Polls Reveal: Support For Gay Marriage Soars
Prop 8 Backers Were Poor And Uneducated
By Mike Fitzpatrick
One month after anti-gay marriage initiatives passed in Arizona, California and Florida and two weeks after over a 100,000 gay couples and allies took to the streets in over 300 U. S. Cities, a funny thing has happened - support for same-sex unions has surged.
  A just-released poll by Newsweek shows that 55% of respondents favor either marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples. Support for some specific marital rights - family health insurance coverage, Social Security benefits access and hospital visitation among them, now surpass a two-thirds majority.
  Americans continue to find civil unions for gay and lesbian couples more acceptable than full-fledged marriage. 55% percent of respondents back legally sanctioned unions or domestic partnerships, while only 39% are okay with marriage. Both figures are notably higher than in 2004, when 40% supported civil unions and 33% were okay with weddings.
  Specific legal rights for gay couples revealed even stronger public support. 74% back inheritance rights for gay domestic partners (compared to 60% in 2004), 73% support extending health insurance and other employee benefits (versus 60% in 2004), and 67% favor granting gay couples Social Security benefits (an increase from 55% in 2004). Moreover 86% support hospital visitation rights, a question not asked in earlier Newsweek polls.
  Public opinion nationally also has shifted against a federal ban on same-sex marriage. In 2004, people were evenly divided on the question, with 47% favoring a constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage and 45% opposing one. The current poll shows a scant majority (52%) now oppose a ban and only 43% favor one.
  However, people were less inclined to be supportive of marriage in their own back yards. When Newsweek asked respondents about their support for a gay marriage ban in their home states, the numbers were closer: 45% said they’d vote in favor of an amendment, while 49% said they’d oppose such a measure.
  The Newsweek poll found increased support for other gay issue as well. A majority (53%) now favor  gay adoption rights, an  8% in the last four years. Nearly two out of three Americans (66%) also believe that gay men and women should be able to serve openly in the military (6% higher than in 2004).
  Age and religion continue to be the driving forces in shaping public opinion on gay issues, the Newsweek poll found. Essentially, the younger the respondent, the more likely they were to support same-sex marriage. Just under 50% of those aged 18 to 34 back marriage rights, compared to roughly 40% among those aged 35 to 64 and less than 20% among those 65 and older.
  When it came to religion, 62% said doctrinal beliefs shaped their opinions on gay marriage. Two-thirds of those who saw marriage as primarily a legal matter support gay marriage, while two-thirds of those who see marriage as a religious institution opposed gay marriage.
  Newsweek also found a gender gap, with women more likely to support gay marriage than men, 44% to 34%. Differences by race were insignificant. 40% of whites approved of gay marriage, compared to 37% of non-whites. (Full poll results are available at newsweek.com)
  The minimal difference in views on gay marriage in the Newsweek poll results nationally confirmed a post-election poll finding in California: there was little difference in the voting patterns on Proposition 8 among blacks, Latinos and whites. Exit polls on November 4 had suggested African and Hispanic-American voters in California had tipped the close vote there.
  According to a voter survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) and released December 3, economics and education - not race and ethnicity - were the decisive factors in the Proposition 8 victory.
  The key finding in the new survey was that voters’ position on Proposition 8 was determined more by their level of education and income than their race or ethnicity, according to PPIC president Mark Baldassare. Among Californians with a high school diploma or less, 69% voted for Proposition 8. Among college graduates, 57% voted against it.
  “Both among whites and non-whites, among college graduates and among upper-income voters, Prop. 8 lost,” Baldassare said. “Among both whites and non-whites, among non-college graduates and lower-income voters, Prop 8 won. It seems to me that some of what we attributed to race and ethnic differences really had to do with a socioeconomic divide in regard to same-sex marriage.”
  Because African-Americans and Latinos tend to have lower incomes and a lower share of college graduates than whites, Baldassare said the racial voting pattern on same-sex marriage was really a reflection of education and income.
  Baldassare added it was difficult to say from the polling why people with higher incomes and a college degree tend to support same-sex marriage. “It has to do with exposure to different ideas,” Baldassare said. “It’s perceptions about lifestyle differences, tolerance for differences, broader view of social trends and issues - all those things tend to come with more education. I didn’t really expect to find this (in the survey). I hadn’t thought about probing it.”
  As other polls previously had shown, the PPIC poll also found that Proposition 8 drew overwhelming support from evangelical Christians (85%), robust backing from political conservatives and strong opposition from liberals.
  The PPIC survey finding that basically “the poor and the stupid” were the biggest backers of Prop 8 didn’t sit well with the measure’s supporters. “I think it is true that there is a socioeconomic component to the vote on Prop 8. I also think it’s not nearly as clear-cut as perhaps the research is suggesting,” Yes On 8 campaign manager Frank Schubert said. Other than an anecdote about a “liberal African American voting for traditional marriage,” Schubert offered no statistical support from his group’s own polling on the issue to counter the PPIC report.
Portions of interviews with Mark Baldassare and Frank Schubert conducted by Mike Post of the San Jose Mercury News were included in this story.

