Gay 90s Cleans Bathroom

According to the CityPages, "the first-floor men's room at the Gay 90's has just been cleaned." It's about time, too. They should hit the second floor men's room as well. I saw some mushrooms growing on the woodwork behind the toilet in the stalls. I'm serious. It was gross.

Boom! is Closed

I attended last nights closing party hosted by Jason Matheson of Fox News 9 as he counted down the top showtune songsof Boom! The place was packed, and at one point turned a few people away because they were at capacity.

The bar has done a lot of the community. They hosted a fundraiser for the Minnesota AIDS Project with Kyan Douglas of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." It was the setting of photos of gay Republican Paul Koering that forced him to come out publicly. The bar contributed to countless softball teams, non-profits, and charities. I spent election night in 2004 at Boom! watching John Kerry lose on the big screen.

Ironically, Boom! was recognized today as one of the 10 best gay bars in the United States by a website called GayBar.com. They obviously don't read my blog.

The new owners of the space occupied by Boom! are also the owners of Bulldog in Uptown. Rumor has it they will be having a gay night there once in a while.

Gay Night at Straight Bar Catfight

Earlier this summer I criticized a gay night held at a straight club for it's marketing practices, general circuit party feel, and rumors of homophobic management. Apparently, the night called Krave at Karma continues, but its original promoter has fled the coup and started a gay night at a straight club that hopes to mimic a circuit party. It's called RateD and it will be held tonight at Trocadero's. Two, count them, two fake circuit party gay nights at straight clubs in the very same night! Let's hope the newest incarnation of a bad idea can avoid the opportunistic marketing and homophobic rumors that plagued the previous one.

To make matters in the "straight bar turned gay for a night" scene even more interesting, Krave has thrown the first public scratch in a catfight that I can only imagine has been brewing a while, since Krave's Myspace page has been taken over by the new event. Krave's website calls RateD a fraudulent event and it seems the two events have not only fought over the same Myspace page, but the same DJ, DJ Phil B.

But don't panic! RateD has booked EJ tha DJ, and Krave will retain DJ Phil B. If you are asking yourself who either of them are, well, I've got the scoop. DJ Phil B. has a website that is "COMING SOON," and EJ tha DJ is the resident DJ at Myth Nightclub in the exciting, multicultural, cutting edge City of Maplewood, Minnesota.

Tomorrow night promises to be one of the most exciting nights yet in the "straight bar turned gay for a night" scene.

Another Gay Movie

photo courtesy of Gay.com

New York Times reviews "Another Gay Movie" which opens this today in Minneapolis at the Lagoon [Via Strib]:

"Writer/director Todd Stephens works from a recipe that calls for shooting fish in barrels, roasting them over flaming attitude and garnishing with obscenity, vulgarity and naughty bits. Some gags reach the laughing point through brazen bluntness or sheer histrionic determination. Others, like a repellent cameo by Richard Hatch, are merely desperate. Few can be described in a family newspaper.

"What pleasure is to be had from the material -- the frank addressing of sexual anxiety and social pressure, a nicely built and frequently undressed cast -- is offset by a worldview that casts the lone black character as a libidinous go-go boy and finds it clever to provide subtitles for an Asian cheerleader speaking English. Skewering one status quo while pandering to another, "Another Gay Movie" is exactly what its title presumes to subvert."

Hey Minneapolis Bears!

You have your own bear blog and podcast. For about a year now, BTalk has been bringing the Minneapolis bear subculture together. What is a 'bear'? Check it out on Wikipedia.

Fringe Festival Starts Thursday

The Minnesota Fringe Festival starts this Thursday, August 3rd. There are many, many shows to choose from. I've pulled out the ones with LGBT content, and selected a few that looked really good based on the description.

Bent, Presented by Tenth Muse Theatre at Bryant-Lake Bowl

An aching and soulful love story that chronicles the perseverence of the human spirit in the most degrading hell mankind has ever created.

