| Transcript |
Sidney Abbott, who
is HIV-positive, won
her 1998 Supreme
Court case over her
dentist's refusal to
treat her, but AIDS
advocates say that
rul ing is in jeopardy
if the court turns
down an appeal
filed by Alabama
inmates with HIV.
Page 2
Highly lauded gay
Spanish fi lmmaker
Pedro Almodovar
talks little of his
sexuality, but
much about his
new film 'All
About Mother:
which is already
garnering critical
acclaim.
Page 15
ISSUE 1002 ALL THE NEWS FOR YOUR LIFE. AND YOUR STYLE. JANUARY 7, 2000
Conservatives ask 'Who cries for Jesse?'
The rape and murder of a 13-year-old boy, allegedly by two gay
Arkansas men, has anti-gay groups crying 'double standard'
by LAURA BROWN
Matthew Shepard, 21, was taken from a bar by two men,
brutally beaten and left tied to a fence to die because he was
gay, police say.
Jesse Dirkhismg, 13, was tied up and brutally raped until
he suffocated on his own underwear, police say by a gay
couple engaging in a bondage-type sex act.
What's the difference between these two s tories of tragic
deaths? Nothing or everything, depending on whom you
ask.
For numerous gay rights opponents-from the Family
Re~earch Council to Americans for Truth About
I lomosexu.ility to white supremacist David DukeDirkhising's
death has become the new cause celebre.
That Shepard's death drew far more national media attention
than Dirkhising's, they claim, is proof positive that
mainstream mt•d1a 1s so beholden to gays, and so riddled
with g.iy reporters, that it is afraid or unwilling to report on
crimes committed by gays.
"Ihe n.1tional media, following the lead of homosexual
activists, m.1de Matthew Shepard a houst•hold name for
most Amenc.ins," said Peter LaBarbera, president of
Americans For Truth About Homosexuality, .in orgamz.1tion
that believes gay people c.in change their sexu.:il orit•ntation.
"But wh.1t about young Jesse?," l.aBarbera asked. "ls his
death at the hands of two sadistic homosexuals less newsworth}
than Shepard's al the hands of two crut•I hell'rosexuals7"
Yet .Kwrding to several national gay org.ini1.ations, the
outcry O\'t'r Dirkh1smg's death has more to do with attempts
to br.ind homosl'Xuals as pedophiles, and link the issm•s in
both thl' m.11nstrl·,1m ml•d1a and public opinion, thJn real
concern owr thl' child's murder
"If the rl'11g1ous nght wants to turn this mto a rcfl'rendum
on whether !PY people arc sadistic murderers, the media
should be commended on this particul,u case," said Wayne
llesen, spokesm,rn for the Human Rights Campaign, a
Washington-b,l'l'd gay lobby.
"They didn't on•m•act, they sa\\ through the attempt to
demo1111e gav pl·ople, and this is actually one of those
mstanct'S whl•re thl'Y got 1t nght," he said
Gay groups blamed
l.1B.1rbl'r,1 could m>t bl' reached for furthl'r comment by prt•ss
time. But in otlwr prL>ss rl'le.N.~ posll'd on his organi1A1tion's
web-sill', lw Wl'llt l'Vl'n further, blJming l IRC and .mother of the
nati1m's J,1rgl·st g.1y nghts groups for allegedly contributing to
D1rkh1sing's dl•.1th.
"Tlwrl' is a mort• plausible link behvl'en 'gay' advocacy
in. lltullons and )l'Ssl"s murder than betWl'l'n Shl•pard's murder
and 1digious fot• of homosexuality," thl• group cl.1ims,
noting that "many reporters and pundit rqJe,1tl'd the absurd
cl.um bv homosexual activist that the public d1 courst' of pro-
Joshua Brown, 22, reportedly told poli<e he and Jesse Dirkhising
were ' just playing a game,' but when/olice arrived at Brown's
apartment, they found the 13-year-ol naked and not breathing.
family groups ... such as a series of ex-gay newspaper ads contributed
to Shepard's murder by creating an l'n\'ironment that
encourages anti-homo~xual violence."
"All across America, gay newspapers and bars and organizations
not only tolerate sadistic sex but promote it,"
LaBarbera said. "In fact, on the very day of Dirkhismg's
death, two leading homosexual groups, thl• Human Rights
Campaign and the 'ational Gay & Lesbian Task Force, were
manning booths at a sadistic sex fair in San Francisco that
celebrated bondage, human floggings and the same 'S&M'
techni:iues that led to the death of young Jesse."
Investigators say Dirkhising died of "positional asphyxia"
after being bound, gagged, and repeatedly sodomized with
ob1ccts mcludmg food (See story, Page 13)
:- Continued on Page 12
Rallying
against
Exxon Mobil
Organizers of a rally against the
Texas-based oil company want
customers to destroy their credit
cards in protest of a recent
decision to end domestic partner
benefits and policies specifically
protecting its gay employees
by GIP PLASTER
Organizers hope hundreds of Houston gay men and
lesbians will rally in a city park later th!S month to
protest the employment poliaes of newly formed
Exxon Mobil Corp
The compan}~ formed by the merger of Exxon and
Mobil m November, retamed Exxon's employment
pohaes and benefits and in the proce%, dumped the
policiL'S of Mobil, which specifically protected gay
men and le-.b1ans from employment discrimination
and proVJded domesttc partner benefits.
An orgaruzer of the rally hopes the e\ent, planned
for Jan. 28, will $end a sirong message to the company,
despite the fact that Exxon Mobil's headquarters are
more than 250 miles away.
"We do not appreaate that the company took somethrng
away that was already in ex1Stence," said 0Jn
Di Donato, onl' of the gay activists orgamzmg the rally.
DiD<inato wanb consumers to publicly destroy
their Exxon and Mobil credit cards and provide rally
organizers with receipts showing that they purcha.e
products from Exxon Mobil competitors because of the
company's change in policies
The former Exxon Corp. has long mamtamed that it
does not di,cnmmate ba~d on sexual onentation. But
the company has refused efforts to mdude sexual oril'ntat1on
m its nondisrnminahon policy.
The company instead mdudes only the categones
required by foderal law
But Mobil, before the merger, included sexual orientation
m its nondiscrimination policy and offered
domestic partner benefits.
The two companies merged as a re..,ult of Exxon
acquinng Mobil, and the new company is governed by
E xon's rules
Former Mobil employees who already rece1\'e
:- Continued on Page 11
2
NEWS
Around the South . . . . . . • . • • ... .. ... . 5
B~h oide quits over gay group flop ... . .. . 5
Baseboll commish orders lest for Rocker .. . . 5
Trio! set for Saturday in soldier killing .. ... . 5
Orlando goy center reodying . . ..... . ... . 5
Police Beot . . . . • . .. . • .. • • ••.. 6
Al:cused killer relents lo police ...••..•... 6
Court orders new trial for killer . • . • . . 6
DP documents may hove been stolen . . . . . . 6
Phelps' son receives suspended sentence .• . 6
Bias commission calls for gay protections . •. . 6
Around the Nation . . . . .. . . ......... . .7
Both Democrats endorse litmus test on gays 7
McCain meets gay soldier but stands firm .. .7
Goy couples file claim seeking benefits .... .7
Goy students seek ruling against schools . . • 7
Wes! Hollywood rejects condom pion ...... .7
Quote unquote . . . . . . . . . • ...... I 0
CMd died during bondage, rape •. . ... . . 13
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • ..... 13
VOICES & ECHOES
Editonal: The evollllion of the gay stalker .. 8
Shelton: Equality in the new millennium .•.. 9
Letters ........................... . 9
OUT ON THE BAYOU
All Abolll AlmodOvar ................ • 15
'An absolute original' • . .. • • ..• . .. •• .. 15
Out in Print: 'Depot Street' . ..•..... . ... 16
Bestsellers .. • • • • .. . . . ........... 16
Eating Out: This is no Big Mac . .•.... .... 19
Flexology: Y2K groove . • . . . . • . .. 20
Occasions • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • . . . .22
Community Colendor . • . . . . . . . • • . . .23
My Stars! . . . . . . . . . • • . . . . . . • . • • •. . 25
DIRECTORY . .. . . • .. . .. • . • • .. . .. • • .24
CLASSIFIEDS .......•................••. 26
CARMART • • • • • • • ••••••.• . •••••• . 27
Issue 1002
Ae material 111 Housron Voice IS protected by
looeral copyrighl law an<l may not be repro·
dui:ed without the v.ntten consent of Houston
Voice. The sexual orientation of advertisers
ptic.t.igraphers, wnters and cartoonists pub·
lished herein is neither nterred or 1mpliad
The appearance of names or ptctorial repre·
sentatlon does not necessaoly indicate the
sexual onentat10n of !hat person or persons
Houst()o VolGe accepts unsotlcited edilorial
marartal but cannot take respons1bd1ty for its
return The editor reserves the nght lo accep1,
reJecl or ed1I any subllllsslOn
All nghts revert 10 authors upon
pubhca!iOn. Gu defines for lreerance
conrriburors are available upon request.
Houston Voice
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Houston, TX 77006
713-529--8490
NEWS JANUARY 7, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
Clinton opposes inmate suit claiming AIDS bias
WASHINGTO'.\J-The Clinton administration
has asked the U.S. Supreme Court
not to hear the appeal of an AIDS discrimination
case involving HIV-positive inmates
in the Alabama prison system, the New
York Times reported Jan. 3.
The ruling in the case, Davis v. Hopper,
by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
approves a pmon policy that denies prisoners
\\1th HIV access to more than 70 educational,
recreational and religious senices
and programs.
The lower court dectsion found the "s1gruficant
nsk" that the HIV-positive prisoners
present to the general prison population
overrode the prov1s1ons of the federal
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,
which requires a "reasonable accommoda- ~
tion" for HIV-positive prisoners. g
The decision, if left intact, would affect ~
hundreds of prisoners in the Alabama <
prison system, denying them access to ~
work-release programs that can shorten §
their prison sentence. The justices will ..decide
this month whether to hear the
appeal on the case, which has been in the
court system for almost 15 years
A coalition made up of public health
organr:u1hons and AIDS specialists is supporting
the appeal by the Alabama prisoners,
arguing that prison officials relied on
"subjective fear and stigma" rather than an
objechve assessment of the scientific risk
involved in the level of exposure the prisoners
would have with each other.
Sidney Abbott, who is HIV-positive, won her 1998 Supreme Court case over her dentist's refusal
to treat her, but AIDS advocates say that ruling is in jeopardy if the court takes the Clinton
administration's advice and turns down an appeal filed by Alabama inmates with HIV.
They pointed out that the Supreme Court
insisted in its first look at AIDS discrimination,
in the 1998 case of Brogdon v. Abbott,
that fear and stigma did not override a person's
rights under federal disability law.
In that case, a suit by an HIV-positive
woman against a dentist who refused to
treat her in hts office, the court said the
assessment of "51gn1ficant risk" should be
made in light of the views of public health
iluthonties, based on "objective, scientific
information."
A brief supporting the inmates filed by
the Llmbda Legal Defense & Education
Fund Jrgued that the appei!ls courts
ignored the 1998 ruling by relying on a theoretical
risk of tr;msmission without regard
to the particular circumstances. That
Jpproach, the brief said, "threatens to justi-fy
virtually any discrimination against persons
with HIV in employment, health care,
education, and every other aspect of community
life"
Currently, Alabama, Mississippi and
South Carolina segregate HIV-positive
inmates. The federal prison system, on the
other hand, evaluates inmates individually
and decides, on the basis of their history
and psychological profile, whether to
exclude them from particular activities, as
do most other states.
The Clinton Justice Department filed its
brief in response to a request from the
Supreme Court. The appeals court's ruling
"may well be overbroad," Seth P. Waxman,
Clinton's solicitor general, told the iustices,
because "the court should have carefully
examined the circumstances and
effect" of participation of inmates in the
programs.
Such an examination, Waxman's filing
acknowledges, might have shown that
there was no danger in permitting HIVpositive
inmates participate in activities
like religious services, data processing
In other AIDS-related news:
• The Fulton County, Ga. Commission
agreed Wednesday to improve the medical
cJre given to county jail inmates who have
the virus that causes AIDS. A federal judge
in April ordered the Fulton County Jail to
provide adequate health care to the inmates
after eight Hl\'-positive prisoners filed a
lawsuit claiming they received substandard
care. Sheriff Jacquelyn Barrett said it
will cost the county an additional $250,000
a year to implement the settlement agreement.
U 5. District Court Judge ~arvin Shoob
must approve the agreement, which calls
for the county to hire an on-site doctor and
nur~e to provide care to inmates with
AIDS; continue providing needed medicine
to inmates who were receiving treatment
before they were jailed; develop a discharge
plan to ensure inmates get continued
care following their release.
• The American Civil Liberties Union
must respond to allegations its attorneys
may have rewarded inmates who sided
with them in an escalating dispute over
who should rep resent HIV-infected
inmates at the state penitentiary in
Aberdeen, Miss U.S Magistrate Jerry A.
