Wild Weather Wreaks Havoc On Pride Weekend
Milwaukee - About 90 minutes before the gates opened for PrideFest 2008 on June 6 workers putting the final touches on the 21st annual festival at the Henry B. Maier Summerfest grounds scurried for cover in response to an ear-deafening tornado siren located just a few yards from the Miller Stage. It was an omen that ended up characterizing the weekend.
  Record-breaking weather generated by three successive days of multiple storms battered southern Wisconsin June 6-8, caused widespread flash flooding, popped manhole covers throughout downtown Milwaukee, collapsed two buildings four blocks from the city’s gay district and stranded hundreds of motorists across the metro area.
  Sanitary district officials reported that the city’s water mains handled 2 ½ times the amount of water brought on by a similar series of major storms in 1993. Those storms led to a cryptosporidium outbreak that ended up causing the deaths of 100 residents, many of them HIV+. On June 12, ARCW issued an advisory to their clients to boil city water after local officials said they could not guarantee city water would be crypto free despite the $93 million treatment process added following the 90’s outbreak.
  Statewide, the same storms caused rivers to spill over their boundaries, dams to burst and homes to be destroyed when Lake Delton emptied into the Wisconsin River.
  Governor Jim Doyle declared 30 counties as disaster areas on June 10. A portion of Interstate 94 near Milwaukee remained closed as late as midweek due to flood threats.
  Only one of PrideFest’s three headline shows went off without a weather-related hitch. Though the storms and tornado warnings that did erupt Friday afternoon likely depressed early festival-goers, by evening the weather had turned blissfully balmy, a rumored early protest by a neo-Nazi group failed to occur and the only gales were of laughter at the rants of headliner Wanda Sykes “coming out black,” emcee Miss Foozie and a host of other comedians.
  Sykes performed in front of what appeared to be a crowd on par with last year’s record-setting opening night audience. As of issue deadline, Quest had not received any official tallies for the weekend from PrideFest but organizers admitted the turnout was below the record-setting 8,389 attendees who enjoyed D-List comic Kathy Griffin in 2007.
  Public Relations Director Paul Williams characterized Friday’s figures as “good but down” from last year’s statistics. “The tornado warnings on Friday came just when many folks were probably making up their mind as to whether or not to take in Wanda Sykes’ show,” Williams said.
  Prior to Sykes’ performance, festival organizers kicked off the weekend on a celebratory but serious note. Wisconsin and Milwaukee County dignitaries, including representatives from the office of Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Scott Walker, attended the official opening ceremonies, as well as representatives of fellow ethnic festivals African World Festival, Arab World Festival, Polish Fest, and Festa Italiana and representatives from Summerfest.
  During the kickoff PrideFest also thanked its growing number of sponsors. Special recognition was given to Potawatomi Bingo Casino, Joseph Pabst, and Volunteer of the Year Eloisa Valdez for their years of service and support to the LGBT community. PrideFest also received a gift of a woven LGBT pride flag in honor of the 30th anniversary of the rainbow flag’s original creation. .
  PrideFest also acknowledged the tragedy of Miller Brewing Executive Victor Milford’s death and the victory of entertainer and hate crime survivor Kevin Aviance.
  “When people get away with crime, then other criminals think they can get away with it,” Milford’s gay partner Chris Van Der Westhuizen told the crowd. “If you allow it in Milwaukee, you will never take your city back. It has to stop and it has to stop now. Not tomorrow, now!”
   “We have to protect each other,” internationally renowned underground club music artist Aviance said during his remarks. The singer, songwriter and performer was attacked and brutally beaten in New York City in 2006 in a hate crime that garnered national attention. “I am blessed and so grateful to stand here today, because I’m standing here for those who have no voice.”
  The festival was not so lucky the following day. Though Natasha Bedingfield may claim she has a “Pocketful Of Sunshine” in her current Billboard chart-topper, PrideFest organizers probably wished the sexy Brit diva had emptied her pockets prior to her rain-drenched performance to only about a thousand wildly enthusiastic fans Saturday.
  A tsunami-like, super soaker series of storms - the worst single weather event in the festival’s 21 year history and one which caused two buildings to collapse just four blocks from the city’s gar bar district - all but emptied the open areas of the Summerfest grounds just hours before Bedingfield took to the stage. A tornado-producing cell passed directly over the PrideFest grounds at 5:20 PM and over the next 7 hours hardy festival goers endured an officially recorded 4-6” of sometimes torrential rain. However, Quest later learned that unofficial rain gauges just blocks south of the festival topped 7”.
