| Transcript |
One Community! One Voice!@
IVIARCH 14TH 1997 - ISSUE ass
Gav Group Presses For
Human Cloning
by Curt Morrison
The Clone Rights United Front (CRUF),
a group of gay acl1vists, 1s pressmg for more
research on human cloning.
The group was formed last week by
Randolfe Wicker after reports were released
lo the media on the successful cloning of a
lamb from an adult sheep. The group of
approx1ma1ely 15 members held a demon·
sira11on m Greenwich Village last Saturday
Al issue IS proposed legisla11on that
would make the act of cloning a felony m
the state of New York
W1rker told USA Today last week that the
group was fighting for research and the protection
of an individuals' reproductive
nghts.
"I realize my clone would be my 1dent1cal
twm, and my 1den1tcal twm has a nght to be
born," Wicker 1old the newspaper.
According to the report, Ann Norhtrop, a
columnist for LGNY (a gay and lesbian
news weekly m lhc lhg Apple), says the
issue 1s of interest to the community for scv·
eral reasons.
''In a llme when we re afraid that discov
«"ry of a acen('tK baMs (for t-omC"s~-Xuahty)
would lend to people abortmg us. cloning
would be a way of surviving, ' Northrop
told USA Today.
"llus has the potcnllal of givmg women
complete control m•er reproduction .a stunning
poss1b1h1y that could, earned 10 its log-
1cal extreme, chmmate men altogether," said
Northrop.
Since the issue is rela11vely new 10 the
community, there is no clear consensus on
the matter.
President Clinton has md1ca1ed he would
take steps to ensure that human cloning ts
not conducted in the Unued States.
According 10 Human Rights Campaign
spokesperson Kim M11ls, 1he gay and lesbian
communny is d1vefl>e and the group believes
there are many varying opinions on the subject
w1th1n the community. The organization
has not yet taken a pos1t1on on human
cloning.
The subiect matter has become heavy fodder
on the Internet accord1ng9to Jack
Nichols, Web site editor of gaytoday.badpuppy.
com In fact the Web s11e has a forum
devoted to the subject.
Nichols indicated there 1s no consensus in
favor of human cloning, albeit 11 is leaning
ioward that d1rect1on, he says.
"It's new to nll of us. It's hkc Jumpmg m
the air mto l'haos If we don'1 close our
minds, I'm sure we'll land safely," Nichols
informed.
Entertainment Review
The Greeks Is a sweeping two-part
saga of love, murder, revenge and
rescue drawn from the great classical
stories ol the Trojan War and
Iha Fall of the House ol Atreus. See
review by Oavld Richardson on
page 19.
Crazy for You star Bob Walton, discusses
his career In an Interview
with Jon Anthony. The zany musical
of Gershwin songs is currently
playing at the Music Hall. See Inter·
view/review on page 18.
FBI warns Groups Targeted Bv Hate
Crimes: Bomber Mav Strike Again
Atlanta (AP) • The FHI has warned
mmonty commun1t1rs and other groups that
have been 1arge1t·d by hate crimes that the
person responsible for bombing an abortion
chnic and a gay nightclub may likely strike
again
"I don't think we have evidence that the
person 1s going to stnkc again, we're JUSt
being cau11ous," FBI spokesman Jay
Spadafore said today
The Fill 1old Georgia lawmakers about
the warning ,JSI week, The Atlanta JoumalC.
onstttuuon reported today.
"We've been attempting to do 11 m a 'ow.
key fashion," Spadafore said. "The goal is 10
be prudent and v1gtlant "1thout creating
alarm or a pamc •
The agents offered congressional leaders
no ronclus1ve theories as to why Atlanta was
targeted, although they suggested the city's
m1erna1ional exposure from the I 996
Olympics was one poss1b1h1y, the newspaper
reported
Agents said they have not ruled out that
the recent explosions were tied to last summer's
bombm~ al Olympic Centennial Park,
which killed one person and miured more
than I 00 others.
!'he FBl's briefing was conducted at the
request of Sen. Paul Coverdell, R-Ga.
S<veral other members of the Georgia delegation
and staff members attended
Agents said their forensic work IS movtng
slowly They told the congrcss1onal lead<rl>
that the bombs used in all of the e~plostons
were constructed of widely available rnatenals,
mak.:ig mdmdual components difficult
to lracc
Near Mishap at Local Eatery
I
A motorist lost control of their vehicle
earlier this week during heavy
rainfall. The Incident occured as a
result of the weather and startled
many patrons ol Ruggles restaurant
In Montrose when the vehlcle slid
within Inches of the restaurant's atrium.
The unidentified driver was
transported to a local hospital. At
press time, details concerning
lnJurles or damage were unavallabla.
Ballet -with a Bite
Million Dollar
Dracula
Premieres in
Houston
Rich Arenschieldt
"I rouldfeel IM soft, shtvmng toudt of the Lps
<>n tht SUf"T·SCMh>'t !J:tn of my threat, and the
hard dents of two sharp tttth, just touchzr.g and
pausing there. I doStd my qes rn a languorous
tnlasy and waited - waited wilh a brating
htart .•
•· Dracula, Bram Stoker
In celebration of the centenary of Bram
Stokers monumental victonan goth1c tale,
Houston Ballet has decided 10 unearth
Dracula m a completely new. full length production.
W11h choreography by longtime
An1st1c Director Ben Stevenson, music of
romanttc Franz Liszt and production design
by Thomas Boyd, this Dracula prom1SCS to
be a visual spectacle.
Can a choreographer best known for the
fluffier side of ballet switch from nutcrad:ers
to a nocturnal nemesis nvalmg
Frankenstein? According to Scan Kt'Jy,
Houston Balk! Pnncipal dancer, "lbere IS a
!01 of new movement m Dracula - a lot of
mteres11ng work both for the soloists and the
'Bndes of Dracula,' composed of the
women corp(ses) de ballet"
Ben Slevenson's idl"a for this work has
been gcrmmallng for over ten years. \\'hen
asked to create a work for the Amcncan
Ballet Theater and star dancer Kenn
~!cKenz1e Stevenson t:nmediately thought
of the 'Vampyr' "Kcvm was so tall •nd elegant,
perfect for the pan • As a <.horcographer
he has histoncally used dancers as
muses, bke Balanachine, has often anted
works with speafic danceTS m rmd
Though blood thirsty, Stevenson s
Dracula IS also a "sensual anstocrat with
tmpeccable manners," (perhaps this means
that you receive a 'mighty morphm power
rangers Band-Aid after your Jugular 1mpalmcnt).
ThtS ghoul is qwte sensual - m cer·
tam versions of the storv Dracula is merely
a bloodseekcr. Stevenson has anted a being
that has a lustful atttaC110n to tus charaeters
usually the most beaut ful w-,men his deadly
dentures can entrap "He has charm, he's
a count, handsome, courtly and t 1ngu ng to
women, Stevenson recounts, perhaps
reflecting his own slightly pohte Bnush sen·
sib1li1y.
This legend is npe for ballcttc characters
- v11lams, priests. heroes. and inn~nt, lube·
some women abound In
add1t1on to Dracula,
other pnnctpal male
role of Fredenck,
See BALLET
page 19
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
In The Spirit of Mardi Gras
by Bruce Reeves
&II Captain Olympus XXV!l
On Behalf of mysdf and the Krewe of
Olympus Ball, I would hkc to take this
opporturuty to thank all of our guests for
attending the Olympus XXVII - Pnde and
Prriud1cc to January.
f •
by Lee Davis
Court's New Titles!
At PR Ball 3 on Saturday, March 8, the
Royal, Sovcmgn and Impcnal Court of the
Single Star of Houston, Inc. (RSICSS)
announced the hnc for Reign Xm. Emperor
and Empress XII Jim Halbert and Ruby
Stone started with the presentation of
S 10,850 to last year's bcncfiaanes. Colt 45s1
Way to go RSICSS and the community•
(f.r) Lexy, Anita, Jere/ & Sean.
The nail btung m anuapauon bad come
to an end with the fol10W1ng title announcements
from Emperor & Empress XIII Jere!
McN<il & Anna MaM: Rema Xlll Tiffany
Swanger; Don Xlll Larry Spnggs; Baron &
Baroness XIII CJ. Brooks & JJ Topaz;
Viscount & Viscountess XIII John Dye &
Frankie Lee Love, Count & Countess Xlll
Ron Walters & Ginger Snapp Sugarbaker,
Marquis & Marqucssa XII! Marlene Beago
& Ba:rbara Seville; Duke & Duchess XIII
XaV1cr Luna & Day-Leigh Edwards; Grand
Duke & Grand Duchess XIII J.J. Pecov1ch &
Our guests donated more money on the
floor thts year than m any prevtous ball. As
such, we will be donating a total of $9,000 to
our chanucs • Omega House and Steven's
House
Thank you again for helping us to make
our commumty a better place and for making
Pnde and Preiud1ce a fantastic success
T T T T T T T T T
n
Jackie Thorne; Kmg Father & Queen
Mother XIII Buddy Thompson & Barbara
Walker Lee Love; Imperial Pnnce &
Pnnccss XIII Michael Jones & Jennifer
Ellsworth; and Impcnal Pnnce Royalc &
Pnncess Royalc XIII Scan Carter & Lexy
Bowen
Jere! & Anita aMounced the benefictary
for Reign XII! as The Loving Arms
Foundation Impcnal Pnnccss Royale Xll
Vanna While Lee Love announced the
Omega House as the beneficiary for PR Ball
3 with a whoppmg total of $4,000. Best
w1Shes to Reign XIII as you have some very
large shoes to fill m the next year!
New Ms. Gulf Coast
Congratulations to Houston's own
Tiffany Swanger as she and Cheryl Wilcox
lied and both won The Ms. Gulf Coast
Leather Contest '97. Held at the Venture-N,
owner Jim Roberts showed everyone a great
time over the fun-filled weekend We all
look forward to some umque leather outfits
this year, Tiffany'
S.S. Aubergine Docks!
Soiree Aubergine closed thetr ·97 fund
raising events with a boot-scootm' party at
the Brazos River Bottom on Sunday, March
9 Bnan Munson was announced as the
lucky ticket holder for the Raffle Grand
Pnzc--a tnp for two to Pans (yes, France, not
Texas) Congratulations, Brian!
Entertamment was provided by the allfcmalc
country western band "Cowboy's
Nightmare". A up of our hat to Soiree's
Chairman, Rusty Mueller on a ;ob well
done• r EDITORIAL
By J.C. Michelak
Recent events have confirmed beyond a
shadow of a doubt the necesSlly for our
commumty to focus on passing Hate Cnmes
legislation The recem bombmg of a gay
and lesbian club m Atlanta IS the latest
attroaty that our community has had to
endure. Pnor to the bombing, we have seen
many of our fnends and loved ones suffer
through heinous acts of violence solely
because they were gay, or even perceived to
be gay. For years, we have seen hate cnmes
on the nsc. Now, 11 is time for us to act.
Next weekend, The March in March will
convene m our state- capitol. The March 1s
being hdd to support the Texas Hate Cnme
Bill It IS 1mperattve that we as a community
show our strength in numbers. Pohtictans
from both sides of the aiSlc will be watch mg
to determine the strength of the gay vote.
While our community has always been vocal
on issues affecting gays and lesbians, we
have not always demonstrated our strength
at the polls. Imagine the outcome of the
Hate Cnmc legislauon, tf II IS evident that
we do noi have a coal11Jon that the pollll·
cians can count on for support in their next
election.
We, as a community, cannot afford to be
apathetic The Texas Hate Cnme Bill
should be our number one pnonty as a commumty.
Perpetrators must know that acts of
cnmc based on a ptrsons' ethnicity, sexual
oncntauon or any other basis will not be tolerated.
No 1nd1V1dual or group should have
to fear for their hves because of their ongin
whether 1t be cultural or sexual. Frankly, we
should not even be havmg th1S debate Aru
of violence, 1rrcspc~uve of the reasomng,
should not be tolerated by our government.
Indeed, tt 1s one of the government's pnmary
respons1btl1tcs to protect Jts citizenry
The Houston Voice urges Houston's gay
and lesbian communuy to ;oin their fellow
community members statewide m this very
important march. The March in March ts
from Noon to 4 pm March 23, 1997 m
Austin, TX The March begins at the
Palmer Auduonum and concludes at the
State Capitol The following day, Monday
March 24, will be Lobby Day. Agam, commuruty
mvolvcmcnt m lobbying the leg15lature
on this paramount issue is encouraged.
Get a mammogram.
You owe it to yourself.
Call 1-800-ACS 2345 for
information about mammograms.
'AMERICAN
~CANCER
~SOCIETY
HOU S T O N VOI CE P A G E 2
In
This
Issue
Regional News
pages 4 & 5
Religion
pages 23 & 24
National News
pages 6, 8, 9, 10 & 11
Global News
page 12
Rainbow Reader
page 16
Ans & Entenainment
pages 15, 17, 18 & 19
Columnists
Plain Speaking · page 8
Righteous Indignation . page 9
Life with AIDS · page 25
And TTiere You Have It - page 16
Service Directorv
pages 26 & 27
Horoscope
page 25
Health/Spons
pages 20, 21, & 22
Scene and Heard
page 28
Out in Houston
page 29
communitv Calendar
page 30
Communitv Directorv
page 32
Classilieds
pages 31 & 32
Personals
page 35
NIA RCH
!HOUSTON
VOl~E lone Community! One Voice!.1
ISSUE 855
IVIARCH 1 4TH, 1 997
E>tabloshed 1974 as the Montrose Star,
reestablished 1980 as the Ho~ton Montrose St.lr,
Changed name to The Houston Vooce., 1991
11eorporating the New Orleans Crescent Crty Star,
Reestabt1sfled as the
tiouston Voice by Thomas Nelson m 1993
811 Westhemtr, Suite 105
Houston. Te.as 77006
(71315298490
(800) 729 8490
Fax (713) 529 9531
Email: Ho<JVoiceClaot.com
Contef1ts tOl>YTiihl 1997
Offoee hours: 9:00am.5:3()pm weekclays
Pubisher
cranuran
[cj,!af
LC. llcblllk
Ed<t°''°' Oepartm<t>l
Jin llttllonv Entertainment Editor
lit Davis Sports Editor
Ca111Vn l1b1ns Society Editor
Admmistration
MattlleW Pennlnltln . Executive Asst.
Jehn T1ups Administrative Asst.
Writers
lllch arenschleldt, Davlll llanc1,
lee Davis. llrry Un11e.
Cun 11rr111n. leslll llmsav.
Davlll llchart111n. carelvn l1bens.
Chrlsttpller IUDll•Ulst Stephen Schmllll.
Patricia Mell Warran
Car100tlst
Earl Storm
Photographers
Steven Davit DIVltl CMU
Pn>ductoon
Victor Peraa tlba cre111uv1 Unllmltell
Format Met.wnan:Jhosis
Vilven Design 8r1UP
Advertismg Sa • .5 Department
lee Davis, John TIUPS
hdependent Advertlsn\,; ~ ;.; .. Riprt .. enlatrvc-s
11n11mln andrl-lllll. Stephen Schmidt
llllSheppanl
Clas~ieds ald PerSONfs
John Toups
Natoonal AdVOrt ::ng lltpres<ntatNe
11¥11ndell MarkeUna.
r.1 .... 511. wesmeit 11 901-232-2021
Notice to AdVertJsen
~er•escfleCUefot.rtftnwistfftctrwStPt 1996
.p ........ --o1..,.-.-- 111iidt or f.tNt. copy or pfi(ltoCJ'aph hurl 1f1t Houston \loiet rs
'°"""""-<dbyledor~ ........
• Opncwl$ ell.Ptfsstd by cobntists or ~\h .,, not nee
uuriy.ttcse a# trlt tbiston \toic.t Of it1 lr..tf Mid wt UMlftt
l'IO iabiliy for IM COflterit t1')f'CS~ 01 iTtJNd ol sad ¥tJdt;
or ~enns of Pffl,Ons i.ir.a or dud, rt.II or flctoNI ri flt C•
1 .... ,
• PWlcJtllJfl of !tit rwnt or pticitOl"IPh of lrflf person.or 0r111
ruit>OO ri artdr$ or ~ef'bWll l'I the Houst!l'I Voice " not to
bteonsttue<1 ISllT'fi!OC~of h u-1lialonrrrW1>on of said
Ptn.onororc.wmn.
• The IJIPt•olf'Ct of aclv1'11ts.tmtnb Or oPnons tlP'ffsed
thtre11 do"°' cor."..!JMe an f(')Oorwment or ~by tne
Hou\torl YQICt Ot 1U st.if.
POSTMASTCFt Send «b-ns torrttb:::ins lo 811 WtstUmK
Sirte 105.-· TX 71006.
~,,,.,,USIJfC¥rttr1XUSm.IO 11 75Pl'.s.
c5.SOl*6mor0s0t ··.-,.,.-. --..- ..,,--._.---,-,· 51'00o2·mC:SS-9T0l ..0.010.2P.:.0t..t0r,. t,-a,.r .,. ..,C..Sc.T. .,.s,.. ,,t..i..-,, b.". . .. -........ __ .. _, ...
dlim5 by h .ecMmtn tK.1 rtldtts •• aP.td to ~ ltlt
flfWSMMfofqfr~Dfdec"""'~
""""-c..~ .. "'""'"" c., & l-CI'-" C=:'...ct. -c.. -QM-·~" lesbian Prtu As~ mtfrbfr. A!JOOJ!8 .,,.,,..,
Assocuted Prns·HSont!tt member
1 4 T H 1 9 e 7
The only way to
fail this test is not
to take it.
