Dancing To Architecture™Music Reviews & News With a Queer Ear

by Bill Realman Stella

POWER. Want some? Got some? New Jerseyans

are on the verge of not one but two elections with candidates which, to my mind, offer an unprecedentedly clear choice between candidates with pro-Gay versus anti-Gay stands on issues. Both Democrats are nearly undebatably pro-Gay; both Republicans have only rare, token pro-Gay moments. Yet many folks still act con-fused. Many still hold on to unworkable, unreasonable reasons about how they decide who to vote for. Clearly the bottom line has to be about power. Focus on power: Does the candidate get what my community needs done for us? Will this elected official work on our behalf? Will they share that power with us?

Or will you, as a person within the BGILT-Q spectrum, GIVE UP YOUR POWER? Just go along to get along? Just agree to whatever the majority feels like it wants? Our opposition loves to take all the power you give it, and in return you'll settle for their likabil-ity and your their comfort with their familiarity. Maybe they'll buy you a balloon — or a kickback (or a rebate), and you'll be entertained and forget about your problems for awhile.

But why allow politics to be entertaining? And why let entertainment fall into the impotent state of escapism? Last month I wrote: "You might have your opinions, but the power of the social sphere, the fear of rejection by your kind, the awesome and awful internalized ter-ror of stepping out of bounds, even among those of us Queer folk who have long been seen as transgressive by definition, all cause us to cower in the face of having an independent thought. We run for the safety (illusory) of agreeing with what everyone else thinks. (Or so we think.)"

Every thing that the New Jersey Q-munity has gained and suffered po-litically this century occurred be-cause of the application or misappli-cation of our power. When we didn't know we had it, when we gave it away, entrusting it to silent partners with closeted promises, it caused every negative consequence.

We now have allies loudly, proudly and frequently speaking up for us, running for Senator and Governor. How do you give up - ignore — that power, and live with yourself? These acts of inaction define ignorance.

It's ubiquitous. How our Q-munity acts about power in politics, in social media, in music and cul-ture is very similar. Believe as I do that our Q music is an essen-tial part of our culture—that this is how we live, celebrate, save our lives—then to give our power away to whatever spec-tacle a whoring populist pushed at you is just reactionary and victimy. If everyone acts all upset about how controversial it is, c'mon already, get a clue: you're being scammed.

Don't discount our own voices. Sing out!Power is all around for us. If we'd just stop always being so

scared, we might hear it.

Q ◂ Steve Grand ~ "All-American Boy" ~ single & video

Controversy in the United States is manufactured — as invented and produced for the mass market as we used to manufacture watches, wrenches and widgets. And WTF now but "All American Boy" a music video that has garnered 2 million hits. And nearly as many opinionated remarks, as if Gay desire remains something unusual or shocking or abnormal. The singer plays a man who makes a yearning pass at his to all appearances hetero buddy, and then the buddy . . . but that would be telling. Go ahead and watch. (Video stills be-gin above and continue on the next page.)

A side controversy erupted over the bull pucky that idjit know-nothings who can't believe that a real live Gay country artist exists has spewed into the mainstream, only 40 years after the first one. (See — or, rather, listen to — the radio pro-gram archived here to discover the wide range of Gay Country talent for yourself.)

One Facebook friend posted: "So I guess all you have to do is declare you are the "first openly gay country artist", and that makes it so? A few months ago it was Drake Jensen...and Chely Wright before that." His complaint that Grand claimed to be first was a false premise. When I caught up to the discussion, a

dozen other posts had weighed in, mentioning obvious precedents like k.d. lang, and Patrick Haggerty, the not-so-obvious first Out Gay Coun-try artist from 1973. Most people ignored the initial misstatement. The one man who didn't, wrote: "I am pretty sure that Steve Grand did not declare himself that. I have read a couple of his interviews and he states clearly he is *not* a "country" artist. He is being pi-geonholed by the media. Big sur-prise." Precisely. I added this: "Actually, I think I read that Steve Grand said he "wants" to be the first Gay Country "Pop Star". "Wants" means he's not saying that he IS—yet. Maybe it's splitting hairs, but I'd guess he's [also] distinguishing himself as a Gay Man from Lesbians k.d. lang and Chely Wright. And k.d. was not a star nor publicly Out when she was a full-fledged Country artist, while Chely became a star without being Out, even to members of her family. Much as I've long been an early admirer of Gay Country and Country influenced artists...none of

