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ray’s way The Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray sheds light on the duo’s latest release. Page 21 The voice of Progress for wiscoNsiN’s LgBT commuNiTy November 3, 2011 | Vol. 2, No. 26 PHOTO: AP/FRANK FRANKLIN II Jonathan Truong, right, his partner ed cowen, left, and their son franklin cowen racine teacher Truong, 2, pose for a portrait at their home in the Brooklyn borough of New york. adoption lawyers and agencies in New york files second say they’re getting ready for a baby boom as same-sex couples emboldened by the state’s new marriage law take the next complaint step and adopt children. against school district By Lisa Neff Unified School District, the Staff writer state’s fourth largest. Racine middle school In February, a state offi- teacher Halli N. Stewart says cer found probable cause if her school district wants that the discrimination took to protect students from bias place. and bullies, then it must also That finding led to settle- protect its teachers. ment talks between Stewart Stewart, 34, of Brookfield, and district officials, but the has filed two complaints sessions did not result in a alleging discrimination based final agreement or an admis- on sexual orientation with sion of wrongdoing on the the equal rights division of district’s part. the Wisconsin Department “The district does not of Workforce Development. engage in nor does it con- A complaint filed in done discriminatory prac- August 2010 alleges discrimi- tices,” said Stacy Tapp, com- nation by an administrator munications director for the at Mitchell Middle School, district. “The district did not where Stewart teaches discriminate against Halli remedial reading. A sec- Stewart.” ond, more recent complaint If there is no settlement alleges that Stewart suffered reached, the matter likely will retaliation for filing the initial be decided in a state hearing. complaint against the Racine iN The schooL Central to Stewart’s pri- mary complaint is the allega- adoptions soar This tion that then-assistant principal Leslie Jensen mistreated issue her because she’s a lesbian. inside and online at Stewart was transferred among gay couples wisconsingazette.com to Mitchell in August 2009. “Almost immediately I By Lisa Neff The number of gays and al non-profit “devoted to vides new insights into the News sensed that this assistant Staff writer lesbians adopting children improving adoption policy perceptions, experiences WiGWAG ��2 principal had some kind of Despite laws that impede has nearly tripled in the last and practice.” and needs of gay and lesbian Regional Gaze ��4 issue with me,” she said. the practice, an ever- decade. The institute’s 69-page adoptive parents. National Gaze ��8 Stewart said that in the increasing number of gays At least half of gay and survey – released in “We know the majority Editorial �� 14 spring of 2010, she com- and lesbians are adopting lesbian parents are provid- late October and titled of adoption agencies readily Faith Gaze �� 16 plained to Jensen that a children, according to an ing homes for boys and girls “Expanding Resources of work with gay and lesbian student had threatened her extensive new survey from from foster care, and 60 Children III: Research-Based clients, and our research Features life and asked to have him the New York-based Evan percent are adopting trans- Best Practices by Gays and shows that most want guid- WiGOUT �� 21 removed from her classroom. B. Donaldson Adoption racially, according to the Lesbians” – is based on four ance about how best to do Stage Gaze �� 22 But Jensen refused, instead Institute. adoption institute, a nation- years of research and pro- ADOPTION page 13 Theater �� 23 TEACHER page 12 Books �� 29 On the Town �� 30 v i c To ry g a r d e N s r e T u r N To w i s c o N s i N Page 4 2 w i s c o N s i N g a z e TT e . c o m | November 3, 2011 w i s c o N s i N g a z e TT e . c o m | November 3, 2011 3 LGBT news with a twist WiGWAG By Lisa Neff & Louis Weisberg mazeL Tov cessfully prayed away the Milk Plaza in the mid-1980s ed list of six nominees. But, two waiting room for Poison frontman Mario Cantone, who’s best gay since then. “Forty and is estimated to be worth days later, the foundation informed Bret Michaels, who donated tele- known for his role as Anthony in years ago I was a dif- $10,000. Police theorized that Myracle that the list was back to visions and a sound system to cre- the HBO series and movie ver- ferent person,” Linda the thieves stole the plaque – it five nominees – and she was not ate a “warm and