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D ~ p E M .B E R 1 s T H 1 s s 7 • VII VII VII • h o u s t o n v o i c e . c o m • I s ~-u •.. ~.:f:>:B !3-.5 '
Window Media Purchases Houston Voice
Finn plans to expand
Bayou City's Gay
Newspaper; boost gay
media business
HOUSTON · Houston's largest gay and
lesbian newspaper, Houston Voice,
announced today the pending sale of the
publication to Window Media, LLC, owners
of the Southern Voice m Atlanta.
According to principals of Window Media
and Houston Voice Publisher Crad P.
Duren, M lJ., the newspaper will ll'ansfer
ownership effective January I, 1998.
"The paper's affiliation with Window
Media ensures the gay and lesbian community
of Houston number one contact with
the leading gay news group," said Duren,
owner of Houston Voice, since 1993. "The
pubhcat1on will continue to represent
Houston and Hams County's interest and
10 expand fhc mfluencc of the Houston
Votce outside of this nrra "
Smee I Y74, the Houston Voice has been a
staple in the gay ond lesbian community.
The paper has grown t"emc"dously since its
mccpuon and has seen phenomenal growth
dunng Durcn's ownership, particularly m
the last year. Duren, a respected medical
doctor m the Houston area, purchased the
paper in December of 1993 and co-published
u with hts then-partner, the late Tad
Nelson
Window Media IS the creation of William
Waybourn, President of Window
Corporauon, a Washington, lJ.C. public
relations firm Waybourn most recently
served as Managing Director of the Gay &
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(GLAAD), a media watchdog group, and
was founding Executive Director of the Gay
& Lesbian Victory Fund, a successful gay
pohucal action commincc.
"Cap1talizmg on the successful acquisition
of Southern Voice earlier this year, we
wanted to act on our second purchase,"
Waybourn said. "Houston Votcc fits our
cnten~ perfectly and we were pleased that
ncgot au~ns finalized qwck11." Wayboum
also indicated other acqmsmons arc m
ncgoua uons
In creating Window Medta, Wayboum
and his partners • Chns Cra :i, Rick
Ellsasscr and Chad Johnson • share a com·
men goal of fur. Ii g capital to prom1 mg
gay and lesbian media businesses. The com·
pany's first acqu1siuon, the Southern Voice,
occurred earlier this year. Cram, an Atlanta
attorney formerly with the firm Alston &
Btrd. is the editor and publisher of Southern
Voice. Ellsasser, a Vice President and pan·
ner m Window Corp., duccts the public
relations firm's West Coast dfons; Johnson
1s an attorney with the New York firm
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom,
LLP, in its Washington, D.C. office.
"Editorial management of Houston
Voice will remam at the local level,"
Wayboum said. " We are fortunate to be
coming to Houston at an cxcitmg tune. The
recent election of Amuse Parker as the first
openly gay or lesbian member of the
Houston City Council 1s the next step 1n the
matunty of the Houston lesbian and gay
commumty. We want to be a partmpant m
that process"
Wayboum said the goal of Wmdow
Media has always been to put nanonal
financial resources into the local commuru·
ty. He c-1ted his work at the Victory Fund
and GLAAD as an example ·•we have a
number of exetting 1deas to expand and
See WINDOW page 20
Jurv awards mtern
infected with HIV Virus
S12.2 million
by Bngrtte Gre
Associated Press
NEW HAVEN Conn · A "" rd
cd $12 2 m!lhon \\ ednesday to a doctor
infected with the AIDS Vll'U$, finding that
Yale Untvcrstty was negligent when the
woman pricked herself wtth an infected
needle. as an mtem mne years ago
The doctor and her family broke down
m tears when the verdict was announced
"M ney ts not c:cmpcnsauon for what
I've lost, ' she said I've been w:nnng for
this for rune years It's been a struggle
every day"
The woman, who sued under the pscu
donym Jane Doe. blamed the school for
not properly tram ng or supervismg hn
when she was ordered to tnsert a b ood
line mto the ann of an AIDS panent
The woman pocked hersc f in August
1988. Just scvcn weeks mro her
shtp at the hosp SIX weeks
tested J>OSI' ve r the AIDS
!'>.. Al'l OOE p ge 31
Francisco Sanchez considers entering race
for State Representative
Democratic Executive Committee
Member contemplates run in
District 145
by J.C. M1chelak
Houston Voice Editor
HOUSTON · State lJemocrat1c Exec-uuve
Committee member and long·t1me
Democratic pa rty operative Fra ncisco
Sanchez, Jr. 1s considenng a race for S[ate
Representative, D1stnct 145.
A nJtive Texan. Franc isco Sanchez. was
born in Brownsville on April 26. 1972 to
Franctsco Sr and Mana Isabel. Presently,
Sanchez 1s an account executive with
Carreno Miranda, Inc. an mternattonal
marketmg. pubhc rclauons and advertising
agency
If successful, Sanchez would take the scat
currently held by State Representative
Diana Davila, who deetded not to seek a
fourth term m the state legislator earlier thlS
week. (Sec Regional News) Sanchez was
Rep. Davila's Lcgislauve Director for three
years pnor to becorrung pubhc relations and
advertts1ng executive, has launched an
extensive effort to study the race and gauge
support in the dtStrict
" l gamed valuable insight into the legisla·
ttve process during my service as a leg1slativc
d irector the past few years and through
my involvement an Houston's East End.'" Fire Destrovs Heaven
Popular nightclub beyond
repair, must be re-built
HOUSTON • Last weekend's fire at one
of Houston's biggest nightclubs was an
unprecedented loss to gay n1ghthfe and
entcrta1nmcnt
in Houston
The .tftermath
1s still rever·
be r .1 t 1 n g
th<ough the
communuy
Heaven
onr of
told the Houston Voice 'l ucl:.tly, nco one
was hurt. That s the tmponant thing •
The fire broke out at approximately : I 20
p.m. Saturday, December 11 "We believe,
at tlm t :nc, that the fire onginated m the
storage/dressing room and furthermore, we
behcve that the ongm of the fire was an electncal
malfunction • most probably
a wall outlet," reads an official
statement from CA
See Hf AVEN page 31
Sanchez told the HOUS!on
Vo1tr. "I am ready put that
experience a nd effective
leadership to work for the
people of this d1stnct I
have to dcode whether I
want to contnbutc to my
community in that capact·
ty or some other way.•
If elected, Sanchez
would be the second open·
ly gay member of the
Texas Legislature. Also, at
the age of 25, he would be one of the
youngest. Sanchez has applied ht> diverse
background in market research. field orgamzation,
journalism, and government affairs
to his extensive mvolvement in
community events and pohll·
cal orgaruzanons.
He ts a board member of
Amigos Volunteers and
Education Services (AVES.
1996 to present), the
U mvcrs,ty of Houston
Alumm Orgamzauon
Programs Comm1ncc (199610
present); Umvemty of
Houston Student Foundauon,
(1995-1997); Pumped Up on
Art. (1996); and is a Sheltenng Arms volun-teer.
"Anruse Parker's etecuon to ctty 1.."0uncil
See SANCHEZ page 31
Songfest '97 raised more than $68,000
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dissenting viewpoint
equated to communism
by .illhn KeUet
I would never suggest restncting Leslie
Ramsay's nght of free speech, but I do suggest
movmg her column to a publication
with a more appropnatc "'adership. like the
North Korea Monthly News.
Thought Panic
by Dale Carpenter
I have a 8"'3l deal of resp«t for Grant
Maron. cspcc1a!ly for the superb work he did
m managing the successful city council campaign
of Anrusc Parker. I voted for Parker,
helped raise money for her, and am proud that
the Log Cabin Republicans of Houston
endorsed her. But Grant Mamn's unfarr personal
attack on Leslie Ramsay ('The Houston
Voia, Issue 894, December 12, 1997, p. 2.), a
woman who bas to~ed long and hard m the
vineyards of gay equabty, gO<S too far
For much of the hJStory of the gay evil
rights movement, the gay left has rep=ted
gay people to the rest of the world. Only m
rttent years have a few dis5enters begun to
speak up for the moderate and conservative
majority of gay women and men.
The message these gay conservatives are
sending basically, that the,.,•s mo"' than
one way to think "gay," indeed no way to
think "gay" at all JS very unsettling to the
gay left It means that wc !rave ended the gay
left's monopoly on ideas and its control over
the public image of gays.s.
Unaccustomed to the cballcnge and unable
to confront the substance of the new ideas
offered by these heterodox thinkers, the gay
left is oftctl left to sputter that these gay conscrvattves
must be "sclf·hating.. • If
you disag1cc with us or simply address critical
questtons to us, says the old guard, you'"'
not JUSI wrong but mentally ill.
And so we _,,, treated to oocasional paroxysms
of indignation from the gay left such as
those evident m Grant Manm's letter to the
Voia. Even to raJSC the issue of whether we
should vote for someone solely because she is
gay is, by Grant Maro.n's lights, "self-haring,
condescending. and homophobic." How dare
Ramsay, he huffs, ask these uncomfortable
quCSllOIJS about our" candidates?
Doesn't Ramsay app"'°3tc her "ethical
and moral obl1g;illOllS" as a gay person to
"empower our own commuruty" by putting
"qualified leaders from our own community"
mto office? With JI. wave of the hand, Manm
dispatclies Ramsay to a thcraplSt.
To Annisc Parl<er's cmlit (and to Grant
Manin's) her campaign never explicitly
appealed for Wies simply on the basis of
Parker's sexual orienranon. She consrantly
emphasized her ~entials, which were conStderable.
But Grant Martin knows very well
that some people voted for or against Annisc
Park!l' on the basis of her sexual orientation
and precous lirtle more.
We know what to say about the people who
voted agalilS! Parl<er because she's gay: they're
homophobes. But what do we say about the
people 1n "our own community" who wied
for her because she's gay?
Ramsay's answer bolls down to this: Those
who wic for a gay candidate simply because
she's gay reduce her to a single characteristic
- her sexual onenranon. That demeans her
and the rest of us, not because there's anythmg
wrong with being gay, but because 1t IS
Dot the sum of the candidate as a complex
human being. We should care how she feels
about taxes, mme, trash collccuon, and a
hundred other thmgs if she JS to serve on city
council
So Ramsay is asking us to pause before we
dutifully march off to the polls to fulfill our
"ethical and moral obligations" and ask ourselves
a srrnple question- Why are we doing
this? If the answer is that we are voting for
AnnJSC Parker because we beheve she is the
most qualified candidate and best reflects our
views then we need not fear the question.
But if the answer IS that, deep down, we
really don't know anything about her except
that she's "one of our own" then Ramsay's
question must seem very troubling indeed. It
JS troubling because 11 suggests wc have
reduced our entire lives to a sex act and the
mearung that that sex act has m the world. If
that's the case, tf wc have socially and intcl·
lectually bankrupted ourselves so much, perhaps
Ramsay will have some company on the
therapist's couch.
The gay left n<cds to orgaruze a new gaggle
of actiVJSts to fight the demJSC of liberal ideological
hegemony JUS1 as a group of them
ts now runrung around the country screaming
for the "right" to fornicate in public. Let's call
our new self-appointed guardians of orthodoxy
"Thought Panic'""
Perhaps if upstans hke Ramsay with therr
pesky questtons are hit with enough nasty personal
attaclcs they will Just shut up. Then we
can all go back to those halcyon days when
meeting our 'ethical and moral obligations"
to the gay commWllly meant voting the pany
line and not asking why.
vanitv and ignorance on
parade
by Dave Anderson
After reading your letters to the editor from
Grant Manin and Jaz:z Paz, I discovered that
some of your "'aders lack comprehension
skills
Manin opens his d1atnbe by charactenzmg
Leshc Ramsay's column as an attack on his
candidate. Not only is this vain, but it illus·
trates his ignorance. Ramsay opened a paragraph
with ''the" quesuon (which Manin misquoted)
that had been asked repeatedly by
members of the commuruty.
[Ramsey's] reference to the question was a
moral and ethical gut<heck for the community
What do we believe' The question was
not "Whal do Parker and Manin want us to
believe'" Is this community made up of rwo
dimensional puppets that polincans can keep
in their bacl< pockctS and treat as they wish, or
is st a livmg and thinkmg group of people worthy
of a candidates attention and courting? ..
. As for Paz, she apparently has some pcrf(>
nal problem Wlth Ramsay being employed
by the p:iper. Her letter is charicature of left-
151 ideology. She supports the erronrous liberal
contentloo that "what you are" 1s more
Important than what you bebeve. That type of
th1nlung is what truly segregates our society.
As far as the poll concerrung sexual onentanon.
that IS exactly what Ramsay was askmg
• should we care? Apparently, only Paz
and martm want us to concern ourselves with
onentation
Rather than recommend Manin or Paz
attend some son of counseling. I would only
refer them to Rr.Jding u Fundammtal." Maybe
it would help them understand what they arc
reading a little better before they Sit down at
their keyboards. I would also r<0eommcnd
See EDITOR page 3
In
This
Issue
Regional News
page 7, 10, 11
National News
pages 12, 14, 15, 16
counwatch
page 16, 17, 18
Global News
pages 18, 23
Health
pages 23, 26
Columnists
Plain Speaking • page 8
Righteous Indignation . page 9
I Need A Nap· page 21
Arts & Entenainment
pages 20
Church Calendar/
Religion
page 24
Classifieds
pages 30·31
Communttv Calendar/
Horoscope/SuchlslHe
page 33
Out In Houston
page 34
Communitv Directorv
page 32
Crossword Puule
page 32
Scene & Heard
page 39
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0£AV~ .. Zl"d S3tiO.tV3J .:f'Vl~ lHl ~
uonn1os a1zznd
DECEMBER
DECEIVIBC.R 5. 1 997
Estabf!Shed 1974 as the Montrose Star,
reestablished 1980 as the Houston Montrose Star,
Change<! name to Th• Houston Vooc• 111 1991
ncorporatJng the New Orleans Crescent City Star,
Reestabfished as the
Houston Votce by Thomas Nelson " 1993
811 Westnemer. Suite 105
Houston, Texas 77006
(713) 529 8490
(800) 729 8490
Fa.: (713) 529.9531
Email: editorOhoustOll'iooce.com
feedbackChoust011Y01Ce com
Contents copyneht 1997
Office l>ours 9:00am 5:30pm ,. .. kdays
Publlsber
Crad Dinn
Editor
J.C.Mtllelal<
lllSIJn auruu
Sttve l.abtn$k1
-Heu-sto-n luIruIu Leslie Ramsay 11t1111i.1Ml-
Ca1Clyn Roberts • hdotw Ult•
Steve UndelWOOd Music -tw
Writers
Jon Anthony, Ricf1 Arensclllektt,
I.any lrlgle. Stephani• McGno•.
