The Best Damn Newsletter in New Jersey! ®
CHALLENGE The Newsletter of the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County – Serving New Jersey’s GLBTI Communities Continuously Since 1972
Volume 38, Issue 2, March 2012
And Now, the Override by Mickey Suiter
Now that Governor Christie has made good on his promise to veto the marriage equality bill passed by the Legislature, our next battle is to try to override that veto. We have twenty-three months to do it. In the Senate, we have to convince three members to change their vote. In the Assembly it’s a little harder — we need twelve more votes. As usual in politics, there is good news and bad news for us in this endeavor. The good news is that both houses of the legislature passed the bill without prodding by the governor. In both New York and Washington, the two most recent states to pass marriage equality, the governors were strongly on our side and lobbied hard to get votes in the legislature. In spite of the fact that our governor was vehemently opposed to the bill, the legislative leaders came up with a majority of votes on their own. In addition, between the heartbreaking defeat of the bill in the Senate in January 2010 and approval in February 2012, we gained ten votes. We have almost two years to get only three more.
Republicans bucked their leaders to support it. In the Assembly, all of the votes for the bill were from Democrats. So while a number of legislators have changed their minds in the past two years, they were almost all Democrats. In order to override Governor Christie’s veto by January 2014, we are going to need some Republican votes. Not only do we have to change some minds, we have to convince them to go against their party leadership and governor, something not many of them have been willing to do.
That’s not to say it’s impossible — far from it. Three Republicans in the Assembly (Mary Pat Angelini, Declan O’Scanlon, and Holly Schepisi) were either leaning in the direction of marriage equality or undecided, but weren’t present for the vote. We can work on them. One Democrat, Wayne DeAngelo, missed the vote as well. Maybe our friends from GABLES can convince the two Democratic Assemblymen from Cape May who voted against the bill to change their minds. That would add up to 6 of the 12 new votes we need. In the Senate we can work on the two Democrats who opposed us (Ronald Rice and Jeff Van Drew). And I’m sure there are at least a couple of Republicans who are more on the fence than Democrats opposed to marriage equality (clockwise their votes would indicate.
The bad news is that this has become a partisan issue. The measure was being pushed by the Democratic from top left): Sen. Ronald Rice; Sen. Jeff Van Drew; Asm. Nelson Albano; Asm. Matthew Milam leadership and opposed by the ReIt won’t be easy, but it’s possible. publican leadership. In the Senate, Public opinion is evolving in our all but two Democrats voted for the measure and only two direction all the time and so will the positions of our politicians. If we work together, we can do this.
Low Cost Luxury! Did you know that the proceeds from all of GAAMC's fundraisers this year will go toward reducing the ticket price for our gala 40th Anniversary celebration? The Anniversary Committee is dedicated to giving you the best night ever for the lowest possible cost! Keep an eye on future issues of Challenge for more details as they develop!
Inside Challenge Challenge Information.... ................................ page 2 GAAMC Events.............................................. page 2 Bulletin Board .............................................. page 3 The Little Box of Concerts............................... page 3 Gleanings: Queer news from around the world .... page 4 Dancing to Architecture: music reviews............. page 5 Calendar ..................................................... page 7 Bois de Nuit.................................................. page 9 Poetry: March 17th; Tasting Choice Cheese?.........page 9 10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked, part 7................. page 11 Marriage Equality in the NJ Legislature............. page 12 GAAMC Board Mini-Minutes, January 2011.......... page 13 This Month's Contributors............................... page 13 GAAMC Information...................................... page 14
Page 2 CHALLENGE March 2012 CHALLENGE Volume 38, Number 2 March 2012 ISSN 0277-1675 Staff Editor .....................Allen Neuner Assistant Editor ............. Bill Stella Advertising Manager ............. open Circulation Manager ............. open List Manager ................ Sue Harris Submissions The deadline for all articles, inserts, and advertisements is the fifteenth of the previous month. All submissions must be provided as electronic files. E-mail submissions to Challenge @ GAAMC.org. Ad Rates Single issue: Full page, $125.00; Half page, $85.00; Quarter page, $45.00; Business card, $25.00. For multi-issue rates, contact the Editor at Challenge @ GAAMC.org. GAAMC members may place one free classified ad per month, of no more than 200 characters in length. Change of Address Please let us know your new address! All address changes should be sent to the List Manager at ChangeAddress @ GAAMC.org. Challenge is © 2012-2013 by the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt not-for-profit corporation. All rights reserved. All articles reflect the views of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of GAAMC, its officers, or executive board. All copyrights revert to the original contributors upon publication. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the contributor. All articles, contributions, and advertisements are printed at the discretion of the Editor and/or GAAMC Executive Board.
GAAMC Events for March 2012 Discussion Groups OpenTalk: A regular weekly discussion group, open to all. Moderators: Sherri (Mar. 5); Kerry (Mar. 12); Gordon (Mar. 19, 26). 7:00, Library; on Film Festival nights, discussion follows the film. Main Events [All start at 8:00 unless otherwise noted.] March 5: Politics — and Sex. GAAMC’s Activism Committee spearheads tonight's update on state and national politics. Is marriage equality a civil rights issue? What does sex have to do with it? One political commentator, regarding her indifference to those who would deny lesbian and gay couples equal rights, quipped “I’m not concerned about sex I’m not having.” What’s your take? March 12: Having "The Talk" About Sex. You’ve been successful with Tech Talk’s primer on on-line dating and you’ve got a new squeeze. How do you approach the discussion of STD status, safer sex, and acceptable level of risk? The world has always been a dangerous place, but your heart may not be the only casualty if you only walk the walk and don’t have "the talk". March 19: Open Mic Night!. Do you sing, read poetry, juggle, do magic? How will you dazzle us? How did you dazzle the one you love? Sign up on Monday nights with Sherri or email to Programs @ GAAMC.org. Single mic, no backline, bring your own instrument and you’ve got 5 minutes before we get the hook. Who’s game? March 26: Hyacinth AIDS Foundation brings their 2012 Traveling Game Show to GAAMC. Show off your knowledge of safer sex and win valuable prizes! This is the time to learn what’s new and what’s happening in the fight against the epidemic that was first named in the 1980s and continues to cast a very long shadow today. Be responsible, be healthy, be at GAAMC tonight! Coming in April! April 2: No Fooling (that was yesterday!): The GAAMC Film Festival presents The Rocky Horror Picture Show – the Sing Along! If you’d like to dress like Brad, Janet, Rocky, Dr. Frank N. Furter, Magenta, Columbia, Eddie — oh, you get the idea! Bring your best vocals and get ready to sing and talk back to the screen. NOTE: There will be no tossing of rice, water guns, hot dogs, toast, etc. Just joyful singing and great fun will be had by all! April 23: Pastabilities! Come out for this year's edition of GAAMC's famed pasta dinner fundraiser! The members of the Board will be your chefs and your servers tonight, offering you a variety of Italian dishes, including pastas, sauces, salads, breads, and desserts! Admission for tonight is $10 for all attendees. Mangia! [All programs and discussion groups are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, go to GAAMC.org] GAAMC Tip of the Month Challenge, the newsletter of GAAMC, posts notices of events held in northern and central New Jersey by other LGBTI groups in its "Bulletin Board" and "Calendar" sections. Our community grows stronger as we publicize and attend each others' events. As soon as you know of an upcoming event, send it to Challenge @ gaamc.org for publication.
March 2012 CHALLENGE Page 3 njbuddies.org.
