The Betty Pages Jan 2008

THE BETTY PAGES Bellingham’s only alternative lifestyle tabloid!

Vibrators, Democratic Caucus, Local LGBT Events and more!

January ‘08

About our Contributors...

The Betty Pages - January 2008 Betty’s Corner Betty Desire Page 3 Model Photo by Jim Duvall In the Mix Bridget Adams On Eagle’s Wings Sue Stackhouse Gay Film Bibliography Part 13 Bichoo Vrishchik

B’ham Pride Families Carrie Lee Vining Western LGBTA News Tina Koch Democratic Caucus Michele Kammerer X Ed: Vibrator Myths Puss in Boots Jamaica Textbook Ban Family In Perspective Kathy Reim Radical Love Richard Hartnell Buying Love Jim Duvall Hate Crime Bill Withdrawn Reel Gay Fundraiser Results Are In LGBT Resource Guide

1 3 4 6 7 12 12 13 14 15 17 16 17 18 19 21

Miss Betty Desire has been entertaining anyone who would listen in Bellingham for nearly 10 years, and is proprietor of The Betty Pages, the monthly publication that you are reading at this very moment. It is her hope that your perusal of the Betty Pages will enrich your life one chuckle at a time.

Writer Jim Duvall is an erotic photographer in Bellingham and sits on the Board of Directors of the sex-positive community center in Seattle known as the Wetspot (www.wetspot. org). He is a founder of the adult Internet resource, “Jane’s Sex Guide” (www.janesguide.com). He also teaches classes on BDSM and sexuality whenever folks will stand still and listen.

Writer Craig Curtis is the author of Fabulous Hell. His work has appeared in publications such as Edge Magazine, Positive Living, The Bellingham Weekly and Inside Aware. In 1996 he won a PENCenter USA West Grant for Writers with HIV/AIDS.

Advice Columnists Sue Stackhouse and Anne Hulse have been partners in life and vocation for more than 20 years. They are counselors in private practice (On Eagle’s Wings Counseling), in Bellingham. Both are clinical hypnotherapists, and Sue is a Reiki Master Teacher.

Editor and Writer Richard Hartnell is an urban legend, haunting the coffee shops and DJ booths of Bellingham on a hunt for more members of the Inspirati.

Graphic Designer Mitchell Vega http://mitchv.com http://mitchv.com http://mitchv.com http://mitchv.com http://mitchv.com

Writer and Contributor Kathy Reim lives with Robert, her husband, and a beautiful Siamese cat, Chablis, who has taught her the most about sociopaths. Their daughter and daughter-in-law have taught her about unconditional love.

Writer and Contributor Michele Kämmerer moved to Bellingham with her spouse, Janis Walworth, in 2003. She is a retired firefighter, is active with the Whatcom Democrats, and is on the Board of the Washington Stonewall Democrats. She and Janis founded the Center for Gender Sanity in 1997. Michele is also a welding student at BTC.

Sex Advice Columnist Puss in boots is captain of a pirate ship crewed entirely by clones of Ewan McGregor in short shorts and wet T-shirts. It sold your grandmother her vibrator, and scheduled your little sister’s appointment to get her hood pierced.

Writer and WWU Correspondent Tina Koch is a sophomore at Western Washington University, planning on majoring in English. She is the Program Coordinator of Western’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Alliance. Tina puts on the Weekly Night Series which will be held Tuesday nights during Winter Quarter 2008. She identifies as queer and a bit pansexual. She is, in societal terms, bisexual, but prefers queer as she doesn’t like to limit herself with the gender binaries.

Betty’s Corner Betty Desire

Well - 2007 is history, and what a year it was for us here in Washington! This was the year we gained protection from being fired for who we fall in love with, and also gained domestic partnership right with four of the 1200 rights that married couples enjoy!! Hey, it’s a start, right? No need for us to be greedy! It is comforting to know that now, if you have a domestic partnership card, hospitals or jealous family members can not bar you from being with your partner. Also, it is good to know that the estate that you build together will be left to your decision, not some second cousin from the Bible belt who thinks that “gay” equals “eternity in hell.”

My Christmas dinner has settled.

I had a great time with my family!

On Christmas Eve, my son Brandon cooked an awesome dinner and we watched movies and commiserated about Christmas Past. He reminded me that ever since he was a toddler, we had a tradition of watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” So he gave me the 50th Anniversary Edition of the movie as my present - and two pillows! No more laying my head on crumpled up blankets.

I feel so rich! Christmas Day was

with my parents, brother, sister-inlaw, and nephew. I am one of the lucky ones that have a loving and supportive family. More good food and catching up, and yes - where we were in Kent, it was a white Christmas!

Of course, who can forget our first official Pride Parade in July? If you want to see it, type in “Bellingham Pride Parade” on Youtube. Yes, 2007 was an amazing year, and 2008 promises to be even more fastpaced. I wish you all the best in this new year! As we “start over,” let’s remember to be good to each other... after all, we are all we have!

Happy New Year!

Grandpama Betty

300 W. CHAMPION STREET, DOWNTOWN BELLINGHAM

Page 3 Models Photo by Jim Duvall

This month’s Page Three Model is K. You can find K at most places in town where karaoke is happening. If you want to be a Page Three Model contact Jim Duvall at jim@ jimduvall.com.

We are always looking for men, women and couples of all sorts for Page Three.

Specials every day of the week!

Monday: Microbrew Pints @ $2.00

All well drinks & shots @ $2.00

2 all-beef hotdogs @ $2.00 Tuesday: Top Shelf Bourbon @ 3.25

BBQ pulled-pork sandwich @ $1 Wednesday: Sparks @ $2.25, Top Shelf

Tequila @ 3.25, 2 Tacos @ $1.00 Thursday: Top Shelf Vodka @ $3.25 Friday: Jagermeister @ $3.25 Saturday: Top Shelf Gin @ $3.25 Sunday: $4.00 Brunch (Includes Biscuits

and Gravy, Quiche, Cheesy Grits

& Eggs Benedict), Double

Bloody Mary @ 3.25, Cap’s

Coffee (Java, Whiskey, Bailey’s)

@ 3.25, Mimosas @ $3.25 and HAPPY HOUR ALL EFFING DAY!!!

In the Mix Bridget Adams

Hello Poppets! Greetings from Everett, Washington, my new home.

Ah…Everett… where most kitchens close by 10 PM; where most bars are sports bars; where I cannot, for the life of me, figure out the hours of the Castle.

Jaunts into Seattle have been delightful.

Everett itself has caused some culture shock for this city girl, I admit it.

