Burned-Out Gay Club Owners: “We'll Be Back!”
Benefit Polka Jamboree Now Planned For September 21 On The Grounds
Stevens Point - Club Night Out partners Dan Wrycha and Scott Sohn will rebuild the burned out central Wisconsin gay nightspot. “We’ll be back,” Wrycha told Quest August 19. “Our insurance coverage was designed to replace a loss like this.”
  A late afternoon fire caused serious damage to the club August 16. A passerby noticed the fire just before 5 PM and called emergency responders. The building was unoccupied at the time of the blaze.
  “We had just left to go to a family reunion,” Wrycha said. “I don’t think much more than twenty minutes had gone by before the fire was spotted.”
  The greatest damage to the nearly century old wood-frame structure occurred in the second floor living quarters, where the fire appears to have started. The main bar area also suffered smoke and water damage. Local authorities did not estimate the loss or damage to the building.
  The cause of the fire has not been determined. The Portage County Fire Investigation Task Force is conducting an investigation. “From what they’ve told me there doesn’t look to be anything suspicious thus far,” Wrycha said. “We had fired up the wood boiler outside the building earlier in the afternoon. I think that maybe some sparks somehow might have gotten onto the siding.”
  Wrycha told Quest that two recent incidents did give him pause when he first heard about the fire. “We’ve been here for five years but it was only a couple of weeks ago that we had two harassing things occur - a phone call and a letter,” he said. Wrycha said a late night phone call by “two teenagers making rude remarks” about gay people in early August was followed a week later by an anonymous letter.
  “It was unsigned and looked like it was written by the hand of an old lady,” Wrycha said. “She demanded that we ‘clean up the place’ - calling it a ‘pig pen or a pig sty’- and to do it before the upcoming church picnic.” The bar is located just west of St. Batholomew’s Roman Catholic Church, and the bar’s parking lot is adjacent to the church grounds.
  “She also wrote that ‘we know what goes on inside (the bar) there’ but didn’t use the word gay,” Wrycha said, noting he believed the two incidents were just an “odd coincidence.” Wrycha turned the letter over to the investigators after the fire.
  The letter survived the fire but Wrycha and Sohn’s personal possessions did not. “We lost everything upstairs - our clothes, our furniture - just everything,” Wrycha said. “And that was not covered by the insurance, only the business. We did not have a personal policy.”
  The couple are staying at a local Stevens Point motel. “Several people have talked to us about a place to stay for a night or two, but nothing firm has been offered so far,” Wrycha said, noting that a retired married couple who live down the road from the bar who the gay men had never met prior to the fire were among those who have made tentative offers. “I found that to be pretty amazing.”
  The fire has interrupted more than the bar business, according to Wrycha. “It’s completely disrupted our income stream temporarily,” he said. “We’ve been working non-stop with everyone since the fire happened to get estimates, plans and so on made, that neither Scott nor I have been been able to work at our other jobs. That makes it hard because we still have to pay the mortgage on the bar and our day-to-day living expenses. People may not realize that just abut every dollar that comes in the door each night goes out the door for business and inventory costs the next morning!”
  Wrycha told Quest that preliminary examinations by insurance adjusters suggest that the fire area is beyond repair and will have to be torn down and replaced. “We’re not sure what that all means at this point,” he said. “But I suspect new building likely won’t look the same as it does now.”
  Wrycha said that plans by local polka musicians just got under way to have a “memorial” fundraiser. “They’re talking about doing an event in the parking lot on September 21,” he said. For decades the bar had been known as Club L & A and was the home to countless Polish weddings, polka festivals and Sunday afternoon polka dances promoted by local radio stations.
  Wrycha followed up with additional details on August 21. There will be a day-long “memorial farewell to L & A” polka jam on Sunday, September 21 that will benefit the club. Multiple bands have volunteered to perform. The will be an admission charge and in addition to the music, food and beverages will be available for jamboree attendees. Quest will provide additional details as they become available.
  Located about two miles west of downtown Stevens Point in the town of Mill Creek, Club Night Out has served the area's LGBT community for five years. The bar recently co-sponsored the Central Wisconsin Pride festival held at the Portage County Fairgrounds on August 2.

