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JUNE 21, 1996 • ISSUE 817
The Folks That
Make it Happen
The Pride Committee - They make it happen!
B) Debor ah Bell
Every >·ear in late June thousands of queer
foll>s gather along \\estheimer to watch one
of the largest parades held annually 1n
Houston. Some have joked that e\en 1f no
one put on the parade there \\OUld still be a
gathering of spectators as tf by instinct, I kc
Theater LaB brings controversial
play to Houston
B) Andre" Ed monson
Houston, TX - Theater L aD continues its
tradition of bringing Houston the most
challenging ne\\ pla)S "hen the company
presents the South\\est premiere of Poor
Super Man - A Play With Captions.
The play arrives in r exas on June 26, trailing
a sheaf of glowing re\ 1cws from cri1ics and a
great deal of controversy
the vice squad sho\\ed up. checking "hcther
the shoYi's frontal nudll) and simulated oral
and anal sex. and blunt language violated
public decency
Time Maga7ine's esteemed theater critic
William A. Henry Ill also caught the
production. He selected Poor Super Man as
one of the ten best plays of 1994, praising the
piece as a witty, moving slice of urban life -In
Cincinnati, where Poor Super Man gay and straight, gay and sad."
received its world premiere in April 1994• This is familiar territory for the acclaimed
Transgender Conference
Independence D~y weekend
The Sth Transi;ender La" Conference will be
held at the Ramada-Astrodome Hotel in
Houston, TX from Jul) J-7. The conference
is sponsored b) the International Conference
on Transgender La" and Employment
Policy. Inc. (ICTl. EP).
Health Law Standards
On Thursday PM, Ju ly 4, a single workshop
will be devoted to the "Health Law Standards
of Care for Transsexualism" as promulgated
by ICTLEP in 1993. There has been so much
misunderstandi ng about the intent and the
coverage of these Standards, that ICTLEP
has invited its principal drafter, former
IC'TI l:P Health La" Director, Martine
Rothblatt, Attorney to explain to and answer
all comers. She will also compare these to
those of the Benjamin Soc1et)
On Friday P\I, July S, another single
workshop (no competing workshops are
scheduled) will be devoted to the Gender
Identity Disorder (GID) category in the
Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of the
American PS)c hiatric Association. There has
been such abuse of GID in the DSM. there
has been such a clarion call by the
transgender community to kill the GID
category, and there has been a loud
opposition that wants GID in order to obtain
insurance coverage, that ICTl.EP has invited
a very involved investigator, the Staff
Attorney for the National Center for Lesbian
Right!, Shannon Minter, Attorney, to chair
this workshop. lfis interest began in this area
when several teenage lesbians were
institutional11ed by their parents usmg the
GID as a medical weapon to bludgeon these
(Conlmued on page 13)
gay Canadian pla) "'ight fraser 1s perhaps
best known for his earlier won;. Lmdenufied
Human Remains and the frue "'•lure of
Love, "hich pla)ed to critical acclaim in
Canada, London, and :Sew York. In both
plays. Fraser takes an unflinching. often
funny look, at the \\a)S m which isolated
) oung urbanites attempt to connect sexuall),
spiritually, and emotionally.
In Poor Super Man, a gay painter, blocked in
his work, tries to jolt himself by taking a job
as a waiter. To help the young couple "ho
own the restaurant. he induces his closest
female friend, a beguilingly bitch) columnist,
to tout it in print. The place thnvcs. So d~
passion between the painter and the young
husband.
"This play is for adult audiences only," a flyer
produced by Theater LaB for the production
steml) "ams.
Did Fraser set out to pen a play that was
deliberatel) designed to push people's
buttons? Or was he, like man) artists, simply
follo,.ing his own uncompromising inner
voice?
An essay he wrote that accompanies the
published version of Poor SupcrMan sheds
some light on this question.
"Being a homosexual, my work quite
naturally includes a great deal of overt
homosexual content," he observes "Men fall
in love and have sex with other men Women
get involved with other women Cocks are
sucked Asses arc fucked. Vaginas arc licked
and fingered. People have sex All kinds of
sex. I find it impossible to write about
fConlmued on page 2)
lemmings unite to d1\C tnto the sea And
many seem to think that all the glitter and
glamour of the parade and fesuval happens
b) magic. The truth c-f the matter is the
parade and all of pride \\CCI. rs put together
b) a small committee of se,cral dozen
people. Their \\Ork "behind the scenes• 1s a
year long labor ntenstve effort.
Jure 11 several hundred people gathered at
rhc C uy of Houston f\.fuJo .purposc Service
Center to hear about the final arrangements
for this year's Pride Parade. The rules are
revie\\ed, quest.ons ans"ercd and lme-up
numbers are announced. At podium arc
Robin Duncan and Ray Ramirez who arc the
Parade co-chairs, 1ust part of the committ<'C
that \\orks on the project known as Pnde
\V <'Ck Ray opens the mceung and announces
that special tents that "111 be available for
those \\ith special needs, including
\\heclchair seating (see related sto') pg. 9).
American Sign Language interpreters wt ..
also be "' ailable for those" ho need them.
Before going O\Cr the rules and regulations
that are part of the mandatory mccting for all
parade delegations, Ray asks "ho among
those present "ill be m the parade for the
first time. Included among those arc;
Supercuts, Secret Lives (A community soap
opera m the "orks), the Ga) and Lesbian
Yello" Pages, The Transgender Caucus.
Sparkletts Bottled Water, C ub Attitude,
Manline, and Altematl\eS (a matchmaking
service for Gays & Lesbians).
The rules that have developed over the years
stem mainly from 1nsu~ance liability
(Continued on page I 81
Conductor Stephen Stein
See page 3
2 HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21, 1996
ETCHED IN MEMORY.
PRESERVED IN GRANITE.
THE AIDS MEMORIAL
BOOK.
It's made of solid granite and bordered "panels" in
which you can inscribe the name and date of your
departed family member or friend. Proceeds are
donated to AIDS charities through an advisory board
composed of local leaders in AID"S-related services. To
make an appointment to see the terrace" call a Forest
Parle Lawndale representative at 921 -66L3.
The Foundation for Interfaith
Research & Ministry and
Forest Park Lawndale
THEATER LaB HOUSTON presents
the controversial play the Cincinnati vice squad wanted to close down
POOR SUPER MRH
by Br ad Fraser
An erotic story of a gay artist and a married man.
EXCLUSIVE SOUTHWEST PREMIERE
Opens on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26th at 8:00 PM
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS thru AUGUST 3rd at 8 00 PM
SUNDAYS, JULY 21st & 28th & AUGUST 4th at 6:00 PM
All TICKETS $18 ~ 1706 ALAMO OFF 2100 HOUSTON AVE.
This play contains sexual situations/nudity
~~'..1!:~~~vby HOUSTON VOICE
TICKET INFORMATION 868-7516
Poor SuperMan continued ...
(Continued from poge I)
relationships without including sex. It seems
unrealistic and irresponsible.
·1 am aware that many people are
uncomfortable with sexual behavior,
particularly homosexual behavior. Especially
in America where straight white men prefer
to keep all gay contact in the dark where they
can indulge without their wives finding out.•
And Fraser feels that the scene depicting a
sexual encounter is integral to the flow of his
play. "It's (the play's) about love and trust
and by that point in the play the audience
knows the characters intimately and the
context.• he says.
"No one has walked out yet - not even in
Cincinnati, and that's real middle America.·
Whatever happened in Cincinnati. the
poy,crs that be at Theater LaB arc standing
firmly behind Fraser and Poor Super Man.
And with good reason. In September 1993,
Theater LaB staged a splendid production of
Fraser's Unidentified Human Remains as part
of its inaugural season, winning hosannas
from the critics and playing to sold-out
houses.
"Watching a work by a playwright in full
command of his materials is the most
exhilarating experience. • declared Jeremy
Kingston of The Times at the premiere of
Poor Super Man in London.
Brod Fraser, ployvmght ""Poor Super
Chances are that Theater LaB has another hit
on its hands.
Brad Fraser's Poor Super Man -- A Play With
Captions will be performed at THEATER
LaB June 26 - August 4, 1996. Tickets arc
$15 and $1 8, with discount tickets available
for groups of ten or more. To purchase
tickets, call 868 75 16. Theater LaB Houston
is located at 1706 Alamo, j ust off the 2 100
block of Houston A venue. Poor SuperMan
has been generously underwritten by The
Houston i 'oice
Pride poster to benefit Visual AID
San f·r;rnc1-sco, May 27 Uay Area
artl't Franl Pictron1gro,
unveils a commerno rat 1ve fu ll
color J1g11al media print lltlcd
f.:qualit_v anti J11H1u· FtJr All . dur·
mg Pride Month 1996. which hon
ors le-h1an and gay divcrslly. A
portion of the proceeds will hen·
ef1t V1~ua~ AuJ. a non-prot 11
oi:-gan1za11on ded1cateJ to
f1nandally assisting ar11s1s
w, l AIDS and orher hie-threat
CQtng 1 nes ... es. The Whne House
has JC~nowledged grat11ude tor
bemg pre'Scntcd w1lh this h1s10r
1cal documen• l·uM Lady 1111
•ary Rodhatn r• nton wrote to the
41r11st. 0 Thank you tor the pie
tcre. l:quahty anJ Justice I or
·\I .' YoJr encouragemcqt and
supp1..rt a'"e especially mean
1ngtul to me:·
Equalll)' tmd 11Hl1cr f or All.
pn~sen1s 1welve lcstuan and gay
(:ouples f J1vcni;e cultural hack·
ground.,. and ages Fach cmtirac- Equalll_\I anti Justu:e for A II
on• c~uple is captioned w11~
""·or~s of affirmation including Honest
and C.raceful. Cartng and Respons1hle.
\'monuy and Tender. Strong and hHg1ving,
I ovatilc and l·rec. Crca11vc and
.Sp r1tual Intu111ve and nUmorous.
Open and l'houghtful, Ju<t and Honorable
Founded in 1989 Visu;il Atd JS a San Franc
1sc o based nu~·profll organ1Lation
dedicated to financially ass1s11ng art·
ists with lite threatening illnesse-. so
that chey may contrnuc makrng arc. Visual
:\iJ s program" relieve arc1sts trom the
1solallon ot illness. promolc dialogue
011 AIDS and disab1I J1y w1thrn the crea-
11ve fll: ld, and guarantee 1hc inclusion of
arusi.. with AIDS and other lite-threaten·
ang illnec:ses an che foreground of our cul·
cure
Frank P1euonigro currently serve~ a~
Boardme1nbcr ol the Cutro Street Fair
Corporation Frank has been actively
exh1b11ong in San Franc1'cn since 1978
and his work ts represented rn galleries
throughtout the Untied States He has
served che commu111ty as an arcs adm1111s
trawir through the productrnn ot San
Franci>co s Art In The Park 111 1982 and
t 983. lie was appnmted by the San Fran·
c1.,co Arcs Commission to Director of the
San Francisco Arts 1:esllval in 1985
Equahty an<I lustier Fnr All is also being
h1ghllghtcd 1n the Castro 01\tfltt's
world wide web Sile located ~l hcqi·//
wwwwcbcaslro.com The print will he
located on WebCastro's Gallery which
showcases ocher fine arl created hy frank:
Pietronigro
Printed in a l11nucd ed1t1on, this 18 .. it
24 •• full color print " hcing oiler for col·
lect1on in both signed and un'1gned e<.11·
lions. Prints are available at $35.00 lor a
signed copy and $20.00 tor an U11'1gned copy
and can be obtained by sending a check pay·
able to; Ma>terwor ks to PO Box 193163,
San Francisco, CA 94119-3 163 or by call·
ing 4 I 5·695-0933, Shipping charges of
$5 95 &hould he included with ea<h order
20 percen1 ot all proceed-s gtncrated from
sales will Oenetll Visual Au.I
Stone Soup
MacGregor Medical Association has
presented Stone Soup, an HIV/AIDS food
pan1ry, wilh a donation of non-perishable
necessity items.
Bins for collec1ing goods such as paper
towels, diapers, toilet paper. tissue
and detergenl5 were placed in the waiting
room area of each MacGregor facili1y.
Bo1h patien" and siaff con1ribu1ed to 1he
collection
Taking care of llousionians since
1953, the MacGregor Medical Association
1s accredited by the Joint Commission
on Accreditation of Healchcarc
Organizations (!CAHO) and 1s the
exclusive contracted provider for Prudenlla
l HealthCa re HMO.
Th ree Plays
Three new plays by three women will be
presented Fr id ay, Sat urday a nd Sundays
l h rough July 7 th at the Chapul1-
epec Restauran1, 8813 Richmond.
The short plays have been 1ermed out rageous,
ou1la ndi sh and out o f the o rdina
r y and i nc lude Transmigration of
Existtnct by E lizabeth Gilber t , Casktt
lttttrs by Holly H ildebrand a nd A
littlt Litt larctny Part II by Diana
Weeks.
F r iday a nd Sa1urdays June 21 to July
6th curiain time is 8:00 p.m. and Sundays
June 23 and July 7 performances will be al
3 00 p. m
Dallas Singers
T he Turtle C.rcck Chorale, Dallas'
world renowned 200 member male chorus,
has announced 1he 1996-97 concert
season entit led "Old Friends" focus-lhe
chorale will look back at old fiends
with revivals of some classics and audience
favorues
No specifics for llous1on appearances
were available but the chorale did
announce 1hat a selec1ed group will be performing
Kris Anthony's "When We No
Longer Touch" on Washinglon DC al the
Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt display
10 October
Current Issues
Barnes and Noble (Wes1he1mer at Yoss)
will be hoscin& a discu~sion of current
gay and lesbian issue< at 7;30 p.m. Wednesday
June 26 wi1h Shelly Potter of the
Human Righ1s Campaign. Eric Roland of
Outsmart Magazine and Sieve Nettles
of the Montrose Clinic.
Legal and polltical issues such as !he
receni S upreme Court ruling o n Colorado's
Propos11ion 2 will be led by Ms.
Po rte r, Mr. Ro la nd wi ll lead a d iscu ss
ion on the role of media and contemporary
gay lilerature and Mr. Nettles will
d iscuss loca l se rvices and oppo rtun ities.
A rime for quesuons and answers will follow.
For more information please telephone
783-6016
Ho us ton Area NOW
The Houston Area NOW Chapter will be
d c lcgar ion number 66 in thi s year 's
Lesbian &. Gay Pride Parade. All NOW
members are asked to Jll'" 1hem at the lineup
s11e. This is the fim ume since 1992 1hat
the group has marched in 1he Parade For
rng o n n o~ tal g t a, comfo rcaOle things morC' 111forma1ron ca ll lht.• JI A N OW Hc.H·
and familiar faces. While moving ahead, line al 665-8NOW.
