1. Kate
Clinton
page 11TT
What’sInside:
Section 1: News & Politics
Advertising rates 3
Letter to the Editor 3
RapeVictimAdvocacy Program byAngela Geno-Stumme 5
Club CO2-The New GLBTQA Night Club 5
Out Networking 5
Women & LGBT People UnderAttack by Blumenfeld 6
Remarkables by JonathanWilson 7
Time for aThird (and more) Party byTony E.Hansen 7
Minor Details by Robert N Minor 8
Just Sayin’ by Beau Fodor 8
Inside Out:The Price of Gender by Ellen Krug 9
Nebraska:Ron Brown by Cyd Zeigler jr. 9
Creep of theWeek by D’AnneWitkowski 10
KnowYourself,KnowYour Status,GetTested 10
Section 2: Fun Guide
Entertainment Picks for the Month 11
Kate Clinton - Interview by ChrisAzzopardi 11
WiredThisWay by Rachel Eliason 12
Day of Silence PromotionalAd 13
TimeAgain for Paul Revere By JonathanWilson 14
Cocktail Chatter by Ed Sikov 14
FromThe Heart by Rev.Kathy Love,D.D. 16
Your IowaWeddingAwaits:Celebration 18
Out ofTown:Memphis and Nashville byAndrew Collins 21
One of the tallest trees in our forest By Rev.Monroe 22
Deep Inside Hollywood by Romeo SanVicente 22
Hear Me Out by ChrisAzzopardi 23
The Bookworm Sez byTerri Schlichenmeyer 24
Comics and Crossword Puzzle 24-25
ACCESSline’s STATEWIDE Recurring Events List 25
Section 3: Community
FFBC:Ellen Brings Mind Bending to FFBC by Bruce Carr 27
Council Bluffs CommunityAlliance 27
Gender and Sexual OrientationAgency at UNO 27
The Project of the Quad Cities Calender 27
From the Pastor’s Pen by Rev.Jonathan Page 28
Ask Lambda Lega by Scott Schoettes 29
Project HIM,Healthy Iowa Men 30
Love Responsibly SilentAuction a Success 31
Diversity FocusAppoints Chad Simmons 31
PITCH hosting 2012Wellness Summit 32
Business Directory 33-34
Page 13Page 11 Page 16 Page 31
SHARON NEEDLES continued page 4TTCHAIN continued page 4TT
DR JOE continued page 4TT
Page 23
Virginia Tonelli discusses
Community HIV and Hepatitis
Advocates of Iowa Network
CouldyoutellmeaboutCommunityHIVandHepa-
titis Advocates of Iowa Network (CHAIN)?
The Community HIV/Hepatitis Advocates of Iowa
Network (CHAIN) is a non partisan organization that
provides strategic leadership in the fight against HIV and
Hepatitis. CHAIN has approximately 150 active members
throughout the state of Iowa from a variety of different
groups including individuals living with HIV and viral
hepatitis, health care professionals, industry representa-
tives, and academics.
What does it do?
We advocate for the prevention of HIV and viral hepa-
titis, and for access to quality care to ensure positive health
outcomes for all infected and affected Iowans.
Where is it based out of?
We are a state-wide, volunteer organization. We have
Iowa’sHIVExposure
LawandCHAIN
InterviewbyAngelaGeno-Stumme
I had the chance to speak with Molly Tafoya, One Iowa
Communications Director, about the new Speakers Bureau
ProgramwithOneIowa.OneIowa’smissionistosupportfull
equality for LGBT individuals living in Iowa through grass-
rootseffortsandeducation.Formedin2005,theorganization
hasbeenaneffectiveadvocateforthecommunity.Incoalition
with progressive and political allies, recent achievements
include civil rights legislation to protect the LGBT commu-
nity against employment and housing discrimination, safe
schoolslegislationestablishinganti-bullyingpoliciesinIowa’s
schools, and defeating anti-marriage legislation.
What is the Speakers Bureau?
The goal of the Speakers Bureau is to equip support-
ers with the tools they need to effectively communicate
the importance of marriage equality to Iowans. We are
trying to reach Iowans in every corner of the state and have
a real conversation about why marriage matters. We do
ONE IOWA continued page 5TT
OneIowaSpeakers
BureauProgram
InterviewbyAngelaGeno-Stumme
Now (in)famous for her unique style on RuPaul’s Drag
Race, Sharon
Needlesiscoming
to The Garden in
Des Moines on
April 20th.
What has
been your
inspiration as
the Queen of
Shock?
My favorite
form of enter-
tainmentisshock
art. I love to push things as far to the edge as possible for
thesakeofattention.Sometimesit’ssocialcommentary,and
sometimes I just like to be a brat.
You say that you are an example of current social
anxieties, what concerns does Sharon Needles have
about society?
Iseeourculturegoingbackwards.Theironyinthatiswe
can do such great things and have groundbreaking technol-
ogy, but our social tolerance, sense of humor, and all around
SharonNeedles—
TheQueenofShock
InterviewbySevenLove
Franklin Family
Practice is a full-
servicemedicalprac-
tice specializing in
accessible, holistic
care for all individu-
als and their family
members. The clinic
shares space with,
and is a wholly-
ownedsubsidiaryof,
United Community
Services, Inc. UCS
providesqualitycare
inarecoveryfocused
system.
The goal of the Franklin Family Practice is to provide
patients with individualized and personal health care, while
equippingthemwiththeinformationtheyneedtoberespon-
DrJoeDiscussesLGBT
HealthcareatFFP
InterviewbyAngelaGeno-Stumme
4. advocates from across the state. I live in the
Des Moines area and we hold most of our
meetings in Des Moines.
Does it have any events or groups?
CHAIN’sbiggesteventisourannualDay
on the Hill, which typically takes place in
February.Thedayconsistsofadvocacytrain-
ing in the morning followed by a luncheon
with legislators at the State Capitol. This
gives advocates an opportunity to have a
one-on-one conversation with their legis-
lators while they wait in line for lunch. By
design, we have a captive audience. Iowa is
very fortunate in that our state legislators
are very accessible to their constituents.
Last fall, CHAIN held two different advo-
cacy trainings that were focused on federal
advocacy efforts.
What part do you play in CHAIN?
My official title is “Advocacy Coordina-
tor.” I wear many different hats, to say the
least.Idoeverythingfrommeetingplanning
to grassroots organizing. I work on CHAIN’s
socialmediastrategies.CHAINhasaSteering
Committeethatalsoplaysanintegralrolein
making sure things go smoothly.
As I understand it, Iowa’s HIV Trans-
missionLawallowsfortheimprisonment
of HIV-infected people if they do not
reveal their condition before having sex
with another person. Is this accurate?
Please, elaborate.
Iowa Code 709C says that a person
commitscriminaltransmissionofthehuman
immunodeficiency virus if the person,
knowingtheirHIVstatusispositive,engages
in intimate contact with another person.
Exposing someone to HIV, whether or not
the virus is transmitted, is a class “B” felony
with sentences of up to 25 years in prison.
Iowa’s law is not a transmission law, but an
exposure law. The virus need not be trans-
mitted for someone to be charged with the
Criminal Transmission of HIV.
WhyisIowa’sHIVTransmissionLaw
controversial?
Iowa’sCriminalTransmissionstatuteis
considered one of the most stringent in the
country. If convicted, an individual may be
sentenced for up to 25 years in prison and
be required to register as a sex offender. In
many ways, the punishment does not fit the
crime.Tobeginwith,theriskoftransmission
of HIV is much lower than people realize.
TheCentersforDiseaseControlandPreven-
tion estimate that the risk of transmission
during heterosexual intercourse is 1 per
1,000exposures. Mostpersonsconvictedof
HIV transmission did not actually transmit
HIV, but a conviction is punishable by up to
25 years in prison. On the other hand, the
sentence for causing injury when operat-
ing a vehicle while intoxicated is only one
year in jail.
Iowa’s law is also a blatant misuse of
the sex offender registry. This registry was
designed for persons convicted or adjudi-
cated of a criminal offense against a minor,
sexual exploitation, or a sexually violent
crime.Almostallcriminaltransmissioncases
take place between two consenting adults.
Iowa’s current law doesn’t include
intent. Someone maliciously trying to infect
others with HIV should be punished differ-
ently than someone who simply did not
disclose their status. However, in Iowa this
hasn’t been the case. This is also the same
standard we have for every other infec-
tious disease. Inadvertent transmission
or nondisclosure of positive status is not
punishable by law for any other infectious
disease in Iowa.
ArethereotherStatesthathavelaws
that taken intent into account?
Thirty-six (36) states and two (2) U.S.
territories explicitly criminalize HIV expo-
surethroughsex,sharedneedlesor,insome
states, exposure to “bodily fluids” that can
includesaliva.Theselawsarenotuniformly
defined or enforced. Punishment for HIV
specific laws range from misdemeanors
and in some cases felonies, depending on
the state.
Some states take intent into consider-
continued from page 1SS
CHAIN
CHAIN cont’d page 15TT
acceptance of bad taste is dwindling.
Howhasyourlifechangedsincebeing
on Season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race?
Everything behind the closed door of
my home and personal life is the same. I live
a simple family life with my partner and
elderly cat. But everywhere I go outside of
my home, I’m recognized and fame-raped
until exhaustion. I love it. Being recognized
is better than a paycheck.
What did you think of the other
contestants?
Weareallsistersinaverydysfunctional
family. Andlikeanyfamily,youdon’thaveto
like them in order to love them.
Tell us about the episode when you
hadtolipsyncforyourlifeagainstPhiPhi
O’Hara, but then Willam was eliminated
instead you or Phi Phi.
IwouldhaveratherseenPhiPhisashay
awaythanseeWillamgohome.WouldIhave
won that lip sync for your life? I’ll let you be
the judge. Google it.
Lady Gaga has tweeted about
you. (Sharon Needles looks FABULOUS
2night on drag race. Very Born This Way
outfit/fame monster wig. Any rentals for
mytour.#needthatbodysuit-Mon26Mar
21:51) What do you think about that?
Shocking, I guess. I wonder why she
finds the time.
You are on tour at present, Whats
been you’re favorite club to perform at?
I’ve enjoyed every venue I’ve been at
and every fan I’ve met. But if I HAD to pick,
my home bar, The Blue Moon in Pittsburgh
because that’s where my family is at, and it’s
been my spot before all of this insanity.
A quick Google search of your name
bringsupthefollowingstatement:“Birth
certificatesandarrestwarrantsalikeindi-
cate that Sharon Needles is from IOWA.”
Would you care to comment on that?
Accurate.
WhatcanIowansexpectfromSharon
Needles performance at The Garden in
Des Moines?
I’m working on something special for
my home sweet home. The show is on
4/20, which may influence the theme of the
show. And I can’t wait to see my parents.
continued from page 1SS
SHARON NEEDLES
continued from page 1SS
DR JOE
DR JOE cont’d page 15TT
sible for their overall health and wellness.
