K C

Y M

JANUARY 9 - 22, 2009 VOLUME

ME EIGHT,, ISSUE 1

YOUR FREE ■ NO JOINT TAX FILING ■ BEST OF 2008 ■ RETURN OF LABELLE E

WEEKLY NYS reliance on IRS Top films, at least Sarah Dash reunites
NEWSPAPER leaves married gays out among those seen in US with the sisterhood
sterhood
P.4 P.17 P.20
A M E R I C A’ S L A R G E S T C I R C U L AT I O N G AY A N D L E S B I A N N E W S P
PAAPER!

Gay City
NEWS
TM

S E R V I N G G A Y, L E S B I A N , B I A N D T R A N S G E N D E R E D N E W Y O R K • W W W . G A Y C I T Y N E W S . C O M

■ CRIME

Conviction
In Anti-Gay
Dwan Prince
Assault
Thrown Out
BY DUNCAN OSBORNE

A
state appellate court
reversed Steven Pomie’s
conviction on charges
of first-degree assault and first-
degree assault as a hate crime
in the 2005 anti-gay attack

SMITH: DOUG MESZLER/COURTESY: ESPA; SQUADRON: JEFFERSON SIEGEL

on Dwan Prince, ordered a
new trial for Pomie, and said
he could only be tried on less-
er charges of second-degree
assault and second-degree
assault as a hate crime.
The assault, which happened
in Brooklyn’s Brownsville sec-
tion, left Prince permanently
disabled and unable to work.
“The judgment is reversed, on
the law and as a matter of dis-
cretion in the interest of justice,
the sentence imposed thereon
is vacated, those counts of the SENATORS COME TO TERMS (CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT): RUBEN DIAZ, THOMAS DUANE, MALCOLM SMITH, DANIEL SQUADRON
indictment charging assault in

Done Deal
the first degree and assault in
the first degree as a hate crime
are dismissed,” the four-judge
panel wrote in an October opin-
ion which was only recently
P. 5 Can Pro-LGBT State Senate Majority Deliver?
■ EDITORIAL BY PAUL SCHINDLER for the LGBT community here in New in this past fall’s Senate contests.
York, when Smith, the Senate minority Trouble surfaced, however, just days
The Rick Warren

A
full two months after Democrats
take-away won enough seats to claim the
■ 10 majority in the New York State
—————————————— Senate, Malcolm Smith of Queens finally
cobbled together the 32 votes to seize the
majority leader position in the 62-seat
chamber. The January 7 vote giving Smith
his victory leaves gay marriage advocates
confident that the Senate will move on
legislation should they secure enough
votes, but also has one leading Senate
opponent of gay marriage “satisfied” that
his demand that no vote be taken will be
respected.
SEN. O’DONNELL? Election Night seemed a sweet victory
leader for the past two years, mounted the
podium at the Sheraton Hotel in Midtown
to declare that Democrats had achieved
what they had hoped for. At the Fall Din-
ner of the Empire State Pride Agenda
(ESPA) one year earlier, Smith, in an exu-
berant mood, pledged to put marriage
equality, already passed by the Assembly
and supported by Governor David Pater-
son, at “the top of the list” if the Demo-
crats gained control of the Senate.
Based on such promises from Smith
and the clearly voiced intransigence of the
Senate Republican leadership, ESPA had
put all its eggs in the Democratic basket
after the November election, as first four,
and later just three of the Democrats threat-
ened to withhold support of Smith unless
a vaguely explained group of accommoda-
tions were made. For the LGBT community,
the most distressing part of this tussle was
the participation of Bronx Senator Ruben
Diaz, Sr., a harshly homophobic Pentecos-
tal minister, who vowed not to support any
majority leader who would bring a gay mar-
riage bill up for a vote.
Smith met with the dissidents on
December 4, and the stories coming out
of that meeting reported that in one way
or the other the would-be majority leader

6 © GAY CITY NEWS 2009 • COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED P. 8

K C
Y M
2/ Legal
W’chester Nups Order Upheld 14 DAYS
Appeals court dodges issue but okays county’s gay recognition directive
BY ARTHUR S. LEONARD
A
unanimous four-judge
panel of the New York
Appellate Division for
the 2nd Department issued
a brief decision on December
30, rejecting a challenge to the
same-sex marriage recogni-
tion order that Westchester
County Executive Andrew J.
Spano, a Democrat, issued in
June 2006. The panel man-
aged, through judicial sleight-
of-hand, to affirm a trial judge’s
dismissal of the case without
taking any position on whether
New York law requires recogni-
tion of same-sex marriages.
In his order, Spano directed
all the departments, boards,
agencies, and commissions
of government in Westchester
County “to recognize same-sex
marriages lawfully entered into
outside the State of New York”
as it does different-sex mar-
riages “to the maximum extent
allowed by law.” The plaintiffs,
taxpayers provided counsel
by Alliance Defense Fund, a
right-wing litigation group that
challenges gay rights advances
nationwide, argued that the
order was illegal and beyond
NY Gay Adoption Honored
New birth certificate ordered for Louisiana-born child adopted here
BY ARTHUR S. LEONARD
L
ambda Legal has won
a ruling from US Dis-
trict Court Judge Jay
C. Zainey, requiring Louisiana
officials to issue a new birth
certificate for a Louisiana-born
child adopted in a New York
State court by a gay male cou-
ple who now live in California.
Zainey’s opinion does not
provide many human interest
details about the case, other
than to note that the two
men, Oren Adar and Mickey
Ray Smith, jointly adopted
the child in upstate Ulster
County and currently live in
San Diego. Because the child
was born in Shreveport, the
fathers had to apply to Loui-
siana authorities to obtain
a new birth certificate with
the child’s new surname and
identifying the couple as the
child’s legal parents.
Adar and Smith alleged that
the refusal of Louisiana offi-
cials to issue the certificate
has already caused problems
for them in getting the child
the powers of the county execu-
tive.
Lambda Legal intervened in
the case on behalf of spouses
Michael Sabatino and Robert
Voorheis, who married out-of-
state and live in Westchester,
and so stand to benefit from
Spano’s order and suffer harm
if it is overturned.
In April 2007, Westchester
County Supreme Court Justice
Joan B. Lefkowitz rejected the
challenge to the Spano’s order,
in a detailed opinion conclud-
ing that recognition of same-
sex marriages legally contract-
ed elsewhere was supported by
well-established principles in
New York law, since grounds for
refusing to do so do not exist.
Lefkowitz’s analysis was
vindicated in early 2008 when
an appellate panel in Western
New York endorsed the same
reasoning in Martinez v. Mon-
roe Community College, a case
involving the college’s refusal
to recognize the Canadian
same-sex marriage of one of its
employees.
Monroe County’s premature
attempt to appeal that ruling
was rejected by the Court of
Appeals. The Martinez case is
included as a beneficiary on an
employee-based group health
insurance plan.
Relying on an advisory
opinion from the Louisiana
attorney general, Democrat
James D. Buddy Caldwell,
who appears to have allowed
politics to interfere with objec-
tive legal research in forming
an opinion, the state registrar
refused to issue the certifi-
cate. The purported basis for
the objection was that Louisi-
ana does not allow unmarried
couples to adopt children, so it
would violate the state’s public
policy to issue a birth certifi-
cate showing two men as the
child’s parents.
The state argued that it
may invoke a “public policy
exception” to the obligations
imposed by the US Constitu-
tion’s Full Faith and Credit
Clause, which says that every
state “shall grant full faith and
credit” to the court judgments
rendered in other states.
Zainey pointed out that the
state’s position violates the
plain language of its own stat-
statewide precedent, unless
contradicted by another appel-
late department or overruled at
the Court of Appeals.
The Westchester County
plaintiffs appealed Lefkowitz’s
ruling, raising the same argu-
ments they had earlier, this
time in the face of mounting
authority from cases around
the state endorsing equality in
marriage recognition.
The 2nd Department deci-
sion, however, in a very real
sense ducks the critical ana-
lytical issue by focusing on the
last seven words of Spano’s
order: “to the maximum extent
allowed by law.” The panel rea-
soned that the county execu-
tive’s directive could not be
illegal since, “by its terms,” it
“can never require recognition
of such a marriage where it
would be outside the law to do
so.” Spano’s job is to “see that
the laws of the state, pertaining
to the affairs and government
of the county, are executed and
enforced within the County,”
so it was clearly legal for him
to order all units of county gov-
ernment to recognize same-sex
marriages “to the maximum
extent allowed by law.”
ute governing the issue. Loui-
siana’s statute on out-of-state
adoptions specifies that state
officials are to issue a new
birth certificate for any Loui-
siana-born child adopted out
of state, upon being presented
with official documentation
of the adoption. The new cer-
tificate is supposed to list the
adoptive parent or parents,
and to be issued under the
adoptive name of the child.
The statute does not refer to
any exceptions.
The attorney general argued
that other statutes that would
make this adoption impos-
sible in Louisiana provided a
basis to refuse to issue the cer-
tificate, but Zainey disagreed.
He pointed out that, although
there have been cases where
states have been upheld in
refusing to give effect to stat-
utes from other jurisdictions
on grounds of public policy,
there is no recognized pub-
lic policy exception for lawful
judgments by the courts of
other states.
Zainey pointed to US
Having rested its ruling on
this sleight of hand, the panel
refrained from delving into the
details of New York marriage
recognition law, merely assert-
ing that an order by the county
executive that agencies comply
with the law was clearly legal.
This, of course, disingenuously
speaks as if Spano had broken
no new ground, while in fact
his clear intent was to adopt a
potentially controversial point
of view as to what the law is.
The panel also held, with-
out any real explanation and
contrary to Lefkowitz, that the
plaintiffs had no standing to
invoke the Municipal Home
Rule Law to argue that the
Spano’s order exceeded his
legal authority, because they
had not shown “some personal
interest in the dispute beyond
that of any taxpayer.” Totally
lacking an analysis, the panel
just asserted, “They have not
done so.”
Consequently, the panel
affirmed Lefkowitz’s order dis-
missing the case, without itself
appearing to take any substan-
tive position on the underlying
legal question of marriage rec-
ognition.
Supreme Court decisions in
support of his finding, as well
as the important recent rul-
ing in Finstuen v. Crutcher, a
federal 10th Circuit decision
from 2007 that invalidated an
Oklahoma law forbidding rec-
ognition of out-of-state adop-
tions by unmarried couples.
Although the Finstuen ruling is
not binding on Zainey, a judge
in the New Orleans-based 5th
circuit, he nonetheless held
that it was “instructive.”
Given their determined oppo-
sition, it seems likely that Loui-
siana officials will appeal this
ruling to the 5th Circuit, but
the case law on full faith and
credit for adoption decrees is
solid, so such an appeal could
certainly be deemed frivolous.
Zainey’s opinion granted
the plaintiffs’ motion for sum-
mary judgment, ordering the
state officials to issue the birth
certificate, but did not discuss
the plaintiffs’ alternative legal
argument that the refusal to
issue the new certificate violat-
ed their right to equal protec-
tion of the laws.
9 - 22 JAN 2009
14 NIGHTS
FRI.JAN.9
BENEFIT
Pretty As A
Postcard
Visual Aids, a resource for art
programming promoting AIDS aware-
ness and HIV-prevention, presents its
11th annual “Postcards From the Edge
Benefit,” featuring an auction of more
than 1,500 postcards created by dozens
of prominent artists. On Jan. 9, 6-8
p.m., Metro Pictures Gallery hosts
a sneak peak at the entire showing
going on sale the following day. There
will be no sales, but one lucky winner
will select any postcard. $75 admission
gives you one raffle ticket; additional
tickets available at $20 each. On Jan.
10, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., the entire collection
will go on sale for $75 each, first come,
first served. Buy four postcards and you
get the fifth free. Suggested admission
of $5 for the sale. 519 W. 24th St. For
a complete list of participating artists,
visit visualaids.org.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
DANCE
Rock Opera
Collaboration
Parsons Dance presents the
world premiere of an all-new, as-
yet-untitled collaboration with the
lead vocalists of East Village Opera
Company, featuring the music of the
acclaimed rock opera band. Program
A premieres the new evening-length
work with EVOC’s two lead vocalists
live onstage with Parsons Dance.
Program B will feature Parsons Dance
favorites, including “Caught” and
“Nascimento.” Tyley Ross, lead male
vocalist of EVOC, said, “David Par-
sons’ choreography marries tradition
and renewal in a way that physically
represents what we try to evoke as
a band. It’s exciting to see our music
take a three dimensional kinesthetic
shape in his hands.” Joyce Theater,
175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St. Pro-
gram A runs Jan. 9-10 & 15-17, 8
p.m.; Jan. 11, 2 p.m.; Jan. 14 & 18,
7:30 p.m. Program B runs Jan. 13,
7:30 p.m.; Jan. 17-18, 2 p.m. Tickets
are $19-$59 at joyce.org or 212-242-
0800.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
Women In Dance
Celebrating its third year, the
Sugar Salon, presented by WAX, the
Williamsburg Arts Exchange, and
the Barnard College Department of
Dance supports exceptional women
at the forefront of contemporary cho-
reography. This shared evening of
work will feature an excerpt of the
acclaimed “American Rendition” by
Bessie Award-winner Jane Comfort,
as well as premieres by Heather Olson,
䉴 JAN 9, continued on p.5
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM 9 – 22 JAN 2009 3

