LETTER
Meeting Growing Need For HIV/AIDS Care Is
At The Heart of DOWN & DERBY Gala by Dave VanderPol, Executive Editor
A group of nine dedicated volunteers
have been working hard for several months
to organize a very special Derby Party.
Proceeds from the 2nd Annual DOWN
& DERBY gala will go to meet the urgent
and growing health needs in Kentuckiana
experienced by persons infected and affected
by HIV/AIDS, a need that state and federal
funds have not been meeting. In fact, the
gap continues to widen between the need
for care and government funds available to
provide it.
Down & Derby committee member Ren
Scheuerman explained that proceeds from
the event will be divided between all of the
agencies that benefit from the Louisville AIDS
Walk and for the University of Louisville’s
WINGS Clinic, which also receives funding
from the Walk. “The WINGS Clinic will
receive 75% of the profits and the Louisville
AIDS Walk will receive 25%”, Scheuerman
explained.
DOWN & DERBY, like all fabulous
Kentucky Derby celebrations, will attract
its share of celebrities, including Victoria
Parker, from Ru Paul’s Drag Race, and the
Derby City Rollergirls. The Perry Twins,
twin brothers both of whom just happen
to be gay, will DJ the dance portion of the
evening.
VOLUME 21, ISSUE 4 • APRIL 2010
DOWN & DERBY 2010 will take place
Saturday, May 1 at the historic Water Tower
(just north of the intersection of Zorn
Avenue at River Road), beginning at 8:00pm.
Admission is $30.00 (cash, at the door), with
a reasonably priced cash bar available. For
more information call (502) 592-3330 or
visit www.louisvilledownandderby.com.
Scheuerman noted that Kentucky also
has the second highest number of patients
waiting for medications. “The money we
raise helps bridge this gap until they are
covered under a variety of programs. The
wait to get meds can be very long, therefore
the patients need immediate assistance to get
them on anti-retrovirals to help suppress the
Viral Load and increase the CD4 (T-cells).”
In 2009 the clinic treated 1,348 patients --
with 184 new patients added during 2009.
Scheuerman and his partner, Travis Lay, got
the ball rolling to organize the first DOWN
& DERBY party last year. Scheuerman,
previously involved with AIDS Volunteers
of Lexington, was shocked to learn that
despite the growing need for the clinic’s
services and lack of adequate government
support, that no previous fundraisers had
been held specifically for the clinic. He
also was disappointed that “most people
living in Louisville had not” even heard of
the clinic. “Therefore, I thought DOWN &
DERBY could help raise awareness of the
WINGS mission, while raising money for
the clinic.”
Deborah Wade, Program Director for
the WINGS Clinic, explains that while the
private, non-profit clinic receives free rent
in the U of L Ambulatory Care Building, the
university does not fund the clinic. Rather
most operating monies come from two
federal grants. Wade explains that the “two
federal grants are specifically for medical
care for HIV-positive individuals and
support services for their affected family
members. We provide the same quality of
Deborah Wade
care for everyone across the board – insured,
underinsured and uninsured.”
The number of new patients added to
WINGS each year for the past five years has
averaged 200. Despite the clinic’s growing
caseload, federal funding has not increased
for nearly six years. Along with an increase
in new patients each year, the percentage of
patients with no insurance also continues to
increase.
Wade noted that the clinic is “using
funding from the Louisville AIDS Walk and
what grant money we have to cover the cost
of co-pays, meds and lab bills but this money
goes fast. We have already, in the month of
March, spent all of our federal grant dollars
(See DOWN & DERBY GALA, continued on pg 11) Ren Scheuerman
 Your Help Is Needed To SAVE KISH! Details On Page 17.

This Derby, leave the

back stretch to us!
Highland Chiropractic
Dr. Charles E. Copeland, DC


1525 Bardstown Road, Louisville
One Block South of Eastern Parkway
www.HighlandC hiropractic.com

2 THE LETTER WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM APRIL 2010

APRIL 2010 WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM THE LETTER 3
 www.theletteronline.com
Post Office Box 7842
Louisville, KY 40257
(502) 322-4632
Founded in June 1990 by
Jeffrey Goldsmith &
Humphrey Marshall
EXECUTIVE EDITOR/WEBMASTER
ADVERTISING & DISTRIBUTION:
Dave VanderPol: (502) 322-4632
editor@theletteronline.com
With an estimated readership of over 14,000,
THE LETTER is distributed throughout the
seven state region of Kentucky, Indiana,
Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois, & Missouri
REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS
Cubbie Britches
Marie Davis
Bryan Gatewood
James Hensley
Christy Ikner
Eric Jost
Michael Kimmel
Bryn Marlow
Beth Ann Rubin
Brian Rzepczynski
David Williams
Hazel Zimmerman
Publication of the name, photograph or
likeness of any person, organization, or
business in articles or advertising in
THE LETTER or on its companion
website is not to be construed as an
indication of the sexual orientation of
such person, organization or business.
THE LETTER assumes no
responsibility for unsolicited
materials submitted for publication.
THE LETTER reserves the right
to edit or reject any advertisement.
© 2010, The Letter News
All rights reserved.
MAY 2010 DEADLINES
Press releases and Regional
Calendar items must be received
no later than
Friday, April 9, 2010.
Advertising reservations must be
received no later than
Friday, April 16, 2010.
All items should be sent to
editor@theletteronline.com.
4 THE LETTER
CDC Report: Disturbingly
High Infection Rates
Among Gay Men
On March 10, at the National STD
Prevention Conference that took place in
Atlanta, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) released new data that
underscore the nation's ongoing struggle
to halt the spread of HIV and sexually
transmitted diseases in the United States.
The data indicate that rates of HIV
infection among gay men and other men who
have sex with men (MSM) are more than 44
times higher than rates among heterosexual
men and more than 40 times higher than
women. Rates of syphilis, an STD that can
facilitate HIV infection and if left untreated,
may lead to sight loss and severe damage to
the nervous system, are reported to be more
than 46 times higher among gay men and
other MSM than among heterosexual men
and more than 71 times higher than among
women.
"These rates, when coupled with existing
data indicating that gay and bisexual men
make up the majority of new HIV and
syphilis infections, are further evidence
that prevention for gay and bisexual men
of all races must be our highest priority at
all levels," said Julie Scofield, Executive
Director of the National Alliance of State
and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD).
"It is time to value the lives of gay men in
our communities. They are fathers, brothers,
sons, uncles, colleagues and friends, and it
is time to fight for their lives," continued
Scofield.
Despite the high rates revealed in the
data released today, federal support for HIV
and STD prevention has faltered. Over the
last decade, federal funding for domestic
HIV prevention to health departments has
been cut by $23 million and STD prevention
efforts, when adjusted for inflation, have
PFLAG Scholarship Dinner Features Concert
The community is invited to enjoy
a delicious meal, listen to a popular
GLBT vocal group and, in the process,
provide support the Scholarship Fund
of the Metro Louisville
chapter of Parents &
Friends of Lesbians and
Gays (PFLAG). The
organization’s annual
Bruce and Margaret
Lincoln Scholarship
Awards Banquet will take
place Sunday, April 18 at
First Lutheran Church, 417
East Broadway.
Doors will open at
5:00pm with appetizers.
Dinner, complete with scrumptious
desserts, will be served starting at 5:30.
The four recipients of this year’s Metro
Louisville PFLAG scholarships will be
WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM
The 10th Annual ACLU/Fairness Campaign Dinner, held Saturday, March 20
in the Viewpoint Room at the Muhammad Ali Center in downtown Louisville,
attracted a large crowd to celebrate the strategic partnership between the
Kentucky chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and Louisville's
Fairness Campaign.” (Photo courtesy of Fairness Campaign.)
22 percent less funding compared to seven are experiencing critical health problems. In
years ago. gay communities, men who do not access
"This new data is a clarion call to deal health care may not know they are infected
with the persistent neglect of the health of with HIV or an STD, thus compromising
gay and bisexual men across the country," their own health status. The persistence of
said William Smith, Executive Director of stigma and homophobia compounds the
the National Coalition of STD Directors situation still further.
(NCSD). "Thankfully, the President In this time of economic decline, health
(Obama) has recognized the situation and departments and their communities are
called for increased resources for HIV and bending under the weight of these public
STD prevention efforts for MSM. Now it health crises. NASTAD and NCSD call on
is Congress' turn and they need to expand policy makers across the U.S. to provide
upon the President's request." leadership to stop the unnecessary spread
According to the U.S. Department of of HIV and STDs by ensuring all gay men
Health and Human Services, men as a whole have access to preventive services, know
are less likely to use the health care system their status and, when positive, are linked
than women and often seek care when they to quality care and treatment.
announced following dinner. Thanks
to generous community support of last
year’s dinner, an additional scholarship
is being awarded this year. Entertainment
following dinner will be
provided by Inner Voices, a
vocal ensemble comprised
of members of Voices of
Kentuckiana community
chorus.
A minimum donation
of $10.00 to support the
Scholarship Fund will be THIS IS NEWS? As you probably know
collected at the door, with
100% of proceeds funding
by now, singer RICKY MARTIN came
next year's scholarships. out in late March. Not since Nathan
These scholarships are Lane, Clay Aiken and Sean Hayes
awarded to students who are active in came out have we been so shocked!
supporting and promoting the PFLAG
mission of education, enlightenment and
Pardon us while we pick ourselves up
advocacy in our GLBT community. off the floor and let out a big yawn.
APRIL 2010
New GLBT Tennis Club in Louisville
The Tennis Alliance of Louisville
Kentucky (TALK) is a new sports group in
the Kentuckiana region and they are looking
for new members. TALK membership is
open to all adults who
endorses and subscribes
to the group’s mission. All
players and friends – from
beginners to experts – are
welcome.
TALK is a non-profit
organization devoted to
developing tennis and
social activities among the
GLBT community, while
promoting volunteerism
and charitable giving. The
club's mission is to create
an environment which fosters fellowship
and promotes healthy competition among
tennis players in the Kentuckiana GLBT
community, while providing members with
the opportunity to socialize and play tennis
with persons sharing common interests.
Volunteer opportunities with various
GLBT charities & service organizations are
also part of the club's mission.
TALK's signature event
is the Bluegrass Tennis
Open held over July 4th
weekend at the University
of Louisville's Bass-
Rudd tennis Center. The
tournament is an officially
sanctioned stop on the
national Gay and Lesbian
Tennis Alliance tour (www.
glta.net.), with proceeds
benefiting the House of
Ruth.
To learn more about
TALK and to become a member, visit www.
talktennisclub.com. Members receive free
or discounted entry to most club events
including tennis socials, ladder leagues and
doubles leagues.

