Gableman Victory Tilts Wisconsin Supreme Court To The Right
Two Gay-Related Cases May Suffer As A Result
Madison - The recent victory of  Burnett County Judge Michael Gableman to the Wisconsin Supreme Court likely will change the ideological leaning of the court and affect rulings on issues impacting the state’s LGBT community currently pending with the court. Gableman will join the court in August will have the opportunity to rule on two gay-related issues: The Wisconsin ACLU suit involving domestic partner benefits for same-sex state employee’s and William McConkey’s lawsuit contesting the two-sentence wording of the 2006 ballot measure that added an amendment to the state’s constitution banning gay civil unions and marriage.
  Conservative special interest groups supported Gableman, spending anonymously-raised millions on negative, so-called “issue ads.” Among them were Wisconsin Family Council (WFC), the Wisconsin Club for Growth and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. Progressive groups such as WEAC matched the right-wing money with their own ads indirectly supporting incumbent Justice Louis Butler. Gableman defeated Butler 51- 49% percent April 1.
  Recent activity by the court on the domestic partner case may have fueled conservative angst over Butler’s re-election. The ACLU case involving lesbian state employees seeking to get their partners added to their health insurance benefits is currently before the court, with its next hearing in May. Court documents show that a preliminary ruling on the case last February was a 4-3 decision, with Butler siding with the majority supporting the ACLU position. The McConkey marriage ballot question has not yet reached the state’s high court, but a recent favorable circuit court ruling has pointed the suit in the Supremes’ direction.
  Gableman consistently referred to Butler as an activist judge during the campaign.
  WFC head Julaine Appling was elated with Gable man’s victory. “Judge Gableman joining the court in August bodes well for the issues we are concerned about getting a fair and impartial hearing,” Appling told Madison campus newspaper The Daily Cardinal.
  Fair Wisconsin Executive Director Glenn Carlson reacted cautiously to the Gableman victory. “Justice-elect Gableman is a “blank slate” as to issues important to Fair Wisconsin and Wisconsin’s LGBT community,” Carlson told Quest.  “We expect that when he takes office in August, he will be fair and impartial,  joining the many high-court justices throughout history who surprised the people who got them appointed or elected.”
  Editor’s Note: The extended conversation with Fair Wisconsin’s Carlson appears elsewhere in this issue.

Wisconsin Final Wishes Bill Becomes Law
Madison - Wisconsin has joined 20 other states and shortly will offer a standardized, legally enforceable form that will allow a person to state their final wishes and name a personal representative to handle their execution. AB305 also known as the Final Rights Bill, was approved by  the State Senate January 15. Following concurrence, the bill was submitted March 4 to Governor Jim Doyle who approved it a day later. The bill became law March 18 with an effective enforcement date of April 1.
  The bill was introduced in the Assembly last May by Samantha Kerkman (R- Burlington), Gary Sherman (D-Hayward) and 27 other Assembly and Senate co-sponsors. Though they both voted for the measure, neither of the state’s openly-gay legislators, Assembly Representative Mark Pocan (D-Madison) or Senator Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) co-sponsored the bill.
  The bill passed the Assembly 96-0 last October 24. The Senate Committee on Health, Human Services, Insurance, and Job Creation held a hearing on the bill December 5 and recommended passage on December 7.
  The law directs the Wisconsin Dept. Of Health and Family Services (DHFS) to develop a document similar to the current health care power of attorney and living will documents. Individuals will be able to list their preferences for final disposition of their remains and name any individual with whom they have a personal relationship as the personal representative to carry out their wishes as feasible. Same sex and other unmarried couples will be able to name their partners if they so choose.
  According to the new law, any person who is at least 18 years of age is able to sign a document, now termed an “Authorization for Final Disposition.” Through the Authorization, a person may give special directions, instructions concerning religious observances and suggestions concerning the source of funds for funeral and burial, including arrangements for a viewing, a funeral ceremony, memorial service, graveside service, burial or cremation or other disposition or donation of the body. The Authorization must be signed in front of two witnesses or a notary public.
  The Authorization requires the agent to carry out the directions, instructions and suggestions, unless there are insufficient funds or it is unlawful or there is no realistic possibility of compliance. If an agent is appointed under a valid Authorization, the agent generally controls the disposition of the decedent’s remains.
  The standardized documents that contain specific language included in the law and are expected to be available from the DHFS shortly. Attorneys around the state have begun to offer documents with the language to their clients. Some agencies that deal with the gay community, such as the 7 Rivers LGBT Resource Center in LaCrosse, also have documents containing the Authorization language available.
  The law corrects a problem inadvertently created with the earlier passage of legislation regulating cremations in Wisconsin that required family members to sign off of cremations. Last May the Assembly committee heard testimony that 20% of deaths involve conflicts in which family members cannot agree on whether to cremate or to have a traditional burial. To avoid potential liability prior to the law’s passage, funeral homes always performed a burial.
  Tragic stories impacted lawmakers, who were told about an elderly woman who pre-planned her funeral and set up a burial trust with her local funeral home. She called her funeral director several times a year over 16 years to make sure the casket she picked out was still available and she had enough money in the trust to pay for it. When she died, her estranged brother ordered the funeral home to cremate her body and return all the leftover money in the trust to him, despite his sister’s expressly stated wishes.

