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DOMA Ruled Unconstitutional
What’sInside:Section 1: News & Politics
Letter from the Editor 3
Advertising rates 3
Capital City Pride 2013 Des Moines,IA 4
From the Heartland by Donna RedWing 5
Remarkables by JonathanWilson 5
IowanAdvocacy byTami Haught 6
Meta-data and Privacy byTony Dillon-Hansen 6
Shrink Rap by LorenA Olson MD 7
Boy Scouts ofAmerica byWarren J.Blumenfeld 7
Just Sayin’ by Beau Fodor 8
Despite Repeal,Obstacles Remain by D. Wetherell 8
PFLAG - Des Moines Chapter Meeting 8
New GOglbt Business Referral Group 8
Minor Details:Pride by Robert Minor 9
GLSEN StudentAmbassador 9
Black Pride by Rev.Irene Monroe 10
Creep of theWeek by D’AnneWitkowski 10
Section 2:Fun Guide
Entertainment Picks for the Month 11
Chi Chi Larue at Club CO2 interview byArthur Breur 11
Inside Out:MyTribe by Ellen Krug 12
WiredThisWay by Rachel Eliason 13
Which Foods Burn the Most Calories? by DaveyWavey 13
I.C.Kings Celebrate Pride in Iowa City! 16
New Kings on the Block show their talent 21
The Bookworm Sez byTerri Schlichenmeyer 22
Comics and Crossword Puzzle 22-23
Hiring a wedding planner by Scott Stevens 24
Section 3:Community
FFBC:Dr.Jason Glass by Bruce Carr 25
PrimeTimers of Central Iowa 25
PITCH Calendar 2013 25
From the Pastor’s Pen by Rev.Page 26
Ask Lambda Legal By Dru Levasseur 26
Iowa NRCS EarthTeam 27
Business Owners to Support LocalArtists by J.Schaefer 27
LGBTQ Patient & Family Education and Support Groups 27
Business Directory 28-29
QC Pridefest celebrates Living Out Loud 30
DSM Gay Men’s Chorus at Capital City Pride Parade 31
University of Iowa LGBT S&F Association 32
CRPrideFest 2013: Shades of Pride Cedar Rapids, IA 34
ALPHAS 34TT B&B continued page 34
TT SCOTUS continued page 4
ACCESSlineCelebrates
Kyle’sBed&Breakfast
interviewbyArthurBreur
GivingGaySoldiers
ourRespect
byAngelaGeno-Stumme
TT SOLDIERS continued on page 32
This July Americans will be celebrating our country
with fireworks, food, and family. But don’t forget that our
country would be nothing without the men and women
who have fought to create and protect it. These soldiers
are in every community, including the LGBT community
and understanding their part in our nation is one way
we can give them respect for their service. Dan Wether-
ell and Angel Velez share their military experience and
views of the repeal of DADT.
Dan Wetherell
Dan Wetherell enlisted in the Army in 2005 when
he was twenty-eight, he served four years on active duty
and then four with the National Guard. He served at
Fort Lee, Virginia; Quyarrah, (Forward Operating Base
Q-West) Iraq and Camp Dubs located on the outskirts of
Kabul, Afghanistan. And has been attached to a National
Guard unit based here in Northwest Iowa.
Photo courtesy of Matty Smith.
Senator Matt McCoy. Photo courtesy of Daniel
Hoffman-Zinnel
Almost four hundred people came to the Supreme
Court Rally at the State House in Des Moines on June 26th
.
Waving rainbow flags, carrying signs, some wore the new
Ray-Gun shirt that proclaimed: “07-26-2013, today the
federal government is as gay as Iowa.”
Speakers included: State Senator Matt McCoy,
Senator Harkin staffer Benjamin Williams, PFLAG Mom
Susan Huber, married couple Melanie Muth and Tammy
Steinwandt, Rev Mark Stringer (UUA), Jeff Angelo from
Iowan Republicans for Freedom, Rabbi Edelman Blank,
the ACLU’s Ben Stone, Donna Red Wing (One Iowa) and
the fabulous Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus who sang
“The Star Spangled Banner” and “We Shall Overcome”.
Ted Coppock, PFLAG Dad shaded the podium with his
giant rainbow umbrella.
The crowd celebrated. Speakers were cheered as we
DesMoinesSCOTUS
RallybyDonnaRedWing
ArticlecontinuationfromACCESSline’sJune2013Volume,
27, Issue No. 6.
Is the building in Kyle’s Bed and Breakfast a fixed
floorplan?
Oh,absolutely. Thefirstbookactuallyhastheblueprints
of the entire house in the back of the book. All four floors
and everything. [laughs] So I really do lay it all out exactly
the way it’s supposed to be. It was challenging to figure that
out. When I first started doing the strip it was kind of like,
“Oh, I’ve got five characters, and they all live here,” but since
then I’ve brought on additional characters.
TherearetenbedroomsinthisBedandBreakfast,andif
there are any more than ten characters, I can’t have them all
living there at the same time. It’s a good excuse for me—it’s
a limiting factor: if a character’s not working for me, then it’s
time to send them off on a business trip to London or some-
thing, [laughs] because I just don’t have the room for them.
People love to criticize things, so what criticisms
have you gotten about your strips?
I have to say, I’ve gotten so many good words that when](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/8ca91784-3828-4d7f-b940-e7e5ac2c804a-150929185107-lva1-app6891/85/y13m07-ACCESSline-July-1-320.jpg)
![Surprised that There’s So
Much Rape in the Mili-
tary?
In 2012, 26,000 women and men
reported sexual assault in the American
military. We have no record of how much
remains unreported.
That’s only one year of
victimization in what
military brass admit-
ted before Congress
was a “cancer.” If
it weren’t for the
seven women on the
SenateArmedServices
Committee, I’d expect such reports to be
buried.
Hearing so many of the old Congress-
menrespondtothiswithstupidity,sexism,
and pseudo-science, even surprised those
of us who expect so little out of right-wing
politicians. And blaming the existence of
women in the military ignores the fact that
14,000 of those victims were men.
That’s 6.1% of the women in the
military and 1.2% of the men. And 98% of
the reported sexual assaults on men were
committed by other men.
In one of the most insightful analyses
of this epidemic, Ana Marie Cox of The
Guardian concludes: “it’s something about
being in the military today, at this moment
in history, fighting the kinds of wars we’re
fighting with the kinds of troops we have.”
[“The Real Roots of the US Military’s
Epidemic of Sexual Assaults”]
“It’s a truism among feminists–if not
senators–that rape is a crime of violence,
not of sexual attraction….Could it be that
the real crisis in today’s military is tied to
not who these soldiers are, but the nature
of what we’re asking them to do?”
Today’s military with a growing
number of soldiers
and veterans diag-
nosed with mental
illness and chemical
dependency, with the
tactics of modern
warfareandthelength
of troop service, exac-
erbates what we’ve
taught our men culturally and our military
men in particular.
It starts with what we teach our
boys as they enter puberty about what
manly sex is. In Scared Straight I called
that conditioning, the “Nine Layers of
Getting Laid,” a paradigm that continues
to dominate junior high and high school
male gender roles idealized in the studs
of contemporary media.
This cultural conditioning is often
excused as the male sex drive. Georgia
SenatorSaxbyChamblisssaidintheSenate
hearings: “Gee whiz, the hormone level
created by nature sets in place the possi-
bility for these types of things to occur.”
But the third of those layers is that
“Getting Laid” for high school boys is
impersonal. “It is best if a boy isn’t other-
wise acquainted with, or a friend of, the
sexual object. One does not marry the girl
whoisthebestlay….Gettinglaid,therefore,
is not about the person.”
The more that this impersonal layer
is internalized–the more it’s felt that the
sexisn’tdonetoapersonbutanobject–the
easier it is to deny that there’s violence
involved. One isn’t really hurting another
person.
Add to this the seventh layer–that
“Getting Laid” is self-centered, that it’s
done to someone on the agenda of a real
man - and the sexual act becomes an act
of power over another. One can see this
in the raping of men by men who identify
as heterosexual in our prisons–a situation
that’s often made into a joke.
Now, most of our boys know that
something like this conditioning is there
in their teen years but they fight it silently,
internally and seemingly alone because
men don’t talk about their deviations from
“manhood.” But what happens when we
add the conditioning men encounter in
the military?
A key goal of the military’s basic train-
ing is turning recruits into warriors who’ll
be ready to kill others if called to do so.
But a man can’t do this if he thinks of the
enemy personally.
That’s why enemies must be turned
into stereotypes and described with
phrases such as: “human life isn’t valuable
to them.” The face of the enemy must be
inhuman or it would be hard to destroy it.
Military conditioning thereby adds
another layer to thinking impersonally of
others. Other human beings are objects,
not living, loving human beings who are
sons and daughters of real people.
But it also de-humanizes the warrior
himself. His own value comes to be under-
stoodascontingentuponnotonlyisability
tokillothersbuthiswillingnesstobekilled
defending the system.
Violence to others becomes even
easier. And violence against oneself as
a just a killing machine who’s been put
further out of touch with his own, caring,
feeling humanity also becomes easier.
A true warrior expects violence. He
could even use its presence to finally
provide value for his own insecure manly
self-worth.
He can earn a medal from real men
at the top for killing another man, after
all, but be killed for loving one. Valuing
oneself for such violence turned inward
has spurred a record level of suicides
among those who serve and veterans, so
that in the past twelve years more have
died by their own hand than by enemy fire.
What’s actually surprising is that
these figures aren’t much higher. The
conditioning is doing everything it can
to encourage sexual assault as an act of
power and violence over some object so
as to assert one’s manhood and worth.
But they’re not, because men aren’t
inherently like this. They’re not naturally
driven by testosterone and hormones, no
matter how we might use these as excuses.
It’s not that “boys will be boys,” for
a lot of abusive manhood conditioning
software has to be installed in our little
naturally loving, caring, feeling boys to
make them killers and sexual assaulters.
And enforcing that is the fear that if they
don’t act tough, hard, cold, and object-
oriented enough, they’ll be put down as
girly and fags.
Add to this their impression that
society has given up on men. It’s not chal-
lenging their conditioning but sending
them to anger management, drugging
them, or finally throwing them away in
prison.
Conditioningisalllearned,andwhatis
learned can be unlearned. But do we have
the courage to lead that charge?
Minor Details by Robert Minor
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.
A key goal of the
military’s basic training is
turningrecruitsintowarriors
who’llbereadytokillothers
if called to do so.
Matt Shankles is a shining example of
how students really can make a difference.
A native of Marion, Iowa, Matt faced
his own set of challenges at school when
he came out as LGBT. He experienced
name-calling, bullying and harassment
from his peers simply for being himself.
Matt chose to take action. He looked
for ways to change his school climate. He
beganaTwittercampaigntotweetencour-
agementtostudentswhohadbeenbullied.
Matt also participated in GLSEN’s Safe
Schools Advocacy Summit in Washington
where he met with lawmakers to push for
the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA)
and the Student Non-Discrimination Act
(SNDA).
But Matt’s work didn’t stop there.
He joined GLSEN’s Student Ambassadors
team. He spoke on a cyberbullying panel
hosted by Iowa’s Governor. He also went
on to testify at a Senate committee hearing
in Iowa chaired by Senator Tom Harkin to
discuss the need for safer schools.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Senator
Harkin introduced an education bill that
included provisions from both SSIA and
SNDA.
FormoreinformationgotoGLSEN.org.
GLSEN Student Ambassador
ACCESSline Page 9JULY 2013
Section 1: News & Politics](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/8ca91784-3828-4d7f-b940-e7e5ac2c804a-150929185107-lva1-app6891/85/y13m07-ACCESSline-July-9-320.jpg)
![Bryan Fischer
Did you hear the news? It’s now okay
tobeagayBoyScout.Butyoustillcan’tbea
gay Man Scout. Because as we all know, the
second a gay male turns 18 he turns from
a child into a child
predator. At least on
the planet inhabited
by the anti-gay right.
On May 23, the
Boy Scouts of Ameri-
ca’s National Council
voted to end the long-
standingbanongayScouts,but tokeep the
ban on gay Troop leaders in place.
Gay rights folks are only half
impressed. Unsurprisingly, the anti-gay
right is going berserk.
A lot of nastiness erupted on Twitter
after the announcement.
Peter LaBarbera, founder and presi-
dent of the ironically named Americans
for Truth about Homosexuality, sputtered,
“Boy Scouts dug own grave,” and warned
of an anti-gay splinter group.
Liberty Counsel’s Matt Barber
Tweeted, “Boy Scouts of America: Born
February 8, 1910 | Died, May 23, 2013
#RIP,” as if death notices don’t deserve at
least a phone call.
Butbyfarthenastiestcommentscame
from the American Family Association’s
Bryan Fischer.
“BSAnowstandsforBoySodomizersof
America,becausethat’swhatwillhappen,”
Fischer Tweeted. “Mark my words.”
Get it? Because gays are all about
the butt sex and letting gay kids be Boy
Scouts,insteadofostracizingthemlikeGod
intended, means that the entire organiza-
tionisbasicallygoingtobeabigrapeparty.
No longer will Boy
Scoutsmakepinewood
derby cars or learn
howtobuildcampfires.
The BSA in Fischer’s
twisted fantasy is all
anal-penetrationallthe
time. “Mark my words”
is a nice touch, too. As if Fischer is gleefully
waiting to be proven right, as if this is actu-
ally what he wants to see happen.
But perhaps Fischer is just speaking
out of unhinged anger after being proven
wrong.
“[T]he ban on homosexual Scout
mastersandhomosexualparticipants,that
ban is going to be upheld. It’s going to be
defended,” Fischer ranted on Focal Point,
his radio show, in February. “It’s the end
of the game. This is game over. This is the
Super Bowl and the good guys have won.
Make no mistake about this, this is a huge
win for the pro-family movement; it is a
big, big, big setback for Big Gay.”
Oops.
Granted, you could say he was half
rightsince,afterall,gaygrown-upsarestill
banned, but Fischer was adamant that BSA
would never happen. He had no contin-
gency plan. It never dawned on him that
BSA would adopt a more humane policy
toward gays of any age.
Of course, now that they’ve done it,
Fischer is sure he knows why. He Tweeted,
“Boy Scouts have sold their soul for a
mess of corporate pottage. They will wind
up with lots of money and no scouts.”
That’s right. It’s all about the
Benjamins.Justabunchofgreedybastards
in neckerchiefs up in the BSA. No doubt
moneyisgoingtostartpouringinnowthat
thequeersarehere.Andwithcashinhand,
the gay BSA take-over will be complete.
Before you know it Dan Savage will get
a fleur-de-lis tattoo on his forehead and
Elton John will perform, “Can You Feel the
Cubs Tonight” at the next National Scout
Jamboree.
Or, in all likelihood, nothing much will
happen except some gay kids who previ-
ously felt excluded may join. Some kids
whoarefreakedout(or,morelikely,whose
parents are freaked out) may quit. And gay
kids who are already members will take
comfort in knowing that an organization
that requires a serious level of dedication
doesn’t officially forsake them.
Mark my words.
Creep of the Week by D’Anne Witkowski
BSAnowstandsforBoy
Sodomizers of America,
because that’s what will
happen.
Distinct and Emblematic
Black Pride reaffirms our identity. And
it dances to a different beat.
What started out in Washington D.C.
in 1990 as the only Black Gay Pride event in
thecountryhasgrowntoover35gatherings
nationwide. Each year
celebrations start in
April and continue to
October. Over 300,000
LGBTQ people of
African descent rev up
for a weekend of social
and cultural events
celebratingtheirqueeruniqueness.In2007
aloneover350,000attendedBlackGayPride
eventsthroughouttheU.S.Thelargestevents
are held in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles
and Atlanta, and smaller Black Pride events
(like Boston’s) provide an important sense
of identity and cultural heritage.
Sundaygospelbrunches,Saturdaynight
Poetryslams,Fridayeveningfashionshows,
bid whist tournaments, house parties, the
smell of soul food and Caribbean cuisine,
and the beautiful display of African art and
clothingarejustafewoftheculturalmarkers
that make Black Pride distinct from the
dominant queer culture.
JustlikeinthemainstreamofAmerican
society,culturalacceptanceandinclusionof
LGBTQcommunitiesofcolorinlargerPride
events is hard to come by. Many can experi-
ence social exclusion and invisibility in the
big events. Segments of our population will
attendseparateBlack,Asian,andLatinoGay
Prideeventsinsearchoftheunitythatisthe
hallmark of Pride.
The themes and focus of Black, Asian,
and Latino Pride events are different
from the larger Pride events. Prides of
communities of color focus on issues not
solely pertaining to the LGBTQ commu-
nity, but rather on social, economic, and
health issues impacting
theirentirecommunity.
The growing distance
between our larger and
white LGBTQ commu-
nity and these LGBTQ
communities of color
is shown by how, for
an example, a health issue like HIV/AIDS
that was once an entire LGBTQ community
problem is now predominately a challenge
for communities of color.
Also, with advances such as hate crime
laws, the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell,” the legalization of same-sex
marriageinmanystates,andwithhomopho-
biaviewedasanationalconcern,theLGBTQ
movement has come a long way since the
first Pride marches four plus decades ago.
ManynotetheperceiveddistancetheLGBTQ
community has traveled in such a short
historictime—fromadisenfranchisedgroup
on the fringe of America’s mainstream to a
community now on the verge of equality.
Butnotallmembersofourcommunityhave
crossed the finish line. Some are waving the
cautionaryfingerthatwithinourcommunity
to note that not all are equal.
Pride events can be public displays of
those disparities.
Mainstream Prides have themes
focused on marriage equality for the larger
community where Prides organized by and
for LGBTQ people of African descent have
focused not only on HIV/AIDS but also
unemployment,housing,gangviolence,and
LGBTQ youth homelessness. After decades
of Pride events where many LGBTQ people
of African descent asked to be included
and weren’t, Boston Black Pride was born.
Boston Black Pride this year will neither be
a formal gathering of folks nor will there be
a display of scheduled festivities. But it will
grooveonasitalwayshasforthecommunity,
withmoreindividualandimpromptuevents.
By1999BlackPrideeventshavegrown
into the International Federation of Black
Prides, Inc. (IFBP). The IFBP is a coalition
of twenty-nine Black Pride organizations
across the country. It formed to promote an
African diasporic multicultural and multi-
national network of LGBTQ/ Same Gender
Loving Pride events and community based
organizationsdedicatedtobuildingsolidar-
ity,health,andwellnessandpromotingunity
throughout our communities.
Also in understanding the need to
network and build coalitions beyond its
immediate communities, IFBP created the
formation of the Black/Brown Coalition.
Black Pride is an invitation for commu-
nity. Like the larger Pride events that go on
during the month of June throughout the
country, Black Pride need not be viewed as
either a political statement or a senseless
non-stop orgy of drinking, drugging and
sex. Such an “either-or” viewpoint creates a
dichotomy,whichlessensourunderstanding
of the integral connection of political action
and celebratory acts of songs and dance for
our fight for our civil rights.
While Pride events are still fraught
with divisions, they, nonetheless, bind us
to a common struggle for LGBTQ equality.
BlackPridecontributestothatstruggle
for equality, demonstrating an African
diasporic aspect of joy and celebration that
symbolizes not only our uniqueness, but it
also affirms our commonality as an expres-
sion of LGBTQ life in America.
Happy Pride!
Rev. Irene Monroe is a graduate from
Wellesley College and Union Theological
Seminary at Columbia University, and
she has served as a pastor at an African-
American church before coming to Harvard
Divinity School for her doctorate as Ford
Fellow. She is a syndicated queer religion
columnist who tries to inform the public
of the role religion plays in discrimination
against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and queer people. Her website is
irenemonroe.com.
BlackPridebyRev.IreneMonroe
Caribbean cuisine,
and the beautiful
display of African art
and clothing…
JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 10
Section 1: News & Politics](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/8ca91784-3828-4d7f-b940-e7e5ac2c804a-150929185107-lva1-app6891/85/y13m07-ACCESSline-July-10-320.jpg)
![Chi Chi Larue is best known as an adult
film director, producing films for the past
twenty-five years. In addition to her direct-
ing,thisfamousdragpersonahasbeenDJing
and touring with her video stars since 2005,
performing to sold out clubs around the
world. She will be performing at Club CO2
inCedarRapidsonJuly12thand13th,2013.
Inanticipationofthatevent,ACCESSline
editor Arthur Breur took a moment to chat
with Chi Chi (pronounced “She She”), long
distance, about topics
both serious and light-
hearted, while she was
in London attending the
2013 HotRod British
Porn Awards (at which
she won both Best Director and the Lifetime
Achievement Award).
You’ll be at Club CO2 in Cedar Rapids
on June 12th and 13th. How do your live
appearancesatclubswork,whereyouDJ
and have your guys with you?
Well, we’re going to have three porn
boys—three really great guys. Two that
tied for best performer of the year this
year at the GRABBY awards—which is the
gay adult video awards that are held every
year in Chicago: Jimmy Durano and Trenton
Ducati both won best performer of the year.
And we’ve got a brand new boy that just
starteddoingmovies,namedDamianTaylor,
who’s fabulous, and if there was a “best a**”
category in any award show, he’d definitely
be a contender. He’s got one of those butts
that you can set a drink on!
I’ll be DJing and the boys will be enter-
taining. We’ll all be entertaining, I hope!
Tell us about your DJing.
Well, I’ve always been a music junkie,
every kind of music, and I’m also a control
freak. [Laughs.] So that makes for a good
DJingexperience. Igottiredofgoingtoclubs
and not hearing the music that I wanted to
hear,andasallDJsdo,Ibelievethatthemusic
thatIwanttoheariswhateverybodywantsto
hear. And what it turned out to be was that I
was a little more right than some other DJs.
I play happy gay music, ala Britney Spears,
MileyCyrus,youknow,
whatever is Top 40
dance mixed with a
tinybitofhip-hopand
classics—80s, 90s,
etc. I would consider
“Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child a classic.
That’swhatpeopleliketohearinmostcases
inclubs. Idon’teverletmyselfgetbookedin
a place that doesn’t want that kind of music.
Like if it’s a place that plays the late-night,
circuity, giant dance venue kind of music, I
don’t book myself in places like that or get
booked in places like that. I don’t know how
to do that kind of music.
What’sbeenyourfavoriteexperience
spinning so far?
ProbablyDJingatthebirthdaypartyfor
Elton John’s husband, David. It was really
fun. It was a surreal experience to have
Victoria Beckham and Lulu dancing to my
music! Yeah!
On a timely topic, what do you think
about the Supreme Court rulings on
marriage?
I’m glad it happened, but I’m really not
Our Picks for July
6/28-7/20, Theatre Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
Spring Awakening, TheatreCR.org
7/6, Club Privileged, Davenport, Iowa, New Show in
Town, Facebook.com/Privilegednightclub
7/11-7/14, Lincoln, Nebraska, Star City Pride
2013: No Labels, StarCityPride.org
7/11-7/14, NIACC Auditorium, Mason City, Iowa,
The Sound of Music, TheMusicManSquare.org
7/12-7/14, Clear Lake, Iowa, Bicycle,
Blues & BBQ, BicycleBluesBBQ.com
7/12, Blazing Saddle, Des Moines, Iowa,
The LBGT hosting Little Miss & Mr. Des
Moines Pageant, TheBlazingSaddle.com
7/12-7/27, Waterloo Community Playhouse, Waterloo,
Iowa, 9 to 5: The Musical, WCPBHCT.org
7/12-8/4, Des Moines Playhouse, Des Moines, Iowa,
Legally Blonde, DMPlayhouse.com
7/13, Fireside Winery, Marengo, Iowa,
Firefly Festival, FireSideWinery.com
7/19, African American Museum of Iowa, Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, Uganda Children’s Choir,BlackIowa.org
7/19-28, Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, Fairfield,
Iowa, Annie Get Your Gun, FairfieldACC.com
7/20, McElroy Auditorium, Waterloo, Iowa,
Brawlers vs. BrewCity, CVDerbyDivas.com
7/21-7/27, Iowa, RAGBRAI XLI, Ragbrai.com
7/24-8/4, Civic Center, Des Moines, Iowa,
Jersey Boys, DesMoinesPerformingArts.org
7/25-7/27, Dowtown, Decorah, Iowa, Nordic Fest,
Nordicfest.com
7/26-7/27, Corning Center for the Fine Arts, Corning,
Iowa, En Plein Air, RetireTheRedRaider.com
7/26-8/3, National Balloon Classic Balloon Field,
Indianola, Iowa, National Balloon Classic,
NationalBalloonClassic.com
7/26-8/4, Grand Opera House, Dubuque, Iowa,
Les Miserables, TheGrandOperaHouse.com
...and August
8/17, McKennan Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota,
Sioux Falls Pride, Facebook.com/SiouxFallsPride
8/24, Downtown, Waterloo, Iowa, Cedar Valley
Pridefest 2013, CedarValleyPride.com
ACCESSline’s fun guide
TT CHI CHI LARUE cont’d page 31
Chi Chi Larue at Club CO2
interview by Arthur Breur
Chi Chi Larue. Courtesy of Chi Chi Larue
DamianTaylor…He’sgot
one of those butts that you
can set a drink on!](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/8ca91784-3828-4d7f-b940-e7e5ac2c804a-150929185107-lva1-app6891/85/y13m07-ACCESSline-July-11-320.jpg)
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tion and a contact (e-mail address,
land address, or website) for our
records. For more information or to
provide corrections, please contact
Editor@ACCESSlineAMERICA.com or
call (712) 560-1807.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Breur Media Corporation : Website Consulta-
tion, Design, Programming, and Hosting.