Until the other night. The other night, my partner, Lithus, and I were in need of a change of scenery and a cocktail. There had to be somewhere… interesting, quirky, different… in Everett. And so there is. The Anchor Bar, at the very end of Hewitt.

First, the disclaimers: I have only been there once and, since Lithus and I present as a hetero couple, I can’t vouch for its LGBT friendliness. If you have information that is counter to this article, please pass it along. I will research it

and get back to you. What I can tell you is that the Anchor Bar is, however, altfriendly. Although I live on the fringes of the LGBT community, I live smack in the middle of the alt community, and my first thought when we walked in was, “Yeah, this works.”

The walls are covered with pinup art (lots of Betty Page – gotta love Betty Page!) and photos of the place going back to the ‘40s. The weekend before we were there, they had hosted a burlesque holiday show. Once a month, they have something called The Rockabilly Rumble. The train runs by not twenty feet away, rattling the glasses, the bottles, the stools – everything but the regulars.

Those regulars ranged in age from mid-twenties to Jesus-how-olddo-you-think-he-is? There was a guy in biker leathers and another guy in a ball cap. The bartender, Heather, managed to perfectly balance being friendly

and leaving us be, which is no small feat to pull off with the newbies in a neighborhood bar. They had my favorite vodka, Lithus’ favorite scotch, and our favorite rum. A hat trick, without having to be in a sports bar!

Currently, it’s under construction, so it looks more than a little scary both inside and out. Honestly, though, I expect that it was a dive bar before the construction, and will continue to be a dive bar after the construction. I hope so anyway, because it’s a dive bar with a quirky character and an unusual atmosphere. In Everett, nonetheless.

Yeah, I’ll take that.

So if you find yourself in Everett on a night the Castle is closed, stop in at the Anchor. The pour is good and the bartender is great. And if you happen to see me, come on up and introduce yourself. Until then, Poppets, take care of you.

On Eagle’s Wings Sue Stackhouse

Dear Readers,

to live in the moment and to be in the Now. Sometimes we simply need to awaken to the moment. Most of our worries and troubles arise from dwelling in the past, or from making up scary stories about the future and then acting as if they are true. Usually they are not, and we waste much time looking back in regret, or looking forward with fear to what may never happen.

Tired of the annual holiday routine? Weary of resolutions that never come true? How about trying something different this year… something so simple a child can master it and so practical it can change your life. \ What is that secret?

One word: gratitude!

Try taking even five minutes to yourself each morning Many of us are not even to quiet your mind. In that aware that we are focusing quiet place, think of what you on negatives of all sorts. are grateful for and speak Grumbling and negativity it aloud. Express gratitude have become subtle (or not for the simple things, and so subtle) habits and we allow yourself to feel the dwell there without effort. emotion of enjoying each If this is the case for you, one. Soak yourself in that you’ll be amazed at the good feeling, and you’ll find change in your life experience yourself smiling! Taking just when you choose to focus five minutes to do this will differently. Gratitude for life, set the tone for your whole even in small and seemingly day. Longer is even better, but insignificant things, changes five minutes will shift your your perspective AND your perspective. Whatever you experience. focus on expands, so focus on what you are grateful for If making a change sounds and your feelings of gratitude like too much work, think will increase. Throughout again. We are constantly the day, focus on things you choosing. Every moment of are grateful for and your every day we are making life experience will change. choices. Since we are already It sounds too simple, but it doing the work of choosing, works! it is not difficult to simply choose differently! Yes, it is Wishing you a joyful new a process that requires time. year!

It is something to practice moment-by-moment, but All the best, simply expressing gratitude Sue and Anne every day will change your life.

Wisdom teachers have always encouraged us to be mindful,

Hey Skagit County!

The Betty Desire Show is coming to a brand new location and time near you: Hank’s on Thursdays at 10 in Mt Vernon, across from Draft Picks. Come join the fun!

Gay Film Bibliography - Part XIII Bichoo Vrischik

The art of Andy Warhol “marked the movement of camp” to the center of American cultural production, according to Mathew Tinkcom, by ignoring Hollywood studio production for advertising methods. If the classic Russians (including Eisenstein) interrogated society, Warhol, a fan of Shirley Temple, interrogated Hollywood.

Camp itself became a commodity for Warhol - from the 1960s until the time he withdrew most of his films from distribution in 1972 (about the same time as Stonewall). If “desire” is an effect of Western industrial production, sex, drugs, art, life, and death are repeatedly interrogated without rules by Warhol, parodying Hollywood’s inefficient use of labor with “another kind of efficiency” aleation, a word not found in the Oxford English Dictionary. “Aleatory” is synonymous with “random:” An “aleation” is a mold in which alloys are poured. There is now on the web a participatory art(ist gallery?) called “aLeaTion.”

Less effort having produced more, even being partly improvised, Warhol’s films (upon his death) were argued over as archive material by the Whitney Museum at $95 million, or art by MOMA at $200 million. Warhol had made male hustlers and transvestites into stars, setting off Calvin Klein’s “heroin chic” underwear ads and the career of Robert Mapplethorpe.

For decades, men in U.S. gay porn wore Calvin Klein or nothing, under this implicit “contract” until Abercrombie and Fitch spread its own tightee whitees over giant billboards and fancy catalogs.

“Spectatorial devotion” to the

hustler, as labor, has moved from the New York underground to corporate advertising.

Warhol’s films, as productive irony, responded to Hollywood by supplying the gay male spectator with what Laura Mulvey’s famous essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” claims Hollywood never gave him: the pleasure of an extended gaze at men. To Mulvey, the castrated woman is the object of a phallocentric order that controls cinema, not only satisfying a “primordial wish for pleasurable looking” but “developing scopophilia in its narcissistic aspect” for a therefore “straight” male viewer. The “I” is subjective in cinema, the libido and ego living in a fantasy divided male/ female but not evenly, controlling viewpoint and narrative structure.

Joseph von Sternberg, even in his seven films with Marlene Dietrich, created images he found just as pleasing upside down, destroying narrative. In Hitchcock, rather, the narrative and the protagonist’s viewpoint reappear: in his one film with Marlene, STAGE FRIGHT (1950), Hitchcock let her make-up and light herself, allowing her the image von Sternberg had helped her create, while attempting to keep Jane Wyman, her opposite, as mousy as possible. In his VERTIGO (1958), the heroine split again, if only in the eyes of James Stewart. Audience and characters always blend, in voyeurism: in Mulvey, voyeurism is allowed to the non-sexualized male only, beginning the narrative (bang bang), stopping it only to ogle chicks (kiss kiss). Mulvey fails in this article to define a female spectator, let alone a queer one.