Flaherty Loses Bid To Become First Openly-Gay Milwaukee Alderman
Milwaukee - He appeared to have the momentum. He had finished first in the eight-way February primary. He had endorsements galore, ranging from Mayor Tom Barrett to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Shepherd Express. He had strong financial support and volunteers from all walks of life making calls and knocking on door all over the 3rd District. But in a heartbreakingly close April 1 defeat, openly-gay political activist and non-profit manager Patrick Flaherty lost his bid to become the city’s first-ever openly-gay alderman by just 71 votes.
   “It is important to remember that in many ways we came into this race as the underdog,” Flaherty told supporters following the loss. “An openly gay candidate with a solid progressive record faces an uphill challenge, even in the 3rd district.”
  Flaherty also pointed to newly-elected alder Nik Kovac’s four month head start in explaining the defeat. “my opponent had several months’ head start in the campaign,” Flaherty wrote in his official “thank you” email. Kovac returned to the district in 2007 from New York City and decided to run for the seat last August.
   “In every ward that I was able to spend significant time, we came out ahead. I am confident that if we’d had more time, we could have brought our progressive message to more voters,” Flaherty said. Kovac scored highest in the Riverwest portion of the district, taking four of five wards. Flaherty did best on the east side, winning 9 of 16 wards.
  Despite the close contest, Flaherty decided not to seek a recount, citing that to do so would create additional tension in a race that some observers noted had become particularly intense in its closing days. Kovac tallied 4,292 ballots for 50.2% of the vote, according to official results. Patrick Flaherty received 4,221 votes for 49.4%, with 37 write-in votes also cast. Overall turnout also may have hurt Flaherty, who had won 4,167 votes (31.8%) of the more than 13,000 cast in the February 19 primary that also included the hotly-contested Democratic Presidential race. Kovac scored 3,406 votes (26%) in the winter vote.
  Flaherty had quit his position as the Director of Center  Advocates, the Milwaukee LGBT Center’s 501(c)4 not-for profit arm, to run for the office full-time. He told Quest that he will not seek to return to that position, though it remains open. “I’ll be exploring other opportunities outside of the community organizing field,” he said.
  Flaherty’s record of successes in securing greater equality for the LGBT community both in Milwaukee and statewide will be a legacy few other activists can measure up to. In addition to his years in HIV/AIDS work at the AIDS  Resource Center of Wisconsin, Flaherty was a leading force behind the establishment of the City of Milwaukee’s domestic partnership registry and the expansion of equal rights to the city’s transgendered employees. As the director of center Advocates, he helped co-found the Fair Wisconsin “No On The amendment” campaign and in securing the Milwaukee Common Council’s endorsement of a “no” vote on the ballot measure to ban civil unions and gay marriage in 2006.
  Though he may step away from formal involvement with the ongoing struggle for LGBT equality for a while, Flaherty assured his supporters it would not be forever. “The fight continues and you know I will still be a part of it,” he said.