Bulletin Board SAGE Hudson County (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders), an affiliate of the national SAGE organization based in New York, has begun weekly meetings at Hudson Pride Connections Center in Jersey City. SAGE Hudson County seeks to build community, provide social avenues, and shift the aging paradigm within the 50+ LGBTQ population. SAGE Hudson County meets every Monday from 6 to 8 pm, and snacks are provided. For more information, contact Gene Aguirre at 201-963-4779, ext. 411, or email gene @ hudsonpride.org. The Princeton University Players invite you to see Princeton Cares, a benefit concert for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, on March 30th and 31st at 11 pm. This cabaret-style benefit concert, presented by Theatre Intime at the Hamilton Murray Theatre, features Princeton students and special guests. All proceeds go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. For more information, check out Theatre Intime on Facebook. The Pride Center of New Jersey will be hosting two events on Saturday, April 21st. The first is an exhibit and sale of male erotic art, held from 1 to 5 pm at the Pride Center in Highland Park. Your $5 admission includes light refreshments, as well as a chance to view and buy art, as well as meet the artists. There will also be an opportunity to sketch a live model from 3 to 4 pm. Note: No one under 18 will be admitted to this event. The second event is the Pride Center's popular Spring Clubfest event! Taking place from 8 pm to midnight at The Club in Woodbridge, this event features live music and comedy, a raffle, a singles mixer, henna art, tarot readings, a variety of games and sports, and much more! Admission is only $5 for members and $10 for non-members. For more information about both events, or to purchase tickets online to Clubfest, go to www.pridecenter.org.
The New Jersey AIDS Walk 2012 will be taking place Sunday, May 6th, at 11:30 a.m. Like last year, the AIDS Walk will take place in seven different locations throughout the state: Asbury Park; Atlantic City; Morristown; New Brunswick; Newark; Pennsauken; and Ridgewood. For more information, send an email to ray @
On Sunday, May 20th, GAAMC member Paul Greenberg will be participating in the 2012 AIDS Walkathon in New York City for the benefit of GMHC and other tri-state AIDS service organizations. Paul, for whom this will be his 19th Walkathon, will again be a Star Walker, joining the team from Hyacinth AIDS Foundation in New Brunswick. Paul is seeking donations at this time to meet his personal goal of $3000. Donations can be made online at www.aidswalk.net, or by check, payable to AWNY and sent to Pual at 185 English Place, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920. The deadline for donations is Friday, May 18th. Activities, tours, hikes, picnics, trips, dinners, socials… It’s all on GayOutdoors.org (GO), an online national webbased organization for guys to plan events and participate in those scheduled gatherings. Online membership is free, but there is an annual fee to have access to post or host events. In the NJ/PA/NY area, GAAMC member Ed Schell has posted plans for the following: March, a tour of historical Moravian pottery and tile furnaces, with lunch in Doylestown, PA; and April, a tour of the battleship Intrepid and lunch. Any questions regarding the locally hosted events? Contact Ed at sche357 @ aol.com. Do you like to bowl? A new LGBT bowling league may be forming in Morris County, depending on the amount of interest. It would be at Hanover Lanes on Route 10 East in East Hanover. The evenings available are Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Since most winter leagues run from September to May and we’re already well into that period, this would probably be a half-season, starting sometime early in the new year. If you are interested, contact Mickey at President @ GAAMC.org. Emily Kubin has created a program, Emily's Hats for Hope Initiative, to knit hats for the homeless. Emily, along with a volunteer crew of knitters and crocheters, makes the hats, which she then takes to the soup kitchen at Church o f t h e Re d e e m e r i n M o r r i s t o w n . Vo l u n t e e r knitters/crocheters are always welcome to join in! Donations of yarn, or of money to purchase yarn, are also welcome. For more information, check out Emily's Facebook page www.facebook.com/Emilys-Hats-For-Hope-Initiative.
THE LITTLE BOX OF CONCERTS ™ THE MUSIC OF THE ROLLING STONES: HOT ROCKS 1964-1971
Featuring: STEVE EARLE JACKSON BROWNE ROSANNE CASH TAJ MAJAL, MARC COHN ART GARFUNKEL MARIANNE FAITHFULL RICKIE LEE JONES THE MOUNTAIN GOATS RICH ROBINSON RONNIE SPECTOR, PEACHES TV ON THE RADIO CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS Tuesday, March 13, 8pm Carnegie Hall, NYC, NY CarnegieStones.com Benefitting Nine Organizations Providing Music In Schools
TRIS MCCALL
Tuesday, March 30 7pm Rockwood Music Hall 184 Allen Street NYC, NY McCall — the man who inspired the title of Bill Stella's music column Dancing To Architecture — plays a solo showcase set of his own songs on the baby grand, including brand new material. Tris says: "Come down after work. Or if you don’t work, just come down before practice. They’ll pass the hat, but admission is free, and I won’t be counting the quarters in the collection plate."
OF MONTREAL Friday & Saturday March 30 & 31 Webster Hall 125 E. 11th Street NYC, NY
WILD FLAG
Sunday, April 1 Webster Hall 125 E. 11th Street NYC, NY
BLOWOFF w/
BOB MOULD & RICHARD MOREL Friday April 6, 11:30pm Highline Ballroom 431 W. 16th Street NYC, NY
DAR WILLIAMS
Saturday, May 5 The Skirball Center at NYU 566 LaGuardia Place NYC, NY 212-998-4941
Page 4 CHALLENGE March 2012
Gleanings
Queer news from around the world The New Jersey Legislature passed a marriage equality bill, with votes in the Senate on February 13th and in the Assembly on February 16th. Republican Governor Chris Christie vetoed the bill on February 17th. Marriage activists say they're ready to commit to a long-term effort to overturn the veto. Under New Jersey law, the Legislature can vote to override Christie’s veto as late as January 2014, which gives advocates a substantial amount of time to influence the state's political landscape. The Governor, meanwhile, has repeated calls for the issue to be decided by a referendum to amend the state's constitution. (NJ.com) A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that California's Proposition 8, which ended marriage equality in the state in 2008, is unconstitutional. The ruling upheld the decision of a lower court and paved the way for the case to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court. “Proposition 8 served no purpose, and had no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California,” the court said. Proposition 8 supporters have asked for an en banc review of the panel's decision by the 9th Circuit Court; it is unclear whether the court will agree to rehear the case. (Metro Weekly, Washington DC; San Jose Mercury News) Washington Governor Christine Gregoire (D) signed a marriage equality bill into law, making the state the seventh to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. Opponents of the new law hope to delay and ultimately reverse it by gathering enough signatures to force the issue onto a statewide ballot this fall. The earliest same-sex couples will be able to marry is June 7th. (SeattlePI.com) Maryland's Legislature passed a bill which would legalize same-sex marriages in that state. Governor Martin O'Malley (D) has promised to sign the bill into law. Opponents of the bill, including ministers of several African-American magechurches and Catholics groups, have vowed to repeal the measure via a referendum this November. The law is expected to go into effect on January 1st, 2013. (Washington Post) US District Judge Jeffrey White declared unconstitutional the section of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defining marriage at the federal level, and ordered the federal government to ignore the statute and provide health benefits to the wife of a lesbian federal court employee. The ruling, echoing that of a Massachusetts judge in 2010, was the first since the Obama administration announced it would no longer defend a law it considers discriminatory. White ordered the federal Office of Personnel Management to enroll the wife of Karen Golinski, an attorney for the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, in the health benefits program available to other employees of the federal judiciary. Golinski's wife, Amy Cunninghis, had been repeatedly denied coverage since the couple married in 2008. White was named to the federal bench a decade ago by President George W. Bush. (Los Angeles Times) Advocates for same-sex marriage in Maine have gathered enough signatures to move ahead with an initiative that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Lawmakers
How "Married" Can You Be? Status
States
Same-sex marriage legal
CT, DC, IA, MA, MD, NH, NY, VT, WA
Civil unions legal
DE, HI, IL, NJ, RI
Domestic partnerships legal
CA, CO, ME, MD, NV, OR, WI
Same-sex marriage banned by constitutional amendment
AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, ID, KS, KY, LA, MI, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, ND, OH, OK, OR, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI
Same-sex marriage banned by statute
AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NC, ND, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WV, WI, WY
will be presented with a citizens initiative which they can either pass as proposed or send to voters in November. (Portland Press Herald) Three Illinois state representatives have filed a muchanticipated marriage equality bill in the Illinois General Assembly. Democrats Greg Harris, Deb Mell, and Kelly Cassidy have introduced the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, which would allow same-sex couples to marry in Illinois. Marriage bills have often been introduced alongside civil union legislation, giving lawmakers the option to choose between the two. Civil unions were less controversial and easier to pass, according to Equality Illinois CEO Bernard Cherkasov, but the advent of civil unions has shown that "separate but equal" has failed. "What we know now about civil unions is that they haven't worked to provide full equality," he said. (Windy City Times, Chicago) Republican New Hampshire lawmakers say a bill that would end marriage for same-sex couples in the state is unlikely to become law this year. Democratic Governor John Lynch has vowed to veto the bill if it reaches his desk, and it appears that enough legislators, including multiple Republicans, oppose the measure to prevent it from passing with a veto-proof margin. Recent polls indicate that New Hampshire voters are clearly against overturning the current law that allows gays and lesbians to marry. (Concord Monitor) (continued on page 10)
March 2012 CHALLENGE Page 5
Dancing To Architecture™
Music Reviews & News with a Queer ear by Bill Realman Stella Remember Reuben Butchart's great album Golden Boy from a few years ago? One of the best of the year, I praised it here on several occasions. Now Butchart is back with a multi-faceted project titled Nameless and Awake: 8 Poems by John William Carroll. Not only is the music an extension of Butchart's strengths as one of today's pre-eminent creators of Chamber Pop (as it's sometimes termed), it's a tribute to an under-appreciated poet who was one of Butchart's mentors. It's also "a limited edition hardbound artbook," a book of art which holds the CD snug, with elegant illustrations drawn by Butchart. In an era that has almost abandoned the physical music album, he has provided for us an extraordinary package, a true album of mutually complimentary art and music, perfect settings for Carroll's poems. The fascinating story of how Reuben Butchart with his musician collaborators The Millworkers came to compose and arrange this song cycle to the words and themes of John William Carroll deserves its moment in the sun. I could not find much about Carroll on the web, but when I asked Butchart to help me learn more, he replied with more and better than I expected or imagined. I'm delighted to share with you this brief memoir, his personal experience of John William Carroll and how this album came to be.