I’m anti violence

and pro community.
Everyone values community. We’re no different. That's why I stand behind
the New York City Anti-Violence Project. AVP works to end violence in our
LGBTQ communities and keep our homes and our streets safe. If you need
help, call 212-714-1141 or visit avp.org
Live without fear
4/ Politics
No Joint Filing For Married Gays
State tax authorities say conformity to IRS rules precludes equal treatment of same-sex couples
BY PAUL SCHINDLER
I
n r esponses to inqui-
ries from gay and lesbian
couples who have mar -
ried in locales such as Mas-
sachusetts, Connecticut, and
Canada, the New York State
Department of Taxation and
Finance has in recent weeks
been sending back a letter
informing them that they can-
not file jointly on their state
income tax forms due April
15.
New York tax officials are
taking this position despite a
directive last May from Gov-
ernor David Paterson’s coun-
sel instructing state agencies
to bring their procedures into
line with a statewide legal
precedent that marriages
by same-sex couples legally
entered into in other jurisdic-
tions be recognized here.
“Under current New York
law, the filing status of a cou-
ple for New York purposes
must be the same as their fil-
ing status (separate or joint)
for federal tax purposes,” read
a letter that Robert D. Platt-
ner, Taxation and Finance’s
deputy commissioner, sent
December 12 to Franc Mar-
tarella, an Upper West Side
gay man who had posed a fil-
ing status question to the gov-
ernor’s office on behalf of him
and his husband, who mar-
ried in Canada in late 2007.
Plattner’s letter goes on to
note that because of the fed-
eral Defense of Marriage Act,
the Internal Revenue Ser -
vice does not allow married
gay and lesbian couples to
file jointly. Curiously, the let-
ter cites the specific section
of the federal code for DOMA,
but does not provide the same
detail regarding the New York
statute requiring that filing
status here match that on fed-
eral returns.
The posture articulated in
Plattner’s letter reaffirms an
advisory opinion issued by
Taxation and Finance’s Office
of Tax Policy Analysis in 2006
in response to a petition from
a married gay couple. Platt-
ner, however, specifically
refers to the May 14 directive
from Paterson’s office, mak-
ing clear that Taxation and
Finance is sticking to its ear-
lier position even in the wake
of the governor’s widely pub-
licized conclusion that New
York must accord full recogni-
tion to legally married gay and
lesbian couples.
Paterson is an outspoken
advocate of a marriage equal-
ity bill passed by the State
Assembly in 2007 that could
get a vote in the new session
of the Senate with Democrats
now in charge.
In issuing its directive in
May, the governor’s office
made note of an intermediate
appellate ruling last Febru-
ary in a case in which Patricia
Martinez, a lesbian who mar-
ried in Canada, sued her pub-
lic sector employer, Monroe
Community College in Roch-
ester, for refusing to grant her
wife spousal health benefits.
The unanimous panel found
that under longstanding New
York common law any valid
marriage from another juris-
diction is due full recogni-
tion here so long as it is not
“abhorrent” to the laws or
public policy of the state — a
description reserved for situa-
tions involving incest, polyga-
my, or relations with someone
clearly viewed as too young to
consent to sex.
The Martinez ruling has
not yet been reviewed by the
state’s highest court, but
unless it is overturned there
or contradicted by another
intermediate appellate panel,
it is binding on courts state-
wide.
According to Art Friedson
of Taxation and Finance’s
Office of Tax Policy Analysis,
same-sex couples could only
file jointly if the state were to
enact legislation “de-coupling”
the filing status provisions
of New York tax procedures
from IRS standards. He sug-
gested that even enactment of
marriage equality legislation
would not cure the problem
absent specific de-coupling
language.
Friedson said that Taxa-
tion’s Office of Counsel could
provide greater detail on the
determination it made regard-
ing joint filing, but that office
had not responded to written
questions more than two days
after they were submitted by
Gay City News.
The governor’s office did not
respond to a request for com-
ment either.
One state official speak-
ing on background, how-
ever, acknowledged that the
administration is continuing
to review the issue of joint fil-
ing even though Taxation and
Finance is advising married
gay couples that they will not
be able to do so.
Despite Governor David Paterson’s directive last May that state agencies accord full recogni-
tion to gay couples married out-of-state, New York tax authorities are taking the position
that joint filing by such couples will not be allowed on state tax forms.
Susan Sommer, an attorney
at Lambda Legal who oversees
that group’s marriage equal-
ity efforts, concurred that the
question of joint filing is not
necessarily a settled matter.
Noting that state agencies
generally have been work-
ing “in good faith” to comply
with Paterson’s directive, she
said, “It remains to be seen if
the tax code presents special
issues.” Lambda, she said,
has “been advocating with the
state government to assist in
their determination.”
Sommer said that one key
issue is whether married cou-
ples can be relieved of the tax
burden on the income imput-
ed to a gay or lesbian person
whose employer gives their
spouse health benefits. Such
benefits are extended to het-
erosexual spouses without
any tax consequences, but
under federal and state law to
date they are taxed as income
in the case of gay or lesbian
spouses.
“It is our understanding
that the state tax department
is reevaluating how to handle
personal income tax filing by
married same-sex couples
in New York and considering
how to treat employers’ con-
tributions for spousal health
benefits,” she told Gay City
News.
Martarella said that his
husband has paid an addi-
tional $2,500 over the past
year in state and federal taxes
based on the spousal health
benefits Martarella receives.
He said he is retired and has
limited his IRA draw so he
suspects that the financial
implications of being able to
file jointly with the state would
be “substantial.”
Lambda is committed to
continuing to work with the
Paterson administration on
this issue, rather than chal-
lenging the tax filing policy in
court.
“Regardless of the outcome
of the tax department determi-
nation, I wouldn’t view this as
an area for a legal challenge by
the LGBT community,” Som-
mer said. “If anything, it just
drives home that we should
be calling on the State Legis-
lature to enact legislation to
allow same-sex couples to get
married here in New York.”
She was confident that
marriage equality legislation
would resolve the current bar
to joint filing by same-sex cou-
ples on their state forms.
The Empire State Pride
Agenda, New York’s LGBT
rights lobby which is focused
on the fight for marriage
equality in the Legislature, has
been looking at the joint filing
issue alongside Lambda, but
declined specific comment.
9 - 22 JAN 2009
Daniel O’Donnell, the out
gay Upper West Side Democrat
who led the marriage equality
bill to passage in the Assem-
bly in 2007, said he is “very
well versed” on the filing issue
and argued that, in response
to the governor’s marriage rec-
ognition directive, “the most
complicated thing we would
have to do is de-coupling fed-
eral and state taxes.”
He said tax accountants
have told him that in general
“there is no financial harm
done to couples by this situa-
tion.” Given that, he said, the
more important task before
the Legislature is getting Sen-
ate approval for the marriage
equality legislation.
“That doesn’t mean we
will not endeavor to address
the tax filing question in
the future,” O’Donnell said,
should the marriage bill
lift prove too difficult in the
upcoming legislative session.
The hurdle married gay
and lesbian couples continue
to face in their state tax filing
stands in contrast to progress
recently announced in other
key public policy areas.
In December, the state
Department of Health
announced that birth certifi-
cates for the children of gay
and lesbian married couples
will now automatically list
both parents. Department
officials said they had been
working on the birth certifi-
cate question since the gover-
nor issued his directive, and
sped up their efforts to accom-
modate a lesbian couple who
had filed suit seeking that
both of their names be listed
in anticipation of the birth of
their daughter. Carolyn Trze-
ciak and Nina Shield Trze-
ciak, an Ulster County couple
who married in Canada, were
eager that both their names
be listed on the birth certifi-
cate of a child that Nina was
due to deliver.
Unlike the rest of the state’s
municipalities, New York City
maintains its own health
records and is working to
catch up with the state policy.
In November, State Insur-
ance Superintendent Eric
Dinallo issued a bulletin to
all companies writing policies
in New York informing them
that they are required to treat
same-sex married couples like
any other married couples in
offering policies for health, life,
disability, and long term care
insurance.
9 - 22 JAN 2009
14 DAYS Anti-Gay Conviction Nixed
14 NIGHTS Appellate court throws out first-degree assault verdict in 2005 attack
䉴 JAN 9, from p.2
Deganit Shemy, and Anna Sperber.
Baryshnikov Arts Center, Howard
Gilman Performance Space, 450
W. 37th St., 4th fl., 8:30 p.m. Tickets
are $20, $15 for students and seniors at
theatermania.com or 212-352-3101.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
JAZZ
Remembering a
Great
Rome Neal stars in Laurence Hold-
er’s “Monk,” a one-man play about jazz
great Thelonious Monk. Nuyorican
Poets Café, 236 E. Third St., btwn.
Aves B & C. Jan. 9-10, 7 p.m.; Jan.
11, 4 p.m. Tickets are $20at http://nuy-
orican.org/tickets/monk-tix.html.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
COMEDY
A Russian Pun
The comedy-variety show “Doris
Yeltsin” disembarks in Williamsburg
to deliver its eclectic acts. This month’s
show features Michelle Buteau (Com-
edy Central), Kate McKinnon (“Big
Gay Sketch Show”), Rena Zager (“Best
Week Ever”), a trivia competition
brought to you by Noah Tarnow (“Big
Quiz Thing”), music by Carla Rhodes,
videos by Don’t Touch Me There, and a
couple surprises. Sound Fix Records,
110 Bedford Ave at N. 11th St. (L
train to Bedford. Ave.), 8 p.m. For
more information, call 718-388-8090.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
NIGHTLIFE
No Hibernation for
the Naughty
DJ Lugnut (Big Lug) hosts an eve-
ning of fun and drink for the Metro-
bears. Dugout, 185 Christopher St.
at Weekhawken, 9 p.m.-? Admission
is $5, but only $3 for Metrobear mem-
bers. Visit metrobears.org to check out
the club.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
Oh My Goth!
DJ Chip Duckett will keep you mov-
ing on a cold night and the screens will
be filled with winter-dark videos from
the Cure, Sioxsie, Bauhaus, and their
cohorts. 1984@Pyramid, 101 Ave. A,
btwn. E. Sixth & E. Seventh Sts., 10
p.m. Admission is $8. You must be 21.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
COMMUNITY
SAT.JAN.10
Older Kids Need
Families, Too
You Gotta Believe! is a group that
sponsors the Adopting Older Kids and
Youth is A-OKAY. Every Sat., 3-6 p.m.,
the group offers trainings at the LGBT
䉴 JAN 10, continued on p.6
䉴 continued from cover
found by Gay City News. “The
matter is remitted... for a new
trial on the charges of assault
in the second degree and
assault in the second degree
as a hate crime.”
✯ The appellate court ruled
that Deborah A. Dowling,
Pomie’s trial judge, erred in
her jury instructions on an
element of the verdict that
determined if he was guilty of
first-degree assault or second-
degree assault. The central
question was whether Pomie
acted with depraved indiffer-
ence, a requirement for first-
degree assault.
✯ “The evidence at trial was
legally insufficient to estab-
lish the crime of assault in the
first degree based on depraved
indifference to human life,” the
appellate court wrote.
In recent cases, the Court
of Appeals, the state’s highest
court, has redefined depraved
indifference. This has led to a
series of appellate court deci-
sions overtur ning convic-
tions in homicides and other
crimes in which prosecutors
alleged defendants acted with
depraved indifference.
On the first-degree assault
conviction, Pomie was sen-
✯ tenced to up to 25 years with
the requirement that he serve
roughly 21-and-a-half years
before being eligible for parole.
Under a second-degree
assault as a hate crime con-
viction, the maximum Pomie
could get is between seven and
15 years with the requirement
that he serve six-sevenths of
the sentence before becoming
eligible for parole.
✯ Pomie, who was quickly
convicted in 2006 after his jury
deliberated for a less than a
day, is being held without bail
on Rikers island.
PROP 8: IN FOCUS
A statistical analysis of voting pat-
terns on Proposition 8, the California voter
✯ initiative that ended gay marriage there,
concluded that African-Americans voted in
favor of the measure at a significantly lower
rate than exit polls suggested, and that
race, gender, and personally knowing gay
people were far less significant factors in
predicting one’s vote than party identifica-
tion, political ideology, religiosity, and age.
The study, carried out by Dr. Patrick
J. Egan, an NYU politics professor, and
Dr. Kenneth Sherrill, a political scientist
at Hunter College, reported, most sig-
nificantly, that the percentage of African
Americans who supported the proposition
Dwan Prince, seen here with his mother, Valerie Prinez, was left permanently disabled and
unable to work as the result of an assault, for which the conviction of Steven Pomie has been
overturned.
The Brooklyn district attor-
ney has asked the Court of
Appeals to review the case, but
declined to comment on the
ruling or to release a copy of its
appeal. The Court of Appeals
has one copy of the district
attorney’s filing and said it
could not distribute it since a
a judge on that court retains
it.
The Legal Aid Society, which
handled Pomie’s appeal,
released a statement that said
only, “After carefully reviewing
the evidence presented at trial,
the appellate court found that
Mr. Pomie should not have
been convicted of the offense
of which the jury found him
guilty.”
The four-judge panel went
to some lengths to reach its
conclusion. Generally, appel-
late courts review only those
issues that were raised dur-
ing the trial, though they can
expand their oversight.
“Although the issue is
unpreserved for appellate
review, we reach it in the exer-
cise of our interest of justice
jurisdiction,” the opinion read,
noting that the court was
going beyond issues raised by
Pomie’s trial attorney.
Three of the four -- Peter
was between 57 and 59 percent, not the
70 percent widely reported.
The authors said their estimate was
based on an analysis of precinct results
in the five California counties home to
two-third’s of the state’s black voters.
The exit poll had a margin of error of five
percent either way, but that margin is for
the entire sample; the margin is signifi-
cantly higher for the ten percent subset of
African-American voters. In contrast, Egan
and Sherrill asserted, their findings are not
subject to a margin of error.
Their 57-59 percent estimate is also
consistent with major polling done before
and after the election; the exit polling is,
statistically speaking, the outlier.
Crime/5
five-judge panel.
The fourth judge, John M.
Leventhal, was appointed by
Democratic Governor Eliot
Spitzer, but when Leventhal
first ran for a judgeship in
1994, he was endorsed by the
Democratic, Republican, and
THE LGBT HATE CRIMES PROJECT
Conservative Parties.
In 1999, Leventhal allowed
a gay man to use a battered
spouse defense after he was
charged with killing his male
partner. That man was con-
victed on manslaughter charg-
es and was released from pris-
on in August of 2008.
The Pomie panel had some
B. Skelos, Robert A. Lifson, facts wrong in its opinion. The
and William F. Mastro -- were opinion stated that Prince
appointed by Republican Gov- was beaten three times, first
ernor George Pataki. Skelos by Pomie and two other men,
is the brother of Dean Ske- then twice more by Pomie
los, currently the Republican alone.
majority leader in the State Witnesses at the trial testi-
Senate. fied that they first saw Pomie
In a 2007 case, Skelos and and two men “stomping and
Lifson were part of another kicking” something, though
four -judge panel that ruled their view of the target was
that calling someone a homo- obstructed by a low fence.
sexual is defamatory. On his They testified that Pomie
blog, Arthur S. Leonard, a pro- returned for a second round
fessor at New York Law School with one of the other two men.
and a regular contributor to After the two left, the witness-
Gay City News, called the four es found Prince unconscious
“mindless judges” for that rul- on the sidewalk.
ing. At that point, Pomie
In 2005, Lifson was one of returned alone and the wit-
three judges on a five-judge nesses had some success in
panel who barred a gay man preventing him from attack-
from bringing a wrongful ing the victim, though Pomie
death suit against St. Vin- delivered a final vicious kick
cent’s Hospital after his part- to Prince’s head.
ner died there. The majority According to the opinion,
ruled that only a spouse could “The defendant told the wit-
bring such a case and that the nesses that the complainant
couple’s Vermont civil union was ‘gay’ and had made a flir-
did not confer that status on tatious comment to him.”
the surviving partner. That At the trial, a witness testi-
same gay man won a 2008 fied that Pomie said, “Yo leave
case that sought a benefit it alone son, the nigger’s gay.”
from an insurance company Asked by the prosecutor if
for his partner’s death. Mastro Pomie had used the word
was one of two judges who dis- “gay,” the witness responded,
sented from that ruling from a “He said, ‘He’s a faggot.’”
While only 49 percent of women voted Republicans supported the measure
for Prop 8, 54 percent of men did. The dis- with 81 percent of their votes; Democrats,
crepancy based on age, however, was far only 30 percent; and Independents, 53 per-
greater. Forty-five percent of those 29 and cent.
younger supported the anti-gay measure, The most promising result of the study
while 67 percent of those 65 and older did. is that nearly all demographic groups are
Along racial lines, 48 percent of Asian
Americans, 49 percent of whites, 58 per-
cent of African-Americans, and 59 percent
moving toward greater support for mar-
riage equality, which explains the narrowing
of the two statewide votes on the issue. In
of Latinos voted yes, but the religiosity 2000, gay marriage was rejected by 22 per-
variable was much stronger. Prop 8 was cent; in 2008, by only four percent.
supported by 70 percent of weekly church- The only major demographic slices
goers, 48 percent of those who attend where improvement was not seen were
monthly, and 30 percent of those who go to Republicans, conservatives, and those
church “hardly ever.” Most of the ethnic and born before World War II — all declining
racial divergence in the vote is explained by sectors of California’s population. — Paul
varying levels of religiosity. Schindler
6/ Politics
A Gay US Senator?
Daniel O’Donnell, lead Assembly marriage advocate, meets with governor 14 NIGHTS
BY PAUL SCHINDLER
I
n the competition for
appointment to New York’s
all-but-certain US Senate
vacancy, the candidates most
frequently discussed publicly
are the daughter of a president
and the son of a governor.
To be sure, Daniel
O’Donnell, the out gay Demo-
cratic assemblyman from the
Upper West Side since 2003,
has, in sister Rosie, one heck
of a famous relative, but he
cannot boast in any conven-
tional sense the gilded political
lineage of a Caroline Kennedy
or an Andrew Cuomo, the New
York attorney general.
Still, on December 29,
O’Donnell met privately with
Democratic Governor David
Paterson to discuss the posi-
tion that will open up when
Senator Hillary Clinton resigns
her seat upon confirmation
as President-elect Barack
Obama’s secretary of state.
The governor has the sole
authority to appoint Clinton’s
successor, who would hold
office through the November
2010 election, at which time it
will be up to voters to decide
who will serve the final two
years of the six-year term.
Beyond Clinton and Cuomo,
speculation as to whom Pater-
son might favor has focused
on Democrats in the state’s
US House delegation as well
as the Democratic mayor of
Buffalo, Byron Brown. As a
state legislator representing a
portion of Manhattan’s Upper
West Side, O’Donnell can fair-
ly be characterized as some-
one with a considerably lower
profile than the other names
mentioned.
Still, it is worth remember-
ing that until January 2005,
■ LEGAL
New Jersey Civil Union Victory
Ocean Grove Methodist Camp can’t bar gay unions
BY ARTHUR S. LEONARD
T
he New Jersey Divi-
sion of Civil Rights has
handed a preliminary
victory to a lesbian couple
denied access to the Board-
walk Pavilion in Ocean Grove,
which is owned by a religious
group, the Ocean Grove Camp
Meeting Association, but a sec-
ond lesbian couple was denied
14 DAYS
Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell (center), with his longtime partner John Banta (left) and out
gay Jackson Heights City Council candidate Daniel Dromm, at last year’s Queens Winter
Pride fundraiser.
the president-elect’s highest
political office was represent-
ing a State Senate district
encompassing a portion of
Chicago’s South Side.
In a December 30 inter -
view with Gay City News,
O’Donnell, who in 2007 suc-
cessfully steered the mar -
riage equality bill — not yet
taken up by the State Senate
— through the Assembly, said
that the initiative for the meet-
ing came from Paterson, but
that he first heard the idea
floated more than a month
earlier by his Assembly pre-
decessor, Ed Sullivan. Shortly
after pundits began specu-
lating that Clinton would be
nominated for secretary of
state, O’Donnell said, Sulli-
van told his successor that he
ought to be considered if the
vacancy opened up and asked
O’Donnell if he minded him
adding his name to conversa-
tions going on between Pat-
the same ruling because, by
the time they applied to use
the space, the association had
stopped renting it out for pri-
vate ceremonies.
Still, the favorable rul-
ing, issued on December 29,
bears out the strength of the
New Jersey Law Against Dis-
crimination in protecting the
access of civil union couples
to public accommodations
blyman said he emphasized
to Paterson the importance of
having openly gay and lesbian
officials at all levels of govern-
ment.
The call from Paterson’s
of fice came on Christmas
Eve, asking O’Donnell if he
were willing to sit down with
the governor to discuss the
appointment. Explaining
that as a longtime Demo-
cratic activist and community
board member in Morning-
side Heights, which Paterson
represented in the State Sen-
ate, he has known the gover-
DANIELDROMM.COM
nor for many years, O’Donnell
described the exchange
between the two men as more
“conversational” than a typi-
cal job interview might other-
wise be.
Still, O’Donnell said, he
highlighted aspects of his pro-
erson and leading Democrats fessional and personal résu-
statewide. mé that might not be widely
On November 21, a story on known — that he grew up
foxnews.com quoted Sharyn on Long Island, where many
O’Halloran, a political sci- from his large family still live;
ence professor at Columbia that he worked as a Legal Aid
University, as mentioning lawyer in Brooklyn; that his
several possibilities for the longtime partner grew up in
appointment — including upstate New York; and that
Independent Mayor Michael the couple owns a weekend
Bloomberg, Harlem Democrat- farmhouse, “not a home on
ic Congressman Charles Ran- Martha’s Vineyard.”
gel, out lesbian City Council Should O’Donnell beat out
Speaker Christine Quinn, also his better-known competitors,
a Democrat, and O’Donnell. he would be the first openly
From O’Donnell’s telling, it gay US senator. But he is mak-
does not appear he gave much ing no predictions on what the
credence to that speculation. governor will do, except that
As recently as two weeks ago, he will wait until he has to act
when he was chatting with — after Clinton is confirmed
Paterson about his search and makes it formal that she is
for an appointee, O’Donnell leaving the Senate, which will
said he took that occasion come no sooner than Inaugu-
to laud the governor for giv- ration Day, and perhaps weeks
ing consideration to Randi later.
Weingarten, the longtime city “He’d be crazy to do anything
teachers’ union president who other than that,” O’Donnell
is openly lesbian. The assem- said.
within the state. Ocean Grove Camp Meeting
J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo, Association after they were
director of the New Jersey denied the right to rent the
Division of Civil Rights, issued Boardwalk Pavilion for their
a Finding of Probable Cause civil union ceremony. The case
on December 29, concluding now goes to a public hearing,
the division’s investigation of at which an administrative
a complaint filed by Harriet judge will determine whether
Bernstein and Luisa Paster. the anti-discrimination law
The couple had raised a pub- has been violated and, if so,
lic accommodations discrimi-
nation complaint against the 䉴 JERSEY, continued on p.7
9 - 22 JAN 2009
䉴 JAN 10, from p.5
Community Center, 208 W. 13th St., to
help prospective foster parents become
certified. You Gotta Believe! understands
that each family must determine if adopt-
ing an older child is the right choice for
them. No session on Jan. 17. For
more information, contact Mary Keane at
646-691-7986 or MaryTKeane@aol.com,
or visit yougottabelieve.org.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
THEATER
It Is A Choice
Tender Thread Productions presents
playwright/director Theresa Diamond’s
Ridiculous Comedy play “Waiting for the
Show,” an evening when Beckett meets
Marat-Sade in an erotic, edgy, experi-
mental piece. The action begins during
an afternoon rehearsal of a fire-breath-
ing, snake-handling, come-to-Jesus anti-
abortion skit in the basement of a major
research hospital. Two women, Nina and
Anne, diligently rehearse their parts as
Maria from “The Sound of Music” and
Founding Father George Washington. But
mysteriously, every day at the same time,
the rehearsal is interrupted by Nina’s trip
to the Treatment Room. On this day how-
ever, all hell breaks loose. Wow Café
Theater, 59 E. Fourth St., btwn. Bow-
ery & Second Ave. Thu-Sat., 8 p.m.,
through Jan. 17. Tickets are $18; $9 for
students & seniors at smarttix.com or
212-868-4444; $20 and $10 at the door.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
GALLERY
Paris Via Lagos &
New York
“Fantasy and Simulacrum” is a
saucy, sexual, erotic conversation and
engagement between Iké Udé’s alter
ego, Visconti, and Paris Hilton, and is
both a reference to and departure from
“Beyond Decorum,” his seminal con-
ceptual photographic series of clothing
and shoes paired with titillating text
appropriated from adult personal adver-
tisements. Utilizing a cacophony of
visual material culled from gossip blogs,
porn sites, wallpaper samples, fashion/
lifestyle magazines, and film, Udé’s new
hybrid pictorial style employs free asso-
ciation and an absurd sense of humor.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and now New
York-based, Udé’s work is held in the
permanent collections of the Guggen-
heim and the Smithsonian National
Museum. Stefan Stux Gallery, 530
W. 25th St. Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
through Jan. 24. 212-352-1600.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
DANCE
You Know?
DD Dorvillier / human future dance
corps presents the world premiere
of “Choreography, A Prologue for the
Apocalypse of Understanding, Get
䉴 JAN 10, continued on p.8
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM 9 – 22 JAN 2009 7

䉴 JERSEY, from p.6
order a remedy on the couple’s behalf.
In addition to banning sexual orien-
tation and gender identity discrimina-
tion, New Jersey state law specifically
forbids discrimination against civil
union couples by entities that provide
goods and services to the public. The
investigation showed that until this
controversy arose, the Ocean Grove
Camp Meeting Association, which owns
all the land in the Atlantic coastal town
of Ocean Grove, near Asbury Park, had
allowed couples to rent the Boardwalk
Pavilion for wedding ceremonies, with-
out regard to religious affiliation.
Within days of the Bernstein-Paster
application to rent the space, the asso-
ciation adopted a defensive posture of
discontinuing its policy of renting the
pavilion for wedding ceremonies. When
another lesbian couple, Janice Moore
and Emily Sonnessa, applied to hold
their civil union ceremony at the pavil-
ion, they were told the space was no
longer available for private ceremonies.
Moore and Sonnessa filed their own
discrimination complaint, but the Divi-
sion of Civil Rights issued a No Prob-
able Cause Finding, concluding that
since the pavilion is no longer rented
for any wedding ceremonies, there is
no discrimination in refusing to make
it available for a civil union ceremony.
The Camp Meeting Association
responded to the Bernstein-Paster
complaint by noting that it is a non-
profit “ministry organization” that is
“rooted in Methodist heritage.” As a
religious association, the group argued,
its property should be exempt from the
requirements of the Law Against Dis-
crimination; failing to exempt it would
violate its First Amendment rights of
freedom of association and free exer-
cise of religion.
Vespa-Papaleo rejected both of these
contentions. The pavilion has enjoyed
a special real property tax exemption
provided by the state for properties
open to the public as places of public
accommodation. The association had
The more significant question was whether
Vespa-Papaleo’s decision could be squared
with the First Amendment precedents.
certified that when the pavilion was not
being used for its own religiously-based
programs, it would be open to the pub-
lic on “an equal basis,” which explains
the practice of not inquiring into the
religious nature of wedding ceremonies
held there. It is well established that
religious ownership of a place of pub-
lic accommodation does not exempt the
place from the anti-discrimination law.
The more significant question was
whether Vespa-Papaleo’s decision could
be squared with the First Amendment
precedents created by the US Supreme
Court in two gay-related cases, one
involving the Boston St. Patrick’s Day
Parade, the other the Boy Scouts. In the
Boston case, the court held that First
Amendment rights of the parade orga-
nizers must prevail over the non-dis-
crimination rights of a gay Irish group
that wanted to march with its own ban-
ner. In a challenge brought to the Boy
Scouts of America under New Jersey
law, the court held that the state’s inter-
est in eradicating anti-gay discrimina-
tion had to bow to the expressive asso-
ciation rights of the Scouts, which is
privileged to deny a gay man a troop
leadership position.
In each case, the crux of the ruling
was the right of the organization to con-
trol the nature and content of its mes-
sage. The high court found that a parade
is a quintessentially expressive exercise,
and the organizers have a right to decide
whether inclusion of a particular group
dilutes or contradicts their message. The
court relied on the parade case in its Boy
Scout ruling, finding that the Scouts is
an expressive association, formed to
inculcate certain values; requiring it
to refrain from anti-gay discrimination
would improperly intrude on its right to
control its message.
The New Jersey Division of Civil
Rights found these precedents distinct
from the issue at the heart of the Ocean
Grove case. Vespa-Papaleo wrote that
the pavilion’s non-religious uses were
not intended to send any particular
message, and that the association vol-
untarily characterized the space as a
public accommodation, open to all with-
out discrimination, when it sought the
property tax exemption.
Vespa-Papaleo, responding to the free
exercise of religion claim, acknowledged
that the association holds religious
events in the pavilion, but found “that
was not its exclusive purpose,” and that
it is “not a religious facility.”
“Any incidental burden on a particu-
lar religious belief or practice does not
raise free exercise concerns,” Vespa-
Papaleo wrote, finding that New Jersey’s
“interest in protecting people from dis-
crimination based on civil union status
would justify the minimal impact” on
the association.
If Bernstein and Paster prevail before
an administrative judge and in any civil
court appeal waged by the association,
they may win damages for the violation
of their civil rights. But the association’s
decision to get out of the wedding rental
business entirely means that the con-
clusion of this case will not be an order
to open up the pavilion for civil union
ceremonies. However, since the asso-
ciation has now lost its public accom-
modations tax exemption and its rental
income, it might conclude that it should
accommodate changing reality in New
Jersey by offering the space on an equal
basis for both weddings and civil union
ceremonies.
Both couples were represented by
the American Civil Liberties Union of
New Jersey and cooperating attorney
Lawrence Lustberg of Gibbons, P.C.