KNO\\'l.l·.DGE JS POWER, espcciallr
when it comes to your health. And the
trnth is, you can't get treated for I II\'
il'you clon 't know you have it. So
don't put it off Get tested. \\'ith Home
Access E:xpr{'ss;• the I IN-1 test you
can take in the pri\",K}' and com foll of'
Your own home.
I Iome Access Express is greater than
99.D% accurate and e<L~}' to administe1:
• Prepare your test at home
• :\ t. ti I your sam pie
•Call fot 1 esults within three
business cla) s
T1~1i1wcl. taring professionals \\ill answer
yom questions and ease yom mind-2·1
hours,\ clay, scH·n days a week-with
rnmpletc confidentiality.
The IIomc Access Express HIV-1 test
is ,\\ctilahlc at select pham1acies. Or you
can order h: phone for direct,
conlidential shipment to your home.
Call I-800-HIV-TFST.
\ 'iii/ our Wf'b 1ilf· al w1.1.rmhommrress.ro111
Jin 111011' inj<mnalion.
--=····•;" ·-----
Home Access· ExpREs s
• Results within 3 Days*
• Greo!er TbQo 99 9~ "
"'""•""t.a ~ · "'curo1e
~"""'~
•Ccnt~nliol
lllld Anoayrnou1
• ~ 24 HllQna Duy
• Oae S;ict• led111Q~
3 M A A C H 1 4 T H 1 9 9 ?
LOCATED IN FRONT OF SHEPHERD PLAZA
DYNAMITE DINNER
ORANGE CHILI GLAZED ATLANTIC
(., SALMON IN GRAPE ESSENCE WITH
1~ SPINACH AND VEGETABLES. PAN
I~ SEARED VENISON BACKSTRAP WITH
~ \ SPINACH PECANS, CABBAGE AND A
·!>--.~~_,-- PORT WINE GLAZE. WOW!
£ale Night Dining, Fri 6 Sal 'lill 4 am
AK AW WEE
2181 RICHMOND AT GREENBRIAR • 713-522-7737 • FAX 522-2519
Looking for great albums ... vinyl
albums ... vinyl albums with lot's of great
dance music from days gone by ...
Looking for great buys on books - including
the kind you used to hide under your bed -
well, we went under your bed and ....
it was pretty scary ...
Looking for a great selection of
videos, magazines, greeting cards
and pride wear ....
LOOK NO FURTHER! LOBO
It's not what
you'd think and
everything you'd want!
.• .-1.. ... . -. •
LOBO BOOK SHOP
3939-S Montrose 713-522-5156
MM#W.MIK--WM.M§ !" •••• P A G E
REGIONAL
Houston Ballet Slated To
Host Fundraiser For
Milam House
The Houston Ballet is plannmg to host a
Spnng fundraiser benefitmg Milam
House/ AIDS Housmg Houston m coniunction
with its upcoming production Dracula!
The Houston Ballet IS stagmg the World pre·
m1er production of Dracula! under the stew·
ardsh1p of Artistic Director Ben Stevenson
m honor of the I OOth Anniversary of the
first pubhcat1on of Bram Stoker"s novel by
the same name. (See Cover Story). ... ... ...
The Milam House fundraiser will be held
Sunday, March 23, 1997 at 2 pm The afiernoon
includes a performance of Dracula' at
the Brown Theatre at the Wortham and a
wme and cheese reception m the Founder's
Lounge at the Wortham with members of
the Houston Ballet Company 1mmed1ately
following the performance. Seating for 1he
event is hm1ted and reservations are
required Cost for the evenl IS S60 For
more 1nformat1on call George Jone at 522-
2240
log Cabinnexas
Announces Fundraiser
Log Cabm Republicans of Texas (LCR·
T). the state's largest organ1zat1on of
Republican gays and lesbians, will hold a
spec1al fundraiser on Saturday, March 22
dunng the weekend of the Gay Pnde March
Against Hate Cnmes The event will be hrld
at the home of Mr Joe Cloud. a leader in lhe
Ausun gay commuruty for equal nghts.
The event IS expected to draw members
and supporters from around lhe state, who
will be in town that weekend for the March
Agamst Hate Cnmes the fo1low1ng day, and
for Lobby Day that Monday Proceeds from
the fundra1ser will benefi1 lhe Log Cabin
Republicans of Texas, a statewide orgamz.auon
1hat advocates equal nghts for gays and
lesbians an the Texas Republican Party. The
group has active chapters in Dallas,
Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.
Tickets for the event are $20. lnd1v1duals
may also donate at the Host level, which IS
$100. At11re IS casual. For complete mformat1on
abou1 lhe event, call Ronnie Bounds
at 512-371-3585.
Three Tenors Concen
canceled
The ••Three Tenors" concert scheduled for
1his Sunday, March 16, 1997 has been can·
celed The concert featuring Luciano
Pavorot11, Placido Domingo and Jo•c
Carreras was to have been 1he World Tour
Grande Finale. The concert has been post·
poned indefim1ely 10 purportedly ov<rhaul
the sound system. The concert was to take
place al lhe AstrOdome.
(L·R! Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras,
Conductor James Levme and Luciano
Pavarotti.
T1cke1holders should contact
T1cketmasttr for mfonnauon concerning a
refund. The concert IS supposed to be rescheduled,
howrver, ticket sales did nol mee!
upec1a11oru and 11 IS doubtful whether n
will be re-scheduled anytime soon
Communitv Center
launches Founders Club
The Houston Lesbian anti Gay
Community Cnter'• Board of D1rce!c>rs 1s
'aunchmg a F undcr's Club wnh ·~e goal of
ral!:ng $3.000 to secure an mmal sue for the
proposed Center The Oib will be made up
of md1V1du:tls and groups that donate $250
or more 10 the Center effort
,,.We are offenng Houstomans a chance to
be a part of h1Story by helpmg us make 1h1S
4 MAR C H
community cen1er happen," said Bnan J
Tognottie, Pres1den1 of the Board "Wc"ve
accomplished a lot m 1he las1 few months,
estabhshmg a web sue and talking to a wide
vanety of organizations regarding the com·
mumty's needs. We are now ready to find a
space and begm offenng services."
The Center w1ll offer meeting rooms for
other organ1zat1ons and mamtam bulletm
boards for organ1zat1ons to post notices.
Add1t1onally, the Center goals are to work in
conJuncuon with other orgamzauons to co·
sponsor ac11v1t1es such as community
forums, cultural act1v1t1cs and social mixers
that bnng 1he commumly together
lnd1v1duals or groups interested m bemg a
part of the Center or seeking add1t1onal
information can call (713) 867-7094
Date Set For Second
Annual Gala Benefiting
Montrose Clinic
The Fnends of Montrose Chmc have
announced the date for this years "Hals Off
10 Broadway" fundra1sing benefit for
Montrose Clime This years event, its second,
combined w11h "A Roast of Honorary
Chair, Dr Scou Sawyer" will be held at the
Edwin Hornberger Center in the Texas
Medical Center on Sunday, June 8, 1997.
The event includes a cocktail hour, silent
auction and entertainment provided by the
Todd Vullo Tno followed by dinner and
Broadway.style entcrtamment featuring
Houston le~nds Jerry Allwood and Sharon
Montgomery as well as Keith Caldwell, Clay
Howell, Keira O'Keefe, Terry Pierce, Juliana
Walhen and Ralph Sikes. Dance music pro·
v1ded by Scou Clertner will conclude the
evening.
Underwnter and md1vidual tickets arc
available for both events or for "Hats Off"
only_ For more information, contact 1he
Chntc"s development office al (713) 520·
2000.
Blockbuster Music and
IRTS Host !Eschenbach __
Signing
Hous1on Symphony Orchestra Music
Director Chnstoph Eschenbach will be sign.
mg copies of tht· symphony's new CO
release of all -Schubert music on Koch
International Classics The classics were
recorded al Jones Hall for 1he Performing
Arts tn 1996.
HSO Music D1rector Chnstoph Eschenbach
The newly released disc contains 1he
Schubert/ Beno Rcndenng as well as the
Schubert/ Joachim Symphony in C Maior,
Grand Duo The Houston Symphony regu·
Jarly includes 1hc works of Franz Schubert m
&heir repertoire. Indeed, the orcheslra will
feature Schubert's Symphony No 4, Tragic
and the Ma.'IS m A.Oa1, No.5 along w11h 1he
Hous1on symphony Chorus m observance of
the 200th Anniversary of Schubert's birth
The concerts take place March 22 1hrouK1>
24
Pnor releases by Eschenbach and 1he
HSO have received cr1t1cal acclaim and
worldwide rccognition The s1gnmg wtll
1ake place at l!lo<·kbUSlcr MuStc at Shepherd
and Highway ~9 Refreshmt"!lts will be
served al the evenl which takes place from
J 30 1o 3 p m The event is co-sporsored by
Blockbuster and KRTS Radio. For more
mformat1on, c.111 KRTS at (713) 921 5787
Gavlapalooza Benefit for
Q-Patrol Hits Houston
Gaylapalooza, the biggest gay corned)
event cver. is coming lo Houston for tv.o
mghls only March 24 &25. The evcnl fca·
tures such prominent comedy stars as Stun
Kennedy, Kevin Maye, Bob Smllh and
"1 4 T H 1 a s 7
REGIONAL
Georgia Ragsdale.
Kennedy and Maye are the co-stars of
'The Gay Comedy Jam" which has sold-out
over 150 shows making It the most success~
fut all gay stand-up comedy act ever to tour
the US and Canada. In add1t10n, the duo
has appeared on HBO's Comedy Channel
Smith made history in 1995 as the first
openly gay comic to have his own HBO
Special and appear on The Tomght Show
with Jay Leno. Ragsdale, who resembles
Jackie 0, is considered to be one of the most
talented comedians in the world. She has
appeared on HBO and PBS
The show will benefit Houston's Q·Patrol,
a c111zens watch group that has detoured
hate cnmes m the Montrose area for over 15
years The cveut takes place at Laff Stop,
1952A West Gray at 8 p.m. both mghts. For
tickets or mformat1on, call Q·Patrol at (713)
528-SAFE or the Laff Stop at (713) 524·
2333.
Zydeco Bash Benefits
Children With AIDS
The first annual Zydeco Jam Festival, a
Lou1S1ana style gala, will hit Houston this
Saturday, March 15 at the Baytown
Fairgrounds. The festival showcases Beau
Jocque & the Zydeco High Rollers, Step
Rideau & the Zydeco Outlaws, Boo Zoo
ChavlS & the Magic Sounds and Geno
Odafose, each playmg thc1r own blend of
Zydeco
Sponsored by KCOH Radio, a portion of
the proceeds will benefit the Loving Arms
Foundauon, Houston's only child care facil·
,ty focused on the needs of servmg children
infected with HIV I AIDS. Momes will be
used for vehicle maintenance, in house tram·
mg and education matenals, according to
1he group. For more mformation, call
Audrey Kennerson Gauama at The Loving
Arms Fliund.Hion at (713) ';26-8798
Prom Night Benefit For
HATCH To Be Held Al
lovenlnn
The Houston Area Teen Coalition of
Homosexuals (HATCH) will be hostmg
their annual Prom Night fundraiser June 21,
1997 at the Lovett Inn. The gala event is
open to the pubhc
Prom Night allows gay and lesbian youth
10 eOJOY a special event otherwise denied
them because of their sexual onentat1on and
provides the organizatJon a maJOr portion of
thc1r annual fundmg.
Sponsor.;h1p for this event IS available on
three levels lnd1v1dual sponsorships are
SI 00, Business sponsorships arc $250 and
underwntcr sponsorships are $500 For
morr information concerning this Summer
event, contact Tom Staley at (713) 522-2052.
MCC Otters Chemical
Dependency Program
The Montrose Counschng Center (MCC)
IS ofTcnng a Chemical Dependency Program
"1argeted toward the gay, lesbian, bisexual,
and transgendered communny." Licensed
by the state of Texas, the outpatient treat·
ment program offers a combination of cdu·
cation, therapy and counseltng in a safe
environment.
Accordmg to MCC, the rates are afford·
able and grant sponsorship IS available.
Part1c1pants will attend group sessions five
mghts per week and a hm1ted number of
md1vidual counseling sess10ns For more
information, contact Tom Stram, LMSW·
ACP at (713) 529-0037
Briefs
Tickets are sull available for this years
Houston AmFAR. Together for Medical
Research 111, the th1rd annual benefit for
AIDS research slated to be held at the Arena
Theatre March 22, 1997 The evemng fea·
turcs Grammy-Award Winner Tony Bennett
and special guests Farrah Fawcett and Betty
White (Golden G1rls) "ThlS 1s a real and
tangible disease to all of our lives and 1f we
all jom together, there is hope," said event
chair Maxine Messmger. For mformauon,
call (713) 524-0555 .. A new gay orgamza·
t1on is on the honzon. Gay, Racially Equal,
And Together (GREAT) Southwest, an
umbrella orgamzauon from the now defunct
Men of All Colors Together (MACT), will
become an oflic1al chapter of the Nauonal
Association of Black & White Men
Together (NABWMT). A reformation
process of the Houston, Austin and San
Antomo MACT chapters 1s being planned
Ounng the intenm, GREAT Southwest will
serve all three c111es for those iruerested m
bet.·oming members. For more information,
call l-800·NA4-llWMT ProJe<'t LEAP
(Learning Fmpowcrment, Advocacy.
Part1c1pauon) will celebrate its' first com·
mencement ceremony March 29, 1997 at the
Park Plaza Profrsswnal Building at 6 p.m
The..• orwrn1z.1Lon focuses on 1m;rc..•as1ng the..·
clfcct1veness, empowerment and part1c1pa·
t1on of persons who want to become community
champions and play key roles on
planning councils, advisory and review committees
for groups responsible for the assessment
and provmon of HIV-rtlated service
needs in the Houston arra For more mformat1on,
call (71.1) 62.1-6796 Scnptwnters/
Houston, a nonprofit orgamzallon of
Houston-area wntcrs, has announced its
seventh annual compettt1on for I 0 mmute
playlets for Its Ten by Ten production at
Mam Street Theatre m Rice University
Village. The deadhne for entnes IS Apnl 5
and the 10 wmnmg playwnghls will be paid.
For add1t1onal mformauon, call (713) 707·
5194
"YES, THERE IS LIFE AFTER
BREAST CANCER.
AND THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT!'
- Ann J illian
A lot of women are so afraid of
breast canrer they don't want to hear
about it.
And that's what frightens me.
Because those women won t prac·
lice breast self-examination regularly.
Those women. particularly those
over :15, won't ask their doctor about a
mammogram.
Yet that's what's required for breast
cancer to be detected early. \\<'hen the
cure rate is 90%. And when there's a
good chanre 1t won't involve the loss
of a breast.
But no matter what it involves, take
it from someone who's been through
it all. •
Life is just too wond<>rful to ~ive up
on. And, as I found out, you don t have
to g1w up on any of it. Not work, not play. not even romanl·e.
Oh, there is one thing, though . k re of ourself
Yiiu do haw to g1w up being afraid to ta e ca Y ·
t~.~.~-
HOUSTON voic e P A G E 5
MONDAY~ MARCH 17
ST. P~TRICK'S D~Y
WEAR YOUR
<iREEN!
LEPRECHAUN DANCERS AT 6PM
si.oo
J~soN \R\S\\
PARlY
FAVORS
MALE STRIP
CONTESTS
SUNDAY
with Black Vefrett
WEDNESDAY
with Dyan Michaels
Showtimes at llpm
$150 in Cash Prizes
The Biggest Names In Gay And Lesbian Comedy
Joining Forces To Benefit Our Community!
Advance Purchase Recommended T Acts Suject To Change
Sl4-2JJJ
1952A West Gray T River Oaks Center
HOUSTON
TICKETS OH SALE HOW!
FE:BRUARV 2 ST H 1 9 9 7
Oioosmi to sdl your l..ifc Insurance
Policy due 10 a life thrca1<mng 1llnc:ss'
All"" us to hdp YOU m olou1rung the finan·
ual moun:cs you arc sc:ckmi • highc.t cash
payment in the .,.uckest p0551blc umc.
Our semen arc free aaJ confiJ<nnal
with no obl1gauon.
f'ltait..,/Jor, ""'b
214/691-8300
700NP..rt5T.~ '""-
0.lbs TX 7i.v1
"Dot by dot
building up
the image ... "
House of Coleman Fine Printing & Graphics
901 WEST ALABAMA • HOUSTON, TX 77006-4693
713 523 2521 •FAX 713 .524.2643
~ pend a day at home with a happy,
commmed couple who have
provided more than thiny years
of quality health care to Houston's
gay and lesbian community
Psychotherapist Tony Carroll and
his panner Dr. Bruce W. Smith
T 0
. understand or 1mpro\'e chorce of
panners
end recurring relationship problems
el • -::ite hun and disappointment
.mamtain passion, excitement.
and growth
overcome the fear which prevents
and destroys relationships
understand frustrauon as
unspcken da1tt
enhanc Y"' • ~t) ~UntCAUon style
~ inally, there is wonderful help
and genuine hope for ie>bian and
gay people who want strong.
committed love relauonships which
lead to growth, contentment. security
fulfillment. and happines>. This
seminar is b<ised on the best new
information available and when used
elfecuvely, can begin the transformation
of your love relationships'
Single Men-Feb. 22 or April 5-$50
Single Women-MJrch 22 S50
Male Couples- M.irch 15-$95
Female Couples-April 12-S95
Saturdays, 9 Ml-4 PM
Lunch lncludrd • Umued Seaung
Tony Carroll. LMSWACP
Psychotherapist
2211 'lorfolk. SI.'. :e 505.
