| Transcript |
Derek Henkle
claims negligence
on the part of
high school
administrators
cost him his high
school diploma
and the chance to
be a teenager.
Page 5
Comedian
Margaret Cho
came through a
difficult time and
learned to love
herself; now she's
spreading the
story with laughs
in her one-woman
show that started
its national tour
in Houston.
Page 17
ISSUE 1006 ALL THE NEWS FOR YOUR LIFE. AN D YOUR STYLE. FEBRUARY 4, 2000
Oral sex poses 'significant' risk for HIV
CDC study released Tuesday shows
7.8 percent of participants infected
through oral sex
by I.AURA BROWN
Oral 'X "rnntnbu!L's Stgmfic.mtly" to thl' sprl'.1d of 111\',
although the pr.1ctKl' is "too oftm n.-garded as posmb littll• or
no nsk," acrnrJmg to a studv pre-..mh.'d Tul'sday at thl'&.'H'nth
<. onfercnce on Rl'tro\ 1ruscs ,md Opportunistic Infection , lwld
m San I r.masni.
Almost l'1ght pl'rlmt of m wlv mfr'Cted ga\ mm m .1 m.cnt
tudy contracted I IIV through or.11 sex, ,1w1rd1ng to the
lcntt rs for D1se.15e (ontml and l'rl·wnhon, wh1lt• S'i pcrcmt
said the) h.1d or.ii ~1·x without a condom bt\,lllSI.' thl')' bclil'H'
II h.is li tt le nsk of tr,msm1thng I II\'.
'Tor somt', or.ii Sl'X is equated with s,1fe Sl'X. I lowewr for
the md1v1du.1ls in this <,tud); and for countlt-ss othl'rs, this folSt•
,1s.~umption h.1s il•d to tragic lifelong consequmces," said Dr
I ll•it'nl' ( ;,iyll·, diR\tor of the COC's N,1tional Centt•r for I IIV,
S'f D & rB l'rewnlion.
Thl' studv brought mixed rl'actions from thOSl' on the front·
Imes of public d1scuss1on of HIV- vindication from some, fe,1r
• ind frn,tratu>n fmm others
Andrew Sulh\'.ln, the fonner '\cw Republic editor and
Rallying for Equality
author who has writtrn about his bdil'f that he became HIVpos1hvc
through oral 5<.'X, said he isn't surprised by the new statistics.
''When I told people that's ho\\ I got inft'Ctl'd, l was treated
with .1t bt.'St mild di.~am and ,11 worst with mocking disbelief,"
Sullivan told Houston Vo1Cc
"But I hone<tly nc,·cr had unprotL'Cll>d anal mtcrcour.:;e
before mv infection, and thl' most I cn•r did was unproll'Cted
oral~. and then not even to qaculatmn. Pl'oplc don't want to
hear this, but that doesn't mean 11 isn't true
"I thmk. it's still a verv ~mall n k, but O\"l'T bmc, small nsks
bt.'Come bigger nsks. The odds mount I rust hope people" 111
bchen' Slime of us nm\," <;u]Ji, an said.
While l'\ CT) one should be ,mare of the nsk.s thl') an• tJking,
a new focus on the dangers of oral sex could ha\ e an unmll'ndl'd
b.ick.lash on gav men Wl'.lr) of const.mtly h.mng to
strni;gle with safl'r sex 1SSul>s, '' amt>d )l-H Grah,1m, c:wcutive
dirt•dor of AIDS Sum \'al Projt'Ct.
"It is important to pomt out to people that thl')' do nt'l>d to
take [the new oral sex study] into account when they arc considering
how much risk thl'y Jrl' willing to [t.ike] for contracting
1 m: but the bottom line is that 1t 1s unprolL'Cted Jnal Sl'X and
injL'Ction drug use thJt Jrl' fueling the epidemic," Graham said.
Oral sex may be the cause of mfL>Ction for 7.8 pt.•n:cnt of the studies
participants, Graham no!L>d, but that means that the \'~I mJjority,
more than 90 percent, contractL'li lllV fmm other modes.
"My fear is that if peoplt· point thl'ir fingers at oral sex, ~me
'People don't want to hear this, but that doesn't mean it isn't
true . ... IJ'ust hope people will believe some of us now.'Writer
An rew Sullivan, who says he was infected with HIV
through oral sex.
people \\ill take that as an cxru."(' to engage m lugh ns1' bcha\ •
1or all the way amund" bt.'Causc of a fatalistic attitude that
C\WVthing Ls· dangerous and AIDS IS therclorc somehow
unavoidable, Graham said .
:;..... Continued on Page 15
.. 11:1::-:-:--::-:---':"""""~--,.-~~~--;:,,-,,,,,....,...--, KKRW apologizes over
'inappropriate remarks'
Some 70 people gathered in downtown Houston Jan. 28 to rally against Exxon Mobil for the
company's refusal to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination poficy and for ending
domesti< partner benefits for gay employees. 'Todoy is the start of a long fight. This battle will
not be clone overnight,' said Sean Carter, president of the Houston Gay & Lesbian Pofitical
Caucus. After the rally, protesters marched several blocks to Exxon Mobil's headquarters, which
company officials closed early and ringed with potice for the event. Organizers plan another
protest Feb. 29 to launch a boycott of the company. (More pictures, Page 14)
by \1Arf llH\ A !ff '\II
\ I louston radio station 1~-ued a terse onmr
apolog) to City Counah\oman AnnlSC
P,1rker TuC'\dav, though station offiaals h.'.l\e
) d to talk with P.1rkcr d1m:tly about the
dcrog.itor, rnmments .i r.idio rock d1m:ted
tm,ards her l,1tc la<t month
\nd stallon offiaals took no action Jgamst
Kn en Dorst'), producer of 'The Dean and
Rog Shm' on KKRW 91 7, for calling Parker
a d} kc and upd mu richer dJnng i Jan
21 broadcJ.<t
Parker, th l I\ Council s onl opcnl\
ga) member h.1s {,11lcd Dorse) s comments
hate speech
The comment! cJmc dunng a d1 I.I! 1 n
,1bout P.irker's 1m oh Ement \\1th the
\\, theun r Street Fe b\al Dorsey hJs taken
part m the fcsll\al forse\cral }Car; last month
city offiaals derued a perrmt for the annual
gathering, \\h1ch drav.s some 10000J people
to J 10-block stnp of \\csthcuncr
The h\ o-terrn at\ counalv. man has sa d
the f b\al has gro\\n too large and mu..-.t
addrr pt. he safe!) conccrru f 1t continu
at 1•~ wrrcnt location \\ hich ma m t re •
1dmhalarca
In DoNev's apolog) rdered b\ tah nm
agcment he 5.11d the pos51b I\ I the f t \
n tt~kmgp.1 c sarr t T\el) I t m
I po og1zc for any reT!lJrks tPJt mJ\
otfended her or an l'1 m r I t J
murut\, DoNey !Xlld m the t.::ped J
\\ h1ch .ured at 61 c; a m
The apo ~} wh ch ted I thJ!l
ond \\ sand\ 1 hed bchH>en the end
,,.. Continued on Page 14
2
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FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
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HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000
Cl?.. L1 1i· E
HIV tl{l
·----·l -_
some
SUSTIVA" is the first HIV drug approved to be taken once-a-day
as part of your combination therapy. just take three 200 mg capsule~ together once daily.
with or without food high fat meals should be avoided.Your doctor may suggest taking SUSTIVA
al bedtime to reduce any side effects you may expenence
SUSTIVA, an NNRTI., must be used in combination with other
just did!
Once Daily
SUSTl\r~
efavirenz
Pregnancy should be avoided m women receMng SUSTIVA because birth defects have been
5een 1n primates dosed With SUSTIVA Barner contraceptJon should always be used in combination
with other methods of contraception.
Talk to your doctor when you start taking SUSTIVA. SUSTIVA may change the effect
HIV drugs.
SUSTIVA is tough on HIV. ·· n..'C!uces the amount of virus 1n your blood
, 1d .. , " .. e r . · ,f • · • C >4 ells. SUSTIVA can even be used in young
children, 3 years of age or older. This IS based on results from controlled dnical
tnals at 24 weeks. Presently. there are no rcs.ults from controlled dnical trials
she rg-te<m effects of SUSTIVA
Now listed among
preferred anti-HIV
drugs in government
guidelines.'
of 01'1er m1·<11~·'>es (1ncll,.· · 11 ""' · · I ·IV'. Nways tell your doctor 1f
you are taking. starting or changing any prescnption or non-prescnption
medicine when taking SUSTIVA Your doctor may change your mecfiones
or change their dose. You should discuss your pnor medical condmoris
(such as mel'tal illness. substance abuse, hepatitis. etc.) With your doctor
before taking SUSTIVA
We l<11<M' that coping with HIV IS difficult enough. Your treatment doesn't
SUSTIVA has manageable side effects. Most side effects are mild to have to be Ask yot.r doctor about SUSTIVA For more lfTll)Ortant nformatJOn
IP can be managed. Tre most significant Side effects associated with SUSTIVA therapy ,
rave been 'lervous system symptoms (dizziness, trouble sleeping. dro~ness. trouble concentrating
and/or dbnormill dreams) and rash. These usually subside w1th1n the first two to four weeks of
treatment. In a small number of patients, ra<J> may be ~enous. faking SUSTIVA at bedtime may
help make nervous system symptoms 1ess noticeable
•NNRTI llQll-rudeoside reve<Se ~t.Ise 1nhibrtor.
for men lrlonmoon onSUSTIVA.al I~<><-°" ....tn«• at h<q>JlwwwsusCM.ccwn
for men inlonNtion on c/lt upcbte<f OHHS Guodtinos. • PDF filt of tho ~ ~ ;iv>ilalile " h<q>Jiwww """"'°"I
see the next page for Patient lnfOl"Tlatior about SUSTIVA
FOR HIV
Flnally, a once dally medication to treat HIV.
SUSTIVA. It's about time.
www.1u1tlvLcom
I ~ b-tl>t U.. ot-.iAcerts11HV.w.a.dMAbrod-Pn! onG'IOJ ~ urrun-ot>f'J rioc!ion.
~of llc.iiti rod ttrn.> S<rw:es ~Oocerrt>or 'I'll
5US"'1VA'" nl tile Sorbnl Logo on 1nldemilris d~ PNrmocNlals ~
~0 =-~ ~"::'~-- ~....Qlll!ll!l!Jlt.i!!m~!i~s
3
4
Once Daily
SUSTIVA
What is SUSTIVA?
s
How does SUSTIVA work?
efavirenz
SUSTIVA™ (efavirenz) capsules
Patient Information about SUSTIVAit
(sus-TEE-vah)
lor HIV (Ii :Jar lmmunodef ciency Vi ) Infect
Gener ~name efav renz 1eh-F~ v-h-rehnz
~ TIVA w kS by wer ng the amou of Hl'v the t od ca "vrral oad" SUSTIVA t
be tak "' ... anti 111V med c nes ~he." taken w 11 other • '!IV ned c nes S J~ T VAras been
hcwr to red ;;e ra oad ar.d ncrease 'he number of CD4 ce Is (a lype of mmune ce in ~I ..:,
SLSTIVA may t have "P.se effects 1 Mry pat ent
Does SUSTIVA cure HIV or AIDS?
SUS~IVA • ~ta cu e I r 'IV ' A.OS f'l!op e tak ng SUSTIVA may st II .leve op other infect ons
associated W1 HIV Betause of 'h s t very 1mpc'lant Illa! y rn n undei '.Ile care ct. your doctor
Does SUSTIVA reduce the risk of passing HIV to others?
SLSTIVA tis ~ h~ I ' he r sk ol IJlli ng H V 10 others Cont ue to ~ractice safe sex
and d t y reed
Can children take SUSTIVA?
20C 'l'(J es ~ t oocc a day by noutl1
ee Can children take SUSTIVA?
d la< SJSTIVA at bed! med ng Ille •st fNI w ks
b coocentra ng see What are the possible
Yes. ch Idler. wllo are able to swa low capsu es can take SUST'VA Rash may be a serous problem
111 some ch ldren Ten your ch Id's doctOI nglll My If you notice rash or any other Side e!!eds wlllle your
dlild IS taking SUSTIVA. The dose ol SUSTl'vA for children may be~ than Ille dose IOI adults Capsules
contalmng lower doses of SUSTIVA are available Your ctutd's doclOI wi:I de!ermtne Ille right dose based
on your ch Id's weight
Who should not take SUSTIVA?
Do not lake SUSTIVA tt you are alleigit to SUSTIVA 01 any ol 1ts 1ngred1ents
FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
What other medical problems or conditions should I discuss with my doctor?
Ta • t y ~r ooor right wray I you
• Ar pregna I or want to become pregnant
• Ar breast feeding
• l1ave problems With your liver or Mve had hepafli1s
• Start o change any med cine
• t<ave side eltects wtule 'akJng <>LSTIVA (elavirenz)
• Have a history ol rieotal ness substantll oi a aho1 at
What are the possible side effects of SUSTIVA?
Many pat ts have dimness •roi.~le seep ng dr~ws ness t•o-ble co:icentrat1 g and/or unL :.JI
dreams a 'fNI hou:s after sta~ g treatment w th SUST!VA These 'eellngs may be less not1ceab e I )'Cu
ta! • Sl.STIVA at bed! me They a so t <1 to go My alter you ve •ak:." the med c tor a few weeks
Ila e y patents :Jve more • nus de effects t~.at may all Cl mood or ab 'Cf to 'h nk Clearly These side
effects occur more otten " patients \'; ll1 a h story o; tal nc or substance abuse Te! yv~r doctor
i:· y f ary ~ these side effecl!i cont ue II they bother y Th ·e s 'he poss b !y that these
synptoms may be mor severe If SUSTIVA s used W1th a cohol 1 mood altering ;tree!) drigs You hould
avo u 1v-ng o open! 'g irach1nery I vou are llav ng t ese Side eltects
One o• the most comrno: Si e effects s rash These rashes usua ly go MY w1trout any change 1"
tment In a 'ifl13 I number pat ents rash may be ~ ous II you de'JI; op a r.:. call yr doctor p ;mptly
Other corr or. sule effects nctud hredriess. ,,μ stomach. vc:i1tmg and diarrhea However. this
s t a cc~plete is• of s de ellects reported w tr SUSTIVA wt 'ake" with other anti HIV drugs Do not
rely on 'h s eal et alc-e to; nforr:at on abou: side effects Vour doctor car rl scu<s a more corrplele hst
o• s de effects w th you
• "in m mals
Can I take other medicines with SUSTIVA?