ST. MARK’S CHURCH IN-THE-BOWERY

131 E. 10th Street @ 2nd Avenue
“Returning violence for violence multiplies

New Beginnings violence, adding deeper darkness to a night

already devoid of stars… Hate cannot drive
out hate: only love can do that.”
Celebrating the inauguration through the performing arts
music/dance/spokenword ... Jeannine Otis, Music Director The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Saint John’s Lutheran Church honors

the legacy of Dr. King. May we work
together to build the Beloved
Community of his dreams.

Saint John’s Lutheran Church

83 Christopher Street
212.242.5737
Worship Services
Monday, January 18th, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Sundays 11 AM
Celebration service earlier at 11 a.m.
www.stjohnschristopherstreet.org
Reception following performances

St John’s… in the Heart of the Village,

St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery with the Village in our Hearts!
131 E. 10th Street @ 2nd Avenue
For further information call: 212-674-6377
8/ Politics 9 - 22 JAN 2009

Done Deal 14 DAYS

Can pro-LGBT State Senate majority deliver?
䉴 SENATE continued from cover
had agreed to hold off a mar-
riage equality vote, until either
2010 or perhaps even after
that year’s elections.
That concession, coupled
with perceived rewards given
to the other two rebels, out-
raged some of Smith’s col-
leagues, progressive activists
statewide, and LGBT rights
advocates, most importantly
ESPA. Sources knowledgeable
about discussions that fol-
lowed the December 4 meet-
ing make clear that the Pride
Agenda worked very hard
to hang tough in its stance
that any deal delaying a mar-
riage vote was unacceptable
to LGBT voters, who made
significant financial contribu-
tions to the Democratic Sen-
ate effort.
By December 10, following
nearly a week in which Smith
signaled that he had not signed
off on what the dissident sena-
tors claimed to have won, his
understanding with them
fell apart completely, and he
declared, “Real reform cannot
and should not ever include
limiting the civil rights of any
New Yorkers,” a statement
understood to mean he would
not place any constraints on
the Democrats’ ability to vote
on marriage equality.
Still, Diaz’s acquiescence
to Smith’s election raises the
question of what changed his
mind — his Senate homepage
has a bright yellow message
up top: “No to Budget Cuts and
Homosexual Marriage in NY.”
In a telephone call with Gay
City News, all Diaz would say
about his understanding with
Smith was, “I am satisfied.”
But so too is Alan Van
Capelle, ESPA’s executive
director. Extolling Smith’s elec-
tion as majority leader this
week, he told Gay City News,
“Fact one, we now have the
first pro-marriage equality
leader of the New York State
Senate ever. Majority Leader
Smith both before the Novem-
ber election and since has said
to the Pride Agenda that when
we have the votes it will come
up for a vote and he hasn’t said
anything to contradict that.”
It may be that Diaz became
comfortable with Smith when
he recognized that no action on
marriage would come while the
state’s fiscal mess was being
sorted out or when he looked
at the marriage vote count and
recognized that the bill was still
well short of majority support.
The most recent, pre-elec-
tion list compiled by ESPA of
senators publicly supporting
the bill was 21, out of the 32
needed. Several other sena-
tors are thought to be likely
yes votes, but with a number
of Democrats on the record
in opposition it is clear that
Republican votes will be need-
ed, a fact acknowledged by
both ESPA and out gay Sena-
tor Thomas Duane of Chelsea,
the likely sponsor of the legis-
lation.
Diaz, however, may also
have been moved by threats
that his refusal to support
Smith would lead to a primary
challenge in 2010 by a Demo-
crat reminding Bronx voters
that the Republican Senate
majority supports reduced
social services and further
erosions to rent protections.
It’s probably no accident that
Diaz’s website couples oppo-
sition to budget cuts with his
hostility to marriage equality.
The New York Times report-
ed that Diaz said he had been
slapped “a few times,” by his
son, presumably Assembly-
man Ruben Diaz, Jr., a politi-
cally ambitious Democrat.
Daniel Squadron, a newly
elected Democratic Senator
representing Lower Manhattan
and portions of Brooklyn who
promised to “beat the drum”
as “aggressively as anyone”
for marriage equality, said, of
the final leadership resolution,
“My understanding is there is
no legislation promised to be
on the floor and no legislation
that is impossible to get to the
floor.”
He added, “The conversa-
tions that were had were about
committee positions, not about
legislation.”
Duane, who participated in
a December 12 meeting that
Smith had with labor and
progressive groups, includ-
ing ESPA, assuring them
that marriage equality would
not be bargained away, con-
curred with Squadron. Asked
whether he was confident that
nothing had been promised to
Diaz regarding blocking a pro-
marriage majority that may
emerge, the Chelsea Demo-
crat referred to the new major-
ity leader’s December 10 pro-
nouncement repudiating his
original talks with the rebel
senators.
“The final word was Malcolm
Smith’s statement,” Duane
said.
14 NIGHTS
䉴 JAN 10, from p.6
Ready! (CPAU, Get Ready!),” a suite
of related but distinct parts addressing
notions of communication and the implied
politics of what is considered “under-
standing.” Through language, sound,
color, and movement, seven international
artists, including Dorvillier, Heather Kra-
vas, Amanda Piña, Joaquim Pujol, and
Elizabeth Ward, investigate experiential
and objective modes of cognition. Dance
Theater Workshop, Bessie Schön-
berg Theater, 219 West 19th St. Jan.
10-11, 14-17, 7:30 p.m. There will be a
Post-Show talk with Sarah Michel-
son on Jan. 14. Tickets are $26; $15 for
members, students & seniors at dan-
cetheaterworkshop.org or 212-924-0077.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
PERFORMANCE
Orgullo Mexicano
Mixing Mariachi and Merman,
César Chávez and Sondheim, Dan Guer-
rero, in ¡Gaytino!, offers monologues
and song to explore his dual Chicano
and gay cultural identity. The Zipper
Factory, 336 W. 37th St. Jan. 10, 8
p.m.; Jan. 11, 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 at
thezipperfactory.com or 212-352-3101.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
NIGHTLIFE
He’ll Be Dancing
“Keep On Dancin’” remembers club
entrepreneur and AIDS activist Mel
Cheren with the music from his iconic Par-

NEWS BRIEFS By ANDY HUMM

City Opens
New
Heterosexual
Marriage
Chapel
New York City sent out a
two-page press release her-
alding the opening of a new
high tech Manhattan Mar-
riage Bureau at 141 Worth
Street with “large restrooms
with vanities and full-length
mirrors” and “an area to take
photos in front of a backdrop
of City Hall” among other
improvements compared to
the spare One Centre Street
bureau long in use. The release
does mention that the bureau
provides domestic partner reg-
istrations, but not that couples
who get them are not entitled
to a chapel service.
Speaker Christine Quinn is
quoted saying people visit the
chapel “on one of the happiest
days of their lives,” less true
for same-sex couples forced to
settle for second-class status
for their relationships and the
many who have demonstrated
at the bureau since 1971
demanding equal marriage
rights and been turned away.
Gay City News asked the offic-
es of Quinn and Mayor Michael
Bloomberg why the Clerk’s Office
is not legally required to inform
gay couples seeking domestic
partnerships that all they would
have to do to get the greater pro-
tections of marriage is hop Metro
North to Greenwich, Connecticut
for a license that New York would
recognize.
Jason Post, a spokeswoman
for Bloomberg, said he wasn’t
dodging, but that the City Clerk
is not a mayoral agency and is
a child of the Council. He did
say on behalf of the mayor that
while there are no gay marriag-
es at the bureau now, “one day
there will be and the mayor sup-
ports changing the law” to allow
that and that he wants it to be “a
welcoming place.”
Bloomberg appealed a
court order to provide marriage
licenses to gay couples in 2005,
preventing thousands of same-
sex couples from New York and
around the world from marrying
here legally — a decision out
gay Congressman Barney Frank,
a Massachusetts Democrat,
called “a disaster for us” as it
preempted the opportunity to
go to the Court of Appeals with
real, live gay couples whose
legal marriages hadn’t destroyed
society, as the right wing would
have everyone believe. The
state’s high court subsequently
denied gay people a constitu-
tional right to marry.
Eunic Ortiz, a spokeswoman
for Quinn, left a phone mes-
sage saying “nothing in the law
says that the marriage bureau
needs to say to [gay couples]
that you can go to Connecticut”
to legally marry. She did not
return a follow-up call by press
time asking whether Quinn,
who has passed a range of gay
partner recognition bills, would
do something to address this
issue.
Bush Signs
Bill Aiding Gay
Partners
President George W. Bush,
no friend to gays, nevertheless
signed the Worker, Retiree and
Employer Act on December 23,
which will allow the roll-over
of pensions from a deceased
gay person to his or her partner
without tax consequences as
with heterosexual married part-
ners. The Human Rights Cam-
paign hailed the move, though it
is not known whether Bush was
going soft on gays or never saw
a tax-cutting bill he did not like.
Out Gay Man
to High Court
Of South Africa. Edwin
Cameron, who is gay and HIV-
positive and has written exten-
sively about both subjects, was
made a justice of the country’s
Constitutional Court, its high-
est, the first time an out gay or
lesbian person has been named
to a nation’s high court, though
Michael Kirby came out while
serving on Australia’s high court.
Service for
Dave Rampe,
Out Times
Editor
A service will be held Sat-
urday, January 10 at 10:30 a.m.
at St. Francis Xavier Church on
West 16th Street between Fifth
and Sixth Avenues for David
Rampe, an editor at the New
York Times who died on Decem-
ber 24 at the age of 60. He is
survived by his partner, Ed Rog-
ers, and three brothers.
Rampe had a heart attack in
Paris, where he worked for the
newspaper, last January and
suffered severe brain damage.
The Times said he “helped
shape the newspaper’s coverage
of the Sept. 11 attacks and the
war in Afghanistan and Iraq.” He
also worked as a business editor
and in the Washington bureau.
False Arrests
Town Hall
Meeting
January 15
New York’s LGBT Communi-
ty Center and the Anti-Violence
Project are co-sponsoring a
Town Hall Meeting on Thurs-
day, January 15 at 7 p.m. at the
Center to discuss what to do
about the ongoing false arrests
of gay men for prostitution in
porn shops, a scandal exten-
sively documented by Duncan
Osborne in Gay City News. He
will be a part of the panel. State
䉴 BRIEFS, continued on p.9
adise Garage, including performances by
Robert Owen, Barbara Tucker, and Jason
Walker, as well as music from DJs Billy
Carroll, Quentin Harris, Hex Hector, Tony
Humphries, Randy Bettis, Gomi, Reed
McGowan, and Bryan Raughton. Santos
Party House, 100 Lafayette St., one
block below Canal St., 8 p.m.-4 a.m.
Admission is $20 at keepondancin09.com
or the door. Door proceeds benefit Gay
Men’s Health Crisis, LIFEbeat, the music
industry’s AIDS fighting effort, and AREA,
the American Run to End AIDS.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
When Madonna
Was Young
Dance 208 celebrates its annual
‘80s party, with Chicago DJ Lugnut (aka
Alfredo of Big Lug, the famed East Vil-
lage bear party) mixing disco, new wave,
and funk. Here Janet and Donna, Prince
and Michael, Kylie and Chryssie, and, of
course, the Material Girl. Don’t forget
our headbands and legwarmers. LGBT
Community Center, 208 W. 13th St.,
9 p.m.-1 a.m. Admission is $10; $6 for
Bear Club members.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
Is He Sponge-
Worthy?
“Boyfriend Material” is a speed-
dating event for gay men, where men
䉴 JAN 10, continued on p.13
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM 9 – 22 JAN 2009 9

䉴 BRIEFS, from p.8
Senator Tom Duane and City
Councilwoman Rosie Mendez, in
whose districts these arrests are
taking place, are also slated to
participate.
For more information, contact
Robert Pinter, one of the victims
of the police and a founder of the
Coalition to Stop the Arrests, at
stopthearrests@aol.com.
Gay White
House
Appointment;
Lesbian Family
in Inaugural
Tour
Sixteen families have been cho-
sen to be part of a “Delegation of
Families” to travel by train on Janu-
ary 17 with the Obamas and Bidens
from Philadelphia to Washington
for inaugural events and one is Lisa
Hazirjian and her partner Michelle.
Hazirjian was part of John Edwards’
LGBT Steering Committee and sub-
sequently volunteered for Obama
in Pennsylvania and Ohio, serving
as the LGBT Pride director for the
campaign in Cleveland.
Out gay Bradley J. Kiley has
been named director of the Office
of Management and Administra-
tion for the Obama White House,
a post held by lesbian activist Vir-
ginia Apuzzo in the Clinton admin-
istration. He is currently director of
operations for the transition team
and served in the Clinton White
House as well as holding leader-
ship positions at NARAL and the
International AIDS Trust.
Still no gay cabinet members,
though there is a Facebook cam-
paign to get out gay businessman
and former New School manage-
ment dean Fred Hochberg, who
headed Clinton’s Small Business
Administration, as Commerce sec-
retary now that New Mexico Gov-
ernor Bill Richardson is out.
Celebrating
King and Obama
It is no small irony that the
inauguration of Barack Obama
comes one day after the Reverend
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., federal
and state holiday on January 19.
King will be honored at a
City Council ceremony on Tues-
day, January 13 at 5:30 p.m. The
event is hosted by out lesbian
Council Speaker Christine Quinn,
Bronx Councilman Larry B. Sea-
brook, and the Council’s Black,
Latino and Asian Caucus. RSVP
by January 12 at 4 p.m. at 212-
788-6687 or events@council.
nyc.gov and enter City Hall on the
Brooklyn Bridge/ Park Row side.
The Metropolitan Community
Church/ NY, Congregation Beth
Simchat Torah, Unity Fellowship,
and Renewed Life Ministries
unite for an interfaith service
honoring King’s birthday. Cho-
ruses from the congregations will
perform. The event will be held at
MCC, 446 West 36th Street from
7-9 p.m. on Thursday, January 22.
On January 21, the Marble
Collegiate Church Community
Gospel Choir presents “A Won-
derful Change,” honoring King
but with an unmistakable tip of
the hat to the new president. The
event begins at 7 p.m. at Fifth
Avenue and 29th Street. Admis-
sion is $15; $10 for students.
Meanwhile, Obama will likely
be celebrated on January 20 late
into the night at many venues
citywide, including the Cubby
Hole, at 281 West 12th Street
near West Fourth Street. The bar
promises party food, specials,
shots, and, of course, fun.
Quinn is Irish
American of the
Year
The Irish Echo has named out
lesbian New York City Council
Speaker Christine Quinn as its
“Irish American of the Year,” cit-
ing her hard work in the Council
and her advocacy for Irish causes,
especially peace and justice in
Northern Ireland. Quinn has boy-
cotted the New York St. Patrick’s
Day Parade over its refusal to
allow LGBT Irish contingents to
participate openly since the now
defunct Irish Lesbian and Gay
Organization first applied in 1991.
She has been arrested in protests
against the exclusion.
“Speaker Quinn continues to
work toward an inclusive St. Pat-
rick’s Day Parade,” her office said
in a response to a query, “and
looks forward to the day when
she can march up Fifth Avenue
with LGBT Irish New Yorkers in Assembly Members
a way that celebrates their heri- State Senator
State Senator Assembly Member
tage and identity. She continues Dick Gottfried and
Liz Krueger
Tom Duane Dick Kavanagh
Gottfried
to have conversations with
Irish-American leaders about Brian
the desire to see an inclusive
parade.”
Arrests in Bay
Area Gang Rape
of Lesbian
A lesbian, 28, who was pulled
from her rainbow-stickered car
and brutally raped for 45 minutes
by four males shouting anti-les-
bian epithets on December 13 in
San Francisco’s Bay Area may get
some justice. Police have arrested
Humberto Hernandez Salvador,
31, and Josue Gonzalez, 21, and New York State is facing its most serious budget crisis since the
charged them with gang rape, Depression of the 1930s – a deficit of over $12.5 billion – mostly
kidnapping, and carjacking. because state tax revenue is falling. The MTA has a $1.2 billion
Also arrested were two juve- budget gap. What does it mean for health care, education and other
niles, ages 15 and 16, alleged to important programs? Why is it happening? Should we cut
have joined in the attack. Wit- programs? Should we roll back tax cuts for high-income taxpayers?
nesses to the crime gave police Join us to learn more about the crisis and how we can solve it.
the license plate number of the
alleged perpetrators’ car, leading
to a manhunt for Gonzalez who Thurs., Jan. 15, 6:30-9:00
ended up turning himself in. Thurs., Jan. 8, 6:30-9:00 P.M.
Norman Thomas High School
Men Kill Hudson111
Guild's Fulton
East 33rd Senior Center
St. between
Teacher for
Alleged Sexual 119 Ninth Ave. and
Lexington betw. 17th
Park & 18th Sts.
Avenues
Advance
For more information or to co-sponsor contact:
Police in Henderson, Nevada
Assembly Member Dick Gottfried’s Community Office
are holding two males, a 17-year 242 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001, (212) 807-7900 or GottfrR@assembly.state.ny.us
old and his 18-year old brother, in
the killing of the younger man’s
teacher at Basic High School,
Matthew Cox, 32, on December
21. The men went to Cox’s home
and say he “started to get sexual”
with them, so they strangled him
in Cox’s car after he drove them
home. They then put his body in
the back of his car and returned
to his house to loot it.
The Associated Press, which
had named the men in an ear-
lier story, are now withholding it
“because the arrest report raises
the possibility that the youth had
been sexually abused and the AP
does not typically identify such
victims.”
Cox was said by a friend of
his to have been in a relationship
䉴 BRIEFS, continued on p.27

Metropolitan Community Church of New York

Worth Believing!
Metropolitan Community Church of New York is the Spiritual Center of the Queer community
in New York City. Our congregation offers a range of celebrations, outreach programs and
support services, including Homeless Youth Services and the Sylvia Rivera Food Pantry.
CHECK OUT www.MCCNY.org for information about our progams, services, and events,
including CHURCH LADY BINGO and MCCNY'S JACKSON HALL ART GALLERY.

a church of lesbian, gay, bisexual and

transgender people - open to all
The Reverend Pat Bumgardner, Pastor

Weekly Sunday Services: 9 am (Traditional), 11 am (Celebration)

3 pm (Mandarin) and 7 pm (Praise & Worship)
11 am features ASL interpreter (first and last Sunday of each month only)
446 West 36th St. bet. 9th & 10th Ave. NY, NY 10018 212-629-7440
website: www.mccny.org email: info@mccny.org
10/ Editorial 9 - 22 JAN 2009

■ LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

PUBLISHER & CO-FOUNDER

The Take-Away from the Rick Warren Affair
JOHN W. SUTTER BY PAUL SCHINDLER
646.452.2500

