Quest Vol. 11 No. 27

	*"Mike's Fitzpatrick's Reality Check column can be the bitch-slap* *every queer in Wisconsin needs every now and then."*
*Quest News* Volume 11 No. 27 January 20, 2005 Top Stories Compiled & written by Mike Fitzpatrick Action Wisconsin's Lobby Day Draws National Attention And Co-Sponsors Statewide NGLTF Executive Director Foreman Involved Throughout January 27 Event Madison - Action Wisconsin's planned January 27 lobby day to oppose passage of the so-called Wisconsin Marriage Amendment banning any legal recognition for same-sex and other non-married couples, has seen a surge of registrations and co-sponsorships in the final weeks before the day-long event. AW's January 17 announcement of multiple appearances by Matt Foreman, the Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, reflects the growing national attention to AW's efforts to block the antigay measure. Pre-registrations are currently running more than double the sign-ups Action Wisconsin saw for its August, 2003 lobbying effort against the Defense of Marriage Act, passed and later vetoed by Governor Jim Doyle. "By the time (Quest comes out) we'll be well past 200 registrants," Saunders told Quest. "Typically most people register in the final week. Plus, some of our co-sponsoring groups have just gotten the word out in email alerts and the current editions of their newsletters." Saunders noted over 400 people took part in the 2003 lobbying effort, many of whom registered that day. Twenty-eight groups statewide have joined in co-sponsorship with Action Wisconsin at Quest's deadline, according to Saunders. Among the statewide non-gay groups mobilizing their members and supporters are Grassroots Citizens of Wisconsin, WI NARAL Pro Choice America, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Green Party, Wisconsin Council of Children and Families, the National Association of Social Workers of Wisconsin, American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, Christians for Equality, the United Council of the UW System, Wisconsin Citizen Action and Wisconsin NOW. Regional non-gay groups include UW Madison ACLU, the Lake Winnebago Green Party, LaCrosse's Multicultural Advocates, Inc. and the 4 Lakes Green Party. Among religious organizations are the First Congregational Church- Madison, the Madison Jewish Community Council, and Interweave, the Social Action Committee & Diversity Committees of Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. LGBT groups co-sponsoring the lobby day thus far are Center Advocates, the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Madison's Outreach Inc., PFLAG of Door County, the 7 Rivers LGBT Resource Center, the Lesbian Alliance of Metro Milwaukee, UW Madison Q Law, Positive Voice, GLSEN South Central Wisconsin, and LaCrosse's ACCEPT Program for GLBT Hmong Youth and Adults.Saunders also advised Quest that NGLTF Executive Director will be making several appearances throughout the day on January 27. Foreman is the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. He has worked for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights for 25 years. Foreman began his tenure as Executive Director of the Task Force in May 2003 after serving as Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda since 1997. The Pride Agenda is the nation's largest statewide lesbian and gay political advocacy and civil rights organization. During his tenure, the Pride Agenda was the driving force behind a statewide law banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation passed in 2003; a law increasing penalties for hate-motivated violence, including crimes against LGBT people passed in 2000; a law repealing the consensual sodomy statute in 2000; four laws extending equal benefits to surviving domestic partners of those killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks passed in 2002, and the state appropriating $11.8 million specifically for LGBT (non-HIV) health and human services between1998-2002. NGLTF and the Human Rights Campaign are the two largest national gay civil rights organizations in the United States. According to Saunders, Foreman will be speaking at 3:30 PM at a rally on the State State steps of the Capitol as part of AW's Lobby Day to Stop the Constitutional Ban on Civil Unions and Marriage. He will also be part of a press conference at 9 AM in the Capitol on that day. "Matt also will be speaking as part of the training that prepares folks for speaking with their representatives as part of Lobby Day." Saunders to Quest. "That will take place at Best Western Inn on the Park, 22 S Carroll St, on the Capitol Square."The Lobby Day will begin at the hotel with a 9:45 AM check-in. Training sessions on the basics of the legislative process and how to talk to legislators about the amendment follow at 10:30 AM. Following lunch, citizen lobbyists will hold afternoon sessions with their legislators. The day will cap with Foreman's appearance at the Capitol steps rally. Individuals and families can register for the lobby day online at the Action Wisconsin website located at: www.actionwisconsin.org. Registrants may also call Lindsey at 608-441-0143 ext. 311 or send their name, address, and phone number via email to: lindsey.saunders@actionwisconsin.org. For more information and details on the amendment and the legislative process visit www.actionwisconsin.org. Illinois Bans Anti-Gay and Anti -Transgender Discrimination Springfield - Capping an eleven year effort led by Equality Illinois, the Illinois House of Representatives on January 11 passed a bill banning discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. The bill was first introduced over thirty years ago in 1974. When signed into law by Governor Rod R. Blagojevich, a supporter of the measure, Illinois will become the 15th state to protect gay people from discrimination, and the 5th state to protect transgender persons. The bill cleared the State Senate January 10 by a vote of 30-27 and the State House by a vote 65-51. "We salute Equality Illinois and its tireless leader, Rick Garcia, for today's extraordinary achievement," Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Matt Foreman, said. "This win again shows that dogged work by state and local leaders and activists can surmount enormous odds - and is real salve to a community still hurting from the results of November 2." A non-discrimination bill first passed the House in 1993, also because of the work of Equality Illinois. The law will add "sexual orientation" to the state's existing nondiscrimination statute which already bans discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations or credit on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, marital status and military status. The definition of "sexual orientation" includes provisions to specifically cover transgender persons. A non-discrimination bill first passed the state House in 1993, "The passage of this bill is a major advancement for transgender people, both in Illinois and countrywide," Foreman said. "Once again, a state has proven that when we dare to dream to protect our entire LGBT community with one bill to cover everyone, legislators respond. The activists in Illinois have done a tremendous job." Illinois becomes the fifth state to pass explicit transgender-inclusive language in its discrimination law, joining California, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Rhode Island. In addition, 72 cities and counties have transgender-inclusive non-discrimination laws on the books. With the addition of Illinois, 27% of the U.S. population now lives in a jurisdiction with transgender discrimination protection. Eight states have enacted transgender-inclusive hate crime laws. In addition ten states ban anti-gay discrimination. In order of original passage, they are Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Hawaii, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Nevada, Maryland and New York. National News: California: Gay Cable Network On Hold Until Summer - Viacom executives have said they will delay the launch of Logo, their gay and lesbian-themed television network, from its scheduled February launch date to June of this year. The move will allow for additional programming as well as agreements with other cable companies to carry the channel. The network, part of Viacom's MTV Networks division, was scheduled to launch on February 17. Logo will carry a variety of programming, from original productions to gay and lesbian-themed movies to reality television. In statements made January 13, network executives said they want to have more original programming by launch and want to reach a broader audience. Executives confirmed they had agreements with Time Warner Cable in New York City, RCN, and Atlantic Broadband to carry the network. They also said they were in discussions with Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, to carry the