 |
PLAYING IN THE STREET | A large crowd turned out to enjoy the street art and activities during the second annual Cedar Springs Arts Festival, held on the strip last Saturday, April 24. The weekend’s perfect spring weather helped the festival bring in visitors throughout the day to enjoy the more than 60 artists and vendors who set up their booths and offered up their wares along Cedar Springs Road. (Rich Lopez/Dallas Voice)
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 30, 2010.
Moore says LGBT group focused on financial accountability, progressive thinking in backing Blackburn, Cowan, White
Early voting continues through Tuesday, May 4 in the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees election, and Stonewall Democrats of Dallas have endorsed candidates in all three Dallas school board races.
Stonewall President Erin Moore said that all three candidates in the District 5 contest requested Stonewall’s endorsement, as did two of the three candidates in the District 4 race and two of the three candidates in the District 7 race.
The candidates were screened by the Stonewall endorsements committee on April 17, and the endorsements were ratified by the membership at the monthly Stonewall meeting on April 20, Moore said.
Moore said members of the LGBT political group "asked some pretty tough questions" of the school board candidates seeking Stonewall’s endorsement.
"Considering all the financial problems the district has had, we wanted to know where the candidates stand on accountability in funding. And we were looking for candidates who are progressive thinkers, given the controversy over textbooks in Texas," Moore said.
"We weren’t looking for people who would cause dissent on the board just for the sake of dissent, not by any means. But everyone agrees that there are issues in the school district that need to be fixed, and we were looking for candidates willing to stand up and try to do something to fix those things," Moore said. "We were looking for someone with the spine to stand up and fight for what’s right."
Stonewall endorsed incumbent Lew Blackburn in District 5 in what Moore said was "a very tough one to call."
"One of the three candidates in that race really impressed us with her intentions and her enthusiasm, but she seemed rather unprepared [for the realities of serving on the school board.] The other one was extremely prepared, and it was a really close call between that candidate and Blackburn," Moore said.
Considering the turmoil that has beset DISD and its board of trustees in recent years, Moore said that being an incumbent was not necessarily an advantage in this election. But it was for Blackburn.
"Blackburn has been a strong voice on the board and has not been afraid to stand up and speak truth to power. So we felt he would be the best candidate in that race," she said.
In the District 4 race, Stonewall endorsed Camile White over incumbent Nancy Bingham. Jesse Diaz, the third candidate, did not show up for the candidate screenings, Moore said.
"Nancy Bingham has been on the board for a long time and has lots of experience there. But that may have worked against her this time," Moore said. "The big question was, why hasn’t she done more to fix some of the problems with the board and the school district already."
In the District 7 race, candidate Eric Cowan "really just blew us away," Moore said, explaining why Stonewall endorsed him over Louis Trujillo.
"Cowan is a very, very strong candidate. He doesn’t have any experience with DISD, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He is very smart, and he gets that people should have a voice in what happens with the board and the school district. Even if he doesn’t agree with what you say, he seems willing to at least listen."
The third candidate in the race, Olegario Estrada, did not screen with Stonewall. The District 7 incumbent, Jerome Garza, is not running for re-election.
Moore said that while school district elections sometime slip under the radar in the LGBT community, the school board makes decisions all the time that can impact LGBT individuals.
"First of all, more and more LGBT people and couples are having children. And if you have children in the school district, you care about the school board elections. Because the school board makes decisions that affect your child," she said.
But even LGBT people who don’t have children have a stake in the school board elections because "we all pay school taxes, whether we have children or not," Moore said.
But perhaps the primary interest the LGBT community has in school board elections lies in the safety and welfare of LGBT youth attending DISD schools, Moore continued.
"We asked the candidates where they stand on the bullying legislation in the Texas Legislature and Congress. We asked about the nondiscrimination policy that’s already in place in DISD but isn’t being enforced," she said. "The LGBT kids in these Dallas schools need our help, and without open-minded, progressive people on the school board, those kids won’t get the help they need."
