IN Step • LesBiCay Wisconsin's Community Newspaper • Founded in 1984 September 3, 1998 • Vol. XV, Issue XVIII • $2.95 outside of Wisconsin SECTION ONE: NEWS: PrideFest Breaks Attendance Record INTERVIEW: U.S. SENATOR RUSSELL FEINCOLD PLUS:Pridefest Photo Essay • The latest Dish • Quips & Quotes • And Much More! SECTION Q: Fall Arts Preview Q•INTERVIEW: Mishicot Sophisticate 1 The (lassies • Ethan Green • Film Reviews: 51, & Dance with Me • Eat Out • Keepin' IN Step with lamie • The Guide 'At PM NEWS Wisconsin Arts Board Sunny PrideFest Shatters Attendance Record Nixes 'Gay' Presentation by William Attewell 7,676 person broke the sin- big laughs when he quiped, is seriously considering a by Christopher Ott of the IN S►ep Staff gle day attendance record "Did you see that plane... permanent move to August of the IN Step Staff for PrideFest as well. wasn't that great? They for- and that Milwaukee — Happy Summerfest man- Friday night's attendence got the S, It said Homosexu- Madison — Will Fellows author of Farm crowds totalling almost agement has contacted topped 1,500 with The Pos- alty is IN!" Boys: Lives of Gay Men from the Rural Midwest, 15,000 persons enjoyed PrideFest about such a move. sum Queen competition To many published by the University of Wisconsin Press in three days of near festival goers, "At this point it is pre- flawless raising over 1996—had been invited to give a presentation $20,000 to ben- Sunday's "Sin Plane" was a mature to indicate if it will efit AIDS called "Growing Up Gay on the Farm" for the PrklelFest -related charities. welcome alternative to the be in August in June," Pride- verbal harrassment 1998 Wisconsin Folklife Festival held in Madison attendance Sin Plane: members Fest's Klein told IN Step. from Aug. 20-23. But the Arts Board informed The Sequel of the right-wing WCU gave Sources told IN Step that Fellows on Aug. 17 that his talk had been changed 1996 -1998 festival goers on Saturday PrideFest expects to have an Just as they had done in outside the PrideFest main announcement by the end to a panel discussion with a title that left out the July over Madison's pride word "gay." 1996 gates. Although some com- of Septmeber or October rally, an airplane leased by plaints were made to Pride- about dates for 1998 "I declined to participate as a result of the Wisconsin Christians Unit- change in plans," Fellows told IN Step. Fest organizers, police made A final financial stat- ed (WCU) buzzed PrideFest no Fellows stated that he had been pleased—and a arrests during the three ment for this year's festival 9,628 just prior to the kick-off of day festival. will not be completed for at little surprised—to be invited to speak at the Folklife the Wisconsin Pride Parade Festival in the first place, but that the last-minute On Sunday, The Wis- least three months. 1997 on Sunday afternoon. consin Pride Parade set a change of format came as a rude disappointment. "It "Homosexuality is Sin" was clear that they were trying to dilute and neutral- record of over 50 entries. Pridefest Photo Essay on page read the banner trailing the 14-15 of IN Step's first section. ize the whole `g' word," says Fellows. plane. After the parade at PrideFest 1999 In a letter to the Arts Board, Fellows wrote that 12,644 the Ben Johnson Stage, August or June? the proposed change represented "homophobic Pride Parade Grand Mar- Sources inside PrideFest censorship." He wrote that his talk would have 1998 shall John McGivern drew told IN Step that the festival concentrated on how ethnicity "contributed to the shaping of family and community identities, as well as gender roles" on Wisconsin farms. The gay connection was that "outsider" status helps gay 14,144 people develop a "keen insight" into the families and communities in which they grow up. Fellows weather and an expanded said that his talk would have highlighted these per- range of entertainment, spectives, not gay sexuality itself. In his letter he activities and people watch- asked, "Did those who axed my topic think I was ing propelling this year's +lb going to talk about sexual activity?" PrideFest to a record atten- "My presentation was exactly on the mark for dance mark. what the festival was about," Fellows said. "Espe- "We are ecstatic with the Ci, cially in Wisconsin, this is a troubling piece of evi- results," PrideFest Treasurer gatl}ottt 1Sc011S111 dence of the ongoing struggle that we face." Christine Klein told IN Step. Arts Board executive director