MARCH/APRIL 2008 ARTICLES

All great movements in history begin with the hope of change; a hope that never dies. It is embedded deep within one’s soul. It is always there, often dormant, often suppressed by life’s trials and tribulations. When that hope is kindled and turns into a roaring fire it becomes unstoppable.

DR! Magazine began with hope; a hope that it could make a difference in the lives of LGBTQ people. It was a hope that it could expand far and wide and motivate others to kindle their belief in themselves, their dreams, and aspirations. Most importantly, to stir the hope within one’s very being to realize that there is nothing wrong with them and they need to live their lives in a productive, meaningful way.

Hope can be tarnished at times due to evolution and growth, a difficult journey to traverse. Along the way we experience life, at the time just a series of unrelated events aimlessly occurring with no definite convergence. But at a point in our lives, these events do converge and when they do, life’s questions seem much easier to answer, the perspective of events is more grounded and those things that seemed to be elusive turn into a cohesive vision that begins to burn strong in one’s heart. DR! Magazine embodies this kind of burning vision.

Change has come and will continue to come to DR! Magazine. Due to a series of events over the last few months, the design and layout is now being done by yours truly! Up until this March/April Issue, DR! Magazine did not really embody its inherent vision. It was seen through different glasses to the point where the vision was becoming more difficult to keep in focus; when that happens, change must come. I hope you like the new look and feel of DR! Magazine.

The realization of DR! Magazine's full potential depends on its becoming independent/self-sustaining.  I would ask that you all consider a subscription to DR! Magazine. I would also encourage you to approach gay and gay-friendly businesses for advertising and underwriting support. It is this grassroots support that will ensure DR! Magazine's viability and allow it to become more of a guiding force in the LGBTQ community.

With that said, I want to draw particular attention to the interview with Chuck Griffith. I extend many thanks to Steve Le Vine of grapeVine Public Relations for arranging the interview! We will be hearing a lot more of and about Chuck Griffith in the future. I am honored to feature Chuck in this issue. I would also encourage you to check out the new “Entertainment Place” Page and find out more about grapeVine Public Relations.

This issue of DR! Magazine was to focus on the “Q” in LGBTQ. Well, it didn’t really turn out that way as you can clearly see, with only one article dealing with the topic! Beginning with this issue DR! will begin to be an open topic publication in order to better represent the very diverse needs of the LGBTQ community. I hope you are as excited about this change as I am.

Last, my friend Ace Lundon has started a new project! See the box ad on page 23 for more information.

As I end each Editor’s Message, enjoy this issue, enjoy your lives and most importantly enjoy the freedom that this country offers to become whatever you want to become as OUT and PROUD LGBTQ Americans
 

Keep Up Now
Terry Ludwig, Inspired by Robbie

Chuck Griffith is the founder of Roaring Leo Productions and is currently considered by many to be one of the most promising film personalities.

Griffith has been working in his field since he was 16 years old when he formed his own theater company, The Griffith Theater Company. A few years later, following a short stint writing for Macworld magazine, the ambitious filmmaker started producing/directing projects on his own, including three short films in 2000. His flair for directing was recognized when he took home several international awards for “Safe Sex,” a short film that examined a serial killer preying on men in New York City gay bars.

Griffith has studied television directing on the set of the award-winning show “Six Feet Under,” under the aegis of Kathy Bates. It is an honor and privilege to have Chuck Griffith featured in this issue of Diversity Rules! Magazine.

JRK: This March/April Issue deals with the “Q” in LGBTQ (Queer and Questioning). Some say the “Queer and Questioning” label better describes some within the LGBT community. What are your thoughts on this? Do we even need to have labels to describe who we are?

CG: It’s a very good question. It aligns itself with what was deemed as the Queer Film Movement with films that came out in the early 90s out of the wake of the AIDS crisis. Films like Swoon and The Living End were emerging onto the scene to provoke thought on how the community should respond to the SILENCE = DEATH equation. The word “queer” I think is in itself provocative and it is meant to be. The definition is “strange” or “not of normal nature." I think the word served as a “fuck you” to the mainstream establishment that was ignoring the community, but now that we’re in a post-Gay movement it appears that word holds a sense of nostalgia in a generation that is less intent on labeling and a community that seems to be blending into a post-modern form of pluralism.

JRK: You just got back from the Sundance Film Festival. Tell me about that. I have always wanted to go.