Bitter Boy's Musical Journey from Negative to Positive, Presented by Bitter Boy Productions at Red Eye Collaboration Theater

Steven grew up thinking his family was like THE KENNEDYS: the musical. Kind of like CAMELOT, but with snappier dialogue and a dream ballet. Turns out, he was right ... in a way. He just never realized that Camelot could crumble, we can't all be Leslie Ann Warren in CINDERELLA, and perhaps your dream ballet involves a demon not a prince. Join Steven's funny and touching journey through Camelot, his parent's divorce, relationships, the internet, the search for approval, a dream ballet with the devil and finally his trip to a clinic in the Twin Cities ... and to the ultimate realization that the people in his life have changed him for good. And, he can get through anything with an "accept it before it destroys you" attitude ... even 60 minutes of clever dialogue and show tunes. (Proceeds to benefit the Minnesota AIDS Project)

Dirty Little Showtunes!, Presented by Gaydar Productions (Seattle Company) at U of M Rarig Center Thrust: Seattle's long-running cult hit! Following the format of "Forbidden Broadway", new lyrics to Broadway showtunes rewritten with a gay subtext. "Highly irreverent, outrageuos, and very raucous!"

Remember Who Made You, Presented by Jeffrey Barnes at Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts

What do a southern minister, a queer teen, Jesus and a trans-woman all have in common? "Remember Who Made You" - A one man play exlporing the myths, fears, and joys of being a GLBT Christian. Visit the website or check it out on Myspace.

Thanks for the Scabies, Jerkface!, Presented by Dan Bernitt at Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts

Meet Dan: He met his boyfriend at a reality TV show audition. His first roommate in college turns out to be homophobic. And the entire checkout aisle in Wal-Mart knows that he has scabies. After leaving his parents’ house, how will this gay college kid grow to find a home?

The Trans Café, Presented by Dance, Dance, Tranny Revolution at U of M Rarig Center Xperimental

Come to the Trans Café and discover for yourself the mystery of trans sex appeal. Original music and lyrics, standup comedy, spoken word, and the fabulous not to be missed premier performance of the Tranny Clown, all designed to show why once you go trans you'll never go back! Not for the shy or retiring, you'll leave with a whole new appreciation for all-gender attraction.

Two Queers and a Chubby, Presented by What Happened? Productions at U of M Rarig Center Arena

Flamboyant. Nerdy. Out of shape. Buckle up for a hilarious ride as local spoken word performers take the stage to share stories of embarrassing encounters, lessons learned the hard way, mistaken identities, friendships, and tales of love gone wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong. Starring Laura Bidgood and Curt Lund, and featuring a rotating cast of guest queers! No two shows will be the same! And you thought your life was lacking adventure...

There are more listings of LGBT Fringe shows after the jump!

A Brewed Awakening
Presented by Katie Knutson & Tracy Vicory at May Day Café

A Heap of Broken Images
Presented by Allegra J. Lingo at The Playwrights' Center

An American Vanishing
Presented by RMSEV at Minneapolis Theatre Garage

Body Bazaar
Presented by Synapse Arts Collective at Intermedia Arts

Bud n Wally: A True (Love) Story
Presented by Bud n Wally Productions at Theatre de la Jeune Lune

Burning Bridges
Presented by Timothy Meyer at The Playwrights' Center

Christmas in Bakersfield
Presented by Traveling Kurkendaal Productions at Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts

Corncobs, Hotdogs and Other Dirty Secrets
Presented by Dennis Monn at Minneapolis Theatre Garage

Don't Drop the Soap or Lutherans Gone Wild!
Presented by The Donovan Ensemble at Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts

Fresh Meat
Presented by Fresh Meat NYC at Red Eye Collaboration Theater

I Got a Fundamentalist Up My Ass
Presented by Eskit at Intermedia Arts

Japonesque
Presented by Paneer Project at Southern Theater

Joanie Loves Chachi and So Do I
Presented by A-Stage at Theatre de la Jeune Lune

Jungle Mary Bang Bang!
Presented by Blue Umbrella Productions at Minneapolis Theatre Garage

One An(d)other
Presented by Jenny Pennaz Dance Works at Red Eye Collaboration Theater

Screwed to the Sticking Place
Presented by Commedia Beauregard at U of M Rarig Center Xperimental

