1. Zach Wahls
came to fame
when his 2011
speech in front of
the Iowa House
went viral.
Since then he
has continued
his activism on
behalf of the
LGBT commu-
nity. Presently
he is speaking
for the Obama &
Biden campaign
as well as Scouts
for Equality, and
promoting his
book, My Two
Moms.
What brought you to Obama/Biden’s campaign?
Back in 2007, when this whole thing was getting off
the ground, I had a lot of friends that worked for the Obama
campaign. But I didn’t jump on the band wagon until a little
bit later. When it came to this re-election campaign, I don’t
think the choice could be any more clear. On one hand is a
candidate who in 1994 said he was going to run to the left of
Ted Kennedy with LGBT rights, and today is actually to the
rightofGeorgeW.Bush. Sointermsofwhat’sbest—forfolks
like my moms, or the LGBT community—we have the choice
between President Obama, who has been the single most
successful president in terms of advancing LGBT rights, and
isthefirstPresidenttoendorsemarriageequality. Thenyou
haveaguywhodoesn’treallyknowwherehestands,andwill
stand where it is politically convenient to be. And knowing
thatwehavethatkindofchoice,Iknewiftherewasanything
that I could do to support the President, I was down.
Are you doing speaking just in Iowa, for the Iowa
campaign, or are you doing national speaking engage-
ments?
No, just this past Saturday I was in Columbus, Ohio, at
the second largest Pride out there. And I am going to be in
Chicago this weekend for their Pride.
What do you think Obama will do for the LGBT
community and to further equality if he is re-elected?
A large part of that is going to come down to the extent
inwhichCongressiswillingtoplaynice. Unfortunatelythat’s
something we’ve obviously seen has not been the case since
2010. I think if President Obama is re-elected, the single
largest thing that he can do for the community is making
sure we have a Supreme Court that is not packed with right-
Rock On
Interview page 11TT
What’sInside:
Section 1: News & Politics
Letter FromThe Editor 3
Advertising rates 3
Ryan Sallans to Speak at Heartland Pride,Omaha NE 4
PrimeTimersWorldwide byAngela Geno-Stumme 4
WhoWill? by Royal Bush,Multifaith Chaplain 6
Remarkables by JonathanWilson 6
WhyWe Should“Occupy” byTony E.Hansen 7
Just Sayin’ by Beau Fodor 8
Digging Deeper interview byAmber Dunham 8
SouthAfrica’s“corrective rape” of lesbians by Rev.Monroe 10
Section 2: Fun Guide
Entertainment Picks for the Month 11
Rock On Interview by ChrisAzzopardi 11
WiredThisWay by Rachel Eliason 12
Star City PrideAdvertisement 13
OnceA Pawn to Perform at Star City Pride 14
Cocktail Chatter by Ed Sikov 14
Inside Out:Normal by Ellen Krug 15
A Special Day CelebratedWith PRIDE by B.Hansen, 16
Honoring Our LGBTTroopsAdvertisement 18
Minor Details by Robert N Minor 19
Out ofTown:Summer in Seattle byAndrew Collins 21
Hear Me Out by ChrisAzzopardi 22
Deep Inside Hollywood by Romeo SanVicente 22
The Bookworm Sez byTerri Schlichenmeyer 24
Comics and Crossword Puzzle 24-25
Section 3: Community
FFBC:Rabbi David Horowitz by Bruce Carr 26
Proud Horizons,Omaha NE 26
I.C.Kings Drag King Show 26
Men with Rounded Corners by LorenA.Olson MD 26
From the Pastor’s Pen by Rev.Jonathan Page 27
Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus Performs Pride! 27
Inclusive Life Community Foundation Established 28
Iowa Republicans for Freedom CelebratesAnniversary 28
IML…Love It or Leave It by Mike Prater 29
Nine Students Receive FFBC Scholarships 29
Quaker Oats EQUAL interview byAngela Geno-Stumme 30
QC Pride Gives toArea Nonprofit Organizations 30
Business Directory 31-32
Capital City Pride 2012 Des Moines,IA 34
St.Louis Rope Social 34
Black ministers follow Obama by Rev. Irene Monroe 38
Page 4 Page 11 Page 30Page 16
WAHLS continued page 5TT
Page 22
Zach Wahls Interview by Angela Geno-Stumme
Zach Wahls speaking at Capital City
Pride 2012, Des Moines, Iowa. Photo
courtesy of Gregory Photography.
Paula Poundstone
will be performing in
Iowa City on July 20th
at the Englert. Her
past performances in
Iowa include April 3,
2009, on which date
she opened her show
withcongratulationson
anow-famousdecision
announced that day
by the Iowa Supreme
Court. Poundstone is
known for her ability
to quickly and inge-
niously riff on current
events and on the lives
of her audience members, embracing and celebrating what
is both commonplace and yet surprisingly ridiculous. She is
also famous for proudly and valiantly leading her own non-
traditionalfamily,whichcurrentlyconsistsofherselfasasingle
adoptivemomandfosterparent,herchildren,sixteencats,two
German shepherds, and a very active travel schedule.
You’re going to be performing at the Englert in Iowa
City on July 20th?
Am I? That sounds good.
You’regoingfromabunchofperformancesinMaine,
then way over to Iowa City, then back over to New York
and New Hampshire...
Yeah, yeah. I don’t believe in routing, so I just… go. I just
get on an airplane and go, wherever I’m supposed to go. But
I love Iowa, so I’m looking forward to it.
Sowhat’snewandexcitinginthelifeofPaulaPound-
stone?
Oh, gosh. New and exciting. Well, I don’t know about
that. Let’s see. My daughter just graduated from high school,
and my son finished middle school today—mercifully!—and
my first foster son graduated last Friday. So I have heard a
lot of commencement speeches. I know that it’s going to be
a bright future, because I’ve heard it several times now. I’m
feeling motivated myself, I really am.
I’m looking forward to summer. I’m working on a book,
althoughincrediblyslowly. AndmostlyIflyaroundthecountry
tellingmyjokes,takingcareofmykids,andsiftinglitterboxes
so much that I have a callus on my hand from doing it.
Sift litterboxes?
I have, um, sixteen cats, and four litterboxes. It’s actually
Paula Poundstone Interview by Arthur Breur
POUNDSTONE continued page 9TT
Paula Poundstone

2. S A T U R D A Y J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 1 2 A T S T I N S O N P A R K I N A K S A R B E N V I L L A G E
H E A R T L A N D P R I D E P R E S E N T S
P R I D E S C H E D U L E

3. Ihavebeenfindingitdifficulttowritethe
editorial this month, as we decided the topic
needed to be the Wilson Resource Center in
Arnolds Park, Iowa. In particular, the topic
is the recent arrest of Frederick Joseph “Joe”
Wilson, founder of the Center.
To be blunt, Joe was arrested on May 7,
2012inachildsexsting. Heisaccusedofusing
a computer to solicit a parent to commit sex
acts on a child, and travelling to solicit a child
to commit sex acts. We must remember that
thelawofourcountryholdsapersoninnocent
until they are proven guilty, but it is hard not
to immediately turn our backs on a person
in such a situation, especially considering
the sensitivity surrounding children and sex
crimes.
Intheinterestofprovidingfulldisclosure,
Joe has written numerous articles and enter-
tainmentreviewswhichhavebeenpublished
inTheACCESSlineandonourwebsite. Unlike
The Dickinson County News, which included
a blog of Joe’s writing, we currently have no
intention of removing Joe’s content from our
web site or online issues, regardless of the
outcome of his arrest. Still, this is a painful
and uncomfortable situation, not only for us
atTheACCESSline,butalsofortheheartland’s
LGBT community.
Clearly this is an opportunity for social
conservativesorfundamentalistChristiansto
claim yet again that gay people are all pedo-
philes. Letmerepeatclearlyandemphatically
thatthisisnotthecase,andthatLGBTpeople
asacommunityareeverybitasinvestedinthe
protectionofchildrenastherestofoursociety.
Frustratingly,somepeopleinnortheastIowa
mayhavenootherlocalfiguretorepresentthe
LGBTcommunityintheirminds,andthismay
forever in their minds connect a gay person
with the subject of child abuse.
To turn the idea around, we should not
assume that all Christians use crystal meth
and hire male prostitutes just because Ted
Haggard did. But people will be people and
will assume the worst about LGBT people
because they see Joe Wilson accused of sex
crimes against children.
So how do we proceed?
Firstofall,wecan’tstickourheadsinthe
sand and ignore it, pretending the situation
doesn’t exist. Denial only fuels speculation
and accusation.
AsforJoe,wehavetowaitfortheFlorida
legalsystemtodealwiththeaccusationsand
decide his legal guilt or innocence. Even if
he is found innocent, many people would
still have trouble disconnecting him with the
arrest and the stigma involved. Even if he is
foundguilty,ourcultureisonestronglybased
onforgivenessandrecovery—nevertoforget,
but to be willing to reach out a hand to those
who have fallen.
As to the Wilson Resource Center, Joe’s
recent months spent living in Florida have
alreadyimpacteditsbenefittothecommunity.
However, we hope that someone will step up
who has benefitted from the good that has
beenprovidedbytheCenter. Wehopethatthe
vacuum left behind will be filled with efforts
by those in the community who know better
thantoassociateeverypersoninagroupwith
asinglespecimen,andwhoknowbetterthan
topaintthefailingsofonepersononallothers
they consider to be like him.
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PUBLICATION
INFORMATION
Copyright © 2012, All rights reserved.
ACCESSline
P.O. Box 396
Des Moines, IA 50302-0396
(712) 560-1807
www.ACCESSlineAMERICA.com
editor@ACCESSlineIOWA.com
ACCESSlineisa monthlypublicationby
Breur Media Corporation. The paper was
founded in 1986 by the non-profit organi-
zation ACCESS (A Concerned Community
for Education, Safer-sex and Support) in
Northeast Iowa.
Arthur Breur, Editor in Chief
Angela Geno-Stumme,
Managing Editor
Publication of the name, photograph or
likenessofanyperson,businessororganiza-
tion in ACCESSline is not to be construed as
anyindicationofsexualorientation. Opinions
expressed by columnists do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of ACCESSline or the
LGBT+community. Letterstothe editor may
be published. We cannot be responsible for
errors in advertising copy.
We welcome the submission of origi-
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cartoons, news stories, poems, essays. They
should be clearly labeled with author/artist
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Advertising rates and deadlines are
available at ACCESSlineAMERICA.com. All
ads must be approved by ACCESSline’s
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Editor-in-Chief, Arthur Breur
From The Editor
ACCESSline Page 3JULY 2012
Section 1: News & Politics

4. Loren A Olson took some time to
discuss his experience with Prime Timers
Worldwide. PTWW is a social organization
foroldergayorbisexualmen(andyounger
men who admire mature men). Olson is a
PTWW member and is looking for inter-
ested parties to start a PTWW chapter
in Iowa. As well as an author, Olson is a
Board Certified, Distinguished Life Fellow
of the American Psychiatric Association,
and Named “Exemplary Psychiatrist” by
National Alliance on Mental Illness.
What is Prime Timers Worldwide?
Prime Timers World Wide is a social
organization for mature gay and bisexual
men. It was founded by Woody Baldwin in
1987 for mature men as an option for men
who face ageism, even within the LGBT
community. Many have grown tired of or
feel out of place in gay bars and Woody
felt there was a need for older men to have
more choices.
Therearenow73chaptersthroughout
the world, the most recent international
chapter established in China. Many of the
chapters where there are larger communi-
tiesofgaymenhavevarioussocialactivities
going on each month.
