Veteran Madison Attorney To Defend Domestic Partnership Law
By Mike Fitzpatrick
Madison - Attorney Lester Pines will defend the state in a lawsuit that challenges the new legal protections for same-sex couples. Governor Jim Doyle announced his choice just days after Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen refused to fight the suit filed by three board members of the right-wing political group Wisconsin Family Action (WFA).
  The governor’s office said Pines was chosen because of his 34 years of legal experience. “I selected Lester Pines because he is uniquely qualified as he is already involved in a pro bono challenge to the marriage amendment that its presentation to the voters of Wisconsin violated the Wisconsin Constitution,” Doyle said in a statement.
  The attorney will get $175 an hour to handle the case, up to $20,000 over a one-year period.
  Pines is  very familiar with the legal issues surrounding the so-called Marriage Protection amendment to the state constitution because he is defending University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh professor William McConkey’s challenge to the legitimacy of the amendment.
  Pines said he was confused by Van Hollen's decision not to defend the law. He said the plain language of the constitutional amendment, statements by supporters who claimed it would not outlaw domestic partnerships during the 2006 campaign and the Legislature's quick action to create domestic partnerships afterward all support its validity.
  “There's an overwhelmingly strong case for the constitutionality of the domestic partner registry,” he said.
  Because of the Attorney General’s last-minute refusal, the court extended the deadline for the state’s response to the WFA until September 22. First oral arguments as to whether the case should be heard immediately by the Supreme Court or follow the typical route for civil suits through lower courts are not expected to be heard before November.
  Because of the delay in deciding as to whether the suit will move through lower courts or directly to the high court, organizations interested in defending the new DP law such as Fair Wisconsin and the American Civil Liberties Union must also bide their time until the justices make their initial routing decision. Fair Wisconsin has retained attorneys through the national Lambda Legal organization to coordinate their planned support of Pine’s defense.
  Though court watchers are uncertain how the conservative-leaning court will decide, many suspect the court will follow a logical path of determining the validity of the amendment’s placement in the constitution prior to ruling on any subsequent legislation that may violate it.
  McConkey’s one-time pro se lawsuit asks the Supreme Court to void the amendment because the the wording of the referendum that endorsed the amendment contained two issues that should have been vote on separately as required by the constitution. The suit alleges the two separate issues are a heterosexual definition of marriage and the prohibition of any legal recognition of unmarried couples regardless of the couples’ sexual make up. Lower courts to date have ruled against McConkey’s argument.

World & National News:

