From ThinkProgress.org:
"In October 2006, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said that “the day that the leadership of the military comes to” and says the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy “ought to change,” he would “seriously” consider changing it. In an interview with the Washington Blade in 2008, he said he would “defer to our military commanders” on the issue.
But in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, McCain bristled when the Pentagon’s top military and civilian leaders, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, announced they were in favor of overturning the policy. “I’m happy to say we still have a Congress of the United States that would have to pass a law to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, despite your efforts to repeal it in many respects by fiat,” said McCain.
In an interview on Bill Bennett’s radio show today, McCain claimed “the policy is working” and repeated his opposition to repealing, but claimed that he would “be glad to listen to the views of military leaders”:
MCCAIN: Look, the policy is working. I talk to military all the time. I have a lot of contact with them. The policy is working and the president made a commitment in his campaign that he would reverse it and the president then made the announcement that wants it reversed. And it is a law. It has to be changed. So Admiral Mullen said, speaking for himself only, he thought it ought to be reversed and of course Secretary Gates said that. I do not. I do not know what the other military leadership wants. I know that I have a letter signed by over a thousand retired admirals and generals that said they don’t want it reversed. And so, I will be glad to listen to the views of military leaders. I always have. But I’m not changing my position in support of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell unless there is the significant support for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. And I would remind you that we’re in two wars. You know that and our listeners know that. And do we need, don’t we need a serious assessment of the effect on morale or battle and combat effectiveness before we go forward with a reversal in a campaigning, carrying out an Obama campaign.
On Fox News last night, McCain also said that he was hoping “to get the opinion from our military leadership,’ saying that “If they can show me the evidence that it needs to be changed, obviously, then I would give that serious consideration.” McCain says that he has “respect” for Mullen’s view, but he dismisses it as simply an “individual opinion.”
But McCain has previously said that the “individual opinion” of military leaders for whom he has “respect” influenced his views on military policy. In June 2009, he told Ana Marie Cox that he originally supported the policy because General Colin Powell had “strongly recommended” it and he hadn’t “heard General Powell or any of the other military leaders reverse their position.” Powell released a statement yesterday saying he now opposes the continuation of DADT because “attitudes and circumstances have changed.”
So basically, McCain is willing to “listen” to military leaders on DADT — he’s just not going to let their expert opinions get in the way of what he already thinks."
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Canadian Restaurant Encourages Customers to Have Sex in Restroom
From HuffingtonPost.com:
"Visitors to Mildred's Temple Kitchen, a restaurant in Toronto, Canada, are invited to spice up their love life this Valentine's Day with a trip to the bathroom.
"Have you given any thought to moving beyond the bedroom?" patrons were asked in a not-too-subtle promotional e-mail.
The individual bathrooms will be open for sexual escapades from the 12-15th February. According to the manager, Rory Gallagher, a french maid will be working the toilets, making sure everything is "going smoothly and kept clean."
"We've always had little trysts in our bathrooms," co-owner Donna Dooher told The Toronto Star. "We're taking it to the next level on Valentine's weekend." She added that customers are expected to bring their own condoms.
Perhaps surprisingly, Toronto's Public Health food safety program manager said the restaurant wasn't breaking any laws as long as there's no intercourse in the kitchen and the bathrooms are kept clean.
"As far as bodily fluids, it's pretty much similar to the other human functions going on in there," said Chan, slightly undercutting the erotic value of the venture."
"Visitors to Mildred's Temple Kitchen, a restaurant in Toronto, Canada, are invited to spice up their love life this Valentine's Day with a trip to the bathroom.
"Have you given any thought to moving beyond the bedroom?" patrons were asked in a not-too-subtle promotional e-mail.
The individual bathrooms will be open for sexual escapades from the 12-15th February. According to the manager, Rory Gallagher, a french maid will be working the toilets, making sure everything is "going smoothly and kept clean."
"We've always had little trysts in our bathrooms," co-owner Donna Dooher told The Toronto Star. "We're taking it to the next level on Valentine's weekend." She added that customers are expected to bring their own condoms.
Perhaps surprisingly, Toronto's Public Health food safety program manager said the restaurant wasn't breaking any laws as long as there's no intercourse in the kitchen and the bathrooms are kept clean.
"As far as bodily fluids, it's pretty much similar to the other human functions going on in there," said Chan, slightly undercutting the erotic value of the venture."
Obama & Sec. Clinton Publicly Condemn Uganda’s Anti-Gay Legislation
From ThinkProgress.org on February 4 2010:
"Uganda’s parliament is currently considering an anti-homosexuality bill that would impose the death penalty or life imprisonment for some homosexual acts, require people to report every LGBT individual they know, and criminalize renting property to gay men and women.
The measure has been widely condemned around the world, from UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to federal lawmakers of both parties in the United States. The Obama administration has issued statements condemning the legislation and was working privately with Ugandan officials, but the President himself has not yet commented. In December, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referenced the Ugandan legislation, saying, “We have to stand against any efforts to marginalize and criminalize and penalize members of the LGBT community worldwide.” She has also personally spoken to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni about the bill.
Today at the National Prayer Breakfast, both Clinton and Obama condemned the Ugandan legislation:
– CLINTON: And I recently called President Museveni, whom I have known through the Prayer Breakfast, and expressed the strongest concerns about a law being considered in the parliament of Uganda.
– OBAMA: We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are, whether it’s here in the United States or as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.
Making these pronouncements today was significant because the Prayer Breakfast is sponsored by the Fellowship Foundation, the controversial group also known as “The Family.” As author Jeff Sharlet has detailed, The Family has ties to the Ugandan anti-homosexuality legislation. The author of the bill is Ugandan Parliamentarian David Bahati, who organizes the Ugandan National Prayer Breakfast and has been embraced by the far right in the United States. Watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called on C-SPAN and government officials to turn their backs on today’s event.
Yesterday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) introduced a resolution condemning Uganda’s anti-gay bill. “The proposed Ugandan bill not only threatens human rights, it also reverses so many of the gains that Uganda has made in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Berman. The bill has 38 co-sponsors, but only one — Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL) — is a Republican."
"Uganda’s parliament is currently considering an anti-homosexuality bill that would impose the death penalty or life imprisonment for some homosexual acts, require people to report every LGBT individual they know, and criminalize renting property to gay men and women.
The measure has been widely condemned around the world, from UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to federal lawmakers of both parties in the United States. The Obama administration has issued statements condemning the legislation and was working privately with Ugandan officials, but the President himself has not yet commented. In December, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referenced the Ugandan legislation, saying, “We have to stand against any efforts to marginalize and criminalize and penalize members of the LGBT community worldwide.” She has also personally spoken to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni about the bill.
Today at the National Prayer Breakfast, both Clinton and Obama condemned the Ugandan legislation:
– CLINTON: And I recently called President Museveni, whom I have known through the Prayer Breakfast, and expressed the strongest concerns about a law being considered in the parliament of Uganda.
– OBAMA: We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are, whether it’s here in the United States or as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.
Making these pronouncements today was significant because the Prayer Breakfast is sponsored by the Fellowship Foundation, the controversial group also known as “The Family.” As author Jeff Sharlet has detailed, The Family has ties to the Ugandan anti-homosexuality legislation. The author of the bill is Ugandan Parliamentarian David Bahati, who organizes the Ugandan National Prayer Breakfast and has been embraced by the far right in the United States. Watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called on C-SPAN and government officials to turn their backs on today’s event.
Yesterday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) introduced a resolution condemning Uganda’s anti-gay bill. “The proposed Ugandan bill not only threatens human rights, it also reverses so many of the gains that Uganda has made in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Berman. The bill has 38 co-sponsors, but only one — Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL) — is a Republican."
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Some Illinois Bars Violate Smoking Ban with Customers Help
From Chicago Tribune
By Angie Leventis Lourgos and Jackie Bange
November 25, 2009
"The air was hazy and the ashtrays were full on a recent night at the Crowbar Inc. tavern on the Southeast Side, despite Illinois’ nearly 2-year-old indoor smoking ban.
Patrons say they like it that way. They’re even willing to pay a little extra to light up.
Owner Pat Carroll said his customers – smokers and nonsmokers alike – contribute to a “smoking fund” canister that often sits on the bar, to subsidize the fines he’s incurred for flouting the law.
Carroll said he’s been ticketed twice and paid at least $680. He fears that if he forbids smoking, his cigar-and-cigarette crowd would switch to bars that permit smoking just a few blocks away in Indiana.
“So guess what, everybody can smoke in here,” he said, fingering a lit cigarette balanced on an ashtray. “I’m not losing my customers.”
The Tribune and WGN-TV found patrons smoking at several Chicagoland bars, defying the Smoke-free Illinois Act that has prohibited smoking inside public places since Jan. 1, 2008.
Bar patrons and owners seen smoking indoors had varying explanations for ignoring the law. At Boem Restaurant in Albany Park, where one visit found the room filled with smoke, the bar’s owner said the place was booked for a private party, which exempted it from the law. But it doesn’t, officials say.
The public can lodge complaints against establishments that skirt the law, triggering a site inspection. Violators face fines that can grow steeper with each infraction, starting at $250 for a business and $100 for an individual smoker.
“We think it would become very expensive to continue to rack up fines,” said Kelly Jakubek, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health. “That would become very burdensome.”
Health officials say smoking-ban scofflaws are the exception and that indoor smoking in public has drastically decreased over the last two years. Jakubek added that she hopes Indiana and other states that allow indoor smoking in public places pass a ban similar to the one in Illinois, evening the field for competitive business owners such as Carroll.
“There are always some bad apples out there who will try to get around the law,” said Tim Hadac, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Public Health. “If you look at the big picture, compliance is widespread.”
For example, in Chicago, which has its own smoking ban similar to the state law, an accused violator gets several warning letters, then an inspection. Last year, there were 603 complaints and 24 inspections, which led to nine tickets. So far this year, those numbers were down to 286 complaints and 18 inspections, resulting in four tickets, Hadac said.
He said data showed warning letters generally spurred compliance.
Soon “it will be as socially unacceptable and even unthinkable to smoke in a bar or restaurant as it currently is in a movie theater,” he said in an e-mail.
Katie Lorenz of the American Lung Association in Greater Chicago said she was disappointed that some bars weren’t complying; she added that the secondhand smoke harms employees and non-smoking patrons. “This is a health issue, and it affects every single person who happens to be in the bar,” she said. “What’s in the best interest of everyone is to not inhale those toxic fumes.”
Sabrina Lockett, a veteran restaurant worker with asthma, said she lost a friend to cancer, and he didn’t smoke. She said she regretted that all bars don’t follow the law. “I wished it was passed sooner,” she said, saying the law may have saved her friend’s life.
But some smokers say they’ll support any tavern that gives them sanctuary. Laura Pugh said she contributes $5 a month to Crowbar’s smoking fund, considering it akin to membership fees at a private club. If she couldn’t smoke there, Pugh said she’d probably go to a bar in Indiana.
“I respect Illinois law,” she said. “However, I feel that if an Illinois bar wants to allow smoking, there should never be a problem if it’s willing to abide by the fine.”
Angie Leventis Lourgos is a Tribune reporter; Jackie Bange is a reporter for WGN-TV. eleventis@tribune.com
By Angie Leventis Lourgos and Jackie Bange
November 25, 2009
"The air was hazy and the ashtrays were full on a recent night at the Crowbar Inc. tavern on the Southeast Side, despite Illinois’ nearly 2-year-old indoor smoking ban.
Patrons say they like it that way. They’re even willing to pay a little extra to light up.
Owner Pat Carroll said his customers – smokers and nonsmokers alike – contribute to a “smoking fund” canister that often sits on the bar, to subsidize the fines he’s incurred for flouting the law.
Carroll said he’s been ticketed twice and paid at least $680. He fears that if he forbids smoking, his cigar-and-cigarette crowd would switch to bars that permit smoking just a few blocks away in Indiana.
“So guess what, everybody can smoke in here,” he said, fingering a lit cigarette balanced on an ashtray. “I’m not losing my customers.”
The Tribune and WGN-TV found patrons smoking at several Chicagoland bars, defying the Smoke-free Illinois Act that has prohibited smoking inside public places since Jan. 1, 2008.
Bar patrons and owners seen smoking indoors had varying explanations for ignoring the law. At Boem Restaurant in Albany Park, where one visit found the room filled with smoke, the bar’s owner said the place was booked for a private party, which exempted it from the law. But it doesn’t, officials say.
The public can lodge complaints against establishments that skirt the law, triggering a site inspection. Violators face fines that can grow steeper with each infraction, starting at $250 for a business and $100 for an individual smoker.
“We think it would become very expensive to continue to rack up fines,” said Kelly Jakubek, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health. “That would become very burdensome.”
Health officials say smoking-ban scofflaws are the exception and that indoor smoking in public has drastically decreased over the last two years. Jakubek added that she hopes Indiana and other states that allow indoor smoking in public places pass a ban similar to the one in Illinois, evening the field for competitive business owners such as Carroll.
“There are always some bad apples out there who will try to get around the law,” said Tim Hadac, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Public Health. “If you look at the big picture, compliance is widespread.”
For example, in Chicago, which has its own smoking ban similar to the state law, an accused violator gets several warning letters, then an inspection. Last year, there were 603 complaints and 24 inspections, which led to nine tickets. So far this year, those numbers were down to 286 complaints and 18 inspections, resulting in four tickets, Hadac said.
He said data showed warning letters generally spurred compliance.
Soon “it will be as socially unacceptable and even unthinkable to smoke in a bar or restaurant as it currently is in a movie theater,” he said in an e-mail.
Katie Lorenz of the American Lung Association in Greater Chicago said she was disappointed that some bars weren’t complying; she added that the secondhand smoke harms employees and non-smoking patrons. “This is a health issue, and it affects every single person who happens to be in the bar,” she said. “What’s in the best interest of everyone is to not inhale those toxic fumes.”
Sabrina Lockett, a veteran restaurant worker with asthma, said she lost a friend to cancer, and he didn’t smoke. She said she regretted that all bars don’t follow the law. “I wished it was passed sooner,” she said, saying the law may have saved her friend’s life.
But some smokers say they’ll support any tavern that gives them sanctuary. Laura Pugh said she contributes $5 a month to Crowbar’s smoking fund, considering it akin to membership fees at a private club. If she couldn’t smoke there, Pugh said she’d probably go to a bar in Indiana.
“I respect Illinois law,” she said. “However, I feel that if an Illinois bar wants to allow smoking, there should never be a problem if it’s willing to abide by the fine.”
