2012-06-01 outlook columbus

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outlook The 2012 pride holiday Issue

june 2012 • vol 17 issue 1

inside: the fight for gay marriage ed mullen’s gay history lavendar jersey scandal community allies Author Eric marcus fashionable Marcus morris Mayor michael Coleman columbus pride guide area pride celebrations & Local celebrity bloggers

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How many Pride events do you think you can you make it to?

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OWNER & PUBLISHER Christopher Hayes HEADQUARTERS Outlook Media, Inc. 815 N High St, Bsmt Ste Q Columbus, OH 43215 614.268.8525phone 614.261.8200 fax www.outlookmedia.com SALES DIRECTOR Chad Frye / cfrye@outlookmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 212.242.6863 ADVERTISING DEADLINES Reservations by the 15th of each month.

Art in by the 20th.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & ART DIRECTOR Christopher Hayes / hayes@outlookmedia.com EDITOR Erin McCalla / emccalla@outlookmedia.com

Happy Pride month, outlookers!

As this issue of your favorite hometown magazine hits the streets, outlook turns 17.

I’m not quite sure where the last six months have gone, or the last nine years since I started at outlook for that matter, but I’m happy that summer and Pride month are upon us. Every year, this issue signals both an anniversary for the magazine and for the gay rights movement, and I find myself reflecting on our community and this publication. And though it’s been a lot of “three steps forward, two steps back” over the years, I’m amazed how far we have actually come.

In regards to the community, it’s hard to believe that in less than four years we have moved from a national campaign against gay people (lead by the Bush administration), to now having a national campaign for gay people championed by allies like Mayor Coleman, Senator Sherrod Brown and President Obama. How incredible is that?

I think many of us assumed Barack would speak out on the issue after the election, especially with the fervor of anti-gay rhetoric being espoused by the Republican candidates. With Americans in a 50/50 split on gay equality, I was happy to wait ‘til November for the big announcement. Let’s not forget what some good ole’ fashioned gay bashing does for voter participation. But in a move that can only be classified as that of a true leader, our President spoke out for what is right, despite what it might do for his career. It was brave, it was bold and it was, simply put, unequivocally fucking awesome.

And it is the ultimate example of what it means to be an ally.

It is perfect that this year, our theme for Columbus Pride is “Allies & Equality.”

Funny how things work out, no? This year’s pride is going to be bigger and better than ever with an estimated attendance of over 210,000 people. And I can guarantee, Karla and her crew at Stonewall have quite an

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event planned for you, all of which you can read about in here. This issue of outlook is your guide for not only Pride weekend, but Pride month. In town, across the state and outside our borders, this issue will give you the ins and outs of how to celebrate, activate and obliterate your gay self.

And speaking of this issue, we are proud to bring you the first full-color, full-glossy edition in outlook’s history. Quite a change from how we started. First born as a newsletter, outlook then progressed to a biweekly newspaper, to a weekly tabloid alternative, to a monthly mix-medium magazine to now the product before you. Quite the journey for a publication that is less than two decades old. It’s hard not to think that our evolution as a publication isn’t exactly inline with our progress as a community.

I hope you enjoy the evolved format. Please let us know what you think. We are proud to continue to be the voice for our community and hope we are doing right by outlook’s forefathers and mothers, who during much harder times to be out and vocal, started and kept alive a conduit for the Columbus queer community to be recognized and heard. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.

So from me, personally, to all of them, I say, thank you!

And as always, a big thank you to all you outlookers, who have been with us every step of the way. We invite you to join us this Pride at the festival (though not at a booth - we’re just enjoying this year), in the parade (we have the big flag again, sign-up to help carry at outlookcolumbus.com) and at any of our co-hosted dance events going on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights around town, including the return of the Big Gay Dance Party! We look forward to whooping it up with you all.

Be safe, be strong and be out there this Pride. We have a lot to celebrate!

Sincerely, Chris Hayes Publisher

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you are here

4

snapshot

38

out & about

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pride guide: intro

6 qmunity

44 stonewall letters

9

qmunity: pride

46

pride guide: allies

10

qmunity: national

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pride guide: mayor

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small pond

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pride guide: bravo!

14 poli sigh

52

pride guide: volunteers

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pride guide: stonewall programs

equality now

18 insight out

56 pride guide: banners

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complete the circuit

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pride guide: festival

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60 super mario world

pride guide: entertainment

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creative class

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pride guide: kristine w

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bookmark

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pride guide: parade

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deep inside hollywood

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pride guide: black pride

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melissa etheridge

68 pride pride month listings

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fashion forward

70

pride guide: bat n rouge

34

savage love

72

pride guide: queen of pride

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pride guide: parking

guide:

36 local + scopes

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jennifer Sadler, Regina Sewell, Eric Peters, Mackenzie Worrall, Ed Mullen, Marcus Morris, Dan Savage, Jack Fertig, D.A. Steward, Mickey Weems, Alisa Caton, Romeo San Vincente, Mario Pinardi, Chris Hayes, Karla Rothan, Letha Pugh, Tom Musyka, Orie Givens, Anthony Castro, Chris Azzopardi, Gloria McCauley, Elizabeth Minot, Christa Sidman CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Chris Hayes, Erin McCalla, Gracie Umana, Michelle Chaney, Andrew Williams, Jeffrey Benedict, Robert Trautman CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Robert Trautman INTERNS Orie Givens, Jayra Harris, Anthony Castro, Tom Musyka, Chuck Carnahan CYBERSPACE http://www.outlookcolumbus.com http://www.outlookmedia.com http://www.networkcolumbus.com http://twitter.com/outlookcolumbus http://facebook.com/outlookcolumbus outlook columbus is published and distributed

by Outlook Media, Inc. the first day of each month throughout Ohio. outlook columbus is a free publication provided solely for the use of our readers. Any person who willfully or knowingly obtains or exerts unauthorized control over more than 5 copies of any issue of outlook columbus with the intent to prevent other individuals from reading it shall be considered guilty of the crime of theft. Violators will be prosecuted.

The views expressed in outlook columbus are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or personal, business, or professional practices of Outlook Media, Inc. or its staff, ownership, or management. outlook columbus does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any interpretation, advice, opinion, or view presented.

Outlook Media, Inc. does not investigate or accept responsibility for claims made in any advertisement. Outlook Media, Inc. assumes no responsibility for claims arising in connection with products and services advertised herein, nor for the content of, or reply to, any advertisement. All material is copyrighted ©2012 by Outlook Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

NEXT MONTH: SAFTEY & SLAMMERS outlook now in technicolor!

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BRAVO FUNDRAISER 04.13.2012

BEARVILLITIES 04.28.2012

BEARVILLITIES 04.28.2012

BEARVILLITIES 04.28.2012

A rose(?) bet ween t wo thorns(?)

Sing it, girl!

Burly-esque

WTF is she trying to hear?

NETWORK @ LCA 05.09.2012

NETWORK @ LCA 05.09.2012

TAMMY BALDWIN PARTY 05.10.2012

Surprise!

The lovely ladies of Net work

Green Shirts, Unite!

Former Congressmen are hot!

TAMMY BALDWIN PARTY 05.10.2012

CCAD FASHION SHOW 05.11.2012

NETWORK @ LCA 05.09.2012

Elizabeth Birch. Google her.

Be thankful. Be impressed.

CGMC FORTE 05.12.2012

He was channeling Katy Perry’s “Peacock”

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Our mayor. Our Joyce. Vote.

CGMC FORTE 05.12.2012

No, this wasn’t an “Eyes Wide Shut” kind of party...

CCAD FASHION SHOW 05.11.2012

Oh! Gurrrl, you fancy huh?

SDOC WINE TASTING 05.15.2012

Another big winner!

Want to see more pictures? I swear we’ll get some on our Facebook page soon.

CGMC FORTE 05.12.2012

“Masquerade!

Paper faces on parade!”

SDOC WINE TASTING 05.15.2012

Oh, Dem Gays.

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10 years ago, I was just entering my 20s... if I knew then what I know now? Oh boy.

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EQUALITY EXPRESS PEEPS IN ORDER

EQUALITY OHIO IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE INAUGURAL CREW OF THE EQUALITY EXPRESS! Equality Ohio is excited to announce the 2012 Equality Express Tour. An unprecedented event, the Equality Express will crisscross the state and engage communities through service projects and voter registration drives. Each city visited will provide a new experience, project, and perspective of what it means to live together as a diverse community in Ohio.

From June 18th to July 3rd the Equality Express will travel the state, making stops in Zanesville, Akron/Canton, Cleveland, Toledo/Bowling Green, Dayton/Springfield, Cincinnati, Athens and Chillicothe before finally returning to Columbus. With each stop along our route, Ohioans, with support from the Equality Express Tour crew, will have an opportunity to give back by joining in community service projects.

The crew of the Equality Express was carefully chosen by a select panel over the past few months and reflects the diversity that is Ohio.

The Crew: Hannah Turpin - Co Captain; John Frederick of Ohio University; Bryan Cole of OSU; Gregory Porter of Kent State; Padraic Stanley of University of Findlay; Liam Pal of Ohio University; Mike Liggett of University of Dayton; De’Garrica Elliot of Denison University; Kara Bindus of Kent State; Sarah Lilly of Ohio University; Raisa Mathis of Bowling Green State University.

The crew is fired up for this unprecedented tour of Ohio, all in the name of equality. This is likely one of the largest and most complicated events Equality Ohio has ever undertaken. Come wave goodbye, as the Equality Express Bus Tour of Ohio launches on June 14th!

OHIO VICTIM OF ANTI-LGBT WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION JOINS FREEDOM TO WORK ON CAPITOL HILL TO ADVOCATE FOR FEDERAL PROTECTIONS Cleveland, OH Resident & Member of Freedom to Work’s Speakers Bureau, Shari Hutchinson, in DC as Part of Organization’s “We Can’t Wait” Campaign Shari Hutchinson – a Cleveland, OH resident who joined Freedom to Work’s Speakers Bureau in 2011

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after she secured a successful six-figure settlement from her sexual orientation bias case based on the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution – joined Freedom to Work in the nation’s capital this week to share her story with lawmakers and senior policy makers at the same time Congress is considering federal legislation and the Obama Administration is considering an executive order to ban workplace discrimination against LGBT Americans. Ohio laws currently do not protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees, and Hutchinson would not have been able to bring any lawsuit for workplace discrimination if she had worked for a private sector employer in Ohio.

As Hutchinson joined Freedom to Work president, Tico Almeida, in DC as part of the organization’s “We Can’t Wait” campaign, hundreds of her fellow Ohioans lobbied for state-level anti-LGBT discrimination laws as part of Equality Ohio’s Lobby Day on May 16.

“We were thrilled to help Shari meet with senior policy makers in Washington DC as part of our ongoing “We Can’t Wait” campaign,” said Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work. “In both the nation’s and Ohio’s capital, hundreds of LGBT grassroots advocates, like Shari, were putting a human face to the issue of workplace discrimination and harassment. They are our best advocates for LGBT workplace fairness in America and it is their real-life, courageous struggles to win the freedom to work without harassment or discrimination that will change hearts and minds. We look forward to flying in many more LGBT Americans from around the country in the weeks and months to come as part of our ‘We Can’t Wait’ campaign.”

“I traveled from Cleveland to our nation’s capital to let our senators know that anti-gay workplace discrimination hurts real people and our family members in places like Ohio,” said Hutchinson.

“That’s why we need both a state law and a federal law to give LGBT Americans the freedom to work without harassment or discrimination on the job. I met with staff for Senator Sherrod Brown and thanked him for co-sponsoring ENDA. I also met with staff for Senator Rob Portman, and urged him to join with other Republican Senators who already support this commonsense proposal for LGBT workplace fairness.”

“Complementary and collaborative efforts to pass non-discrimination laws on the local, state and federal level are critical,” says Ed Mullen, Executive Director of Equality Ohio. “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should not be fired or denied promotions because of who they are, and

protection from discrimination should not be based on where someone lives.”

ARC OHIO APPLAUDS NEW SEXUALITY EDUCATION TOOL KIT

every school, across the state. Not only does comprehensive sex ed work to reduce risk, but parents and teachers both express consistent and overwhelming support for such programs.”

Evidence-Based Resources Will Help Curb New HIV Infections and Other STIs

The Tool Kit can be accessed at www.ccsah.org, and will be regularly updated so that it remains timely and accurate.

AIDS Resource Center Ohio (ARC Ohio) CEO Bill Hardy applauded the launch of a new on-line sexuality education toolkit, designed and hosted by the Cleveland-area Collaborative for Comprehensive School-Age Health.

LOOKING FOR AN EASY WAY TO HELP LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS?

“This Tool Kit offers an impressive array of resources, and will equip students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and local citizens with the tools they need to implement effective, evidence-based programming to promote sexual health among Ohio’s youth and young adults,” Hardy noted. “It pulls together and makes available the best science available on how to reduce risk of sexually transmitted infection and teen pregnancy, and it addresses the needs of all young people—heterosexual and gay/lesbian. It’s just the resource we’ve been waiting for.”

The Collaborative for Comprehensive School-Age Health is a network of Northeast Ohio organizations that promotes age-appropriate, medically accurate health education to increase responsible decision-making. In recent years other local and national organizations and school districts have contacted the Collaborative, seeking assistance in the development of policies and programs that will support healthy decision-making. The Tool Kit was developed in response to those many requests. Marcia Egbert, chair of the Collaborative and Senior Program Officer for The George Gund Foundation, added, “We are pleased to be able to provide information and answers for the many individuals and groups who contact us wondering where to start when it comes to their local community.”

Hardy’s group sees the Tool Kit as an essential addition to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Ohio. As a large, comprehensive HIV/AIDS service, prevention education, and advocacy organization serving all of Ohio’s 88 counties through nine offices in strategic locations around the state, ARC Ohio has been educating Ohioans about HIV risk for over 25 years. “But despite the many people we reach every year through our education programs,” noted Hardy, “it’s just a drop in the bucket in terms of the total number of people still yet to be reached. We need evidence-based, age-appropriate sexuality [information] in every community, in

Ooooh ahhhooooohhaaaahhheeeeahhh, Come on and ride the peace train!!!

The Kroger Rewards Program allows Kroger shoppers to donate money to Equality Ohio or AIDS Resource Center Ohio just by swiping their Kroger card each time they shop. Kroger gives back to the communities they’re in by donating to the organizations their customers believe in! It only takes a minute and the benefits help Equality Ohio or ARC Ohio all year long.

It’s easy for members to enroll or re-enroll in Kroger Community Rewards.

Visit www.krogercommunityrewards.com, click on “Columbus, Ohio” and “enroll” or “re-enroll,” follow the instructions for signing in and then the three steps below: 1. To find your desired organization, enter your organization number or at least 5 characters of your desired organization’s name and click “search”.

2. Select Your Organization Select your organization below.

3. Save Your Selection.

It’s as easy as that! Please enroll or re-enroll today and Kroger will give donations based on your quarterly shopping. There is no cost to you and it doesn’t affect any other Rewards perks you may be enjoying.

THE GARDEN TO PARTICIPATE IN COLUMBUS PRIDE The Garden, Columbus’ finest adult emporium, will for the first time, fully participate in Pride Weekend Festivities. Stop in the store anytime before Pride to pick up your Pride 2012 dog tags or bracelets, and enter a special contest with giveaways. Also featuring art from our amazing surrounding community! Look for their parade float on Pride Weekend. For more information, go to www.thegardencolumbus.net

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So far this season, Erin has ogled Russ Canzler at 5 Clippers games.

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Volunteers for Queers

by Tom Muzyka Columbus is a stealthy gay city. I always think of New York or San Francisco when it comes to The Gay American Cities; to be fair, they are large cities with diverse populations and are more heavily trafficked. These factors cause them to stand out more, and be more iconic gay Meccas. And yes, there are the stereotypes that we’re just a farm town in the Midwest (again, to be fair, I do drive by cows every day on my commute) and that doesn’t portray a typical queer atmosphere to a city. Yet Columbus is a gay city, and a big one. We have one of the largest LGBT populations in the nation, and are ranked as one of the best places to live.

Even to a native, this is somewhat surprising. Hence the title “stealthy gay.” But once this secret is out of the closet, it’s less surprising that we have the honor of supporting the first ever PRIDE Council, a giving group sponsored by the United Way of Central Ohio. This new group is accepting its founding members, providing a volunteer opportunity and a network of like-minded philanthropic gays.

PRIDE Council advertises its values as “passion, commitment, and a desire to be part of the change to make a real difference in our community.” It serves as leadership to the greater PRIDE Gives initiative, the LGBT volunteer segment of the United Way of Central Ohio (UWCO). While its $1,000 annual dues are no small investment, the benefits are exponential; the PRIDE Council will have access to networking events with Ohio leaders, advocacy opportunities, special recognition throughout the year, and a guiding hand on LGBT volunteerism in our community. Like the United Way, PRIDE Council seeks to make “broad, communitywide change happen,” but now with a focus on the issues that matter directly to us. The most important aspect of the Council is that this is our chance to help enact community support for our friends and neighbors, our partners and our families.

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PRIDE Council encompasses many areas of interest and various skill sets. You don’t have to be a labor-intensive volunteer to participate; marketing and communications skills are valuable, as is experience in event planning and advocacy work. Even if you’re a cold-hearted business homo who just wants to get a tax write off, your business planning can be an asset to volunteer work.

Jeanne Heald, Relationship Manager of Pride Council, is the UWCO’s support staff liaison for the Council. She notes the versatility in levels of involvement, saying, “We encourage community participation with the United Way through volunteerism, as well as donorship, and have multiple opportunities for participation at all levels.”

Heald notes the organization’s ongoing commitment to the LGBT community, saying that, “Janet Jackson, President and CEO [of UWCO], was the Grand Marshall [of the PRIDE Parade] in 2008 and will participate in this year’s parade as always.” The UWCO also hosts a booth at PRIDE, as they have done for many years.

tion, a fund dedicated to addressing the needs of the LGBT community, and the AIDS Resource Center Ohio. They have pledged money to Kaleidoscope Youth Center, Central Ohio’s nonprofit dealing with supporting LGBT and questioning youth. UWCO has even run a training program called Pride Leadership, focusing on LGBT professionals and their roles in leadership positions, preparing them for service on nonprofit boards. Since 2008, five classes of professionals have participated in Pride Leadership’s eightmonth long curriculum.

Of course, what matters at the end of the day is the bottom line.

Some volunteers are selfless enough to put blind faith in their volunteer organization and know their hard work is making a difference. For the rest of us, we need to know how our valuable time is translating into results.

Pride Council emerged as a result of the LGBT-oriented work UWCO has been performing for some time. They helped create the LGBT Census, which is an anonymous online survey of LGBT households; it is a result of this census that we can estimate that 17 percent of Ohio’s same-sex couples live in Franklin County. No surprise to us now that we know about Columbus’ stealthy ways.

Luckily, Pride Council realizes some of us are jaded and need them to spell out exactly how our time translates into aid. A Pride Council member’s dues provide alcohol and drug prevention services and five hours of counseling for one at-risk teen; as with their support of Kaleidoscope, the Council recognizes getting involved in the community needs to happen at any age. PC also provides free tax preparation services for low-income individuals or families and supplies food for families in crisis. All of this is, in addition to the year-round volunteer events and campaigns, Pride Council and Pride Gives perform.

And community members recognize the work UWCO has done within the LGBT community. Chad Mercer & Rob Podloga, two Pride Council members, explained their reasons for joining: “We wanted to start giving back to the community and United Way has shown such support and dedication to the LGBT community that we felt Pride Council was a perfect match.”

I am personally very excited that this opportunity is happening in my hometown. Having an amazing volunteer initiative focusing on LGBT issues is just one more reason we should be considered competitors with the bigger gay cities, and I hope that soon we will throw off our stealthy status and be recognized as the amazing gay city that we are.

UWCO has also donated funds and efforts to many LGBT charitable causes, including The Legacy Fund of The Columbus Founda-

For more information about PRIDE Gives and PRIDE Council, contact Tom Lianez at 614.227.8715, Tom.Lianez@uwcentralohio.org, or www.liveunitedcentralohio.org.

Tom is used to NYC Pride. Let’s show him a good time, Columbus!

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In junior high, Chris was a master, not of the universe, but of the one-hand bra release.

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Obama Pride: LGBT Americans for Obama is launching with trainings, phone banks and house parties in a MARRIAGE number of states including PennsylvaBarack Obama became the first sitting nia, Colorado, Nevada and Michigan.

U.S. president to support same-sex mar- Grassroots LGBT volunteers will organize neighborhood by neighborhood and riage. block by block, talking to their friends, family and coworkers.

In a May 10 interview with ABC News, Obama said it plainly and succinctly: “I For generations, Americans have worked think same-sex couples should be able continuously to ensure everyone has acto get married.” cess to opportunities and is treated fairly under the law. President Obama is White House aide Josh Earnest said on committed to continuing that tradition. the White House blog that the president That’s why he has made it a priority to discussed the issue with first lady advance equality for all Americans.

Michelle Obama, as well as with “gay and lesbian friends, staff members in From repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, to long-term, loving relationships, as well signing the Hate Crime Prevention Act as, brave young servicemen and women into law, to prohibiting discrimination he got to know through the fight to end based on gender identity in the federal Don’t, Ask Don’t Tell.” government, LGBT Americans have seen more progress under the Obama AdminEarnest said Obama even discussed it istration than ever before. at the kitchen table with daughters Sasha and Malia, who have friends NAACP CONDEMNS MARRIAGE whose parents are same-sex couples.

OBAMA COMES OUT AS SUPPORTER OF SAME-SEX

DISCRIMINATION

Obama said of the discussion with his daughters that “it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them. And frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change of perspective - not wanting to somehow explain to your child why somebody should be treated differently when it comes to eyes of the law.”

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People voted May 19 to support marriage equality, saying its position is a continuation of its commitment to equal protection under the law.

“Civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civil law. The NAACP’s support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and equal protection of all people.” said Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP.

paign launched with the release of an online video illustrating the real injury inflicted on gay and lesbian military families who, because of the federal government’s refusal to respect their marriages legally, are denied the support and protections that all other miliParticipants were able to correctly guess tary families receive. the sexual orientation of women more Because of the ‘gay exception’ created than men. The researchers noted that “given the relative prominence of repre- by DOMA, America’s legally sentations of the concept ‘gay man’ vs. married gay and lesbian couples are dethe concept ‘lesbian,’ we might have ex- nied 1,100+ federal responsibilities and pected a target gender effect in the op- protections including Social Security survivors benefits, equal treatment under posite direction.”

U.S. immigration laws, and the opportunity to take leave to care for a spouse.

To read more about the study, go to http://tinyurl.com/UWfacialstudy.

“Many people assume that, with the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ gay men GAY MEN’S HEALTH CRISIS and lesbians serving our country are now APPLAUDS AT-HOME HIV TEST being treated fairly and equally, but that’s not the case. We ended the ban on The Food and Drug Administration’s open military service for gay and lesbian Blood Products Advisory Committee unanimously recommended approval of Americans, but there is still a federal ban on treating married service members as the first ever in-home rapid HIV test, drawing praise from New York-based or- what they are: married,” said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to ganization Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

Marry. “The so-called Defense of MarGMHC says its testing center has been riage Act’s ‘gay exception’ keeps the government in the business of using the OraQuick Rapid Test for the past five years. The group says the prod- discriminating against families, such as those of service members, and burdening uct is the same as the one being presented to the FDA, the OraQuick In-Home employers, such as the military, who are prevented from treating their employees HIV Test. fairly and equally.”

“Research has shown that people are able to judge sexual orientation from faces with above-chance accuracy, but little is known about how these judgments are formed,” the researchers said.

The organization applauded the ease of use and accuracy of the test. It said that over a 22-month period, GMHC performed 6,199 tests with the OraQuick kits with only .03% (2) false positives.

The Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry campaign will include video and other multimedia content spotlighting the harms of DOMA on military families, The president’s remarks came a day including the denial of health insurance, after North Carolina joined the list of survivor benefits, and access to military “No tool is right for every situation.

Yet states with laws specifically banning the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test would be bases and housing for service members’ same-sex marriage. spouses. Additionally, the campaign will The resolution declares the group’s op- another important tool in the HIV preposition to laws that “codify discrimina- vention arsenal and would increase test- invite the public to sign an online petition OBAMA FOR AMERICA tion or hatred into the law or to remove ing in hard-to-reach groups,” said Janet calling on Congress to “end this discrimiANNOUNCES THE NATIONAL natory and unequal treatment of our the Constitutional rights of LGBT citiChief Operating Officer of LAUNCH OF OBAMA PRIDE: LGBT zens.” It also affirmed the group’s com- Weinberg, service members and veterans by repealGMHC, who provided testimony at the AMERICANS FOR OBAMA ing DOMA.” mitment to “religious freedoms of all FDA hearing. people as protected by the First AmendObama for America held a press confer- ment.”

GMHC urged that access to counseling For more information on Freedom to ence call with OFA LGBT National Vote Serve, Freedom to Marry, visit www.freethat utilizes a harm reduction model, Director Jamie Citron and National Cam- THINK SOMEONE IS GAY? YOU prevention education material and infor- domtomarry.org/serve. paign Co-Chair Joe Solmonese to anMIGHT BE RIGHT mation on where to obtain confirmatory nounce the national launch of Obama tests, should be included with the tests. “AN AGREEMENT WAS NOT Pride: LGBT Americans for Obama.

A University of Washington study sugREACHED” gests that “gaydar” might be real.

N EW CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS The President’s campaign has a long The Boards of the Gay and Lesbian InterDOMA’S HARM TO MILITARY history of working with the LGBT comIn a report published May 16, renational Sport Association (GLISA) and FAMILIES munity to move America forward. The searchers said that study participants the Federation of Gay Games met in President believes that America prospers were able to correctly guess a person’s Montreal on May 5 and 6, 2012 in an efFreedom to Marry and Servicemembers when we’re all in it together; when hard sexual orientation solely by a facial fort to come to an agreement on the creLegal Defense Network (SLDN) on May work pays off and responsibility is rephoto more often than not. The photos, 16 announced Freedom to Serve, Freeation of one quadrennial event (1QE) for warded; when everyone, from Main which showed only facial features, were dom to Marry, a new national campaign 2018. After over two years of discussions Street to Wall Street, does their fair flashed before participants for a mere that will highlight the stories of military and negotiations, both organizations reshare and plays by the same rules.

50 milliseconds. gret to announce that even though every families harmed by the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The cam- attempt was made to do so, an agree-

10 june 2012

“I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” -POTUS

ment was not reached.

Both Boards, with the support of their memberships, had every intention to reunite the international LGBTQIQ community around a new event based on three components: Sports, Culture and Human Rights. This 1QE would have combined the achievements and long standing history of both organizations and their events.

The Boards have decided that at this moment, both organizations are unable to reconcile their differences in time for the 2018 event cycle.

The Boards are disappointed, but hope remains that an agreement will be reached over the next few years to create a future joint event for the next cycle of 1QE and that the future discussions will be fruitful. It is the intent of both organizations to continue negotiations in the future to provide the global community with great events.

See you in Antwerp in 2013 and Cleveland in 2014.

MORE THAN 6,000 DEMAND DICTIONARY.COM CORRECT DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE More than 6,000 people have signed Mike Raven’s Change.org petition urging Dictionary.com to correct its definition of the word “marriage” to be more inclusive of gay and lesbian couples.

Raven, an MFA student in creative writing who lives in New Hampshire, said that he started his campaign after North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment banning gay and lesbian couples from getting married.

“I started this campaign, in part, from my love and fascination with words; and most of all, from the love I have for my twin sister Ashley, who is gay,” Mike explained, “I decided that if this whole argument comes down to an intangible definition, then it’s time for that definition to be corrected.”

Dictionary.com sees nearly 50 million visitors a month, with millions of words looked up each day. When visitors look up “marriage,” they find two separate definitions, one for heterosexual couples and one for gay and lesbian couples.

“There is only one kind of marriage, and that’s one between two loving adults: husband and wife, husband and husband, or wife and wife,” Raven said. “Regardless of gender, marriage only needs one definition.”

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Wanna Smell My Big Wick?

by Alisa Caton When people think candles they never think humor, but Scott McCoy’s My Big Wick is bringing the two together. Scott sells top quality candles with hilarious quotes on every tin, making them the perfect present for any sassy gift giver.

“Most candles are very serious. It’s all packaged in a fancy way. I wanted to have a premium candle, and then make it laid back and fun,” said Scott. “I didn’t want to be serious. I loved the idea of just having fun.”

He sells candles for all occasions, such as, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and just for “everyday sass.” Some of the quotes include: “You Graduated! Good luck finding a job;” “It’s your special day, along with a million other people.

Happy Birthday;” “You’re a mess. Get Well Soon!” and “I love you like a friend with benefits.” For whatever reason someone wants to give a candle, there is a sass for that.

In the beginning, Scott started his candle work simply as a hobby. “I’ve worked in corporate America my whole life and I went through a lay off. I was bored and needed something to do and I came across candle making,” said Scott. After nine years of doing making candles as a hobby, and on the side from work, he decided at the end of summer 2011 to take it on as a full-time job and open My Big Wick, which he runs completely out of his home.

“It has been scary, but I have a wonderful partner who supports me. We had a long conversation and we decided I was going to go through with this,” said Scott. “The whole process has allowed me to perfect the product. Big Wick brand is something I had in the back of my head for a long time.”

Aside from the humorous side of all the candles, every one of the products is completely vegan and packaged in tins that are reusable and recyclable. Scott uses soy wax for the candles and unbleached cotton wicks. After avidly burning regular paraffin candles in his own home for years, he said he started to notice a build up all over his house on things such as light switches. After doing some research, he found soy wax and decided it would be the core of his product.

“I want to sell a product to people that I want to burn myself,” said Scott. “I wanted to make sure that each thing along the

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way met that criteria.” According to My Big Wick, soy wax, which is made from soybean oil, is non-toxic, non-carcinogenic and produces less soot. Another key benefit of soy wax is that it burns at a lower melting point, which allows it to last 50 percent longer than paraffin wax and all of the wax is burned out, so none is wasted. The product is also never tested on any animals. “Soy wax is not only environmentally friendly, but animal friendly,” said Scott.

After realizing that the candle was completely vegan, he said it only made sense that the packaging was environmentally friendly as well. Each candle is put in a silver tin that, thanks to the soy wax, Scott says is easy to wash out, and use over again.

The fragrance of the candles is another aspect that Scott says makes the My Big Wick products stand out. There are 13 different scents to choose from, but some are more unusual than others. “Some are ones you would know right off and others are different and a little more bold,” said Scott. One of his most recently released scents is leather, and he said its so spot on any leather fan would be proud. Other fragrances include Big Melons and Cucumber, Cedar Wood Vanilla, Exciting Eucalyptus, Mango-Papaya and Mocha.

For the summer, My Big Wick is releasing four seasonal fragrances, or as Scott calls them, “My boys of summer.” They are Lawn Boy, Sailor Boy, Surfer Boy and Cabana Boy. They are limited edition though, so the boys will only be burning through August.

Scott said the fun of my Big Wick is something even his customers are getting excited about. People are constantly sending him suggested quotes for the labels, helping add to the sass. “It’s a unique, fun interaction I get to have with my customer personally,” said McCoy, “and as any good business owner knows, customer interaction is key.” Scott also engages his customers through My Big Wick’s Facebook page, where he not only keeps his followers up on the newest scents and sayings being released, but also posts funny videos and images to keep them in a constant state of hilarity. Everything about Scott and his company stems back to their motto, “life is too short to be serious.”

“Wanna smell my Big Wick?” Check them out at: www.mybigwick.com and on Facebook. They are also available at Suite Q, 815 N High St Ste Q, Columbus, OH 43215.

If I had a nickel for each time I was asked that question... Oh wait, wick? Nevermind.

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I wonder what he’s staring at.

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The Future For Marriage Equality

by Eric Peters Christmas 1944 found the 101st Airborne Division, along with other allied units including the allblack 969th Field Artillery Battalion, stuck. At the Siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, the Nazis had them outnumbered, surrounded and threatened with annihilation where they stood, the Allied Forces’ westward march toward Berlin effectively halted. They fought back anyway. After protracted and intense combat the American troops welcomed the game-changing arrival of General George Patton’s Third Army. By holding their own, despite substantial losses, the courage of the 101st Division made it possible to secure Bastogne, a hub city that controlled roads of crucial strategic importance for movement to the west, to the future and to freedom from tyranny.

Ohio’s position in the national campaign for marriage equality for all reminds me of that epic battle. I sense in Lynn Greer’s recent letter (“There is a Reason. . .,” May 2012) a freedom, which I share, from false hope that Ohio will achieve marriage equality any time soon. Our community might do well to heed Greer’s call for caution in dealing with whomever took more than $300,000 in 2004 for work on marriage issues while others worked for free and now has almost single-handedly, it seems, gotten a jump start on comparable work.

My view of recent events and ongoing developments since 2003 leads me to the opinion that Ohio may adopt marriage equality eventually, not any time soon and only by future court order.

“At this point in our struggle for marriage equality,” Greer wrote, “it is best left up to the courts to settle.”

What are the odds of the U.S. Supreme Court resolving this issue in our favor before the next presidential campaign cycle - or the next one? Would the venerable Court even agree to hear a case on this issue? Consider the pertinent cases now making their ways through the federal courts.

In Perry v Brown a panel of judges from the 9th

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Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion narrow in that the federal court did two things: it explicitly refrained from considering whether the U.S. Constitution protects any right to marry, and it struck down only one particular law (Proposition 8’s peculiar constitutional amendment to California’s constitution, not Ohio’s) as applied to only a relatively few cases in only one state. The losers have requested an en banc ruling by a larger group of the court’s judges to overturn the decision that Proposition 8 violated the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

It seems unlikely that the Supreme Court would find in this case a ripe question about constitutional protections of marital rights, grant certiorari and consider Perry’s appeal. The court’s website estimates its caseload as “a current total of more than 10,000 cases on the docket per Term.” The court rules on fewer than 200 with “[f]ormal written opinions. . . delivered in 80 to 90 cases.” Chief Justice John Roberts, dissenting in Capterton v A.T. Massey Coal Company (2009), stated, “The success rate for certiorari petitions before this Court is approximately 1.1%...”

Plaintiffs - all apparently either legally married couples or widows from such relationships - have filed roughly 15 cases in federal district courts to challenge the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), not of amendments to state constitutions (like Ohio’s) claimed by their supporters to define marriage. Even before coming out in favor of marriage equality, President Barack Obama had instructed the Justice Department not to defend DOMA in court, and Attorney General Eric Holder had informed Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner as follows: consistent with the Justice Department’s recommendation, President Obama found that DOMA runs afoul of the Bill of Rights’s Equal Protection Clause “[when] applied to same-sex couples who are legally married under state law.”

State law in Ohio denies legal marriage to samesex couples, rendering the Obama administration’s stance on DOMA relatively irrelevant for Ohioans.

How might the road to marriage equality via the high court look if we could see the end from here?

What might be the dimensions, contours and grade of a path to the court ruling that the Constitution provides a right to marry and that contrary amendments to state constitutions violate that right, a right found, perhaps, like Griswold v Connecticut‘s and Roe v Wade‘s right to privacy, in emanations from the penumbras among the Bill of Rights’s guarantees of freedom of association, of assembly, speech and press and, yes, of religion?

How long before outrage erupts in this nation at the treason that Americans who serve our country and her armed forces bravely, patriotically and, all too often, sacrificially - service acknowledged by the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell - return from foreign shores only to have their marriages and families dishonored by the political machinations of anti-gay bigots? A history of comparable cases may help foresee that trip.

English common law brought anti-sodomy laws to North America, and by 1961 we had 50 states with 50 sodomy laws, some allowing executions.

A sodomy law first fell in 1962 when the State of Illinois adopted the Model Penal Code (No, “penal” does not mean what you hope it does.), which decriminalized homo sex between consenting adults in privacy. By 1976 13 more states (including Ohio in 1974) got busy and dumped their sodomy laws.

The appellant didn’t even get a hearing in 1976 upon asking SCOTUS in Doe v. Commonwealth’s Attorney for Richmond to find sodomy laws unconstitutional. The court - without hearings, without arguments, without evidence - issued a summary affirmance, letting the laws stand.

That didn’t deter 11 additional states from decriminalizing sodomy by 1986.

American on the high court - and three others) found sodomy laws just fine. The majority in Bowers v Hardwick wrote, “[T]he presumed belief of a majority. . . that homosexual sodomy is immoral. . . is said to be an inadequate rationale to support the law. . . . [R]espondent. . . insists that majority sentiments about the morality of homosexuality should be declared inadequate. We. . . are unpersuaded that the sodomy laws of some 25 States should be invalidated on this basis.”

Twelve more states, for a total of 37, rejected sodomy laws after Bowers.

The day before Columbus Pride in 2003, the Court ruled 6-3 in Lawrence v Texas that sodomy laws did violate the Equal Protection Clause. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, “[L]ater generations can see that laws once thought necessary and proper in fact serve only to oppress;” “[O]ur laws and traditions [since Bowers] show an emerging awareness that liberty gives substantial protection to adult persons making private sexual choices;” and “[T]he deficiencies in Bowers became even more apparent in the years following its announcement. The 25 States with laws prohibiting the relevant conduct referenced in the Bowers decision are reduced now to 13...”

The right to privacy and freedom from government intrusion into personal sexual choices does not equal a right to marry and entitlement to government recognition. Know who probably thinks that way? Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, John “C.J.” Roberts, Samuel Alito and - maybe Anthony Kennedy. Most (31) states have amended their constitutions to reject marriage equality. Only nine states - Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Washington - have acted to adopt marriage equality. We must change those numbers. Voters across the country do not act like a 51 percent majority that supports us - at least not when they go to the polls.

That year Georgia’s Michael Hardwick at least got a hearing when the Court (by a 5-4 margin with dissent from Thurgood Marshall - the first African

Is that an albino cake topper?

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Today, I Am Proud

by Ed Mullen

& Lesbian Task Force was founded.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the history of the civil rights movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. In 1967, when I was born, “homosexual sodomy” was criminalized in many states and the American Psychological Association still listed homosexuality as a psychological illness. Mike Wallace’s infamous network documentary on “The Homosexuals” had recently aired, perpetuating horribly negative stereotypes.

The AIDS crisis began in 1981 and changed the face of LGBTQ activism.

Early in the movement, many people were afraid to come out. But the AIDS crisis forced many people out of the closet - because they had to tell their families they were dying, because they had to leave their jobs because of illness, because they were caring for dying friends, and because many felt compelled to speak out for research, treatment and prevention. As I started college in 1985, the AIDS epidemic was growing and LGBTQ people, particularly gay men, were being demonized in the media.

By then, the LGBTQ civil rights movement had started, but it was in its infancy. Harry Hay had formed the Mattachine Society in Los Angeles in 1950, and Frank Kameny had formed an East Coast chapter in DC in 1961, while in New York City, Barbara Gittings was leading the fledgling Daughters of Bilitis. These groups were not able to achieve any legal civil rights such as protection against employment discrimination, but they planted the seeds for people to start thinking about organizing in the LGBTQ community. These groups met in fear of arrest; they protested in fear of losing their jobs and their families, and in many cases feared for their physical safety.

Less than two years after I was born, one of the most visible milestones in the history of the LGBTQ movement occurred - the Stonewall Riots in June 1969. The Stonewall Riots were a spontaneous eruption of outrage that occurred in New York City’s Greenwich Village after one of many police raids of The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar. The following year, the first gay pride marches were held in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to commemorate the riots.

As the 1970s progressed, the gay community in particular became more visible in urban areas around the country.

In San Francisco, Harvey Milk got involved in politics, ultimately becoming the first openly gay non-incumbent elected official and bringing broader attention to the discrimination faced

by LGBTQ people. In 1973, the American Psychological Association removed homosexuality from the list of psychological illnesses and the National Gay

16 june 2012

In the early 1980s, organizations dedicated to equal rights began to form, grow and become more professional.

The Human Rights Campaign (Fund) was founded in 1980 to raise money for candidates supportive of LGBTQ rights and has grown into a large and visible national organization advocating for the LGBTQ community. At the same time, state organizations were beginning to emerge and as the AIDS crisis advanced, many of our strongest organizations were those that formed to respond. Act Up (whose protests I joined on a number of occasions) brought a lot of attention to the horrifying response of the Reagan administration to the AIDS crisis.

Despite these advances, in 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Bowers v.

Hardwick, which held that laws criminalizing “homosexual sodomy” did not violate the U.S. Constitution. Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote a short concurring opinion emphasizing historical attitudes toward “homosexual sex,” quoting Sir William Blackstone’s characterization of sodomy as “a crime not fit to be named.” Burger concluded, “To hold that the act of homosexual sodomy is somehow protected as a fundamental right would be to cast aside millennia of moral teaching.”

This decision set back LGBTQ civil rights many years, as it was used to justify legal and social discrimination.

Several years later, I marched in my first Pride parade in New York City in 1989 with the Philadelphia FrontRunners. We were there for the Gay Pride

Run through Central Park and the 20th anniversary celebration of the Stonewall riots. The parade was enormous. I remember how empowered I felt looking up and down 5th Avenue to see LGBTQ people and our allies as far as the eye could see. Because I hadn’t been exposed to LGBTQ culture or communities growing up, this experience was enormously enlightening.

In the 1990s, the LGBTQ movement continued to advance. Openly LGBTQ people ran for public office around the country. In 1993, I canvassed for the campaign of Christine Kehoe, who was running to be the first openly LGBTQ person elected to the San Diego City Council. She won that race and then continued on to become the Speaker Pro Tempore (second ranking leader) of the California House and then a State Senator. Around the country, elected officials were coming out (like Congressman Barney Frank), and openly LGBTQ candidates were winning elected office in greater numbers.

In 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Romer v. Evans, a case about whether it was Constitutional for Colorado to prohibit cities and municipalities from passing laws that would recognize people as a protected class based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. In his majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote of the Colorado law: “[It] is at once too narrow and too broad. It identifies persons by a single trait and then denies them protection across the board. The resulting disqualification of a class of persons from the right to seek specific protection from the law is unprecedented in our jurisprudence.” While Justice Kennedy’s opinion was a far cry better than how the LGBTQ community was treated in Bowers, Justice Scalia wrote a scathing dissent that was joined by two other Justices, including Chief Justice Renquist.

Also in the 1990s, a lawsuit regarding the right of same sex couples to marry or to otherwise have their relationships recognized was quietly working its way through the courts in Hawaii. There, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the trial court would have to review the case under a strict scrutiny standard, which was a big victory. The victory

was short-lived as the voters passed a law giving the legislature the sole authority to decide whether same-sex relationships would be recognized. The Hawaii legislature responded by passing a law to ban same-sex marriages, but in 2011, passed a law permitting civil unions.

The Baehr case was followed quickly by the Baker v. Vermont case in 1999, which held that Vermont’s constitution required the state to provide the same legal rights to same-sex couples. In response, the legislature passed a “civil union” bill, the first in the country.

While today, civil unions are widely regarded as separate but equal, at the time, this was a huge advance. I remember how excited we were watching this happen in San Francisco, where I lived at the time, and then we did fundraising to support the legislators who voted in favor of civil unions.

We continued to advance as a community because our visibility was increasing, our organizations (like Lambda Legal and Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders) were growing stronger, and we were changing hearts and minds of people through one-on-one conversations as well as Pride parades and other public demonstrations.

In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Bowers v Hardwick, finding that it was unconstitutional for states to criminalize sodomy, and in 2004, we reached a major legal milestone when Massachusetts became the first state high court to find a constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry. It took two very competitive election cycles to make sure the Massachusetts decision was not put up for a popular vote by the legislature.

While Massachusetts was moving forward, 14 states passed Constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage in 2004. After the Massachusetts marriage law stood the test of time, several other states followed suit, passing marriage laws through the legislature - Connecticut in 2008, Vermont in 2009, New Hampshire in 2010 and New York in 2011. Iowa permits same sex couples to marry as the result of a Supreme Court case (that led to 3 Iowa Supreme Court Justices

Don’t be intimidated by all that text - it’s a good read!

being voted out of office).

Today, 30 states have constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage, and 12 other states ban samesex marriage by statute. 6 states plus the District of Columbia allow full marriage equality, and Maryland and Washington have passed marriage equality bills through the legislature, but both are subject to voter referendum in November. No state has yet voted in favor of marriage equality.

Maine is attempting to become the first state to do so this November.

As I reflect on our history today, I see so much progress just in my lifetime. At the same time, we have so far to go to achieve full equality in a state that does not have a law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing or public accommodations; a state that does not protect people from bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity; a state that is one of only three that does not permit transgender people to change the gender marker on their birth certificate; a state that does not allow same-sex couples to jointly adopt children; and a state that has a constitutional amendment banning all forms of legal recognition of same-sex relationships.

While I see so much work to be done in Ohio, today I am proud. I am proud of Frank Kameny, Harry Hay, Barbara Gittings, and others who had the courage to start LGBTQ organizations when it was dangerous, and to begin the movement we continue today. I am proud of our equality organizations, locally, statewide and nationally, and the work we have done to change hearts and minds and advance pro-equality legislation and public policies. I am proud of our legal organizations who have made so much progress through the courts. I am proud of our political organizations who have elected so many openly LGBTQ people and allies to public office. I am proud of the committed leaders and activists who founded Equality Ohio to advance LGBTQ civil rights in Ohio. And, I am proud of our community for standing up and speaking out, and for living our lives openly and unabashedly.

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Is that cowboy trying to give his boyfriend a “purple nurple?”

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Connectability

by Regina Sewell Columbus may not sit on rolling hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean or welcome visitors across a Golden Gate Bridge. And we may not have the fabulousity of the Big Apple. But we have something just as magical. We have connectability, and that matters when it comes to mental, emotional and physical well-being.

People are hard-wired for connection. And when those needs are met, we have more energy, feel more vibrant and have more zest for life. We are better able to act and therefore tend to do more. We tend to have a more accurate picture of ourselves and others. We can connect more deeply with significant others and have more room to connect with a variety of other people. In contrast, when we are disconnected, our energy, zest and vitality plummet. We feel disempowered, confused, have a lower sense of self-worth and tend to turn inward, away from relationships.

Unfortunately, connecting isn’t easy for everybody. Neuroscience tells us why this might be the case.

The brain patterns our experiences into mental models that shape how we perceive future experiences. Our early life experiences set the tone for these mental models. So, for example, a person who grew up in an unsafe environment will most likely go through the world hard-wired to perceive danger. It’s as if they have an internal fire alarm that’s set to sound off at even the faintest whiff of a lit match.

Similarly, a person who grew up with a parent who wasn’t present, (that is, one who was not attentive to and not connected with his or her own body) is likely to grow up with a mental model that the world isn’t safe. The reason is that in order to feel safe, a per-

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son has to feel like they are truly “felt” – to feel like their needs and expressions are understood. A parent who isn’t present can’t “feel” their child, and can’t respond appropriately to their needs and expressions. That child is likely to grow up “waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

These sorts of experiences lead a person to develop mental models that filter all of their experiences through the lens of vulnerability and danger. That is, they are primed to perceive situations as not safe. The safe/not safe distinction happens mostly below consciousness and happens at the nanosecond level. A determination of “not safe” leads the mind/body system to shut down and leave the present moment.

What this means is that some people have a hard time engaging in deep, meaningful interactions with others because they have a tendency to perceive people, places and things as dangerous. As a result, they withdraw or only engage half-heartedly, or they try too hard to be who they think others want them to be.