National Equality March Gains Recognition
By Mike Fitzpatrick
Washington D.C. - With just over a month to go what some consider one of the best-kept secrets in the history of LGBT political movements has gained the endorsement of the nation’s most progressive LGBT organization: the National Gay And Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF).
  In a September 3 press release, the NGLTF  announced that it supports the efforts of the National March for Equality, a march on Capitol Hill scheduled for October 11 that will demand equal rights for LGBT people.
  “For the past 30 years, LGBT people and our allies have come together in Washington to be inspired, to engage in political action, and to go home geared up to create change. The National Equality March will bring together those of us who have never marched, those who want to renew their passion for action, and those who demand their voices be heard,” Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey wrote.
  “When we mobilize for LGBT equality, for racial and economic justice, for a transformed society, and to make our love and lives visible, the Task Force is there. The Task Force will be there at the march to support the voices of new activists, LGBT people and our allies who push and push for the end to hatred, discrimination and unjust laws,” the statement said.
  The NGLTF endorsement is the latest in a series of endorsements for the March. Among the national organizations that have voiced support for the event are the Human Rights Campaign, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, the Metropolitan Community Church, and Soulforce. Slightly over 100 other bloggers, local and regional groups have officially backed the event. Celebrity and other individual endorsements range from actor Chad Allen and Wisconsin’s 2nd District Congressional Representative Tammy Baldwin to Harvey Fierstein, Randy Jones (from the Village People), former presidential advisor David Mixner and Judy Shepard - about an additional 150 in all.
  Among the local groups organizing support and attendance at the March is Madison’s LGBTI Equality NOW!, who were the lead sponsor of the August 31 appearance by March spokesman Cleve Jones on the UW-Madison campus. According to the group’s Facebook page donations received at the event have lowered the price of  tickets from $100 to $77 for the planned Madison-to-Washington trip set to leave October 10. 
  Despite the endorsements some activists remain concerned about the timing of the march and its impact. Gay City News writer and LGBT activist Steve Ault complained in late July about the National Equality March’s ambiguous title and lack of specific demands. “The date was set, as was an overarching statement of purpose, but unlike the earlier actions, there would be no specific demands.” Ault spoke from experience. He was among those who organized the 1979 and 1987 marches on Washington that respectively generated 200,000 and slightly over a half million participants.
  Other activists have pointed out that the October march will occur during a Congressional break and that even President Barack Obama - whose perceived lack of leadership on LGBT issues since reaching the White House is cited as one of the causes for the march - will be out of town at Camp David. Gay political strategists also point out that the march will likely divert gay community attention away from the critical November vote in Maine that could overturn that’s state’s legislatively-created same sex marriage law just weeks before that ballot.
  Even march supporters have been concerned that lead LGBT organizations’ endorsements have been little more than press releases. Despite its weeks’ old endorsement the HRC, which itself was burned by the controversial Millennium March on Washington which garnered about 200,000 attendees, has taken no additional action in support of the National Equality March.
  Also of concern to supporters is the march’s continued inability to break through to a wider gay audience. Despite its stated goal to bring 250,000 to the nation’s capitol, the event has not generated to date the kind of response last November’s Join the Impact produced. Using primarily Internet-based email outreach and social networking, that group generated simultaneous demonstrations that brought out over 100,000 demonstrators to protest the passage of California Proposition 8 eleven days earlier. As of Quest’s deadline, less than 29,000 had signed up to follow the National Equality March on the group’s Facebook page.
  Whatever it is ultimately perceived as a success or a failure, The National Equality March continues a long-tradition of such events in LGBT civil rights history. It will be the fifth such march in the last 30 years. In terms of numbers and media coverage, the most successful event was the 1993 March on Washington that brought out an estimated million participants, day-long live event coverage on C-SPAN and thousands of pages of newspaper coverage.
As of Quest’s deadline, the only Wisconsin group that has announced pans to participate in the march is LGBTI Equality Now!  To get involved, contact the group by email at: lgbtequalitynow@gmail.com or by phone at: 608-446-0273.

Gay Marriage Law Vote Added To Maine Ballot
Augusta - The governor of Maine has signed a formal proclamation putting the state's gay marriage law up for a vote in November. Gov. John Baldacci signed the measure September 2 after election officials verified that gay marriage foes had reached the threshold of signatures necessary to put the law on the ballot. The gay marriage law was supposed to go into effect this month, but it was put on hold while the secretary of state's office validated the number of signatures.
  Gay marriage opponents organized by the Stand For Maine campaign needed the signatures of at least 55,087 registered voters for the so-called People's Veto, and they turned in nearly 100,000 signatures. In May, Maine became the fifth state to allow gay marriage.
  “I fully support this legislation but I also have a constitutional obligation to set the date for the election once the secretary of state has certified that enough signatures have been submitted,” Baldacci said.
  “Theirs is a cynical, pay-for-every-signature approach that doesn't reflect the homegrown values of our state,” Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for No On 1/Protect Maine Equality said in a statement.