Queer Life Calls It Quits
By Mike Fitzpatrick
Milwaukee - “Thank you Milwaukee, it’s been a great 4 Years! We will miss you.” With those words in the recently released December issue, the four-year old Milwaukee-based LGBT community monthly Queer Life announced its decision to suspend publication indefinitely. Sources close to the paper say lackluster advertising sales and the continuing worsening economic outlook sealed the paper’s fate as editor Kate Sherry put the final touches on what became the farewell edition last weekend. Queer Life’s website had gone dark earlier in November.
  “After doing all we could to cut costs, go without, work harder, we just couldn’t continue without the funds owed to us by far too many individuals and businesses,” Sherry said in a follow-up email sent to contributors, advertisers and community leaders. “We couldn’t have lasted this long without the support of those who really do understand the importance of LGBT media in the world. Advertisers, writers, supporters - our gratitude towards them is vast.”
  Despite the shut down, there already has been some discussion of possibly finding a way to bring the paper back to life in the future - if financial backing could be arranged. “It all boils down to commitment from advertisers,” Queer Life production coordinator J. Harvey said.
  According to Sherry, community response to the shut down and to her efforts has been heart warming. “I’ve received a tremendous amount of support from the community, so who knows,” she told Quest. “Maybe this is just a vacation.”
 Sherry had actually already planned a winter getaway. “I’m off to Mexico this weekend,” she said. “(I’m) going to photograph everything in sight, so I am pretty excited about that. (It) will be good to rejuvenate as well!”
  Initially helmed by the flamboyant self-promoter Don Hoffman, Queer Life made its colorful splash onto the Wisconsin gay print media scene in December 2004 with a 48-page issue filled with columns and “Q features.” A competing second newspaper, Outbound News, also made its debut the same week. However, the smaller publication, which had little locally-produced editorial content, folded six months later.
  During Hoffman’s tenure, the paper’s news coverage had a tabloid feel, with stories about bar raids, evictions and the notorious “Naked Boys Singing” imbroglio gracing the paper’s covers. The initial four issues of the new paper were designed by Maureen Kane of Milwaukee's MMK Design. Much of Queer Life’s subsequent design was credited to former Wisconsin IN Step publisher William “Bill” Attewell, who later left the publication after a skirmish with Hoffman.
  Queer Life suspended publication for several months in 2006 following Hoffman’s negotiated resignation. The paper’s re-emergence under Kate Sherry revealed a “kinder, gentler” version of the monthly. Queer Life continued to offer its rich diversity of feature columns along with insightful cover stories about Milwaukee’s gay history, artists and landmarks mixed with issue-oriented pieces on gay runaways and living in the closet.
  Queer Life’s departure winnows Wisconsin’s gay print media imprints down to three: the two year-old  Madison-focused glossy Our Lives, published every other month; the seven year-old monthly, Milwaukee-centric, gay night life-focused Outbound; and the twice-monthly statewide gay news and entertainment newsmagazine Quest, now in its 15th year of uninterrupted publication -  a gay Wisconsin media record. The latter two titles are published by Za’s Publications.

