THE VOICE OF CHICAGO’S GAY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 April 8, 2009 • vol 24 no 28 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com Iowa says ‘I Do’ Chicago Red to gay marriage BY LISA KEEN Stars page 22 KEEN NEWS SERVICE In an enormous victory for equal marriage rights for gay couples, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled unanimously April 3 that gay couples should have the right to marriage licenses the same as heterosexual couples. The decision represents the first time a state supreme court has ruled unanimously in favor of equal marriage rights for gay couples, and it is the first time a state in America’s “heartland” has done so. The decision, which goes into ef- fect in 21 days, will make Iowa the third state to TrueChild be currently offering marriage licenses to same- sex couples. Cook-Off page 7 “We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any im- portant government objective,” wrote Justice Mark Cady, for the seven-member court. “The legislature has [with its 1998 law banning mar- riage] excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil insti- tution without a constitutionally sufficient jus- tification.” The court said the law violated the state con- stitution’s guarantee of equal protection of the South by law and that the court’s own constitutional duty “requires” it to strike the law down. Southwest page 16 Noting that other supreme courts have al- lowed legislatures to provide “equal benefits” of Ingrid Olson (left) and Reva Evans of Council Bluffs, Iowa, talk with news reporters April 3 after marriage through civil unions, the Iowa court that state’s supreme court ruled unanimously in favor of same-sex marriage. Olson and Evans Turn to page 4 are one of the couples who were represented in the lawsuit by Lambda Legal. Photo courtesy of Lori Blachford Anti-gay charges leveled at police officer April 8, 2009 #985 nightspots BY YASMIN NAIR sen Federal Court Building, 219 S. Dearborn. The appearances to increase his salary. Fiorito is said n bulk of the charges against Fiorito involve al- to have made 300 DUI arrests in the past year. pick it up Homophobia within the Chicago Police Depart- legations that he excessively tracked innocent Of interest to LGBT-rights activists is that Fiorito Let It Snow Midtangent’s Snow White & the Seven Drag Queens blows into Hydrate. page 6 take it home inSIDE ment (CPD) has been an issue for several gay drivers and charged them with DUIs. Erickson is is alleged to have routinely targeted gays and Matt’s got the Ricky Sinz hearts porn at Love Jonas. Spin. page 28 page 24 activists and attorneys of clients alleging ho- representing clients who allege that they were lesbians. mophobic slurs and misconduct by police offi- routinely targeted. According to a memo re- Erickson spoke to Windy City Times about the cers. A recent press conference by, among oth- leased by Erickson, “For too long, Officer Fiorito allegations of homophobia. Two of the clients he ers, Jon Erickson of Erickson & Oppenheimer has stopped innocent motorists without cause, represented are lesbians, but Erickson acknowl- Attorneys at Law, Gay Liberation Network and conducted sham investigations, refused to give edged that they did not face direct homophobia local activists spotlighted lawsuits recently filed breathalyzers, manufactured false reports and in the form of slurs. In the case of the lesbians, against Officer Richard Fiorito, an officer at the committed perjury as matter of routine.” said Fiorito, “It’s really more tone than actual the 23rd District police station at Addison and Erickson wrote that Fiorito, who is currently words. He’ll say things like “The Closet [a local www.WindyCityQueercast.com Halsted. 60 and started with CPD late, is not eligible for The press conference was held April 2 in Dirk- a pension and is using overtime pay for court Turn to page 6 AUTOSINSURANCEDENTISTSHAIRSALONS FLOORINGINSURANCEBANKINGGETTRAVEL IT ALL LEGALSERVICESBOOKSTORESELECTRICIANS PHOTOGRAPHERSRESTAURANTSCONTRACTORSonline nnn%N`e[p:`kpD\[`X>iflg%Zfd 09BFS119_WindyCityTimes_10.25x13.5 3/5/09 8:37 AM Page 1 2 April 8, 2009 the day unfolds like a challenging road that raises the essential question: is high performance in your blood or is it really in your tires? get up to $100 Bridgestone Visa® Prepaid Card* by mail when you buy a set of four eligible† bridgestone tires. Offer valid April 4 through May 2, 2009. bridgestonetire.com tiresafety.com 1.800.807.9555 *Prepaid Card is not redeemable for cash and may not be used for cash withdrawal at any cash-dispensing locations.The Card is not transferable and non-refundable.The Card is issued by MetaBank pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Card funds are available for 180 days in addition to any remaining days in the issuing month.The “Valid Thru” date on the front of the card denotes the exact date of expiration for your specific card(s). †Tires must be purchased from a Bridgestone retailer’s inventory between April 4 and May 2, 2009. Mail-in claim form required. Restrictions and limitations apply. See your participating Bridgestone retailer for complete details. April 8, 2009 3 index NEWS Iowa OKs same-sex marriage 4 Vermont’s marriage bill 4 National roundup 4 Local thoughts on Iowa 5 Day of Action 5 Passages: Curtis M. Wright 5 Gay man seeks Quigley’s post 6 Quigley’s thank-you 6 Candidates at Sidetrack 6 Gay-rights activist Candace Gingrich Chicago 2016 at Circuit 7 (above) was in Chicago to support Cook-off with Top Chefs 7 Congressional candidate Mike Quigley. Gay history with D’Emilio 8 Read more on page 6. World news; Quotelines 9 Photo by Andrew Davis Views: Monroe, Sen. Kerry 10 The ENTERTAINMENT Dancin’ Feats 11 Theater reviews 12 Knight at the Movies 15 Pop Making Sense 16 South by Southwest 16 Tempest Jai Rodriguez 17 Bebe Zahara Benet 17 by William Shakespeare Billy Masters 20 directed by ensemble member Tina Landau Entertainment news 21 Gay Idol; Bebe in Chicago 21 featuring ensemble members Alana Arenas, K. Todd Freeman, Frank Galati, Jon Michael Hill, Tim Hopper, James Vincent Meredith, Yasen Peyankov, Lois Smith U.S. Sen. John Kerry (above) has a message for same-sex couples. Read and Alan Wilder with Eric James Casady, Miles Fletcher, Stephen Louis Grush, OUTLINES Emma Rosenthal and Craig Spidle Calendar; Pet for adoption 18 more on page 10. Real estate; classifieds 19 Photo courtesy of Jody Seth Sports: Red Stars 22 Shakespeare’s enchanted masterpiece about the magic of forgiveness gets a fresh, imaginative new production anchored by ten members of the Steppen wolf ensemble. Features include: www. —Dish List: More Windy (right) and Sunda THE TEMPEST WINE TASTING —Derek Hartley op- City ed on gay media Wednesday, April 15 at 6:00 p.m. —Pete Subkoviak Enjoy selections from Vinci’s wine cellar paired with rustic Italian appetizers from their gourmet Media op-ed on the pope kitchen in Steppenwolf’s Balcony Lounge before the show. Tickets only $60 for tasting & the show. Group —”Couples Please use code 4603 when ordering. Connecting” with Dr. .com Bruce Koff Photo courtesy of Patty Bauer NOW PLAYING! Hüsker Dü front man BOB MOULD nightspotsn SHOW #WCQ295 LET IT SNOW Midtangent Productions’ Snow April 8, 2009 HIte and the Seven #985 steppenwolf Drag Queens hits Hydrate. Photo by Adam Veness Let It Snow www.WindyCity Midtangent’s Snow White & the Seven Drag Queens blows into Hydrate. page 6 buy online at inSIDE www.steppenwolf.org Matt’s got the Ricky Sinz hearts porn at Love Jonas. Spin. Queercast.com page 28 page 24 or call 312-335-1650. !02), s6/,./ Production Sponsor of The Tempest 2008-2009 Lighting Sponsor AY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 THE VOICE OF CHICAGO’S G nnn%N`e[p:`kpD\[`X>iflg%Zfd Hl`eeËjGifgfjXc BY PAUL MARINKOVICH With the state of Illinois in financial turmoil, ;FNECF8;K?@J ?`kj?@M=le[jGovernor Pat Quinn proposed a budget plan for fiscal year 2010, one that will include a reduc- tion of funds to HIV prevention and care. The K_\C`]\ proposal, which was released March 18, is part of a working process to help close the state’s 8e[p f]X $11.6 billion budget deficit. gX^\(- “This deficit comes from a number of things, 9\cc one of which includes the poor economic cli- mate” said Katherine Ridgway, Spokeswoman for ?\if Gov. Quinn. “But it was pretty much created by a former administration who hadn’t reined in spending as we are trying to do now. Unfortu- >fkfnnn%N`e[p:`kpD\[`X>iflg%Zfdkf nately, tough choices have to be made. These are decisions that Gov. Quinn did not want to make, but had to make in order to be fiscally responsible.” According to Ridgeway, one of these tough choices would be a three percent reduction in spending for all agencies other than education, health care and public safety. This would result Additional Corporate support provided by: in $1.3 billion dollars in cuts to help solve the ;\YiX gX^\)( state’s short-term deficit without sacrificing long-term priorities. [fnecfX[Zfdgc\k\`jjl\jf]N`e[p:`kpK`d\j :_Xjef]] But a three percent cut for HIV spending could mean a reduction of nearly $630,000 over fiscal year 2009. This has some HIV/AIDS advocates worried as the proposal compromises major pro- - grams in the HIV sector. gX^\(. “We are concerned,” said John Peller, Director of Government Relations for the AIDS Founda tion of Chicago (AFC).