SSBL Milwaukee Wins 2009 World Series Bid
Affordability, Experience, Mayor Barrett’s Support Key In Winning “Fun & Friends First”-Themed Event
Milwaukee - In the predawn hours of February 1, in a driving snow storm, members of Milwaukee’s Saturday Softball League (SSBL) Gay Softball World Series Bid Committee made their way to General Mitchell International Airport for a 6:25am flight to Seattle, Washington. Their itinerary: to attend the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association (NAGAAA) World Series Bid Conference. Their mission: to present SSBL’s bid and bring the 2009 Gay Softball World Series (GSWS) to Milwaukee.
  They accomplished their mission: NAGAAAFest 2009 Gay Softball World Series will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 31 through September 5.
  The 2009 GSWS will bring thousands of players, fans and friends to the city. This influx of visitors translates to millions of dollars of economic impact on the local economy and a boon to Milwaukee’s reputation as a gay friendly city.
  The idea for the 2009 GSWS bid developed in July 2007 when SSBL commissioner Brian Reinkober and Mona Garcia discussed the possibility with VISIT Milwaukee, the city’s tourism board. VISIT Milwaukee signed on as a promotional partner. At an August 2007 meeting of SSBL team managers, Reinkober presented the plan to bring the World Series to Milwaukee. The managers agreed to support the bid.
  In subsequent public meetings, various team managers and players volunteered to form the bid committee. They discussed and developed details, logistics and a bid presentation concept. It would be a daunting undertaking with only two months time to organize but each individual member brought specific talents and expertise to the table.
  The SSBL Gay Softball World Series Committee (GSWSC) consists of  co-directors Brian Reinkober and Mona Garcia supported by 14 members divided into nine subcommittees: Kurt Baldwin and Darren Schlenvogt – Opening Ceremony and Closing Celebration; Brian Rochon, Arnie Garcia, Dee Wallace and Peter Nys – Festivities & Special Events; Jeff Weigand and Eric Van Egeren – Hospitality; Tommy Salzsieder – Finance, Hall of Fame; Geoffrey Bishop – Volunteers; Dean Blaser and Paul Masterson – Communications; Dan Nelson – Fields; and Mike Kuharske – Sponsorships.
  Local community softball player Maureen Kane, owner of MMK Design, created the NAGAAAFest 2009 GSWS logo. It is emblazoned with a speeding softball, Milwaukee cityscape and motto “Fun & Friends First.”
  The GSWSC was quick to find sponsors and supporters. Mayor Tom Barrett filmed a special video segment and State representative Tim Carpenter, a former SSBL softball player, sent a letter of support that was featured in the SSBL bid brochure. Local corporations, businesses and individuals confirmed their sponsorships.
  NAGAAA representatives visited Milwaukee in January 2008 to inspect fields and venues and meet with the GSWSC. Despite subzero weather, they enjoyed Milwaukee SSBL hospitality and certified the SSBL bid in accordance with NAGAAA criteria.
  But the competition, the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association (CMSA) would be formidable.