The good news for us is that Cbus has a vibrant gay community that offers lots of opportunities to connect with people who share our interests, lifestyles, and values.

• There are more than 25 gay bars, restaurants and clubs, so it is easy find a place to get your groove on, catch some live entertainment, grab a bite to eat, hang out with friends and/or meet new peeps. And there is plenty of life outside the bars.

• If sobriety is your thing (or needs to be your thing) there are a number of GLBT oriented AA and NA groups where you can find the support you need to keep you from falling off the wagon.

• Movie buffs can get their indie film fix at the Drexel.

• If you’re into sports, there are a number of GLBT sports leagues

including softball, bowling and swimming. And where else can you cheer on the Blue Jackets, the Clippers and the Ohio Roller Girls?

• Networking anyone? Why not checkout Network Columbus?

• If you have a longing for spirituality, there are many GLBT-welcoming churches (you can find a list of them at www.gaychurch.org), several welcoming Buddhist groups and a variety of yoga studios. Rabbi Steven Greenberg, a Cbus native, makes appearances in town reminding us that there’s room for us even in Orthodox Judaism. He is the author of Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition and starred in Trembling Before G-d, the award-winning documentary about gays and lesbians within Jewish Orthodox and Hasidic communities.

• If you need connection possibilities that are a bit more structured, Stonewall Columbus hosts a slew of groups, classes and opportunities to hang out. And every June, they throw a great Pride celebration.

The bottom line is that being around people who are like us and or with whom we share things in common makes it easier for us to feel safe. And when we feel safe, we are more easily able to connect. And when we connect, we thrive.

Even better, when we have positive experiences connecting with others, our brain begins to form updated mental models that frame the world as safe. So Cbus may not have a great lake, or a beach, and sunny days are not the norm, but we do have connectability, and that’s saying a lot.

To ask Regina a question, find out about upcoming workshops or check out her books and other writing, go to www.ReginaSewell.com.

How many people will you “connect” with during Pride Fest weekend?

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As if I needed another reason to shop...

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The Color Purple: OSU Football and the Lavender Minus

by Mickey Weems

visibility in many arenas.

It all started in February, a couple months after the scandal that led to Coach Jim Tressel’s dismissal.

But this one was too much. Controversy generated by the Gay media went national. There was a weak attempt at deflection and denial. According to a representative from the athletic department: “The pullovers that our coach mistakenly referred to as ‘lavender’ are actually purple. Very purple. Our coach sincerely but mistakenly thought the color was lavender when he mentioned the pullovers during an interview… Purple, quite simply, was the only color left from a handful of different colored pullovers that are typically worn in-season by members of our “scout” team as practice jerseys of our upcoming opponent.”

Ohio State football strength coach Mickey Marotti created a fitness program for the Buckeyes. They would be stronger, faster and more agile than any other time in their lives. His project is a good one, both for the program and for the players.

But how do you get the young men to give their utmost effort for this physically and mentally challenging program? Negative reinforcement through clothing: Make slackers wear something that marks them as objects of derision.

The plan was to make less-than-motivated players wear workout shirts that were a different color from their teammates. Certain considerations had to be weighed, such as the possibility of the slacker shirt becoming a plus instead of a minus. The color could not be read as anything other than bad.

So what color would be the biggest punishment? Lavender. It’s meant to imply the offending player actually played for the “other” team. (Pun intended.)

Blowback The Straight press reported the story as a fluff piece with rah-rah humor so often seen in business porn (keep in mind that sports is big business, especially in Buckeyeland). It’s not surprising that they saw nothing wrong.

Usually, hurtful things that seem painfully obvious in the LGBT world are blithely ignored in the sports world. Most Gay fans just simply ignore the petite digs and casual insults thrown our way, just as we grudgingly accept our erasure, our in-

20 june 2012

The denial rings hollow. Even if the shirts were deep indigo, the strength coach himself publicly identified them as lavender, so he would have used that same term with his athletes. Some players called the purple/lavender shirt the “queer shirt.” Wonder where they got that idea?

The focus on who was responsible was not so much assistant coach Marotti but head coach Urban Meyer.

Lavender shirts were linked to another issue: Meyer mentioned how he offers players optional Bible study and church services in addition to a bruising training schedule.

People in the LGBT community tend to be wary of anything smelling of homophobia with Christian undertones.

Homophobia aside, offering the players Bible study is like a lavender shirt: whether intentional or not, it sends a signal to a group that has been conditioned to conform to the coach’s wishes. If you don’t listen, there is hell to pay.

Coach Meyer oversteps his authority

in recommending anything outside of training that would cut into what precious little time football players have to pursue their education. If he had his priorities straight, he would encourage them to attend more tutoring sessions so they can actually graduate, theoretically their real purpose for being at OSU. Regardless of how religious you are, prayer is no substitute for studying.

Coach Meyer issued a gracious apology for the lavender scare: “Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the purple mesh pullovers.

The use of purple was never intended to offend anyone but since it has, we have taken steps to change the color.

“Please accept our sincere apologies.

We have core values of respect and honor within our program, and these are two principles that are central to my personal life, my coaching philosophy, and to Ohio State and its athletics programs. Bias has absolutely no role in how we think or operate.”

This was the right thing to do, after the fact. But many of us cannot help but think that Tressel would never have allowed the problem to arise in the first place. Sigh.

Fans’ Reaction Let’s face facts. There is only one reason for a Straight coach to make lavender (even if it’s really purple) the punitive color of choice: if you don’t work out with enough zeal, you are an effeminate pansy.

Columbus LGBT activist Terry Penrod is a dedicated Buckeye fan who has attended every national championship game in the 21st century. This is what Terry has to say:

sitive to a segment of fans, students, faculty and staff. In my opinion, it comes very close to being downright offensive. I would like to think that The Ohio State University football program is better than that. If it wants to aspire to be one of the top programs in the country, it needs to be much more mature, inclusive and professional. I don’t know where this strength coach last worked, but I would like to think we have a higher standard of excellence in Buckeye Country.”

Those who disagree with Penrod may ask, “Isn’t that a bit presumptuous to assume this was the case? For years, men have been wearing lavender dress shirts, ties, polos. There was even a pro football player named Joe Lavender. Straight men have gotten past that whole color thing. Gay people are just being too sensitive.”

But the remarks did not stop there in sports blogs and comments. A nasty echo of rabid sports fans who Gaybashed in the name of now-deceased criminal Joe Paterno came across in some posts, insinuating that critics of Urban Meyer are sexual perverts who can’t wait to get their faggy little hands on some manly parts. Atheist perverts at that.

Nothing proves that the lavender shirts are a really bad idea more than homophobic-plus-anti-atheist rhetoric.

Homophobia is not always associated with Bible study, just ask Gay Christians. Neither is it always a sports thing, just ask Gay Buckeye fans. But within the American sports-militaryChristian-macho blend that so dominates much of men’s discourse in this country, it is all too easy to see the lavender shirt as part of Christianist homophobic code.

“The use of lavender shirt to ‘penalize’ football players is certainly insen-

I’ll take a lavendar jersey if that guy comes with it. Rowr.

First Solution: Man Up, Meyer Meyer’s apology was gracious but ultimately insufficient. First of all, there was somewhat of a dodge when he implied that the shirts were fine. The only problem was when outsiders raised hell about it.

We have seen so many apologies from people who don’t really act like they mean them. “I’m sorry if what I did offended anyone,” is what you say if you do not think what you said was bad in the first place, but you want to smooth things over. A better way of handling the situation is to recognize the problem, apologize, and set forth ways to mitigate it if possible. Meyer could have said something like this: “We were told by members of the LGBT community that the idea of punishing a football player with a lavender shirt is deeply offensive, and I understand why. Our intention was to motivate our players, but using coded language like lavender was completely inappropriate as a motivator, regardless of intention or actual color.

“We have no idea who might be closeted in our program. I now realize the message to both Gay and Straight players (as well as fans and their kids) was, “Don’t come out, not even to us, not even to yourself, or we will ostracize you.” This is unacceptable.

We are not bullies, but this time we were wrong.”

You man enough to say this, Meyer?

Second Solution: Give the Shirts to Us! Rather than throw the pullovers away, why not give them to Gay boosters?

Just a thought.

I’m sure we’d wear them with pride.

Or at Pride.

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With a smile like that, how could you NOT want Joel to be your financial advisor?

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How Do You Define an Ally?

by Mario Pinardi Ally is not the weight loss drug that makes you shit the fat out into your man panties, nor is it just an Internet bank with clever commercials. An ally is a person, group or nation that is associated with another or others for some common cause or purpose.

This year, our local Pride celebration is about Allies & Equality.

These terms are often associated with our straight brothers & sisters having mutual respect for us and our battles for equality.

But what about the battles within our community? Are we allies for and with each other for equality or are we always “frienemies?” Why is it that a small percentage of our community is publicly fighting for equality? Is this small percentage representative of all of us? I have always been fascinated with the sub sects of the GLBT community; many do not interact and at times, oppress each other. How do we progress on a global scale when we hold ourselves back?

How are you an ally to yourself and your local GLBT community?

Do you have a synergy with a select few or many? If you fall into the select few categories, then you might be a self-centered, self-absorbed asshole. And, you are likely one of those aesthetically obsessed gays who only has an ally in their bedroom mirror.

Politics and hate are not branded by Prada or Gucci, boys and girlz. Some folks even feel they are allies by creating organizations that limit membership to those who meet specific & restrictive criteria, just like unrealistic reality TV portrayals of gays.

I did not realize that equality was for a select few or that there

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are limits placed upon those who can believe in our fight for civil rights or, even that this small faction is representing me – an average homo. I am troubled by the exclusivity of groups with such challenging constraints – personally, I only like being constrained if there is penetration.

When you are seeking groups of like-minded people to align yourself with, do your research and find passion in their mission. In my experience with volunteering and working with non-profits, I have seen many volunteers and donors affiliate themselves with organizations that they know nothing about. They joined as a volunteer or gave a donation because it was “the thing to do” – a status symbol, or worse, they followed an uninformed friend. Volunteering for status? Being a follower? We don’t need status, we are G,L,B, or T, and we are not followers because we are G,L,B, or T – yes, this is sarcasm. If you volunteer without passion or for the wrong reason, you will grow bored and become disengaged, and possibly disrupt an organization’s positive mission. This is all terribly unsexy – disengaged equals flaccidity.

I have recently learned some major life lessons on who my allies are, and who in my life truly believes in equality for all. With the death of my parents, I experienced a lot of detachment from folks who I thought were allies and I discovered my true allies unexpectedly. This was, and still is, a challenging journey for me.

During my grieving period, I began to notice that certain people did not care about me as a person and only cared about how much I could drink with them. Even though I had known these

Chris Hayes owns all of those bracelets.

folks for years, they truly never listened and truly never knew me; I figured out that they were not allies.

I think we all have had people in our lives like this, and we have had to make the decision to move on. Sometimes it’s ourselves that put too much stake in a long-standing, socially-positive, drinking buddy, and sometimes people just let you down. In my case, not only did I discover some people I thought were friends weren’t, but I discovered many who I thought were just acquaintances, were actually friends. The worst part of these realizations for me hasn’t been my assumed allies’ actions (or lack of), but the time and energy I wasted with those folks who did not have my back when I could have been nurturing relationships with those who are real allies.

This Pride (and everyday), let us appreciate those allies who are on our side for the fight for equality, as well as, those who are our personal allies. Our allies are people who love us without condition and without judgment. They have our backs, without question, no matter what tragedy occurs. And recently, tragic events have increased the amount of allies in our community, through innovations like the “It Gets Better” and “Give A Damn” campaigns. I encourage and challenge you to clean up your personal alliances, and find out who in your life believes in equality for all. Remember to always be a survivor and never be a victim.

I wish everyone, especially my allies, a Happy Pride! Now, who wants to help me make a rainbow caftan and bedazzled underpants? Hubby and I need to make an entrance this gay holiday!

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United we Live, Divided we Fall. Or, if you’re Erin, you just fall a lot.

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Columbus Arts Festival Returns to the Riverfront: We’re Glad to Be Home!

by Jennifer Sadler The 2012 Columbus Arts Festival presented by Time Warner Cable and produced by the Greater Columbus Arts Council will celebrate our longawaited move back to the Downtown Riverfront, June 1, 2 & 3. The beautifully revitalized Riverfront will be transformed into a stunning, outdoor art gallery as the nation’s top artists display their work and attract art fans from all over the country.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to convene at the Riverfront in the heart of downtown to enjoy artwork created by more than 230 artists, continuous entertainment, handson art activities and homegrown art from some of our most creative indie artist collectives.

Plenty of delicious food will satisfy every appetite - from classic festival fare to gourmet offerings from several community-favorite Dine Originals restaurants. Local food trucks will also be onsite, serving everything from specialty crepes to Venezuelan-style street food.

Longtime fans of the Festival will be pleased to experience a familiar ambiance that’s been greatly enhanced by the Riverfront revitalization.

Highlights include beautiful new Bicentennial Park stage, two stunning new bridges at Main and Rich Streets and Scioto Mile Park along the river with lush green spaces, a charming promenade and mesmerizing water features along with plazas, paths and bikeways.

From its humble beginning as a “Festival of the Arts” on the Statehouse lawn 51 years ago, the Columbus Arts Festival has grown into one of the most highly acclaimed arts festivals in the country. Early festivals focused on “a program in cultural achievements” by students of the Columbus City Schools and local colleges, but today the Columbus Arts Festival has evolved into an extravaganza of art and culture.

Each year, hundreds of artists are chosen from more than 1,000 applicants by a jury of visual

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arts professionals to exhibit their work, created in every conceivable material and style, representing 16 different mediums. With a national reputation for loyal art buyers and supporters, the Columbus Arts Festival is a “must do” with a relaxed, gallery hop style atmosphere - perfect for browsing an exciting selection of art and inviting patrons an opportunity to chat with the artists whose work they admire. Our state will be well-represented at the event - more than 40 of the artists juried in are from across Ohio. Be sure to seek out up-and-coming local artists participating in our Emerging Artist program.

The program was designed for talented artists from Franklin and surrounding counties who are brand new to or have very little experience participating in outdoor festivals.

tivities area provides opportunities for all ages to roll up their sleeves and create masterpieces of their own. Local arts and cultural organizations including the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, COSI and Glass Axis will offer a wide variety of creative activities. Enjoy activities like throwing clay pots and sculpting paper flowers to creating an ornament to place on a Wishing Tree to be displayed at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Local bands will perform continuous and diverse styles of music on the ColumbusArts.com Bicentennial Stage - from the Latin sounds of Yumbambe to The Salty Caramels, whose nostalgic sound is inspired by girl groups from the ‘40s‘60s. Sponsored by BP, the Community Stage is back this year with acts ranging from participants from the 200Columbus Celebrate Columbus in Song contest to performances by BalletMet and Actor’s Theatre of Columbus.

Don’t miss singer/songwriter and roots-rocker, Tim Easton, performing on Friday night at 8:30p on the ColumbusArts.com Stage. Since getting his start as a musician in his college days at Ohio State, the Nashville-based Easton has enjoyed a highly acclaimed career that has taken him around the world - and the Columbus Arts Festival is always one of his favorite gigs.

Each year, we honor Columbus’ reputation as a national leader for spoken word poetry on the Ohio Magazine Word is Art stage. You won’t want to miss the high impact, high energy performances from some of the city’s best poets.

The schedule is jam-packed this year, with featured readings by the top three winners the Columbus Arts Festival’s Poetry Contest (held in March). On the Saturday evening of the event the 8th annual Columbus Arts Festival Poetry Slam will be hosted by accomplished local poet Scott Woods. A “slam” is a mock competition all in fun - in which poets are “judged” by members of the audience.

The place to find homegrown art at the Festival will be the Big Local Art Tent. Experience art demonstrations and a gallery of works for sale by local artists, and make-and-take projects led by indie artist collectives like Columbus Crafty Cotillion, Columbus Artmobile, Cap City Creatives, Etsy Team Columbus, Columbus Idea Foundry and Mother Artists at Work.

Abuzz with creative energy, the Hands On Art Ac-

One of the most popular stops is the Children’s Gallery. All of the work displayed in this unique, kid-sized gallery is generously donated by exhibiting artists. Youngsters can purchase a work of art for $5 or less. The experience is fun and hopefully encourages a life-long appreciation for skillfully hand-crafted work and collecting art.

Neighboring the Festival site just to the west, Franklinton is home to a growing community of artists and features creative endeavors as well.

Franklinton’s 400 W Rich, a warehouse housing a gallery and several artists’ studios will feature tours and artwork for sale during Festival hours.

In the 400 W Rich courtyard you’ll find dozens of large-scale mural paintings created over the five years of Urban Scrawl events. They’re also hosting a Festival After-Party on Saturday, June 2 from 10p-2a.

No public money funds the Columbus Arts Festival. The Festival is only possible through the

Hey! I think that’s me in the white shirt!

generous sponsorship of local and national businesses - and support from individuals. In addition to tickets to our VIP Lounge, we’re now offering an exciting new way for you to get more out of your festival experience. By becoming a Friend of the Festival, your donation will not only help defray general operating support expenses, but also supports the Festival’s mission to offer a free and engaging arts experience for the community. You’ll also receive some special perks at the Festival and year-round as a thank you for your contribution!

Volunteers are the heart of the Columbus Arts Festival. Each year, the Festival comes to life through the cooperation of Greater Columbus Arts Council staff, Coordinating Committee members who work with us year-round and an expansive corps of more than 300 on-site volunteers. Our energetic and friendly volunteers are invaluable in terms of the work they accomplish, and their input ensures a festival that’s fresh, original and fun - the key elements in maintaining a dynamic art event.

Be sure to experience the Festival online. Sign up to volunteer, become a friend of the Festival or purchase a VIP Package at www.ColumbusArtsFestival.org. Check out behind the scenes action on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ColumbusArtsFestival) and get up-tothe-moment info and participate in our #tweetandgoseek scavenger hunt through our Twitter account, @ColsArtsFest.

Columbus’ downtown boasts a wide collection of fun places to eat, shop and experience the arts in all forms. After you experience the Festival, we hope you’ll stroll through the surrounding downtown areas and check out organizations such as COSI, Columbus Commons, the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Center Gallery, OSU Urban Arts Space and more.

The festival runs from June 1–3. Hours are Friday and Saturday, 11:30a–10p, and on Sunday from 11:30a–6p.

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Wow! That’s MOM upside down.

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Making History with Eric Marcus

by Mackenzie Worrall This year has been historic for gay rights. We saw the end of DADT, a hyper-awareness of the gay community in the media and fiction, and the first sitting President publicly acknowledged that he believed in marriage for same-sex couples. All of this is the tip of a very, very gay iceberg.

The landmarks of the past 12 months are the culmination of decades of hard work by people willing to risk everything for it. Eric Marcus has documented the gay rights movement, and in turn become a part of it. The first edition of his monumental work, Making History, debuted in 1992. Ten years later, he updated it and changed the title to Making Gay History. The attitude of the publishing industry changed in that decade. They now believed that more people would buy the book because ‘gay’ was in the title.

ERIC MARCUS: The most challenging part of doing the interviews was finding the people I wanted to interview. This was in the pre-Internet era, so there was a lot of leg work and phone calls involved in tracking people down. It was especially difficult finding the people who used pseudonyms (most of the people involved in the early gay rights effort who held any sort of public position used pseudonyms). For example, Lisa Ben, who wrote the first newsletter for lesbians in 1947, was almost impossible to find. It took two dozen phone calls before I reached her. Her real name is Edith Eyde. For the original Making History, I interviewed nearly 100 people and then used 49 of those interviews for the book. Each interview lasted on average 2-3 hours. I had only two years to write the book, so I spent about a year doing interviews. I did all but one of the interviews in person.

Eric was happy to talk with me more about writing this fantastic history.

MW: What inspired and drove you to not only write this history of the gay rights movement, but to revisit and update it?

EM: I’d like to say I was inspired to write Making History, but the book was commissioned by Rick Kot, an editor at HarperCollins. I couldn’t understand why Rick wanted me to write it because I’m not a historian. Turns out that that was why he wanted me to write it. He wanted a fresh perspective on the history of the gay rights movement from someone who was not an academic.

Rick had read my first book, The Male Couple’s Guide, and liked how I did the mini-oral histories.

Once I started work on the book I felt a tremendous responsibility to tell the stories of the people I’d interviewed. They were largely forgotten and I wanted to make certain that their stories were recorded for posterity. The audiotapes of the original interviews are now part of the LGBT collection at the NY Public Library.

MACKENZIE WORRALL: How did you go about interviewing all these different people? How long did it take?

I decided to revisit and update Making History because so much happened in that next decade and I wanted the book to remain relevant. The

Marcus has given the world two ways to explore our history. Both editions are full of rich interviews from key players behind the gay rights cause. Making History gives each interview its own chapter, so there’s overlap with each new oral history you read. Whereas Making Gay History chops up the interviews by decade. If you’re learning gay history for the first time, then this is the edition for you.

Each chapter is organically woven together by what Marcus’ interviewees have to talk about.

Some of them have opposing views on the same event. What sets Making Gay History apart is that it is also critical of the gay rights movement. It’s not all glitter and brunch.

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new edition also offered me the opportunity to change the format of the book so that it had a clear chronological narrative thread rather than individual chapters on each person. In retrospect I think that the individual oral histories (one per chapter) in the original book are more powerful than what I did in the new edition weaving together the different stories.

MW: A few times, I found myself laughing at the bracketed notes in interviews explaining what things like AZT and The Donahue Show were.

But that hits at the broader cultural problem of a lack of interest in history. Do you find this is especially true of LGBT youth?

EM: History moves very fast and I bet almost no young person knows what AZT is or ever heard of The Donahue Show.

Almost no one is interested in history, in part because most books about history are so boring. It was one of the reservations I had about writing Making History in the first place. I find oral histories so much more engaging than the kinds of history books we used in high school and college (at least when I was in high school and college).

LGBT youth are like all youth in their lack of interest in history. It’s our responsibility to teach history and do it in a way that is engaging.

Unfortunately, the history of the gay civil rights movement is only very rarely taught in high school.

MW: I love the postscript about September 11th and Mark Bingham, the gay rugby player who was one of the passengers to challenge the hijackers on United Airlines Flight 93. And John McCain’s eulogy for Mark is a powerful message about being treated as equals. Now, does the Senator know that he’s made a great case for equality in your book?

EM: It’s hard to believe that John McCain gave Mark Bingham’s eulogy. He’s turned into such a

I don’t agree that “Almost no one is interested in history.” Sorry, Eric Marcus.

bitter, angry, partisan, and anti-gay politician that it’s hard to imagine he would give the same eulogy today. The Republican Party seems determined to make gay people second-class citizens and I don’t hear John McCain arguing for equality.

In fact, he was one of the most vocal opponents of repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

MW: Have you learned anything from our history?

EM: Yes, we have a lot to be proud of. Also, things can change faster than you can imagine. The gay rights movement has progressed far faster than any previous civil rights movement. When I started out 25 years ago I often said (when asked) that I would never live to see a day when gay people could legally marry. I’ve really enjoyed having to eat my words!

One other point. What was true in the early days of the movement remains true today. Change happens one-on-one, so we have to come out when we can to our families, neighbors and colleagues. When people know us they have a much harder time denying us our rights.

MW: Plugs, book recommendations, fashion advice?

EM: In recent years I’ve shifted the focus of my work. In 2010 HarperCollins published a new edition of my book about suicide. It’s called Why Suicide? Questions About Suicide, Suicide Prevention, and Coping with the Suicide of Someone You Know (www.whysuicide.com). I’m also working on a young adult novel with the twin themes of homosexuality and suicide.

Regarding fashion, I follow my grandmother’s advice and try to dress age-appropriately.

Eric Marcus is an author of non-fiction, biography, and selfhelp. He wrote the #1 New York Times Best Seller Breaking The Surface, the autobiography of gay Olympic diving champ Greg Louganis. His works also include What If Someone I Know is Gay?, The Male Couple’s Guide, and Why Suicide?