  Despite the horrendous conditions, between two to three thousand stayed on the grounds. Quest correspondent Steve Vargas estimated about 1,500 sought refuge in the dance pavilion. Hundreds more filled the park’s bathrooms or huddled under beer kiosks and vendor awnings.
  Prior to the storm, PrideFest had looked to be on course to set attendance records. The mid-afternoon crowds that had mobbed the festival appeared to be some of the largest ever according to veteran attendees.
  Numbers from ARCW’s food pantry drive conducted at the beginning of the day Saturday also appear to confirm solid early attendance figures. On June 11 pantry director Randy Bash announced about 10,000 food items were donated at this year’s PrideFest, similar to the amount gathered in 2006, but about 3,500 below 2007’s record-setting drive.
  Though the rain dampened their numbers, those who stayed saw their party spirit soar. Some broke into a Capella sing-a-longs to entertain themselves while the official entertainment was suspended. Others resorted to streaking. Some of the leather/Levi men who had been readying for the canceled 8th Annual Leather Show on the Rainbow Stage put their rubber fetish gear to practical use to stay dry.
  Others on the grounds left after the repeated heavy downpours wore them out. “After an hour and a half of staying in a crowded bathroom I took my daughter and went back home during one of the breaks (in the storms),” one lesbian mom offered. “Being stuck with a crowd of women might sound like a lot of fun - trust me, it was not!”
 Once festival activities resumed around 7 PM, those who had stuck around made the most of it. “The dance area went wild,” Vargas said. “People were text messaging their friends telling them to come back and join the fun.”
  Those who did return were not disappointed by the headline show, emceed by quirkily comic Feast of Fools podcasters Mac Felion and Fausto Fernós. The duo kicked off the evening by bringing out a last-minute addition to the evening’s show, gay New York song parodist Ben Lerman whose  “Unshaven,” which lampoons Beginfield’s signature “Unwritten” drew laughs and applause.
  Drag diva Britney Houston’s outrageous parodies the pop-tart tunes “Lipgloss” and “Umbrella” then brought more howls of laughter from the crowd, many of whom were huddled under their personal bumbershoots. The crowd also chanted and responded to the hook-driven beats of newcomer Hilary McCrae as if they’d each had owned her new Starbucks CD for years.
  And when Natasha Bedingfield took to the stage, the roar from the crowd sounded as if the entire Miller stage area had been filled to capacity plus. The forty-minute lovefest that followed demonstrated why Bedingfield may end up being considered the crown jewel in this year’s PrideFest tiara of stars. Alternating between simmeringly sassy and achingly heartbreaking, Natahsa’s show will go down as one of the most moving in PrideFest history. It was hard to tell the raindrops from the teardrops on festival goers’ faces as she delivered an electrifying performance of “Unwritten.”
  The festival did catch one break on Saturday, however. The irresistible forces of Mother Nature and the Bedingfield show effectively turned what some had worried would be of the more negative moments in recent years into an asterisk in PrideFest history: the widely promulgated protest by members of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement (NSM).
  The barricades were there. The police were there. The TV news crews were there. However it was hard to tell the neo-Nazis were there. About a dozen were standing behind a cordon of police for their own protection. The neo-Nazis also decided to hold their protest without uniforms - “in the closet” so to speak.
  In effect, the NSM adherents were all but indistinguishable from several religious groups who counter-protested and the Bash Back Milwaukee group. The neo-Nazis were also outnumbered by active counter-protesters by three to one.
  The Bash Back group certainly won the war of words with colorful banners such as “These Faggots Kill Fascists” and “Militant Queers Out Of The Closet.” The NSM’s “Homosexuality Is An Unnatural Perversion” anal-retentively stenciled on a plain-white placard was typical of that group’s message.
  The fear violence came not from the neo-Nazis, but from the Bash Back militants. Three were arrested for disorderly conduct. A half hour later it was over, before most of Saturday’s festival attendees had even approached the grounds.
  “As (local TV station) WTMJ put it, we had a little more ‘diversity’ than we anticipated,” PrideFest public relations director Paul Williams told Quest. “PrideFest is a celebration of diversity, even if we don’t agree with some of those diverse opinions.”
  Quest estimated that PrideFest’s storm-stymied Saturday overall figures likely were only a quarter to a third of the 13,300 who passed through the turnstiles to see Chaka Khan in 2007. Quest correspondents estimated that by the time Natasha Bedingfield went on stage June 7 less than 2,000 people were still on the festival grounds. The crowds was split fairly evenly, with half enduring the ongoing rain in the main stage area and the rest enjoying the somewhat drier environs and bigger beats of DJ Tony Moran in the dance pavilion.