Houston Texas 77098
(.Jill .r:o~ ~{~{~V.JITIO 0
1 I 3 . 5 2 2 . 3 -0 .. ;£; ... S .. =--·----·•§ ....... P A G E
NATIONAL NE\NS
Nationallv Known HIV Researcher
To Speak In Houston
Rich Arensch1eldt
Dr. Lark Lands, author of "Pos111vely
Well, Living wuh H rv as a Chronic,
Manageable Survivable Disease" will speak
at Benng Umted Method1St Churrh, 1440
Harold S1reet on Thursday, March 20, 1997
a1 7:00 PM
This commumty forum co-sponsored by
1he Center For AIDS, Body
Positive/Houston, and AVES, will focus on
Ms Lands' presentallon, 'The Ten
Commandmen1s of Living Long and Well
with HTV Disease.' As a pioneer in HIV
rela1ed wellness she has presented this seminar
to thousands of individuals across lhe
country and around the world
Her work, has bttn descnbed by 1he San
Francisco Sentinel, as "one of the most
valuable guides for developing strategies for
sumving AIDS - an ind1Spensable tool for
people attempting to maintain optimal
health despite HTV Illness." Dr Lands' talk
w11J present concrete scientific information
that 1s a rational foundation for an integrated
survival program This approach is
focused on healthy, symptom free survival
and immune system damage prevention
Concurrently, II also seeks to prevent, to the
greatest extent possible, side affects and
other systematic damage caused by medications
used in the treatmenl of HIV
Dr Lands frequently shares information
w11h the most advanced HIV spec1ahsts
Pe.
All Inventory
Must Go!
Furniture and
Fixtures!
Display Tanks
and caees!
throughou1 Nonh Amenca She spends lime
with medical pra11c11oners and pallen1s to
inform and educaie them of 'cutting edge'
Iota! body approaches to preven1ing internal
decline, slowing disease progression and
eliminating symptoms. Key components of
her approach include lessening infection nsk
and drug induced nutnttonal problems
These, combined with information on the
best available antivirals, immune modulators,
and the reduction .of opportumstu..·
infections, provide a broad base of informa·
lion 10 pan1c1pan1s, regardless of their HIV
status.
With extensive expenence m research,
design and 1mplementa11on of chmcal lnals,
she has worked wuh numerous doctors and
patients in creating integrated health
enhancement programs.
This 1s a unique opportunity to hear and
interact with one of the nation's be:tt alter·
nallve therapy HIV service providers. Dr.
Lands has a tremendous following nationwide
- this free forum will provide an inter·
eSling perspective on HIV and complementary
treatments.
For add111onal information, please call the
Center for AIDS at 713-527-8219 or Body
Positive Houston/Hous1on at 713-524-2374
Spamsh speakers may contact AVES at 713·
626-283 7 Those ind1V1duals with special
neeeds should notify Sara Steen at the
Center for AIDS by 5 OOl'M on Marrh 17,
1997
We're got to
Ile out Ile
Easter Sunday!
All nardeoods (Pel supplies & Food• will be sold:
65% Discount + 5% Discount tor cash
10 am • 6 pm Monday thru saturday • t • 4 pm Sunday
G IVI ARCH 1 4 T H 1 a e "
What happens if I take less than the
amount of medication my doctor prescribed ? If I skip a
dose, can I take two doses to make up for it? Could the rash I've developed
be a side effect of my medication ? I'm on vacation and forgot one of my prescriptions -
what do I do now? Will the side effects I'm experiencing go away in time ? When I feel better,
can I stop taking my medication ? Will hot weather effect the stability of my medication capsules ? Should
non-nucleoside RTls be used in conjunction with a protease inhibitor ? With many prescriptions to keep track of,
how can I remember to refill them every time? Is being on a "drug cocktail" better for me ?
Will my insurance cover my new medication? Is it safe to store my medications together ?
How can I best schedule my medications to
take them as prescribed ? Is there any way
to relieve the nausea my medication gives me ?
Who can help me submit my insurance paperwork so I
can get my medication costs reimbursed ? When I feel
better, can I stop taking my medication ? Which over-the-
counter medications are safe to take with
my prescriptions ? I've heard that herbal
therapies can interact with certain medications
- are the ones I'm taking safe ?
How do the new protease inhibitors
work compared to other antiretrovirols ?
Can there be anv
question left in your
mind about the importance
ol choosing a specialized
pharmacy tor your
HIV care?
{/' ith Stadtlanders, you gel more than medication. You gel reliable home delivery. Convenience and information.
And pharmacists expert in HIV, available around the clock. Choose us to help you manage all of your HIV medications.
And your questions. Call 1-800-238-7828. Stadtlande~S Pharmacy
C> 1997 Stadtlander U.S.A., Inc. http://wwwstodrionder.com
MmJ#:JIM[SJ·M•l!JWIE;Mim:JIMI:•••~§- :!J++ls:••••Mf!l+@EJI- P A G E 7 IVIARCH 1 4 T H 1 g 9 7
rliiiiiiiii;lii.!iiiliiiiiiii•·····-----M~)J by Larry Lingle
David LeaV!tt pubhsh<d hlS last novel, "While
England Sleeps" four years ago when hlS career
as a wntcr, albtit a py wnter, was at 1ts zenith
Thm, controv.rsy swooped down in the form of
a great gray poet, Stephen Spender, and LeaVltt
IS still tryu>g to rectl\'tt. His latest form of thrntPY
IS three novdlas Oess than a novel) call«!
• Arbnsas" (if you. hke myself, wonder on the
name rt comes from a quote attnbuted to Oscar
Wtlde near the end of hlS own life cut short by
scandal).
The controversy, for those who might have
slept through 1993, was that LeaV1tt, m "While
England Sleeps", took an episode from
Spender's early autob10graphy, "World W1th10
World", and 10 fictionalizing 11, he turned the
stOry into what Spender call«! pornography by
adding sexual scenes not 10 the onginal.
In the Un1t<d Sllltes thlS would be a hard case
to h11ga1e. but in Spender's England he had a
"moral nght" to protect hlS worlc from such
adaptations. For those interest«!, the episode
mvolved an affa1r between Spender and a young
man, with the latter rushing off to fight 10 Spain
when Spender marn<d a woman A!; even
Spender's autobiography illUSlrat<d the marnage
did OOl stand 10 hlS way of haV1ng other affallS
with men, including one particular nsing Slllr of
American htrntry cm:les.
In any case, LeaV!tt's book was trash«!, literally,
by the BntJsh publisher and not repnnt<d by
his Amencan publ1Sher. He later transferred to
another Amencan pubhshrng house wluch pur·
chued the paperback <d1t1on with partS rcwnt-
NATIONAL
NE VV S
Task Force Names New
Media Director
ten to sansfy Spender's sensib1htles The aged
Spender has smce died
All of thlS is important to rehash in hght of
"Arkansas", made up of three even shorter nov·
els. The first. "The Term Paper Art1St", was
bought by Esquire mag;umc but then not pul>hsh<
d •fter its publ1Sher deem«! u "mappropnate",
apparently because of the sexual content
which was ennrely homosexual 1n nature.
"The Term Paper ArtlSI" IS, 1n fact, Leav1n's
fia1onahzcd account of his reaction to the earlier
controversy. So much so that the mam "fictional"
character is called "David Leavitt"
Whereas the real lcaV!tt fled, with h1S lover, to
Rome, the fictional Leavitt retreated to his
father's place m Los Angeles from whence he
end«! his wnter's block, rnduced by conflict, by
wnung term papers for cute straight collegians
m return for acts of fellano
Perversely. leaVltt nOl<d in an mterV!ew that
•it 1s so common to wntc autobt0graph1cal fie·
hon m which your own cxpenencc is thmly disguised
I thought 1t could be very mtcrestmg to
do the opposite with a story where even a tiny
amount of research into my hfc would prove 11
did not happen. and make 11 seem hkc u did happen
and thereby tum the conventions 1ns1dc
out• This mtCf'Vlcw, givmg due attnbut1on. was
with Cclesunc Bohlen of the New York Times
It IS also possible that LeaVltt dwells on the
sexual content as a response to Spender's strong
objections earlier on the same grounds. Sex IS a
pnnoplc tool rn all three stones and, as much as
UaVlll might ob)<ct lo the appellation, these arc
gay plots
The middle story is "The Wooden
Anniversary" and al\er a few pages the reader
dLSCOYcrs that the narrator is a woman and as
such never seems more than an observer. to the
events being told In fact, the only character 10
thts story who takes on any dimens1ons is the
one gay man who, like the fictional Leavitt carher,
seeks sex and/or love among straight men.
The final story, "Saturn Street", relates the
loneliness of a gay man who has lost hlS lover
His desperation is expressed in adult Vldcos and
phone sex which leaVltt sees as the phght of the
urban gay man It 1s a world in which, as LeaVltt
concludes, "you can have the illusion of inn ma.
cy, the illusion of human contact, the Illusion of
an erotic experience Wlthout ever haVJng 10 leave
your bed, and of course the Internet - and Vlr!U·
al sex · IS the ultimate because you don't even
have to havt a voice.•
Ulumately, whatever moral lessons LeaV!tt
attempts to draw from hlS dcvas!lltlng literary
controversy such arc poorly served m these three
stones Hopefully, however, this book allows
LeaV1tt to break from the wntcr's bloclc he
implies follow«! his Spender battle and the
apparent CV1dence of thlS is the promlSC of his
next novel, "The Page Turner", the story of a
child-prodigy p1an1St whose successful adult
career leads to a relauonsh1p with an adonng
fan . Leav1tt's lover, by the way, IS a mus1oan,
prodigy or nOI
MISCCllaneous t1db1ts· James Watson, the cod1scovercr
of DNA, supports the idea that
women should terminate pregnancies 1f they
find out that thc1r children might grow up gay
The London Timdl followed this with an interview
with Quentin Crisp of "Naked CIVIi
Servant" and lavender ha1r fame, as in full agreement.
Cnsp, who descnbed his own life as very
unhappy and '"absurd'", said he now '"avoids'" gay
people. HIS Amencan publisher might want to
kttp that m mmd when they release his latest
book later thlS spnng
Speakmg of "Naked C1v1l Servant," It
appear«! with several other books on a list supphed
by Ca11fom1a Assembly member Carole
M1gden, a lesbian for those who did not know,
lo Vice President Albert Gore, at his request in
order to learn more of the gay and lesbian expenence.
Fortunately, the l1St also included "The
Celluloid Closet", "Before Stonewall" "Angels
in Amenca" and •A Boy's Own Story"
Finally, amongst my favontc reading. the
New Yorlc Times ob1tuanes, was notice of the
death of C. V Wedgewood, the English h1stonan
C.V was Dame Cicely Veronica W<dgewood of
the famous potter family and daughter of Sir
Ralph, former head of the Bntish Railways
Dame Veronica was a spcoahst m seventeenth·
century English history and was a contemporary
of another noted English h1Storian, AL. Rowse,
whose lifetime of scholarly works culminated m
h1S now classic "Homosexuahty in History"
wluch, of course, 1nclud<d h1> own
A5 noted m the Times, Dame Veronica was
sumved by her companion Jaquchnc llopeWallacc
with whom she had hved for nearly 70
years. English h1<tonans do 1t with such style
Perhaps Quentrn Cnsp should read more history
T T T T T T T T T
Washmgton, DC Kerry Lobel,
Executive DtrtCtor of the National Gay and
lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), announced
the appomtmrnt of Mark F Johnson as
M<dia Director Johnson JOms the staff of
the Tusk Force al\cr o three-month national
search to fill the poS1t1on.
EXPAND THE ATTA
Pnor to corrung lo NGLTF Johnson was
a Media Spcc!ahSI with the Democratic
Nat.anal Committee (DNC) where he
worked pnmanly on outreach lo the gay and
lesbian m<dia and also on pubhc relations
ctforts aimed at the lesbian and gay commu·
mty.
Johnson was also the News Media
Director for the Gay and Lesbian Alhancc
Against Defamation (GLAAD). In that
pos1t1on, he managed the organization's
news office and served as Us chief news
spokesperson and media strategist. Before
taking the posu10n 1n New York. Johnson
worked for eight years m the lobbying
department of the Amencan Association of
Retired Persons (AARP) m Washington,
D.C.
Al AARP, Johnson focused on age and
employment dJscnm1nation tSSues, national
service, campaign finance reform and other
issues He also worked with the national
media to help d1SSCtninate the Association's
legtslatrve message. Before commg to
AARP, he worked as a reporter and covered
Congress and federal agencies for "Tax
Notes," a weekly tax and busmess pubhca·
t1on based m Arlmgton. V1rgin1a. Johnson
also worked 1n the Washington Bureau of
The New York Times.
For the paSI ten yean Johnson has had an
active freelance wntrng career and has wntten
for several gay pubhcauons throughout
the country mcludmg the Washmgton
Blade, Windy City Times, Southern Voice.
Chicago's Outlines, and the Baltimore Gay
Pa~. HIS monthly column, Out ThlS Way,
wluch focuses on polmcal and media 1SSUes,
has regularly appeared m Kick magazme.
and he has also wntten a Washmgton-based
column for SBC magazine ''NGLTF 1s a
good fit for me," said Johnson "The Task
Force has a vtty bnght future and so much
stttngth 10 contnbute at tlus cnucal time in
our movemrnt's lustory. I'm vtty excited
about working on these issues m
Washington and I'm glad 10 be w1lll an orga·
mzanon that bas a proven commitment to
mal<ing a difference •
HOUSTON VOICE P A G E
ONHIV
a IVIAACH '1 4 T H ., a a 7
RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION
by Leslie Ramsay
News of the dnve-by-shoohng death of the
gangster rap star Notonous B.I G. reminded
me of one of the reasons why I permanantly
lcrt the music business - stress
Advisory stickers was born. The record industry
voluntanly placed wammg labels on prod·
ucts that rontamcd obJect1onable lyncs.
Subsequently, with the warmng system m
place, record companies began to recruit more
controversial arnsts Imtialy they attempted to
sell "clean" or "radio ready" versions of rap
music s1dc-by-s1dc the •nasty" version . The
•nasty• version out sold the "clean• version m
my accounts by 100 to I Hence, the record
companies learned very quickly that "nasty"
sells
alty of the teenage fans The local music scene
IS httered with musical groups that were nstng
very quickly tn the race to the top of the gangster
rap heap. Drugs, alcohol and run-ms with
the Jaw have cut short the maionty of thru
careers The lifestyle that IS depicted by this
type of music IS one long hazy maniuana
clouded vtolent orgy Occas1ona!Jy, the must·
cians that try and hve their lyncs are soon bvtng
m pnson
For far too many years, I worked for music
d1Stnbutors that sold gangster rap by the truck·
load to retail cha.ms nat1onw1dc.
At first, I loved my JOb. I stood firm, dally,
against the mass merchants •do not cany• hsts.
Several cha.ms 1mplcmentcd whatever Jimmy
Swaggart preached against on Sunday to the
"DNC" hst on Monday. I would go out to the
stores and attempt to defend each artist that
was added to the list. I would some how con·
vmcc the store managers that this was a free
speech issue. I so profoundly beheved in the
freedom of all speech that I actually equated
the banning of the 2 Live Crew release, "Nasty
As They Wanna Be", to the banning of Mark
Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" • My sworn enc·
mies were Jimmy Swaggart and Tipper Gore.
The gangster rap genre was born out of thtS
censored, suckered enV1T0nment It wasn't
until the PMRC sruck their noses mto the
music business did thlS type of music become
mainstream mass popular culrutt. Thank you
very much, Mrs. Al Gore.
Warner Brothers Rea>rds has been talr.en to
court over the lyrical content of several of their
releases They realized too late that the httle
advtsory mcker would not protect them from
legal defense and court fees. The poss1b1hty of
government regul.anon may have pushed them
mto rclca:oing Ice-T from his contract. HlS song,
"Cop Killer", brought a flood of neganve press
to Warner Brothers. The song never really sold
unttl the record label attempted to pull 11 from
the shelves
Tipper Gore organized the Parents Music
Resource Center (PMRC) to create what was
reported to be a quas1-ccnsorsh1p board
Billboard magazine wrote reams of articles
about how Tipper Gore came home to find her
daughter listening to an "ob5<%nc" Pnn~ song
She was supposedly surpnscd that her daughter
could walk mto a record store a buy such
"obscene" and "ob;ccttonablc" music. In my
vtcw, I was surpnscd thal Mrs. Gore was not
supcrv1Sing her daughters purchases herself,
Now that I have been out of the music business
for awhile, I have been rcn«tlng upon
what thlS prohferatton and glonficat10n of gay·
bashing, woman hatmg. drug add1c1ed, rarut,
cnmmal hate speech has created m our soetety.
Milhons of Americans arc hstemng to music
that encourages not only the behaviors 1 mcntloned
before but also the killing of pohce officers.
The children and adults that hsten to thts
music day m and day out arc gettmg a skewed
vtSton of soetety. ThtS music amplifies all of
what IS wrong with our soetety and pulli tt to a
snappy drum beat.
Currently, there IS a turf war raging amongst
the gangster rappers. Apparently. there are only
so many ways to remix "K1lhng Mc Softly. •
The police arc mil mvcsr1ganng while the
news media 1s reporting, that the lulhng of
B1gg1e Smallz, a k.a Notonous B.IG , was in
retahallon for the dnve-by-shoottng of 2Pac. In
the shOO!lng of Biggie, there were 200 w1messes
I wonder how many wiU tesofy against the
shooter?