Symphony Nights with Stein
HOUSTON ·Continuing a trad111on
begun on 1940, the Houston Symphony
offers "' 561h season of free concerts.
lnown this year as the Houston Chroni·
cit Summa Symphony Nights , for !he
public a l Miller Outdoor Thealre
beginning Friday, June 21, with additional
concens l·r1day, June 28, Satur·
day June 29, Thursday. July 4, and Saturday,
July 6.
GueSI soloisis appearing wi1h the
orches1ra in these concens are viol inISIS
Hilary Hahn and Eric Halen, cellis1
Sophie Shao. and pianislS Angela Cheng
and Scott Holshouser. Each of 1he free
concert< begins at 8:30 p .m. al Miller
Ou1door Theatre, 100 Concert Dr. in
Hermann Park
A Joyous Ovenure on June 21 siarts off
the series with Stephen Stein conducting.
Stein's many appearances in Houston
dale 10 summer 1991, when he led 1he
orchesira 10 Sounds Litt Fun! performances
al Miller Ou1door Theatre Since
his appointment 1n 1992 as conductorin-
residence, he has conducted on v1riually
every series-inc luding !he Classica
I Season, Exxon Pops, and Woodland
Pavilion conceris. To his eve r expandmg
schedu le of North American
guest conduc11ng appearances, he
added h is in1erna11onal debul in Jan uary,
1996. wuh iwo weeks of concens wi1h
the Israel Chamber Orc hes t ra
African -American conductor Isa·
iah Jackson, who made his debut with the
Houmin Symphony '" 1995 will conduct
Parisian Nights on Friday, June 28
Jackson makes has second appearance
w11h the orchestra in a concert sho_w·
cu.ma the u lents of the second prize
winner of !he 1996 Housion Symphony
Ima Hou Na11o nal Young Artists Com-pelition
cellt<t Sophie Shao
Jupittr and Stars on June 29 brings S1ephen
Stein back 10 lhe podium. in concert
w11h soloist Erit<Halen in the Prokofiev
Violin Concerto No.2 American com
poser Aaron Copeland', Music for 1he
Theatre and Mozart's Symphony
No.41, Jupiltr, are the orchestral select
ions
Spirit of Amtrtca on Thursday, July 4
h ring~ out all the p1cn1cs, flags. and fire·
works wluch along with the Houston Sym·
phony concert have hccome a Founh of
July tratl it 1on for thousand~ of Houstonians
This year, S1ephen S tein leads
the orchestra and p1anis1 Scou Holshouser
in music that captures the spirit of
America Beginning wllh Tht S1arSpangltd
Banntr , S1ephen Stein conlinues
with Aaron Copeland's Fan/art
, for lht Common Man and four dances from
I Rodto ; Georce Gershwin's Rhapsody in
Blut , fea1uring Scott Holshouser at the
keyboard; music of George M. Cohan and
Du ke E lling ton: Anderson's Bug/u's
Holiday : an audience sing-along of
Texas songs; Tchaikovsky's 1812 O.-ulurt
. and Sousa's the Stars and Stripts
For..-u March Admiss ion 10 Miller
Ou1door Thealre is free. Tickets for the
covered seat ing a rea are ava ilab le at
the T hea t re's box office be1ween 11.30
am. and 1:00 p.m. 1he day of the performance.
For information call 7131520-
3290.
T he llouslon Symphony's performa
nces a t Mi ller Outdoor Theatre arc
sponsored in part by the City of Houston
through !he City of Hous1on Parks and
Recreation Departmenl and 1he Miller
T heure Advisory Board. Inc
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HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21 , 1996 3
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4 HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21 1996
In Loving Memory
Epitaph for Cal Moran STEVEN DOUGLAS ROACH
It's been a year since you went away Born March 3. 1954
the pain and grief still remain, Died June 9, 1996
an empty hole in my heart Steven D Roach, 42, a resident of
Houston, Texas passed away on
Sunday, June 9, 1996. Steven was
preceded in death by his father, Calvin
I still possess,
and all I have left is to write
In memorium
of the man I loved
as a friend, a confidant. a mentor, a father.
Bernard, and mother, Clara Dean Roach. He is survived
by his brother, Glen Roach of San Antonio, Texas and
nephews, Patrick and Christopher Roach and many
friends
So few understood,
so few can.
but we understood,
and that's all that matters
And I will carry my load
and try to resolve what I can
here on this earth
Steven was an active member of the Executive and
Professional Association of Houston and formerly a
member of the Miss Camp America Foundation. Steven
was also very active in many committees and fund-raisers
for the Houston community
until 1n another lifetime A memorial service will be held at Rothko Chapel, 1400
Sul Ross at Yupon, 5 p.m Thursday, June 13 If you wish
to remember Steven. donations may be made to Omega
House, 602 Branard, Houston. TX 77006
I can see you again
I miss you Daddy Cal.
Love your daughter,
Jackie
Pride -What's It All About
By JACK VALINSKI
The Pride Commutec lf Houston, Inc. is a
non-prof11 75Ul(c)(3) organization
whose purpose 1s 10 ceordinate and promote
events which celebrate the diver ..
s11y, unity and history of the Lesbian and
Gay Community. The organ1za11on's
bylaws do not discrimma1e on the basis of
color, sender, transgender or bisexual
1den11fica11on, the physically challenged
or dofferently·abled or on 1he basis
of ace.
Every year this group puts together not
only the annual parade, but ten days of
events either sponsored by the group itself
or in coordination with dozens of community
organizations to commemorate,
educate and celebrate our pride and
to create a pllh towards a positive future
for all humanity not to exclude any segment
of who we arc as a people.
The Story Behind Pride Week
Most of us know the story by now, but II
always bears repealing. One of the more
volatile and cmot1onal social movements
m the nauon"s history emerged on a
summer night 27 years ago at a ransacked
bar in New York Cuy's Greenwich Village.
At 3:00 a.m. on June 25, 1969, police
raided the Stonewall Inn investigating
alleged liquor violallons Until then.
raids regarded as routine harassment of
bars catering to homosexuals had met
only token opposition. Wuhin minutes.
however. more than 400 people had gathered
in nearby Sheridan Square and a riot
erupted. More disturbances followed
the next two nights.
A minoraty shrouded in mystery, fear.
self-deprecation and loathing decided
11 had enough It was the Le'1ngton of a
civil nghts movement, a gathering of
forces and the beainning of a tumultuous
march. The true story of events surrounding
the Stooewall nots has always been a bot
elusive. and media accounts printed at lhe
time appear blatantly biased and notably
ladrng 1n factual det11I. However, the
above quotes tell the story that IS most
widely known, and the results of that night
in New York Cny can be seen today as our
national community grows in both rnflu·
cnce and in sta1ure in our society.
In I 970, a noted gay activist from Los
Angeles named Morris Kight (who was
born in Texas by the way) was responsible
for the ' Remember Stonewall vigil that
has become a yearly event around the country.
In 1975, the first gay and lesbian march
tn Texas .. as held m Dallas as a part of the
Stonewall remembrance. Community
act1v1sts in Houston held a widely
attended news conference that summer
,..h1ch announced, among other events, the
formation of a polttical coahuon that
has become the Houston Gay and Lesbian
Polmcal Caucus.
The Houston Story
1 In 1975, an estimated 200 people held a
march m downtown Houston to commemo
ratc the Stonewall riots. which was
sponsored by the fledgling Gay Activists
Alliance of the University of Houston.
Singer and former beauty queen Anita Bryant's
appearance as featured entertainer
for the Texas Bar As~oc1at1on convcn-
11on in 1975 brought an estimated 5 ,000
angry protesters down Houston's
streets. The heavily publicized march,
headed by such notables as gay publisher
David Goodstein and Rev. Troy Perry of
the Mctropoluan Community C hurch
was in vivid reaction to Ms. Bryant's
involvement supporting an anti-gay
ordinance then in effect in Dade County,
Florida. A few weeks later. Houston's
community held Its first Pride Rally in
Cherryhurst Park to celebrate what has
become a national holiday for Lesbians.
Gays and their allies
Over 4 ,000 community activists met at
the A.<trodome m 1978 for Town Meeung,
the first organizauonal &athering in
Houston that included gay & lesbian people
from every aspect of Houston society.
Former state legislator and vice-presidential
nominee Frances 'Sissy'
Farenthold was the keynote speaker, and
the meeting was chaired by Virginia Apuzzo,
a lead1n1 gay activist who became
Executive Director of the Nat1onal Gay
and Lesbian Task Force m New York. Many
of Houston's gay serv1ccS, including the
Montrose Counseling Center and the
Montro•e Clinic, were formulated and
organized at the first historic meeting
During the 1980> the AIDS ep1dem1c hit
the Gay commun11y. With little federal
and almost no state and la<:al help, the com·
mun11y responded first by dealing with
own mortality then by building community
inst1tut1ons dealing with AIDS.
Smee I 979, the cay community of Houston
has celebrated Gay and Lesbian Pride
Week (alternating wnh Lesbian and Gay)
with a full schedule of events in late June.
Where We Are Now
This year we are celebrating 'Pride
1 Knows No Borders' ma year m which 'out'
ha• truly been ·m· -m the news, m the world
spotlight. The involvement of gay and
le<b1an people on the elec11on process
and the seemingly endless det>ate over the
military ' s an11-gay and lesbian policy
have ushered rn at last , a time of intt:nse
attention to our issues in the overall pub·
he. Gay men and lesbians. our lives, goals
and political movement have rtcc1ved
more senous coverage rn the main
stream media, print and electronic, in the
past su months than they have m over a decade.
Pubhc op1n1on polls continue to show
that while most Americans support equal
rights for gay people, the majority of
Americans do not understand that no federal
law protects lesbian and gay people
from d1scriminat1on . Most people do
not know that II is perfectly legal to fire
someone in the 41 .1ttate.11 that do not have
civil rights protection based on sexual
orientation.
Driven both by the positive anitude of
our government's new administration
and the swift and fierce negative backlash
to the changes from the radical right,
role models seem to suddenly be crawling
out of the cracks in the pavement. They are
everywhere, coming out or coming forward
in d roves, and thc ar appearance has
coincided with a reexamination of values.
policies and approach in society at
large.
Just as the participants in the parades
and the marches on Washington and state
capuals represent a cross-section of a
broader gay and lesbian society, our community
is a microcosm of society itself.
Cons1derin1 this, we arc about as much
'like everybody else· as we are ever going
to get. That we define our vision of a nebulous
•everyone' deservina of our respect
and emulation in terms of a minority
within society that rejects U) 1s an irony
rooted in self-hatred.
In the wake of 1993 ·s March on Washington
for Gay. Lesbian and Bi Equal Rights
and Liberation, and with this year's
flood of positive media portrayals of
gays and lesbians, it would appear that
pride, diversity and being Out are good for
us after all.
It 1s true that sexual orientation is only
one aspect of an 1nd1v1dual's pcrsonal-
11y However, historically and in
today·s political climate, 11 is not cay and
lesbian people ,..ho have made the biggest
deal out of 11. While we are consistently
described » an aggressive and powerful
lobby, m truth we are only now regrouping
from an overwhelming blow the AIDS crisis
landed on our energy. leadership,
organization and polllical firepower
Meanwhile. those whose political
agenda 1l has always been to deny U) bu1c
human rights have maintained thetr presence
and power and have become more
aggressive
If we are here celebraung that we have a
respon>1hil1ty to support the weary.
warrior. who do more than their share of
our community'~ worl. We also ha~e .•
re>pons1bihty to personally part1c1-
pate, each m our own way, and to offer our
leaders the insight and guidance they need
from a broader and more representative
commun11y
We have reason to celebrate. But now 1s
not the umc to compromise ourselves
back into a closet of obscurity, even a padded
one with a view We make positive
strides and wtthsund negallve aggres
sions from )ilcncc to celebration .
Another
way to
reach us!
You can now send your
letters, news leads, and
other correspondence to
the HOUSTON VOICE
by e-mail. Address to:
Hou Voice@aol.com.
IVOICE :: .,. ... , ........ c .......... ·rz::'---
ISSUE 817
June 21. 1996
Published Fridays
Estabhshed 1974 as the Houston Montrose Star.
re-estabhshed 1980 as the Houslon Montrose VOtt:A.
changed name IO The NM VOtCe 1n 1eg1
mcorporating the New Or1eans Crescent City Star.
re-estabhshed December 1. 1993 as the
Houston Voice
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Fax: (713) 529-9531
Contents copynght t 995
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Crlld Ourentpubhsher
Jack Leonardtgenet•I m1nager
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EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
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STAFF WRITERS
Jon Hamson. Marl< Henry,
B R McOonold, Carolyn Roberts,
Javier Tamez,
Glen Webber
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jon Anthony. Sam Dawster.
Andrew Edmonson, Keny Kadel!.
Chns Lambert Curt Momson
Jazz Paz, John Reed
CARTOONISTS
David Brady, Scotty, Eart Storm
PHOTOGRAPHERS
David Goelz, Kim Thompson
ADVERTISING SALES DEPARTMENT
Lee Davos. Carolyn A Roberts
CLASSIFIEDS & PERSONALS
Maggie Brahe!<
NAllONAl AOIJ[RTIS+NG REPRESENTATIVE
R,.,.... M-._.mg
p 0 SOI 5U!I. 'Nledleld. NJ 1908) 232·2021
MJllt:»lo~..,.
~,_.~,.,_,._ .. 9'!ec:t,.,.M~1995
_,,__.or~ f'tlP'OCkdon o1 any-~,.....
..-tldeOt,._,. CIOP)'Ol'~frornlt'lllHouMor!Voa• _....,.....,. __
_.QpnorW 4txptMMd br cobMiata or c::.toc:ristS •• not r.>
....-ay 9lOM ol h ~ Voa or iu staff and we....,,..
no i..bM)' tar h CDnlent nprllllMd or mplled ol Mid a-tlCIM or
-lik.,....olS*'W)nl5WigordNd tNlorh:tlonilll.,lhe --P\.GICltiOn oflht '*Yleor ~of srry penon or Ot·
~'°"In 8'10.. or~.,,,. Houston Voa •not
10 be construed aa "'Y 1ndahon ol IN M•U91 cwl9l'Ub0n of
saidl*IOl"lor~
-The 8PP8•rce of~~· or opiniOt'tl ••Pl'"*
....,..,.. do not CO'lltilul• .., 9ndorMmet'C or ~ by Tht
Houl1on Voa or 111...,.
HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21 , 1996 5
GJ.\Y PRIDE SU~tDJ.\Y
VVED~IESD>\ Y
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LESBIAN BIOGRAPHY
Aimee and Jaguar, Erica Fischer
!'uh rice SUDO. LOBO PRICE $19.20
ANTHOLOGIES/NONFICTION
Gay Lesbian Li ary Heritage
Claude S mers, ed
Puh. Price S./. .Oo. L BO PRICE $36.00
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Better to die on your feet
than Live on your knees
I feel real bad for Dale Carpenter and
the Log Cabin Republicans. I've been
where they arc and I would not return for
anything It's going to be hard for them
to get away, too. It may be the hardest
thing they will ever do
I was not a wanted person when I was
born . My parents were not dis appointed
m me per se, they iust failed to sec
how I could be comfortably accommodated
onto their plans . Occasionally
I was tucked under an adult's arm and
toled about to meet their appointments.
