From fitness model to bodybuilder Tony DaVinci ups his training regimen Competing to be the best takes a hard physical toll • FITNESS, Page 30 DallasVoice.com DallasVoice.com/Instant-Tea Facebook.com/DallasVoice Twitter.com/DallasVoice The Premier Media Source for LGBT Texas Established 1984 | Volume 27 | Issue 11 FREE | Friday, July 30, 2010 Rockin’ Dallas Wet or dry? November vote could impact LGBT neighborhoods Liquor sales proposals could loosen election would apply to Oak restrictions, but mishmash of laws, Cliff,” she said. districts still leave some doubt She is referring to section 251.72 DAVID TAFFET | Staff Writer of the Alcoholic [email protected] Beverage Code. That regulation Dallasites may vote to allow the sale of beer states, “An au- and wine throughout the city, including one of the thorized voting largest LGBT neighborhoods, Oak Cliff, but even unit retains the if they vote yes, questions could remain on the le- status adopted gality of liquor sales in some areas. Carolyn Beck until status is Two separate proposals will be on the Novem- changed by a sub- ber ballot in Dallas. Either would loosen but not sequent election in same authorized voting unit.” eliminate the dry laws in parts of East Dallas, Section 251.73 says that results from a Justice of North Dallas including all areas of the city in Den- the Peace district election prevail against a city ton and Collin counties, West Dallas and every- election if the JP precinct is wholly contained by thing south of the Trinity River including all of the city. Oak Cliff. In 1960, JP 7 held an election that failed to make One proposal will allow grocery stores alcohol sales legal. The vote was 22,439 against to throughout the city to sell beer and wine. The 13,768 for. That JP district included Oak Cliff. other will let restaurants that have liquor licenses A previous election in the 1890s banned alcohol sell drinks without issuing memberships. sales in the city of Oak Cliff. In 1903, Oak Cliff was Package stores and bars will still be illegal in annexed by the city of Dallas. Prohibition inter- those areas. vened, but once repealed, all previously dry areas From Oak Cliff’s gay neighborhoods, the clos- remained dry. est available stores currently allowed to sell liquor, The current election is a citywide election, but beer and wine are those that line Industrial Boule- according to the Alcoholic Beverage Code, the vard within blocks of each bridge that crosses the only jurisdiction that can change the wet/dry sta- river. tus of an area is the same one that voted previ- However, Carolyn Beck, Texas Alcohol and ously. Beverage Commission’s liaison to the LGBT com- Since 1960, JP precincts have changed. How- munity, said she has heard from several sources ever, Brazoria County had an election in 2008 GUITAR WOMAN | Lesbian rock star Melissa Etheridge performs Tuesday night, Aug. 3, at McFarlin Audi- questioning the validity of the citywide election. using JP boundaries from 1958. Montgomery torium. Read Dallas Voice’s interview with her on Page 20. (Donald Traill/Associated Press) “I’ve gotten questions about whether or not the • LIQUOR SALES, Page 13 2 dallasvoice.com • 07.30.10 toc07.30.10 | Volume 27 | Issue 11 4 headlines • TEXAS NEWS 4 New head of family violence program 4 Name changes for gay couples 8 LSR Journal: Stacy McKinney 9 Investigation into complaint at hotel • NATIONAL NEWS 16 Choi’s discharge is official • LIFE+STYLE 25 The Cliks come to Dallas 26 ‘The Full Monty’ at WaterTower 27 Hal Sparks unplugged 27 28 Pam Grier: Still Foxy departments 28 4 Texas News 20 Life+Style 6 Pet of the Week 33 Calendar 6 Death 38 Starvoice 18 Viewpoints 42 Classifieds 07.30.10 • dallasvoice 3 • texasnews instantTEA DallasVoice.com/Instant-Tea DPD survey sheds light on RCD program offers help for domestic violence victims Oak Lawn crime concerns New program coordinator says first joined the RCD Almost one-third of Oak Lawn business staff in April. owners say they don’t feel safe in the area at night. However, only 16 percent of those step in addressing issue is to “It usually NICK BRINGS EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE TO RCD POST same business owners regularly attend crime acknowledge the problem exists starts out small. watch meetings. I have had peo- Stephanie Nick joined the staff of Re- Three-quarters of Oak Lawn business own- ple tell me they source Center Dallas as family violence ers say they’re pleased with the Dallas Police TAMMYE NASH | Senior Editor thought it was program coordinator in April. Department’s visibility [email protected] flattering at first Nick earned a bachelor’s