She does like Vidor’s DUEL IN

THE SUN, however.

Glamour is a commodity. When I was in school, a writer called glamour “that certain something about a woman with large breasts.”

Many female stars did wear the same patented “bullet” bra - but the exploitation of women is not what gives gay men erotic pleasure. Even Tinkcom finds “glamour” un-definable: Dietrich dons a tuxedo in MOROCCO and kisses another woman, but changes courses for Gary Cooper.

Charisma is essential to gay spectators - or, as Dyer has it, to “gay ghettos” - who identified with masochistic Joan, sadistic Bette, beautiful Lana and thrush Judy while heart-throbbing over phallic Gary, English Cary, manly Clark and tender Montgomery. In the ‘60s, it was Redford, Eastwood, and O’Neal. I, myself, dreamed of Dorothy Lamour (or was that my brother?), noticed Esther Williams’ shoulders, wondered at Frank Sinatra and identified not with Gale Sondergard but another Spider Woman, Carol Foreman, the queen of the B-serial villainesses, in the earliest SUPERMAN (1948) serial. I even had a “lethal” spiderweb strung up in my closet!

Warhol, aware of Hollywood’s subliminal sex, unveiled a network of queer New York men in his THE 13 MOST BEAUTIFUL BOYS (1965), and his SCREEN TESTS (1964-1966) are in part a discovery of male beauty. “Retrograde longings,” or nostalgia, had now become non-corporate, as if film stardom had existed before Edison.

Warhol shot PAUL SWAN (1965), a dancer, at age 80, well beyond his prime, dancing and between dances, with no edits. HAIRCUT NO.1 (1963) is a one-shot, four

Gay Film Bibliography continued from Page 7

way hustler haircut. Ambivalent toward his individual “objects,” Warhol saw glamour everywhere: his audience could accept it or not.

denied its own existence by its censor. And much of Warhol was withdrawn from circulation about the time of Stonewall.

Glamour, however, demands concealed labor. Lights had just been installed outside the building before he shot the 8-hour EMPIRE (1964). SCREEN TESTS screen test head-on a static Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Elsa Schiaparelli, Salvador Dali, Charles Henri Ford, Donovan, drag queens Mario Montez and Ingrid Superstar, Ginsberg, Sontag, Nico, Viva, Malanga, Maas, Mekas, Menken, anybody who came in front of the lens.

His CAMP (1965), Jack Smith opening a closet with a BATMAN comic book inside, is a critique of performance and U.S. censorship.

Voyeurism replaced narrative for an audience Hollywood ignored, satirizing stardom, exploiting men as objects (as all capitalism does), but consciously, in the East Village, with less labor. BIKE BOY (1967) negates glamour, hustler Joe Spenser showering for eleven minutes, trying on homoerotic couture at a popular San Francisco Polk Street boutique, and then being rejected by two women, Brigid Berlin and Viva. Tinkcom thinks this may be an example of early feminist cinema. This Joe, rejected, also reverses Warhol’s earlier MY HUSTLER, the lustingafter of Paul America. A paisley shopping bag breaks an expanse of white wall behind drag queen Hollywood Lawn, living with Dallasandro in TRASH (1970), as s/he convinces a welfare worker not to cut them off: the employee settles for a pair of Joan Crawford shoes. Richard Dyer and Tinkcom, in their writings, thrill to the image of these hustlers, a working class exploited by Hollywood and then

Encased in narrative and valued as consumer goods, Paul America received advice from an older hustler when they showered together. LONESOME COWBOYS exposed the Western genre’s latent homoeroticism, like between John Wayne and Clift in RED RIVER (1948), but also joked about violence against women - another violence exploited yet condemned by Hollywood. But gay men no longer had to hide behind female “glamour” icons.

John Schlesinger’s MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969) was “out there.” The question was no longer “spectatorial identification,” but “sexual Identity” (except, perhaps, for drag queens). It was Stonewall.

Feminism further questioned sexual identity, and Warhol himself shot nothing after the “straight” BLUE MOVIE (1969, unless his assistant Paul Morrissey shot it - as well as the later Warhol productions FLESH (1968), TRASH (1970), HEAT (1972), FRANKENSTEIN (1974), DRACULA (1974), and BAD (1977)). Warhol was no longer “sexy,” nor politically correct - only of historical interest.

Gay liberation more about freedom than labor, he was now rich and famous, an old tease, unable to break into Hollywood. His **** (FOUR STARS, 1967) compiled reels old and new, for 25 hours of Dallasandro, Berlin, Viva, Malanga, Mead, Nico, Sedgwick, drag queens Superstar, International Velvet, Ultra Violet and countless other Village people, presented only once - never to be seen again.

Warhol died in 1982. The Whitney still catalogs and MOMA still

Jan 14 Fundraiser for Skagit PFL AG’s s youth program

PLEASE JOIN US FOR MONTHLY SUPPORT MEETINGS

360. 856.4676

10

Continued from page 8

exploits Warhol’s individual reels, many still unseen.

A new documentary has recently surfaced from the mass of material Warhol and his Factory left behind. A WALK INTO THE SEA: DANNY WILLIAMS AND THE WARHOL FACTORY (2007), partly shot by Danny and partly assembled from old Factory materials and interviews

by Williams’ cousin Esther Robinson, details Danny’s Factory days as Warhol’s lover, collaborator, and antagonist before Danny’s mysterious disappearance.

Danny, like so many others, had left Warhol - and, on a family outing, simply walked into the sea. His pants were left on a rock. Q&Aing her film at the 2007 Seattle International Film Festival, Esther concluded: “We don’t know what happened to Danny. Perhaps he committed suicide. Perhaps he changed his name and returned to California. He had produced not only the Velvet Underground’s Factory lightshows, but also when they played Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. Bill liked him, and he liked Bill. They had planned on working together again.�

I flashed back to the 1960s. To a night at the Fillmore dancing to the Velvet Underground, featuring Nico and Reed, with Warhol films over all four walls and probably the ceiling. I danced, then, to “Waiting for My Man,� “I’ll Be Your Mirror,� and “Heroin� in an environment created by Danny Wilson from Warhol films - maybe even EMPIRE. “We don’t know what happened to Danny,� Esther finished. “Perhaps he did return to California. We just don’t know.�

THIS MONTH’S ONLY NEW SOURCE IS: Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.�

Originally published in SCREEN (Autumn, 1975), reprinted in THE SEXUAL SUBJECT: A SCREEN READER IN SEXUALITY. London: Routledge, 1992.