Davis issued the order Wednesday after
prison rights lawyer Ron Welch, who has
represented the inmates at the Parchman
prison, claimed in documents that
ACLU/Mississippi officials had deposited
funds in an inmate's account shortly after
classes, and testing for high school equivalency
diplomas.
Nonetheless, the administration argued,
there was no need for the court to take the
CilSe because the appeals court's opinion,
even if questionable in the particulars, was
generally correct in deferring to Alabama
prison officials the assessment of the risk
presented by "the violence that is an
inescapable part of prison life."
In defending its policy, Alabama points
to a much lower rate of HIV transmission in
its prison population than in states that do
not segregate infected inmates, the limes
reported. The state told the court that over
eight years, out of 30,000 inmates who did
not have HIV when they entered pnson,
only two became infected while in pnson.
The Supreme Court's decision on
whether to take this case may depend on
whether the justices see implications
beyond the prison context and on the
extent of their concern about whether their
prior ruling in the 1998 dental patient case
has provided sufficient guidance to the
lower courts.
the prisoner signed a petition to have
Welch removed as his lawyer.
Welch had denied claims that he provided
inadequate counsel. He said he
reached an agreement with prison officia ls
to provide appropriate treatment for
inmates. In July, Davis ruled in favor of
Welch, who has represented the I llV infected
class of prisoners since 1990. The issue is
pending before a federal appeals court in
New Orleans. Davis agreed with the ACLU
that the Department of Corrections was
providing inadequate, outdated trea tment
for the HIV-infected inmates. I le ordered
improved medical treatment and frequent
status reports to the court.
- The Associated Press
HOUSTON VOICE • JANUARY 7, 2000
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HOUSTON VOICE • JANUARY 7, 2000 NEWS
Around the South
Bush aide quits over candidate's refusal to meet with gay group
AUSTIN-Diane Ravitch, a respected education historian, has quit as education adviser to
Texas governor George Bush's presidential campaign because of Bush's refusal to meet with
gay Republicans, the New York Times reported Dec. 29. The paper said that Ravitch told associates
she is resigning to protest Bush's statement during a television appearance that he
would probably not meet with Log Cabin Republicans. Ravitch was assistant secretary
of education when Bush's father was president. She declined to comment on the reason
for her departure. Mindy Tucker, a spokeswoman for the Bush campaign, told the paper that
Ravitch had "lx.>t:n a \"alued ad\~ser to the campaign, and Governor Bush regrets her position."
Baseball commish orders psychological test for Braves pitcher
NEW YORK (AP)-Baseball has ordered John Rocker to undergo psychological teshng following
his disparaging remarks about gays and minorities. The outspoken Atlanta Braves
reliever will meet with doctors before commissioner Bud Selig decides whether to impose discipline
for Rocker's comments to Sports Il/11stmted last month. In the interview, Rocker said he
would never play for a New York team because he didn't want to ride a train "next to some
queer with AIDS." He also bashed immigrants and called a black teammate "a fat monkey."
Rocker later apologized and said he was not a racist. "Mr. Rocker's recent remarks made to a
n.itional magazine reporter were reprehensible and completely inexcusable," Selig said in a
statement he released Thursday. "I am profoundly concerned about the nature of those comments
as well as by certain other aspects of his behavior." The Major League Baseball Players
As..~ociation, which tries to keep medical reports on players confidential, reacted angrily. "We
did not authorize the release, nor do we necessarily agree with the characterization of the procedure
being discussed concerning Mr. Rocker," said Gene Orza, the union's No. 2 official.
Trial set for Saturday for second Ky. soldier charged in killing
roRTCAMPBELL, Ky. (AP)-Thecourt
martial for a second soldier charged in a
murder case that has prompted scrutiny of
the military's policy towards gays is scheduled
to begin Jan. 8, the Army announced
Tuesday. Spc Justin R. Fisher faces four
charges in connl'ction with the July 5 beat·
ing death of !'fr. Barry V\linchell. Fisher, 26,
Wally and Patricia Kutteles, the mother and
stepfather Pfc. Barry L Winchell, criticized
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' alter their son's
commander said the policy prevented him
from stopping harassment of Winchell,
who was later killed.
of Lincoln, Neb., is charged with participat- ~
ing as a principal to prl'meditated murder, ffi
actmg as an accessory after the fact, making 1:i
false statements to Army investigators and ~
obstructing thl' mvrstigation. Last month, d
l'vt. C.1lvin N. Glover, 18, of Sulphur, Okla., cl
was convictl'd in a court-marital of premed- a
itatcd murder and sentenced to life m Si
prison. Glover used a baseball bat to crush
Winchl'il's skull as he slept m his cot at Fort
Campbell. For wl'eks before the beating,
soldiers had harassed Winchell, 21, of
Kansas City, Mo., over rumors he was gay,
and prosecutors said Glover was driven by
anti-gay hatred. Glover never addressed the
allegation that he despised gays, but his attorneys argued that Fisher goaded Glover into
the attack. The death and the revelations at Glover's trial led to criticism, by gay rights
groups and by Winchell's parents, of the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon has said the Defense Department is working on new
training programs to ensure a fair enforcement of the policy on gays.
Orlando gay community center ready to purchase first building
ORl.ANIX}-Plans are falling in place for a gay and lesbian community ccnt<:r in
Orlando, the gay nl'wspaper Watermark reported. Orlando's Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual
Community Center is in the finol stages of a fund-raising blitz to obtain $200,000 for down
payment on '1 spr<1wling property in the heart of Orlando's gay· friendly ViMi District. If the
schrdulcd j,in. 4 closing takes place, it will mark the first time the organization will own
property, instr.id of leasing. "Purchasing the building is a win/win situation," said GLBCC
board president Barry Miller "PH.AG has already taken us up on our offer of space," said
Miller. "fhe Orlando G,1y Chorus is interested, GALIXY (a gay and lesbian youth group)
will utilize an office, and we've also offered the space to the MBA (the Metropolitan
Business Associalton)." The push to raise the necessary $200,000 down payment is currently
underway. As of Dec. 9, GLBCC had raised $125,000.
-From staff and wire reports
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NEWS JANUARY 7, 2000 •HOUSTON VOICE
Police Beat
Scottish man accused of murder, dismembennent tu'ns himself in
GLASGOW-Britain's most wanted man, William Beggs, surrendered to police in
Holland, the Glasgow Daily Record & Sunday Mnil reported Dec. '19. The fugitive was being
sought over the killing of teenager Barry Wallace, whose di~membered limbs were found in
Loch Lomond. Beggs, accomp.i.nied by a Dutch la~er, turned himself in to police in
Amsterdam after almost two weeks on the run, but may now oppose extradition proc:a-dings.
Beggs evaded police for 12 days before turning himself in.
Court orders new trial for Pa. man convicted of killing roommate
PITISBURGH-A man convicted last year of the strangulabon and bcabng death of his
roommate, has been granted a new tnal, the Pittsburgh Post Gazelle reported Dt.~. '19. A state
Supcnor Court panel this week ruled that a jury should have been allowed to hear that the victim,
Gregory Schumacher, 46, had a criminal R'Cord that included a conviction for a violent
knife attack. Robert Irgang, 33, told police that Schumacher had made advances toward him
on April 26, 1997. lrgang said that he had been .i.sleep when Schumacher awakenl'<i him by
touching his leg, and an altercation ensul'<i. An autopsy showed that Schumacher died after
being struck 20 times with a skillet. lrgang was convicted of third-degree murder, and Judge
Raymond A Novak sentenced him to 15 to 40 year.. in prison. lrgang had argued at trial that
the attack was in self-defense, and produced evidence that Schumacher had been involved in
a bar fight about five years before and had brandished a knife. The three-judge Superior Court
panel ruled that the trial court had been bound to give the 1ury an instruction that it consider
whether Schumacher might have been the aggre;sor.
D.C. domestic partnership documents may have been stolen
WASHINGTON, D.C.-More than 100 1words for Washington, D.C:s domestic partnership
registry have been missing since July, the Waslrington Blade reported Dec. 31. Director of
the DC. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Lloyd Jordan said his staff informed
the D.C. Inspector General's office of the missing documents-comprising all the records since
the registry was implemented in October 1992-and that an investigation is under way to find
out what happened to them. "We foci there may have been a theft," Jordan said. Jordan said
that the documents were found in a state of disarray in June, and he instructed people in
his office to file the documents properly. A restriction passed by the Republican·
controlled Con~ forbade Jordan's department from spending any money on the domestic
partnership statute. Jordan added that other rL'Cent developments at DCRA that may
be related to the missing domestic partner registration documents, declining to elaborate. I !is
office b also dealing with a discrimination charge by Robert "Jim" Fagclson, 52, a gay man
who was fLTed in November 1998.
Phelps' son receives suspended jail sentence for slur
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)-Anti-homoscxual picketer Jonathan Phelps has received a suspend·
ed pil sentence for shouting a slur at a woman in 1995. District Judge Jack Lively sentenced
Phelps Dec. 28 to 30 days in jail but suspcnMd the j.111 term. Phelps is the son of FTl'<i Phelps,
the notoriously anti-gay minister of Westboro Baptist Church who maintain.-; a web-site called
www.godhat~fags.com. Lively placed Phelps on prob.i.tion for one year and ordered him to
perform 40 hours of community service. I le also must pay a $250 fine, as well as court and wit·
ness fees of $2.380. Phelps' attorney immediately appealed the conviction for disorderly con·
duct, a misdemeanor. A jury convicted Phelps May 11 of disorderly conduct related to an inCJ·
dent on Aug. 5, 1995. Teresa Roles, of Bellingham, Wash., and her sister, I lope Goodman, were
riding in a vehicle that day when they stoppt.>d to let Phelps and his family cross the strec>t.
After reading Phelps' picket sign, which said God hates gays, Roles told Phelps, "I late 1s not
a family value." Roles said Phelps scrcamed a slur at her, then continued yelling at hC'r.
Ill. governor's bias commission recommends protection for gays
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.-Ilhno1s Gov. George Ryan's
Commission on Discrimination and I late Cnmes will recommend
non-dL<;<:rimination legislation that indudes
"sexual onentation" as an enumerated protected category,
the gay newspaper Out/mes reported. "Changing
Headlines: Build mg TolC'rance Ul the Land of Uncoln" b a
30-page report detailing respollSC> to a variety of biasmotivated
<1chons in the state. The nC'arly 40-mC'mber
comm1ssmn included four gay members and Dorothy
l la1dys·llolm<1n, mother of slam gay sailor Allen
Schindler. The report, issued OC'c. 15, also recommended
diversity and SC'nsitivity training within the mminal justice
system, non-disclosure of names for v1chms of h<1tc
cnmes, and support groups for teen gays and their families.
The section dC'aling with I !IV and AIDS recommend·
ed. among other things, mandatrd training for all local
health departments on HIV confidentiality issues.
- From staff and wire rqxJrts
A pmel appomted by ~ Gov.
George Ry111 11115 reawwled
~ legislatioa md
confidmtia&ty for the Yirtillls of
hate ainles.
HOUSTON VOICE •JANUARY 7, 2000 NEWS
Around the Nation
Both Demoaats endorse litmus test on gays for military brass
DUR! IAM, i .H.-Vice Presidrnt Al Gore and his
Democratic opponent, Bill Bradley, said Wednesday that if
they were elected president they would require their
appointees to the Joint Chiefs of Staff to fully support allowing
gays to serve openly in the military, the New York Times
reported. Although both candidates had previously opposed
the Ointon administration's "don't a~k. don't tell" policy,
their comments in the fourth Democratic debate of the primary
season were a strikingly forceful embraC'e of gay rights. ~
Their rt'marks came in response to a question of whether thl'}' ~
would support a "litmus test" on gays in the military in nom- ~
inatmg members of the Joint Chids. Gore was the more ::;
expansive, saying he wanted to make the same sw~ping ~
changes toward allowing gays to serve openly in the military -'
that i'TL'Sidcnt f larry S. Truman made toward racially inte- V°Ke President Al Gore said
grating the armed forces. Bradley said simply that the com- during a presidential debate
mander in chief is.~ued orders and soldiers followed them. Wednesday with Bill Bradley
Retired members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other military that he would support a fitmus
experts warned Wednesday that subjecting future members test on gays in the mifitary in
to a litmus test would hurt the armed services. selecting the Joint Chiefs.
McCain meets gay soldier but stands firm on 'Don't Ask' policy
WAS! llNGTON-An openly gay Army reservist was unable to convince his gcnator
and hero, John McCain, that he should quit supporting the "Don't Ask, Don't Telln policy,
the ArlZOna Republic reported Dec. 30. Steve May, who is facing a possible Army discharge,
said aftl'I' a private ml'Cting with McCain that he's not sure the GOP presidential candidate
fully understands the consequences of the policy. ulike most Americans, I don't know that
John McCain has had the opportunity to think critically about this policy since it was
implemented," said May, a Republican state representative from Phoenix. May publicly
disclosed that he was gay after he was honorably discharged in 1995, then found himself
recalled in e;irly 1999 dunng the war in Kosovo. Now, the Army is moving ahead with
plans to discharge May despite stellar performance ratings.
