Quest Magazine Volume 17 Issue 2
February 25 - March 10, 2010

Please check out Vol 17 Issue 1 Cover Feature on Quest Journalist Mike Fitzpatrick

Interview with Bruce Vilanch by Michael Johnston

Paul Masterson Takes Us on a Tour of LGBT Sports in Wisconsin

NATIONAL & WISCONSIN NEWS is BELOW

FORGE Transgender Aging Network Part of Groundbreaking Federal Center
Milwaukee - The White House announced on February 10 the award of the first-ever, federally funded, national resource center devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, awarding a 3-year contract to a coalition that includes FORGE's Transgender Aging Network (TAN) in Milwaukee.

TAN is one of ten organizational partners that will assist lead agency Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), the country's oldest and largest agency devoted to serving LGBT elders, in carrying out the duties of the U.S. Administration on Aging's new Technical Assistance Resource Center: Promoting Appropriate Long Term Care Supports for LGBT Elders (Resource Center).

  TAN is charged with helping ensure that the diverse needs and viewpoints of transgender elders are reflected in all Resource Center training and technical assistance materials.  TAN's founder, Loree Cook-Daniels, will also serve as part of the core training staff that will be deployed throughout the country.

  The Resource Center has three mandates:
• Educate mainstream aging services organizations about the existence and special needs of LGBT elders;

• Sensitize LGBT organizations about the existence and special needs of older adults; and

• Educate LGBT individuals about the importance of planning ahead for future long-term care needs.

  The Resource Center will achieve these goals by developing:  a comprehensive, interactive, web-based clearinghouse with resources useful to all three audiences; a train-the-trainer curriculum and national LGBT aging training corps; in-person trainings and webinars; best practice publications; consumer educational materials and campaigns; a listserv to provide professionals ongoing technical assistance and support; dedicated phone and email technical assistance portals; and a range of social media vehicles to entice users to remain in contact with the Resource Center and grow along with it. The Resource Center will also devote special outreach and attention to low-income, rural, transgender, limited English-speaking LGBT elders and LGBT elders of color.

  In addition to TAN and SAGE, the organizational partners in the new Resource Center are:
• Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging and Longevity at Hunter College of the City University of New York;
• Centerlink, a national association of LGBT community centers;
• Griot Circle, the nation's largest organization serving LGBT elders of color;
• Openhouse, a San Francisco agency with particular expertise in LGBT elder housing;
• PHI, a national organization addressing the needs of direct-care workers;
• The American Society on Aging, a national association of aging professionals;
• The LGBT Aging Project, a Boston-based training agency with a caregiver support specialty;
• The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, representing local government agencies that oversee all programs funded under the Older Americans Act; and
• The National Institute on Senior Centers of the National Council on Aging.

  "We are extremely pleased to be included as an equal partner with many of the country's leading organizations addressing aging issues," said FORGE Executive Director Michael Munson.  "I think our inclusion is a tribute to how much work TAN has done over the past 11 years to raise awareness of the unique needs of transgender elders.  We also want to thank SAGE for recognizing how important it is to include transgender aging experts and so ensure that this exceptionally exciting federal effort meets the needs of all older members of the LGBT community."

  This partnership award represents the fourth time in a year that FORGE has been awarded federal funds.  In mid-2009, FORGE completed a 6-month Office of Victims of Crime grant to produce a "Guide for Milwaukee LGBT Crime Victims" and train local service providers.  In the latter part of 2009, FORGE won two additional, 3-year grants from the Department of Justice to provide direct services to transgender survivors of sexual violence, and training and technical assistance to the professionals who serve them.

ARCW Advocates for Increasing Access to Treatment for STDs
Increasing Rates, Linkage to HIV Infection Highlight Need for Action

Milwaukee -  The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) is lobbying the Wisconsin legislature to adopt important legislation that will help strengthen the fight against AIDS and increase access to treatment of STDs in the state.  Assembly Bill 653, introduced by Representative Sandy Pasch (D-Milwaukee) will expand access to antibiotics for the treatment of Chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis.  