World & National News:

QNU Bi-Weekly Update
Here are the gay stories you may have missed from around the nation and around the world since the last print issue of Quest. You can catch up on all the latest every day online on the QNU: Quest News Update page at” www.quest-online.com.
Zogby Poll: 6-10 Americans Would Vote For a Gay President: A poll conducted by Zogby International has found that over 60% of U.S. voters would support an openly-gay president, and more would support an openly gay cabinet member. The pollster conducted the survey of 1,089 American adults from 13-15th August for the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute (GLLI).
  The poll revealed particular support for idea of a gay presidential candidate, provided they were suited to the job, amongst people between the ages of 18 and 24, people living in the east of the U.S., Democratic voters, Asian-Americans, and Jewish voters.
  67% of voters would support an openly-gay vice president, 69% would support a gay senator, and 71% would support a gay cabinet-level secretary.
  GLLI President Chuck Wolfe believes the poll proves that most Americans want to be fair to gay people. “Our aspiration is to always see each other as individuals first, and though we may not always succeed at that, our underlying fairness and decency means that one day soon we will,” he said. "This marks tremendous progress for our community and for the voting public.”
Gay Aussie Diver Grabs Olympic Gold: Openly-gay Australian diver Matthew Mitcham stunned China with a set of spectacular dives August 23 which earned him Olympic gold. Mitcham's performance in the Men's 10m Platform final – culminating in a 'near perfect' final dive – came as a shock to the Chinese who were hoping for their 50th Olympic gold to round out their hosting team victory. Chinese athletes had taken gold in all the other diving categories.
  Mitcham’s gold medal win capped a highly successful Olympiad for LGBT athletes. Six of the 13 out lesbian and bisexual women competing at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics ended up winning gold, silver, or bronze medals in handball, soccer and softball.
Gay Candidate Wins Colorado Congressional Primary: Jared Polis, a 33-year-old openly gay entrepreneur from Boulder, beat two opponents on August 12 to win the Democratic primary to fill Representative Mark Udall’s seat in Congress. Udall is running for the Senate.
  Polis is expected to win his heavily-Democratic district this November. If he does so,  Polis will be the first openly gay man to be elected to Congress as a non-incumbent. He would join openly gay Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) in the House of Representatives.
  Polis, who poured more than $5 million of his own money into the campaign, narrowly defeated Joan Fitz-Gerald, the former Colorado State Senate president, and Will Shafroth, a conservationist, winning just over 40% of the vote.
Karl Rove: “Gay Marriage Not A Big Issue In 2008”:  The political strategist who used the backs of gay and lesbian people to re-elect President George Bush in 2004 now thinks same-sex marriage won't be as powerful an issue in this year's presidential election. "It has a lower profile, but it will be an issue in people's minds," Karl Rove told the Los Angeles  Times August 17. "The bigger issues will be the economy, terrorism, health care, energy."
  However, Rove said the same-sex marriage issue in the 2008 election still will be part of "complicated algorithms" voters will use to choose between likely Republican candidate John McCain and Barack Obama, his probable Democratic opponent.
  Three states - Florida, California and Arizona - have initiatives banning same-sex marriage on the November ballot. But unlike 2004, analysts say the issue won't have much of an impact on the presidential races in those states.
Hallmark Offers Gay Wedding Cards: Most states may not recognize gay marriage yet, but now Hallmark does. Following recent pro-gay marriage developments in California and Massachusetts, the nation's largest greeting card company has rolled out a same-sex wedding greetings line.
  The cards have designs featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers. Inside the cards offer such sentiments as "Two hearts. One promise." The language inside the cards is purposely neutral, with no mention of wedding or marriage, to make them also suitable for any type of commitment ceremony.
  Hallmark claims the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure. "It's our goal to be as relevant as possible to as many people as we can," Hallmark spokeswoman Sarah Gronberg Kolell said.
On The QNU Gossip Line: Post-rehab pop tart Britney Spears considers then rejects role as a lesbian killer in “Faster, Pussycat, Kill Kill” remake... “Speed Racer” hunk Emile Hirsch allegedly was caught in the middle of a gay tryst with co-star  Kick Gurry by a production assistant on the film during the shooting... Both wearing white, Ellen and Portia tied the knot in California August 16 just in time to make the cover of every tabloid glossy in the business last week... Current reigning pop tart Miley Cyrus will celebrate her “Sweet Sixteen” with 2,500 of her closest fans on October 5, smack dab in the middle of the Anaheim Disneyland’s 11th Annual Gay Days...  Cornhusker grapplers Paul Donahoe and Kenny Jordan were dropped from the Iowa college’s varsity squad after both posed nude and erect on the gay website Fratmentv.com. Both allegedly were dropped because the broke a NCAA rule that prohibits athletes from appearing in pictures for commercial use, not because likely opponents
On The QNU Tube: Gay couch potatoes are clucking over the goings on in LOGO’s over-the-top comic soaper “Sordid Lives” featuring former Golden Girl Rue McLanahan, 70’s thrush Olivia Newton-John and former Will & Grace regular Leslie Jordan - who spends most his time in Tammy Wynette drag... Meanwhile gay icon Margaret Cho is back in her own semi-scripted reality comedy series “The Cho Show” on VH-1. The first episode offered the Korean comic in a spray painted dress with only rhinestones covering her tropic zones - though the basic cable music channel ultimately decided to pixilate Cho’s bottom. Apparently baby had a little too much back...

