Exploring St. Paul’s oldest LGBT bar: The Townhouse

With roots that go back to 1949, The Town House is St. Paul’s oldest LGBTQ bar and everyone knows it.  Everyone but local historians consulting on the Central Corridor Light Rail project, who have suggested that the bar is an ineligible contender for the National Register of Historic Places. Without the Register’s protection, the Town House could very well fall to the wreckers in an effort to attract ‘family friendly’ businesses to University Avenue’s fancy new train in 2014. … Continue Reading

Weekend Preview Plus 4-8 through 4-17-2011

Muffins:

In the days ahead while we move into warmer weather there is plenty to pick from for getting out and socializing.  No need to be stuck in a bar or club when there are so many alternatives.  Consider being an ambassador for the upcoming Dining Out For Life – a benefit for the Aliveness Project.  They still have plenty of options for people who want to volunteer as an ambassador for this very fun community-wide day of getting out and enjoying the company of good friends while supporting a worthy cause.  It is also not too early to be thinking about the beach!  If you are like me, that means shaking a little to get rid of those few extra pounds that accumulated over the winter.  This Weekend Preview Plus is dedicated to health and well being.  Whether that is supporting the work of organizations assisting in the health of others or participating in a healthy activity I hope you will find something in this post to your fancy. … Continue Reading

Weekend Preview Plus 4-1 through 4-10-11

Muffins: I am happy to report that spring has sprung (finally!)  I was walking into my office yesterday and saw two robins.  What a welcome sight.  That combined with the rain, green grass and buds bursting everywhere tells me that we are about to have a reprieve from this arduous winter!  Along with the arrival of Spring comes a host of events to attend.  And then we are headlong into another glorious Minnesota summer.  Just last night I had a little birdie tell me that early summer will bring an event like no other this city has seen!  Just you wait for the details to emerge about a night of one hundred drag divas gracing a single stage! … Continue Reading

Weekend Preview Plus – 2/24/11 through 3/5/11

Hello Muffins!

The week ahead is so jam packed I am exhausted even putting the Weekend Preview Plus together for you.  Whenever there is additional infomation available for any of the events I have included it is simple to find – click on the associated image!  More often than not it is a Facebook event page that you will be brought to.  No Facebook profile – what are you waiting for?  If you end up in a pickle without enough info to attend the event of choice feel free to email me at style@thecolu.mn

ENJOY!

THURSDAY

Saucy Salsa Lessons

Thursday, February 24 · 7:00pm – 8:00pm

3405 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN

Queer and Trans friendly Salsa dance lessons
Every Thursday, 7-8pm
Starts February 24th, 2011

Taught by Jae Haile Phillips in our fabulous shared, queer space.

All ability levels welcome!

$10 a lesson OR
$50 for a 6 class series

Contact Jae Haile Phillips at Jae.phillips@hotmail.com or 612-709-8003 for more detailed information.

FRIDAY

SHAZAMORAMA

Friday, February 25 · 7:00pm – 11:00pm

Second Foundation School
1219 University Ave. SE

DISTRICT 202 & SECOND FOUNDATION SCHOOL present
A YOUTH DANCE PARTY: SUPERHERO THEME !!!
(FOR AGES 12-19)
*P.V.O.
$3/door
$2/in costume
$1/with pre-registration (info on that soon!)
A superfun, sober event with food, music, & amazing dancers (you)!
All GLBTQ youth & friends/allies welcome!
*Positive Vibe Only, please.

SATURDAY

Fitness Boot Camp

Saturday, February 26 · 10:30am – 12:30pm

“Out to change mindsets on exercise, Switch & Sweetpea offer group fitness ‘P4P BOOTCAMP!’ classes that mix and vary styles for cross-training, for fun, for life!’

In addition to basic cardio, strength-training, and flexibility foundations, you’ll experience everything from boxing drills and muay thai sequences to ballet, hip-hop, pilates, and burlesque combinations.

Classes are for all fitness levels. Wheather you are new to exercise, an advanced athlete, or coming back from an injury, you will get an incredible workout and have a great time doing it.