Warm Up With A Festive Luau

After a long, cold, dreary winter here in Kentuckiana, aren’t you
ready for those sunny days, cool breezes, and an ocean of fun? Then
plan on being at an unforgettable Luau evening at Metropolitan
Community Church of Louisville on Saturday, April 24. The cost
of admission is a cash donation in any amount, payable at the
door. The church is located at 1432 Highland Avenue.
The Luau feast will begin at 6:00pm, followed by a time of
family fun, including a craft table for the kids and contests for
the adults, including limbo, hula hoop, corn hole, and other merry
activities.
There will be plenty of photo opportunities. In fact, the church’s
Photo Club will take your picture against a festive background or
your face atop a beautiful hula dancer. Prints will be available
before you leave that evening.
There will be entertainment for all to enjoy, including a brief
period of enticing performances. Then you can dance the night
away to a variety of music.
There will be door prizes, as well as a raffle for several special
items.
To reserve your spot at the dinner portion of the luau,
please sned your name and names of others in your party to
MCCLuau2010@aol.com.

DIET COKE GUZZLING ACTIVIST

HEADING TO LAW SCHOOL Kyle
Riggs, who for the past year has
done an awesome job in his work
as Administrative Coordinator at
Louisville’s Fairness Campaign, is
about to head off to law school. With
his resignation effective mid-June,
Kyle will be moving so he can begin
studies at the Sandra Day O'Connor
School of Law at Arizona State
University. We wish him well and
salute him for his hard work while at
Fairness. We are never cease to be
amazed at how many 12 ounce cans of
Diet Coke he can consume in one day!
And with his hourglass, statuesque
figure, who would have thought that
Kyle was drinking “DIET” anything?
APRIL 2010 WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM THE LETTER 5

Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Coming out? Don’t face it alone!
PFLAG is for more than just for parents,
families and friends. We’re also here for you!
SUPPORT EDUCATION ADVOCACY
We meet the Third Sunday of the month at 3:00pm at
First Lutheran Church, 417 East Broadway.
Use the west entrance closest to the alley.
Questions? Leave a confidential message and
one of our members will return your call.
(502) 329-0229.
6 THE LETTER
“Solid First Step”: Revised Regulations
For Don't Ask, Don't Tell Introduced
Servicemembers United (www.
servicemembersunited.org), the nation's
largest organization of gay and lesbian troops
and veterans, hailed today's announcement
by the Secretary of Defense that regulations
regarding the implementation of the "Don't
Ask, Don't Tell" policy would be revised to
reflect a fairer application of the law.
"The changes announced today by
Secretary Gates constitute a solid first step to
help reign in many of the abuses of the policy
that have become common practice over
the past seventeen years," said Alexander
Nicholson, a former U.S. Army interrogator
who was discharged under 'Don't Ask, Don't
Tell' and the current Executive Director of
Servicemembers United. "These changes are
by no means a substitute for
full legislative repeal of the law this year,
but they are certainly a good start."
The announced revisions include raising
the level of the officer who is authorized to
initiate discharge proceedings for enlisted
personnel to at least a one-star general or
admiral and barring the use of third-party,
confidential, or non-credible information
about a service member's sexual orientation
as a basis for discharge.
In a move that has also concerned
servicemember advocates, the Secretary of
Defense went on to voice his opinion that
Congress should not exercise its prerogative
to repeal the law on which "Don't Ask,
Don't Tell" is based until after the Pentagon
Working Group completes its study of
repeal-related issues. On this, Nicholson
added, "The study group that Secretary Gates
has commissioned is tasked with providing
Ugandan Activist Discusses Harm
Caused By U.S. Fundamentalists
Frank Musgisha,
the spokesperson
for Uganda s
leading sexual
minority rights
organization
( S e x u a l
Minorities
Uganda),
toured the
United States
during the last
week of March
to speak about
the human
rights crisis
currently facing
GLBT Ugandans and the role
conservative religious forces from
the United States have played in that
crisis. As of press time, Musgisha was
scheduled to appear at public events in
New York City, Boston, and Washington,
DC.
While homosexuality is already illegal
in Uganda, a new anti-homosexuality bill
currently under consideration could inflict
penalties as severe as execution for being
gay or lesbian and would provide for the
WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM
recommendations to the Secretary on how
to effectively implement a new policy of
allowing open service by gays and lesbians,
and it is intended to be completely internal
to the Department of Defense. The results of
this study are not necessary for Congress to
go ahead and lock in repeal of the law this
year, especially if repeal is scheduled to take
effect after the study group finishes its work.
Lawmakers should trust the military to
successfully implement any policy change
with which it is tasked."
In February, the Secretary of Defense and
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
testified before the Senate Armed Services
Committee that they now support the
President's goal of repealing the "Don't Ask,
Don't Tell" law. They joined a growing list
of others who now support allowing open
gays and lesbians to serve in the military,
including former Secretary of Defense and
Vice President Dick Cheney, former Joint
Chiefs Chairmen General John Shalikashvili
and General Colin Powell, and former
Marine Corps Commandant General Jim
Jones, among many others.
For the latest information polling, statistics,
studies, and other archival and reference
information related to the "Don't Ask, Don't
Tell" issue visit www.dadtarchive.org.
Servicemembers United, a non-profit and
non-partisan organization, is the nation's
largest organization of gay and lesbian
troops and veterans and their allies. Based
in Washington, DC, Servicemembers United
actively engages in education, advocacy,
and lobbying on issues affecting the gay
military, veteran, and defense community.
imprisonment of friends or
family members who fail
to report their GLBT loved
ones. Well-known U.S.
evangelicals have been
discovered to
have been
involved in
the legislation
in Uganda as
well as similar
initiatives
in Kenya and
Nigeria.
Musgisha
was among
the first gay
Ugandans to
come out publicly
and to fight for
the recognition of
GLBT rights in Uganda. He
has been arrested, threatened and
discriminated against but continues his
advocacy, working internationally with
religious leaders and diplomatic missions
not only to stop the latest anti-homosexuality
bill, but to also restore full rights for all
sexual minorities in Uganda and elsewhere.
APRIL 2010
Brooks Fund Project Collects Recollections
Of Middle Tennessee GLBT life
by Joe Morris, Out & About Newspaper
The past soon will become a part of the
future for Nashville's GLBT community,
thanks to a documentary detailing the
community's struggles and triumphs over
the years.
The Brooks Fund History Project is a
multimedia historical and archival project
that, when finished, will be folded into
the Nashville Public Library's special
collections, which includes oral histories,
footage, photos and more on most every fact
of Middle Tennessee life.
The idea for the documentary came out
of several discussions within the GLBT
community and its leaders regarding a need
to chronicle and preserve the past, and to
showcase the evolution of gay and lesbian
lives in this area over the last century, give
or take a decade. While many may think that
gay life here is fairly repressive, it's nothing
compared to how things were in the 1950s,
for example, and that's worth noting, said
Iris Buhl, a community volunteer and chair
of the project's steering committee.
"We are fortunate to have been able to
collect a really wide variety of people to
speak with us so far," Buhl said. "We hope
to have 25 interviews when we are finished,
and so far we have 14 individuals, and 17
total if you count the couples."
Buhl and the committee, which includes
author John Bridges, producer/writer
Deidre Duker, attorney James Mathis,
Vanderbilt professor Dr. Roger Moore
and also Dr. Dan Cornfield, director of the
Vanderbilt Institute for Nashville Studies,
have spent more than a year so far working
on interviews and also raising money for
the production. There's no set timeline for
finishing, but there's a bit of pressure to
wrap things up if only because of the age of
some participants.
"The whole thing continues to evolve,"
Buhl said. "We originally didn't plan on doing
Cartoonist Hosting Party:
Buy A Subscription & Make New Friends
Marie Davis, the talented creator of the
KISSES cartoon, and her business partner
Margaret, are hosting a Subscription
Party on the evening of Friday, April 23rd
at a location in the Original Highlands
neighborhood of Louisville. In addition
to this newspaper, the popular lesbian
cartoon KISSES is distributed in several
other countries, including Belize, France
and parts of the former Soviet Union.
The purpose of the party is to have a
good time making new friends while
supporting your community-focused
GLBT newspaper, THE LETTER. Those
attending the evening will have the
opportunity to purchase a subscription,
for the 20th Anniversary price of just
$20.00 per year. Door prizes will be
awarded throughout the evening,
courtesy of our advertisers.
For more information or to make reservations, write to mmmarie1961@
aol.com or marie@theletteronline.com. Reservations are requested by Tuesday, April 20.
APRIL 2010
community-observer interviews, but we've
done two of those with John Seigenthaler
and John Egerton. We also didn't plan on
couples, but it became apparent in some of
the stories that those partnerships needed
to be captured. But it's not like we can just
go round up a few more people and wrap
this thing up; I think we'll know when we're
done, though."
Buhl is quick to thank Donna Nicely,
director of the Nashville Public Library, as
well as library board chair Margaret Ann
Robinson and others there for being not
only being willing to, but very enthusiastic
about, housing the project.
"You couldn't ask for anyone more
enlightened and supportive of community
activities, and about the kinds of things that
need to be in a collection, than Donna," she
said. "She and Margaret Ann were a dream;
I feared we would get resistance when I
trotted in there, and they were nothing but
glad to have us."
The community itself is enthusiastic as
well, and Buhl hopes that translates into
more requests for inclusion in the interview
process, as well as the donation or use of
books, audio- and videotapes, newspapers
and other media materials that can be
copied, filmed and otherwise included in
the final project. But it's the people, she says,
that have already set the tone for the piece.
"Talking to us has been an act of courage
for every person," Buhl said. "Many have
to ponder whether they can be involved,
whether they can speak out about how
things were, or are. This is not a process
that you can rush, and people have been
remarkable about their participation."
For more information, visit thebrooksfund.
org.
This article Copyright 2010, Out & About
Newspaper. All rights reserved, Reprinted
with permission.
WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM THE LETTER 7
 April 23 - 25
SWIMMING POOL
OPENING WEEKEND
Tiki Tiki Dance Party
April 30 - May 2
CINCO DE MAYO
WEEKEND
Fiesta Dance Party
Mexican food,
Margaritas & More! &M^L
MA>
¤
May 14 - 16 "QI>KB>G<>
DADDYS &
ADMIRERS WEEKEND
May 27 - 31 3&."9