I heard one 82 year old Primetimer in
Houston say, “This is the best time of my
life.” Yet there are many older gay men
who have lost partners or are alone for
other reasons, and they often are quite
isolated. The Primetimers message is that
you don’t need to be alone. Primetimers
provide them with a social network, and
these networks are an essential ingredient
in healthy aging.
Primetimers are also young men who
areattractedtointergenerationalrelation-
ships, so it isn’t all men who are “past their
expiration date.”
How did you become involved in the
organization?
Since there is no local chapter, I am an
independent member. For many years, I
didn’tknowPrimetimersexisted,butcame
across their newsletter at a gathering and
decided to look into it. I found that I loved
the men I met; they are so enthusiastic
about the remaining years of their life.
They are engaged and quite supportive of
one another.
After I wrote Finally Out: Letting Go of
LivingStraight,aPsychiatrist’sOwnStory,I
begantohaveinterestfromvariousgroups
to present on the topic of coming out as
mature men and how it is different from
coming out as a young person. Many of
themeninPrimetimershavebeenmarried
before (some even are still married) and
some consider themselves bisexual. Since
manyhavelived “heterosexual”life,Prime-
timers allows them an opportunity, some
forthefirsttime,toliveopenlyandauthen-
tically as a gay or bisexual man. They can
be seen as they are and accepted for it; in
the process they improve their acceptance
of themselves.
What makes Prime Timers Worldwide
unique as a gay community?
For one thing, it is not driven by a
politicalagenda. Manyofthemeninvolved
have “paid their dues” in social activ-
ism and are ready to relinquish that to a
younger and more energetic part of the
LGBT community. Although many remain
politicallyactive,theprimarypurposeisfor
socialization and support in a world that
has been harshly discriminatory against
them and an LGBT world that isn’t always
welcoming or appreciative of the contri-
butions older men have made toward the
freedoms we now have.
What are the perks of being a
member?
The value of being a member is that
PTWW cont’d page 15TT
Prime Timers Worldwide
Interview by Angela Geno-Stumme
Ryan Sallans will be speaking at
opening ceremonies at Heartland Pride.
He is an LGBTQ Inclusion Consultant,
Educator, and Author.
Sallans will speak to the Pride attend-
ees about overcoming challenges and
pushing past the adversaries that exist
in everyone’s life. Either internal, family
and close friends, or the institutions that
surround us. He also hopes to instill hope
and a new energy in the crowd, espe-
cially with the shifts that we are seeing
politically—both nation-wide and within
the state of Nebraska.
Sallans will also be available at
his vendor booth throughout the day.
Where he will
be offering his
memoir, Second
Son, for sale and
also hopes to
hear from others
about their own
journeys.
InAprilofthis
year his memoir,
Second Son: Tran-
sitioning Toward
My Destiny, Love
and Life was
released. Second
Son is a story
that intimately
explores the tran-
sition experience
of Ryan Sallans,
born Kimberly
Ann Sallans. The
reader is pulled
through Ryan’s
transition from
infant to child,
child to body-
obsessed teenage girl, teenage girl to
eating-disordered young woman, female
to male, daughter to son, and finally a
beloved partner to a cherished fiancé’.
RyanSallansbeganhistransitionfrom
female to male in 2005. He is a nationally
sought speaker, sharing his journey from
female to male-bodied and his struggles
with an eating disorder. Ryan works as a
diversity trainer, consultant and author.
He received a Master of Arts degree in
English and educational psychology from
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Ryan
was born and raised in Nebraska. You can
learn more about the book by visiting its
website: secondsonmemoir.com.
Ryan Sallans to Speak at
Heartland Pride, Omaha NE
Speaker and author Ryan Sallans pictured with his book, Second
Son. Photo courtesy of Ryan Sallans.
JULY 2012ACCESSline Page 4
Section 1: News & Politics

5. wingConservatives.Obviouslyhe’sappointed
Justice Sotomayor and Justice Kagan, and
if any of the five conservative Justices step
down, that would be the best opportunity
to bring the court back to a more moderate
judicial stance. That’s going to be really
important, simply because of the number
of cases that have been working their way
through U.S. Circuit Courts, and that are
headed to the Supreme Court.
Do you think Obama will be a
champion to legalize same-sex marriage
federally?
That’s a good question. I’m not sure.
ObviouslyhewasaConstitutionalLawprofes-
sor before he ran for office, he probably has
a better sense of whether or not you can, on
a legal level, push for something like that.
What I can tell you for sure is what he has
done compared to all of his predecessors.
OneexampleisdeclaringDOMAanunconsti-
tutionallaw,whichwasalawsignedintolaw
by a Democratic President. I think [working
for] DOMA’s repeal is a testament to how far,
as a party, Democrats have come, and much
moreindicativeofhowfurtherintothemain
stream LGBT issues have come as well.
Canyoutalkalittleabouthisplatform
for health care and women’s health?
IthinkthePresidenthasalreadyenacted
the bulk of his health care agenda, with the
American Health Care Act. In terms of what
else he would do, in the future, I am not
sure there is a whole lot more for him to do.
Essentiallywhatwearewaitingforisallthese
big reforms which are scheduled in 2014 to
go ahead and get fired up. Obviously, the
Presidenthascomeoutinsupportofcontra-
ception being covered by health insurance,
and more health insurance companies are
requiredtocovertheirpatientsin2014,when
the Mitchell mandate kicks in. It will have a
huge positive impact for women throughout
the country.
Again, you have a very clear choice. You
have on one hand, a candidate who when he
was Governor and running for the Senate in
1994,claimedtobeprochoice. Buttoday,so
far as rights and abortion, we’re not actually
sure where he thinks
the cutoff should be.
Whetherornotitshould
be applied to cases of
incest or rape—and it’s
quite possible that we
won’t give an answer
before the election. It
seemstome,averyreal
possibility that we won’t really know what
Mitt Romney stands for. With the possibility
ofarepublicancontrolledCongressisputting
bills on his desk if he is elected.
Your level of celebrity has really
changed since speaking in front of the
Iowa House. Personally, how does it feel,
and how do you deal with it?
It’s been a heck of a ride this last year
and half. I travel a lot and I get to interact
with all kinds of amazing people on a day to
day basis. These are people who I find to be
personally inspiring. These are folks who’ve
hadverypersonalexperienceswhenitcomes
to the effect that I’ve had either on them or
their family. I find myself still constantly, a
year and half later, amazed and shocked at
the effect that the video has and continues
to have.
For an example, I was in Michigan, at
theirstateuniversity. AfterIwasdonetalking
thatevening,aftertheQ&Aandafterthemeet
and greet, this woman (my age) 20 years old
comes up to me and says, “Thank you,” and
says “I’ve only recently come to terms that I
am homosexual.” Which to me is like a big
red flag, because not a whole lot of LGBT
folks, or gay people, refer to themselves as a
homosexual. Thenshesays,“EversinceIwas
a little girl, all I wanted to do was be a mom.
ButIalwaysknewthathomosexualscouldn’t
be parents. That’s
what my church always
taught me. That’s what
myparentsalwayssaid.
Butafterlisteningtoyou
tonight,IknowthatIcan
be a mom.”
So, at that point,
she’s got some tears
runningdownherfaceandI’mgettingalittle
chokedup. Itwasjustanincrediblypowerful
example of the impact of sharing our stories
can have on the lives of others. And as we
stood there just hugging for a moment, I
was just really blown away by what kind of
effect my words might have on the future. If
she does go ahead and have kids, all the lives
who that kid will touch. It’s just something
special.
There’s a huge positive impact. Even
though there’s a ton of travel and it can be
really exhausting at times, it’s moments like
that that really keep me going. In terms of
how it affects my life on a day-to-day basis
when I’m back here in Iowa City, things
aren’t a whole lot different. I still work quite
a bit, go out and have a good time. It hasn’t
really put a damper on my personal life in
that respect.
You’reanEagleScout,andyou’vebeen
doing some work with petitions with Boy
Scouts of America. Can you comment on
what’sthatbeenaboutandwhatyouhope
to accomplish?
On April 17th
, Jennifer Tyrrell, was fired
from being a den mother in her son’s Cub
Scoutpack. Andthereasonthatwasthecase
wasbecauseshewasalesbianwoman. When
I heard about this story, it blew up online,
and she started a petition that got 300,000
signatures. I actually got the chance to meet
her in New York City when I was promoting
my book. I told her point blank, “If there
was anything I can do, don’t hesitate to tell
me.” When the Change.org petition got to
the point when they were ready to deliver it,
they needed someone to actually make the
delivery. They went ahead and got in touch
with me and I said, “Yes, definitely”. I went
downtoFlorida,totheBoyScoutsofAmerica
national meeting and delivered this petition
with nearly 300,000 signatures.
Afterthathappened,Igotthisincredibly
positiveresponsefrommyfellowScouts,that
IwentaheadandstartedagroupcalledScouts
forEquality. Wehaveawebsiteyoucancheck
out: www.scoutsforequality.org. Essentially,
we are acting as a hub for Scouts who are
opposedtothispolicy.Tocometothewebsite
andorganizeataverylocallevel. We’regoing
to be working with other Eagle Scouts, Boy
Scouts, and Scout leaders, to mobilize at the
locallevel,troopsandcouncils,toreallybuild
support for ending this policy that the Boy
Scouts have on the books. The fact is, some-
thing like 80% of all people under the age of
26supportthefreedomtomarry,andending
continued from page 1SS
WAHLS
WAHLS cont’d page 19TT
I find myself still
constantly, a year and half
later, amazed and shocked at
the effect that the video has
and continues to have.
ACCESSline Page 5JULY 2012
Section 1: News & Politics

6. BiblicalTraditions
Revisited
Keith Ratliff recently resigned as a
member of the national NAACP Board of
Directors and as president of the Iowa-
Nebraska Conference of the NAACP because
of the parent organization’s courageous
stance in favor of marriage equality. Before
those resignations, Keith and his views on
whatever subject were seen as synonymous
with the NAACP. In interviews he correctly
noted that there has long been a strong reli-
gious influence in guiding the mission of the
NAACP. For him, as a pastor, the marriage
equality stance was a bridge too far, and the
all-important distinction between religious
dogmaandcivilrightsoflaw-abidingcitizens
couldn’tsalvagehislongrelationshipwiththe
organization. Prayerfully he concluded that
the “Biblical tradition” supposedly favoring
marriage only between a man and a woman
must trump all else. He’s to be respected for
the commitment to his religious principles
even though everyone knows that the mere
strength of commitment doesn’t validate the
principles.
One has to wonder just how far Ratliff
and others who agree with him want to go
in supporting “traditional” things that have
arguable support in the Bible. For starters,
the tradition of marriage being exclusively
between one man and one woman contem-
plated such unions only one time during the
lifetimeofbothparticipants. Asheadvocates
for a constitutional amendment restricting
civil marriage to one man and one woman
basedontheBible,intellectualhonestywould
requirethecompanionlimitationofonetime
only. Putthattoavoteandseewhathappens.
Go ahead; bring it on; we can then be done at
leastwiththatsillinessandmoveontoissues
that are actually important.
Even more “traditional,” and with Bibli-
cal support, is polygamy. That’s undeniable.
Go ahead; read the Good Book. It’s there and
without condemna-
tion. DoRatliff-thinkers
believe, as honesty
wouldappeartorequire,
thattheMormonshadit
right after all?
While they’re
looking for traditional
things that can find
Biblical support, how about the tradition of
arranged marriages and the traditional role
of women as property? Mere chattel? No
different than cattle?
Howaboutthetraditionalbeliefthatthe
earthisthecenterofthecreatedUniversewith
the moon and sun revolving around it? That
notion has Biblical support and long had the
supportofthechurch. WouldRatliff-thinkers
join in condemning Copernicus for insisting
otherwise?