network. "Until I got deeper into the planning for Logo, I hadn't realized the degree of pent-up demand there is for this channel," said Brian Graden, who was named president of the channel in July. "I want it to come out with a complete and diverse (program) slate, so that every gay and lesbian person can look at it and say, 'Oh, there I am."' On the programming front, Graden confirmed that the channel has acquired the first rerun rights to the Emmy-winning HBO miniseries "Angels in America," the TV adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning play about the AIDS crisis. Logo also has acquired a slew of gay-themed theatrical features, including "Billy Eliot," "Mulholland Dr.," "Far From Heaven," "Being John Malkovich" and "In the Gloaming." Logo also has a wide range of original series in the development pipeline, including the comedy-drama "Noah's Arc," which follows a struggling gay black screenwriter, played by Darryl Stephens, striving along with a group of friends to navigate the Los Angeles dating scene. Among the many reality projects in the works is "Cruise," a series from Bunim-Murray Prods. (MTV's "The Real World") that follows several couples on a gay cruise ship bound for the Caribbean. Logo already has an eclectic slate of documentaries in development, including "In the Name of Allah," a look at gays and lesbians from Muslim backgrounds. As Logo delays its launch, other companies are capitalizing on the LGBT television market. Last month "here! TV" launched a gay channel available on DirectTV for 12 hours a day. In addition, the Q Television Network, which is available in select cities, announced January 11that it will launch a live morning show next month titled "Good Morning Gay America". In Europe, France launched its first gay TV channel Pink TV last year. Florida: Gay 9/11 Scammer Pleads Guilty - A Florida man who collected $68,000 in emergency aid from the Red Cross after claiming that his partner had been killed in New York's World Trade Center terrorist attack has pled guilty to grand theft. Patric Ian Henn, 29, confessed that he concocted his story to get money from aid groups helping the survivors' families following the attacks. Henn will be sentenced in Broward Circuit Court on January 19. He could receive up to 15 years in prison. Henn originally claimed that he had a partner with whom he had spoken about 45 minutes before the attacks. Henn claimed his partner was his sole means of support and had told him he was about to visit a brokerage firm in the World Trade Center. The Red Cross gave Henn $68,000 in compensation. The Express, a Fort Lauderdale gay newspaper, exposed Henn's scam after he began to complain about the lack of additional help from the Empire State Pride Agenda, a statewide LGBT rights group in New York. The paper investigated Henn's claims, discovered he had no partner and alerted Empire Pride, the Red Cross and police. Henn fled to Texas and was arrested there in June, 2003. Express publisher Norm Kent claimed the gay community was enraged by Henn's behavior, because they had worked hard to make sure that the partners of gay victims of Sept. 11 received the same benefits as the spouses of heterosexual victims. "We didn't want him to poison a just human rights initiative," Kent said. "He's a criminal first, and then a gay man." Illinois: Episcopals, Lutherans Struggle with Gay Issues - US Episcopalian bishops on January 13 expressed regret for having consecrated the group's first openly gay bishop, but said they needed more time to respond to a call that they halt such ordinations and stop blessing same-sex marriages. The issue, which threatens the 70-million-member worldwide Anglican Church with schism, also swept the largest US Lutheran denomination on the same day. In that separate development a divided task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declined to recommend the denomination bless same-sex unions or approve the ordination of ministers involved in gay relationships. It did call on congregants to work for ways to "live together faithfully in the midst of our disagreements." The status of gay people is a question causing debate and pain in a number of Christian churches. For the Episcopals it reached a new level in 2003 with the consecration of Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the church's first bishop known to be in a same-sex relationship. The 140-member House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church USA, after a two-day meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, issued a statement expressing their "sincere regret for the pain, the hurt and the damage caused ... by certain actions of our church." They said the apology was "a sign of our deep desire" to remain part of the worldwide Anglican communion. Frank Griswold, the 2.3 million-member group's presiding bishop, told Reuters the apology was a direct response to the so-called Windsor Report, a document issued at the request of the Anglican church leadership last October. That report urged the liberal-dominated North American bishops not only to express their regret but to impose a moratorium on liturgies blessing same-sex marriages and the consecrating of gay bishops. The January 13statement from Salt Lake City said the bishops struggled with the marriage and bishop issues but had insufficient time to reach a consensus. Griswold predicted the issue would remain unresolved for some time, even after the church leadership meets in February in Belfast to formally receive the Windsor Report. He said there "simply wasn't time" to reach a consensus at the Salt Lake City meeting. However 21 bishops at the meeting issued a dissent through the conservative American Anglican Council in which they said they were ready to accept the Windsor Report recommendations. Meanwhile the report issued by the Lutheran task force will be weighed by that group's 5 million members in the United States and the Caribbean ahead of consideration by a church-wide assembly in Florida next August. "Though our recommendations do not establish new policy or change existing policy, they do appeal for respect for one another's bound consciences as a matter of pastoral concern," the 14-member task force said. Currently the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has no official policy on the blessing of same-gender relationships. The task force backed a 1993 statement by its Conference of Bishops which said pastors and congregations can be trusted to exercise "wisdom and discretion" in ministering to same-sex couples. In terms of ordination, the group's present policy says no pastor may engage in heterosexual or homosexual relations outside of marriage -- and it defines marriage as a lifelong relationship between a man and a woman. The group does allow homosexual pastors who remain celibate. The task force said the ordination issue caused the greatest divisions among its members but a "strong majority" recommended backing current practice. Minnesota: Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment Introduced - A Constitutional Amendment to bar all legal recognition of same-sex couples was introduced in session January 6. Within two days of the start of the 2005 legislative session, Mary Liz Holberg, (R-Lakeville), Jeff Johnson, (R-Plymouth), Paul Gazelka, (R-Brainerd), Sondra Erickson (R-Princeton) and Dan Severson (R-Sauk Rapids) introduced HF006 in the Minnesota House, proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that "only the union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota. Any other relationship shall not be recognized as a marriage or its legal equivalent." No companion bill has been introduced in the Senate to date. The bill has been referred to the House Civil Law and Elections Committee, but no date for a hearing has been set. OutFront Minnesota, the state's LGBT civil rights organization, plans to coordinate testimony in opposition to the bill. Opposition to the bill will be incorporated as part of Outfront's already scheduled "JustFair Lobby Day" on April 7. Virginia: Court Strikes Down Law Used To Target Gays - The Virginia Supreme Court struck down an ancient and rarely enforced state law prohibiting sex between unmarried people here January 14. The unanimous ruling strongly suggests that a separate anti-sodomy law also is unconstitutional, although that statute is not directly affected. The justices based their ruling on a US Supreme Court decision voiding an anti-sodomy law in Texas. "This case directly affects only the fornication law but makes it absolutely clear how the court would rule were the sodomy law before it," said Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Virginia. "It's a strong message to legislators that they must repeal Virginia's sodomy law. Now both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Virginia Supreme Court have spoken on essentially the same issue." Virginia's