Quest New Logo     Volume 14 No. 5   April 12, 2007
Compiled & written by Mike Fitzpatrick
  
Top Story:
Open Wide! ARCW’s Second Dental Clinic Set To Debut
“State Of The Art” Facility Reflects Agency’s Greater Expansion Into Health Services
Green Bay - On January 2, 2007 it was unfinished space used for storing copy paper, computer parts and condoms. Ten weeks and a quarter million dollars later it has become what one dentist visiting the new facility called “straight out of The Jetsons.” ARCW’s second dental clinic will open for ARCW Dental Clinicbusiness on April 24, much to the relief  of hundreds of those living with HIV and AIDS in greater Wisconsin. They have faced sometimes insurmountable financial, medical and geographic barriers in the quest to obtain the dental care needed to maintain a robust level of health for their already-compromised immune systems.
  Dental care for low and even some middle-income Wisconsin residents already had reached near-crisis levels, a fact alluded to by Governor Jim Doyle in his March 22 announcement of over $12 million dollars to provide increased access to comprehensive dental care in the state. For those living with HIV, lack of dental care can be life shortening.
  “HIV disease can manifest itself in several ways including thrush, warts, and gum disease,” ARCW Dental Director Steve Debbink told Quest. “Additional complications may arise as a result of either HIV disease or as a side effect of medication used to combat the virus. Additionally, people living with HIV have often gone without professional dental care for long periods of time... the Dental Clinic is in a position to alleviate the negative effects HIV infection has in the mouth and help HIV-positive people live long and healthy lives.”
  In his March announcement Doyle named ARCW a recipient of a $349,800 Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Oral Health Access Grant to increase its capacity to provide dental care to people living with HIV across Wisconsin. The agency was one of only seven organizations awarded funding from a pool of thirty-nine applicants.
  With the additional funding ARCW will be able to increase the number of patients receiving dental care through the ARCW Medical Center’s Milwaukee and Green Bay dental clinics by 25%, from 1,069 in 2006 to 1,336 patients. The Milwaukee clinic currently adds new patients at a rate of 22 each month. The Green Bay clinic is expected to serve about 200 patients by the end of this year.
  ARCW used the state DHFS grant to complete the construction of Green Bay clinic and to replace outdated dental equipment in the Milwaukee clinic. A $2 million, five-year federal Health Resources and Services Administration grant announced last September had initially made the Green Bay clinic possible.
  With the Green Bay site, ARCW continues to run the only HIV specialty dental clinics in Wisconsin.  The dental program has been designated a Special Project of National Significance, ARCW’s fifth program to receive such notice.
  Debbink, who recently was honored by the Marquette University School of Dentistry in recognition of nearly a decade of dedicated service to Steve DebbinkARCW’s patients, reflected on the changes he has seen over that time to people living with HIV/AIDS. “People with HIV are living longer than they did at the beginning of my career,” he said. “This has lead to more opportunities for oral infections and for longer periods of time where the side effects of medications can take their toll on the mouth.  Together, these have created a demand for more restorative care for my patients.”
  That care will be state of the art at the Green Bay site. All record-keeping, from the “paperless” patient signatures to digital x-rays, will be handled by a system of computers. Patients will be able to see exactly what their dentist or hygienist  is talking about inside their mouths via flat screen monitors mounted to the dental chairs. The providers themselves also will be able to conduct real-time consultations with other specialists via a closed intranet network.
  The new clinic’s “bells and whistles” also serve to draw attention to ARCW’s increased expansion into the direct provision of health care services for those living with HIV/AIDS, something only a handful of AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs) do nationwide. Since its opening in 2001, the ARCW Medical Center has seen its patient load mushroom from 44 to 602 patients as of the end of 2006, a thirteen-fold increase. ARCW is now the largest provider of HIV-related medical care in the epicenter of the state’s AIDS epidemic, Milwaukee and southeast Wisconsin. The explosion of HIV+ patients seeking care at the agency has triggered a second major project, an $800,000 renovation now underway at ARCW’s downtown Milwaukee site.
  Just a few years ago ARCW was not known as a health care provider, but rather a partner in the total care of people living with HIV. Quest asked ARCW President and CEO Doug Nelson about the agency’s move into health care services. As might be expected, the new clinic was on his mind. “First let me say that we are so enthused to be opening the new ARCW Dental Clinic in Green Bay,” he said. “It is a state of the art dental clinic and its responding to a significant need in Green Bay and northeast Wisconsin for quality dental care in an HIV sensitive environment.”
  As to ARCW’s unique position among ASOs, Nelson offered an overview. “Most AIDS Service Organizations in the country are known for Doug Nelsonproviding HIV social services,” he noted. “At ARCW, we have historically provided comprehensive social services including food pantries, housing, rent assistance, legal assistance and case management.  Without question, ARCW is one of the few ASOs in the country to add the provision of health care to its mission.”
  Nelson sees logic in ARCW’s expansion into health care. “We’ve done this because as the AIDS epidemic has evolved this has been the most urgent need,” he said. “If people with HIV have access to quality health care, they have a chance for a long and healthy life.  Without health care, disease progression is almost assured.”
  “At ARCW we’ve always been about meeting the needs of the AIDS epidemic as it has evolved,” Nelson added.  “So very carefully over the past few years we have built the components of a multidisciplinary health care system at ARCW: medical, dental and mental health care services.  And our commitment is to make these vital health care services available to all patients, regardless of economic status and their ability to pay.” 
  According to Nelson, for 2007 ARCW has made a commitment to spend $3 million delivering such critical health care services. “We may be the only ASO in the country that has done this - but it is meeting a huge need in Wisconsin and is helping us achieve the global HIV goal of universal health care for everyone with HIV and AIDS right here in Wisconsin.”
  And what does the future hold? Nelson is certain that in addition to being a leader in HIV prevention and social services the agency will be “striving to be a center of excellence in HIV health care delivery.”
  “Our future also is about our commitment to all of Wisconsin,” Nelson said. “Making sure that health care and social support services are available and that aggressive prevention programs permeate the state. Opening the new ARCW Dental Clinic in Green Bay is an example of this commitment.” 
  To punctuate his promise, Nelson shared plans for an additional service coming to northeast Wisconsin. “Before the end of 2007 we also will provide mental health therapy in Green Bay, he said.  We believe in the integration of mental and physical health services.”