How about the tradition of marriage
being confined to people of the same race
thatwascodifiedinthecivilandcriminallaw,
with church support, until Loving v. Virginia
in 1967? That may seem like a long time ago
to some readers; I was twenty-two years old
already in that year.
And while they’re at it, how about
good-old-fashioned, “traditional” slavery?
There’s no question that the institution of
slavery found Biblical support and was even
countenanced by Jesus. Matthew 10:24. It’s
apparenttoanyonefamiliarwiththeoriginsof
theSouthernMethodistandSouthernBaptist
churches that too many
in the church were on
the wrong side of that
Biblical “tradition,” and
history as well.
For my money, I
think Ratliff-thinkers
woulddowelltore-read
theapostlePaul’sLetter
to the Galatians. The question posed to Paul
waswhethernon-Jewsbeingaskedtobecome
Christians would be required to submit to
circumcision in conformity with Jewish law
(tradition). Paulanswersunequivocally,“No.”
Any contrary answer would have nipped in
the bud, so to speak, the evangelical efforts
of the early Christian church. Paul concludes
that,ifonehasthefruitsofthespirit:love,joy,
peace,patience,kindness,goodness,faithful-
ness,gentleness,andself-control—thereisno
law whatsoever that applies. Galatians 5:22.
If they don’t find that compelling, perhaps
Ratliff-thinkers would do well to re-read the
wordsofMartinLutherKing,Jr.orthemission
of the NAACP.
After that re-reading, augmented with a
bit of prayer, perhaps they can then get busy
formulating an apology to the LGBT children
ofGodinthegrand“tradition”ofmanybefore
themwhogottherealTruthintheBiblehurt-
fully wrong and have later apologized to the
victims.
ItwasnotIwhobroughtreligiousdogma
into the public square; it was the likes of
RatliffandVanderPlaats. Onceitgetsthere,it
becomesfairgameforfaircriticismtowhichit
hasnot,unfortunately,beensubjectedwithin
the confines of Ratliff’s church congregation.
And the question is: how much should the
demonstrably mistaken, First Century think-
ingoftheBiblicalwritersguideourcivilrights
today? Prayerful or not, the answer to that
one should be easy.
On Tuesday, June 12th
HRC hosted
a community celebration in Omaha to
promote awareness and celebrate the
protection ordinances (sexual orientation
and gender identity) that cities of both
Omaha and Lincoln recently passed. I
enjoyed seeing many people from our
communities that I have known for many
years, and dignitaries. Former City
Counsel Person and State Senator Brenda
Council, Douglas Country Treasurer and
Senate candidate (against Lee Terry)
John Ewing (and his wife), the new HRC
DirectorChadGriffin,andCityCouncilman
Ben Gray (the sponsor of the ordinance in
Omaha) spoke.
CouncilmanGraysaidthat“this”could
not have been achieved if we didn’t work
together,allofus. Hiswordsrangclearand
true in my heart. “WE” (the GLBT commu-
nities) will not achieve equality if we do
not continue to build relationships and
reach out to our allies…like we never have
before. Their support, their votes, their
relationships are needed right now.
As I talked with Chad Griffin I shared
with him a bit of Omaha history and
shared a few stories about people who
have helped make life better. The one
person who I shared a bit about was Don
Randolph. Don is well known both in
Omaha, this region, and on a national level.
He was instrumental in helping create
what is known today as the Nebraska AIDS
Project. Don also served on one of the first
HRC Committee’s as a representative from
the heartland. He could be counted on for
sharing his knowledge, his wisdom and
certainly his opinion. Don still volunteers
with various organiza-
tions in Omaha today!
What a great example
for many to follow.
I found it inter-
esting that I got a
bit emotional while
sharing Don’s story
with Chad. As I looked
around the room I
realized that I was in
the midst of other people who will go on
to make similar life-long commitments to
thecommunitiestheylivein;manyfromall
walks of life, some from the GLBT commu-
nity and many who are our allies.
Just as we need allies to remember
“us” when they are put to the task of voting
on equality issues, we need each other. We
needtopromoteeachother,celebrateeach
other and realize that this is the time that
we need not to tear each other down, but
build each other up. There are too many
others in this world that work hard at
oppressing equality and human rights.
Perhaps there has never been a more
important time for people to come out of
the closet; people to engage co-workers,
families, neighbors, and friends; people
to volunteer and get involved; people to
share resources (yes that means time,
talents and money
people!); people to
realize that your
equality is directly
related to what you do
right now…
June is a month
that many communi-
ties celebrate pride
events. I challenge
eachpersonwhoreads
this to celebrate pride, diversity and your
life each day. You can be the change that
you seek in your community, your state
and this world. We know that diversity is
something you can’t see, it is something
that wecan;talk about, promote, celebrate
and encourage. I am grateful for the many
people who continue to work tirelessly on
efforts in my city, my state, this country
and in the world on behalf of equality and
human rights. I am left with one question,
if you don’t do something now, who will?
The “Don’s” of our communities will not
live forever. We need YOU now!
Multifaith Chaplain Royal D. Bush
serves Inclusive Life, Council Bluffs, IA
& Omaha, NE. He holds a Bachelor
Degree in business administration. He
studied at Andersonville Theological
Seminary. He holds a current
certificate of spiritual counseling with
the International Institute of Faith
Based Counseling. He can be reached
by phone at (402) 575-7006, by email
at chaplainroyal@inclusivelife.org, and
at inclusivelife.org.
Who Will? by Royal Bush, Multifaith Chaplain
“WE” (the GLBT
communities) will not
achieve equality if we
do not continue to build
relationships and reach
outtoourallies
Do Ratliff-thinkers
believe, as honesty would
appear to require, that the
Mormons had it right after
all?
Remarkables by Jonathan Wilson
Jonathan Wilson is an attorney at the
Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines,
and chairs the First Friday Breakfast Club
(ffbciowa.org), an educational, non-profit
corporation for gay men in Iowa who
gather on the first Friday of every month to
provide mutual support, to be educated on
community affairs, and to further educate
community opinion leaders with more
positive images of gay men.
It is the largest breakfast club in the
state of Iowa. He can be contacted at
JonathanWilson@DavisBrownLaw.com.
“Icertainlyhopethatpeopledon’tamendourconstitu-
tiontostopgaymarriagebecause,numberone,theconsti-
tution is there to protect people — not oppress them.”
~Former Minnesota Governor, Jesse Ventura
JULY 2012ACCESSline Page 6
Section 1: News & Politics

7. The recent protests, called “Occupy”,
or the 99%, have echoed a chord with
people in this country. Occupy needs to
go beyond the protest into a viable reform
movement. For decades, powers have been
able to sidestep issues and pacify people
into believing marketing campaigns and
rhetoricalnonsense.Somearealltoowilling
to accept the rhetoric
and deceptions as
part of a “gospel” of
capitalismbeinggood
for all Americans.
Remember capital-
ism is essentially
justificationtoexploit
resources and inequalities in society. Some-
thing needs to change or our democracy
faces potential unraveling on a grand scale
because all boats do not, in fact, raise when
more water is given only to the 1%.
Due, in part, to the supposed gospel of
capitalism, we have seen the rapid disinte-
gration of faith in government and public
sector institutions while corporations have
become multi-national, “too-big-to-fail”
behemoths with a corollary increase in
powerandinfluenceuponpublicpolicy. The
only recourse that the public has against
these powers is through the public institu-
tions, but, with the deregulation, as well as
revolving doors between government and
Wall Street, we can see why so many people
have lost faith in the public institutions that
were created to protect the little guy from
those big guys. Yet, Americans are willing to
allow private firms, beholden only to their
shareholders, manage public institutions
with a belief that these private firms will
do a better job. Further, these corporations
want the public taxpayers to pick up the tab
to build supporting infrastructure or insist
upon tax breaks because
they are “job creators.”
If government is made
of people and private
companies are made of
people, where do we see
improvement? Perpetua-
tionofeconomicinequal-
ity and gross over glorification of corporate
power is central grief raised by the Occupy
movement.
With the pervasive influence of corpo-
rations upon public policy, Americans feel
excluded from the process that is supposed
toincludethem. Thiscoincideswithresearch
I did with my dissertation. Regulations and
thetaxcodeareriggedsothatonlycorpora-
tionscantakeadvantageofcapitalismrather
than the individual entrepreneurs. Both
political parties are willing to give corpora-
tionsandthewealthybailoutsandtaxbreaks,
but they balk at the idea of helping people
forgive student loan debt or stay in houses.
People may have made “poor decisions” to
get the loans and houses, but the wealthy
mademoneyfromacceptingthosedecisions.
Yet, they do not want to be responsible for
their part in those decisions. I guess you
havetobeamillionairebeforeyou“deserve”
government assistance.
Education is supposed to be a means to
achieve social status: a social power equal-
izer. A simple high school education is no
longer enough to sustain a person into the
working world. Increasingly, employers are
looking for people with expensive college
degrees, and with that requirement, many
Americans also build up substantial debt
when they cannot pay for school costs up
front. Thus, people want to get high paying
jobs with “stable” companies and banks,
but we have to rack up large amounts of
debt to get the credentials that may get a
job (let alone a well-paying one). This is
one of the big issues being echoed in the
Occupy protests: that of the crippling costs
of education loans.
Debt obligates people to creditors; in
this case, the creditors are the banks. The
banks barely service the loan but instead
just shuffle papers with a guarantee by the
federal government. One should wonder
how we can allow young adults to rack up
education loan debt without a job and with
no way to discharge, and yet, no bank will
loan the same people money for a mortgage
withoutjobsorresources.Banksshouldnot
even be involved. Increasing debt levels will
not help stimulate the economy.
There is an increasing unwillingness
of people to compromise, especially from
the TEA Party. There is increasing unwill-
ingness to allow alternative opinions, and
there is even growing willingness to profess
complete falsehoods in the name of policy
positions that service only the most able
in this country (e.g. supply-side economics,
military build-ups, defund public schools,
unregulated health care and financial
systems). Ironically, there is a complete
Why We Should “Occupy” by Tony E. Hansen
I guess you have to be
a millionaire before you
“deserve”governmentassis-
tance.
TONY HANSEN continued page 27TT
Tony E Hansen is a web developer, organizer,
researcher, writer, martial artist, and vocalist
from Des Moines. For more information go to
tigersndragons.com.
ACCESSline Page 7JULY 2012
Section 1: News & Politics

8. 4) Can you explain what happens to your
bodyhair,includingpubichairduringthe
sex reassignment surgery process?
This question could easily have been
touchedonearlierwhenIwasexplainingthe
process of the SRS surgery. Most M-F trans-
sexualsneedtofindawaytoremoveanyhair
fromtheirbodiesthatwouldbeinareaswhere
naturalgirlsdonothavehair.Thisisprimarily
becausethemajorityoffemalesdonothavea
lotofhair,asidefromonthehead.Ifyou,asthe
new girl, wants to blend in, you need to look
like you don’t either. How much of an effort
andhowmuchtimeisrequiredwillvaryfrom
individual to individual. I was very fortunate
in that I only grew very minimal hairs on my
back and chest, and the hair on my arms was
light in shade and fine in texture. For me, the
main efforts were directed to the face, neck
and private areas. According to the therapist
that I went to, I was not a candidate for laser
hairremoval(mostlybecausemyhairwasso
light in color) so we resorted to electrolysis
for the job. Ouch!!