World & National News:

Controversy Swirls Over Military Transport Of Baldwin’s Partner
Washington, DC - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly had to step in when the military refused to allow the same-sex partner of  Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin on a military flight taking members of Congress and their spouses on a fact-finding trip to Europe recently.
The political blog Politico reported April 1 that Pelosi called Defense Secretary Robert Gates directly. Under House rules members may take their spouses with them on military flights if there is room and when it is “necessary for protocol purposes.”
  Baldwin has been in a domestic partnership with Lauren Azar for years, formally exchanging vows in 1998. According to Politico, Pelosi told Gates he should follow the precedent established by her predecessor, Republican Dennis Hastert who did not prevent Baldwin from taking Azar on an earlier trip. Gates reportedly told Pelosi that he would approve Azar for the trip once he received a letter from the Speaker authorizing it, but warned that it was a one-time agreement. Pelosi sent the letter and Azar was allowed to travel.
  Pelosi’s office added that it is awaiting a letter from Gates outlining new criteria for the congressional use of military airplanes.
  Openly-gay Congressman Barney Frank told the blog that he thinks the issue is much deeper.
“I think the military was following orders,” Frank said. “I think the administration disapproves of same-sex marriage.”
  It is not the first time the Bush administration has been accused of LGBT discrimination. The White House recently threatened to veto the inclusion of hate crime legislation aimed at protecting gays and lesbians and it opposes any form of ENDA.
  Baldwin may have specifically angered the administration both as outspoken advocate for an all-inclusive form of ENDA and her recent support former openly-gay ambassador Michael Guest.
  Last year Guest, the US ambassador to Romania, resigned after the State Department refused to recognize his same-sex partner. Baldwin sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice In February calling for basic protections for LGBT State Department employees that would include allowing domestic partners of foreign service officers to travel and stay with them.
  Wisconsin anti-gay activists were also quick to condemn the House Speaker’s intervention. Wisconsin Family Council Director Julaine Appling told Madison TV-outlet WISC-TV that she believes Pelosi is just pushing a same-sex marriage agenda. “This is an example of Pelosi’s agenda being worked out in reality, in my opinion,” Appling complained. “When she has the opportunity to basically redefine spouse, she took advantage of that opportunity and I think she set something of a precedence there.”
  OutReach Director Steve Starkey disagreed, noting a double standard. “I actually think it’s an example of gay people getting double discrimination. In other words, it’s illegal for us to marry, but then we’re punished for not marrying, for not being married,” he told WISC-TV’s Linda Eggert.
  Starkey said that he also thinks the incident is “petty.” He said that he doesn’t think there was any violation of law.
  The flap comes as Baldwin celebrates her 10th anniversary as the first openly-lesbian woman ever elected to the United State Congress.

State News:

April 12’s UW LGBT Center Concert Is A Bitch
Madison - The UW LGBTQ Center will help celebrate Out and About Month with a live performance by Bitch and the Exciting Conclusion at 9 PM on Saturday, April 12 at the Orpheum Theatre, 216 State Street, here.
  Armed with an electric violin, a ukulele and a bass guitar, Bitch (formerly of Bitch and Animal), takes the stage with her band The Exciting Conclusion. Interesting, intelligent, provocative and prolific, Bitch offers up a new, genuine and potent voice in the current soundscape. Blending influences as wide as her vocabulary, her opinions and her closet, her music is reminiscent but never derivative of her folk, hip-hop, rap and rockabilly influences. Incorporating theatrics and armed with her multi-facetted talents, expert musicianship and intrinsic stand-out sense of style, and overall bold and unforgettable persona, Bitch is the embodiment of the Modern, DIY aesthetic and IT factor.
  Tickets for the Bitch concert are $12 in advance or $14 at the door. For more information, call 608-255-8755.
  The Mission of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Campus Center is to strengthen and sustain an inclusive campus community for LGBTQ and allied students by eliminating heterosexism, homophobia, and gender identity oppression. Our goal is to provide the services and resources necessary to meet the social, emotional, academic and cultural needs of LGBTQ students.

