S/he said

compiled by Howard Israel

“What does every queen need to make herself feel better? A little dash of Dolly Parton! I went to Dollywood! Wow! Bizarre! Hollywood meets the Deep South! I really had a hard time wrapping my mind around the experience. I mean, there was Dolly’s museum featuring her Bob Mackie costumes next door to an outdoor restaurant with a whole pig being roasted on a spit beside a store that sells all things Jesus. And all the while Dolly’s music is being piped through fake rocks throughout the park! The campiness and strangeness of it all was Heaven, and I did leave with a Dolly keychain, a Dolly mug, a Dollywood hat, and a horrible/fabulous pin in the shape of a giant diamond ring from “Dolly’s Closet.” So, I guess you can say, it was a trip, in more ways than one!”
– Miss Coco Peru, in a post on her Web site, http://www.misscocoperu.com, Jan 20.

“Playgirl, which has been around since the ’70s, has always been something of a closet case magazine, with a large unacknowledged gay readership. I know – I worked there. It was a time when everyone wanted to be in Playgirl and it was essentially the only mass marketed magazine featuring cock at the time. As the times changed and gay porn began to be published, the readership continually dwindled. But it is important to remember that Playgirl likely sent many a closeted man on his way to self-realization.”
– comment posted by randy, about the demise of the “Playgirl” magazine, http://www.MagazineDeathPool.com, Aug. 1, 2008

“I am very concerned at the extent to which homosexual activities seem to have overtaken this country. I am very concerned that homosexuals in Jamaica have become so brazen, they’ve formed themselves into organizations and are abusive, violent and something that the Ministry of National Security must look into is why is it that so many homosexuals are licensed firearm holders. There was a report recently which has never been challenged that our security forces, particularly the Jamaican Constabulary Force (the police department), have been overrun by homosexuals.”
– Ernest Smith, Jamaican Member of Parliament, during a parliamentary debate on new sex offences legislation, http://www.pinknews.co.uk, Feb. 13. International human rights organizations describe Jamaica as one of the most homophobic places in the world; homophobia is a vote-winner in Jamaica elections.

“We need to make sure that HIV infection does not become a rite of passage for young black men who have sex with men. Young black gay and bisexual men are becoming infected with HIV at alarming rates, particularly in the South, and health officials (need to) analyze their risk factors in order to refine education and intervention strategies.”
– Dr. Alexandra Oster, one of the authors of a recent small survey that found that young black men from the South who tested positive for HIV in their teens and early 20s had engaged in risky sexual behaviors but thought it unlikely they would be infected, New York Times, Feb. 10.

“We continually strive to ensure that all employees are treated fairly in the workplace. It has and will continue to be our policy to educate all personnel about the expectation that everyone in the department must act in a professional manner toward each other and the public at all times.”
– Lupe Valdez, Dallas County Sheriff, in her the second term in office and the nation’s only lesbian Latina sheriff, added sexual orientation and gender identity to policies prohibiting harassment and discrimination in the sheriff’s department, dallasvoice.com, Feb. 12.

“Lesbians, or women who partner with women, are not at an increased risk for breast cancer due to their sexual orientation but there is a higher amount of risk factors among women who partner with women including higher rates of obesity, alcoholism, smoking and fewer to no children. Having no children or having fewer children limits the protective benefits that women gain from hormonal changes during pregnancy, labor as well as the excretion of carcinogenic materials that are stored in fatty tissues of the breast.”
– Havrede Hill, Breast Health Program Director with Compass, the gay and lesbian community center of the Palm Beaches, in a news segment about breast health for lesbian women, http://www.cbs4.com (Miami-Ft. Lauderdale), Feb. 15.

“Parts of the LGBT community have been quick to embrace polyamory – relationships with multiple partners with the knowledge and consent of all involved. Others feel that polyamory is just another form of ‘licensed cheating’ and for them monogamy is critical. There is internal debate about the ethics and rights of poly families. Is gay marriage the first step, would you go on to fight on behalf of polyamorous families? Is a family only a two person structure a mom/dad, mom/mom, dad/dad, or can there be triads and quads of people who all love each other and raise children? How does polyamory fit into the mold of the LGBT movement for political rights, is it a distraction, is it not feasible, or is it a new minority within that deserves attention?”
– The introduction to an open online discussion forum titled “Does Polyamory Fit into the Queer Movement?,” http://www.QueersUnited.blogspot.com, Feb.14.