*OD
MEMORIAL DAY 7PJDF



WEEKEND '"9



Book early for your XXX.BSL&OHMBOEDPN
favorite room or RV site

Bryan Gatewood
Attorney

Attorneys and Counselors at Law

PROUDLY SERVING OUR COMMUNITY FOR NEARLY A DECADE.

502.584.3300
231 South Fifth Street, Suite 200
Family Law • Estate Planning • Professional Small Business
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8 THE LETTER WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM APRIL 2010


RegionalCalendar
Items of interest to the GLBT community are listed for FREE from non-profit community
organizations, support and social groups. We also publicize events sponsored by businesses and
professionals currently advertising in THE LETTER.
Please send details at least four weeks in advance of your event. Contact: Dave VanderPol:
editor@TheLetterOnline.com. Be sure type “Regional Calendar” in the subject line of your
message!
3rd Sundays
3:00pm. Metro Louisville chapter of Parents, Family
& Friends of Lesbians and Gays. First Lutheran
Church, 417 East Broadway. For more information
call (502) 329-0229 or write pflaglouisville@yahoo.
com. Confidentiality respected.
Every Monday
7:00pm. Movie Mania at Gay & Lesbian Community
Center of Cincinnati, 4119 Hamilton Avenue. Free.
For movie titles click on the icon for the GLBT
Calendar page at www.glbtcentercincinnati.com.
Every Monday
7:00pm. Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus practice at
Eternal Joy Metropolitan Community Church,
2382 Kennedy Avenue. For more information write
DtnGayMensChorus@aol.com.
Every Tuesday
2:45pm. GLBT Mental Health Issues Support Group
at The Recovery Center, 2340 Auburn Avenue,
Cincinnati. (513) 241-1411.
6:00 - 8:00pm. Louisville Fairness Campaign
Volunteer Meet-Up at 2263 Frankfort Avenue. For
more information call Kyle (502) 893-0788 or write
fairness@fairness.org.
6:30pm. Triangle Martial Arts Association: Tae
Kwon Do training for GLBT community. Beginners
& experienced welcome. For location write: m_
fearnow@yahoo.com.
7:30pm. Women’s Tuesday Night Coming Out Group
at Off The Avenue, 1546 Knowlton Street, Cincinnati.
(513) 535-2517.
1st & 3rd Thursdays
7:00pm. Gay Men’s Support Group meets at
Metropolitan Community Church of Louisville, 1432
Highland Avenue.
Every 3rd Friday
7:30pm. “Family-Friendly” Coffeehouse at Day’s
Coffee Shop, Bardstown Road at Edenside Avenue in
Louisville. Music and readings, organized by Marie
Davis, cartoonist for THE LETTER.
SAVE THE DATE!
THE LETTER’s 20th Anniversary
Dinner/Dance Celebration.
Friday, June 11. 7:30 – 10:30pm.
Location & other details in our May issue!
Mark England www.LouisvilleGayInfo.com
Selling Louisville's Most DIVERSE Neighborhoods
APRIL 2010
sponsored by Mark England
Wednesdays: April 7 & May 5
7:00pm. Crossport Crossdresser Support Group,
Cincinnati. (513) 919-4850.
Tuesdays: April 13 & May 11
7:00pm. Cincinnati PFLAG meeting. Mount Auburn
Presbyterian Church, 103 William Howard Taft Road.
For more information call (513) 721-7900.
Tuesdays: April 13 & May 11
7:30pm Dayton PFLAG Monthly Meeting. 667
Miamisburg-Centerville Road (Centerville). For more
information call: (937) 640-3333.
Saturdays: April 17 & May 15
8:00pm. Monthly meeting of Sienna, transgender
support group in Louisville. For location leave a
message: (502) 894-1048. For general information
about the group visit www.tg-sienna.org.
Sunday, April 18
Metro Louisville PFLAG Scholarship Dinner.
Doors open at 5:00pm with dinner being served
starting at 5:30. First Lutheran Church, 417 East
Broadway. Your donation of $10.00 or more will fund
scholarships that will be awarded next spring.
Wednesdays: April 21
6:30pm. Indy Bi-Versity, confidential discussion
group. For more information, including the meeting
location, write: indybiversity@yahoo.com.
April 23 - 25
Swimming Pool Opening Weekend, featuring a
poolside Tiki Tiki Dance Party Saturday night
at Timberfell Lodge, Greenville, TN. For more
information visit www.timberfell.com. For
reservations call (800) 437-0118.
Saturday, May 1
8:00pm – 4:00. 2nd Annual DOWN & DERBY Party.
Fundraiser for Louisville AIDS Walk and WINGS
Clinic. Water Tower, just north of the intersection
of Zorn Avenue at River Road. Admission:
$30.00, cash at door. For more information: www.
louisvilledownandderby.com.
May 27 - 31
Memorial Day Weekend at Timberfell Lodge,
Greenville, TN. Be sure to reserve your room
or RV site early for this popular weekend! For
more information visit www.timberfell.com. For
reservations call (800) 437-0118.
WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM
INCLUSIVE FAITH
COMMUNITIES
Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal)
Journeying Together In Christ
421 South 2nd Street (Downtown)
(502) 587-1354
Sundays: 8:15am (Rite I); 10:00am (Choral Rite II)
Concert & Coral Evensong: 2nd Sundays at 5:00pm
www.christchurchlouky.org
Central Presbyterian Church
Celebrating God’s Wildly Inclusive Love
4th & Kentucky Streets (Old Louisville)
Church School: 9:30am
Sunday Worship: 11:00am (Nursery Provided)
Pastors: D. Mark Baridon & Ann J. Deibert
(502) 587-6935 • www.CentralChurchKY.org
Church of the Advent (Episcopal)
You Are Always Welcome at Advent
901 Baxter Avenue, Louisville (40204)
(Intersection of Cherokee, Baxter & Broadway)
(502) 451-6066
Sundays: 8:30am & 10:30am
Thursday Contemplative Prayer: 7:00pm
www.advent.episcopalky.org
First Unitarian Church
Where Reason & Religion Meet
4th & York Streets, Louisville
Sunday Celebration of Life: 10:55am
Wednesday Chalice Night: 5:30pm
(502) 585-5110 • www.firstulou.org
Metropolitan Community Church
ALL People Are Welcome at the Table
1432 Highland Avenue (Louisville)
(502) 587-6225 • www.mcclouisville.org
Rev. Dee Dale, Pastor
Sunday Morning Worship: 10:30am
Wednesday Evening Worship: 6:00pm
Open Door Community Fellowship
Reaching Out to ALL People
3938 Southern Parkway, Louisville
(502) 893-6323 / Pastor Sherry Roby
www.opendoorcommunityfellowship.com
Sunday: 10:30am & Wednesday: 7:00pm
Progressive Pathways Fellowship
What Path Calls You?
Mellwood Arts & Entertainment
Center / #208 1/2
1860 Mellwood Avenue, Louisville
Sunday Worship & Education: 5:30pm
Wednesday Book Chat: 6:15pm
www.progressivepathways.org
Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church
A Welcoming Congregation,
Standing On The Side Of LOVE!
4936 Brownsboro Road
Louisville, KY 40222
(502) 425-6943 • www.tjuc.org
Sunday Service: 11:00am
Inclusive Faith Communities listings
are welcome from congregations
throughout the six state region served
by THE LETTER. Pre-paid listings cost
$80.00 for six months or $140.00 for one
year. For more information write
editor@theletteronline.com.
THE LETTER 9
 LIBERAL ON THE SAUCE
President Obama, Where Art Thou?
Back in the late 1970s when I was
interviewing gay men in the South
for a book that never got written,
I sat down with one of the earliest
radical faerie groups to get their
stories. I don't remember much
about the interview now except
for one line. Commenting on the
political situation for gays and
lesbians in that day, one of the guys
blurted, "Never trust a liberal!"
Granted, these guys were way
off on the left fringe, so I dismissed
the idea at the time, but I never
forgot it. Over the years I've come
to appreciate it more. While our
only hope continues to lie with
liberal Democrats, damn, they can
be so thin-skinned! That was never
more clear than in the first year of
President Obama's administration.
In 2008, our community gave
that man overwhelming support
because we thought he'd be
pushing to extend federal civil
rights legislation to us (ENDA),
getting rid of that ridiculous
“Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy, and
convincing Congress to rescind
that odious Defense of Marriage
Act. So, OK, here we are 15 months
later, and what progress has been
made?
None, zero, zilch, nada, crap.
Oh, the President has launched
a one-year study on rescinding
“Don't Ask, Don't Tell”, but guess
what? It's not going to be done
until the next Congress is seated.
We could very well be looking
at a Republican-run House of
Representatives that would be
10 THE LETTER
openly hostile not just to getting rid
of that policy, but any legislation
that would in any way, shape or
form help move our human rights
forward.
President Obama, where art
thou?
For that matter, where are our
national LGBT organizations like
the Human Rights Campaign and
the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force? Have they become
just two more Inside the Beltway
cocktail clubs with as much growl
LOUIS PHILPOTT
4033 Taylorsville Road
Louisville, KY 40220
Mobile: (502) 836-1255
FAX: (502) 400-2796
louissellslouisville@gmail.com
WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM
as a paper tiger? Where is their
outrage?
It hasn't been all bad, of course.
Give Congress and the President
credit for signing the Shepard-
Byrd Act, which extends federal
hate crimes protections to us. The
President has also put about 100
members of our community in key
positions in his administration,
though not his Cabinet.
Obama has been good on the
AIDS front as well. Solid funding
for AIDS and needle exchange
Each Office Is Independently Owned & Operated
by David Williams
programs is assured. And
foreigners with AIDS may now
enter this country freely. Since
the 1980s, when that policy was
devised by that North Carolina
senator whose name shall never
be printed in this newspaper, it
had been a blot on this country's
reputation. Good riddance.
However, Democrats since at least
Bill Clinton have used AIDS as a
fallback issue. Whenever we've
bitched about how little attention
they're paying to our causes, they
always point to AIDS funding
and research in an effort to quiet
us. Unfortunately that could be
working again with this President.
Last year during a seminar on
Louisville LGBT history in the 70s,
I told a crowd of students we were
at the dawn of a golden age of
national LGBT legislation. Boy, do
I have a lot of egg on my face now,
and I am not a big fan of eggs.
In the all-important area of basic
human rights, this administration
is virtually a no-show. Unless it
has something up its sleeve before
the summer, you can pretty much
kiss any meaningful federal LGBT
legislation of any kind goodbye
for years, perhaps even decades to
come.
David Williams is the founder of the
Williams-Nichols Institute and the Kentucky
Gay & Lesbian Library and Archives, which
are housed at the University of Louisville’s
Ekstrom Library.
Century 21 Joe Guy Hagan
APRIL 2010
 RADICAL SERENITY