Florentine Opera Host LGBT Pre-Performance Bash
Milwaukee - The Florentine Opera Company will host its second LGBT-friendly pre-performance gathering at The Room, 623 South 2nd Street here on Sunday, April 20 at 7 PM. Guests will enjoy complimentary appetizers from Miss Katie’s Diner, free raffle prizes, and the chance to mingle with guests, performers in the upcoming production of Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Romeo and Juliet) and Florentine Opera staff.  Florentine Opera General Director William Florescu and Soprano Georgia Jarman, who will sing the role of Giulietta in the production, will share insights into the production and engaging stories about the fascinating world of opera.
  The Florentine plans to make these events a regular part of the Company’s pre-performance offerings, which focus on providing audience education and generating enthusiasm for opera within the community. 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 of in a comfortable and inclusive setting.
Cost for the event is a suggested donation of $10. Admission will provide attendees with the opportunity to enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres, the chance to win great prizes in a free raffle and a cash bar. To RSVP for the event, contact Scott Stewart by email at: sstewart@florentineopera.org or by phone at: 414-225-1958.
  Now in it’s 74th year, 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 one of the nation’s oldest opera companies, the Florentine Opera seeks to establish a significant presence in the cultural, educational and civic life of the state of Wisconsin and beyond.  Audiences enjoy beautiful mainstage productions that include first-rate vocal artistry brought to life by established and emerging local, national and international opera stars. Mainstage 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.
  To learn more about the Florentine Opera Company, visit them online at: www.florentineopera.org.

Outwords Books Celebrates Poetry Month
Gregg Shapiro To Read April 23, Yvonne Zipter, April 29
Milwaukee - April is national Poetry Month and here at Outwords Books, Gifts & Coffee, we are delighted to offer two poetry readings during the month.
  On Wednesday, April 23, Outwords is pleased to bring to Milwaukee acclaimed Chicago poet, Gregg Shapiro, who has just published a new collection of poetry entitled, “Protection.”
  Then, on Tuesday, April 29, we all delighted to welcome back noted writer, essayist and poet, Yvonne Zipter. Ms. Zipter offered a program here back in 1995 following the publication of her book, “Ransacking the Closet.” Now with the publication of her latest chapbook, “Like Some Bookie God,” Yvonne joins us again to read from her latest collection of poems.
  Gregg Shapiro is a 1999 inductee into Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame and a recipient of the 2003 Outstanding Support OMA (Outmusic Award). He is a pop culture journalist, poet and fiction writer whose creative work has been published in a multitude of literary journals including  Blithe House Quarterly, Spoon River Poetry Review, Gargoyle, The Illinois Review, Columbia Poetry Review, Folio, and The Washington Review, to name just a few.
  Noted gay poet David Trinidad, author of “Plasticville,” writes of Shapiro: “In bed with a lover in Boston, putting a cat to sleep in Chicago, hanging laundry by moonlight in Washington, D.C. I like the way Gregg Shapiro’s stanzas - packed with keen observations and physical details - place me solidly in his world. His in-your-face intimacy feels as necessary as it does generous and brave. Protection is a blessedly open and refreshingly out book of poems.
  Originally a Milwaukee native, Yvonne Zipter had by 1985 began writing her own column, at the urging of editor Tracy Baim, for Windy City Times and has been writing it ever since. “Inside Out,” has been in national syndication for about fifteen years. Her first book, “Diamonds Are a Dyke’s Best Friend,” which was published by Firebrand Books in 1988, explores the enduring role of softball in the lesbian community. Yvonne’s next book, “The Patience of Metal,” is a collection of poetry that she self-published at the urging of her friends Minnie Bruce Pratt and Barbara Wilson. “The Patience of Metal” was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist. In 1995, Yvonne completed, “Ransacking the Closet,” a collection of humorous essays, was published by Spinsters Ink.
  Gregg Shapiro’s program will begin at 7 PM. Following his reading, Gregg will sign copies of his book, “Protection.”
  Please also join us at 7 PM on Tuesday, April 29 when Yvonne will offer some of her best-loved humorous essays plus her latest poems, including one of which will be featured in the May issue of Poetry Magazine.
  Both poetry readings will take place at Outwords Books, located at 2710 N. Murray Ave. in Milwaukee. These poetry reading are free events and everyone is welcome to join in. For further information, please call 414-963-9089.