Lutherans Reverse Active Gay Clergy Ban
Minneapolis - Another major Christian denomination has taken a controversial step regarding gay clergy. At their annual meeting the 4.7-million member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States, in late August “to allow Lutherans in same-gender relationships to serve as pastors of congregations and serve in other professional leadership roles.” Until now, only celibate gay men and lesbians could serve such church roles.
  In breaking down barriers restricting gay and lesbian people from the pulpit, the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination has laid down a new marker in a debate over the direction of mainline Protestant Christianity, a tradition that once dominated American religious life.
  By their vote the ELCA will either show how a church can stand together amid differences, or become another casualty of division over sexual morality and the Bible, observers say. “We’re going to be living in tension and ambiguity for a longer time, partly because the culture has shifted,” Duke Divinity School professor of Christian history David Steinmetz said.
  The question is whether the mainline church will shift alongside, or if it will decide that the more welcoming attitude toward homosexuality is wrong, he said.
  While congregations will not be forced to hire gay clergy, conservative ELCA members decried the decisions as straying from clear Scriptural direction and warned that defections are likely.
  Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson pleaded for unity, appealing to both those who long felt marginalized and thought the changes were overdue and those “who feel they were once more central but now feel more peripheral.” “It would be tragic if we walked away from one another,” he said.
  The ELCA hopes to avoid the kind of fissures that have strained the Episcopal Church and the broader Anglican Communion, of which the 2.1 million-member Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch. Earlier this summer, Episcopalians approved a resolution saying that “God has called and may call” gay people in committed relationships to ordained ministry in the church, defying Anglicans who urged restraint.
  The Presbyterian Church (USA) has inched closer to joining the Episcopalians and Lutherans, but the latest effort to undo a policy requiring chastity of gay clergy was defeated this year.
  The nation’s largest mainline denomination, the United Methodist Church, has moved in the opposite direction, hardening its opposition to non-celibate gay clergy. That’s likely to continue because of declining Methodist membership in the Northeast and on the West Coast and growth in the South and Sunbelt. The church also has a burgeoning presence in Africa, a source of conservatism in the Anglican battles, also.
  The ELCA’s move is especially jarring and significant because “it is viewed by all of us as one of the more Reformation-rooted, broadly orthodox denominations” and takes its theology seriously, Fuller Theological Seminary president Richard Mouw said. “It’s a huge, huge departure for a church like that,” Mouw said.
  Mainline churches are trying to hold together at a time when Americans’ loyalty to denominational affiliation and organized religion is fraying. More Americans are joining non-denominational churches, which tend to be more conservative, or are discarding institutions altogether to craft their own spirituality.
  From 2001 to 2008, mainline Protestants dropped from just over 17% to 12.9 % of the population, according to the American Religious Identification Survey, released this year. The study also found that nearly 39% of mainline Protestants consider themselves born-again or evangelical Christians - a group likely to push back on liberal stances on sexuality.

State News:

Hudson Man Gets 29 Years For Lesbian Assault
Hudson - A Hudson man convicted by a jury in the sexual assault of a woman last Fall has received a lengthy prison sentence. Dustan Charles Warren, 28, was sentenced to 29 years in prison and 13 years’ extended supervision on four felony counts by Judge Howard W. Cameron in St. Croix County Circuit Court on  August 26.
  Last May, after four hours of deliberation, a jury found Warren guilty of second-degree sexual assault with a hate crime enhancer, aggravated battery, false imprisonment and recklessly endangering safety.
  Warren was sentenced to 15 years in prison and seven years’ extended supervision on the convictions for sexual assault and battery, seven years inside and three years’ extended supervision on the false imprisonment conviction. The three sentences were to run consecutively. He was sentenced to six years in prison and three years’ extended supervision on the reckless endangerment conviction to run concurrently with the other three counts.
  Warren will also be expected to pay over $7,364 in court costs and restitution. He will also have o register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life
  The criminal complaint issued in November last year alleged that Warren assaulted a 35-year-old woman and attempted to have sex with her against her will after a party in her Hudson home. The victim had told Warren she was a lesbian and not interested in sex with him. According to the complaint, after all the other guests left the party, Warren punched her, choked her and threatened to kill and rape her.
  Warren had claimed he wasn’t at the party but drunk and lost in the woods near Bayport, MN, when the incident occurred.

Gay Neighbor Campaign Invades The Suburbs
Milwaukee - The Cream City Foundation (CCF) will publicly unveil its latest Gay Neighbor billboard media campaign at a press conference on Monday, September 14 at 10:30 AM on the Clear Channel Outdoor grounds in suburban Pewaukee. The campaign will challenge stereotypes about gay families in Southeastern Wisconsin by putting a face to what a gay family looks like. The billboard images of real neighbors illustrate LGBT common values of love, family, and commitment - emphasizing fairness for everyone including gay and transgender people and their families.
  This is the second time CCF will be embarking on a public education campaign aimed at creating more gay-friendly allies and challenging stereotypes about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and tTransgender community. Several neighbors appearing on the billboards will be present at the kick-off event as will spokespeople and board members of the Cream City Foundation.
  Cream City Foundation serves as a catalyst for social change on behalf of LGBT community in southeastern Wisconsin. Their work includes strategic grant making, education, and media outreach. To find out more about the campaign, visit online at: GayNeighbor.org.
 