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11

Bellingham Pride Families: It Takes A Gay Village to Raise a Child Carrie Lee Vining

Many, many years ago, long before I came out, my mother was lamenting the fact that she probably wouldn’t have any grandchildren. I had just informed my family during some holiday gathering that I didn’t intend on getting married.

I had watched a lot of “Leave it to Beaver” (no pun intended), and Mrs. Cleaver had always looked completely unfulfilled to me. At that point, my aunt turned to me and said, “Ya know, you don’t necessarily need to be married to have a baby.” That was the moment my biological clock started ticking.

Loudly.

Flash forward, I’m here, I’m queer. You get the picture.

My partner, Kate, and I moved to Bellingham in 2003 in order to raise a family. I’d gone to college at Western and, even though we had no biological family in the area, I knew there was a lot of “family” (wink, wink).

Before getting pregnant, we looked into gay family groups in Bellingham and found

one that existed at the time (Families with Pride). It was a group that met periodically at people’s homes for potlucks and socializing. But with so many families involved, it was difficult to find homes that were large enough for the gatherings that included many children of varied ages. As with any group of busy parents, the potlucks became few and far between and the group dissolved - but not the need.

After our son, Marley, was born and we came out of the shock and exhaustion of being new parents, we began realize how great the need is for support.

Aside from our own need, we’d either run into families from the old group or meet new queer families that had moved to town. The message was always the same: Bellingham needed a queer families group. We needed a way to share information, meet people with other kids of similar ages for play dates or child care swapping, talk about resources, share personal experiences and stories, and more.

Last summer, I met Nancy and Krystal Peirce at Bellingham

Western LGBTA Update

This year we will be celebrating our 16th Annual Drag Show with Hope everyone had a wonderful proceeds going to Evergreen break!

AIDS and the Sean Humphrey House. It’s going to be a blast.

I hope you also know what Make sure you get your tickets annual event happens after every soon because they go fast! break?! The LGBTA Drag Show We’ve actually sold out the past Auditions! There wouldn’t be a five years in a row! show without amazing acts, so we want to see what you’ve got! In other news, it’s a new quarter Even though the drag show isn’t and there are more Weekly until February, we’re already Night Series’ to come. This starting to get ready. quarter, they will be held on

Tina Koch

Pride. While ooing and ahhing over their baby, Lucy, we all agreed, again, that Bellingham needed a group. Months went by, but Nancy called one day and we agreed to meet and plan.

Kate and I filled them in on the old group, and what we believed to be one of the barriers to keeping the gatherings rolling: space. No one had the space or the time or the energy to consistently host a group this large and with this many kids.

So, it was agreed that we would rent the Fairhaven Pavilion at Fairhaven Park. People could gather, kids could play, and everyone could go home happy.

And so Bellingham Pride Families was born.

We planned our first meeting in mid-November. Nancy and I posted signs around town, sent out emails, advertised in the Betty Pages, made phone calls, and relied on word of mouth. Then we both sat back and worried that no one would come.

arms, toddlers toddling, older kids frolicking, and teenagers as well. Many different birth stories were represented - from adoption, to insemination, to children from previous heterosexual marriages. We asked for donations to rent the space again and got the $60 we needed.

Our plan is to rent the Fairhaven Pavilion for quarterly gatherings during the wet, cold months (as long as we can receive necessary donations). Then, in the warmer months, we will utilize the myriad of wonderful parks Bellingham has to offer.

Our winter potluck will be held late January or early February.

So far, we’ve gathered contact info for over thirty families with queer parents. If you would like to be added to our email list, please email us at bellinghampridefamilies@ gmail.com.

On the day of the potluck, the space was filled. There were familiar faces and plenty of new ones. There were babes in

Tuesday nights at 7pm. We will discuss a variety of different topics and issues within the LGBTQ community and have some fun at the same time.

Some of the highlights of last quarter’s WNS were ‘Safe Sex in the Queer Community’ where we had Evergreen AIDS and the Sexual Awareness Center speak about being safe when having sex and ‘Queers with Cues’ when we went and played

pool at Kendrick’s Billiard’s downtown. You definitely don’t want to miss any of this quarter’s events!

For more information about the LGBTA, our events, what we do, or what services we offer, feel free to call us at 360.650.6120, visit us in Western’s Viking Union Building 515, or email us at AS.ROP.LGBTA@wwu.edu.

12

Washington State Democratic Caucus Michele Kammerer

I believe our country is going to have a happy new year when you and I elect a Democratic President in 2008! Change is long overdue, and the caucus is a place where we can do our part in choosing a candidate and firing up the movement for a new White House occupant.

Washington’s caucuses will be held on February 9th. The caucus is an important, bottom-up process that is all about local folks thinking and talking about who will best represent us here in Whatcom County and who we think will be good for America.

It is our chance have a say in national politics.

A caucus is a gathering of neighbors in local voting precincts to talk about presidential hopefuls, and to choose delegates, each of whom will represent a particular candidate at the county and state conventions.

Eventually, party members will elect 80 grassroots Democratic delegates from Washington who will go to the national convention in August with seventeen elected officials to help select the Democratic party ticket.

There will also be a state presidential primary, held February 19th - but that will have no official bearing on how our state’s Democratic delegates vote at convention.

Also at the caucuses, resolutions for the party platform will be brought up, discussed and voted on. Please think about writing a platform resolution about items close to our hearts - like equality in medical care or insurance for LGBT people. These are individual policy statements like End the Occupation of Iraq, Enact Marriage Equality and Repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

We Democrats define what we believe in by the inclusion of these statements and ideas in our platform. See “Our Politics” at the web site whatcomdemocrats.com. This is our opportunity to make our views heard beyond Whatcom County.

CAUCUS MEETINGS

The caucuses will meet in several locations - such as public schools - around the county.

Caucus registration is from 1 to 1:30 P.M. and the meeting starts promptly as we only have two and a half hours to finish. Folks will be directed to their precinct meeting locations within the building, and everyone will be informed of the procedures. At the small group meeting, there will be a formatted discussion, time to discuss candidates and platform proposals, and then votes to adopt planks and elect delegates.

Anyone can run as a delegate in support of a particular presidential contender. Those who are elected will go on to the county convention on April 5th, 2008.

CAUCUS LOCATION INFORMATION

sign up for email notices.

Bring others in your precinct with you.

The more who participate, the better off we as LGBTQ Democrats - and the party as a whole - will be. At the caucus, you can put yourself forward to be a delegate for a particular candidate - or you can support someone willing to put in the time and effort to go all the way up the ladder to the national convention in Denver. Bring a snack to share with your caucus folks, if you like. We have three hours to engage, so let’s have fun with this!