Coming Out: Be Proud Of Who You Are!
In a previous installment of this
column, I pledged that THE LETTER
would organize and publicize events
in observance of National Coming Out
Day 2010. This annual event, celebrated
since 1987, always takes place on
October 11, which this year falls on a
Monday.
The Human Rights Campaign’s
website (www.hrc.org) has excellent
suggestions on what our community
and our allies can do to mark National
Coming Out Day. On a more personal
level, the national
website of Parents, Family & Friends
of Lesbians and Gays (www.pflag.org)
provides excellent resources to help
LGBT persons come out – as well as
resources for family and friends who
also take part in their own “coming out
journey”.
Regarding the local observance of
National Coming Out Day 2010, I’m
looking for at least one dozen volunteers
to be part of an organizational committee
to put together a public event to take
place in the Metro Louisville area.
Additionally, I’m raising money
from advertisers and readers to place
an ad in a mainstream publication
(either in L.E.O. or the Courier-Journal,
depending upon the amount of money
raised) in observance of our local
celebration. The ad will list the names
of all persons (yes, you and me) who
are willing to be publicly listed as being
“OUT”. The cost to have your name
included is $3.00 for a single names
and $5.00 for couples. THE LETTER
will run this ad at no charge, but how
courageous is it to be out ONLY in a
GLBT publication?
Placing a coming out ad in a
by Dave VanderPol, Executive Editor (editor@theletteronline.com)
mainstream news publication, even
though we have to pay for it, certainly
makes sense given the nature of the
event we’re celebrating. For more
information about placing your name
in the ad or to volunteer for our
National Coming Out Day committee,
write:editor@theletteronline.com and in
the subject line be sure to type “Coming
Out Day”.
Since THE LETTER is a regional
publication – proudly serving Kentucky,
Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and
Tennessee – I’m also pledging to make
space to publicize National Coming Out
Day events that will take place outside
the Metro Louisville area. Want to
organize an event in your corner of the
world? Send me your name and e-mail
address to my address listed above and
I’ll list your information to make it easy
for other readers to contact you.
Coming out is a very personal
choice. Apart from closeted anti-gay
politicians, I don’t make it my business
to “out” other individuals, no matter
how sad and frustrated it makes me to
see people ass-deep in denial and fear.
I’m very thankful that senseless and
needless shame can be replaced with a
sense of pride when we allow ourselves
to be real about who we are.
I was reminded recent about the pain
of the closet while checking out gay
personal ads on Craigslist. As usual
when I’m looking at this website, I found
many personal ads containing remarks
that are all-too-typical of internalized
homophobia (e.g., “straight-acting”, “no
fags, just straights guys need respond”,
“no fems”, etc.). But the scariest ad of all
yesterday was from a heterosexually-
married man who offered money for
sex. Scary because he was desperate
enough to pay for sex and because by
mentioning his marital status he placed
himself at risk of being blackmailed.
To think that women or men are
blackmailed in 2010 because of their
sexual orientation is bizarre, but it still
happens. Perhaps closeted folks should
consider that another positive reason
to come out is that it will eliminate a
reason for them to be blackmailed!
Agree or disagree, Dave VanderPol
would love to know your thoughts! Write
to him at editor@theletteronline.com or
call (502) 322-4632.

DOWN & DERBY GALA, cont’d from pg 1

earmarked for medicines for the entire year.”
The State of Kentucky has a waiting list for indigent people who need to access
medicines from the Kentucky AIDS Drug Assistance Program (KADAP), so
medical case managers from WINGS and the Care Coordinator program apply to
pharmaceutical assistance programs in order to obtain free medicines. However
there is often a gap between when the patient needs to begin taking medicines
and when assistance arrives from the drug companies, so the WINGS Clinic
provides medications free of charge until other sources kick in. The monthly cost
for medication averages $1,500 per patient.
The WINGS Clinic provides comprehensive medical care to HIV-positive
individuals in a seven-county area surrounding and including Jefferson County/
Metro Louisville.

Before you sent your first e-mail message…

Before Baxter Avenue Theaters ever showed their first film…
Before the first Queer Eye makeover took place...
Before Joan Noles Turned 30-something...
Before Dave VanderPol owned his
first pair of “bikini underwear for big men”…
THE LETTER was first published!
June 2010: Celebrating 20 Years
of Community Service
(and dozens of colorful pairs of
bikini underwear for big men)

