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New Orleans AIDS Monument
Announces Memorial Walkway

The New Orleans AIDS Monument Committee is now accepting names to be included in the Memorial Walkway.

The AIDS Monument will be placed on a segment of the median, or neutral ground, of historic Esplanade Ave. which joins the French Quarter and the Faubourg Marigny, near the Mississippi River. This crescent-shaped monument will feature different faces cast in glass representing the entire spectrum of people who have died from AIDS: men, women and children of all races. The monument site will be enhanced by landscaping under the existing live oak trees, and subtle evening lighting which will highlight the pale green glass faces. Relationship words cast in glass will be placed throughout the monument including mother, son, lover, teacher, and friend. The curving stone Memorial Walkway will consist of engraved stones bearing the names of those who have died of AIDS.

"The Memorial Walkway symbolizes remembrance," stated David Kiviaho, co-chair for the Monument Committee. "As it winds down Esplanade, the Walkway will provide a lasting tribute to the many people we have lost to AIDS-our sisters, husbands, lovers, mothers, sons, daughters, and friends." Kiviaho added.

An engraved stone may be purchased for $75.00. These proceeds will go directly to the construction of the AIDS Monument and Memorial Walkway. The Committee has a target unveiling date of World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, 1998. You may mail your Memorial Walkway submission and check, or make a donation to the construction of the monument to: New Orleans AIDS Monument Committee, P.O. Box 19709, New Orleans, LA 70179-0709.

For the Memorial Walkway, please be sure to include person's name (not to exceed two lines at 13 characters each) and mail by Sept. 30, 1998.

For more information regarding the New Orleans AIDS Monument and Memorial Walkway, contact David Kiviaho or Susan Levingston at the Monument Information Line, 504.364.5554.

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Volunteers Needed
For Southern Decadence

If you want to have a great, fun and exciting time, join the Gay Outreach Team at NO/AIDS Task Force during Southern Decadence. If this is for you, call 504.945.4000 and ask for James.

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"Living In A World With AIDS"
Art Exhibit
At St. Charles General Hospital

St. Charles General Hospital has been selected as the only hospital in Louisiana to display the "Living in a World with AIDS" art exhibit. The exhibit is located in the St. Charles Room on the third floor of the hospital, 3700 St. Charles Ave.

To help the community better understand the challenges and triumphs of living with HIV and AIDS, the Office of AIDS Research of the National Institutes of Health presents this exhibit of artwork created by the children, adolescents, and young adults participating in the clinical trials of the Pediatric HIV Working Group of the National Cancer Institute. By drawing pictues and writing stories as part of their therapy during each clinic visit, they tell the story of their journey of living with HIV. One particular structured technique used is the "mandala," which means both center and circumference in Indian traditions. Jung associated the mandala with the Self, the center of total personality.

Because of its involvement with the community's young adults, especially through the recently established NO/AIDS Teen Hotline, Shauna Dunn committed NO/AIDS Task Force's full support of this exhibit. "It is disastrous still to have young people becoming infected with HIV, but it is wonderful to see them get involved in helping others," she said.

The exhibit, which runs through the month of Aug., is free of charge and open to the public.

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The Dykes Are Going To March!

The next Dyke March Organizing Committee meeting will be held at 7:30pm, Tues., Sept. 1 at the Lesbian and Gay Community Center on N. Rampart. All woman identified women are invited to attend.

New Orleans First Dyke March will be Fri., Sept. 25 at 7pm starting at Jackson Square.

All women are invited to attend the next meeting to organize this exciting event.

For more information, call 504.739.4124.

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Mwindo Bus Ride
To Casino Magic

The newly formed Krewe of Mwindo's next fund raising event will be a bus ride to Casino Magic on Sun., Sept. 13 at 11am. The Bus will leave from the First National Bank of Commerce at Chef Mentuer Highway and Louisa Street. The ride costs $10.

For ticket information call Menard at 504.899.5372; James at 504.944.8061; or, Thomas at 504.283.2715.

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Bear Decadence 1998

The New Orleans Bear & Bear Trapper Social Club announces its third year hosting a bear run to coincide with Southern Decadence weekend. This year's theme is "A Caribbean Cruise" and promises to be full of tropical nights and loads of ursine treats. An action-packed "itinerary" is planned for run participants.