CG: I once heard a Park City local refer to Sundance as the BLACKCOAT INVASION, meaning all the LA enterati invade with their black leather coats and Starbuck latte orders. Sundance illustrates how much BUSINESS means in the term “show business.”  Agents, managers, press, and studio executives out number the filmmaker 10:1, easily. It’s somewhat a shame to see the art get lost in a sea of films that already have distributors and recognizable faces. However, the energy is intoxicating when it comes to industry people all being confined to five blocks along Main Street. You’ll see executives without the ability to put you into voicemail or defer you to an assistant. You have a captive audience and five minutes or less to pitch, that’s exciting and liberating for a filmmaker like me who's looking to brand his movie and gain more momentum.

JRK: Your website says that you began your career when you were 16 when you formed your own theatre company called “The Griffith Theatre Company.” That is quite an achievement when one is only 16. What propelled you to do that? What types of projects did you work on?

CG: Career? I’m not so sure. At 16, who is thinking about that? What happened was that my high school, WATERLOO WEST HIGH, had dropped doing a Spring play and I was heavily in drama (admittedly stereotypical). I was a student senator who was in charge of appropriations for the drama and I went home and wrote a play about a man dying of AIDS from a faulty blood transfusion. I had one act done and went to the senate and proposed $450 to make the play. We sold ads in the program to make up the rest of the $1200 budget. We got students to sign up from the three schools in Waterloo, Iowa, and it was a sold out show. My directorial career was born. HA!

JRK: Your film “Safe Sex” is the project that appears from your bio to be that one that highlighted your directing abilities. What was the motivation behind the film? Was there something that drove you to develop this plot about a serial killer preying on gay men?

CG: This was around the time of Andrew Cunanan, who I had met in passing while living in Los Angeles. I always felt scared about hooking up and promiscuity beyond just STDs. I am concerned that we don’t value our personal safety enough within the community. Nowadays there are the Manhunts and Craigslists of the world and I wonder if people really question enough who is behind that picture? The short film was really my first with a crew and it was well before QUEER AS FOLK or anything else out there. It’s a simple “student” short film from the school of hard knocks, but I learned a lot from the experience and it ultimately got me exposure at Gay and Lesbian film festivals around the world. I would say that there’s an early style that developed from it, but it’s not indicative of my abilities now.

JRK: Tell me about your most recent work, “Shifting the Canvas.” What’s that about?

CG: On the surface it is about the birth of an artist. The lead character, Leo, is challenged by his own mediocrity and his affinity for distraction. It takes place in Brooklyn where real estate developers prey on a struggling bohemia in order to profit from the sterilization of Manhattan. Yet, there’s a theory out there that art and commerce feed off of each other like plants and the atmosphere, and if you tilt the balance of one over the other you endanger the development of either.

JRK: Can you expand on your quote in relation to “Shifting the Canvas.” “Too many gay-themed films seek to add a drag queen, whiny characters, shoddy direction, and lots of inside jokes.” I guess “Shifting the Canvas” has none of these attributes!

CG: Actually, the film sets out to manipulate the audience into thinking that this is typical gay fodder that we as a community have allowed us to settle with when we see gay-themed films. However, inspired by the philosopher, Jacques Derrida, I seek to deconstruct these themes very quickly. I believe that there’s a sort of projection that happens with audiences when we see films as we enter the 21st century—we sit and make a judgment call on a character within moments of seeing them, which is a likely result from us being able to see more movies from a variety of sources than ever before. So the challenge is to lead the spectator on and then try and develop something that breaks any preconceived notion of what the story is about or the characters that live within it.

JRK: I also like your quote in reference to “Thank You. Good Night,” where you said, “People tend to focus on the other side of the hill rather that what’s in their own back yard.” That is so true with many things in life!

CG: TYGN was a movie that happened without much expectation that it would. I optioned the film for $10.00 the first week I moved to Hollywood shortly after finishing SAFE SEX in August of 2000. I didn’t have any connections or friends in Los Angeles. I didn’t really even have much money, but somehow we gained steam especially when I begged my collaborator and producer, ROBERT ZIMMER (who is also producing SHIFTING), to come onboard. I was 25 and still hadn’t evolved as an artist, but we got the thing made. The backyard referenced is more about shooting a film set in New Jersey in the San Fernando Valley. We tried to shoot around every palm tree standing in our way. In hindsight, I kind of wish we had shot it in New Jersey and given it more of an edge, but like my hero in SHIFTING THE CANVAS, I need to learn from my choices.