anti-sodomy law prohibits oral and anal sex even for married couples, but gay civil rights advocates say the statute is only used to target gays. Legislators for years have rejected efforts to repeal the law. They left it on the books again last year even after the Lawrence v. Texas decision held that such laws are unconstitutional. "We find no relevant distinction between the circumstances in Lawrence and the circumstances in the present case," the Virginia justices said in voiding the fornication law. The court said that "decisions by married or unmarried persons regarding their intimate physical relationship are elements of their personal relationships that are entitled to due process protection." The ruling stemmed from a woman's lawsuit seeking $5 million in damages from a man who infected her with herpes. She claims the man did not inform her that he was infected before they had sex. Richmond Circuit Judge Theodore J. Markow threw out the lawsuit, ruling that the woman was not entitled to damages because she had participated in an illegal act. The Supreme Court reinstated the lawsuit. "The ruling recognizes that a sin greater than fornication is not telling someone you have a sexually transmitted disease and then not practicing safe sex," said the woman's lawyer, Neil Kuchinski. "The rule now should be: If not asked, do tell." The law against fornication had been on the books since the early 1800s but was last enforced against consenting adults in 1847, according to Paul McCourt Curley, attorney for the defendant in the lawsuit. Curley said he sees nothing wrong with having laws on the books, even if they are unenforced, that say "these are the ideals and morals of the state of Virginia." He said the ruling sends a message that virtually anything goes--even adultery--as long as sex is consensual. However, the justices noted that their ruling "does not affect the commonwealth's police powers regarding regulation of public fornication, prostitution, or other such crimes." Washington DC: NGLTF Report Finds Incumbents' Chances of Re-election Unharmed by Voting Against Anti-gay Marriage Amendments - Legislators who voted against state constitutional amendments banning same sex marriage rarely faced negative consequences when running for reelection in November, according to a report issued by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. The Institute's report, Impact of Voting against Anti-gay Marriage Amendments on 2004 Re-election Campaigns in Five Midwestern States, analyzed the election results in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, where state legislatures had voted in 2004 on constitutional amendments seeking to ban marriage between same-sex couples, and in some cases, any form of partner recognition such as civil unions or domestic partnerships. The report found: Voting against anti-gay marriage amendments did not hurt incumbents' chances of re-election. If anything, it may have helped. The report found that 97% (100 of 103) of state legislators who voted against anti-gay constitutional amendments and ran for re-election won their races, compared to 91% of state legislators who voted for them ( 196 of 215) . In all five states combined, 19 legislators who voted for anti-gay amendments lost their seats. Only 3 legislators who voted against these amendments lost their seats. In Iowa and Minnesota, legislators who voted against these amendments fared significantly better than their anti-gay colleagues. In Iowa, all 7 legislators who voted against the anti-gay amendment were re-elected, compared to 71% (10 of 14) of those who voted for it. In Minnesota, 98% (40 of 41) of House members who voted against the anti-gay amendment were re-elected, compared to 86% of those who voted for it. Republican legislators did not receive any electoral benefit from supporting anti-gay amendments in these five states. In Michigan, Democrats picked up seats, closing the Republican majority in the House from 63-46 to 58-52. Although all Iowa Democrats voted against the anti-gay constitutional amendment, the Democrats picked up a net four seats, evening the balance of power in the Senate in which the majority had been Republican. "This study shows that contrary to threats and demagoguery of extreme right, legislators who take a stand against marriage discrimination rarely suffer consequences at the polls," Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman said. "The Task Force report confirms what I already know to be true," said State Senator D. Scott Dibble of Minneapolis. "Legislators can be confident that when they cast a vote to reflect the courage of their convictions, the people of their district respect them. We found out in Minnesota that not giving in to the politics of distraction and fear allowed us to cut through the hyperbole and speak directly with young voters about the real priorities facing our state. The election was a strong repudiation of those who would divert our attention and divide Minnesotans against each other." The state legislatures in Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois did not pass anti-marriage constitutional amendments during the 2004 legislative sessions. In November 2004, although the vote to pass the amendment failed in the Michigan legislature, voters approved a sweeping anti-marriage/anti-civil-union constitutional amendment by ballot initiative. Since its passage Michigan's governor rescinded domestic partner health coverage for state employees. Wisconsin's legislature passed its anti-gay amendment, but it must pass again this session before being sent to the voters for ratification. Ann Marie DeGroot, Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota, encourages legislators considering any future anti-gay constitutional amendments to vote based on fairness, rather than fear. "I hope that this gives legislators the courage not to fall for the bait of right-wing radicals who are trying to use this issue for their own extremist agendas." Jeff Montgomery, Executive Director of the Triangle Foundation of Michigan, said, "With this information we can, hopefully, end the scapegoating of 'gay issues' when candidates and parties lose, and see those defeats for what they are: failures to take a stand for fairness." The report: Impact of Voting against Anti-Gay Marriage Amendments on 2004 Re-election Campaigns, can be found at www.thetaskforce.org home page in the "What's New" column and/or publications section. Washington, DC: Online Betting On Simpsons' Gay Character Begins - Following the announcement late last fall that a character on Fox television's The Simpsons would come out of the closet this season, an internet gambling company has started taking bets on who the gay one is. "Fan websites are running rampant with speculation that the mystery gay character could be any one of the animated sitcom stars," Mike Foreman, a spokesperson for BetUS.com, told the Casino City Times. BetUS.com currently ranks Bart's friend Milhouse in third place behind 4 to 1 odds that the gay character is Smithers. The odds on favorite however, is Marge's sister Patty. Chain-smoking, deep gravelly-voiced Patty, who has never found love - even fleetingly - as has her fellow spinster Selma with actor Troy McClure in the show's 16 seasons, currently tops all betting with with 4 to 5 odds. Washington, DC: Pentagon Proposed Gay Chemical Warfare - According to the January, 2005 edition of New Scientist the Pentagon considered developing a host of non-lethal chemical weapons that would disrupt discipline and morale among enemy troops. The British scientific journal based its report on recently obtained copies of newly declassified documents. Most bizarre among the plans was one for the development of an "aphrodisiac" chemical weapon that would make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to each other. Provoking widespread homosexual behavior among troops would cause a "distasteful but completely non-lethal" blow to morale, the proposal said. Other ideas included chemical weapons that attract swarms of enraged wasps or angry rats to troop positions, making them uninhabitable. Another was to develop a chemical that caused "severe and lasting halitosis", making it easy to identify guerrillas trying to blend in with civilians. There was also the idea of making troops' skin unbearably sensitive to sunlight. Pentagon spokesman Edward Hammond says it was not known if the proposed $7.5 million, six-year research plan was ever pursued. The proposals, from the US Air Force Wright Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, date from 1994. The lab sought Pentagon funding for research into what it called "harassing, annoying and 'bad guy'-identifying chemicals". The plans also have been posted online by the Sunshine Project, an organization that exposes research into chemical and biological weapons. The United State Marine Corps has sought to re-classify the