More often I wa s iust ignored .
Day-to-day I was tolerated by my folks
as the family masc ot. They disc ussed
my di s abil1t1es and immaturoty,
bad coordination and their embarrassment
of me as if I were a dumb pet. The
mos t frequently mentio ned word
regarding me was " stupid ." If l had
been a pet I would have been left behind at
a rest stop .
To the neighbors, and everyone else
whose admiration they coveted , my
parents were a little defensive of me,
as if to suggest that I was not repre sentative
of their "other" children I
used to fantasize that they loved me,
but that for some political reason I did
not grasp, they were not really free to say
so Consequently I never felt like I was
one of them . I never felt like an integrated
part of that family.
I imagine the Log Cabin Republicans
feel the same way Alter soliciting a
donation from them, and getting a
check for one thousand dollars, Bob
Dole returned their conu1but1on
when he realized that they were gay.
That must have hurt, but probably not as
much as seeing Dole publicly waffle on
his position. That made them goofy with
hope that perhaps it was all a misunderstanding,
and they were not an
embarrassment after all.
Hope inspired swift action and the
aspiring Republicans applied-and
were teasingly accepted-as a full partic
opating member of the Texas
Republican Convention, complete
with their own booth and full -page
adveruscmcnt in the program . Surely
this meant acceptance' They were members
of the family , nowl
But The Family realized their error (or
tired of their JOkc) and dispatched a
severe rejectio n and re fund o f pay ments
o ffered for sa id provil eges
Membership in this organizatio n is
not for sale, they miffed Dale Carpenter
says that the Republicans should
"live up to their word ," I think that they
have. I think what Carpente r wants is
for them to change their word-and their
heart. He said so himself when he said he
hoped the party officials would
" reverse their blatantly discriminatory
decision ."
I don' t think that is going to happen .
"But no matter what they say or do," he
said, " We arc not going away."
Andrew Hodges and David Hutter had 11
right in 1977 (With Downcast Gays):
"We have been taught to hate ourselves.
How thoroughly we have
learned the lesson! "
Dale Carpenter needs to find himself
a new family
I know.
Wave at Jazz in the Pride Parade. She
will be marching with htr family. The
Houston Pride Band .
AVES presents Latino Pride Gala
Houston-On Saturday, June 22, 1996,
Amigos Volunteers in Education &.
Services (AVES), Inc. will present
"Latino Pride Gala", an official event
of Houston's Lesbian & Gay Pride Weck .
Maior sponsors are National Intervention,
Merck & Co., Mendez Counseling
and Xavier Luna, Mr TGRA 1997 Candidate.
The Gala is a semi-formal dance
which continues the tradition begun
18 years ago to celebrate pride in being
gay/lesbian and Latino/a and is open to
everyone. The event will be held at the
Edwin Hornberger Conference Center,
former sue of the Shamrock Hotel,
on the Texas Medical Center (2151 W.
Holcombe @ Shamrock), from 8:00 p.m.
unul 2 :00 a.m. Admission to the Gala is a
$30 tax-dcducublc donation ($40/
door), which includes open bar all evening.
Latino music (Tciano, salsa, cumbia,
etc.) as well as country/western and
other dance music will be provided by the
Accent Band.
AVES os a non-profit community based
AIDS services organozauon . The mission
of the agency os to promote a healthy
community through educauon. disease
prevention , advocacy and direct
care to Latinos and ocher hostorocally
under-served populations . AVES
works to empower these com~unttics
by res pecting differences . •n language
, culture and sexual identity
Those rcccovon& services from AVES
include men , women and children, 70"
are Hispanic, 20" Whott and 10" African
American. Approximately 70" of
the population served os gay. All proceeds
from the Gala will enable AVES to
continue its m1ss1on.
Angela Mora, Executive Director of
AVES, os pleased to present this event to
show her gratitude to the lesbian and
gay community. "I found out recently
that the Latino community would not
have the dance they usually have during
Pride Week and, with the support of my
staff, our Board of Directors and some
individuals from the lesbian and &•Y
community decided that we would take
the responsibility of or1anizing a
similar event . Cons1derin& the
immeasurable amount of support that
AVES has received from the Latino lesbian
and gay community and the gay
community in general, this os the least
we could do,'' Mora stated. She added,
"Through this cclebrauon, everyone
will have an cnioyable evening and
at the same tome allow us to raise funds to
enhance our programs for the benefit of
the entire AIDS community." AVES
will also participate in the Pride Parade
and Festival.
Advance tickets can be obtained
through 8:00 pm .. Friday, June 21 , at
the AVES office, 4126 Southwest Freeway,
Ste 1717 (Twelve Oaks Tower) .
Tickets will be available at the door on
the night of the event. For more information
, call 626·2837
HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21 1996 7
Gay Groups case goes to Supreme Court
GOP Emergency Appeal
By CURT MORRISON
In a resounding victory for our community,
a Travis County District Judge last week.
ordered the GOP to grant the gay and lesbian
group. Log Cabin Republicans a booth at the
state convention and a full-page advertise~
ment in the convenrion program. State dis~
tri<t Judge John K. Deitz ruled that the party
had violated the group's right to free speech
under the Texas constitution In his ruling
Dietz cited broad consticutional princi ..
pies as a determining factor in his decision
Dietz ruled that GOP officials cannot use
.. unfcuered discretion" as a means co
restrain freedom of speech .
As e•pected, the GOP asked the state Supreme
Coun for an emergency appeal in an aue"1>t to
reverse the lower courr ruling. The GOP
entered a Writ of Mandamus, an extremely
rare and extraordinary course of legal
action It is highly unusual for any Supreme
Coun to grant such an appeal. Be that a.< 11 may,
the Texas Supreme Coun agreed to hear the
appeal. The hearin& took place Wednesday
N OT A LL
BATTLES
ARE FOUGHT
WITH A
SWORD.
OCTOBER
11 13, 1996
AIDS MEMO IAL
Ql/ILT DISPLAY
WASlllNCTON
DC
NAME~ ProJ<a:
415-882-5500
Tr.tvd Info:
800 926-2631
June 19 at 10:00 a.m At press time, a decision
had not been reached .
·•tt is disappointing 1hat par1y officials
have expended precious resources and time to
keep a Republican group from having a six
foot booth in the Alamo dome, rather than
fighting to elect Republicans and to defeat
Democrats," said Log Cabin State President
Dale Carpenter. "I just can't understand
why party officials are afraid of a full
and fair debate on an 1mpor1an1 public issue
like gay and lesbian civil rights . They're
1reating 1his booth like it is a threat to west·
em civilization or an auack. by the Barbarians
on Rome "
lesbians and their right to parcicipate in
the political process, jt 1s a victory for the
principles of free speech and equality and
the right to contract," he remarked at a
crowded press conference in Austin
Log Cabin has received tremendous support
from mainstream Republicans
throughout this ordeal .. In contras1 to the
intolerance and narrow mindedness of
parry officials, we have received tremendous
support from mainstream Rcpubli·
cans across lhe state;• said Carpenter
The Houston Chronicle rcponcd 1his week
that Te<as Gov. George Bush, a Republican,
said internal parcy figh1s over abortion and
opposing gay rights should not be taken as
signs that the party is incolcran1 "The vas1
majority of Republicans m the stace of Tex.as
arc tolcran1 people and good people." said
Bush
In addition, Carpenter rejected speculation
from state GOP officials that Judge
Dietz's decision would open political conventions
to cx1remist groups ... The party's
parade of horribles is an auempt to divert
attenuon from the fac1s. Pany officials were
caught red-handed m an act of discrimination.''
retorted Carpenter
The Supreme Coun ruling aside. the group IS
looking towards the future . .. This is no1 an
end to our struggle. it 1s just lhc beginning,"
said Carpenter "We will continue to work:
in our precincts, m our counucs, m our sen·
ate districts, and in every state in this coun-
Pruid•nr of Lo1 Cabin R•publicansDale
Carpenur
Carpenter hailed Dietz's decision as a vicmry
for all concerned. ''This is not a victory
just for Log Cabin. It is a victory for gays and
try, to convince the pany that 11 should adhere
to its fundamcn1al principles of limi1ed
government and individual freedom,.
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Winning Coach Loses Job
By DEBORAH BELL
Holly Nuber. coach of the Pearland High
School "Lady Oilers" had led her team to
a state championship this year, but after
the May 18 victory she received a poor
evaluation and was relieved of her
coaching duties. Nuber, the first and only
female health teacher at the school has
been employed by Pearland Independent
School District for six years. Last
year the team made it 10 the state district
SA playoffs. The team was invited to the
Astrodome after their championship
win and Nuber was honored lo throw out
the gamcball. The joy of that victory has
now turned sour, even though as she told
the crying girls from the team when they
heard of her dismissal, " They can never
take away what we did this year,"
Filing a grievance to be reinstated.
Nuber claims that she was unfairly evaluated
by Athletic Director Van Nelson
and has suffered both sexual discrimination
and bias due to her perceived sexual
orientation. Nelson has expressed
anti-gay sentiments a number of times
according 10 witnesses allegedly stat·
ing. " We don't want that lifestyle in
Pearland. We want positive role models
for our kids." Susan Lenamon, PISD
communications director said 10 an
interview with Channel 2 News, "That
would not mailer 10 the d1s1nc1. Sexual
onentallon 1s a pnvatc mauer." She
also reports that the d1s1nc1 has not faced
any legal action due to sexual discrimi·
nation to her knowledge and 1hat 1h1s 1s
the first such charge against Nelson m his
3 years with the district
The distribution of a book called
"Enough 1s Enough" by a Baptist Church
rn Pearland is also cued as being rcspon
s1blc for ins11gat1on of this episode
One chapter 1s tilled "Out of the Closet
and into the Classroom •• The testimony
ot witnesses will be crucial to
Nuber winning her case, and it is feared
that many will not come forward wllh 'up·
port due to a possible "witch hunt."
especially by other teachers who fear
Io's of their jobs
Nuber, herself named All American
Outfielder in 1985 and 1986 while play·
ing for Stephen F. Austin, said that her
evaluations over the years by Nelson
were very critical, with what seemed to
be nit-picking and many things she felt
unfairly cr111cized for. " When I would
receive a review I would feel really low, 1
really doubt myself.. but l tr1ed to use 11 as
an opponunity to learn from my mistakes
... ways 10 do 11 beuer Sure I make
mistakes but I try 10 improve. I love what I
do and really love working with the kids."
A number of parents also have been cril·
1cal of her, but she says most of the parents
and her team have stood by her. ''I've
worked hard 10 build the program. The
team 1s a dynamic group of kids and I feel
privileged 10 have worked with them. I
also try 10 make sure that I've taught them
more than softball," Nuber expresses.
Asked 10 elaborate she says. "Well. if
they make an error in some way I tell 1hem to
go a little slower, examine the way it wu
made in the fir.I place, and think of how 11
can be corrected-don ·t make another
error by acting 1n haste. Like 1f you say
something in anger th•l you don '1 really
mean. then don't make 11 worse by not going
back and apologizing·· Another exam·
pie she offered was, "If you are doing
weight training and you end up wllh a
weight that 1s more than you can handle, go
back and use •omething a lnllc lighter
Just hke m life. ~omcumes we take on more
than we can handle and we have to know
when something becomes a burden and
find way' to lighten our load"
Ken Oswwald, whose daughter was on 1he
team said that the champion!.h1p could
Winning coach Holly Nubtr
not be credited to Nuber's coaching,
.. the team would have won with or without
her.''
Denise Lee, a softball player who has
played on a ch•mpionship winning
team said "There is absolutely no way the
team could have won without their coach.
No mailer how talented the individual
players, they could not have been a win·
ning ttam without a winning coach." She
continued, "a successful coach does
more than choose the hne-up and call the
plays. She has 10 have the ab1hly to instill
the inspiration to win. as this coach obvi ..
ously did." After hearing of Nuber's sue
cess in her first year of teaching, working
w11h special education studenlS 1n a
poverty stricken area in the Texas val·
Icy. one wonders what belier role model
Nuber could be One lmle boy who al the
age of nmc could not yet read, also lacked
verbal skills so he could barely talk mtel·
ltg1bly and rarely oaid anything lie had
been abused and neglected mosi of his
hfe. Nuber took eflom 10 give him special
aucntion. One day she asked the class "If
}'OU could have one wish come true. what
would it l:lc? .. Nuhcr wat 4u1tc surpnscU
when he raised his hand in response His
answer was to say his dearest dream was to
be able to reac.J. Ahcr three weeks of work ..
ing with him not only was he reading at a
primary level, but actually could assist
some of the other kids.
One of the things Nuber h3' been Crill·
cized for was that she did not wear her uni ..
form to the games. 1'There are no uni ..
forms," she says According lo her, Ncl·
son i~sued maroon coaching shirts (team
colors are maroon & while) that were
"men's style" and asked that 11 be worn
with khaki or black "dockers" style
pants. "The shirt was of thin material and
I did not hke the way 11 or the pants looked on
me. I wore the same clothes I wore la•l year
and there had not been a problem then,"
Coaches in other spons also did not follow
Nelson's suggested "uniform" and did
not get in trouble for it
The points of the grievance filed lune 14,
are that Nuber was unfairly evaluated and
not renewed in her coaching duties for
reasons which are: I) discriminatory
against her because she 1s female; 2) are
retaliatory because she had complained
to the district"s executive
director; 3) are retaliatory because she
exercised her first amendment rights to
speak out on issues of public concern
(sexual discrim1nat1on), and 4) arc a
denial of her right to equal protection on
the basis of her sexual or1entat1on
Nuber retains her teaching pos1t10n
Asked how she feels about stayin& there,
e.pcc1ally 1f she docs not win her griev·
ance she says, "When I leave I want 1110 be
on my own terms. Even wuh my case set ..
tied win or lose. there are things that need
to be dealt w11h there."
Assistance and support may be offered
through contacting Allnrney Darah
Headley at 286·3346.
Tell EVERYONE you sow it in the
T HOUSTON VOICE
Message from the Parade Co-Chairs
By ROBIN DUNCAN & RAY RAMIREZ
O.K. gang, lhe bog day is fasi approaching
and we want to send a few special messages
1hroughou1 1he communi1y
Fi"t of all, in consideralion of !hose
w11h special needs, 1here will be 1wo "Safe
Tems" sci up along lhe parade rou1e . One
will be "air condilioned" and is in lhe
parking 101 of Hollywood Video (The old
Tower Thca1er in case anyone has forgollcn).
There will be seating provided
and II os wheelchair accessible. The
01her locauon os the parking 101 of 811
Wcs1he1mcr. There will also be water
s1ations in both of 1hese areas. Please
spread the word of you know ofany folks who
could benefit from these special areas.