Gay couples file claim against Wash. state seeking benefits
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP)-Two gay couples have filed a claim against the state of Washington
dem;inding that medical insurance coverage be given to same-sex domestic partners of state
employees. Lawyers for the 19,®member Washington Federation of State Employre> filed the
d;iim against the 1 lcalth Care Authority, a pren'quisite to a lawsuit, earlier this month. The couples
are asking for financial damages, but the real gool is to pressure the state into offering the
benefits, said F.d Younglove, a lawyer representing the federation. "We're going to do everything
we can to persuade them to change their policy." But lawyl'rS for the state said the L<i.,ue is one
of policy th.1t belongs before the legislature. Gary l. Christm..;on, administrator for the Health
Care Authority, met with Younglove and union officials Dec. 28 to discuss the matter.
Gay students seek ruling against Orange County school district
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif.-Attorneys askrd a frdcrakourt judge to issue a prehmmary
injunction allowing a g.iy-support club to begin mt'ding at El Modena High School, the Orange
County Reg1slrr n'portl'<I !JL'C.. 30. The Orange Unified school board voted unanimously 0..'C. 7
to deny students' rL'quest to form a Gay Straight Alliance club. lhe students arc suing to overturn
the dcasion. If the injunction is granted, it will allow the dub to meet pending the suit's
outcome. "We believe it 15 clear the studenl~ arc likely to prevad in their lawswt, but there is no
telling how long a lawsuit will take," said David Codell, an attorney representing two El
Modena students, Anthony Colin and Heather Zetin. Schcxil trustees offered to allow the club
to meet in a school cl;issroom if the students change its name and ban discussion of sex, reproductmn,
AIDS or sexwlly transnuttcd diseases.
West Hollywood rejects mandatory condom distribution law
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif (AI')-The City Council unanimously turned down a proposal
ordering bars and nightclubs to offl'r free condoms at the door, citing anecdotal evidence
th.it many businesses were already volunt<irily handing them out. The council on
Monday night voted 5-0 to expand the voluntary distribution program that has b~n m
place for eight ye<irs and <ipproved the purchase of an ;idditional 50,000 condoms for the
program. After more than two hours of discussion, council members decided that forcing
bars to offer condoms would create too much resistance in the city's efforts to educate people
about safe sex. The AIDS Healthcare Found;ition was the driving force behind the
mandatory proposal, citing it as a pubhc health issue. The found~tion, ~e n~tion's largest
I llV-AIDS medical provider, hopes to get the mandatory d1stnbuhon issue on the
November b;illot. "A bar does not open without beer or without a fire extinguisher. It should
not open without condoms," said Michael Weinstein, the foundation's president.
-From staff a11d wire rqx>rls
EDITOR
Join the nation's fastest growing lesbian and gay
newspaper company. Houston Voice is a newspaper in the
expanding WindowMedia chain, offering exciting and
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Houston's weekly lesbian and gay newspaper seeks an
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resume and cover letter for consideration to:
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Houston Voice
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by e-mail
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or fax
713-529-9531
7
8 VOICES AND ECHOES JANUARY 7, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
1
1v1to 't' r::1ftct'eI 1'I ThEDleTORIAL
_ . evolution of the gay stalker (and the gay activist)
STAFF
Associate Publisher
M ke Fler."1ng
m~eCll-oustor>vooce com
Editor
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edotorOh i.stonvooce co,-,
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Photographers
Dalton DeHart. K m Thompson,
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Adve rtising Sa les
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reflect those of the Houston Vooce ••
In "The Talented Mr Ripley," Matt
Damon plays a gay man whose obsession
with ;;ooahte Dickie Greenleaf (played by
Jude Law) 1nsp1res a killing spree shocking
for its amoral ty.
Among Tom Ripley's v1chm:>, after he
duphcitously wms his way mto high society,
are the two wealthy young men with
wt-om ~e falls m love, a penerted expressmn
of affec!Jon 1f ever there were one.
It's not the first !Jme m re1:ent years that
Hollywood has offered up a gay st,1lker for
the big scrcef' In 1992, "Basic Instinct"
enraged gay activists, who took issue with
Sharon Stone's dulling, seductive portrayal
of a man-hating bJSexual
That -;ame year, "Silence of the Lambs"
featured as its villain a misogynous, effeminate
man who collected the skrn from dead
bodies to create a "dress" for him to wear.
A year later, activists took issue with "Six
Degrees of Separation," in which
rapper/actor Will Smith played a young
black man who won his way into white
Manhattan society m Ripley-esque fashion
by pretending to be Sidney Poitier's son.
Although at the !Jme, it wasn't the lessthan-
flattering portrayal of a gay character
rn "Six Degrees" that angered the actl\'Jsts
so much as it was Smith's highly publicized
refusal to Jo an on-screen male-mille kiss
for fear 1t would ruin his carL'er.
But at the end of the decade, with gays
never more powerful m Hollywood, there
hasn't been a peep about the negative image
homosexuality portrayed in ''~1r Ripley."
And that's a very good thing.
As we enter a new decade, I lollywood
has happily evolved and so have gay
ac!Jvbts, and both are smarter about how to
handle homosexuality on the screen,
though both shll have something to learn.
For one !lung, "Mr Ripley" doesn't have
the history that would suggest insensitivity
toward homosexuality. The story b based
on a novel by lesbian author Patricia
Highsmith, and the adaptation by directory
Anthony Minghella actually adds to the
homoerotic content. (See story, Page 15)
Minghella injected a more overt, 1990s
gar sensibility to Ripley's desire for Dickie,
which was portrayed less sexually in
Highsmith's early '50s original. Even more
important, Minghella added a new, completely
likable gay character, Peter Smith
Kingsley (played by Jack Davenport).
That Mr. Ripley finds himself incapable
of accepting love says more about his character
than the mane's \iew of homosexuality,
and Ripley's cruel treatment of the
Kingsley character only puts an exclamation
point on the image
Mmghella has also been refreshingly open
about the tightrope he walked m updating
H1ghsmith's story.
"I'm desperate that no one infer a connection
between (Ripley's) actions and his sexuality,"
Minghella told the Nero York Times. "But
it's a sorry state of affairs if you can only write
about a homosexual character who behaves
well-that's another kind of tyranny, I think."
Minghella's pomt is well-taken, especially
m a tum-of-the-century Hollywood more
notable for its well-adjusted, 1f one-dimensional,
gay characters in movies like
"American Beauty" and "As Good As It
Gets."
As Minghella himself pul~ it ~ well, the
flc:-h-and·blood Ripley, warts and all, is far
more interesting to watch and despite his
amorality is at times much more sympathetic.
"The minute you try to pull back from
what's sensual and erotic, you're losing
your nerve, and I just didn't want to shrink
away from the romance of it; it's very tender
to me," he said.
With all the positive role models in
l lollywood today, it's a lot easier than it was in
1992 to swallow the gay psychopaths, and it JS
a more mature gay audience that understands
central charactcr.r-gay and straight-must be
tragically flawed to be worthy of the casting.
Low marks for the promo
But if Minglwll. • h;, · cimed ~· ~h m. rks for
lus intelligent, sensitive update of
H1ghsmith's story, Miramax Films deserves a
failing grade for its promotion of "Mr. Ripley.''
In ubiquitous commercials and film trailers,
the studio portrayed the story as a typical boygirl
stalking. The previews had you believe
not that Ripley ·wanted [)icf.Je, but that he
wanted to be Dickie, and that included a relationship
with his girl Marge (played by
Gwyneth Paltrow).
A number of film critics even repeated the
studio tnpe that Damon's character was
"bisexual," though there is absolutely no indication
of it in the movie.
Some movie-goers took the bait and
weren't too thrilled with the homoerotic love
story they got fed instead.
While there's a certain juiceness to the idea
that I lollywood is subverting popular culture
by luring mainstream audiences to a movie
with a gay love story, it's much more likely that
Miramax was simply promoting the Christmas
movie it wished Minghella had delivered.
"The studio would have been thrilled if
[Tom's attraction to Dickie] was transmogrified
into a love for Marge-he wants the
life, so he wants the girl!" Minghella confided
to the Times.
Perhaps the movie's strong box office perfonnancc-"
Mr. Ripley" finished number
two last wl'ek-will embolden studio promoters
to be more direct in the future.
More honest packaging--•md maybe an
actual love scene since Damon like Will Smith
before him avoids the dreaded mak'-male
kiss-would have made ''The Talented Mr
Ripley" a truly evolved portrayal of the gay
P.;;vchopathic stalker. ,
,.. r. ~ , 'I• q1 11 l r.
HOUSTON VOICE • JANUARY 7, 2000 VOICES AND ECHOES 9
VIEWPOINT •• . \~ ...
Vermont should help bring us equality in the new millennium
by MELINDA SHELTON
The 20th Century, fitting.
' ly, went out with a roar that
has left the conservative right quivering
in its bigoted boots. The source of their
angst is the recent Vermont Supreme
Court decision that same-sex couples
should have the same mamage benefits
extended to different-sex couples.
While the case applies only to
Vermont, it is sending shockwaves to the
very core of a conservative movement
that works tirelessly to perpetuate discrimination
against the LGBT community.
This fear- and hate-motivated, antigay
movement cloaks itself in carefully
crafted rhetoric, using phrases such as
"traditional f,1mtly values" and "the
sanctity of m.uriage between a man and
a woman" to garner support and to chill
hcarb in a public that traditionally supports
equality and fairness.
But the Vermont Supreme Court
turned a deaf car to the conservative din.
Instead, the five juslicl's largely based
their decision on the state's constitution
which contains a "Common Benefits
Clause" that says the state's government
should be "instituted for the common
benefit, protection and security of the
people, nation, or community, and not for
the particular emolument or ad\·antage of
any single person, family, or set of persons
who are part of only that community."
In short, the state is violating its constitution
that guarantees equality for all of
its citizens.
LETTERS
In its wisdom, and undoubtedly
because they understand how slowly the
wheels of government can tum, the justices
also ruled that the Vermont
Legislature must act in an "expeditious
fashion" in carrying out the court's order
of either legislating same-sex marriage or
providing a "substantial equivalent."
Gay rights activists have reacted in a
cautiously optimistic fashion l\ew
Orleans gay rights attorney John Rawls
cnhcized the Vermont justices for stopping
short of ruling that "marriage is
marriage and licenses should be granted
to the defendants in the case . ... They're
saying 'separate but equal,' but separate
is not equal. They were very reluctant to
use the 'marriage' word."
While the ruling will be cited repeatedly
in cases across the nation and is "a
great victory" for the gay community,
Rawls cautioned that it also will fuel the
backlash against gay rights.
"The fallacy of all of this is that equality
1s a bad thing. We've proven time and
again that's not the case," Rawls said.
The battle for-and against-equality
dates back to the verv start of the nation.
Our founding fathe~s m'aled the U.S.
Constitution around the basic tenets of
freedom and equality, albeit under their
narrow understanding of such freedoms
and their unwillingness to extend full
rights and equality to everyone.
In the 1800:;, abolitionists fought for an
end to slavery, and on Dec. 18, 1865, the
13th Amendment to the Constitution was
declared ratified by 27 of 36 state leg1sla-lures.
Slavery was abolished
Although the battle for women's
equality had already begun, the next \"ictory
proved to be less-than-equal.
On March 30, 1870, the Secretary of
State declared that the necessary maiority-
29 of 37 states-had ratified the 15th
Amendment. The amendment stipulated
that the right of U.S. citizens to vote
could not be dented based on "race, color,
or previous condition of servitude."
Voting rights were extended to black
men-but not women-although it
would be decades before blacks could
take full advantage of the polls.
Some SO years and countless battles and
protests later, women finally were granted
the right to rnte. On Aug. 26, 1920, the
19th Amendment was signed after 36 of 48
state legislatures had ratified tt.
Alice Paul, a preeminent lemtmst
leader, wrote an equal rights amendment
and introduced it to Congress in 1921,
and an ERA has been introduced every
congressional Sl'ssion since 1923.
Paul's amendment states: "Equality of
Rights under the law shall not be dented
or abridged by the United States or any
state on account of sex." Tho .. e 23 words
send shivers down the spines of con.-.crvativcs
and misogynists who to this day
fight an ERA.
The ERA passed Congress in 1972, and
the National Organization for Women led
the fight for its ratification by the dl'adlinc
date of July 1982. The deadline mandate
from Congress was designed to
stymie :'\OW's national campaign, and it
More t1ia11 a 'dot-org'
at wonl 011 dte Net
To the Editor·
Thank you for your nicely written and
generally ilccurate story, "New kids on the
Net" (Dec. 17). But there are two things
we'd like to clarify and comment on.
pro1ects;
• Conducted activism on the Hate
Crimes Prevention Act, including a silent
vigil outside the White House on Nov. 6; as
well as work on incidents ranging from the
railroading of a gay man by a county judge
in Michigan to the firing of a gay man by a
SUNOCO affiliate in Indiana to protesting
entrapment arrests in Virginia.
doors," Dec. 17). During my employrnmt at
Sue Ellen's, the incidents of straight men coming
to harass lesbian customers were extremely
rare. It was also my part of my job to watch any
~uspicious males that entered the club and to
remove them if needed.
