The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 6, November 9, 1994
Dublin Core
Title
The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 6, November 9, 1994
Alternative Title
Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 6
Subject
Gay culture--United States
Description
The sixth issue of The Watermark was published on November 9, 1994, and discusses community reactions to several LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and others) issues. Notably, the major issue covered was a discussion of Tom Woodard, a police officer who five years earlier revealed he was gay and fought for the right to remain employed despite that. This issue also addressed community reactions to the death of Marion Baker, who was a larger than life gay activist, even though she was straight. The paper also continues its trend of publishing international articles this time focusing on, the Supreme Court consideration to ban gays from adoption, a lesbian couple in Utah being denied family housing, a man who was shot in San Francisco for holding another man’s hand, and Russia’s requirement for international visitors to be tested for HIV/AIDS. Another article focuses on southeast exclusive grocery chain, Publix attempting to convince its voting customers to vote in alignment with the Religious Right. An important note is that this issue is missing two-pages, pages 15 and 16.
Since 1994, The Watermark has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, The Watermark has consistently published newspaper-style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, The Watermark became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased The Watermark.
Since 1994, The Watermark has been the cornerstone source of LGBTQ+ centered news for the Central Florida region. Founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando, the publication began generating bi-weekly issues beginning August 31, 1994. Since then, The Watermark has consistently published newspaper-style issues every other Thursday. Gaining traction, the publication expanded in 1995 to include Tampa and, in 1997, The Watermark became a permanent piece of LGBTQ+ culture when the publication initiated the first large-scale Gay Days Weekend event, the Beach Ball at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Before 1999, the publication printed 20,000 copies every week, distributing them to over 500 locations between its two major cities. Following 1999, the publication launched watermarkonline.com shifting to an online publication style. In 2016, Rick Claggett purchased The Watermark.
Creator
Barber, Keith
Crectitelli, James A.
De Matteis, Stephen
Dyer, Tom
Kersey, Keely A.
Kundis, Ken
Maines, Ted
O'Lay, Lola
Saranno, Joe
Sloan, Rosanne
Source
Original 28-page newspaper: The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 6, November 9, 1994: Publications Collection, GLBT History Museum of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Publisher
Date Created
ca. 1994-11-09
Date Copyrighted
1994-11-09
Date Issued
1994-11-09
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original 28-page newspaper: The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 6, November 9, 1994.
Is Part Of
The Watermark Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Requires
Format
application/pdf
Medium
28-page newspaper
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Daytona Beach, Florida
San Francisco, California
Washington, D.C.
Ottawa, Canada
Honolulu, Hawaii
Salt Lake City, Utah
Richmond, Virginia
Miami, Florida
Moscow, Russian Federation
New York City, New York
Thornton Park Café, Orlando, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by Watermark Media.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by Watermark Publishing Group and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Curator
Smith, Robert
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
"About/Contact." WatermarkOnline.com, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.watermarkonline.com/aboutcontact/.
Transcript
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 6
NOVEMBER 9,1994
COMMUNITY...............
CHAMPION MARION BAKER
TITTTQ '
by James A. Cresciteili
Por those who’ve been active in Orlando’s gay community for some time, the name Marion Baker conjures a very specific image: a feisty, silver-haired woman with an attitude and a tongue to match. She was a woman who could handle the roughest gay hot-line caller, or run the most difficult discussion
i
and kind understanding.
Not gay herself, Marion be-. came involved in our community ||Pf result of her volunteer work. Back in 1076 she was one of tire standard bearers of a new organization, Gay Community Services. GCS, as it was called then, has become the thriving and multi-faceted GLCS, an organization many of us use frequently and often take for granted, in those early days, Marion was a consistent presence at sparsely-attended meetings, and she always volunteered to take calls and run groups at whatever location was being used by the nomadic early GCS. Her strong presence and no-nonsense approach were much needed in those days.
Marion Baker died otvNovember 2nd at her home in Orlando. She will be missed by the many who loved and respected her, and by the gay community as a whole.
1 first met Marion at a GCS rap group held at Pasadena Place. As was often the case back then, Marion was the only woman in a room filled with gay men. Nobody minded.
AIDS had just begun its insidious scourge and many of us were bewildered and frightened by this new horror. There, amid the tattered couches and chairs leaking stuffing, Marion would hear our concerns. She was never shy about
Continued Page 8
LIFE FOLLOWS SUIT
TOM WOODARD: FIVE YEARS LATER
by Ken Kundis and Tom Dyer
A cop is a cop of course, of course and his private life is his own resource. Unless, of course,
He’s on the force Of the Amazing Sheriff Walt!
Because he’s the top dog
flic Iojtcc
You must li'"* a lifestyle That he’ll endorse Or else you’ll not the law enforce For the Amazing Sheriff Walt
Work real hard and do your job And earn your weekly pay It matters not to Sheriff Walt Not if he learns you are gay!
Sung to the theme from Mister Ed.
It was 1989. This clever penned
by then-featured columnist Bob Morris, appeared in The Orlando Sentinel. The song satirized the ludicrous situation that had turned an Orange County Sheriff's Deputy into the biggest news story of the day. Underduress from his employer, Tom Woodard admitted having sexual relations with another man. Despite a spotless work record, he was asked to resign by the Orange County Sheriff at that time, Walt Gallagher, and as headlines would soon reveal, he was fighting back.
“/just instinctively knew that it was wrong,” Woodard now says, looking back. So he found a lawyer a lawsuit.
The ensuing legal battle received national media attention, galvanized Orlando’s once-slumbering gay community, and created a hesitant but defiant activist in Tom Woodard.
"Inever, never thought it was a mistake,” he says, adding with a laugh, just didn’t know it would take so long.”
In fact, it would be an emotional three-and-a-half-year rollercoaster ride, with the media covering every swoop and curve. For
a time, stories appeared in the Orlando Sentinel almost daily. Local TV news covered rallies held on Woodard’s behalf. Nationwide, both gay and straight newspapers and magazines such as The Advocate featured the story prominently.
Ultimately, Woodard prevailed, getting his job as a Sheriff’s Deputy back and setting important legal precedent in the process. In finding that Gallagher had violated WoodarcTs ri^ht to privacy, Judge
Reflecting 6n the events of 1989 and beyond, Tom Woodard sees himself as a changed man. Motivated simply by the desire to work in law enforcement, as his parents had before him, Woodard sought only to retain his position as a deputy. What his case developed into, however, was something more far-reaching, sparking a national debate on the fundamental employment rights of gays and lesbians.
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dence that [Woodard's] job or public life was affected in any respect by such conduct. ”
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Continued Page 0
TOM WOODARD TODAY: "When all this started I had never been to a gay bar."
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 2
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WATERMARK / November 9,1994 3
LOCAL & STATE NEWS
SUPREME COURT CONSIDERS GAY ADOPTION BAN
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Gay couples should have the same rights anyone else does to adopt children, attorneys for a Sarasota man told the state Supreme Court.
But state attorneys argued on Nov. 4 that lawmakers have the power to bar gay adoptions, and social services authorities are entitled to delve into the sex lives even of heterosexuals planning adoptions.
“There is simply no basis to conclude that homosexuals are in any way less capable than heterosexuals of being good parents,” Nina Vinik, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney from Miami, argued on behalf of James W. Cox.
The court is considering an appeal by Cox, who, with his companion, Rodney M. Jackman, also of Sarasota, sought to adopt children with physical, mental or emotional handicaps.
The two, who acknowledged their homosexuality, were told by HRS officials in 1991 that state law prohibited homosexuals from adopting children.
Cox, 32, a professional pianist, and Jackman, 28, a state Department of Revenue collection specialist, challenged the law in Circuit Court in Sarasota. Circuit Judge Scott Brownell declared it unconstitutional in March 1993.
But Brownell’s decision was overturned in December by the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland.
The state Supreme Court didn’t rule after hearing oral arguments, and the justices have no deadline for making
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The state prison system will save millions of dollars by opening a nearly $1 million, 133-bed AIDS treatment center next year, corrections officials say.
But some question how the state will use the facility, designed to deal more efficiently with the disease that has become the biggest killer of Florida prison inmates.
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome has claimed the lives of 392 Florida prison inmates in the past six years. In the 1993-94 fiscal year ending June 30, when the prison population averaged 53,512 inmates, 103 died of AIDS.
State Corrections Secretary Harry Singletary said the center would provide a cheap and humane approach to treating AIDS sufferers. “It really does make good correctional sense,” Singletary said.
But prisoner rights advocates with the American Civil Liberties Union worried about inmates infected with human
a ruling.
“Our Legislature has imposed a per se exclusion of only one class,” Vinik told the justices.
That violates Cox’s state constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law, she said. “We ask that HRS make an individualized determination in his case like any other.”
“In excluding members of a particular class, wouldn’t one need to show that all members of the class are unfit to adopt?” Justice Gerald Kogan asked Anthony DeLuccia Jr., attorney for the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.
“Suppose you said anyone who is black can’t adopt, or anyone who is Jewish can’t adopt?” Kogan asked.
DeLuccia responded that race and religion are constitutionally protected, but “the Supreme Court of the United States has said homosexuality is not one of those fundamental rights that are deeply rooted in the nation’s history.”
Vinik said the law also violates constitutional guarantees of privacy.
By making adoption conditional on sexual orientation, she said, “This statute violates Mr. Cox’s right to intimate decisionmaking.”
New Hampshire is the only other state with a state law barring adoptions by homosexuals.
immunodeficiency virus who haven’t developed AIDS.
Jackie Walker, AIDS information coordinator for the ACLU’s National Prison Project, said such a center could be used to segregate HIV-positive inmates - even though the virus can remain dormant for years - and reduce their access to services.
“If it’s actually a move by Corrections as they’re describing it, as a compassionate way to treat inmates with AIDS, that would be good,” said Walker. “But it’s something that’s going to have to be monitored.”
John Burke, chief of health services administration for the Department of Corrections, said the center, scheduled
to open late next summer, would offer care for only 10 to ^
15 percent of the 530 inmates already suffering from AIDS.
By easing health-care burdens on individual prisons, Burke said, the center is expected to save the prison system $ 1 million to $ 1.5 million a year.
Jm. DAYTONA BEACH ■ ■ AIDS OUTREACH JSgg§& JOINS NATL
fundraiser
Outreach, Inc, of Daytona Beach has joined other AIDS support agencies throughout the country in an ambitious national fundraising ': project, “The Caring Tree” will beneftt AIDS 1 service organizations through the sale of holiday trees and wreaths. These items, decked with a symbolic red ribbon, will be shipped directly to the contributor’s home or designated delivery site on their choice of delivery dates.
- -jBy' : lor a Caring |
Tree AIDS service organization such as Outreach, • Inc., the contributor not only receives a holiday ; : decoration, but also makes an important and sub-stantial gift. Half of the tree or wreath’s price remains with the organization to help provide services to those infected or otherwise affeeted by HIV.
Caring Tree holiday trees are Premium grade
the Blue;Ridge
Mountains, Holiday wreaths are made from freshly cut Fraser Fir Boughs. Both are guaran-" | teed to be shipped to the contributor’s door on one of four shipping dates, from Thanksgiving to December 16.
Proceeds from Volusia and Flagler Counties’ pahicipatidn in the Caring Tree project will help Outreach, Inc. of Daytona Beach continue to provide services to HIV positive individuals and their families. To purchase a tree or wreath, call • {904)672-6069.
NEXT ISSUE
AVaNaKIa MAVAml,A.
A LOOK AT ELECTION RESULTS AND THE GAY VOTE
STATE PRISON SYSTEM TO OPEN AIDS CENTER
PUBLIX DISTRIBUTES RELIGIOUS RIGHT
VOTING GUIDE
by Tom Dyer
For approximately two weeks directly prior to last Tuesday’s mid-term election, Publix Super Markets distributed voter’s guides compiled by a conservative religious organization. The voters guide was published by the Florida Family Council, a Tampa-based organization whose stated goal is “to strengthen the family... and to promote Judeo-Christian values in our culture.”
According to Todd Simmons, a Tampa gay rights activist, the Florida Family Council is affiliated with Colorado’s Focus on the Family, and the Oregon Citizens’s Alliance, both organizations which have spearheaded anti-gay ref-erendums. “These organizations are virulently homophobic,” says Simmons.
The 16 page guide, which asked candidates their religion and marital status, printed questions and answers to such questions as:
“Do you support or oppose legislation or constitutional protection for individuals based on their sexual preference?” “Do you support or oppose legal protection of a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion.”
“Do you support or oppose legislation prohibiting an increase in welfare benefits for women who continue to bear children out of wedlock?”
“Do you support or oppose legislation permitting voluntary prayer by students at public schools?”
Earlier this month, Publix removed the guide from 150 stores in southeast Florida, where consumer complaints were substantial and vehement. Boca Raton resident Harry Westen was among those offended.
“It seems to be strictly propaganda,” Westen said. “I don’t think it’s a function of this kind of retail organization to be going into politics.”
According to Publix spokeswoman Jennifer Bush, the large super market chain had no plans to remove the guide from the chain’s other 274 stores prior to the election. When contacted on Friday, Nov. 4, a Publix customer relations
representative stated, “We have had so many calls on this issue that all I can do is find out whether you support the guides or oppose them and take your phone number.”
300,000 copies of the voter’s guide were initially made available at Publix Super Markets. Publix has over 60 outlets in the Orlando/Daytona Beach area.
Nationwide, organizations similar to the Florida Family Council distributed voter guides prior to the election in an attempt to educate and motivate conservative voters. The majority of these organizations are affiliated with the Christian Coalition, an offspring of religious broadcaster Pat Robertson’s 1988 presidential campaign.
A sampling of guides across the country, including the one published by the Florida Family Council, indicated that in the overwhelming majority of cases, the Republican candidate’s views were most in line with those espoused by the guide’s publisher.
Coalition leaders deny picking sides, which would violate their tax-exempt status. They say questions and answers were carefully worded and presented fairly in the guides, and the choice was then left to the voter.
“We know the rules and we play by them,” said coalition spokesman Mike Russell.
But many Democrats complained of distortions in the voting guides. In Oklahoma, for example, Democratic House candidate Stuart Price said the coalition’s guide was full of “mistruths” about his views on abortion, school prayer and homosexuality. He urged Oklahoma churches not to distribute it.
Leaders of the Interfaith Alliance, an organization founded to monitor the so-called religious right, accused the Christian Coalition of twisting candidates’ records and said late release of the guides proved the organizations’ bias by not giving candidates time to respond.
But even the coalition’s fiercest critics give it a begrudging respect.
“They have a lot of very good lawyers,” sais Arthur Kropp, president of the liberal People for the American Way. “While they don’t come right out and endorse, it is very clear, at least from the perspective of the Christian Coalition, who you should vote for.”
Those wishing to register their disapproval with Publix over distribution of the Florida Family Council’s voter’s guide may call Publix customer relations in Lakeland at (813) 688-1188, or contact their local Publix Super Market directly.
Wire service stories were used in compiling this article.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 4
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NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS OPPOSE OREGON, IDAHO, FLORIDA MEASURES
WASHINGTON (AP) - Coretta Scott King and the Rev. Jesse Jackson are urging voters in Oregon, Idaho and Florida to defeat anti-gay initiatives on the ballot there next week.
The civil rights leaders said last week that the ballot measures would restrict the rights of gay and lesbian people.
“Campaigns are under way to undermine civil rights and institutionalize discrimination through referenda that will appear on ballots this Election Day in Oregon, Idaho and Alachua County,” said Mrs. King, wife of the late Martin Luther King Jr.
“It is truly ironic and tragic that the rights for which Americans have fought so hard can be taken away at the ballot box,” she said.
“If the basic rights of one group can be taken away at the ballot box, all groups are vulnerable,” she said in a letter distributed by the Human Rights Campaign Fund.
Jackson, the head of the National Rainbow Coalition who sought the Democratic nomination for president in 1988, said radical right groups pushing the measures have tried to divide people of color over the issue of equal rights for gay people.
“Let us not fall into the ‘divide and conquer’ trap of the enemies of social justice,” Jackson said.
“It is telling that those who are now leading the charge on these initiatives are the very same forces that oppose the advancement of the civil rights agenda - affirmative action, majority-minority districts and economic setasides,” he said.
Oregon’s Measure 13 would overturn existing local gay-rights laws and bar state and local governments from enacting specific protections for gays and lesbians in the future.
It also places restrictions on how public schools teach about homosexuality and bars governments from establishing affirmative action or hiring quotas based on homosexuality.
Jackson said equal protection under the law is a “God-given right, not a ‘special right.’”
“We must recognize the diversity of our human family and affirm our humanity by safeguarding the legal and civil rights of all human beings,” he said.
Douglas Hattaway, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign Fund’s Americans Against Discrimination, said the support from Jackson and Mrs. King is a big boost for gay rights.
“These right-wing groups have tried to divide the African American community over gay rights issues, even though these groups have a long history of hostility toward African American groups,” Hattaway said.
“This undercuts that hostility to have leading civil rights advocates coming out against these measures,” he said.
MAN SHOT FOR HOLDING BOYFRIEND’S HAND
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Just blocks from the heart of San Francisco’s Castro district, an almost mystical safe haven for gays, Victor Rohana was pinned to a wall and shot in the chest.
His crime? Apparently, he was targeted because he was holding hands with his boyfriend.
Civil rights advocates say the shooting is an example of the growing ferocity of attacks on gays and lesbians.
“Whereas in 1992, somebody may have just yelled faggot, now they’re yelling faggot and clubbing you or raping you,” said Leslie Addison of Community United Against Violence, a victim advocate group.
On October 28th, 24-year-old Victor Rohana and boyfriend Steven Damron were walking to their car after dining in a neighborhood restaurant. Just after 10 p.m., two men in a white Suzuki Samurai drove by and yelled at them.
“We were gay and they didn’t like that we were holding hands,” said Damron.
Rohana said something to the men before turning to catch up with his friend. The driver backed up about 100 feet to block their path, jumped the curb onto the sidewalk and pinned Rohana against a wall.
The jeep’s passenger stuck a pistol out of window and shot Rohana.
- “At first I thought he was okay, because he was still standing up. But then he started screaming that he’d been hit and I realized that they’d shot him,” Damron said.
The bullet pierced Rohana’s lung, missing his heart by about an inch, Damron said. Rohana underwent surgery on both Saturday and Sunday.
He is in satisfactory condition but remains critically injured, the hospital where he is being treated reported on Tuesday. The name of the hospital has been withheld to protect him from possible retaliation, police said.
It was clearly a hate crime, a shaken Damron said Monday.
“I don’t think they thought we were Italian. They thought we were gay. They clearly made a decision that they were going to shoot a gay man. They went to a lot of effort to get the car in position to shoot him point blank.”
Rohana wasn’t the type to look for a fight, said a friend, Steven Underhill.
“He’s very quiet and shy, certainly one of the most sweet, kind individuals I’ve ever met,” he said.
Police have developed a composite sketch of the suspects, described as white males in their late teens or early 20s. Officer Sandy Bargioni of the city’s police Hate Crimes Unit spent Monday stuffing fliers and the drawing of the attacker into mailboxes near where the attack occurred
San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the shooting.
“It is dismaying to think that in a city that is known for acceptance of individual freedom that this senseless act of violence still occurs,” Jordan said Monday.
The shooting happened just a few blocks outside the Castro District, the center of San Francisco’s gay and lesbian community, one of the largest in the country.
Last year there were 366 anti-gay attacks and incidents of harassment reported in San Francisco, said Lester Olmstead-Rose, executive director of Community United Against Violence.
The group believes that only about ten percent of harassment is actually reported to police. Advocates say attacks on gays are very deliberate and premeditated.
“People come in from outside the city to attack people. A group of kids get in a car in Walnut Creek and decide to drive into the Castro to get some fags. It’s not like someone’s walking down the street and sees a gay person and gets upset,” Addison said.
“Maybe they just thought it was macho to shoot a gay guy,” said Damron.
“They made a judgement that being gay was bad and their way of expressing that was to shoot Victor.”
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 5
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TOP COURT HEARS GAY COUPLE’S BID FOR SPOUSAL BENEFITS
OTTAWA (AP) - The Supreme Court of Canada recently heard arguments on whether an elderly gay couple - together for 46 years - should be eligible for federal spousal pension benefits.
“It’s the capstone of a lifetime of gay activism,” said 73-year-old James Egan of Courtenay, British Columbia.
Egan, who began getting his pension in 1986, applied for spousal benefits for his partner, John Nesbit, 67.
Spouses of pensioners can get an allowance - now a maximum of $687.88 (about $516 U.S.) a month - if they are aged 60 to 64 and the couple’s yearly income is less than $20,688 ($15,516 U.S.).
Ottawa refused Egan’s request, saying the Old Age Security Act defines spouse as someone of the opposite sex. The couple lost their case in a split decision last year at the Federal Court of Appeal, but have appealed to the top court.
The court, following its usual practice, was not expected to rule for several months.
KIMURA NAMED CHAIRMAN OF GAY MARRIAGE STUDY COMMISSION
choice. Heterosexual couples do,” she said Tuesday.
Norman Chambers, director of the university’s Auxiliary Services, said the housing policy is in line with those of most schools around the country.
The policy states that legally married couples residing together with or without dependent children, or single parents residing with dependent children, are eligible for University Village.
Kees might have been eligible for an apartment in the Medical Plaza because that is open to married couples or roommates with or without children. But in the plaza, each adult resident must be a student, and Kees’ partner does not attend the university.
University counsel Karen McCreary said the non-discrimination policy does not conflict with the housing rules. No courts have ruled that marriage requirements are unconstitutional.
The couple plans to appeal to the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, said Kees.
Kees now lives in West Valley City. Her daughter is in daycare at the University Village.
Housing costs at University Village are comparatively low. The three bedroom apartment Kees wants is $450 a month, utilities included.
“It would be very convenient,” she said. “They offer this housing to the students to save them money and time. I feel that I have the same rights as other students on campus.”
Chris Ryan, president of the Utah Log Cabin Club, said many colleges and universities allow homosexual couples among their heterosexual counterparts, and, “The University of Utah has no business defining what constitutes a family.”
HONOLULU (AP) - Retired Circuit Judge Shunichi Kimura has been named chairman of the 11-member commission set up by the Legislature to study proposals for legal and economic benefits for same-sex couples.
The delay in naming the chairman has stalled the work of the commission, drawing some fire from at least one member.
The commission was established earlier this year as a compromise in the highly-contro-versial issue of same sex marriages. The Legislature notified the state Supreme Court that Hawaii’s current laws on marriage apply only to opposite-sex couples.
The commission is to recommend to next year’s Legislature changes in the law that might give same-sex couples some of the same legal benefits enjoyed by married couples.
Senate President Norman Mizuguchi and House Speaker Joseph Souki on Tuesday jointly named Kimura, who is a former Hawaii County mayor and who served as a Circuit Judge on the Big Island for nearly two decades.
The law said the head of the family law section of the Hawaii State Bar Association was to serve as chairman, but that person reportedly rejected the appointment.
The 10 members already appointed include theologians and doctrine teachers from the American Friends Service Committee, the Roman Catholic Diocese and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, representatives of civil rights groups and legal experts.
Member Reinette Cooper earlier this month complained that the delay in getting started would affect the commission’s product which is supposed to be ready for the Legislature’s convening in January. ir'tiwriM’Mi
LESBIAN COUPLE DENIED FAMILY HOUSING
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A University of Utah student with a lesbian partner and a 4-ycar-old daughter has been denied family housing at the school.
The school bars discrimination based on sexual orientation, but also has a policy of renting only to married couples or to single students either living alone or having roommates who are also university students.
Kathy Kees, the student, says she and her partner were married in a ceremony in July 1993 but the state docs not recognize homosexual marriages.
**I can’t be legally married and that is totally based on sexual orientation. I don’t have a
LAWYER ASKS HIGH COURT TO HEAR APPEAL
RICHMOND (AP) - A Virginia Supreme Court ruling on whether a lesbian deserves custody of her son would clear up confusion about the state’s child custody laws, a lawyer have told the justices.
“We need to know. The judges in this state need to know,” Richard Ryder, who represents the 3-year-old boy’s grandmother in her effort to keep custody, said Friday.
