a Desire Enterprises publication
The Betty Pages - November 2012 Betty’s Corner
By Betty Desire, The Betty Pages
Page 3 In The Mix
By Bridget Adams
Community Notes A New Label Must be Made By Marcymark
Introducing ‘Shrimp Fried Riot’ comic
In a Rising Tide, All Ships Raise By Thea Hart
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Gay Film Bibliography
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Queer Tales of the Alternative Library -
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By Bichoo Vrishchik
Jasmine Chang
The Comics! -
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About our Contributors... 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 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. 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. Naomi graduated Whatcom Community College with an Associates in Visual Communications -Graphic Design but prefers more hands on tinkering such as wire craft & random projects (of which she has many still to finish). She believes that everyone has a right to pursue their happiness as long as it doesn’t harm others
Staff Photographer John Phillip, after 40+ years of television production work John has settled down in B’ham to semi retirement. He now drives late night shuttle for WWU and has revised his love of photography. His education touched on Theology, pre-med, law enforcement, fire protection engineering and film production. John likes to keep broad horizons. “Don’t Dream It, Be It” The Bellingham Alternative Library is an educational cooperative and lending library which is run by and for its members. We work to support any manifestation of a counter-culture and maintain a space free of oppression. www.altlib.org
Jasmine Chang writing for the Bellingham Alternative Library
1323 Railroad Ave
(360) 734-3884
Betty’s Corner
Betty Desire, The Betty Pages
IF YOUR READING THIS ON OR BEFORE NOVEMBER 6TH AND YOU HAVEN’T TURNED IN YOUR BALLOT PUT THE PAPER DOWN AND GET THAT BALLOT TO YOUR COUNTY COURT HOUSE!!
The 2012 election is turning out to be one of the closest in recent memory. Locally in Washington State we have the opportunity to make history as the first state in the nation to approve the freedom to marry for all loving committed couples at the ballot box. Lets do this! After the dust settles we can get ready for the onslaught of the Holiday Season. This time of year can be very stressful for many in our community , particularly during difficult economic times. Money or the lack of it aside, there are also many in our community who have been disowned by the very families they are suppose to “celebrate” with on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Many of us have lost loved ones this past year and it is at Thanksgiving and Christmas where the sense of that loss can be quite acute. There are a large number of people in our area who for one reason or another have no family to gather with. Now is the time for us others to step up and take up the slack Maybe you know a friend or two whose family lives too far away for them to visit. Why not set a place at your table and invite them to join you? My modest little (and I do mean small) basement apartment is always open
on Thanksgiving for those who haven’t a place to go. Bellingham’s Old Town Cafe has a tradition of hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner, I am certain they need volunteers, if you are single why not offer to help out? The first Thanksgiving was a celebration of the entire Community, not just immediate family. No matter what hurdles you face, there is always something to be thankful for. As I wrote once before I remember asking my 81 year old Mother what she thought was the most important thing she had learned during her life and she said she takes time every morning when she wakes to a new day to appreciate the beauty around her. To be thankful for life. During this holiday season let’s double our efforts to bring a bit of joy, peace, and hope to all those around us there are random acts of kindness just waiting to be performed Happy thanksgiving!
Betty Desire
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I had the joy of attending the 4th annual Bellingham Comicon at the Ferndale Event Center recently. It was well attended by local and national comic writers and lovers. I only wish I had attended this event from its beginning! Here is a glimpse of some of the fun and frolic available at the 4th Annual Bellingham Comicon. You can bet the farm Betty will be there next year!
