Racine LGBT Center Sets Gala Opening April 4
Racine - The LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin will open with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Mayor Tom Friedel, Common Council President David Maack, and Alderman Michael Shields and a host of regional business and gay dignitaries at 10 AM here Saturday, April 5.
  “We purchased a big rainbow ribbon that will be cut by the mayor and other city officials,” Executive Director Bruce Joffe Ph.D. told Quest. “I’m expecting a pretty sizeable crowd.”
  Following the ribbon cutting, the center, located at 1456 Junction Avenue here will hold an open house and tours of its facilities until 4 PM.
  Local businesses, professionals and organizations - including members of the Uptown Merchants Association that formally endorsed the LGBT Center's special day - are welcoming their newest neighbor with sales at their stores and giveaways at the Center.
  “The Center received a grant of $3500 from the United Way of Racine,” Joffe noted. “It’s one of several major major gifts that have come our way in the last few months.”
  The day-long event will offer drawings for door prizes ranging from gift certificates to dinners for two that are being provided by area businesses such as Corner House and Out of the Pan restaurants, the Racine Merchandise Mart, Antique Junction, Avenue Antiques, the Brass Monkey, Schmitt Music, Uptown Transfer, and Dr. Richard Kemper.
  That evening a “Pink Tie Gala Dinner” will be held at Kenosha's Club ICON to honor and support the Center. The formal, sit-down dinner will offer dishes prepared by some of the finest restaurants and catering services in the area.  The menu will feature a full lasagna feast - both vegetarian and meat varieties - with all the trimmings plus dessert. Dishes will be provided by Club ICON, Frank’s Diner, River Valley Farms, Mo's Cafe, and Jasmine Roberts, among others.
  The gala will also offer an extravagant Silent Auction boasting original art work provided by Erik Sosa, JoAnn Bates, and Bruce Joffe; Giuseppe Armani Sculptures from Chicago's La Bomboniera; Shanon Jayne Morgan's custom glass art; autographed books, gift certificates and other items. Scheduled entertainment includes Jarod Howard during dinner, Ms. Club ICON Sheena Rae's pride presentation, and Club Icon's ‘Welcome to the Community’ address. All proceeds from the auction and a portion of the door receipts will benefit the LGBT Center.
  A limited number of $15 advance sale tickets are still available online through Brown Paper Tickets at: www.brownpapertickets.com.  Space permitting, tickets also will be sold at the door for $20, although a capacity crowd is expected.
  “I cannot emphasize too much how supportive (Club ICON owner) Clint Jones has been to the center since the very beginning,” Joffe told Quest. “In addition to helping us raise money, he also serves on the board with twenty other very talented leaders, both straight and gay, from the Racine-Kenosha area.”
  The Board of Directors, led by President Steven Brown, Ph.D., will guide the new organization in its efforts to provide needed services and to integrate it within the larger community. Other Racine directors of the LGBT Center are Michael Dobrowski, Lisa Thielke, Julie Anne Dresen, Sylvia Acheson, Mark Bridgeman, Rev. Dr. Tony Larsen, Charles McDonald, Christopher Scott Rosen, Steve Wanberg, Russell Warren, and Steve Wingert.  Kenosha directors include the Hon. Dayvin Hallmon, Len Iaquinta, Clint Jones, Dr. Chris Renaud, Chantal Smith, Franco Tarsitano, Rev. Georgette Wonders, and Neil Zeltinger.
  A full program of exhibits and events has been set for the LGBT Center's opening month. Visitors will be able to enjoy the premiere exhibit in the center’s art gallery featuring distinguished works organized by the Lemon Street Gallery.  Also on the calendar are a discussion of the film “Fried Green Tomatoes;” a presentation on “The History of Drag: A Peculiar Retrospective,” by the UW-Parkside Rainbow Alliance; a “Dancing with the Stars” demonstration of popular ballroom and disco dances; and meetings of the “How Healthy is Your Relationship?” discussion and support group led by relationship expert and Women's Resource Center Director Cherie Griffin.
  Already set for May are a workshop on goal-setting led by Karen Carnabucci, LCSW; the initial meeting of a monthly LGBT domestic abuse support group; a discussion of the favorite gender-bender film “Steel Magnolias;” and the first in the LGBT Center's “Distinguished Speaker Series” sponsored by Educators Credit Union.
  According to the organization’s By-Laws the mission of the LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin is two-fold: First,
to provide a safe and supportive environment through which LGBT people, their family, friends and allies from Racine, Kenosha and surrounding areas can access needed community, social, educational, and health-related services; and second, to link the LGBT population of Racine and Kenosha with the many non-profit and cause-oriented organizations operating in this area and elsewhere.
  “We’re already serving as the local resource for efforts by groups such as Fair Wisconsin and Center Advocates,” Joffe said.
  The new community center will be open daily from 2 - 6 PM, except Tuesdays and Sundays. The center is open to drop-ins by teenagers and students seeking a safe place to meet, do their homework, conduct research using free Internet access as well as a large library of LGBT-specific books and periodicals. Special events open to the public are held on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
  “When I moved to Racine last year, I saw there was a need in the LGBT community and its allies for an an affirming and supportive environment,” Joffe said. “It’s nice that we’re midway between two large cities, Milwaukee and Chicago, but we needed something locally as well. The core constituency was there, they just needed  someone to get things started. I was happy to jump in as I’ve always been an entrepreneur.”
  For more information the LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin is available online at: www.lgbtsewisc.org.