HIV and STD Testing Sites near You, includ-
ing places where you can get tested for free:
hivtest.org/
Crisis or Suicide National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline: suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Information on Mental Health National Alli-
ance on Mental Illness: nami.org
Counseling, Information and Resources
about Sexual Orientation GLBT National Help
Center: glnh.org or 1-888-843-4564
Information on Mental Health for Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender nami.org
Information on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Health, cdc.gov
Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund
1133 15th Street NW, Suite 350,
Washington, DC 20005, victoryfund.org
202-VICTORY [842-8679]
Human Rights Campaign,
National political organization, lobbies
congress for lesbian & gay issues, political
training state and local, hrc.org, 1-800-777-
HRCF[4723]
Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund
I I E. Adams, Suite 1008, Chicago, IL 60603
lambdalegal.org, 312-663-4413
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF)
- ngltf.org - taskforce.org
1325 Massachusetts Ave NW,
Ste 600, Washington, DC, 20005
National Organization for Women (NOW)
733 15th ST NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20005, now.org
202-628-8669
PFLAG National Offices
1133 15th Street NW, Suite 350, Washington,
DC 20005, info@pflag.org - pflag.org, 202-
467-8180
The Trevor Lifeline
|Crisis and suicide prevention lifeline for
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ques-
tioning youth. (866) 4-U-TREVOR - (866)
488-7386 Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. All calls are toll-free and confidential
- thetrevorproject.org/
IOWA ORGANIZATIONS
Equality Iowa
P.O. Box 18, Indianola, IA 50125, equality-
iowa.org - 515-537-3126
Faithful Voices
Interfaith Alliance of Iowa’s marriage equality
project. faithfulvoices.org
Imperial Court of Iowa
Non-profit fundraising & social, statewide
organization with members from across the
State of Iowa.
PO Box 1491, Des Moines, IA 50306-1491
imperialcourtofiowa.org
Iowa Chapter of the National
Organization for Women (NOW)
Janis Bowden, President, IA NOW
janleebow@aol.com
PO Box 41114, Des Moines, IA 503111
Iowa Gay Rodeo Association (IAGRA)
921 Diagonal Rd, Malcom, IA 50157
polebender60@yahoo.com 641-990-1411
Iowa PFLAG
(Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and
Gay) State Council, PO Box 18, Indianola,
IA 50125
http://community.pflag.org/Page.
aspx?pid=194&srcid=-2
515-537-3126 or 641-583-2024
Iowa Pride Network
777 Third Street, Suite 312, Des Moines, Iowa
50309 - Iowapridenetwork.org,
Executive Director: 515-471-8062,
Outreach Coordinator: 515-471-8063
LGBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force
PO Box 1997, Des Moines, 50306
515-243-1221
One Iowa
500 East Locust St, Ste 300, Des Moines, IA
50309 - 515-288-4019 - OneIowa.org
The Quire
Eastern Iowa’s GLBT chorus, thequire.org
NEBRASKA ORGANIZATIONS
(LIST IN PROGRESS)
Citizens For Equal Protection-402-398-3027
1105 Howard St, Suite #2, Omaha, NE 68102.
cfep-ne.org - info@cfep-ne.org
The Imperial Court of Nebraska
Meets the third Monday of Every month at the
Rainbow Outreach Resource Center at 17th
and Leavenworth in Omaha, NE. Meetings
start at 6pm and are open to the public.
PO Box 3772, Omaha, NE 68103
Nebraska AIDS Project
Omaha Office (Home Office)
250 South 77th Street Suite A
Omaha, NE 68114
(402) 552-9260 - Email us: info@nap.org
(also serving Southwest Iowa)
AMES, IOWA
First United Methodist Church
516 Kellogg Ave, Ames, IA 50010, Contempo-
rary worship Sat 5:30; Sun 8:30 & 11am
acswebnetworks.com/firstunitedmcames/
515-232-2750
ISU LGBTA Alliance
GLBT Support, Activism, Social Events,
Newsletter - 515-344-4478
L East Student Office Space,2229 Lincoln
Way, Ames, IA 50014-7163, alliance@iastate.
edu - alliance.stuorg.iastate.edu
Living with HIV Program
226 SE 16th Street, Ames, IA 50010, Ask for
Janelle (Coordinator), 515-956-3312 ext 106
or 800-890-8230
Lord of Life Lutheran - 515-233-2350
2126 Gable Lane, Ames 50014, Services
Sundays at 9:00a.m.; Wed. 7:00pm.
PFLAG Ames
Youth and Shelter Services Offices, 2328
Bristol Drive, Ames, IA 5001, 2nd Tuesday,
7pm - pflagames.org 515-291-3607
Romantics Pleasure Palace
117 Kellogg Street, Ames, IA 50010-3315
romantixonline.com 515-232-7717
United Church of Christ-Congregational
217 6th Street, Ames, Iowa, 50010, Sunday
Continental Breakfast, 9:00am; Sunday
School, 9:30am; Worship 10:45am. office@
amesucc.org 515-232-9323
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
1015 Hyland Ave. Summer services: 10:00
am, Sunday. Services 10 a.m. for the rest of
the summer. Contact uufa@uufames.org and
www.uufames.org or call 515-231-8150.
Also, the email and website are uufa@
uufames.org and www.uufames.org
Unity Church of Ames - unityofames.com
226 9th St, Ames, IA 50010-6210, Sunday
service and Sunday school 10:30am.
Wednesday mediation 6:30pm
Daily dial-a-blessing 515-233-1613
ARNOLDS PARK, OKOBOJI,
SPENCER, SPIRIT LAKE, IOWA
The Royal Wedding Chapel
504 Church Street, Royal, IA 51357
712-933-2223 TheRoyalWeddingChapel.com
Wilson Resource Center
An Iowa Great Lakes area gay-owned,
nonprofit community based organization. PO
Box 486, 597 W. Okoboji Rd., Arnolds Park IA
51331-0486 - 712-332-5043
F.JosephWilson@aol.com. wilsonresource.
org
BURLINGTON, IOWA
Arrowhead Motel - arrowheadia.com
2520 Mount Pleasant St, Burlington, IA
52601-2118 - 319-752-6353
Faith Lutheran Church E L C A
3109 Sunnyside Ave, Burlington, IA 52601
HIV/AIDS Screening @ Des Moines County
Health Department in Burlington, 522 N 3rd
By appointment between 8:00am to 4:30
319-753-8217 Confidential
RISQUES IV (adult store)
421 Dry Creek Ave, West Burlington, IA
52601
(319) 753-5455, Sun - Wed 8am-Midnight
Thurs - Sat Open 24 Hours, LoversPlay-
ground.com
Steve’s Place
852 Washington St, Burlington, 319-754-
5868
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Services start at 10:30 am, 625 N 6th St,
Burlington, IA 52601-5032, (319) 753-1895 -
uuburlington.org
CEDAR FALLS - WATERLOO,
IOWA
Adult Cinema
315 E 4th St, Waterloo, IA 50703-4703,
(319) 234-7459
Black Hawk Co. Health Department
Free HIV testing (donations accepted);
MW, 1:00pm to 3:00pm; Thurs, 1:00pm to
4:45pm
1407 Independence Ave. (5th fl), Waterloo
50703
319-291 -2413
Cedar AIDS Support System (CASS)
Service, support groups & trained volunteers
for persons with HIV/AIDS in Waterloo/CF
call Elizabeth or Karla, 319-272-AIDS(2437).
cvhospice@forbin.net
Cedar Valley Counseling Services
Promoting personal growth and development
in a strengths-based environment, Joan
E. Farstad, MA, Director. 319-240-4615,
cvcounseling.com
farstd@cvcounseling.com.
Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry.
In Lutheran Center, 2616 College St, Cedar
Falls, IA - 319-415-5747, mcdinoiwa@aol.
com, episcopalcampus.org
Community AIDS Assistance Project (CAAP)
- PO Box 36, Waterloo, IA 50704
LGBTA Support Group at
Hawkeye Community College, Call Carol at
319-296-4014 or carol.hedberg@hawkeyecol-
lege.edu
Iowa Legal Aid
Free civil legal service available to low income
persons who qualify under income/asset
guidelines.
607 Sycamore, #206, Waterloo, IA 50703
1-800-772-0039 or 319-235-7008
Kings & Queens
304 W. 4th St, Waterloo, IA, 319-232-3001
Romantix Waterloo (Adult Emporium)
1507 La Porte Rd, Waterloo, IA 50702
319-234-9340, romantixonline.com
Stellas Guesthouse
324 Summit Ave, Waterloo, IA
Private B&B, Overnight accommodations for
adults only. 319-232-2122
St. Lukes Episcopal Church - 319-277-8520
2410 Melrose Dr, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Services: Sunday 8:00 & 10:15, Thurs 11:30 -
st-lukes-episcopal.org
St. Timothys United Methodist Church
3220 Terrace Drive, Cedar Falls, 50613
sttims-umc.org, 319-266-0464, info@sttims-
umc-org, “Welcome of all persons, including
those of all sexual orientations and gender
identities.”
Together For Youth
233 Vold Dr, Waterloo, IA 50703,
TogetherForYouth.net 319-274-6768
UNI-LGBTA
Alliance-Student Organization, 244A Bartlet
Hall, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls
50613 - lgbta@uni.edu 319-222-0003
United Church of Christ Cedar Falls
9204 University Avenue, Cedar Falls
319-366-9686
Unitarian Universalist Society of Black Hawk
County - 319-266-5640
3912 Cedar Heights Dr, Cedar Falls, IA
CEDAR RAPIDS/MARION, IOWA
Adult Shop
630 66th Ave SW, 319-362-4939
Adult Shop North
5539 Crane Lane, 319-294-5360
CRPrideFest (formerly Cedar Rapids Unity)
Social activities, non-profit Pride festival
organization. PO Box 1643 Cedar Rapids
52406-1643 - CRPrideFest.com
Christ Episcopal Church
“We have a place for you.” 220 40th Street
NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404, 319-363-2029 -
ChristEpiscopal.org
Belle’s Basix - 319-363-3194
Open 5pm to 2am M-F, Sat & Sun 3pm-2am
3916 1st Ave NE, Cedar Rapids
Club CO2, A GLBTQA Nightclub, 616 2nd
Ave SE, 319-365-0225, Open 7 days a week
4PM-2AM, Happy hour from 4-8 pm, club-
co2.com
Coe Alliance
GLBTQ and straight students, staff and
people from the community. Coe College,
1220 First Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402.
coealliance@coe.edu
or Erica Geers, faculty advisor at 319-861-
6025
Community Health Free Clinic
947 14th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
- 319-363-0416 - communityhfc.org
Free Medical Services provided for the
uninsured and underserved patients of Cedar
Rapids, Marion and the surrounding areas in
Eastern Iowa.
CSPS Legion Arts Contemporary Arts Center
- 319-364-1580
1103 3rd St. SE, info@legionarts.org
Diversity Focus,
222 2nd Street SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
52401, 319-363-3707, DiversityFocus.org,
Lead in the promotion of diversity, cultural
awareness, and inclusion in the Corridor
community.
Eden United Church of Christ
351 8th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404
(319) 362-7805
Sunday School 9am - Worship 10:15am
Foundation 2 Crisis Counseling
24-hour telephone crisis counseling.
f2crisis@aol.com or www.f2online.org
1540 2nd Ave. SE Cedar Rapids, IA
319-362-2174 or 800-332-4224
Linn County Public Health
501 13th NW, Free confidential HIV testing,
319-892-6000
Linn County Stonewall Democrats
For more info, contact linnstonewall@ gmail.
com
People’s Church Unitarian Universalist
A welcoming congregation. 4980 Gordon Ave
NW, Cedar Rapids, IA, 11am Sunday. 319-
362-9827 - peoplesuu.org
PFLAG CR, Linn Co and Beyond
Support Group meets on the 4th Thursday
at 7pm except for Nov Dec - call for details.
319-431-0673, pflaglcb@gmail.com
The Linn County Stonewall Democrats
Meet 2nd Wednesdays, Blue Strawberry,
118 2nd St SE in Cedar Rapids, IA. Contact
Harvey S. Ross, HRoss007@aol.com.
Tri-ess, Iota Kappa Phi Chapter
P.O. Box 8605, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52408
We are a transgendered organization support-
ing crossdressers, their families, and friends.
- ri-ess.org, 319-390-6376, georgia523@
yahoo.com
- marlenemarschel@yahoo.com
Unity Center of Cedar Rapids
“A center of positive, practical Christianity.”
4980 Gordon NE, Cedar Rapids
unitycr.org - (319) 393-5422
CLINTON, IOWA
18 and Beyond (aka ABC Books),
135 5th Ave South, 563-242-7687
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clinton
309 30th Avenue North, Clinton, IA 52732
(563) 242-4972 - uuclinton.org, Sunday
services at 10:30 (year-round), Where YOUR
spiritual and ethical journey is welcome! Rev.
Ruby Nancy, minister
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA
Council Bluffs Community Alliance
“…will promote the city of Council Bluffs as a
developing gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgen-
der family community, & to assure the equality
of all Council Bluffs’ residents.”
CouncilBluffsCommunityAlliance.org
Council Bluffs NOW
PO Box 3325, Omaha, NE 68103-0325
Romantix Council Bluffs (North)
(Adult Emporium) 3216 1st Ave, Council
Bluffs, IA 51501-3353-romantixonline.com-
515-955-9756
Romantix Council Bluffs (South)
(Romantix After Dark) 50662 189th St, Coun-
cil Bluffs, IA 51503
romantixonline.com, 712-366-1764
DECORAH, IOWA
Decorah Human Rights Commission
Contact: City Clerk, 400 Clairborne Dr, Deco-
rah, 563-382-3651, Meetings: First Tuesdays,
5:30pm
Luther College Student Congregation
Contact Office for College Ministry
700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101, 563-387-
1040.
Luther College PRIDE-Diversity Center,
700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101
Contact Charles 563-210-6570
PFLAG Northeast IA (Waukon/Decorah)
Meets 4th Monday of the month from
7-8pm; contact Randall Duvall at
krey1945@gmail.com
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Meets alternating Sundays at 10:30am,
Decorah Senior Center, 806 River St, Call Bill
at 563-382-3458.
DES MOINES, IOWA
AIDS Project of Central Iowa
Free HIV testing, prevention supplies, care
services, food pantry, information. 711 E. 2nd,
Des Moines, IA 50309, 515-284-0245
Blazing Saddle
416 E 5th St, Des Moines, IA
theblazingsaddle.com - 515-246-1299
Buddies Corral
418 E 5th St, Des Moines, IA - 515-244-7140
Church of the Holy Spirit-MCC, Interim Pastor
Peter Trabaris - Sunday service 11am at the
1st Christian Church, 2500 University (2nd
floor chapel), Des Moines, IA, Facebook.
com/CHSMCC, chsmccdmia@aol.com,
515-287-9787
Des Moines Diversity Chorus [A gay-friendly
mixed chorus] Rehearsals on Mondays at 7
p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church,
Beaver Ave. at Franklin St., Des Moines.
All are welcome, no auditions.
PO Box 65312, West Des Moines,
IA 50265, Julie Murphy, Artistic Director
jahmurphy@hotmail.com, 515-255-3576,
desmoinesdiversitychorus.org
Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus
515-953-1540, 4126 Ingersoll Ave, Des
Moines - administrator@dmgmc.org
Des Moines Pride Center
@ One Iowa (temporary location) 419 SW,
8th St., Des Moines, IA 50309
Family Practice Center - 515-953-7560
Safe, supportive LGBT health care. 200 Army
Post Road, Ste 26, ppgi.org
First Friday Breakfast Club
Educational breakfast club for gay/bisexual
men. Meets first Friday of each month. Con-
tact Jonathan Wilson for meeting topic and
place. 515-288-2500
info@ffbciowa.org ffbciowa.org
First Unitarian Church
1800 Bell Avenue, Services Sundays at 9:30
& 11am - 515-244-8603, ucdsm.org
Franklin Family Practice
Dr. Joe Freund, MD
4908 Franklin Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310
515-280-4930, ucsinformation@ucsdsm.org,
UCSOnline.org/FranklinFamilyPractice
The Gallery (adult store)
1000 Cherry St, Des Moines, IA 50309-4227
- (515) 244-2916 Open 24 Hrs, LoversPlay-
ground.com
The Garden
112 SE 4th Des Moines, IA, 515-243-3965
Wed-Sun. 8pm-2am grdn.com
Gay & Lesbian AA & AI-Anonymous
Mon 7pm; Tue-Thu 6pm; Sat. 5:30pm, at
Drake Ministries in Ed. Bldg. 28th & University
Gay and Lesbian Issues Committee
4211 Grand Avenue, Level-3, Des Moines, IA
50312 - 515-277-1117
Lavender Victory Fund
Financial assistance for women in need for
medical emergencies. lavendervf@aol.com
Le Boi Bar
508 Indianola Rd, Des Moines, IA
Liberty Gifts
333 E. Grand Ave, Loft 105, Des Moines, IA
Gay owned specialty clothing, jewelry, home
decor. 515-508-0825
MINX Show Palace - 515-266-2744
1510 NE Broadway, Des Moines, IA 50313
North Star Gay Rodeo Association of IGRA,
Iowa Division of North Star, NSGRA@
NSGRA.org or 612-82-RODEO
Primary Health Care Inc., David Yurdin, 2353
SE 14th St., Des Moines, 503020, Works with
GLBT ages 16 to geriatric, 25 years of experi-
ence. 515-248-1427
Rainbow Union, Drake University
ru@drake.edu
PFLAG Des Moines - 515-243-0313
1300 Locust , Des Moines, IA 50312
Plymouth Congregational UCC
Church and the Plymouth GLBT Community
4126 Ingersoll Ave. 515-255-3149
Services at 9am & I lam Sunday. Plymouth-
GLBT.com
Polk County Health Department
Free STD, HIV, and Hepatitis B & C testing.
HIV. Rapid testing also offered. 1907 Carpen-
ter, Des Moines, IA, 515-286-3798.
Pride Alliance, AIB College of Business
Gay and straight students celebrating diver-
sity. Contact: Mike Smith, Advisor,
PrideAlliance@aib.edu - aib.edu/pride
Pride Bowling League for GLBT & Sup-
porters - Every Wednesday, 7 PM, Air
Lanes Bowling Center 4200 Fleur Drive,
Des Moines, IA 50321-2389. Email
pridebowlingleague@gmail.com or
515-447-2977.
TT DIRECTORY cont’d page 29
The ACCESSline is
expandingourresource
directory to include
heartland resources
outside of Iowa. Please
bear with us as we
continueimprovingour
resource directory.
JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 28 Section 3: Community](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/8ca91784-3828-4d7f-b940-e7e5ac2c804a-150929185107-lva1-app6891/85/y13m07-ACCESSline-July-28-320.jpg)
![I get criticism… OK, there are two types of
criticism. There’sonewhereIcansay,“Yeah,
that’s a valid point,”and I’ll respond to it and
maybe I’ll make some changes. But then
I get some wacky criticisms that are just
completelyoffthewall. Therearesomethat
I just kind of laugh at.
How far out do you plan your plot-
lines? You have these great story arcs.
Are they complete in your mind before
you start? Do they evolve? How much
changes from the time that you start a
story to the end?
I have a lot of different storyline arcs
written, usually about seven to ten episodes
long—someareshorter,someareonlythree
or four episodes. Keeping track of them,
I have to keep them all notated. I have
this master notebook that I use. I literally
have over two thousand episodes that I’ve
written, and out of those, I really take out
the ones that are the best story lines. I have
them planned out, but I don’t always have it
planned out how they’re going to mesh with
theotherstorylines. Generally,Ihaveoneor
two,orsometimesthreearcsgoingonatthe
same time, where they’re kind of weaving in
and out of each other. Last summer was the
first time I sat down and said, “I’m going to
plan from this July to next July, exactly how
everything’sgoingtogo,andI’mgoingtosee
ifIcanreallysticktothat.”BeforeIwouldjust
do two or three months in advance. But this
time I really did plan out a year in advance,
andIprettymuchstucktoit,butatthesame
timeI’vechangedsomethings. Becausesome
things just come up. You find that storylines
are not quite working like you want them
to. Everything is written in advance, but it’s
not drawn in advance. I’ll have the script
written months in advance, and eventually
when I start drawing the episodes, certain
things come up, different factors, and you
realize different things about the story, and
you think, “You know, this isn’t looking quite
the way I had written it out.” So you make
adjustments,eitheraddingmoretothestory
or taking some away from it. There are lots
of episodes where a story was supposed to
go on for, say, eight episodes, and I ended up
making it just six episodes, because there
were two superfluous episodes that didn’t
really add to the story and instead just drag
it out. That will happen a lot.
You have a lot of very deeply touch-
ing moments that happen between your
characters…
Oh, thank you.
…Any favorites of
those?
You know, it’s
funny: when I was
putting together the
second book I realized
that storyline with
Nick and Dave—one
who’s the fire fighter,
and the other who is
disabled—their story
really touched me.
Readingback—because
sometimes I don’t look
at stuff for months or
a couple of years, and
I won’t see those older
episode. That storyline
really touched me, how the two of them
came together, it made ME really emotional.
[Laughs.]AtthetimethatIdidthatstoryIgot
alotofpositivefeedback,andpeoplereading
it were really touched by it.
Andyouhavemanyveryfunnystory-
lines. YoubroughtinthecharacterBryce
for one of those…
That character kind of surprised me,
because I brought him in as a good antago-
nist, and it ended up I just loved writing that
character. He’s so abrasive and completely
disdainful. He’s like this frat boy kind of
character. He’s just completely oblivious to
sensitivity toward other people, but at the
same time it’s fascinating to write him, the
wayheinteractswiththeotherpeople—Ijust
love writing that character. I mean, I know
he’s “hated” by so many readers, the kind
of character that you love to hate, I guess. I
get emails from people about him, people
saying, “I hate him, hate him, hate him,” but
that they also think he’s really hot, [laughs]
so they want to see more of him. They hate
him, but they love him. And I think, “Okay…”
That’s a successful character!
Any plans for Kyles Bed & Breakfast
to turn into a TV series or something like
that? I mean, HERE and LOGO are creat-
ing programs and always on the lookout
for new content, and you’ve got what
could probably be 10 or twelve seasons
of episodes of a TV show…
I would be totally
open to it. It’s a frus-
trating story, because
I’ve worked with two
different producers
about possibly devel-
oping something. One
of the major problems
is so many people who
would be interested in
doingsomethingwithit
are in Los Angeles. One
guy I worked with for
aboutayear,aproducer
whowasreallytryingto
get it sold, shopping it
around to people who
he knew with various
connections in LA.
WhatI’velearnedfromthisexperienceisthat
any of the entities that would be interested
in producing something like this have to get
funding—it’sallaboutfunding. That’swhen
my eyes start to glaze over. I’m just trying to
getthenextepisodeout. Myprimaryfocusis
doing this strip. So I was interested in being
involved, at some level, with getting a TV or
movie thing—or anything, some sort of live
action film going—but when it gets into the
funding, I know that’s important, but I don’t
even know how to go about that.
Then there’s the matter of who you’re
working with. The first producer I was
working with had these wacky ideas. He
wanted to change things—have it take place
in West Hollywood, maybe, which is such a
completelydifferentvibe. WhenIstartedthe
strip,Iveryspecificallywanteditnottobein
oneofthestereotypicallygayurbancenters.
Ididn’twantittobeinNewYorkCity,Ididn’t
want it to be in Chelsea or West Hollywood.
I wanted it to be in the suburbs, where you
don’t see a lot of gay storylines going on. I
haveseensomanygaymoviesthatarealways
takingplaceinNewYorkCityorLosAngeles,
andIwantedsomethingthatwasalittlemore
relatable to my life. So I didn’t want to make
that kind of change.
Ifeltverydisconnectedfromtheprocess
of trying to sell this in Los Angeles when I’m
here on the east coast. This guy was having
meetingswithpeoplegivingallthesesugges-
tions, and I was so removed from the whole
process. I worked with the guy for a year
and nothing came from that. And then I did
end up working with someone here on the
east coast who was also trying to sell it, but
again,hehadmoreideasofmakingitmore…
“porn-ish?”
WhatIdecidedafterworkingwitheach
oftheseguys—Iworkedwitheachofthemfor
about a year—is that if somebody comes to
me with a really solid plan, then that’s great.
I’d love talk to them about possibly develop-
ing something. I want Stephen Spielberg to
call me [laughs], and say, “Let’s do this! I’ve
got the funding!” Then I’d be like, “Great!
Let’s do it!”
Iwantedittobeinthe
suburbs,whereyoudon’t
seealotofgaystorylines
going on. I have seen so
many gay movies that
are always taking place
in New York City or Los
Angeles, and I wanted
something that was a
little more relatable to
mylife.
ALPHAs
ALPHAs have a meet and greet every
third (3rd) Friday of the month, held at
Icon’sMartiniBarlocatedat12418thStreet
inRockIsland.It’sagatheringformembers
of the LGBT community, supporters and
friends to socialize, celebrate and get to
knowoneanotherovermartinis.Eventsare
posted on Facebook at alphaselitecrew@
facebook.com or for more information
contact alphaselite@yahoo.com.
SS continued from page 1
B&B
CRPrideFest 2013: Shades of Pride Cedar Rapids, IA
The Tool Box with Julia Schaefer. Photo
courtesy of Eva Hinrichsen.
Tatem Trick lifting Eva Nicole. Photo
courtesy of Eva Hinrichsen.Alan Hyatt. Photo courtesy of Eva Hinrichsen.
Brazilian 2wins. Photo courtesy of CRPride Fest.
