont approved civil unions. Since then, several states have approved civil unions or a similar domestic partnership status, including two of Vermont’s neighbors.Legislators in New Hampshire this year approved a civil union law and in 2004 Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to allow gay marriage, a law that sprang from a court ruling that denying same-sex couples the right to wed was unconstitutional. Beth Robinson, chair of the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force, said following the announcement that attitudes toward same-sex rights have changed dramatically in the years since Vermont approved civil unions. A poll of 401 Vermonters earlier this year found that 42% agree that gays and lesbians should have the right to get married and that another 11% are leaning toward that opinion, according to the organization. The poll also found that 37% disagreed with gay marriage. The announcement was met with shock and surprise by Republican leaders in Vermont. “This is another case of the Democrats distracting and dividing while there are real issues the Legislature needs to solve for Vermonters,” Rob Roper, chairman of the Vermont Republican Party told the Associated Press. The July 25 announcement also was a surprise to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vermont, according to communications director Gloria Gibson. She said Vermont Catholic Bishop Salvatore Matano has not yet weighed in on the gay marriage commission. Ohio Court: Gay Ban Doesn’t Invalidate Domestic Violence Laws Columbus - Ohio’s domestic violence laws do not conflict with the state’s ban on gay marriage, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled July 25. In a 6-1 decision, justices rejected an argument that the domestic violence law was unenforceable in cases involving unmarried couples because it refers to them as living together “as a spouse.” Chief Justice Thomas Moyer wrote in the opinion that lawmakers included many groups under the domestic violence law, and that describing people’s living arrangements isn’t the same as creating a law approximating marriage. The gay marriage ban prohibited the government from creating any such approximation. Twenty-seven states have constitutional language defining marriage as between a man and a woman, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Washington Gay Couples Sign Up For Domestic Partnerships Olympia - A raucous cheer went up from a crowd of gay and lesbian couples in Olympia, Washington, as the doors were opened July 23 for domestic partnership. Within an hour of opening, the secretary of state’s office had registered about 85 same-sex couples. And there were dozens more waiting outside. Couples will get more rights as domestic partners, including hospital visitation, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations and to inherit without a will. However, they won’t get all the same rights of married couples and the state’s registry is different from civil unions in other states. The Legislature approved the new domestic partnerships this spring after the state Supreme Court upheld Washington’s ban on same-sex marriage. QNU Quickies: Recent Stories Of Note By Mike Fitzpatrick Here in no particular order is Quest’s take on stories of gay interest since the last issue. A friendly reminder that breaking news is updated daily on the QNU: Quest News Update site online. Visit us at: www.quest-online.com. Priest Embezzles $200K To Keep Gay Stripper: The Chicago Sun-Times reported that a Chicago priest pleaded guilty July 28 to stealing nearly $200,000 from parishioners so that he could give cash and gifts to a gay stripper. Investigators say the Rev. Mark Sorvillo gave James Sosnicki “about a thousand dollars a month, to buy cars, a motorcycle, clothing and a computer. Police also found nude photos of Sosnicki, including one that showed him sleeping in the priest’s bed. The padre apparently dipped into the collection basket for a decade in order to have access to the stripper’s basket. Bye-Bye Gay Translators, Hello Mr. Machine: After firing 60 Arabic translators for being gay under the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law, the US military has been forced to rely on an untested translating machine. US National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers are now testing a prototype, real-time, two-way translation system to meet the shortfall of translators in Iraq, where linguistic misunderstandings can be fatal. The September 11 Commission also identified the shortage of Arabic linguists as a major factor in the US government’s failure to thwart the September 11 attacks. Military intelligence once again lives up to its oxymoronic definition as the top brass feel safer with something that can only blow a circuit (or an occasional translation), rather than human experts who might blow something else off-duty. GOP Lawmaker - “Fear Of Blacks Made Me Offer Blow Jobs!”: Republican fear of fairies apparently is so great that they’d rather be perceived as racial bigots instead. That’s the latest twist in the ongoing investigation of Florida representative Bob Allen’s $20 oral sex offer to an undercover cop in Titusville last month. Turns out the cop was - in Allen’s taped testimony - “a pretty stocky black guy.” He also admitted that “there was nothing but other black guys around in the park.” Allen claims he was fearful for his life when he made the offer. Allen apparently forgot the cop’s report he initiated the deal by peeking over the stall. Perhaps Allen’s real fear is his conservative Southen voting base finding out that his favorite flavor of lollipop is chocolate. Sir Elton - “Shut Down The Internet!” Elton John has a gripe with the world wide web and thinks it ought to be turned off. The gay mega-platinum hitmaker thinks people spend too much time blogging and chatting rather talking with friends and family in real time, and that file sharing and do-it-yourself music sites are ruining music - both the creative process and the recording industry. “It doesn’t bode well for long-term artistic vision,” Captain Fantastic wrote in the London tabloid The Sun. Sir Elton claims he’s doing his part by staying off cell phones, not using iPods, etc. Does that include not going into gay chat rooms? Village People Return as Straight? In what has to be their umpteenth attempt to return to the frontal lobes of pop consciousness, the 70’s disco act the Village People (“Macho Man,” “In The Navy”) reportedly is down playing their homo hitmaker roots. Current band leader Ray Simpson claims he’s stymied that the group’s being given credit for being nothing more than gay icons. “(The current line-up is) straight, gay, Catholic, Protestant,” Simpson said. “It’s black, white, Indian, it’s a very diverse group.” Meanwhile former “cop” Victor Willis, who is mounting his own, separate comeback, claims in a new book that the group’s biggest hit “YMCA” was “not about gay cruising.” Both boys apparently forget that the Village People’s abandoning of their gay fan base in the 80’s to become a more mainstream “new wave” group with KISS-like make-up is why they fell from favor in the first place. Well, that and the horrible flick “Can’t Stop The Music” with Bruce Jenner. Never cross the queens - just like elephants, they never forget! State News: Oshkosh Prof Files Lawsuit To Challenge Wisconsin Gay Marriage Ban By Mike Fitzpatrick Madison - A political science professor from the UW-Oshkosh has taken on Wisconsin’s constitutional amendment banning the legal recognition of any unmarried couple’s status regardless of sexual orientation. Wisconsin voters approved the so-called “gay marriage ban” last November. Bill McConkey has filed a lawsuit July 30 in Dane County that seeks to prevent the amendment from being enforced. The suit also asks the court to overturn the ban on the grounds that it violates the 1st and 14th amendments to the US Constitution. The suit also claims that the amendment question was posed incorrectly on the ballot to the people of Wisconsin. McConkey teaches communication and organizational administration courses for UW Oshkosh, and is a frequent speaker and trainer on these subjects. He has had over 30 years experience in shaping and developing organizational cultures, training and learning systems, communication with internal and external publics, public and civic affairs, focus groups, surveys and other research methodologies. He also serves on the Center for Community Partnerships, a manufacturing partnership hub created by UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout to effectively provide services to manufacturers