TRAVEL CLASSIFIED S

NEW ORLEANS MARDI GRAS

NEW

MARDI GRAS 2000 ORLEANS. March 3-8, from Chicago. Air, Hotel, Transfers. Limited packages starting $880 pp. Call Jason Massey, Travel Machine Travel 800-683-9882. Other packages available, call for details. (11/10/99)

ILLINOIS

GALENA BOUND?... romance, history and wonderful memories await your arrival... The Early American Settlement Lodging Log Cabins are authentic hewn log cabins located on 78 private acres. Each cabin offers gas fireplace, double whirlpool, full bath, color TV and VCR, refrigerator, loft area bedroom, cathedral ceiling plus central heat and air. Luxury in a primative setting. Take nature walks, canoe our quiet stream, view wildlife and take in Galena area activities. Make your escape now! Call 1-800366-LOGS. www.easll.com (1/24/00)

WISCONSIN

CHANTICLEER GUEST HOUSE: Romantic

Door County Bed & Breakfast located on 30 private acres. All suites include double. whirlpool, private bath, fireplace, entertainment center, breakfast delivered to your room, a/c & balconies. Also includes heated pool, sauna, hiking trails. GAY OWNED & OPERATED. Reservations or color brochure, please call Bryon & Darrin at (920) 746-0334, 4072 Cherry Rd., Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235. www.chanticleerguesthouse.com Chanticleer@itol.com (5/10/00)

E-mail:

CHASE ON THE HILL BED & BREAKFAST. Kick off your shoes and enjoy the charm and hospitality of a cozy farmhouse in the rolling hills of southern Wisconsin. Only 11/2 hours from O'Hare. (608) 868-6646. e-mail: MCHASE@JVLNET.com (8/26/98TK)

PRAIRIE GARDEN B&B: Close to the nude beach. We're located 1/2 hr north of Madison with spectacular views and fantastic breakfast! Enjoy our deluxe SPA nude, under the stars. Call Todd at 1-800-380-8427 or visit our Web Site www.prairiegarden.com (7/29/98)

INN AT PINE RIDGE: B&B especially for womyn. Hot tub, Sauna, fireplace. Rest, play

or celebrate. Hiking, biking, antiquing nearby. brunches, smoke-free. Near Eau Claire. By reservation only. (715) 984-2272. (1/98) WILDERNESS WAY (A women's campground/resort) 5 cabins, 18 campsites. 10 acres on Cranberry Lake. Open all year. For reservations, rates, brochures, & upcoming events. Call (715) 466-2635 or write P.O. Box 176, Wascott, WI 54890. (9/30/98-TK)

MICHIGAN

DEERPATH LODGE, SAUGATUCK. Guest rooms for women. An enchanting retreat on the Kalamazoo River, Deerpath is unparalleled for space, tranquility & comfort. Rooms are handsomely decorated with mission-style furnishings & K-size beds. Each features a private bath, sitting area and kitchen area. The community greatroom offers a fireplace & library of books, music & video. Guest privileges include the use of terrycloth robes, heated pool, hot tub, kayaks & canoe. Near Lake Michigan beaches, marina, golf, galleries & all the delights of Saugatuck. Come taste the sophisticated, yet relaxing atmosphere of Deerpath Lodge. Advance reservations required. Call 888-DEERPATH. (8/25/99) DUNESWOOD in NORTHERN MICHIGAN. A women's resort with 12 private housekeeping rooms nestled on 7 acres of secluded woods. Also in nearby Glen Arbor, MARGE & JOANNE'S B&B. Open all year. No pets. Women only. Near Traverse City. For info: Marge & Joanne's, PO Box 457, Glen Arbor, MI 49636, (231) 334-3346. LABRYS WILDERNESS RESORT. Enjoy. your own cabin in Northern Michigan on Long Lake in Sleeping Bear Dunes. 1-mile hike to Lake Michigan: Romantic Weekends. Bird Watchers paradise. Glorious sunsets, hot tub under the stars. Women only. Labrys, Honor, MI 49640, (231) 882-5994. (4/19/00)

SOUTHWEST

INN OF THE TORQUOISE BEAR. SANTA FE, NM. Santa Fe's only gay-oriented B&B in historic downtown. Walk to plaza, bars, restaurants, museums, shops, galleries. Walled estate, privacy, parking, beautiful gardens, fireplaces, superb breakfasts, sunset refreshments, friendly staff. Rambling adobe villa, fascinating gay history. 1-800-3964104;

bluebear@roadrunner.com; http://www.turquoisebear.com (6/2/99)

When life overwhelms you, Escape to the Country. Bring your cross country skis Or a book to read by the fire.