JRK: The name of your company “Roaring Leo Productions” is great. Where did that name come from?

CG: I’m a leo. I lived in Hollywood for two years after making TYGN and couldn’t get anything off the ground—part of that was just youth and inexperience. I went through a lot afterwards including going back to study literature at Columbia in New York City. It was then that I gained a new sense of self and definition of who I wanted to become. Like a rising phoenix, I thought Roaring Leo was just the right name.

JRK: Given your visibility and notoriety do you consider yourself to be an activist? If so, what gets your blood boiling? You are a member of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLADD). Tell me about that.

CG: GLAAD has evolved to be much more inclusive this year. It now evaluates material that is distributed by LGBT outlets like HERE, TLA, and LOGO, which was never the case before. I’m very proud of what GLAAD does in responding quickly to recent news like Phelps attacking the Ledger family. However, my activism goes further than GLAAD. I believe that it is important for writers and directors to create stories and characters that allow being gay or lesbian a part of the tapestry, but not the only thread in the cloth. We have stories to tell, and whom we love is very important in telling those stories; however it should be only part of the tale because if we’re to gain more acceptances within a homophobic society we’re going to need to create universal themes in order to get our message across. At the same time, we can’t leave it to the studios to do it. Gay-themed films in the studio system tend to end tragically as if to say, “Sure, be gay, but you’ll die if you are.” This is unacceptable and so is settling for a film like BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and the upcoming MILK to come out every three years as if we don’t have more stories to tell. At the same time, we can’t marginalize ourselves with shirtless boys, shoddy camcorders, and flippant dialogue like we have been. I seek to change the trend as a director, writer, and producer.

JRK: So to wrap the interview up, where do you see things going in your life? What do you want to have achieved in say the next 5-10 years? You seem to be very active with lots of things in the fire. I am sure we are going to hear much more about Chuck Griffith in the coming years!

CG: The real focus is on SHIFTING THE CANVAS. I do have other projects in the works, including a television pilot called WATERLOO that seeks to be a gay version of TWIN PEAKS. However, each day I feel like my success hinges on getting SHIFTING to a cross-over audience, which can be daunting but I think we have just the story to make it happen.

 

Syracuse Grows Up
Alejandro Bentancourt

Alejandro Betancourt lives in Syracuse where in 2007 his artwork was shown at Sugar Pearl, Clinton Street Spa, Hawley Green Bistro, Floating Galleries, CNY Cultural Workers, The Redhouse and The Gear Factory. In November he was awarded a Senator De Francisco Grant and assisted in the development of Syracuse Center for the Performing Arts. A selection of his paintings from 2007 are currently on view at Syracuse Technology Garden (315)474-0910.

June is the month when dozens of individual artists and organizations will receive grant money awarded through the Cultural Resources Council (www.cspot.org). In November of 2007, a ceremony was held at the Assisi Center (800 N. Salina St.) where 48 CRC 2008 Senator De Francisco Grants were announced, totaling to over $50,000 of contributed funds allocated from contributing public and private foundations. These “artistically or culturally based” grants cover a wide range of projects for community and individual development.

Last year the CNY Community Foundation funded a youth photo exhibit called The Window that took place during Latin Heritage Month. That exhibit brought people to the Mundy Library in the Westside and not only promoted education through reading but made use of a library as a community art center for an evening. The CNY Community Foundation (www.cnycf.org) is a vehicle that matches donors to charities.

Well-recognized donors who contribute to CNYCF projects include The Gifford Foundation (www.giffordfd.org), Partners for Arts Education (www.arts4ed.org), New York Foundation for the Arts (www.nyfa.org), and National Endowment for the Arts (www.nea.org). These and many more sources can also be accessed through the CRC, which begins workshops on writing grants July 17 and commits to the deadline for the next grant round deadline of October 1st.

Senator John A. De Francisco was elected to the New York State Senate in 1992. Aside from being a strong patron of the arts, he demonstrated commitment to issues such as employment, education and the facilitation of policy with less government involvement. Beginning this year, the Mayor and the Syracuse Common Council introduced a Public Arts Commission that will be used to propel citywide public art projects such as the newly developed Lipe Art Park (located on Fayette Street near Geddes) that aids in the city’s urban connectivity.

Staffed by the city’s office of Economic Development’s Kate Clark the Commission is to create a Public Art Master Plan with its 11 board members that will focus on guidelines, public outreach and education, programming and citizen participation.