APRIL 2010 WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM THE LETTER 11

 GAY LOVE COACH
A Question & Answer Session
I’m Out, But He’s Not
Q
My partner and I have been
together for 20 years and are very
much in love. We are both very
successful. I am out with friends and
family. He is not out with his family – or at
work. We have a house together. When he
is on the phone I have to remain silent so as
to not be heard. He often gets dragged out
to events after work because nobody knows
he has someone waiting for him. When his
family comes to visit – I move into a hotel
for a night or a few days.
I realize he is operating from a point of
fear. I want to be supportive. However – I
am in my 40’s now - and well I am starting
to feel “invisible” – like I am choking. We
have limited our friends to just a few. He
hates for us to leave the house together for
fear of us being seen together.
I’ve tried to make him see that we need
to “come out” at least a little, but he can’t
take the humiliation. He has spun such
a web now that to “come out” will be
devastating for him and his ‘friends” who
do not know
A
You are definitely in a difficult
situation and your struggles
are commonplace for men
in your particular relationship style.
Generally speaking, it has been
observed that men of similar “levels of
outness” tend to experience less stress
and conflict and tend to report higher
levels of relationship satisfaction than
those couples in discordant identity
arrangements.
For you being the partner with
more comfort and pride in your sexual
identity, it is likely that you often times
feel “held back” by your partner’s
lack of security with himself as you
are limited in the types of things you
can do in public, and even within the
confines of your own support network
with family and friends. As such, it
12 THE LETTER
can feel like you are being forced back
“into the closet” after having worked
so hard over time to claim a positive
self-concept as a gay man.
Conversely, your partner can
feel pressured before he’s ready to
take on situations that are risky and
threatening to him and a perpetual
push/pull dynamic gets set in motion
in these types of relationships that can
make both of you feel overwhelmed,
resentful, and unsupported. Probably
sounds familiar, I bet.
Unfortunately there’s not a whole lot
you can necessarily do on your end for
him. Your partner’s closeted lifestyle
preference is his issue and you can’t
“make” him change his ways, and
it’s solely his responsibility to come
out to others when and if he chooses.
All you can do is communicate your
needs and feelings to him and share
with him your concerns that your
differing levels of “outness” have on
your relationship and what it means
for the two of you moving forward.
You can also encourage slow, gradual,
risk-taking behaviors that the two of
you do together in terms of public
exposure as a gay couple, but again
you can only solicit these suggestions
to him and he will ultimately choose
whether this is something he’s willing
to forego.
It will be important for you to
determine for yourself how much
stock you place in this particular value
for your happiness. Is it a negotiable
or non-negotiable deal-breaker need
for you to be in a relationship with
someone who is as “out” as you are?
If your partner were to never “come
out of the closet”, would you be able
to spend the rest of your life in a
relationship such as this knowing you
would have to continue living with
certain sacrifices? These are the types
of things you and your partner would
benefit talking with each other about.
While two men who are “out”
and open and two men who are both
closeted tend to fare better because
each is living the same reality, men
in your situation where one is “out”
and the other isn’t can and do make
their relationships work, but sacrifices
are made. You will have to decide for
yourself what these specific sacrifices
would be and if the investment you’ve
made with your partner after all these
WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM
by Brian Rzepczynski, M.S.W.
years is more important to you than
the individual growth potential you
might have to give up to an extent
to respect and accept your partner’s
needs for privacy and anonymity. It’s
also possible your partner just needs
more time and you’ll have to decide if
you’re willing to wait.
So while you may feel like you’re
in a powerless position, you actually
do have some control over your
future…it’s just that they’re not very
fun decisions and they have the
capacity to lack guarantees and can
be extremely life-changing. So avoid
being impulsive and reactive at all
costs. I would recommend before
doing anything else to avoid getting
into power struggles over this issue
because your partner can’t take
those personal journeys until he’s
emotionally equipped and ready.
I also recommend you seek the
services of a trained therapist who
can help you dialogue further about
this with each other as a couple, and
this might be a good segue for your
partner to find the strength to do some
individual work on his own to work
through his fears and build his self-
esteem and confidence to promote
a positive gay identity. You could
also benefit if you desire help sorting
through your values and clarifying
them for sound decision-making and
problem-solving.
My hope is that you both find the
courage to keep striving for your
own individual and couple growth-
potentials to have the greatest quality-
of-life you can! You deserve it!
He Loves Television More Than Me
Q
My boyfriend seems to have a
television addiction. Although he
participates in a group sporting
activity one day during the work week,
his greatest interest is watching television
from the time he comes home until the time
goes to sleep.
We do communicate well during the day
over the phone when both of us are at work
(he often calls me). However, once we are
both home in the evening, my boyfriend
has no interest in talking to me. He would
rather watch certain television shows and
not be bothered, and he’s not tired from
working all day when he comes home. We
usually have sex once a week or once every
two weeks.
He has never had a partner before me.
Since his family watched television from
the time they came home till the time they
went to bed, he thinks there is nothing
unusual about his viewing habits. How
can I get him to realize that his watching
television is impacting our intimacy?
A
There’s nothing worse than
being in competition for the
attentions of your boyfriend
with a television set! I can appreciate
your frustration and it’s good that
you’ve reached a place to where
you’re not personalizing his behavior
and instead recognize that this is a
habitual pattern set into place from
his growing-up years. And some
more good news is that habits can be
unlearned and changed…but only if
the individual in question is willing
and motivated to do so.
One important thing that you
do NOT want to do is to get into a
power struggle with him over his TV
viewing. If he feels that you are trying
to take this away from him or are
trying to control his behavior, he will
most likely rebel and you can count
on more conflicts and dissention in the
relationship. So avoid any complaining
or passive-aggressive digs about he
and his TV; he will only get defensive
and attempt to protect that which is his
haven. As difficult as this may be for
you, the more attention and pressure
you place on this issue with him, the
more powerful a dividing force it will
become in the relationship and you’ll
be on the losing end of that battle.
One suggestion might be for you to
sit down with him in a classic style of
communication and dialogue. Before
(See GAY LOVE COACH,
continued on pg 13
APRIL 2010
GAY LOVE COACH, cont’d from pg 12
jumping into your concerns about
his TV viewing and the impact it has
on your relationship, make sure to
validate the importance and meaning
that television has for him so you can
start the conversation on a positive
note. He’ll be more receptive to what
you have to say in most cases if he feels
you understand him and don’t judge
his actions. Try starting out by telling
him that you can appreciate and honor
his need for TV-time; perhaps that it is
a stress-relieving outlet for him, it’s a
favorite recreational activity for him, it
relaxes him and gives him pleasure…
whatever you think he gets out of it,
communicate those things to him so
he truly feels that you “get” him.
You can then segue into a discussion
of the type of relationship that you
envision for yourself as being the
most fulfilling and rewarding. You can
help him understand how much you
value time outside the home doing
fun things in the community and with
friends and how important it is for
you that you can share experiences
like that with him as your boyfriend.
Let him know that you want him to
continue to have his TV time because
you know how valuable that is for
him, however both your needs and
preferences for “quality time” appear
to be clashing and you’d like to discuss
with him some ways the two of you
can collaborate possible solutions
and strategies to bring about more
compromise and balance in how you
share time together as a couple and as
individuals to allow the relationship
to continue to grow in a positive way.
Some possible strategies might be
that he could record the shows he wants
to see and pinpoint specific times of the
days of the week that could be allotted
his “TV time” for such viewings. The
two of you could agree to what this type
of schedule might look like, making
sure to compromise and sacrifice so
each person feels like there’s equal
and fair treatment. Another strategy
might be that you each pick one day
of the week, for example, that will
be your special Date Day or Night.
Each of you would take turns being
responsible for planning a special day
of activities or ways to spend time
together that would exclude television
or movies; experiences that would
allow maximum participation and
involvement of both of you. You would
alternate from week-to-week on who
would be the “planner”. This would
create more proactive involvement in
the relationship in a balanced way for
each of you partners. Get creative! By
collaboratively brainstorming ideas
APRIL 2010
together, it won’t feel like one person
placing demands on the other.
It also offers both of you the chance
to specify ways you’d like to spend
time both together and separately,
because it is very important for both of
you to have both individual and couple
identities for a healthy relationship to
evolve. Hopefully you’ll be well on
your way to having your partner’s
attention and involvement in your life
after such communication sessions
with each other.
He Doesn’t Like My “Oral Skills”
Anymore
Q
My partner and I have been together
for 9 years. Over the course of the
past several years, our sex life has
really changed, as has our relationship.
Historically, we’ve had a lot of fights and
arguments and have broken up and gotten
back together again multiple times.
We’re in a good spot now in our
relationship, but our sex life is still non-
existent and we’ve only been intimate twice
in the last four months. It seems like when
we are sexual, he’s responsive and excited
in the moment, but every time it gets down
to my pleasuring him, particularly with
oral sex, he freaks out and yells at me with
a harsh critique on how I’m doing it. I’ve
always considered myself rather talented
when it comes down to performing oral sex
and he never seemed to have issue before. In
fact, we always had fantastic oral sex. He
seems perfectly content pleasing me, but
when I try to reciprocate, he gets all bent
out of shape and seems to want nothing to
do with it.
How can I get my sexual relationship
back to where it needs to be?
A
It sounds like you’ve
conquered many challenges in
your relationship throughout
the years and have a lot invested.
Particularly since you feel like you’re
in an upwardly mobile direction lately
with your partner, I can imagine how
frustrating it must be for you to be
experiencing these difficulties in the
bedroom that never seemed to be
an issue before. All you want to do
is please him and make him happy,
giving your relationship that extra
boost as things have started to get
better again recently between the two
of you – and then he reacts to you in
the uncharacteristic way that he’s been
responding to you lately when you
attempt to sexually satisfy him.
It could be very easy for you to
personalize this and hold yourself
accountable for his displeasure, but I
encourage you to be easy on yourself
and avoid making assumptions. The
fact of the matter is that you need more
information before you can reach any
WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM
conclusions and try to make things
better.
More often than not, sexual problems
and issues in the bedroom stem from
two sources.
The first has to do with technical
skills, and overcoming these deficits is
quite simple. We’re not born knowing
how to be great lovers and everyone’s
sexual needs and preferences are
variable, even with the same individual
over the course of time. Someone may
like things done a certain way at one
point in his life, and then likes it a
different way at another.
Becoming a skillful lover can be
learned. If your partner is upset over
your oral lovemaking skills, and if this
is truly his genuine gripe, then you
will need to find out from him how he
would like to receive oral sex. The next
time you’re in the heat of the moment
during a sexual interlude (or you
could even talk about it beforehand)
and you’re about to initiate your
pleasuring of him, ask him something
to the effect of “Come on, baby, show
me how you like to be sucked.” He can
then perhaps demonstrate his desired
technique on you, which you can then
model and practice until it’s mastered
to his degree of enjoyment.
Don’t shame yourself over your
performance! Needs change and it’s
very possible in all your exuberance
over your newfound attraction for
him and excitement about your new
relationship possibilities that you may
be “going to town” too aggressively
and not even realizing it. All you can
do is ask him or have him show you
how he likes to be pleased. And don’t
let this just be about oral sex; let this
be an opportunity for the two of you
to share your own individual fantasies
that could be integrated into your
love-life and discuss other ways the
two of you would like to be pleased to
expand your repertoire of pleasuring
each other!
Problems in the bedroom are often
not about sex at all, however, and
sexual difficulties usually stem from
conflicts that exist in other parts of
the relationship or issues a particular
individual may be going through.
It will be important for you to make
a realistic appraisal of all the other
parts of your relationship to see if
anything could be contributing to your
struggles.
Sex is one of the most vulnerable
aspects of a couple’s lives together
and therefore tends to be the first
thing affected when there are any
hidden resentments, disappointments,
stressors, or tensions that exist
anywhere else in the dynamics between
the partners. Or perhaps your partner
is going through something right now
that is interfering with his ability to
receive pleasure. It seems your guy
gets the most uncomfortable when he
is on the receiving end of the pleasuring
activity. He could be distracted by
stress, fearful of surrendering control,
or possibly experiencing temporary
intimacy issues as he tries to transition
back into your relationship with its
new beginning.
The only way to find out the true
origins behind his behavior is to
communicate. If after you’ve tried the
technical skill strategy above and he
continues to protest in bed, it will be
important for you to share with him
how this makes you feel as a segue to
having a dialogue about what seems to
be the core issue and how to go about
resolving it. You can use the common
“I” statements strategy to express your
needs and feelings directly: I feel ____
when you _____ because _____ so
instead I’d prefer _____. (“Babe, I feel
confused and hurt when you yell at
me during sex when I give you head
because I thought you liked the way I
serviced you all these years. Can you
help me understand what’s wrong?”).
Hopefully his answer will help you
gauge if it’s truly about your sexual
technique or if there’s something more
underlying going on that the two of
you can pinpoint and then problem-
solve potential solutions.
It’s important to get unexpressed
issues and feelings out on the table,
otherwise they have a tendency to eat
away at the foundation of a relationship
and cause significant damage to trust,
intimacy, and connection.
©2008 Brian L. Rzepczynski, All rights
reserved. To sign up for the FREE Gay
Love Coach Newsletter filled with dating
and relationship tips and skills for
gay singles and couples, as well as to
check out current coaching groups,
programs, and teleclasses, visit www.
TheGayLoveCoach.com.
THE LETTER 13
 OUTLOOK WITHIN
This Drag Queen Is Not A “Hyr”
If there be grace, this must be a part of
it: I awaken to frost on the ground and
a still-toasty house that has held its heat
without the furnace kicking on. I pad
about in sleep shirt and cap, naked from
the waist down, needing neither sweat
pants nor robe. "This is what grace feels
like," I tell myself. "Grace warms."
Grace warmed my heart last evening.
Coyotes had howled as I locked the
chickens in for the night. Yet all my
feathered friends were accounted for.
Sometimes grace means making it
through to bedtime.
I resolve to share my experience
of grace with others today, make my
world a warmer place. I start by asking
myself, "How can I be graceful to Dave
this morning?" I find my husband in the
kitchen, tell him I enjoyed snuggling with
him through the night. I make a small
joke ("Thank you for sleeping beside me,
for not getting out to lie on the cold floor
at 3:00am), then again speak my truth,
"You are my north, my south, my east,
my west." He looks at me, "I love you,
too." And so we restate our love for each
other as we do in myriad ways every
day. After 14 years it is still brand new.
Grace surprises.
When I was growing up, my very
conservative church fellowship sang
CLAMOUR UNDERBRIDGE
Coming Out & Coming-Of-Age
While this month’s column does not
include book reviews, I would like to
talk about books.
Queeroes by Steve Bereznai and Hero
by Perry Moore are both coming-of-age
stories with a twist. The main characters
in the book are teen-age superheroes
trying to navigate the treacherous waters
of high school, their new found super
powers but, the thing that trips them up
more than anything, the fact that they’re
gay or lesbian or maybe bisexual.
Coming out and coming-of-age don’t
seem to have changed much since I was
in high school back in the medieval
period. And, truth be told, the coming-
out story has practically become a cliché
in the GLBT canon. It is a minor victory
that we can talk about things like “the
GLBT canon” here in the 21st century. I
vividly remember the day when books
with “homosexual content” were either
considered obscene (and not to be put in
the mail) or the “homosexual content”
was so heavily obscured and hidden
in the text that you needed a decoder
14 THE LETTER
Amazing Grace so often I tuned it out.
It's a tired old song, anyway, the crone
who shows up at every funeral, black
ostrich plume bobbing from her hat.
Respectable, uplifting perhaps, and a bit
clichéd.
Whenever I heard the hymn’s opening
notes on the church organ, I wanted to
look for the coffin. Nevertheless, I loved
an over-the-top rendition by The Impact
Brass and Singers. The group toured
the country as goodwill ambassadors
for one of the Bible colleges our church
supported financially. I still remember
the first time they sang for us.
Soprano Cindy Phillips had made
Amazing Grace her trademark solo. On
that last verse, "When we've been there
ring and a degree in
comparative Lit in order
to figure out what was
going on.
Now books in the
Young Adult section
at your local bookstore
stocks genre fiction that
discusses sexuality in an
open and realistic way but
also includes lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender
characters as the
protagonists and heroes (or queeroes,
if you’d prefer). Gay and lesbian
characters aren’t routinely portrayed
as depraved and lonely individuals
that can be conveniently murdered in
the middle section of the book nor are
they maladapted villains that can be
thwarted by the hyper-masculinity
of heroic stud. No. Now they’re kids
trying to make sense of the world, even
a world very different (or not so much)
from our own or Clarissa Vaughan (The
Hours, Michael Cunningham) realistic
WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM
ten thousand years, bright shining as the
sun...," Cindy let it rip, jumping several
octaves, her voice rising to meet the
sun, raising the roof, bringing our staid
congregation nearly to its feet. Grace
exceeds our expectations.
Even we knew a good thing when we
heard it. Our church invited Cindy and
the band back for the July 4 festivities,
biggest event of the year in our small
town. Her solo blew everyone away and
scored us points with the community.
Especially from Cindy's lips, grace
amazes.
Dave and I perform our morning
ablutions and leave for work together,
he in the pickup, me in the car. I follow
him for a mile. Before he turns right, I
flash my bright beams three times to
say, "I—love—you." He blinks his brake
lights three times in response. Sometimes
grace speaks in code.
Once at work, I promptly forget all
about grace and being grateful, graceful
in the riptide of the day. Yet life goes on
doing its work without my participation.
Grace does not need my say-so.
Tomorrow will bring amazingly
strong winds, warns the National
Weather Service. Drivers of high profile
vehicles should beware. People with
lawn chairs, garbage cans, pets or small
and fully developed characters with
hopes, dreams and aspirations.
Gay and Lesbian literature has become
such a broad area in Arts and Letters that
there are even specific awards for works
in the “genre” of LGBT literature. The
Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by
the American Library Association, and
the Lambda Literary Awards, sponsored
by the Lambda Literary Foundation
are the most prominent but there are
other lists, blogs, awards, prizes and
competitions as well.
by Bryn Marlow
children should tie them down, adds
the radio announcer. Grace sometimes
issues bulletins.
Tomorrow will deliver a tragic
accident to the highway near my
workplace. A semi-tractor trailer, turn
signal flashing, will wait to cross traffic.
As my coworker sails by, slows to turn
into our parking lot, a panel van will
ram the back of the semi. My coworker
will describe the explosion of glass,
metal and colored plastic: "It was like
fireworks!" Rescue workers will close the
highway for over an hour as they clear
debris, minister to the living. Sometimes
grace is sailing on by.
How great our need for grace, for
awareness of the moment, of the day, of
the gifts given us every minute.
An ostrich feather tickles my ear.
That old drag queen Amazing
Grace leans over, tells me to rise above
complaining, self-pity, petty jealousies,
thinking I'm not good enough. Life is
short, honey, she says. Get a move on. Go
all out. Hit the high notes.
Bryn Marlow (gayfeather.blogspot.com) lives
with his husband Dave on a 1930s Indiana
farmstead where they raise chickens and
flowers.
by James W. Hensley
Many of them worth a look and all of
them at least interesting and diverting.
Clamour Underbridge will be
considering Arts and Letters of the Queer
variety in upcoming columns. Is there a
“gay canon” and what does that mean?
Who’s been nominated for the Stonewall
Awards and the Lambda Literary Award
this year and what works are hitting
radars in the mainstream literary press.
Queeroes and Hero are right there on the
book store shelf. Who knows what else
we’ll find!
Visit clamourunderbridge.typepad.
com to raise your own clamor or leave
a comment.
Rev. James Hensley
is co-pastor of
Progressive Pathways
Fellowship in
Louisville. His views
do not necessarily
represtant those of his
congregation.
APRIL 2010
 GAY & FEMINIST