After graduation I lost touch with John; and then, a couple of years ago, I happened to move into John's Williamsburg neighborhood. I ran into him on the street one day. I asked after him — his health, his general well being. He had retired on disability, with few people around him. John was used to being surrounded by the vitality of young people absorbed in the world of ideas. He was working on a collection of his life's works entitled "Nameless and Awake, " but depression and illness kept him from writing and he found himself fearing a life of deadening daytime TV and long periods of rest and loneliness. I began to visit with John and kept encouraging him to get back to writing.
Meanwhile I was working with choreographer Makram Hamdan who had just landed an artist residency at Robert Wilson's Watermill Center in Long Island, NY. It was a magical experience for me as it was a great place to compose music. Watermill is a museum-like building housing Wilson's art and unique chair collections. It also serves as his Summer workshop for developing new work with an army of international interns. During the Fall and Spring, however, when Bob is traveling around the Joined Forces: world mounting his productions, Watermill becomes a laboratory for up-and-coming artists to The Journey to Nameless and Awake: develop their own work. After Makram's resi8 Poems by John William Carroll dency, I decided to apply for my own. Told by singer-composer Reuben Butchart I typed up a proposal that included John. My John was a professor of mine at NYU. When I plan was to write a series of songs around his was in college, he was an adjunct professor, poems; but I didn't tell John about it. Not until I known especially for his "Timeline Lecture," durfound out if I was actually awarded the artist ing which – in 4 hours – he would link together the retreat. I remember with great excitement remajor movements of Western thought from the ceiving notice that our proposal was approved. Ancient Greeks to Nietzsche and beyond. The When I told John about it, he was weary of such irony was that John himself at that point had a big project and nervous that we wouldn't be never gone to college. He is a self-taught scholar. able to pull it off. This from a man who had In 1998 he was awarded Professor of the "History directed scores of people to transform a farm of Ideas." into an outdoor theater set for dozens of plays It was his reputation as a theater director and performed for audiences in the thousands. playwright in Vermont that originally landed him Well, it was true: John was a bit out of praca teaching position at NYU. In the 1970's John tice. But over time he and I rallied. We began lived with a bunch of hippies on a commune in slowly - just the 2 of us working in his railroad Vermont called Packer's Corner Farm. There his apartment, combing through his life's work and Monteverdi Players developed a reputation for selecting poems that might translate well into putting on elaborate self-produced plays; includsong. In some cases, John made rewrites to Nameless And Awake cover art ing "Alice in Wonderland," where they extended a accommodate my melodies. In others, I gave up by Reuben Butchart hill with wood framing and sod just so John could conventional song structure and new melodies have the White Rabbit actually drop into a proper traced the path of the poet's original phrases. We had our rabbit hole. They also produced Shakespeare's "Tempest," challenges, but soon John was in a new headspace: a working where they filled the farm's pond with dry ice and launched a artist again with designs on the future. period ship across its waters. John also wrote plays, including When we were done with our writing, we drove to the Wahis own "Prometheus." People drove from neighboring states to termill compound with eight fine, eclectic musicians in tow. take in the spectacular plays. PBS even aired a documentary There we all lived for two weeks, working nearly twelve hours about John and his work. per day to arrange and record the "Sung Poems," as John would When I was at NYU, John was finishing up his own iambic call them. The album was recorded DIY-style with no engineer pentameter five-act verse play "As Red as Any Blood", combinor professional equipment — just a laptop and microphones we ing the Robin Hood legend and the gay-tinged love story of all culled together from our private collections. This is why King Edward II and his French tutor. Since NYU could spare no the album is by Reuben Butchart AND The Millworkers, because budget for elaborate plays, John enlisted me and a friend to the arranging and producing was really done collaboratively paint small period oil paintings to depict key scenes. These with all the musicians. The whole Project was a collaboration were photographed and projected during a carefully directed and a very large labour of love. production. That's when John and I became close. John shared with me something that Library of Congress Poet During my college years, we'd often go over to John's house Laureate Josephine Jacobsen wrote about him: "John Carroll is in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to have spaghetti and watch movies. perhaps one of ten poets who will be read into the next century." It's during this time that I became more aware of John's poI just wanted to make sure that would actually happen — that etry. John has been writing poems and plays his entire life. John's poems would somehow reach the world in his lifetime. But, because he dedicated himself to teaching, he had little So, there's not too much info out there in bookstores or on the time or energy to pursue getting his work published, except web about John William Carroll... not just yet. for small literary magazines.
Page 6 CHALLENGE March 2012 Q Reuben Butchart and The Millworkers ~ Nameless & Awake: 8 Poems by John William Carroll
My turn at the proper, more thorough appreciation Nameless & Awake deserves will come next issue, but for now: Go listen to this music. Yes, you. I'm talking to you! Fire up your 'puter NOW. It streams for free at ReubenButchart.bandcamp.com . The first time I heard the album all the way through, I focused on the shorter songs: The gentle seduction of "If He'll Come," the poignant moment observed in "The Gull and I," the exuberance and connectedness of the poet Carroll translating the poet Jose Marti, and the love that passes across languages and geography and eras for the beauty of the land in "Versos Sencillos de Jose Marti" — these were the songs most like pop tunes which gave me my initial rushes of excitement. But as I listened again and again, the longer compositions began to capture my imagination. The story within the title track, "Nameless and Awake," is golden; the song's piano figure has insinuated itself into my brain. I lose track of time during these longer songs. They don't seem longer, only richer experiences. Try them for yourself and see.
Q Vote for Jeremy Henry's Haus of Glitch remix of Beyonce's "End of Time"
Last month you read about Jeremy Henry's opus, a colossal re-envisioning of Lady Gaga tracks, "remixed" but so much more than that, now also given additional depth by being paired with mash-up videos. Right now Jeremy Henry is entered in a contest with his remix of Beyonce's "End of Time." Her original track has an almost militaristic beat, a hard-edged, high-heeled toughness to it. Jeremy has again gone above and beyond what one might expect from a remix, and has composed an arpeggio for synth-bells to add as an intro an outro to "End of Time" which gives it a fairy-tale quality. Its original beats had implied obsession, but now it has more of a romantic, to-the-end-of-the-universe timelessness. It's damned gorgeous, and I encourage everyone to vote for it ASAP: Some high-profile DJs have entered the competition, and he can use all the help he can get. Listen to and cast your vote for his Haus of Glitch remix at http://EndOfTime.BeyonceOnline.com/tracks/1412 . And don't forget to share it with your friends, because the contest will be looking at the top 50 submissions with the most votes to determine a winner. You have until March 8 to vote. Remember, you'll find hours of listening pleasure — almost every Haus of Glitch remix as well as some of Henry's originals — at soundcloud.com/hausofglitch.