Finding a professional who will do all of
the hair removal, be it an electrolysis clinic
or physician, is not necessarily easy, as some
simplyrefusetodothepubicarea.Ifoundthat
out at the first clinic I contacted regarding a
hairremovalproblem.Theywoulddothehair
removalonanyareaofthebody,exceptforthat
area.Luckily,Iwasabletofindsomeonelocally
whowouldtakecareofallofit,andfortunately
she even had prior experience with other
prospectiveM-Fsurgerycandidates.Thatwas
a plus for me, as there is a need to remove all
the unwanted hair, but leave enough to look
natural after the surgery. The priority here is
to make certain that any hair growing on the
skin that will end up inside the neo-vagina is
gone since it might look a little strange if hair
kept growing from inside there.
Forme,electrolysisonthefaceandneck
was painful, yet tolerable if the therapist did
not stay in one small area too long. As long
as she moved the needle from place to place
during our sessions, which usually lasted 30
minutes, I would just bite my teeth together
and try not to look too uncomfortable.
The removal of the pubic hair was an
experience I would rather not remember. To
say that it hurt would be a mild understate-
ment, despite the fact that I would actually
showupaboutanhourearlysothatanumbing
cream could be applied to the area. It didn’t
really feel that the numbing cream was very
effective for me, but maybe it would have
been even more painful had it not been used.
Aseachtreatmentwouldgoon,shecouldsee
that I was in pain, and would offer to stop for
the session, yet I generally had her continue
for the total time since I just wanted to get it
over with as soon as possible. But the skin
wouldremainirritatedforacoupledaysafter
each treatment.
In the end, the electrolysis was complet-
ed, except for a few more sessions that still
couldbedoneontheface.Ihavetotouchthat
area up every few days, but until I find more
money,Icanlivewithit.Thelowerhaircame
out well. I had no work done on my legs, and
I continue to shave them like most females
do, though I am very fortunate that the hair
theregrowsveryslowly.AndIdotouchupthe
arms every week or two with a razor simply
because I like them to look smooth.
5) Ok, Alexis….You have spoken about
how many people, such as yourself, begin
tofeeldifferentaboutthemselvesearlyin
theirlives.Ithinkthatyousaidsomething
aboutfirstnoticingthisuniquenesswhen
you were about age 4 or age 5. Were you
able to express those feelings to anyone,
and if so, how did it go?
No, I did not have the nerve to say
anything to my parents, other relatives or
anyonebythattime,orformanyyearstocome.
IjusttookadvantageofanyopportunityIcould
findtodressintheclothingofayounggirl.Yet
though I wanted to do this, I also knew that if
I was to get caught doing this, I would prob-
ably be in trouble. As I was growing up, there
stillremainedthetraditionalmaleandfemale
roles. Though things have changed some as
theyearshaveprogressed,genderroleswere
fairlyrigidthen.Boyssimplywereexpectedto
docertainthingsbecausetheywereboys,and
thereweresimilarexpectationsforthegirls.So
wheneverIwoulddress,Iwouldfeelhappyfor
awhile,andthenasIknewmyparentswould
be coming back soon, I would masturbate,
clean myself up, and act like everything was
fine. But “fine” is not how I felt. I knew this
wasnotnormalbehavior,foreitheraboyora
girl,andIspentmanyyearsfeelingthatthere
hadtobesomethingwrongwithme.Isimply
didnotknowwheretofitin.Playingbaseball
or football with the boys wasn’t enjoyable,
becausewhentheychoseteamsIwasalmost
alwaysaboutthelastpersonpicked,andwas
relegated to the sidelines or right field so I
wouldn’t cause problems. I couldn’t catch
that well, didn’t throw that far, and was lucky
togetahit.Besides,Iwouldratherhavebeen
spendingtimewiththegirls.Ibegantospend
more time at home, and learned a variety of
waysinwhichtoentertainmyself.ButIcould
neverfindawaytotalkwithanyoneaboutmy
situationbecauseIwasraisedtobegoodand
not rock the boat—to make people proud of
me, get good grades, and so on. The isolation
grewevenworseastheyearswenton.Icould
go to work, and get done what needed to be
done,butwhenIwenthomeafterwork,itwas
rare when anyone came over. This became
especially true after my divorce.
I did reach out at one time when I was
talkingwithmymotheronthetelephoneone
evening. I told her that I wanted to be a girl,
and being my mother, didn’t start lecturing
or condemning me. I recall that she simply
said that she would go to the library and
check out a couple of books on the subject.
This would have been somewhere in the late
1980’s. What she found, I do not know, since
neither one of us ever brought the topic up
again—until I passed out my letter in early
April of 2003 that let everyone know what
I was going to be doing. All the years I spent
keeping my secret from others really did not
give me any big satisfaction, but it did keep
my secret safe. When I first began opening
up, it was over the telephone to counselors
at various crisis lines—two of which helped
me immensely. Toward the end the girl in
me wanted to emerge so much I did begin to
talk it over with other people in person. And
whilethathelpedimmensely,italsoincreased
my desire to become a girl. I knew then that
I had to do something to release myself soon,
or I would have to decide if I still wanted to
live or not.
Lastsummer,gaysinthemilitarydared
not admit their sexual orientation.
This summer, the Pentagon will salute
and celebrate it.
Inthelatestremarkablesignofchange
since the military repealed the “don’t ask,
don’t tell” policy, the Defense Department
willsoonholditsfirsteventtorecognizegay
and lesbian troops. It comes nine months
afterrepealofthepolicythathadbannedgay
troops from serving
openlyandforcedmore
than 13,500 service
members out of the
armed forces.
Details are still
being worked out, but
officials say Defense
SecretaryLeonPanetta
wants to honor the
contributions of gay
service members.
“Now that we’ve repealed `don’t ask,
don’t tell,’ he feels it’s important to find a
waythismonthtorecognizetheserviceand
professionalism of gay and lesbian troops,”
said Navy Capt. John Kirby, a spokesman.
This month’s event will follow a long
tradition in the Pentagon of recognizing
diversityinAmerica’sarmedforces.Hallway
displays and activities, for example, have
marked Black History Month and Asian-
Pacific American Heritage Month.
Before the repeal, gay troops could
serve but couldn’t reveal their orientation.
If they did, they would be discharged. At
the same time, a commanding officer was
prohibited from asking a service member
if he or she was gay.
Although some feared repeal of the
ban on serving openly
would cause problems
in the ranks, officials
and gay advocacy
groupssaynobigissues
have materialized—
aside from what advo-
cacy groups criticize as
slow implementation
of some changes, such
as benefit entitlements
to troops in same-sex
marriages.
Basic changes have come rapidly since
repeal—the biggest that gay and lesbian
soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines no
longer have to hide their sexuality in order
toserve.Theycanputphotosontheiroffice
desk without fear of being outed, attend
socialeventswiththeirpartnersandopenly
join advocacy groups looking out for their
interests.
OutServe, a once-clandestine profes-
sionalassociationforgayservicemembers,
has nearly doubled in size to more than
5,500 members. It held its first national
convention of gay service members in Las
Vegas last fall, then a conference on family
issues this year in Washington.
AtWestPoint,thealumnigayadvocacy
group Knights Out was able to hold the first
installment in March of what is intended to
be an annual dinner in recognition of gay
and lesbian graduates and Army cadets.
Gay students at the U.S. Naval Academy in
Annapoliswereabletotakesame-sexdates
to the academy’s Ring Dance for third-year
midshipmen.
Panetta said last month that military
leaders had concluded that the repeal had
not affected morale or readiness. A report
to Panetta with assessments from the indi-
vidualmilitaryservicebranchessaidthatas
of May 1st they had seen no ill effects.
“I don’t think it’s just moving along
smoothly,Ithinkit’sacceleratingfasterthan
we even thought the military would as far
as progress goes,” said Air Force 1st Lt. Josh
Seefried, a finance officer and co-director
of OutServe.
While the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA) currently prevents some benefits
from being provided, out-of-date Defense
Departmentregulationsarealsopreventing
benefitsandsupportservices(thatarevital
tofamilyandmilitaryreadiness)frombeing
offered to these families, and this second
JUST SAYIN’ cont’d page 29TT
While heterosexual mili-
taryfamiliessacrificesomuch
in service to our country, gay
military families sacrifice
even more because they
are denied the support they
need.
Just Sayin’ by Beau Fodor
Beau Fodor, E-3 Hospital Corpsman in
1984, before his Honorable Discharge
He is also owner of PANACHE, is an
Iowa wedding planner who focuses
specifically on weddings for the LGBT
community. He can be reached at
iowasgayweddingplanner.com or his blog
PANACHE Points.
In 2010, high school student Amber Dunham participated in a class assignment to ask someone 20 questions for an LGBT essay. The person Amber chose to ask was Alexis, a trans-
gendered woman from the Iowa City area. This is the second portion of The Interview and will include questions from several individuals. Most of these people have already read
the first interview, and I have asked them to think about more questions they might want answers to. Some are again from Amber. Some of the other questions have simply
unintentionally come up in ordinary conversations with people and were completely unplanned or unsolicited, but I consider them worthy of additional comment. Others simply
seek more in-depth information on one of the previous 20 questions. Any questions or comments for Alexis can be sent care of this publication to Editor@ACCESSlineIOWA.com.
Digging Deeper interview by Amber Dunham
JULY 2012ACCESSline Page 8
Section 1: News & Politics

9. a full-time job.
You’re involved with a cat charity,
now, yes?
Actually, I believe that I lent my name to
a feral cat organization of some sort, but in
truth I don’t know much about it, other than
it’sagoodideatotrapferalcatsandspayand
neuter them. Because 60% of cats are feral,
andtheirgeneticchaingrowsridiculouslyfast.
IfeelthatintheareaoftakingincatsI’vedone
slightly more than my share. (They’ve about
shoved me out on the edge, quite honestly.)
But I also have two German shepherd mix
dogs, which I only have because if you tell
peopleyouhavesixteencatstheythinkyou’re
a crazy cat lady. Whereas if you have sixteen
cats and two German shepherd mix dogs,
you’re an animal lover. So really, the dogs
are just beards.
Yourshowisveryimprovised,butwith
plenty of current events thrown in. What
aresomeofthethingsyou’retalkingabout
in your show nowadays?
Well, I talk about raising a house full of
kids and animals. And I talk about paying
attention to the news enough to be able to
castahalfwaydecentvote. Italkaboutpublic
schools, and about the sad state of broadcast
news. ButmyfavoritepartofthenightisIdo
thetime-honored“whereareyoufrom,what
do you do for a living,” and in this way, little
biographiesofpeopleemergefrompeoplein
theaudience,andIkindofdecidewhattotalk
aboutandhowto“setmysails”basedonthat.
And so far, it works pretty good.
Have you ever had a “what do you do”
that didn’t turn out to be entertaining?
Ihave,actually. Anytimesomebodytells
me they program computers or they design
software I tend to glaze over ever so slightly.
I hate computers. But generally speaking in
that case I just sort of side step to, you know,
“So what do you do on the weekends?”
Howareyoufeelingaboutthestateof
politics this year?
Well it sure has been good for me. It’s
been very, very entertaining. I already miss
Newt Gingrich, and I think Herman Cain’s
concession was a huge blow to stand up
comedy.
But they’re all back! They’re all back
stumping for Romney.
Isn’t that funny? Yeah, they are, you’re
right, they’re like Beetlejuice, you just can’t
keep them under the ground. It’s funny,
because it all took place within this last year
and it seems like it went on forever, and it
seems also like it was a long time ago—such
alongtimesincewe’veseenthem. I’llsaythe
one good thing that Newt Gingrich has done:
a lot of kids who want to study history and
their parents tell them, “You know you can’t
earn money with a history degree,” but Newt
Gingrich blew that out of the water being a
“historian” for Freddie Mac where he made
1.6 or 1.8 million.
Not lobbying.
Right. He brought the study of history
into the Forbes 500 category.
Oh,Iwantedtocongratulateyouonthe
numberoftimesyouwinon[theNPRnews
quiz show] “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!”