They seek to be their patients’ medical home
– providing primary care and coordination
of all health care needs between the patient,
their physicians and, when appropriate, the
patient’sfamily.FranklinFamilyPracticebeing
under United Community Services makes Dr
Joeandhisstaffaddictioninformed.Franklin
FamilyClinicwithDr.JoeFreundislocatedat
4908 Franklin Ave, Des Moines.
How does being a gay man help you
with your LGBT patients?
I think it’s important for people to see
themselves in places where they get service
and so in that way, being I am an out gay man
helps people feel more comfort. For me, the
storygoesbackto—Ididn’tcomeouttillIwas
about 40. It was at that point that I started
learning about some of this stuff out of just
pureselfishreasons. BecauseIhadgottenno
trainingonanythingforlesbian,gay,bisexual,
or transgender health care at all. So, I had to
learnaboutthisstuffmyself. Todothat,Iwent
to a few conferences especially from the Gay
andLesbianMedicalAssociation,whichhasan
annualconferencethat’sgreat. ThenIdiscov-
eredthattherewerealotofgaymenthatwere
tryingtofindwhereIwasinordertocomesee
me. Just because they felt more comfortable
talking about things with me. So, over time
thathasreallyjustsortofexpandedoutandI
APRIL 2012ACCESSline Page 4
Section 1: News & Politics
5. Gay owned and operated, Club CO2
has opened their doors in Cedar Rapids.
The owners, Jim Lehner, Rick Platte, and
Scott Alt, state that patrons of the Club
can expect a clean environment, great
entertainment, along with great nightly
specials. And that statement has proven
true at Club CO2!
Why Club CO2? Because when the
dance floor gets too hot, Club CO2 cools
it down with their CO2 canon! It drops
the dance floor 20 degrees and fogs up
the dance floor. Club CO2 is open 7 days a
weekfrom4PM-2AM,withthedancefloor
open Friday and Saturday nights.
The daily happy hour is from 4 PM -
8 pm and Wednesday is always Karaoke
Night from 8-Midnight. Nightly specials
include $2 wells, $2 pints, $3 ~ 24 oz
tall boys, and $4 ~ 32 oz tumblers of
domestic beer. Club CO2 serves compli-
mentary freshly popped popcorn all day
every day!
A giant 12 foot by 7 foot high defini-
tion TV dominates the Club, and is hooked
up with satellite signal. Two more flat
screen TVs are available at the bar, and yes
they will have the LOGO channel!
At Club CO2 you will hear a great
stereo sound with booming bass and you
will see a HIGH energy eye popping DMX
controlled lightshow.
The owner’s and staff invite you to
come check out Club CO2 and “Have A
Blast”! An ATM machine is on site. The
club also accepts: Master Card, Visa,
Discover, and American Express! For
more information and updated specials
visit www.club-co2.com or Club CO2 on
Facebook for details. Club CO2 is located
at 616 2nd
Avenue SE in Cedar Rapids. Club
CO2 Phone Number: 319-365-0225
this by having one-on-one conversations,
hosting house parties, and by speaking
publicly, either through the media or with
public groups who don’t necessarily have
a stance on LGBT equality in the state. The
Speakers Bureau program is a way to work
with supporters to become public speaking
ambassadors and talk to new communities
about the importance of equality.
Weencourageparticipantstobringwith
themideasofopportunitiestospeakpublicly
within their own circles—through these
networks we can have more conversations
with more Iowans.
When was the Speakers Bureau
program started? Why was it started?
The Speakers Bureau program was
started in 2011 with the purpose of equip-
pingOneIowasupporterswiththetoolsand
messages they need to be effective public
speakers. The program arose out of a new
public education effort to reach Iowans
acrossthestateandhavearealconversation
about the importance of marriage equality:
WhyMarriageMattersIowa.www.whymar-
riagemattersiowa.org.
The Speakers Bureaus are an opportu-
nity for supporters who worked with One
Iowa to take their involvement to the next
level. We are looking for outspoken and
engaged supporters who are interested in
takingourmessageofequalityforallIowans
toapublicaudience—whetherthatincludes
the media, or public speaking engagements
in their own circles.
What type of response have you had,
for those interested in the program?
We have had really positive responses
to folks just learning about the program,
and from those who have been through
our initial sessions. For the most part, One
Iowa supporters are on the lookout for new
ways to get involved with the organization
and this is a unique and interesting way to
learn more. Past participants have said that
the trainings were useful in learning about
messaging and the most effective ways to
communicatetheimportanceofLGBTequal-
ity.Formanyparticipants,itwasthefirsttime
theylearnedtherationalebehindeffectively
communicating with Iowans. For others, it
was an opportunity to ask questions about
the best ways to respond and engage with
people on this issue.
Whoiseligible?Doyouhavetobegay
or married? Do you have to be from Iowa
or speak in Iowa?
Anyoneiseligible!Youdonotneedtobe
LGBT, straight, married, or single—you just
needtohaveadesiretospeakpubliclyabout
the importance of marriage equality. Our
sessions are not limited to Iowans, however,
we will be travelling to cities in Iowa as we
are a statewide organization. We encourage
peopletoattendwhoareinterestedinlearn-
ingabouthowtoeffectivelycommunicatethe
importance of marriage equality to Iowans.
Whattraining/informationdoesOne
Iowa give a speaker?
Attendees will receive information
aboutthecurrentstateofLGBTequalitywith
afocusonmarriageasbackgroundinforma-
tion before we dive into the best practices
and powerful messages that we can use to
engagewithpeoplewhoareundecidedorare
conflictedontheissueofequality.Attendees
continued from page 1SS
ONE IOWA
ONE IOWA cont’d page 32TT
Acasemanagementprogramservingthose
livingwithHIV/AIDSinnorth-centralIowa.
Living with HIV
226SE16thStreet
Ames,Iowa50010
515-956-3312
Club CO2-The New GLBTQA
Night Club in Cedar Rapids
KarenSilerDiscusses
TransgenderSexual
ViolenceandtheFBIRape
Redefinition
The Rape Victim Advocacy Program
(RVAP) provides confidential, accessible
support and advocacy to victim/survivors
of sexual abuse and their partners, friends,
and family members; and works to create
a community free from sexual violence by
providingeducationandpreventionstrategies
and by promoting social change. RVAP was
chosen as one of the sites to participate with
FORGEtoimprovetheabilityofcriticalpublic
service agencies to reach and appropriately
serve transgender and gender non-conform-
ing people. FORGE, a 17-year-old national
transgender and SOFFA (Significant Others,
Friends, Family and Allies) organization.
Could you give a general overview of
what services you provide?
We provide counseling services for
anyonewhohasbeenaffectedbysexualabuse.
All our services are free and confidential.
Wehaveconfidentialcounselingservices.
We have our local 24 hour crisis hotline. We
also have the Iowa sexual abuse hotline,
which is the state hotline for sexual abuse
survivors.
Wealsoprovideadvocacywhichincludes
supporttoindividualswhohavebeenaffected
by sexual abuse and other types of interper-
sonal violence, to the hospital, to the court,
and to meet with law enforcement.
Thenwehaveeducationalprogramming.
We are trained professionals, we provide
awarenessinformation,andtrainingforother
agenciesinthecommunitythatweserve.And
alsothere’saschoolbasedriskreductionand
prevention education which we provide to
different school systems across our service
area. Because we work with the University of
Iowaandtheirjudicialprocesses,we’llprovide
advocacy to them through that as well.
Wedonothavetheskillorthetrainingto
provide advocacy and counseling to children
12 and under. We have referral information
that we can make for those though.
Andyouhavespecificservicesforthe
LGBT community as well?
We have been making effort into that
community to provide more comprehensive
assistancetomakeourselvesmoreaccessible
tothatcommunity. Andthat’swiththehelpof
theForgeprojectthatwearelookingtoexpand
ourservicesandseewhoaccessesourservices.
I wouldn’t say that we have specific services
forLGBT,butwearereallyworkingonmaking
ourselves more accessible. And that all our
services are available to everyone.
SinceyoumentionedtheForgeproject,
that’s the transgender sexual violence
project. Couldyoudiscussalittlebitabout
that?
Forge is an organization in Milwaukee,
Wisconsinandtheyreceivedfundingfromthe
U.S. Department of Justice to pick four sites
nationally, to establish community teams to
work on response to violence against trans-
gendered individuals. We’ve done service-
providersurveystoallourcommunityagents.
And then also surveys for transgendered
individuals in gathering information about
attitudes and beliefs.
Weknowisthatthesefolksareathigher
risk for sexual assault and have a higher rate
of sexual violence. And that our numbers do
notmatchwhatthatshouldbe. Weknowthat
theseindividualsareapartofourcommunity
andnotacceptingourservices. So,whatisthe
barrier? Is it our barrier? What is it that we
can do to remove that?
We had our first meeting with FORGE
for RVAP training, and brainstorming where
the community wants to go next. We have
identifiedtwoareasofconcentration:creating
safespace/culturalcompetencies.Fromthose
initial meetings planning has gone forward
towards reaching these goals, and to discuss
how they can work together and collaborate.
Recently the FBI redefined its defi-
nition of rape. How do you feel that will
impact the LGBT community, and how do
you think it will impact RVAP itself?
First of all, I think it is a fantastic step.
What this means now is that everyone who
experiences some type of sexual violence
will be counted, if acknowledged by the FBI
in the uniform crime report. What has been
reportedundernationalstatisticsisthatsexual
abuse was by force and was a penis assault-
ing a vagina. And only women victims of
male perpetrators. And we know that sexual
assaults have a much broader spectrum and
our law in Iowa provides for that broad spec-
trum. But that was not reported for national
statistics, and now that has changed with the
FBI redefinition.
Thiswillhelppeopledefine sexualassault
betterandsexualassaultinsame-sexrelation-
shipsisnowbeingcountedandisconsidered
federally. In Iowa, it’s not going to change
how things are charged. It’s just about what
isbeingreportednow. So,there’llprobablybe
an uptake in the national statistics of sexual
assault reporting.
How do you get in contact with
RVAP?
OurwebsiteisRVAP.org. Ourofficehours
are 9-5 Monday through Friday. Our hotlines
are24/7. AndAdvocacyisavailable24hours
as well.
RapeVictimAdvocacyProgram
InterviewbyAngelaGeno-Stumme
Please join Out Networking on April
11th for a networking event!
This event is hosted at the Kirkwood
Lounge the new location of The Des Moines
SocialClublocatedattheKirkwoodLounge
at 400 Walnut Street, Des Moines.
Out Networking is a social, business,
andphilanthropicnetworkingorganization
for anyone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgendered,questioningor
supportive.
This group meets every
second Wednesday of every
month at 5:30 PM at the
Des Moines Social Club (400
Walnut Street, Des Moines).
RSVP at outnetia@yahoo.com
Out Networking
ACCESSline Page 5APRIL 2012
Section 1: News & Politics
6. In my continuing quest to understand
and make meaning of current political,
economic, and social realities, I constantly
glance back into historical eras looking
for similarities and parallels from which
I can draw conclusions and possibly learn
from past mistakes we as humans have
made. While each era unquestionably
poses unique conditions and challenges
in many respects, I believe history has
enumerable lessons to
teach if we are willing
to learn.
