News for Portland's gay/l/b/t community every 2nd & 4th Wednesday

QUINT LAUNCHES REELECTION CAMPAIGN

Portland area State Rep Michael Quint opened his reelection campaign with a fund-raiser on Tuesday. December 9, at the Barking Squirrel Restaurant. Featured guests were Elizabeth Mitchell (Speaker of the House) and J. Elizabeth Mitchell (Chair, Health and Human Services Committee.) Representative Quint is largely credited with being an insider on the Legislative vote for the Maine Gay Rights Bill. His close association with legislators as a peer is seen by many to have made a significant impact on passage of the bill.

However, Representative Quint has pointed out that his sexual orientation is only a part of who he is as a legislator. He has said that he does not hide his orientation, but has made it an issue in Augusta only when it becomes of relevance to legislation.

Representative Michael Quint's testimony at the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on the Gay Rights Bill last spring was one of the keynote appeals for the Bill's passage.

Michael Quint is a democrat who represents the heart of Portland's residential areas (Parkside/University/Brighton area). He replaced longtime Representative Herb Adams who was prevented from running when Maine voters elected to install term limits on legislators. Adams took the State to court to challenge term limits, but lost his appeal.

CHRISTIAN CIVIC LEAGUE CELEBRATES

With a successful attempt to launch a petition drive to repeal the new Maine Gay Rights bill just finished, the Maine Christian Civic League celebrated it's 100th anniversary on October 11 at the South Portland Church of the Nazarene.

Michael Heath, Executive Director for the League gave the opening address to a substantial conference. The day featured "fellowship" (religious discussion groupings or prayer groups), workshops, a banquet and worship services for over 200 attendees.

League business for the day included a unanimous vote to support the Southern Baptist Convention's boycott of the Disney Corporation for what the League described as Disney's endorsement of various "sinful lifestyles."

The convention included a luncheon for those involved in the successful People's Veto petition drive.

The Leader of the Maine Christian Coalition, Paul Volle spoke glowingly of the success, while three of the top signature gatherers were honored for their efforts in gathering signatures.

One of the several information tables included Amazing Grace Ministries. a so called ex-gay outreach organization which claims to help reconvert gays and lesbians to being heterosexuals.

(December 23rd issue of Fast Times will feature part 1 of a 2-part series on the Maine Chapter of the Promise Keepers)

NATIONAL MAGAZINE IS OUTING MAINERS

"Out" the popular nationally circulated gay magazine has been highlighting Mainers in its pages for two months running.

In the December issue. Betsy Smith of the Maine Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance was vignetted for receiving an "Out" award at OUT magazine's fourth annual OUT Awards Dinner. The small photo of the October issue and bio failed to give import to the impressive company that joined Betsy in receiving Out's "First Annual Community Service Award.''

Among the distinguished presenters and recipients at the November 20th event in New York City: Congressman Barney Frank. presenting Betsy the award; Virginia Apuzzo, Assistant for White House Administration and Management; NYC Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro. Comedienne Ellen Degeneres made a pre-taped video appearance.

In the November issue of "Out" is Robert Warman of Greenville, Maine, a well known Maine GayNetter who allowed other members of Maine's local GayNet community to read an event-by-event report of his coming out to family, the local town paper, and at work. His insights into experiencing his first gay bar, visiting New York Gay Pride, meeting other men, and gay isolation as a newly-out person in the deepest of rural Maine earned him an entire page comprised of blips from his outgoing emails.

LEWISTON/AUBURN ACCEPTS GAY FAMILIES

On December 7, a crowd of about 50 people attended the opening reception on the campus of Lewiston/Auburn College of the photo exhibit on gay and lesbian families being circulated by Southern Maine Pride called "Love Makes A Family".

Speaking at the event were a lesbian couple Joanne Joy and Pam Buffington, along with one of their children. The trio told very simple stories of family life that typified the nature of the exhibit, but accentuated the ordinary nature of gay/lesbian family life. "We're just as boring as the rest of you'' Joanne told the gathering.