Although Stonewall Democrats is a partisan political group, Moore said it is not unprecedented for the group to endorse candidates in nonpartisan races like the school board elections.
"We have endorsed candidates in mayoral races and city council elections in the past. But it was always done at the whim of whomever was in charge [on Stonewall] at the time," Moore said.
But last year, she added, "we sat out the city council elections to rework our bylaws and give the process some structure. We’re very big on consistency, and the new rules give us consistency" in how Stonewall handles endorsements in nonpartisan races.
"One of the first questions we ask every candidate in nonpartisan races is, ‘Are you a Democrat?’ They don’t have to answer, of course, and even if they do, it doesn’t mean they are running as a Democrat in that particular race," Moore said. "But we ask the question anyway."
She said that, according to its bylaws, Stonewall is only restricted from endorsing a Republican who is running as a Republican in a particular race. So technically, Stonewall Democrats could endorse a Republican candidate, as long as the candidate is running in a nonpartisan race and does not openly declare him or herself a Republican.
"It is possible," Moore said. "Possible, but not at all likely. I think it would be obvious."
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 30, 2010.
Recruiters say jobs available; most urge job hunters to check websites
"More jobs are available now than in the last few years, and they’re all listed on the website."
That was the message from recruiters at the fifth annual GLBT Job Expo held Wednesday, April 28, at Southern Methodist University.
Some recruiters did interviews and took resumes. Others talked to applicants about their agencies or companies and helped direct them to particular departments.
All said they were impressed by the quality of applicants that this job fair attracts.
Organizers said the event was moved to a larger location on the SMU campus than originally planned — and still space was tight with the larger-than-expected crowd.
But several recruiters said this expo was laid out better than most that they attend.
Two representatives with the National Security Agency came from Washington to talk to potential recruits from the LGBT community. The NSA reps, however, were quite secretive about their Dallas mission and would not talk to the media.
Rafael McDonnell from Resource Center Dallas, one of the event sponsors, said he made contact with them at an Out & Equal meeting and was delighted by their attendance.
Literature at the booth indicated that they were looking for people for cryptoanalysis skills, computer/electrical engineering skills, foreign language and math skills.
The local office of another branch of the federal government, the Environmental Protection Agency, was more forthcoming.
Although they have no current openings, Craig Weeks of the Dallas EPA office said he expected job postings this summer for environmental scientists and attorneys.
He said that Dallas’ air was not up to national standards for ozone levels (compared to Houston’s which suffers from pollution from its refining industry). With no immediate remedy in sight, job security, once vacancies are posted, is ensured.
Weeks said the Ross Avenue office is on three DART rail lines, a perfect way to help protect Dallas’ air.
Other companies and government entities had a number of jobs to fill.
Capital One has been rapidly expanding in the Dallas area. Recently, their mortgage division has been consolidated in Plano. They expect to eventually employ 1,000 people in that office.
Megan Taub-Smith is a recruiting director for MetLife. She was looking for financial advisors. She said this expo attracts high-quality job seekers.
Normally, Taub-Smith said, she finds one or two out of 70 resumes worth pursuing at a job fair. At the GLBT Job Expo, she already was interested in seven or eight of the 50 resumes she received.
Jose Cruz was among the deputies from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department recruiting corrections officers from the LGBT community. He said 40 detention jobs were open in Dallas County and they hoped to fill five to 10 of them from the applicants at the fair.
He mentioned the necessary qualifications.
"Honesty, commitment to do the necessary work, clean criminal background," Cruz said. "Size doesn’t matter but have confidence in yourself to do the job. Be tough, strong-minded."
In addition, applicants must be at least 19 years old, citizens, registered with selective service and able to pass a psychological test, a polygraph and a physical exam.
By the middle of the afternoon, Cruz sat with a stack of resumes that he said he would pass along for the next round in their recruitment process.
David N. Walsh, an enforcement agent with Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, wanted word to get out about the good things his agency does. He assured that they have no interest in closing bars.
"If we closed the bars down, we’d be out of business," he said, noting that liquor license fees fund the agency.