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y13m07 ACCESSline July
- 1. Page 11Page 4Page 30Page 16 Page 22 DOMA Ruled Unconstitutional What’sInside:Section 1: News & Politics Letter from the Editor 3 Advertising rates 3 Capital City Pride 2013 Des Moines,IA 4 From the Heartland by Donna RedWing 5 Remarkables by JonathanWilson 5 IowanAdvocacy byTami Haught 6 Meta-data and Privacy byTony Dillon-Hansen 6 Shrink Rap by LorenA Olson MD 7 Boy Scouts ofAmerica byWarren J.Blumenfeld 7 Just Sayin’ by Beau Fodor 8 Despite Repeal,Obstacles Remain by D. Wetherell 8 PFLAG - Des Moines Chapter Meeting 8 New GOglbt Business Referral Group 8 Minor Details:Pride by Robert Minor 9 GLSEN StudentAmbassador 9 Black Pride by Rev.Irene Monroe 10 Creep of theWeek by D’AnneWitkowski 10 Section 2:Fun Guide Entertainment Picks for the Month 11 Chi Chi Larue at Club CO2 interview byArthur Breur 11 Inside Out:MyTribe by Ellen Krug 12 WiredThisWay by Rachel Eliason 13 Which Foods Burn the Most Calories? by DaveyWavey 13 I.C.Kings Celebrate Pride in Iowa City! 16 New Kings on the Block show their talent 21 The Bookworm Sez byTerri Schlichenmeyer 22 Comics and Crossword Puzzle 22-23 Hiring a wedding planner by Scott Stevens 24 Section 3:Community FFBC:Dr.Jason Glass by Bruce Carr 25 PrimeTimers of Central Iowa 25 PITCH Calendar 2013 25 From the Pastor’s Pen by Rev.Page 26 Ask Lambda Legal By Dru Levasseur 26 Iowa NRCS EarthTeam 27 Business Owners to Support LocalArtists by J.Schaefer 27 LGBTQ Patient & Family Education and Support Groups 27 Business Directory 28-29 QC Pridefest celebrates Living Out Loud 30 DSM Gay Men’s Chorus at Capital City Pride Parade 31 University of Iowa LGBT S&F Association 32 CRPrideFest 2013: Shades of Pride Cedar Rapids, IA 34 ALPHAS 34TT B&B continued page 34 TT SCOTUS continued page 4 ACCESSlineCelebrates Kyle’sBed&Breakfast interviewbyArthurBreur GivingGaySoldiers ourRespect byAngelaGeno-Stumme TT SOLDIERS continued on page 32 This July Americans will be celebrating our country with fireworks, food, and family. But don’t forget that our country would be nothing without the men and women who have fought to create and protect it. These soldiers are in every community, including the LGBT community and understanding their part in our nation is one way we can give them respect for their service. Dan Wether- ell and Angel Velez share their military experience and views of the repeal of DADT. Dan Wetherell Dan Wetherell enlisted in the Army in 2005 when he was twenty-eight, he served four years on active duty and then four with the National Guard. He served at Fort Lee, Virginia; Quyarrah, (Forward Operating Base Q-West) Iraq and Camp Dubs located on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. And has been attached to a National Guard unit based here in Northwest Iowa. Photo courtesy of Matty Smith. Senator Matt McCoy. Photo courtesy of Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel Almost four hundred people came to the Supreme Court Rally at the State House in Des Moines on June 26th . Waving rainbow flags, carrying signs, some wore the new Ray-Gun shirt that proclaimed: “07-26-2013, today the federal government is as gay as Iowa.” Speakers included: State Senator Matt McCoy, Senator Harkin staffer Benjamin Williams, PFLAG Mom Susan Huber, married couple Melanie Muth and Tammy Steinwandt, Rev Mark Stringer (UUA), Jeff Angelo from Iowan Republicans for Freedom, Rabbi Edelman Blank, the ACLU’s Ben Stone, Donna Red Wing (One Iowa) and the fabulous Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus who sang “The Star Spangled Banner” and “We Shall Overcome”. Ted Coppock, PFLAG Dad shaded the podium with his giant rainbow umbrella. The crowd celebrated. Speakers were cheered as we DesMoinesSCOTUS RallybyDonnaRedWing ArticlecontinuationfromACCESSline’sJune2013Volume, 27, Issue No. 6. Is the building in Kyle’s Bed and Breakfast a fixed floorplan? Oh,absolutely. Thefirstbookactuallyhastheblueprints of the entire house in the back of the book. All four floors and everything. [laughs] So I really do lay it all out exactly the way it’s supposed to be. It was challenging to figure that out. When I first started doing the strip it was kind of like, “Oh, I’ve got five characters, and they all live here,” but since then I’ve brought on additional characters. TherearetenbedroomsinthisBedandBreakfast,andif there are any more than ten characters, I can’t have them all living there at the same time. It’s a good excuse for me—it’s a limiting factor: if a character’s not working for me, then it’s time to send them off on a business trip to London or some- thing, [laughs] because I just don’t have the room for them. People love to criticize things, so what criticisms have you gotten about your strips? I have to say, I’ve gotten so many good words that when
- 3. Time passes onand all things change. This is a particularly difficult precept for me to accept, personally. I don’t like to let go of things that I’ve enjoyed, and I am a bit of a control freak. One good change that I am pleased to announce is that Angela Geno-Stumme— who has been the ACCESSline’s Managing Editor for the past two and a half years—is now stepping into the offical role of the paper’s Editor in Chief. To give full credit where it is due, Angela has been doing the lioness’s share of the work for at least half that time, especially in the 18 months since I moved with my husband to Portland, Oregon. She encouraged me to continue my involvement with the paper despite that thousand-mile separation, and I’m very thankful that she did. But the fact of that physical distance has often frustrated me, preventing me from directly interact- ing with the people, places, and events that are the focus of this long-running community paper. From the start, Angela has eagerly added far more than asked for in her efforts to improve and expand the paper, and has pursued stories and interviews that consistently delight and surprise the ACCESSline’s readers, myself included. I will continue to support Angela, and will be acting as Publisher of The ACCESSline as well as continuing to provide editorial, graphic design, and strategic support. Subscribe to ACCESSline Thank you for reading ACCESSline, the Heartland’s LGBT+ month- ly newspaper. Our goal continues to be to keep the community in- formed about gay organizations, events, HIV/AIDS news, politics, nationalandinternationalnews,andothercritical issues.Don’tmiss it! $42 for 12 issues. Subscribe at: ACCESSlineAMERICA.com Send this completed form with check or money order for $42 for a one year subscription (12 issues) or RENEW for $36. Send to: ACCESSline, P.O. Box 396, Des Moines, IA 50302-0396 and we’ll send you ACCESSline in a plain brown envelope! Good for the $42 annual rate or $36 renewal! Name:________________________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________________ City:______________________________ State:______ Zip:______________ ACCESSline Wants To Hear From You! Send in photos and stories about your events... especially benefits, pageants. and conferences! Please send us information on any of the following: Corrections to articles • Stories of LGBT or HIV+ interest • Letters to the editor Editorials or opinion pieces • Engagement and wedding ceremony announcements or photos Questions on any topic we print • Photos and writeups about shows, events, pageants, and fundraisers Please email us at Editor@ACCESSlineIOWA.com. You may also contact us at our regular address, ACCESSline, P.O. Box 396, Des Moines, IA 50302-0396 ACCESSline reserves the right to print letters to the editor and other feedback at the editor’s discretion. PUBLICATION INFORMATION Copyright © 2013, All rights reserved. ACCESSline P.O. Box 396 Des Moines, IA 50302-0396 (712) 560-1807 www.ACCESSlineAMERICA.com editor@ACCESSlineIOWA.com ACCESSlineisa monthlypublicationby FIRESPIKE LLC. The paper was founded in 1986bythenon-profitorganizationACCESS (A Concerned Community for Education, Safer-sex and Support) in Northeast Iowa. Arthur Breur, Editor in Chief Angela Geno-Stumme, Managing Editor Publication of the name, photograph or likenessofanyperson,businessororganiza- tion in ACCESSline is not to be construed as anyindicationofsexualorientation. Opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ACCESSline or the LGBT+community. Letterstothe editor may be published. We cannot be responsible for errors in advertising copy. We welcome the submission of origi- nal materials, including line drawings and cartoons, news stories, poems, essays. They should be clearly labeled with author/artist name, address, and phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters and other material for reasons of profanity, space, or clarity. Materials will not be returned. A writer’s guide is available for those wishing to submit original work. Advertising rates and deadlines are available at ACCESSlineAMERICA.com. All ads must be approved by ACCESSline’s editorial board. Editor-in-Chief, Arthur Breur Letter from the Editor Angela Geno-Stumme and Sarah Headrick at ACCESSline’s booth at Des Moines Pride. Courtesy of Glenn Gordon. ACCESSline Page 3JULY 2013 Section 1: News & Politics
- 4. spoke of ourvictory. And they went silent as we remembered the folks we knew and loved who did not live to see this day. There seemed to be great energy around the future and the need to continue to organize and mobilize. Similar celebration rallies took place in Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Cedar Falls, Sioux City, Mason City and Ames. Speech by Donna Red Wing We have a great deal to celebrate. The United States Supreme Court confirmed the rights and the equality of all loving and committed married couples. The ruling on Proposition 8, while a move in the right direction, was a modest gain. We celebrate with and for same- gendercouplesinCalifornia. And,wework towards the day when all fifty states will enjoy marriage equality. As we celebrate the rulings and what the future can be, I hope that we will thank every person and organization that has brought us to this place.Everymemberof the clergy, every policy maker, every attorney, every activist, every PFLAG Mom or Dad. I hope that we will remember, that we will remember, why courts do matter. I’d like to say a special Thank you to Sharon Malheiro, and to Matt McCoy, and One Iowa, and Lambda Legal, thank you. If you are here tonight, you probably didsomethingtogetushere. Youcameout. You made a donation. You told your story. You did what needed to be done. You are a partofthishistoricmoment…you ownthis historic moment and I thank you for that. Tonight, as we celebrate, let’s send up a prayer of gratitude to the women and men who came before us, those twilight lovers of years gone by, for their extraor- dinary courage. Let us raise up our voices to our friends who never got to see this day. We will remember them. Here, in Iowa, we still have a great deal of work to do. Our opponents are not celebrating. They are opening their playbook and they are turning the page. We know that we will hear from Bob Vander Plaats and the Family Leader tonight and tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. We know that they will not simply walk away from this battle. Now, more than ever, we need to orga- nize and mobilize. Please, take a moment and talk to our canvassers. Commit to our next chapter in this movement for equal- ity. We need you! As we work to protect our children; as we protect the kid that gets bullied, how do we help stop kids from becoming bullies? Can we make sure that our aging community is treated with respect and with kindness? Do we continue to work towards our families’ legal rights; from birth certificates to death certificates? How do we support our transgender community? And will we finally decriminalize AIDS/HIV in the state of Iowa? Together, my friends, we have made history. Today belongs to each of you. My question tonight is this…what will you do tomorrow? I hope that we will do all that we can, all that we can, to make Iowa truly One Iowa. If you are here tonight, you probably did something to get us here. SS continued from page 1 SCOTUS Capital City Pride 2013 Des Moines, IA Courtesy of Glenn Gordon.Courtesy of Gregory Gilgen Courtesy of Glenn Gordon. DMGMC. Courtesy of Gregory Gilgen Courtesy of Gregory Gilgen Courtesy of Glenn Gordon. Courtesy of Glenn Gordon. JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 4 Section 1: News & Politics
- 5. A place ofmoderation Eighteen years ago a group of Lesbian Avengers from San Francisco went to the headquarters of Exodus International, an organization with a mission to cure homosexuality through ‘conversion therapy’. The Lesbian Avengers carried signs and chanted. Some climbed onto the reception desk andshouted,“Wedon’t need to be cured!” And then the Avengers released 1,000 locusts. Swarms of insects crawledacrosstheExodusfloor. Thepolice were called and told that “There are lesbi- ans here and they have bugs!” By the time law enforcement understood that the call was not a hoax, the Avengers were long gone.ThePlagueofLocustsdemonstration was one of the more creative attacks on a radical right organization that promoted ‘freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ’ and believed that it could ‘cure’ LGBT people, or make them ‘straight’ through conversion therapy and prayer. Today Exodus is moving away from its past practices and dissociating itself from the reparative therapies. The orga- nization has come to the realization that it just doesn’t work. The organization still believes that any sexual activity, gay or straight, outside of a heterosexual marriage is sinful. But it will no longer engage in politics, in the cultural war against homosexuality. As its president, Alan Chambers, said this week: “I think it’s time for us in the church to move on from that fight.” In a related move, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has proclaimed: “With love and understanding, the Church reaches out to all God’s children, including our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.” AnopenlygayMormon wasrecently“called”to serve as a leader in an LDS congregation in San Francisco. Church members marched in the Utah Pride parade. And the church said that even though the Boy Scouts of America has lifted its ban on openly gay Scouts, it would continue its long-time association with the organization. Excuse me while I check to see if Hell has actually frozen over. I am pleased to see some of our most active opponents coming to a place of, at least,moderation. Exodus is walking away from the barbaric practices of conversion therapy. Mormons are finding loving and civil avenues of communication. This did not happen overnight. I believe that it is the culmination of decades of civil conver- sations; of people coming out; of people of faith really looking within and asking and answering very tough questions. This is a movement towards justice and anyone can join. Many of these conversations were sparked and sustained by LGBT people of faith. For a very long time we have tried to reconcile who we were with what we believed. And even in the most painful of places, some of us were able to find resolution. And then there were those faith leaders who have been on their own extraordinary journeys. Reverend Dr. C. Welton Gaddy is one of those heroic leaders. He is both President of Interfaith Alliance and Pastor for Preaching and WorshipatNorthminster(Baptist)Church in Monroe, Louisiana. He is past president of the Alliance of Baptists and is a member oftheCommissionofChristianEthicsofthe Baptist World Alliance. Reverend Gaddy wasonceamemberoftheSouthernBaptist Convention’s Executive Committee. I tell you his Baptist credentials because they are so important to his work in support of the LGBT community. Rever- end Gaddy has written an extraordinary paper “Same-Gender Marriage and Reli- giousFreedom:ACalltoQuietConversations and Public Debates.” He presented this paper to one hundred Mormon leaders in Salt Lake City. And they heard him. He has debated Maggie Gallagher at the National Organization for Marriage. He has taken his ideas on religious liberty and marriage equality across the nation in private and public venues. He has spoken to bishops and rabbis, priests and politicians. He has addressedcongregationsandconventions. As marriage becomes the norm, his work, and all of the work that extends a hand even to those who have opposed us, will become more and more crucial. Asweseeouropponentsmovetomore moderate places I think it is important to remind ourselves how and why this is happening, and then, to think about how we move forward. We don’t need to release locusts any more. I think we do, however, need to find people where they are, wherever they are, and invite them in. Coincidence? I Don’t Think So. In The Des Moines Register on May 25,2013(page2A),thereappearedtogether two brief articles in the Nation & World Watch section within inches of each other. OnereportedthataPhiladelphiajudge ordered that a couple who believe in faith healing over medicine be held without bail on third-degree murder charges arising out of the death of their 8-month-old son, Brandon. Prosecutors said the couple prayed over their sick child for two weeks before he died, and never called a doctor. Thejudgesaidtheywereaflightriskbecause there could be a community of like-minded people out there who might harbor them. The other reported that the Roman Catholic archdiocese in Madrid, Spain, says it needs more exorcists to help some of its faithful cope with the devil. It claimed to have only one exorcist priestavailableandwas considering a plan to trainmore. Apparently, accordingtotheRoman Catholic Church, only a priest authorized by a bishop can perform an exorcism and the brief rite involves blessings with “holy” water, prayers, and an interrogation of the devil by the exorcist during which the demon is asked to leave the victim. There you have it. In the 21st Century we live in a conflicted world still debating elementary principles of fiction over fact. Debating science over mythology. Debat- ing whether or not the Earth is flat or the center of the Universe. Whether or not all of God’s children are straight and the “gay” ones are simply straight ones misbehaving. Debating whether up is down. Debating whether or not illness is the product of demon posses- sion. It’s a testament to the failure of public education. When education is available, ignorance is a choice. And prideful igno- rance is the foundation of bigotry. Informed, enlightened, wise folks are dying every day. More ignorant, unen- lightened, and foolish folks are being born every day. The Roman Catholic Church has managed to institutionalize ignorance, unenlightenment, and foolishness. It seeks to perpetuate all three to the detriment of Brandon Schaible in Philadelphia whose brother Kent died similarly in 2009. Coincidence that those two articles appeared virtually together in the newspa- per? I don’t think so. Thanks to The Des Moines Register. It tells me the magnitude of the task before us. It reminds me that education is not a destination, but a relay race from one generation to another. It confirms for me that the judge was right to deny bail; that community of like-minded people who might harbor those homicidal parents could be as close as the nearest Roman Catholic Church. Thepolicewerecalledand told that “There are lesbians here and they have bugs!” From the Heartland by Donna Red Wing, Executive Director One Iowa Donna Red Wing is the Executive Director of One Iowa. She served as Executive Director of Grassroots Leadership, as Chief of Staff at Interfaith Alliance, she was a member of the Obama’s kitchen cabinet on LGBT concerns, and was Howard Dean’s outreach liaison to the LGBT communities. Red Wing was the first recipient of the Walter Cronkite Award for Faith & Freedom. Red Wing serves on the national board of the Velvet Foundation, which is building the national LGBT museum in Washington, DC. Contact Donna at OneIowa.org or donna@oneiowa.org. 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. Remarkables by Jonathan Wilson Debating whether or not the Earth is flat or the center of the Universe. Whether or not all of God’s children are straight and the “gay” ones are simply straight ones misbehaving. ACCESSline Page 5JULY 2013 Section 1: News & Politics
- 6. Meta-data is datathat describes data without supposedly knowing the content of the data (describing the object without actu- ally telling you what the object is). Informa- tiontechnologyhasbeen usingdataandmeta-data for years to determine things such things like buying habits, various user systems, location of the user and more, without even asking yourname.Thequestion todaybecomeshowgood are the inferences based upon that information and should the govern- ment be in the business ofscanningthis.Then,wefindthatthegovern- ment has been taking it upon themselves to review similar type of data about phone calls, emails, and other contact mechanisms. Further, they have been using a secret court to gain justification and authorization for the wiretapping where only the judge can chal- lenge government suspicions. A majority of people polled do not feel threatened by the NSA surveillance program because apparently this data “about data” is supposedly without content. Also, people want to be safe from the growing terrorist threats.Perhaps,people feel safer because they can stock up on AR-15s and ammunition while Congress is willing to send young soldiers to die in some foreign land in the “cause of freedom.” So we want government to stay out of our lives and out of our bedrooms, but we are willing to give a blank license for them to collect and to survey data about us without feeling spooked. Let me give you an example of what is conceivable. A spouse learns that the other spousehasbeenspendingtimewithacouple individualsinquietconversation.Thisspouse also learns the times and places of a couple encounters and discussions. Upon learning this informa- tion,thespousemaynaturally approach the questionable nature of the actions with a sense of betrayal, distrust, anger or fear. Then, this spouse decides to confront theotherpersonwithanidea thattheapparentshenanigans needtostop.Attherevelation, the other spouse is horrified by an unexpected confronta- tionandsubsequentlyreveals that the encounters of question were to prepare a surprise vacation for the couple as a gift to the offended spouse. Now,onecanquestionorjudgewhether the one spouse was correct for planning a surprisevacationoriftheonespouseiscorrect inquestioningorconcludingthoseplans.The pointhereisthatthismistakemayberesolved between the couple as how to communicate between each other and the levels of trust between them. Yet, the government, via the NSA and law enforcement, is cataloging data aboutthe“circumstances”ofdiscussionsand encounters without supposedly listening to the actual conversation. The government is, by definition, not trusting when it is looking. Thequestionthenbecomeswhetherthe governmentwillrealizewhentheyhavemade errorsofjudgmentandhowwilltheycorrect them.Forinstance,ifaU.S.citizengetsaccused of terrorism or plotting for a mass attack by talking to friends in South Korea where the citizen was only planning to meet with long- timeassociatesforcollaborationonresearch and education. (South Korea is almost North Korearight?)Ofcourse,undercurrentenemy combatant statutes, you, as the U.S. Citizen, may find yourself exceptionally interested in the prison conditions at Guantanamo Bay. Weknowthatsomegovernmentofficials maydecidetocontinueprosecutionsregard- lessoffacts,andMcCarthy’sRedScarecantell youexactlyhowthathasbeendoneinthepast and how wrongly that can be pursued. People are too eager to trade freedom andlibertyaway,andthus,theyignorethatan individualresponsibilityofhavingfreedomis to also ensure that freedom endures despite external or internal attacks. We must ensure that freedom is respected or we may find ourselves at the end of a baton or rifle for some comedic remark. Expect no good will from unwarranted seizures as they will find something to use. As well, a good agent of the government may not want to waste the taxpayermoneyonamisguidedlead,andwe have seen where those people may be out to prove something that does not exist to save face or some other false based story. They, thetrustedgovernment,mayevenfindaway to use a portion of code to justify smearing a group of people. Evenmore,peoplearoundtheworldlook to the United States as an example of liberty and individual rights. When the U.S. govern- ment starts secretly investigating the press, spyingoncitizens,orkillingsuspectswithout TT DILLON-HANSEN cont’d page 26 Meta-dataandPrivacybyTonyDillon-Hansen Sowewantgovernment tostayoutofourlivesand out of our bedrooms, but we are willing to give a blank license for them to collect and to survey data about us without feeling spooked. Tony E Dillon-Hansen is a web developer, organizer, researcher, writer, martial artist, and vocalist from Des Moines. For more information go to tigersnapdragons.com. Doingwhatittakes… everyday IhavebeenlivingwithHIVfor28yearsin asmalltowninIowa.Iwasdiagnosedin1985. I was diagnosed when every-one assumed you had to be gay or an injection drug user. I wasasinglemotherworkingtwojobstokeep the bills paid. I started dating a man and everything was great for a while. Then trouble started. Onedayhecorneredmeinmyapartmentand said if I broke up with him he would tell my employer, insurance company, and worst of allthethreatsofmyson’sschool.Eventhough my son is negative, those days some schools were kicking kids out just for having an HIV positive family member. Iwaslucky.Igothimoutofmyhouseand my life, but I was always worried I would get acallfrommyson’sschool,getfired,andlose my insurance. I never felt more like I had lost control of my life. I would do anything to protect my son, so ever since that incident I don’t tell anyone I am positive. I just can’t be sure that when I share such personal information it won’t be told to someone I don’t trust to know. Livingwiththissecretisnoteasy,butit’s what I have to live with to feel safe. CHAINLinkNews IowaCode709Cinterfereswithpositive public health measures to test and treat HIV Community HIV/Hepatitis Advocates Iowa of Network continues their efforts to modernizeIowa’sPublichealthlaws,increase publicsafety,buildpublicawarenessandfight discrimination,stigma,rejection,criminaliza- tion, and fear. Our hope is to stimulate conversations abouttheIowalawthatcriminalizesHIVand why it is so bad for public health goals and people living with HIV/AIDS. The Problem: The current Iowa law, 709cisbasedonoutdatedbeliefs,howpeople acquireHIV,whoacquiresHIV,andthemedical risks associated with it. TheSolution: Modernizethecurrentlaw tocreateatieredsystemwhichaddressesthe intentional transmission of any contagious or infectious disease. Iowa must reform its current law that criminalizes people living with HIV/AIDS. Here’s why: With advancements in medicine and public health, HIV can be managed like other chronic infectious diseases. • Treatment of HIV has come a long way in the last 30 years, and is no longer a “death sentence.” • Studies have shown that someone diagnosed at age 25 has nearly the same life expectancy as an unaffected person. • We have come a long way in the treatmentandcareforpeoplelivingwithHIV. Our laws need to reflect that progress. The current law—Iowa Code 709C— undermines public health goals by discour- aging testing and treatment of HIV, as well as making disclosure of HIV status more risky. • 709Cdiscouragestestinganddisclo- surebecauseoftheseverepenaltiesassociated withsimplyknowingyourstatus. Thecurrent law reads that if the person knows his or her HIVstatusispositive,heorsheriskscriminal prosecution. • Iowa has one of the highest rates of late testers of any state in the nation (47 percent). • Half of people who acquire HIV do so from a partner who is unaware of their positive HIV status. The goal in this column is to provide current information of advocacy efforts in Iowa;tokeepyouinformedandtoaskforyour help. Overthecourseofthenextfewissuesof ACCESSline,informationwillbesharedabout why CHAIN feels the law should be changed, storiesfromIowanslivingwithHIVandsitua- tionsofstigma,discrimination,hate,andfear they have experienced after disclosure. We hope that with more information individuals will join our efforts and contact legislators askingfortheirhelptojoinusinmodernizing Iowa’s law. Ifyouwouldliketojoinourefforts,please contact Tami Haught, CHAIN Community Organizer at tami.haught2012@gmail.com. If you would like to make a donation to help our education and advocacy efforts, please send donation to: Attn: CHAIN, C/O Primary Health Care, 9943 Hickman Rd. Suite 105, Urbandale, Iowa 50322. Also, I am looking for education forum opportunities so if you leadagroupandwouldlikemoreinformation please contact me. Iowan Advocacy by Tami Haught Tami Haught has been living with HIV for almost 20 years. She is the CHAIN Community Organizer, President for PITCH, and new member of the SERO Project Board of Directors. Tami started speaking out about her HIV status when her son started school hoping that providing education and facts would make life easier for her son, by fighting the stigma, discrimination, isolation, and criminalization people living with HIV/AIDS face daily. Contact info: tami. haught2012@gmail.com website: www.pitchiowa.com JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 6 Section 1: News & Politics
- 7. Dr. Olson, Life hasbecome a burden. What can I do about it? Bernie Bernie, Yourquestionistimely.TheCentersfor Disease Control has just released a rather startling statistic: From 1999 to 2010 the suicide rate among persons aged 35–64 years increased by 28.4%. Research has clearly established that the most stressful time in our lives is between the ages of forty and sixty. It is a time when careers plateau, our parents age, health issuesappear,andthere issomedeclineinsexualfunctioning.Those with children may be caught in dual care giving responsibilities (children and aging parents). The Buddha said, “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.” “Pain” are those thingsinlifethathappentousoverwhichwe havenocontrol(aging,beinggay).Suffering is how we deal with those issues, and we do have control over our response to life’s inevitable pain. And not dealing with the pain has its own consequences. American culture is based on what has been called “the emptiness of striving.” Winning is everything. Everything is done for the sake of doing something else as we searchforthenexthighermountaintoclimb. Even play often has the ambitious purpose of striving to attain our “personal best.” Enough is never enough; big food is better than good food. People are seen as a means to an end rather than an end in themselves. This emptiness of striving even colors our sexuality. We feel compelled to try and seduceeveryattractiveperson.Formen,we feelwemustbealways ready sexually, always successful–as defined by a stiff erection and a huge load–and we must be certain our partneris“successful” and preferably at the same time. We’ve set the bar very high–or perhaps, are we really trying to jump over the wrong bar. For men, performance trumps plea- sure. Younger and younger men are using testosterone replacement therapy and pills to give them firmer erections. The first signs of sexual decline lead immediately to a sense of failure. Young men can take a lesson from oldermenwhounderstandthatdiminished sexual drive, weaker erections and lower ejaculatory volume do not necessarily lead to diminished pleasure. Older men who understandtheirevolvingsexuality,learnto have sex in slow time, enjoying the journey, not just the destination. Sexual intimacy must be refocused on greater emotional intimacy that accompanies the physical aspects of sex. But older men need to stop thinking of themselves as the trolls we’re sometimes called by younger gay men. Do younger men who are attracted to older men see in older men something they don’t see in themselves? I think so. What younger men tell me about their attraction is that they see men who accept themselves in spite of having made some serious mistakes, men who have gained wisdom through experiences following difficult choices. They see men who can enjoy their companions without wanting something from them. They see men who like to cuddle as much as they like to cum. Theydon’tseewrinklesandsagsbutinstead they see a seasoned face filled with the beauty of a life well lived. Youngorold,timeislimitedanddimin- ishing.Welosethejoyofeachmomentwhen weworryendlesslyaboutthefutureofcan’t stop regretting the past. People should be morethanjustastepuptheladder.Perhaps we should stop always striving for our personal best and focus on our personal good enough. So, Bernie, life can be burdensome, but surely not all of it is. Refocus your thoughts on what you have left rather than what you have lost. Use your mind and your time well. And remember, it is more important to choose with whom you eat dinner than what is on the menu. Shrink Rap by Loren A Olson MD Loren A. Olson MD is a board certified psychiatrist in the clinical practice of psychiatry for over 35 years. Dr. Olson has conducted research on mature gay and bisexual men for his book, Finally Out: Letting Go of Living Straight, a Psychiatrist’s Own Story. He has presented on this subject at conferences across the United States and Internationally. His blog, MagneticFire. com, has a strong following among mature gay and bisexual men. He established Prime Timers of Central Iowa, a social organization for mature gay/bisexual men. For more information go to FinallyOutBook.com or contact him on Facebook.com. Americancultureisbased on what has been called “the emptiness of striving.” Winning is everything. The Good, the Bad, and the (Still) Highly Discriminatory Without justice, there can be no peace. Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. The good news is now well known: last month, approximately 61 percent of the fourteen hundred members repre- senting the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) National Council of delegates from across the country met in Grapevine, Texas and voted to lift its century-old ban against gay and bisexual scouts. The decision will go into effect January 1, 2014. Accordingtoitspastpositiononhomo- sexuality: “Boy Scouts of America believes that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to be morally straight and clean in thought, word, and deed….” So why, after its reiteration of the ban just last year, did the National Executive Boardevenconsiderareversal?Quitesimply, the Board’s policies have placed the Boy Scouts of America on the endangered orga- nizations list. Since its reaffirmation of its ban last year, major corpo- ratedonorshaveeither pulled out completely or have severely reduced financial support. SuchcorporationsincludetheIntelFounda- tion, UPS, United Way, and Merck Company Foundation. Over 70,000 people signed a petition asking BSA’s National Executive Board to drop its discriminatory policy. In addition, around 65,000 scouts turned in their uniforms during the last two years in reaction to the ban, bringing down the total membership below 2.7 million. Since 2000, theorganizationhaslostapproximately21% of its membership. On the other side of the coin, the bad news is that these same BSA delegates failed to take a vote on liftingitslong-standing prohibition of gay and bisexual scout leaders, therebyleavingtheban firmly in place. Just last year, for example, the BSA demanded that Jennifer Tyrrill, lesbian mom and scout leader of her son Cruz’s den, leave her post because asreported,shedidnot“meetthehighstan- dards of membership that the Boy Scouts of America seeks.” What “high standards” has Tyrrill not met?Whileservingasdenleader,thecubsin her den volunteered at a local soup kitchen, collected canned goods for neighboring churches to distribute in food baskets, and performed a conservation project at a state park. The Girl Scouts of America and the Boys&GirlsClubsofAmericaorganizations proudly welcome and appreciate members and leaders of all sexual and gender identi- ties.TheGirlScouts,forexample,has,indeed, fulfilled its own written promises and laws “tobeHonestandFair,FriendlyandHelpful, Considerate and Caring, Courageous and Strong, and Responsible.” Buthowcanaboyscoutorscoutleader truly adhere to the Boy Scout Law of being “trustworthy,loyal,helpful,friendly,courte- ous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean,andreverent”whentheBSAstillclings to its blatantly prejudicial, discriminatory, and quite frankly, offensive inherent policy on issues of sexual identity? Inadditiontopotentialgayandbisexual scout leaders, no atheist or agnostic need applyeithersincetheBoyScoutsofAmerica “Anthem” proclaims: “The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God….The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe and the grateful acknowledgmentofHisfavorsandblessings are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are wholesome precepts in the educa- tion of the growing members.” No one is advocating same-sex sexual conduct between scouts or between scout leadersandscouts.BSA’scontinuingbanon gayandbisexualleaders,however,confuses conduct with identity since the organiza- tion continues to reject leaders in terms of identity.TheBSApolicycouldbeconsidered as its “Tell, because we will ask, and if you don’t tell, we will pursue” policy. Boy Scouts of America by Warren J. Blumenfeld Warren J. Blumenfeld is author of Warren’s Words: Smart Commentary on Social Justice (Purple Press); 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). Since 2000, the organization has lost approximately 21% of its membership. ACCESSline Page 7JULY 2013 Section 1: News & Politics