Bellini Opera Debuts On Florentine Stage
Milwaukee - For the first time in its 74-year history, the Florentine Opera Company will present a Bellini opera to Milwaukee audiences on April 25, 26 & 27 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. This story presents a unique take on the legend of Romeo and Juliet that is slightly different than the traditional Shakespearean tragedy that is more familiar to most audiences. Instead,
  I Capuleti e I Montecchi focuses the story on the feuding between two rival political families, the Capulets and the Montegues and is based on historical Renaissance sources. The passion and sacrifice of the young star-crossed lovers has captivated audiences for hundreds of years. Set to Bellini’s sumptuous score, this production encapsulates the beautiful singing and feast for the senses that make up Italian bel canto opera.  Sung in the original Italian with English translations projected above the stage, I Capuleti e i Montecchi is filled with passion, melody and drama sure to captivate audiences.
  I Capuleti e i Montecchi will feature Georgia Jarman as Juliet, returning to Milwaukee after she last delighted Florentine audiences in the title role of 2006’s The Daughter of the Regiment, and Marianna Kulikova as young Romeo. Scott Piper, Kurt Link and Jamie Offenbach round out this stellar cast, under the direction of Bernard Uzan. Joseph Rescigno directs members of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as they bring this beautiful masterpiece to life.  The production will be dedicated to the memory of Board Member and longtime supporter and friend of the Florentine Opera Company, Dominic Frinzi.
  Friday and Saturday performances will be at 7:30 PM. Curtain for the Sunday matinee performance is 2:30 PM. Single tickets to the Florentine Opera’s production of I Capuleti e i Montecchi start at just $25. For more information on ordering your tickets, visit the opera company’s website at: www.florentineopera.org or call 414-291-5700 Ext. 224. Callers may also request a 2008-9 season brochure.

Mark Hooker’s Spiral Theatre Offers Lucky, Daiquiri
Milwaukee - Mark Hooker’s Spiral Theatre will present two plays at the company’s new Bucketworks venue beginning this month.
  In the comedy romp You Should Be So Lucky, Hooker directs Charles Busch’s modern Cinderella tale with a decidedly modern twist. Christopher, a shy and eccentric young electrologist, helps millionaire Sy Rosenberg, when he faints in a Greenwich Village street. Rosenberg, touched by Christopher’s generous spirit, sends Christopher off to a fabulous charity ball where he meets his Prince Charming, in the form of a neurotic young publicist.
  Fate takes a turn when Rosenberg dies suddenly of a heart attack in Christopher’s electrologist chair, leaving millions to Christopher. Rosenberg’s fiercely embittered daughter, Lenore, threatens to contest the will.  Christopher doesn’t stand a chance until Rosenberg shows up as a ghost, seen only by Christopher, who pleads his case on Wanda, an Oprah-like show. Will Christopher triumph, keep his millions and even his Prince Charming?
  You Should Be So Lucky features Mark Hooker, Terry Gavin, Jenna Wetzel, Enid Barnes, Amie Strader and Doug Giffin.
  In the intimate Strawberry Daiquiri, London’s Shamelessboyz Theatre Company explores the realms of relationships and ambiguity, seen through the eyes of a man who has come to re-enter the life of the “woman” he once loved. A kaleidoscope journey through gender identity, confusion and manipulation, Strawberry Daiquiri is a mystery waiting to unfold. Strawberry Daiquiri is written and performed by Drew Caiden and directed by Peter Bull.
  Shamelessboyz Theatre Company Ltd. is a vibrant young group recognized as “the premier gay theatre company producing new material on the London fringe today” (musicOMH.com).
  Performance dates for You Should Be So Lucky and Strawberry Daiquiri are as follows: You Should Be So Lucky will run Fridays and Saturdays, April 18-19, 25-26 and May 2-3 at 7:30 PM. Strawberry Daiquiri will have three performances only on Friday and Saturday April 25-26 at 10:30 PM. There will also be a Sunday matinee April 27 at 4:30 PM.
  All performances will be at Bucketworks Playspace, 1340 N. 6th St., just north of downtown Milwaukee. To reserve tickets, leave a message at the box office by calling: 414-248-6480. A staff member will call you to confirm.  Tickets are also available online at the Spiral Theatre website: www.spiraltheatre.com.