World & National News:

Episcopal Church Schism Expands
North America - Hundreds of conservative Episcopal congregations in North America have formed a breakaway church that threatens to further divide the global Anglican body already torn by the ordination of openly gay bishop Eugene Robinson.
  Leaders of the churches and splinter groups who claim they represent 100,000 Christians, adopted the provisional constitution December 3 to govern their new province.  Anglican Church in North America spokespersons said that they took the extraordinary step to unify congregations and dioceses that had fled the American Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada over issues of Scripture. The 700 renegade churches, located mostly in the southern and west central regions of the United States had already expressed their displeasure by placing themselves under the jurisdiction of Anglican leaders in vast, self-governing foreign provinces.
  The dispute, which has prompted numerous lawsuits over church property, focuses on the role of gay and lesbian members in church life. The breakaway churches acted after being urged to do so by mostly third-world conservative Anglican leaders. At an Anglican global conference in Jerusalem last summer, those bishops had called for the creation of a new independent North American province.
  To gain official recognition, the new province must still get approval from two-thirds of the 38 provincial leaders who represent 77 million Anglicans  worldwide. If approved, it would be the first such province based on theology, not geography, a dramatic departure from Anglican policy.
  Leaders of the 2.1-million-member Episcopal Church in North America were uncertain about its effect on existing church bodies.
  “We will not predict what will or will not come out of this meeting but simply continue to be clear that the Episcopal Church, along with the Anglican Church of Canada and La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico, comprise the official, recognized presence of the Anglican Communion in North America,” Rev. Charles Robertson, advisor to the Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop, said in a statement.
  Four Episcopal dioceses - in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Texas - are spearheading the creation of the province. The dioceses, along with individual churches,  had already taken steps to distance themselves from the North American Episcopal Church in recent years. Some parishes declared that they had placed themselves under the jurisdiction of overseas conservative bishops. Others had aligned themselves with the Argentina-based Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America. That alignment would no longer be necessary if the churches created their own province.
  It was unclear whether the Anglican Communion or its leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, would agree to such a step.
  The conservative move comes five years after the Episcopal Church consecrated New Hampshire’s Robinson as its first openly gay bishop. Most involved in the breakaway province cite that event as the catalyst that drove conservatives away.

Florida’s Gay Adoption Ban Rules Unconstitutional
Miami -  A Florida law that blocks gay people from adopting children is unconstitutional, a Miami judge ruled here November 25, declaring there was no legal or scientific reason for sexual orientation alone to prohibit anyone from adopting.
  Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman said the 31-year-old law violates equal protection rights for the children and their prospective gay parents, rejecting the state’s arguments that there is “a supposed dark cloud hovering over homes of homosexuals and their children.”
  Lederman noted that gay people are allowed to be foster parents in Florida. “There is no rational basis to prohibit gay parents from adopting,” she wrote in a 53-page ruling.
  Florida had been the only state with an outright ban on gay adoption. Arkansas voters recently approved a measure similar to a law in Utah that bans any unmarried straight or gay couples from adopting or fostering children. Mississippi bans gay couples, but not single gay men and women, from adopting.
  The ruling means that Martin Gill, 47, and his male partner can adopt two brothers, ages 4 and 8, whom he has cared for as foster children since December 2004. “I’ve never seen myself as less than anybody else,” Gill said. “We’re very grateful. Today, I’ve cried the first tears of joy in my life.”
  Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union, who represented Gill, said the case was the first in the nation in which numerous experts in child psychology, social work and other fields testified that there is no science to justify a gay adoption ban.
  The state planned a swift appeal, likely setting up a battle that could reach the Florida Supreme Court. A judge in gay-friendly Key West also found the law unconstitutional in September, but that ruling has not been appealed and has limited legal reach. The law will remain in effect during the appeal process.
  The state claimed there was a higher incidence of drug and alcohol abuse among gay couples, that they were more unstable than heterosexual unions and that the children of gay couples suffer a societal stigma. Organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association all support permitting same-sex couples to adopt.
  Lederman rejected all the state’s arguments soundly. “It is clear that sexual orientation is not a predictor of a person’s ability to parent,” she wrote. “A child in need of love, safety and stability does not first consider the sexual orientation of his parent. The exclusion causes some children to be deprived of a permanent placement with a family that is best suited to their needs.”

Moscow Mayor: “Gay Parades Cause AIDS!”
Moscow - Moscow authorities will continue to ban gay parades to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, the Russian capital’s outspoken mayor said on December 4, according to a report published by the Russian news agency Novosti.
  “We have banned and will continue to forbid this propaganda by sexual minorities, as they could turn out to be one of the factors in the spread of HIV infections,” Yury Luzhkov said at an international HIV/AIDS conference. “Certain homegrown democrats believe that sexual minorities can be a primary indicator and symbol of democracy, but we will forbid the dissemination of these opinions in the future as well.”
  The 72 year-old Luzhkov, who has been Moscow’s mayor since 1992, said he was aware that the authorities will be criticized for their stance, but added that “each particular society has its own views.”
  The Russian mayor also claimed at the conference that condoms were not a reliable means of protection against HIV and AIDS. “Certain manufacturers state that condoms are reliable protection against AIDS, but modern science has proven this is untrue,” he said.
  Over the past three years, the Moscow city authorities have rejected official applications by organizers seeking permission to hold gay parades, on the grounds that the event would interfere with the rights and everyday lives of ordinary Muscovites.
  Luzhkov previously had branded gay parades “Satanic” and vowed that they will never be permitted in the capital.

