Fri 21 Dec 2007
.jpg) |
Wondering what the state of Indiana can possibly offer its GLBT citizens?Fear not. Bloomington’s actually considered a friendly hub in the Midwest for the queer community. Traveling to Indianapolis, Chicago or even Columbus, Ohio isn’t necessary to meet new people, discover new resources, find plenty of fun and become an active member of Bloomington’s GLBT community.
Still skeptical?
The July/August 2005 issue of “The Out Traveler” magazine reported, “Whether you’re gay, straight, or somewhere in between, Bloomington offers something rarely found in this country: a small town with a bold history of openness and acceptance.”
Start your queer quest on campus
For those on campus, a good start to discovering Bloomington’s GLBT community and resources might be to stop by Indiana University’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Student Support Services at 705 E. Seventh St. The office operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but is closed during the university’s observed holidays and days off.
The office’s mission is to “… provide information, support, mentoring, and counseling to members of the IU campus and the larger community. We seek to do that through networking, collaborating, education, and outreach in an attempt to create a climate where all members of the community are encouraged to promote and defend diversity.”
The GLBT SSS office also offers a GLBT library, complete with more than 3,000 books, periodicals, CDs, movies and other materials to facilitate research and entertainment.
According to the library’s Web site, the library’s materials have been reorganized and reclassified. Books are now organized by subject, and are further subdivided into gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender categories.
Fiction books are also categorized by genre, and bisexual and transgender literature now have their own categories.
For those struggling through the coming out process, stressing out with school or searching for a sympathetic ear, the GLBT SSS office houses a counseling services center, the Counselor’s Corner.
Practicum and intern counselor John Loveland conducts intake sessions for those seeking individual, couples or group counseling. From there, regular appointments are scheduled and counseling is formulated to suit each client’s individual health needs.
“Counseling at the GLBT office is first and foremost GLBT friendly,” Loveland said. “There are a great number of resources at our fingertips … that allow myself to provide up-to-date, accurate, and well-researched information to clients, as well as create a general atmosphere of acceptance. I am also able to offer specialized perspectives on issues that are culturally sensitive to the unique issues of the GLBT community…”
Further expanding on the queer community in Bloomington, GLBT SSS schedules social events and programming and sponsors student groups.
Past events include visits from comedian Margaret Cho and Olympic diver Greg Louganis.
GLBT SSS sponsors the following active campus groups: Bi-Chat, Queerying Gender, Crossroads, Girls Like Us, the Hoosier Rights Campaign, OUT and the Lambda Law Society.
The office also houses celebrations for National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11 each year.
Follow the rainbow to a pint of beer
 |
| Abby Tonsing |
| Some of the many beers patrons can sample at Uncle Elizabeth’s. . |
Moving away from campus, for thirsty members of the GLBT community and its allies, there’s only one gay bar left in town. In the last two years, all of the other gay bars in town, including Bullwinkle’s, Willie Joe’s and The Other Bar, have closed their doors. Only one remains, slinging drinks out and proud, Uncle Elizabeth’s.
Open every day of the year except Christmas, Uncle Elizabeth’s is a full-service bar, offering eight beers on tap, 25 different bottled beers, wine and liquor. Uncle Elizabeth’s offers drink specials five days a week, excluding Fridays and Saturdays.
The bar is open from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, it’s open from 2 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Uncle Elizabeth’s can be reached at 812-331-0060.
Steve Keith opened Uncle Elizabeth’s, 502 N. Morton St., more than 10 years ago.
“At the time people were saying how much Bloomington really needed another bar. … It’s good for the community,” Keith said of his reasons for opening a gay bar.
When Keith, formerly in the jewelry business, purchased a liquor license and opened his bar, there were two other gay bars in town. Now, Keith’s business is the last gay bar standing.
For local sports fans, Keith notes that IU basketball games and Indianapolis Colts football games are featured on the bar’s big screen television.
Uncle Elizabeth’s gets a significant amount of traffic from out-of-town visitors as well, thanks to listings in guides from the Damorn Company, which has published GLBT travel books and other periodicals since 1964.
“Lately, they’ve been shocked that there’s only one bar,” Keith said of out-of-town patrons visiting Bloomington. “Usually they come in and they find it very comfortable, very homey. Almost everyone says it reminds them of a bar from home.”
Homey appears to be an appropriate way to describe the décor of Uncle Elizabeth’s. Pictures of pop culture icons, like Marilyn Monroe, hang on the wood paneled interior. The cozy bar seats 10.
.jpg) |
| Abby Tonsing |
| Friends Ben Tokarski, 27, Katie Bowman, 26, and Liz Campbell-Rike, 35, enjoy beers and a good laugh at Uncle Elizabeth’s. |
In spring 2008, Keith plans to move Uncle Elizabeth’s to a new, larger location, to accommodate patrons with a spacious dance floor. In the proposed new building twice the size of the bar’s current location, Keith also hopes to start hosting drag shows.