Well,thankyouverymuch! Iamonabit
ofarollrightnow. Actually,I’monthiscoming
weekendandI’malreadyfeelingthepressure.
It may well be though that my co-panelists
are throwing the match. I wouldn’t put it
past them.
You know that I do hold the record for
losses. Not by design. A lot of people ask me
if I’m really seriously trying to win, and I find
that an insulting question, because yes I am!
Well, your answers, even when they
are not the right answers, are very enter-
taining. SoIthinksomepeoplejustassume
you’re going for the entertaining answer
rather than the correct answer. People
might not be accusing you of not knowing
the answers but of just trying to be funny.
I was accused of that through my entire
education and it’s never been so.
Soisthereanythingpeoplemightnot
know about you that they should?
I always like people to know that I’m an
avid“Twitterer”becausewhensomeonefirst
introduced me to Twitter—which was a few
yearsbacknow—itwaslikewhenDaveyJones
kissed Marsha Brady. It was such a match
made in heaven. I try to generate a few jokes
a day for the old Twitter feed, so I encourage
folks to jump on there (@PaulaPoundstone).
FollowingyouonTwitter,140charac-
ters seems to be plenty for you to make a
very funny joke.
It is a challenge. What I usually do is I
write a joke, then I start taking out the least
necessaryparts,andItrytomakepunctuation
thelastthingtogo—becauseI’mabigbeliever
in punctuation, not that I’m necessarily all
that good at it. Yeah, it’s a challenge, but it’s
a fun challenge.
I am looking forward to coming to Iowa.
I love it there. I think in a lot of the country
people don’t know how educated and great
it is there.
And you’re going to be in Iowa City
with the University of Iowa.
Yeah, so it’s even the high end of the
high end!
continued from page 1SS
POUNDSTONE
ACCESSline Page 9JULY 2012
Section 1: News & Politics

10. Tony Perkins
IwinceeverytimeIseeTonyPerkins’s
face on TV. Perkins, the president of the
vehemently anti-gay Family Research
Council, often has a microphone shoved
in his face whenever there’s a marriage
equality story. It’s as if newsrooms across
the country feel compelled to “balance”
these stories by calling Perkins to argue
against any and all humanity afforded to
homos.
Invariably Perkins spews misinfor-
mation. Sadly, his statements often go
unchallenged. Ideally you shouldn’t be
able to go on TV and make claims that have
absolutely no support without bullsh*t
being called. But that’s not the world we
live in, which is why people like Perkins
are interviewed at all.
So bravo to CNN’s Brooke Baldwin
for not allowing her on-air time with
Perkins to be monopolized by his baseless
rhetoric. On May 24, Baldwin interviewed
Perkins regarding President Obama and
Colin Powell declaring that they were cool
with marriage equality.
Perkins is, unsurprisingly, not happy
about two prominent black men saying
such things. After all, the largely white
evangelical right wing that Perkins
speaks for tries very hard to bond with
black religious leaders through a mutual
dislike of homosexuals. In fact, the first
thing Perkins mentions to Baldwin is
that he’s in D.C. with a bunch of pissed-
off black pastors. He says, “A lot of these
African American pastors are saying look,
‘Marriage is very clearly described in the
Bible.’ The president has basically drawn
a line in the sand and said, ‘Hey, are you
gonna cross it?’ And these pastors are
gonna cross it.”
Perkins goes on to say it doesn’t
matter what Obama said because Ameri-
cans are squarely against him on this issue
“based on the polling data.”
Baldwin then points out that, actu-
ally, the most recent polling data puts
support for marriage equality at 53%.
“Most people in the country don’t agree
with you,” she says. Perkins dismisses it
all outright. The only number that really
matters, he says, is 30: the number of
states that have passed anti-gay marriage
amendments.
Except that isn’t the only number that
matters. The lesbian and gay civil rights
movement is moving so rapidly that the
number of people who support equality
rises daily. Were we to “do over” many of
the statewide votes that resulted in anti-
gay “victories” we wouldn’t win them all,
mind you, but the number of people voting
against equality would be much lower. So
whenPerkinspointstothenumber 30he’s
staking his claim on a moving target.
I’m no Nate Silver, but it’s important
to look at who votes in many of these
elections. Marriage equality brings out
people with strong feelings. Especially
on the anti-gay side. The voice that isn’t
counted, however, belongs to the “don’t-
give-a-sh*ts,” sometimes referred to in
classier circles as the “moveable middle.”
I strongly suspect that folks who don’t feel
like they have any skin in this game (liter-
ally) would be much more inclined to tell a
pollster that marriage equality should be
legal than rush out on their lunch break to
their polling place to fill out a ballot.
The most telling part of the Baldwin/
Perkins exchange is when she asks him if
he’s ever been in the home of a married
gay couple. He says no. She then asks what
he would say to such a couple re: his views
that their marriage harms society. Perkins
dodges the question, basically saying
that this issue is about public policy, not
people. If this sounds strange, it should.
After all, without people you wouldn’t be
able to make, nor would you need to make,
public policy. It’s just that Perkins doesn’t
count lesbians and gays as people.
Creep of the Week by D’Anne Witkowski
To hear of human rights abuses of
Uganda’sLGBTQpopulationisnotnew,sadly.
Gay activist David Kato was the father of the
Uganda’s LGBTQ rights movement. To many
of his fellow countrymen Kato was a dead
manwalkingoncehishomosexualitybecame
public. The country’s Anti-Homosexuality
Bill dubbed “Kill the Gays bill” criminalizes
same-sexrelations.Anddependingonwhich
categoryyourhomosex-
ualbehaviorisclassified
as—”aggravatedhomo-
sexual”or“theoffenseof
homosexuality”—you’ll
eitherreceivedthedeath
penaltyorifyou’relucky
life imprisonment.
Kato didn’t live to
receive either punish-
ment. On a list of 100 LGBTQ Ugandans
whose names and photos were published in
an October 2010 tabloid newspaper calling
for their execution, Kato was murdered in
January 2011.
ThroughouttheAfricancontinentthere
are stories of homophobic bullying, bashing
and abuses of its LGBTQ population. None
of us will forget Zimbabwe’s despot Robert
Mugabe, who treated his LGBTQ citizens
with torturous action, has yet to be brought
to justice. Mugabe’s condemnation of his
LGBTQ population is that they are the cause
ofZimbabwe’sproblemsandheviewshomo-
sexuality as an “un-African” and an immoral
culturebroughtbycolonistsandpracticedby
only ‘a few whites’ in his country.”
However, the one country you don’t
expect to hear anti- LGBTQ rhetoric and
human rights abuses from is South Africa.
South Africa is the first African country
toopenlysupportLGBTQcivilrights.In2004
itsSupremeCourtruledthatthecommon-law
definition of marriage included same-sex
unions. And in 2005, South Africa’s Consti-
tutional Court “made any inferior status
imposed on same-sex partners unconstitu-
tional.”
But South Africa has a serious problem
with its LGBTQ population, and especially
with lesbians.
Its method to remedy its problem with
lesbian is “corrective rape.”
OnanygivendayinSouthAfricalesbians
aretwicemorelikelytobesexuallymolested,
raped,gang-rapedthanheterosexualwomen.
A reported estimate of
at least 500 lesbians is
victims of “corrective
rape” per year. And
in Western Cape, a
province in the south
west of South Africa, a
report put out by the
TriangleProjectin2008
stated that as many as
86 percent of its lesbian population live in
fear of being raped. And their fear is not
unfounded.
“Lesbians get raped and killed because
it is accepted by our community and by our
culture” a South African man told New York
Times reporter Lee Middleton.
Corrective rape is the South African
version of “reparative therapy.” Its intended
objective is to rectify the sexual orientation
of women who are lesbians or perceived
to be lesbians to that of heterosexual. The
term “corrective rape” was coined and first
identified in South Africa after well-known
casesofcorrectiverapesoflesbianslikeEudy
Simelane and Zoliswa Nkonyana became
public internationally. Because of the stigma
associated with homosexuality and gender
non-conforming behavior, members of the
women’s family or their local village some-
times supervise these rapes.
Corrective Rape is a hate crime that for
the most part goes unreported and unpros-
ecuted in South Africa.
These rapes are the major contributor
to HIV/AIDs epidemic among South African
lesbians. To many South African men who
huntdownlesbiansorhappeneduponthem
“corrective rape” is seen neither as a hate
crime nor as a sexual assault. South African
menaresexuallyentitledtodothem.Andit’s
just what patriotic men are expected to do
for their country and tribe in a culture that
upholds violent heterosexual patriarchal
views at penis point.
In depicting a double rape, hers and
that of her friend’s, Lungile Cleopatra Dladla
shared with The New Yorker reporter Char-
layneHunter-Gaulthowmatter-of-factlytheir
rapist was with them.
“An armed man, wearing a hooded
sweatshirt, came up behind them and
directed them to a field. Then he undressed
us. He tied us, and then he was going, ‘Ja,
todayIwanttoshowyouthatyou’regirls.He
raped[us]both.Andthen,immediatelyafter,
he dressed and untied my friend’s hand and
then untied my feet and then he walked…
From a distance, he shouted, “Now you can
dress and go.”
Dubbed as the “Rape Capitol of the
World”(AstudybyInterpol,theinternational
policeagency,hasrevealedthatSouthAfrica
leads the world in rapes) sexual violence is
a problem throughout South Africa from the
highest man in office to the goat herder in a
small village.
According to South Africa’s rape statis-
tics for 2011”it is estimated that a woman
born in South Africa has a greater chance of
being raped than learning how to read.”
In 2011 a woman was raped in South
Africa every 17 seconds. 1 in 4 men admit
to having rape and “of South African men
who knew somebody who had been raped,
16 percent believed that the rape survivor
had enjoyed the experience and had asked
for it”.
For example, South African President
Jacob Zuma is a celebrated and acquitted
rapist. He raped the daughter of a family
friend. “He said that the woman in question
had provoked him, by wearing a skirt and
sittingwithherlegsuncrossed,andthatitwas
his duty, as a Zulu man, to satisfy a sexually
aroused woman, “Hunter-Gault reported.
And“babyrape,”notanewphenomenon
inSouthAfrica,hascomeoutofthecloset.It’s
the belief that having sex with a baby girl or
virgin girl child cures AIDS.
But what’s not being talked about in
“corrective rape” is how it too can be seen
as a cure for AIDS.
For these men who are feeling the soci-
etal pressures and scorn of raping babies
and young girls, lesbians are the next best
choice.
With both population of females
believed to be virgins, “corrective rape” can
convince a rapist that he’s doing his manly
dutyandhe’sbeingrewardedbybeingcured
of AIDS, too.
Rev. Irene Monroe is a graduate from
Wellesley College and Union Theological
Seminary at Columbia University, and
she has served as a pastor at an African-
American church before coming to Harvard
Divinity School for her doctorate as Ford
Fellow. She is a syndicated queer religion
columnist who tries to inform the public
of the role religion plays in discrimination
against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and queer people. Her website is
irenemonroe.com.
South Africa’s “corrective rape” of lesbiansby Rev. Irene Monroe
Mugabe’s condem-
nation of his LGBTQ
population is that they
are the cause of Zimba-
bwe’s problems...
JULY 2012ACCESSline Page 10
Section 1: News & Politics

11. Director Adam Shankman
and cast talk big-screen
musical…
and the gay kiss
Howdoyoucomeoffamusicalthathas
JohnTravoltadoingdrag?Youmakesurethe
next one, Rock of Ages, gets Tom Cruise in
butt-baring chaps.
“I thought we would cover it up with
mesh or underwear,” recalls director Adam
Shankman, “and I was like, ‘You do know
that when I’m shooting, we’re gonna see
your ass? He said, ‘Well, how is it?’ And I
go, ‘It’s fantastic.’”
