The Betty Pages July 2011 by Betty Desire

THE BETTY PAGES The regionâ€™s most inclusive alternative-lifestyle entertainment tabloid

Pride & & Anniversary Anniversary Edition Edition Pride

a Desire Enterprises publication

July 2011

About our Contributors...

The Betty Pages - July 2011 Betty’s Corner

Page 3

Reflections on 30 Years of HIV

In The Mix

Benji and Co.

By Betty Desire, The Betty Pages Photo by Todd Hague

By Scott Bertani

By Bridget Adams Comic by Johann-Octavius X. Gans

Special Insert!

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.

Managing Editor Brian Spencer is a local GLBT community member who, in addition to The Betty Pages, works with Evergreen AIDS Foundation, the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Evergreen Empire and Bellingham Pride. As always, remember to “Live well, love much, laugh often.”

Queer Film Historian Bichoo Vrishchik (Scorpio Scorpion) has published in Film Quarterly Sight and Sound, International Film Guide, Filmfare, Youth Times, and Manshots. With a BA from Pacific Lutheran College (1959) and a MA from San Francisco State College (1968), he has also taught film at Western Washington University.

Writer Bridget Adams currently resides in Washington State but that is always subject to change. Lucky enough to be a full-time, if poor, writer, she is most likely somewhere in front of her computer with a cup of coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

In the News: The Berlin Patient

Courtesy Sarah Fanucci, Evergreen AIDS Foundation

Sudoku for Tom

Written by Brian Spencer, The Betty Pages

Inclusive Places of Worship Gay Film Bibliography By Bichoo Vrishchik

GLBT Resource Guide The Comics!

Comics by Cafe Noir Studios for The Betty Pages

Ex Libris: Gods & Monsters By Peter Storm

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Photographer D. Colburn Tarpenning II is an avid pugophile, photophile, horophile and achondrophile. When he’s not petting a pug, or his delightful husband, he’s helping where he can with the Bellingham GLBT community and doing full-time social work with Evergreen AIDS Foundation. Contributor Peter Storm has been an avid reader since he received his first stone tablet, Peter owns more books than any normal human would ever feel the need to read. A former contributor to This Week in the City of Honolulu magazine his interests include film, history and world domination.

Contributor Scott Bertani is Assistant Director for Evergreen AIDS Foundation and will be guest writing a monthly satirical column for the Betty Pages.

Contributor Nick Milhoan is a student at WWU. He is the current chair of the Bellingham Pride Festival and member of Whatcom PFLAG Board of Directors, as well as Empress for the ISCEE. His interests include movies, music, politics and the pursuit of equality. *Cover photo, “Bellingham Pride in Seattle Pride” by Beatitman, June 26, 2011

Betty’s Corner

Betty Desire, The Betty Pages

and dance the night away! Proceeds will benefit Amy’s Place in their work with the kids in our community. The Betty Pages turns 7 years old on Friday night and you are invited to the birthday party at Rumor’s Cabaret which runs from 9pm until 2am. Then Saturday is picnic time at Maritime Heritage Park. This is an old fashioned “potluck,” so ‘hamsters you know what to do! The burgers are served at noon thanks to The Betty Pages! Saturday Night is the Pride Drag Show with special guest Pandora Boxx! The only thing you need to remember this weekend is to be proud and party on!

Something new this year is the “B-Proud All Ages Dance” on Thursday night at Depot Market Square. Come out from 8 - 11pm for $2.00

I really am looking forward to connecting with everyone at the festival. There are a number of old friends that I only see at Bellingham Pride. I hope you all can take the time to check out the vendors and groups with information booths – there is so much available right here at home that we never hear about... Take a moment to thank the non-profit groups that, through their tireless and sometimes thankless work, create the framework that holds our vibrant diverse community together. Take a moment to thank Rumor’s Cabaret. It was

Finally here’s to our city and its people! Friends, neighbors and allies – time to celebrate and rejoice! Join us as we remember those who have gone before and sacrificed so much so we could live our lives honestly and open without fear. Happy Pride Bellingham!

Betty Desire Counseling Education Programs Support Groups Children’s Services Parenting Classes Crisis Intervention Shelter Referrals Info and Referrals Legal Assistance 24-hour support There is NEVER an excuse for domestic violence or sexual assault.

We’re here to help. Free, safe, and confidential. 24-Hour Support (360)715-1563 www.dvsas.org

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July is here! Now it is our turn to celebrate our Pride! Inside this month in the Betty Pages you will find all the information you need to have a fantastic Bellingham Pride Week. It all begins with my Wednesday Night Show at 10:30pm on Wednesday, July 6 and the frivolity continues climaxing with the parade and festival at Depot Market Square on Sunday, July 10. Pandora Boxx headlines this year’s entertainment, and you won’t be disappointed – she is amazing! The parade lines up at Bellingham High School on Cornwall and as in years past we are honored to have Rainbow City Band marching with us, as well as a number of floats, including Dykes on Bikes, the Roller Betties, the Radical Fairies and people from all segments of our community walking in solidarity! I want to take a moment to thank all who have helped bring this celebration together. It takes a village!

Beth and Taylor, my daughter and granddaughter, have settled into my cozy (and cramped) basement apartment and are back in the ‘ham for the foreseeable future (no more wild parties for Miss Betty). Taylor is all excited for the parade and fun and grandpama couldn’t be more proud that she is here! She will be the cute redheaded five year old sitting with Betty and Mom – be sure to wave! Something new with the parade this year is that we have the whole street to play on. No parking allowed on the parade route between 11am and 1pm. After all, the parade is 6 years old. And as every mother knows, toddlers need room to walk.

not that long ago when the only place a gay person in this town was truly safe was inside Rumor’s. They have provided a protected gathering place for us for over 25 years!