Walsh had information with him about one current posting for an auditor but said other positions are available on the website.
He encouraged people to apply with the agency and said it was a great place to work and was very diverse.
The team from Texas Instruments said they got "great resumes from engineers" and were "taking them and passing them on," while Raytheon was talking to applicants, but said telling them to go online to apply.
Erika Curry of Metro PCS, based in Richardson, was doing "mini-interviews" but encouraged anyone who missed the expo to look on their website and that they were hiring.
"We’re here to direct you to the website," a representative from the city of Fort Worth said.
"Retail and corporate jobs are all on the website," Tino Gonzales from Best Buy said.
In addition to stores throughout the Metroplex, Best Buy has a regional office in Farmers Branch.
Recruiters from a number of companies — including Bank of America, whose southwest headquarters is downtown, and, McKesson, a pharmaceutical and medical supplies company with an office in Lewisville — said more jobs are open this year than last.
The North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce, Resource Center Dallas, Dallas Voice and Cox School of Business were the event sponsors.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 30, 2010.
DISD wants $1.2 million for 100-year-old Oak Cliff Christian Church; conservation league wants more time to find buyer
 |
| ON THE BLOCK | Unless the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League can find a buyer for the former Oak Cliff Christian Church by the end of the summer, Dallas Independent School district plans to demolish the historic building to make way for the new Adamson High School campus. (David Taffet/Dallas Voice) |
Dallas Independent School District has given the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League until this summer to find a buyer for Oak Cliff Christian Church.
But conservation league President Michael Amonett said he doesn’t think that’s enough time to find someone to save the landmark building, built in 1916.
The asking price is $1.2 million for the 27,000-square-foot building located just eight blocks from the Bishop Arts District. Although state law prohibits the school district from taking a loss on the property, at that price the district won’t be making a profit.
DISD purchased the property —along with most of the other North Oak Cliff properties within a four-block area — to build a replacement for the 100-year old Adamson High School.
They paid $479,000 for the church and in February spent another $553,000 to remove asbestos.
Legal fees and maintenance costs make up the rest of the $1.2 million asking price.
And Amonett estimates it will take a buyer another $4 million to renovate or repurpose the building.
While the exterior structure is strong and the beams throughout are solid, all walls and floors need to be replaced, he said. Recent rains have weakened some of the floors, balconies and railings further.
John McCall, attorney for and former president of the Oak Cliff preservation group, filed suit on behalf of the organization to keep the school district from demolishing the old church. DISD settled out of court, offering to allow the conservation group to find a buyer by August and close on the property by the end of October.
The district also agreed to secure the building by boarding up the doors and windows.
To move forward with controversial plans for the new Adamson High School, the school district wants to know the fate of the property this year. Whether or not it is saved determines which streets can be closed.
Adamson alumni groups are also challenging tearing down the original school building rather than renovating it or incorporating parts of it in the new design.
Amonett argues that finding a buyer for the church by this summer is practically impossible and that the school district can proceed without this property, allowing his group more time.
Current plans call for the high school building to be elsewhere on the parcel of land the district has put together. Tennis courts are planned for the spot not occupied by the church, Amonett pointed out.
He also noted that additional adjacent property in the area is available for the school district to purchase that would be much cheaper and does not have the historic significance of the Oak Cliff Christian Church building. He also said that $1.2 million was a lot of money for land intended to be used for tennis courts.
Oak Cliff Christian Church bought the Tenth Street property in 1897. The current building opened in 1916 and the attached education building was added in 1926.
At one time, 23 churches lined the street, earning it a mention in "Ripley’s Believe It or Not." Only six of those buildings remain.
Van Slyke and Woodruff designed the church building. The firm is better known for the McKinney Avenue Baptist Church that later became Dallas’ Hard Rock Café.
The Oak Cliff property is part of the Kennedy assassination story and is mentioned in the Warren Commission Report.
