FREE VOUThitbieiE, 6r-March14. I Give the People Light and they will find their own way. The Wisconsin Light Our While Thousands of Teens Contract HIV, A White House Report Ignores Gay Teens 200th Washington, D.C.—Teen- agers are contracting the AIDS virus at an average of more than one an hour, and Issue the White House has again urged the nation to teach them how to protect them- For One Brief, selves. But to some disappointed Shining Moment young people, the report, is- sued March Sth, and its me- dia fanfare were just more the Possibility of government talk and no ac- tion. $8 Million Brought "This report isn't really doing something for youth," Camelot said Lam Duckim, 24, of Washington, who • has the By Terry Boughner HIV virus. "There is a need Milwaukee—Now it appears to have been for accountability." nothing more than an elaborate con in the Between 40,000 and 80,000 classical definition of that word. Then, how- Americans become infected ever, it didn't seem like that at all. with the AIDS virus each On Tuesday, February 27'5, a thick envelop year, and one in four is a marked "Confidential" and "For Editor teen-ager. That means that Only" arrived at the offices of Wisconsin between 10 and 20 thousand Light. Inside was a packet of very official teens are infected with HIV looking documents. With them was a hand every year. written covering letter addressed to the edi- Liberation Time—The once repressed Wally (Scott Thompson, top) joyously proclaims hi sexual identity to a chorus of celebrants Based on those sobering tor. ed by his wife Doreen (Kevin McDonald, floral dress in front) in the comedy, "Kids in the Hall Brain Candy." The film opens statistics, President Clinton The letter represented itself as being from April 12th. (See the next issue of "Wisconsin Light" for more details.) asked the White House Of- the administrator of Realty Trust International fice of AIDS Policy to talk to headquartered in Las Vegas and Geneva, A Seat of Our Own; Gays Can Have a Voice young people to find solu- Switzerland. According to the letter Realty tions. Trust was a "spin-off trust" of a 1928 trust on the Common Council with Karen Gotzler The office's report echoes what many sci- that had been established by Charles entists and AIDS activists have said for years: "Lucky" Luciano and was now being admin- March 19h Vote Critical Strong AIDS education is a must for young istered by his grandson. people, so that if they later have sex or ex- periment with drugs, they know how to pro- The letter stated that the Trust was prepared Commentary by Patrick Flaherty the Third District decide whether to elect tect themselves. to give $8 million, $1 million to each of eight Imagine the community pride and progress Southeast Wisconsin's first openly Lesbian or Milwaukee organizations or groups, most of "Kids are dying because adults are arguing unleashed by electing an open Lesbian to the Gay elected official. about what to tell them about AIDS," said them serving the Gay and I.isbian commu- Milwaukee Common Council. But the race could be difficult. While nity. Miguel Bustos. 25, of San Francisco. He was Gay and Lesbian residents of Milwaukee's Karen's campaign has energized residents of asked to help write the report because as a The eight organizations listed were: Third Aldermanic District are busy imagining all walks of life at the grass roots, many cam- PrideFest, Pathfinders, the Human Rights teen, he organized student AIDS education. the opportunities ever since Common Council paign observers feel that Milwaukee's polished "Teach the children. That's our message," League (HRL), SAGE-Milwaukee, BestD Candidate Karen Gotzler cruised to first place political establishment rides with her oppo- Clinic, the Milwaukee AIDS Project (MAP), he said. in a field of ten in the February 6'5 primary. nent. Most American school systems provide Gay Youth Milwaukee and the Cream City Karen faces the runner-up in the General A key factor in the race, all agree, will be Foundation. some AIDS education. But many systems' Election on Tuesday, March 19t5, when the whether the Karen Gotzler campaign can mo- prohibit discussion of sexual inter- The money was to be given "free and policies East Side and Riverwest voters who reside in bilize her core supporters in the Gay and Les- course, homosexuality, bisexuality and con- TURN TO $8 MILLION, PAGE 19 bian community. dom use, the report said. If energy is the deciding factor, the Gotzler Ultra-conservative and Religious extremist Campaign would win in a landslide. Many groups have criticized AIDS awareness cam- who cast votes for her in the primary were paigns. They contend advising