$10 suggested donation
(nobody turned away for inability to pay)

Brought to you by Rainbow Health Initiative and sponsored in part by The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.

FIERCE Love: Stories from Black Gay LIfe

Saturday, February 26 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm

Rarig Hall- The Thrust Theater
330 21st Avenue
Minneapolis, MN

“FIERCE LOVE: Stories from Black Gay Life” by the Pomo Afro Homos
Directed by Harry Waters Jr.
Location: The Thrust Theater in Rarig Hall at the University of Minnesota.
FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY
Feb. 26 2011 7:00pm. Admission: (CASH ONLY) $7 without a Student ID/present your student ID and pay what you can.

SOY New Year

Buasavahn Banquet Hall
7324 Lakeland Ave N
Brooklyn Park, MN  55428

$10.00 admission
$5.00 After Party Only

* Doors, open at 3 pm
* Program starts at 4 pm
* Pageant follows that and throughout the night
* Dinner at 6 pm
* Entertainment during dinner until 7:30
* Pageant continues until 9pm
* Open Mic and After party starts at 9 pm

Shades of Yellow (SOY) is a nonprofit Hmong LGBTQ organization that provides support, education, and advocacy to Hmong LGBTQ and allies. We are committed to creating a community that is aware of the issues that Hmong LGBTQ face. We are base out of the Twin Cities, MN. While we have capacity here, we are committed to providing support and education all across the nation if needed. Please do contact us if you and/or anyone you know need(s) our support.

SUNDAY

Loring Theater presents Mimosa Movies: “The Breakfast Club”

Sunday, February 27 · 2:00pm – 5:00pm

Loring Theater
1407 Nicollet Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN

HOLLYWOOD’S BIG NIGHT

Sunday, February 27 ·  6:00pm -  10:00pm

Kerasotes ShowPlace ICON
1625 West End Blvd.

Hosted by MyTalk (Jason Matheson and Alexis Thompson) & Twin Cities Live (John Hanson)

Benefiting Twin Cities Film Fest

$15 suggested donation to the Twin Cities Film Fest

RSVP at the following website to reserve your tickets:

http://mytalk1071.com/promotions/hollywoodbignight/

Receive the Red Carpet treatment on Sunday, February 27th as we celebrate the best movies of 2010! Dress up or come casual, either way you are in for a good time with myTalk 107.1′s Jason & Alexis and Twin Cities Live’s John Hanson. There will be appetizers, drink specials and great giveaways all night long!

MONDAY

Anoka Hennepin District Board Meeting:Fill the Room

Monday, February 28 ·  6:00pm -  8:00pm

The time is NOW! It is time that the Anoka Hennipen School District takes agressive action to ensure a safe and inclusive learning environment for LGBT students (and of course, ALL students).

Since last July parents, students, teachers and community members have requested the school remove the discrimantory sexual orientation curriculum policy. This policy forbid teachers from talking to students about issues, topics and concern…s about sexual orientation. They call it the “nuetrality” policy, but by definition it is not.

This policy is a major obstacle in addressing the causes of LGBT bullying and harrassment that has lead to at least four of the nine suicides in the last 18 months in this district. If you can’t talk about the homophobia that clearly exists in these schools, how do you get rid of it?

COME SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING ON MONDAY THE 28TH. We want to fill the boardroom, so bring your friends, family and anyone that will come. Wear bright colors!

If you are concerned about transportation, please meet us at Metropolitan State’s Midway campus at 5:30. There will be a bus and people willing to carpool up to Coon Rapids and back.

Meeting information:
Time: 6:30pm
Address:
Anoka Hennepin District Office
11299 Hanson Blvd NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55433

WEDNESDAY

Txuj Ci Showcase “An evening of Hmong Queer and Allies talents”

Wednesday, March 2 ·  6:00pm -  9:00pm

U of M Twin Cities Coffman Union: The Whole Music Club

Come join us on March 2, 2011 for some amazing performances by artists such as Tou Saiko Lee, Artist Activist MR SOY 2010 Linda Hawj, Oskar Ly, Chong Moua, Pada Lo and more!!!!

