Walker Vetoes, County Board Sidetracks DP Benefits Measure
Milwaukee - Prospects for extending domestic partner benefits to Milwaukee county employees have dimmed significantly. County Executive and Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker followed through with his promised veto of a measure aimed at extending domestic partner benefits to county employees November 16. Two days later by unanimous vote the County Board deferred action on Walker’s veto by referring the issue to the board’s Personnel Committee for further study.
  Walker blamed the economy for his veto decision.  “At a time when we are seeking concessions from employees in both wages and benefits, it is improper that Milwaukee County grant new benefits to any class of employees,” he wrote.
  Local gay activists were quick to respond. “Scott Walker’s veto of the domestic partner benefits study shows he isn’t interested in fact-finding, just running for Governor,” veteran activist Ray Vahey said.
  Vahey, who serves as President of the Milwaukee-focused LGBT civil rights group Equality Wisconsin (formerly Center Advocates), also claimed that Julaine Appling’s Wisconsin Family Action organization was sending incendiary robo-calls to its supporters in Milwaukee County urging to call board to sustain Walker’s veto. “Now to oppose equal benefits, he’s teamed up with a radical religious right organization that wants to change state marriage law to require wives to seek their husband’s permission to divorce,” he said.
  On November 5, the County Board  approved drafting revisions to its employee health plan to include benefits for same or opposite sex partners of county workers. The Board also requested an estimate of the benefits’ cost. Supervisors supporting the measure had noted prior to its passage that the completed study would still require another final approval.
 Currently about 30 Milwaukee city workers take advantage of  a domestic partner benefit, at a cost of $216,000, or .03% of the city’s health care insurance budget according to city officials. In his opposition to the county-wide benefit Walker had inflated that percentage tenfold, claiming a 3% cost.

Nation’s Largest Gay Publisher Shuts Down
Staffers At Washington Blade Resurrect Venerable Weekly As DC Agenda
Washington, DC - America’s largest publisher of newspapers serving the gay and lesbian community has closed its doors. Window Media LLC  abruptly announced that it was shutting down and all of its newspapers have ceased publication. The offices of  Atlanta’s Southern Voice, the Houston Voice, the South Florida Blade and the Washington Blade were shuttered November 16.
  Window Media LLC’s publications included some of the oldest, largest and most influential LGBT periodicals in the United States. Its flagship publication, the Washington Blade had just celebrated its 40th anniversary and had a weekly circulation of 23,000. Southern Voice had been published for 21 years and had a circulation of 100,000.
  Along with its periodicals, Windows Media LLC’s Washington offices were locked and a brief statement was posted: “It is with great regret that we must inform you that effective immediately, the operations of Window Media LLC and Unite Media LLC have closed down.”
  The Washington Blade also followed up on Twitter: “The Washington Blade, like all Window Media publications, is closing today. Thank you for your support. (Keep following us for developments.)” The city’s other gay newspaper - Washington Metro - continues to publish.
  By week’s end the staff of the Washington Blade had announced a new publication to replace what many consider the national gay community’s “paper of record”: the DC Agenda.
  According to a press release from the staff, after Monday’s shuttering, 17 former employees “vowed to not miss”  the November 20 production of the news weekly.
“Today they delivered on that promise,” the press release touted. “At 9:30 AM this morning the publication that will replace the Washington Blade – DC Agenda - hit the streets. As demonstrated in the first issue, the new publication provides critical coverage of local and national LGBT issues along with much needed community news.”
   “The power and effectiveness of the Washington Blade did not die with the name,” Agenda publisher Lynne Brown said. “That strength actually came from the spirit and intensity of those who wrote the stories and reached out to the community. It’s those same people who are the backbone of this new venture, a group that is the true definition of grit and resilience.”
  Brown  was also the former publisher of the Washington Blade and employee of that paper for over 23 years.
   “It’s been a tough week, but we have been buoyed by the outpouring of support from our colleagues, our community, people all over the city and even beyond DC,” Agenda Editor Kevin Naff added. “The DC Agenda represents former Blade employees’ commitment to carry on the important mission and work of the Blade. We expect this effort to grow and evolve and to eventually include a larger and more diverse group of voices.”
   “We thank all those who have taken the risk of advertising in our new venture,” Brown said. “We also would like to invite readers to visit our new news website at: www.dcagenda.com and our temporary support website at www.savetheblade.com.
  “We are thrilled with what we achieved this week. This early iteration of our new newspaper is modest but…we did it! And we look forward to doing it again next week,” Brown concluded.
  The closure of Windows Media LLC reflects problems also evident in both the mainstream media and with other national gay publications such as The Advocate. “Window Media’s troubles reflect the challenges gay publications are facing nationally, Rivendell Media exec Todd Evans said. Rivendell places ads for national advertising accounts in LGBT-focused media nationwide.
  “Several national magazines and newspapers, including the Advocate, one of the nation’s longest-running magazines, are facing closure,”Evans added.
  An October 30 post by Queerty blogger David Hauslaib called the troubled  gay newsmagazine “ a sinking ship,” citing that an estimated 13 staffers were let go, including the magazine’s managing editor and 15-year veteran John Jameson. Queerty also claimed the Advocate would become an insert in Regent Media’s monthly gay lifestyle imprint Out.
  Regent Media’s Stephen Macias responded that the Advocate’s staff “had not been gutted,” as Queerty claimed and would continue as a “stand alone imprint.” Macias did not address Queerty’s insert claim in his statement.
  Quest, however, has confirmed that the Advocate will be reduced to an insert following a final newsstand edition. Outwords owner Carl Szatmary told Quest that the distributor for the Advocate has advised that a final double issue has been mailed to subscribers and will be available for individual purchase at the bookstore later this month. “I have been told that’s the last issue that will be available,” he said.
  The loss of the Windows Media publications and the downsizing of the venerable Advocate continue a year-long pattern of recession-fueled demise among gay print media. In June, Out’s main lifestyle competitor Genre ceased publication. In July the New York Blade and Great Britain’s Pink Paper, the country’s only gay newspaper, also stopped the presses for good.
  The recession has been tough on the mainstream press as well. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Ann Arbor News, the Chicago Sun-Times and Madison’s Capital Times have all ceased all or some of their print editions. December will mark the final editions of the veteran fine dining magazine Gourmet and wedding planner favorite Modern Bride. Layoffs and staff reductions have winnowed staffs at the New York Times, Boston Globe and newspaper giants Gannett and McLatchy publications.
  In the face of such dire news for print publications, an out-of state gay media firm appears to have set its eyes on the Milwaukee market. Editorially backed by the Chicago Free-Press and financially backed by Milwaukee realtor Leonard Sobczak, the Wisconsin Gazette made its week-late debut around the city as Quest was going to press for this issue. The tabloid is helmed by one-time Free-Press employee Louis Weisberg, who moved to the Milwaukee area last year.