“Thanks to Representative Pasch’s strong leadership, the Wisconsin Assembly is engaging in an important conversation on HIV and STD prevention,” said Bill Keeton, Director of Government Relations for ARCW.  “With close to 400 new cases of HIV and over 30,000 cases of other STDs diagnosed in Wisconsin every year, it is imperative the legislature passes AB 653 to help bolster prevention efforts.”

AB 653 would explicitly allow medical providers to write antibiotic prescriptions for or dispense antibiotics to the sexual partners of a patient diagnosed with an STD without a medical evaluation of the partner.  This practice, known as expedited partner therapy or EPT, is supported by the CDC, ARCW, Wisconsin Medical Examining Board, American Medical Association and is permitted in 21 other states including Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa.

In testimony during the hearing on January 20 Keeton said, “The treatment of STDs is a vitally important component of HIV prevention because we know that people with STDs are more likely to contract HIV if they are exposed to the virus during sex and that STDs appear to increase the ability of HIV-positive individuals to transmit the virus. EPT will ensure more people with STDs are treated thus preventing them from re-infecting their sexual partner with the STD while also making them less likely to contract or transmit HIV.”

The Chair of the Committee, Representative Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) is expected to schedule a vote on AB 653 soon.

ARCW to Honor Mayor Tom Barrett For Leadership on AIDS at Annual Gala
Milwaukee- The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) will present its top Leadership award to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett at its annual Make A Promise Dinner Gala on April 17, 2010 at the Midwest Airlines Center.

“For 25 years Mayor Barrett has been a steadfast leader in the fight against AIDS,” ARCW President and CEO Doug Nelson said. “In the state Legislature he led efforts to prohibit discrimination against people with HIV, in Congress he was a leading voice to lift the ban on federal funding of needle exchange and as Mayor he has protected HIV funding in the city budget even during the toughest of fiscal times.”

Nelson said the recognition for Barrett is long overdue. “No one could ask for a stronger advocate and a more loyal ally in the fight against AIDS than Tom Barrett.”

The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin is home to the ARCW Medical Center – Wisconsin’s largest and fastest growing provider of HIV health care. Through its integrated medical, dental and mental health clinics more than 1,200 HIV patients gain the health care they need for long term survival with HIV disease.

The Make A Promise Dinner Gala raises funds to support the ARCW Medical Center and annually draws 1,000 business, health care, philanthropic and political leaders. Other award winners to be recognized at the Gala include:

State Senator Jeff Plale – for leadership in securing $1.8 million in new state funding for the expansion of the ARCW Medical Center in Green Bay and Milwaukee.

Froedtert Hospital – for its partnership in providing specialty and inpatient care to ARCW Medical Center patients and extending its Epic electronic medical record system to the ARCW Medical Center.

Joseph Pabst – as Philanthropist of the Year for his personal donations and innovative fundraising strategies that have raised more than $204,000 for ARCW.

Attorney Michael Stocker, Donald Alvarez and Allen Thornell – for their leadership in bringing a national class action anti-trust lawsuit on HIV drug pricing and winning a settlement of $10 million that was distributed to support 13 HIV health care centers across the country including $377,587 for the ARCW Medical Center.

“All of these leaders have made extraordinary contributions and we are proud to recognize them and call them our partners in the fight against AIDS,” Nelson said.

To purchase tickets for the Make A Promise Dinner Gala or to make a donation, please contact Tad Gospodarek, ARCW Director of Special Events at 414-225-1598.

For more information about the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin or the ARCW Medical Center, please contact Bill Keeton, ARCW Director of Communications and Government Relations at 414-225-1572.

MILMAIDS-Madison 2010 Bowling Tournament
Madison - MILMAIDS is a charitable bowling tournament that was started in 1985 in response to the AIDS crisis.  This annual Tournament alternates locations between Madison and Milwaukee with all proceeds going to AIDS Organizations chosen by the host city.  This year’s beneficiary will be Madison’s AIDS Network.  This benefit tournament will raise funds to be used exclusively for direct client services.