And please, be rcspcc1ful of those who
need the special scaling.
The parade line-up (bclwccn W. Alabama
and Westhcomcr on Hazard and Woodhead
near Lamer Jr. High) will begm al 2:00
p.m., w11h all uni1s in place by 4:00 p.m.
Floals will be linmg up on Harold, east of
Woodhead, all other units should be in
consecutive number order. Since Hazard
and Woodhead will be closed to traffic
during lhis time, please avoid the area
unless you have official business there.
The parade will step off promp1ly at 5 00
p m .. go East along Westhcomer to Tafl,
where II will then 1um in to Loven Blvd. The
Fesuval is al tha1 sue, so you can JUSt fol low
the end of the parade to the party! Be
sure to pro1ec1 yourselves from 1he sun
and heal. Wear sun block, a big hat , shades,
and drink plenty of water (carbonated
beverages are not good lh or SI quenchers).
Pe1s are bellcr off lef1 at home.
Las1ly, bu1 by no means leas1. trash containers
will be set up along the route and at
the Festival Siie on Lovett. PUT THE
TRASH WHERE IT BELONGS. The Pride
Commillec is responsible for the clean
up of the area on Monday, and you can make
our JObs a lot easier by helping us out. If
you have kept up with the on gomg debate in
the Houston Voice. you are aware that
there is much hostility from area rcsodcn1s
and businesses regarding the mess
the Wcsthcomcr Fes1ivals make. Be
sure not to block residential driveways
and respect private property, do not
destroy lawns or use them as to1le1s. Let's
prove we arc an example 10 follow, by not
li11ering and by properly disposing of
trash.
Have a fabulous Pride Weck, we'll sec
you on Sunday! Happy Trails!
What You Need to Know
Lack of information os a big problem in
1hc HIV communi1y. Many people living
with HIV/AIDS lose valuable righ1s
and benefit~ hecau~e they jusl don't know
the proper procedure of steps to take to
pro1cc1 themselves.
Allorney Muchcll Ka1ine and Social
Worker Roseann Houseman have tcamedup
to help the community by offering a
series of free workshops on various topics.
The workshops will cover everything
from how 10 use heal1h insurance and
go on long-1crm disabihty, 10 employment
issues and the preparation of estate
plannrna documents Various topics
will be covered and each is designed specially
10 teach you wha1 you need to know.
The Friday workshops will be held at
Oncol Medical Associates, 4140
Soulhwest Freeway, 4th noor from 6 to
8:00 p.m. There IS no fee 10 allend and will
be held each mon1h, cxcepl November.
I Everyone is invucd to aucnd, but due t~
limited seating rc~crvat1ons must be
made by calling 961 -7100.
How To ... Workshops
Schedule
June 28· ·Bow to go on Long 1erm disabil
ily.
July 26- How to use your health insurance
for HIV medical care .
Aug. 30-How 10 protect your cmploymcn1
if you arc HIV positive
Sepl. 27-How 10 sell your life insurance
Ocl 25-How to gc1 your cs111c documents
in order.
Dec.6-How to unders1and your insurance
benefits .
HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21 , 1996 9
Where you can be
PROUD OF WHO YOO ARE!
713.629.0600
2200 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 450 Senior Lo;an Officer
Houston, TX 77056 Pager 919-5626
Lesbian/Gay Lending Specialist
THANKS
FROM
SYDNEY
M'f~~
aHJ~~
TUA
FRidAy, JUNE 21 AT 900pM
~·ver
./Ua.ks fine
Cars
HI! We're you~.e~eiqhbor!
Heavenly Cars at
down to Earth prices.
1912 S. Shepherd
at San f elipe
521-3880
Free HN Testing at Clinic Ms. MONTROSE CONTEST
The Montrose Clmoc will expand ils HIV
testing hours on recognition of
Na11onal HIV Testing Day, June 27.
Regular hours wlli be expanded to start
two hours earlier at 11 :00 a.m. and continuing
to 5 :00 p m. The testing os
offered free of charge but a donation os
requested (S0-$20), however no one is
ever turned away for inabiloty to pay.
Appointments arc encouraged though
not required by calling (713) 520-2000.
This will be the second annual National
HIV Testing Day campaign which
began last year 1hrough the efforts of the
National Association of People with
AIDS. HIV whole not as yet curable, is
becoming a more manageable condition
as a rcsuh of new medicines and
heller hcahh programs. However,
knowing one's own HIV siatus, regardless
of age, race. gender, or sexual orientation,
is 1hc only way to begin
potentially lofe-prolongong early
treatments.
The Montrose Clinic offers onc-ononc
peer prc· tcst and post-1cst counseling
. The clinic provides a comfort•·
ble and professional environment
where clocn1 anonymity and privacy
is highly protected. Currcn1ly, Houston
ranks seventh in the nation for the
number of AIDS cases and Texas ranks
fourth among 1hc states m 1hc na1ion. The
Clinic urges all persons who have never
been tested or not tested rcccnlly to
schedule an appointment.
The Montrose Clinic plays a pivotal
role in Houston's HIV care, providing
the most HIV tests for a coty sotc and
offering specialized HIV medical
and research services . The Montrose
Clinic is a not-for-profit, communityba<
ed Unucd Way agency cSlablishcd to
serve people in 1he Hous1on area by
providing low or no cost health, social,
educational and research services. It
spccoalozcs on identifying unmet
needs and developing client-centered
programs to address 1hosc needs.
The professional staff and volunteers
of the Clinic arc dedicated to preventing
1hc spread of disease, prov1d-
1ng early diagnosis and promoting
appropriate intervention .
Co ME CHOOSE f ROM OUR bEvy of bEAUTiEs!
HElp US SElECT A SpECiAl PERSON TO ROUNd
ouT THE fAMily of MoNTROSE RoyAlTyl
S T RdAy_,
JUNE 22,
PM
LADY VEE BIG ROBERT
and
The future Stars Band
Rhythm & Blues dance music that makes your feel
want to dance!
SuNdAy, JuNE 2) ALL DAY PARTY!!
Hot food • Cold Cocktails • The LUGE!!
Vi sir ouR BEER CARdEN A Nd ENjoy ouR f ESTiviTIES
WHilE HAViNCj A fRONT ROW SEAT f OR THE pARAdE
SH1ElA LENNON AT 9pM!
• 1100 WESTHEIMER • 523-7217 •
10 HOUSTON VOICE/ JUNE21, 1996
Sometimes tfo: biggest chalkngc you fiu:l"
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Gay Today
by Glen Webber
PFLAG-There For Us
Peggy was shocked. She called her son one
night to talk, and the phone was answered
by a friend. When she asked who this was,
his reply, "Honey, I'm his boyfriend ."
She then hung up the phone, not identifying
herself. As Peggy sat down, she realized
all her fears came true. Her son was a
homosexual. All his friends were homo·
sexual as well, She wondered what kind of
lifestyle he was loving .
She decoded to vi;ot him and find out. Her
son, named Alex, mel her at the airport.
Along with horn was a good friend, not the
one who answered the phone. His friend
was very clean cut and attractive. What we
might call a pretty boy. On the way to hos
apartment, Peggy didn't say much. Now
that she was seetng her son in a different
light, she didn't know what to say. At the
apartment, Alex knew something was
wrong. After his friends left, he sat down
with hos mom and asked what was wrong.
She replied, "I know you're gay."
Alex wasn't ready for such a blunt
announcement. His reply to his mother
was "And?" Well, said Peggy, "Are you
alright? Do you have AIDS? Is there any·
thong I need to know?" Alex decoded to be
honest about everythtng. He explained
to her that he was HIV-positive but didn't
yet have AIDS. He showed her the many
medications he was taking. He tncd to
explain to her what the medicines were
for. She said she would like to speak with
his doc1or, and they called him. He was
g lad to speak with Peggy.
They had a very informative visit.
Although Peggy felt better knowing
Al ex·~ cond1t1o n , s he was s till very sad
She knew one day she would lose her son.
This was always her biggest fear, that her
son would doe before she did. She also had
this anger towards the gay community for
the spread of this disease. She knew this
feeling was irrational, but s he couldn't
help n. Where was the person who infec1cd
Alex? Is he still alive? Was Alex the only
one. or were there more. And what about
Alex, was he tnfcctrng people? She had
to know.
It was then <he got a call. The woman was
asked to call Peggy by Alex's doctor She
was a member of Parents and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and also had
a gay son. This group helps family members
cope when their children (or sib·
long) comes out to them. She offered to meet
with Peggy and talk wuh her and maybe try
to answer any questions she might have.
Peggy replied she had a lot of questions
that she needed answered.
They met for lunch. The woman brought
two other mothers with her. One was in
PFLAG and the other was a mother whose
son died from AIDS. They explained that
the Gay community is tryrng to stop the
spread of AIDS, and about the many education
programs that were designed to
inform people how to avoid getting it.
They talked with her about safe sex. They
explained to her that AIDS was spreading
because people, both say and straight
were ignoring safe sex warnings. Most
had no idea what It meant to become
infected with HIV or fool ishly thought
that they were not at risk.
They also explained how important the
support of parents 1s for gay and lesbian
children, especially those that arc liv·
mg with AIDS. That support sometimes
made all the difference in the heallh of
their child. That the secrets of remaining
m the closet might be too stressful on their
child's immune system. So Peggy made a
determination to tell her son that he had
her total support. Pcsgy also decided to
join PFLAG, and Jct the world know how
proud she was of her son, and how brave she
thought he wa s.
Peggy asked Alex to join her on the sofa.
She told horn what <he was going to do. Alex
was so proud of hos mother's commit·
ment, he started to cry. She held him m her
arms, and told horn he would never have to
worry about a place to stay or someone to
take care of him if he needed it. She said she
would never tolerate someone speak-
' ing bad about gays. And <he said her life was
much better since she knew the truth about
Alex.
At the first PFLAG meeting, Peggy was
very pleased with the turn out, She has
made many new friends. Although her trip
was coming to an end, she planned to join
the PFLAG group tn her city. That group
wasn't very large, but ot was a very strong
chapter. Peggy knew she could add a lot to
it.
Alex died several months ago. He did
have to go home, where he was taken well
care of by hos mother and her friends. His
last words were "Thank you mot~r. I love
you." But all os not lost for Peggy. Her par·
ticipation in PFLAG has kept her going.
Her pride in her son kept his memory wann
in her heart. She gamed something impor-
1ant. even lhough she suffered such a terrible
loss . Her part1c1pation in
PFLAG and the support group at her
church helped her deal with Alex's death.
She thanked God for his blessings.
TI1e funeral was very 'i.Olcmn. Bui lhe nice
thing was that PFLAG was there. They were
lined against the wall and several of the
members were holdtng the PFLAG banner,
on respect and memory of Alex. Peggy
was lhc only speaker. She said she learned
more from Alex about hfe 1han she ever
knew possible Hos courage and
strength. his determination to live a
quality life, and hos ability to accept his
illness gave her strength to accept it as
well She thanked Alex for hos life and Jove.
She then walked quietly towards the back
of the room to leave, and her PFLAG friends
draped the banner around her as she left.
She was grateful she wasn't alone that
day.
PFLAG IS a wonderful group. They arc
very strong and supportive of our com·
munoty. If you have a parent (or other
family member) that supports you, get
them involved on this fine group. They can
be especially helpful of you are just com·
mg out to your family. PF LAG os the great·
est ally of our community. When you sec
them in the Pride parade this year, please
thank them for their support. They love us
very much. Not JUSt their own children but
all of us. Enough to face the horror of AIDS
wuh us, enough to 10 to Washington to
lobby for our ri&hts, enough to learn and
crow, not only to accept us, but to be there
for us through ot all. Anyone who wants to
extol "Family Values" should look at
PFLAG, because tome after tome they prove
by example what we all know-Love makes
a family, noth in& more and nothing Jess.
The Houston Chapter of PFLAG can be
reached at 7 131867-9020.
Gltn Wtbbtr is a form tr tmployu of
Contlntntal A1rlints and a ptrson living
with A IDS 1n Housron •
See Gn importGnt news story hGppen? • Cqll the
HOUSTON VOICET
HOUSTON VOICE/ JUNE21, 1996 11
14 REASONS TO CHOOSE MARTIN'S FOR ALL
YOUR FINE ARTS AND FRAMING NEEDS!
1. All REsidENTiAl & COMlllERciAl IRAMiNG & SERVicEs i~ ONE srop.
2. Fit.£ ARTS GAllERy, exkibiriNG NATiONAl ANd locAl ARTiST.
}. liMind ediriONs, pRi~Ts ANd posrER GAllERy.
4. ART Appu isAls A~d RESTORATiON (liCENSEd & bON<kd) o~ REQUEST.
5. SpEciAl SERViCES of ACQUisirio~s & RESAl£ foR OUR CUSTOOICRS
(SECONdARY MARkEI spEciAlisr)
6. L.uliNATiON S£Rvicu IOR W.dividuAl & COMMERciAl.
], Acid fR££ MATS & fORM boARd C\/STOMS.
8. MusEUM 9UAliry pRESENTATiON & CONSERVArio .. ON All jobs.
9. SpEciAhy & UNUSUAi im1s Ol.R SpEciAl COl'oCERN.
10. lrtTERiOR ckcoRATOR ON STAii.
11. CONsiSTENT ki<;lt 9uAliry.
12. fRH kOME OR olrice ddivERy.
ll ALL WORk AND PURCHASES FULLY GUARANTEEIU
14. TLC•• Nor •vJ.Jilr ""' t '"°" .. y orln c;.llroy. .,,. ._
0.. sp<ci..J coocc.., p<.,.,.,J cOMl<lr .. tiO'<
AAd Tr.do Lov"G C..< loo <Ad< IT<~ you
bm<; ro "' E•rk K TR<Arcd 'lllTk £XTTIA
sp<ci•l CAR< b<cAUS< rky Ml lXIRA sp<aAI..
1641 'fr'HTilliMOI
71J ~2J-6t2S
817 FAIRVIEWe • , (713)
(ttt CoMerse) ~ 4 528·9204
Su/JU 1fJ~ s~ s~
Fri/111/, ]Mne 21st
Miss Z11cli
Fr11die L11111
As/rlel/ HHstu
s,1cl11I GMest
Fril111J, ' " "' 28th
M/11 Z11clt
Led H11lso11
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s , ec/11/ Glllst
S'°"'-~ ll:OOp. ~
S11t11rl 111/, ]11111 2211/
Miss Z11elt
'11ilfi Lee L•lfe
R1111
s,eci11I G111st
S11t.rl111/, Jane 29tlt
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Br1111Ji H•aso n
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N11Hti W11r/lliclt
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s,eei11I Gust
811 ~tzotesslona{ O ttlce Space
Wes~;~:~:onttose
Bob Leasing and Management
RYAN 1131s23-1600
12 HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE.21, 1996
PRIDE IS AS PRIDE DOES!