Robin Holman, of L-A College had spent the prior night putting up the entire exhibit with students. The exhibit will remain up till January 2. 1998.

"The location is just perfect, this space is the most frequently traveled in the entire complex" said Holman of the exhibit space.

A member of Southern Maine Pride also spoke at the gathering, noting that the show had been viewed by over 10.000 Mainers in more than a dozen exhibit locations since June 1 with highly favorable reviews.

Movies: FINALLY!

BENT

Written in the late 70's by Martin Sherman, Bent is a play about two gay men, Max (Clive Owen) and his boyfriend on the run from the Nazi Gestapo (played by Brian Webber, a South African) and their efforts to survive the horrors of Nazi concentration camps and persecution.

The play has now become the movie that may well shock heterosexuals around the county, while gay male theater buffs may find it profoundly relevant.

The movie's director is Sean Matthias and production designer is Stephen Brimson Lewis. Together they have used a Glasgow, Scotland abandoned power plant to create one of this years most debauched cinematic scenes, a dazzling spectacle of fire bursts and male dancers, with naked couples sprinkled about in various sex acts, while in the midst of the scene descends a Mick Jagger in full drag on a swing singing about "the boy with ocean blue eyes."

Despite this difficult-to-forget imagery of the nightclub scene, the most significant scene involving sex is a scene where the two main characters - while under the gaze of Dachau prison guards - bring each other to a torrid sexual climax simply by talking themselves through it without ever undressing or touching.

Richard Gere originally played the lead character Max during the first US run of the play with austere sets. The early introduction of Mick Jagger's segment gives immediate contrast between the bleak sets of the play and the intense visuals of the movie.

Bent was performed in Portland in 1992 to a short performance schedule. Despite having seen the local attempt of Molly House production's Bent and a professional casts presentation, the movie when shown locally merits being seen for its intensity alone.

GAY MARRIAGE:

Alaskan Style

Two gay men, Jay Brause and Gene Dugan, a couple for nearly two decades, have challenged the Alaskan State law passed in 1996 which bans same-sex marriages in Alaskan State courts. Before Judge Peter Michalski attorneys for the two men argued that the State of Alaska is punishing the men by denying them over 100 state benefits available to male/female couples who live in similar long term relationships.

Because the Alaskan Constitution specifically forbids discrimination based on gender, the couple's lawyers are arguing that the 1996 law banning same-sex marriage is in violation of the Alaskan Constitution.

Vermont Style

As a result of what the lawyers of three same-sex Vermont couples seeking marriage licenses say is the Vermont Attorney General's use of "outdated roles and stereotypes" in filing his argument for defense of Vermont's anti-gay position, they have had to include in their papers studies showing that children raised by same-sex partners are well-adjusted and without psychological problems from those relationships.

The lawyers also stated that this case is not about raising children but about equal treatment under the Vermont Constitution.

The couples' lawyers argue that the Vermont Constitution does not prohibit same sex marriages. Therefore, the state of Vermont is denying the couples marital benefits such as inheritance rights and guardianship rights for partners without a "valid public purpose."

On November 10, in response to the suit response deadline, the Vermont AG filed arguments to have the claim dismissed because the Vermont Constitution was interpreted in a Vermont same-sex marriage case as early as 1975, referring to marriage as a union between a "bride and a groom", widely assumed to mean a man and a woman.

Cosby's First Victim

by Michael Rossetti

In 1990, Robin Lambert, was an out gay man, but - knowing this - prominent Maine Republicans still asked him to run for a Maine State Senate seat. This is the first of a three-part article based on an interview with Robin Lambert who refers to himself as: Cosby's First Victim.

Representative Stan Tupper was a somewhat liberal Republican in Congress of the early 60's. He and his wife were very friendly with their paperboy who showed an interest in Washington and politics. So much so, that one day the Congressman offered to bring the paperboy to see the Washington that only a member of the United States Congress could. The lucky teenager spent that week with Congressman Tupper and his wife hobnobbing with some of the greats of civil rights era politics. That paper boy was Robin Lambert.