  The event promises to be a great time and you don’t have to be a good bowler to participate.  If you’d like to bowl, just contact Bret Dougherty at the number or e-mail listed above and I’ll send you a registration form.  Or a registration form may be printed from the MILMAIDS website atwww.milmaidsbowling.com.  The cost of the tournament is $30 if paid in advance, $35 if paid after March 26, 2010.  The price includes bowling, buffet, prizes and donation.  The tournament will be held at Badger Bowl, 506 East Badger Road, Madison WI  53713 (608) 274-6662.  There’s only space for 300 bowlers so get your registration forms in soon as it fills up quickly.  Spectators and bowling enthusiasts are encouraged to attend and show your support for a great cause.

Australian Olympic Gold Medal Diver Matthew Mitcham To Attend 2010 Gay Games in Cologne
Sydney, Australia – More than 5,000 artists and athletes have already registered to participate at Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 Sports & Cultural Festival (www.games-cologne.com) and every day the numbers grow. Now, Australian Olympic gold medalist Matthew Mitcham has announced he will travel up to Germany to be part of Cologne's edition of the Gay Games.

  “I’m excited to be part of something so important for our communities around the globe. This event brings lesbian and gay life out on the court, onto the track, and into the pool," Matthew explains. “Being ‘out’ for me means being just as I am with nothing to be ashamed about and no reasons to hide. Participating at the Gay Games is a great chance for all gays and lesbians to show that we as a community are not like the stereotypes the straight media loves to portray. I will take time off from training and travel to Cologne, since I strongly feel we have to celebrate our own values and help others to accept that it is ok to be different.”

  Matthew Mitcham won the gold medal in 10 meter platform diving at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, winning on a final dive that had the highest single-dive score in Olympic history. He was one of 11 openly-gay athletes at the Beijing Olympics.

  Matthew will capture his trip to Germany and participation in the Gay Games on his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Mitcham-Olympian/23129711303), allowing people who can’t be there to follow his personal story of being involved in a life-changing event like the Gay Games. Matthew will be making appearances at several events while in Cologne, but will not be participating in the sports program.

Emy Ritt and Kurt Dahl, co-presidents of the Federation of Gay Games, are thrilled to have in Matthew Mitcham another top athlete supporting this year’s quadrennial sports and cultural event. “Matthew, one of the most recognised openly gay sports persons of our time at just age 21, is a fantastic role model, especially for younger people. He is focused and successful in his sport and doesn’t have to hide being gay. This is something of which Gay Games founder Dr. Tom Waddell would have been so proud. After almost 30 years, the Gay Games continues to make lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender life visible through sports and culture, thus allowing new generations to be accepted just as they are. The wonderful video he recorded for us (viewable at http://www.gaygames.com/) has already generated significant positive reaction from around the world.”

Harmony Cafe’s SPECTRUM Group Expands to Green Bay
Green Bay - The highly successful SPECTRUM group, a GLBT-focused program of Harmony Cafe, is now meeting weekly in Green Bay in addition to its weekly meetings in Appleton. The new SPECTRUM group in Green Bay meets every Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Harmony Café, 1660 W. Mason St.  The Appleton meetings are held every Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Harmony Café, 233 E. College Ave. in downtown Appleton.

SPECTRUM was formed as a social, educational, community-minded group for GLBT people who outgrew, or who exceed the 18-year-old age limit of the GLBT Partnership, another program of Harmony Café.
These meetings provide an opportunity for GLBT people ages 18 to 98 to socialize and discuss a variety of issues.  Please drop in and check it out!

FMI, contact Mark markzirbel@gmail.com or Cricket (920)437-7400 paul.jacob@arcw.org.
Harmony Café is a program of Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin, Inc.

Celebrate Romance in Door County This Winter
It’s that time of year to celebrate romance…snuggle up by the fire, bundle up for a romantic sleigh ride, savor a special candlelight dinner for two, or just do nothing…together.  Whether looking for a winter sports adventure, a dreamy romantic getaway or simply some alone time together to reconnect, wintertime in Door County is the perfect time to experience the “Nature of Romance.”

Door County, Wisconsin, the 70-mile long peninsula located just 40 miles northeast of Green Bay, is currently offering nearly two dozen romantic getaway packages at different accommodations—all inspired by romance.  Each Nature of Romance package is unique to the host property and is available now through the end of March 2010.  Packages are value-priced for the quiet season on the peninsula. 