Ryder asked the court to review a state Court of Appeals ruling that granted custody to the boy’s mother, Sharon Bottoms.
The justices will issue a written ruling later. If they take the appeal, arguments would not be held for months.
In a case closely watched by gay rights groups, Ms. Bottoms has been fighting with her mother, Kay Bottoms, over custody of Tyler Doustou, 2. The boy’s father is not involved in the case.
The child remains with his grandmother while the appeal is pending. A court order allows Sharon Bottoms to visit her son two days a week.
At the heart of the case is a 1985 Supreme Court ruling that a homosexual was an unfit parent because he broke the state’s law against sodomy. Henrico County Circuit Judge Buford M. Parsons Jr. relied on that case when he ruled in September 1993 that Kay Bottoms should have custodj
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though illegal, did not make her an unfit parent.
“The Court of Appeals has by its decision changed, without benefit of the legislature, the laws of this state,” Ryder told a four-judge Supreme Court panel.
Justice Barbara Keenan noted there was no evidence the boy has been harmed by seeing his mother with her live-in lover. Sharon Bottoms had testified that she and her female lover hugged and kissed in front of the boy but did not engage in sexual activity in his presence.
Ryder said returning the boy to his mother would be bound to have a bad effect. “What will happen to this child when he’s 9 or 10 years old?” he asked.
Lawyers for Sharon Bottoms did not present arguments because the court only hears from the attorney seeking the appeal.
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 6
HEALTH & HIV NEWS
GROWTH HORMONE HELPS AIDS PATIENTS GAIN WEIGHT
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Injecting AIDS patients with a growth hormone can reverse the “wasting” effect caused by tissue loss, a nationwide experiment found. The therapy may also help people with cancer and other diseases gain weight.
AIDS patients averaged a gain of 3.6 pounds during the first three months of the two-year study, and some eventually put on 30 pounds, Dr. Morris Schambelan of the University of California at San Francisco said Thursday.
“We had people who were severely wasted and in wheelchairs,” he said. “But one guy, by the summer, went up to Yellowstone and climbed a small mountain.”
Unlike other weight gain therapies, use of the bioengineered growth hormone increased lean tissues such as muscles, organs and bone mass, rather than fatty tissues, Schambelan said. The average increase in lean tissue was 6.6 pounds during the first three months because many patients continued to lose some fatty tissue. Treadmill tests confirmed improved muscle performance among the subjects, said Schambelan, who coordinated the study from San Francisco General Hospital.
“Having their legs being able to take them further on a treadmill suggests growth hormone might help them get around day-to-day,” said Kathleen Mulligan, a UCSF endocrinologist at San Francisco General Hospital.
The improvement was so dramatic the experiment was interrupted and placebo patients were given the growth hormone, which was manufactured by Sereno Laboratories, Inc. of Norwell, Mass. The results follow previous successes in treating bum and cancer patients with growth hormones, said Jeffrey Laurence of Cornell Medical Center. He also is a consultant with the American Foundation for AIDS Research in New York.
Problems with side effects have been minimal, although diabetics and people with high blood pressure may not be able to take hormones. Still unresolved is the question of whether the therapy will prolong the life of AIDS or cancer patients.
“The data are very promising, and the FDA is reviewing the data with exactly that question in mind,” Schambelan said.
The double blind experiment included 178 patients in hospitals and community treatment centers in several states. Results were released last week at the Third International Symposium on Nutrition and HIV-AIDS in Philadelphia.
AIDS FEAR BRINGS FLORIDA SYPHILIS DECLINE
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Rising awareness of AIDS has led to a sharp drop in syphilis in Florida, which led the nation in syphilis cases until 1990.
“We can never say ‘Let’s pack up and go home,”’ said Dan George, a senior public health adviser with the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.
Florida is now 16th in the nation in its rate of syphilis with 1,187 cases reported last year - the lowest level in 30 years.
“I’ve been in the field 17 years, and I never thought we’d get a handle on it,” said Bill Drahos of the Volusia County Public Health Unit. “People weren’t listening and the rates were going up, up, up.”
Like syphilis, the vims that causes AIDS can be contracted through sex. But while syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea are curable, AIDS isn’t.
“When we were dealing with traditional sexually transmitted diseases, there was kind of a feeling that you could get a shot for it; you didn’t have to worry about it,” said Ed Carson, communicable disease program coordinator for Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Brevard counties.
“With AIDS around, people are not so willing to take a chance,” Carson said.
The state distributes about 7 million condoms through its county public health units. Apparently many are being used, said Drahos. “With HIV, it got a little scary not to.”
Florida’s syphilis rate peaked in 1988 at 8,292 cases and has been decreasing ever since.
Syphilis, which can lead to blindness, insanity, paralysis or heart disease if untreated, still worries public health officials.
“We have to remain skeptical. If we’re ever complacent, it may come and sneak up on us again,” George said. “Syphilis is potentially very explosive if left unchecked.”
YOUNG AIDS EDUCATOR PEDRO ZAMORA DYING OF AIDS IN MIAMI HOSPITAL
MIAMI (AP) - Pedro Zamora, a young Cuban-American man who has left national audiences in tears as he pleaded for more-humane responses to people afflicted with AIDS, is dying of the disease in a Miami hospital. A doctor said he has a severe neurological disorder, cannot walk, speak or eat and often cannot recognize family and friends.
The 22-year-old got the HIV vims that causes AIDS in 1989 when he was 17 and trying to deal emotionally with the death of his mother from cancer three years earlier.
He has testified in Congress, made a TV spot for the Centers for Disease Control and appeared earlier this year on episodes of the MTV series “Real World.”
Steinhart said it is impossible to say how much time Zamora has left, but he made it clear it won’t be long: “The deterioration is continuing and unrelenting.”
Zamora was preparing for an interview on CBS’ morning news show on Aug. 17 when he was found wandering the streets of New York, dazed and confused. He was taken to a hospital. It was discovered that he had a neurological condition marked by an increasing inability to walk, talk or eat. Where many AIDS patients survive 10 years, the neurological condition leads to rapid deterioration, Steinhart said.
After finding out five years ago that he had the HIV vims that causes AIDS, Zamora began a national lecture tour, telling school audiences how he practiced unprotected sex in high school.
After being found to have full-blown AIDS when he fell ill in New York, he returned to Miami and was hospitalized. He left the Miami hospital last month, but entered again last week.
The doctor said the neurological disorder is Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy, which causes dementia. Only about 5 percent of AIDS patients have PML, but it is showing up increasingly, Steinhart said.
Once Zamora declared: “I’d like to say I am not afraid, but that’s not so. 1 don’t fear death itself, because death is something very natural. What I fear is the process of illness, the preamble for which we’re not prepared.”
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 7
AIDS NO. 1 KILLER OF SAN FRANCISCO MEN
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Richard has seen it countless times - the anger, the sorrow, the bravery of critically ill AIDS patients. Soon, he says, he’ll know exactly how they feel.
“Not everybody is courageous in the face of AIDS. Some go kicking and screaming and are horrible to everyone around them,” said the former heroin addict-turned counselor. “I’m not sure how I’m going to act.”
Richard, an AIDS counselor who declined to use his last name, was diagnosed HIV positive in 1985.
“So I’m panicking.”
He isn’t the only one.
The San Francisco health department recently announced that for the first time in any U.S. city, AIDS was the leading cause of death among men in 1992 - the first time any illness passed heart disease as the No. 1 killer.
In a tragic coincidence, 1992 was the same year health officials celebrated hitting a plateau in the number of new cases.
What’s even more unfortunate is that many here weren’t surprised by the numbers.
“We’ve lost so many friends,” said Richard Chavez, former program coordinator for activities at the Shanti Project who is HIV positive.
“It’s frightening to think that nobody is surprised by it,” Chavez said. “Maybe some people who have been hiding in the sand might say, ‘Oh, my gosh.’”
Over the past few years, AIDS has been the leading cause of death among men age 25-44, but 1992 was the first time it crossed all age lines.
The largest increase in deaths came in men age 35-44.
In 1992, the latest year data is available, of the 8,143 total deaths in San Francisco,
1,195 men died of AIDS, while 1,094 men died of heart-related disease.
In 1991, of the total 8,345 deaths, heart-related disease killed 1,189 men and AIDS kdled 1,152 men.
“In traditional medicine, you go to the doctor and get better. In AIDS, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor - and die,” Richard said.
“AIDS had been inching up as the leading cause of death. ... It didn’t go from being No. 12 to one overnight,” said Mitch Katz, director of the city’s AIDS office.
“Between 1981 and 1984, there were 8,000 new infections each year. Those were entirely among gay men. And now we’re seeing, 10 to 12 years later, the consequences -the high rate of death,” Katz said.
While the numbers for 1993 were still being compiled, AIDS was expected to remain the leading cause of death. The death rate wasn’t likely to decrease until the late 1990s, Katz said.
The health department warned that while the number of AIDS cases among gay men has decreased, AIDS could show a resurgence because of the growing number of cases among youth and intravenous drugs users.
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GOVERNMENT OPENS TOLL FREE LINE FOR PEOPLE WITH AIDS
WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government is opening a toll-free telephone number Monday to provide treatment information by telephone or computer to people with AIDS, their families and health care providers.
The HIV-AIDS Treatment Information Service was scheduled to begin taking calls at 9 a.m. EST. The number is l-800-HIV-0440 and the hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.
The service will be staffed by health information specialists who are fluent in English and Spanish. Deaf access is included, and all calls are confidential.
The service’s staff will not provide treatment advice. Staffers will, however, provide information the latest research and treatment options to physicians and patients who call.
"In addition to assisting health care providers, the AIDS Treatment Information Service will help people living with H1V-AIDS extend and improve the quality of their lives by helping them make informed decisions about their health care with their providers,” said Philip L. Lee, the director of the U.S. Public Health Service.
The service’s data base, which is housed at the National Library of Medicine, will be updated to include all federally approved HIV and AIDS treatment information.
The data base can be accessed tree via computer. Users can call l-800-272-4787 for directions on how to access the system with their computer.
NEW LAW WOULD REQUIRE HIV TEST FOR FOREIGNERS GETTING VISAS
MOSCOW (AP) - The Russian parliament’s lower chamber has approved a measure that would make foreigners seeking Russian visas present proof they do not have the AIDS virus. Foreigners found to be infected with the virus while already in Russia would be deported.
The law, which must also be approved by the upper chamber and the president, also would give medical authorities broad powers to conduct mandatory testing.
Critics said the law would be hard to implement and would violate human rights.
“That law is an attempt to create a new Iron Curtain,” said Kevin Gardner, chairman of the Moscow-based HIV Educational and Information Research Center. “Massive tests won’t stop AIDS since it’s a global epidemic.”
He said the requirements for foreigners would “only succeed in creating a black market for false certificates.”
Dr. Vadim Pokrovsky, head of the national anti-AIDS center, told the ITAR-Tass news agency that widespread coercive testing might provide statistical information but would not help fight the epidemic.
As of the first half of 1994, more than 740 people in Russia had tested positive for the AIDS virus, according to the Interfax news agency. It said 105 had died.
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MARION BAKER
From Page 1
contributing, and armed with articles and statistics, she had a knack for steering the discussion into rational channels. She was often one of the few sane voices when the discussion grew heated or overly emotional.
Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City had just been printed, and I recall several people saying that Marion was “our own Anna Madrigal.” A tall, commanding presence, Marion Baker turned heads when she entered a room. I was always struck by her no-nonsense demeanor; you could tell right away that this was a person who would listen, but who also believed in common sense and certain, uncompromised values.
From the beginning, I was nagged by a question regarding Marion: Why would a heterosexual woman who wore black boots and swore a lot (her seven-year-old grandson eventually cured her of the swearing) want to give so much to the gay community? Marion and I talked just before her death, and she was happy to reminisce with me.
“I was on the phone at We Care starting in 1976,” she said. “We naturally got calls from gay people needing support, or who just wanted to talk. I got to thinking...here is a whole population whose needs are not being addressed.” As I came to learn, Marion was driven by this sense of compassion and acute sense of social justice.
“I would read in the newspapers every week about police entrapments and harassment going on in town. I thought, my God...gays are people too.
I was outraged. This wasn’t fair at all, but nobody seemed to care. Who was worrying about you people? I wanted to start a discussion group even then, because I could tell there was a definite need for one. Of course, there were some bars, but what was lacking was a quiet place for people to meet and talk.”
Courageously.. .unbelievably.. .Marion started hitting the bars to drum up interest for a group. “I put up signs and notices and slowly got to meet people. I’d go to the Parliament House and Odds & Ends, but it was tough. Nobody responded to this old lady.”
Marion told me the story like a mystery writer unraveling the plot from her latest novel. “Well, one night I ran into someone who knew about a ‘secret society’ called GCS. It’s hard to imagine, but back then it was very secretive, very clandestine. Meetings were held in different people’s houses each time so that a pattern wouldn’t be established. David Slaughter and Charlie Hogan were very instrumental in getting and keeping things going back then, and it was through them that I found out about Charlie’s rap group, and about the Hotline they were developing.”
One can only speculate that it was a secret for all this to have eluded Marion Baker’s notice for so long. Marion went on with her story, tired from illness, but clearly energized by the opportunity to relive these most meaningful memories.
“Everybody who wanted to come to groups or meetings had to be vouched for,” she said. “Back then, most gay people were much more paranoid about losing jobs or having their families find out. Even when I started sitting in on Charlie’s rap group in 1979, it was very easy to see, to feel just how scared people were.”
“Listening to the problems people had... with lovers, families, whatever... showed me what I had always instinctively known; that gay people are just like everybody else, except with almost no support.”
Marion spent ten crucial years with the rap group, watching it grow from a secret society to a thriving, open forum. All the while, she continued her volunteer work at
We Care. She was diagnosed with hypoglycemia in 1981, but she says, “since I had already stopped drinking and smoking, I just changed my diet and took better care of myself. I had to. There was so much to do; so much to be busy with.”
In 1993, it was discovered that Marion had colon cancer. She took chemotherapy, and after the treatments her hair grew back in pure white. She decided to have pictures taken, “smiling, with my mouth wide open, just like people know me and just like I feel.”
I will never forget Marion’s unwavering loyalty to the gay and lesbian community, nor the sharp retorts directed toward people who choose to see us in a negative light. Before she died, I asked her if she had anything she wanted to say to Orlando’s lesbians and gay men. Marion didn’t miss a beat.
“Think the best of each other and love each other,” she said.
Indeed. Simple, direct, honest words spoken straight from her heart.. .one of the many attributes of a woman I’ll always love and always be grateful to.
Feisty but loving, Marion Baker was Orlando's own "Anna Madrigal."
Janice and Marcia, who shared their experiences with artificial insemination in our second issue, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Taylor Jeanne, on October 1st. Taylor was born at 5:12 PM, weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces, was 20-1/2 inches long, and apparently arrived with a fully developed set of vocal chords. Please join us in congratulating Janice and Marcia on this joyous occasion.
Watermark's “Gayby Boom” story appeared in Volume 1, Number 2, published on September 14.
“Transitions” may include memorials, remembrances, weddings, anniversaries, promotions, and other announcements. Please send submissions with photo to WATERMARK * P.0. Box 533655 • Orlando, FL 32853-3655. Announcements are free of charge.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 9
BUSINESS
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Your Long Distance Calls Can Benefit the AIDS Quilt
by Joe Saranno
Phoning friends and family could not be more charitable* now that your long distance dollars can go towards increasing AIDS awareness, World Telecom Group, Inc, has generously paid production costs for two AmeriVox phonecards that will benefit the AIDS Memorial Quilt through its keeper, The NAMES Project Foundation. 100% of the proceeds from the phonecards will be contributed to The Foundation as well
Gracing the front of each phonecard will be thematic works by two leading artists, David McLimans and Mary Bngelbreit, known for their past artistic contributions to The Names Project ; Foundation, McLimans’ art will be
3636 cards* each providih| $5 bf phone time — the equivalent of approximately 16 minutes of domestic long distance calling. The other phonecard, which features Engelbreit art, will be released in a limited edition issue of 1000, each with $20 of phone time—a value of about 67 minutes of calling time.
Reflecting on artistry and industry, Anthony Turney, executive director of The NAMES Project Foundation explained, “Our goal has always been to educate the public about AIDS anti HIV prevention while providing a creative form of expression dedicated to the memory of those who have died from this disease. We are pleased that the wonderful art work of McLimans and Engelbreit can be portrayed on the phonecards to help achieve both of these objectives.”
Town! Xkeda, President of World Telecom Group, Inc. added; “We are hopeful that these special edition AmeriVox phonecards will help in . some to iripease publiclv^bness; of the AIDS pandemic and encourage HIV prevention, as well as raise additional funds for the important work of The NAMES Project Foundation.” Ameri Vox is the top-selling brand of prepaid phonecards in the United States, providing long distance telephone service to the entire nation and 200 countries worldwide. Its owner, World Telecom Group, Inc., is a fully integrated telephone company, with its
own digital central office switches, company-employed operators, and independent sales force.
. Using a prepaid phonecard is on most occasions less costly than other methods of calling long distance, however they are a bit tricky to master because of the extra dialing. For instance, if you were at a hotel, you would first have to get an outside line to dial a 1*800 service number which is printed on the card. A computer generated voice will then ask you to dial your personal identification number which is 9 digits in length (alsoprinted on the card). After the computer tells you the present balance on your card, you finally get to enter the area code and number you want to reach. Ouce ; a connection has been made, the computer will quickly tell you how much time you may remain on the line. Near die card’s limit, it will also interrupt with a warning before your time expires.
So with a little added dexterity, you can save money while making a valiant contribution to a most noteworthy organization. The AIDS Memorial Quilt was conceived in June of 1987, and has since grown to be recognized worldwide as a testimony to those who have died of AIDS ^ tactile media to help people understand the devastating impact Of the disease.
^Orc than 5 hnilton people have;: visited the Quilt in over l,000 displays. Through such displays and related ac-;-: rivlties, The NAMES Project Foundation has raised more than $1,400,000 for AIDS service organ!- i zations throughout North America,
Prepaidphonebdrds are only ava able by writing The NAMES Project '' PoiMdatiqhTSlb Suite 310, San Francisco,C4 94/07;| Enclose a personal check or money order made payable to The NAMES Project Foundation of either $5 or $20 for each card you are .
member, the phonecards are intended for renewable use. When its value depleted you can call a toll free service dumber fintM on
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MBA PLANS FOR ‘95 EXPO
The Metropolitan Business Association (MBA) will hold their second annual Business Expo on Saturday, February 4, at the Bahia Shrine Auditorium in Maitland. Last year’s Expo (at the Maitland Civic Center) featured more than 80 exhibitors and was attended by over 1000 people.
According to Dr. Sandy Fink, this year’s Expo will be larger in every respect. “The Shrine Auditorium is a beautiful facility, and we’ve moved there to accomodate more exhibitors and guests.” Exhibit space is open to non-MBA members, and is expected to sell out early. To obtain a registration form, or for more information, contact Dr. Fink at (407)299-3969.
ADVERTISERS REACH OUT TO GAY CONSUMERS
NEW YORK (AP) - Companies in the corporate mainstream are gradually coming out of the closet.
Attracted by the enticing consumer profile of gays and lesbians, a steady parade of companies such as AT&T, American Express, Ikea and Saab have started and expanded marketing campaigns aimed at the gay community.
“Our research tells us that these are affluent, well-educated, brand-loyal consumers who want high-quality products,” said Dick Martin, vice president of advertising at AT&T.
Aiming at that market, AT&T mailed brochures last spring which depicted three smiling couples in affectionate poses - two men, two women, and a man and a woman. The slogan was “Let Your True Voice Be Heard.” AT&T declined through a spokeswoman to comment on the effectiveness of its direct-mail effort, but lesbian activist Susan Horowitz says it was effective.
“These companies are ‘coming out’ because they see payoffs going to their competitors,” says Horowitz. “When people are choosing a long-distance carrier they’ll look at the brochure on the table and think, AT&T? MCI? AT&T because they care about me.”
Other companies such as Saab, the first national auto marketer to reach out to gays, have started running their usual advertisements in gay publications.
In California, a small group of investment advisors - Progressive Asset Management of Oakland - help gay investors steer their money toward companies with good track records on gay issues.
All this newfound attention is welcomed by many gays and lesbians, who have historically been ignored by advertisers. “Very often we march down 5th Avenue in a protest,” Horowitz adds, “but now Madison Avenue is marching down to Greenwich Village to find us.”
Other companies have directed images at the gay market that are dramatically different than their usual ads showing All-American heterosexuals. , — —--------
American Express has advertised travelers checks with the signature of two men or two women. Ikea, the home furnishings chain, ran a television spot last spring showing two men shopping for a table.
While companies doing these types of commercials have conducted in-house research on the gay market, few systematic surveys have been made public. One recent study, conducted by the Westport, Conn.-based market research firm of Yankelovich Partners, gives perhaps the most precise portrait to date of gay consumers.
The national survey found people who identify themselves as gay or lesbian - approximately 6 percent of the U.S. population - are twice as likely as heterosexuals to hold a graduate degree. Their income is “roughly equivalent” to that of heterosexuals, contradicting other less-accurate studies which suggest gays are more wealthy than average.
Although AT&T, Ikea and American Express have used openly gay people in some advertisements, companies who want to reach these consumers do not necessarily have to include overtly gay images to be effective, says the study’s director, Rex Briggs.
“Gays are a more stressed out population,” he says. “They are also more technologically savvy and are very concerned about control and security of the home.” Marketers who push those “hot buttons,” he says, will get their message across whether or not the image shows openly gay people.
In addition, Briggs says inclusiveness is a powerful theme that marketers such as Ikea, which has run ads featuring gay men and single mothers, have used to unite fragmented constituencies.
“You can say ‘We respect individuality’ and make no statements about age, sexual orientation, ethnicity or anything,” he says. “When you add that up, you are talking about not six percent of the population but 40 percent.”
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WOODARD
From Page 1
deserved to have it and if that helped the gay community.. .great. But I wasn’t really in it for political reasons,” Woodard said.
However, as the lawsuit came into focus, Woodard began to see the impact his fight could have for others in his situation. He also began to feel more comfortable as a member of the gay community. Five years ago, Woodard made a point of clarifying that he was “bisexual.” No more.
“When this first began, I had no ties with the gay community. I didn’t even go to a gay bar until a year after I was fired. But now I’ve joined GLCS...I’m a changed person. I’m gay and I’m part of the gay community now.”
Woodard’s saga began more than five years ago when, during an investigation into allegations that he had sexual relations with another man, Woodard admitted to Deputy Sheriff John Butler Book, Jr. that he had had a gay affair about a year-and-a-half before. Book’s report concluded that Woodard’s bisexuality could possibly compromise his position as a deputy sheriff and could bring “dishonor or disrepute to the sheriff, who holds that homosexuality is unnatural, immoral and inexcusable.”
Major Buck Buchanan then gave Woodard the option of resigning or being fired. Buchanan also asked Woodard to identify other gays and lesbians in the department. While Woodard refused to name anyone else, he did submit his resignation on April 27.
However, after resigning, Woodard couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been grievously, fundamentally wronged. His friends and former co-workers agreed.
“I just instinctively knew that it was wrong,” Woodard said. Apparently, so did prominent Orlando attorney Bill Sheaffer, who took up Woodard’s case along with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (LLDEF). With Sheaffer’s assistance, Woodard withdrew his resignation and began the legal battle to be reinstated. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Legally, Woodard’s case sets a precedent against the termination of government employees solely on the basis of their sexual orientation. “This Court finds the action of the Sheriff, in constructively firing [Woodard], unconstitutional,” stated Judge Gridley. “While [Woodard] was a Deputy Sheriff, none of his actions could be construed so as to bring disrepute or dishonor on the Sheriff’s office.”
While Gridley left the issue of whether gays deserve special protection from discrimination, he clearly indicated that he feels such discrimination exists: “It is the conclusion of this Court that known homosexual persons are included in a class of persons who are inherently threatened with prejudice by a large number of people in our society.”