LET'S MAKE PRIDE HAPPEN!
(on
Pride Day Mass at 10:00 am
Followed by Brunch
Parade Group meets at 3:00 pm
Woodhead between Westheimer & Harold)
BERING MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH
A Reconciling Congregation
There can be no RAINBOW unless it has rained.
.. your Father ... makes his S\lll rise on the evil and on the good
and sends the rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
1440 Harold St. Houston, Texas 77CYJ6
(713) 526-1017
Miii S:4S
(Paid AdvcrtiKmcnl)
ASK THE PASTOR
Q- ••w1t•t U idolatry7 How do I know wh•t idolatry is today
,ince things ha\le chang~ so much since the writers of
the Bible!"
A Last "'eek "'c looked at the definilion of idolauy. II is defined
a.s, "The paying of divine honors 10 any created thing; the
ascriplion of divine power 10 natural agencies.• The Old Testament
wa.s clear aboul how God viewed idolalry. In Exodus, the
fir.t two commandments referred to idolatry as being in direct
conlradiclion to loving and sc"'ing God. This week "'e will
look al "hat the New Teslarncnt says aboul idolatry and how
"'e can apply this 10 1oday's understanding
RC\ Janet Parker In the New Tcslarnent lhe "'ord for idolau1 is "e1dololatria •
The "ord denoles a gross sin (a sm denoting anything thal pulS
you m a place of being on equal Slat us "ilh or above God, i.c , an indepcndenl spiril) and
comes m lhe list of vices in the following Scrip1ures. Lei's look al them In I Corin1h1ans
S 10. t I 1dolatl) refers to the sexually immoral, the greedy, 1he slanderer, the drunkard. and
lhc s"indler tn I Connth1ans 6:9 the lisl goes on 10 add the proslll\Jle and the thief In Galaltans
S .20 the list expands 10 include: "'1tchcrafi. hatred. discord. jealousy. fils of rage. selfish
11111b1uon. dissensions. facuons. en\')', and orgies. Colossoans J.S adds lusl to 1he hst. The
lost 1s made complele m Rc\Clat1on 21 8 by adding. lhe cowardly, the unbelieving. the vile.
the murderers. those who practice magic ans. and liars.
\\ha1 docs all of1h1s mean~ It seems so n.:gatl\c and dcstruCIJve Can anyone be rescued
for this !1st of "don'IS.,. Surely \\C ha'e all found ourscl\CS somrnhcre in this hst of VJccs
How can ~c find our "'"3Y out?
Jesus tells us in Matthrn 6: t 9-24 thal '" arc 10 <tore up for ourselves treasures in heaven.
V.:c arc lo focus on thal which "'II never die. The lhings ofth1s world and the pleasures that
accompany these things"'" one day pass away. No one can se"'c two gods. There will alwa)
S be one that "'clove more. God wants our ultimate love and attention
There is no doubt that the "'orld is continually at "'ar with our affections. For us today. our
1do!5 can become ourselves. our lime. our finances., our career. our spouses.. our home, sex.
rela1ionsh1ps. etc. \\"hen our allegiance 1s pledge to none olhcr than God. "'e find our;clvcs
bemg tempted and 1ned by the "'ooing of the "'orld You m1gllt compare the two 1ug of wars
as the la"' of gnmty figllling ogamst the la" of acrodynarmcs. It all depends upon "'ho "'e
surrender to in the figllt.
If we find ourscl•es puttmg ano1her J>C™>n. or lhing above God, then "'e mu<t rcpcnl Repentance
1s luming around 180 degrees and "'alking in 1he opposite direction. The bcauly
ahoul bcmg a child of God is 1ha1 forgiveness is always available lo the one who secs their
wrong and confesses 11 to God It is lhc work of the floly Spirit "'ho will convmcc you of
your own idolatry in your life.
For the person ,.ho is not a Christian and is llllppcd 1n a life of idolauy, we can pray for
them. tt is a kno"'n fact that we. as humans, were created "''th the need 10 worship someone
or something. fact)onc has a god m their life. Only the LORD God Alm1ghly ha.s the supreme
abilil) to love and care for us and give us evcrlll'ltng life full of peace. love and JOY
Who ts first place 1n your life•
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE PASTOR A QUESTION,
WRITE: REV. JANET PARKER, MARANATHA FELLOWSHIP
MCC, P.O. BOX 667032, HOUSTON, TX. 77266-7932
~ttutn 's ~nust lltsq [tst:
HIV/AIDS Transitional Living Home
• Fruit Juices: apple, grapefruit, orange, cranberry
• Soft Drinks: cola, diet cola, uncola, fruit flavors
• Copier Paper
• Cleaning supplies: bleach, Lysol spray Lysol liquid, dishwasher detergent,
dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent
• Paper goods: paper plates, 6 oz. drinking cups, napkins, paper towels,
bathroom tissue, facial tissue
• Garden Hoses (2)
• Water Dispenser w/ hot and cold spickets
• Smoke Detectors w/ carbon dioxide sensors
• Microwave oven
• Hospital Overbed tables (2)
• Patio table and chairs wl umbrella
• A larger house w/ 5-6 bedrooms, 3-4 baths
• A smaller house or apartment for offices and room for v1s1tors
All donations are tax deductible.
For questions, or would like to volunteer, call:
(713) 522-5757
P'3fl A eoaUUou 'ZIJ~
~ 'ZIJtd Lut ~
Dinefle Sets
Fons
Dressers
End Tables
Lamps
Silver wore
Dishes
Sheefs
Towels
Coffee Tables
Pol and Pans
Wheelchairs
Donors con drop off ilems of a our off ices, 3400 Monlrose, Suile 106,
• OP call Erm While, Warehouse Coordinolor, rk,,
• lo orronqe for pick-up. J
Phone 522-5428 or Poqer/VoiceMoil 949-2412.
KINGDOM
COMMUNITY
CHURCH
Catch a glimpoe ol the Kingdom of God
Sunday School - 10 A.M.
SUnday Worship Service • 11 AM
Wcdncadays; A Course in Miracles -
noP.M
4404 Blouom at Snover
713-862·7S33
5lJN1)AY 11~
R~J~P~
An evangelical ministry
with celebration services
of Praise, Prayer and
Study of God's word
Bible Clas.5: lOam
3400 Montrose, Suite 600
(Handicap accessible)
(Montrose at Hawthorne)
For ill!o. on weekly home groups, call
528-6756
014 Ltiu YOU, 11 C1111 1~m t~t
LOVING EXPERIENCE.
Senint th• G1y, Lu~llft, Bl-uml
C1111111nity ef Catheliu & Fri1"41.
Bm1111 1 put ef Ditnity U.S.A.
SERVICES
Saturdays 7:30 pm
Traditional Mass
klclualvo lturgy colobr1t1d.
Cal and pr111 4 for o ..
Soclal Evonta ' Sch1dul11.
Todoa bl1nv1nldo1I
(Full details in ~5 - '.%
Gay and lesbian Yellow Pages)
In the Heights 1307 Yale
Ste. H Phone 880-2872
COMMUNITY
GOSPEL CHURCH
'A e~ gldtt ()~ -L-"
501 E 18th at Columbia • Houston, TX
Services:
*Sun. • H:OO A.M.
PRAISE & WORSHIP
Sun. • 7:00 P.M.
EVENING SERVICE
Thurs. • 7:30 P.M.
MIDWE~K SERVICE
• Signed for t~e Hearing Impaired
P44toli - e,"'4 e~
(713) ff0-9235
What Is Pride?
Pride Knows No Borders. That is this
year's theme for the annual celebration
we all know as Lesbian and Gay Pride
Weck. All week there have been events in
honor of this ritual that will culminate
with the parade this Sunday. Aside from
all of this, what seems to be remiss is the
reason for which we arc celebrating.
All 100 oflcn the Gay and Lesbian communily
capiculaccs lhc pride ceremony's
origins inco noching more chan a block
parry
Granted, our community is celebrating
us culturc·s pride and that is impor-
1an1 It is equally important that our community
understands the significance
of this celebration m terms of our heritage-
past and present . Many people in
the communi ty arc unaware of Stonewa
ll a nd it 's histo r ical impac t on o ur
civil liberties. Nor arc they aware of the
inroads that arc currcnlly being fought on
a dai ly basis by many ind ividua ls who
have decidedly taken an active role in the
polit ical process to e ns ure that we as a
commun ity have a voice. Too many
younger members of our community arc
completely unaware of the laborious
cfforlS that many of the "cldcrs"-anyonc
over 30-havc involved themselves
wuh in chc name of obtaining equal righcs
for Gays and Lesbians. As a result , some
of the freedoms, and most of the tolerance,
chat exists for us Coday stemmed from
the efforlS put forth by those community
"ciders." Our commu ni1y owes dcblS
of gr11 11udc 10 the following individuals
for chcir (oflen unheralded) efforts
on behalf of our cause: Gary Van Ooteghem.
Marion Coleman, Ray Hill,
Ann1sc Parker, Bill Stolt, Marion Panzer
and our very own eduor Deborah Bell. If
these names are not familiar 10 you, chey
should be . !rrcspeccivc of cheir politics,
these individuals contr1but1ons
to our community are immeasurable
They are an indelible part of our history.
And they arc not alone, there are numerous
other individuals who deserve mention
.
Unfortunately, che fight for gay and lesbian
c1v1I rights is far from over and unless
the nexc &cnerallon is willing to get
involved and pursue that agenda, we may
lose the baulc. Perhaps then, the 1mpor-
1ance of community involvement would
resona1e . I ceruinly hope our commu ..
nuy does not have 10 endure such wake-up
calls m order 10 mobilize themselves mco
acuon. Thal would be a craves1y. So, celcbrace
Lesbian and Gay Pride wich all che
fervor you can muster but ask yourself
during the process what you have done 10
contribulc 10 the successes to dace .
To be sure, noc all of our community 1s
remng on cheir laurels, JUSl the maJor-
11y. There are many fine young individuals
who are working within the parameters
thal "pride has no borders." The
Houston Gay and Lesbian Pol111cal
Caucus (HGLPC), the African-American
Lesbian and Gay Alliance of Houston
(AALGA), chc Log Cabin Republicans
of Texas (l.CR-TX), che Human Righcs
Campaign (HRC), ecc. All of chcsc organizations
and a hose of others arc able 10
cxisc because of chcir dcd1ca1cd volunteers.
Although each organization may
have different approaches, they are all
working for the same cause, gay and lesbian
civil rights. That in usclf is worlh
championing
Two Who Lead
Houston IS lucky to have two leaders in
this community who have demonstrated
beyond a shadow of doubt their
comm11men1 10 equality. Like che aforementioned
leaders. these two individuals
arc the risin& leaders of today and
cheir accomplishments 10 date speak for
themselves. I am of course talking about
HGLPC Presidenc Pat Gandy and LCRTX
state President Dale Carpenter.
Pat Gandy as President of HGLPC has
been impressive. She has used her power
in that posit ion to make sure that our community
has a voice. Gandy has been astuce
enough to realize that our community is
diverse in many ways. Some of us have
children, some of us own property, etc.
Gandy has made a concerted effort to
ensure that our concerns are addressed in
many facets of public policy. Although
Pac Gandy and I would probably disagree
on most issues, she has earned my
respect and that of the community's
through her actions. She is a woman who
means what she says and scands firm based
on her principles. That 1s called lcadcrsh
ip.
Da le Carpenter 's term as state president
of LCR-TX has been equally as
impressi ve. Carpenter has only been in
his pos111on for less than a year and he has
catapulted Log Cabin into a major force
as a gay and lesbian c ivil rights organization
in the s111e of Texas. Like Gandy,
Car penter has demons trated his
uncanny abillly 11 leadership, something
that is all to often remiss in today's
pol11ical circles. Carpenter, an auorney
in Houston, 1s one of the most dedicated
individuals I have ever met with
respect 10 obcainmg equal rights for us.
While it is not polit ically popular in our
communuy to be a Republican. it is prec
isely within Chai party that che bigotry
muse be confronted. Carpenccr knows
that 100 well and has had the courage 10
take on such a daunting task w11hou1 a
moment's hesiullon . Log Cabin 's c u rre
nt dispute with the GOP demonstrates
his unwavering commitment towards
achieving the group's goals. Keep in
mind, that 11 1s far more difficult 10 confront
your adversaries on their home turf
1han u 1s to work for inclusion m an organizat
1on who is not as vehemently
opposed 10 your agenda . I consider myself
10 be lucky indeed 10 have che opportunity
10 work wich Mr. Carpenter. It has
been inspiring beyond comprehension.
I would like 10 remind my readers 1ha1
neither Gandy or Carpenter receive
remuneration for their efforts. Nor does
anyone else who par1ic1pa1cs in those
organizacions Both of these leaders do
so out of conviccion and chcy should be
respected for 1heir commitment to our
community, regardless of their respec -
1 i vc poh11cal ideology. Equally
important 10 any organization are the
members and volun1eers of 1hose
groups, such as Matthew Huston
(HGLPC) and Tirey Councs (LCR-TX). I am
not attempting to dim101sh their contribu11ons.
10 do so would be inappropriate.
Motivation slems from good leadership.
W11hou1 11, 11 would be difficult
for any group 10 accomplish much Gandy
and Carpen1er have a vision for 1heir
organizauons and the dep1h to follow 11
through . For chat we can all be proud .
Finally, the biggest disappoincmcnt
to our communuy of late was President
Chnton·s announccmenc chat he would
sign chc pending Defense of Marriage
Ace , 1f 11 is passes Congress. II was an act of
placing e lec11on year criumph based on
short-term calcu lat ions over long-term
goals. This bill does not JUSI deny us the
abillcy 10 get married, ic denies federal
cax. welfare . pens ion, health, immigration.
and surv ivor's benefits 10
same-sex couples. Such an act of abandonmenl
towards one of your most ardent
group of supporters at chcir hour of need
15 cowardice and deserves to be castigucd.
HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21 , 1996 13
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14 HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21, 1996
I Dastardly Doings at Stages with 'The Drunkard
Review
By JAVIER TAMEZ
Ho1Hton Volu!Houston
Either one likes melodramas or one
doesn't. There os generally no middle
ground in these works that arc characterized
by extravagant theatrically and the
predominance of plot and physical
action over characterization But if you
do like them. then you can't go wrong with
"The Drunkard," the summer offering
from Stages Repertory Theatre The play
was originally produced on 1844, but the
mus~tal 1dap1a11on being presented al
Stages os the resolt ofa 1964 collaborauon
between playwrtght Bro Herrod and pop
mus c composer Barry Mantlow (before he
wrote 1 c sorgs that make the whole world
stng) The tv.o rcvl5ed their versorn on 1970,
adding new music and ! er ng the staging,
d tt os on I~ form !'tat "The Drunkard~
comes 10 Stages
The pray le s the story of Lawyer Cribbs
(David Grant) a v1. 1nous attorney. who
s dcrcrmmcd to steal the roof from over the
heads of the sweet widow Mrs. Wilson (Colleen
0 Ku) and her lovely. gentle daughter.
Mary (Kouy Ka•n) Though poor, the
Wolsons make do tn their humble couage
thanks 10 the good-hearted nature of their
IJnd ord, Edward Middleton (Greg
Coles), v.ho not only refuses 10 listen 10 Cribbs•
protcs1a11ons on evicting the Wll
sons, but marncs Mary instead
But Edward has a fa11tng-1ha1 demon ltquor
Crabbs capnalazcs on this weakness
and soon Edv. ard IS a lost and forlorn soul
recalling wuh shame 1he wife and family he
dcsencd ro sate hlS need for drink. To the rescue
comes Edward·s smtplc-mmdcd foster
brother, W11:,•m Dowton (Aaron Krohn),
who wuh back straight and fist firm brings
Edward back from the ruuer lo the bosom of
his family. And all os nght "'"h 1he world
(which os how melodramas always end)
While a legu1matc genre of lilcra1urc.
melodrama~ carry no deeper meaning than
the uncomplicated, moralistic tone
that is readily apparent evil-doers will fail
and the good and meek shall triumph in the
end And this applies to "The Drunkard" as
much as any other melodrama, What makes
1his one a little more interesting is the
music
Now as far as compos1llons go, the songs
included here arc as simplistic as the piece
Itself, and that" JUSt fine. The tunes included
here arc light, at times even prc·schoolish
They range from the all-in-fun sappiness of
"Peace and Love and Apple Poe" and the devilish
plotting of "When You're Dead" 10
the round· 'cm up ht Jonks of "Have Another
Drink," •he gospel-ltke celebra11on of
"Do You Wanna Be Saved•" and the tongueIO
·<heek b oes of "Garbage Can Blues"
There "ere also a few numbers that were not
in the least en1oyable. even after owmg
Co t'Jc,, as mus1cJI r.umbe s in 11 melo
drama whu:h lowers expect :ions .. Good
.s Good" (dud dud) was a Qat, deadly dull
and riC: culous number. "Don't Swat Your
Mother ' ts an awful tune (~arely qua' ymg
as a refrain much less a song) that os no
where near as funny as ots title· and "Curse of
an Aching Heart" ts a dull-witted droning
that docs httlc on the way of generating
>ympathy
Oddly eoough, the two most enioyable
numbers arc completely irrelevant to the
play m every way. Occumng in Act I and Act
III, both numbers arc 11tlcd Specialty
Song ' m the program though they are different
tunes Presumably these arc spc·
cial because of the very irrelevancy which
males the ,. presence so peculiar. They arc
complete as des. unrela1ed in any way to
the action or the story bemg pre~cn1cd on
the stage One could argue that they were
inserted for comic relief (both tune.) are
funny) but that hardly washes given tha1
melodramas. in thu day and age, arc
already comic in presentation 1f not in
original intent The unpleasant truth is
that these songs were prohably included h
filler for a show which " under two hour'i in
length even with two
(count them-21) 15-
minutc intermissions .
Thos length-of-program
issue also manifested
11self between
the first and second
acts, as one of the cast
members appeared center
stage to lead the audience
in a sing.along of
"A Bicycle Built for
Two" and "Let Mc Call
You Sweetheart." (I did
not par11cipate . ) I
suspect the lime
between acu was
devoted 10 costume
c~anges, because the
'
stage set certainly Davod Grano and Kmy Karn 1n "The Drunlard · Photo bv B•
required no changes that Appt., Appl• lmatn
would have 1alc.cn more
than a couple of minutes. And whole the costumes
were all quite mcc, the delay ¥WIS hugely
1:iord1natc nonetheless and more
importanll)' the dead time lapse vrhcn everyone
in the audience sat m bored puzzlement,
was simply unacceptable
The c»t members all dod well on Ihm respective
role~, but such praise should be
qualified with a reminder that melodrama
os the moll unchallenging of acting dos·
ciplinc~ The exaggerated monifica·
tions displayed in the perils of Pauline
poses from the women and Dudley Doright
affirmations from the men (at least the good
guys) arc not the roles calling for peal act·
tng prowess. That said, David Grant 1s as
Snidely a Whiplash as one could hope for m
his ponrayal of Lawyer Cribb~ (boooo.
hissss) Twisting his wicked-looking
handlebar moustache and tossong hos
cvil·concca1ing cape over hi!t back with a
nourish. Grant makes a good villain (no
ironic pun intended)
Kiuy Karn as the defenseless and sweet
Mary Wilson (hcartfcll sigh) painc~ a
patheuc enough p1clUrc of this damsel in
distress to make you gag on your spot, v.hoch
means she dod the JOb well The other performance
worth note came from Aaron Krohn
who played the hero William (cheers,
applause), wuh a squared iaw and a sure
stance
Director Beth Sanford <tagcd her show
well enough, The interaction with the audi·
cncc was present but not overwhelming;
the players were having fun without 105·
mg 1he coherence of the work. and the staging
was contrived without being g1mm·
icky
Musical Director Diane Denson Tobola
(who also played the part of Carrie Nation)
dod an admirable job on the piano . She
included all the recognrzable succes·
sion of notes (!here ou~ht to be a word for that)
which conno1c innocence. cv1l/dangcr or
excitement And of course she wu great as
the accompanist for all 1hc numbers
UThe Drunkard " IS pretty silly Sluff
wouldn't want it any other way.
What. "The Drunkard"
Where · Stage~ Repertory Theatre
When friday·Sunday through July 14
Not my voice
but an Echo
By DEBORAH BELL
My editorial column "In My Own
Voice" os not appearing in this week's
issue. The work involved in producuon
of this special Pride Weck Issue has not
allowed me the ume or energy to create a
column. However, I am raking the liberty
of repeating something from
PHOENIX • the outreach publication
of the Metropolitan Community
Church of the Resurrection, because I
could not say u any better, only echo what
has already been expressed.
The Theme of Pndc Week rhos year os
"Pride Knows No Borders." Symbolically
borders refers 10 how we as a soc1-
c1y, place borders around our feelings
and emotions.
As Gay and Lesbians, we want to see
borders of lnJUSllcc replaced wuh compassion
and tolerance, knowing that
on order to exist together, the masses of
gay and straight people must remove all
borders of segregation.
No borders also means that we are an
1nternat1onal people We love on all
countries, are of all ages, races, and ethnic
backgrounds, work at all levels of
employment, have handicaps, and
even raise children.
In 1996. we are gomg 10 tcll thc world that
hfe should not consost of border•. We u
Gays and Lesbians are an intricate and
producuve part of society It '' tome for
us 10 work toward removing borders in
our own state, clly. and community
PLAIN SPEAKING
Sex sells. In 1h1s age of Calvin Klein ads,
perfumes and colognes which apparen1Jy
cannol be sold wi1hou1 a prerequisite
nude body or two. movies which
require buffing up or silicone injec1-
ing, 1he gay male marke1 has Jong led 1he
way Only a J111Je more lhan a generation
ago 10111 nudity was 1aboo in magazines.
During the increased freedom
which coincided with the anti-war years.
the posing strap fell away to reveal 1hat
which men had been imagining for decades.
Wi1h 1he advent of video capes. again
coinciding with a naiional tragedy-the
AIDS epidem1c-1he restramls came
down, and in some cases went on. Now, as
the gay markel increasingly receives
mainstream attention, the marketing
mimics socicly in 1eneral. There is a
nood of music CDs aimed at the gay male
audience, ranging from disco 10 class1-
cal, capturing hunky half-nude models
on their covers, just in case someone
would fail 10 understand the direc1ion of
lhe markeling.
In Che evolution of our times. 1t is unders1andable
1ha1 such marketing should
invade the very halls which were once
closed 10 1he gay market-the major publishing
house.. Once 11 was considered
daring for such a pubhsher to come ou1
wuh a tule Joke "The Joy of Gay Sex" with
•gay• nght there on the cover. On a trip last
week to a11end 1he American Book.ell·
crs' Associat10n Convention, I took as
plane reading a new book by Douglas Sad·
ownik ... Sex Between Men," a rnle which
prc11y much captures the essence of the
book Bui in case 1here remained any
doubl , 1he cover carries a pholo by Joe
Z1olkowsk 1 titled ""CensoreJ '" of two
nude males strategically holding one
hand over the privates of the ocher.
I would have 10 give Harper San Franc1sco
, the publisher, an A+ in market·
ing. Perhaps 1he Lammys-1he Lambda
Luerary Awards which arc given in con·
junction with the ADA convcntionshould
add a cucgory for markc11ng .
Af1er all, the blatan1 selling means more
to 1hc guhcred Gay and Lesbian bookdcalers
than some of the comes foisted on
the reading publoc as Gay and Lesbian
studies.
Actually, Sadownick's book is an intriguing
mox of gay history, memoirs and
reminiscences. and plain sex talk-all
this and footnotes 100. And, whole he covers
much familiar ground, Sadownick
brings 1ogether a larger picture of the
evolving gay male sex Jofe. Seeing the
Second World War as 1he firs1 grea1 gay
hbcra11on. he follows 1hrough the Jaicr
Stonewall rcvolu11on into 1hc epic of
AIDS
W11hin his lim11ation of gay male sexual
history. Sadownick docs an admira·
blc JOb of mining the memoirs and histo·
roes as well as 1he recollcc11ons of the
survive" , Gay history has 1hc disadvantage
that much of its primary sources
arc dcsiroycd or unrecorded, as well as
1hc single advantage of being rcccnl history
and thus easier to reconsrruct.
A~ a consequence, his sources ar_c
familiar names to those interested m this
sub1cct: Alan Berube (who JUSt received a
MacAr1hur Granl), Daniel Webster
Cory, J om Kepner, Harry Hay, Donald
by Larry Lingle
Vining, and a few ochers whose activities
or memoirs remain with us.
In dealing wuh the upheaval of 1he Second
World War, Sadown1ck has the advantage
of the wri1ings of several gay activis1s
who served in 1ha1 connict Whal does
come out of these sources is the dominant
theme 1hroughou1 1he book. 1ha1 gay male
history seems rcstric1ed to lhe East and
( West coasts with a vast unknown between.
Now, granted, Sadownick canno1 be
entirely faulted for 1h1s emphasis. One of
1he effecis of 1he Second World War was
1ha1 mos1 of 1hc young men headed for war
iravellcd 1hrough one coastal pore or
another. And, after 1hc war, those who
would return and assume a role in leading
the new &•Y movement concentrated in
New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Thus much of 1he primary material
on which our history 1s built comes from
such Jomilcd locales.
The challenge for all of those not Jiving
or coming out in one of 1hesc major cities
1s 10 gather and make available source
material on gay hfe elsewhere Unfor-
1un11cly, lhc few reposi1orics for Gay
and Lesbian history arc al~o m these same
few c111cs . Gay <1ud1es on colleges and
universnics arc also concentrated in
or near the same Bog Three.
While 1herc are .callerong 111empts lo
fos1er gay and lesbian hbrarocs in a num
bcr of c111cs these rcposuoncs usually
consosl ol pubhshed ma1croal much
of which comes from 1he Bog Three Such
libraries seem in most cases. to rely for I their exos1ence on 1he interes1 of a single
1nd1v1dual In 1he case of Dalla>, Phil
Johnson. almost Sin£ lrh.anJclfly, has
held 1ogether 1ha1 c11y's gay hoslory in
what h3' become one of the largest gay and
lesbian c;:ommunity centers in 1he coun
try. Hou~ilon, by contrast. has no commun11y
cenler and 1hc only gay and lesbian
library is in 1hc local gay church and
was basically creaicd by one person,
now deceased .
I men11oned in this column recently
about evidence of a thriving gay and lesbian
intellectual community in Hous-
1on immediately after the Second World
War One of the cen1ers of that commun
11y was a well known lesbian doctor
whose friendships ranged from Tennessee
W1ll1ams 10 Carson McCullars.
Yet, I dare say her name would be Jess rccogn
ozab le than the 1owcl boy at the
baths.
Maybe our gay past means nothing to our
communi1y today. And maybe we aren't
really a commun11y. In a society within
1he greater soc1c1y in which you1h is
prized above all else, we 1hmk we have
nothmg 10 learn from our seniors. and, 1n
1he process. we Jo-. 1he very 1den11ty
which makes us ocher than somply sexual
beings. I fear we're playing lhe game JUSI
as our enemies would wish-we are
becoming 1ha1 which 1hc Chmtoan Coa
hcion says we always were · Deviancs set
on sexual conqucsi A minority which
1
1
encompasses some of the bes1 and brightcs1,
some of 1hc most 1alcn1cd. Arc we
allowing ourselves to sink 10 1hc lowcs1
common denominator'!
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HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21, 1996 15
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MediAlert by
Al Kielwasser
ON THE RECORD -"En1crtarnmcn1
Wire" (June 4) rcpons 1ha1 Columbia Records
(Sony Mu•ic) has released 1hc •ound
track to "Stonewall," a new film that dram·
atizes "the events surrounding the trau·
mallc and cxhilara1ing borlh of Gay
Pru.le " According to a promotional
s1atcmcnt. "Columhia Records 1s proud
to release an album of the music of the era-a
revelatory collcct1on of songs dcmons1ratmg
1hc m1crplay between a gay scns1b1
uy and 60"s pop consc1ou!'i:ncs~ ..
S1oncwall" was directed by Nigel Finch
who. wrllcs Chr· stinc Vachon in the
album' s liner note\, ··was sec ng the ful
fillment of a lifelong dream" Vachon, the
film's produtcr adds ''Nigel wanrcd to
give the lesbian and gay community a scn!ie
of courage and history-and most 1mpor·
tantly, of hcrnc.,. In 'Stonewall.' the char·
attcrs fight back . Nigel said, "It s a
reminder that you have to fight for your
rights-they arc not given voluntarily''"
Carolyn Ro1hkin, of Columbia Rec·
ord\, noted. ''Stonewall, the album and the
film. 1~ a celebration of the fight for mdi~
v1dual liberty and d1gnlly "
Contact Masaaki Morita. Chair. Sony
Corporation or America, One Sony Dr ..
Park Ridge. NJ 07656, lei 201-930-1000,
fax 201·358-4060; Carolyn Rolhkin,
Mcdia/Promot1ons, Columbia Records,
212-833-4146; Sony Music Online. hllp II
www music \ony.com/mu\lc/homepagef
indc~ . html
ACCP.SS ABILITIES -Artis"' Telcvnwn
Acces~ CATA) will host several
evc,tS·Of·mtcrcst during Pride Month in
San francisco Two presentations (June
20-21) have been scheduled 10 coincide
w11h "Dirly Bird 96 A Quecrcorc FcSli·
val •• and will feature video. music, film
and 1alk A (June 28) round-1able discus sion-
" Siles of Rcsisiance Access
Phreaks and On-Line lnS1iga1ors"-will
focus on .. folks who arc using new tcchnol·
og1es and the Internet to form sites of
resistance, organize for human rights in
nontrad111onal ways, and bring the
or1cn 10c~pen1;ivc information super·
h1ghv.ay to 1hose considered outsid ers
"
Con1ac1 ATA. 992 Valencia SL, San
FranclSCO, CA 94110, 415-824-3890, email
ata@sir1us com.
