Ml.KINSaNU tGttNlC1S ••••• "ill, hm><1r1lXl;II; !I"Y~!l!!ht ,~WII>\1<l<\S;IQO', 1'Jw .I'l\tO~l ~ ~l!.~ ~~It'l>~h""I~', \"0011 ~~t ,,~~ fiQO" !I"Ys ,I> lac~I~S;) y~I c~"~ th~ "lei, who 4'~ rI!1.h'lilt y<l<I, h \ really <!'~. Att~nb~ a d4~ Qt ,\$A; e><OI'I>!1.Mal>-I€»-Man HY~<;onntt'- .~>S 10 get 10 kl>ow eoch other right aw'~y,O~t the phone, No OOttab- No loud mllsie. \,~,'~ at \~u'lI ralk with more gu),s on one call then you did all lasr month. l'It~ I~liSw 3014 THROCKMORTON, DALLAS, TEXAS (214) 559-0650 [email protected] l$ Q ; ----------~-,!!!!!!!J GOT TALENT? VOLUME 23, NUMBER 41 DECEMBER 12 - 18, 1997 16 LOOKING BACK Gay USA, 1952: Fairies at Neiman-Marcus? Part 2 by Phil Johnson 20 MOVIES Amistad Tells Compelling Tale of A Slave Rebellion Reviewed by Mark Deaton 29 BACKSTAGE The Women's Chorus of Dallas Kicks Off Its Ninth Season with "Visions of Sugarplums" 37 CURRENT EVENTS 41 STARSCOPE Mercury Retrogrades, Giving Us Free Rein for the Next Two Weeks 51 TEXAS SPORTS 52 TEXAS NEWS SHOW 56 ON OUR COVER Jason Virachack of Dallas photos by Jerry Stevens 58 FRESH BEATS DJ Krush, The Porn Kings and Jennifer Bolton by Jimmy Smith 60 TEXAS TEA 70 CLASSIFIEDS " 77 GUIDE 1WT (This Week In Texas) Is published by Texas Weekly Times Newspaper Co., at 3300 Reagan Street in Dallas, Texas 75219 and 811 Westhelmer In Houston, Texas 77r:JJ6.Opinions expressed by columnists are not necessarily those of TWTor of its staff. Publication of the nome or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in TWr Is not to be construed as any indication of the sex- ual orlentatlon of sold person or organization. Subscription rates: $79 per year, $40 per half year. Back issues available at $2 each. Payment must accompany all orders. Copyright © 1997 by Texas Weekly Times Newspaper Co. All rights reserved. Partial or complete reproduction of any advertisement, news, article or feature, copy or photograph from TWTis specifically prohibited by federal statute. THIS WEEK IN TEXAS MAGAZINE Texas' Leading Gay & Lesbian Publication Since 1975 • Weekly Circulation: 20,000 DALLAS OFFICE PUBLISHER HOUSTON OFFICE 3300 Reagan Street ALAN GELLMAN 811 Westheimer. Suite 111 Dallas. Texas 75219 EDITOR Houston. Texas 77006 Dallas Fax (214) 520-8948 RICHARDHEBERT Houston Fax (713) 527-8948 MOlY (214) 521-0622 COMPTROLLER (713) 527-9111 ~-mail: [email protected]..!! STEVEMILES E-mail: [email protected] ARTDEPARTMENTRichard Bang. Rick Smith. David Parnell CONTRIBUTINGWRITERSDonnie Angelle. Don Baker. Elizabeth Birch. Robert Bois. Mark Deaton. Chris Gray. Phil Johnson. Gary Laird. C. Lichtenstein, Steven Lindsey. Jimmy Smith. Cody Young STAFFPHOTOGRAPHERSJohn Bartiromo. Roy James. Robert Miller. Shawn Northcutt. Jerry Stevens, Tio. Albert Tovar NATIONAL SALESDIRECTOR. Steve Miles. (214)521-0622 • FAX 520-TWIT VE.RY THURSDAY Advertising rates are available on request from the salesperson in your nearest city. Austin- James Frank (512) 441-9452 - Houston / Galveston - Steve Nally (713) 527-9111 II All other Texas cities- Steve Miles (214) 521-0622 Hosted By DOCK CLASSIFIEDADVERTISING • Dallas-Chase Gutierrez. Houston-Brian Keever Wayne Smith D ALL A S TWT© 1997 Texas Weekly Times Newspaper Company OPENlie SHANERUFF.PRESIDENT/ CEO / DIRECTOR Sign Up Begins 9:30pm • Showtime 10pm ROY KLAUS/ CO-DIRECTOR 4011 CEDAR SPRINGS • DALLAS'· 214-520-MOBY Discovery is only half the fun. ...as good as it gets. CLUB INFO: 21 0-22-SAINT [email protected] ATM CASH AVAILABLE 1430 N. MAIN, SAN ANTONIO 210-225-7330 Sundays, 7 pm NO SHIRT, NO COVER NO KIDDING! Monday, Dec. 22 6TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY STAFF PA RTY I Presents, Pictures with Santa, & More! No Coyer for Employees of Restaurants, Bars or Local Club Members. Doors Open at 9! Tuesdays: 9 pm EXECUTIVE NIGHTI See Brett Live! No Cover with Your Please Drink Responsibly Business Card. Every Nightl Houston's Lowest Regular Drink Pricesl Cum see our Erotic $1.25 Weill $1.75 Beer Dancers Tease & Please in $3.00 CallI $3.50 Premium • our Cages of Decadance! & $1.25 Schnapps! 710 Pacific Street Houston, Tx. 713/523-0213 THE EMPLOYEES OF 651 CLUB IN FORT WORTH PROUDLY PRESENT TtJRNTNll ABOUT THE CHRlSTM'AS TREE • 651 SOUTH JENNINGS (817)332-0745 BENEFITING A FAMILY IN NEED AIDS••INTERFAITH_~_~ _~64"~.NETWORK ~'s Jlnnual4tard(9andy C9tristu gtww Hosted by Miss Jessy & Precious Moments Doors Open at 6pm ~ -&lunday, (})ecember 14 featuring '0'urtle (greek {9horale's ENCORE and special guest The Newly Crowned Miss Charity America cflspengyler with performances by Jlra:J3ella . @hili 7Jepper {J);gylah .J}nita cfD[an Cdna Jean:1{obinson CJ{ellie~e 7Jassion ~it I 7Jitiful:J3itch . 