  Though the severe weather was an unexpected setback, PrideFest continued Sunday as scheduled with one addition: the fireworks show, drowned out by Saturday’s downpour were rescheduled for Sunday evening at 9:30 PM, following the Indigo Girls headline show.
  “The show will always go on here, and we’re proud that our volunteers, our performers and especially our patrons do not let the rain stop the celebration,” PrideFest President Scott Gunkel said in a Sunday morning press release.
  PrideFest’s Sunday session started and ended stormy. Between those blustery bookends, however, were about seven hours of picture perfect weather that swelled numbers for the 2008 festival’s final day, though likely not enough to make up for weather-deflated turnouts on Friday and Saturday.
  Skies cleared just in time for the city’s annual Pride Parade, the only other event not directly impacted by the storms. Though four of the 48 official entries were no-shows due to late morning rains, the march still ran over an hour and was enjoyed by 5000 according to the Milwaukee Police Dept., a record turnout for the renewed event.
  Still the weather did cause some early concern, according to Parade Coordinator Brett H. “This year the Parade had to deal with a problem which never had to be dealt with, torrential rain,” he said. “The decision of the President and Parade Coordinator was that the parade would go on regardless of weather, barring of course weather-related safety concerns. The Parade staff caught a break when the weather cleared just in time around 12:30 PM from there on out the parade went off without a hitch.”.
  “The Milwaukee Pride Parade grew this year to 48 units.” Brett added, “including units like Milwaukee Fire Chief Doug Holton, Chicago’s own Windy City Cowboys, and the Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps and Color Guard which is based out of Milwaukee.”
  The bad was the highly-advertised “surprise ending” for the march. “It was the first time a “professional” marching band has ever been in a LGBT pride event,” Brett said. “The parade lasted a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes, with no incidents or setbacks.”
  Award winners for the parade were as follows: For Best Float  Milwaukee’s BOOM took first place, Oshkosh‘s Club 1226 scored second and Kenosha’s Club ICON placed third.
  Wisconsin’s Rainbow Families won the Best Marching Unit, followed by Milwaukee Triangle’s giant rainbow flag in second. The “Keeping Vic’s Smile Alive” unit took third.
  Top prize for Best Decorated Car went to Milwaukee’s City Light Chill, with second going to Za’s Publications (Quest/Outbound) and third place to Milwaukee entry Rocky Horror Picture Show/Sensual Day Dreams.
  Parade units were judged by three honorary judges from around the state. They included Andrew Debaker from  northeast Wisconsin’s Pride Alive festival, Mark Steward from Madison Pride, and radio personality Marilynn Mee from 96.5-FM WKLH in Milwaukee.
  PrideFest’s overall Sunday attendance figures may have been similar or even slightly better than 2007’s tally of 5778, especially given that the Milwaukee Police Dept. estimated about 5000 attended this year’s Pride Parade. However, the evening thunderstorm that began about a half hour before the Indigo Girls went on stage meant that many made it an early evening, depressing critical beverage sales.
  Williams was hopeful about a possible up tick in the festival’s final day figures. “A lot of people missed their party on Saturday and seem to be making up for it today,” Williams told Quest Sunday afternoon.
  Main stage show times were set back due to the need to complete the Pride Idol competition, with the semifinals and finals running back to back. That delay resulted in the headlining Indigo Girls starting their set near the height of Sunday evening’s thunderstorm. But the duo’s hard-core fans were ready with ponchos and umbrellas, and after a false start due to a feedback problem, the 20-year veteran musicians conducted what is best described as a 90-minute group sing with the wildly appreciative crowd. As the Girls nicked off hit after hit - from “Closer To You” and “Shame On You” to “Galileo” - the crowd provided an almost Mormon Tabernacle Choir-like back-up. “This is the most fun pride event we’ve ever done,” Amy Ray and Emily Sanders later told PrideFest staff.
  The rescheduled fireworks show followed the Indigo Girls concert, with many attendees huddling to watch the pyrotechnics under the now-empty canopies set up for nonprofit groups. Ironically, less than five minutes after the fireworks ended, so did the rain.
  Kevin Aviance’s festival closing set was all “snaps and attitude,” though he began by dedicating his show to “Chad,” who was attacked by a group of men who threw a brick at the Milwaukee youth while walking home from the festival Friday evening. Aviance reiterated his festival-opening anti-violence and self-empowerment message then launched into a sassy, strutting hour-plus long track show that offered up his decade of dance music hits.
  Despite the glittering array of musical talent amassed by festival organizers and the powerful performances witnessed by all too few, 2008 PrideFest will probably will be best remembered by state’s gay community more for its spectacular meteorology and camaraderie than for its well-received music.  Also festival-goers tongues wagged about the possibility of a financial loss, similar to 2003’s rain-soaked event before the final note in the Aviance concert was played.