  But how to pay for it all? Nelson told Quest it’s part of the overall strategy. “We work hard to make sure that the financial equation for supporting our provision of health care is sound,” he said. “We are very fortunate  to have strong support from the State of Wisconsin through the historic Mike Johnson Life Care Services Act.  Thanks to Governor Doyle, we have been successful in increasing that grant by 25% and we’ve used all of that increase to support the ARCW Medical Center.” (Editor’s note: longtime AIDS activist Johnson also has served as ombudsman for ARCW’s clients.)
  Nelson then listed other key sources of financial support. “We also have strong support from the federal government,” he added. “We work hard to capture the appropriate amount reimbursement from Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance companies.  And we rely very heavily on the support from our donors - individuals, corporations, foundations and through special events.
  One such major “special event” is the upcoming “Moulin Rouge at Make A Promise,” the 2007 version ARCW’s long-running signature dinner, auction and entertainment. The April 21 event will offer an evening of Parisian “glamour and romance” and promises to light up the Midwest Airlines Center, showcasing the spectacular beauty and magic of the world’s most famous cabaret.
  The event annually brings together about a thousand of Wisconsin’s philanthropic, medical, political, and corporate leaders to support ARCW in the fight against HIV/AIDS. According to ARCW Vice President and Chief Development Officer Dan Mueller, this year’s event promises to be a record-setter, with advance tickets already surpassing the 2006 event, which raised $149,000 to benefit the prevention, care, and treatment programs to people affected by HIV/AIDS throughout the state, regardless of their ability to pay.
  However, Mueller points out seats are still available, noting that “people from all over Wisconsin are traveling down for the big night.” Individual ticket prices range from $85 to $125. Tables of 10 are also still available. Individual and group tickets may be ordered online at: www.arcw.org. Click to the “Admit One” icon on the Moulin Rouge page. Also feel free to contact event coordinator Tad Gospodarek at 414- 225-1598 or Amanda Garry at 414-225-1570 with any questions. Attire for the evening is black tie optional. (Click on the windmill logo below for additional information.)
  The Midwest Airlines Center is located at 400 W. Wisconsin Avenue on the corner of 4th Street and Wisconsin Avenue. Parking is available in the Wisconsin Center District parking structure. The entrance is located at 500 W. Wells Street, on the North side of the street. A limited amount of metered street parking is also available.
  The “Make A Promise” dinner has been around nearly as long as Nelson himself, who is nudging two decades at the helm of the agency, a tenure Moulin Rougepractically unheard of in the field of HIV/AIDS. Nelson waxed almost a bit nostalgic when asked about looking back at his service to ARCW. At the beginning of the AIDS epidemic we all hoped for a quick cure which didn’t come,” he said. “Then we all hoped for drug treatment regimens that would keep people with HIV alive.  We all lost many friends and loved ones over many years.”
  However, things are a lot brighter for those infected as the epidemic itself pushes 30. “But now we have the medical treatments that keep HIV patients alive and well,” Nelson added  That’s why assuring access to medical care is the most important thing we can do!”
  "From the beginning I have always thought that ARCW had an obligation to meet the needs of the epidemic wherever that would take us,” Nelson said. “It’s why we started needle exchange way back in l994. It’s why we opened food pantries all around the state in response to increasing poverty of our clients and patients. And surely, once the medical advancements were accomplished in the mid-nineties, and the need for health care was preeminent. I didn’t believe that ARCW would meet the needs of the epidemic in Wisconsin unless we added medical, dental and mental health care services.”
  Later this month, as those living with HIV begin laying back and opening wide to receive the best dental care the 21st Century can offer, provided Dr. Debbink and other professionals at a clinic made just for them, Nelson and ARCW will be able to mark off another box on their to-do list. But with all the improvements already underway in the Milwaukee and those planned for greater Wisconsin, the ongoing additions to agency’s client caseload from newly-infected and transferred clients, and finding ways to pay for it all, that list is far from finished.
World & National News:
New Hampshire House Passes Civil Unions Bill
Concord -  In what lawmakers called a victory for fairness and equality, the House voted by a nearly 2-to-1 margin yesterday to endorse creating civil unions for same-sex couples. The 243-129 vote gave supporters hope that the bill will pass the Senate this spring and be signed into law by Governor. John Lynch, to take effect January 1, 2008. That would make New Hampshire the fourth state to adopt civil unions, after Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey. Only Massachusetts allows legal marriage for same-sex couples.
  “It is definitely a historic moment. I don’t think anybody can deny that it’s a historic moment,” openly gay Representative David Pierce said following the vote. Pierce, who spoke in support of the bill on the House floor, said he was pleased by the 114-vote margin and the presence of 27 Republicans in the majority. “Most people thought it was just the right thing to do,” he said.
  The bill passed by the House would establish same-sex civil unions with the same “rights, responsibilities and obligations” as heterosexual marriage, differing in name only. Some opponents argued that it would harm traditional marriage or trigger a lawsuit that might force the state to create full marriage for same-sex couples. Others said the bill was “discriminatory” because it would create special rights for unmarried same-sex couples that would not be available to other adults who want to live together and share legal benefits, such as friends or siblings - a position the House Republican office reiterated in a statement after the vote.
  Supporters of civil unions called those moves attempts to delay or distract lawmakers from the main issue: whether to extend the nearly 400 legal rights of marriage to gay and lesbian couples who have been denied them until now.
  Though the outcome seemed inevitable on April 5, the debate and vote were part of a dramatic shift by the New Hampshire Legislature over two decades - even over a few years or months. Twenty years ago, the House voted to ban adoption by gay and lesbian people, legislation since repealed. 
  In 2004, lawmakers responded to the establishment of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts by passing legislation that blocked the recognition of any out-of-state same-sex marriage or civil union in New Hampshire - where state law already prohibited same-sex couples from marrying or forming civil unions.
  Supporters of civil unions  said the judiciary committee package represented a compromise - short of full marriage - that reflected popular opinion in New Hampshire. Representative Gary Richardson summed up the consensus of the majority supporting the bill by saying “I think what our constituents want, ladies and gentlemen, is that people be treated fairly.”
  Among the states that have passed civil unions or same-sex marriage, only Connecticut did so without being prompted by a judicial decision.