~WS & NOTES -As par1 of lls new promot
iona I pitch to the queer music market,
A1lan11c Records publishes "S1ereo
Type" ·a free, four·pagc circular subli·
lied "The A1lan1ic Group'• Gay & Lesbian
Newsle11er." The March/April 1"ue (lhe
newsletter's second) includes breezy
tidbits on a ran~e of products and person·
ali11es-from Melissa E1heridge's favor·
1tc alhums to "the winner of our Bette
M1dler Valcn1mc's Day Con1cst." Alm
mentioned Franci~ Ounnery, "I Shot
Andy Warhol," Michael Fernsiein, 7
Year Bi1ch, Bel Can10, Randy Crawford,
Fred Hersch
Contact Stereo Type. Atlantic Records
H Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY
10019, encourage your local, closeted
mus.c store 10 d1strihutc the newsleuer.
PEOPLE TOO -Lesbian and gay parenl·
tng 1s the fiUbJcct of an g .. page article-and
12 color pholO~raphs 1n "People"
maga11ne ("Happy l'ami11es Arc No1
Alike," June 10) This feature story cov ..
ers an intentwnal variety of family type\
<tnd issues, ma effort to demonstrate that ·
.. Growing up with gay parents can be a
\Ource of anxiety, and of loving pride. for
1heir kids," The popular periodical
reaches over 4 million readers each weekprec1Scly
1hc sorl of media viS1b11i1y 1ha1
provokes na~ty lcners from homophobes .
Contut. l~ndon Y. Jones Jr, Managing
Ed11or, "People," Time & Life Building,
Rockefeller Cen1er, New York, NY
10020, fax 212-522-0794, e-mail
74774 . 1SI3@compuserve .com, hllp II
www pa1hftnder com/people/.
"Allhou8h conneclions are not always
obvious. personal chan8e is inseparable
from social and political chan8e"
- ~a«iet L~
HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21 1996 17
The Trading Post
11410 S. Put 01k f. -
726-1963
• s '"' Tt'ltt • $t tuft
• ElttlrHll t111t All t
•lit 111111 TV •$t.SI LH9111kl
·Air Ct14ltlt1l11 & 111-ipt
M1d1y • Fr141y th• 11 •l41l9kt
S1tu41y tt•• -h•
THE ACTORS WORKSHOP
presents
111£ lJOGS 01100
by: Scott Ross
A drama about a famous gay film director in Hollywood during the l 940's.
Final Perfomances: 8:00 p.m. June 21 and 22
$5.00 Discount Witlr Tlris Ad
1009 Chartres at Lamar (713) 236-1844
Join us for a Great 9EXpectations House Party:
"9ex, Toys & Videotape" or
"Love, Lust & Intimacy"
Call AIDS Foundation Houston (713) 623-6796
18 HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21. 1996
Folks continued ...
(Contmuedfrom page I)
concerns that must be adhered to in order for
the city of Houston to grant the parade
permit. They include such matters as,
individual bicycles, rollerskatcrs &
skateboarders arc not allowed, they are
permitted in the parade only as part of a unit.
A positive image of our community is what
the committee would like presented. There is
a dress code "'hich encourages that everyone
be properly covered, and while men can wear
a minimum of•Adidas style shorts", women
must "car both shorts and a tank top. There
is not any yelling of "Thro" me something.
mister" like at ~lardi Gras. as delegations arc
not allowed to throw anything. Spectators
may be "handed" items ho"evcr. Every
delegation is required to bring along a
garbage bag to keep litter down.
The issue of police harassment as claimed in
previous years is being dealt with by
representatives from Constable Jack
Abercia's office. The liaisons are Capt.
Martin and Capt. Joe Scott. Any problems
caused by the behavior of law enforcement
officers (or others) should be reported to involved but it still has to be run as a
them or a pride committee member. business. The fact that there are two CPA's
Ramirez stressed that Pride Week is a way for
us to harness the "grief and compassion that
will allow our community to survive." Ray
continued by stating, "It is time for our family
to be together and have a good time. We
deserve it!" He reminded everyone that
putting the event together is a year-long
project and suggests that if someone doesn't
like the way things arc done, they have an
opportunity to join up. The Pride committee
for 1997 will have it's first meeting this July.
Jack Valinski, of the Board of Directors of
the Pride Committee of Houston, Inc. was the
next up. Jack was instrumental in
establishing the committee that oversees the
efforts of Pride Weck Committees from year
to year The delegations numbers were
announced and he explained, 'We tried to
accommodate special requests where we
could, but pretty much assigned numbers as
the applications came in on a first come, first
serve basis.• He also commented on the fact
that it is pretty remarkable that the committee
has become what it has. There is a lot of fun
on the board is helpful to that end. He said
the fact that we were meeting in a city facility
was also pretty remarkable, something that
would not have happened ten or so years ago.
One of those CPA's is Julie Siska who is the
current Executive Director of the Pride
Committee. She was busily handing out the
information packets to those who had
already been assigned their delegate slots.
Susan Guerrero was staffing the merchandise
table Pride logo t-shirts, rainbow water
bottle caps. magnets and other assorted
goodies were available. These items will be
on display and for sale at the festival
following the parade. This is one way of
raising funds for the committee's work.
Scott Lewis addressed the fund-raising
proJcct that he has been in charge of this
year. Last year, Leesa Douglas had suggested
an idea which became the very first 'Pumped
Up on Art." The second annual event has
become what may prove to be one of the
biggest social events not only of pride week,
but of the year under Scott's direction. Shoes
fioxers
~ e uUe~
i/tt,. ~ ' ~~ ~!! ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~.
Sunday, June 23rd, 8pm
Jamie Roberts, Candidate for Miss TGR~ '97
presents ~ Celebration of Gay Pride
benef itting ~V f S
; . ~ ; ..
Come on Down & see the
Hew Look at the fi Rfi
More Hew Looks to come!!
; . ~; . ~; .. ~ ...
Come On Down & Dance with DJ Jeff
Tuesday & f riday Mights
Jack Valinski. Ray Ramire; and Robin
Duncan share a laugh at the final Pride
Week '96 meeting
were solicited from a number of celebrities.
with one shoe being autographed and the
other given to an artist who then creates a
work reflective of that celebrity. The shoes
will be auctioned off on Friday, June 21.
Scott also encourages folks to get involved
and expressed that no special skills arc
needed, just the desire and interest in
learning, Many of the committee members
expressed that they would welcome turning
their role over to someone else.
Valinsk1 announced that the I 'l97 parade
will be the first mght-timc event. l cntativcly
being called "Rainbow Lights" it is being
styled after the famous Gay Mardi Gras held
in Sydney, Australia each year which claims
an esllmated 650,000 attendance. So the
involvement of many more people will be
needed. The Pride Guide h85 a full list of the
various committees, projects (including job
descriptions) where volunteers arc needed.
The 1996 committee has made an impressive
organizational effort for Houston's Lesbian
Gay Pride Weck. Within a few hours of time
the meeting is over and everyone breaks off
either to go to home, or to JOin with one
committee or another over dinner for more
work. As everyone leaves, all arc reminded
that the parade starts a little later this )Car in
an effort to beat the heat. "Step ofTis at 5pm,
but unlike most things in our community,
Jack Valinski stresses that "The parade
always starts on time.!"
The Houston l'oice salutes the 1996 Pride
C omm1ttee and a/I the »olunteers who "orA
so hard to gn:e our community this ,rpeclal
celebration The committee meet.f the tlurd
Tuesday of each month at 2700 Albany #304
- starting in July, call The Pride I.me
"131529-69"9 for the flme
Visitor Center
opens in Atlanta
Opening on June 24, for the fof\l time an
Olympic host euy has a Gay and Lc.-bian
vi~itor's center. The center, located at
1374 W. Peachtree St. in Atlanta will pro·
v1dc visitors and resident~ wuh world
class entertainment and hosp1tallly
throughout the summer '96 game>
The center will also provide performance
space for the play, "In Slltchcs-an
alternative musical .. Based on the book
by Lee Leonard. ll "directed by David II.
Bell wllh mu>ic by Henry Marsh, lyrics by
Bell It is intended as a "Celebration of
Life" in the age of AIDS. For more infor·
mat1on about the v1s1tor's center and
11ckct informallon call 770·677-9883
Op
3c6J
Not open t
HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21 , 1996 19
20 HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21. 1996
by Jon Anthony
Happy Lesbian & GO) Pride Week Houston'
Ste .. Martin has been rapped to replace John
Truolta IS the lead in the upcoming film The
Double Tra\olta '"'" sued last "eek for
walking off of the <et, on locauon in Pans. Last
"eek "e reported that Travolta's camp denied
their \\35 contention on the set and that the
reason for Tra,olta's departure \\35 to comfort
his son dur og surgcr; Apparent]) Tra,olta
and Double director Roman Polanski had
creative differences related to the filming of the
mov c~ rcsu':.ng n the cnsmng litigation.
T'1lvona 1s scheduled tc appear on CBS' late
Show w David le1termen next Fnday. June
21 \\ hoopi Goldberg as a male acuon hero
1n drag• According to
scnpt"T1tcr .Jot
Eszterhas (Basic
Instinct. Sho"girls) th3t
is precisely "ho \\ould
be <ast " his latest
scnpt. An .flan ~ml/hee
Film, 1s picked up for
distribution I sztcrhas
clauns that s,. h·ester
Stallone and Bruce Willis ha\e also agreed to
cameos m "hat he bills os a "faux
documentar; spoof of movie making. Smithee
1s the pseudonym sanctioned b) the Directors
Guild for directors \\ho \\Ould prefer their
names not be associated \\Ith a particular fi Im
for various reasons. The movie purported!)
melds ficti:.ous Holly"ood characters with
real ones. Rosie O'Donnell's nC"" da)timc
variCI) sho" debuted to 1mpressl\ e ratings last
week O'Donndl's sho" garnered the h1ghestfirs1
da) ratings for any l:llk show since 1990 .
Rita Morono had to fill m for an ailing
Sharon Stone at the Salute lo the Ladies of the
American Musical luncheon at the Bc\·crl)
H .:s hotel last week. Stone's spokeswoman
s:ud the actress was suffering from the nu and
has had to cancel SC' cral engagements.
Veteran tclcv1s1on actor \brk. H•rmon has
Joined the cast of CBS' Monday night s13plc
Chicugu lfope. Harmon's previous uedits
mclude St E.lse14here playing a doctor ";lh
Man it is hot
Ulaitin<J. for the
to start!
AIDS, Reasonable Doubts with Marlee
M1rtin and last season's short lived crimcdrama
Charlie Grace . Composer Guy
Thomas has filed a SS mil hon cop) right
in!hngcment Ian suit agamst Countr) and
Western giant Garth Brooks rhoma.
conlcnds that Brook's song Standing Outside
the Fire is based on a song he CO-\HOte "ith
Kenny Loggin• titled Conviction of the
Heart An L.A. judge ordered Brooks to
provide Thomas \\llh the recording tracks of
Fire Broo~s \\ • .I resume his deposition next
month .... Barbara Streisand chatted pollllcs
" th President Clinton m his hotel suite for
45 minutes last "eek at the Sheraton Miramar
in Santa Monica. CA t'kr attnding t\\o
Democratic fund-raisers Besieged by fan
mai and picas from polu:e. cl\ic leaders and
Congressional members. Fox has given
America's .\fost H'anteda temporary rcpric\C.
The nch\Orl has: ordered enough original
episodes to keep the sho" breathing through
September at "h1ch time its final fate '"II be
decided ..• Jane Paule~ ,.,11 anchor Time &
Again. an upcoming show based on archi\ed
NBC Ne"s fool:lge, for the nrn cable ehannc1
MSNllC - •Joint venture bct\\een M1croSoll
and "BC · slate1 to premiere next monlh.
HBO Independent Productions "'111 tum the
WY. Y. C) berthnller Techno J into a
television series. This marks the fi"51 lime an
onginal \\'eb content mo,cd to t«!le\;s1on . .
Betty Buckley's recent appearance at
Carnegie llall m a bencfil performance for
Broad\\ay Carc:sll,quit) Fights AIDS"~ an
enormous success. BucklC) v..on praise from
crillcs and audiences ahkc The charismatic
performer "as so dazzling that a li\c
recording or lhlS spectacular event \<ill hit
stores this fall Buckley is contemplaung
talmg her shov. on the road, . Veteran
Broadv.ay producer David Merrick. upset
"1th the nominating process conducted b) the
Ton) A\lard~ \\tll stage his O\\on A"ards
ceremony next sprang ns an altcma11vc to the
Ton) s. lndustf) ms1dcrs arc split as to
"hethcr such an event c.:n be a<e.,mpllshcd
wuh success. . Mia farrow. Oprah
Winfrey and Ari Buchwald \\ere in
attendance at the American Booksellers
Association convention promoting their
respecti•-e tomes, slated for release later this
)ear Toni Braxton (Secrets), Lyle Lovell
(Road to Ensenodo)
and legendary rock
iconoclast Patti
Smith (Gone Agoin)
ha\cjust released new
CD's. All three of
1hcsc immense I)
talented un1sts ha\'e
delivered some of
their best material to
date on these excellent CD's. The NC><
Republic has a nc\\ editor to replace Andre"
Sullivan , \\ho left m April and subsequent!)
disclosed hlS lllV status. '.\liehael Kell). 39,
former!) a \Hiter for The Nm Yorker \\ill
take the helm of the "eek I) political Journal
Kelly gained national prominence with the
magazine as 1ts gulf"ar reporter se>eral) ears
ago. Columbia Records is planning lo
release a rctrospcctl\e or recordings b) the
late Jal.L trumpeter :\liles Dni•. The highly
anticipated hoxed set hils the streets Augusl
27 A&E "ill adapl Jane Austen's Emma
into a telcp1c for the fall or 1997. The cable
nct"ork had considerable succc-.s last season
nllh Austen's Pride and Pre1ud1ce \'1lerie
Harper, fresh from her stint in the Woody
Allen play Death Defying Acts, 1s in
rehearsals for The Dragon and tire Pearl. The
pla) based on the life of Pearl S. Buck
requires the lcgcndaS) actress/comedian to
play 11 characters. Buck \\OS the first
American "'Oman 10 "in the Nobel Prm:: for
literature for ·rne
Good Earth". The
sho'" "ill tour the
countl) prior to its
Broadway debut
Chaka Kahn vmts
and performs on Rosie
O'Donnell Monday
June 24 al 9 am on
Channel 13. .. Cher----·---
will spar with David Letterman Thursda)
June 27 on CBS' I.ale Show Ihe last several
times lhc:se two got together, they made
headlines. This gel logelher promises to be
interesting indeed Fmall), Country legend
Georee Jones '"II be signing copies of his
au1ob10graphy, I l.1ved to Tell It All, from 6·8
pm at the Waldenhooks in West Oaks Mall.