  Organizers suggested as much in their only official post-mortem issued thus far. PrideFest President Scott Gunkel issued a statement in part to respond to the rumors about the festival’s future following this year’s weather plagued event. “Many people have expressed concern for PrideFest due to the unprecedented challenges the festival and its patrons faced over the weekend,” Gunkel wrote in his June 10 press release.  “Both the weather and a small protest drew attention away from the purpose of this event: to celebrate our lives and our community. However, I want to assure you that neither weather nor protesters can or will stop PrideFest and its merry people from celebrating life, love and the history of the LGBT community.”
  Gunkel’s statement characterized the festival a success. “While weather and protesters can have an impact on the final results of success, our event is still a success nonetheless,” he wrote.
  While not releasing official attendance figures as had been issued in recent years within 24-48 hours, Gunkel acknowledged the lower turnout. “Our crowds were smaller this year than in previous years, but they were a celebratory, hearty bunch,” Gunkel wrote. “Few people left during Saturday’s and Sunday’s storms; instead, they stayed together and enjoyed what they could and created an atmosphere of community towards each other by sharing a common experience.”
  Multiple eyewitness accounts from Quest correspondents and others present at the main gate would appear to contradict Gunkel’s claim that “few people left,” especially on Saturday. Though between two to three thousand sought shelter on the grounds during the worst storms on Saturday afternoon, at least an equal number left the Summerfest grounds to seek shelter in their vehicles and other areas outside the festival gates. Most did not return.
  With lower turnout came lower revenue Gunkel noted. “PrideFest’s revenues will be down this year from previous years,” Gunkel continued, “but because of past successes and sound management, PrideFest will not fall. The strong involvement of the festival’s many volunteers, who have worked diligently throughout the year to build financial and operational support, has made PrideFest strong enough to weather the storms.”
  Gunkel went on to honor the hard work of festival organizers and volunteers. “I must acknowledge all those of the Production Team and Board who work all year long; all those volunteer groups and individuals that came together throughout the weekend; and all the sponsors that came forth and supported PrideFest,” he wrote. “You have the thanks of PrideFest, the LGBT community and myself for all you have done to create and maintain this strong and wonderful organization known as PrideFest.”
  Williams echoed Gunkel’s cautiously-optimistic assessment of PrideFest finances. “We have a pretty decent cushion built up over the last few years, Williams told Quest. “Not spectacular, but it was comfortable. We really can’t say how big the loss will be - if there even is one - until all the bills come in over the next 4-6 weeks.”
  Williams also offered a “rough guess” of 19-20000 attendees, which would be a drop of 29-30% over 2007’s record setting event. “We still are missing numbers from several of the gates so the official total is still a day or two away,” he told Quest. “I know we did do better on Sunday than we did last year.”
  In all, Milwaukee’s Pride Weekend was successful, though storm-subdued. Two of the four major events - PrideFest’s Friday evening and Sunday’s pride parade - came off without major problems, and PrideFest’s Sunday appeared to be winning but wet. Even Saturday afternoon started well on the Summerfest grounds. And for those who directly experienced those final seven hours on Saturday, it will be a memory that will be shared for years, probably even decades to come. Isn’t that what celebrations are really all about?

World & National News:

June 17 Sees California’s First Gay Marriages
San Francisco - California held its first gay marriages on June 17, two weeks after the state Supreme Court quashed a ban on gay marriage in a historic ruling. Prior to the first nuptuals, state officials outliend procedures for all new state-officiated ceremonuies. The terms husband and wife have been replaced by “party A” and “party B.” The new unions are exactly the same in every aspect as typical civilian marriages officiated by state authorities prior to the xcourt ruling.
  In an opinion that could have nationwide implications, the California Supreme Court on May 15 voted 4-3 in favor of plaintiffs who argued that restricting marriage to men and women was discriminatory. The ruling added that all California couples had a “basic civil right” to marry “without regard to their sexual orientation.”
  California is now only the second US state after Massachusetts to legalize unions between persons of the same gender. In the state Supreme Court rulings usually go into effect thirty days after publication. However, state authorities set June 17 as the date for the first marriages to be officiated, since the ruling could be appealed up to June 16. All appeals were denied.
  The ruling on gay marriage followed eight years of legal battles that erupted in 2000 when California voters approved a law declaring that only marriages between men and women could be legally recognized. In February 2004, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom defied state law by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, arguing that existing laws were illegal because they violated equal rights legislation.
