Two Lesbians on a Tram, and Australia's Historic Vote
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October 13, 2017 | Volume XV, Issue 12 Two Lesbians on a Tram, and Australia’s Historic Vote BY SAGE PIPER That was in 2016, when Same-sex anything else In Australia this week, it will not be busi- Victorian Premier Dan- about them,” says ness as usual for commuters on the tram. iel Andrews mentioned marriage Down Dr. Catherine Bar- For a group of elderly lesbians with a spar- their fate in a speech rett, the founder kle in their eyes and attitude to boot, it’s apologizing for the way Under faces a of a national or- time to reclaim the train, and reclaim their the LGBT community tense fight ganization called history. To commemorate a historic act of had historically been Alice’s Garage, lesbophobia which occurred there in 1977, treated by the government. “I learnt that which aims to build they will board and they will hold hands. two women were convicted of offensive respect and empower- And they will be proud. behavior in the 1070s for holding hands – ment for LGBT elders The women will hold hands on the tram on a tram,” he stated in the speech. and promote healthy from Melbourne to Saint Kilda to remem- He then issued a call to the LGBT com- LGBT ageing. The in- ber and celebrate the act of bravery of munity and those who love and support cident happened in two women who publicly held hands there them: “Next time you’re on a tram in Mel- 1977, but “all that we years before who were then taken off the bourne, hold their hand. Do it with pride have at the moment is tram and officially charged with “offensive and defiance. Because you have that free- the notes from the Victorian Law Reform al vote, currently underway to determine behavior.” The identities of the women dom.” Council.” if Australia will become the 25th nation actually still remain unknown, and their The search for more facts about the But Barrett says it’s quite meaningful to permit same-sex marriage. All over ordeal was nearly forgotten until recently. two women continues. “We don’t know that the “Tram” project is happening in the country, voting began last month in a the midst of the same-sex marriage post- —continued on page 16 Gypsy the Musical is LGBT History BY MARK SEGAL stage mother of all stage character of Momma Rose was sort LGBT history can be found in ev- mothers, Momma Rose, Outrageous of “cleaned up for public consump- ery aspect of our lives. Sometimes played in the original lesbian tion.” She was more outrageous it just comes as a surprise to learn production by Ethel Mer- than the script could have shared that something, or someone, man and since by Angela murderess with America in the 1950s. you’ve known about was gay. Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Patti steps out of the Here’s what we know from the Given the title of this column, you LuPone, and Bernadette script: Momma Rose was born Rose may think this is going to be about Peters, and in the film ver- pages of history Thompson. She had several mar- the lyricist of Gypsy – my favorite sion by Rosalind Russell. riages but eventually gave birth to Broadway composer, Stephen As you can see, it’s one hell of a classic two daughters and became a stage moth- Sondheim, who’s gay – it isn’t. and beloved Broadway musical. er. Both her girls went on to fame: Gypsy And if you think it’s about an- That character played by all those fa- Rose Lee as a stripper, author, and talk- other member of the production mous actresses, Momma Rose? Guess show personality; and June Havoc as a company of that original Broad- what? She was a lesbian. How do we film star. But what happened to Momma way bombastic hit – so many of know that? From good research by Caro- Rose? them were gay – again, it isn’t. lyn Quinn, who took her fascination with She ran several schools for children, a It’s about one of the real-life Gypsy and her family and wrote a fascinat- chicken farm, a summer camp – oh, and characters on whom the musi- ing book that, by any description, could be she was tried for murder. In a nutshell, cal is based. Gypsy tells the called a page-turner. here are the facts: Rose was running a life story of Gypsy Rose Lee If you’ve seen the musical film or stage boarding house in New York, referred to by and her stage mother – the version of Gypsy you should know that the —continued on page 16 Chase Brexton & Co-Publishers Jim Becker • Jim Williams The LGBT Health Resource Center Believe [email protected] Executive Editor Jim Becker gender-diverse children & their families [email protected] [email protected] should have a strong network & specialized care. Associate Editor & Director of Marketing & Production Mary Taylor [email protected] Arts and Entertainment Editor Frankie Kujawa [email protected] IN 2015 WE LAUNCHED Leather Editor Rodney Burger [email protected] Contributing Writers for Baltimore OUTloud GENDER JOURNEYS