Chippewa Valley LGBT Center To Hold DP Celebration, Annual Meeting
Eau Claire - A party celebrating Wisconsin’s new domestic partnership law, an open house and the center’s Annual Meeting are among several upcoming events at the LGBT Center of The Chippewa Valley, 510 S. Farwell St., in the next four weeks.
  On Sunday, September 13, from 3:30 to 5:30 PM the center will host the Fair Wisconsin Domestic Partnership Celebration. Fair Wisconsin is hosting a celebration to honor newly legal domestic partnership law in the state. Attendees will be able to meet the leaders of Fair Wisconsin, the leaders of the LGBT Community Center of the Chippewa Valley, and area elected officials who helped make the Domestic Partnership Registry legal in Wisconsin. Free appetizers, beverages, and desserts will be served.
  Following the Fair Wisconsin event, there will be a Board of Directors meeting from 7-9 PM. Center member and interested community members are welcome to attend.
  On Tuesday, September 15, with Chippewa Valley Center will participate in the national LGBT Center Awareness Open House with a event from Noon - 8 PM. This is a day when all LGBT Community Centers across the country are participating in making their community centers open to the public to make the greater community aware of LGBT community centers and their offerings. Free appetizers, desserts and beverages will be provided. There will also be prize opportunities from the National Association of LGBT Community Centers.
  Saturday Night At The Movies returns September 19. Doors will open at 6:45 PM; movie rolls at 7. There will be a discussion following the movie for those interested. Admission and popcorn are always free. Beverages and movie snacks are also available to purchase.
  The LGBT Community Center of the Chippewa Valley will hold it’s  Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 10. The center’s membership  will have the opportunity to elect two new Board of Directors members. Two seats are available. Board members agree to serve three year terms. Current board members are: Ann Marie Hoeppner, Christopher Iannone, Mark Juergens, Karl Maki, Amanda Mondlock-Leiknes, Father George Stammand Quay Webber. Departing board members are Dale Larson and Cindy Stamm.
  Following the election, the Board will meet to conduct officer elections for the next year. Center members interested in applying for the open Board positions, are asked to stop at the center during any Friday drop-in shift for an application.
  The Center is also organizing a team for the 20th AIDS Walk Wisconsin in Milwaukee on Sunday, October 11. Eau Claire’s own Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) is the honorary chairperson.  Those who would like to participate as part of the LGBTCC-CV team or contribute a pledge contact: aidswalkwisconsin@arcw.org for more information and to access the team’s sign-up and pledge sites.

Equality Wisconsin Opposes Milwaukee Public School Takeover
By Mike Fitzpatrick
Milwaukee - The Milwaukee-based LGBT civil rights group Equality Wisconsin (EW) has weighed in on the controversial proposed takeover of the Milwaukee Public School (MPS) system by the city’s mayor. During recent discussions on the ongoing racial achievement gap at MPS, Gov. Jim Doyle proposed the MPS would be run by the office of Mayor Tom Barrett, with the mayor possibly appointing school board members. The move has been opposed by a mix of local politicians, aldermen, equal rights groups, union members and parents.
  EW President Ray Vahey addressed the issue twice: at an informational meeting held on August 21 and a public rally August 24.
  “The proposed takeover of MPS by the Mayor, Governor and Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) disenfranchises Wisconsin's only major city with a majority non-white population,” Vahey said.  “We are opposed to the creation of ‘second class status’ for Milwaukee citizens.”
  Vahey noted that the MPS has addressed many crucial issues that face lesbian and gay children, staff and parents, citing the MPS’ LGBT high school and the “first in the nation” middle school with programming for LGBT youth. “LGBT programming in MPS would never happen without a locally elected School Board, Vahey said.
 Vahey stated that the primary barrier to improved education in Milwaukee is poverty in the city’s minority communities.  “The City and the State owe us concrete efforts to achieve economic justice,” he said. “Our minority communities need jobs - a hand up, not a hand out.”
  Long-time LGBT ally Barrett issued a statement in response to the rally following the event. “Milwaukee leads the nation in the racial achievement gap,” the response said. “We are at the bottom. We are behind Mississippi, Alabama and Detroit.”
  The mayor then questioned the comments of MPS Board President Dr. Michael Bonds. “To show up at an organized press event and summarily dismiss MPS governance reform without acknowledging our children's educational needs or the facts about MPS educational outcomes, is either a sad sign of self-interest or a deliberate attempt to run from the facts,” Barrett wrote.
  Formerly known as Center Advocates, EW has made other efforts to ally with Milwaukee’s racial minorities. Earlier this summer Vahey participated in several events sponsored by Milwaukee Latino equal rights groups.

