Berwyn Adds Sexual Orientation to Ordinance
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THE VOICE OF CHICAGO’S GAY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 June 4, 2008 • vol 23 no 38 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com Berwyn adds sexual orientation to ordinance BY AMY WOOTEN sexual orientation and gender identity in areas in housing, employment and accommodations. Colorful of housing, public accommodations and employ- Shortly after that setback, local activists came Berwyn recently joined 13 other cities in Illi- ment, which was passed in 2005. together and formed BUNGALO, a gay and les- Carson nois when city officials unanimously decided to The near west Chicago suburb’s close neighbor, bian organization. include “sexual orientation” to its human-rights Oak Park, already provides its gay and lesbian For years, BUNGALO focused on helping get Kressley page 13 ordinance. residents anti-discrimination protections as well statewide legislation passed in order to advance “We are all very happy,” Berwyn United Neigh- as an established domestic partner registry and gay rights in Illinois. Korbos said that although borhood Gay and Lesbian Organization (BUNGA- domestic partner benefits for village employees. proponents of an inclusive human rights ordi- LO) member and former board chair Ted Korbos Despite the fact that state law already bars nance have had the votes for the past several said. discrimination based on sexual orientation, Kor- years, “The timing was just right,” he said. The On May 27, Berwyn’s city council voted 8-0 to bos said that Berwyn City Council’s vote “defi- membership of the city council went through a add “sexual orientation” to the language in its nitely sends a message.” dramatic change a few years back, and a new, city ordinance that protects against discrimina- This is quite a victory for local gay rights ad- more supportive mayor came into office. The tion. Aldermen also voted to update other lan- vocates. In 1994, the Berwyn City Council, be- city’s new Director of the Community Relations guage within the ordinance and rename it the cause of pressure from a very small but vocal Committee, Therese Shonder, brought up the Human Rights Ordinance. (It was formerly known group of Republicans and conservative clergy idea of updating the city’s ordinance. In April, Gay Idol as the Community Relations Ordinance.) members, unanimously voted to exclude a sexual The decision brings Berwyn in line with a orientation clause from a proposed Community Turn to page 4 Finals statewide law barring discrimination based on Relations Ordinance prohibiting discrimination Coming Up page 19 Charlie David page 20 June 4, 2008 #947 JLDD<IDLJ@: nightspotsn GI<M@<N What’s Cookin’? pick it up Stephen Bieniek discusses his new drag cookbook “Cooking Doesn’t Have To Be A Drag!” inSIDE page 14 Hunger for Thurst Nature abhors a vacuum... Thursdays at Avenue M. whatever that means. take it home page 17 page 18 Frenchie Davis, The Aluminum Group and Amy Ray (clockwise from left) are all part of the summer music scene. The preview starts on page 11. page 11 www.WindyCityQueercast.com 2 June 4, 2008 June 4, 2008 3 index NeWs N.Y. recognizes gay marriages 4 HIV vaccine research 4 Berwyn protects LGBTs 4 Alva at Pride, McKeon service 5 Partners lead Lutherans 6 Passages: Charles Moskos 6 National roundup 7 Moscow Pride 8 D’Emilio’s column: Gay pride 9 Quotelines 9 View on violence; letters 10 Chicago was recently named the host city for the 2009 North American Gay Volleyball Association Championships. sUMMeR MUsIC Read more about this remarkable honor Amy Ray interview 11 on page 22. Pop Making Sense 12 Carson talks about True Colors 13 2006 Gay Games photo by Jay W PrideFest music news 13 Upcoming local events 14 A Dream of Arabia 14 eNTeRTAINMeNT Theater 15 Buy tickets at jamusa.com Knight: Sex and the City 17 THIS thechicagotheatre.com Windy City Gay Idol 19 The Chicago Theatre Charlie David has a ‘Word’ 20 TUESDAY! Box Office All Ticketmaster Outlets JUNE 10 312-559-1212 OUTLINES online at ticketmaster.com Real estate; classifieds 18-19 PRESENTED BY Calendar; Q&B 21 A Dream of Arabia (above) will be part of & Sports: Volleyball; Sky & HRC 22 the Chicago summer music scene. See our WWW.TRUECOLORSTOUR.COM ® roundup, starting on page 11. 