NYC Urges Circumcision To Cut AIDS Risk
New York - City health officials here are considering a program to urge circumcision for men at high risk of AIDS, noting studies that the procedure can reduce the chances of getting the disease.
  The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has sought feedback from gay rights groups and community organizations, and it approached the agency that runs city hospitals and health clinics about possibly offering the procedure for free to men without health insurance, The New York Times reported April 5.
  In March, U.N. health agencies recommended circumcision for heterosexual men after three studies in Africa found that the procedure reduced men’s chances of contracting HIV by up to 60%.
  Calling New York City “the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic” in the United States, Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden suggested circumcision could hold preventative promise here, despite differences between the two at-risk populations.
  The studies conducted in Uganda, Kenya and South Africa involved men who said they had sex with women. In New York, those at highest risk are men who have sex with men, men who inject drugs and their sexual partners, according to The Times.
  About 65% of all male babies in the United States are circumcised, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Worldwide, about 30% of men are, the World Health Organization estimates.
  Local AIDS activists had mixed feelings about the circumcision idea. Some doubted that encouraging circumcisions would significantly decrease infection rates, while others suggested the issue needs a study specific to New York.
  “Should we proceed when we don’t have hard data yet on the population here?” longtime AIDS activist and co-founder of ACT-UP New York Peter Staley said. “On the other hand, if we wait the three years it would take to answer that question, how many will be infected in the meantime?”
  New York City is also trying to combat sexually transmitted diseases by handing out official city condoms. The city reports that they handed out 5 million condoms in the first month of the campaign.

Righties Whine About Upcoming GLSEN Day of Silence
Washington, DC - Right-wing activist Linda Harvey has called on parents to take their children out of school on this year’s GLSEN National Day of Silence, the day LGBT students and their supporters draw awareness to homophobia in classrooms by keeping silent in school. This year’s Day Of Silence will be observed on April 18.
  “Teenagers deserve an opportunity to study English, history, math, and science without being subjected to pro-homosexual proselytizing sanctioned by school authorities,” Harvey wrote in a call for a boycott on NotOurKids.com website.  NotOurKids.com claims it is a “coalition of pro-family groups that seeks to protect America’s youth from being pressured to approve of homosexual, bisexual, or transgender behavior.”
  A study released by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network to coincide with last year’s National Day of Silence, showed that homophobia is widespread in the nation’s schools. Nearly one-in-five students reported they had been physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth  because of their gender expression.
  Three-quarters of students surveyed said that over the past year they heard derogatory remarks such as “faggot” or “dyke” frequently or often at school, and nearly nine out of ten  reported hearing “that’s so gay” or “you’re so gay” - meaning stupid or worthless - frequently or often.
  The study also showed that bullying has had a negative impact on learning. LGBT students were five times more likely to report having skipped school in the last month because of safety concerns than the general population of students.
  Over 6,000 participants are expected to be silent on April 18.

Nigerian Anti-Gay Law Stalls
London - Impending elections in the African state of Nigeria could mean that a draconian law banning gay lifestyles may not become law. Nigerians will vote on April 21 for a new President and elect both houses of the National Assembly.
  The Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill was debated on the March 22, but because the Assembly is now out of session, it is hoped the bill will die. The proposed law called for imprisonment for any person who “goes through the ceremony of marriage with a person of the same sex,” anyone who helps them and any gay clubs or organizations.
  However, the British gay Christian group Changing Attitude Nigeria (CAN) is cautious about declaring the legislation dead. ‘What we are hearing from CAN members in Anglican congregations in Nigeria is that the church leaders have been feeling big pressure on them and some are very angry because they expected the bill to be voted on prior to the end of this session,” CAN Director Davis Mac-Iyalla said in a formal statement.
  “There are also rumours that money has exchanged hands, American money, and yet it has not proved easy for the Anglican Church leaders to push the bill through the House of Representatives. Corruption remains widespread at every level of Nigerian society,” the statement continued.
  While a new Nigerian parliament could revive the bill, the newly-elected legislators will have a string of election promises that likely will take priority in the new legislative session.