in northeast Wisconsin. McConkey is not gay. He’s married, with seven children and nine grandchildren. McConkey told the Wisconsin Radio Network that sexuality is not what the lawsuit is about. “It’s an affront to the intellectual strength of the people of this state,” he said. “The U.S. Constitution - the 14th Amendment - says you can’t separate a group of people and forbid them the same protections of the law that everybody else gets.” McConkey admits that he has no legal background and filed the lawsuit without the help of an attorney. “If an attorney will help me pro-bono that would help but I don’t have any money to hire lawyers to do this,” he said. “I do have the passion to do this because the amendment’s wrong!” McConkey is currently waiting to see if the Governor or Attorney General respond to the lawsuit. McConkey does not know if his challenge will go forward, but he’s open to any help opponents of the ban want to offer. “One of the issues here is that I may not have standing,” McConkey told Quest. “I’m not gay, I’m not in an unmarried relationship that is impacted by this amendment.” Shortly after the amendment’s passage, the possibility of a legal challenge was investigated by a number of Madison gay couples, but attorneys advised caution. Currently challenges to voter-approved constitutional amendments are under way in several states. Fair Wisconsin has taken no formal position to date on the matter. “I called Fair Wisconsin (about the lawsuit) and I worked on their campaign last year,” McConkey said. “I have not heard one word back from them.” McConkey said he has been surprised by the lack of follow-up to his lawsuit thus far. “I’ve gotten several supportive phone calls, and there’s been discussion in the Capital Times’ political blog,” he said. “But the response overall pretty much has been ‘ho-hum.’” McConkey has promised to send Quest a copy of the brief filed last month. Quest also has scheduled an in-depth interview with the professor to appear in an upcoming issue. Wisconsin AIDS Ride Takes To The Road Madison - More than 250 cyclists and crew members embarked on a journey to raise funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS here August 2. The ACT 5 ride is the fifth installment of AIDS Network’s (AN) signature fundraiser. The acronym stands for “AIDS Network Cycles Together.” The cyclists and their support teams began the 300-plus mile, four-day journey from Madison through South Central Wisconsin with opening ceremonies at Olin Park that started at 6:15 AM. “Every rider, crew member and volunteer has a story to tell about why they participate in this ride and how HIV/AIDS has touched their lives,” AN Executive Director Bob Power told the group. Unlike other rides were been run by professional event planners in the 1990’s, ACT 5 has been designed to return a large amount of funds to its beneficiary, AIDS Network. In 2006, ACT 4 brought in approximately $252,000 and returned over 89% of donations to AIDS Network due to the significant donations made by companies, organizations and individuals. Closing Ceremonies were held on Sunday, August 5, with all riders, crew members, and steering committee members joining in a “Victory Ride” into Capitol Square to celebrate the return home. “This is an emotional and touching event that encapsulates the entire experience these people have gone through for their family, friends, and neighbors that are suffering with HIV/AIDS,” Power said. AIDS Network is the state-designated AIDS service organization in Southwestern Wisconsin. With funds raised in ACT 5, AIDS Network will be able to provide crucial services to people living with HIV/AIDS and continue its outreach and prevention programs to all communities. More information this year’s ride is available at: :www.actride.org StageQ Announces 2007-8 Season Madison - StageQ’s new season will feature a new play by award wining- gay playwright Paul Rudnick and a third go-round of its popular “Queer Shorts.” All of the LGBT theatre company’s 2007-8 schedule will be presented at the at the Bartell Theater, 113 E Mifflin Street here. The first show of the new season will be “Valhalla,” by prize-winning playwright Paul Rudnick, best known for “Jeffrey,” “In & Out,” and “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told.” “Valhalla” intertwines two stories: the life of Ludwig of Bavaria, the 1880s Mad King responsible for building a series of storybook castles inspired by Wagnerian operas, and the fictional adventures of James Avery, a wild Texas teenager of the 1940s. The play explores questions of beauty and madness, as both Ludwig and James pursue lives of operatic passion, bringing them in contact with such diverse figures as a high-school quarterback, the prettiest girl in Dainsville, Texas, most of the characters of Lohengrin and princess Sophie, who declares herself “the loneliest humpback in Europe.” “Valhalla” is a comic epic, confronting the price to be paid for wanting, and getting, everything one dreams of. Auditions for the production were held August 6 and 7, with call backs scheduled for August 14. “Valhalla” will open October 5 and run through October 20 on the Evjue Stage of the Bartell. The season continues with “Looking For Normal” by Jane Anderson, running on February 7 through March 1 In the play Roy and Irma are church-going Midwesterners with two children who have been married for twenty-five years. When Roy and Irma go to their pastor for marriage counseling, Roy confesses that he’s a woman trapped in a man’s body. This comedic drama, which was adapted by the playwright as the award-winning HBO film “Normal” in 2003, explores the complexities of marriage, family and deconstructs the very notion of love. In March, the lesbian musical “Pulp” by Patricia Kane will make its Madison premiere. “Pulp” is an affectionate parody of the lurid lesbian fiction of the 1950s. Departing from the obligatory tragic endings of ‘50’s lesbian pulp fiction, Kane not only happily pairs off three sets of lovers by the end of the play, but also has immense good fun with the punchy style of the genre, and the lure of lesbian bars, drag kings, and the appeal of Barbara Stanwyck. “Pulp” will be seen on the Drury Stage at the Bartell from March 7 - 29, 2008. For the final main stage show of the 2007-2008 season, StageQ will present its third annual “Queer Shorts” revue of short plays. An opportunity for both experienced and novice actors, directors and playwrights, “Queer Shorts” is a celebration of LGBT theater. The revue will run for two weekends, June 12 - 21, 2008 on the Evjue Stage at the Bartell. StageQ will also be producing other events during the season, including concerts, an after-hours show, and more of our low-cost and free theater workshops. Stay tuned for more information about those events. For the upcoming season StageQ will offer its loyal patrons many conveniences with season tickets including a 17% savings versus individual tickets, additional discounts on after-hours shows and special events, the flexibility of not having to pick the performance dates at the time of purchase, preferred seating, the ability to make reservations before tickets go on sale to the general public and being at the top of the waiting list for sold-out shows (if you forget to make reservations). StageQ season tickets are $50 each for the complete season of four main-stage shows. Tickets can be ordered through the theatre company’s website at: www.StageQ.com. Guernsey Gala Kicks Up Its Heels Green Bay - The annual Guernsey Gala kicked off July 28 at The Shelter here with one of the most elaborate (and best attended) shows in the fund-raising pageant’s 16 year history. The competition, which included the 9th Annual Gay Guernsey softball tournament at Perkins Park August 5, will wrap up on August 18 with a grand finale show at the Napalese Lounge. During the three week event contestants have held car washes, shows, special dinners and even a strip show to raise money. The Gala is on target to exceed a lifetime total of $150,000 in funds raised The Guernsey Gala holds a special place in the northeastern Wisconsin LGBT community’s long history of battling HIV/AIDS. It was created in 1992 by Wayne Thiele and his friends as a way to raise money needed to help people living with HIV in the city of Green Bay who were struggling to make ends meet. The Gala was fashioned after Milwaukee’s Possum Queen contest with candidates running for the title of “Guernsey Queen” by collecting dollar “votes.” Four local bars - Brandy’s II, The Napalese Lounge, SASS, Za’s Videobar - participated in the first “pageant” and raised several hundred