mu AIDS Robin Hood? NEW YORK — Former Alliance Capital Management employee John Loan, 41. has been charged with embezzling $3.4 million over five years. Loan allegedly stole the money to pay his (now deceased) lover’s AIDS-related medical bills. Loan pled not guilty at his arraignment and ball was set at $1 million, according to a report in POZ. Loan earned the sobriquet “AIDS Robin Hood” with a claim that he donated large sums to AIDS organizations, although at least one organization he identified as a recipi- ent of his largess could find no record of a donation under his name. Loan allegedly also paid for trips to Rome, London and Paris. Get the Message? MISSOULA, MT — According to Frontiers, the pastor of an unaffiliat- ed Baptist church “suffered a hate crime,” when pink triangles were spray painted on the doors of the church building. The minister, John Haveman, suggested that the vandal- ism was prompted by his outspoken anti-gay views that aired on local radio two days after two lesbians and their child were burned out of their nearby home. The church is the “Open Door Baptist Church.” Nearby, a religious bill- board was also spray painted with a message that reads: “What you do in the name of your God scares me. Stop burning houses.” _ * Volunteers Only . PROVIDENCE, RI — Several sources have reported that the ACLU is defending the right of local firefight- ers not to ride on a fire truck in the city’s gay pride parade. The firefight- ers have threatened to sue unless they receive assurances that only volun- teers will ride the trucks, even though Providence’s policy has been to pro- vide a truck and crew for any public event for which it is requested. The executive director of the ACLU maintained that the issue is not about anti-gay prejudice: “The fact that they are not supporters of gay rights doesn’t mean that they’re not going to put out a fire at a gay person’s home.” Providence Mayor Vincent Cianci, Jr. will be the parade’s grand marshal this year. Gless Says “Yes” SAN FRANCISCO —According to a press release, Sharon Gless will be riding high in the 32nd San Francisco Pride Parade with Sir Ian McKellen: the two are the parade’s Celebrity Grand Marshals. Gless, of course, was the unmarried detective Christine Cagney partnered with Marybeth Lacey (Tyne Daly) in the 80s cop show Cagney & Lacey, an object of fervor for lesbian fans. Gless is cur- rently starring in the Showtime origi- nal series Queer As Folk, as Debbie, the mother of Michael and de facto mom of just about everyone on Liberty Street. Gless said she is look- ing forward to her San Francisco appearance: “I’m delighted to be coming back to San Francisco for an event as wonderful as the Pride cele- bration. I'm really honored and touched to have been asked to partic- ipate.” Gless will also host the twenty-fourth annual Pride Concert, You're A Grand Old F(l)ag, presented by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco. ' Retirement Selling PALMETTO, FL — Just as boomers have dominated culture simply by the size of their age group, gay and les- bian boomers appear to be driving a boom in retirement housing. Received: a press release touting phase 2 of “The Palms of Manasota,” a retirement community in Florida for lesbians and gay men. And just in case we missed the point: “The Palms of Manasota is poised to meet the needs of the baby boomer popula- tion,” the press release reads, follow- ing that with plans for a “state of the art recreational center” and “an assisted living facility.” Just to cover both ends of the spectrum. Last Wrongs BALTIMORE, MD — Several sources have reported that Bill Flanigan is . suing the Baltimore hospital whose staff denied his access to his dying partner, despite the fact that Flanigan showed a medical power of attorney document. A lawyer from the. Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund is handling the law- suit against the University of Maryland Medical System. The lawsuit charges that the University of Maryland Medical ' System violated national accredita- tion standards and knowingly ignored Flanigan’s medical power of attorney. When Flanigan’s partner Robert Daniel was transferred to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, the staff told ‘ Flanigan they would not allow him to consult with doctors regarding Daniel’s wishes or give him access to the room, as only “family” were granted those rights. National hospi- tal accreditation standards define “family” as the “people who play a significant role in the individual’s life” even when that person has no other legal standing. By the time Flanigan was given access to Daniel’s room, Daniel had slipped into a coma from which he never awakened, had been intubat- ed against his wishes, and had his eyes taped shut and his arms taped down. 3 The chief of staff of the Trauma Center has denied any dis- crimination by his staff. Queers Against ‘Folk’ LOS ANGELES ~ Six people who identified themselves as Queers Against Queer as Folk protested at a GLAAD media awards event this spring. The group objects to the mar- keting of the show, which emphasizes the actors’ non-gay orientation in order to appeal to straight women. Two of the show’s actors are openly gay. The protest group’s founder was quoted in Frontiers as saying, “This is the new version of the minstrel show, where non-gay actors put on a [gay] minstrel act.” Other objections include the show’s pariah portrayal of an ‘HIV-positive male character, the lack of ethnic characters, and the small number of openly gay actors included in the cast. To Fight the Right WASHINGTON, DC - As election 2002 draws closer, there are already signs that the far right is going to attempt to use anti-gay rhetoric in messages to the electorate. The anti- gay strategy is already being used in North Carolina and Oklahoma, and fair-minded Republicans were recent- ly attacked in the Texas primary on March 12. The anti-gay attacks will likely intensify as Election Day draws near. To prepare candidates and their staff to better discuss lesbian and gay issues and respond to anti- gay attacks, the Human Rights Campaign has produced and distrib- uted Equality: A Winning Message, How to Talk about Lesbian and Gay Issues in Your Campaign. . This booklet,_takes candi- dates and campaign professionals through the array of issues that con- cern the lesbian and gay community and millions of fair-minded American voters. The guide provides polling that gauges public perception, relates real-life stories of workplace discrim- ination and tax inequity, and outlines the vast amount of corporate, reli- gious and institutional support for lesbian and gay equality. v - Included in the manual are pointers to aid candidates when com- municating to the voters about les- I bian and gay issues. Further, real-life stories provide a compelling human - element to each issue area. These fac- tual stories and message pointers make a valuable tool that candidates and staff can use to develop their campaign message and strategy. To request a copy of Equality: A Winning Message, call the HRC Political Action Committee at 202/628-4160. can't Tell the Players Without a scorecard WASHINGTON, DC — In its “Equality Update” the Human Rights Campaign gave the score on early primaries and filings: homophobes 2 1/2, gay-friendlies 1 1/3. Former Rep. Dan Frisa, R-NY (a one-tenner who gets 0 percent on HRC’s congression- al scorecard), announced his candida- cy in a rematch of his 1996 defeat against Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D- N.Y (100 percent every year from 1997-2001). ’ Rep. Brian Kems, R-Ind., lost the Republican primary to Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., on May 7. It’s basically a wash, since both Republicans got zeroes on HRC’s scorecard for the first session of the current Congress. They were forced into a run-off by redistricting. Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-Ohio, who scored 100 percent on the last HRC scorecard, lost the Democratic primary to one-terrn state Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio. Ryan will face Republican Ann Womer Benjamin in November. Rep. Jim Traficant, D- Ohio, has filed to run as an independ- ent in November. However, Traficant's recent convictions on bribery and corruption may disquali- fy him. Traficant scored a 33 percent on the last HRC scorecard. The (Purple and Pink Glitter) Envelope, Please NEW YORK — The 14th Annual Lambda Literary Awards were pre- sented in 20 categories at a gala cere- mony in New York’s Tribeca area. And the honorees in Lesbian and Gay Fiction are Cuban-American Chicago Tribune reporter Achy Obejas for Days of Awe and best-selling author Allan Gurganus for The Practical Heart. This is the second Lammy for Obejas. Gurganus also wrote The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. Among other honorees are 73-year-old gay priest Bernard Duncan Mayes for his memoir Escaping God’s Closet, and Margaret Cho for her book a.nd show I'm the One that I Want in the “bridge- builders” category. In addition to the 20 juried categories, awards were presented to Alexander Chee for Edinburgh, his searing novel of pedophilia and its consequences, to the Astraea Lesbian Writers fund for its ongoing support of lesbian writers, and to the University of Wisconsin Press for its “Living Out” series of gay memoirs and biographies. , Journalists Joyce Murdoch and Deb Price were honored for their Courting Justice, which traces the history of the Supreme Court's ruling I on gay‘ and lesbian rights. Rugby Cup to Honor Mark Bingham SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club. . in partnership with Nike and Guinness is proud to announce the creation of the Mark Kendall Bingham Cup Rugby Tournament and Festival (Bingham Cup) honor- ing our former teammate and 9/ ll hero Mark Bingham. Teams from Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, London, Buenos Aries, and Manchester (England) will compete. The event will be held in San Francisco during Pride Weekend, June 28-29, 2002, at the Polo Grounds in Golden Gate Park. Sport - shoe maker Nike and brewer Guinness are co-sponsoring the event. The Sa.n Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club calls itself “the United States’ largest multicultural and gay- friendly rugby team.” Bingham is celebrated as one of the passengers on Flight 93 who fought with the hijackers and brought the plane down in a field in Pennsylvania rather than allowing it to be used as a weapon against some other American landmark. In an email sent a few weeks before September 11, Mark Bingham responded to the news that his team had been accepted into the Rugby Union. He wrote: “Gay men weren’t always wallflowers waiting on the sideline. We have the opportu- nity_to let these other athletes know that gay men were around all along — on their little league teams, in their the rest of our world classes, being their friends. This is a great opportunity to change a lot of people's minds, and to reach a group that might never have had to know or hear about gay people. Let’s go make some new friends and win a few I games.” Gender Identity Galnlng Ground PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia City Council voted 15-2 to add gen- der identity to its Fair Practices Ordinance, which prohibits discrimi- nation in employment, public accom- modations and housing. Mayor Street has promised to sign the measure into law. “Transgender Philadelphians are now more free to express their gender identity as they live, work and play in the city. Not only does this ordinance grant rights to transgender people, it also permits all of Philadelphia’s residents, whether heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, to express their gender in the way that feels _ right to them,” said Lorri L. Jean, executive director of NGLTF. In the last month, two other major American cities have voted to include transgender-specific language in anti-discrimination ordinances. By a vote of 13-2, the Dallas City Council added coverage for gay, les- bian, bisexual and transgender’resi- dents to its anti-discrimination law, and New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg signed into effect an amendment to the city7s Human Rights Law adding explicit coverage for transgender people, after the city council approved the measure 45-5. Otherjurisdictions that have passed anti-discrimination ordinances this year are Tacoma, WA; Erie County, PA; and Allentown PA. With the addition of Philadelphia, there are now two states, eight counties, and 35 cities that have explicit coverage for trans- gender people in their anti-discrimi- nation laws. The Philadelphia ordi- nance had been amended to include sexual orientation in 1982. StopDrLaura.com Wins Democracy Online Award WASHINGTON, DC — The Democracy Online Project of The George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management announced that StopDrLaura.com was the winner of ' the Golden Dot Award for civic excellence in online issue advocacy. StopDrLaura.com started as a_ simple six-page Web site in March 2001, and has garnered more than 50 mil- lion hits and 3 million visitors during its brief existence. To address the controver- sial comments made by high-profile personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger regarding homosexuals, the Web site was launched in an effort to persuade Paramount to drop its plans to give Schlessinger a TV show, and to make . sure show advertisers were aware of the public outcry against SchIessinger's comments. In large part due to the activism sparked by the Web site, Paramount cancelled Dr. Laura's television show less than one year after it started. V