- 8. GOglbt is startinga new group of GLBT business owners or business professionals to meet twice monthly to support each other’s businesses by providing referrals. They will meet every other Thurs- dayfrom7:30am-8:30amataTBDWells Fargosponsoredlocation.Refreshments will be provided. Once they secure the locationthemeetingswillstart.Member- shipFeeis$50.00andwillincludeabusi- ness listing on the GOglbt.com website. To sign up to be a part of this group please call Tom Luke at 402-650-2917, or email him at tom@lukedirectmarketing.com. The Des Moines Chapter of Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG) will meet at 6:30 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 1800 Bell Avenue Des Moines, IA 50315 on the third Tuesday of every month. The meeting begins with a short business meeting followed by an educa- tional presentation, and a social and support session. All are welcome! Made up of parents, families, friends, and straight allies uniting with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, PFLAG is committed to advancing equality through its mission of support, education and advocacy. Undercurrent of Homophobia After spending this morning with a California-based film crew, working on a documentary about Marriage Equality, and how far we’ve come already here in the Midwest, well, I find myself feeling humbled and grateful to still be part of this journey. The Pride events I’ve attended across the state remind me of the continuing growthandnew leadershipofourcommu- nity.Iwasaskedtomarchagainthisyearin theCapitolCityPrideparade,andItookmy Grandmother along with me. At one point an Associated Press reporter pulled us out of the line-up and asked my Grandmother why “she” was marching, and she actually said, “Well, I am tired of defending my Grandson’s place at the table... and want him to be considered an equal while he is seated there, instead of being fodder for conversation.” Later that day, as we crossed the river on the Locust Street Bridge to go home from an epic experience, a parade float passed by and screamed faggots out loud. The bridge was packed with tourists and I can only imagine what they thought. As far as myself and Gram, well, both of us laughed...becausethey knew me, (and I knew they were just giving a shout-out), but, she said “Dear Boy, when will people stop the hate they seem to have for your community?” And I really didn’t know what to say. For some reason I was extremely embarrassed, but I quickly explainedtoherwe’vecomealongway,and now 30-somethings use that verbiage as a term of endearment(yes, it was a stretch, butIwantedtomakeherfeelbetter)andto make her think it was all really o.k. now in 2013. I decided to let it go and we went out for a nice dinner, and then got ice cream. But,thismorningwhilefilming,Igotto reflectandtalkaboutthatmoment.Ididn’t realize until today how angry it made me, andhowthisbehaviorfromwithinourown communityisunhealthyforcontinuingthe progress we’ve made. Part of me is sad, that this 83 year-old woman worries about my safety and well- being, but that isn’t the worst part. What saddens me the most is the division in our community between demographics from within our commu- nity. Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves? I’m honestly fascinated by the deep undercurrent of homophobia that runs rapid through our tribe. Young teens are taking their lives all the time over bullying, and their peers making them feel ashamed for being whom they are. I get it, it can be terrifying to be different because we know what an a**hole society can be. However, we need to stop perpetuating the self-hate because it’s just making it more difficult for people to be comfortable with the idea of homosexuality being more prevalent. “Dear Boy, when will people stop the hate they seem to have for your community?” And I really didn’t know what to say. Just Sayin’ by Beau Fodor Beau Fodor is the owner of PANACHE, an Iowa event and wedding planner who focuses specifically on weddings for the LGBT community. He can be reached at his blog www.panachepoints.com. Photo courtesy of Toby Schuh Photography. It still seems near impossible to believe that nearly two years ago I was sitting on a dusty Army base in Afghani- stan listening to my commander deliver the Department of Defense mandated briefing on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. The September 2011 repeal was something I certainly did not expect to see in my lifetime, much less my military career. After all our military has a long history of institutional discrimination against members of the LGBT commu- nity. As early as 1787 a Continen- tal Army Lieutenant was discharged for “attempted sodomy”. In fact in the ensuing years thousands of personnel have been discharged for their sexual orientation. Even recently between the implementa- tion of DADT in 1994 and its repeal nearly fourteen thousand people were separated from military service. The repeal was in many ways to me not just an important victory for the LGBT community but a personal victory as well. Like many gay, lesbian and bisexual members of the armed forces I enlisted while the ban was in effect and during the entirety of my service remained closeted to my fellow soldiers. The repeal meant I no longer had to hide an important part of who I am as a person. There was no longer the perception that me and homo- sexuals like me were in some way flawed or incapable of being an effective member of the military. I sat there thinking about our homecoming a few months away and realized that unlike when I returned from Iraq I could be greeted by a significant other without fear that display of affection would reveal my secret. I could bring a boyfriend to company functions and they could, if they so chose, attend events for the families of service members. Of course I remained concerned that despite Depart- ment of Defense protections for homo- sexuals, if I were out I could fall victim to the cultural bias against homosexuals which remains engrained in military culture. As it turns out though I need not have worried. For most the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was quite simply a non-issue. It seems that the mili- tary, like society in general had over the years come to realize that homosexuality is not a medical defect or moral flaw. I personally have never experienced an instance of anti-homosexual behavior and have talked to a good many LGB men and women who have had similar experiences. The fact remains though that while the repeal was a great victory, there remains many stumbling blocks which must be removed before true equality can be reached. For example while the repeal of DADT has legalized lesbians, gays and bisexuals serving openly in the military by virtue of a regulation related to fitness for service the transgendered remain banned from serving in the armed forces. Similarly Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice which bans the practice of sodomy remains in effect. While it is seldom if ever used the fact that it remains in effect is of concern to a great many lesbian, gay and bisexual service members who fear it could be used if the ban on serving openly should ever be re-enacted. The biggest problem though is not as the result of Department of Defense policy but the Defense of Marriage Act which prohibits the recognition of same- sex marriage by entities of the federal government. The Department of Defense has made great strides in offering as many benefits as possible to same-sex couples. Earlier this year for example the Secretary of Defense ordered extension of benefits which they could, “lawfully provide” to same-sex couples and their children. There are several important items which are not offered because to do so would violate DOMA. First and foremost among those is that for the purposes of base allowance for housing which is based on marital status even those LGB service members who are legally married are still considered single. Another major item, which is excluded, is that medical benefits are not offered to same-sex partners. Other issues such as on-base housing and burial remain under legal review. To be sure, homosexual soldiers like me owe a great deal of thanks to the LGBT community for their efforts to date. Without the prodding and agitating by the community DADT would never have been repealed. However, there remains a great deal of work to be done, and I know that many like me are not only willing to do our part but grateful that we are now able to do so openly. Despite Repeal, Obstacles Remain by D. Raymond Wetherell There was no longer the perception that me and homosexuals like me were in some way flawed or incapable of being an effective member of the military. D. Raymond Wetherell is a former member of the United States Army, a current member of the Army National Guard and a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. The views expressed in this article are his and his alone and in no way, shape or form represent the views of the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, the Iowa Army National Guard or any component thereof. PFLAG-DesMoinesChapterMeeting NewGOglbtBusinessReferralGroup JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 8 Section 1: News & Politics
- 9. Surprised that There’sSo Much Rape in the Mili- tary? In 2012, 26,000 women and men reported sexual assault in the American military. We have no record of how much remains unreported. That’s only one year of victimization in what military brass admit- ted before Congress was a “cancer.” If it weren’t for the seven women on the SenateArmedServices Committee, I’d expect such reports to be buried. Hearing so many of the old Congress- menrespondtothiswithstupidity,sexism, and pseudo-science, even surprised those of us who expect so little out of right-wing politicians. And blaming the existence of women in the military ignores the fact that 14,000 of those victims were men. That’s 6.1% of the women in the military and 1.2% of the men. And 98% of the reported sexual assaults on men were committed by other men. In one of the most insightful analyses of this epidemic, Ana Marie Cox of The Guardian concludes: “it’s something about being in the military today, at this moment in history, fighting the kinds of wars we’re fighting with the kinds of troops we have.” [“The Real Roots of the US Military’s Epidemic of Sexual Assaults”] “It’s a truism among feminists–if not senators–that rape is a crime of violence, not of sexual attraction….Could it be that the real crisis in today’s military is tied to not who these soldiers are, but the nature of what we’re asking them to do?” Today’s military with a growing number of soldiers and veterans diag- nosed with mental illness and chemical dependency, with the tactics of modern warfareandthelength of troop service, exac- erbates what we’ve taught our men culturally and our military men in particular. It starts with what we teach our boys as they enter puberty about what manly sex is. In Scared Straight I called that conditioning, the “Nine Layers of Getting Laid,” a paradigm that continues to dominate junior high and high school male gender roles idealized in the studs of contemporary media. This cultural conditioning is often excused as the male sex drive. Georgia SenatorSaxbyChamblisssaidintheSenate hearings: “Gee whiz, the hormone level created by nature sets in place the possi- bility for these types of things to occur.” But the third of those layers is that “Getting Laid” for high school boys is impersonal. “It is best if a boy isn’t other- wise acquainted with, or a friend of, the sexual object. One does not marry the girl whoisthebestlay….Gettinglaid,therefore, is not about the person.” The more that this impersonal layer is internalized–the more it’s felt that the sexisn’tdonetoapersonbutanobject–the easier it is to deny that there’s violence involved. One isn’t really hurting another person. Add to this the seventh layer–that “Getting Laid” is self-centered, that it’s done to someone on the agenda of a real man - and the sexual act becomes an act of power over another. One can see this in the raping of men by men who identify as heterosexual in our prisons–a situation that’s often made into a joke. Now, most of our boys know that something like this conditioning is there in their teen years but they fight it silently, internally and seemingly alone because men don’t talk about their deviations from “manhood.” But what happens when we add the conditioning men encounter in the military? A key goal of the military’s basic train- ing is turning recruits into warriors who’ll be ready to kill others if called to do so. But a man can’t do this if he thinks of the enemy personally. That’s why enemies must be turned into stereotypes and described with phrases such as: “human life isn’t valuable to them.” The face of the enemy must be inhuman or it would be hard to destroy it. Military conditioning thereby adds another layer to thinking impersonally of others. Other human beings are objects, not living, loving human beings who are sons and daughters of real people. But it also de-humanizes the warrior himself. His own value comes to be under- stoodascontingentuponnotonlyisability tokillothersbuthiswillingnesstobekilled defending the system. Violence to others becomes even easier. And violence against oneself as a just a killing machine who’s been put further out of touch with his own, caring, feeling humanity also becomes easier. A true warrior expects violence. He could even use its presence to finally provide value for his own insecure manly self-worth. He can earn a medal from real men at the top for killing another man, after all, but be killed for loving one. Valuing oneself for such violence turned inward has spurred a record level of suicides among those who serve and veterans, so that in the past twelve years more have died by their own hand than by enemy fire. What’s actually surprising is that these figures aren’t much higher. The conditioning is doing everything it can to encourage sexual assault as an act of power and violence over some object so as to assert one’s manhood and worth. But they’re not, because men aren’t inherently like this. They’re not naturally driven by testosterone and hormones, no matter how we might use these as excuses. It’s not that “boys will be boys,” for a lot of abusive manhood conditioning software has to be installed in our little naturally loving, caring, feeling boys to make them killers and sexual assaulters. And enforcing that is the fear that if they don’t act tough, hard, cold, and object- oriented enough, they’ll be put down as girly and fags. Add to this their impression that society has given up on men. It’s not chal- lenging their conditioning but sending them to anger management, drugging them, or finally throwing them away in prison. Conditioningisalllearned,andwhatis learned can be unlearned. But do we have the courage to lead that charge? Minor Details by Robert Minor 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. A key goal of the military’s basic training is turningrecruitsintowarriors who’llbereadytokillothers if called to do so. Matt Shankles is a shining example of how students really can make a difference. A native of Marion, Iowa, Matt faced his own set of challenges at school when he came out as LGBT. He experienced name-calling, bullying and harassment from his peers simply for being himself. Matt chose to take action. He looked for ways to change his school climate. He beganaTwittercampaigntotweetencour- agementtostudentswhohadbeenbullied. Matt also participated in GLSEN’s Safe Schools Advocacy Summit in Washington where he met with lawmakers to push for the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA) and the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA). But Matt’s work didn’t stop there. He joined GLSEN’s Student Ambassadors team. He spoke on a cyberbullying panel hosted by Iowa’s Governor. He also went on to testify at a Senate committee hearing in Iowa chaired by Senator Tom Harkin to discuss the need for safer schools. Just a couple of weeks ago, Senator Harkin introduced an education bill that included provisions from both SSIA and SNDA. FormoreinformationgotoGLSEN.org. GLSEN Student Ambassador ACCESSline Page 9JULY 2013 Section 1: News & Politics
- 10. Bryan Fischer Did youhear the news? It’s now okay tobeagayBoyScout.Butyoustillcan’tbea gay Man Scout. Because as we all know, the second a gay male turns 18 he turns from a child into a child predator. At least on the planet inhabited by the anti-gay right. On May 23, the Boy Scouts of Ameri- ca’s National Council voted to end the long- standingbanongayScouts,but tokeep the ban on gay Troop leaders in place. Gay rights folks are only half impressed. Unsurprisingly, the anti-gay right is going berserk. A lot of nastiness erupted on Twitter after the announcement. Peter LaBarbera, founder and presi- dent of the ironically named Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, sputtered, “Boy Scouts dug own grave,” and warned of an anti-gay splinter group. Liberty Counsel’s Matt Barber Tweeted, “Boy Scouts of America: Born February 8, 1910 | Died, May 23, 2013 #RIP,” as if death notices don’t deserve at least a phone call. Butbyfarthenastiestcommentscame from the American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer. “BSAnowstandsforBoySodomizersof America,becausethat’swhatwillhappen,” Fischer Tweeted. “Mark my words.” Get it? Because gays are all about the butt sex and letting gay kids be Boy Scouts,insteadofostracizingthemlikeGod intended, means that the entire organiza- tionisbasicallygoingtobeabigrapeparty. No longer will Boy Scoutsmakepinewood derby cars or learn howtobuildcampfires. The BSA in Fischer’s twisted fantasy is all anal-penetrationallthe time. “Mark my words” is a nice touch, too. As if Fischer is gleefully waiting to be proven right, as if this is actu- ally what he wants to see happen. But perhaps Fischer is just speaking out of unhinged anger after being proven wrong. “[T]he ban on homosexual Scout mastersandhomosexualparticipants,that ban is going to be upheld. It’s going to be defended,” Fischer ranted on Focal Point, his radio show, in February. “It’s the end of the game. This is game over. This is the Super Bowl and the good guys have won. Make no mistake about this, this is a huge win for the pro-family movement; it is a big, big, big setback for Big Gay.” Oops. Granted, you could say he was half rightsince,afterall,gaygrown-upsarestill banned, but Fischer was adamant that BSA would never happen. He had no contin- gency plan. It never dawned on him that BSA would adopt a more humane policy toward gays of any age. Of course, now that they’ve done it, Fischer is sure he knows why. He Tweeted, “Boy Scouts have sold their soul for a mess of corporate pottage. They will wind up with lots of money and no scouts.” That’s right. It’s all about the Benjamins.Justabunchofgreedybastards in neckerchiefs up in the BSA. No doubt moneyisgoingtostartpouringinnowthat thequeersarehere.Andwithcashinhand, the gay BSA take-over will be complete. Before you know it Dan Savage will get a fleur-de-lis tattoo on his forehead and Elton John will perform, “Can You Feel the Cubs Tonight” at the next National Scout Jamboree. Or, in all likelihood, nothing much will happen except some gay kids who previ- ously felt excluded may join. Some kids whoarefreakedout(or,morelikely,whose parents are freaked out) may quit. And gay kids who are already members will take comfort in knowing that an organization that requires a serious level of dedication doesn’t officially forsake them. Mark my words. Creep of the Week by D’Anne Witkowski BSAnowstandsforBoy Sodomizers of America, because that’s what will happen. Distinct and Emblematic Black Pride reaffirms our identity. And it dances to a different beat. What started out in Washington D.C. in 1990 as the only Black Gay Pride event in thecountryhasgrowntoover35gatherings nationwide. Each year celebrations start in April and continue to October. Over 300,000 LGBTQ people of African descent rev up for a weekend of social and cultural events celebratingtheirqueeruniqueness.In2007 aloneover350,000attendedBlackGayPride eventsthroughouttheU.S.Thelargestevents are held in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Atlanta, and smaller Black Pride events (like Boston’s) provide an important sense of identity and cultural heritage. Sundaygospelbrunches,Saturdaynight Poetryslams,Fridayeveningfashionshows, bid whist tournaments, house parties, the smell of soul food and Caribbean cuisine, and the beautiful display of African art and clothingarejustafewoftheculturalmarkers that make Black Pride distinct from the dominant queer culture. JustlikeinthemainstreamofAmerican society,culturalacceptanceandinclusionof LGBTQcommunitiesofcolorinlargerPride events is hard to come by. Many can experi- ence social exclusion and invisibility in the big events. Segments of our population will attendseparateBlack,Asian,andLatinoGay Prideeventsinsearchoftheunitythatisthe hallmark of Pride. The themes and focus of Black, Asian, and Latino Pride events are different from the larger Pride events. Prides of communities of color focus on issues not solely pertaining to the LGBTQ commu- nity, but rather on social, economic, and health issues impacting theirentirecommunity. The growing distance between our larger and white LGBTQ commu- nity and these LGBTQ communities of color is shown by how, for an example, a health issue like HIV/AIDS that was once an entire LGBTQ community problem is now predominately a challenge for communities of color. Also, with advances such as hate crime laws, the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the legalization of same-sex marriageinmanystates,andwithhomopho- biaviewedasanationalconcern,theLGBTQ movement has come a long way since the first Pride marches four plus decades ago. ManynotetheperceiveddistancetheLGBTQ community has traveled in such a short historictime—fromadisenfranchisedgroup on the fringe of America’s mainstream to a community now on the verge of equality. Butnotallmembersofourcommunityhave crossed the finish line. Some are waving the cautionaryfingerthatwithinourcommunity to note that not all are equal. Pride events can be public displays of those disparities. Mainstream Prides have themes focused on marriage equality for the larger community where Prides organized by and for LGBTQ people of African descent have focused not only on HIV/AIDS but also unemployment,housing,gangviolence,and LGBTQ youth homelessness. After decades of Pride events where many LGBTQ people of African descent asked to be included and weren’t, Boston Black Pride was born. Boston Black Pride this year will neither be a formal gathering of folks nor will there be a display of scheduled festivities. But it will grooveonasitalwayshasforthecommunity, withmoreindividualandimpromptuevents. By1999BlackPrideeventshavegrown into the International Federation of Black Prides, Inc. (IFBP). The IFBP is a coalition of twenty-nine Black Pride organizations across the country. It formed to promote an African diasporic multicultural and multi- national network of LGBTQ/ Same Gender Loving Pride events and community based organizationsdedicatedtobuildingsolidar- ity,health,andwellnessandpromotingunity throughout our communities. Also in understanding the need to network and build coalitions beyond its immediate communities, IFBP created the formation of the Black/Brown Coalition. Black Pride is an invitation for commu- nity. Like the larger Pride events that go on during the month of June throughout the country, Black Pride need not be viewed as either a political statement or a senseless non-stop orgy of drinking, drugging and sex. Such an “either-or” viewpoint creates a dichotomy,whichlessensourunderstanding of the integral connection of political action and celebratory acts of songs and dance for our fight for our civil rights. While Pride events are still fraught with divisions, they, nonetheless, bind us to a common struggle for LGBTQ equality. BlackPridecontributestothatstruggle for equality, demonstrating an African diasporic aspect of joy and celebration that symbolizes not only our uniqueness, but it also affirms our commonality as an expres- sion of LGBTQ life in America. Happy Pride! Rev. Irene Monroe is a graduate from Wellesley College and Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University, and she has served as a pastor at an African- American church before coming to Harvard Divinity School for her doctorate as Ford Fellow. She is a syndicated queer religion columnist who tries to inform the public of the role religion plays in discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Her website is irenemonroe.com. BlackPridebyRev.IreneMonroe Caribbean cuisine, and the beautiful display of African art and clothing… JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 10 Section 1: News & Politics
- 11. Chi Chi Larueis best known as an adult film director, producing films for the past twenty-five years. In addition to her direct- ing,thisfamousdragpersonahasbeenDJing and touring with her video stars since 2005, performing to sold out clubs around the world. She will be performing at Club CO2 inCedarRapidsonJuly12thand13th,2013. Inanticipationofthatevent,ACCESSline editor Arthur Breur took a moment to chat with Chi Chi (pronounced “She She”), long distance, about topics both serious and light- hearted, while she was in London attending the 2013 HotRod British Porn Awards (at which she won both Best Director and the Lifetime Achievement Award). You’ll be at Club CO2 in Cedar Rapids on June 12th and 13th. How do your live appearancesatclubswork,whereyouDJ and have your guys with you? Well, we’re going to have three porn boys—three really great guys. Two that tied for best performer of the year this year at the GRABBY awards—which is the gay adult video awards that are held every year in Chicago: Jimmy Durano and Trenton Ducati both won best performer of the year. And we’ve got a brand new boy that just starteddoingmovies,namedDamianTaylor, who’s fabulous, and if there was a “best a**” category in any award show, he’d definitely be a contender. He’s got one of those butts that you can set a drink on! I’ll be DJing and the boys will be enter- taining. We’ll all be entertaining, I hope! Tell us about your DJing. Well, I’ve always been a music junkie, every kind of music, and I’m also a control freak. [Laughs.] So that makes for a good DJingexperience. Igottiredofgoingtoclubs and not hearing the music that I wanted to hear,andasallDJsdo,Ibelievethatthemusic thatIwanttoheariswhateverybodywantsto hear. And what it turned out to be was that I was a little more right than some other DJs. I play happy gay music, ala Britney Spears, MileyCyrus,youknow, whatever is Top 40 dance mixed with a tinybitofhip-hopand classics—80s, 90s, etc. I would consider “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child a classic. That’swhatpeopleliketohearinmostcases inclubs. Idon’teverletmyselfgetbookedin a place that doesn’t want that kind of music. Like if it’s a place that plays the late-night, circuity, giant dance venue kind of music, I don’t book myself in places like that or get booked in places like that. I don’t know how to do that kind of music. What’sbeenyourfavoriteexperience spinning so far? ProbablyDJingatthebirthdaypartyfor Elton John’s husband, David. It was really fun. It was a surreal experience to have Victoria Beckham and Lulu dancing to my music! Yeah! On a timely topic, what do you think about the Supreme Court rulings on marriage? I’m glad it happened, but I’m really not Our Picks for July 6/28-7/20, Theatre Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Spring Awakening, TheatreCR.org 7/6, Club Privileged, Davenport, Iowa, New Show in Town, Facebook.com/Privilegednightclub 7/11-7/14, Lincoln, Nebraska, Star City Pride 2013: No Labels, StarCityPride.org 7/11-7/14, NIACC Auditorium, Mason City, Iowa, The Sound of Music, TheMusicManSquare.org 7/12-7/14, Clear Lake, Iowa, Bicycle, Blues & BBQ, BicycleBluesBBQ.com 7/12, Blazing Saddle, Des Moines, Iowa, The LBGT hosting Little Miss & Mr. Des Moines Pageant, TheBlazingSaddle.com 7/12-7/27, Waterloo Community Playhouse, Waterloo, Iowa, 9 to 5: The Musical, WCPBHCT.org 7/12-8/4, Des Moines Playhouse, Des Moines, Iowa, Legally Blonde, DMPlayhouse.com 7/13, Fireside Winery, Marengo, Iowa, Firefly Festival, FireSideWinery.com 7/19, African American Museum of Iowa, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Uganda Children’s Choir,BlackIowa.org 7/19-28, Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, Fairfield, Iowa, Annie Get Your Gun, FairfieldACC.com 7/20, McElroy Auditorium, Waterloo, Iowa, Brawlers vs. BrewCity, CVDerbyDivas.com 7/21-7/27, Iowa, RAGBRAI XLI, Ragbrai.com 7/24-8/4, Civic Center, Des Moines, Iowa, Jersey Boys, DesMoinesPerformingArts.org 7/25-7/27, Dowtown, Decorah, Iowa, Nordic Fest, Nordicfest.com 7/26-7/27, Corning Center for the Fine Arts, Corning, Iowa, En Plein Air, RetireTheRedRaider.com 7/26-8/3, National Balloon Classic Balloon Field, Indianola, Iowa, National Balloon Classic, NationalBalloonClassic.com 7/26-8/4, Grand Opera House, Dubuque, Iowa, Les Miserables, TheGrandOperaHouse.com ...and August 8/17, McKennan Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Sioux Falls Pride, Facebook.com/SiouxFallsPride 8/24, Downtown, Waterloo, Iowa, Cedar Valley Pridefest 2013, CedarValleyPride.com ACCESSline’s fun guide TT CHI CHI LARUE cont’d page 31 Chi Chi Larue at Club CO2 interview by Arthur Breur Chi Chi Larue. Courtesy of Chi Chi Larue DamianTaylor…He’sgot one of those butts that you can set a drink on!