George "Our attendance this year Tzougros told IN Step, "We didn't want Mr. Fel- reflects a 21% increase over lows not to speak." He said the change was made last year's figures." because no one else at the festival was speaking Klein stated that the about sexuali- final attendance mark was ty, and that the 14,744. Saturday's mark of A contingent from Gay Youth Milwaukee Marches in the Pride Parade. talk's title sug- gested a sexual- ity emphasis. "It didn't fit the program.... with Senator Russell Feingold This was a fes- Q&A U.S. tival about the traditional and ethnic arts," Gay and Lesbian Voters a Focus as the Fall Election Heats Up Tzougros said. The Arts Board canceled Interview by William Attewell WA: Many people in Wisconsin may be unaware the panel after of the IN Step Staff of how favorable your voting record has been on Fe l l ows Since his election to the US Senate in 1992, Wisconsin gay, lesbian and AIDS-related issues... declined to Democrat Russ Feingold has maintained an excellent voting RF: Tell `em! Will Fellows participate. record on issues important to the Wisconsin's lesbigay com- WA: Why do you think that is? Why do you think Tzougros said the decision on the original title munity. Now, Feingold is engaged in a tough re-election bat- that message doesn't get through? for Fellows' talk had been made without his tle with- Republican challenger Congressman Mark New- RF: This is one of the realities of being a U.S. Senator. You're knowledge and that he only noticed it just before man. At this year's PrideFest, I had the opportunity to speak only up for election once every six years, you're out in Wash- the festival program was scheduled to go to print. with Feingold about issues important to the community. ington, and there's a tendency to cover what the Governor He said there wasn't time to consult with Fellows and the Legislature does. Often, some of the things you do about a change. "I had to read [the introduction William Attewell: I talked with a number of indi- that are fairly significant, don't get much press. It takes effort to Fellows' book] after I made the decision to viduals from our community prior this interview, and word-of-mouth to get [this information] out. I do take remove the title from the program," Tzougros enormous pride in the fact that I stood up to the attempts to and not a single person had anything bad to say said. He added that when he read the introduc- discriminate against the gay community and to punish the tion he understood that Fellows would have about you... gay community such as the Defense of Marriage Act focused on ethnicity. bur that the talk's title Senator Russ Feingold: Well, you don't need to find some- (DOMA). "would not have led you to believe that that was thing bad... I helped take the lead in it with Senator Kennedy to try what he was going to talk about." WA: Your votes in the Senate have been consis- to have the federal government mirror Wisconsin's ban on Tzougros said it wouldn't have been any easier tantly supportive of the gay and lesbian commu- employment discrimination in this area. I'm also proud of— the wording of the title than to to try to change nity. What is your contact with the gay communi- and [this] got even less attention ... that I was a leading force change the format of the panel. He added that funding. There was a sig- ty? Do you simply vote your conscience, or do you in changing the formula for AIDS Fellows' book continued to be sold at the festival nificant, understandable bias in favor of cities like San Fran- talk to gays and lesbians in the community to get even though the panel had been canceled. cisco and New York. I was a leader in getting that formula to Fellows called the change of format "aggravat- their input? change so that Wisconsin could get its fair share because we ing" and "myopic," but Tzougros emphasized that RF: Both. Absolutely! Clearly my conscience tells me that have concerns with AIDS in this state as well. So, it's both on he had not intended to offend Fellows. "This was there's just no place in our society for discrimination against the rights issues, but also on the practical issue of funding for not in any way an easy decision to make," gays and lesbians. All we do is loose if we don't welcome gays programs like AIDS-I think I've done one heck-of-a job and Tzougros said. and lesbians as a part of our public life and benefit from their I want to do [it for] six more years. skills like anyone else.