Will The “Gay Factor” Lead To Wisconsin Spring Election Upsets?
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On the surface, the match-ups for two statewide races in this year’s Spring general election would seem to be no-brainers to most voters. In the Supreme Court contest, 33 year veteran Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson is being challenged by the relatively novice Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Randy Koshnick. For the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 34-year veteran educator Tony Evers is being challenged by Rose Fernandez, a nurse who have never worked in a public school in her life.
  Both the Abrahamson and Evers campaigns are swimming in cash and bipartisan political endorsements. The biggest conservative-leaning special interest group - the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Issues Mobilization Council (WMC) - has decided to sit out the Spring election and plans none of the “issue ads” it sponsored to secure the elections of Supreme Court Justices Michael Gableman and Annette Ziegler in the most recent two election cycles.
  So will there be easy wins for experience and expertise in these officially non-partisan races on April 7? Not if the “gay factor” ends up being the thumb that tips the electoral scale.
  Both “underdog” challengers Koshnick and Fernandez have strong ties to the state’s Religious Right. Both also have been using neoconservative rhetoric such as “activist judges” in Kohnick’s case, and “entrenched bureaucracy” and “union bosses” in Fernandez.
  Thus far the political arms of Wisconsin gay equality advocacy groups - Center Advocates and Fair Wisconsin - have remained officially silent. No endorsements for either race have been released, though both organizations are expected to weigh in before election day. The same is true for Wisconsin Family Action, the lobbying arm of the Wisconsin Family Council (WFC) - the organization that continues to tout its success in the 59-41% endorsement in 2006 of the so-called “Marriage Protection” amendment to the state constitution, denying gay marriages and civil unions.
  However the WFC has been actively touting its candidate surveys (available at: www.yourwisconsinvote.org), noting in its March Family News Connection newsletter that “these documents are educational and are appropriate for distribution in churches.” The WFC also has a planned “Day At The Capitol” offering its supporters “issue updates” among other activities on March 31, just a week prior to the election.
  A mid-February profile piece by the Capital Times on Supreme Court challenger Koshnick revealed that he is “an elder with the evangelical Crosspoint Community Church in Oconomowoc, and as such helps oversee the spiritual ministry of the church, which opposes abortion and gay rights, and disavows notions of evolution.”
  The paper also noted that Koshnick “also has been active with the Promise Keepers, a Christian conservative men’s group that urges men to take control of their households and uphold biblical notions of patriarchy.” Though Koshnick claimed that he had not been active with the group in “3-5 years,” investigative reporter Steven Elbow discovered contact as recent as 2008.
  Koshnick also was happy to advise the WFC that he has “been a member, contributed money, volunteered time, been employed by, been endorsed by for a campaign, received money from for a campaign or had any other affiliation” with the following Religious Right or conservative groups: the Alliance Defense Fund (the organization Assembly Republicans tried to insert into the still-pending ACLU Helgeland v. Department of Employee Trust Funds case in which lesbian state employees sought insurance benefits for their domestic partners), Family Research Council, Focus on the Family (which provided major funding to the 2006 “Vote Yes On Marriage” campaign), Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Right to Life.
  Koshnick also “accepted an invitation to speak at a government class taught by Julaine Appling, CEO of the Wisconsin Family Council” last September at the Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown.
  When the Capital Times asked Koshnick if his religious beliefs might impact his rulings on abortion, evolution and gay equality issues, he did not respond directly but noted that his “adherence to a literal translation of the Bible is consistent with his ‘strict constructionist’ philosophy toward laws and the Constitution...”
  Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Rose Fernandez was the only one to respond to the WFC questionnaire-turned-voter guide. She supports the expansion of the Milwaukee school voucher program statewide. That program allows families wishing to opt out of public education to obtain a voucher that will provide funds to a privately-run school for their child’s education. That money is deducted from the funds given to the public schools. In Milwaukee, the private schools accepting vouchers are overwhelmingly run by religious or faith-based organizations.
  While Fernandez wants to see private schools accept state tax dollars, she’s not interested in seeing those schools held to the same standards as the state’s public schools. She told the WFC that she opposes holding “choice (private) schools to public school requirements regardless of religious or secular status of private schools participating in school voucher program.”
  Fernandez also appears ready to ignore at least one state law if she wins the DPI superintendent seat. In her response to the WFC survey she said she opposes the institution of “‘bullying’ or ‘harassment’ policies that create a special, protected class for sexual orientation.”