Lastly, don’t forget to support the Whatcom Democrats with your donations and time!

Volunteers are always needed. The active Dem’s and officers of our local party are dedicated, open-minded women and men who work hard and like to have a good time.

To participate in the caucus, you must be a registered voter in your precinct and consider yourself a Democrat. If you are not registered, or have moved since you last voted, you can register at the caucus site location.

1415 Railroad Avenue, Bellingham - 360.736.TACO It is important that you know your voter precinct number, which is found on your voter registration card. You can call the County Auditor at (360) 676-6742 to find your precinct information.

To find the caucus locations, call the Whatcom Democratic office at (360) 647-7661.

Visit whatcomdemocrats. com to browse for news, information, and to find your precinct via the County Auditor lookup link. To be in on the caucus info loop, push the blue button “Caucus ‘08 Notification Sign Up” at the top of the page and

13

‘X’ Ed: Myths About Vibrators Puss in Boots

to make a concerted effort to get addicted, and I’m not even sure you’d manage. Let me know No one has written me at my shiny new e-mail address. That’s if you do so I can laugh at you (and then try to recreate your fine, I see how it is. I have to path to the best addiction ever). buy your love. The first person to e-mail me a question at Will I eventually lose feeling xedxedxed@gmail.com wins a in my clitoris/g-spot/prostate, prize. and have to buy stronger and stronger toys until I’m using a Fortunately for the life of jackhammer to get off?! this column, there is a neverending line of people asking No! But sometimes people me questions at work, and here trick themselves into thinking are some recent (and common) this, and here’s why: Someone Q&As. will often buy a wussy toy for their first vibe, because Can my vibrator electrocute they’re impressed with any me? vibration at all. A cell phone could probably get them off.

No. I’m not an electrician, or a doctor, or pretty much anything Toy by toy, they work their way up to a reasonably powerful important, but I do know that if (aka AVERAGE) vibe, afraid you’re wildly auto-eroticizing that they’re embarking on a in the bathtub and you drop dangerous journey that ends in your not-entirely-waterproof construction equipment, but fear vibe into the steaming bubbles, not! There’s a vibrator that’s you don’t die. And a bunch of right for you, and with fresh my customers are here to tell batteries, it will continue to be the tale. (Of course, don’t take right for you. your Hitachi Magic Wand into the tub unless you’d like to meet Can I lose my vibrator inside Beetlejuice.) me?

It’s pretty simple: AA batteries I went through this in do not contain enough shockyNovember, but it’s not like stuff to cause any major owies. people don’t ask me the same questions every five minutes Can I get addicted to my anyway, right? You cannot vibrator? lose a vibrator in your vagina.

I’ve known people who became Your cervix is like a little guard dog, and your vibrator is the addicted to weed, MMORPGs postman. If you think you’re a and Red Bull. So yes, you mutant and you’re sure you lost probably could get addicted to it, don’t be afraid to stick your your vibrator, but do you have whole hand up there looking for any idea how lame that is? it. It’s a vagina. It stretches, and That’s like getting addicted to delicious milkshakes or relaxing it’s only yea long. lavender-scented baths or If you stick a vibrator in your dancing in the rain. You’d have

butt, that’s another story. Don’t do it if it doesn’t have a base on it. I know you think you’re going to hold onto it, but just in case there’s a tornado or shark attack or just a good orgasm, and you lose your grip, you want something with a base. It would really suck to be swallowed by a tornado full of sharks and have something lost up your butt, buzzing until the batteries eventually die. (Or your butt swells shut over it from vibration-caused irritation and you have to go to the emergency room.)

If you have sex questions you can’t ask your mom, I’m willing to put on a wig and do a little role-playing.

xedxedxed@gmail.com

Will I stop wanting my partner if I use a vibrator?

This kind of thinking leads directly to: “If gay people get married, what’s next? Dogs?

Toasters?” On what planet is an inanimate object a romantic and sexual equivalent to another human being? I want to move there so I can see what it’s like to go for long walks on the beach with a cactus or go out for drinks with my left shoe. (Both of which are better options than the people who got addicted to weed, MMORPGs or Red Bull.)

If your lover is such an utter assbasket that they can’t extract more affection from you than a piece of plastic with batteries can, sure you’ll stop wanting them. You’re going to stop wanting them anyway, as soon as you’re sober for a twentyfour hour period. If they’re any good at all, you’ll want them in addition to amazing orgasms— and if they’re as great as you say they are, they’ll probably want to hold the vibe.

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Gay-Positive Textbooks Banned in Jamaica Network article from 365gay.com

Jamaica’s Ministry of Education has ordered a ban on any book that mentions homosexuality in a favorable light.

The directive followed a decision to remove a book on home economics that has a foursentence mention of families headed by same-sex partners.

“It is unfortunate that four sentences on page four in the text under the sub-heading ‘family forms,’ were used to label the total text as a gay book; we are very angry about that, because that was not the intention,”

author Rita Dyer told the Caribbean Media Corporation.

“It says there is much discussion about what constitutes a family. There seems to be a broadening of a traditional definition of a family structure, and when two men or women live together in a relationship as lesbians or gay, they may be considered as a family; they may adopt children, or have them through artificial means,” Dyer said.

Education Minister Andrew Holness has issued a warning to all schools, instructing

them to submit to the government any book they were uncertain about. Holness said that schools would be held accountable for breaches of regulations governing the use of textbooks.

Jamaica has what has been described as the worst record of any country in the New World in its treatment of gays and lesbians.

Gay sex is illegal in Jamaica, punishable by ten years in jail, with the possibility of hard labor.

A Year In Perspective Kathy Reim

This is not a great time of year in so many ways. It reminds me that some people in my family have decided that their religious ideas are more important than living a loving life here on earth. That sucks. I owe so much, however, to the conversations at PFLAG over the years, in helping me put this into an emotional perspective.

I have learned that I am not alone. Families can hurt each other - disapprove, judge, criticize, gossip - for lots of reasons.

In some ways, my family takes off the pressure. Several people in my huge extended family have married Latino or Vietnamese Americans. Some of the younger members have lived together without being married, had children, and generally crunched the thick layers of expectations - the prescriptions for how to live their lives. We suspect that now, those folks are all much more okay by comparison. It makes me laugh about the human condition. We are full of nonsense.

A year ago, after hearing from another PFLAG mom about her coming-out letter to her family, I did the same. Faraway families create special challenges. They don’t get to see our daughter and her partner - her wife - together. They don’t see that we are just a family, and that they are just a couple living

their life as best they can. There is nothing threatening or scary here.

