Pink Triangle News No. 25 September 25,1998 WARNING: This material may not be suited for all our viewers! The context of this paper contains graphic language of mature nature, adult sexual content, strong opinions from some of our readers, sexually explicit stories and thought provoking works. None of the articles that are sent in for submission are edited in any way, nor censored. The only thing that may be changed is spelling errors. As mentioned in our disclaimer� Any information in this newsletter is NOT verified and therefore MAY NOT BE TRUE! Anything that is taken out of open chat in the room may be used in print, because it is public knowledge. Some feel this is an infringement on their rights, However we wish to state that we as editors are not out to hurt anyone by what we print in this paper. We as contributors to the Pink Triangle get enough hurt while visiting in the chatroom, we merely print what goes on in the PT as well as what is sent in to us for submission by the readers. If you feel in any way that what is printed in this paper is not accurate you have the option to voice your opinion to us, the editors, or send in a submission to correct the misleading representation. Voicing your opinion in open chat is what is causing the friction in the room as of late. Everyone that enters PT is there for fun and good chat. If you take everything that is said in the room to heart, of course there will be feelings hurt. Remember folks, this a virtual place, not real life! This paper is intended to be FUN and pleasurable for your reading enjoyment! If you keep that in mind and take it all in fun, instead of taking everything you read as personal, I'm quite sure you will enjoy the paper a great deal more! There have been some heated debates both in the room, in IM and though email in the last 2 weeks. Most of the problems have been faced head on to try to avoid any more conflict, as well as to solve the issues. As editors, we have tried to be open minded about the comments that have been made as well as taking a good long look at the situation. This issue will be the last that this controversy is discussed in this paper. We are not here to print and ongoing issue of who said what to hurt whom. We are working hard to bring to you the best paper we possibly can present. There may be some things printed in this week's issue that reflect back on the controversy, however this comes from our readers, not the editors. We feel we are trying out best to handle all circumstances with dignity and professionalism. If you do not agree, that is your opinion and we all know everyone is entitled to their opinions! __________________________ EDITORIAL If you noticed at the top of the page of this paper, this marks the 25th issue of the PT News and it is distributed on the 25th of September. That must be some signification that this is going to be a spectacular issue. I must admit I am very pleased with the contributions to this week's issue. That just proves to me that everyone is enjoying the PT News and wishes to contribute to make the paper a continuing success. Some of you know that this began with only a handful of people and as a means of communication with the members of the Pink Triangle. Today, the PT News has a readership of over 200 people! I think that is quite an accomplishment not only to the people that work on the paper, but also you, the readers of the PT news. Word of mouth is our only means of spreading the news to others about our paper. We have some dedicated individuals that are out there visiting other rooms within the "family" that also pop in and out of the Pink Triangle. It is because people take the time to talk positively about the paper that the readership has increased. To all of those that work hard each week to contribute to the paper we THANK YOU! To all of those that enjoy reading the PT News we also would like to THANK YOU as well, for without any of you there would be no PT News! Again let me remind you that this paper is NOT FreddieB and Alladdinn's paper�we are simply the ones that put the paper together and distribute it to you each week. NO, this is YOUR paper my friends. YOU deserve ALL the THANKS! NOW�as always it is a pleasure to present to you this week's 25th issue of The PT News! CIRCULATION: 201 _____________________________________________________________________________ EMAIL LINKS [email protected] Letters to the Editors, opinion, comments, complaints Submit an article Classified Ads Trivia Triangle Birthdays (The Birthday Mistress) [email protected] Political (Primebear) [email protected] FreddieBeeswax (FreddieB) [email protected] Pink Connections (Alladdinn) _____________________________________________________________________________ THE STANDARD DISCLAIMER AND GENERAL SHIRKING OF RESPONSIBILITY: Any information in this newsletter is NOT verified and therefore MAY NOT BE TRUE. Neither the editors, nor any of the contributors, can be held responsible for statements made or inferred and that information has been accepted and printed here in good faith for the entertainment and amusement of you, the reader. Any advice or recommendations should be acted upon only by proper consultation with an authority person in your area of the world. _____________________________________________________________________________ NEWBIE CORNER: (GOOSE & GANDER) I would like to take a moment and welcome some new subscribers to the PT NEWS: without all of you, there would be no reason for a paper. So without further ado, I WELCOME: ___________________________ aries4280�bridgport�Boy_wonder�Bacsni�bella_27�Celine�Curto18�CIAOX�Daytona Turbo�Da_Bitch69�Float2�Flameboy�IslanderII�ladysuz611�Morgan _Lilith�PLR_BEAR�Pope_JohnPaul (wink)�Prince_Ryan�reVamp a.k.a. Amanda�Rocket27�Space24� The_Dolphin�a "guest" (from GuyTalk)�a"guest" fromPT2�xlerant�a "guest" (from GuyTalk)�a"guest"fromPT2�Shamroxs..xXAngelXx ___________________________ And to Alladdinn and Freddie, BIG KUDOS for the great job well done! GANDER You can email Goose and Gander with newbies you recruit at the following email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected] __________________________ A NOTE FROM ALLADDIN AND FREDDIEB: WELCOME ABOARD TO "ALL" THE NEWBIES OF PT NEWS !!!!! ALSO�THANKS to all that have recruited newbies this week! Keep up the great work! __________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ The following are a few letters from our readers that we received this past week. Remember you have the right to send in letters to the editors as well. Please send your letters to: [email protected] All letters will be printed in the news unless stated otherwise. __________________________ LETTERS TO THE EDITORS In looking at the ptnews24, I really wonder how I ever did it week after week after week... you have put so much time into it... good for you... Instead of worrying about that, and the goings on in the PTroom, Frenchie and I went to the Laurentians on Thursday and enjoyed a very wonderful day as our 18th anniversary together. We went to a $$$ restaurant. On Friday, we drove around looking at the fall colors, the change of the leaves that is so romantic of the East Coast. On Saturday, we looked at the cemetery where he will be buried... And I didn't have to worry about the PTnews not even once 'cause I knew it was in good hands... Gany _____________________ BEEFS and/or BITCHES By Tattler Hello Pinkettes. I just knew you wanted to hear from me again but this time I'm not doing the gossip column. Instead I decided I wanted to voice MY opinion. Yes I do have one just in case anyone wanted to know. I have been popping in and out and only a view have IM'd me and guessed who I was which didn't bother me. It was nice being out of the limelight. All I got while I was in the Limelight was BITCHING. Which brings up tonight's subject. I don't know how many readers we have a present but I do imagine it is a lot and I know it is growing. Yet all I hear is BITCHING about the PTNEWS or about how the new editors are doing or Bitching at them because someone reported something that you do not agree with. Wouldn't it be a sad world if all of us agreed on the same things. There wouldn't be any wars, political parties (thanks Prime on your news articles), nor discussions because we would all agree on everything. BORING. Someone pass me a blanket. I could sleep in this world. Since I have been receiving PTNEWS. I have seen 3 (Ok 5 if you count BJ and Alli) or (BJ and Frederic ( had to get that one in) editors to PTNEWS. Gany (Thank you dear. You created a beautiful child.), Tatouine (Mamma_Tat, Mistress_Tat) and now Frederic (one more time) and Ali. We had a guest editor (DOWN2) while gany was on vacation. (Boy did Prime bitch at me for that. Down had no time to talk with Prime). Do you think the past editors left the paper because they wanted too. NO!!!!!!!! Why did they leave? Could be (and this is only a could be) that there are SOME individuals in the room that can only survive if they BITCH at something or someone. Must be a very sad person to lash out at everybody all the time. Yes they are very friendly in the room. Quite a group of talkers too but privately, they lash out in email and they lash out in a vengeance. I remember an article I wrote when Gany was the editor. I told no lie. In fact the information I received came directly from the room in open chat. I forwarded the conversations to the editor when I started receiving some very nasty email from a certain individual. I won't mention the name because that person is no longer any part of my life. This INDIVIDUAL did not want me to write about it's personal life, yet it talked about itself in the room in open chat. Well Gany emailed the individual and told him that Tattler would continue. That didn't make this person happy so it went to the open chat and started talking about me and what I told him. He kind of forgot to tell everyone in the room what he told me in email. Guess it slipped it's mind. Well needless to say Gany got a lot of hate mail about me and Mamma Tat was about to cut me off totally. I finally emailed everything this individual emailed me to some loyal fans. What a difference that made because Mamma_Tat invited me back to write. Ah, there was a catch that I was not made aware of though. I could not talk about this individual at all no matter what this individual did in the room. Well the next week, I submitted my article only to find out that some of it had been cut. Wouldn't you know it was everything about this individual. I was even congratulating something and it got cut. Well that got on my nerve but hey. I got over it but what really got to me was that this individual emailed me and told me in a sense NEENER NEENER NEENER. In otherwords, I know you tried to talk about me but I got you instead because you were censored. So Tattler stopped because it no longer became fun to do. I no longer could joke around. There were and are still, some individuals in the room that want to act up, play around, have fun (which everyone is entitled too) and the gossip columns are the same way, to act up, to poke some fun all in gest but NO. Don't talk about me is the attitude that still remains. How many of you know how many hours it takes to even write a column? How many of us that write colums are being paid? (none) How many hours does it take the editors to put the paper together? How many of you would like to volunteer and be a guest editor for a week or two? Remember, you get to hear from the contributors. You get the bitching because someone doesn't like something, you get to cut and paste and make sense out of it. It's all yours. You get to spend countless hours out of the room sorting through it all. I'm sure the present editors would enjoy the vacation you give them. There is a catch though. You have to return to them the paper in the condition it was in before you did your thing. So in closing. Everyones opinions are valuable. Not ONE person has the right to destroy anything that gets the word out. If you do not like something that is being printed, SKIP over it. It is that easy. You want to change things, then TAKE OVER. In otherwords, SHIT or GET OFF THE POT but you CANNOT HAVE your CAKE and EAT IT TOO. Ooooooooh, these metaphors, I'm beginning to sound like my mother. P.S.