dollars. Over the next ten years Wayne - as his Guernsey alter ego “Elsie Bovine” - raised tens of thousands of dollars for the clients of Center Project, and later, those served by the Green Bay office of ARCW. After the 2002 competition, Wayne asked Rainbow Over Wisconsin to take over the organization and promotion of the event. ROW members agreed and with Wayne’s mentoring hand, began sponsoring the Guernsey Gala in 2003. For more information about the Guernsey Gala, go to ROW’s website at: www.rainbowoverwisconsin.org. Cream City Gayla To Celebrate 25 Years Milwaukee - It is being billed at “the event of the year,” and it will celebrate a major milestone in the LGBT community’s history of giving here. On Saturday, September 22 the Cream City Foundation (CCF) will sponsor a “Gayla with a sprinkle of fairy dust” in the rotunda of the Milwaukee City Hall, beginning at 7 PM. The event will honor and celebrate the philanthropic spirit of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people and the culmination of 25 years of funding their own LGBT charity: the Cream City Foundation. Cream City treasurer Tom Wilson told Quest that in addition to the quarter century milestone, CCF will be celebrating two other distinctions. “Cream City is the second oldest LGBT foundation in the history of the United States,” Wilson said. “Additionally we have distributed $500,000 in grants over that 25 years.” CCF supports the entire LGBT community Wilson added. “We have no agenda, we take no sides,” he said. “We are here to work with the entire community through partnerships with all LGBT organizations and with similar supportive allies in the straight community.” Music for the Gayla will be provided by Mrs. Fun. Complex, sophisticated and adventurous, the WAMI-winning duo of Connie Grauer and Kim Zick offer music that is a provocative blend of off-center jazz, ulta-funk, spoken word rap, and their own brand of neo-cabaret. The event will be hosted by legendary Milwaukee entertainer Rona and Outbound columnist Michael Johnston. General admission tickets are $75 through September 10 ($85 thereafter) or “Fairy” level of $100. Sponsorship levels for the event range from $250 to $2500. Tickets may be purchased online at: www.creamcityfoundation.org or by phone at 414-225-0244. For additional information visit the CCF website or email Maria Cardenas at: director@creamcityfoundation.org. Feature Story: Wisconsin Prides Collide In Mid-August Events Offered In Eau Claire, LaCrosse And Milwaukee Eau Claire, LaCrosse, Milwaukee - Gay Pride Wisconsin style is about to head into its third month of festivals, with three events that culminate on the weekend of August 17-18 in Milwaukee, Eau Claire and LaCrosse. First up is Milwaukee’s Black Pride celebration, beginning August 12 and running through August 19. Charles Daniels Productions, Inc. (CDP), an inner-city grass roots community based non-profit organization with a 501 (C) 3 tax exempt status working with the LGBTQ community and their social networks, is the official organizing entity for the seven-day event. According to organizers, the purpose for the celebration is to “bring African-American and other people of color, same gender loving men and women together from across the country to participate in informative and engaging workshops and social activities that encourage meaningful dialogue and social empowerment.” Powerhouse singer-actor Jennifer Holliday, who recently has been billed as the “original Dreamgirl” is set to headline with a performance on August 18 at MATC’s Cooley Auditorium from 6-10 PM. Tickets for the show range from $15-30 and are currently available at Club Finesse, Conversations, Rainbow, Viva La Femme and the Black Pride (CDP) office at the LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St. For more information, call 414-263-9999. An “after party” celebration sponsored by Vive La Femme & Conversations night clubs at the Masonic Temple. will follow the concert at 10PM. Admission will be $15 per person. Black Pride will kick off on Sunday, August 12, with a block party to be held at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center from 4-9 PM. The week will conclude with the Second Annual White Party co-hosted by the four abovementioned night clubs with tickets costing $10 per club available at each venue. Several additional events, including a bus trip and several club events are also scheduled throughout the week. Detailed information about the events are online at the Black Pride (CDP) website at: www.blackpridecdp.com or by calling Eloise at 414-263-999. While Milwaukee’s Black Pride (CDP) focuses on African-American and other people of color issues, the event welcomes the participation of all regardless of age creed, gender, gender identification, HIV status, national origin, physical, mental or development ability, religion or sexual orientation, organizers said. Western Wisconsin Pride is set to run in the Eau Claire area from August 17-19. The central event this year will be the annual Pride Festival and Picnic to be held from 11 AM - 7 PM on the Riverview Park Island. Picnic organizers are asking a $3 suggested donation for admittance. the picnic menu will include a choice of hamburger, brat or hot dog, chips or cold salad and soda. Cotton candy & sno-cones will also be available for $1 each. Picnic highlights, according to organizers will be a “celebrity” dunk tank, prize drawings and many exhibits and vendors. Vendors already schedule to be present include J & J Human Wear, The Main Stitch, Rainbow Glass; Shop, Trust & Buy, Minnesota Couples, Duluth/Superior Pride, AIDS Walk Wisconsin, the LGBT Democratic Caucus, ARCW, Fair Wisconsin, Spectrum, the Chippewa Valley LGBT Community Center, Pro-Choice Wisconsin and Mark Olson, the Democratic Party candidate for 68th Assembly District. Because parking is limited at the site, a shuttle bus will run from Scooter’s Bar parking lot on the hour to the park and on the half-hour from the park to Scooter’s. Handicapped parking will be unrestricted at the park however. Following the picnic a benefit “Drag Queen Show” will be held at Scooter’s Bar. The $3 admission will help offset pride weekend expenses. The Chippewa Valley LGBT Community Center also has planned a movie night. Doors will open at 7:45 PM with the film starting at 8 PM. Three events are scheduled for Friday, August 17. An open house will be held at the Chippewa Valley LGBT Community Center from 7-10 PM. There will be a pizza & bowling party at Bowlwinkles bowling lanes from 7-9 PM. Scooter’s Bar will hold a male dancer revue starting at 10 PM. Male Dancers Western Wisconsin Pride will conclude on Sunday with a Chippewa River Tube Float. Those wishing to attend will meet at Scooter’s Bar parking lot and depart at 1 PM. Attendees should bring a tube in order to float down the river. For additional information about Western Wisconsin Pride, go to the group’s website at: www.westernwisconsinpride.com. An email contact page is available onsite for additional questions. LaCrosse Pride this year will be a one-day event sponsored by the city’s 7 Rivers LGBT Resource Center. The event will run from 11 AM to 11 PM at the Oktoberfest Grounds on the south side of LaCrosse. Souvenir pride buttons offering unrestricted admission are $5 per person with children 12 & under free. Entertainers scheduled to appear are hypnotist Al Kaytraz, comedian Tracy Schroeder and area entertainers Ginger Presley, Char Engen & Leesa. Special appearances are also set by: Ti’nea, Jaqu’e Mone’t, Suga Brown, Venus Love, Holiday Rose, Ms. Kellie Jo Klien, Scotty, Raven Zlair, Tammy Faye, Brandy Merlot, Reggie, and Dee Dee Winters. The day-long event promises a number of fun filled activities such as bingo, a “Gladiator Joust,” and an euchre card tournament. Several additional children’s activities are planned as well as a number of speakers. The day-long event will also have a number of vendors, and a variety of food and beverage options. additional details for this year’s LaCrosse Pride can be obtained at two websites: lacrossepride.7riverslgbt.org and the event’s MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/laxpride. Additional questions can be answered by calling the 7 Rivers Center at 608-784-0452 or by emailing: pride@7riverslgbt.org. Wisconsin summer of Pride will conclude with one of the oldest pride events in the nation, Twin Ports Pride in Duluth-Superior on Labor Day weekend, August 30 - September 2. Headlining that event will be Lady Kier, formerly of the club chart topping Dee-Lite. Quest will have a complete preview in the next issue. Top of Page Quest Home QNU Home