Miscarrying The Law by Eric Jost

As notions about sex work have
evolved, several jurisdictions have
redefined prostitution laws to remove
harsher penalties directed at sex
workers. The rationale behind these
changes is that an inordinate amount of
money is wasted arresting individuals
who may have turned to prostitution as
a means of survival or, worse, those who
didn't have any choice in the matter at
all. Reducing criminal penalties to the
sex worker saves money, lowers prison
populations, and gives prostitutes
who wish to get out of the trade more
freedom to do so.
Unfortunately, this attitude is far
from universal and many parts of the
country continue to view prostitutes
as the criminals. Like anti-prostitution
legislation that increases penalties for
the prostitute but not the client, nearly
all anti-abortion legislation is less about
the procedure itself and more about
efforts to restrict women's rights.
Take Utah: Why on earth would Utah
want to make miscarriages illegal if it
wasn't out of some deep-seated hatred
of females? How do those legislators
rationalize endangering and imprisoning
possibly thousands of women simply so
they can protect a child they would just
as soon kill anyway if it turned out to be
gay?
The reason this legislation even came
up is due to an obscure case in the Utah
courts. A young pregnant woman who
was unable to afford an abortion hired
a young man to beat her up in the hopes
that she would miscarry. Unfortunately
for both of them, the baby survived and
the man was prosecuted for assault. In
an effort to curb women who would
mimic these actions, state representatives
decided to introduce legislation to make
miscarriages illegal, but due to laziness,
failed to clarify the circumstances.
Throughout 2009, I noticed more and
more billboards around the country
paid for by supposedly neutral -- neither
anti-choice nor pro-choice -- groups
offering free contraception, counseling,
and adoption services to women who
are in sexually active relationships, or
are pregnant and unable to raise a child.
Although most of these organizations
are probably more anti-choice than
anything else, it’s a noble effort to reduce
the number of abortions and unintended
pregnancies -- which is always a good
thing.
With this law in Utah, however, how
could organizations like these even exist?!
A woman who is pregnant but unable to
afford the medical expenses that comes
from giving birth, and/or unable to raise
the child on her own, would essentially
be incriminating herself if she were to
seek out alternatives to raising a child. It
would look fairly suspicious if someone
who sought out alternatives to raising a
child suddenly miscarried, wouldn’t it?
Ironically, health care reform that
would make giving birth safer, less
expensive, and more reasonable for the
mother is almost always opposed by the
same lawmakers who wish to criminalize
abortion and imprison women.
Many anti-choice activists also enjoy
highlighting abortion's racist undertones,
shedding light on the fact that women of
color are disproportionately represented
in abortion statistics. Unfortunately,
people of color are also overrepresented
in the US prison system. So rather than
doing something proactive to reduce
unintended pregnancies or lower arrest
rates among communities of color, Utah
legislators crafted a law that will result
in more arrests, most certainly among
women of color.
Thankfully, due to intense public
scrutiny and outcry the bill has been
withdrawn. However, as time goes on,
more and more bills are popping up
around the country hoping to restrict a
woman’s right to choose and freedom to
control her body -- and as history tells
us, nothing good can come from doing
that.
Eric Jost is a freelance
writer living in
Washington, DC. His
work ranges from
embarrassing first-
person narratives to
commentaries on queer
rights and sex positive
culture; with work having appeared in SX
(Sydney, Australia), Storyscape, $pread
Magazine, and the anthology, Beyond
Masculinity: Essays by Queer Men on Gender
and Politics. His weekly column, “Culture
Voyeur,” appears online. You can check out
more of his work at www.eric-jost.com.