Robin became an enthusiastic young Republican. He was active in the college young Republicans and was an influential member of the Young Voters for Nixon. Working for several legislative and gubernatorial campaigns he began to meet more and more State party movers. He became friends with and worked on the State Senate campaign of Gerald Spears, who later became Senate Majority Leader. The young Robin landed the job as his Administrative Assistant.

In his own area, at the age of 21, running from Farmingdale against the incumbent 10 term State Senator Stan Shaw, Robin nearly whipped him, failing by a mere 14 votes.

Failing to gain a political prize for himself he began to work on a number of other important campaigns. In 1972, he campaigned for the reelection of Margaret Chase Smith, he also worked for gubernatorial candidate Jim Erwin in `74 and `78.

Robin attracted the ambiance of national attention at the Republican National Convention of 1976. Robin had hoped to be a delegate for Gerald Ford's reelection, but was dismissed by the former Governor John McKernan as too weak a delegate candidate to be part of the slate. As a result Robin ran as an independent member of the delegation, winning big. Once seated, when Ronald Reagan, with the help of a developing conservative movement, made a strong bid endangering President Ford's nomination Robin suddenly found himself being wooed, wined and dined by the competing camps of Republican megapowers out to capture the White House right up to the time of the final minutes of the convention vote.

"I was even brought over and introduced to Henry Kissenger, sitting at the convention with him. There they were, Henry, Nancy and Ronald Reagan and me." chuckles Robin in his interview with me.

President Gerry Ford won Robin's convention vote pledge. Robin, being the budding opportunist, called the state house press corps to his Augusta office, where he treated them to a live thank you call from President Ford over a speaker phone.

Robin was summoned from Maine to the White House to be part of a press conference in which he and other uncommitted non-committeds glowed as dedicated Ford delegates. This "weak" candidate to the Convention now was showing his face in the LA Times, the New York Times and the CBS evening news as the Ford man from Maine.

Because Robin was elected as an independent delegate to the party Convention, he was still free to vote for whomever he choose. The Ford machine had to keep Robin happy and committed. He was given a constant shadow to see to it, not only that Robin was treated exceptionally well, but that he didn't change his mind. That shadow was, as Robin says "none other than my good friend Jock" -- former Governor John McKernan.

But amidst all the maneuvering of the convention, there was another threshold for Robin to cross. Outside the convention that year, there was a kiss-in protest by gays. As Robin watched he realized that he found the sight of two men kissing to be extremely arousing. As he stood watching, Buddy Franklin the notorious homophobe and dethroned head of the Maine Christian Civic League took Robin by the arm and led him away from what was to be Robin's future attraction.

The following year at a Republican Party conference Robin would have his first gay encounter, with his hotel roommate, the campaign manager for a future governor of Texas. The aide was closeted and married with children. At the time, so was Robin.

Robin's political friends were slowly leaving their elected offices and by 1978 he was working for Pioneer Plastics as it's Human Resources Manager. Pioneer Plastics was about to be subjected to attempts to union organize, leaving Robin to protect the company's interest by getting to know all 620 employees by name. The union organizers lost the vote.

On the home front, Mrs. Lambert and her young daughter lost Robin to Harley Hamilton, a man Robin met while working in Auburn and moved in with in 1980.

The fact of Robin's gay relationship eventually came to his employer's attention. During a one-on-one luncheon, the President of the company asked Robin if the rumors that he was gay were true. Robin told the truth and within a few weeks he left the company for a fifteen year job with Bicknell photo in Portland, closer to his new home and husband . . . and closer to Portland politics.

Robin began to distinguish himself in the gay community. His most notable gay event was a very public run-in with the staff of the Ramada Inn for canceling a gay community awards dinner ten days out at which the President of the Maine Senate Gerald Conley, Sr. was to have been honored.

The Ramada contacted Robin's employer, Bicknel, outing him. Yet Robin stood his ground and his employer stood by him; canceling all other Bicknel related functions there.