Woodard has been back to work for just over two years now. In the beginning, he was concerned about the kind of reception he would get. Gallagher was still Sheriff, and Woodard thought he might have to “watch my back at every turn.” But that was not the case. “I was received very well. No one has said a single negative thing to me.”
Today, Woodard is happier than he has ever been. He feels a sense of security in his position, and justified pride in his courage to battle what he felt was an injustice. He realizes that he has cleared the way for others in the same situation to feel less intimidated.
“While I don’t know of anyone else [in the department] who has come out, I’m sure my case has had an impact. There are a number of deputies who are fairly open with their peers about it. They’re not trying to hide it.”
Since the ouster of Walt Gallagher as Sheriff, Woodard feels the environment for gays and lesbians has improved even more at the Sheriff’s department.
“[Current Orange County Sheriff] Kevin Beary is great. He’s been real supportive through the whole thing. He has made it a
“It is the conclusion of this Court that known homosexual persons are included in a class of persons who are inherently threatened with prejudice by a large number of people in our society.
point to check with me,” Woodard said.
Woodard indicated that the Sheriff’s office has also appointed a liaison to the gay community. He feels that if people in our community don’t know this, it’s because there is less controversy attached to the issue these days.
“I won’t take credit for it. I think people in general are just becoming more tolerant and understanding,” Woodard said.
As evidence, Woodard describes a recent on-duty situation involving a married couple reporting their son missing. The couple recognized him, but couldn’t place him. “When I gave the husband my card,
he looked up at me and then yelled at his wife, ‘Honey...we have a celebrity in the house. This is the detective who got fired for being gay.’ Both of them told me they’d followed the case and were glad to see me back on the job.”
While there arc not currently plans to actively recruit gays and lesbians into police service as is done in many large cities, Woodard is still hopeful.
“I think we’ll get to that point. We’re probably not ready for that right now.”
Changes are also evident in Woodard as well.
“When all this started I had never been to a gay bar. Now that I’ve come out, I’ve become a lot healthier and happier.” Apparently, Woodard has lost nearly 70 pounds. He admits to a much less stressful life now.
The comfort Woodard now feels came at some cost, however. He views the three-and-a-half years of limbo as a very painful time in his life, both professionally and personally. He becomes emotional when discussing the effect the lawsuit had on his family.
Continued Page 11
Klan protestors at a 1989 pro-Woodard rally.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 11
COVER STORY
Woodard and altorney Bill Sheaffer: "I know I did the right thing."
WOODARD
From Page 10
“My bills were really backing up. I had to depend on my mom to help me get through the whole thing,” Woodard said.
He also explained that coming out so publicly was a shock to his family.
Woodard’s mother was the first female detective in the Polk County Sheriff's department. His dad also worked in law enforcement.
“It was all new to them. No one in my family knew that I was gay * until two days before it hit the newspapers. I had to tell my mom I had been fired and then why I had.
It was rough on her. There were times when she’d just sit in her office and cry,” Woodard said. “Now she’s very proud of me.
My parents were great.
They stood behind me the whole time, but it has taken time for them to accept fully.”
He has not spoken to Walt Gallagher since his reinstatement and Gallagher’s subsequent defeat in a re-election bid. While the lawsuit may have uncovered a number of Gallagher’s weaknesses, Woodard doesn’t think that he was the sheriff’s undoing.
“People have said that he made a mistake with the way he handled my situation but it was just one of many mistakes.” Woodard himself has no regrets about what he did.
He offers this advice for those considering coming out at work. “Be prepared to accept yourself first.” Woodard also recommends books on coming out, including Gay Cops. “Every cop who’s gay should read it to prepare themselves for what might or might not happen.”
Finally, Woodard reflects, “It was a bad time for me but it also let me learn from life. It think I’m a better person for that, and now I can accept myself. I know I did the right thing. Without a doubt.”
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 12
VIEWPOINT
CROSSING THE LINE IN BOBBY SOCKS AND SNE AKERS
bv James A. Creseitelli
Lola O’Lay, move over.. .Leigh Shannon, step aside.
I finally crossed the line; that sartorial Maginot breastplate that separates men from girls. I got into a dress and paraded myself through Orlando this Halloween. I only want to know one thing. How one remove mascara build-up the next morning?
The compulsion to parade “en drague” had been building for some time. I’d done it before in a safe way.. .nun, nurse.. .but never simply as a “woman.”
But the nagging desire surfaced again during a recent Miss America party. Miss Alabama won and my friend Jamie, ecstatic that the young lady from his home state ’ ad captured the crown, vowed to essay her for Halloween, with me in tow.
I agonized for weeks. Did I dare look bad in the eyes of my fellow revelers? Did I dare violate one of Gaydom’s commandments: “Thou shalt not leave the house in bad drag.”? Then again, it was Halloween. There’s no absolute requirement that one be, well...pretty. I wasn’t going to perform on stage. I wasn’t trying to fool anyone, like
Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie. It would simply be me...in a little outfit...and a wig...and some makeup. Simple, fun stuff.
Actually, not so simple. As usual, I left everything to the last minute because I work six days a week and have no life. I needed to shop! So after closing the store on Saturday, I hotfooted it over to Thrift Co. (black hole of the fashion universe). You must go. Miles of clothes racks, all crammed full of cunning items once worn by strangers. Strangers with armpits and all sorts of other private, fungus-breeding parts.
But I can control those thoughts and conquer them. And I was encouraged by the company...the camaraderie really. Incredibly, this pre-Halloween Saturday night found the store filled with guys. Guys buying heels. Guys trying on gowns. Guys searching for matching purses, hats, scarves.. .accessorizing! The checkout ladies never batted an eye. I chucked my excuse about shopping for my grandmother and fought for a changing room.
Later, we met at Jamie’s where a talented friend had agreed to paint us; Jamie, me, and
a friend who was going as that dear old Republican mother hen, Barbara Bush.
We began the transformation. Immediate chaos ensued. Within ten minutes, Jamie’s apartment looked as if “Les Cagelles” themselves had stormed through the place, emptying shopping bags everywhere. Wigs,
.. .the hair?Brunette, teased
and tortured into something the
might have sported on stage at the Apollo.
pearls, foundation, spray net.. .God, its complicated being a woman.
My inability to secure a pair of 10-1/2 heels had determined my iook. Annette Funicello, early ’60s. 1963 to be exact. Straight gray skirt, pink sweater rolled to the sleeves, bobby socks and sneakers. And the hair? Brunette, teased and tortured into something the Ronettes might have sported on stage at the Apollo. A tiara and a five-strand rope of pearls made me complete.
According to our make-up expert, I was done. Perhaps overdone. I looked in the mirror and hardly recognized myself. Perfection. This was the me that had been trying to get out for weeks. But like Audrey Hepburn descending the stairs in My Fair Lady, the real
test awaited.
The Club was packed, and among the costumes was a full compliment of drag... good, bad, great, different, indifferent. I had a brief moment of sublime com fort... right after I realized no one was paying any attention to me, and right before I realized I wanted everyone to pay attention to me.
I ran into several friends (and a few walls) and their comments were gratifying. Apparently even in bobby socks and sneakers, my Annette Funicello looked more like Connie Francis (who was much prettier in my mind). How could I not be pleased? Some acquaintances shrieked when they realized I was me. I felt like a movie star making a rare personal appearance.
I had fun, and the whole evening was well worth the effort and expense. As I doffed my wig, I found rnvself thinking about those distant drag sisters who stood up for the right to be different twenty-five years ago. My experience had been liberating as well. I felt an enormous confidence. I took chances, acted differently, flirted with strangers, and even climbed on stage to dance (in character, of course...my own version of the Madison, and a mean disco Bossa Nova).
I had been both stunning and bad; an effective combination I heartily recommend. It worked -1 know it did because my editor couldn’t stop laughing when he saw me. In fact, he had to grab someone to keep from falling down.
Men!!
WATERMARK
Watermark Media, Inc.
©1994
editor / publisher Tom Dyer layout / managing editor April Gustetter account executive Keith Peterson contributing writers Michael L. Kilgore, G. K. Fowler, Harmony Brenner, Nan Schultz, Bandon Dean, Dimitri Toscas,
Jim Creseitelli, Mark Lawhon, Yvonne Vassell, Ken Kundis,
Rafael Gasti, Stephen De Matteis, Rosanne Sloan, Joe Sarano photographers & illustrators Alison Bechdel, Eric Orner,
Russell Tucker, Jill Porter student contributors Robert Holland, Katie Messmer,
Tera Kenney, Mike Williams
CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited article submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Although WATERMARK is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.
Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles, advertising, or listing is WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members of such organizations (unless, of course, sexual orientation is stated specifically).
WATERMARK is published every second Wednesday, except the first week in January and the second week in July. Subscription
rates are S35.00 (third class).
The official views of WATERMARK are expressed only in editorials. Opinions offered in signed columns, letters and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper’s owner or i management. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication.
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The fabulous, award-winning La Cunta Sisters, Mona and Davida, make their annual Halloween appearance.
\&
ALLEGED
CAUSES AF LESBIANISM
1, Masturbation (1600s thru early 1900s)
2, Faulty nervous organization, which can also lead to dementia death (1890s)
3, Cerebral abnormalities (1890s)
4, Fear of pregnancy (1890s)
5, Female friendships (1890s)
6, Being allowed to dress like boys (1890s)
7, Being allowed to play with boys (1890s)
8, Feminism (1890s)
9, Separate schools for girls boys (1890s)
10, Women's colleges which encouraged athletics k the “masculinization” of the female mind (1900s)
11, Co-ed colleges (1900s)
12, Childhood trauma (1920s)
13, Being an only child or (he first-born (1920s)
14, Shortage of men after World War I (1920s)
15, World War I: emotional trauma caused by the separation of men women during the war k also, women taking over men’s jobs (1920s)
16, Overfunctioning adrenal gland (1930s)
17, Glandular imbalance (1950s)
18, Poor parenting (1960s)
From LESBIAN LISTS by Dell Richards.
Alyson Publications
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 13
VIEWPOINT
GETTING IT STRAIGHT
by Rosanne Sloan
I am openly gay, yet I don’t shove my homosexuality in others’ faces. Fortunately, I have had the freedom to be “out” wherever I’ve been employed. Over the years, I have noticed that straight men and women react differently to my coming out at work.
I spent six years mostly in the company of straight men. I was the executive vice-president of the largest family-owned chain of car stereo businesses in New Jersey. I
It was as if I’d caused an
earthquake. They listened politely enough, but the aftershocks were explosive.
was also the only woman...and the only gay employee. During the first three months, I was propositioned every day, all day. I had no choice but to reveal that I was a homosexual.
At first, the guys thought it was a ploy to prevent them from harassing me. They disregarded my declaration and demanded hat I prove it. How was I to do that? I lought that bringing my lover to the of-ice would suffice but they wanted action, he “real” thing. Then it hit me - these ma-'ho men would rather die than have sex
with another man, but they’d love to be involved in a sexual tango with two lesbians, or their wives/girlfriends and a lesbian. “Once you’ve had me,” they’d say, “you’ll be a real woman.”
Soon, I became a novelty, a trophy. When a new guy was hired, the boys would say, “Don’t mess with her, she’s our lesbian.” They couldn’t have me, so they made sure no other men would. Soon, their wives/ girlfriends found me to be unthreatening, and by the end of my sixth year, I had become “one of the guys.” No longer was I thought of as a gay just as
Rosanne.
I have worked in Florida for a year now, and have decided that straight women are odd. I’m employed at a mail house business which predominantly hires women. After coming aboard, they’d ask me about my wedding band, what my husband’s name was, what he did for a living, why we don’t have kids, dah-da-dah-da-dah. They wanted to know every detail of my personal life. I thought it was only fair (and certainly less burdensome on me) to be honest with them. So, a month after I started working there - on National Coming Out Day - I decided to tell the women I work with that I’m gay.
It was as if I had caused an earthquake. They listened politely enough, but the aftershocks were explosive. Thankfully, there
were some women who said it didn’t matter, but one woman felt compelled to warn, “You better not mess with me!” Others were hurt that I didn’t tell them right away.
Still others were curious. It seemed as if everyone was telling me stories of a relative or a friend that was gay. One woman told me a neighbor of hers killed himself because he was gay, and did I ever feel that way? Another told me she was approached by a gay woman, and did she look like a lesbian to me? Every conversation for the next few days revolved around being gay or gays and lesbians. “How do you do it?” “Are you the man or the woman?” “Do you use a dildo?” “Don’t you miss doing it with a man?”
Most of the women at work now respect my lifestyle. They see my marriage to Donna as equal to their own marriage in validity, but they think I have it better. They feel the success of my marriage is due to it
being with a woman. I’ve tried to explain that it isn’t the gender but the person; still they disagree.
My closest friend at work, Weezer, told me the other day, “You know, I used to be afraid of gay people - until I met you. I thought they would hit on anyone, straight or gay. And I thought if I liked someone gay, it meant I was gay, too. But knowing you has changed my mind. Gay people are cool.” She smiled and put her arm around me.. .something she couldn’t do a year ago.
There are a couple of women at work who are still afraid to be close to me, afraid of what they might see in themselves, perhaps. But for the most part, the others, like Weezer, have changed their minds about gay people. Maybe they will raise their children or teach their grandchildren to be more openminded about homosexuals. Maybe, some day, there will be a Coming Out Day for straights.
Let me say, a more artistic, appreciative group of people For the arts does not exist.. .They are more knowledgeable, more loving of the arts. They make the average male look stupid. M
BETTE DAVIS, on gay men. ^
••••••• < "■
• * . v - ' 'A''
TO MARK:
MY WAKE-UP CALL
by Ken Kundis
My old college roommate, John, and I still talk on the phone on the average of once a week. Recently, during the hootin’ and hollerin’ about men or bars, movies or old friends from New Orleans, he lowered his tone meaningfully and said, “I got a card today from Rick. He wanted to let me know that Mark passed away.”
Six years ago, during our senior year in college, Mark had been John’s first boyfriend. And now, at 26 years old, Mark was dead.
John had spent his junior year in Paris, while I, for reasons that seem distant now, had been living in my fraternity house (Hoo Rah Rega for Alpha Tau Omega). John’s year in Paris was freeing — he came home centered, secured, evolved. In short, a fully-developed homosexual. I, too, had come a long way in that year. I had finally grown tired of the complicated facade I had been wearing for years. I had finally figured out that the roof of my parents’ house wouldn’t start crashing in on them if I went on a date vith a man.
So, when senior year started, John and I ame roommates again, as we had been omore year, and dove headlong into Orleans’ gay world. While John dove farther and swam a bit faster, the ten-^ steps that I took toward coming out 'ear were some of the most important
y life.
. was during this heady time, as the \ x)l year began, that John met Mark. As \ )uple, they didn’t break any longevity -£)rds — six weeks at the most. But Mark,
19 at the time, was sweet and funny, someone who always seemed open to the new experience, the new viewpoint. And for two attention-seekers like my roommate and me, Mark was a good audience. For some reason, he regarded us as clever. And in his own way, he was quite clever as well.
Mark and I remained friends for the rest of the year after he and John went their separate ways. After graduating from college, I returned to Orlando and essentially lost touch with Mark. About a year later,
As a gay mI was becoming desensitized to seeing a familiar face waste away into a guant, barely recognizable pallor.
however, John told me that Mark and his lover were moving to Orlando. Several weeks later, we ran into each other at Southern Nights and exchanged phone numbers.
Over the course of the next year, I attended a dinner party or two at Mark’s house, saw his lover and him out often and on one or two occasions just called him to talk. I was glad to see that he remained the same person I had known in New Orleans: upbeat, funny, relentlessly reaffirming.
Time and responsibilities intervened, however. I saw less and less of Mark and
when I did see him, we had less and less to say. The things we had in common — John, New Orleans — faded further back into memory. Also as time went on, I could tell something was clearly out of place with Mark. Always trim and boyishly attractive, he suddenly seemed to be packing on weight and aging prematurely. The next time, he would be pale and drawn. Sometimes, he seemed happy to see me; other times, distracted and disinterested.
One evening, I saw Mark at Southern Nights. He looked terrible. He had lost all the weight he had gained plus another twenty pounds. He seemed melancholy and removed. I went home that night and casually mentioned to John on the phone that I had seen Mark and that he didn’t “look well,” with all the proper nuance to let my friend know exactly what I meant.
Strangely, however, I didn’t really feel anything about it. I was just pointing out to John what I saw as an empirical fact. As a gay man, I was becoming desensitized to seeing a familiar face waste away into a gaunt, barely recognizable pallor. What I had not seen, what prevented me from having any real emotion about it, was that I hadn’t actually seen anyone dying.
To date, not one of my close friends, who are relatively scattered across the country, has told me that he is HIV positive. There are some friends of friends that I know of who are ill. And now there is Mark. But for me personally, for my day to day life, AIDS has been an abstraction. My friends and I are the children of Safe Sex. We were the “young people” that were the targets of all the AIDS education materials available in gay bars in the mid to late 1980’s. We were too young to have been sexually active during the worst of times, but were old enough to see the decimation and take it seriously. The rising rate of HIV infection among the 18-25 age group is evidence that the lack of such dramatic examples — seeing people close to one’s own age dying — can foster
a certain complacency about one’s health. My age group, 26-32, was the one that largely got the message. Add to the mix the fact that my friends are generally highly informed and more health-conscious, and I have been insulated — either through luck or design — to the concrete and insidious ramifications of this epidemic.
But since Mark’s passing, I’ve been thinking about it a great deal. My mind seems to be saying to me “Yes, you idiot, people are actually DYING of this.” I know its naive and perhaps even a bit flippant of me to act as though it never occurred to me that dying was the final toll AIDS exacts from people. I made the intellectual connection, of course; but perhaps the emotional one was too much for me. Now I can think of nothing else. I think my good fortune in not having loved ones dying has coddled me, created a false sense of security. Yes, I’ve done academic research on the subject. I know the biology and sociology and psychology associated with this disease. But it was never in context before. Now I see Mark, a man I’ve barely known for the past three years as this fragile bellwether; my first example in flesh and bone of the horrifying impact this disease has had on our community.
And now I feel like I know nothing. No book or academic paper can possibly relate what this disease is really doing. After presenting myself as an expert on the subject now for years, I can’t even pretend to know or understand anything. I can just stand here and watch.
And I can also yell as long and as loud as I possibly can. I can communicate to as many people as possible using whatever skills I may have. I can work against the kind of complacency I’ve been floating through. And it won’t be for Mark, and it won’t be for my friends. It will be for me.
It’s long overdue to get angry. And it’s long overdue to get involved. I’m sorry, I just got my wake-up call.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 14
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 17
OUR CULTURE
^ ..... .... ...>-•%?# '
ION) MYlCSU.lt,CHAPTER17: Joni Mitchell’s 17th release in her 26
year recording career is “Turbulent Indigo,” another treasure from rock’s premier female singer-songwriter. Through her catalog of work, Joni has defined the most complete, fleshed out female character to appear in our contemporary culture. While it has long been assumed that much of her work is semi-autobiographical, Mitchell has taken us on a magical journey through her music and introspective lyrics. Long time fans have followed her through each gorgeous phase of her career: the nostalgic reminiscences of late ‘50s rural Canada; the idealistic and naive dreams of a ‘60s flower child; the willful self-indulgence of the mc-generation ‘70s; her growing maturity amid the rage and turbulence of the ‘80s; and now, not so comfortably settled into middle-age. The specifics of this fascinating musical self-portrait may seem insignificant to some, but her legion of loyal fans feel connected to her in an almost mystical way. For us fans, “Turbulent Indigo” touches the spirit.
“Indigo” is less a departure in style for Mitchell than a balance of all that has worked in the past. A definite highlight is “How do you Stop?” featuring backup vocals by Seal. The CD jacket features several Mitchell paintings, including a Van Gogh-inspired self-portrait on the cover. This long-awaited release is yet another delicious chapter in Joni’s musical saga. For those less familiar with her work, it is accessible, enjoyable music.
A MONSTER TOR R.C.M . :Long before there was grunge, there was R.E.M. Back in the early ‘80s when this band was unknown beyond college radio, R.E.M. produced at least one release per year, and backed each release with endless touring.
In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, R.E.M. released “Out of Time” and “Automatic for the People,” achieving multi-platinum sales and numerous Grammy nominations. However, the band was criticised for “selling-out” as their popular and more polished sound seemed to stray further and further from their Athens, Georgia roots. As if this wasn’t enough to alienate die-hard fans, the band ceased touring.
With the release of “Monster,” R.E.M. boldly returns to their pure sound Michael Stipe’s vocals are again pushed back into the music, and the band’s “edge” is back. Even better news: a tour is eminent.
The first radio release, “ What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” is in my not so humble opinion the best and most exciting single of the year. The unusual title stems from something that happened to newsman Dan Rather a few years back. For no apparent reason, Rather was attacked on the streets of New York. His attacker kept repeating the phrase “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” The phrase caught on, as things do, and within days of the attack began showing up on t-shirts and the like.
"Monster” is excellent. Long time fans will rejoice, newer fans will be led back to the wonderful, if sometimes uneven, early work of one of today’s best bands.
BUG. Halloween is my absolute least favorite holiday. Nevertheless, I broke down and attended Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights the weekend before Halloween. I’ll be the first to admit it, we all had a blast; the haunted houses, “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Dungeon of Terror,” “Psycho Path Maze,” and "The Boncyard” all brought lots of screams. The live action show "Bill & Ted Meet TimcCop” was also great fun. The fact that it was drizzling and damp the night we went only added to the spirit of the night. Universal had loads of street activities and should be applauded for keeping the park dark enough to maintain the "spookiness” of the event. If you haven’t been yet, make sure you don’t miss it next year!
HCUyilJOlIl} INSIDER : From reliable industry sources comes the word that Neil Jordans Interview With the Vampire, although visually beautiful, is excessively violent and somewhat disappointing. The vampires appear bored and spend far too much time whining about how un-intcrcsting it is to be un-dead. When the characters in a movie are this bored, the audience follows suit. The good news is that Tom Cruise, although not quite the Lcstat conjured by Anne Rice’s vampire chronicles, is effective in his role; a performance full of sarcasm and bite (pun intended). My source tells me that Oscar potential (if any) will favor newcomer Kirsten Dunst as Claudia (the vampire woman trapped in a child’s body), as well as costumes, cinematography, and set design.
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thank yoU, Julian, for THAr fascinat/ng, oh, TRA/'WEyiMl VEKSIOK) of the OtW; legend, hOEDI PAL Co/MPIEX fHANKS ALSoTo
MlKOTAKAGl AMO PElRDRE TRivELftECE EoR SHARING rum WORK W/Th US TONIGHT, AND TO OUR AJL INTERPRETER , To PALMER .
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 18
ARTFUL LIVING
EAT WI RO
by Rosanne Sloan
Thornton Park Cafe 900 E. Washington St. - Orlando 425-0033
With its outdoor courtyard just blocks from Lake Eola, the “new” Thornton Park Cafe has great food, great ambience, and a decidedly gay-friendly atmosphere. I first visited the Cafe under its former owners and it was wonderful. However, I remembered the delightful outdoor courtyard more than the food. That won’t likely be the fare with the new Cafe.
Which is not to say that Thornton Park Cafe hasn’t retained its unique charm. New owners Tony and Teddy Costa have brought the fountain to life and spruced up the outside with beautiful plants. The Cafe remains one of the few Orlando restaurants where one can dine comfortably, even elegantly, outside. Inside, photos from Italy have replaced more daring modem art, but this is for a reason. In its new incarnation, the Cafe is the quintessential Italian restaurant, complete with attentive owner chef “Papa” Tony visiting your table to personally ensure that your food is to your liking.
Although Tony is from Naples in Southern Italy, the Cafe has a decidedly Northern Italian flavor. Floridians may find the lighter, whiter creams more pleasing than the traditional Marinara sauces. Add to the mix a Latin texture (contributed by Pablo Felix, another chef and part-owner), and the result is a cultural delight to the palate.
Fresh bread teased our tastebuds, but what really grabbed us was the day’s special appetizer: hearts of palm sauteed in a raspberry balsamic vinegar dressing. Donna and I usually share an appetizer, but to my surprise she also ordered something... mozarella and tomatoes with olive oil, garlic and fresh basil. I’d like to know where Papa Tony gets his tomatoes, because we hadn’t had such a succulent tomato since our last trip north.