BEYOND THERAPY

A Low Stress Life by Michael Kimmel

I recently received a call from a client who asked
me, “Can you help me lower my stress and anxiety? I
don’t want to take medication. Oh, and by the way, I’m
kinda’ depressed too.”
This is a common request.
Despite TV commercials that show relaxed, happy
people running in fields, blessed out on their new
anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications, many
people don’t want to take pills. Many pills have a lot
of side effects, some of which may be worse than the
anxiety or stress itself. And many people don’t want to
feel “dependent” on pills. I am not an MD, so I don’t
prescribe medication for my clients.
For some people, medication works. For the rest of
What Path Calls You?
you who prefer to lower your stress and anxiety without
medication, this column is for you. Here are some
suggestions for reducing your stress, anxiety, panic and they float into your mind and easily float out. Enjoy
worry without taking medication. your breathing.
Try a simple three-to-five minute meditation. Sit Get away from people on a regular basis. Even
comfortably in a chair or sofa and let your feet rest easily if you adore your partner or you are the mother of 5 clamourunderbridge.typepad.com
on the floor. Relax and allow the chair to hold you up; fabulous kids, you need to periodically get away from
you don’t have to do anything. Let your eyes gently people. One client I know – a stay-at-home dad - leaves
close. Put your hands on your stomach and begin to his beloved partner and their son and goes to a coffee
breathe deeply and easily. As you breathe in, say to shop, reads the paper and people-watches at least once
yourself, “I am breathing in.” As you breathe out, say a week. Another client of mine takes a bubble bath and
to yourself, “I am breathing out.” Notice the easy rising locks the door. Her partner and kids are not allowed to
disturb her during her 30 minutes in the tub.
Before Will & Grace . . .
and falling of your stomach as you breathe. If thoughts
come into your mind, let the thoughts be like clouds: (See BEYOND THERAPY, page 16)

APRIL 2010 WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM THE LETTER 15

BEYOND THERAPY, cont’d from pg 15
Create a relaxing morning and
evening routine. When you wake up
and just before you fall asleep are two
times of day when your conscious is
very receptive to positive (or negative)
thoughts. Even if you’re super-
energetic, don’t leap out of bed and try
to control your day from the get-go. Let
yourself wake up gradually…you might
even make a statement of gratitude like
“Thank you for another day.” This sets
the tone for your day. You can also do the
3-minute meditation (see above) when
you wake up. Before going to sleep,
don’t read the newspaper or watch the
news; you don’t want to take all those
disasters to sleep with you. Instead,
create a simple routine for yourself that
calms you and sets the tone for the kinds
of dreams you want to have.
Get enough sleep. Experiment: find
out how many hours of sleep really
makes your body happy. What time is
it best for you to go to bed/wake up?
Don’t compare yourself with other
people, your body is unique. Once you
find what works, stick with it as much
as possible. A predictable sleep schedule
promotes deep, stress-reducing sleep.
Moderate your sugar, caffeine and
alcohol intake. Sugar and caffeine highs
and the crashes that follow make it hard
to stay relaxed and grounded. Alcohol
can temporarily relax you, but you pay a
price later…usually in lousy sleep or low
energy the next day. If you know you’re
going to be drinking a lot, keep the next
day as undemanding as possible.
Find outlets for your anger and
frustration. You can’t live in this world
without getting pissed off at times.
Even the Dalai Lama loses his temper
and Mother Teresa was no pushover.
16 THE LETTER
For some of us, this means a physical
outlet. I used to have a punching bag
suspended in my bedroom, and I’d hit it
with boxing gloves when I was frustrated
or annoyed. Writing can be a good way
to discharge intense emotions. So can
music: find yourself a nice, aggressive
and angry song to sing along with when
you’re irritated and pissed off. Some
VIDEO REVIEWS
people go dancing at Rich’s or Urban BY CUBBIE BRITCHES
Mo’s and sweat through their clothes,
thoroughly discharging all the negative
emotions they’ve held onto all day.
Ciao
Know your limits. Sometimes,
feelings of anxiety, panic or depression
From director Yen Tan comes
are too much for us. If you have suicidal this heartfelt story of endings,
feelings, pay attention: this may be a sign beginnings and yearning. After
that you need professional help. Call the sudden death of his ex Mark,
your doctor, therapist or go to the nearest Jeff takes it upon himself to
hospital emergency room and ask for
inform friends of his passing.
help from the on-duty psychiatrist.
In this world, living a low-stress life is While innocently searching for
an ongoing challenge. Whether you live contacts on Mark’s computer,
in a fabulous mansion or a tiny studio Jeff comes across an e-mail
apartment, there’s no escaping stress, from a handsome Italian named
anxiety and worry. The above ideas Andrea. Andrea and Mark met
are a start. This stuff works when you
do it, but it’s hard to do it all the time. online and had planned to meet for the
Not to worry: the goal is a long-term, first time when Andrea was visiting stateside.
sustainable reduction of stress and Rather than cancel the trip and return to Italy,
anxiety in your life. Try these ideas and Andrea decides to come anyway and meet
see if they work for you, keep the ones Jeff.
that do and let the others go.
Brought together by misfortune, a warm
friendship develops between Andrea and Jeff. But as their bond deepens,
Talk about a diverse background,
therapist Michael Kimmel the friendship seems like it might grow into something more. Adam Neal
earned a Master’s Degree in Smith and Alessandro Calza both give great performances as two men
Developmental Psychology from
Sarah Lawrence College while looking to make sense of a difficult situation. Concentrating on his central
interning for Sesame Street in characters, Yen Tan displays a finely honed ability to craft a powerful
New York City. He currently drama.
resides in San Diego where he
maintains a private psychotherapy practice and Ciao, available for rent on DVD at Wild & Woolly Video in Louisville,
offer workshops for the Southern Californian GLBT is a great date movie -- and a must for anyone in love with unrequited
community.
love.
WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM APRIL 2010
 SAVE KISH!!!

Oliver Fish (played by Scott Evans) shares a very public kiss with Kyle Lewis
(portrayed by Brett Claywell) in a scene from the ABC-TV soap opera One Life
To Life. (Photo courtesy ABC-TV). In soap opera fan jargon, the couple is
commonly referred to simply as “Kish” (Kyle and Fish)

THE LETTER joins the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(GLAAD) in urging the continuation of the storyline of characters Kyle
Lewis and Oliver Fish on One Life to Live. Along with GLAAD, this
publication believes it is important for the media to present fair and
accurate media images of GLBT people to Americans. We believe that
the characters Kyle and Fish have painted a positive and realistic picture
of the dynamics of same-sex relationships to fans of the popular daytime
soap opera.
“Last summer, One Life to Live brought a ground-breaking relationship
into the homes of millions with Kyle and Fish’s story, one that built
acceptance and understanding of gay people," said Jarrett Barrios,
President of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
"While we understand that the close of storylines is a frequent occurrence
on daytime dramas, canceling this story just as it gains momentum is
a step backward in ABC Daytime’s representation of the lives of gay
Americans. We remain disappointed that ABC Daytime has chosen
to stop sharing this powerful story with viewers of One Life to Live.
GLAAD will continue to advocate that in the near future producers and
writers at ABC Daytime incorporate gay and transgender characters in
their programming.”
GLAAD has spoken directly to representatives of the ABC network
to voice concerns over the cancellation of the gay couple and request
that the storyline continue. However the soap’s Executive Producer,
Frank Valentini, has made it clear that the couple will be written off as
of mid-April, although he claims to be open to the couple’s return to the
show at an unspecified future date. The Internet has been flooded with
rumors that research sanctioned by the soap opera convinced Valentini
that straight viewers didn’t relate to or appreciate the gay couple’s
storyline.
Actors Scott Evans (Oliver) and Brett Claywell (Kyle) have indicated
that they didn’t find out about the plan to ax their characters from the
soap until after their last scenes were taped. Both actors have indicated
shock and disappointment that their characters have been removed after
such a short run on the soap.
THE LETTER encourages our readers to take time to contact the
following individuals to voice their support for the continuation of the
Oliver and Kyle characters on One Life To Live.
Robert A. Iger
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
Frank Valentini
ABC Daytime
77 West 66th Street
New York, NY 10023
Iger is the President and CEO of Disney, Inc, the owner of the ABC-TV
network.
As noted above, Valentini is the soap opera’s Executive Producer.
To leave your comment via the Internet, visit the ABC-TV network
website: http://abc.go.com/site/contact-us.
To connect with other KISH fans online, visit the “Don’t Put KISH In
The Closet” blog: http://dontputkishinthecloset.blogspot.com. On the
blog you’ll find a link to connect with Facebook fans of the popular gay
couple and plenty of graphics to download to show your support of
keep KISH on the soap opera.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated
to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of
people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia
and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. For
more information about GLAAD visit www.glaad.org.