Curt Mamson. l•slie Ramsay.
Cwlyn Roberts, Clvoslopll<r Rundquis~
VtCkie Shaw, Ela Tyter, Patnc1a Nel Warren
PbelllllPbelS
Steven [)av;d, Dalton OeHart
l'rlllucuon
com .. Marmoleio - -
Robert Pottor --1111.
Ftrm11 •11am111111es11
v'""" o..ien GrouP
lllVlrtlsln1 Siles •••ll'llllent
Lesl-e Rams-ay hits
11111• ~~~
ClassHlllls 1n• Persen11s
Cc ·· Metn e,o
••Uonal lllvtrtlSllll lllPl'9SIRUllM
Rrvttlddl Market1ne.
~O. Box 518. Westt,.td. NJ 908 232 2021
NaticetoMltftisen
~ rllt sdleG* lftNfl wn cffeotM St;(. 1997
• Pna or comPttm ntCWOIMtaon of ¥'i ~ news
1rtt1rorft1C1n,CDPYet~frurrtfietb."UgnVaic1e _ _....,.,_ .........
• OpdonS tJ.OrtS'SeCI by cctt:':ists Of UtW0mts .-e nQt fllC ....., ..... ,.11ie-11><e,..,...n...i .. ..,.,.,.
no..wtybt1eccrcec.eliP'fSHd0t~ofllidnon
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• The >t:>uston \IQice wttomes Jetten to fie tdtor Mid rt$e'Vtl
... ~ .. ·--'""""""-""""*""'"'"°"""""'~
.. • Nile.:ieJn of I'll ume °' Votocras:ti c1l'<~ P-Clfl10>l'l <er eO.f l•
fUlllQrl11ncieSOl~llthetb,.~tQft\bl:tlsnolb
bt construtd•S fl',y lleic:ll:ion of tllt SUul CritrUb:>f1 ol ilicl
pel1.000f0f(~
• TM appe.vwice of idYtrtlsemer.ts or oonons eipn\.ld
thf<81 dO ac:ic cOl\ltlhltt .i tndonement or cu-111tt by lht
HoL1tOllllOCtDrrtsRlll
Chaner Member
Gmter H1ust1n i:1v a lesb11n
Cb1mber •f C1mm1rc1
"'I e T H
EDITOR!trom page 2
that Manin take a few of the mUTOrs down in
his office; he apparently spends too much
time adminng himself
Open letter from a P-FlAG
Mom
by Sue Noll
In the December 12 edition of the New
York Timts, I recently read an OP ED piece
by Larry Kramer regarding the Sex Paruc
movement and redefining gay culrure. Sex
Panic 1s a small but vocal group that
espouses "sexual freedom" and accordmg
to Mr. Kramer, wants gay men to have sex
when and where and how they want to.
Now, as a Mother, sex is narurally not a
subject that I'm comfortable talking about.
But, as a Mother of a gay son, I feel that it's
imperative that I at least take a stand on
what I feel 1s at best an ill-advised attempt
to redefine what it means to be gay
When I speak in public, one of the things
that I often say is that being gay is so much
more than what my son and his life parmer
do in the pnvacy of their bedroom. Then,
along comes Sex Panic and says, "Not only
is that all it is, but we like it public and
unsafe." Far be it for me to judge, but darling
boys, that's JUSt plain nuts.
I have a theory that part of the reason
that a movement like this exists is because
so many of its members act d1sposably
because they feel d1Sposable. In other
words, they have been cast out by thCIT families
and very likely feel that they have nothing
to lose and living on the edge makes
them feel sometlung.
But, I am here to say that there is another
movement afoot called M.A.R.S. which
stands for Mothers Against Reckless Sex.
And, we care. We care about you and what
you do Some of us have already buned
our children because of AIDS and we don't
--=··----·•§
LETTERS TO EDITOR
want to do it with a new generanon. You
matter to us. You matter to us ma very VISceral
way. We're mothers, we don't know
any other.
If you want to have sex, have tt. If you
want to have sex in public restrOOms, have
that. Not every one of you wants a life of
commitment and the whtte picket fence.
Not every one of you wants to be ass1m1-
lated mto the mainstream and I understand
that. But why make unsafe sex the focus of
your hves?
Although not gay myself, I know from
having a gay son, that tt truly is more than
sex. It's about who he is to his core. It's
about hlS soul, it's about your souls, your
very ethos; your fundamental values. You
are not like tissues or garbage. You are,
each and every one of you, dear and precious
to us as Mothers and as human
beings.
Please be safe. Please don't let this group,
formed in a "fury" to defeat bemg asstrnilated,
speak for you. It sounds to me like a
group that needs another group of Mothers
to say, "You matter, I love you. Don't go. I
want you in my life." And so, we're here,
we're queer-loving Mothers, get used to us.
Suprised bv Manin's
logic
by Dawn Clesson
I was slightly surprised by Leslie
Ramsay's Righteous Jnd1gnat1on (Issue
893) column ... , however, for other reasons
than noted in the letters printed in the
Letters to the Editor section m the
12/ 12/97 issue. I was surprised by how
pos111ve Leslie Ramsay was about Annise
Parker.
Leslie Ramsay chooses to challenge our
community to listen to and think about
Annisc Pa.rker's stand on Jmportant issues
not to vote for Annise Parker just because
she is gay. Leslie Ramsay reminded us
that whether or not a candidate IS gay is
not as important as whether or not that
candidate can fulfill h1S or her obliganons
such as ftlhng potholes and fixing sewer
lines.
Personally, I do not vote for someone
based on whether or not that md1vidual is
gay or straight, male or female, or
Democrat or Republican.
I attended several community meeungs,
along with Leslie Ramsay, where Anmse
Parker addressed her stand on various
issues, even the issue of usmg the Nation
of Islam as secunty guards. many of the
people attending these meetmgs were
deciding to vote for Annise Parker because
she 1s gay not because of the issues she had
iust addressed. (By the way, I thought the
"members only endorsement" voting
process of the Log Cabm Republicans
Houston membership was pnvate, as well
as, the names of the members.)
As far as I know, the only link between
Anruse Parker's campaign headquarters
and Lee P. Brown's campaign headquar·
ters ts the one made m one of the letters to
the paper. Since newspapers need photographs,
quotes, and statements to wme
articles about candidates, perhaps Leslie
Ramsay was calling the Lee P. Brown
headquarters for other reasons than to
"cause trouble" as CVJdenced by Lee P
Brown's photograph appearing at least
twice on the front cover of the paper
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly
people rum to name calling and malung
assumpaons when attempnng to argue a
pomt when they do not have any facts to
support theu nrade. I suggest that some
people may need to read more carefully
Leslie Ramsay's opmion column for better
comprehension instead of attempting to
ignore or marupulate the statements made
by Leshe Ramsay.
~Baba Vega *'* Rcsta«rattt
Celebrate the Holidays!!!
.Join th<' F'nu in our Pri\·atC' Bm1qu<'t Ro<mL ..
WoudC'tfol ft'ood ... Hr:L<;(mallll> Pl'i<'l'S. .. l'niqu<' JlC'rb Clm1kn
*A : \lontros<' Tradition ~ince 1975 '60~m"ISI. <> ;>22-~ *
Ignorance
p A G E
Is Bliss,
But It
.Ain't Pretty!
The Precinct
Initiative.
Let's kick ignorance out of government
and out of our lives. If you want to fight the
far right in the Republican Party, call NOW!
To Volunteer call:
713.866.4878
Deadline for Precinct Chairs: Jan. 2, 1998
PAID FOR BY THE LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS-HOUSTON, INC.
3 OECEIVIBER 1 9 T H 1 9 9 7
r AUSTIN AREA UPDATE
Public Domain Theaue
hosts holiday benefit:
new production
New Years Eve Benefit for
Austin SOS
The Public Domam will host the "Save Our
Spnngs New Year's Eve Benefit" on Wednesday,
December JISI, b<ginrung at 8 p.m. The ennrc
theatre complex will be transformed into a destinauon
of "night life excitement.• The Public
Domam Thcatn: IS centrally located at 807
Congrm Ave in downtown Austin
Entertammenr indudcs live music in the
upstaus/mam stage area by the bands Afiodite
and lnkulcko. "A complimenrary buffet will feanue
a tasty am.y of edibles for the party goon.•
said Rob Faubion. the ~p's Communications
Dirtctot
Tickeis for the event are $35 per prnon or S60
per coup!<; and mdude the buffet and open beer
and wine bar. For raerva!IOnS. call (512) 477-
2320, Ext 41 Tideis will be available at the
door.
Absurdist comedv The
Bald Soprano takes to
the boards
Ausun's Public Domain Theatre Company
will throw a pie 111 the face of reality this January
when n sugcs a I 99()'s uuerpretallOn of Eugene
Ionesco's classic I 950's absurdlS! play The Bald
Soprano. Dcscnbed by the producen as "fun.
neat, and a little weird," th• mteractive play runs
January 9th through the 31st at the Pubic
Domam
Ionesco wra<e Thc Bald Soprano after hstenmg
to a set of English langua!l" tapes. Through
the play, he explo= how the breakdown of Jan.
guagc IS symptomatlC of the l>Kakdown of the
family. Du<ctor Linda Miles has set this produc·
tton m the 1950's. invoking the kitsch of
Amrncan suburbia to portray the play's themes.
The Public Dornam Theatre Company's stag·
mg of The Bald Soprano will be an interacttve
event. immersmg the audience m the aaion of
the produroon Set designers Michad Arthur
and Amanda Acklin will transform The Public
Domain's main stage mto a museum of mass
media and the nuclear family.
Costume dcszgncr JCSSlca Hester will make the
audience think they have stepped onto the set of
Leave It To &aver, while choreographer Loshe
Pasternack will create exhibits of the absurd to
complement the play.
The cast of The Bald Soprano mcludcs Kauo
Bender, HoUy Brown, R Michael Clmkscalcs,
Chris Cortez, Nicholas Keene, Claudia
Langford, John Byron Mayo. Lenore Perry,
Anita Rogcn, and Konrad Zappler.
The Bald Soprano wtll play Thwsdays
through Saturdays at 8 p. m. at The Public
Domain. with a Sunday mattnce on January
18th at S p.m. Tickets are SS on Thursdays, $12
on Fndays and Saturdays ($10 students and
scruor citizens), and "Pay What You Wish"
adrtUSSIOn for the Thursday, January &th preview
and the Sunday, January !&th matmce. A charn·
pagne gala performance. with hor's dcouvrcs by
Panache Catermg. will be hdd Saturday, January
10th: Tickets are S25. Call 474-6202 for reservations
and mfonnauon
The Pubbc Dom3ltl Theatre as located at 807
Congms Ave m thc heart of downtown Austm
Ample parlcmg is available on the street and in
the State Cap1tol parlt111g IOIS.
Briefs_
A Tuna Christmas returns to Austm for
ftone week only to the Paramount
Theatre, January 6-11. The shows will
almost certainly sellout early. You can
charge a ticket by callmg 512469-SHOW
Call 512472-5411 for more mformatton ...
Our Gay Apparel continues playing at
H)de Park Theatre until Dec. 23rd
Ynu can r~e tickets to the Chnstmas
comedy by call mg 512454· T!XS ..
Ballet Aushn stages its 35th production of
The Nutcracker, Dec. 19-23 at the Bass
Concert Hall. Call 512469-SHOW for
information.
HOUS TON V OICI:: P A G E 4
MONTROSE AREA UPDATE
local anisfs holidav
ornaments created to
benefit Montrose Clinic
Anne E. Hetmaniak, a local artist, has
started a new tradttion this Holiday season.
To support both HIV I AIDS and
breast cancer programs, Hetmaniak has
created "Holiday Ornaments .. for a
CURE." Each ornament is hand-made
and dated . Twenty percent of the pro·
ceeds from the sale of the ornaments, cur·
rently available at Lobo Bookstore, will be
donated to the Montrose Clinic.
Hetmaniak, a native Houstonian, has
worked professionally as an artist for several
years in many different mediums.
Her work has included portratt painting,
murals, interior decorative, graphic destgn
and ceramtc tile destgn and creation.
"I recently dectded to use my talents to
benefit others and to support causes I
believe in," Hetmaniak said. "This is my
first project of this type. hopefully of
many' I think tt 1s a good start."
Hetmaniak chose Montrose Clime as
the benefictary of her project because the
Clinic has programs targeted at both
HIV I AIDS and breast cancer. The Clinic
and Montrose Counseling Center are currently
providing breast cancer outreach
services to the lesbian community.
Montrose Clime 1s offering a Women's
chnrc two evenings a week, Women can
receive a complete well-women examination,
medication and referrals as needed
for S45 every Wednesday and Thursday
from 5 to 8 p.m. Montrose Counseling
Center offers individual and group counseling
in conjunction wtth this program.
For more information, contact the Chnic
at (713) 830-3000.
PWA Coalition bestows
Bill Napoli award to
Dolph and Smoke
The Btll Napoli Award for Outstanding
Volunteer Service to the PWA Coalition
was presented to Perrie Dolph and Alec
Smoke at the groups annual chent
Holiday party, December 9, 1997. Dolph
and Smoke have been longtime supporters
of the PWA Coaht1on (PWAC).
Bill Napoli served as president of the
Coalition for four years, until his death in
1991 The Napoli Award, inscribed wtth
a quote from Btll Napoli - "And you learn
Alec Smoke and Perrie Dolph receive 811/
Napoli Award.
you can endure" • ts the highest honor the
Coalition can give and has been presented
for the past six years.
In addition to Dolph and Smoke,
Gurrola Reprographics, Bering
Methodist Church, and Daryl Hickman
of Tiburon Systems, respectively, received
Dignity Award's. And, special Angel
Awards were presented to departing
Board Member Jim Taylor and longtime
Case Manager/Supervtsor Bob
Hergenroeder.