Regardless of the upcoming move, the original mission statement of Uncle Elizabeth’s will remain the same:
“From day one, we’ve always said that everybody’s welcome here – men, women, gay, straight, bisexual, in-between, questioning, confused, you know, pick one. Everybody’s welcome. We just demand that everybody respect everybody else,” Keith said.
IU art student Eric Durhan, 22, agrees with the sentiment that all are welcome at Uncle Elizabeth’s.
“What I like about Uncle Elizabeth’s is that everyone’s welcome. I’ve never seen anyone not enjoying themselves there, gay or straight,” Durhan said. Durhan plans to graduate in December with the bachelor in fine arts degree.
Ladies, strike new friendship with SPARKS
For lesbians looking to mingle with other women in the spirit of bowling fun and holiday festivity, look no further than the SPARKS group.
Organized in the summer of 1988 by Carolyn VandeWiele and a group of friends, the SPARKS group at its height consisted of more than 100 members.
The group used to host an annual Valentine’s Day dance, a Halloween party and a softball league. The group also used to gather several times a year for informative sessions on issues facing the lesbian community, such as financial planning and legal assistance. Now, SPARKS is more of a social networking group for professional lesbians.
Whereas a lot of the SPARKS social events have fallen by the wayside because of busy schedules, the group still hosts its annual holiday dinner and a bowling league.
“For a while, things were kind of dead on the social scene for the nonbar crowd, but things seem to be picking up again,” VandeWiele said. “These things often run in cycles.”
Consisting of about 40 women, the SPARKS bowling league is now in its 15th year. Bowlers hit the lanes for two eight-week sessions, starting in October and ending in March.
The 20th annual SPARKS holiday dinner for lesbians and their friends was slated for Monday, Dec. 10, at Affairs of the Sun Catering at 111 W. Fourth St.
VandeWiele can be contacted at blueroom1@insightbb.com or 812-320-9920.
Be out on the airwaves with "bloomingOUT"
.jpg) |
| Abby Tonsing |
| Host of "bloomingOUT" Helen Harrell and Victor Kinzer sift through the show’s news. |
VandeWiele, as president of the board at community radio station WFHB-FM, would certainly point members of the GLBT community to “bloomingOUT,” the state’s only radio show that specifically addresses GLBT issues.
Hosted by Helen Harrell, co-founder of the Bloomington chapter of Pride at Work, and Victor Kinzer, who works at the GLBT SSS library, the radio show airs weekly from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays.
On the local radio dial, WFHB’s “bloomingOUT” can be found at 91.3 FM and 98.1 FM in Bloomington, 100.7 FM in Nashville and 106.3 FM in Ellettsville. WFHB also streams live online at www.wfhb.org.
Show segments include Queer His/Herstory, Critical Inqueery, Transformation Station, The Bi Connection and The Heart of Polyamory, among others. The radio show also features interviews, live music performances and a calendar of events.
WFHB News Director Chad Carrothers explains “bloomingOUT” is a crucial component of the station’s programming:
"When WFHB launched its local news initiative five years ago a GLBT public affairs show was at the top of my list. I created ‘bloomingOUT’ to fill a clear need in the community. The Bloomington Beacon gay newspaper had folded and there was a void, a deafening silence of voices from the queer community, a complete lack of media access for this segment of the population. The late beloved IU Chancellor Herman B. Wells once said that WFHB helps different segments of our community learn about each other and grow, and ‘bloomingOUT’ perfectly embraces this philosophy of open dialogue. It’s empowering."
WFHB Station Manager Markus Lowe expands on Carrothers’ points.
“I think the show is great from an informational and educational standpoint. Simply getting the word out to people on where those in the gay community can go for events, [information] sessions, lectures … is a very important function. Some people just don’t know where to go or how to get involved, and they remain isolated. ‘bloomingOUT’ provides the information that is relevant and necessary to maintain a healthy gay community, free from fear, stigma and oppression.”
Considering that “bloomingOUT” is spearheaded by volunteers at the community radio station, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities available to assist the show.
“bloomingOUT” is currently seeking a board operator, correspondent, segment producer, music director, marketing director, underwriting director and archivist. IU students can receive internship credits for their volunteer work at the station.
For even more GLBT community events in Bloomington, check out the Web site
www.visitgaybloomington.com.
www.visitgaybloomington.com.
At this site, IU’s GLBT Alumni Association and the annual PRIDE Film Festival, among other attractions, are highlighted.
Get out. Be proud. And explore all Bloomington has to offer the GLBT community.