documents in an attempt to censor the Sunshine Project whiste blowers. State News: Green Bay: Union Congregational Church Donates $50,000 to ARCW Food Pantry - When ARCW's development team last Fall approached the Cora Nelson Foundation Committee of Union Congregational United Church of Christ asking for a $25,000 donation towards the construction of a food pantry that would be a part of the AIDS service organization's new building here, they were in or quite a surprise. After much prayerful consideration, both the church's Stewardship committee and the Foundation Committee recommended to the church council that the congregation ARCW $50,000 instead. The council unanimously voted in favor of the donation. Rev. Chuck Mize announced the gift at services on Christmas Day. ARCW will be unveiling the new food pantry, which will now be named for the church, on Wednesday, January 26. The exact name will be revealed at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to ARCW Development Director Dan Mueller. Agency staff have been filling the pantry with shelf-stable and frozen foods for the past two weeks. Volunteer and staff trainings for the pantry were held January 18 & 20. Other local organizations, including Union Congregational's sister UCC church in DePere, have offered to assist with the pantry as well. Green Bay: Anti-Amendment Speakers Training Set For January 29 - The Green Bay Action Network (GBAN) is a committed coalition of local gay and straight volunteers opposing the so-called Wisconsin Marriage Amendment that would ban legal recognition to all non-married couples regardless of sexual orientation. GBAN will hold its second Speaker's Training on Saturday, January 29 rom 10:30 AM -1:30 PM in the1965 Room at the University Union on the campus of UW-Green Bay. In November, 65 people gathered in Green Bay to learn how to speak more effectively about the proposed constitutional ban on civil unions and marriage. One woman brought her 74 year old father. Another woman brought her mother and sister. Half of the attendees were non-gay people who care about equal rights for everyone. Since then, those people have been talking to everyone they know about the amendment and why its wrong--at church, at work, and in their neighborhoods. Some of the attendees signed up to be public speakers and have begun speaking to community groups in the Green Bay area. Together they are changing minds in Green Bay. On Saturday, January 29 you can become part of this change making. The goal of the training is to help you make the biggest impact when communicating about the amendment and the need for equality. At the training you will learn more about the amendment, the campaign to defeat it, and how to persuade people to oppose it. The Green Bay Action Network will run the training with support from the Action Wisconsin staff. Interested individuals may register for the training by downloading the form located at: http://actionwisconsin.org/downloads/training.doc. You may also register by calling Saad Akbar-Khan at 608-441-0143 Ext. 307 or writing him via email with your name, address and phone number at: saad@actionwisconsin.org. You do not need to commit to being a public speaker to attend, but GBAN hopes to identify speakers who are willing to address civic groups in the region. Green Bay: Positive Voice To Host Open House At New Office - Friday evening, January 28, Positive Voice will be hosting an open house at their recently-opened Green Bay office space, 618 Stuart St from 6 to 8:00 PM. It will be an opportunity for PV's membership and other interested folks to see the modest spaces, the progress made in fixing them up and to share our hopes for what new services the organization may be able to offer in the future to the local LGBT community. Green Bay: Positive Voice Sets 2-Day LGBT Issues Conference - From gay marriage to "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," it sometimes seems that the world has gone LGBT crazy. All gay all day. If that is so, then why are some gay people still living in the closet? Why are others are afraid to come out at work? Why do people shy away from discussions of LGBT issues? Liberty Hall in Kimberly will be the site of a free two-day conference on Friday and Saturday, February 25-26. The keynote speaker for both days will be Scott Fearing, a Senior Director with OutFront Minnesota. Scott spoke at the Positive Voice Day of Self-Discovery 6 years ago and the organization is pleased to have him come back to speak on new issues affecting the LGBT community. The Friday night session is for those individuals in leadership roles in GLBT and other diversity-focused community organizations. Hors d'ouerves will be served at 6:00 PM and the program will run from 6:30-9 PM. The Saturday session is open to the public and will deal with coming out issues.. There will be a complimentary continental breakfast at 8:00 AM and the program will begin at 8:30. Attendees will break for a complimentary lunch at 11:30 AM and then reconvene around Noon. The conference is set to conclude at 1:30 PM. Although there will be no charge for either session, pre-registration will be requested to assure seating and appropriate facility accommodations. More information and a registration form will be forthcoming on the Positive Voice website at: www.pvinc.org. Funding for the conference has been made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation For The Fox Valley Region, Inc. The Foundation recently gave Positive Voice $2,000 from their Opportunity Fund to cover all of the speaker costs for the two-day program. Madison: Men's Coming Out Group Set To Begin at Outreach - Outreach has announced that a men's coming-out support group will begin meeting in February. The group will offer support to men who are dealing with the realization that they are not heterosexual and will identify the stages of the coming out process. Among the topics to be explored are dealing with family members, physical and sexual safety, legal rights and discrimination, and spirituality. The group will run for ten weeks facilitated by two trained volunteers. Men interested in attending the meetings are asked to leave a message for Jim with contact information. deadline is Monday, February 7. For more information, contact Outreach at 608-255-8582 or e-mail programs@outreachinc.com. Milwaukee: Anti-Amendment Valentine's Day Rally Planned - This Valentine's Day, show your support for love, commitment, and tolerance for all Wisconsin families. Come to the Valentine's Day Rally, sponsored by the Milwaukee "No on the Amendment" Coalition. Learn how the proposed amendment to the Wisconsin constitution goes too far and why people from all walks of life are opposing it. The rally will be held in the Milwaukee City Hall Rotunda, 200 E. Wells Street on Monday, February 14, 2005 (Valentine's Day) from 5:30-6:30 PM.. For more information, call Patrick at 414-71-2656, ext. 112. The Milwaukee "No on the Amendment" Coalition is a diverse group of clergy and civic organizations united against a constitutional ban on civil unions and same-sex marriage. The Coalition supports tolerance for all Wisconsin families. Milwaukee: Veteran AIDS Activist Milakovich Calls It Quits - Paul Milakovich, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW), has decided to end his 14-year tenure at ARCW to pursue new career opportunities. Milakovich has been a key member of the ARCW executive staff team that has led the transformation of ARCW from one of the smallest to one of the largest HIV/AIDS health and social service agencies in the nation. "We will miss Paul terribly," said Doug Nelson, ARCW President and CEO. "But Paul leaves an extraordinary legacy of achievement that will serve us well for years to come." "I'm proud of all that I've accomplished at ARCW. I will miss the staff, all of whom are so gifted and so dedicated to their work," said Milakovich. Nelson praised Milakovich for building financial management, contract management, and technology systems at ARCW that are "best practice models" for nonprofit agencies. "It was Paul's administrative savvy that enabled us to successfully manage the rapid growth of HIV services propelling us from a $1 million to a $10 million agency," said Nelson. Nelson also praised Milakovich for his vision and leadership in preparing quality environments for ARCW patients, clients, staff and volunteers as ARCW spread throughout the state with nine offices. "When we opened our medical and dental clinics, Paul was superb in leading the renovations of our Milwaukee office to include state-of-the-art dental operatories and medical exam rooms," Nelson said. "Paul leaves a legacy of profound success at ARCW that has made a huge difference in fight against AIDS in Wisconsin." Milakovich's final day at the agency will be Friday, January 28. Staff statewide have been invited to participate in a farewell event. Quest Home