This years event, attended by more
See UPDATE page 6
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r MONTROSE AREA UPDATE H
UPDATE/1rom page 4
than 300 PWAC clients, was held at
Tnmty Episcopal Church. For more mformanon
about the PWA Coalition, call
(713) 522-5428.
MCC receiVes grants for
indigem care
Montrose Counseling Center (MCC)
has received gifts from Episcopal Health
Charities and the Methodist Hospital to
provide services to indigent Houstonians
in need of mental health services. The
funds wiU cover the cost of psychological
assessments and sign language translauon
for the heanng 1mpa1red, services MCC
has previously not been able to afford
"These grants will enable MCC to use
the experuse of a Ph.D-level, licensed psychologist
to make assessments and provide
clinical consultauon,h stated Ann J.
Robison, MPA, Executive Director of
MCC. "We will be able to see a wider
range of c!ientS than ever before, and provide
them with more comprehensive serVlCCS."
Sign language translation 1s also a great
need that IS being met by the funds. "Sign
language interpretation can be very expensive
and the cost cannot be passed onto the
client." Robison said
Ep!SCopal Health Charities, which proVlded
one of the grants, 1s a public charity
affiliated wtth the St Luke's Episcopal
Health System Its goal 1s to assess and
enhance the health status of the underserved.
supponing LI-care and programs
that promote lifelong health and wellbeing.
The funds from The MethodtSt Hospital
were granted through Its Community
Benefits program, which seeks to make a
cnucal difference m the Hams County
community by addressing unmet needs.
"There are too many women and men
who fall through the cracks because they
have no money," Robison says. "A great
deal of them include members of the Gay
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and
HIV-affected communities. We are
extremely grateful to The Methodist
Hospital and Episcopal Health Charities
for helping us reach out to more people."
According to MCC, the new funds will
allow the organization to link indigent
individuals with its counseling programs,
which cover: HIV I AIDS, hate crimes,
intimate partner v1olence, sexual assault,
and general life issues; case management
for persons livmg with HIV I AIDS; and
outpauent chemical dependency treatment
services. For more infonnatton,
call (713) 529-0037.
Briefs_
The Houston Lesbian and Gay
Community Center (GLGCC)
announced today that 11 has begun compiling
a timeline of important events in the
h1Story of Houston's lesbian and gay community.
The organization is encouraging
individuals and other organizations to sub·
m1t suggesuons of events to be included in
the timehne. The group plans to develop
the timeline prOJCCI into a mult1med1a exh1-
b1non of gay and lesbian history to be highlighted
in COnJunct1on with next year's
Pnde fesuv1ucs. For more details, contact
1he Cmt<r at (713) 867-7904
M CC (Montrose Counseling Cen1<r)
presented their annual awards at its
Optn House on December 7, 1997 The
Kenneth Vance Employee Awan:l went to
Robert Taylor, a Case Manager, who was
also voted most outstanding employee of
the year. Student intern Knstina Fnman
rrcr1ved the Margaret DiJacklin Student
Awan:l and Miles Glaspy, a long·llme supporter
of MCC, earned the organizations
S1ella Scon Community Service Award
.7(Jr¥y1y
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Glaspy was also voted the year's most outstanding
volunteer. MCC also honored cofounders
and original board members
William A. Scon, Stuart R. Phelps, Ted R.
Hewes, Judith A Newsome, John H.
O'Donnell, Marion Coleman, James Kuhn,
Bert Hollister, and Steve Norvell ....
Members of the boan:l of Outrage, Inc.
presented a check to members of the
board of Body Positive for the new Houston
Wellness Center. The Center was one of
three benefic1anes of the 1997 Outrage
Halloween Party and other evmts. Steven's
House and The Kolbe Project were the
other beneficianes. The organization warded
a total of $15,000 in 1997. For more
information or an application to be a 1998
beneficiary, call Outrage at (713) 706-
2508 .
The Bayou City Boys Club (BCBC) held
the1r annual holiday party benefiting
AFH's Red Ribbon Toy Dnve last Sunday.
Underwrinen by Jackson Hicks, Joan
Pleason, and Gregory Spencer & Dan
Logan, the event benefited local pediatric
AIDS organizations BCBC matched donations
and/ or toys up to $1,000 ....
Finally, Holly Dau, the Charles
Armstrong Investments, Inc. (CAII)
Employee Turnabout Show raised nearly
SI ,500 through ptrformer's tips from customers
and bartender donations of ups
The event which took place December 8 at
J.R.'s Bar and Grill brought together
employees from CAH - Heaven, J.R.'s, and
The Montrose Mining Company - to ptrform
holiday songs and variety numbers to
raise money for The Gay and Lesbian
Switchboard and the 800 Pacific Employee
Emergency Fund. A check for $735 was
presented to The Gay and Lesbian
Switchboard.
Crad Duren, M.D.
1213 Hermann Or., Suite 430
(713) 520-0653
Internal medical practice
offering discreet confidental
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including HIV/ AIDS
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Healthcare
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Anonymous Testing and
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Major Credit Cards &
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Insurance ,.Ith Qua lification
Medicare
DECEIVIBER "1 9 T H ., 9 9 7
REGIONAL NEWS '
Perrv 10 Sharp: whom are
vou supporting for
governor?
by Juan B. Elizondo, Jr.
AUSTIN Texas Agriculture
Commissioner Rick Perry is posing a simple
quesllon to Comptroller John Sharp: whom
arc you supporting for governor? Perry, a
Repubhcan, and Sharp, a Democrat, are the
likely nominees for lieutenant governor next
year.
In a recent issue of Taas Wttkly, a political
newsletter, Sharp said he doesn't make
pnmary endorsements His campaign manager
repeated that Monday. "John Sharp is
running as a proven conservative
Democrat," Tim Reeves said. "He has not
endorsed any candidates in other statewide
races, nor docs he have any plans to."
The problem with that response, according
to Perry's campaign, is that Land
Commissioner Garry Mauro 1s the only
Democrat who's announced for governor
and will likely be the Democratic candidate
against incumbent Gov. George W Bush.
"As the Mauro-Sharp campaign gels
under way, it is rntcresung to note the depth
of support Garry Mauro has from his running
mate, John Sharp," Perry campaign
manager Jim Arnold said "John, in case
you haven't noticed, Garry will be the
Democrat's nominee for governor. So, ...
who do you support for governor?"
On the Republican side, Gov George W.
Bush has drawn one primary opponent,
RC. Crawford, of Round Rock. Arnold
said Perry wlll support Bush: "of course ....
We're pretty clear," he said "It doesn't seem
like on their side John ts quite sure where his
loyalucs att."
Mauro campaign manager Billy Rogers
said the two Democratic campaigns have
been working closely togc1her, bu1 1hat doesn't
mean Mauro expects an endorsement
from Sharp. "We've been working together
and will continue to work together for a
Democratic victory," Rogers said.
Reeves said Perry appears more focused
on partisan politics than on the interests of
Texans. 11 Perry is determined to turn our
strong bipartisan heritage into the partisan
political gridlock we have all seen in
Washington. Texans need results, not partisan
b1ckenng," he said
In other polillcal developments this
week:
-Democratic Texas Supreme Coun Jusucc
Rose Spector filed for re-election. Ms.
Spector. one of two Democrats on the
nine-member court. ts one of three JUStices
up for re-election next year.
-14th Court of Appeals Judge Harriet
O'Neill, of Houston, filed for a spot on
the Republican pnmary ballot to challenge
Ms. Spector.
-Bell County prosecutor Murff Bledsoe, a
Republican, announced for the Court of
Cnmmal Appeals scat bemg vacated by
Morris Overstreet, who is running for the
Democratic nomination for anomcy general
Environmenlalisls oner
$50,000 reward for
financier's conviction
by Terri Langford
HOUSTON - As Cahfomia and federal •
forces work out a pact that saves a portion of
corporate-owned redwoods !here, an1i-logging
pro1es1crs Thursday stepped up their 11-ycarfight
against the trees' owner - Houston
financier Charles Hurwitz.
Using Houston's federal courthouse as a
backdrop, Darryl Cherney of the group "Earth
First'" offered $50,000 to any mdiVldual who
can provide mfonnatlon that wiU lead to a
criminal utdtctmcnt agamst Hurwitz.
"I thmlc that Charles Hurwnz represents
everything that's bad with corporate Amcnca,"
said Cherney, whose group has fough1 Hurwitz
for years over logging rights in northern
California, •·we art seeking to indict Mr.
Hurtwltz by using the system, lhc judicial system,"
Environmentalists long have groused that
Hurwitz, through his Houston-based Maxxam
Corp. and subsidiary Pacific Lumber Co., cut a
sweetheart deal wilh lhc federal and California
government that gives Huzwu.z $380 million in
exchange for JUSt 7,500 acres of forest - including
the 3,000 Headwa1ers fores!, home of some
of 1hc world's oldest redwoods
Dale Head, who handles environmental and
litigatton for Maxxam and Pacific Lumber,
called Cherney's offer .. highly irresponsible . ...
I lhmk what Mr. Cherney has chosen to do 1s
bow out of lhc court system ... and instead go
outside that and throw rocks at lhc system and
throw rocks at Mr. Hurwitz," Head said
Last month, President Clinton approved the
federal government's share of the plan
California and Pacific Lumber arc still ironing
out details before the trade can lake place. The
Headwaters 1s about 300 miles north of San
Francisco.
Earth First' and others would like 10 sec
60,000 acres of land pr=rvcd Animosity
between environmentalists and Hurwitz has
deepened in recent months. In August, one
protester, angry at Pacific Lumber's loggmg
program, threw a pie at Hurwuz Maxxam
I :m tt fi t1] 11: '''I @'Ml I1 1111 ,J ii\1 I, !till
The Houston HIV Prevention Community Planning Group (HHPCPG) is
a volunteer board that provides guidance to the Houston Department of
Health and Human Services' Bureau of HIV/STD Prevention by developing
a plan to prevent the spread of HIV in the greater Houston area.
The HHPCPG currently has a vacancy and is accepting nominations for
a person to represent the gay/lesbian/ bisexual community. Anyone over
18 years of age having personal or professional expenence working with
this community may apply or be nominated
~r 1dd1t111a1 lnf1rmauon, Please call
ma1194-921&
Become a part of lhe solution. Join lhe HHPCPG.
----
took over Pactfic Lumber in 1985.
As Hwwtt.z's representatives countered environmentalists'
accusauons outside Houston's
federal courthouse, his lawyers were busy
ms1dc. Smee Sepl. 22, the Office of Thnft
Supervision has been case, trying 10 prove
Hurwitz and others mishandled the finances of
Unucd Savings Association of Texas, contributing
to lhc thnft's failure m 1988. The collapse
cost taxpayers SI .6 billion 10 bail out
As of Thursday, the government still was
presenting its side of the case. The hearing,
which is being heard by an administrative law
judge from Washington, was scheduled 10
recess on Dec. 19. Maxxam and other defendants
arc likely to present thelt side of the case
early next year.
Hamp Hodges announces
bid for Agriculture
commissioner
by Peggy Fikac
AUSTIN - Ci1mg h1S business cxpcnencc
and tics to agriculture - while acknowledging
he has never made a livmg as a fanner - Hamp
Hodges launched hlS bid for lhc Republican
nomination for Texas agriculture comrruss1oncr
Tuesday.
"I am a businessman . I am the only candidate
that has successfully put together a business
and managed ii 1hat IS as big or larger lhan
lhc Texas Department of Agnculturc," said
Hodges, 59, from Paris, Texas.
Hodges founded a natural resources and
LOBO
light manufactunng company, Fort Worthbascd
Buffion Corp. which he said grew mto a
$100 million business. He now as on the board
of dittctors of BFX Hosp1tahty Group Inc.,
which has properties mcludmg lhc Fort Worth
Stockyards Hotel and Houston's Cabo restaurants.
The Texas Department of Agnculturc
has a $22.6 million annual budget, he said
While Hodges said he hasn't earned a living
as farmer or rancher, his grandfather, falher
and wife were raised on farm and ranch operations
near Paris, Texas. He said he worked on
cattle and hay operations as a youth until entering
West Point. He said he served eight years
in the Army, including combat duty in
Vietnam, rcsigrung as a maJOr
Hodges is a landowner and a former ranch
owner in Lamar County, according 10 his campaign
literature, and has owned ranch land m
Midland smcc 1978. He has run unsuccessfully
for Congress HIS campaign treasurer IS his
longtime friend, retired Alabama football
coach Gene Stallings, who before Alabama
coached at Texas A&M and w11h lhc SI LoulS
Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys in lhc NFL.
Among the candidate's attnbutcs, Stallings
said, "The thing about Hamp is he's a good
man. And I like that " Also seeking the GOP
nomination for agriculture commissioner ts
former state representative Susan Combs. a
fourth-generation rancher who 1s a fonner
Dallas assistant district attorney.
"Susan Combs combines business expcn·
encc with vitally needed background m agriculture.
Susan has run a small business for 17
years, a cow-calf operation in West Texas
Addiuonally, she has experience work.mg for
See REGION page 10
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Dec. 25
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HOUSTON vo•CE 7 Of:CEIVIBER 1 9 T H 1 s a 7
. PLAIN SPEAKING
The Jov 01 Shared Historv
by Larry Lingle
It's barely been twenty years since
Tennes<tt Williams scandalized the New
York literary scene by wntmg his frank and
gay "Memotrs ff That was still a time and a
place where everyone knew who was gay
but the non-gays did not talk about tt and
the gays did not flaunt it.
Now with the revolution well underway, a
gay wnter, Charles Kaiser, tn his The Gay
Mcuopolis 1940-1996, discusses the high
and lowly of gaydom m New Yori< smce the
seeds of the revolutions were planted in
global war through the fruition of vast
change m the era of AIDS
KatSer's research is impressive, but equally
1mprcss1ve IS the willingness of gays,
young and old, to express tn words the real·
1ty of these six decades Promment figures
in enrertainment, many of whom were only
publicly outed after their deaths, are shown
openly pursuing their true lifestyle, or more
accurately, their lives. Even I found a name
or two not previously encounte-red.