Public Art helps brand neighborhoods, which builds community and raises interest in those who can help financially
in its development. It is suggested that anybody interested in public or individual art use the resources in this article as a starting point for their plans. For leads to these and more sources, use a.b.resourceful@earthlink.net to reach A B Resource, a directory for art in Syracuse.

Producing art and finding the resources to help you is one thing, but viewing art is a different subject. Sources such as the Everson Museum (www.everson.org) and the Delevan Art Gallery (www.DelevanArtGallery.com) are Syracuse’s best examples of galleries with permanent and rotating art exhibits. Historical exhibits can be viewed at places such as Onondaga Historical Association Museum (315-428-1864) and the Erie Canal Museum (www.eriecanalmuseum.org), both located walking distance to each other and the Everson in downtown. For after hours gallery visits every third Thursday of the month visit the Th3 website at www.th3syracuse.com, that describes “a citywide art open in Syracuse” where the 17 current participating locations exhibit their works in a more social atmosphere. With the development of new resources and the introduction of new direction for public art in Syracuse, 2008 should be an interesting year in the city’s art community.


Between the Covers, A Book Review:  The Indian Clerk
Rich Wiesenthal

David Leavitt, the author of such novels as The Lost Language of Cranes, Family Dancing, Equal Affections and While England Sleeps, has written a new and ambitious work that is so different from his other works both in style and content that it is hard to believe it is the same author who has produced this newest work of fiction.

In nearly five hundred pages Leavitt has written a novel that takes place in England beginning around 1913 and spanning a period of about twenty years. The novel is populated by people such as D.H. Lawrence, Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein. It focuses on a small segment of history during which time the narrator G.H. Hardy, a great British mathematician becomes involved with Srinivasa Ramanujan an unknown mathematical genius who has written to him from Madras claiming that he is about to solve one of the most important and unsolved mathematical problems of the time.

The novel is based loosely on a true story and is carefully documented to make the story appear almost as an historical novel rather than a work of fiction. At the center of the novel is the relationship between Hardy, who is convinced of the extraordinary talent of Ramanujan, and the Indian who comes to Cambridge at Hardy’s invitation to collaborate on various mathematical problems of the time. The relationship is important to the world of mathematics but tragic for the people involved since Ramanujan sadly becomes ill and dies in his prime with a brilliant future as one of the most important mathematical minds of the century cut short. Hardy, a closeted homosexual in a world hostile to his sexual orientation clearly has great affection for Ramanujan and values both his potential as great thinker as well as his sensibility as a man.

The novel involves two story lines, one the correspondence, arrival, and life of Ramanujan as he spends his time in England during World War I as well as a second story line which reveals a series of lectures given by Hardy in 1936 at Harvard regarding Ramanujan’s genius, his mathematical accomplishments and his tragic life cut short when he was only thirty-three.

The story of the unknown Indian clerk living in Madras, and his rise to success as one of the world’s most celebrated mathematicians is both compelling and puzzling. Perhaps it is cultural, perhaps it is Leavitt’s inability to craft Ramanujan as a fully developed character, but I found the novel at times tedious and at times compelling. Perhaps Leavitt tried to include too much in what is already a lengthy novel, but at times I found the movement of the plot stalled by the inaction of the characters.

That said, the novel is beautifully crafted. It begins in 1936 with Hardy an aging scholar giving a lecture at Harvard on the personal and professional life of Ramanujan, considered by some to have one of the keenest and most creative mathematical minds ever. The lecture then carries us back to the story of Hardy’s discovery of the Indian clerk, his attempt to get him to England from India , and the celebrated characters involved in both Hardy’s and Ramanujan’s life during the period he was at Cambridge. We see such characters as D.H. Lawrence and Bertrand Russell interact with Hardy giving us glimpses of the culture of the time period as well as glimpses into the hidden and intriguing gay sub-culture of Cambridge scholars.