Though I rarely
offer comparisons
between events trans-
piring before and
during the ascen-
sion to power of the
German Third Reich
with resemblances to contemporary
United States—since to do so could result
in trivializing one of the most horrific
episodes in human history—nonetheless,
I am haunted by certain parallels that
demand expression.
I am troubled by multiple similari-
ties between that time not so very long
ago with the discourses expressed and
events transpiring today, though I want to
highlight, in particular, the parallels I see
in Nazi portrayals and understandings of
sex, sexuality, gender, and gender expres-
sion: a divisive and brutal program that
was anti-feminist, anti-women’s equal-
ity, anti-women’s reproductive freedoms
(anti-family planning, anti-contraception,
anti-abortion), anti-lesbian, anti-gay, anti-
bisexual, anti-transgender, anti-gender
nonconforming, anti-sexuality education
in schools.
On Women
Alfred Rosenberg, one of the Nazi’s
chief ideologues, directed his misogynist
outrage against women: “The emancipa-
tion of women from
the women’s emanci-
pation movement is
the first demand of
a female generation
trying to rescue nation
and race, the eternally
unconscious, the foun-
dation of all civiliza-
tion, from decline…. A
woman should have every opportunity to
realize her potential, but one thing must
be made clear: Only a man must be and
remain judge, soldier, and politician.”
EnglebertHuber,aNazipropagandist,
dictated the “proper” place of women in
the Third Reich, figuratively (and literally
as well) beneath men: “In the ideology of
National Socialism, there is no room for
the political woman….[Our] movement
places woman in her natural sphere of
the family and stresses her duties as wife
and mother. The political, that post-war
creature, who rarely ‘cut a good figure’
in parliamentary debates, represents the
denigration of women. The German upris-
ing is a male phenomenon.”
The Nazis added Paragraph 218 of the
German Penal Code to outlaw abortions
and establish a national file on women
who had undergone and doctors who had
performed abortions.
On “Indecency”
In their increasing obsession with
“purifying” the social sphere, Nazi leader-
ship enacted the “Decree for Combating
Public Indecency,” which included such
provisions as working to eliminate pros-
titution; closing all bars and clubs that
“are misused for the furtherance of public
indecency”including“publichousessolely
or mainly frequented by persons engaging
in unnatural sex acts” (a.k.a. homosexu-
als);closingkiosksandmagazinestandsin
librariesandbookshops“whetherbecause
they include nude illustrations or because
of their title or contents, are liable to
produce erotic effects in the beholder.”
Though Pope Pius XII maintained a
position of neutrality and rarely spoke
out against the atrocities perpetrated by
the Nazi regime, of which he was roundly
criticized in some circles, The Vatican,
on April 3, 1933, praised the Reich on
this policy: “The Vatican welcomes the
struggle of National Germany against
obscene material. The strong measures
that Prussia’s Minister of the Interior
Göring has ordered for the combating
of obscene writings and pictures…have
received serious atten-
tion in Vatican circles.
It will be recalled that
Pius XII, in his recent
encyclicals,hasrepeat-
edly and vigorously
stressed that defen-
sive actions against
obscene material are
of fundamental importance for the bodily
and spiritual health of family and nation,
and he most warmly welcomes the type
and manner…with which this struggle has
been undertaken in the new Germany.”
On Homosexuality
The Nazis acted on and eventually
extended Paragraph 175, the section of
the German Penal Code dating back to
1871 with the unification of Germany:
“Unnaturalvicecommittedbytwopersons
of the male sex or by people with animals
is to be punished by imprisonment; the
verdict may also include the loss of civil
rights.”
Nazi ideology rested on the assess-
ment that homosexual (males) lowered
the German birth rate; they endangered,
recruited, enticed, and corrupted youth;
thatapossiblehomosexualepidemiccould
spread; that homosexuals are “potential
oppositionists” and enemies of respect-
able society; and that sexual relations
between people of the same sex impairs
their “sense of shame” and undermines
morality, which inevitably will bring about
the “decline of social community.” Even
before taking power, appearing in their
daily newspaper, Völkischer Beobachter
14 May 1928, the Nazi party argued:
“Anyone who thinks of homosexual
love is our enemy. We reject anything
which emasculates our people and makes
it a plaything for our enemies, for we know
thatlifeisafight,anditismadnesstothink
that men will ever embrace fraternally.
Natural history teaches us the opposite.
Might makes right. The strong will always
win over the weak. Let us see to it that we
once again become the strong. But this
we can achieve only in one way — the
German people must once again learn
how to exercise discipline. We, therefore,
reject any sexual deviation, particularly
between man and man, because it robs us
of the last possibility of freeing our people
from the slave-chains
in which it is now
forced to toil.”
While Nazi ideol-
ogy and practice
rejected lesbianism
as well, they did not
criminalize same sex
sexuality between
women, as they had in Germany’s Para-
graph 175 of the Penal Code, because they
believed that so-called “Aryan” lesbians
could produce children for the “New
Germany.”
On the other hand, Heinrich Himmler,
Gestapo head and chief architect of
the Reich’s anti-homosexual campaign,
justified his actions by arguing that male
homosexuals were “like women” and
therefore, could not fight in any German
war effort. Subsequently, he conducted
surveillance operations on an estimated
90,000 suspected homosexuals, arrested
approximately 50,000, and transported
somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000
to a number of concentration camps
throughout the Nazi dominion. Very few
survived.
Upon coming to power in 1933, under
their Youth Leader, Baldur von Shirach,
the Nazis took over all youth groups
converting them into Hitler Youth groups.
One action taken following consolidation
was to eliminate all signs of “homosexual
corrosion,” because it allegedly posed
a threat to state control by “fostering
political conspiracies.” Nazi leaders
purged all boys suspected of “homosexual
tendencies.” They tried and convicted an
estimated 6,000 youth under Paragraph
175 between 1933 and 1943.
Hitler also proposed eliminating all
BLUMENFELD continued page 31TT
Women&LGBTPeopleUnderAttack:1930s&NowbyWarrenJ.Blumenfeld
Warren J. Blumenfeld is associate
professor in the Department of
Curriculum and Instruction at Iowa
State University in Ames, Iowa. He is
editor of Homophobia: How We All Pay
the Price (Beacon Press), and co-editor
of Readings for Diversity and Social
Justice (Routledge) and Investigating
Christian Privilege and Religious
Oppression in the United States
(Sense). www.warrenblumenfeld.com
Naziideologyrestedonthe
assessment that homosexual
(males)...are “potential
oppositionists” and enemies
of respectable society.
Englebert Huber, a Nazi
propagandist, dictated the
“proper” place of women
in the Third Reich, figura-
tively (and literally as well)
beneath men.
APRIL 2012ACCESSline Page 6
Section 1: News & Politics
7. Collectively,
We Are A Silly People
Wepurporttobehavingaseriouspoliti-
cal debate over “marriage,” and whether or
notthathistoricallyoften-changinginstitu-
tion will be hurt by permitting law-abiding
same-sex couples to
marry. Whatever else
you may think, encour-
aging people who are
gay, or who think they
areorthinktheymaybe,
to marry unsuspecting
straight people, will not
bode well for a success-
ful, long-term marriage. I know that from
personalexperienceandsodoesmyformer
spouse of twenty-five years with whom I
sharetwochildrenandthreegrandchildren.
That there are those who argue otherwise,
and that the rest of us even give them the
time-of-day,areevidencethatwearecollec-
tively a silly people.
The fact is there is lots more such
evidence. The fact is there are far more
important issues we should be discussing
andforwhichwedesperatelyneedthought-
ful solutions.
Wearepartofaglobaleconomy. There
are tectonic economic forces at play in the
worldaslaborandcapitalseekequilibrium
by exportation of manufacturing plants or
“importation” of undocumented, but very
productive, workers.
We have a fragile economy, made the
more so by an even more fragile global
economy. More than 8% of a productive
workforce in this country alone is unem-
ployed. It’s worse
elsewhere.
Weareundeniably
polluting every aspect
of our environment—
air, soil, and water. We
live in a sewer, a sewer
of our own making.
Acquiring property is
increasingly risky because of the potential
for the later discovery of contamination.
We’re giving ourselves cancer and other
diseases from ingesting pollutants from
known sources like Coke and Pepsi, and
others unimaginable.
Weareafflictedbyahealthcaresystem
that rations care based on the ability to pay
and a profit-based insurance system. Such
asystemrequiresthateveryclaimbeexam-
ined in the hope of finding a lawful basis for
denial. Claim denial will increase profits.
We are in denial of global warming,
whateverthecause,andourcoastalpopula-
tioncentersareatriskfromrisingsealevels
inatime-horizonofmerelyadecadeortwo.
Thirtybilliondollarsofpropertyisatriskon
the east coast of Florida alone. Some island
countries are going to disappear entirely.
We are over-populating the earth at an
alarming, accelerating, and unsustainable
rate, quickly outstripping readily available
energyandnaturalresources. Wearedeep-
sea drilling for fossil fuels after proving to
ourselves how that jeopardizes the oceans.
Wearebuildingmorenuclearpowerplants
despiteourexperienceinJapan,Chernobyl,
and Three Mile Island, and the fact that we
haven’t figured out what to do with waste
that will be radioactive for thousands of
years. We’re sending lubricant and explo-
sives deep into bed rock and are what—
surprised when it causes earthquakes?
We have crumbling infrastructure,
literally, with interstate highway bridges
collapsing into rivers, and countless other
bridges known as a matter of public record
to be unsafe. More figuratively, we eat
our seed corn by continuing to underfund
quality, public education, and seem mysti-
fied by declining outcomes and increasing
numbers of “educated” folks who can’t or
won’t think critically.
And all the while we allow ourselves to
be distracted by silly people who want to
debate the pros and cons of gay marriage.
ItremindsmeofmytimeontheDesMoines
For most of the post-World War era, a
two-party frame has plagued our political
systemwithuselesspoliticsandposturing.
Yet as the comic, Lewis Black, explains,
the system “is a bowl of sh!t looking
in the mirror at itself.” Democrats and
Republicans are slivers of the same mold
that cater to the corporate elite that have
little interest in preserving middle class
integrity. We are accosted during elec-
tion cycles by political
pundits and parties
with tired, worn,
and partisan rhetoric
that do nothing to
solve the real issues.
Anyone brave enough
to try to run against
this machine will be
squashed by these powerful interests
and disregarded as inconsequential (or
unworthy to be on the same stage as the
party clones). Neither party has proposed
seriousandsubstantialpolicydirectionsin
Congress, yet they keep getting to go back
tooffice.Thetimehascometoridusofthis
outdated framework that inhibits innova-
tive and productive public policy.
The current political debate is more
about personality, the tired rhetoric,
and being able to drink with someone
rather than substantive policy questions.
Rhetoric is a nice-to-have feature, but we
need to focus upon the issues if we mean
to solve crisis. Otherwise, we continue to
kick the proverbial can as has been done
forthepastfewdecades. Whetherwehave
PresidentRomneyorPresidentObama,we
need voices from the middle class that are
tired of rhetoric and more interested in
solutions. (In municipal elections for Des
Moines,thepartiesarenotdeclaredaspart
oftheelectionprocessandthepoliciesthat
are instituted are far more constructive
than the policies and regulations coming
from Washington or the statehouse.)