Q Philipp Fankhauser ~ Try My Love
What do you do when you learn of an Out Gay blues guitarist from Switzerland who has been an acclaimed part of Europe's music scene for the last couple decades? You quick as you can write these sentences about his 12th album, Try My Love, just released on Valentines Day in the U.S long after it's initial mid-2010 release in Europe. Based on an evening feverishly using Google to translate articles from the Swiss German at Gay.ch (Yup: It's a Swiss site, but don't worry, he sings in English), as well as listening to as much as I can at the man's home page, I'm taken aback that I've not heard of him
before. As a friend of mine noted, "Funny how some artists embody so much "American" when they're not — his style, his voice, the lyrics. Sounds like he could have come from right off of Beale Street (in Memphis, TN)." Especially cool for those of us always on the lookout for Out messages is this apparent ad lib on Johnny Copeland's original lyrics in one of four bonus live tracks from a large festival performance on Try My Love, "Blues Ain't Nothin'": "Blues ain't nothin' / but a boy without a girl / Blues ain't nothin' / but a boy without a boy — any way ya look at it, y'all / If that boy ain't got no girl, I tell ya / he just doin' the very best he can / Blues ain't got no color, tell y'all / Blues ain't got no kind /Blues will turn around and mess up /anybody's mind/" Then he launches into a decent guitar solo to simply sum up how words are not enough to define the blues. Here we have as innocuous an expression as one can get, about guys yearning for guys, but I think we still don't have any mainstream American Jazz or Blues musicians who'd make even that innocuous an ad lib. Color me impressed!
Bad Weather California ~ Sunkissed
Few and far between are really good bands that sound like they're carrying on John Lennon's legacy, but not The Beatles'. Lennon's calculatedly casual sound is the groove Bad Weather California are cultivating. His Rock'n'Roll approachability was always looking to distinguish itself with intriguing new blends of instruments and performance that sounded as honest and astonishing as friends you didn't know could play like that whipping off a batch of tunes in your kitchen one night. That's where BWC are at. They don't actually sound like Lennon: instead of an academic homage in his style, they have their surf-punky, San Fran-sunny'n'funky way with his substance. They're the most fun I've heard on an album in some time.
Q Sinead O'Connor ~ How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?
NPR Music's Ann Powers says it "isn't just a return to form; it's a full-on revival"— and if O'Connor's amazing performance on a recent Graham Norton show is any indication, she's not merely made a comeback recording, but her legendary stage-presence has made a powerful return as well. The first single and video is "The Wolf Is Getting Married," and, well, to say that title is evocative is an understatement.
Q Ani DiFranco ~ ¿Which Side Are You On?
Sing "Hallelujah" for the first new Ani in three years. From her label Righteous Babe's description: Songs such as “Amendment” and “J” see DiFranco addressing issues with a directness that is striking even for an artist long known for her activism and outspoken point of view. "I'm testing deeper waters with the political songs on this album," she says. "I feel a little bit frustrated, politically desperate. After having written hundreds of songs over decades, I think, 'Now what? How far can I go with this? Can you sing the word 'abortion,' can you sing the word 'patriarchy'? What can you sing and get away with? I guess I've been pushing my own boundaries of politics and art. Seeing what people have the ears to listen to. How big is my mouth? What can I get out of it successfully? … Just listen, drop your idea of who is singing and what you already know they're saying, and go somewhere else, open yourself up to a new story." Dancing To Architecture™ contents ©2012 Bill Stella. ©, ® & ™ items included in the column for review purposes are ©, ® & ™ their respective owners.
Ani Di Franco's Which Side Are You On
March 2012 CHALLENGE Page 7
March 2012 Calendar
Recurring Contact Information
* Hackensack Peer Support Groups: 800-508-7577; www.njbuddies.org † Pride Center, Highland Park: 732-846-2232; www.pridecenter.org ‡ Hudson Pride Connections Center: 201-963-4779; HudsonPride.org λ LGBT Center Rainbow Lounge, Princeton: www.princeton.edu/lgbt Monday – Friday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm - HIV testing, Asbury Park; 800-947-0020 10:00 am to 5:00 pm - HiTOPS Health Center, Princeton; www.hitops.org; 609-683-5155 x 211 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm - The Daily Grind, Princetonλ Every Monday 10:30 am - The Wellness Community, Newark; 973-565-0300; info @ hyacinth.org 6:00 pm - SAGE Hudson County, Jersey City‡ 7:00 pm - GAAMC, Morristown (see page 2) 7:00 pm - Bowling, Union; merenl @ comcast.net 7:30 pm - S.E.L.F. HIV Men’s support group, Hackensack* 7:30 pm - New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus choir practice, Princeton; 609-396-7774; www.njgmc.org 7:30 pm - Overeaters Anonymous, Highland Park† 7:30 pm - Stitch n B*tch, Highland Park† 8:00 pm - Bowling, Green Brook; qcrollers @ aol.com Every Tuesday 12:30 pm - The Wellness Community, Newark; 973-565-0300; info @ hyacinth.org 4:00 pm - Treatment Adherence Support Group, Jersey City; 201-432-1134; info @ hyacinth.org 6:00 pm - Transview, Jersey City‡ 7:30 pm - Tuesday Night Lesbian Connection, Bound Brook; 908-791-3764 7:30 pm - Men’s HIV support group, Asbury Park; 732-775-5084; apstillpoz @ yahoo.com 7:30 pm - Positive Yoga, Oradell* 8:45 pm - Bowling, Belleville; 973-256-5936; NJGLB @ aol.com 9:00 pm - Bowling, Jersey City; 201-933-6028; JoeyNJ @ aol.com 9:15 pm - Bowling, Edison; 732-548-4550; cnjgbl @ yahoo.com Every Wednesday 10:30 am - The Wellness Community, Jersey City; 01 Thu 7:30 pm - Coffee Night, Edison; njlgh.onefireplace.com 7:30 pm - Gay Educators Group, Highland Park† 02 Fri 6:30 pm - Dinner at Marakesh Restaurant, Parsippany; www.meetup.com/North-Jersey-Primetimers 7:00 pm - Positive Women peer support group, Hackensack* 7:30 pm - Karaoke, Highland Park† 03 Sat 2:30 pm - First and Third for GLBTI youth, Princeton; 609-683-5155; www.HiTOPS.org 5:00 pm -Dinner, Hazlet; www.meetup.com/ North-Jersey-Primetimers 7:00 pm - Women's Night, Highland Park† 04 Sun 4:00 pm - Dignity Metro NJ Mass, Maplewood; 973-509-0118; Dignitymetronj @ msn.com 6:30 pm - Gay Men’s Opera Club; 732-249-9034; hagol @ msn.com 05 Mon 6:30 pm - Community Supported Agriculture, Jersey City‡ 7:00 pm - Support Group for Lesbians with Cancer, New Brunswick; 732-235-6781; slirzero @ umdnj.edu 8:00 pm - Young Men's Social Network, Highland Park†
201-432-1134; info @ hyacinth.org 1:00 pm - "Generation Q", WRSU 88.7 FM; wrsu.org 6:00 pm - Positive People peer support group, Hackensack* 7:30 pm - Men’s Living Out group, Highland Park; njwarrior @ aol.com† 7:30 pm - Gay Men’s Coming Out group, Highland Park; pdumpert @ gmail.com† Every Thursday 11:30 am - Living Beyond, Jersey City‡ 6:00 pm - Our Youth weekly support group, Jersey City; www.myspacenj.org 6:30 pm - Double Jeopardy peer support group, Hackensack* 6:30 pm - M-POWER men's group, Jersey City‡ 7:00 pm - Sexual Assault Survivor Support, Princeton; www.hitops.org 7:30 pm - Rainbows on Cleveland Street, Orange; 973-256-5936; rbowsoncleveland @ aol.com 7:30 pm - Writers group, Highland Park† Every Friday 3:00 pm - Youth Connect, Jersey City‡ 3:00 pm - C.R.A.V.E., Jersey City‡ 3:30 pm - After School HangOUT, Highland Park† Every Sunday 10:45 am - MCC of Christ the Liberator, Highland Park; mccliberator @ excite.com† Noon - St. Francis of Assisi Church, Glen Ridge; 973-731-7765; stfrancisnj.org 2:30 pm - Liberation in Truth Unity Fellowship Church, Newark; 973-621-2100 5:30 pm - Central Jersey Rainbows Bowling League, Bradley Beach; CJRBowling @ gmail.com 9:00 pm - Knowing Is Key variety show & trivia, River Edge; 201-342-6410; www.clubfeathers.com* 06 Tue 6:00 pm - Gay Pride Business Network, New Brunswick; www.gpbn.net 7:30 pm - LGBT Fellowship, Belleville; 973-751-0616 7:30 pm - ComeOUT & Play, Highland Park† 07 Wed 5:00 pm - Hudson County HIV/AIDS Services Planning Council, Jersey City‡ 7:30 pm - Gay Dad’s discussion group, Highland Park† 08 Thu Noon - Booked for Lunch, Highland Park† 6:30 pm - Volunteer orientation, Jersey City‡ 7:30 pm - PFLAG of North Jersey, South Orange; 908-789-7489; pflagwaver @ aol.com 7:30 pm - Alternate Thursdays, Montclair; kjdinkin @ comcast.net 7:30 pm - Straight Spouse Discussion Group, Highland Park† 09 Fri 7:30 pm - United People Positive, Highland Park† 10 Sat 1:00 pm - Youth Drop-In, Highland Park† 7:00 pm - Movie Social, Highland Park† 7:30 pm - Dignity New Brunswick gay Catholic liturgy; 732-968-9263; dignitynb @ earthlink.net