Publisher’s Letter: Quest Welcomes Wisconsin Gazette
By Mark Mariucci
This past week at the same time we learned DC’s Washington Blade folded along with several "Southern" publications and others owned by Windows Media, Wisconsin got a fourth LGBT publication know as Wisconsin Gazette.
  The first issue looks great and it is an important development for Wisconsin's LGBT community because the more choices offered, the more informed the community becomes.  Wisconsin Gazette joins Quest and Outbound both published by myself and also the excellent Our Lives which hails from Madison.
  Don't mourn the Blade too much because the staff of the former paper stepped up to the plate and launched a replacement called DC Agenda immediately.  Once again control of this important news source is in the hands of local owners.
  Quest is turning 17 after three more issues, and there are a few changes coming that have been planned for a while now.  One is with our website www.quest-online.com which remains Wisconsin's highest ranked LGBT website for some time now.  Other changes will affect our print edition, but more on that as they come about.  Fortunately Quest and Outbound will not meet the same fate as Windows Media as we continue to publish during these challenging times.
  Coming up to our 17th year, I want to take a moment to highlight what I feel are some of our greatest strengths, how we differ from the other publications in Wisconsin and why I am proud to be a part of this community.
  First and foremost is the idea that all of Wisconsin's LGBT community is important, not just the biggest city and the state capital.  I live in Green Bay and owned a popular bar in that community.  I saw first hand that lack of exposure in the media made it hard to improve the lives of LGBT people in my city.  Quest was founded on the belief that all Wisconsin cities needed and deserved access to the media that serves our market.
  Taking that one more step, not only do all Wisconsin communities need our support, so does the diversity within the community. Quest is proud of our history of including members from many groups including female impersonators, transgendered, leather/fetish as well as men and women.
 At the same time other LGBT newspapers removed adult content making the papers more accessable to the straight community (and more available for those ad dollars) Quest and Outbound have held firm that our sexuality is a huge part of what defines us. In removing that, you remove what defines us "gay" in the first place.
  More local content has been our mantra for years.  People have told us they get most of the LGBT national news stories from the regular news outlets including TV, radio, newspapers and especially, the Internet. Quest being a bi-monthly does not come out frequently enough to be first to report these things.  There are however, few if any sources for things that happen in our Wisconsin communities that interest us, and here is an area where we can be strong.  We make a conscious effort to report all the local happenings big and small we can get information about.
  We give back to the community in a financial way too.  We have great advertising prices.  Our prices are really cheap!  There, I said it.  These low prices make some of our operating choices more difficult, but they also make even a small LGBT owned business able to afford to advertise.  On top of that, we have donated advertising to not for profit  organizations that total in the thousands just in this year alone. We have donated advertising and in some cases actual dollars to organizations every year we have been around.
  Quest and Outbound use photographers and the writing talents of LGBT people who live and work all over Wisconsin.  We have only one column, “The Dating Diet,” that is contributed by someone out of state.  People who live in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, and even upstate in Superior contribute to the pages of Outbound and Quest every issue.  All these people who are an active part of our community add their own personal perspective in the news or commentary they write.
  Quest and Outbound are a labor of love and you can obviously see I think we do a great job with our two papers.  That doesn't mean we can provide everything for everyone and make them all happy.  Wisconsin is fortunate to have another choice in the Wisconsin Gazette.  I hope people will support and nurture all the Wisconsin LGBT media and be thankful we have them.