  According to one attorney who spoke with Quest, Fernandez’ position would see to violate “current state law (Statute 118.13), which already protects against discrimination (including harassment) based on sexual orientation, and requires each school board to develop written policies and procedures to implement the anti-discrimination law.” The attorney also noted that “the law also requires that claims of discrimination, if not resolved at the local level, are appealed to the state superintendent,who is also responsible for monitoring school district programs to ensure compliance with the anti-discrimination statute, etc.”
  Fernandez is also “part of a network involving lobbyists, non-profit organizations, elected officials and even the law-breaking PAC All Children Matter, seeking to give for-profit companies like the Virginia-based K12, Inc. Wisconsin education tax dollars,” according the progressive website One Wisconsin Now (OWW). OWW has created an interactive website detailing Fernandez’ network and its in-state and out-of-state players available at: www.FernandezFiveMillion.com.
  “Rose Fernandez is part of a well-financed network to keep our public tax dollars going to for-profit companies like K12, Inc., One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross said in announcing the website. “Wisconsin education tax dollars should stay in Wisconsin and not go to out-of-state, for-profit companies.”
  According to FernandezFiveMillion.com, K12, Inc is a “Virginia-based for-profit company founded by Ronald Packard and Bill Bennett, which provides curriculum materials to a number of Wisconsin virtual schools.”
  The name Bill Bennett should ring a bell with many veteran LGBT activists. He is the former Education Secretary William Bennett who in November 1997 caused a national flap when he declared on ABC’s This Week that “the average life expectancy for gay men is just 43.” Bennett was citing statistics generated by disgraced right-wing psychologist and sociologist Paul Cameron, who arrived at his conclusions by taking the stated ages found in gay newspaper obituaries and dividing by the total he found. Despite the substantial hue and cry generated by mainstream scientists and sociologists following his appearance, Bennett chose to reiterate the same “statistic” in an article published two weeks later in the Weekly Standard.
  Fernandez’ ties with the far-right All Children Matter organization also suggest that Wisconsin voters can expect mail and television ads in the last week and a half of the Superintendent race on her behalf.
  The question remains will evangelical voters, who currently are slightly over one in four (26%) in Wisconsin, be energized to come out to the polls April 7? The Religious Right’s response to two recent Wisconsin events suggest they may have found needed fodder to fuel their motivation: Governor Jim Doyle’s inclusion of domestic partner benefits in his proposed 2009-10 state budget, and the recent flap over gay website listings and several gay themed books in West Bend.
  If Wisconsin Family Council’s Julaine Appling response to the Doyle proposal has been loud and attention grabbing in the mainstream media, her rhetoric to the WFC faithful has been even more stringent. In the top story of the March edition of the Family News Connection entitled “Governor Insults Taxpayers and Assaults Constitution,” Appling advised that the “WFC and our friends at Alliance Defense Fund will be ready for the challenge. We believe both the people’s money and the people’s will must be protected.” That’s the same Alliance Defense Fund cited by candidate Koshnick.
  The WFC has also weighed in on the West Bend library case. In her February 23 Wisconsin Family Connection radio commentary, broadcast on Christian stations statewide, Appling complained that the library “list of fifty-eight books contains a theme now familiar to Americans who have been constantly battered by the campaign to normalize homosexuality - that theme being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender is normal, exciting and fulfilling. Every single book on the list panders to that theme - with no exceptions.” Eight days later, the library board meeting had to be cancelled when over 300 people - most opposed to the gay web page list - caused an overflow  crowd at city hall. Ginny Maziarka, who brought the original complaint, has been an ardent supporter of Rose Fernandez in her now widely-read WISSUP = Wisconsin Speaks Up blog.
  If recent Wisconsin events are not enough to inflame the “pro-life” and anti-gay Religious Right, recent moves by the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats certainly might. In the last ten days there have been moves to begin undoing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on gay military personnel, the reversal of the Bush administration ban of federal funding of embryonic stem-cell cell research, and the U. S. signing of the United Nations declaration on gay civil rights.
  Wisconsin Spring general elections typically see voter turn outs of 20% or less. As one amendment opponent pointed out during the 2006 referendum battle, there is no liberal or progressive analog to the evangelical church infrastructure where the most engaged potential voters can receive educational voter guides and updates once or even twice a week. Even with email blasts and social networking, pro-equality groups like Fair Wisconsin and Center Advocates are under-funded and will reach only a fraction of the now much less engaged LGBT community and its supporters in the next ten days.
  Recent revelations that Rose Fernandez’ children have never seen the inside of a public school as enrolled students certainly have lit a fire under the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) and other  pro-public school groups. Some of the mud thrown by candidate Koshnick about donations made by lawyers to the Abrahamson campaign has come back to splatter him as well. But the question remains: are the state’s religious conservatives excited enough about two strong evangelical candidates and disturbed enough by recent pro-gay equality events both nationally and in Wisconsin to turn the tide on election day? We’ll know the evening of April 7.