Democrats and Republicans claim
to have enough room in their “Big Tops”
withoutactuallyrepresentinganyone. The
primary elections of the past Presidential
elections prove there are vast differences
between factions within the parties. Why
do these factions have to conform to a “big
top” while masking
their real intentions?
Lewis Black is correct
in that the two parties
tend to be mirrors of
each other because
they have big powers
in both pockets, and
thus, the two parties
have a vested interested in keeping the
current power structure intact. As long
as we maintain this ridiculous system, we
may never see real progress in favor of
maintaining the status quo politics.
A coalition (similar to European
parliamentary systems) has the potential
to yield the actual voices of people without
masking those real and innovative opin-
ions. Progressives, libertarians, socialists,
greens, social conservatives, and others
have distinct and interesting opinions that
easily get ignored by the establishment as
“irrelevant.”
Consider the television series Star
Trek: Deep Space 9 where there is a
fictional race called Ferengi (FER-en-
gee) whose motives are the acquisition of
wealth and profit. They often quote set of
“Rules of Acquisition” (ROA). For one, ROA
239isquoted,“Neverbeafraidtomislabela
product.” Thisismarketingtocustomersto
buyinflatedvaluesoroutrightfalseclaims.
That is what the Democrats and Republi-
cans do to Americans about their brand of
politics “being good for America.”
Just think of the real issues here.
We must rid ourselves of the foreign oil
dependency or major shockwaves will hit
our economy. Until then, our military and
economic security will be tied to hostile
supply chains. We need to build and to
revitalizeinfrastructurethat supportsthis
goal. We should not be rewarding compa-
niesforshippingjobsoverseas,butinstead
reward business for creating local jobs by
building locally. We need to promote local
businesses rather than the big-box chains
becausetheyarethecornerstonestothriv-
ing communities. They are likely to keep
their products, services, and jobs here.
We need to recognize the worth of all
individuals in America (e.g. white, black,
Latino, gay, or non-Christian). We need a
responsible immigration policy that does
notrewardillegalimmigrationorcompany
recruitment of illegal workers and punish
the firms that do. For immigration, do not
rewardthosewhocamehereillegally,butof
those who did not, give them a fair path to
citizenship equivalent to the many people
have paid the price to be here legally.
Weneedataxstructurethatissimpler
and fair. Ensure that Social Security
and Medicare are available for the next
generations. Protect the rights of workers
and their savings by limiting how much
destruction the upper elite can impose
uponuswiththeirrecklessinvestingmech-
anisms. Stabilize the market by putting a
moratorium on trading for a period of 30
days because the current reckless volatil-
ity is destroying savings and retirement
accounts.
Putthefocusbackonscienceandmath
ratherthanathletics,andrewardtheteach-
ersthatshowprogressintheirclasses. Buy
back federal student loans and reduce cost
of college educations instead of giving the
banks bailout money.
All of these are real substantive policy
issues that require tackling hard issues.
For these, I would vote and like to see the
votes for the interests of Iowans rather
than party line vote. We must focus
upon the policy issues rather than towing
rhetoric that serves to stalemate progress
or promotes a popularity contest. I know
whatitisliketolivepaycheck-to-paycheck,
and I know what it is like to save money in
investments to watch the fickle Wall Street
bozos ruin nest eggs. I know what it is like
to lose precious people in life and have
governmentintervenewhereitshouldnot.
I have studied political science for years,
and we need something better than this
antiquated system of corrupt politics in
Americathatshows thewealthofAmerican
interests and American innovation.
REMARKABLES cont’d page 30TT
Remarkables by Jonathan Wilson
Jonathan Wilson is an attorney at the
Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines,
and chairs the First Friday Breakfast Club
(ffbciowa.org), an educational, non-profit
corporation for gay men in Iowa who
gather on the first Friday of every month to
provide mutual support, to be educated on
community affairs, and to further educate
community opinion leaders with more
positive images of gay men.
It is the largest breakfast club in the
state of Iowa. He can be contacted at
JonathanWilson@DavisBrownLaw.com.
Democrats and Republi-
cans claim to have enough
room in their “Big Tops”
without actually represent-
ing anyone.
Time for a Third (and more) Party by Tony E. Hansen
Andallthewhileweallow
ourselves to be distracted
by silly people who want to
debate the pros and cons of
gay marriage.
ACCESSline Page 7APRIL 2012
Section 1: News & Politics
8. Anyone paying the slightest atten-
tion has heard of right-wing talker Rush
Limbaugh’sthree-dayrantagainstafemale
Georgetown University law student whom
Republicans refused to allow to testify at
a congressional birth control hearing. It
wasn’t about one or two words Rush said
but about days of misogyny and crazy-
making bloviating.
What did we learn from this latest
display of Limbaugh?
(1) Absolutely nothing new about
Rush. If we’re shocked, we’ve been living
under a rock.
Fromhisbeginningsonnationalradio,
he’s been caught,
lying, distorting, and
misrepresenting
anything and anyone
that doesn’t sound
right-wing enough for him, and calling it
entertainment.
Al Franken said at the White House
Correspondents’DinnerbackinApril1994:
“Most of us here in the media are what I
consider infotainers…Rush Limbaugh is
what I call a disinfotainer. He entertains by
spreading disinformation.”
Ayearlaterthemediawatchdoggroup,
FAIR, published the 128 page paperback
The Way Things Aren’t: Rush Limbaugh’s
ReignofError:Over100OutrageouslyFalse
and Foolish Statements from America’s
MostPowerfulRadioandTVCommentator,
which chronicled his lies only until 1995.
Lie after lie after lie have been identified
since.
And as for anti-women talk? Remem-
berin1993whenonTVheshowedapicture
of13yearoldChelseaClintonas“theWhite
House dog?”
I remember tuning in briefly in curi-
osity even before then, concluding: this
guy must be on drugs. And, sure enough,
he was.
(2) To stay in the news, be outrageous.
The media declares something “old news”
quickly.
TheFredPhelpscultofTopeka,Kansas
discovered this long ago. In order to get
the attention they needed for their tiny,
insignificant family-church, they’d have
to act outrageously, and, to keep getting
attention, to become progressively more
outrageous.
Their protests lost
the attention of locals
and the regional press.
So the Phelps clan
painted even more vile
slogans on their signs.
Their protests against those who died
of complications from AIDS were old news.
So they decided to picket memorials of the
famous and soldiers and put their money
in travel around the country to hit well-
publicized funerals.
The best thing one can do to a Phelps’
picket is to ignore it. However, when they
show up in a new place, the media won’t.
We can’t know what’s really in the
headofsomeonewhotalkslikeasociopath
with a microphone, but as an entertainer
Rush knows he can get the psychological
attention celebrities crave by being in the
center of things. Rush needs that. So he
practices: “it doesn’t matter what people
are saying about you, as long as they’re
talking about you.”
Sure, he might lose some sponsors for
now.Buthowmanypeoplewhodon’tagree
with him will tune in waiting for the next
crazy thing he’ll say?
And how many will do that because,
theytellus,wehavetoknowwhatthe“other
side” is saying, even though the gist of it all
never changes?
(3) How to “apologize” without apolo-
gizing. In a 191-word statement on his
websitemostlyexplaininghowhewasright
on the issue, he did what most leaders do
that’s called an “apology.”
“My choice of words was not the
best and in the attempt to be humorous, I
createdanationalstir,”hewrote.“Isincerely
apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting
word choices.”
Even regularly offensive right-wing
talker Don Imus called this “lame,” and
referred to Limbaugh as an “insincere pig.”
It probably takes one to know one.
Butthisisthenatureofmostresponses
thatarecalledapologiestoday.Theyactual-
ly place the blame on the offended party.
Stephen Pastis captured this in
his popular comic strip, “Pearls Before
Swine.”
Rat told Pig: “I’m going to start
apologizing to all the people I’ve insulted
by telling them ‘I’m sorry that you were
offended.’”
Pig questioned whether that was a
realapology. SoRatresponded:“No.That’s
what’s so great. It allows me to retain the
impact of the original insult while taking
on the implied bonus insult of ‘You are an
oversensitive ninny.’”
To that Pig observed: “But that’s kinda
rude cause it’s sorta saying the guy is too
dumbtorealizethat.”Rat,ofcourse,replied
“I’m sorry that you were offended.” And
clueless Pig said: “Apology accepted.”
A real apology would be: “I apologize.
I should not have said that. I was wrong.
Will you forgive me?” But as long as a non-
apology is accepted as an apology, no one
has to take responsibility for what they’ve
said.
(4) There is no free speech issue in
sponsor boycotts. Boycotting sponsors is
capitalism at work.
Journalist A.J Liebling, who said
“People everywhere confuse what they
Thisguymustbeondrugs.
And, sure enough, he was. Robert N. Minor, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at
the University of Kansas, is author of When
Religion Is an Addiction;
Scared Straight: Why It’s So Hard to
Accept Gay People and Why It’s So Hard
to Be Human and Gay & Healthy in a Sick
Society. Contact him at
www.FairnessProject.org.
MinorDetails:WhatDoWeLearnfromRush’sLatestOffense?byRobertNMinor
I am humbled and excited to bring my
viewpoints,perceptions,andpersonalexperi-
ences ofcurrentsocialandtopicalissuestolight
inourStates’LGBTcutting-edgenewspaper.
For this first new column, and since we
celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the historic
“Varnum vs. Brien” ruling, which legalized
GayMarriageinIowa,I’dliketodiscussrecent
events I witnessed last week at the Capitol.
Theanti-same-sexmarriagehategroup,
the Family Leader, brought hundreds of
people to the Iowa statehouse Tuesday,
March 20th. They were unfriendly, and
extremely mean-spirited, to say the least.
Personally, I felt “bullied.”
As I entered the statehouse, a place of
relativesafetyandculturalacceptance,Ionce
again found myself surrounded by people
who placed fear where strength had previ-
ously been, although only momentarily. The
moodwasmacabreandmorbid,asallofThe
FamilyLeadersmemberswereloudlysinging
“Amazing Grace”. And when they were done,
the words “Praise Jesus” filled the room.
It was as if I was in high school where
people portrayed a lack of integrity and
judgedyouonpremisesthattheytrulyknew
little about. They created a fear that even
as a proud and out man for over 35 years,
instilled in me a discomfort and almost a
sense of shame. This feeling, as if we were
second class citizens who did not deserve
the pursuit of happiness and the American
dream, would be briefly felt. These people
were there to create an elemental inequal-
ity and promote, even if inadvertently, hate
and fear. Their presence was striking and
disheartening to not just me but to us as a
community,whohascomesofarinourquest
to be equal under the law.
The group’s CEO, Bob Vander Plaats
warnediflawmakersdidn’tvotethissession
toletIowansvoteonsame-sexmarriage,then
those lawmakers could get voted out.