We would have to explain to each family member (who lives 2500 miles away), and it feels overwhelming. We resent having to do this. We think it is their problem, not ours.

Then we remember that we didn’t “get” it until we had some time to learn and explore and hear and feel. We can’t fast-forward others - especially if we are not willing to risk some honesty and openness. As a mediator, I ask people to do their work in good faith. That is not exclusive to a religious context. It is about doing the best we can in the moment to be true to the experience.

who did not respond to my letter last year.

They can not know how it felt to wonder about them for a year. I am glad to know they have good hearts. I believed that about them. Now I can have my real life with them.

We all have a right to a real life everywhere, and with everyone. To ask less of anyone is wrong.

Welcome to 2008. Let’s kick it into gear!

We have work to do.

Hugs, Kathy Reim

It is a gift.

And gifts can work, can be a good fit, or they may need to be tucked away until people grow into them.

I just received two cards from family members 15

Radical Love Richard Hartnell

I’m usually one to suggest that non-monogamous types have less relationship drama than monogamous types, solely by the fact that we don’t deal with the whole concept of “cheating.”

I’d find anyone hard-pressed to make a suggestion that “cheating” isn’t one of the biggest causes of relationship drama in our society. Why do I keep using quotes? Because it’s not cheating unless it’s against the rules...

But there’s one case in which we’re not quite liberated from jealousy and possessiveness, dancing around boundaries and hurting feelings when we’re not careful, despite our claimed freedom from intra-relationship paranoia. While I never have to worry about “the other man,” I do have to worry about being the other man.

You’re at a bar, you’re in a coffee shop, you’re trying to ask out the gorgeous librarian/biochem-student/fire-dancer. The way is fraught with danger: she could be gay, she could be mean, she could just not like your tie. But for we non-monogamous types, there is an additional peril, and one that becomes increasingly likely to strike as we grow older or acquire more attractive company: “I’m taken.”

whom we forge relationships.

If we choose a lover poorly, we’re not only fucking up our own relationships with them, but there’s a chance at damaging the dynamics with our current lovers, as well. I’ve seen it go well, and I’ve seen it go atrociously. With the added threat of “psychotically jealous lover in the wings” in the list of dealbreakers, things can get a little mucky...

So how do we survive a situation in which we’re courting someone we’re not “allowed” to court? Worse off, how do we deal with the fact that the person with the “REJECTED” stamp might be a complete stranger?

It’s hard enough to get a good date these days!

I see a few options, and they depend highly on the case. Sometimes you get a person who’s using you as a way of getting out of their current relationship, “getting revenge” for something their lover did, or so on. In this case, you have a single option: run. Run like the gazelle on the Nature Channel, for what should be obvious reasons. I don’t care how hot s/he is - you don’t want that drama.

Another case is the hypothetical perfect situation - another non-monogamous person, experienced or inexperienced, with And what’s worse than discover- whom you hit it off. OK, maybe ing that s/he’s got a possessive a few of us are living the fairy SO when you try for a date? tale, and it should speak for itFinding out that s/he’s got a pos- self. Step carefully, since you’re sessive SO when you’re on a easing into a very complex reladate. tionship, but don’t step too carefully - you’re engaging people We have an obligation to be ex- who already have practice surtra-careful about the people with passing their jealous impulses, 16

so the point’s moot. Don’t be too afraid of a complicated relationship that you forget to, y’know, fall in love.

The situation that spawned this whole thought process, however, was slightly more complex. We know the story of the attached [wo]man who falls in love with someone outside his/her (presumedly) monogamous relationship. But what about the nonmonogamous person who falls for someone who’s attached? Or just wants to play?

Love is joyous; it takes root and takes over. Fuck Christmas bills, fuck George Bush, fuck your outstanding parking tickets you’re in love. That said, I know that feeling like your love “isn’t allowed” is one of the most painful feelings in the world.

I don’t believe in the “homewrecker” situation. Where love is strong, it endures tumult and chaos - including new loves.

Where love is weak, it breaks down. I’ve never heard of a love triangle breaking down in which all parties were in love.

I have heard of plenty of dying relationships for which a new lover was the final excuse to stop staying in a relationship that was complacently comfortable.

But risks do exist. Monogamous relationships fail due to countless reasons: lack of communication, sexual incompatibility, personal conflicts, family issues, boredom. But if a nonmonogamous relationship ends, well, it’s a problem with the whole lifestyle. In other words - and I really hate to say it, but

it happens - a happy poly relationship with an attached person might mean a pissed-off ex trying to defame not only you, but all your non-monogamous friends.

In other words, mono-loving poly-people, be very very careful how you deal with your attached lover - while “attachment” is not an automatic warning sign, many people don’t yet have the practice necessary to properly deal with the (wonderful!) experience of being in love with more than one person at once.

That said: try not to be too busy analyzing your relationships to indulge in them!

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Full Inventory List!

Buying Love Jim Duvall

I believe our Can’t Buy Me Love (Or Even Sex) on craigslist.

Last month the Bellingham Police announced they had busted several escorts who were using craigslist to solicit customers in Bellingham. The press release made it sound like Bellingham had a major prostitution problem involving craigslist. Now I myself am in favor of legalizing prostitution. So I set out to buy the services of an escort on craigslist and write about it here.

I am currently in two relationships with women who make their living as sex workers.

I have been in many previous relationships with women who are or have been sex workers. I also have been the staff photographer for escort businesses and many of my models are sex workers. So i guess it is safe to say I have a long history going back at least 10 years of having a sex worker or 4 in my life at any one time.

But the amazing thing is that I have never hired one for sex. I have sex with sex workers all the time for free and have for years. I know a lot about their worlds from the sex worker side but nothing form the customer side. So this article was to be about my experiences paying a woman on craigslist for her “time and companionship” which is internet leqalese for sex. To really see what this epidemic was all about.

Since the advent of the interweb, prostitution has turned into a much more streamlined market. Escorts have websites which show their pictures, state their fees and give rules for contacting them. Review boards have sprung up with customers posting reviews of escorts stating what they will and wont do, how well and for how much. These communities call themselves “hobbyists” in the U.S. and “punters” overseas. Like all communities as it grows it segments and develops a hierarchy.

And craiglsit according to my sex partners is sort of the streetwalking of the internet. At the high end are high priced escorts who spend days, weekends, or even weeks with clients.

On the internet at the lowest end are women and men who will hook up for half hour appointments.

