Equality Cincinnati Press Release on Hate Crime

Came through the Cincinnati gay news wire (ie, Mother Chanak) this morning:

Cincinnati, Ohio- April 2, 2009: Equality Cincinnati's mission is to work for full equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in Greater Cincinnati and to prevent discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity. That's why we feel it is imperative to release a statement that on a hate crime that occurred on March 22, 2009. Late that night, a gay male was attacked outside of Bronze [sic], a popular Cincinnati gay bar. The details of the attack are that less than a minute of stepping outside of the gay bar, the victim was approached by three men. The men attempted to rob him but found no money. One of the attackers then said the victim, "You're a pretty fag" and took out a knife and sliced the victim's cheek approximately 2 inches in length and nearly through the entire cheek. The victim began profusely bleeding and ran into the bar and 911 was called. The victim was then taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and his injuries were treated. Police reports were filed with District 5 police; however, the incident has not been identified as a hate crime. Equality Cincinnati met with the victim and listened to his experience. Equality Cincinnati will be working with the police to discuss what further avenues need to be taken so that this violent incident is classified as a hate crime--an action which is important to the victim and our community in appropriately naming and reporting the violence. Also in response to this incident, Equality Cincinnati is lining up volunteers who will be launching bar and club outreach throughout the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community to ensure that LGBTQ patrons are reminded of safety precautions and numbers to call for help and support. In the meantime, we ask that you be aware of your surroundings and use the "buddy-system" when entering and leaving our gay community's bars, clubs, and restaurants. If you experience a hate crime or any harassment, please report it to the police and Equality Cincinnati www.equalitycincinnati.org.

It is also important to remember that hate crime laws in Cincinnati only cover misdemeanor crimes, and many areas across the country have no hate crime laws against the LGBT community. On Thursday, April 23, 2009 HR 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, (known as the Matthew Shepard Act) cleared its first hurdle in Washington , D. C, winning approval from the House Judiciary Committee by a 15-12 vote. It will be going to the House Floor for a vote that could happen as soon as next week. Please contact your local Congressperson and ask them to support this bill. Contact information for your Congressperson can be found at https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Two bits from Equality Cincinnati in a week -- pretty good work.

I'm all for the creation of the Pink Pistols in town -- queers with guns. Hell to the yea. (Or, perhaps, a better suggestion: Queer Self Defense Classes -- even awesomer, and probably more legal.) Also: I'm all for hate crimes legislation. As I've said before (somewhere, I'm not quite sure), one of the purposes of illegalization is to indicate that something is so morally reprehensible as to be against the law. However, it's important to remember that you are not protected because the law is in place. Be careful out there.


Sad, though, that we have to seek protection in our own enclaves.

Unexpected Praise

So, last week when we talked about Chris Finney, I criticized the Cincinnati Black Blog (which has been blogrolled almost since I started) by saying: "To which I have one response: why does anyone read the Cincinnati Black Blog? Why do I? I think it's just to get angry in the morning." Today, guess who's smiling face is on the Cincinnati Black Blog?


ME!!!!
Yea! I got him to put a picture of a drag queen on his site!!!! (it's from my Facebook profile, btw, and is years old in the first show I did @ BronZ) And this is what Mr. Livingston has to say about **me**:

We have an interesting cast of characters operating in this sector the blogosphere. Just to name a few, you are already familiar with The Demented "Diva", The Dean of Cincinnati, The Provost of Cincinnati, The Sillyman, The Bigot of Cincinnati, and The Black Grimace. Today we add Barry Floore to the cast and bestow upon him the nickname: The Queer of Cincinnati.

High praise to be included in such a troupe of characters! Can I have a crown that says that, Nate? "The Queer of Cincinnati." Absolutely beautiful. Meanwhile, however, he actually ... sort of ... praises the LGBT response to the Chris Finney appointment:

Cincinnati's GBLT community is angry about Finney's NAACP appointment for many reasons, including what it says about the NAACP's future ability and desire to defend the civil rights of GBLT people. They're successfully spreading the word all over the country about the appointment. Will shining the light on the appointment do anything to change it? Will the concerns raised now by the GBLT community force the NAACP to closely watch Finney and make sure he doesn't advocate any more of his purported anti-gay positions? I don't know. And I find no fault in what the gays are doing. They are doing what they should be doing.

What I want to know is why the Black community isn't raising HELL about Finney's appointment in light of his long record of opposing civil rights for Black people!?!