Final Days For Big Night Out Online Auction
Milwaukee - The Milwaukee LGBT Center’s Big Night Out online auction has just a few days remaining. The auction, which has already generated over $3000 in sales will run through Sunday, September 13 at 10 PM.  Some items may be purchased right away with a “Buy Now” option, while others are available only as special giveaways as part of the “At the Heart of Community” top bidder contest.
  Bidders are very likely to find something in the Center’s  Big Night Out auction catalog. Every bid helps promote the mission of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center. To access the online auction, go to the LGBT Center website at: www.mkelgbt.org, and then click on the “Big Night Out” button.
  The Big Night Out gala itself will be Saturday, September 12. This year's Big Night Out gala will feature a registration cocktail hour, an Internet cafe for those who wish to participate in the online auction, a sumptuous dinner, an awards ceremony and a 1001 Nights Out Belly Dance Extravaganza presented by the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center.
  Bidder and attendee  generosity will allow the Center to continue to provide the following programs and services of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center: Project Q youth services, the Anti-Violence Project, Many Men, Many Voices, the LBT Breast Health Initiative, the Environmental Awareness Project, Financial Literacy workshops, the Center’s Spiritual Wellness program, the LGBT Tobacco Cessation program & smoke-free space, Mix n' Mingle social nights, the LGBT Information and Referral Directory and community breakfasts.
  The gala will be held this year at the Woodland Dreams Ballroom of the Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee. Registration begins at 5:30 PM, and guests will be seated for dinner at 6:45 PM. Glamorous evening wear is expected, though tuxedos and black ties are optional. Tickets are $100 each and may be reserved by calling the Center at 414-271-2656 and speaking with Patrick Price or Randy Talley.

Milwaukee LGBT Center Sets Financial Issues Sessions
Milwaukee - To address the many money issues LGBT and other Americans are facing in the ongoing economic downturn, the Milwaukee LGBT Center has arranged for two programs on financial issues.
  “Financial Literacy 101” is the first in a series of free financial workshops will be held on the second Monday of each month, beginning September 1 at the Center, 315 W. Court St. from 6:30 to 8 PM. There will be a topic presentation, a special activity and resources and referral lists will be available. You will learn practical money skills, legal issues that affect your financial well-being and learning what you need to know to launch your own business. Each session is stand alone but contact Patrick Price at 414-292-3065 for more information.
  The Center also is sponsoring an “Ensuring Financial Security” seminar, Tuesday, September 22, from 5:30 to 8 PM. The seminar will be facilitated by Kurt Schummer and hosted by Patrick Price. The event’s goals are to address individual financial concerns, explain the current financial landscape and how it impacts each participant. The seminar will also provide practical money management strategies, and financial decision-making skills. The seminar hopes to empower LGBT community members with skills and knowledge to help foster financial independence.
  This workshop will be held at 1000 Innovation Drive in Wauwatosa. Registration fees are $15 for singles and $20 for couples. Call 414-292-3065 for more information.