Christian College Exec Faces Charges In Gay Sex Sting
Cincinnati - The chief financial officer of Cincinnati Christian University entered a written plea of not guilty December 1 after he was arrested November 29 in Mount Airy Forest and charged with sexual imposition.
  52 year-old Robert Williams was arrested and accused of getting into a man’s car and touching his genitals. The man was an undercover officer.
  The university placed Williams on administrative leave while officials there assess the facts of the case, according to a statement from the university.
  “We are shocked and dismayed by the news,” Cincinnati Christian University President David Faust said in the statement. “This is a personal tragedy for him and for his family, and we lift them up in our prayers.”

Want To Win A Gay Oscar? Die Horribly!
Los Angeles - There’s good news for Sean Penn fans (or haters, for that matter). At the end of Milk you’ll get to watch your hero get gruesomely blown away by gunfire.
  Sorry, but that seems to be the price Penn must pay if he wants to win another Oscar. That’s because the gay roles that win Academy Awards for actors almost always must suffer ghastly deaths. No star has ever won an Oscar for portraying a gay, lesbian or transgender person who lives happily ever after.
  The character of Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) gets to live, at the end of Capote, but then again fans of the author - including many Academy members - also knew that he ended up croaking from booze and pills while stumbling around Joanne Carson’s house in Beverly Hills years later.
  The five other Oscar-winning gay roles each had horrible ends on screen: Tom Hanks died of AIDS in Philadelphia, Hilary Swank got beaten to death in Boys Don’t Cry, Nicole Kidman committed suicide in The Hours, Charlize Theron was executed in Monster, and William Hurt got shot - much like Sean Penn - in Kiss of the Spider Woman.
  If not counting roles that just hint at a character’s homosexuality (Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or Tom Courtenay in The Dresser), a total of 28 gay, lesbian and transgender roles have been nominated for Oscars.
  Nine got killed. Some snuffed themselves: Kathy Bates used a pistol in Primary Colors; Ian McKellen drowned himself in Gods and Monsters; Ed Harris jumped out a window in The Hours; and Javier Bardem died of AIDS in Before Night Falls.
  Of course, the fact that Sean Penn happens to be heterosexual in real life hikes his Oscar hopes significantly. No gay person has ever won an Academy Award for playing gay, and only two openly-gay actors have been nominated for portraying a gay character: James Coco and Ian McKellen. Coco wasn’t officially and fully “out” of the closet, but he was candid about his private life to friends and colleagues. and was at times outrageously flamboyant  in public.

State News:

Cream City Chorus Winter Concert December 13
Milwaukee - The Cream City Chorus will present its winter concert, “One World: Dare to Dream,”  on Saturday, December 13  at 7:30 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church West, 13001 W North Ave., in suburban Brookfield.
  Under the musical direction of Kristen L. Weber, the chorus musically will celebrate the month of December. No other month evokes more thoughts of unity and peace in the world’s dominant religions. Celebrate with us as we sing our hope that we can truly become “One World.”
  Tickets are $15 each and available through chorus members or by calling 414-276-8787.