- 12. The White Knight DearGentle Readers: my apologies for again writing about biking—one of my passions—two columns in a row. Thanks for your indulgence. The night before a mid-June morning, I set the alarm for 4:45. No matter—I was wide-eyed at four, triggered by panic that I’d missed an exit ramp in some Sonata- induced dream. Seconds before, I had slammed on the imaginary brake in my imaginary convertible, only for my right foottohitagainstmybed’ssteelfootboard, snapping me awake. My window was open to murmured city sounds. At that hour, the whisper of daylight pushed against the heavy grain of night, setting songbirds on their morning chorus. It was a good sign; maybe it wouldn’t be another rainy, dreary day in what has become the worst of the worst springs. I laid for twenty minutes, mustering resolve and energy. You need to ride, I told myself. Finally, I pulled from the bed and went to the window. The gray city street two stories below was dry, a good sign. The black ink night sky was cloudless, even better. At ten to five, I was on The White Knight, my beautiful eighteen speed wonder on which I limit myself to just six variations of fast. I bought The WK—yes, a white Specialized—last summer at a bike shop where the manager never seemed to mind that I’m trans. I had insisted on a “real woman’s bike” as a new-life, second chance substitute to a man-Raleigh, which had been a gift from my ex-wife in 1982. In case you don’t want to do the math, 1982 was more than a quarter century— and for me a gender—ago. I pushed off at the condo front door with a brilliant pulsating white light on the front bars and funky red flasher on The WK’s back frame. A minute later, I was on the Stone Arch Bridge, a Minneapolis icon which spans the Mississippi. It’s just a hairbreadth downstream from the St. Anthony Falls, which at 5 a.m. makes for a pretty cool scene. Menthol cool morning air condensed on my side view mirror. In no time, my body felt sparks of heat, which soon spawned sweat droplets down the small of my back. Still, I pedaled on and on, along a trail that back-sided Target Stadium and led to a field of wildflowers. By then, the stage was set—dewy plants, creeping sunlight flickers, and the fragrance of lilacs (late bloomers with the late spring) empty- ing onto the blacktop trail. In a word, it was glorious. And so unex- pected. I’m one of those intermediate bike riders, good for twenty or thirty miles while riding at a nice clip, but don’t ask me to race other bikers or engage in a fund-raising marathon. On the other hand, I have no patience for people who plod along. Life is too short to go slow. Plus there’s always way too much territory to cover in too little time. Two years ago, while on a sabbatical, I vowed that I’d do 54 good rides—each to be 15 miles or more—to match my age. I put a big yellow “X” on my calendar for each ride. By October, I counted 66. Not bad for an old lady, I thought. Early one evening last summer, I took The White Knight on the Greenway (a bike trail through Minneapolis on what had been a railroad right of way) and came upon a woman riding—no, make that plodding—on a lime green-colored bike. I’m a courteous rider most of the time, and I shouted out, “Coming on your left, Greenie.” When I got next to the woman, she laughed. I thought it a bit odd, but kept going. Five minutes later, I stopped and parked The White Knight to listen to a band that was playing along the Greenway. As I sat on a ledge rocking out to a Van Morrison cover, a bike-helmeted woman came up to me. She asked, “Are you Ellie Krug?” I had never seen this woman before and consequently was a bit hesitant to answer. Still, I nodded and asked, “Do I know you?” The woman shook her head. “No,” she responded. “I follow your columns,” she explained. “I’ve wanted to meet you for some time.” She identified herself as the person on the lime green bike that I had passed a half mile back. Because of my writing, she knew that I presented with a deep voice. She also knew that I look pretty feminine with blonde hair. Thus, when she heard a man’s voice (oh, how I hate to write that!) announce “Coming on your left,” only to then see a woman ride past, she concluded that she’d stumbled upon Ellie Krug. Frankly, I thought it was pretty bril- liant deduction on her part. At that point, we bought a couple beers and got to know each other. It was one of my few celebrity moments, so I soaked it up. Call me a narcissist. The broader point? I never know what I’ll encounter on The White Knight. Back now on this June morning, I made my way to the tranquility of Lake Calhoun, the only rider in sight. Daylight was taking hold and I paused to flick off front and back lights. The ride resumed, I pedaled to the far end of the lake and slowed for a good look at the glass and steel of downtown Minneapolis. On the horizon behind the cityscape, I saw the first glimpse of Mr. Sun—more brilliance! I left the lake and made my way to the Greenway. Three miles later, I rounded a curve and found sun-soaked sparkly haze, the kind that lasts for only a few minutes. I paused just long enough to know that I’ll remember those sparkles forever—like death-bed forever. Soon I was home. It was just a ride. And so much more. Inside Out by Ellen Krug Ellie Krug is a columnist and the author of Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change. She resides in Minneapolis and welcomes your comments at ellenkrugwriter@gmail.com. Visit her blog at www.gettingtoellen.com. By then, the stage was set—dewy plants, creepingsunlightflickers, andthefragranceoflilacs (late bloomers with the late spring) emptying onto the blacktop trail. JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 12 The Fun Guide
- 13. I’ll be lesssensitive when you’re less entitled Amanda Bynes has recently joined the unfortunately long list of celebs that have dropped a homophobic slur on Twitter. The wholehubbubstartedwithPeoplemagazine and what she perceived as a misrepresen- tation of her current situation. Instead of writing a letter to the editor, like a normal person might or contacting her agent like a good celeb probably should, she tweeted at them. After an all caps rant (which is considered shout- ing according the common internet etiquette) she suggested that they follow her on twitter. Then she called them F****ts, because nothing gets you lots of Twitter followers like a gay slur. TheHubbubendedwithaclassicsmack- down from gay icon Rupaul. “Derogatory slurs are ALWAYS an outward projection of aperson’sownpoisonousself-loathing.”She later deleted the offensive post. AmandaBynescannowputtheincident behind her, along with all the other signs of an imminent celeb meltdown. Or perhaps she can’t. Only time will tell. For the LGBT community it’s another story. We sigh and move on. We know all too well that the next slur word scandal is just around the corner. In fact it’s already here. Rapper J. Cole’s new song “Born Sinner” uses f****t as well. He goes on to say “no disrespect” and “don’t be sensitive” so it’s okay right? He ends that particular verse with “just a little joke to show how homophobic you are.” See, he’s only joking. It’s not just gay slurs either. There are lots of trans related slurs out there as well. Jenna Elfman got into a minor tiff with a fan on Twitter after she tweeted about mannish looking woman at the nail salon who was “probably a tranny”. Which is nothing to row that erupted overSuzanneMoore’sstatementthatbeauty industry’s ideal body shape was “that of a Brazilian transsexual.” (I have to say that I found the original piece more ironic than offensive. Those “Brazilian transsexual” she is referring to are just trying to emulate women after all.) The real uproar had less to do with the piece than how Moore handled criticismofthepiece,once again on Twitter. She was quickly inundated with angryresponsestohertweetsandhadtoshut heraccountdownforatimeperiod.Herlong- timefriendandfellowjournalistJulieBurchill entered the fray and took it to a whole new level,writingapiecefortheconservativeUK paper The Observer that was so laden with transphobicslursthattheirparentpaper,the Guardian eventually called for its retraction. It’smostlydisappearedfromtheinternetnow but I recall one line where she called trans people “dicks in chicks’ clothing.” Don’t be so sensitive Burchill’sdefensewastwo-fold.Thefirst wasthetranspeopleneededtostopbeingso sensitive.Thesecondwasfreedomofspeech. Shehasarighttoheropinionandthosecriti- cising her for making use of it are attacking that fundamental right. Both defenses are partofalmosteveryconversationsurround- ing offensive language. Don’tbesosensitive?Howabout—Don’t getmestarted.ThescandalsIhavehighlight- ed are only the tip of the iceberg. That’s the first thing these people need to understand. I haven’t talked about MMA fighter Nate Diaz’sTwitterrantorathousandothersthat occuralmostdaily.Ihaven’tbroughtupTracy Morgan’shomophobiconstagerant. Ihaven’t talked about the hashtag #signsyosonisgay, and all the stereotyped and homophobic responses that it got. Before telling an LGBT person to stop being so sensitive you need to stop and look around the internet. Slur words are every- where.Maybe“youdidn’tmeananything”by it.Maybe“it’sjustthewaypeopletalkwhere I am from.” (That was Nate’s lame defense of his slur.) None of that makes it right and franklywearetiredofhearingit.Andweare tired of hearing the same old slurs. What about freedom of speech. Every- one is entitled to their own opinion, right? Here’s my response: I’ll stop being so sensitive when you stop being so entitled. Freedom of speech is a constitutionally guaranteed right. In fact it’s the first one. Freedomofspeechandfreedomofthepress are in the first amendment right along with freedom of religion and the right to gather peacefully. So yes, you are entitled to your opinion. Butguesswhat?IamnottheU.S.Govern- ment. I am not breaking in your door and stealing your printing press. So don’t bother with the freedom of speech defense. Julie Burchill is entitled to her opinion about trans women. What she is not entitled to is to have her opinions published in The Observer.Whetheranarticleoropinionpiece gets published or pulled is up to the editors of that journal. If the owner or editor thinks the piece is too controversial they can pull it. Don’t come crying to me about how I took away your freedom of speech. I didn’t make theeditordothat,ImerelycomplainedthatI didn’t like the piece. It was his or her choice. Twitter is not in the constitution either. Maybesomeday,butnotnow.SoyourTwitter accountisnota right.Twitterallowsanyone to sign up and create an account as long as they abide by the terms of service. I know this might be a hard pill for celebrities like Amanda Bynes and J. Cole to swallow but an “ordinary” person like myself has just as much right to a Twitter account as they do. I also have just as much right to post my opinions. If you want to use your freedom of speech to post derogatory or offensive slurs onyourTwitteraccount,goahead.Butdon’t act surprised when I use my freedom of speech to call you out on it. If you don’t like it, that’s too bad. I am done with “not being so sensitive”. Wired This Way by Rachel Eliason I am not breaking in your door and stealing your printing press. 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. 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. Foodsrichinprotein–likethefish–tend to burn more calories than foods rich in carbohydrates or fats. I get a lot of questions asking which foods burn the most calories. What these questions are really asking about is the thermic effect of food and how it can be manipulated to help achieve fat loss goals. The thermic effect of food refers to the amount of energy (i.e. calories) that the body expends to process, use and store the foods we eat. In general, it’s estimated that most people will burn about 10% of their daily caloric intake through this process. In otherwords,apersoneating2,000calories per day will probably burn off about 200 of them through the thermic effect of food. But, as it turns out, this number can be manipulated simply by shifting the compo- sition of the foods we eat. Forfatsandcarbohydrates,somewhere between 5% and 15% of the calories are burnedoffduetothethermiceffectoffood. For proteins, that number is somewhere between 20% and 35%. Using this math, you might expect to burn 25–75 calories from a hypothetical 500 calorie meal of pure fat or carbs. But for a pure protein meal of 500 calories, the number could be as high as 175. Simply by shifting to foods richer in protein, dieters can expect to benefit from anincreasedcalorieburnduetothethermic effect of food. Of course, the benefit is still relatively small–but every calorie counts! In general, I’d encourage dieters to spend more time and energy on creating a calorie deficit (more calories out than in) through a smarter diet (more plants, less fatty meats, appropriate portions, whole grains, etc.) and increased physical activity…and not getting too caught up in consuming foods that burn more calories. Dieters can expect to benefitfromanincreased calorie burn due to the thermic effect of food. WhichFoodsBurntheMostCalories?byDaveyWavey Davey Wavey is an AFPA certified personal trainer shares his passion for and knowledge of fitness, exercise, health and nutrition with the world. For more information go to DaveyWaveyFitness.com. The Project of the Quad Cities Founded in 1986, The Project of the Quad Cities is a non-profit HIV/STI/AIDS Service Organization that provides support to persons living with HIV/STI/AIDS as well as their families and friends in Iowa and Illinois. www.apqc4life.org Symptom Management Group—Every Wednesday from 1-2:30 pm Life Skills Group—Every other Wednesday from 10-11:30 am Coffee Hour—10-11:30 am on Wednesdays when the Life Skills Group does not meet; A relaxed and casual atmosphere Groups meet at our Moline office. We also offer free HIV testing Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 4 pm. For more information call Susie or Mollie at 309-762-5433 Transformations meets every Wednesday at 7 PM, the second Saturday of each month at 1 PM, One Iowa, 419 SW 8th St, Des Moines, IA 50309. Transfor- mations Iowa is a Transgender support group.Itisopentoallrangesofthegender spectrum,maletofemale,femaletomale, crossdressers,dragqueens,genderqueer, questioning,aswellasfriends,significant others and allies. For more information email sophia.transformations@gmail. com or call 515-288-4019 x200. TransformationsIowaMeeting ACCESSline Page 13JULY 2013 The Fun Guide
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- 16. J.T. Amore, MaxE. Mum, Julius Fever, Franky D. Lover, and Miss Kitty. Photo courtesy of Tomeka McGregor Hugh Jindapants and Max E. Mum. Photo courtesy of Kate Jett. I.C. Kings Celebrate Pride in Iowa City! “There are so many things I love about Pride. It’s a time to celebrate being exactly whoyouare,havefunwithfriendsandfamily,meetnewpeople,supportequalrightsand diversity.It’sheartwarmingtonotonlyseepeoplefromallpartsoftheLGBTQcommunity, but to also see so many allies. All Pride events are wonderful, but Iowa City Pride will always be extra special for me, because of the amazing people and energy”. - Franky D. Lover “It’s great to see such a large portion of the community come out to not only support butalsotocelebrateLGBTQAdiversity.IowaCityPridealwaysfeelslikeasafe,funescape while we wait for the rest of the population to catch up concerning equality.” - Hugh Jindapants “BeingqueerinIowaCitymeansbeingpartofafamilythat’slarge,lovingandaccepting. The I.C. Kings are grateful for having such a wonderful supportive community!” - Julius Fever Max E. Mum. Photo courtesy of Kate Jett. J.T. Amore. Photo courtesy of Kate Jett. Franky D. Lover. Photo courtesy of Kate Jett. Chaz E. Burger, Julius Fever, and Miss Kitty. Photo courtesy of Kate Jett. I.C. Kings float with Max E. Mum. Photo courtesy of Tomeka McGregor JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 16 The Fun Guide
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- 21. New Kings onthe Block show their talent TheNewKingsontheBlockperformed three times in June starting with Cedar Rapids Pridefest on June 1, their monthly show at home bar Club CO2 on June 14, and then the group travelled to Dubuque to perform at 920 Main on June 21. New Kings on the Block founder Jill Kennedy said: “Cedar Rapids Pridefest was an excel- lentopportunityforunderageperformersto join the group as well as show the commu- nity how great of a talent pool Cedar Rapids has for drag king performers.” OllyWood,NickJames,andAidenJames all performed on June 1st at Greene Square Park in Cedar Rapids in addition to NKOTB regulars Justin Cider, Tatem Trick, Ryder Gently, Jayden Knight, Star E. Knight, Brave Crow, and Landin Laydeez. Whiletherewerethreatsofrainandbad weather on June 1st, NKOTB Videographer Eva Hinrichsen said “We were worried and prepared for rain but instead we just got nice temperatures and a rainbow.” Many peoplestoppedbytocheckoutAlanaHyatt’s artworkatCedarRapidsPridefestandmany new friends and fans were gained after the afternoon in the park. Tatem Trick went on to perform at Belle’s Basix after the Cedar RapidsPrideactivitiesendedfortheevening. The NKOTB show at club CO2 on June 14 featured a merchandise booth with jewelryhandcraftedbyDoveslandCreations and custom made wallets and purses by AmandaJeanComicBookWallets.Heywood JablowmiandJustinBeaveralsoperformed at the June 14th show. Justin Beaver hasn’t performed since Hamburger Mary’s in Cedar Rapids closed. The New Kings on the Block can be seenagainonJuly19thatClubCO2.Starting in August they will go back to their usual performance at CO2 on the second Friday of the month. For more information go to www.Facebook.com/NewKingsCR NKOB June 14th performance. Photo courtesy of Alana Hyatt. NKOB June 14th performance. Photo courtesy of Alana Hyatt. NKOB June 14th performance. Photo courtesy of Alana Hyatt. NKOB June 14th performance. Photo courtesy of Alana Hyatt. NKOB June 14th performance. Photo courtesy of Alana Hyatt. American values really did win. With the erasing of the Proposition 8, same-sexcouplesinthestateofCaliforniastartedgettingmarriedonFriday. And now that DOMA has been erased from the books thanks to that historic decision, those couples across the country who are legally married, their relationships and their families will be recognized as such. ~Chad Griffin, head of Human Rights Campaign on SCOTUS DOMA ruling. ACCESSline Page 21JULY 2013 The Fun Guide
- 22. “American Savage” by DanSavage c.2013, Dutton, $26.95 / $28.50 Canada, 301 pages You can’t talk about it to anyone. You’ve got this sticky issue, a little problem, a thing you need help with but you aren’t sure you cantrustanybody.Your sister is a big-mouth, your mom won’t understand, and your BFF, well… no. Youneedhelpintheformofadvice.You need it straight-up, no bull, all honest. And whenyouread“AmericanSavage,”thenew memoir-advice book by Dan Savage, that’s what you get. As a young boy growing up in Chicago, Dan Savage was steeped in Catholicism. His father, a cop by profession, was an ordained permanent diaconate. His mother wasalayminister.Savagehimselfwasanaltar boybutwhenherealizedhewasgayandthat the Church had a few things to say about it (none positive), he left the fold. Still, he says, “… I was never abused by a priest. I was saved by one” who came out to Savage’smothertocalmherfearsforherson. And though the Church “got sex wrong,” and thoughhe’san“agnosthatheist,”Savagesays he “aches” for the loss of religious comfort. But that’s not all he has on his mind in this book. AsthecreatorofSavageLove,asex-and- relationship column, Savage is fierce about making sure his readers get sensible advice. He says that cheating, for instance, isn’t okay except when it is. He advocates being monogamish, being GGG, and being willing toatleasttrysomethingbeforecondemning it as “too kinky.” Speaking of condemning, Savage takes on politicians, especially those who are right-wing, conserva- tive, and Christian; in particular, he quotes evidence to dispute the anti-gay bigotry that often comes from that side of politics. As a married “different kind of fag” and the father of a teen who “came out… a few years ago—as straight,”Savagehasastakeinquashingthat kind of hate. In this book, Savage also writes about adoption, Halloween (the straight people’s version of pride parades), “basic civil rights protec- tion,” God, and respectingoldergay men. As founder of the It Gets Better Project, he goes to bat for LGBT teens. Hewritesaboutsex, acertainpolitician’s “Google problem,” andheoffersachal- lenge to those who believe being gay is a “choice.” Want a book that’sgoingtomake yousay,“Heck,yes!” just about every third page? Yep, that pretty well describes “American Savage.” It’ll be hard to remain seated while you’re reading, in fact, because author Dan Savage makes you want to stand and applaudathiscommon-sensewords.Savage rants—buthe’shilariouswhilehe’sdoingso, which will make you want to phone friends soyoucanshare.He’sprofoundandprofane, thoughtful and thought-provoking, and his personalstorieswillbringtearstoyoureyes. I truly enjoyed this book. I liked it for its truth, for its snark, and for its not-so-good- natured poking at politicos—and I think you’ll like it too, because “American Savage” is a book worth talking about. Across 1 Memo start 5 Three-men-in-a-tub event 9 Sex toy for the butt 13 Prince’s purple precipitation 14 Kazan, whose desire was a streetcar 15 Glinda portrayer in The Wiz 16 Help with the heist 17 Trust, with “on” 18 Mournful cry 19 City of the team of 36-Across 22 Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 23 R.E.M. frontman Michael 24 Riddler of old 26 Fabric name ending 27 Wet hole 31 McDowall of Planet of the Apes 32 Wolfe or Woolf, e.g. (abbr.) 34 Fiddle around with it 36 The first active openly gay male athlete to compete in a U.S. professional team sport 40 Tea or glory hole cry? 41 Himalayan legend 43 Traps for suckers 46 Org. that has never been to Uranus 48 Seminary subject 49 Eton alum 51 Erected 53 Unmannerly man 54 Position of 36-Across 58 “Ta ta!” 60 Marsh material 61 Skirt for Nureyev’s partner 62 Woman’s name embraced by hermaph- rodites? 63 “She” to Rimbaud 64 Peanuts oath 65 Silence for Bernstein 66 It may be grand, to Glenn Burke 67 Scores Down 1 Shrinking Asian body 2 One who may screw with your equip- ment 3 Connects with 4 Coming soon 5 It made people go down on the Titanic 6 On the calm side 7 Cash cache 8 Sean of Will & Grace 9 Try to seduce (with liquor, e.g.) 10 Soviet leader Brezhnev 11 Relax after a hard day 12 Team of 36-Across 20 Just out 21 Shoot off a larger branch 25 Hive product 28 Like some twins 29 Rest atop 30 Doone of fiction 33 Mushroom source? 35 Woody pile 37 It’s a bust 38 Lingering 39 Drag queen’s high heel, perhaps 42 Under guardianship 43 Sport of 36-Across 44 Trisha Todd’s _ __ of the Moon 45 Role played by a man named Julia 47 Follower of Jim Buchanan 50 “Blow me down!” 52 Part of UHF 55 Woody valley 56 Eleanor’s pooch 57 Bit from Michael Musto 59 Granola lesbian’s bit Q-PUZZLE: Flaming Star in the Galaxy • SOLUTION ON PAGE 38 The Bookworm Sez by Terri Schlichenmeyer Want a book that’s going to make you say, “Heck, yes!” just about everythirdpage? JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 22 The Fun Guide
- 23. UnderConstruction: ACCESSline’sHeartland RecurringEventsList ACCESSline’s Recurring EventsList is and has been provided by ACCESSline readers. With the added communi- ties of ACCESSline’s Heartland Newspaper, the list is need of a large overhaul. We need readers to continue to help and update the list. Please submit recurring events to ManagingEditor@ACCESSlineIowa.com. Iowa City Pride 2013 Iowa City, IA I.C. Kings booth. Photo courtesy of Tomeka McGregor Sissy’s Sircus performance. Photo courtesy of Kate Jett Crystal Belle’s performance. Photo courtesy of Kate Jett Sissy’s Sircus performance. Photo courtesy of Kate Jett ACCESSline Page 23JULY 2013 The Fun Guide
- 24. Planning a weddingis a scary undertak- ing, especially when you’re not sure where to start. Your wedding is one of the biggest milestones in your life, and it is also one of themoststressfuleventstoplan. Peoplehire professionals to do a plethora of tasks every day, and a wedding planner should be no exception. The best part is, a good wedding planner will save you money in the long run and get you the best people in the business! One way a great wedding planner can save you money is through his business relation- ships. A wedding planner has relationships with their business partners that can offer them discounts and special advantages that would not be open to just anyone. However, thatdoesn’tmeanyoushouldn’taskquestions. ThebigquestionIhearfromeveryonegay orstraightis…howdoyoufindatrustworthy wedding planner that won’t flake out when times get tough? I was expecting Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner… but I ended upwiththissmoothtalkingguywhothinkshe is one of the Plastics from Mean Girls. Justrememberyourweddingdayisabout you, not your wedding planner. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are interviewing your wedding planner. 1) You need someone you can trust! Can you leave $100 bill on the table and walk away trusting this person won’t take the money and run? 2) Can you connect with this person? You will need to work with this person for 6 months to a year. 3) Can your planner see your vision? You don’t want your wedding to look like the last 5 weddings this person did. 4) Makesureyourplannercangiveyou a clear budget and set solid expectations. 5) Interviewweddingplannersuntilyou find just the right fit! Hiring a wedding planner by Scott Stevens Iowa Cedar Valley Pridefest 300 block of West 4th Street, Downtown, Waterloo, Iowa Saturday, August 24th, noon-midnight Minnesota Rochester Minnesota Pridefest Peace Plaza, Downtown Rochester, Minnesota Monday, July 15th-Sunday, July 21st Mankato PrideFest Riverfront Park, Mankato, Minnesota Friday, September 6th, 7 p.m. Saturday, September 7th, 11a.m.-Midnight St. Cloud Pridefest St. Cloud, Minnesota Thursday, September 19th-Sunday, September 22nd Nebraska Star City Pride Lincoln, Nebraska Thursday, July 11th-Sunday, July 14th South Dakota 2013 LGBT Pride Rapid City, South Dakota Location TBA July 12th-13th Sioux Falls Pride Covell Lake Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota Saturday, August 17th, noon-6 p.m. AIDS Walk Pasley Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota Saturday, September, 21st Wisconsin Capitol Pride Madison, Wisconsin Saturday, August 17th-Sunday, August 18th Midwest Pride Events Scott Stevens I grew up in a small town in Wyoming and in 1998 I moved to Iowa go go to college. I graduated from Buena Vista University with a degree in Marketing and a minor in art and communications. I am have been an active Member of Metro Arts Alliance for over 10 years. I am currently the Vise President and the incoming president in 2014. I was the Director of Development for One Iowa when marriage was legalized in Iowa! In 2009 my friend Ben developed a website to help same sex couples get married in Iowa. In 2010 I purchased the website and have had the pleasure with working with newly weds all over the country. JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 24 The Fun Guide