The Presentation
  The CMSA bid presentation was one and a half years in the making. It was crisp, businesslike and buttressed by an extensive city video with a follow up talk by a city tourism official.  Their host hotel, the O’Hare Airport Hyatt, would serve as a hub between fields and Boystown entertainment, just 13 miles away. Their fields were picture perfect but had the disadvantage of being located in three different western suburbs.
  Milwaukee’s strength lay in three areas: urban ease, affordability and experience. With three host hotels located within blocks of each other and only two miles from the Walker’s Point bar and entertainment district, major GSWS events within easy walking distance and high quality fields a short drive way, the theme of “urban ease” rang true for the delegates.
  “Affordability” resonated with the delegates as well. The Milwaukee hotel costs were 33% below Chicago’s. Even the prices at field concession stands were calculated into the equation with Brewtown’s $1.50 beer outpricing the Windy’s City’s $2.50.
  Finally, SSBL played the “experience” card. It cited 30 years of gay softball tournament history including two World Series in 1979 and 1985. More impressively, the Dairyland Classic’s recent explosive success expanded the event from 14 participating teams in 2002 to 57 in 2007. That alone proved SSBL had the organizational machine to produce the 2009 Gay Softball World Series.
  But, beyond the shock and awe of facts and figures, it was the “human” factor that won the delegates’ hearts and minds. To open the presentation, Milwaukee icons Ruthie (Mark Hagen) and Velveeta (Brian Rochon) contrived a tumult at the conference room door. The high haired pair burst in looking for the “Chicago Bears’ Knitting Convention.” The mood was set.
  VISIT Milwaukee representative Vince Pulera, a straight David in a gay lions’ den, displayed unabashed comfort while presenting Mayor Tom Barrett’s video. The mayor’s sincere welcome introduced Brian Reinkober and Mona Garcia who continued the show. They brought up SSBL veterans Ron Burbey, Dan Nelson and Tommy Salzsieder to demonstrate Milwaukee’s long tradition and dedication to gay softball as one of NAGAAA’s original founding cities.
  Recent Milwaukee transplant Australian Geoffrey Bishop and Kurt Baldwin continued with a light-hearted repartee, describing the Milwaukee amenities that would await World Series’ players and fans. These included proposed opening ceremonies at Henry Maier Festival Park (Summerfest grounds) featuring top national entertainment, closing celebrations at the new Harley Davidson Museum and the traditional GSWS Talent Night at the Pabst Theater as well as many other parties, a “Loser Cruise” (for teams knocked out early in the World Series) and the NAGAAA Hall of Fame Museum housed at the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center.
  Mike Kuharske then gave a professional run down of the four field complexes. Reinkober wrapped up with a budget review.
  Finally, SSBL delivered the coup de grace, a closing video starring Ruthie and Velveeta in a “Lavern & Shirley meets Ab Fab” sequence of skits filmed in Milwaukee bars and the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center. It brought the house down.
  And, if that wasn’t enough, SSBL’s evening reception convinced the NAGAAA delegates that Milwaukee knows how to throw a party. Although the committee fretted over the Wisconsin cheese curds that failed to arrive in time, party guests seemed oblivious to the omission.

The Vote
Early Sunday afternoon, the hotel conference room was packed with NAGAAA board members, 41 voting delegates, their alternates, the two bid committees and public. Votes were collected and the room hushed to hear the votes counted. A simple majority of 21 was needed to win.
  The tension mounted as the first dozen votes seesawed between the competitors. More and more Milwaukee votes accrued in succession, then another for Chicago, then several for Milwaukee, edging the total closer to the magic 21.
  As Milwaukee’s winning 21st vote was called applause broke out and there was a palpable sigh of joy and relief from the SSBL committee. When calm was restored, the vote continued to end 26 – 13 with two abstentions for Milwaukee.
  Co-director Mona Garcia wiped tears from her eyes as committee members basked in their victory. Brian Reinkober said, “we are so proud of the cooperative effort that was put in to creating this bid by the GSWS Bid Committee. The Committee’s reward was hearing the words”The bid goes to Milwaukee.”
  Chris Bolten, NAGAAA’s Assistant Commissioner, stated he was sure it was in large part Milwaukee’s personality and enthusiasm that won the bid.
  As an additional bonus, the women’s softball organization, the Amateur Softball Alliance of North America (ASANA) awarded Madison the Women’s Division World Series 2009. It will take place over the same week as the GSWS. SSBL plans to provide a bus service for friends and fans to shuttle back and forth between the two events.

NAGAAAFest 2009
  Now the work begins. Although a year and a half away, the Gay Softball World Series Committee wants to include interested individuals in this venture. For information about how to participate, please contact Mona Garcia via email at monaandtata@aol.com. Watch for the SSBL GSWS website to appear soon.