T
JWSutter@communitymediallc.com he firestorm over Pres- ant, a fact that Jeff Lutes, we need to insist that he
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER & CO-FOUNDER ident-elect Barack counters a sec- the executive show greater sensitivity to
TROY MASTERS Obama’s decision to ond argument director of Soul- the legitimate demands by
646.452.2502 invite Pastor Rick Warren, a used by his sup- force, an LGBT our community that our lives
troy@gaycitynews.com
prominent evangelical leader porters. Critics group that aims not be publicly denigrated at
EDITOR IN-CHIEF & CO-FOUNDER with strongly anti-gay views, of Obama are to engage reli- the highest levels of civic life.
PAUL SCHINDLER
to offer the invocation at his not moved sole- gious groups in We must also let the new
646.452.2503
editor@gaycitynews.com inauguration has settled ly by Warren’s opposition to dialogue, days earlier wrote, administration know that
d o w n , b u t w h e n Wa r r e n same-sex marriage, or even also on HuffPost, about War- its commitments on LGBT
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Duncan Osborne actually mounts the podium his advocacy of California’s ren’s resistance and indif- rights — passage of a trans-
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS on January 20 the public Proposition 8. Instead, the ference to an effort by eight inclusive employment non-
Christopher Byrne (Theater), Susie Day, discussion will undoubtedly LGBT community is horrified LGBT families to meet with discrimination law, repeal of
Doug Ireland (International), resume. It is worth reviewing by the sort of demagoguery his Saddleback Church con- both the Defense of Marriage
Brian McCormick (Dance)
Dean P. Wrzeszcz the controversy and think- that led Warren to compare gregation on Father’s Day Act and the military’s Don’t
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
ing about what we can learn marriage by same-couples to weekend last year. Ask, Don’t Tell policy, federal
Betsy Andrews, Seth J. Bookey, from it. incest, marriage between an Barney Frank, the out gay recognition of whatever state
Anthony M.Brown, Kelly Jean Cogswell, First, it is important to adult and a child, and polyg- Democratic congressman partner recognition, includ-
Dean Daderko, Tate Dougherty, Andres Duque,
Michael Ehrhardt, Steve Erickson, Nick Feitel, emphasize that none of the amy. from Massachusetts, in fact, ing marriage, gay couples
Jim Fouratt, Joe Fyfe, Deborah Garwood,
Erasmo Guerra, Emily Harney, Andrey Henkin, three major rationalizations In this issue, Kelly Jean explicitly warned that Obama enjoy, and a nationwide AIDS
Frank Holiday, Andy Humm, James Jorden, put forward to justify War - Cogswell writes about War - displayed naiveté in his com- strategy — are not matters
Brendan Keane, David Kennerley, Gary M. Kramer,
Arthur S. Leonard, Rachael Liberman, ren’s participation holds ren’s support, through his ments about having useful deferrable indefinitely.
Michael T. Luongo, Lawrence D. Mass, w a t e r. C o n f r o n t e d a b o u t much vaunted AIDS work in exchanges with the religious It is not appropriate for
Winnie McCroy, Eileen McDermott,
Gregory Montreuil, Ioannis Mookas, Carrie Moyer, the issue the day after the Africa, of some of the most right. the new president to say,
Stephen Mueller, Christopher Murray, pastor’s participation was homophobic elements on that The president-elect’s choice “It’s too early to press on
David Noh, Wayne Northcross, Lori Ortiz,
Pauline Park, Sheila Pepe, John Reed, announced, Obama said, “… continent, ideologues who of Warren raises unsettling these matters when we just
Nathan Riley, Andrew Robinson, Gerard Robinson,
Chris Schmidt, Sarah D. Schulman, It is important for America to make it nearly impossible to memories of gospel singer took power.” He may be new
Jason Victor Serinus, Linda Shapiro, come together even though do effective outreach to men Donnie McClurkin, who in the White House, but our
David Shengold, Gus Solomons Jr., David Spiher,
Drew B. Straub, Stefen Styrsky, Jerry Tallmer, we may have disagreements who have sex with men living claims to be ex-gay, stump- demands are longstanding
Stefanos Tsigrimanis, Kathleen Warnock, on certain social issues… with the HIV virus. ing for him in South Carolina and long-ignored. The time
Benjamin Weinthal, Lee Ann Westover,
James Withers, Kai Wright, Susan Yung That’s what America’s about, Perhaps most naïve is the African-American communi- for action is now, and our
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS that’s part of the magic of notion that Warren’s partici- ties in the late fall of 2007. community is waiting.
Mark Hasselberger, Jamie Paakkonen this country is that we are pation offers the LGBT com- McClurkin famously said But as we remain vigilant,
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING diverse and noisy and opin- munity the opportunity for of gays, on Pat Robertson’s our community needs to be
FRANCESCO REGINI ionated.” dialogue with him. That sen- “700 Club” show, “I’m in no mindful of the importance of
646.452.2496 That’s a disingenuous timent was expressed most mood to play with those who effective communication. The
francesco@gaycitynews.com
false choice. Obama is justi- embarrassingly by Melissa are trying to kill our chil- backbiting over the passage
ADVERTISING MANAGERS fying intolerance based on an Etheridge who — based on a dren.” of Prop 8 makes clear how
MICHAEL RYAN argument for the tolerance of phone call and brief encoun- Obama’s team, at that important consensus among
646.452.2504
micheal@gaycitynews.com diverse opinions. That sort ter with Warren during which time, mounted the same false us is in moving the larger
COLIN GREGORY of ethical blindness allowed he told her he is a big fan of “diversity” defense being used society politically. We have
646.452.2468 conservative New York Times her music — wrote on the now. not been particularly effec-
colin@gaycitynews.com
columnist William Kristol Huffington Post, “We have the This newspaper, in endors- tive on the Warren matter;
ALLISON GREAKER
646.452.2485
to charge that opposition capability to create change, ing Obama prior to last Feb- too many in the media wrote
allison@gaycitynews.com to Warren was a “hysterical awesome change in this ruary’s New York primary, the issue off as simply carp-
JASON SHERWOOD reaction… by the tribunes of world, but before we change expressed the hope that he ing on the left.
646.452.2471 the intolerant left.” minds we must change had learned something from If we are to prevail, we
jsherwood@gaycitynews.com
It is Warren who is intoler- hearts.” the McClurkin fiasco. Now, need to work smart.
DALE KANZLER
646.452.2484
dale@gaycitynews.com
JASON SPARKS ■ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
646.452.2505 tician like the rest. I voted for him. December 27, 2008 This is the root of gay-bashing.
jsparks@gaycitynews.com
BACKWARD- Was there a choice? To the Editor: This also has been at the root of Jim
FERN WALLACH
646.452.2483
FACING PRESIDENT Ruth Berman I think this is the most balanced Crow and white supremacist lynch-
wallach@communitymediallc.com ELECT? West Palm Beach, Florida reporting of this issue that I have seen ing of blacks. It has been at the root
in the media. It would have been real of apartheid, the Holocaust, ethnic
ACCOUNTING
DAVID JAFFE December 24, 2008 change for Obama to dispense with the cleansing, and other assorted hor-
646-452-2477 To the Editor: January 7, 2009 religious component. The USA has only rors.
david@gaycitynews.com Please. There is no talking to Rick To the Editor: used religion to bless its worst actions. Warren’s bigotry in the name of
NATIONAL DISPLAY ADVERTISING Warren (“Has Obama Turned His Back The president-elect, the govern- Now it is time to truly separate the state God jeopardizes my personal safety,
Rivendell Media / 212.242.6863 on Gays?,” by Paul Schindler, Dec. ment, and past presidents, as well as from religion. along with the personal safety of
Web master 24-Jan. 8). Obama made a mistake. right-wing inhumanity, are only part Ed Tilley every GLBT person.
Arturo Jimenez Religion cannot come into our civil of the picture. Our own LGBT commu- Wilmington, North Carolina One can differ theologically with-
Arturo@gaycitynews.com
Gay City News, The Newspaper Serving Gay and Lesbian NYC, is pub-
rights. It won’t work. My partner of nity is as much to blame for our lack out saying or implying that the other
lishedby Community Media, LLC. Send all inquiries to: Gay City News,
145 Sixth Ave., First Fl., NYC 10013 Phone: 646.452.2500 Written
33 years and I can marry religiously of decisive victory. We are not working is inherently morally inferior. Until
permission of the publisher must be obtained before any of the contents
of this paper, in part or whole, can be reproduced or redistributed. All
and it’s blessed by God. But we together as one huge block of power December 24, 2008 Rick Warren grasps this and Presi-
contents (c) 2009 Gay City News. can’t, because of DOMA and living and will never achieve our goals until To the Editor: dent Obama grasps the gravity of
Subscriptions: 26 issues, $90.00 in Florida, marry in the civil sense to each and every LGBT organization Pastor Rick Warren has made numer- Warren’s theological bigotry, I cannot
(c)2009 Gay City News. All rights reserved.
gain the more than 1,000 rights and across the board unite to fight, cement ous statements which assert that GLBT imagine how any meaningful discus-
Gay City News is a registered trademark
of Community Media, LLC. responsibilities any person, includ- our resources, and show the world we people are inherently morally inferior to sion with either of them concerning
John W. Sutter, President
Fax: 646.452.2501; ing criminals, can receive. Warren are serious about our human rights and heterosexual people. Throughout his- the advancement of our basic human
E-mail: JWSutter@communitymediallc.com has done nothing for AIDS in the equality as human beings. As my part- tory, every single group which has been rights can take place.
sense of money — just talk to build ner of almost 30 years says, “Separat- labeled as inherently morally inferior to Sheri Clemons
his churches. Those of our community ed, we march, united we conquer.” others has suffered virulent bigotry by Staten Island
who have been hypnotized by Obama Mike McDonald those considering themselves morally
will eventually see him is just a poli- New York City superior. 䉴 LETTERS, continued on p.13
9 - 22 JAN 2009
■ A DYKE ABROAD
Obama’s First Gift to Africa: Rick Warren
I
f you want to foster AIDS
and kill queers in Africa,
Rick Warren’s the man for
you. While Warren’s character-
ization of queers (and Jews and
Muslims) as godless perverts
fuel bigotry in the US, the real
effects of inviting Warren to pre-
side over Obama’s inaugura-
tion will be felt in sub-Saharan
Africa.
He has missions all over the
place, and he’s rolling in dough
and influence built on the best
P.R. campaign I’ve ever seen.
He hobnobs with Bono and
Melissa Etheridge while liberal
journalists regurgitate his press
releases, crowning him a mod-
erate evangelical and touting
his AIDS campaign, which is
little but a thinly veiled mask for
his proselytizing work. The last
thing he needs is more power.
In case you actually care,
his campaign for AIDS preven-
tion, in a region decimated by
the disease, sneers at condoms,
needle exchange, and sex edu-
cation. He claims all those
efforts merely slow the spread
of AIDS, while his plan can
stop it flat. The secret — absti-
nence before marriage, religious
conversion, and, not included
■ SNIDE LINES
T
he queers come; they
go. All kinds. Tall, dark,
fat, thin, manic, depres-
sive, we get ‘em. Gay men in
shaky relationships. Bisexuals
solidly celibate. Lesbians with
incest memories. Lesbians sick
of listening to incest memories.
Trannies sick of hearing from
gay people, “I don’t understand.”
They all been cutting slack,
stepping back, taking crap, giv-
ing in. They all want to get for a
change. Whew. People got a lot
of needs, you know? But queers
need the most, if you ask me.
Me? I’m a working girl. Down
near I-95 at the Queer Cuddle
Brothel. I’m what you might call
your “happy hugger.” Cuddling,
see, is today’s dirty little secret.
People don’t look twice anymore
at torture, car wrecks, burning
buildings, sexual attacks, geno-
cide — but cuddling is the act
that dare not speak its name.
It’s clean, it’s safe, and it’s total-
ly shameful, the ideal 21st cen-
tury turn-on. We got this blink-
ing rainbow sign out front of the
house that says in big, neon
letters: “Unconditional Luv 4
on his website, that perennial
favorite, queer-baiting.
One of his closest allies in
Uganda in his so-called fight
against AIDS is Martin Ssempa,
an evangelical preacher who
blames queers for the disease,
makes a show of burning con-
doms, and this spring organized
a rally with the theme “A Call for
Action on Behalf of the Victims
of Homosexuality,” where he
spent most of his time railing
against queers.
As far as treatment goes,
Ssempsa offers faith healing in
his Pentecostal services if only
victims believe enough and
make a nice donation. In gen-
eral, the bulk of his anti-AIDS
activism seems to be legal bat-
tles to ensure that homosexual-
ity remains illegal and the media
continues to portray queers as
sexual predators.
He’s getting it done. Homosex-
uality is still illegal, and queers
face increasing harassment and
violence from everyone from the
government to their next-door
neighbors. Newspapers some-
times print lists of people sus-
pected of being lesbian or gay,
opening them up to job loss and
physical violence. Several activ-
Unconditional Luv 4 Sale
Sale.” Draws ‘em like flies, too. I
got three kids to feed, and these
queers are paying my bills.
Let’s say a bunch of upward-
ly mobile corporate dykes
comes in here, fresh from their
9-to-5’s. They look slick and fine
in their power suits, and they’re
oh so liberated when it comes
to newspaper personals, the
bars, and cordless appliances.
But inside, they feel sliced up
and alone, because, really, how
much can you tell your vibra-
tor? It doesn’t have the where-
withal to empathize when you
just lost your job and need to
clear out of your condo. None
of our clientele will look at us in
broad daylight, but at night they
come here. Just to be held, just
to be heard.
And baby, they want us. Even
in this “economic downturn,”
they want us bad. They spot us
nice old lumpy dames, all avail-
able and snuggly like Ma shoul-
da been, hanging out around
the upright piano in the parlor.
We’re tricked out in our fuzzy
bathrobes and floppy slippers,
see, hoisting our mugs of cocoa,
Perspective/11
BY KELLY JEAN COGSWELL
ists are arrested every year.
Though a Ugandan judge
recently ruled in favor of LGBT
activists protesting an illegal
raid in 2005, it’s more likely in
that nation that you’ll get gov-
ernment officials like Deputy
Attorney General Fred Ruhin-
de and Minister of Ethics and
Integrity Nsaba Butoro, who
in 2007 actually joined a coali-
tion of conservative Catholic,
Protestant, Muslim, and Bahai
congregations, “the Interfaith
Coalition Against Homosexual-
ity,” calling for the arrest, depor-
tation, and even murder of gays
and lesbians.
And where’s the sanctified
Rick Warren in this delight-
ful hate fest? Where’s the man
the New Yorker’s Hendrik Her-
zberg complacently character-
ized as “much, much less of a
jerk than, say, Pat Robertson
or James Dobson” and whose
inclusion in the inaugura-
tion he actually applauded as
“another of Obama’s brilliant
chess moves”?
Well... when the Ugandan
Anglican archbishop, Henry
Orombi, announced his aim to
“purify” the Anglican Church
by driving out gay and lesbian
BY SUSIE DAY
some of us with curlers in our
hair. Couple of us are knitting
maybe, or chuckling warmly at
Garfield in the funny papers.
Me, I got my leg up on the coffee
table, reading People magazine
and giving my varicose veins
some downtime. With my sup-
port hose unhooked, I exude
comfort. Hot, steamy, forbidden
comfort. They all want raw inti-
macy with a matron.
One by one, they pick us out.
I get one of my favorites, a little
activist dude from something
called Queers for Economic
Justice. We go upstairs to the
rooms with them. We loosen our
robes, open up our arms, and
let the queers inside. No sex;
no therapy. We just cuddle and
listen. We witness the fact that
they survive. And hold them.
“There, there,” we occasionally
say, “there, there.” In a rocking
chair, humming “What a Won-
derful World” or “Stand By Me,”
I can project a hell of a lot of
warmth, for the right price.
Oh, you hear the stories, the
reasons why they come around.
“My girlfriend doesn’t satisfy
Christians and their support-
ers, Warren got right on board.
When the Ugandan Church
announced its boycott of the
global Anglican conference in
March last year, Warren told
the press, “The Church of Eng-
land is wrong and I support the
Church of Uganda on the boy-
cott.” Warren further declared
that homosexuality is not a nat-
ural way of life and thus not a
human right. “We shall not tol-
erate this aspect at all.”
Terrible for queers, Warren
and his pals are almost worse
for AIDS. Uganda’s HIV infection
rate, which had dipped from its
1996 height, has been climbing
back up in recent times. The
problem? Advocates like War-
ren and Ssempa dumping sex
education and condom promo-
tion in favor of abstinence-only
programs, which study after
study show actually increase
risky sex.
Homophobia and HIV/AIDS
go together in Nigeria, too,
where thanks to people like
Rick Warren, UNAIDS estimates
that only 18 percent of women
and 21 percent of men between
the ages of 15 and 24 correctly
identify ways to prevent HIV.
me,” says one lesbo, pointing to
her heart, “down here.” Some-
body else tells me he wants to
die because the gay movement
won’t take a stand on what’s
happening in Gaza. I may not
understand it all, but yeah, I
hear it all. They cry, they sob,
then they quiet down and listen
to our hearts beating patiently
through the terrycloth of our
bathrobes. And pay by the hour.
We also get union benefits. A
health plan. Dental.
Some of them lesbians from
the socialist 1970s have been
at us to use a “sliding fee scale.”
They’re the ones with the dumb
“special requests,” like ask-
ing us to dress up as famous
historical “nurturers.” Eleanor
Roosevelt, Emma Goldman,
Sojourner Truth, they’re stan-
dard. The needier ones want to
see Yemaya the Ocean Goddess
or Melissa Etheridge. But we
gotta draw lines: no Virgin Mary
impersonating, and no cuddling
cops for free. We run a clean
house.
Actually, business has
never been better since Barack
After South Africa, Nigeria has
the second largest number of
people living with HIV in Africa.
The most vulnerable of all are
gay men. Warren has support-
ed figures like the archbishop
of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, who
in 2006 and 2007 campaigned
ferociously for anti-gay leg-
islation which stipulated five
years’ imprisonment to anyone
who had anything to do with a
same-sex marriage ceremony,
participated in gay organizing,
or had anything to do with any-
thing gay of any kind “directly
or indirectly in public and in
private.”
Hate-mongering may have
become a habit for Akinola. In
2005, he was implicated in the
massacre of more than 650
Muslims by a Christian mob
tied to the Christian Associa-
tion of Nigeria. He was presi-
dent of the group at the time.
For all this, Akinola earned
praise from Warren in an April
2006 Time Magazine article
lionizing him as a defender of
the faith, a “Nelson Mandela”,
and “a model for Christians
around the world.”
Where’s a lightning bolt when
you need one?
Obama asked that Rick Warren
dude to do the invocation at the
presidential inauguration. That
really upset the queers. Seems
lots of our clientele have “trust
issues” about having support-
ed somebody who said he was
“all for our rights, except the
right to get married, and now
look what he’s blah-blah-blah.”
Those queers would never
make it in this business. They
don’t understand the basics.
You want Trust? You got to pay
for it.
Someday, when I save up
enough, I’m going to get out of
this one-horse town, take the
kids, and open up cuddle fran-
chises all over the map. Later,
after I graduate college, I plan
to design the first-ever virtual
intimacy machine. Then I’ll be
able to lay off most of my staff,
attract all the major inves-
tors, and save the whole god-
damn economy. What can I
say, it ain’t a perfect world, you
know? Not just queers — people
everywhere are begging to be
touched. You just gotta watch
they don’t screw you, is all.
12/ Travel
Argentine Tango Returns to Roots
Men once had to dance with men; now they can choose to
BY MICHAEL T. LUONGO
O
ld pictures of Buenos Aires at
the turn of the last century
show hundreds of men, mostly
Italian immigrants, in deep embraces
on the streets, smiling as they tango
with one another. It’s not that the city
was gay-friendly back then. Instead,
tango was considered so obscene at the
time that women never dared to dance
it.
Still, with tango the symbol of mod-
ern Argentina, when the 2nd Annu-
al International Gay Tango Festival
held its event in Buenos Aires in early
December, participants were both turn-
ing the dance on its head and going
back to its same-sex roots.
The event, cosponsored by the gay
male tango ensemble La Marshall
and the lesbian group Tango Queer,
was held in venues gay and straight
throughout the city. Most attendees
were locals, but New Yorkers were rep-
resented as well.
Axel Dremer, a Buenos Aires native
who now lives in New York, found it
both exhilarating and challenging to
be at the festival, especially the night
at Confiteria Ideal, one of the city’s
Congratulations to our new
president. We hope President
Obama will embrace the King
legacy as expressed by Coretta
Scott King’s support for gay
marriage as a civil rights issue.
9 - 22 JAN 2009
most traditional tango venues. Full of
marble columns, stained glass, and
bronze, along with the aura of tradition
that regulates the male and the female
gender roles in the dance, the loca-
tion has been used in movies like the
1998 “Tango,” and in the scenes where
Madonna and Antonio Banderas tango
and argue in the 1996 film “Evita.”
“It made me very nervous to dance
with another guy, because this is a
traditional place,” Dremer said. But as
the night progressed, he became more
comfortable. “I know many people here
are not queer, but they are open-mind-
ed if they are watching it. But it’s such
a strong symbol here.”
Sid Grant, a New York tango instruc-
tor who has been traveling to Buenos
Aires since 1999, felt that “nothing
replaces both studying and dancing in
Buenos Aires. It’s like soaking tango
into your pores by osmosis.” He came
with his dance partner Shahin Med-
ghalchi, a straight woman from Santa
Fe.
The blending of gay, lesbian, and
straight dancers goes to the heart of
the increasing popularity of gay tango
䉴 TANGO, continued on p.15
MICHAEL T. LUONGO
Axel Dremer (r.), dancing with Michael Smith at Confiteria Ideal, one of Buenos Aires’ most traditional tango salons.
Assemblymember
Deborah
J. Glick
853 Broadway, Suite 1518
New York, NY 10003
MICHAEL T. LUONGO
Tel: 212-674-5153
Fax: 212-674-5530
glickd@assembly.state.ny.us Members of the all-female San Francisco dance ensemble Con*Fusión gender-bend the tango at the Queer Tango
Festival.
9 - 22 JAN 2009
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴
JAN 10, from p.8
answer a battery of questions about
their lives, interests, and values, are
placed in a series of groups based
on their answers, and then have the
chance to mingle one-on-one. At the
end of the evening, you’ll make of a list
of your worthy matches, and will quick-
ly find out who agrees with you. LGBT
Community Center, 208 W. 13th St.,
8 p.m. Admission is $20 at the door..
For more information or to get on the
group’s email list, drop a line to bfmate-
rialny@yahoo.com.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ in New York City’s history.
All Whoredom
Gathers
Nightlife celebutante Linda Simp-
son hosts what are being billed as the
first annual “Golden Whore Awards,”
celebrating all that was decadent and
depraved over the past year. Whore’s
Mascara, a downtown favorite, per-
forms. Café 50 W., 50 W. 22nd St.,
10:30 p.m. Free. For more information,
call 212-352-2233.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ gay and straight people and
John Blair
Saturdays
Tracy Young DJs tonight at Splash,
mixing everything from Madonna to
Menzel. 50 W. 17th St. $20 admission.
You must be 21.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ With the tougher policies,
The Rain in Spain
QxBxRx is Queers, Beers & Rears
is a late night hoot that offers free
drinks from 11 p.m.-midnight and cheap
beer ($1) or beer-and-a-shot ($5) all
night, and features performances by
The French Letter, Inner Princess, and
Ladystein and the DJ stylings of Sir
Loins, Go-Karff, and A. Martini. Cake
Shop, 152 Ludlow St. at Stanton St.,
11 p.m. Admission is $5.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ wasting their votes. Maybe. Meanwhile,
PERFORMANCE
SUN.JAN.11
Rites and Wrongs
Justin Bond, of Kiki and Herb fame,
presents his original show “Rites!,”
which he describes as the “soundtrack
to the trans-neo-pagan revolution” Our
Lady J is the musical director. Zipper
Factory, 336 W. 37th St. Jan. 11, 18
& 25, 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 at thez-
ipperfactory.com or 212-352-3101.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ picketing and screaming in Laramie,
BENEFIT
MON.JAN.12
Art for Advocacy
The Sylvia Law Project, which pro-
䉴 JAN 12, continued on p.15
■ THE WAR ON FUN
A Misguided Health Department
Study on Drinking
A
new city health depart-
ment study on sexually
transmitted disease
should be handled with care.
It is written as a justification
for aggressive restrictions on
alcohol as well as on the gay
night life scene that has been
under constant attack by May-
ors Michael Bloomberg and
Rudy Giuliani.
The assault started with
the Giuliani administration
enforcing the 21-year -old
drinking age for the first time
The city abandoned its prac-
tice of following the European
policy of “if you want to drink,
we won’t tell you it is okay,
but we won’t interfere.” Giu-
liani also restricted bar activ-
ity by enforcing cabaret laws
that prohibit dancing in many
establishments.
The Bloomberg administra-
tion has stepped up these poli-
cies by closing sex clubs for
aggressively using the drug
laws to shut down bars. While
New Yorkers have proven
adept at circumventing these
ill-advised law enforcement
policies, the bottom line is the
predictable one.
HIV and syphilis cases have
increased. This result isn’t
leading to an examination of
䉴 LETTERS, from p.10
January 5, 2008
To the Editor:
Obama is not our friend. He has never
been a friend to gay people. Maybe this
will help gay people wake up and stop
someone should direct Obama and War-
ren’s attention to Matthew 6.
Mark Woodward
Lenox, Massachusetts
December 22, 2008
To the Editor:
It seems to me that this is all about
symbolism and expression. Conse-
quently, I suggest we return some sym-
bolism, by using the Angels of Peace
action that was so effective as a coun-
terpoint to Fred Phelps when he was
Wyoming during Matthew Shepard’s
funeral. My idea is that during Warren’s
invocation, all LGBTs and their straight
allies should simply stand up and turn
their backs toward the stage. That’s all.
Keep it simple, quiet, and dignified. The
point gets made. Great photo op.
Michael Joblin
New York City
Perspective/13
BY NATHAN RILEY
the aggressive law enforce-
ment policies. Rather, in true
drug war fashion, it is leading
to a call for even tougher poli-
cies — more of the same.
A careful reading of the new
report, “Alcohol Use and Risky
Sex in New York City,” shows
it is very close to a prohibi-
tionist tract masking extreme
demands with seemingly neu-
tral language.
The report uses assump-
tions that are widespread in
conventional discourse about
American policies on drugs
and alcohol. Binge drinking
is defined as going out and
drinking with friends once a
month. That is, if you are out
for the evening and have five
or more drinks once a month,
you have a problem. On the
face of it, this is a dubious
proposition. At parties, in
bars, and at home on a holi-
day, it is hard to believe that
this definition satisfies most
people’s notion of a “problem
drinker.” What is actually
going on here is that official-
dom is establishing a norm
that is very restrictive — and
unrealistic, to boot. Its impact
will be to divide people by their
personal habits. And that is
what we are finding in the gay
community.
More and people are asso-
ciating based on whether they
December 24, 2008
To the Editor:
The honeymoon is over before it has
even begun. Disinvite him now or perma-
nently lose votes for 2012. The choice is
yours, Mr. President-elect.
Chris Sullivan
Chicago
December 24, 2008
To the Editor:
This is one of the best articles I have
seen regarding the selection of Pastor
Warren to give the inaugural invocation
— and I think I have read them all. War-
ren will smile and hug us and tell every-
one that he loves us, then claim that we
have no right to exist. He will use his
influence against us, then argue that
we are the extremists for wanting basic
human and civil rights. He is a sales and
marketing genius and we need to be
very wary of him.
Ganine Gambale
Staten Island
December 28, 2008
To the Editor:
“Has Obama Turned His Back on
Gays? “ I believe the answer is yes, and
the next question is “ Has Obama Turned
drink, smoke, and use drugs.
Those who do form one group,
those who don’t increasing-
ly live separate lives. This is
undesirable because it means
people who practice modera-
tion lose their influence on
their friends with lustier appe-
tites and, in turn, become sus-
ceptible to alarmist reports
about the behavior of their
erstwhile companions. More
and more, we are finding that
sexually active people are hav-
ing private parties and becom-
ing isolated. Strict enforcement
of the drinking age, higher
taxes on alcohol, and other ini-
tiatives aimed at making bars
boring are driving high-risk
behavior underground, which
can only lead to greater dis-
ease transmission.
The health department
report erroneously separates
people by their consumption
habits. All over the world, the
primary difference between
people who routinely have
casual sex and those who don’t
is their relationship status.
People in committed unions
are less likely to have multiple
partners than those who go out
and meet people. Finding ways
to help single people reduce
risks of sexual transmitted dis-
ease would be a commendable
goal, but it is a campaign that
requires empathy and need
His Back on the Peace Movement?” I
believe the answer to that question will
also prove to be yes. It may be quite a
sobering and disturbing reality to see just
how many false promises litter the road
to the 2009 White House.
Z. Towner
Manhattan
A REAL LEADER OF
CHANGE
December 25, 2008
To the Editor:
Jerry Brown’s petition to invali-
date Proposition 8 is the best Christ-
mas present ever to those of us who
know that the right to marry free
from persecution and harassment is
fundamental to the happiness due
to all human beings (“Jerry Brown
Takes On Prop 8,” by Arthur S. Leon-
ard, Dec. 24-Jan. 8). Thank you, Mr.
Brown. Your stunning act of civic
decency promises to restore faith in
those of us who have suffered the
indignity of having our basic free-
doms held up to the capricious whim
of a popular vote.
David de Camillo
Los Angeles
only focus on one group in our
society. Americans as a whole
don’t have problems with
drinking or sexually transmit-
ted illnesses.
The new report is veiled
aggression against single peo-
ple, and those otherwise seek-
ing additional partners. It aims
to reduce their consumption of
alcohol and drugs. This policy
will not produce cooperation
or positive results. It has failed
in the past and it will fail in the
future because alcohol may or
may not be a problem. Many
people who practice high-risk
sex don’t drink or drug. The
report itself found that a whop-
ping 54 percent of gay men
were sober when having high-
risk sex.
The reduction of STDs and
HIV cases are important pub-
lic health goals, but the city
has increased restrictions
on drinking and watched the
number of cases increase.
These erroneous policies are
backfiring. It is time to call on
the government to change its
attitudes and stop blaming
young people for “irresponsi-
ble” appetites. There is a poli-
cy that tries to do this called
“harm reduction” and the way
it treats people is more empa-
thetic than the neo-prohibi-
tionist overemphasis on sobri-
ety as the answer.
WELL-TOLD
REMEMBRANCE
December 27, 2008
To the Editor:
Wow, what an amazing article (“Milk
Memories,” by Denny Meyer, Dec.
24-Jan. 8). I was blown away by the
quality of the writing. Mr. Meyer is an
excellent writer.
Dean Van de Motter
New York City
WRITE US!
Address letters to the editor, of no
more than 250 words, to:
Editor@gaycitynews.com ;
Or fax them to 646-452-2501;
Or mail them to 145 Sixth Ave., 1st fl.,
NY, New York 10013.
Please include your phone number,
for confirmation purposes only. The edi-
tors reserve the right to edit all letters
due to space constraints.
gaycity
news.com
14 9 – 22 JAN 2009 WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM

Winter in the

Hudson Valley
“COLD SPRING BY CANDLELIGHT,” set for
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 – Kick off the Holiday Season in Cold Spring
CURRIER & IVES MEETS “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE”
Brewster, N.Y. –“Cold Spring by Candlelight: Holiday Festi-
val and House Tours on Main Street America” is the premier
holiday destination event of the year and it’s set for Satur-
day, December 6, 2008 from noon – 6 p.m. in Cold Spring
– on – Hudson, New York.
This is a self-guided walking tour and the Trolley will be
available for just 10 cents per ride to get you around the
Village during the tour.

Advance tickets may be purchased through at

www.ColdSpringbyCandlelight.com. All major credit cards are accepted. For more informa-
tion, log onto www.ColdSpringbyCandlelight.com or call 845-278-PARC, ext. 287. Advance
tickets sales end at noon on Dec. 4, 2008.

Thunder Ridge Ski Area

Family Skiing….only minutes Away! We’re so close
you won’t hear one, “Are we there yet?” Located
in the rolling hills of Patterson, New York, we are The Cold Spring Depot
just 35 minutes from White Plains and 60 minutes
from New York City! With 32 trails and 5 lifts, The Cold Spring Depot Restaurant, the original train station in the village, is a warm and invit-
we welcome all ages and abilities of skiers and ing respite from the winter weather. Enjoy a Captain Morgan and cider at the bar with the
snowboarders. Lessons, rentals, spacious lodge roaring fireplace, or sit in the diningroom and enjoy a variety of comfort foods as you watch
with cafeteria and state of the art snowmaking! the trains go by outside to romantic places unknown. Try the “market buster” daily specials for
Ride the Metro-North Ski Train and catch our free just $9.95” or have a Cedar Plank Salmon for dinner. The Depot food is great, the atmosphere
shuttle from the Patterson train station! Ski and is cozy, and the staff is friendly. All major credit cards, reservations suggested on weekends.
Stay overnight packages available too! Children are welcome. Pets only outside during the summer.

137 Birch Hill Road | Patterson, NY 12563 1 Depot Square | Cold Spring, NY 10516
845-878-4100 | www.thunderridgeski.com 845-265-5000 | www.coldspringdepot.com

Cathryn’s Tuscan Grill The Garrison

One of the best Italian Restaurants in the US, as Located an hour north of New York City in the pictur-
rated by the Zagat Survey, Cathryn’s is sure to esque Hudson Highlands, The Garrison is a 300-acre
please. After receiving the Award of Excellence property with sweeping views of the Hudson River and
from Wine Spectator, Cathryn’s now has a lovely surrounding mountainous landscape. The Garrison of-
informal wine tasting every Tuesday evening and fers guests an 18-hole golf course with stunning views,
delicious $16.09 lunches M-F. The freshest ingre- a critically-acclaimed fine dining restaurant called Val-
dients combined with a brilliant chef, create culi- ley, overnight accommodations in the four-room Inn,
nary splendor at this lovely restaurant tucked away private event spaces, and a day spa and yoga center.
along a garden walkway in Cold Spring. Cathryn’s A relaxing refuge that offers an abundance of outdoor
is rated “Very Good” by The New York Times and and nearby cultural activities, The Garrison is perfect for
graciously welcomes all Hudson Valley Getaways travelers. We are open seven days. a restorative weekend getaway of spa treatments, out-
door activities, and fabulous cuisine. We’d be delighted
91 Main Street | Cold Spring, NY 10516 to host your LGBT celebration!
845-265-5582 | www.TuscanGrill.com
2015 Route 9
Le Petit Chateau Inn Garrison, NY 10524
One –half mile to Culinary Institute of America, 845-424-3604 | www.thegarrison.com
Le Petit Chateau is nestled amongst trees and a
beautiful pond in Hyde Park. ur CIA Chefs impart
techniques while preparing breakfast. Artisanal
Cheese Plates from Hudson Valley purveyors
and French wine prepare you for a relaxed escape.
Our rooms have modern amenities with beautiful
linens, private baths, cable TV, Wireless Internet
Our fireplaces make romantic getaways. Antique
shopping, local arts and crafts in our quaint villages, experience a slower pace of life. Biking,
cross country skiing, and hiking. Concierge services: Private Chef Dinners and Lunches, Sea-
sonal Packages, and restaurant reservations at the CIA.
39 West Dorsey Lane | Hyde Park, NY 12538
845-437-4688 | www.lepetitchateauinn.com
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 JAN 12, from p.13
vides legal services and advocacy for
transgendered and gender-noncon-
forming New Yorkers, hosts its fourth
annual “Small Works for Big Change
Benefit Art Event,” this year with
work donated by New York artists.
Jennifer Miller is the MC, with DJs
Tikka Masala and Designer Imposter.
Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Founda-
tion, 26 Wooster St., btwn. Canal
& Grand Sts., 6:30-9:30 p.m. Fash-
ion show at 7:30 p.m. Silent auc-
tion ends at 9. For more information,
including participating artists, or to
make a pre-event bid, visit srlp.org/
bigchange.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ mented that it was probably
CABARET
Chorus Boy Hunks
He calls them the Broadway Boys.
You may think of them as your next
six future ex-husbands. Scott Nev-
ins’ “Curtain Call” brings together
a talented and sexy group of Broad-
way’s hottest vocalists to serve up
sizzling arrangements of some of the
best tunes on the Great White Way.
Splash Bar, 50 W. 17th St., 11:30
p.m. Turn up early and catch the video
䉴 JAN 12, continued on p.16
Winter in the
Hudson
Valley
Robert A. McCaffrey Realty Inc.
Robert A. McCaffrey Realty Inc. was
established in 1987 and is a major real-
tor serving Philipstown (Garrison, Cold
Spring), Putnam, Dutchess and Or-ange
Counties. Offering a wide range of
proper-ties, from luxurious Hudson Riv-
er estates to village cottages, residential
and commercial, R. A. McCaffrey Realty
is especially active in the luxury market.
Our offi ce team of associate brokers
and sales agents, all local residents, can
provide the personalized, knowledge-
able service you deserve. Mr. McCaffrey
is a fourth generation resident of Philip-
stown and can provide answers to any
questions about the area.
143 Main St. | Cold Spring, NY 10516
845-265-4113 | www.mccaffreyrealty.com
䉴 TANGO, from p.12
in Buenos Aires and the way in
which it breaks the strict gen-
der rules inherent in the dance.
Straight dancers come to gay
tango events in order to better
understand the male lead and
female following roles.
“The dancer is just another
instrument in the dance, so
you have to use your instru-
ment,” Grant noted, adding,
“When you are in another per-
son’s arms, you have to pay
attention regardless of the gen-
der.”
Other Americans came
from San Francisco, includ-
ing the straight female dance
ensemble Tango Con*Fusión,
who were performance guests
of the festival. Ensemble mem-
ber Christy Cote, at Ideal, com-
“the first time in a hundred
years that women have ever
danced here together.” She
said that some of the straight
couples at the event appeared
uncomfortable at first, but
grew to like what they saw.
Cote said that one older gen-
tleman, after watching the six
women dance together, told
her, “You know, I have to tell
you that was pretty good.”
Not quite an entrenched
tradition yet, the event is still
finding its place in Buenos
9 – 22 JAN 2009 15
how it will turn out.” While
the organizers did not have
specific numbers on atten-
dance, the observations of this
reporter indicate it’s likely no
more than 300 different peo-
ple in total were at the various
events.
Regardless of the actual
numbers, gay tango — along
with other forms of increased
gay visibility — is part of the
changing landscape of gay
rights in Buenos Aires, where
civil unions have been recog-
nized since 2003, a first for a
Latin American city. Though
there is no financial help from
the city, the event receives rec-
ognition as culturally signifi-
cant and can use a city logo on
promotional material.
“Now Buenos Aires is very
MICHAEL T. LUONGO
open,” Docampo Falcon said.
“The city sponsored us. Peo-
ple are open now. It is not like
before.”
Miguel Moyano (l.) and Augusto Balizano of La Marshall perform during the closing events of With gay tango on the rise, it
the Queer Tango Festival. is not hard to imagine that one
day those 100-year-old photos
Aires. Mariana Docampo Fal- with the overall event, and the of dozens of men dancing on
con from Tango Queer worried way it was spread across the the street will become a reality
about the smaller numbers of city. once more in modern Argen-
foreigners attending this year, Augusto Balizano of La Mar- tina, but with a completely dif-
perhaps due to the worldwide shall felt that this year, even ferent meaning.
economic problems. “Last year, with fewer people, “the festi-
there were more tourists. Many val was more complete.” If the For more information on the
people didn’t come” from other economy does not improve in International Queer Tango Festi-
countries who had planned to, time for next year’s festival, val of Buenos Aires, visit www.
she said. Still, she was happy he said, “I don’t have a clue festivaltangoqueer.com.ar.
The Bird & Bottle Inn
and Restaurant
This historical 1761 pre-revolutionary Inn with oak
plank floors and wood beam ceilings takes you back
in time to stagecoaches, the Pony Express, and Wash-
ington’s army. Fabulous fireplaces create a romantic
and intimate setting where you will enjoy the fresh-
est seasonal autumn game fare. Enjoy the Tavern
Menu, Saturday and Sunday Brunch, or Fine Dining
creations Thursday through Sunday in cozy dining
rooms. Our award winning American cuisine delights
even the most sophisticated palate. Join us at the bar
for cocktails or an evening nightcap. Make all your
special occasions memorable at one of the finest Inn’s
in America.
1123 Old Albany Post Road (Route 9)
Garrison, NY 10524
845-424-2333 | www.thebirdandbottleinn.com
The Pig Hill Inn
Our European hospitality is sure to relieve the
pressures of your everyday routine. From our
gorgeous individually decorated rooms to
the peacefulness of our garden terrace you
will enjoy privacy and romance while our
staff pampers you. When you return home
you will feel refreshed, relaxed and reju-
venated. Cold Spring-on-Hudson is easily
reached from New York City by train or car.
This quaint little Hudson River town is home
to fine dining, antique shops, boutiques,
art galleries, theatre festivals, hiking trails,
numerous historic attractions and so much
more. Come for a weekend getaway or stay
for a whole week!
73 Main Street | Cold Spring, NY 10516
845-265-9247 | www.pighillinn.com
16/ Human Rights
Some Justice in Uganda
In a leading homophobic nation, a judge finds privacy rights abused
BY DOUG IRELAND
I
n a pre-Christmas court
ruling in Uganda, one of
the world’s most homopho-
bic countries, a judge found in
favor of that nation’s leading
LGBT activist, Victor Mukasa,
a transgendered lesbian, and
a fellow activist in a lawsuit
the two brought based on a
2005 police raid on Mukasa’s
home.
In that raid, Mukasa’s co-
plaintiff, Oyo Yvonne, was
arrested, abused, and made to
strip naked “to prove she was
a woman.”
Records of Sexual Minori-
ties Uganda (SMUG), the
LGBT organization founded
by Mukasa, were also seized
in the raid, and Mukasa was
forced to flee the country.
She eventually returned and
filed the lawsuit together with
Yvonne. It was the first legal
action taken by LGBT Ugan-
dans against the government.
In Justice Stella Arach’s
December 22 ruling in the suit
filed against Uganda’s attor-
ney general, the court found
that the raid violated consti-
tutional guarantees of the
right to privacy as well as the
fundamental rights of women.
Arach held that the attorney
general, Kiddhu Makubuya,
was ultimately responsible
for the arbitrary and illegal
actions of the police.
The court awarded the two
lesbians 13 million shillings
— just over $6,700 — in dam-
ages.
Last year, Mukasa joined
the African staff of the Inter-
national Gay and Lesbian
Human Rights Commis-
sion. In a prepared state-
ment released by IGLHRC,
Mukasa said, “This judgment
is a serious reminder to the
Ugandan police that all Ugan-
dans, including LGBT peo-
ple, should be handled with
respect and dignity.”
The verdict was expected in
2007 but delayed to the point
that many in the Ugandan
gay community had lost all
hope that a favorable decision
would be reached. That makes
the pre-Christmas ruling all
the more remarkable.
Accor ding to a Decem-
ber 24 report from Uganda’s
Wavah Broadcasting Compa-
ny, which is — like all media
in that nation — homophobic,
“The minister of Ethics and
Integrity, Dr. James Nsaba
Buturo, who has been vowing
on ensuring the hardest whip
is used to discourage homo-
sexuals in Uganda, yesterday
said the government was dis-
appointed by the ruling but
will not appeal.”
The WBC report went on
to say that Buturo “says that
although the country’s penal
code clearly outlaws homo-
sexuality, the country’s laws
are inadequate to ensure a
conviction of people engaged
in same-sex relationships,
commonly referred to as gays
or homosexuals.”
In Uganda, homosexuality
can be punished by life impris-
onment, and even “attempted
homosexuality” can result in
seven years in jail.
Uganda’s authoritarian
President Yoweri Museveni,
who has ruled the country
since 1986, has called homo-
sexuals “worse than dogs,”
and his government has
consistently persecuted and
harassed LGBT activists.
Government-owned media
are constantly filled with
denunciations of homosexu-
ality as an “immoral perver-
sion” and as “foreign.”
The WBC report added, “Dr.
Buturo said the current laws
do not give the state a chance
to investigate and get the
truth out of people suspected
of engaging in same sex rela-
tionships. He says with the
Constitution currently guar-
anteeing rights of every citi-
zen to privacy and freedom
A Ugandan judge has dealt the first official blow against President Yoweri Museveni’s offi-
cial policy of harshly homophobic legal measures.
Victor Mukasa, Uganda’s top LGBT activist, and her co-defendant won an unprecedented
court judgment against their nation’s homophobic government.
from torture, it would require
the state to catch people hav-
ing same-sex activities in a
public place in order for the
state to be able to present a
successful case to courts of
law.”
According to a December
27 report in the government-
owned newspaper Sunday
Vision, Buturo, in a press
conference to release a year-
end “social audit” on the
nation, “reiterated that the
government would neither
legalize nor recognize homo-
sexuality as a human rights
issue, although some nations
had drafted a resolution for
presentation to the United
Nations to compel others to
legalize anal sex.”
This was a reference to
the declaration in favor of
the universal decriminaliza-
tion of homosexuality that
was endorsed by 66 nations
and read out at the United
Nations General Assembly on
December 18 (see this report-
er’s Dec.25-Jan. 8 article, “An
Historic Day at the UN,” a link
to which appears on the online
version of this story).
According to Sunday Vision,
“The ethics minister noted
that the case won by homo-
sexuals in court on Monday
that they had been harassed
indicated that the laws on
homosexuality in the country
were inadequate.”
Doug Ireland can be reached
through his blog, DIRELAND, at
http://direland.typepad.com/.
9 - 22 JAN 2009
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 JAN 12, from p.15
mayhem of “Musical Mondays,” docu-
menting the best song and dance in
stage history. Admission is free until 10
p.m.; $5 after that. You must be 21.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
COMMUNITY
TUE.JAN.13
Honoring Dr. King
New York City Council Speaker Chris-
tine C. Quinn and Bronx Councilman Larry
B. Seabrook, along with the Council Black,
Latino and Asian Caucus, host a celebra-
tion of the life and legacy of the Reverend
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday
will be celebrated on the Jan. 19 holiday.
City Council Chambers, City Hall,
5:30 p.m. In order to ensure access to
City Hall, at the Brooklyn Bridge/Park
Row entrance, and to the ceremony,
RSVP by Jan. 12, 4 p.m. at 212-788-6687
or events@council.nyc.gov.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
Networking
Around
Transgender Law
The Transgender Committee of the
LGBT Bar Association of Greater New
York (LeGaL) is hosting a winter network-
ing event to connect law students with
lawyers doing transgender legal advo-
cacy work. Organizations tabling include
the West Village Trans-Legal Clinic, the
Transgender Legal Defense & Education
Fund, the Urban Justice Center’s Peter
Cicchino Youth Project, the Sylvia Rivera
Law Project, Housing Works, the New
York Legal Assistance Group, and Queers
for Economic Justice. The event is open
to LeGaL members and potential mem-
bers. Light refreshments, beer, and wine
will be served. LGBT Community Cen-
ter, 208 W. 13th St., 7-9 p.m. Free. For
more information, email dlevasseur@
transgenderlegal.org.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
Learning to Share
Looking for a place in the sun this
summer? Out Professionals hosts five
Sharathons from Jan. to Apr. in which you
can either find roommates for your sum-
mer house or find a house to join. Bring
photos, floor plans, and fliers; laptop
outlets are limited. LGBT Community
Center, 208 W. 13th St. Jan. 13, Feb.
17, Mar. 24, Apr. 16, 6-9 p.m.; Mar. 7,
11 a.m.-2 p.m. To avoid the crush of sign
in, register now at gaycenter.org.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
CABARET
Huckleberry
Friends
“Morgan Sills Sings the Johnny
Mercer Songbook” is the first New
York show celebrating the centennial
䉴 JAN 13, continued on p.18
9 - 22 JAN 2009 Film/17
The Best — Here, At Least
A year’s cinema without dark nights
BY STEVE ERICKSON