State News:

Spring Brings Signature AIDS Fundraising Events
Madison, Milwaukee - Two long-running signature fundraisers benefitting Wisconsin’s AIDS service organizations return in April.
  First up on Friday, April 3 is the 19th Annual Red Ribbon Affair to be held in the lower level Exhibition Hall of the Monona Terrace in Madison. Cocktails, canapés and silent auction begin at 6 PM. followed by dinner at 7:30.
  This year the AIDS Network is honoring Governor Jim Doyle for his commitment and service to those living with HIV/AIDS in Wisconsin. Emcees will be WMTV’s Christine Bellport and Justin Wilder.   This year’s silent auction is the largest to date with over $35,000 worth of merchandise and services, including many one-of-a-kind collectables.  The evening will conclude with a short video presentation, heralding the agency’s 25th Anniversary observance in 2010.
  On the menu for this year’s dinner are a salad of Romaine and baby lettuces, cucumber, Roma tomatoes, carrots, purple onion, Parmesan and croutons, served with a Champagne-mustard vinaigrette and followed by a choice of entree.
  Entrees include Chicken Saltimbocca, served with herb-buttered Yukon potato wedges and seasonal blend of fresh vegetables;  Stuffed Shrimp with a stuffing of crabmeat, onions, peppers, garlic, herbs and Parmesan atop a beure blanc sauce and served with lemon rice pilaf and seasonal blend of fresh vegetables; or Portobello Wellington served with a grilled tomato and seasonal blend of fresh vegetables.
  Prior to the event Meriter Health Care will present the first-ever Friends of AIDS Network (FAN) reception with cocktails, ice luge, appetizer buffet and musical entertainment in the Olive Lounge at the Hilton Monona Terrace, from 5:30 - 7 PM. This reception is open exclusively to attendees of the Red Ribbon Affair.
  The Red Ribbon Affair is open to the public and reservations are accepted until March 27.  Tickets for the dinner are $85 each. Combined dinner and reception tickets are $135. Tickets may be purchased online by visiting the AIDS Network website at: www.aidsnetwork.org or by calling 608-252-6540, Ext. 21.
  On Saturday, April 4, the 23rd Annual “Make A Promise” Gala will offer up “The Spirit Of Aloha” at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee to benefit the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin.
  The evening will begin with registration, cocktails and silent auction at 5:30 PM followed by dinner at 7:30. The hundreds of items up for auction are available online by clicking on the “Spirit of Aloha” advertisement on the home page of the ARCW website.
  On the menu this year will be a salad of fresh asparagus, jicama and mandarin oranges on a bed of mesclun with a choice of a creamy dill dressing or a honey orange and grapefruit vinaigrette. Following will be a duet of sautéed snapper fillet with a wasabi crust and papaya relish, and grilled chicken breast in a zesty garlic and lemon marinade served over couscous and roasted patty pan squash. Those who prefer a vegetarian entree may order the vegetable kabob and squash stuffed with apple and cranberry dressing over a bed of wild mushroom risotto in advance.
  A live auction and awards program will follow the meal. Being honored this year are Milwaukee Commissioner of Health Bevan Baker for his strong leadership and advocacy for HIV prevention, care and treatment; Assurant Health for their 16 years of outstanding philanthropic support; and Beth Bye, a courageous woman living with HIV for over 23 years who has advocated for women with HIV and done educational outreach in rural Wisconsin.
  Following the awards ceremony, attendees will enjoy a performance by the Mana-Pasifika Polynesian dancers and then have the opportunity to dance to the big band sounds of Milwaukee’s Swing Nouveau.
  Tickets range from $85 to $200 per person and may be purchased online from the ARCW website at: www.arcw.org. or by calling 800-359-9272, Ext. 1615.

MGAC Raises Over $3600 To End Violence Against Women
Milwaukee -The Milwaukee Gay Arts Center (MGAC) has raised over $3600 for the international V-Day Campaign to end violence against women and girls. The money was raised through a sold-out benefit run of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” March 13-15.
  The 15 member cast, co-directors Cheryl Ann Lisowski and Alan Piotrowicz, producer-stage manager Alicia Wahl and Alverno College intern Katie Kriesel volunteered hundreds of hours to present the show. Many of the cast had never performed on stage before; though others had extensive stage experience including Off-Broadway appearances.  They represented a diverse spectrum from all walks of life, age and orientation that came together for a common cause.
  “I really don’t know how to express how grateful I am for dedication of the cast, the directors and producers as well as the businesses and individuals who contributed to this project, MGAC Executive Director said.
  Asked why a non-profit LGBT arts organization committed so much time and energy to raise money for another group, Masterson said, “it’s what we do - our mission is not only to present LGBT relevant art but also to create change through art and serve as a bridge to the community at large. That includes supporting others.”
  Masterson noted the production also served as an outreach for the MGAC. “We had nearly 300 patrons in MGAC over the run of ‘The Vagina Monologues,’” he said. “Most had never been here before or even knew we existed.”
  Masterson also acknowledged the support of other area LGBT-focused not-for-profits. “I also have to thank the Challenge Party, the Cream City Foundation’s Joseph R. Pabst LGBT Infrastructure Fund, the G/L Community Trust Fund and the Washington Heights Rainbow Association as well as many generous individuals for their financial support in the past year. Without them we couldn’t fulfill our mission - we simply wouldn’t be here,” masterson added.
  The funds raised by the MGAC production of “The Vagina Monologues” and a cast party raffle held at Walker’s Pint will be donated to the V-Day’s Spotlight Campaign to end violence against women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo and to Milwaukee’s Sojourner Family Peace Center.
  Masterson also announced recent additions to the MGAC board of directors. Kate Sherry, Milwaukee PrideFest Public Relations and Marketing Director, and Fred Laupan of Red Rock Entertainment. Sherry now serves as the MGAC board secretary and Laupan as its technical director.

Women4Women “Vamp” It Up March 28
Madison - The Women4Women social group (W4W) are inviting interested women for a “Night Out at the Theatre,” Saturday, March 28 to see a performance of “Vamp” at the Bartell Theater here.
   “Vamp” is a girl-meets-girl romantic comedy with a supernatural twist. The play is a co-production of StageQ and Mercury Players Theater. Order tickets by calling 608-661-9696or visit www.madstage.com/bartell for more information. This is the final weekend of the performance so order your tickets before it sells out. Meet us at the theatre before the show at 7 PM. for refreshments and remember to bring your upcoming events to add to the W4W Calendar.
  W4W will return to OutReach again on Saturday, April 11 at it’s regularly scheduled time of 3 - 5 PM. The topics for discussion will be how we self-define in this diverse world of women loving women and the role of social networking in discovering our community and sharing our personal profile.
  W4W is an inclusive social/discussion group open to all women who love women, regardless of whether they are lesbian, bi, curious, or anti-label, whether born female or trans - the only criteria is being a woman who loves women.  Inclusiveness and diversity are a key part of the group, with women of all cultural backgrounds, races, ages, physical abilities, political beliefs, etc., more than welcome, as we learn both from our diversity and from what we have in common: loving women. 
  Women4Women meets at OutReach biweekly on the second and fourth Saturday of the month, with one meeting a month having a social/fun activity theme - such as game night, movie night, or going out - and the other being more discussion oriented.  
  For more information about OutReach’s new Women4Women group, call Outreach at 608-255-8582 and leave a message or email Donna at DW65@sbcglobal.net.