Angie Leventis Lourgos is a Tribune reporter; Jackie Bange is a reporter for WGN-TV. eleventis@tribune.com
Family Research Council Spokesman on Hardball: Gay behavior should be outlawed
From The Advocate:
Appearing on Hardball With Chris Matthews Tuesday to discuss the "don't ask, don't tell" debate, Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council said that gay behavior should be outlawed.
By Julie Bolcer
Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council said on Hardball With Chris Matthews Tuesday that the Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court decision that struck down antisodomy laws was wrong and that gay behavior should be outlawed.
Sprigg, a senior fellow for policy studies at the antigay FRC, appeared on the program to debate the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy with Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
As Sprigg mounted an increasingly illogical defense of the policy based on discrimination, Matthews pressed him on the question: "Do you think we should outlaw gay behavior?"
"I think that the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas which overturned the sodomy laws in this country was wrongly decided," said Sprigg. "I think there would be a place for criminal sanctions against homosexual behavior."
"So we should outlaw gay behavior?" asked Matthews again.
Yes,” said Sprigg.
Appearing on Hardball With Chris Matthews Tuesday to discuss the "don't ask, don't tell" debate, Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council said that gay behavior should be outlawed.
By Julie Bolcer
Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council said on Hardball With Chris Matthews Tuesday that the Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court decision that struck down antisodomy laws was wrong and that gay behavior should be outlawed.
Sprigg, a senior fellow for policy studies at the antigay FRC, appeared on the program to debate the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy with Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
As Sprigg mounted an increasingly illogical defense of the policy based on discrimination, Matthews pressed him on the question: "Do you think we should outlaw gay behavior?"
"I think that the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas which overturned the sodomy laws in this country was wrongly decided," said Sprigg. "I think there would be a place for criminal sanctions against homosexual behavior."
"So we should outlaw gay behavior?" asked Matthews again.
Yes,” said Sprigg.
McCain Flip-Flops on Repeal of DADT: He's pissed that no one asked his permission
From the Washington Post By Michael D. Shear:
Wednesday, February 3, 2010; A09
"Three years ago, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was pretty clear about his stand on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
A former war hero, McCain said he would support ending the ban once the military's top brass told him that they agreed with the change.
"The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it," McCain said in October 2006 to an audience of Iowa State University students.
That day arrived Tuesday, with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen testifying to senators after President Obama's announcement that he would seek a congressional repeal of the 15-year-old policy.
Mullen called repealing the policy, which bans openly gay men and lesbians from serving, "the right thing to do" and said he was personally troubled by effectively forcing service members to "lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens."
Gates told the Armed Services Committee, "I fully support the president's decision."
In response, McCain declared himself "disappointed" in the testimony. "At this moment of immense hardship for our armed services, we should not be seeking to overturn the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," he said bluntly, before describing it as "imperfect but effective."
Since losing to Obama in the 2008 election, McCain has become a consistent critic of the president. He also has, for the first time in years, a serious primary fight on his hands.
McCain spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said her boss has not shifted his position.
She noted that Mullen said repeatedly that he was speaking for himself and not for the military, and she dismissed Gates's testimony because he was expressing the Obama administration's line.
"There has to be a determination from our military leaders that they think it is a good idea to change the policy; then, of course, Senator McCain will listen to them."
Wednesday, February 3, 2010; A09
"Three years ago, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was pretty clear about his stand on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
A former war hero, McCain said he would support ending the ban once the military's top brass told him that they agreed with the change.
"The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it," McCain said in October 2006 to an audience of Iowa State University students.
That day arrived Tuesday, with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen testifying to senators after President Obama's announcement that he would seek a congressional repeal of the 15-year-old policy.
Mullen called repealing the policy, which bans openly gay men and lesbians from serving, "the right thing to do" and said he was personally troubled by effectively forcing service members to "lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens."
Gates told the Armed Services Committee, "I fully support the president's decision."
In response, McCain declared himself "disappointed" in the testimony. "At this moment of immense hardship for our armed services, we should not be seeking to overturn the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," he said bluntly, before describing it as "imperfect but effective."
Since losing to Obama in the 2008 election, McCain has become a consistent critic of the president. He also has, for the first time in years, a serious primary fight on his hands.
McCain spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said her boss has not shifted his position.
She noted that Mullen said repeatedly that he was speaking for himself and not for the military, and she dismissed Gates's testimony because he was expressing the Obama administration's line.
"There has to be a determination from our military leaders that they think it is a good idea to change the policy; then, of course, Senator McCain will listen to them."
Colin Powell: Repeal DADT
From The Caucus in the NYT By PETER BAKER:
"Gen. Colin L. Powell, who as the nation’s top military officer in the 1990s opposed allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military, switched gears today and threw his support behind efforts to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law he helped shepherd in.
Gen. Colin L. Powell in December.“In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed,” General Powell said in a statement issued by his office. He added: “I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen.”
Robert M. Gates, the defense secretary, and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers on Tuesday that they supported President Obama’s proposal to repeal the 1993 law forbidding gay men and lesbians to be open about their sexuality while serving in uniform.
Admiral Mullen was the first Joint Chiefs chairman ever to take that position, signaling the evolution in attitudes both inside the military and in the broader society since the debate under President Bill Clinton.
When Mr. Clinton tried to end the ban on gay soldiers, General Powell was the Joint Chiefs chairman and opposed the move on the grounds that it would undermine discipline and order in the military but he supported the “don’t ask” compromise. In his statement on Wednesday, General Powell said “the principal issue has always been the effectiveness of the Armed Forces and order and discipline in the ranks.”
He noted that he had said for the past two years that it was “time for the law to be reviewed,” but his new statement of unequivocal support for the effort by Mr. Gates and Admiral Mullen could be an important factor as the debate moves forward this year.
After retiring from the military, General Powell went on to become an active Republican and joined the cabinet of President George W. Bush as secretary of state. But he bolted from the party and endorsed Mr. Obama in 2008."
"Gen. Colin L. Powell, who as the nation’s top military officer in the 1990s opposed allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military, switched gears today and threw his support behind efforts to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law he helped shepherd in.
Gen. Colin L. Powell in December.“In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed,” General Powell said in a statement issued by his office. He added: “I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen.”
Robert M. Gates, the defense secretary, and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers on Tuesday that they supported President Obama’s proposal to repeal the 1993 law forbidding gay men and lesbians to be open about their sexuality while serving in uniform.
Admiral Mullen was the first Joint Chiefs chairman ever to take that position, signaling the evolution in attitudes both inside the military and in the broader society since the debate under President Bill Clinton.
When Mr. Clinton tried to end the ban on gay soldiers, General Powell was the Joint Chiefs chairman and opposed the move on the grounds that it would undermine discipline and order in the military but he supported the “don’t ask” compromise. In his statement on Wednesday, General Powell said “the principal issue has always been the effectiveness of the Armed Forces and order and discipline in the ranks.”
He noted that he had said for the past two years that it was “time for the law to be reviewed,” but his new statement of unequivocal support for the effort by Mr. Gates and Admiral Mullen could be an important factor as the debate moves forward this year.
After retiring from the military, General Powell went on to become an active Republican and joined the cabinet of President George W. Bush as secretary of state. But he bolted from the party and endorsed Mr. Obama in 2008."
Chairman of Joint Chiefs & Sec. of Defense Say Repeal DADT
From Washington Post By Dana Milbank
Wednesday, February 3, 2010; A02:
"Mike Mullen's 42 years in the military earned him a chest full of ribbons, but never did he do something braver than what he did on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
In a packed committee room, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff looked hostile Republican senators in the eye and told them unwelcome news: He thinks gays should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces he commands.
"Speaking for myself and myself only, it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do," the nation's top military officer told the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me personally, it comes down to integrity -- theirs as individuals and ours as an institution."
People in the audience looked at one another. At the press tables, computer keys started clicking. Reporters consulted the time on their digital recorders.
If opponents prevail in their effort to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bars gays from serving openly in the military, they will doubtless point to those strong words -- until now heresy for a top military officer -- as a turning point. Supporters of the policy evidently grasped that, too, for they turned against the admiral with caustic words.
On the dais, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the Republican Party's 2008 presidential standard-bearer, accused Mullen and the other witness, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, of trying to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law "by fiat." Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) accused the admiral of obeying "directives" from President Obama. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) accused Mullen of "undue command influence."
As the challenges to his integrity continued, Mullen pursed his lips, then put his forearms on the table, displaying the admiral stripes on his sleeves. After Sessions's provocation, the Joint Chiefs chairman glared at the diminutive Alabamian. "This is not about command influence," Mullen said. "This is about leadership, and I take that very seriously."
It made little sense to accuse Mullen of currying favor with the president. Nominated for a first term by George W. Bush, Mullen was renominated by Obama and began his second two-year term in October. Joint Chiefs chairmen traditionally serve only two terms, so the lame-duck Mullen is freer than ever to speak his mind.
That made the admiral's words all the more striking. Just three years ago, Mullen's predecessor as chairman, Gen. Peter Pace, gave a very different view on gays in the military, saying, "We should not condone immoral acts." Challenging that view, held by many top brass, couldn't have been easy. "Admiral Mullen, I want to salute you for the courage of what you said," offered Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), a former Navy secretary and a classmate of Mullen's at the U.S. Naval Academy.
McCain, who once said he would support repeal of the law if top military brass did, instead challenged the candor of Mullen and Gates before they spoke. He held up a letter from retired officers who favor the current law and said they "can speak more frankly" than those still serving. McCain then protested when the committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), announced that senators would have three minutes each to ask questions.
"We need more than three minutes," McCain growled. He turned to Sessions and gave a derisive laugh.
"This schedule was shared with everybody here," Levin pointed out.
"Not with me," McCain retorted.
"It was indeed," Levin maintained.
"You're the chairman," McCain said bitterly.
In the end, three minutes proved more than sufficient. McCain and four Republican colleagues left before the hearing ended, and the other six GOP members of the panel didn't show up at all.
After McCain's performance, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) reminded him, and the rest of the room, about the different view on the topic held by McCain's late political mentor from Arizona. "Barry Goldwater once said, 'You don't have to be straight to shoot straight.' "
The next three Republicans were all Southern white men, and all opposed to Mullen's view. After Sessions and Wicker took their shots at the admiral, it was time for Sen. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.). "In my opinion, the presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would very likely create an unacceptable risk," he said, putting homosexuality in a category with "adultery, fraternization and body art."
Mullen did not bend. He said he knew of no studies indicating that repealing the law would undermine morale. He said he knew of no harm to the British and Canadian militaries from the decision to allow openly gay troops to serve.
"Sort of a fundamental principle with me . . . is everybody counts," he told the senators. "Putting individuals in a position that every single day they wonder whether today's going to be the day" -- that they are kicked out for being gay -- "and devaluing them in that regard is inconsistent with us as an institution."
If they awarded decorations for congressional testimony, Mullen would have himself a Medal of Honor."
Wednesday, February 3, 2010; A02:
"Mike Mullen's 42 years in the military earned him a chest full of ribbons, but never did he do something braver than what he did on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
In a packed committee room, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff looked hostile Republican senators in the eye and told them unwelcome news: He thinks gays should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces he commands.
"Speaking for myself and myself only, it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do," the nation's top military officer told the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me personally, it comes down to integrity -- theirs as individuals and ours as an institution."
People in the audience looked at one another. At the press tables, computer keys started clicking. Reporters consulted the time on their digital recorders.
If opponents prevail in their effort to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bars gays from serving openly in the military, they will doubtless point to those strong words -- until now heresy for a top military officer -- as a turning point. Supporters of the policy evidently grasped that, too, for they turned against the admiral with caustic words.
On the dais, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the Republican Party's 2008 presidential standard-bearer, accused Mullen and the other witness, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, of trying to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law "by fiat." Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) accused the admiral of obeying "directives" from President Obama. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) accused Mullen of "undue command influence."
As the challenges to his integrity continued, Mullen pursed his lips, then put his forearms on the table, displaying the admiral stripes on his sleeves. After Sessions's provocation, the Joint Chiefs chairman glared at the diminutive Alabamian. "This is not about command influence," Mullen said. "This is about leadership, and I take that very seriously."
It made little sense to accuse Mullen of currying favor with the president. Nominated for a first term by George W. Bush, Mullen was renominated by Obama and began his second two-year term in October. Joint Chiefs chairmen traditionally serve only two terms, so the lame-duck Mullen is freer than ever to speak his mind.
That made the admiral's words all the more striking. Just three years ago, Mullen's predecessor as chairman, Gen. Peter Pace, gave a very different view on gays in the military, saying, "We should not condone immoral acts." Challenging that view, held by many top brass, couldn't have been easy. "Admiral Mullen, I want to salute you for the courage of what you said," offered Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), a former Navy secretary and a classmate of Mullen's at the U.S. Naval Academy.
McCain, who once said he would support repeal of the law if top military brass did, instead challenged the candor of Mullen and Gates before they spoke. He held up a letter from retired officers who favor the current law and said they "can speak more frankly" than those still serving. McCain then protested when the committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), announced that senators would have three minutes each to ask questions.
"We need more than three minutes," McCain growled. He turned to Sessions and gave a derisive laugh.
"This schedule was shared with everybody here," Levin pointed out.
"Not with me," McCain retorted.
"It was indeed," Levin maintained.
"You're the chairman," McCain said bitterly.
In the end, three minutes proved more than sufficient. McCain and four Republican colleagues left before the hearing ended, and the other six GOP members of the panel didn't show up at all.
After McCain's performance, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) reminded him, and the rest of the room, about the different view on the topic held by McCain's late political mentor from Arizona. "Barry Goldwater once said, 'You don't have to be straight to shoot straight.' "
The next three Republicans were all Southern white men, and all opposed to Mullen's view. After Sessions and Wicker took their shots at the admiral, it was time for Sen. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.). "In my opinion, the presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would very likely create an unacceptable risk," he said, putting homosexuality in a category with "adultery, fraternization and body art."
Mullen did not bend. He said he knew of no studies indicating that repealing the law would undermine morale. He said he knew of no harm to the British and Canadian militaries from the decision to allow openly gay troops to serve.
"Sort of a fundamental principle with me . . . is everybody counts," he told the senators. "Putting individuals in a position that every single day they wonder whether today's going to be the day" -- that they are kicked out for being gay -- "and devaluing them in that regard is inconsistent with us as an institution."
If they awarded decorations for congressional testimony, Mullen would have himself a Medal of Honor."
Americans drank more in 2009 but drank cheaper liquor
From the State Journal-Register:
"By EMILY FREDRIX
The Associated Press
Posted Feb 02, 2010 @ 11:30 PM
Last update Feb 03, 2010 @ 12:41 AM
Americans’ love affair with top-shelf booze cooled last year as the recession took a toll on high-priced tipples.