In the story's lead, you ask whether a
"dot-com" or "dot-org" by itself substitutes
for "a constituency, bylaws, and the other
traditional measures of an organization's
legitimacy?"
I would like to point out that
ationalGayl.obbyOrg has a constituency-
our members, and the tens of thouS:
rnds of individuals (not hits) who visit our
web-site each month.
Not only docs !\GI. haw bylaws, we arc
the only n.1tionJI organization I know of
thJt publi~hes tis bylaws at its \n·h-site.
And, as for "the other traditional measure:.
of an org;inization's legitimacy,'' NGL
has in ib brief, six month existence:
• Been granted a corporate charter by the
Commonwt•alth of Virginia,
• Attrartni memlwrs from all SO states;
• ~all•d more than one-third of its 29
board mcmbt'r::.;
• Raised and spent in excess of $12,000
on start up, operating cxpcn$cs and on
NationalGayLobby.Org is much mo1e
than "just a dot-org," and that NGL meets all
the criteria generally included in "traditional
measures of an organization's legitimacy.''
l\!GL is also as non-profit as an organization
can be We have no shareholders and if
we ever dissolve, our assets must be transferred
to ,m appropriate non-profit entity
We have not opted to seek an IRS SOl(c)
designalton because tJx-excmpt groups are
too limited m their activities.
M1cllilel Ronumello
Nationa/GayLobby.Org
£x, ·c111ire Dircctor
Open club's doors to gay men
To the l:ditor;
As a former emplO}'l'C of Sue Ellen's, a lesbian
bar in Dallas, and being a gay man, 1 find
it hard to believe in the reasoning of Alcxb
Wasifuddin in changing the policil'S at Club
Rainbow to allow men (" l.e;bian club opa-i.s ill>
I find it infuriating when a gay and lesbian
business is discriminating. This is exactly
what our community has been fighting
against since Stonewall. We of all pt.'Ople
should know better than this. I sincerely hope
that we always cause a brouhaha when this
happens. I just can't believe that ignorance b il
valid excuse.
Marshall Ra111m1ter
Houston
Lesbian club sltould be proud
To the !:ditor;
I don't know exact!) what transpired to
make tht.> owners ot Club Rainbow feel the
nL"ed to apologtzl' ("ll',btan club open~ ah
succeeded, although narrowly: 35 of the
38 needed states ratified the amendment.
The quest for equality has not ended.
Efforts are underway to introduce and
ratify a Constitutional Equality
Amendment that broadly protects
women's nghts, including reproductive
rights, but also would forbid discnmination
based on "sex, race, !'exual onentation,
marital status, ethnicity, national
origin, color or indigence."
Dl~pite the ground gained in the '90s for
gay rights, there is a backlash by a few who
want the power to decide who shouldand
should not-be considered "equal"
under the law. They expect gay men and
lesbians to pay tax~>s, obey laws and essentially
knuckle under and accept serondclass
status. They incorrectly predict that
by extending equal rights under the law to
our commuruh; It will be the demL<,e of
"the traditional familv" as thev see it.
Detractors used similar tactics to stop
the end of sla\'ery and to deny voting
rights to black men and women. They
!ought de~egregation, interracial marriages,
equal education and 1ob opportunities,
and thl' nvil rights and women's
mowmenb.
'ow they are fighting the gay righb
mowment. \'crmont opened the door last
month, and it's up to us to make sure
other states follow-however long it
tak6 to achieve equality
Melinda Sliellon 1s editor of IMPACT
News 111 New Orleans, a szsler IU'lt'>paper of
tlze Houston Voice.
doors," Dec 17) or defend its tagline
"Exclusively for Gay Women." I am a gay
woman and I can't tell vou the number of
times I have been denied entrance to most
of the gay male clubs m this city for silly
things hke wearmg open toe shoes, when
gay men with the same shoes were allowed
in with no hassle
I doubt verv senouslv thJt thL~ lesbian
club ever denied entrance to a gay man. I
haw to sav I was excited to see the club
open. I felt' proud \\'e should all remember
that we are a community and little battle~
hke this do us no good.
Lidtes put your taglint• back up and
remember, in the world of business, 1t b a
dog eat dog Korld. By surrendering to this
type of sally whining onh• ~eh you up to be
bitten bv the othl·r dog Put your ta~line
back up and be proud.
Wanda
Hou.;ron
10
-
e11 llLLltl teLLAISI#.
• Prim MilY Vary. See Sture For Dmils.
r&9 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~JITll
~~m~~~~~~. ___ .,.. ______ ___
JANUARY 7, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
"Q ote unquote"
compiled by STAFF
"The question of whether Ben [Affleck] and I are
gay is so awkward in a lot of ways. There is no real
right way to answer it without offending somebody.
It's offensive to just deny it fiercely, as if there would
be anything wrong with it if we were a couple. That
would be offensive to the people I grew up with. I
don't want to be that person. At the same time, I
can't say it's true because it's not."
-Actor Matt Damon (right)
to the Advocate, Jan. 18
"There is a particular variety of American gay man-you know the
type: perfect physique, perfect tan, perfect hair, and so on-who is so
glossy that my eyes somehow slide right off of him. No, the 'Stepford
gay' look doesn't work for me, just as I think the 'body fascism' of the
gay scene often fails on its own terms, namely aesthetic."
-Former Out magazine editor James Collard, writing in the December issue.
"I think that were Harvey Milk able to come back today, he would
be amused that our movement's two top goals are the right to marry
and the right to be in the military. In the 70s we were about dismantling
the patriarchy and exploring personal liberation and we were
not trying to be like straight people. We were radicals!"
-Cleve Jones, founder of the Names Project AIDS Memorial
Quilt, to the Associated Press, Dec 13.
"I am not conceding the war. I am conceding the
battle. My voice may be high, my orientation may be
gay, my politics may be left, but we are right. We
moved San Francisco forward."
-San Francisco Board of Supervisors President
Tom Ammiano (left), acknowledging to supporters that he
had lost the mayor's race to incumbent Willie Brown, Dec. 14.
"I meant it when I said I'd like to have a baby. I was deadly serious.
I don't think it matters whether you're gay or not. Still, I don't think
I'm responsible enough to bring up a child. My lifestyle doesn't allow
for children. I'm not saying I've ruled out being a parent forever,
though .... I just don't want to be like Madonna and have a kid as
another accessory to go with her new handbag."
-Boy George as quoted by Yahooi News, Dec. 20.
"I feel like I'm in a sexual no man's land. I'm too poofy for the poofs
and too scary for the straights."
Boy George to Britain's The Guardian, Dec. 16.
"I write about things that are going on in the lives of my friends: child
abuse, AIDS, contaminated water that got into their system and gave
them cancer. It's not like I make these things up. The trick for the songwriter-
for me-is to take these issues that are too painful to hear about
and put them in a context so that you can listen."
-Lesbian singer Holly Near to the Sacramento Bee, Dec. 12.
"I do believe in true bisexuality. We all have the
capacity. [My partner] Julie is much more bisexual
than I am. The more the world understands their
bisexuality the better we'll be. I'm attracted to souls.
I can be attracted to both."
-Singer Melissa Etheridge (right) to the Los Angeles
gay newspaper Fab. Dec. 23
"Straight man wins Mr. Oklahoma leather contest"
-Headline in the Gayly Oklahoman newspaper, Dec 15
"We are poised to expand the circle of human dignity yet again, to
say that it will no longer be permissible to discriminate against someone
because of who he or she falls in love with or because of that person's
sexual orientation."
-U.S. Vice President and presidential candidate Al Gore
in Des Moines, Iowa, Dec. 21 .
HOUSTON VOICE • JANUARY 7, 2000 NEWS 11
Exxon Mobil 'took something' away from gays
:..- Continued from Page 1
domestic partner benefits will be allowed to
keep them, but former Exxon employees
and former Mobil employees who had not
already signed up for the benefits will not
be eligible.
Exxon's nondiscrimination policy, which
does not mention protection based on sexual
orientation, applies to all employees of
the newly merged company.
DiDonato said the idea for the Equality
Rally came from a discussion of Exxon
Mobil's policies and benefits on the
Houston Acti\'ist Network, an email discussion
list for gay men and lesbians. He
said that he and two other activists
worked to secure the city park at the intersection
of Brazos and Pease for the rally.
The park is in downtown, near Exxon
Mobil's Houston offices.
The rally is a way for gay men and lesbians
to show their opposition to the policy
and benefits changes without having to
travel to the company's headquarters in
Irving, a suburb of Dallas, DiDonato said
"We think there is plenty of upper management
down here," he said.
Organizers hope for hundreds to attend
the rally, which 1s intended to show nonviolent
opposition to the company's
changes, DiDonato said.
"We want to make a statement, and we
want to make it a very peaceful statement,"
he said. "We can get equal rights if we ask
for them m a peaceful manner."
DiDonato said he encourages gay men
and lesbians to send receipts for purchases
from gay-friendly oil companies to rally
organizers to be passed on to Exxon Mobil.
People attending the rally are also
encouraged to bring their Exxon and Mobil
credit cards to destroy them at the event m
a public display of dissatisfaction with the
new company, DiDonato said.
The event seems to be gaining some
momentum, as the Houston Gay & Lesbian
Political Caucus weighed in Wednesday,
appro\'ing a resolution encouraging gay
men and lesbians to buy products from
companies other than Exxon Mobil.
Exxon Mobil spokesman Tom Cirigliano
said he had not heard about the Houston
event, but when he was informed by a
reporter, said he is displeased to learn of the
effort. The event may be the result of misinformation
in the media, he said.
"We think it is unfortunate [that a rally is
planned]," Cingliano said. "We think there
has been a lot of misinformation out there."
He said the company does not oppose
same-sex marriage, but that it has chosen to
adopt a broad policy rather than one that
mentions specific categories of people outside
of categories required by federal law.
"A lot of organizations, a lot of gay
organizations, believe that once you've covered
sexual orientation, you've covered the
world," he said. "It isn't true. It isn't going
to happen here."
Cirigliano said Mobil Corp. no longer exists,
so any policies it had are no longer an issue
Cirigliano said the company bases its
benefits on legally recognized marriages
and partnership because benefits based on
other criteria would force the company to
invade the privacy of employees to verify
the information.
"We don't think any company has the
nght or the knowledge to get into personal
relationships," he said.
Exxon Mobil, which does 80 percent of its
business outside the C.S. recognizes samesex
relationship in Holland, for example,
because they are legally recogmzed there,
Cirigliano said.
"This isn't a political issue. This isn't a
gay issue. It's a matter of personal rights.
We believe that there is only one criterion
we can apply throughout the world: ls it a
legally recognized partnership?" he said.
Chris Martin, spokesman for the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance at the former Mobil Corp.,
said he hopes upcoming meetings with company
officials will push Exxon Mobil to clarify
its position on nondiscrimination.
When told by the Houston Voice about
Cirigliano's statement that the company
has a broad nondiscrimination policy that
includes everyone instead of mentioning
specific groups, Martin said Cirigliano is
"not incorrect, technically."
Martin also said he is not sure if company
officials are committed to doing the right
thing for its gay and lesbian employees.
Exxon Mobil has bucked the national trend
Dan DiDonato is helping to organize a Houston
rally against Exxon Mobil.
of companies offering domestic partner benefits
and including sexual orientation in
nond1scnmmation polices, Martin said.
"The company is going to have to go
back at some point to adopt what ~obi!
had in the first place," he said.
The Equality Rally
City park at Brazos and Pease
Jan. 28, 4 p.m.
P.O. Box 667221
Houston, Texas 77266
713-862-3312
equality@wt.net
Controversies in HIV Care
This educational program will focus on two of the most pressing issues facing
people with HIV-drug resistance and lipodystrophy (fat redistribution). Come
hear the latest treatment information available. and use the opportunity to ask
questions of local physicians and HIV/AIDS advocates.
DATE: Monday, January 10
LOCATION: The Power Center
12401 South Post Oak Road
Houston, TX
Grand Ballroom
TIME: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Buffet Dinner
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Topics of Discussion
- Understanding HIV-associated
Lipodystrophy
- HIV Drug Resistance: Planning
for Long-term Treatment Success
To RSVP: Call (800) 203-841to
or e-mail HIVCare@medisolutions.com
Cosponsored locally by AIDS Foundation Houston
12 NEWS JANUARY 7, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
Who cries for Jesse?'
- Continued from Page 1
But gay groups refute charges that not condemning
the sado-masochistic behavior practiced
by some gay adults, as well as some heterosexuals,
amounts to condoning sexual
assault
"I have two words to completely obliterate
that argument: consenting adults," said
Cathy Renna, community relations director
for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation.