State News:

ACT 6 AIDS Riders Raise $287,420
Madison - Riders participating in the sixth annual AIDS Network Cycles Together (ACT 6) brought in $287,420 August 8-11 here , falling just shy of this year’s event goal of $300,000. 139 riders took part in the four-day event, which covered 300 miles. Over a hundred additional volunteers supported the riders.
  Proceeds from the event will benefit AIDS Network, which serves 16 counties in southern Wisconsin. In addition to fund raising the ride sought to provide a challenging but fun ride for the participants and educate the community and raise awareness about the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic in Wisconsin.
  “The four days really gave me an opportunity to get to know the people, the people affected by HIV and AIDS,” AIDS Network Executive Director Karen Dotson told the Capital Times. “The love that people showed and expressed within those four days was really amazing - the commitment as far as giving their all. The sincerity and the loyalty. It’s just so amazing.”
  An online push to make the goal is underway. To donate to this year’s ACT 6 Ride, visit the event website at: www.actride.org.

Fond Du Lac County Board Shelves Diversity Initiative
Fond Du Lac - An effort to adopt a statement of principles endorsing the area as supportive of all those who live and work there died here August 19 when the County Board of Supervisors voted to postpone the matter indefinitely by a vote of 12-6.
  The move essentially killed the initiative that had been strongly supported by the business and educational communities in the county. It also thwarted an “on the record” vote by the supervisors on the merits of the issue.
  The motion to postpone came following several hours of parliamentary wrangling and emotional debate of the two-page long Comprehensive Countywide Diversity Initiative (CCDI) statement of principles that encouraged support of diversity. A standing-room-only crowd witnessed the proceedings.
  CCDI supporters argued that it would attract skilled workers to the area and send a clear message that Fond du Lac County welcomes all people. Opponents claimed that creating a welcoming environment is not the business of county government and that the statement was a subversive attempt to advance the “homosexual agenda.”
  “This is just a smoke screen,” CCDI opponent Vern Voight told the supervisors. “Their goal is same-sex marriages. We don’t want Fond du Lac to be another San Francisco or Sodom and Gomorrah.”
  Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation President Brenda Hicks-Sorensen disagreed. “CCDI is about the community coming together to be proactive in our approach to talent attraction,” she said. “CCDI is about choosing the future for Fond du Lac County.”
  Former Mercury Marine executive Jim Hubbard also touted the benefits of the statement. “This statement sends a positive message about the leaders of our community. It may not change behaviors, but it will change mindsets,” he said.
  Hubbard then told him of his recruiting experiences for what is on of the area’s largest employers. “Too many times, people had a bad experience in our community,” he added. “Those people often said they didn’t feel welcome in Fond du Lac County.
  Supervisors also debated the issue before the vote to postpone. “All this talk can bring negative attention to our community,” Supervisor Richard Stokely said, referring to the entire conduct of the diversity debate over the last six weeks.