  A court later halted the issuance of licenses and declared that same-sex marriages that took place during this period were void, but civil rights activists argued that limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples was unconstitutional. In 2005 the San Francisco Superior Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, finding that there was no justification for refusing to allow marriages. But the decision was overturned in 2006 by the California Court of Appeal, which ruled in a 2-1 decision that the state’s desire to “carry out the expressed wishes of a majority” was sufficient to preserve the existing law.
  California lawmakers have also voted twice in favor of gay marriage but the bills were vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who urged court decisions in the issue in his veto messages. Schwarzenegger later announced the he would respect the Supreme Court’s decision.
  After the ruling, a coalition of so-called “religious and social conservative” groups vowed to add a vote calling for a ban on same-sex marriage when California goes to the polls in November’s election. In early June state election officials have ruled the sponsors of the vote had gathered enough signatures to force the issue onto the ballot and scheduled the vote. Schwarzenegger has said he would not support the measure.
  The most recent polls suggest that Californians in favor of gay marriage outnumbering those against by a 52-41% margin, in stark contrast with the 59-28% advantage gay marriage opposers had in the first survey the group took on the issue in 1977.

New York Voters Support Governor’s Decision To Regognize Gay Marriages
Albany -  So-called “social conservative” types often seek popular support for their anti-gay stances by using  the time-worn phrase “let the people decide.” If a recent poll is accurate, the people have decided: to support New York Governor David Patterson’s recent decision for the state to recognize gay marriages performed out-     of-state.
   A Quinnipiac University poll released June 12 showed that voters supported Patterson by a 53’40% margain, though they would have preferred the state legislature to review the issue as well. When asked about their support for gay marriage and civil unions in general poll’takers found voters supported some type og legal recognition by a 73 to 21% margin, with 42% supporting full marriage equality and 31% supporting civil unions.
  Paterson had told state agencies to recognize same-sex marriages performed in states and countries where they are legal made public May 28 by gubernatorial spokeperson Erin Duggan.
  The governor’s legal counsel told state agencies in a May 14 memo to revise policies and regulations to recognize same-sex marriages performed in California and Massachusetts as well as Canada and other countries that allow gays and lesbians to marry. The memo also informed state agencies that failing to recognize gay marriages would violate the New York’s human rights law, according to Duggan.
  The directive came in response to a February ruling from a New York state appeals court that said legal same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions are entitled to recognition in New York. “This was in direct response to a court ruling,” Duggan told cable news service CNN. “Just to make sure all the state agencies are on the same page.” Duggan added that the court’s decision was consistent with the findings of several lower courts in New York State.
  The governor’s legal counsel had sent the memo one day before the California Supreme Court struck down a ban on gay marriage in that state. Court officials in California counties began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on June 17.
  Patterson’s decision caught everyone by surprise, then set of a storm of protest from Republicans, out of state “Christian” legal and other “family” front groups of the so-called “Regligious Right.” GOP New York Senate Joseph L. Bruno consulted with lawyers about the constitutional questions raised by the decision. The James Dobson-founded and Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund filed suit in conjunction with five Republican lawmakers on June 4 to halt implementation of Patterson’s directive.
    Patterson´s decision also put New York in a unique position among the 50 states: it is the only state to recognize out-of-state unions while prohibiting gay marriage and civil unions within its borders. Neighboring Canada, which shares the popular wedding destination Niagara Falls with the Empire State, Massachusetts and California permit same-sex marriage, though Massachusetts largely prohibits out of state residents to wed there.
  New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey and Connecticut permit civil unions which also appear to be covered by the Patterson memo. More than a dozen other states give same-sex couples some legal rights but not full legal status of the relationship. Those do not appear to be covered in Patterson´s decision.

Scouts Lawuit: “Our Bigotry Should Be Rent-Free”
Philadelphia - A Boy Scouts chapter engaged in a long fight over gay rights has sued the city of Philadelphia to try to avoid paying $200,000 a year in rent to stay in the city-owned space that has been its headquarters for eighty years.
  The Cradle of Liberty Council historically had essentially operated rent-free, paying a token $1 annually for the space, but the city has given it until May 31 to open their membership to gay scouts or start being charged the fair-market rent. The federal suit filed May 30 accused the city of censorship for targeting the Scouts but maintaining free or nominal leases with other groups that limit membership, such as Baptist and Roman Catholic church groups and The Colonial Dames of America.
  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the Boy Scouts, as a private group, have a First Amendment right to bar gays. But the policy has had consequences, with municipalities, charities and donors withholding support.
“We will not allow discrimination in providing services on city property,” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said following the Scouting council’s action.
  A quarter-century old Philadelphia city ordinance enacted in 192 bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and other grounds. “We’re not punishing them for not admitting homosexuals,” City Solicitor Shelley Smith explained. “But they can’t get free rent and violate our policy.”