Renna said that GLAAD is overall pleased
with the way the national media has
responded to criticisms like LaBarbera's,
"but although the religious right is trying to
say this is some sort of gay conspiracy, not a
single gay organization was involved in
shaping this story one way or another.
"If there is some kind of pro-gay media
conspiracy, can someone explain to me the
amount of coverage we saw of Jeffrey
Dahmer and Andrew Cunanan that
focused obsessively on their sexual orientation
and not their crimes?" Renna asked.
Headlines frequently described both
Dahmer and Cunanan as "gay killers," she
noted, placing their sexual orientation before
even the acts that put them in the news.
Hate crime or sex crime'?
While Matthew Shepard's death, and the
vigils and outcry that followed, drew
immediate national media attention,
Dirkhising's murder initially drew mostly
regional media attention, except for an article
in the conservative Washington limes,
which described the killing as "the result of
homosexual rape and ritual."
But supporters of groups that have
adopted the cause have slowly brought the
case into a national spotlight, mamly
through repeated letters to the editor
demanding that crime. "committed by
homosexuals" get as much attention as
those "where homosexual~ are victims."
Some local new~papers have joined the
fight, including the generally conservative
Augusta Chronicle in Augusta, Ga
"Of course, the Dirkhising murder got little
notice outside ol Arkan~s because it
would have been 'politically incorrect,"' a
Nov. 15 editorial argued. "There's absolutely
no excuse not to report murders that might
upset homosexuals. The liberal notion that
they occupy the moral high ground in the
murder sweepstake~ is ludicrous!"
Still, national mainstream media outlets
that have responded to the cnticism,
including Time magazme's web-site and
the Washington Post, have agreed with gay
groups that the Shepard and Dirkhising
killings-beyond both being tragic and
involving gays-are substantially different,
explauung the difference in coverage.
Shepard's murder, they argue, is a hate
crime, perpetrated by heterosexuals against
someone simply because he is homosexual,
while Dirkh1smg's is a sex crime, somethmg
that unfortunately happens far too
often for every case to make national news.
"The most salient difference between the
Shepard case and this one ... is that while
Shepard's murderers were driven to kill by
hate, the boy's rape and death was a sex
crime. It was repulsive, unconscionable-and
the predictable pastime of perverted
criminals," wrote Jonathan Gregg. associate
editor of Time magazine's web-site in a commentary
posted on-line in response to letters.
" It was the kind of depraved act that
happens v.1th even more regularity against
young females, and, indeed, if the victim
had been a 13-year-old girl, the story would
probably never have gotten beyond Benton
County. much less Arkansas. (There is, of
course, a double standard there)," lime
argued. "Matthew Shepard died not
because of an all-too-common sex crime,
but because of prejudice."
The tremendous public outcry of fear
and anger generated by Shepard's death
also fueled the increased news coverage,
Washington Post ombudsman R. Shipp
wrote in a Nov. 14 editorial.
A hate crime like Shepard's murder or that
of James Byrd Jr., a black man dragged to
death in Texas, is "a special kind of killing"
that "tells a segment of American society that
its physical safety is at risk," Shipp wrote,
quoting previous Post editorials.
"Arkansas authorities have not characterized
the Dirkhising death as a hate crime,"
she said. "Matthew Shepard's death
sparked public expressions of outrage that
themselves became news. That Jesse
Dirkhlsing's death has not done so to date is
hardly the fault of the Washington Post."
Even smaller regional papers covering
the crime, and the law enforcement officials
investigating it, have agreed that comparing
Shepard and Dirkhising is somewhat of
a false parallel.
"Journalists in Northwest Arkansas are
ma uruque position to evaluate the controversy,
because the Dirkhismg case was and
IS a high-interest story to our readers,"
wrote the Northwest Arkansas Morning News
m a Nov. 7 editorial titled, "Differences in
two cases: death of boy not a hate crime."
"There are those who want to believe in
some sort of wide-ranging media conspiracy
designed to engage sympathy for certain
groups of people, including homosexuals,
.. [but) like most conspiracy theories, tllis
one crumbles under the weight of the
facts," the paper ~id.
"Shepard was killed because he was a
homosexual This IS a sex crime, but 1t is not
a hate cnme, and I think to compare it to
the Shepard case is comparing apples and
oranges," Benton County prosecuting attorney
Brad Butler told Reuters.
Butler said he believes it is "wrong" for
groups to use Dirkhising's death to voice
their political and religious views. "These
crimes are just the acts of two degenerates,
sick people," he said.
Pedophilia or gay?
While national gay organizations have
been quick to distance themselves from
Dirkhising's murder, the case nevertheless
Gay groups say coverage of Jeffrey Dahmer a~ Andr~w Cunanan:--mu!derers who ~ere. branded
'gay serial kUlers' in many press accounts, putting th err sexual onentattan before their mrnesrefutes
daims that the meata is biased towards gays.
raises thorny questions about the dangers
of linking homosexuality and pedophilia,
as well as when an accused cnminal's sexual
orientation is relevant to a story.
"The reality is that homosexuals are far
more likely to be predators than they are to
be victims," David Duke, a nationally
known "white civil rights activist" wrote in
a press release describing Dirkhising as "a
child who was literally raped to death by
two male homosexuals."
By focusing on the sexual nature of the
crime, anti-gay groups are trying to play on
fears that all homosexuals are pedophiles,
GLAAD's Renna said.
"I am sure that when they heard about
this, it was the first thing they thought of,"
she said. "But if you look at all of the
research, the vast majority of people who
commit child sexual abuse are identified as
heterosexual men who arc usually related
to the children they abuse."
"In my experience, there certainly can be
gay or lesbian people who prey upon children,
but the numbers are far, far greater for
heterosexuals in that regard," agreed Dr
Barbara Rubin, an Atlanta psychologist
with many gay clients who abo works as a
court psychologist for Fulton County.
A case like the Dirkhlsing murder "opens
things up for manipulation on the part of
those who want to portray gays and lesbians
in an inaccurate light, to suggest that
here is an example of what two gay men arc
out there in the world doing, and the statistics
don't bear that out," Rubin said.
"The truth is, there can be gay people who
commit heinous crimes, but that doesn't
mean gay people equal hemous crimes, and
that is what is worth talking about," she said.
In the Dirkhising case, most media outlets
appear to be understanding of that distinction.
"A red herring worth addressing at the
outset is the failure to distinguish between
homosexuality and pedophilia, which creates
a false parallel" between the Shepard
and Dirkhismg murders, lime argued.
"A double standard would be in effect
had the media ignored a situation wh~rl!
two gay men killed a strai9ht mai:i for ~mg
straight. But sex wiili children 1s a cnme
regardless of the sexes involved, and is not
synonymous with homosexuality,'' it said.
Initial Associated Press reports on
Dirkhising's murder did not describe the
two accused killers as gay, although later
reports quoted investigators who described
the two men as "roommates" and "lovers!'
When to identify an accused criminal's
sexual orientation, like when to identify
someone's race, can often prove a difficult
issue in news rooms. Most media advocates
agree that such identifying characteristics
should only be included when they are
clearly relevant to the story, like revealing a
suspect's race when the person is still atlarge
and a physical description is necessary.
In the Dirkhising case, HRC's Besen said
he believes it is appropriate for news
reports to note the two men's relationship,
so long as it 1s not portrayed as the reason
they allegedly committed the crime.
"It is relevant that the media should
report they were dating and they were gay,
in that their relationship to each other is relevant,"
he said. "But this is not a 'gay issue'
and there shouldn't be a 'gay angle' to 1t
anymore than there is a 'straight angle'
when it 1s a young woman who has been
molested.
"It has to do with molestation and child
abuse, not sexual orientation, and I don't
really see how a gay angle fits into this
story other than to sensationalize it," Besen
said. "Nobody looked at the O.J. Simpson
case and tried to find the straight angle."
Most pedophiles are primarily sexually
attracted to children, sometimes of both
sexes, with few adult relationships, so you
can't necessarily assume that SOffil'One who
molests a child of the same sex should be
labeled "gay," Rubin said.
The same holds true for cases of s.ime-scx
sexual assault involving adults, she noted.
"The issue of rape is really about power
and control versus sex or sexual attraction,"
she ~id. "From my treatment experience
with folks as outpatient~ and m running a
psychiatric hospital. you can't pigeon hole
it that way. Rape is way more an issue
about rage and control over other:. as
opposed to linkmg it to sexual orientation."
HOUSTON VOICE • JANUARY 7, 2000 NEWS 13
Child aied during bondage; iape
Jesse Dirkhising, 13, died last Sept. 26 in
Rogers, Ark .. after being repeatedly raped
and sodomized, according to police and
press reporb
Da\'Js Cupenter, 1!:i, ,1nd Joshua Brown,
22, are charged with c.1p1tal murder and six
counb of r.1pe in Dirkh1sing's de.1th. The
boy was found bound .md near death in the
apartment the two men shared Both men
h.we pleatkd not guilty.
A pn'-tnal hearing in the c.1~e is scheduled
for Jan. 13. In a bncf hearing on Det'.
10, Benton County Circuit Judge David
Clinger re1ected the men's claims that the
death penalty is unconstitutional, and ruled
pro~ecutor~ may pursue it in the case.
Carpenter, who was working for a hair
s.1lon at the time of Dirkhising's death, told
police he h,1s lived in 26 states. Brown told
police he was Carpenter's lover. The pair
are being held without bond in the Benton
County Jail pending their trial Apnl 10.
Dirkhising's grandmother said the seventh-
grader, a resident of nearby Prairie
Grove, had been going to the men's home
on weekends because he sometimes worked
,1t the salon where Carpenter was
employed. Dirkhising's parents knew
Carpenter. Brown r!!portedly later told
police he had been having sexual r!!lations
with tht> boy.
In court last month for the death penalty
he.mng, Carpenter appeared attentive.
Brown kept his head down and fiddled with
his fingers. Neither made any comment.
OBITUARIES
Mark Richard Reinhardt
'len ices arc schcd u led for I louston
lllV /AIDS actimt Mark Richard
Reinhardt, who died Jan. 1 after complications
caused by the flu. He was 36.
A service will be held Jan. 8 at 10 a.m. at
Bering Memonal United Methodist
Church, 1440 1 larold St.
Reinhardt moved to I louston in 1982 to
attend San Jacinto College and 1 louston
Baptist University and pursue a career in
health care while working as a home
healthcare attendant. I le later formed a
computer consulting firm.
Reinhardt was a \\'Cll·rcspected
I !IV/ AIDS advocate in 1 louston and an
active member of the Ryan While Planning
Council and the Thomas Street 1 lealth
Their lawyers tried to convince Clinger
that the state's death penalty law was
unconstitullonal, but the judge re1ected
their arguments.
"I don't find anything new that changes
the current status of the law in Arkansas,"
Clinger said. He also re1ected the defense
argument that it would be inappropriate to
automatically disqualify potential jurors
who were opposed to the death sentence.
Clinger said hl' would weigh later the
ddendants' arguments to mm·e the trial to
.mother county because the notonetv of tht•
case could keep them from gdting a fair trial.
"I'm very much concerned about being
able to pick a jury here in Benton County,"
Clinger said.
Police s.1y they were called to the men's
home and were met at the door by
Carpenter. They found Dirkhising nude
and unconscious on the floor.
Brown was also nude and holding a telephone
and a flashlight when officers
arrived, police said. Brown reportedly told
the officers he and Dirkhising "were just
playing a game."
Dirkhising's mouth was blue and he didn't
respond to officers. Duct tape was wrapped
around his right hand and an empty prescription
bottle was found next to him. The
boy was pronounced dead at a hospital.
According to court records, Brown said he
had tied Dirkhising's hands behind his back,
placed a pair of underwear in his mouth and
secured it with duct tape. Police :;aid Brown
Center Advisorv Council.
Reinhardt is· sumwd by his parents,
Ruth and Walter Reinhardt and his brotht?r
Steve, all of Jamestown, N.D. In lieu of
flowers, don.itions c.in be made to People
With AIDS Coalition/TSC Volunteer
Program or Omega House Hosp!Ce.
Margaretta Newell
Longtime d1sab1hty acl!v1st Margaretta
Newell died Dec. 12 from complications
related to Multiple Sclerosis. She was 46.
Davis Carpenter, 38, allegedly told a fellow jail inmate that he went to the grocery store while
Jesse Dirkhising was tied up to purchase items to use to rape the boy.
told officers they placed belts around Jesse's
legs and ankles, blindfolded him and
strapped him to a mattress face-down.
Brown allegedly repeatedly raped the
boy while Carpenter watched and masturbated,
police said. Brown took a break to
eat a sandwich and soon noticed the bo ·
had stopped breathing, according to police
Carpenter called 911, investigators said.
An autopsy indicated Jessi! died of positional
asphyxia, the inability to breathe
while in restrictive positions. Once in jail on
Scrv1n'S are scheduled for Jan. 8 at 12:30
p.m. at Bering United ~fethodL't Church,
1440 11.irold St. A reception will follow.