Proudly Seeing the Forest From the Trees

Page 3 Models

Photo by D. Colburn Tarpenning II

Image shot at Texmexwlalem

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If you would like to be a Page 3 Model contact page3@thebettypages.com

Reflections on 30 Years of HIV & AIDS

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Scott Bertani

June 2011 marks the 30th year since the first cases of AIDS were reported in the United States. I can still recall my first real arm’s length introduction to HIV back in 1981, back when I was ten years old—news that came to me like so many others in this country, wrapped up in a succinct two minute blurb from CBS’ Dan Rather on the evening news. I remember sitting at the top of the stairs when this report of a new plague was rocking the gay world and how my ears instantly perked up when I heard the noise of unfamiliar words like lesions and Pneumocystis. (Coincidentally, I had recently been released from the local hospital with own bout of pneumonia, but my communitycold (that time) was unlike any other the world had ever known.) To me, like everyone else in our formative years, my world felt small, seemingly insignificant in comparison to people that Mr. Rather was talking about, but yet somehow I felt connected to them. In fact, it was the first time in my burgeoning memory that the sound of gay and plague were stringed together in the same sentence. Conjoined words that sent shivers down my spine. Like the rest of the world in those early days I didn’t know exactly how those two words fit

so snuggly together, but I knew (deep down) that there must be a reason to their rhythmical pattern. I watched intently (in humble silence) as the cathode ray tube TV lit up my otherwise normalized, pre-teen world. And just as CBS was wrapping up its storied coverage, my Dad journeyed past me and patted me on my baseballcapped head—oblivious to the news and the look of abject horror on my face—commenting to my Mom something to the affect of “Well, it looks like they just found out another way to kill a person”. At that moment, I froze and internally “reached” out to him with profoundly sad, brown eyes—my moment of vigil finally over, but there was no reply—no recognition of what I was feeling; and I distinctly remember the phrase I uttered that will forever echo in my head, “So, this was how I was going to die.” There was no treatment for those first blindsided by AIDS; in fact, most people who were just being reported on were already in the late stages of AIDS, and no matter the medicine (at the time) it was most likely too late to return from the skeletal

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abyss that would befall their once “human” frames. Today, thank G*d, that’s not the case. In thirty years, we’ve seen a rapid progression of treatment, from mono-therapy AZT to the much-ballyhooed “cocktail”—our panoply of medicines, taken in combination that eases yesterday’s suffering. But in order to take this lifesaving and life-prolonging treatment, you have to know your HIV status. And to do that, you have to get be tested. June 27th also marked National HIV Testing Day, a day decidedly set aside by the CDC to mark every adult’s passage from sexually-transmitted disease naiveté to potentially AIDS-ribboned man/woman. I write about this because I wonder how many of you, as part of the gay world truly marked that day, this month—or, if it went by (sadly) unnoticed. It’s depressing in this 30th year of renewed hope to read the Kaiser Family Foundation Reports on where AIDS falls on the list of American worries. In 1987, when they commissioned that study, 68% of all Americans said it was the most urgent health problem facing the nation (and world). In 2002, it slipped quite a few notches down to 17%. Today, it’s below

10%. But to those Persons Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), it probably ranks in the top five of their worries. For those on AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Waiting Lists in other states (like Texas, Ohio, Florida…) it’s probably their only real concern. I am not normally one to chide others (I think you all know me well enough by now—five years into my service at Evergreen AIDS Foundation), but I’d like everyone reading this to take a moment and think of how we all felt the day we heard about our own positive diagnosis, or the first time we nervously awaited our initial HIV test results. I heard about my own diagnosis in April of 1996, right as the backbone of my (our) meds—protease inhibitors—were coming online. And if it weren’t for that oddity of a word (protease) I (like so many others) can emphatically say I wouldn’t be here today. Now, I ask you to think about your HIV status day, not to bring up distant (recent) memories of pain (or relief or whatever), but to urge you to become activists for AIDS. To not ignore your service to others; to always disclose your truthful HIV - / + status to sexual partner(s), to do something simple—to bring just one person, one current or previous partner to come into be tested.

Thirty years into this epidemic, it all comes back to the basics of taking the first brave step to test. Do it, if not for yourself, but for those giants in the field of AIDS who have gone (and died) before (and for) you.⁂

Blue Cab

Taxi service for Bellingham, Whatcom County and beyond. Getting there is safer and easier with Blue Cab!

(360) 734-3787 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week! Blue Cab proudly supports the local LGBT community, Betty Desire, The Betty Pages and the Evergreen Empire. W W W. T H E B E T T Y P A G E S . C O M

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I ask you this because it’s statistically shown that approximately 20% of individuals out there are unaware that they’re infected with HIV; and unwittingly, those 20% go on to infect others—people like you and me… that is, before we knew we were HIV+. Now, what’s so critical about being tested for HIV and why are you the gay audience so crucial in this fight to test? First, because gay and bi-sexual men are the most at-risk for contracting HIV (based on prevalence and modality of transmission), and naturally you—like EAF—ought to be the frontline sounding board to advocacy and routine testing. Second, when on antiretrovirals, progression of HIV is dramatically reduced. And third, you’re engaged in routine medical care, become adherent to antiretrovirals (95% adherence in any given month) and are undetectable in your viral load, there is a significantly reduced likelihood of transmitting the virus to others (.0852). And fourth, data show that people who know they are HIV+ are far less likely to transmit the infection to others than those who don’t know their HIV status. Who better than you—gay and bi-sexual men—to tell people (and at-risk partners) to come in and get tested? So (please) be today’s new shining example and on-the-street intervention to get others to get tested for HIV.