them have released anything that has the intensity of Pop chops that Steve Grand displays on All American Boy. It doesn't sound to me that he's Country except as the pop-rock type of contemporary Country of the last decade or so. "...This thread had deteriorated into "Who was first?" and trying to get Grand to fit or conform to the ghetto's view of history —and totally beside the point that Grand has a great song with a great video and that that does NOTHING to invalidate [anyone else's] ca-reers or history. This is why I'm perceived as disloyal (or something) to Out Gay Music (despite toiling away at promoting it in my way for over 15 years): I don't jump on the Gay Ghetto

Page 10 CHALLENGE September 2013

COMING SOON!The great SHARON JONES and the DAP-KINGS' new album

GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT features the single "Retreat!"

Hear it NOW at https://soundcloud.com/daptone-records/

b a n d w a g o n t o automatically hear just what I want to hear, when what's ...really going on is so much bigger, more nourishing of t h e s o u l , a n d beautiful." "All American Boy" is an amazing, dra-matic, powerful slice of life song. It's a rare and won-derful thing: A piece of pop art that employs every worthy trick to tug at your emotions, provide fodder for fantasy, and tell a compelling story. It carefully walks the line between what's real and what's fan-tasy, pulling back from a too easy resolution. The title "All-American Boy" invites cliche, but this boy doesn't insult one's intelli-gence: All in all, it's Pop music made to do good. Quality seeps through its every aspect, from effec-tive lighting and classic hues in its palette, to sensa-tional editing which makes the most of the features of the song. And what a well-recorded song it is! One can hear it as just a Plain D a r n e d G o o d Song: a song you can sing, one with a talented, ex-pressive singer, well played, with its own tricks of the trade gener-ously applied. But "Boy" does not just hook the un-suspecting music consumer — i t uses two underu-

tilized, often abused means of adding aural zing and real power.

The zing comes from the stingy use of dissonance—a few short turns landing on unexpected notes escape like sudden shivers, leav-ing the listener barely aware they're wondering what that was. The power comes from silence: The awesome use of sound removed to emphasize the sounds that surround it. Every bit works.

"All-American Boy" is a great record.Steve Grand is online at http://facebook.com/SteveGrandArtist

Last issue, I wrote this: "It goes to show that, but for a minority within a small crowd, within a subculture of a subculture within Gay culture: People refuse to notice the power of music by Out Gay Artists to literally MOVE the culture forward. To break down barri-ers. To join people, often heart to heart and hand in hand."

A powerful culture makes for social political power.For the life of me, I don't understand why gay people ourselves

REFUSE to see the power we have. Stand with stand-up artists.Q ◂ Freddy Freeman, Martin Swinger, Sean Kagalis, Nhojj, Roger "Rev. Yolanda" Mapes, Justin Vivian Bond, Jay Saturn with Nikkita, Jorge Aviles ~ Highlights from the Out In The Woods Queer Music Festival

It's a warm sunny day in eastern upstate New York, a sidestep from the Catskills and the Adirondacks. Musicians are humming with anticipation. A small army of lovers have arrived to provide an audi-ence for some of the finest, most heart-centered, most dedicated Out Queer artists in the U. S. Some of what you could have heard:

Nhojj is an OUTmusic Award winning singer who I knew as a shy young man giving shy young per-formances years ago. Today he was fully confident, with a bright, fresh vocal delivery that defined confidence. He has grown as a musician and a per-former, one to watch for when he comes to town.

Martin Swinger is well-known to those who came to his performance at GAAMC awhile back. Today he was in his brightest, most powerful voice, intro-ducing new audiences to many of his new classic songs from M O O N. Swinger's set was sheer pleasure.

Freddy Freeman put together a band consisting of his hus-bear Jay Freeman, Martin Swinger, Sean Kagalis, Roger Mapes a.k.a. Rev. Yolanda and other guests. They appeared to play a song or two at four points during the day, including his new hits "Just Bear With Me" and "BearWorld".