A new report by an industry group shows people drank more but turned to cheaper brands. They also drank more at home and less in pricier bars and restaurants.
Industry growth slowed in 2009, with the amount of liquor sold by suppliers up 1.4 percent. That’s the smallest increase since 2001 and below the 10-year average of 2.6 percent.
Last year, the lowest-priced segment, with brands such as Popov vodka that can go for less than $10 for a fifth, grew the fastest, with volume rising 5.5 percent, after edging up 0.6 percent in 2008. Meanwhile, the most expensive price range, roughly $30 or more for a 750 ml bottle (think Grey Goose, owned by Bacardi), fell the most, tumbling 5.1 percent.
Daniel Clausner, executive director of the Illinois Licensed Beverage Association in Springfield, said he’s been getting the same kind of feedback from his membership.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said in its report Tuesday that liquor suppliers reported flat total revenue of $18.7 billion last year.
Kenneth Jolly of Milwaukee has been swapping his favorite, pricier liquors such Patron tequila, for cheaper brands such as Jose Cuervo to stay on top of his budget. For him, it’s simple math.
“If you consume a lot on a regular basis and you have people come to your house, you have to adjust,” said Jolly, a 27-year-old network technician in Milwaukee who buys liquor every other week. “If your body can take it, you might as well buy the cheaper liquor.”
Vodka still No. 1
“Absolutely, they’re trading down,” said a corporate spokesman for the five Friar Tuck beverage stores in central Illinois and suburban St. Louis. He also cited the economy as the likely reason.
Sales in stores — which make up three-quarters of liquor sales — rose about 2.1 percent, while sales in restaurants fell 3 percent.
“People still want to entertain themselves, they still want to get together with family and friends, so a lot of people will move from a restaurant to their living room,” council president Peter Cressy said.
Clausner also links the economy with what’s selling and what’s not.
“With the current state of the economy, folks have less disposable income, therefore the popular-priced brands are seeing more activity,” he said.
The Illinois Licensed Beverage Association represents more than 2,500 retail businesses — mainly independents — selling or serving beverage alcohol. Members include taverns, nightclubs, restaurants, bowling centers, fraternal organizations, hotel and motel lounges, gas stations, convenience stores and package liquor stores.
Clausner thinks top-shelf brands will come back in tandem with improvement in the economy.
“With any upturn in the economy, people tend to treat themselves to some of the nicer things, whether that’s an upgrade on a vehicle, on clothing or to premium brands,” he said.
Vodka remained Americans’ favorite liquor, accounting for almost a third of all spirits sold and sales of $4.56 billion.
Sales volume for the cheapest versions of tequila rose 21 percent, the fastest of any type of spirit. That’s most likely because entertainers are using pre-made margarita mixes to serve at home, said David Ozgo, the council’s chief economist. Plus you can mix it before guests arrive, so they don’t know what brand you use, said Joan Holleran, director of research at research firm Mintel.
‘You want to go out’
Cressy said the fact that people were still drinking more spirits bodes well for the industry, still recovering from a long decline from the 1980s through the mid-’90s, when liquor sales fell by a third as drinkers turned to beer. Since then, an ever-increasing array of expensive liquors have fueled rapid growth.
The industry’s goal is to keep people drinking spirits — no matter the price — and it can then get them to pay for higher-priced drinks when the economy recovers. Most major liquor manufacturers make brands in a variety of price ranges. For example, industry giant Diageo plc, based in London, makes vodka brands ranging from cheap Popov to midpriced Smirnoff to expensive Ketel One and Ciroc.
Mintel’s Holleran expects people to start going out more this year, as they get bored staying home and want to treat themselves to little luxuries — like a night out. “You want to go out and have someone do all the work for you,” Holleran said.
Of course, switching brands isn’t the only way to economize.
Matt McCluskey, a 28-year-old researcher in Santa Monica, Calif., started buying most of his alcohol at Costco, trying to save money by buying bigger bottles. Now he spends $36 for 1.75 liters of Maker’s Mark bourbon, rather than $25 for less than half that at his local liquor store.
“It’s a lot harder to pour. That’s the only drawback,” he said.
Staff writer Chris Dettro contributed to this report.:
"By EMILY FREDRIX
The Associated Press
Posted Feb 02, 2010 @ 11:30 PM
Last update Feb 03, 2010 @ 12:41 AM
Americans’ love affair with top-shelf booze cooled last year as the recession took a toll on high-priced tipples.
A new report by an industry group shows people drank more but turned to cheaper brands. They also drank more at home and less in pricier bars and restaurants.
Industry growth slowed in 2009, with the amount of liquor sold by suppliers up 1.4 percent. That’s the smallest increase since 2001 and below the 10-year average of 2.6 percent.
Last year, the lowest-priced segment, with brands such as Popov vodka that can go for less than $10 for a fifth, grew the fastest, with volume rising 5.5 percent, after edging up 0.6 percent in 2008. Meanwhile, the most expensive price range, roughly $30 or more for a 750 ml bottle (think Grey Goose, owned by Bacardi), fell the most, tumbling 5.1 percent.
Daniel Clausner, executive director of the Illinois Licensed Beverage Association in Springfield, said he’s been getting the same kind of feedback from his membership.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said in its report Tuesday that liquor suppliers reported flat total revenue of $18.7 billion last year.
Kenneth Jolly of Milwaukee has been swapping his favorite, pricier liquors such Patron tequila, for cheaper brands such as Jose Cuervo to stay on top of his budget. For him, it’s simple math.
“If you consume a lot on a regular basis and you have people come to your house, you have to adjust,” said Jolly, a 27-year-old network technician in Milwaukee who buys liquor every other week. “If your body can take it, you might as well buy the cheaper liquor.”
Vodka still No. 1
“Absolutely, they’re trading down,” said a corporate spokesman for the five Friar Tuck beverage stores in central Illinois and suburban St. Louis. He also cited the economy as the likely reason.
Sales in stores — which make up three-quarters of liquor sales — rose about 2.1 percent, while sales in restaurants fell 3 percent.
“People still want to entertain themselves, they still want to get together with family and friends, so a lot of people will move from a restaurant to their living room,” council president Peter Cressy said.
Clausner also links the economy with what’s selling and what’s not.
“With the current state of the economy, folks have less disposable income, therefore the popular-priced brands are seeing more activity,” he said.
The Illinois Licensed Beverage Association represents more than 2,500 retail businesses — mainly independents — selling or serving beverage alcohol. Members include taverns, nightclubs, restaurants, bowling centers, fraternal organizations, hotel and motel lounges, gas stations, convenience stores and package liquor stores.
Clausner thinks top-shelf brands will come back in tandem with improvement in the economy.
“With any upturn in the economy, people tend to treat themselves to some of the nicer things, whether that’s an upgrade on a vehicle, on clothing or to premium brands,” he said.
Vodka remained Americans’ favorite liquor, accounting for almost a third of all spirits sold and sales of $4.56 billion.
Sales volume for the cheapest versions of tequila rose 21 percent, the fastest of any type of spirit. That’s most likely because entertainers are using pre-made margarita mixes to serve at home, said David Ozgo, the council’s chief economist. Plus you can mix it before guests arrive, so they don’t know what brand you use, said Joan Holleran, director of research at research firm Mintel.
‘You want to go out’
Cressy said the fact that people were still drinking more spirits bodes well for the industry, still recovering from a long decline from the 1980s through the mid-’90s, when liquor sales fell by a third as drinkers turned to beer. Since then, an ever-increasing array of expensive liquors have fueled rapid growth.
The industry’s goal is to keep people drinking spirits — no matter the price — and it can then get them to pay for higher-priced drinks when the economy recovers. Most major liquor manufacturers make brands in a variety of price ranges. For example, industry giant Diageo plc, based in London, makes vodka brands ranging from cheap Popov to midpriced Smirnoff to expensive Ketel One and Ciroc.
Mintel’s Holleran expects people to start going out more this year, as they get bored staying home and want to treat themselves to little luxuries — like a night out. “You want to go out and have someone do all the work for you,” Holleran said.
Of course, switching brands isn’t the only way to economize.
Matt McCluskey, a 28-year-old researcher in Santa Monica, Calif., started buying most of his alcohol at Costco, trying to save money by buying bigger bottles. Now he spends $36 for 1.75 liters of Maker’s Mark bourbon, rather than $25 for less than half that at his local liquor store.
“It’s a lot harder to pour. That’s the only drawback,” he said.
Staff writer Chris Dettro contributed to this report.:
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
A Personal Note & An Apology
Our closure in 2007 left many of our friends in shock. Up until the day we closed, we were struggling to try to keep the doors open. It all happened so fast that we never had the opportunity to thank all of our friends or to say goodbye. After we closed, we continued our efforts to raise cash and develop a plan to reopen while feeling the shame and embarassment that goes with coming to terms with our failures. Being the man who closed Faces was not a burden I would wish on anyone. While we continued to recieve emails of encouragement, the hate mail made more of a lasting impression. I don't think anyone can really understand how hard it is to lose a business until you have actually experienced it yourself. We weren't the first gay bar to close and many more famous clubs have followed us but we never thought it would happen to Faces.
Many of our friends and loyal customers attempted to contact us to offer their support. Whether because of humiliation or despair, we didn't keep in touch with those friends and loyal customers and for that, we would like to apologize. We let you down and it was hard to face you again.
Again, to those of you that I let down, I apologize. To those who have been supportive, I want to say thank you.
Many of our friends and loyal customers attempted to contact us to offer their support. Whether because of humiliation or despair, we didn't keep in touch with those friends and loyal customers and for that, we would like to apologize. We let you down and it was hard to face you again.
Again, to those of you that I let down, I apologize. To those who have been supportive, I want to say thank you.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Remembering...Chris Thompson, Petrina Marie, Travis, Harry, & Jim
Four years ago in January 2006, the Faces on Fourth Street family lost bartender Chris Thompson, then in February 2006, we lost Petrina Marie. In May 2006 we lost Travis. Chris started as a regular customer, then joined us first as a cabaret waiter, then as a bartender with a big following of great customers. Chris was always there to pitch in...the night before he passed away, he helped decorate the bar for a theme party. Travis was an adorable go-go boy, dear friend and behind the scenes assistant to our cabaret showcast.
Petrina Marie was one of the funniest, most talented female impersonators that I have ever seen. Behind the scenes, he was a talented seamstress, responsible for creating dozens of show stopping dresses for St. Louis's drag community. He collected music, accumulating an extensive collection of "drag music" long before the Internet made collecting easy. Petrina was one of the few people I know who could always make me laugh.
Shortly after we were forced to close in 2007, former Faces owner and afternoon basement bartender Harry Davis passed away. Harry's partner Jim followed him and passed away in 2008. Harry and Jim put their hearts and souls (and their life savings) into Faces...they helped original owner Jerry Edwards create Faces, then took over day to day operations. Jerry assumed control of the business 17 years ago and we purchased the business from Jerry a few months later. Jerry Edwards passed away several years ago. After we purchased the business, Harry came back to help.
We miss Chris, Petrina, Travis, Harry, Jim, and Jerry. They will always be in our heart.
Petrina Marie was one of the funniest, most talented female impersonators that I have ever seen. Behind the scenes, he was a talented seamstress, responsible for creating dozens of show stopping dresses for St. Louis's drag community. He collected music, accumulating an extensive collection of "drag music" long before the Internet made collecting easy. Petrina was one of the few people I know who could always make me laugh.
Shortly after we were forced to close in 2007, former Faces owner and afternoon basement bartender Harry Davis passed away. Harry's partner Jim followed him and passed away in 2008. Harry and Jim put their hearts and souls (and their life savings) into Faces...they helped original owner Jerry Edwards create Faces, then took over day to day operations. Jerry assumed control of the business 17 years ago and we purchased the business from Jerry a few months later. Jerry Edwards passed away several years ago. After we purchased the business, Harry came back to help.
We miss Chris, Petrina, Travis, Harry, Jim, and Jerry. They will always be in our heart.
Former Faces Tenant Sentenced Following Guilty Plea
We finally closed an unfortunate and sad chapter in Faces history last week. Following our closure, we worked on a plan to get the bar reopened. We were approached by a nightclub operator in St. Louis with an offer that turned out to be too good to be true. This club operator, Robert Williams, offered to put in the sweat equity and money necessary to get the bar reopened, then he would lease the space from us. We hoped to host private seasonal Faces parties in the space while Williams hosted his Club TV One party concept. We knew nothing about his past nor could we afford to hire anyone to do background checks. We were broke, we went with our gut, and we were wrong. After months of promises and some but not a lot of improvements to the building, Williams was arrested, the bar was raided, and adding insult to injury, our equipment was taken by the US Attorney. Our tenant's former landlord claimed that his equipment was in our building. The judge and US Attorney (a Republican appointment) actually allowed this person, named Bradley, to enter our building under the supervision of federal law enforcement, and basically go shopping. Bradley was allowed to take the equipment from our building that we owned. We attempted to communicate with the US Attorney and he did not seem to either understand or care that he had stolen our equipment. He advised our attorney that we needed to work that out with Bradley's attorney, that he (the US Attorney) was "washing his hands of the whole thing". Bradley's attorney claimed that all the equipment that he took was actually his, even though we had inventories, serial numbers, and in some cases video and photo proof that the equipment was ours. This was how it stayed for nearly 9 months, until October when Williams plead guilty to the charges filed against him. This made no sense to us...Williams was charged with stealing the equipment that actually belonged to us, we had proof that the equipment was not stolen and actually belonged to us, yet the US Attorney went ahead with charges and obtained a guilty plea. From what we can figure out, the US Attorney had enough evidence concerning drugs and Williams parole violations that he used this to force a guilty plea to save his own reputation...it would have looked pretty stupid and unprofessional if the media learned that this big case was based on false testimony (claims that the property was stolen were false, thus the search warrant that was issued to raid the bar was illegal, thus the evidence obtained in the raid was tainted).
The story made for great television...apparently the US Attorney or the FBI alerted the media as we all saw the news video of men with guns and bullet proof vests going in and out of the bar and men carrying our equipment out...it went along with the stories about alleged corruption in East St. Louis..but it wasn't true.
We are left without our equipment and more legal bills. It appears that in general, attorneys are afraid to call attention to themselves by challenging the actions of the US Attorney and Federal law enforcement even when those actions can be proven wrong and unjust. The media got the story wrong and never bothered to contact us or even William's attorney, and furthered the whole "East St. Louis is full of criminals" storyline that they like to push.
Williams is in jail, as many of you may know from the short little stories in the RFT, the Post, and the Belleville News-Democrat last week. We don't have our equipment nor is the building ready to reopen. More damage was done while our tenant occupied the building, including damage to our main floor AC unit from copper thieves....the main floor unit, the largest (and most expensive) was the only one not damaged from our first copper thieves...now that one is inoperable too.