Volume 14 No. 12 August 9, 2007
Compiled & written by Mike Fitzpatrick

Top Stories:

Tammy Endorses Hillary For Prez
Baldwin Will Co-Chair Clinton’s Wisconsin Campaign
Washington, D.C. - The Hillary Clinton presidential campaign announced the endorsement of Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin August

2 here. Baldwin will also serve as a co-chair of Hillary’s Wisconsin campaign and as a member of the campaign’s Health Care Policy Task Force. Baldwin will also co-chair the campaign’s LGBT steering committee.
“I am proud to endorse Senator Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for President of the United States,” Baldwin said in a campaign press release. “Senator Clinton is supremely prepared and the candidate best able to ensure health care for all, reaffirm our commitment to the Constitution and rule of law, and re-establish our position of leadership in the world. She will be firm in protecting our national security and fair in addressing the aspirations and needs of all Americans. Hillary Clinton has been my friend and ally in the battle for health care for many years and I look forward to working with her to achieve our common goals when she becomes our next President,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, becoming the first woman to represent Wisconsin in Congress. She is a forceful advocate for creating a universal healthcare system for all Americans, and has worked to expand stem cell research and prescription drug benefits for seniors.
“Tammy is such a strong voice on behalf of those who are too often left out of the political process. I’m honored she’ll play a leading role in our national campaign and in Wisconsin,” Clinton said.
Baldwin sees Wisconsin as a critical part of the Clinton strategy to win the nomination. “The upper Midwest tends to have very high voter participation, and I always run campaigns that really engage the voters - we do a lot of grassroots organizing, not just TV advertising,” Baldwin told The Advocate following her endorsement. “We put a lot of resources into the voter mobilization. So part of (my discussion with Hillary) was, ‘Let’s make sure that Wisconsin’s a blue state next year,’ (and) have Senator Clinton take advantage of the real voter enthusiasm that exists in Wisconsin in the primary.”

Milwaukee Council Adds Transgender Equal Rights Protections
Milwaukee - The Common Council voted July 31 to update Milwaukee’s nondiscrimination ordinance, adding equal rights protections for the transgendered and gender non-conforming citizens living in the city. The new ordinance ends the city’s exemption from its own nondiscrimination rules, and adds military service members and gender identity and expression to the list of already protected categories that include race, sex, religion, ancestry and national origin.
The ordinance also covers loved ones who suffer discrimination because of their association with a member of a protected class, and prohibits city license holders from discriminating, adding an important new enforcement tool.
“We commend the Milwaukee Common Council’s action to extend nondiscrimination protections to transgender people,” Center Advocates Director Patrick Flaherty said in response to the passage.
Michael Munson, co-founder and executive director of FORGE, said the new law was a step forward: “Anti-discrimination laws don’t prevent discrimination, but they do contribute to our goal of making a world where people are judged by what they do and not by the boxes they appear to fit – or not fit – into.” Forge is a national education and advocacy group for transgender people, their loved ones, and others based in Milwaukee. Center Advocates and FORGE conducted a 2007 survey that found that 20% of Milwaukee transgender people had been denied employment and 5% had experienced housing discrimination.
Under both the old and updated versions of the nondiscrimination ordinance, people who experience housing or employment discrimination in the City of Milwaukee may file a complaint with the Equal Rights Committee, a body of Mayoral appointees that is in its own process of an overhaul. Persons found guilty of violating the ordinance face a fine of $500 - $5,000.
Transgender people are people who identify as and express their gender in a way different from the gender assigned to them at birth. The measure, if signed by the Mayor as expected, means that for the first time a majority of the nation’s top 25 cities prohibit discrimination against transgender people. More than 12 states, including Wisconsin neighbors Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression, as do 124 Fortune 500 companies. Both Fair Wisconsin and Center Advocates plan to work to expand the state’s nondiscrimination to include gender identity after the Wisconsin budget is passed, probably sometime this autumn.
Wisconsin companies with inclusive nondiscrimination provisions include Miller Brewing, SC Johnson, and Foley and Lardner.