Tom’s response? “Then let’s shoot it.”
Theall-starcastofAlecBaldwin,Russell
Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones and romantic
leads Julianne Hough and newcomer
Diego Boneta, already a famed heartthrob
in Mexico, had a similar no-holds-barred
attitudeforthebig-screenadaptationofthe
Broadwaymusicalhomagetothecrazy’80s.
FromasuiteatTheLondonWestHollywood,
close to the Sunset Strip where the film
takes place, Shankman told us why: “It’s
my conviction that it’s all good, clean fun.
You can’t tell a joke halfway and get away
with it—you have to go for it. You can’t be
afraid. Go big or go home.”
Rock of Ages goes big every chance
it has: Cruise, in grunge-rocker mode as
StaceeJaxx,andco-starMalinAkerman,the
nosy Rolling Stone reporter, have a cheeky
rendezvous to “I Want to Know What Love
Is”; Zeta-Jones, a closeted rocker who tries
to take down the demoralizing genre, goes
back to her musical roots for her hammed-
uptakeon“HitMewithYourBestShot.”And
thenthere’sthelovey-doveyBaldwin-Brand
montage…that ends in a kiss.
“It’s sweet,” Shankman says of the
scene, set to REO Speedwagon’s “I Can’t
FightThisFeeling.”“Peoplewantthemtoget
together. People are proud that we live in a
world where that can happen, and I’m not
trying to sell anything. I’m just expressing
thisrelationship;intheirdarkmomentthey
find each other, and that bolsters them as
characters.Iwouldn’tknowhowtotellthat
story without it going to that place.”
The creators of the original musical
didn’tseetheirbondthesameasShankman.
To them, it was just two dudes who really,
really like each other. A lot.
“Interestingly,onthesurface,itactually
does not veer from the play—but I was told
by the creators of the play that they, in fact,
never saw them as falling in love,” Shank-
mansays.“Theyjustsaiditwastheultimate
bromance and I said, ‘That is the ultimate
bromance—them falling in love.’ Alec
Baldwin and Russell Brand are singing ‘…I
can’tfightthisfeelinganymore.’Idon’tthink
guys fight the feeling of being friends.”
The mini-golf flashback, though? That
was all Shankman.
“Standing behind the other and teach-
ing him how to putt and sinking a ball into
a hole is…something,” he laughs. “All puns
intended.”
Casting a diva
Though Tom Cruise is getting the
Our Picks for July
7/6, Legion Arts, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Voicebox
Performance Poetry Showcase, legionarts.org
7/6, The Garden Nightclub, Des Moines, Iowa, Mr &
Miss Red, White & Blue Iowa USofA,
missgayiowa.com
7/6-7, Des Moines, Iowa, 80/35 Music Festival,
80-35.com
7/6-7/28, Theatre Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
Hairspray, theatrecr.com
7/6-7/15, Sondheim Center for the Performing
Arts, Fairfield, Iowa, The Wizard of Oz,
thefairfieldacc.com
7/7, Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
Idina Menzel, Live , idinamenzel.com
7/8, Ravinia Festival: Pavilion, Highland Park, Illinois,
Idina Menzel, Live, idinamenzel.com
7/11, House of Loom, Omaha, Nebraska, Nicolay of
Foreign Exchange, house ofloom.com
7/12, Flixx Lounge & Cabaret Show Bar, Omaha,
Nebraska, ICON Show, imperialcourtofnebraska.org
7/12, Omaha Performing Arts Center,
Omaha, Nebraska, Mike Gurciullo,
omahaperformingarts.org
7/13, Clear Lake, Iowa, Iowa Independent
Film Festival, iowaindie.org
7/13-15, Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City Book
Festival, iowacitybookfestival.org
7/14, Bad Dog Bar & Grill, Saint Louis, Missouri, Dark
Carnival, baddogstl.com
7/14-15, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Grand Opening Festival,
ncsml.org
7/15, Bad Dog Bar & Grill, Saint Louis, Missouri,
Saint Louis Rope Social, baddogstl.com
7/20, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, Iowa, Paula
Poundstone. Englert.org
7/21, Club CO2, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Imperial
Court of Iowa show, imperialcourtofiowa.org
7/26, Omaha Performing Arts Center,
Omaha, Nebraska, Kathy Kosins,
omahaperformingarts.org
7/28, Legion Arts, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bonnie
Koloc, legionarts.org
...and August
8/17, Englert Theatre, Iowa City Iowa, Hugh Laurie
with the Copper Bottom Band, englert.org
8/21, Omaha Performing Arts Center, Omaha,
Nebraska, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band,
omahaperformingarts.org
ACCESSline’s fun guide
Rock On Interview by Chris Azzopardi
Director Adam Shankman speaks with the cast of Rock of Ages. Photos credit Warner Bros.
ROCK ON cont’d page 23TT
Mary J Blige in Rock of Ages. Photos credit
Warner Bros.

12. In the Garden of Rupert
Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch does not like Google.
He recently bashed the web giant for
privacy infractions related to its Google
map van, which was ‘accidentally’ record-
ing information off people’s wifi signals as
it drove along. Google, and many others
on Twitter, shot back. For the News of the
World phone hacking
scandalmogultocriti-
cize anyone’s privacy
practices is a little bit
laughable.
This was hardly
thefirsttimeMurdoch
has shown his dislike
forGoogle.Googleand
Murdoch have lined
up on opposite sides of the entire SOPA
and PIPA debates about internet privacy.
Google opposes any restrictions on the
Internetasanattackonfreespeech.AsCEO
of News Corporation, a company whose
holdings range from 20th Century Fox to
the Wall Street Journal, Murdoch’s views
on privacy take a back seat to his views
on piracy. And for Murdoch anything that
takes money out of his pocket is piracy.
But Murdoch’s real tiff with Google is
oldereventhanthisdebate.Tounderstand
his beef with the Internet giant we have to
go back to 2009. In 2009 Rupert Murdoch
was discussing putting one of his most
lucrative investments, Fox News, behind
a pay wall. That’s right; he wanted users
to pay a small monthly fee to access Fox
News online. Wiser heads prevailed. Pay
walls have not fared well in the market-
place. Fox News instead continued with
the tried and true approach for making
money, advertising.
Advertising works, but not as well
as it needs to. Almost every major media
outlet, from print to
TV, has seen smaller
and smaller profit
margins with each
passing year. Cutbacks,
layoffs and downsizing
have become the norm
throughoutpublishing,
journalism and many
media outlets. They
have tried everything to stem the flow. The
tried and true way to make money from
news is the sale of advertising space in
papers,onshowsandwebsites.Thegolden
child in the fight is targeted advertising.
Targeted advertising tries to match the ad
to the consumer to increase response.
It’s a strategy that Google is very good
at. There are two critical reasons why it
works great for Google and not so well for
anyone else. The first is that Google is, at
its heart, one of the top market research
firms out there. You search the web via
Google’ssearchengine.Youthinkit’sgiving
you information. Google on the other hand
thinks of this as getting information. They
are gathering mountains of data on your
every click. People who search (blank)
also search (blank). People who search
(blank) generally click on (blank). This
allows them to fine tune their targeted
advertising in ways that other websites
can only dream about.
The other reason that this strategy
works for Google is far more direct. They
don’t pay for content. As a search engine
they draw their content from other sites.
This is what really burns Murdoch’s butt
about Google. Fox pays to produce content
and it benefits Google. Murdoch wanted
Google to pay for the privilege of linking
to Fox content. Google laughed the deal off
as preposterous.
Microsoft on the other hand was glad
to hand over the nominal fee of $100,000
to get into an exclusive contract with Fox.
One tech blogger compared the fee to
paying the remaining Beatles $3,000 to do
a reunion concert. It’s a ludicrously small
sum. But that’s missing the point. It’s not
about the money. It’s about dominance.
Both Microsoft and Fox are hoping that by
integrating Fox content with Microsoft’s
Bing search engine they will take a bite
out of Google’s dominance.
What does any of this have to do with
the LGBT community? It doesn’t matter
if Google or Bing is the dominant search
engine but it does matter where Fox is
Wired This Way by Rachel Eliason
It doesn’t matter if
Google or Bing is the
dominantsearchengine
butitdoesmatterwhere
Fox is seen.
Rachel Eliason is a forty two year old
Transsexual woman. She was given her
first computer, a Commodore Vic-20 when
she was twelve and she has been fascinated
by technology ever since. In the thirty years
since that first computer she has watched
in awe as the Internet has transformed the
LGBT community. Her collumn, Wired That
Way discusses how technology has fueled
and propelled the LGBT community.
In addition to her column, Rachel has
published a collection of short stories,
Tales the Wind Told Me and is currently
working on her debut novel, Run, Clarissa,
Run. Rachel can be found all over the web,
including on Facebook, Twitter, Google+
and Goodreads.WIRED THIS WAY cont’d page 25TT
JULY 2012ACCESSline Page 12
The Fun Guide

13. ACCESSline Page 13JULY 2012
The Fun Guide

14. The local band Once A Pawn is set to
play at Star City Pride, Friday, July 13th in
Lincoln, NE. The Nebraska band includes;
CatherineBalta,EricScrivens,andMichael
Flowers. Catherine Balta states, “Our
performance at Star City Pride will be full
of energy and get folks moving. We’ll be
playing some favorites off of each album.”
Look for them at their booth after their
performance where you can meet the
band, as well as; buy their music, t-shirts,
stickers, and other merchandise.
Once a Pawn’s Catherine Balta and
Eric Scrivens has been a formidable pair
since their days as gym class badminton
champions at Lincoln High School in
Lincoln, Nebraska. Their success with the
racquet and shuttlecock catapulted them
into a fast friendship and toward propi-
tiously forming a band, uniting around
Eric’s affinity for political punk (a la Bad
Religion and AFI), Catherine’s inclination
toward 90′s R&B and hip-hop (includ-
ing a particular fondness for Missy Elliot
& Common) and appreciation for her
parents’ extensive Country catalogue, and
ultimatelycoalescingaroundamutuallove
of all things riot grrrl.
They soon began creating their own
contributions to the canon, building their
soundaroundCatherine’sintricatepound-
ingbeatsandMarissa-Paternoster-chews-
up-Justin-Bieber vocals, and Eric’s biting
swirling guitar riffs. With a set of pipes
that have drawn comparisons to Gabby
Glasser (Luscious Jackson) and Rebecca
Gates(TheSpinanes),andsongsthat bring
to mind Sleater Kinney, Tegan & Sara, and
The White Stripes, Balta echoes a common
refrain when she describes the band as
“energetic, raw, and genuine“. Others have
offered that they “rock with a simple and
engaging grace carried by a heavier edge
and conscious lyrics,” and that they have
an “innocent-yet-ballistic intensity” when
performing their “soundly written pop
structured tunes.”
In 2005, Once a Pawn released their
first EP This Way, produced by Ian Aiello
of Eagle*Seagull, and began making a
name for themselves throughout their
native Southeast Nebraska. Shortly after
self-releasing their debut album Do You
Feel Like This? (2008), they caught the
attention of San Francisco’s Queer Control
Records. The partnership with QCR has
been a great fit for Once a Pawn, as they’d
been active in facilitating a strong LGBT
community in Lincoln for years.
Catherine started and curates a bi-an-
nual Open Drag Night and was crowned
Mr. Q 2009 (the beau of the Lincoln drag
kingpageant)asherKingpersona C-Styles
(C-Stylesleans‘sensitiveindie heartthrob’,
and by all accounts, Balta totally breaks
hearts). She also recently celebrated 4
years of charming the ladies of Lincoln
as a member of the boi band Crush. LGBT
issues matter to Eric too. “I think that it
is important for more straight people like
myself to be involved in the queer commu-
nity,” said Scrivens. “It is about human
rights, dignity, and standing up for those
who are being oppressed. “ Balta helped
organize Star City Pride, and Once a Pawn
regularly performs at Lincoln and Omaha
Pride events.