Ear Candy: “POPular” Pumps Perfectly Pitched Pop Tunes
Review by Mike Fitzpatrick
POPular - DJ Corey Craig (Centaur Entertainment/Power Music) When reviewing an earlier Centaur dance disc last August I pointed out that the “sound alike” music phenomenon has been around for decades, dating back to Your Hit Parade and 50’s budget label compilations. However it truly was most successfully reinvented with the Studio 54 era practice of creating disco remakes of every pop, country and even classical tune known to man.
  Over the last 10 years Centaur Music, a gay dance music label, perfected the formula of mixing several doppelgänger ditties with a few genuine club hits into seamless hour-long mixes perfect for personal partying. Now Centaur’s new partnership with Power Music has taken the dance remake concept to it’s ultimate conclusion - all sound-alikes all the time. If you’re a gym bunny, you likely have heard Power Music’s nonstop, beat-matched programming as the ambient background at your local workout spot when you’ve popped your ear plugs long enough to take a break from the Madonna medley on your iPod.
  Centaur and Power Music’s collaboration will result in a series of discs called POPular. Current plans call for six releases to be issued every other month during 2009, featuring gay DJ’s from around the country. However, the debut CD has just dropped into stores and iTunes for sale and download and it’s a doozy. The mixing is by New York’s DJ Corey Craig, already well known for his podcasts on iTunes, his crowded dance floors on Fire Island, his trendy play dates at clubs such as Ono, as well as his gigs overseas on London’s dance floors.
  The song stack reads like a recent Billboard chart: six reached #1 and four more reached #2 on either the Hot 100 or Dance lists. In fact, four of the songs - Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold,” Pink’s “So What,” “Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance” and Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” - are currently in this week’s Top 10. Not including DJ Corey’s signature tune - a thumping remake of Andrew Gold’s Golden Girls theme “Thank You For Being A Friend” - the oldest song on the disc is Natasha Bedingfield’s “Pocketful of Sunshine” which dates from that misty, bygone era of last summer’s PrideFest.
  Even purists will have a hard time telling POPular’s faceless vocalists from the genuine article. Gay satiric sensibility lurks among the monikers assigned to each performer: Pink’s imitator is called Party Girl, Madonna’s sound-alike is known by her British nickname Madge, and Britney’s stand-in is dubbed Miss Mess.
  Many of POPular’s Hi-NRG arrangements also copy the dance floor versions of the originals, versions that are often unavailable commercially for club goers wanting to make them their own. And with nonstop sequencing, POPular is a seventy-plus minute set for their next private party.
  Best of all, the price is right to collect so many current song in one place as well, with the download coming in at under ten bucks. So if you’re looking for an energizing hour of sing-along hits perfect for your next workout, road trip or private dancing, check out POPular, available at Amazon.com iTunes, or directly from DigiComps at: popular.soundpost.com.

Cover Candy: 
Workout: Pumping House's Vinny Gough
 Personal trainer and model Vinny Gough was chosen for the cover of Workout: Pumping House, the upcoming house music compilation for New Year's fitness "resolutionistas".  The 2-disc set features 16 heart-pumping tracks and includes a 7-day Guest Pass to Bally Total Fitness.
  Workout: Pumping House includes a new remix of RuPaul's "Looking Good, Feeling Gorgeous"; "Everybody Rise Pt. 2" featuring dance legend, Muriel Fowler; the Michal Nicolas cover of old-school hit "Send Me An Angel", remixed by top DJ/producer Georgie Porgie "Mindbuster" from "The First Lady of House Music," Jocelyn Brown and the title track, "Workout", a remake of the Frankie Knuckles dance classic, with vocals by RuPaul and backup vocals by Chris Willis.
  This CD could be that dependable "workout buddy" you've been trying to find. Workout: Pumping House (Uphonic Records) will be available everywhere January 6th including Outwords Books In Milwaukee.

Election 2008: Wisconsin Chose Fairness
First Of A Two-Part Interview With Fair Wisconsin’s Glenn Carlson
Interview by Mike Fitzpatrick

For for the casual viewer of gay civil rights issues in Wisconsin, the 2008 election may have seemed to be a repeat of 2006: more Democrats elected but more slaps to the face on same-sex marriage. Those viewers were right, but not for the reasons they may have suspected. The gay ballot measures happened in other states, while the most promising development - something credited to gay community organizing in the mid-term vote two years ago - continued with historic results. Gay activist participation and collaboration - much of it behind the scenes - has helped bring about a political climate change that may result in the melting of barriers to full equality not just in the next two years, but for a decade or more to come.
  Quest’s news editor Mike Fitzpatrick recently sat down with the head of Wisconsin’s statewide LGBT civil rights organization, Fair Wisconsin Executive Director Glenn Carlson, for an interview that will be published in two parts, with the latter half set for the January 22 issue. In part one below, Carlson reflects on the recent election and the role Fair Wisconsin played in the statewide race, something which for strategic reasons has not been publicized - until now.
 
Quest: While many Americans may see the Barack Obama win last November as a victory for diversity, those in LGBT community also learned that success didn’t extend to them with the losses in Arizona, California and Florida. However, that wasn’t exactly true in Wisconsin, was it?