Chippewa Valley LGBT Center Sets April Events
Eau Claire - The LGBT Community Center of the Chippewa Valley has announced two upcoming events in April. One explores a topic not often spoken about in gay and lesbian circles, while the other will give those who found that “Slumdog Millionaire” whetted their appetite for things Indian an opportunity to further explore the culture of the most populous democracy on earth.
  On Tuesday April 14 the topic for the center’s Monthly Forum Discussion will be “Sexual Assault in the LGBT Community.” Amanda Mondlock from UWEC’s Center for Sexual Assault Awareness (CASA) will present a discussion about sexual assault in the gay and lesbian community, its prevelance, and the types of assualt that are occurring. In addition to learning about what is happening, attendees will learn how they can help those affected by it, or possibly even help to prevent it. The two hour discussion will begin at 7 PM and there is no admission charge.
  On Saturday, April 18 the Center will offer another in its popular “Saturday Night at the Movies” series.  This month’s film is “Fire,” a 1996 Indian release called “both epic and feminist” by the New York Times.
  In the film, Ashok runs a family business that sells takeout food and has a video rental store. Ashok’s extended family includes his wife Radha, his brother Jatin, their ailing mother Biji and their manservant Mundu. At the insistence of Ashok and their mother, Jatin agrees to marry Sita in an arranged marriage. However, Jatin  is actually in love with Julie, a Chinese-Indian.
  At first glance, the viewer appears to see a happy middle-class family going through the normal paces of everyday life. As the layers are slowly peeled back, we find a simmering cauldron of discontent within the family, with almost every family member living a lie.
  In this environment, it is only natural that Sita and Radha become fast friends, and, in time, much more than that. Radha and Sita at first look to one another for comfort and later to satisfy their own passions. Their same sex loveclearly is not without its share of painful obstacles.
  Doors open at 7:15 PM with the movie beginning at 7:30. Discussion will follow the movie. Admission and popcorn are always free. Beverages and movies snacks will also available.
  Both events will be held at the center, located at 510 S. Farwell in Eau Claire.

PrideFest Weekend Headliners Announced
Milwaukee - Two Grammy Award-winning artists will share their multi-platinum hits at the 22nd PrideFest to be held this June 12-14 on the Henry B. Maier “Sumerfest” ground here.
  Grammy winning pop legend Cyndi Lauper will be the opening headliner at PrideFest Friday, June 12 organizers announced March 16. Lauper, who last summer topped dance charts worldwide with “Same Ol’ Story” and “Into The Nightlife,” has long been considered a LGBT community icon.
  “It’s an honor to always have the genuine affection of the gay community,” Lauper said in a PrideFest press release. “They  have never turned their back on me. I will never turn my back on them. We’ve had a long and enduring love affair.”
  Lauper won a Grammy award for Best New Artist in 1985 and  became the first artist in history to have five top 10 singles from a debut album. She has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, including a 2008 nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album for her latest effort “Bring Ya To the Brink.”.
  Among Lauper’s other honors are nominations for two Emmy  Awards, two American Music Awards, seven American Video Awards, and 18 MTV awards.
  With hits such as, ‘Time after Time,” “True Colors,” and “Girls just Want to Have Fun,” Lauper has cemented her position as one of the all time pop music greats. In her near quarter-century career Lauper has sold in excess of 25 million units world wide.
  On Saturday, June 13 Grammy Award winning songstress Brandy will headline at the festival. Since her eponymous 1994 four-time platinum debut at age 15, Brandy (aka Brandy Rayana Norwood) has been a force to be reckoned with. “Brandy” was a huge success with four chart-topping singles. She followed that up with the five-time platinum, Grammy winning “Never Say Never Again,” and the platinum-selling “Full Moon.”
  In December 2008, Brandy released her fifth full-length studio album “Human,” a bold and breathtaking collection of songs that represents her growth as an artist and a human being. “Human” is her debut release with Epic Records and first album since 2004’s gold-selling “Afrodisiac.”
   “It’s musical, its creative, it’s different than anything you’ve heard in a long time,” Brandy said about the new album. “It’s quality music and I feel like its music that’s going to last for a long time.”
   The singer feels “Human” shows another side of her personality. “I want to convey that I’m just like you. I go through the same things. I react in some of the same ways, and I’m a human being just like the next person,” Brandy said.
  While recording “Human,” Brandy also collaborated with last year’s PrideFest headliner, British pop singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield, Brian Kennedy and James Fauntleroy. The first single, “Right Here (Departed),” was No. 1 for six consecutive weeks on BET’s “106 & Park”.
  Aside from her accomplished music career, Brandy has been a successful actress notably known for her TV role as “Moesha” and her star turn in the Emmy Award-winning Disney special “Cinderella.”
  Brandy will perform on the Miller Stage at PrideFest on June 13, with the show set to begin at 8 PM.
  VIP tickets for both the Lauper and Brandy shows will go on sale officially on March 27. The announcement of Brandy’s upcoming PrideFest performance was simultaneously broadcast across Wisconsin on Jammin 98.3 in Milwaukee, Z104 in Madison, and 95.9 KISS FM in Green Bay March 19. The stations also offered special pre-sale passwords March 24-26 in a special pre-sale of the VIP tickets. Festival organizers told Quest that requests from VIP seating have already come in from as far away as Michigan and Oklahoma.
  For more information about the ehadline shows and this year’s festival, visit the PrideFest website at: www.pridefest.com.
  PrideFest will offer special VIP reserved seating for Lauper’s June 12 performance, as well as general admission tickets. Tickets will go on sale March 27th. An exclusive pre-sale will be offered to select VIP email members on March 24. For more information, visit the festival website at: www.pridefest.com