Once a Pawn added Michael Flowers
on bass in August of last year, and he fills
out their sound with simple and solid low
end. The band is finishing up their 3rd full-
length this summer and will be hitting the
road with their new material in the fall.
Scrivens is “excited about our evolution in
songwriting.ItisstillOAP,butthesongsare
more dramatic in their composition. The
highs are higher and the lows are lower.” In
arecentKZUMpodcast,interviewerHilary
Stohs-Krause suggests that the band has
“moved into a more complex rock sound,
experimenting with tempo and melody.”
No strangers to touring, OAP have been
honing their road chops since 2006 and
will be showcasing their new material on
the road in October, eager to share their
particularstyleofinfectiousindiepopwith
multifarious audiences, whether Lincoln
or New York, Cornhuskers or Queers.
They’re active and outspoken on behalf
of the LGBT community and their music
embraces those themes, yet they have an
undeniable appeal to all types of music
lovers, as evidenced by the fervent fandom
that they inspire from their solidly heart-
of-the-heartland Plains state.
YoucanfindmoreinformationonOnce
A Pawn on facebook or at onceapawn.com
andOrchidpromotion.com/once-a-pawn/.
And information for Star City Pride events
can be found at StarCityPride.org.
OnefortheFlamers
Itwasinevitable.HowcouldInotflambé
something?
What’s more dramatic than strolling
mock-casually into the dining room with a
platter of something on fire? Flames catch
guests’ attention better than anything, with
theexceptionofBradPittshowingupatyour
party with no clothes on.
I caution you: flaming cocktails are
dangerous,becauseyoucanbroilyournoseif
you’re too eager, and a trip to the emergency
room is no fun. Flaming drinks turn out to be
dullaswell,sincemostifnotallofthealcohol
burnsaway.Youcreateabeautifuldisplaybut
a drink with no kick. What’s the point?
Thisisasgoodatimeasanytoannounce
an expansion of Cocktail Chatter’s mission
statement. I still vow to help the mixologi-
cally needy, those wretched souls who panic
whentendingbar,butI’llbewritingabitmore
about entertainment in general for Season 3.
This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but I’ll be more
like Martha Stewart, only gay and male and
without the money and the rap sheet.
Weopenedthebeachhouseafewweeks
ago, and last Saturday, Dan and I and our
housemates decided we should get better
acquaintedwithournewneighbors.Sure,they
don’tevennodwhentheywalkpastusonthe
boardwalk. But they’re all right out of central
casting’s flat-stomach-round-rump depart-
ment. So I succumbed to my housemates’
entreaties (some of which were downright
embarrassing—picture Craig on the floor
licking my toes), and we invited them.
IpreparedsomethingI’dthoughtupout
oftheblue:acombinationofceviche,sashimi
andsearedsalmon.Itwouldbesashimilikein
thatitwouldn’tbecooked.Itwouldresemble
cevicheinthatitwouldbepreservedinaliquid
for a day or two before being served, and the
liquidwouldperformthe“cooking”function;
mine would soak for a day in vodka. And it
would be lightly seared by its own dramatic
presentation: I would set my masterpiece
ablaze.
I don’t mean to be sexist here, but to
employ a well-used folk myth to describe my
decision to create this specially for the boys
next door: It took balls to try this dish for
company without doing a dry run first. Had
the dish been anything less than a complete
success,wecouldkissourhotneighbors’asses
ontheirwayoutthedoorandbethesubjects
of ridicule for the rest of the summer. But it
worked. Try it the next time you’re having
some folks over for drinks and dinner. Either
serve Drunken Flaming Salmon with the
drinks (with toothpicks) or as a first course
(with knives and forks).
DrunkenFlamingSalmon
1 salmon filet (not a steak!)•
Absolut Premium vodka•
Fennel seeds—1 TBS•
Salt-packed capers, unrinsed—1 TBS•
A day before serving, place the salmon in1.
a container just large enough to hold it,
cover with vodka, add fennel and capers,
and seal it.
Just before serving, remove salmon from2.
vodka, slice sharply on the bias (leaving
skin),andplaceonafireproofservingplate
along with fennel and capers.
Heat ¼ cup vodka in a small saucepan3.
until warm.
Bring the salmon into the living or din-4.
ing room, turn off the lights, return to the
kitchenforthewarmvodka,igniteitinfront
of your guests, pour it over the salmon.
Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.5.
Cocktail Chatterby Ed Sikov
Once A Pawn to Perform at Star City Pride
Once A Pawn, Balta, Eric Scrivens, and Michael Flowers. Photo courtesy of Once A Pawn.
JULY 2012ACCESSline Page 14
The Fun Guide

15. one can be a part of a loving community of
men who accepts them as they are. Men
who are retired and have the resources
often attend “gatherings” throughout the
country. Others with more limited means
have somewhere locally to go and have
someone to go with. Also, one of the perks
of Prime Timers is that those men who are
menwhocomeoutlatemayhaveneverhad
anything but hook up sex. This gives these
men an opportunity to meet new men and
perhaps for the first time to begin dating
as gay men.
Interaction is encouraged between
chapters; can you discuss in what ways
that is done? Through travel, chapter
visitors, conventions, etc?
Every two years there is an inter-
national gathering hosted by one of the
chapters. Thelastwasheldlast fall in Palm
Springs with several hundred men attend-
ing. Regional meetings are also held. The
last I attended and presented to was in Las
Vegas with around 150 attending. One can
also travel to other parts of the world or
United States and have a connection with
other men through their local chapters.
Primetimers have sponsored cruises
throughout the world so you can always
travel with old and new friends.
As I have traveled to speak, I have
been hosted by wonderful men who have
welcomedmeintotheirhomesandtreated
me to exceptional hospitality. You always
feel welcome.
Who can be part of Prime Timers
Worldwide? What are the acceptance
guidelines?
Most of the men are fifty or older,
but it is not a requirement. Usually men
younger than that are either in a relation-
ship with an older man or would like to
be. Otherwise there are no restrictions to
joining, and if there is no local chapter, an
independent membership will keep you
informed of what’s planned and what has
been happening.
You are trying to put together a chapter
in Central Iowa; can you discuss who
would be eligible for this? What goes
into starting a chapter of PTWW?
Any mature man who identifies as
gay or bisexual would be welcome to join.
I think “maturity” is a state of mind, not
an age. Joining the Iowa group would also
include a commitment to respect confi-
dentiality. We tend to think of being “out”
as black and white, but many men who
have led “heterosexual” lives may come
out in only limited ways and over a period
of time.
Once we have a nucleus of interested
people, either the president of PTWW or
the VP in charge of new chapters will visit
us and guide us in the process of getting
started.
Howcanyoubecontactedifpeoplewant
more information?
Icanbereachedthroughmyblogwww.
MagneticFire.com or my book website
www.FinallyOutBook.com.Finally,Icanbe
reached on Facebook, Twitter and Linke-
dIn as LorenAOlsonMD. More information
on PTWW can be found on their website
primetimersww.org.
continued from page 4SS
PTWW
Just outside the front door of Macy’s
onNicolletMallindowntownMinneapolis,
there’sabronzestatueofMaryTylerMoore,
ormoreprecisely,astatueofhertelevision
character, Mary Richards. It’s an iconic
pose, with Mary’s signature hat toss.
Whenever I walk past that statue, I
think of Mary Richards in 1970, breaking
television ground as a single woman in a
Midwestern city, trying to make her mark
and a happy life for herself.
Forty two years later, I’m trying to do
thesamething.LikeMary,I’veexploredthe
Twin Cities and made many new friends.
Unlike Mary, I’m transgender and at fifty-
five, a newly-minted woman.
I suspect that if Mary Richards re-ap-
peared en flesh outside Macy’s, she’d find
quite a different city than the Minneapolis
she knew. In particular, the Twin Cities
turned into one the country’s great gay
meccas.Twoyearsago,AdvocateMagazine
ranked us No. 1 on its gayness scale. (Most
recently, Salt Lake City—are you kidding
me?—took first place.)
The subject of “homosexuals”—if not
byuseofaderogatoryterm,that’swhatthey
called LGBT people it in Mary’s day—was
referenced only indirectly once on the TV
show, in an episode entitled, My Brother’s
Keeper. (I’ll award ten bonus points to any
reader who knew that bit of trivia.)
Today, the only thing indirect about
LGBTfolkshereiswhetherthey’revegetar-
ian or vegan.
By the time you
read this, the Cities—
as we’re so fond
of saying—will have
markedtheir40th
Pride
celebration. Festivities
will include a parade
featuring125floatsand
marching units, span-
ning ten city blocks.
Pride Weekend takes
over Loring Park, a huge lake and trees
enclave in the heart of Minneapolis. Pride
will feature four music stages and fire-
works. It’s one of those rare events where
bare-chested men collectively outnumber
shirt-covered attendees 3 to 1.
There are so many gay men in this city
that my default with every new man I meet
is to ask how long he’s been partnered.
Lesbians,too,seem tobeeverywhere(that
is, except in my bedroom). Multiple corpo-
rations and the city of Minneapolis offer
same sex partner benefits. Human Rights
Campaign bumper stickers abound.
The transgender community—
something absolutely positively never
mentioned on The Mary Tyle Moore Show
or, for that matter, any other television
show until this century—has a voice that’s
slowlystrengthening.Wehaveourownbar,
the Townhouse, in Saint Paul. There are
numeroustransgender-servingnonprofits,
all ofwhichposttransgendersasexecutive
directors. I also have been lucky enough to
snag an executive director’s job for a legal
system-relatednonprofit,onethatactually
has nothing to do with LGBT causes.
Yes, people here are open-minded
enough to hire a transgender who passes
until she opens her mouth.
Recently, the federal court in Minne-
apolis gave transgenders a boost by
declaring that a transwoman who had
fully transitioned (including changing her
birth certificate) had the right to marry
a straight man. It was a groundbreaking
ruling with wide-ranging implications for
the entire country.
We have gayborhoods where the sight
of two men or two women with strollers
and snotty-nosed children is reason to
yawn. On a weekend,
you’ll find as many
gay or lesbian couples
in Uptown or Lower
Town as you will find
straight. It’s gotten
to the point where in
some parts of town,
straightpeoplearethe
minority.
Inaword,ifyou’re
LGBT, the Cities of 2012 is a wonderful
placetolive.It’sthenewnormal.Asnormal
should be.
I’m such a Cities booster that I’ve
campaigned for my Iowa LGBT friends
to move here. I think I’ve convinced one
dear friend to relocate. The deal may have
been sealed when I took Joe to a leather
bar where he line-danced with some
dude named Rawhide who wore a kiddie
cowboy hat.
Go figure.
Still, in the interests of full disclosure,
elements of a 1970’s Mary Tyler Moore
Show society persist, giving reason to
wonder if all the progress is real.
As I’ve written previously, there’s a
huge push to pass what I and others call
the “anti-marriage amendment”—a literal
attempt to write into Minnesota’s state
constitution the definition of “marriage”
as the union of one man and one woman.
Never mind that there’s already a state
law mandating that only opposing-gender
peoplecanmarry.Proponentsoftraditional
marriage (read Catholic Church) want the
state constitution amended to ensure that
same sex marriage can’t happen at some
futuredatewithouttheirfirstbeingastate-
wide referendum.