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Page 3 Model
Photo by NW Photo - John
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Get it where you want it! The Betty Pages are available at these fine local establishments. Bellingham
*The Black Drop *Brandywine Kitchen *Cabin Tavern *Cap Hansen’s *Casa Que Pasa *Chameleon Ink Tattoo *Evergreen AIDS Foundation *Film is Truth *Glow *Grand Avenue Ale House *Great Northern Books *Horseshoe Café *Mallard Ice Cream *Old World Deli *Pizza Pipeline *Rumor’s Cabaret *The Shakedown Allied Arts The Archives Arlysis Avalon Music The Bagelry Bayou on the Bay Bellingham Bar & Grill Bellingham Flea Market Bellingham Public Library Bellingham Public Market The Bistro on Magnolia Street Boundary Bay The Cobra Lounge The Copper Hog Daisy Café Everyday Music Fairhaven Laundry & Cleaners Fiama Burger The Gathering
Hot Topic Koi Café La Vie en Rose Lettered Streets Coffeehouse Looking Glass Love Zone Lover’s Merch Bot Mt. Bakery Nelson’s Market Old Town Café Pel’Meni Pita Pit Rocket Donuts Royal Rudy’s Pizza Studio Galactica The Sub Shop Tony’s Coffee House Tubbs Tavern Up’n’Up Village Books WWU Viking Union Building Whatcom Community College Whatcom Co-Op (Downtown) Wild Buffalo
Mt. Vernon
The Dogghouse Draft Picks Lincoln Theatre Resroti Same Ol’ Grind Skagit Community College Skagit Co-Op Tattered Page Bookstore Tri Dee *Indicates our advertisers!
In The Mix Bridget Adams
Do not fool yourself into thinking that you remained neutral or took some kind of higher road. You won’t have. There you have it, Poppets. Get out and vote. Research the candidates. Pay attention. Listen and read beyond the spin. Vote your conscience and your pocketbook. And do not be fooled into thinking that not voting is somehow moral. You’re better than that. I have faith. The month begins with an election and ends with Thanksgiving. Let’s hope we have something to be thankful for. Until next month, Poppets, take care of you.
Come celebrate your Holy Days, watch your budget, & care for God’s creation, all at the same time. Join us in the gym at Assumption Catholic Church for the 5th Annual Multifaith Alternative Holiday Market, Saturday, November 17, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. You’ll be supporting nonprofits like Sean Humphrey House, Alternative Humane Society of Whatcom County & Amnesty International. Please bring a new pair of socks to benefit Socks on the Street*. Contact 360.733.1325 or tamalynk@comcast.net. [Holiday market co-hosts: Assumption Catholic Church, Bellingham Association of Muslims, Bellingham Dharma Association, Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Islamic Society of Whatcom County, and Saint James Presbyterian Church] *Socks on the Street is part of an interfaith ministry, benefitting those with cold feet in Whatcom County! (Contact First Christian Church, 360.734.6820, for more info.) & Tamalyn Rev. Tamalyn Kralman multifaithmarket.com confrontingislamophobiawhatcom.org Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. That is not just a dream, but a necessity. We are dependent on each other in so many ways that we can no longer live in isolated communities and ignore what is happening outside those communities. -- The Dalai Lama, 21st century
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It’s November and there is so damn much to write about this year, Poppets. Being me, I’m going to focus on the election, though. In case you hadn’t put it together, I tend to swing liberal. I know; you’re shocked. But I have also never voted strictly party line. Talk to me sometime about how furious I was with the Democrats during the bailout a few years ago, and what they pushed through as part of the economic recovery. Let’s chat about illegal immigration and speaking English in the United States. I will shock you for real, I’d venture. All that being said, I tend to swing liberal and am quite proud of that fact. I am also, in spite of having called him out before, a huge Barack Obama fan. Huge. My fear is that this makes me a minority without our community, and I have to ask why? The man has been called the worst president for LGBTQ issues ever. He has been ridiculed and insulted for not doing enough. People are saying they would rather not vote than vote for him. All of which is just stupid. Let’s break this down. First: President Obama has been on the cutting edge of LGBTQ rights and issues, right along with us. And, he has been doing it while trying to ensure the rights of women, children, the unemployed, the elderly, non Christians, and every other American in the world. He is, indeed, our President. He is not, actually, only our President. If you lost sight of this for a little while, think back on Mitt Romney’s 49% comment, where he, in essence, washed his hands of almost of half of the nation. Just because we want him to spend all of his energy and time on us, doesn’t mean he can. He has to care for his entire constituency, not just a certain percentage of it. And he has given us more of his time, energy, advocacy, and nerve than any other president ever. Second: President Obama has been serving with a Congress one half of whom has come out and said their only goal is to see to it that he is a one-term president. That’s it. That’s all they care about. That’s where their energies are going. This Congress has not cared about jobs, any marginalized group – including, but not limited to, us – the economy, sagging education, spiraling insurance costs, keeping people fed, keeping people clothed, keeping people housed, or a partridge in a pear tree. Their entire focus has been on making sure Barack Obama only serves one term. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to accomplish anything at all when the people who are supposed to be working with you are actively trying to stop you? And yet people are blaming him for not accomplishing enough. Third: President Obama is worth your vote. Go back and re-read those first two. But even if you disagree with me, Mitt Romney doesn’t deserve your vote. I lived in Massachusetts while he was governor. He was not good to us. Oh, he was lovely, so long as we stayed in the closet where we belong. He even “played fair” by signing into law rights bills that had been passed by the state legislature. But…since when does signing a law that your state and your constituency want earn you cookies? And let’s be clear, not voting at all because you don’t want to vote for Barack Obama is, for us, the same as voting for Mitt Romney.
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A new label must be made Marcymark
-Introducing Shrimp Fried Riot- a comic
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Hello all My name is Marcymark and I’m here to tell you a little bit about myself. You see, I’m not like most people. I’m going to guess that some of you have seen me around town. I do kind of stick out a bit. You might see me in a dress headed for the nightclub, or a pair of jeans headed for the coffee shop, or a pair of shorts and tank top sitting and talking to friends. If you have seen me, you would have noticed that my masculinity is well pronounced. (And I don’t mean the package in my pants or dress.) And my voice is so low I could give a base drum a challenge for a lower tone. I know I will never pass as a woman however that’s not my goal. I was born male and that’s how I’ll stay but my mind is all female. It has been all my life. It’s been only the beginning of this year that I have come out to Whatcom County and showed my true self. And this last summer has been one of the best summers of my life. I am constantly surprised and delighted of how accommodating the wonderful people of Whatcom County have been. I do get a lot of looks when I’m dressed. Strange ones, laughing ones, concerned ones, my favorite ones are the smiling ones, and especially the ones that come up and talk to me. One of the most common questions I’m asked is Why? Why do I dress up? It’s actually a very simple question to answer however it took years to realize it. Why do any of us do the things we do? Cause it feels right. In this case, clothing. We dress for the occasion. Weather it be logical, com-
fort, impression. I’m no different then you in this matter. They say to me “But you’re a guy dressing up like a woman.”. And I return asking, ”You males out there, why do you dress up like a guy?” Cause it feels right. Simple. Besides you guys out there have no idea how more comfortable women’s clothes are. lol We tend to use labels, titles to indicate categories for simplification. For example: Transvestite or Cross-dresser. These two words are used to describe a person that dresses himself or herself like the opposite sex. Yes this would be me. Even though I fall in the categories of crossdressing I feel I’m a little different then that. I will never be all male or all female so I’ve come to the conclusion that a new label must be made to indicate my position. Hybrid I feel I’m both genders. The physical male side of me will always be with me and I have felt female all my life. I would be honored to be known as hybrid. To me it feels right. As for meet and greet I would love to be pronounded as female. Preferably at all times. I’ve been called a great many things but my favorite is Marcy. So if you see me around town please don’t hesitate to come up and say hi. Our wintertime is closing in and most of us will be hibernating in our warm and cozy humble abodes. But if you find the erdge or start feeling that cabin fever dwelling you please come out and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere that Whatcom County has to offer. I have met so many new people this last year and have made so many new friends. I plan on continuing this avenue and cherish every moment of not only the company of friends but finally getting to be who I really am. Life is good. -Marcy
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In A Rising Tide, All Ships Raise -Thea Hart