Lee Harvey Oswald shot Officer J.D. Tippit down the street from the church. From there, he passed by the building and threw off his jacket before heading to the Texas Theater on Jefferson Boulevard, where he was caught.
Police later retrieved the jacket from behind the church. That evidence established Oswald’s route from his boarding house to the theater and helped tie him to Tippit’s murder by placing him on the street.
Although Amonett is not a real estate salesperson, he ticks off the advantages of buying the property with the skill of an experienced realtor.
"It’s been deemed eligible for the National Register of Historical Places," said Amonett, adding that the building is sound and free of asbestos.
He noted tax advantages to buyers for saving an historic property and additional tax benefits for providing housing in certain neighborhoods.
Since the land is zoned multi-family, Amonett suggested a variety of uses for the historic building, such as condos with panoramic downtown views or housing for lower-income DISD employees.
He said it could be a perfect headquarters for a non-profit organization or even be used as an auxiliary building by the high school.
OOCCL is the strongest coalition of neighborhood associations in the city. Comprised of 29 neighborhood groups, it represents Oak Cliff’s diversity, from the mansions of Kessler Park to the cottages of Kidd Springs. The neighborhoods stretch from Lake Cliff Park, near the Jefferson Street Bridge that links Oak Cliff to downtown, to Oakland Terrace near the southern Red Bird section of Dallas.
Amonett said that the groups reflect Oak Cliff’s economic, social and racial diversity. In addition to himself and McCall, gays and lesbians are well represented both among the neighborhood groups and on OOCCL’s board.
He reflected on the time and effort he and his board have spent trying to save the church property.
"Even if we don’t save it, we’ll have done the right thing," he said.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 30, 2010.
 |
FRAKES-YOUNG | Alan Frakes, left, and James Young will mark their 27th anniversary on Saturday, May 1. The two met in 1981 when Young moved to Dallas from Seattle and went to work in Frakes’ custom framing shop, The Frame House. They moved in together in 1983. The two men now co-own The Frame House, located on Routh Street, which Frakes opened in 1967. They plan to celebrate their anniversary at home with friends.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 30, 2010.
Chicago Theological Seminary president to speak at CoH
The Rev. Alice Hunt, 12th president in the 154-year history of Chicago Theological Seminary, will speak Sunday, May 2, at the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services at Cathedral of Hope, 5910 Cedar Springs Road.
Prior to moving to Chicago, Hunt served as associate dean for academic affairs at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. She is a Hebrew Bible scholar, and holds a Ph.D. in religion, with an emphasis on the Hebrew Bible, from Vanderbilt University. Her current research focuses on the Bible in relation to the U.S./Mexico immigration issue.
Hunt was ordained at the Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church, National Baptist Convention, in Nashville, Tenn. She holds dual standing with the United Church of Christ in the Chicago Metropolitan Association. She also holds degrees from the University of Montevallo (B.S.) and Vanderbilt University (M.T.S., M.A., Ph.D.) Involved in the broader issues of religious affairs and theological education, Hunt serves on the board of commissioners for the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada.
Hunt lives in Hyde Park. Her youngest son, Eric Hudiburg, attends Stetson University in DeLand, Fla. Her older son, Carl Hudiburg, is graduating from Boston College.
Tickets go on sale Saturday for 2010 Gayla Prom
Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 1 for the 2010 Gayla Prom, presented by Resource Center Dallas.
The theme for the 13th annual dance even for LGBTQ youth and their allies, ages 14-22 is "Arabian Nights."
The Gayla Prom will be held June 6, from 7 p.m. to midnight, at the Owens Arts Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Those attending will have the chance to dance, socialize, win prizes and elect the prom king and queen.
Started in 1997 by the Walt Whitman Community School and taken over by Resource Center Dallas in 2008, Gayla Prom is one of the largest events of its kind in the country. It was voted "Best Prom" in Dallas by the Dallas Observer in 2008.
Adam King, chair of the 2010 event, said Gayla Prom gives LGBTQ youth, who often face discrimination and marginalization at home and at school, an opportunity to "celebrate with their friends in an environment that is both positive and safe."