As a result of the pubhc1ty surrounding the
PMRC, the widespread use of the Parental
The Houston Press recently ran a cover story
about a local "remix" artist and his fan base.
The maionty of the arncle surrounded drug
usage, dnvtng under the mfluence and the loy·
2Pac has risen from the dead as a sam1 to
many teens. If you ask any lud on the corner 1f
2Pac 1s really dead you may gd the answer,
"No" In hfe, he was reported to be extremely
1p/Viramune·
<n vira ine>CQJ
The first of a new class of antiretroviral agents
Unique mechanism of action:
a non·nucleoside reverse transcrlptase
inhibitor
• Acts at a different site than nucleoside
analogues
• Synergy shown In vitro· wtth ZDV. ddl. d4T.
and 3TC
• No cross-resistance shown In vitro• wtth
nucleoslde analogues
Unique advcrttages for combination
class therapy
• In a study of 151 treatment-naive patients
receMng VIRAMUNE"'+ZDV+ddl or ZDV+ddl
m VIRAMUNE"+ZDV. significantly more
patients on VIRAMUNE• triple therapy hod
HIV RNA levels below the irnit of detection
ofter 24 weeks. The clinical sigrificonce of
this IS unknown.
PERCENT OF PATIENTS WITH HIV RNA LEVEIS BELOW
~L OF DETECTION (400 COPIES/Ml)
75% VlRAMUNE•+ZDV+ddl j 46% ZDV+ddl
0% VIRAMUNE•+zov
Mean CD4+ eel counts remonoo sigificcrltty
above oose:re n the VIRAMUNE"•+zov+ddl
gQl.P and the ZDV+ddl group There was no
s1gnfficort differ9"1Ce between 1hese arms.
• Sustained (48 weeks) Immunologic and
wologic Improvements otso seen in
nucleoside-expenenced potents
• ndlcoted for use In combination with
nucleoside analogues for the treatment of
HIV-infected adults who have experienced
cUnical ond/or immunologic detenorotion.
This ildicotion Is based on onaJysls of changes
in surrogate endpoints 1n studies of up to
48 weeks duration At present there ore no
resutts from controlled cinicol trials evol\loling
the effect of VIRAMUNE" wilh nucleoside
analogues on !he ciinlcal progression of
HJV-1 infection. such as !he Incidence of
opportunistic. infections or survtvol.
• VIRAMUN~ n combination with protease
Inhibitors is not recommended un~~ cl'inlcol
data ore ovonoble
•Generally well·torerated-most commonly
reported adverse events were rash. fever.
nausea. and headache
• Severe and life-threatening skin reactions
hove occurred in potlents treated with
VIRAMUNP, Including stevens·Johnson
syndrome. VIRAMUNE• must be discontinued
In patients developing a severe rash or a rash
accompanied by constitutional symptoms
such as fever, br!Sferlng, oral lesions, con·
junclivitis, swelling, muscle or joint aches.
or general malaise.
Simple one-tablet, twice-daily dosing'
·~ bei->" a.rscepllJily or ttV 1o nevt~ aict
rtllitlC or ltv~ ri l'Unall ta not been-..c!.
tRecorr: 11E>Od9d dole one ,;xi mg tablet Q-d. b mi 14 days;
trll!f1 ono 200 mg toblet ~ j 'No leOOt\ po11od sholJd be ..ea
>BC lJl9 '°' De<> b.rd to lessen the frequency of !Oii\
8rlel tlG't "' esatlilQ l'tlormatlon on ~page
~ ' - • ,. ,,......, "'w f•>!: \
. . . .. . . . 'J-. .--;;... ·' 'w"i...;' .
• , ' .... " ' ,_,.." t:-.. :... .) ~.~.;,, .
• • . . ,,,. -.. ,J '· ~· ...... ,. l
':'-,>... .t.l,,.1,,.; _,,:,....','. ~ It. ~ ' 11 • . ( ~ , .. ' . ,
HOUSTON VOICE P A C3 E a M A R C H
hot tempered .... d vtvlent A friend of mtne that
toured with lum in the very beginrung of his
career informed me that he had to stop 2Pac
from doing some really srup1d thmgs that
would have ended his career, tf not his life,
many years before a buUet m Las Vegas finally
dtd. I asked my friend 1f he thought 2Pac was
wonhy of all of thlS hero worship? He Just
laughed and cussed
The record tndustry is in the bu>mess of creabng
mega-h11>. They focus on the short term
'"one bu wonders.. The deal to make a quick
buck off of a catchy rune is valued over the
amst development contract The gangster rap
genre 1s pnmed for thlS type of envtronment
Killing off the rompebtton IS becorrung a way
of hfe. Once a gang banger, always a gang
banger .. ?
NOTE: In response to Plain Speakmg's
rrqucst last week for further information mto
the laws that have passed tbat have either
abnd!l"d or eltminated the first and second
amendment prottcbons of the- l."Onstttunon for
some Amencans - I offer the followmg common
examplN The Handgun Violence
Protectton Act of I 993 (the Brady Bill) and the
Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy of the military. For
further 1nforma11on please see the web srte at
www.fac mg_ If you have ttme, the wh1tehousc
web site at www.wh1tehousc.gov also proVldes
cx-cas1onat press releases on btlls that the
Presidcnt has signed
By the way, my words arc my own I fear
blind hber.ilism most of all
T T T T T T T T T
NATIONAL
NE\/\/S
Cher, Tracv
Ullman Added to
GlAAD Media
Event
GLAAD will ktCk off its three-city Media
Awards rn Los Angeles March 16. F111ecn
hundred people will gather at the Century
Plaza Hotel for the star-studded event, wrth
such spcctal guests as Ellen DeGencres,
Gma Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, Gregory Peck,
Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Mttchell Anderson,
Cher, Adam Arkin, Valene Benmelh,
Tracey Ullman, Ed McMahon and many
more Awards presented at the event will
include: Outstanding Film (Wide Release).
Outstanding Telev1S1on Comedy Senes,
Outstandmg Telev1s1on Drama Senes,
Outstanding TeleV11S1on-lndrv1dual Episode,
Outstandmg Music Single, Outstanding Los
Angeles Theattr Production and the
Stephen F. Kolzak Award. For more mformat1on
contact Bragman Nyman Cafarelli
(Publtc Relations) at (3 IO) 274-7800.
PSU Recognizes
Anti-Gav Group
State College, Pa (AP) • An anu-gay sru·
dent group won reco1:mtton at Penn State
Uruverstty, after an appeals board decided 11
would not break the msurutton's d1scrimmatton
codes.
"Most people thlnk that !he school does
not want us to C'XtSt, but I dtd rveryth1ng by
tbe book, and they basically had no choice,"
said Dann Loccannt, 27, who founded
STRAIGHT m N~mber and has about 50
members
STRAIGHT, which stands for Students
Remforc:mg Adherence lo General
Heterosexual Trad1tton. was derued nocogrutton
by a student coun and Loccariru enVJsroned
a coun fight
The board's reversal of a student coun
rulmg, announced Thursday before spnng
break. satd STRAIGHT didn't dtSCnmmate
m sel<ctmg members and ga'" no Sign tt
would d1scnrrunate ~d on sexual onentation.
Recogn111an means !hat STRAI GITT can
use a Penn State letterhead and meet i: uruvers1ty
buildings· and will have to adrrut lesbians
and gays as members.
1 4 T H 1 a a 7
Senate Growth
Rep. Chnstopher Shays, a Connecticut
Republican, announced today that he will
be a lead co-sponsor of the Employment
Non-D1scnmma11on Act (ENDA), a bill to
outlaw JOb dascnmmation based on sexual
onentat1on.
"Gammg Shays as a lead co-sponsor adds
to the growing body of proof that the
ENDA 1s a moderate, mainstream piece of
legislauon,• said Winnie Stachelberg,
HRCs legislative director "We are gratified
to see so many members of Congress recogmz1ng
that gay men and lesbians deserve
basic JOb fairness.•
The Human Rights Campaign began askmg
members of Congress m 1993 to include
sexual onentauon m their non-dt.SCnmmatton
policies. At the dose of the 104th
Congress. 307 members reponed that they
had tnstttuted such policies m their oflices-
241 m the House and 66 tn the Senate. The
pany breakdown m the House was 73
Republicans and 168 Democrats/
Independents, and m the Senate. 24
Repubhcans and 42 Democrats The only
Texas notable from these figurrs was Kay
Badey Hutchts0n
LAMBDA literarv Award
Marc Adams' The Preacher's Son has
taken hts place alongside 'our other finalists
vymg for the Lambda Ltter.iry A ward for
Best Spmtuahty Book. The book chronicles
Adams ltfe growmg up gay as the son of a
f~ndamentahst Bapllst m1ruster m rural
Pennsylvania where he endured a childhood
of physical, emouonal and spmtual abuse
He went on to attend, by choice, Jerry
Falwell's L1beny University where he also
was employed for 3-112 years m the student
recruumg/umversuy relattons depanment.
His book an1culately reveals hfe at L1beny
and the struggle to conform to the standards
for whtch he would have been a martyr.
Award rectp1ents will be announced at a
gala banquet m Chicago on Fnday, May 30,
1997
New Grants Awarded
The Lesbian Health Fund of the Gay &
Lesbian Medical AssOCiallon has awarded
S26,464 m grant money to finance prom1smg
new health res<'arch proiects across the
country. Awardees are selected for the
excellence of thetr proiect's design, their
expenmct- 1n r~arch and the s1gmficance
of the project to the lesbian community.
The awards are given without regard to the
reapient's sexual onenta.oon
The recipients include Sandra S. Butler of
the School of Social Work at the University
of Mame, Ann Pollinger Haas, PhD, of the
Depanment of Health Services at Lehman
College, 01fford J Rosen, MD, of the
Mame Center for Osteoporosts and Yannick
Durand, PhD m Brooklyn.
After Midnight
Actor Brad DaVIS (Midnight Express),
who died of AIDS m 1991, struggled for
years with the quesllon of whether to "come
out" as an HIV-pos11Jve actor m Hollywood.
Actor Brad Davis.
But as one of the industry's most popular
and attractive leading men, Davts bcheved
hts career wouldn't recover from a pubhc
announcement. Instead, he secretly wrole
an intensely personal account of hts life m
Hollywood and struggle with AIDS. fin-
NATIONAL NEVVS
tshed after DavlS' death by hts wife, Susan
Bluestein Davts. Their book, to be publ1Shed
later this month, 1s excerpted exclusively m
POZ's Apnl ed111on
After M1dmght tells how Davis, who
learned he was HIV-pos111ve at the height of
his mov1e and telev1s1on career, shpped into
the AIDS treatment underground, wllh
assumed names and !iiecret docton' VISllS.
Bluestein also discusses her husband's off.
camera hfe; hlS extravagant use of drugs and
affa1n with famous women; the rumon of
his homosexuahty, his devotion to this wife
and young daughter, and his involvement
with AIDS treatment act1V1sts who urged
him to come out as HIV-posiuve.
lifestyle and you can, too. For more mformauon
call 1-800-201-2890, extension 'Hope
for Change.'" The commercial has also run
repeatedly on KARE-TV, the local NBC
affiliate
who reponed they were verbally or phySK-al•
ly attacked m the Detrou area becau<r of
their sexual preference increased 29% last
year. The number of fake bomb threats m
Atlanta has soared over the past year during
January 1996, pohce recorded 17 phony
bomb threats, followed by 11 m February
Tius year, there were 53 m January and 59 m
February, pohce said .The U.S Army 1s
scrambhng for recruits m the face of
increased discharges under the "Don't Ask,
Don't Tell" pohcy. They are lowering
recruttmg standards and mcreasmg tts adver·
usmg budget from $12 mllhon to $44 m1lhon
... ln Suffolk (New York) Family Court,
Judge Wilham Kent allowed two lesbians to
cross-adopt each othe"'' daughte"'. "This ts
the first cross-adoption m the U.S by two
lesbians whose children are half·mters, •said
Domm1c Barbara, the women's
lawyer. .According to the Lambda Legal
Defense and Educauon Fund (LLDEF), a
new congressional rtpon from the General
Accounting Office reveals that at least 1,049
Jaws addressing manta! status deny brnefits,
nghts and privileges to same.oSex couples
"'Six months after voling for the Defense of
Marriage Act, Congress Just now 1s checking
out what civil marnage means under federal
J,1w, • said Evan Wolfson, marriage prOJCCt
director for LLDEF.
Conference on AIDS
UglVAds
In Mmneapol1S/St Paul, a so-called "exgay"
m1rustry LS running commerc.1als on
two local network affiliates dunng lesbian,
gay and AIDS-sens111ve programming.
Dunng ABCs "Happy B1nhday Elizabeth"
& the eplSOde of "Roseanne" when Bev
introduced her new girlfnend, KSTP-TV
atred a commercial telling lesbians & gay
men that they could become straight. The
sponsor, Outpost, Inc ts a local "ex-gay"
ministry, and the ad's voict---over states. "If
you are gay or lesbian and don't want to be,
there's hope for change Many have left the
AIDS Action Foundation is co-sponsor~
mg four one-day dialogues across the country-
the first of which will be held March 26
in M1am1, Flonda The other co-sponso"'
are AIDS Service Orgamzat1on Network,
Alliance for the Agmg, Flonda AIDS
Action Council, Mothe"'' Voices South
Florida, South Flonda Hospual &
Healthcare Assoc1a11on, and Tampa AIDS
Network. The Conference begms at 9am at
Pan Amencan Hospual. 5959 Nonhwest 7th
St. in Miami
Briefs
The Nauonal Gay & Lesbian Task Force
announced the appointment of Mark F.
Johnson as Media D1rec1or Johnson Joins
the staff of the Task Force after a threemonth
search to fill the pos1t1on .A needle.
exchange program will be shut down m
Wilhmanuc, Connecucut on Marrh 21
State health officials cued poor communny
support for the program, which was created
to slow the spread of A IDS .. A gay rights
group m Detroit said the numb(r of gays
/,tt/ Viramune
<nevirapine>o;o
...........
~~~~"rs~~~Wfnia::;:~-=c:
llltRlCfWDl MS llXA.Tl:W IS BASED CW ANALYSIS Cf ~ II $lJIAOCaAlf E10C:NTS ,.
STllllS Cf .. 10 48 WID.S Ol.Ml100 AT ""500 OOI! ARUO RESU.lS fAOU COOl111i!D CU0
~ lfUM..S lVNJlA~ M EffiCJ Cf VIRMl.N• WITH Nll1EOSltE MWX:.tfS (Ill nt QJNICAI.
-~.C f HY- lltC10l SlOl M 'It: 1NlOOa Cf IJ'l'Cflltf<Srx: NtCIOIS (11 llllTHE
Dtf!ATICll Cf lf"liim ffOI ,,....TRC')Yr.!M. MRN'Y w:t IE t.H1TEO M..JtMTION t1 MT\.
Rrn1CM1W. TKJIN'lS SHOW> .. cacsnlll!) • Ol&lASl ~ OCClRi 'Mtl..E ""1llMI
ARfRCtE.":«i~
t>tESISTAKJ "1ltUS EMER S RA.'lrlY AMO Ufi fCRMLY WH£'4 VIRAMuN? • N1M N:STER£tl A.S
U(l;QlltEIWY TltERHOlll ~RAMUlll" $HCUD ALWAYS IE AWlll:Sl£RrD .. COMll"TJOI< Wll\1
Af W.ST ONE ADDUlONAl ANTIR(TROWW. AGt lfT
VllWJtllf• HAS lttH AS:SOCIAT£0 W~ SEVERf P.ASH. YMCH If SW£ CASES HAvt 8HH UFE·
TiflEAn~ WHE.ti SOERE RASl-1 OCCURS YIRAMlJNE' MJST E ~"J.lll
.~,,,,,Of ..s V11WittJF•~lnpamrits .... claicdrs9*3rd~ ~c:onbndlllwlllllll..
WNUIMGS ....................... ,....._ .... ~.~----.. WWIUNf".
...... ..,_ . ......_..,_ILISh. WWill.INf"..-M......_. .... *""._. ..... ,.. ............... .,~.,.... ................. nl ...... ...................... ,... ................. ,_f'RECAUTIOMS_ ......... ..
......_ADVERSE MACTIO.sl
ww.t!W'llmpy !Ml 111lnllmdwOl11•~ mo. C*iOd "200 ,._. wacti ms bee!'! stiowr.
• l'IOID .. ~-QSll. cat tlQ!atal lhcUll llGC ocair I rash •ccsen.scuwio bl lead-M
per1:ld d lhr lllsfl Im flSOfle:S. (SN DOSAGE~ ADM. 'i'STRATIO't
P'ftfCAUt10ltS "-"·W'len~VIRAMl..l'fF9•1*tOflll~ ..... rtgmeft.
..., CO'_Tipid tprodldintormlbal'llDrmtlfllflONICc::amoonenlst.*llllCICINUlldlllfort~
WI: ....,...nlltlSMty~""'lvtfand~~ll'etr:easiwlly
.-....Sltylb!bdney"h~d~JrMftOtoeetiMt:i!edln,.,..,,Wl!b
---trieimic•rtnll~ Ttltfefi:n.VIRAAIUNP"'°"'2111Uled.Ccal00nMhllPlfllnl Abnonnll k Udloo lnZS ll;M been rtOOl1lld .. \l'IAAUl.Je .. " ....... Miik$ Cf hQpy
... QSl!SClltleOltlt$.WWilUNE ldrT!lnlStrammit!bt~ll---~
ft!Odera.or1P1W1MrU'l:tlontts1almnnlbs~Mrtin:lonmll1tUnlJ...._.,..