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I was recently listening to pledge week on my local NPR station, where us listeners are asked to all chip in a little cash to support the service that we enjoy, when one of my most memorable encounters with the fabulous Miss Betty Desire came to mind. Years ago now, in a window seat at The Glow, we drank cocktails and discussed how to build the Bellingham nightlife. As the rain spattered across the window and the wind buffeted our warm quarters, she bent in close, pursed those bold red lips and in a low voice said, “In a rising tide, all ships raise.” As much as we would love art to be free it is, in reality, not. The way we live our lives every day is a statement and the entertainment available to us is determined by us through our participation. Music, art, activities, events, venues, and businesses cannot exist without loyal patrons. This is a real chance to go local. If you want something in your community you need to support it. It can be as easy as just showing up. On a Sunday night, I went to the Wild Buffalo 4th anniversary weekend celebration featuring Dead Reckon, The Endorfins, and Keaton Collective. I had a blast, saw good friends in the audience, on stage and on shift. It was a great time, one of those shiny happy nights you are just glad you had. And it was free! Yes, I bought a drink, and I tipped, and my friend Billie bought me a drink, and she tipped. We thanked the staff for having us and recognized the bands for playing and gave high fives after the show. This is what I’m talking about when I refer to support. In fact, days later Billie and I were sitting at the rail in the Ranch Room while I was working on this article. She and I do not have many chances to hang out so being with her is especially nice, even if I am writing too. She told me, that on that Sunday she arrived early and bought the bands a round, just a thank you, her way of showing gratitude to musicians playing a free show. These artists are also her customers who support her at work. Hers is a better example of a unified community than I dreamed I would have to express to you the concept of support. This interaction is a testament in small format of what we can do as a town. Lifting one another up, growing and having fun together. There are infinite opportunities in the future for amazing moments in Bellingham and I hope you help create some of them. I will not ask you to go out and buy drinks for the bands at every show you attend, or arrive ready with a gas can to fill the van for the performers and support staff. I will however encourage you to become more active in our community through the simple concept of support. Find your own way to do it, and know you are helping raise the tide in Bellingham. There are regularly free shows in Bellingham. Attend and show the bands you care about music and the venues that there
is a demand, thank the staff for being there and taking care of you. Weeknights are the best night to entertainment with no cover. Karaoke, trivia night, The Betty Show, Hula Hoop night, movie night, open mic, crafts and beer / knit ‘n’ bitch, charity events, video game fun, art shows, guitar and freestyle battles, break dancing, oh my goodness, running out of commas! All of these things and more are available to you in Bellingham throughout the week. If you are thinking, “jeez, I work all week and get up early”, don’t you worry, we got you too. There are plenty of options for my weekday warriors. We have more than enough fun to keep even the most discerning party animal occupied. We have live music all weekend at various clubs and other venues, including all ages shows, I have been to some great shows at Western’s VU in the past. And yes, those of us in the Northwest can dance, when we choose to, and we dance well and love doing it. Bellingham has a number of locally owned dance clubs with skilled live DJs, each has their own style and works throughout the week to bring out their best for weekends. At this juncture, I want to make you aware, dear reader, that there are cover charges at clubs on the weekend, and door / ticket prices for live music. This takes us back to where I stared this month with you; support. Attend, and know that there are overheads to producing and creating a great experience. Contrary to popular belief, artists do indeed need food and shelter. And not to be a downer, but tour vans do not operate on wishes and unicorn farts. So when you attend anything with a ticket price or cover charge, know that your money is growing the arts, our community and the options of entertainment available to us. Someone has to pay the power bill. When I love a performance, and I have a couple bucks at my disposal, I like to purchase an album, or memento from the merch table. This is a chance for me to promote the things I love. Sporting a t-shirt, button or sticker, bumping music in my car, these are more ways to share what I have discovered and loved. There are many ways to find local events including Facebook, periodicals, flyer walls and handbills. I have found my favorite shows and events through word of mouth and pure chance. I had not heard of Los Campesinos until I wandered into a show with them, paid the door, fell in love, then later I saw them on Lettermen and was shocked. I met those musicians here in town, not knowing they were at all known by the world, I just liked their set and bought their CD. This is how I support, showing up, putting my five dollars on the table and then telling you here how satisfying it is. I hope you find your own way to uplift our community and nightlife this month, and in the months and years to come in our home. Love this town.