Visitation was held Dec. 13 at Croley
Funeral Home in Gladewater. A pm·ate
memorial service took place Dec. 14 at
Starrville Cemetery.
l\ewell voluntl'erl'd with the Houston
chapter of Amencan Disabled for
Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT) as an
advocate for the disabled She also cofounded
Houston-based Canine
Alternatives, which trains and places scn·-
1ce dogs with human companions.
Newell also served as a board member of
Assist! lers, a women's health group, and
the Houston Center for Independent Li\•ing.
"One of my fondest memories 1s when I
picked her up at the airport after an
ADAPT demonstration. With signs and
buttons saying. 'Free our people' and handcuffs
still on the wheelchair, she proudly
stated how they shut several federal buildings
down. I was proud too," said friend
Kim Thompson. "She was honest and
admitted she wasn't a saint. She found
peace in her unique spirituality."
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made
to AssistHers, PO. Box 541095, Houston,
Texas 77254, Canme Altemati\'es, 14134
Sylvia Drive, Cypress, Texas 77429; or
Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2211 Norfolk,
Suite 825, Houston, Texas 77098.
the charges, Carrcnter told another inmate
that he went to a grocery store late on the
night of Sept. 26 to purchase items used to
rape Dirkhising, mcluding the duct tape
and a cucumber, a Rogers delL'Cti\'e !'aid in
a sworn affida\•it.
Carpenter abo said he stufted "pain
pills" in the boy's throat. the detcch\'l' said.
Police reportedly found drugs m the men's
home, as well as notes that de.~cried vanous
sex acts and how to bmd and sedate a child.
-From staff and wire rt'1-1()rf,;
Shirley Goulet
Longt me Houston resident Shirley
Goulet died Dec IS after a short illness .• he
was 47.
Goulet, who moved to Houston in 19 ·2.
was employed at Kroger and Leather by
Boots. She was a member of the area's
leather community since the earlv 1980s.
Ser\'ices are scheduled for Jan. 15 at 3
p.m at Bering Cmted Methodist Church,
1440 Harold St.
"She always took care of evervbodv and
made sure e~eryone had a good time.'' said
Tommv Nix, her brother.
In lieu of flowers. donations can be made
to AIDS Foundation Houston, 3202
Weslavan Anne\, Houston, Texas 77027.
14
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HOUSTON VOICE • JANUARY 7, 2000
A GUIDE FOR YOUR LEISURE TIME
•• Highly lauded gay filmmaker bears the whip of self-criticism
that comes with the gift of talent
by EARl DITIMA:-.:
For all intents and purpose:., gay Spanish
director Pedro Almodovar should be in the
best of spmts: his 13th feature-length film,
"All About My Mother" has been winning critical
acclaim the world O\'er. Better still, it has
been selected as Spain's official entry for Best
Foreign Film at this year's Academy Awards.
But at this moment, Almod6\·ar LS a bit perturbed.
He has spent most of the day talking to dozens
of American journalists, and it appears the
maiority of them are more interested m dbcussmg
his sexuality than the making of "All
About Mv Mother."
talking about their moVIe:;' I find the questions
about me being gay or straight \'ery imtating It\
not like I've ever tried to hide my sexuality, so
why is 1t so important to talk about?"
Surelr, an artbt who has made such bold and
sexually pro\'OCahve films hke "Law Of Desire,"
"Women On the Verge of A l'\ervous
Breakdown" and "Tie Me Vp' Tie 1e Down!"
~hould expect such questions. Amencan critics
and movie-goer:. simply aren't u,,ed to scemg
motion p1Ctures with transve;.1ites, gay men and
le~bians as lead characters in box office smashc.~,
and ha~ been done m Almod6var' s native Spam
Film-goers should worry less about his sexuality and more about the content
of his films, director Pedro Almodovar said.
"What ·is this American phobia with people's
sexual preference?" Almodovar asked in Spanish,
speaking through an interpreter. "Do journalists
ask straight directors about their sex life before
"In a way, you're nght," he agreed "I guc.~s I
1u~t don't want my ~exuality to take away from
what is clearly more important-my films. What
I do in my personal life should not enter mto the
equation. My movies should stand on thetr own
without having me to carry along as baggage."
_. Continued on page 17
Patricia Highsmith, wary of being labeled a lesbian writer, is the
force behind the popular movie 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'
by GERALD BARTELL
"Sissy'"
The word stings Tom Ripley, protagonist of Patricia
Highsmith's novel, "The Talented Mr. Ripley." So does the
taunt from D1Ckie Grt•enleaf, the man Tom loves, that Tom
1s "queer." The lashes fester until Tom, m a moment
Highsmith ]o<ids with bbtant freudi.m symbolism, lifts an
oar resting behn'<'n his legs and smashes D1Ckie's skull.
Tom Ripley, closl'ted gay sociopath, has plenty of com-pany
among the other characters m H1ghsmith's dark
world. There's cagey Bruno Anthony in "Strangers on a
Train," a murdering psychopath, an ahen to his father, a
close friend to his mother. She and Bruno sail on "The
Fairy Prince" after Bruno strangles the wife of a man he
finds attractive. And there's Elsie in "Pound in the
Street," bludgeoned to death by a jealous former girlfriend
of Elsie's female lover
"Highsmith was one of the most closeted and homo);>-
Continued on page 18
Patricia Highsmith, concerned about being viewed as a lesbian writer,
used the pseudonym Oaire Morgan when writing 'The Price of Salt,' a
novel about a woman who falls in love with a married woman.
16 OUT ON THE BAYOU
Out In Print BOOK NEWS
'Depo~ Street' depicts decades-long journey
bv ALCOTIOl\
One of the great joys of reading poetry is
how dfmently 1t can convey another
person's world view.
For exaMple, to go from the poetry of
Mary OI ver to that of the late James
Broughton 1s to leave .i world \\here the cruelty
and beauty of nature 1s perpetually on
v1e\\, and enter one \\here playfulness and
awe intersect m male sexuality. The worlds
poets create can be so radically different that
sometimes you find 1t 1mposs1ble to reconcile,
as Oliver said in one poem, th.it "there
is, after all, only one world."
~1mrue Bruce Pratt's wor display in
WALKI~G BACK UP DEPOT STREET, is a
place where life's oppressio"S t er-present,
and solace seems to come only from
your knowledge of their exbtence.
The pomt of VJew of the,e poem.~ b that of
.i Southern woman named Beatrice (which
mstmct says must be pronounced Be-ATnce)
who, hke Pratt herself, 1s an anh-racist
lesbian teacher Ii\ ing in the South who eventually
moves ~orth.
The title poem serves as prologue to the
collectmn, and perfectly sums up Southern
expatriate-hood ''Words would not remake
the past She could not make it/ vanish like
an old photograph thro\\ n onto live coals/ I
If she meant to live in the pre;ent, she would
h.ive to work, do/ without, send monev, call
home long d1St..mce about the heat" ·
Beatrice's \\Orld b one m which the personal
is almost unrelentingly pol1tical-m
"The A&P," .i trip to the grocery story for
tomatOt's reminds her of who picked them,
how mecham~t1cally they're grown. Sl.ivery,
racist oppre s10n, homophobia-they haunt
Beatrice's South. But 1gnonng what we know
.ibout the past. trymg to forget, is not an
opllon "hery day she wanted to/ forget
something she'd learned about the house,
the fields,/ the lopped cedar posts propping
the scuppemong arbor,/ the fallen grapes
fermenting on the ground "
The closest she gets to an answer? "Stay
consaous, a voice said. Can't do nothing if
you don't/ stay conscious .. ./I But every
hmc, every damn time, she walked/ into this
A&P to get groceries, she had to decide/ not
to be like her father."
Ufe m the Beatrice's South creates one
dilemma of memory after another-the
ghosts of I !trosluma show up in "Strange
Hesh", sharecroppers' lives are the topic of
"A Cold ~ot the Opposite of Life"; "Shades"
tells of how the stories of African tribes arise
in her mind while she's teaching. But the
urban :-.;orth provides no respite from miushce,
just different subjects-factory workers,
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miners, evil landlords, even the sweatshop
malady of the '90s, carpal tunnel syndrome.
These poems, some of which are almost
two decades old, are a cycle that tells the
story Pratt's personal political evolution.
They are tough, vigorous poems, full of long
Imes of blank ver.;e that ache to convey the
painful truths people try to forget.
Technically, they are ambitious, using italic
and indentation to denote shifts in time, narration
and perspective.
In tone, you'll find a fasciruting combination
of moral certainty and personal ambiguity,
a complex perspecllve that feels very
familiar-a sort of "I know what's wrong
here, but where can I find something that's
right?" that speaks directly to the soul's
Southern queerness.
In the final poem, "The Other Side,'
Beatrice meets a mysterious figure at a drag
bar who challenges that personal ambigu1-
ty-"What kind of woman/ are you' Stand
here. Answer/. ... Answer me and live."
Since Pratt's partner is transgendered
activist Leslie Feinberg, the ironic ending
for this book of poems is Beatrice finding
solace when she accepts the challenge to
make the political even more ferociously personal
m her life.
As they leave together-"lnto the rainstreaked
street of night, the yellow leaves
fallen/ like golden scars on black asphalt,
they walk out their answer I to the riddle, the
woman who is not a man, the woman who is
not/ a woman, following the yellow drift
like fire around the corner" -you can imagine
the thunderclap that follows when love
strikes in someone's poetic world.
Walking Back Up
Depot Street
by Minnie Bruce Pratt
University of Pittsburgh Press,
S12.9?
JANUARY 7, 2000 •HOUSTON VOICE
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7 The Hours
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~ Contin ued from page 15
Almodovar's latest film, "All About My
Mother," certainly does just that.
The film recently dominated Spain's
Goya cinema awards with 14 nominations,
including best actress, best director and
best picture The winners will be
announced Jan. 29.
The movie, which won an award for best
director at the Cannes Film Festival in May,
is the story of a single woman whose son
dies and her search for the boy's father.
Manuela, played by Argentine Cecilia
Roth, is accompanied by a handful of other
female characters, including an aging les·
bian actress, a transvestite homemaker and
a nun with the HIV virus.
"It's really Pedro's most mainstream film
to date," actor Antonio Banderas, who was
"discovered" by Almodovar, stated in a
recent interview. "And by 'mainstream,' I
don't mean he has gone out of his way to
make something commercial in order to sell
more tickets. It's mainstream in the way
that it can touch so many souls, regardless
of who they are. You don't have to be a
transvestite to understand the feelings of
his characters."
Inspired by the Bette Davis classic "All
About Eve,'' Almodovar began writing" All
About My Mother" shortly after complet·
., ••
ing production on his 1995 film "The
Flower Of My Secret."
"There's a character in that movie, a
nurse named Manuela, who appears just in
the beginning," Almodovar said. "In so
many situations, she has to become an
actress: to the doctors she works with and
to people she has to attend to. So, my idea
was to make a movie about the capacity to
act of certain people who are not actors.
And what is acting anyway? It's just the
ability to fake things really well."
From an early age, Almodovar discov·
ered that the best "actors" always seemed
to be women.
"As a child, I remembered seeing that
quality in some of the women in my fami·
ly," he said. "They faked more and better
than men. And through their lies, they
managed to avoid more than one tragedy.
The women really resolved their problems,
in silence, having sometimes to lie in order
to do so. They faked, lied, hid ... and by
doing so, allowed life to flow and develop,
without men finding out or obstructing it."
But "All About My Mother" harbors
much deeper messages, Almodovar said.
"It's really about wounded maternity,
and the spontaneous solidarity between
women,'' he said. "There's a line in
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Tennessee Williams' 'A Streetcar Named
Desire' where Blanche Dubms says, 'I have
always depended in the kindness of
strangers.' In 'All About My Mother,'
women are those kind strangers. Like most
of my films, this one is kind of a salute, a
tribute to women and their strength."
Raised in a country ruled by "machismo,"
Almodovar said he has always used his
films to celebrate females and femininity.
"Femininity is an important part of all
of us, whether men would like to admit
that or not," he said. "So, as a filmmaker,
I feel like it is my responsibility to
express that. In my early films, people ~
thought I was I was just trying to make
subversive, gay movies by having homo· ~
sexuals and drag queens in them. They i'.!
were just missing the point.
"Don't get me wrong. Spain is not the
most open-minded country in the world,
not by a long shot," he said, "but I think my
films have had some impact when it comes
to acceptance of alternative lifestyles."
So why, then, is Almodovar so sensitive
about discussing his own sexuality?
"A lot of people begin to confuse your
work with your real life," he said. "Like I
said, I'm not ashamed of who I am-moral·
ly or sexually. But what if I wanted to make
17
Ce<i&a Rot~ as MC111Utla ii 'AD About My
Mother,' a atti<ally D<daimed film that teUs the
story of a single woman wliose so dies and
her search for the boy's fatber.
a children's movie? I don't think that's very
likely, but what if I did want to do one?
Would people let their children go see it if it
was done by 'Pedro Almodovar, the gay
director?' Probably not. So, by labeling
myself this or that, I can limit my abilities to
reach people."