*Free Food*
*Open to the public*
*Awesome Performances!*

For more information please contact us at:
glbta@umn.edu

THURSDAY and BEYOND

Fur Flee 2011 – FOUREVER!

Thursday, March 3 at 3:00pm -  March 6 at 2:00pm

Superior Wisconsin / Duluth Minnesota

RUN PASSES /FLEE COLLARS – $60.00
PURCHASE AT WWW.NCBEARS.COM
(you need a Run Pass to get into ALL hotel events and all drink specials)

http://www.ncbears.com/ncb/

Pounds 4 Pride – Winter Walk

Saturday, March 5 · 3:30pm – 6:30pm

Loring Park Community Center
1382 Willow St.
Minneapolis, MN

Celebrate The Final Days Of Winter

Come early for fitness boot camp. Mix and mingle with Pounds4Pride sponsors and spokespeople. Join in the lighted balloon parade at dusk.

Loring Park Community Center

3:30-4:30 Fitness Boot Camp
4:30-6:00 Meet & Greet Social
6:00 5K Luminary Winter Walk

The Winter Walk is brought to you by the Rainbow Health Initiative – Pounds4Pride Campaign

Twin Cities native competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race, premieres tonight

RuPaul’s Drag Race premieres tonight on LOGO and one contestant, Manila Luzon, hails from the Twin Cities. It’s not the first time a Minnesotan has made good on the campy drag queen reality show. In its first season, the show crowned Minneapolis resident Bebe Zahara Benet as America’s Drag Superstar.

In an interview with Seattle’s Gay Scene, Luzon recounts her beginnings as a Minnesota drag queen:

Manila Luzon, where are you from?
I’m half Filipino and half German/Swedish born and raised in the Twin Cities of Minnesota! But the second I graduated from college, I packed my good wig and a pair of stilettos and moved to New York City to become an artist!

When was your first time in drag and what did it feel like?
I honestly cannot remember – I’ve been sneaking into my mother’s and my sister closets on since I was a child! But the first time I became Manila Luzon was the summer I came out in college. I thought, if I’m going to be coming out as gay, I might as well go ALL THE WAY and be a drag queen!!!

Benet, the shows first queen from Minnesota, will host a party for the show in New York on Friday.

Celebrity judges for the upcoming season are Margaret Cho, Eliza Dushku, Carmen Electra, Susan Powter, Amber Rose, Rita Rudner, Sara Rue, Chloë Sevigny, Cheryl Tiegs, Lily Tomlin, Alessandra Torresani, Aisha Tyler, Jody Watley, and Vanessa Williams.

Unfortunately for Twin Citians, there doesn’t appear to be any viewing parties for the show.

From The Archives: “Counterculture Queens” Making History at Gay House

In the early 1970s, the American Psychological Association defined homosexuality as a character disorder in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.   Though attitudes amongst psychologists varied (indeed, many vocally disagreed with the designation), the Association’s official stance made professional mental healthcare an unhelpful obstacle to young people struggling with their sexual orientation. Thus, and unlike their heterosexual counterparts, young queer people frequently began their sexual and romantic lives without the guidance of older mentors of professional therapists.   Few positive representations of queer people existed, and these were not reinforced by mental health institutions.

Young activists, political radicals, and University of Minnesota graduates took over a rundown single-family home on Ridgewood Avenue (now demolished)  in 1971 to create a first in the state.  Gay House was literally a house of, by, and for gay people—selected for its close proximity to the former nucleus of Minneapolis’ “gay ghetto,” the structure served as an office building, meeting space, and crash pad for young people in need of help as they struggled to come to terms with their identity. Led by Jim Frost, a group of volunteers set up a telephone hotline to counsel troubled youth in the Twin Cities.

