Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association
Since its inception in 1989, OPALGA has become one of the largest community based, multipurpose lesbian and gay membership organizations in Illinois.
Drop In Group GLBTQ Thanksgivin’ Potluck!
Monday, November 20th at The OPALGA Center we are having an all group (Prism, Spectrum, TGIQ, RED and ALAS) Potluck to kick off the holiday season in style. We will provide the turkey and potatoes, YOU can bring your fAV dish! Not a cook? NO PROBLEM, get over here anyway for fun and good eats! OUTspoken will perform and there will be door prizes. Dinner will be served from 7-9:30 so get here early! RSVP ahead of time if you can! Any questions? Call (708) 386-3463 or email prism@opalga.org.
November 2006 Message From The Co-Chairs
We are fortunate to live in a time and region of the world that is tolerant, if not accepting, of the LGBT community as an integral and productive part of its village. Historically, many individuals have risked their personal security—physically, financially, and emotionally—to wage the war on discrimination and hate. It has been an act of courage and integrity for these individuals to stand up and declare themselves gay at times when to do so was often a lonely, singular act and sometimes cost them their lives.
Even though the national climate against gays and lesbians has been one of consistent loathing used to foster conservative political action, we still have felt buffered by our residence in a community that strives for diversity and inclusion.
But we are not immune to bigotry and discrimination.
You will remember that soon after the Oak Park domestic partnership registry was passed, a referendum to strike down that registry gained enough momentum to be included on the spring ballot. Although this was significantly defeated, 2,000 Oak Parkers turned out to vote in favor of stopping same-sex partners from being counted. Recently, a church employee who had been openly gay in this church’s congregation was fired, reportedly, for his homosexuality after several years of service. He was devastated, as were a number of parishioners who had grown to love him.
Alan Amato writes in this month’s Empower about how gays and lesbians are being tortured and executed as they are discovered by authorized Iraqi “gay death squads.” American troops, despite the shortage of enlisted persons in numbers enough to provide safety for our own armed services, are being “found out” and court-marshaled with dishonorable discharges for their sexuality. These are people who have volunteered to serve in this conflict despite how they are viewed or how they have been treated.
These reminders of harsh reality serve to heighten our commitment to this local organization, OPALGA. In our small way, for every person whose life we can touch and say to him or her, “You have a purpose being here,” we can stand in the face of discrimination and hate, holding our ground and make this a better world, One Gay at a Time!
Iraq—A Gay Perspective
It has been four years since the U.S. invaded Iraq. It has been four years since we toppled the statue of Sadaam Hussein in central Baghdad. Remember George Bush landing in a bomber (weapon of mass destruction?) on an aircraft carrier? Bush speaking to his adoring masses under a huge banner proclaiming “Mission Accomplished”?
Switch to the present. Over 2,000 U.S. service personnel are dead. Thousands upon thousands of Iraqis—mainly civilians—are dead. Iraq is in the throes of a bloody civil war. I guess the “mission” has not been “accomplished.”
A gay perspective:
Hundreds of lesbian and gay military personnel have been discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Discharges are occurring while there is a severe shortage in troop levels. Young service people who thought their military service in Iraq was completed are now being returned to the war zone. Lesbian and gay service people are being thrown out of the armed forces despite their credentials to serve—electronic and engineering specialists, linguistic specialists fluent in Arabic—and the list goes on.
Bush promised a free and democratic Iraq. The “mission” has not been “accomplished.” Iraq is evolving into an Islamic theocracy à la Iran. The U.S. presence in Iraq has sown the seeds for the development of future terrorists and for the continued hatred of the U.S. in the entire Middle East.
Iraq’s Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa last October calling for the death of gay Iraqis. According to al-Sistani (who, according to the Bush administration, is a “moderate” who deserves U.S. support), “Those involved in the act of sodomy should be punished. In fact, sodomites should be killed in the worst manner possible.”