World & National News:

Lutheran Schism Over Gay Issues Begins
New Brighton, MN - Leaders of Lutheran Coalition for Renewal or CORE voted here November 18 to begin work to create a new Lutheran church body. Votes by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) church-wide Assembly in August on sexuality issues involving gay and lesbian people have generated conflict in some congregations. A number of congregations and individuals are considering leaving the ELCA.
  Some critics gathered in Fishers, IN in September, voting there to authorize the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee “to initiate conversations among the congregations and reform movements in Lutheran CORE and other compatible churchly organizations leading toward a possible reconfiguration of North American Lutheranism” and to bring a recommendation for action in 2010. The Lutheran CORE Steering Committee decided November 17 that a new church body likely will be necessary and directed that work begin on a church body proposal.
  “Along with the WordAlone Network and our other renewal movement partners, Lutheran CORE will aid in the formation of a Lutheran church body for those congregations and individuals that choose to end their affiliation with the ELCA. This church body will stand where Lutherans have always stood and will center its life on the mission of the church to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” CORE Chair Rev. Paull Spring said.
  “We have not made any firm decisions about what this church body will be or how it will be structured,” working committee chair Ryan Schwarz added.
  Currently, 87 of the ELCA’s more than 10,400 congregations have taken the first of two votes required to leave the ELCA, the denomination’s secretary reported November 15. Twenty-eight of those failed to achieve the two-thirds majority required to take a second and final vote. Five congregations have already left the ELCA.

Killer Of Puerto Rican Gay Teen Claims “Gay Panic”
19 Year-Old Found Beheaded, Dismembered And Burned
San Juan - The man arrested in connection with the grisly murder of gay Puerto Rico teenage Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado will reportedly use the “gay panic”defense.
  Juan A Martinez Matos, 26, was charged with the crime November 17. According to the police report Matos murdered the 19-year-old after finding out he was a man. Matos allegedly picked up Lopez Mercado in a red light district while the teen was dressed in women’s clothes.
  Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia reported that Matos confessed to taking Lopez Mercado to a house but “the suspect (allegedly) found out that Lopez was a man, after Lopez made sexual advances, and as a result of the rage, Matos did what he did.”
  Lopez Mercado’s headless body was found on November 13 by a road in the city of Cayey. He also had been burnt and dismembered.
  The “gay panic” defense is a controversial plea which is used by a suspect who claims they were violent because of a moment of temporary insanity. It typically sparks outrage from the gay community around the world because it places the burden of blame on the victim.
  It has also often been used in cases of violent against trans people. There is also no equivalent defense relating to heterosexual encounters.
  Puerto Rico’s American Civil Liberties Union has called for hate crime charges to be filed against Matos. Local ACLU director William Ramirez said November 20 that first-degree murder charges aren’t enough for the suspect, considering that Lopez Mercado was found decapitated and burned. U.S. authorities have said they are still considering whether to make it a hate crime case.
  Gay activists have expressed disappointment that  Matos wasn’t immediately charged with a hate crime, noting that authorities in Puerto Rico have never invoked a law covering crimes based on sexual orientation.
  Vigils for the slain teen have been held across the United States in the week and a half since the grisly murder was discovered.