18 OUT ON THE BAYOU JANUARY 7, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
a111~RIGINAL
.- Continued from page 15
phobic of writer:;," says Barbara Greer,
president of aiad Press, who worked with
the late author.
H1ghsmith's fears produced a dbturbing
series of novels that were published to
wide acclaim. But success apparently
never healed the scars of her hfe.
According to Russell Hamson, m a critical
b1ograph1cal study he wrote about
Highsmith m 1997, the author was born Mary
Patnd<i Plangman m Fort Worth, Texas, in
1921. Her parents rod separated before she
was born, and H1ghsm1th took the name of
her stepfather, Stanley Highsmith.
She suffered her parents' bitter quarrels,
separations, and cruelties. Her mother
once told her she tried to abort her by
drinking turpentine.
"She made my childhood a little hell,"
Highsmith said in an interview quoted by
Hamson. "She never loved anyone, neither
my lather, my stepfather, nor me."
Adult life brought Highsmith success as
a wnter, begmnmg with the publication of
"Strangers on a Tram" in 1950. "The
Talented Mr Ripley" appeared m 1955.
Four sequels followed, including "Ripley
Under Groundw and "Ripley's Game."
Readers savored Ripley's impersonations,
forgeries and murders.
But tucked among Highsmith's thrillers
was a cunositv.
"After Strangers on a Train," lhghsmith
wrote "The Pnce of Salt," a novel about a
woman who falls in love with a married
woman. The two become a couple, and the
married woman sacrifices custody of her
child to remain with her partner.
Highsmith describes the women's sexual
relationship exphdtly, their happiness contrasting
sharply with the misery most of
the author's other characters feel.
But Highsmith did not sign her name
to the book when it was published m
1955. Instead, she used the pseudonym
Claire Morgan.
"1 larper and Brothers, who had published
'Strangers on a Train.' was embarrassed
by the lesbian content, especially
since Hitchcock's film version of 'Strangers'
was a big success," Greer says. "They
arranged for Coward McCann to publish
'The Price of Salt' under a pseudonym.
[Highsmith] was scared shitless that people
would identify her as a 'lesbian writer."'
The book became a perennial favorite,
eventually selling over a million copies. In
1984, aiad reissued the book under
Highsrnith's real name. In an afterward m
that edition, Highsmith explained that
because "Strangers" had resulted in her
being mislabeled as a suspense writer, she
once feared "The Price of Salt" would lead
to her being labeled a lesbian writer.
Grier believes I Iighsrn1th had several
relationships with women over the
course of her ltfe, spent mostly in
Switzerland. In an interview Harrison
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acknowledged only one such relationship,
describing it as "catastrophic"
"She was a dear person, but she was shy,
private, self-hating," Greer says of Highsmith.
Others offer less tempered opinions.
"She was the most odious human being
I've ever met," says Otto Penzler, who edited
and published several of Highsrnith's works.
"I never heard her speak warmly of anybody.
She was full of hatrl'Cl for men and women."
Yet Penzler, like most critics, is unstinting
in his praise of Highsrnith's writing.
"She's an absolute original.'' he says.
"It's hard to find a mystery-suspense
writer who's better. There's a sense of disquiet
and unease about her books. I don't
know anybody else who wntes like that."
In 1995, the year Highsmith died, film
director Anthony Minghella began the first
draft of a screenplay of "The Talented Mr.
Ripley." Like other readers, Minghella
admired Highsrnith's work, yet sensed the
darkness m her personality.
"She had the most amazing conceptual
mind," Mmghella says. "She always started
with a thrilling idea. I also think she
was misanthropic. I think she had a dim
view of the majority of her characters. They
always feel like if you ordered the wrong
martini you could be in great danger."
Mingella's worldview is, he says, "quite
the reverse." And that has influenced how
he adapted the book for the big screen.
"The film is a series of love stories,"
Matt Damon and Jude law in 'The Talented
Mr. Ripley,' a screen adaptation of Patricia
Highsmith's 19SS book.
Minghella says. "Ripley is looking for love
wherever he can find it. He meets somebody
who embraces him for all the things that
Tom Ripley is, but at a point when he doesn't
think he can be Torn Ripley any longer."
Epithets like "sissy" and "queer" that
were hurled at Ripley in the original novel
are gone from Minghella's film version.
When Ripley kills, he does so partly in selfdefense,
and Ripley's pathology is no
longer connected to his sexuality.
"I'm nervous of reducing the film to a story
about a man in a cl~t," Minghella says.
"Ripley's biggest fears are with rejection on
all terms-in terms of his class, his tastes, his
own identity, with which he has such a mysterious
relationship. Anything which makes
him different troubles him. I think that is
something that is absolutely universal."
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Eating Out_ _;_R;-=-=-EST.:..:....:..AU=-..:...:;RA_::....:N_;_;.RT= -:EV...;..::;..IEW:..;..::..S
This is no Big Mac
by TRAYCE DISKIN
It's easy to be captivated by that one block
of Europe behwen Richmond and Oakley
on Montrose Boulevard, a place where tiny
white lights are wrapped around large ruks
,md diners fill the sidewalks.
This SCl'ne is mil, in part because of
BOULEVARD BISTRO, owned by revered
Houston chef Monica Pope. It continues to
live up to its reputation as one of Houston's
top restaurants.
Boulevard Bistro is swank
Curl.'d Salmon ($7). The rye toast seems the
perfect choice to hold the tangy salmon
piled with capers, chopped egg and red
onion. The solid, mild flavor of the egg
mingled with the more potent vinegary
capers, onion and fish.
Salads don't come with entrees, but
some are worth the extra bucks to complete
your meal The Organic Field Greens
($5.50) 1s a classier, tastier version of the
simple dinner salad, with handsome
chunks of shaved romano and
.ind trendy. But with
the sleek wood interior
and dim
lighting comes
0 N I C
crunchy apple and hazel- 1:A <1. nuts thrown in. The
/.) Endive Salad
a genuinely
friendly <ind
easy-going
attitude that
helps makes
the place more 1)
like a classy ~
neighborhood cafe. to Jr
0 ($7 SO) is more
...0 adventurous,
~ with grapefruit,
bleu
en cheese, candied
pecans
and a sweet
red wine and
honey dressing.
The varietv
and quality of the
D I S TR l C 1 entrces illustrates the high
standards that make Boulevard
On a rcn·nt visit, the US l?
hors d'ocuvres of corn meal UM
and ~.1ge crackers werl' delicious,
although the dry texture makes one long for
some sort of dipping sauce or butter.
We started our meal with CornmcalFried
Calamari ($7.50) which were meaty
and lightly dusted with a crunchy, greaseless
batter. The tomato sauce was fairly
pedestrian-likable, but nothing special.
Two other appetizers lend just a hint of
the magic Boulevard Bistro can deliver
with a slab of salmon. The Tempura of
Tuna and Salmon Nori Roll ($12.50) is
heavenly, with the tender meat soaking up
the orange chili sauce and sting of roasted
garlic wasab1 mustard.
For a more breakfast-like side of the
great pink fish, try the Citrus and Dill
Boulevard Bistro
4319 Montrose Blvd
713·524-6922
Food: 'r:?SJSJt)t
Service: SJt>t)SJt
Value: bJbJ <t>SJ
Scene: b> ~ ~ t
' Opt for bread, water at home
OK. if you really must
Worth the drive, so live a little
Bistro stand out from other restaurants.
The Venison Chops with Blackberry Glaze
and Truffled Country Potatoes ($28), the
most expensive item, feature tender meat
with a sweet-sour sauce that isn't overpowering
or too sweet. The Hanger Steak
($16), according to two friends who
ordered it, offers a rich steak sauce.
The Thyme Fries lend a smoky, Italian
twist to the typical French fry. Like the
creamy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes,
these can be ordered as a side dish. Even
when some of the selections didn't knock
our socks off, there was something about
each one that made it impressive.
The Pistachio Crusted Salmon Filet's
($19) spinach salad proved rather bland
and watery, but why complain when the
rocky pistachio flakes seem baked right
into the fish, creating a nutty and smooth
combination of fl avors. The special for the
evening, Grilled Mahi-Mahi ($16) was
served in a well of black bean and corn
ragout. It was sheer bliss.
Whm a friend ordered the Hamburger
($12.50), I had to rescan the menu to make
sure ~hl• didn't misread. The idea of a burger
plate next to the I lazclnut Baked Duck Bn>ast
($20) SC1.·med out of place; I wa~ mistaken.
This 1s no Big Mac. The B3R Ranch Burger
on Pizzette is scn·l'Cl with mild, white chl'Cl·
dar cheese, a car.imclized omon with rich
s.1u tc and apple-smoked bacon.
Our server continued to win points by
suggesting the most egalit.irian, and decadent
dessert option, for our large group.
The dessert sampler tray included a chocolate
cheesecake, a cherry chocolate bread
pudding, creme brull:C, banana walnut
gclato and ti ramisu. There was enough for
eight of us, making a delicious finale to our
satisfying meals.
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20 OUT ON THE BAYOU JANUARY 7, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
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Flexolo A GUIDE TO SITTER HEALTH
Your physical groove for Y2K
by GREG HERREN
Every year at this time I wnte about
New Year's fitness resolutions and how
to stick to them Once again, 1t is that
hme of year, and as I sat down to write
another column along those lines, it
occurred that my approach was all
wrong. The advice I had given in the past
was valid, and hopefully it had helped
some people get back into the groove of
regular exercise.
But why does it work for some and not
for others?
The fitness industry has turned into a
billion dollar realm based on playing on
the fears of an America obsessed with
appearance. "The fattest people in the
world," headlines trumpet. Everyone
obsesses about body image.
We all worry about whether we've
gained weight over the holidays. We
worry if we're too fat. We worry if our
muscles are big enough. We worry, worry,
worry. Somehow, the true message of
exercise has gotten lost in the shuffle.
Exercise 1s about being healthier and
improving your quality of life. It's not
about dropping four pounds so you can
fit into those 30-waist jeans. It's not about
going on a fad diet because you feel bad
about being overweight It's not about
getting pees the size of grapefruits so
other men will think you're hot. It's not
about having washboard abs so you can
go shirtless at a bar It's not about training
for a marathon.
What happens to your body when you
exercise regularly 1s a side effect. The
goal should be Jiving a healthier lifestyle
Exercise is about feeling better about
yourself, but not better about the way
you look. Exercise is your way of saymg
We all worry about whether
we've gained weight over the
holidays. We worry if we're
too fat. We worry if our
muscles are big enough.
We worry, worry, worry.
Somehow, the true message
of exercise has gotten lost in
the shuffle.
to yourself, and everyone else, "l care
about myself."
Don't you do regular preventive maintenance
on your car? On your house?
Well, why not do prevenhve maintenance
on your body? Why not approach it from
that perspective? Forget about the
weight Forget about the body image.
Forget about everything except that you
arc taking care of yourself.
So, if you want to make a resolution
regarding exercise this year, here's one I
suggest: "I resolve that in the 21st century
that I am going to treat my body with
the respect that it is more than entitled to.
I am not going on fad diets. I am not
going to buy into the latest exercise fad. I
am going to start exercising and I am
going to find an exercise routine that
appeals to me, whether it is weight lifting,
aerobics, playing tennis, taking
walks, jogging or riding a bicycle.
"I am going to eat a sensible diet with
the proper combinations of carbohy·
drates, protein, and fats. If I have to miss
some exercise or if I want to indulge in a
cheesecake I will do it and not judge
myself harshly because of it. I am going to
do this because I care about mrelf, ,md
because I deserve to have a better, healthier
quality of hfe. I am not going to be
inhmidated by anything or anyone that
wants to stand in my way. I deserve it."
That is the attitude that you need to
have. That 1s the positive mental attitude
that will get you into the groove. You can
do it. Don't let negativity invade your
life. And once you start treating yourself
better, it will carry over into other aspects
of your life as well .
Don't allow the negativity in Don't tell
yourst'lf you can't do it. You can. It is possible.
People do it every day, and arc happier
and healthier because of it. You'll bt• am.11ed.
Greg Herren 1s a personal tra111cr and film•
ss writer lie can be reached al 504-588·
9563 or at gregh12Waol.com.
HOUSTON VOICE • JANUARY 7, 2000
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22 OUT ON THE BAYOU JANUARY 7, 2000 • HOUSTON VOICE
Occasions
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Robert P. of the CCCC on Jan. 7.
Happy birthday to Ron Black on Jan. 7.
Happy birthday to smgers Joan Baez and Crystal Gayle on Jan. 9
Happy birthday to Gary B. of the CCCC on Jan. 10.
Former Houston Voicer Susan Scott celebrates her birthday on Jan. 13.
Happy birthday to Kip Granberg of the Guava Lamp on Jan. 13.
Happ} birthday to local activist and radio personality Jimmy Carper on Jan. 23.
The Houston Vozce welcomes your special occasions. Send e-mail lo crober~houstorrrozce.rom.