The Gay House hotline and its positively gay volunteers became immeasurably successful; the center received 50,000 phone calls and provided counseling services to well over 5,000 by 1975.[i] Thematic similarities in the callers’ problems surfaced; clients frequently desired basic information about sexuality, and they sought perspectives from others who shared their pain.  With the help of Michael McConnell, a librarian fired by the University of Minnesota for gay activism—Gay House offered the first-community-run queer library in the Upper Midwest.  Organizers reached out to new gay and lesbian publications in larger cities, including The Los Angeles Advocate, and contacted librarians for bibliographies. Barbara Gittings—founder of the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis and editor of its magazine, The Ladder—sent Gay house a bibliography and a message to “keep on gay-ning.”[ii]

To Steve Endean, the future founder of the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C., Gay House was a brave first step towards self-acceptance:

“…I was straightlaced and was somewhat taken aback by the ‘early Salvation Army’ look of the drop-in center.  Inside, I met several outrageous counterculture queens who seemed to personify every stereotype I’d heard about.  But since it was basically clear that my sexuality wasn’t just a phase but a reality, I was incredibly anxious to meet people that might assist in helping me develop a positive self-image as a gay man.”[iii]

The differing personalities of “counterculture queens,” straight-laced activists, and troubled youth often produced conflict. Gay house’s “rap sessions” inspired everything from genuine synergy to complete dissension. Meetings occasionally devolved into a series of “loud, angry, and seemingly pointed requests…for participation in some activities.”[iv] One anonymous participant complained “the house was basically run by kids above 18 for kids below 18.”[v] Four years and a move to south Minneapolis later, these and other interpersonal issues forced the center to close in 1979.

Ultimately, the legacy of our first community center offsets its negative end.  Some of our most important institutions, such as OutFront Minnesota, the Twin Cities Pride Committee, and the All God’s Children MCC have roots in Gay Houses’ seat-of-the-pants activism.  Without it, the Twin Cities would have likely been much less livable.

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[i] “Gay House Starts Fifth Years of Service.” Gay House Newsletter, 7/14/75.

[ii] Barbara Gittings Letter, OutFront Minnesota Collection, Box 1. Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies, University of Minnesota Libraries.

[iii] Steve Endean and Vicki Lynn Eaklor, Bringin Lesbian and Gay Rights Into the Mainstream: Twenty Years of Progress (New York: Harrington Park Press, 2006), 11

[iv] Sic.

[v] “Open House-Meeting at Gayhouse [sic]” Hundred Flowers, 10/1/71. Page 11.

From the Archives: Looking For Gays in the Gateway District, Part 2

A Minneapolis patrolman immediately took James Flood into custody—in full drag—after Flood shot and killed A.P. Camden on Nicollet Avenue in the dead of night. As part of the booking process, the officers measured more than a dozen parts of his body and noted the measurements in a “Bertillon Book.” These ledgers recorded body measurements for identification, and accompanied the first use of mug shots in the late 19^th century,[i] offering a firsthand account of criminal activity in the Gateway District during one of the most volatile periods in the city’s history. 

Murder is murder, of course—regardless of the time period, Flood was arrested because he killed someone.  However, it is entirely possible that Flood’s flagrant challenge to gender norms influenced his treatment by the police, and equally influenced his confessions, conviction and incarceration.   Six years before Flood’s arrest, a federal grand jury sentenced Mayor A. A. ‘Doc” Ames to six years in state prison for running one of the most corrupt administrations in the United States. The disgraced politician instituted a number of surreptitious practices, but he is perhaps best known for his permissive (some would call tolerant) treatment of prostitution, gambling, and liquor in the old Gateway area.[ii] Mayor Ames’ arrest marked a clear change in the police department’s arresting criteria, and likely inspired a crackdown on prostitution and other kinds of “abnormal” sexual behavior in Minneapolis.

Flood’s arresting officer pasted a small clipping from The Chicago Tribune next to his entry in the 1908 Minneapolis Bertillon Book, which gives additional details of that night in June:

“A.P. Camden, an elevator builder and for fifteen years a resident of St. Paul, was shot and instantly killed late last night in front of the store at 315 Nicollet avenue, by James Montague, 16 years old.

Camden was a total stranger to Montague.

As the man passed the boy he [Montague] took the revolver from his pocket and without reason of provocation, shot Camden in the head, and the victim fell dead at his feet.  The murderer then walked away whistling, but was followed by messenger boys who had witnessed the tragedy and was captured at Nicollet and Washington avenues by Patrolman R. E. Champlin.