In both previous careers, history and JOur·
nahsm, l was very aware of the insights and
JOumahsuc prowess of Joseph Alsop, the
dean of Amencan columnlSts. Yet I was not
only unaware that he was gay but that a
SoV1et attempt at blackmail tnggered an
East-West confrontation.
In any case, Kaiser's book IS both well·
written and enlightenmg, some might even
say gossipy · I say mformauve While I
looked forward to p1ckmg up Kaiser's book
with anuc1pauon, l was dubious, to say the
least. about George Plimpton's Truman
Capote, both because Plimpton is straight
but h1S book IS really a senes of long quotes
from vanous persons in Capote's life And
many of those speakers are or were straight.
The very attttude I mentioned earlier pre·
vailed among these people, resulting in such
quotes as Lee Radz1w11l, when informed by
Liz Smith (whose lesbiamsm remains
unspoken by Plimpton in true '70s fashion)
that Gore Vidal was suing Capote, replied:
"Oh, Liz, what docs tt matter? They're JUSt
a couple of fags."
Actually Plimpton's book IS often delight·
fuJ read.mg, suited for perusing around the
swimmtng pools of which Capote was so
partial. His approach creates rather vivid
In actuality, Plimpton's book is more a
source of primary material for others to
interpret. He provides firsthand observa·
tions of the range of Capote's life and leaves
the conclusions to the reader While these
conclusions do not differ matenally from
what is already known, they do flesh out the
" I also flashed on. another suppressed nu~et,
I smrted a journal in high school and wrote
openly in it that I Wa5 in love with my best
friend. I appanmtly always carried the journal
tn school for fear my older brother, who Wa5
wont tn SCOW' my possessions, might come across
it. Somehow I misplaced it in school one day
and lived in fear for m>ek5 that someone might
have found it and figured out my secret.
I never again kept a journal."
ponratts of not only Capote but the high
and low with whom he cavorted While
Capote's fnend, Gerald Clarice, wrote the
oflic1al biography, Plimpton bnngs out a
clearer picture of Capote's early romance
with Newton Arvin as well as his lifelong
relationship with Jack Dunphy. And, stnce
Plimpton relies on the words of others these
relationships become more finely drawn
when his gay fnends speak His swans,
those h1gh-bom ladies to whom he was so
close until he mocked them ID Answered
Prayers, are barely able to bnng themselves
to refer to his ••fncnds".
broad strokes of that life . the confused
childhood, the lifelong propensity to fabri·
cate for the sake of a better story.
And, indirectly through his interviews he
only adds fuel to the few controversies of
Capote's Life: Did he actually write To Kill a
Mockingbird for his old childhood fnend,
Harper Lee, and docs an actual manuscnpt
of completed Answered Prayers cx1.St m
some long-lost safety deposit box?
What is not in dispute is that Capote, after
his great success with In Cold Blood, began
a slow but steady decline of booze and drugs
which led to his death m the arms of Joanne
Carson. The death and the funeral were as
surreal as any other incident ID Capote's life.
One service Plimpton docs perform quite
well is comb1Ding the views of several par·
ticipants about a single incident and illustrating
the value of eye witnesses, or their
lack of same. From it all a portrait of
Capote does emerge. He was unquestionably
a great wnter, but not a great student.
He was writing poetry and keeping a journal
even as he entered his teens.
This IS a feature I have encountered with
other wntcrs. Probably explains why I am in
retail. Although I must confess that only
this book provoked a long buried memory of
my own attempt to wnte a play in the sixth
grade· and the end of my playwrihng. I also
flashed on another suppressed nugget, I
started a journal in high school and wrote
openly in it that I was in love with my best
friend . I apparently always carried the JOUr·
nal to school for fear my older brother, who
was wont to scour my possessions, might
come across it. Somehow I misplaced it in
school one day and lived in fear for weeks
that someone might have found it and fig.
ured out my secret. I never again kept a
journal.
For those of you looking for either a gift
or holiday reading I can still strongly rccom·
mend both of these books. Whatever else, tt
is refreshing to read of a gay world which
existed at least partially openly for some
time. For me, it is revealing that at a time
when I was convanccd of my uniqueness and
aloneness, Leonard Bernstein was cavorting
more or less openly in the streets of newly
independent Israel. Had I only known.
Well, better late than never. For all the trials
and tribulations recently I have never for one
moment regretted finally opening that closet
door. And I thank the literary stars who
shine light on our shared history .•
(Larry Lingle, author of this Plain
Speaking, will be taking a bnef hiatus until
the end of the year. His column will resume
ID January 1998. Lingle is the owner of
Lobo Bookstore at 3939 Montrose.) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
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a DECEIVIBEA 1 9 T H 1 9 9 7
RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION
Thinking or a Resttul
Holidav
by Leslie Ramsay
The holiday season is in full swing.
Everyone is so rushed with parties and
events. The invitations arc too numerous to
keep track. The service organizations are
handing out awards. The social clubs are
runrung their fundralScrs. Doesn't anyone
plan affairs for the summer months anymore?
need to start doing away with things. How
many pairs of socks do you really need anyway?
How many pairs of shoes did Imelda
Marcos have?
My sister in law is coming to Houston this
weekend for a visit. Little does she know
that she lS taking back a few things that we
just don't need anymore. I wonder is she
could use a slightly used washing machine?
We are loolong forward to her v1s1t. My
beloved has not had the opporrumty to viS1t
with her younger sibling for nearly two
years. Many things have happened in all of
our lives in the last two years. I am already
gearing myself up for the giggling to begm.
''How do you all do this every year? I
have spoken to so many people that are
just plain exhausted from trying to keep
up. Most are looking forward to
Christmas Day so they can get some
much-needed sleep. The thought of one
day of absolute peace and quiet is
enough to encourage even the most
exhausted grand diva of drag to carry
on her busy, busy charity ball schedule.
Twenty-four hours of absolute silence is
less than a week away."
How do you all do this every year? I have
spoken to so many people .that are just plain
exhausted from trying to keep up. Most arc
loolong forward to Christmas Day so they
can get some much-needed sleep. The
thought of one day of absolute peace and
quiet is enough to encourage even the most
exhausted grand diva of drag 10 carry on her
busy, busy charity ball schedule. Twentyfour
hours of absolute silence is less than a
week away.
The mall crowds are smaller than usual
according to the talking fifty-dollar haircuts
on the evening news. But who has time to
watch the news? [ haven't seen the news in
weeks I had planned on going Christmas
shopping last weekend. I had too many
"things" to attend. I have yet to see the
inside of a Houston mall this season.
I did get the opportunity to parade
through the IJallas Galleria a few months
ago. r had every intention of spending way
too much money but I didn't find one single
thing worth buying
I have ~ccntly come to the conclusion
that I haw everything I need. I have finally
reached that particular place in my hfe that I
They giggle non-stop when they are together
Laughter is so contagious around those
two.
The holidays are very special to me. I
look forward to visiting with my extended
family. I look forward to visiting with my
nephews most of all. I see them almost
everyday but on Christmas morning. with
their eyes bnght with glee, is the best
time. They arc so adorable in their suits and
ttny linle tlC'S when they arc all dressed for
church They love singing in church.
We always spend 100 much money on
toys. The boys fell asleep trying to open and
play with all of their new toys at the same
time last Christmas morning. They looked
so contented with the shiny new train or
alphabet blocks tucked under chins while
they slept on top on a mountain of shredded
wrapping paper. They have nothing to
worry about. They are truly loved by so
many people.
I wish all of you a safe and restful holiday.
EnJOY your families-extended as well as
1mmed1ate From our family to yours-Happy
llolzdaysf
T T T T T T T T
Premier
PAGING & WIRELESS PAGERS 51995
HOUSTON vo•ce 9
Whv Is Mv Panner Alwavs
Yelling At Me?
by Dr. Charles C. Perroncel
There are Expressive people who
believe in talking about everything ...
and sometimes shouting about them.
AND there are reserved people who
tend to be very quiet and to "show"
what they feel rather than talk about it.
On the principle that opposites attract,
1t should be no surprise that these two
often find a powerful attraction to each
other.
The quiet one enjoys the excitement
the other brings to the relationship, the
expressive one cherishes the stillness
and solidity of the quiet partner •......
THEN ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.
The Expressive one becomes volcanic
and nagging and the steady one
becomes withholding and boring.
What's to be done'! Can they ever learn
to get along and restore the happiness
of their "In-Love" time?
Of course they can •.• IF they BOTH
are willing to work at 1t. Last column
we gave some hints for the Noisy
Partner. This time there's help for the
Quiet One.
First off, there are people who are
quiet by temperament. It can actually
be measured and predicted at birth
whether you' II be better at sales or at
library science. Delivery Room
Personnel use the "drop test" - holding
the newborn in one hand and suddenly
lowering It - and noting how much It
squirms, screams or JUSt hes there and
enjoys the ride.
The last group usually grow up to be
Quite Partners. However, some of the
screaming bunch can be badgered into
becoming quiet too. They arc simply
scared quiet by years of repressive
upbringing at home, school and/or
church. In either case, a quiet partner
can contribute as much trouble to a
relationship as a noisy one. It's JUSt
less apparent.
So here are some tips for min1m1Zing
the problems and increasing the pleasure
of living with that boisterous. badgering,
bombastic partner of yours.
I. Buy time to think about what you
want to say by suggesting: "I need
a little time to think about that".
Then be sure to come back to the
subject as soon as possible.
2. Write your ideas down for your
conversation so that you won't
become muddled while talking.
3. Ask for understanding. Make it
clear that you are trying to answer,
but are hampered if your partner
won't be quite so that you get a
thought clear and clearly stated.
4. Write a note about the issue if you
find it just too threatening to talk
about it. Ask your partner to write
back.
5. Get into an Assertiveness
Training Class or see a qualified
relationship therapist 10 coach you
in the art of fearless conve"atlon.
(Dr. Charles Perroncel ,.,11 an.m·er
questions in this column sent to Ent"
Nous, The Houston Voice, 811
Westheimer. Ste. 105. Houston. TX 77006
or add"sud to <dr.c.perroncel@ therupist.
net >- Check.for past column.) ut
www/nstincts.com)
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R E GION/1rom page 7
the regional adm1n1 .trator of the General
Services Admimstrahon, and of course that
organ1zat1on ha.s a big budget and lots of
employees," said campaign spokesman Regg;e
Bashur.
On the Democratic side, stale Rep. L.P
"Pete" Panerson of Brooks1on has enle"'d the
race. He grew up on a family farm and contmues
fannmg and ranching on it. He also owned
and operated a tarpaulin manufactunng and
"'Pair business He has headed the House
Agnculrurc and Livestock Committee. His
campaign spokesman, Dwayne Holman, had
no comment on Hodges' remarks
State Rep. Diana Davila
declines to seek tounh
term
HOUSTON - S1a1e Rep. Diana Davila has
announced she will not bco seek.mg elecllon
to a fourth lerm m 1he Texas Legislature.
The Housion Democrat's surprise decision
Monday opens up a seal m the heavily
Hispanic and Democratic southeast
Houston district.
"I JUSt made the decision to pursue other
opportunities," said Ms. Davila, 31 "I feel
comfortable with the support I've had. I've
served my constituency well and will continue
lo focus on the kjnds of issues on which
I've focused in 1he Legislature."
Michael Bunch, whom she defealed m
1996, is seekjng 1he Republican nommallon
m that disma. Ms. Davila has concentra1ed
on education and other child"'n's issues m
the Legislatu"'. She said Monday thai she
would continue working in those areas and
said she was considering returning to school
"Thert:'s no need 10 search for anything
deeper than me making a personal decision,"
she sa1d_ Ms. Davi.la was first elected
in 1992, defeaiing Republican Mark
Sandoval (Sec "'lated front page story).
HPD oflicianv opens new
police headquarters
HOUSTON - Amid much fanfa"' the
Houston Police Departmenl's (HPD) new
police headquarters al 1200 Travis officially
opened las! Thursday, Decembcor 11 .
Joining HPD Chief C.O Bradford at the
grand opening ceremonies were Mayor Bob
Lanier; Bob Eury, President of Central
Downiown and Executive Dirt:e1or of the
Downtown Houston Management D1Stria;
.and Joan Buschor, chairperson of the citywide
Positive Jntcraaion Program Several
former chiefs of police also attended the
H
event including Sam Nuch1a, Harry
CaldweU, Joe Clark, B.K. Johnson, John
Bales, Jack Heard and Mayor-elect Lee
Brown.
"Our training, technology and profession·
ahsm are nationally recognized, but, most
important, we enioy a bconer "'lauonsh1p
with the people of this city," Bradford said.
The Chief also said the departmen1 had long
oulgrown the Riesner location bu1l1 in 1950
He said the former headquarters localed ai
61 Riesner "represents the department's
past, not its future."
Bradford also praised the achievements of
Mayor.elect Brown, HPD Chief Bradley,
Elyse and Mayor Bob Lamer looking on at
opening ceremony of HPD HQ.
P"'decessors. he c"'di1ed Nuchia for mak·
mg Housion's streets safer and Brown for
bringing the community and police departmen1
together in partnership as never bcofo"'.
The grand opening signaled a new and
exciting future for the 7 ,500 officers and support
personnel who serve nearly two miU1on
people in the nation's fourth larges< ci1y The
26-story office tower in the heart of 1hc city
with 444,142 square feet of office space,
1400 modular work stallons and more than
1,000 compulers will allow the building's
2100 employees 10 proVlde bcoucr service 10
the community.
The move comes at a time of great
dynamic changes in the city and police
department. A new admi01strauon siands
posed to lead the city mto the 2lsl century
and HPD's Police officers arc well prepared
to meet whatever challengC'S lie ahf'ad
Former citV councilman
claims ethnic bias in
FBI sting
HOUSTON - A former Houston cny
councilman charged with bnbery in an FBI
public corruption sung has asked 1ha1 the
charges bco dismissed bcocause only minority
politicians were targeted Ben Reyes
See REGION page 11
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oecEIVIBER 1 B T H 1 ") 9 7
REGION!trompage 10
motion Monday with US. DtStnct Judge
David Hittner, alleges that he was singled
out because he 1s Hispanic.