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Compiled & written by Mike Fitzpatrick

Action Wisconsin's Lobby Day Draws National Attention And Co-Sponsors Statewide
NGLTF Executive Director Foreman Involved Throughout January 27 Event

Madison - Action Wisconsin's planned January 27 lobby day to oppose passage of the so-called Wisconsin Marriage Amendment banning any legal recognition for same-sex and other non-married couples, has seen a surge of registrations and co-sponsorships in the final weeks before the day-long event. AW's January 17 announcement of multiple appearances by Matt Foreman, the Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, reflects the growing national attention to AW's efforts to block the antigay measure.
Pre-registrations are currently running more than double the sign-ups Action Wisconsin saw for its August, 2003 lobbying effort against the Defense of Marriage Act, passed and later vetoed by Governor Jim Doyle. "By the time (Quest comes out) we'll be well past 200 registrants," Saunders told Quest. "Typically most people register in the final week. Plus, some of our co-sponsoring groups have just gotten the word out in email alerts and the current editions of their newsletters." Saunders noted over 400 people took part in the 2003 lobbying effort, many of whom registered that day.
Twenty-eight groups statewide have joined in co-sponsorship with Action Wisconsin at Quest's deadline, according to Saunders. Among the statewide non-gay groups mobilizing their members and supporters are Grassroots Citizens of Wisconsin, WI NARAL Pro Choice America, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Green Party, Wisconsin Council of Children and Families, the National Association of Social Workers of Wisconsin, American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, Christians for Equality, the United Council of the UW System, Wisconsin Citizen Action and Wisconsin NOW. Regional non-gay groups include UW Madison ACLU, the Lake Winnebago Green Party, LaCrosse's Multicultural Advocates, Inc. and the 4 Lakes Green Party. Among religious organizations are the First Congregational Church- Madison, the Madison Jewish Community Council, and Interweave, the Social Action Committee & Diversity Committees of Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
LGBT groups co-sponsoring the lobby day thus far are Center Advocates, the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Madison's Outreach Inc., PFLAG of Door County, the 7 Rivers LGBT Resource Center, the Lesbian Alliance of Metro Milwaukee, UW Madison Q Law, Positive Voice, GLSEN South Central Wisconsin, and LaCrosse's ACCEPT Program for GLBT Hmong Youth and Adults.Saunders also advised Quest that NGLTF Executive Director will be making several appearances throughout the day on January 27. Foreman is the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. He has worked for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights for 25 years.
Foreman began his tenure as Executive Director of the Task Force in May 2003 after serving as Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda since 1997. The Pride Agenda is the nation's largest statewide lesbian and gay political advocacy and civil rights organization. During his tenure, the Pride Agenda was the driving force behind a statewide law banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation passed in 2003; a law increasing penalties for hate-motivated violence, including crimes against LGBT people passed in 2000; a law repealing the consensual sodomy statute in 2000; four laws extending equal benefits to surviving domestic partners of those killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks passed in 2002, and the state appropriating $11.8 million specifically for LGBT (non-HIV) health and human services between1998-2002. NGLTF and the Human Rights Campaign are the two largest national gay civil rights organizations in the United States.
According to Saunders, Foreman will be speaking at 3:30 PM at a rally on the State State steps of the Capitol as part of AW's Lobby Day to Stop the Constitutional Ban on Civil Unions and Marriage. He will also be part of a press conference at 9 AM in the Capitol on that day. "Matt also will be speaking as part of the training that prepares folks for speaking with their representatives as part of Lobby Day." Saunders to Quest.
"That will take place at Best Western Inn on the Park, 22 S Carroll St, on the Capitol Square."The Lobby Day will begin at the hotel with a 9:45 AM check-in. Training sessions on the basics of the legislative process and how to talk to legislators about the amendment follow at 10:30 AM. Following lunch, citizen lobbyists will hold afternoon sessions with their legislators.
The day will cap with Foreman's appearance at the Capitol steps rally. Individuals and families can register for the lobby day online at the Action Wisconsin website located at: www.actionwisconsin.org. Registrants may also call Lindsey at 608-441-0143 ext. 311 or send their name, address, and phone number via email to: lindsey.saunders@actionwisconsin.org. For more information and details on the amendment and the legislative process visit www.actionwisconsin.org.

California: Gay Cable Network On Hold Until Summer - Viacom executives have said they will delay the launch of Logo, their gay and lesbian-themed television network, from its scheduled February launch date to June of this year. The move will allow for additional programming as well as agreements with other cable companies to carry the channel. The network, part of Viacom's MTV Networks division, was scheduled to launch on February 17. Logo will carry a variety of programming, from original productions to gay and lesbian-themed movies to reality television.
In statements made January 13, network executives said they want to have more original programming by launch and want to reach a broader audience. Executives confirmed they had agreements with Time Warner Cable in New York City, RCN, and Atlantic Broadband to carry the network. They also said they were in discussions with Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, to carry the network.
"Until I got deeper into the planning for Logo, I hadn't realized the degree of pent-up demand there is for this channel," said Brian Graden, who was named president of the channel in July. "I want it to come out with a complete and diverse (program) slate, so that every gay and lesbian person can look at it and say, 'Oh, there I am."'
On the programming front, Graden confirmed that the channel has acquired the first rerun rights to the Emmy-winning HBO miniseries "Angels in America," the TV adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning play about the AIDS crisis. Logo also has acquired a slew of gay-themed theatrical features, including "Billy Eliot," "Mulholland Dr.," "Far From Heaven," "Being John Malkovich" and "In the Gloaming."
Logo also has a wide range of original series in the development pipeline, including the comedy-drama "Noah's Arc," which follows a struggling gay black screenwriter, played by Darryl Stephens, striving along with a group of friends to navigate the Los Angeles dating scene. Among the many reality projects in the works is "Cruise," a series from Bunim-Murray Prods. (MTV's "The Real World") that follows several couples on a gay cruise ship bound for the Caribbean. Logo already has an eclectic slate of documentaries in development, including "In the Name of Allah," a look at gays and lesbians from Muslim backgrounds.
As Logo delays its launch, other companies are capitalizing on the LGBT television market. Last month "here! TV" launched a gay channel available on DirectTV for 12 hours a day. In addition, the Q Television Network, which is available in select cities, announced January 11that it will launch a live morning show next month titled "Good Morning Gay America". In Europe, France launched its first gay TV channel Pink TV last year.