V.,l.~,.f,J_',U tmlfttlbauldbt~dsc:olOluldd'*fl.i'CCWI~ onruJ,,,.,~~
dnUlllaoeslu'Jel'IOl:beel'lcondueled lt'OJrtiOnGIC""3AllW'lllVWIPR
r".'11Yre$1.l!ll~plllma~Glortwf~~dr\lglll'llllfl~
ine1lbt*lld IP/ CVP3A. t• Cl11tltAL PHAAM~CIGY) thus.. r a Plllftll Ms bem1 moilZld on I
baQl~tor1C1rug~llYCYP3A.MIOIMglnlll'UlmlnldlVIAAMUr4'9 Go$1~·
f"lelltsrrtZ/be~
~Tt*11tt1111UftiQlllldmlD•SK'SSwhllhcfdole~art netemrY-'*
.........,.Mldnbmp:norrtbtMlnn~ TI!er!tore..tt'lesedfUOSlhOlldonlytltlo!Std
~ CIUltt lldlea:ed and '#l!h Cll1ful monltOMO
fl'rotu$f n'llrOdl;wS: ~;bplnl lr2/ .,_ ptasma conc:ettrJ!JOft ol ptOfaSt l!h!tldors.. Tiwttort
cftrU dm n MIUDle.,. ........ need ,, dose aoiusmwcs. ... nos shotJtd lDI Ill _.. _ ..,, .. _
OM~ ThmnnodlrMaldlllonlhe~olneWJClfton,.~"cn __ ..., ____ _____ .... _...... _ """ __ ... _ -
......... ,,,,..~ttw:dlllelftfoo'rmlht~sllll:t1a..b.W·1 ftlao'l .nS
bll'lly!Ny'CldlUIO~--mc.oao...e~tw-1 r.ilQ;ft idOVIXlP:ll' ..-c ....._ hltntrt wlh WWl.JM""'tm ra lleec'I .,.,_., flCka 11e n::arice or hqtm:y d
m:tiaiimes.n,.......:ii:e.,._,.,,....,.,..,.cn,_1.,,,_..wtwiUS11GVIWAW
Pllill!ISSbeljdtiedorndlllll'ieb'IO-lmnlfllc!SdVIRAMl.lft?11tlllklXlilfllll•l'llllllw Tiwy
""°'*'*'tltdlwmldNVIRAMIJI' ~"1SM:il'-lnwmt:>tllM:tllll al...,....
dHIY-1•ocr.&~so:i;.alcorCl:lottt:Xld~
,,_ ................. "*1!f .. VIWllJllP'.,.. ................. ..
,,_..,..., .... ,.......,_,,... fbll !ft1Pt'1ol ransanoc:tm1 .ci~·oav ....
.ifltCl"WIWlldlS,_....,._Oll~ n.wll:n.-..CSllo.itlllittnelr'dlnd~IOl'lllllPPWmOllmll~
.. pe1o1.Pl:itr1S*Udbei'l!mdedbldcselSCllmr'l•l'lal•cw:c:ur-lllf/rnfl
CICalrS dttllg ........ !UHi ct.lg penod. ..... Q5A '9IGM$. Al"'l llll*1 pPnrU'lg ...
=~~.,:~~-===c:=~
Patieab~Ded:mmlDllkewwt;hl•f'l'lfYUy•presatlld._Pllllfll"""*'nolalltr ..
dolt' wl!ftOIA CGflllllW'O '*' oocw r a dole • msatd. patltlD dlOIM taker. fled dose a soon •
,_.., H<Mlvtf l100StilltipplC.h.,.....snollldl'ICllOOu!lle111itfth!m.
VWMlWf1Wfr!llrle2wC1somtcrugs.lltftfo:l pQ1111sho.itlbe:m-:sedt:>flP(lr'l•ll'lel'doctor
.... anyoc:r.~
Pa1:1ns ltDid 1M laSCrudld M oral Ctll"'..:acepbweS .and Clll'lel" florTnOnll memocts Df bl4'tt'l allC1d
S_b1MO not_ Dt md a_• N!hOd . a.,.l_~,,, i.i ,w,or,nt.n .~,.L Vl~o·AoP o·---"'-
111.:;r.: , .. currenuy"pmoras lngenetw:to:mJ!oOrasu;"S . .......,.lhawednoWiOlraal!
l!UaQllftlC0t~Jdr1'flyln•llilfterYOC".cra..o"""'°llllYln:lJdlnO:rnctDtt&!amyslor
9'f" ITIUUOOn !Miii ~ ICl'1lnS and E coM. mamm.ila1I Oii Oete ITIDaol'I.....,,
~ cvtooerlCtJc 1SS1YS U11'1Q I CJw.se n.r.- INS)' eel h 9'd I rnoull borlt llWl"OW
~~tJlr:MlnQ:Clflfdnl!MtrlliOn lnrepr~~COrs,IYIC!t'l:tot~
-.wu11M11tln1*tmatoc.aprOfO:r9SY'*"ICapGIUl'e __,onAUC.~
~IDbl..,,,..,~h'~dllalOC-dV'I~ ,.._,. _ _...,c .. _...... ___ • _
:-'~":m.:..,_~~o:::':~::'.:r!,~,:.
cmnen»d Jmman Clnl:.al doSt Tht Nfttllll and~ lllHOWVlbll~ Ind CloUOIS ii
A11MdrMOl&~fylllf1*..,_..~...-.IO·~~~
~ ....... ~.h~Clf1IUTUl'l-.~-M.JC."*1S111GD:;-.alt
and~ ttOn ift PR9'Wll tlO)ll'ltft. VSRAM:,.."NE 'lf'Ollld be"* dumO ~ ontr'
"'poWNI llnQ,,.,... .. "'*"",. ... 111!1;11
lhlnlflf..,,,, .11yresuts anonoo!Oo~Jtudy N. C :Jt1 :-t!VI
~ egmnt:womcnwtlOWWt 1sw1Q1110tlldostot100or200 \'!RAM •a
rnedtanOI 8bourSDttotedeiwtylrDcartlflll~,._,.,uoaesn.plaeentaand1&too
ilMISI CO'ISiltenlftllt'-f9COrMlll'ldiflon~DllUS PubRc:HealltlSeMceCtnllrltor
OISUSt Control Mi~ N HfV.dlctld molfters nal lnal.flld Oltlf lflfanel 10 M.:1 :g
postnaral Of HIV mothm Should disconl!nUfl flUfmQ I tt"J art NCeivmg VIRAMUNl
IWUlt# lhf Saflfy IWIO cft9dtrw9ml OI V1RAM!J1C pechatnc p*"l:s tlr."I "°' Deeo ~
VIRAlll.R""tmbeenstdeel twoooerHabei.~lrtlll(B182.•892)1n37HIVl..-.cl
pecMrrx: .-..w01tr.-i1Q1,_0tywsff1llOll 01ID15 )VS)wflOMJthlltdb'a ~
~ Cl 2D 1 ....,,.._ s.r..-i pdenb. dMQJld ,.,. ... NICli'.'i'IO VIRAMUN! In Ill ongong.
ccntded 1rW dYIRAMl.N'9c:orr.tllftlb:l lherl0¥ In t1V·1-rite:trd pdatrk pa1119nts (ACTG 245) ont
a1!~2UJllC*CStlUlldlllhVIRAMUte~~syiG'ome
fl«aist '*' 111 no dD on ndMloM ~ ii dlldrtn no tecommendlliOn on ctlSilO
CWJlllm:it Basedon~~"IHIV 1~pedllrncp;alJ!f't5110fllmO&.
ID14"f'Nll.IMIO-.~~lnaSi:$peJlSlOl"I~ l1PPU11Nlenl~
·~2-toklf1911erlndlldrtlt .... CO'TIPftdlOllMIS.
ADVlW IUCTIOICS T!le ,_ frtQumtrnoartldaMrleMnts "elm:I IO~lher1Vf wert
mh. tMr. ..... hudKtle. Ind DIOnNI her Uldlon tests
"""""''*""le'"'1'JOIV!RAIWHE'~-Wi111Vl __ ,.."""""'.l"'GI
pa!!ertS,ri~~"PtmeMllconbOlledlft.dles.~pen::enlolp;mertslNllld
z:::~~.~~~~~1:..~~--=
...... CIQmllllllll .. 1.2'111al.-.Uhmd•heotrtolgro.cRlshesvt~
l&ildtomodilmt..~l~Olioll~"llOUl~. Wlt."iCt'#Clo;.ll onnus.. IDCmd on tt'll trunk. ID and extremlbeS Tiie lnlf(lflty QI severe mhe$ occurred '#lttiln tlll
llt'Sl 28 U)1 ol trutrnenr: 25' ol lhe Plfients With MYere mhlS required lto$pllaWa!IOfl .and C1W
patitntr.q\irtdsiqital~ Allpatier!SrlCO'ftrtd Ovetal,r4otp.r.ientsdllCOl'Wnued
VIRAMO,.E• dul to Qlft
1*11 ~"~wllltou.'leSlncontro!ledtlills"
ACTG:?41• 811037 811011 CDMll NEDOATA
IM'olIN "/JN .... INP•"/JN 11N INPolJN "/JN "" CO.TOOL . .... 111 101 ., ., .. ,. IS2 ...
AllllM!ltld .. _..... ........ 3!IO'I. n"" 26,,.. ,,,.. lill'Ao •2'4 37A 21111'4
GtD3•ha:sb - ,_ _.. _ 11~ u~ '"" °" '°" °" rn..L!_~
1 l_il.~.c.k,M dft2CXl""1Qtil:lill:dltfbhltlll4~1$tc:loo#MllyOM200rngtaMll
• tlillACTG241-~IDreportC.""d14($e'f'S'l•~Mt'!ti:DtlS!llor..W
~ MntS lrOdnQ rm 1er wftdtllor1'dll111-eportld
bfJae 211S1s turntn!-<*ld Clrial ~ MrlS N ;rid m ~ rlCl!tMQ WViMl.IP
ACTGZ.t1and•l 111037.and81101'
J*9 :t ~mo.ta of s.itc:ltd OnlO-fftl*d E...a 11 CcnroflBO Tnals
ACTGW hlttt037•11101t -1'<- .. _
WP•"ZrN.dtl "/JN .... IM"!DV ZIN- -·- '"
,., II .,
oa ...... d
....,~~ m m 0 .~
""' a 2 211 J ·- 3 3 11 I
r--Pu~~- I • I 3 3 3 11 D -°"-- I 2 0 0 -- ' 2 2 D 0 0 • D
.-!!l'!!!"~ 0 2 0 ._!_. ' • 2 D - - ' • 2 7 - I 0 • 0
-~~ ,__,.,....mar\zdllDrl!Ory~octurmQft ...c mtralld t.Dlr3 PlrDer!laQitd_...,llCl...,..,....,,.,atn:rmllllll
-- ..... -A~CTG- Z4°1 •' 1*031" & "• 1-011-_
Hgld_Do", d-O1 .,....., C12J '4 10111 '4
-Dtermed_...(c~ 111 10.1 h;tustd ...... , (>2:50 IMJ 3 4 s 5
-ASTl>"ilu.\l 2D I•
IRCFUMdCClT("'50\K.) 24 12
._. ... ._l,2SllWil.J 04 11
~ttMtlOM W'J GGTll'l'lll lfl mort fr1Quenl lnV1RAMu'i£"t rlCIPlfl'D tl'lln lncontroll.
B1c::Me ........ Ms ~ tlllCn rtPQrted In VIRAAllJl'tf9·11'Nttd Pit** rior;aorlnQ ot lvtr
~leltllhO&AdlllCONIOlfld
OVUIOOSAGE Qiett"no~r'IOWl'l~lorVIRAAW~E'~ ~1.acutttox!d1ln0f'~
119 .,,,,. noot*J IOf' ont ,.nent wflO Wion1ld IOO l'IO of VlRA'°'' ·'-!" l0t one~
CAUTIOtil FED£JW.. LAW PROtlBITS D&SPlHS NG 'WITHOUT PRE$CAIPT~
--=··--... ··•§ •••••• P A G E ., a l'V'IAFICH 1 4 T H .., e a 7
r · I'
California Bar Bans 'Straight' Kiss
San Francisco (AP) - A city comm1ss1on
has repnmanded a popular Market Street
gay bar for a pohcy that bans heterosexual
couples from kissing
The Caf<, in the cuy's predominantly gay
Castro D1stnct, violated non-d1scnmina1ion
laws by CJCCtmg a man and woman last
August and invoking a "no straight makeout"
policy, according to Cynthia Goldstein
of the Human Rights CommisS1on
After The Cafe failed to retract us pohcy,
Goldstein asked the comm1ss1on to issue a
"directo~s finding" against the bar on Feb.
23. The bar faces no penalty, but is on
record m San
Francisco as having commuted d1scnm1-
nat1on
1
' I was trying to be sensitive to the needs
of my customers," bar manager Morgan
Gorrono told the San Francisco Examiner
on Saturday. ..My main complaint from
customers 1s there are too many straight
people here."
Gorrono said he has since changed the
pohcy and now bans heavy kissing by people
of all sexual oncntauons
The kissing dispute started when Damon
Jacobs, a fnend of the couple, complained to
the cuy after the couple was thrown out of
The Cafe last summer, The couple was
"kissing pretty deeply," Jacobs said.
"The bartender went up to them and said
something hke 'This is a gay bar What
you're doing is very offensive to people here.
I'd hke 10 ask you to leave for your own safety-"'
Moments later, Jacobs, who is gay, and
the couple were thrown out by the bouncer.
Another fnend al«> was forced to leave.
"I was appalled that this was happening
to my mends in this community," Jacobs
satd "It's very disappointing to me that our
businesses arc being such poor role models."
Gorrono said the man and woman were
eiected mainly because they were drunk;
they began kissing and blocking the bar only
after being refused dnnks, he said. "It wasn't
rrally a straight issue h was a dn nk1ng
issue," he said
But the Human Rights Comm1Ssion took
a closer look at the incident after Gorrono
wrote 10 the Bay Area Reporter, a local gay
newspaper Gorrono's Sept 19 letter defended
his banender's decision to eject the cou·
pie.·
"She (the bartender) told them a lot of gay
people find u offenS1ve when straight people
come into a gay bar and start to make out,"
Gorrono wrote. "It's like throwmg water m
our face ."
"As for The Cafe changing our policy on
straight people making out, this will not
change," he wrote. "They will still be asked
not to, once. If they don't hke u, they can
leave. Th1$ 1s a gay bar and they are the
guests of our communuy. ''
Said Goldstein "Whether they were
drunk or not drunk was not really the issue.
(Gorrono) stated there was a pohcy that
treated people of a different sexual onenta-
11on differently."
Gorrono maintains that The Cafe wel·
comes everyone. But m recent years, he said,
more straight people have frequented the
bar, causing complamts from some gay cus·
tome rs.
"People feel the Castro is being invaded,"
he said "But we don't care about straight
people (coming to the bar) as long as they
don't flaunt 11.
Some of Gorrono's customers agreed
with a ban on straight k1ssmg.
''When we can get married, they can kiss
m our bars,'' said Patnck Wagner, a Castro
resident Sipping a beer on the bar's outdoor
deck on Saturday. '"There are several hun·
dred bars where straights can go kISs. So. out
of respect for our community, I think they
should refrain from kissing here!'
But Maurice Hams, a patron at a nearby
bar, sa1d any ban on sexual expression
would mar the Ca!'>tro's tradition of embrac·
mg all hfctylcs.
"Anyone can kiss around here," said
Harns, who 1s bisexual. N You can be any·
thing you want tn the Castro. The Castro IS
a ll about tolc;rance "
T T T T T T T T T
FBI Denies Reports ol Bomb links
Atlanta (A P) • Federal officials denied
reports that mvc!>llgators have linked the
Centennial Olympic Park bombing and later
attacks on an abon1on chnic and a gay
nightclub in Atlanta
News reports Fnday said investigators
found s1m1lant1es m the three bombings, and
that there may be a "fuzzy" video image of
the Olympic bomber
''We don't have the Sliver bullet," FBI
spokesman Jay Spadafore said of the videotape
report
As for links in the bombings, Spadafore
said u's not possible to conclude that any of
the devices were made by the same person
or persons.
"We're not being disingenuous,"
Spadafore said "We have strong S1m1lanties
among the devices and differences as well. If
we had a signatu re and knew it was the same
guy, the d ifferences wouldn't matter ...
Time magazme's onhne news service, CH·
mg unidentified sources, reported that the
FBI determined the devices in all three
bombings bore the same "signatures"
An unusual metal was used m compo-nents
of all three sets of devices. the Time
soun:cs said One source also ~aid the timers
and copper wmng m the fusmg mechanisms
were the same
CBS News reported that metallurgical
tests at the Department of Energy's
Nauonal Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn ,
on debns from the Olympic bombing
showed "a S1m1lanty" wuh fragments from
the other bombings.
Previous news accounts have hnked the
wmng, 11mmg devices. and dynamite u~d m
two Jan. 16 bombings at an abon1on chmc
m suburban Atlanta wuh those used m the
Feb. 21 bombing at a gay nightclub
Investigators, howt'ver, say th('y have not
completed forensic testing on evidence
taken from those attacks. CBS also noted
that black powder was used tn the Olympic
attack and dynamite tn the other two
CBS also reported that mvesugators
examining photographs and video taken m
Centennial Park on the night of the July 27
bombing have denved images of SIX people
they'd hkc to qursuon,
One of the images 1s "enhanced to the
point of bemg v1nually unrecogmzablc,"
but the other five pictures are expected to be
released at an FBI news confe~nce next
week, CBS reported
All SIX people were near the blast sue and
two were descnbed as carrying backpacks.