Milestones: Jo \"an Flttt. an Acadamy A"ard
"inning actrC'>s for her portrayal as J1mes
Dun·s mother in fAJt of Eden, dic-d al the age
of 81 last week. Fleet was the stepmolher m the
1965 •ersion of Cinderella Jaa great [Ila
Fit1gerald passed 8\\8)' this past \\eek as well
Fitzgerald "as unsurpassed in her licld of
contemporary artlSts. lier vocal ab11i11es and
mesmer111ng kno" ledge of the musical scales
\\35 breathtakmg Fnzgerald \\35 hailed IS one
of the greatest singers of the modem era and
she "as nrguabl) the most n.- . spcctcd di\ a in her
class. She "ill be sorcl)· missed. but her l<gac)
"11 rcmam with us for generations to come
Top of the Charts: As expected, Jim Carrey's
Cable Guy op.11ed #I at the box office "ith a
tally or S20 million. The Rod "as a close
second at Sl8.5 million \fission. Impossible,
flusur and Dragonheart round out the top
five AllC's Home Improvement lopped the
Nielscns Ratings last \\CC~ Tha Crossroads by
Bone Thugs-:\-llarmony remain at the top of
the singles charts and Mctallica's nc\\ release
load tops the album charts according to
Billboard. The Ne" York limes best·scller's
lisl ind1ca1es that John Grisham's no•el The
RunaM-U)-' Jury is sull king of the fiction charts
and Dennis Rodman 1s at the top of his game
on the non·fiction charts "1th his phenomenal
bestselhng autobiographical tome Bod A.• I
Wanna Be. Quote of the \Vttk: "Al a rectnt
concert. the smger Jewel H-alked off staRl' mid·
.rong ufter bemK hit •wt th u f r1shee. In a related
.story Fruhees '+tll now be sold ut all \f1diael
Bolton concerts ... • Conan O'Brien on /.att
V1ght
(LJle lowll photo courtts; of Ke11h Bentfield
at SoundPIUJ 520-'JlJ I
I'm sure 9/ad that E]'s
has $1.00 Bud & Bud Li9hts
today and e~ery Sunday!
Star ..,,Stllf,i'2JJ
saturd~ e .11
* J{ostess: ~* Show
Tara Dion 10:00pm *
Special Guests
Leah Halston
* Jessica Van Shelton*
D1J.nast1J.
Sot-\th of the
Border Night
with Ma~ily~
"3v.a~i+a" Ma.-4X
Thursday, June 271 ll:OOpm
2Sl7 Ralph Street at Westheimer
(713J S27-9071
• HaPPY Hour 7am-9Pm weekdays
• SI.SO Well 4-7 Saturday
~1~1 MALE STRIP CONTEST ~
g ' at 11:00 Pm w/ PAIUI :!!
~JM Star Studded (/)
u '' Saturday Show 10Pm ~
6/2~ I Budweiser & Bud lieht (/)
J All OaY All Nieht ~
~n~ M~Lfi:8J~~ ~~~AfJrT ~
1( 51 1\.\~~ C.C. Ryder 6/i~Amr:i~uh~r {J;~nt ~
$~;~,~ o~ ~\~~~\\' Blanca Debris
Ji.\\ \)P.'! RocheIIe Stevens
and ALSO Granny s Tacos!!!
• SI.SO Vodka 7am-6Pm
• Mui! Club 7am-10Pm
• S3.7S Pitchers & Sl.2S Mul!s
~/~6 Granny's Bur2ers!! ~
HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21 , 1996 21
22 HOUSTON VOICE I JUNE 21, 1996
On Your Next VfiittoHoutton ••.
What you get at tire rrwtel on the highway & what you get at
the Montrose Inn
Motel Heterosexuals with kids fighting next door.
Montrose Inn. Gay men next door. Only gay men Nothing but gay men.
Motel Several miles to the gay bars.
Montrose Inn: 5 tiny blocks to the gay bars
Motel: Drive to the gay bars & pay $5 to park, if you can find parking. Or take a
$15 cab
Montrose Inn· Walk to the gay bars Or take a $3 cab.
Motel: Drive back from tbe gay bars and risk the cops making you walk the
straight line. Or take a Sl5 cab.
Montrose Inn· Walk back from the gay bars Or take a S3 cab.
Motel. Pay S35 to $95 a night for a room
Montrose Inn: Pay $41 to $79 a night for a room .
Motel Eat in their resuurant. Food for the masses. Pay plenty. SI soft drink
machrne.
Mon1rose Inn· Complimentary late night sandwiches & full breakfast the
next day. Free soft drinks, iu1ces, coffee 24 hours
Motel. CruISe the parkrng lot and get threatened .
Montrose Inn CruISc the hallways . Please!
Motel: The receptionist sneers at you.
Montrose Inn The receptionist winks at you
Motel : Wash mg machine? Iron mg board? Hair dryer? Refrigerator? Stove?
Microwave? VCR & gay movies'! Are you kidding?
Montrose Inn All of the above Free to use .
Motel Full Sile bed, everythrng else is plastic .
Montrose Inn: Queen 51ze bed, hardwood floors, hardly any plastic.
Motel. Maid knocking 8 a.m., you moan but she's conung m anyway Checkout
II a .m
Montrose Inn Handsome man next door knocking II a m to Join him for
breakfast Checkout I p m
Rutrrat1ons uqutsttd. 1-800-357-1228. Tht houst at 408
A rondalt
The Montrose Inn 1s NOT a motel. We re NOT a hotel. We re a Bed & Breakfast
tAnd we're Ba..c & Butch We're the B&B that's B&B ) We're completely
d . trcrcnt'
Sponsored by
Channel 13 KTRK
Maleman Funzine
ELF1
PUMPED
UPON
J!
Spomored by
Neiman-Marcus
Town & Country
la Strada
7/b.rofule{t; 7a£ufous Joofa,ear o/!lie Yamous
(',elebration and Auction benefiumg
The Names Project, Milam !louse, lhe Cay & Lesbian 5wotchbo.ud,
The lexas Lesbian Conference, & The Pride (',ommutee of llouston
Friday, June 2JJAGS7 pm to ~
/)ronnc l:Janvrci Al ''' Dmrit " Cntt1 of Umtoa ''u!ly '""Y '7?<11,/,ael
5120 Woodway • $20 Donation Requested
SILENT AND LIVE AUCTION OF CELEBRITY F001WEAR
PUMP ART DESIGNED BY LOCAL ARTISTS
Special Guest Speaker: Can ace Gingrich '
Janis Ian's Revenge
Interview
By JON ANTHONY
Grammy Award winner Janis Jan's career
ha> spanned decades, four to be exact. That
is not an easy .feat in such a highly compell·
11ve industry. Rtvtngt . her newest
album , demonstrates why th1' talented
singer/songwriter has lasted in the franuc
business known as the music industry.
The album is one of Ian ·s best and that is
quite an accomplishment. Known for her
acoustic abtllly, Ian departs from the
norm and offers a compelling compilation
of harder edged tunes that Oow wuh
depths of emotion that Ian masterfully
conveys
In a recent interview wilh the Houston
Voitt , Ian elaborated on her status in the
industry and how coming our as a Lesbian
personally transformed her inner self
Currently embarking on a continental
U.S. tour, Ian 1s on the road promoting the
album . "It's about survival," says Ian.
"!l's about outlastin& the enemy.'' Ian
says she wanted to do something different
from her last album. 1992's s,.aking
Siknct Although she thought u was a good
album. she felt that tl focu,ed on the songs,
not the music . Having worked previ·
ously with co-producer John Jennrngs,
Ian and Jennings were in accord when
selecting a hand for the album . ' (Revenge)
took a different direction There ' s a
poinr \Ii here you choose 1he songs and after
that the album 1alces on us own life. tde ..
ally' say> Ian.
Ian ts going to change musical directions
agam on her next projccl tentatively
slated to begin m October She doesn 't feel
that her style of music IS harder for the
younger generation of today to acccpl
than that of previous generat10ns. " It
might be a httle different for me because
I'm ten to twelve years younger than some of
the people 1 started with hccausc I Marted
when I was 14 ... ~ut the audience th•! I g<1 is
a real uoss· secuon between 16 to the mid
50's and I find that the real young ones are
piralmg their parcn1s alhums an<l have
been for years . 11 1 ~ a cool thing to he hilling
three generatllrns of people," said Ian
Asked 1f she ever tires of >1ngrng her 'tapie
of hits such as At Seventeen, Je~!i.e and
Stars. Ian rephed· "They've surted to get
a ltttlc old the last couple of year" But this
year I'm out <0lo which I haven't done 51nce I
wa; IS and everything hu uken on a whole
other cast because of u, so no. As corny as u
sounds. I 1hink it's a real pnvilcgc to be
able to write those kinds of songs "
WI has shown that <he " adept al wnting 10
general and not JUSt a s1ngcr/songwr-
11er. !;he •~ also a columnist for The Advo·
cate magazine. "The Advocate manag·
mg editor. Judy Wieder. came to me two
years ago and asked me 1f I'd be interested
1n writing a guest column and I said no,"
Ian recalls. Wieder did not relent and con·
1inued to pursue Ian in an auempt to per·
suade her to consider a regular column
"F1nally, I lllerally went to lunch with
her and my partner. They figured 1t all out.
They had a ltst of due <Lites for me and wme
ideas for columns. I don't know why she
thought I could write, she doe>n't know
either she says. but apparently she wa.
right.''
Having been coerced into a career ~idc ·
hoe as a columnis1, Jan adm11s ~he ha~ sue·
cumhed and that she enioys the ta,k . "II"
real different. A~ a JOUrnalist )'OU can
appreciate the difference 10 know 1hat
you've got a limit-at The Advocate 1t s a
thousand words-and you've got to get
cvcrychrng you need to ~ay into that , ..
say< Ian. "I tread that thin hne between
really being rude about being Gay and also
have some SCO"-C about u. I try to write n in a
way where someone who as not Gay can
understand It but where a gay person will
feel like u's add1n& some d1mens1on to
thcu life.'' rca,oned Ian
WI IS one of many lcsb13n singers who has
come out in recent years. k .d. lang, Meltssa
Etheridge. Chastity Bono, etc. Asked 1f
she encompassed any ~acklash u a result
of her fortitude. Ian rcphed· "Just here
Janis Ian
and there. We've had silly things, like one
label said they had too many lesbians
already. I think the backlash happens
more when you're dealing with all the peo·
pie who are not out. Because once you're
out. people lose a lot of their fear. But so
long as you stay closeted or mamtam the
atticudc that it's no one's business. So
long as you're passing, in effect, there are
going to be repercussions, because peo·
pie know," she opines.
"h's funny because when Meli>Sa, k.d
and I came out, we all thought that there
would be this huge ru>h becau'IC we dtd ll all
within a month of each other and there
wasn t. Really u 's kmd of stayed there
Only English male arusts have came out
bcS1des us. There are no English female
artISts that have and no American male
artists It ' s a strange phenomenon
says Ian .
Ian contends that coming nut for her was
not the catharsis 1hat some would like to
bill u u . ''I was our to my tam1ly and hus1
ness . II certainly cha ng es peo ples pe r·
ception of you. I don't know that II changes
yuur perception of yourself. I never felt
parucularly closeted so tl had less of an
affect on me ," says Ian .
Jan has no desire to add acting to her
career She is perfec!ly comfortable
being a writer and considering her
1mprcsS1vc success through the last 30
years. 1t is apparent she made the right
career choice. In addition IO her wn1tng.
Ian has studied theater. ballet and
interpretation wi1h some of the mosc
prestigious mentors in the business.
Her musical compositions have been
recorded by some of the rndus1ry's big·
gest stars across musical spectrums. Joan
Baez, Cher, Bene M1dler. Kathy Mattea,
Mel Torme, Nanci Griffith, Amy Grant,
John Mellencamp, Diane Shcuur. Etta
James, Lee Greenwood, Chet Atkins and
Glen Campbell have at one ume or another
recorded an Ian tune in the last thirty years.
Ian's resume of songwriting credits
speak volumes and arc a testament to her
uncanny abillly as a wordsm1th and her
incomparable ulents as a mus1c1an.
Dcspilc all of her accomplt,hment;, Ian
has not done all she has <ct out to do. She
would love to perform with John Mellen·
camp again and ~ees that a' a good possi ..
b11ity. An avid fan of Ant DeFranco, Ian
believes that she has been an mflurncc on
her and vice versa . Jan would also like to
work with Bruce Spring<teen and Paul
Simon If precedence is any indication ,
she most certainly will have that opportu·
n1ty.
Ian laves with her partner Pac, a law \lU·
dent. and her two dogs, a dob1e and a tea cup
poodle-yes they get along "great" with
each other. Janis Ian will perform hve at
Rockefclle" this Saturday, June 22
Nancy Ford ts the SJ"'Cial opening guest.
Ian encourages her fans to bring any mcmorah11ia
they wish to have her sign alter
the show. She will he selhng copies of
R~v~ng~ and have an auto1raph session
following her performance . For con·
cert information, call 869-TICS .
Conference continued ...
(Contmuedfrompage I)
kids into "nonnalcy." (It is noted that the
homosexual community extricated itself
from the DSM in the early I 970's.)
Champion Award - past winner was
Raymond Hill.
The Tronsgender Advocate Award is for any
attorney or legal organization who has
advanced the legal standing of the
transgender community. The winner is Law
Depending upon the interest and attendance Professor Stephen Whittle from the
at these two health Jaw workshops, the University of Manchester, England. Prof.
discussion could lapse over into a half day Whittle, an out transgendered man has
working committee on Saturday morning, written several books on transgender legal
chaired by ICTLEP Health Law Moderator, issues in England. He is also involved with
Ms. Lisa Middleton, a highly placed "Press for Change", an advocacy group in
insurance professional, wherein an attempt to England. Recently, he took the British
derive a community consensus on these · Courts to the European Court of Justice. The
issues would be sought. EC J ruled that the British Courts were in
The Legal Needs of
Transgender People of Color
On Friday afternoon, July 5, immediate!)
following the luncheon speaker, there "ill be
a three hour \\Orkshop (with no competing
workshops) devoted to the Legal Needs of
Transgendcred People of Color. This
workshop is not just for people of color,
although it is hoped that many will attend
This workshop is all transgendered people:
our so-called "white" community needs to
hear and even participate and to learn the
extra and unfair legal burdens faced each day
by transgendered people who are also people
of color
This workshop fonnat was specifically set up
because of the misperception that being
transgendered is a white problem. ICTLEP
asserts that it is a people problem, and that
until "e address |