5l..5'1VA may change the 11ec1 of other med l. ne ( nctud ng ones for lllV) Y r !'actor '!13Y cl'arge
your medic nes or dlarge 'her rl • For th s reason I r:y important lo
• Lei all your doctors a , pharrr.:: sis know 'hal you '..kc SUSTIVA
• Te I your doctors and phannac1sts abc I all med" nes ye_ take This includes those you tJy
over-the-countei and ""~I or natural remedies
Br ng all your medicines when you see a doctor or make a st of their ranes hnw rr..tl: yr:,,; take
and how often you •Jkr. 'herr. T s w give your doctor a comp ete picture of the med1c1nes YCu use
Then he or she .:an decide the best approath •or your s1tuaho"
The 'o owing med nes may need to
• Cnx van® I nd nav i)
• Fort vase® (saqumaVlrJ
• Biax1n® (clar tf'romycinJ
How should I keep SUSTIVA?
SUSTIVA IS available as 50 ~ 100 mg ard 200 mg capsules.
Keep SUS•fVA at '000' temperature (77 F) In the bottle give'.' to you by your pharmacist
The temperature can range from 5~ -86"f
Keep SUSTIVA out of h '"·-n
How can I learn more about SUSTIVA?
Talk to your doctor or r JV1der 1f you have questions about either SUSTIVA or HIV
For add1t1onal 1nlormat1on you can v1s11 toe SUSTIVA wclls1te at h11PJ1www sust1va com
This medicine was prescribed for your particular condition. Do not use
it for any other condition or live it to anybody else. Keep SUSTIVA out of
the reach of children. H you suspect that more than the prescribed dose
of this medicine has been taken, contact your local poison control center
or emergency room immediately. -- ---~
"SIJSTIVA"' - the SUNBURST LOGO are trademarb
of DI.Pont PharrnaaMlcals ~
Copyrighl c 1999 DuPont Plwmaceuticals Company
"''The brands Isled ... tho regtSl&red ~mari<s of ll1eit f9SP8CllW
--... not -of DI.Pont PNtmac:eutiCalO ~
<@1DHD DuPont Pharmaceuticals
W' mlng!on, DE 19880
l$5Ued September, 1998
HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000
INSIDE
NEWS
Around the South . . .. . . . .• ••. •... ... .7
Gay man, mon who used 'gay po~ executed . 7
Southwest odds anti-Oiscriminotion provisions . 7
Rights commission accused of 'litmus test' .. 7
Human rights group to monitor 'Don't Ask' • 7
Around the Notion ...• •. •. . .• •. •.•. .10
Goy couple, trans woman in airliner crash .10
Mi1itary services spell out training •. . .... 10
'M~lionoire' quietly indudes gays . . ..... 10
Report soys priests dying of AIDS .•. 10
Sodomized student sues school board • • 11
Successful HIV drugs prompt risky behavior .15
Weighing the relative risk . . . . • • . . •.•. 15
VOICES & ECHOES
Ellitorial: AIDS, the priesthood and hypocrisy 8
Read: Finding the redneck within • • . •... 9
Letters: Mayor Lee Brown, HIV and od ••.. 9
OUT ON THE BAYOU
Big hair, big dreams • • • • . • . . . ..17
Cho's time to shine . • • • . • • . .17
On Stoge: Shakespeare's greatest hits • • .18
Eirting Out: A wonderfU tllng . . • . .. , . 23
Out in Print: 'Jerome' . .. . .•. •..•.•.. 24
Bestsellers .. • . • . .. .. . . . .. • • • • • .. 24
COMMUNITY
Pride organizers to host medio workshop • 25
Flexology: Are you over-training? . • • . •. 26
Community Calendar .... . .•....•••.. 27
Occasions . . • . . . . . • • • • . . . . . • • . • . • .27
My Stars! .. • • . • . . . • .. .. . . • • . .31
CLASSIFIEDS .. .. .. • . • • • . .. .. .. .. .. .. .28
CARMART •. .. .... .• •.• . •. . .. ..•. .. .••. 29
DIRECTORY ....... . .•• •••. . ... . .. . .• ••. 30
Issue 1006
Al material tn Houston Voice Is protected by
federal copynghl law and may nol be repro·
eluted wlthoul lhe wrmen conselll of Houston
VOice. The sexual orlentaUoo of advertJSer$.
phOtographers, wn1ers and cartoonists pub·
fiShed herein is nellher Inferred or implied.
The appearance ol names or piclorial repre&
enlallon ctoes not necessarily lndocale lhe
&G>111al orlenlallon of lhat person or per~
t-jous1on Voice accepts unsOlicited editofial
ma1enal t!UI canno1 take re&pons1bihty for its
relurn. The editor reserves the nght lo accep1.
reiect or edit any submission
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pubhcation. Guidelines lor freelance
trlbutors are available upon request.
Houston Voice
500 Lovett Blvd., Suite 200
Houston, TX 77006
713-529-8490
NEWS 5
Youth sues high school over anti-gay abuse
Derek Henkle claims negligence on the part of
high school administrators cost him his high school
diploma and the chance to be a teenager
b} PAIC.L PARVIt\J
A gay Atlanta youth 1s suing the pnndpals
at three high ::.<:hools he attmdl'Cl, and five
other school offici,1ls, for failing to prolL'Ct
him from anh-gay haras,ment and violence
and its interference with his c1\'il right to
an cduc,1tion.
Derck I lenklc, now 19, filed a :.1wswt
Friday again.~t Ross Gregory, pnnapal at
( ,alcn.1 l ligh School in \\a.,hoe Count); :\e\·.,
for 1gnnnng his repcalL>d compl.imts oi ",mhg.
1y har.1s.~ment, .is."'1ults, mtimidahnn and
d1~rimin.1tion" sutfcrcd while hl' w.1s a student
.it the school.
Other plamhfb in thl• suit include the
vicl' principal at Galena, .i tealhl'r, the
county dirrctor of students serVKC!, pnnapals
.it two other high school,, and two
school po lie l' officers.
School for I knklc wa' a "daily nightman',"
he told rcporters during a teleconference
Fnd.i); v.1th .1ttomC"ys Jon Da\id~n and Doni
Gew1rtzm.in of l,1mbda U.-gal Defl'nS<' &
!:duration Fund.
"S(hool on a d.iilv b.isis was an unknown. I
would tum coml'r.: and not bl• sure what to
l'\pl'ct," I knklc s.iid "It was something I was
forced to .itknd ewry day, yet I was not gi\'l'n
any .wenul' to be safe. The ignoring by school
offici,1ls of my daily complaints only m.1dl' it
~> much worsl'"
!X·hool officials not only ignored I knkle's
compl.1mts, ,1ddl•d D.widson, they trcalL.J
him .is thl' problem. and violated his First
Aml'ndment right" by telling him to changl'
his bl'h,l\'ior to protect himself.
fhe Fi~t Amendment violations break new
ground, said D.mdson, who compan.'Cl th<'
R~ponst• from I lcnl-.ll''s school administrators
to the controvl'rsial "Don't A~k. Don't Tell"
polky <'n gays in the military.
"We JR' trying to establish that under the
Constitution, in schools it is a violation of the
Fi~t Aml·ndment to have a 'Don't Tell' policy,"
D.widson said. "If other students try to
harass or .ibusc those students who are 'out,'
thl' solution 1s not to tell students to go back m
the closet."
School offici.1ls had no immediate comment
on the GL'iC, the As.<;OCJated Pn.~ reportl'<l.
"We hawn't hl>en served with anything yet
and until we do, obviously we can't comment
on spt.'Cifics," said district spokesman Ste,·e
Mulwnon.
School leaders blind to abuse?
lktwl'\:n 1994 and 1996, Hmkle, who was
openly gay while in high school, spent his
'iChool days being harassed, threatened and
sometimes physically attacked, and was
bounced from school to school "for his own
proll'Ction," he said.
The intimidation and violence had such a
severe impact on Henkle that he was unable
to finish high school, according to the complaint
filed by his attorneys in U.S. District
Court m Nevada.
"What we have here is a school dL~trict's
complete abd1tahon of ts n.~pon~1bility to
protect all young pt.'Ople in its care," said
David~n.
I lmkle de:;cnbed a particularly harrowing
incident that hr say~ took place m fa!.! 1995,
~n alter he appt>arl'd on a local pubhc acces.s
TV show and spoke openly about bemg py
m school.
Henkle, then a sophomore at Galena High
S.:hool Ill Rl•no. wa~ walkmg through the
school parking :ot one afternoon \\hen some
half-dozen &tudcnts surrounded lum, taunting
him with anti-gay ,1ur~ like "fag," "fairy"
and ''butt pir.1tl>," 1 lt•nkll' recalled.
Then, in .i chilling scenario rcmim"'ent of a
high-profile 1998 hall' mme m which a Texas
black man was dragged to death behmd a
truck, one of the students producL>d a ro~
and urged his comrades to help him "las.<;0 the
fag." tie him behind a trucl-. and drag him
down a nearby highway, Henl-.le !'J1d.
The studl'nts thrl'w the rope around
Henkle's ne<k thn.'C different tunes, but he
v. .is able to pull 11 off, he sud. Terrified,
1 lenkle ran to thl• office ot his Englbh mstrurtor,
whrrc he called il5sbt,int principal Denise
H.1usauer, rl'<jUl'sting th.it she come immed1-
atrly.
But I !aus.1ul·r didn't ,mi\'e until ,1lmo:-t
two hours latrr, and when I fonklc, still frightened,
bq~an to stammer out hb stOI)\ shl'
l.iughl><l, according to Henkle.
After this incident, Henkle ~id, he and his
parents were told the attack would be dealt
with under thl' school's ~xual hara~~mcnt
policy hcntually 1t was decided the offending
students would n.-<:ci\'C a letter, wnttm by
Hmkll• himself.
"&sicall)~ Ross Gregory decidt'Cl to 1gnoIT'
it," Henkle said.
After a semestrr at Galena, Henkle asked to
be tr.tnsfem-d and was sent to Washoe High
School, an alternative school for problrm students,
dt~p1te a highly promising acadenuc
record.
Defendant~ Joe Anastasio, county din.'Ctor
of student services, and Wa~hoe pnnc1pal Bob
Floyd ordrred I k nkle to hide his sexual orient:
1hon at the new school, Henkle !'aid As a
condition of the transfer, he was told not to
discuss his scxu.1lity with fellow students and
to remove pro-gay buttons from his school
backpack.
In a mt'\:ting. Floyd told Henkll' to '\top
acting like a fag." the young man recalled
When Henkle asked for another transfer
hl'Cause of the poor academic program at
Wa~hoe, he was mihally told by Floyd that a
''traditional" high school would not be appropriate
for him because he was openly gay,
Henkle claimed.
But eventually he was transferred to
Wooster High School for the fall 1996 school
year, again after being warned not to di'iCI~
his sexual orientation to other students, he
said. Fornier classmates knew he was ga);
though, and he fared no better at \.\'~tcr.
Midway through the school year, Henkle
allegt>d, he was attacked and beaten bv a
group of students at Wooster, while h\'O ·
and
Now 19, Derek Henkle hopes his lawsuit will
send a message that taunts, threats and violence
against gay kids in school is not okay.
school pol -e cffilers looked on The off1-
wrs, defendants Amel Ranulo and Glen
Sclb}; later discouraged Henkle from calling
the local police and refu~ to arrest the
youth who a.:;aulted him.
"I was surrounded by studenb, all
encouraging [the attacker], and all I could
see \\JS about a hundred prds aw.1y, h\Cl
school pohre officials standing thl're,"
Henkle said of thl' incident "All I can
reml'mber thmkmg wa~. 'Why aren't they
domg somethmi:; about thb?"'
In February 1997, at age 16, Henkle was
finally put into an adult education program,
where he was ehg1ble to earn a GED but not
a high school diploma, he "aid.
At 1 i', Henkle ~ued to bffome emancipated
from lus parenb and began lmng on his
own, working in televbion broodca>tmg. In
1998 he moved to Atlanta, where he works
for T uml·r Broadca,tmg' s Cartoon :"\etwork
as an operation~ coordinator. Hl' abo voluntl'ers
as commurucations dirl'Clor for ProJl'Ct
Fm.·dom, a ik-<lgling ga) rights group.
Missing out on high school has placed a
conhnumg burden on Hcnkll', he said,
''I have a ton of education stuff that b
Jackmg, and I am dClmg the best I can with
what I ha\'C," Henkle said. ") thmk the
strength for that really has dl'rived from lht:'
pas,ion I ha,·e around thl'!'e 1~~uc.,, and
what personally happened to me "
Dunng high school, Henkle said, his
mother was aware of what was happening
to him, but "chool officials told her thry
\\'l'rl' dealing with thl• probll'm by transferring
him for his own !'Jfcty.
Smee his troubled high school days, rdahons
with his parents ha\·e become
stronger, Henkle said. He proudly reports
that his mother and stepfather met at a
meeting of Parents, Families and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays.
Henkle described his current relationship
with both of them as "very supportive,"
and says hb father is "coming around:"
:;... Continued on Page 11
6
Special Guest Speaker
Reverend Jimmy Creech
Rev. J.:nmy Creect" has been working dill·
gently to change the laws within the United
Methodist Church that d1scnm1nate against
Lesb1ans/Gays/81sexualjTransgenders.
A~er performing a same sex holy union
ceremony for two men, the Methodist
Church Jury found Creech guilty of violating
the rules of the church and withdrew his
credentials of ordination.
Come hear Rev. Jimmy Creech"s remarkable
story of faith, hope, and renewal; and how
his ministries continue
Sunday, February 6, 2000
9a n & 11am services
All programs are free and open to the community!
Resurrection MCC
713-861-9149
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HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000 NEWS
Around the South
For more extensive coverage: www.houstonvoice.com
Gay man, another who claimed 'gay panic,' executed in Texas
I IUNTSVll.l I., Texas (AP)-Glen Alan McGmms, 27,
was executed Jan. 25 for gunning down laundromat clerk
Leta Ann Wilkerson in 1990. McGinnis admitted shooting
Wilkerson and lea,·ing for dead the 30-year-old mother of
two Defense attorney William Hall dt•scribed McGinnis
as .1 dl'l'ply troubled ll·en whose race and homosexual
orientation doomed him m the eyes of the iury. " I le was
polite, n•spectful, legitimately sorry about what ht>'d
done," I l,111 said. "But he was also a black man who killed
a white woman. And he was \UV, very ga}~ and that didn't
help." The Vatic.rn, thl• Europe.:m Union, the American
Bar Ass<1ciahon and a collection of anti-dea th penalty
groups pleadl•d for tht• life of McGinnis because he was a
ju\'l'nilt• whrn he ki lled Wilkt•rson. The l'xccution c.1mt'
juq fiVl' d.1ys afll'r another gay man, Rickey lee Bryant,
31, was put to lkath m Texas for killing his lo\'l'r and four
nt•ighbors 111 1982.