Oops! Texas’ Gay Marriage Ban May Have Outlawed All Marriages
Austin - Texas newlywed and recently married couples awoke November 18 to news that they may not be legally married after all. That’s the reading a Houston lawyer and candidate for Attorney General has taken on the four year old ban in the state’s constitution.
  Democratic candidate Barbara Ann Radnofsky claims that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in the state.
  The amendment, approved by the Legislature and overwhelmingly ratified by voters, declares that “marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.”
  But the trouble-making phrase, as Radnofsky sees it, is Subsection B, which declares: “This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.”
  Architects of the amendment included the clause to ban same-sex civil unions and domestic partnerships. But  27 year veteran lawyer Radnofsky believes the wording of Subsection B effectively “eliminates marriage in Texas,” including common-law marriages.
  She has called the amendment a “massive mistake” and blamed the current attorney general, Republican Greg Abbott, for allowing the language to become part of the Texas Constitution. Radnofsky called on Abbott to acknowledge the wording as an error and consider an apology. She also said that another constitutional amendment may be necessary to reverse the problem.
  “You do not have to have a fancy law degree to read this and understand what it plainly says,” Radnofsky said at a campaign kick-off rally here.
  Attorney General spokesman Jerry Strickland said Abbott stands behind the 4-year-old amendment. “The Texas Constitution and the marriage statute are entirely constitutional,” Strickland said. “We will continue to defend both in court.”
 The right-wing leader whose organization helped draft the amendment also poo-pooed Radnofsky’s position, claiming it was similar to “scare tactics” opponents unsuccessfully used against the proposal in 2005. “It’s a silly argument,” Liberty Legal Institute president Kelly Shackelford said. “Any lawsuit based on the wording of Subsection B, he said, would have ‘about one chance in a trillion’ of being successful.”
  Radnofsky acknowledged that the clause is not likely to result in an overnight dismantling of marriages in Texas, but added that the wording opens the door to legal claims involving spousal rights, insurance claims, inheritance and a host other marriage-related issues. “This breeds unneeded arguments, lawsuits and expense which could have been avoided by good lawyering,” Radnofsky said. “Yes, I believe the clear language of B bans all marriages, and this is indeed a huge mistake.”
  Last October Dallas District Judge Tena Callahan ruled that the same-sex-marriage ban is unconstitutional because it stands in the way of gay divorce. Abbott is appealing that ruling, which came in a divorce petition involving two men who were married in Massachusetts in 2006.

AMA: “U. S. Policies Hazardous To Gay Health”
Houston - The nation’s largest group of doctors sent the message November 10 that U. S. government policy is hazardous to gay men and women’s health.
  At the close of its four-day biannual meeting here, the policy-making arm of the American Medical Association adopted one resolution stating that same-sex marriage bans  contribute to health care disparities, and a second that called for a repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy as the open service ban is detrimental to the health of gay and lesbian individuals in the service.
  “The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force thanks the AMA for taking these positions today,” Executive Director Rea Carey said in response to the resolutions. “The AMA is making it clear that these discriminatory policies pose significant, real-life threats to the health and well-being of thousands of people across the country.”
  Focus on the Family’s Jenny Tyree responded by claiming that the historically conservative-leaning AMA’s same-sex marriage resolution was based on information drawn from gay rights groups and “reflected that political agenda.”
  “Such disparities are a health insurance problem, not a marriage problem,” she said. “The insurance problem should be fixed rather than mess with marriage.”
  The AMA had not taken a position on whether gay marriage should be legal in the resolution.
  “Gay and lesbian couples account for 1% of U.S. households,” Houston surgeon Dr. Russell Kridel said. “Do we really want to cause disparities to those populations?” Kridel is a member of the AMA Council on Science and Public Health, which produced the report.
  Kridel added that  the AMA didn’t call for an end to gay marriage bans because that’s “a political position,” not a medical issue. He said one way to address the problem without legalizing gay marriage would be through civil unions, recognizing such relationships and extending health care benefits to couples in them.
  The call for a repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy stated that it violates doctor-patient confidentiality and causes a dilemma for gay and lesbian individuals fearful their military careers will be jeopardized if they disclose their sexual orientation when talking about certain health matters. Military doctors are bound by the law to report personnel’s sexual orientation to their superiors.
  An AMA committee said testimony from such personnel noted “the chilling effect” of the policy.
  President Barack Obama last year campaigned with a pledged to end the policy, instituted by fellow Democrat President Bill Clinton.  However, Obama has not made it a priority in his first year of office. He renewed the pledge in October in a speech at a Human Rights Campaign fundraising dinner.
  The resolution that gay marriage bans adversely affects gay men and women followed an AMA committee report noting that marriage is a strong predictor of health insurance, particularly among women. According to the report, committed same-sex partners typically are excluded from health care benefits, such as insurance and family and medical leave rights.
  The declarations were among a host of resolutions adopted on the final day of the conference, and came a day after AMA delegates rebuffed an effort by some doctors to persuade the organization to drop its earlier qualified support of the U.S. House health care reform bill that passed November 7.

State News:

LGBT Equal Rights Demonstration In Madison December 5
Madison - Less than two months after the National Equality March in Washington, DC, a coalition of Madison and southern Wisconsin LGBT groups has has organized a follow-up march in Wisconsin’s state capitol.
  Unified For Equality (UFE) will stage a “March on Madison” on Saturday, December 5 beginning at Noon. The march  and rally will begin at the UW-Madison Library Mall, then move to the Capitol Square, where a rally will take place.
   According to the UFE,  the action is meant to call public and legislative attention to the outcome of the recent  hearing in the Wisconsin Supreme Court of McConkey v. Van Hollen, the lawsuit that challenges the language of the referendum that added the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment banning civil unions and same-sex marriage to the state constitution in 2006.
   The McConkey suit alleges that the referendum contained two question in violation of the constitutionally required single subject rule.  The McConkey suite argues the referendum prevented voters from voting “yes” or “no” on marriage and also separately voting on the “anything substantially similar” in the referendum’s second sentence. The Court will make a decision on the case by the end of June 2010.
  The Unified for Equality coalition includes the Madison Area Transgender Association; MATC Pride Alliance; the Madison branches of the International Socialist Organization; LGBTI Equality Now at UW-Madison; OutReach/OutThere of Madison; P.E.A.C.E. at UW-Whitewater and others. Support from LGBT community members and allies is welcomed and encouraged.
  Among the demands of Unified for Equality are equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all fifty states, the overturning of the state same-sex marriage ban in Wisconsin, the granting of national anti-discrimination rights via 14th Amendment and an executive order to overturn the “Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell” policy for military personnel.
  According to the UFE press release announcing the march, the LGBT community “lacks everyday rights in addition to the marriage right and refuses to accept the status quo any longer. Unified for Equality works without pause to attain the rights guaranteed to us by the 14th Amendment, but not extended to us as a group. We now demand, not request, equal rights for every citizen under the law and the Constitution of the Unites States of America.”
  Volunteers interested in helping plan the final arrangements for the march and rally are invited to attend an organizational meeting Saturday, November 28 beginning at 5 PM at OutReach, 600 Williamson St. For more information about the meeting and the march, contact Charlene Hanson at 608-239-0313 or email the coalition at: unifiedforequality@gmail.com.

ARCW Medical Director Named 2009 Health Care Hero
Milwaukee - ARCW Medical Director Dr. John Fangman has been selected to receive a 2009 Health Care Hero Award from BizTimes, the weekly magazine that reports on business news in the Milwaukee metro area.
  Every year the BizTimes hosts a Health Care Heroes Award celebration that honors outstanding achievements by health care providers in southeast Wisconsin. Fangman has been selected as a Health Care Hero in the Physician category. 
  According the the Awards committee Fangman received the aware for the following achievements: Leading the ARCW Medical Center to be Wisconsin’s largest HIV health care provider; assuring access to care for a diverse, multicultural patient census; creating a rigorous quality improvement program to assure the highest quality of HIV care; maximizing clinical outcomes for HIV patients with significant barriers to achieving treatment success; and for promoting a strong academic-community partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin for training, treatment and research
  In making the award the BizTimes stated that their “Health Care Heroes are making a positive difference on the front lines of health care in southeast Wisconsin.” 
  Fangman will be honored at a special celebration breakfast hosted by the BizTimes and WISN Channel 12 Television on December 10.

World AIDS Day To Be Observed Across Wisconsin
Statewide - The 21st annual World AIDS Day will be observed officially world wide on December 1. In Wisconsin, the day’s activities range from special performances and vigils to HIV testing clinics and wearing the color red.
  In Eau Claire, the local office of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) and the LGBT Community Center of the Chippewa Valley will sponsor a World AIDS Day service featuring:  a time of remembrance, speakers, and a post-service gathering at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Eau Claire, 421 S. Farwell St, from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. For more information about the event, contact Suzanne Wulff by phone at: 715-836-7710 Ext 3200 or by email at: Suzanne.wulff@arcw.org
  Green Bay will host a community-wide Red Ribbon community event at the Preble Park Presbyterian Church, 607 Ravenswood, two blocks north of East Town Mall. The evening will offer song, dance, speakers, snacks and beverages. Doors open at 6:30 PM with the event beginning at 7. For more information contact Paul Jacob by phone at: 920-437-7400 Ext. 3110 or by email at: paul.jacob@arcw.org
  In La Crosse the LGBT Resource Center for the Seven Rivers Region is encouraging everyone to wear red and visit the center, 303 Pearl Street, anytime between 9:30 AM an 6 PM. According to organizers, community members should wear red on December 1 to create awareness and show our support for those afflicted by AIDS.
  “We can make a difference and show our unified desire to find a cure and help end AIDS,” Center Director Rosanne St. Sauver said. “If you can’t make it to the Center, please wear Red and help ignite the passion in others to get involved.”
  The Seven Rivers Center is again conducting its “Warm For The Holidays 2” drive for the HIV+ clients served ARCW-La Crosse again this year. Donated items being sought include laundry soap, toiletries, shampoo, cleaning products, paper towels and toilet paper. Donors are asked to drop off their donations to the center by December 11.
  Milwaukee will hold several events to mark World AIDS Day. The Wisconsin AIDS Fund and The Greater Milwaukee Foundation will sponsor a World AIDS  Day event at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation Offices, 101 W. Pleasant Street, Suite 210 from 6 - 9 PM. The evening will celebrate the continuing evolution and efforts of the Wisconsin AIDS Fund and their many supporters. Light appetizers and beverages will be provided. Attendees are asked to RSVP for this event by phone at:414- 366-7045 or by email at: tmartinsek@greatermilwaukeefoundation.org
  St. Gabriel’s Church will host a World AIDS Day Celebration featuring an evening of entertainment, education and awareness. Refreshments and an artwork exhibit will be offered, Doors will open at 5:30 PM,  with the celebration beginning at 6:30 at St. Gabriel’s Church of God in Christ, 5375 N. 37th St.
  In honor of World AIDS Day, free HIV testing will be offered at ARCW’s Milwaukee office, 820 N. Plankinton Ave. December 1-3. HIV testing to those at risk will be by appointment from 4 - 6 PM on December 1 and 2, with extended hours 4 - 8 on December 3. Call 414-225-1608 for an appointment. Free condoms given out to those who get tested.
  In Wausau, Catholic Charities and the local office of ARCW will sponsor a World AIDS Day ceremony featuring speakers, a candlelight ceremony and a memorial walk. The event will be held at Washington Square, 300 3rd St. from 5:30 - 6 PM. A social time will follow with food and beverages available for purchase at a local coffee house. For more information about the event call Dianne at 715-344-2500 Ext.23 or Beth and Jessie at 715-355-6867.
  Details on events in Madison and Sheboygan were not available at Quest’s deadline, though both cities have historically held annual events.
  Started on the first of December in 1988, World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2009 is “Universal Access and Human Rights.” World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.
  According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. During 2007 some 2.5 million people became newly infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35.
  Wisconsin has seen a 138% increase in new HIV infections among gay men under 30 in the last three years. Particularly intense outbreaks have occurred in the cities of Appleton and Madison.