We may have someone new to do the work and invest the money necessary to save the building. We're sorry we don't have something more positive to report about a possible future for Faces and we thank you for continuing to follow our story.
The story made for great television...apparently the US Attorney or the FBI alerted the media as we all saw the news video of men with guns and bullet proof vests going in and out of the bar and men carrying our equipment out...it went along with the stories about alleged corruption in East St. Louis..but it wasn't true.
We are left without our equipment and more legal bills. It appears that in general, attorneys are afraid to call attention to themselves by challenging the actions of the US Attorney and Federal law enforcement even when those actions can be proven wrong and unjust. The media got the story wrong and never bothered to contact us or even William's attorney, and furthered the whole "East St. Louis is full of criminals" storyline that they like to push.
Williams is in jail, as many of you may know from the short little stories in the RFT, the Post, and the Belleville News-Democrat last week. We don't have our equipment nor is the building ready to reopen. More damage was done while our tenant occupied the building, including damage to our main floor AC unit from copper thieves....the main floor unit, the largest (and most expensive) was the only one not damaged from our first copper thieves...now that one is inoperable too.
We may have someone new to do the work and invest the money necessary to save the building. We're sorry we don't have something more positive to report about a possible future for Faces and we thank you for continuing to follow our story.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
ThinkProgress.org - Majority of Americans Support Repeal of DADT
From thinkprogress.org on January 15, 2009 -"Today, the New York Times reported that the Pentagon is “stepping up internal discussions on how gay men and lesbians might be able to serve openly in the armed services” in anticipation that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) will be repealed. A small group — put together by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen to prepare for congressional hearings — recently met on the issue:
A one-page memorandum drafted by staff members as a discussion point for the meeting said that the chiefs could adopt the view that “now is not the time” because of the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and that the military would be better off delaying the start of the repeal process until 2011.
The same memorandum, according to a military official who has seen it, also said that “every indicator of opinion over the past 16 years shows movement toward nondiscrimination based on orientation” and that “in time the law will change.”
Indeed, recent polling confirms this indicator. ThinkProgress obtained results from a November poll on DADT conducted by Democracy Corps that shows likely voters support ending the ban on gay men and women serving openly in the military by a 55 to 35 percent margin:
Pollsters Stan Greenberg and David Walker note that they “intentionally phrased this question using the most conservative language possible to avoid any suggestion of bias”; other surveys have shown even higher levels of support for repealing DADT. More from the results of likely voters:
– 53 percent of self-ascribed Republicans oppose lifting the ban. 71 percent of Democrats favor repeal, as do 58 percent of Independents.
– Only 11 percent believe that DADT makes the military stronger. 61 percent believe it makes no difference either way.
– 63 percent believe that a repeal of DADT should be implemented across the military all at the same time, rather than branch by branch.
– Catholic voters approve of repealing the ban in even higher numbers than the general public, with 64 percent in support and 29 percent in opposition.
In today’s White House press briefing, spokesman Robert Gibbs responded to today’s New York Times story, saying, “[T]here have been discussions in the Pentagon — they will continue. We don’t have — I don’t yet have a time line out of those discussions. But I know they do continue.” In November, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said that a DADT repeal would “likely be included as part of next year’s Department of Defense authorization bill in both chambers of Congress.” However, in a C-SPAN interview set to air Sunday, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO), who played a “major role” in crafting DADT, said that he opposes repealing the law."
A one-page memorandum drafted by staff members as a discussion point for the meeting said that the chiefs could adopt the view that “now is not the time” because of the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and that the military would be better off delaying the start of the repeal process until 2011.
The same memorandum, according to a military official who has seen it, also said that “every indicator of opinion over the past 16 years shows movement toward nondiscrimination based on orientation” and that “in time the law will change.”
Indeed, recent polling confirms this indicator. ThinkProgress obtained results from a November poll on DADT conducted by Democracy Corps that shows likely voters support ending the ban on gay men and women serving openly in the military by a 55 to 35 percent margin:
Pollsters Stan Greenberg and David Walker note that they “intentionally phrased this question using the most conservative language possible to avoid any suggestion of bias”; other surveys have shown even higher levels of support for repealing DADT. More from the results of likely voters:
– 53 percent of self-ascribed Republicans oppose lifting the ban. 71 percent of Democrats favor repeal, as do 58 percent of Independents.
– Only 11 percent believe that DADT makes the military stronger. 61 percent believe it makes no difference either way.
– 63 percent believe that a repeal of DADT should be implemented across the military all at the same time, rather than branch by branch.
– Catholic voters approve of repealing the ban in even higher numbers than the general public, with 64 percent in support and 29 percent in opposition.
In today’s White House press briefing, spokesman Robert Gibbs responded to today’s New York Times story, saying, “[T]here have been discussions in the Pentagon — they will continue. We don’t have — I don’t yet have a time line out of those discussions. But I know they do continue.” In November, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said that a DADT repeal would “likely be included as part of next year’s Department of Defense authorization bill in both chambers of Congress.” However, in a C-SPAN interview set to air Sunday, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO), who played a “major role” in crafting DADT, said that he opposes repealing the law."
ThinkProgress.org - DOJ Intervenes in Gay Teen Discrimination Case
From thinkprogress.org on January 15, 2010: " Yesterday, for the first time in a decade, the Justice Department intervened in a gay rights suit. In August, an openly gay 14-year-old student named Jacob — with the help of the ACLU — sued the Mohawk Central School District in upstate New York because officials “did not appropriately respond to relentless harassment, physical abuse and threats of violence” that Jacob received because of his sexual orientation. NPR reported on some of the harassment to which Jacob alleges he was subjected:
Long before Jacob came out of the closet at age 14, he was harassed for being effeminate. According to court papers, kids threw food at him and told him to get a sex change. One student pulled out a knife and threatened to string Jacob up the flagpole. A teacher allegedly told Jacob to “hate himself every day until he changed.”
One day, Jacob came home from school limping. That evening, he called his father from a party and said he had sprained his ankle at the party.
Sullivan described taking his son to the hospital: “It was a really bad sprain. They put a cast on it, gave him crutches. And shortly after that, I found out that it didn’t happen at the party. It happened at the school, because somebody had pushed him down the stairs.”
Over two years, Sullivan went to his son’s school three or four times a week to talk with the principal. According to court papers, officials did nothing.
The Justice Department is citing Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — which protects people against gender discrimination — in its Motion to Intervene. However, the Obama administration is relying on a “broad reading” of Title IX, arguing that “the law also covers discrimination based on gender stereotypes.” In the Motion, the Justice Department argues that the Mohawk District officials also violated the Equal Protection Clause. On Jan. 7, the Assistant Attorney General authorized the federal government’s invention “by certifying that this is a case of general public importance.” Conservative lawyers are arguing against the Obama administration’s approach, saying that it is “making up a legal violation where there hasn’t been one.”
Under Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, the Justice Department has had a dramatically different focus than it did during President Bush’s terms. While the Bush Justice Department was focused on installing political cronies, going after mythical voter fraud cases, and the suppression of minority voters while looking out for the voter disenfranchisement of whites. The Obama Justice Department, by contrast, recently announced that it would also start aggressively going after “banks and mortgage brokers suspected of discriminating against minority applicants in lending.”
Long before Jacob came out of the closet at age 14, he was harassed for being effeminate. According to court papers, kids threw food at him and told him to get a sex change. One student pulled out a knife and threatened to string Jacob up the flagpole. A teacher allegedly told Jacob to “hate himself every day until he changed.”
One day, Jacob came home from school limping. That evening, he called his father from a party and said he had sprained his ankle at the party.
Sullivan described taking his son to the hospital: “It was a really bad sprain. They put a cast on it, gave him crutches. And shortly after that, I found out that it didn’t happen at the party. It happened at the school, because somebody had pushed him down the stairs.”
Over two years, Sullivan went to his son’s school three or four times a week to talk with the principal. According to court papers, officials did nothing.
The Justice Department is citing Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — which protects people against gender discrimination — in its Motion to Intervene. However, the Obama administration is relying on a “broad reading” of Title IX, arguing that “the law also covers discrimination based on gender stereotypes.” In the Motion, the Justice Department argues that the Mohawk District officials also violated the Equal Protection Clause. On Jan. 7, the Assistant Attorney General authorized the federal government’s invention “by certifying that this is a case of general public importance.” Conservative lawyers are arguing against the Obama administration’s approach, saying that it is “making up a legal violation where there hasn’t been one.”
Under Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, the Justice Department has had a dramatically different focus than it did during President Bush’s terms. While the Bush Justice Department was focused on installing political cronies, going after mythical voter fraud cases, and the suppression of minority voters while looking out for the voter disenfranchisement of whites. The Obama Justice Department, by contrast, recently announced that it would also start aggressively going after “banks and mortgage brokers suspected of discriminating against minority applicants in lending.”
Monday, January 11, 2010
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Landmark Pittsburgh Gay Bar - Pegaus Closes
"As Pegasus owner Scott Noxon prepares to close this Downtown landmark gay bar on Dec. 6, his fondest memories still seem to be from the time he was just a customer. In 1984, Noxon came out -- in both senses -- for the first time to Pegasus, just four years after it opened.
After work, he recalls, you could see political figures "and the heads of the largest corporations in suits meeting here.
"Nobody discussed who they saw here," he adds, sitting in a back office whose walls are still covered with signed souvenirs from American Idol contestants, adult-film stars, drag performers and Gov. Ed Rendell. "It's always been known as a safe place."
The entrance to the Liberty Avenue bar, marked only by a red Pegasus figure, leads down a set of steep stairs. But once you reach the bottom, the entire bar is visible: the alcohol-free section on the right, for the club's college-age patrons; the dance floor in the middle; and the main bar on the left, marked by a large crescent-moon statue with puckered red lips.
Expenses are "too high here, especially for a basement," Noxon says in explaining the bar's demise. Five years ago, he bought it from original owner David Morrow, who died earlier this year. Noxon also owns the North Side's Eagle, another fixture in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community here. The Eagle was closed temporarily over the summer.
"It was always a cause," he says of Pegasus's spot in local gay history. "But from what I see, we don't need it any more. We asked for acceptance. We got it." Numerous other bars and clubs in town welcome a gay clientele, he points out, and "The Internet has taken a bunch of our customers" as well. Still, the decision to close "was tough -- Rodney and I shed some tears over it."
Manager Rodney DeCecchis, the bar's longest employee at 15 years, isn't so sure places like Pegasus have become obsolete. "It's been a great place for youth" to come out and to meet other LGBT people, he says. "Seeing this place, hearing about it, has helped a lot of people," he adds.
"It was my first gay bar, from when I came out -- 1993," says Shawn Collins, who has been a DJ here since 2001. "When people from out of town think of a gay bar in Pittsburgh, they all know Pegasus. It's always everybody's first bar."
Pegasus has also been the first choice of local nonprofits trying to reach young LGBT people to promote a cause.
"Every new organization that would spring up would come to the bars and say, 'Would you donate to this? Would you donate to that?'" says Jim Fischerkeller, who began volunteering with Downtown's Gay and Lesbian Community Center in the 1970s, when it was just a phone line in someone's home, and was its chairperson from 2000 through 2005. "In the early days, I felt that the bar owners made a lot of money off of our community, and I thought they ought to give back. They certainly did." Pegasus in particular, he says, "had many shows [that] were fundraisers for different gay and lesbian organizations."
Most crucially, the Pitt Men's Study began its investigation into the causes and effects of AIDS in 1984 by recruiting male subjects from local gay bars, including Pegasus.
"Along with the other bars, it was a key player in getting AIDS research going in the city," says Anthony Silvestre, who was hired that year to head the recruitment effort and is today co-investigator of the study. "Maybe more important, it had a key role in education" about AIDS here before local officials got involved, he adds. "It was also at Pegasus that the first organizing committee was formed for the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force" in 1985. He calls it the movement's "Independence Hall."
Today, Lyndsey Sickler uses Pegasus to offer oral HIV testing, free condoms and safe-sex advice to 18- to 25-year-olds as part of the LGBT organization Persad's Youth Empowerment Project. She's been at the bar twice a month since 1997. "Pegasus has been a staple venue for outreach services," she says. Noxon and DeCecchis, as well as original owner Morrow, "have always been willing to help out nonprofits, and the drag community."
"Any time we lose a site where kids gather, it's a loss to the program," says Persad head Betty Hill.
Pegasus' closing is a loss to Pittsburgh too, says Pittsburgh Cultural Trust spokesperson Veronica Corpuz. "They were a great asset in the Cultural District," she says.
Noxon and DeCecchis didn't always feel entirely welcome, they say. The Trust bought their building in 2003, replacing the street-level Condom World and an adult bookstore with Space art gallery. They also made Pegasus remove its large red-and-black Pegasus sign, which had hung over the sidewalk for years.
"Our sign at one point was quite famous," says DeCecchis. "We get 20, 30 phone calls a night: 'We can't find you. What happened to your sign?'"
"This has been tough to run a business without any way to advertise that you're here," adds Noxon. The Cultural Trust "said they wanted to sterilize -- I think they said sanitize -- the area" from its seamier days. (Corpuz says she doesn't know the history of the sign's removal.) Today, Space's smaller sign hangs from Pegasus's former signpost. "And [Space pays] no rent," Noxon says. "That was sort of a slap in the face to me."
Mostly, though, the good memories are all around them -- like the old sign, which now hangs in the bar.
"There's three giant Rubbermaid containers of shows and contests we had here, on VHS tapes," Noxon says. "It'd be awesome if we could find Christina Aguilera on one of them." Barroom legend has it that the pop star performed at Pegasus before her 1999 breakout album, though details are hard to substantiate.
Noxon plans to bring down the sign for The Staircase Lounge -- the place's name before Pegasus -- and display it inside during the bar's last week. He marvels at the gay celebrities who joined the crowd or performed here through the years, such as drag icon Divine, made famous in John Waters' movies.
"We had Rufus Wainwright here as a customer" after a 2008 concert, recalls DeCecchis. "It was fabulous."
"I don't think there'll be another bar like it," says doorman Terry Price, whose longevity at Pegasus rivals that of DeCecchis. "It always had a good cruising pattern" -- especially because the entire floorplan is visible the moment customers descend the stairs.
"It was like going to Hell," he says affectionately. "We were all having fun in Hell."
URL for this story: http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.wshttp://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A72371"
After work, he recalls, you could see political figures "and the heads of the largest corporations in suits meeting here.
"Nobody discussed who they saw here," he adds, sitting in a back office whose walls are still covered with signed souvenirs from American Idol contestants, adult-film stars, drag performers and Gov. Ed Rendell. "It's always been known as a safe place."