teens that con- voting for the first time. doms can prevent HIV infection condones The campaign also boasts more than 300 teen-age sexual activity. Similarly, they volunteers. Many hail from the Lesbian and charge that some education programs promote Gay community, where her support is rock- homosexuality by and condone drug use by solid because of her long history as a commu- discussing AIDS prevention techniques. nity-builder and advocate. Religious Right Wing groups believe that She played a founding role in organizations homosexuality and sex are choices. There- TURN TO GOTZLER, PAGE 18 fore, if the choice is made, death by AIDS is the justifiable result, according to the Los TURN TO TEENS, PAGE 17 Move Begins in Milwaukee to Develop Lesbian and Gay Community Center Milwaukee—In what is believed to be the Surveys were completed by most of those fourth time since 1970, the movement is attending. These will be used to identify spe- mounting for a Lesbian/Gay community cen- cific services people want. ter in Milwaukee. Klein reported that a steering committee Recently, two Gay activists, Ery Uecker will be developed from the list of people who and Ross Walker of the BestD Clinic, issued registered and be charged with the task of or- a $120,000 challenge to establish that would ganizing the effort—fundraisers, developing a help provide for such a center. They have data base for mailings, etc. said that they will pay $1,000 a month for up Another meeting is being scheduled in to 10 years toward a center if, among other about a month's time. things, a diverse, non-profit group can be es- The Community Center Fund tablished to receive the funds. At the same time, BTB Corporation has The Victorian Allyn Mansion Inn, located in Delavan On March 11'5, approximately 125 people established its own fund. Called "The Com- from the community, some representing or- munity Center Fund," it has set up a trust ac- To Cure the Winter Blahs, Why Not Escape ganizations, some only themselves met in the count at Milwaukee's Marshall & Illsley Common Room of the First Unitarian Church Bank. According to Si Smits, owner of the the 19th Century to discuss the matter. Boot Camp Saloon and the secretary of the for a Weekend in As C.A. Klein reported, "Not since the Corporation, the purpose of the trust account a B&B called 1989 meeting that brought over 100 Lesbians is to receive funds for an endowment for the By Terry Boughner In nearby Delavan, there's the Allyn Mansion Inn. The minute you walk together in a North Side backyard has so purchase, operation and maintenance of a The walls are coming in on you. The sky in the door, you will honestly feel transported much energy been generated by a single community center. gets grayer by the day. There's a chill in the to another, and more genteel, place and time. topic." The result that time was the estab- As envisioned by the Board of BTB, the air that's lingered for weeks and seems to The Inn, owned and run by Ron Markwell lishment of the Lesbian Alliance of Metro fund will be a "loving memorial" to women strike right to the bone. You feel like some- and Joe Johnson, is rich with antiques and Milwaukee (LAMM). and men who the Board members knew well. thing even the flies ignore. glows with the lustrous patina of gas The March 11'5 meeting was chaired by Maybe it's time to treat yourself, take a fairly TURN TO COMMUNITY CENTER, PAGE 18 and gold. B.J. Daniels and Niki Cunningham. People break, get away for awhile—but where? The lights The carpets are soft. Sip a bit of brandy or discuss the meaning of "community," what a islands would be nice, or maybe the South of little wine, watch the fire dance in the fire- center should be and where it should be. France. But even if you've got the money, a place and the world goes away. Were Jay Many ideas were put forth, but as one you don't have the time. speaker said, "The type of site is immaterial; Vote different, something Gould, Mary Lincoln or Jim Fisk to drop in, Why no try something that will come as we identify our needs. We Why not take a night you honestly would not be a bit surprised. right here in Wisconsin? need to fire up the whole community and (the Tuesday, March 19th it in the 19'5 Cen- The only thing missing is the gentle clip, clip- or a weekend and spend community center) will come true. tury? That's not as far-fetched as it sounds. TURN TO DELAVAN, PAGE 18 March 14, 1996—March 27, 1996—WISCONSIN LIGHT-2 Lawmakers Demand Removal of Photos of Gays Olympia, WA-AP- The photos show a teacher, a construction worker, a real estate agent, a News Briefs police officer and dozens of other people at home and on the job.