Rev. Yolanda, one of the co-hosts of the Festival, filtered her en-ergetic down-home Country Gospel sound through her drag persona, arriving totally real, authentically connecting the day to Spirit.

More next month: my cosmic connection with Justin Vivian Bond, the explosive set by Jay Saturn with Nikitta, and Jersey native Sean Kagalis, including a review of his new CD Working Parts.Q ◂ John Raymond Pollard w/ Michael Gilboe, featuring Francine Saltares ~ "Depth of Love" ~ single

Pollard has tapped into some spirited Brazillian magic with this single track. The relative-unknown, Francine Saltares, con-tributes a bee-yoo-tee-ful vocal, and the crossover rhythms are smooth and innately danceable.

I urge you to hear it, and groove along!In an email exchange with Pollard, he revealed: "The song has

a curious beginning. I had collaborated with Steve Sandberg, [who] asked me for a positive lyric for which he could create a melody. After I wrote the lyric...I decided to go with the mel-ody I was hearing when I wrote [it]. . . . I played "Depth of Love" for Michael Gilboe, changed the lyric slightly, and then asked him to develop the track. He found Francine via Craig's List. Jay Anderson was recording some of his songs at Mi-chael's studio at the time, so we recruited him to help with the backing vocals."

I remarked, with interest, that this lyric — We are all sons of one mother. / We are all children of Cain./And we begin with a stain on our skin./Tumbled through a tunnel of pain — was "a bit odd." And John replied: "Well, yes, that line is a bit strange….There was a little shock value intended, but beyond that the notion is….We are born into an imperfect world, so, as the lyric continues, we need to love one another. Brotherly love." John's referring to this lyric: We've got to love one another./We're going to sing through the rain./Light from above rains down brotherly love./Join in the joyous refrain.

To visit Brazil without the stress of travel, you too should tap in to the "Depth of Love". It's on Amazon, and you can hear it first at JohnPollard.com. (continued on page 12)

Page 11 CHALLENGE September 2013

Stills from the music video "All-American Boy" (starting on p. 10), performed by Steve Grand,

shown in the order the scenes appear

Q ◂ Candye Kane feat. Laura Chavez ~ Coming Out Swingin'New music by Candye Kane is al-ways cause for celebration! Kane's tremendous big heart in-fuses every thing she does. Every bluesy note she sings recalls the Big Band belters of another era. She and her incredible little big band, especially co-songwriter and fiery lead guitarist Laura Chavez, move from Texas Swing to

teasing novelties to tough balladry with aplomb.Kane has also had brushes with her mortality more than once in

recent years. In response, her loyal fanbase has rallied around her. She is inspired to post notes like this one:

"Thanks to all who supported our super fun CD release bash at the Belly Up! We had a blast. I laughed, I cried, I danced and then I cried again. Tears of joy and gratitude — to be alive and in this moment, I am surrounded by love and cradled in white light and healing. I am kept alive by my sheer will and by the love and warmth of my beautiful friends, band mates and fam-ily and by loving demonstrative audiences around the world. Thank you for making my life amazing. I <3 YOU!"

If ever you wished you could drop into a loving musical com-munity with a little more to offer than just a good time, Can-dye Kane has built a place where you'll feel welcome. Heed the call of this special Siren. Don't wait until it's too late.Top Tracks: "Darling Baby", "Coming Out Swingin'", "Au Revoir Y'all", "Rock Me To Sleep", "I'm The Reason Why You Drink", "Rise Up!"Q ◂ The Best Music of 2013 YouTube playlist

My playlist keeps growing! The best I've found of 2013 music visu-als, it has grown to a 77 video sized list to engage and entertain you for 6 hours plus. It includes a full Reuben Butchart concert at Rock-wood Music Hall and dozens of other selections representing dozens of other great artists from all genres. Great Out artists are among them, such as other DTA faves Elle Macho, Leonard Friend, Melissa Ferrick,Sacha Sacket and Freddy Freeman. Freeman plays beautiful, top notch guitars

on the latest addition: Q ◂ Kendall Kelly ~ "What If" ~ single, video

I just a little while ago watched the brand new "What If" video for the first time. See it here.