First of all, I wasn't aware of the history Chris Finney has working against the black community, and I'd be interested in learning more -- looks like, instead of homework, I'll be doing more research.

Secondly, Mr. Livingston is not known as the most ardent supporter of LGBT rights here in Cincinnati. The post my picture appears in, even, has this charming line: "who a person chooses to have sex with may, indeed, justify disparate treatment." Uh-huh. Whatever.

...but it makes the praise of our community's national response (and growing) all the more unexpected.

OTRTweetUp

Our ladies (Kate the Great, RedKatBlonde, Julie, and Amy) with George from Metronation!

Many thanks to Kate the Great and AmyInOhio and the hundres of others who posted (and reposted and reposted...) the information about the #OTRTweetUp last night... It was a blast!!! Went to Lavomatic with everyone  afterwards for some food -- first time there! It wasn't bad...

Oh, ended up at the triple thread of homosexuality -- BronZ, Bullie's, and Serpent -- afterwards. I'm going to say this: I think I'm through with drunken college boys. 

I didn't say I was, I just think  I am. In short, shoulda gone with the ladies to the Fashion Show at Twist. 

PS If you added me on Twitter, I have probably added you on my blogroll. Just check it out! :-)

CINCY GAY SCENE: Court Elections...

The Court Elections were today.

*sh* Don't tell anyone.

I voted for Maxie Mallone.

I was convinced last night at BronZ. But my reasons are my own.

CINCY GAY SCENE: Rumors abounding...

I didn't have my camera for this weekend, but a quick snapshot: crazy drunk in Columbus with KH on Friday night, including hanging out with a really really hot underwear model... Union Cafe was my bar when it was here in town, I now have a small circle of "favorites" there that includes Union.

Woof's, btw, SUCKED. Hated it. Lot of bears just hanging out staring at each other. We were after hot muscle leather daddies. None there to report of.

After a trip to the impound lot, came back to Cincy and went out with kids. That was fun. Bronz, Bullfishes, Adonis.

The Bronz show sucked, I'm sorry to say, even though the Black Mondays were in it. It was sad. Bullfishes was awesome as we gear up for Kristy and Vivica to host the first drag show there since it opened on August 15th (check out the Facebook invite here) And Adonis... well, I kinda love Adonis though it cost me and Tim $20 to get in... grrr...

But the big news of the night...

It's true. The Serpent, for now, has banned sexual activity in the bar. Rumor has it that there has been a bit of a crack down in the city on this kind of thing -- thanks, Simon Leis -- and Anthony has banned any hanky panky in his bar. It makes me kind of sad, but is anyone surprised? I mean, jesus, the crowd of men around pool table was almost obscenely in you face at times. Not that I haven't been found there sometimes, I just can't believe it's been going on as long as it has. (I mean, I was tied to a cross and bullwhipped at 19 there...). They've also started carding at the bar.

So something has happened, and John from BronZ made this comment: The lights were on and people were actually playing pool!

LOL. I know, I'm shocked too.

CINCY GAY SCENE: Bullfishes?

It was a bust, dude. There was a massive walk out of the staff the minute before it opened. It took us 25 minutes to get a first drink and it seemed like they were pointedly ignoring us. I mean, really. It was sad.

The word on the street is there were hiring differences and they want to make it a straight bar half of the week. LOL -- it was so bad they were hiring people pretty much right at the door. Sarah Francis walked in and was asked to take up barbacking. We went over to BronZ and she left and headed back to say she would work as a bartender. They took her, so Sarah is back at Bullies!!!

YAY!

It was a good night, though, even though Bullie's wasn't really involved. So the inside, which is BEAUTIFUL! It's a hot bar man.

So , more pictures...

CINCY GAY SCENE: Bullfishes returns!!!

Many apologies for the quality of the image, but it went from AM's phone (whose car I was in at the time) to my phone (via text) to CF's phone (in Macon, GA) to my email. . . all so that I could post this this evening as many of you got the text message about this FABULOUS EVENT.