World & National News:

Openly Gay Bishop Endorses Obama
Concord, NH - The Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president on August 2, even though they

don’t share the same views on issues critical to gays and lesbians.
‘’Frankly, I don’t think there’s any major candidate that is where we in the gay community would hope they would be on our issues,’’ V. Gene Robinson said in a conference call with reporters. ‘’That being said, I would say the senator has been enormously supportive of our issues. We appreciate his support for civil unions.’’
The continuing repercussions from Robinson’s 2003 election as bishop of New Hampshire threaten to break up the worldwide Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is part. His supporters hail him as a role model and civil rights pioneer.
Robinson stressed that his endorsement was as an individual, not as bishop. ‘’I will not be speaking about the campaign from the pulpit or at any church function,’’ he said. ‘’That is completely inappropriate. But as a private citizen, I will be at campaign events and help in any way that I can.’’
Robinson said he hopes to persuade Obama to embrace marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Obama supports civil unions and rights for gay couples, but stops short of supporting gay marriage. Robinson, a registered independent and opponent of the war in Iraq, said he was drawn to Obama because of the Illinois senator’s experience with racism and discrimination, which Robinson also has experienced.
‘’I think it would be hard to be a person of color in this country and not be on the receiving end of that,’’ he said. ‘’I think we make a mistake when we think there has to be an act of hatred from one person to another for racism to occur, where our whole culture is set up to benefit one race over another.’’

Vermont To Consider Gay Marriage
Burlington - The leaders of the Vermont House and Senate announced July 25 that they have formed a special commission to gauge Vermonters’ thoughts on expanding marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.
The announcement by House Speaker Gaye Symington of Jericho and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin of Putney comes seven years after Vermont made history with its first-in-the-nation civil unions law. The two Democrats said the commission will study applicable state laws and hold at least six hearings across the state before delivering a report on the issue to lawmakers in April 2008.
“It’s time to ask if it is in Vermont’s best interest to retain separate legal status for gay couples,” said Symington, who supported gay marriage and civil unions as a member of the Vermont House seven years ago.
Shumlin, who was president of the Senate during the civil union debate, said he did not support gay marriage at the time, but added that “much has changed in just a few years.” He said Vermonters are now ready to tackle the difficult issue.
“If I had told someone back then that just a few years later our neighbor to the east would pass civil unions without a whimper, they would have said, “You’re crazy, Shumlin,’” he said. “But that is how quickly the conversation has evolved.”
The political landscape regarding rights for gays and lesbians has changed since Vermont approved civil unions. Since then, several states have approved civil unions or a similar domestic partnership status, including two of Vermont’s neighbors.Legislators in New Hampshire this year approved a civil union law and in 2004 Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to allow gay marriage, a law that sprang from a court ruling that denying same-sex couples the right to wed was unconstitutional.
Beth Robinson, chair of the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force, said following the announcement that attitudes toward same-sex rights have changed dramatically in the years since Vermont approved civil unions.
A poll of 401 Vermonters earlier this year found that 42% agree that gays and lesbians should have the right to get married and that another 11% are leaning toward that opinion, according to the organization. The poll also found that 37% disagreed with gay marriage.
The announcement was met with shock and surprise by Republican leaders in Vermont. “This is another case of the Democrats distracting and dividing while there are real issues the Legislature needs to solve for Vermonters,” Rob Roper, chairman of the Vermont Republican Party told the Associated Press.
The July 25 announcement also was a surprise to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vermont, according to communications director Gloria Gibson. She said Vermont Catholic Bishop Salvatore Matano has not yet weighed in on the gay marriage commission.

Ohio Court: Gay Ban Doesn’t Invalidate Domestic Violence Laws
Columbus - Ohio’s domestic violence laws do not conflict with the state’s ban on gay marriage, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled July 25. In a 6-1 decision, justices rejected an argument that the domestic violence law was unenforceable in cases involving unmarried couples because it refers to them as living together “as a spouse.”
Chief Justice Thomas Moyer wrote in the opinion that lawmakers included many groups under the domestic violence law, and that describing people’s living arrangements isn’t the same as creating a law approximating marriage. The gay marriage ban prohibited the government from creating any such approximation.
Twenty-seven states have constitutional language defining marriage as between a man and a woman, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Washington Gay Couples Sign Up For Domestic Partnerships
Olympia - A raucous cheer went up from a crowd of gay and lesbian couples in Olympia, Washington, as the doors were opened July 23 for domestic partnership. Within an hour of opening, the secretary of state’s office had registered about 85 same-sex couples. And there were dozens more waiting outside.
Couples will get more rights as domestic partners, including hospital visitation, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations and to inherit without a will. However, they won’t get all the same rights of married couples and the state’s registry is different from civil unions in other states.
The Legislature approved the new domestic partnerships this spring after the state Supreme Court upheld Washington’s ban on same-sex marriage.