OF YOUTH Ava Barron-Shasho • Janan Broadbent, Ph. D. Josh Buchbinder • Anthony Calo • Lee Carpenter AN INTEGRATED CARE PROGRAM FOR Jeffrey Clagett • Wayne Curtis • Woody Derricks Chuck Duncan • John Redmond-Palmer • Dr. Eva Hersh Mark S. King • Brother Merrick Moses Frankie Kujawa • Sage Piper • David Placher Mark Segal • Gregg Shapiro • Bill Redmond-Palmer GENDER-DIVERSE YOUTH David Egan • Elyse Buchbinder • Dr. Loren Olson Alex “Bear” Conley LED BY NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED Contributing Writers for OUT in the VALLEY Laura Anderson • Rev. Kelly Crenshaw Rev. Dr. Robert Apgar-Taylor • Brian George Hose PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGIST Elizabeth Thompson Contributing Writers OUT in Asbury Park, NJ Rai Guerra-Nelson • Christy Girlington Graphics Ramon Montiel DR. ELYSE D. PINE Web Editor Anja Saine [email protected] National Advertising Rep Rivendell Media 908-232-2021 Founders Jim Becker • Joe Berg • Mike Chase • Lee Mooney (1959-2007) • Jim Williams Baltimore OUTloud PO Box 4887 Baltimore, MD 21211 410-802-1310 Baltimoreoutloud.com Additional Information Honoring diversity. Baltimore OUTloud is published every other Friday by Pride Media, Ltd. in Baltimore, Maryland. Readers comments and unsolicited materials are welcomed and may be sent to: Inspiring wellness. [email protected]. All materials appearing in this newspaper are the property of Pride Media, Ltd. and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the editor. Improving our communities. The opinions expressed in Baltimore OUTloud are solely those of the writers unless otherwise indicated and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pride Media, Ltd., and the staff. © 2017 – All rights reserved Chair of the Board of Trustees – Jim Becker President – Jim Williams Secretary and Treasurer – Mike Chase chasebrexton.org/WeAreChaseBrexton Pediatrics2 t BALTIMORE OUT LforOUD OCTOber her. 13, 2017 Primary • BALTIMOREOUTLOUD.COM care for you. All in one location. NEWS // LOCAL Latino AIDS 2017 Black Pride Awareness Day Postlude The National Latino AIDS Awareness Day Black Pride Week may be officially over, ● Elder Law (NLAAD), held annually on October 15th, but there’s still plenty of events in the post- ● Estate Planning brings together community based organi- lude. The following are all at the GLCCB zations, leaders of the Latino community, community center (2530 North Charles ● Family Law health departments, and elected officials Street, third floor, Baltimore) and spon- ● Guardianship to unite the Hispanic / Latino community in sored by Center for Black Equity, Balti- efforts to raise HIV awareness, promotion more. ● Mediation of HIV testing, prevention, and education; “Dating and Relationships 101” is a ● Medicaid Planning & Qualification in addition to other critical health issues seminar set for October 18th, from 6 to 8 ● Personal Injury such as viral hepatitis, sexually transmit- pm. Social worker Jemel Johnson-Smith ted infections (STIs), and tuberculosis. and her wife, Katrina Johnson-Smith, a ● Probate According to the Centers for Disease worship leader, will be “providing their life ● Veteran's Benefits Control, of the ten primary populations im- expertise for single and coupled persons pacted by HIV infection, Latino men who who wish to enrich their relationship or ● LGBTQIA Matters have sex with men are the third largest, learn how to build the virtue of love within following white and black men who have themselves.” Call ERA Law Group Today sex with men. “Reconciling the Relationship of Being (410) 919-1790, or visit us at NLAAD was founded in 2003 as a joint Queer and a Person of Faith” is on October 1997 Annapolis Exchange Pkwy, effort of the Latino Commission on AIDS 19th, from 6 to 8 pm. This is an interactive Suite 300, Annapolis, MD 21401 and Hispanic Federation in response to the discussion led by queer and queer-affirm- impact HIV/AIDS has on Hispanic / Latino ing lay and clergy leaders. “The discussion communities across the country. The day of will tackle the idea that having faith in a Valerie E. Anias, Esq. October 15th was chosen to coincide with higher power and being queer can coex- [email protected] the end of Hispanic Heritage Month. ist,” say organizers. “The discussion is NLAAD is coordinated at a macro for community members, spiritual leaders level by the Latino Commission on AIDS and all others interested in creating a safe who provide local organizations with re- space for queer community members.” The sources, who then take primary ownership seminar is co-hosted by the Interfaith Fair- of planning and organizing events and ness Coalition. awareness campaigns to address the lo- As part of Baltimore Black Pride Trans cal epidemic. Week, a seminar entitled “Trans Dating For more info, visit Nlaad.com and Aids.gov/ Do’s and Don’ts” will be October 26th from news-and-events/awareness-days/latino.