As a result, death-to-gays squads have been roaming Iraq and routinely arresting, beating, torturing, and murdering gay Iraqis. Scores of gay Iraqis have fled the country into exile for fear of death. Similar to theocratic Iran, Iraq has been carrying out systematic anti-gay programs. Gay Iraqi exiles now living in London tell horrific stories of gays being beaten on the streets while crowds of onlookers cheer on. Gays are being arrested and kidnapped—kidnapped and eventually found dead with their hands tied behind their backs, blindfolded with either a bullet hole in back of the head or decapitated.
Gay Iraqi Olympian Wissom Adel Odah, his coach, and one other teammate were kidnapped. A few days later, they were found bound, blindfolded, and executed.
According to one gay Iraqi exile, “These assaults and murders have been reported to the Green Zone, but the Americans don’t want to upset the religious authorities, and so they do nothing or treat gay Iraqis with contempt or as an object of humor.”
According to one gay Iraqi, four years after Sadaam’s fall, life for gay people in Iraq is even more unbearable than it was before.
Anu Nawas Group, a gay Iraqi London-based exile group reports the following: Ammar, a young gay man of 27, was abducted and shot in the back of the head in Baghdad by suspected Iraqi militia members in January. Haydar Faiek, 40, a transsexual, was beaten and burned to death on a main street in Baghdad. Naffeh, 45, disappeared. His family was informed that he was kidnapped. His body was found in January. Sarmad and Khalid were partners. Persons unknown revealed their same-sex relationship. They were abducted and their bodies were found two months later—bound, blindfolded, and shot in the back of the head. The stories go on and on.
Perhaps Bush has indeed “accomplished” his “mission.” If he and his supporters cannot create a brutal, homicidal theocracy in the U.S., they have certainly created one in Iraq.
October Feast Weekend A Success
The weekend of October 20 through October 22 was OPALGA’s first OCTOBER FEAST fundraising weekend. Dinners, parties, and brunches were held by various members, and they were hailed by attendees as very successful. Co-Chair Cheryl Haugh, who, with her partner Betsy Ritzman, hosted a brunch, said, “It was a little bit of work to get the menu and then the food ready, but we had a great time. Our guests loved the idea.”
The concept for the fundraising event was quite simple. As a host, you were asked to hold a party in your home and create your guest list. It could have been a cocktail party, a sit-down dinner party, a dinner buffet, or a brunch. Hosts selected a date and time during the OCTOBER FEAST weekend and were provided with invitations, information regarding OPALGA for their guests, and any guidance that they might have needed. Hosts received a gift-in-kind donation credit for their expenses and a host gift. OPALGA then received the donations from the parties.
Co-Chair Brad Bartels, who hosted a dinner party with his partner, Joe Langley, reported, “We had so much fun. We sat down for dinner at 8:15 p.m. and the next thing we all knew, it was 2:00 a.m. My partner outdid himself preparing a marvelous meal. One of our guests, who isn’t an OPALGA member, turned to me during dinner and said that she was having a great time and asked if she could host a dinner next year.”
OPALGA thanks all who hosted and attended an OCTOBER FEAST party. Your donations of both time and money are greatly appreciated.
What’s The Buzz?
On Friday, November 17, the OPALGA Coffeehouse will feature the compelling voice and guitar stylings of Jeffrey Altergott. Born and raised within earshot of the sprawling Chicago music scene, Altergott has been a player in its ranks for over a decade. Influenced by the music of the Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman, and other acoustic-guitar-slinging women troubadours, he got his start as half of the acoustic duo Carnival of Faith. The group released two CDs. Altergott kicked off his solo career with the art-folk CD “Little Blue Record Player” (1997), which was touted by the Chicago Reader’s Monica Kendrik to have “bite and funk and a sense of wonder.”
Altergott’s sophomore release was the hopeful melancholy that is “Icarus Grounded.” Its release prompted the Chicago Tribune to feature Altergott in its “Artist Watch” and subsequently on its Metromix television program. Jeff’s latest musical offering, “Runt” (2004), is a collection of songs that are as driving as they are thought-provoking. Quiet, reflective, rowdy, and raucous, “Runt” satisfies true music lovers who long for the individual styling found in the likes of the Indigo Girls and Tom Waits.