QNU Quickies: Recent Stories Of Note
QNU

By Mike Fitzpatrick
Here in no particular order is Quest’s take on stories of gay interest since the last issue. A friendly reminder that breaking news is updated daily on the QNU: Quest News Update site online. Visit us at: www.quest-online.com.
Priest Embezzles $200K To Keep Gay Stripper: The Chicago Sun-Times reported that a Chicago priest pleaded guilty July 28 to stealing nearly $200,000 from parishioners so that he could give cash and gifts to a gay stripper. Investigators say the Rev. Mark Sorvillo gave James Sosnicki “about a thousand dollars a month, to buy cars, a motorcycle, clothing and a computer. Police also found nude photos of Sosnicki, including one that showed him sleeping in the priest’s bed. The padre apparently dipped into the collection basket for a decade in order to have access to the stripper’s basket.
Bye-Bye Gay Translators, Hello Mr. Machine: After firing 60 Arabic translators for being gay under the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law, the US military has been forced to rely on an untested translating machine. US National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers are now testing a prototype, real-time, two-way translation system to meet the shortfall of translators in Iraq, where linguistic misunderstandings can be fatal. The September 11 Commission also identified the shortage of Arabic linguists as a major factor in the US government’s failure to thwart the September 11 attacks. Military intelligence once again lives up to its oxymoronic definition as the top brass feel safer with something that can only blow a circuit (or an occasional translation), rather than human experts who might blow something else off-duty.
GOP Lawmaker - “Fear Of Blacks Made Me Offer Blow Jobs!”: Republican fear of fairies apparently is so great that they’d rather be perceived as racial bigots instead. That’s the latest twist in the ongoing investigation of Florida representative Bob Allen’s $20 oral sex offer to an undercover cop in Titusville last month. Turns out the cop was - in Allen’s taped testimony - “a pretty stocky black guy.” He also admitted that “there was nothing but other black guys around in the park.” Allen claims he was fearful for his life when he made the offer. Allen apparently forgot the cop’s report he initiated the deal by peeking over the stall. Perhaps Allen’s real fear is his conservative Southen voting base finding out that his favorite flavor of lollipop is chocolate.
Sir Elton - “Shut Down The Internet!” Elton John has a gripe with the world wide web and thinks it ought to be turned off. The gay mega-platinum hitmaker thinks people spend too much time blogging and chatting rather talking with friends and family in real time, and that file sharing and do-it-yourself music sites are ruining music - both the creative process and the recording industry. “It doesn’t bode well for long-term artistic vision,” Captain Fantastic wrote in the London tabloid The Sun. Sir Elton claims he’s doing his part by staying off cell phones, not using iPods, etc. Does that include not going into gay chat rooms?
Village People Return as Straight? In what has to be their umpteenth attempt to return to the frontal lobes of pop consciousness, the 70’s disco act the Village People (“Macho Man,” “In The Navy”) reportedly is down playing their homo hitmaker roots. Current band leader Ray Simpson claims he’s stymied that the group’s being given credit for being nothing more than gay icons. “(The current line-up is) straight, gay, Catholic, Protestant,” Simpson said. “It’s black, white, Indian, it’s a very diverse group.”
Meanwhile former “cop” Victor Willis, who is mounting his own, separate comeback, claims in a new book that the group’s biggest hit “YMCA” was “not about gay cruising.” Both boys apparently forget that the Village People’s abandoning of their gay fan base in the 80’s to become a more mainstream “new wave” group with KISS-like make-up is why they fell from favor in the first place. Well, that and the horrible flick “Can’t Stop The Music” with Bruce Jenner. Never cross the queens - just like elephants, they never forget!

State News:

Oshkosh Prof Files Lawsuit To Challenge Wisconsin Gay Marriage Ban
By Mike Fitzpatrick
Madison - A political science professor from the UW-Oshkosh has taken on Wisconsin’s constitutional amendment banning the legal recognition of

any unmarried couple’s status regardless of sexual orientation. Wisconsin voters approved the so-called “gay marriage ban” last November.
Bill McConkey has filed a lawsuit July 30 in Dane County that seeks to prevent the amendment from being enforced. The suit also asks the court to overturn the ban on the grounds that it violates the 1st and 14th amendments to the US Constitution. The suit also claims that the amendment question was posed incorrectly on the ballot to the people of Wisconsin.
McConkey teaches communication and organizational administration courses for UW Oshkosh, and is a frequent speaker and trainer on these subjects. He has had over 30 years experience in shaping and developing organizational cultures, training and learning systems, communication with internal and external publics, public and civic affairs, focus groups, surveys and other research methodologies. He also serves on the Center for Community Partnerships, a manufacturing partnership hub created by UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout to effectively provide services to manufacturers in northeast Wisconsin.
McConkey is not gay. He’s married, with seven children and nine grandchildren. McConkey told the Wisconsin Radio Network that sexuality is not what the lawsuit is about. “It’s an affront to the intellectual strength of the people of this state,” he said. “The U.S. Constitution - the 14th Amendment - says you can’t separate a group of people and forbid them the same protections of the law that everybody else gets.”
McConkey admits that he has no legal background and filed the lawsuit without the help of an attorney. “If an attorney will help me pro-bono that would help but I don’t have any money to hire lawyers to do this,” he said. “I do have the passion to do this because the amendment’s wrong!”
McConkey is currently waiting to see if the Governor or Attorney General respond to the lawsuit. McConkey does not know if his challenge will go forward, but he’s open to any help opponents of the ban want to offer. “One of the issues here is that I may not have standing,” McConkey told Quest. “I’m not gay, I’m not in an unmarried relationship that is impacted by this amendment.”
Shortly after the amendment’s passage, the possibility of a legal challenge was investigated by a number of Madison gay couples, but attorneys advised caution. Currently challenges to voter-approved constitutional amendments are under way in several states.
Fair Wisconsin has taken no formal position to date on the matter. “I called Fair Wisconsin (about the lawsuit) and I worked on their campaign last year,” McConkey said. “I have not heard one word back from them.”
McConkey said he has been surprised by the lack of follow-up to his lawsuit thus far. “I’ve gotten several supportive phone calls, and there’s been discussion in the Capital Times’ political blog,” he said. “But the response overall pretty much has been ‘ho-hum.’”
McConkey has promised to send Quest a copy of the brief filed last month. Quest also has scheduled an in-depth interview with the professor to appear in an upcoming issue.