In The Mix Bridget Adams

Oooo! Poppets, I’ve started a trend! Back in May, I was lucky enough to interview a strong LGBTQ voice, Shawn Harris. This month, it’s Dennis R. Upkins, author of Hollowstone, social justice advocate, and really cool all-around guy.

soon discovers that the world of the privileged is rife with social hierarchies, politics, depravity and corruption. It is also there that Noah meets his roommate and best friend, the charming and enigmatic Caleb Warner.

Bridget Adams (BA): First and foremost, what’s Hollowstone about?

Tragedy soon strikes when Cal is brutally murdered in a hold-up. But when Noah is haunted by Cal’s ghost, he soon discovers that the random act of violence was in fact a premeditated one. Determined to uncover the truth and find Cal’s killer, Noah soon finds that the school and its patrons have more than their share of secrets. Secrets they are willing to preserve at any cost. Noah also quickly learns that greater supernatural

Dennis R. Upkins (DRU): Hollowstone is the story of Noah Scott whose changes drastically when he is accepted to Hollowstone Academy, one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country set in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee. Within the hallowed halls of the illustrious school, Noah

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Puppy Pre School!

puppy pre school at tails is FREE because proper socialization saves lives! -ben

www.tails-a-wagging.com

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forces are at play. In a race against time, Noah must solve Cal’s murder before he’s the killer’s next victim. BA: What made you decide to write black and gay protagonists? DRU: Being a double minority myself, I’m a firm believer in showcasing diversity, in a natural, honest, and respectful manner. And I’ve done it for so many years, now it’s not even really a conscious decision. It’s just second nature to me. Some people may ask, why include marginalized characters? I ask, why not? When it comes to people, straight white ablebodied middle class male is not the default. So for me it’s not brain surgery or rocket science to have marginalized characters as the leads in a story. BA: What challenges do your characters face as both Black youth and gay youth that may not be understood? DRU: With Noah being the narrator, I think this is a chance for many white readers to get a glimpse of what it’s like to be a person of color in the U.S. He’s constantly on the receiving end of racial slurs (and I’m not even talking about the infamous “N-Word”) and other racist harassment. We’re talking about everything Confederate flags waving prominently throughout the town of Newton, to racial profiling by police officers. People are shocked when they learn that Noah is 1) at the school on an academic scholarship and not an athletic scholarship and not because of affirmative action. 2) he grew up in the suburbs and wasn’t from the hood 3) that he speaks so well. And let’s not forget the racist insults by classmates (I think he got called a house slave at one point), not to mention when two white female classmates clutched their purses (and the proverbial pearls) when he passed them in the lawn because they thought he was going to rob them in broad daylight. Many people still have this failed mindset that blacks and other POCs (People of Color) are still on the receiving end of racism because they

bring it on themselves because they can’t get their acts together. And yet here we have Noah, who is a mild-mannered student. A gifted violinist, he makes straight-A’s and is a devout Catholic. In fact, Cal’s nickname for him is Altar Boy. And yet he’s still catching this much bigotry. Many whites believe that as long as they aren’t burning a cross, wearing a white sheet, or screaming white power with a swastika branded on them, then they aren’t “real” racists like the really bad white people. I think seeing the hardships that Noah, and for that matter Cassidy, endures will illustrate that it’s the everyday racism from everyday white people that is even more destructive and more pervasive in our society than many whites may realize. As for the three LGBT characters - Ryan, Neely, another character who comes out in the story -

the audience learns why it rarely gets better for queer people, especially in the telling of Ryan’s experiences. His story is a painful and sobering reminder of the abuse and hatred that gay teens face in high schools. And to be clear, Ryan is not an effeminate character, he’s not flamboyant, he’s not emo, he’s not “flaunting his sexual preference,” he’s not trying to “push an agenda.” He’s simply a nice quiet kid who spends every waking moment apologizing for his existence and trying to blend into the background so he’s left alone and that’s not enough for his tormenters. Because the truth is, some people won’t be happy until LGBTQs are dead. Ryan is also a cautionary tale why one should be careful about who they bully and that contrary to popular opinion, gay people do in fact fight back. Because when he’s pushed when he’s pushed too far, Ryan stops apologizing once and for all and takes his power back in a most spectacular manner.

I think one of the things that has surprised me about Hollowstone is how popular Neely has been as a character. I knew Cal would be popular, and I expected Noah to have some fans, but Neely has really struck a chord with a lot of readers and the common sentiment I continue to hear is that it’s rare to find powerful bisexual characters who are portrayed in such a positive manner. BA: This book has to be special to you simply because it is your first novel. I would imagine, though, that it resonates even more deeply for personal reasons. What does this story mean to you on that level?

But more than that, I get to share this story with other people and that in itself has been a reward. BA: Why do you think it is so rare to find LGBTQ characters in mainstream fiction? DRU: I think the reason is obvious. Let’s just keep it real. I think the reason it’s so rare to find LGBTQ characters in mainstream fiction is for the same reason you rarely find POCs in mainstream fiction and the same reason why works by black authors are always shuffled off to the AfricanAmerican section whether the genre of their work is sci-fi, fantasy, gay fiction, etc. The publishing industry is a very bigoted one. Whitewashing book covers with POC protagonists is still the norm and this was the same BS that was done to album covers of black musicians during the 50s to make it more comfortable for white audiences to listen to “Negro music.” Let’s also not forget that it was only two-months

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DRU: I’ve joked many times with friends that Hollowstone is probably about as close to an autobiography as I’ll ever write. A good 80 percent of the novel is based on firsthand experiences. More than that, I think Hollowstone provides a critique on society by raising a mirror and calling out a lot of the injustices that plague society. The novel doesn’t presume to have the answers and in fact it presents none. But I do think it’s a candid look at our culture. Keeping that in mind, this would constitute that “Great American Novel” that most people dream about writing and few people actually do.