In a moment when Hardy is at Harvard and Ramanujan has been dead for some time, Hardy reveals what I believe to be the central core of the work. He says, “We spend our lives, all of us, trying to hook each other. We hook, and we are hooked. Sometimes we fight it, and sometimes we take the hooks gratefully, sink them into our own flesh, and sometimes we try to outwit those who have hooked us by hooking them, as I tried constantly, in my younger years, to hook God. Ramanujan, in the late months of 1917 and the early months of 1918, was a man from whose body many hooks dangled. Of these, at the time at least, I could only see some. There was the hook that connected him to me, to my ambition for him, which he felt obliged to meet, and to my fear of him, which he felt obliged to allay: and there was the hook of his illness, obliging him to rely on the care of doctors, and the hooks of duty and love connecting him to his three friends….. and the predatory hook (this one particularly sharp and menacing) plunged into him at an early age by his mother; and the hook of responsibility and desire that linked him to his wife across the ocean; and the hook of the war, embedded in everyone’s flesh in those years; and finally the hook of his own ambition, which of course he has driven into himself. “

And so the novel turns out to be about connections, those we make with others, those we make with our self, and those we make with our belief systems, for after all is said and done it is those connections that define our humanness and make us who we are.

As an avid reader I have to say I found the book a challenge. Its structure, the complexity of its characters, its foundation in reality and its sadness were compelling. It is so unlike Leavitt’s other works that I was totally unprepared for what I found between the covers. As a gay man I guess I should be used to that.
 

Double Trouble
Matthew Young, the "Canadian Connection"

When it comes down to deciding to relocate elsewhere within your own country, LGBT singles and couples have a lot more to weigh on their shoulders with regards to making a decision then our straight counterparts.  Normally they can just pick up and head elsewhere if the demographics are right for them. We however, have so much more to consider when faced with this decision.

When I was contacted in Toronto, Ontario by a recruitment firm in lower southern Alberta I honestly had no idea that I would end up out there within a few months. The entire process all started back over a year and a half ago when I attended the National Job Fair in Toronto as a means of seeing what was available in the job market at the time. I always make sure to keep my ears and eyes open for a better opportunity.

I wandered around aimlessly until I saw the “Relocation Zone” at the job fair and thought, “What the hell, it can’t hurt to see what’s available elsewhere”. So I made some inquiries and the booths there represented recruiting firms trying to motivate people to move for better employment elsewhere in the country. I had worked with recruiters before and knew if I gave them my resume that they would cross-reference it with available roles in their databases… so I gave them each a copy.

I didn’t think much else of it until a firm in southern Alberta emailed me about 6 months later asking for an updated resume. So I sent one. Over the course of a few months they encouraged me to do some research on southern Alberta as they wanted me to make an informed decision on demographics, lifestyle, population, social and community activities if I were to decide to accept an offer from them.

Now being a homosexual male there were a lot more arguable factors in a geographic location for me that every gay man has to consider if he is to relocate from a large center like Toronto, to the less then densely populated southern Alberta. Does the population support a gay lifestyle? Are their available men there who are not married? (Laughing here) Are there gay social groups and support networks?

This is the type of information readily available on the Internet for some research, but you can only go so far online to gather intelligence.  I ventured from my usual Toronto chat room on gay.com and decided to chat up the Albertan locals for the more incriminating information I required to make an informed decision. Afterwards I was so surprised with the results that when the recruiting firm made me an offer, I accepted and flew out about 4 weeks later to my new geographic location, a job I absolutely love, new (gay) friends, and an entire new life as well.

I made a smart move coming out here because I made an informed decision. The pains of missing my friends and family back home is there, and always will be, but I’ll be secure enough in a few more months to fly back whenever I want. I also have the perfect get away spot for friends and family who need a break from their lives now. I’m content building mine up again.

Queer?
Dr. Robin Nussbaum, SUNY College at Oneonta
Gender Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC)

As of late, many organizations have been adding a “Q” to the end of LGBT. In this issue of Diversity Rules, we are exploring the “Q”: What does it stand for? Why have we included it? Is it for questioning or queer?

Most commonly, in the LGBTQ formulation, the “Q” stands for “questioning,” referring to those who are just beginning to explore their sexuality. It has been important to expand our community to include such people in order to provide them with support and a safe space to explore those feelings. People in the process of exploring their sexuality or gender identity, may not yet feel comfortable using terms such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. Thus, programming directed to LGBT people may not reach those crucial, “questioning” people who might most need our help.

On the other hand, more and more people have been reclaiming the term “queer” of late. Accordingly some places have begun using the “Q” to refer to the queer-identified members of our community. But, you might ask, “What the heck does queer mean?” Queer can be defined in many ways, but it is commonly used as an umbrella term for any non-hetero or non-traditionally gendered individual. Lots of people use the term queer because they would rather not be placed into what they perceive as limiting boxes of lesbian, gay, bi, etc. There are also more political uses for the word queer. As an example of how I use the identity of queer, I am excerpting (and editing) portions of a “coming out” paper I recently wrote.