From New Orleans, the fantasy "Port of Departure," events are scheduled at a number of fantasy Caribbean ports, finally returning to home port just in time for that uniquely ubiquitous ursophilia, Southern Decadence. Even if you aren't a bear run participant, you can still party with the bears at the following events:

Day 1, Thurs., Sept. 3 - To register, go to the Port of Departure at Body & Soul, 2301 Chartres St. to pick up a run packet which includes passport & T-shirt, among other goodies. The bar will be open and a cocktail party is planned. Later, attend the Sidewalk Bear Beer Bust at The Rawhide, 740 Burgundy St.

Day 2, Fri., Sept 4 - Key West, FL & Havana, Cuba. Again at Body & Soul, continuing registration and then a fabulous Country Dance called "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude," taking a cue from Jimmy Buffet. The doors open at 8pm for dance lessons and, at 9pm, the boot scootin' gets underway and keeps going until 1am. Day 3, Sat., Sept. 5 - San Juan, Puerto Rico & Montego Bay, Jamaica. Lou and Jerce from Another Corner, 2601 Royal St. host the Arctophile Party, which pre-dates the bear club and boasts of a complementary buffet. Sat. is also Club and Vendor Day and this year it will resemble a Jamaican marketplace, full of color, variety and temptation, from art to bearwear.

Also this year a King & Queen of Decadence Contest, the newest of Decadence traditions, is being expanded. Both King & Queen of Decadence will be crowned. This irreverent competition pokes fun at all the seriousness of other contest, but offers great prizes, huge trophies and a cash award to winners. This event begins right after the dinner buffet. Free to all run participants, the event is also open to the public for a modest admission fee of $5 which will be donated to Buzzy's Boys and Girls.

In addition to the above, there is also the Parade of Prizes, a weekend-long raffle and giveaway game, featuring incredibly wonderful prizes, including dinners, bar tabs, accommodation vouchers, artwork, leather goods and bear wear.

For more information, contact the New Orleans Bear & Bear Trapper Social Club at 504.897.1594.

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Revitalizing Armstrong Park

A group of neighborhood organizations and others has been formed calling itself Armstrong Park Lovers, Friends and Neighbors, or APLFN, which is exploring and implementing ways to make the park more useable for the community. According to this group, events have had little success for various reasons, mainly the lack of traffic in the park; therefore, increased usage of the park by residents is a primary goal, followed by inviting more events coordinators to consider the park for their functions.

New events planned for the park are a Neighborhood Pot Luck Picnic the last Sunday of every month beginning Aug. 30, at 3pm, during which participants are encouraged to "work a little, play a little, eat and drink a little and then have a second line [with music sponsored by Rampart St. and Treme businesses which will consist of traditional New Orleans Jazz, brass band and other regional music].... Kids, dogs, frisbees, balls and squirt toys are encouraged." Additionally, the French Quarter North & South Art Guild will organize art shows coinciding with the picnic.

Gay Pride weekend will occupy the park for the first time Sept. 26 & 27 and the fourth annual Howl Orleans Arts Festival will take place in late October.

APLFN has determined that, in order to increase use of and attract events to Armstrong, there must be a cleaner environment; therefore, several volunteers have already begun to act on suggestions and short term goals. Gregory Finsley will look into ways to clean the lagoons and waterways and the planting of water plants that beautify and help keep the water clean; Isaac Johns and Beverly Boulet will oversee cleaning up the aqueduct fountain area and repairing drains. Leo Watermeyer will look into acquiring new/special planning and maintenance supervision; Joann Abbott and Linda Gruenfeld, repairing and painting bridges and benches and; Lisa Hix, cleaning and maintaining areas under bridges.

APLFN will also conduct a survey to determine if the neighborhood would benefit from a designated area where dogs may run as in Cabrini Park. This would increase foot traffic to the park on a daily basis.

For more information, contact Lisa Hix at 504.522.2160, or Leo Watermeyer, 504.529.2367.

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Figaro's First
Online Restaurant
Ordering Service

Figaro's Pizzerie, 7900 Maple St., is offering its customers the option of ordering food for delivery via the World Wide Web at www.figaros-restaurant.com. Figaro's Pizzerie assures guests a seamless and secure transaction that is fast and easy.

By connecting to Figaro's Pizzerie via the WWW, hungry surfers can simply view menus, order, and enjoy the experience of Figaro's in the convenience of their own office, home, or dorm room and have their choices delivered immediately.