Sin Cities 7
Presented by A Suspiro Productions/Inept Productions Joint at Minneapolis Theatre Garage

Songs from an Unmade Bed
Presented by Nautilus Music - Theater at Theatre de la Jeune Lune

Tale of the Guttersnipe
Presented by Inner Light Circus at Red Eye Collaboration Theater

The Secret Life of Kitty Williams
Presented by Marvel Ann Theatre & Irwin Allan Productions at Intermedia Arts

The Unbearable Lightness of Being American
Presented by Ministry of Cultural Warfare at Intermedia Arts

Wonderland
Presented by La Vie Theatre at U of M Rarig Center Proscenium

Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus Tour Blog

The queer chorus is touring the South, and have launched a blog to tell us all what it's like. The Great Southern Sing-Out Tour is currently under way. Check out their blog for more information.

Pride Art Show

"The fifth annual Pride Art Show opens today at Oxygen Gallery, 253 E. Fourth St. A public reception runs from 6 to 9 p.m. The juried exhibit, which runs through July 31, showcases the works of local and national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender artists. Some art on display may be available for sale. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. For more information, call 651-224-7056." [Link]

MN Women's Press on Commitment Ceremonies

The Minnesota Women's Press has a feature piece on gay and lesbian commitment ceremonies. In particular, the mass commitment ceremonies held each year at the Twin Cities Pride Festival at Loring Park. It's a good article, check it out.

When Brokeback Hits Home

The Chicago Tribune has a great article on what happens when men who are married come to terms with their homosexuality. According to the article, there is an estimated 1.7 to 3.4 million such couples in the United States.

"On the whole these are not marriages of convenience or cynical efforts to create cover. Gay and bisexual men continue to marry for complex reasons, many impelled not only by discrimination, but also by wishful thinking, the layered ambiguities of sexual love and authentic affection.

"These men genuinely love their wives," said Joe Kort, a clinical social worker in Royal Oak, Mich., who has counseled hundreds of gay married men, including a minority who stay in their marriages. Many, he said, considered themselves heterosexual men with homosexual urges that they hoped to confine to private fantasy life.

"They fall in love with their wives, they have children, they're on a chemical, romantic high, and then after about seven years, the high falls away and their gay identity starts emerging," Kort said. "They don't mean any harm.""

It's a great article on the realities of the closet, and the complex reasons that men who may be attracted to other men get married to women.

Gay Brains Respond Differently to Faces Than Straight Brains

Even though it shouldn't matter in a free society, the debate "Gays: choice or are they born that way" continues to spawn controversy mostly between evangelicals and those gays that actually care anymore. We know it's not a changeable human characteristic because we live our gay lives everyday, so does it matter when or how it happened? For most of us, it doesn't.

For those that it does matter, here's a new study that looked at reactions in certain parts of the brain when looking at male and female faces by people of homosexual and heterosexual orientations. Their hypothesis was that gay men and staright women would have stronger MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) reactions to men, and men and lesbians would have stronger MRI reactions to female faces.

"The researchers found that, consistent with their hypothesis, the gender of a viewed individual, when the sexual preference of the viewer was taken into account, did make a difference in the reactions seen in the thalamus and the orbitofrontal cortex, a region of the brain's reward circuitry. Heterosexual women and homosexual men exhibited a significantly greater response to male faces, whereas heterosexual men and homosexual women responded significantly more to female faces."

It was a small sample and the results will have to be tested, but interesting nonetheless. Look forward to silence or outrage from conversion and reparative therapy groups. Or perhaps they'll move towards lobotomies as a 'cure' for homosexuals.

College Spirituality and Sexuality Conference

I ran across this event geared toward GLBT college students and (mostly Christian) spirituality called Redefine the Rainbow at Grovers' Corners. It sounds like a good conference if Jesus is your thing.

"The first-known conference to connect spirituality and sexuality on a college-age level. Registration is open to college and university students and those who work with college students or college-aged young adults.