Supporters of the 2010 Gayla Prom include American Airlines, Youth First Texas, GLSEN-Dallas, SMU Meadows School of the Arts and Dana Barber.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 30, 2010.
 |
| Prince |
Prince is a handsome 3-year-old tricolor border collie-and-Australian shepherd mix. He plays well with other dogs. He likes cats. He is great with horses and has lived with small children. Prince is a very laid back dog that would make a great family pet and a welcome addition to any home. He is also mostly house trained.
Many other great dogs and cats are available for adoption from Operation Kindness, located at 3201 Earhart Drive, 1 street south of Keller Springs and 2 blocks west of Midway Road, in Carrollton. The no-kill shelter is open 6 days a week: Monday, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Tuesday; Wednesday, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday, noon to 8 p.m.; Friday, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The cost is $110 for cats, $135 for kittens, $150 dogs over 1 year, and $175 for puppies. The adoption cost includes the spay/neuter surgery, microchipping, vaccinations, heartworm test for dogs, leukemia and FIV test for cats, and more. Those who adopt two pets at the same time receive a $20 discount. For more information, call 972-418-PAWS, or visit www.operationkindness.org
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 30, 2010.
Activists staging rallies in D.C. and around the country urging lawmakers to act on both issues
 |
| WRONG TACTICS | Openly gay Congressman Barney Frank has criticized recent protests on ENDA and DADT. |
It is the end of April. Spring has sprung and all hell is breaking out in Washington, D.C.
There, Congress is racing through the final months of its 111th session, trying to fix everything from the nation’s financial system and the street policing of citizenship to climate change and next year’s budget.
Around the corner awaits a soon-to-be-announced Supreme Court nominee and the contentious mid-term election campaigns.
Not wishing to be left behind in this biennial political morass, LGBT activists have stepped up their pleas to be heard. To push for repeal of the military’s "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy, a new activist group called GetEQUAL handcuffed six uniformed protesters to the fence in front of the White House this month.
That was one day after the group staged a highly publicized interruption of President Obama’s speech in Los Angeles, urging him to make repeal happen.
On April 21, GetEQUAL interrupted a House committee hearing to demand a committee vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). That same day, more than 200 LGBT organizations of every size and scope signed onto a one-sentence "Statement to members of the
United States Congress: Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act NOW."
Along with the expected national LGBT groups, the signers included the Massachusetts Lesbian & Gay Bar Association, the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, the Michigan AIDS Coalition, the Transgender Education Network of Texas, Atlanta Stonewall Democrats, Equality Illinois, Florida Together and the Freedom to Marry chapter of San Diego.
The following day, a panel of national LGBT leaders, participating in a live broadcast of the "Michelangelo Signorile Show" on SiriusXM radio, gave both President Obama and Congress failing grades on LGBT issues.
(Where a "D" earns one point and an "A" earns four, President Obama scored 1.8 and Congress 1.5.)
This week, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) launched a daily online open letter campaign aimed at illustrating the "personal stories on how this terrible law [DADT] has impacted them."
The effort is being magnified through the re-posting of letters by 16 different and well-established LGBT blogs.
Meanwhile, GetEQUAL was back on Capitol Hill, going door-to-door and politely distributing a toughly worded flyer to members of the Senate Armed Services which states: "You’re Next! We demand ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ be repealed now or you will become a target for non-violent direct action."
With this sense of urgency, they face a Congress wrestling with an overload of legislative priorities, an obstructionist minority party and a Democratic party skittish over its grasp on the majority. Thus, the LGBT community can be forgiven for reading too much or too little into a statement coming out of the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Monday, April 26.
That statement, reported in a blogpost by reporter Chris Johnson in the D.C. gay newspaper D.C. Agenda (which is re-assuming the name Washington Blade this week), quoted Pelosi’s press secretary, Drew Hammill, as saying: "It is the Speaker’s intention that a vote will be taken this year on['don't ask, don't tell']in the House."
