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Events and News Halo-O-Bear
will be Oct. 6-8. Each year, the Driller Bears sponsor a weekend of fun at Cacus Canyon Campgrounds near Ava, Mo. Register for Hal-o-Bear - click here. Cactus Canyon Campground provides a private adults only (21 years or older) camping experience for gay, bi, and straight men near Ava, Missouri. In October, the Bears take over the campground with the owners of Cactus Canyon to provide fun and games, food and fellowship. This year, Bruce, a well-known face at the campground, will lead the groups in karoake. Details are still being finalized for the event so please visit this page for updates on the activities. To learn more about the campground, rates, photos and accomodations, visit the CCC website.
Christmas
in July - July 22
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Pride 2006 The Driller Bears will raise their profile during this year's Diversity Fest. Not only will the Bears appear in the parade, whcih begins at 11 a.m., but they will man a booth throughout the day, and host a picnic at 12:30 p.m. All bears are invited to this event. For more information on Pride, click here.
Local
TV stations sensationlizes anonymous gay This story shows the bias of KTUL. They, of course do not mention that there other sites for straight people to hook up. During ratings months, local TV news shows do this story based on suggestions from networks, etc., and they run these throughout the country because gay sex in public is so shocking. Though the web site is not mentioned by name, the site is http://www.cruisingforsex.com. That aid grown men should find other places to have sex. But society should change so people shouldn;t have to resort to these measures either. But that story is not good for ratings. 8
On Your Side: Website Lists Places For Sexual Encounters In Public Sexual encounters in our public restrooms. You may have heard police have tried in the past to put a stop to that in a few of our restrooms. But, the 8 On Your Side team found that kind of activity isn't just going on in a couple of our parks. And, we also discovered how the word is getting out of where those public restrooms are. On the second floor of Woodland Hills Mall is a public restroom where police say very private sex acts are occasionally committed. This man is an undercover cop with TPD's Vice Squad. "Is this kind of stuff going on?" "Yes it is." 8 On Your Side found out about this restroom rendezvous and others, not from the police, but from the Internet. There are websites that list gay cruising spots all over the U.S. And many of these locations are right here in Green Country, in places you'd never suspect. One website advertises more than a dozen public restrooms in Tulsa where the goal is a sexual encounter, usually quick and anonymous. "People get to talking with each other, come up with a place, could be a mall bathroom, it could be any public place and just say 'I'd like to meet you here at this time'. And the two meet and do things they shouldn't." Another popular place where people do things they shouldn't is the River Parks restroom at 41st street, where police say they can make a half a dozen arrests within an hour. We showed the information to one woman, who was at the park with her grandchildren. "Just read it to yourself and give me your reaction to it." "That's disgusting, its just plain disgusting. The parks are someplace to go to have fun, not have sex." Also, the third floor restroom stall in Tulsa Community College's Learning Resource Center and "cruisy toilets" on the 3rd and 5th floors of the University of Tulsa library. Plus, Oral Roberts University has a couple mentions on the website. We showed the undercover cop the transcripts from the website. "Is this legitimate or do you think these are hoaxes?" "I believe they're legitimate." Legit, including what may be the most shocking of all -- in our malls. "We've had complaints from security, mall security, and some department store security that it's happened." At Promenade Mall, the so-called cruisy toilet is the J.C. Penney store and second floor restroom of Foley's in lingerie. At Woodland Hills, that second floor restroom is called "a good place to meet and peek". And the list also includes the restroom in the bedding department of Dillard's. It's not surprising we got the same reaction from shoppers, many of them also parents, as we did from parkgoers. "Oh my goodness, I didn't know." "That's kind of shocking and disturbing." "I've got kids and I'd hate to have my kids in one of the restrooms and run into something like that." "I personally don't have boys, but if I did they wouldn't go into a bathroom without me being present with them to make sure no one else is in the bathroom when they're using it." 8 On Your Side called the places whose restrooms are advertised on the adult website. Most of the initial responses were similar -- 'you're kidding' or 'we're shocked and we'll check into it.' Foley's directed us to its corporate office in Houston, which told us it knew about the listing in the website and has taken appropriate measures for a safe shopping environment for its customers. In response to our investigation, TU's president said the school has never received a report or complaint and will work with authorities to investigate the situation. Oral Roberts University told us they too have had no complaints and questioned the credibility of the websites. While we can't say every restroom listed has had sexual activity, we believe just by having them listed draws attention to those who read the website. Police say generally, men cruising for sex in malls, parks and schools are looking for consenting adults, not children. The undercover officer we spoke to says indecent exposure is a serious charge -- a felony that could result in prison time. We do not recommend viewing the adult website mentioned in our story. The pictures and words are very graphic. TOHR NEWS
743.GAYS
Internet dating in Tulsa (i.e. Gay.com, AOL.com, etc) leads to rise in syhillis in Tulsa Public health officials are worried about a cluster of syphilis cases in Tulsa County. "We are very concerned about this increased level of syphilis reported in gay and bisexual men in Tulsa County," said Michael Harmon, chief of the HIV/STD Service of the state Health Department, in a prepared statement. "Our data may be a warning sign that this population is most at-risk for developing syphilis in Oklahoma." During the first eight months of this year, the Health Department has received reports of 20 cases of syphilis in Tulsa County. Twenty-three cases were reported last year, said Mark Turner, program manager of HIV/STD surveillance and analysis for the Health Department. Nine of the 20 cases reported this year involved men who had had sex with men, officials said. An increase in syphilis cases also can be an indicator that people are having unprotected sex and are at risk for contracting other sexually transmitted disease including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, Turner said. Syphilis infection also makes it easier to transmit and acquire HIV infection because the disease causes ulcerlike lesions through which HIV can spread. Later stages of syphilis can cause rashes and neurological damage, including dementia. Turner said several of the men who have been diagnosed with the STD were involved in voice-mail and Internet dating services. The key to preventing the spread of syphilis is early detection and treatment, said Janice Sheehan, manager of the Tulsa City-County Health Department's Communicable Disease Control Division. Treatment usually includes one or more injections of the antibiotic penicillin. Tulsans can seek syphilis treatment and testing at the Tulsa City-County Health Department or through a private physician, Sheehan said. Doctors are required to report syphilis cases to the state Health Department, which has a service through which it can notify the patient's sexual partners to tell them that they could be at risk for syphilis, Turner said. The patient's name is not revealed during notification. "The information
only flows one way -- to the Health Department," he said. Testing
available The charge for STD and HIV testing is $20. Hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8-11 a.m. Friday. Walk-ins are permitted only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays on a first-come, first-served basis. Appointments are permitted only on Mondays and Fridays. For more information, call 595-4104.
AIDS
INFO RAIN Tulsa CARES
HOPE Testing
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