20th AIDS Walk Wisconsin Steps Off October 11
Milwaukee -  Sunday, October 11 will see the twentieth annual AIDS Walk Wisconsin step off from the Henry B. Maier festival grounds for  a 5K walk along the Lakeshore.  This year’s walk is expected to surpass a total of $10 million raised since its inception and will support AIDS prevention, care and treatment services in the state. A major beneficiary of AIDS Walk Wisconsin is the ARCW Medical Center, the largest provider of HIV medical, dental and mental health care services in the state.
  Bon Iver, the rapidly-rising internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, will serve as the AIDS Walk Wisconsin 2009 Honorary Chair. Bon Iver’s popularity has soared through performances before enthusiastic crowds across the United States, Europe and Australia. Rolling Stone, Spin, JamBase and MOJO magazines have offered critical acclaim for his work, with each including his album “For Emma, Forever Ago” as one of the best of 2008.
  Bon Iver’s music and lyrics has been described as both haunting and gorgeous.  In a recent story, Entertainment Weekly tapped Bon Iver as quickly becoming one of the biggest names in indie rock today. Bon Iver also was named the Wisconsin Area Music Industry’s (WAMI) Artist of the Year.
  “AIDS is a life threatening disease affecting millions of people all over the world, including thousands right here at home in Wisconsin,” Justin Vernon, whose stage name is Bon Iver, said. “I am pleased that my music can help AIDS Walk Wisconsin raise funds for the fight against AIDS, and I am proud to serve as its Honorary Chair.”
  Registration remains open for AIDS Walk Wisconsin online at: aidswalkwis.org or by calling 800-348-9255. All proceeds from AIDS Walk Wisconsin stay in Wisconsin for the fight against AIDS.

Rainbow Over Wisconsin Fundraiser Offers Spaghetti & Bingo
Appleton - Rascals Bar & Grill will hold a spaghetti dinner and bingo fund raising event for Rainbow Over Wisconsin on Sunday, September 13 from 3 - 6 PM at the bar, 702 E. Wisconsin Ave. here. Rascals is a founding member of the 13 year-old northeast Wisconsin LGBT charitable foundation.
  In addition to the “all you can eat” Italian meal and bingo games, the bar is promising door prizes, raffles and other surprises. For more information about the event, contact the bar by phone at: 920-954-9262 or online at: www.rascalsbar.com.

Milwaukee Gay Dart League Shoots For Fall Competition
Milwaukee - The Milwaukee Gay Dart League (MGDL) has begun organizing for its annual fall and winter competition. A First Captains and bar owners meeting has been set for Wednesday, September 16 at Fluid, 819 S.2nd St.
  Team sign up and a team captains’ meeting will also be held on Wednesday, September 30 at Triangle, 135 E. National Ave. from 7:30 - 8:30 PM. for more information about the MGDL, contact current director Alan Grabowski via email at: adoramann@yahoo.com.

“The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later” To Debut October 12
UW-M Production One Of Over 100 Simultaneous National Premieres
By Mike Fitzpatrick
Milwaukee - The Youngblood Theatre Company, a group of recent alumni of the UW-M Department of Theatre, in collaboration with the UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts, campus and community partners will present a staged reading of “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,” the Tectonic Theater Project's epilogue to their award-winning production “The Laramie Project.”
  The Youngblood Theatre presentation will begin on Monday, October 12 at 7 PM at the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd. Tickets for the show will be $10 each.
  Both the original play and the epilogue have generated from the brutal beating and murder of Matthew Shepard, an act that has become an iconic event for the LGBT community. The murder and the public outcry following it have led to lasting change in the form of local, state and national hate crime legislation. Much of that dialogue can be traced to the compelling messages engendered by “The Laramie Project.”
  One month after the brutal 1998 murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard,  ten members of the Tectonic Theater Project, led by playwright and director  Moisés Kaufman, went to Laramie, Wyoming to interview residents about the killing. Those interviews served as the basis for “The Laramie Project,"  the 2000 play that chronicled  how the community grappled with the slaying. The production served as the basis for the 2002 HBO film of the same name, which went on to garner several Emmy nominations and multiple other awards. “The Laramie Project” has gone on to be one of the most performed plays in America.
  On the 10th anniversary of Shepard’s murder, the the Tectonic Theater Project returned to Laramie to answer one pressing question: “how has the town changed since 1998?” However a different question soon arose: “how does anyone measure that change?”
  On October 12, theatre goers around the country will find out the answers with the simultaneous premiere a compelling and groundbreaking epilogue to the original piece. Entitled “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,” the play will be performed in New York at Lincoln Center, and over 100 other theaters across the country, including the UW-M production and a similar staging at Viterbo College in La Crosse. The writers of this new play are Tectonic Theater Project members Moisés Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris, and Stephen Belber.
  The epilogue focuses on the long-term effects of the murder of Matthew Shepard on the town of Laramie. It explores how the town has changed and how the murder continues to reverberate in the community. The play also includes new interviews with Matthew's mother Judy Shepard and Mathew's murderer Aaron McKinney, who's serving two consecutive life sentences. The writers also conducted many follow-up interviews Laramie residents from the original piece, including, Romaine Patterson, Reggie Fluty, Jedediah Shultz, Father Roger Schmidt, Jonas Slonaker, Beth Loffreda and others.
  Tickets for “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later” may be purchased in person at the Peck School of the Arts Box Office in the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd.  Box Office hours are Tuesday - Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM and prior to performances.  Tickets may also be purchased by phone at: 414-229-4308
  In tandem with the premiere, an online interactive community will be launched where participants can blog, upload video and photos and share their stories about the play, experiences in preparing and presenting the Epilogue in their communities. The members of Tectonic Theater Project will be active participants in the online community, offering participants feedback and encouragement. For more information, visit: www.laramieproject.org.