Pride Alive Spring Fling Coming April 11
Appleton - How much would your spend for a dinner at a fine resturant with wine and cocktails, then dancing the night away in grand style in your favorite fashions? On most nights a date like that could set a couple back a couple of hundred bucks.  But just $50 per person will make it happen on Saturday, April 11 at the first-ever “Pride Alive Spring Fling,” a semi-formal dinner and dance event to be held at the Adagio Dance Club, 1004 S Olde Oneida St. #116, beginning at  7 PM. Presented by Adagio’s Terry Irwin and Brian Hartinger, this black-tie optional soirée will feature complimentary cocktails, an hors d’oeuvres buffet meal provided by Angelinas Restaurant of Green Bay and free ballroom dance instruction.
  In addition to Adagio Dance Club and Angelinas, co-sponsors include Rascals Bar & Grill, Men’s Wearhouse and the Wreath Factory. All proceeds from the evening will benefit Pride Alive 2009. The week-long schedule of events will culminate in the day-long Pride Alive festival on July 11.
  Tickets are just $50 per person. Due to space limitations the event will be open to 80 individuals only. To reserve a spot on the guest list, please email the committee at: info@newpride.org, call Andrew DeBaker at 920-471-3260, or purchase tickets at Rascal’s, 702 E. Wisconsin Ave. in Appleton. The NEWPride/Pride Alive Committee looks forward to sharing an elegant evening of fine food, dancing and intriguing company with all of you.

Cream City Chorus To Offer “Whirled Music,” A Choral Theatre Event
Milwaukee - If you haven’t heard of choral theatre, you may be missing a unique treat in performing arts.  Part choral concert, part stage play, choral theatre draws on the best of both worlds.  In its April 18 performance of “Whirled Music,” The Wisconsin Cream City Chorus blends unusual arrangements of well-known tunes with an entirely original script and other visual elements. 
  The show’s two featured performers, Joel Kopischke and J. Ruben Piirainen, are both well-known names in midwest performing arts circles.  Piirainen portrays a recluse composer who calls in a computer geek (Joel Kopischke) to save the day when his technology starts to go haywire. “But is everything as it seems?” asks director Kristen L. Weber, who conceived and co-wrote the story. “We wanted to take silly fun to a whole new level. Both musically and theatrically, it’s a delightful romp!”
  “Whirled Music” will be performed at 7:30 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church West, 13001 W. North Avenue in Brookfield.
  Tickets for the concert are $15 for adult, $10 for youth,ages 11-18, and free for kids 10 and under. Tickets are now available from chorus members or the chorus office, located in the Milwaukee LGBT Center, 315 W. Court St.. Revervation inquiries by email at: email info@creamcitychorus.org or by phone at: 414-276-8787 are encouraged. 
  For more information about the Wisconsin Cream City Chorus, the “Whirled Music” concert, and the entire concert season, visit the WCCC website at: www.creamcitychorus.org.

Jerry Grillo Sets CCF Benefit Concert
Milwaukee - He’s been called “the consummate lounge singer, wrapping his voice around the meaning of every word of every standard he sings.” His fans in southeast Wisconsin are too many to number. And now the Cream City Foundation will present a very special cabaret night with Jerry Grillo - Milwaukee’s answer to Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin - in a special performance of songs made famous by women. The cabaret concert will be held at the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center on Tuesday, April 17, beginning at 8 PM. 
  Grillo studied voice and acting at the University of Minnesota and jazz vocal at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. A native of Minnesota, Jerry currently resides in Milwaukee. His CDs have received airplay in all over the United States, France, Australia, Canada, Brazil and England.
  The Jerry Grillo concert will benefit the Cream City Foundation’s John Cowles Youth Fund, which recently awarded over $60,000 to fight gay and transgender youth homeless in Milwaukee.
  Tickets are $15 is available by phone at: 414-225-0244 or online at: www.creamcityfoundation.org.
  Since 1982, Cream City Foundation serves as the leader in mobilizing philanthropic resources, fostering strategic collaboration, effecting positive change and the advancement of the quality, dignity, and health of LGBT people in Southeastern Wisconsin.  Learn more at: www.creamcityfoundation.org

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Alchemist Theatre
Review By Paul Masterson