Momma Mary CGrandpa Cheney: “It’s A Boy”
Washington, DC - Mary Cheney will be having a boy. Her father, Vice President Dick Cheny, revealed the gender of his future grandchild April 4 during an interview with ABC News Radio.
  “I’m delighted I’m about to be a grandparent for the sixth time,” Cheney said. “I’m looking forward to the arrival of a new grandson.” Cheney confirmed that the baby is due next month, will be the first child for Mary and partner Heather Poe, and the third grandson for the Cheneys.
  However, Cheney dodged the question about the same-sex family’s legal standing. “I think each state ought to have the capacity to decide how they want to handle those issues,” the Vice President said. “And I obviously think it’s important for us as a society to be tolerant and respectful of whatever arrangements people enter into.”

Web-Savvy Trickster Turns McCain Pro-Gay
Seattle - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain came out in support of gay marriage on his MySpace website March 27 - at least until his campaign staff found out.
  It only took his campaign and hour to discover and correct a satirical message from a Seattle Internet entrepreneur on McCain’s page on McCain web pageMySpace.com, the social networking site that has become popular with politicians seeking support among the nation’s younger voter demographics.
  Mike Davidson didn’t hack his way into Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s MySpace page: He merely changed an image on his own site to which McCain’s site was linking. The joke message in this image claimed the Arizona Republican had reversed his previous position and was endorsing gay marriage, “particularly marriage between passionate females.”
  Davidson said he’s got nothing against McCain as a candidate. He pulled off the prank to slap the campaign’s wrist over a breach of internet etiquette.
  Because web designer Davidson didn’t like the looks of the basic MySpace layout, he recently designed a “more tasteful” format and offered it free to all on his mikeindustries.com blog, asking users credit him for the design. He also provided sample graphics to illustrate the kinds of images that users of the code could incorporate into their MySpace pages, while requesting that users supply their own images.
  However, the McCain campaign did not credit him. Worse yet, instead of coming up with its own format for a list of links and contacts, the campaign simply linked to the list on Davidson’s own MySpace page. As a result, every time someone visited McCain on MySpace, the page reached across the world wide web to Davidson’s computer and pulled in his list, soaking up some of Davidson’s transmission capacity and potentially slowing his own access to the internet.
  After Davidson realized what the McCain campaign had done, he devised his trick by creating the fictitious gay-marriage message graphic. As long as McCain’s MySpace page linked to the image, the salute to passionate females showed up on McCain’s page.
  “It seems like everybody’s taking it with pretty good humor,” Davidson to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer after the blog entry he wrote about the “immaculate hack” spread across the blogosphere..
  How did the candidate react to the trick? McCain campaign staffers would not comment publicly.
State News:
PrideFest 2007 Entertainment Line-Up Draws Wows
Milwaukee - Calling it one the the top gay pride entertainment line-ups in the United States, organizers have announced the headliners for the 20th Anniversary edition of PrideFest.
  Comedian Kathy Griffin will top the entertainment bill kicking off this year’s festival on the Miller Lite Main Stage Friday, June 8. Opening acts for the Kathy GriffinCascadashow include international dance-pop superstar Cascada and drag divas Hedda Lettuce and Miss Foozie.
  The Friday show steps off one of the best pride entertainment lineups in the nation, PrideFest representative Paul Williams told Quest.  Also set to headline are Grammy- legend Chaka Khan and legendary rocker Joan Jett and the Blackhearts  for PrideFest’s Saturday and Sunday shows, respectively. PrideFest organizers will announce more than 40 additional acts over the next several weeks.
  Kathy Griffin is currently in the public eye for her Emmy-nominated work on the Bravo reality show, My Life on the D-List. The third season of My Life on the D-List will begin June 5, just in time for PrideFest, and Griffin will also have a comedy special on Bravo the same week.
  However, Griffin may probably be best known for her four years as Brooke Shield’s acerbic colleague on the NBC sitcom, Suddenly Susan. She has also been a three-time host of The Billboard Music Awards and had many scene-stealing appearances on Seinfeld (as Jerry’s foil, Sally Weaver), ER, The X-Files, The Simpsons and in the Eminem video, “The Real Slim Shady.” 
  Cascada burst onto the pop music scene in 2006 with one of the biggest songs of the year, “Everytime We Touch.”  The song was just certified platinum (1,000,000 sales), the first modern dance track to achieve that honor.  Cascada’s newest single, a cover of Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply,” is rising fast on new music charts around the country.  Both songs, along with her massive club hit “Miracle,” are on Cascada’s debut CD Everytime We Touch recently released in the United States.
  Hedda Lettuce, the six-time Drag Queen of the Year Award-winner (HX magazine), has received national acclaim for her poised characters, startling satire and original music. She lures you audiences into the funniest scenarios on stage with her ultra-candid, shimmering wit. Her film appearances include Flawless with Robert DeNiro, The Look with Carol Alt, and Too Wong Foo with Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes.
  Miss Foozie is currently celebrating 10 years as Chicago’s favorite drag personality.  She is known throughout the Windy City for brightening up the social scene with her big smile, warm hugs, happy chant - “Hello Pineapple!”- and her loving heart bigger than her hair.  Miss Foozie recently made guest appearances in the 2005 independent film Bowser Makes a Movie and 2007’s Father Knows. She’s a regular guest on Chicago Public Radio and CAN-TV.
  Grammy-winner Chaka Khan will top an all-star Saturday line-up at this year’s festival. Sharing the stage with the chart-topping Khan will be dance Chaka KhanJoan Jettmusic favorites the Bennassi Bros. featuring Dhany and the “divalicious” Queen of Gay Soul Sade Pendarvis. Hosting the evenings show will be New York City’s top 2006 drag doll Peppermint. Milwaukee R&B station Jammin’ 98.3 will officially welcome Khan and company June 9.
  From the moment she burst onto the music scene in the early 70s, Chaka Khan’s powerful voice, show-stopping stage presence and style created a standard that set her apart from any singer before or after her. Nearly 35 years later, Chaka is a legendary music icon whose influence has impacted whole generations of hit-making contemporary artists. Her stunning catalogue of hits both at the center of the band Rufus and as a solo artist includes “Tell Me Something Good,” “Sweet Thing,” “Everlasting Love,” “Ain’t Nobody,” “Through the Fire,” “I’m Every Woman,” and the song that made Chaka Khan a household name the world over, “I Feel For You,” written by long-time admirer and friend, Prince.
  Chaka Khan has just made Earth, Wind & Fire’s 70’s smash “Shining Star” her own as well. The Khan re-do is the lead-off hit from the just-released, multi-artist EWF tribute CD Interpretations: Celebrating The Music Of Earth, Wind & Fire.
  Eighties chart-topping rocker Joan Jett will headline an all-star Sunday line-up of distaff singers and comedians at this year’s PrideFest. Dance diva Nicki French, WAMI winner and long time festival favorite Ronnie Nyles, and comedienne Vickie Shaw are also scheduled to appear on June 10.
  Few artists boast a wider appeal than Joan Jett. Beloved by punks, indie rockers, pop lovers, riot grrrls, metal heads, classic rockers, radicals and conservatives, she is considered by many to be a genuine icon and an influential, trailblazing musician, going back to when she helped break down rock’s gender barriers and helped pioneer punk music with her teenage band, The Runaways. In addition to her two decades of hits, she currently hosts “Joan Jett’s Radio Revolution” on Little Steven’s Sirius Satellite Radio’s Underground Garage. 
  Jett is best known for the worldwide hit, “I Love Rock N’ Roll.” That song spent eight weeks at #1 and spurred 10 million sales of her LP by the same name. It has been considered so influential that the National Endowment for the Arts declared it one of the top 100 songs of the 20th Century. Jett also has had a string of other hits, including “Bad Reputation,” “Crimson and Clover,” “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” “Do You Want To Touch Me (Oh Yeah),” “Light of Day,” “Little Liar,” and “Love Is All Around.” In addition to her nine Top 40 singles, Jett has also scored eight gold and platinum albums.
  Sharing the main stage with Jett will be long-time PrideFest favorite Ronnie Nyles and the Krash Band. The Milwaukee-based rocker  recently walked away with an armload of awards at the 2007 WAMIs.
  In a festival first, Nicki French will headline a Sunday afternoon “tea dance” at  PrideFest’s dance pavilion. Her 90’s chart topper “Total Eclipse of the Heart” has long been a gay club classic.
  Also scheduled on Sunday is the “Southern-fried”comedy of Vickie Shaw. Chicago area comedienne Shaw already has a legion of Wisconsin fans, having appeared at festivals and in concerts and at comedy clubs throughout Wisconsin. Originally from Texas and a good Baptist mom before she discovered her both her true sexual nature and her gift for comedy, Vickie has performed in almost every state in the US over the last five years and has headlined in various venues including: Michigan Womyn’s Festival, National Women’s Music Festival, Monterrey Beach Women’s Festival; and the Dinah & Lina Shore Golf Tournament in Southern California.
  PrideFest will be held June 8, 9 and 10th at Maier Festival Park on Milwaukee’s Lakefront.  More information is available at www.pridefest.com.