The Justice Department went after nine
minority poliucians, never approaching
Mayor Bob Lanier and five white City
Council members, Reyes said. Reyes' attorney,
Michael Ramsey, also raised questions
about why former US. Attorney Gaynelle
Griffin Jones, also a minority, recused herself
from the case. All six people who were
indicted, except for Reyes' longtime aide,
were mmonties, Ramsey said.
"This is an instance of the FBI creating a
Spanish-speaking "front' for the express purpose
of targeting political factions of the
Latino community, with the hope and expectation
that other minonties would become
involved," according to the motion.
It was near the term-limned end of Reyes'
15-year stint as the City Council's first
Hispanic that two Hispanic FBI agents
approached him and pretended to be
investors, Reyes said The men said they
represented a group of minority investors in
an enterpnse called the Cayman Group and
were interested in participating in the
planned convenuon cenier holel, Reyes said.
They 1old Reyes and other minority council
members 1ha1 they wanled to make up the
minonly inveslmenl componenl of the hotel
plan submitted by developer Wayne
Duddlesren, the plan favored by City
Council A Hispanic lobbyist and public
relations expert was ultimately hired to help
the "investors" gain the suppon of council
for the Duddlestcn plan, and the part1cipat1on
of the men now known to have been
undercover agents
Bribery mdictments were returned against
Reyes, councilmen John Castillo and
Michael Yarbrough, former councilman
John Peavy Jr., former Houston Port
Commissioner Betti Maldonado and Reyes'
aide Ross Allyn. According to th• indictment,
the s1x participated in a scheme to
innucnce the awarding of contracts in the
REGIONAL NEWS
convention center hotel project.
Reyes, Castillo, Yarbrough and Peavy arc
accused of enriching themselves by "corruptly
soliciting and accepting cash payments
with the intent of being mnuenced
and rewarded for supporting the interests"
of the FBI front company - the Cayman
Group - in connection with the hotel projCCI
Reyes, Allyn and Maldonado arc accused
of giving or offenng cash paymcn1s to council
members with the inicnt of winning support
for the Cayman Group's part1c1pation
m the project. The men have pleaded innocent
and Ramsey said it 1s the FBI that tS
guilty of wrongdoing.
0 Reyes would show that this indictment
1s the result of an 1mpermissibly selective
prosecu11on which unlawfully targeted
Reyes because of his race, while 01hcr nonmmorit:
J.es who were similarly situated were
not made the focus of the governmenl's
investigation," according to the motion.
New computer svstem
searches tor and finds
Medicaid fraud
HOUSTON - Our of the 1echnology Iha!
perfCCled the so-called "smart bombs" used
in the Persian Gulf War comes a sys1em
now being used to find fraud in the
Medicaid system
Texas Comptroller John Sharp said
Monday that a preliminary examination of
Medicaid claims from Houston and Austm
alone turned up $34 million in improper
billings. The system found a psychiatrist
who billed for 40 one-hour therapy sessions
m a single day, h discovered a physician
who claimed 10 be on the JOb more than 18
hours a day for every workday in a year.
Intelligent Technologies, which developed
the "neural net" technology, has been
awarded a 21-monlh conlract to contmue its
Medicaid work for the Texas Health and
Human Services Commission, which
administers the Medicaid program in Texas.
Sharp said he contracted with the company
after reading about how credit card comparues
used the technology to root out fraud .
"They taught the Visa (credit card) system
how to think hke a credit card crook," Sharp
said at a news conference at the University
of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Cen1er on
Monday. "They spenl two years teaching
our system how to 1hink like a Medicaid
crook."
Stale and federal governments spend
about $7.5 bilhon per year on Medicaid,
which provides health care for low-income
children, pregnant women, disabled and
elderly in Texas. It is estimated that 14 percen1
of the Medicaid budget is lost to fraud,
Sharp said A computer searched through
millions of Medicaid claim forms, Sharp
said, revealing a pattern of questionable
billing practices a1 a Houston-area physicians
clinic.
S1a1e officials discovered thal Houston
Pro Medical continued to use Dr. Francis C.
Archer's name to submit bills for more than
two months after the physician died in
January, the comptroller said Texas Pro
Medical has agreed to repay the state S2 million
for improper billing of services provided
to Medicaid beneficiancs, Sharp said
Issac Molho, president of Houston Pro
Medical Management, could no! be reached
for comment, Tht Houston Chronicle reported.
Seulement 1alks arc also under way with
several orher providers, and some cases may
be referred for cnminal prosecution, Sharp
said.
Joe Brown, company president, said the
anti-fraud systems were derived from technology
used in the "smart bombs . ... Now, It
has made its way into the commercial sector,"
he said.
The computer can analyze Medicaid bills
using 120 factors 10 size up the practices and
can "learn" from the system and dctCCI new
schemes used by providers. Sharp said the
next goal is to be able to use the system earlier
in the claims processing system so it can
analyze clauns before the state pays the bill.
Sunday, December
The Imperial Court Presents
Briefs..
Boxes of toys were airlifted 10 young
AIDS pancnts in Romarua recently - the
result of a grassroots effort by school youths,
AIDS experts, and private firms. The proJCCI
spearheaded by physicians and nurses at
Baylor College of Med1c1ne and Texas
Children's Hospital, sent toys collected by
school children in the Hous1on Independenl
School District and other individuals.
Continen1al Arrlines dona1ed the cargo
space for the airlift which took place over the
Thanksgiving weekend ....
Dallas' Turtle Creek Chorale announced
1hey will present Comedienne
Margaret Cho for a celebra1ion of comedy
and music on New Year's E\"C at the Morton
H. Meyerson Symphony Cenicr begmmng
at 8:30 p.m. Jommg Cho will be Liberace
protegc Daryl Wagner and comedienne
Valery Pappas, rccip1Cnt of the prestigious
Carol Bumcn Award for Excellence in musical
comedy. For more information, call
(800) 494-TlXS...
Finally, Milr.e Laster filed his Declaration
of Candidacy for the Texas House of
Reprcscntauves, District 134 in the
Democratic Party Pnmary. Extending from
Krrby Dnve 10
Dairy Ashford,
District 134
includes the Wes!
Uo1vcrs1ty ,
Bellaire, parls of
Mcycrland,
Maplewood,
Sharpstown,
Fondren
Southwest and
Alicf areas of
Houston. Laster says he recogruzes an
urgent need for new leadership in the dtStnct
(Compiled by staff from local sources,
Associated Press and wrre reports)
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"It Came Upon A Midnight Queer"
A Totally Gay Christmas Revue at 9pm
Followed at 11 pm by Houston's Hottest
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···-- 1 1 OECEIVtBER 1 9 T H 1 9 9 7
Student columnists fiver
criticiling uavs sparks
debate
by Patnck Graham
Associa1td Pms
PHOENIX - When the editor of
Northern Arizona University's student
newspaper l'Cjected Harmony lerley's column
cnticiz1ng the campus' gay and lesbian
group, the conservative wnter went over her
editor's head.
Outraged, lerley and her 1dcological allies
with T1v Unt!nground Pms turned her disposed
column rnto 900 one-page !hers. The
leaflets ended up on car windshields across
the Flagstaff campus in late October and
eventually cost her the unpaid wntmg position
she held for three semesters.
The rncident also shook up the normally
quiet university of 17,000 students and has
prompled a debate over the extent of free
speech and political correctness.
The 200-member Lesbian Gay Bisexual
Alhance is demanding an apology from an
unapologeltc lcrley, the newspaper is
defending Itself for ftnng lcrley and against
her censorsh1p charges, and NAU officials
are trying to figure out if Icrley should be
purushed for spcalang her mind
"Talk about shutting down intellectual
thought and intellectual speech," the 22-
year-old speech commumcauons major said
Wednesday. "I wasn't anadung homosexuals.
I don't agree with homosexuals. If you
say anytlung against homosexuals, you are
automallcally called a bigot."
The fliers, cl.aiming that gays are promlScuous
and want legalized sex with children.
naturally angered the LGBA, which saw II
as noting more than rehashed homophobic
rantings.
"(It) was narrow-minded and confrontational,
and its message was one of hate,"
said Rich Machold, a graduate student in
psychology and an alliance member
N
"When she apparently put thlS on 1,000
cars. not orily did she violate the student
code of conduct, she also forced her
extremely discrimmatory viewpoint onto
people who would normally not choose to
read thlS."
University officials are invesllgatmg the
incident to determme if lerley violated two
campus policies, said An Farmer, NAU's
director of Student Life. Farmer sa1d lerley
appears to have violated the school's policy
barring advertisements from being distributed
via fliers on car windshields. Farmer
said the problem with such !hers is that they
tum into liner.
The other policy is the student Code of
Conduct, which includes the school's Safe
Workmg and Learrung Envuonment policy.
The policy includes a section on d1scnmination,
which can include "behavior that creates
an environment which lS intim1datmg,
hostile, or offensive for individuals of one
group, and thus interferes with a person's
ability to work or learn."
Farmer would not say whether !crley violated
the Code of Conduct because the case
IS under reV1ew "We are supporters of free
speech and will protect those nghts from
time to time," Farmer said "But in this
case, we have to be very cautious."
lerley said she has htred an attorney and
is ready to ftle suit against the university if
she is punished by NAU The homosexuality
debate began in The Lumbt']ac/c on Oct. 15
when lcrley wrote a column on the subject.
Namely, she alleged that homosexuals are
promiscuous rather than monogamous, and
that homosexuals "demand that sex with
children be legal1zed."
She also said that orily 3 percent of
Amcncans are gay, as opposed to a I 0 percent
figure used by many gay act1V1sts She
cued several sources, including Planned
Parenthood and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prcvenrion .. All sources available
at T1v Lumbtr;aclr," she concluded.
After two weeks, lerley submitted a second
column she said was needed to rebut an
LGBA letttr that questioned the sources .. _-...::::;
cited in her first column. LGBA charged
that lerley got her data from "an ultraconservative
lobbying organizauon" lerlcy said
she was so inccraed, "I had to defend my
sources."
"The bottom line is that LBGA knowingly
and purposely tried to dismiss the evidence
I presented to create a 'truth' more to
their hking," she wrote m the second column.
Tracie Williams, editor of The
Lumberjaclc, defended her decision to kill the
second column and to later fire lerley for
distributing the leaflets.
"It's not right to bait someone with a column,
to draw someone in to write a letter to
the editor and then attack them," William
said. "I didn't run the column because I didn't
think 11 was fair and ethical I JUSt didn't
want to get into a tit-for-tat."
Lumberjack faculty adv1Ser Warren
Weber said he consulted with Williams over
the column and lerley's subsequent fmng on
Nov. 6. He said he agreed with both decisions.
"She was terminated because of the
flier bit," Weber said. 11We considered it to
be unprofessional."
Settlement allows
New Jersev uav
couples to adopt
by Jeffrey Gold
NEWARK, N.J (AP) _ A settlement
announced today in a cl.ass-action Lawsuit gives
gay and unmamed couples the right to adopt
children on equal footing with mamed couples
New Jersey IS the first state 10 permit such
adoptions. according 10 the Amcncan Clvil
Liberties Umon, wluch announced the settlement.
A consent decree app~ by a state judge
nullifies a stale pohcy to wluch there had been
a1 least two exceptions made recently. The
order takes effect immediately. In one of the
recent exceptions, a gay couple tn Bergen
Counry were granted joint adoption of their
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foster child, a 2-year-old boy named Adam, by
a family court judge.
The men, Jon Holden and Michael
Galluccio, of Maywood, were also the leading
plaintiffs in the cl.ass-action Lawsu11 seeking to
overturn the stare regulation that barred
unmarried couples from joint adoption.
Similar niles eXISI in many states
Since the state allows unmamed individuals
to adopt, many other New Jer.;ey gay men and
women are adoptive parents, gay rights
activists said. Many are in couples where one
partner IS the biological parent, or where each
partner adopted the child separately.
The class-acnon suit, filed in June, was
brought on behalf of Holden and Galluccio
and Lambda Families, a lesbian and gay farmties
organization.
Official: list ot Georgians
with HIV could be in
place in two vears
ATLANTA -A state official says a system
that would collect the names of every HNpositive
Georgian could be in place within
two years. But the plan concerns AIDS and
HN patients and advocates who fear that
public disclosure could lead to discnmina-uon
"You can't repair the loss of confidenuality,"
said Marj Plumb of the Gay and
Lesbian Medical Association But Dr.
Kathleen Toomey, the state's director of
public health, said, confidentiality "is something
we all think has to be paramount "
Officials say haVlng names of those with
HIV - which can lead to AIDS - will lead to
better tracking and treatment of those with
the virus. Currently, the state reports names
of people diagnosed with AIDS Over the
years, AIDS and HIV pauents have been
afforded a specific right to privacy under
state and federal laws.
The special protection was in recogrution
of widespread discrimination against those
patients
In a highly unusual move, New York
health officials recently named a man with
HIV who they said knowingly infected
scores of women.
Now, the federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prcvenuon is calling for
mandatory reporting of HIV infections.
Although the CDC hasn't decided the best
way to do that, agency officials say the current
method of reporting AIDS cases by
name has worked well
Patients routinely must waive their nght
to privacy to get their medical bills paid and
to be tested for HIV "II ts somewhere
between the hil.arious and the addled to say
that we have privacy," said Arthur L.
Caplan, a medical ethicist at the Un1vcnuy
of Pennsylvania.
The government goes to great lengths to
protect the identities of those with l!IV or
AIDS, including sex offender.; who could
pass on the illness. Still, AIDS advocates
wonder if confidentiality 1s a promise the
government or anyone can keep.
ln Florida last year, a drunken health official
released a computer disk containing the
names of 4,000 AIDS patients "And now
you are going to have people who are going
to be on a computer list 10, 15, 20 years,"
Plumb said. "It wouldn't be so hard 10
imagine who might have a stake in finding
out who those people are."
Local authorities let
San Jose mariiuana club
stavopen
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Santa Clara
County Medical Cannabis Center can keep
its doors open despite a court ruling bamng
such clubs from selling pot, local law
enforcement officials said
The Santa Clara County dis1nct attorney,
San Jose city attorney and c11y pohce thief
said Monday that the state appeals court ruling
was aimed orily at a San Francisco club
State agents said that they saw maniuana
sold to people without prcstnpuons at San
Francisco's Cannabis Buyers' Club, that us
See NAT'L page 14
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NAT' L/trompage 12
pot was lat<r r<SOld on the street and that
children w<re on the premises.