Hillby Thatch Cottages near Saugatuck Open Year Round

Call (847) 864-3553

Visit us online: http://home.earthlink.net/~trillfilm

OUTLINES TRAVEL: Always a great destination from the Midwest to the U.S. to the World. Deadline every Wednesday. (773) 8717610. fax (773) 8717609. Don't miss back issues of Outlines on our

internet pagewww.outlines chicago.

com

LETTERS from 7 current market share and one of our past TV ads from the early nineties. Our intent is to provide wholesome, entertaining advertisements that present our products in a pleasing manner. We are sorry and apologize if you were not pleased with a particular ad of ours from the past; we hope that future ads for our products will be more acceptable to you.

Thank you again, Consumer Affairs, Kellogg Company.

Politics of choice

Last week, we reported on the Log Cabin Republicans' criticism of the Human Rights Campaign for endorsing Al Gore for President. Following are letters from Birch to LRC, and LRC writing back.

Open Letter from HRC to Rich Tafel, Executive Director, Log Cabin Republicans: We are thoroughly disappointed in the recent press release your organization issued condemning the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) for our presidential endorsement of Al Gore. We found the Log Cabin Republican's (LCR) negative attack to not only be unnecessary, but also a willful distortion of our record and emblematic of the infighting that has divided our community in the past. Name-calling and misrepresentation for political gain is counterproductive and helps no one except our adversaries on the extreme right. Your organizationoften the recipient of ad hominem attacks should be acutely aware of this, and therefore know better.

HRC has long supported the mission of LCR because we recognize that the passage of laws banning discrimination requires bipartisan support. We applaud your organization for working within the Republican party to gain backing for such measures. LCR has been an agent of change, and HRC is grateful for your group's past contributions in helping to create a world where gay and lesbian Americans can live openly, with dignity and respect.

However, we take great exception to LCR's accusation that our endorsement of Gore "perpetuates HRC's long-cited image as the voice of the Democratic establishment, not the 'bipartisan' organization it claims to be." As you know, HRC has supported and continues to support candidates who champion our issues regardless of party affiliation. We dream of a day when presidential candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties vie for the support of gay and lesbian Americans. When this occurs we will have essentially won our fight at least on the political front-for equality. It is clear, however, that today is not that day.

LCR argues that HRC should have endorsed Bradley because he supports amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sexual orientation, and for his early endorsement of ending the ban on gays in the military. If LCR finds these positions laudable-which they arethen where is their indignation and outrage over the fact that no GOP candidate supports these views. We find it strange that LCR would split hairs over the differences between the exemplary records of both Democrats, while remaining silent on the anti-gay policy positions of both Bush and McCain

not to mention Alan Keyes.

In this election cycle there are clearcut differences between the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Al Gore has a long history of support for

OUTLINES Feb. 23, 2000 V

our community and we believe he is our best bet for achieving equality and acceptance in the new millennium. Gore has been in the forefront of advancing gay and lesbian issues, as well as fighting against the spread of HIV/AIDS. While Gore spoke at a Human Rights Campaign press conference last week, Bush was speaking at Bob Jones University, and McCain was defending the flying of the Confederate flag over South Carolina's capitol building. This clearly symbolizes which voters each party's candidates are trying to reach.