2-Step :1{aquel:1{owdy ~Im.CLges Neiman-Marcus alleged that it - and many of its employees, including CHARACTER ASSASSINATION fI were to report that a popular talk show models, salesmen and I host sat on a gerbil and had to go to the emergency room to have it removed at the saleswomen - were taxpayers' expense, I could be sued for libel. So why is it legal for Rush Limbaugh "injured" by the to slander the gay community by saying the same thing, without any documenta- tion, on national TV? "false and defamatory" One would think that what's sauce for the goose .... But apparently not. Because publication of in 1952, Neiman-Marcus and 54 individu- als filed libel suits demanding judgments "U.S.A. Confulential." amounting to $7,400,000, plus legal costs, the publishers offered an apology: "We re- against Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer, gret very much statements made in a few authors of U.S.A. Confidential, Crown Pub- paraqraphs of U.S.A. Confidential about lishers and seven other defendants. the Neiman-Marcus store and some of its Neiman-Marcus Co. alleged that it - employees and the furor caused by those _. and many of its employees, including mod- statements. To the highly regarded Nei- els, salesmen and saleswomen - were man-Marcus store and its employees, our "injured" by the "false and defamatory" pub- apologies." The half-page apology ap- lication of the book, which was on the best- peared in newspapers in Dallas, Houston, seller list. Fort Worth, San Antonio, New York and Los According to the plaintiffs, "The book is Angeles. Individual letters of apology (but alleged to have reflected on the moral no money) were sent to more than 1,500 character of the specialty store and its Neiman-Marcus employees. (It is hoped employees." (That's legal babble meaning that one of those individual letters will that the men were queers and the women someday be donated to the Dallas Gay were whores.) and Lesbian Archives.) In addition, further The court held that "the individual plain- copies were withheld from publication. tiffs failed to state a claim upon which relief But the authors were defiant. "We reject could be granted but [that] the corporate and repudiate such an apology and such a plaintiff did state such a claim." (More legal deal which was offered to us. We propose babble: Neiman's could sue for damages to establish the truth of all our assertions. but alleged queers and whores could not.) We will defend with vigor all the suits pend- After several years of legal wrangling, ing against us." TWT DECEMBER 12· DECEMBER 18 1997 PAGE 16 IN THE END, VICTORY! HOME if( In 1955, a full retraction, public apology DAY PARTY PLANNER :iF .• rn"" .·,lFf ~ '~' "" I and an undisclosed sum of money were ..~< ,~' IMPROVEMENTS := accepted by Neiman-Marcus Co. as an :/oJUi!JyJ1ltfIY:J JYJghlJ.!J lYegJf> • FLOORING carp~~%O~~-VinYI 1 out-of-court settlement by the firm against the authors of U.S.A. Confidential. Mr. Mar- cus proclaimed, "We have achieved a com- • ROOM ADDITIONS = plete victory in this case and are glad to • PAINTING -Interior-Exterior have had the opportunity to discharge a =:;) private and public duty in defense of de- -Storm-Replacement 0 cency and justice." • WINDOWS The retraction and apology offered by • HARDI PLANK ~ Lee Mortimer and the estate of Jack Lait all: (he had died the year before) read in part, • ROOFS~ ••.• "In retrospect and on more careful exami- .. ~ nation, these statements, we are con- vinced, are untrue and were made without VfJ!.tlU'E;(1P;rA., ( C proof or credible evidence." o7 .rt: .l"?\! x.. .., Well, there you have it. A chapter in ;'[3[ill®®[3[10[KJ@ GI= Texas' fairy history was closed. Yes, all that @®[;J[;)®mt:llJ'@:® ~ happened more than 40 years ago, but even today there are NM employees who still chuckle when someone says, ''Re- member the time when a bestseller alleged that there were fairies in Neiman-Marcus?" ~ CONGREGATION BETH EL BINAH ~ELEBRATE ~HABBAT WITHUSMRY SECOND AND FOURTH FRIDAYNIIGHT 8:15 PM AT THE GAY AND LESBIAN COMMUNIlY CENTER 270 II 1R.IEAGAN A liIBR.01E\AVJ>J -6IDAILILAS (2114~5211-5342- =Xli4 3 EVERYONE WELCOME PAGE 18 TWT DECEMBER 12 - DECEMBER 18 1997 ;J.jJlj] lJ~TJ~ [Q) Needs No Tltanlc Tntenbons In Telhng a Shlp1S StOTYWOTthy of YouTTlme' y! That Steven Spielberg, he's in O such a rut. He makes this kind of film, he makes that kind of film. Then John Wil- determined who owns them. But that turn liams writes the music for him. Granted, it's out to be more complicated than expected the kind of rut that has everyone involved These events had enormous implica in Spielberg's movies hugging gold stat- tions, affecting the presidential election uettes by the end of the evening on Oscar and ultimately helping to launch the Civl night, so I've really got nothing to complain War.