But City Attorney Joan Gallo said clients
don't smoke or bnng children to the Medical
Cannabis Cent<r in San Jose, which resembles
a doctor's office more than a club. "We
have a very dtff<rent model here," she said
"We don't thtnk this ruling really impacts
us_"
State Attorney General spokesman Matt
Ross said the decision by the State Court of
Appeal on Fnday applied to all such organizallons
"Cannabis buyers clubs are not
allowrd Plam and Simple," he said The
ruling takes effect in 30 days from the llme II
was ISSUed
ManJuana clubs opened in more than a
dozen Caltforrua cities after vot<rS passed
Proposition 215 1n November 1996. The initiative
allows possession and cult1vation of
maniuana for AIDS, cancer and other diseases
upon a doetor's recommendation.
The appeals court said Fnday that the
only way patients can use maniuana legally
was to grow 11 themselves or. 1f too sick to do
so, get 11 from a primary caregiver who grew
1t According to the court, Prop. 215 defines
a pnmary careg1v<r as someone designated
NATIONAL NEWS
by the pauent who has assumed consistent
respons1b1lity for the pauent's housing,
health or safety.
The court said that does not include mariJuana
clubs. But local officials maintain
that the Medical CaMabis Cent<r meets the
definitton of a primary caregiver. Peter
Baez, co-founder and executive director of
the center, said clients are required to declare
the center as their 11alternativc medical
provider" working with their primary doctors.
The center, which has worked closely
with local authontles, also 1s away from
schools and churches and bans juveniles,
Baez said.
Teacher cleared after
complaint over 'Ellen'
episode discussion
ALAMEDA, Calif - A state panel has
cleared a teacher accused of wrongdoing
after she discussed the .. coming-out"
episode of the televts1on show Elim with her
fifth-grade class Parents Mike and Judy
Trelow complained that Victoria Forrester
violated the1r parental nghts by discussing
the April episode in their daughter's class at
Amelia Earhart Elementary School
But the Alameda Unified School Distnct
cleared Forrester in October. And Monday, a
lawy<r for the state Comm1SS1on on Teach<r
Credentialing said the panel has decided
there is insufficient evidence to investigate
wheth<r she should lose her teaching license.
Forrester's attorney, Ballinger Kemp, was
told by phone Fnday of the panel's decision,
although the state has not yet notified the
parties officially by letter. "I'm excited. I'm
happy. I'm relieved," Forrester told the San
Francist:o Chronick. "But there's a little piece
that constantly nags at me _ a sadness that
this happened in this community."
The state's decision closes the books on a
parent's complaint that a seven-minute classroom
discussion of the TV episode violated
his right to control what his daughter hears
in school about homosexuality. Mike
Trelow asked the school board to fire
Forrester and the state to revoke her teaching
license
Trelow said Monday he had not gotten
word of the commission's decision and
would not comment. He has said he might
sue Forrester 1f school authonties didn't
punish her. Trelow has maintained that
although Forrester is a good teacher, she violated
his wishes to be nottfied of any class-ll'O/,../~"--="---....:
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room discussion concerning homosexuality.
The Trelows say there is a document on
file with the school stating that they don't
want their daught<r, Heather, to participate
in such discussions. Additionally, Trelow
claimed that, when it became clear that
Heather did not agree with Forrester's assertions
the Ellen character was 11brave" and
"proud," the teacher pulled the girl aside and
suggested she be open to different points of
view.
Forrester denied she had said anything
like that to the g;rl, and the school distnct's
investigation, which included interviews
with students, found no evidence that
Forrester had done or said anything inappropnate.
Gav loan applicants
get semement from
credit union
BOSTON - A New Bedford credit union
has paid $5,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by
two gay men who applied jointly for a loan,
but were denied.
Paulo Lopes and David Nichist1 said they
w<r< told by a loan officer at the First
Citizens Federal Credu Union that their relationship
was not like a marriage and the1r
application could not be considered in the
same way as a joint application from a heterosexual
couple. The two had applied for a
loan to consolidate thetr debts
"Of course, 1f this couple had the opportunity
to marry, they would not have been
turned away," said Mary Bonauto, an attorney
with Gay and Lesbian Advocate• and
Defenders, who represented the men. Along
with its S5,000 settlement, the cred11 union
issued a Jetter of apology. The couple had
filed a complaint wnh the Massachusetts
Commission Against DiSC'nmmauon.
"This may seem like a small maucr to
some people," said Nichistl "But 11 is terrible
to have other people decide not to do
business with you solely because you 're part
of a gay m.alc couple.
Controversy brews
over Times Square
recruiting station
NEW YORK - Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
says Times Square is a fitting locatton for a
.. landmark" military ~cru1ting sta11on and
will fight efforts by gay activists and business
leaders to have u moved. "At th1> point, they
can forget about any plans of removing it
because I wouldn't approve 11." G1uliaru told
the New York Post.
Tom Duane, D-Manhattan, an openly gay
member of the City Council. says the station
has no right to Its rent-free location on c11yowned
land because the military discnmi·
nates against gays and lesbians Duane's
proposal to move the Slatton, e•tablished in
1946, has the backing of the Times Square
Business Improvement District, which said it
wants to tum the locauon into open space
for pedestnans.
Duane. chamnan of a Cny Counol subcomm111ee
on land use, IS to hold a heanng
on 1he recruiting station on Tuesday. The
mayor said he would consult with veterans
and the Defense Department about the stauon
.
Gav dean sues school,
files complaint with
Human Rights
Commission
A gay dean is suing Albertus Magnus
Collge, claiming he was dismissed because of
hts sexual orientation.
In his lawsuit, Michael Hartwig, 43,
charges the Catholic colkge with breach of
contract, slander and libel Hartwig IUed the
lawsu11 agamst 1he school and the school
president Fnday.
He has also med a complaint with the state
Commission on Human Rights and
Opportunmes. In his complaint, Hartwig
See NAT'L pago 15 -=·-···--··§ ·-------- P A G E ., oecervial!Fl ., 9 T H ., ~ Q .,,
NAT'Utrom page 14
claims he was discriminated against because
of his sexual orientation and religious
beliefs
"No facul!y member should have to fear
discrimination because of their personal
beliefs or relational commitments. I want to
assure that what happened to me, won't
happen to my colleagues," Hartwig said in a
prepared statement.
Hartwig was placed on paid leave in
October, shonly after he wrote an OJ>-ed
piece for a newspaper identifying himself as
a priest 11on leave. ti Under Roman Catholic
Church law, priests can never be absolved of
their vows, but they can leave the active ministry
m good standing if they undergo "laicization."
Hartwig was never laicized.
The college has said Hartwig's disrrussal
was the result of conflicting accounts he had
given about his status as a pncst and not
because of his sexual onentation. School
officials maintain Hartwig told them he was
no longer active m the mjnistry when he
applied for the job six years ago.
But according to coun documents, his
resume said he took ua permanent leave of
absence from active ministry" for personal
reasons at the end of 1987 Albenus officials
could not be immediately reached
Hartw1g1s lawsuit seeks unspecified mone·
tary damages, a rctracuon of all alleged
defamatory statements about Hartwig made
by school offictals and his reappointment to
the faculty.
Filmmaker Ken Burns
urges end to racism
at Michigan
commencement
ANN ARBOR, Mich - Filmmaker and
h1stonan Ken Burns urged University of
Michigan students during a commencement
NATIONAL NEWS
address Sunday to fight bigotry and div1S1veness.
"So I ask those graduating today - male or
female, black or white or yellow, young or
old, straight or gay - to become soldiers in a
new 'union' anny, an anny dedicated to the
preservation of this country's ideals, a vanguard
against ~aratism and disunion,"
Burns said.
Bums also warned students not to forget
their history, both personally and collectively.
"If you don't know where you have
been, how can you possibly know where
you're going?" he said.
Bums, best known for the award-winning
PBS series The Civil War, grew up in Ann
Arbor. He spoke to about 2,000 graduates
at the school's winter commencement ceremonies.
Burns, Nobel Prize-winning
chem1Sl Richard Smalley and social activist
Gwendolyn Calvcn Baker received honorary
degrees at the ceremony.
Group won't rent school
theater for concen bv
lesbian duo
CORVALLIS, Ore • The Corvallis
Folklore Society won't rent Ashbrook
Independent School's theater for a concen
by a nationally known lesbian folksmgmg
duo after all.
The society wants the school to develop a
formal non-discriminatory rental policy
before it will book the 402-seat theater for its
cvrnts, said Anna Ellendman, concert coordinator.
As of now Cru Williamson aod
Tret Fure will hold their Feb. 28 concen m
the downtown Ma;csuc Theatre,
Ashbrook had denied use of its theater to
the duo, saymg It didn't want to appear to
promote or attack sexual lifestyles. The
folklore society complained to the city,
which said the refusal violated its anu-discnminahon
ordinance.
Dave Gore, headmaster of the private,
non-dcnominauonal school responded by
promising the school would work with the
city to rewntc the rental policy. The school
also offered the theater to the society at a
reduced rate.
"We hope that Mr. Gore will eventually
rewrite the rental policy to comply with"
city law so that the Ashbrook School theater
can become a resource for arts organizations
and their audiences in our community/'
Ellendman said.
Briefs_
A musical starring Vicki Lawrence will
replace a country music concert next
year as a fund-raiser for AIDS education
and suppon services The play Sister
Amntsia 's Country Wtsttrn Nunscnst
Jamboree will be presented Jan. 20-22 at the
Grand Ole Opry House. Organizers said
llckct sales waned 1n the past two years for
the country concerts They featured
Singers such as Billy Ray Cyrus, Pam
Tillis, Mary Chapin Carpenter and K.T
Oshn. The fund-raisers have been held for
four years.
New privacy laws and a state rccommendauon
arc pushing Che Cassia
County School Board rn Burley, Idaho to
change its policy for students who contract
the AIDS virus No casts of AIDS or the
human immunodeficiency virus have been
rcponed m the district yet. But if they are,
trustees will have to weigh a •tudent's right
to an cducauon wuh the need to protect
others .
Two statewide groups arc JOmmg
together 1n an cffon to slow the rapidly
mcrcasmg surge of AIDS and HIV
infection in Kentucky's black communities.
Representatives from the NAACP
and the Kentucky Depanment of Pubhc
Health said at a news conference Friday
that they're planning a series of workshops,
health fairs and other events around
the state next year to provide informauon
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about AIDS and alen blacks to the growing
threat ...
A Topeka, Kansas muruc1pal planning
~xpen who is openly gay won·1 take a
top governmental JOb because of what be
calls an opprcsS1ve atmosphett created by
the city~s most notable anti-homo~xuaJ cru ..
sader. Darrell Lewis, planning director m
Duluth, Minn., said last week he would
refuse the city-county planning director's
job m Topeka because of persistent antihomoscxual
demonstrations by the Rev.
Fred Phelps and his followers from the
Westboro Baptist Church
The State College Area school board in
Pennsylvania has voted to include
homosexual ISSUCS at a d1vemty workshop
for district employees, rcvcmng an adm1rustrative
dec1S1on The d1vcrs1ty workshop,
mandatory for the d1Strict's estimated 600
employees. IS scheduled for Jan 21 at the
Penn Staler Hotel and Conference Center ....
The group behmd Colorado's anti-gay
rights Amendment 2, which evcorually
was declared unconstttut1ooal by the US
Supreme Coun, has a new leader Colorado
for Family Values last week announced Paul
Jessen, pastor of the Colorado Restoration
Fellowship Foursquare Church, will take
the rems of the group. He says he wants to
put the organization back in the public eye
CFV has not had an exccuu,·e director smcc
Kevin Tebedo resigned m 1996. Jessen says
he w~nts the group to ren("W its aCUV15m an
opposing what he secs as "the forced affirmauve
action of homosexual behavior 1n
our commuruucs. '' He said the group also
will fight to protect the "traditional legal
defimtion of marriage" and help those
.. trapped 1n homosexual behavior"
Two men were assaulted m Fon Collins,
Colorado, one t11Jurcd seriously, m what
police said appeared to l>e a hate cnme The
25-ycar-old men. whose names wt~ nor
released, were leaving Lmdcn's Bar around
I :30 a m. Saturday. Two men sraned
See NAT'L page 16
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NAT'Utrompage 14
ydhng derogatory "'marks at them and then
kicked and punched them, police said
"We're classifying this as a hate crime
because the suspects yelled. 'Hey you fag.
gots,' at the victims," said Susan Vance, an
officer with the Fort Collins Police Services.
"And it turns out the two victims aren't gay_"
D ogcn Umvenity appa"'ntly has become
.ll..thc tint Oklahoma state entity to
include 0 scxual orientation" in its policy on
anti-dlSCrimmation. The Rogcn Board of
Regents made the change quietly at a "'cent
mccung ...•
School district officials in Las Vegas
backed away some from a widc-rangmg
harassment policy proposal that would ban
ccrtam tcasmg and fl1r11ng among both Stu·
dents and faculty. A school distnct commit·
tee postp0ncd until January a discussion of
the policy amid tough questioning and harsh
citirum. Much of the public comment at
Tuesday's Policy Committee meeting came
from advocates for gays and lesbians who
questioned why the policy includes protcc·
tion from harassment on the baSIS of nmc
charactcnstics but not for sexual oncnta·
uon
Despite a brush with student demonstrators
wearing gags, State Umvers1ty of
New York trustees refused Tuesday to reveal
details of a closed-door d1scuss1on about a
sex confe"'ncc held on SUNY's New Paltz
campus. Trusttts did talk in executive scs·
s1on about last month's conference which
included graphic demonstrations on lesbian·
ism, safe sadomasochistic sex and sex toys.
But Chairman Thomas Egan said it would
not be discussed publicly at Tucsday"s board
meeting because 11 involved a personnel mat·
rcr. Egan called the controversy an "unfor·
tunate distraction" at a time when the um·
vcrsity is preparing for its 50rh anniversary ..