- behave yourselfs (please don't) because I will be making guest appearances in the PTNEWS. Nite all. AND THAT IS MY OPINION Sean aka "The Tattler" ___________________ A NOTE FROM ALI: For those of you that are new and do not know who or what The Tattler was�he used to write the gossip section for PT. ___________________ GANY Nixon loathed it. Clinton doesn't like it. Kennedy loved it. What? The newsmedia. Sometimes the news is rumors, sometimes gossip, and sometimes hearsay. But always it makes for interesting reading when a person with talent puts it together in a form that keeps us interested. The current editors of the ptnews, along with the contributors, are working their asses off to give you some fun, informative, provocative, lively news EACH AND EVERY WEEK. They work damn hard, as I am one who can vouch for their involvement and their energy and their devotion to what they do. Three cheers for them. Ali and FreddieB are slaves to giving you a ptnews that you can be proud of, and that you can enjoy reading. They are not paid for what they do. They are volunteers, just like all the writers of the different columns. Why is it then that they are getting hassled and criticized? Why is it that the people who do NOTHING are the most vocal? Why is it that there are some residents of the room who insist on degrading the writers and editors? These n'er-do-wells always seem to run to the dark corners of the chatroom and spread salacious negative gossip, then claim to be too offended to help with the ptnews. Yet they are the first to criticize in a destructive way, never to volunteer their assistance. Never to be there when help is needed. It was my decision originally to have the ptnews every week. In this way, I thought it would always be current with the activities in the room. Some people agreed with me, others who insisted it should be biweekly or even monthly. To me, this is surely the death of the news. Unfortunately for the current editors, I have saddled them with the problem of being weekly. But, I think they will agree with me that they are having the time of their life!!!! Both Freddie and Ali have said on a number of occasions how much they enjoy being the editors. And I don't blame them. It's really a lot of fun... and it's rewarding in the sense of accomplishment. As any of the readers (Windscare, Maxam, Barebear to name a few) who are involved with the media can testify, it's no easy thing to get this thing done each and every week. Ali and Freddie have created a group that meet to hash out new ideas and decide how to handle problems and so on... they REALLY have it much more organized than I did... they have a lot of fresh ideas that merit a chance. So give them a chance. Give them your support. Give them some articles to print. Give them your assistance. But DON'T give them shit!!!!!! If you have problems with the ptnews content, write them a letter, or consider any of the following options: renounce your subscription, stop visiting the room, change your screen name, see a shrink, consider suicide, get a life, move to another planet. Enough said??? There are really so many very NICE people who come to the Pink Triangle chatroom, it's sad that the SHITHEADS are the ones who get the most attention. At this time, I'd like to thank Imbrucewayne who IM'd me one night long ago when I was being viciously attacked for stating my views about the ptnews. All he said was "Are you ok? Do you need help?" And all I said to him was "No, it's 0k. This is not serious." But it was serious, 'cause it eventually led to my not giving a damn any more. The SHITHEADS eventually won. They wore away the little energy I had. But, that produced two new editors who are really good. Hip-hip-hooray!!!! Gany Postscript note: Anyone who feels offended by this letter, or who has a comment about it can express their views by writing to the ptnews' Complaint Department ( [email protected] ). You'll be in print for the next issue, I'm sure. _____________________________________________________________________________ GAY VOICE (Prime) COMING OUT 23 DAYS UNTIL NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY. O.K. PT'ers. Didn't receive anything Politically yet. The Human Rights Campaign is suing the Christian Right for illegal fund raising for it's campaign to deny Same Sex Marriages. So� I've taken some stuff from H.R.C. about coming out. Their website is listed so check it out.Some of the most difficult and important decisions in the lives of gay, lesbian or bisexual people surround "coming out"_ that is, deciding to be honest and open about our sexual orientation. The fact that you are reading this is a sign that you may be questioning your sexual orientation or you know someone who is doing so. Gay people are everywhere, and every day, more of us are deciding to live honestly. This is critically important to our community because the only way we will stop the discrimination we face is to reveal our true selves to our friends, our families and our neighbors. National polls haveshown that people who know someone who is lesbian or gay are far more likely to support equal rights for all gay people. So in effect, coming out may be one small step for a gay man or lesbian but it contributes to the giant leap we are making for all gay people, today and in the future. If you are thinking hard about whether and how you should come out, you're probably wondering, "What is this going to do to my life? Will my family accept me, will my friends still like me? How do I know if this is the right thing to do?" These are all valid questions and you are not the first person nor will you be the last to struggle with them. But it's my fervent hope that just as the earliest gay activists paved the way for me, today's lesbian, gay and bisexual leaders are helping to make life easier for you. Let me assure you that while being an openly lesbian, gay or bisexual person in this society isn't easy, it is so much more gratifying than being in the closet. Lying and hiding, worrying that someone will discover your secret, consumes a lot of personal energy and detracts from the quality of a person's life. No one should be denied the opportunity to thrive and flourish as a full human being because his or her sexual orientation is different from that of the majority. Our community has come a long way in the decades since the rebellion at the Stonewall Inn which began the modern gay rights movement but it still has a long way to go. This column can't give you all the answers about the coming out process but it will give you some. And then it will point you toward other resources that can help you as you grapple with the life-altering and potentially life-enhancing decision to come out. Everyone thinks they're the only ones who have these feelings. But that's not the truth. There are people who came before you, and people who will come after you. - Candace Gingrich, activist Being attracted to someone of the same sex can be frightening so frightening that you may deny your feelings, or throw yourself into dating the opposite sex, just to prove you are not gay or lesbian. But then the feelings come up again. You try to put them out of your mind but you can't. Finally, you stop resisting, and in that instant, your world changes. You discover that being with someone of the same sex feels better than being with the opposite sex ever did. But what will this mean for the rest of your life? Certainly, life is more challenging if you are gay or lesbian. It requires that you develop the courage to honor your own experience of love above anyone else's judgments about it. But you can do it. Millions of people have, and many say it was the best thing they ever did. There is no one way people realize that they are attracted to the same sex. Some always know it. Some learn it at puberty. Some figure it out it in college. Some recognize it only after getting married to someone of the opposite sex. But whenever the feelings come up, almost everyone wonders: How do I know if I'm really gay, lesbian or bisexual? On the one hand, it's very simple: If your strongest emotional and sexual attractions are to people of the same sex, you're gay or lesbian. If they're equally strong to the same and the opposite sex, you're bisexual. On the other hand, sexual orientation is confusing because most of us were raised to think of ourselves as heterosexual. Our parents, teachers and our culture told us that some day, we'd meet someone of the opposite sex and get married. No one ever said we might fall in love with someone of the same sex. That's why we're shocked when it happens. Unless there's someone gay in your family, you probably never considered the possibility that you yourself might be lesbian or gay. Moreover, you probably have heard many negative stereotypes of gay and lesbian people but most of these are based on erroneous or inadequate information; what you need are the facts. No one knows how many people are gay, lesbian or bisexual. The best estimates we currently have indicate that between 3 percent and 6 percent of the population is gay. However, even the most reputable estimates are colored by the fact that many people are afraid or unwilling to be identified as gay or lesbian, even in an anonymous survey. So the true number is probably even higher. But whatever the number, the facts are the same: 1.Homosexuality is Not a Choice; Homosexuality Chooses You. Some people say that homosexuality is a choice to discourage you from being in a gay or lesbian relationship. But think about it for a minute: Did you choose to have feelings of same-sex attraction? Why would you? The fact is: Homosexuality is not a choice any more than being left-handed or having blue eyes or being heterosexual is a choice. It's an orientation, a part of who you are. The choice is in deciding how to live your life. 2.Gay People Are Mentally Healthy In the 1970s, the American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association revised their positions on homosexuality. Both determined that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. Nonetheless, some people might try to tell you that you are sick and that you need professional help to "change." There is no scientifically valid evidence that people can change their sexual orientations, although some people do repress it. But because being gay is not a disorder, there is really no reason to try change yourself. But it's OK to seek help in dealing with the confusing feelings you might be having about your sexual orientation. Coming out is a major life decision and as with reaching any other personal milestone, you might seek professional help through the process. Just remember: The anxiety you are feeling is probably the result of family or social prejudice against homosexuality, not homosexuality itself. 3.Being Gay or Lesbian is Natural.You've probably heard people say that men are "meant" to be with women, and women with men, that being gay or lesbian goes against nature and morality. But if homosexuality were unnatural, why would it occur, generation after generation, despite strong societal prohibitions? The fact is same-sex love has occurred throughout history, in every nation and culture on Earth. It is a natural variation among humans, and if you look hard enough, you'll probably also discover that it has occurred somewhere in your family's history. When people say homosexuality is unnatural, they mean it is against their preconceived idea of what is natural. 4.Being Gay or Lesbian is Not a "Lifestyle," It's a Life. It's sometimes said that gay and lesbian people live a gay "lifestyle," a word chosen to trivialize us and to imply that all gay men and lesbians subscribe to the same values, characteristics and dreams. The fact is we're not all the same any more than heterosexuals are. Some of us have one lifelong relationship, some have many. Some wear distinctive clothing, some do not. Some are liberal, some are conservative. Some are affluent, others are poor. The only thing we all have in common is that we love people of the same sex. 5.Gay Men and Lesbians Constitute Families.Some people talk as if there are two options in life: You can marry someone of the opposite sex and become a family or you can be gay or lesbian and be excluded from the definition of family. This is patently untrue and is a position perpetuated by religious political extremists who have a stake in portraying gay people as outside the mainstream. The fact is that lesbian or gay male couples are as much family as heterosexual couples. And if you dream about having children, you can do so if you're gay or lesbian. Many gay and lesbian couples have children through adoption, artificial insemination or previous relationships. Plus, all the scientific evidence to date shows the children of gay couples are just as likely to grow up happy and well-adjusted as the children of heterosexual relationships. 