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf runs through April 4 at the The Alchemist Theatre and Lounge, 2569 S. Kinnickinnic Avenue in Bayview. For ticket information visit the company’s webite at: www.alchemisttheatre.com or call 414-426-4169.
I first experienced Edward Albee in high school when the drama club produced “Zoo Story.”  After the play’s brief run, Christ the King Preparatory School’s rector forbade our English teacher, the play’s director, from doing any more “queer plays.”
  Too late! Albee had successfully delivered his message: it would be a struggle to be different and to face reality.
  The Alchemist Theatre’s production of Albee’s Tony Award winning play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf reiterates that most dire of human phobia - facing reality or at least distinguishing it from illusion. It’s a study of human foibles, facades, fantasies and failure
  Reality is to see this constellation of characters as gay rather than straight. It’s 1963, after all, and gay playwrights like Albee and Tennessee Williams are still choked by America’s aversion to queers, the next best group to hate after communists, or, perhaps, even better. So, the cast is disguised in the sheep’s clothing of George, Martha, Nick and Honey. They’re straight-acting.
  The scene is an after-party party. Both couples, university professors and their wives, have no children, although hosts George (Mike Webber) and Martha (Sharon Nieman-Koebert) pretend to until the charade is outed. Their guests are Nick (Kirk Thomsen, who also directs), the new biology professor and his wife Honey (Liz Shipe). Each character has an agenda and plays his or her hand with wishful thinking but ultimately “flopped” ambition.  Still, like many dysfunctional relationships, there’s a love story here - perhaps.
  Opening with a classic Bette Davis quote, the dialogue is serious 60’s gay banter - bitter wit tinged with world and self-loathing.  Boys in the Band would, in 1970, would serve up a cocktail of similarly shaken characters - this time, blatantly gay.
  Its stature as one of American literature’s greatest plays, a demanding script and default competition with its film version make Virginia Woolf a daunting task for both director and cast. Thomsen, who, with Aaron Kopec, also designed the set, sound and lighting, directs his well-chosen cast to play the dynamics of their characters with adroit poignancy.
  Webber’s successful portrayal of George as the brutal game master is layered. Ranging from calculated and cold-hearted to sympathetically pitiful. His resignation is palpable. Playing Martha, his wife, Nieman-Koebert gives a strong performance, equally evil and equally desperate. Thomsen delivers intelligent young jock-buck appeal. He makes Nick a cocky object of desire whose charm gives way to fragility. Finally, Shipe gives a proper performance of Nick’s mousy and brandy-slugging wife, Honey.
  The set, too, creates a well-considered environment of forced eclecticism, illuminated by four very mismatched lamps.
  Albee’s disturbing assessment of our lives, gay and straight, becomes a universal statement at the Alchemist.

What Makes A Car Gay?
By Carmen Alicia Murguia
It’s auto show season around the country, and recently I worked the Greater Milwaukee Auto Show representing Infiniti.  While speaking with a guest taking in our new hardtop convertible, I overheard a group of young men in their 20’s saying, “That car is so f#$%ng gay!”  They were pointing to a 2009 Audi.  They used the word gay, not in a happy and excited way as if they found their dream car, but they said it in an insulting way.
  The offensive comment sent shivers up and down my spine because I thought isn’t this a safe place for us to all come together and experience good design and amazing technology.   I also thought, if the outside is all they are noticing, then surely they would see I’m a Lesbian saleswoman and hurl “f&*(^ng dyke!” my way as they walked through the showroom.
  But it also made me think: What makes a car look gay?  Is it the intensity of the discharge lamps?  Could it be the smart and sexy curves engineered to make it look like it’s moving even when the vehicle is still?  Is it the way the glass shines when a car is the headliner? What about color –are white, red, black, bronze, and yellow all desirable on a model -- new or used?  Is it the badge we all want to be seen in when we picture ourselves pulling up at the curb?
  I know of cars, Audi included, that draw in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to them – design, safety, comfort, accolades, and of course, curb appeal.  On another level, companies like Subaru, Mercedes Benz, Saab, Volvo, Jaguar, Range Rover are attracting themselves to the LGBT market through advertising and sponsor efforts to get our buying power.
  But back to these young men and their comment:  “That car is so f#$%ng gay!” and why it bothers me.  My first response was to kick that kids ass; that was before I took a deep breath.  I only would have gotten arrested and then what message am I sending about aggressive behavior and language.  This is a teaching experience, Carmen.  I wondered, too, could it be that they were gay themselves and are internalizing their homophobia?  I was deep into a conversation with a guest to figure out what to do or say.  They were gone from the luxury floor of the auto show, and besides what would I have said other than, “So what makes this car gay?”
  “Cars, like everything else have sexuality and gender (aren’t they always referred to as girls?), Roberta Hanus writes.  Perhaps another response would be to say to the pack of teen boys, “Oh, that’s interesting,, you think it’s Gay...why just a few minutes ago a group of teenage girls came by and they said that they thought it was so F-ing Het! And one of the girls even said she thought it was Macho!”
  That might get them to see how everyone is involved in their sexual fantasies when they are buying a car... if they can afford to be, that is. So those boys are clearly dreaming of driving that beautiful Audi around with their Gay boyfriend, maybe enroute to LA or Palm Springs.
  According to two other women I admire, Harriet McKinney, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Area Jewish Committee and Tina Owen, Lead Teacher and Founder of The Alliance School, an open and affirming High School, they agreed to use humor as a form of addressing it and gets people to think about what they said.
  “In a situation like this, very relaxed say, I’m glad you said that I’m wondering what you meant?” Harriet said, which makes the person think about what they said without making them your enemy.
  Or “Gay, really?  Do you think so…What makes the car gay?”
  Tina responded, “Gay means gorgeous!”
  At Alliance School Tina’s heard a few students reclaim the language by saying, “That’s so gay,” as in “That’s so hot!”
  “If I know someone casually, I’ll let them know I was offended.  If I don’t know someone, I’ll address it with humor.”
  I can only imagine what they would have said had they lifted the hood and seen its graceful engineering or sat behind the luxurious wheel and sank into the supple leather of that 2009 Audi – in the words of students at Alliance School, “This car is so gay!”