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Get off that sidewalk and help us carry our giant flag!

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THE RETURN OF T.R. KNIGHT There was that “f-word” scandal, he quit Grey’s Anatomy and then… whatever happened to T.R. Knight? Well, first he took some time off, appeared on Law & Order the way everyone does eventually, and then spent time under the media radar doing theater – the perfect route to insure that Hollywood will ignore you for as long as you like. But now Knight is back on the screen in 42, the upcoming Jackie Robinson biopic from Legendary Pictures. In the role of Robinson will be Chadwick Boseman (The Express), while Knight will portray Harold Parrott, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ traveling secretary. Meanwhile, Harrison Ford will star as Branch Rickey, the man who signed Robinson to the Dodgers in 1947, making him the very first black Major League baseball player and ending segregation in the sport. In other words, baseball fans would do well to bring something to discreetly sniffle into when the film opens in the spring of 2013.

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AMBER HEARD MACHETES HER WAY THROUGH HOLLYWOOD

WENTWORTH MILLER JOINS KILLER BEHIND THE CAMERA

SET THAT DVR: MARGARET CHO FINALLY RETURNS TO 30 ROCK

Hey ladies, Robert Rodriguez has a new movie in the works. Of course, you’ll have to look past its most obvious qualities to see what’s specifically in store for you, since it’s called Machete Kills and is, in fact, the sequel to the Grindhouse director’s crazy, Danny Trejo-starring revenge-sploitation film of last year. And OK, yes, it also stars Mel Gibson, which is clearly a turnoff. But before you go looking for a third strike against it, know that in all things there exists a balance. In this case it’s lesbian bombshell Amber Heard, who’s taken a role in the violent action movie. Plot: Machete battles an arms dealer who wants to launch weapons into space. She’ll be featured alongside Jessica Alba (straight) and Michelle Rodriguez (on the books as straight at the time of this writing), both reprising earlier roles in the first installment of the intentionally pulpy fiction. It comes out sometime in 2013; plenty of time for you to figure out once and for all how Jodie Foster manages to enjoy Gibson’s company.

Maybe you were one of the vast throngs of gay guys who thought that Wentworth Miller’s talents were limited to looking hot on Prison Break. If so, then that just shows how much you know. Are you aware that he also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming film Stoker, starring Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska? Or that his latest scripted effort, The Disappointments Room, has been picked up by power-lesbian Christine Vachon’s Killer Films, which will join forces with Voltage Pictures (The Hurt Locker) to produce the project? Well, now you do. The brief plot synopsis for Disappointments makes it sound like a typical haunted house/something-bad-happened-here movie – family moves into mysterious old dwelling where dark secrets lie – but the fact that Killer (Mildred Pierce, Boys Don’t Cry) is into it means there’s already some sort of secret wrinkle we don’t know about.

This is a company that puts vision before money, so we’ll be happily following the progress of this one.

When Margaret Cho played North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il on 30 Rock last season, kidnapping Avery (Elizabeth Banks) and setting a bizarre plot line in motion for Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), it was pretty clear she’d be back this season to renew the role.

And then Kim Jong Il died. What to do? And the answer to that long-simmering question is: bring back Margaret Cho as Kim Jong Il, of course. This is a show, after all, that successfully and hilariously tackled Tracy Morgan’s real-life offensive anti-gay statements during a stand-up routine, so the death of a real-life character isn’t going to slow them down. Just how this will all shake out is under wraps right now, but Cho will return to the show for the May 10 and May 17 episodes. And as long as she’s playing a dead man now, who’s to say she won’t do it again in the future?

I wish “George” hadn’t been hit by that damn bus. I miss him on Grey’s.

Romeo San Vicente would wholeheartedly support a Liz Lemon/Jack Donaghy ticket for 2012. He can be reached care of this publication or at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com.

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Does anyone really like breakfast at Tiffany’s...I mean to eat. Passing all those diamonds is not pleasant.

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Melissa Etheridge (Kind Of) Opens Up Rocker Talks Life After Ex, Getting Remarried And Upcoming Album

by Chris Azzopardi Come to her window, but Melissa Etheridge won’t be around.

Why? Because she’s everywhere else – on tour through the summer and in the studio laying down tracks for her first album since 2010’s Fearless Love.

And, in the midst of a heated custody battle with her ex, she dished on both during our recent interview: what to expect from the new music (songs about her split, of course), tentatively due in September; how, despite her breakup, “it’s not as heartbroken” as past albums; and, of course, getting underwear-bombed onstage.

CA: How’s life treating you these days?

ME: It’s pretty incredible. Very full and very fun. There’s always a new adventure around the corner. I have four kids and I’m very happy.

CA: What’s it like raising teens?

ME: My kids are 13 and 15, and I have two 5-year-olds; surprisingly, it’s very similar. (Laughs) They require all of your attention and they don’t remember anything you’ve told them.

CA: What’s inspiring this upcoming album?

ME: Life has always inspired whatever I’m singing about, so events in my life in the last couple of years: new love, saying goodbye to an old love, and my kids and my hopes and my dealings of life are all there.

CA: So Lucky meets Skin?

ME: (Laughs) That’s funny, but no actually. Better than that. I was pretty down and out during Skin – that was hard! I’m in a much

30 june 2012

better place and I feel much better, so I think it’s more up. It’s hard for me to tell when I’m just starting, when I’m just making it, but I feel like it’s not as heartbroken as Skin was. We’re never going back there.

CA: But some fans miss sad Melissa.

ME: I know! Some people say Skin is their favorite and I’m like, “Aww, I’m sorry.” (Laughs) CA: On your last album, Fearless Love, you started writing from other people’s perspective. Will there be more of that on the upcoming album?

ME: I found that I’m writing from another point of view as if it were my own. They’re memories, like, “What if I was still there, what would this be like?” I’ve written a couple of those.

CA: It’s been a couple of years since you and Tammy Lynn Michaels split, though it’s still making headlines. What’s been the hardest part about going through a public breakup?

ME: That it was public. (Laughs) Some private pains and anger and heartache gets out there and no one understands, nobody except who is in the relationship knows what’s going on, and there’s always two sides to everything. I don’t ever like to do anything public; whereas she might take things public, I keep very quiet about it, so that’s hard. You can’t win that, ever.

CA: People naturally make assumptions and start rumors. Is it better not to say anything or clear the air?

ME: You know, I wish it was possible to just go on and say, “Hey, this is my truth, this is it,” but it never stops. When you engage in that then you’re in it and it gets all mucky and you can’t win. You can’t change what people think. Some people are just out there assuming away and I can’t change that. So I accept it. It’ll all be

in the past soon.

CA: Except you’ll be reliving it on this album.

ME: (Laughs) Yes, that’s the thing. And that I can control. I can control my art, and I can control what I say and how I say it.

CA: Do songs that you’re performing from decades ago bring you back in time? Like, how do you feel when you’re performing “Bring Me Some Water” now?

ME: Well, certainly the feelings aren’t the same. I’m not in that place anymore, yet it’s a blast; it’s so much fun to play (“Bring Me Some Water”). The song rocks and the people enjoy it and I have such a good time. It’s easy to get right back into that moment. I imagine it’s like acting: You’re just truthful in the moment when you’re singing it, but you don’t have to live it.

CA: Do you relate to songs you were singing 20 or 30 years ago?

ME: I wouldn’t say I would relate to them in that I’m in that place right now, but there’s always some bit of truth – it’s a part of me that I understand. I find new meaning in them and I find new ways of approaching them. It’s actually kind of fun.

CA: What about performing still gives you goose bumps?

ME: The audience. Whenever I can find a place, an audience that is receptive, is listening, is there to enjoy themselves and have a good time, and they came with an expectation, that can really move me.

CA: Your shows lure lots of lesbians. Before settling down into motherhood, you… um… had a lot of options.

ME: (Laughs) It’s rock ’n’ roll, you know!

If you were to “come to my window” I would probably freak out and attack you with a bat. “Poke, then swing!”

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CA: Do you have fond memories of those days?

ME: Fond? Yes! I have many fond memories of that, of my wild and wicked days. (Laughs) But I’m a family girl now. I can sing about it, though. I’ve been writing, and on some songs I reminisce about those… certain things.

CA: Do fans still toss panties onstage?

ME: Oh yeah, they tend to do that. I’m not fond of that, but you know, it’s an expression, I suppose.

CA: What’s the oddest fan “gift” you’ve received?

ME: Oh lord. Besides undergarments? Hmm. People throw all kinds of things, and of course the minute you ask me I blank on any of the funny stuff.

CA: Bras and underwear are weird enough.

ME: And I’m still getting those. I’m like, “Really? Don’t you want that for later?”

CA: How do you put together your set lists?

ME: I use kind of a spine. There are a handful of songs that I’ll do every single night for the fans and the people who are just coming for the first time: “Like the Way I Do,” “Bring Me Some Water,” “I’m the Only One,” “Come to My Window.” Then after that, I try to mix it up with songs from all different albums, tunes that hardcore fans would be really excited to hear, and I try to play from the newest album.

CA: Is there a certain song in your catalog that’s still the closest to you?

ME: They really are like children; you can’t pick one. So many of them have parts of me in them and I wouldn’t say there’s one. I feel like that about all of them.

CA: Do you feel the same way about your albums?

ME: Well, usually the latest album is the one I’m closest to be-

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cause, well, it’s the one that I’m closest to. (Laughs) But I’m proud of them all. I can stand by them and enjoy them and still enjoy playing the music.

CA: How’s the musical you’re working on with your girlfriend, Linda Wallem, coming along?

ME: I hope soon we’ll have something out there, once she finishes with Nurse Jackie (Wallem is a writer for the show) and I finish with my album – but yes, when we have the spare time we’re working on it. It’s very close. We’ve worked on it for a while now.

CA: More like Les Miserables or Hairspray?

ME: It’s more like… like nothing you’ve ever seen. (Laughs) It’s an original script with original songs. I’d rather it be more like Jesus Christ Superstar meets Bye Bye Birdie or American Idiot. It’s a real hybrid thing.

CA: How did you get interested in that?

ME: I’ve always loved musicals and Broadway. I mean, I am gay!

Come on. (Laughs) But when I was much younger I loved Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar. I loved the drama in them and I always thought that was the ultimate, so that’s still my dream.

CA: Where do you think we’re headed on the path to equal rights?

ME: It’s absolutely going to the Supreme Court, because there’s no place in the Constitution that says “everyone except those gays.”

This is America for everyone, and every time this sort of challenge comes up, the Supreme Court – no matter how conservative – has to put their own personal bigotry aside. I believe it’s going to pass the Supreme Court and that’s going to change a lot of things. That means the fight won’t have to go all the way to the Supreme Court anymore, and that’s where we’re going to start seeing big changes. And then that’s when we’ll all sink into the ocean and the world will end. (Laughs)

CA: Is marriage in your near future?

ME: You know, three’s a charm! That’s what they say. But this time I’d be getting married because she has a job and I wanna marry her because she makes lots of money (laughs) – no, she’s a wonderful gal. She’s just amazing, and if and when we do it, it would be for my family and really for the reasons that you get married when you’re older.

CA: With more celebrities being public about their sexuality nowadays, how do you reflect on your coming out? How does it compare to now?

ME: Now it can be just a part of someone, not the definition. Still, if there’s a gay joke, it’s me at the end of it. (Laughs) You know, it defined me for a long time. In a weird way, my cancer kind of knocked that out, but for a long time that’s what I was known as, so I think now you can come out and still rely on your work. I know now that it’s about my work; it’s no longer, “How unusual that you’re gay!”

CA: How does it feel knowing that being out in your life and in your music changed so many LGBT people over the last couple of decades?

ME: It’s just really starting to come back to me now. Recently I did interviews with Australia, because I’m going down there this summer, and (a reporter) said when she was 18 and I came to Melbourne it meant so much to her and it helped her come out. It was just a beautiful thank you. It’s really coming back to me right now that what I did 20 years ago really made a difference in the world, and that’s a really nice feeling to go to sleep with at night. To have people come up and say, “Thank you, that made my life better” – what more can a gal ask for?

Melissa is performing for the first time at Pride this year in Pittsburgh on June 9th.

Tickets are $32 in advance, or $45 at the door and are available at www.pittsburghpride.org/tickets or by calling 1-888-71-TICKETS. Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com.

Uh, Melissa? It’s gonna be hard to play the guitar like that.

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It’s A Family Affair

by Marcus Morris Fashion is dead. I don’t know what you have been told, but clothes are so boring that when trying to figure out how to revamp this column after a nearly 2-year absence, I totally paused. Writing about clothes is exciting for womenswear, and if the power lesbians are with me, I can go all in on a Jil Sander suit or a set of Nicholas Kirkwood platforms. We should all totally head over to Jinny and spend some of your Sapphic cash!

I thought about what I should say in this column, and one thing that really stood out to me lately is Trayvon Martin. How much did that hoodie really play a part in his murder? I started thinking about how the African-American community has made a point of trying to illustrate the point that an article of clothing, among other signifiers, could be responsible for the death of not only Martin, but also other young black men. The most touching thing was how President Obama said that Trayvon “could have been my son.” Family is family. What about us?

The gay community changes quickly and visual identity plays a huge role in shaping our perception of who we are. We clique and “ki-ki,” and we are mostly in an extension of high school when we enter gay bars. We can identify one another by the clothes on our backs, and we can often find our friends according to who might be cut from the same cloth. I am not a bitchy label-checker like Marlo Hampton from The Real Housewives of Atlanta, but I might be more inclined to chat up a guy who is wearing something cute.

When you stroll into a bar, you’ll often see guys dressed alike. A pack mentality. The over-tanned

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guys with deep v-neck t-shirts, white belts, teased Bieber hair and frosted jeans all know one another, have fucked one another and are looking for someone new to add to the fold. Presumably to fuck him and ask him where he got that blinding white belt.

(From Buckle, of course.) Then, you see the older daddies still rocking that Hollister, still rocking that vodka soda, still rocking that twink from OSU. I don’t know where I belong. I think I used to care a bit more about fashion, but my style is best described now as “lesbian artist with good shoes.” But, what I wonder is this, what happens when we step out those doors?

Are those who are targeted for bashing and hate crimes more easily identifiable? Of course, but what should we do? I don’t ever want to change how I dress in order to fit into this society. Society should start working for me. Straight people always want to dress like gay people, act like gay people and live like gay people, but then when it comes to allowing us to be free and have equality, that is when the world becomes opposed to what it means to be gay.

They even like gay sex sometimes! So many straight guys talk about how they’d like to watch two women get it on. We won’t even mention our down-low straight guys.

My solution to this is complete and utter faggotry. I think we should cut this straight idolization, and start making gay people, their lives and their clothes our ambitions. Now only if we can get our gay celebs to step up to the plate and really start giving us some fashion. There was a time when the gay celebs were major. Calvin Klein, Halston and Yves Saint Laurent sold us a lifestyle. In the sixties, YSL went to Morocco, and every queen wanted to push a djellaba and smoke hash with Talitha Getty. Do we have that now? Who are the fashion people? I am not taking

my fashion cues from Carson Kressley.

Now we have Brad Goreski, who never met a saturated suit he didn’t like, and looks really hot with his shirt off. We also have Tom Ford, who is nearly 50, looks handsome, is impeccably dressed and projects an idea about style that is something to be admired. Plus, his models are always delicious in the ad campaigns.

We have our Pride celebrations, but maybe we should occupy something? We should wear our identifiers and occupy the Statehouse. If we could get 20 drag queens, Dykes On Bykes, some guys in leather and a busload of twinks in jockstraps to storm the Capital and demand respect, who knows what might happen. Look at Wisconsin after the fallout with the unions! Think SB5 protests, but with glitter. What we should also consider is getting the leather guys and twinks to perform a mass orgy in the hallway outside Governor Kasich’s office to barricade him in. I doubt his Westerville Rockports would be willing to step over a doublepenetration scene. The drag queens, led by Miss Anisa Love, could have performed “And I Am Telling You...” on the stairs to a crowd of people within the community. Our beloved Dykes could park those Harleys on the statehouse lawn. All of that would definitely be “giving fashion” and it’s stunts like these that allow our voices to be heard.

The visual image of homosexuality is diverse, and even though we talk a lot of shit about one another, we owe it to one another to defend the right to be free. Listen, we must be as supportive of those who are victimized in our community, because family is family. I got all my sisters with me.

He’s doing the standard Black Widow pose!

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Gill, besides being a respiratory organ, it is also a unit of liquid measure equal to a quarter of a pint.

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by Dan Savage I’m a straight male from Southern California and I really want to be a straight male escort. The problem is the industry is shrouded with deceptive “agencies” that take advantage of the situation. Also, it’s not like there’s a Male Escort 101 course that I can take to learn how to avoid these traps. I don’t know if you can help, but I really want to get into this industry, hopefully through a reputable agency. Do you have any advice, can you put me in touch with any male escorts (preferably straight ones) so I can pick their brains, and do you know of a reputable agency in my area?

Seeking The Upright Deal “There is no gigolo industry,” says Dominick, the former escort who writes Ask Dominick, an advice column for male escorts and male escort wannabes at Rentboy.com, a gay escort listings site.

While Dominick’s column focuses on issues that gay escorts confront, STUD, it’s the “Male Escort 101” course you’ve been looking for.

“What STUD is seeking is a fantasy - one that has been fueled by cultural products like American Gigolo and HBO’s Hung,” says Dominick. There are no reputable agencies in Southern California or anywhere else - that book male escorts to see female clients, just as there are no websites like Rentboy.com for straight male escorts. “The fact of the matter is, almost all clients for escorts are male - whether they’re looking for male, female or transgender escorts.”

Dominick speaks from experience: When he was working as an escort in New York City, his ads stated that he was available for male or female clients. “Over three years, I went on exactly one call with a female client, an attractive older woman who seemed to be working through some intimacy issues,” says Dominick, “and one call with a married couple for a cuckolding scene, which was initiated by the husband. During that same period, I averaged about 5.5 calls per week with men. That gives you a measure of the demand from female clients.”

And no demand from female clients means no escort agencies and no Rentboy.com-style websites - at least no legit ones - for straight male escorts.

“Because there are many more men clamoring to be gigolos than there is actual demand for gigolos,” adds Dominick, “shadowy scam agencies come and go, ‘guaranteeing’ bookings with female clients to gullible young bucks - in exchange for monthly

34 june 2012

listing fees. That said, if there are any legitimate agencies out there, they are likely to be in New York or Los Angeles. A quick Google search produced two agencies in LA: One had dozens of females and just two men, the other had a stable of six straight male escorts, charging posted rates of $200–$300 per hour. I won’t provide the links, since I have no idea how reputable these agencies are, but you can find them yourself in .25 seconds on Google.”

Another option, STUD: listing yourself as a “sexual healer” at a new-age site like Sacrederos.com.

“That site lists male and female sexual healers, for male and female clients, for such services as coaching, tantric awakening, and sensual massage. If this is a direction you are thinking about, have at it,” says Dominick. “Otherwise, my advice to you is to pursue a profession with the potential to bring you into contact with a wealthy female clientele - business consultant, art handler - and be exceptionally good and loving to all the women in your life.”

You can read Dominick’s column at Rentboy.com. Dominick has also written for the Red Umbrella Diaries, a sex workers’ reading series in New York City. It takes place on the first Thursday of every month at Happy Ending. Dominick is curating the October Red Umbrella Diaries, and sex workers - escort, massage, porn, phone, stripper - with stories to tell can e-mail him at askdominick@gmail.com.

I’m a 22-year-old female and I lost my virginity in September 2011, but I had experienced everything else before that. My question is about when a guy goes down on me: How come I can never fully enjoy it? How come I find it hard to enjoy any aspect of it? Is the problem that I’ve never experienced oral with someone who knows what he’s doing? Or is it my own mental block? What I mean by “mental block” is this: I personally think it’s gross and I can’t imagine why a guy would want to do that to me. So the entire time he’s down there, I’m stressing out about whether he really likes it. I try to focus on relaxing and blocking those thoughts out, but in the end, I always end up pulling his head back up, since I don’t see myself ever experiencing an orgasm during it and, frankly, I get bored.

Is it my mental block that’s stopping me from enjoying oral? Or am I just having bad luck with guys in that area?

pussy-paralyzing insecurities? Their pussy-disabling ineptitude? is to work on conquering your insecurities while at the same time allowing the guy(s) you’re seeing to go down on you once in a while. If you get over your insecurities about your genitals, and then oral - even inept oral - is suddenly awesome, well, then the problem was your insecurities. If you don’t get over your insecurities but find yourself coming like crazy with a new boy between your legs, well, then they - all the other boys who ever ate your pussy - were the problem.

And it’s fine for you to think eating pussy is gross - you’re a straight girl, after all, and you’re not attracted to women. But guys who dig women, dig pussy, EAT, and you don’t have to like the idea of eating pussy to enjoy having yours eaten.

I am a 26-year-old straight girl and a virgin. I could delve into the reasons why (shy, late bloomer, average-looking, conservative family), but I will spare you and cut to the chase: I really, really want to lose my virginity. It’s driving me crazy! All I want is a safe, anonymous one-time thing so I can move on, and I’m not outgoing/flirtatious/pretty enough to meet men at bars. My question: Straight male escorts - do they exist? How would I find one? Some people were talking about escorts as an option in a recent column, and being with someone understanding, experienced, and professional sounds like exactly what I’m looking for. Honestly, I’ve thought about this for a while. I don’t think people who develop normally can really understand the sort of desperation I feel.

Very Concerned About Retarded Development Wannabe straight male escorts exist, VCARD, as STUD’s letter proves. But there aren’t enough straight female wannabe clients out there to support a straight-female-specific website or agency for straight male escorts, as Dominick’s response to STUD proves.

However, a lot of the male escorts on gay-specific escort websites are bisexual; some are even highly heteroflexible gay-for-pay straight guys. Spend some time dinking around on a gay escort site, VCARD, and it won’t be long before you run across an ad posted by a male escort who identifies as bi. The guy could be lying - some gay escorts will claim to be straight or bi to attract gay male clients who get off on sleeping with straight guys - so you may not hear back from the first bi or straight escort you send an e-mail to. But keep looking, e-mail any guy who strikes your fancy, and be up front about who you are and what you’re looking for.

Erotic Anxiety Time The only way to determine what exactly your problem is - your

Now, that’s a nice looking back. Yum.

Find the Savage Lovecast (my weekly podcast) every Tuesday at thestranger.com/savage. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter

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Looks like Garden will be my one-stop-shop to prepare for Pride weekend.

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Hey outlookers, normally we highlight one local celeb in this spot in the magazine, but we are launching a new Local Celebrity Guest Bloggers segment that crosses over between the print edition and our online portal www.outlookcolumbus.com. Every Monday you can log onto our website’s blog (BlogOQueer) and see what this month’s menagerie has to say about the random topics we give them. In print you get their top five that correlates with what they are writing on online.

Silly, stupid or highbrow, these Columbus gurus are sure to give you an eyeful. Enjoy!

More Deeds Gemini The Sun and Mercury in Gemini both quincunx to Pluto in Capricorn aggravate grievances with power and bureaucracy. Resist the urge to argue.

Pressing your point will not help. Be sly and subversive. Know your opponent and work your way inside.

GEMINI (May 21- June 20): Being too eager to fix problems can make a cure that’s worse than the disease.

Collect facts and figures, listen to everyone involved, but real resolution will be subtler and more empathetic than logical; more in deeds than words.

Leslie Edwards, General Sales Manager at CD101 at 102.5 Top 5 Best Superheroes of All-Time 5. The Hulk 4. Spider-Man 3. Batman 2. Superman 1. Wonder Woman th

June 7 BlogOQueer question: Would you rather have invisibility or the ability to fly and why?

June Bugg, Consummate Lady Top 5 Stupidest/Most Embarrassing Things I’ve Ever Said 5. “Um… your teeth are just sitting there ‘staring’ at me; this isn’t gonna work out.”

