AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNITIES OUT October 2, 2015 | Volume XIII, Issue 11 the U.S. and kept a low Orlando At age 15, she moved profile so as not to at- Cruz to New York City, October is LGBT History tract INS attention. where she made a Subsequent to name for herself as an The month of October is here. Fall with the Adams’s death in De- actress and bon vivant cool crisp mornings, Breast Cancer Aware- Month cember 17, 2012, and both on Broadway and ness, and LGBT History month. So many after the U.S. Attorney in London. people have helped to pave the way to Sullivan to receive a permanent residency General in 2011 de- In Motion Pictures make life in 2015 what it is. As far back as green card as the spouse of an American clared the Defense of magazine, Bankhead’s the 1900s you will find many different peo- citizen. In response, the couple received Marriage Act unconsti- former assistant dis- ple from all walks of life who have risked an INS reply that stated, “You have failed tutional, Sullivan filed closed that the two everything for the LGBT community. Let’s to establish that a bona fide marital rela- for a green card as Ad- had been sexually take a look at some of our history makers. tionship can exist between two faggots.” ams’s widower, so he involved. A self-de- • Richard Adams was born March 9, Adams lodged a formal protest. The could remain permanently in the U.S. scribed ambisexual, Bankhead’s sexual li- 1947, in Manila, Philippines and filed the INS reissued their denial without the slur. • A Hollywood celebrity, Tallulah Bank- aisons included the British theater actress first U.S. lawsuit to seek federal recogni- Adams filed a suit in federal court, but head, born January 31, 1902, Huntsville, Eva Le Gallienne and jazz legend Billie tion of same-sex marriage. What should the judge upheld the INS. Adams filed a Alabama, exemplified what it meant to be Holiday. Despite Bankhead’s notoriety, she have been the beginning of a happy mar- second federal suit claiming that after an a liberated woman at a time when women was widely admired, including by President riage laid the groundwork for his almost eight-year relationship, deportation of Sul- were subjected to Victorian-era strictures Harry Truman. 40-year quest for federally recognized livan constituted extreme hardship. The and marginalized. Bankhead’s colorful personality immor- marriage equality. federal district court and U.S. Court of Ap- Bankhead’s father was a conservative talized her in ways that few actresses have On April 21, 1975, Adams and his Aus- peals ruled against Adams. Southern Democrat who served in the U.S. achieved. Despite her many scandals, tur- tralian partner, Anthony Sullivan, obtained Subsequently, Sullivan requested per- House of Representatives from 1917 until bulent relations and provocative nature, a marriage license in Boulder, Colorado. manent residency for Adams in Australia. 1940. Tallulah was raised in Washington, she is remembered as a beacon of civil They were married before the Colorado The Australian government denied the re- D.C., where she received a strict religious rights and sexual liberation. She died on attorney general declared same-sex mar- quest. In 1985 the couple moved to Britain. education. December 12, 1968, in New York riage licenses invalid. Adams left behind his family and friends A proponent of racial integration and • The 2000 Olympic Games were piv- Adams applied to the U.S. Immigra- and a job he had for over 18 years. After civil rights, Bankhead’s political values otal for boxer Orlando Cruz born July 1, tion and Naturalization Service (INS) for one year in Britain, the couple returned to starkly contrasted with those of her family. —continued on page 4 BY MARY TAYLOR & The Hippo closes: Goodbye & RoDNEY BURGER So Long and Farewell goodnight On Saturday, September timore’s greatest events. To list Eager Streets in Baltimore’s Mt. Vernon 26, the line formed early them all would fill the page, but neighborhood opened in 1972 and had and wrapped around The Saturday night we remembered them all. previously been a popular nightclub dat- Club Hippo, with people All this was able to happen because of ing from the 1930s, called the Chanticleer wanting to say goodbye one man who opened a night club on the Club. Chuck Bowers, has been the sole to an old friend, the corner of Charles and Eager in owner of Club Hippo since 1978. club that played a Mt. Vernon. Charles L. Bowers, Lights flashed and mirror balls spun as huge part in many Goodbye known to most of us as Chuck, Deejay Farrell provided a mix of classic people’s lives in the to Club greeted the patrons