The menu didn’t make choosing dinner easy. Thornton Park Cafe offers six pastas, four seafood, and four poultry and meat en-
trees. Our knowledgeable and charming server, Len, sealed our choice by describing the specials for the day. I had Triangoli A1 Fungli, a triangle ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and sauteed in a mushroom and garlic cream sauce.
A descendant of Naples myself, I enjoy comparing sauces. Mine was delicious; even better reheated the next day for lunch. Donna was torn between the Brook Trout and New York Strip, but Len talked her into fish. Although usually served whole, Papa Tony filleted the trout for Donna so that she wouldn’t have fish eyes staring back at her. The trout was marinated in garlic, olive oil and wild mint, then basted with Balsamic vinegar. Donna found it light and tasty, but not remarkable. She’s anxious to return and see what Papa Tony does with steak.
The Cafe’s grand finale is its homemade desserts, prepared daily by “Mama” Teddy Costa. We chose Bread Pudding and Chocolate Mousse (my first time). The mousse had a hint of orange, and was smooth. Donna was talked into the pudding by Papa Tony. It was served warm, with a touch of honey and raisins, covered with a vanilla custard sauce. Donna loved it.
The Thornton Park Cafe is very gay-friendly.. .a place you’re likely to encounter friends...and the waiters are gay and cute. Another change at the Cafe is Fred, the guitar player who performed during the evening. (NOTE; For the next 6 weeks, jazz stylist Juanita Marie will perform at the Cafe during Sunday Brunch from 10 AM to I PM.)
At one point in the evening, Papa Tony stopped to serenade us all with “O Solo Mio.” With gentle breezes blowing, I felt as if we were on the Island of Capri. We were charmed, and happy to become acquainted with the “new” Thornton Park Cafe.
Rating: ****/GGl/2
ROSEY’S ***** Excellent /'t p /T . vrUlr IPs a Gay World
Very Good GG Relax and enjoy
RATING *** Good G You’re on your own
SYSTEM ** '* Fair Poor
Tony and Teddy Costa and Pablo Felix at the Thornton Park Cafe. The Cafe accepts Visa/Mastercard/American Express and is open for lunch and dinner every day (Tue-Thur 'til 1OPM; Fri-Sat 'til 11 PM; Sun 'til 9 PM), and for breakfast on weekends.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 19
ARTFIJI m/mn
Dearest Readers,
I’m still reeling over the Halloween Hoo-Doo in O’Town last week. Your idol managed to hit all the hot spots in town (even a few outside my domain), and I must say, the creative juices were flowing...all over the place. I suspect some girls were creatively “juiced” as well; the only explanation I can think of for some of the outfits I was forced to critique. For those fans who weren’t witness, drag was elevated to a new low in Orlando this Hallow’s Eve. And the rude manners of these fair-weathered frock wearers! When did a big dress and a big wig become a license to kill?
My first stop was the hysteric Club at Firestone, where Mickey Rat had taken over Fairyland and all hell had broken loose. Uncle Walt’s frozen remains were even encased in a fridge along with some
Hungry Man Dinners. H.R.S. is still investigating the Small World Shooting Gallery.
The ambience was very Wally World. Long lines, sweaty multi-nationals, and a screaming audience
clamoring for more drinks, more air, and more time (and they got an hour’s worth at 2 AM). The costume contest resembled a Mr. Universe Pose-off, as a parade of beauties clamored for attention from wild-eyed throngs. Darlings, I know it all too well; that treacherous catwalk to stardom...in
this case, all for a thousand dollar prize. Not a bad price, if you’re going to whore.
There were so many “Absolutely Appalling” Patsy and Edina duos that I can no longer watch my favorite show without losing my lunch. Also expected were the two or three thousand Priscilla, Queen of the Pansticks. Now there are some Drag role models, from the most wonderful Drag film of our day. I sweat at the thought of Americanized versions showing up on my cable TV: Tom Arnold and Michael J. Fox in the cross-dresser, cross-over hit, Druscilla, Queer in a Dresser. Phew! I am sweaty. Let me climb down off my hot rollers and get back on track. Where was I? Oh, yes, the battle
of the scary-boos!
The Mouse House was dementedly well-represented at The Club, with a paunchy Peter Pan, a Tink who needed a tuck, a Cinderella direct from the Home for Battered Princesses, a carload of spotty dogs with Queen Bitch Cruella DeVille, and that cheese-eating-nympho-from-hell...Minnie. Is nothing sacred? Not at this twisted tea party. The Best Costume winner was a barnyard treat-and-trick who left the crowd with a “not so fresh feeling.” I laughed, I cried, I became a complete woman, I passed out
at 4 AM with the vision of sated sheep jumping over my bed.
It was Fright Night II at Southern Nights, where Hollow-weenies ran amok in “Transy-Vania.” Truck
drivers in drag, freaks in frocks, beauties as beasts...it was the Voyage of the Damned! Debriefed and
de-dragged, your Lola watched an endless parade of thrift-store Thelmas get down.
One word of advice to all you Long Island Iced Tea Lolitas: more powder, less cocktails. There’s
nothing pretty about watching a gal’s face sliding off into her glass, or stepping into the women’s sandbox only to find some sister fishing an eyelash out of the toilet. Pretty! Please, girls, take a firm hold of that remaining scintilla of pride and limit yourself to twenty or so cocktails.
Oh, I almost forgot my friends at Twirl. Hostess Cindy dished out a delicious assortment of twisted twinkies in various states of “trans-ition.” It was Three's Company goes Dukes of Hazard, with Carmella twirling, Danielle tantalizing, and the crowd putting their chocolate in my peanut butter. When someone screamed for “Please Mr., Please, Don’t Play B-17,” it was time to dash and
hurl.
As I look back on this past All Hallow’s Eve, the images (and the stains) linger: the smell of Tinkerbell’s cigar; the flawless syncopation of the Winter Park Rockettes; Divine Dan; Steak-N-Streaks a la Lakeland; Brassy Grassy; Skye Madrasses; Fresh Baked Minnie, and all the other fabulous
creatures who dropped their drawers and donned a dress.
/> -
Color me gone,
Confidential to M.J.
“Pink Rabbit?
STREAM
▼ Watermark's, ad guy Keith Peterson attended a reception for Olympia Dukakis at Rollins College a couple weeks ago. When introduced, Ms. Dukakis asked Keith if he was a student.. .apparently she has heard that Rollins has a substantial adult education program...and he said that, no, he worked for a newspaper serving Orlando’s gay and lesbian community. Not missing a beat, Ms. Dukakis pulled back in mock surprise and said, “Orlando has a gay and lesbian community? This seems like such a conservative place!” Ms. Dukakis played transexual earth mother Anna Madrigal in Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City on PBS.
▼ What about those campaign mailers from the new queens of negative campaigning, Fran Pisnone and Linda Chapin? This is the battle of the bad photographs! Apparently each camp has searched old files dilligently for their opponent’s worst-alltime-photo. In her mailings, Ms. Chapin found a photo that makes Ms. Pignone look like Bella Abzug, and has used a photo of herself that is positively Florence Henderson. We will rise above this negative stuff. For the record, both are attractive women.
▼ We hate it when we’re enjoying a movie and some self-professed Leonard Maltin begins audibly critiquing it. We saw Priscilla at Enzian recently, ducked in the bathroom, and had to endure a Siskel-Ebert review team standing at adjoining stalls. “It might be amusing if it weren’t so unrealistic.” “I know.. .losers like them would never be able to afford those costumes.” Please.
▼ There have been a number of sex surveys lately that try to determine who’s gay and who’s not. They tend to subdivide sexual desire, e.g. from The Advocate, homosexual desire only; desire and behavior; behavior only; desire and self-identification; desire, behavior and self-identification. This is all unnecessarily complicated. The surveys should ask, “What do you think about when you masturbate?” If it’s someone of the same sex, the person is gay. ‘Nuff said.
T Word has it the LCN campout at the end of October was a big success and a lot of fun. Do lesbians celebrate Halloween? Anyway, one camper tells of overhearing a pair of teenage girls camping across the lake with their families: “Isn’t it weird that all those women are camping together?” “Really...and that they all have such weird haircuts?”
Adam & Steve
bY £rvZc/ CJrvrJV-v ...
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 20
ARTFUL LIVING
ADVICE-O
Dear Advice-O-Rama,
My companion of 15 years and I have a good, solid relationship. We’ve gotten over the major rough spots, purchased a house in the suburbs, and we share a nice, comfortable life together. I guess it goes without saying that our sex life is not as exciting as it once was. This doesn’t bother me a whole lot, but my partner has a need for “sex as adventure,” so we’ve begun doing three-ways. To my surprise we’ve had no difficulty finding guys to join us. Here’s the problem...I’m more or less participating because if I don’t I’m afraid my partner, who I love very much, will do it without me. Should
I hang in there?
Signed,
Feeling Insecure
Dear Insecure,
Whether to have a monogamous or an open relationship is a critical issue for many gay couples. When partners are not in agreement, a major issue must be confronted. To begin, it is best to remember that neither monogamy nor open relationships are for everyone. Also, the desire to go outside the relationship for sex is not always the result of an unsatisfactory sex life. Sometimes it is a manifestation of other couple issues.
The fact that you describe your relation-
ship as “good” and “solid” tells me that you and your partner have likely built a good foundation; one that should allow for open, honest communication. Since you are made uncomfortable and insecure by three-way sexual experiences, it is your obligation to yourself and to the relationship to tell your partner exactly how you feel. A sexual experience should be enjoyable and positive, and not a breeding ground for hostility and insecurity. If your partner sincerely cares, he will not force you to experience something that is unhealthy for you. And if you choose to participate only to mollify your partner and protect the relationship, the reverse will happen; he will lose respect for you, and the re-
lationship will be compromised.
It is certainly possible for couples to find romance and sexual pleasure that has been lost. However, both partners must be committed to this process. Tell your partner how you feel. Be honest, and encourage him to do the same. I suspect this is more painful for you than you’re revealing. Please write back and let me know what happens.
Watermark ‘s Advice-O-Rama counselor is Keith Baber, M.Ed.. Keith has a degree in Counseling-Psychology, and is in private practice in Altamonte Springs. He can be reached at (407) 834-3279.
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TRANSITS & ^ fcUNATIONS
* By oifM LfluiHon, mflffl
Mark Lawhon is certified by the American Federation of Astrologers, and is available for consultations by calling 407-894-1506.
ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19): The next six months will test you.. .a drag or a challenge, depending on your point of view. You’ll see unfinished business wrapped up, but use care with assets recently acquired. Watch for job opportunities, but they won’t fall into your lap. Good news...you and your partner will stop bitching at each other.
TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20): The Lunar eclipse on Nov. 18 will impact you, and Venus is still retrograde. With little effort, you can make things happen in the area of romance. Play it cagy until Nov. 24, then feel free to let that love object know exactly how you feel.
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20): Fate appears to be working against you. Try to figure out whether the source of your difficulties is internal or elsewhere...possibly work-related. But your emotions are peaking whether you realize it or not. Let go of what you can to avoid health-related consequences.
CANCER (Jun 21-Jul 22): You are ruled by the Moon, Cancerians, so the eclipse on the 18th will getcha. But put on your rose-colored glasses, cause aspects are favorable. Dates will lead to romance; romance will lead to pairing. Monitor investments carefully, however.
LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22): Work-related matters have become clearer for you. Now trust your instincts and act to improve your situation...even if it means relocating. Family irritations may continue, but don’t make the situation worse by losing your temper.
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22): Your obsessive-compulsive nature has returned from a brief vacation. You are likely making meticulous future plans. If these plans involve relationship changes, let’s hope your partner shares your logical outlook. Take a trip near the water to work things out.
LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 23): The eclipse on Nov. 18 may bring money your way, possibly from family, but don’t be surprised if it comes with some major strings attached. You’re a sensitive soul and the next six months may be stressful for you. If it’s affecting you physically, pull back and make necessary attitude and lifestyle adjustments.
SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 21): You Scorpios aren’t much for self-revelation, but communications between you and your partner have reached a new low. Open up. Share your secrets. Talk about how you really feel. You have far more to gain than to lose. As painful as it may be, honest self-evalution and communication will be important in coming months.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dee 21): If work seems good these days, don’t get too comfortable, particularly if you’re in a service-related job. Take nothing for granted. You might consider visiting home sometime soon; you and your parents should get along well. In fact, luck is on your side these days, but as hard as it may be for you Sag’s, try to stay grounded.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): Lunar eclipse + Jupiter/Pluto conjunction...what does it mean for you? Fun and romance. Unlike your Sag sisters, you need to fight off those tendencies to be cautious, rational, selfless. Things are aligned nicely for you, so let go and have a ball.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Febl8): The eclipse provides you with opportunities to resolvd nagging problems. Be honest and true to your values, and hope that your communications are perceived positively. Be prepared for a surprise, as dreaded outcomes may never materialize. If you’re planning to move, you may want to time it for early Spring.
PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): Accelarate your social calender, because you’re likely to derive a great deal of pleasure from friends and groups in coming months. Just remember, it’s flu season. Get a vaccine and try to avoid those who are contagious. Also avoid written commitments unless you’re absolutely sure what they mean.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 21
TRAVEL
NnilTIVFACT
GETAWAY
ly Stephen De Matt
Now’s the Time to Visit New York, Boston ^ v ^ and New England
There comes a time in everyone's life when you have to just pack your bags and get out of town. If that time for you i$ near or now, then here are several suggestions that might help,
Tor the Northeacst transplants,, this time of year brings back fond memories of Autumn festivals and apple picking. This is a great time to visit the Northeast ~~ the summer heat is gone and the snow hasn’t started yet.
Let the old song call you to "Autumn in New York." The sights and sounds of Greenwich Village are crisp in the fall atr. If you want a "gay" place to stay, the Chelsea Fines Inn on West 14th street is warm and friendly and convenient to everything. They also give you a great continental breakfast every day.
New York has more to offer than you can possibly fit into a long weekend, but do yourself a favor and find time for dinner at Christopher’s (right on Christopher Street at number 115,0 The food is great, the service is enteitaining and the laid-back atmosphere makes for a rC- or :
After dinner, take die short walk up Christopher Street to Seventh Avenue South and the Monster - the Grand Dame of Sheridan Square. The Monster is a fun bar where everyone meets to plan their evening. The downstairs bar is crowded anti noisy, but upstairs is a piano bar where show tunes are play ed and sung by Broadway’s own.
And if: it’s a Broadway or off-B road way show you want to see, don’t forget the half-price TKT’s booth on Broadway and 46lh street. You can get day-of-performance tickets for shows with space available at half-price plus a service charge of $2.00 per ticket. It’s worth the wait in line if you can get the show you want. The list of shows available is posted along the front of the TKT’s booth. They don’t tell you how many tickets they have for each show and you may wait in line for a show that sells out to the person just before you, so have a second choice ready just in case.
While in New York, vviiy not rent a car and lake a
drive up the Palisades Parkway to Bear Mountain and see the great fall foliage? The colors are incredible. At the end of the Palisades Parkway is the Bear Mountain Inn - a great place for brunch (and you won’t be the lone gay traveler in this traditional tourist stop). If you don’t want to leave the city for Sunday brunch, consider Tavern on the Green In Central Park. Located right in Central Park, this glass-walled restaurant and its fall foliage overhead is a wonderful experience.
New York is not the only Northeast getaway .. .Boston also beckons. Both the Chandler Inn and tJie Back Bay’s Oasis Guest House offer excellent accommodations for the gay traveler. There are also two bed <Y break Lee spots for women. The Iris and the Victorian are just outside of Boston with easy access to town. 1 also suggest the Marriott Long Wharf at the end of the Fanial Hall marketplace. While not gay •cxcln-■’ ■ -s Can
us location and service arc lirst rate. And catch the boat at the side of the
Long; Wharf to Provincetown - the Northeast’s answer to Key West.
The bars and clubs in Boston offer everything from the refined elegance of the Back Bay and Napoleon’s Club ( 52 Piedmont St.) to the cute college crowd at Buddies (51 Stewart St.) to the men of leather at either the Eagle (52QTremont St.) or the Ramrod (1254 BoyIston St.). Women are welcome everywhere, but Indigo’s (823 Main St.) is the "women's bar” in Cambridge.
If you’re lucky enough to get tickets, the out-of-town Broadway tryouts make Boston a good theater possibility, and concerts and cabaret are plentiful.
Shopping? Filings Basement will be the shopping experience of a lifetime. We’re talking markdown designer clothes to make your heart flutter. For the “guppy” shopper, there’s the Harvard Cooperative in Cambridge. The “Coop” has the best in college preppie wear and is also the Harvard bookstore.
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Key West Getaways, Entertainment, Dinners, Antiques, Services, Art, Printing, Household Goods. A Festival of gifts and goods for the discriminating bidder. Come on by for fun and bargains at a truly unprofessional Auction. No admittance, just bring your friends and enjoy.
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A Benefit for the Ministries of Joy MCC 2351 S. Ferncreek Avenue, Orlando - 894-1081
H
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 22
OUR CULTURE
The English duo of Tracey % Thorn and Ben Watt, known
* as “Everything But The Girl,” I will perform at The Club at
I Firestone on Friday, Nov. 18.
■ EBTG is returning to the U.S. after a string of sold-out shows earlier this fall. This time around, EBTG will perform as an acoustic duo.
After 12 years and 8 albums, EBTG’s latest release, Amplified Heart, has garnered them the best reviews of their distinguished career. stated that “Thom’s voice has an instant sadness, a classicism that relates more to old-school divas like Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick than peers like Liz ot The Club. Phair.” They went on to call Amplified Heart, “the most
beautifully mature album of their career, and one of the sleeper gems of 1994.” The New
York Times said the duo recalls “the best of Fleetwood Mac.” Tickets are available at
Tracey Thorn & Ben Waft
Ticketmaster or at The Club box office.
OCAL
▼ “Florida’s Freshest Fruit,” The Improbabilities, have taken Manhattan as their new home...the Manhattan South Studio Theatre that is, 1012 N. Mills Ave. Shows are every Sunday night at 8 PM. Tickets are just $5. Call (407) 521-7499 for more info.
T The CMC Theatre Off Central Florida SecondStage series presents El Grande De Coca-Cola through Nov. 20, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM, and Sunday at 2:30 PM. See review p. 16.
The Mainstage production of William Gibson’s acclaimed The Miracle Worker, will begin Nov. 10 and run through Dec. 4. This stirring dramatization of the real-life story of Helen Keller is one of the most warmly admired plays of the modem stage. The Theatre for Young People will present Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol, from Nov. 26 to Dec. 18. The cast includes Paul Wegman as Scrooge, and Frank McClain as Bob Cratchit. For ticket information on all performances, call (407) 896-7365.
▼ Lesbian singer Laura Chandler will be in concert at The Junkyard in Casselberry on Thursday, Nov. 10. Although influenced by such artists as Joni Mitchell, Ricky Lee Jones, and John Hiatt, Chandler’s musical style is uniquely her own.
Well known on the west coast, Chandler has released two tapes, including her most recent Confession of an Unarmed Poet.
She is preparing to release her first CD. Chandler recently performed at the Gay Games and the Atlanta Pride Festival.
Her performance at the Junkyard begins at 9:30 PM. Tickets are $3. Contact The Junkyard for more information.
▼ The Valencia Character Company will perform Pterodactyls on Nov. 12,13, 18,19,20. Pterodactyls is a dark comedy about the demise of a dysfunctional family, including a son who is HIV+. A portion of the proceeds from tickets will go to the AIDS Resouce Alliance.
Performances begin at 8 PM; 2 PM on Sunday. Tickets are $6 for adults; $5 for students. For more information call (407) 275-1603.
y Theatre K)CE presents The Wake off Jamey Foster Nov. 17, 18, 19, 20, and Dec. 1,2,3, 4. Written by LAURA CHANDLER Beth Henley, Jamey Foster is a richly comic study of a smalltown Mississippi family drawn together by supposed grief. Call (407) 823-1500 for tickets or more information.
y Joy MCC will hold a Gayla Auction at 7:30 PM on Saturday, Nov. 19. This enertaining annual event features an amazingly wide variety of desirable items, from the practical to the exotic. Artwork, musical instruments, antique furniture, vacation packages, and more will all be featured at incredible value. Joy MCC is located at 2351 S. Femcreek Ave. Call (407) 894-1081 for more information.
V “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” is the theme for Wlllow,S annual Black & White Ball, to be held on Saturday, November 19 at the Pine Meadows Country Club in Eustis. Tickets are $35. For reservations call Terry (407) 865-5972, or Peppy (904) 383-0928.
T There will be a fundraiser to benefit the Kathy Stllwell Foundation at 2 PM on Sunday, Nov. 20. The benefit will be held at Faces lounge on Edgewater Dr. An extraordinary athlete, Kathy Stilwell coached and played professional softball until stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. Monies raised will help Kathy and others with MS live better lives. To donate raffle items or for more info, call (407) 291 -3791.
▼ Dec. 1 marks the 7th year of the observance of World Aids Day. Centaur is the local coordinator. World Aids Day will begin with the Ringing of the Bells by area churches at 1:40 PM. At 6 PM the names of local citizens lost to HIV disease will be read, followed by a program of music, dance and song. For more information regarding World Aids Day, or A Day Wiffhouff Art on Dec. 2, contact Kathleen Morrow Aponte at (407) 849-1452. In conjunction, a portion of The NAMES Project Quilt will be on display in the rotunda of Orlando City Hall from Nov. 11 to Dec. 9.
y The 3rd Annual Red Ribbon Ball, benefitting Centaur, will be held Saturday, Dec. 3 at Orlando Fashion Square from 10:30 PM to 3 AM. This gala event will be hosted by WFTV’s Barbara West, and will feature entertainment by Miss Jacqueline Jones. Tickets are $35 in advance; $40 at the door. Call (407) 841-2437 for tickets or more information.
y The Metropolitan Business Association (MBA) will hold their 3rd Annual Holiday Gayla Social on Sunday, Dec. 4 at Moorefield’s Restaurant in downtown Orlando. Central Florida jazz great Miss Jacqueline Jones will entertain. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased from MBA board members, at Out & About Books, or at GLCS. Non-MBA members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Festivities run from 6 PM to 11 PM. Call (407) 420-2182 for tickets or more information.
y The 6th Annual Christmas off Sharing will take place on Friday, Dec. 9 from 6 PM to midnight at the 1st Unitarian Church on Robinson St. in Orlando. Through this event, organizers Jeff Gaul and Michael Pelkowski raise funds, canned goods and toiletries for the Hope & Help Center and other local AIDS organizations. Last year 350 people contributed 7 truckloads of goods. For more information call (407) 578-1157.
COLOfi
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 23
OUR CULTURE
NOVEMBER
10 11 1 12 13 14 15 16
RAINBOW * THEATRE ORLANDO 1 JOY MCC WOR- DELTA YOUTH O.B.B.A. Orlando’s FAMILY VALUES.
CONNECTION. v\ SELECTIONS. FRONTRUNNERS. SHIP SERVICES. ALLIANCE. Support largest gay & lesbian Gay & lesbian radio
Group for teens & Meet at the red pagoda See Nov. 20. group for gay, lesbian bowling league. Bowl on 91.5 FM. Talk,
young adults from 18- El Grande V at Lake Eola. 9 AM. BEARS OF CENT. & bisexual youth America, Winter Park. music, news, inter-
25. GLCS at 7:30 PM. De Coca Cola. 857-1777. FLA. Full Moon under 22. 6PM. 9 PM. 644-2244. views, community
425-7450. Saloon. 4:30 PM. 236-9415. events. 8-9 PM.
Miracle Worker. G.L.B.L. Bowling at 657-1817. UCF GLBSU 646-2398.
LUCKY LADIES Fair Lanes Indian WILLOW. (Lake Co. ORLANDO MEETING. Phillips
BOWLING. Fair Kismet. Hills. 6:30 PM. Lesbian Grp.) Mt. Dora FRONTRUNNERS. Hall, Room 218. ORLANDO
Lanes Indian Hills. 831-7171. Ch. Comm. 5 PM. 6:30 PM. See Nov. 12. 9 PM. 648-0057. 1! FRONTRUNNERS.