6.Some of the Most Talented People Are or Were Gay or Lesbian. If anyone ever suggests that your life won't add up to anything if you're gay, remind them that: Plato was a lover of men. So were Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Bayard Rustin, a leader of the black civil rights movement, was gay. So were Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Marcel Proust and James Baldwin. Shakespeare wrote about a man's love for a man. Poet Emily Dickinson wrote about her love for a woman. More recently, musicians k.d. lang and Melissa Etheridge, and actresses Ellen DeGeneres and Amanda Bearse have come out as lesbian; and actors Wilson Cruz and Mitchell Anderson, record producerDavid Geffen, Olympic swimmer Greg Louganis and Olympic skater Rudy Galindo, and U.S. Rep. Barney Frank have come out as gay. Coming out was the best thing I ever did . . . It took all the fears away. - k.d. lang, singer Coming out means identifying yourself as gay, lesbian or bisexual. The first and toughest person you have to reveal this to is yourself. Then you can deal with friends and family. For many people, the coming out process is difficult. But most people come out because, sooner or later, they can't stand hiding who they are any more. Once they've come out, most people have to admit: It feels much better to be open and honest than to lie and hide. Melissa Etheridge, singer: [People] think they'll lose everything if they come out. This did not happen to me at all. In fact, everything came back tenfold. Ellen DeGeneres, actress: For me, [coming out] has been the most freeing experience because people can't hurt me anymore. Andrew Sullivan, writer: ...to me, it was like being in a black-and-white movie that suddenly converted to color. Coming out to yourself means recognizing and accepting that you're primarily attracted to the same sex. But how do you get from recognition to acceptance? It helps to talk to someone. But who? And what should you say? Some people come out when someone asks them if they're gay or lesbian. Others make a point of pulling people aside and saying, "There's something I have to tell you." If you choose the latter option, ask yourself: "Who is the most open-minded and caring person I know who is also the least likely to be shocked, threatened or put off?" This might be a friend, a relative or a teacher. Tell that person you have questions about your sexual orientation, or you're trying to come to terms with your sexual orientation, and you'd like to talk. Say you've come to them because you trust them. If you don't already know someone like this, consider talking to a school counselor, a therapist, or a member of a gay and lesbian student group. Gay-straight alliances exist in many high schools and colleges. There are support groups at most gay and lesbian community centers. Many communities have lesbian and gay switchboards. You might seek out nearby churches or synagogues that minister primarily to lesbians and gay men. And there are many gay youth and coming out sites on the World Wide Web, including the Human Rights Campaign's National Coming Out site, which you can access through: http://www.hrc.org. The goal is not to tell for the sake of telling, but not to hide. The more people you can find and be honest with, the better you'll feel. Barney Frank, U.S. congressman You can get a sense of how accepting your friends and family are by the things they say, or don't say, when the subject of homosexuality comes up in conversation. You might try to bring it up yourself by talking about gay issues in the news such as the Ellen TV show, or the debates over equal rights in the workplace for lesbians and gays. If your friends' or your family's reactions are positive, chances are they'll be more accepting of you. But keep in mind that it's easier for most people to accept gay men and lesbians in the abstract; it's a bit different when it's "my son"or "my daughter"or even "my best friend." When you're ready to come out to your friends, you may be lucky enough to have some gay or lesbian friends to help you. But heterosexual friends can also be staunch supporters. Choose carefully as you reveal this fundamental part of yourself. Many gay people find that the friends they thought would be most judgmental were the first to drop them, while those who seemed unlikely allies offered the strongest support. Along the way, you might lose a few people whom you thought were friends. But you'll learn many valuable lessons about what the word "friendship"means. My imagination of how people were going to react was so much worse than the reality. - Linda Villarosa, executive editor of Essence magazine. Many people find strength and support from their faith as they struggle to come out as gay, lesbian or bisexual. At first, this might sound like a contradiction, since so many organized religions teach that homosexuality is wrong or immoral. But most religions also teach that God is merciful. Youth activist Jamie Nabozny was raised Pentecostal and hoped to become a minister someday. But he was gay and thought the only worse thing he could be was Satan himself. So he tried to put his same-sex attractions aside until, one day, he had a talk with God. "I walked as far as I could into a big field. I was crying, praying and hollering at God. I said, I've read the Bible, I've prayed, I go to church three times a week. Every time I have a homosexual thought, I rebuke it in the name of God and yet still I'm gay. Either you're not there, or you don't give a damn that I'm gay. It took me a little while but then I realized God was OK with it. The God I really believed in was not a God that hated or condemned people." This is an experience many people go through. Faced with a conflict between their religion and their feelings, many people come to realize that the God they truly believe in could never condemn people for loving. Some people, like writer and lecturer Brian McNaught, find their spirituality even helps them come out. "I found strength in Christ's message about being true to yourself, " says McNaught, "in loving yourself, being willing to suffer for the sake of what you know is right, and trusting that a power greater than myself loved me just the way I was." Almost everyone I know has had a better experience coming out than they thought they would. Barney Frank, U.S. congressman Sorry Pinkies that it was so long but I felt that this information needed to get out because we do have some family members that haven't came out and are afraid and we have new members constantly coming in asking how to come out so I hope this helps. PrimeBear ____________________ PLEASE NOTE: Informational material and email addresses have been provided and are listed at the end of the paper in the Website column. _____________________________________________________________________________ GayVoice (part 2) Sorry Pinkies but as I was surfing the web this morning, this popped into my screen. I know I have contributed a lot this week but I guess my work is never done. Really am sorry. Some weeks I contribute nothing. This week???? DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL ANTI-GAY MILITARY WITCH HUNT POLICY UPHELD IN 2ND CIRCUIT Military Argues They Are Exempt From Laws And Standards Governing Fairness And Nondiscrimination In Employment WASHINGTON -- The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the administration's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue" policy today, effectively giving the Department of Defense carte blanche to strip lesbian and gay service members of basic constitutional rights, according to the Human Rights Campaign. "This ruling says that the military is exempt from the rules the rest of society has to follow," said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg. "We should all be troubled when Americans who are honorably serving their country are persecuted by the very government they are trying to protect." In upholding the case entitled Able vs. U.S., the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals joined three other appellate courts, in the 4th, 8th and 9th Circuits, that have upheld the current policy on gays in themilitary. There are no other cases challenging "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" pending before district or appellate courts. The decision today overturned a lower court decision by Judge Eugene Nickerson who ruled on July 2, 1997, that the military's policy creates "special rules" that treat gay service members differently than heterosexual service members for saying and doing the same things in violation of the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law. The court refused to apply the Romer vs. Evans decision to the armed services, arguing that the armed services' "special functions" justify discriminatory treatment against lesbian and gay service members. In Romer, the Supreme Court stated unequivocally that gay and lesbian people could not be singled out for unequal treatment. The Romer case overturned Colorado's Amendment 2, a ballot measure that would have denied localities the ability to enact ordinances that barred anti-gay discrimination. "The court's decision is in error and fundamentally flawed because there is no military exception to the U.S. Constitution and our Bill of Rights," said Tony Varona, HRC's chief counsel.The six service members who brought the challenge to may ask the entire 2nd Circuit to hear an appeal of the case or they may petition the U.S. Supreme Court to review today's decision. The case was brought on behalf of the service members by Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, both in New York. In a report released earlier this year, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network documented that "commanders continue to ask, pursue and harass" service members in direct violation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue." In April, the Pentagon released statistics showing that it had discharged 997 gays in 1997, a 67 percent increase since the implementation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue" and the highest number of discharges since 1989. SLDN reported that the cost of firing gays in the military last year exceeded $29 million. Today's decision came on the heels of a survey released Sept. 4, 1998, indicating a significant drop in "strong opposition" to gay men and lesbians in the military by soldiers. The survey, conducted byProfessor Charles Moskos of Northwestern University, the author of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue," and Laura Miller of University of California at Los Angeles, found that the number of Army men strongly opposed to the presence of gay men and lesbians in the military has dropped from 67 percent in 1992 to 36 percent in 1998. Army women's opposition has also dropped significantly from 31 percent in 1992 to 16 percent in 1998, according to the study. Well. Guess the U.S. Military can do as they damn will please. Too bad. So remember pinkies. If a war breaks out for some god known reason and they try to force the draft back. Just tell them you are gay and you'll be classified 4F and unable to serve. This will only prove that if we can't serve in peace, fuck them. We can't serve in war. PrimeBear _____________________________________________________________________________ TRIVIA TRIANGLE (Ashlee) Hi everyone !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here is this weeks trivia triangle questions . Good luck and have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!! At this time I would like to thank everyone who is helping me with the questions. Everyweek it seems harder to come up with questions and I could not continue without you . Thanks again!!!!!!!!! 1.) There are two theme nights in the pink triangle; Tuesday and Thursday. What is the theme names given to those two nights?? 5 points each = 10 points 2.) In pt news number 4 Primebear says that he has "three four legged boys" , What kind of animal are they? and what are their names? 5 points each answer = 20 points 3.) Where does Downs2 or Downie live? 10 points 4.) In an earlier edition of the ptnews, Primebear gave us the hanky codes. What was the color he said he would not do? 10 points. Hankies are worn in the left and right rear pockets. In what pocket does Primebear where his hanky and what does it mean? 10 points each = 30 points 5.) In ptnew4 Denarius submitted an article about everything we wanted to know about penises. What animal in the animal kingdom has the largest penis? How big is the penis? 10 points each = 20 points 6.) Shymom or PTmom has two set of boys in the pink triangle. Who are the two sets of boys? 5 points for each name = 20 points 7.) What av was Alladdinn wearing the night he met Freddie? What stood out in the av as significant which was also what Alladdinn had with him the day they met in person? 