Fax.· 713-529-9531. Mail: Ocrasions, Houston Voire, 500 Lovett Bhli., Suite 200, Houston, Texas
77006. Pltnse mclude a telephone number so occnsions am« verifitJ1 and ronsideml for publication.
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Happy birthday to Eclcfie,
the bonky bartender at the
Venture-N, on Jan. 7.
Happy birthday to Ridt
Ellsasser, co-publisher of the
Houston Voice, on Jan. 13.
NEW 2000
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HOUSTON VOICE • JANUARY 7, 2000 OUT ON THE BAYOU
community calendar
saturday, jan. 8
A~ Hour~ KPfT 90.1 FM. 12 am. to 3 a.m. 713-52&-5738.
Q-l'atrol walks the streets at 8:45 p.m. 713·528-SAFE.
Vrsual Arts AJhance 10 a.m. 281 ·58Hl408.
Oogn1ty m.w at 730 p.m. f"' gay C..thol1cs. 713-880-2872.
St. Stept,..n·s Eposcopal Church. R~ry at 8 a.m. 1805 W
Alabama 713-528 6665.
Houston Lesbian and Gay drop-on houf1 frOfn noon to 4 p.m.
803 H.>wthomc. Montro.e Wnte(s Proiect 3 to 4:30 p.m.
lntrrnatoonal Bdhards League meeting 2 pm. 713-524-3818
Kolbe Breakfast Oub and Hospotal Vis1tatl0rl. 9:30 a.m.
71)-4161 ll!OO.
sunday, jan. 9
TheWamen\Group.10·45a.m 713-52'>-8571 .
Houston Alea T.,..,. CoalotlOn of Homos<">luals mee~
713-942-7002.
Ran-bow RJders. A bi<yde dub for women. 71H!69·1686.
O...ch of the XII At>o>t"" AnfJ1CM1 Rote Old C..tholic Church.
Holy Communton 10.30 am at 239 Westhe1mer.
713-6657901
St Stephrn-. Eposcop.11 Church. Holy Roi• Euch.>nst I at 7:45
a.m. Holy Rote Euch.>ri>t II at 855 am.; Education hour at 10
a.m; ChOfal Eucharist at 11 am 1805 W. Alabama.
71 J-528.f.665.
M.>r"""tha F•llow\hop Metropolitan Church. "Preaching the
~1· Bible study at 9:10 p.m. 713 528-6756
Rc:surrectlOn MCC Servtces at 9 a.m and 11 a.m.
71Hl61-9149
Grxe Lutheron Church. Sund.Jy <chool for all ages at 9 30
a.m. ScM<e at 1030 am 713-528-3269.
Fant Unitan . .,n Uni¥erwhst Church Sef"Vlces at 9:30 a.m. and
11:30 am
Community GQ!l>"I SeM<e at 11 a.m; 7 p.m. Sunday School
tor children 005 uU1an 713~9235 or www.c0fnmun1ty·
gooptl.org
Houston M""°" Church. SeMce at 1030 a.m. 713-529-3225.
Covenant Baptist Church. Sennce at 1 :30 p.m.; education hour
at 3 p.m. 713-668-8830.
Benng ""'monal UMrd Methodist Church. SeMCes at 8: 30
a.m. 10:50 a.m. St.wlday «:hool at !HO am. 713-526-1017.
Resun'ectoon MCC Handbell Choor rehearsal at 1:30 p.m. 713·
16H149
\Jn!Mlo)tl Fellowship of GalYfiton County. 402 Church St. 1n
WIY<slon. SeMce at 1030 a.m 409-765-8330.
Farth - Hope Feflaw>hop. SeMce at 11 a.m. 713-520-7847.
Fif'>t Congreg.>tton.11 Church (Memorial). Sennce at 11 a.m.
713-468 ~1 or fcc-houston.org
Church of Kindred Spmts (Beaumont). Sen.Ke at 7 p.m. 409
835-4765
Unita11an Fellowship of Houston. Adult forum at 10 a.m.
Sef'\'1ce at 11 a.m. and noon. Open Circle Family Support at
12:30 p.m. 1504 Wirt 713-686-5876.
Interfaith Wcnsh1p Celebration. 7 p.m. 2515 Waugh Dr.
713-528-3601 .
Thoreau Unitarian Un1versahst Congregation: Adult d1~~
s1on at 9:45 a.m.; ~Mee at 11 a.m. 3945 Greenb11ar Stdfford.
2B1 -277-8882. www.neosoft.co1TV·thcneau.
Lone Star Volleyball As10<•at1on (LSVA) w,nter League
begins. 281-878-4629.
PFLAG-Houston. 2 p.m. 1117 Texa~ 713-867-9020.
monday, jan. 10
Gay Fathers/fathers Forst support grouP. 8 p.m. 713-861-6181
C..lendar/Computer workshop for Pride Woek. 7 p.m. 713-
5291223.
Gay Men Sun.1v()(s of Domestic Violence support group. 71 J-
52&-1017
B"1'1ng 5upPOrt Notwcnk Grief and Divorce Groups at 7 p.m.
713-526-1017.
Frost Eye ClonK. Free eye exams fen people wrth HIV 713·83o-
3000
AIDS Careg1vors' Supp()(t Group. 6 p.m. 713-732-4300
HIV t.,tong. Free from AVES frOfn 1 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. 713
626-2837
FrontRunners. 6:30 p.m. 713-522-8021 .
Kolbe Proiect Eucharist at 7;30 p.m. 713-861 -1800.
Integrity Houston. For gay and lesbtan Episcopalians. 7·30
p.m, Autry House, 6265 Main.
More light Presbyte11ans. Meeting. 1110 Lovett. 9:30 p.m
281-444-8861 X309
Black Lesbtan and Gay Coal1t1on"s weokly meeting at 7 p.m.
803 Hawthorne Houston Lesbibn and Gay Commurwty drop'"
hours from 6 to 9 p.m.; PositrvelNegative Photo Exhibition.
803 Hawthorne 713-524-3818.
tuesday, jan. 11
FREE HIV testing at Oub Houston at 8:30 p.m. to midnight.
the Monbose Oon1c 713-BJQ-3000.
Helping Cross Dressers Anonymous. 7 p.m., 239 Westhe1mrr.
713-"195-8009
Gay Men HIV+ Psychot~rapy. •The Suf'\'1vor"s Carde• ceremony
and celebration. Montrose Counseling Center at 4.:)0 p.m.
713-529-0037
Youth-Rap. 6:30 p.m. 713-822-8511
Aftercare Group Treatmtnt. Montrose CouMelmg Center at 6
p.m. 713-529-0037
AIDS Alliance of the Bay Area 7 p.m. 713-488-4492.
PROTECT. An HIV-negative support group at 7 p.m.
ASK THE PASTOR
Q: "I low do I go on hvmg when I don't want to, but I know I need
to stay alive for the Lord's work?"
A: Sometime situations get so bad that we feel we just don't want to go
on living. I would imagine that you art• in this place right now. The
opl10n to end our life as we know it is not really ours to have. God has
given us this life and we arc to live it to the glory of God. So how does a
person go on when life docs not feel worth it? God has promised us that
then.> would not be any test or trial put upon us that would be more than
we could bear. Cod promises a way out, a way lo escape the pressure of
life that docs not involve taking our life. Many times that way out can be
through a good therapist who is gifted to help us sec a new perspective
on our situation. One can learn coping skills for the toughest challenges
that life presents to us. For others, prayer and meditation bring a sense
of peace and a place of solace for a busy and overwhelming life. What
you and I are encouraged to do is to seek that "way of escape" that God
promises us that is most beneficial for us. It is there and we must seek to
find that way out. Sometimes it is hard for us to admit that we need help
to face the next day, or just to get up in the morning. God docs have a
purpost• for your life and it 1s a good one. God's plans arc for you to
prospt•r and be in good health. God's plans art• for your good, and not to
harm you. I C't us remember that God is pulling FOR us. And if God be
for us, who c,111 be against us? ~,..,i'
MARANATllA FELLOWSHIP MCC
Rn. Janet l'arkcr, Pa~tor
• /\ l.1b:ra1mg ('hurch :s<:rvrng a L1bcra1111g Clod'"
M \\ S1K1<fay Cdebrot1on 1 une: IQll "'1 (bq:uuun~ June 6ch)
"" Monrrosc. StulC CHI. 11.itmOI> Ph. 71J ·S:ZS·67\6
l\un<r) provided. Bihle Slt.dy ~.l:J A\1 lluni< Groups Oii Tue~ & ¥.eds.
~Cr~l\
Maranstha ~..,, I l
Fellowship
Metropo/ltln
Community Church
713·52&-1017.
Women Sur..1vor> of Choldhood AbU>e. Montrose Coumehng
Cent"' at 6:30 p.m. 713-52'>-0037
Boring Support Network. Lunch Bunch Gang at 11 a.m. 713-
526-1017
Gay Men's Process Group. 7 p.m., 3316 Mt. Vernon. 713-52&-
8390
M•n's ~tworl-.. Discussion group for social. educ.rtoonal
development of gay and bisexual men. 7 p.m. Montrose
Counseling Center 713-52'>-0037.
Mor• on Relat1onsh1p>. D1Kussoon group. 7 pm. 415 W Gray.
713-861 -9149
Lambda Sk<ihng Oub skates at 8 p.m. at the Tr~ 711·
523-9620.
Gay & 8' Male SupPOrt Group support group forming
Sponsor<d by AVES 713-62&-2837.
Houston Lesb<an and Gay Community Center drop-m hour\ 6
to 9 p.m. Lesbian Comng Out Group meets at 7:30 p.m. 803
Hawthorne. 71 J-523-3818.
PFLAG·HOU>tOn cfiscussoon 9"0UI>· 7:30 p.m. 2700 Albany.
•304 713-867-9020.
wednesday, jan. 12
Free HIV testing by Thomas Str .. ·t Ou> (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.).
713-793-4026.
Free HIV testing by Montrose dime at Mary"s (4 p.m. to 8
p.m.). Modtowne Spa (B p.m. to modn1ght). Ropcord (9 p.m. to
m.dnight). 713 830-3000.
81Net HO\Mon. 7:30 p.m. Sooal meetmg at (.afe T~
1830 w Alabama. 713-467-4380
Womerfs Network. 7 p.m. Montrose Coumel'ong Cent«; 701
Richmond. 713-529-0037
HIV sunnvor support group 7 p.m. 713-782-4050
Mind/Body Connect>on: Altemab°"' Appt-oaches 7 p.m. 1475
W Gray. 713-524-2374
Protect: Caesar 7 p.m. AFH. 3203 Wcslaya'l. 713-621-6796.
Out Skate Rollersk.>t1ng Oub, 8 to 10 p.m at 8075 Cool<
Road 281·933-581a
Houston Lesbian and Gay Communoty Center drop;n hour\ 6
to 9 p.m. 803 Hawthorne. 713-S24-3818.
thursday, jan. 13
Froe HIV testing at Toyz (9 p.m. to midnight) by the
Montro~ 01mc. 713 -830-3000.
Art Labs. The Art League at 1 p.m. 713-225-9411 .
Gay Men's Chorus of Houston. Open reheaf101 at 7 p.m.
713-521-7464
HIV+ Men P>ychotherapy. Montrose Counsehng Cent"1'. 1:15
p.m. 713-529-0037
Relapse Prevention. Montrose Counseling Center, 2 p.m.
713-529-0037
23
Aftercare Group Treatment. Montrose Counseling Center, 6
p.m. 713-529-0037
Women·s Therapy Group. Montrose Counseling Center. 5:30
p.m. 713 529-0037
Center for the Healing of Racism. 7:30 p.m. 713-738-RACE.
FrontRunners at 6:30 p.m. 713·522-8021 .
Hrv Art Courseo Program. 1 to 4 p.m. Patrick Palmer at
713-52&-1118.
Women's 01nK. Montrose OinK. 713·83o-3000.
F&1th and Hope Fellowship. B;J,le study 7 p.m. 713 520-7847
Community Gospel Choir practJ<e 6:30 pm. semc:e at 7 30
p.m. 713-88o-9235 °' www.communrtygo<pel.°'g.
HIV/AIDS Support Group, 230 at family Sennce Center. 713·
861-4849
Women's HIVIAJDS Support Group, 4 30 p.m. Fanuly Service
Centcf. 713-247·3810.
HIV/AIDS Support Group. 7 p.m. Family Service Center m
Conroe 888-24 7 381 o.
Houston Lesbian and Gay Community Center drop-on hours
6 to 9 pm 713 524-3818.
friday, jan. 14
HOU\ton Area Teen Coal1t1on of Homosexuals (H.A.. T.C.H)
meets 713 942 · 7002
Aftercare Group Treatment. Montrose Counseling Center
at 6 pm. 713 529-0037
frc»t fye 01n1c Free eye exams for people wtth HIV
713-830-3000.
Lesbi.ln A~ngers. Cafe Toopees. 1830 W Alabama
at 7p.m.
O·Patrol w&lks the streets at 8 45 p.m. 713-528-SAFE
Kolbe |