Because of prostitution’s illegality this internet world is filled with euphemisms. A few are GFE, PSE, FS, respectively “girl friend experience”, “porn star experience” and “full

service”. Money is referred to as “roses” or a rate for half hour for 100 roses means 100 dollars. Many sex acts are referred to as languages, french is fellatio, greek is anal sex, russian is ejaculation on the breasts. Often the entire service is referred to as massage. This is to the chagrin or detriment of legitimate massage therapists who must defend themselves from people who assume something more is being offered. One of my partners right now is not a sex worker but is a licensed massage therapist. She fends off requests for more all the time.

So armed with this glossary to translate this interweb vernacular into English I set out.

Now the first thing I noticed was that Bellingham’s craigslist only showed 4-5 postings of women seeking men under erotic services per day (Seattle and Vancouver BC each have over 75-100). And after reading them, 3 of the 5 were spam trying to get me to some internet dating site or phone sex service. After reading back a few days the same 2-4 women were posting. Reading back further it is obvious there are two divisions, those who live in the Bellingham area and those who travel into the area for a while and then leave for greener pastures often returning, but keeping some illusion of scarcity.

So the epidemic the Bellingham Police described is hardly there. In fact there are only a few to choose from and as you will getting to actual sexual contact is not so easy. Hardly a rampant epidemic.

I started contacting women on the craigslist about 10 days before Christmas. For 5 days I called and left messages and/or emails to every advertisement that was not spam for a phone sex site. I was looking for an out call escort. My budget was $200.00 and I was pretty sure I was not going to get the type of sex I like, (lots of bondage s/m etc.) so I was willing to settle for just any sex act that was paid for. In fact my partners were teasing me that I might not get off if no one was getting hurt. In that first 5 days no one returned my phone call, or emails at all. I was a bit irritated. I kind of pride myself on being able to find the stranger that the strange sexually and here I was trying to buy an escort in a city where the police considered them a menace and None of them would give me the time of day.

So I asked some sex worker acquaintances about my problem and they all agreed I was

probably too terse, more than likely they thought I was a cop, especially after the “big raid”. I was a bit more elaborate for the next 5 days. Describing myself, and what I was looking for in very legal euphemisms, “1 hour of outcall in downtown Bellingham”. Still no takers.

One woman did answer her phone finally.

“Mia” was available and running a special. $100 if I would do incall. The difference being in who goes where. Outcall the escort comes to you, incall you go to her. I agree. I ask where. She says to drive north of the mall and call her, she will then tell me which hotel.

So I jump in the shower, and off I go to the Guide Meridian. I dial her number and I get voice mail. 3 more tries with no answer and I head home. So now I can add that after being ignored by craigslist escorts I have been stood up by one. Apparently someone else got there first.

So now while demoralized further I become more determined. I begin calling more than once a day to women who post phone numbers assuming that the craigslist protocol is to work for the one who is here right now with cash rather than make appointments in advance. I get another answer. “Simone” answers in a very sleepy voice even though it is 4 PM. I ask her what are her rates for outcall in downtown, she answers “$1500”.

One thousand five hundred dollars? I kind of sputter, she then adds that that is for overnight stays. I ask her what about 1 hour. She replies that this is $400. I respond that even though she is a lovely woman that is out of my budget.

So now I am getting desperate. I am not happy about writing a column about how I can not pay someone to have sex with me.

Christmas comes and goes, my friend Ms. Matisse writes a column about being a sex worker on Christmas for the stranger. I realize I might be in for some ridicule. I make one more call to “Mia”, drive faster up to the Guide Meridian, dial her number. Voice mail answers again. Now I am defeated. I may be able to get all kinds of strange kinky sex into my life but the pros on craigslist have said “no”. The idea behind buying sex for me always centered around convenience. This is harder than dating. My girlfriends are all snickering at me. I am worried that they might start charging me to make me feel better.

Matthew Shepard Federal Hate Crimes Bill Withdrawn Judy & Dennis Shepard

“If not here, where? If not now, when?”

Congress will end its session without passing a federal hate crimes law that would protect gay, lesbian, and transgendered persons from discrimination in the workplace.

We are truly dismayed to find that Congress now will put aside its leadership on passage of federal hate crimes legislation that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. At this time of year that fills us all with hope for humankind, we are sad to find that a Congressional majority of each House who have already adopted the Matthew Shepard Act cannot yet come together. If not here, where? If not now, when?

Make no mistake; this is a small triumph of process over principle.

We are dedicated to redoubling our efforts next year to achieve our vision of a hate-free America that truly includes everyone. This has never simply been about Matthew Shepard and our family; this legislation is a gift delayed, but never forgotten for all America’s families.

We thank our friends, allies and champions in Washington and around the world who have struggled so hard this year. We know that we will unite once again next year to achieve passage of this milestone human rights legislation.

The original legislation is formally entitled the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S. 1105).

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This summer, it was offered as a bipartisan amendment by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) to the Department of Defense authorization bill that was approved by both Houses of Congress. The virtually identical House version of the bill passed overwhelmingly on May 3rd, 2007 with a bipartisan vote of 237 to 180 as an appropriate and measured response to the unrelenting and under-addressed problem of hate crimes against individuals based on sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability.

The prior federal hate crimes law permitted the federal prosecution of a hate crime only if the hate crime was motivated by bias based on race, color, religion, or national origin, and the assailant intended to prevent the victim from exercising a “federally protected right” such as the right to vote or attend school.

When Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered in 1998, the current hate crime statutes did not apply to the crime. Without the federal resources needed, finding justice for this horrific act cost Albany County, Wyoming more than $150,000 and forced the local law enforcement to furlough five members of its force.

The Matthew Shepard Foundation was founded by Dennis and Judy Shepard in memory of their 21-year-old son, Matthew, who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998.

Created to honor Matthew in a manner that was appropriate to his dreams, beliefs and aspirations, the Foundation seeks to “Replace Hate with Understanding, Compassion and Acceptance” through its varied education, outreach and advocacy programs. For more information, please visit www.matthewshepard.org.

Reel Gay Fundraiser Results: Rumors 2nd!!

Rumors Cabaret Raises 2nd Highest Amount In Reel Gay’s “A Night Out With Your Other Family” Fundraiser Congratulations to all who participated in Reel Gay’s “A Night Out With Your Other Family” fund raiser. Rumors Cabaret was able to raise $2050.00 for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. That amount was the second highest of the participating bars across the country.

Thank You Bellingham! Below from Reel Gay are the results of the bar by bar fundraising effort across the country.

A NIGHT OUT WITH YOUR OTHER FAMILY was a resounding success with clubs across the country playing our special gay prime time programming, whilst raising money for THE MATTHEW SHEPARD FOUNDATION. More than $12,000 was raised for the charity. Listed below are the results, with winners, and the prizes they will be receiving. We were able to double up on the travel vouchers for every winner. Congratulations and enjoy!