Figaro's is also equipped to deliver and cater luncheon parties to the CBD, Warehouse District and the French Quarter. Residents and businesses in these areas can order from the Lunch Box menu. Because these areas are outside the restaurant's normal delivery area, customers must make a minimum of five orders, with at least twenty-four hours' notice. Uptown residents, in the regular delivery area, can order any time from the entire menu. There is an $8. minimum delivery charge, but there is no minumum for take out service.

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Texas MCC Cathedral Begun

The Dallas-based Cathedral of Hope, the largest predominantly Gay church in the nation, broke ground Sun., July 26, on the first phase of a proposed $20 million building project designed by legendary architect Philip Johnson.

Lisa Carver, spokesperson for the Cathedral of Hope, said the project's first phase involves building a 78-foot tall bell wall that will serve as an international memorial to people who have died of AIDS complications. It will be named after John Thomas, a longtime AIDS and Gay civil rights activist who, she said, "never says anything bad about anybody."

"John has dedicated his life to serving our community and, in particular, people with AIDS," Carver said.

Thomas also is co-chair of the 2,400-member Cathedral of Hope's capital campaign, which has raised $6.5 million of its $20 million goal. The national fund-raising effort is aimed at raising enough money to have the project finished by New Year's Day, 2001.

"Our hope, really, is that the Cathedral of Hope will become a national cathedral for Gay and Lesbian people," Carver said, "and that the sheer size will capture the interest of the world."

As part of the church's recent groundbreaking ceremony, about 1,000 volunteers took part in a neighborhood renewal project that involved visiting local neighborhoods to offer various services.

The Cathedral of Hope, which is a member of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, celebrated its 28th anniversary on July 26.

The Dallas Morning News reported that the cathedral's central sanctuary is being designed to seat 2,500 congregants, and will contain the traditional altar, pews, choir loft, and long center aisle, in addition to curving walls and sloping ceilings. It also will include a small side chapel and a cloister that will link the new sanctuary to the current church, which will be turned into an auditorium and community building.

Johnson, 93 and openly Gay, also designed the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA, for televangelist Robert Shuller.

"I'm doing real architecture again," he said. "No more kicking around bits of history. No more skyscrapers. Churches and synagogues are the only buildings worth doing, unless of course I'm doing something for myself." [from Washington Blade]

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Sensitive Look At
Female-to-Male Transgender Experience

An article by Miami Herald reporter Lori Teresa Yearwood for Knight-Ridder, ran in the July 28 Columbus, Ga., Ledger-Enquirer. It opens by telling how Miami university student Nick Sarchet, 28, was followed home and beaten by two men. As they beat and verbally abused Sarchet, he realized he "didn't dare tell them what he really was. Because Nick Sarchet, who until last month went by the name of Kimberly Lin Smith, is a woman. A woman in the process of becoming a man. It has taken years for him to get to this place, a place of relative comfort and self-acceptance."

The article details Sarchet's long journey toward assuming a male identity. He has yet to tell his parents, because he is afraid they will try to take from him his 4-year-old daughter, born when he still identified as a woman. Still, he knows he's doing what's right for him - and that he wants to discuss the attack publicly: "I'm tired of other people thinking people like me don't exist, that we're just weird, or strange, or abnormal. Someone has to make people like me real."

With acceptance and understanding, Yearwood tells Sarchet's story in a way that gives readers a thoughtful look at life from a Transgender person's perspective and that Transgenders can be loving parents.

Please thank Yearwood for this intelligent handling of a little-covered subject. Also, please thank the Columbus, Ga., Ledger-Enquirer for sharing this memorable story with its readers. Contact: Lori Teresa Yearwood, Reporter, Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132, fax: 305.376.2202 ? Susan Catron, Managing Editor, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, 17 West 12th St., Columbus, GA 31901-5254, fax: 706.576.6290, leletter@leo.infi.net. [GLAAD]

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Transgendered Congregants
E-Mail List Launched

The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches has established an E-mail list for Transgenders of faith, their families and allies. UFMCC officials said TransMCC is a forum to connect individuals from MCCs globally who want to share ideas and experiences. To subscribe to the E-mail list, or for more information, contact the Rev. Justin Tanis, UFMCC's director of clergy development, at TransMCC@aol.com.

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