10 points each = 20 points OKAY there are 130 points in total _____________________________________________________________________________ Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha A surgeon went to check on his very famous patient after an operation. She was awake, so he examined her. "You'll be fine, " he said. She asked, "How long will it be before I am able to have a normal sex life again, Doctor?" The surgeon seemed to pause, which alarmed the girl. "What's the matter, Doctor? I will be alright, won't I?" "Yes," he replied, "you will be fine, Miss Lewinsky. It's just that no one has ever asked me that after having their tonsils out." (Submitted By Denarius) _________________________________________________________________________ _____________ FREDDIEBEESWAX (FreddieB) Howdy Guys and Gals!!! It's Thursday evening, around 9:00 p.m., and I just got home from work. It's time to give ya'll another week of GOSSIP. Ali and I are pressed for time this week to get out the news due to the threatening Hurricane Georges hitting Florida within the next day. If you do not hear from us for a day or two�don't worry�it's probably just a power outage or communication problem. If any of you have been through a hurricane before, you know what I am talking about. The winds, rain, flooding, hail and tornadoes are all just a part of getting past this incredible storm. We will try to stay online for as long as we can so we can keep in touch with the "family". Now, on with this week's GOSSIP!!! Here's the BUZZ: As announced in the room this week, was the resignation of priesthood by CEMENT. He claims this was a long thing coming and finally decided to go on with his life as an everyday person. A man of the cloth, he is no longer and the best of luck to him in any future endeavors he may encounter. Just look at it this way, you will only have to go to church only once a week now instead of everyday and I will not feel so guilty when we cyber�LOL HOT OFF THE PRESS is the new struck romance of Jake and Daytona_Turbo. Rumor has it, the two met last week and maybe something is going to develop. Jake claims that Daytona is a real cutie, just like him. Many a romance has started here guys, so keep the flames burning and I will keep you updated on this love affair. Lips are quite sealed but I might be able to bribe Jake for some inside information. It was wedding bells last Saturday for the lovely couple Kumera and Angelina. They were virtually married by Ginger in Pink Triangle 2. The Pink Triangle guests that attended were chauffeured by limo driven by Screw. From what I hear, it was quite a ride. Attending this formal affair from Pink Triangle was Alladdinn and his two dates, Screw and youel, Wicked Love, kelsluv, fluffy_is_cute, Iammetoo, and vannessam2. Margaritas were downed by the ladies and someone had gas on the way (EWWWWW), but seems Screw found his way without getting lost. The wedding was lovely, with Kumera giving her vows in her native language of New Zealand, Maori, and then in English and Angelina recited her own vows too. The traditional ritual of rice throwing was replaced with the famous (Frisbee Toss). Frisbees were flying everywhere and Kumera even caught one in the mouth. Immediately following was the reception where a good time time was had by all. CONGRATULATIONS Ladies!!! Many happy years together. As we all know by now, our fine-feathered friend, Goose, has taken on a new look. He now goes by the name Goosarella. After squeezing his manly body into that lovely red Oscar DeLaurenta, he has grown quite accustomed to the feel of his designer gown. After putting the red dress up for sale in the PT Classifieds, he now is rescinding his offer so he can save the dress for special occasions. But he needs some new pumps since he having a hard time finding the right color Doc Martins to match. Do they even make ruby-red army boots? Ladies, can we help this man? He wears a size 9. You know what they say about a man with small feet. (heehee) OMG�guess who I saw in the room on Wednesday evening? Yes, it was folks, the infamous Down2. He was cuddled up with Primebear during his short visit to the Pink Triangle. For those of you that don't know, Down has been very busy with school and hasn't had too much playtime. Can you find some time for us soon Downy? WE MISS YOU LOTS!!! Back from vacationing in Las Vegas is Roon. He had a great time and also has been moving into a new house this past week. I know what it's like moving, but don't make yourself so scarce Roon. Take all that money you won in Vegas and pay someone to move your things and get back online soon. WE MISS YOU TOO!!! Well Folks, that's it for this weeks gossip. Time for me to start boarding up the windows and get to the grocery store to buy some non-perishable items. Uncle Georges (hurricane that is) is about to make a surprise visit. See ya all after we ride the storm out. Be Good and Play Safe Freddiebeeswax _____________________________________________________________________________ Bios ooo Bios ooo Bios ooo Bios ooo Bios ooo Bios ooo Bios ooo Bios ooo Bios Cutey2 Dear Family, I have been seen in the Pink Triangle for a long time now and Gany at one time asked me to submit a bio. Well I said I would but my life has been a mess so I waited till I could clean it up. Well Cutey_2 is actually a 23 year old college student studying Applied Psychology with Art and Social Science as minors. I Currently live in Wisconsin (the cheese state) and attend college full time. My time consists of being a caregiver --- that is taking care of a man paralyzed from the neck down---- a student, caregiver, part time lover and a worker. I also am working on my internship at the House of Corrections here and just love it (a minimal security jail). I spend my time playing football (a women's flag football team just got started) and I am a cornerback (cover the receivers) and the Center (who hikes the ball). I also play softball in which my team took first place. I find myself to be very busy right now carrying 14 credits (12 credits is a full schedule) and taking care of Jeff plus working at school (for extra money) my internship and trying to work out to loose that freshman 15 that I gained 4 years ago (more then 15 now but hey). Now that football is here I am very busy and left with no time to visit with my Family (you guys). I am sad because I miss u all but anyways back to my bio. I aslo enjoy writing poetry in which I have had 2 poems published. So as u can tell I am a very busy woman with hardly enough time for myself. I occassionaly like to go out and dance(when i have a few hrs. to spare). Also can't forget to mention my son----ha had ya'll fooled huh?--well that is actually my cat Dez who thinks he is human but hey he's adorable anyway. Well I guess this is all I can add and if you have any questions that I forgot to address --feel free to ask me when u c me. Cutey2 ___________________ Blissefull (aka Defyant_Angel) Ali asked me to submit a bio a couple weeks ago, sorry for the delay Ali... This is Blissefull in a nutshell people Well, I'm 19, I live in Arkansas... shithole, USA... I have 3 cats� I live with my grandparents� I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers... My birthday is in the end of May� which makes me an insane ass Gemini, WOOHOO... that should explain my moods to any of you that know about Gemini's. That's all I know to say� so if any of you want to know anything else, ask... I don't bite, I promise Adios� Stephanie ___________________ Krymsyn My name is Hollianne and I go by Krymsyn in the room. I am very happy to make everyone's aquaintance in the room. I have been coming for a long time. I think that most of you know that I am not gay. Therefore the I must be gay friendly. Which of course I am. I guess because I just don't see the difference in the sexuality preference as others do. I find it very romantic and very open. And as always you should always be yourself or how else are you going to live your life. I really like all of my friends in PT. I love to hear about everyone's lives and differences. And the different cultures are wonderful. What I love most about this room is everyone here is so accepting. No matter who you are as long as you are nice and genuine. Needless to say there aren't that many out there who aren't gay. I am just sick and tired of the gay and lesbian community being put down because of the sexual preference. It frankly pisses me off. And I have to tell you that the bashers that come in the room make me angry. But you have that choice to make, is it worth it to fight or not? That question probably remains in your mind forever in everything you do. I am sorry for the remainder for all of the questions. Any way, I grew up in Columbus Ohio, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, and Raleigh. I am married to a man. He is wonderful. I have two wonderful children. I have had to endure a lot of hardships. Life wasn't easy growing up. My mother chose to leave when I was three to go find herself I guess. My father is an alcoholic and will always be until he kills himself. I have a brother and a sister. Some of you know about my sister's condition and some don't. She is married and has one child and another on the way. She was also diagosed with having HIV in April. This past month her T-cell count dropped dramatically and she has now been diagnosed with having AIDS. The child she carries isn't known whether to have the illness yet. That will not be determined until several months after birth. She is coping and sounds upbeat last I spoke with her. And last but not least, My brother with whom I am not on speaking terms with at all. This next segment of my life is a very personal story and is also very painful. So bear with me here please. When I was about 5 my brother began molesting me in my bed at night. My parents didn't know until I was older. This situation continued until I was around 7. During this time also raped me repeatedly. I am recovering from this tragedy in my life. Every day is a new day and I will continue to live by that. The reason I have decided to tell you this is because I know that there are others out there that have had this same thing happen to them and if they are interested in talking to me I am a great listener. I also have a lot of support for this thing. I am very nice and understanding. Please don't hesitate to talk to me. My love and support is what I will give. I can try to help. Anyway, enough mushy stuff. I now live in Michigan and it is okay here. I have been here for about 5 years now. Any questions you can IM when I am in the room. Thanks for reading this and please don't think that I am psychotic nut. (Although the ones that know me in the room already know I am) lol. Take care of each other. Love and Peace, Hollianne/Krymsyn ____________________ GOLDIELOX Hello friends, I have been here for quite sometime now and many of you do not know who I really am� For the newcomers with questions, My name is Bernadette, (nick) GoldieLox. You may notice that some call me Bernie, but sorry that is only for my people who know me for more then six months. I Live in the Bronx, that is in "The famous New York City" (Big Apple). I'm a 25 year old female. I work for an Asset Management Firm in Westchester NY. I have been living with a man, (for 4ys) now & I recently let him in on the fact that I was having BI thoughts (thanks to you guys in pt, you made me acquire the courage.) So, to say the least he wanted to ((((((((((Frying Pan Me To the Head))))))))))) & shrugged it off like it was nothing. If he wants to deny it to himself its ok, but I want to say thanks to you guys for helping find the courage to tell him that even of he did not take me serious. Without your help I would of never been honest with him or to myself on how I felt. Thanks for helping me get it off my chest to him and thanks for supporting me in my own time of denial� You guys are the best. Bernadette aka Goldie ___________________ IPPIH Hello everybody! The bio is now in from Ippih (Hippi). I have been debating on what to say about myself and well I decided to let yall know everything about me. I am 25 years old. I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and will die there holding a beer. I am currently living in Charlotte, North Carolina. I am a golf professional certified by the LPGA and the PGA, but after playing in golf for 15 years and teaching golf for 8 years I am completely burned out by it and am taking a hiatus working at Home Depot. I went to the Universtity of Texas @ El Paso and to the Golf Acaademy of the South in Casselberry, Florida in which I received my degrees in Business Management and Golf Operations. I went to my parents in July of 92 and told them I was gay. My parents have been the best about it. They stand behind me in my decisions in life and they are truely my best friends. Most of you may already know that by seeing my mom come into the room with me a lot. I am a very open and honest person in which if you have any questions or things to say I completely appreciate you coming to me. I have completely enjoyed coming into the triangle and meeting the people that I have. Ya'll are a great group of people and i have had a great time. I will end by answering the question most asked by people in the room (especially ali and freddie) yes I am single. Now why am I single, well you know there is the one person in your life that you always look for. Well I am tired of looking and am waiting for her to find me. So if yall see her be sure and tell her where to find me. Hope I have told you what you needed to know. Take care and don't forget to burn one for me. See ya, HIPP _____________________________________________________________________________ Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha Jokes! Ha Ha There was this couple who had been married for 50 years. They were sitting at the breakfast table one morning when the old gentleman said to his wife, "Just think, we've been married for 50 years." "Yeah," she replied, "Just think, fifty years ago we were sitting here at this breakfast table together." "I know," the old man said. "We were probably sitting here naked as jaybirds fifty years ago." "Well," Granny snickered, "What do you say. . .should we get naked?" And the two stripped to the buff and sat down at the table. "You know, honey," the little old lady breathlessly replied, "My nipples are as hot for you today as they were fifty years ago." "I wouldn't be surprised," replied Gramps. "One's in your coffee and the other is in your oatmeal!" (Submitted By Denarius) _____________________________________________________________________________ PinkConnections (Alladdinn) Well Guys and Gals it's time once again to see who made connections in the Pink Triangle, and to check in on those continual lovers of the cyberwaves! Remember�this is NOT Gossip! I do have some leads on a few stories, but I will have to wait to see how everything pans out before I clue ya'll in on what's happening. Let's take a look as the romance blossoms throughout OUR "Family" of the Pink Triangle! Huck and Michael Boston Hello Hello, You asked me some time back if I would write to you and let you know about Huck and myself how we met etc....so here goes� Huck and I (MichaelBoston) met a while back about a month or so in Pink Triangle. He and this avatar of a really big dick up there on the screen. I IM'd him and we started chatting and he and I chatted the remainder of my and his time on Virtual Places. I gave him my number and asked him to call me collect I was that impressed. He had said to me that day before we exited VP he was impressed that I did not ask him for phone or cyber sex we talked about alot of stuff other than sex. We talked that first night about tons of stuff mostly theatre since I have a degree in it and he is now a dancer/actor/singer. I believe it was fate and we clicked as I have never clicked with anyone before and he felt the same. It was probably about a week or so before we realized we were in love...alot of people scoffed but I really don't care what people think, I KNEW I loved him.Another thing that blew my mind besides meeting such a wonderful guy on the internet, was the fact that he asked me to marry him and I didn't hesitate I was at work and crying tears of joy and laughing at the same time. It was one of the happiest moments of our lives. I took the next logical step...I asked him to come up and live with me and he didn't hesitate one iota...I sent him a ticket he came and he has been here since then. I had the opportunity to introduce him to my family and he and I flew down to Georgia to meet his. We are very happy and love each other. We have two cats Isis and Huckelberry...I guess our kids but we don't refer to them that way...we love animals but don't think of them as our offspring...LOL! Anywways if anyone wants to write to me or Huck, write to us at [email protected] we would be happy to reply to anyone!! Have a good day all and remember when you least expect it you may meet your fate in Pink Triangle!!! ___________________ If you have a meeting, a romance blossoming, or a wedding announcement that you would like to share it with the PT Family, please feel free to send it in to: [email protected] or you can catch me in the room if you want. I am always keeping my eye out for new romantic encounters! *Wink* Until next week my friends�Be Good, Play Safe and Be nice to those you chat with in the room, you never know when you may be talking to your prince or princess! Love Always, Chris (Ali) ___________________________________________________________________________ Weekly Avatar Contest! Each week there will be a panel of judges in the room throughout the week checking out AV's. The Catagories will change weekly, and will be announced in PT News for the following week. The WINNER(s) will receive a personalized AV designed by youel that they can proudly wear throughout the next week, until they have to pass the "Crown" on to the next winner! (You get to keep your personalized AV though!) This is all meant to be FUN, eventually everyone will have won! Next weeks AV contest will consist of: 1. BEST DRESSED (OR UNDRESSED) MALE. 2. FEMALE 3. COUPLE 4. FUNNY AV (cartoon or homemade) GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR MANNERS! PART OF THE CONTEST IS ALSO CONGIENIALITY! LOL BE CREATIVE, AND MAY THE BEST PERSON'S WIN! THIS WEEK'S AV WINNERS ARE AS FOLLOWS: Best Male AV goes to Primebear Best Female AV goes to the lovely Celine Best couple AV goes to the newlyweds Jansgirl and Blisseful CONGRATULATIONS FOLKS!! You can pick up your personalized winners AV from either FreddieB, Alladdinn, or youel ____________________________________________________________________________ STORIES TWO CHOICES (Submitted By Conrad) Jerry is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, & ls quo Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. & rsquo I choose to be in a good mood. "Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. "Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life." "Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life." I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live." "Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Jerry continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man. I knew I needed to take action. "What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything." "'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'." Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything. ___________________________ UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (Submitted By JADE) For all my friends and anyone who cares...I'm babysitting now, so I can't be on as much...but never fear, I AM STILL ALIVE...LOL A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me." "Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him." "There's something you should know" the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us." "I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live." "No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us." "Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own." At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg. The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are. Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!! _____________________________________________________________________________ GESTURE CONTEST A panel of judges are on the lookout for the TOP 10 weekly most played gestures in the room during chat sessions. We have several people who are making their own gestures now, as well as the good ole standbye's that we all use daily. We thought it would be kind of cute to see just which one's got played the most during the week. We had such a great response last week that we decided to make it the TOP 10 most played gestures.Again, this is all in FUN! The TOP 5 weekly gestures will be announced in the PT News on a weekly basis. Now�let's take a look at this week's Top 10 Gesture list 10 Fryin pan to the head 9 Durn it 8 Pillow toss 7 Kiss my entire ass 6 Tictoc 5 Frankie says relax 4 Are you drunk? I think your drunk 3 Betcha cant eat just one 2 Will cyber for oreos AND NOW THE MOST PLAYED GESTURE OF THE WEEK: 1 Frisbee toss _____________________________________________________________________________ POETRY CORNER "I feel as if writing a poem is my heart's way of living. I find it very therapeutic. When things are down and you need to release, a poem is a perfect way to feel because it can't talk back or try to give solutions to your problem. Leaves it so you have to figure your own answer out according to your needs and not someone else's." (Krymson) Friendship There's a miracle called Friendship That dwells in the heart You don't know how it happens Or where it gets its start But the happiness it brings you Always gives a special lift And you realize that Friendship Is God's most precious gift! Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you care...Blessings! (Submitted By Jade) ___________________ The Gift A tingling curls around my heart its tendrils reaching throughout my entire being The light from within bursting forth Blinding in its brightness I feel the butterfly touches of your love brushing my soul leaving in their wake A wonderful peaceful residue The genuine love you give is a most beautiful gift A priceless treasure I hold deep inside to hold and caress The thought of you gives me strength gives me purpose and inspiration Gives me courage to dare to dream again to believe again My heart pounds when you whisper my name leaps as your touch burns my flesh soars as you penetrate my soul The light of you blinds my eyes the love you give offers me shade Your essence fills my entire being shaking down the walls of distrust, the dust blown away by your feathery impassioned kisses The thought of you gives me the reason to go forth in life The GIFT of you is a Wonderous thing! With much love and friendship, David Xoxoxo ________________ Momento I found a flower pressed in a book Between two poems long unread. I stared at the long time-brittled stem And the once-bright petals now flat and dead. I wondered what hand had once paused to pick it. Did a ghost of its fragrance still haunt this room? To whom was it given with love now forgotten? Was he trapped here also in this small word-filled tomb? What sweet lost remembrance did this dried blossom hide, Amongst its faded red petals so flat and so dead? The memory more faded than the flower Now returned to its prison between its jailers unread. youel original: 11/09/89 revised 04/06/96 ___________________ To all my friends at PT. (Hope you enjoy this little note to a man who broke my heart) So many times I see your face, but as for you I cant replace. If you look hard enough you will find, within my eyes, I am still blind blind in way I cant forgive, I will haunt you for as long as you live.. When you look inside it's me you see, looking for a way to break free, still as high as I'm looking for ways for this to end. (I close my eyes its you I see) Give me a way to break free.. You can run and you will hide, give me a wave to ride this tide, when the waves come crashing down, watch me come safely falling down, as I come up its you I see, looking down, looking down at me. Take your eyes away, don't wanna see, those blood stained eyes focused upon me. Take this pride, hold it down never wanna see you hanging around, take my blood and drink it well, give me your soul, your soul to see, take a look think that your free, for its this face you will always see, haunting you till your last breath, bringing you down to face your death. GoldieLox ____________________ Embrace Let your heart pour out Let the tears you cry Run down your face Feel the pain and sorrow as you miss his embrace His warm breath that you used to feel on your cheek is now missing and the memories are becoming bleak. You had a vision of love a beautiful story of happiness but it was all shattered when the reality broke the bliss. You wonder every day if the choice you made was right. When you let him leave when you didn't put up a fight. He was so angry when he left he stormed out of the door. He jumped into his car put the petal to the floor. He was passing the tracks as the train came closer. He tried so hard to pass. He tried to go faster. But he didn't make it the train came barreling down He begged God to save him But now he is a part of the ground. You sit and think of the fight. The last time you kissed him the last time you made love. You didn't know that would be the last time that you would hold him. Let you heart pour out Let the tears you cry Run down your face. Feel the pain and sorrow as you miss his sweet embrace. (Krymson) Well that is it, I wrote out of complete sorrow and grief and if anyone has ever lost a very close loved one you can relate to my feelings when I wrote it. __________________________ A NOTE FROM ALI: We have some wonderful Poets among our "Family". If you have poetry you would like to submit, Please feel free to send it in to us. What we don't print one week, we will keep on file and use the following week. _____________________________________________________________________________ AIDS TRIBUTE This column in dedicated to those of our family that are dealing with AIDS in one way or another. Most of us either have loved ones or know of people who are suffering from this deadly disease. This is simply a means of support to those in our family that are dealing with the pain that goes along with this. We would like to form a support group of some kind for those that are dealing with this pain. If anyone is interested in helping us form this support group, or has any ideas�Please email us at: ([email protected]). Sometimes it helps to get through the rough times if we have someone to talk to that has also gone through similar circumstances. SUNLOVER (Fairymoon) I know that most of the people in Pt have lost someone they cared about to AIDS. I lost one this past week. He wasn't a long time friend or a past lover but a very special man to me none the less. I have spoken about him with a few of my friends in Pt, now I want to share our story with everyone. Since we rarely use real names in PT I will call my friend Sunlover because he loved tropical places. I met my friend Sunlover when he was first admitted to the nursing home where I work as a nurse's aide. He had just been released from the hospital after a bad spell of AIDS related pneumonia and his Dr. felt he could no longer live alone. Can you imagine how he must have felt being 39 in a nursing home full of old people? At first he really fought losing his independence. He was never afraid to tell why he was there .He readily admitted that he was gay. Which didn't please all of the staff. He wanted to leave at first that is when my lover and