The Olympic park bomb was hidden 1ns1de
a m1htary-style backpack when It exploded,
klihng one person and iniunng more than
100.
Time's onhne service also reported that
the FBI has a fuzzy image of a person who
may have planted the bomb on a videotape.
Spadafore said he knew of no suspect image,
fuzzy or otherw1$e
T T T T T T T T T
Join other HIV+ single gay men for• we km Ar' o 1
spectacular Red Rock country. We've l•hedul a 1eep
tour, mountain l>iking, a Gra.iid Canyon tour
and lot-o _pf free time to ttl.ix by Oa Creek,
or explore the region's many attractions.
ALYSON ADVENTURES ...
1· 800-.8.-A.L.Y .S.O.N '{--;:--/ _ ...., _ _,
Spice Up Your Monday at ..•
New Monday Mex-Buffet - $9.95/person
Tortilla Soup & Gourmet Salad 8ar • Fresh atantro Quiche • Fieeta Coml1read
CoffU, Tea or BYOB • Free Setuf>6 fur Frozen Margarita"
,ava .>-.> '-"'• & t<oi;!I Aloove ~ t
m w .. t 11th «ut. " • ..., 11ocp,
bA
SIC BROTKER S
H ~ ·~ • T 0 ,...,
IVIAR C H 1 4 T H 1 9 g 7
saturaa11. Maren 15
111111 ZICM
DUID llllChHll
Kiri DIOR
1022 WESTHEIMER
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
SPEARMINT
SCHNAPPS
MONDAY MARCH 17
HAMBURGERS
SUNDAY
3PM-7PM
WEDNESDAY
12PM-4PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
MEG - MARCH 16
WALTER-MARCH 18
l.AJI-CERS M.C. MM#MeMIW...OWM.+§
$.50
DRAFT
BEER
2PM-TILL ......
PWA
HOLIDAY
CHARITIES
P A G E
GLOBAL NEWS
French Anornev: Drop Blood Case
by Nicolas Marmie
Pans (AP) • France's top prosccutor recommended
today that charges be dropped
agamst a former pnme minister and two oth·
crs 10 the contam10at1on of I ,JOO French
hemophiliacs with A!DS-tamted blood
producll m 1985
The rccommcndatton by the chief prosecutor,
based on what he called lack of ev1·
dencc, means it 1s almost certain thC' three
former of!iciab will not be brought to tnal.
Former Pnme M1n1ster Laurent Fabius,
former Social Affairs Mmister Georgma
Dufou and formrr Heahh M1mster Edmond
Herve, all members of the 1984-1986
Socialist government, had been charged
with "comphcny 10 po1sonmg," which car·
ries a maximum 30·year prison sentenct.
The charges came amid a scandal that
shook confidence m France's public heahh
system and helped bnng down the SOC1ahst
govcmmem m 1993
The scandal broke m 1990 with revel•·
lions that five years earlier, health officials
used blood supplies known to be contaminated
with the AIDS virus, rather than purchase
U.S. technology to treat or test the
blood A French test was bemg developed at
1he umc.
About 1,300 hemophiliacs became infect-ed
with the virus, and more than 500 have
died Four high-ranking health officials have
since been convicted, and two have been
Jailed
Fabius, Dufozx and Herve were charged m
1994, after two yt"ars of pressure from vie·
llms' families. Smee then, a special court had
been examining the evidence
Fabius and his former colleagues claim
1hey never knowingly approved the use of
tamted blood
Today, the chief prosecutor of France's
highest court ol appeal, Jean·Franco1S
Burgehn, informed the Republics Court of
Justice there was 1nsuffietcnt evidence to put
the three on tnal.
The speual court 1s the only forum
empowered to prosecute officials for cnmes
committed whtlc in office. In theory, the
court could go ahead with a tnal, but the
body, created in 1993, has never gone
against the rccommendat1on of the chief
prosecutor.
Burgelm said that while he was asking
that cnminal charges be dropped, "the polit·
1cal responsab1hty of the mm1Sters should be
exammed."
But he added. "Cnmmal responS1b1lity, on
the other hand, as not established for the
ministers."
T T T T T T T T T
M.D. With AIDS Denies Misconduct
London (AP) • A Zambian-born gynecol·
ogist who reportedly has performed invasive
procedures on hundreds of patients despite
bemg HIV-positive demed Monday he was
guilty of profesS1onal misconduct.
But a lawyer for the mamed dOCJor, identified
m weekend press reports as Patrick
Ngosa, told a professional d1sc1phnary hear·
mg that he admitted havmg a 19-monih sex·
ual rclat10nsh1p from May 1994 with anoth·
rr woman who told h1n7i she was HIY·poSI·
uve.
According to nrws reports; 1t was thts
woman, idenuficd only as Mrs A, who firs!
reported the doctor to the heahh authont1es.
Ngosa, who has three children, also
accep1ed he had not taken adequate steps to
check hlS own HIV status after Mrs A told
ham of her illness.
The Z1mbabwe~tratned doctor was not
present at Monday's heanng by the General
Medical Council, which has 1he power to
prevent him from practicmg if 1t finds he put
off havmg tests knowing he likely had the
virus.
There have been several recent cases of
HlV-poS111ve doctors from Afnca, or who
have laved m Africa, workmg m Bnllsh hospitals.
The Ngosa case has provoked renewed
demands for compulsory AIDS tests.
Currently, medical personnel only have to
report to authonlles 1f they find out they are
HIV-posauve.
Health officaals in two south England
counttes. Gloucestershire and Essex, said
their staffs have spent two weeks check.mg
the records of 50,000 women who might
have been treated by Ngosa, who has been
working in the country smce 1991
They have drawn up a list of cases where
he had taken part in procedures such as
Caesarean births and hysterectomies and set
up help Imes
Officials said Monday they believe that
I, 752 of the women may have been exposcd
to a very slight nsk of contracting HIV.
Davtcs, Ngosa'1 lawyer, said he,h.lJ lxcn
prepared to attend the hearing. but pulled
out after his 1dent1ty became known.
"There may be a very good reason why he
is scared to attend today. He was scared for
himself and he was scarod for has family,"
she said
Pomung to the packed press gallery. she
added, "Wuch hunt would not be too high a
term to descnbc what has happened thlS
weekend." She asked for the case to be
adiourned to a later date
But Rosalind Foster, a lawyer for the
General Medacal Council, said the case
must go on m the public interest.
"The armety IS that lhlS doctor may have
practiced elsewhere," she said, adding
authonues only recently d1Scovered that
Ngosa had worked at four Bnt1Sh hospitals.
rather than three
"His failure to attend •.. this morning
speaks for uself," Foster said.
The case continues this week.
Japan AIDS Scandal Trial Begins
by Seth Sutel
Tokyo (AP) . Tesl!fying m the first of scv·
eral tnals m a widespread AIDS scandal, a
formrr doctor denied charges today that his
negligence caused the death of a hemophilia
pauent who got the AIDS virus through
untreated blood
Takesh1 Abe, a professor and former vice
president of Te1kyo University, told the
Tokyo D1Stnct Court that he did not know at
the lllne that using untreated blood producll
was dangerous.
Abe servtd as head of a Health and
Welfare Mm1Stry panel on AIDS m 198.1 and
1984 and pers1Stently opposed quick appmval
for safe heat-treated blood products bemg
used in other nations.
Prosecutors suspect that Abe may have
refused to agree to importing treated blood
products because: of Ins close relations with
Japanese pharmaa:uucal companies, which
wrrc working on their own vors1ons of the
products.
The heat 1rcatments weren't approwd unttl
1 2 rvlARCH
1985. About 2,000 Japanese, mostly hemoph1hacs,
conlracted the AIDS virus from lhe
untreated produru. About 400 have died
La1rr this month, separate tnals will begin
for former Health and Welfare Ministry olfa·
c1al Akihito Matsumura and three former
presadenls of Green Cross Corp., the lop supplier
of the blood products.
The scandal has appalled a nation where
malpracllce suits arc- rare and has led to more
calls for bureaucratic reform
The government and five pharmaceutical
firms have reached an out-of-court scttlrmcnt
with the patienis and their fam1hes who had
sued for damages
Although susp1c1ons against Abe are w1derangmg,
the formal charges involve only a
Single case in the summer of 1985 when a
hemophiliac pauent trea1ed at Te1kyo
University became infected with the AIDS
virus. He later developed AIDS and died m
1991
If convicted on the charges of causing
death by professional negligence, Abe could
be sentena:d to up to five years m pnson.
1 4 T H 1 a a 7
J!JJ;J !Ji
1199 JJJJJJ
Sunday March 16 • 3 pm• Benefit to offset funeral expenses for Walter Carter
benefits LVL Holiday Charities
•-·m··::·1·1mt:Jl.l.!•-1:D-1•U•m•s:1 1m-m- ••-r::-·••-••--:1E1- p A -~ e 1 ~~ ~"' ""' A A c H 1 4 T H 1 a a
"MU...STIC MOTION,
VICTOR. FO~ Ot-1.T
ATTH€
S wtMMINc;
O LYMPIC T RIALS
HOU> t-t1S l!.REAnt
~eR.WATeR. FOR. MORE ntAN TW6NTY S6CONPS.
T Ht-15, TH6 S 6AR.Ct-t CONTINt.<.61:> •••
READTIVE
UNLIMITED
advertising, graphic design and other way cool stuff.
22 I 9 Richmond • 7 I 3-526-5 I 90
Check us out at http://members.aol.com/ creADtive
email - creADtive@aol.com
Star Studded
Saturday Show
Hostess
Roxanne Lee Love
Saturday, March 15th
11 pm
Catia Lee Love
Paivi Lee Love
Roshelle Stevens - -·
~~~t~ ~' t~' B~''-''' N•s~t
Thursday, March 20th • 11 pm
Stephanie Straight, Sheena Ross,
Jamie Roberts, & Jessica Blaire
Also, Hostess
Granny's Tacos! Roshelle Stevens
MALE STRIP CONTEST at 11 pm with PaM
SmRDAY SHOW at 11 pm with Roxanne
$1 Budweiser & Bud Ught All Dav and All Night
MAU STRIP CONTEST at 11 pm with Palvl
Amateurna1ent Night at 11 pm with ovan Michaels
Grannrs Burgers!
"Riuer Prance"
starring
Fancu Pace-Lawrence
benefiting
omega House
sundau e:ao om
Mondau
ruesdau
Wednesdau
Thursdau
Frldau
saturdau
Cllnt
Marci
eeuerlu
Edith Head
waune
waune
a1wa11s 11ue ••• a1wa11s tun
Houston's "n1te Club"
2294 w. Holcombe
at oreanbrlar
713-185-9878 9!itch
Yeah, just
ask Lucy!
2517 Ralph St. at Westhelmer
(713} 527-9071
• Happy Hour 7am - 9pm Weekdays
• S 1.50 Well 4-7 Saturday
• $1.50 Vodka 7am - 6pm
•Mug Club 7am - 1 Opm
• $3.75 Pitchers & $1 .75 Mugs
--=··----·•§ ----· PAGE 14 T l'V'I ARCH 14TH 1997
LITERARY REVIEW
by David Richardson
The first quesuon you must ask your<elf
before picking up the book Arkansas by
DaVJd Lcavtlt IS "Can I CnJOY a book wtlh
unhkcablc characters?" If you can answer
yes to this question, then by all means pick 11
up. Many readers of gay fiction are already
fam1har wtlh the stones of Mr Leavtlt
whose novels Family Dancing and The Lost
Language of Cranes have become staples in
contemporary gay fiction. Hts last book entitled
Whtie England Sleeps created such a
stir that 11 was pulled from many bookstores
due to content
In hts latest offenng Arkansas we are
treated to three novellas within one book.
The first one, The Term Paper Artist, concerns
a wntcr who comes home to stay w1t.h
his family for a lime after a recent book he
wrote causes a scandal and he 1s sued While
he is home he 1s introduced to an undergraduate
student for whom he feels an infatuation.
Putting his literary talents to work,
he wntes a term paper for the lad in
exchange for sex Herc 1s where I was first
put to the test becau<e being a former college
student as well as a wntcr of sorts, I found
thIS character to be reprehensible.
Nonethell-ss1 a story 1s a story. The character
begins bartcnng with many college students
in the same vein and at the end has felt neither
remorse or rctnbuuon for his actions
The second story takes place in the Italian
countryside of Tuscanny where Nathan and
Ceha, characters familiar to Tt"aders of Mr
Leavltls other short stones. have an awkward
reunion after a five year penod to celebrate
Cehas' wedding anniversary to a husband
who ts largely absent throughout the
story. Here too, we have a character
(Nathan) who has no qualms about sleeping
with someone clses amour, even when the
consequences are tragic for aU concerned.
The third story 1n the book ts the best in
lhlS readers eyes Saturn Street ts the tale of
a d1Ssaffcctcd screcnwntcr in Los Angeles
who takes on a JOb as a volunteer, dclivenng
lunches to homebound AIDS patients only
to find that he falls 1n love with one of them.
Their relationship 1s never consumated however,
and the ending IS both touching and
poignant
Another book that I have to menuon this
week ts Travels With Lisbeth by Lars
Etghncr. Whtie not a new book, ti was
passed on to me by a freind who assured me
I would hkc ti. In actuality, I dtd The story
concerns a man who has spent three years
on the road and in the streets hving as a
homeless person, with his one constant com·
pamon being his pct dog Lisbeth Mr.
Etghcners' story gives readers a fresh perspecuve
on the struggles of people who hve
m the streets, but does so with a keen sense
of wit that 1s so sly that m some cases It
almost passes you by. I wouldn't pass by this
book 1f you can obtain a copy as u makes for
a fun read
T T T T T T T T T
THEATR E NOTES
by David Richardson
It certainly is an mteresung season for the·
atre! When the curtain nses, even if it's late
(and stop hissing at Faye Dunaway already,
ghost say boo, not pohte theatre goers) there
is a d1vers1ty abound that is refreshing_ For
example, here are JUSt a few of the treats in
store for ticket buyers at lhts time of year·
First off take a walk down memory lane
when Mam Street Theatre presents
Schoolhouse Rock Live' Billed as a childrens
show, 11 still carnes camp value for anyone
who saw the cartoon versions back in the
70's. This show runs through March 23rd
Tickets (713) 524-6706.
Jackie 0 1s making several appearances m
town this month which is pretty 1mprcss1ve
for someone who is not breathing. Houston
Grand Opera presents Jackie 0 March 14th-
16th at the Wortham Center Tickets· (713)
227-ARTS. She will also be appeanng at
Theatre LaB dunng their production of First
Ladies Sutic, a musical that includes
Eleanor, Bess, Mamie and Lady Bird
Johnson Can Hilary be far behind? Tickets
(713) 868-7516 7516.
Vampire lovers will go bats over the world
premiere of Ben Stevenson's new ballet
Dracula March 13th-23rd at the Wortham
Center Tickets. (713) 227-ARTS. Wt1h the
dead being resurrected ti seems only fining
that the Country Playhouse will revive the
old warhorse Death of a Salesman March
14th-Apnl 5th Tickets (713) 467-4497.
If you arc crazy about George Gershwin,
or even 1f you arc Just plain crazy, the Music
Hall ts the place to be March 7th-23rd when
TUTS pre;ents Crazy For You. Tickets
(713) 622-TUTS
Look for local favonte Mozelle Felder
who will be in the cast of Vieux Carre. This
show 1s about Tennessee Williams life m
New Orleans and IS said to be as steamy as a
ntghl in the Quarter So take the nearest
streetcar to the New Heights Theatre March
12th-Apnl 12th. Tickets (713) 869-8927.
Everything is ~lauve when vmting wHh
Uncle Vanya in the Chckov classic at the
Mam Srrcct Theatre March 6th-April 6th.
Tickets (713) 524-6706.
Actors Theatre bnngs us lhe scalhingly
funny comedy Rrturn Engagements playing
March 21s,t·May 4th. ThIS IS btlled as a story
of three couples and the tangled lives they
hve.
Park your car and help celebrate the 40th
season of Theatre Southwest as they present
Statons Garage March 7th-Apnl 5th. There
1s a warning that gunshots and profanity
occur dunng this productton. Perhaps I
should preface my reviews with that state·
ment •• well Tickets (713) 728-5178.
For those Wlth a da1rl.. to~ on the stage
instead of JUSt watching n, the Ensemble
Theatre 1s holding auditions for a murder
mystery comedy called Who Killed Hazel
Panon' Aud111ons will be held April 26th
from 12 to 4 PM. If this show IS anything
ltkc their recent producuon of Jar The Floor,
ti should be htlarious so keep your eyes open
for ti. The Ensemble ts also seeking an ass1Stant
for their Artistic Director. Interested
parties in either the audition or the position
should contact Eiieen J. Moms at (713) 520-
0055.