January 20-22nd, 2006
Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN
$50 advance, $60 at the door
What's Included

Christian de la Huerta - Author of Coming out Spiritualy

The Vagina Monologues

Jason and Demarco - Nationally-Known Christian Gay Signing Duo

Workshops Connecting Spirituality with Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Worship with an affirming local congregation
Registration

Complete the online registration form, or print it off and send it in.
Sponsors

Augsburg Student Activities Council
Augsburg Student Activities & Orientation
Augsburg Queer & Straight in Unity
Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities
Lutherans Concerned/Twin Cities
Joint Synod Committee for Ministry for GLBT Persons

GLBT Hmong New Years Celebration

Here's an event I think all Minnesota GLBT people should attend. Minnesota has the biggest Hmong population in the nation, and as such, we have many GLBT Hmong residents. This event is not only a celebration of Hmong culture from a GLBT perspective, but it also invites those outside the Hmong culture to learn more about a culture that many of us interact with, but have little knowledge about.

Ring in 2006 at the First SOY Hmong New Year! Shades of Yellow, the social and support group for Hmong GLBT & friends invite you to experience a Hmong New Years Celebration with GLBT style. Dine, Drag and Dance at the GLBT Hmong New Year Bash!

Saturday, January 21, 2006
Queen Asian Restaurant
1394 Jackson Street St Paul, MN Phone: 651-487-1233

5:00-7:00 Socialize and Learn. Hmong cultural education including explanation of traditional New Years activities with cash bar available.
7:00-8:30 Authentic Buffet Meal
9:00-10:30 Drag Show featuring Hmong Performers
10:30-12:30 DJ and open Dancing

Tickets before January 14, $10.00. Tickets after January 14 $15.00 Tickets available from SOY Members. Ticket requests can also be sent to HmongGLBT@earthtones.com (include name, phone and email address) or send request with check to: OutFront Minnesota—SOY
310 East 38th Street #204 Minneapolis, MN 55409
Checks payable to “SOY.” Advance ticket orders must be received before January 14, 2006.

SOY {Shades of Yellow} is a network that provides cultural support, education, and advocacy for, and about, Hmong GLBT people, their friends, families and allies in the greater St Paul/Minneapolis area. SOY gratefully acknowledges support from PFund and OutFront Minnesota.

Christmas Carols and the Gay Agenda

I found these on a conservative site that I won't link to because I don't like them, but they were joking and this is kinda funny:

Deck the Halls:
"Don we now our gay apparel"

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year:
"With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings"

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
"Make the Yule-tide gay. "

Sleigh Ride:
"We're gliding along with a song
of a wintry fairy land"

O Christmas Tree:
"O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
From base to summit, gay and bright"

The Merry Christmas Polka:
"Come on and dance the merry Christmas polka;
Let ev'ryone be happy and gay."

Just goes to show that Christmas is and always has been really, really gay.

I *Heart* Judge Judy

Seriously, I love watching her show. I often take my dinner breaks parked in front of the TV so I can watch her verbally bitchslap some morons trying to get out of their responsibility or trying to make a buck off of someone else. I'd love to see her verbally bitchslap Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, or James Dobson, because Judge Judy is coming down on the side of fairness and equality when it comes to same-sex couples:

Asked by Larry King about "gay marriage", Sheindlin replied, "Who is it hurting? You know, my grandmother used to say who is it hurting? So, I ask you, Larry, if you have two adults and they happen to both be of the same sex and they love each other and they want to set up a home with each other they have as much of a shot as heterogeneous couples do. Fifty-two percent of marriages end in divorce, you know."

The pop-culture icon known by the household name of 'Judge Judy' continued, "So if it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't. And if it's important for them to use the word marriage, rather than civil union or whatever other language that some people would prefer that they use I ask you it's not hurting me. It doesn't impact on my life. Why is there such a big fuss about it? Why are people so invested in it? I just don't get the negativity. I don't get it." [PageOneQ]

Craigslist has Penises

Craigslist is like gay.com only it's without the chat rooms, the spam, or the gay.com users frequent bitching about how bitchy everyone is. It's also good for a chuckle from time to time. If found this while bouncing around the Minneapolis Men Seeking Men and the Men Seeking Women forums.