After their rally, those with the Family
Leader moved upstairs to lobby lawmak-
ers face-to-face for a public vote. Minutes
later, outside on the statehouse steps,
supportersofsame-sex marriageONEIOWA
and Senator Matt McCoy held their own
event. They wanted Iowans to remember
the people behind this debate, the neigh-
bors who want to share their lives with a
member of the same-sex. And the senate’s
only openly gay member, Democrat from
Des Moines Matt McCoy, also had words for
Vander Plaat’s rally. He said, “Bob Vander
Plaats is making another desperate attempt
toregainhislostpoliticalinfluenceintoday’s
stunt.Thetruthneedstobetold.BobVander
Plaats needs to get a real job instead of
workingonspreadingamessageofhateand
discrimination.”
Reverend Matt Mardis-Lecroy of
the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, who also
spoke, called on lawmakers to uphold sepa-
ration of church and state and not interfere
with the Supreme Court’s ruling legalizing
same-sex marriage nearly three years ago.
I also personally overheard conversa-
tionsthatsameday,aboutbitterRepublicans
introducing a new resolution. That would
begin impeachment proceedings for the
four remaining Supreme Court Judges who
unanimouslyruledonthelegalizationofgay
marriage threeyearsago.Wehaveallfought
thisbattleandthisfightmustgoon...because
oftheignoranceandhatethatstillcontinues.
These thoughts to attack the remaining
Supreme Court Judges prove that.
Itisonlythroughopenheartsandminds
thatweaspeopleofthesamebloodcanwalk
together. Placing a focus on differences only
furthers the divide of humanity. The Family
Leader says that their message is based on
family values, love, unity, friendship, fellow-
ship, and a general foundation of morality.
But, I ask you which of these values is being
represented when they make people feel
disregarded and less than human? When
they strike fear into the minds of each indi-
vidual that might be just a little bit different
or love someone of the same-sex?
The true message of leaders in this
country needs to be unanimous, like the
Supreme Court’s decision three years ago;
finding it only right and truly moral to show
compassion to all people and show them
respect even when their core values are in
conflict.
Being the owner of Gay Weddings with
PANACHE and being part of over 50 same-
sex weddings here in Iowa, I cannot begin
to express my dismay and aggravation. For
these Legislators wasting such precious
time and trying to take away our basic civil
rights. I keep in very close contact with the
couples I’ve helped to marry, and they are
saddenedbythisnews,aswell.Buttheyhave
asked for me to continue to lift my voice in
protest, as I’m asking you to do now. Before
it’s too late…for those of you who believe in
an independent Judiciary, well, you should
be prepared to fight for that principle for
a very LONG time. What more can we ask
than to love and be loved in returned?
Just Sayin’ by Beau Fodor
MINORDETAILScontinuedpage28TT
Beau Fodor, owner of Gay Weddings
with PANACHE, is an Iowa wedding
planner who focuses specifically on
weddings for the LGBT community.
iowasgayweddingplanner.com or
gayweddingswithpanache.com.
APRIL 2012ACCESSline Page 8
Section 1: News & Politics
9. Why is it that men want to control
women?
My favorite recent book, Half the Sky,
by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn,
discusses the consequences of a world
wheremendominate.Itdocumentswomen
in Africa and Asia surviving unbelievable
horrors—sex trafficking, female genital
mutilation, starvation of daughters in
poor families so that boys can eat, forced
marriages, and horri-
bly abusive husbands.
The book includes the
quote, “More than 100
million women are
missing” worldwide
duetoinfanticide,abor-
tion (because the fetus was female), and
honor killings.
I read the book while recovering from
male-to-female sex reassignment surgery,
not something that I’d particularly recom-
mend, given that it cemented my role in
the oppressed class. Still, it didn’t matter. I
eagerly embraced womanhood. And since
muchofwhatHalftheSkydocumentsishow
women not only survived abject brutality,
butprospereddespiteit,Ifoundtremendous
inspiration to live genuinely as a woman. I
consider the book the most important of
the millennium—a century that some have
termed the “Century of Women.”
Thanks to Kristoff and WuDunn, my
new awareness about how men treat
women soon spawned into something else.
Several weeks after my surgery, I walked
home from the grocery store on a chipper
Saturday afternoon. Off in the distance, I
saw a man and a woman in a parking lot.
Both were barely twenty years old and
probably students at the nearby University
of Minnesota. From a block away, I watched
the woman yank her hand out of the man’s
hand and then bee-line to the sidewalk.
Undaunted,themanfollowed.Asthewoman
walkedbriskly,themanrepeatedlyreached
forher;sheresistedeverytouch. Ipickedup
mypacebecauseIsuspectedthemanmight
not simply take no for an answer.
The woman stopped at a corner for a
trafficlight,herarmsfolded.Oncemore,the
manreachedforher.Onceagain,thewoman
shrugged him off.
I got within fifteen feet of them. Even
with both hands weighed down by grocery
bags, I wasn’t deterred
from yelling, “Leave
her alone,” with a not-
so-feminine pitch. The
man’s head yanked
back; his focus shifted
to me, a crazy bag
lady.
“This is none of your business, sir,” the
man said, incensed.
His look stopped me cold; it was
the old rule I had learned when living as
male—you don’t fool with a man wanting
a woman. But even though my feet had
suddenlygonesolid,mymouthstillworked.
Unfortunately—or possibly fortunately
depending on how you look at it—I forgot
everyspeechtherapyruleaboutbreathiness
and feminine pitch. Everything came out in
my old man voice.
I yelled again. “I said, ‘Leave her alone.’
If she doesn’t want to be touched, stop
touching her.”
“She’smygirlfriend!”themanscreamed
back. “Stop bothering us!”
As if that’s all the license he needed.
Thewomanseemedbothembarrassed
andappalledthatsomeonewouldspeakup
for her. Incredibly, she grabbed the man’s
hand and off they went down the street.
The man looked back once more, this time
with a victory glare.
Ittookablockandahalfformyheartto
approach a regular beat. I couldn’t believe
what I had just done. Seeing that woman
triggered something out of left field, some
sense of sisterhood. What the hell? Back
in my living-as-a-man days, I would have
veered off at the first corner before getting
to that couple; the man that I’d been would
never stick his nose into some other man’s
business that involved a woman.
But Ellen Krug would? Oh wow.
Somehow, I understood: if I was going
to be in this new club named Womanhood,
I wasn’t going to be a wallflower, nor would
I idly stand by as a man tried to control a
woman.
What kind of trouble are you going to
get yourself into, Girl?
I didn’t know what all this meant, not
then. What I did know: I had to live it and
own it. I was grateful to have this new femi-
ninelife,evenifeverythinghadbeenturned
upside down and that now, instead of being
the dominator, I was subject to domination
simply because of my gender.
Fast forward to the last few weeks.
Once more, powerful men (aka presiden-
tial candidates Rick Santorum and Newt
Gingrich)lectureabouthowwomenshould
return to “traditional” values and roles. In
otherwords,womenshouldusetheirbodies
only in ways that men dictate. Congress
(dominated by men) now threatens to cut
fundingforPlannedParenthood.ACongres-
sional committee selected a group of men—
along with a token woman named Sandra
Fluke—to testify about requiring health
insurers to pay for women’s birth control.
Shortlyafterthat,amanwhommanywould
call the most powerful male in America—
RushLimbaugh—calledSandraFlukeaslut
because she bravely testified that health
insurance coverage should include contra-
ceptive prescriptions and devices.
Thankfully, the media and many in
society (including some of Limbaugh’s
advertisers)reactedviscerallytoLimbaugh’s
comments.Still,that’snotthepoint.Instead,
men continue to believe they have to right
to say and do anything they please when
it comes to women. This chauvinistic,
misogynistic, pathetic way of thinking
has to change. Until it does, we’ll be mired
in a world where women will always be
second-classcitizens,sometimespayingthe
ultimate price simply because they happen
to be born into the wrong gender.
Onlyarelativefewofusmale-to-female
peopleexistintheworld.Wehaveatremen-
dously different perspective about gender
andtheuniqueroleofwomen.Weknowhow
men think, and we can use it against them
as we champion women’s rights. Certainly,
that’s one of my new life’s primary goals.
Women should be respected for who
they are: human beings. It’s not for men to
dictatewhethertheyliveordieorprosperor
not. Kristof and WuDunn understand this.
All of us must understand it, too.
Inside Out: The Price of Gender by Ellen Krug
Ellen Krug, writer, lawyer, human,
is presently completing her memoir,
“Getting to Ellen: Crossing the
Great Gender Divide,” which will
be published in 2012. She lives
in Minneapolis and works as the
executive director of a nonprofit
serving the underrepresented.
She welcomes your comments at
ellenkrug75@gmail.com.
IfIwasgoingtobeinthis
new club named Woman-
hood, I wasn’t going to be a
wallflower.
RonBrown
Forover20years,UniversityofNebraska
assistant football coach RonBrownhasused
his position in the university to preach his
discriminatoryanti-gaybrandofChristianity.
His latest crusade to fight for discrimination
againsttheLGBTcommunityfinallywarrants
his termination from the school’s football
program.
The University has a clear, inclusive
non-discrimination policy that contradicts
the words and actions of Brown on various
levels:
“The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is
a public university committed to providing a
quality education to a diverse student body.
One aspect of this commitment is to foster
a climate of inclusion and mutual support
that will enhance our ability to achieve our
overallgoals…whileallowingallofustofocus
our energies and talents on our important
missions of education, research and service.
Tothisend,itisthepolicyoftheUniversityof
Nebraska-Lincoln not to discriminate based
uponage,race,ethnicity,color,nationalorigin,
gender, sex, pregnancy, disability, sexual
orientation, genetic information, veteran’s
status marital status, religion and political
affiliation.”
This policy protects Brown’s religion as
muchasitprotectsmysexualorientation.But
thisisn’taboutaman’sreligionorhispolitics.
This is about using that religion to discrimi-
nateagainstothersandbuildanenvironment
ontheCornhuskerfootballteamthatprohib-
itsgayathletesandalliesfromachievingtheir
goals.Bothofthesecontradicttheuniversity’s
non-discrimination policy.
TherearelotsofthingsBrowncouldsay
that wouldn’t necessitate his firing. Isolated,
general statements about homosexuality as
a sin or opposing same-sex marriage would
be hard to fire someone for.
The problem is, Brown has gone much
further.
On March 6, he traveled to Omaha to
argue against a bill that would protect gay
peoplefromdiscrimination.Inhisarguments,
Brown suggested it is God’s will to discrimi-
nate against gay people, even saying those
whovotedtoprotectgaypeoplebillwouldbe
held to “great accountability” by God.
Most importantly, he has linked these
discriminatory views to his coaching job.
When testifying before the Omaha City
Council, some of the first words out of his
mouthconveyedthatheisafootballcoachat
theUniversityofNebraska.ChancellorHarvey
Perlman has publicly wagged his finger at
Brown for making that connection, but that
“reprimand” doesn’t undo the truth beneath
the words: Brown brings his discrimination
into his work at the university, and he uses
his job to spread his anti-gay beliefs.
Brown has said his purpose in coach-
ing football at Nebraska is to “bring honor
and glory to God.” Notice he doesn’t say it’s
to prepare young men for adulthood or win
football games; Those are secondary to his
religious goals.
From a 1997 interview:
“I realize football enables me to do the
two,inmyopinion,mostimportantthingsin
my life, and that is one, to know Christ more
intimately and number two, is to make him
known.Andthat’swhyI’mhereinNebraska,
that’s why I’m a part of football.”