Wisconsin AIDS Ride Takes To The Road
Madison - More than 250 cyclists and crew members embarked on a journey to raise funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS here August 2. The ACT 5 ride is the fifth installment of AIDS Network’s (AN) signature fundraiser. The acronym stands for “AIDS Network Cycles Together.”
The cyclists and their support teams began the 300-plus mile, four-day journey from Madison through South Central Wisconsin with opening ceremonies at Olin Park that started at 6:15 AM. “Every rider, crew member and volunteer has a story to tell about why they participate in this ride and how HIV/AIDS has touched their lives,”
AN Executive Director Bob Power told the group.
Unlike other rides were been run by professional event planners in the 1990’s, ACT 5 has been designed to return a large amount of funds to its beneficiary, AIDS Network. In 2006, ACT 4 brought in approximately $252,000 and returned over 89% of donations to AIDS Network due to the significant donations made by companies, organizations and individuals.
Closing Ceremonies were held on Sunday, August 5, with all riders, crew members, and steering committee members joining in a “Victory Ride” into Capitol Square to celebrate the return home. “This is an emotional and touching event that encapsulates the entire experience these people have gone through for their family, friends, and neighbors that are suffering with HIV/AIDS,” Power said.
AIDS Network is the state-designated AIDS service organization in Southwestern Wisconsin. With funds raised in ACT 5, AIDS Network will be able to provide crucial services to people living with HIV/AIDS and continue its outreach and prevention programs to all communities. More information this year’s ride is available at: :www.actride.org

StageQ Announces 2007-8 Season
Madison - StageQ’s new season will feature a new play by award wining- gay playwright Paul Rudnick and a third go-round of its popular “Queer Shorts.” All of the LGBT theatre company’s 2007-8 schedule will be presented at the at the Bartell Theater, 113 E Mifflin Street here.
The first show of the new season will be “Valhalla,” by prize-winning playwright Paul Rudnick, best known for “Jeffrey,” “In & Out,” and “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told.” “Valhalla” intertwines two stories: the life of Ludwig of Bavaria, the 1880s Mad King responsible for building a series of storybook castles inspired by Wagnerian operas, and the fictional adventures of James Avery, a wild Texas teenager of the 1940s. The play explores questions of beauty and madness, as both Ludwig and James pursue lives of operatic passion, bringing them in contact with such diverse figures as a high-school quarterback, the prettiest girl in Dainsville, Texas, most of the characters of Lohengrin and princess Sophie, who declares herself “the loneliest humpback in Europe.”
“Valhalla” is a comic epic, confronting the price to be paid for wanting, and getting, everything one dreams of. Auditions for the production were held August 6 and 7, with call backs scheduled for August 14. “Valhalla” will open October 5 and run through October 20 on the Evjue Stage of the Bartell.
The season continues with “Looking For Normal” by Jane Anderson, running on February 7 through March 1 In the play Roy and Irma are church-going Midwesterners with two children who have been married for twenty-five years. When Roy and Irma go to their pastor for marriage counseling, Roy confesses that he’s a woman trapped in a man’s body. This comedic drama, which was adapted by the playwright as the award-winning HBO film “Normal” in 2003, explores the complexities of marriage, family and deconstructs the very notion of love.
In March, the lesbian musical “Pulp” by Patricia Kane will make its Madison premiere. “Pulp” is an affectionate parody of the lurid lesbian fiction of the 1950s. Departing from the obligatory tragic endings of ‘50’s lesbian pulp fiction, Kane not only happily pairs off three sets of lovers by the end of the play, but also has immense good fun with the punchy style of the genre, and the lure of lesbian bars, drag kings, and the appeal of Barbara Stanwyck. “Pulp” will be seen on the Drury Stage at the Bartell from March 7 - 29, 2008.
For the final main stage show of the 2007-2008 season, StageQ will present its third annual “Queer Shorts” revue of short plays. An opportunity for both experienced and novice actors, directors and playwrights, “Queer Shorts” is a celebration of LGBT theater. The revue will run for two weekends, June 12 - 21, 2008 on the Evjue Stage at the Bartell.
StageQ will also be producing other events during the season, including concerts, an after-hours show, and more of our low-cost and free theater workshops. Stay tuned for more information about those events.
For the upcoming season StageQ will offer its loyal patrons many conveniences with season tickets including a 17% savings versus individual tickets, additional discounts on after-hours shows and special events, the flexibility of not having to pick the performance dates at the time of purchase, preferred seating, the ability to make reservations before tickets go on sale to the general public and being at the top of the waiting list for sold-out shows (if you forget to make reservations).
StageQ season tickets are $50 each for the complete season of four main-stage shows. Tickets can be ordered through the theatre company’s website at: www.StageQ.com.

Guernsey Gala Kicks Up Its Heels
Green Bay - The annual Guernsey Gala kicked off July 28 at The Shelter here with one of the most elaborate (and best attended) shows in the

fund-raising pageant’s 16 year history. The competition, which included the 9th Annual Gay Guernsey softball tournament at Perkins Park August 5, will wrap up on August 18 with a grand finale show at the Napalese Lounge.
During the three week event contestants have held car washes, shows, special dinners and even a strip show to raise money. The Gala is on target to exceed a lifetime total of $150,000 in funds raised
The Guernsey Gala holds a special place in the northeastern Wisconsin LGBT community’s long history of battling HIV/AIDS. It was created in 1992 by Wayne Thiele and his friends as a way to raise money needed to help people living with HIV in the city of Green Bay who were struggling to make ends meet. The Gala was fashioned after Milwaukee’s Possum Queen contest with candidates running for the title of “Guernsey Queen” by collecting dollar “votes.” Four local bars - Brandy’s II, The Napalese Lounge, SASS, Za’s Videobar - participated in the first “pageant” and raised several hundred dollars.
Over the next ten years Wayne - as his Guernsey alter ego “Elsie Bovine” - raised tens of thousands of dollars for the clients of Center Project, and later, those served by the Green Bay office of ARCW. After the 2002 competition, Wayne asked Rainbow Over Wisconsin to take over the organization and promotion of the event. ROW members agreed and with Wayne’s mentoring hand, began sponsoring the Guernsey Gala in 2003.
For more information about the Guernsey Gala, go to ROW’s website at: www.rainbowoverwisconsin.org.

Cream City Gayla To Celebrate 25 Years
Milwaukee - It is being billed at “the event of the year,” and it will celebrate a major milestone in the LGBT community’s history of giving here. On Crem City Gayla

Saturday, September 22 the Cream City Foundation (CCF) will sponsor a “Gayla with a sprinkle of fairy dust” in the rotunda of the Milwaukee City Hall, beginning at 7 PM.
The event will honor and celebrate the philanthropic spirit of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people and the culmination of 25 years of funding their own LGBT charity: the Cream City Foundation.
Cream City treasurer Tom Wilson told Quest that in addition to the quarter century milestone, CCF will be celebrating two other distinctions. “Cream City is the second oldest LGBT foundation in the history of the United States,” Wilson said. “Additionally we have distributed $500,000 in grants over that 25 years.”
CCF supports the entire LGBT community Wilson added. “We have no agenda, we take no sides,” he said. “We are here to work with the entire community through partnerships with all LGBT organizations and with similar supportive allies in the straight community.”
Music for the Gayla will be provided by Mrs. Fun. Complex, sophisticated and adventurous, the WAMI-winning duo of Connie Grauer and Kim Zick offer music that is a provocative blend of off-center jazz, ulta-funk, spoken word rap, and their own brand of neo-cabaret. The event will be hosted by legendary Milwaukee entertainer Rona and Outbound columnist Michael Johnston.
General admission tickets are $75 through September 10 ($85 thereafter) or “Fairy” level of $100. Sponsorship levels for the event range from $250 to $2500. Tickets may be purchased online at: www.creamcityfoundation.org or by phone at 414-225-0244. For additional information visit the CCF website or email Maria Cardenas at: director@creamcityfoundation.org.