Here's one guy:
"Hi guys. 41, sane, ddf, friendly guy, seeking a night out with another good looking guy around my age. I am 5'11", 190lbs, muscular and fit. You be same. I'm in town for the night. Let's grab a drink and have some fun. Not looking for a one-night stand per se, but let's see where the chemistry goes. I'm newly out and learning. Experienced and safe, ddf, guys 35 to 55 welcome. Hit me with a note and pic." Posted at 11:05pm.

And the same guy 7 minutes later:
"Hi there. I am in town Tuesday night and looking for a woman to hang out with just to have some fun. Let's have a drink, whatever. No sex necessary, let's let chemistry determine it. I'm just looking to pass some time with someone interesting. I'm here on a business trip and have a night free. I am 5'11", 190lbs, muscular and fit, good looking (se pix). I'm sane, safe, and ddf. You be that too. Hit me with a pic and a post and let's see." Posted at 11:12pm.

If this guy was out with a woman last night, I'd have loved to be a fly on the wall.

But, semi-closeted bisexuality aside, there's a very interesting phenomena in the Craigslist Men Seeking Men forums: an ungodly amount of penises. Although it's not a theme uncommon in most homo-oriented hookup sites, because of Craigslist's open-to-the-world format, anyone can come on in and see the penises.

Somewhere around 19 of 20 postings to the site are for NSA (no strings attached) sex. And 1 out of 3 pictures feature penises, 2 out of 3 are torsos or butts. A lot of posts are repeats. I'm left wondering if that guy with a girlfriend that needs that first time blowjob will ever get his blowjob; he's been trying (or lying) for months now. He also reveals another theme: bisexual, closeted, married, discreet...and guys looking for such things.

The internet makes many of life's chores more efficient. Banking, shopping, looking up information, and, look, I get to write for thousands of people each week without a college degree! This efficiency also translates to sex. And I'm afraid that it's making sex so efficient, that a penis is all there is to it.

How is this efficiency affecting those whose sex lives are mainly internet initiated hookups? How does reducing oneself or (self-worth?) to a pleasure giving body part affect the ability to engage others?

For starters, an increase in sexually transmitted infections. That doesn't mean that internet initiated sex involves more unsafe sexual behavior, but that more people are having sex more often.

I beleive that it also prevents people on the margins of the gay community from actually interacting with that community. Those that are closeted, socially awkward, or geographically isolated are not gaining much of a sense of community or making important friendships when all that is offered is a penis. It also gives new-comers the idea that the most important thing they bring to a sexual relationship (or the community) is a penis, or a place for someone else to put their penis.

Anonymous sex is not always a bad thing. Sex phobic attitudes can be found at the root of many social ills from homophobia, misogyny, sexual assault, the problems associated with sex work, and the spread of STDs just to name a few at the tip of the frigid iceberg that Christian fundamentalism built.

I only have a limited experience with internet-based sexual experiences. As a casual observer, I may be way off base with my critique. But I do see a possible emerging problem as the internet becomes the mode of choice for finding sexual partners. And when the dialogue to initiate the search begins with "Bi WM, discreet. Need to travel. Wanna play with this?", it looks like a problem, especially in an area like Minnesota where the people are (stereotypically?) known for a lack intimacy and genuine communication. The internet just took out the horrors of speaking directly and intimately.

Is craigslist a snapshot of all gay men or men who are into men? Definitely not. But it does raise some questions about how the internet is rapidly sucking intimacy, personality, and human communication (aside from fluid exchange) out of the sexuality of many men.

Cruising in Elk River

"Most say it isn’t an issue that they feel they’re gay," [Elk River Police Chief Jeff] Beahen said. "They’re addicted to this risky sex." ["Crack Down Started" Star News - Elk River]

If you are reading this, and you are someone who has sex in a public park, and it's going to end up as a headline in a suburban newspaper, please stop.

I'm all for sexual freedom. Do whomever (of legal age and consent) you want to do, and do whatever you want to do with those people. But if you have to risk violating the law to get your rocks off, perhaps you have should evaluate whether you might be suffering from sexual compulsivity.

I will stop short of saying that this type of sexual behavior is not politically expedient, because part of the fight for equality is to allow people to have freedom. Freedom from people like me telling people like you to stop fucking in the bushes next to Bob and Sue Suburbanite, so that people like 16 year old Zach don't have to go to sexual reorientation therapy because their parents think that gay people are just a bunch of men fucking in the bushes. Community perception, like it or not, is a reality we must face.