N
o critic should make a top 10
list without acknowledging that
the best world cinema doesn’t
automatically arrive at our screens.
Among the year’s many undistributed
films, I’m particularly fond of Grant
Gee’s “Joy Division,” Johnnie To’s
“Sparrow,” James Benning’s “RR,”
Wang Bing’s “Fengming: A Chinese
Memoir,” and Koji Wakamatsu’s “Unit-
ed Red Army.”
Fortunately, the first two are now
available on DVD.
I don’t have much hope that the
latter two will ever make it to Region
1. Beneath the surface, they share a
lot in common. Both are epic-length
examinations of the nightmares of
Asian communism.
“Fengming: A Chinese Memoir,” a
three-hour interview edited to look
like a seamless torrent of words (plus
a bathroom break), is the closest cine-
ma has come to Primo Levi’s memoirs
of his life in Auschwitz and beyond.
“United Red Ar my” is equally

UNIFRANCE
unconventional, following a semi-doc-
umentary history of the ‘60s Japanese
left, with an intensely claustrophobic While her regiment seeks Holland, Camille (Sylvie Testud), disguised as a man, searches for her husband, in “La France,” the best film of 2008.
depiction of students torturing and
killing themselves. The middle hour of with its hipster utopian leanings, is
“United Red Army” has a stark power
most horror directors would kill to
the first of the Obama era. As super-
heroes go, I prefer “Iron Man.” Its pol-
5IF

(VJEF
UP
-FTCJBO

BOE
(BZ
MJGF
JO
/FX
:PSL

GUIDE
achieve. The length of Wang Bing’s itics may not be any more progressive
films seems to have kept them from or less muddled, but at least it has
American audiences, while Wakamat- a note of playfulness missing from Presented by America’s
su would probably be better-known Christopher Nolan’s pompous cape Leading Gay Newspaper
here if our government gave him a opera.
Gay City
TM

NEWS

travel visa. Now onto the top films distributed SPRING | SUMMER 2008

Why so serious, fanboys? The here in the US.

response of some viewers to “The
Dark Knight” is scarier than anything 1. “La France” (Serge Bozon)
in the film itself. When Keith Uhlich This year’s best release was also 5)*4
:&"3 WHO SERVES &
dared to criticize it on his blog, he was among its most enigmatic. “La France” • People, Places ADVOCATES FOR
NEW YORK’S LGBT
rewarded with a parade of respons- finds its nation’s troubled spirit in a
es that showed no tolerance for any young woman who cross-dresses to and Things COMMUNITY?
deviation from the media’s general team up with a group of soldiers trav- FIND THE
lovefest. Not since “Paradise Lost” has eling around France’s backwaters • Distributes ANSWERS
INSIDE.
a work of fiction been so enamored of
its villain.
during World War I.
March 19th
Yet “The Dark Knight” makes 2. “Silent Light” (Carlos Reygadas)
the Joker into the cuddliest of vil- Carlos Reygadas may well be a 06545"/%*/(
lains either by directing his violence
towards his fellow crooks or by gloss-
poseur, shifting between sexual prov-
ocation and spirituality from film to "%7&35*4*/( WORKPLACE RESPECT
CREATING THE CLIMATE
ing over it –– no explicit eye-gouging
here, since that would jeopardize the
film. He’s no less reliant on movie ref-
erences than Quentin Tarantino, even
&/7*30/.&/5 FOR EXCELLENCE IN YOUR JOB

PG-13 rating. Christian Bale’s bland if he chooses Carl Dreyer over blax- • 65,000 FREE COPIES
performance helps push the film fur- ploitation. Nevertheless, “Silent Light” JENNIFER BROWN / JENNIFER BROWN CONSULTING

ther toward a celebration of the Joker. is so beautiful that it makes crossing

As for its politics, I’m not sure
that the Batman=Bush analogies are
really warranted, but I can see why
they exist. Rather than having the
imagination to devise a world without
authoritarian patriarchs, “The Dark
Knight” envisions one who’s respon-
sible, though just tormented enough
to throw a sop or two to liberals.
All the same, the film’s conservative
leanings are obvious –– it’s the last
film of the Bush era, just as Jonathan
Demme’s “Rachel Getting Married,”
a field into an event. Regyadas com-
bines the transcendent and the every-
In addition to 500 high-traffic community gathering points
day into a startlingly new yet familiar in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx, and
blend, reconstructing the Europe of Hudson River communities in New Jersey, Gay City Guide will
Dreyer and Ingmar Bergman in Mex-
ico.
also be delivered directly to influential community leaders.
3. “Before I Forget” (Jacques Nolot)
' 0 3
" % 7 & 3 5 * 4 * / (
" 7 " * - " # * - * 5 :
" / %
3 " 5 & 4
$ 0 / 5 " $ 5 

A dark but not despairing look at francescoregini@communitymediallc.com
growing old with HIV, “Before I Forget” or call 646-452-2496
was the year’s best gay film. Nolot, who
Gay City News / 145 Sixth Ave., New York, NY 10013
䉴 THE BEST, continued on p.22
18/ Theater
A Little Swamp Music
“Shrek The Musical” shows Broadway right way to make cartoons a show
BY CHRISTOPHER BYRNE
D
espite the spate of
recently announced
closings, there are
still musical treats available
on Broadway for the whole
family. For grown-ups, there’s
Roundabout’s stunning noir-
ish revival of “Pal Joey” up at
Studio 54. And then there’s
“Shrek The Musical.” Also for
grown-ups.
Don’t get me wrong, there
were plenty of kids in the
audience when I attended,
and they seemed to be having
fun, but this is a show that
despite the belching and fart-
ing nonetheless has a sophis-
ticated charm that will delight
anyone willing to surrender to
the fun. David Lindsay-Abarie
has written a very funny book
based on the new classic fea-
ture film and the original book
by William Steig.
The familiar story concerns
Shrek, an ogre, who unwill-
ingly ends up on a quest to
restore fairy tale creatures to
their homes in the land of Far
Far Away. Along the way, he
learns about friendship and
love, and that appearances
aren’t everything. Sure, it’s
simplistic, but the story is in
the telling.
Director Jason Moore and
set and costume designer Tim
Hatley have flooded the stage
with so much dazzling cre-
Getting Our Irish Up
Garry Hynes directs a nearly flawless staging of “The Cripple of Inishmaan”
BY CHRISTOPHER BYRNE
N
o writer has done more
to dispel the popular
myth of the “Happy
Irish” than Martin McDon-
agh. Far from being being
the charming scalawags and
playful leprechauns depicted
in countless movies, McDon-
agh’s Irish are venal, compet-
itive, frustrated, moralistic,
and vindictive. Just like every-
one else — which is why they
are so appealing.
What make McDonagh’s
plays so engaging are the
ways in which he draws char-
acters, the balance of hard-
ness, irony, and longing that
pervades his writing, and, of
course, his unique plots. For
all their idiosyncrasies, his
characters are some of the
Christopher Sieber is phenomenal as Lord Farquaad, the egotistical villain, seen here with the rest of the cast of “Shrek the Musical.’
SHREK THE MUSICAL
The Broadway Theatre
1681 Broadway, btwn.
52nd &53rd Sts.
Tue. at 7 p.m.; Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m.;
Wed, Sat at 2 p.m.; Sun 3 p.m.
$41.50-$121.50; 212-239-6200
ativity that one is nearly over-
whelmed. But here’s the real
magic of the piece — despite
the fantastical nature of the
story and the extraordinary
production, Moore and com-
most finely drawn of any con-
temporary playwright, and his
plays are filled with heart…
and violence. It’s a mix that is
steadily engaging and deliv-
ered in a distinct Irish idiom
infectiously appealing even at
its darkest.
All of these characteris-
tics are on display in the
exceptional production of
McDonagh’s “The Cripple of
Inishmaan,” currently at the
Atlantic Theater Company in
a co-production with Ireland’s
Druid Theatre Company.
Director Garry Hynes, who
has previously worked with
McDonagh, has put together
a flawless ensemble of play-
ers and has given the play
a vibrant life that is rich and
consistently rewarding.
Set in 1934 on the island
pany haven’t forgotten that
what we’re really talking
about is people. Even in the
most excessive moments of
outrageous hilarity, the heart
is never forgotten, and that’s
what makes the comedy so
much richer.
The great fear around these
shows it that the producers
will simply try to move the
cartoon onto the stage. No
matter how lavish, such pro-
ductions often seem mechani-
THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN
Atlantic Theater Company
336 W. 20th St.
Tue.-Sat. at 8 p.m.;
Sat.-Sun. at 2 p.m.; Sun. at 7 p.m.
$65; ticketcentral.com
Or 212-279-4200
of Inishmaan, one of the Aran
Islands off the west coast of
Ireland, the play tells the story
of Cripple Billy, whose parents
have drowned and who has
been raised by his aunties.
Billy, tired of his limited life
on the island, sneaks away
to Hollywood to participate in
a film, “The Man of Aran” ––
a real film by the way –– but
finds that Hollywood is not
the panacea he had thought.
In addition to Billy and his
aunties Kate and Eileen,
9 - 22 JAN 2009
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 JAN 13, from p.16
of the noted lyricist who was a prolific
contributors to the Great American
Songbook. Sills, who won a MAC (Man-
hattan Association of Cabarets) Award
nomination for “The Roger Edens
Songbook,” will sing Mercer classics
as “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Moon
River,” and “That Old Black Magic,” as
well as some seldom-heard gems. Met-
ropolitan Room, 34 W. 22nd St. Jan.
13, 20 & 27, 7 p.m. The music charge is
$20 and there’s a two-drink minimum.
For reservations, call 212-206-0440 or
visit metropolitanroom.com.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
COMMUNITY
WED.JAN.14
Birds, Bees, G’s,
JOAN MARCUS
T’s, B’s L’s
LGBTQ parents, it turns out, tend
not to be much more open about sex
with their children than their straight
counterparts. In “The New Don’t Ask,
cal. Happily that hasn’t hap- Don’t Tell,” Terry Boggis, director of the
pened here. Instead, the story Center Kids program for LGBTQ fami-
and the narrative have been lies at the LGBT Community Center,
interpreted anew to take max- leads a workshop exploring how adults
imum advantage of Broadway can talk to their children not only about
stage — through both the reproduction, but also about sex, in
excitement afforded by live order to avoid sending the message
performance and the amazing that there is something secretive about
technology available. Where sex and sexual pleasure and creating
the movie pokes fun at other a destructive barrier to open com-
films through visual quotes munication. The workshop explores
and gags, here the show takes questions children often ask and helps
adults address their own anxieties
䉴 SHREK, continued on p.19 about answering them. Institute for
Human Identity (ihi), 322 Eighth
Ave. at 26th St., suite 802, 7 p.m.
Free. For more information or to make
a reservation, contact, ihi Family Q at
212-243-2830, ihi-lgbt@juno.com, or
ihi-therapycenter.org/familyq.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
who gorge on candy or talk READING
to stones in times of stress, Masters of
Experiment
the island is populated by
the busybody JohnnyPateen- The winner of four Nebula
Mike, locked in a dysfunc- Awards and two Hugo Awards in
tional relationship with his science fiction writing, as well as
mother, whom he is encour- the William Whitehead Memorial
aging to drink herself to Award for a Lifetime’s Contribution
death; the bitter, violent, and to Lesbian and Gay Writing, novel-
frustrated Helen; her ineffec- ist and critic Samuel R. Delany, who
tual brother Bartley, who has teaches at Temple University, pub-
a passion for “sweeties”; and lished his first novel n 1962 at the
BabbyBobby, a local resident age of 20. His latest novel is “Dark
whose kindness is tempered Reflections.” Renee Gladman, who
only by his emotional insta- teaches at Brown University and is
bility. It’s quite a crew, and editor and publisher of Leon Works,
watching them interact as the an independent press for experimen-
story unfolds is part of the joy tal prose, is the author of four books,
of this production. most recently “Newcomer Can’t
One scene distills their Swim,” prose installations published
whole world into a few hilari- by Kelsey St. Press in 2007. The two
ous moments. The town gath- will read from their work tonight at
䉴 IRISH, continued on p.19 䉴 JAN 14, continued on p.20
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
䉴 SHREK, from p.18
delicious, but never malicious, pot
shots at other musicals. As a result,
“Shrek” has a freshness about it that
is hilarious and endearing. I haven’t
laughed so hard since “The Produc-
ers,” and that’s very much appreciated
right now.
The performances are also stand-
outs. As Shrek, Brian D’Arcy James
is a knock-out. Even under the aston-
ishing costume and make-up, he con-
veys the inner life of the orgre. He has
one of the most outstanding voices on
Broadway these days, and when he
opens it up, it’s phenomenal. Sutton
Foster is wonderful as Princess Fiona.
Her comic gifts, outstanding dancing,
䉴 IRISH, from p.18
ers to watch a screening of “The Man
of Aran” at the library. Rather than
pay attention to the film, everyone
clashes in a series of spats. It’s a scene
of comic genius that offers the com-
plete picture of life on Inishmaan —
and why Billy was so keen to escape.
The company is one of the finest
ensembles you’ll see right now. Aaron
Monaghan gives a brilliant perfor -
mance as Billy. He has set himself
physical challenges almost painful
to watch, and yet he imbues the role
with such heart that even when Billy
is not sympathetic, one can’t help but
feel for him. Marie Mullen and Dearb-
hla Molloy are wonderful as the aunts,
bickering and worrying. I felt like my
Jan. 6–18
Tickets from $19!
PARSONSDANCE.ORG
9 – 22 JAN 2009
and sweet voice are all used to great
effect. Daniel Breaker is extraordinary
as Donkey. He gets some of the big-
gest laughs in the show thanks to his
impeccable timing, but he, too, has a
fantastic voice and energy that is off
the charts.
Great as these three are, no one
made me laugh as hard as Christo-
pher Sieber as Lord Farquaad, the
egotistical villain of the piece. Watch-
ing the six-foot-two Sieber play the
four-foot-ten Farquaad is worth the
price of tickets alone. As a comic lead-
ing man, he’s outstanding, particu-
larly when executing Josh Prince’s
choreography.
The company is equally strong, nota-
bly John Tartaglia as Pinocchio, the
own Irish great aunts were alive again
watching them. Kerry Condon is deli-
cious as Helen, whose promiscuity
seems born of boredom and anger. She
manages to be appealing and repellent
at the same time. David Pearse is fine
as JohnnyPateenMike, who achieves
new heights in being annoying and yet
has a core of unmistakable vulnerabil-
ity.
The versatile set and dead-on period
costumes are by Francis O’Connor,
original music is by Colin Towns,
and the remarkable sound design is
by John Leonard. Taken together,
this must-see production has a bleak
lyricism and a heart — albeit fragile
and deeply wounded — that is truly
remarkable.
G E T C L O S E R
175 8th Ave at 19th St JoyceCharge 212-242-0800 www.joyce.org
wooden boy who has to come to terms
with the fact that he’s not a real boy.
Prince’s work is outstanding and
very creative throughout, with some
real classic Broadway show-stoppers
integrated into wonderful movement
and inventive staging. He and Moore
together have made a show that is as
remarkable for its fluidity throughout.
There is never a moment that seems
not to have been fully considered for
optimal effect.
Jeanine Tesori’s score is the only less
than stellar element of the show. True,
she’s been asked to create largely pas-
tiche songs, and she does those better
than anyone else in the business. Still,
at the risk of being the type of theater-
goer Sondheim disdains in “Merrily We
Aaron Monaghan as Cripple Billy and Kerry Condon as Helen in Martin McDonagh’s “The Cripple of Inishmaan” at
the Atlantic Theater Company.
WORLD PREMIERE
with the lead vocalists & music of
East Village
Opera Company
eastvillageoperacompany.com
*Program A
T O D A N C E
19
Roll Along,” “there’s not a tune you can
hum.” In the modern musical, this isn’t
always essential, and the numbers all
work dramatically. But would one or
two truly memorable songs with the
potential to become standards — as
for example a few songs from “Wicked”
managed to — have been so bad?
This shortcoming should not pre-
vent “Shrek The Musical” from having
a healthy, crowd-pleasing run. The wit,
heart, and outstanding performances
from a dependable group of Broadway
pros have paid off handsomely. Just
when we thought we couldn’t take
another movie cartoon being turned
into a musical, here comes a talented
team that shows us just how well it can
be done.
KEITH PATTISON
photo by Lois Greenfield
*
20/ Music
The Return of Labelle
Sarah Dash reunites with the sisterhood
BY DAVID NOH
L
iza Minnelli may be cur-
rently in the midst of
her umpteenth come-
back, but the real news is the
reunion of Labelle, with a new
CD, “Back to Now,” and a now
near-legendary concert at the
Apollo Theater on December
19. Patti Labelle, Nona Hen-
dryx, and Sarah Dash are all
fabulously back in action, hav-
ing sung together since 1961.
In the 1970s, they were the
Anti-Supremes, with their
soulful blend of disco, funk,
and glam rock, searing vocals,
and dazzling stage presen-
tations, featuring them as
everything from space aliens
to birds of paradise. Their con-
certs, particularly an historic
Metropolitan Opera engage-
ment, were ground zero for
Manhattan’s avant-garde of
music, art, and fashion, with
their “Lady Mar malade” a
seminal anthem of the bur-
geoning gay disco subculture.
Androgyny was a huge part
of their gay appeal, especially
when Hendryx, who always
took a slightly butch role,
would woo the succulent Dash
— then the sexiest woman
in the universe — while Patti
hovered over them like some
kind of funky earth mother
hen on “Can I Speak to You
Before You Go to Hollywood.”
Their brilliant Laura Nyro-
Motown collaboration, “Gonna
Take a Miracle,” remains a
must-have for any collection,
and ‘Back to Now’ will thrill
old and new fans alike. It’s like
the years between have melted
away, so jaw-droppingly fresh
is both the group’s sound and
its material.
From the first song, “Can-
dlelight,” which starts, tra-
ditionally, with Patti’s bur -
nished solo and then segues
into those three voices com-
ing together in signature,
gorgeously raucous, perfectly
harmonized glory, the listener
is ecstatically home free.
The Apollo concert was a
definite “you shoulda been
there” moment. They sang
brilliantly together but, half-
way through, the sound sys-
tem blew out. Attempts were
made to fix it, during which
the entire audience was treat-
ed to free drinks and Labelle
performed two songs a capel-
la. When it became appar -
ent it was a technical no-go,
everyone was invited back the
next night for a repeat concert.
Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash reunite as Labelle for concerts at the Apollo and the Beacon and in their new Verve CD
“Back to Now.”
That performance went off
without a hitch, and one could
only marvel at Patti’s stamina.
Suffering as she does from
serious diabetes — even ask-
ing for some chocolate from
the audience at one point —
she gave her stupendous all,
with that voice searing itself
into your very soul.
An interview with Sarah
Dash was a reunion of sorts
as well for this reporter, who
met her ages ago at Reno
Sweeney when she debuted a
cabaret act featuring her clas-
sic post-Labelle solo hit “Sin-
ner Man.” It was one of those
wild Gotham nights, with a
very buzzed Grace Jones kow-
towing to Dash in her dressing
room.
“Ohmigod, I remember
that!” Dash exclaimed, when
reminded of the evening.
“But let me tell you how this
reunion came about. Patti had
been announcing onstage that
we were coming back togeth-
er, and her audience would
go berserk. I heard about this
and said one day to Nona in
our communications, which
never ceased over the years,
‘Do you know anything about
this?’ Nona didn’t know, but
evidently this was something
Patti always wanted to do and
her manager had been push-
ing her to take some time off
for it.
“Nona had this project that
brought us together, sing-
ing this song she wrote for a
film soundtrack, called ‘Dear
Rosa,’ about Rosa Parks.
After we recorded it, Patti
called me: ‘Have you heard it
yet? Our sound is still there!’
We decided then to make a
full recording. Nona talked to
Lenny Kravitz, who joined us
in the studio. He listened to
‘Miss Otis Regrets’ and want-
ed to know when we recorded
that. ‘It was the late ‘60s,’ we
told him, and then he listened
to ‘Superlover.’ ‘When did you
do that?’ ‘Today,’ we said, and
he said, ‘I’m in.’ He’d originally
9 - 22 JAN 2009
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 JAN 14, from p.18
the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church,
131 E. Tenth St. at Second Ave., 8 p.m.
Admission is $8; $7 for students & seniors;
$5 for Poetry Project members.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
POLITICS
THU.JAN.15
Albany Crunch
Time
New York State is facing its most seri-
ous budget crisis since the Depression
– a deficit of over $12.5 billion, with the
transit system another $1.2 billion in the
hole. Hear from Manhattan state legisla-
tors about the choices facing New York.
On Jan. 15, 6:30-9 p.m., at Norman
Thomas High School, 111 E. 33rd St.,
State Senator Liz Krueger and Assembly-
men Dick Gottfried and Brian Kavanagh
will host a forum. On Jan. 29, 6:30-9
p.m., at the American Bible Society,
1865 Broadway at 61st St., Gottfried
will be joined by Senator Tom Duane and
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. For
more information, call Gottfried’s Com-
munity Office at 212-807-7900 or email
GottfrR@assembly.state.ny.us
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
NIGHTLIFE
Abercrombie &
Filth
Thursday Nights at Mr. Black’s are
KWAKU ALSTON
for “Boys Gone Wild,” Jonny McGov-
ern’s 100 percent Frat Go-Go, with booty
stomping beats by Tekshur, and shots and
shakin’ courtesy of Black Eddie and Erica
Tour Aviance. It’s butch realness, so they
say. 251 W. 30th St., 10 p.m.-4 a.m.
wanted to produce the whole ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
CD but had to do his own
tour.”
As for Patti being the one
on lead vocal, despite the
other two’s strong pipes, Dash NIGHTLIFE
FRI.JAN.16
explained, “We always choose Crack the 09 Whip
the lead which works best for The Lesbian Sex Mafia, New York’s
the song. And the best one oldest BDSM group for women, wants to
is Patti — no question, the start the New Year off right, with its first
strongest voice. She sings the gathering of 2009. LGBT Community Cen-
lead, but I do my share of the ter, 208 W. 13th St., 8-10 p.m. Admission
singing.” is $10; $5 for LSM members. For more
Dash was thrilled to return details on the group’s upcoming events,
to the club where Labelle visit LesbianSexMafia.org.
began and were dubbed ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
“Sweethearts of the Apollo”:
“It’s a great honor to come full
circle, and that place is still
standing after so many other
theaters, like the Howard,
SAT.JAN.17
RELATIONSHIPS
where black artists had to Mutual Admiration
perform, are gone. I’m a little Societies
chunkier this go-around but “Women’s Compatibility Game” is a fun
I’m healthier, and I hope that singles event in which participants answer
everyone sees that when I put a survey about their lives, interests, and
that drag on. values, are assigned to four different groups
“Our designer is Sylvia Gre- based on their answers, and then have a
䉴 LABELLE, continued on p.21 䉴 17 DAYS, continued on p.21
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM 9 – 22 JAN 2009 21