Packages include two nights’ lodging at some of Door County’s most charming accommodations—choose from luxurious resorts, idyllic inns or a bevy of bed and breakfast establishments.  Enchanting extras might include horse drawn sleigh rides, Door County trolley tours, complimentary champagne, chocolate or gourmet treats, candlelight dinners for two, breakfast in bed, gift certificates or rejuvenating spa treatments.

Winter adventures abound in Door County with snowshoeing, hiking, cross country skiing, sledding, tubing, winter horseback riding and more.  Those looking for relaxing natural pastimes will find the peninsula’s state and county parks are perfect for a winter walk in the woods or a scenic stroll along the icy shore.  Marvel at Mother Nature’s ice sculptures, winter birdlife or the peace and stillness of a quiet snowy morning.  Indoor pursuits include galleries, museums, shops, wineries, markets and much more.

To take advantage of these Door County romance packages, visit DoorCounty.com It should be noted that although Door County is relatively LGBT friendly, these packages are not necessarily aimed at our community. One bed and breakfast that is especially LGBT friendly is The Chanticleer, owned and operated by life partners Bryon and Darrin. Quest can personally recommend this beautifully cared for guest house with 8 suites and 4 cabins tucked in Door County on 70 acres. Contact Chanticleer at (866)682-0384 and mention you read this in Quest. Ask them what special offers they have this winter and spring.

WISCONSIN ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Perfect Harmony Men’s Chorus’ TROOP SALUTE
A Cabaret That Is Decidedly “Do Ask, Do Tell”
Madison - Perfect Harmony’s own Bob Moore as hosts an evening of pre -1945 favorites in a USO-style show.  TROOP SALUTE will be performed two nights only - 7 pm on Saturday, March 13, and 7 pm on Sunday, March 14, 2010 at the West Side Club of Madison, 437 County Hwy M in Madison.
 
These are songs you wouldn’t believe were written in an innocent age.  Perfect Harmony will feature the first ever SILENT AUCTION at TROOP SALUTE. Items include original oil paintings, prints, crafts, dinners, collectibles, and service type items.

 Cash or check only. Food will be provided by Queen Anne’s Catering, repeatedly voted the Best of Madison award for “Caterer”.

 They will supply an extensive array of hors d’oeuvres and dessert, as well as complementary champagne.
Perfect Harmony Men’s Chorus is South-central Wisconsin’s gay and gay-friendly men’s chorus, now in its thirteenth (13th) season is a member of GALA Choruses, performing before an international audience at GALA Fest 2008.  

Tickets are $40 for Saturday night and $35 for Sunday night.  Contact Ken Forney at  608-445-6767 for information and reservations, and visit www.perfectharmonychorus.org .

“Sappho In Love” brings campy comedy with Lesbian twist from StageQ
Madison, WI - StageQ, the local queer theater company brings warmth (no, make that heat) to the February chills with the romantic Lesbian romp Sappho In Love at the Bartell Theatere located at 113 E. Mifflin Street in downtown Madison, WI Friday, February 12, 2010 through Saturday, February 27th.

Sappho In Love, written by the popular Carolyn Gage (Ugly Ducklings, Second Coming of Joan of Arc) and directed by StageQ favorite Katy Conley, is a lesbian midsummer night's dream with the goddesses of celibacy, love, and marriage competing for Sappho's attention amid poetry contests, meteor showers, lessons on lesbian love-making, romantic trysting, mix-ups and disguises. Wet and wild romantic comedy!
Critics claim “Touching, funny, gregarious-well worth the money! For anyone who enjoys the theater, Sappho in Love is one of the most side-splitting two hours you can have! Hysterical, sweet and just a little different!"

  Sappho In Love stars Molly Vanderlin as Aphrodite, Laura Spring as Hera, Leonie Dolch as Artemis and Boye as Sappho, along with Kristin Forde, Petrovnia McIntosh, Juli Branch, Marian Herzog, Nikki  Weinfurtner, Christine Esche, Rachel Granda-Gluski, Sabra Katz-Wise, Vanessa Vesperman, Shelly Murray, Luv Seamon, Thia Triggs and Michelle Morency.

  Show times are Thursday at 7:30pm Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday, February 21st at 2pm. Tickets are $15 for the Friday and Saturday shows and $10 for Thursday evening and Sunday matinee shows. Tickets may be purchased or reserved at www.StageQ.com or by calling 608-661-9696 x3.