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ago that a New York Times bestselling author was ordered to change her short story (which featured a gay pairing) into a heterosexual couple for an anthology. We also saw the fallout which occurred when the homophobia in the industry was called out. You know art is supposed to be progressive and forward-thinking. It’s supposed to enlighten society and challenge us to evolve and it’s unsettling to see that seems to be less and less the case. BA: What are the problems you see, as an author and as a reader, with most of the LGBTQ characters that are out there these days? DRU: We’re usually minor characters or sidekicks. And that’s the best case scenario. More often than not, we’re reduced to offensive stereotypes and caricatures. Degrading props to illustrate how and why cis straight people are so superior to us. Believe it or not. Not every gay man is effeminate, flamboyant and aspiring to new levels of “fabulous.” Not every gay men is aspiring to be some honorary woman or to be a straight woman’s fashion accessory.

Believe it or not, most lesbians aren’t militant, emasculating man-haters. Most of them are simply down to earth women who happen to love other women. And with the exception of an elite few, I generally don’t read gay fiction written by women for the same I reason I generally don’t read works “tackling racism” that are written by white writers, for the same reason I surmise that many queer women don’t read works depicting their sexuality from straight men. In the case of many women writing gay fiction, it’s heterosexism at play. Too often it’s usually privileged women who are using a marginalized group as avatars to write out their fantasies. Because honestly many of these stories are as offensive to queer men as stories depicting queer women written by sexist straight men with a lesbian fetish. The universal thread there: the writers are usually coming from a place of privilege who couldn’t be bothered to do any actual research or garner any actual facts. Many of these privileged writers usually have a not-so-veiled agenda attached.

And while I would love to support more gay writers, a lot of the work I’ve been coming across is disheartening as well. A lot of the narratives are whiny, pretentious and indulgent and textbook cliches. The stories and the writing is horrid and I’m just wondering, how does this stuff get published? As LGBTQs, we come in all ranges from all walks of life. We’re more than our orientations just like cis-straight people but it’s funny how that never gets explored. And the fact that I often have to find myself still arguing over this with people in the 21st century is quite disturbing in itself. BA: Finally, where can we buy the book? DRU: Hollowstone is available on Amazon in both print and Kindle. It’s also available in other ebook formats on parker-Publishing.com. And if you need any other information, you can hit me up at http://dennisupkins.com. And hit him up you should, Poppets. Hollowstone is a really excellent read, especially for LGBTQ and questioning youth – okay, really for anybody, but you know my soft spot for teens. Upkins is an even more excellent voice and one that needs to be heard. By as many people as possible. So read a book this month, and until next month, Poppets, take care of you.⁂

Benji and Co.

Comic by Johann-Octavius X. Gans

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Many of us are in fact masculine. Many of us are athletes, soldiers, and confident in who we are. Many of us know squat about design or fashion and couldn’t care less. The only difference between

us and our straight brethren is that we simply happen to be attracted to other men.

Mission Statement

Whatcom PFLAG is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about advocacy and supporting our LGBTQ loved ones while promoting the health and well-being of those individuals and their families, friends and allies. Only through respect, dignity and equality for all will we reach our full potential as human beings.

Programs, Services & Activities

• Bellingham Pride Festival each July • Monthly support meetings • Local scholarship for high school seniors • Distribution of materials on coming out and family outreach • Movie & literature library • Confidential support phone-line and e-mail

Get Involved! Help Make a Difference! Monthly Support Meetings 2ND Thursday @ 7pm (excluding July) First Congregational Church 2401 Cornwall Avenue (in basement) Bellingham, WA

For more information on PFLAG or Bellingham Pride contact info@whatcompflag.com

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12 Years of Bellingham Pride Nick Milhoan, Bellingham Pride Chair

It’s that time of year again, no not your trip to see the in-laws, but for what many would call a family reunion, yes it’s time for Proposition: B-Proud, Bellingham Pride 2011. It’s been 12 years since a local group of PFLAG members decided to hold the first pride in Bellingham. At that time a ½ dozen tables were set up in Fairhaven Park on a Sunday afternoon in early June to try to bring a sense of community to Bellingham and Whatcom County, no one on that day envisioned moving beyond a small festival, but times have changed. Today Bellingham Pride takes place over 5 days in July and offers a variety of events, but the overall mission of bringing a sense of community remains.

B e l l i n g h a m

SUNDAY

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G u i d e

The typical pride events like the Betty Pages Queer Family Picnic, drag show and main festival continue to take place, but this year the pride committee decided to branch out of the norm and worked with the Queer Youth Project to create an all ages dance on Thursday, July 7, with a hope

of providing those under 21 a safe place to come, dance and be themselves. Also new this year is two outside organizations that have put on events related to pride. Those include a showing of the film “For the Bible Tells Me So,” on Wednesday, July 6 at the First Congregational Church and Shall We Dance providing an Over the Rainbow dance class on Friday, July 8. We also have a few other changes have taken place. The t-shirts that the pride committee and security wore during last year’s festival are now available! You can pick them up during the majority of pride events or by visiting our website at www. bhampride.org. Also our entertainment stage has moved out into the center of Depot Market Square in hopes of providing a better venue, not only for our performers, but for you the spectator. This years performers include the Shrapnells, Noddy, Luke Warm and the Moderates, the Rainbow City Band and our headliner from Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Pandora Boxx! While most prides in the USA take place in June

Decision Day! Pride Parade @ Noon Along Cornwall Avenue B-Proud Festival ‘til 5PM Depot Market Square

during National Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, Bellingham has always had a way of doing things there own way, so pride takes place each July instead. The pride committee decided upon this to accommodate for what is generally nicer weather (forecasts call for partly sunny and 70 right now) and it put’s it in between Seattle and Vancouver Pride. After 12 years pride continues to evolve in our ever changing community. Our hope is that we can offer an event for every member of the queer community. While we know we can’t possibly do an event that will please everyone, we do hope you will find something that brings you into the sense of community that pride strives for. We hope you find the time during this wonderful week in Bellingham. You can visit www. bhampride.org if want more information that is not provided in this month’s issue of the Betty Pages or you may contact me personally at bhampridechair@gmail.com. Remember to check your box for Proposition: B-Proud and have a safe and happy pride!