And, we've created for ourselves quite the vibrant GLBT community in the Twin Cities. There are 10 GLBT bars and clubs, about 10 GLBT friendly bars and clubs (think Azia or First Avenue), 5 or so coffeeshops, numerous sporting leagues, social groups, and political organizations. I mean for fuck sake, the Gay 90s has a g-golly men-only backroom for chrissakes!

The rap-sheet for these men goes like this: "In the three incidents that resulted in arrests, one involved an 81-year-old Minneapolis man performing oral sex on a 53-year-old man from Brooklyn Park. Another involved a 25-year-old Anoka man touching himself. The third involved three men standing in a circle with their pants down, watching each other touch themselves. The suspects in that incident were a 54-year-old from Cedar, a 48-year-old from Champlin and a Golden Valley man, 81."

I don't know where Cedar is, but the rest of these men reside close enough to the inner city to come on down and find some fun. If you can't find the sexual outlet you need in these numerous places, or you can't find the courage to come out to your wife or girlfriend, perhaps it's time to consider therapy. And if it's that you don't like the 'scene' in Minneapolis and St. Paul, then create your own!

I don't mean to be the moral police for the community, because I am very far from the picture of virtue, but when are you people going to stop lurking in the bushes and grow up. Life is tough. We all have difficult situations with coming out, etc. And we all have various psychological scars from this oppressive society. But don't contribute by being stupid and jacking off in a public park in Elk River of all places.

Ok, now I'm pissed. Y'all made me sound like a Republican.

Where Do Twin Cities Queer Women Go?

A good chunk of my close queer friends are lesbians, heteroflexible women (just learned that term last night!), or gender queer folks. It seems to be a considerable challenge for my friends to find a good space to go out in the Twin Cities.

Club Metro in St. Paul was THE place to go in the 1990s for queer women. It was like the Gay 90s for lesbians, and it was huge: a sports bar, kareoke bar, cavernous dance room, cabaret area, a leather goods store, and a few more nooks that I can barely remember.

Club Metro closed in 2001, and Lucy's in St. Paul became the new hangout. It was big, but not as big, and has some crime issues including the incident involving an off-duty St. Paul cop. Lucy's changed ownership in early 2004, and Over the Rainbow has since been a surrogate women's bar for the past 2 years or so.

One very fun option is Twilight. While not a bar per se, it was ironically voted the Best Lesbian Bar in this year's Citypages' Best of the Twin Cities. Twilight started 3 years ago with this goal:

"The goal has always been to assemble an exclusive event for queer women bridging the gaps of age, ethnicity, and class in order to offer an exciting and sexy space for women, of all kinds, who love women. The goal of Twilight has been and will continue to be to offer a beautiful ambiance, good music, great drinks and the chance to meet other women. Martinis in hand and dressed to the nines, we're here to stake claim to the fact that queer women do live in Minnesota and they do love to go out. We hope to see you at the next Twilight."

That a monthly event held at various Twin Cities bars qualifies as the Best Lesbian Bar 2005, is indicative of the lack of adequate space for queer women. Even more indicative of the lack of bars for queer women is the City Pages award for the Best of the Twin Cities Best Place to Meet Single Women (Lesbian): Lynx Games.

But times are not so bad. The Saloon, generally thought of as somewhat hostile to queer women, began a weekly women's night on Wednesdays known as Sugar.

And I had the pleasure of joining some friends Wednesday night at The American for Ladies Night, which was named Best of the Twin Cities 2004 Best Lesbian Bar. Again, not really a lesbian bar, just a night. But it was a really fun night, and I even got some of the free "ladies' night" drinks which speaks well for the staff.

And that's the rundown for queer women's night out. Sometimes it's more fun to scope out the underground crowd, but at the same time, I think everyone who remembers the hey-day of Club Metro misses it dearly. And as a queer man, I'm sure there much that I'm missing. Feel free to correct me if I've missed a few places. I'm sure that my friends and I would welcome the information.