- 25. Prime Timers ofCentral Iowa, the Iowa chapter of Prime Timers World Wide, continues to grow and has expand- ed across Iowa and even across our borders. It has now launched its website: www.primetimersww.com/centraliowa/ Attendance at our monthly dinners has grown to fill our current space. Summeractivitiesplannedincludeattend- ing an Iowa Cubs game, a pontoon boat party on Saylorville Lake, and a country barbeque. Some members will be joining the St. Louis Prime Timers chapter for their 4th of July celebration. Mature gay/bi men are welcome to broaden their relationships with other men through a variety of activities. A monthly newsletter with a schedule of activities is available. F o r m o r e i n f o r m a - tion contact: PrimeTimersIowa@ gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PrimeTimersOfCen- tralIowa Our guest speaker on Friday, June 7, was Dr. Jason Glass, outgoing director of the Iowa Department of Education. Dr. Glass was appointed director in 2010; under his leadership the Department has focused on the values of demonstrating courageousleadership,promotinginnova- tion in education, and acting as a servant to schools and communities in Iowa. Dr. Glass’s presentation outlined his efforts to move the state toward Governor Branstad’s vision of a high-performing system, supporting initiatives to restore the state’s tradition as a national leader in education and to lead transformative change. Key to this restoration and lead- ership, he said, was a focus on improving theeducatorworkforcethroughincreased compensation and raising the reputation and integrity of the profession, making the pool of available educators wide and deep enough to allow school districts to be selective—choosy—about the men and women to whom they will entrust Iowa’s students. This means supporting profes- sional autonomy, promoting teamwork and mentoring plans, and creating profes- sional pathways that will encourage the best teachers to continue their careers in direct classroom contact with students. Better attention must be paid, Glass noted, to the highest possible standards in curriculum and methods, so that they are aligned toward the best outcomes—at the same time personalizing goals to indi- viduals: where students are starting from and where they are headed. Glass took particularprideinmovingtheseexpensive plans through a divided Legislature (and in the political calculation and compro- misethatallowedsuccessfulpassage),and gave a special nod to FFBC’s scholarship program for recognizing and furthering Iowa’s important educational goals. Born and raised in a family of educa- tors, and married to a teacher, Jason Glass has served in a variety of roles in diverse education settings across several states. After teaching at the high school and university levels in Kentucky, he worked for the Colorado Department of Educa- tion to ensure a quality education for students with disabilities. He served as vice president for Qualistar Early Learn- ing in Denver, where he helped develop an early childhood education quality rating system and raised funds to help provid- ers make needed improvements. He was the director of human resources for Eagle County Schools in Colorado, a pioneering district in innovative human resources strategies, including performance-based compensation. Glass is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, where he received a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees, and he holds a doctorate in education from Seton Hall University. FFBC:Dr.JasonGlassbyBruceCarr PITCH Calendar 2013 Positive Iowans Taking Charge (PITCH) is a volunteer-run non-profit organiza- tion, founded in 2007, their goal is to provide social networking and support to Iowans living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS. Their mission is to create an atmosphere where HIV+ people can unite, advocate, and assist other HIV+ people for better health and wellness. More information can be found at pitchiowa.org or call Tami Haught at 641-715-4182. All of our meetings are open to the public at large. To hear what’s going on, please check out our calendar to see when the next PITCH meeting will be held. For more infor- mation go to www.PitchIowa.org. Groups Des Moines Open Support Group 5pm-6pm (Wednesdays) Thursday Group 2pm-3pm (Thursdays) Waterloo PITCH Support Group 6pm-8pm (Every other week) Wednesday Evening Group 5:30pm-6:30pm (Every other week) Positive Iowans Taking Charge will be having a Conference Call Support Group meeting, June 24th at 7 PM. This Support Group Meeting is open to those outside of Iowa. The meeting is to provide emotional, social, and educational opportunities for Iowans across the state. The Agenda is as follows: welcome and introduction from 7-7:30 PM, topic discussion from 7:30-8 PM, non-topic time for everyone to share how they are doing from 8-8:30 PM. Times are adjusted depending on the needs of the people on the call. The number to call is 949-812-4500 and the Pin number is 684713 that every- one will use the same code. For more information go to pitchiowa.org or find them on facebook. Prime Timers of Central Iowa Prime Timers of Central Iowa marching in the Capital City Pride 2013 parade. Photo courtesy of Glenn Gordon. Dr. Jason Glass Support Group Meeting Conference Call ACCESSline Page 25JULY 2013 Section 3: Community
- 26. Bathroom Access for TransgenderPeople Q: I’m a transgender person and was recently questioned by an employee of a local restaurant when I went to use the bathroom. What should I do if this happens again? A: There is no law that says a person must look a certain way to use a certain restroom, but unfortunately, this type of “gender policing” is very common. Lambda Legal’shelpdeskoftengetscallsfrompeople who wanted to use a restroom that matches theirgenderidentity,butbecausetheydon’t fit someone else’s standards for what a certain gender should look like, they were questionedordeniedaccesstothatrestroom. This can happen in schools, places of public accommodationlikerestaurants,andplaces of employment. If this happens again, stay calm so that you can read the situation—and figure out whether or not you’re safe. You can always leave the scene if you feel threatened and come back later with a friend to file a complaint. If you feel safe,reporttheincidenttoamanager,owner or someone in charge. Explain to them that you are using the right bathroom. If you are still denied access to the appropriate bath- room, you can file a complaint with your local or state anti-discrimination agency. Denial of access to the appropriate bathroom for transgender people couldbeconsideredsex discrimination under the law. You may also live in one of the dozen or so states or over 125 cities and coun- ties where there are specific protections againstdiscriminationonthebasisofgender identity. Gender neutral bathrooms are increas- ingly common in places of public accom- modation and places of employment and sometransgenderpeoplereportthataccess to these bathrooms allows them to not worry about being harassed. If you think it’s possible, try and advocate for a gender neutral bathroom where you work. Transgender people should be able to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity and should not be singled out as the only people using any particular restroom, gender neutral or otherwise. The medical community (and increasingly, employers, schools and courts) recognize that it is essential to the health and well- being of transgender people for them to be abletoliveinaccordancewiththeirinternal gender identity in all aspects of life-and that restroom usage is a necessary part of that experience. If you’d like more information on your rights related to bathroom use, see our “FAQ About Restrooms & What to Do If You’re Hassled”here:http://www.lambdalegal.org/ know-your-rights/transgender/restroom-faq Ifyouhaveanyquestions,orfeelyouhave been discriminated against because of your genderidentity/expression,pleasecontactour help desk at 1-866-542-8336 or visit www. lambdalegal.org/help trial, we, by example, provide legitimacy and authorizationfordictatorsinothercountries to continue “crackdowns” on their people. This cannot be the continued legacy of the UnitedStates,thattoteachtheworld’styrants on how to ignore individual rights. Privacy is a critical part of our freedoms and has been defended at length before and by the U.S. courts. Privacy is part of the Bill of Rights. To suddenly excuse an administra- tion of circumventing privacy rules for some apparent security reason is to be subject to unwarranted search and seizures (even an unlawfulintrusion)bythegovernmentatany timeandforanyreason.Whetheryou“trust” theadministration(whetherBush,Obama,or even consider if Romney was elected), what happens when an administration attempts to find and then begins to jail opposing view- points using these same methods? Will we know the difference from actual terrorism versus strong political conversation based uponwhatthegovernmentistellingus?Who guards the guards? When such intrusion is allowed to continue unchallenged, the whole of liberty insocietyisrenderedamyth. Thefutureand the foundation of this republic is at question. SS continued from page 6 DILLON-HANSEN Last month I wrote about a shocker: Christianshaveaproblemwithsexualdesire. I know that caught you off guard, but it was meant to surprise “traditional” Christians even more. There is the persistent and false assumption that the historical Christian ideal praises sexual desire within marriage. Not true for the early church. Not even true for Martin Luther, father of six children and passionate defender of marriage. Luther wrote,“IntercourseisneverwithoutSin;but Godexcusesitbyhisgracebecausetheestate ofmarriageishiswork.”Sexualdesireisbad. Thatviewhasitsrootsin1st centuryJudaism, even though many Jews of Jesus’ day lauded sexual desire. Greek Stoic and Neo-Platonic philosophy only reinforced this negativity towardssexualdesire.Thequestionis,given thatProtestantChristianstodayofallstripes do not uphold historical Christian views on sexual desire, what should we do about sex? The most common conservative Prot- estant response is to cherry pick biblical texts that support their views on marriage. Celibacy gets no attention. Then, ignoring the evidence from the early church, they citethecommandinGenesis1to“befruitful andmultiply”asevidencefortheblessingof sexual desire. Conservative Christians then have the gall to proclaim that their views aretheonlyauthenticallyChristianposition. Gay Christians could just as easily do the same thing, and many do. Queer readings of the Bible proliferate. The Queer Bible Commentary and Take Back the Word are two excellent collections that do just that. The problem with queer readings of scripture is that most straight Christians I know find them deeply unsatisfying. For those not used to such methods of literary criticism, these post-structuralist readings seem out of place and inauthentic. While I wouldarguethattheyarejustasauthenticas any other reading, I am deeply sympathetic to the fact that queer interpretations often do not sell to straight audiences. Thankfully, there is another approach. In 2005, I decided to come out of the closet in my final sermon as an intern at Wapping Commu- nity Church in South Windsor, CT. Looking through the Bible, the best text I could find that spoke to my expe- rience was a lament of Jeremiah. I wanted to convey the level of self-loathing that is so characteristic leading to the point when someone comes out. Jeremiah nailed it: Cursed be the day on which I was born! The day when my mother bore me, let it not be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought thenewstomyfather,saying,‘Achildisborn to you, a son,’ making him very glad. Let that man be like the cities that the LORD over- threw without pity; let him hear a cry in the morning and an alarm at noon, because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb forevergreat.WhydidIcomeforthfromthe womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame? When I shared the passage and the accompanying sermon with one of my colleagues, she replied, “You’re not seri- ously going to preach this, are you? There has to be more good news in your sermon.” My colleague was right, of course. It did not make a very good sermon. But it did convey a key point too often lost in debates over scripture.Howyoucharacterizedesire—and gay sexual desire in particular—has major implications beyond sex. When gays and lesbians disproportionately kill themselves for the discrimination against who they are, the stakes are changed. Sex and sexual desire are about justice as much as sex. Onceyouacknowl- edge that the biblical ethic of sexual desire is not relevant to our current context, it opensupthepossibility of using other ethical guidelinestotalkabout sex. We do not share first century assump- tions about the body, desire, marriage, procreation,orsexitself.IknowofnoChris- tian who honestly advocates that we return to a sex ethic of the first century. Unlike in thosetimes,relationshipstodayarebasedon love, mutuality, and are in a context where intimacy can happen without the risk of pregnancy. We are in desperate need of new waysofthinkingthroughafaithfulapproach to sex. The most convincing contemporary Christian treatment of sexual ethics that I have read is Margaret Farley’s Just Love. Farley argues that justice should be the key concept in healthy, Christian relation- ships. That means not harming the other person physically or emotionally. It means free consent of both parties and mutuality. Honesty, commitment, equality and, finally, social justice round out Farley’s criteria for Christian sexual ethics. Farley’s approach has big implications for gay sexual ethics. As my coming out sermon showed, we who are gay suffer tremendously for our sexual desire. We are told our sexual desire is bad, sinful, and we hateourselvesforit.Themostjustandloving thing to do is to jettison the first century conception of sexual desire and focus on justice and love instead. Once we say that gay sexual desire is good, we can begin to focus on being better in relationships with others. What if we took Farley seriously? What if the focus in gay sex was on honesty, mutuality,andseekingfruitfulrelationships, of any duration? Gay men, and young gay men in particular, can be shockingly cruel tooneanother.Gaysexualethicsmatterand Christianity, properly interpreted, can have a lot of important things to say. From the Pastor’s Pen by Rev. Jonathan Page FFBC member Jonathan Page is senior pastor of the Ames United Church of Christ, 217 6th Street, Ames, Iowa. Sunday service at 10:45. He can be reached at jon@Amesucc.org. The problem with queer readings of scrip- tureisthatmoststraight Christians I know find themdeeplyunsatisfying. AskLambdaLegalByDruLevasseur Denialofaccesstothe appropriate bathroom for transgender people could be considered sex discrimination under the law. M. Dru Levasseur is the Transgender Rights Project Director for Lambda Legal. Levasseur focuses his work on impact litigation, advocacy and community education to advance the civil rights of transgender people nationwide. JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 26 Section 3: Community
- 27. The Earth Teamis the volunteer work- forceoftheNaturalResourcesConservation Service (NRCS), the Federal Government’s leadagencyforconservingnaturalresourc- esonprivatelands. Theprimarypurposeof the Earth Team is to expand NRCS services by using volunteer time, talent and energy to help accomplish the NRCS mission. The Earth Team uses a variety of people with a variety of skills and talents. Individualsmustbe14yearsofageorolder and have an interest in conserving natural resources. AsanEarthTeamvolunteerthey join professional conservationists as they workdirectlywithlocalfarmersandranch- ers in putting conservation practices on theland,providingconservationeducation to students, doing community outreach, improve water quality and erosion control projects, write newspaper and magazine articles, speak to community groups, develop conservation tours and exhibits, perform office work and computer data entry, etc. TheEarthTeamoffersoutstandingand exciting opportunities for people who are willing to commit to help people conserve, maintainandimproveournaturalresourc- es and environment. Visit our website at www.nrcs.usda.gov.Foradditionalinforma- tioncontactyourlocalNRCSofficeorShelly Grimmius, State Volunteer Coordinator in Iowa at shelly.grimmius@ia.usda.gov. NRCS is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex,nationalorigin,religion,age,disability, sexualorientation,maritalorfamilystatus, political beliefs, parental status, protected genetic information, or reprisal (retalia- tion) for prior EEO activity. Iowa NRCS Earth Team LGBTQPatient&Family EducationandSupportGroups Come join the UI LGBTQ Clinic providers and other health professionals to learn about various health and wellness topics and have the opportunity to meet new people! Hours: Thursday evenings 5:30-7:00pm Location: University Capitol Center (USS), Located in Old Capitol Town Center 201 S. Clinton St., Iowa City IA RM 2520B Contact: meagan-schorr@uiowa.edu or www.uihealthcare.org/lgbt/ Meet Artist Megan Bishop Fair Grounds Coffeehouse is a liberal bent coffee shop that is so much more! The owner, Steve Pernetti, has a drive to support the community, specifically the arts, hosting eventsfrompoetryreadingstoadrumcircle. The most recent addition to the coffeehouse is a monthly or bi-monthly showing of local artists’ works on their walls. Starting with Megan Bishop’s art opening on August 1st, from 6-9pm. Fair Grounds Coffeehouse is primarily a vegetarian cafe located in Iowa City just southoftheSheratonHotel.Theyhaveadded meatsothatbothcarnivoresandomnivores can dine together in one place. They serve breakfast, lunch, and light dinner daily. I recommendtheappleandcornwaffle,asitis a pure taste of Iowa. They also have recently addedafullbartotheirtwentyonevarieties of fair trade organic coffee, with small batch limited roasts, and smoothies made from real fruit. Youcancomeenjoysomesnacks,drinks, shopping and Megan Bishop’s art at Fair Grounds Coffeehouse. Meet Megan Bishop, buyherartandenjoysomewine.That’sright; Fair Grounds will be offering a $10 bottom- less glass of wine all night long! Bishop says of her work, “I like communicating and connecting with people through art. I find myself able to express my feelings through creation. I can always find the right colors to show my emotions even when I can’t express them withwords.Ihavealwaysfeltadrivetocreate andIhavebeenveryfortunatetohaveagroup offamilyandfriendswhosupportmeinwhat I choose to do”. The Tool Box owner, Julia Schaefer, hosted a show for Bishop at The Tool Box in downtownIowaCitylastMarchof2012.The show was a huge success, and the majority of Bishop’s art selling that night. Schaefer has been wanted to host another show, and with her transition to Fair Grounds Artist Curator, Bishop was a natural pick for the first art show. “The highlight of my career as an artist was sharing my passion for art with my Grandfather and re-awakening his creative side. He passed away almost 2 years ago but he lives on through his art. We have quite a portfolio of shared work along with our individual accomplishments”, says Bishop. Fair Grounds Coffeehouse is located at 345 S. Dubuque Street in Iowa City. The art opening for Megan Bishop with The Tool Box will be on Thursday, August 1st from 6-9pm. Bishop’s work will be on display at Fair Grounds through the month of August. Local Business Owners Pair Up to Support Local Artists by Julia Schaefer CRPrideFest P.O. Box 1643 Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-1643 info@crpridefest.com, http://www.crpridefest.com CRPrideFest Thanks You All!By Kelly S. Gassman Where do we start when thanking each and every one of you for helping us five CRPrideFest Board of Directors throw the celebration of Pride this year? Let us start with volunteers and supporters: GE Capital provided much-needed help this year, along with Chelsea Joy Lob, Jazmine Fritz, Jill Kennedy, Alana Hyatt, DJ Lady J., McDonnell Photography and Design, Anthony Brown and all the people that helped in great and lesser ways on Saturday, June 1st and the weeks and months up to the event. Without business and corporate sponsorship we could not have held this event. Being a nonprofit entity whose sole purpose is to fundraise, organize and hold this event this year, it would be virtually impossible to provide this always-free event to the Cedar Rapids area community each year with costs in the thousands of dollars range without our business and corporate sponsors: Quaker Oats and General Mills (the two local cereal giants), NextEra Energy - Duane Arnold, and Allegra Printing are once again this year, are all the pillars that hold us up financially, and allow us to continue with their support again this year. Local GLBT Bars Club Basix, and Club CO2 offered and gave support during the year and during the event by providing many things including entertainment by both bars show cast members and special guests. Entertainment for the day included: Gayla Drake, local Cedar Rapids Drag King ensemble New Kings on the Block, both CR Clubs Drag Queens, and The Brazilian 2Wins kept the crowd regaled. Guest speakers from One Iowa and music from DJ Lady J filled in between-time to seamlessly make the event a high-quality production. But most of all we want to thank you! The members of the community, friends, supporters, advocates and others who came out Saturday, June 1st , to Green Square Park in Cedar Rapids, braving the chances of rain and passing storms only to find that someone up there smiles on us, and made the weather near-perfect that day. Thank you for celebrating with us, and we are sure to do it again bigger, and better next year! Like us on Facebook, visit our webpage at www.crpridefest.com because even though our mission is staying the same, we are planning some changes in the coming months! Sincerely, CRPrideFest Board of Directors: Ben Nielsen-President Clint Gassman-Vice-President Kelly Gassman-Secretary/Public Relations Cory Canfield-Volunteer Coordinator Jen Rowray-Archival Records/Publications ACCESSline Page 27JULY 2013 Section 3: Community
- 28. DIRECTORYNOTICE TheACCESSline community directory isupdated each issue. LISTINGS ARE FREE but are limited by space. Free online listings are available at www.ACCESSlineAMERICA.com. Information about new listings must contain a phone number for publica- tion and a contact (e-mail address, land address, or website) for our records. For more information or to provide corrections, please contact Editor@ACCESSlineAMERICA.com or call (712) 560-1807. NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Breur Media Corporation : Website Consulta- tion, Design, Programming, and Hosting. HIV and STD Testing Sites near You, includ- ing places where you can get tested for free: hivtest.org/ Crisis or Suicide National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: suicidepreventionlifeline.org Information on Mental Health National Alli- ance on Mental Illness: nami.org Counseling, Information and Resources about Sexual Orientation GLBT National Help Center: glnh.org or 1-888-843-4564 Information on Mental Health for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender nami.org Information on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health, cdc.gov Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund 1133 15th Street NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20005, victoryfund.org 202-VICTORY [842-8679] Human Rights Campaign, National political organization, lobbies congress for lesbian & gay issues, political training state and local, hrc.org, 1-800-777- HRCF[4723] Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund I I E. Adams, Suite 1008, Chicago, IL 60603 lambdalegal.org, 312-663-4413 National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) - ngltf.org - taskforce.org 1325 Massachusetts Ave NW, Ste 600, Washington, DC, 20005 National Organization for Women (NOW) 733 15th ST NW, 2nd Floor Washington, DC 20005, now.org 202-628-8669 PFLAG National Offices 1133 15th Street NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20005, info@pflag.org - pflag.org, 202- 467-8180 The Trevor Lifeline |Crisis and suicide prevention lifeline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ques- tioning youth. (866) 4-U-TREVOR - (866) 488-7386 Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All calls are toll-free and confidential - thetrevorproject.org/ IOWA ORGANIZATIONS Equality Iowa P.O. Box 18, Indianola, IA 50125, equality- iowa.org - 515-537-3126 Faithful Voices Interfaith Alliance of Iowa’s marriage equality project. faithfulvoices.org Imperial Court of Iowa Non-profit fundraising & social, statewide organization with members from across the State of Iowa. PO Box 1491, Des Moines, IA 50306-1491 imperialcourtofiowa.org Iowa Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) Janis Bowden, President, IA NOW janleebow@aol.com PO Box 41114, Des Moines, IA 503111 Iowa Gay Rodeo Association (IAGRA) 921 Diagonal Rd, Malcom, IA 50157 polebender60@yahoo.com 641-990-1411 Iowa PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gay) State Council, PO Box 18, Indianola, IA 50125 http://community.pflag.org/Page. aspx?pid=194&srcid=-2 515-537-3126 or 641-583-2024 Iowa Pride Network 777 Third Street, Suite 312, Des Moines, Iowa 50309 - Iowapridenetwork.org, Executive Director: 515-471-8062, Outreach Coordinator: 515-471-8063 LGBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force PO Box 1997, Des Moines, 50306 515-243-1221 One Iowa 500 East Locust St, Ste 300, Des Moines, IA 50309 - 515-288-4019 - OneIowa.org The Quire Eastern Iowa’s GLBT chorus, thequire.org NEBRASKA ORGANIZATIONS (LIST IN PROGRESS) Citizens For Equal Protection-402-398-3027 1105 Howard St, Suite #2, Omaha, NE 68102. cfep-ne.org - info@cfep-ne.org The Imperial Court of Nebraska Meets the third Monday of Every month at the Rainbow Outreach Resource Center at 17th and Leavenworth in Omaha, NE. Meetings start at 6pm and are open to the public. PO Box 3772, Omaha, NE 68103 Nebraska AIDS Project Omaha Office (Home Office) 250 South 77th Street Suite A Omaha, NE 68114 (402) 552-9260 - Email us: info@nap.org (also serving Southwest Iowa) AMES, IOWA First United Methodist Church 516 Kellogg Ave, Ames, IA 50010, Contempo- rary worship Sat 5:30; Sun 8:30 & 11am acswebnetworks.com/firstunitedmcames/ 515-232-2750 ISU LGBTA Alliance GLBT Support, Activism, Social Events, Newsletter - 515-344-4478 L East Student Office Space,2229 Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50014-7163, alliance@iastate. edu - alliance.stuorg.iastate.edu Living with HIV Program 226 SE 16th Street, Ames, IA 50010, Ask for Janelle (Coordinator), 515-956-3312 ext 106 or 800-890-8230 Lord of Life Lutheran - 515-233-2350 2126 Gable Lane, Ames 50014, Services Sundays at 9:00a.m.; Wed. 7:00pm. PFLAG Ames Youth and Shelter Services Offices, 2328 Bristol Drive, Ames, IA 5001, 2nd Tuesday, 7pm - pflagames.org 515-291-3607 Romantics Pleasure Palace 117 Kellogg Street, Ames, IA 50010-3315 romantixonline.com 515-232-7717 United Church of Christ-Congregational 217 6th Street, Ames, Iowa, 50010, Sunday Continental Breakfast, 9:00am; Sunday School, 9:30am; Worship 10:45am. office@ amesucc.org 515-232-9323 Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames 1015 Hyland Ave. Summer services: 10:00 am, Sunday. Services 10 a.m. for the rest of the summer. Contact uufa@uufames.org and www.uufames.org or call 515-231-8150. Also, the email and website are uufa@ uufames.org and www.uufames.org Unity Church of Ames - unityofames.com 226 9th St, Ames, IA 50010-6210, Sunday service and Sunday school 10:30am. Wednesday mediation 6:30pm Daily dial-a-blessing 515-233-1613 ARNOLDS PARK, OKOBOJI, SPENCER, SPIRIT LAKE, IOWA The Royal Wedding Chapel 504 Church Street, Royal, IA 51357 712-933-2223 TheRoyalWeddingChapel.com Wilson Resource Center An Iowa Great Lakes area gay-owned, nonprofit community based organization. PO Box 486, 597 W. Okoboji Rd., Arnolds Park IA 51331-0486 - 712-332-5043 F.JosephWilson@aol.com. wilsonresource. org BURLINGTON, IOWA Arrowhead Motel - arrowheadia.com 2520 Mount Pleasant St, Burlington, IA 52601-2118 - 319-752-6353 Faith Lutheran Church E L C A 3109 Sunnyside Ave, Burlington, IA 52601 HIV/AIDS Screening @ Des Moines County Health Department in Burlington, 522 N 3rd By appointment between 8:00am to 4:30 319-753-8217 Confidential RISQUES IV (adult store) 421 Dry Creek Ave, West Burlington, IA 52601 (319) 753-5455, Sun - Wed 8am-Midnight Thurs - Sat Open 24 Hours, LoversPlay- ground.com Steve’s Place 852 Washington St, Burlington, 319-754- 5868 Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Services start at 10:30 am, 625 N 6th St, Burlington, IA 52601-5032, (319) 753-1895 - uuburlington.org CEDAR FALLS - WATERLOO, IOWA Adult Cinema 315 E 4th St, Waterloo, IA 50703-4703, (319) 234-7459 Black Hawk Co. Health Department Free HIV testing (donations accepted); MW, 1:00pm to 3:00pm; Thurs, 1:00pm to 4:45pm 1407 Independence Ave. (5th fl), Waterloo 50703 319-291 -2413 Cedar AIDS Support System (CASS) Service, support groups & trained volunteers for persons with HIV/AIDS in Waterloo/CF call Elizabeth or Karla, 319-272-AIDS(2437). cvhospice@forbin.net Cedar Valley Counseling Services Promoting personal growth and development in a strengths-based environment, Joan E. Farstad, MA, Director. 