Noticeagainhedidnotincludeanyofthe
three stated missions from Nebraska’s non-
discrimination policy: Education, research
and service. He puts the University’s stated
missions behind his own religious dogma.
OverthelastweekI’vewatchedovertwo
hours of Ron Brown speaking via YouTube
videos.Inmanyofthem,Brownisseenonthe
field just after a Nebraska football game. He
looks into the camera and uses his position
as a coach to preach the gospel and promote
FreedMen Nebraska, his organization dedi-
catedto“makingtheGodconnectioninevery
realm.”Inalmostallofhisvideosheconnects
his religious doctrine to his job in football at
Nebraska:FireassistantfootballcoachRonBrownbyCydZeiglerjr.
Cyd Zeigler jr graduated from Stanford
University (B.A., Communication, 1995).
In 1999, Zeigler and Jim Buzinski founded
Outsports.com. They co-authored “The
Outsports Revolution: Truth & Myth in the
World of Gay Sports.” He can be contacted
at Outsports.com
RON BROWN continued page 28TT
ACCESSline Page 9APRIL 2012
Section 1: News & Politics
10. Kirk Cameron
OnMarch2KirkCameronwasonCNN’s
Piers Morgan Tonight for some reason. To
many viewers it must have come as quite a
shockthathewasstillalive(thatwasCorey
Haim, folks). But if you want to get people
talking about you again, your best bet is
to go on TV and say something crazy. And
that’s just what Cameron did.
Now, Cameron’s extreme right beliefs
are no secret. He’s a
pin-up boy for zealous
Christianitythesedays.
But usually the stuff
that comes out of his
mouth has a limited
audience. Not so this
time.
During the inter-
view, Morgan asked
Cameron about gay
marriage. Cameron
responded, “I believe
that marriage was defined by God a long
time ago. Marriage is almost as old as dirt
and it was defined in the garden between
Adam and Eve, one man one woman for
life, ‘til death do you part. So I would never
attempt to redefine marriage and I don’t
think anyone else should either. So do I
support the idea of gay marriage? No, I
don’t.”
Now, someone who believed in evolu-
tion obviously wouldn’t be making the
argument that marriage was older than
dirt. Certainly if we turn to science we
would find otherwise. But facts are for the
godless. I also think it’s important to point
out that the Bible says a lot of stuff about
marriage, and it isn’t all “one man one
woman for life.” Some crazy sh-- happens
in the Bible, people.
Morgan then asks if homosexuality
is a sin.
“I think that it’s unnatural,” Cameron
says. “I think that it’s detrimental and
ultimately destructive to so many of the
foundations of our civilization.”
How does Cameron know what will
“ultimately” be “destructive to so many
of the foundations of our civilization,”
you ask? Because he’s seen the future. He
starred in the low budget movie based on
Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series, a zany
Armegeddon-Rapture rom-com. He’s no
doubt read the whole series. He knows
the Truth.
But what if one of Cameron’s six kids
ended up gay?
“I’d sit down and I’d have a heart to
heart with them,” Cameron says. “Just like
you would with your
kids.”
Morgan inter-
rupts: “But it one of
my sons said that I’d
say,‘That’sgreatson,as
long as you’re happy.’
What would you say?”
“Well, I wouldn’t
say that’s great son as
long as you’re happy,”
Cameron responds.
“I’m gonna say there’s
all sorts of issues that we need to wrestle
through in our life and just because you
feel one way doesn’t mean we should act
on everything that we feel.”
Hooboy.Here’shopingthatnoneofthe
Cameron kids are gay. And here’s hoping
that if they are they’re strong enough to
break away from Daddy’s homophobic
stronghold and misguided sense of moral-
ity.
Cameron’s comments caused quite
a stir, needless to say. Morgan even said
that Cameron was “brave” for saying these
things. I don’t think “brave” is the right
word.“Tonedeaf”and“ignorant”feelmore
accurate to me. And that’s the Truth.
Utah Legislature
Yes! Utah is on a fast track to becom-
ing the first sex-free state in the country. I
know,Iknow,alotofpeoplealreadythought
it was. But the status was never official.
ThankstoUtah’slegislators(dominatedby
Republicans. Surprise!), the dream could
become reality.
TheSenateandHousepassedabillthat
dismantles sex educa-
tion in the state. It’s
an incredible, ground-
breaking bill that,
among other things,
absolutely forbids any
discussion of homosexuality, premarital
sex,orcontraception,evenifkidsaskabout
it. Teachers are not allowed to talk about
suchhorrible,horrible,things.Italsoallows
schools to choose an abstinence only sex
education program, or to just say, “F--k sex
education,” and not teach it at all, leaving
it up to parents.
“I recognize that some parents do not
take the opportunity to teach in their own
homes, but we as a society should not be
teaching or advocating homosexuality or
sex outside marriage or different forms
of contraceptives for premarital sex,” Sen.
John Valentine (R-Orem) told the Salt
Lake Tribune. Damn straight (pun totally
intended).
For some reason, a lot of people are
upset and are urging Gov. Gary Herbert
to veto the bill. Will he or won’t he? Only
his hairdresser knows for sure. For now,
he’s saying his signature or veto depends
on whether it’s “good policy for the state
of Utah.”
Uh, listen Herbert. The choice is
obvious. The bill makes perfect 100% no
sh Sherlock sense. Sign it!
Everyone knows sex is a menace to
society (especially the gay kind). It’s some-
thing that should not be happening under
anycircumstancesbesidesamanmarriedto
awomanmakingababy(not trying tomake
a baby, folks, but life-begins-at-conception
making only. Anything else is cheating. No
freebies!). And yet, somehow, as the wise
members of the early 90s group LaTour
once lamented, “People are still having
sex.” And that was over 20 years ago! Why
won’t sex just crawl back into its hole (or
any other inappropriate metaphor)?
The answer is deceptively simple:
people be talkin’. That’s right. The Sex
Problem in America is due to the Talkin’
AboutSexProbleminAmerica(Salt-N-Pepa,
I’m looking at you). The key to solving any
and all problems is
to stop talking about
them. If you don’t talk
about it, it doesn’t
exist. Wa la! It’s genius,
really.
Not everybody sees the wisdom,
however.
“What this bill is, is a mandate against
reality,”Sen.PatJones(D-SaltLakeCounty)
told her fellow lawmakers. Clearly she has
never had an unintended pregnancy that
she just pretended wasn’t happening so it
would just go away.
Other naysayers include the Utah
Education Association. “Frankly, we see…
this as a need to protect children who may
not have the opportunity to get the needed
information on critical issues that are life
savinginsomecases,”theUEA’sKoryHold-
away told the Salt Lake Tribune.
Ugh,thatold“protectingchildren”argu-
ment. You know what we need to protect
children from? Their evil sex-parts.
Otherforcesalsoseemtobeconspiring
against Utah’s wise lawmakers, too: “If the
goal is to prevent teen sex, however, Utah
lawmakers may be working against their
own ends. Research released yesterday by
thereproductivehealthresearchorganiza-
tion The Guttmacher Institute found that
receivingsexeducationactuallydelaysteen
sex.” The source for this info? LiveScience.
com. Boo!
TheUtahlegislatureisalreadyworking
on an abstinence-only science education
bill.
Creep of the Week by D’Anne Witkowski
Here’shopingthatnone
of the Cameron kids are
gay.Andhere’shopingthat
if they are they’re strong
enough to break away
from Daddy’s homophobic
stronghold and misguided
sense of morality.
Everyone knows sex
is a menace to society
(especially the gay kind).
April is National STI (Sexually Trans-
mitted Infection) Awareness Month. It’s a
great time to get talking about the impor-
tance of GYT—getting yourself tested!
The rate of sexually transmitted
infections continues to rise. Although
few people talk about STIs, they are the
nation’s most common types of infec-
tion. Nationally, around 19 million STIs
occur every year, and reported rates of
Chlamydia and Gonorrhea continue to
increase.
While it may not always be easy to talk
about sex, STIs or testing, it’s important
to have an open and honest discussion
with your partner. Testing is simply an
essential part of staying healthy. Many
STIs are curable, and
all are treatable. The
sooner you know your
status, the sooner you
can get treatment and take steps to
prevent passing an infection on. Leaving
an STI untreated can have very significant
consequences, including infertility, cancer
and an increased risk for HIV (human
immunodeficiency virus).
STIs can be spread through inter-
course or skin-to-skin contact. If you’re
sexually active, using condoms consistent-
ly and correctly is one of the best ways to
helppreventSTIs.Manysexuallytransmit-
tedinfectionshavefewornosymptoms,so
a person may not know if they’re infected.
Anyone who has unprotected sex, regard-
less of their number of partners, is at risk
for an STI, including HIV.
Young people are at the highest
risk for contracting HIV and STIs. New
statistics show one in two sexually active
young people will contract an STI by the
age of 25. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention reports that men who
are involved with men, and transgender
communities, also are at a higher risk
for HIV.
Lack of informa-
tion, misconceptions
or social stigma may
keep some people
from getting tested,
but it’s important
to know that testing is easier than ever
before. Your doctor will help you deter-
mine what tests you may need, so it’s
important to be open and honest with
your health care provider about your
sexual history. Your provider is there to
help you, not judge you.
Certain STIs are so common that your
provider may suggest you be tested regu-
larly for them. Testing may include a urine
sample, finger prick or physical exam.
Rapid HIV testing is just a simple swab
inside the mouth, with results provided
as quickly as just 20 minutes.
Use GYT Month
as an opportunity to
get yourself talking
about the importance
of testing. For more
information on testing
and how to start the
conversation,visitwww.gytnow.org.Ifyou
need to be tested, Planned Parenthood has
more than 20 health centers across the
state that offer confidential services.
Spread the word—GYT. Get yourself
tested this month, and any time you’ve
been unprotected. Know your status.
KnowYourself,KnowYourStatus,GetTestedbyJennaCarlson,
PlannedParenthoodoftheHeartlandHealthEducator
Testing is simply an
essential part of staying
healthy.
APRIL 2012ACCESSline Page 10
Section 1: News & Politics
11. Comedian talks election,
pissing off right-wingers
and her responsibility to
be political
Times like this—election years, when
politics are a comedian’s punching-bag—
were made for Kate Clinton, who has hilari-
ously riffed on 30 years of stupid presidents
and right-winged morons.
In the midst of her All Fracked Up Tour,
we caught up with Clinton to talk about the
presidentialrace,progressmadeintheLGBT
community and how comedy is a great tool
for creating change.
What’s the focus of the All Fracked
Up Tour?
Isn’t that a great title? It’s not easy to
be thinking in November what will work in
February,becauseeverythingchangessofast.
MytopicsarealwayspoliticalandI’mbarely
keeping up with what’s going on. (Laughs)
I can’t believe that anyone ever said, “What
will we do without George Bush?” Like,
are you kidding me? That got very boring
because it was always the same: He’s bad.
Oh, yep. He’s bad.
Now you have Santorum.
Ah, it’s a comedy gift. People drop off.