The entrance to the Liberty Avenue bar, marked only by a red Pegasus figure, leads down a set of steep stairs. But once you reach the bottom, the entire bar is visible: the alcohol-free section on the right, for the club's college-age patrons; the dance floor in the middle; and the main bar on the left, marked by a large crescent-moon statue with puckered red lips.
Expenses are "too high here, especially for a basement," Noxon says in explaining the bar's demise. Five years ago, he bought it from original owner David Morrow, who died earlier this year. Noxon also owns the North Side's Eagle, another fixture in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community here. The Eagle was closed temporarily over the summer.
"It was always a cause," he says of Pegasus's spot in local gay history. "But from what I see, we don't need it any more. We asked for acceptance. We got it." Numerous other bars and clubs in town welcome a gay clientele, he points out, and "The Internet has taken a bunch of our customers" as well. Still, the decision to close "was tough -- Rodney and I shed some tears over it."
Manager Rodney DeCecchis, the bar's longest employee at 15 years, isn't so sure places like Pegasus have become obsolete. "It's been a great place for youth" to come out and to meet other LGBT people, he says. "Seeing this place, hearing about it, has helped a lot of people," he adds.
"It was my first gay bar, from when I came out -- 1993," says Shawn Collins, who has been a DJ here since 2001. "When people from out of town think of a gay bar in Pittsburgh, they all know Pegasus. It's always everybody's first bar."
Pegasus has also been the first choice of local nonprofits trying to reach young LGBT people to promote a cause.
"Every new organization that would spring up would come to the bars and say, 'Would you donate to this? Would you donate to that?'" says Jim Fischerkeller, who began volunteering with Downtown's Gay and Lesbian Community Center in the 1970s, when it was just a phone line in someone's home, and was its chairperson from 2000 through 2005. "In the early days, I felt that the bar owners made a lot of money off of our community, and I thought they ought to give back. They certainly did." Pegasus in particular, he says, "had many shows [that] were fundraisers for different gay and lesbian organizations."
Most crucially, the Pitt Men's Study began its investigation into the causes and effects of AIDS in 1984 by recruiting male subjects from local gay bars, including Pegasus.
"Along with the other bars, it was a key player in getting AIDS research going in the city," says Anthony Silvestre, who was hired that year to head the recruitment effort and is today co-investigator of the study. "Maybe more important, it had a key role in education" about AIDS here before local officials got involved, he adds. "It was also at Pegasus that the first organizing committee was formed for the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force" in 1985. He calls it the movement's "Independence Hall."
Today, Lyndsey Sickler uses Pegasus to offer oral HIV testing, free condoms and safe-sex advice to 18- to 25-year-olds as part of the LGBT organization Persad's Youth Empowerment Project. She's been at the bar twice a month since 1997. "Pegasus has been a staple venue for outreach services," she says. Noxon and DeCecchis, as well as original owner Morrow, "have always been willing to help out nonprofits, and the drag community."
"Any time we lose a site where kids gather, it's a loss to the program," says Persad head Betty Hill.
Pegasus' closing is a loss to Pittsburgh too, says Pittsburgh Cultural Trust spokesperson Veronica Corpuz. "They were a great asset in the Cultural District," she says.
Noxon and DeCecchis didn't always feel entirely welcome, they say. The Trust bought their building in 2003, replacing the street-level Condom World and an adult bookstore with Space art gallery. They also made Pegasus remove its large red-and-black Pegasus sign, which had hung over the sidewalk for years.
"Our sign at one point was quite famous," says DeCecchis. "We get 20, 30 phone calls a night: 'We can't find you. What happened to your sign?'"
"This has been tough to run a business without any way to advertise that you're here," adds Noxon. The Cultural Trust "said they wanted to sterilize -- I think they said sanitize -- the area" from its seamier days. (Corpuz says she doesn't know the history of the sign's removal.) Today, Space's smaller sign hangs from Pegasus's former signpost. "And [Space pays] no rent," Noxon says. "That was sort of a slap in the face to me."
Mostly, though, the good memories are all around them -- like the old sign, which now hangs in the bar.
"There's three giant Rubbermaid containers of shows and contests we had here, on VHS tapes," Noxon says. "It'd be awesome if we could find Christina Aguilera on one of them." Barroom legend has it that the pop star performed at Pegasus before her 1999 breakout album, though details are hard to substantiate.
Noxon plans to bring down the sign for The Staircase Lounge -- the place's name before Pegasus -- and display it inside during the bar's last week. He marvels at the gay celebrities who joined the crowd or performed here through the years, such as drag icon Divine, made famous in John Waters' movies.
"We had Rufus Wainwright here as a customer" after a 2008 concert, recalls DeCecchis. "It was fabulous."
"I don't think there'll be another bar like it," says doorman Terry Price, whose longevity at Pegasus rivals that of DeCecchis. "It always had a good cruising pattern" -- especially because the entire floorplan is visible the moment customers descend the stairs.
"It was like going to Hell," he says affectionately. "We were all having fun in Hell."
URL for this story: http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.wshttp://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A72371"
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Hanky Code for iphones
From Towleroad.com: "Twenty years after Keith Haring wrote in his journal that AIDS had marked the end of street pick-ups and seven years after Manhunt began, cruising is making a comeback in New York. A new breed of young gays I spoke to last week say they’re learning about the look-back, the stop, the double-look back, and the approach all over again. On the heels of this news comes word that the hanky code, the popular 70’s phenomenon where gay men placed one or more colored handkerchiefs in their left or right back pockets to indicate sexual preference, has been having a resurgence on the West Coast. Now Jonathan Leach and Karl Burkart, two entrepreneurs from California, have created an application for your iPhone that creates a virtual hanky that you can stick in your back pocket. I spoke to Jonathan last week to find out if this is the next wave in technological gay sex advancements, or a step in the wrong direction.
BUTT: How did you first get interested in the Hanky Code?
Jonathan: When I moved to Atlanta in 2004 there was a gay bay there called Fierce. I knew the owners and we had this fantastic group of friends that would go there Thursday and Friday nights. We got together and decided we were going to take back the hanky code. So we made posters with a graph of the hanky code explaining what all the colors meant and bought a ton of hankies and handed them out. The idea was that you would grab a person and mix and match your hankies and have fun. We ended up having hanky code night almost every Thursday for quite a while. They were just a lot of fun.
And this led to you creating the iPhone application?
Yeah, I tend to keep the bar flyers and also any posters and everything from the Hanky Code nights. One day I was taking a shower and I got out of the shower and I was looking at the wall and I saw the hanky code poster and I had just bought the iPhone. And I thought ‘I wonder if there’s any app for the hanky code?’ I went into my bedroom typed hanky code into the iTunes search and it showed up that there wasn’t a hanky code app. So I started thinking that maybe it was something I wanted to develop. I got together with my friend Karl and we spent the weekend just planning it out.
How does it work? Is it like Grindr?
Not really. Suppose you were at a bar and you saw someone with a real hanky in their back pocket, you could just pull up the app real quick, click on the color and it would give you the meaning. The app also will light up your screen with a picture of whatever hanky you are so the iPhone actually becomes the hanky. If you’re at a coffee shop or a restaurant somewhere and you’re working on your computer you can have your iPhone to the left or to the right of your computer or your coffee and guys walk by and the notice it and they’re like ‘hmm.’
How many different options/ colors are there in the Hanky Code?
The color options are limitless and go into things ranging from car keys to doilies. To start with the first version though, we selected about thirty or so of our favorite colors to get people use to it.
Can you explain a little bit of the history of the hanky code?
Oh it has a rich history. The hanky code began in the mid-to-late nineteenth century with male miners and cowboys in San Francisco who, because of a shortage of women to dance with, were forced to dance with other men, and so they used hankies in their back pocket to say that they would dance the male or female role in these square dances. Then it got picked up by gay men again in the 70’s and re-appropriated as a secret sex code. It was a way of putting yourself out there but in a safe category so that that straight people and police and the people that would be out to harm you wouldn’t understand it. It was a very important step in coming out of the closet.
So why bring it back now? Doesn’t having a secret code when people are coming out at more rapid rates kind of go backwards a little?
I think gay culture is going back into the closet, but more of a digital closet. With an app like this, people see the phone to the left or the right of you, they see your face, you know they understand the color or they can look it up. You’re not back in that digital closet. You’re not on Manhunt or somewhere looking at profiles in the privacy of your home. You’re out and you’re seen.
But with the hanky code, it seems to narrow down what sexual options are out there, and place walls in between different types of sexual fetishes. How will people who have multiple fetishes and desires be able to use the Hanky Code?
I don’t see it as categorizing preference at all. The hanky code offers the freedom of adding anything you can stuff into your pocket or tie around your neck to establish a preference. In the case of wanting to look for more than one thing, stuff your pockets as full as you want and advertise.. I think that most gay men can narrow it down to a few things in a pinch, and if they need more.. I guess they will just have to find jeans with a lot of back pockets.
Do you have any memorable hanky experiences of your own to share with us?
Oh yes, my favorite story about wearing hankies happened a few months after I moved to San Francisco. It was late on Sunday when I was gathering my clothes so that I could take them to the laundry mat. Before I left I noticed a pile of hankies in the corner of the closet that needed to be washed. I arrived at the laundromat, started doing my laundry, and noticed a guy across from me playing an arcade game and made eye contact. This continued well into the drying cycle and had progressed to the level of repositioning our cocks in order to offer small previews of size and length. By the time the buzzer on the dryer rang, we had already had our first conversation and were well into a foxy game of touch and stroke. Time was against me though as his laundry was finished and I still had to fold and pack mine up. Knowing this, he kindly offered to help and drive me home so that I did not have to brave the climb back up my street.
Opening the dryer, hankys of several colors and meanings flopped out and his eyes lit up. He asked which hanky was my favorite. I answered in all honesty that the brown lace worn right would be my choice. He asked what it meant. I answered ‘uncut if worn left’, ‘likes uncut if worn right’. He told me he could help me out with that given that he was Brazilian. Next thing I remember was opening the door to my apartment and showing him the way to my bedroom where I proceeded to check out his claim and indeed he pulled out one of the finest uncut specimens of the male penis I had ever seen. We romped for quite a while and as I walked him out I noticed it had just turned 1:30 a.m. and my laundry had still not been completed..
The Hanky Code iPhone app is available on Itunes, or at HankyCode.net.
Interview by Adam Baran"
BUTT: How did you first get interested in the Hanky Code?
Jonathan: When I moved to Atlanta in 2004 there was a gay bay there called Fierce. I knew the owners and we had this fantastic group of friends that would go there Thursday and Friday nights. We got together and decided we were going to take back the hanky code. So we made posters with a graph of the hanky code explaining what all the colors meant and bought a ton of hankies and handed them out. The idea was that you would grab a person and mix and match your hankies and have fun. We ended up having hanky code night almost every Thursday for quite a while. They were just a lot of fun.
And this led to you creating the iPhone application?
Yeah, I tend to keep the bar flyers and also any posters and everything from the Hanky Code nights. One day I was taking a shower and I got out of the shower and I was looking at the wall and I saw the hanky code poster and I had just bought the iPhone. And I thought ‘I wonder if there’s any app for the hanky code?’ I went into my bedroom typed hanky code into the iTunes search and it showed up that there wasn’t a hanky code app. So I started thinking that maybe it was something I wanted to develop. I got together with my friend Karl and we spent the weekend just planning it out.
How does it work? Is it like Grindr?
Not really. Suppose you were at a bar and you saw someone with a real hanky in their back pocket, you could just pull up the app real quick, click on the color and it would give you the meaning. The app also will light up your screen with a picture of whatever hanky you are so the iPhone actually becomes the hanky. If you’re at a coffee shop or a restaurant somewhere and you’re working on your computer you can have your iPhone to the left or to the right of your computer or your coffee and guys walk by and the notice it and they’re like ‘hmm.’
How many different options/ colors are there in the Hanky Code?
The color options are limitless and go into things ranging from car keys to doilies. To start with the first version though, we selected about thirty or so of our favorite colors to get people use to it.
Can you explain a little bit of the history of the hanky code?
Oh it has a rich history. The hanky code began in the mid-to-late nineteenth century with male miners and cowboys in San Francisco who, because of a shortage of women to dance with, were forced to dance with other men, and so they used hankies in their back pocket to say that they would dance the male or female role in these square dances. Then it got picked up by gay men again in the 70’s and re-appropriated as a secret sex code. It was a way of putting yourself out there but in a safe category so that that straight people and police and the people that would be out to harm you wouldn’t understand it. It was a very important step in coming out of the closet.
So why bring it back now? Doesn’t having a secret code when people are coming out at more rapid rates kind of go backwards a little?
I think gay culture is going back into the closet, but more of a digital closet. With an app like this, people see the phone to the left or the right of you, they see your face, you know they understand the color or they can look it up. You’re not back in that digital closet. You’re not on Manhunt or somewhere looking at profiles in the privacy of your home. You’re out and you’re seen.
But with the hanky code, it seems to narrow down what sexual options are out there, and place walls in between different types of sexual fetishes. How will people who have multiple fetishes and desires be able to use the Hanky Code?
I don’t see it as categorizing preference at all. The hanky code offers the freedom of adding anything you can stuff into your pocket or tie around your neck to establish a preference. In the case of wanting to look for more than one thing, stuff your pockets as full as you want and advertise.. I think that most gay men can narrow it down to a few things in a pinch, and if they need more.. I guess they will just have to find jeans with a lot of back pockets.
Do you have any memorable hanky experiences of your own to share with us?
Oh yes, my favorite story about wearing hankies happened a few months after I moved to San Francisco. It was late on Sunday when I was gathering my clothes so that I could take them to the laundry mat. Before I left I noticed a pile of hankies in the corner of the closet that needed to be washed. I arrived at the laundromat, started doing my laundry, and noticed a guy across from me playing an arcade game and made eye contact. This continued well into the drying cycle and had progressed to the level of repositioning our cocks in order to offer small previews of size and length. By the time the buzzer on the dryer rang, we had already had our first conversation and were well into a foxy game of touch and stroke. Time was against me though as his laundry was finished and I still had to fold and pack mine up. Knowing this, he kindly offered to help and drive me home so that I did not have to brave the climb back up my street.
Opening the dryer, hankys of several colors and meanings flopped out and his eyes lit up. He asked which hanky was my favorite. I answered in all honesty that the brown lace worn right would be my choice. He asked what it meant. I answered ‘uncut if worn left’, ‘likes uncut if worn right’. He told me he could help me out with that given that he was Brazilian. Next thing I remember was opening the door to my apartment and showing him the way to my bedroom where I proceeded to check out his claim and indeed he pulled out one of the finest uncut specimens of the male penis I had ever seen. We romped for quite a while and as I walked him out I noticed it had just turned 1:30 a.m. and my laundry had still not been completed..