Carlson: On November 4th we had great success in Wisconsin in electing pro-fairness candidates. The election gave Wisconsin strong pro-fairness leadership in both the State Senate and the State Assembly. With our strongly pro-fairness Governor, we will have an historic opportunity to move our state forward towards equality for our LGBT citizens. We can finally fight for positive change instead of defending against negative legislation. 

Quest: How was Fair Wisconsin involved in the electoral battle? Do you think Fair Wisconsin did a good job in communicating this involvement to its supporters?

Carlson: Fair Wisconsin was heavily involved in this election, in fact, it was our single biggest initiative in 2008.   We knew that to have any chance of moving LGBT rights forward in Wisconsin, we needed to have pro-fairness majorities in both houses of the State Legislature. To achieve this, we developed a combination strategy that involved both visible and behind-the-scenes activities.
  Fair Wisconsin interviewed over 20 targeted legislative candidates, identified key races, and had paid staff on ten college campuses across the state, defending four first-term incumbents and supporting nine challengers.  Our efforts helped to add five pro-fairness legislators to the State Assembly and protect a pro-fairness majority in the State Senate.  Some of these efforts were made public, like our campus organizing efforts, while other work we did remained behind-the-scenes.
  Our goal was to maximize our effectiveness by making public endorsements where we felt it was appropriate, like Barack Obama, and by helping state legislative candidates quietly, as we did with the over 20 candidates our PAC privately endorsed.  

Quest: Let’s talk about the gay losses last November before looking ahead. Though gay marriage initiatives lost in three states, the reaction to the California Proposition 8 loss caused a national response, much of it created by an ad hoc group called Join the Impact. Americans saw demonstrations in over 300 cities nationwide - including over 1,000 demonstrating in over Wisconsin communities - on November 15.  However, there was  generally very little involvement by the national and state gay civil rights establishment. First, why the response to Prop 8 as opposed to the Arizona and Florida measures? Second, is there a message to our gay civil rights leaders in Join The Impact’s massive mobilization? Third - from a Wisconsin standpoint - can Fair Wisconsin statewide and Center Advocates regionally benefit from the energy tapped last November 15, and, if so, how?

Carlson: I think that the outcome of California’s Prop 8 was the most surprising, and perhaps the toughest blow because marriages in California had been taking place throughout the summer and fall. It was a heartbreaking loss, but what is important to remember is that all these states made tremendous strides in building coalitions and convincing voters of the justice of our cause.
  In California alone, a 2000 anti-fairness ballot initiative passed with 22%. On November 4th, it passed by only 4%. This 18% change in only 8 years means that our efforts ARE working.  The outpouring of anti-Prop 8 emotion from across the country was in my mind indicative of how many people are lining up to continue the fight, and Wisconsin will certainly benefit from mobilizing that energy to create real change here at home.

Carlson demurred on getting into specifics for publication in this issue of Quest at this point in the interview. He requested an “appropriate delay” as much of what is to come is still in the nascent stages of development. We agreed. Look for the conclusion of this interview in the January 22 issue.

HIV/AIDS: It’s Still Our Problem
By Bea Green

Editor’s Note: Beatrice C. “Bea” Green, PhD has been involved with HIV/AIDS issues since the beginning of the epidemic. She was a contract administrator with the Wisconsin Dept. of Health and Family Servivces AIDS/HIV Program and was responsible for distributing all prevention funding to AIDS services organizations such as ARCW, AIDS Network and their predecessors. Green took an early retirement in 1999, subsequently starting a non-profit through which she now focuses on senior LGBT issues. Quest is pleased to add Bea to our expanding list of statewide contributors.