BULLFISHES IS REOPENING

And here's the lowdown as I've heard (my usual sources of gossip did not know anything, and were actually quite surprised about the situation... so I know I'm "breaking" news here... and I had to rely on the infamous lesbian posse for most of my information):

The bar was bought by an Atlanta man for his local daughter, a woman possibly by the name of Syndy (it was text messaged, and my phone was running out of charge, so I could not confirm the spelling or information about her). However, the reported manager is Brandy, who was a former bartender at the old Bullfishes. This is good-ish. I never developed much of a rapport with Brandy... in fact, I know almost nothing about her. I have a vague distaste for her, for some reason, but that may be about the vague distate I have about Bullfishes post- the Grey's Anatomy golden days when Sarah (or Amanda) poured us drinks and watched terrible medical dramedies. I may not, in fact, have anything negative about Brandy except that connection there. .. on the flip side, I have nothing good either.

My sources inform me that the bar has expanded, having bought the building just north, and that the New Bullfishes will open, probably, May 30th. This is a highlight of my crack team of lesbians who were apparently given a mini-tour today:

• the new bar (the north building) will feature 8 pooltables -- which brought much glee to my pool-playing posse -- and there will be a wall cut out from the pool tables to easily access the bar itself; there is no word on whether they will be painting the felt this time or not
• the old bar (the south building) will keep most of the same locations of items, including the actual bar location, though they will expand the serving area to three registers, which gets rid of a lot of problems we had under old management
• the stage has been expanded and functions now as the dancefloor in toto
• word is the urinal in the men's bathroom works ... permanently, this time
• the north building will have a patio -- for smokers, yea! -- which will give neighber BronZ a bit of a run as being the only mainstream gay bar on the strip that has a smoking patio, but they are being smarter and it will probably not be accessible to the outside world
• the upstairs section of the south building -- once the world of drag queens, drugs, and hot lesbian makeout sessions -- has been opened up to the general public and will serve as a bit of an observing area, much like at the old Pipeline, and I expect the drag queens, drugs, and hot lesbian makeout sessions will remain
• the new owner has bought several big screen plasma TVs -- for sports, the poss informs me -- rather than rely on thay giant crazy, blurry TV that they used to have
• there will be nights with cover charge; however, they will give you a free drink coupon on those nights to offset the cost of the cover
• the name and logo will remain the same, as they were purchased by the new owner

QueerCincinnati will be there on opening night, will you?

CINCY GAY SCENE: Black Monday's at BronZ

Despite everything else that happened that night, the beginning of my evening was fabulous. Though, in all fairness, passing off anything as review for either BronZ or the Black Monday's would be like asking how do I feel about curling up in bed at night. Short answer: it's pretty nice, and it's comfortable. I'm not going to pretend to be unbiased. The Black Monday's feature some of my dearest (bar) friends in the world, and some of my favorite performers. BronZ is my home bar, and many many people I love go there, and I do, indeed, ADORE the bar owners.

That said, the Black Monday's never fail to blow you away. I'm sorry, it's hard to find good drag in this city, and the majority of drag kings -- bio-females performing as men -- are tired and rather boring. Meanwhile, the Black Mondays -- like the Lixxgood Family -- does their damnedest to bring you a show that's worth your time and money. My dear friend, AA (those initials make me giggle, now), does not like them because they featured a song once that involved date rape. Arguably, not a great topic, but it's nice someone is trying to perform with purpose rather than just shake their ass a little bit and hope for the best.

It is the secret to their success, I believe, that they are good because they care. If you ask any of them -- well, at least Succio because he and I have discussed this over and over and over again -- it's about gender and challenging it. And, more importantly, having fun. It's more than just making money and looking pretty; it's about having a good time and fucking with people conceptions of what gender is.

Succio, btw, gave me the best line that Kristy still lives by: "If you don't come off stage sweating and out of breath, you haven't done your job."

Now THAT'S drag I can respect.

Thank you guys and gals and others for a FABULOUS show the other night. It was, in a word, unbelievable. And you are probably the only drag group in the city who can pull some shit like an INTERMISSION and expect your crowd to hang around. Well done, darlings.

CINCY GAY SCENE: Prom Blast

AH! My camera takes awful pictures, for some reason.

Briefly: GLSEN's prom was a blast. We had a great time, and the Contemporary Arts Center (where it was held) was PERFECT. And the food, well, I felt like I was at Top Chef: Cincinnati. At one point, SJ and I were talking and he was pointing out the various delicious foods on the tables (which I didn't eat -- I'm afraid of new food -- LOL), and I heard the words "watermelon-tomato gestapo" (THE GOOD BOY and I are still debating what a gestapo is, but now we have a point of reference even if we don't know what it is) and "tomato-feta martini," and "split pee soup shot" -- well, though there was a lot of food that I did enjoy, I was impressed by the quality that was being served.