The Hanky Code iPhone app is available on Itunes, or at HankyCode.net.
Interview by Adam Baran"
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Chase Park Plaza Hotel Falls Behind in Rent
From STLtoday.com: "The downtown Renaissance isn’t the only St. Louis hotel that’s struggling financially. The majority owner of the Chase Park Plaza disclosed today that the operator of that landmark hotel is $5 million behind on its rent.
The disclosure comes in a conference call script attached to a quarterly financial filing for Behringer Harvard Opportunity REIT I, which is based in Addison, Texas. The real estate investment trust bought majority ownership of the Chase Park Plaza in 2006. In the script, chief accounting officer Bryan Sinclair says:
We lease the Chase Park Plaza hotel and its operations to our five percent partner in the investment, and due to the challenges faced by the hospitality industry, this partner has been unable to meet its full lease obligation to us. Accordingly, in the third quarter, we recognized a five million-dollar reserve for the unpaid rent balance. In addition, we reserved five million dollars for straight-line rent adjustments due to requirements — under GAAP — that rents are to be recorded evenly over the entire term of the lease.
The company has previously been optimistic about the part of the Chase Park Plaza that’s being converted to condominiums. In today’s filing, chief operating officer Sam Gillespie says the REIT expects to use $25 million in tax credits to “significantly reduce” a $108 million loan against the property."
The disclosure comes in a conference call script attached to a quarterly financial filing for Behringer Harvard Opportunity REIT I, which is based in Addison, Texas. The real estate investment trust bought majority ownership of the Chase Park Plaza in 2006. In the script, chief accounting officer Bryan Sinclair says:
We lease the Chase Park Plaza hotel and its operations to our five percent partner in the investment, and due to the challenges faced by the hospitality industry, this partner has been unable to meet its full lease obligation to us. Accordingly, in the third quarter, we recognized a five million-dollar reserve for the unpaid rent balance. In addition, we reserved five million dollars for straight-line rent adjustments due to requirements — under GAAP — that rents are to be recorded evenly over the entire term of the lease.
The company has previously been optimistic about the part of the Chase Park Plaza that’s being converted to condominiums. In today’s filing, chief operating officer Sam Gillespie says the REIT expects to use $25 million in tax credits to “significantly reduce” a $108 million loan against the property."
Atlanta Eagle Bar Patrons Sue Police Over Raid
From Towleroad.com: "On behalf of 19 individuals forcibly searched and detained by Atlanta police on September 10 at the Atlanta Eagle gay bar, Lambda Legal is suing the City, the Chief of Police, and 48 officers, the group said in a press release:
"Dan Grossman, co–counsel in the case, has been working with victims of the raid since that night. "I’ve listened to dozens of stories from patrons who were mistreated by police at the Atlanta Eagle that night," said Grossman. 'The Atlanta Police Department is not above the law. They do not get to search and detain people who are not suspected of any crime.' On September 10, the Atlanta Police Department dispatched about twenty to thirty officers to the Atlanta Eagle, including its 'Red Dog Unit' dressed in SWAT team gear, but inside the bar the APD found no public sex, no drugs, or illegal weapons. During the raid, patrons of the bar were forced to lie facedown on the floor while background checks were run on everyone. Eagle bar patrons heard antigay slurs; were forced to lay in spilled beer and broken glass; and one was forced to lie on the floor even though he had injured his back in the Iraq War. Not a single patron was charged with any crime."
Said Supervising Senior Staff Attorney Greg Nevins: "The illegal activity going on in the Atlanta Eagle that night was committed by the APD. If it is APD procedure for elderly men and wounded veterans to be thrown to the floor and harassed simply for being in a bar having a drink after work, then the APD should change its procedures."
"Dan Grossman, co–counsel in the case, has been working with victims of the raid since that night. "I’ve listened to dozens of stories from patrons who were mistreated by police at the Atlanta Eagle that night," said Grossman. 'The Atlanta Police Department is not above the law. They do not get to search and detain people who are not suspected of any crime.' On September 10, the Atlanta Police Department dispatched about twenty to thirty officers to the Atlanta Eagle, including its 'Red Dog Unit' dressed in SWAT team gear, but inside the bar the APD found no public sex, no drugs, or illegal weapons. During the raid, patrons of the bar were forced to lie facedown on the floor while background checks were run on everyone. Eagle bar patrons heard antigay slurs; were forced to lay in spilled beer and broken glass; and one was forced to lie on the floor even though he had injured his back in the Iraq War. Not a single patron was charged with any crime."
Said Supervising Senior Staff Attorney Greg Nevins: "The illegal activity going on in the Atlanta Eagle that night was committed by the APD. If it is APD procedure for elderly men and wounded veterans to be thrown to the floor and harassed simply for being in a bar having a drink after work, then the APD should change its procedures."
Monday, November 16, 2009
Maine's Oldest Gay Bar Closes
October 10, 2009 from Mainetoday.com:
"LEWISTON -- As a gay teenager and young adult, Michael Martin had few places to turn to in Lewiston.
Sure, there were support groups and other organizations for young gay people, but they offered just once-a-week or once-a-month meetings. Not real camaraderie. Not community.
However, the Sportsman's Athletic Club did.
"When I was 15, I would hang out in front of the bar, which wasn't a good thing to do," said Martin, now 36 and manager of the place. "But it was the only spot. The only spot. And once I did turn 21, I was welcomed with open arms. They made you feel comfortable about yourself."
For more than 30 years, the gay bar on Bates Street has been an important part of life for many in the gay community. It was a place where they could find friends, dance with a same-sex partner without worry, be themselves. Outside the bar they might be harassed, bullied, told they were going to hell. At Sportsman's they were accepted.
And because of Sportsman's, the wider community started to accept them as well.
"I think it paved the way," Martin said.
But all of that will end tonight. Sportsman's, the longest running gay bar in the state, according to the former owner, is closing.
"We're calling it the curtain call," Martin said. "The end of an era to a legendary bar."
When Sportsman's opened on Lincoln Street in 1958 it was originally geared toward straight people. Roland Blais turned it into a gay bar when he bought it in the mid-1970s.
"They needed something gay up here," he said. "It was in demand. If something's in demand, you go for it for business. There's no place for gays to go. That way they can go to the gay bar and be themselves."
He moved the bar to Canal Street, then Bates Street. Over the years the bar became known for its mix of people -- both gay and straight -- and for both its cozy atmosphere and vibrant dance music.
"It's always been pretty much a homey type bar, very comfortable setting," Martin said. "But it can become very crazy, too. Usually after 9 o'clock at night when the younger crowd comes out and they want to dance and party. That's when things pick up and get loud."
But even early on, Sportsman's was more than just a place to grab a quiet drink or party to re-mixed pop music. The bar represented a community whose members, led by Blais, helped raise money for AIDS, took canoe trips, played volleyball and climbed Tumbledown mountain. In the early 1990s, Blais helped fight for equal rights for homosexuals in the city.
"This is America. This is supposed to be equal," Blais said.
In more recent years, bar patrons have traveled en masse to gay pride parades.
About four years ago Blais sold the bar to Marc Mason, who also owns the Acme Social Club in Lewiston. Blais had run Sportsman's for about 30 years. It was time, he said, to retire.
"I was burned out. I'm 71 years old. I'm not young anymore," he said.
Martin has managed the bar for the last four years. He said business has dropped over the years, that the economy has affected Sportsman's. The business has been sold. He believes the building is slated to be torn down.
Mason could not be reached for comment Friday.
The bar's closing was at first kept quiet. Martin said he wasn't comfortable with that, so he recently began telling patrons.
"These people have been dedicated to this place much too long to be shut out to the truth," Martin said. "I said 'No, enough's enough.' I think it's time they know so they can prepare themselves."
Martin expects a large crowd for the last night tonight, including a few patrons who started coming when Blais opened the place as a gay bar -- and are still regulars.
"I call them our ancients, and we treat them like gold," Martin said.
The bar will open at 6 p.m., an hour early, to accommodate the crowd. A New York DJ, who worked at the club in the 1980s, will perform that night. The bar will also host various performers, including its popular drag queens.
The bar will close at 1 a.m.
"It's going to be emotional," Martin said.
Martin believes homosexuals are more accepted now than they used to be -- and he credits Sportsman's for some of that -- but he also believes there's still a need for a place where young gay people can gather.
"One thing I've noticed, when one club closes another club usually opens. I can't say for fact that one will, but I'm hoping and praying for their sake," he said. "
"LEWISTON -- As a gay teenager and young adult, Michael Martin had few places to turn to in Lewiston.
Sure, there were support groups and other organizations for young gay people, but they offered just once-a-week or once-a-month meetings. Not real camaraderie. Not community.
However, the Sportsman's Athletic Club did.
"When I was 15, I would hang out in front of the bar, which wasn't a good thing to do," said Martin, now 36 and manager of the place. "But it was the only spot. The only spot. And once I did turn 21, I was welcomed with open arms. They made you feel comfortable about yourself."
For more than 30 years, the gay bar on Bates Street has been an important part of life for many in the gay community. It was a place where they could find friends, dance with a same-sex partner without worry, be themselves. Outside the bar they might be harassed, bullied, told they were going to hell. At Sportsman's they were accepted.
And because of Sportsman's, the wider community started to accept them as well.
"I think it paved the way," Martin said.
But all of that will end tonight. Sportsman's, the longest running gay bar in the state, according to the former owner, is closing.
"We're calling it the curtain call," Martin said. "The end of an era to a legendary bar."
When Sportsman's opened on Lincoln Street in 1958 it was originally geared toward straight people. Roland Blais turned it into a gay bar when he bought it in the mid-1970s.
"They needed something gay up here," he said. "It was in demand. If something's in demand, you go for it for business. There's no place for gays to go. That way they can go to the gay bar and be themselves."
He moved the bar to Canal Street, then Bates Street. Over the years the bar became known for its mix of people -- both gay and straight -- and for both its cozy atmosphere and vibrant dance music.
"It's always been pretty much a homey type bar, very comfortable setting," Martin said. "But it can become very crazy, too. Usually after 9 o'clock at night when the younger crowd comes out and they want to dance and party. That's when things pick up and get loud."
But even early on, Sportsman's was more than just a place to grab a quiet drink or party to re-mixed pop music. The bar represented a community whose members, led by Blais, helped raise money for AIDS, took canoe trips, played volleyball and climbed Tumbledown mountain. In the early 1990s, Blais helped fight for equal rights for homosexuals in the city.
"This is America. This is supposed to be equal," Blais said.
In more recent years, bar patrons have traveled en masse to gay pride parades.
About four years ago Blais sold the bar to Marc Mason, who also owns the Acme Social Club in Lewiston. Blais had run Sportsman's for about 30 years. It was time, he said, to retire.
"I was burned out. I'm 71 years old. I'm not young anymore," he said.
Martin has managed the bar for the last four years. He said business has dropped over the years, that the economy has affected Sportsman's. The business has been sold. He believes the building is slated to be torn down.
Mason could not be reached for comment Friday.
The bar's closing was at first kept quiet. Martin said he wasn't comfortable with that, so he recently began telling patrons.
"These people have been dedicated to this place much too long to be shut out to the truth," Martin said. "I said 'No, enough's enough.' I think it's time they know so they can prepare themselves."
Martin expects a large crowd for the last night tonight, including a few patrons who started coming when Blais opened the place as a gay bar -- and are still regulars.
"I call them our ancients, and we treat them like gold," Martin said.
The bar will open at 6 p.m., an hour early, to accommodate the crowd. A New York DJ, who worked at the club in the 1980s, will perform that night. The bar will also host various performers, including its popular drag queens.
The bar will close at 1 a.m.
"It's going to be emotional," Martin said.
Martin believes homosexuals are more accepted now than they used to be -- and he credits Sportsman's for some of that -- but he also believes there's still a need for a place where young gay people can gather.
"One thing I've noticed, when one club closes another club usually opens. I can't say for fact that one will, but I'm hoping and praying for their sake," he said. "
Montreal's Oldest Gay Bar Closes
From Xta.ca:
"After 37 years, Montreal's oldest gay bar will be closing its doors for the final time. Though the bar, and its upstairs neighbour, the Stanley Pub, have been up for sale for over a year, Mystique manager Steven Wells confirms a deal is close to being finalized and that the new owners have "no plans to keep Le Mystique open."
And for many who know Le Mystique's place in Montreal's queer history, this is indeed sad news. "Obviously, we are greatly saddened by this," says Wells, "and not just for staff. Many of our regulars are disheartened to know the place won't be around."
Le Mystique is the last gay outpost west of Montreal's east-end gay Village, situated on Stanley Street in a discreet spot halfway between McGill campus and Concordia's downtown campus. Though there were recent efforts to get more students in to drum up more business, Wells concedes these are tough times for gay drinking holes. "A lot of younger people meet online now. Since Mystique's heyday in the '70s, we've had the AIDS crisis, which took a lot of patrons, we've had the Village move east, and we've had the smoking ban. These things haven't helped us. In May, Loto-Quebec also took out our three lotto machines, and that's hurt us too."
Despite its rather drab décor — it seems like a very run-of-the-mill basement pub — Quebec's gay historians say Mystique is hallowed ground, a crucial spot in the city's queer evolution. Ross Higgins, co-founder of the Quebec Gay Archives, points to Mystique's spot in a key moment of social change for Montreal's queer citizens. In the wee hours of Oct 21, 1977, police raided several of the gay bars on Stanley, including Truxx and Le Mystique. The police used ludicrously heavy-handed tactics, arriving with guns drawn, arresting 146 gay men on spurious charges. It is now thought that, beyond homophobia (which obviously played a part), it was part of the municipal government's plan to continue to harass the city's gay milieu and the businesses that served them, effectively pushing them away from the downtown core and further east. Since most of the arrests happened at Truxx, the night has since become known as the Truxx Raids.
The police action prompted a potent counter-reaction, however. It inadvertently helped to galvanize the gay community. Gay men who previously had felt no political connection to being gay began speaking out and protesting. By the very next night, over 2,000 gay men and allies blocked the corner of Ste-Catherine and Stanley, effectively paralyzing the downtown core. This drew huge amounts of media attention and put the issues of human rights front and centre. Many said they felt that a majority of straight people supported their cause, and that enough was enough in terms of police harassment.
By the following December, the effects could be felt. Quebec's national assembly, then in the hands of the PQ, approved Bill 88, which added sexual orientation to Quebec's charter of human rights as an illegal basis for discrimination. This made Quebec the first place in North America to have such protection (and it would be quite some time before another province would follow suit). It also led to one of Montreal's first Pride Parades, in 1979.