Page 8 CHALLENGE March 2012 10 Sat 7:30 pm - Purim karaoke party & pot-luck dinner, Laurence Harbor; njlgh.onefireplace.com 11 Sun 6:00 pm - Gay Men’s Classical Song Club, Kingston; pbrown02 @ worldnet.att.net 12 Mon 6:30 pm - HIV Testing, Highland Park† 7:30 pm - PFLAG of Morris County, Mendham; 973-727-5288; pflag.morris @ verizon.net 7:30 pm - PFLAG, Princeton; 609-663-5155; www.pflagprinceton.org 13 Tue 7:30 pm - PCNJ Board of Trustees meeting, Highland Park† 7:30 pm - Yoga for Men, Highland Park† 8:00 pm - Men's Social Night, Highland Park† 14 Wed 6:00 pm - Gay Pride Business Network, Asbury Park; www.gpbn.net 6:00 pm - Queering the Color Line family dinner, Princetonλ 6:00 pm - M-Power, Jersey City‡ 6:30 pm - North Jersey Prime Timers' monthly meetup, Little Falls; www.meetup.com/North-Jersey-Primetimers 7:00 pm - Card/Game Night, Jersey City‡ 7:30 pm - Living Out Women, Highland Park† 15 Thu 9:30 am - Ally Project: Supporting LGBT Students, Staff, and Faculty, Princetonλ 2:00 pm - Ally Project: Understanding Institutional Oppression and Dismantling Heterosexism, Princetonλ 7:00 pm - GAAMC board meeting, Morristown; All GAAMC members are invited to attend. 7:00 pm - GLSEN Training, Highland Park† 7:30 pm - NJ Women Coming Out Support Group, Highland Park† 7:30 pm - PFLAG of Northwest NJ, Sparta; 973-729-9909 16 Fri 7:00 pm - Positive Women peer support group, Hackensack* 7:30 pm - Dignity New Brunswick social; 732-968-9263; dignitynb @ earthlink.net 8:00 pm - Out of the Box open mic night, Highland Park (sign-up begins 7:30); outoftheboxinfo @ mac.com 17 Sat 2:30 pm - First and Third for GLBTI youth, Princeton; 609-683-5155; www.HiTOPS.org 7:00 pm - Rainbow Bowling, Bradley Beach; 732-774-4540 7:00 pm - NJ Gay Film Society & Potluck Dinner Club, location TBA; gayfilms @ bigfoot.com 7:00 pm - Games Night + Dessert, Highland Park† 18 Sun 1:30 pm - GLBT Expo at the Javits Center, New York; www.meetup.com/North-Jersey-Primetimers 3:00 pm - Highland Park Democratic Organization, Highland Park† 4:00 pm - Dignity Metro NJ Mass, Maplewood; 973-509-0118; Dignitymetronj @ msn.com 4:00 pm - TrueSelves trans support group, Highland Park† 19 Mon 6:30 pm - Swimming at Minerals Resort & Spa, Vernon; www.meetup.com/North-Jersey-Primetimers 7:00 pm - Support Group for Lesbians with Cancer, New Brunswick; 732-235-6781; slirzero @ umdnj.edu
7:30 pm - LGBT Activist Forum, Highland Park† 8:00 pm - Young Men's Social Network, Highland Park† 20 Tue 7:00 pm - ComeOUT & Play, Highland Park† 7:00 pm - Triangle Circle Players, Highland Park† 7:30 pm - Lesbian Alliance of Princeton; 609-924-8174; Loisj @ msn.com 7:30 pm - PFLAG of Hunterdon County, Flemington; 908-752-1370; pflaghc @ yahoo.com 8:00 pm - PFLAG of Bergen County, Paramus; 201-287-0318; www.bergenpflag.org 8:00 pm - NJ Women, Secaucus; info @ njwomen.org 21 Wed 7:30 pm - Havurah board meeting, Edison; njlgh.onefireplace.com 7:30 pm - United in Grace discussion/support group, Jersey City; 201-946-0650; greg.perez @ comcast.net 22 Thu 7:30 pm - United People Positive, Highland Park† 23 Fri 1:00 pm - Women With Voices, Jersey City‡ 8:00 pm - Shabbat service, Highland Park; njlgh.onefireplace.com 24 Sat 1:00 pm - Youth Drop-In, Highland Park† 2:00 pm - Youth Support Group, Highland Park† 4:30 pm - Under the Rainbow, Highland Park† 7:00 pm - Gay Bowling, Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park; 732-776-6160 7:00 pm - Men's Potluck Dinner, Highland Park† 25 Sun 4:30 pm - Torah Queeries, Highland Park† 27 Tue 3:00 pm - Health Drop-In Hours, Princetonλ 7:30 pm - Yoga for Men, Highland Park† 7:30 pm - Stonewall Democrats, Highland Park† 8:00 pm - Men's Social, Highland Park† 28 Wed 6:00 pm - Gay Pride Business Network, Asbury Park; www.gpbn.net 7:00 pm - Card/Game Night, Jersey City‡ 8:00 pm - Living Out Women, Highland Park† 30 Fri 11:00 pm - Princeton Cares, Princetonλ (see Bulletin Board, p. 3) 31 Sat Noon - Life After Princeton: Careers Brunch with LGBT Alumni, Princetonλ 11:00 pm - Princeton Cares, Princetonλ (see Bulletin Board, p. 3) 8:00 pm - Havurah Anniversary Party; njlgh.onefireplace.com
March 2012 CHALLENGE Page 9
March 17th
Bois de Nuit: A Butch-Femme Story and Ball by fidget
Wandering the art galleries and museums of Washington DC had been a life changing by-product of divorced parents and visits with my father in that wonderful and historical town. As an adolescent, hormonally charged girl of 14, 15, and 16, I admired the richness of the art world, the magnificence of long gone animals, and the history of our evolution and world. All of these factors seemed to collide in the development of me. But there was one particular art exhibition that gave me a picture of what I did not yet have words for. The exhibition was Paris after Dark and the photographer was Brassai. A Hungarian born photographer, Brassai had a fascination for the underground of Paris. He would commonly photograph the patrons of homosexual bars in Paris to study what was “hiding” by night. It was through his journey and exploration that I found myself staring at a picture of a feminine woman seated next to a person who looked like a man but who was… intuitively known to me... a woman in drag. A woman “passing” would be a term that would have been used at the time. Women who “passed” may have done so for a number of reasons; economic advantage would have been one of them. However, I know today that many would have passed because they felt more comfortable in the guise of a man, and because to have a perfectly delightful femme woman walking upon their arm would be justification enough to dress in a suit and tie. So what I have come to know, using the words that I now have, is that I am femme and my perfect partner is butch. I understand that these terms have evolved into other meanings within our community today. There was even a time when these identifications were frowned upon within our own lesbian community but I use them in their original meaning and context. I honor the continuum and what other lesbians may identify as but for me and my partner the two ends of the continuum are where you will find us. My femme journey has continued into the leather community which, in parallel, holds a rich historical significance within our gay community, and I am a proud member of the women’s leather group, the Amazons. I was bestowed with the title of Ms. NJ Leather 2012 and, to honor our Butch-Femme and leather history and to benefit the well being of the next generation, I will be holding the first annual Bois de Nuit; A Butch – Femme Ball. The proceeds will benefit the Trevor Project, a leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. Bois de Nuit will take place on April 21, 2012 from 7 pm to 11 pm at the SICA Gallery in Asbury Park, NJ. Light fare, cash bar, fun and slightly risqué play will be on the agenda as well as entertainment by the Liberty City Kings and Burlesque out of Philadelphia. Come honor the diversity our own history and do some gender bending; formal to fetish attire, please. Keep an eye out for details, updates and tickets online at LeatherNJOnline.com.