Florida: Gay 9/11 Scammer Pleads Guilty - A Florida man who collected $68,000 in emergency aid from the Red Cross after claiming that his partner had been killed in New York's World Trade Center terrorist attack has pled guilty to grand theft. Patric Ian Henn, 29, confessed that he concocted his story to get money from aid groups helping the survivors' families following the attacks. Henn will be sentenced in Broward Circuit Court on January 19. He could receive up to 15 years in prison.
Henn originally claimed that he had a partner with whom he had spoken about 45 minutes before the attacks. Henn claimed his partner was his sole means of support and had told him he was about to visit a brokerage firm in the World Trade Center. The Red Cross gave Henn $68,000 in compensation.
The Express, a Fort Lauderdale gay newspaper, exposed Henn's scam after he began to complain about the lack of additional help from the Empire State Pride Agenda, a statewide LGBT rights group in New York. The paper investigated Henn's claims, discovered he had no partner and alerted Empire Pride, the Red Cross and police. Henn fled to Texas and was arrested there in June, 2003.
Express publisher Norm Kent claimed the gay community was enraged by Henn's behavior, because they had worked hard to make sure that the partners of gay victims of Sept. 11 received the same benefits as the spouses of heterosexual victims. "We didn't want him to poison a just human rights initiative," Kent said. "He's a criminal first, and then a gay man."

Illinois: Episcopals, Lutherans Struggle with Gay Issues - US Episcopalian bishops on January 13 expressed regret for having consecrated the group's first openly gay bishop, but said they needed more time to respond to a call that they halt such ordinations and stop blessing same-sex marriages. The issue, which threatens the 70-million-member worldwide Anglican Church with schism, also swept the largest US Lutheran denomination on the same day.
In that separate development a divided task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declined to recommend the denomination bless same-sex unions or approve the ordination of ministers involved in gay relationships. It did call on congregants to work for ways to "live together faithfully in the midst of our disagreements."
The status of gay people is a question causing debate and pain in a number of Christian churches. For the Episcopals it reached a new level in 2003 with the consecration of Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the church's first bishop known to be in a same-sex relationship.
The 140-member House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church USA, after a two-day meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, issued a statement expressing their "sincere regret for the pain, the hurt and the damage caused ... by certain actions of our church." They said the apology was "a sign of our deep desire" to remain part of the worldwide Anglican communion. Frank Griswold, the 2.3 million-member group's presiding bishop, told Reuters the apology was a direct response to the so-called Windsor Report, a document issued at the request of the Anglican church leadership last October. That report urged the liberal-dominated North American bishops not only to express their regret but to impose a moratorium on liturgies blessing same-sex marriages and the consecrating of gay bishops.
The January 13statement from Salt Lake City said the bishops struggled with the marriage and bishop issues but had insufficient time to reach a consensus. Griswold predicted the issue would remain unresolved for some time, even after the church leadership meets in February in Belfast to formally receive the Windsor Report. He said there "simply wasn't time" to reach a consensus at the Salt Lake City meeting. However 21 bishops at the meeting issued a dissent through the conservative American Anglican Council in which they said they were ready to accept the Windsor Report recommendations.
Meanwhile the report issued by the Lutheran task force will be weighed by that group's 5 million members in the United States and the Caribbean ahead of consideration by a church-wide assembly in Florida next August.
"Though our recommendations do not establish new policy or change existing policy, they do appeal for respect for one another's bound consciences as a matter of pastoral concern," the 14-member task force said.
Currently the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has no official policy on the blessing of same-gender relationships. The task force backed a 1993 statement by its Conference of Bishops which said pastors and congregations can be trusted to exercise "wisdom and discretion" in ministering to same-sex couples.
In terms of ordination, the group's present policy says no pastor may engage in heterosexual or homosexual relations outside of marriage -- and it defines marriage as a lifelong relationship between a man and a woman. The group does allow homosexual pastors who remain celibate. The task force said the ordination issue caused the greatest divisions among its members but a "strong majority" recommended backing current practice.

Minnesota: Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment Introduced - A Constitutional Amendment to bar all legal recognition of same-sex couples was introduced in session January 6. Within two days of the start of the 2005 legislative session, Mary Liz Holberg, (R-Lakeville), Jeff Johnson, (R-Plymouth), Paul Gazelka, (R-Brainerd), Sondra Erickson (R-Princeton) and Dan Severson (R-Sauk Rapids) introduced HF006 in the Minnesota House, proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that "only the union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota. Any other relationship shall not be recognized as a marriage or its legal equivalent." No companion bill has been introduced in the Senate to date.
The bill has been referred to the House Civil Law and Elections Committee, but no date for a hearing has been set. OutFront Minnesota, the state's LGBT civil rights organization, plans to coordinate testimony in opposition to the bill. Opposition to the bill will be incorporated as part of Outfront's already scheduled "JustFair Lobby Day" on April 7.

Virginia: Court Strikes Down Law Used To Target Gays - The Virginia Supreme Court struck down an ancient and rarely enforced state law prohibiting sex between unmarried people here January 14. The unanimous ruling strongly suggests that a separate anti-sodomy law also is unconstitutional, although that statute is not directly affected. The justices based their ruling on a US Supreme Court decision voiding an anti-sodomy law in Texas.
"This case directly affects only the fornication law but makes it absolutely clear how the court would rule were the sodomy law before it," said Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Virginia.
"It's a strong message to legislators that they must repeal Virginia's sodomy law. Now both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Virginia Supreme Court have spoken on essentially the same issue."
Virginia's anti-sodomy law prohibits oral and anal sex even for married couples, but gay civil rights advocates say the statute is only used to target gays. Legislators for years have rejected efforts to repeal the law. They left it on the books again last year even after the Lawrence v. Texas decision held that such laws are unconstitutional.
"We find no relevant distinction between the circumstances in Lawrence and the circumstances in the present case," the Virginia justices said in voiding the fornication law. The court said that "decisions by married or unmarried persons regarding their intimate physical relationship are elements of their personal relationships that are entitled to due process protection."
The ruling stemmed from a woman's lawsuit seeking $5 million in damages from a man who infected her with herpes. She claims the man did not inform her that he was infected before they had sex. Richmond Circuit Judge Theodore J. Markow threw out the lawsuit, ruling that the woman was not entitled to damages because she had participated in an illegal act. The Supreme Court reinstated the lawsuit.
"The ruling recognizes that a sin greater than fornication is not telling someone you have a sexually transmitted disease and then not practicing safe sex," said the woman's lawyer, Neil Kuchinski. "The rule now should be: If not asked, do tell."
The law against fornication had been on the books since the early 1800s but was last enforced against consenting adults in 1847, according to Paul McCourt Curley, attorney for the defendant in the lawsuit.
Curley said he sees nothing wrong with having laws on the books, even if they are unenforced, that say "these are the ideals and morals of the state of Virginia." He said the ruling sends a message that virtually anything goes--even adultery--as long as sex is consensual.
However, the justices noted that their ruling "does not affect the commonwealth's police powers regarding regulation of public fornication, prostitution, or other such crimes."