  Smith said the city was unaware of any discrimination by other groups with city-subsidized space, but that it would investigate any complaints.
  The Cradle of Liberty Council oversees about 300 troops in Philadelphia and two suburban counties. The suit claims the council serves about 70,000 children, including 50,000 in the city. The Scouts also allege that the higher rent would force them to cut programs.
“They’re providing a tremendous public benefit. They’re giving back a whole lot more than what they get from the city,” the lawyer representing the Cradle of Liberty Council claimed.
  Ironically, the Cradle of Liberty Council had adopted an explicit nondiscrimination policy in 2003 after negotiations with the city. But it was forced to rescind it when the Boy Scouts of America said Philadelphia Scout officials could not deviate from national rules barring participation by anyone who is openly gay.
  The Cradle of Liberty Council then negotiated compromise language that barred “unlawful discrimination,” but also contiued to follow the Mormon-driven national orgainzation’s rules.
  The city owns the Beaux Arts headquarters constructed in 1928 and the land beneath it. The Scouts claim to have spent about $60,000 a year to maintain the building, and another $1.5 million for renovations in 1994, according to the lawsuit.
  The building would be far from the first loss associated with the Boy Scouts’ anti-gay policy. Film director Steven Spielberg resigned from the national group’s advisory board. The city of Berkeley, Calif., stopped lending its marina for free to the Berkeley Sea Scouts. United Way chapters stopped funding programs, and the Defense Department stopped sponsoring troops.

Toe-Tapper To Pen Toilet Tell-All Tale
Boise - Disgraced Idaho Senator Larry Craig claims the new book he is writing will focus on energy policy, but also spend some additional energy detailing the turmoil that trailed his notorious 2007 arrest as part of a Twin Cities airport sex sting. The 62 year-old Republican conservative finally announced his retirement after flip-flopping several times on the issue. Craig will leave the Senate in January 2009 after serving three terms.
  In a recent TV interview Craig claimed his book will cover energy issues, but also reflect on his political career. He says the book will also examine his spin on the events unfolded last year after he was arrested by an undercover officer in a men’s room in the Minneapolis airport. Craig also added that the tome could hit the book stalls sometime next year.

Fashion Great Yves Saint Laurent  Dead At 71
Paris - Yves Saint Laurent, considered by many to be one of the greatest fashion designers in haute couture history, succembed following a long illness here June 1. The openly-gay designer’s three-letter monogram became synonymous with style, contributing to numerous fashion movements from 1950 to 2000.
  When Saint Laurent famously bid adieu to his art at a Paris press conference in January 2002, he read a statement from behind his trademark thick, dark-rimmed glasses. “I tell myself that I created the wardrobe of the contemporary woman, that I participated in the transformation of my times,” he said.
  “For a long time now, I have believed that fashion was not only supposed to make women beautiful, but to reassure them, to give them confidence, to allow them to come to terms with themselves.”
  Saint Laurent is also credited with coining one of fashion’s industry’s most oft-repeated mantras: “Fashions fade, style is eternal.”

State News:

SSBL Launches 2009 Gay Softball World Series Website
Milwaukee - Milwaukee’s Saturday Softball League (SSBL), NAGAAAFest 2009 Gay Softball World Series (GSWS)  host, has launched its new tournament website at: www.nagaaafest.com.
At its world series bid conference in Seattle last February, the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) awarded  the 33rd annual Gay Softball World Series in 2009  to Milwaukee’s SSBL . Since then, SSBL-GSWS committees have been hard at work preparing for the  greatest gay world series ever held.
  “NAGAAAFest 2009 promises to put world class into the Gay Softball World Series. August 28 to September 7, 2009 will be eleven days Milwaukee, the LGBT community and NAGAAA’s 37 leagues will never forget,” SSBL Commissioner Brian Reinkober told Quest.
  GSWS mascots Ms. Ruthie and Velvetta are the site’s featured guides. They will post a series of video vignettes in addition to the ones already ready to view.  The duo’s  zany Milwaukee adventures will lead visitors through the site.
  The site features complete GSWS coverage with dedicated Tournament, Party - Events and Visit Milwaukee sections. Each section features instant access to details about all GSWS aspects including sponsorship,  parties, city amenities, volunteering or donating opportunities and  media coverage.
An extensive World Series section provides complete tournament information with maps and directions to fields, game schedule, host hotel descriptions and links for making reservations.  A special Hall of Fame page honors NAGAAA’a veteran softball heroes and will post NAGAAAFest Hall of Fame event news.