I talked to him and told him that we were gay. We felt that he would feel more comfortable if he knew he wasn't alone. After that he was our friend for life. I have never seen anyone show more courage than he did. Sunlover was a long time survivor of the disease. He was diagnosed at the age of 26 and continued to live his life to the fullest. Never did I see his courage waver not even at the end. Wait, that's not completely true I did see him falter once when he couldn't understand why some of the staff who call themselves professional acted afraid of him. Nothing breaks my heart more than to see that kind of ignorance. I sat with him that day and tried to explain that it wasn't him that they saw but his disease. I couldn't really explain something to him through that I myself have never understood. He was very lucky because he had three of the most understanding and loving siblings I have ever had the pleasure to meet. They came when he was very sick with an infection and sat round the clock by his bedside. Holding his hand and laughing and crying with him. When the worst was over they went home. Two of them are from out of state but through it all they kept in touch. Unfortunately his death was sudden and they were unable to be with him. I can not tell you how much knowing Sunlover has meant to me. Nor can I tell you how much easier it has made being out of the closet for me. If a man with all his problems can walk with his held high and continue to in enjoy his life then someone like me with all that I have (friends, family close by, and good health) should be able to face the world each day with pride. That is what am plan on doing too. I will no longer feel shame for who I am .I will no longer apologize for being gay. For some of the greatest people I have known are gay with AIDS and all of them have possessed a courage that few of us will ever know. I felt a deep sadness when I walked into work today knowing he wasn't there but I also felt a great joy and even a since of relief. Joy because I had the pleasure of knowing him and having his love for I know that he gave that sparingly. Relief because his journey through hell is finally over and he can have the rest that a soul like his deserves. Thanks for letting me share my friendship and feelings about Sunlover .I really wish each and every one of you could have met him for I know that you would have loved him as much as I did. He knew most of you because of the stories I would tell him and I shared a few of your bios with him. I was very lucky to have him for a friend and I also feel the same about all of you guys. Love always, Fairymoon ----------------------------------- Ruben (Taken by permission from RuLauro's website) This letter was written by RuLauro's late lover Ruben who past away of AIDS a year ago this past Tuesday. It was taken from the website that RuLauro designed as a memorial for Ruben. If you'd like to visit this site and pay your respects, you will find the website address in the Website section of the paper. Our love and support go out to you RuLauro, in this time of remembrance! Lent has always been a transitional time of the year for me. I have seen many ups and downs in my life, but none so illuminating as Lent. One experience, in particular is what has given me "New Life" and with it, "Peace." In 1990, I was given some news from my Physician that I was diagnosed with HIV. It was the most horrible thing that ever happen to me. I had my own business, an Ambulance Service, and was a Paramedic. My life seemed to have been moving in a positive direction, until I was diagnosed with HIV. I tried to be emotionally strong and so continued with my business as though I never heard the news that I was infected. In 1993, I entered Stage 1 of AIDS. I began to suffer Opportunistic Infections that are infections occurring a person who has depleted Immune System. I was experiencing Fevers, Nausea and Vomiting and was taking some strong medication for HIV and other viruses. Once I entered AIDS, I decided to close my company in 1994. It was a sad moment for me. A positive era in my life had come to end. What were my options now?It was at this point that entered a severe depression. I was convinced that the only option I had was to die. It seemed like a good idea. I got involved with the purest of evil COCAINE. It was beautiful. I had saturated my body so much with this evil that it became like a second skin to me. It was very recognizable and comforting. When I was high, I forgot. I thought I found my answer, my life force. My God. This boy was smart but no brains. I had allowed myself to beconvinced that this Cocaine was my Salvation and with it I sank even deeper into depression. So, I decided to consider my "option" and to leave this world. I had to end it. But How? One obstacle stood in my way if my god (cocaine) was not the real God, then by killing me, I would be spitting in his face. Throwing back to God the very life that he gave me. What the hell was gonna do it. I confided in a dear friend who convinced me to take a personal retreat at the Corpus Christi Benedictine Monastery. I guess I conceded to go because I had nothing to lose. I arrived on Ash Wednesday 1995 and I was met by a wonderful man, the Abbot, who was familiar with my problem and told me this, "Leave everything at the front gate . . . your family,your friends, your problems, your God and come in here to find yourself." OK. I figured this man wasn't playing with a full deck of cards. The Jokers were there, but he seemed a few Aces shy of a full deck. I agreed to consider what he told me since I wasn't playing with a full deck either. As I entered, without my cocaine of course, I felt something I had not felt in a very long time . . . a Presence. A positive presence, but still vague and intangible. After a considerable amount of prayer and reflection. I was still unconvinced of this God. One thing I did find out, I was scared to die. I wanted something so bad that I didn't even have the strength to face it. Death. I longed for it, yet I wanted it so far away from me. WHY, GOD, WHY? I finally came to terms with myself when I was allowed to enter the Monastery Infirmary. It is built like a hospital ward and there were several Monks there who were being cared for. One Monk, in particular, was dying from cancer. He was a frail old man who appeared tired and withered. But, he shone. Illuminated in something that I was yet to see. I had the opportunity to be in the room when he died. It was the most beautiful sight I ever saw . . . and I didn't fear it. As this brotherclosed his eyes and breathed his last the Monks and Nuns began chanting "Jesus is coming for you, Jesus is coming for you." At that moment, I saw ILLUMINATION. This monk was totally at peace and was crossing over to a new Life. I was overwhelmed with tears and again the illumination. I had never had contemplative experience in my entire life . . . until now. I was cleansed. I released all my pain, and suffering, all my doubt and I surrendered to God. The true God. I fell unconscious an awoke, NEW. realize that I was given a gift. A wonderful gift. And this gift was born from AIDS, It may not sound like a gift everyone wants, but with it came illumination and salvation. I have been given the opportunity to live life to its fullest and to begin to show compassion, love, humility. To reach out to others in pain, to bring them and myself peace. I am 31 years old. Jesus was 33 when he was crucified. So I had, indeed, lived a full life. Now I take all this pain and suffering and turn it into illumination. I walk my Calvary for just a short time to transition over to Eternal Life. What is that anyway? I don't know it's forever. Everlasting Peace and Love and the abilities to transform into Christ's Kingdom are not so bad after all. As a Catholic Community Staff member I chose the name EmmausCC. When Christ appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus they did not recognize him. Why? He was transformed Body and Soul. It was a real physical, supernatural transformation. I want it so I came home. Home to my faith. Catholicism. Now I am free. I am whole; I am a child of God. And when I am called home to the new life. I will see the dimensions of all the universes God has created and continues to create and give Eternal Thanksgiving to the Christ who did not fear Death. He opened His arms wide to die for Humanity. I am part of Humanity; we are all part of Humanity and a part of each other. I am glad to be Alive.I now have been drug free since Ash Wednesday of 1995. I have embraced my Catholicism and my God. I live life for him and for me. My disease led me to my Salvation. It is tough my trials and tribulations that I have discovered Christ, His Love and Forgiveness from all my wrongdoing. He is my salvation. Lent is now my time of reflection, self-examinationof my sins (for I am human) and a total forgiveness of self. My transformation is from the heart. That is where life begins and ends. But, not end in our definition of the word. End as in a beginning. "I am the Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the End" I am cleansed and ready for whatever God wants me to do, thy will be done. Now I engross myself with knowledge and understanding of what is around me. It brings me closer to God. And no longer fear Death. I am Alive. I conclude with a quote from Morris L. West's book "The Shoes of the Fisherman." Never, therefore, can we aim too high in the search for Knowledge, For every step toward knowledge is a step closer to unity. With man with man, with men with the Universe, with the Universe with God . . . _________________________________________________________________________ _____________ MISTY'S DRAG BAG You will find that I am a down to earth person who listens and cares about what happens to other people, even though I may not know them very well. It is my nature, not my pick up technique. Life must be hard for you all. Being Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual or Straight isn't easy. It's so hard to choose which label to use isn't it? We use so many labels for different reasons that it is a wonder we have any personal identity left. People are always calling us something. Male/female, old/young, black/white, bitch/bastard to name a few. Each of us is labelled by others and ourselves but that is never the total of who or what we are. In the room I am the Male Gay Drag Queen from Australia who is 31 years old. I am Misty Meanor. I am a friend. I am caring. I am funny, a bitch, intelligent, a faggot and so many other labels. But more importantly than all that, I am me. I am proud to be me. I am not proud to be any of the other labels although I like to be some of them but my pride come from me just simply being able to be me. Misty is the name that I gave myself to represent my drag persona. Xxxanadu is the name that I gave myself in VP to represent the non-drag persona. Some of you know my birth name, and maybe Ashlee can include that as a trivia question sometime. Ask me anything and I will tell you. Next time you think about someone, and it could be your best friend or one of the bashers that come into the room, think about the labels that you are attaching to that person, for underneath all the labels is a person. Who has a life and maybe problems and reasons for their actions. Then maybe you'll find new labels, like sympathy or friend. Until next week, Lots of Luck and Love Misty ____________________________________________________________________________ FETISH CORNER LEATHER (Primebear) SMACK... Ahhhh. SMACK.... AHhhh. SMACK.... AHHhh. SMACK.... AHHHh. SMACK... AHHHHH. Sorry Bi-grrl but I had to get that spanking out of the way. It was much needed and felt so goooooood! Hello Family. You won't believe how many times I have written this letter or should I say written this column. Would you believe 6 times. I write it, look at it, read it, delete it. I'm not a perfectionist by far but every time I read it, I just don't know. I think I should have deleted this one too. As most of you know, and those who don't will soon, that the LEATHER Community is a very important part of who I am. It is a well ordered and disciplined community. Full of rules, codes and brotherhood.Something I needed when I came out. Being Military at that time (which most of us knows has a hell of a lot of rules and regulations) made the transition into the Leather Community a hell of a lot easier than I've seen some people who decided they wanted to belong to the Leather Community. I already had the rules and discipline part down pat. I was introduced into the Community by a slave who I met in Oceanside, California. I met this slave in one of the two gay bars Oceanside has. Oceanside is a city supported by Camp Pendleton Marine Corp Base. This slave was a Marine (a well built one too. Damn.) and he asked me if I wanted to go to Los Angeles with him the following weekend to meet his Master. What the hell I thought. Like my dance card was totally empty so that weekend came and we went up to Los Angeles to a bar that his Master owned. I forgot the name of it but it was located right across the street from Paramount Studio. Would