Washington DC: NGLTF Report Finds Incumbents' Chances of Re-election Unharmed by Voting Against Anti-gay Marriage Amendments - Legislators who voted against state constitutional amendments banning same sex marriage rarely faced negative consequences when running for reelection in November, according to a report issued by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute.
The Institute's report, Impact of Voting against Anti-gay Marriage Amendments on 2004 Re-election Campaigns in Five Midwestern States, analyzed the election results in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, where state legislatures had voted in 2004 on constitutional amendments seeking to ban marriage between same-sex couples, and in some cases, any form of partner recognition such as civil unions or domestic partnerships. The report found: Voting against anti-gay marriage amendments did not hurt incumbents' chances of re-election.
If anything, it may have helped. The report found that 97% (100 of 103) of state legislators who voted against anti-gay constitutional amendments and ran for re-election won their races, compared to 91% of state legislators who voted for them ( 196 of 215) . In all five states combined, 19 legislators who voted for anti-gay amendments lost their seats. Only 3 legislators who voted against these amendments lost their seats.
In Iowa and Minnesota, legislators who voted against these amendments fared significantly better than their anti-gay colleagues. In Iowa, all 7 legislators who voted against the anti-gay amendment were re-elected, compared to 71% (10 of 14) of those who voted for it. In Minnesota, 98% (40 of 41) of House members who voted against the anti-gay amendment were re-elected, compared to 86% of those who voted for it.
Republican legislators did not receive any electoral benefit from supporting anti-gay amendments in these five states. In Michigan, Democrats picked up seats, closing the Republican majority in the House from 63-46 to 58-52. Although all Iowa Democrats voted against the anti-gay constitutional amendment, the Democrats picked up a net four seats, evening the balance of power in the Senate in which the majority had been Republican.
"This study shows that contrary to threats and demagoguery of extreme right, legislators who take a stand against marriage discrimination rarely suffer consequences at the polls," Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman said.
"The Task Force report confirms what I already know to be true," said State Senator D. Scott Dibble of Minneapolis. "Legislators can be confident that when they cast a vote to reflect the courage of their convictions, the people of their district respect them. We found out in Minnesota that not giving in to the politics of distraction and fear allowed us to cut through the hyperbole and speak directly with young voters about the real priorities facing our state. The election was a strong repudiation of those who would divert our attention and divide Minnesotans against each other."
The state legislatures in Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois did not pass anti-marriage constitutional amendments during the 2004 legislative sessions. In November 2004, although the vote to pass the amendment failed in the Michigan legislature, voters approved a sweeping anti-marriage/anti-civil-union constitutional amendment by ballot initiative. Since its passage Michigan's governor rescinded domestic partner health coverage for state employees. Wisconsin's legislature passed its anti-gay amendment, but it must pass again this session before being sent to the voters for ratification.
Ann Marie DeGroot, Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota, encourages legislators considering any future anti-gay constitutional amendments to vote based on fairness, rather than fear. "I hope that this gives legislators the courage not to fall for the bait of right-wing radicals who are trying to use this issue for their own extremist agendas."
Jeff Montgomery, Executive Director of the Triangle Foundation of Michigan, said, "With this information we can, hopefully, end the scapegoating of 'gay issues' when candidates and parties lose, and see those defeats for what they are: failures to take a stand for fairness."
The report: Impact of Voting against Anti-Gay Marriage Amendments on 2004 Re-election Campaigns, can be found at www.thetaskforce.org home page in the "What's New" column and/or publications section.

Washington, DC: Online Betting On Simpsons' Gay Character Begins - Following the announcement late last fall that a character on Fox television's The Simpsons would come out of the closet this season, an internet gambling company has started taking bets on who the gay one is. "Fan websites are running rampant with speculation that the mystery gay character could be any one of the animated sitcom stars," Mike Foreman, a spokesperson for BetUS.com, told the Casino City Times. BetUS.com currently ranks Bart's friend Milhouse in third place behind 4 to 1 odds that the gay character is Smithers.
The odds on favorite however, is Marge's sister Patty. Chain-smoking, deep gravelly-voiced Patty, who has never found love - even fleetingly - as has her fellow spinster Selma with actor Troy McClure in the show's 16 seasons, currently tops all betting with with 4 to 5 odds.

Washington, DC: Pentagon Proposed Gay Chemical Warfare - According to the January, 2005 edition of New Scientist the Pentagon considered developing a host of non-lethal chemical weapons that would disrupt discipline and morale among enemy troops. The British scientific journal based its report on recently obtained copies of newly declassified documents.
Most bizarre among the plans was one for the development of an "aphrodisiac" chemical weapon that would make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to each other. Provoking widespread homosexual behavior among troops would cause a "distasteful but completely non-lethal" blow to morale, the proposal said.
Other ideas included chemical weapons that attract swarms of enraged wasps or angry rats to troop positions, making them uninhabitable. Another was to develop a chemical that caused "severe and lasting halitosis", making it easy to identify guerrillas trying to blend in with civilians. There was also the idea of making troops' skin unbearably sensitive to sunlight. Pentagon spokesman Edward Hammond says it was not known if the proposed $7.5 million, six-year research plan was ever pursued.
The proposals, from the US Air Force Wright Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, date from 1994. The lab sought Pentagon funding for research into what it called "harassing, annoying and 'bad guy'-identifying chemicals". The
plans also have been posted online by the Sunshine Project, an organization that exposes research into chemical and biological weapons. The United State Marine Corps has sought to re-classify the documents in an attempt to censor the Sunshine Project whiste blowers.

Green Bay: Union Congregational Church Donates $50,000 to ARCW Food Pantry - When ARCW's development team last Fall approached the Cora Nelson Foundation Committee of Union Congregational United Church of Christ asking for a $25,000 donation towards the construction of a food pantry that would be a part of the AIDS service organization's new building here, they were in or quite a surprise. After much prayerful consideration, both the church's Stewardship committee and the Foundation Committee recommended to the church council that the congregation ARCW $50,000 instead. The council unanimously voted in favor of the donation. Rev. Chuck Mize announced the gift at services on Christmas Day.
ARCW will be unveiling the new food pantry, which will now be named for the church, on Wednesday, January 26. The exact name will be revealed at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to ARCW Development Director Dan Mueller.
Agency staff have been filling the pantry with shelf-stable and frozen foods for the past two weeks. Volunteer and staff trainings for the pantry were held January 18 & 20. Other local organizations, including Union Congregational's sister UCC church in DePere, have offered to assist with the pantry as well.