by Tony Puma I hope to kiss the Blarney Stone, my Irish friends have urged me to.
Don't worry the morrow, a day off to ponder, one drink too many.
They say the gift of gab I’ll get, with a honey dipped Irish hue.
On the 18th I revert to norm, and to my roots return.
Me-thinks I should partake of same, and kiss the Stone in that craggy nook.
As my grand-parents look down on me, and do a slow burn.
To tell my friends that I’m an Irishman, via Facebook.
An Irishman for a day, good fellowship and its mem'ries.
Saint Patrick’s Day I will proclaim, in green apparel
And now I have many Irish friends, as many as I can see.
that an Irishman is in your midst, roll-out the barrel. We'll drink the day and through the night, toasting all in our company.
So in my fine tenor voice, I'll sing again: Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, to all you Irishmen.
Tasting Choice Cheese? by Daniel Herzog
The Rat, He walks into a hole, A Hole of Sex. The Rat sees balloons, They are shaped like breasts, He wants to bite them. If they wouldn't just pop in his mouth. The Rat sees a peepshow machine, He turns a crank, And watches mousy whores lift umbrella skirts. The Rat goes home with magazines, He would cream all over those magazines, That dirty Rat.
Page 10 CHALLENGE March 2012
Gleanings
(continued from page 4) The Australian Parliament will begin consideration of four separate gay marriage bills. However, it will still be several months before Parliament gets down to an actual vote — certainly into the second half of the year — because the sponsors of this legislative overload of competing bills are not convinced they have the numbers. (News.com.au) British Prime Minister David Cameron (Conservative) was accused of planning an “Orwellian” act of “cultural vandalism” by an alliance of bishops, Tory MPs, and legal figures yesterday over his plans to allow homosexual couples to marry. Mr. Cameron, who has publicly pledged his support for gay marriage, is facing a growing backlash from within his own party over the proposal to redefine the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex couples. He is now facing the prospect of an open breach with prominent religious figures just a week after leading Conservatives voiced their support for Christianity following a series of court rulings which reinforced the secularization of Britain. (The Telegraph, London) Uganda’s parliament is set to debate a bill that would impose harsh penalties on homosexuals, but President Yoweri Museveni’s government does not support the measure, making it unclear whether the legislation will be enacted. The measure’s proponents say they have removed language calling for the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” and replaced it with a provision for lifetime imprisonment. But a closer reading of the new bill shows it still allows the death penalty. (Washington Post) President Barack Obama is set to finalize new federal regulations that forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in housing programs administered or funded by the federal government, including programs run by religious institutions that accept federal funds. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced during a speech at the 24th Creating Change conference in Baltimore that the new rules will be published this week. (Washington Blade) Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the LGBT military legal advocacy group, agreed to delay its challenge (McLaughlin v. Panetta) to military policies that the organization says discriminate against servicemembers with samesex spouses. Both SLDN and the Department of Justice called for the delay so that a federal appeals court can resolve two pending appeals challenging the federal definition of marriage in the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). (Metro Weekly, Washington DC) The Oklahoma Senate gained its first openly GLBT member when Al McAffrey (D), a Navy veteran, won a special election for a seat in that chamber. "Al's election to the State Senate is another milestone for LGBT Oklahomans, and we are proud to support his campaign," said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund, which endorsed McAffrey. (Huffington Post) State lawmakers in Idaho are being lobbied by an allvolunteer group called Add the Words to add the words
"sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to Idaho’s existing human rights act. Their primary tactic, posting hundreds of sticky notes on the capitol’s walls, has been blocked by capitol police. (The Idaho Statesman, Boise) The Rhode Island General Assembly voted in favor of a bill that would consider crimes that stem from the victim's gender identity and gender expression as hate crimes. Current state law defines hate crimes as any crime motivated by prejudice involving race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, homelessness or disability. (Providence Journal) Utah's Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee snuffed out a statewide effort to ban discrimination against gay and transgender Utahns, despite strong support in public polls and endorsements from prominent business leaders. In a 4-2 vote, a Senate committee shelved SB51 after a 90-minute public hearing with a standing-room-only crowd. Senator Ben McAdams (D), the bill’s sponsor, said he was disappointed the bill failed but called the hearing a "valuable discussion" and a "huge milestone." This is the fifth year that Democrats have run such a bill but the first year it got a Senate hearing. (Salt Lake Tribune) A Tennessee bill that would prohibit discussion of homosexuality in elementary and middle schools passed in the House Education subcommittee despite the presence of high school students who showed up to lobby against the measure. Opponents say it will not curb talk about homosexuality among grade school kids but will send the signal that it should be stigmatized. But several lawmakers argued that it would protect parents’ right to educate their children about their beliefs on their own terms. (The Tennesseean, Nashville) The Anoka-Hennepin school board in Minnesota has voted to end a policy some say contributed to the bullying of LGBT students. A new policy aimed at fostering a respectful learning environment for all students replaces one that required teachers to adopt a neutral stance on issues of sexual orientation. (Pioneer Press, St. Paul) Private adoption agencies in Virginia could deny placing children with prospective parents who are gay under a bill that passed in both houses of the Virginia Legislature. The bill now goes to Governor Bob McDonnell (R), who has said he will sign it. Virginia will become just the second state with such a law, which proponents said was modeled after North Dakota’s statute. The legislation allows agencies to deny placements that conflict with their moral or religious beliefs, including opposition to homosexuality. (Washington Post) Iowa's Department of Public Health is appealing a Polk County District Court ruling ordering state health officials to issue a birth certificate listing both members of a same-sex marriage as the legal parents of a 2-year-old girl. According to department spokeswoman Polly Carver-Kimm, the appeal was filed because the court's ruling addressed only the situation where two married lesbian mothers conceive a child using an anonymous sperm donor. (Des Moines Register)
March 2012 CHALLENGE Page 11
10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked
By Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback Myth #8: Gays are Mentally Ill / Substance Abusers (eighth in a series of ten)
Ever since born-again singer and orange juice pitchwoman Anita Bryant helped kick off the contemporary anti-gay movement more than 30 years ago, hard-line elements of the religious right have been searching for ways to demonize homosexuals — or, at a minimum, to find arguments that will prevent their normalization in society. For the former Florida beauty queen and her Save Our Children group, it was the alleged plans of gays and lesbians to “recruit” in schools that provided the fodder for their crusade. But in addition to hawking that myth, the legions of anti-gay activists who followed have added a panoply of others, ranging from the extremely doubtful claim that homosexuality is a choice, to unalloyed lies like the claims that gays molest children far more than heterosexuals or that hate crime laws will lead to the legalization of bestiality and necrophilia. These fairy tales are important to the anti-gay right because they form the basis of its claim that homosexuality is a social evil that must be suppressed — an opinion rejected by virtually all relevant medical and scientific authorities. They also almost certainly contribute to hate crime violence directed at homosexuals, who are more targeted for such attacks than any other minority in America. What follows [is one of] 10 key myths propagated by the anti-gay movement, along with the truth behind the propaganda.