Quest Named To Produce 2007 PrideFest Pride Guide
Milwaukee - PrideFest has announced that the 2007 Pride Guide will be published by Quest, Wisconsin's bi-monthly statewide LGBT QuestPrideFestnewsmagazine. The family-friendly Guide will be the most complete source of information about PrideFest and will hit the streets throughout the Midwest in the weeks leading up to the festival.
  “Quest has been providing LGBT news coverage to the region for 14 years, and we are happy to partner with them to produce the 2007 Pride Guide,” said Paul Williams, PrideFest Communications Director.
  Plans currently call for 16,000 copies of the Pride Guide to be distributed in late May throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul and other selected LGBT markets in neighboring  states.
 The 2007 Pride Guide is the official publication of PrideFest and will once again have the largest print run of any LGBT publication in Wisconsin.  Ad rates will be affordable to accommodate a wide range of businesses and organizations.  To reserve ad space in the Guide, contact Mark Mariucci at editor@quest-online.com or 1-800-578-3785.
  PrideFest kicks off gay pride month June 8, 9 & 10th with one of the nation's best pride entertainment lineups.  Headliners on the Miller Lite Main Stage include comedian Kathy Griffin, Chaka Khan, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Cascada.  Over 50 additional performers will be announced in coming weeks. 
  More information is available at www.pridefest.com. Click here to view or download the Pride Guide Rate Card.