Thanks to all who participated, and we look forward to an even bigger night next year.

JACKHAMMER, Chicago $ 4,100 ARCH BOUDROS 1 trip for 2 to Puerta Vallarta + 2 travel vouchers

RUMORS, Bellingham $ 2,050 BETTY DESIRE 2 travel vouchers + 24 SEASON SIX DVD set MACHINE, Boston $ 1,100 NELSON 2 travel vouchers + BOB HOPE DVD box set BADLANDS, Sacramento $ 957 TAYLOR FACHA 2 travel vouchers + ROCKY DVD set TWIST Cleveland $ 700 LOUIS M. PIPOLY 2 travel vouchers + FRANK SINATRA DVD box set LIASONS, Charlotte $ 436 LINDA SWINSON 2 travel vouchers

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BIG CHICKS, Chicago $ 410 PATRICK McGUIRE 2 travel vouchers GEORGIE’S ALIBI, St. Pete $ 375 PACHYDERM, Burton $ 365 ROBERT RUDDY 2 travel vouchers SPLASH, Panama City $ 305 RICHARD HATHORN 2 travel vouchers SCANDALS, Portland $ 250 ROBERT PUTMAN 2 travel vouchers HANGAR, NYC $ 247 JOHN T. GUZA 2 travel vouchers TWIST, Miami Beach $ 235 RUTHIE HEUMAN 2 travel vouchers GAY 90’S, Minneapolis $ 202 NICOLAS W. JOHNSON 2 travel vouchers EAST/WEST, Weho $ 160 KEVIN HALFHILL 2 travel vouchers BANG, Lexington $ 142 ANDY HICKS 2 travel vouchers PADDYS, Ventura $ 100 2 travel vouchers CC ATTLES , Seattle $ 100 2 travel vouchers CHARLOTTE EAGLE $ 100 SAMUEL W. McCORD 2 travel vouchers

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GLBT Organizations in Whatcom and Skagit Counties www.theslowlane.com This website includes a gay resource guide for Bellingham located at www. theslowlane.com/guide.html. There is also a Yahoo Groups at http://groups.yahoo. com/group/alternativebellingham/ Gay and Lesbian Alcoholics Anonymous Meets every Wednesday night at 7:30PM at St. Joseph’s South Campus.

Sean Humphrey House An apartment complex for people living with HIV/AIDS in Bellingham. For more information call 360-733-9357 Triskeli Guild The Triskeli Guild is Bellingham’s BDSM social group. They provide education in safe and consensual play and encourage participation by all genders, race, and sexual preference. They meet monthly every 2nd Tuesday at 7 PM in the Fairhaven Park Pavilion.

Great Northern Books Located on Railroad Avenue, Great Northern Books is your source for Adult Entertainment.

On Eagle’s Wings Counseling Sue Stackhouse and Anne Hulse offer counseling services to the GLBT community in Whatcom and Skagit County. For information call 360-5992627 PFLAG of Skagit County Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays’ Skagit County Chapter meets at the Central United Methodist Church at 1013 Polte Rd. in Sedro-woolley on the second Monday of every month at 7 PM. For directions and information all 360-8564676 Evergreen AIDS Foundation Evergreen AIDS Foundation provides support services for people living with HIV and AIDS who reside in Whatcom or Skagit County. 1509 Cornwall Ave. 360671-0703 Lesgo.com Is a website that helps connect the Whatcom County lesbian community with information on local and regional happenings.

ISCEE The Imperial Sovereign Court of the Evergreen Empire, Court of the Three Gems of Mt. Baker is affiliated with the International Court System and has been actively raising money for charity for over 25 years by sponsoring drag shows and pageants. The group is open to all regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, seeking to provide social activities and community service opportunities for gays, lesbians, and their friends and allies in Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan Counties.

Lavender Light Meeting An LGBT Lavender Light meeting of Narcotics Anonymous meets at 1209 Girard Street every Wednesday and Friday night at 7 PM and Sunday at noon. This group has been meeting since June of 2001.

Rumors Cabaret Rumors Cabaret caters to Bellingham’s GLBT and alternative lifestyle community and has done so since the 1980’s.

An award winning dance club, Rumors provides a gathering place to celebrate party and mingle.

From the Betty Desire Show at 10:30 PM on Wednesday nights, to Fetish Nite on the third Sunday of the month, to hosting foam parties and drag shows, there is something for everyone at Rumors. Go to rumorscabaret.com for info.

quarter. For information call 360650-6120.

Whatcom Community College’s New Queer Alliance is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA community by providing a fun, safe environment for students to meet and socialize, by educating the campus community about queer issues, and by advocating for gay rights. The NQA meets weekly. Contact rainbow_orca@ yahoo.com for more information or check out our livejournal at http://www.livejournal.com /community/queerwhatcom/ Washington State Sexual Minority Mental Health Subcommittee Heidi Henkien, M.A.L.M.F.T. is our regional representative to the subcommittee for Whatcom, Skagit, Island, San Juan, and Snohomish Counties. If you have input or questions about mental health services for the LGBTQI community contact Heidi at hhenkin@openaccess.org or 360756-0718.

Counseling Line To connect with a licensed therapist in Whatcom County who is educated about kink, polyamory, and LGBTQI lives and lifestyles,

call 360-756-0718. Individual, couples, and family and phone sessions are available.

PFLAG of Bellingham and Whatcom County For information about parents and friends of lesbians and gays in Bellingham and Whatcom County call 360-733-1500.

Friend to Friend Sponsors workshops and activities to help men become safer in their sexual expression. Call 360-6710703 for more information.

Gay Men’s Fiction Book Club Join us for discussions of literary books by and about gay men.

Meetings are the 2nd Sunday of each month at 2 PM & open to anyone interested in reading and talking about the chosen titles.

Located at Village Books in Bellingham’s Fairhaven District.

A Bellingham Conversation Cafe: “Affirming our Sexuality” A drop-in discussion group for people to explore any aspect of sexuality in an open, inclusive, sex-positive forum. 3rd Tuesday of each month, 7:30-9:00.

Public Market (side room), 1530 Cornwall. For info: 671-1376.

Western Washington University LGBTA The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Alliance at Western Washington University is a student organization which supports lesbians, gays, bisexuals, people who identify as transgender, and their allies; in the various stages of their coming out process, in the creation and affirmation of positive self identities, and in the promotion and defense of their human and civil rights. The LGBTA is located on Western’s Campus in Viking Union 515 and is open from the first day of Fall quarter until the last day of Spring

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