MYTH #8: Homosexuals are more prone to be mentally ill and to abuse drugs and alcohol. THE ARGUMENT: Anti-gay groups want not only to depict sexual orientation as something that can be changed but also to show that heterosexuality is the most desirable “choice” — even if religious arguments are set aside. The most frequently used secular argument made by anti-gay groups in that regard is that homosexuality is inherently unhealthy, both mentally and physically. As a result, most antigay rights groups reject the 1973 decision by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. Some of these groups, including the particularly hard-line Traditional Values Coalition, claim that “homosexual activists” managed to infiltrate the APA in order to sway its decision.
Richard J. Wolitski, an expert on minority status and public health issues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, put it like this in 2008: “Economic disadvantage, stigma, and discrimination … increase stress and diminish the ability of individuals [in minority groups] to cope with stress, which in turn contribute to poor physical and mental health.” (Reprinted, with permission, from Intelligence Report, Winter 2010, produced by the Southern Poverty Law Center. www.splcenter.org)
THE FACTS: All major professional mental health organizations are on record as stating that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. It is true that LGBT people suffer higher rates of anxiety, depression, and depression-related illnesses and behaviors like alcohol and drug abuse than the general population. But studies done during the past 15 years have determined that it is the stress of being a member of a minority group in an often-hostile society — and not LGBT identity itself — that accounts for the higher levels of mental illness and drug use.
KEVIN P. SUSZKO, PC Certified Public Accountant
-TAX PLANNING & PREPARATION -FINANCIAL PLANNING -ACCOUNTING SERVICES -DAY & EVENING APPOINTMENTS -OFFICES IN NEW JERSEY & NYC Phone: 973–376–4121 P. O. Box 701 Short Hills, NJ 07078 E-Mail: KPSCPA@GMAIL.COM
Page 12 CHALLENGE March 2012
Marriage Equality in the New Jersey Legislature The following lists show the names of our state legislators in the Senate and the Assembly and how each voted on bill S.1, the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemptions Act. The Senate passed the bill on February 13th by a 24-16 vote. The Assembly passed the bill on February 16th by a 42-33 vote. The legislators' names are shown in alphabetical order, with party affiliation and district number in parentheses.
Senate
Voting in favor: Diane Allen (R-7); James Beach (D-6); Jennifer Beck (R-11); Barbara Buono (D-18); Richard Codey (D-27); Sandra Cunningham (D-31); Nia Gill (D-34); Robert Gordon (D-38); Linda Greenstein (D-14); Raymond Lesniak (D-20); Fred Madden, Jr. (D-4); Donald Norcross (D-5); Nellie Pou (D-35); M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29); Nicholas Sacco (D-32); Paul Sarlo (D-36); Nicholas Scutari (D-22); Bob Smith (D-17); Brian Stack (D-33); Stephen Sweeney (D-3); Shirley Turner (D-15); Joseph Vitale (D-19); Loretta Weinberg (D-37); Jim Whelan (D-2).
Assembly
Voting against: Dawn Marie Addiego (R-8); Christopher Bateman (R-16); Anthony Bucco (R-25); Gerald Cardinale (R-39); Christopher Connors (R-9); Michael Doherty (R23); James Holzapfel (R-10); Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-21); Joseph Kyrillos, Jr. (R-13); Steven Oroho (R-24); Kevin O'Toole (R-40); Joseph Pennacchio (R-26); Ronald Rice (D-28); Robert Singer (R-30); Samuel Thompson (R12); Jeff Van Drew (D-1)
Voting in favor: Peter Barnes III (D-18); Daniel Benson (D-14); John Burzichelli (D-3); Ralph Caputo (D-28); Marlene Caride (D-36); Upendra Chivukula (D-17); Herb Conaway, Jr. (D-7); Sean Connors (D-33); Craig Coughlin (D19); Albert Coutinho (D-29); Joseph Cryan (D-20); Patrick Diegnan, Jr. (D-18); Joseph Egan (D-17); Timothy Eustace (D-38); Angel Fuentes (D-5); Thomas Giblin (D-34); Jerry Green (D-22); Louis Greenwald (D-6); Reed Gusciora (D15); Mila Jasey (D-27); Angelica Jiminez (D-32); Gordon Johnson (D-37); Pamela Lampitt (D-6); Charles Mainor (D31); John McKeon (D-27); Paul Moriarty (D-4); Jason O'Donnell (D-31); Sheila Oliver (D-34); Vincent Prieto (D32); Annette Quijano (D-20); Ruben Ramos, Jr. (D-33); Celeste Riley (D-3); Gary Schaer (D-36); Troy Singleton (D-7); L. Grace Spencer (D-29); Linda Stender (D-22); Shavonda Sumter (D-35); Cleopatra Tucker (D-28); Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-37); Connie Wagner (D-38); Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-15); Gilbertt Wilson (D-5); Benjie Wimberly (D-35); John Wisniewski (D-19)
Voting against: Nelson Albano (D-1) ; John Amodeo (R-2); Jon Bramnick (R-21); Chris A. Brown (R-2); Christopher J. Brown (R-8); Anthony Bucco (R-25); Michael Patrick Carroll (R-25); Caroline Casagrande (R-11); Gary Chiusano (R-24); Jack Ciattarelli (R-16); Robert Clifton (R-12); Ronald Dancer (R-12); Betty Lou DeCroce (R-26); John DiMaio (R-23); DiAnne Gove (R-9); Amy Handlin (R-13); Sean Kean (R-30); Gregory McGuckin (R-10); Alison Littell McHose (R-24); Matthew Milam (D-1); Nancy Munoz (R-21); Erik Peterson (R-23); David Rible (R-30); Scott Rudder (R-8); Scott Rumana (R-40); Brian Rumpf (R-9); David Russo (R-40); Rob e rt S c h roe d e r ( R - 3 9 ) ; D on n a S i m on ( R - 1 6 ) ; Ja y We b b er (R-26); David Wolfe (R-10)
Actions you can take now:
Actions you can take later:
Send messages of support and thanks to those legislators of both parties who voted in favor of marriage equality. If your legislator voted against marriage equality, send them a message asking why, and start a dialog with them; it is only through active, regular communication that minds can be changed. To find out who your legislators are, how to contact them, and what towns are in which legislative district, go to www.njleg.state.nj.us.
Not voting (absent): Mary Pat Angelini (R-11); Wayne DeAngelo (D-14); Declan O'Scanlon (R-13); Holly Schepisi (R-39)
Two Republican Assemblywomen were appointed to fill vacancies in their districts due to the death of the officeholder. Betty Lou DeCroce, widow of Alex DeCroce, represents the 26th district, which includes parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic Counties, including Morris Plains, Parsippany-Troy Hills, and Rockaway Township. Donna Simon replaced the late Peter Biondi in the 16th district, which includes parts of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset Counties. Because they were appointed, by state law they must go before the voters this November. If you are a Republican, contact your county party organization and work to get a pro-equality candidate nominated in the primary elections.
And for all voters of whatever party, on election day in November, vote — and get your partners, friends, and families to vote — to remove anti-equality candidates from the Legislature.