This Month in Wisconsin LGBT History
By Michail Takach

1979 - Thirty Years Ago
Madison’s first gay television program, “Glad to Be Gay,” is broadcast on Cable 4, the city’s public access channel.  The program is sponsored by Madison Community United, an educational organization of gays and their friends, and is eventually archived at the Social Work Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

1989 - Twenty Years Ago
On March 11, the Milwaukee news media reports that officials at Green Tree Nursing Home (6925 N. Port Washington Rd., Glendale) and Mount Carmel Health Care Center (5700 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield) would finally begin accepting persons with AIDS, effective March 15. 
  This news was a major turning point in what some had called “a national disgrace.”   Up until this point, Milwaukee area nursing homes, like most in the United States, had refused to provide care for AIDS patients.
  Milwaukee was no exception in this national crisis. According to CBS-TV, only 4% of American doctors were caring for 60-75% of all AIDS cases nationwide. ACT-UP estimated that there were 3,000-4,000 homeless AIDS victims living on the streets of New York City because there was nobody willing or able to care for them.
  Douglas Nelson, executive director of the Milwaukee AIDS Project, had threatened to file civil suits against Milwaukee County nursing homes if they continued to refuse care.  In an open letter to Wisconsin’s nursing home associations, four state representatives attacked the policy of 62 Milwaukee area nursing homes of denying admission to persons with AIDS, asking why they had not met the challenge of the existing AIDS crisis, let alone prepared for its future escalation.  The nursing homes responded that they were still in the process of developing AIDS admission policies and employee training, but admitted that they had not yet accepted any AIDS cases.  
  Both the quality and consistency of long-term care were jeopardized by provider paranoia, and its dehumanizing impact on AIDS victims cannot be overstated. Dental care was refused to many who desperately needed it.  Despite their weakened condition, patients were sometimes left to collect their own meals or medications from the hallway because caregivers refused to enter their rooms.  Many providers had policies against placing AIDS patients in semi-private rooms with other patients - and when private rooms were unavailable, some were left on gurneys in the hallway.  The Wisconsin Light reported on one AIDS patient who awoke with a fever of 105 degrees, contacted his doctor, and was actually told “you brought this on yourself.” 

1999 - Ten Years Ago
Gay rights pioneer Eldon Murray is featured in a Wisconsin Light series on “Our Village Elders,” written by Bill Meunier.
  Born in Vincennes, Indiana in 1930, Eldon Murray was involved in the Gay Liberation Front at a time when people never used their real names. When being gay was still a taboo to many, Eldon was proud of who he was, setting an example and freeing many other gay men and women to follow as they themselves came out.
The International Gay and Lesbian Archives honored Eldon Murray as one of the “pioneers of the movement” in 1998.  At the time, he was one of only 32 people to receive this award.  And in reviewing the amazing life of this village elder, it’s not hard to see why.
  At 18, Eldon moved to Chicago for a finance career, served in the Korean War, and arrived in Milwaukee in 1955.  Eldon quickly became involved in gay liberation. Eldon shared, “My clients didn’t care as long as I made money for them. I could stand up and be openly gay when few people could.”
  Eldon founded Wisconsin’s oldest LGBT group (Gay People’s Union,) edited one of America’s first national LGBT publications (GPU News,) began the first weekly LGBT radio program in the country (Gay Perspectives,) established the first gay STD clinic in the country (now the BESTD Clinic,) created the GPU Hotline, and developed a gay legal defense fund. Eldon is also credited with obtaining the initial grants for the Milwaukee AIDS Project (MAP,) now known as the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW.)
Eldon’s projects became models for other cities in the country, and many of Milwaukee’s existing LGBT institutions are descended from his efforts.
  Even at a retirement age, Eldon Murray remained passionate about his beliefs. In 1993, he attended a SAGE conference in New York on behalf of the Cream City Foundation, returned to Milwaukee and founded a local SAGE chapter.  He also acted as a spokesperson for LGBT seniors, served on the Milwaukee County Council on Aging’s Advisory Board, and actively worked to overcome ageism in the LGBT community.
  Due to his advocacy efforts, Eldon received much recognition, including the Wisconsin Senior Statesmanship Program Award, Share Wisconsin Award, Stonewall Awards, Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, Cream City Pace Setter Award, Milwaukee County Senior Citizen Hall of Fame, Pridefest Lifetime Achievement Award, and many other local and national awards. 
  After a long life of community service, Eldon Murray passed away on March 5, 2007, a few days after his 77th birthday.  And despite witnessing so much progress in his lifetime, Eldon remained vigilant about liberation up until the end.  “There’s still things to be done. The rights you have must be constantly guarded, or they’ll be taken away”.

Find out about these and other historical events in Wisconsin’s LGBT community at the Milwaukee History Project website: www.wisconsingayhistory.org.