APRIL 2010 WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM THE LETTER 17

 DINING OUT

Happy Hour: Drink For Less & Enjoy Quality Cuisine by Beth Ann Rubin
The after work ritual of leaving the
office and heading to your favorite
watering hole for Happy Hour can
be the ultimate manner in which to
welcome the weekend. It also is a great
excuse to mingle with co-workers and
friends while enjoying your favorite
cocktail and bar nibbles. So why do
so many of us only celebrate the end
of the work day on Fridays? Why
not call a friend to meet up with on,
say, Wednesday. Or Monday? It is
the start of the work week, why not
commemorate that occasion with a
drink? I know, I know, what the heck,
we’ll drink to anything!
With Louisville so full of great
restaurants, you’ll never be able to
frequent all of them without the
excuse to sample their bar menu or
taste their signature drink. We are
all still watching our pockets and the
restaurateurs know that as well. Many
of the local and chain restaurants offer
Happy Hour specials throughout the ready to face a hefty tab, you can menu consist of Shrimp, Calamari, Volare
week as well as daily specials in which enjoy daily specials at this Whittington Oysters Rockefeller, Steak Tartare and 2300 Frankfort Avenue; (502) 894-4446
you can try menu options at reduced Parkway spot without having to reload Clam Chowder, among others and are Closer to town on Frankfort Avenue,
prices. What follows is a short list of at the ATM. Z’s proffers specials priced from $4.50 per shrimp to $12.95. you can find Volare, a traditional
Louisville area restaurants at which Sunday through Thursday on wines, One could enjoy a small feast at the Italian restaurant serving innovative
you can dine and drink for less while cocktails and appetizers. On Sundays, and exciting fare. Most entrees on
reduced rates and even have money
still enjoying a high quality of food and the dinner menu average $25.00 and
all bottles of wine $100.00 and less are for a cocktail. Or you can save that
service. some are over $30.00. However, the
priced half off. Appetizers are half cocktail for Tuesday when selected restaurant has introduced a new bar
Z’s Oyster Bar & Steakhouse price on Mondays. Daily seafood Martinis are half price or Wednesday menu and half price wine listing that
101 Whittington Parkway; starters include Sashimi, Ceviche, when select Bourbons are also on sale is available 7 days a week in the bar/
(502) 429-8000 Lobster Bisque, Mussels and Clams for half off. On Thursdays, the chef lounge area. Here you can enjoy
If you have always wanted to visit and range in price from $10.95 to offers the house specialty, oysters, at
Z’s Oyster Bar & Steakhouse but not $15.95. Appetizers found on the dinner 50% off. (See DINING OUT, page 19

Marie Davis is an internationally syndicated cartoonist. Her lesbian cartoon strip is published in five languages. Her first novel, Hey Diddle Diddle — for Lesbians
and Other Grownups, can be purchased through Amazon.com. Her e-mail address is mmmarie1961@aol.com.

18 THE LETTER WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM APRIL 2010

 A Roth IRA conversion may be one of
the best retirement gifts you
give yourself.
Whether you’re years away or about to retire, you can still give yourself one of
the best retirement gifts of all. Starting Jan 1, 2010, everyone is eligible to
convert their traditional IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan to a Roth
IRA, where your money can grow federal income tax free*. Converting to a
Roth when your retirement account balance is down means a smaller tax bill.

Call me for a New Perspective review to learn if a

Roth IRA conversion is right for you.
Todd Metcalf, CRPC®
Financial Advisor
12700 Townepark Way
Danville Bldg. Suite 100
Louisville, KY 40243
(502) 244-4114
Fax: (502) 244-4113
todd.a.metcalf@ampf.com
ameripriseadvisors.com/todd.a.metcalf

Financial planning services and investments available through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.,
Member FINRA and SIPC. Your meeting will include a review of your existing financial situation and potential opportunities,
gaps, or general strategies. *As long as you leave the money in the account for at least 5 years and are 59 1/2 or older
when you take distributions or meet another qualifying event, such as death, disability or purchase of a first home.
© 2009 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

DINING OUT, cont’d from pg 18
samples of the exquisite cuisine at
more than half the cost. The Cicchitti
or small plates menu consists of cold,
hot and fried plates as well as a nice
selection of flatbread pizzas. Antipasto
Classico and Carpaccio di Manzo
and Bruschetta are some of the cold
choices and Meatball Slyders, Polenta
alla Griglia, and Cappesante, a seared
scallop are found on the hot menu.
Fried Goat Cheese and Pan Fried
Oysters are some of the fried selections
and there are five different Flatbread
Pizzas from which to choose. Prices
range from $4.00 to $11.00. On the
more pricey side, but still a deal at half
off, are the wines. Starting at $28.00 for
a bottle of Farnese Trebbiano, an Italian
White Wine and topping out at $425.00
for Falletto di Serralunga, an Italian
Red from the Piedmont region, you
can savor an otherwise unaffordable
vintage with your small plate of
Toasted Ravioli.
Asiatique
1767 Bardstown Road;
(502) 451-2749
When your tastes run toward Pacific
Rim cuisine, stop by Asiatique after
work for one of this restaurant’s daily
specials in the bar and Lounge A.
APRIL 2010
Located on Bardstown Road, Asiatique
has specials Monday through Thursday
as well as Sunday and also has Happy
Hour Monday through Friday 5:00
to 7:00, Friday and Saturday 11:00 to
1:00 and Sunday 5:00 to 10:00. During
these festive times, appetizers, spirits,
wine and bar are all half off as long as
they are imbibed and chewed in the
bar and Lounge A. On Monday you
can live it up with a bottle of wine
and two appetizers from a select list
for only $30.00. Tuesdays a glass of
wine is offered at half price in the bar
and lounge and on Wednesdays you
can sample the restaurant’s signature
drink, the Asiarita, for half price. On
Thursdays, martinis are a steal at only
$5.00. And on Sunday any bottle of
wine priced at $80.00 or less can be
yours for half off with the purchase
of an entrée. The original price of
appetizers on the dinner menu are
priced no more than $9.50 and include
such favorites as Indochine inspired
Beef Satay, Vegetable Tempura, Goat
Cheese and Crab Spring Roll, Panko
Crusted Calamari and Slow Cooked
BBQ Pork Ribs.
4th Street Live
Tengo Sed Cantina; (502) 540-1461
Maker’s Mark Lounge; (502) 568-9009
The Pub Louisville (502) 569-7782
WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM
If you work downtown, 4th Street
Live is probably convenient to your
place of employment and there are
Happy Hour specials to be found at
many of the venues located in the
complex. Maker’s Mark Lounge has
Martini Mondays where you can try
a Bourbon Martini for $5.00 and $2.00
Tuesdays where you can take $2.00
off the price of your Bourbon drink or
20% off Maker’s Ambassadors. Just
upstairs is Tengo Sed Cantina, a chain
restaurant that serves up Tengo by
Night on Thursdays. Here you can
order $2.00 drafts, $3.00 well drinks
and $5.00 pitchers. They also have a
Happy Hour nightly from 9:00 to 11:00.
And The Pub Louisville has a Monday
special on Fish and Chips. Regularly
priced at $12.95, you can get your fish
and eat it too for half on Mondays.
And on Thursdays from 8:00 to 11:00,
bottles of wine are half off.
Tony Boombozz’s
1448 Bardstown Road; (502) 458-8889
Westport Village; (502) 394-0000
And, finally, when you just want to sit
in a tap room and have some pizza and
beer, Tony Boombozz’s on Bardstown
Road and Westport Village can fill that
need. Happy Hour prices are good
Monday through Friday from 3:00 to
7:00 and 10:00 until close. Domestic
bottles and domestic drafts are $1.99,
call and well drinks are 2 for 1 and
appetizers are half price. The starters
are priced very reasonably to start and
are even a better deal during Happy
Hour. Some choices are Asiago Cheese
Stix, Wings, Potato Nachos, Cheese
Fritters and Stuffed Portobello and cost
from $5.99 to $7.99. And I’m all over
that Happy Hour starting at 3:00!!
Whatever day your work week
begins or ends, just remember that there
is a Happy Hour out there for you and
it presents a great opportunity to visit
some restaurants that you otherwise
thought to be out of your price range.
Beth Ann Rubin
has been
reviewing
restaurants
for THE LETTER
for nearly four
years. A Chicago
native, Beth Ann and her family live
just south of Louisville's Highlands
neighborhood. A talented cook in her
own right, over the years her baked
goods have earned her numerous
awards at the Kentucky State Fair.
THE LETTER 19
 2nd annual

at the water tower

to benefit the WINGS Clinic and Louisville AIDS Walk

$
30
cash only
Derby Night • May 1, 2010 at the
Louisville Water Tower door
3005 River Road • 8:00pm – 4:00am !
$
5 drinks • Food Vendors • Casual Attire

FEATURING
DJs the Perry Twins

Victoria “Porkchop” Parker

Derby City Roller Girls

www.LouisvilleDownandDerby.com
20 THE LETTER WWW.THELETTERONLINE.COM APRIL 2010