\ !e,rnwhill•, J.1mes Walter Moreland, 39, rnndemm•d
for ,1 kmfe .1ttark. th.it left two East Texas men dead more
th.in 17 yt'ars .1go, l\'Js executed Jan. 27 The :w-yl'.U·old
lndi.m.1 n.1tin• rl·pe.itedly stabbed Clinton Corbet Abbott
James Walter Moreland, 39,
was executed last week in
Texas, years after a 'gay panic'
defense failed to dear him of
two murders.
and John Royce Crawy in the back, robbed them, ,ind left them to diem a Eustace, Texas
trailer home ,iftl'r a d.iy of beer dnnking in 1982. Mord.ind m.1111tained he acted out of fear
aftl'r Cr,1\'ey, a 41-yl'.U·old iron worker, allegt•dly made sexual .idvances tow.ird him.
Relahn•s of :-..1orel.rnd's VJCtims rankle at the suggestion. "\1y brothl•r was by no means a
homo cxual I know this for a foci," said Robert Cr.wey ":-\either was Clint. I le'd ha\'e
fought you if you c\'l'n mentioned it to him."
Southwest Airlines adds anti-discrimination provisions for gays
DAI I.AS-Southwest Airlines, the nation's fifth largl'St .iirline, has instituted anti·
h.1mssnwnt, .1111i·d1srrim111ation and FF<X' polincs th.it include ~rxual orientallon as a protrctl'd
category, till' Dal/a, Voice reported The Dall.is-based airline announced the new protrctions
in ,i l1•tll'r sent to employees by I krb Kl'llalll'r, thl• airline's chairman, president ,ind
CFO. 1 lw protl•ct1ons m.1y be the result of ,111 ongomg contrm'C'rS\' betwl'en the airlim• and
the flight altl·nd.mts' u111on over domestic partnl'r brncfits for unmarried employres, as
wdl as longstandmg chargl'S of homophobi.1 at Southwest. The issue c.1mc to a head in
Dtxember when Southwest pilot Gar) S Ward cl.imwd m a pilots' newsletter that "the
homosexual rnmmumty alone is a high-risk group medically ' \\'ard also \\Tote that 1f
<;outhwest adopted DP benefits, it would bl' ''.1 stab m tht• back of the Amcnca11 fam·lyn
f'hght .1ttend.mt \!Jrt:r elson of San f'ranc1sco said m.my pilots will not speak to male
flight attend,rnts, .md some will not let men ser\·c cabin cn'ws.
Ft. Worth rights commission accused of pro-gay 'litmus test'
I ORT WOR 111, Tl'X.-A man who l\'.is r1·jl'dl•d for a scat on fort Worth's Human
Relations Commiss10n h.is chargcd offici,1b l\'lth using nommel$' position.' on a possible
g.iy rights ordm.11Kl' as ,1 "l~tmus tl'st" for .ippointnwnt to tlw both~ tht• Dallas Vorce report·
ed. Nomi11<·1·s oppo$<'d to lhl' prnposrd ord111,11ic1• wcn• .iutomallc.illy rl'jl'cted, Larry
Stc\'cns ,1llq~cd Sll'\'t•ns, who prl'\'1ously ran ,1 f.itll'd bid for ,1 nty council Sl'at, was one of
SIX nom111e1·s 111tl•rv1ewed for possibk .1ppomtml'l1t to thl' commi~sion. "Thry asked me,
'How do you kl'! about spt•ci.il protections b.ised on Sl'Xu,11 preference?"' Stc\'l'nS said
"This ll111-slJon l\'<lS not about matters of just Kl' or about my historv of working against d1scnmm.
ihon. It w.1s 1ust about how I kit about someont• who practice:-. ,1 crrt.un behavior
that 1s ,1g.111ist the J.iw m this state," Sh•n•ns said. Council member Becky 11.iskin, who
chaired the selection comm1tte<>, said candidates for the commbsion all were askl'CI
SC\'cral questions. "I thmk hl' had some 1ssu6 ,1he.1d of time.. that's why I think he
w;isn't sclectl'd," shl• said
Human Rights Watch set to monitor 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in S.C.
( 01 Ur>.!llJA, S.C (Al') The m11it.iry':; "Don't Ask, Don't 1l'll" pohcy is getting a review
by I lum.1n R1i;hts \\ atch Ihc group, best know for 1nwstig,itmg intt•rnation.il torture and
child :ibu l', has smt .i dl'legate to Fort J.irkson, tlw Army's largl'st trammg base, to collect
mlorm.1!1<111 ,1bout how thl' polic)' 1s working. I he 1-\pw York bJS('d org.mizat1on momtors
hum •.i n 11ghts issu1•s m .ibout 70 wuntries, n·port1ng on topu:s that mdudl• prisons, frl'l'
d<1m of speech and (,llld mmcs. "I guess tlw simple goal is to look at th s pohc) and the
treatmmt of gays aPJ ll'sb1ans m tl'rms of till' rnntl'xt of international human rights
stand.irds," s.11d '<'nior researchPr Alhon Collins. "he\ 1s ted the fort w,th rermiss10n of
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8 VOICES AND ECHOES FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
VOICe. AIDS, the priesthood and Catholic hypocrisy
,. if ii I t'.4 td I 'I EDITORIAL
STAFF
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MEMBER
CHARTER MEMBER
GREATER HOUSTON
GAY & LESBIAN
CHAMBER OF COMMERa
Established 1974 as the Mor.••ose Star
'iOO L~tt Blvd. Suite 200
Houston, Texas 17006
(713) 519-3490
(800) 729- 8490
Fax (713) 529-9531
Contents copyright 1999
Off Ke hou-s 9 am to S 30 pm week~
To s ubmit a letter
Letters should be fewer than 400 words We
reserve the nght to edit for content and
lergth We wil w1tl>hold names upon
request. b:rt you must include your name and
phone> numbrr for venf1cat1on Plt-a\e send
nail to Houston Voice, 500 Lovett Blvd , Suite
200, Hounon, T•xas 77006, fax (713)
529-9531 or e- mail to ed1torQhouston
voKe co.-. Opinions expreued therein do not
reflect those of the Houston Vorce.
"!\Jon quam duo, semper Ires."
That's the prevailing rule at St. Stanislaus
and other Roman Catholic seminaries acros.'
the country.
In d.1ys and evenings filled with prayer,
meditation and d1SCUS.~10n, a stnct rommandment
1s IS.5UN to the young noV1ce;, as those
WI.! hing to enter the priesthood are called.
NNot m twos, always threes."
And try to avrnd "particular friendships"
with clas.smatcs.
The rules are designed to undenmnc the
sexual currency that even church officials
acknowledge cmcri;es from an all-male mvi·
ronment of th~ sharing so much in rommon.
With little or no teaching at seminary about
human :;cxuality-much Jes.~ homosexuality-
the n~ult~ are chilling.
In a remarkable series of report-; last week
by the Kansis City Star, the Catholic hier an:hy
IS calll'\i to answer for a silent epidemic of
AIDS among the priesthood In an exhaustive
survey, the ncwspap<>r found the death rate
from AIDS among prie;ts to be four times the
US. average
-rhere have always bem the commml~
made on this that a celiootc priesthoOd must
be somewhat attractive for one who 1s homer
S<.'Xual, because you're joining a fra ternity or
group which has a st.:itus m SOC1ety, and you
don't have to come out of the closl'l,"
acknowledgrd Bishop Raymond J Bol.ind, of
the Kansas Oty dioccsc, in an interview with
the newspap<>r.
"I c,m't .1rgue With that statl·ment. Then.'
must be that attraction. Now, how much the
.ittr.1ct10n Ii.is ever been fulfilled is very difficult
to know."
I lafl) Mom<;0n, a (".!' fomia pne>t who
has AlllJ, agret.'<i
"Young Catholil boys trymg desperately to
honor tht: !".trict sexual morality of the chun:h
.ind haVIng no attract10n for womm SCC' ,1
\ cxahon to the pnesthood not on)\ as an honorable
Y.ay out, but al<;0 as a SO(lal way out,"
he told the paper.
In fact, 15 percent of priests n.-;pondmg to
tht· Star's survey identified thl•msclves as gay
AIDS in the priesthood,
Page 10
and another five p<>rccnt said they an! biscxu·
al. Assuming m~t priesll> would be extremely
reluctant to acknowledge same-sex attrac·
tlon, the numbers are extraordinary.
And they suggest widespread knowledge
among Catholic clergy about the existence of
many, many gay pnesb.
Four years m the making, the Star scncs
tells the heart-breaking stories of pnl3ts under
pressure from the church who kept secret
from lowd ones their homosexuality, their
sexual activity, their infection with I fIV and
often even the caw;e of their deaths.
And whatever the series says about the failure
of the C1thohc Oiurch to deal effocti\·ely ;ind
rompa.<;.~ionatdy with AIDS in the priesthood, 1t
say~ even more about the church's morally b.mkrupt
truchinb'S about homa;exuality.
In seminary, the church teaches the vow of
reLibacy as one of the most important obligations
of the priesthood.
for ~committed men, each of whom feds
a speoal calling to devote their entire life to their
faith, cclibacy is viewed as a means of achie\1ng
the spmtual punty nt'C~sary to p<>rform the
holy rites and n~ixm~ibilities of the post.
But even with th.it intense and enduring
motiv.1tion, many fail to live up to their call mg
to be celib.ite, and engage not only 111 sexu.11
activity, but often unsafe sex, .is the Star n•port
makes abundantly clear.
And yet the \·ery same Catholic bishops
who no doubt know much more than the Star
about sexually active priests, straJght and gay,
recently i sued a modifiL'<i teaching on homosexuality
that required of g.iy Catholic la1tv
the same vow of celibacy that the churcli's
comm1t1t'<i rri ,15 cannot fu'fill
The b1sh0ps admow1edgcd m •lie r
report-sty cd as an open letter to p.ir ~ts
struggling with accepting their g.iy duldrenthat
homosexuality 1s expcnenced as an unalterable
oncntation by most people and harbonng
s.imc-scx desues 1s no more sinful th.in
At the graveside of his brother, a Jesuit priest
who died of AIDS in December 1990, Dennis
Dobbels told the Kansas Gty Star that he
regrets his brother waited until only weeks
before his death to tell his family about his
secret life and cause of death.
heterosexual attraction.
Implicitly admitting the uselessness of
prayl·rful or psychotherapl·utic efforts at
"converting" to heterosexuality, the bishops
Mill drl'W the line at acting on homosexu.
11 desires.
G1y Catholics are rcquirl•d by their rhurch
to hw a lifl• of celibacy, likl' pril~b. nl'Vl'r ad·
mg on tlwir n.1tural, God-given ~·xu.il d1>s1n~.
ewn within the confinl'S of ,1 lov111g. committed
.111d monogamous n•lationship.
In fact, m places like I l.iwai1 and
C.1hfom•J and Vermont, Catholic clergy
h,ive been active in opposmg same-sex
marriage even though the institution has
been shown by centuries' evidence to foster
the type of rnmm1tted rom.inhc rrlahonships
that win church approval among
heterosexuals.
It's true, of rourse, that thl' C1tholic Church
has a colorful history of tt•achings completely
separated fmm human reality, as illustrated
recentlv by .in angry lcctun• from !'ope John
Paul II, who urged opposition to secular
J1vo11.e J.1ws that ptrmit the lfo;solution of
evrn one cort~umm.1tt•d m.im.ig<'
But thl' church's t\•,1ching on homosexu.
1lity 1s particularly cruel bl'c.1use 1t
allows for absolutl'ly no <'xpres~ion of
hum.in sexu.1lity-thl' proscription rnvcrs
masturbation as well, as .111y spilling
of semen 1s considered sinful-even
though our orientation is Vll'Wl'd as
morally nl•utral
W1th thi5 new and dev.1stating evidence
th.it celibacy faib ;it ,1n .11.irming
rate c\'en ~mong clergy, the church's
most comm1ttl'd ml'mbtrs, thl' Cntholic
record on homosexuality has been I.1id
bare as 1llog1cal, hypocrit1cal, corrupt
,ind b.1rbaric.
Kansas City Star
"AIDS in the Priesthood"
series
available on the web at
www. kc~tar.com/projects/pnests/
HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000 VOICES AND ECHOES 9
VIEWPOINT
A San Fransisco transplant finds the redneck within
by KIRK R!~AD
As fate would h,n·e it, I
moved all the Wa\' to S.in •
Frannsco to get in touch
with my inner redneck. I recently broke
my longst,rnding boycott on countrywestern
dancing. It wasn't so much a bovcott
as it was soml'lhing I thought was for
the most part a good idea, but something
I never got around to doing.
I grew up with these guys and their
mother-of-pearl buttons. I remember all
too well the clomp of boots and the tipping
of hats.
But as a tl'l'nager, I saw all this hillbilly
stuff as my nemesis The third-string football
players with perms and Bocl'phus Tshirts
werl' not exactly thrilled with me;
their openly way-gay classmate had made
it possible for same-sex couples to attend
their 1990 prom, naively themed
At the suggestion of a Sunday lunch "Stairway to I leaven."
bunch, I ran home to change and taxi
over to the bar where such dancing takes
place. I had the boots already, but the
only "boot·scootin' boogie" I'd ever
encountered was when I was too tired to
pick up my feet and walk properly.
"I got that rule changed so you could I:
take me to the prom, Stephen," I told one of l;l
the hallway cowpokes who greeted me ffi
daily with a murmured 'Tag." From that a; L-:--~---------------_...j-;;..__..
moment on, Stephen was terrified of me.
I got halfway into the cab and realized
I was wearing a black belt with tan boots.
Naturally, I did what any self-rc~pccting
gay man would do: I made the cabdriver
wait while I changed belts.
Given this background, surely you can
understand that willingly sub1ecting myself
to Reba Mcintire and Wranglers was somethmg
of a noble challenge.
I admit, I can be a bit culturally stodgy. I
can't tell you the last time I played a Merle
f laggard CD, and I've never been much for
dancing at all. While many friends my age
have relished circuit parties and drunken
tea dances, I've been continually frustrated
by the dubs. I find the music mostly deafening
and monotonous. When I hear techno
tribal, it doesn't send me into a trance. It
I recently broke my bngsfanding boycott on country-western dancing,
and it was so nice to see a room of gay men who weren't sucking in
their guts or puffing their chests out like some pre-op Doi~ Parton.
usually sends me for the door.
an easier affair than the full-hit kicking and
spinning line dances I was about to learn.