you believe Laverne and Shirley and Happy Days studios were right around the corner. Am I dating myself or what. Anyway, I was introduced to his Master and things went from there. The bar was open territory. There were no rules as far as conduct. The staff just looked the other way or at least pretended to. This bar was also HOME to one of the Motorcycle Clubs in L.A. Needless to say it was a very interesting night. I was invited several times to participate in some of the activities that were going on. Playing pool was a joke because someone would be tied down to it all the time and they looked like they were having fun. The guys were hot. You'd see Masters with their slaves. The Master would have a chain connected to the slaves collar and the slave spoke ONLY when the Master wanted him to speak. Other Masters would be sitting down on the benches with their slaves sitting on the floor cleaning the Masters boots and they weren't using rags, it was tongue cleaned. The dress code seemed basic Leather. You know, black Leather caps, black Leather Vest, black Leather chaps, Levis 501's (had to be 501's. nothing else would do), black Boots. Some would wear harness's made of Leather or chain. Tit rigs galore. Left, right, or both. Some guys would have a chain attached to their 501s and went into their groin so either that chain was attached to a prince albert or it became his cock ring. Very nice baskets. Seems some of these guys were poured into the jeans. After the bar closed, we went to my friends Masters house. His Master told me that I was free to watch or participate in the activities that night. I asked if I could watch then join in when I felt a little bit at ease, he said no problem and we went to the basement. This basement was a play room and well ordered. In the middle of the room was a sling. There was a chain link fence in that room. Paddles with holes, studs, no holes, made of leather, or wood on the walls. Hoods and gags neatly displayed. Handcuffs, leg irons in their proper places. A stretch machine (for lack of any other words to describe it). Rope, leather straps, chains. Tit clamps, ball stretchers, Dildo's laying neatly on a bench. Lube and candles everywhere. Amyl Nitrate was everywhere. All that was missing as far as I could see was the Iron Maiden. Damn, this was a dungeon. Well Steve (my friend) was told by his Master to get into the sling. (Steve was of course was naked). He did as he was told. His Master took the tit clamps and clamped them on Steve's tits, then the Leather straps and strapped Steve's arms and legs to the sling. Took a hit of amyl nitrate and started playing with Steve. He grabbed the whip and started whipping Steve. Welts were appearing but Steve flinched everso lightly. His Master was insulting him, down grading him and all Steve could do was agree. I was asked to pick a paddle and bring it over. I did so and gave it to the Master. He started paddling Steve. The Master asked if I wanted to do anything to Steve. (Guess he was checking to see if I had any imagination.) I told him I wanted to tie Steve's balls up and pour hot wax on Steve. The Master smiled and told me to do so. I did. I took the leather straps on the bench and tied up Steve's balls. Separating them quite well. Then I took the candle and started pouring hot wax on Steves chest making a line down to his groin. Steve flinched again but asked for more. I grabbed more tit clamps and just started placing them where ever I could. Steve was getting too excited and his Master was just having a ball watching me. Steve asked to cum but his Master ordered him to hold it in until he came. Eventually I got horny enough to pull out my dick and fuck Steve. Didn't take long, his Master started yelling and releasing the pressure, I was cumming and yelling and finally Steve came but kept quite. I was told by the Master to untie Steve so I did and Steve went over to his Master to take care of cleaning him up. I went upstairs and showered. When I was done and came back out to the livingroom, Steve and his Master was upstairs. Steve had a grin on his face and his Master seemed quite rested. I was asked by the Master if I would stay the weekend and return next weekend. I agreed. Well, I got to end this chapter for this weeks news. I need to get dressed and find a bar to play in tonight. Damn got a tad bit excited and need to relieve these tensions I have. Next week I'll talk about some of the ceremonies I attended and a camping trip with this organization. Now where the hell did I pack that whip??? PrimeBear ___________________ Watersports (Author unknown) Watersports: The word itself carries many different meanings for many different people. I speak not of the those sports which are played in the water, such as waterpolo, or swimming laps. I am speaking of the sexual act known as Watersports. This sexual act has many other names and is also commonly called "golden showers." Yes that's exactly what I'm talking about. Pissing on your partner or partners in a sexual way so as to enhance arousal. Does this actually enhance arousal? For some it does, for others it doesn't. It depends on the person or persons involved. Think of it as a type of sexual orientation. Some people like women, and others do not. This is something that one must discover for one's self with someone that is trusted greatly. And it doesn't only have to be ONE other person. Some people prefer sex in groups to enhance arousal. Pissing in groups can also be interesting in that there will be different tastes. Tastes in terms of desires, and tastes in terms of the actual sense of taste. Some people have very weak piss, and some have strong piss. People also have different preferences in terms of which they would rather taste. Strong piss is usually more yellow and carries with it a very very strong taste. Weaker piss will be more clear, and carries a weak taste and may be easier to swallow if one should desire to do so. The taste is something that cannot easily be described. Unlike some foods or beverages, piss smells much differently than it tastes. However, strong smelling piss indicates that it does carry a strong taste. Unlike other beverages, such as coffee or alcohol, which both allow you to anticipate the taste based on it's smell, piss will not afford you such a luxury. One must be prepared for a myriad of different tastes, based on what their partner or partners have had to drink shortly before piss play begins. Different beverages can enhance or detract from the taste of one's piss. In my experience, light beer and water are the best beverages to use. These cause a very weak piss taste, and can increase the abundance of urine for longer and wetter piss play. For those who prefer stronger piss, one can ask their partner or master to consume coffee or stronger beer, such as bock beers which contain a higher level of alcohol, and compare in terms of taste to a strong cup of coffee, versus a weak cup of coffee. For extra fast pass through, one might consume an electrolyte beverage with can pass through the body in as little as 10 to 15 minutes and carries a weaker taste. However, over consumption of these beverages can actually become detrimental to the body. For further information on this, you can run a search on the world wide web for Watersports information. One especially helpful site (mentioned here without prior permission from the pages author) is www.pigmedia.com where one can learn things from actual doctors about the art of piss play, and also view pictures of these acts in the process. This will give one a better idea of what is involved, and perhaps spark some creativity in the mind of the viewer. There are various forms of piss play, ranging from the "wet-jeans" type, to the other end of the spectrum; drinking piss. Wet jeans involves one or both partners (assuming only two are involved) pissing in their own pants and then engaging in sexual acts without any cleansing of the clothing or the body, beforehand. This can be especially pleasurable to the partners if the purpose of the piss is to cause a feral, or animal-like scent on one or more of the partners. This scent (going back to the less evolved man) was possibly once used to mark territories or sexual conquests, and can reawaken that animal passion within the partners involved. Some wet jeans participants merely like the site of a man's piss soaking through his jeans. If it is for visual appeal only, then any type of beverage would be acceptable before hand. Some prefer only to be pissed on, and not to consume any of their partner's or master's piss. Of course, in the case of a master\slave relationship, that is entirely up the dominant partner. For the purpose of pissing on a partner, the same beverage preferences apply once again. Is it visual appeal, or scent, or both. Again, the weakness of the piss is a factor, so please refer back the beverage recommendations above. Whether you call it Watersports, piss play, or a golden shower, the pleasure that can be achieved from experimenting with this form of sex can give new spice to an older relationship, or even spark a new relationship to higher levels of passion and pleasure. One last concern that must be addressed, is the transmission of diseases. Yes, the drawback to modern society and modern experimentation with sex is the ever-present threat of disease. Although piss carries a very small viral load, it may be possible to transmit disease through the urine stream. We must remember that pissing is the bodies way of eliminating contaminants. Diseases are among these contaminants that are eliminated. If one or more of the people involved are infected with the HIV virus, or any other disease, it would be advisable to consult your physician before participating in the consumption of a partner's urine. This can sometimes be embarrassing, so you may wish to consult (once again) the world wide web for information about how to prevent the spread of HIV or other diseases during piss play. Another factor is drug use. Not only illicit drugs, but the drugs used in the treatment of such diseases as HIV. One partner may not wish to consume the excreted drugs of the other partner. It must also be taken into account that these drugs, although having been through the system of one partner, are not necessarily inactive, and therefore one must consider the effects of these drugs before piss play begins. This is not something for the weak of heart or the weak of stomach, but if it sounds like something enjoyable, then it probably is. All that is to be lost is fear, and a LOT of piss. Enjoy the shower, and wet dreams to all. _____________________________________________________________________________ SCREEN NAMES As you remember last week I asked how people chose their screen name. We received a wonderful response from this from our readers! I hope you enjoy discovering how we each created our screen name identities. If you'd like to share how you chose your screen name, please feel free to send in to: [email protected] ____________________ HOLLIANNE/KRYMSYN This is about the screen names. At first I came in the room as Hollianne. The reason I picked that one is because that is my name. And I was lucky that no one had it. But when VP did their changing of things I was not in the Vp Chat with that name any more. I had to pick another one, so I did. I picked Krymsyn, due to the fact that I am a redhead. And I thought that would be appropriate. Hollianne/Krymsyn ___________________ GOLDIE Hi Guys, Its me Goldie� AKA Bernie� To the family that have known me since last December� I came into the room as Bernie, A female of 24 then. I looked around to see a selected few. I met a Girl Tatouine and Ashlee, Amanda & a few others. I loved the chat, and was excited to meet new people on the net. After the first few days, the was a rumor going around that I (bernie) was a guy, and had a argument with a guy named Gander (a buddy now) think his name was leesboytoy back then, and he was questioning me on my agenda� Finally I convinced the gang that I was a Girlie and, decided to change my name�(I was also getting hit on by men) Bernie is a guys name as well. So I was looking into names and said to myself (Self) you have Golden hair, long, and you have Locks�You should become GoldieLox� And from there, I have become GoldieLox� I want to thank the gang for welcoming me into the family (as a mug) and want to thank you guys for letting be me and, helping me face the fact that its ok to have bi thought and, Its ok to be yourself. I also think as receiving my first copy of pt news, Its A Great Read� Until Later� Goldielox ____________________ DevilDaddy Greetings! In response to your invitation to share the origins of our screen names, I offer the following: "Devildaddy" is not as ominous a name as it's been made out to be. I get IM's all the time asking me if I'm really a devil, other times it's someone asking me to be their "daddy". Simply put, the "Devil" part comes from my love of the National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils (the 1995 Stanley Cup Champions - take THAT, Ranger fans!) and the "daddy" part of my screen name is a hint at my physical appearance. I am 39 years old with