14 DAYS 䉴 LABELLE, from p.20

iser, who did our costumes

and women of domestic vio-
lence, raised funds for home-
less women with children,
or have no vision of hope to
always have hope, because
your life is not over as long as
for supporting us. I can be in
the weirdest places, like one
day I was sitting in a train sta-

14 NIGHTS
䉴 JAN 17, from p.20
chance to mingle one-on-one. At the end
of the evening, everyone fills out a list of
hoped-for matches, and soon finds out
who agrees. LGBT Community Center,
208 W. 13th St. , 8-10 p.m. Admission is
$20 at the door. For more information, call
212-971-1084 or visit compatgame.com.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
Meanwhile, Down
the Hall...
Comedian Marilyn Galfin pres-
ents “Dating Madness” for lesbians, a
relaxed, pressure-free dating event with
fun ice-breakers, one-on-one mingling,
and refreshment breaks. LGBT Commu-
nity Center, 208 W. 13th St. , 8-10 p.m.
Admission is $18 at nyclavenderlounge.
com or $20 at the door.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
for the CD cover and our tour,
and I remember our great past
designers, too. Norma [Kama-
li] was just as crazy as we
were. We had Larry LeGaspi in
the beginning — God rest his
soul — who started that space
look, and then Norma went to
this earthy, funky Afro-cen-
tric look. No one was wearing
cowry shells like we were!”
Dash helped clear up the
✯ “mystery” as to her where-
abouts during all the years
Patti and Nona were still per-
forming and highly visible: “I
did some work with the late
Patrick Cowley and Sylves-
ter, and when disco started
folding I did some jazz and
blues. I wrote a biographical
piece called ‘Dash of Diva,’
which I’m rewriting now, but
for four years I had an injury
✯ that required surgery and
it took me a long time to be
able to walk again. I tore a
and also did World AIDS Day
concerts. I got a citation from
[former Manhattan Borough
President] Ruth Messinger,
but before that I was part of
Keith Richards’ X-Pensive
Winos, toured with him, and
sang on the Rolling Stones’
‘Steel Wheels’ album.
“I spent last summer in San
Francisco with Teatro Zin-
Sarah helped clear up the
“mystery” as to her whereabouts
during all the years Patti and Nona
were still performing.
zanni [a Cirque du Soleil-type
group], to record-breaking
crowds. I was blessed with
being able to do certain things
within the business.”
Then returning to her years
you have breath.
“I encourage people to con-
tinue to have faith and look
beyond your circumstances
and know that whoever you
perceive as God is a healer.
Bad times don’t always last —
you may not be able to do, all
that you want to do, but that’s
the time to look at what you
can do.”
Dash is currently hap-
pily partnered up: “I just met
someone and he’s very special.
It’s a new growing experience
— I’ve been divorced twice,
so when you get to a certain
tion in DC, having just missed
my train. So I sat down and
these guys came over to me
and said, ‘Miss Dash, we know
who you are and have been
following you around the sta-
tion all day. Oh, girl, that’s a
beautiful bag! Let us carry this
bag for you, for the gay com-
munity — we just love you!’
They stayed with me and we
talked about so many things
and I say to the gay communi-
ty: God is with us all and don’t
you lose sight of how you want
to live your life. You just live it
to the fullest and in spite of all
the things people wanna say
about you, you are still a child
of the Kingdom, okay?
“We’re all touched by the
gay community. I, like every-
one else, have them in my
family and if you love yourself,
you’ve got to love them. They
are the most creative people
I know, they always know

COMMUNITY
SUN.JAN. 18 ligament in my knee. It was
not as some have reported,
on the subway, but another
sidelined, Dash added, “Those
four years took a chunk out of
my musical life, but enhanced
place in life, your reason for
being with someone seems
to change and become more
what’s happening and tell you
the truth, Ruth!”

Women Reunite in
Winter
SAGE Women’s Dance opens
another year of toe-tappin’ events for
lesbians of all ages and backgrounds —
䉴 JAN 18, continued on p.27
mode of transportation, but
I have a legal gag order and
can’t talk about it.
“That changed my whole
spirit and I started doing gos-
pel and motivational speak-
ing, talking to children at risk
the spiritual part of me. So
the ‘Mystery of Sarah Dash’
is sadly no mystery at all —
it was about the time it takes
to restructure your life when
misfortune befalls you, and I
urge people who may be sick
stable. [Laughs] I find having
someone in your life, besides
your managers, lawyers, and
accountants, is good, and
enhances who you are.”
As for Labelle’s steadfast
gay following: “I so love you all
Dash is currently finishing a
solo inspirational CD. For more
information, visit myspace.
com/sarahdash. Labelle will
be performing together again at
the Beacon Theater on Febru-
ary 26 (beacontheatrenyc.com).

RICK’S HOME IMPROVEMENT Support your

Serving The New York Metro Area

646-234-9931 local businesses!

718-779-7626 212-228-1652 For advertising
Kitchen & Bathroom Renovation, Tile, Plaster
Restoration, Skim Coat, Sheet Rock, Wood
details contact:
Floors, Painting, Wallpaper, Carpentry
www.Ricksimprovement.com
JASON @
646-452-2505
NY State Licensed and Insured

POP THE
CORK WINES COMMUNITY
BUSINESS SECTION
Your Neighborhood Wine Boutique
Happy New Year

168 7th Ave. South

New York, NY
The Hardest-Working Ballerina
212-807-1010 ISBN: 1-60672-837-7
Available through BN.com, amazon.com,
www.popthecorkwines.com and publishamerica.com
22 9 – 22 JAN 2009 WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM

䉴 THE BEST, from p.17

wrote, directed, and stars, depicts his

own weakening body with a stunning
lack of vanity. One hopes this clearly
personal film isn’t too autobiographical.

4. “Flight of the Red Balloon”

(Hou Hsiao-hsien)
Almost as enigmatic as “La France,”
“Flight of the Red Balloon” initially
appears to be a beautiful film about
nothing. Eventually, it turns out
to be a character study of a frantic
French woman, memorably played by
Juliette Binoche, and the calmer peo-
ple around her. Taiwanese director
Hou’s best film in a decade, it brings
warmth to his usual formal mastery.

5. “Wall-E” (Andrew Stanton)

2008’s mainstream triumph, “Wall-
E” opts for an improbably upbeat con-
clusion and turns a pair of genderless
robots into a heterosexual couple.

STRAND RELEASING
Apart from that, its synthesis of silent
comedy and post-apocalyptic sci-fi is
sui generis and flawlessly executed.

6. “Still Life” (Jia Zhang Ke)
If Jia didn’t exist, Western film crit-
ics would have to invent China’s bard
of globalization. In “Still Life,” he dis-
plays an equal grasp of his country’s
shifting zeitgeist and the creative pos-
sibilities of high-definition video.
7. “My Winnipeg” (Guy Maddin)
Maddin’s “docu-fantasia” could
have been made to piss off documen-
tary purists, but in the Canadian
Jacques Nolot (seen here with Gaetano Weysen-Volli) plays Pierre, once taken care of by a sugar daddy, now relying on the paid kindness of young men, in “Before I Forget.”
eccentric’s hands, the form brings a
welcome dose of reality to his ambiva-
lent, feverish vision of his hometown.
8. “Frownland” (Ronald Bronstein)
In a weak year for American indies,
“Frownland” offered an implicit cri-
tique of Sundance quirk and mum-
blecore insularity, portraying a man
so unbalanced that he can barely hold
down a job. In 2008, social realism
returned to American cinema with
films like “Ballast” and “Wendy and
Lucy”; “Frownland” shares some of
their concern for marginalized people
but expresses it more imaginatively.
9. “Waltz With Bashir” (Ari Folman)
One of the most original war films
ever made, Folman’s animated docu-
mentary has more in common with
the trippier side of Richard Linklater’s
work than “Platoon” or “Full Metal
Jacket.” Then it returns to reality with
50 unforgettable seconds of rotting
corpses and screaming widows. This is
the anti-war cri de coeur Brian de Pal-
ma’s “Redacted” should have been.
10. “The Duchess of Langeais”
(Jacques Rivette)
The French New Wave veteran deliv-
ers his best film in years, adapting
Balzac’s tale of tortured sexual poli-
tics and offering a fitting epitaph for
its late male lead, Guillaume Depar-
dieu, who looks weary well beyond
his 37 years. (Depardieu also had a
cameo in “La France.”)
Runners-up: “4 Months, 3 Weeks
and 2 Days” (Christian Mungiu),
“Momma’s Man” (Azazel Jacobs), “The
Romance of Astrea and Celadon” (Eric
Rohmer), “The Unforeseen” (Laura
Dunn), and “The Witnesses” (Andre
Techine).

Bring this ad and get one free drink!

Limited one per customer

76 Christopher St. at 7th Ave

IFC FILMS

www.bootsnsaddle.com The ever-present red balloon floats over Paris, in “Flight of the Red Balloon.
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
■ OPERA
Diva-Worthy
Angela Gheorghiu breathes life into
“La Rondine,” little-seen Puccini love fantasy
Angela Gheorghiu as Parisian party girl Magda de Civry, and her husband, Roberto Alagna, as Magda’s love interest,
Ruggero, in Puccini’s “La rondine.”
BY JAMES JORDEN
O
ne of Giacomo Puccini’s lesser
operas, “La rondine,” made a
welcome return to the Met-
ropolitan Opera on New Year’s Eve
after an absence of more than seven
decades, with Angela Gheorghiu mak-
ing a strong case for the work as a diva
vehicle.
Gheorghiu sang the leading role of
Magda de Civry, a Parisian party girl
who indulges her fantasy of romantic
love. The soprano’s voice is hypnotical-
ly beautiful with a complex smoky tim-
bre that blooms to a radiant top. She
is unafraid to use tangy chest tone for
dramatic effect.
Whether by design or necessity,
though, her voice tends to turn wispy in
the lower-middle register, and at least
in the first act she seemed to be some-
what short of breath. Even the most
famous aria of the opera, the “Canzone
di Doretta,” felt rushed, which is a pity,
because Gheorghiu’s high C and B-flat
were so gorgeous one wanted the notes
to be held longer.
The soprano seemed to settle in
around the time of the second act
Come Party for The Party!
INAUGURATION PARTY JAN 20TH
Sun. $3.50 Screwdrivers & our famous Bloody Mary’s,
$2.50 Miller Lite Drafts & Bud Bottles
Mon. $4 Mojito’s all flavors Tues. $2 Margarita’s
CHEAP-EEZ COCKTAILS (except Fri. & Sat.) - Coors & Pabst Cans $3,
Rootbeer Floats $3, Sloe Gin Fizz $2, Tom Collins $3, Whiskey Sours $3, Green Hornet $3
281 W 12th St @ 4th St. NYC 212-243-9041
9 – 22 JAN 2009 23
Remembering
Martin Luther King
with Pride!
130 BLEECKER STREET
KEN HOWARD
212-358-9597
quartet, her voice soaring above chorus
and orchestra without a trace of harsh-
The National
ness. In the lush chain of melodies in
the last act, Gheorghiu was in her ele-
ment, shaping the music with instinc-
tive grace.
Gheorghiu is a stunning woman and
Arts Club
a natural creature of the stage. Though Founded in 1898
she could probably flirt with the audi- A Club Characterized by Inclusiveness
ence a little less, she does have a couple
of lovely acting moments. Alone after
the departure of the party guests in The National Arts Club has always identified with the
the Act 1, Magda kicks off her pumps
and stretches voluptuously, a beautiful African American Community as represented by its great women:
woman at home with her beauty.
After she has fallen for the young
Ruggero at the dance hall in Act 2,
Magda is left alone as the waiters close
up for the night. At this point, as the
Coretta Scott King
orchestra plays an echo of the quartet,
Gheorghiu suddenly became timid and Kathy Jordan Sharpton
fragile, touchingly vulnerable.
Gheorghiu’s husband, tenor Roberto
Alagna, plays the love interest in this
Maya Angelou
opera, Ruggero. Alagna’s aggressive
boyishness, appropriate for Pinker-
ton or even Roméo, is not quite right
Toni Morrison
for the part of this unworldy innocent.
Alice Walker
䉴 PUCCINI, continued on p.27
and Oprah Winfrey
Food, Shots,
Specials, Fun!
THE NATIONAL ARTS CLUB
15 GRAMERCY PARK SOUTH, NEW YORK, NY
10003
TEL: 212-475-3424 www.nationalartsclub.org
24
■ IN THE NOH
Scot Issues
Euan Morton’s angelic sounds; beauty in “Cherry Blossoms”
BY DAVID NOH
I
can’t think of better company with whom to
usher in the New Year than that gifted charm-
er, Euan Morton, who’s appearing in “Leaves
of Glass,” by controversial Brit playwright Phil-
ip Ridley (Peter J. Sharp Theatre). In it, he plays
one of two brothers struggling with the legacy of
an alcoholic, abusive father. Morton describes
this intense play as “depressing, heavy stuff,
but beautifully written. It was done in London
with Ben Wishaw and got some rave reviews and
this is its US premiere. I’m quite happy that I’m
offered these straight dramatic parts and am not
totally labeled as a musical performer after [play-
ing Boy George in] ‘Taboo.’ I’d like to have the kind
of career Raul Esparza has, where he goes from
one to the other. He’s so talented, but we never
got really close during ‘Taboo’ –– we had separate
‘star’ dressing rooms, so the opportunity to hang
out wasn’t really there.”
Morton’s a real New Yorker for five years now,
having bought an apartment in an Upper West
Side doorman building: “I’m happy to be here. In
London, the opportunities just aren’t as available
and the Brits sometimes have a prejudice toward
us Scots. I remember once being in a bar during
some big Brit soccer game and when the bartender
heard my accent, he said, ‘I don’t think it’s a good
thing for you to be here.’”
Possessing an angelically ravishing tenor voice,
Morton is more serious about his music than ever.
His CD, “New Clear,” showcases him in a rocking
assortment of decidedly un-show tunes, including
a lovely ode to good times at the “Chelsea Hotel,”
Leonard Cohen’s great “Hallelujah” (only k.d. lang
can match Morton’s rendition), and two songs by
“Taboo” composer Boy George.
“Have you heard the latest about George?”
Morton asked, referring to the pop star’s recent
conviction for handcuffing a male escort, Audun
Carlsen, to his bedroom wall in 2007. “He’s real-
ly in trouble and it’s not looking good. The poor
man –– I feel so sorry for him. He’s so talented and
clever, but he has this terrible, addictive personal-
ity which gets in his way every time. I wish he’d
just sit down and write another five musicals, just
pick any subject, keep him away from the candy
and hookers, give him a laptop and say, ‘Write
again!’ It’s a real shame –– ‘Taboo,’ for all the bad
and good things said about it, you can’t get away
from the fact that his score was fantastic. He lost
the Tony that year to ‘Avenue Q,’ and as much as
I love [its composers] Bobby Lopez and Jeff Marx,
I was upset when George didn’t get it because I
NYC’S BEST KEPT SECRET
Hard to find Hair Products.....I have them!!!!
Salon Owners, Stylists,
Ebayer’s, Wholesale to the Public
SAVE 30% -70%
Redken – Paul Mitchell – Nexxus
Sebastian – American Crew - Nioxin
Haircutters of Paris
92 Chambers btw Church & Bway
10:30 AM - 7:30 PM Mon. - Sat.
we specialize in hair extensions
Come on in & SAVE!!!
nychairguy@aol.com
9 – 22 JAN 2009
Euan Morton (left, as Barry) and Victor Villar-Hauser (as Stephen) portray brothers confronting the haunting memory of their father’s suicide in “Leaves of
Glass,” by playwright Philip Ridley at the Peter J. Sharp Theatre.
believe it was the best.
“I see why people had problems with ‘Taboo,’ but
I don’t think they were always very fair because
the problem wasn’t always the show –– it was the
people who were involved in the production. But
I can see where the issues came from –– maybe it
didn’t deserve to go on, maybe they should have
worked harder and improved the book when they
had the chance. What’s interesting is that people
are still talking about it now. Its not like they’re
rushing out to buy a copy of ‘The Boy from Oz’ and
the signed books are worth $500. It’s acquired a
kind of cult, which is thrilling. Even if things go
horribly wrong and I have to go off and become a
chambermaid, at least I’ll always have ‘Taboo.’
“People always say to me, ‘Aren’t you worried
that if you keep pinning ‘Taboo’ to your lapel,
that’s what you’ll always be?’ And I say, ‘No. I don’t
wear “Taboo” like a hat, but I’m very proud of my
work in it and friendships I made.’ My grandma
always said, ‘I had this gorgeous red jacket when
I was a little girl.’ She was 65 years old when she
died and she had that jacket a very long time ago,
but you never do forget the good things, do you?”
Morton is single and happily so: “No partner ––
I’m footloose. I’ve never really discussed being gay,
although it’s never been a problem. I just don’t like
how you can become labeled as only that. I feel
like I haven’t achieved certain things I’d like to and
having a partner in my life right now would not be
good for them because I’m not complete. I mean,
who is ever, really? But there are other things I
want to do alone first before I’m able to share it
with someone else. And no one would want to
share it with me right now, either. And I’m not not
looking forever. I’ll be looking again. [Laughs.]
“I’ve never had a long-term relationship. Maybe,
when I was much, much younger, I kind of had
one, but now, maybe selfishly, I’ve been very
focused on this career. It takes a lot to go to audi-
tions and be rejected. Or get the job and do the
job. There never seems to be that day when I’m
not doing something related to it and can relax. If
I did have a partner I’d spend a lot of time in the
planetarium, watching the star show. Those are
the kinds of things I’d like to do in my life. Like I
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
ORIGIN THEATER CO.
said to my friend today, ‘You know, why am I not
rich and lazy?’ I’d be fabulous at it.”
Morton is working on a new CD of his own
songs, with a 30-piece orchestra: “That Rufus
Wainwright is always beating me to the punch!
[Laughs.] I do love singing, but I guess we all have
moments of insecurity. Even in the most secure
moments of my career, I look at myself and think
what the hell am I doing? I don’t have the things
my friends have –– lives and girlfriends and boy-
friends, animals, houses. When you’re a kid with
dreams, you never say ‘I’m going to be a starving,
jobbing actor. But you do wonder if that’s all it’s
ever going to be and can I keep doing it, in my soul,
the few times I do get to do it. I could be doing this
when I’m 80. And then I realize, hey, Estelle Getty
waited a very long time to get where she got, thanks
to Harvey Fierstein, and if she could, then, bloody
hell, I’m just going to have to keep on for another
30 years.
“Quentin Crisp was another one. That would be
an interesting role. I like playing real people and
have been working on two separate musicals, about
Chaplin and the Emperor Caligula. Like playing
Boy George, you have a reference point and it’s not
just wild guessing, which fulfills both of my pas-
sions –– performing and people.
“A fascinating aspect of my job is the people
you meet. I was invited to a little Jewish Christ-
mas party, which even had ham –– very odd —
and there I met this beautiful couple. Joe was 83
and his partner, Greg, was a little younger, like 20
years, a minister. Joe used to be a cop in the ‘50s
and it was fascinating, talking to these men who’d
been together 35 years. For Joe, as a cop, there
was no affirmative action back then –– you kept
your mouth shut or got out. Just to hear this man
describe what that life was like, alone and then
with his partner, and still to this day not be able
to marry him. I would never have an opportunity
to meet them, ordinarily, and probably pass men
like that on the street on a daily basis. But because
I do what I do, I get to sit down at dinner parties and
have these conversations.
䉴 SCOT ISSUES, continued on p.27
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM 9 – 22 JAN 2009 25

GAY CITY CLASSIFIEDS

DEADLINE WEDNESDAY 5:00PM MAIL 145 SIXTH AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10013 TEL 646-452-2485 FAX 212.229.2790

APARTMENT RENTALS
FRENCH RIVIERA. Charming town-
house, authentic village Gorges du Apartment WANTED An Exciting and Rewarding Career in

ADVERTISING
Loup, France, near Nice,Cannes,
Grasse. Breathtaking views, 2 bdrm, to BUY or RENT
2 bath. $1250/wk. Available year round,
turn key furnished. 941-363-0925
Large Studio in
ELECTRICAL SERVICES Lower Manhattan, Community Media, which publishes the award-winning weekly
24 HOUR
UWS or Hells Kitchen. newspapers Gay City News, The Villager, Downtown Express, Chelsea Now, and
a senior-focused newspaper Thrive NYC and their very popular corresponding

EMERGENCY Please e-mail me

details/photos to:
websites, seeks outstanding and self-confident advertising sales pros.