FORGE Conference Draws Raves
(Editor’s Note: The non-standard pronoun usage contained in the following article reflects just another of the trans community’s challenges to shape gender-normative language to accurately express their personal journeys.)
Milwaukee - Nearly 500 people from around the country converged in Milwaukee March 29 - April 1 for “FORGE Forward 2007,” Wisconsin’s largest-ever gathering of transgender and SOFFA (Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies) people, and the first national FTM FORGE ConferenceBooks at FORGE conference(female-to-male)/SOFFA conference held anywhere outside of the east or west coast.
  FORGE Forward 2007 included nine full-day “Intensives,” more than 2-1/2 days’ worth of plenary keynote speeches and entertainment, a film festival, authors’ readings, a vendor hall, a dance, and nearly 90 planned and “propose-it-on-the-spot” workshops and caucuses.
   The conference provided participants with in-depth training on issues ranging from gender identity formation to HIV and safer sex practices among transpeople to working with trans survivors of violence. Keynote speakers articulated connections between gender identity and race, disability, male privilege, sexuality, and other issues, urging attendees to listen and learn from the community’s own diversity.  Many attendees took the advice to heart: “Great conversations about difficult topics” was one of the best aspects of the conference, one attendee said. 
  According to feedback obtained by conference organizers, attendees in general raved about the experience, focusing particularly on the event’s caring, inclusive, and empowering approach.  “(I am taking home from the conference) a greater sense of my connection to the broader trans community and the power of who I am in my daily life,” one attendee wrote.
  “An attitude of gratitude,” was what another participant said ze was taking home with hir. Another blogged that “I have heard from more than a dozen FORGE ConferenceFORGE Conference attendeesdifferent people that the conference was the best they have ever attended - and these are not easy to please people!” 
  Among other evaluation comments: “extremely inclusive - more so than any conference I have been to;” “fantastic speakers;” and “overall, one of the best community presented and produced conferences that I’ve ever attended.”
  The 13-year-old Milwaukee-based transgender organization FORGE also had made special efforts to encourage participation by local LGBT and mainstream groups. SAGE/Milwaukee, Project Q, PFLAG-Milwaukee, SHEBA (a Milwaukee-based male-to-female group), and the 16th Street Sixteenth Street Community Health Center HIV program sponsored receptions on Saturday. SAGE/Milwaukee volunteers also staffed the conference’s hospitality suite throughout the weekend. 
  According to conference organizers, the partnerships strengthened awareness of how similar trans and gender issues are to other work and issues with which community members are grappling. “I can’t tell you adequately how much we appreciated being part of this event….,” one volunteer said. “If I’d had any idea how inspiring it would be I’d have planned to be at more of it.  Wow!  Totally fabulous!” 
  The conference also impacted the staff at the Four Points Sheraton - Airport, where the event was held. Staff repeatedly told organizers throughout the four days that they were impressed not just with the high level of organization of the conference, but with the friendliness and graciousness of its gender- and orientation-diverse attendees.  Several all-day Intensives had been aimed specifically at strengthening the ability of Midwest service providers and allies to appropriately address gender and sexual orientation diversity issues.

Turtle Sex Yes, People Sex No: DNR Chops Trees At Mazo Beach
Madison - Willow trees lining the Mazomanie nude beach on the Wisconsin River have been removed to reduce alleged sexual activity and provide more sun for nesting turtles, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.
  “These willows just became a cruising area for people looking for sexual activity out there,” Steve Colden, the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway’s property manager, said March 26 in an interview with The Capital Times.
  “Mazo,” as users of nude beach typically refer to the area, a popular sun bathing spot for naturists of all sexual orientations for more than 50 years.
  Bob Morton, executive director of the Naturist Action Committee, said his Oshkosh-based group approved of the DNR’s attempts to control sexual activity on the beach. “If there is overt sexual activity in public, it jeopardizes the beach,” he said. “Naturists do know the difference between nudity and sex and we wish everyone did.”
  Colden said cutting the willow trees would also help soft-shell and hard-shell turtles which nest on the beach. A DNR biologist noticed a decrease in the number of nesting turtles because the beach had become too shaded by the willows, he said.
  A wooded area next to the beach will also be closed to the public from April 1 to Sept. 15 to prevent sexual activity from moving there, Colden said.
  Ralph Ovadal, a self-ordained “pastor” from Monroe, and a small group of followers started protesting at the beach in 1998, after being informed by a fundamentalist DNR employee that gay men and women frequented the area. Ovadal was convicted of disorderly conduct and fined $1,000 for harassing a heterosexual sunbather in 2001.  
  Ovadal was pleased with the DNR’s move, calling the beach a “mecca for individuals who have a desire to parade themselves stark naked on public property in front of children.” Despite the tree removal, however, no other plans to limit the beach’s use by naked sun-bathers appear planned by the state agency.

Cream City Foundation Announces Spring Grants
Milwaukee - During the spring grant cycle of 2007 Cream City Foundation has announced its awards for the Spring 2007 grant cycle. CCF is proud to offer support to the following programs/organizations (listed below in alphabetical order).
CCF logo  $5000 has been awarded to Center Advocates to support the organization of gay and lesbian Milwaukee Public School (MPS) employees who need health insurance for their families into an educational campaign to secure domestic partner benefits at MPS.
  A $2000 grant has been awarded to the Lesbian Alliance of Metro Milwaukee to support the creation of a pilot lesbian women’s music series to start in the summer of 2007. The series will consist of monthly performances by lesbian musicians in a substance-free space.
 CCF has also awarded $2228 to The Queer Program to underwrite the creation of a Q-Youth Cable TV Training Project that will train LGBT youth the techniques of basic cable access television production.
  The Cream City Foundation is currently soliciting applications for funding for groups and programs that enhance the quality of life for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people. CCF believes strongly in the importance of programs and organizations that use funding to strategically advance the dignity, worth and health of every LGBT person in Southeastern Wisconsin by achieving and impacting sustainable social change.
To accomplish this goal in 2007, CCF is particularly interested in applications that focus on or include a component that raises positive LGBT visibility in the mainstream community.
  For additional specifics on the grant process, visit the Cream City Foundation website at: www.creamcityfoundation.org or contact Maria Cardenas at: 414-225-0224