Cincinatti officials reported the state IS
spending $210,000 a month on AIDS·
"'lated drugs for pnsoncrs · four times what
it spent per month last year, a newspaper
reported Monday. AIDS ranks thud as the
cause of death in Ohio prisons. behind cancer
and heart disease. Most inmates with
AIDS contracted the d1Scasc before they
were locked up. prison officials told Tht
Cincmnali Enquirrr in a story Monday ..
Finally, Salt Lake City"s C11y Council
voted 5-2 10 approve an ordinance pro·
tccting gay city employees from d1scnmma·
tion. One opponent. Councilman Bryce
Jolley, said the law will be "'pealed m
January by the new council. Two hours of
vitnolic public dcbarc preceded the council's
vote. Mo"' than 30 "'5idenrs argued for and
agamsl the new law Gay city residents
pleaded with council members to approve
the ordinance that proteCIS c11y employees
from job discnmination based on their race.
color, national ongm, sex, religion, age, sexual
oricnration or disability. They say it's a
matter of fairness and cqu11y
"' "' "'
COURT WATCH
Coon savs domestic
protective orders applv
to same-sex couples
by Mark R. CheUgren
FRANKFORT. Ky • A Court of Appeals
ruling that says domestic violence orders
may be obtained by one member of a same·
sex couple who faces abuse from the other
could mflamc lcgislauvc debate on the topic.
One state senator has al"'ady proposed a
change m the law to prohibit the issuance of
domestic violence orders to memb<-rs of a
same-sex couple
The appeUarc dcciSJon Fnday reversed a
Fayette Circuil Court ruling. which had
rakcn the position that the law applies only
10 a married couple or a heterosexual cou·
pie. Judge David Buckingham of Murray,
who wrorc rhc majonty decision. said the
statute applies 10 couples engaged in an mti·
mare "'lat1onsh1p and would not apply to
roommates
"The language of the statute is unam·
b1guous. even though II is gender-neutral
and docs not specifically mcludc or specifi·
cally exclude same-sex couples from its
scope." Buckingham wrote. "The General
Assembly has not given prcfc"'ntial treat·
ment to same-sex couples or homosexuals;
rather 11 has provided for equal t"'atmcnt
under the law for same-sex or homosexual
v1ctims of domestic violence ...
Judge Joseph Huddlesron of Bowhng
Green joined Buckingham's opinion. Judge
Rick Johnson of Mayfield dlSScnted. He
said the legislature intended to allow domes..
tic violence orders for couples that arc com·
posed of members of rhe oppos11c sex.
The statute now allows .. any family member
or member of an unmarried couple" to
petttion a court for a domestic violence
order 10 refrain from any con1ac1 wllh the
partner. II has generally been applied to
unmarried couples who live togc:tht-r, for·
mcrly ltvcd 1ogc1her or have a child in com·
mon. It also covers spouses and some other
relatives.
According to the court case, John W
l"'land and Blake Allen Davis w°"' homo·
sexual males living togcthe-r an an intimate
relationship. Ireland sought a protccuve
order, alleging he had been abused by Davis.
Sen Tim Philpor. R-Lcxmgton, has proposed
a revision that would add to !he dcfi·
nition of an unmamed couple, limiting that
category 10 people "of oppos11c sex:·
Philpot said prior 10 a hearing on the pro·
posal in August the legislature intended 10
protect women and children from abuse and
protect a traduional family unll. Philpot
said he is open to the possibility of prov1d·
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COURT WATCH
COURT/trom page 16
mg protection to homosexual victuns of
domesuc violence if gays prove there is a
problem.
lawver sanctioned tor
Improper conduct in
Montel Williams case
by Richard Pyle
Associated Press
NEW YORK -A lawyer who improperly
added a gay male plaintiff to a sexual
harassment suit against television talk show
host Montcl Williams was sanctioned
$15,000
U.S. District Judge John S. Manin said
Wednesday that W. Randolph Kraft
"behaved egregiously" and demonstrated
bad faith in trying to keep his role in the
high-profile case alive and subjecting his
original clients - four women - 10 "needless
expense."
Manin also said Kraft acted m defiance of
a court's warning that he could not tack on
the new defendant and "the court might
well impose sanctions" if he did so. "There
is a clear line between zealous advocacy and
abuse of the legal system that an attorney
may not cross," the judge wrote. "Kraft ...
clearly crossed that line." Calls to Kraft's
office in Jersey City, N.J., were not returned.
The action grew out of a 1996 suit m
which Stacy Galonsky, a former associate
producer of The Monte! Williams Show,
and Mahn Feldman, a former executive
assistant, claimed 1hcy were sexually
harassed by Williams and fired after they
complained Among their allegations were
that he groped them and made lascivious
remarks.
Later, two more women who had worked
on the syndicated TV show and two former
domestic employees of Williams' family
were added to the suit - originally filed m a
New Jersey state court and later moved to
federal court at the defendant's requesL
By last March, four plaintiffs had dropped
out or fired Kraft as their lawyer, leaving
him orily former nanny Carmen Rodnguez
and ex-housekeeper Maria Gonzalez as
clients. At this point, Manin said m his 18-
pagc opinion, Kraft added Ernesto Medina,
a gay man who claimed he had been subjected
to "sexually offensive conduct" during
seven months as Williams' executive
asSlstant in 1994-95.
Mcdma alleged that Williams ridiculed
his sexual orientation, gave him embarrass·
ing "sex toys" and grabbed his buttocks. A
spokesman said Williams "vehemently
denied" the charges, as he had the earlier
ones.
Manin said Kraft was warned by a judge
that the case no longer belonged m federal
coun and he could face sanctions by persisting
ma "frivolous" effort to harass, delay or
dnve up his adversary's legal costs. He said
Kraft knew Medina's allcgauons were
"totally distinct" from those of his original
clients - as were those of the former nanny
and housekeeper.
The latter two complained not about
Wilhams, but about his wife and mothcr-inlaw
walling around their home topless and
displaying sex toys. Manin said that as
going topless on New York streets was legal,
it was "hard to sec how walking around
bare-breasted in one's own home... could
create a 1hostile work environment."'
Manm said the pair had been added to
the suit m such haste that one of their "central
allegauons" was hand·wnttcn on court
papers Because Krafl knew the federal
court had no jUrisd1ct1on in their case, he
said, Gonzalez and Rodriguez apparently
were included for "public rctauons ... and
tactical" purposes.
AT&T wireless employee
awarded $405,000 in
AIDS discrimination case
WEST PALM BEACH (AP) - A JUry
awarded $405,000 Thursday to a man who
said he was repumandcd for taking too
much sick lime after telling his bosses he has
the virus that causes AIDS. Roger Kw1atck,
who worked in the support services office at
the West Palm Beach branch of AT&T
Wrrclcss, said he was first repnmandcd m
1993, the day after he told his bosses he was
HIV-positive.
In the months following his announcement,
Kwiatck's bosses told him his work
needed improvement and he needed a doctor's
note to justify his absences. Kwiatek's
attorney, Scott Warfman, said the AT&T
Wireless and it's subsidiary, McCaw
Cellular, were trying to lay a foundation to
fire Kwiatek.
In 1994, the company told Kwiatck he'd
be fired if he didn't improve and gave him
the option of taking long-term disability.
Kwiatek, who was then on a reduced work
week, said he could do the work and continued
in the $23,500-a-ycar JOb. He eventually
accepted the long-term disability m 1995,
when he became to weak to work.
The jury awarded Kwiatek $180,000 for
past and future psychological counschng
and lost wages. He also received $125,000
for pain and suffcnng. The jury also said
AT&T should pay $1 million in pumuve
damages, but by law that amount would be
reduced to $100,000, Warfman said. AT&T
spokesman Shawn Camp criticized the
jury's award.
"It's a Christmas verdict," he told the
Palm Beach Post Thursday. "We never discnminatcd
against Mr. Kwiatck m any
way .. There was never any type of punitive
action here." Camp said the company is sull
paying 60-percent of Kwiatck's salary and
accommodated his request to reduce his
work week.
Jurvto hear
male vs. male
sexual harassment suit
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A sexual harassment
and assault claim from a male state
Department of Human Resources employee
against his maJc former supervisor goes to
trial Monday in federal court. Calvin
Burton Ill of Bmningham sued the state of
Alabama and former supervisor Philip
Calloway m DHR's food stamps claims
office.
The case comes a week after justices on
the US. Supreme Court heard arguments m
a sarne·sex sexual harassment case stem·
ming from incidents among offshore oil rig
workers in the Gulf of Mexico The
Supreme Court decision on whether sexual
harassment laws apply to members of the
same sex is expected in July.
In his suit, Burton claims that Calloway
told him in March 1993 that he was "gay
and proud of 11" Calloway asked Burton
out, but Burton told him he liked women
and was engaged to be married, Burton
claims.
But then, Burton claims, Calloway began
subjecting him to ·•countless incidents" of
intcnuonally rubbing his body agamst
Burton's in a small room that contained a
copy machine, making sexual commenlS
toward him and inVlting him to a gay nghts
march m Washington.
Dunng jury selection Thursday, DHR's
attorney Margaret Fleming acknowledged
that Calloway was homosexual, but she
denied that he had ever harassed Burton.
Burton, who filed suit in October 1996
seeks compensatory damages, back pay:
court costs and other awards, as well as
injunctive rchcf to ensure that any sexual
harassment in the workplace stops
Former patient sues
psychiatrist
ALBUQUERQUE - An Albuquerque
psychiatrist has been sued by a former
female patient who alleges he illegally had
sex with her and that she later teamed h1S
W>fe's ex-husband died of AIDS.
Rose Wynell Quackenbush, 47, alleges m
her lawsuit that she began seeing Dr. John
N Bennett in November 1995 when <he
sought treatment for depression.
............. ., •••Qu•ack•en•bu sh, a secretary and school P A G E 1 7
teacher, continued seeing him until this sum·
mer, says the lawsuit, filed in state district
coun.
During that time, Bennett "negligently
failed to refer Wynell to another therapist
and ncghgently treated Wynell by uunatmg
and maintaining rc~ated sexual contact
with her," the lawsuit alleges. "Additionally,
Benncn did not disclose to Wynell that Mrs.
(Judith) Bennett's former husband was HIV
positive until after Bennett began to engage
Wynell in a sexual relationship," the lawsuit
says.
The ex-husband died of AIDS m
September, the lawsuit says. Bruce
Pasternack, Quackenbush'• attorney, said
the case bas been turned over to the distnct
attorney's office. Bennett and his attorney,
Charlonc Mary Toulouse, declined comment
Tuesday on the lawsuit, which also
names Mrs. Bennett as a defendant.
Mrs. Bennett worked in her husband's
office as a bookkccpcr, says the lawsuit,
"The problem
is most people
wait too long.'
-Danna K. Archer
which accuses the Bennetts of professional
negligence and seeks an unspecified amount
of damages. Pasternack said Quackenbush
has filed a complaint against Bennett Wlth
the state Board of Medical Exarnmcrs.
Man indicted on charges
ol selling useless HIV
home testing kits
FRESNO, Calif (AP) - A Los Banos
man has been indicted by federal
authorities for selling bogus HIV and
Hepatitis A home test kits.
Court records show Lawrence Clare
Greene, 50, marketed his home test kits
over the Internet and through several
San Joaquin Valley pharmacies under
the label LEI-Home Access Care and
Jin-Greene Biotechnology Prosecutors
See COURT page 18
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COMMUNITY STAFF PARTY!
Wednesday: 9 pm
CHlii~'i'illS tVE
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and all through the house,
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a rouse! All were in good
Cheer, With Cheap Drinks and
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COURT WATCH
COURT/1rompage 17
said the kits were not approved by the
Food and Drug Administration.
Greene allegedly sold the test kllS to
about 30 people nationwide, mostly m
New York and Florida, and distributed
them to about 35 to 40 pharmacies 1n
Modesto, Fresno and Merced, U.S.
Attorney Paul L. Seave said in a written
statement Fnday.
"Those who seek to profit from the
tragedies associated with the spread of
the HIV virus by illegal means will be
vigorously prosecuted for their despicable
acts," Seave said
Class-action suit seeks
to force Utah Medicaid to
pav tor deVices
SALT LAKE CITY - Utah Medicaid is
d1scrimmaung against rcapients who cannot
speak by refusing to pay for devices that
allow them to communicate, a class-action
lawsuit contends Such devices may range
from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.
The su11, filed m federal court Tuesday by
the Disability Law Center, 1s based on
denials of payment for such devices to Scott
Fike, 32, who has cerebral palsy, and Jana
Real, 30, who was left speechless from a
brain in1ury. United Cerebral Palsy of Utah
also IS named as a plainuff
Un11ed Hralthcare of Utah IS named as a
defendant because it provides health-care
coveragr for sorue Utah Medicaid
enrollees, mduding Fike. Utah Medicaid 1s
required by federal mandate to cover the
devices, when deemed medically necessary,
for rec1p1entS age 21 and under. But the
Utah program excludes members when
they turn 22. State Health Department officials
say those denied coverage can appeal.
The suit alleges Utah Medicaid discriminates
against people with severe disabilities
m favor of people with less severe disabilities,
said Ron Gardner, legal director of the
nonprofit center. Medicaid covers speech
and language therapy, equipment and supplies
to adults and children who have difficulty
speaking. But it does not provide the
same level of service to adultS unable to
speak
The sun alleges that policy is m v1olat1on
of the Med1ca1d Act, the Amencan wuh
D1sab11it1es Act and the Rehabihtahon Act.
"If you have some natural speech abil11y,
they'll provide services to improve that
speech, but 1f you have no speech ability,
Medicaid says, •No,'" Gardner said.
Rod Betit, executive director of the Utah
Department of Health, said the state
Medicaid budget is not large enough to
cover everything and that the agency must
determine the need for such devices to
ensure rec1p1ents are able to communicate
well enough to receive good medical care.
"If you are disabled, but sull have the use
of your hands or can speak somewhat or
can write notes to communicate, then saying
this (commumcation device) is the only
way you can communicate, for medical reasons,
1s not the case," he said. "If you arc a
quadnpleg1c and clearly have no other way
to convey your frelings and concerns other
than through an ass1St1ve devicr. then that's
a much more clear case "
www. houstonvoice.com
•=•·•••¥*•·•;" ...... P A G E 1 e
GLOBAL NEWS
To decriminalize or not?