Milford Murder Leaves Walker’s Point Neighborhood On Edge
Milwaukee - The tragic murder of 43 year-old gay Miller Brewing Company executive Lodewikus “Vic” Milford January 27 has left the city’s Walker’s Point neighborhood unsettled. The killing, which occurred after two members of the Latin Kings street gang allegedly robbed Milford and three female coworkers of their wallets and purses, also has focused attention on what residents and business owners believe is a long-ignored pattern of increased property and personal crime that has been ignored by the city’s police department.
  Quest’s Milwaukee correspondent and photographer Will Sharkey reports the Walker’s Point area has seen a large increase in muggings and car break-ins over the last two and a half years. Sharkey was a close personal friend of Milford’s and spoke to local TV crews in the days following the murder “mainly because no one else wanted to do it.”
  Milford’s killing was the third “on the record” violent attack on LGBT community members in the Walker’s Point neighborhood. Community members regularly frequent the area to enjoy the city’s largest concentration of gay bars and restaurants.
  In 2005, David Setzke was attacked in the same parking area where Milford’s party was accosted after Setzke left a popular gay nightclub. “They came at me with a knife to my throat,” he told WTMJ-TV reporters Melanie Stout and Katie DeLong. “I dunked down and that’s when they got me across the side of my head and forehead. Then the knife broke when they hit me in the forehead with it.”
  In the early hours of December 30, 2006 three women who had just exited a tavern popular with the lesbian community - Angela Emanule, Gaby Caraballo and Beth Swenson - were deliberately struck by a driver who was briefly inconvenienced when the trio walked behind his vehicle as he was backing out of a parking space. The driver drove away about a block, made a U-turn and accelerated to strike the women as they crossed the street. The driver was never caught.
  Sharkey believes that the media play on the violent attacks focuses attention away from the far more common property crimes such as robberies and break-ins. “Rarely have things escalated to the level of violence experienced by David and Vic,” he said.
  Sharkey believes that area bar owners such as “Bill Wardlow of Fluid and Betzy of Walker’s Pint have much more info on local happenings” that often go underreported because some of the victims are not openly gay.
  However Sharkey said some neighborhood residents and city officials don’t feel that the crime is focused on gay people. “Instead (it) seems to be focused on the area because of perceived wealth in an ‘entertainment district’ as the city likes to put it,” he said. “You know them fuckers just cannot say gay bar?”
  City officials were quick to point out to Quest that many venues catering primarily to the straight community are evenly intermixed with the gay night spots and eateries in the Walker’s Point district.
   Sharkey claimed that Wardlow has had his garage broken into “like 4 times” and he is not alone. “At least four people I know have been mugged at gun point,” Sharkey said. “I hear whispers of others.”
  Is the impact of the rumored crime hurting business in Walker’s Point? Several bar owners and managers told Quest that business for last New Year’s was the softest in years. While some pointed out the calendar may have impacted business, Sharkey thinks the recent spate of crimes, often acerbated by rumor, may be hurting business as well. “At the very least there is a poison of fear creeping into the area that will soon effect business and has many on edge.” he concluded. “Even walking in pairs or groups doesn’t seem to help, they get mugged just the same.”
   The rapid arrest in the Milford case has calmed the fears of some. The 17 and 21 year old gang members - both of whom were already on probation - came four days after the murder. But law enforcement is aware that the quick turnaround in one case does not resolve the larger issue of community safety. “I believe that we can do more to dispel the fear of crime and the disorder that goes along with gang related crime,” Milwaukee Police Department representative Aaron Raap said.

Joint Statement Points Out “Devastating Impact” Of Crime On Minorities
  Seventeen leaders representing over a dozen LGBT organizations active with the city’s gay community recently responded with a statement expressing their sorrow and concern over Milford’s death and safety in the Walker’s Point neighborhood. The statement was issued at the end of the business day January 31, after being revised to reflect the arrest of the two members of the city’s Latin Kings gang alleged to have shot Milford.
  “As members and allies of Milwaukee’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, we extend our condolences to the partner, family, and friends of Lodewikus “Vic” Milford who was murdered this past weekend in Walker’s Point. Milwaukee mourns the loss of his talent and character. Milford was a Miller-Coors executive from South Africa, and he was also a gay man,” the statement began.
  The statement then noted the impact on vulnerable communities. “Crime of all types hurts a city like ours, but violent crime has a particularly devastating effect on vulnerable populations, including Milwaukee’s LGBT community. Murder makes everyone in Milwaukee vulnerable to fear, reduces our sense of safety, and changes our behavior in a variety of ways, ranging from subtle to substantial,” the statement said.
  The communiqué then noted the history of problems in the area. “Walker’s Point, unfortunately, has a history of violence and crime against visitors and residents, many of who are members of the LGBT community. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article on Tuesday January 29 points out, residents and visitors to the Walker’s Point neighborhood report poor lighting, nuisance properties, vehicle break-ins, and slow police response times as problems,” the joint press release said.
  The statement then pointed out a violent incident which occurred over the New Year’s weekend in 2006. “One year ago three women were injured outside a Walker’s Point bar (at the same corner of S. 2nd and W. Walker Streets where Milford was murdered) in what appears to be a gay hate related crime. These three women were hit by a car, driven by a man yelling anti-lesbian slurs.”
  “Crime in Milwaukee represents a private crisis with a steep public cost. It is a crisis for Mr. Milford’s family and friends. There is an enormous cost to freedom for us all,” the statement continued. A memorial service for Milford was held February 1 at the Italian Community Center. Milford’s employer, the Miller Brewing Company, assisted Milford’s family, including his life partner of 21 years Chris van der Westhuizen, with arrangements. Milford’s body will be returned to South Africa, where the couple made their home, for funeral services and burial.
  The joint statement concluded by recognizing the rapid response of the city’s police in capturing the murder suspects. “We thank the Milwaukee Police department for increasing security in Walker’s Point and their quick response in bringing suspects into custody. We offer ourselves as resources as we encourage the media to explore the important issues facing Milwaukee’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.”
  Cream City Executive Director Maria Cardenas coordinated the joint community response, after being alerted by Quest of the LGBT community’s connection to the Milford murder. Representatives from the foundation along with those from PrideFest, FORGE, SAGE Milwaukee, PFLAG, the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, Fair Wisconsin, the Johnson and Pabst LGBT Humanity Fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and CitiGal, OutBound and Quest magazines signed the statement.