In an interview with this reporter on Tuesday, April 27, Hammill made clear that he was not announcing any new commitment by Pelosi, only reiterating a "long-stated plan" for the bill.
And Diego Sanchez, a senior legislative advisor to Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said Frank has been urging activists to stop "armchair speculating" about when a vote will occur "and focus on getting the votes."
Just getting a vote on DADT or ENDA will be a victory of sorts, but unless there are enough votes to pass either bill favorably and to sustain a victory on the floor, those votes could be for naught.
And there’s another complication, noted one senior Democratic aide: The House is getting a little frustrated with the Senate’s inaction on numerous bills passed by the House —more than 300 of them this session.
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, told the "Signorile Show" last week that his organization and others are focusing their lobby efforts in the Senate. They are focused on six senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee: Jim Webb of Virginia, Bill Nelson of Florida, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Evan Bayh of Indiana, and Scott Brown of Massachusetts.
Brown is the lone Republican among the group and the man who famously hobbled the Democratic majority in the Senate with his winning of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s seat in January.
MassEquality field operations manager Ryan Brown said his group has coordinated members to call Brown’s office to inquire about his position on DADT and, so far, have verified only that he has not taken a position.
"We’re taking that as a good sign," said Brown, who is not related to the senator. Ryan Brown said the senator’s office has also agreed to "one meeting" between the senator’s staff and LGBT activists about DADT.
MassEquality is pushing for that meeting prior to May 11, the date of HRC’s large lobby day effort on Capitol Hill to push for DADT repeal.
ENDA
Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, told the "Signorile Show" that she is still "very optimistic" ENDA will get its vote in committee in the next two weeks, but that "we have to be marching in the streets."
And things are looking a little tough for ENDA these days. The right-wing has stepped up its rhetoric considerably in recent days.
An editorial in the conservative Washington Times in D.C. on April 23 said: "First-graders should not be forced into the classrooms of teachers undergoing sex changes. Religious broadcasters and faith-based summer camps should not be forced to hire cross-dressers. Women should not be forced to share bathrooms with people with male body parts who say they want to be females. Yet those are some of the likely results if Congress passes" ENDA, said the editorial.
The Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call ran two articles on Monday, April 26, reporting that support was slipping for ENDA because of the inclusion of gender identity in this year’s bill. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Ill., who voted for the "sexual orientation only" ENDA in 2007, said she’s now undecided and pointed to how the expansion of the law could affect schools as her concern.
Ditto Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif.
But the paper said at least some Republicans are staying onboard with their support, including Reps. Mary Bono Mack of California, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Mark Kirk of Illinois.
But is it reasonable to expect both houses of Congress to take up both DADT and ENDA this year?
"It’s definitely possible," said David Smith, HRC vice president of programs and a long-time legislative activist on Capitol Hill. "But is it going to be tough? On this issue, in this environment — yes."
© 2010 Keen News Service
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 30, 2010.
Brother says Hershner died of cardiac arrest; officials waiting on results of toxicology tests
 |
| Marty Hershner |
Marty Hershner was remembered this week as a larger-than-life persona whose passion and hard work led him to the brink of becoming a major force in Dallas’ gay bar scene.
Hershner, proprietor of the Tin Room on Hudnall Street and the Drama Room on Cedar Springs Road, was found deceased in his bed at the Tecali Apartments on Tuesday night. He was 30.
No foul play was suspected, and Hershner’s brother, Lonzie, said Marty suffered from untreated high blood pressure and died from cardiac arrest.
Dallas police indicated that an overdose was possible because a lot of unidentified drugs were found at the scene. An official cause of death will await toxicology results from the medical examiner’s office, which could take several weeks.
"When he set his mind to something, he did not fail — he’s left two great bars behind to prove that," Lonzie Hershner said of his brother. "He was always looking to see what’s going to better the community. It’s hard to lose someone who always wanted to do so much good."
In 2002, Marty Hershner took over the small establishment owned by his mother near Hudnall Street and Maple Avenue. It was then called Judge Roy Bean’s Saloon, which Lonzie Hershner described as a "small redneck bar."