Green Bay: Anti-Amendment Speakers Training Set For January 29 - The Green Bay Action Network (GBAN) is a committed coalition of local gay and straight volunteers opposing the so-called Wisconsin Marriage Amendment that would ban legal recognition to all non-married couples regardless of sexual orientation. GBAN will hold its second Speaker's Training on Saturday, January 29 rom 10:30 AM -1:30 PM in the1965 Room at the University Union on the campus of UW-Green Bay.
In November, 65 people gathered in Green Bay to learn how to speak more effectively about the proposed constitutional ban on civil unions and marriage. One woman brought her 74 year old father. Another woman brought her mother and sister. Half of the attendees were non-gay people who care about equal rights for everyone. Since then, those people have been talking to everyone they know about the amendment and why its wrong--at church, at work, and in their neighborhoods. Some of the attendees signed up to be public speakers and have begun speaking to community groups in the Green Bay area. Together they are changing minds in Green Bay.
On Saturday, January 29 you can become part of this change making. The goal of the training is to help you make the biggest impact when communicating about the amendment and the need for equality. At the training you will learn more about the amendment, the campaign to defeat it, and how to persuade people to oppose it. The Green Bay Action Network will run the training with support from the Action Wisconsin staff.
Interested individuals may register for the training by downloading the form located at: http://actionwisconsin.org/downloads/training.doc. You may also register by calling Saad Akbar-Khan at 608-441-0143 Ext. 307 or writing him via email with your name, address and phone number at: saad@actionwisconsin.org.
You do not need to commit to being a public speaker to attend, but GBAN hopes to identify speakers who are willing to address civic groups in the region.

Green Bay: Positive Voice To Host Open House At New Office - Friday evening, January 28, Positive Voice will be hosting an open house at their recently-opened Green Bay office space, 618 Stuart St from 6 to 8:00 PM. It will be an opportunity for PV's membership and other interested folks to see the modest spaces, the progress made in fixing them up and to share our hopes for what new services the organization may be able to offer in the future to the local LGBT community.

Green Bay: Positive Voice Sets 2-Day LGBT Issues Conference - From gay marriage to "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," it sometimes seems that the world has gone LGBT crazy. All gay all day. If that is so, then why are some gay people still living in the closet? Why are others are afraid to come out at work? Why do people shy away from discussions of LGBT issues?
Liberty Hall in Kimberly will be the site of a free two-day conference on Friday and Saturday, February 25-26. The keynote speaker for both days will be Scott Fearing, a Senior Director with OutFront Minnesota. Scott spoke at the Positive Voice Day of Self-Discovery 6 years ago and the organization is pleased to have him come back to speak on new issues affecting the LGBT community.
The Friday night session is for those individuals in leadership roles in GLBT and other diversity-focused community organizations. Hors d'ouerves will be served at 6:00 PM and the program will run from 6:30-9 PM. The Saturday session is open to the public and will deal with coming out issues.. There will be a complimentary continental breakfast at 8:00 AM and the program will begin at 8:30. Attendees will break for a complimentary lunch at 11:30 AM and then reconvene around Noon. The conference is set to conclude at 1:30 PM.
Although there will be no charge for either session, pre-registration will be requested to assure seating and appropriate facility accommodations. More information and a registration form will be forthcoming on the Positive Voice website at: www.pvinc.org.
Funding for the conference has been made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation For The Fox Valley Region, Inc. The Foundation recently gave Positive Voice $2,000 from their Opportunity Fund to cover all of the speaker costs for the two-day program.

Madison: Men's Coming Out Group Set To Begin at Outreach - Outreach has announced that a men's coming-out support group will begin meeting in February. The group will offer support to men who are dealing with the realization that they are not heterosexual and will identify the stages of the coming out process. Among the topics to be explored are dealing with family members, physical and sexual safety, legal rights and discrimination, and spirituality.
The group will run for ten weeks facilitated by two trained volunteers. Men interested in attending the meetings are asked to leave a message for Jim with contact information. deadline is Monday, February 7. For more information, contact Outreach at 608-255-8582 or e-mail programs@outreachinc.com.

Milwaukee: Anti-Amendment Valentine's Day Rally Planned - This Valentine's Day, show your support for love, commitment, and tolerance for all Wisconsin families. Come to the Valentine's Day Rally, sponsored by the Milwaukee "No on the Amendment" Coalition. Learn how the proposed amendment to the Wisconsin constitution goes too far and why people from all walks of life are opposing it. The rally will be held in the Milwaukee City Hall Rotunda, 200 E. Wells Street on Monday, February 14, 2005 (Valentine's Day) from 5:30-6:30 PM..
For more information, call Patrick at 414-71-2656, ext. 112. The Milwaukee "No on the Amendment" Coalition is a diverse group of clergy and civic organizations united against a constitutional ban on civil unions and same-sex marriage. The Coalition supports tolerance for all Wisconsin families.

Milwaukee: Veteran AIDS Activist Milakovich Calls It Quits - Paul Milakovich, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW), has decided to end his 14-year tenure at ARCW to pursue new career opportunities. Milakovich has been a key member of the ARCW executive staff team that has led the transformation of ARCW from one of the smallest to one of the largest HIV/AIDS health and social service agencies in the nation.
"We will miss Paul terribly," said Doug Nelson, ARCW President and CEO. "But Paul leaves an extraordinary legacy of achievement that will serve us well for years to come."
"I'm proud of all that I've accomplished at ARCW. I will miss the staff, all of whom are so gifted and so dedicated to their work," said Milakovich.
Nelson praised Milakovich for building financial management, contract management, and technology systems at ARCW that are "best practice models" for nonprofit agencies. "It was Paul's administrative savvy that enabled us to successfully manage the rapid growth of HIV services propelling us from a $1 million to a $10 million agency," said Nelson.
Nelson also praised Milakovich for his vision and leadership in preparing quality environments for ARCW patients, clients, staff and volunteers as ARCW spread throughout the state with nine offices. "When we opened our medical and dental clinics, Paul was superb in leading the renovations of our Milwaukee office to include state-of-the-art dental operatories and medical exam rooms," Nelson said. "Paul leaves a legacy of profound success at ARCW that has made a huge difference in fight against AIDS in Wisconsin."
Milakovich's final day at the agency will be Friday, January 28. Staff statewide have been invited to participate in a farewell event.