But I persevered. Worst case scenario: As I
badly bruise the feet of strangers, I bat my
eyes and work that "It's my first time"
charm. But what am I going to say on my
second and third vi.~its?
See, I grew up in the Blue Ridge
Mountains of Virgima, so this two-step
business wasn't completely new to me.
The thing is, the boys who clogged to
bluegrass were often the boys who shoutt'<
I "Faggot" at me in the school parking
lot as their Ford trucks unleashed a torrent
of exhaust and Hank Williams, Jr
They laughed their Yee Haw laughs and
sped home to their respective hollers.
That Sunday night promised to be
either a personal reconciliation or an
unmitigated nightmare.
On a stylistic note, I must say that I prefer
men in flannel button ups to stretch
nylon muscle tees. I tell you, looking
around at a crowd of smiling g.1y men in
cowboy regalia was nearly psychedelic
So I arrived at 6 p.m. that Sunday night
for what my friends ominously termed
"The Lesson ." We learned the basic twostep
and the wait~. I'd waltzed at my
small town's version of cotillion. Two
self-anointed society ladies whose mission
it was to instruct Lexington's preadolescents
in the art of ballroom dance
I'm not trading my Levi's for Wranglers
anytime soon, but the men were friendlier
than in any bar I've ever visited, and I didn't
see a single person doing bumps in the
bathroom or stumbling around drunk.
Not to wax puntanical, but k't'th-grinding
and nasal drainage are not all that conducive
to conversation. It was so nice to see
a room of gay men who weren't sucking in
their guts or puffing their cht'Sls out Ii.kc
some pre-op Dolly Parton.
LETIERS
What will it take
for actio11 on lilV?
To the Editor:
Thank you for writing frankly about
Mayor IJ'I.• Brown's failure to act quickly on
the I llV I AIDS front as he had promised
back on World AIDS Day ("Mayor stumbles
on I llV follow through," Jan. 21). Anybody
can give lip !i(•rvice to a probll'm, but a good
lcadl'r doc'S more.
made this class possible.
My sixth grade fox trots turnl'd out to be
were lower I low many black pt>t>ple net'<! to
get sick before he and hi~ ll•am n'Spond?
D0<.•s the black community have to suffer the
lessons and losses the gay community did
before mas.sive action starts?
If a gay person did the same thing to the
gay community regarding this disease, we
would take strong action. Maybe if we tied
an arena deal into the response, Brown
might act faster
Gary J. Van Oc.1t~lum
CJ.11mznn
Ryan Wllltc Plannmg Co1mc1I
J:d1tor'< note: Tiie Ryan White Plamung
Council will d1stnl>ute ahmt $17.6 mi//1011 in federal
fimdms, tlus year to lzl'lp county ~"idmts
alrmdy mft'Clai with lllV tlzrouglr sen•icrs 11/ie
fo<>.i hmks, drug n. ·nbur.'. , ·. ·nts, dental s1:rmcrs,
counseling and lrosrict' care Tiil' money is
reslrictaf to lrmlmml; I l/V pmrnllon and rducnllon
efforts an! hfl lo tlu· city's $5 miJ/ion-a-1r:11r
11/V Pmxnlion Program and prinilc AIDS S<TV-
1ce O~'\mlilJllions.
Shell's diversi'l training
includes gays, lesbians
To the Editor:
I was pleasantly surprised by the inten'St
of the Houston Voin• in profiling where the oil
companies stand with respect to workplace
issues pertaining to sexual orientation ("Fill
'er up?" Jan. 28). On·rall you did a tlmrough
job, but I do need to com'Ct one of the- quotes
from my interview.
The men wen admirably patient with
me, content to pu..-;h me around like a
broom as veteran dancers performed complicated
turns and dips to our sides. Every
hme I tried to add to the dance floor conversation,
I'd I~ the beat and stomp on
four people, but none of my missteps
required h<>!-p1talii.ation.
During my third dance with a particularly
adorable bear, he whispl'n'<I in my ear·
"Don't talk, baby. Just follow." Which is
indl'Cd a charming thing for one man to say
to another. Cl'rtamly enough to guarantee
my return.
Kirk Rmd lives 111 San F mnn.;ro and am
be rmdll.'d at KirkRrnd&ol.com and wn~
lemenos.nel/k1rkrmd
During thl• inkrview, I was asi..ed 1f
Shell includes sc\ual orientation in its
diversity training. I had explaint'<I that
diver~ity training is prc\'alent throughout
the company. HoweH'r, training 'peaf1cally
on the topic of ..,exual orientation b
spotty. Some parts of the bu~inc'' han•
included sexual orientation m di\'er~it\'
awareness training, othl·rs are looking.at
pilots, and soml' parb of the company
aren't there yet.
Rick Sclrrodtr
Shell 011 Co.
Hou>lon
f.ditor's note· Tiil' article also incorrrctly
listed the e-mail addre:;s of the company's gay
and /esbmn employee group, w/11c/1 rs
S£ASJiemN1cl/11s.com.
Bdon• the November l'lt'Cllons, I pt•rson.11-
ly gave Brown the lettl'r from Ryan Whitl'
Planning Counnl that dt'Clared this slate of
emrrgmcy. I le was notifit.J about the \'l'I)'
high I IIV mfl'Clion rate in the African
American commumty .ind th.it we nrekd
bl.ick leaders to step forw,1rd immediately
and hl'lp us gd a handle on this problem. I le
saw things diffrrmtly I le c,m>tl mon.• .ibout
that ,1n.•n,1 projed of his and his trip to Mrm1
than he did tht• cn~1s on his dcxlrst<'I"
Let us know what you think
Send the editor your letters (400 words maximum)
or op-ed submissions (800 words maximum).
Since' lw n.'C1·1vcd th.:it letter, more than 2SO
Afri,,m Amt·rirans ha\'l' bt'C'n diagnost>tl
with I IJV And this 1s from infections th.it
actually occurred years earlier when the r;ites
Names may be withheld upon request, but submissions
must include a name and phone number for verification.
Houston Voice, 500 Lovett, Suite 200, Houston, TX 77006
fax: 713-529-9531 • e-mail: editor@houstonvoice.com
10
we ta/le jvJ!ide
wt ceidhraWn:!
CVWJC~.
~TRO:\'GEST IDEAS have always
been the simplest ones. The ones that grow from
\'ision. At Chase Texas, it is our vision to manage
diversity as we would any other strategic resource.
·we have made diversity an integral component
of our culture because we know that bringing
collecti\'e experiences and skills to the table
enables us to do things that none of us could do
alone. A simple idea that inspires great rewards.
QCHASE
The right relationship is everything.n1
Member FDIC
FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
the ation For more extensive coverage: www.houstonvoice.com
Gay couple, trans woman among victims of Alaska Airlines crash
PORT HliE'.\JEME, Calif AP)-The search for sumvors among the 88 people flying on
Alaska Airlines Flight 261 ended Wednesday after 41 hours. Among the victims of the crash
were Toni Choate, a Santa Cruz man who wa~ living as a woman, and William Knudson
and Bradley Long, who owned a bed and breakfast in Puerto Vallarta. Choate was returning
to the San Frano~co Bay area with his daughter when the plane crashed. Choate was a
general contractor and cabinet finisher originally from Visalia, Calif lfe w,1s forwerly
known as Lury D Choate, but changed his name and started lmng as a woman m the mid
1990s, according to fncnds and rclall\'CS. In 1995, Choate bought the Savoy Bar in Santa
Clara, Cahf. and moved to San Francisco about a year ago. "He was an excellent father, as
far as taking her places and showing her things," Elliott said "They were real close"
Knudson and Long were headed home .irter visiting their inn They "I \'Cd hfc to tre
fullest," said Laura I.yon, vice president at Lyon & Associates Real Estate m Sacramento,
where Long, 38, had worked for the past dcc,1dc "Thl'y were very much into boating and
h.id a brge hobby reston'lg old cars," Lyon said. "They were always entcrt.iining, Vt'ry,
very generous, warmhearll•d gentlemen."
Military services spell out training, gay discharges down slightly
WASHl'.\:GTON (AP)--The U.S. military services for the first time have spelled out for
field commanders a policy of ensuring that troops who wmplain of anti-gay threats or
harassment arc not themselves investigated 1he intent is to .illow such complaints to be
aired \\ ithout fear of bemg kicked out of the service for being gay, and to reinforce the 1dc.1
that tho"e who make anh-gay thre:its will not be tolerated Defense Secretary Wilham
Cohen said Tuesday the nC\\ guidelines on how to im•est1gate anti-gay threats an~ incorporated
in updated training programs designed to ensure that the Clinton administration's
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" pohcy on gays is enforced fmrly and uniformly throughout the
servlC'cs. "The5e plans make it very clear that there 1s no room for harassment or thrc;its
in the military," Cohen said in a written statement The Pentagon also announcl'd Tm•sdav
the number of discharges from the military for bl'ing homosexual foll to 1,034 in the fiscal
year ended ~pt. 30 fr?m 1,145 in the year-earlier period.
'Millionaire' quietly includes gay couples among game winners
I IOLLYWOOD-The game show "Who Wants to
Be a Millionaire" has garnered attention for more
than its No. 1 ratings, according to a New York Times
rl'port The quiz show has also quietly broken sexual
and racial barriers, including among its contestanb
gay and racially mixed couples that in the past
wouldn't have been aired. When contestant Rob
Coughlin. of Shoreline, Wash, appeared on a show
that aired Jan. 23, host Regis Philbin introduced
Coughlin's companion, Mark Leahy, JS soon as the
contestant walked onstage. "Your partner, Mark, is in
the audience, 'Hey, M.irk,"' said Philbin, to .iudience
applause As Coughlin began answering questions
correctly, Philbin asked Leahy what his partner
should do if he won $1 million. "Get a new
wardrobe," replied Leahy. When Coughlm won
$500,000, Philbin said, "I ley, Mark, come down."
Leahy bounded onto the stage and hugged Coughlin.
"Hey, Mark, nice to see you," Philbin said. ABC executives,
who admitted to some trepidation about the
episode, :;aid there was no reaction from viewers.
Airing on ABC three nights a week, "Millionaire" has
an average audience of 285 million viewers, the
Times reported.
Network executives were nervous
about the Jan. 23 episode of 'Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire?' when a
gay man hugged his partner alter
winning SS00,000, but viewers
didn't complain.
Report says priests dying of AIDS at higher rate than general
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)-AIDS hJs btcome .-i serious problem among Rom.m Catholic
priests and has caused the deaths of hundreds of pricsb across the United States, the
Kansas City Star reported Jan. 29. The ncwsp.ipcr said the actual number of AIDS deaths 1s
difficult to determine because death certificates .-ire often altered, but that the death rate
from AIDS appears to be at least four limes th.-it of the rate for the general U.S. population.
Examination of death certificates indicated several hundred priests have died of AIDSrelated
illnesses since the mid-1980s, and hundreds more are living with I llV The Star conducted
a survey of American pricsb with a margin of error of 3.5 percent. Six of 10 priests
responding said they knew of at least one priest who had died of an AllJS-rclated
illness; one-third knew a priest hvmg with AIDS. Asked about their sexual orientation, 75
percent said they were heterosexual, 15 percent said they were homosexual and 5 percent
s.i1d they were bisexual.
HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000 NEWS
Student says school didn't
stop anti-gay harassment
.- Continued from Page 5
New legal ground: officials
responsible
llenkle's case builds on a 1996 Lambda
victory in a lawsuit brought on behalf of
Jamie 1abozny, where after a jury verdict
finding liability, school officials in Ashland,
Wisconsin agreed to pay almost $1 million
for ignoring Nabozny's abuse.
Since then, similar cases in California,
MassMhusl'lts, New York and Washington
have drawn national attention to the
problem of anti-gay harassment and \·iolence
in schools.
I knkle's c,1se differs from the Nabozny
case in its chJrges of First Amendment vio!
Jhons, and because the plaintiff seeks
punitive damages against individuals, rather
than the school district, according to
Lambda staff attorney Doni Gewirtzman.
l.;ndl•r the 11th amendment, Gewirtzman
~lid, it is unlJwful to sue a state entity
for damagt~ in federal court. In Nevada,
unlike in Wisconsin, the public school system
is considered a state entity and can't be
hl'id financi;illy responsible for past wrongs.
The school district can, however, be sued
for forward-looking relief, in this case
Hcnkle's high school diploma.
School officials can also be sued as in-dividuals,
and Hcnkle's case seeks punitive
damages against all eight defendants,
Gewirtzman added.
Henkle v. Gregory also raises state Jaw
claims of negligence, negligence of supl·n·is1on,
intentional infliction of emotional
distress, and negligent infliction of emotional
distress, and seeks unspecified
compensatory damages.
Lambda has asked for a jury tnal,
Gewirtzman s<11d, and expects to begin the
discovery process within a few months.
In addition to financial compensation,
s;ud Gewirtzman, the best possible outcome
for the case would be that it "send a
message to school officials around the
country that when lesbian and gay students
are being beaten up, they must take
action. It's unacceptable to just send the
student to another school."
Lambda Legal Defense &
Education Fund
Western Regional Office
6030 Wilshire Blvd , Suite 1008
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323 .937-0601
www.lambdalegal.org
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Family of sodomized student sues school board
FAYETTEVILLE (AP)-A 12-vearold
was repeatedly sodomized m
woods near his middle school, according
to ii lawsuit accusing school off1-
ciJls of failing to adequately protect
students.
The boy's grandmother and mother
sued the Cumberland County Board
of Education, seeking more than
$10,000 in damages.
The lawsuit, filed Jan. 12, charges
that the school system failed to
protect the former Westover Middle
School student, now 16, from his
alleged assJilants, who attended
Westover High School less th.Jn 200
feet away.
lt also charges that school admmistrators
were aware that woods near
the school had been "repeatedly used
for assaults, drug use and other
illegal activity, but still failed to
take proper and adequate "afety
measures."
Westo\·er Pnncipal Reginald Ennett
said there newr has been a problem
with ~tudents trespassing onto h1~
schools grounds in his three years
therl'. The woods near the school are
not a problem, he said.
In 1997, Westo\u High student
Chris Egglrston was murdered in
woods near the school
The student said he was sodomized
every day for two months beginning m
September 1996. He fmally told hb
mother about the attacks on Ckt. 22,
1996.
His ordeal began as harassment,
v. hen the high school students would
accu'.'E! him in phone calls of being a
homo!-exual and threaten to kill him.
Withm wee~, the boys began coming
to the middle school from the high
!-Chool. The student said they forced
him ,1t knife point into the woods,
where they raped him.