4. “Problem: I’m driving to work and my upper lip smells like ass… what do I do?”

3. “Take the front and I’ll just ring his doorbell a little.”

2. “No. I can’t. I’m on my period.”

1. “I’m not crying, I’m sweating; so cum already you asshole!”

June 21st BlogOQueer question: What’s the most embarrassing thing that happened to you and why?

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Christopher Cook, student Top 5 Best Date Locations in Columbus 5. Huntington Park 4. Scioto Mile 3. Gallery Hop 2. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams 1. Hyde Park June 14th BlogOQueer question: What is the worst date you’ve ever been on and why?

Siobhan Tuck, bartender at La Fogata & Local Bar Top Five Songs That Make Me Wish for Ear Plugs 5. “Fuck You” by Cee-Lo Green 4. “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins 3. “Tootsie Roll” by the 69 Boyz 2. “Baby” by Justin Bieber 1. ALL PITBULL SONGS (Clarification: I needs earplugs for some of these songs not necessarily out of abhorrence, but because I’m afraid of what I’ll do when I hear them.)

June 28th BlogOQueer question: Pick a band that you would tour with and why?

CANCER (June 21- July 22): Applying your personal insights to help others is an awkward fit, but that awareness combined with broader ideas can prove useful. Efforts to solve problems at home just dig you in deeper.

For now just listen and cooperate.

you into big trouble. Remembering when and where is just simple common sense. Resist rationalizations and impulses.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 20): Connections that feel karmic can offer insight into old family problems. A little more attention to hygiene and housecleaning can help solve spats with your partner. There are deeper problems, but a little clean up couldn’t hurt.

CAPRICORN (December 21 – January 19): Screw-ups at work are nearly inevitable. Trying too hard only complicates the project while promoting stress and over-exertion that could cause physical harm. Advice (real or imagined) from a favorite uncle or aunt can help.

AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18): What looks like fun carries hidden risks. Your mouth is especially dangerous now and getting too aggresLEO (July 23 – August 22): Yes, darling, sive will only expose secrets, leaving everyone already knows you’re fabu- you vulnerable. In the right time and lous. Pushing the point will only irriplace, that can be therapeutic. Elsetate those around you. Just relax and where it’s a bloody disaster. be you. Your hard work will be noticed, but is that a good thing? Have a PISCES (February 19 – March 19): friend double-check it first.

Feeling a bit more than usually disconnected, resist the temptation is to VIRGO (August 23 – September 22): look for comfort in family and home.

Charm and good manners will help Better to focus on your career and to you get ahead. Creative playfulness build your reputation, not by seeking can push you over lines you don’t attention, but by sharpening clarity on want to cross. Be sensitive to others, your purpose and direction. but not presumptuous. Remember that your priorities aren’t necessarily ARIES (March 20 – April 19): Your theirs. mouth is determined to get you into trouble. Showing off your brilliant wit LIBRA (September 23 – October 22): will backfire, annoying your partner, Realizing your mistakes is an imporupsetting your boss and exposing pertant part of learning. It may be hard sonal details. Stay home and write, not to feel stupid and resentful. Think but have your partner look over anyof it as intellectual housecleaning that thing before you let anyone else read will help you to advance. New apit. proaches to health and exercise are worthwhile, but should be approached TAURUS (April 20 – May 20): Reconcilthoughtfully. ing your ideals with practical needs can be a challenge. The discrepancies SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21): there could make anyone pessimistic.

Sexual tensions and other anxieties The good news is that shows you have need release. Lascivious humor can a grasp of the larger issues and are reveal deeper truths – or it can get taking steps to improve the world.

Jack Fertig, a professional astrologer since 1977, is available for personal and business consultations in person in San Francisco, or online everywhere. He can be reached at 415-864-8302, through his website at www.starjack.com, and by email at QScopes@qsyndicate.com.

Who is your favorite Gemini? Ours is Erin - and she often shows her double personality during production week.

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My tarot cards said that I would find love this summer - watch out Columbus!

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SATURDAY, JUNE 30 “You Gotta Fight For Your Right” 29th Annual HRC Columbus Gala Dinner @ OSU Student Union, Archie Griffin Ballroom, 3739 N High St, 800.494.8497, www.hrc.org: 6p; $75-200. Bring your checkbook to the 29th annual gala for the silent auction. Never fear gays, there is an after party, so you can stop impersonating a penguin and let it all hang out on the dance floor. 6p; $75-200.

SUNDAY, JUNE 17 Bat-N-Rouge @ Dodge Park, 667 Sullivant Ave, www.clgsa.net: Come out to the ball diamond to watch Drag queens steal bases in heels, shag balls and swing for the fences. Hosted by Virginia West, Nina West and RuPaul’s Drag Race fan favorite, Latrice Royale, this should be the most memorable softball game of the year.

Gates open at noon, first pitch at 3p; $10.

SUNDAY, JUNE 17 Pride Brunch @ The Columbus Athenaeum, 32 N 4th St, 614.930.2262,: Regroup and reenergize at Pride Brunch. This may be a wind down from the party, but being proud is a year round event. The brunch will honor Mayor Michael B. Coleman and other LGBT Allies with entertainment from Bobbly Floyd.

Valet parking available. 11a-1p; $40-450.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30 SHORT SHORTS & “DOWN UNDER” FOOTBALL Columbus Australian Football vs. Chicago @ Daree Fields Park, 6259 Cosgray Rd, Dublin, www.columbusfotty.com: Do you like the constant action of soccer or hockey? Do you like the big hits of American football or rugby? What about the big hops and ball skills of basketball? Then come check out this fast paced, action packed game as the Jackaroos host the Swans. 3:30p; free.

SUNDAY, JUNE 17 2012 Pride Finale Show @ Wall street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Wrap up Pride weekend by drinking $2 Millers Light and Coors Light and enjoying more local and statewide acts. Doors 7p, Show 8p; $5. 18+

SUNDAY, JUNE 17 Columbus Urban Pride Brunch @ The Neighborhood House Auditorium, 100 Atcheson St, 614.208.8919, newleafcolumbus.ning.com: Featuring live jazz with Ms. Jazz Mary, the perfect way to wind down the weekend. Smooth jazz, smoother Bellini’s, and good company. 2p, $10.

SATURDAY, JUNE 16 Party Trash Retro Bash @ Circus, 1227 N High St, 614.421.2998: Tired of the old thumpa-thumpa? Move your body to the best vintage dance tunes from the (late) great Donna Summer to Le Tigre. This party may be the alternative to the clubbing norm, but hey, alternative is the new normal - especially for Pride.

10p-close; 18+ $5, 21+ $3.

FRIDAY, JUNE 15 I DON’T SWEAT, I GLOW Run For Pride 5k @ Goodale Park, 120 W Goodale Park, 614.645.3300, www.columbuspride.org: Dust off those sneakers, protect those nips and run for your lives.

Prizes for top ten runners. 7p; $30.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14 PRE PRIDE PARTY TIME Sweatin @ Carabar, 115 Parsons Ave: Sweatin’ is one of the biggest dance parties in CBUS, and pride weekend will be no exception. Turn it out all night in preparation for the weekend’s festivities. Hopefully you have already taken the weekend off, it is a holiday after all. 10p, free.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14 Mary Ann Brandt Presents...More Songs Gays Like@ Level Dining Lounge, 700 N High St, 614.754.7111, www.levelcolumbus.com: No joke, it’s even more Songs Gays Like.

If that’s not enough incentive, why are you reading this magazine? Start Pride Weekend off right with $3 Long Islands or Three Olives Vodka. Drinks 8p, show 9p, $10 or $100 per table.

FRIDAY, JUNE 15 Patio Party @ Traxx Columbus, 95 Liberty St, 614.226.2275, traxxcolumbus.webs.com: Columbus’ only LGBT hip-hop club on Fridays is stepping the party game up for Pride weekend! Enjoy drinks and company on the patio or sweat it out on the dance floor. Just don’t be tardy for the party. 9p-close.

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 Pride Blessing Sunday @ Summit on 16th UMC, 82 E. 16th Avenue, http://summitumc.org: A Christian Service of Worship and Celebration for the month of Pride.

Potluck Lunch to follow. 10:30, free.

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 Dance for Pride @ Wall Street Nightclub, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Wall Street’s monthly First Friday dance party welcomes LGBTQA friends and “family” from across the Midwest!

June’s edition is also the annual kick-off to Stonewall Columbus’s PRIDE month! Resident DJ Michele Chaney mixes the best dance videos from the ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s & today! Doors open at 8p & the first 25 people through receive a Pride Festival dog tag or wristband! $5 admission 8-10p goes to Stonewall Columbus. 21+.

PRE PARADE BRUNCH @ LEVEL JUNE 15

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FRIDAY, JUNE 8 Comedy Tonight: The Pride Show @ The Short North Stage, 1187 N. High St, 866.967.8167, www.shortnorthstage.org: Zachariah Baird, the self-proclaimed “very merry queer,” will start Pride Week off the right way with a cohort of comedians, featuring Brooke Cartus, Joseph Ivan, Carlos Teel and Lindsey Martin. 9p, 11p; $8-$10.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13 OUT WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Network Columbus @ Arena Grand Movie Theatre, 175 W Nationwide Blvd, 614.469.5000, www.networkcolumbus.com: This is our annual political kickoff to PRIDE event, Out With Our Elected Officials. Join elected and appointed officials and candidates who support our community, and have your voice heard. There will be a special screening of an original documentary on the GLBT movement in Columbus and Ohio after the event, with donations to benefit Equality Ohio. 6p-8p; free.

TUESDAY, JUNE 12 LGBT Fundraiser for TJ Brown @ Club Diversity, 863 S High St, Call Evan for information or to R.S.V.P. 614.220-4500: Help raise money for Franklin County Recorder candidate and proud member of the LGBT community TJ Brown.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 Pride Poker Run @ Club Diversity, 863 S High St, 614.244.4050, www.clubdiversity.com: A poker run is an organized event where participants, usually using motorcycles, snowmobiles, boats, or horses, must visit five to seven checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one.

The object is to have the best poker hand at the end of the run. The event has a time limit, however the participants are not timed - winning is purely a matter of chance.

Check-in 10-10:45a Bikes Leave Promptly at 11a

FRIDAY, JUNE 22 DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER LOVE OR… PRIDE? Cher and Cher Alike @ Lincoln Theatre, 769 E Long St, www.cgmc.com: Fabulous gay men and allies singing the best of Cher. If that isn’t a match made in heaven, we don’t know what is. Through June 23. 8p; $30.

FRIDAY, JUNE 22 SHOW YOUR HOOTS IF YOU BELIEVE IN EQUAL RIGHTS! ComFest @ Goodale Park, corner of Goodale Blvd and Park St, 614.645.3300, www.comfest.com: If you support basic and equal rights for all people, you’ve got company.

Come out and celebrate with like-minded individuals at the party with a purpose. This is a community-driven event with local artists, speakers and vendors, and it’s 40 years strong. The festival starts at noon and runs through 11p on June 22, 10p on June 23 and 8p on June 24; free.

FRIDAY, JUNE 29 A CELEBRATION OF ESTROGENIC PROPORTIONS Keyholder with Whoopi Goldberg @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd, 614.225.9926, www.ticketmaster.com: She’s bold, brash, and outspoken, and nobody’s ever said, “Whoopi who?” The star of Sister Act and The View offers her outlook on the world in this Women’s Fund celebration of women and girls who have made a difference. 7p; $63.15.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 Avenue Q @ Wall Street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Imagine Productions brings everyone’s favorite puppet musical to the Wall Street stage. Through July 1.

7:30p; $17-$65.

Pride Parade @ High Street, 614.299.7764, www.columbuspride.org: GAYS (and Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgendered People, Queers and Allies of all types)! Join in at the end, and help outlook carry the giant flag! Noon; free

FRIDAY, JUNE 15 Big Gay Dance Party 2 @ Skully’s, 1151 North High St, 614-291-8856, www.skullys.org: Ain’t no party like an outlook party (if you were with us at Christmas, you already know) We are serving the hottest Pride party realness, and all the beautiful people will be there. Doors open at 9PM, $5 cover before midnight, $8 after, $10 under 21, $25 VIP w/ open bar and access to lounge area.

FRIDAY, JUNE 15 The Royal Renegrades presents Pride Heroes @ Wall Street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Dunn Dunna dunnnn! It’s SUPER drag time! Watch these girls take the drag king art to another level with host Alexis Stevens.

Then after the show, shake that groove thang with DJ Michele. Doors 7p, show 8p; $10. 18+

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13 Boys Night Out Underwear Dance Party @ Wall Street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: You’ve suffered through half the week dripping with anticipation for PRIDE. Boys in underwear sounds like the perfect kick-off event. The Dick and Jane show performs at midnight.

9p; $5.

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 Pride Art Show Opening Reception @ Spinelli’s Deli, 767 Neil Ave, 614.280.1044, www.spinellisdeli.c om: Enjoy a variety of pieces with celebrating pride as the theme. Work by artists Taryn Cook, Allen Dodson, Anthony Muncy and Sharon Stevens. 6p, free.

out & about

SATURDAY, JUNE 30 “You Gotta Fight For Your Right” 29th Annual HRC Columbus Gala Dinner @ OSU Student Union, Archie Griffin Ballroom, 3739 N High St, 800.494.8497, www.hrc.org: 6p; $75-200. Bring your checkbook to the 29th annual gala for the silent auction. Never fear gays, there is an after party, so you can stop impersonating a penguin and let it all hang out on the dance floor. 6p; $75-200.

SUNDAY, JUNE 17 Bat-N-Rouge @ Dodge Park, 667 Sullivant Ave, www.clgsa.net: Come out to the ball diamond to watch Drag queens steal bases in heels, shag balls and swing for the fences. Hosted by Virginia West, Nina West and RuPaul’s Drag Race fan favorite, Latrice Royale, this should be the most memorable softball game of the year.

Gates open at noon, first pitch at 3p; $10.

SUNDAY, JUNE 17 Pride Brunch @ The Columbus Athenaeum, 32 N 4th St, 614.930.2262,: Regroup and reenergize at Pride Brunch. This may be a wind down from the party, but being proud is a year round event. The brunch will honor Mayor Michael B. Coleman and other LGBT Allies with entertainment from Bobbly Floyd.

Valet parking available. 11a-1p; $40-450.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30 SHORT SHORTS & “DOWN UNDER” FOOTBALL Columbus Australian Football vs. Chicago @ Daree Fields Park, 6259 Cosgray Rd, Dublin, www.columbusfotty.com: Do you like the constant action of soccer or hockey? Do you like the big hits of American football or rugby? What about the big hops and ball skills of basketball? Then come check out this fast paced, action packed game as the Jackaroos host the Swans. 3:30p; free.

SUNDAY, JUNE 17 2012 Pride Finale Show @ Wall street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Wrap up Pride weekend by drinking $2 Millers Light and Coors Light and enjoying more local and statewide acts. Doors 7p, Show 8p; $5. 18+

SUNDAY, JUNE 17 Columbus Urban Pride Brunch @ The Neighborhood House Auditorium, 100 Atcheson St, 614.208.8919, newleafcolumbus.ning.com: Featuring live jazz with Ms. Jazz Mary, the perfect way to wind down the weekend. Smooth jazz, smoother Bellini’s, and good company. 2p, $10.

SATURDAY, JUNE 16 Party Trash Retro Bash @ Circus, 1227 N High St, 614.421.2998: Tired of the old thumpa-thumpa? Move your body to the best vintage dance tunes from the (late) great Donna Summer to Le Tigre. This party may be the alternative to the clubbing norm, but hey, alternative is the new normal - especially for Pride.

10p-close; 18+ $5, 21+ $3.

FRIDAY, JUNE 15 I DON’T SWEAT, I GLOW Run For Pride 5k @ Goodale Park, 120 W Goodale Park, 614.645.3300, www.columbuspride.org: Dust off those sneakers, protect those nips and run for your lives.

Prizes for top ten runners. 7p; $30.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14 PRE PRIDE PARTY TIME Sweatin @ Carabar, 115 Parsons Ave: Sweatin’ is one of the biggest dance parties in CBUS, and pride weekend will be no exception. Turn it out all night in preparation for the weekend’s festivities. Hopefully you have already taken the weekend off, it is a holiday after all. 10p, free.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14 Mary Ann Brandt Presents...More Songs Gays Like@ Level Dining Lounge, 700 N High St, 614.754.7111, www.levelcolumbus.com: No joke, it’s even more Songs Gays Like.

If that’s not enough incentive, why are you reading this magazine? Start Pride Weekend off right with $3 Long Islands or Three Olives Vodka. Drinks 8p, show 9p, $10 or $100 per table.

FRIDAY, JUNE 15 Patio Party @ Traxx Columbus, 95 Liberty St, 614.226.2275, traxxcolumbus.webs.com: Columbus’ only LGBT hip-hop club on Fridays is stepping the party game up for Pride weekend! Enjoy drinks and company on the patio or sweat it out on the dance floor. Just don’t be tardy for the party. 9p-close.

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 Pride Blessing Sunday @ Summit on 16th UMC, 82 E. 16th Avenue, http://summitumc.org: A Christian Service of Worship and Celebration for the month of Pride.

Potluck Lunch to follow. 10:30, free.

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 Dance for Pride @ Wall Street Nightclub, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Wall Street’s monthly First Friday dance party welcomes LGBTQA friends and “family” from across the Midwest!

June’s edition is also the annual kick-off to Stonewall Columbus’s PRIDE month! Resident DJ Michele Chaney mixes the best dance videos from the ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s & today! Doors open at 8p & the first 25 people through receive a Pride Festival dog tag or wristband! $5 admission 8-10p goes to Stonewall Columbus. 21+.

PRE PARADE BRUNCH @ LEVEL JUNE 15

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FRIDAY, JUNE 8 Comedy Tonight: The Pride Show @ The Short North Stage, 1187 N. High St, 866.967.8167, www.shortnorthstage.org: Zachariah Baird, the self-proclaimed “very merry queer,” will start Pride Week off the right way with a cohort of comedians, featuring Brooke Cartus, Joseph Ivan, Carlos Teel and Lindsey Martin. 9p, 11p; $8-$10.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13 OUT WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Network Columbus @ Arena Grand Movie Theatre, 175 W Nationwide Blvd, 614.469.5000, www.networkcolumbus.com: This is our annual political kickoff to PRIDE event, Out With Our Elected Officials. Join elected and appointed officials and candidates who support our community, and have your voice heard. There will be a special screening of an original documentary on the GLBT movement in Columbus and Ohio after the event, with donations to benefit Equality Ohio. 6p-8p; free.

TUESDAY, JUNE 12 LGBT Fundraiser for TJ Brown @ Club Diversity, 863 S High St, Call Evan for information or to R.S.V.P. 614.220-4500: Help raise money for Franklin County Recorder candidate and proud member of the LGBT community TJ Brown.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 Pride Poker Run @ Club Diversity, 863 S High St, 614.244.4050, www.clubdiversity.com: A poker run is an organized event where participants, usually using motorcycles, snowmobiles, boats, or horses, must visit five to seven checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one.

The object is to have the best poker hand at the end of the run. The event has a time limit, however the participants are not timed - winning is purely a matter of chance.

Check-in 10-10:45a Bikes Leave Promptly at 11a

FRIDAY, JUNE 22 DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER LOVE OR… PRIDE? Cher and Cher Alike @ Lincoln Theatre, 769 E Long St, www.cgmc.com: Fabulous gay men and allies singing the best of Cher. If that isn’t a match made in heaven, we don’t know what is. Through June 23. 8p; $30.

FRIDAY, JUNE 22 SHOW YOUR HOOTS IF YOU BELIEVE IN EQUAL RIGHTS! ComFest @ Goodale Park, corner of Goodale Blvd and Park St, 614.645.3300, www.comfest.com: If you support basic and equal rights for all people, you’ve got company.

Come out and celebrate with like-minded individuals at the party with a purpose. This is a community-driven event with local artists, speakers and vendors, and it’s 40 years strong. The festival starts at noon and runs through 11p on June 22, 10p on June 23 and 8p on June 24; free.

FRIDAY, JUNE 29 A CELEBRATION OF ESTROGENIC PROPORTIONS Keyholder with Whoopi Goldberg @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd, 614.225.9926, www.ticketmaster.com: She’s bold, brash, and outspoken, and nobody’s ever said, “Whoopi who?” The star of Sister Act and The View offers her outlook on the world in this Women’s Fund celebration of women and girls who have made a difference. 7p; $63.15.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 Avenue Q @ Wall Street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Imagine Productions brings everyone’s favorite puppet musical to the Wall Street stage. Through July 1.

7:30p; $17-$65.

Pride Parade @ High Street, 614.299.7764, www.columbuspride.org: GAYS (and Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgendered People, Queers and Allies of all types)! Join in at the end, and help outlook carry the giant flag! Noon; free

FRIDAY, JUNE 15 Big Gay Dance Party 2 @ Skully’s, 1151 North High St, 614-291-8856, www.skullys.org: Ain’t no party like an outlook party (if you were with us at Christmas, you already know) We are serving the hottest Pride party realness, and all the beautiful people will be there. Doors open at 9PM, $5 cover before midnight, $8 after, $10 under 21, $25 VIP w/ open bar and access to lounge area.

FRIDAY, JUNE 15 The Royal Renegrades presents Pride Heroes @ Wall Street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Dunn Dunna dunnnn! It’s SUPER drag time! Watch these girls take the drag king art to another level with host Alexis Stevens.

Then after the show, shake that groove thang with DJ Michele. Doors 7p, show 8p; $10. 18+

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13 Boys Night Out Underwear Dance Party @ Wall Street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: You’ve suffered through half the week dripping with anticipation for PRIDE. Boys in underwear sounds like the perfect kick-off event. The Dick and Jane show performs at midnight.

9p; $5.

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 Pride Art Show Opening Reception @ Spinelli’s Deli, 767 Neil Ave, 614.280.1044, www.spinellisdeli.c om: Enjoy a variety of pieces with celebrating pride as the theme. Work by artists Taryn Cook, Allen Dodson, Anthony Muncy and Sharon Stevens. 6p, free.

out & about

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Does anyone remember how hot it was last year? This year we’ll be inside in air conditioning!

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outlook’s 2012 pretty awesome Pride holiday guide Happy Pride Month!

acts begins at happy hour and continues until 11p. Saturday the festival opens at 10a and runs till 8p.

Here at outlook, we are getting our rainbows ready for a June full of festivities.

Prepare to be busy bustling around Cbus, because there is a whole month of Pride events to go along with the Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival on June 15-16, held at Goodale Park in historic Victorian Village. This two day celebration is one of the largest in the Midwest second only to Chicago, and is one of the few festivals in the country that continues to grow each year. In 2011 an estimated 210,000 people were in attendance. Yes, you read that right. 210,000 people. Holy crap, right?

Stonewall Columbus Pride festival was ranked as the 4th Best Event in Columbus by ColumbusUnderground.com readers and has received numerous awards over the last 30 years for being a “must do” event in Columbus. It doesn’t matter whether you are an ally or a member of the LGBT community, you can count on having a great time.

Not into the entertainment lineup? (Really? Are you a robot?) Well, don’t worry! Over 150 vendors will be on hand selling artwork and other merchandise, and nonprofit organizations will be educating people on the work that they do every day for equality. A family area is set up to entertain children and their parents in a safe and supportive atmosphere.

Special areas are also designated for our senior and teen community.

There is literally something available for everyone.

On Saturday, organizers stage a march down High Street starting at noon with your favorite GLBT, progressive mag bringing up the rear. The parade is a celebration of LGBTQIA culture and thousands of spectators line the parade route to watch the spectacle. Want to watch and a participant? You can watch the whole parade, then join in and help carry outlook’s giant flag at the very end!

On Sunday, Pride festival weekend wraps up with the annual Stonewall Pride Brunch from 11a-1p. After brunch, head over to Dodge Park for Bat-n-Rouge, the annual drag queen softball game. A day at the ball diamond is a great way to wind down from the weekend.

