A forum on the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31 in the Community Room at the Normal Public Library, 206 W. College Ave.

The event, a collaboration between the Advocacy Council and the Human Rights Campaign, will feature speakers and GLB military personnel who have served under the discriminatory policy. A question and answer period will follow the presentation.

The military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy was put in place in 1993 by President Bill Clinton as a compromise that allowed GLB military personnel to serve as long as they were not openly gay. The policy has had unintended consequences including an increase in discharges particularly among lesbian military personnel.

Earlier this year the U.S. House of Representatives voted to overturn DADT. Locally, Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson voted to overturn DADT; Congressmen Aaron Schock and Tim Johnson opposed the repeal. The measure faces an uncertain future in the U.S. Senate.

All are welcome to attend this forum, but we would especially welcome military personnel and veterans who would be willing to contribute to the dialogue.

For more information contact the Advocacy Council at info@achr-il.com.

A project of this magnitude requires support from our local LGBT and allied communities. With that in mind, we are seeking sponsors to help defray festival costs and ensure that we secure the best LGBT film entertainment possible!

Each sponsorship level is named for the color of one of the stripes in the rainbow flag which has become the symbol of the LGBT Community. The sponsor levels include:

• Red – $25.00
• Orange – $50.00
• Yellow – $100.00
• Green – $250.00
• Blue – $500.00
• Lavender – $1,000.00

Your sponsorship shows support for the local LGBT community and your name will appear in the program booklet where it will be seen by the members of this community and its allies that are expected to attend the festival (sponsors can also donate anonymously).

Your donation to our sponsor program is fully tax-deductible will help us not only this year but as we begin planning for next year’s festival too.

For more information please see the sponsorship form.  Your support of this event is vital and much appreciated.

The festival will feature local artists, vendors, community organizations, entertainment and games for the kids.

An after-party for adults 19+ years of age will follow at 88 Broadway, 142 Lincoln Square in Urbana.

For more information contact Caroline Nappo at cnappo2@illinois.edu.

 The corps has participated in the parade for several years and has garnered applause and a parade award over the years.

 In a related item, CORAL is sponsoring an ice cream social at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28 at the home of Buff and Jerry, 2810 S. State St. in Springfield. Tickets are $10 (available at the door).

 CORAL is a not-for-profit volunteer group that facilitates networking for Central Illinois Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered communities, their families, friends, and interest groups that support them.

Debbie addressed the local LGBT community in the fall of 2008 and stated her support for issues that are important to us. She has stayed true to her word:

• She voted for the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act
• She voted for the repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy
• She has signed on as a sponsor of the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA)

Folks, before Debbie we did not had an LGBT-supportive congressman represent us and our interests. Her predecessors – Jerry Weller, Tom Ewing – were vehement opponents of equal rights for LGBT people. Likewise, the congressmen in adjoining districts – Tim Johnson, Aaron Schock – are also on record as opposing equality for the LGBT community.

Debbie’s campaign needs our help. Volunteering for her campaign or donating is vital if we are to keep her LGBT-friendly voice in Congress. To volunteer, contact Jason at Jason.Nippa@ilvictory2010.org. For more information about Debbie go to www.debbiehalvorson.com.

Attendees enjoyed lots of great food, participated in a bags tournament, and bought tickets for some fabulous raffle prizes. Kids of all ages enjoyed the water balloon toss and a contest to break the rainbow piñata.

The ACHR would like to thank Ruth and Tana; Gretchen from Merry Maids; and Kristi from Gryfalia’s Aerie for donating raffle prizes. Special thanks also goes to the McLean County AIDS Task Force for bringing soda and water to sell; the proceeds were split between the task force and ACHR.

The month kicks off with First Fridays on Friday, Aug. 6. Drop by beginning at 5 p.m. for free appetizers provided by our community’s newest GLBTA church, the Open Worship Church of Hope.

Friday, Aug. 13 is NOT an unlucky day if you head to the Bistro for the Monthly Hot Spot featuring Mahogany Knight and her troupe of talented performers who will take the stage at 11 p.m.

The Bistro swings open its doors each Thursday night for Bingo and Karaoke beginning at 9 p.m.

The month wraps up with a talent show on Friday, Aug. 27 featuring a $200 prize to the winner.

Some of these events include a cover charge but many don’t. For more information stop by the bar; call them at 309-829-2278; or check out the Bistro Facebook page.

I have routinely hidden my own bisexuality and fought against it for my entire life because it carries an even greater stigma than simple homosexuality. Consider this real bedroom conversation, a moment of post-coital spontaneity on the man’s part:

 Shelly says to her man (I know him very well), “So, tell me about the lovers you had out in California.”

 “Some of them were men,” the man replies.

 “Oh, uh, OK. Let’s get some breakfast.”

 In the ensuing days she no longer wants sex. She does not consider herself the man’s girlfriend anymore. When confronted, Shelly explains, “I can’t stop thinking about where your dick has been. You’ll f*ck anything that moves.” The clear implication is that for a man to have sex with both men and women is even worse than if he has sex with just men.

 At the time of this writing, the play “F*cking Men” is showing at the Baliwick theatre in Chicago. There is a scene where a naïve young man approaches a male sex worker for a blow job. “I’m really bisexual. I have a girlfriend,” the young man says. The audience laughs. The simplest explanation is that they think he really just likes men but doesn’t want to admit it. We thought we were superior to him.

 Does bisexuality truly exist? I asked this question in #gaypride, an IRC Internet social chat room for gay men. I got four responses. One woman, call her Gabriel, said that she herself was “bi.” Three gay men said that people who call themselves bisexual are really just queens in the closet. That was a kind of crude statement that nonetheless reflects the thinking of lots of folks. Some say we are losers and others say we don’t exist. Does this sound familiar? It is ironic that much of the anti-bi prejudice and verbal oppression comes from men who have sex with men.