Written by Kelly, and you might say danced by him as well (Watch the video!), Kendall asks the musical question:

What if the world was upside down / and a frown was a smile / and a smile was a miracle?

Watch all my video playlists at the Bill Realman Stella YouTube channel, and leave a comment!Q ◂ The Kinsey Sicks ~ America's Next Top Bachelor House-wife Celebrity Hoarder Makeover Star Gone WILD!

The amazing, visual pun packed video for "Why The Fuck Aren't We Famous" is online now! One killer segment, among many:

In a world full of sameness / Everyone wants to tame us /Why. Can't. You. All. / Be. Like. Ru Paul??

Dancing To Architecture ©2013 Bill Stella. All ©, ® & ™ items included for review purposes are ©, ® & ™ their respective owners. The stylized Q indicates albums by (or significantly contributed to by) Out Bisexuals, Gay Men, Lesbians and Transgendered persons. GAAMC is pronounced "GAY-mick".

September 2013 CHALLENGE Page 12

Dance Improv, Live! with Catherine JuddSeptember 6 | First Fridays, 8-10 PM, Year-RoundDrag in Friday Evening . . .Bounce Out Friday Night!

Princeton Yoga, 88 Orchard Road, Skillman, NJ, $18 /$10 first-timersA lightly structured evening of self-expression through movement and live music. It is a bare-feet, comfy-clothes, free-movement workshop,

a place to dance, play, build community, and form new and lasting friendships. It's a safe place to focus inwardly, make genuine contact

with yourself, and bring yourself to life!

PopGun Presents indie electronica fromDelicate Steve, Celestial Shore, Conveyor

Fri, Sept 6 | 8 PM | Glasslands GalleryDelicate Steve is a moniker for songwriter/producer Steve Marion.

Like a hydro-electric Mothra rising from the ashes of an African village burned to the ground by post-rock minotaurs, the music of Delicate Steve will make you the happiest person who has never lived. Discovered firsthand by label Luaka Bop's A & R man in the parking lot of a Newton, NJ strip mall, Delicate Steve was signed before anyone at Luaka Bop heard even a moment of their music – All they needed was a conversation about what they hoped to achieve as a musical

five-piece.

Free Outdoor Show in New BrunswickScreaming Females, California X, Black Wine

Sat, Sept 7 | 1 PM | Boyd Park

SpiritualizedTue, Sept 10 | 7 PM | Webster Hall

125 East 11th St, NYC

DeerhunterThu, Sept 19 | Doors: 6, Show: 7 PM | Webster Hall, NYC

Q ◂ Kendall KellyOn tour nowhere near NJ right now!

But until then, watch his website, ClothesGetInTheWay.com, or travel (!) to events he'll perform at, such as:

Sept 6 - Sacramento, CA www.papabearpresentskendall.brownpapertickets.comSept 7 & 8 - San Francisco @ Center for Sex & Culture

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/455424Sept 20-22 - Tucson AZ @ Fluxxfest Fluxxfest.com

Oct 5 - Simi Valley CA @ stoneandstang.com

Michael FrantiSat, Sep 21 | Electric Factory, 421 N 7th St, Philadelphia

Q ◂ Outfest, a National Coming Out Day (NCOD) FestivalSun, Oct 13 | Noon- 6 | "Like an old fashioned block party, only

better and gayer" | Traditionally the largest U.S. NCOD, >20,000 peopleMain Stage: 13th & Locust, Philadelphia | 215 875-9288

Jade Starling, Chad Lewine, etc. perform | www.phillypride.org

BlondieWed, Oct 9 | 8 PM | Count Basie Theatre

99 Monmouth Street | Red Bank, NJ | 732-842-9000

THE LITTLE BOX OF CONCERTS™ GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!

CHALLENGE The Newsletter of the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County

Serving New Jersey’s GLBTI Communities Continuously Since 1972

Volume 39, Issue 6, Summer 2013

GAAMC Events for September 2013

Discussion GroupsOpenTalk: A regular weekly discussion group, open to all. 7:00, in the Library. Moderators: Elias (Sep 16); Gordon (Sep 2, 16); Kerry (Sep 16, 23); Sherri (Sep 9, 16, 23).