MicheleBachmanndropsoff,butRickSanto-
rum,forsomebizarrereason,isrisingtothe
top. A friend of mine says, “Cream rises but
scum floats.”
What are your thoughts on the
changes and progress within the LGBT
community?
For a 40-year movement, we’ve made
incredible changes. And it’s state-by-state
levels, so that means there’s conversation
about LGBT rights in all the states—and
that’s great. The great Mae West said, “It’s
better to be looked over than to be over-
looked,” and we’ve been really looked over.
But you can see the poll number changes on
America’s belief about marriage equality, so
I think we’ve done our work. I think we still
have a lot of work to do. I sometimes worry
that people will just kick back and go, “Well,
excellent,wegotthat,”butwestillhavealotof
worktodoaboutraceinourcommunityand
poverty issues and violence and bullying.
Does that mean you have to work
harder and be even more political?
Oh yes, absolutely. I feel like the longer
I’veperformed,themorepoliticalI’vegotten.
ThedifferenceisthatwhenIbeganthemain-
stream community was really quite homo
ignorant,butnow,whethertheylikeitornot,
theyknowtherearegaypeople—they’vemet
gay people—so that’s a big change.
How does comedy help you get your
point across?
Peoplelettheirguarddownandbecome
more open when they’re laughing. They let
thingsinIdon’tthinktheyordinarilywould.I
lovemyshowswhenastraightcouplecomes
out and goes, “We’re Republicans but we
laughed.” I’ve done my job then.
What are your thoughts on the One
Million Moms who rallied against J.C.
Penneybecausetheychoseanoutlesbian,
EllenDeGeneres,astheirspokesperson?
And what do you think of Ellen’s reac-
tion?
I’m always happy when she speaks out
because I love to hear her take on anything,
whetherit’stoiletpaperorit’stogivehertake
on what J.C. Penney did and her sly humor
that (One Million Moms) only has 48,000
KATE CLINTON cont’d page 23TT
Our Picks for April
4/6, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, Mason Jennings.
englert.org
4/10, North Iowa Auditorium, Mason City, North
Iowa Symphony Spring Concert,
visitmasoncityiowa.com
4/12, Iowa Events Center, Des Moines, Barry
Manilow, iowaeventscenter.com
4/14, The Grand River Center, Dubuque,
A Spring Market at the Grand River
Center, vendorevents.net
4/14-21, Clear Lake, Clear Lake Earth Days,
earthdaynorthiowa.org
4/14, NIACC Auditorium, Mason City, River City
Chorus:Spring Show, rivercitychorus.org
4/19-23, Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines,
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland
Book Fair, ppheartland.org/booksale
4/20, Gallagher-Bluedorn, Cedar Falls,
The Midtown Men, gbpac.org
4/21, New Bohemia Arts and Entertainment District,
Cedar Rapids, Eco-Arts Fest 2012,
newboczech.info
4/24-29, Civic Center of Des Moines, Des Moines,
Memphis, civiccenter.org
4, 24-29, Orpheum Theatre, Omaha, Fiddler on
the Roof, omahaperformingarts.org
4/26-29, Englert Theatre, Iowa City,
Romeo and Juliet, englert.org
4/27-29, Riverside Theatre, Riverside, Working Group
Theatre:Mayberry, hancher.uiowa.edu
4/27-5/27, Omaha Community Playhouse, Omaha, A
Streetcar Named Desire,
omahaplayhouse.com
4/28, Fairfield Convention Center, Fairfield, Golden
Dragon Acrobats, fairfieldacc.com
...and May
5/1, Iowa State Center, Iowa City, Chanticleer,
center.iastate.edu
5/4, Gallagher-Bluedorn, Cedar Falls, Crème de la
Crème 12, gbpac.org
5/13, Gallagher-Bluedorn, Cedar Falls, Burn the
Floor, gbpac.org
5/15-16, Civic Center of Des Moines, Des Moines,
Rain:A Tribute to the Beatles,
civicenter.org
5/19-20, Iowa Events Center, Des Moines,
Celebration Talent Competition,
iowaeventscenter.com
ACCESSline’s fun guide
KateClintonInterviewbyChrisAzzopardi
Kate Clinton. Photo credit Jurek Wajdowicz.
Kate Clinton. Photo credit David Rodgers.
12. Cyberbbullying part one
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullyingisuseofelectronicmedia
to deliver insults, taunts, slurs, attacks or
threats. It can also include the use of media
to spread malicious gossip or rumors or to
share personal information about another
without their knowledge or consent. In
short any form of bullying that can be done
on the school grounds or in person can
most likely be done online as well. A new
generation of technically skilled kids have
found new and unusual ways of harassing
each other. There are so many forms of
cyberbullyingthatbeforewebegindiscuss-
ing them it is easier to
start with what is not
cyberbullying.
Whatisnotcyberbul-
lying?
Cyberbullying is
not a single incident,
but a pattern. A single incident, no matter
howhurtfulisn’tcyberbullying.(Theexcep-
tion is threats, see below.) People say and
do hurtful and rude things online every
day. Cyberbullying on the other hand is a
patternofharassingandattackingthesame
individual.
Cyberbullyingbydefinitiononlyoccurs
betweenkids.Ifthereisanadultinvolvedit’s
cyber-harassment.Thisisnominordistinc-
tion since harassment is a crime. Depend-
ing on the nature of the harassment it can
include some pretty stiff penalties too. If
youhaveevidencethatacyberbullyisbeing
assisted or egged on by an adult in their life
it’s time to go to the authorities.
Bythesametokenifthereisanimmedi-
ate and credible threat of violence against
you, it’s cyber-harassment. Death threats
and threats of physical harm are not okay.
You should never threaten anyone, online
or off. Nobody should threaten you either.
If you receive threats you should speak to
the appropriate authorities.
Finally cyberbullying does not include
soliciting sex nor does it include sexu-
ally explicit pictures or language. Sexual
exploitationandsolicitingsexfromaminor
are both serious crimes. Many teens today
think ‘sexting’—texting explicit pictures
or dialogue—is a fun and acceptable way
to flirt. However sharing those pictures
or texts can result in severe legal conse-
quences, including being placed on the sex
offenders registry.
Who Cyberbullies?
There are as many reasons for cyber-
bullying as there are methods to do it.
Sometimescyberbullyingisanextensionof
reallifebullying.Thebullyusesacellphone
or more often, the internet to continue his
or her harassment outside of school hours.
More often it is a separate thing. According
tocyberbullying.orgtherearefourcommon
patterns.
MeanGirls:Likethe2004movie,mean
girls are aggressive cliques that exclude,
belittle and harass those they perceive
as different or lesser. They are often, but
not always, girls. Unlike the other forms
of cyberbullies, they work in groups. They
may set up internet polls for things like
“Who’s the ugliest girl in school?” or they
may post embarassing pictures of their
victims(withoutpermissionofcourse)and
comment on how they look, what they are
wearing, etc.
Vengefulbullies:Cyberbullyingisoften
a two way street. The bully may have origi-
nallybeenavictimandfeeltheiractionsare
justified. They may post vicious comments
underablogthattheyperceiveasattacking
them.Theymay‘flag’postsasinappropriate
in order to get the person in trouble with
the ISP (Internet Service Provider). They
mightposttheirownblogcounterattacking
their bully/victim.
Revenge of the Nerds: Sometimes
the cyberbully is a real life victim. Smart
but quirky kids are often picked on and
harassed at school. They strike back from
a safe distance. These
kids can attack their
victims in devious
ways. They download
and send viruses or
other malware to
screw up their victims’
computer. They hack passwords and lock
their victims out of their own account.
Or worse, they impersonate their victim
online either through a stolen account or
a fake one.
Inadvertent bullies: Can you inadver-
tently bully someone? Online the answer
is yes, definitely. If you haven’t accidentally
offended someone online, you probably
haven’t been online much. Upset about a
break up, a girl records a rant on youtube
about the relationship, revealing things
about her ex. The video is viewed and
shared by other kids around the school.
A student vents about a fellow student on
facebook not realizing the information is
beingsharedwithfriends,friendsoffriends
and likely, the person being vented about.
Inadvertent bullying is often bullying by
proxy; the real bully is a third party that
shares the link or brings the comments to
the victim’s attention.
How do Cyberbullies bully?
Cyberbullies have many ways to attack
their victim. Different types of bullies use
different means. New technologies are
constantlygivingrisetonewwaystoharass
andbully.Herearejustafewofthecommon
ways cyberbullies work.
Directattacksarethesimplestandmost
directformofcyberbullying.Someonetexts
aninsultorracist/homophobicslurtoyour
cellphone. They post hateful messages to
your facebook wall. They send emails or
instant messages harassing you.
Blogs and Vlogs are common outlets
for the younger generation. (For the older
generation a blog is a web log, or online
log and a Vlog is a video log.) Both can be a
platform for cyberbullying in a number of
ways. Sometimes we forget while writing
or recording the blog that the end result
will be accessible to the public and we may
inadvertently give our attackers ammuni-
tion. They may share or put up links to a
painful personal TMI. (Again for the older
generation, TMI—Too Much Information.)
We may take down the offending post only
to find it’s already been copied somewhere
else outside of our control.
We may also find our blog being used
to harass someone else as we have already
discussed. Cyberbullies may purposefully
misconstrueormisquotesomethingwesay
inourblogtomakeitappearthatwearethe
ones attacking their victims. Cyberbullies
may use their own blog to attack you or
someone else.
Mostwebsiteshavespecificrulesabout
hate speech and personal attacks, which
can be found in the Terms of Service. They
also often have an easy way to flag offen-
sive posts or comments with a single click.
Cyberbullies may goad their victims into
over reacting and then flag the comment.
While the site’s monitors can usually sort
out what really happened, the victim may
find themselves locked out of their account
for the time being. For example the bully
mightattacktheirvictimthroughIM,which
isn’t permanently logged, and then refuse
to respond. The victim posts an angry
response on Facebook. The bully then flags
the response as inappropriate. The victim
appears to be the aggressor and has their
account suspended.
Instant Messaging, or IM, is a favorite
medium for bullies. There are a number of
reasons. Instant Messages aren’t perma-
nentlyrecordedorloggedthewayfacebook
posts are, so it’s easier to deny later. IM
names aren’t permanent either and attack-
ers can switch aliases regularly, making it
look like the attack is coming from multiple
sources. They can choose aliases that make
the victim think they are chatting with a
friend (like using the friend’s name as their
screen name), tricking them into revealing
something personal or doing something
stupid. Kids who are into IM often have
multiplescreensgoingatanyonetime.They
don’t pay a lot of attention to what’s going
oninanyonescreenandthe‘revengeofthe
nerds’bulliesusethisfacttosendvirusesor
malware to their victim’s computer.
Social media sites like facebook allow
theusertocreatetheirownonlinepolls.For
adultstheyareafunwaytogetknowfriends.
For cyberbullies they are easy tools to bully
with. “Do you think Justin is gay?” “Which
girl is the fattest, ugliest, dumbest?”
Just as they can launch direct attacks,
cyberbulliesoftenbullybyproxy,thatisthey
can use others to do their dirty work. While
sometimestheothersareinonthebullying,
oftentheyareunwittingaccomplices. There
aremanywaystheycan
do that.