It's all Greek to me, or so says the Alley
Theatre who are present The Greeks. an
Epic In Two Parts through May 4th. Sec my
review of this for mo~ details. That 1s the
buzz from the boards for lht> week See you
at the foothghts•
How To Reach Members of
Congress & The President
l .. all thc ( 'apuaol 51\ 1h.:hlio ~rd· C\en 1f }Ou are not sure \\ho rcprc~nt· ~ou, 1u~t ~L. the
operator umt \ ou "111 be conncck•J As~ for their fa\ numt>cn. and c·matl addrcsSc..~ as \\ell
('all l's Capitol (202) 22·1-J 121 (Senators & Rcprc>cntatl'es)
\~rite
I he 1 lonoralilc
l S. Scnatl'
\Va .... hmeton. I)(' 20510
1 he l'rc\1tkn1 of the l Jnitcd States
l'rcsulcnt ll1ll ('ltnton
I he \\ h11e I louse
I hOO Penns\ hama ,\\c
\\ ashmgtm;. IJ(' 20500
I he llonorahlc
l l.S I lou~e of Rcprc,cntat1\CS
W;hhington, I)( 20515
\\ htle I louse l'ubhc Comment I me 1202) ~51>-7b39
l·-ma1I rn:s1dcnt11i.\h11eho11 ~ -;····.._ ....... ., !M···-- P A G E
POW£
BOUB
$1 YOU-Call-ft
11Jm-1Pm
7DavsaWeek
The Woodlands. Texas
St. Patrick's Dav Partv
Mondav. March 17
:~,~~~~:
I ililij :j; tie: I: I:A: rq:': A 1'1Ii!:iij:I1'1M iJ :i f$ j
With 6 Satellites and 13 TV's, you can watch the Rockets
or any of your favorite sports teams!
uve MUSiC
MondaJ.
ruesdaJ,
rnursdaJ.
fridaJ&
saturdaJI
March14& 15
March ti
March22
March28
March29
lpril4&5
lpril11 & 12
Bodside Poels
Mr.Happy
Cole from Revolulion
Ground Zero
Hadden Sav.s
TBA
Suspecls and Middlelinuer
llon4ry Sl50 l.oflgneo:ks Bpn.-Tipra T~ay Sl50 Viti D<inlis Bpn1-Tip11
hinelllry Happy H11Ur Pr~es All Doy/All Night· S4 Donte\lil Pi!Chers
l1mMy Sl50 D<ah lletl Bp•llp11 and l()c W'"gs
Fli4ry 7SC Kamiltrns All Dey/All N1ghl Sahnry $150 GalUilllsAll Dey/Al 1ght
lunHy $150 Wei lllints 8p•Tip11 · S-4 Domesli< Beer Pitchet All Illy/All Night
~-------~ Tau J.45" to the Rlytlri'Slwdust E.lll 11 Spnng- Go - on Rlytord'Slwdllll
1 5
Make a nght II the first red lighl
We re ll lht ond ol lht •'"9cenll<onyou1eftl 281-363-2574
In Memoriam Of Our Founders, David Scoll Reed (1946-1996)
and Cecil Ray deloach (1952-1991)
Living With HIV?
The Medical Escrow Society
can help you ...
. .. make the most of your
life insurance today
• Our experienced staff has helped over 4,800 people living
with HIV and cancer to receive up to 85% of their life
insurance in cash today.
• We create competition among the 12 most reputable funding
sources to make sure you receive the highest cash
settlement.
• All types of policies qualify: group, term. whole life, federal
employees, and converted veterans.
• We qualify anyone with HIV (up to 1,000 T cells).
• Absolutely no cost or obltgation at any time.
• All your information is strictly confidential and applications can
be requested 24 hours a day.
1-800-422-1314
www.med-escrow.com
Founding Member of the Viatical Association of America
IVIARCH 1 4 T H 1 g 9 7
-----------· - ~7..):.:---:.:L----
Cit?bK~
COMMllCIAlMlMl!I - - - - - - - . ------ ~ H 0 U S T 0 N • T E X A S
EVERY SUNDAY FOR OUR BEGINNERS
SIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES 3·4 PM
EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY 8 PM
FREE HIV TESTING BY MONTROSE CLINIC
'NEDNESDAY3/19,4/2,4/16,4/30
DON'T FORGET OUR DAILY SPECIALS
MON· TUES--THURS--FRl·SAT 10 AM· 9 PM
WEDNESDAY ALL DAY/ ALL NIGHT
OPEN DAILY
MONDAY-5ATURDAY10AM-2AM
SUNDAY NOON · 2AM
617 FAIRVIEW AT STANFORD• HOUSTON• 713-528-8102
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT
by David Richardson
I would hke to start my column thlS week
by outing someone who IS w:ry famous. No,
not Ellen. 0 K , here goes. the Easter
Bunny IS gay! I can sec you looking at me
like I am crazy. but I tell you n's true Think
about this for a moment· while most rabbits
arc best known for making other rabbus, thlS
Easter Bunny character spends his days hop
ping about making colorful wow:n straw bas
kets tilled with treats while m pastels. So the
way I figure 11, he's either gay or he IS
Manha Stewart Have I made a pomt here?
And n's about that name Peter Cottontatl
Whose tail was he caught m IS what I want
10 know' I am snll kind of waffling on the
issue of the 1mportan~e of rabbits m the first
place. I mean, tf they were such a big deal
why hasn~ Andrew Lloyd Webber made a
musical about them yet? Actually, I'd better
not give him any ideas. I for one would be
temticd to find a large rabbit leaping around
my hving room, although after seemg that
really scary photo of the Mayor of New
York 1n drai: recently, I guess I can survwc a
lot more than I thought.
I guess by now you have figured out that
thlS weeks column 1s about Easter, which 1s
JUSt around the corner_ Religious connota~
ttons aside, there are a few things about this
holiday that I iusl don't understand First
off, what m the hell is the deal with
Marshmallow Peeps anyways? For those of
you unfamiliar with this pan1cular ruhnary
treat, it has a au ty sugar cc-aung over some
"hue substance that resembles old ures m
tcx· ~re and cons tcncy and can pass
through the human body without ever bcmg
digested and they are only put out dunng
Easter hohdays. Oh, and did I mention that
they arc shaped hke baby bmls' Call me old
fashioned, but I can't remember the last t me
I had an un<.."Ontrollablc urge to chmb a tree
and devour some helpless baby btrds nght
out i:f the nest Can you? My fncnds at
PETA would ne>n forgive me
Sucking with the candy SUbJcct for a
mmutc, 1 know that speak g against
Jellybean• would be un bsol~te blasphemy
but they really have gone a btt too far wit\!
those gourmet navored ones Most ch1ldrc:1
have little use for a 1cllybcan that taste hke
roasted duck cooked an a light wine sauce
with JUSt a hint of basil
I did try 10 get into the sptnt of the hoh·
day when the Easter stuff began to appear m
the supermarket$ so that would have been
about November I guess I even dyed some
eggs. How could I have known that you were
supposed to boil the damned things first?
My mecc IS still trying to scrub the yoke out
of her dress. And speaking of clothes for a
mmute
Ladies, nothing personal but take my
advice and don't do the bonnet thing" this
year. Allow me to remind you that you are
not Judy Garland, or even Judy Tenuta for
that matter. Let me put 1t to you another
way. You have been walking around all )car
long with a perfectly lovely hairstyle, so JUSt
because tt's Easter Sunday docs not meao
that you should feel the need to put a pl•te
of rutabagas and dned nowerS on your
head. Resist thlS temptation at all cost
Many people already have something ndtcu·
lous looking abovt· their necks. In most cases
u is thcu own heads. but that's another story.
Many rehg1ous hohdays' ongtn> can be
traced back to umes of great suffenng, so I
guess that's why we have to go VISll our rcla·
11ves at the hohdays. We are iust keeping the
tradu1on of suffcnng alive Having to choose
b<-tween being walled up inside a cave \Vlth a
huge stone blocking the door or going to
v1sn my Aun't Hermcc with her h1dl'ous str14
ated glazed hohday ham . these are tough
deC1s1ons.
Always bemg one to 'ook at the pracucal
side of 1h1rgs, here's a httlc I p for you
When you llave everyone over for the big
Easter Egg ht.ill, tc• the 'htldren that
instead of lookmg for eggs, thry shou Id be
looking for all the things you have lost at
your home 1n the p.1st year. Imagine their
squeals of dehght as they unearth such trca·
surcs as three sets of car keys, a couple cf
losmg •Ottcry Lckcts, and a suck of gum sull
in tts fotl wrapper. You can~ buy happiness
hke that' Just make sure they don't come
across your Swedish Erollca colkeuon or
you arc gomg to havl'! a lot of cxpl:u ... mg '
do. In all scnowne (11kc I know the meaning
of the word) 1 woi.:'d like to wish you
and yours a very Happy Easter .And, there
you have 111
RAINBO\N READ E R
Everyone knows Thomas Jtfferson was a
founding father who authored the Dctlaration of
Independence But who wa$ Thomas Jefferson to
the people he worked wuh, lived wuh and
owned' Robena Grimes explores thll aspect of
one of Amcnca's hIStonal heroes m her book
My Thomas My Thomas IS wntten from the per·
spccuvc or Manha Jcffcnon, who marned
1bomas Jefferson m r'te early '700s, bore btm
seven children (three of whom hvcd) and died
before he reached the legendary status with
whtch hlSlory would mark him
My Thomas 1s taken from actual lclttrs written
by Martha to her husband, and frum sumvmg
excerpts of a JOUmal she kept dunng thelf marnagc
h details slavery, women's nghts, medical
care, and the Amcncan Rcvohtuon from the clay
to clay pcrspcc!tve of someone who was hvmg ,,
Mulha IS outsp0kcn for a woman or her clay and
years (she IS only m her twcnllcs), yet 11 IS through
her outspokencss that we learn the things hLStory
books wtll never tdl us.
For mstance, a popular topic of debate to the
t 700's was whether or not women had souls.
Sla~s lt was automaucally assumed, did not, not
even the ones fathered by the mastcn of the
house, • proCtJce which was tommon and gencr·
ally accepted Martha docs not •cccpt tt howcv·
er, and r.lks often of how one reason she loves
her Thomas so much IS because he would never
do somcthmg hkc that (a fae1 which hlSlory
would later dISprOvc m the pcnon of a slave
namrd Sally Hcmmtnp. who, strangely enough,
wu M.lrtha's own half stster) Martha also
mststs throughout the book that she and her husband
truly want lo set the slaves free. but cannot
m good conscience because u would be too hard
for them to Im without being "cared for" ThIS
IS said even U the borroa of slavery IJC dJScusscd
openly by Mutha who ends all of these frank,
brutal accounts wuh a rauonaliuuon that she
•nd her husband ncvn beat, rape. torture or otherwis.
c molest any of their slaves. a.nd, as to the
other plantation owners (mdud1ng Martha's own
., a IVIARCH
father and brothcn m law) wdl she and her husband
have no control over lhar and thus cannOI
speak to 1t
Unfortunately a.s this Knt1ment against 10JUS-
11ce 1s mirrored all too often m our own society
today, u becomes easy to sec how u could b«ome
pervasive rnough to allow a C1V1l1zcd" SOCtctY 10
enslave an enure race of people for hundreds of
years
Even onore homfymg than Martha's dcscnpllons
of slavery however, arc hv dcscnpttons r
the medical care rccc:tVCd by herself and others
Bleeding pauents 1s common pracuce and used •o
cure tverythmg from tubcrculostS lo the common
.. old. In one p.trt1cularly hideous .segment of ha
Journal Manha
dcscnbcs tn detail a fnend's mastectomy, a procedure
which involved the woman bemg stnppcd,
hdd down on a table by four men and, after hav·
mg a spoon thrust m her mouth 10 stop her
screammg, had her breast cut off and her breast·
bone scraped. No pam killer was given her, as the
only pam killer ava1lablc m those umcs was rum.
and It wasn't considered proper for ladies to dnnk
spmts.
Ch1ldb1rth, mtanwh1lc, 1s always a gamble,
and It ts not unusual for both mother and child to
be lost m the process It ts also not unusual for
people of M.trtha 's age to be widowed, or on
tbetr second or third mamagc Thomas Jefferson
m fact, IS M.lrtha'ssccond husband At one point
m her iournal she coyly notes that she was mor·
ned at 17, a mother at 18 (a chdd she later lost 10
1llness), .i.nd a widow at nineteen. She also notes
tha1 her waiting pcnod of two ytars bcfol'C' t.akmg
ano1her husband Wd'I mo~t unusual, .tS the maJOr4
1ty of women in her cm."Um!i.lJ.nce rcmamed as
soon as possible
Wntten 1n tho language of the umes My
Thomas IS mterc:ung. <nhghtenmg. and frightcnmg
all at once Roberto Gnmcs hu done an
ucellcnt Job of tymg together the p1cc01 of this
forga1tcn woman's hfe, and through hC"r we gei to
know Thomas Jefferson as hr- truly was rather
than as history tells us hc was.
T T T T T T T T T
., 4 T H ., a a 7
ENTERTAINMENT
Etheridge and lang Join Ellen
by Jennifer Bowles
To help Ellen Morgan, the quirky character
played by Ellen DeGeneres, make that
h1stoncal leap, the actress gets a httle help
from her fnends: Actress Laura Dern, talk·
show host Oprah Winfrey and openly lesbian
singers Melissa Etheridge and k.d. Jang
will appear m the long-anttcipatcd, one-hour
episode, scheduled to air on Disney-owned
ABC on Apnl 30
While several shows such as 0 Roseanne"
and "Mad About You" have featured homo·
sexual characters, Ellen Morgan will be the
fi"t openly gay lead in a pnme-llme show
"There 1s an mcredtblc amount of care
going into this. that tt's done nght and done
well," satd executive producer Dava Savel
.. We realize there's a lot on our shoulders
htrc.•
In the episode, half of which was taped
Fnday night, Dern plays a lesbian who
comes into town with an old college fnend
of Morgan -
Morgan finds she's more auracted to
Dem's character than to her male fnend,
said Mark Dnscoll, another executive producer
Winfrey plays yet another of
Morgan's therapists.
Dunng >ecnes taped last Fnday night, a
very nervous Morgan declares that she 1s gay
and confesses her attractton to Dem's character,
said David Tomb, a member of the
audience who heads a gay and lesbian orgamzauon
of United Airlines employees.
Her declarauon, made: m an airport, 1s
accidentally earned over a public address
system, he said
"My fnend and I were very choked up at
that moment, ' said Tomb
'It was u very C'mOt1onal moment for us as
gay people, panly because we could 1den11fy
with her character Why is 11 so difficult,
why can't we JUS! come out and say who we
art:'"
Members of DeGeneres' staff who
watched werr m tears Aflerwards,
Dt·Gcncn·s hu~ed them. Then she walked
over to a woman and said, "Tm free," Tomb
said
He said he did not know the woman's
1dent11y.
The idea was leaked to the media last
September Smee then, there have been sev·
eral on-air quips by Morgan and off-air JOkes
by DeGeneres that she may be "Lebanese"
or that the show will add a new guy character
named Les Bian. In one episode, Morgan
told her divorcing parents: "What if I said
something shocking to you. Like my whole
hfe has been a he and I'm really left-handed."
Ethendge will perform a song dunng the
opening title sequence, and lang, with whom
DeGeneres shared a pasS1onate public kiss at
an event last weekend, w11l appear as a
singer-waitress ma bookstore
The plan for the senes, now m 1ts fourth
season, has already generated some expect·
ed cnt1c1sm from conservatives, something
not lost on the producers, ABC and Disney
"It was really important to Ellen to reveal
II in such a way that everybody, including
middle Amenca, was on board," Savel said
"That everybody saw her angst, everybody
saw what she was going to go through, and
that by the end, you're rooting for her"
Savel and Dnscoll wrote the episode,
along wnh DeGeneres and consulting pro·
ducers Tracy Newman and Jonathan Stark.
Dnscoll said the idea for the episode was
first menuonrd by DcGeneres in June. "We
all met in the summer and Ellen pitched this
idea and wt· toasted It with champagne," he
said.
After many d1scuss1ons wnh the network
and "Ellen's" production company, Walt
Disney Telcv1s10n, on how the commg·out
episode would be handled and where later
episod., would go, ABC chief Robert !ger
gave his approval
••1t's never going to become the lesbian
dating show," Dnscoll said "l thmk a lot of
people are nervous about that Ellen Morgan
ha!'o. always hdd problems datmg anyway and
that will certainly conllnue ••
HSO and Eschenbach
Conclude European Tour
by Jon Anthony
.. The last week was very intense," intoned
Houston Symphony Orchestra (HSO)
Conductor-in Residence Stephen Stein.
"Tins has been a very .og1stically well laid
out tour. If there was something you would
wish to change about the schedulr of the
tour 1s that the most physically grueling part
of thC' tour 1$ not at the beginning when peo·
pie are refreshed but at the end when we've
been on the road for 2 1/2 weeks," opined
Stem
"We have had five nights of concerts in a
row m five different cu1es which involved a
tram tnp or bus nde every day. Nonetheless,
everyone involved continued to play with
enormously high standards."
The Orchestra played in the
Phliharmorme last Tuesday to overwhelm·
1ng response The concert hall 1s the very
famous home of the great legendary Berlin
Phdharmon1c "h was ac.1ually quite mter·
esnng m more ways than one: said Stem.