Featuring

Pandora Boxx From RuPaul’s Drag Race!

(Downtown Farmer’s Market)

Bellingham Pride Gold & Rainbow Sponsors 1119 Railroad Avenue | Bellingham, Washington | www.rumorscabaret.com

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G u i d e

www.evergreenaids.org | (360) 671-0703

Don’t Forget the Youth Vote! B-Proud All Ages Dance Depot Market Square (Farmer’s Market) 8pm, $2

D I R

THURSDAY

WEDNESDAY

Campaign Kick-Off! The Betty Show @ Rumors Cabaret 10:30pm, FREE

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SATURDAY

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P r i d e

FRIDAY

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The Polls! Betty Pages Anniversary Party @ Rumors Cabaret, 1119 Railroad, 9:00PM, No Cover before 10, Free Food

Public Forums! Queer Family Picnic @ Meritime Heritage Park, Noon-4PM, FREE Pride Drag Show @ Rumors Cabaret, Door 6, Show 7, $5 Followed by Rumors Pride Party

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In the News: The Berlin Patient Courtesy of Sarah Fanucci, Evergreen AIDS Foundation You’ve likely seen the headlines: Man Cured of AIDS! Or read excerpts about the mysterious “Berlin Patient”. Many of you (and I know because you’ve told me) took this entire hullabaloo with less than a grain of salt. So many times, you said, the world has suggested they are close to a cure, made promises of scientific discoveries that have not panned out, raised the ultimate hope and then cruelly disappointed. This time, with this story, is there something more than just media fireworks? Timothy Ray Brown is the man known as “The Berlin Patient”. Originally from the Seattle and Bay areas, he tested positive for HIV in 1995. He

Sonja Lee Band Biagio Biondolillo and Guests Tea Seas Soulstace Jazz Quartet Whiskey Lickers

Corbin Watkins and Friends

The factor that made this patient’s transplant so interesting is an attribute of the donor’s cells. When searching for a stem cell donor, practitioners turn to a worldwide donor list of more than thirteen million. This patient’s doctor offered up the idea to not only find a perfect tissue match, but find a match that also possessed what is known as a delta32 CCR5 receptor mutation. When HIV enters the blood it is harmless to the body unless it is able

to attach itself to a CD4 cell and pirate this cell into making copies of itself that then attach to more CD4 cells, taking over those, reproducing more virus and so forth, ultimately obliterating the immune system. Virtually all strains of HIV must attach to this CCR5 receptor in order to be relevant. Some people (estimated about 1.5% of Caucasians) are shown to be “immune” to HIV because of possessing a mutated CD4 that does not have an accessible CCR5 receptor. Dr. Hutter found a stem cell donor that not only was a perfect tissue match but also possessed the delta32 CCR5 receptor mutation. To put this in perspective, out of 13 million possible donors, 232 were tissue matches. It might be assumed that out of those 232 matches, 2 also possessed this receptor mutation. We don’t know exactly how many had the mutation, because after they found such a match in number 61, they stopped looking. Timothy Brown, a relatively strong healthy 40 year old survived the stem cell transplant. And he remained undetectable for HIV following the transplant despite being taken off of all HIV medications. He actually underwent a second stem cell transplant with the same donor a year later after another relapse with Leukemia and experienced a series of complications from that transplant. He remained, however, apparently free of HIV without medications. Beyond an undetectable blood viral load, Mr. Brown underwent a multitude of other tests to discern if HIV was lurking somewhere else in the body. As we know, HIV hides out in the lymph nodes, brain tissue, and other organ tissue even when not discernable by laboratory tests in the blood. All of these tests – liver, intestine, brain biopsies, etc. - all came back negative for HIV. Barring a full autopsy after death, the Berlin Patient is effectively cured of AIDS. What does this mean for the rest of us? Although very exciting, it does not mean a cure for AIDS has yet been found. It does, however, offer hope for a future cure using the principles that were

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was, for the most part, successfully treated with HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy) over the next ten or so years and was living well with HIV. He had an undetectable viral load when he was struck down with Acute Myeloid Leukemia while living and working in Germany. After a relapse of the leukemia he agreed to undergo a stem cell transplant treatment in 2007 with his physician, a German hematologist, Dr. Hutter. Stem cell transplants (much like bone marrow transplants) include the complete destruction of a person’s immune system before then introducing stem cells from a tissue-matched donor to replicate in the recipient’s body. Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. In a stem cell transplant the idea is to obliterate all the blood forming cells in the body, as well as all the T-cells. It is a highly dangerous procedure, with about a 20% chance of death within the first 100 days following transplant. It is not performed unless the likelihood of death by the cancer is almost certain without this treatment.