"I was embarrassed," he said m an
inten'iew. "I thought I d~n·ed it
Thev made me feel bad about mvself,
and' I thought they were going t~ kill
me and they were gomg to get m}
grandmil"
One of the h\'O alleged as~ilants,
who was 15 at the time, wa~ convicted
of rape, sentenced to thrl'C months'
probahon and ordered lo perform community
service. The other boy was
never prosecuted, but b now in prison
for another crime
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11
12 FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000
e~uality
El rocks HUMAN
RIGHTS
THE CONCERT FOR THE NEW CENTURY CAMPAIGN
FOUNDATION
RFK STADIUM
WASHINGTON, DC
APRIL 29, 2000
www.hrc.org
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Join us at the Millennium March on Washington • Sunday, April 30, 2000 • The National Mall
13
14 LOCAL NEWS FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
Rallying for change
Michelle Hughes (right) searched through a
handful of signs before selecting one to use
during a Jan. 28 protest in downtown
Houston. Gay men and lesbians gathered in a
city park a few blocks from Exxon Mobil's
Houston headquarters ta protest the company's
dropping of sexual orientation from its
non-disaimination poticy and ending domestic
partner benefits for gay employees. Company
officials have said Exxon Mobil does not discriminate
and strongly enforces its harassment
poticy. Bob Taylor (below) was one of several
protesters who signed a petition from
Houston Gay & lesbian Political Caucus calling
on the company to changes its pot.des.
EDITOR
Join the nation's fastest growing lesbian and gay
newspaper company. Houston Voice is a newspaper in the
expanding WindowMedia chain, offering exci t ing and
challenging opportuni ties that extend far beyond one
newspaper and one city.
Houston's weekly lesbian and gay newspaper seeks an
aggressive, experienced, professional j ournalist with
management background for position of editor.
Applicants should be well-versed in newspaper operation,
work well under deadlines and thrive in a team environment.
Excellent writ ing, copy-editing and communication
skills. Proficiency with Macintosh OS, MSWord and
QuarkXpress preferred. Competitive salary and benefits.
Houston Voice and WindowMedia are equal opportunity
employers. Please send (no phone calls) writing samples,
resume and cover letter for consideration to:
l1f1iit:4{1]1i voice
EDITOR
Houston Voice
500 Lovett Blvd.
Suite 200
Houston, Texas 77006
by e-mail
editor@houstonvoice.com
or fax
713-529-9531
Station mum on other complaints
- Continued from Page 1
segment of the show and several commercials,
leaving little context for listeners to reference
the comments.
It also made no mention of a reported Jan.
24 incident in which alleged anti-gay lyrics
were in5erted into a remake of a Crosby, Stills
and Nash song Station officials ha\'e either
refused to comment on the second incident, or
said that they were unaware of it.
Parker said the apology was the minimum
the :.talion could do after Dor.;ey's comments.
'They did what I asked," Parker said.
"They made a public apology and they
agrl'\.'<I that similar behavior wouldn't happen
in the future."
Parker said she intends to file a letter of
protest with the Federal Communications
Commission over the incident, an action some
gay men and lesbians have already tilken.
Station officials initially refused to comment
to Parker or media outlets ilbout the )iln.
21 comment~. But as media coverage intensified
last week, the station responded with a
fi\•c-paragraph letter hand-delivered to
Parker and the on-an apology.
The delay m responding was so station
officials could im estigate, SJ1d Brian
Purdy, vice president and general manager
of KKRW and KLOL
"After re\1ewing the tape on the show,
kl't?ping m mind that we arc dealing with li\'e
rJd10 and ~n emotional topic not only for fostival1i
.1t for Kewn ... he voiced comments
d1n'Cll'<I to Ms. Parker which were
inappropnate and went too far," Purdy said.
No ,1Ction will be taken against Dorsey for
the Jan. 21 comments, Purdy said.
"We foel like him making a public apology
is a reJsonable response," Purdy ~id . "We
have sensitized our staff to 1ssul>:; that are
important m being a public voice and let tht'm
know that was not acceptable bl'ha\'ior.''
Purdy did not outline what steps stahon
officials took to sensitize staff members. I It•
was also unaware of complainl~ about the
remake of the Crosby. Stills and Nash song.
"Keep m mind that when you reach over
400,(XX) !listeners] listeners each wt-ek, we do
R'Ceive a number of calls and opinions le\·ied
on what we broadcast. Most radio stJtions
do," Purdy said.
In the st,1tion's letter to Parker, Purdy said
KKRW has supported through on-air promotion
"gay community focused ewnb such as
a 1 louston visit by the AIDS quilt to hl•nl'fit
persons with AIDS, and sc\w,11 conn•rb by
opmly gay ,1rtists in which prcx:et.'<ls went to
gay related c.1SL'S."
But when pres.scd during an intl'rview
Monday, Purdy wouldn't list specific gayrelated
events the station has supported
Parker said g.1r men and lesbians should
continue to monitor the stJhon, citmg public
pressure as a key m KKRW issuing 1 ts apology.
"I don't behew they would ha\'e responded
without pubhc pressure It dmrly i;ent a
message through local rildio orcks that I hope
other stations were paying attention to,"
Parker s,1id.
For more information, see story page 25 r-----------------------------,
l 2000 Lesbian & Gay Pride Parade l
: Grand Marshal Ballot :
• Check one name per category
• Include proof of residency In Hams or surrounding counties
(copy of Texas Driver's License/ID or utility bl:I)
• Pnnt and sign your n. ame (for venf·cat1on purposes only) w·-IJjj • Mail to. Grand Marshal Vote e ~
Pride Committee of Houston •
P.O. Box 66071 ·
Houston, Texas 77266-6071 • ••
or fax to: 713.529-6929 ' , '
• Ballot must be received by February 24, 2000
Female Grand Marshal
Q Pat Gandy
CJ Anita Renteria
U Barbara Walker
U Ton Williams
Male Grand Marshal
U Tony Brigand1
Ll Kevin DaVldson
U Ray Hill
0 Grant Martin
U Pete Martinez
U Bill O'Rourke
U Richard Wiederholt
Honorary Grand Marshal
:J Jack Mam
.J Sarah Gish
:J Ann J. Robison
:J Don Sinclair
~ Blake and Gordon Weisser
Honorary Grand Marshal -
Organization
L.J Greater Houston Gay and Lesbian
Chamber of Commerce
CJ Houston Gay and Lesbian
Political Caucus
U Houston Lesbian and Gay
Community Center
U People with AIDS Coalition
Print Name----------------------
Signature------::"'"".~----------------
L _________ 3!~~~~~~~~~- - - - - - - - -~
HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000
'for some, oral sex is
equated with safe sex.
This false assumption has
led to tragic lifelong con·
sequences.' -Dr. Helene
Gayle, director of the
CDC's National Center for
HIV, STD and TB
Prevention
'Receptive' partner
in most danger
:.- Continued from Page 1
The UX. study-<onducted by Dr. Beth Dtlhon in colbboration
with the University of California, San Franci~o's Options
ProJL'Ct-surveyed 102 gay and bisexual men who had n'Cl'ntly
bt.'Come infected with I llV.
Using a new testing technology developL'CI by the CDC,
rL~.1rchers pinpointed those with recent infections, en.1bling
thrm to then rnnduct intens1w interviews with the I llV-~1tive
men to dl'krmine nsk f.ictors near the ti ml' of infL'Chon.
Of thl• 102 participants, l'1ght, or 7 .S percent, appl'Ml-<l to have
bwn infl'<ll'd through or.ii scx.
"It any othl·r risk beh,wiors were identifil'CI by the infr'Ctt'CI
individual or their partner, oral sex \\'JS excluded as the route of
transmission," according to a CDC summary of the study.
"IX'l"<lUSl' of thl·~ stringent rt'qu1rements, 7.8 percent may be an
undereshm,1te of transmission through oral sex in this group."
Thl• rl'Ceptive partner in oral sex is at the most risk, said Dr.
RKhJrd ValdiS<.•rri, deputy director of the CDC's National
Center for I !IV, STD & TB Prevention All of the men in the study
bt:heved to be infected through oral sex were the rL'Ccphve partners,
ValdisL•rri told ffo11slo11 Voice.
"For the individual who became the oral partner, with either
Sl'mcn or pre-t'jJcubte m their mouth, that is where the risk ts,"
he SJid. "If the n'Ccptive partner is I I IV-positive and the m.o;ertive
partner is negative, the risk is not as great of transmission to the
inscrtiw partner."
Simply abstaining from l;aculating into the mouth is not suffic1mt,
Valdtscm s.iid, OC'CJUsl' Pre-t.'JJCUlate also contains I ilV.
Thl• nl'W study "is pl'rhaps the most definitive to dJte" on the
risks of oral Sl'\, "and tlw most important message ts thJt most of
thl~' mm reporll-d they milly dtdn't think much nsk at all was
asson,lted. Tlwy thought low risk means no risk," VJldiscrri !'<lid,
noting th,1t nsk .1ppl'<1rs to increaSl' with fl'fX\llL'li e\posurl's.
"Or,11 'l'\ is llmu risk than receptive ,mJI intercourse, but
bl'l"<lllSl' 1t 1s low rbk dlwsn't ml'an 1t can't n·sult in infettion.
You c,rn't put or,11 se\ on the s,lmL' k\'l'I .is mutu.11 masturb.
11ton, for l'\,1mpk," hl' s.1id.
I hl• studv flxttsed on ml'n h.1nng or,11 sl'\ wt th ml'n, but
thl' n•sults wuld m1sonablv be expl'<'ll·d to .1pplv ,1lso to oral
sex pt•rforml'll on ,1 m,m h\' .1 wom.111, \'aldtsl'rrt s.ud
As tor cunrnlingus, oral sex performed on J woman hv
either .mothl'r woman or .1 m,111, "wh,1t Wl' h.n·l· s,ud 1s 1t is
Cl'rtamlv poss1bll' Ito transmit 111\' ), but \\ r don't h.1w ,1 lot
of i:;ood d.1t,1 ,1hout that," hl• said.
I !IV c.111 bl' pn><;ent m \ aginal sC<Telions ,rnd nwnstru.il blood,
rn,1k111g tr,rn,1111s. il111 tlworl'l1c,1lly poss1bk, lw l'\pl.11m-d
",\bst,11ning from \'.1g1n.1I. .111.11 .111d or,11 sl'\ 1s tlw most
dfl'd1\ ,. I\ .11· to prl'\'l'nt tlw <('\tt.11 tr.111s1111sston of 111 \'," tlw
UX 's sumrn.111 of till' stud\' wndudl'd
"lnd1\·1du.1ls who choose to be Sl'\Ually ,1ct1n• l,m proll'd
themsl'i\ 1•s b\ h.n mg sex \\1th on!) lHll' untnfl'Cll•d p.irtnl'r
\\ho has sex Pill\ \\1th them, or using J lall·x condom with ,111
forms lll s \u,1l 111t(•rcoursl anal. \'aginal ,1nd or,11 "
NEWS 15
Successful HIV drugs prompt risky behavior
by LAuRA BROWN
The success of new treatments for HIV I AIDS has led
some at-risk individuals to take fewer precautions to
a\'Oid becoming infected, accord mg to another CDC study
presented at the seventh Conference on Retroviruses and
Opportunistic Infections.
The stud); led by CDC epidemiologist Stan Lehman,
confirms the results of several smaller sun·evs that ha\·e
reached the same conclusion: :\cw treatments may be
leading to complacency about HIV pre\·ention. •
Lehman and his colleagues studied 1,976 HIV-negah\·e
or untested individuals in seven states who are considered
at risk for contracting HIV: 693 gay and bisexual men
recrui ted at gay bars, 600 slrt>el-recruited injection drug
users, and 683 heterosexuals recruited at STD treatment
cltnics.
Overall, 31 percent reported being "less concerned"
about HIV infection because of the new drugs, and 17 percent
reported being "less careful" during sex or drug use
Among gay men, 25 percent said they were less concerned
and 13 percent said they were less safe; 30 percent
of heterosexuals reported being less concerned and 15 percent
reported being less s.ife; and among injection drug
users, 40 percent said they were less concerned and 25
percent said they were less safe.
While gay and bise\uJl men had the lowest numbers in
the study, that dOl'sn't nL'Cessarilv translate to mean this
group ts the least complacent beCause of the new drugs,
Lehman told Houston Voice.
As a group, gay men showed the highest correlation
between saying they are "less safe" and reportmg engaging
in specific risky bl'ha\'iors, Lehman siid
E\'en gay men who answered "no" when asked 1f they
were "less safe" still reported engaging in specific high
risk behanors at relatively high numbers.
For example, while 71 percent of gay men who said
they wert• "less safe" acknowledged ha\ing unprolt'Cted
recepti\'e anal intercourse m the last year, 43 percent of
those who said they were not ''less safe" still reported
engaging m the acti\'ity.
"When it comes to slopping HIV, nobody knows as
much-from a personal pl'rspecti\·e and just bccaust' it is
1mportJnl to the community-as what gay men know, ..
so possibly the lower reports [of being less concerned and
less safe] are based on the higher le\•els of knowledge,"
Lehman said.
"But people are apparently not translating that knowledge
mto action, or they are putting too much faith in the
efficacy of treatments," he said.
Study parltcipants were recruited- ffom Arizona,
Colorado, M1ssoun, M1ssL"s1ppi, :-\e\\ .\1exiro, O~on and
Te\as, includmg Houston, where gay men were recnnted
in the Montrose dtstnct popular with many ga)'!·
Weighing the relative risl<
Most early AIDS prl·vmhon programs focused on the
mc:;SJge deli\·ert·d m the CDC's study summarv: Practice
abstinence, or use a condom every time, all the hme, for
every sexual act that involve::. any contact with another
person.
While that remains sound advtCe, many AIDS educators
say they haw realized that such simple, forceful
approaches can end up alienating the very pt'Ople who
most need to get the message.
Instead, they advocate a "harm rt.'duction" or "negotiated
safety" model of SJ fer scx education. Such programs
focus on encouragtng people to make deCL~ions about
thm sexual boundaries thoughtfully, before they are confronted
with a Sl'Xual s1tu,1tion, by weighing what is
known about the relative dangers of particular acts and
considering how much risk they ,Jrl' willing to take.
Compart·d with acts like unproll'cll'd Jnal intl'rcoursc,
unprotected oritl sex has g•mcrally bl'l'n rnnsidca·d relatively
low nsk, and soml' men haw constderl•d it as a
good compromise when dectdmg on their own sexual
bc-hav1or, said Tony Bras\\ ell, AID Atlanta executiH·
director, espeaall) because many men con.ider oral sex
ll"iS plem;urable With a wndom
" ~lost fol ks bcl1e\ e that oral sex is therr bt.'51 trade off
\ ou are trossmg the !me iust a little btt, being ph) ,icalh
intimate without the barner of a condom, but in thl'
mmds of some of our clients, you are not putting your,elf
at as great a nsk," Braswell said.