Main EventsAll start at 8:00 unless otherwise noted.

September 2: Labor Day!  GAAMC continues it's tradition of the family cookout!  We provide burgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, and buns, with all the condiments you could want, and YOU provide your specialty!  Is it your soon-to-be famous macaroni salad?  Baked beans?  Broccoli slaw? Or perhaps you're a dessert chef and will bring cream puffs, home-made cookies, or ambrosia!  See us on Monday nights in August to tell us what you'll bring, or leave us a message on Facebook or at Socials@GAAMC.org so we can plan.

September 9: GAAMC's 41st Anniversary! In September 1972, four young friends formed a group that is still making strides in LGBT equality today!  Join Mickey Suiter and GAAMC to learn how it all began!  There will be a special archives presentation as well.

September 16: Women Only / Men Only Space — the Autumn edit ion! Welcome to an evening where extended Open Talk f e a t u r e s e x c l u s i v e gender-only space.  There are some topics that are unique to women and some that are unique to men, and this is our evening to celebrate and discuss those topics.  As always, Open Talk discussion groups start promptly at 7:00!

September 23: It's time again It's time again for

the fabulous $1.98 Beauty Pageant!  Join Mr. Scarlett O'Hara, our esteemed Mistress of Ceremonies, and our panel of judges as they determine who will reign as King or Queen for 2014!  Men often dress like women, and women like men in this fantastic gender bending evening.  Need more information?  Ask Charlie Murphy or Sherri Rase any Monday night.  They'll get you registered — all you have to do is supply the GORGEOUS!

September 30: Sochi 2014 and LGBTI Rights Russia's most recent escalation of Human Rights violence and intolerance is not new, but it's getting more poisonous.  Come discuss your opinions and share some facts with GAAMC's members and guests.  If you have no idea what we're talking about, come listen and become a part of what's happening.

Coming in October!October 7: A presentation on meningitis awareness and prevention, presented by Dr. Joel Mazlow, Chief of Infectious Disease, Morristown Memorial Hospital

October 14: GAAMC's First International Food Festival! If you enjoyed having the Board cook and serve Italian food to you at Pastabilities, you'll love expanding your palate with the best of foods from around the world! NOTE: This will be a special fundraiser for GAAMC, with an admission charge of $10 for all attendees.

Challenge Online is in color with clickable links! At issuu.com/gaamc/docs

Inside Challenge

Challenge ................................Information.... page 2..............................................GAAMC Events page 2

Bulletin Board.............................................. page 3...............................2013 New Jersey Elections page 3

Getting Personal: classified ads........................ page 3Gleanings: .... Queer news from around the world page 4Gleanings Extra: .........Winter Olympics roundup page 6

......................................Community Calendar page 7...............................Tech Treats: App-solutely page 9

Good Eats! .........................................recipes page 9................................This Month's Contributors page 9

Dancing to Architecture: music reviews............ page 10The Little Box of Concerts............................. page 12

......................Board Minutes for June and July page 13......................................GAAMC Information page 14

CHALLENGEVolume 39, Number 7

September 2013ISSN 0277-1675

Staff.....................Editor Allen Neuner

.............Assistant Editor Bill Stella.............Advertising Manager open.............Circulation Manager open

................List Manager Sue Harris

SubmissionsThe deadline for all articles, in-serts, and advertisements is the fifteenth of the previous month. All submissions must be provided as electronic files. E-mail submissions to Challenge @ GAAMC.org.

Ad RatesSingle issue: Full page, $125.00; Half page, $85.00; Quarter page, $45.00; Business card, $25.00. For multi-issue rates, contact the Edi-tor at Challenge @ GAAMC.org.

GAAMC members may place one free classified ad per month, of no more than 200 characters in length.

Change of AddressPlease let us know your new ad-dress! All address changes should be sent to the List Manager at ChangeAddress@GAAMC.org.

Challenge is © 2013-2014 by the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt not-for-profit cor-poration. All rights reserved. All arti-cles reflect the views of the original contributors and do not necessarily re-flect the opinions or policies of GAAMC, its officers, or executive board. All copyrights revert to the original con-tributors upon publication. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the contributor. All articles, contri-butions, and advertisements are printed at the discretion of the Editor and/or GAAMC Executive Board.