At the time of the shooting, the boy wore some articles of woman’s apparel.  His story today in the sweatbox  was a fantastic tale of boyish adventure and depravity.  This story, which the police believe is true only in part, is being checked up carefully by detectives.  The prisoner is clearly insane.”[iii]

The Tribune’s report illuminates two questionable aspects of testaments to Flood’s “insanity.” The first—that Camden and Flood were “total strangers,” (thus Camden’s murder was completely unprompted) is hard to accept as indisputable fact.  The police originally suggested that the two were strangers in their report, yet the police only became involved with the case after Camden was dead.  No one is quoted, either by the police or by the Tribune, as saying that the two had never met before.

Second, the paper notes that Montague told his “fantastic” (and perhaps incoherent or crazy) tale of “boyish adventure and depravity” durring interrogation “in the sweatbox,” an interrogation procedure where suspects were put in a small room with several officers, and subjected to hours of verbal abuse and misleading questions.  In a 1902 article, The Public, a Chicago newspaper, censured the practice of sweatboxes, claiming:

“Ordinarily the torture—for it is nothing more—is especially designed for the case under consideration.  It the police are satisfied that that any person possesses information which may reveal the principles or participants in a great crime, they will get it and they feel justified employing any means, no matter how severe and cruel, and it will result in a confession.”[iv]

Flood’s unspecified confession of “depravity” could have involved anything the officers wanted or suspected—indeed, the police questioned whether or not the teenager was being completely honest. It is interesting to also note that officer Champlin mentioned Flood’s wig and style of dress as an afterthought.  The Chicago Tribune, on the other hand, excitedly proclaimed Flood “Existed as a Boy but Slew as a Girl!” before it surmised that he was “possessed of a dual personality, with each element battling for supremacy…”[v]

Ultimately, the court accepted his admission; he was sentenced to spend his life in the Minnesota State Reformatory in St. Cloud.[vi]

Next Time: People of Color In and Out of the Gateway

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[i] Hess, Kären M., Orthmann, Christine Hess.  Criminal Investigation, 9^th edition. New York: Delmar, 2010. Page 53.

[ii] Minneapolis Vice Commission, Report of the Vice Commission of Minneapolis to His Honor, James C. Hayes, Mayor.”  Minneapolis: Henry M. Hall Press, 1911..  Written almost a decade after Ames arrest, this lengthy report analyzed the “recent” history of prostitution in Minneapolis.  It also weighed the pros and cons of legalizing, tolerating, and criminalizing prostitution—the report even suggested establishing a single red light district on Nicollet Island.  In the end, the Commission recommended criminalization.

[iii] “Camden Had Premonition.” The Chicago Tribune, June 4, 1908.

[iv] The Public (bound edition). Originally printed March 29, 1902.

[v] “Existed as a Boy but Slew as a Girl: Woman Personality Drove Youth to Kill A. P. Camden in Minneapolis.” The Chicago Tribune, June 5, 1908.

[vi] Minneapolis Department of Police. Bertillon System Record No.1: From Jan. 4, 1907 to Dec. 19, 1907.  Minneapolis: Cerber Bros, 1906.  Record no. 382, June 3, 1908

From The Archives: A Woman’s Coffeehouse

In the process of organizing some of the Tretter Collection’s assorted material, I ran across an undated pamphlet from A Woman’s Coffeehouse that is reminiscent of a nearly-forgotten period in local queer life–when lesbian and bisexual women overcame paranoia, fear, and prejudice to simply socialize with each another. Organizers and participants in the coffeehouse quickly realized that they had prejudices of their own – women of color felt unwelcome, and transgender people were outright banned from participating. This pamphlet, like many other items in the Tretter Collection, is one of the last of its kind. It offers insight into one of the most significant organizations in local queer history–one that is relatively unknown by younger members of the LGBT community.

Stewart Van Cleve is a library assistant working with the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection at the University of Minnesota, and compiler of the 100 Queerest Places in Minnesota History. This is the first installment of Stewart’s new, regular column on queer Minnesota History.