Twin Gay Men’s Chorus Add Second Concert
Appleton, Green Bay – The Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus, an award-winning chorus with a well-earned reputation for musical excellence and adventurous TCGMC in concertprogramming, will share its message of understanding and awareness in a performance with a second concert in Green Bay on April 15. The choral group also will present a concert Saturday, April 14 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 209 S. Allen Street.
  The Sunday concert in Green Bay will be held at 1 PM at the UW-GB Ecumenical Center and is sponsored the Straight And Gay Alliance campus student group. Admission is free, though donations to underwrite concert costs will be accepted.
  The Appleton concert, which will begin at 6 PM. in Trinity’s main sanctuary, is free and open to the public.  A reception will follow the performance.
  Formed in 1981, the 140-member chorus, which presents messages of hope and unity through music, was named “Best GLBT Music Group” in 2003 by Minnesota’s Lavender magazine.  The chorus also has been recognized with the Brian Coyle Equality and Leadership Award for Education and Outreach by the Human Rights Campaign Minnesota.
  The Twin Cities Men’s Chorus added the word “gay” to its title in 1991 and has since grown to be the fourth largest gay men’s chorus in the country.  A member of GALA (Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses), the organization was founded on the mission of building community through the pursuit of musical excellence in performance.
  As an organization that celebrates diversity and uses music as a way to transform, educate and heal, the chorus works towards the elimination of homophobia and intolerance through community outreach. The Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus’ appearance is sponsored by the Lawrence University Office of Multicultural Affairs.
  Rascal’s Bar & Grill also has announced an informal post-concert reception at the bar following the Appleton event.
( Editor's Note: This story has been updated since publication.)

OutReach To Celebrate 25 Years of Gay Equality In Wisconsin
Madison - OutReach will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the nation’s first ‘gay rights’ legislation with a formal reception on Friday, OutreachApril 13. The event will begin at 7 PM at Olbrich Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave. here.  The reception will feature individuals who were instrumental in the passage of AB 70, as well as those who had the responsibility of enforcing the new law. 
  In addition, nationally known comedian Vickie Shaw will perform. The event will also feature live music by Party, Incorporated, hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Tickets are $30 per person or $50 per pair and are on sale  at OutReach, 600 Williamson St. Contact the office by phone at 608-255-8582 for more information.
  Assembly Bill 70, the nation’s first successfully enacted gay civil rights legislation, was introduced before the Wisconsin legislature in 1981 by representatives Clarenbach, Leopold, Coggs, Ulichny and Becker; and signed in March, 1982 by the Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus. The bill added sexual orientation to a list of characteristics - such as race, age, gender, and ethnicity - that may not be used to discriminate in employment, housing or other public accommodation. Thirteen other states have followed Wisconsin’s lead in the last quarter century.
  OutReach organizers believe that by honoring and celebrating the past, the LGBT community can gain the strength and support necessary to move forward in the continuing struggle for  full equal rights.
 
LGBT Community Breakfast Set
Milwaukee - A community breakfast will be held on Saturday, April 14 at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St. Doors will open 9 AM, with breakfast at 9:30, followed by discussion at 10 AM.
  Community members will dialogue with representatives of PrideFest, the Pride Parade and PFLAG on strategies for dealing with protests during Pride. The LGBT Community Breakfast is brought to you by the Greater Milwaukee Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Visioning Project Members, and sponsored by the Cream City Foundation’s Joseph R Pabst LGBT Infrastructure Fund and Maggi Cage. The event is free and open to the public. For more information call the Cream City Foundation at: 414-225-0244.

Chicago Battles Madison For Hockey Bragging Rights
Rosemont - An inaugural hockey “Border Battle” has been set for April 15. The Chicago Gay Hockey Association (CGHA) Blackwolves play host to the Madison Gay Hockey Association (MGHA) Thunder in the CGHA’s third-annual Wolves Night Out, the CGHA’s largest annual fund-raiser, at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
  The Blackwolves have played a local, gay-friendly team in the past Wolves Night Out games – and won both years. This time, though, it’s a regional LGBT battle for icy bragging-rights.  The CGHA-MGHA battle will be held prior to the Chicago Wolves’ final 2006-07 regular season game against the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights.
  The MGHA was formed last fall and quickly developed into one of the nation’s great LGBT sporting stories. It was the largest worldwide launch of an LGBT ice hockey league and now boasts 61 players in its talent pool, divided among four teams.
  The CGHA was founded about five years ago by Chicagoan Chuck Jacobson, who was inspired after attending a gay hockey tournament in New York City.  The CGHA now has about 30 skaters.  For its first two seasons, the team was named SPIN and played in the Vernon Hills’ Glacier Ice Arena men’s league. Now known as the Blackwolves, the team plays in the Rolling Meadows Park District Adult Men’s League and in a league at the McFetridge Park District Ice Rink in Chicago.
  The CGHA has had incredible success in recent years. Just consider the following wins: the Rolling Meadows H2-B (Level 5) League Championship, Winter 2004/5; the Rolling Meadows H2-A League Championship, Winter 2005/6; a Bronze medal at the Chicago Gay Games 2006; and the 2005 Coors Cup championship, hosted by the L.A. Blades over Labor Day weekend 2005. For its tournament win, the CGHA received $1,000 in prize money that was donated to the Hurricane Relief Fund and VitalBridges.
  Tickets to the Border Battle are  $20 and include a seat at the Wolves game plus a between-games reception.  To order tickets, or for more information on the CGHA, call Chuck Jacobson at: 773-968-7474, or email Jacobson at: thundersnow1974@yahoo.com.  Tickets are also available online at the CGHA’s website at: www.chicagogayhockey.org.