degree in social in the area, and work from the University of Texas in Arling- when their part- more than 80 per- ton and then worked as a investigator for Statistically speaking, domestic violence is an ner insisted on cent say DPD has a Child Protective Services, during which she good relationship issue in one in every four same-sex couples, ac- calling them underwent further training. cording to Stephanie Nick, the new coordinator eight or nine with the local busi- Before joining the RCD staff, Nick ness community. for the family violence program at Resource Cen- times a day. worked for 2 ½ years with the Tarrant However, of those ter Dallas. That’s about the same percentage of op- Then it acceler- County Alliance For Children were she con- who reported an posite-gender couples affected. Stephanie Nick ates. The of- ducted forensic interviews of children who emergency to police Talk about couples where one of the two is fender says, ‘I’ll had been abused or neglected and children in the last two years, transgender, though, and the rate skyrockets to handle the money, the finances.’ And then it be- who had witnessed a major crime. only about half said about 50 percent, Nick said. comes, ‘No, you can’t see your family or your Nick said she first became aware of Re- they felt the re- Malik Aziz source Center Dallas last fall when she at- And, she added, in every case of domestic vio- friends, because they don’t support us.’ sponse time was “good” or “excellent.” tended GayBingo. She applied for the These were among the findings of DPD’s lence, regardless of the gender of those involved, “The offender keeps doing more and more to family violence program coordinator posi- it all comes back to “power and control.” isolate the victim until one day the victim looks up Oak Lawn Business Community Survey, tion when it became available in March. which was conducted July 14-16 and polled “Other circumstances, other factors, can add to and realizes they are totally alone, they have no —Tammye Nash 127 businesses in the area bounded by the situation. Things like addiction. But it all one they can turn to,” Nick continued. “I think that Wycliff, Lemmon, Oak Lawn and Maple av- FAMILY VIOLENCE, Page 10 comes back to power and control,” said Nick, who • enues. DPD Deputy Chief Malik Aziz, who’s over the department’s Northwest Division, said overall, he was pleased with the survey re- sults. Aziz said the biggest immedate change in What’s in a name? It all depends response to the survey would likley be the ad- dition of nighttime crime watch meetings in A common surname is a public the area. Currently the Oak Lawn Apartment Managers and Stakeholders Crime Watch statement of family. But for gay Group meets once a month at noon. But Aziz said many business owners can’t make this couples in Texas, it can be an meeting because they’re busy with the lunch expensive statement rush. Oak Lawn residents who work outside the area would also be more likely to attend an evening meeting. DAVID TAFFET | Staff Writer According to the survey results, while only 16 percent of business owners said they at- [email protected] tend crime watch meetings, 72 percent said they’d be interested in doing so. “We’ve got a great working relationship. Opposite-sex couples have traditionally Now we need to get everybody involved in changed names after marriage. Usually the wife crime prevention,” Aziz said. “That’s how you changes her name to her husband’s. But in more make a neighborhoods safe.” current practice, both husband and wife often Aziz noted that in the wake of a recent anti- choose to adopt a last name that includes both gay hate crime robbery on Throckmorton their names joined by a hyphen. Street, many expressed interest in joining But for same-sex couples, changing last names DPD’s Volunteers In Patrol program. is a relatively recent phenomenon. And same-sex In response to that interest, the department couples that choose to change their names usually announced it was lifting a requirement that VIP do it for the same reason as their straight counter- volunteers have to live in the area they serve. In other words, LGBT people who don’t live in parts: As a public statement of their status as a Oak Lawn but have a stake in the gayborhood family. can now sign up for the program. But the time and cost involved for same-sex But thus far, Aziz said, the department has couples to change their name points out yet one received only one application, and the appli- more special right enjoyed by heterosexual cou- cant was ineligible because he had a felony on ples whose marriage license is accepted by all his record.