6:30 PM. 293-8849. > 865-5972. 7:30 PM. See Nov. 12.
i ORANGE BLOSSOM GAYSKATE.
TENNIS. 10:30 AM. Semoran Skateway in If
292-8582. Fern Park. 9:15 PM.
425-4527. -
THR FRI SAT if SUN MON TUE m WED
—— - 1 1 Ji
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
LADIES BOWLING. THEATRE ORLANDO JOY MCC DELTA YOUTH O.B.B.A. FAMILY VALUES.
See Nov 10. SELECTIONS. FRONTRUNNERS. WORSHIP ALLIANCE. BOWLING. See Nov. 16.
9 AM. See Nov 12. SERVICES. 10:30 See Nov. 14. See Nov. 15.
RAINBOW El Grande AM & 7:15 PM. ORLANDO
CONNECTION. de Coca-Cola. G.L.B.L. BOWLING. 894-1081. ORLANDO UCF GLBSU. FRONTRUNNERS.
See Nov. I0. See Nov 12. FRONTRUNNERS. See Nov. 15. 7:30 PM. See Nov. 12.
Miracle Worker. DIGNITY. (Catholic 6:30 PM. See Nov. 12.
LIGHT UP Grp.) Every Sunday.
Wake ofJamey Foster. ORLANDO. GLCS Center. RAINBOW
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p Library. 7 PM.
236-9476.
THR FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED
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CHAMPION MARION BAKER
TITTTQ '
by James A. Cresciteili
Por those who’ve been active in Orlando’s gay community for some time, the name Marion Baker conjures a very specific image: a feisty, silver-haired woman with an attitude and a tongue to match. She was a woman who could handle the roughest gay hot-line caller, or run the most difficult discussion
i
and kind understanding.
Not gay herself, Marion be-. came involved in our community ||Pf result of her volunteer work. Back in 1076 she was one of tire standard bearers of a new organization, Gay Community Services. GCS, as it was called then, has become the thriving and multi-faceted GLCS, an organization many of us use frequently and often take for granted, in those early days, Marion was a consistent presence at sparsely-attended meetings, and she always volunteered to take calls and run groups at whatever location was being used by the nomadic early GCS. Her strong presence and no-nonsense approach were much needed in those days.
Marion Baker died otvNovember 2nd at her home in Orlando. She will be missed by the many who loved and respected her, and by the gay community as a whole.
1 first met Marion at a GCS rap group held at Pasadena Place. As was often the case back then, Marion was the only woman in a room filled with gay men. Nobody minded.
AIDS had just begun its insidious scourge and many of us were bewildered and frightened by this new horror. There, amid the tattered couches and chairs leaking stuffing, Marion would hear our concerns. She was never shy about
Continued Page 8
LIFE FOLLOWS SUIT
TOM WOODARD: FIVE YEARS LATER
by Ken Kundis and Tom Dyer
A cop is a cop of course, of course and his private life is his own resource. Unless, of course,
He’s on the force Of the Amazing Sheriff Walt!
Because he’s the top dog
flic Iojtcc
You must li'"* a lifestyle That he’ll endorse Or else you’ll not the law enforce For the Amazing Sheriff Walt
Work real hard and do your job And earn your weekly pay It matters not to Sheriff Walt Not if he learns you are gay!
Sung to the theme from Mister Ed.
It was 1989. This clever penned
by then-featured columnist Bob Morris, appeared in The Orlando Sentinel. The song satirized the ludicrous situation that had turned an Orange County Sheriff's Deputy into the biggest news story of the day. Underduress from his employer, Tom Woodard admitted having sexual relations with another man. Despite a spotless work record, he was asked to resign by the Orange County Sheriff at that time, Walt Gallagher, and as headlines would soon reveal, he was fighting back.
“/just instinctively knew that it was wrong,” Woodard now says, looking back. So he found a lawyer a lawsuit.
The ensuing legal battle received national media attention, galvanized Orlando’s once-slumbering gay community, and created a hesitant but defiant activist in Tom Woodard.
"Inever, never thought it was a mistake,” he says, adding with a laugh, just didn’t know it would take so long.”
In fact, it would be an emotional three-and-a-half-year rollercoaster ride, with the media covering every swoop and curve. For
a time, stories appeared in the Orlando Sentinel almost daily. Local TV news covered rallies held on Woodard’s behalf. Nationwide, both gay and straight newspapers and magazines such as The Advocate featured the story prominently.
Ultimately, Woodard prevailed, getting his job as a Sheriff’s Deputy back and setting important legal precedent in the process. In finding that Gallagher had violated WoodarcTs ri^ht to privacy, Judge
Reflecting 6n the events of 1989 and beyond, Tom Woodard sees himself as a changed man. Motivated simply by the desire to work in law enforcement, as his parents had before him, Woodard sought only to retain his position as a deputy. What his case developed into, however, was something more far-reaching, sparking a national debate on the fundamental employment rights of gays and lesbians.
mmmmmmmmmrnmm
dence that [Woodard's] job or public life was affected in any respect by such conduct. ”
Aimk
I W'ASL fining if
Continued Page 0
TOM WOODARD TODAY: "When all this started I had never been to a gay bar."
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 2
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WATERMARK / November 9,1994 3
LOCAL & STATE NEWS
SUPREME COURT CONSIDERS GAY ADOPTION BAN
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Gay couples should have the same rights anyone else does to adopt children, attorneys for a Sarasota man told the state Supreme Court.
But state attorneys argued on Nov. 4 that lawmakers have the power to bar gay adoptions, and social services authorities are entitled to delve into the sex lives even of heterosexuals planning adoptions.
“There is simply no basis to conclude that homosexuals are in any way less capable than heterosexuals of being good parents,” Nina Vinik, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney from Miami, argued on behalf of James W. Cox.
The court is considering an appeal by Cox, who, with his companion, Rodney M. Jackman, also of Sarasota, sought to adopt children with physical, mental or emotional handicaps.
The two, who acknowledged their homosexuality, were told by HRS officials in 1991 that state law prohibited homosexuals from adopting children.
Cox, 32, a professional pianist, and Jackman, 28, a state Department of Revenue collection specialist, challenged the law in Circuit Court in Sarasota. Circuit Judge Scott Brownell declared it unconstitutional in March 1993.
But Brownell’s decision was overturned in December by the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland.
The state Supreme Court didn’t rule after hearing oral arguments, and the justices have no deadline for making
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The state prison system will save millions of dollars by opening a nearly $1 million, 133-bed AIDS treatment center next year, corrections officials say.
But some question how the state will use the facility, designed to deal more efficiently with the disease that has become the biggest killer of Florida prison inmates.
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome has claimed the lives of 392 Florida prison inmates in the past six years. In the 1993-94 fiscal year ending June 30, when the prison population averaged 53,512 inmates, 103 died of AIDS.
State Corrections Secretary Harry Singletary said the center would provide a cheap and humane approach to treating AIDS sufferers. “It really does make good correctional sense,” Singletary said.
But prisoner rights advocates with the American Civil Liberties Union worried about inmates infected with human
a ruling.
“Our Legislature has imposed a per se exclusion of only one class,” Vinik told the justices.
That violates Cox’s state constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law, she said. “We ask that HRS make an individualized determination in his case like any other.”
“In excluding members of a particular class, wouldn’t one need to show that all members of the class are unfit to adopt?” Justice Gerald Kogan asked Anthony DeLuccia Jr., attorney for the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.
“Suppose you said anyone who is black can’t adopt, or anyone who is Jewish can’t adopt?” Kogan asked.
DeLuccia responded that race and religion are constitutionally protected, but “the Supreme Court of the United States has said homosexuality is not one of those fundamental rights that are deeply rooted in the nation’s history.”
Vinik said the law also violates constitutional guarantees of privacy.
By making adoption conditional on sexual orientation, she said, “This statute violates Mr. Cox’s right to intimate decisionmaking.”
New Hampshire is the only other state with a state law barring adoptions by homosexuals.
immunodeficiency virus who haven’t developed AIDS.
Jackie Walker, AIDS information coordinator for the ACLU’s National Prison Project, said such a center could be used to segregate HIV-positive inmates - even though the virus can remain dormant for years - and reduce their access to services.
“If it’s actually a move by Corrections as they’re describing it, as a compassionate way to treat inmates with AIDS, that would be good,” said Walker. “But it’s something that’s going to have to be monitored.”
John Burke, chief of health services administration for the Department of Corrections, said the center, scheduled
to open late next summer, would offer care for only 10 to ^
15 percent of the 530 inmates already suffering from AIDS.
By easing health-care burdens on individual prisons, Burke said, the center is expected to save the prison system $ 1 million to $ 1.5 million a year.
Jm. DAYTONA BEACH ■ ■ AIDS OUTREACH JSgg§& JOINS NATL
fundraiser
Outreach, Inc, of Daytona Beach has joined other AIDS support agencies throughout the country in an ambitious national fundraising ': project, “The Caring Tree” will beneftt AIDS 1 service organizations through the sale of holiday trees and wreaths. These items, decked with a symbolic red ribbon, will be shipped directly to the contributor’s home or designated delivery site on their choice of delivery dates.
- -jBy' : lor a Caring |
Tree AIDS service organization such as Outreach, • Inc., the contributor not only receives a holiday ; : decoration, but also makes an important and sub-stantial gift. Half of the tree or wreath’s price remains with the organization to help provide services to those infected or otherwise affeeted by HIV.
Caring Tree holiday trees are Premium grade
the Blue;Ridge
Mountains, Holiday wreaths are made from freshly cut Fraser Fir Boughs. Both are guaran-" | teed to be shipped to the contributor’s door on one of four shipping dates, from Thanksgiving to December 16.
Proceeds from Volusia and Flagler Counties’ pahicipatidn in the Caring Tree project will help Outreach, Inc. of Daytona Beach continue to provide services to HIV positive individuals and their families. To purchase a tree or wreath, call • {904)672-6069.
NEXT ISSUE
AVaNaKIa MAVAml,A.
A LOOK AT ELECTION RESULTS AND THE GAY VOTE
STATE PRISON SYSTEM TO OPEN AIDS CENTER
PUBLIX DISTRIBUTES RELIGIOUS RIGHT
VOTING GUIDE
by Tom Dyer
For approximately two weeks directly prior to last Tuesday’s mid-term election, Publix Super Markets distributed voter’s guides compiled by a conservative religious organization. The voters guide was published by the Florida Family Council, a Tampa-based organization whose stated goal is “to strengthen the family... and to promote Judeo-Christian values in our culture.”
According to Todd Simmons, a Tampa gay rights activist, the Florida Family Council is affiliated with Colorado’s Focus on the Family, and the Oregon Citizens’s Alliance, both organizations which have spearheaded anti-gay ref-erendums. “These organizations are virulently homophobic,” says Simmons.
The 16 page guide, which asked candidates their religion and marital status, printed questions and answers to such questions as:
“Do you support or oppose legislation or constitutional protection for individuals based on their sexual preference?” “Do you support or oppose legal protection of a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion.”
“Do you support or oppose legislation prohibiting an increase in welfare benefits for women who continue to bear children out of wedlock?”
“Do you support or oppose legislation permitting voluntary prayer by students at public schools?”
Earlier this month, Publix removed the guide from 150 stores in southeast Florida, where consumer complaints were substantial and vehement. Boca Raton resident Harry Westen was among those offended.
“It seems to be strictly propaganda,” Westen said. “I don’t think it’s a function of this kind of retail organization to be going into politics.”
According to Publix spokeswoman Jennifer Bush, the large super market chain had no plans to remove the guide from the chain’s other 274 stores prior to the election. When contacted on Friday, Nov. 4, a Publix customer relations
representative stated, “We have had so many calls on this issue that all I can do is find out whether you support the guides or oppose them and take your phone number.”
300,000 copies of the voter’s guide were initially made available at Publix Super Markets. Publix has over 60 outlets in the Orlando/Daytona Beach area.
Nationwide, organizations similar to the Florida Family Council distributed voter guides prior to the election in an attempt to educate and motivate conservative voters. The majority of these organizations are affiliated with the Christian Coalition, an offspring of religious broadcaster Pat Robertson’s 1988 presidential campaign.
A sampling of guides across the country, including the one published by the Florida Family Council, indicated that in the overwhelming majority of cases, the Republican candidate’s views were most in line with those espoused by the guide’s publisher.
Coalition leaders deny picking sides, which would violate their tax-exempt status. They say questions and answers were carefully worded and presented fairly in the guides, and the choice was then left to the voter.
“We know the rules and we play by them,” said coalition spokesman Mike Russell.
But many Democrats complained of distortions in the voting guides. In Oklahoma, for example, Democratic House candidate Stuart Price said the coalition’s guide was full of “mistruths” about his views on abortion, school prayer and homosexuality. He urged Oklahoma churches not to distribute it.
Leaders of the Interfaith Alliance, an organization founded to monitor the so-called religious right, accused the Christian Coalition of twisting candidates’ records and said late release of the guides proved the organizations’ bias by not giving candidates time to respond.
But even the coalition’s fiercest critics give it a begrudging respect.
“They have a lot of very good lawyers,” sais Arthur Kropp, president of the liberal People for the American Way. “While they don’t come right out and endorse, it is very clear, at least from the perspective of the Christian Coalition, who you should vote for.”
Those wishing to register their disapproval with Publix over distribution of the Florida Family Council’s voter’s guide may call Publix customer relations in Lakeland at (813) 688-1188, or contact their local Publix Super Market directly.
Wire service stories were used in compiling this article.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 4
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS OPPOSE OREGON, IDAHO, FLORIDA MEASURES
WASHINGTON (AP) - Coretta Scott King and the Rev. Jesse Jackson are urging voters in Oregon, Idaho and Florida to defeat anti-gay initiatives on the ballot there next week.
The civil rights leaders said last week that the ballot measures would restrict the rights of gay and lesbian people.
“Campaigns are under way to undermine civil rights and institutionalize discrimination through referenda that will appear on ballots this Election Day in Oregon, Idaho and Alachua County,” said Mrs. King, wife of the late Martin Luther King Jr.
“It is truly ironic and tragic that the rights for which Americans have fought so hard can be taken away at the ballot box,” she said.
“If the basic rights of one group can be taken away at the ballot box, all groups are vulnerable,” she said in a letter distributed by the Human Rights Campaign Fund.
Jackson, the head of the National Rainbow Coalition who sought the Democratic nomination for president in 1988, said radical right groups pushing the measures have tried to divide people of color over the issue of equal rights for gay people.
“Let us not fall into the ‘divide and conquer’ trap of the enemies of social justice,” Jackson said.
“It is telling that those who are now leading the charge on these initiatives are the very same forces that oppose the advancement of the civil rights agenda - affirmative action, majority-minority districts and economic setasides,” he said.
Oregon’s Measure 13 would overturn existing local gay-rights laws and bar state and local governments from enacting specific protections for gays and lesbians in the future.
It also places restrictions on how public schools teach about homosexuality and bars governments from establishing affirmative action or hiring quotas based on homosexuality.
Jackson said equal protection under the law is a “God-given right, not a ‘special right.’”
“We must recognize the diversity of our human family and affirm our humanity by safeguarding the legal and civil rights of all human beings,” he said.
Douglas Hattaway, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign Fund’s Americans Against Discrimination, said the support from Jackson and Mrs. King is a big boost for gay rights.
“These right-wing groups have tried to divide the African American community over gay rights issues, even though these groups have a long history of hostility toward African American groups,” Hattaway said.
“This undercuts that hostility to have leading civil rights advocates coming out against these measures,” he said.
MAN SHOT FOR HOLDING BOYFRIEND’S HAND
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Just blocks from the heart of San Francisco’s Castro district, an almost mystical safe haven for gays, Victor Rohana was pinned to a wall and shot in the chest.
His crime? Apparently, he was targeted because he was holding hands with his boyfriend.
Civil rights advocates say the shooting is an example of the growing ferocity of attacks on gays and lesbians.
“Whereas in 1992, somebody may have just yelled faggot, now they’re yelling faggot and clubbing you or raping you,” said Leslie Addison of Community United Against Violence, a victim advocate group.
On October 28th, 24-year-old Victor Rohana and boyfriend Steven Damron were walking to their car after dining in a neighborhood restaurant. Just after 10 p.m., two men in a white Suzuki Samurai drove by and yelled at them.
“We were gay and they didn’t like that we were holding hands,” said Damron.
Rohana said something to the men before turning to catch up with his friend. The driver backed up about 100 feet to block their path, jumped the curb onto the sidewalk and pinned Rohana against a wall.
The jeep’s passenger stuck a pistol out of window and shot Rohana.
- “At first I thought he was okay, because he was still standing up. But then he started screaming that he’d been hit and I realized that they’d shot him,” Damron said.
The bullet pierced Rohana’s lung, missing his heart by about an inch, Damron said. Rohana underwent surgery on both Saturday and Sunday.
He is in satisfactory condition but remains critically injured, the hospital where he is being treated reported on Tuesday. The name of the hospital has been withheld to protect him from possible retaliation, police said.
It was clearly a hate crime, a shaken Damron said Monday.
“I don’t think they thought we were Italian. They thought we were gay. They clearly made a decision that they were going to shoot a gay man. They went to a lot of effort to get the car in position to shoot him point blank.”
Rohana wasn’t the type to look for a fight, said a friend, Steven Underhill.
“He’s very quiet and shy, certainly one of the most sweet, kind individuals I’ve ever met,” he said.
Police have developed a composite sketch of the suspects, described as white males in their late teens or early 20s. Officer Sandy Bargioni of the city’s police Hate Crimes Unit spent Monday stuffing fliers and the drawing of the attacker into mailboxes near where the attack occurred
San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the shooting.
“It is dismaying to think that in a city that is known for acceptance of individual freedom that this senseless act of violence still occurs,” Jordan said Monday.
The shooting happened just a few blocks outside the Castro District, the center of San Francisco’s gay and lesbian community, one of the largest in the country.
Last year there were 366 anti-gay attacks and incidents of harassment reported in San Francisco, said Lester Olmstead-Rose, executive director of Community United Against Violence.
The group believes that only about ten percent of harassment is actually reported to police. Advocates say attacks on gays are very deliberate and premeditated.
“People come in from outside the city to attack people. A group of kids get in a car in Walnut Creek and decide to drive into the Castro to get some fags. It’s not like someone’s walking down the street and sees a gay person and gets upset,” Addison said.
“Maybe they just thought it was macho to shoot a gay guy,” said Damron.
“They made a judgement that being gay was bad and their way of expressing that was to shoot Victor.”
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 5
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TOP COURT HEARS GAY COUPLE’S BID FOR SPOUSAL BENEFITS
OTTAWA (AP) - The Supreme Court of Canada recently heard arguments on whether an elderly gay couple - together for 46 years - should be eligible for federal spousal pension benefits.
“It’s the capstone of a lifetime of gay activism,” said 73-year-old James Egan of Courtenay, British Columbia.
Egan, who began getting his pension in 1986, applied for spousal benefits for his partner, John Nesbit, 67.
Spouses of pensioners can get an allowance - now a maximum of $687.88 (about $516 U.S.) a month - if they are aged 60 to 64 and the couple’s yearly income is less than $20,688 ($15,516 U.S.).
Ottawa refused Egan’s request, saying the Old Age Security Act defines spouse as someone of the opposite sex. The couple lost their case in a split decision last year at the Federal Court of Appeal, but have appealed to the top court.
The court, following its usual practice, was not expected to rule for several months.
KIMURA NAMED CHAIRMAN OF GAY MARRIAGE STUDY COMMISSION
choice. Heterosexual couples do,” she said Tuesday.
Norman Chambers, director of the university’s Auxiliary Services, said the housing policy is in line with those of most schools around the country.
The policy states that legally married couples residing together with or without dependent children, or single parents residing with dependent children, are eligible for University Village.
Kees might have been eligible for an apartment in the Medical Plaza because that is open to married couples or roommates with or without children. But in the plaza, each adult resident must be a student, and Kees’ partner does not attend the university.
University counsel Karen McCreary said the non-discrimination policy does not conflict with the housing rules. No courts have ruled that marriage requirements are unconstitutional.
The couple plans to appeal to the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, said Kees.
Kees now lives in West Valley City. Her daughter is in daycare at the University Village.
Housing costs at University Village are comparatively low. The three bedroom apartment Kees wants is $450 a month, utilities included.
“It would be very convenient,” she said. “They offer this housing to the students to save them money and time. I feel that I have the same rights as other students on campus.”
Chris Ryan, president of the Utah Log Cabin Club, said many colleges and universities allow homosexual couples among their heterosexual counterparts, and, “The University of Utah has no business defining what constitutes a family.”
HONOLULU (AP) - Retired Circuit Judge Shunichi Kimura has been named chairman of the 11-member commission set up by the Legislature to study proposals for legal and economic benefits for same-sex couples.
The delay in naming the chairman has stalled the work of the commission, drawing some fire from at least one member.
The commission was established earlier this year as a compromise in the highly-contro-versial issue of same sex marriages. The Legislature notified the state Supreme Court that Hawaii’s current laws on marriage apply only to opposite-sex couples.
The commission is to recommend to next year’s Legislature changes in the law that might give same-sex couples some of the same legal benefits enjoyed by married couples.
Senate President Norman Mizuguchi and House Speaker Joseph Souki on Tuesday jointly named Kimura, who is a former Hawaii County mayor and who served as a Circuit Judge on the Big Island for nearly two decades.
The law said the head of the family law section of the Hawaii State Bar Association was to serve as chairman, but that person reportedly rejected the appointment.
The 10 members already appointed include theologians and doctrine teachers from the American Friends Service Committee, the Roman Catholic Diocese and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, representatives of civil rights groups and legal experts.
Member Reinette Cooper earlier this month complained that the delay in getting started would affect the commission’s product which is supposed to be ready for the Legislature’s convening in January. ir'tiwriM’Mi
LESBIAN COUPLE DENIED FAMILY HOUSING
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A University of Utah student with a lesbian partner and a 4-ycar-old daughter has been denied family housing at the school.
The school bars discrimination based on sexual orientation, but also has a policy of renting only to married couples or to single students either living alone or having roommates who are also university students.
Kathy Kees, the student, says she and her partner were married in a ceremony in July 1993 but the state docs not recognize homosexual marriages.
**I can’t be legally married and that is totally based on sexual orientation. I don’t have a
LAWYER ASKS HIGH COURT TO HEAR APPEAL
RICHMOND (AP) - A Virginia Supreme Court ruling on whether a lesbian deserves custody of her son would clear up confusion about the state’s child custody laws, a lawyer have told the justices.
“We need to know. The judges in this state need to know,” Richard Ryder, who represents the 3-year-old boy’s grandmother in her effort to keep custody, said Friday.
Ryder asked the court to review a state Court of Appeals ruling that granted custody to the boy’s mother, Sharon Bottoms.
The justices will issue a written ruling later. If they take the appeal, arguments would not be held for months.
In a case closely watched by gay rights groups, Ms. Bottoms has been fighting with her mother, Kay Bottoms, over custody of Tyler Doustou, 2. The boy’s father is not involved in the case.
The child remains with his grandmother while the appeal is pending. A court order allows Sharon Bottoms to visit her son two days a week.
At the heart of the case is a 1985 Supreme Court ruling that a homosexual was an unfit parent because he broke the state’s law against sodomy. Henrico County Circuit Judge Buford M. Parsons Jr. relied on that case when he ruled in September 1993 that Kay Bottoms should have custodj
emum s''"priVciKT’sexuai
Tcron^^even
though illegal, did not make her an unfit parent.
“The Court of Appeals has by its decision changed, without benefit of the legislature, the laws of this state,” Ryder told a four-judge Supreme Court panel.
Justice Barbara Keenan noted there was no evidence the boy has been harmed by seeing his mother with her live-in lover. Sharon Bottoms had testified that she and her female lover hugged and kissed in front of the boy but did not engage in sexual activity in his presence.
Ryder said returning the boy to his mother would be bound to have a bad effect. “What will happen to this child when he’s 9 or 10 years old?” he asked.