•we were suppose to rehearse m the hall
from (>· 30 p m. to 7 pm. and perform the
concert at 7 30 p.m. We amvcd on tune and
the Berlin l'h1lharmomc was still on stage
rehearsing. They did not finish on time for
us to rehear.;e. So, the concert started 15
mmutt·s late Although, some in the audience
were a lntle d1Sturbed about that, tt was
a spectacular success and we have the
reviews to prove II
AccorJ1-.g to Stc.·m, some "·ultural difft-r~
rnces were c'carly evident Some of the
Ger'tlan mus1c1ans who stayed to watch the
HSO rehearse were surpnsed and amused
lhat the HSO rcirarsed with a clock on the
stage
"TheJJ fehearsals end when the work IS
don(', however, tn Ao:nerca, Amencan pro-fess10nal
urchestr mus1c1ans are union
mus1ctans and thty end when the umon
contract stipulates that the rehea"al shall
end and not a second latrr or there JS overtime
penalties The Bcrlm Philharmoruc
rehearsed 20 mmutes more than ume had
allottrd because they needrd to and wanted
to. It's a very different kind of work ethic It
was vc:ry very mterestmg," explained Stein
"Their method IS vastly different,• he contends
"1 thmk their method is certainly better
but 1t calls for thv:;e m charge not to
abuse that system Theirs is a system of
honor and pnv1lege. Many of the cities m
which we we~ traveling have mcred1ble
pubhc transportation systC'.'ms for which you
nde on what's called the honor system You
can get on wnhout pay mg
anything. because they trust you to pay
whether you are a three year old child or an
80 year old woman Their system trusts that
management and conductors an: not gomg
to abuse the system and that everyone "
going to work togrthcr to a common cause
I personally happen to thmk ifs healthier I
don't thmk any conductor would disagree,"
mtoned Stem
Stem descnbed the twenty four hours
spent in Berlin ao ·r~scmatmg•, because, he
says, n is such an "ekctnc" cnv. A cny m
trans1t10n "The eastrrn side, whllc still
cll'arly not the same as the Wl'stcrn side, has
made grc,tt stndcs, smce the last ume I was
there four )'l',1rs ugo," S"...itcd Stem. "It ·s a
C"'uch. more umficd L-Ountry"
ill' VIVldly remembered a tnp where be
drove from llerlm to Hamburg back m 1992
The mmute you left West Berhn, 11 was hke
you stepped back fifty year> and 11 wasn't
unt:. you got t former Western Ger'tlany
that you felt back :i the 90's," "'fleeted
Soo STEIN page 18 --=···---·•§ ···-- P A G £
BYOB • 864·2977
.UXS WulUftcton A'ftDae, Hou.ton, TX 77007
Come On In!!
to dimb!
We offer chmbmi: tnp> m Wv nin1
biking in France. hikmg in th(, Alps • .tnd
mu~h more. Call for frre ratalog of acth·e
•awtions for gay men .tnd k"bians.
ALYSON ADVENIURESwc
2923 Main
Houston
713-522-0000
Noon Open to 7pm 7 Days a Week
ALL WELL, BEER & WINE S2
NEVER A COVER CHARGE!
FRIDAY, March 14
~El ~
9 pm till???
Guest Bartenders on the Top
NLA: Houston
SUNDAY, March 16 • 5 pm till???
Snacks on the "FARS/DE"
Grin 'n Bear It
Spm
A Bear Contest hosted by ANITA MANN, Empress XIII
Guest Bartenders on the Farside
Houston Area Bears
Thursdays • Free, Confidential HIV Testing • 4pm-8pm
... 7 N"ARCH "1 4 T H ... 9 9 7
A 'R T S & E N T E R T A I N 1V1 E N T
15 Years later, The Magic Is Still There
by Chns Rundquist
On Fnday, March 14, the final installment
of the Star Wars Tnlogy, The Return of the
Jedi Speetal Ed1t1on, will grace movie
screens everywhere. This final chapter will
run concurrently wuh Star War; and The
Empire Stnkes Back Sprc1al Edlllons. If
you were unable to sec these films when
they were ongmally rekased, 11 will be well
worth your while to see them now. The
Spretal Edt!Jons are even better than the
onginals. Originally slated to be released
last weekend, Je<h was held ova as a result
of the box-0ffice success of n's two predecessors.
The greatest improvement to the restora-
1100 of The Return of the Jedi 1s the sound
When this film was onginally made, THX
sound bad not been mvented The ongmal
DOLBY sound, wlule excellent at the lime,
can no longer comprte wuh todays technol
ogy Academy Award-w~·mmg sound
designer Ben Bunt, who suprrvtsed the
sound for the onginal film took on the same
duties for the Spretal Edtnons. Burn and his
team completely re-mixed the surround
sounds, addmg new material to provide
enhanced spatial effects throughout the
films.
"Spa=htps will now be heard gomg over
your head." Burn says. "We also added really
low frequencies that will shake you dunng
explosion scenes and spaceship pass-bys."
Indeed, ti feels hke the entire theater shakes
dunng these sequences
Smee the r·m bas been digitally re-mastered,
the vtSual "feel" of the movie has been
improved as well or course :isl seeing this
fit m a !heater "feels" much better than
watchmg u on TV The y,sual effects are
cnsprr, and comi:y a better sense of reality.
Unfonu~ate1', a lot of !he creatures m some
segments sun have that "rubber toy• look
The movie has incorporated three major
add1llons to the scnpt The additions are
nice, but the only one that actually improves
the film is the celebration sequence at the
end of the movie. It really helps convey a
sense of closure that was missing from the
onginal. llus is important since the next set
Pnncess Leta (Came Fisher) plays capf!ve
to Jabba the Hutt 111 RETURN OF THE JEDI
SPECIAL EDITION
of Sw Wars films wtL be prequels, takmg
place pnor the current tnlogy
Smee it will be a couple of years before
the prequels come out, "1ake an effort to see
all three cf the Star Wars films m the theater.
These•••• films can only be fully appreetat·
ed on !he big screen They simply lose too
much of their impact on TV
T T T T T T T T T
Braeswoo~ Atri~m
Elegant • Mid-Rise Living
'I
•
•
• Co\ERED PARKI c.
• FRH (<\BLE
•Co TROUI
•Co ( IER<;f SE Rv IC f
A((I'>C, Bt.;llDI (, .\11,/D (,ATE'>
• 8,000 SQ. Fr ArrRil \1./B1c. SCREI'\i TV
• Acnc,c, ro HW'Y. 59 MID BELTIVAY 8
8800 S. Braeswood
i. QA~ l i _,._V)
HOUSTO N V O I CE P A G E
STEIN/1rom page 17
Stem. 'The dnvc now, m 1997, from Berlin
to Hamburg was much much more homogenous.
You did not sense that kmd of drastic
socio-economic crash at all The country
has mad enorrnous stndes. That 1s fascmating,"
said Stem
"Hamburg was a very important concert
for the HSO because Eschenbach grew up m
Hamburg and it's a very important place m
his music life and as a young mus1c1an,"
informed Stem And, It 1s taking on new
meanmg because he IS gomg to become the
new music director of the North German
Radio Orchestra based m Hamburg. As a
result, the show sold out. as did all the other
etlles. "There was a sprcial electnc1ty m the
air because 1heir n~ music director was
appranng wilh his current orchestra," Stem
stated proudly.
The oty holds meanmg to Stem as well
because m 1982, he had a short apprent1cesh1p
at the Hamburg State Opera. He
remembers the experience in detail, one he
labels "fantastic"
"Learning about the world of Oprra and
conducting Opera m a company that does
20-25 performances a year To be a part of
that for JUSt one month was phenomenal."
enthused Stem •so the city for me, as well
as for Chnstoph, has some very strong scnll·
ments."
The reviews of HSO's tour have been
exceUent. The tour has bern a resounding
success beyond anyone's comprchen~1on .
Houston audiences should be proud to have
such a highly respected symphony orchestra
lead by a world renowned music director
whose status in the mdustry 1s legendary
Not to mention, a Conductor-m-Res1dencc
HSO ConductormRes1dence Stephen Stem.
who has had a tremendous impact on generating
mtercst among our you1h for the
appreoauon and sanctity of the musical art
forrn
T T T T T T T T T
Gershwin a labor ot love tor
Crazv For You Star
by Jon Anthory
Crazy For You, currently m perforrnancrs
at the Music Hall, stars veteran stage and
te!CV1S1on actor Bob Walton The Houston
Voice caught up with Walton on his day off
to talk to the benCY.'lknt actor about the produellon
and his upcummg endeavors.
Walton. who went to college with dtrec1or
and choreographer Alan Coats, 1s a veteran
of four Broadway productions Show
Boat. Ci1y of Angtls, A funny T/11ng llappentd
on tk Way to tht Forum and, most recently,
Once Upcn a MalttSS with Sarah Jessica
Parker. which he is scheduled to return to
after his stmt 1n Crazy For You He 1s also
scheduled to star m a production of Th•
Musu:Man.
Walton has apprared on the small screen
as well. To date, he has guest starred on
N.whart, Eumhowu and Luiz and other s1tua11on
comedies, a forrn of the medium he 1s
not averse too. Indeed. he would hke to
make a foray mto televts1on, however, he
truly enioys hve theatre
"When I moved to L.A , I did a few guest
spots on several situation comedies.
Nothmg spectacular If you had an allergy
attack, you probably would have missed me.
A httle more than a sneeze," JOkes Walton.
He mformed that when he moved his family
out to L.A from New York, he was tounng
tn A Funny Thmg Hapf"ntd on 1ht Way 10 lht
Forum with Mickey Rooney and 1m11ally
offers for guest spots were good "l thmk TV
has always been of mterest to me, espec1ally
the sitcom arena, but 1t tS a tough market."
Bob Walton and Cathy Wydner m a scene
from "Crazy for You·.
Walton said the tlmmg was not nght
when he was m L.A due to orcumstance.
"There were stnkes and other things that
made 1t tough for newcomers, so I started
domg more theater," said Walton Hts wife
then encouraged him to move the family
back to New York where theater opportuni·
ttcs are more enticing
A degree'd maior uf musical theater,
Walton docs not beheve 11 opens door;
" You can't hke knock on doors and say
See CRAZY page XX
your Houston voi
rtisinl! into eree
J St. Patrick's
1 a "'1 A A C H "1 4 T H 1 a a 7
ARTS & ENTERTAINIVIENT
The Allev Theatre Makes Historv With lavish New Production
by DaV1d Richardson
The ltfe of a General in ancient Greece
was never an easy one. Sacnficmg children
to the Gods, conquenng foreign territones,
pillaging, womanizing, and overall burst of
mayhem get kind of t1nng after a while.
Take, for example, the story of Agamemnon
and the fall of the House of Atreus
The Alley Theatre has done iust that in
their epic production of The Greeks, combining
stones by Eunp1des, Aeschylus and
Sophocles to creatr a massive tale rich m
history. mythology and drama. Mounting a
production of this magmtude was an amb1-
t10us proiect, but the Alley has pulled 1t off
with aplomb, dlVlding the tale of the Greeks
into two parts, the first being The War and
The Murders and the second dealing with
the Gods
The first part begins with a group of
women telling stones of old I have to go on
record at this pomt and say that every ume I
s<c Bettye Fitzpatrick in a role at the Alley,
she astounds me with her versatllity and talent.
but I digress
The action moves on to the Greek camp
at Aulis. Agamemnon, the General of The
Greeks has agrerd to rescue his brother
Menelaus' wife Helen from the Troians. He
organizes an Army on the shores of Auhs,
but the Goddess Artemis dcmands the sacnficc
of the Generals daughter Iphigenia in
BALLET/tram page 1
betrothed to Svetlana. provides the neces.
sary male bravura part. Carlos 'alf' Acosta,
seen as the incredible 'Chosen One' m the
recent Rite of Spnng wrU nc doubt serve
as a formidable adversary to the Pnnce of
Darkness. In true traditional form, much of
the ac lion wifl be c amed by the eighteen
talented women of the company. They will
provide much of the movement, and
Stevenson's choreography w1f/ highlight
their classical and dramatic abtl1bes.
Though the dancing will be recognizable
to the audience, having seen several of this
choreographers previous works, thlS production
promises add1t1onal delights for eyes
and ears Musically, arranger John
Lanchberry, (collaborator for Houston's
production of Peer Gynt and most no1ably,
the ballet cult film The Turning Point), has
combined numerous works of Hungarian
composer Franz Liszt for this production.
Liszt's romantic, goth1c sens1b11t1tes are a
natural musical choice to accompany th1S
ballet. Much of his compos1uonal out put 1s
based on dark themes, The Mephisto
Waltzes, (four of them) the famous
Totentanz for piano and orchestra based on
the ancient 'Day of Wrath' hymn tune, and
his last orchestral tone poem, From Cradle
to Grave, were all inspired by the macabre.
Liszt, regarded as the father of modem
piano playing was also one of the most
bizarre composers of thc late nmetccnth
century. His music moves through various
key signatures many umes wuhin a single
work This amorphous quality lends usclf to
a producuon hkc Dracula, full of characters
known for their own bat·like metamopheses
Preliminary glimpses of the set and costume
design suggest that this production
will be a beauuful bite to swallow Set
designer Thomas Boyd and costume dcs1gncr
Judanna Lynn, both of whom collaborated
on the Don Quixote seen here recently,
reunite for this world prtm1crc
The story comprises three scenes,
Dracula's crypt, the village square and lastly,
the Dark One's boudoir Both designers
wanted to give the 1mpress1on of timelessness,
foreboding and opprcso1on. Instead of
the typical 'happy peasant dance' (complete
with tho.., hornblc nowcr garlands that look
so fake and cheesy), thesc folks dance as 1f
they live in the shadow of Dracula's castle,
fearful and smothered by the evil lurking
above. Darkncss reigns through much of the
production and 1s conveyed by the sets,
order to ensure a successful JOurney
Despite the frantic pleas of his wife
Clytemnestra, Agamemnon lulls his daugh-
1cr and sets sail for Troy.
James Black is perfectly cast as the swaggering
General He takes command of the
stage as well as his troops. Elizabeth Helfin
does iust1ce (and dispenses u) m the role of
Clytemnestra. Unforiunatcly, Debra
E1Senstadt to be a bit too placid as Iphigenia
After finding out that her father has betrayed
her and she 1s to be sacnficed, her noncha·
lance would make one think <he had only
been asked to be on a serving line at a
Sunday School picnic.
The play then moves on to the story of
Achllies which takes place at a Greek
encampment at Troy_ Accolades are in order
to costume designer Susan Tsu for her inno-vat1ve
work Achilles looked rathcr hke a
Samurai and Theus, a sea nymph was a
sparkling beJt-wclled bu of gossamer. Also to
Jean Arbeiter as the actress who played
Theus for pre<ennng the character wuh a
balleuc grace which was captivating
Alier Achilles comes the woeful tale of
the Troian Women. This group of high born
women are taken back to Greece as captives
It should be mentioned at thlS point that
while most of the music played through the
production was pleasant to hsten to, there
was a particular song m this prece which
was so cacaphonous and unmelcxhc that It
Count Dracula, seen from behind, created
by Costume Designer Judanna Lynn's reder·
mgs for Houston Ballers world premiere of
Dracula.
lighting and costumes
The choreography may be good, and the
music powerful, however, the costumes arc
exqu1s1te. Judanna Lynn's designs evoke all
that 1s nch and cvtl about this tale. Dunng
an unscheduled romp through Houston
Ballet's wardrobe department (along with
wardrobe mistress Pat Padilla) 1t was apparent
to me that the stuff that 1hese dancers
will be wcanng 1s spectacular From the
sheer 'bndal gowns' to the detailed gold tnm
of Dracula's cape, ("We've stitched our fingers
om" says the weary Ms Padilla), much
of this ballet will comr to life through
thread and cloth
Expectauons and hype arc high for
Dracula·· after its premiere here, the compa·
ny takes the production to Los Angeles this
summer, where opcnmg night there 1s
already sold out. Even as a co-production
(th•nkfully) with the P1mburgh Ballet
Theater. our share of the pncc tag 1s still
high Though the company is in better fiscal
shape than in years past, a great deal is at
stake (no pun intended) here A significant
financial and artistic investment has ht-en
made 10 this new production
Houston Ballet dancers can do anything a
choreographer demands of them - hopefully
this trio of creator, costumer and set
designer will allow them to descend to nrw
depths of onginality and ultimate evil
Dracula runs (or more appropnately,
n1es) through March 23rd Tickets arc available
by callmg 713-227-ARTS
T T T T T T T T T
HOUSTON VOIC E P A G E
The sea nymph thet1s (Jean Arbeiter)
expresses her love and concern for her
waanor son Achilles, The Greek 1s a sweep·
mg two.part saga of love, murder, revenge
and rescue drawn from the great classical
stones of the Tro1an War and the Fan of the
House of Atreus.
was as lamentable and trag1c as the fall of
Troy itself. Would that a large wooden horse
have rolled over the orchestra at thlS pomt, I
would not have gneved
Following a bnef mtenn1ssion we are
introduced to the story of Hecuba, the fallen
queen of Troy who enacts a tc-nble vengance
on the king of Thrace who murdered
her sor Jacquclmc Knapp &''" Hecuba a
GENUINE
O R G
RED KAMEL OR G NA S:
d1gn1ty and nob1hty that shines through even
when she is held captive and made a slave.
Also chewing up the scenery here was
Corliss Preston as a mad, frent1c, and yet
prophetic Cassandra. daughter of Hecuba
The final talc m part onc of The Greeks
concerns Agamemnon who has returned
vtctonous from Troy with Cassandra, who"'
he has taken as a mistress. Clytemnestra has
planned a very SpcC!al homecommg for her
rhliandenng husband, and m the true style
of Greek drama she enacts her revenge by
murdenng him When Clytemnestra
appears (post murder) drenched in blood I
was momentanlv reminded of Sissy
Spaceks' prom night m the film Carne I half
expected to sec Piper Laune rush m from
the wmgs brand1Shmg a bible and screechmg
about dirty pillows ThlS did not happen, but
the murder did hclp f |