It is hardly HRC's fault that the rhetoric and records of both Democratic presidential candidates is undeniably superior to that of their Republican counterparts. As the group representing gay Republicans, we understand your organization's obvious disappointment and frustration with this year's crop of GOP presidential candidates. It has left you with the dubious options of supporting either Pat Robertson-backed George W. Bush or Gary Bauer-backed John McCain, who recently said that hoi sexuality "is a lifestyle I don't approve of." Nevertheless, your disenchantment with the GOP field is no reason to assail HRC for endorsing the best candidate, who simply happens to be a Democrat. Instead of attacking HRC, we urge you to continue the worthy endeavor of educating the GOP leadership, and narrowing the current disparity between the two parties on our issues.

effort to educate and reach out to candidates in both parties, to work hard to cover all bases throughout the nominating process as things twist and turn. They seek the opportunity to meet with candidates from both parties. Public meetings are a huge opportunity to educate, which must happen before endorsements can take place. Then, with the best effort put forward, and with a truly bi-partisan mission in mind, an endorsement comes at the end of that process. That's what bi-partisanship with integrity means.

You tell us that "it is hardly HRC's fault

that the rhetoric and records of both Democratic presidential candidates is undeniably superior to that of their Republican counterparts." Elizabeth, I don't know if it is anyone's fault. But for 20 years your organization has claimed to educate Republicans and Democrats.... If there is such a great disparity, doesn't a truly bi-partisan organization, in fact, share the responsibility for that result? The success among gay Democrats is clear. But your ability to educate Republicans has been less successful.

LCR was created for this purpose. And we were created because organizations that claimed to be bipartisan, were, in fact, simply Democratic in reality. If you claim to be a bipartisan organization that has been around for 20 years educating Democrats and Republicans, then you must also accept that the failure of GOP candidates to understand and supElizabeth Birch, HRC E.D. port our issues to your liking is indeed Dear Elizabeth: your responsibility. To claim bipartisanship and then say "it's not our fault" that Republicans don't live up to your expectations is very inconsistent.

I'm sorry you were disappointed with our response to your early endorsement of Al Gore. I don't want to start a public colloquy with you on this, but let me respond to a few points you made.

First, my statements were carefully worded not to be an attack. You have an important, and, at times, thankless role, and I appreciate what you and your organization does. So, we were careful not to attack. As you point out, we have too often borne the brunt of ad hominem attacks-even from HRC. Our goal was to remind you that when you speak as "the largest bipartisan gay and lesbian organization in the country," a certain responsibility comes with that. First and foremost is to live up to the mission you've articulated. Endorsing Al Gore over Bill Bradley wouldn't concern anyone if you were speaking as a Democratic organization. But that's not what happened.

The reason we need to challenge what you've done is that you claim to be one thing, a bipartisan, one-issue organization, and you do something else, that is, behave as a Democratic establishment team player. I value Democratic establishment team players and I know that many respect our work in the GOP. But that's not what HRC claims to be.

You said you "dream of a day when presidential candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties vie for the support of gay and lesbian Americans. When this occurs we will have essentially won our fight-at least on the political front-for equality." We both share that dream. The question is how to we make that dream a reality. The answer is that each of us must play our role with integrity.

of

gay

The Stonewall Democrats are divided between Al Gore and Bill Bradley. That is what all of us would expect Democratic organizations. Those in each camp are positioning themselves for the March 7 primaries. A truly bipartisan organization makes an equal

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LCR has had some success of changing the tenor of our party. It has been at tough and lonely fight. We accept that. We're not in this to be liked, but to fight for change. But, when an organization that claims to work equally within both parties then endorses before they even know the nominees of each party, and admits that the move was designed to help decide the primaries in one party, that undermines our overall message as a the reality that the gay vote can be won movement. The message should reflect by Republicans and Democrats who support our issues. Your message is that gay vote overall is only a factor in the Democrat Party, telling Democrats that we are safely in their back pocket and telling Republicans that they can once again ignore our concerns.

Had you come to your conclusion after a process based in integrity, we

would have no issue with your position. Had you come to the conclusion as a gay Democratic organization, we would have no problem with your position. (Though, frankly, I'd be puzzled in the same way Bradley was by NARAL's endorsement of Gore.)

As long as you claim to objectively work in both parties, we'll continue to hold you to that. There is a lot of work to do in the GOP, and we are very aware of it. Your endorsement of Gore at this time, and the clear reasons behind it, only makes our work more difficult in the long run.

During this season of partisan politics, we are sure to disagree again. I hope that you don't view these differences in strategy as attacks, but instead view them as a healthy debate among two organizations that ultimately share the goal of one day achieving equality.

We look forward to working with you on our common goals.

Rich Tafel, LCR E.D.