Lawyers for Sharon Bottoms did not present arguments because the court only hears from the attorney seeking the appeal.
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 6
HEALTH & HIV NEWS
GROWTH HORMONE HELPS AIDS PATIENTS GAIN WEIGHT
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Injecting AIDS patients with a growth hormone can reverse the “wasting” effect caused by tissue loss, a nationwide experiment found. The therapy may also help people with cancer and other diseases gain weight.
AIDS patients averaged a gain of 3.6 pounds during the first three months of the two-year study, and some eventually put on 30 pounds, Dr. Morris Schambelan of the University of California at San Francisco said Thursday.
“We had people who were severely wasted and in wheelchairs,” he said. “But one guy, by the summer, went up to Yellowstone and climbed a small mountain.”
Unlike other weight gain therapies, use of the bioengineered growth hormone increased lean tissues such as muscles, organs and bone mass, rather than fatty tissues, Schambelan said. The average increase in lean tissue was 6.6 pounds during the first three months because many patients continued to lose some fatty tissue. Treadmill tests confirmed improved muscle performance among the subjects, said Schambelan, who coordinated the study from San Francisco General Hospital.
“Having their legs being able to take them further on a treadmill suggests growth hormone might help them get around day-to-day,” said Kathleen Mulligan, a UCSF endocrinologist at San Francisco General Hospital.
The improvement was so dramatic the experiment was interrupted and placebo patients were given the growth hormone, which was manufactured by Sereno Laboratories, Inc. of Norwell, Mass. The results follow previous successes in treating bum and cancer patients with growth hormones, said Jeffrey Laurence of Cornell Medical Center. He also is a consultant with the American Foundation for AIDS Research in New York.
Problems with side effects have been minimal, although diabetics and people with high blood pressure may not be able to take hormones. Still unresolved is the question of whether the therapy will prolong the life of AIDS or cancer patients.
“The data are very promising, and the FDA is reviewing the data with exactly that question in mind,” Schambelan said.
The double blind experiment included 178 patients in hospitals and community treatment centers in several states. Results were released last week at the Third International Symposium on Nutrition and HIV-AIDS in Philadelphia.
AIDS FEAR BRINGS FLORIDA SYPHILIS DECLINE
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Rising awareness of AIDS has led to a sharp drop in syphilis in Florida, which led the nation in syphilis cases until 1990.
“We can never say ‘Let’s pack up and go home,”’ said Dan George, a senior public health adviser with the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.
Florida is now 16th in the nation in its rate of syphilis with 1,187 cases reported last year - the lowest level in 30 years.
“I’ve been in the field 17 years, and I never thought we’d get a handle on it,” said Bill Drahos of the Volusia County Public Health Unit. “People weren’t listening and the rates were going up, up, up.”
Like syphilis, the vims that causes AIDS can be contracted through sex. But while syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea are curable, AIDS isn’t.
“When we were dealing with traditional sexually transmitted diseases, there was kind of a feeling that you could get a shot for it; you didn’t have to worry about it,” said Ed Carson, communicable disease program coordinator for Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Brevard counties.
“With AIDS around, people are not so willing to take a chance,” Carson said.
The state distributes about 7 million condoms through its county public health units. Apparently many are being used, said Drahos. “With HIV, it got a little scary not to.”
Florida’s syphilis rate peaked in 1988 at 8,292 cases and has been decreasing ever since.
Syphilis, which can lead to blindness, insanity, paralysis or heart disease if untreated, still worries public health officials.
“We have to remain skeptical. If we’re ever complacent, it may come and sneak up on us again,” George said. “Syphilis is potentially very explosive if left unchecked.”
YOUNG AIDS EDUCATOR PEDRO ZAMORA DYING OF AIDS IN MIAMI HOSPITAL
MIAMI (AP) - Pedro Zamora, a young Cuban-American man who has left national audiences in tears as he pleaded for more-humane responses to people afflicted with AIDS, is dying of the disease in a Miami hospital. A doctor said he has a severe neurological disorder, cannot walk, speak or eat and often cannot recognize family and friends.
The 22-year-old got the HIV vims that causes AIDS in 1989 when he was 17 and trying to deal emotionally with the death of his mother from cancer three years earlier.
He has testified in Congress, made a TV spot for the Centers for Disease Control and appeared earlier this year on episodes of the MTV series “Real World.”
Steinhart said it is impossible to say how much time Zamora has left, but he made it clear it won’t be long: “The deterioration is continuing and unrelenting.”
Zamora was preparing for an interview on CBS’ morning news show on Aug. 17 when he was found wandering the streets of New York, dazed and confused. He was taken to a hospital. It was discovered that he had a neurological condition marked by an increasing inability to walk, talk or eat. Where many AIDS patients survive 10 years, the neurological condition leads to rapid deterioration, Steinhart said.
After finding out five years ago that he had the HIV vims that causes AIDS, Zamora began a national lecture tour, telling school audiences how he practiced unprotected sex in high school.
After being found to have full-blown AIDS when he fell ill in New York, he returned to Miami and was hospitalized. He left the Miami hospital last month, but entered again last week.
The doctor said the neurological disorder is Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy, which causes dementia. Only about 5 percent of AIDS patients have PML, but it is showing up increasingly, Steinhart said.
Once Zamora declared: “I’d like to say I am not afraid, but that’s not so. 1 don’t fear death itself, because death is something very natural. What I fear is the process of illness, the preamble for which we’re not prepared.”
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 7
AIDS NO. 1 KILLER OF SAN FRANCISCO MEN
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Richard has seen it countless times - the anger, the sorrow, the bravery of critically ill AIDS patients. Soon, he says, he’ll know exactly how they feel.
“Not everybody is courageous in the face of AIDS. Some go kicking and screaming and are horrible to everyone around them,” said the former heroin addict-turned counselor. “I’m not sure how I’m going to act.”
Richard, an AIDS counselor who declined to use his last name, was diagnosed HIV positive in 1985.
“So I’m panicking.”
He isn’t the only one.
The San Francisco health department recently announced that for the first time in any U.S. city, AIDS was the leading cause of death among men in 1992 - the first time any illness passed heart disease as the No. 1 killer.
In a tragic coincidence, 1992 was the same year health officials celebrated hitting a plateau in the number of new cases.
What’s even more unfortunate is that many here weren’t surprised by the numbers.
“We’ve lost so many friends,” said Richard Chavez, former program coordinator for activities at the Shanti Project who is HIV positive.
“It’s frightening to think that nobody is surprised by it,” Chavez said. “Maybe some people who have been hiding in the sand might say, ‘Oh, my gosh.’”
Over the past few years, AIDS has been the leading cause of death among men age 25-44, but 1992 was the first time it crossed all age lines.
The largest increase in deaths came in men age 35-44.
In 1992, the latest year data is available, of the 8,143 total deaths in San Francisco,
1,195 men died of AIDS, while 1,094 men died of heart-related disease.
In 1991, of the total 8,345 deaths, heart-related disease killed 1,189 men and AIDS kdled 1,152 men.
“In traditional medicine, you go to the doctor and get better. In AIDS, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor, you go to the doctor - and die,” Richard said.
“AIDS had been inching up as the leading cause of death. ... It didn’t go from being No. 12 to one overnight,” said Mitch Katz, director of the city’s AIDS office.
“Between 1981 and 1984, there were 8,000 new infections each year. Those were entirely among gay men. And now we’re seeing, 10 to 12 years later, the consequences -the high rate of death,” Katz said.
While the numbers for 1993 were still being compiled, AIDS was expected to remain the leading cause of death. The death rate wasn’t likely to decrease until the late 1990s, Katz said.
The health department warned that while the number of AIDS cases among gay men has decreased, AIDS could show a resurgence because of the growing number of cases among youth and intravenous drugs users.
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GOVERNMENT OPENS TOLL FREE LINE FOR PEOPLE WITH AIDS
WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government is opening a toll-free telephone number Monday to provide treatment information by telephone or computer to people with AIDS, their families and health care providers.
The HIV-AIDS Treatment Information Service was scheduled to begin taking calls at 9 a.m. EST. The number is l-800-HIV-0440 and the hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.
The service will be staffed by health information specialists who are fluent in English and Spanish. Deaf access is included, and all calls are confidential.
The service’s staff will not provide treatment advice. Staffers will, however, provide information the latest research and treatment options to physicians and patients who call.
"In addition to assisting health care providers, the AIDS Treatment Information Service will help people living with H1V-AIDS extend and improve the quality of their lives by helping them make informed decisions about their health care with their providers,” said Philip L. Lee, the director of the U.S. Public Health Service.
The service’s data base, which is housed at the National Library of Medicine, will be updated to include all federally approved HIV and AIDS treatment information.
The data base can be accessed tree via computer. Users can call l-800-272-4787 for directions on how to access the system with their computer.
NEW LAW WOULD REQUIRE HIV TEST FOR FOREIGNERS GETTING VISAS
MOSCOW (AP) - The Russian parliament’s lower chamber has approved a measure that would make foreigners seeking Russian visas present proof they do not have the AIDS virus. Foreigners found to be infected with the virus while already in Russia would be deported.
The law, which must also be approved by the upper chamber and the president, also would give medical authorities broad powers to conduct mandatory testing.
Critics said the law would be hard to implement and would violate human rights.
“That law is an attempt to create a new Iron Curtain,” said Kevin Gardner, chairman of the Moscow-based HIV Educational and Information Research Center. “Massive tests won’t stop AIDS since it’s a global epidemic.”
He said the requirements for foreigners would “only succeed in creating a black market for false certificates.”
Dr. Vadim Pokrovsky, head of the national anti-AIDS center, told the ITAR-Tass news agency that widespread coercive testing might provide statistical information but would not help fight the epidemic.
As of the first half of 1994, more than 740 people in Russia had tested positive for the AIDS virus, according to the Interfax news agency. It said 105 had died.
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MARION BAKER
From Page 1
contributing, and armed with articles and statistics, she had a knack for steering the discussion into rational channels. She was often one of the few sane voices when the discussion grew heated or overly emotional.
Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City had just been printed, and I recall several people saying that Marion was “our own Anna Madrigal.” A tall, commanding presence, Marion Baker turned heads when she entered a room. I was always struck by her no-nonsense demeanor; you could tell right away that this was a person who would listen, but who also believed in common sense and certain, uncompromised values.
From the beginning, I was nagged by a question regarding Marion: Why would a heterosexual woman who wore black boots and swore a lot (her seven-year-old grandson eventually cured her of the swearing) want to give so much to the gay community? Marion and I talked just before her death, and she was happy to reminisce with me.
“I was on the phone at We Care starting in 1976,” she said. “We naturally got calls from gay people needing support, or who just wanted to talk. I got to thinking...here is a whole population whose needs are not being addressed.” As I came to learn, Marion was driven by this sense of compassion and acute sense of social justice.
“I would read in the newspapers every week about police entrapments and harassment going on in town. I thought, my God...gays are people too.
I was outraged. This wasn’t fair at all, but nobody seemed to care. Who was worrying about you people? I wanted to start a discussion group even then, because I could tell there was a definite need for one. Of course, there were some bars, but what was lacking was a quiet place for people to meet and talk.”
Courageously.. .unbelievably.. .Marion started hitting the bars to drum up interest for a group. “I put up signs and notices and slowly got to meet people. I’d go to the Parliament House and Odds & Ends, but it was tough. Nobody responded to this old lady.”
Marion told me the story like a mystery writer unraveling the plot from her latest novel. “Well, one night I ran into someone who knew about a ‘secret society’ called GCS. It’s hard to imagine, but back then it was very secretive, very clandestine. Meetings were held in different people’s houses each time so that a pattern wouldn’t be established. David Slaughter and Charlie Hogan were very instrumental in getting and keeping things going back then, and it was through them that I found out about Charlie’s rap group, and about the Hotline they were developing.”
One can only speculate that it was a secret for all this to have eluded Marion Baker’s notice for so long. Marion went on with her story, tired from illness, but clearly energized by the opportunity to relive these most meaningful memories.
“Everybody who wanted to come to groups or meetings had to be vouched for,” she said. “Back then, most gay people were much more paranoid about losing jobs or having their families find out. Even when I started sitting in on Charlie’s rap group in 1979, it was very easy to see, to feel just how scared people were.”
“Listening to the problems people had... with lovers, families, whatever... showed me what I had always instinctively known; that gay people are just like everybody else, except with almost no support.”
Marion spent ten crucial years with the rap group, watching it grow from a secret society to a thriving, open forum. All the while, she continued her volunteer work at
We Care. She was diagnosed with hypoglycemia in 1981, but she says, “since I had already stopped drinking and smoking, I just changed my diet and took better care of myself. I had to. There was so much to do; so much to be busy with.”
In 1993, it was discovered that Marion had colon cancer. She took chemotherapy, and after the treatments her hair grew back in pure white. She decided to have pictures taken, “smiling, with my mouth wide open, just like people know me and just like I feel.”
I will never forget Marion’s unwavering loyalty to the gay and lesbian community, nor the sharp retorts directed toward people who choose to see us in a negative light. Before she died, I asked her if she had anything she wanted to say to Orlando’s lesbians and gay men. Marion didn’t miss a beat.
“Think the best of each other and love each other,” she said.
Indeed. Simple, direct, honest words spoken straight from her heart.. .one of the many attributes of a woman I’ll always love and always be grateful to.
Feisty but loving, Marion Baker was Orlando's own "Anna Madrigal."
Janice and Marcia, who shared their experiences with artificial insemination in our second issue, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Taylor Jeanne, on October 1st. Taylor was born at 5:12 PM, weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces, was 20-1/2 inches long, and apparently arrived with a fully developed set of vocal chords. Please join us in congratulating Janice and Marcia on this joyous occasion.
Watermark's “Gayby Boom” story appeared in Volume 1, Number 2, published on September 14.
“Transitions” may include memorials, remembrances, weddings, anniversaries, promotions, and other announcements. Please send submissions with photo to WATERMARK * P.0. Box 533655 • Orlando, FL 32853-3655. Announcements are free of charge.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 9
BUSINESS
n A T.T.TKTft
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Your Long Distance Calls Can Benefit the AIDS Quilt
by Joe Saranno
Phoning friends and family could not be more charitable* now that your long distance dollars can go towards increasing AIDS awareness, World Telecom Group, Inc, has generously paid production costs for two AmeriVox phonecards that will benefit the AIDS Memorial Quilt through its keeper, The NAMES Project Foundation. 100% of the proceeds from the phonecards will be contributed to The Foundation as well
Gracing the front of each phonecard will be thematic works by two leading artists, David McLimans and Mary Bngelbreit, known for their past artistic contributions to The Names Project ; Foundation, McLimans’ art will be
3636 cards* each providih| $5 bf phone time — the equivalent of approximately 16 minutes of domestic long distance calling. The other phonecard, which features Engelbreit art, will be released in a limited edition issue of 1000, each with $20 of phone time—a value of about 67 minutes of calling time.
Reflecting on artistry and industry, Anthony Turney, executive director of The NAMES Project Foundation explained, “Our goal has always been to educate the public about AIDS anti HIV prevention while providing a creative form of expression dedicated to the memory of those who have died from this disease. We are pleased that the wonderful art work of McLimans and Engelbreit can be portrayed on the phonecards to help achieve both of these objectives.”
Town! Xkeda, President of World Telecom Group, Inc. added; “We are hopeful that these special edition AmeriVox phonecards will help in . some to iripease publiclv^bness; of the AIDS pandemic and encourage HIV prevention, as well as raise additional funds for the important work of The NAMES Project Foundation.” Ameri Vox is the top-selling brand of prepaid phonecards in the United States, providing long distance telephone service to the entire nation and 200 countries worldwide. Its owner, World Telecom Group, Inc., is a fully integrated telephone company, with its
own digital central office switches, company-employed operators, and independent sales force.
. Using a prepaid phonecard is on most occasions less costly than other methods of calling long distance, however they are a bit tricky to master because of the extra dialing. For instance, if you were at a hotel, you would first have to get an outside line to dial a 1*800 service number which is printed on the card. A computer generated voice will then ask you to dial your personal identification number which is 9 digits in length (alsoprinted on the card). After the computer tells you the present balance on your card, you finally get to enter the area code and number you want to reach. Ouce ; a connection has been made, the computer will quickly tell you how much time you may remain on the line. Near die card’s limit, it will also interrupt with a warning before your time expires.
So with a little added dexterity, you can save money while making a valiant contribution to a most noteworthy organization. The AIDS Memorial Quilt was conceived in June of 1987, and has since grown to be recognized worldwide as a testimony to those who have died of AIDS ^ tactile media to help people understand the devastating impact Of the disease.
^Orc than 5 hnilton people have;: visited the Quilt in over l,000 displays. Through such displays and related ac-;-: rivlties, The NAMES Project Foundation has raised more than $1,400,000 for AIDS service organ!- i zations throughout North America,
Prepaidphonebdrds are only ava able by writing The NAMES Project '' PoiMdatiqhTSlb Suite 310, San Francisco,C4 94/07;| Enclose a personal check or money order made payable to The NAMES Project Foundation of either $5 or $20 for each card you are .
member, the phonecards are intended for renewable use. When its value depleted you can call a toll free service dumber fintM on
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MBA PLANS FOR ‘95 EXPO
The Metropolitan Business Association (MBA) will hold their second annual Business Expo on Saturday, February 4, at the Bahia Shrine Auditorium in Maitland. Last year’s Expo (at the Maitland Civic Center) featured more than 80 exhibitors and was attended by over 1000 people.
According to Dr. Sandy Fink, this year’s Expo will be larger in every respect. “The Shrine Auditorium is a beautiful facility, and we’ve moved there to accomodate more exhibitors and guests.” Exhibit space is open to non-MBA members, and is expected to sell out early. To obtain a registration form, or for more information, contact Dr. Fink at (407)299-3969.
ADVERTISERS REACH OUT TO GAY CONSUMERS
NEW YORK (AP) - Companies in the corporate mainstream are gradually coming out of the closet.
Attracted by the enticing consumer profile of gays and lesbians, a steady parade of companies such as AT&T, American Express, Ikea and Saab have started and expanded marketing campaigns aimed at the gay community.
“Our research tells us that these are affluent, well-educated, brand-loyal consumers who want high-quality products,” said Dick Martin, vice president of advertising at AT&T.
Aiming at that market, AT&T mailed brochures last spring which depicted three smiling couples in affectionate poses - two men, two women, and a man and a woman. The slogan was “Let Your True Voice Be Heard.” AT&T declined through a spokeswoman to comment on the effectiveness of its direct-mail effort, but lesbian activist Susan Horowitz says it was effective.
“These companies are ‘coming out’ because they see payoffs going to their competitors,” says Horowitz. “When people are choosing a long-distance carrier they’ll look at the brochure on the table and think, AT&T? MCI? AT&T because they care about me.”
Other companies such as Saab, the first national auto marketer to reach out to gays, have started running their usual advertisements in gay publications.
In California, a small group of investment advisors - Progressive Asset Management of Oakland - help gay investors steer their money toward companies with good track records on gay issues.
All this newfound attention is welcomed by many gays and lesbians, who have historically been ignored by advertisers. “Very often we march down 5th Avenue in a protest,” Horowitz adds, “but now Madison Avenue is marching down to Greenwich Village to find us.”
Other companies have directed images at the gay market that are dramatically different than their usual ads showing All-American heterosexuals. , — —--------
American Express has advertised travelers checks with the signature of two men or two women. Ikea, the home furnishings chain, ran a television spot last spring showing two men shopping for a table.
While companies doing these types of commercials have conducted in-house research on the gay market, few systematic surveys have been made public. One recent study, conducted by the Westport, Conn.-based market research firm of Yankelovich Partners, gives perhaps the most precise portrait to date of gay consumers.
The national survey found people who identify themselves as gay or lesbian - approximately 6 percent of the U.S. population - are twice as likely as heterosexuals to hold a graduate degree. Their income is “roughly equivalent” to that of heterosexuals, contradicting other less-accurate studies which suggest gays are more wealthy than average.
Although AT&T, Ikea and American Express have used openly gay people in some advertisements, companies who want to reach these consumers do not necessarily have to include overtly gay images to be effective, says the study’s director, Rex Briggs.
“Gays are a more stressed out population,” he says. “They are also more technologically savvy and are very concerned about control and security of the home.” Marketers who push those “hot buttons,” he says, will get their message across whether or not the image shows openly gay people.
In addition, Briggs says inclusiveness is a powerful theme that marketers such as Ikea, which has run ads featuring gay men and single mothers, have used to unite fragmented constituencies.
“You can say ‘We respect individuality’ and make no statements about age, sexual orientation, ethnicity or anything,” he says. “When you add that up, you are talking about not six percent of the population but 40 percent.”
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WOODARD
From Page 1
deserved to have it and if that helped the gay community.. .great. But I wasn’t really in it for political reasons,” Woodard said.
However, as the lawsuit came into focus, Woodard began to see the impact his fight could have for others in his situation. He also began to feel more comfortable as a member of the gay community. Five years ago, Woodard made a point of clarifying that he was “bisexual.” No more.
“When this first began, I had no ties with the gay community. I didn’t even go to a gay bar until a year after I was fired. But now I’ve joined GLCS...I’m a changed person. I’m gay and I’m part of the gay community now.”
Woodard’s saga began more than five years ago when, during an investigation into allegations that he had sexual relations with another man, Woodard admitted to Deputy Sheriff John Butler Book, Jr. that he had had a gay affair about a year-and-a-half before. Book’s report concluded that Woodard’s bisexuality could possibly compromise his position as a deputy sheriff and could bring “dishonor or disrepute to the sheriff, who holds that homosexuality is unnatural, immoral and inexcusable.”
Major Buck Buchanan then gave Woodard the option of resigning or being fired. Buchanan also asked Woodard to identify other gays and lesbians in the department. While Woodard refused to name anyone else, he did submit his resignation on April 27.
However, after resigning, Woodard couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been grievously, fundamentally wronged. His friends and former co-workers agreed.
“I just instinctively knew that it was wrong,” Woodard said. Apparently, so did prominent Orlando attorney Bill Sheaffer, who took up Woodard’s case along with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (LLDEF). With Sheaffer’s assistance, Woodard withdrew his resignation and began the legal battle to be reinstated. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Legally, Woodard’s case sets a precedent against the termination of government employees solely on the basis of their sexual orientation. “This Court finds the action of the Sheriff, in constructively firing [Woodard], unconstitutional,” stated Judge Gridley. “While [Woodard] was a Deputy Sheriff, none of his actions could be construed so as to bring disrepute or dishonor on the Sheriff’s office.”
While Gridley left the issue of whether gays deserve special protection from discrimination, he clearly indicated that he feels such discrimination exists: “It is the conclusion of this Court that known homosexual persons are included in a class of persons who are inherently threatened with prejudice by a large number of people in our society.”
Woodard has been back to work for just over two years now. In the beginning, he was concerned about the kind of reception he would get. Gallagher was still Sheriff, and Woodard thought he might have to “watch my back at every turn.” But that was not the case. “I was received very well. No one has said a single negative thing to me.”
Today, Woodard is happier than he has ever been. He feels a sense of security in his position, and justified pride in his courage to battle what he felt was an injustice. He realizes that he has cleared the way for others in the same situation to feel less intimidated.
“While I don’t know of anyone else [in the department] who has come out, I’m sure my case has had an impact. There are a number of deputies who are fairly open with their peers about it. They’re not trying to hide it.”
Since the ouster of Walt Gallagher as Sheriff, Woodard feels the environment for gays and lesbians has improved even more at the Sheriff’s department.
“[Current Orange County Sheriff] Kevin Beary is great. He’s been real supportive through the whole thing. He has made it a
“It is the conclusion of this Court that known homosexual persons are included in a class of persons who are inherently threatened with prejudice by a large number of people in our society.
point to check with me,” Woodard said.
Woodard indicated that the Sheriff’s office has also appointed a liaison to the gay community. He feels that if people in our community don’t know this, it’s because there is less controversy attached to the issue these days.
“I won’t take credit for it. I think people in general are just becoming more tolerant and understanding,” Woodard said.