The festival weekend is a major fundraiser for Stonewall Columbus and The Center on High. Stonewall Columbus serves the Central Ohio LGBT community by providing a community center and offering programming and services that enhance the well-being and visibility of our diverse community through discovery, affirmation and celebration. Each program or service presented at the Center on High aligns with at least one of the organization’s core values: Health, Diversity, Faith or Art.

Remember, although the Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival is the third weekend in June, Pride isn’t limited to just one weekend - there are several other coordinating events around the city all Pride Month long.

And we have the line up for you right inside these pages.

Two days of fun and frivolity (and sometimes debauchery) make up Pride Fest. Friday night’s concert featuring local bands and headline

We can’t wait to see you out & about, and if we don’t - be safe, and have a Happy Pride!

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outlook is “pretty awesome” in general.

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Now kids, don’t try to forge Mayor Coleman’s signature, now.

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Want to know what advancements for our community have happened under Obama? http://www.whitehouse.gov/lgbt

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A Letter from the President of the Stonewall Columbus Board of Trustees

A Letter from the Executive Director to the Community It is with great excitement that I write to you about a subject that is very dear to me, Stonewall Columbus Pride. I began volunteering for Stonewall Columbus when I moved here in 1994. In 1998 my life partner, Linda Schuler and I were asked to join the Pride Committee as the Chairs of the Parade. That year, the March and Festival combined had approximately 15,000 people in attendance. It is hard to believe that it was fourteen years ago that we began working on the team that produces Pride. Now in 2012, Stonewall will probably host 200,000 people and touch the lives of countless others who believe in and hope for fairness and equality for all.

Linda and I always work together as a family and volunteering for this event was always part of our yearly plans.

We also begged many of our other friends and family members to help us and share in the fun and excitement of the day. It is a wonderful feeling to know that you work very hard for a cause and it gives so many people happiness and hope. I can’t think of a better way to spend the weekend with my family and in turn with all of you who will be joining us.

Our Pride committee, board and staff consists of thirtythree of the most highly professional and skilled individuals that I have ever met. Each of them brings a unique skill set to their area of responsibility and they have worked hundreds of hours to produce Pride 2010. They have made this event a success and done so with a mix of grace, precision and humor.

I want to encourage all of you to come out, bring your families, volunteer, have fun and raise money for a good cause.

Stonewall Columbus serves the Central Ohio LGBT community by providing a community center and offering programming and services that enhance the well-being and visibility of our diverse community through discovery, affirmation and celebration.

There is always a palpable buzz in The Center that begins in January and picks up in May each year. An amazing group of volunteers and staff work packed days and long hours to produce one of the largest PRIDE events in the Midwest. We have some exciting changes in store for everyone this year at PRIDE and we hope to make each year bigger and better than before! I feel honored to belong to such a great group and as the President of the Board at Stonewall Columbus, I am honored to lead a team of individuals that love The Center, love the city of Columbus and love the LGBTQ/Ally community.

Over the years, Stonewall has worked to get its fiscal as well as programming “house” in order. I am thankful to have been part of the transformation. Stonewall has really taken on a wide range of healthy programming offerings for our community, from The PRIDE event, to working with youth through the FUSION program and with seniors through the TRAILBLAZERS program, as well as a multitude of programming topics from various workshops to wellness programming, all for you and I. But we won’t stop there, our strategic plan calls for increased community collaboration with other agencies within “our” city and we are making that happen. We are always open to new ideas and this is what makes Stonewall a true “community” organization.

Help us help you. If you have a passion about an area, come into Stonewall, sit down, meet with us…let‘s make it happen. That’s the wonderful thing about YOUR Center. Many of the new programming offerings have come from individuals that saw a need and made it happen. As a “new” parent, I, myself see the world through a different lens these days, (which is often a foggy lens), but I am feeling the need for increased programming centered around families and that programming being all connected to supporting new parents, couples thinking about becoming parents and “seasoned” parents providing mentoring to our younger parents. I also see Stonewall Columbus as a place for supporting diversity and if you don’t believe that… talk with me. I believe that’s how change happens…we move forward, we listen, we act…but enough from me…

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, thank you Columbus for being who you are, for working hard to make this city a great one and for supporting your Stonewall Columbus Center on High. Thank you to the volunteers and staff that make this celebration called, “PRIDE,” what it is.

PRIDEFULLY,

Karla Rothan Executive Director Stonewall Columbus

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Letha Pugh Board President Stonewall Columbus

Yeah? Where are these friends of yours?

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Traut was planning on that exact hairstyle for Pride this year.

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In Our 31st Year of Pride, we Celebrate “Allies and Equality” An ally, by definition is “a person or group that is associated with another or others for some common cause or purpose.” In our community, we use the term “straight ally” as a colloquialism that describes a heterosexual person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, LGBTQ social movements and challenges homophobia. A straight ally believes that LGBT people suffer discrimination and thus are socially disadvantaged. And lucky for us, there are many in Columbus who can be described as such, and we decided to share the spotlight during our big, gay weekend with our ally friends and family.

“It is time to celebrate and shine a light on all of the people who are not from the LGBT community who support and fight for us every single day,” says Karla Rothan, the Executive Director of Stonewall Columbus.

And celebrate we will with these Honored Allies of 2012: Honorable Michael B. Coleman – Mayor of the City of Columbus Peggy Anderson – Chief Operating Officer - AIDS Resource Center Ohio Patrick McLoughlin - Senior Marketing Manager -Wireline Products – AT&T Renie McVeety – Vice President, Strategy and Innovation Systems - Battelle Aida Sabo - VP, Diversity & Inclusion - Cardinal Health Anthony Anzic - Vice President - JP Morgan Chase Kim Carmine – Marketing Director - Bud Light/Columbus Distributing Traci Dunn – Inclusion/Talent Organizational Effectiveness Director - Huntington Bank Candice Barnhardt – VP, Chief Diversity Officer, Office of Diversity and Inclusion - Nationwide Insurance Kirt Walker – President and COO - Nationwide Financial Tom Krach – Managing Partner - New York Life Susan Bottiggi – Market Executive, Wealth Management - PNC Bank Barbara Sokol – In Memoriam Do you want to be as awesome as these honored allies? Of course you do. PFLAG has made this handy-dandy list so you can get started on the path of becoming the ultimate straight ally. We give you permission to cut this page out and give it to those who could use a little enlightening.

1. Be open. Talk about having gay friends, family, colleagues, or acquaintances. When you talk about them, don’t omit the fact that they’re gay, lesbian, bi or transgender (GLBT).

2. Ask questions. Especially when you aren’t sure about the acronyms, terminology, or words to use when talking about your gay friends, family, colleagues or acquaintances.

3. Become informed. Learn about the realities, challenges and issues affecting the lives of GLBT people through websites, books, documentaries and educational materials.

4. Speak up. When you hear derogatory slurs or jokes, like “that’s so gay,” say something – and don’t use derogatory slurs or tell such jokes yourself.

5. Help your kids. Teach them about all different kinds of families. Be mindful of the day-to-day messages that they are receiving about gay and transgender people and issues in school, from friends, the web, and on TV. 6. Reconsider your membership. There are many organizations that overtly discriminate against the GLBT community. Be sure to let them know why you are leaving or not joining in the first place.

7. Think about where you spend. Support gay, lesbian, bi, and/or transgender-owned and friendly businesses that have policies in place to ensure equal treatment for all.

8. Challenge those around you. Encourage your social club, workplace, or faith community to consider inclusive policies that protect the GLBT community from discrimination.

9. Get loud. Write letters to the editor of your newspaper to comment as a straight ally on why you support respectful and equal treatment for GLBT people.

10. Become an advocate. Call, write, e-mail, or visit public policy makers and let them know that as a straight per­son who votes, you support laws that extend equal rights and protections to all people.

And guess what? The times, they are a-changin’. A recent Pew study conducted this year shows that 19 percent of Americans report that in the last five years they have become “more supportive” of rights for gay and lesbian people (73 percent report “no change” and only 6 percent say they have become “more opposed”). In a single decade, gay and lesbian relations have gone from being considered “morally wrong” to “morally acceptable” by a majority of Americans. And a large part of that shift is due to our allies.

Thanks, allies!

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Chad Frye has no problem with step #9. The hard part is keeping him quiet.

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Cannonball! (He won’t know what hit him.)

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The Ultimate CBUS Pride Ally – Q&A with Columbus Pride Grand Marshall Mayor Michael B. Coleman

by Orie Givens Mayor Michael B. Coleman is well into his fourth term as Columbus’ mayor, and this year, will serve as the Grand Marshal of our Columbus Pride celebration. As the mayor of the Midwest’s most queer-loving city, Mayor Coleman is working on bringing our city to the forefront, and helping to provide us CBUSers with the best place to live, work and enjoy life. I got a few moments of his very hectic schedule to talk about Pride, our CBUS GLBT community and the community-at-large, and some of the awesome (and not so awesome) things about the city we call home.

OG: You are the Grand Marshal for the 2012 Columbus Pride Festival and Parade. What does it mean to you as the mayor of Columbus to have that honor?

Mayor Michael B. Coleman: It’s a very high honor and a very important honor for me personally, to be selected as the grand marshal. I’m excited about it; it’s a big deal for me.

OG: We know now, as it has been reported, you are behind marriage equality. How did you come from your stance supporting civil unions to now?

MC: It was an evolution, and it was capped off when I met with Capt. Steve Hill, who is an Iraq war veteran and he works for the city of Columbus. He’s gay, and we met when he came back because I meet with all veterans who are city employees coming back from war. He told me about his experience when, you know – he had a partner, and we had the “don’t ask don’t tell” rules in the military and he couldn’t talk about {his partner}. He talked about how he fought for his country, yet, although he had a partner, he could not be married in the state of Ohio. That sort of took me over a line; if you fight for your country, you risk your life, you should have equal rights in the community you come from. That was the capping point. It wasn’t politics, it wasn’t pressure, it was an evolution.

OG: So now you would say you are fully in support of marriage equality.

MC: Yes I am, full support.

OG: Now let’s talk about the Gay community in Columbus. We are a city that is known for its visible, influential gay population – do you know why Columbus is that way?

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MC: We are a progressive city. We are a city that is very open, and very accepting. And we’re the cutting-edge city when it comes to most matters of being progressive in the country. And its leadership, we have strong LGBT leadership in the city; political leadership and business leadership. I think all three of those things combined, lead to a community that is a great place for the GLBT community to live, work and raise a family.

OG: Here in Columbus we just started a recycling program citywide. How important is it for Columbus to be in the forefront of green issues, for us to be green as possible?

MC: Like I said, Columbus is a progressive city. And I felt for my entire time as mayor that we need to get in front of being green, and we have been. All newly-built city buildings are considered green and sustainable, and the private sector is following us.

Now, recycling we have been behind the rest of the country, and it has been a challenge for the past 50 years where the city has tried to figure out how to recycle. We are now providing for every single-family residential household in this city, curbside comprehensive recycling without a subscription or extra fee.

OG: One of the discussions I have had with people in the city is how to make our public transportation more accessible and more efficient. Cities like Portland have very good light rails that connect their cities and the suburbs, but where is Columbus?

MC: I think in Columbus we have a very good bus company, but we need to transition from a bus company to a transit authority.

Our bus company is well managed, and well maintained. But we need to tear down the walls in a way to provide for a more open transit center that looks at transit as not just being transportation for those who don’t have transportation, but transportation for everybody in Columbus. And that means looking at light rail service, that means looking at alternative forms of service, that means looking at transit as not just moving people from point A to point B, but looking at transit as an economic development tool, as a growth opportunity for neighborhoods, connecting neighborhoods. There is a lot of work to be done in this area. And I think the public needs to begin to tell COTA, that ‘hey, great bus company, but we are now a 21st century city, and we need to act like one’. And we need to have transit that is far reaching beyond where it is today.

OG: Now, this is Columbus’s bicentennial year. As the mayor,

what do you think are some of our crowning accomplishments this year, and what should we look forward to in the next 200 years?

MC: I think the biggest thing to occur is repositioning the city. I think there is a city psyche that we always have to be concerned about. For the past many, many decades, Columbus has viewed itself as kind of a small-town player, a small town, a cow town - and that we are limited in our ability to do things.

But now I think, as a result of our bicentennial efforts and other things, that we view ourselves differently. We view ourselves as a city that has a young, vibrant dynamic. [We are] a growthoriented, exciting city that offers so much to our residents and visitors. And we are a city that is on the verge of a major renaissance. There are two kinds of cities in America, the 20th century cities and 21st century cities. 20th century cities have already reached their peak and are on their way down. 21st century cities, their best days are ahead of them, and Columbus’ best days are ahead of us. So what the 2012 celebration has done, all of the activities around it and there are hundreds of them, it has changed the view of how we view ourselves. And, I use the word ‘swagger’… that we need to have swagger.

OG: Let’s look at more predictions. Where do you see our city in 2020?

MC: Right now we are sitting just a shade above 800,000, by 2020 we will be probably a million people, assuming we continue on the trend we are going now. In our region, we will have over 2 million people. We will be by far, we are now, but will be by far the largest city in Ohio by leaps and bounds. [We’ll be] the center of media, the center of finance, the center of the world in Ohio. I expect us also to have by the year 2020, 100,000 new jobs and I expect our income per capita level to improve by 33%. We will not have the vacant and abandoned housing problem in our community, and that we will hopefully make great strides toward solving this transit problem and more towards a transit authority in our community. We will have even stronger neighborhoods in the city of Columbus and we’ll have a downtown that matches none in the country. And who knows, we may even have an NBA team.

Mayor Coleman has so much to say about CBUS that we couldn’t fit it all in print! Find out more about what he thinks about making Columbus greener, a comprehensive plan to remove or rehabilitate abandoned properties, where we’re headed in the next few years and extended answers to these questions and more on www.outlookcolumbus online!

This interview is twice as long - check out the full story on outlookcolumbus.com

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Oh why, oh why, oh why drink anything else buy OYO? We’re dinking some right now.

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Safety at Pride and Beyond

by Bel Martinez & Gloria McCauley Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO) will be celebrating 16 years of service to the LGBTQI community this year. Launched at Pride in 1996, BRAVO has proudly worked in the community to provide empowerment, visibility and services. During the month of June there is an uprising of hate crimes.* Columbus experiences this sad surge of activity as well. At Pride, safety becomes even more of a consideration for both individuals and the community.

Pride Begins at Home Last year, BRAVO took 111 reports of hate crime and 30 intimate partner violence reports. These crimes vary in intensity, but nonetheless these incidents affect our community. Hate crimes can come in the forms of verbal attacks to brutal beatings of individuals who are viewed to fall out of the mainstream population. Most attacks are being reported by individuals who were just participating in day-today activities such as frequenting establishments in the community, or enjoying a walk or jog. This year, nationally, the attacks on the Trans community have reached historical proportions. Some of these attacks, sadly, have been the cause of death for members of this community.

You are not alone. BRAVO can help. Don’t try to “fix” these situations by yourselves. We have trained crisis intervention specialists available in both our staff and our trained HelpLine volunteers (1-86686BRAVO) who can help you weigh your options, walk you through the various steps of dealing with the situation, and provide potentially life-saving advice and referrals.

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burn our flag or mace us. These individuals’ presence serves as a disheartening reminder that we still have a long way to go. Don’t engage these idiots; ignoring them provides them with little evidence to support their hate. You cannot change their hearts and minds; they simply are there to antagonize us into confrontation. Don’t give them what they want, turn the other cheek (especially if you are wearing chaps) and walk away.

While we celebrate, there are a few simple steps that can ensure the day remains safe and fun.

• Stay with a group, especially when walking between parks, parties and bars.

• “Hooking up” with someone you just met? Introduce your “date” to a friend or a bartender.

• If you plan on meeting up later, make sure to leave an address or place you are meeting with someone you trust.

• Substance use will affect your awareness and judgment heat at Pride can make it worse. Drink water- often!

• Have a designated driver/walker or be a designated driver/walker.

• Call BRAVO (866-86-BRAVO) or you can visit our webpage at www.bravo-ohio.org, for other helpful hints or to report an incident. All calls are confidential, and all reports may be made anonymously.

PRIDE is knowing how to take care of ourselves and each other. PRIDE is learning to “trust your gut.” If a situation doesn’t feel right or you feel unsafe – get out immediately. PRIDE is being out and PRIDE is looking out for others. We have every reason to be proud – but unfortunately we also have very real reasons to be cautious.

Pride Takes to the Streets

* NCAVP Annual Report on Hate Crimes www.NCAVP.org or www.bravo-ohio.org.

Pride Holiday is a time for fun, unity and awareness for us all. We celebrate, and play and revel in the full diversity that is the LGBTQ Community. Sadly, in addition to the leather and sequins, there are ubiquitous extremist protesters who would rebuke us,

BRAVO works to eliminate violence perpetrated on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identification, domestic violence, and sexual assault through prevention, education advocacy, violence documentation, and survivor services, both within and on behalf od the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender communities.

Please read carefully. We love you and want you to be safe.

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Good luck finding a parking spot in the Short North during Pride. You better call one of those yellow cars instead of driving.

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Message from the Stonewall Columbus 2012 Pride Volunteer Coordinator I became involved with Stonewall Columbus as an intern while pursuing a master’s degree in Social Work at The Ohio State University. On my first day, I was floored when I realized that the entire Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival and Parade is organized and run by only 5 paid staff members. In order to produce one of the biggest festivals in Columbus (and the 2nd largest Pride Festival in the MidWest), Stonewall depends on nearly 500 volunteers each year. Some of those volunteers serve on the Pride Committee and dedicate hundreds of hours to bring us Pride while many others arrive on Pride weekend and serve for a few hours before enjoying the festival themselves. Both are equally important to our annual celebration. Frankly, Stonewall Columbus Pride would not be possible without these committed volunteers. Communicating with and organizing all those volunteers takes a lot of work and over the past couple of years it has become such a large task that, for the first time, Stonewall Columbus has created a seasonal staff position to handle the work load. And that’s where I come in as the new Volunteer Coordinator of Stonewall Columbus Pride 2012.

Volunteering for Stonewall Columbus Pride is a direct and meaningful way to give back to the festival that brings our LGBT community together in unity and celebration. Your contribution is going to give you much more than just a T-Shirt (although the shirts this year are so cool they make it worth the time alone). It will also give you the satisfaction of knowing that you helped run the largest and longest-running, local LGBT event of the year. Signing up for a shift is easy – go to www.columbuspride.org and register on our secure site. There are still many different jobs available including beverage server, family area assistant, set-up crew, hospitality crew, photo and video assistants, parking meter crew, race volunteers and more. With our new registration system it is easier than ever to sign up for volunteer shifts in groups. Come volunteer, bring a friend, and make 10 more. We can’t do it without you. And by volunteering, you are making it possible for others to celebrate Pride, maybe for the first time.

Elizabeth Minot Pride 2012 Volunteer Coordinator Stonewall Columbus

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Money Matters Each year our Festival and March grows and is estimated to cost Stonewall Columbus a whopping $206,000 to produce the 2012 event. Sponsorships, vendor booth fees and float fees account for only a portion of the funds needed. A vital portion of the money needed to produce this major event comes from our LGBT and Ally community. Your donations at the gate and purchase of beverages fund this community festival and allow us to continue and to expand the event each year. Revenue collected at the Festival goes back to our LGBT community center, the Center on High, and to Stonewall Columbus. Stonewall Columbus has provided programs and services to LGBT people in Central Ohio for thirty-one years. Because of your support, this organization continues to advocate for our causes, offer programs and services vital to the well-being of our LGBT community and to host one of the largest Pride celebrations in the country. The Pride Festival showcases our LGBT community and allies and offers an opportunity for the Central Ohio area to celebrate the diversity of our population. Without your generous support, Pride could not exist and we Thank You!

How Can I Help?

You can help us to continue and expand this major community event each year.

Here’s how: Donate at the Gate!

You will be asked for an Admission Donation of $5 as you enter the park each day. This donation helps Stonewall Columbus pay for Pride. Purchase a $10 Pride 2010 Dog Tag or Wristband prior to the event and use the express lane at the Festival gate both days! Buy Dog Tags and Wristbands here: http://www.columbuspride.org Complete The Circle!

Our Pride Circle is a special group of supporters who contribute to help Stonewall Columbus produce the Pride Festival and money given to this effort goes directly to the cost of producing this yearly cultural event. Each person who enrolls in Pride Circle by June 1, 2012 will be recognized on our website and on the event signage at our festival as a Pride Circle Donor.

Enroll safely and securely online at columbuspride.org/donate.

flags as far as the eye can see...

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The massive flag will be back again this year - help us carry it!

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Your Dontations at Work: Stonewall Columbus Programs & Services Spotlight on Youth and Seniors!

Stonewall Fusion Fusion is a social space for the Central Ohio college-age LGBTQ community and their allies. Each month includes music, food, games, and drag performances. It is a safe place to hang out and meet friends: A place to be. Sponsored by Stonewall Columbus.

Website: stonewallcolumbus.org/fusion Email: fusionfridaycolumbus@gmail.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=88969 766824 Twitter: http://twitter.com/Fusion1Friday

Trailblazers The Trailblazers is a new program at Stonewall Columbus for LGBT Seniors ages 50+ that was created through a generous gift from The Legacy Fund. Trailblazer events include seminars, computer workshops, The Trailblazer Newsletter, and Social Outings.

Each year Stonewall hosts a series of seminars and a series on eldercare starts this fall. Topics include understanding LGBT senior’s needs, building the LGBT caregiver’s toolbox, building support networks and preventing caregiver burnout, and legal issues facing LGBT seniors.

Stonewall Columbus also conducts a free computer workshop for Trailblazers designed to make participants more comfortable with computers and help them stay connected to the community.

Workshops are fun and have a small class size so that everyone can get to know each other and get plenty of attention from the instructors.

discounted food and drinks.

This year has been busy for the Trailblazers, and there is still much more to come, so join us!

Website: http://www.stonewallcolumbus.org/trailblazers Email: lgum@stonewallcolumbus.org Phone: 614-930-2265

Ballroom Dancing 6-week classes for beginners (6:30) and intermediate (7:30) levels.

Columbus Bi Network Group Columbus Bi Network intends to be a space for and resource to Central Ohio persons who are attracted to more than one gender. Through social events, community outreach initiatives, support groups, and other activities, the Columbus Bi Network facilitates a sense of pride in ourselves and our community.

Euchre & Poker Night Come by yourself, with a date, partner, spouse, family, or a whole truck load of friends.

Everyone is Welcome! Bring a Deck of Cards, Poker chips (if that’s your game), a beverage (non-alcohol please) and a snack to share if you like.

Gay, Joyous, and Free Narcotics Anonymous A weekly support group of GLBT individuals who are struggling with and/or recovering from drug addiction.

Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism An open and all-inclusive group whose purpose is to provide an atmosphere for learning and studying Nichiren’s Buddhism, with the teachings based on Lotus Sutra, along with chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, which means, “The devotion to the Law of Cause and Effect through Sound.”

OutLoud Drop in anytime for coffee, snacks, conversation, or just to hang out someplace that isn’t home.

Discuss hot topics and LGBT history using current literature, movies and documentaries, and guest speakers.

Sober, Strong and Free Lesbian Group AA A weekly support group offering hope and help to alcoholic lesbian and bisexual women.

Stonewall Columbus Runners’ Connection The group meets to learn the basics of effective running for good overall health, exercise, race training and fun. Bi-monthly meetings are held as outings at a variety of locations in Columbus to run/walk. All levels of experience are welcome and encouraged to join.

Testing - HIV Girls Night In Girls’ Night In – Game Night. Join us for a fun night of playing games.

The Trailblazer Newsletter is coming out this summer and will feature articles, photography and editing by and for Trailblazers.