TheLGBTcommunityishopefulabout
Inside Out: Normal by Ellen Krug
Ellen Krug, writer, lawyer, human, is
presently completing her memoir, “Getting
to Ellen: Crossing the Great Gender
Divide,” which will be published in 2012.
She lives in Minneapolis and works as the
executive director of a nonprofit serving
the underrepresented. She welcomes your
comments at ellenkrug75@gmail.com.
I suspect that if Mary
Richards re-appeared
en flesh outside Macy’s,
she’d find quite a differ-
ent city than the Minne-
apolis she knew.
INSIDE OUT cont’d page 34TT
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16. The Wedding from the
Wedding Planner’s View
Inlate2011SaraetheaandT.K.contact-
ed me to be the wedding planner for their
wedding. I was very excited to work with
these lovely ladies on their special day and
very honored that they wanted me to be a
part of history—not just in their lives, but
also in their family’s lives.
The day Saraethea and T.K. said “I DO”
on June 9, 2012 will forever be a memory
in their hearts and in the loved ones
that celebrated the day with them. The
ceremony took place in the Lobby of the
Embassy Suites in Downtown Des Moines
with the reception to follow shortly after
in the ballroom. Following the ceremony
T.K., Saraethea, the photography Maggie
Bishop (friend of Saraethea) and I headed
to the steps of the Capitol for a picture that
speaks a thousand words.
Then the reception began and all in
attendance enjoyedthemselvesverymuch
with gourmet cuisine, entertainment,
customized fruit display, beverages and
delicious cake and cupcakes. When the
receptionendedalittlearoundmidevening
theweddingpartyandguestsheadeddown
the street to the PRIDE festivities which
were just a few blocks from the hotel.
How We Met:
Saraethea & T.K.
They were both making transitions in
their lives after experiencing break-ups. It
was May 22, 2009, in Memphis, Tennessee
when they first saw one another. T.K. was
at a friend’s house and Saraethea arrived
at the same house with her mom. They
both spoke to one another but kept it
short and blunt. Later, they ended up at
Beale Street together just hanging out in
a group. Neither of them had the courage
to approach the other one with conversa-
tion. They just admired each other from
a distance. A week went by before they
actually made verbal contact with one
another.
Duringthistime,Saraethealikedtojust
text everyone she talked to but T.K., on the
otherhand,didnotliketotalkthroughtext.
T.K.textedSaraetheasaying,“I’mnotgoing
totalktoyouunlessyoucallme.”Saraethea
called and they talked for hours at time.
This went on for days! Every conversation
grewlongerandmoreintense.Theystarted
to wake up and go to sleep on the phone
with each other daily. After all this talking,
Saraethea decided to drive to visit T.K. At
this time, they lived three hours away from
one another! Saraethea came to visit the
firstweekendinJunewhichwasthe4th-7th
of2009.Thatweekendwasbyfaroneofthe
bestandmostmemorablenightstheyhave
had and that weekend paved the way for
their September 4, 2009 Engagement.
Our Wedding Date being
Our Anniversary
Thedateoftheirweddingalsomarked
their third year anniversary of being a
couple. It was June 9, 2009 when they
decided to become an “official” couple.
They found the date to be meaningful
because it symbolized a new beginning
for them both, as well as a new journey
together that some fear and dare to take.
I want to say a special thanks to
Saraethea and T.K. for asking Northwest
Iowa Wedding and Event to be with them
during this momentous occasion. I would
also like to thank Jessica Johnson of the
Embassy Suites in Downtown Des Moines,
Jason Grinnen (DJ and Officiant), Kay Kakes
of Spencer, IA and Maggie Bishop (photog-
rapher) for all their efforts in making this
moment for the brides a memorable one!
ASpecialDayCelebratedWithPRIDEbyBrandonJHansen,NWIowaWeddingandEvent
Brandon J Hansen is the owner of
Northwest Iowa Wedding and Event with
years of experience in the event industry.
For more information you can find
Northwest Iowa Wedding and Event on
Facebook or at nwiaweddingandevent.com.
Saraethea and T.K.. Photos courtesy of Northwest Iowa Wedding and Event.
JULY 2012ACCESSline Page 16
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19. Class,Race,andAddicts
WhoPreferEliminating
LGBTPeople
In response to the President publicly
supportingmarriageequality,itsopenseason
for right-wing pastors to publicly preach
violence toward LGBT people.
Brown University political scientist
Michael Tesler has previously shown, as in a
recentissueofTheAmericanJournalofPoliti-
cal Science, that President Obama has such
an affect on race-conscious voters that they
adjust their positions on health care reform,
taxes, Supreme Court justices, and even a
president’s dog because of him.
Tesler’s recent analysis of surveys on
marriageequality(“TheSpilloverofRacializa-
tion into Marriage Equality”) demonstrates
that Obama’s support pulls blacks toward
equality,butalsopusheswhite“racialconser-
vatives” away.
Themostrabidofthemfeelfreetospout
thesamehatredtowardLGBTpeopleasthey
do toward the not-white president.
On May 6th
at Berean Baptist Church in
Fayetteville, NC, Pastor Sean Hayes’ sermon
recommended maiming: “Dads, the second
youseeyoursondroppingthelimpwrist,you
walk over there and crack that wrist…Man
up—give him a good punch.” Later he added:
“Whenyourdaughterstartsactingtoobutch,
you rein her in.”
OnMay10th
,MississippistateRep.Andy
Gipson, a Baptist minister, posted Leviticus
20:13onhisFacebookpageinresponsetothe
President:“Ifamanhassexualrelationswitha
manasonedoeswithawoman,bothofthem
have done what is detestable. They are to be
put to death; their blood will be on their own
heads.” In the ensuing uproar Gipson stood
firm: “To be clear, I want the world to know
that I do not, cannot, and will not apologize
for the inspired truth of God’s Word.”
OnMay27th
DennisLeathermanofMoun-
tainLakeBaptistChurchinOakland,Maryland
inafifty-minutesermonproclaimed:“weneed
to put them all in prisons and we ought to
fencethemin.”He’dpreferworse,buttheBible
constrainshimfromhis
fleshly desire to kill:
“To…have a
tendency to be effemi-
nate or homosexual
is just as wicked as to
have a tendency to be
a womanizer. Sinful
nature does not justify
sinful behavior…First
of all, there is a danger
of reacting in the flesh,
of responding not in a scriptural, spiritual
way, but in a fleshly way. Kill them all. Right?
I will be very honest with you. My flesh kind
oflikesthatidea.ButitgrievestheHolySpirit.
It violates Scripture.”
Charles L. Worley of Providence Road
Baptist Church in Maiden, North Carolina in
hisMay13th
sermonpreferredeliminationof
homosexuals in concentration camps. “Build
a great, big, large fence—150 or 100 mile
long—put all the lesbians in there…Do the
samethingforthequeersandthehomosexu-
alsandhavethatfenceelectrifiedsotheycan’t
get out…and you know what, in a few years,
they’lldieout…doyouknowwhy?Theycan’t
reproduce!”
Worley’s flesh spoke too: “It makes me
pukin’sicktothinkabout—Idon’tevenknow
whether or not to say this in the pulpit—can
you imagine kissing some man?”
Pastor Curtis Knapp of Seneca, Kansas’
New Hope Baptist Church, however, found
no biblical basis to refrain from execution.
After referencing Leviticus, he added: “They
shouldbeputtodeath.Oh,soyou’resayingwe
should go out and start killing them? No. I’m
saying the government
should. They won’t, but
they should.”
These pastors
must be competing
for attention for their
indistinguishable lives
and ministries with
Topeka’snotoriousFred
Phelps clan. They’re
like drug-pushers who
need buyers to stay in
business, followers to make them feel like
Big Daddies.
It’s as if they can’t help being obsessed
with LGBT people. They have a personal,
inexpressible stake, which begs the question
of their security in their own sexual attrac-
tions.
It’s coupled with coming out against the
one they’ve turned into the face of darkness,
Barack Obama.
For they’re the religiously addicted.
They feel so righteous in their cause that
they have no feelings about blunting their
bigotry, hatred, destructiveness, violence,
and inhumanity.
They’reheavilyaddictedusersdesperate
for the “high” that preaching righteousness
gives them especially when they feel threat-
ened, feel their lives are accomplishing so
little. Remember, John Bradshaw: “The high
of righteousness is the same as the high of
cocaine.”
Theyhavenointerestinyourarguments
about what the Bible, god, or history actually
says. They must cling desperately to their
interpretations as unquestionable truth.
Meanwhile an increasingly pro-LGBT
culture, now including a black president,
acts as if their drug is past its expiration date
and no basis for feeling they’re on the side of
History or Justice.
Rev. Mel White, veteran activist against
religiousoppressionrecentlywarnedcolum-
nist Chris Hedges (“The War on Gays”) that
classism and LGBT oppression are inter-
twined.
“The culture of hate feeds off the frus-
trations and feelings of betrayal among the
impoverished, the unemployed, the under-
employedandthehopeless…Astheeconomy
unravels,ashundredsofmillionsofAmericans
confrontthefactthatthingswillnotgetbetter,
life for those targeted by this culture of hate
will become increasingly difficult.”
LGBToppressionisalsousedtomaintain
racism, and not just since President Obama
embraced marriage equality.
WelearnedinMarchfrominternalboard
memos that the leading group opposing
marriageequality,theverywhite-ledNational
Organization for Marriage, exploits black
peoplefortheirpurposes.“Thestrategicgoal
oftheprojectistodriveawedgebetweengays
and blacks—two key Democratic constitu-
encies,” a memo says. This would: “provoke
the gay marriage base into responding by
denouncing these [black] spokesmen and
women as bigots.”
When ministers of color invoke “tradi-
tional family values” to collude in LGBT
oppression, they’ve ignored white criticism
offamiliesofcolorandpromoteanimageour
culture pictures as a very white, suburban,
family of privilege in 1950s nostalgia.
Oppressive systems function by encour-
aging groups they oppress to join in the
oppression of others rather than upset the
system. Thereby the privileged who benefit
from keeping others down aren’t threatened
themselves.
Forthey’rethereligiously
addicted. They feel so righ-
teousintheircausethatthey
havenofeelingsaboutblunt-
ing their bigotry, hatred,
destructiveness, violence,
and inhumanity.
Robert N. Minor, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at
the University of Kansas, is author of When
Religion Is an Addiction;
Scared Straight: Why It’s So Hard to
Accept Gay People and Why It’s So Hard
to Be Human and Gay & Healthy in a Sick
Society. Contact him at
www.FairnessProject.org.
MinorDetailsbyRobertNMinor
discriminationagainstLGBTpeople. Ihaveto
imagine, for Boy Scouts, that number might
be just a little bit lower, but there is no doubt
in my mind that it is well over 50, probably
even over 60%. So, the question is, if we can
send this clear message to the Boy Scouts of
America’s leadership about their members’
support in ending this policy. That we could
actually get it done.
You just recently published a book
that’sout. Wherecanpeoplepickthatup,
and what’s that about?
The book is My Two Moms: Lessons of
Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family.
You can pick it up at Barnes and Noble, or
anywhere most books are sold. Or if you
can’t find it at a bookstore, you can get it on
Amazon. Itwasn’tactuallymyidea. Thatwas
oneofthecrazythingsthathappenedafterthe
video blew up. I was contacted by all kinds
of people and one was a literary agent who
thought that there would be potential for a
book. It’s part memoir, explaining what it
was like growing up with Jackie and Terry,
mytwomoms,andpartofitislikeaposition
statement,almostananalysisofLGBTrights
and where they stand, and how they move
forward in this country.
If people wanted more information,
or wanted to get in touch with Obama’s
campaign, where could they go?
A link for folks here in Iowa:
www.barackobama.com/ia
continued from page 5SS
WAHLS
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