Exhibitionism Workshop For Women Announced
Milwaukee - “Exhibitionism for the Shy: A Workshop for Women” featuring Dr. Carol Queen will be held Friday, April 13, beginning at 7 PM at A Woman’s Touch, 200 N Jefferson St, Suite 101, here. Carol Queen, author of the first and only known book on exhibitionism as a form of sexual enhancement, will present a workshop for all women who would like to feel more comfortable and bold sexually.
  This class is not about flashers or professional exhibitionists - though attendees will learn some “tips” from the latter. The workshop will focus on erotic boldness and developing the comfort to show off, even if it’s for one person, behind closed doors. There will be no disrobing in the class, but but attendees can expect to learn enough to put on a sexy show for their partners.  The workshop is open to women only. Cost is $25 per person. Pre-registration is required as there is a limit on the number of participants. For more information call 414-221-0400or or email: awt.milwaukee2@gmail.com.

Men’s Coming Out Group Starts
Madison - A 10-week men’s coming-out support group is forming and will begin running on Wednesday nights starting in April at 6:30pm at OutReach, 600 Willaimson St. here.  The purpose of the group is to offer support to men who are dealing with the realization that they are not heterosexual and how that affects their everyday lives and to support those people previously or currently in same sex relationships.
  The men’s coming out support group will identify and discuss the stages of coming out and explore topics such as how to deal with family members, physical and sexual safety, legal rights and discrimination, and spirituality, among others. Two trained volunteers will facilitate each session.
  For more information or to join the group, leave a message for Roger at OutReach by phone at: 608-255-8582 or by email at: harrys@outreachinc.com by April 14.

Foundation Matching Grant, Postal Drive Benefits ARCW Food Pantries
Milwaukee - ARCW food pantries in Wisconsin will benefit from a national foundation matching grant project currently in process and the annual United State Letter Carriers Food Drive being held in early May.
  For the tenth straight year, the Alan Shawn Feinstein Foundation will divide $1 million among hunger fighting agencies nationwide using it to help them raise funds between now and the end of April, 2007. The Hunger Task Force in Milwaukee and the Brown County Food and Hunger Network, representing over a dozen local pantries are participating in the project.
  Only donations received and reported from March 1 to April 30  are counted however. Donations can include cash, checks and food items donated directly to the ARCW and other participant pantries. Two events being held in the Green Bay area on April 21 - theArt dinner and an Entertainers Against AIDS show at the Shelter - are advertising the Feinstein challenge in their promotions. The hunger networks will then collect documentation of the donations received and forward them to the Feinstein Foundation for a matching donation.
  The foundation’s million dollars will then be divided proportionately among all participating agencies, with groups receiving a minimum of $250 to a maximum of $50,000. Checks will be sent by August 1.
  The 15th Annual Letter Carriers Food Drive on Saturday, May 12 will also benefit ARCW pantries. The “Stamp Out Hunger” drive this year will both send reminder postcards and put plastic sacks in mailboxes throughout the state. This year the plastic bags are actually marked as first class postage, allowing people unable to be home on May 12 to put out their donations in the days surrounding the event with pick up guaranteed. Among the sponsors of this year letter carrier food drive are  several postal employee associations and unions, the United States Postal Service, Campbell’s Soup, America’s Second Harvest and United Way agencies around Wisconsin.

Hundreds Attend Eldon Murray Service
Milwaukee - Between 150-200 friends and gay family turned out to bid gay pioneer Eldon Murray farewell Saturday, March 31 at the Washington Park Senior Center in Milwaukee. GPU veteran Roger Durand, author Will Fellows, seasoned activists Stephanie Sue Stein, Dr. Robert Carpenter, Stephanie Hume and Eldon’s long time (and apparently long suffering) house share John Terhardt offered insights into Eldon’s many talents, accomplishments and personal battles.
  However, the two most heart-touching moments came at the end of the 90-minute tribute: First, when Ternardt played Eldon’s personal salute to those in attendance, recorded just hours prior to his passing; and second, when a young attendee stood up and shared his coming out journey with the many seasoned activists present. “I really didn’t want to come at first, but after hearing how Eldon accepted you,  and how that acceptance made it possible for you to accept me, I get it. I understand why you call yourselves family.”

Gay PareeSAGE Gay Paree Soíree A Success
Milwaukee - It was a record setting turnout for SAGE/Milwaukee’s Third Annual Spring Fling held at MONA’s March 31. Good company, good food, Paris-inspired costumes and a wonderfully eclectic mix of music made everyone in attendance say “Oui” to the event’s theme, Gay Paree.
  Quest's Mark Mariucci and Mike Fitzpatrick snapped shots in the slide show at left. To see the full-sized show, click on the photo at left.

Letters To The Editor:
Thanks for Eldon Cover & Story
Dear Quest:
I just wanted to thank you guys for the nice story and cover on Eldon, which I picked up at Beans & Barley last night. Please convey my kudos to Bill Meunier.
  Eldon really was one of the biggest movers and shakers in this state and deserved the very dignified coverage you offered. How typical of him that he would set up a foundation to support LGBT causes even after his death!
  God knows he could be stubborn and argumentative, but nobody can deny his impressive life-long commitment and the significant impact his work has had on all of our lives. Rest well, Eldon.

Jamakaya
Milwaukee

Content Couple Kudos Quest Classies
Dear Quest:
Thank you for your magazine. It has brought together two people. It is possible for two guys to fall in love even though they haven’t met.
True love is a very powerful force. It can make you do things you never thought you could do, even quit smoking. Long live Quest! Long live love!

Two New Partners (names withheld)
Milwaukee

(Editor’s Note: Gotta gripe? Saw something you liked? Is your IMHO something other homos need to read? Send it along via email to: editor@quest-online.com or via snail mail to: Quest, PO. Biox 1061, Green Bay, WI 54305-1961. Gotta be 18, give us your name and your hometown. As long as its not critical, we’ll consider keeping you anonymous if you ask.)

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