Come join us at the Buzz Cafe, 905 S. Lombard, Oak Park, at 7:00 p.m., and bring your friends!
Programming Committee Update
Join BUNGALO and OPALGA bowlers on Sunday, November 12, for Turkey Bowl ‘06. This fantastic event costs $15 and will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Oak Park Suburban Lanes, 6046 Roosevelt Rd., Oak Park (corner of Lyman and Roosevelt). See you all there for the fun!
On Sunday, November 19, the OPALGA book club will meet to discuss The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. The search for a mother and the need to mother oneself are crucial elements in this well-written coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s against a background of racial violence and unrest. The informal and lively discussion will start at 2:00 p.m. at The OPALGA Center, 947 Garfield, Oak Park.
The Programming Committee would like to thank all of the home hosts, volunteers, attendees, and advertisers who took part in the Third Annual OPALGA Home Tour on October 1. By all accounts, this year’s tour of four homes was a great success, and the fabulous weather only added to the enjoyment of the day.
Village, OPRF High School, and Park District Receive Medals for Gay Games Participation
Over the last two weeks in September, OPALGA Co-Chair Brad Bartels and CEO of the Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Rich Carollo have attended board meetings of the Village of Oak Park, Oak Park and River Forest High School, and the Park District of Oak Park to make special presentations on behalf of the Oak Park Host Committee for the Gay Games VII. Bartels and Carollo presented each governing body with a framed participant’s medal for their contributions to the success of the Gay Games in Oak Park. Bartels said of the presentations, “It is important to recognize the contributions made this summer by all three governing bodies. Without their support and willingness to be a part of the Gay Games, we couldn’t have held them here. They did an outstanding job, and we all should all be proud of their contribution.”
At each of the presentations, Bartels remarked, “It has been only 17 short years since protections for gays and lesbians were included in the Human Rights ordinance of the Village of Oak Park, and the Gay Games were a symbolic reminder that our Village does embraces us (the LGBT community) as full residents with all of the rights and responsibilities that go along with living in this community.”
Pictured are Rich Carollo (left) and Brad Bartels (center) as they present David Pope (right), President of the Board of Trustees for the Village of Oak Park, with a framed participant’s medal for the village’s contribution to the Gay Games Vll in Oak Park.
Domestic Partnership Registry Anniversary
This month a very special anniversary is remembered by all Oak Park residents who care deeply about the diversity, history and acceptance of our Village.
In September, 1997 the Village of Oak Park Board of Trustees passed an ordinance creating a Village-wide Domestic Partnership Registry. By approving the ordinance Oak Park became the first municipality in the State of Illinois to offer recognition to its lesbian and gay citizens in committed relationships.
The Registry allows same-sex couples to register with the Village Clerk as “Domestic Partners”. The Registry does not have any legal benefits or legal rights however the symbolism is important. The Registry illustrates the Village of Oak Park’s commitment and acknowledgement of all its citizens. The Registry acknowledges that its gay and lesbian couples are recognized as legitimate, loving, caring couples in Oak Park. Couples which have a major stake in our community: we own homes, raise our children and socialize with our neighbors in an atmosphere of mutual respect and acceptance.
The passage of the Ordinance did not come without rancor and debate. The Oak Park Area Lesbian & Gay Association (OPALGA) devoted several months to organizing a broad based coalition of Oak Parkers to lobby for passage. Gay, lesbian, straight Oak Parkers, as well as clergy, businesspeople and community organizations came together in one voice to speak for its passage.
Why does the lesbian and gay community in Oak Park recognize the importance of the Registry? The Registry affirms the dignity and legitimacy of our loving relationships. It is important today - especially in an election year when several politicians around the country tend to demonize lesbian and gay Americans in order to pander for votes from the extreme right wing. Especially when several states have encoded discrimination in their state constitutions to ban same sex marriage. Especially when politicians continue to use religion as a basis for hate and discrimination.