Intimate “La Cage Aux Folles” Opens December 10
Milwaukee - Off the Wall Theatre will celebrate the holidays this year with the Tony Award-winning Jerry Herman musical extravaganza, “La Cage Aux Folles.” Artistic Director Dale Gutzman has departed from his usual Christmas “Holiday Punch” formula to bring to Milwaukee this beloved show which has been on Broadway twice and will return for a third visit next March.
  The original “La Cage Aux Folles” started out as a modest French farce, then became a hit French film that spawned two cinematic sequels. Jerry Herman transformed “La Cage”into a mega-hit Broadway musical. Hollywood then offered up an Americanized version of the film with Nathan Lane and Robin Williams called “The Birdcage.”
  For the few in the LGBT community who may still be unfamiliar with the show, “La Cage” explores what happens to long-time lovers Georges and Albin’s after Georges’ son - fathered during a one-night heterosexual fling - decides to marry the daughter of a bigoted politician. Amid the sleazy grandeur of the drag club, George agrees to pretend to be “normal” for one night to meet the father and mother of the bride-to-be. But Albin has other ideas with hilarious results.
  Herman’s score for the musical version of “La Cage” is one of his best, including the anthemic ‘I Am What I Am,” “The Best Of Times,” “”La Cage Aux Folles,””You On My Arm.” and the hauntingly beautiful “Song On The Sand.”
  The new, more intimate London production of the gender-bending family musical comedy gave Gutzman the idea that it could indeed be staged at Off The Wall’s tiny theatre, so he and technical director David Roper went to work to transform the space into a St. Tropez Transvestite Night Club.
  Gutzman also knew that in order for the show to work, he needed every aspect to be perfect. While David Roper was painting the entire inside of the theatre bright pink, installing curtains and levels and fifty pink flamingos, Dale contacted his old musical buddy, Jack Forbes Wilson. Wilson first came to Milwaukee over 25 years ago to work with Gutzman when they were both hired by the then Performing Arts Center to create original musicals. Wilson is not only a true musical genius at the piano, but the kind of showman, “La Cage” needed.
  Jack responded in his quirky way. “You know Dale, it’s high time we worked together again,” he said, then cleared his schedule for the show.
  Though used to choreographing his own shows as well as directing, Gutzman freely admitted he is no longer a “spring chicken,” and the show required lots and lots of dance. One number involves tap, while a second has a six-minute Can Can section. Dale turned to his “Off The Wall” family member Sharon Rise to stage the show-stopping dance numbers. Sharon starred at Off the Wall as Mama Rose in “Gypsy,” and has been working with Gutzman on and off for over twenty years.
  Starring in this version of “La Cage” as Albin, the sensitive, overwrought, queen who appears as the divine Zaza, is probably one one actor in Milwaukee who could do justice to the role: Karl Miller. His versatility and complete immersion in his roles, will ensure that Alvin will not only be show-stopping, but heart-wrenching as well. Playing opposite Miller as club owner Georges, will be Gutzman himself.
  A;so needed were five singing and dancing men who feel comfortable dressing as women and can tap and do cartwheels in high heels. Also central to the plot: a young male and female with angelic faces and voices.
 For the five “Cage-elles” Gutzman hired Parker Cristan, who has played cruise ships professionally for years, and recently performed “La Cage” both in Coral Gables, Florida and St. Louis, Missouri. Also picked: leading actor and Associate Director of Off the Wall Jeremy Welter; and Ben George - who just finished starring in “Company” for Gutzman. Relatively new Off the Wall members Chris Elst and Paul Pfannenstiel plus Off  regulars Sharon Rise, Annie Mater, Liz Mistele, and Kristin Pagenkopf fill the other key roles.
  For the young lovers, Dale cast Jacqueline Roush, who also appeared in “Company,” and handsome newcomer Patrick McGuire.
 “LaCage” will also include some of “Off The Wall” regulars’ favorite character actors, including Lawrence Lukasavage, Donna Lobacz, Mary Beth Tell, Tom Welcenbach, Mark “Dear Ruthie” Hagen, Michael Davis, Marcee Doherty, and Sandy Lewis.
  “La Cage Aux Folles” will open for a limited run on December 10 through New Year’s Eve December 31.  Show time for all evening performances (except New Year’s Eve 8 PM curtain) will be 7:30 PM. Two matinees are also scheduled December 13 and 27 at 4:30 PM. Tickets are $27.50 for reserved seating, $23.50 for general seating and $30 for the new Year’s Eve performance. Tickets may be ordered by calling 414-327-3552 or ordered online at: www.offthewalltheatre.com
 