A Jihad for Love Part of the International LGBT Film Fest at UW-L
LaCrosse - Visiting Scholar and Director Parvez Sharma, will host a lecture , film screening and discussion as part of the UW-L International LGBT Film Festival February 26 and 27.  Sponsored by:  Provost's Office through the Visiting Scholar/Artist of Color Grant, Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, the Pride Center, and the Departments of Psychology, Modern Language, English, Sociology/Archaeology. Five other films with LGBT?themes will also be screened at the festival in 339 Cartwright Center.

Parvez Sharma is the director and producer of A Jihad for Love (www.ajihadforlove.com), which is the world’s first feature documentary to explore the complex global intersections between Islam and homosexuality. Crucially, this film speaks with a Muslim voice, unlike other documentaries about sexual politics in Islam made by Western directors. In the hope of opening a dialogue that has been mostly non-existent in Islam’s recent history and defining jihad as a “struggle” rather than a “war,” the film presents the struggle for love.


A Jihad for Love has been screened at more than 70 other international film festivals and is the winner of several international awards.

The lecture; Islam and Diversity, will be held February 25 at 4 pm, Cleary Center. A few of the topics include: Does the 1429 year old religion of Islam have principles that are relevant in the 21st century? What is the sexual psyche of those young men who take on weapons in order to defend Islam and are ready to die for the promised seventy virgins in heaven? What does “jihad” mean in the context of Parvez Sharma’s film?



The complete film festival schedule is listed below.

Friday, Feb. 26  7 pm. A Jihad for Love
(Middle East/South Asia Running time: 81 minutes) followed by a Conversation with Director Parvez Sharma, 339 Cartwright Center.
Sat., Feb. 27: 12pm-10 pm,339 Cartwright Center
12pm: The Baby Formula  (Canada RUNNING TIME: 81 minutes)
2pm: Diagnosing Difference
(USA Run time: 60 minutes)
3:30pm: Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World
(Egypt, Honduras, Kenya, Thailand 60 minutes) 5:00pm: XXY 
(Argentina|Spanish w/ English subtitles 91 Min.)
7pm: Patrik, Age 1,5  (Sweden)

IN THE YEAR OF THE ‘DRAG RACE’…THE SHOW MUST DRAG ON!
UWM LGBT Resource Center Hosts Annual Drag Show
Milwaukee - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center is hosting its annual Drag Show on Saturday, February 27, 2010 in the Union Ballroom at 7:30 p.m.

The annual UWM Drag Show is one of the largest in the area. The drag show has attracted more than 600 attendees with twenty voluntary, drag show performers. This year’s performers include local favorites Lady Gia, Leo Long, Ms. B. Haven, Jessica Properties, Madam Sparkkl, DeVry Sha, Pretty Boi and more.

All of the tips that performers receive will benefit Project Q, the youth program of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center. They provide a safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender who are questioning their straight allies, 24 and under. The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center is a community-based organization represented by more than 150 volunteers and over 300 members. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for LGBT people in the metro Milwaukee area.
Please contact Warren Scherer at (414)229-4116 or wscherer@uwm.edu for more information.

A Celebration of the Best New & Noteworthy Titles for Women’s History Month
Non-Fiction:
1 “When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win,” Carol Leifer
Leifer uses her background in stand-up comedy to good effect in her collection of column-length pieces that range from her finding her lesbian sexual identity at 40 (“If I don’t sleep with a woman soon, I think I’ll kill myself”) to her childhood disappointment at her dad’s “bargain” gift of a cheap Babblin’ Barbara doll instead of the A-list Chatty Cathy she yearned for.

2. “The Talented Miss Highsmith,” Joan Schenkar
Schenkar presents a compelling portrait of a novelist whose own life was often as twisted as that of her antihero Tom Ripley. From her early years in Texas through her time soaking up Manhattan’s literary life in the ‘40s to her self-exile in Europe, Highsmith kept diaries in which she meticulously detailed everything from her myriad female lovers to plot ideas, allowing Schenkar to illuminate how her demons played out on the page and in real life.