British conference
discusses mariiuana
by Sue Leeman
Associated Press
LONDON - Mariiuana should be legalized
because it is a largely safe drug that
can alleviate some symptoms of multiple
sclerosis. AIDS and cancer, the sponsors of
Britain's first public conference on the issue
declared Thursday.
Body Shop founder Anita Roddick. one
of the sponsors, told an often-rancorous
audience of 500 that Bntain's current poli·
cy regulaung mar1iuana 1s "random. foolish
and harmful" and "turns the sick mto cnminals.•
Said Roddick· "It is ume to change
the law.''
The conference, also sponsored by
Virgin boss Richard Branson, was brought
together by The Independent on Sunday
newspaper, which has mounted a campaign
to enable Bntons to buy and grow maniuana
legally. Some at the conference
expressed concern that marijuana use was a
"gateway" to harder drugs, but they were in
the minority.
Nigel Evans, a lawmaker from the main
opposition Conservative Party, was heckled
when he said manJuana could cause madness.
"Keeping II controlled is the only way
we can keep the number of young users
down," he insisted.
Bnush property owners face jail terms of
up to 14 years for allowing someone to
smoke cannabis on their premises
Govemmrnt figures show that thrre are at
least I 5 milhon manJuana users, wuh
more than 656,000 arrests made for
cannabis-related offenses between 196 7 and
1995.
Pnme Mm1ster Tony Blair's Labor government,
which came to power on May 1
says it has no plans lo dccnm1naltze man-
OCCEIVIBER
juana, despite a recent British Medical
Association repon that marijuana has therapeutic
value in treating the symptoms of
some diseases. The medical journal Lancet
concluded in I 995 that "the smoking of
cannabis, even long-term, is not harmful to
health."
Labor lawmaker Austin Mitchell, who
earlier this month led a delegation to the
Department of Health asking for mati1uana
to be made available on prescnpuon, said
he had been told there was not enough
research on the subiect. "Pure balderdash,"
Mitchell thundered Thursday, waving a
copy of the BMA report from the floor
"Thousands and thousands of multiple
sclerosis sufferers are being forced into the
back streetS "
Balancing on a pair of crutches. MS sufferer
Barry Clarke complained that he has
to be a cnmmal to obtain marijuana to
relieve muscle spasms "Why can't I grow
11 in the privacy of my own home and
smoke it'" Clarke said. "That's all I ask."
Rosie Boycott, ed11or of The
Independent on Sunday, urged other countries
to follow the Netherlands, which
allows itS citizens to use maniuana for therapeutic
and recreational purposes. Other
speakers went further, urging full legalization.
Sociology professor Lynn Zimmer, coauthor
of a report on manjuana research
published by US. philanthropist George
Soros' Lindesmith Center, said the drug
"has some potential for harm, but not too
much."
Soros, a billionaire currency trader, was
among the financial backers of a California
law, approved by voters in 1996, that allows
marijuana to be grown and used for med·
1cal purposes if recommended by a phys1·
c1an.
Decriminalizing marijuana Zimmer
said, would enable police officers to focus
on other cnmes - in effect "expanding current
police forces by 5 or I 0 percent. Last
See GLOBAL page 23
1 9 T H 1 u a 7
M#Me@i4-:+@eM§ @•MM+M P A G C! 1 9 ...
ENTERTAINMENT
Tomorrow Never Dies Twilight of the Golds
Best Bond Yet
by Leslie Ramsay
Uruted Anists releases the long over due
Tomorrow Never Dies to a theater near you
tlus weekend Get ready to be entenained.
Tlus lllStallment of Ian Fleming's Agent
007 finds Bond spoiling the world domination
plans of the maniacal Elliot Carver, 24-
hour news media mogul. If the news day is
a bit off- why not create your own news' A
few people will get blown to shreds 10 the
process but 11 docs make a really super headline
m the morrung newspapers.
Pierce Brosnan (Mrs. Doubtfire,
GoldenEye) returns as the super suave
Bond. James Bond. Michelle Yeoh
(Supcrcop) plays Wai Lin, a gun totmg Kung
Fu Cluncsc agent. Wai Lin is not the usual
femme fatale that Bond has draped about
him 10 previous outings. Wai Lin fights side
by side with Bond.
Jonathan Pryce (Evita) stars as Eliot
Carver. The role is a cross between the evil
twins of Ted Turner, Bill Gates and Rupcn
Murdoch. Teri Hatcher (TV's Lois & Clark)
plays the wife of Carver and former lover of
Bond, Paris.
Desmond Llewelyn (16 Bond Films . . )
returns as Q. Q continues turning out the
most fabulous toys that make Bond the man
with the best toys in the business. This time
he has supplied James with a remote controlled
BMW 750. The car IS fantastic.
Dame Judi Dench (Henry V, Hamlet) and
Samantha Bond (GoldenEye) play M and
Miss Moneypenny respectively.
GOtz Otto (Schmdler's LISI, Gndlock)
plays the sadisuc psychopathic German boy
toy of Carver. His career in Amencan films
IS sure to take off after his exposure in
Tomorrow Never Dies. Vincent Schiavelli
(Amadeus. Ghost) provides the bizarre evil
guy character that every James Bond film
must have.
Is it wonh seven bucks and a trip out to
the multi-plex to sec 11? Absolutely.
Gold at the AMC 30
by Leslie Ramsay
Avalance Releasing 1s delivering The
Twilight of the Golds to the AMC 30 at
Dunvale screens this weekend.
The film stars Jennifer Beals (D.vil in a
Blue Drrss, F7asJuiance) as a newly expecting
mother, Suzanne. Her genetics
research industry employed husband,
Rob, is played by Jon Tenney (Fools Rush
Jn, Tombstone). The husband convinces
her to run a "few tests" on their unborn
child.
The genetics tests results are not at all
what they expect. The child has the
genetic makeup linked with homosexuality.
The couple is torn over what to do.
Suzanne receives mixed messages from
everyone she turns to for advice. Rosie
O'Donnell (A I.Lague of Their Own, Exit to
Eden) and Patrick Bristow (TV's Ellen)
have cameo roles as a co-workers who
offer advice.
'T"lie Staff and Management of The BRB
.l would like to wish everyone a Happy
and Safe Holiday Season
Sunday
December 21 • 8pm
The Rainbow Rangler's
Holiday Show and Auction
Thursday
December 25 • 2pm til. ..
Christmas Buffet
The Brazos River Bottom Club
I
2400 Brazos • Houston. TX 77006
713-528-9192
....... P A G F.: 2 0 DECE IVI BER
Suzanne's brother, David as played by
Brendan Fraser (George of the Jungle, Mrs.
Winterbourne), is gay. The family still has
not dealt with his sexual orientation.
Faye Dunaway (The Chamber,
Network) plays the mother, Phyliss, and
Garry Marshall (&aches, Exit to Eden)
plays the father, Walter. They struggle
with their own feelings about David's orientation.
Should Suzanne abon their first
born grandson and try again? Maybe the
next one won't be gay ...
The film is very thought provolting. The
abonion issue is not the main focus as
much as genetic research, Do we really
need to know everything?
WINDOW/trompage 1
improve the newspaper," Waybourn said .
"We believe Houston Voice has a strong role
to play in the community."
Wayboum is a native Texan. He was
born in Houston in I 94 7. Waybourn
worked for 10 years as an eduor for two
Texas dally newspapers. A former Dallas
activist, he was president of the Dallas Gay
and Lesbian Alliance. He was an instrumental
force in the growth of the lesbian
and gay community there throughout the
1980's.
While m Dallas, Waybourn was fundamental
to the creation of gay and lesbian
institutions including the community center,
AIDS clinic, food bank, credit union, credit
card, and a young adult's d1Scussion and
support group. Jn tbe early I 980's
Wayboum, Bill Nelson, Terry fcbedo and
Craig Spaulding founded Dallas'
Crossroads market, a multi·purpose store
serving Dallas' gay and lesbian community.
Subsequent to selling Crossroads Market
in 1991, Waybourn moved to Washington,
D.C., where he founded the Gay and
wbian Victory Fund, a highly successful
political action committee devoted to raising
money for openly gay and lesbian political
candidates and served as its executive director
for four years.
"Houston was an integral partner in the
growth of the Victory Fund," Waybourn
said. "Thanks to early interest on behalf of
many Houstonians, including former board
member Annise Parker, we were able to help
elect numerous openly lesbian and gay can·
d1dates to public office."
Three years ago, Waybourn formed a
public affairs and marketing firm, Window
Corporauon, to assist wlth positive interaction
between mainstream corporations and
the lesbian and gay community. The Gay &
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(GLAAD) subsequently hired Window
Corporation for two yean to restructure
GLAAD from a loose confederauon of
chapten into a single cohesive national
organization. Today, GLAAD maintains
fully staffed offices in New York, Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Washington,
Atlanta and Kansas City.
Last year. Wmdow Media LLC was
formed with partners Ellsasser and Johnson
- who have worked with Waybourn since
the early days of the Victory Fund - and
Cram, who began working with the team
dunng Waybournrn's tenure at GLAAD
Ellsasser manages tbe business aspects of
Window Media, and preV1ously managed
the day·to-day operauons of both the
Victory Fund and GLAAD. A graduate of
Drake. Ellsasser is a degreed accountant and
also serves as a partner in Window
See WINDOW page 23
1 B T H 1 e e 7
-=···--·•;'!
wish to offer Seasons Greetings to those organizations,
businesses and individuals who have helped us continue
"lifting hearts during the holidays" for those in our
community afflicted with or affected by HIV I AIDS.
We are proud to acknowledge the following businesses and
organizations who have supported our endeavors or have
allowed us to support them in their community service efforts.
The Brazos River Bottom
Garden Party
PWA Coalition
The Colt 45's
Krewe of Olympus-Texas
Soiree Aubergine
Mary's ... naturally!
Venture-In
The Texas Gay Rodeo Association-Houston Chapter
The Royal, Sovereign and Imperial Court of the Single Star
n 1997, through the efforts, contributions and support
rom many within our community, we have been able
o provide holiday cheer in the amount of
$15,99 •
PWA
HOLIDAY
'iARITIES
(a tax exempt charitable organization)
Underwritten by the membership of PWA Holiday Charities
tw.+w+ P A G E 2 1 DECEMBE.R 1 9 T H 1 9 9 7
ea
ears Eve
~ i ~ T ~ U ~ ~ N, T
. ~ ~ :
"Baker Pierre Lumbroso makes
Moroccan style bread the old
fashioned way ... all are divine.
Pierre practices his craft at Riva's."
Ann C..riswell
Houston Chronicle 11119/97
!".@@+@§1111 P A G 6 2 2
our
's!
GLOBAL NEWS HEALTH
GLQBAL/rrom page 18
year in the United States, the police arrest·
ed 500,000 people for possessing cannabis,"
she said. "By my calculat1on, these arrests
cost American taxpayers about $500 mil·
lion."
AIDS warning tor soldiers
at Britain's largest
militarv base
LONDON (AP) · Commanders at
Bntain's biggest military base have advised
troops to take an AIDS test after at least two
HTV·posit1ve women had a senes of sexual
affairs with soldiers, the Ministry of Defense
said Tuesday.
Deputy commanding officer Col. Neil
Donaldson said in a special order signed
Wednesday that the two women had been
having sex with soldiers based at Catterick
WINDOW/trompage20
Corporation.
Johnson, a graduate of Harvard Law
School, serves as strategic and legal counsel
for Window Media, and for both the Victory
Fund and GLAAD. He is national co·chair
of the Servicemembers Legal Defense
Network, general counsel of the Victory
Fund and partner in Window
Corporation.
Crain, also a graduate of Harvard Law
School, manages the editorial and opera·
lions aspect of Window Media and serves as
editor and publisher of Southern Voice.
Crain's background in ioumalism, newspa·
gamson m Yorkshire, 210 miles (340 km)
north of London
"It has been reported by a confidential
source that at least two females hving in the
geographical area of Cattenck Garrison
have contracted the AIDS virus and are HIV
positive," Donaldson's statement said The
women, he said, "are believed to be hberal
with their affections, particularly to soldiers,
and are not adverse to indulging in casual
sex, often unprotected."
The Sun tabloid newspaper said that more
than I 00 men had asked for AIDS tests after
the announcement and speculated that the
women may have been dehberately trying to
infect soldiers. The Ministry of Defense did
not say whether any of the soldiers tested
had the HTV virus.
Catterick garrison is the headquarters of
the 19th mechanized brigade which includes
battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, the
Highlanders and the Queen's Royal Hussars.
T T T T T T T T
per management and law serves him well as
publisher and editor of Southern Voice.
Crain edited three award·w1rmmg university
publications, the Harvard Law Record, the
Vanderbilt Hustler, and Versus Magazine.
He was also a reporter with The Tennessean,
Nashville's morning daily paper.
In addition, Crain has played sigruficant
roles in several maior gay civil rights cases,
including the first legal attack on the m1li·
tary's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy to
reach the Supreme Court, and the child cus·
tody case of Sharon Bottoms, the Virginia
lesbian whose mother sued for custody after
learning of Sharon's sexual orientation
T T T T T T T
Studv: cenain svmptoms
can identttv earlv-stage
HIV infection
by JoAnn Loviglio
BALTIMORE · Fever, joint pain and
night sweats can indicate infCClion with the
AIDS virus before it shows up 1n the stan·
dard blood test, researchers say.
The symptoms can appear within three to
four weeks after a person is infCCled with
HTV, according to the study pubhshed
Wednesday in Tht Journal of tM Ammcan
Mtd1eal ksociation. It takes three to six
months before HIV antibodies are found in
the bloodstream
Knowing the symptoms could be helpful
in developing countries where high·tech
methods of early diagnosis are unavailable
or unaffordable. People in the very early
stages of HIV are highly infCC11ous and
unaware they have the virus, so they are
more likely to have unprotCCled sex. said
Robert Bolhnger, associate professor of
medicine at Johns Hoplons University, one
of the researchers.
The study looked at 3,874 people in India
who were being treated for other sexually
transmitted diseases and at first tested nega·
tlve for HIV antibodies Researchers
screened the patients for an HIV protein
called p24 antigen, which appears within a
couple of weeks of mfCClioo. Having p24
antigen IS proof of HTV infection b |