GLBT Hiking Club

And of course we have our incredibly popular Social Outings! Once a month Trailblazers meet at the Center on High and get a ride to the theater or a concert, and then finish up at Union Café for

Men’s Coming Out Group

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share their issues with coming out and provide a place to meet others who may be going through the same transition or who have already come out.

This seasonal social group meets at the Center on High and then travels to various locations throughout Central Ohio.

Free Rapid HIV Testing Every Monday (excluding Holidays) 1st, 2nd and 4th Monday of each month - 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm 3rd Monday of each month - 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm ARC Ohio, in partnership with Stonewall Columbus, offers weekly HIV testing upstairs at the Center on High, 1160 N. High Street. Walk-in Service – You Do Not Need an Appointment. There is no charge for this testing.

Drop-in discussion group for men of all ages to

I think Chris and Erin should take ballroom dancing lessons together.

Testing - STD Free Syphilis, Gonorrhea and Chlamydia STD Testing 3rd Monday of each month - 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm Testing provided by Columbus Public Health Department.

Upstairs at the Center on High, 1160 N. High Street. Walk-in Service – You Do Not Need an Appointment. There is no charge for this testing. A blood and urine sample will be collected during this testing.

Transgender, Cross Dressing, Gender Variant Peer Support Group Peer led support group. Open to everyone - FtM, MtF, Cross Dressers, Gender Queer, Intersexed, etc.

Drop-ins welcome.

TransOhio Serves the Ohio transgender and ally communities by providing services, education, support and advocacy, which promotes and improves the health, safety and life experience of the Ohio transgender individual and community.

TransOhio Partners’ Discussion Group TransOhio Partners Discussion Group is an opportunity for people to talk about common issues, to receive support, to exchange resources and to openly share personal experiences, personal frustrations and fears, the high’s and the low’s, dealing with children, friends, family, managing social situations and addressing issues of sexuality, personal identity, and social perceptions.

This group is for Non-Trans partners (dating, married, co-habitation, etc) only.

Women’s Book Club A primarily lesbian group with members from many backgrounds and ages. Friendly, thoughtprovoking discussions on a range of topics, generally related to the month’s book.

Yoga Yoga class for all levels. Classes are held in sixweek series which repeats.

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Was I supposed to have already filed my taxes? I better call Jerry!

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2012: A Banner Year for Pride

by Christa Sidman

our message across the city.

How can you tell it’s almost Pride Weekend 2012? Just look up. Along the streets of downtown, 60 colorful banners will be snapping in the breeze. They tell the story of one man’s vision and a community that is united in pride.

Malcolm reports that both gay and straight donors have contributed to the Pride Banner Project. Why the broad appeal? “It’s a feel-good donation. People can see where their money goes. They can drive down the street and point to a banner and say, ‘I did that,’” says Malcolm.

The story begins with the Downtown Banner Program, which was created by Experience Columbus to allow local 503(c) non-profit organizations to promote their events. At various times of the year, you can see these banners hanging from brackets on light poles, mostly along High Street or close to it on major streets like Broad and Nationwide.

Every year since the late 1990s, Stonewall Columbus has sponsored 15 downtown banners to promote the June Pride Festival and Parade. But last year was special, because 2011 marked the festival’s 30th anniversary. That’s when Malcolm Riggle, former owner of Outlook Media decided to step in and sponsor 15 more banners for a symbolic total of thirty.

Malcolm was no stranger to philanthropy. He was a Stonewall board member and understood the importance of ongoing LGBT advocacy. And with a degree in marketing management and advertising from Wittenberg, he knew how to make an impact. He was inspired to take charge of what we now call the Pride Banner Project.

And when you donate to the Pride Banner Project, 100% of your money goes toward printing and hanging the banners.

It’s pass-through money; Stonewall doesn’t keep a penny.

But because of Stonewall’s 503(c) status, donations are tax deductible. (Donations you make now will fund next year’s Pride Banners but impact this year’s taxes.)

Sponsoring a banner is surprisingly affordable. It costs $300: $200 to print it and $100 per year to hang it. And of course, as banners wear out, they will need to be replaced.

The Pride Banner Project has made great strides, but Malcolm is already looking to the future. “I want to have 40 more banners in 2013,” he says. “And if we get more than 40 … woo-hoo! We’ll take ‘em.” He’d love to be able to fill all 200 downtown banner locations with Pride banners for the month of June.

“Street banners send the message that a city believes in itself. They get people talking about what’s going on,” he says. “You don’t realize how powerful they can be.” Last year’s 30 Pride banners sparked a huge positive response.

People sent texts and posted on the Stonewall website. They made donations for 2012. They even offered to help hang this year’s banners.

He also wants to share the bounty with other non-profits.

Many organizations don’t use the downtown banner space, Malcolm notes, while others that might want to do so are outside the program’s geographic range. The northernmost spot in the Downtown Banner Program is the corner of Goodale and High. But Malcolm envisions banners lining High Street all the way to Fifth Avenue, helping Short North non-profits like the Garden Theatre raise awareness closer to home. “I’m going to have that conversation with the folks at Experience Columbus,” he says.

Part of that reaction was due to the banners’ new design, which features the Columbus skyline set against a vibrant LGBT rainbow. “We wanted bold colors and white text on a black background,” explains Karla Rothen, Stonewall’s executive director. “Our message really needs to pop.”

More than 117,000 commuters drive through downtown Columbus every day, and more than 44.3 million visitors come to Columbus each year. Jobs, festivals and conventions bring them in, but we all play a part in inspiring them to return. That’s especially true during Pride Weekend.

Malcolm agrees. “We have just a few seconds to capture people’s attention,” he notes. He feels the new design works on two levels. For those who ‘get it,’ it’s an affirmation of LGBT pride. For those who don’t, it adds color and life to the street.

As Malcolm says, “In some cases I can do a lot, and in other cases I can only do a small amount, but every little bit helps.” Why not reach out and help hang the streets with rainbows? They’re the visible reminders of LGBT unity — not to mention the hottest party of the year!

Encouraged by last year’s success, Malcolm decided to try to get 30 more banners for 2012 by hosting a series of fundraisers early this year. After just one fundraiser, he had almost enough money to reach his goal. Not long afterward, he got the full amount. So this year, 60 banners will shout

To donate to the Pride Banner Project by mail, phone or fax, fill out the form at: http://www.stonewallcolumbus.org/files/BannerProjectDonationForm.pdf.

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The dome of that church kinda looks like a boob...

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We borrow our flag from Key West - I think we should return it in person this year.

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2012 Festival Dates Friday, June 15, 3p – 11p & Saturday, June 16, 10a – 8 p Booth INFO

2012 Deadlines Booth Registration Deadline – Friday, June 10, 2012 5p PM (P) 614.930.2265 (F) 614.299.4408 vendors@columbuspride.org

Merchandise Pride Dog Tags & Wristbands $10 Each The commemorative dog tags and wristbands cover your entrance donation for both days of the festival.

Order Here: www.columbuspride.org

Beverages All Alcoholic Beverages are obtained by purchasing beverage tickets and redeeming them at the Beverage location of your choice at the Park.

Remember - We ID! You Must Be 21 to Buy alcohol!

Have your proof of age identification with you – you must show it to our beverage ticket personnel to buy tickets!

Beverage Ticket Prices: $5 per Ticket Beers – 1 Ticket/Beer Bud Light Bud Shocktop Landshark

Official Columbus Pride T-Shirts $15-$17 Each Super Soft Heather Orange Blended Tee with Purple Ink. A portion of the proceeds go to Stonewall Columbus. Free Shipping.

Order Here: http://bitylink.info/pride2012

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Wines - 1 Ticket/Glass Provided by Barefoot Wine Chardonnay or Pinot Noir Liquor – 1 Ticket/Drink Made with Jose Cuervo and Smirnoff Sex on the Beach Margaritas Blue Berry Lemonade

OMG! It’s pride month so exciting!

• Tents, tables and chairs are available for rent from Stonewall Columbus or you may bring your own.

• If a larger space than you request is used or needed you will be charged for an additional space.

• Food Booth A Vendors are required to pay a $250 refundable deposit. The deposit is refundable subject to verification of a clean booth space after the Festival by a Stonewall Representative and a City of Columbus Representative. Refunds will not be given for Food Booth areas left with trash, grease or other food & beverage prep remnants.

• Stonewall Columbus has final determination over the placement of all booths and reserves the sole right to place booths on any location that it deems fit.

• Payment in full is due when you submit your registration form unless other arrangements have been approved in advance by Stonewall Columbus. Placement is only guaranteed when payment is received. No Post-Dated Checks will be accepted. Credit Card Payments will be charged when your registration form is submitted. Incomplete applications will be returned to you, hindering eligibility for available spaces.

• You will receive an email to confirm your registration

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Don’t mess with that Jillaroo. She means business.

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Pride Performers

Friday June 15th

We are very excited to have the following performers for Pride this year. We are ramping up Friday June 15th entertainment with last year’s Voice finalist BEVERLY McCLELLAN, Dance Diva BIG FREEDIA, & comic IAN HARVIE! Saturday has KRISTINE W, who currently holds the world’s record for Most Consecutive #1 Billboard Club Hits with nine; Madonna and Janet Jackson each had seven in a row.

We will close Saturday with the FABULOUS JOHNSON BROTHERS who promise to ramp it up with some awesome surprises!

Gazebo Stage - Emcee Brooke Cartus 4:00 Open Poetry Slam 6:00 Cher-e-Oke with Wayne Smith as Cher 8:00 Comedy Hour with Brooke Cartus, Joseph Ivan & IAN HARVIE 9:00 My Beloved Tragedy (Alternative/Indie/Rock) 10:00 Hairplane (80s Pop/New Wave/Modern)

We are so pleased to have our local Community Groups performing again: Capital Pride Band, Flaggots, Stompers, Women’s Chorus, & Gay Men’s Chorus.

Also performing will be Winslow, Diana Chittester Band, Josh Zuckerman, 99 Problems, My Beloved Tragedy, HIT M ENT, Crazy Weeps, Alexis Antes, World Famous Weed Eaters, Steele Brothers, Wonder Twin Powers, Ellie Lee, The August, Hairplane, Royal Renegades, & Karaoke with Cher (aka Wayne Smith) & more!

Kristine W: http://www.kristinew.com/about.html BeverlyMcClellan: http://www.beverlymcclellan.com/ Big Freedia: http://bigfreedia.com Ian Harvie: http://ianharvie.com/ Fabulous Johnson Brothers: http://www.facebook.com/the.fabulous.Johnson.Brothers Winslow: http://www.winslowsoul.com/ Josh Zuckerman Band: http://joshzuckerman.com Diana Chittester Band: http://www.dianachittester.com The August: http://www.theaugust.com/ Ellie Lee: http://www.bluesfury.com 99 Problems: http://www.99problemsofficial.com/ Wonder Twin Powers: http://wondertwinpowersmusic.com/ Hairplane: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hairplan Teen Fiction: http://www.facebook.com/teenfiction HIT M ENT: http://www.facebook.com/UNECC Crazy Weeps: http://www.reverbnation.com/marierineveld World Famous Weed Eaters: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-World-Famous-Weedeaters My Beloved Tradegy: http://www.facebook.com/mybelovedtragedy Columbus Women’s Chorus: http://www.cwchorus.org/ Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus: http://www.cgmc.com/ Capital Pride Band: http://www.cappride.org Flaggots Ohio: http://www.flaggotsohio.org/ Stompers Columbus: http://columbusstompers.wordpress.com/ Chicago Spirit Brigade: http://www.chicagospiritbrigade.org Highball Halloween Entertainers Emcee: DavidEmerson from Rewind 103.5

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Shelterhouse Stage - Emcee David Emerson from rewind 5:00 The Pink Flamingos Band (Blues/Rock) 6:00 The August (Country Rock) / Steele Brothers (Rock) 7:00 Wonder Twin Powers (Pop/Soul) 8:00 Ellie Lee (Blues) 9:00 BEVERLY McCLELLAN from The Voice (Blues/Rock) 10:00 Big Freedia & The Divas (Hip Hop/Rap)

Saturday June 16th Gazebo Stage 1:00 2:25 2:45 3:10 3:25 3:40 4:00 4:45 5:30

The World Famous Weed Eaters (New Orleans Rap/Bounce) Women’s Chorus Gay Men’s Chorus Stompers *Park St - Flaggots *Park St - Capital Pride Band Alexis Antes (Acoustic Rock/Folk/Pop) Crazy Weeps (Folk) HIT M ENT (Hip Hop/Reggae)

Shelterhouse Stage - Emcee David Emerson from rewind 12:00 Teen Fiction (Pop/Post-Punk/Surf) 1:00 99 Problems (Hip Hop) 2:00 Josh Zuckerman Band (Alternative Pop) / Royal Renegades (Drag) 3:00 Diana Chittester Band (Folk with a punk edge) 4:00 Winslow (Soul/Funk/Rock/Jazz) 4:50 Chrystina Sayers from Girlicious (Pop) / Alexis Stevens (Drag) 5:00 KRISTINE W (Dance/Pop) / Cher (Drag) / Chicago Spirit Brigade (Spirit) 6:00 FABULOUS JOHNSON BROTHERS (Pop/Rock/Soul)

Get ready to jump and shout!

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I like that the women outnumber the guys on this page.

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Catching Up With Kristine W Dance diva on new music, keeping the gays in line and pressure to go country

by Chris Azzopardi We all know Kristine W – or do we? In one of her most revealing interviews ever, the gay-adored dance-music powerhouse recently caught up with us to chat about the closeted gay choir director who inspired her as a kid, her upcoming summer release and the pressure on her – a farm girl from Washington – to pursue country.

Chris Azzopardi: What’s new, Kristine?

Kristine W: Working on the new album. I just got out of the studio, and got my hard drive stuffed in my purse. We do sessions and put everything on our hard drive, so I run around with hard drives stuffed in my purse. (Laughs) The new album is so fun. Bimbo Jones is a great production team to work with. It’s been a wild ride and very labor-intensive, but the next few months we’re going to be really churning and burning to finish it up. We shot the album cover with Mike Ruiz in New York this past week. We’re just having a hard time coming up with a title. We’re all over the place.

CA: How do you approach new music?

KW: I don’t want to be an ambulance chaser. I always find it annoying that someone does what the last five people have done, so I try to create stuff that’s different and tap into my audience and see what they’re feeling at the moment and do songs they can relate to.

A lot of songs on the new album will be new productions of my original hits. We’re doing a mix of brand-new material and a few of the No. 1s that we tend to do a lot, because if we don’t people start freaking out. If there’s no “Land of the Living” or “One More Try,” you get hate mail.

CA: Weren’t you raised on a farm?

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KW: Yeah, totally. My grandpa was an alfalfa and wheat farmer and he raised black angus beef cattle for the Black Angus restaurant chain back in the day. So I kind of brought the ranch with me, because I have a little ranch where we perform. It looks like a little farmhouse, but it’s actually a rehearsal studio. We call it “the ranch.” It’s on two-and-a-half acres, so we can be as loud as we want and nobody gets mad at us. I have my horses out there, and I have a sheep and a goat, and random animals that people drop off that they don’t want anymore.

(Laughs) My mom was telling me I remind her of Eva Gabor in “Green Acres.”

CA: Not many gay people around, I assume.

KW: Not really. When I was a kid, the first person that I figured out was gay was my choir director – believe it or not, I figured that one out!

(Laughs) Obviously he wasn’t out at all, but my mom used to pretend to be his girlfriend and I was hip to the fact that he was definitely not her boyfriend, that he was her confidante or best friend. I was like, “Wait a minute!”

CA: What kind of influence did he have on you musically?

KW: I remember I’d go over to his house all the time; I just adored him. He was one of my best friends and he gave me piano lessons and singing lessons. He and I were super tight. He always gave me the solos because I had this big ol’ voice, so I got to be the calling card as the church got fuller. People were talking about this kid who could sing really good. I brought an audience and helped make the church popular.

But he was my first. He was always around after my dad died when I was three. I was about eight-years-old when I realized that he was definitely not my mom’s boyfriend. In Vegas we call

them a “shill,” where gamblers are hired by the casino to pretend that they’re gambling. So, she was that. He was a sixth-grade teacher, and she knew that if anyone caught wind that he was gay, he would’ve lost his job – he would’ve lost everything. So I learned early on how the party rolls. When I was embraced by the gay community, I just thought how proud he would’ve been.

CA: What was your mom like?

KW: My mom was a working musician, so she performed six nights a week from 5 to 11 o’clock. I don’t think she had a hardcore passion for it; it was more about survival. She’s really good at the wigs; she looked like Liz Taylor. She had the black hair and beautiful blue eyes. And perfect boobs. I call her a musical therapist, because she sang half the time, talked half the time and knew everyone. It was like a “Cheers” atmosphere. And, for me, that’s where that comes from.

CA: How did you wind up taking the dance-pop route instead of going country?

KW: There was a lot of pressure for me to do country because I was good at it. But I started winning these competitions in junior high as a jazz soloist. Because my mom would perform on the weekends with jazz trios, I was around all these amazing musicians and people would constantly teach me old music. When I came to Vegas, there really wasn’t any style of music I couldn’t sing, because I grew up with a mom who sang country and sang jazz tunes and standards. My two best friends – one Mexican, one black – turned me onto all the killer R&B, soul and dance music.

I remember the turning point was when I was a kid and I heard Donna Summer on the radio and that just stopped me in my tracks – her combi-

I think she’s trying to channel the leatherman from The Village People.

nation of a gospel voice with dance music. I remember being a kid and my mom going, “What’s wrong with you?”

CA: You have more No. 1s on the Billboard dance charts than Donna Summer and Whitney Houston, both of whom also had big voices. What are your thoughts on Whitney’s legacy?

KW: While performing in Vegas, we did Whitney Houston medleys all the time. I remember us doing “Queen of the Night” and “I’m Every Woman.” We did a whole medley for my Vegas show. Nobody sounded like her. They’ve tried to emulate her, but she’s one of a kind.

I’m angry, because she was constantly surrounded by people. Why didn’t someone just say, “This is it, sister, we gotta clean this shit up”?

It’s weird. I’ve been asking myself, “Why are you so mad about it?” But it’s sad. They just watched a train go off its tracks. It makes my heart ache. I wish I would’ve been her friend. If my gay boys get out of hand, I figure out something.

CA: Have you intervened in the lives of your gay friends before?

KW: Oh god, yes. One, a really talented drag performer, lived with me for four or five months, and he got on crack. Boy, did I witness some shit. His teeth were falling out, and to see how he deteriorated in a year was just shocking. But I turned his life around. He’s so successful now.

I’ve never done any drugs, no pot, but I like my champagne. Pinot noir if I’m really partying hard!

Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com.

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Omg, have you seen Tom Cruise’s get up in Rock of Ages. I might go see it just for the laugh.

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Pride 2012 Parade judges

Kristyn Hartman

Xenia Palus

Rob Petit

10TV News Anchor

Our Best Ally

Gay

2012 Pride Parade Saturday, June 16, Noon Float, Vehicle, Walking Group Registration Deadline: Monday, June 11 @ 5p (P) 614.299.7764 (F) 614.299.4408 parade@columbuspride.org Parade Float or Flatbed

Any float or flatbed that is driven or pulled in the Pride Parade must be registered as a float/flatbed. Floats/flatbeds which are towed or pulled by another vehicle are considered one total combined Parade entry. Floats/flatbeds which are accompanied by walkers only need to register as a float/flatbed.

Parade Vehicle

Any passenger car, pickup truck, or van that is driven in the Pride Parade must be registered as a vehicle. Vehicles which are accompanied by walkers must be registered as a vehicle and a walking group.

Parade Walking Groups

A Walking Fee is charged for Sponsored Groups marching in the Parade, with or without an accompanying vehicle. A Sponsored group is defined as any group that is affiliated with, sponsored by or promotes a government, religious, social, political or commercial interest.

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Help close the parade by joining outlook in carrying the 100ft pride flag. Sign up: outlookcolumbus.com

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Dark Lady laughed and danced and lit the candles one by one. Clap! Clap!

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Black Gay Pride - The national movement is finally making its way to Columbus

by D.A. Steward

focused around this mobilization.

It’s a well-known fact to the readers of this magazine that Columbus hosts one of the Midwest’s largest Pride Festival each year. Yet a lesser-known fact is that in the minds of many LGBT people of color, it’s never quite lived up to expectations. The beautifully gay pomp and circumstance that takes over Columbus for two days each June has typically been void of culturally competent events geared towards the black gay community.

If you look at other cities with famous Black Prides, mobilization was also the impetus of their first celebrations.

In an age where Black Pride has become nearly as popular as the mainstream festival in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington DC, Columbus has never quite had anything outside of a few well-planned bar raves to celebrate the national movement that is Black Pride each year.

Until now.

A group of LGBT community leaders have joined forces with Stonewall Columbus to add “Columbus Urban Pride” to the official list of Pride events this year. Urban Pride will run concurrently with the local Pride festivities but will include several gatherings that are socially relevant to Pride participants that are gay and of color.

A full list of events have been compiled for the entire weekend, including several parties such as a Patio Party hosted by Traxx Columbus, Keigo Entertainment’s 7th Annual Sex Sales Party at Alrosa Villa, a White Party and Traxx’s new Sunday with the Stars party at The Garage Bar. There will also be several daytime options including Thursday workshops centered on mental health and HIV/AIDS along with a citywide inter-faith service Sunday morning and a brunch with live entertainment Sunday afternoon. (For a full list of events and locations visit www.stonewallcolumbus.org or the Columbus Urban Pride Facebook group.)

I, along with many local LGBT people of color, think such a list of events is long overdue, and I’m eagerly awaiting the creation of a Black Pride weekend in Columbus. Our community is mobilizing like never before, with organizations like the Columbus Black Gay Men’s Coalition, The Greater Columbus Mpowerment Center, Traxx Columbus and the new HUE Leadership Summit that’s geared towards LGBT youth of color. Why not create a weekend

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“The first Black Pride was in 1991 (in Washington DC) during the height of the AIDS epidemic; leaders from that movement were coming together to raise money for those who were dying,” said Earl Fowlkes, president of both the Black Pride in DC and the International Federation of Black Prides. “The early Black Prides were parties with a purpose.”

In 1997 when Fowlkes came on board to run DC’s Black Pride he noticed a host of other Black Prides had sprung up around the country because of the success of the big Memorial Day weekend Black Pride in DC He and the lead organizers of the Prides in L.A., Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia and many others came together that next year in DC to discuss a national strategy of support and growth. Then in May of 1999, the IFBP had their first official meeting.

The group has since grown to become the largest non-profit in the country that focuses on the plight of black LGBT issues. HIV testing and AIDS awareness are still major facets of most Black Prides as an homage to the early days of the Black Pride movement.

According to their website, IFBP currently represents 35 Black Pride events, but Fowlkes says there are many more and after this year the IFBP plans to re-brand and expand their strategy in big ways in order to include all Black Prides across the country.

“Black Pride has been around for 22 years, but we need to evolve beyond HIV. It’s no longer enough to just be a party with a purpose,” he said. “There are other issues our community is dealing with that we also need to address.”

This summer, Fowlkes is hoping to initiate new regulations that open up membership to any Pride backed by an LLC (the current policy requires backing by a community based organization, much like an AIDS resource center). They’re also planning to expand the annual IFBP members conference in January to include professional development workshops for those just starting

If you could only see how short Michael’s shorts were...

Black Prides and other health initiatives. They’re even looking into changing the name.

“There’s always been this inner struggle of the older leaders versus the younger leaders. But most people age out of Pride by 35.

It’s time for a new generation to take over,” Fowlkes said.

The time seems ripe for change across the nation and in Columbus regarding Black Pride, so much so that Traxx Columbus is even looking into building towards a Columbus Black Pride in the fall of 2013.

“We’re currently in the planning stages to host a regional (Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky) ‘urban’ weekend that will take place in early August this year in collaboration with the local ballroom community,” said Brandon Chapman, Traxx’s community relations/public relations manager.