In 1997 the Village of Oak Park reaffirmed its commitment to equality and fairness for all of its citizens. In 2006 let us continue to reaffirm Oak Park’s commitment to diversity, equality and acceptance.
OPALGA Receives Donation from Xerox Capital’s Gay and Lesbian Employee Group
In the spring, the lesbian and gay employee affinity group for the Chicago-area office of Xerox Capital contacted OPALGA about the possibility of hosting a fundraiser for OPALGA during Pride Month. The affinity group is called XCS GLBT Alliance. Co-Chair Brad Bartels met with the group to further their understanding of our organization’s mission and programs and to discuss how OPALGA would be a good fit for XCS GLBT Alliance’s efforts.
In late May, XCS GLBT Alliance contacted OPALGA to let us know that they were holding an ice cream social and raffle on Friday, June 16, at their office and that proceeds from the ice cream sales and raffle would be donated to OPALGA. Bartels said, “This is a tremendous gesture by Xerox Capital’s XCS GLBT Alliance. We cannot thank them enough for their support. I attended the event, which happened to be my birthday, and met so many great people. It was a truly great birthday!”
At the July Potluck, hosted by Oak Park Village Trustee and former OPALGA Co-Chair Ray Johnson, two members from XCS GLBT Alliance, Christopher Mahoney and Michael Gilliland, presented OPALGA with a check for $790.00. In his thank-you letter to the group, Bartels stated in part, “As a small community-based organization, I can tell you that your donation will be put to good use within our organization. It is amazing to me how far a gift like yours can go to enrich our programming efforts in support of the LGBT community, not only within Oak Park but throughout the Chicagoland area.”
Gay Games Success Exceeds Expectations
These were just a few of the qualities exemplified not only by the athletes who participated but also by the volunteers who assisted with the massive undertaking of the Gay Games® VII in Chicago and the suburbs. Evidenced by rainbow flags flown by merchants in Oak Park, passionate words of welcome from Mayor Richard M. Daley, the anonymous delivery of water and snacks to hungry and hot athletes, people from surrounding communities helping lost visitors in their native languages—this historic event met its mission to provide participants a safe, accepting venue in which to compete with others of different abilities, ages, genders, nationalities, and sexual orientations and to strive for their personal best.
The energy in the stadiums for the opening and closing ceremonies cracked even the most jaded of heart with the strength of integrity and the visible assurance of a worldwide community. This was underscored with rainbow colors, music, dance, humor, dignitaries, and, of course, fireworks.
Between these ceremonies were the Games! Some of the Oak Park area’s own not only competed but also won medals. Jeff Weber took home a Silver medal in singles badminton. Donna Karpavicius, Laura Fisher, Ruth Williams, and Lynn Heald competed in team bowling, while Ruth and Lynn, pitted against each other in the individual competition, took home a Silver and Bronze medal, respectively. Brian Fischer, from Westchester, won a Gold medal for bowling in the mixed-team A Division, and Tyson Hurst, from Forest Park, bowling with the High Rollers, received a Silver medal in the mixed-team B Division. Locals Julie Justicz, Bonnie Keyes, and Jennifer Schlife competed in the Olympic-length triathlon, with Schlife taking the Gold medal. Finally, Ellen Somberg won a Gold medal in women’s doubles racquetball and a Silver medal in the singles competition.
Oak Park’s “West Village” was commended for being the most organized and certainly welcoming of the Games’ participating villages by its organizers. It takes a village to accommodate 12,000 athletes for a week of competitive sport. OPALGA, along with the Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, was joined by the Village of Oak Park, Oak Park and River Forest High School, the Oak Park Park District, and a host of participating merchants and countless individuals who officially or unofficially offered donations of time, money, water, food, and gifts to make the athletes’ stay in our village memorable. For one glorious week, we were all Gay in Our Village.
Note: If we overlooked your accomplishment(s), let us know by calling The OPALGA Center at (708) 848-0273. We will then recognize you in the September issue of Empower.