319-240-4615, cvcounseling.com farstd@cvcounseling.com. Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry. In Lutheran Center, 2616 College St, Cedar Falls, IA - 319-415-5747, mcdinoiwa@aol. com, episcopalcampus.org Community AIDS Assistance Project (CAAP) - PO Box 36, Waterloo, IA 50704 LGBTA Support Group at Hawkeye Community College, Call Carol at 319-296-4014 or carol.hedberg@hawkeyecol- lege.edu Iowa Legal Aid Free civil legal service available to low income persons who qualify under income/asset guidelines. 607 Sycamore, #206, Waterloo, IA 50703 1-800-772-0039 or 319-235-7008 Kings & Queens 304 W. 4th St, Waterloo, IA, 319-232-3001 Romantix Waterloo (Adult Emporium) 1507 La Porte Rd, Waterloo, IA 50702 319-234-9340, romantixonline.com Stellas Guesthouse 324 Summit Ave, Waterloo, IA Private B&B, Overnight accommodations for adults only. 319-232-2122 St. Lukes Episcopal Church - 319-277-8520 2410 Melrose Dr, Cedar Falls, IA 50613 Services: Sunday 8:00 & 10:15, Thurs 11:30 - st-lukes-episcopal.org St. Timothys United Methodist Church 3220 Terrace Drive, Cedar Falls, 50613 sttims-umc.org, 319-266-0464, info@sttims- umc-org, “Welcome of all persons, including those of all sexual orientations and gender identities.” Together For Youth 233 Vold Dr, Waterloo, IA 50703, TogetherForYouth.net 319-274-6768 UNI-LGBTA Alliance-Student Organization, 244A Bartlet Hall, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls 50613 - lgbta@uni.edu 319-222-0003 United Church of Christ Cedar Falls 9204 University Avenue, Cedar Falls 319-366-9686 Unitarian Universalist Society of Black Hawk County - 319-266-5640 3912 Cedar Heights Dr, Cedar Falls, IA CEDAR RAPIDS/MARION, IOWA Adult Shop 630 66th Ave SW, 319-362-4939 Adult Shop North 5539 Crane Lane, 319-294-5360 CRPrideFest (formerly Cedar Rapids Unity) Social activities, non-profit Pride festival organization. PO Box 1643 Cedar Rapids 52406-1643 - CRPrideFest.com Christ Episcopal Church “We have a place for you.” 220 40th Street NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404, 319-363-2029 - ChristEpiscopal.org Belle’s Basix - 319-363-3194 Open 5pm to 2am M-F, Sat & Sun 3pm-2am 3916 1st Ave NE, Cedar Rapids Club CO2, A GLBTQA Nightclub, 616 2nd Ave SE, 319-365-0225, Open 7 days a week 4PM-2AM, Happy hour from 4-8 pm, club- co2.com Coe Alliance GLBTQ and straight students, staff and people from the community. Coe College, 1220 First Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402. coealliance@coe.edu or Erica Geers, faculty advisor at 319-861- 6025 Community Health Free Clinic 947 14th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 - 319-363-0416 - communityhfc.org Free Medical Services provided for the uninsured and underserved patients of Cedar Rapids, Marion and the surrounding areas in Eastern Iowa. CSPS Legion Arts Contemporary Arts Center - 319-364-1580 1103 3rd St. SE, info@legionarts.org Diversity Focus, 222 2nd Street SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401, 319-363-3707, DiversityFocus.org, Lead in the promotion of diversity, cultural awareness, and inclusion in the Corridor community. Eden United Church of Christ 351 8th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404 (319) 362-7805 Sunday School 9am - Worship 10:15am Foundation 2 Crisis Counseling 24-hour telephone crisis counseling. f2crisis@aol.com or www.f2online.org 1540 2nd Ave. SE Cedar Rapids, IA 319-362-2174 or 800-332-4224 Linn County Public Health 501 13th NW, Free confidential HIV testing, 319-892-6000 Linn County Stonewall Democrats For more info, contact linnstonewall@ gmail. com People’s Church Unitarian Universalist A welcoming congregation. 4980 Gordon Ave NW, Cedar Rapids, IA, 11am Sunday. 319- 362-9827 - peoplesuu.org PFLAG CR, Linn Co and Beyond Support Group meets on the 4th Thursday at 7pm except for Nov Dec - call for details. 319-431-0673, pflaglcb@gmail.com The Linn County Stonewall Democrats Meet 2nd Wednesdays, Blue Strawberry, 118 2nd St SE in Cedar Rapids, IA. Contact Harvey S. Ross, HRoss007@aol.com. Tri-ess, Iota Kappa Phi Chapter P.O. Box 8605, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52408 We are a transgendered organization support- ing crossdressers, their families, and friends. - ri-ess.org, 319-390-6376, georgia523@ yahoo.com - marlenemarschel@yahoo.com Unity Center of Cedar Rapids “A center of positive, practical Christianity.” 4980 Gordon NE, Cedar Rapids unitycr.org - (319) 393-5422 CLINTON, IOWA 18 and Beyond (aka ABC Books), 135 5th Ave South, 563-242-7687 Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clinton 309 30th Avenue North, Clinton, IA 52732 (563) 242-4972 - uuclinton.org, Sunday services at 10:30 (year-round), Where YOUR spiritual and ethical journey is welcome! Rev. Ruby Nancy, minister COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA Council Bluffs Community Alliance “…will promote the city of Council Bluffs as a developing gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgen- der family community, & to assure the equality of all Council Bluffs’ residents.” CouncilBluffsCommunityAlliance.org Council Bluffs NOW PO Box 3325, Omaha, NE 68103-0325 Romantix Council Bluffs (North) (Adult Emporium) 3216 1st Ave, Council Bluffs, IA 51501-3353-romantixonline.com- 515-955-9756 Romantix Council Bluffs (South) (Romantix After Dark) 50662 189th St, Coun- cil Bluffs, IA 51503 romantixonline.com, 712-366-1764 DECORAH, IOWA Decorah Human Rights Commission Contact: City Clerk, 400 Clairborne Dr, Deco- rah, 563-382-3651, Meetings: First Tuesdays, 5:30pm Luther College Student Congregation Contact Office for College Ministry 700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101, 563-387- 1040. Luther College PRIDE-Diversity Center, 700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101 Contact Charles 563-210-6570 PFLAG Northeast IA (Waukon/Decorah) Meets 4th Monday of the month from 7-8pm; contact Randall Duvall at krey1945@gmail.com Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Meets alternating Sundays at 10:30am, Decorah Senior Center, 806 River St, Call Bill at 563-382-3458. DES MOINES, IOWA AIDS Project of Central Iowa Free HIV testing, prevention supplies, care services, food pantry, information. 711 E. 2nd, Des Moines, IA 50309, 515-284-0245 Blazing Saddle 416 E 5th St, Des Moines, IA theblazingsaddle.com - 515-246-1299 Buddies Corral 418 E 5th St, Des Moines, IA - 515-244-7140 Church of the Holy Spirit-MCC, Interim Pastor Peter Trabaris - Sunday service 11am at the 1st Christian Church, 2500 University (2nd floor chapel), Des Moines, IA, Facebook. com/CHSMCC, chsmccdmia@aol.com, 515-287-9787 Des Moines Diversity Chorus [A gay-friendly mixed chorus] Rehearsals on Mondays at 7 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Beaver Ave. at Franklin St., Des Moines. All are welcome, no auditions. PO Box 65312, West Des Moines, IA 50265, Julie Murphy, Artistic Director jahmurphy@hotmail.com, 515-255-3576, desmoinesdiversitychorus.org Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus 515-953-1540, 4126 Ingersoll Ave, Des Moines - administrator@dmgmc.org Des Moines Pride Center @ One Iowa (temporary location) 419 SW, 8th St., Des Moines, IA 50309 Family Practice Center - 515-953-7560 Safe, supportive LGBT health care. 200 Army Post Road, Ste 26, ppgi.org First Friday Breakfast Club Educational breakfast club for gay/bisexual men. Meets first Friday of each month. Con- tact Jonathan Wilson for meeting topic and place. 515-288-2500 info@ffbciowa.org ffbciowa.org First Unitarian Church 1800 Bell Avenue, Services Sundays at 9:30 & 11am - 515-244-8603, ucdsm.org Franklin Family Practice Dr. Joe Freund, MD 4908 Franklin Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310 515-280-4930, ucsinformation@ucsdsm.org, UCSOnline.org/FranklinFamilyPractice The Gallery (adult store) 1000 Cherry St, Des Moines, IA 50309-4227 - (515) 244-2916 Open 24 Hrs, LoversPlay- ground.com The Garden 112 SE 4th Des Moines, IA, 515-243-3965 Wed-Sun. 8pm-2am grdn.com Gay & Lesbian AA & AI-Anonymous Mon 7pm; Tue-Thu 6pm; Sat. 5:30pm, at Drake Ministries in Ed. Bldg. 28th & University Gay and Lesbian Issues Committee 4211 Grand Avenue, Level-3, Des Moines, IA 50312 - 515-277-1117 Lavender Victory Fund Financial assistance for women in need for medical emergencies. lavendervf@aol.com Le Boi Bar 508 Indianola Rd, Des Moines, IA Liberty Gifts 333 E. Grand Ave, Loft 105, Des Moines, IA Gay owned specialty clothing, jewelry, home decor. 515-508-0825 MINX Show Palace - 515-266-2744 1510 NE Broadway, Des Moines, IA 50313 North Star Gay Rodeo Association of IGRA, Iowa Division of North Star, NSGRA@ NSGRA.org or 612-82-RODEO Primary Health Care Inc., David Yurdin, 2353 SE 14th St., Des Moines, 503020, Works with GLBT ages 16 to geriatric, 25 years of experi- ence. 515-248-1427 Rainbow Union, Drake University ru@drake.edu PFLAG Des Moines - 515-243-0313 1300 Locust , Des Moines, IA 50312 Plymouth Congregational UCC Church and the Plymouth GLBT Community 4126 Ingersoll Ave. 515-255-3149 Services at 9am & I lam Sunday. Plymouth- GLBT.com Polk County Health Department Free STD, HIV, and Hepatitis B & C testing. HIV. Rapid testing also offered. 1907 Carpen- ter, Des Moines, IA, 515-286-3798. Pride Alliance, AIB College of Business Gay and straight students celebrating diver- sity. Contact: Mike Smith, Advisor, PrideAlliance@aib.edu - aib.edu/pride Pride Bowling League for GLBT & Sup- porters - Every Wednesday, 7 PM, Air Lanes Bowling Center 4200 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, IA 50321-2389. Email pridebowlingleague@gmail.com or 515-447-2977. TT DIRECTORY cont’d page 29 The ACCESSline is expandingourresource directory to include heartland resources outside of Iowa. Please bear with us as we continueimprovingour resource directory. JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 28 Section 3: Community
- 29. Raccoon River Resort Accommodationsfor men, women, or mixed in campgrounds, lodge, Teepees or Treehouses. Reservations: 515-996-2829 or 515-279-7312 Ritual Café - ritualcafe.com On 13th between Grand and Locust. Gay owned, great music, awesome food & coffee. 515-288-4872 ritualcafe@aol.com Romantix North Des Moines Iowa (Bachelor’s Library) 2020 E Euclid Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317, romantixonline.com 515- 266-7992 Spouses of Lesbians & Gays Support group for spouses of gays and lesbians. 515-277-7754 St. John’s Lutheran Church 600 6th Ave “A Church for All People.” Services Sat 5pm, Sun 7:45, 8:45 & 11am. See web page for other services. 515-243-7691 - StJohnsDSM.org TransformationsIOWA Meets every Wednesday at 7pm, 2nd saturday of each month at 1pm at OneIowa, 419 SW 8th St, Des Moines, IA. For more information email sophia.transformations@gmail.com or call 515-288-4019 x200 Trinity United Methodist Church 1548 Eighth Street - 515-288-4056 Services Sundays 10am, trinityumcdm.org Urbandale UCC - An open & affirming congregation. 3530 70th St., Urbandale, IA 50322, 515-276-0625, urbucc.org Walnut Hills UMC Join us at 8:30 or 10:45am for Sunday worship. Sunday classes & group studies at 9:30am. 515-270-9226, 12321 Hickman Rd, Urbandale, IA 50323, whumc.org Westminster Presbyterian Church 4114 Allison Ave - WestPres.org Sunday services 8:45 and 11am. Of note is their GAY-LESBIAN-STRAIGHT AFFIRMA- TION GROUP, GLSA 515-274-1534 Women’s Culture Collective (WCC) A lesbian social group. Des Moines, IA - iowawcc.org Word of God Ministries, Sunday service: 3:00pm, at 3120 E 24th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50317, Gay, lesbian & straight affirma- tion 515-707-5947. Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure Open daily. Gay-friendly, 515-244-7694 2723 Ingersoll, Des Moines, IA DUBUQUE, IOWA 920 Main 920 Main St., Dubuque, Iowa 52001, Tue - Sat: 8:00 pm - 2:00 am, (563) 583-2121 or dbq.gaybar@hotmail.com Adult Warehouse - 563-588-9814 975 Jackson St, Dubuque, IA Dubuque Friends Worship Group (Quakers) Join us at an unprogrammed worship service on Sunday at 10am. Welcoming and Affirm- ing, 563-582-9388 St. Mark’s Community Center, 1201 White Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001 Rainbow Pride support and socialization group. For members of the LGBT+ community who want to expand their social circle, get support for LGBT specific issues, & help with advo- cacy. Meets Mondays at 1pm Hillcrest Wellness Center 225 W 6th St., Dubuque, IA 563-690-1239 PFLAG Dubuque/Tri-State Carnegie Stout Library, 3rd Floor Conference Room, 360 W. 11th St. 3rd Tuesday, 7pm 563-581-4606 Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Dubuque - “The uncommon denomination.” general services at 10am. 1699 Iowa St, Dubuque, IA uuf-dbq.org 563-583-9910 ELKADER, IOWA Bethany Church (ELCA) - 563-245-1856 307 3rd St. NE, Elkader, IA 52043 Inclusive. Welcoming. A ‘Rec- oncilingWorks’ congregation. www.bethanychurchelkader.org bethanychurch@alpinecom.net Schera’s Restaurant & Bar 107 S Main St, Elkader, IA 52043, Scheras.com, E-mail: info@scheras.com Fine dining featuring Algerian & American Cuisine. 563-245-1992 FORT DODGE, IOWA Romantix Fort Dodge (Mini Cinema) Sun-Thu 10am-12am, Fri & Sat 10am-2am 15 N. 5th St, Fort Dodge, IA 50501-3801 RomantixOnline.com - 515-955-9756 GRINNELL, IOWA Broadviewwildflowerseed.com, Broad View Wildflower Seed, 428 Hamilton Ave., Grin- nell, Iowa 50112, Manager/Owner: John C., chicoski7@yahoo.com Saints Ephrem & Macrina Sunday services at 10am. (Affiliated with the Orthodox-Catholic Church of America.) Divine Liturgy is served Sundays during the College academic year 1:30 p.m., Herrick Chapel, Grinnell College Campus, 1226 Broad Street, Grinnell, IA, 641-236-0936 Stonewall Resource Center Open 4:30pm to 11:30pm, Sun through Thurs and by Appointment., Grinnell College, 1210 Park Street PO Box B-1, Grinnell, IA, 50112, srcenter@ grinnell.edu 641-269-3327 United Church of Christ-Congregational, ‘An open and affirming church.’ 902 Broad St, 641-236-3111 INDIANOLA, IOWA Crossroads United Church of Christ (UCC) An Open & affirming congregation. Services: Sunday 10:30am, Summer worship: June, July, Aug, @ 9:30 am, worshiping in the Lounge at Smith Chapel, Simpson College, corner of Buxton and Clinton. Mailing address: P.O. Box 811, Indianola, IA 50125 515-961-9370. crossroadsucc.org IOWA CITY, IOWA AA (GLBT) 319-338-9111 Meetings Sundays 5 - 6pm at First Baptist Church, 500 North Clinton Street. For more info, call IC Intergroup Answering Service, Congregational Church UCC An Open and Affirming Congregation, Sunday Worship 10:15 a.m. 30 N Clinton St (across from Ul Pentacrest) 319-337-4301 - uiccic.org Counseling Clinic 319-354-6238 Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender sensi- tive and supportive counseling for individuals, couples, families and groups. Sliding Fee. 505 E Washington St., Iowa City, IA 52240 Counseling and Health Center Client-centered therapy. Les-Bi-Gay-Trans always welcome. 616 Bloomington St, Iowa City, IA - 319-337-1679 Crisis Center 319-351-0140 1121 Gilbert Ct, Iowa City, 52240 Emma Goldman Clinic 227 N. Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52245 319-337-2111or 1-800-848-7684. Faith United Church of Christ An open and affirming congregation. 1609 Deforest Street, Iowa City, 52240 Sunday Worship 9:30 AM 319-338-5238 bob.faithucc@g.com, faithucciowacity.org GLBTAU-U of lA Student support system and resource center, info, activism, events, and other community involvements. 203 IMU, University of IA, Iowa City, IA 52242-1317 - 319-335-3251 (voice mail) glbtau@uiowa.edu Hope United Methodist Church Worship Service at 9:30am. 2929 E. Court St., Iowa City, IA - Contact Rev. Sherry Lohman. 319-338-9865 Human Rights Commission (City of Iowa City Human Rights Commission) 319-356-5022; 391-356-5015; 319-356-5014 Fax 319-887-6213 humanrights@iowa-city.org ICARE (Iowa Center for AIDS Resources & Education) Practical & emotional support, youth programs, information, referrals and support groups. 319-338-2135 3211 E 1st Iowa City, IA 52240-4703 Iowa City Free Medical Clinic - 319-337-4459 Free & strictly confidential HIV Testing. 2440 Towncrest Dr Iowa City, Call for appointment Iowa City NOW PO Box 2944, Iowa City, IA 52244 Iowa Women’s Music Festival P.O. Box 3411, Iowa City, IA 52244 319-335-1486 Men Supporting Men 319-356-6038, Ext 2 HIV prevention program. Discussion Groups, Educational Series, Safer Sex Workshops, Book Club. Andy Weigel, email: aweigel@ co.johnson.ia.us New Song Episcopal Church 912 20th Ave, Coralville, IA. Sunday services at 10am. Jennifer Masada, Jane Stewart, and John Greve. 319-351-3577 Pride Committee WRAC, 130 N Madison, Iowa City, IA 52242 Bridget Malone - 319-338-0512 Charles Howes - 319-335-1486 Romantix Iowa City - 319-351-9444 (Pleasure Palace I) 315 Kirkwood Ave, Iowa City, IA 52240-4722 - romantixonline.com Studio 13 13 S. Linn St. (in the Alley) Iowa City, IA Open 7pm ‘til 2am, daily 319-338-7145 U of I Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Staff & Faculty Association, c/o WRAC, 130 N Madison, Iowa City, IA 52242, 319-335-1486 Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City Inclusive & free religious community nurturing intellectual & spiritual growth & fostering ethi- cal & social responsibility. uusic.org 10 S. Gilbert, Iowa City, IA Sunday services: 9:30am & 11:15am. 319-337-3443 United Action for Youth (UAY) A GLBTQA youth group providing support and counseling for teenagers and young adults processing sexual identity issues. Meets Mondays 7-9pm at UAY 410 Iowa Ave. Iowa City, IA. 319-338-7518 or Teen Line, 319-338-0559. The Ursine Group Bear Events in the Midwest. PO Box 1143, Iowa City, IA 52244-1143 - 319-338-5810 Women’s Resource Action Center (WRAC) Leads & collaborates on projects that serve U of l and the greater community, offers social & support services, including LGBT Coming Out Group. University of Iowa, 130 N Madison, Iowa City, IA 52242 - 319-335-1486 MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA Adult Odyssey (Adult Video Store) 907 Iowa Ave E - 641-752-6550 Domestic Violence Alternatives/ Sexual Assault Center, Inc., 132 W Main St. 24 hour Crisis Line: 641-753-3513 or (instate only) 800-779-3512 MASON CITY, IOWA Cerro Gordo County Dept. of Public Health 22 N. Georgia Ave, Ste 300 Mason City, IA 50401. Free confidential AIDS testing. 641- 421-9321 PFLAG North Iowa Chapter 641-583-2848, pflagmcni@yahoo.com, Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican Cafe @ 7 p.m. Wed. MOUNT VERNON, IOWA Alliance Cornell College 810 Commons Cir # 2035 - alliance@cornell- college.edu - orgs.cornellcollege.edu/alliance/ PELLA, IOWA Common Ground (Central College) Support group for GLBT students and allies. Contact: Brandyn Woodard, Director of Intercultural Life woodardb@central.edu 641-628-5134 QUAD CITIES, IOWA AIDS Project Quad Cities Info, education & support. Davenport, IA 52804, www.apqc4life.org 319-762-LIFE Black Hawk College Unity Alliance Serving GLBT community at Black Hawk College. 6600 34th Ave, Rock Island, IL 309-716-0542. Connections Nightclub 563-322-1121 822 W 2nd St, Davenport, IA 52802 DeLaCerda House 309-786-7386 Provides housing & supportive services, advo- cacy and referrals for people living with HIV/ AIDS. P.O. Box 4551, Rock Island, Il. 61201 Good Samaritan Free Clinic 309-797-4688 Provides free primary medical care to patients age 16-64 who are working but have no medi- cal insurance. gsfc@mchsi.com 602 35th Ave, Moline, IL GoodSamaritanFreeClinic.org The Hole-In-The-Wall 309-289-2375 A Private Membership Men’s Club, Located 3 miles east of Galesburg, IL. just north of I-74 at Exit 51. HoleInTheWallMensClub.org Holy Spirit Catholic Faith Community Meets one weekend a month for mass. Please visit our web site: www.transformationalcatholicchurch.com for more information or call: 309-278-7909. Lucky Shamrock 313 20th St, Rock Island, IL - 309-788-7426 An Irish Pub open to all types. Mary’s On 2nd 563-884-8014 832 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA MCC Quad Cities - Svcs Sun 11am, Bible study Wed 7pm 563-324-8281, 3019 N Harrison, Davenport, IA 52803 Men’s Coming Out/Being Out Group Meets 2nd & 4th Thursdays, 7pm. QCAD. outforgood@gmail.com 309-786-2580 PFLAG Quad Cities 563-285-4173 Eldridge United Methodist Church 604 S.2nd St., Eldridge 1st Monday, 6:30 pm Prism (Augustana College) 309-794-7406 Augustana Gay-Straight Alliance, Augus- tana Library - 639 38th St, Rock Island, IL, Contact Tom Bengston Quad Citians Affirming Diversity (QCAD) So- cial & support groups for lesbian, bi, and gay teens, adults, friends & families; newsletter. 309-786-2580 - Community Center located at 1608 2nd Ave, Rock Island. Quad Cities Pride Chorus (Call Don at 563- 324-0215) At the MCC Church in D’port, 7pm Wed. qcswede64@aol.com Rainbow Gifts www.rainbowgifts.net - 309-764-0559 T.R. Video Adult books & video, 3727 Hickory Grove Rd, Davenport, IA. 563-386-7914 Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities, Rev Jay Wolin, Sunday Service 11am - 563-359-0816 3707 Eastern Avenue, Davenport, IA 52807 Venus News (Adult) 902 W 3rd St, Davenport, IA. 563-322-7576 RED OAK, IOWA First Congregational United Church of Christ (open and affirming) - 712-623-2794 608 E Reed St, Red Oak, IA 51566 Rev. Elizabeth Dilley, Pastor uccwebsites.net/firstcongredoakia.html firstconguccredoak@yahoo.com SHENANDOAH, IOWA PFLAG Shenandoah 1002 South Elm Street - 712-246-2824 SIOUX CITY, IOWA Am. Business & Professional Guild. Gay Businessmen. Meets last Sat. of the month; ABPG, P. O. BOX 72, Sioux City, 51102 - abpguild@yahoo.com Grace United Methodist Church 1735 Morningside Avenue - 712-276-3452. Jones Street Station (Bar) 712-258-6922 412 Jones St., Nightly 6:00pm to 2:00am. Mayflower Congregational Church 1407 West 18th St - 712-258-8278. Morningside College Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Alliance Contact Professor Gail Dooley, Advisor Morningside College GSA. 1501 Morningside Ave, Sioux City, IA 51106-1717 dooley@morningside.edu - 712-274-5208 PFLAG Siouxland PO Box 1311, Sioux City, IA 51102 siouxlandPFLAG@aol.com Romantix Sioux City 712-277-8566 511 Pearl St, Sioux City, IA 51101-1217 St. Thomas Episcopal Church Service Sun 10:30am 406 12th St, Waverly, IA Rev Mary Christopher - 712-258-0141 Western Iowa Tech. GSA widemal@juno.com for info. SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA Toppers, 1213 N Cliff Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57103, (605) 339-7686, Su-Tu 7:00pm - Close : We-Sa 3:00pm - 2:00am, sdtoppers.com Center for Equality, PO box 2009 Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2009, 605-331-1153, centersforequalitysd.org WAVERLY, IOWA Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry. 717 W. Bremer, (St. Andrew’s Episcopal) episcoplcampus.org - 319-415-5747 Gay, Lesbian Bisexual Student Alliance Wartburg College, Waverly, IA 50677. Contact Susan Vallem - 319-352-8250 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church 717 W. Bremer. We welcome all to worship with us on Sunday at 10:30am. Bible discus- sion Wed. 6:45pm 319-352-1489 Rev. Maureen Doherty, Pastor NEBRASKA (CONTENT IN PROGRESS) HASTINGS, NEBRASKA PFLAG Hastings - pat@datacc.net LINCOLN, NEBRASKA Club Q Lincoln - 402-475-2269 226 South 9th St, Lincoln, NE 68508 Indigo Bridge Books The Creamery Building, 701 P St, Ste 102, Lincoln, NE 68508 - 402-477 7770 “Indigo Bridge Books strives to provide a solid, relevant Gender Studies section with a focus on LGBT titles. indigobridgebooks.com Nebraska AIDS Project (Lincoln Office) 1921 South 17th Street, Lincoln, NE 68502 (402) 476-7000 - nap.org OUTLinc - outlinc.org Bringing Lincoln’s LGBT Community Together Panic - 402-435-8764 200 S 18th St, Lincoln, NE 68508 PFLAG Cornhusker Chapter PO Box 82034, Lincoln, NE 68501 Meetings 4th Tuesday, Unitarian Church of Lincoln, 6300 A St, 7-9pm pflagcornhusker.org PFLAG Helpline: 402-434-9880 - Confidential Support & Information - We’re Here For You ! Planned Parenthood of the Heartland Sexual and Reproductive Health Care, Transgender Care - (402) 441-3302 2246 O St, Lincoln, NE 68510 The Rainbow Clinic in the UNL Psychological Consultation Center “…a specialty outreach service to the GLBTQ community. Psychological services, including individual, couples & family therapy, are pro- vided within the UNL Psychological Consulta- tion Center by regular PCC staff…open year round; day & evening appointments available. $10 for intake & $25 for therapy sessions. Ap- plication can be made for reduced fees based on federal poverty guidelines. 325 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588 402-472-2351 unl.edu/psypage/pcc/ Star City Pride starcitypride.org - info@starcitypride.org The Unitarian Church of Lincoln 6300 A Street, Lincoln, NE 68510-5097 (402) 483-2213 - unitarianlincoln.org Sunday from 10am to 11am OMAHA, NEBRASKA AIDS Interfaith Network 100 N. 62nd, Omaha, NE Call Br. Wm. Woeger, 402-558-3100 Citizens For Equal Protection-402-398-3027 1105 Howard St, Suite #2, Omaha, NE 68102. cfep-ne.org - info@cfep-ne.org DC’s Saloon - (western/levi/leather) The Midwest’s hottest GLBT Country & Dance Bar! 610 S 14th St, Omaha, NE, Open everyday 2pm-1am Front Runners/Front Walkers Walking/jogging club. P.O. Box 4583, Omaha, NE 68104, 402-804-8720, frontrunners.org GLBT Rainbow Outreach Omaha Serving GLBT community in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Also office for Imperial court of Nebraska. 1719 Leavenworth St, Omaha, NE, rocc.org - 402-341-0330 Greater Omaha GLBT Network - goglbt.org “…to advance growth & equality for its members, businesses & allies by providing educational, networking & community-building opportunities. Meetings 1st Thursday every month locations at a traveling location to see the community and be seen. For more info or to be included on the e-newsletter list, please email us at info@goglbt.org. Heartland Gay Rodeo Association (HGRA) (Midwest Division of the International Gay Rodeo Association) PO Box 3354, Omaha, NE 68103, hgra.net - 402-203-4680, Serves Iowa and Nebraska Heartland Pride ”…to develop a high impact and relevant cultural festival & events annually that pro- motes equality & unity for the LGBTQ & Allies Communities of Western Iowa and Greater Nebraska. heartlandpride.org Imperial Court of Nebraska 402-556-9907 P.O. Box 3772, Omaha, NE 68103 Inclusive Life - inclusivelife.org “Religious and Non religious care, services and ceremonies for all!”, 105 S. 49 Street, Suite E, Omaha, NE 68132, (402) 575-7006, The Max 1417 Jackson at 15th, Omaha, NE 68102 6 bars in 1 - 402-346-4110 McLovin 1010 South 10 Street, Omaha, NE, 68108 info@mclovinstore.com, MclovingStore.com 402-915-4002, A store for men. MCC Omaha 819 South 22nd, Omaha, NE 68103, Sun 9:30AM & 11:15 AM. Wednesday “ReCharge” Worship, Wed 7pm - 402-345-2563 PFLAG Omaha Mead Hall, First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass St. (Omaha), 2nd Thursday, 7, 6:30 Social, 402-291-6781 River City Gender Alliance Peer support, friendship, and understanding for crossdress- ers, transgenderists, and transsexuals. PO Box 4083 Omaha, NE 68104, 402-291-6781, info@rcga.us - rcga.us River City Mixed Chorus Gay/lesbian chorus, PO Box 3267, Omaha, NE 68103, Call Stan Brown, 402-341-7464 Tri-ess Chapter, Kappa Phi Lambda Chapter, Omaha, NE 68107, Transgendered organiza- tion supporting crossdressers, their families, and friends. tri-ess.org, 402-960-9696, Judy marlenemarschel@yahoo.com Youth Support Group for GLBT Youth 13-21, meets twice monthly. Omaha, NE - 402-291- 6781 SS continued from page 28 DIRECTORY ACCESSline Page 29JULY 2013 Section 3: Community