Since its glory days, Le Mystique has gotten occasional notices in the press, not all of them welcome. Some patrons expressed their dissatisfaction after reading a 1996 Montreal Mirror cover story on Montreal's "strangest bars." Le Mystique was listed, and was likened to the scene captured in William Friedkin's landmark 1970 film The Boys in the Band, which depicted a group of pre-Stonewall gay men who were unhappy, self-hating and often addicted. Not such a flattering analogy, the regulars said at the time.
Wells says it's too bad this historic spot could no longer make a go of it. "Right now we're just waiting to find out precisely what the timeline is for closing the doors. We just hope they give us enough notice that we can have a big closing party. Our patrons deserve that. And so does the spirit of Le Mystique. There's something really incredible about having a drink with friends in a bar that's a piece of history."
"After 37 years, Montreal's oldest gay bar will be closing its doors for the final time. Though the bar, and its upstairs neighbour, the Stanley Pub, have been up for sale for over a year, Mystique manager Steven Wells confirms a deal is close to being finalized and that the new owners have "no plans to keep Le Mystique open."
And for many who know Le Mystique's place in Montreal's queer history, this is indeed sad news. "Obviously, we are greatly saddened by this," says Wells, "and not just for staff. Many of our regulars are disheartened to know the place won't be around."
Le Mystique is the last gay outpost west of Montreal's east-end gay Village, situated on Stanley Street in a discreet spot halfway between McGill campus and Concordia's downtown campus. Though there were recent efforts to get more students in to drum up more business, Wells concedes these are tough times for gay drinking holes. "A lot of younger people meet online now. Since Mystique's heyday in the '70s, we've had the AIDS crisis, which took a lot of patrons, we've had the Village move east, and we've had the smoking ban. These things haven't helped us. In May, Loto-Quebec also took out our three lotto machines, and that's hurt us too."
Despite its rather drab décor — it seems like a very run-of-the-mill basement pub — Quebec's gay historians say Mystique is hallowed ground, a crucial spot in the city's queer evolution. Ross Higgins, co-founder of the Quebec Gay Archives, points to Mystique's spot in a key moment of social change for Montreal's queer citizens. In the wee hours of Oct 21, 1977, police raided several of the gay bars on Stanley, including Truxx and Le Mystique. The police used ludicrously heavy-handed tactics, arriving with guns drawn, arresting 146 gay men on spurious charges. It is now thought that, beyond homophobia (which obviously played a part), it was part of the municipal government's plan to continue to harass the city's gay milieu and the businesses that served them, effectively pushing them away from the downtown core and further east. Since most of the arrests happened at Truxx, the night has since become known as the Truxx Raids.
The police action prompted a potent counter-reaction, however. It inadvertently helped to galvanize the gay community. Gay men who previously had felt no political connection to being gay began speaking out and protesting. By the very next night, over 2,000 gay men and allies blocked the corner of Ste-Catherine and Stanley, effectively paralyzing the downtown core. This drew huge amounts of media attention and put the issues of human rights front and centre. Many said they felt that a majority of straight people supported their cause, and that enough was enough in terms of police harassment.
By the following December, the effects could be felt. Quebec's national assembly, then in the hands of the PQ, approved Bill 88, which added sexual orientation to Quebec's charter of human rights as an illegal basis for discrimination. This made Quebec the first place in North America to have such protection (and it would be quite some time before another province would follow suit). It also led to one of Montreal's first Pride Parades, in 1979.
Since its glory days, Le Mystique has gotten occasional notices in the press, not all of them welcome. Some patrons expressed their dissatisfaction after reading a 1996 Montreal Mirror cover story on Montreal's "strangest bars." Le Mystique was listed, and was likened to the scene captured in William Friedkin's landmark 1970 film The Boys in the Band, which depicted a group of pre-Stonewall gay men who were unhappy, self-hating and often addicted. Not such a flattering analogy, the regulars said at the time.
Wells says it's too bad this historic spot could no longer make a go of it. "Right now we're just waiting to find out precisely what the timeline is for closing the doors. We just hope they give us enough notice that we can have a big closing party. Our patrons deserve that. And so does the spirit of Le Mystique. There's something really incredible about having a drink with friends in a bar that's a piece of history."
NPR: Gay Bars Facing a New Reality
From NPR Marketplace April 25, 2008:
"2TEXT OF STORY
KAI RYSSDAL: At this point in the recession, or slowdown, or whatever you want to call it, you're probably familiar with the term "business cycle." Business and businesses have life cycles just like everything else. Demand creates new opportunities, and then when that demand dries up businesses die.
Every year, Fortune Magazine releases a list of 10 businesses it thinks are facing extinction. Some of this year's casualties? Record stores, crop dusting and telemarketing. Oh, and gay bars, too. That one caught our eye because gay business in general is booming.
Stacey Vanek Smith has more.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STACEY VANEK-SMITH: It's a busy weekend night at a gay bar in Los Angeles. . .
Actor Jason Dottley says gay bars don't just cater to a gay clientele anymore. The scene has become a lot more mixed.
Jason Dottley: It's an indication of open-mindedness. I think it's a sign of progress.
But that progress has a left some older gay bars sounding like this . . . [sound of ocean waves crashing].
The Boom Boom Room opened in Laguna Beach in 1947. It used to be a favorite hangout of Rock Hudson's. But today the windows of the white, art-deco facade are papered over.
Fred Karger started coming here in 1973.
Fred Karger: It's a magical place. It had a little, kind of loungey bar, and it had pool tables. They'd have this wonderful cabaret show on Wednesday nights.
The new owner plans to tear down the Boom Boom Room and build a luxury hotel.
Gay bars all over the country have met similar fates: New York's Roxy, The Avalon in Boston, The Pendulum in San Francisco. But here's the weird thing: Gay business is booming. Gay spending power in the U.S. is worth an estimated $750 billion.
So why are gay bars having so much trouble? Marketing expert Jerry McHugh says part of it is generational.
Jerry McHugh: Generation X people and Generation Y people are less concerned about gay-exclusive socialization, and they're more interested in a more-diverse environment.
McHugh says for gay boomers, bars used to function like community centers.
McHugh: When I came out it was the early 90s, and it was really helpful to go to these places.
Boston Globe writer Robert David Sullivan says a few years ago he noticed the number of gay bars in Boston had been cut in half. He says it was strange because they had been such a cornerstone of the gay social scene.
Robert David Sullivan: It was sort of structured that you could meet people that way, and you could say things and not censor yourself.
Sullivan says today young, gay men and women use the Internet, not bars, to meet people. And the older generation has graduated from late-night bar hopping to a mellow meal out.
Of course, a lot of gay bars aren't disappearing, they're just becoming more mixed. Take The Abbey in West Hollywood. It's an institution on L.A.'s gay scene. But on a weekday afternoon, there are as many straight neighborhood families as there are single gay men. Owner David Cooley says the gay-bar business model worked 10 years ago, but not anymore.
David Cooley: If you would say to me, "David, let's open up a gay bar." I wouldn't be investing.
Cooley is investing in gay-friendly bars. He's opening an Abbey in Chicago and plans to expand to other cities. He says all of the spots will be mixed -- that's where the future is.
Cooley: Once in a while, I'll get a customer say: "The Abbey's becoming so straight." And my response is: "Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that what we've been working for all these years?"
Bar owners George Butler and Randall Lambright disagree. They own the Savoy Orlando and Paradise Orlando in Florida. Butler says a mixed scene might work in places like New York and San Francisco, but in most of the country, the need for gay bars still exists.
GEORGE BUTLER: I don't think we're quite at the point where the gay clientele is comfortable sitting in a chain restaurant or bar where they can still hold hands or kiss.
Co-owner Randall Lambright says many of the older gay bars have closed because they just don't meet the high standards of gay customers anymore.
Randall Lambright: I can remember when gay bars were basically back-alley -- dark and not very inviting. And I think the clubs that are around are definitely more upscale.
Lambright says if the quality's there, the market for gay bars is still strong. He says the demand for exclusively gay spots hasn't gone away, it's just evolved.
In Los Angeles, I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith for Marketplace"
008: "
"2TEXT OF STORY
KAI RYSSDAL: At this point in the recession, or slowdown, or whatever you want to call it, you're probably familiar with the term "business cycle." Business and businesses have life cycles just like everything else. Demand creates new opportunities, and then when that demand dries up businesses die.
Every year, Fortune Magazine releases a list of 10 businesses it thinks are facing extinction. Some of this year's casualties? Record stores, crop dusting and telemarketing. Oh, and gay bars, too. That one caught our eye because gay business in general is booming.
Stacey Vanek Smith has more.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STACEY VANEK-SMITH: It's a busy weekend night at a gay bar in Los Angeles. . .
Actor Jason Dottley says gay bars don't just cater to a gay clientele anymore. The scene has become a lot more mixed.
Jason Dottley: It's an indication of open-mindedness. I think it's a sign of progress.
But that progress has a left some older gay bars sounding like this . . . [sound of ocean waves crashing].
The Boom Boom Room opened in Laguna Beach in 1947. It used to be a favorite hangout of Rock Hudson's. But today the windows of the white, art-deco facade are papered over.
Fred Karger started coming here in 1973.
Fred Karger: It's a magical place. It had a little, kind of loungey bar, and it had pool tables. They'd have this wonderful cabaret show on Wednesday nights.
The new owner plans to tear down the Boom Boom Room and build a luxury hotel.
Gay bars all over the country have met similar fates: New York's Roxy, The Avalon in Boston, The Pendulum in San Francisco. But here's the weird thing: Gay business is booming. Gay spending power in the U.S. is worth an estimated $750 billion.
So why are gay bars having so much trouble? Marketing expert Jerry McHugh says part of it is generational.
Jerry McHugh: Generation X people and Generation Y people are less concerned about gay-exclusive socialization, and they're more interested in a more-diverse environment.
McHugh says for gay boomers, bars used to function like community centers.
McHugh: When I came out it was the early 90s, and it was really helpful to go to these places.
Boston Globe writer Robert David Sullivan says a few years ago he noticed the number of gay bars in Boston had been cut in half. He says it was strange because they had been such a cornerstone of the gay social scene.
Robert David Sullivan: It was sort of structured that you could meet people that way, and you could say things and not censor yourself.
Sullivan says today young, gay men and women use the Internet, not bars, to meet people. And the older generation has graduated from late-night bar hopping to a mellow meal out.
Of course, a lot of gay bars aren't disappearing, they're just becoming more mixed. Take The Abbey in West Hollywood. It's an institution on L.A.'s gay scene. But on a weekday afternoon, there are as many straight neighborhood families as there are single gay men. Owner David Cooley says the gay-bar business model worked 10 years ago, but not anymore.
David Cooley: If you would say to me, "David, let's open up a gay bar." I wouldn't be investing.
Cooley is investing in gay-friendly bars. He's opening an Abbey in Chicago and plans to expand to other cities. He says all of the spots will be mixed -- that's where the future is.
Cooley: Once in a while, I'll get a customer say: "The Abbey's becoming so straight." And my response is: "Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that what we've been working for all these years?"
Bar owners George Butler and Randall Lambright disagree. They own the Savoy Orlando and Paradise Orlando in Florida. Butler says a mixed scene might work in places like New York and San Francisco, but in most of the country, the need for gay bars still exists.
GEORGE BUTLER: I don't think we're quite at the point where the gay clientele is comfortable sitting in a chain restaurant or bar where they can still hold hands or kiss.
Co-owner Randall Lambright says many of the older gay bars have closed because they just don't meet the high standards of gay customers anymore.
Randall Lambright: I can remember when gay bars were basically back-alley -- dark and not very inviting. And I think the clubs that are around are definitely more upscale.
Lambright says if the quality's there, the market for gay bars is still strong. He says the demand for exclusively gay spots hasn't gone away, it's just evolved.
In Los Angeles, I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith for Marketplace"
008: "
Gay Bars Facing Losses, Attract Straight Customers
From Alaska on adn.com:
"By JULIA O'MALLEY
jomalley@adn.com
(03/21/09 00:02:01)
In Mad Myrna's drag dressing room, where a J-Lo song wound out among the wigs and gowns on a recent Friday evening, Isanoel Pinson leaned into the mirror, pursed his lips a little and smeared foundation on his forehead.
Pinson, who is in his 40s, started performing drag just after he emigrated to Anchorage from the Philippines in the early '80s. His first haunt was an old bar called the Jade Room. These days the crowds that come to his shows couldn't be more different than they were back then.
"Oh. My. God," he said, applying a ribbon of glue to a false eyelash. "Before is all like gay, gay, gay. Now would you believe? Our audience is all straight people. Couples!"
Myrna's has been home to a drag show for a decade, and straight people have long been part of the audience. But on some Friday nights lately, gay patrons have thinned dramatically, replaced by military couples, bachelorette parties and curious young professionals. It's part of a national trend.
From San Francisco to Pittsburgh, Boston to Nashville, gay bars are closing their doors and shuttering drag shows, citing lack of patrons.
There are plenty of theories why clientele is changing at Myrna's. People are making connections on the Internet. Growing social acceptance means there are few establishments were gays don't feel comfortable. Simply put, the need for gay bars is fading.
"I have this feeling now that it's like 'mission accomplished,' " said Mike Richardson, board president of the Imperial Court of All Alaska, one of the state's oldest gay organizations.
"We really don't need safety in numbers."
Myrna's had to get creative to attract new customers to fill in where the old ones used to be, said manager Jeff "Myrna" Wood. Over the last few years, that has meant retooling the drag show to appeal to a wider audience. And now the venerable gay bar depends at least in part on the dollars of straight customers to keep its doors open.
As Wood likes to say, gay or straight, "everybody's money is green."
QUEEN OF QUEENS
The clock ticks toward 9 p.m., Paige Langit arrives in the dressing room with her mother, Donna Langit, carrying bags of costumes.
Langit is 28. Lounge singer and comedienne, she's the sexy, bossy, busty co-host of the show. She's also a registered Republican with a boyfriend. She stands in front of the mirror in a pink bra, teasing her hair and caking on purple eye shadow. A queen named Mariquita squeezes in next to her, pawing through a make-up bag.
Langit is the face of the new scene. The drag show, once the exclusive domain of gay men and transgender women, has morphed into a variety show -- kinky and freaky -- with something for everyone, from burlesque to torch singing, along with a diverse stable of queens.
A singer and actress since her teens, Langit started performing at Myrna's in her early 20s after one of the drag queens saw her sing karaoke. She had a couple of gay friends in high school but had no experience with drag.