Some, like the
vengeful cyberbullies
may use FB posts or
comments to make it
look like they are the
victims, getting friends
and even adults to side
with them in a war against their victims.
Eventheauthoritiescanbedraggedintothe
fray through ‘flag wars’ as we have seen.
Cyberbullies may borrow cellphones
to text negative messages. They may hack
facebook accounts to make it look like the
commentsarecomingfromanotherperson.
While they are using a hacked account
they may change relationship status, like
pages that embarrass the victim, etc. They
might enter the victims email on various
websites, resulting in a steady stream of
spam email.
Web based services from emails to
social media sites are easily obtained and
thereforeeasilyfaked.Bulliesmaymaintain
multiple accounts in order to make it look
like multiple people are saying the same
thing. They may create profiles that mimic
anotherperson.Theypurposefullymisspell
one letter or two and use stolen pictures.
Such tricks might fool the victim into think-
ing someone else is doing the attacking.
Cyberbullies can use fake profiles in
other ways as well. They may trick their
victim into revealing personal information
by posing as a real life friend. They may
use a profile that is close to the victims
name in order to attack the victim’s friends
and make it look like it’s the victim’s site.
They may post embarrassing pictures and
make outrageous statement on these fake
accounts.
Cyberbullies even
useonlinegames.They
get friends to team up
on multiplayer games.
They use hacking to
lock kids out of their
online games and
profiles. They post
derogatory comments attacking their
victim’s online identity. Many online games
allow players to chat, either through text
or sometimes through headsets. Bullies
can jump onto an online multiplayer game
withtheirvictimandthen“trashtalk”them,
delivering the same insults they may have
used at school early in the day.
For those unfamiliar with the online
environment it is easy to underestimate
the damage of cyberbullying. Adults may
discredit the threats since the bully is not
physically present. In other cases they may
advisekidstoignoretheattacks.(Thatmight
beavalidadultresponsetoharassment,but
school age children may have no choice but
tocontinuetogotoschoolwithandinteract
Wired This Way by Rachel Eliason
Cyberbullying by
definition only occurs
between kids.
Rachel Eliason is a forty two year old
Transsexual woman. She was given her
first computer, a Commodore Vic-20 when
she was twelve and she has been fascinated
by technology ever since. In the thirty years
since that first computer she has watched
in awe as the Internet has transformed the
LGBT community. Her collumn, Wired That
Way discusses how technology has fueled
and propelled the LGBT community.
In addition to her column, Rachel has
published a collection of short stories,
Tales the Wind Told Me and is currently
working on her debut novel, Run, Clarissa,
Run. Rachel can be found all over the web,
including on Facebook, Twitter, Google+
and Goodreads.
WIRED THIS WAY cont’d page 32TT
Web based services
from emails to social
media sites are easily
obtained and therefore
easily faked.
APRIL 2012ACCESSline Page 12 the fun guide
14. Enlightened, progressive people have a
collection of problems in the political arena.
We are organized in various groups with
overlapping, but not identical, missions.
Predominantly, One Iowa has supporters
who also support Planned Parenthood, and
viceversa. TheACLUhasapredominanceof
supporters among those who are members
of Americans United For Separation of
Church and State, and who give to One Iowa
and Planned Parenthood, and vice versa.
Librarians, in their comfortable, soft-soled
shoes,aretenaciousinopposingcensorship
and,amongthem,tendtosupportindividual
liberty against government intrusion that is
also on the agendas of One Iowa, Planned
Parenthood, and the ACLU. The Interfaith
Alliance counts among its supporters a
predominance of those who support One
Iowa and those who cling to the notion
of church-state separation. FFBC and the
NAACP share a mission enunciated by Dr.
MartinLutherKingJr. TheIowaStateEduca-
tionAssociation(teachers)supportsquality
public education as a primary focus but,
among its members, also is predominantly
alignedwithunionsgenerallyandtheplight
ofpeopleratherthancorporations. Support-
ersofJusticeNotPoliticsarelikewisekindred
spirits. And there is a growing number of
gay-welcoming congregations among all
faith traditions who also believe in the strict
separation of church and state.
I know the mission-overlap phenom-
enon exists because I’m often made to feel
like a common denominator when I receive
fundingsolicitationsfromeveryoneofthem,
orseethesamefolksattheirrespectivefund-
raising functions. So I know I am not alone.
Organizationally, these groups tend
to be fairly independent. Understandably,
such groups don’t want to share the names
ofcontributorsortheirmembershipmailing
lists. And they shouldn’t. We like not to
offend,andweliketheideaofcollaboration.
We just haven’t figured out how to do it. We
don’t tend to march in lock-step like our
detractorshavebeenmoresuccessfullydone.
We have preferred to strive for unanimity
beforetakingcollectiveaction,orgoitalone.
That, obviously, stifles collaboration among
these natural allies and minimizes their
political effectiveness.
There is an organizational solution; it
is modeled after the familiar story of Paul
Revere’s midnight ride. We all recall that,
having determined the British plans thanks
toasignalfromachurchsteeple,PaulRevere
made his ride, warned the colonists, and
calledtoarmsthosewillingandable.“We’re
taking on our oppressors at Lexington and
Concord. If you’re with us, be there, and
come willing to fight.”
No one was required to participate
and many doubtless chose not to do so for
a variety of reasons: they didn’t agree with
having a revolution in the first place; they
didn’t feel like fighting that particular night;
they thought it would be better to fight the
British closer to Pittsburgh or Valley Forge;
they couldn’t find their musket or their
ammunition; they were simply cowardly;
whatever. But because of Revere’s call to
action, a formidable group did assemble at
Lexington and Concord, a shot was heard
‘round the world, and the rest—as they
say—is history.
It’s time for a Paul Revere Progressives’
Project.It’stimeforgettingserious. It’stime
for some real collaboration in the political
arena among like-minded folks.
It’s simple enough to organize. Any
group, large or small, that shares some
element(s) of the progressive “agenda” can
participate by naming one representative
to a Paul Revere Steering Committee. That
group will “meet” on call by telephone to
prioritize issues and formulate responsive
strategies. By a majority vote, agreement
can be achieved on both. That concurrence
will be communicated to the cooperating
organizations. None will be bound by the
action of the Steering Committee or the
vote of their respective representatives.
But those that do agree will communicate
the understood issue and strategy to their
respectivemembers/supporters. Likethose
early patriots, no one will be required or
even expected by this minimal participa-
tion to do anything. The only requirements
will be to name a representative to the Paul
Revere Steering Committee and consider
its decisions. Individual supporters will
not be required to lift a finger. But, like
those colonists, the word will be out there,
a plan will be announced, larger numbers
will be put onto the proverbial battlefield
than any one group could hope to muster,
and we can revisit Lexington and Concord
with like results.
Some of these organizations are
constrained by tax laws; some are not. All
wouldappeartoretainthecompletepreroga-
tive to communicate with their members
and supporters both the actions of their
enemies and their friends; the actions of
their detractors and the actions of the Paul
Revere Steering Committee. None of their
individual members and supporters would
be so constrained.
Ifyou’reapartofaprogressiveorganiza-
tion and it would be amenable to participat-
ing in the Paul Revere Progressives’ Project,
letmeknow. JonathanWilson@DavisBrown-
Law.com (515-288-2500) Together,wecan
do this.
TheSaltyDog
Itwaswithatoxicmixofboredom,curios-
ity,invigorationandthepatheticdevilishness
particulartotheelderlythatIcalledKyleand
asked him what he was doing Friday night.
“The usual,” he said, as though I’d stalked
him and knew his routine. (OK, there was a
brief period when I had stalked him, but let’s
leave that aside.)
“What’sthat?”Iasked.“Gethomearound
7,shower,change,meetRobbiefordrinksand
dinner, and then see what develops. Wanna
join us?” In more ways than one, I thought
lecherously, but answered, “Sure.” Dan was
in Duluth—in February!—at an Alzheimer’s
conference. “Don’t forget to come home!” I
cried after he shut the door on the way out,
knowinghewouldn’tdeigntounlockthedoor
to reprimand me for my bad taste.
Iwasinthemoodtohangoutwithyouth
because I’d picked up a copy of GQ and was
shocked to find that I’d heard of none of the
people whose handsome faces and superb
bodies graced its pages; I knew nothing of
the products being touted and advertised;
andtherecommendedhotspotsinNewYork
Citywereasforeigntomeasthebestplacesto
getgrilledyakinUlanBator.Whereoncewere
my favorite blocks of sleazy sex clubs now
standtheshowroomsofStellaMcCartneyand
Alexander McQueen. (That particular neigh-
borhood’s name, the Meatpacking District,
has remained relevant, however. First it was
Manhattan’s slaughterhouse neighborhood,
then a place where men inserted themselves
intoothermen,andnowit’swhereoversized
rich women go to squeeze into clothes one
size too small.)
KyletoldmetomeethimatNaval,arela-
tively new bar in the far west Hell’s Kitchen. I
remembered the block as a wasteland of bus
parking lots; now it’s ablaze with soaring
rental apartment buildings, thriving restau-
rantsandshowybars,includingNaval,withits
doublethemeofsailorsandtreasuretrails,all
depictedingiantclose-upmuralsonthewalls.
By the time Robbie got there it was almost 9
p.m. I was yawning.
“Here,”saidKyle.“Drinkthis.”Hehanded
mesomethinghe’dgottenfromthebartender.
I looked at the can. “What’s a Blue Ox?” “It’s
an energy drink,” Robbie shouted. I took a
mouthful and—because it tasted like artifi-
cially sweetened crankcase oil pretending
to be cola—promptly spat it out on the floor,
much to the consternation of the idiot next
to me who was wearing shorts and flip flops
on a frigid February night and ended up with
spat-out Blue Ox all over his shins and feet.
“Moron!”hesquealed.Itendtogetbelligerent
whenI’mnotdrunk,soIshovedhisshoulders
backwithbothhandsandsaid,“No,you’rethe
moron for dressing like you’re in Barbados
when in fact you’re in New Friggin’ York in
February. Now go poof or I’ll beat the crap
out of you, you asinine little twink.” He spun
around and ran away.
Kyle and Robbie stood in silent amaze-
mentforamomentthenbrokeintoapplause.
“Butch!”saidKyleadmiringly.“Takemehome,
Daddy,”Robbiemewed.“Justbuymeadrink,”
I replied. “A real one. How about a Salty Dog?
You think Louise here knows how to make
one?”Hedidn’t.Iinstructedhim.Commanded
is a better word.
TheSaltyDog
3 oz. grapefruit juice•
3 oz. Absolut vodka•
Cut lemon•
Salt•
Ice, cubes or crushed•
Rub the cut edge of the lemon on the rim
of a glass, then dip the glass in a plate full
of flaked salt. Put the ice in the glass, then
add the juice and vodka and stir gently,
so as not to disturb the salt on the rim. If
the drink is too strong for you, cut it with
more grapefruit juice.
Cocktail Chatterby Ed Sikov
TimeAgainforPaulRevereByJonathanWilson
APRIL 2012ACCESSline Page 14 the fun guide