For some time now Doug Nelson, CEO at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, has been saying that the fastest growing need at ARCW’s offices is for mental health services. I’ve wondered why, and why now? The September issue of GMHC’s Treatment Issues suggests an answer. The population of people living with HIV is getting older.
  Since the introduction of triple combination therapy [HAART] in 1996, HIV has become a manageable although chronic disease for most. We no longer speak of people dying from AIDS but of people living with HIV infection. As medical science continues to prolong life there is more time to consider the quality of that life. Moreover, as the clock ticks, once again HIV+ individuals must cope with questions of death, dying and their own immortality. In a population where only about forty percent practice a religious faith, the demands for psychological support are increasingly being made to mental health practitioners and HIV primary care physicians.
  Over the next decade the majority of people living with HIV will be seniors. In June 2007 New York City, the epicenter of the HIV epidemic, allocated a million dollars to HIV education and prevention information for older adults. Already nearly one third of all New Yorkers living with HIV are over 50 and 70 percent are over 40.
  Just “reaching” this population presents formidable challenges. It is now necessary to re-construct HIV infection as a chronic disease and overcome the ageist stereotypes that view seniors as harmless celibates.  Meanwhile the health care system, social support networks, and our own communities are ill prepared for the increase in demands they are already beginning to experience.
  A 2006 study by ACRIA looked at health needs that are associated with advancing age or are exacerbated by age in the context of the complex psychological and social issues that affect LGBT older adults.
  The great unknown is with respect to co-morbidity, for example, with adult onset diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cancer, dementia and mental illness. How will these illnesses manifest in a HIV positive population? What may be the interactions between/among drug treatment regimens?
  With increasing age the immune system’s competence naturally declines. People living with HIV are more susceptible to infection and for more serious complications with other disease. For example, research has found that older adults living with HIV are more prone to depression [52 %], arthritis and hepatitis [31%], neuropathy [30%], hypertension [27%].
  The psychosocial implications for an aging gay population are significant too. Informal care giving, that is relying on families, friends and social services is critical at this stage of life. However for LGBT people, social networks may already be fragile and family members may be unwilling to accept responsibility as caregivers. In studies done over the last decade here in Milwaukee, researchers found a recurring pattern. Many respondents reported that they had been or currently were   caregivers yet they seriously wondered who would take care of them when they came to need assistance.
  Older adults living with HIV are often marginalized by ageism and neglected. Therefore they lack necessary social support. While health care providers may be insensitive to their unique and changing needs. 
  Men and women living with HIV still experience stigma and shame. They do not readily disclose an HIV diagnosis to family members, 50%, and even fewer, 35%, tell friends or coworkers that they are positive.
  AIDS Service Organizations are not going to be able to retool themselves fast enough to meet these challenges. Health care providers need to increase their knowledge of age-related illnesses and be sensitive to potential complications in their treatment of patients with HIV. HIV+ adults must empower themselves and be prepared to engage their health care providers, public health, with their needs and concerns.
  They must feel safe to be out to family and friends. More collaboration and mainstreaming is necessary. How can we care for each other as we age? How the LGBT community answers that question will ultimately define who we are. 

SAGE - AARP Conference On Aging New York, 2008
Below is a summary of the symposia, workshops, and roundtable discussions Bea had the opportunity to attend during the recent SAGE-AARP conference.
HIV Positive and Over 50: This demographic makes up 27% of the population of people living with HIV. In this symposium the presenters discussed the differences between LGBTs and heterosexuals with respect to health and co-morbidities, social supports, and spirituality.
HIV and Aging: A roundtable discussion about gender, HIV and aging, physical and psychosocial realities, the need for public health messages to raise awareness. What are the issues for those working with HIV+ individuals? How can research inform our understanding of HIV+ men’s lives? What is/should be the role of public health in addressing these issues?
LGBT Older Adults and Substance Abuse Issues: Research on substance abuse has not addressed substance use in older LGBT populations.
Eldersexual! Offered a look at a new HIV Prevention Program at GMHC targets Gay and Bisexual men over 50. This Symposium showcased messages and materials from a social marketing campaign to increase HIV awareness in among older sexually active Gay/Bisexual men.
Caregiving Needs and Practices:  This session offered results from an ongoing study in New York.
HIV Awareness for Senior Services Providers: Four programs were discussed by AIDS Community Research Initiative of America [ACRIA], GMHC, and representatives from two Public Health Departments.
Experiences of LGB People: Associations With Health and Well Being research findings on health and mental health. Presenters discussed the methodology, barriers to accessing care, identifying gaps in our knowledge. Suggested how to reduce disparities in health services between LGBT and heterosexual populations.
HIV Services for LGBT Elders: This two-part program offered a look at the HIV Services for people over 50 at SAGE-New York, which included support groups, community partnering, providing technical assistance and  training. It also provided an overview of medical concerns of the aging HIV+ client, discussing medical management issues for people over 50, and how living with HIV and HIV treatment may exacerbate other illness.
Sexual Culture of Gay and Bisexual Men: This two part-session looked at “Understanding the Culture and Experiences of Gay and Bisexual Men and Aging as the Foundation for Sexual Health Education and Risk Reduction” with an intent to increase behavioral awareness and promote change. Secondly, “An Identity Crisis: Differentiating the Gay Man’s Experience of Proactive Prostate Cancer Treatments” was a workshop about prostate cancer, how treatment interferes with men’s sexual arousal, its unique impact on gay men.
Tending to the Needs of Older Adults with HIV/AIDS: The first session addressed support for HIV positive adults in long term care, the challenges and the need for education for primary care physicians. The second session offered “Working Together: A Community Response to Addressing HIV/AIDS in Older Urban Communities,” a training initiative with a model of collaborative community partnership.
Gay, Bisexual, and Questioning Men - Midlife and Looking Ahead: How HIV in men over 60 affects their health and outlook on life.