In the meantime during those years of the late 80's Pat Robertson was running for President. Locally, Robertson nearly beat out George Bush for Maine delegates to the Republican Convention. From 1986 to 1988, Robertson people began to install their supporters throughout the Maine Republican party. Two of the prominent leaders were Paul Volle, who is now leading the Maine Christian Coalition to repeal the Maine Gay Rights Act. Another, and more influential, leader was Carolyn Cosby.

In 1990, when Charlie Webster, a non-Robertson-esque Republican leader asked Robin to run for the Maine State Senate because Robin was a liberal Republican who could bring the sort of diverse votes, including a gay constituency, that could win a Portland seat, Cosby and Volle were adamantly against him. The hatred of Robin was very deep. According to Robin, when John McKernan called to cajole Mrs. Cosby into supporting Robin's nomination she replied: "You and your wife (Olympia Snowe) have been supporting baby killing for years, now you want to put a homosexual in office."

But by then the ultra- conservatives were losing influence and needed more than their dislike of a candidate to keep him off the state party ballot. They would use every means possible -- regardless of who got hurt.

(Dec. 23 issue: Part 2: Robin Meets Bat Woman: "Love the Sin")

Draft Bill Seeks to Improve HIV Treatment

Many are finding that with HIV treatments holding the disease at bay, their regained or sustained good health may prevent them from falling into the required AIDS-defining conditions that allow for Medicaid assistance. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) has submitted a draft bill entitled "HIV Treatment Improvement Act " (HR3072) in an effort to address this developing medical care assistance squeeze.

The law would expand access to Medicaid to be inclusive of those people who are HIV positive but are without the current Medicaid requirements for AIDS developmental symptoms.

The Treatment Act would also require AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP), administrated by the states, to meet federal treatment guidelines as well in service delivery.

Because of Medicaid disqualification this stabilized segment of the AIDS community is increasingly having to turn to the limited funding of AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP) which are budgeted to shrink over the next decade while Medicaid increases.

Critics of the Bill claim that the Bill places more demands on the administration of ADAP by states, many of which are shrinking from increase HIV support. Aids to Pelosi counter that the Medicaid expansion would prevent far more in hospitalization and disability costs, while there would be a benefit of tax revenues from working HIV positive people.

TURNPIKE BIGOT SIGNS DECREE

Kurt Pray, from Biddeford, on the early morning of June 28, on the Maine Turnpike, according to the complaint fled by the Attorney General's Office was incited to endanger his victims after witnessing Doug Rawlinson and Roger Ruple "sitting close together in their truck" as they drove by him. Pray then passed the (two men's) pickup truck, turned on his interior light, and mouthed derogatory remarks.

Another man in a pickup shortly pulled up beside Pray. They exchanged words and gestured back toward the Rawlinson and Ruple.

After passing through the Maine Turnpike toll plaza, Pray and the second pickup driver are alleged to have used their vehicles to box, then stop the couple's vehicle.

Doug and Roger, believing that the men had weapons, backed their cars up along the turnpike to the Biddeford exit and called the police, who apprehended Pray. The second driver is not yet known.

Pray signed a consent decree in late November in which he promised to refrain from "assaulting, threatening, intimidating, coercing or harassing" Rawlinson and Ruple. He also faces charges for endangerment with a deadly weapon.

CALL FOR PHOTO PANELS

SoMePride is requesting homemade family photo panels of gay / lesbian, bi, trans families/relationships (including PFLAG member relationships of any kind) as part of the final exhibit of the photo display "Love Makes a Family''.

Requirements are that the panels be made of at least one, and no more than two 22" x 30" black or black spray painted foam core board, available in most art supply locations.

Xerox color copied photo. preferably slightly enlarged with identifying captions may be arranged on the boards as you please. (No outlandish or nude photos).

Also a brief 100-word bio on the key figures should also be attached to the panel.

The exhibit will be on display at the State House on January 6th. All photo displays must be finished and submitted To Southern Maine Pride by December 26, 1997.