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The Least Exotic Anjali Inn: - A Gay Film Bibliography Bishoo Vrischik
plains that, although some work has been done on castrated hijras (eunuchs), none has been done on rural gays, neither on their “networks” nor as “loners.” Whereas in the film Graham Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson, looking like an older Colin Firth in Tom Ford’s 2009 A SINGLE MAN), a retired English judge, returns to Jaipur (not Bangalore), where he spent the first eighteen years of his life, to make peace with his former male lover who he was “forced to abandon after being found together,” according to Wikipedia. He finds the exlover in a happy arranged marriage (the wife’s reaction is palpable as Graham announces who he is), peace is made and Graham dies content as a white bird ascends from the Marigold courtyard. Whereas in the book the death is quite different: Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup), a hetero, randy coot (who in the book has just had his prostate removed and is anxious to have his first inward ejaculation) dies of a heart attack as the rough hand of a hijra (unknown to Norman) prostitute inserts itself into his pants. In the book none of the English characters are gay, although one Englishman reveals to his wife that their son back home is. The hijras however, along with beggars, thread throughout the novel as comic, often ironic relief, as they also appear in some Kannada films (q.v.); in Madden’s film they are replaced by untouchables. Nor do the film’s Marigold guests band together to save the hotel, like a bomber crew flying its last mission in World War II movies. In the novel Muriel (Maggie Smith) does not become the hotel’s accountant, nor does Evelyn (Judi Dench) coach the employees at the local call-center on proper phone etiquette. These incidents, suggesting the attitude of positional colonial superiority that caused India to kick out the British in 1947, would be deeply offensive to Indians. Rather, the novel’s structure is looser, following the fates of several English seniors in a country strange but accommodating to them – looser, and more like Wes Anderson’s DARJEELING LIMITED (2007), where Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman eventually throw their suitcases from the train and just go with the flow. There are four Marigold Hotels in India, according to Google Maps, and MARIGOLD HOTEL wasn’t shot at any of them, but at the Ravla Khempur, a hotel 200 miles southwest of Jaipur, and 40 miles northeast of Udiapur; portions of the film were shot in both cities. Ironically, on my last night in India in February, my ricksha driver, when I asked him to drop me at the Mirador Hotel, near the Anjali Inn, mistakenly took me to Mumbai’s Marigold Hotel instead. Each chapter of the novel begins with a quotation, usually like the one that begins this article from Hindu and Buddhist scripture, but sometimes an aphorism, not just the “Everything will come out alright in the end” repeated by the hotel manager (Dev Patel) throughout the film. The next to the last chapter, for instance, begins with the following news item: from THE GUARDIAN (2/13/03): Eunuchs in New Delhi are helping out local telephone customers by taking their complaints directly to telephone company offices, where they stage sit-ins and even threaten to expose themselves until the faults are fixed. Users have reported a marked improvement in services since the campaign began. “Efficiency of the field staff has improved and faults are often rectified without more ado,” says one phone company official. “It is the customer who ultimately gains.”