A harm 11'duchon appmich to HIV pre\"ention, he
said, "is all about negotiating in your ov.n mind ''hat
you wt.II absolutely never do, \\ hat you will do only 1f the
pc™>n L< really hot as a one-time thing, and \\hat ) ou
will do all the time
"For people who felt secure in unprotected oral sex,
this study will prob.ibly rattle their cage and cau~ them
to think h\ire," Bra!iwell predicted. Ht• called the new
studv "alarmmg."
"I think the VJlue of this study is 11 gi\·es us one more
opporturuty to .;care JX'Ople mto a little more n.>sponsib1lity,"
Braswell said "I thmk ii is onl' more warrung si~
that we cannot guarantee vou \\On't catch any infectious
dt~'a.'e 1f you engage ma se\ual act with another pcn;on,
although you can ta kl' Sll'ps to lurut your nsk."
Some people ,woid brushing or flossing their teeth
before performing oral sex to tn• and a\OJd opening an
ea..-..y route for HN toenll•r !ht' blood -tream. Bra.<'.\ ell SJJd.
Dr Richard \ ald1scm deput\ dnl'Ctor of the COC's
ahon.il Center for HIV, STD & TB Pmmlion declined
comment on the dfica(1 of such mea ur~ m prl'\ mting
HI\ tran.~m1 ton
visit us on-line
today at:
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send yollf' address to editor@houstonvoice.com
,\ cco1d1ng to \ ald1s~m. mdl\ 1dual nl'ed to undl'l t.111d www.houstonvoice.com
thl' n k .1so;oct.1tl'd with oral sex, kno1\ thl•tr p.irttwrs' 111\'
o;tatusr, •.rlnrd .. .r p:.;1,;;l~- .e. ..o."r 'u 1~0.11-<· .1R ..·c i:1;1 .n,1,1,<,, ,n,b.,o.~u ~l ~ ·•·"Y1.1~1 b.,."..:,.,,1_.\ J,.l.,l,,f,. ......, ... _.
16
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• Elegant Dinner for Two
• Full Buffet Breakfast
• I Dt>1en Red Roses
• Boule of Chilled Champagne
• Free Parking
•includes
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705 East Houston St. • San Antonio, Tx 78205 • 210.225.8486
FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
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send your address to editorOhoustonvoice.com
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HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000
A GUIDE FOR YOUR LEISURE TIME
Comedian Margaret
Cho came through a
difficult time and
learned to love
herself; now she's
spreading the story
with laughs in her
one-woman show,
'I'm the One That I
Want' that started
its national tour in
Houston last year
.0... .
QJ
·.E.-...
by MA11 \10\:TGm.trR'i
~largaret Cho descnbes her nat10nally
touring onl'·woman show, 'Tm the One
Th.it I W;mt," as "still stand up comedy
.ibo\'e .111 else "
"I hawn't changed the nature of what I
do .is .i stand-up comic at all." she
l'Xpl.11ns
Yet tlwrL"s something d1fferl'nt .ibout
thb Cho shm,, corn mg to l),illas's
Majl•stic Theall•r on March 4. While the
Korean American funny lady has always
h.id r,l\'e rc\'ie\\ s, standing ovations, .rnd
IL•agul's of lonng f,rns, this show isn't JW•t
bn·ing them crving with tears of laughter.
"It's about sun·i\'al and self-reh.rnce,
sel f-Ion• .rnd self-worth," she said oi the
show, which opened its nation.ii tour in
I louston's Aerial Theatre last July
The glowing reviews that ha\·e hailed
IShair
big
In 'The Big Tease,' Craig
Ferguson plays a gay Scottish
hairstylist who comes to Los
Angeles to match scissors and
wits with the world's best
beauty operators
Craig Ferguson as gay
Scottish hoirstytist
Crawford MacKenzie
in 'The Big Tease'
r11mu 'ARI\' \UL...t!A'-
"~" her successful run off-Broadw.iy at the •.
\\estbeth Theater m t\ew York and arc ~
now causmg her national tour to explode, e
are signaling the emergence of a
\1argaret Cho who has the kind of stay-mg
power of the be.I of stars.
Audiences are not 1ust bemg touched
with laughter, but moved bv the insp1ra·
!Ion of hl•r story of survival and recovery
presenll•d 111 her uniquely irreverent
style.
1 he irony is that Cho stands at the pin·
nacle of praise from her industry. hL•r
fans, and the media just at the time that
she needs l'Xternal praise the least.
On·rcoming the de\'astating effects of
the cancellation of her sitcom, "All·
American Girl," after one ~eason and a
battle toward sobrietv, Cho has dbcO\·
erl·d a new sense oi self, caned from
hardship, heartache and a fierce survival·
ist instinct.
After dealing with being presslft'ed to lose
weight and overcoming an alcohol problem,
Margaret Cho has learned to love herself and
is at the pinnacle of her career.
"It wrecked m} hf<-," she admitted of
thl· camellahon, the pressures to lose
weight, and a problem with alcohol.
She recalled that the tran~formation of
her comedy club routine into a 90-minute
~how wa~ ~omethmg that happened
seemingly on its O\\n
"My act has a life of ib own. It'~
alwar been orgamc I had been doing a
lot of comedv clubs and I felt like I'd got·
ten to a point where my act, independent
::- Continued on page 21
by DAVID C.OLDMA
Craig ft'rguson moved from hL' nath c "cotland-
Y. herc he's ranked among the top corrucs-to Los Angeles
in 1995, and well rcmcmbcrc; the shock of hitting the trects
m rough-and-tumble Tmseltown.
"I \\as kind of ,1 big fish ma small pond m the U.K and
I deuded I\\ as gomg to share ID\ gcruus ''1th the\\ orld '
he laughed 'Then I went to L A and found m\ self sitting
m long lines of adors holdmg resumes and photographs I
started nght back at the begmnmg. It ''as a humbling
cxpencnce"
But Ferguson's career d1dfl t get bogged down m those
Lncs. lie l.indcd thl' role of Mr \\1ck, the boss on ABC s
'The 0re,, ( .1rev SJio\' "
ow fcrguson 1s mmmg com c matcnal f•o!l' his
Scottish hentagc ,md his fl!St 1mprcss10ns of LA m 'The
Big Tease," which opens thlS month Ferguson stars in the
mo\1e, '' h1ch he CO-\HO!c (\\1th Sacha Ger. as1) and co-
- Con tinued on page 22
18 OUT ON THE BAYOU FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Bnnvng 111, ilor/t/'; HM" II• "'on
p1 sents
~-0~ 1!{tdtelv,
~
~O~ PtaJw-
Arvo PART - Fratres (1980)
Ottorino RESPIGHI - Sonata (1916-1917)
Sergei PROKOFIEV - Sonata for Violin and
Piano, Op. 94bis (1944)
Maurice RAVEL - Tzigane rapsodie de concert (1924)
Wednesday, February 16, 2000
8:00 p.m., Jones Hall
For program notes VISJI our website at www.spahoustan org
ART'>
HI~
•• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • G ~ \ ~ fs A!'- "Fun" - Tb1 ldv1c1t1
• '()rs~ · k\h,~~\1.- "t ,e ~rs"\fe\ ·c111s111r-v11111
• GP e"J, ~e · \ "'h rsAi'Y 'sJ "Best 111111 •1tcbm1ker" • a-.. . L 0. ~/\,I, 4JV v - HX MlllZIDI
• Ai')' , ... }Jtv 0 ••
• The lnterners
•Funnest
: Dating
•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •service • •• •• ••
Edwina-~ ...__ _____ www.edwina.com • •
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
On Sta e
Shakespeare's greatest hits
by DL GROOVER
Sometimes, it just doesn't pay to be the
world's most famous dead dramatist, exc~'Pt
that Shakespeare luckily doesn't ha\'e to ~~
what contemporary playwrights do to his work.
Case in poinl: Joe Calarro's adapbtion of
Shakespeare's most accessible play, "Romeo and
Juliet," now titled SHAKESPEARE'S R&J.
The conceit in this \'ers1on is that it's 5et to
tell the story of four male students in
parochial school. We know this because they
wear matching school uniforms, genuflect
before they begin, and recite by rote some catechism
precepts and rules for li\'ing well. ~
What we don't know is why they do this, or i;;
who they are in a poor introduction to the :
new selling ~
Calarco d0t.>sn't gi\'e his new characters "'
any dialo_gue to let us know what's going on. Drake Simpson and Dustin Ross in an all-male
l le doesn't even give them names, only num- adaptation of ' Romeo and Juliet' in
bers The four slink into the room almost on 'Shakespeare's R&J' at Stages.
tiptoe, warily looking O\'er their shoulder~
and putting fingers up to their mouths to
shush each other, and then proca'<i to make
enough noise to be heard in a neighbonng
diocese. There's much back-slapping and
youthful playing in this forced dumbshow,
but strangest of all, none of them seems concerned
that this particular play might dredge
up sexual stirrings and forbidden feelings. To
say nothing about ha\'ing to kiss a Juliet who
needs a shave.
Once you realize that Calarco's contemporary
subtext is under-realized and haphazardly
draped over the play like a wet shroud, a
remarkable thing occurs: Shakespeare takes
O\'er, and we get a surprisingly splendid rendi~
on of "Romeo and Juliet," albeit in zip
d~ve and reduced to a Greatest Hits. Nimbly
directed by Rob Bundy, the play sun~\'es and
generates real thrills and heat
James Lee Burke makes an impetuous
Roml'O, and is matched by the distincti\'e
clear-€yed Juliet of Dustin Ross, who rounds
out this maiden with new-found edges .
john. Raymond Barker, a sharp-tongued
'.l.1ercubo and meddling Friar Lawn.once, is least
successful as a surprisingly fey Lady Capulet
Drake Simp;on shines as the Nur..e, imbum~
her addled but loving speeches a sp<'C1ill
depth that only a trustL'<i member of the family
could impart.
If you think glaciers mm·e slow!}\ vou
haven't heard the justly famous prelude to
\\agner's masterwork, TRISTAN UNO
ISOLDE conducted by \1aestro Christoph
Fschenbach. Furt\\'angler sounds like
Toscamm at this dirge pall' As those chromatic
\\'aves of sound lumbered through the
\\ortham, I flashed forward to the end of this
produchon-soml'lime in 2003 .
But once this unpcdimcnt \\,15 hurdled,
this glonous opera-a musical h)1nn to sextumed
out splendidly. Even the maestro fell
under \\agner's magic spell, conducting thts
ultra-Romanbc masterpiece \\1th fiery pa~
s1on, meticulous care, and Im mg speed
"Tnstan" IS not for the faint of heart, nor the
novKe. If it's not ~ung with com1chon, if the
s;ngers look hke sideshow attractions at
Barnum and Bailey (~'E' the Metropolitan
Opera), if it lacks the magic-realism, it can fall
apart with a deadly thud. By all accounb,
l ICO's rendition of Wagner's titanic opus
came \'Cry near perfection.
Visually stunning, this production,
designed by the artist David l lockney, is a
child's pop-up storybook realized in pulsating
colors where psychedelic neon meets the
medieval: emerald next to orange, ruby next
to lapis. This hot scheme, complemented bv
hallucinogenic lighting, perfectly captun.>s the
seething, throbbing emotion in the music .
And what music they make! Renate Behle
is a powerful Isolde: haughty, spurned,
humrhated, then transfixed and ultimately
transfigun.-d. Her dark lustrous voice, befitting
her early days as a mezzo, wraps around
Wagner's soaring dramatics with flawless
diction, pitch and control.
Stig Andersen fills out the heroic Tristan
with great sense of character and mtclligcncc.
l le looks the warrior prince, but seems slightly
ovcrpowen.-d by the tempestuous orcht>stra.
The veteran mezzo Florence Qu1\'ar with
hl·r burnished seductive voice prove:-. how
beautiful the role of Brangacne can sound,
and Carsten Stabell's sonorous b.1~s and commanding
presmce as King Markt> b rt>gJI dignity
personified.
Any production of "T&I" is fairlv rare,
l~peci.1lly one like IJGO's with surh outstanding
musical caliber, so this production 1s
your chance to set s.1il
Shakespeare's R & J
Stages Repertory Theatre
Through Feb. 13
3201 Allen Parkway@ Waugh
713·52-STAGES
www.stagestheatre.com
Tristan und Isolde
Houston Grand Opera
Wortham Theater Center
Through Feb 11
HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000
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0 s s • c
FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
Wllo llllaof4 l!!!I Ill<• PllOPECIA'
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HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000 OUT ON THE BAYOU 21
CH01.iSHINE
_..Continued from page 17
of wh,1t I was doing. ch,inged a'ld grew
into something that had too much emohoM!
weight and was too long, too big for
comedy clubs," she said
Tlw tour c;t;irted out with just a few
c1t1e5 and h.as grown to include 25 c;tops.
New c1tres and shows .ire being addl'd
every d,iy.
Cho hJs presented her person.ii life in
her wmedy from the start, poking fun at
her Kore<1n f.im1ly and her childhood in
the I la1ght of S.111 Francisco of the 1970s.
"\1y philosophy is th.it truly nothing is
rt•,1lly pt•rson,11. We ,11e .111 111 ing expt•rit•
ncl's th.it .HL' un11·l•rs,1l, ,rnd to show them
you do pPople ,1 grpat Sl'rvice," sht• said.
Cho, who began perforwing stand·up
coml'd}' when ~he w,1s a teenJge high
school dropout, confesse:. that "I started .,o
young th.it I didn't have a cle.ir percept10n
of who I was, ilnd I s.11d yes to a lot of stuff
and th.it c.1used problems."
"All I k1ww was that I wanted to get out
of school and out of my family and out of
where I,,._,, linng. I wanted to ch,rnge my
ltfl•," she s.1id
Saytng th.it "my sense of humor h.is
helped me to survive," Cho explains that
whm she presents im,iges of Asian cul·
tun', it's bs about making fun than just
pn•st·nttng it to thl• world
"There's ,1 lot of lo\'l' in everythmg I do.
han' rpspt•ct and low for [my parl'nts]
,ind for m1· culture," she said.
"Throughout my career, l\·e been pulling
out my culturl' .md prL"•enting 1t "
Cho says th.it when she first .:;tarted pL'r·
forming she 1ust did wh.it 'he knew-her
mother
"I began doing my mother TherL' h,1s
always bL•en truth in the way that I show
As1,1n culture," she said.
I ll'r mother takes rt all m stride It seems.