ALTMAN
SERVICE mykonos55@yahoo.com
HOME IMPROVEMENT
You: articulate, never give up, persuasive,
ready with a message, smart, organized,
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL energetic, a graduate of an accredited 4-year
ELECTRIC RONDON HOME IMPROVEMENT college or university (preferred, but), and have
OVER 50 YEARS FREE Indoor & Outdoor previous advertising or related sales experience
(newspaper advertising sales experience is
IN THE BUSINESS ESTIMATES 5RRÀQJ
6LGLQJDQG*XWWHUV a plus). You should have a general under-
1-800-287-7774 LICENSED ELECTRICAL 3OXPELQJ standing of selling display advertising, creating
212-924-0400 CONTRACTORS (OHFWULFDO sales proposals, using Excel and Word, selling
TRACK LIGHTING 7LOH 3DLQWLQJ
283 West 11th St. VIOLATIONS REMOVED on rate cards, and communicating demographic
New York, NY 5DLVHGÁRRUV
CO-OP REMODELING data research to make your sale. Knowledge of
10014 Free Estimates contact management software is helpful.
TRAVEL Licenced and Insured

(Overheard at Machu Picchu) Alex 917-379-1271 or You: are a team player, enjoy working in a
“Come here often?” Ari 347-400-3735 diverse environment, able to meet and exceed
Rodon3a@yahoo.com $$ goals, fearless...ready to make tons of cold
calls both in person and on the phone, and
LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION prospect everywhere and everything for new
advertisers. Skilled in getting past the gate keepers and onto the decision makers.
LEARN Your composure, oral, and written presentation skills should be excellent.

Paris University La Sorbonne
Join me and enjoy all gay travel--at
a relaxed pace, in comfort and style.
Jim Cronk
www.ecoimagephototravel.com
MOVING AND STORAGE
FRENCH Salary + commission, vacation/benefits. Please send your resume and tell us why you would
with a native be a great fit for our company.
French speaker
franciscoregini@communitymediallc.com
Masters
and D.E.A.
MOVING AND STORAGE
•Basic French Grammar
•Pronunciation/Phonetics IDEAL MOVING & STORAGE, INC. GayCityNews.com
•Conversation The only gay owned & operated
•One on One or Small Group Classes mover in New York. Ideal is the
•French Culture and Civilization
ADULT
community favorite local mover.
TONY
We are fully licensed & insured,
(212)332-0023 leading the industry with a 96%
referral rate. Reliable, dependable Full Body Massage & Much More
& personalized service. Open 24/7. by HOT TOP GUY
(212) 777-5507 or 718-728-5318.
Hunk, Masculine & Handsome.
www.idealmoving.com See our display
33 yo., 6’1” tall, 190 lbs.
ad under Moving & Storage.
ADULT Times Square Location - 24/7
212-221-6696

BODYWORK
HOT BODYWORK Swedish, Deep Tis-
sue, sensual nude bodywork. Done by
Brazilian masseur. (917) 435-4418.
www.rentboy.com/fzaneti
26
FYQMPSF
OFX
IPQFMBNCFSUWJMMF
Lexington House B&B
One of the things we like about New Hope is that
all B&B’s are gay-friendly. But The Lexington
House is also gay-owned. And only one B&B can
be ranked #1 in New Hope on www.TripAdvisor.
com, and that’s The Lexington House. Come visit
us and find out why. Mention this ad and receive
5% off of a two-night stay. Or come visit for three
nights and get the fourth night free (both offers
good until the end of November, 2008). You might
enter as strangers, but will leave as friends. We look
forward to meeting you! -Mike and Ed
6171 Upper York Road | New Hope, PA 18938
215-794-0811 | www.lexingtonhouse.com
Hotel Du Village
We are a country inn, nestled in the Bucks County countryside,
just one and a half miles north of New Hope providing easy ac-
cess to the many fine shops and entertainment in the area. Our
inn offers 20 rooms, all with private bath and air conditioning
and a bridal suite for weddings. The inn is located on the same
grounds as the restaurant, making it convenient for visitors af-
ter a day in town. We also provide a continental breakfast for
guests staying at the inn. Our restaurant, specializing in country
French cuisine, is open for dinner every evening with the excep-
tions of Monday and Tuesday. We are very proud supporters of
the LGBT community and look forward to greeting you!
2535 River Road | New Hope, PA 18938
215-862-9911 | www.hotelduvillage.com
Gallery Piquel
Featuring Bronze Sculpture, Contemporary Oil Paint-
ings and original “Wearable Art” Jewelry, Gallery Piquel
presents the work of an array of international and lo-
cal artists. Some hold positions of honor in important
Museum and Corporate Collections, while others are
just emerging on the art scene. Each has a unique point
of view and their work has that special “something” to
engage and inspire.
Open Friday-Sunday 12pm-5pm or later, often on
other days and happily by appointment.
39 North Main Street
New Hope, PA 18938
215-862-3523 | www.gallerypiquel.com
Bucks County, PA
Jim Briggs, Associate Broker,
9 – 22 JAN 2009
“Zuider Zee”, egg tempera & oil on panel,
by M. Briscoe.
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
The Mansion Inn
A beautifully restored 1865 Victorian manor home, located on
the banks of the Delaware River in historic New Hope, PA,
known for its art and antiques shopping. The Mansion Inn is a
perfect location for your civil union, family reunion, business
meeting or just a leisure trip. The Inn offers award-winning fine
dining on premises and luxurious rooms and amenities.
Visit our sister property: The Majestic Hotel, 19 Main
Avenue, Ocean Grove, NJ 07756. 732-775-6100.
www.majesticoceangrove.com (walking distance of Asbury Park).
9 South Main Street
New Hope, PA 18938
215-862-1231
www.themansioninn.com
J&W Gallery – Fine Art
Celebrating it’s 11th year in 2008, this sophisticated yet re-
laxed space is now the oldest Fine Art Gallery in New Hope.
Opened in 1997 by Joseph Licata and Walter Czajkowski, it rep-
resents over 30 established and emerging artists in oils, mixed-
media and photography. Featured Provincetown artist: Michael
McGuire: oils, Sept. 26 - Oct. 27. Opening reception: Saturday,
Sept. 27, 6-9pm. Visit the Gallery and see why it is known as
“The Destination for Fine Art in New Hope”. Come and cele-
brate the Arts every Second Saturday of the month for special ex-
hibitions, food and entertainment: 9/13,10/11,11/8 & 12/13.
20 West Bridge Street
New Hope, PA 18938
215-862-5119 | www.jwgallery.com Michael McGuire - Lone Shack - 36x36, oil on canvas, 2008.
Reinboth & Company
Reinboth is a luxury interior design and retail stu-
dio that started in 1992 in Lambertville, NJ. To-
day, Reinboth is the standard-bearer of good taste
and sumptuous living in the region. Specializing
in the modern aesthetic, Reinboth has designed
several upscale residential and commercial projects
in Northern New Jersey, Princeton, Bucks County,
South Carolina, New York City, Florida, and the
Hamptons. Scott Reinboth, as the principal design-
er, works with a team that takes inspiration from
fashion design, great architecture, fine hotels, and clients’ ever changing lifestyles. These influences allow
the Reinboth team to implement successfully non-traditional solutions to traditional challenges.
45 Bridge Street | Lambertville, NJ 08530
609-397-2216 | www.reinbothandcompany.com






         

GRI, CRS, AHLS, Prudential          
Fox & Roach Realtors 
       ! " #
 


     
Experience the country life in Bucks County, PA. From the his- 
 
         
toric covered bridges, quaint antique homes or new low main-
       

 
 
 

   
tenance townhouse, New Hope and vicinity is the perfect week-
 !
! 
 "#
 ##!$
end retreat. I’ll share my 30+ year knowledge of the area and real
 !
% ! 
 
estate expertise. I have a vested interest in the community and    & 
       '    * +
do my best to give back by my extensive community involve- ()*  + 
  
 ,% " # ! $  %  ),),-
ment and comprehensive service as a real estate professional. &'('&)
"""


4 Gazebo Place | New Hope, PA 18938    !#
 -!
(# "(#+ 
-" 
 .
//0 - 1 
215-862-3385 Ext. 8409 - Direct: 215-862-0202
www.jimbriggsrealestate.com
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM 9 – 22 JAN 2009 27

14 DAYS 䉴 SCOT ISUES, from p.24

“And then there are the

fleeting familial moments as
any of the others. In an inter-
view, the director said, “That

14 NIGHTS
䉴 JAN 18, from p.21
singles, couples, groups — all set to the
music of DJ Nancy B. The event, which
includes a raffle, is a fundraiser for Ser-
vices & Advocacy for GLBT Elders. Opera
Club, 264 W. 47th St., 3:30-8:30 p.m. $20
at 212-741-2247, at the Center’s SAGE
office, 208 W. 13th St., room 208, Oscar
Wilde Bookshop, 15 Christopher St., just
west of Sixth Ave. $25 at the door.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
days when you want to put
your head in the sand and run
away and never see anyone,
which is what I did for Christ-
was important to me. That’s
the way it is with her — end of
story. People here make such
a big deal about sexuality, as
mas for two days. I locked the opposed to violence which can
door, didn’t speak to another hurt much more than sex. I
human being, and studied my asked another journalist, ‘Why
part in this very depressing is it that same-sex marriage is
play. But it was actually love- scaring so many people in this
ly, like a little sorbet cleaning country?’ I mean it’s not going
the palate. It’s been quite a to hurt anybody. It’s difficult
year: I’m now one kidney and for us to understand. Even
appendix less [pulling up his Obama cannot address same-
shirt to reveal an angry, sexy sex marriage and say, ‘Hey,
✯ scar on his torso]. I’m seeing why not?’ He has to be very
my dear friend from the UK careful. Nevertheless, I’m very
over the holidays, plan to go happy he made it and he will

FAMILY
MON.JAN.19 to the Zipper on New Year’s
and drink, and then go on the
wagon after that. I gave up
change that, also.
“I’m not pro-gay or pro-
black, or pro-anything. It does
The Miracle of smoking and feel it’s time for not interest me in the least.
Birth this, too.” What difference does it make?
“TLC for Women TTC (Trying to Con- I don’t even want to be pro-,

ceive)” is a support group for women who
have been trying to conceive through
alternative insemination for six months
or longer. LGBT Community Center,
208 W. 13th St., 6:30-8 p.m. Meets third
Mon. every month. Suggested donation
is $5 per household. For more informa-
tion, email terry@gaycenter.org.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
O
pening at Landmark
Sunshine Cinemas
on January 16, Ger-
man director Doris Dörrie’s
“Cherry Blossoms” is a beau-
tifully sensitive contemplation
of aging and death that is any-
thing but depressing, suffused
✯ with a radiant intelligence
and humor that leave a warm
afterglow. Her story bridges
STRAND RELEASING
because it means that already
there is a problem of some
kind when there shouldn’t be.
Although I must say that one
With “Cherry Blossoms,” German director Doris Dörrie has created a beautifully sensitive half of the very first gay couple
contemplation of aging and death that is anything but depressing. to be married in Germany was
my leading man in ‘Nobody
lives and then inevitably and and, indeed, this film as well. Loves Me’ [Pierre Sanoussi-
seemingly irrevocably sepa- I particularly liked the mat- Bliss], and this was ten years
rated, only to be reunited in ter-of-fact way Dörrie handled ago. He’s still happily mar -
a magical way. It’s as moving the character of the lesbian ried, which is rare in any

THEATER
WED.JAN.21 the cultures of Bavaria and
Japan and is about a couple
who find themselves super-
as Leo McCarey’s magnificent,
soul-ravaging 1937 “Make Way
for Tomorrow,” which in turn
daughter, who is not pre-
sented as some PC paragon
but just as self-involved and
marriage, straight or gay.”

Contact David Noh at Inthe-

Are You Talking To
Me?
“Loaded,” a new play by Elliot
Ramon Potts and directed by Hector
Lugo, is a dark comedy which asks the
question, “What happens when fuck
buddies start talking?” Running 90 min-
utes, “Loaded” unfolds in real time as
the characters — a jaded, 47-year-old
man used to having the upper hand in
intimate encounters, and a hopeful,
quick-witted 24-year-old — reveal
themselves in a sexually charged tête-
à-tête. LGBT Community Center, 208
W. 13th St. Jan. 21-23, 7 p.m.; Jan. 24,
2 & 7 p.m. Admission is $20; $35 seat-
ing with an open bar at gaycenter.org.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
fluous to their children’s busy
䉴 PUCCINI, from p.23
On the other hand, his good
looks and radiant smile made
it easy to believe that even a
jaded courtesan would fall for
him on first sight.
Alagna was not in very good
voice at this performance,
with a scratchy middle reg-
ister and some high notes
that were notable more for
enthusiasm than for beauty
of tone. His best singing of
✯ the night was in his hushed
last act aria, done in a well-
supported piano and with a
inspired Ozu’s “Tokyo Story,”
lovely feel for the gently rock-
ing tempo.
Alagna might have traded
roles with the young tenor
Marius Brenciu, making his
Met debut as the foppish
poet Prunier. It was refresh-
ing to hear such an attractive
and important lyric voice in
a part too often assigned to
a secondary singer. Opposite
Brenciu was the young Amer-
ican soprano Lisette Oropesa
(her character’s name was
also “Lisette”). Her crystalline
voice shimmered up to an
easy high C. She has a great
tragically numb to preciously noh@aol.com.
flair for comedy, and, given the most striking and taste-
this production’s 1920s time ful to have appeared on the
frame, suggested an operatic Met stage in years, though I
Betty Boop. The veteran bass would question their coldly
Samuel Ramey sounded worn monumental quality. The last
in the thankless part of Mag- act’s “cozy” Riviera love nest
da’s sugar daddy, Rambaldo. could have served as the for-
The “new” production, seen mal reception room of a grand
previously in a number of the- duchess. One or two sketchy
aters, is credited to Nicolas moments aside, conductor
Joël, staged by Stephen Bar- Marco Armiliato balanced
low. The direction is straight- handsomely the romantic
forward and efficient without and modernistic elements of
delving below the charming the score.
surface of the work.
The exquisite art deco sets James Jorden is the editor of
by Ezio Frigerio are some of parterre.com.

COMMUNITY
THU.JAN.22
United in a Dream
The Metropolitan Community
Church/ NY, Congregation Beth Simchat
Torah, Unity Fellowship, and Renewed
Life Ministries unite for an interfaith
service honoring the birthday of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., celebrated with
the Jan. 19 federal and state holiday.
Choruses from the congregations will
perform. MCC, 446 W. 36th St., 7-9 p.m.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ pher Conwell, 20, for the murder
Meet the Parents
The monthly meeting of the Gay and
Lesbian Yeshiva Day School Alumni will
feature a Q & A with a panel of parents who
will share the joys and challenges of raising
kids as a lesbian or gay Jewish couple.
LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th
St., 8:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $3. For
䉴 JUMP,
more information, visit glydsa.org.
continued on p.27
䉴 BRIEFS, from p9
with a student who had told Cox
of his homosexuality.
Arrest in
Murder of
Transwoman
and Partner
Federal and Fort Wayne
police have arrested Christo-
of Taysia Elzy, a transwoman,
and her partner Michael Hunt
in Broad Ripple, Indiana, on
December 26.
Indianapolis police had ini-
tially described the victims as
two men, but have subsequent-
ly apologized for their insen-
sitivity, Bilerico.com reported,
after a meeting with the Indiana
Transgender Advocacy Alliance.
Police are saying that they do
not believe this was a hate
crime, but did not release a
motive, the website said.
Griffin’s Anti-
Gay Slur Draws
No Ire
Kathy Griffin, work-
ing CNN’s New Year’s Eve
coverage in Times Square
alongside Anderson Cooper,
famously attacked a heck-
ler on air by shouting back,
“Screw you. Why don’t you
get a job, buddy? You know
what, I don’t go to your job
and knock the dicks out of
your mouth.” Cooper didn’t
admonish her, though he was
said to have “reeled half in
laughter, half in shocked sur-
prise” (according to TheIm-
proper.com) at the comment
made on live TV. Neither did
the Gay and Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation nor the
religious right.
CNN edited the remark
out of its repeat showings.
National Anti-
DOMA Protest
January 10
JointheImpact.com has
called for protests across the
nation against federal and
state Defense of Marriage
Acts on January 10. Many
of the actions will consist
of collecting signatures on
a letter to President-elect
Barak Obama asking —
not demanding — that he are having a public demon-
“please” keep his prom- stration at 1 p.m. that day at
ises about repealing DOMA, the Delicate Arch, but it is
along with getting rid of the part of Equality Utah’s Com-
ban on gays in the military, mon Ground Initiative to get
enacting a federal bill banning the Mormon Church to sup-
discrimination on the basis of port measures in the state
sexual orientation and gender and at the federal level to
identity and another allowing protect LGBT rights in ways
gay people to bring foreign Church leaders — as they
partners here, and passing successfully sought to end
the Matthew Shepard Act, a same-sex marriage in Cali-
federal hate crimes bill, along fornia — protested they
with dealing with the HIV epi- have no problem with, such
demic and “the stigma sur- as ending job discrimination.
rounding it.” The New York City chap-
“We can’t just put a letter ter of the group was plan-
online and ask that people ning its action as Gay City
sign it,” the group’s website News went to press. For
says. “We need to take to more details on that and
the streets.” other actions nationwide, go
Activists in Salt Lake City to www.jointheimpact.com.
28 9 – 22 JAN 2009 WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM

You’re their Rock. Let us be yours.

Life insurance is a vital part of planning to protect your loved ones. At Prudential,
we understand the challenges gay and lesbian couples face when it comes to
passing on your assets.
That’s why every life insurance policy from the Prudential companies offers
Rock Solid® benefits that include:
• Legal wealth transfer to your partner or child, not subject to probate
Life Insurance ®
• You choose your beneficiary, under a legally binding contract
from The Rock • Helps replace assets lost to the federal unlimited marital deduction
• Accelerated death benefits for terminal illness or nursing home costs*
And, Prudential agents receive ongoing training to better serve your needs.
Visit prudential.com to learn more, or contact a local office. Let us be your Rock.

The Prudential Insurance Company of America

New York Agency Brooklyn Queens Agency
212-459-1300 ext. 6461 718-835-3855 ext. 7201

©2008 Life Insurance issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ and its affiliates. Our policies contain exclusions, limitations, reductions in benefits and terms for keeping them in force. Our
licensed financial professionals can provide you with costs and complete details. *Subject to terms and conditions of the benefit.When we pay a claim under this rider, the amount you receive is reduced for early payment and a $150 processing fee.
Each policy used for the same claim will have an additional processing fee of up to $150. The accelerated benefit received may be taxable and may also affect your eligibility for public assistance programs, so we urge you to seek the advice of a personal tax advisor
if you wish to make a claim. The Living Needs Benefit is not available in Minnesota to new purchasers over age 65 until the policy has been in force for one year, and the nursing home option is not available in New York or the District of Columbia. This rider is not
available in Massachusetts.
IFS-A156710 Ed. 10/2008