The Premier Media Source for LGBT Texas Established 1984 | Volume 30 | Issue 33 FREE | Friday, December 27, 2013 DallasVoice.com Facebook.com/DallasVoice Twitter.com/DallasVoice 2 dallasvoice.com • 12.27.13 toc12.27.13 | Volume 30 | Issue 33 6 headlines • TEXAS NEWS 6 DOMA defeated and marriage equality 8 Divorce becomes Texas issue 10 City Hall took on marriage equality 14 Gays accepted in Boy Scouts • LIFE+STYLE 18 Top 10: Screen 18 Top 10: Stage 19 Actor of the year 20 Top 10: Music • ON THE COVER Cover design by Kevin Thomas 18 departments 6 Texas News 23 Calendar 8 Pet of the Week 26 Directory 16 Viewpoints 28 Scene 18 Life+Style 30 Classifieds 20 $&&"& ('**"'& $&&"& #"! Wealth Management Specialist $$$#"! ')),+"* 0$$) #"! % # (,"& '+('%%+&"*/)"& /%'&%)))'"*)&%%(-'(#*'#.!& 12.27.13 • dallasvoice 3 instantTEA DallasVoice.com/Category/Instant-Tea #2#-7.1#.'*+-/4 #!#) #-6 ,)) -*"+"6-(*"#3. #-#-.+* A LITTLE CHRISTMAS | Several organizations benefited recently from the Dallas Tavern Guild’s .'*+-'5#./('*'**#-#..#-/.+),(')#*/-4##- annual Holiday Gift Project. Volunteers are pictured above. (Courtesy Photo) '(#*/0!/'+*0((.&-&),%*#+.//'"*'%&/ #*#$'//'*%/&#-(*"0))#-0.'!(. Gay men say they were kicked on recognizing the marriages of same-sex cou- out of bar for dancing together ples advanced after a federal judge denied the state’s motion to dismiss the case. Judge Michael The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is sup- Urbanski of the U.S. District Court for the Western porting a gay couple after the men said they were District of Virginia (Harrisonburg) issued a 17-page -(*"-/.+3$$'!#!+) kicked out of a South Texas nightclub for dancing memorandum, saying, “It is abundantly clear that together to country music. plaintiffs’ alleged harm is actual, concrete, and The incident occurred Saturday night at a Vic- particularized.” toria nightclub when Justin Meyer, 21, said he and Harris v. McDonnell is a challenge organized by his partner danced together to the country song Lambda Legal and the ACLU for two lesbian cou- “Cowboys and Angels,” the Victoria Advocate re- ples. One couple would like to marry in Virginia; ported. the other has married in the District of Columbia The men said a manager approached them and would like their marriage recognized in Vir- and told them Cactus Canyon has a policy barring ginia. two men from dancing together to country music. Citing sovereign immunity, the judge did dis- Meyer’s partner, James Douglas, 30, said the miss the suit as it was applied to Virginia Gov. manager told them they could dance together to Robert McDonnell, but the lawsuit will proceed rap or hip-hop music, but not country. with chief defendant Thomas Roberts, the clerk of “So you’re telling me it’s OK for me to bump the Staunton Circuit Court and Janet Rainey, the and grind my boyfriend to the song `Bubble Butt,’ state registrar. but we can’t dance a two-step?” Douglas told the In Ohio, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy newspaper. Black issued a 50-page decision, saying the state But Cactus Canyon’s director of operations, constitution’s ban on recognizing same-sex mar- Robert Dillender, says the men were asked to ried couples violates the U.S. Constitution’s guar- leave because they were being disruptive. antees of due process and equal protection. “We’ve never kicked anyone out of the club for The lawsuit was Obergefell v. Wymyslo, in dancing,” he said, adding the club does not have which two surviving spouses sought the right to a policy barring same-sex couples from dancing be identified as such on the death certificates of together. their spouses. However, Dillender said the club does have to Citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in strik- “maintain the peace” under its obligation to the ing down the DOMA in U.S. v. Windsor, Black Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the said, “It is beyond debate that it is constitutionally agency that issues liquor licenses. Cactus Canyon prohibited to single out and disadvantage an un- is now reviewing how it interprets that policy, he popular group.” said. Black issued a permanent injunction against “We apologize for the misunderstanding,” Dil- the state from refusing to identify a deceased per- lender added. son’s same-sex spouse on his death certificate. The issue has already caught the attention of Ohio Attorney General Michael DeWine said the the American Civil Liberties Union in Texas, and state will appeal the decision to the Sixth Circuit the group plans to reach out to the couple to offer U.S. Court of Appeals. assistance. And in Utah, U.S. District Court Judge Robert “We encourage all people to stand up for their Shelby denied Utah’s request to delay the effect of individual rights,” said Tom Hargis, an ACLU his Dec. 20 order that the state stop enforcing its spokesman. ban on