 During a period of outed-ness in my youth a former professor of mine asked, “Well, Mr. Naden, are you (gay) or aren’t you?” When I answered that I was bi, he said “Aren’t we all, Mr. Naden, aren’t we all?” His dismissal made me regret my honest answer.

 I am a member of the New Town Alano Club, a social club in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, near Boystown. I have met a hundred men there who acknowledged an attraction to men but not one has mentioned a serious attraction to women. You hear some references to a man being particularly attractive but no such reference to a woman despite the fact that it is, to me at least, often obvious. Statistically, some of these men must have it but don’t want to talk about it. They don’t want the stigma.

 My bisexuality is not just about who I am attracted to and would have sex with; it is also about who I fantasize about, who I form emotional attachments to, the gender of the people I associate with, their sexual orientation and my political stance.

 We are not all bisexual. In the five years I have been associating with gay-identified men, several have told me that they simply cannot make love to a woman, or that they could do it but had to imagine themselves to be with a man, or that they felt violated. These men are not bi.

Yet many of us are, secretly, afraid to be accused of coupling with “anything that moves.”

Part of our reorganizing also involves moving out of the north side of our space. The board made this difficult decision as one way to cut our overhead due to the lack of state funding this year. Part of this decision was also eliminating the Food Bank service for our clients. We hope that this money and energy saving measure will help us to work on other client services, perhaps even including food vouchers. We are also making available to our client base information about other food banks in the Bloomington area where they will be able to get food. There are currently 12 other locations that make food available to those in need. In the future MCATF will try to provide services that are not duplicated by other agencies.

As has been stressed before with the loss of our state funding grant, fund raising has become our primary focus for now. We are currently working on an Artist Against AIDS event in early November. And, as usual it will take a great deal of effort to make this work. We welcome anyone who would be interested, and invite you to our next fund raising meeting at the Task Force office, 313 N. Main, Bloomington at 5:30 p.m. on August 13.

Other volunteer opportunities exist on our Grant Writing Committee. While fund raising will meet our short term goals, we need to seriously look at more substantial forms for obtaining operating revenue. We very much need persons who are experienced and knowledgeable in this field. We also need persons who may not have such experience but are willing to volunteer for the “leg work.” If interested please email davidremesch@mcatf.org.

Please look for future notices both about our grand re-opening and our Artist Against AIDS fund raiser.

Our event will kick off with lunch at noon.  As in previous years meat and other grillable items will be provided by the Advocacy Council; everyone attending is asked to bring a food item to share. Plates, napkins, cups and silverware will be provided and canned drinks and bottled water will be available for a nominal charge.

After lunch we will have a variety of activities including bags, water balloon toss, volleyball, and a raffle for lots of great prizes. Or, if you just want to sit and enjoy the warm summer weather with friends that’s alright too!

The Family Reunion Picnic was established several years ago as an event where lgbt people and their supporters could be a part of a summer ritual:  the family picnic. For some lgbt people who have been rejected by their families – or can’t be openly gay around them – the Family Reunion Picnic provides them the opportunity to be themselves and celebrate the season with their other “family.”

For more information on the Family Reunion Picnic, e-mail us at info@achr-il.com.

Gill is a candidate for the 18^th Congressional District seat held by Republican Tim Johnson. He has expressed support for several issues of concern to the LGBT community, in sharp contrast to Johnson who has a zero rating from the Human Rights Campaign based on his poor voting record on LGBT issues.

Chicago Northalsted Market Days
August 7 – 8
North Halsted, Chicago
www.northalsted.com

C-U Pride Fest
Friday, Aug. 20
4 p.m. – ?
Lincoln Square Mall, Urbana (new location)
http://www.facebook.com/cupride.fest

Windy City Gay Rodeo
August 20 – 22
Crete, IL
www.ilgra.com

Peoria Gay Pride Cruise on the Spirit of Peoria
Saturday, Sept. 11
7 p.m. Dock Party
8:30 p.m. Cruise
www.ciadeillinois.org

Peoria Pride 2010
Sunday, Sept. 12
Peoria Riverfront
www.peoriapride.com

HOWEVER…we need your help in planning this historical event! As the summer continues we will begin to narrow down our list of films to be considered for screening at the Normal Theater. David at the Movie Fan, 503 S. Main St. in Normal, has graciously worked with us to create a film selection list that will be on display at his store; if you see a favorite that you would like to be considered for screening fill out a ballot and hand it in at the front desk.

ALSO…we soon will be rolling out our sponsorship program as a way to raise funds to cover the costs associated with the festival. Look for more details in the August edition of the Rainbow Connection!

The amendment is part of a larger military budget bill that now goes to the U.S. Senate where it faces a more uncertain future.

Halvorson’s support for the Murphy Amendment continues her pattern of supporting the LGBT community. Last year Halvorson voted for the updated hate crimes act that added sexual orientation to the list of protected classes, and recently she signed on as a co-sponsor of the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA).

Halvorson’s support is in stark contrast to 15th Congressional District Rep. Timothy Johnson who voted against the amendment and has consistently received a score of ZERO from the Human Rights Campaign.

Johnson is being challenged in November by Democratic candidate Dr. David Gill who on his web site has called for the repeal of DADT as well as the repeal of the anti-gay “Defense of Marriage Act.”

Halvorson, who represents Illinois’ 11th congressional district, is being challenged in November by conservative Republican Adam Kinzinger.

Debbie Halvorson for Congress 2010: www.debbiehalvorson.com
David Gill for Congress 2010: www.gill2010.com