Chapman said Traxx is hoping this smaller effort will lead towards a larger official Black Pride event next year. They’ll be calling on all leaders and organizations within the black gay community to participate in order to make it a “destination” event. However, no official plans have been confirmed.

Of course talk of Black Pride often brings up the question, “Why does their need to be a separate Pride? Pride is supposed to be a celebration for all who are LGBTQA ,right?” The answer to this question isn’t so simple.

There are definitely unique experiences faced by those who are black and LGBT, and the need to congregate around such experiences is partly what leads to such celebrations. But it’s more than that.

“There’s no desire to be separate,” said Erin Upchurch, an organizer of Columbus Urban Pride. “We simply want to enhance the visibility of the black gay community and build awareness.

Our allies are also more than welcome to join us. These events are not just for people of color.”

Interested in helping with the 2013 Columbus Black Pride? Contact Aaron Riley. rileyaaron@sbcglobal.net. For a full list of events and locations catering toward the people of color at this year’s Pride Holiday weekend visit www.stonewallcolumbus.org or the Columbus Urban Pride Facebook group.

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Look at all that local and national support! We’ve come a long way, baby.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 1 Dance for Pride @ Wall Street Nightclub, 144 N Wall St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Wall Street’s monthly First Friday dance party welcomes LGBTQA friends and “family” from across the Midwest! June’s edition is also the annual kick-off to Stonewall Columbus’s PRIDE month! Resident DJ Michele Chaney mixes the best dance videos from the ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s & today! Doors open at 8p & the first 25 people through receive a Pride Festival dog tag or wristband! $5 admission 8-10p goes to Stonewall Columbus. 21+.

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 Pride Blessing Sunday @ Summit on 16th UMC, 82 E. 16th Avenue, http://summitumc.org: A Christian Service of Worship and Celebration for the month of Pride.

Potluck Lunch to follow. 10:30, free.

versity, 863 S High St, Call Evan for information or to R.S.V.P. 614.220-4500: Help raise money for Franklin County Recorder candidate and proud member of the LGBT community TJ Brown.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13 Boys Night Out Underwear Dance Party @ Wall Street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: You’ve suffered through half the week dripping with anticipation for PRIDE. Boys in underwear sounds like the perfect kick-off event. The Dick and Jane show performs at midnight.

9p; $5.

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 Pride Art Show Opening Reception @ Spinelli’s Deli, 767 Neil Ave, 614.280.1044, www.spinellisdeli.com: Enjoy a variety of pieces with celebrating pride as the theme. Work by artists Taryn Cook, Allen Dodson, Anthony Muncy and Sharon Stevens. 6p, free.

OUT WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Network Columbus @ Arena Grand Movie Theatre, 175 W Nationwide Blvd, 614.469.5000, www.networkcolumbus.com: This is our annual political kickoff to PRIDE event, Out With Our Elected Officials. Join elected and appointed officials and candidates who support our community, and have your voice heard. There will be a special screening of an original documentary on the GLBT movement in Columbus and Ohio after the event, with donations to benefit Equality Ohio. 6p-8p; free.

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 Comedy Tonight: The Pride Show @ The Short North Stage, 1187 N. High St, 866.967.8167, www.shortnorthstage.org: Zachariah Baird, the self-proclaimed “very merry queer,” will start Pride Week off the right way with a cohort of comedians, featuring Brooke Cartus, Joseph Ivan, Carlos Teel and Lindsey Martin. 9p, 11p; $8-$10.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14 Equality Ohio Equality Express Bus Tour Kickoff @ Equality Ohio, 61 Jefferson Ave, 614.224.0400, www.equalityohio.com: Help send off the Equality Express team on their statewide service and voter registration drive! They still need donations, contact lee@equalityohio.org for more info.

4-8p, free

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 Pride Poker Run @ Club Diversity, 863 S High St, 614.244.4050, www.clubdiversity.com: A poker run is an organized event where participants, usually using motorcycles, snowmobiles, boats, or horses, must visit five to seven checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one. The object is to have the best poker hand at the end of the run. The event has a time limit, however the participants are not timed - winning is purely a matter of chance. Check-in 1010:45a Bikes Leave Promptly at 11am

Mary Ann Brandt Presents...More Songs Gays Like@ Level Dining Lounge, 700 N High St, 614.754.7111, www.levelcolumbus.com: No joke, it’s even more Songs Gays Like. If that’s not enough incentive, why are you reading this magazine? Start Pride Weekend off right with $3 Long Islands or Three Olives Vodka. Drinks 8p, show 9p, $10 or $100 per table.

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 LGBT Short Films @ Launching the Latest Edition of the OSU Journal of Short Film featuring a collection of LGBT Short Films from the Columbus International Film+Video Festival. Reception 2-3pm – Short Films Starting at 3p TUESDAY, JUNE 12 LGBT Fundraiser for TJ Brown @ Club Di-

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Country Music/R&B Mega Dance Party @ Wall Street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Start the night out with the Columbus Stompers and those boot scootin’ country hits, or end up droppin’ it low and leaving it on the dance floor to the hottest Hip Hop and R&B starting at 11p. 8p, $5.

PRE PRIDE PARTY TIME Sweatin @ Carabar, 115 Parsons Ave: Sweatin’ is one of the biggest dance parties in CBUS, and pride weekend will be no

exception. Turn it out all night in preparation for the weekend’s festivities. Hopefully you have already taken the weekend off, it is a holiday after all. 10p, free.

beautiful people will be there. Doors open at 9PM, $5 cover before midnight, $8 after, $10 under 21, $25 VIP w/ open bar and access to lounge area.

FRIDAY, JUNE 15 PRIDE 2012 @ Exile, 893 N 4th St, 614.299.0069, www.exilebar.com: Start your pride weekend right in the company of Exile’s finest. Specials all weekend at Torso 4p, cover.

SATURDAY, JUNE 16 Brunch @ Level Dining Lounge, 700 N High St, 614.754.7111, www.levelcolumbus.com: If you’ve partied too hard last night and need to sit out the Parade, you can watch it pass you by from Level’s... upper level. Featuring DJ Eric Fisher serenading you over mimosas. 11a-3p.

Queer Minded Live Broadcast @ Goodale Park, 120 W Goodale St, 877.932.9766, www.talktainmentradio.com: Listen to Deo and Dwayne bring their commentary live to the Festival at the heart of the park. Who knows, maybe you’ll get live air time and finally be discovered. 6-9p.

Run For Pride 5k @ Goodale Park, 120 W Goodale Park, 614.645.3300, www.columbuspride.org: Dust off those sneakers, and run! You will receive a surprise gift and medal if you finish in the top ten. 7p; $30.

Pride Kick-off Party @ Level Dining Lounge, 700 N High St, 614.754.7111, www.levelcolumbus.com: Don’t you miss the 90s? VJ Mary Margaret brings you Total Request Friday at Level. Spinning the vids much better than Carson ever did.

Pride Weekend Kick-off Meet & Greet Happy Hour @ Club Republic, 145 N High St, 614.754.7388: Sponsored by the Columbus Black Gay Men’s Coalition, get happy and proud to start the weekend off right. 6-9p.

Patio Party @ Traxx Columbus, 95 Liberty St, 614.226.2275, traxxcolumbus.webs.com: Columbus’ only LGBT hip-hop club on Fridays is stepping the party game up for Pride weekend!

Enjoy drinks and company on the patio or sweat it out on the dance floor. Just don’t be tardy for the party. 9p-close.

The Royal Renegrades presents Pride Heroes @ Wall Street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Dunn Dunna dunnnn! It’s SUPER drag time!

Watch these girls take the drag king art to another level with host Alexis Stevens.

Then after the show, shake that groove thang with DJ Michele. Doors 7p, show 8p; $10. 18+ Big Gay Dance Party 2 @ Skully’s, 1151 North High St, 614-291-8856, www.skullys.org: Ain’t no party like an outlook party (if you were with us at Christmas, you already know) We are serving the hottest Pride party realness, and all the

Pride Parade @ High Street, 614.299.7764, www.columbuspride.org: GAYS (and Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgendered People, Queers and Allies of all types)! Join in at the end, and help outlook carry the giant flag! Noon; free Pride Ball 2012 @ Wall Street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, wallstreetnightclub.com: Start practicing your vogue moves and get your posse together for the largest LGBTQA dance party with VJs Michele and Mykal 6p; $10. 18+ Equalization @ Exile, 893 N 4th St, 614.299.0069, www.exilebar.com: The 2nd night of Exile Pride will bring more fun, dancing and awesome times. There is a special treat; you gotta go to find out what it is! 9p, cover.

White Affair @ Bowties Lounge, Ramada Inn, 4900 Sinclair Rd, 614.208.8919, newleafcolumbus.ning.com: Columbus Urban Pride hosts the ultimate Party with a Purpose; put on your best white outfit and get ready to party. 9p-2a, pre-sale tickets $10.

Party Trash Retro Bash @ Circus, 1227 N High St, 614.421.2998: Tired of the old thumpa-thumpa? Move your body to the best vintage dance tunes from the (late) great Donna Summer to Le Tigre. This party may be the alternative to the clubbing norm, but hey, alternative is the new normal - especially for Pride. 10p-close; 18+ $5, 21+ $3.

SUNDAY, JUNE 17 Pride Brunch @ The Columbus Athenaeum, 32 N 4th St, 614.930.2262, mfregonas@stonewallcolumbus.org: Regroup and reenergize at Pride Brunch. This may be a wind down from the party, but being proud is a year round event. The brunch will honor Mayor Michael B. Coleman and other LGBT Allies with entertainment from Bobbly Floyd. Valet parking available. 11a-1p; $40-450.

Neighborhood House Auditorium, 100 Atcheson St, 614.208.8919, newleafcolumbus.ning.com: Featuring live jazz with Ms. Jazz Mary, the perfect way to wind down the weekend. Smooth jazz, smoother Bellini’s, and good company. 2p, $10.

Bat-N-Rouge @ Dodge Park, 667 Sullivant Ave, www.clgsa.net: Come out to the ball diamond to watch Drag queens steal bases in heels, shag balls and swing for the fences. Hosted by Virginia West, Nina West and RuPaul’s Drag Race fan favorite, Latrice Royale, this should be the most memorable softball game of the year.

Gates open at noon, first pitch at 3p; $10.

Hot Tea on the Patio @ Exile, 893 N 4th St, 614.299.0069, www.exilebar.com: Exile Bar rounds out Pride weekend with fierce spinning from DJ Julian Marsh on the 1s and 2s. 4p, free.

Karaoke Night @ Level Dining Lounge, 700 N High St, 614.754.7111, www.levelcolumbus.com: Belt out your theme song as Pride comes to a close. The $12 Long Island pitchers will only make you sound better.

2012 Pride Finale Show @ Wall street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Wrap up Pride weekend by drinking $2 Millers Light and Coors Light and enjoying more local and statewide acts. Doors 7p, Show 8p; $5.

18+ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 Avenue Q @ Wall Street, 144 N High St, 614.464.2800, www.wallstreetnightclub.com: Imagine Productions brings everyone’s favorite puppet musical to the Wall Street stage.

From the so wrong, yet so right accent of Christmas Eve, to those wonderfully naughty Bad Idea Bears this show is going to leave the audience laughing to tears!

Through July 1. 7:30p; $17-$65.

FRIDAY, JUNE 22 Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus: Cher and Cher Alike @ Lincoln Theatre, 769 E Long St, www.cgmc.com: Fabulous gay men and allies singing the best of Cher. If that isn’t a match made in heaven, we don’t know what is. Through June 23. 8p; $30.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30 29th Annual HRC Columbus Gala Dinner @ OSU Student Union, Archie Griffin Ballroom, 31739 N High St, 800.494.8497, www.hrc.org: 6p; $75-200. Don’t forget to bring your checkbook to the 29th annual gala for the silent auction. 6p; $75-200

Columbus Urban Pride Brunch @ The

If you can’t find something to do this month... Your boring.

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Do you think Anne Wilson still has those hellacious pipes?

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Bat-N-Rouge : Running in High Heels and Rice Filled Tits ™

by Mackenzie Worrall Nothing is quite so American as baseball. And there’s nothing gayer than drag queens. So this Pride, come support the most gay, most American thing imaginable: drag queen baseball.

(Technically softball, but softball alone could also qualify as ‘the most gay thing ever’.)

In true homosexual fashion, we really out-do ourselves with Bat-N-Rouge™. Professional baseball has bimbo cheerleaders, beer by the bucket, and apparel to show off that home team spirit. When we do it? Our sexiest bears end up in skirts and pigtails. Yeah, we could say that we’re poking fun at the ridiculous hypersexualized heterosexual trope of cheerleaders, but damn those dudes are hot in skirts! To complement our softcore halftime show, we need liquor.

Do we settle for beer by the bucket? Oh no. Let’s drink red wine out on the ball diamond - just be sure not to spill on your home team apparel. Instead of showing off team spirit, we show up in our cutest spanks to show off our… well, you know. Bat-N-Rouge™ isn’t poking fun at America’s past time; it’s turning it into a big, gay thing.

Baseball may be a for-profit sport, but drag queen softball is all about the heart. Proceeds from the event will go to Stonewall Columbus, Kaleidoscope Youth Center and Project Open Hand. That’s right, instead of going to private investors, your dollars go toward helping further the gay agenda. You get to feel good about yourself, drink some booze, and watch some dudes in high heels try to steal bases.

Bat-N-Rouge™ is almost as old as Columbus Pride itself. Sam Schisler, Director of the event,

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has only been participating since ’91, but he is sure it started as a birthday party 27 years ago.

But if anyone asks, Bat-N-Rouge™ just turned 18. Nothing gets Sam excited like listing off his favorite moments from Bat-N-Rouge™ history.

“I have seen the Drag character Endora from Bewitched arrive in the ‘new’ car Saturn; Peg and Action - past MCs- arrive via helicopter or when they arrived in the cab as Patsy and Adina; or when Mackie-O (playing Jackie-O) kicked Disco Divas butt between 2nd base and 3rd base…” He continues to list MCs and divas. “…or when Hellin Bedd actually strapped a mattress to her back as the character; or Booker, the longest playing member of CLGSA, as one of the Golden Girls…”

This annual game has a history of its own. The list of past MCs alone tells a story: Paige Passion, Vivi Velure, the late Brazon, Peg, Action, Sable Coate, and the current MCs Nina and Virginia West. If you do something long enough, it becomes a part of who we are. Just as a spectator, Bat-N-Rouge™ is tied to other memories in my head. When trying to remember what-happened-at-which-Pride, it’s a little easier to try and remember what was going at Bat-NRouge™ that year.

This year, Sam has some big surprises for all of us. They are so big that he wouldn’t even tell me (and I never have a problem charming my way into the scoop as a journalist!). Bat-N-Rouge™ has more mystery surrounding it than a Mormon boy’s sacred spanks. He did, however, do a little bit of name-dropping. Of course we’ll see Flaggots Ohio and The Royal Renegades, but best of all, this year’s event has a third celebrity MC: Latrice Motherfuckin’ Royale. Bless that bitch, we love her here. Straight from RuPaul’s Drag Race

to Bat-N-Rouge™ - she can’t get out of these sport-themed drag shows. Nina and Virginia will join her to MC, and the rest of the players are still a secret. “I have already heard of some of the characters coming out to play and trust me, there was plenty in the media this year for the players to choose from,” Sam promises.

Although the planning and rehearsing is wrapping up for this year, Sam refuses to take all of the credit. “This really is a group effort and takes a lot of work from Dallas, Gary, Kenny, Jeff, Kenny, Joe, and myself with so many others, plus our volunteers. We like to call it a ‘community event’ because it really does bring so many of us together.” They’ve all put in plenty of work this year, and it pays off. Bat-N-Rouge™ just had its international trademark approved; I haven’t been putting all those little ™s in here for nothing.

Dave Coleman, one of the Princesses of York and last year’s Miss Bat-N-Rouge™, dished on how the girls manage to play in this game.

Mackenzie Worrall: What did you do to win the title of Miss Bat-N-Rouge™?

Dave Coleman: Actually my partner and I went as the Princesses of York. From the royal wedding. We put funny hats on and were having tea in the outfield. My partner went as Princess Beatrice, with buckteeth and everything. Nina West could not keep a straight face.

MW: How does anyone manage to steal a base in heels?

DC: A lot of it is not in the skill of running in heels, but the skill the other people have in catching the ball. You can go pretty slow when everyone else is in the outfield bumping around.

Candi Panties tits are foam sweaty sweaty foam...

Half the fun of Bat-N-Rouge is watching people fall down.

MW: How do you keep your hair perfect for the whole game?

DC: Lots of bobby pins. And you gotta have hair underneath. There has to be something to pin that wig to, or you’re out of luck. And when all else fails, you put your hand on your wig and just run.

MW: Finally, what’s the most sexual thing about baseball/softball? You have a lot of options here.

DC: The most phallic thing is obviously the bat.

Not to mention that the whole game is about hitting balls around! If we’re not just talking Bat-N-Rouge™, then I’d have to say the uniforms. That’s the most sexual thing about baseball.

Bat-N-Rouge™ will be held again at Dodge Park, 667 Sullivant Ave. It all goes down Sunday June 17th. Gates open at 12p, first pitch is at 3p. General Admission is $10, and tent ticket sales are going on now at www.ticketweb.com – just search for Bat-N-Rouge™. Who will be crowned Miss Bat-N-Rouge™ 2012?

Bat-N-Rouge™ will be held again at Dodge Park, 667 Sullivant Ave Sunday, June 17th.

Gates open at 12p, first pitch is at 3p. General Admission is $10, and tent ticket sales are going on now at www.ticketweb.com – just search for Bat-N-Rouge™. Who will be crowned Miss Bat-N-Rouge™ 2012?

Mackenzie Worrall secretly wishes he could play drag queen softball, but he can’t decide on a drag name let alone what heels to wear. Edda von Heemstra? The Bitch of Avon?

Tequila Mockingbird?

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Look at all that color!

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As Queen of Pride, You Have Much to Survey

by Anthony Castro Greetings, your highness.

Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your self-coronation as Queen of Pride. I must say, you’re looking positively radiant today in your tiara of pixie dust and self-confidence.

But being Pride royalty isn’t just beauty - it’s hard work.

Your first order of business is surveying your queendom, and I shall be your guide. Let us review the Pride festivities in Ohio and the neighboring states, and you, your majesty, shall decide which you will attend, and when.

After all, it’s a beautiful summer in the gayborhood.

Our overview begins at home in Ohio. You’re well aware of the festivities here in Columbus, but there is much revelry around the fair Buckeye state. First up is Cleveland.

The rockin’ city to the north will host the Cleveland Pride Festival on June 23 at Voinovich Park, which offers sweeping views of Lake Erie, Ohio’s tallest skyscrapers and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. According to the organizers, there will be a Triangle Stage for family-friendly content and a separate Performance Stage for a variety of options to keep your majesty thoroughly entertained. The organizers also promise an expanded food court and lakefront beer garden. The parade begins at noon with a route that begins on West 3rd Street and follows a path along Lakeside Avenue to East 9th, where it leads into the festival site at Voinovich Park. A donation from the royal treasury of a mere $5-$10 is requested and greatly appreciated. For you, this is merely a summary. For more information, point the royal browser to www.cleveland-

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pride.org for the official page, or facebook.com/clevelandpride if you prefer information via Facebook.

While your greatness’s attention is directed toward the north, other Pride festivities will take place in Youngstown (www.prideyoungstown.org) this month and Toledo (www.toledopride.com) in August. Pride will take over downtown Youngstown’s Federal Plaza East the weekend of June 30th, and events will conclude with a free Pride Festival Community Picnic on July 1, from 1p to 6p, at the B&O Park on Mahoning Avenue. Toledo celebrated its first Pride parade last year and would be honored with your majesty’s attendance at this year’s parade, which steps off at noon on Saturday, August 11, leading into Promenade Park. There, the festival will begin at 1p, with food and entertainment until midnight. Should your highness desire to keep basking in gay glory, official after-parties will take place at Bretz and Outskirts. You may click “Like” at facebook.com/officialtoledopride for more updates.

So far, oh majestic one, we’ve covered Cleveland, Youngstown and Toledo. But Ohio has much more Pride to offer. Let us proceed gayly forward to the Queen City, where southern Ohio’s premier gay pride event takes place. The Cincinnati Pride Festival and Parade happens June 30 at Sawyer Point, at the foot of the golden arches of the Daniel Beard Bridge over the beautiful and historic Ohio River. The parade starts at 11a along 7th Street and winds through downtown to Sawyer Point. The festival begins afterward and follows a week of Pride events such as performances by the Cincinnati Men’s Chorus, theater shows and church services. For your pleasure, the headlining entertainer this year is Frenchie Davis of “The Voice,” “American

Idol” and Broadway fame. You may keep abreast of the festivities in Cincinnati at www.cincinnatipride.org, facebook.com/cincinnatipride or on Twitter, @cincinnatipride.

If you wish to begin surveying Ohio’s Pride queendom in a hurry, the Pride Festival and Parade in Dayton offers the earliest opportunity on Saturday, June 2. Like the other Pride events, the parade winds through downtown to the festival site, in this case Courthouse Square. The festival is from noon to 5:30p, followed by an 8p presentation of extrABBAganza - an ABBA tribute concert - by the Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus at Victoria Theater. You may find more information about the Dayton festivities at the website of the Greater Dayton LGBT Center, www.daytonlgbtcenter.org.

Now that we’ve hit all Ohio’s major points of Pride outside the capital, it’s only fitting to discuss further obligations of the Queen of Pride.

Your majesty must also serve as an ambassador, bringing goodwill to the gays beyond the borders of the Buckeye state. Your highness may wish to do so by traveling far and wide, but it is always best to pay respects to your gaybors. As such, let us continue our overview with a look at some events in nearby states.

To the east, of course, is Pennsylvania, where Pittsburgh Pride is only about a three-hour drive from Ohio’s capital city. Pittsburgh Pride is Pennsylvania’s premier gay pride event. This year it will feature Melissa Etheridge as the headlining performer of the Pride in the Street party on Saturday, June 9 at 6p. Believe it or not, this will be Etheridge’s first performance at a Pride event, so your majesty’s attendance could be of historic significance. Tickets for the concert are only $32 in advance, but jump to $45 at the door. To satisfy your highness’s

Tay makes that outlook shirt look good! Right ladies?

philanthropic interests, $2 of each ticket sold will benefit the Harvey Milk Foundation. Should you and you’re your royal clique arrive in Pittsburgh early, half-naked frolicking awaits at the annual SPLASH pool party on June 7, along with a healthy dose of social lubricant at the Pub Crawl on June 8. The full schedule of events and ticket prices are available at www.pittsburghpride.org.

To the south, your majesty may visit Louisville, KY, for Kentuckiana Pride the weekend of June 15. A major issue there is that Kentuckiana Pride is the same weekend as Columbus Pride, so perhaps you can send a loyal subject or two.

To the west, R&B singer Deborah Cox and YouTube sensation Cazwell are the headlining acts for Circle City IN Pride in Indianapolis.

The concert and festival take place June 9 at the American Legion Mall & Veterans Memorial Plaza. A full event schedule awaits at www.circlecityinpride.org. Indiana is also home to Fort Wayne Pride (www.fwpride.org), which is the weekend of July 27.

Finally, to the north, Michigan’s Pride offerings include Michigan Pride (www.michiganpride.org) in Lansing the weekend of June 15 (again, the same weekend as Columbus), and Motor City Pride in Detroit the weekend of June 2. The festivities in Detroit (www.motorcitypride.org) will feature performances by Kimberly Cole and Kerli.

So there you have it, your eminence. If you’re going to be the Queen of Pride, there’s lots of Pride for a queen to be proud of. It’s a lot to take in, but that’s never stopped you before.

And something tells me it won’t stop you now.

All hail the Queen of Pride.

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I wonder if she’ll do any numbers from Glee?

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pride parking

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the photo above is of a urban bohemian hipster... your welcome.

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You better get your dancin’ shoes ready!

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