As evidence, Woodard describes a recent on-duty situation involving a married couple reporting their son missing. The couple recognized him, but couldn’t place him. “When I gave the husband my card,
he looked up at me and then yelled at his wife, ‘Honey...we have a celebrity in the house. This is the detective who got fired for being gay.’ Both of them told me they’d followed the case and were glad to see me back on the job.”
While there arc not currently plans to actively recruit gays and lesbians into police service as is done in many large cities, Woodard is still hopeful.
“I think we’ll get to that point. We’re probably not ready for that right now.”
Changes are also evident in Woodard as well.
“When all this started I had never been to a gay bar. Now that I’ve come out, I’ve become a lot healthier and happier.” Apparently, Woodard has lost nearly 70 pounds. He admits to a much less stressful life now.
The comfort Woodard now feels came at some cost, however. He views the three-and-a-half years of limbo as a very painful time in his life, both professionally and personally. He becomes emotional when discussing the effect the lawsuit had on his family.
Continued Page 11
Klan protestors at a 1989 pro-Woodard rally.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 11
COVER STORY
Woodard and altorney Bill Sheaffer: "I know I did the right thing."
WOODARD
From Page 10
“My bills were really backing up. I had to depend on my mom to help me get through the whole thing,” Woodard said.
He also explained that coming out so publicly was a shock to his family.
Woodard’s mother was the first female detective in the Polk County Sheriff's department. His dad also worked in law enforcement.
“It was all new to them. No one in my family knew that I was gay * until two days before it hit the newspapers. I had to tell my mom I had been fired and then why I had.
It was rough on her. There were times when she’d just sit in her office and cry,” Woodard said. “Now she’s very proud of me.
My parents were great.
They stood behind me the whole time, but it has taken time for them to accept fully.”
He has not spoken to Walt Gallagher since his reinstatement and Gallagher’s subsequent defeat in a re-election bid. While the lawsuit may have uncovered a number of Gallagher’s weaknesses, Woodard doesn’t think that he was the sheriff’s undoing.
“People have said that he made a mistake with the way he handled my situation but it was just one of many mistakes.” Woodard himself has no regrets about what he did.
He offers this advice for those considering coming out at work. “Be prepared to accept yourself first.” Woodard also recommends books on coming out, including Gay Cops. “Every cop who’s gay should read it to prepare themselves for what might or might not happen.”
Finally, Woodard reflects, “It was a bad time for me but it also let me learn from life. It think I’m a better person for that, and now I can accept myself. I know I did the right thing. Without a doubt.”
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 12
VIEWPOINT
CROSSING THE LINE IN BOBBY SOCKS AND SNE AKERS
bv James A. Creseitelli
Lola O’Lay, move over.. .Leigh Shannon, step aside.
I finally crossed the line; that sartorial Maginot breastplate that separates men from girls. I got into a dress and paraded myself through Orlando this Halloween. I only want to know one thing. How one remove mascara build-up the next morning?
The compulsion to parade “en drague” had been building for some time. I’d done it before in a safe way.. .nun, nurse.. .but never simply as a “woman.”
But the nagging desire surfaced again during a recent Miss America party. Miss Alabama won and my friend Jamie, ecstatic that the young lady from his home state ’ ad captured the crown, vowed to essay her for Halloween, with me in tow.
I agonized for weeks. Did I dare look bad in the eyes of my fellow revelers? Did I dare violate one of Gaydom’s commandments: “Thou shalt not leave the house in bad drag.”? Then again, it was Halloween. There’s no absolute requirement that one be, well...pretty. I wasn’t going to perform on stage. I wasn’t trying to fool anyone, like
Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie. It would simply be me...in a little outfit...and a wig...and some makeup. Simple, fun stuff.
Actually, not so simple. As usual, I left everything to the last minute because I work six days a week and have no life. I needed to shop! So after closing the store on Saturday, I hotfooted it over to Thrift Co. (black hole of the fashion universe). You must go. Miles of clothes racks, all crammed full of cunning items once worn by strangers. Strangers with armpits and all sorts of other private, fungus-breeding parts.
But I can control those thoughts and conquer them. And I was encouraged by the company...the camaraderie really. Incredibly, this pre-Halloween Saturday night found the store filled with guys. Guys buying heels. Guys trying on gowns. Guys searching for matching purses, hats, scarves.. .accessorizing! The checkout ladies never batted an eye. I chucked my excuse about shopping for my grandmother and fought for a changing room.
Later, we met at Jamie’s where a talented friend had agreed to paint us; Jamie, me, and
a friend who was going as that dear old Republican mother hen, Barbara Bush.
We began the transformation. Immediate chaos ensued. Within ten minutes, Jamie’s apartment looked as if “Les Cagelles” themselves had stormed through the place, emptying shopping bags everywhere. Wigs,
.. .the hair?Brunette, teased
and tortured into something the
might have sported on stage at the Apollo.
pearls, foundation, spray net.. .God, its complicated being a woman.
My inability to secure a pair of 10-1/2 heels had determined my iook. Annette Funicello, early ’60s. 1963 to be exact. Straight gray skirt, pink sweater rolled to the sleeves, bobby socks and sneakers. And the hair? Brunette, teased and tortured into something the Ronettes might have sported on stage at the Apollo. A tiara and a five-strand rope of pearls made me complete.
According to our make-up expert, I was done. Perhaps overdone. I looked in the mirror and hardly recognized myself. Perfection. This was the me that had been trying to get out for weeks. But like Audrey Hepburn descending the stairs in My Fair Lady, the real
test awaited.
The Club was packed, and among the costumes was a full compliment of drag... good, bad, great, different, indifferent. I had a brief moment of sublime com fort... right after I realized no one was paying any attention to me, and right before I realized I wanted everyone to pay attention to me.
I ran into several friends (and a few walls) and their comments were gratifying. Apparently even in bobby socks and sneakers, my Annette Funicello looked more like Connie Francis (who was much prettier in my mind). How could I not be pleased? Some acquaintances shrieked when they realized I was me. I felt like a movie star making a rare personal appearance.
I had fun, and the whole evening was well worth the effort and expense. As I doffed my wig, I found rnvself thinking about those distant drag sisters who stood up for the right to be different twenty-five years ago. My experience had been liberating as well. I felt an enormous confidence. I took chances, acted differently, flirted with strangers, and even climbed on stage to dance (in character, of course...my own version of the Madison, and a mean disco Bossa Nova).
I had been both stunning and bad; an effective combination I heartily recommend. It worked -1 know it did because my editor couldn’t stop laughing when he saw me. In fact, he had to grab someone to keep from falling down.
Men!!
WATERMARK
Watermark Media, Inc.
©1994
editor / publisher Tom Dyer layout / managing editor April Gustetter account executive Keith Peterson contributing writers Michael L. Kilgore, G. K. Fowler, Harmony Brenner, Nan Schultz, Bandon Dean, Dimitri Toscas,
Jim Creseitelli, Mark Lawhon, Yvonne Vassell, Ken Kundis,
Rafael Gasti, Stephen De Matteis, Rosanne Sloan, Joe Sarano photographers & illustrators Alison Bechdel, Eric Orner,
Russell Tucker, Jill Porter student contributors Robert Holland, Katie Messmer,
Tera Kenney, Mike Williams
CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited article submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Although WATERMARK is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.
Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles, advertising, or listing is WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members of such organizations (unless, of course, sexual orientation is stated specifically).
WATERMARK is published every second Wednesday, except the first week in January and the second week in July. Subscription
rates are S35.00 (third class).
The official views of WATERMARK are expressed only in editorials. Opinions offered in signed columns, letters and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper’s owner or i management. We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication.
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The fabulous, award-winning La Cunta Sisters, Mona and Davida, make their annual Halloween appearance.
\&
ALLEGED
CAUSES AF LESBIANISM
1, Masturbation (1600s thru early 1900s)
2, Faulty nervous organization, which can also lead to dementia death (1890s)
3, Cerebral abnormalities (1890s)
4, Fear of pregnancy (1890s)
5, Female friendships (1890s)
6, Being allowed to dress like boys (1890s)
7, Being allowed to play with boys (1890s)
8, Feminism (1890s)
9, Separate schools for girls boys (1890s)
10, Women's colleges which encouraged athletics k the “masculinization” of the female mind (1900s)
11, Co-ed colleges (1900s)
12, Childhood trauma (1920s)
13, Being an only child or (he first-born (1920s)
14, Shortage of men after World War I (1920s)
15, World War I: emotional trauma caused by the separation of men women during the war k also, women taking over men’s jobs (1920s)
16, Overfunctioning adrenal gland (1930s)
17, Glandular imbalance (1950s)
18, Poor parenting (1960s)
From LESBIAN LISTS by Dell Richards.
Alyson Publications
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 13
VIEWPOINT
GETTING IT STRAIGHT
by Rosanne Sloan
I am openly gay, yet I don’t shove my homosexuality in others’ faces. Fortunately, I have had the freedom to be “out” wherever I’ve been employed. Over the years, I have noticed that straight men and women react differently to my coming out at work.
I spent six years mostly in the company of straight men. I was the executive vice-president of the largest family-owned chain of car stereo businesses in New Jersey. I
It was as if I’d caused an
earthquake. They listened politely enough, but the aftershocks were explosive.
was also the only woman...and the only gay employee. During the first three months, I was propositioned every day, all day. I had no choice but to reveal that I was a homosexual.
At first, the guys thought it was a ploy to prevent them from harassing me. They disregarded my declaration and demanded hat I prove it. How was I to do that? I lought that bringing my lover to the of-ice would suffice but they wanted action, he “real” thing. Then it hit me - these ma-'ho men would rather die than have sex
with another man, but they’d love to be involved in a sexual tango with two lesbians, or their wives/girlfriends and a lesbian. “Once you’ve had me,” they’d say, “you’ll be a real woman.”
Soon, I became a novelty, a trophy. When a new guy was hired, the boys would say, “Don’t mess with her, she’s our lesbian.” They couldn’t have me, so they made sure no other men would. Soon, their wives/ girlfriends found me to be unthreatening, and by the end of my sixth year, I had become “one of the guys.” No longer was I thought of as a gay just as
Rosanne.
I have worked in Florida for a year now, and have decided that straight women are odd. I’m employed at a mail house business which predominantly hires women. After coming aboard, they’d ask me about my wedding band, what my husband’s name was, what he did for a living, why we don’t have kids, dah-da-dah-da-dah. They wanted to know every detail of my personal life. I thought it was only fair (and certainly less burdensome on me) to be honest with them. So, a month after I started working there - on National Coming Out Day - I decided to tell the women I work with that I’m gay.
It was as if I had caused an earthquake. They listened politely enough, but the aftershocks were explosive. Thankfully, there
were some women who said it didn’t matter, but one woman felt compelled to warn, “You better not mess with me!” Others were hurt that I didn’t tell them right away.
Still others were curious. It seemed as if everyone was telling me stories of a relative or a friend that was gay. One woman told me a neighbor of hers killed himself because he was gay, and did I ever feel that way? Another told me she was approached by a gay woman, and did she look like a lesbian to me? Every conversation for the next few days revolved around being gay or gays and lesbians. “How do you do it?” “Are you the man or the woman?” “Do you use a dildo?” “Don’t you miss doing it with a man?”
Most of the women at work now respect my lifestyle. They see my marriage to Donna as equal to their own marriage in validity, but they think I have it better. They feel the success of my marriage is due to it
being with a woman. I’ve tried to explain that it isn’t the gender but the person; still they disagree.
My closest friend at work, Weezer, told me the other day, “You know, I used to be afraid of gay people - until I met you. I thought they would hit on anyone, straight or gay. And I thought if I liked someone gay, it meant I was gay, too. But knowing you has changed my mind. Gay people are cool.” She smiled and put her arm around me.. .something she couldn’t do a year ago.
There are a couple of women at work who are still afraid to be close to me, afraid of what they might see in themselves, perhaps. But for the most part, the others, like Weezer, have changed their minds about gay people. Maybe they will raise their children or teach their grandchildren to be more openminded about homosexuals. Maybe, some day, there will be a Coming Out Day for straights.
Let me say, a more artistic, appreciative group of people For the arts does not exist.. .They are more knowledgeable, more loving of the arts. They make the average male look stupid. M
BETTE DAVIS, on gay men. ^
••••••• < "■
• * . v - ' 'A''
TO MARK:
MY WAKE-UP CALL
by Ken Kundis
My old college roommate, John, and I still talk on the phone on the average of once a week. Recently, during the hootin’ and hollerin’ about men or bars, movies or old friends from New Orleans, he lowered his tone meaningfully and said, “I got a card today from Rick. He wanted to let me know that Mark passed away.”
Six years ago, during our senior year in college, Mark had been John’s first boyfriend. And now, at 26 years old, Mark was dead.
John had spent his junior year in Paris, while I, for reasons that seem distant now, had been living in my fraternity house (Hoo Rah Rega for Alpha Tau Omega). John’s year in Paris was freeing — he came home centered, secured, evolved. In short, a fully-developed homosexual. I, too, had come a long way in that year. I had finally grown tired of the complicated facade I had been wearing for years. I had finally figured out that the roof of my parents’ house wouldn’t start crashing in on them if I went on a date vith a man.
So, when senior year started, John and I ame roommates again, as we had been omore year, and dove headlong into Orleans’ gay world. While John dove farther and swam a bit faster, the ten-^ steps that I took toward coming out 'ear were some of the most important
y life.
. was during this heady time, as the \ x)l year began, that John met Mark. As \ )uple, they didn’t break any longevity -£)rds — six weeks at the most. But Mark,
19 at the time, was sweet and funny, someone who always seemed open to the new experience, the new viewpoint. And for two attention-seekers like my roommate and me, Mark was a good audience. For some reason, he regarded us as clever. And in his own way, he was quite clever as well.
Mark and I remained friends for the rest of the year after he and John went their separate ways. After graduating from college, I returned to Orlando and essentially lost touch with Mark. About a year later,
As a gay mI was becoming desensitized to seeing a familiar face waste away into a guant, barely recognizable pallor.
however, John told me that Mark and his lover were moving to Orlando. Several weeks later, we ran into each other at Southern Nights and exchanged phone numbers.
Over the course of the next year, I attended a dinner party or two at Mark’s house, saw his lover and him out often and on one or two occasions just called him to talk. I was glad to see that he remained the same person I had known in New Orleans: upbeat, funny, relentlessly reaffirming.
Time and responsibilities intervened, however. I saw less and less of Mark and
when I did see him, we had less and less to say. The things we had in common — John, New Orleans — faded further back into memory. Also as time went on, I could tell something was clearly out of place with Mark. Always trim and boyishly attractive, he suddenly seemed to be packing on weight and aging prematurely. The next time, he would be pale and drawn. Sometimes, he seemed happy to see me; other times, distracted and disinterested.
One evening, I saw Mark at Southern Nights. He looked terrible. He had lost all the weight he had gained plus another twenty pounds. He seemed melancholy and removed. I went home that night and casually mentioned to John on the phone that I had seen Mark and that he didn’t “look well,” with all the proper nuance to let my friend know exactly what I meant.
Strangely, however, I didn’t really feel anything about it. I was just pointing out to John what I saw as an empirical fact. As a gay man, I was becoming desensitized to seeing a familiar face waste away into a gaunt, barely recognizable pallor. What I had not seen, what prevented me from having any real emotion about it, was that I hadn’t actually seen anyone dying.
To date, not one of my close friends, who are relatively scattered across the country, has told me that he is HIV positive. There are some friends of friends that I know of who are ill. And now there is Mark. But for me personally, for my day to day life, AIDS has been an abstraction. My friends and I are the children of Safe Sex. We were the “young people” that were the targets of all the AIDS education materials available in gay bars in the mid to late 1980’s. We were too young to have been sexually active during the worst of times, but were old enough to see the decimation and take it seriously. The rising rate of HIV infection among the 18-25 age group is evidence that the lack of such dramatic examples — seeing people close to one’s own age dying — can foster
a certain complacency about one’s health. My age group, 26-32, was the one that largely got the message. Add to the mix the fact that my friends are generally highly informed and more health-conscious, and I have been insulated — either through luck or design — to the concrete and insidious ramifications of this epidemic.
But since Mark’s passing, I’ve been thinking about it a great deal. My mind seems to be saying to me “Yes, you idiot, people are actually DYING of this.” I know its naive and perhaps even a bit flippant of me to act as though it never occurred to me that dying was the final toll AIDS exacts from people. I made the intellectual connection, of course; but perhaps the emotional one was too much for me. Now I can think of nothing else. I think my good fortune in not having loved ones dying has coddled me, created a false sense of security. Yes, I’ve done academic research on the subject. I know the biology and sociology and psychology associated with this disease. But it was never in context before. Now I see Mark, a man I’ve barely known for the past three years as this fragile bellwether; my first example in flesh and bone of the horrifying impact this disease has had on our community.
And now I feel like I know nothing. No book or academic paper can possibly relate what this disease is really doing. After presenting myself as an expert on the subject now for years, I can’t even pretend to know or understand anything. I can just stand here and watch.
And I can also yell as long and as loud as I possibly can. I can communicate to as many people as possible using whatever skills I may have. I can work against the kind of complacency I’ve been floating through. And it won’t be for Mark, and it won’t be for my friends. It will be for me.
It’s long overdue to get angry. And it’s long overdue to get involved. I’m sorry, I just got my wake-up call.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 14
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OUR CULTURE
^ ..... .... ...>-•%?# '
ION) MYlCSU.lt,CHAPTER17: Joni Mitchell’s 17th release in her 26
year recording career is “Turbulent Indigo,” another treasure from rock’s premier female singer-songwriter. Through her catalog of work, Joni has defined the most complete, fleshed out female character to appear in our contemporary culture. While it has long been assumed that much of her work is semi-autobiographical, Mitchell has taken us on a magical journey through her music and introspective lyrics. Long time fans have followed her through each gorgeous phase of her career: the nostalgic reminiscences of late ‘50s rural Canada; the idealistic and naive dreams of a ‘60s flower child; the willful self-indulgence of the mc-generation ‘70s; her growing maturity amid the rage and turbulence of the ‘80s; and now, not so comfortably settled into middle-age. The specifics of this fascinating musical self-portrait may seem insignificant to some, but her legion of loyal fans feel connected to her in an almost mystical way. For us fans, “Turbulent Indigo” touches the spirit.
“Indigo” is less a departure in style for Mitchell than a balance of all that has worked in the past. A definite highlight is “How do you Stop?” featuring backup vocals by Seal. The CD jacket features several Mitchell paintings, including a Van Gogh-inspired self-portrait on the cover. This long-awaited release is yet another delicious chapter in Joni’s musical saga. For those less familiar with her work, it is accessible, enjoyable music.
A MONSTER TOR R.C.M . :Long before there was grunge, there was R.E.M. Back in the early ‘80s when this band was unknown beyond college radio, R.E.M. produced at least one release per year, and backed each release with endless touring.
In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, R.E.M. released “Out of Time” and “Automatic for the People,” achieving multi-platinum sales and numerous Grammy nominations. However, the band was criticised for “selling-out” as their popular and more polished sound seemed to stray further and further from their Athens, Georgia roots. As if this wasn’t enough to alienate die-hard fans, the band ceased touring.
With the release of “Monster,” R.E.M. boldly returns to their pure sound Michael Stipe’s vocals are again pushed back into the music, and the band’s “edge” is back. Even better news: a tour is eminent.
The first radio release, “ What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” is in my not so humble opinion the best and most exciting single of the year. The unusual title stems from something that happened to newsman Dan Rather a few years back. For no apparent reason, Rather was attacked on the streets of New York. His attacker kept repeating the phrase “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” The phrase caught on, as things do, and within days of the attack began showing up on t-shirts and the like.
"Monster” is excellent. Long time fans will rejoice, newer fans will be led back to the wonderful, if sometimes uneven, early work of one of today’s best bands.
BUG. Halloween is my absolute least favorite holiday. Nevertheless, I broke down and attended Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights the weekend before Halloween. I’ll be the first to admit it, we all had a blast; the haunted houses, “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Dungeon of Terror,” “Psycho Path Maze,” and "The Boncyard” all brought lots of screams. The live action show "Bill & Ted Meet TimcCop” was also great fun. The fact that it was drizzling and damp the night we went only added to the spirit of the night. Universal had loads of street activities and should be applauded for keeping the park dark enough to maintain the "spookiness” of the event. If you haven’t been yet, make sure you don’t miss it next year!
HCUyilJOlIl} INSIDER : From reliable industry sources comes the word that Neil Jordans Interview With the Vampire, although visually beautiful, is excessively violent and somewhat disappointing. The vampires appear bored and spend far too much time whining about how un-intcrcsting it is to be un-dead. When the characters in a movie are this bored, the audience follows suit. The good news is that Tom Cruise, although not quite the Lcstat conjured by Anne Rice’s vampire chronicles, is effective in his role; a performance full of sarcasm and bite (pun intended). My source tells me that Oscar potential (if any) will favor newcomer Kirsten Dunst as Claudia (the vampire woman trapped in a child’s body), as well as costumes, cinematography, and set design.
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 18
ARTFUL LIVING
EAT WI RO
by Rosanne Sloan
Thornton Park Cafe 900 E. Washington St. - Orlando 425-0033
With its outdoor courtyard just blocks from Lake Eola, the “new” Thornton Park Cafe has great food, great ambience, and a decidedly gay-friendly atmosphere. I first visited the Cafe under its former owners and it was wonderful. However, I remembered the delightful outdoor courtyard more than the food. That won’t likely be the fare with the new Cafe.
Which is not to say that Thornton Park Cafe hasn’t retained its unique charm. New owners Tony and Teddy Costa have brought the fountain to life and spruced up the outside with beautiful plants. The Cafe remains one of the few Orlando restaurants where one can dine comfortably, even elegantly, outside. Inside, photos from Italy have replaced more daring modem art, but this is for a reason. In its new incarnation, the Cafe is the quintessential Italian restaurant, complete with attentive owner chef “Papa” Tony visiting your table to personally ensure that your food is to your liking.
Although Tony is from Naples in Southern Italy, the Cafe has a decidedly Northern Italian flavor. Floridians may find the lighter, whiter creams more pleasing than the traditional Marinara sauces. Add to the mix a Latin texture (contributed by Pablo Felix, another chef and part-owner), and the result is a cultural delight to the palate.
Fresh bread teased our tastebuds, but what really grabbed us was the day’s special appetizer: hearts of palm sauteed in a raspberry balsamic vinegar dressing. Donna and I usually share an appetizer, but to my surprise she also ordered something... mozarella and tomatoes with olive oil, garlic and fresh basil. I’d like to know where Papa Tony gets his tomatoes, because we hadn’t had such a succulent tomato since our last trip north.
The menu didn’t make choosing dinner easy. Thornton Park Cafe offers six pastas, four seafood, and four poultry and meat en-
trees. Our knowledgeable and charming server, Len, sealed our choice by describing the specials for the day. I had Triangoli A1 Fungli, a triangle ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and sauteed in a mushroom and garlic cream sauce.
A descendant of Naples myself, I enjoy comparing sauces. Mine was delicious; even better reheated the next day for lunch. Donna was torn between the Brook Trout and New York Strip, but Len talked her into fish. Although usually served whole, Papa Tony filleted the trout for Donna so that she wouldn’t have fish eyes staring back at her. The trout was marinated in garlic, olive oil and wild mint, then basted with Balsamic vinegar. Donna found it light and tasty, but not remarkable. She’s anxious to return and see what Papa Tony does with steak.
The Cafe’s grand finale is its homemade desserts, prepared daily by “Mama” Teddy Costa. We chose Bread Pudding and Chocolate Mousse (my first time). The mousse had a hint of orange, and was smooth. Donna was talked into the pudding by Papa Tony. It was served warm, with a touch of honey and raisins, covered with a vanilla custard sauce. Donna loved it.
The Thornton Park Cafe is very gay-friendly.. .a place you’re likely to encounter friends...and the waiters are gay and cute. Another change at the Cafe is Fred, the guitar player who performed during the evening. (NOTE; For the next 6 weeks, jazz stylist Juanita Marie will perform at the Cafe during Sunday Brunch from 10 AM to I PM.)
At one point in the evening, Papa Tony stopped to serenade us all with “O Solo Mio.” With gentle breezes blowing, I felt as if we were on the Island of Capri. We were charmed, and happy to become acquainted with the “new” Thornton Park Cafe.