In 1975, a group of lesbian-identified women organized an alcohol-free night of performances and dancing at the Lesbian Resource Center in south Minneapolis. [1] The evening was a surprising success, and its organizers formed a collective to continue offering a “sober space, women’s space, celebration space, forum space, caring space, and sharing space”[2] to the lesbian and bisexual community. After a few more meetings at the Resource Center, the Collective relocated to the basement of the Plymouth Congregational Church on the southern edge of downtown Minneapolis.

The Collective’s appearance marked a point of departure in the social scene of Minnesota’s queer women—before ’75, women either met through quiet social networks and house parties, by participating in activist organizations, or they socialized in the respective lesbian-designated bar that operated at the time. A Woman’s Coffeehouse was one of the first community-run social spaces that attempted to blend the sociability and safety of house parties with the visibility of lesbian bars.
At the time of the Coffeehouse’s founding, many women feared participating in political movements or entering “known” lesbian spaces. The FBI kept tabs on several Gay and Lesbian activist organizations during the Nixon Administration (1969-1974); in some cases, agents infiltrated radical groups with instructions to spread discord, take names, and orchestrate raids.[3] Paranoia among queer women was abundant, and it conflated fears of arrest, fears of being “outed,” and fears of losing gainful employment. Toni McNaron and Karen Clark both participated in “the Coffeehouse” during the mid-1970s, and considered their attendance as a risk to their livelihoods.[4] This ultimately proved to not be the case; McNaron became a respected University of Minnesota professor and Clark became one of the first openly-lesbian politicians in the United States.



The Coffehouse’s purpose was twofold. It served as an empowering social space as it simultaneously served as a venue for lively (if sometimes heated) discussions about issues facing queer women. As its name implied, the Collective’s meetings were run by members and required substantial input for every decision made. The meetings, though largely constructive, occasionally dissolved into infighting and controversy. In the early 1980s, Collective members wrestled with regulations that banned young boys and transgender people from entering the all-woman establishment. Some women of color felt unwelcome, and white regulars also noticed the disparity—these sentiments encouraged the Collective members to reconsider their outreach to communities of color. In a 1985 flyer, the collective announced “some of our main goals are to bridge the cultural gaps between white women and women of color and break down the walls of alienation that have been built up over the years.”[5] This spirit of inclusion only went so far, however. In 1984, the Collective narrowly passed a ban on transgender people that permitted—but did not expect or require—participants to ask transgender people to leave immediately.

Several lesbian bars and alternative social organizations (such as Out to Brunch) organized and opened in the mid-1980s and actively competed with the Collective’s once-unique status as a social venue for women. The Coffehouse’s competitors offered an easygoing alternative to the contention of regular meetings. Thus, the majority of women who just came to dance went elsewhere. Membership dwindled, and the organization closed in September of 1989.[6] A decade later, many of the Coffeehouse’s pioneering members held one last event in the basement of the Plymouth Church, where women had established lifelong friendships and relationships for more than fifteen years.

[1] Enke, Anne. Finding the Movement: Sexuality, Contested Space, and Feminist Activism. North Carolina: Duke University Press, 2007. Page 224.

[2] Excerpt from a speech by an unidentified woman, recorded at a Woman’s Coffeehouse Collective meeting on 2/9/85.

[3] Glick, Brian. War at Home: Covert Action Against U.S. Activists and What We Can Do About It.” Cambridge, MA: South End Press, 1989. Page 27.

[4] Enke, page 225.

[5] Anderson, Shelley. “Coffeehouse Makes Changes.” Equal Time, 12/18/1985. Page 9.

[6] Dryer, Peg and Porte, Trina. “The Coffeehouse: A Final Accounting.” Equal Time News, 8/3-8/17/90. Page 4.