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If thy soul finds rest in me, thou shalt overcome all dangers by my grace; but if thy thoughts are on thyself, and thou wilt not listen, thou shalt perish. THE BHAGAVAD GITA Mumbai, formerly Bombay, lies for the most part on a man-made peninsula jutting west, with trains from Kolkota coming downtown to what formerly was Victoria Station, now renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST). The men’s restroom there is notorious. In 2011 I entered it strictly for business. Exiting, I found waiting for me a Keralite who had followed me through the evening crowd. I headed off to the newsstand, to buy five local newspapers for Rs. 20 (40c), and he was waiting to invite me somewhere. But I had secured a bed in the CST dormitory, a rarity for a foreigner (I had to take the second class dorm, although I was allowed to rest in the third class one while beds were made) and I wasn’t going to give that up. Ganesh (name after the elephant god) introduced himself as a bank clerk, and if I wasn’t free that evening, could we exchange e-mails? We did, until I returned to Mumbai four months later, and after that one night together I checked into the least exotic Anjali Inn, reservations@anjalinn.com -- mainly dorms, nice, but air-conditioned, in a first floor walkup, formerly two apartments -- and instantly hated living with drunken Australians and Wellesley women rather than my Ganesh. Yet I adjusted and soon was speaking Franglais with a Parisian social worker and English with an American girl from Kent WA, a town less than 200 miles from my Bellingham home. And when I got home, what should appear at the Pickford Cinema but John Madden’s THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, based on Deborah Moggach’s 2004 novel, THESE FOOLISH THINGS, the title of a Cole Porter song, with its own gay subplot. But it wasn’t my gay subplot, or the novel’s, and this wasn’t my Anjali Inn. Nobody died in mine, and the gay who does die in the film is straight in the novel. Not only that, but the novel doesn’t take place in picturesque Jaipur (a city that I’ve never seen), but in Bangalore, India’s fourth largest metropolis, where I’d spent a whole day earlier watching gay movies. Chandra S. Balachandran in SEXUAL SITES, SEMINAL ATTITUDES (Sage, 2004) found the terms ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ “gaining visibility” via pop-talk and the Internet alongside dharma (duty) and karma in India, as new spaces emerge in “New Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkota, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai,” cultural complexes smaller than homosocial spaces, underground but transitory, i.e., “nascent gay spaces” offering social support and political activity without ghettoisation. There’s also KHUSH (Happy, or ‘Gay’), “an e-mail discussion list” begun in 1993, largely diasporic, “now active in eleven countries. G.A.Y., i.e. G(ood)A(s)Y(ou), in Banglaore, with 500 adherents, e-hosts “anyone who is not exclusively heterosexual” at goodasyou@hotmail.com. The city’s National Law School of India’s first gay organization SABRANG (All Colors) began its film showings in 1998 with Ang Lee’s THE WEDDING BANQUET (1993). Different class (not caste) and language groups (English, the local “vernaculars”) meet different nights, but they all get together on Sundays in a park; little information on the vernacular speakers is available except “pictorial pornographic material.” Most gay Bangaloreans live apart from their families, are middle class, and fear being outed. Most Kannada (the language of the state) gay terms are pejorative, and Balachandran had fun making up new ones with his interviewees. He com-
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Queer Tales of the Alternative Library Jasmine Chang
“Awkward” and “Definition” definitely have a 90’s feel, especially emphasized by references to Marilyn Manson, No Doubt and Nine Inch Nails. I’m not a 90’s kid, but Ariel Schrag obviously is and I know there’s a plethora of you out there who will love the 90’s pop culture that’s infused into the comics. Similarly, if you enjoyed My So-Called Life, Ariel’s series certainly has a similar vibe to it. So whether you’re nostalgic for the glory days of high school hell or you’re living in it right now, Ariel Schrag’s high school chronicles are candy reads you’ll probably finish in one sitting. I honestly can’t wait to read her 3rd installment, “Potential”; I need something to distract me from my textbooks.