Idol Chart Topper Kimberly Locke To Sing At AIDS Walk
Milwaukee - American Idol star Kimberly Locke will perform live at AIDS Walk Wisconsin on Saturday, October 4 at the Summerfest grounds. Locke will entertain walkers with several of her Billboard chart-topping hits during the opening ceremonies, and will lead the exciting countdown to the official AIDS Walk Wisconsin 2008 send-off.
  An American Idol Star, Locke finished in the top three of the hit show’s second season and since has been hitting the top of the music charts with songs like “8th World Wonder” and “Change”. The Curb recording artist most recently topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart with a remix of “Fall”. She has had eight Top 20 Adult Contemporary hits, three number one Dance hits and eight number one songs across various Billboard charts.
  Throughout her career, Locke has embraced HIV/AIDS charities and organizations to help build awareness around the cause. In addition to her commitment to AIDS Walk Wisconsin 2008, she has also offered her talents and devotion to the cause for several charitable initiatives benefiting Wisconsin-based One Heartland, formerly known as Camp Heartland.
  Registration is now open for the 18th annual event which now covers a 5K route along the Lake Michigan and through Lakefront State Park. For more information and to register for this year’s Walk, call 800-348-9255, email at: aidswalkwisconsin@arcw.org or visit the Walk website at www.aidswalkwis.org.

Quest Readers’ Consumer Views Sought
San Francisco - Quest is partnering with one of the premiere LGBT market research firms in the United States to conduct a short online survey of Wisconsin gay consumers over the next three weeks. At least 200 entrants are needed. Several lucky Quest print or online readers may end up with iPods or the “big kahuna” prize: two round-trip airline tickets!
  To link to the online survey visit the home or QNU pages of the Quest website at: www.quest-online.com. Deadline for taking the survey is September 14. Only one survey per Wisconsin-based computer is eligible for the prize drawing.

Annual Garden Party for Equality Set For September 21
Milwaukee - Center Advocates PAC is proud to welcome  “Upfront” host  Mike Gousha  as their Guest Speaker at their signature find-raising event the “Garden Party For Equality,” Sunday, September 21 from 1-3 PM.
  Gousha is a distinguished Fellow in Law and Public Policy at Marquette University. In his role at Marquette, Gousha organizes and coordinates forums and conferences which address important public policy issues. He also brings newsmakers and political debates to campus, acting in the role of interviewer, moderator, and facilitator on his “Upfront” political talk showed aired in syndication weekly throughout Wisconsin.
  The event is sponsored by Center Advocates PAC, an organization dedicated to electing candidates who will publicly work for and defend equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people.  For more information about the Garden Party visit the PAC’s website at: www.centeradvocatespac.org