Dancing To Architectureappears in every issue of

GAAMC CHALLENGE. These are selections from the current issue.

Easton Mountain (a gay spirit camp)by Tony Puma, © 2013

I.

The Fairies blew in from the east.Aquarius and Rose Bud and Tiger Lilly.

Androgynous in appearanceand fluid in movement,at peace with the floraand fauna around them.

Passively challenging thosewho did not understand nor do not meld with thespirit of the Earth.

II.

Bill and I blew in from the south.Confident and comfortable in ourGay masculinity.

Donning sarongs and multi-coloredvolunteer hats, magic marked,‘Emily Dickinson’ for meand ‘Macklemore’, for Bill.

Assuming faux identities tobeg the question of music and poetry.

Becoming outside ourselvesto view the scene via a poets eye.

III.

Those who questioned, came.Those who sought, came.Those who hurt, came.

The Wizard was waiting for us allon this magic mountain.

The questions, answered.The seekers, found.The hurt, healed.

An ecstatic self-awarenessvia community.

IV.

The spirit yields to the fleshin the form of a New York StateDepartment of Health van.

H.I.V. testing for the community.

The lab technician,who was about to draw my blood,had one final question:“Are you Male or Female?”

©TPuma/MMXIII

Why "Activist" Is Part of Our Nameby Andy Skurna

Most recently, world news has provided a flood of LGBTI and civil rights related news. From the soaring heights of the Supreme Court’s gutting of DOMA, to the crushing lows of a 70% increase in gay-bashing crimes in New York City, to the stupefying tragedies throughout Rus-sia, Ecuador, and the continent of Africa, there is so much happening around us that it can be challenging to keep informed, and it feels like it is damned-near impossible to take action when necessary.

All too often, our society responds in the least thoughtful, but most sensational and superfluous ways. The most recent example is the call to dump vodka with Russian sounding names. It seemed the en-tire LGBTI universe was out to dump the libation they had already bought and paid for, and agreed to not buy more. That’s a dramatic and appealing call to action, until you examine its pathetic reach. The USA imports less than $60 million worth of Russian vodkas per year. However, we import more than $29 billion in crude oil products. But no one called for a boycott of Russian oil or gasoline; no one called for a boycott of Russian watches or Russian-mined or -manu-factured gemstones, even though those stones cost more than $858 million. Nope, instead the LGBT community has one focus…booze.

The other major push against the Russian Orthodox Church’s puppet, Vladimir Putin, is a call to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics. Has any-one calculated the cost to the LGBT community that such a move would trigger? Hundreds of athletes from the US alone, with family, friends, trainers, clothing, equipment and travel sponsors and all their employees would all be asked to give up on their dreams, and waste billions of dollars to stand up for 5% to 6% minority of the population, which would make up perhaps 1% or 2% of the field of competitors.

Upon Trayvon Martin’s assassination on the streets of Sanford, Florida, before any evidence or facts were presented, everyone ran to their closets or local Wal-Mart to don a hoodie. How this helped anyone is far beyond my comprehension. When I protested against the rush to judgment or the lack of purpose, some called me a rac-ist. Some said I couldn’t possibly understand, blinded by my own white privilege. Eighteen months after the event and our mindless reaction, I ask the same question: How did putting on a hoodie help anyone? George Zimmerman walked away, and is driving the high-ways and byways of the USA toting a gun; Trayvon Martin is still dead; and so far not one “Stand Your Ground” law has been over-turned (though some are being reevaluated). Millions of people put on hoodies and prayed at vigils, but who was holding lawmakers’ feet to the coals? Apparently, no one.

After the umpteenth domestic mass shooting, the one in New-town, Connecticut, that resulted in the loss of 20 children and 6 adults, people took to social media outlets and raged against the NRA and the mindless and spineless legislators the NRA bought and paid for. It seemed for a few months that some change might actu-ally happen. But that was not the case. Despite an overwhelming majority of the US population, which some surveys put near 80%, in favor of action being taken, NOTHING happened. Oh, wait, that’s not correct. Connecticut’s legislative bodies passed laws to increase

censorship on the media so that they couldn’t display photos of the slain children; and the town has decided to tear down the elemen-tary school and spend $58 million to build a new one. That’s something, right?