Chalk Talk: Brian Reinkober On The 2009 Gay World Series In Milwaukee
Interview By Michael Johnston

Brian Reinkober the Commissioner of the Saturday Softball Beer League/Gay World Series 2009 sits down with me for a simple chalk talk.  Brian is a jock with a brain, heart, soul - and a keen sense for marketing.  Applause to him and his winning Team for putting Milwaukee into our Nation's spotlight.  Here now Brian's thoughts on the up coming Social Event of 2009.

Michael Johnston: Congratulations first-off Brian to You, and your hard-working Staff.  What can Wisconsin do now to help in this over-whelming undertaking?

Brain Reinkober: Thank you very much Michael.  This is a victory not only for the Gay Community but also for the city of Milwaukee.  Let me just remind everyone that Madison also won the bid to host the Women's Division at the same time.  Now we need to spread the word, to our family and friends that do not live in Milwaukee what this city is going to put on over the week prior to Labor Day 2009.  That is an awesome volunteer base.  The success of this venture will take the entire Community, not just the Gay Bar Owners, Softball Players and their Fans.  The benefit will come back to us ten fold.

M.J.: Besides directly getting involved as a volunteer, what does the calendar look like between now and the Gay World Series?  Are there any Special Events coming up that the Community can participate in?

B.R.: NAGAAAFest 2009 will have many Special Events throughout the remainder of 2008 and into 2009.  Parties, Promos, and Fundraisers (of course) will be held periodically.  We have a great Events Committee that promises to keep us well informed and well entertained over the upcoming months.

M.J.: What has been the biggest challenge for you in this Olympic pursuit?

B.R.: Wow, Olympic pursuit… When you put it in those terms it puts a whole new perspective on this event.  This is the largest single Gay Sporting Event that Milwaukee has put on - - ever!  The biggest challenge is to make sure that this is the best possible event for everyone involved and to make sure that everyone has a fantastic time.

M.J.: Who are the People, and/or Businesses you would like to specifically acknowledge for going beyond the call of duty?

B.R.: Already, there have been so many people that have stepped up to the plate.  Without naming anyone or place specifically, let me say that many bars have stepped up to support this venture.  Those owners are committed to making this event larger than life.  Obviously, the NAGAAAFest Planning Committee has been working their tails off this past summer creating the framework for NAGAAAFest.  Without their commitment, this task would be even more daunting than it already is.  Also, SSBL's Miller Park Crew has had an amazing year.  Without their very hard work, many of the things that we have in store for Milwaukee and the rest of North America would not be attainable.  Lastly, I think we all need to thank Tommy Salzsieder (who by the way was a Miller Park Worker) and his Crew from 1977.  He and many others came up with the idea of SSBL.  If it were not for them, we most likely would not be here, so thank you Tommy!

M.J.: How is Milwaukee seen by NGAA- and the World at large?  How do they rank/rate us, here in Milwaukee, WI?

B.R.: What a great question.  As you may or may not know Milwaukee is an Original Founding Member of NAGAAA.  "Little" Milwaukee, Wisconsin was way ahead of its years when it formed NAGAAA along with the other founding members:  New York City, Los Angles, San Francisco, and Toronto, Ontario.  We hold a special place in NAGAAA, I can tell you that.  I am very proud to be the Milwaukee Representative for SSBL at the NAGAAA meetings.  We are looked upon (and always have been) as "The little city that could".  Many a person has come up to me and our committee members at the NAGAAA meetings and have exclaimed how excited they are for 2009 to come around.  The personality of the committee members that participated in the bid in February, and the reputation of the Dairyland Classic, has given those folks solid reason to know they will get quite a show from Milwaukee.