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N. Y. Court: State Must Recognize Out-Of-State Gay Marriages
Rochester - A New York appellate court has ruled that valid out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples must be legally recognized in that state, just as the law recognizes similar married heterosexual couples. According to attorneys for both sides, the ruling will be apply to all public and private employers in the state.
  Though gay marriage is illegal New York, the appellate court in Rochester held that a gay couple’s 2004 marriage in Canada must be respected under the state’s marriage recognition rules. The court also found that an employer’s subsequent denial of health benefits had discriminated against the couple on the basis of their sexual orientation.
  In their unanimous ruling rejecting a lower court’s 2006 decision, the appeals court left the door open for the state’s lawmakers to legislatively undo the ruling, however. “The Legislature may decide to prohibit the recognition of same-sex marriages solemnized abroad. Until it does so, however, such marriages are entitled to recognition in New York,” the ruling stated.
    Historical precedent also impacted the ruling, according to New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) attorney Jeffrey Wicks,  who represented the plaintiff, Patricia Martinez, an employee of Rochester’s Community College. “There’s a long tradition in New York of recognizing marriages that couldn’t be performed in New York,” he said.
  The court’s ruling clarifies - for the time being - a grey area in society’s ongoing adjustment to legal gay unions.  Marriages of thousands of gay couples entered into outside the state have been recognized in recent years by many New York state and local agencies and by private employers for purposes of allowing health and life insurance coverage, child care and other benefits. But others have resisted doing so voluntarily, pending the outcome of numerous cases in the courts.
   Martinez and her partner, Lisa Ann Golden, first formalized their relationship in a civil union ceremony in Vermont in 2001, and later married in Ontario in 2004. Martinez later applied to Monroe Community College for health care benefits for her spouse. The college’s human resources director , Sherry Ralston, subsequently denied the application, contending that the state did not recognize the marriage as a matter of law and public policy. In 2006 Martinez sued, claiming that her constitutional and civil rights had been violated. State Supreme Court Justice Harold Galloway dismissed the lawsuit noting that the state did not recognize same-sex marriages.
  Ironically Monroe Community College had begun extending health-care benefits to Martinez’ partner under a new contract provision. However, the judges held she was entitled to unspecified monetary damages for the period during which the benefits were wrongly denied.
  The February 1 ruling was the first by an appellate division court, and would make the recognition of valid out-of-state gay marriages mandatory across New York. Litigants in the case - the college and  Monroe County -  have not indicated if they would appeal the ruling. Attorneys were reportedly reviewing the ruling.
  The NYCLU called the decision “the first known decision in the country to hold that a valid same-sex marriage must be recognized.”
  “This is a victory for families, it’s a victory for fairness and it’s a victory for human rights,” NYCLU Exeutive Director Donna Lieberman said. “Congratulations to all same-sex couples validly married outside of New York State: You are now husband and husband, wife and wife. Now we need to work toward a New York where you don’t have to cross state or country lines to get married.”