"I didn't know anything about the transgender community," she said, but enjoyed the personalities she encountered at the bar. "It was like, 'Oh great -- a group of people who like to perform.' "
Drag is mainly about exaggerated femininity, Langit says. Once she has her hair and make-up and magenta high-heels on, she feels a bit like a drag queen too.
People in the audience wonder if she's a lesbian or if she's a "real" woman. All that ambiguity is part of what makes the show interesting, she says.
SOLDIERS IN THE AUDIENCE
Lights dimmed, cocktails flowing and tables full, music pounds out of the speakers in Myrna's show hall. Scott "Daphne DoAll LaChores" Koeller, the other drag show co-host, is dressed in a red Sarah Palin-esque suit, enormous ratty blonde wig and matronly glasses. He takes the stage, warming the audience with a monologue full of double-entendre one-liners.
Then Langit makes her entrance, sashaying into the spotlight in a tight pink top and white leggings, bubble gun in hand. An old cross-dresser and a young lady-- a drag version of Regis and Kelly -- their witty, bawdy banter serves as the backbone for the show, bridging generations and sexuality.
Koeller makes a joke referencing a decades old commercial. Langit tilts her head to the side, her face blank.
"I'll YouTube it," she says.
Soon an old-time burlesque dancer in a bustier and ruffled panties weaves through the audience starting her act. Then comes the lithe, shirtless male go-go dancer. Then the Karaoke crooner in a brown v-neck sweater. The room is full of whistles and belly laughs. There's a soldier in dress uniform and his wife in the front row.
Today's audience is usually couples or single women, Wood said.
"The girls want to go see the drag queens," he said. "Women are more tolerant than guys are."
"You can always tell the straight people," says Koeller, "because they're the ones who come on time."
Iesha Jones, 32, who is not gay, has become a regular at Myrna's. She started coming years ago because she had a friend in the show. She likes that the bar doesn't have a "meat market" feel, she said.
"It's like OK, I'm here for the show," she said. "I know I'm not going to get hit on by guys."
The straight men are almost always with women. In general men who come alone are "highly questionable" as a dating prospect, she said. Though it's not entirely impossible to meet someone.
"Occasionally you get a lot of soldiers. I did meet a guy who just got back from Iraq."
Members of the older generation might raise an eyebrow that she's spending time at a gay bar, she said. But people her age don't think it's strange and most of her friends would be comfortable joining her. There are a number of bars in Anchorage with an integrated gay-straight social scene, she said.
THE NEW SHOW
Backstage not everyone is happy. But then they wouldn't be drag queens without a little drama. Pinson, affixing a 3-foot-wide Afro wig, clicks his tongue, looking at the clock. The new acts take forever. He complains in Tagalog to Joebie Fernandez, a diminutive, smooth-skinned queen, who's sorting through a tackle box of earrings. There are eye rolls all around.
The class of drag queens once at the center of the show are aging -- most are at least 40 -- and like a fading order of nuns whose convents are closing, fewer among the younger generation are stepping into their size 13 pumps.
Some worry drag has become so mainstream, it may have lost its edge, so the younger generation isn't as interested. And, with fewer bars, there's fewer places for new queens to learn the craft.
That's what makes Trevor "Ashley" Council unique. At 24, he's the youngest of the queens by at least 10 years. On his hands and knees, he's pulling shoes out of a suitcase, naming each style as he examines them: "French Whore. French Whore. Hooker Shoe."
"I'm a boy during the day and girl on Friday nights and for special events," he says.
He stands in front of the mirror in a black dress, fluffs his wig and flashes a set of perfect white teeth. He's doesn't know what gay bars used to be like but likes the way they are now.
"I think the people who go there are the kind who are straight and more accepting of gay people," he said. "It's nice to be around those kind of people."
Out on the main floor, bass from the speakers vibrates the drinks on the bar. Pinson waits off stage for her Gloria Gaynor number. Fernandez, in a leather bikini and dangling earrings, steps out to face the audience, opening a huge set of gold lamé wings into a whirl of lights.
And at least for now, the show goes on."
"By JULIA O'MALLEY
jomalley@adn.com
(03/21/09 00:02:01)
In Mad Myrna's drag dressing room, where a J-Lo song wound out among the wigs and gowns on a recent Friday evening, Isanoel Pinson leaned into the mirror, pursed his lips a little and smeared foundation on his forehead.
Pinson, who is in his 40s, started performing drag just after he emigrated to Anchorage from the Philippines in the early '80s. His first haunt was an old bar called the Jade Room. These days the crowds that come to his shows couldn't be more different than they were back then.
"Oh. My. God," he said, applying a ribbon of glue to a false eyelash. "Before is all like gay, gay, gay. Now would you believe? Our audience is all straight people. Couples!"
Myrna's has been home to a drag show for a decade, and straight people have long been part of the audience. But on some Friday nights lately, gay patrons have thinned dramatically, replaced by military couples, bachelorette parties and curious young professionals. It's part of a national trend.
From San Francisco to Pittsburgh, Boston to Nashville, gay bars are closing their doors and shuttering drag shows, citing lack of patrons.
There are plenty of theories why clientele is changing at Myrna's. People are making connections on the Internet. Growing social acceptance means there are few establishments were gays don't feel comfortable. Simply put, the need for gay bars is fading.
"I have this feeling now that it's like 'mission accomplished,' " said Mike Richardson, board president of the Imperial Court of All Alaska, one of the state's oldest gay organizations.
"We really don't need safety in numbers."
Myrna's had to get creative to attract new customers to fill in where the old ones used to be, said manager Jeff "Myrna" Wood. Over the last few years, that has meant retooling the drag show to appeal to a wider audience. And now the venerable gay bar depends at least in part on the dollars of straight customers to keep its doors open.
As Wood likes to say, gay or straight, "everybody's money is green."
QUEEN OF QUEENS
The clock ticks toward 9 p.m., Paige Langit arrives in the dressing room with her mother, Donna Langit, carrying bags of costumes.
Langit is 28. Lounge singer and comedienne, she's the sexy, bossy, busty co-host of the show. She's also a registered Republican with a boyfriend. She stands in front of the mirror in a pink bra, teasing her hair and caking on purple eye shadow. A queen named Mariquita squeezes in next to her, pawing through a make-up bag.
Langit is the face of the new scene. The drag show, once the exclusive domain of gay men and transgender women, has morphed into a variety show -- kinky and freaky -- with something for everyone, from burlesque to torch singing, along with a diverse stable of queens.
A singer and actress since her teens, Langit started performing at Myrna's in her early 20s after one of the drag queens saw her sing karaoke. She had a couple of gay friends in high school but had no experience with drag.
"I didn't know anything about the transgender community," she said, but enjoyed the personalities she encountered at the bar. "It was like, 'Oh great -- a group of people who like to perform.' "
Drag is mainly about exaggerated femininity, Langit says. Once she has her hair and make-up and magenta high-heels on, she feels a bit like a drag queen too.
People in the audience wonder if she's a lesbian or if she's a "real" woman. All that ambiguity is part of what makes the show interesting, she says.
SOLDIERS IN THE AUDIENCE
Lights dimmed, cocktails flowing and tables full, music pounds out of the speakers in Myrna's show hall. Scott "Daphne DoAll LaChores" Koeller, the other drag show co-host, is dressed in a red Sarah Palin-esque suit, enormous ratty blonde wig and matronly glasses. He takes the stage, warming the audience with a monologue full of double-entendre one-liners.
Then Langit makes her entrance, sashaying into the spotlight in a tight pink top and white leggings, bubble gun in hand. An old cross-dresser and a young lady-- a drag version of Regis and Kelly -- their witty, bawdy banter serves as the backbone for the show, bridging generations and sexuality.
Koeller makes a joke referencing a decades old commercial. Langit tilts her head to the side, her face blank.
"I'll YouTube it," she says.
Soon an old-time burlesque dancer in a bustier and ruffled panties weaves through the audience starting her act. Then comes the lithe, shirtless male go-go dancer. Then the Karaoke crooner in a brown v-neck sweater. The room is full of whistles and belly laughs. There's a soldier in dress uniform and his wife in the front row.
Today's audience is usually couples or single women, Wood said.
"The girls want to go see the drag queens," he said. "Women are more tolerant than guys are."
"You can always tell the straight people," says Koeller, "because they're the ones who come on time."
Iesha Jones, 32, who is not gay, has become a regular at Myrna's. She started coming years ago because she had a friend in the show. She likes that the bar doesn't have a "meat market" feel, she said.
"It's like OK, I'm here for the show," she said. "I know I'm not going to get hit on by guys."
The straight men are almost always with women. In general men who come alone are "highly questionable" as a dating prospect, she said. Though it's not entirely impossible to meet someone.
"Occasionally you get a lot of soldiers. I did meet a guy who just got back from Iraq."
Members of the older generation might raise an eyebrow that she's spending time at a gay bar, she said. But people her age don't think it's strange and most of her friends would be comfortable joining her. There are a number of bars in Anchorage with an integrated gay-straight social scene, she said.
THE NEW SHOW
Backstage not everyone is happy. But then they wouldn't be drag queens without a little drama. Pinson, affixing a 3-foot-wide Afro wig, clicks his tongue, looking at the clock. The new acts take forever. He complains in Tagalog to Joebie Fernandez, a diminutive, smooth-skinned queen, who's sorting through a tackle box of earrings. There are eye rolls all around.
The class of drag queens once at the center of the show are aging -- most are at least 40 -- and like a fading order of nuns whose convents are closing, fewer among the younger generation are stepping into their size 13 pumps.
Some worry drag has become so mainstream, it may have lost its edge, so the younger generation isn't as interested. And, with fewer bars, there's fewer places for new queens to learn the craft.
That's what makes Trevor "Ashley" Council unique. At 24, he's the youngest of the queens by at least 10 years. On his hands and knees, he's pulling shoes out of a suitcase, naming each style as he examines them: "French Whore. French Whore. Hooker Shoe."
"I'm a boy during the day and girl on Friday nights and for special events," he says.
He stands in front of the mirror in a black dress, fluffs his wig and flashes a set of perfect white teeth. He's doesn't know what gay bars used to be like but likes the way they are now.
"I think the people who go there are the kind who are straight and more accepting of gay people," he said. "It's nice to be around those kind of people."
Out on the main floor, bass from the speakers vibrates the drinks on the bar. Pinson waits off stage for her Gloria Gaynor number. Fernandez, in a leather bikini and dangling earrings, steps out to face the audience, opening a huge set of gold lamé wings into a whirl of lights.
And at least for now, the show goes on."
10 Year Old Arkansas Boy Refuses to Stand for Pledge Over Gay Rights
Huffington Post reports on November 16, 2009: "Via Queerty comes a story from the Arkansas Times about Will Phillips, an elementary school student who refuses to say the pledge of allegiance in school because of discrimination against gay people:
"I've always tried to analyze things because I want to be lawyer," Will said. "I really don't feel that there's currently liberty and justice for all."
After asking his parents whether it was against the law not to stand for the pledge, Will decided to do something. On Monday, Oct. 5, when the other kids in his class stood up to recite the pledge of allegiance, he remained sitting down. The class had a substitute teacher that week, a retired educator from the district, who knew Will's mother and grandmother. Though the substitute tried to make him stand up, he respectfully refused. He did it again the next day, and the next day.
A columnist for the Arkansas News has stood up for Phillips against his angry substitute teacher. Predictably, fellow students have taunted the kid and called him a "gaywad," but he says he doesn't see his quiet act of protest ending any time soon."
"I've always tried to analyze things because I want to be lawyer," Will said. "I really don't feel that there's currently liberty and justice for all."
After asking his parents whether it was against the law not to stand for the pledge, Will decided to do something. On Monday, Oct. 5, when the other kids in his class stood up to recite the pledge of allegiance, he remained sitting down. The class had a substitute teacher that week, a retired educator from the district, who knew Will's mother and grandmother. Though the substitute tried to make him stand up, he respectfully refused. He did it again the next day, and the next day.
A columnist for the Arkansas News has stood up for Phillips against his angry substitute teacher. Predictably, fellow students have taunted the kid and called him a "gaywad," but he says he doesn't see his quiet act of protest ending any time soon."
Major Gay Magazine Publisher Shuts Down
From Towleroad.com on November 16, 2009: "Window Media, the former publisher of Genre magazine, which also publishes the Washington Blade, Southern Voice, Houston Voice, South Florida Blade, David Atlanta and The 411 Magazine, reportedly closed up shop over the weekend.
Its parent fund, Avalon Equity, run by David Unger, had been forced into receivership by the federal Small Business Administration in February.
A notice was posted on the company's door over the weekend: "It is with GREAT regret that we must inform you that effective immediately, the operations of Window Media, LLC and Unite Media, LLC have closed down. Please return to this office on WEDNESDAY, November 18th, 2009 at 11:00 AM to collect personal belongings and to receive information on your separation stipulations. Please bring boxes and/or containers that will allow you to collect all your personal belongings at one time."
A message from the editor (to whom the closing came as a complete shock) of the Southern Voice was left on the publication's Facebook page: "With deepest regret, as editor of SoVo, I have to tell you that we arrived at the office to learn that our parent company, Window Media, has shut down. While the 20 years of SoVo have come to an end, our civil rights movement is only beginning. I am personally grateful to all of the staff, and to all of you who have had the courage to share your stories. It has been the honor of my life to help you tell them."
Some of the company's websites are offline. The Washington Blade is still online. This is sad news. The publications will be missed."
Its parent fund, Avalon Equity, run by David Unger, had been forced into receivership by the federal Small Business Administration in February.
A notice was posted on the company's door over the weekend: "It is with GREAT regret that we must inform you that effective immediately, the operations of Window Media, LLC and Unite Media, LLC have closed down. Please return to this office on WEDNESDAY, November 18th, 2009 at 11:00 AM to collect personal belongings and to receive information on your separation stipulations. Please bring boxes and/or containers that will allow you to collect all your personal belongings at one time."
A message from the editor (to whom the closing came as a complete shock) of the Southern Voice was left on the publication's Facebook page: "With deepest regret, as editor of SoVo, I have to tell you that we arrived at the office to learn that our parent company, Window Media, has shut down. While the 20 years of SoVo have come to an end, our civil rights movement is only beginning. I am personally grateful to all of the staff, and to all of you who have had the courage to share your stories. It has been the honor of my life to help you tell them."
Some of the company's websites are offline. The Washington Blade is still online. This is sad news. The publications will be missed."
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Recording Artist Viola Wills Passes Away - RIP
Recording artist Viola Wills passed away on May 6, 2009. Viola was the first recording artist that we booked at Faces on Fourth Street when I bought the bar 16 years ago. RIP Viola.
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