3. “My Red Blood,” Alix Dobkin
For the first time women’s music legend Alix Dobkin chronicles her rise to fame as the first artist to record an openly lesbian album in 1973. Growing up in a Communist family, she comes of age under the watchful eye of the FBI. When she arrives on the burgeoning folk music scene of Greenwich Village, she meets the up-and-coming Bob Dylan among many other rising luminaries. Her music takes on overt feminist dimensions when she joins a women’s consciousness-raising group and comes out as a lesbian.

4. “ Mean Little deaf Queer: A Memoir,” Terry Galloway
When Terry Galloway was born, no one knew that an experimental antibiotic given to her mother had wreaked havoc on her fetal nervous system. Soon, Terry’s would become a deafening, hallucinatory childhood where everything, including her own body, changed for the worse. But those unwelcome changes awoke a dark, defiant humor that has fueled her lifelong obsessions with language, duplicity, and performance.

5. “Ties That Bind: Familial Homophobia and Its Consequences,” Schulman, Sarah
In this groundbreaking book, playwright and social critic Sarah Schulman explores the family, the first place where all people—straight, gay, and bisexual—learn homophobia. For it is within the family that homophobia begins to control people’s lives, whether as perpetrators or recipients.
 
Fiction:
1. ”Collision Course,”
C.P. Rowlands
The woman Brie O’Malley loved, the future she was planning for, were stolen from her the day she and her lover were shot. Now alone, she is dedicated to her work, volunteering in the community, and researching her next historical novel. Jordan Carter can’t believe her bad luck when she collides with beautiful blond Brie. Jordan has also struggled to pull her life together after a tragedy. Do Jordan and Brie have a second chance at love? 

2. “The Children of Mother Glory,” C.M. Harris
In the turn-of-the-century Midwest, young Glory Potter’s lot in life is to serve her father’s ministry. When Glory grows into a dominant matriarchal figure—transcending her father in the creation of the Potterite faith and an industry that supports the town of Gulliver—she finds herself fighting “demons from hell” that irresistibly draw her to the woman she craves with all her being.

3.  “Precious,” Sapphire
Abused by her mother, raped by her father, Claireece Precious Jones grows up poor, angry, illiterate, fat, and unloved. So what better way to learn about her than through her own, halting dialect? “Sometimes I wish I was not alive,” Precious says. “But I don’t know how to die. Ain’ no plug to pull out. ‘N no matter how bad I feel my heart don’t stop beating and my eyes open in the morning.”

4. “Starting From Scratch”, Georgia Beers
What happens when your life takes an unexpected turn? What happens when you lose something you never knew you wanted? Lambda-winning author Georgia Beers new novel, “Starting from Scratch,” is a story where learning, laughing, loving, and baked goods are just a few of life’s basic ingredients and where life is what you make it.

5.  “A Field Guide to Deception,” Jill Malone
With her aunt’s death Claire Bernard loses her best companion, her livelihood, and her son’s co-parent. Claire’s subsequent journey is the unifying tension in this book of layered and shifting alliances. Malone’s smart, intriguing writing beguiles the reader into this taut, compelling story of a makeshift family and the reawakening of a past they’d hoped to outrun.

  All of the above books and many more are available at Outwords Books, Gifts & Coffee located at 2710 N. Murray Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53211 (414) 963-9089 www.outwordsbooks.com

MINNEAPOLIS AUTHOR TO PRESENT BOOK READING AND SIGNING
Eau Claire - The LGBT Community Center of the Chippewa Valley welcomes Minneapolis author C.M. Harris Tuesday, March 9, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center’s facility, 510 South Farwell Street in downtown Eau Claire. C.M. Harris was raised in a rural church sect and now lives in Uptown Minneapolis with her partner, their twins, and two miniature pinschers.

Harris’s book, The Children of Mother Glory, was released in December of 2009 and tells the story of four Midwesterners in the turn-of-the-century: Glory Potter, whose lot in life is to serve her father’s ministry. When Glory grows into a dominant matriarchal figure—transcending her father in the creation of the Potterite faith and an industry that supports the town of Gulliver—she finds herself fighting “demons from hell” that irresistibly draw her to the woman she craves with all her being.

For more information please call (715) 552-LGBT or email lgbtcommunitycenter@yahoo.com