We recently held a ridiculous and wasteful special primary election here in New Jersey. The winners were both the first names that come to mind from each party. My understanding is that Newark Mayor Cory Booker received nearly 60% of the Democratic vote. The field of Democratic candidates was stellar, with two active and experienced Congressmen and the Speaker of the State Assembly, yet virtually no one did the research to evaluate their campaigns. Why would I say this? When you look at the experience and credentials of all six candidates, the least worthy, but most moneyed, took the overwhelming majority of votes in both parties. This, to me, does NOT signify they are the best. To me it only signifies that we have once again donned our hoodies, dumped our vodka, and were herded like mindless sheeple to the polls.

There are similar activism and awareness battles playing out across our nation. Topics such as the war on women’s reproductive rights; the battle of the 99% to survive the greed of the 1%; the exportation of religion-driven hatred and abuse against LGBTI’s; the push to keep as many ethnic minorities, young, and poor people away from the polls as possible; the effort to keep the minimum wage decades behind where it should be; the proliferation of genetically manufac-tured organisms into our food stream; and the greed-driven efforts to allow fracking everywhere and to build an international pipeline to haul toxic sludge across our country to benefit Canada’s 1% (and our legislators who use insider trading to buy and trade shares in such companies), are all getting to be too much. It has to stop. Something, even just one of these manufactured battles, has to stop.

I read an article today saying Politifact found Michelle Bachmann to have the worst record for truth, The holy-roller, Tea Party dar-ling, married to a man obsessed with gay sex, scored between “mostly false” and “pants on fire” approximately 75% of the time. Yet she remains popular. She is still raking in millions. This, my friends, is a sign the world is upside down. The Bachmann’s can travel the nation, with all their rights, all their wealth, lying to the world and ruining lives, but nothing stops them or even slows them down. But let two men walk past Madison Square Garden holding hands and they risk their lives.

Maybe we need to find a new Curtis Sliwa, someone who could rally a gang of vigilantes to take to the streets and subways, the LGBT hangouts, the gun shows, the health clinics, and the halls of state legislative bodies throughout our land. Maybe it’s time for a redesigned ACT-UP! Maybe if we wore “Gay + NRA” t-shirts on dates it would intimidate (or at least confuse) would be attackers. I don’t know what it will take. But something is needed, something with greater planning and impact than dumping vodka and wearing hood-ies. Don’t get me wrong, there is surely an impact in these mass appeals. I have made acquaintances throughout Europe and Africa, and of course all over the USA. We have a great network for sharing information (and usually anger, with the occasional victory), but for the most part we still lack the power to effect positive and perma-nent change.

September 2013 CHALLENGE Page 5

2013 New Jersey ElectionsGuide to Dates and Facts

compiled by Bill Stella

New Jersey voters have a Special Election upcoming this October, as well as the General Election this November which includes the race for Governor. Voters must keep track of the following key dates:

• September 24 is the voter registration deadline for the special election for US Senate.

• October 15, the day before the Special Senate Election, is the deadline to register for the General Election.

• October 16 is the day of the Special Election for US Senate.

•October 29 by mail and November 4 in person are the deadlines to apply for General Election mail-in ballots.

•At last comes November 5, Election Day, when the voters will choose a governor, all 120 members of the Legislature, and assorted local officials and school board members.

Source: http://www.nj.com/times-opinion/index.ssf/2013/06/amick_special_election_special.html

Getting PersonalA BIG HOWDY to erstwhile GAAMC member Bob Thayer, now living near Albany, who I met at the Queer Music Festival. Bob WON a weekend at EASTON MOUNTAIN RESORT by entering a raffle benefitting Easton's free-to-LGBT-youth arts programs. Hey, you never know. Learn more about their programs at EastonMountain.org —Bill Stella

ESCALATOR MUSIC by SWELO

Page 6 CHALLENGE September 2013

LOVE OF PIC! Why are these pictures here? No reason. I just love 'em.