hip” environment sions of “Sex and the City,” has Wall said. “I was a measures 3 feet by 2 feet – to among them. That’s just the Cliff in the room. Michaels underwent married his partner of 20 years, heavy pot smoker with ... melt it for the brass. Notes summary of the story. treatment at the hospital in 2010 Jerry Dixon. The couple was pro- impaired judgment and made and earlier this year. WiGWag nounced husband and husband some bad choices. You do that uNTradiTioNaL rock ’N’ hosPiTaL would be more comfortable in in a private ceremony presided out of college sometimes. Some MARRIAGES St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological “The Bret Michaels Lounge” than over by Jay Bakker, son of the late people do, some people don’t.” Three U.S. Marines were dis- Institute in Phoenix will name a “The Poison Room.” Tammy Faye Bakker Messner. charged for bad conduct after fraud- Nom’s ulently claiming they were married gays Like To kiss shoPPed PhoTo to collect family housing allowances A new study of gay men shows The National Organization for — $1,200 a month to live off base. that anal sex is the least common Marriage was caught publishing a Cpl. Ashley Vice and her girlfriend form of love-making activity between doctored photo of a 2008 rally Jaime Murphy pretended they were males. Researchers from George in Columbus, Ohio, for Barack married to Cpl. Jeremiah Griffin and Mason University helped conduct Obama. NOM’s use of the photo Cpl. Joseph Garner. the study, which received responses made it appear as if the thousands from 24,787 gay and bisexual men. who were cheering Obama were COMPLicaTed PLoT Only 37.2 percent of respondents actually fired up by NOM presi- Children’s author Lauren reported having anal sex during their dent Brian Brown’s current cam- Myracle is not a National Book last encounters. The most frequent paign to repeal New Hampshire’s Awards nominee – at least for sexual behavior reported was kiss- marriage equality bill. Goodasyou. today. Myracle is the author of ing – 74.5 percent. org caught the fakery. “Shine,” the acclaimed story of a gay boy brutally beaten. She was on homecomiNg heroes some PeoPLe doN’T goT miLk’s PLaQue? the first list of five finalists in the Two California high school students became one of the first les- A right-wing Christian seeking San Francisco police in late young readers’ category, then was bian couples crowned homecoming king and queen in the nation a House of Delegates seat from October were investigating the informed that there had been a mis- last month. Rebecca Arellano, a senior at Patrick Henry High Appomattox, Va., acknowledges disappearance of a plaque honor- take and the nominated book was School in San Diego, was made the school’s first female homecom- having an affair with a female stu- ing slain San Francisco Supervisor Franny Billingsley’s “Chime” not ing king at a pep rally. The next night her girlfriend Haileigh Adams dent when she was a junior high Harvey Milk. The brass plaque was “Shine.” Hours later, Myracle was was made homecoming queen at the dance. teacher. But she said that she suc- installed in the Castro’s Harvey told she was added to an expand- Gruber Law Offices, LLC Over 25 years experience handling accident and personal injury cases “One Call ...That’s All” 414-276-6666 We’ll Come to You ATTORNEY DAVID E. GRUBER www.gruber-law.com 4 w i s c o N s i N g a z e TT e . c o m | November 3, 2011 w i s c o N s i N g a z e TT e . c o m | November 3, 2011 5 Got news? Tell us LgBT center’s operations at odds with bylaws [email protected]. REGIONAL GAzE By Louis weisberg for us, audit-wise, because we tended the figure was actu- Staff writer A review of found everything we tested individual support for ally 10 percent. Employees who work with the center’s for. … The issue is whether WiG chose to follow a minors at the Milwaukee they have good documenta- milwaukee LgBT center strict definition of what con- victory gardens return to wisconsin LGBT Community Center disclosures tion and they did.” stituted a donation – the are required by grants to Other experts agreed with shows losses, gains amount listed on IRS filings By michael muckian and support the war effort By providing fresh produce, have background checks on revealed Holman, saying that such under the heading “dona- Contributing writer overseas. VGI’s motto is, “This VGI hopes to offer residents file. But a routine audit of the inconsistencies abound in the 2008 2009 2010 tions.” But WiG also printed Out urban gardener Yves is a grassroots movement.

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