  Clicking the “Party” button will bring web surfers to the Opening Ceremony at the lake front’s Henry Maier Festival Park that will feature national name entertainment, the NAGAAAFest Idol -  a talent show to be held at the Pabst Theater - as well as all the other parties, the street bash and closing celebrations.
  Users can also  register for GSWS email updates. These will be issued throughout the year leading up to the 2009 NAGAAAFest to provide teams, player, fans and friends with the latest GSWS news and information.
  By clicking a special Volunteer button the site will offer visitors the opportunity to complete volunteer information and a registration sheet. Go to www.nagaaafest.com and sign up now!

Hiring Freeze Announced at Milwaukee LGBT Center
Milwaukee - The Milwaukee LGBT Center has announced a hiring freeze due to concerns about future fundraising and development due to the current downturn in the state and national economy.
  The immediate impact of the hiring freeze will result the Center not filling the Director of Communications and Director of Public Affairs positions at this time. Paul Williams, who the Center announced in mid-May as the  for Director of Communications, will remain at his current position in the private sector.
  This appears to be the second staffing setback for the LGBT Center in the last 18 months. A 2007 staff restructuring resulted in the loss of 1.3 full-time equivalency positions. The restructuring eliminated the position of Project Q founder Kurt Dyer, who later accepted a position as Associate Director Of Prevention at ARCW.
  “We want to continue to be good stewards of the charitable contributions and grants provided to the Center in support of its existing and developing programs and services,” Center Executive Director Maggi Cage, Ph.D explained in an official press release.  “To do so requires that we move judiciously in our financial decision-making for the next several months.”

Rainbow Over Wisconsin Awards ARCW $5000 Prevention Grant
Green Bay - At a time of a resurgence in new HIV/AIDS cases being reported in the state’s gay male community, Rainbow Over Wisconsin has awarded $5,000 to the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin to continue its prevention outreach among men who have sex with men in central, northeast and eastern Wisconsin.
  The grant will fund distribution of condoms and other safer sex items in gay bars and other LGBT friendly venues in ROW’s service area. Funds will also be spent of internet educational outreach through the I’mSexED  chat room outreach project. The grant will also help underwrite rapid testing and outreach efforts by ARCW’s Bag Boyz at gay events in northeast Wisconsin, including the Pride Alive festival being held in Appleton and Green Bay on July 11 and 12 respectively. ROW is also the lead sponsor for the Pride Alive event, serving both as the festival’s fiscal agent and it’s largest funding source.
  Founded following 1995’s “Alive With Pride” picnic, Rainbow Over Wisconsin  has, as of 2007, distributed over $100,000 in grants for over 60 projects to over two dozen LGBT member and LGBT supportive organizations throughout the state of Wisconsin through its Community Enrichment Fund (CEF). Additionally ROW’s assumption of the Guernsey Gala project in 2003 has allowed the state’s longest-running gay bar community fundraising event for people living with HIV/AIDS to surpass $153,000 in the gala’s lifetime. Details for a re-imagined version of the 17th annual Guernsey event with participating gay venues from four cities will be announced shortly.
  For more information about Rainbow Over Wisconsin, visit the ROW website at: www.rainbowoverwisconsin.org.

Cream City Foundation Offers Summer Fun
Milwaukee - Over the next three months, the Cream City Foundation will offer a series of festive summer engagements. Up first will be the Stepping Out Fashion Show at Cuvee, 181 N. Broadway, on June 23 beginning at 7 PM. Doors at 5:30 and the event is free and open to the public. The fashion show will feature presentations by Fred, Exclusiva Salon, Stephanie Horne, Bronze Optical, Shoo, Ma Jolie, Aala Reed, Florentine Opera, and the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center.
  On July 10 the Center will offer the summer party everyone waits for, “My Best Friend is Straight!”  the event will begin at 5:30 PM at the beautiful home of Andy Nunemaker.  Tickets range from $25 t0 $250. Last year’s party sold out, so buy tickets early at www.creamcityfoundation.org. 
  The ‘My Best Friend is Straight!” party is sponsored by Ernst & Young, Citigal Magazine, Eat Cake, Terri Coughlin, Laura Emir, Linda Honold, Robin Jens, Mary Louise Mussoline, Joseph Pabst, Ralph Resenhoeft & Louis Horvath, Kurt Schummer of Prudential Financial Services, Richard Steele & Robert Parish, and Sara Stum.
  Cream City’s annual day on the links has been set for August 2nd  11 AM. Golf FORE Equality! will feature singer-songwriter Tret Fure as the celebrity golfer. Attendees may bid online between June 20 to 30 for a chance to be in Tret’s foursome.  Tickets include 18 holes of golf at Silver Spring Country Club, dinner, and entertainment by Tanya Atkinson and Yolanda Roth. Visit www.GolfForeEquality.org for tickets and more info.  Presented by Prudential Financial Services.