In “coming out” to you, let me begin by saying that I am not straight or heterosexual. Nor am I gay or lesbian. I am not bisexual. I am certainly not homosexual. I can’t be classified by traditional standards as a woman. I also don’t fit as a man. And I am not exactly transgender either. I am not intersex. I don’t seem to be butch or femme. I am not a top or a bottom. Although I might wish otherwise, I am not a dominatrix. I also am not a submissive. I am not monogamous. I don’t identify as polyamorous either. There are labels that come closer to describing me, but still do not seem quite right. For example, some people refer to themselves as pansexual or omnisexual or as a fag or a byke (bi-dyke). But these are not me either. And don’t get me wrong, I am most certainly not confused!

Finding words that do fit my sense of self is difficult. I feel like my identity is more complex, less limited, and more fluid than such static labels. Fluidity hampers my ability to feel comfortable in any one such box. So what does come the closest to describing me? The answer would be queer. In every sense of the word I am queer. I refuse to be normative and I refuse to be static. I claim the personal, the political, and the more radical aspects of the word. I think that choosing to use “queer” to describe me pushes the envelope.  It reclaims the word from its more negative connotations. It forces people (LGBT or not) to think about the ever-increasing number of identities and labels that may or may not fit into the classic LGBT model. My conception of queer goes beyond that of the umbrella term that is intended to help eliminate the need for LGBT “alphabet soup.” For me, being queer isn’t so much of an identity as it is a process, a way of being, even a way of living.

You may ask, “what does that mean?” Well, its meaning is complex and multi-faceted. One of the easiest ways for me to describe it is to say that I refuse to be normative. And by that I mean that I refuse to be both heteronormative and homonormative. As you might expect, I will not allow the heterosexual community to place their standards and norms on me. Moreover, I am not willing to let LGBT-type people tell me that I am not the right kind of queer, that I am not “gay” enough, or that I give LGBT people a bad name by my eccentric, “out-there” queer ways. I am not willing to hide one part of me so that some other part of me can fight for some pre-determined civil rights issue like same-sex marriage. If I am going to stand out there in front of everyone to argue for such an issue, than I am going to do it with my entire being, not some sectioned off, palatable, “acceptable,” portion of me.

Again, I am trying to explain mostly through the negative. Let me try to remedy that. I like to make things complicated. I like to queer (used here as a verb) sex, gender, sexual orientation, relationships, and sexual interaction. Although I believe to some extent in biology and genetics, I know for a fact that there are more than two biological sexes (this is a relatively queer notion). Although lots of people agree that gender is socially constructed, I believe much of what we know about sex is also constructed. With regard to gender, my queer conception is to really try to blow the lid off of the boxes. There are more ways to be than just man, woman, FTM, MTF, or trans. There are an infinite number of possibilities for expressions of your gender. With regards to sexual orientation, our labels and our continua are entirely too narrow and too limiting. For example, using the terms lesbian or bi does not suffice to explain that one may be attracted to transmen and non-trans women. What do I mean by queering sexual interaction? One way of queering sex is to participate in non-normative acts like BDSM or non-monogamy. And non-monogamy among many other examples are modes of queering relationships.

So as you can see the “Q” can stand for many things: questioning, queer as in the umbrella term, queer as in “between labels,” and queer as in non-normative/challenging. While these many meanings can be confusing, it is also important to include all identities in our sense of who is included in our community. If we truly are seeking justice for LGBT people, we need to make sure we leave nobody behind, for “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

For more information on GSRC programming call the center at 607.436.3213.

Sullivan Life
Jaime Stankevicius

Some ten years ago, my partner and I ached for a change of pace.  Living together for some time in Manhattan, we started a search for a place that we could afford to buy within a short distance from the city. Well, our first try was in Delaware County, right outside of Fishs Eddy, two and a half hours from our crazy life in Chelsea.

First I was smitten by the name of the village, sounded dangerously vapid and fierce. Every time had I tried to explain to my friends, I was corrected. Because I was born in a different country and have a bit of an accent, I would say Fishs Eddy and they would gently try to explain that the plural of fish is fish, anyway, upstate NY was as foreign to me then as the island of Fiji, so the spelling would make no difference to me.