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In the first two installments of Ariel Schrag’s comic trilogy, “Awkward” and “Definition”, Ariel chronicles her freshman and sophomore years of high school. Created the summer after the fact, Ariel depicts her life and the people in it with fascinating honesty and detail, so that the reader lives each year along with her. In other words, if you’ve never been a high school girl, then reading this book is the opportunity for you to have that experience. However, if you’re in high school now, this book likely will be super relevant and familiar. To start off, let me just say that as a dykey teen, it’s super relieving and validating to find literature (or any type of media really) written by other dykey teens about their experiences. I can’t say this happens too often; most of the “LGBT” crap you find in the teen sections of bookstores and libraries is overdone, sappy novels written by adults. They’ll reiterate the standard coming out story, mix in some unrealistically convenient love interest, and perhaps touch upon issues like coming to terms with one’s sexuality, family rejection, and homophobic bullies. However, everything miraculously falls perfectly into place in the end; the homophobic mom comes around, the bullies disappear, the boyfriend agrees to stop hiding and proudly walk down the halls holding hands and the protagonist soars across a magnificent gay rainbow on the back of a unicorn. After all, once you’ve successfully jumped over the hurdles of finding selfacceptance and coming out to your loved ones, “It Gets Better™”, right? Thing is, this is just not realistic, nor is it too fun for queer youth to read over and over again. We know the story, but we can’t really relate to it. The characters are too shallow and the plot overall just isn’t thought out well. On the other hand, “Awkward” and “Definition” depict a reality we can connect with. Not that my life is identical to Ariel Schrag’s, but her stories hit home with me. The friendships, inside jokes, confusion, teen melodrama, etc. are so familiar, it’s almost creepy. There’s something really extraordinary about reading a book that seems like it was meant for you since you can relate so much. I knew before diving into the book that at some point Ariel was going to start “experimenting” with sexuality; however, it takes her quite a while. You get a few hints that she’s heading queerwards (such as her obsession with L7), but if you’re looking for instant gratifigaytion, the pace might be kinda frustrating. Again, this sets “Awkward” and “Definition” apart from other queer books. Ariel’s comics aren’t solely about gayness; they actually have a substantial plot. For some queer lit readers, this is a big relief: books with queer characters that aren’t completely centered on how gay they are? Who would’ve thought?
Laybacks
Justin Smith Duet Bear Cove
Closed Thanksgiving Day
Chuck Dingee & Joe Young
Design: MeganKPeterson@gmail.com
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15
The Comics!
16
quit lookin’ at those drugged
Shannon Devine
www.PsychedelicCircumstances.com
alin Ritme! Ti
“Some People”
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Day 1
out, gay
neighbors
of ours, my sweet little
Day 3
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snookums!
Don’t teach your children hate. Legalize Gay Marriage in Washington State!
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. www.triskeli.org Queries—triskeli@ triskeli.org Evergreen AIDS Foundation Evergreen AIDS Foundation provides support services for people living with
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. Sean Humphrey House A housing unit for people who need assistance living with HIV/AIDS in Bellingham. For more information call 360-733-9357 PFLAG of Skagit County Support meetings for Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people and GLBT individuals are held at Central United Methodist Church, 1013 Polte Rd, Sedro-Woolley 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 online 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. Meets every Saturday at Noon at Trapeze in the Bellingham Market on Cornwall h t t p : / / g r o u p s . y a h o o. c o m / g r o u p / BellinghamRadicalFaeries/ Cascade Rainbow Community Cntr is a community of LBGQT people that enjoy each other’s company. We gather every Friday @ 6:30 PM for community, sharing of food, conversation, ideas, and current events. Each Friday is either game or movie night. The group has a lending library, Pride participation, and educational support. We are located at The Center for Spiritual Living @ 1508
N 18th St., Mount Vernon, WA. For information call (360) 840-8499 and for additional information checkout and subscribe to our Facebook Page. 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 WCC’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! WWU 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 360-6506120. 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 on-line! http://www.mbpp.org Bellingham Clinic: (360)734-9095 Mount Vernon Clinic: (360)848-1744
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
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
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
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Throw Back
MONDAY Karaoke
THURSDAY 80’s & 90’s
4 Jim Beam $ 2.75 Micros $
1 Wells $ 2.25 Rainier 11-1 $ 2 Wells
9-11
Pitchers
TUESDAY
9-11 $ 1 Wells 2.25 $
PBR
11-CL
$
Pitchers
1 HighLife
WEDNESDAY Betty Desire $ PBR
1.25 $ 3.75
Fire
ow
Sh
@ 10
Pints
Ball
$
FRIDAY
9-12 3 Long Island $
DJ
Short-wave &
Postal
or
Q-BNZA
SATURDAY
DJ
Mike Tolleson 9-12 $ 5 Touch Downs