For further information on the January 6th State House exhibit of Love Makes a Family or the request for locally-made panels, or to donate to the cost/help of putting on this last exhibit, please call Michael Rossetti at 207-879-7323 or Barry Horn at 207- 286-3718.

Above & Beyond:
Very Special Event:

It's A Mighty World In the Spirit of the Season

With very special guests The Green Memorial Mass Choir Conducted by Reverend Margaret Lawson Saturday December 13th. 8 PM First Parish Church 425 Congress Street, Portland

A night of spirituals, Gospel, holiday favorites and Classic Odetta. (Title, "IT'S A MIGHTY WORLD" comes from a 1964 Odetta Album of the same name.) Limited Preferred Seating $20 General Admission $17 Tickets at: Drop Me A Line, Amadeus Music in Portland. Macbeans Music in Brunswick.

Born in 1930 in Birmingham, Alabama, (nee Odetta Holmes) the name Odetta is probably unfamiliar to most people in the generation raised on MTV. Yet, she is one of the pillars of twentieth-century music, a folksinger distinguished by the power of her voice and the intensity of her delivery.

Odetta is a living archive of music that spans diverse cultures, generations and genres. keeping alive the legacy of early folk and blues singers. Odetta has given enduring visibility to the works and influence of black artists such as legendary performer Bessie Smith, as well as the richness of spirituals and gospel. Accordingly, she has performed with Count Basie and Harry Bellafonte and writer Langston Hughes.

Odetta has had a significant influence on modern pop music as well providing acknowledged inspiration for such performers as Joan Armatrading, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez. and Janis Joplin.

At the age of 14, she began singing at the Turnabout Theater in Hollywood. While studying music at Los Angeles City College she was introduced to the embryonic modern folk music scene. In 1949 she began performing in clubs as a solo act, building a considerable reputation for herself of the West Coast. By the mid- 1950s, she was touring the United States and Canada.

By 1961, she had played Carnegie Hall. the New Orleans Jazz Festival and the renowned Newport Folk Festival. She had become unquestionably one of the great artists of the 60's folk music renaissance.

In 1963 she became visible to mainstream America through her televised and much acclaimed appearance on a musical special with musician Harry Belafonte called Dinner With the President, in which she stole the show from an impressive roster of better known singers. She also performed on the television story of the heroine of the underground railroad, "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" and the movie version of "Sanctuary" by William Faulkner.

Her choice of material at a particular concert depends largely on her perception of the audience, and she prefers solo performances since they allow her the freedom to sing what she feels like singing. However, in her Portland appearance she will be joined by The Green Memorial Mass Choir conducted by Reverend Margaret Lawson doing a special gospel arrangement "It's a Mighty World".

Whether performing with a symphony orchestra or alone with her guitar, Odetta is a commanding presence on stage. A living legend, the Portland performance of this world-class artist should not missed.

COALITION READY TO WIN IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION

Maine Won't Discriminate
Press Release November 26, 1997

Maine Won't Discriminate announced today that they would not appeal the decision of Justice Ronald Cole regarding the validity of the signatures gathered on the "people's veto" petition. They also expressed confidence that they would again prevail in a state.

"We raised important legal issues that made it clear how the standards that are applied to this process must be consistent and fair. So, in that sense, we were successful," said Pat Peard, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs. "We wanted to spare the people of Maine a costly and divisive battle over an issue on which both the people and the legislature have already voted - both times saying "no" to discrimination."

The suit brought by Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and the Maine Civil Liberties Union (MCLU) contended that the "people's veto" process was void because it started before legally-allowed by statute, and that the petitions themselves were rife with 26 types of errors.

Mary Bonauto, co-counsel on the case for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders said, "We believe there are viable legal issues at stake here. We also realize that the court is very reluctant to interfere with the 'people's veto' or initiative process, and that now it's time for the fair-minded people of Maine to stand up and say no to discrimination."

Backers of the anti-discrimination statute expressed confidence that the people of Maine don't want to discriminate and will vote no on repealing the anti-discrimination law passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor in May of this year.