Spiritual bliss and an alarming shock that we knew nothing of home ownership followed a slow learning process. We lived a very secluded life inviting friends from the city and spending our time within the surroundings of our property. Most of our shopping was done in Chelsea and we knew nothing of the community and assumed that the quiet little village knew nothing of us until a neighbor told us that we were known as the queers and that everyone fantasized about us, how we had six course gourmet meals for lunch every day with imported caviar and champagne and the silver candelabras and baccarat crystal were used even for breakfast. All these assumptions were based on the fact that we were different. After a couple of years turning heads in local supermarkets and restaurants, I like to think that we have contributed to a little change in their perception of same sex couples.

Within those first years we heard the Day To Be Gay in the Catskills, a small computer printed flyer, told of this first outdoor picnic on Labor Day weekend, we felt overjoyed to realize the we were not the only “gay humans on this planet Upstate.” This first event, coordinated by Kathy Reiser, famously known as the “Trash Queen”, brought two or three hundred people out of the woods. Some ultra chic lesbians in their pink vintage auto, some in their best flannels, gay men in their thirties and forties, couples who have lived together as long as fifty years, gay families of every configuration with one thing in common: trying to better understand and live with each other, gay or straight, young or old, male or female, just neighbors living well and being part of a larger community. This was our first introduction to Sullivan County.

The Day to Be Gay is entering its eighth year and we are now preparing the next Tea Dance for the Memorial Day weekend. A lot has changed since that first event, the Foundation has grown and the attendance has multiplied many times over, the fundraising benefits diverse causes and it has grown to attract folks from all over the state.

I feel because of the efforts of TDTBG, Sullivan County has become a more accepting community, embracing all that we have in common as well as some of our differences. On any trip to the supermarket, you can spot a gay guy trading recipes with that sweet old lady who has never left the county and demanding to the manager that the cilantro should be fresher, or even hear a quick review of last evening’s performance of Norma at Delaware Valley Opera. It’s formidable to see this community taking shape and experience this natural gravitation of mature individuals longing for a stable married life.

In future issues I will talk about topics ranging from same sex marriage and civil rights to art and literature within the community. I will also introduce you to some of the characters that compose life in Sullivan County.

For more information on The Day To Be Gay Foundation, please contact them at:

PO Box 18
North Branch, NY 12766
(845) 482-4247
www.DTBGFoundation.org

Entertainment Place
Featuring grapeVine Public Relations
 

A new public relations firm, grapeVine Public Relations, has opened its doors for business.  Co-Founded by Steven P. Le Vine, 26, of Freehold, N. J., the rapidly growing firm specializes in entertainment publicity for gay and gay-friendly celebrities, including actors, musicians and performers, in addition to organizations that promote equality within the LGBT community. This is the first PR firm in New Jersey to specialize in the LGBT celebrity market.

Some of grapeVine’s celebrity clients include transsexual icon Amanda Lepore, Director Chuck Griffith, actors Michael Carbonaro (Another Gay Movie), Jason Stuart, Peter Stickles (Shortbus, The Lair), fashion photographer Nico Iliev, DJ Brenda Black, DJ Drew G, singer/songwriter Charlie Demos, authors Gil Burgess and Christopher Trevor.

Prior to founding grapeVine, Le Vine was employed with a leading Northeast public relations firm. He is also the chair of the Freehold Boro Community Information Advisory Committee, the Monmouth County seat’s first-ever public relations committee, as well as a commissioner on the Freehold Boro Recreation Commission. In addition, Le Vine is a contributing writer for Barfly and Shop-a-Holic magazines. Le Vine holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from William Paterson University, Wayne, N. J.

Vice President Stephen J. Lucin, 25, founded the firm’s West Coast office in Hollywood, CA but currently resides in New York. Prior to co-founding grapeVine, Lucin managed a Bergen County PR firm dedicated to civic service, SJL Public Relations. He has also served as chairman to a New Jersey non-profit fundraising committee and has worked closely with other organizations in assisting with client-specific public relations campaigns.

“As our society is becoming more and more accepting of diversity, we saw an opportunity to pioneer an increasingly popular niche market,” said Le Vine, president of grapeVine. “Our goal is to bridge the gap between straight and gay audiences.  The common link is entertainment.”

GrapeVine is involved with fundraising for Sylvia's Place, a group of shelters in New York City for LGBT homeless youth.

For more information on grapeVine Public Relations, please call (212) 537-0611 or e-mail info@theprgrapevine.com. You can also visit the firm’s Web site at www.theprgrapevine.com.