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applied in this case. Researchers believe that the best bet for a cure will be through gene therapy. One prevailing idea would be to take stem cells from an HIV positive person, knock out the CCR5 receptor cell through genetic engineering, replicate this cell into the millions and introduce them back into their original host. A full stem cell transplant using your own bodyâ€™s cells. The risks go way down (risk of death less than 1%) and there is no dependence on the perfect match. The costs would be surmountable as well (at least in developed countries), which is not true of Timothy Brownâ€™s cure. His cure would not have been achievable at all in the United States where a Social Health Care System does not exist. The

problem is, although science is very good at gene therapy for one cell, it hasnâ€™t figured out how to do this in the numbers necessary to effect this kind of full system transplant. Researchers, however, are getting closer. Based on the success of the Berlin Patient, scientists recently tried a similar kind of gene therapy in a couple dozen patients in San Francisco. They were able to modify some of their CD4 cells to contain the CCR5 mutation. After six months, the number of infection-fighting blood cells remains above base-line. This is very promising, but it will take time to know if this kind of gene therapy will work long-term. It remains, as well,

too costly and inaccessible to the majority of the world suffering from HIV/AIDS. Remember that close to 22 million of the about 33 million people living with HIV reside in sub-Sahara Africa. So although incredibly promising, it will not be a practical cure for AIDS worldwide. In the end, I encourage us all to remain hopeful. The Berlin Patient, gene therapy, new vaccine trials, microbicides, ART for use in prevention â€“ all of these are reasons to celebrate the incredible commitment, activism, and scholarship that has been so prevalent in this 30 year relationship, and to renew our social, political, and scientific investments in ridding the world of HIV.â ‚

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Inclusive Places of Worship in Whatcom & Skagit Counties Bellingham

Garden Street Methodist 1326 N Garden Street 360-733-7440 www.gardenstreetumc.org

Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship 1708 I Street 360-733-2301 www.buf.org

On Eagle’s Wings Ministries A Special Work of the UFMCC (Bellingham) PO Box 425 Maple Falls, WA 98266 360-599-2627

Beth Israel Synagogue 2200 Broadway 360-733-8890 www.bethisraelbellingham.org Center for Spiritual Living 2224 Yew Street Road 360-734-4160 www.csl-bellingham.org

Woodside Church of Religious Science 2224 Yew Street Road 360-734-4160

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Faith Lutheran Church ELCA 2750 McLeod Rd 360-733-3970

Blaine

Skagit County Central United Methodist Church 1013 Polte Road Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 360 856-6412 www.gbgm-umc.org/cumc-sedrowoolley St. James Episcopal Church 810 Puget Ave. Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 (360) 855-0040 Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ 2802 Commercial Anacortes, WA 360-293-5675 www.PilgrimUCCSkagit.org

First Christian Church Disciples of Christ 495 East Bakerview Road 360-734-6820 www.bhamfcc.com

Blaine Congregational UCC 885 4th Street (360) 332-6906

Celebration Lutheran Church Worship at The Depot Arts Center 611 R. Avenue Anacortes, WA 98221 360-299-3225

First Congregational UCC (ONA) 2401 Cornwall Avenue 360-734-3720 www.fccb.net

Free Church Unitarian 1218 Harrison Avenue 360-332-4781 or 360-332-5563 www.uublaine.org

Christ Episcopal Church 1216 7TH Street Anacortes, WA 98221 (360) 293-5790

Mount Vernon

Skagit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (WEL) PO Box 1203 500 West Section 360-419-9014 www.skagituuf.com

Center for Spiritual Living 1508 N. 18th Street 360-355-9029 www.cslmountvernon.com

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 415 South 18th Street (360) 424-1822

Island County

Langley United Methodist Church Located at 3rd & Anthes PO Box 374 Langley, WA 98260 www.langleyumc.org

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Gay Film Bibliography: Two & a Half Films Not Made In Iran Bichoo Vrischik

Since 1979 Iran has been a theocracy (a state governed by divine guidance, or clergy, its officials in turn guided by them) named the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its constitution declares Twelver (majority) Shi’a (minority, as opposed to Sunni) Islam as its religion. The QUR’AN (653/654) has no divine punishment for homosexuality (only 100 lashes, as for infidelity) and Sura (Chapter) 52:24 cites male attendants in Heaven “as fair as virgin pearls.” The Baghdadi poet Ibn Dawud (868-909) promoted a “permitted gaze” of young men, and for Sufi mystics since the ninth century such a ‘gaze’ is a ‘witness’ to God’s

beauty and power. Although the quatrains of the Persian poet Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) have been translated in the West as heterosexual, they belong to the khamriyya (wine, or bacchic) school of poetry addressed to ‘beardless winebearers;’ the same pronoun is used in Persian for both genders. Yet today such traditions are not openly acknowledged in many Islamic countries, where human rights have become secondary to divine/ political power.

The omniscient auteur (author, director, and star) of QUELQUES

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To be gay or lesbian in Iran today can be a death sentence, unless one partner in a relationship undergoes a sex change, and even then s/he is shunned. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at Columbia University in 2007, claimed that Iran had no homosexuals but a spokesman claimed he meant, “ that, compared to American society, we don’t have many homosexuals.” Two films on gay and lesbian rights in Iran, but not made in Iran, were shown at the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival.

JOURS DE REPIT (A FEW DAYS OF RESPITE, 2011), Amor Hakkar, in fact is Algerian, and his film was made in France. The genesis of this, his second film, was an item in the French press on the execution of two gay lovers in a public square in Tehran. Hakkar plays an Iranian French language professor, Moshen, who has fled Iran with his gay lover Hassan (Samir Guesmi) across the Jura Mountains. Awaiting a train to Paris, in a small town, Moshen is befriended by Yolanda (Marina Vlady, a veteran of films by Jean-Luc Goddard and Orson Welles), who suggests they marry, in part to legalize his status. Hakkar, the auteur, thus declares himself bisexual, bedding Yolanda while Hassan hides in her attic. This is a minimalist film in the style of Robert Bresson, and little information surfaces except the simple story and the details that directly explicate it. Many, if not all, things remain undone. A minor character is kept from suicide, but may finally succeed. Light meals are served but often left uneaten. A roll of film left in a shop is never retrieved, and may be the evidence that causes Moshen’s arrest. There is little scopophilia, as Laura Mulvey would call it, or as Miriam Hansen more gently puts it in BABEL AND BABYLON (Harvard University Press, 1991), sensual attraction or visual pleasure outside the diegesis (narrative). A bit of a narcissist-exhibitionist, Hakkar gazes us upon his bare butt (not bad at age 53), and bares his chest while sleeping with Ms. Vlady. (Marina, in real life, compromised her French career by joining the communist party in order to facilitate the career of her third husband, the late dissident Russian poet Vladimir Vysotsky.) The most striking image in the film is of Yolanda (Marina) in a police station nervously awaiting to learn if she may see Moshen again before he is deported: the camera moves slowly across the room toward her, yet her image never occupies more than the upper left quarter of the screen. Hassan (Samir, also in reality Algerian), plays almost a simpleton, yet speaks French as well as does his French professor, and never smiles until they accept the same destiny. A final title tells us