a moustache, goatee, somewhat balding, hairy and a little on the paunchy side. Typical of what gay men refer to as the "daddy" type. Not so evil, was it? ______________________ RuLauro The screen name "RuLauro" has a special meaning to Ru because it is a combination of his name and his late partners name. If you have visited RuLauro's website for his departed lover, you know his name is Larry and his lover's name was Ruben. Together they created the screen name that would set Ru apart, as well as show the bond between he and his lover. Thus�RuLauro! ____________________ maryc26 Hi freddie thanks for letting me get the PTNEWS I got my name the same way you did considering I'm not very imaginative, and I prefer to use my real name. I really love all you guys in the room and have a lot of fun talking to you!!! Hope to see the next PT NEWS soon thanks again for the opportunity to receive it maryc36 just a little FYI my birthday is June 16, well talk to you later when I see you in the room Lot's of love maryc36 _____________________________________________________________________________ CLASSIFIEDS WANTED: New frying pan for FreddieB. Seems to have worn his out hitting ScrewDriver over the head one too many times. Prefer cast iron for better quality sound and intensity of impact. Will pay top dollar and even will consider used model. WANTED: Hurricane party kit and rollaway beds. Alladdinn and FreddieB may be hosting a slumber party to the South and Central Florida hurricane refugee boys of the Pink Triangle. Damin, youel, bboy, and space may have to evacuate and flee to PT NEWS Headquarters. Well, forget the rollaways, we'll just push the beds together and have a good ole time talking some girl talk. WOO HOO!! WANTED: Bios for the PT NEWS. Just some information about yourself so the family can get to know you better. Always welcome each week. Be prepared to be asked, we're not to proud to beg! MISSING: Very attractive, young, witty, funny female that answers to the name Branwenslove. Last seen in the vicinity of the Pink Triangle sporting a new vehicle last month. If anyone has seen or heard from this lovely lady, please tell her that her "family" misses her very much. Reward offered for any information leading to her whereabouts. _____________________________________________________________________________ ANNOUNCEMENTS Hello all! Just a short note to let everyone know that Mamma Tak, aka Misstress Tat, aka Tatouine, aka Tatourine wanted me to tell everyone that she is taking a short hiatus from the Pink Triangle and the PT NEWS. She has put her internet service on hold for 2-4 weeks to spend time with hubby BJ and her two adorable children, plus, as she put it"...I gotta get this house in order...". Although she will be GREATLY missed during her "seclusion" from the PT, just know that she will return, with her sometimes caustic but always funny sense of style. We love you Tatourine and you will be sorely missed. Hurry back into chat cause I know quite alot of us need to be flogged, both with your tongue and your whips.... Also, she wanted everyone to know that she will be working on some poems and stories and they will all be submitted once she gets her internet service up and running, so expect to see a mass bombardment of her works in just a few weeks. _____________________________________________________________________________ PET CORNER (Fairymoon) Sorry that I have been away so long but with the move now complete I am ready to start writing my pet column again. So since I have so much experience with moving I thought I would write about moving and pets. One of the first things to do is make sure where you are moving to will allow pets. In my case I was moving to a house I owned so that wasn't a problem. Next if you are moving to a city check the ordinances. This I had a problem with and will let you know how it goes in court. Seems they don't care if a 4-year-old let the dog loose or not. Poor baby doesn't know the difference between city and country. Try to save moving the pets to the last thing. You don't want them to get hurt or lost while moving the furniture. Once you are settled in give them about three days to get use to the house. If you have a cat try to place the littler box in the same room as the old house. Keep them inside for the first few days to let them get accustomed to the new area. Animals tend to wonder off looking for their old hunting grounds. Now has anyone seen a small gray kitten? Oh wait there it is packed with the kitchen stuff. I guess the kids' thought it was breakable. Well till next time, keep stroking those pussies (get your dirty little minds out of the gutter). Your pet-know-it-all, Fairymoon ____________________________________________________________________________ TRIVIA TRIANGLE ANSWERS OKAY HOW DID YOU DO?????????????? Here are the answers for this weeks trivia triangle. 1.) The names of the two theme nights are tuesday or toonsday (as worry puts it) and thursday night is nudey night. 5 points each ==10 points 2.) Primebears 3 fourlegged boys are cats.(give yourself 5 points) Their names are Teddy, Cubbie and Bear. 5 points each == 20 points 3.) Down2 or Downie lives in Alberta Canada. 10 points 4.) Primebear said he would never do a brown hanky as in the hanky codes he discused in the ptnews. 10 points. Primebear wears his hanky in his back left pocket (10 points) and it means dominance or incharge. 10 points = 30 points. 5.) According to Denarius in the pt news the BLUE WHALE has the biggest penis in the animal kingdom having an 11 foot penis. 10 points each ==20 points 6.) Shymom or PTmoms two sets of boy are Goose and Gander , and Freddie and Alladdinn. 5 points each= 20 points. 7.) Alladdinn was wearing an AVof a puppy in his av the night he met Freddie. (10 points) . It was significant because the day he met Freddie in person he was carrying a stuffed puppy dog. (10 points) ==20 points. So how did you do? There were 130 points total. Scores and Ratings 5 to 40 points -- if you are ever going to get out of this range you need back issues of ptnews. 45 to 90 points-- wow you are getting good at this game seriously if I did not know the answers I would be in this range this week. 90 points and up-- wow I think you probably know more about this room than I ever will im me with more questions if you know them. _____________________________________________________________________________ Websites from a few of our "Family" members for you to check out! http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Hills/9675 This site has been developed by RuLauro as a memorial for his late lover Rueben. This week marks the year anniversary of Rueben's death from AIDS. Please visit this site in respect and support of RuLauro. He has begun a new journey with the love and companionship of Romy. We all have known someone who has passed on from AIDS, let's show our support as a family by paying our respects! http://www.fortunecity.com/village/newcompton/466 Master Rex's incredible PT News information site. This site contains past and present issues of the PT News, as well as information about Virtual Places and much more! You will not want to pass this one up! We all thank you Master Rex for working so hard to provide us with this site. This site will wonderful for the newbies that have joined our family to catch up on what's been happening in the Pink Triangle! http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/1756 The Geesboy's Home Page. This site contains pictures and the love story about how the two lovebirds met and fell in love. This site is still under construction, but you wouldn't want to "fly" over this one! http://www.freeyellow.com/members4/pastorpat/page1.html Maxam's Titan's of Pink Triangle site. Maxam has done a wonderful job capturing all of our av's, combining them with a biography and quotations. He even thought enough about the bashers to include them in this site. What a guy! _____________________________________________________________________________ EMAIL ADDRESSES AND INFORMATIONAL MATERIAL ABOUT COMING OUT: Organizations The Human Rights Campaign 1101 14th St., N.W., Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 202-628-4160 ____________________ National Coming Out Project 1-800-866-6263 http://www.hrc.org The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force 2320 17th St., N.W. Washington, DC 20009 202-332-6483 http://www.ngltf.org Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) 1101 14th St., N.W., Suite 1030 Washington, DC 20005 202-638-4200 http://www.pflag.org Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund 120 Wall St, Suite 1500 New York, NY 10005 212-809-8585 http://www.lambdalegal.org National AIDS Hotline 1-800-342-AIDS 1-800-344-7432 (Spanish) 1-800-243-7889 (T.T.D.) ____________________ National Black Lesbian & Gay Leadership Forum 1436 U St., N.W., Suite 200 Washington, DC 20009 202-483-6786 ____________________ National Latino/a Lesbian & Gay Organization (LLEGO) 1612 K St., NW Suite 5 Washington, DC 20006 202-466-8240 http://www.LLEGO.org BiNET USA P.O. Box 732 Langley Park, MD 20787 202-986-7186 http://www.norn.org/pub/brc/binet.html National Center for Lesbian Rights 870 Market St., Suite 57 San Francisco, CA 94107 415-392-6257 http://www.nclrights.org CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse 800-342-AIDS http://[email protected] National Association of People With AIDS 1413 K St., N.W., 7th Fl. Washington, DC 20005 202-898-0414 http://[email protected] National Minority AIDS Council 1931 13th St., N.W. Washington, DC 20009 202-483-6622 ____________________ More On-line Resources: Out Proud, The NationalCoalition for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth: http://www.outproud.org Queer Resources Directory http://www.qrd.org ____________________ Books The Human Rights Campaign takes part in the Barnes and Noble Affiliate program. Your purchase of any of the following books via our website will help support the National Coming Out Day Project. Beyond Acceptance Griffin, Carolyn Welch and Marian J. Wirth & Arthur G. Wirth, St. Martin's Press. ____________________ BI Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out Hutchins, Loraine, ed., and Lani Kaahumanu, Alyson Press ____________________ Homosexuality: The Secret a Child Dare Not Tell Kaufan, Gershen & Raphael, Lev, Doubleday. ____________________ Homosexuality: The Secret a Child Dare Not Tell Cantwell, Mary Ann, Rafael Press. ____________________ Now That I'm out What Do I Do Thoughts on Living Deliberately. McNaught, Brian, St. Martin's Press. ____________________ Now That You Know: What Every Parent Should Know About Homosexuality Fairchild, Betty and Nancy Hayward, HBJ. ____________________ One More River to Cross: Black and Gay in America Boykin, Keith, Anchor Books. ____________________ Outstanding Lives: Profiles of Lesbians & Gay Men Brelin, Christa & Michael J. Tyrkus, eds., Visible Ink Press ____________________ Passages of Pride: True Stories of Lesbian & Gay Teenagers Chandler, Kurt, Alyson Press. ____________________ Transgender Warriors: A History of Resistance from Joan of ARC to Rupaul Dennis. Feinberg, Leslie Beacon Press. ____________________ Religious Organizations Emergence International e-mail [email protected] PO Box 6061-423 Sherman Oaks CA 91413 ____________________ Interfaith Working Group P.O. Box 1170 Philadelphia, PA 19101 215-235-3050 http://www.libertynet.org/iwg/ ____________________ Dignity/USA (National Office) 1500 Massachusetts Ave., #N.W. Washington, DC 20005 202-861-0017 800-877-8797 http://www.dignityusa.org ____________________ Affirmation: United Methodist for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns Evanston, IL 602 847-733-9590 [email protected] http://www.concentric.net/Umaffirm/ ____________________ World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations P.O. Box 233 Washington, DC 20026-3379 http://www.wcgljo.org ____________________ The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists P.O. Box 2596 Attleboro Falls, MA 02763-0894 508-226-1945 [email protected] http://members.aol.com/wabaptists/index.html ____________________ The United Methodist Church The Reconciling Congregation Program 3801 N. Keeler Ave. Chicago, IL 60641 773-736-5526 http://www.rcp.org ____________________ Interweave: Unitarian Universalists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns 25 Beacon St. Boston, MA 02108 617-742-2100 http://www.qrd.org/qrd/orgs/UUA/interweave.txt ____________________ Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches 8704 Santa Monica Blvd., 2nd Fl. West Hollywood, CA 90069 310-360-8640 http://www.ufmcc.com ____________________ Underwritten by a grant from the Colin Higgins Foundation in memory of Robert H. Eichberg. Friend, activist, visionary, co-founder of National Coming Out Day. The Human Rights Campaign http://www.hrc.org _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ WOW!!!!!!! Did I not tell ya it was going to be a superb issue? A GREAT BIG "THANK YOU" goes out to all the writers and contributors for making this issue of the PT News absolutely wonderful!! Until next week my friends, Have a GREAT weekend! FreddieB & Alladdinn