Hershner, who was gay, turned it into the Tin Room, and eventually added live dancers and DJs. The bar’s intimacy and unique character — symbolized by the many trinkets and antiques adorning its façade — helped it evolve into an off-the-beaten-path hotspot.
But Hershner wasn’t done. Earlier this year, he opened the Drama Room, a big hit at the site of the old Mickey’s on the gay strip. And he planned to open a bar at the site of Bill’s Hideaway on Buena Vista Street, which has been closed since last year.
Lonzie Hershner said Marty wanted to restore the Hideaway to a vintage piano bar.
"We’ve sat down and had several discussions on what he saw in that place, and I will go through with everything we talked about," he said. "I’m going to run it as a tribute to him."
Lonzie Hershner, who currently runs two straight bars, said he’ll also take over the Tin Room and the Drama Room, all part of the small nightclub empire that was reportedly built by their mother, Paulette.
"The Drama Room and the Tin Room will continue exactly how he’s always operated them," Lonzie Hershner said.
At the Tin Room on Wednesday night, April 28, the mood among employees was somber, but they said Marty wouldn’t have wanted the bar to close, even for a night.
"The beat has to go on here," said Michael "Jon" Preng, a DJ and manager who’s worked at the Tin Room for the last year. "Marty would roll over if we weren’t open. We’re doing it for him."
The 38-year-old Preng, who’s worked in clubs all his adult life, described Hershner as a rarity in the industry, a hands-on owner who was committed to making sure everyone had a good time.
Above a desk in the Tin Room office sits a large photo of Paulette Hershner, working at a bar as a young woman.
"He lived for her, and she taught him everything," Preng said.
Preng said he’ll always remember Hershner’s smile and the way he responded to everything by saying, "Child!"
Bradley Register, a bartender at the Tin Room, said Hershner seemed to enjoy taking care of other people.
"If you were loyal to him, he would do anything for you," Register said. "He was a larger than life type person. He just had a knack for making people love him."
Hershner’s popularity was evident from the outpouring of condolences posted on Dallas Voice’s Web site and on the bar’s Facebook page in the hours after his death.
Jeff Wilson, Hershner’s roommate and the manager of the Drama Room, said Wednesday night he’d already been contacted by more than 100 of Hershner’s many friends from all over.
"He touched a lot of lives," Wilson said. "Marty had a keen wit. He could entertain a crowd like no one else I’ve ever known, really. He created himself almost into a character, just like Dave Thomas was for Wendy’s, on a smaller scale. He was cut short, definitely. He was poised to really, really take over.
"It would do a disrespect to him to not do what we do on a daily basis," Wilson added. "The Tin Room will continue to rise, and so will the Drama Room. Nothing’s stopping. We’re going full speed ahead."
Lonzie Hershner said a viewing will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, April 30 at Ben F. Brown’s Memorial Funeral Home, 707 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Irving.
A funeral will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the same location.
Both the viewing and the funeral are open to the public.
Lonzie Hershner said family and friends also plan a memorial show at the Drama Room in the next few weeks. He said he would provide details next week.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 30, 2010.
SLDN board member says sexual orientation not a factor in Forest Hill race; win would make him 2nd openly gay official in Tarrant County
 |
| MAKING IT OFFICIAL | Dave Guy-Gainer puts up his first city council campaign sign in late March in Forest Hill. Guy-Gainer is best known in the LGBT community for his activism around the issue of repealing "don’t ask, don’t tell." |
FOREST HILL —Dave Guy-Gainer, an Air Force veteran who’s best known in the LGBT community for his work to repeal "don’t ask, don’t tell," is vying to become the second openly gay elected official in Tarrant County’s history.
Guy-Gainer, 61, is running for the Place 3 seat on the Forest Hill city council in the May 8 election. The town is southeast of downtown Fort Worth, in Tarrant County.
"I’ve always tried to give back to my community," Gainer said.