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that they were hanged in an Iranian public square, like the lovers in the news item that inspired the film. Maryam Keshavarz’s CIRCUMSTANCE (2011), shot in Lebanon, to the opposite of RESPITE is packed with scopophilia, or sensual attraction, women, food, drink, and sensuous surfaces, yet not from what Mulvey and Hansen would call the patriarchal Hollywood gaze. CIRCUMSTANCE is polymorphous and lesbian. Not quite as omniscient as Hakkar, Maryam wrote, produced and directed this, her first film, yet does not star in it. She had to show a fake script even to Lebanese authorities, and after the premiere issued an official statement stating that CIRCUMSTANCE was not shot in Iran, to keep authorities from searching for participants to prosecute. (The film fooled me also, even though I’ve been to both countries.)

In ‘reality’ the lovers hide their love until Atefah

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finds that Moshen’s hidden cameras record their every move. Will they escape to Dubai, or will Shireen marry the drug-addicted Moshen? Can Iranian rap, lesbian love and family ties (blood and otherwise) survive in such a theocracy? Perhaps influenced by the 2009 Iranian national election, the military suppression of it, and the agreement of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei with its outcome (events happening in Iran while Maryam shot CIRCUMSTANCE in Lebanon), only one of the women bribes her way out of the country. The half-film in Seattle that was not made in Iran is Ali Samadi Ahadi’s THE GREEN WAVE (2010), a documentary on that same election, half of it cell phone images (the internet, journalists, and TV are government-controlled), and half German animation intercut with dissident talking heads shot wherever they hide outside Iran. Crowding and violence in Tehran’s jails after the polls closed, according to eyewitnesses, led to rape and suffocation. Two films actually made in Iran did appear at Seattle, notably Mohammad Rasoulof ’s THE WHITE MEADOWS (2009), a fantasy on a Stygian ‘Tear Collector’ who absolves sins and eases heartaches. Rasoulof was arrested during that same 2009 election, according to the festival catalog, for “propaganda against the regime.” While Rasoulof has since been released, his editor and fellow director Jafar Panahi, remains in prison.⁂

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CIRCUMSTANCE is not minimalist: it is a complicated comedy-drama with a lesbian

relationship at its center, between Atefah (Nikohl Boosheri) and Shireen (Sarah Kazemy), while Atefah’s brother, mother, and father gradually succumb to fundamentalist Shi’a Islam and the conservatism that surrounds it. Rather than Hakkar’s stoicism, Maryam seems bipolar. The girls and their friends, gay and straight, carry on a secret nightlife, until exposed by Atefah’s brother Moshen (Reza Sixo Safi). For a high, they and two gay guys dub Gus Van Sant’s MILK and Michael Patrick King’s SEX AND THE CITY (both 2008) into Farsi; “Sound gayer!” says a guy, and the girls are asked to provide the sounds of orgasms. At her most low, Shireen out late at night must submit to a cab driver’s foot fetish after he calls her a whore. In addition to the diegetic drama, for sensual attraction there are lesbian fantasies of escape to Dubai. One fantasy alone, of women dancing on nightclub tables in front of other women, creates a lesbian space so erotic I wondered why all films about women were not made by women.

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GLBT Organizations in Whatcom and Skagit Counties ISCEE The Imperial Sovereign Court of the Evergreen Empire is affiliated with the International Court System and has been actively raising money for charity for over 30 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. Leather, Levi & Bear Social Monthly gathering of men who like Leather, Kink, and Unabashed Masculinity. Second Saturday of the month, Rumors Cabaret, 7:30 to 10:30. Info 360.380.6409 www.theslowlane.com This website includes a gay resource guide for Bellingham located at www. theslowlane.com/guide.html.

Triskeli Guild The Triskeli Guild is Bellingham’s BDSM group that promotes community and education for safe, sane and consensual play. They encourage participation by all sexual preferences, race and age 18 and up people. They meet monthly every 2nd Tuesday, at Pandora’s Box at 314 W. Champion St. at 7 m. www.triskeli.org Queries—triskeli@triskeli.org

Washington Gender Alliance A support and educational organization for anyone dealing with issues of gender identity or expression, and the people in our lives. We have weekly Open Support meetings in Bellingham and Everett. For more information, please write to us at info@ WashingtonGenderAlliance.com or call 360-445-2411, or visit our web site at www.WashingtonGenderAlliance. com. 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. Sean Humphrey House A housing unit for people who need assistance living with HIV/AIDS in Bellingham. For more information call 360-733-9357 On Eagle’s Wings Counseling Sue Stackhouse offers counseling services to the GLBT community in Whatcom and Skagit County. For information call 360-599-2627 PFLAG of Skagit County Support meetings for Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people and GLBT individuals are held at the Skagit Valley Co-Op Bldg. at 202 S. 1st St. in room 309 (down town Mount Vernon) on the second Monday of every month at 7 PM. For directions and information all 360-856-4676 and for additional information and events check the website at www.pflagskagit.org.