Florentine Opera’s LGBT-Friendly Camerata Encourages Opera Enthusiasm
Milwaukee - The Florentine Opera Company has introduced the Florentine Opera Camerata, an LGBT-friendly affinity group that presents a variety of opera-related social events for members of the LGBT community and their supporters. The group’s focus is to generate enthusiasm for opera within the LGBT community and beyond. The term “Camerata” comes from an old Italian word meaning fellowship society. Today, it has come to describe an informal gathering, usually for the purpose of literary, philosophical or artistic discussion.
  In celebration of Florentine Camerata’s founding, new members will be offered an exclusive ticket package, which includes seats to the Florentine’s November production of Madama Butterfly, admission to a Camerata Intermission Reception and the Florentine Opera’s 08-09 Overture CD.
  Florentine Opera Camerata will also host gatherings before each Florentine main stage production at The Room in Milwaukee, giving members the opportunity to enjoy beverages, hors d’ouvres, fellowship and insights from Florentine Opera staff and cast members about the fascinating world of opera.
  In fulfilling our mission of bringing world-class opera to regional audiences, the Florentine is committed to ensuring that patrons from all walks of life are able to experience the melody, drama and intrigue of grand opera in a comfortable and inclusive setting.
  For more information on joining Florentine Opera Camerata, contact Lindsey Denil by phone at: 414-225-1946 or or by email at: ldenil@florentineopera.org.
  The Florentine Opera Company’s productions reflect the highest musical and theatrical standards, while supporting community and educational programs. As a leader in Wisconsin's art community and the nation’s sixth oldest opera company the Florentine Opera seeks to establish a significant presence in the cultural, educational and civic life of the state of Wisconsin and beyond. Main stage performances are held at the Marcus Center for
the Performing Arts in downtown, Milwaukee - home to the Florentine Opera, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet, Broadway and Off-Broadway series.

Ear Candy: Ultra Naté Strikes Gold With Alchemy: G.S.T. Reloaded
Reviewed by Mike Fitzpatrick
2008 has been the year of the Resurrected Diva. Boomer-aged club goers have been dragging their arthritis-riddled bones back on the dance floor to “Stamp Their Feet” with Donna Summer, rehash the “Same Old Fucking Story” with Cyndi Lauper and wondering if  “This Is Not Real Love” with George Michael, certainly the biggest drama queen of the bunch.
  It seems only fitting that veteran U. S. dance diva Ultra Naté - who turned 40 this year - should join the parade. After all, it was nearly two decades ago - 1989 to be exact - that gay ears first perked up to Naté’s signature vocals on the Basement Boys’ club classic “It’s Over Now.” Following a six year absence from the summit, the diva stormed back to the top of the Billboard dance charts twice in 2007 with a fierce remake of the Pointer Sisters’ “Automatic” and her own “Give It All You Got” featuring fellow house hottie Chris Willis.
  Always adored far more by Europe’s taste makers than by the U.S. music industry types who wanted her to “funk it up,” Ultra Naté elected to languish in indie label land for more than a decade and as a result has only hit the mainstream once with 1997’s mid-charter “Free.” The release of this Tommy Boy/Silver Label double CD may finally get this under-appreciated diva the recognition she so richly deserves.
  Released August 19, Alchemy: G.S.T. Reloaded is actually an all-remix album, revisiting ten of the fourteen songs from Naté’s 2007 release Grime, Silk And Thunder, and tossing in “Twisted,” a redo from 2001’s Situation: Critical. The first CD is a set of 2008 remixes, that includes sassy new reimaginngs of both her 2007 hits plus a powerful new mix of the diva’s “Love Is The Only Drug,” which reached #2 in 2006. The remixes - most by Ultra’s longtime collaborators such as J. Louis and Ferran (the current Basement Boys’ line-up) and Mood II Swing (who created the hit mix for “Free”) - let both the beat and the diva-penned lyrics shine. They’re also largely free of those annoying beat-less breakdowns currently in vogue in remixes elsewhere.
  The second disc highlights Ultra Naté’s DJing talents, and offers for the first time at retail a nonstop mix of most of the songs on disc one in their once promo-only club versions. Most of the fans of the diva outside of Baltimore may not know that she regularly spins the wheels of steel at the Paradox there when she’s not out touring the planet (in the next month alone she’ll be appearing in Italy and Russia as well as U.S. Dates). The vibe of the second set largely reflects the diva’s dance philosophy - “bumping four to the floor straight up deep house, no funky no chunky” -  though several of the mixes have an almost jazz-like feel in places.
  If the old saying that “life begins at 40” is true, perhaps Ultra Naté’s Alchemy: G.S.T. Reloaded might be the vehicle to help the diva live it in the reflected glory of mainstream acclaim - the album certainly has the chops to make it happen. For fans, it’s a must-have and for the buy-curious it’s a bargain (currently on sale at Amazon.com and other sites at $14.99).