in the bar disco and kept the dance floor packed all LGBT community. To that night -- some having not evening. Many a Friday or Saturday night dance on the sunken Hippo been to the bar in years -- like was spent dancing the night away. dance floor for one they never left. There were Sunday, September 27 was the last last night. To recall smiles all around, and a few drag show at the Hippo. The dance bar is and reminisce about the tears, but everyone was here for one rea- now officially closed. The Saloon and Ka- almost 37 years of being son: to celebrate The Club Hippo. raoke bar will remain open until Saturday, the home to some of Bal- The Club Hippo located at Charles and —continued on page 3 2 t BALTIMORE OUTLOUD OCTOBER 2, 2015 • BALTIMOREOUTLOUD.COM NEWS // LOCAL GooDBYE to CLUB HIPPO – continued from page 1 October 3. The space will soon transform into a CVS. To Mr. Charles Leo Bowers, to quote a very famous person, “Thanks for the mem- ories,” for your love and commitment to the LGBT community, and most of all, all the fun we had because of you. The motto for this bar has always been “Where everyone is welcomed” and that is how you made us feel. You will be missed but never forgot- ten. t . Like Us On Facebook! BALTIMORE OUTLOUD OCTOBER 2, 2015 • BALTIMOREOUTLOUD.COM t 3 Venue for 2015 Pride block party credit: Marti Wormuth NEWS // LOCAL OctobER IS LGBT of the South by Southwest film festival in pumps, he was violently assaulted by his HIStoRY MONth 2015 deals with two Muslim teenagers in father. Daniels stated, “When I came out it Sex & Identity – continued from page 1 Brooklyn who struggle with their sexual was because I loathed my dad so much.” identities. 1981, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. After rep- Torment also followed Daniels to Themes at Baltimore Alaska is a Drag – based on an award- resenting Puerto Rico in the games, Cruz school. He was gay and black in a predom- winning short film, starring Youtube celeb- launched his professional boxing career. inantly white school. “I was always told that Int’l Black Film Fest rity Martin L. Washington, Jr., as Leo fight- He won a world featherweight title and I was nothing because I was gay,” he said. ing his co-workers and himself in openly went nine years without a defeat. At age 21, Daniels started a nurse- being gay in a homophobic version of The homophobia that Cruz experienced staffing agency, which he sold a year later. BY JAcob PiERCE Alaska. growing up in Puerto Rico made it difficult The sale made him a millionaire and al- The second annual Baltimore International The Year We Thought About Love – lowed him to pursue his dream of work- Black Film Festival (BIBFF) is coming up about a gay-straight alliance performing ing in the entertainment industry. He first October 7 to 12 at the Charles Theater their own personal intense stories of be- worked as a casting director and later as and University of Baltimore’s Learning ing themselves to multiple high schools in a talent manager. He built a client base of Commons. This year’s theme will be “Reel Boston. Academy Award winners and nominees, Unity” as BIBFF “seeks to unite unity in Visit Bibff.com for the full film schedule most of whom later worked in Daniels’s the community,” says and ticket prices. t films. their website. The film Daniels became a Hollywood force in Festival runs festival is unique in 2001 when his production company re- October showcasing local and leased Monster’s Ball, a movie for which independent filmmak- Learn ASL Halle Berry won the Oscar for Best Actress. 7th to 12th ers from documenting Daniels later directed the film Precious. the African-American at the GLCCB His experience as a sexually abused child experience, the African diaspora more gen- erally, and same-gender loving or LGBT BY RoDNEY BURGER themes . Due to the popularity of the American Sign BIBFF’s sponsor is Sogaa, a nonprofit Language (ASL) class offered by Kevin social-service group founded in Baltimore Lowery and Dancing Hands at the GLBT by black men who love men and which is Community Center “dedicated to enhancing the social, eco- of Baltimore & Cen- nomic, physical, and mental wellness of its tral Maryland in the members and community.” spring, the GLCCB In keeping with those concerns, has scheduled a BIBFF’s roster of films deal with education, second class to be health, LGBT issues, women’s rights, and held every Wednes- Tallulah Bankhead the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Over day from October 7 80 films, shorts, and documentaries from until November 11 for him to accept his sexuality, especially over 14 different countries will be shown.