Bellingham Radical Faeries Community of queerfolk interested in lifestyles celebrating queer sexuality, spirituality and sustainability of the natural world. 18+ recommended. Meet at Three Trees Coffeehouse, 118 W. Holly St, Saturdays from 11am-ish to 1pm-ish. http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/BellinghamRadicalFaeries/

Whatcom County PFLAG Whatcom County Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays meets the 2ND Thursday of each month, 7pm at First Congregational Church, 2401 Cornwall Avenue, Bellingham. For more information and events visit www.whatcompflag.com

Whatcom Community College’s Queer Straight Alliance is committed to supporting the GLBT community by promoting awareness of queer issues and entertaining and educating students and staff of WCC. We can be reached at wccqsa@gmail.com.

Whatcom County KINK is a group to help organize events, munches, help if you have items to sell, or just a way for people to get to know each other. Meetings are the 1st Tuesday of the month at Rumor’s Cabaret. Happy Spankings!

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 quarter. For information call 360-650-6120.

Mount Baker Planned Parenthood Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood proudly demonstrates its commitment to the LGBTQ community in all of our educational and service areas, by partnering with LGBTQ service organizations and through sponsorship and participation in Bellingham Pride. Our goal is to ensure that every individual has the information, services, and freedom to make healthy, responsible decisions about sex, sexuality, and parenthood. We offer comprehensive reproductive care, affordable STD testing and treatment and annual exams. Sliding scale available. Make an appointment online! http://www.mbpp.org Bellingham Clinic: (360)734-9095 Mount Vernon Clinic: (360)848-1744

The Betty Pages Copyright Notice While The Betty Pages and/or its contributors generally reserve all rights and privileges of copyright, several parts of this publication are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. For more information and permissions, contact The Betty Pages at thebettypages@gmail.com or send a letter to The Betty Pages, c/o Desire Enterprises, PO Box 2724, Bellingham, Washington, 98227-2724, USA.

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4th Corner Poly Polyamory is the practice or acceptance of having more than one loving, honest relationship at a time. We’re a friendly, welcoming group for people involved in or curious about polyamorous relationships. Our group consists of and welcomes diverse sexual and gender identities . This is a family, kid-friendly get-together for sharing experiences and desires—not a dating or swing scene. we meet every 4th Thursday evening at alternating locations. For more information: http://groups. yahoo.com/group/4thcornerpoly

Evergreen AIDS Foundation Evergreen AIDS Foundation provides support services for people living with HIV and AIDS who reside in Whatcom, Skagit, Island, San Juan and Snohomish counties. Bellingham: 115 Unity St. 360-671-0703, Everett: 2709 Wetmore Ave. 425-740-3000

The Comics!

Cafe Noir Studios for The Betty Pages

Welcome to the new Betty comic page brought to you by Cafe Noir Studios. This month the three rotating artists were asked by the Queen Betty herself on what we would like to see for Pride 2011...

Come check out our website and see our latest comics!

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http://www.wix.com/cafenoir2/cafe-noir

Shannon Devine 5.2011

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Ex Libris: The Catch Trap Peter Storm

The Catch Trap by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Ballantine Books, 1979. Marion Zimmer Bradley the well known fantasy/ fiction writer: The Mists of Avalon and the Darkover Series also wrote a series of gay and lesbian novels which were very progressive for their time. However her brilliant story telling ability shines in her novel The Catch Trap.

The Catch Trap is a love story between two young

Tommy is an only child born and raised in the travel circus and as such has always had many chores and duties performing in various acts. Afraid of the tigers and lions his parents train Tommy dreams of becoming a “flyer” in the high wire trapeze acts. After meeting Mario and telling him his dream to become a flyer Mario begins training the young Tommy who is invited to perform with the Santellis. A close connection is established between the two young men as they become friends and a flying pair. The sexual tension also mounts but is secondary to their dedication to flying. Eventually Tommy’s father is attacked by one of his lions and Tommy goes to live and train full time with the Santellis family. Becoming a member of the family Tommy tours with the Flying Santellis act until a number of tragedies strike. Papa Tony dies while performing and Mario and Tommy are caught in a compromising position by the son of the circus owner. Forced from the act Tommy and Mario have a bitter fight over love, sex and their

flying carriers which culminates with Tommy leaving the family and joining the military. Following an honorable discharge in 1952, Tommy goes looking for and finds Mario who has been reduced to performing in a sleazy carnival/ wild west show. Reuniting with Mario the pair return to the Santellis home and put together a new act featuring Mario, Mario’s sister-inlaw Stella and Tommy. Together they produce a television special and eventually are featured in a movie about the life of the legendary flyer Barney Parish. Since Tommy and Mario’s reunion their relationship takes a more mature and sophisticated tone. They are no longer teenagers sneaking kisses and holding hands at night. They are grown men adapting to create a life together. Bradley does an excellent job creating a gay love story set against the times of oppression and homophobia. The Catch Trap is probably Marion Zimmer Bradley’s finest novel and one of my most favorite books of all time. I epically enjoy the trapeze metaphors - flying through the air, hundreds of feet above ground, in front of a huge audience, with your entire life hanging on the man in the catch trap; who you must completely trust to safely catch and release you to your next flight.⁂

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Originally written around 1948 it was not published until 1979 after her reputation as a successful writer was firmly established. Spanning the years 1944 to 1953, the novel is set again the backdrop of traveling circuses and carnivals is extremely well researched and includes many historical figures.

men Tommy Zane and Mario Santellis. Tommy is 14 years old and the son of the lion tamer and his wife (also a lion tamer). Mario age 20, is a member of the headline act the Flying Santellis, along with his Uncle Angelo and grandfather Papa Tony. The Santellis are an extend family creating a dynasty of trapeze artists.

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