same-sex couples marrying. — Steve Ramos Republican Gov. Gary Herbert’s administration then asked the Tenth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to issue a stay of Shelby’s order, pending the Marriage equality gains legal state’s appeal of Shelby’s decision that the ban on ground in three states same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. One of two lawsuits challenging Virginia’s ban — Lisa Keen 4 dallasvoice.com • 12.27.13 12.27.13 • dallasvoice 5 • yearinreview With one decision striking down parts of the ken families. Defense of Marriage Act in June, the U.S. In addition to DOMA, the court ruled in 1. DOMA was defeated Supreme Court brought federal recognition to Hollingsworth v. Perry, the challenge to the con- millions of same-sex couples, even Texans. stitutionality of California’s same-sex marriage The Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of ban Proposition 8, that supporters of the amend- the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional ment didn’t have standing to appeal. in United States v. Windsor, requiring the fed- The decision resulted in same-sex marriage eral government to recognize married same-sex resuming in California, but the ruling didn’t couples and provide them with the full benefits bring marriage equality to other states. of marriage they were previously denied. Although the odds for a sweeping Prop 8 de- However, it remained unclear how many of cision were slim, some advocates still hoped the those benefits couples, who are legally married court would strike down California’s ban and in other states but reside in Texas, would re- all state constitutional marriage amendments as ceive. unconstitutional in the 34 states with marriage Although some federal benefits were given to laws, including Texas. same-sex couples in states where they live, But the rulings’ significance is not lost on the many benefits, like military spousal benefits and Lone Star State, as the momentum from the joint tax filings, are allowed in any state as long Supreme Court will bring marriage equality to as the couple is legally married. And some agen- the state in one way or another within a few cies are still analyzing how benefits will change. years. But the biggest gain from DOMA’s defeat was And even as benefits are still unclear and the immigration. With the federal government rec- tangled patchwork of state laws must work with ognizing same-sex unions, gays could have new federal regulations, one thing is clear: VICTORY | Omar Narvaez addresses the crowd at the Day of Decision rally at the Legacy of Love Monument their foreign spouses receive citizenship with equality is coming to all of America. • on the corner of Cedar Springs Road and Oak Lawn Avenue on June 26. (Anna Waugh/Dallas Voice) marriage, ending legal battles and uniting bro- — Anna Waugh 2. Marriage equality won The momentum pushing same-sex marriage and under state law, there is no mention of gender built up steadily throughout the year. By year’s in marriage law. Over the next month, several end, 18 states, the District of Columbia and eight other county clerks followed suit. In several other Native American tribes that includes one Okla- counties, courts ordered county clerks to issue li- homa county had marriage equality covering censes. more than 39 percent of the U.S. population. The county clerks realized that having a patch- Several Legislatures began debating marriage work of counties issuing licenses in the state was equality bills when their sessions opened in January. unworkable and asked the state Supreme Court Rhode Island’s Legislature became the first to for a ruling. The court made marriage equality a pass a marriage equality bill on May 2. The state statewide right on Dec. 19. was the last in New England to legalize same-sex In New Jersey, the state superior court ruled the marriage. Its previous civil union law was ex- state’s civil unions were not equal to marriage as tremely unpopular and few took advantage of it. required under state law and ordered marriage Anyone in Rhode Island could drive less than 20 equality to begin. Gov. Chris Christie filed an ap- miles to a marriage equality state. peal to the state Supreme Court but he withdrew A week later, with little opposition, Delaware’s it after that court refused to issue a stay. Legislature passed marriage equality. New Jersey began issuing marriage licenses on After Minnesota voters turned down an anti- Oct. 21. marriage amendment by a large margin in No- In October, Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie vember 2012, the gay and lesbian community called a special session of the Legislature to con- NO MORE WAITING | Dallas couple Jerrett Morris, left, and Jef Tingley married in New Mexico the week it quickly organized and used that momentum. On sider marriage equality. became legal.