Cruise With The Madison Business Alliance September 22
Madison - The Business Alliance and Von Rutenberg Ventures invites area gay business owners and professionals to “Cruise Into Fall” at its monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 22. the evening will begin at Mariner's Inn (for any cocktails that you wish) at 5:30 PM, with the cruise departing sharply at 6:15 PM.
  The two-hour Betty Lou Cruise on Lake Mendota will give members and guest views of the UW Campus, Capitol, and Governor's mansion. During this social event, you can enjoy the cruise, the company, and a deluxe menu, all for $37 a person.
  Betty Lou Cruises is considered by many to be Madison’s premier cruise line. Moored at the Mariner's Inn on Lake Mendota and at the Machinery Row building on Lake Monona, Betty Lou Cruises offer private group charters and public motor yacht cruises showing off the many miles of beautiful lake shoreline.
  All cruises include a captain and crew, restrooms, and buffet food service aboard one of their motor yachts. Enjoy a unique perspective of Madison throughout Spring, Summer, and especially during Betty Lou’s breathtaking Fall colorama cruises.
 Reservations may be made online before September 14. Purchase tickets via Eventbrite (cruiseintofall.eventbrite.com) to reserve a spot on the cruise.
 
Lesbian Alliance Sets Social Events, 20th Anniversary Gala
Milwaukee - The Lesbian Alliance of Metro Milwaukee has announced several upcoming events, including a gala luncheon celebrating the group’s 20th Anniversary.
  September events include a game night with potluck supper and a movie night. The game night will be held Friday, September 11, beginning at 6 PM at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, 315 W. Court St. and will continue on the second Friday each month beginning in November. Attendees are encouraged to bring  favorite board or card game plus a dish to pass.
 September’s “Lesbian Night at the Movies” will feature the Oscar-nominated “Fried Green Tomatoes” on Thursday, September 17, at the LGBT Community Center. Showtime is 7 PM.
 The Lesbian Alliance 20th Anniversary Celebration Luncheon and Program will be held on Saturday, October 10, beginning at 11 AM at the Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago St. Join Alliance members, representatives of several community organizations, and lots of friends you haven't seen for awhile celebrating our community and 20 years of the Lesbian Alliance in Milwaukee area. Tickets are $25. The theme of the buffet luncheon will be “Coming out.” In addition to the meal, there will be e entertainment, recognition of "Founding Mothers" and a history presentation with display.
  For more information about any of the events listed above, contact the Lesbian Alliance by email at: lesbian_alliance@ yahoo.com or by phone at: 414-272-9442 .

SAGE Plans Chicago Cook Out
Milwaukee - What are you doing on Saturday, September 12? You can disturb your routine by going with a bunch of SAGE/Milwaukee members to Chicago for a cook-out with the folks from SAGE/Chicago at their Center on Halsted. Since the festivities are scheduled to start at 2 PM, the Milwaukee contingent will rendezvous at the SAGE/Milwaukee offices at Noon to car pool to Chicago. The the party in Chi-Town is free, but participants are asked to contribute to help cover the cost of gasoline for each car in the pool.
  The SAGE Center on Halsted has a roof top deck and garden that offers an amazing view of the Chicago skyline. Call the SAGE/Milwaukee office at 414-224-0517 to make reservations, needed so the folks in Chicago can prepare enough food.