"She loves It Sh( feels hke a stJr She's
)US! so happy .ibout mr career," ~aid Cho,
who was the first Asian Awerican to be the
focal st,1r of .i sitcom
"I Pevcr s.iw prople representing me, so
I .ih' avs had .i ~light inferiority complex
,1bout what I w.1~ domg. For me, personally,
I w,int to inspire a younger generation
of pPople who want to do better than me.
1\'ot just ,\si,111~. but anvbod\· who feds
th,1t tlwv" rl' not rl'presentL'd," ;he said
I kr pL'rforming h,is brought her doser ,...
to some womL•n who she constdl'rs msp1· i
rational She recent!} performed for Vir:ot •.
t .1dy I hl1ary Clinton !5
"i\e first met at the White House and ~
she ,1skt•d me to come to :-\ew York for a
bl'llrtit for a fund-raist•r for hrr Senate
ran\ We've been acquainted for a while,
;ind she is a hl•ro for me, so brilliant and so
lo1·ely," s.11d Cho.
"I !er ,111d M.idonna," she added.
"It's sort of .i joke .ibout gay men and
Madonna, but it's really not a 1oke She is a
cornprstom·. For me and mv friends,
l'\'l'rythtng that she does is really important,"
shl' said.
Despite hl•r admiration for other intelligent,
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Margaret Cho hit it off big with the audience
at a gay bar in Atlanta last Sunday when she
contributed live broadcasts from the bar for
'Porrticaly lncorrect's' post~ Super-Bowl show.
bcl'n Ion• m the way shl· 1ookcd at her;.clf,
she s.1p.
"I usL•d to cringe and be sad Jbout
myst'lf, but now I'd want to be m) fnmd af
I didn't know me. Th.it's pretty cool," she
said
Shl' l'xplains thJt an active spintu,11 lifl'
of ml'dllallon, healthy living ;ind good
friends has helped build this empowering
self-IOI e
"H's not Jbout real11• \•aluing m1 self
Ol'er other pL>ofle 1:-ut ,1bout not bemg neg·
.itl\ e of mvself," she s,11d.
'.-he doesn't let the roJd keep her trom
sta\ mi; m touch with Jtl of her fnends.
"Vie hook up Jtl 01er the \\odd, and emJ1I
is ,111 Jmazmg thmg." she said
Thec;e tnendshrps Jnd relahonshrps pro\'
1dt the foundJhon of Cho's beliefs Jbout
her own self-IOI e The kc\ to lmdmg loH
for 1 ourselt comes from gl\ mg 1t to other<;
she s.iys.
"If } ou belt 1 <' m \\ orld Im mg, the11
} ou tJn t help but to al~o mdude} ourself
m that, and 101 <'} our~elf," she 'aid. "Once
I made the connection that I had to be mv
own support s1· ... tem, :-obnetv w.is an out·
gro\\ th c>f that It grC'w from that thmkmi:;.'
\\'h1le (ho sJ\ s th.it -he" ould t"on~1der
another sitcom 1£ sfle were to ha1 e mon•
control, for no\\ ht•r plJtc b more thJn lull
"faervthmg I'm doing no\\ 1:- sell-gen·
crJted "she said
She 1ust llmsheJ the 'ilmmg of her sho\\
tor cmem3tac release this fol She':-\\ nhng
a book, workmg on a new sho\\ and con:-
1dcnng a Europc;in tour
"I fmd It \er} 1oyful. 1'.1y life 1s full of
love," she said.
I'm the One That I Want
March 4
Majestic Theater
Dallas
www.margaretcho.net
Chat I Personals I News Travel I Entertainment People
~ - PlanetOut.com
www .planetout.oom I AOI. KeyMYd. PlanetOJt engage --+ enjoy
22
BIG hair
bigDREAMS
::- Continued from page 17
executi\e produced (with Gerv.i~1 and Kevin
Allen} Allen also direct,.
Houston Vmce mterv1ewed Ferguson
recently when hIS publioty tour stopped m
Atl.inta last month.
In the movie, Feri;uson plays Crawford
Macke!lZle, a gay harrstylist in Scotland who
recei\"CS wh.it he believes b an invitation to
come to Los Angeles clS a contestant m tht•
World Freestyle Hairdl"l.':'.,ing Championship.
Crawford geb a roy.il send-off from his lover,
fanuly and friends. Such big news 1s his invitation
that a documentarv filmmaker (Chris
Langham) and camera crew come .ilong to
mcmonalize his pend.ng triumph for the BBC
But soon after he checks into hL~ pa,h suite,
Crawford !rams the homble truth: lib pn.~
oous invitation Wib simply a form letter mnting
him to watch the hair-doings from the
cJudience.
A lesser man might have headed home
(thus making cl very ~hort movie), but not
Crawford He meets a high-powered
Hollywood type Candy (Frances Fisher),
saves her hau (which had been tn'ated to
within an mch of its life) and scb about snipping
away at the nod tape that's keeping him
from stand.:ng centerstage on the big night.
f.crguson's own experiences in the City of
Angels gaw him the ideas for Crawford's
adventures.
OUT ON THE BAYOU FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
"We didn't take anv license ·with our stuff.
Pretty much everything that happened, I
based on some kind of reality~ven the
world of competitive haird~ing. There arl' a
lot of desperate people in LA, so it heightens
things. There are a lot of people chasing stuff."
But while Crawford gets shot at and
encounters plenty of typical Hollyweird characters
direct from central casting. he also
moves with an .ilmost child-like innocence
through the urban 1ungle.
"We kept trying to get into the movie that
although, per square yard, there arc more dipshits
in LA than you meet anywhere else in
the world, there are also nice people there a~
well. I've met some great people in LA"
Questions about Crawford's sexuality
don't throw Ferguson-though his answers
may raL<;e more questions with some viewers.
WhJt's hIS own relationship with the gily
community'
"I don't know, really. I don't know that I
have one"
So why L'> Crawford g~·?
"Because he would be. Because it would be
homophobic for him not to be gay."
&•c;iuse he's a hairdresser'
":\o. Because he's based on a !\'al human
being. And bccau.-.e the real human being he's
b.1sed on l~ gay. You notice that none of the
other hairdressers are gay m the movie. That's
on purpose, beCJuse we didn't want to s.iy
hairdressers are gay. But a lot are---<luh!
''We wanted to make a movie where the
lead guy from the movie was gay. but it reillly
wasn't Jn issue. Whether that b<.'Com<.-s an
issue or not depends on you i;uys-the
prt-:;s- and the gay community. I hope it
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doesn't.
"The only tlung I was asked about was
what about a straight man playing a gay character
I don't really get that. Tony Hopkins
['Silence of the Lambs'] isn't really a senal
killer You don't really have to be what you
portray."
Feri;uson said his inspiration for Crawford
was "a guy I used to share an apartment with
in Glasgow years and years ago.'' He
dcsrnbed the man, whom he would identify ~
only as Robby. as "a fabulous human bemg. . :5
fearless. He had a strange mixtul\' we tried ~
to get with Crawford. He was arrogilnt, but ht• "'
was also innocent. It's an odd combination in Mee-ow! Crawford confronts rival beauty operator
a character like that." After seeing the movie Stig Ludwiggssen (David Rasche).
Ferguson said, Robby sent him a one-sentence
letter; "It's me, isn't it?"
In one scene, morning finds Crawford and
Candy waking up in bed together after a long
night of partying. Both arc shocked and can't
remember if they did more than cuddle up
and snore. Did they?
"My belief is that they didn't," Fcl/,'1N>n
said. "That's because Crawford is a character
[for whom] from the waist down ain't nothing
happening for that particular set-up. It's iust
not his inclination." He speculated that strong
friendships sometimes grow between gay
men and straight women because gay men
bring "listening without an agenda, which is
not what a straight man brings to a l\'lationship
with a woman. It just isn't."
A punk rock band first brought the young
Feri;uson to the stage in Scotland. I le grad ually
made the transition to stand-up comedy
and acting in some of Glasgow's "brainy
European theaters."
"I wanted to be involved in a profl-ssion
thilt Wils very forgiving toward erratic bt·h,wior,"
Ferguson said, though he noted he lives
quite a different life these days. "Now I'm sipping
cocoo and in bed by JO o'clock. But I was
a bit wilder then." Ferguson and his wife milrried
right after he shot ''The Big Tease." They
live in Hollywood Hills.
You wonder if Feri;uson drew on his memories
of those "wilder" days when he wrote
hrs second film, which rs illso due out this
yeilr. In "S.wmg Grace," an English country
gentlewoman on hard times decidt-s with her
gardener to bring m extra money by "growing
really strong gan1a in her greenhoust•."
Feri;uson didn't go gay to prepan' for his role
as Crawford, but he did have to learn to cut hair
''I'm not very good at it. I cJn fake it. I lt•arned
to cut on nylon wigs. No one would actually let
me cut human hair. If your hair wils nylon, I
could give you a reill nice bob and wmve"
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HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000 OUT ON THE BAYOU 23
Eatin g_O__u _ ___;_;.;RE=-ST:..:.....:.AU.::::..:.cR::....:..:AN_:...;_T..:...:..:RE::....:...Vl:..=...:EWc..:.=..S
A wonderful thing for veggie-lovers
by TRAYCE DISKI1\
A rl'staurant that names itself ,1fter .1 singit•
~uperlatin• srts itself up to be chal·
lenged. When entering WONDERFUL'S
!:tripm.111 storefront, I was startll'd bv tht
l.irge, bare dining room nearly empty but
for a slew of muddy green Formica tables.
Clean .ind cl meal, with bright track light·
mg and only one or two pictures on !ht'
w.111, I hardly felt compelled to sit down.
But rl friend urged nw on. "C'mon," sht'
said. "I fl>l'I lik.t• I'm t•atmg 111 a m1111mahst
,1rt g,1llery, wlwre th<' only art happens to bt•
.1 ml't,11 buffet t.1ble O\W in the cornt·r." But
the .irguR1t·nt w,1s soon made mlx1t by tlw
warm ,rnd lnmdly greetings from the :;taft.
"Have vou
many times O\'cr, and will C\'en please
ad\'enturous carm\'ores, too. Although the
st,1ndard menu divides into (fall\) bed,
chicken, seafood .ind \'egetable dishes, the
most scnsiblt• option is the bufft>t, which
includes most C'\'erything on the menu,
soup .rnd dessert for $6.9S.
t\ly favorite by far is the Vegan Fish, a
SJ ult• of eggpl.mb, fish sauce and \ t•gt•ta·
hies. It wasn't onlv the fool-proof taste thJt
sold mt•, but the moist, flaky texture of the
eggpbnt helped, too. Ii it ~' ercn't for the
purple skins surrounding each slice of
"fish," I would be worried I was biting into
a t;mgy p1l'Ce of l't'I or cod.
I made sc1·eral trips to the buffl'l for the
Vl·gan Sesaml' Soy Protem, slT'all pulf) sov
disks smothered
e\'er been hl're in sweet ;md sour
bctorc' i\rt• vou
both veget:1ri·
ans'" one ot the
two st•n·crs C\1 u •
,11lv a ked "Tell
me, wh.1t kmds
of food do vou
hkc? I'll tell you
wh,it would be
good," cht•t•rily
offt·rl•d anotlwr.
-t.1t.f.hi
Wonderful 0 Vegetarian
orange glaze The
Vegetable Curry
also kt•pt ml'
returning for 1b
potatoes, carrots
and a cream1·
curry that soaked
up the fresh
steamed rice
In fact, it
seemed that all the customers that began to
trick.le in-from funky Montrose teens to
young families and flashy affluent couples-
had one thmg in common: a lo\'e for
Wondl'rful's strictly wgetarian food and
pl•rsonalized serv1Ce. Although more mainstream
veggies can always find something
on a typical Chinese menu, vegans usually
ha\'e shm pickings.
Wonderful's food, which uses spices,
veggies, wheat gluten, tofu and other soy
products to imitate any number of meat
dishes, takes c.irt' of the vegans and \'eggies
Wonderful Vegetarian
7549 Westhe1mer (at Hillcroft)
713-977-3137
Food: ~t>t>t
Service: t>S>t>t>S'->
Value: t>SJ t:;:>~t-_,)
Scene: ~ b) f:>
' Opt for bread. water at home
Fine for most
Worth the drive, so live a lntle
As good as •t gets
Restaurant The Vegan
Chicken was less
impressive, as
its greasy, clear sauce did little for the
chicken substitute, and the cabbage in the
sauce was bitter and slightly overcooked.
The Vegetable Fried Rice was
delicious, though, with bib of peppers
and marinated soy. The Vegetable Balls
were compelling in texture, but were a
t.id bland.
From the regular menu, we also tried the
Kung Pao Vegetarian Chicken in Hot
Pepper Sauce ($8.95). Lined with fresh
steamed broccoli and cauliflower, this dish
Sl'l'med more fresh and a bit less greasy
than some of the buffet options.
The peanuts arc stewed in sesame oil
and hot peppers, and toasted before
being added to the sauce. Its these little
nuggets of heaven that gi\'e the dish its
spark. Although my friend found the soy
chicken substitute incredibly rubbery, l
loved the chewiness and thoroughly hot,
nutty flavor.
For dessert, the buffet offers fresh grapefruit-
deep, dusky pink and incredibly
juicy. We stared at the mango-colored 1ello
cube for minutes before a server informed
us it was Vegan Pineapple Pudding. With a •
t.1ste l could only describe as that of
Chinese White Rabbit candy, its made from
water chestnuts.
Although Wonderful doesn't necessarily
present an escape from the often greasy
and heat lamp-singed foods of the typical
Chinese buffet, it does live up to its name in
some respects. It provides vegetarians with
a wide range of options that can't be found
clsrwhere. And 1t does so with some of the
most gt·nuinely kind service around That's
a wonderful thing.
S1.7 ·
wednesdays
our food wins awards,
but our martinis
aren't bad either
mo n g "but In hoa1ton· • houston prtss
1201 wtsth•lmer #b
VIETNAMESE
(ntxt to
24 OUT ON THE BAYOU
Out In Print BOOK NEWS
Modern epistolary recalls star-crossed love
by VIJ'-:CE\IT KOVAR
''Dunno where to begin. Dunno really how
to wnte a letter' We buried him, Jerome."
And so the exchange begms. Award wmrung
ew Zealand author, William Taylor,
has wntten another rending story of young
love, star-crossed with the irrevocable realities
left behind after a death nus short (96
page) novella IS wnttm with a modem twist
on the classic ep1Stolary tale
Confused and emotionally shattered by
the death of their friend, Jerome, the
remaining pair of an intimate trio span
thousands of miles through e-mail, faxes
and on-line chat sessions. Across the distance
of both miles and misunderstanding,
Marco and Katie find a caustic closeness
that strips away their pn.>conceptions and
erodes the illusions that kept them apart,
even under the fa\ade of togetherness.