Milwaukee Challenge Party Raises $50,000+
Milwaukee - The Challenge Party, considered by many to be Milwaukee’s toniest gay fundraiser, was held at the home of philanthropist Joseph Pabst here June 13. In all over $50,000 was raised to benefit the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, the Milwaukee LGBT Center and the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center.
  Over the years the invitation-only event has raised over a half-million for Milwaukee LGBT not-for-profits.

Pride Alive Seeks Volunteers, Sets Fundraiser
Green Bay, Appleton -  Pride Alive announced at a June 10 town hall meeting that it will need to fill “between 100 to 150  volunteer hours” in order for the event to function smoothly. Festival organizers detailed the full schedule for the day-long July 12 event to be held at Joannes Park here at the meeting. Pride Alive co-chair and volunteer coordinator Andrea Schultz detailed the multiple job tasks needed to be filled in the event’s nine areas, from ticket sellers to beverage servers. To volunteer at the event, Andrea offered her phone (920-562-3830) and her email (info@newpride.org).
  In addition to five entertainment acts including the popular Green Bay rock outfit Annex as the festival headliner, Pride Alive co-chair announced that over 30 food, retail and non-profit vendors will be present at the festival, along with a number of educational and cultural presentations.
  DeBaker also announced the colorful re-design of the group’s website and new viral video on the festival’s MySpace page, which is linked to the main website at: www.newpride.org. He also displayed the official festival poster which is in the process of being distributed at gay-owned and LGBT-supportive sites from Marinette to Sheboygan, and including the entire Fox Valley to Fond Du Lac.
  Schultz and DeBaker also promoted the upcoming Pride Alive fundraiser. Pride Alive in conjunction with the Harmony Café and Angels of Hope MCC will host a fundraising barbecue and beer bust Sunday, June 22 from 2-7 PM at Rascals Bar & Grill, 702 E. Wisconsin Ave.in Appleton. Cost for the beer bust will be $9. The barbecue dinner will run from 4-6 PM at a cost of $5 per person. Attendees must be 21 year of age or older to participate.
  The event will underwrite the copyright fees for the planned July 11 showings of the film “For the Bible Tells Me So” at the Harmony Café, 124 N. Oneida St. Show times will be 7 and 9 PM and admission is free. The film portrays in a “Dateline NBC” style several stories of how people of different religious beliefs react and interact when they find out they have children who are lesbian or gay.
  The film will be the kick-off event for Pride Alive, the northeast Wisconsin festival celebrating the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community, their friends and allies. The day-long music and cultural festival will run from 11 AM - 9 PM at Joannes Park in Green Bay on July 12.

Popular Novelist Nick Poff To Appear at Outwords Books
Milwaukee - Nick Poff, author of the popular Handyman series is a novelist on the rise and the Outwords Books Gifts & Coffee is pleased to welcome him here Tuesday, June 24 at 7 PM.
  Just published is “The Handyman s Promise” (Authorhouse paperback $15.95), the third book to feature handyman Ed Stephens and his dream man Rick Benton. The first book in the series,  “The Handyman s Dream”  was published in 2005.  The follow-up, “The Handyman s Reality,”  was published in 2007, and is currently a finalist for Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year in the category of gay/lesbian fiction.  
“The Handyman s Dream,”  a humorous, heartwarming love story of two “average Joes” set in small town America, is just the sort of story which has been practically unheard of in Gay Men’s literature. Setting the series in the early 1980s offered Poff the opportunity to recreate a portrait of gay life before AIDS, complete with references to all of the popular songs and important world events.
 “For many years I felt there was room in the gay fiction world for some tender, romantic, optimistic stories about average guys in the Midwest,”  Poff said. “The Handyman series was born of that belief.”
  Nick Poff is an Indiana native, currently living in Fort Wayne. He began a long career in the radio business at the tender age of 16. He cheerfully admits that was back in the days when disc jockeys actually spun records.  He had always harbored a desire to write stories, and has taken a break from full-time radio work to pursue that goal. 
  Poff has been gratified at the enthusiastic response to Ed and Rick - the heroes of the Handyman series - and believes readers will be equally responsive to  “The Handyman s Promise.”
  “Faithful fans will be pleased to find answers to some lingering questions in this latest book,” Poff said.
  Nick Poff will read from “Handyman s Promise” beginning at 7 PM on Tuesday, June 24 at Outwords Books, Gifts & Coffee.  This is a free event and all are welcome. Outwords Books is located at 2710 N. Murray Ave. in Milwaukee.  For further information, please call 414-963-9089.