of the $outl1ern"Baptist Conven- tion was arrested on a lewdness, . chargefor.propositioning a. Lonnie Latham, senior pastor at South Tulsa Baptist Church, was booked -into Oklahoma County Jail Tuesday nighton a misdemeanor‘ charge of offering to engage in an act of iewdness, police Capt. Jeffrey Becker s,aid.»Lathar‘n was .released on $500 bail. _. Latharn, who has spoken out ; against homosexuality, asked jthe officer tojoin him in his hotel H own for oralsex. Latham was _ arrested and his _2005 Mercedes 3 automobile was impounded, ecker said. He has reportedly wresigned his position. _ " =2 rest of An-executive committee member. ’ ‘ plainclothespoilceman outside a. ‘V A hotel, police.i$'cild. . = V _;4‘»_II,il_t.-_lI_l-,t!19;l1l9lI)3!nilgs".lfi€BRuv§p(;;qos lM‘OUN'TIA'lNPR’IDEMEDIAfO‘R‘G i i “ our world ‘ come from a united community," ‘ said Kathy Sarris, presidentof in- . diana Equality. A similar measure ; failed byan ‘l8_-‘ll vote in April. a N.§SPAlL" . Nepal Astring of police attacks on transgender people reflects the vulnerability of Nepalis in a cli- mate of violence where civil lib- . erties remain restricted, Human letter to Nepalese authorities. _ "Police in Kathmandu are vio- . lentlyattacking and even sexually abusing transgender people to clear the streets of people they deem immoral," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights "Nepali human rights groups are calling this crackdown ‘sexual » cleansing." This amoral -campaign ‘has to stop.’’---‘ , _ 1‘. I {in the latest reportedinci- dent, on January 3, three metis . . were walking in the Thamel , W district of Kathmandu. A local ‘ slarigterm for transgencler ‘ 2 people, a meti-is. a maniby birth f whov_-identifies as a -woman; Four . *.i1ni,fbrmed police‘ rom<.Durba‘r . Margpolice-statiofiirepdrtfidly - g l.. .l'thémvan{<5.sh¢°iédi ’T'M¢’tisl . ,kanzhgnu"i -~ ‘ ‘ - “ g,}‘.These,. ciety’ and ._ , i 3 V. Cleansing’ .1" Rights‘ Watch said last month in a Program at Human Rights Watch. _ COl\/ll\/lUNlTY BY JAY SCHUSTER CHESTER -— In the years since their 1997 purchase of 150 heav- ily wooded Grafton hillside acres, the members of Faerie Camp Des- tiny have been slowly progressing toward their goal of creating, ac- cording to their bylaws, a “Faerie sanctuary which would operate as a cultural learning center and spiritual oasis for those who call themselves Radical Faeries.” That original purchase grew to 166 acres with the 2002 purchase of an adjacent parcel in Chester, Vermont, containing a popular, secluded swimming hole. Faerie Cypress says, “In the eight years since we bought the land, we’ve improved roads and hiking trails, installed fires pits for various community functions and brought all kinds of educational and theatrical programming into the woods with us.” Gatherings at the camp are held regularly "throughout the summer. “We usually have thirty- five people camping, and another thirty people, of all ages, shapes, and shades, drop by for dinner or a ritual.” Gatherings on the land involve communal meals and activities. The highlight of the annual Lam- mas gathering, in the first week- end of August, is often a theater production. Past performances have included Gilgamesh, A Mid- summer Night’s Dream, Alice in Wonderland, and The Little Prince, each with its own per- spective on faeries and faerie culture. Think camp — plus. All of this was done in a very primi- tive campground setting with no running water, and no permanent buildings. It takes a special kind of person, or the attraction of a special group of people, to keep people coming back year after year in such primitive conditions. “Folks have lefi our community because the building has taken too long. I feel really comfortable that the community-building we’ve been doing these nine years is much more important than physi- cal structures," says Daisy Shaver. Last year, however, these phys- ical structures started to become reality as Destiny broke ground, beginning their plans of building a permanent, physical, faerie sanc- tuary in southern Vermont. Trees were felled to create a meadow for circling and gathering, land was excavated for a lodge and Faeries prepare dinner in Destiny's soon during the Lammas gathering. Faerie Construction Moves Ahead -to-be-rebuilt outdoor kitchen septic system, and a well was drilled. Much design work was done to finalize the plans for the lodge, which will have a kitchen, dining hall, and a rest room with a show- er. Also included in the plans are a bathhouse, three small cabins, and tent platforms. Spearheading the design is Matt Bucy, of White River Junction, Vermont. “Lately I've» been reading a lot of desigr books in anticipation of the final leg of design for Destiny. I’ve been most interested in the question of ‘what makes a place lovable?’ What makes places that people adore and take care of and what makes places people disregard, disrespect and ignore? We want to avoid the latter!" ‘ Bambi Gauthier, who has been in the group since being a teenag- er, says, “In the year ahead, we'll be finalizing our building plans and submitting our changes to the state. Once we have approval from Act 250, well begin work on building a timber—frame lodge with straw bale walls. Work will also begin on putting in a low-i1n— pact septic system.” In true Faerie fashion, the de- sign process has been very collab- orative. Matt spearheads a blog (fcddesign.blogspot.com), where you will find details on timber- frame and straw-bale construc- tion, low-impact septic systems, and other sustainable, ecological- ly sensitive building techniques. Since part of their mission is to “care for and nurture elder Fa- eries and those incapacitated by illness or grief," they have taken accessibility issues very seriously, no small feat on an undeveloped hillside with almost no_ level ground. Bambi explains, “I’ve had to face challenges physically, and time and again folks at Destiny have made attempts to include me in events, tasks and fun activi- ties taking into account my own personal ability. Although my dis- ability is often not a problem, I find that Destiny as a community made attempts to accommodate my needs. More often than not, it’s been a friendly face keeping an eye out for me -or the group's efforts to make our primitive camp as accessible as possible.” Bambi adds, “Destiny has worked hard to maintain a vision that respects the land and to in- clude people who share our val- ues regardless of gender, sexual identity, or physical ability.” In addition to accessibility, de- velopment plans have been made with an eye towards sustain- ability. Daisy Shaver, who hails from New York City, says, “I feel strongly about developing gar- dens, orchards, and berry patches so faeries who one day live in Sanctuary will be able to grow food for themselves.” You can learn more about Fa- erie Camp Destiny, their plans and activities at their Web site: faerieca.mpdest.iny.org. V 3 Jay Schuster is a Radical Faerie and vice president of Physician's Computer Com- pany in Winooski. He lives in Richmond with his partner Dan Berns.