Marco, in :--:ew Zealand, grows to understand
that the fnmds' lifelong connections
werc piece; of a puzzle whose illustrations
only appear when broken apart.
The book is not about Jerome, though his
death prccrpilatcs the story. Instead, Taylor
tells a tale about the two still left behind.
Marco is a punk, an adole<ent rogue
whose charm 1s dinunished after the death of
hlS friend I le must struggle to understand his
homophobia both in regards Katie's lesbianism
and her former relationship with Jerome.
"You arc going to miss him so much
your-'other half.' I used to laugh at the two
of you. You werc so close ... ! loved him, too,
Marco, altho' maybe not quite in the way you
think," she writes.
In Amenra, Katie, the more mature of the
two, finds her adolescent crushes blos.-;oming
into adult love with Ann, an AfricanAmeriran
woman who completes her in a
way Jerome could not. "She is part of me and
I am part of her," Katie writes.
Eventually, their correspondence brings
Katie face-to-face with Marco over the
Christmas holiday. The two at last confront
the futility of denial and bring the tragedy of
errors and mistrust lo its heartrending finish.
Although these moments take them further
from the death of their friend and bring
them closer lo each other, Katie and Marco
also find the hidden truth of Jerome's own
desire for closeness, deepening the mystery
of both his death and his life.
The two tear open their souls atop Jerome's
grave, drinking cheap champagne and smoking
American cigarettes. "There was only one
... he ever wanted, Marco," Katie reveals,
"Only one ... that Jerome Winter Fucking
lived and breathed for ..• Look!" she points al
a photo. "Who the fuck was he looking at
with that beautiful, beautiful smile acros.s his
face and that shine in his eye?"
As the novel draws to a close, Katie's
developing love draws her back lo Am-
THE PLAZA
AT
RIVER OAKS
~
1920 W. Gray • 1945 W. Bell
713-528-5277
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Jo.,h
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erica. Marco is left with the painful truth of
what might have been and an uncertain
future where he must choose between facing
life alone or embracing the facts he
doesn't want to deal with.
The epistolary form and the novel's
length make it a quick read, but don't mistake
it for fluff. The immediacy of the faxes
and e-mails give the book a lifelike element
wherein the characters both think and talk
in way that is less literary than lifelike.
This form is difficult, and while one or
two chapters are made UflSteady by inconsistent
points of view, overall Taylor uses
the technique to deftly create tension.
What makes this form crucial to the
novel and prevents it from being merely
a gimmick is the honesty with which the
characters write.
The sense of separation inevitable in mod·
em communication gives the characters' fed·
ings and dialogue time and space lo develop.
Readers who are used to the immediacy
of half-hour TV dramas might find this initially
slow, but the pace and brevity of the
book keep it from dragging. These element.~
also make the book accessible to both
young adult and older readers, though its
realistic language would probably be inappropriate
for those younger than 14.
Though William Taylor is known mostly
for his humor writing ("Agnes the Sheep"),
"Jerome" is his most striking foray in to the
crucible of young love since his novel "The
Blue Lawn," which garnered him the AIM
Senior Fiction Award.
"Jerome" is a fast read, and while 11 is
soml'what predictable in its development,
the story has the same effect as a doctor's
needle-you st>e it coming, but it still
make.s you flinch and stings your insides.
Jerome
by William Taylor
Alyson Publication, S9 95
FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
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2 Whole Lesbian Sex Book
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5 Pussy's Bow
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6 Way to Go, Smith
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7 Foster Child
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community FEBRUARY 4, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
FLEXOLOGY • COMMUNITY CALENDAR
OCCASIONS • CLASSIFIEDS • CARMART
BUSINESS DIRECTORY • MY STARS
Pride organizers to host media workshop for local groups
byKAYDAYUS
Though the Pride parade is still five
months away, the Houston Pride
Comm1ttl'C is in full swing.
Officials n'Cently unveiled the logo for Pride
2lXX1 and .in· in the midst of rollec:ting ballots
from throughout the community that will dl'Ct
grand marsh.1ls for thl' June 24 event.
The all-volunttw mmmittl'e is also hosting
a rl>gton.il rnnfermce and putting the fin.ii
tout:h<'S on .1 ml'<ii.i workshop this month.
The logo for Pride 2CXXJ interprets the
theml', "T.ike l'ridt•, Take Joy, Take Action."
lA'Signl'<i by local graphic artist Diane Jolll'Y,
the colorful design depict~ two heads th.it .w
clOSt• enough to portray intimacy. Jolley s..1id
that the image c.m bt• interpreted as either a
gay or lesbian couple and as a symbol of unity
;md low.
The logo's violet, yellow and magenta rolori;
were rho:-cn for strength and warmth,
Jolley said.
The prnk tnangle, a symbol for gays smce it
was U.<;(-d as p.:irt of the Nazi per.;ccution of gays,
is also 111corporatt-d 111to the logo as a point of
111timacy bctwecn the two faces, Jolley said.
I..oc-.il l'ndl• org.mizers adopted the them
from an international pride conference hdd in
Scotl.md last (A·tobcr, said Jack Valinski, executive
din>ctor of the l'ridt• commitlCC'.
For the st•rnnd con.st>cutive year, voting for
parade grand marshals is community-wide,
meaning residents of Harris and surrounding
counties can take part, he said.
Organl/.ers arc hoping to surpass last year's
vote tally of about 200, Valinski said. To help,
moll.' th.m 3,CXXJ copies of "Inside Pride" -the
comm1tll•c':; newsletter-will be distributed
throughout I louston and will include a ballot
for pt'<>ple to fill out.
Pride orgamZl'l'S .iL'iO reverst-d a year-old
dms1on and allowl'<i toe.ii gay publications,
like the llousto11 VoiCI.', to 111cludc the ballot for
residents to clip, fill out and mail to the pride
committl't.' (Ballot, page 14)
Ballots must be returned by Feb. 24 and
should include a signature and proof of resi·
dmcy, like .i copy of a driver's license. Voting
will J)so be held Fd>. 26 at the Hou.~ton
Lt-sbian & Gay Community Center, 803
I lawthorne, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Result~ of the vote will be announced
Man:h9.
Grand Marshals for the parade are divided
among four categories-female, male, honorary
and honorary organiz.ation.
Nominees for female Grand Marshal
include Pat Gandy, a longtime rommunity
activist who is now retired; Anita Renteria,
past prt~ident of the Greater I louston Gay
and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; Barbara
Walker, a lesbian ht•alth advocate; and Tori
Williams, CC}-founder of As.«istl lers, a volun-
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Page 14
teer group that provides support to lesbians
wi~~;~e-~~~~en~~~~:~~~=~duJc 2
Tony Brigandi, who has helped rais..' money ~
for AIDS organization."· Ke\1n D•nids..m, < 1..ic1~founding
btlilrd !rustre and president of ~ ll€~~~~1C
I louston Arca TCC'n Coalition of ~
l lomost•xuals; Ray I !ill, a longtime gay ;;;,
activist; Grant Martin, a community lund
raiser and political acti\'l'it; Pete Martinl'z,
longtime volunttw for NAMr..S Projt>ct; Bill
O'Rourke, a community volunteer; and
Richard Wiederholt, a member of :;cn·ral
I llV I AIDS groups.
1 lonorary Grand Marshal nominl'l>s arc:
Jack Adam", who has been active in many
fundrai"ing activities in the community sinet•
1982; Solrah Gish, founder of the Houston Gay
and Lesbian Film Festival; Ann J. Robinson,
executive director of the Montrose Counseling
Center; Don Sinclair, retired pastor of Bering
Memonal United Methodist Church; and
Blake and C.ordon Weis:;er, longtime members
of PF!AG.
On Feb. 19, llou.«ton organizers host a
rt>gional Pride conference, with voluntl'{'l'S
from five states expected to take part, to share
ideas and to help improve Pride cell.'bration."
Jack Vafinsk~ executive director of the Houston
Pride Committee, wants to increase participa·
tion in community-wide voting for the parade's
grand marshals.
In con1unction \\1th the confl'n·nce, a da}long
ml'<iia work,hop will be hdd fob. 20 for
community organizations to learn how to bt.'tter
get the word out to local media outleb
.ibout their .icti\1ties and e\.L'llb.
Pride Committee of Houston
media workshop
Feb. 20
Hollyfield Conference Center
2700 Albany
713·529-6979
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Flexolo A GUIDE TO BITTER HEALTH
by GREG HERREN
Are you over-training?
The body has limits. No big surprise
there, right'
Everyone knows that the body can only be
pushed so far before something has to gm>.
The body will often send alarms out to the
brain whm 1t 1s being pushed too hard: shortness
of breath, mten.<;e sweating, cramps,
extreme thirst .1nd loud beating of the he.1rt.
\1ost people heed these warning signals
.ind stop exercising, as well thev should
Pushing your body beyond its iimits can
frequently caw;t• heart attacks or strokes.
Smee the purpose of exercising 1s to
improve your health, you h.we to know
vour limits, which is why aerobics instructors
frequen tly stop at some point during
the class to measure your heart rate.
Ideally, when exercising you never want
your heart rate to go above 70 percent to 80
percent of its maximum working capacity.
Usually, 1f you go above that, your body
will send out .ilarm signals. ~
Yet thert>'s another form of m·erdomg It ~
where the body's alarm signals arc not as ob\1- vo
ous. Over-training almost S{'('mS like an oxy· ~
momn. I low c.1n you O\"l'r train' The more you "'
exem..o;e, the healthier you'll get, right' The bet· Over-training can lead to strained muscles, loss
ter conditioned? So how can you owrtr,1in? of flexibility and even reduced strength.
To understand this better, it's nen•ss.iry
to understand a little bit .ibout the muscu-
1.ir system .ind how it v.orks. To simplify,
muscles are made up of proteins. When
you exercise the muscle, the bodv pumps
blood to the muscle working. The blood
carnes oxvgen to the muscle, wh.-h will
wnvert to energ} to do the work.
The ob1cct of the exercise is to fatigue the
muscle so much that the body Will work to
repair the muscle have II grow and become
stronger so the next time the work will be
easier In order for th(; muscle to grm' ,rnd
become stronger, 1t needs an· adequate
recoverv time Working the muscle ag.1111
before It has recovered from the stre~s of thl•
previous exercise 1s counter-productive
~\'hen the muscle ism a st.ite of recowry,
1t 1s not .is strong as it was in1t1.illy. The
body is focu ing on healing the muscle, so
It 1s vulnerable Putting stress on 1t again
could e.isily cause .in in1ury, hkc muscle
fibers being torn or pulled to the point of
severe pain If you've never experienced
the pam of ,1 pulled, strained or torn mus·
de, consider yourself lucky
The reCO\'ery time for .in 1n1ured muscle
1s .i great deal longer th.in the exercise
recovery period The traditional alceptcd
amount of lime in the industry 1s 48
hours-two da}S between working out
muscle groups. When vou arc JU5t startm~
<lut, most tramtrs '' 111 put vou on .1
fu 1 body v.orkout .ind rernmrr1end three
d.i\s a \\elk, like \1onda}s, \\1•dre~days
.ind Fnd.ws.
The intc ns ty of vour workouh ~hould
,1111' ~ c IM cl'l 1'll&t~onq1ficrellen "eme rev
pie exercise one or two body part~ per
workout, since that workout is more
intense, the recovery lime needt•d 1s long\•r,
generally three days to as lorg .1s a week
I low can you tell 1f you'rt> over-trammg?
It's actually pretty simple The first sign 1s
soreness ,mJ pam. The d.1y after a good work
out, the rr1usclt'S workt'<i should be fatigued,
l>ut .ible to move without p.11n. If the muscles
cannot bt• moved without .i foehng of tightness.
soreness .md even p.un, they'n' been
O\ e.r-tr.11ned .mJ .you need .i longer recmwy
period. (On'r tra1ri ng also inhibits thL• fll'Xibility
of tlw m11sclL•, which is also self-deteatlllg
bccaw;e the tighter the musclt•, thl• less
opportumty 1t h.is for gmwth.)
A second sign 1s .in inability to get
stronger. If your muscles arm't getting
stronger, you are possibly mw-tr,1ining.
Sometimes, over-training can cause ,1 loss of
strength, like when a weight you used previously
1s too much for you to handle again.
A proper period of rest 1s crucial You
have to take care of your muscles and your
body daily. 1 .ilw.iys recommend th.it
soml•one who 1s starting an exercise program
should incm1sl' their protem intake,
protein 1~ what the bodv usl'S to rrp.i1r .ind
rebuild the musdes.
M.iss,1ges .ire also 1mport.111t, .1s thl'Y hl'lp
force the l.ictlc .iud built up dunng exrrc1se
out of the muscles and help to kel'P the
musclt s relaxed, flexible .ind supple
Grl'i: H rren .~ 11 ccrt1f1ed ererc•s('
profc s•on 1/ H 1111 b rm /, ti at
f. n•::;l,Z J Ir' ar.' er. m
HOUSTON VOICE • FEBRUARY 4, 2000 COMMUNITY 27
community calendar
saturday, feb. 5
Afttr Hours. KPFT 90.1 FM, 12. m to 3 a.m 713-526-5738.
Q-Patrol walks lh• stree" at 8:45 p.m. 713-528-SAFE.
Visual Arts Alliance. 10 a.m. 281-583-8408
Dogmty mass at 7:30 p.m. for gay Cathohcs. 713-880-2872.
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Rosary at 8 a.m. 1805 W.
Alabama 713-528-6665.
HOU'ltOn Chaon Gang Bocy<le Club. 713-863-1860.
Rainbow Fishing Club 713-526·7070.
Houston Lesbian and Gay drop 1n houn from noon to 4
pm 803 H.awthorne 713·524 3818. Montrose Writer's
Pro1ect 3 to 4 30 p.m 7t3-956-1866.
sunday, feb. 6
Houston Area Teen Coalition of Homowxuals meets. 713·
942 7002
Rainbow Roders A bqcle <1ub for women. 713 869-1686
Chi.:rch of the XII Apostles Af\9l1can Rite Old <:atholic
Church Holy Commuf\10n 10:30 a.m at 239 Westfie1mer.
7131665·7903.
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Holy Rite Eucharist I at 7·45
am .• Holy Rite Eucharist I at 8.55 a.m.; Education hour at
10 am; Choral Euchamt at 11 a.m 1805 W Alabama.
713-528-6665
MaranJtha Fellowship Metropolitan Church. •Preaching
the Gospel" |