Rating: ****/GGl/2
ROSEY’S ***** Excellent /'t p /T . vrUlr IPs a Gay World
Very Good GG Relax and enjoy
RATING *** Good G You’re on your own
SYSTEM ** '* Fair Poor
Tony and Teddy Costa and Pablo Felix at the Thornton Park Cafe. The Cafe accepts Visa/Mastercard/American Express and is open for lunch and dinner every day (Tue-Thur 'til 1OPM; Fri-Sat 'til 11 PM; Sun 'til 9 PM), and for breakfast on weekends.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 19
ARTFIJI m/mn
Dearest Readers,
I’m still reeling over the Halloween Hoo-Doo in O’Town last week. Your idol managed to hit all the hot spots in town (even a few outside my domain), and I must say, the creative juices were flowing...all over the place. I suspect some girls were creatively “juiced” as well; the only explanation I can think of for some of the outfits I was forced to critique. For those fans who weren’t witness, drag was elevated to a new low in Orlando this Hallow’s Eve. And the rude manners of these fair-weathered frock wearers! When did a big dress and a big wig become a license to kill?
My first stop was the hysteric Club at Firestone, where Mickey Rat had taken over Fairyland and all hell had broken loose. Uncle Walt’s frozen remains were even encased in a fridge along with some
Hungry Man Dinners. H.R.S. is still investigating the Small World Shooting Gallery.
The ambience was very Wally World. Long lines, sweaty multi-nationals, and a screaming audience
clamoring for more drinks, more air, and more time (and they got an hour’s worth at 2 AM). The costume contest resembled a Mr. Universe Pose-off, as a parade of beauties clamored for attention from wild-eyed throngs. Darlings, I know it all too well; that treacherous catwalk to stardom...in
this case, all for a thousand dollar prize. Not a bad price, if you’re going to whore.
There were so many “Absolutely Appalling” Patsy and Edina duos that I can no longer watch my favorite show without losing my lunch. Also expected were the two or three thousand Priscilla, Queen of the Pansticks. Now there are some Drag role models, from the most wonderful Drag film of our day. I sweat at the thought of Americanized versions showing up on my cable TV: Tom Arnold and Michael J. Fox in the cross-dresser, cross-over hit, Druscilla, Queer in a Dresser. Phew! I am sweaty. Let me climb down off my hot rollers and get back on track. Where was I? Oh, yes, the battle
of the scary-boos!
The Mouse House was dementedly well-represented at The Club, with a paunchy Peter Pan, a Tink who needed a tuck, a Cinderella direct from the Home for Battered Princesses, a carload of spotty dogs with Queen Bitch Cruella DeVille, and that cheese-eating-nympho-from-hell...Minnie. Is nothing sacred? Not at this twisted tea party. The Best Costume winner was a barnyard treat-and-trick who left the crowd with a “not so fresh feeling.” I laughed, I cried, I became a complete woman, I passed out
at 4 AM with the vision of sated sheep jumping over my bed.
It was Fright Night II at Southern Nights, where Hollow-weenies ran amok in “Transy-Vania.” Truck
drivers in drag, freaks in frocks, beauties as beasts...it was the Voyage of the Damned! Debriefed and
de-dragged, your Lola watched an endless parade of thrift-store Thelmas get down.
One word of advice to all you Long Island Iced Tea Lolitas: more powder, less cocktails. There’s
nothing pretty about watching a gal’s face sliding off into her glass, or stepping into the women’s sandbox only to find some sister fishing an eyelash out of the toilet. Pretty! Please, girls, take a firm hold of that remaining scintilla of pride and limit yourself to twenty or so cocktails.
Oh, I almost forgot my friends at Twirl. Hostess Cindy dished out a delicious assortment of twisted twinkies in various states of “trans-ition.” It was Three's Company goes Dukes of Hazard, with Carmella twirling, Danielle tantalizing, and the crowd putting their chocolate in my peanut butter. When someone screamed for “Please Mr., Please, Don’t Play B-17,” it was time to dash and
hurl.
As I look back on this past All Hallow’s Eve, the images (and the stains) linger: the smell of Tinkerbell’s cigar; the flawless syncopation of the Winter Park Rockettes; Divine Dan; Steak-N-Streaks a la Lakeland; Brassy Grassy; Skye Madrasses; Fresh Baked Minnie, and all the other fabulous
creatures who dropped their drawers and donned a dress.
/> -
Color me gone,
Confidential to M.J.
“Pink Rabbit?
STREAM
▼ Watermark's, ad guy Keith Peterson attended a reception for Olympia Dukakis at Rollins College a couple weeks ago. When introduced, Ms. Dukakis asked Keith if he was a student.. .apparently she has heard that Rollins has a substantial adult education program...and he said that, no, he worked for a newspaper serving Orlando’s gay and lesbian community. Not missing a beat, Ms. Dukakis pulled back in mock surprise and said, “Orlando has a gay and lesbian community? This seems like such a conservative place!” Ms. Dukakis played transexual earth mother Anna Madrigal in Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City on PBS.
▼ What about those campaign mailers from the new queens of negative campaigning, Fran Pisnone and Linda Chapin? This is the battle of the bad photographs! Apparently each camp has searched old files dilligently for their opponent’s worst-alltime-photo. In her mailings, Ms. Chapin found a photo that makes Ms. Pignone look like Bella Abzug, and has used a photo of herself that is positively Florence Henderson. We will rise above this negative stuff. For the record, both are attractive women.
▼ We hate it when we’re enjoying a movie and some self-professed Leonard Maltin begins audibly critiquing it. We saw Priscilla at Enzian recently, ducked in the bathroom, and had to endure a Siskel-Ebert review team standing at adjoining stalls. “It might be amusing if it weren’t so unrealistic.” “I know.. .losers like them would never be able to afford those costumes.” Please.
▼ There have been a number of sex surveys lately that try to determine who’s gay and who’s not. They tend to subdivide sexual desire, e.g. from The Advocate, homosexual desire only; desire and behavior; behavior only; desire and self-identification; desire, behavior and self-identification. This is all unnecessarily complicated. The surveys should ask, “What do you think about when you masturbate?” If it’s someone of the same sex, the person is gay. ‘Nuff said.
T Word has it the LCN campout at the end of October was a big success and a lot of fun. Do lesbians celebrate Halloween? Anyway, one camper tells of overhearing a pair of teenage girls camping across the lake with their families: “Isn’t it weird that all those women are camping together?” “Really...and that they all have such weird haircuts?”
Adam & Steve
bY £rvZc/ CJrvrJV-v ...
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 20
ARTFUL LIVING
ADVICE-O
Dear Advice-O-Rama,
My companion of 15 years and I have a good, solid relationship. We’ve gotten over the major rough spots, purchased a house in the suburbs, and we share a nice, comfortable life together. I guess it goes without saying that our sex life is not as exciting as it once was. This doesn’t bother me a whole lot, but my partner has a need for “sex as adventure,” so we’ve begun doing three-ways. To my surprise we’ve had no difficulty finding guys to join us. Here’s the problem...I’m more or less participating because if I don’t I’m afraid my partner, who I love very much, will do it without me. Should
I hang in there?
Signed,
Feeling Insecure
Dear Insecure,
Whether to have a monogamous or an open relationship is a critical issue for many gay couples. When partners are not in agreement, a major issue must be confronted. To begin, it is best to remember that neither monogamy nor open relationships are for everyone. Also, the desire to go outside the relationship for sex is not always the result of an unsatisfactory sex life. Sometimes it is a manifestation of other couple issues.
The fact that you describe your relation-
ship as “good” and “solid” tells me that you and your partner have likely built a good foundation; one that should allow for open, honest communication. Since you are made uncomfortable and insecure by three-way sexual experiences, it is your obligation to yourself and to the relationship to tell your partner exactly how you feel. A sexual experience should be enjoyable and positive, and not a breeding ground for hostility and insecurity. If your partner sincerely cares, he will not force you to experience something that is unhealthy for you. And if you choose to participate only to mollify your partner and protect the relationship, the reverse will happen; he will lose respect for you, and the re-
lationship will be compromised.
It is certainly possible for couples to find romance and sexual pleasure that has been lost. However, both partners must be committed to this process. Tell your partner how you feel. Be honest, and encourage him to do the same. I suspect this is more painful for you than you’re revealing. Please write back and let me know what happens.
Watermark ‘s Advice-O-Rama counselor is Keith Baber, M.Ed.. Keith has a degree in Counseling-Psychology, and is in private practice in Altamonte Springs. He can be reached at (407) 834-3279.
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TRANSITS & ^ fcUNATIONS
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Mark Lawhon is certified by the American Federation of Astrologers, and is available for consultations by calling 407-894-1506.
ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19): The next six months will test you.. .a drag or a challenge, depending on your point of view. You’ll see unfinished business wrapped up, but use care with assets recently acquired. Watch for job opportunities, but they won’t fall into your lap. Good news...you and your partner will stop bitching at each other.
TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20): The Lunar eclipse on Nov. 18 will impact you, and Venus is still retrograde. With little effort, you can make things happen in the area of romance. Play it cagy until Nov. 24, then feel free to let that love object know exactly how you feel.
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20): Fate appears to be working against you. Try to figure out whether the source of your difficulties is internal or elsewhere...possibly work-related. But your emotions are peaking whether you realize it or not. Let go of what you can to avoid health-related consequences.
CANCER (Jun 21-Jul 22): You are ruled by the Moon, Cancerians, so the eclipse on the 18th will getcha. But put on your rose-colored glasses, cause aspects are favorable. Dates will lead to romance; romance will lead to pairing. Monitor investments carefully, however.
LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22): Work-related matters have become clearer for you. Now trust your instincts and act to improve your situation...even if it means relocating. Family irritations may continue, but don’t make the situation worse by losing your temper.
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22): Your obsessive-compulsive nature has returned from a brief vacation. You are likely making meticulous future plans. If these plans involve relationship changes, let’s hope your partner shares your logical outlook. Take a trip near the water to work things out.
LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 23): The eclipse on Nov. 18 may bring money your way, possibly from family, but don’t be surprised if it comes with some major strings attached. You’re a sensitive soul and the next six months may be stressful for you. If it’s affecting you physically, pull back and make necessary attitude and lifestyle adjustments.
SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 21): You Scorpios aren’t much for self-revelation, but communications between you and your partner have reached a new low. Open up. Share your secrets. Talk about how you really feel. You have far more to gain than to lose. As painful as it may be, honest self-evalution and communication will be important in coming months.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dee 21): If work seems good these days, don’t get too comfortable, particularly if you’re in a service-related job. Take nothing for granted. You might consider visiting home sometime soon; you and your parents should get along well. In fact, luck is on your side these days, but as hard as it may be for you Sag’s, try to stay grounded.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): Lunar eclipse + Jupiter/Pluto conjunction...what does it mean for you? Fun and romance. Unlike your Sag sisters, you need to fight off those tendencies to be cautious, rational, selfless. Things are aligned nicely for you, so let go and have a ball.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Febl8): The eclipse provides you with opportunities to resolvd nagging problems. Be honest and true to your values, and hope that your communications are perceived positively. Be prepared for a surprise, as dreaded outcomes may never materialize. If you’re planning to move, you may want to time it for early Spring.
PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): Accelarate your social calender, because you’re likely to derive a great deal of pleasure from friends and groups in coming months. Just remember, it’s flu season. Get a vaccine and try to avoid those who are contagious. Also avoid written commitments unless you’re absolutely sure what they mean.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 21
TRAVEL
NnilTIVFACT
GETAWAY
ly Stephen De Matt
Now’s the Time to Visit New York, Boston ^ v ^ and New England
There comes a time in everyone's life when you have to just pack your bags and get out of town. If that time for you i$ near or now, then here are several suggestions that might help,
Tor the Northeacst transplants,, this time of year brings back fond memories of Autumn festivals and apple picking. This is a great time to visit the Northeast ~~ the summer heat is gone and the snow hasn’t started yet.
Let the old song call you to "Autumn in New York." The sights and sounds of Greenwich Village are crisp in the fall atr. If you want a "gay" place to stay, the Chelsea Fines Inn on West 14th street is warm and friendly and convenient to everything. They also give you a great continental breakfast every day.
New York has more to offer than you can possibly fit into a long weekend, but do yourself a favor and find time for dinner at Christopher’s (right on Christopher Street at number 115,0 The food is great, the service is enteitaining and the laid-back atmosphere makes for a rC- or :
After dinner, take die short walk up Christopher Street to Seventh Avenue South and the Monster - the Grand Dame of Sheridan Square. The Monster is a fun bar where everyone meets to plan their evening. The downstairs bar is crowded anti noisy, but upstairs is a piano bar where show tunes are play ed and sung by Broadway’s own.
And if: it’s a Broadway or off-B road way show you want to see, don’t forget the half-price TKT’s booth on Broadway and 46lh street. You can get day-of-performance tickets for shows with space available at half-price plus a service charge of $2.00 per ticket. It’s worth the wait in line if you can get the show you want. The list of shows available is posted along the front of the TKT’s booth. They don’t tell you how many tickets they have for each show and you may wait in line for a show that sells out to the person just before you, so have a second choice ready just in case.
While in New York, vviiy not rent a car and lake a
drive up the Palisades Parkway to Bear Mountain and see the great fall foliage? The colors are incredible. At the end of the Palisades Parkway is the Bear Mountain Inn - a great place for brunch (and you won’t be the lone gay traveler in this traditional tourist stop). If you don’t want to leave the city for Sunday brunch, consider Tavern on the Green In Central Park. Located right in Central Park, this glass-walled restaurant and its fall foliage overhead is a wonderful experience.
New York is not the only Northeast getaway .. .Boston also beckons. Both the Chandler Inn and tJie Back Bay’s Oasis Guest House offer excellent accommodations for the gay traveler. There are also two bed <Y break Lee spots for women. The Iris and the Victorian are just outside of Boston with easy access to town. 1 also suggest the Marriott Long Wharf at the end of the Fanial Hall marketplace. While not gay •cxcln-■’ ■ -s Can
us location and service arc lirst rate. And catch the boat at the side of the
Long; Wharf to Provincetown - the Northeast’s answer to Key West.
The bars and clubs in Boston offer everything from the refined elegance of the Back Bay and Napoleon’s Club ( 52 Piedmont St.) to the cute college crowd at Buddies (51 Stewart St.) to the men of leather at either the Eagle (52QTremont St.) or the Ramrod (1254 BoyIston St.). Women are welcome everywhere, but Indigo’s (823 Main St.) is the "women's bar” in Cambridge.
If you’re lucky enough to get tickets, the out-of-town Broadway tryouts make Boston a good theater possibility, and concerts and cabaret are plentiful.
Shopping? Filings Basement will be the shopping experience of a lifetime. We’re talking markdown designer clothes to make your heart flutter. For the “guppy” shopper, there’s the Harvard Cooperative in Cambridge. The “Coop” has the best in college preppie wear and is also the Harvard bookstore.
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WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 22
OUR CULTURE
The English duo of Tracey % Thorn and Ben Watt, known
* as “Everything But The Girl,” I will perform at The Club at
I Firestone on Friday, Nov. 18.
■ EBTG is returning to the U.S. after a string of sold-out shows earlier this fall. This time around, EBTG will perform as an acoustic duo.
After 12 years and 8 albums, EBTG’s latest release, Amplified Heart, has garnered them the best reviews of their distinguished career. stated that “Thom’s voice has an instant sadness, a classicism that relates more to old-school divas like Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick than peers like Liz ot The Club. Phair.” They went on to call Amplified Heart, “the most
beautifully mature album of their career, and one of the sleeper gems of 1994.” The New
York Times said the duo recalls “the best of Fleetwood Mac.” Tickets are available at
Tracey Thorn & Ben Waft
Ticketmaster or at The Club box office.
OCAL
▼ “Florida’s Freshest Fruit,” The Improbabilities, have taken Manhattan as their new home...the Manhattan South Studio Theatre that is, 1012 N. Mills Ave. Shows are every Sunday night at 8 PM. Tickets are just $5. Call (407) 521-7499 for more info.
T The CMC Theatre Off Central Florida SecondStage series presents El Grande De Coca-Cola through Nov. 20, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM, and Sunday at 2:30 PM. See review p. 16.
The Mainstage production of William Gibson’s acclaimed The Miracle Worker, will begin Nov. 10 and run through Dec. 4. This stirring dramatization of the real-life story of Helen Keller is one of the most warmly admired plays of the modem stage. The Theatre for Young People will present Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol, from Nov. 26 to Dec. 18. The cast includes Paul Wegman as Scrooge, and Frank McClain as Bob Cratchit. For ticket information on all performances, call (407) 896-7365.
▼ Lesbian singer Laura Chandler will be in concert at The Junkyard in Casselberry on Thursday, Nov. 10. Although influenced by such artists as Joni Mitchell, Ricky Lee Jones, and John Hiatt, Chandler’s musical style is uniquely her own.
Well known on the west coast, Chandler has released two tapes, including her most recent Confession of an Unarmed Poet.
She is preparing to release her first CD. Chandler recently performed at the Gay Games and the Atlanta Pride Festival.
Her performance at the Junkyard begins at 9:30 PM. Tickets are $3. Contact The Junkyard for more information.
▼ The Valencia Character Company will perform Pterodactyls on Nov. 12,13, 18,19,20. Pterodactyls is a dark comedy about the demise of a dysfunctional family, including a son who is HIV+. A portion of the proceeds from tickets will go to the AIDS Resouce Alliance.
Performances begin at 8 PM; 2 PM on Sunday. Tickets are $6 for adults; $5 for students. For more information call (407) 275-1603.
y Theatre K)CE presents The Wake off Jamey Foster Nov. 17, 18, 19, 20, and Dec. 1,2,3, 4. Written by LAURA CHANDLER Beth Henley, Jamey Foster is a richly comic study of a smalltown Mississippi family drawn together by supposed grief. Call (407) 823-1500 for tickets or more information.
y Joy MCC will hold a Gayla Auction at 7:30 PM on Saturday, Nov. 19. This enertaining annual event features an amazingly wide variety of desirable items, from the practical to the exotic. Artwork, musical instruments, antique furniture, vacation packages, and more will all be featured at incredible value. Joy MCC is located at 2351 S. Femcreek Ave. Call (407) 894-1081 for more information.
V “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” is the theme for Wlllow,S annual Black & White Ball, to be held on Saturday, November 19 at the Pine Meadows Country Club in Eustis. Tickets are $35. For reservations call Terry (407) 865-5972, or Peppy (904) 383-0928.
T There will be a fundraiser to benefit the Kathy Stllwell Foundation at 2 PM on Sunday, Nov. 20. The benefit will be held at Faces lounge on Edgewater Dr. An extraordinary athlete, Kathy Stilwell coached and played professional softball until stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. Monies raised will help Kathy and others with MS live better lives. To donate raffle items or for more info, call (407) 291 -3791.
▼ Dec. 1 marks the 7th year of the observance of World Aids Day. Centaur is the local coordinator. World Aids Day will begin with the Ringing of the Bells by area churches at 1:40 PM. At 6 PM the names of local citizens lost to HIV disease will be read, followed by a program of music, dance and song. For more information regarding World Aids Day, or A Day Wiffhouff Art on Dec. 2, contact Kathleen Morrow Aponte at (407) 849-1452. In conjunction, a portion of The NAMES Project Quilt will be on display in the rotunda of Orlando City Hall from Nov. 11 to Dec. 9.
y The 3rd Annual Red Ribbon Ball, benefitting Centaur, will be held Saturday, Dec. 3 at Orlando Fashion Square from 10:30 PM to 3 AM. This gala event will be hosted by WFTV’s Barbara West, and will feature entertainment by Miss Jacqueline Jones. Tickets are $35 in advance; $40 at the door. Call (407) 841-2437 for tickets or more information.
y The Metropolitan Business Association (MBA) will hold their 3rd Annual Holiday Gayla Social on Sunday, Dec. 4 at Moorefield’s Restaurant in downtown Orlando. Central Florida jazz great Miss Jacqueline Jones will entertain. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased from MBA board members, at Out & About Books, or at GLCS. Non-MBA members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Festivities run from 6 PM to 11 PM. Call (407) 420-2182 for tickets or more information.
y The 6th Annual Christmas off Sharing will take place on Friday, Dec. 9 from 6 PM to midnight at the 1st Unitarian Church on Robinson St. in Orlando. Through this event, organizers Jeff Gaul and Michael Pelkowski raise funds, canned goods and toiletries for the Hope & Help Center and other local AIDS organizations. Last year 350 people contributed 7 truckloads of goods. For more information call (407) 578-1157.
COLOfi
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 23
OUR CULTURE
NOVEMBER
10 11 1 12 13 14 15 16
RAINBOW * THEATRE ORLANDO 1 JOY MCC WOR- DELTA YOUTH O.B.B.A. Orlando’s FAMILY VALUES.
CONNECTION. v\ SELECTIONS. FRONTRUNNERS. SHIP SERVICES. ALLIANCE. Support largest gay & lesbian Gay & lesbian radio
Group for teens & Meet at the red pagoda See Nov. 20. group for gay, lesbian bowling league. Bowl on 91.5 FM. Talk,
young adults from 18- El Grande V at Lake Eola. 9 AM. BEARS OF CENT. & bisexual youth America, Winter Park. music, news, inter-
25. GLCS at 7:30 PM. De Coca Cola. 857-1777. FLA. Full Moon under 22. 6PM. 9 PM. 644-2244. views, community
425-7450. Saloon. 4:30 PM. 236-9415. events. 8-9 PM.
Miracle Worker. G.L.B.L. Bowling at 657-1817. UCF GLBSU 646-2398.
LUCKY LADIES Fair Lanes Indian WILLOW. (Lake Co. ORLANDO MEETING. Phillips
BOWLING. Fair Kismet. Hills. 6:30 PM. Lesbian Grp.) Mt. Dora FRONTRUNNERS. Hall, Room 218. ORLANDO
Lanes Indian Hills. 831-7171. Ch. Comm. 5 PM. 6:30 PM. See Nov. 12. 9 PM. 648-0057. 1! FRONTRUNNERS.
6:30 PM. 293-8849. > 865-5972. 7:30 PM. See Nov. 12.
i ORANGE BLOSSOM GAYSKATE.
TENNIS. 10:30 AM. Semoran Skateway in If
292-8582. Fern Park. 9:15 PM.
425-4527. -
THR FRI SAT if SUN MON TUE m WED
—— - 1 1 Ji
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
LADIES BOWLING. THEATRE ORLANDO JOY MCC DELTA YOUTH O.B.B.A. FAMILY VALUES.
See Nov 10. SELECTIONS. FRONTRUNNERS. WORSHIP ALLIANCE. BOWLING. See Nov. 16.
9 AM. See Nov 12. SERVICES. 10:30 See Nov. 14. See Nov. 15.
RAINBOW El Grande AM & 7:15 PM. ORLANDO
CONNECTION. de Coca-Cola. G.L.B.L. BOWLING. 894-1081. ORLANDO UCF GLBSU. FRONTRUNNERS.
See Nov. I0. See Nov 12. FRONTRUNNERS. See Nov. 15. 7:30 PM. See Nov. 12.
Miracle Worker. DIGNITY. (Catholic 6:30 PM. See Nov. 12.
LIGHT UP Grp.) Every Sunday.
Wake ofJamey Foster. ORLANDO. GLCS Center. RAINBOW
Downtown. 7:30 PM. 425-4527. DEMOCRATIC
Kismet. 5 PM-Midnight. CLUB. Orlando
p Library. 7 PM.
236-9476.
THR FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED
Volvo introduces the world’s first and only side impact air bag-
1995 850.
THE
STORE
1051 W. Webster Ave. (adjacent to the Winter Park IVIall) • 628-0550 • Now Open Sundays 1 - 5.
*Side air bags are standard on the 1995 850 Turbos and are optional in the base and GLT models. Always wear your safety belts.
WATERMARK / November 9, 1994 24
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Collection
Citation
Barber, Keith et al., “The Watermark, Vol. 1, No. 6, November 9, 1994,” RICHES, accessed November 21, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/7852.