Gay Marriage Ban On Florida’s November Ballot
Tallahassee - The gay marriage battle arrived in Florida February 1 when a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage qualified for the November ballot in a last-minute petition tally - a development that could affect this fall’s presidential election.
  The so-called “marriage protection” amendment has been three years in the making and would define marriage in Florida as exclusively between a man and a woman. Unlike Wisconsin’s two-sentence language, currently being challenged by UW-Oshkosh professor William McConkey, gay marriage opponents combined the concepts into a single statement: “Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.”
  Unlike Wisconsin as well, 60% of Florida voters must agree for the amendment to be added to the state Constitution. A similar provision would have nixed the Badger State’s adoption of it’s amendment. Currently, 27 states have passed constitutional bans on gay marriage.
  The presence of the proposal has the potential to greatly alter voter turnout in a presidential election year. Evangelicals and social conservatives now have a much higher motivation to go to the polls. But the proposal could also spur interest from the opposition, which reportedly is vast and diverse. An opposition group, the bipartisan Florida Red & Blue Committee, calls the initiative “dangerous and disingenuous.”
  “Those pushing this amendment have had three years to collect the required number of petitions,” Committee chair Jon Kislaksaid. “That they met that goal literally at the final hour should send a clear message that Floridians feel the state has more important things to do than create another government intrusion into our private lives.”

55% Drop: Honeymoon Over For UK Gay Weddings
London - The number of gay weddings in the United Kingdom has plummeted by 55% overall in the past year, according to a recently published survey. Same-sex civil unions became legal in Great Britain in December 2005, allowing the same of tax and pension rights granted to straight married couples.
  Initially, thousands of gay and lesbian couples held ceremonies. Sir Elton John, BBC broadcaster Clare Balding and government ministers Ben Bradshaw and Angela Eagle were among those who have exercised their rights under the Civil Partnership Act.
  However, a survey by the Local Government Association found that all the 40 councils across England they surveyed had experienced a fall in the number taking place - the figures show an average drop of 55% in 2007 from 2006. The largest fall was 90 % in Bracknell, Berkshire, and the smallest was 31%  in Barnet, north London.
  Figures from the Office for National Statistics confirm the downward trend. They show that while 16,100 couples formed a civil partnership in the UK in 2006, at an average of 4,000 every three months, just 4,060 did so in the first half of 2007. “One reason for the decline may be that some gay people aren’t interested in formalizing their relationship,” PinkNews website editor Tony Grew said. “Some don’t want to have all the formality of a civil partnership because they think it’s the death knell of a relationship.”
  Some highly political British gays, such as activist Peter Tatchell, see civil partnerships as part of a process of “assimilation” or integration into wider society that they reject in favor of a proudly “queer” lifestyle. However, other gay activists pointed out that gay couples entering into civil unions far exceeded government estimates. The Office of National Statistics had predicted that about 11,000 to 22,000 would take place by 2010. As of mid 2007 the Office reported the total number of unions registered had surpassed 22050.
  Also notable was the low rate so far of gay “divorce” - known as “dissolution” of a civil partnership - suggests that gay people are treating their unions with due solemnity and respect. “Generally, they take them more seriously than many people who get married, “ Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights lobby group Stonewall said. “The people who go for it are older, have been together longer and have more committed relationships. That’s why we won’t see the 40% or 50% divorce rates we see in heterosexual marriages.”

California Lawmaker Proposes May 22 Harvey Milk Holiday
San Francisco - A California lawmaker has announced his plans to introduce a bill that would make May 22 an official state holiday, celebrating the birthday of San Francisco’s first openly gay politician. Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. The following year he was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by political foe Dan White.
  Assemblyman Mark Leno of San Francisco believes that Milk was an American hero. “He was fighting to bring dignity, respect and validation to all human life,” Leno said. “Harvey was not just fighting for the civil rights of LGBT Americans, but for everyone.”
  If passed, May 22 would become a California state holiday. But because the state is running a deficit, Leno said that he would not ask the government to shut down its offices the way it does to honor other dead leaders. Instead, he hopes the date will motivate people of all genetic sexual predispositions to learn more about Milk and celebrate his legacy.

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