This is his first run for public office. But, he said, he has been attending city council meetings regularly since moving to the town with his partner, David Guy-Gainer, two years ago.
Guy-Gainer said he would like to help the city do more long-term financial planning in place of what he calls the "Whack-A-Mole" planning that only addresses immediate problems.
"It’s a small town without a vision," he said.
Guy-Gainer said the town is plagued by recall elections and has had three city managers in five years. An effort to oust the current mayor for abuse of power may come up for a vote later this year, he said.
Guy-Gainer said he favors protecting the police department from being disbanded. A charter amendment on the ballot would prevent the city from eliminating its police force without voter approval.
In the LGBT community, Guy-Gainer is known for his work to end "don’t ask, don’t tell." He was national vice president of American Veterans for Equal Rights and currently serves on the board of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the group that provides legal services to those impacted by DADT, and lobbies Congress on the issue.
But he said that in Forest Hill he is known for his involvement with the city council and that his sexual orientation has not been an issue in the campaign in this predominantly African-American town.
"We moved in as an out gay couple," he said, adding that he and his partner have encountered "not one bit of prejudice. They’re better people than that."
His opponents in the council race have not made an issue of his sexual orientation either.
"If you live your life in a dignified fashion, they’ll respect you," he said.
There are two other candidates in the race: incumbent Gerald Joubert, who has held the Place 3 seat since 2003, and Rodney Wright.
The race is nonpartisan, but in estimating his chances, Guy-Gainer noted that the town is "very blue."
Forest Hill has a population of about 13,000. Of that number, 7,000 are registered voters and fewer than 1,000 participate in municipal elections. Guy-Gainer said his strategy is just to get enough supporters out to the polls.
To gain name recognition, he has a number of large well-placed yard signs around town. And he’s knocking on doors and talking to as many neighbors as possible.
While the council election is about the town’s financial planning, Guy-Gainer returned to discussion of his other passion, repealing "don’t ask don’t tell."
He said he knew as teen that he was gay, but he thought, "I’ll join the Air Force. That’ll fix me. I got married, had a daughter and a granddaughter."
After a short stint in combat communications, he said, "I quickly retreated to a computer room."
He described his life in the military as "very closeted" because gays and lesbians were dishonorably discharged before DADT. In 1990, he retired from the military with the highest enlisted rank of chief master sergeant — and then came out.
Guy-Gainer said he is optimistic about repeal of the current ban this year.
"If we don’t see this thing killed this year," Gainer said, "I’m going to implode. And I’m having too much fun to implode."
He points to the absurdity of the way DADT is administered. After leaving the service, he was working at Fort Sam Houston. He and his partner went to San Francisco to be married during the short window when Mayor Gavin Newsom was issuing marriage licenses.
When they returned to San Antonio, co-workers, many in uniform, had a party for them on the base.
Guy-Gainer also said the call to study the effect of opening the military to gays and lesbians disingenuous and a stalling tactic. He notes that Britain did it overnight with no ill effecst.
"For the most part, we don’t share rooms like the old Gomer Pyle gang barracks," he said. "It’s insulting to professionals in the military to suggest we can’t share space. Because when ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is lifted, it doesn’t mean people will go crazy."
Gainer said that without civil disobedience, nothing would get done. But he questioned some of the recent tactics used by people like Lt. Dan Choi, who’s twice been arrested for chaining himself to the White House Fence.
"Dan’s a friend," he said. "But it’s not what I would have done — in uniform while on active duty. It sticks in my craw."
Gainer said there’s been movement on DADT thinks the protests may have been ill-timed.
"We’re going to see this to the end," he said, adding that he continues to work on repealing the law just as hard as he’s been campaigning for office.
But he said his involvement in DADT has not come up in the council race.
"If you become involved in the community, people get to know you, and they’re OK with you," he said.
Joel Burns became the first openly gay person elected in Tarrant County when he ran for Fort Worth City council in 2007. Guy-Gainer would be the second.
Early voting in the council election continues through next week.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 30, 2010.