- 30. Living Out Loud,the theme of the 6th Annual QC Pridefest, was certainly put into action on June 1st and 2nd in downtown Davenport, Iowa. The rainbow theme was definitely evident in the outfits of our guests, the flags waving proudly overhead, and banners welcoming 6500 people to celebrate diversity. The record breaking crowd was treated to twenty hours of non- stop entertainment on our main stage and this year’s second club tent stage. Acts includedperformances by well-known solo artists, bands, and dancers as the excite- ment built toward the massive Saturday evening crowd who were treated to the finest in female impersonation followed by a grand finale that included a spectacular fireworks display. The festivities continued on Sunday withtheaddition ofanInterfaithCelebration wheretheBuddhist,Christian,Jewish,Native American and Unitarian traditions collabo- rated to offer spiritual readings, music and interpretative dance. Following the service, Davenport’s Mayor Bill Gluba spoke with pride of Iowa’s long tradition of promot- ing equality and justice for all, a sentiment echoed by US Congressman Dave Loebsack as he mentioned the significance of the US Supreme Court ruling of DOMA, which was met with a standing ovation by the crowd. Illinois State Representative Mike Smiddy expressed disappointment in the failure of the Illinois Assembly to pass the Marriage Equality bill but vowed to personally insure thatthebillwouldreceivetoppriorityduring the next session. Simultaneously, festival goes were treated to the Zaney Zone at the other end of thefestival where dueling burlesque troops won the crowd o v e r with their visual antics,colorfulcostumes,elaboratelypainted bodies and risqué routines. The Zaney Zone also featured psychic readings, high heels races, live body art hooping performances, carnival-style games, a vodka oasis, purvey- ors of adult novelties and a dunk tank to cool off heated attendees. The Zaney Zone, not content to stay in their own area, shared the revelrywith the entire festival as members of the burlesque troops and joiners-in wound their way throughout the crowds in a number of spontaneous and exuberant conga lines. Also available to festival goers were 120 vendors offering a variety of cuisine, information booths, crafts, and pride- themed merchandise. Several vendors engaged the guests by offering contests of skill and games, with a number of them raising money for charitable organizations. The children’s area included crafts, story time, jumphouses and a mobile playground provided by Davenport Parks and Recre- ation. Always a big draw, the Art in Action area featured artisans performing their craft while enlightening patrons to the importance of buying local items that will provide a positiveimpact on our economy. Shoppers could restor visit with family and friends in our festival beer garden before moving on to the next adventure. While relaxing in the beer garden and main stage area on Sunday afternoon, guests were introduced to Ms. Brandi Jo Collins, the 2013 QC Pride College Scholarship recipient. For the second year in a row, the scholarship was awarded to an outstandingstudentleaderfromSt.Ambrose University. Ms. Collins’ outstanding record of academic achievement and her dedica- tion to St. Ambrose’s LGBT group, Students Organized to Unite People, were cited as key factors in the selection process. True to their mission, QC Pride renewed its commitment to Quad City Area nonprofit organizations during the 2013 “Living Out Loud” QC PrideFest. Just as they did during the 2011 and 2012 festivals, Pridefest guests had the opportunity to donate one dollar of every $5.00 festival entrance fee to one of the participating nonprofit organizations in attendance. Canisters representing each organization were available at the gates andguests were given one ticket for each admission which they could deposit into thecanister of their choice. A combined total of $3,744 was donated to this year’s eleven participating non-profit organizations. QC Pride board members are already gearing up for next year’s celebration which willbe held during the first full weekend of June 2014. Monthly meetings will begin in September and will be listed on the calendar website at www.qcpride.org. Volunteering with QC Pride is an incredibly rewarding experience so plan on attending a future meeting where you will have the oppor- tunity to share your talents and make new friends. Follow QC Pride throughout the year as they plan annual events such as trivianight, a scavenger hunt, the annual semi-formal event held during the month of March, participation in various parades and informative workshops. Vendor, schol- arship and sponsorship applications will be updated and available on the website by August 15 th . Join QC Pride as they continue to “Live Out Loud”! QC Pridefest celebrates Living Out Loud Photo courtesy of QC Pride. Photo courtesy of QC Pride. JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 30 Section 3: Community
- 31. for marriage foranyone, because I think nowadays marriage is kind of a hilarity for gay, straight, or otherwise. But it’ll be really good for divorce lawyers! It’sbeennotedthatalotofadultstars have been dying or committing suicide. What do you think contributes to that? I wish I knew, because then I could stop it,butIreallydon’tknow. Ithinkit’sprobably a combination of a lot of things. Drugs are a factor. Depression. A lot of reasons. One starhadaboyfriendwhocommittedsuicide andhedecidedtotakethesamepath. Ican’t really guess or even speculate on what’s going on. But I’m hoping that we won’t see another one, ever. You can only do so much for someone. I have my own issues that I’m dealing with, andI’mdealingwiththemthebestIcan. You canreachout,butyoucanonlyhelpsomeone else as much as they want help. About five years ago, you stopped working with Vivid (who produces straight adult videos) because they were filmingsexsceneswithoutcondoms. How do you feel about that now that five years later, there are a lot more videos being done without condoms? Itdoesn’taffectme. Idon’treallynotice. I still practice the same thing that I’ve been talking about for the last twenty-five years, so I don’t let it affect me. The adult film business is not doing well all around. Sales are way down because of piracy. Even in the “barebacking” aspect, nobody’s really doing well. So, I really don’t care to even talk about the barebacking because it really doesn’t affect me or have anything to do with my world. Recently California passed a mandatory condom law, which I think is foolish, because the minute people start making things mandatory, then people start wanting to do it more. I think it should be a choice, and if people make the choice to not use a condom, whether it be in porn or in real life, I just have to do what I feel is right. YouhaveanadultshopinWestHolly- wood(inwhichyoualsopromotesafesex) and online at ChiChiLarues.com. What’s new that’s going on with that? Oh,I’mlaunchinganewtoylinethrough my company, a line called “Rascal Toys” and it’s pretty exciting! I get to sell things to people that they can stick in themselves or stick themselves into! SS continued from page 11 CHI CHI LARUE Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus at Capital City Pride Parade 2013 Des Moines, IA Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus. Photos courtesy of Glenn Gordon. Chi Chi Larue ACCESSline Page 31JULY 2013 Section 3: Community
- 32. What motivated youto join the Army? I think you will find when asking anyone why they joined the military there is no easy answer at least there certainly isn’t in my case. Certainly making my studentloansgoawaywaspartofmymoti- vation. Really though, if I had to narrow it down to one thing I’d say it was to prove I could do it. I was raised hearing stories aboutpeoplewhofoughtanddiedinWorld War II, Korea and Vietnam. I suppose to an extent I wondered if I had what it took to follow in those foot-steps. Were you out to yourself or others prior to the repeal of DADT? By the time I enlisted in the military I was starting to come around or perhaps beginning to accept the fact I was gay. Certainly for at least my first few years in the military very, very few people knew. After I had been to Iraq and left active duty for the Guard I came out to close friends and family and started embracing the LGBT community. Since the repeal very little has changed other than that more people I know in the military are aware I am gay. How does your present experience in the military compare to when you first entered the service in regards to LGB inclusion? For me the biggest difference is that the military now says, I as a gay man am an equal to the straight men and women who serve. I know it sounds like a little thing and even though I never believed it, the underlying message that I was in some way unsuitable for military service did sometimes get to me. One of my biggest concerns before the repeal of DADT was not getting discharged if I was caught, it wastheimpressionthatdespitewhatIhad done,despitewhatIhadaccomplished,my military service was in some way substan- dard and I did not belong in uniform. So for me the biggest thing is that I can be out and seen as an equal. What was the reaction from you and your unit with the repeal of DADT? I cannot speak as to a reaction from myunitbutformeatleastthereactionwas shock. Granted it had been talked about for some time but hearing politicians bandy about ideas is one thing. Sitting shoulder to shoulder with other soldiers in Afghanistan while your commander briefs you about the upcoming repeal is a whole other deal. Can you share an experience from your service that really made an impression? First and foremost I’ve learned that no matter where you go in the world and no matter who you meet people are more alike than different. I remember meeting a shopkeeper on our base in Iraq who had a picture of his son playing soccer behind the counter. He came to post every day despite threats against him for trading with the Americans. I met a bar owner in Germany who was running the same bar that his family had founded generations ago. Hepepperedmewithquestionsabout the bar business in America wanting to know how to grow his business. The one thing they had in common was that both were working so that they could prosper and build a better life for themselves and their families. I’ve seen the same thing over and over again in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Germany, Italy, here in the United States and in the dozen or so other coun- tries I’ve been lucky enough to visit. Most people don’t crave a great deal of wealth, power or control. They want to live in a situation where they are free to live as they see fit and hopefully in the process have happy, healthy lives. Pick a few things the military has taught you, that have influenced your life. First and foremost I realized that despitewhatyouhearaboutthemilitary,it is filled with good, hard working men and women who take both their job and the responsibilitiesitentailsveryseriously. Of course like any group that large there will be some bad apples but when the media uses a negative event to paint the military negatively I find it not just offensive but completely inaccurate. Another thing I came to realize is that the majority of people, no matter whether you’re in Afghanistan, Germany or here in the United States just want the same things. Of course there are exceptions but the majority of people just want to be left alone to live, work, worship and possibly raise a family as they see fit. It both amazes and worries me that such a small percentage of the population in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan can undermine this goal so dramatically. Angel Velez 1987 at Fort Benning, GA. Courtesy of Angel Velez. Angel Velez Angel Velez joined the US Army in February 1987 and reported to Fort Benning, GA for basic training on May 13, 1987. Angel served in the Army during DADT and retired in 2008 before the law was stricken down. He was not out while he was in the Army, and retired June 2008 as a First Sergeant (E-8). While serving Angel was stationed in California (Ft. Ord), Panama(CanalZone),Kentucky(Ft.Camp- bell), Florida (Miami and Ft Lauderdale), Kentucky (Ft. Knox), Puerto Rico and New York (Ft. Hamilton). What motivated you to join the Army? I believe the biggest influencer for enlistingintheUSArmywasthemovieTop Gun. I guess I should thank Tom Cruise for my 21-year career. I was not able to enlist in the Navy because my English was very limited and I did not attain the required ASVAB scores to enlist in the US Navy so I enlisted in the US Army instead. What was your reaction to the repeal of DADT? I was ecstatic for those currently serving in the military when the repeal took effect. I believe that many of the personal decisions I made while serving under DADT would probably had been different if that had not been the law of the land. I do understand what it is to serve in fear of losing every- thing you’ve worked for; the law kept me from being truthful to my family, my friends, and to myself. The repeal also made me revisit my time in the military and presented me with many…pleasurable “what if” scenarios. How do you think the repeal of DADT has impacted the LGBT commu- nity? I believe with time, the repeal will provide LGB personnel with the same benefits that heterosexual couples are currently enjoying. The repeal also removes the fear factor of been outted, providing for a more enjoyable military experience. I spoke with a few friends that are still serving in the military and found that the repeal had a seamless transition and not many people came out after the repeal. How do you think the LGB commu- nity will impact the military with the repeal of DADT? I do not believe that an influx of LGB peoplewill enlist inthe military, especially now that the military is reducing the size of their ranks. However, I have the convic- tion that those who are really attracted to military service that happened to be LGB will be more likely to enlist. I also believe that many LGB professionals will be willing to take a shot at serving in the military, not just as a civilian but joining the military force. Can you share an experience from your service that really made an impression? An experience that has had a lasting impression in my life was the death of one of my Soldiers. He died in a helicopter accident in Panama and I was supposed to be in that helicop- ter with him but for logistical reasons I was placed in another helicopter. Since I had served with this particular Soldier for 3 years I was tasked with escorting his remains to the family and serving in his burial. The experience was a painful and rewarding one. Being able to share anec- dotes of his life in the military with his loved ones was very rewarding. I really cherish those three days as the most memorable of my 21 year career. Pick three things the military have taught you that have influenced your life. There is an acronym that we use in the US Army that represents the seven basic values–LDRSHIP. It stands for: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. If I was to choose three things learned in the mili- tary that have influenced my life I would have to say that my biggest influencers are Loyalty to the people I call family and friends, Respect to others and their way of thinking, and Integrity in everything I do and I pray that I will continue to have the personal courage to continue to press hard in life in the attainment of my personal goals. SS continued from page 1 SOLDIERS The University of Iowa Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Staff & Faculty Associa- tion(the“Association”)wasorganizedin1990tosupporttheinterestsofthelesbian,gay, bisexual and transgender campus community. The Association is open to any University employee—merit staff, professional/ scientific staff, graduate assistant, faculty, administrator or community member. Meetings are held monthly and feature guest presentations as well as discussions of current topics recommended by members. In addition, the Association sponsors other public activities throughout the year ranging from lectures to cultural performances and social events. The Association is governed by the membership-at-large. Business responsibilities are supervised by a volunteer executive board. The Association’s services and activities are open to everyone. 2012-2013 Executive Board Meeting Schedule IMU River Room #1 2nd Thursday of the month, 12:30-1:30 p.m. (all are welcome to attend!) Thursday, Oct 11, 2012 Thursday, Nov 8, 2012 Thursday, Dec 13, 2012 Thursday, Jan 10, 2013 Thursday, Feb 14, 2013 Thursday, Mar 14, 2013 Thursday, Apr 11, 2013 Thursday, May 9, 2013 For more information go to their website at http://www.uiowa.edu/~lgbsfa/ University of Iowa LGBT S&F Association Iowa City, Iowa I do understand what it is to serve in fear of losing everything you’ve worked for; the law kept me from being truthful tomyfamily,myfriends, andtomyself. JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 32 Section 3: Community
- 33. ACCESSline Page 33JULY2013 Section 3: Community
- 34. I get criticism…OK, there are two types of criticism. There’sonewhereIcansay,“Yeah, that’s a valid point,”and I’ll respond to it and maybe I’ll make some changes. But then I get some wacky criticisms that are just completelyoffthewall. Therearesomethat I just kind of laugh at. How far out do you plan your plot- lines? You have these great story arcs. Are they complete in your mind before you start? Do they evolve? How much changes from the time that you start a story to the end? I have a lot of different storyline arcs written, usually about seven to ten episodes long—someareshorter,someareonlythree or four episodes. Keeping track of them, I have to keep them all notated. I have this master notebook that I use. I literally have over two thousand episodes that I’ve written, and out of those, I really take out the ones that are the best story lines. I have them planned out, but I don’t always have it planned out how they’re going to mesh with theotherstorylines. Generally,Ihaveoneor two,orsometimesthreearcsgoingonatthe same time, where they’re kind of weaving in and out of each other. Last summer was the first time I sat down and said, “I’m going to plan from this July to next July, exactly how everything’sgoingtogo,andI’mgoingtosee ifIcanreallysticktothat.”BeforeIwouldjust do two or three months in advance. But this time I really did plan out a year in advance, andIprettymuchstucktoit,butatthesame timeI’vechangedsomethings. Becausesome things just come up. You find that storylines are not quite working like you want them to. Everything is written in advance, but it’s not drawn in advance. I’ll have the script written months in advance, and eventually when I start drawing the episodes, certain things come up, different factors, and you realize different things about the story, and you think, “You know, this isn’t looking quite the way I had written it out.” So you make adjustments,eitheraddingmoretothestory or taking some away from it. There are lots of episodes where a story was supposed to go on for, say, eight episodes, and I ended up making it just six episodes, because there were two superfluous episodes that didn’t really add to the story and instead just drag it out. That will happen a lot. You have a lot of very deeply touch- ing moments that happen between your characters… Oh, thank you. …Any favorites of those? You know, it’s funny: when I was putting together the second book I realized that storyline with Nick and Dave—one who’s the fire fighter, and the other who is disabled—their story really touched me. Readingback—because sometimes I don’t look at stuff for months or a couple of years, and I won’t see those older episode. That storyline really touched me, how the two of them came together, it made ME really emotional. [Laughs.]AtthetimethatIdidthatstoryIgot alotofpositivefeedback,andpeoplereading it were really touched by it. Andyouhavemanyveryfunnystory- lines. YoubroughtinthecharacterBryce for one of those… That character kind of surprised me, because I brought him in as a good antago- nist, and it ended up I just loved writing that character. He’s so abrasive and completely disdainful. He’s like this frat boy kind of character. He’s just completely oblivious to sensitivity toward other people, but at the same time it’s fascinating to write him, the wayheinteractswiththeotherpeople—Ijust love writing that character. I mean, I know he’s “hated” by so many readers, the kind of character that you love to hate, I guess. I get emails from people about him, people saying, “I hate him, hate him, hate him,” but that they also think he’s really hot, [laughs] so they want to see more of him. They hate him, but they love him. And I think, “Okay…” That’s a successful character! Any plans for Kyles Bed & Breakfast to turn into a TV series or something like that? I mean, HERE and LOGO are creat- ing programs and always on the lookout for new content, and you’ve got what could probably be 10 or twelve seasons of episodes of a TV show… I would be totally open to it. It’s a frus- trating story, because I’ve worked with two different producers about possibly devel- oping something. One of the major problems is so many people who would be interested in doingsomethingwithit are in Los Angeles. One guy I worked with for aboutayear,aproducer whowasreallytryingto get it sold, shopping it around to people who he knew with various connections in LA. WhatI’velearnedfromthisexperienceisthat any of the entities that would be interested in producing something like this have to get funding—it’sallaboutfunding. That’swhen my eyes start to glaze over. I’m just trying to getthenextepisodeout. Myprimaryfocusis doing this strip. So I was interested in being involved, at some level, with getting a TV or movie thing—or anything, some sort of live action film going—but when it gets into the funding, I know that’s important, but I don’t even know how to go about that. Then there’s the matter of who you’re working with. The first producer I was working with had these wacky ideas. He wanted to change things—have it take place in West Hollywood, maybe, which is such a completelydifferentvibe. WhenIstartedthe strip,Iveryspecificallywanteditnottobein oneofthestereotypicallygayurbancenters. Ididn’twantittobeinNewYorkCity,Ididn’t want it to be in Chelsea or West Hollywood. I wanted it to be in the suburbs, where you don’t see a lot of gay storylines going on. I haveseensomanygaymoviesthatarealways takingplaceinNewYorkCityorLosAngeles, andIwantedsomethingthatwasalittlemore relatable to my life. So I didn’t want to make that kind of change. Ifeltverydisconnectedfromtheprocess of trying to sell this in Los Angeles when I’m here on the east coast. This guy was having meetingswithpeoplegivingallthesesugges- tions, and I was so removed from the whole process. I worked with the guy for a year and nothing came from that. And then I did end up working with someone here on the east coast who was also trying to sell it, but again,hehadmoreideasofmakingitmore… “porn-ish?” WhatIdecidedafterworkingwitheach oftheseguys—Iworkedwitheachofthemfor about a year—is that if somebody comes to me with a really solid plan, then that’s great. I’d love talk to them about possibly develop- ing something. I want Stephen Spielberg to call me [laughs], and say, “Let’s do this! I’ve got the funding!” Then I’d be like, “Great! Let’s do it!” Iwantedittobeinthe suburbs,whereyoudon’t seealotofgaystorylines going on. I have seen so many gay movies that are always taking place in New York City or Los Angeles, and I wanted something that was a little more relatable to mylife. ALPHAs ALPHAs have a meet and greet every third (3rd) Friday of the month, held at Icon’sMartiniBarlocatedat12418thStreet inRockIsland.It’sagatheringformembers of the LGBT community, supporters and friends to socialize, celebrate and get to knowoneanotherovermartinis.Eventsare posted on Facebook at alphaselitecrew@ facebook.com or for more information contact alphaselite@yahoo.com. SS continued from page 1 B&B CRPrideFest 2013: Shades of Pride Cedar Rapids, IA The Tool Box with Julia Schaefer. Photo courtesy of Eva Hinrichsen. Tatem Trick lifting Eva Nicole. Photo courtesy of Eva Hinrichsen.Alan Hyatt. Photo courtesy of Eva Hinrichsen. Brazilian 2wins. Photo courtesy of CRPride Fest. JULY 2013ACCESSline Page 34 Section 3: Community
- 35. ACCESSline Page 35JULY2013 Section 3: Community