Feature Story:

Wisconsin Prides Collide In Mid-August
Events Offered In Eau Claire, LaCrosse And Milwaukee
Eau Claire, LaCrosse, Milwaukee - Gay Pride Wisconsin style is about to head into its third month of festivals, with three events that culminate on the weekend of August 17-18 in Milwaukee, Eau Claire and LaCrosse.
Milwaukee Black Pride (CDP)

First up is Milwaukee’s Black Pride celebration, beginning August 12 and running through August 19. Charles Daniels Productions, Inc. (CDP), an inner-city grass roots community based non-profit organization with a 501 (C) 3 tax exempt status working with the LGBTQ community and their social networks, is the official organizing entity for the seven-day event. According to organizers, the purpose for the celebration is to “bring African-American and other people of color, same gender loving men and women together from across the country to participate in informative and engaging workshops and social activities that encourage meaningful dialogue and social empowerment.”
Powerhouse singer-actor Jennifer Holliday, who recently has been billed as the “original Dreamgirl” is set to headline with a performance on August 18 at MATC’s Cooley Auditorium from 6-10 PM. Tickets for the show range from $15-30 and are currently available at Club Finesse, Conversations, Rainbow, Viva La Femme and the Black Pride (CDP) office at the LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St. For more information, call 414-263-9999.
An “after party” celebration sponsored by Vive La Femme & Conversations night clubs at the Masonic Temple. will follow the concert at 10PM. Admission will be $15 per person.
Black Pride will kick off on Sunday, August 12, with a block party to be held at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center from 4-9 PM. The week will conclude with the Second Annual White Party co-hosted by the four abovementioned night clubs with tickets costing $10 per club available at each venue. Several additional events, including a bus trip and several club events are also scheduled throughout the week. Detailed information about the events are online at the Black Pride (CDP) website at: www.blackpridecdp.com or by calling Eloise at 414-263-999.
While Milwaukee’s Black Pride (CDP) focuses on African-American and other people of color issues, the event welcomes the participation of all regardless of age creed, gender, gender identification, HIV status, national origin, physical, mental or development ability, religion or sexual orientation, organizers said.

Western Wisconsin Pride is set to run in the Eau Claire area from August 17-19. The central event this year will be the annual Pride Festival and Picnic to be held from 11 AM - 7 PM on the Riverview Park Island. Picnic organizers are asking a $3 suggested donation for admittance. the picnic menu will include a choice of hamburger, brat or hot dog, chips or cold salad and soda. Cotton candy & sno-cones will also be available for $1 each. Picnic highlights, according to organizers will be a “celebrity” dunk tank, prize drawings and many exhibits and vendors. Vendors already schedule to be present include J & J Human Wear, The Main Stitch, Rainbow Glass; Shop, Trust & Buy, Minnesota Couples, Duluth/Superior Pride, AIDS Walk Wisconsin, the LGBT Democratic Caucus, ARCW, Fair Wisconsin, Spectrum, the Chippewa Valley LGBT Community Center, Pro-Choice Wisconsin and Mark Olson, the Democratic Party candidate for 68th Assembly District.
Because parking is limited at the site, a shuttle bus will run from Scooter’s Bar parking lot on the hour to the park and on the half-hour from the park to Scooter’s. Handicapped parking will be unrestricted at the park however.
Following the picnic a benefit “Drag Queen Show” will be held at Scooter’s Bar. The $3 admission will help offset pride weekend expenses. The Chippewa Valley LGBT Community Center also has planned a movie night. Doors will open at 7:45 PM with the film starting at 8 PM.
Three events are scheduled for Friday, August 17. An open house will be held at the Chippewa Valley LGBT Community Center from 7-10 PM. There will be a pizza & bowling party at Bowlwinkles bowling lanes from 7-9 PM. Scooter’s Bar will hold a male dancer revue starting at 10 PM. Male Dancers
Western Wisconsin Pride will conclude on Sunday with a Chippewa River Tube Float. Those wishing to attend will meet at Scooter’s Bar parking lot and depart at 1 PM. Attendees should bring a tube in order to float down the river.
For additional information about Western Wisconsin Pride, go to the group’s website at: www.westernwisconsinpride.com. An email contact page is available onsite for additional questions.
LaCrosse Pride 2007

LaCrosse Pride this year will be a one-day event sponsored by the city’s 7 Rivers LGBT Resource Center. The event will run from 11 AM to 11 PM at the Oktoberfest Grounds on the south side of LaCrosse. Souvenir pride buttons offering unrestricted admission are $5 per person with children 12 & under free.
Entertainers scheduled to appear are hypnotist Al Kaytraz, comedian Tracy Schroeder and area entertainers Ginger Presley, Char Engen & Leesa. Special appearances are also set by: Ti’nea, Jaqu’e Mone’t, Suga Brown, Venus Love, Holiday Rose, Ms. Kellie Jo Klien, Scotty, Raven Zlair, Tammy Faye, Brandy Merlot, Reggie, and Dee Dee Winters.
The day-long event promises a number of fun filled activities such as bingo, a “Gladiator Joust,” and an euchre card tournament. Several additional children’s activities are planned as well as a number of speakers. The day-long event will also have a number of vendors, and a variety of food and beverage options. additional details for this year’s LaCrosse Pride can be obtained at two websites: lacrossepride.7riverslgbt.org and the event’s MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/laxpride. Additional questions can be answered by calling the 7 Rivers Center at 608-784-0452 or by emailing: pride@7riverslgbt.org.
Wisconsin summer of Pride will conclude with one of the oldest pride events in the nation, Twin Ports Pride in Duluth-Superior on Labor Day weekend, August 30 - September 2. Headlining that event will be Lady Kier, formerly of the club chart topping Dee-Lite. Quest will have a complete preview in the next issue.

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