March 2012 CHALLENGE Page 13
GAAMC Board Mini-Minutes, January 19, 2012 Atttendance Voting Trustees: DeLeeuw, Dinkin, Kennedy, Rubin, Sauer, Skurna, Stella, Suiter, Vasios Non-Voting Attendees: Wydner
Allen Neuner, Robin Schneider, Mark
The meeting began at 7:15 pm. I. Adoption of minutes: The minutes of December 15, 2011, were adopted unanimously (moved, Stella; seconded, Skurna). II. Old Business: 40th Anniversary: No new decisions had been reached since the last Board meeting. Discussion of additional venues, invitation lists, and setting the date. Board Retreat: The Board Retreat will take place either January 21 or 28 at Gordon and Jav's house. Gordon will notify the Board regarding the date. [Editor's note: The Retreat took place on the 28th.] III. New Business: Valentine's Day Social: Discussion of menu items to be offered (appetizers and desserts, pot-luck style). Committee Chairs: Discussion tabled until February meeting. Trustees Emeritus: Mickey will sound out possible interest in serving. Monday night: Discussion of events of 1/16/12 meeting, with an emphasis on appropriate dispute resolution. IV. Reports: President: Mickey Suiter distributed a GAAMC statement on the efforts of the state Legislature to pass marriage equality legislation. The Board was asked to review and comment. Treasurer: Andy Skurna — written report (on file). Secretary: Gordon Sauer — no report. VP Operations: Bill Stella — no report. Challenge: Allen Neuner — The March issue will be stuffed on February 27. The next Challenge deadline is February 15th for the March issue. Board members were asked to review their names as included in Challenge and comment if
needed. The list of organizations receiving complimentary issues was approved by the Board (moved, Skurna; seconded, Dinkin). Information: Mitch Rubin — Some subscriptions will be reinstated. Mitch and Andy will discuss new publications to add to the info table. Member Services/Front Desk: Allen Neuner — no report. Programs: Sherri Rase — no report. List of February programs was submitted to Allen. Sherri and Andy met. Public Relations: Andy Skurna — No report. Volunteerism: Sherri Rase — No report. Discussion Group Resources: Gordon Sauer — written report (on file). Socials: Charlie Murphy — no report. VP Community Services: Kerry Dinkin — Kerry is adjusting to emails and phone messages. She thanked those who have helped her. Activism: Andy Skurna — no report. Fundraising: Andy Skurna — no report. Pride Guide: Andy Skurna — Andy encouraged Board members to submit editorials. He suggested Pride Guide have a political section since this is an election year. Pride Guide gets many ads for theatres and contacts those with whom GAAMC has a relationship. Membership: Andy Skurna — Andy reported on membership and subscription numbers. Speakers' Bureau: Chris Selitto — no report. Webmaster: Andy Skurna — written report (on file). Archives: Mickey Suiter — no report. V. Save These Dates: January 24: Marriage Equality hearings; January 28: Board retreat; February 16: Next Board meeting VI. Ideas & Suggestions: none. VII. Adjournment: Motion to adjourn passed unanimously (moved, Sauer; seconded, Rubin). The meeting adjourned at 9:01 pm.
This Month's Contributors fidget is Ms. NJ Leather 2012 and a member of the Amazon women’s leather group of New Jersey. She is a full time resident of the Asbury Park area and is active in her community. She is a graduate of Fordham University Graduate Program and is a professional in her field. Because the leather community is still highly stigmatized, she unfortunately must keep her given name anonymous; however she hopes in her title year to educate more women of the history and richness of the leather and kink community. She identifies as a submissive, femme feminist and enjoys the juxtaposition of these identifications. (pg. 9) Daniel Herzog is an off-again, on-again member of GAAMC (currently on). A graduate of Juniata College, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and Rutgers, Daniel is a published author, poet, and reviewer; has served on the boards of many professional organizations; has worked in the counseling field; and has presented papers and lectured at conferences and universities. (pg. 9) Tony Puma: A career in sales/marketing/advertising and public relations influences his poetry style: less abstract and more to-the-point. Degrees from New York University and
Fairleigh Dickinson University. A member of various poetry groups including Italian-American Writers Association, Red Wheel Barrow Poets, Paulinskill Poetry Project, Poets House (NYC), South Mountain Poets, and Hudson Valley Poets-on-theLoose. A view of life through the prism of poetry; seeing, hearing, and feeling, trying to capture emotions and relate them via words. (pg. 9) Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback are researchers and authors in the field of sexuality and civil rights whose articles have frequently appeared in Intelligence Report, the newsletter of the Southern Poverty Law Center. (pg. 11) Bill Realman Stella writes Dancing to Architecture because writing about music is like that. He hosted the eclectic pop music show Highest Common Denominator in his mind for twenty years before getting it on the radio for six, and will host it again. Bill has collected music since age 4, when for each song he'd hear on the radio, he'd ask his mom "Do they have a record?" Making a record good enough to share is still a small miracle. If you'd like Bill to write, DJ, or promote for you, get in touch. Comments and suggestions also welcome. Visit http://HowToFindTheBestMusic.blogspot.com or write bearealman @ gmail.com. (pg. 5)
Page 14 CHALLENGE March 2012
GAY ACTIVIST ALLIANCE IN MORRIS COUNTY
Officers President (President @ GAAMC.org) — Mickey Suiter VP Community Services (Info @ GAAMC.org) — Kerry Dinkin VP Operations — Bill Realman Stella Secretary (Secretary @ GAAMC.org) — Gordon Sauer Treasurer (Treasurer @ GAAMC.org) — Andy Skurna Trustees John DeLeeuw, Ron Kennedy, Claire Pompei, Mitch Rubin, Alexa Vasios Trustees Emeriti Sue Harris, Sherri Rase, Robin Schneider, Mark Wydner Committee Chairs Activism — Gordon Sauer (Activism @ GAAMC.org) Archives — Mickey Suiter (Archives @ GAAMC.org) Discussion Group Resources — Gordon Sauer (Discussions @ GAAMC.org) Fundraising — Andy Skurna (Fundraising @ GAAMC.org) Information — Mitch Rubin (FreeLibrary @ GAAMC.org) Member Services/Front Desk — Allen Neuner Membership — Andy Skurna (Memberships @ GAAMC.org) Pride Guide — Andy Skurna (PrideGuide @ GAAMC.org) Programs — Sherri Rase (Programs @ GAAMC.org) Public Relations — Sherri Rase (Info @ GAAMC.org) Socials — Charlie Murphy (Socials @ GAAMC.org) Speakers Bureau — Chris Selitto (SpeakersBureau @ GAAMC.org) Volunteerism — Sherri Rase (Volunteer @ GAAMC.org) Webmaster (inc. Facebook, Issuu, Yahoo!) — Andy Skurna (Webmaster @ GAAMC.org)
GAAMC, the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County, has served New Jersey’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and intersexed communities since 1972. GAAMC is a notfor-profit volunteer-run organization that provides social, educational, and outreach programs. GAAMC also offers opportunities for individuals to become politically active on issues related to the GLBTI communities. Our intent is to maintain a positive, healthy, respectful, and supportive environment in a safe space. Meetings are held every Monday evening at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ (near the Morris Museum). Discussion groups usually meet from 7:00 to 8:00. The evening's program usually starts shortly after 8:00. Refreshments are available. For program information, call our information line or check our homepage (see below). Members and nonmembers are always welcome. Annual membership dues are: Regular, $40/single, $70/ couple; Students/Seniors, $30/single, $60/couple. Those looking to help out at GAAMC can contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Sherri Rase, at Volunteer @ GAAMC.org. How to reach GAAMC Mail: PO Box 137, Convent Station, NJ 07961 Telephone: 973-285-1595 E-Mail: info @ gaamc.org Home page: http://www.gaamc.org Mail List: http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/gaamc Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gaamc Challenge online edition: issuu.com/gaamc
PREVIEWS OF COMING ATTRACTIONS! March 12th
March 19th
March 26th
Having "The Talk" About Sex
Open Mic Night
The Game of Safer Sex
See "GAAMC Events", page 2, for more details!