Golden Corral At The Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, Saturday, November 28
Milwaukee - The Milwaukee Gay Arts Center (MGAC) presents Joe Steiff in his solo performance piece, Golden Corral on Saturday, November 28 at 8pm. Tickets are $10 general admission. This is a one performance only engagement.
  Golden Corral is a mosaic of stories that shift back and forth in time, sparked by the author's visit back to his roots, the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, where Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio meet.  
  Steiff's poignant solo show about growing up gay in rural Appalachia is sad and funny, the bittersweet nostalgia cut with a keen hindsight that's piercingly honest.  An old-fashioned storyteller, he spins his tale in a soothing voice and calm resignation as he returns to his hometown as "local boy done good."  Through a series of wryly and vividly told interlocking stories, we get a textured sense of what life was like for Steiff as a child on the farm, and later as an adult, taking his first tentative steps towards living an openly gay life. 
  Golden Corral premiered in 2006 at Chicago's well-known and respected Live Bait Theater.  Initially booked for three weeks, Golden Corral became so popular that it was extended for nine sold-out weeks.  The show was remounted during the summer Chicago Gay Games, earning additional accolades.
  MGAC is located at 703 South 2nd Street in Walker's Point. General admission seats may be reserved by calling 414-383-3727.

Photographer John Gress: Reception and Calendar Signing, December 5
Milwaukee - Outwords Books is especially pleased to welcome on Saturday, December 5 at 4 PM acclaimed photographer John Gress for a reception and a signing of his stunning black & white “Cool Down 2010” calendar.
  The success of Gress’ “Cool Down 2010” calendar is due to its simplicity. Having hand-picked a collection of gorgeous All-American jocks, Gress captures them in dramatic black & white images some at play, other at rest. Your 2010 is sure to be hot and steamy as you live out the upcoming year looking at these 12 handsome, toned jocks.
  Joining John Gress for this reception and calendar signing will be several of the gorgeous models featured in the “Cool Down 2010” calendar including “Cool Down” cover boy and former Milwaukee resident, Alex W.
  Best of all, a portion of the sales of calendars, prints and greeting cards will benefit the Milwaukee LGBT Film & Video Festival.
  Chicago-based photographer John Gress has spent his career with one foot in two different realms of photography: commercial and editorial. His unique resume has allowed him to develop a style that produces life filled, dramatic and striking images.
  As a photojournalist, Gress’ work regularly appears on the Reuters news wire and in major publications around the world, including Der Spiegel, Le Monde, Time, The New York Times, the Washington Post and Sports Illustrated. John’s assignments have included the 2008 election of President Barack Obama, the 2007 Southern California wildfires, the 2006 Super Bowl, and the 2005 World Series.
  Outwords has been delighted to be able to offer its customers the extensive line of greeting cards featuring the photography of photographer John Gress since September. These stunningly produced birthday and gallery cards celebrate the authentic masculinity of an ethnically diverse group of models who open up to the camera’s lens with both self-assurance and abandon.
  Do not miss the chance to meet photographer John Gress plus a collection of his handsome calendar models at Outwords Books, Gifts & Coffee, 2710 N. Murray Ave. December 5. Moreover, do not be late: the first 25 to attend the reception and signing from 4 PM until 6 PM  will receive a free dazzling John Gress gallery card.
  This is a free event and all are welcome.  For further information, please check out Outwords website at: www.outwordsbooks.com, the Outwords page on Facebook or call 414-963-9089.

“Holiday Celebration” To Support Milwaukee Gay Arts Center
Milwaukee - Women’s Voices Milwaukee will perform a “Holiday Celebration” that is also a joint fundraiser with Milwaukee Gay Art Center over the weekend of December 4-6. Three concerts are planned with evening events starting at 7:30 PM on Friday and Saturday, December 4-5 and a 2:30 PM matinee performance on Sunday, December 6.
  All shows will take place at the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, 703 S. 2nd Street. Tickets are $12 reserved in advance and $15 at the door. To make reservations, stop by the MGAC or call at: 414-383-3727.