Books: Sex Sure Is Fun With This New, Illustrated Handbook

At its heart, Sex is Fun: Creative Ideas for Exciting Sex is exactly the kind of book one would give a bisexual younger sibling in their late teens or early 20′s, who’s just starting to explore sex and who’s still figuring out what they like. It gives a good, pan-sexual overview of a wide range of sex techniques and practices, and demystifies some things like dental dams, role-playing and BDSM, giving you enough information to stop being scared or grossed-out by something, and then want to go try it! It’s also illustrated, graphic-novel style, with a smattering of anatomical diagrams to help clarify the finer points of g-spots and prostate glands. Authors Kidder Kaper and Laura Rad even addresses themselves to people going out for a casual hook-up, with lots of genital grooming tips that are sure to be appreciated by your trick, and the authors’ lighthearted, but mature take on sex mirrors the teaching styles of some of the best sex educators I’ve had the privilege of learning from.

Perhaps the best part about the book – beyond the illustrations – are worksheets included at the end of almost every chapter, giving the reader a structured way to practice the self-exploration and self-awareness that Klapper and Rad place at the center of a healthy sex life.

So what’s not to like? As mentioned above, Sex is Fun doesn’t dwell on single subjects (except role-play), which will certainly be aggravating if you’re hungry for more information. And while the book does cover all kinds of pairings, and most chapters have at least one non-heterosexual couple depicted, it’s not a queers-only book. If you’re really put off by the sight of sex you don’t prefer, stick to more specific books (I certainly saw more vulvae in a day reading this book than in a year of porn site pop-up ads). Personally, I think Klapper and Rad erred in leaving out advice on how to be a good top to a man during anal sex: I’ve heard of – and had – one hookup too many where the other guy was completely wrapped up in how good his penis felt, and was completely oblivious to how the bottom felt. Beyond butt sex complaints, I also take issue with the authors’ laser-like focus on couples sex. For all the tips on how to be a good lover, and all the worksheets goading you into talking with your partner about your deepest fears and desires, Klapper and Rad don’t touch multiple-partner sex, and how to discuss it with your partner.

Even with these gaps, Sex is Fun still manages to be an excellent basic guide to sexuality. There’s a little something for every one, and while it’s best suited for newbies, you’re still likely to find information, advice, and a sex game or two that you haven’t seen before, even if you’ve been around the block a few times.

Sex is Fun: Creative Ideas for Exciting Sex, by Kidder Kaper and Laura Rad, Illustrated by Josh Lynch, 214 pages. Avery Books. $20.00. Sold locally at most book stores, and at the Smitten Kitten, in Minneapolis.

Pine City Pride Brings a Rainbow of Love!

This year’s 2010 Pine City Pride was a soggy but well attended event that focused on love and the celebration of commitments. Emceed by Jessie Tebben, the day was periodically dampened by rain showers, but that was not enough to dampen the spirits of those present. Held in Voyageur Park just in the heart of Pine City, this was the sixth consecutive annual event to be held on the grounds adjacent the Pine City VFW. All ages were welcomed to the festival that had the charm of any other small town gathering, with home spun fun and goodies for everyone. Along with other representative seeking the LGBT vote, gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton addressed the wet picnickers, and pledged to end discrimination against the LGBT community and to legalize same-gender marriages should he become Minnesota’s next Governor.

Instead of the anticipated demonstration from a small, conservative Christian contingent holding a picnic on the other side of town, attendees at the Pride picnic were treated to a much more passive-aggressive attack on our community. The anti-gay group elected to slip pages of paper under the windshield wipers of many cars at Voyageur Park. The signs simply read “Gay is not that way;” with awkward phrasing like that, it seems the protesters were in too much of a hurry to communicate effectively.

This year’s event was made possible in part by the organizing and fundraising efforts of several groups including the East Central MN Men’s and the East Central MN  Women’s Circles as well as the Mora PFLAG chapter and others. Tebben reported that $500.00 was raised by a GSA drag show at the Anoka Ramsey Community College and another $550.00 raised by a garage sale. The grassroots fundraising in support of this year’s festival is certainly a testament to the dedication rural Minnesota LGBT people have in displaying their courage, strength and unity. It was well worth being a little damp to share in the joy of this celebration!

More photo and video coming soon to TheColu.mn’s Flickr pool – Stay tuned!