The Finance Spot
Ed Quon

I am a Mortgage Originator in the Binghamton area and have been for over 16 years. I have seen the business go from pens to keypad, from interest rates of 10% to 5% and from “Yes, I am sure I can get you a loan” to “well, let’s take a few days and see if there is anything I can do for you”. There is one thing for sure, this is still a business that is not discriminatory in any way to our LGBTQ market. The mortgage business is highly regulated and personally, without our magic touch, would values have risen like they did?

The mortgage business has gone full circle and some people are calling it the cause and downfall of today’s economy. I say look at reality. As Elton John sang, The Circle of Life, you have to be prepared in any walk of life to see anything go full circle. I mean come on, we have seen low rise jeans come back, or as I first knew them hip huggers.

I remember the day when a credit report took 30 days to get updated and sent into a lender to be approved. Now we can get that credit report in approximately 8.58435 seconds and make a decision on that person in a few short keystrokes after that.

When we heard about credit scores, we were thinking our lives are being run by our spending habits. Just in time for the government to lowers rates so that hopefully your spending habits will dramatically
increase. Well, they did and we are now where we are today, full circle……..back at the starting point of when I started in the mortgage business. Bankruptcies are high and we are worried about the economy and prime is being lowered. BUT; we all survived, didn’t we?

When I started in February of 1992, FHA loans were made for those who needed a lower down payment and had less than perfect credit. Well, 2007 and we are all becoming familiar with government loans again.

So, in a quick summary, I am just trying to say…………..HERE WE ARE AGAIN. There will always be homes to buy and mortgages to get and life does go on. We live in the Northeast and are proud of our beauty, safety and ability to keep outside of the bubble of the real estate market. Not only are we in areas of less prejudice; but, we also can live in areas where we don’t feel as segregated and discriminated as part of the LGBTQ market. Be proud, spread the word and buy a house and get a mortgage.

The Studfinder
Paul Ivers

Ah, spring! The time of the year when young men’s and young women’s thoughts turn to….ah…need to don your Mrs. Cleaver lipstick, hairdo, high heels, kitchen apron, and pearls and turn to the task of doing a good spring cleaning of the space you call home. While weekly regular home maintenance with a vacuum cleaner and a damp mop and rag is sufficient around the house (it is generally agreed upon by carpet and rug manufacturers that a weekly vacuuming will reduce wear and tear on the fibers), there are those labor-intensive household tasks which need to be done at least once a year.

The whole concept of spring cleaning can take different approaches for different rooms. Before you take on a spring cleaning project, it is very important that you organize yourself by going room-to-room and setting out and writing on a piece of paper what has to be done.

Home Offices:

Throw out old papers, magazines, reorganize receipts and other important documents, separating those documents you absolutely need and those you can retrieve in the future should you need them online via your computer.

General living spaces:

1. Clean carpets and upholstery;
2. Wash walls, cabinets, woodwork and baseboards: Now while your walls may not look as though they need a good cleaning, dust and soot can cling to vertical surfaces just enough to irritate your sinuses. Using a sponge and hand dishwashing detergent, wash the wall surfaces in sections. You may want to use a plastic dropcloth on the floors to catch any drips. (Use two buckets for this project: one for the dishwashing detergent diluted in water, and the other for wringing your sponge.)
3. Vacuum floors thoroughly.
4. Clean ceiling fixtures (fans, lights).
5. Clean your light fixtures – All in a few minutes with a all-purpose cleaner, stepladder, you can literally give new light to your life. If you have skylights or tall ceilings, you would be best to invest in a stepladder and extended reach dust-and-dir removal tools which are generally available at your local big box home improvement center. (Not only that you can show off and impress others how deft you are balancing yourself on the stepladder in your high heels with Cirque du Soleil precision and flexibility.)
6. Clean your refrigerator - Turn off the electricity on your refrigerator and empty it out. Remove the racks clean all of the inside surfaces with warm water and slightly sudsy water. While you are at it, move the refrigerator from the wall and you will be likely to find a treasure trove of coins, lost keys, bottle caps, and other items which suddenly disappeared about four months ago. In back of the refrigerator clean the unit’s condenser coil (usually behind the grille) with a long handled bottle brush and a vacuum cleaner.

Following these guidelines, I guarantee that you, fine reader, that for once in your life you’ll be on your way to out Martha Stewart Martha Stewart with the grace and panache of Barbara Billingsly.

What would you like see in future Studfinder columns? Have a suggestion? Feel free to write me directly at studfinderpaul@gmail.com.