Auditions Set For “Sappho In Love”
Madison - StageQ will hold auditions for its production of the Carolyn Gage comedic romp “Sappho In Love”. Monday and Tuesday, December 7 - 8, with callbacks on Wednesday, December 9. Auditions will begin at 7 PM   at 148 E Wilson Street, first floor. Appointments may be arranged for a different date.
  “Sappho In Love” is a riotous romp across the slippery terrain of Lesbian romance, as the goddesses on Olympus - Aphrodite, Artemis and Hera - come down to Earth to recruit among Sappho and her followers on Lesbos. Classical comedy then ensues.
  Roles are available for one girl, age 8 – 11, and at least 16 women, from late teens to late middle-age. There are roles for five or more naiads. Women who have acrobatic, modern dance or contact improv backgrounds are encouraged to audition for the naiad parts.
  Actors will read from the script, and may be asked to work together in groups. Actors should wear clothes to move in. Copies of the script are available upon request to: sappho@stageq.com.   
     Performance dates for “Sappho In Love” are set for February 12 - 27, 2010. Rehearsals will begin January 4. The play will be directed by Katy Conley.
   For more information or questions, contact the production by email at: sappho@stageq.com or call 608-661-9696, Ext 3.

Skylight Opera’s “Long And Short Of It” Debuts New Year’s Eve
Milwaukee - The Skylight Opera Theatre’s production of “The Long and Short of It: A Night with Colin and Paula Cabot” will open for a limited run at the Studio Theatre of the Broadway Theatre Center with a special New Year’s Eve performance December 31. The show pays homage to 50 years of artistry, entertainment and hijinks at the Skylight Opera Theatre, where the Cabots met, performed and worked for many years. Paula and Colin promise a combination of personal memories, widely loved music, and surprise guests to mark the Skylight’s 50th Anniversary Season. Each of the 10 performances will have a different twist.
   For longtime Skylight fans, “The Long and Short of It” is a unique chance to revisit familiar songs and voices from the Skylight during the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s - a time during which the Cabots became introduced to the Skylight and went on to make their marks there.
  For the uninitiated, “The Long and Short of It” is an opportunity to hear music that cuts a wide swath through the songbook the Skylight has used over the years, from opera to old standards, Gilbert and Sullivan to Cole Porter, Brecht and Weill to Johnny Mercer.
   Paula Cabot made her Skylight debut as Paula Dewey in the title role of Oh Kay! She went on to appear in numerous Skylight productions, among them Polly in The Threepenny Opera, Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore, the ingénue in The Cocoanuts, and Amalia Balash in She Loves Me. Her stage work has taken her across the globe, including the Body Politic Theatre in Chicago and the York Theatre and Musical Theatre Works in New York. Dramatic roles include Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday, Honey in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,  Jackie in Hay Fever and Gert in Lost in Yonkers, among many others.
   Colin Cabot began his association with the Skylight Opera Theatre in 1974 as assistant to Managing Director Clair Richardson. In 1977 he worked with Gian Carlo Menotti at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. He returned to the Skylight as Managing Director the following year, at which point he devoted his time to planning and raising money for the creation of the Broadway Theatre Center. Colin’s family gave the lead gift that named the theater, which opened in the fall of 1993. Colin remained as Managing Director until 1989 and also served as Interim Artistic Director for two months in 2009.
  Colin described himself as “alternatively flattered, overwhelmed, reluctant, eager, and reluctantly enthusiastic to return to the Skylight” to perform in tandem with Paula, his favorite Skylight performer, “in front of the most wonderful audience in the world.”
  Evening shows will have a 7:30 PM curtain with three 2 PM also scheduled for January 3, 6 and 9. Tickets for “The Long and Short of It”are available at the Skylight Opera Theater box office, 158 N. Broadway, by calling 414-291-7800 or online at: www.skylightopera.com

“Untamed” CD Release Set For December 16
Milwaukee - Self-taught classical music composer C.J. Darnieder will release his first CD, “Untamed” on December 16. The CD features all of his piano works to date and will be available at no cost.
  Darnieder has completed approximately sixteen multi-movement chamber and orchestral pieces to date. C.J. is currently working on three orchestral works: his first symphony, a violin concerto, and a small suite for chamber orchestra.
  The pre-release version of the CD will contain three final bonus tracks on a  bonus tracks and will only be available to those who request CDs before the launch. This piece is his fourteenth opus which the composer also is entering into the Elevens of Hanover composition competition on the same day as the official CD release.
  To request a CD prior to the launch, for other information about C.J. Darnieder or to contact him, visit: www.cjdarnieder.com.