And, of course, the funniest/cutest moment was when the Jazz singer -- Saba Smith, who was excellent -- started singing a Sarah McLaughlin song, all the lesbians -- and I mean, all the lesbians -- got up and started dancing together. I tried to get a picture of the wonderful moment, but my camera sucks. Of 35-40 pictures I took, only about 6 came out perfectly clear, and only 10 (total) were salvageable. :-( I'm sorry.

But let me share some:















On Left: Josh Wagoner, Doug Meredith, QitC, Dan Mees -- the fabulous fabulous GLSEN boys who do

At Right: Jill Benavides and QitC -- my dear friend with her parasol, who also planned the event

Congratulations, it was a good time.

PS -- And we ended up at Club BronZ afterward, where LH was exploding drunkenly around the bar. LH came up to THE GOOD BOY and, within five minutes, had used these most fabulous words: "Look, my ass is a disco ball! And my dress is see through in sunlight!" Oh, goodness. I love my life.

CINCY GAY SCENE: Karaoke Night at BronZ...

...is a bigger success online than in real life.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love me some BronZ, and I love Karaoke Nights there -- DJ Waves is excellent. But, per an "internal memo" leaked to the media, it was one of the top ten most viewed items on the Cincinnati.com website in the week of Jan 27-Feb 2. It claims that it was viewed 50,000+ times that week. Which, btw, is a LOT of times (compared to the under 1000 times this blog has been viewed).

Now, the QCityNews Blog (www.qcitynews.blogspot.com) thinks the number is absurd. The Daily Bellwether (www.thebellwetherdaily.blogspot.com) is also suspicious of the numbers. I hesitate to believe that 500,000+ people actually are that interested in the CincyMoms website, but I'm going to say this:

The number is not impossible. Whereas QCityNews' editor has been involved with the printing and publishing industry for years, and I respect that, I think the internet can very much skew our perception of who is reading what. But, with the wonders of the internet, we have the ability to actually see what is being read and when and from where. It's not perfect, but short of tracking down individual computers, then the little clicker that's reading off in someone's office is the best we've got.

And I'll bet you this, QCity: Your own readership is higher than you expect. I don't know how you calculate your numbers, but I read a lot of your papers in the bar. Guess what I do with it when I'm done? Excepting those issues that pertain to me or have something really interesting in it, I put it back. So our dear local bartenders don't have to clean it up. And I'm not the only one. Papers left on the bar? Either thrown out or saved and put back. People reading while waiting? Thrown out or put back. I'm sure there's a really complex algebra to your circulation stats, but I'll bet it's higher than you think. (I know because I get phone calls whenever my name is mentioned :-))

First of all: the bit is found in CinWeekly, which I now see around town more a lot more than CityBeat, it's competitor. (SCF in Macon will remember a similar situation in his hometown where the major newspaper published an "independent" to compete with the actual independent paper... meet CinWeekly -- published by Gannett, which publishes the Enquirer -- and CityBeat -- the actual independent, that, I might remind, was pressured by Citizens for Community Values to pull the plug on Dan Savage's column... grrrr... but this is all tangential).

The point is: CinWeekly has a readership of mainly young urban white folks... the types that would have access to the internet on a regular basis. And I'm going to say, if I were in those photos, I would be emailing them to EVERYONE and showing them to the world to see just how cool I am. So assume, first, that maybe it was emailed out a bunch and that friends would pull up a page and say "ooo, look at me!"

Second of all: What is the effect of bookmarking? For example, that CincyMoms number, how many people have CincyMoms as their initial page when they open. I know I open an internet program 2-20 times a day. Multiply that out (I'm sure MSN wonders why so many people are interested in their front page :-)). Did the story appear on the front page, I wonder?

Third of all: Do not assume that Cincinnati is so small. The metro area... NKY to Dayton... is HUGE, with over 3 million people in it. 50,000 is a drop in the bucket, and I'm going to guess that Cincinnati.com is one of the most popular local websites. It is not entirely unlikely that people have perused through. Does that mean they spend an hour being affected by everything they read? Absolutely not. It just means that it is not unlikely that 50,000 people actually opened the page.

I think the QCityNews editor, and Mr. Bellwether for that matter, is under the assumption that Cincinnati is a small town with a limited number of "in" people that you are trying to grasp for everything. Please.