6_4_08_windy_city:05_28_08 5/23/08 11:54 AM Page 1 Photo courtesy of Bashar Barazi “STAYCATION” This week’s online-only SAVE GAS: SPEND YOUR SUMMER WITH RAVINIA AND THE STARS www. features include: Windy —Media Watch —An interview with Mr. WHERE THE BOYS ARE! City IML 2007, Mikel Gerle Media (right) AN EVENING WITH JUL —Theater reviews of THE BEACH BOYS Group Be More Chill, First 14 .com Breeze of Summer; and Laughter on the 23rd LOS LONELY BOYS AUG Floor 08 LOS LOBOS Photo courtesy of Mikel Gerle BACKSTREET BOYS AUG 24 FRESHFRESH FROM FROM AAMERICANMERICAN IIDOLDOL AUG DDONNAONNA SSUMMERUMMER 30 BBADAD GGIRLSIRLS,L,LASTAST DDANCEANCE,D,DIMIM AALLLL THE THE LLIGHTSIGHTS,, www.WindyCityQueercast.com SSHEHE WWORKSORKS HHARDARD FOR FOR THE THE MMONEYONEY,L,LOVEOVE TO TO LLOVEOVE YYOUOU RAVINIA IMPORTS BROADWAY What’s COOKIN’? JUN JUL AUG SEPT Author Stephen Bieniek discusses his new drag cookbook “Cooking 23 06 03 04 Doesn’t Have To Be A Drag!”. 07 Photo by Ryan Kolodziej nightspotsn BETTY BUCKLEY BARBARA COOK BEST OF BROADWAY CAROL LAWRENCE WWW.RAVINIA.ORG • 847-266-5100 4 June 4, 2008 Evan Wolfson, head of the national Freedom ting the moral authority of the New York State N.Y. gov.: No gay to Marry organization, agrees. He says the gov- government on the side the state assembly’s al- ernor’s directive means less “case by case wran- ready taken –on the side of gay couples. And as exception on gling” over how the existing law is to be en- you can see from all the coverage around the forced when it comes to same-sex couples. country, it’s a big deal politically and cultur- marriage “The governor is saying, ‘We’re not going to ally.” have a gay exception to that law,’” said Wolfson. ©2008 Keen News Service recognition “He’s not making new law, but he’s squarely put- BY Lisa KEEN KEEN NEWS SERVICE ciently different to produce different outcomes hIV research has been an ongoing debate. The latest data, It was front page of the New York Times and refocuses on presented at the AVRS meeting, suggested that on television news broadcasts everywhere, so while there are differences, they probably are New York Governor David Paterson’s directive gay men not sufficient to provide protection from infec- that state agencies prepare to recognize same- by BOB ROEHR tion or slow the course disease progression in sex marriages from other states must have been Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry. those who become infected. something big and new, right? The next HIV vaccine trial will focus exclu- No. And yes. sively on gay men in the U.S. This represents Glimmer of hope What Paterson did, say gay legal activists, is resignation due to a prostitution scandal. The a dramatic restructuring of what initially was There was one “glimmer of hope” among the declare that his administration would follow and governor’s legal counsel, David Nocenti, advised planned as a far more ambitious trial. Com- new data. The University of Washington’s Julie enforce a law that already exists in the state and him that the administration should send out a munity representatives expressed reservations McElrath said a few vaccinated individual in has for a long time. That law says that the state memo to state agency’s on how to comply with about the changes. the STEP trial appeared to have an association will recognize marriages licensed in other states, the ruling in the Martinez case in February. At The news came during animated discussions between a higher response to the gag portion even if those marriages wouldn’t be licensed in Paterson’s direction, Nocenti sent that memo at a regular meeting of the AIDS Vaccine Re- of the vaccine and a lower viral set point. New York. out May 14—one day before the California Su- search Subcommittee (AVRS) on May 30 in Other research has shown that a lower viral Legally, Paterson changed nothing. preme Court issued its ruling in support of gay Bethesda, Maryland. The group is an adviso- set point results in slow disease progression. It But politically, the governor has made it easier marriage. ry body to the National Institutes of Health suggests that the immune system is better able for gay couples in New York who travel to Canada The memo advised agencies that, in light of the (NIH). to control the HIV infection. and (soon) California to obtain marriage licenses Martinez case and others, stage agencies “that The trial is known as PAVE 100 and is based Jerald C. Sadoff was ecstatic about the news. to have those licenses recognized by state agen- do not afford comity or full faith and credit to on a series of vaccinations developed by the “It is the only positive finding of vaccine-in- cies once they return home. same-sex marriages that are legally performed in NIH Vaccine Research Center. Initial plans were duced protection in the entire field of HIV vac- Prior to the governor’s directive, say gay legal other jurisdictions could be subject to liability. for an ambitious trial of about 8500 partici- cine research. There is not another example in activists, some gay couples faced resistance by “ pants on three continents, but the latest ver- humans of such a finding, whether it is valid or some state agencies.