Fact of the matter is: This is a local gay bar -- that's not the typical ones that get played out, like Below Zero or Universal Grille or Adonis or the Dock -- and a local gay event that got some major play on a mainstream and popular website. So what if the number is a little inflated? We know the Gannett-Enquirer Dark Empire has pulled some crappy stuff in the past, and it is most definitely not pro-gay or liberal by any stretch of the imagination, but it's still kinda cool. Go BronZ. You got some publicity. Congratulations to you.

On the flip side, the so-called controversy drove me to the website. So maybe making a mountain out of a molehole is not such a bad idea.

CINCY GAY SCENE: Bar Closings

It's sad to say...

The Ohio Smoking Ban may have claimed its first victim. My dear, dear, favorite lesbian bar in the world, Bullfishes, is, indeed, closed. Donna was a dear friend and used to be my landlord. It is sad to see it go. What makes it even worse was the suddenness of it. No one knew it was happening, she let it go peacefully without a goodbye party.

I spent many Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights there. Rarely there on Fridays or Saturdays, but I will give it up for that fabulous Pink Dress Show back in February that raised $750 for Breast Cancer charities.

*sigh* It's sad to see you go, Bullfishes.

Also, per the QCityNews blog (http://qcitynews.blogspot.com/2007/11/northside-gay-and-lesbian-bars-for-sale.html), it appears another one of my favorite hangouts is for sale, the Serpent. Listing price at a million dollars. Now, I've had an AWFULLY good time at the Serpent, and I really hope it will be around at LEAST for their fabulous New Year's Eve clothing optional party, but I don't think (nor does QCity) that it is work $1m, even with the rentable space upstairs. The $200,000 price sounds reasonable, but Anthony and Ford have put years and years and years of their life into that business, I'm sure there is a huge personal attachment to it. I'm almost afraid that, should the business change hands, the cops will raid the place like crazy and close down what every one goes on at Serpent for good... which, btw, would ultimately destroy the business and destroy the Northside gay scene.

Where does that leave BronZ? Or, Club BronZ (I really do need to clean up my "labels")? Well, reported to my ear from one of the best bartenders in town -- a slight uptick in business. Of course, I'm sure much of that is due to the fabulously sociable attitude Brad and John have put out there, along with the fantastic work of DJ Waves in the production of the multiple karaoke nights. It doesn't hurt, also, that it's one of the few bars in town where you can sit at a bar and have a cigarette, there on the back patio. (The owner of Little Bit Bar was scathing in her attack of their patio, as it is really kind of enclosed, but open still. Please, let us just have one place to smoke and drink. You non-smokers have enough places in town.)

See, everyone is driving across the river. I have been in Rosie's and Yadda a few times, but they have been jumping since the smoking ban occurred over here. It really annoys me that the rest of the state, and the locals, can be so callous towards local business. After all, what Cincinnati really needs, is another reason not to hang out in it.

Has anyone wondered how long this Dock/Adonis thing can go one? Rumors are flying as to which one will go first. My money, actually, is on Adonis. I think they would have been long gone had it not been for Penny Tration and her amazing abilities as the most fabulous queen in town. Of course, I would not have put money on Bella Dolce, but she seems to be holding her own. I always liked her personally, I would have never thought she could handle that big of a venue, but she's proven herself quite well on a microphone.

And finally, Below Zero? Seriously. I don't understand the crowd. Do we need two uppity gay bars in town? Universal Grille is bad enough; I've not even been to Below Zero and I already hate it. :-) But I'll go soon, Nigel, and give you a fairer review, I promise.

CINCY GAY SCENE: Out in the City

Thanks Darren.

I am good friends with "Darren M.," well good bar-friends. He and I always seem to have the most bizarre conversations at the local bars that we frequent, whether it be BronZ or the Serpent or Bullfishes (RIP) or... have we seen each other at On Broadway? Whatever. He writes a great column for the local gay rag, QCityNews (http://www.qcitynews.com/), and I love him for it. Secretly, I'm friends with him so that he'll mention me in his column because I'm a publicity whore.

Of all things to finally write about me with...

http://www.qcitynews.com/1007darrenm.html

Thank you Darren, for making sure the whole city knows that I have "tales of [my] own sexual appetites and explorations." :-)

I'm not mad; I just think it's funny that of all the things I've talked to him about -- gay social reform, politics, interactions, bars, etc. This is the one thing he finally writes about. Hey, any press is good press.

Thanks Darren.