• Saving Face, 8pm, LOGO.  Wil is a 28-year old New Yorker whose life is a juggling act between a promising career as a surgeon and her responsibilities as a dutiful daughter and girlfriend to Vivian, a gorgeous dancer. Like the #7 train she takes to visit her Chinese family on a weekly basis, Wil is perpetually in transit between two worlds.

• Suzanne Westenhoefer, 8:30pm, LOGO.  Suzanne Westenhoefer breaks all barriers performing her gay stand-up routine to mostly straight crowds.
• A Double Shot at Love, 10pm, MTV. The six remaining contestants are asked to make a difficult decision. Later, everyone s stunned by a shocking exit.

• Laurel Canyon, 9pm, LOGO.  Along Laurel Canyon, a street which runs through the heart of the Hollywood Hills, lives Jane (Frances McDormand), a veteran record producer trying to come up with a hit single for a British band whose lead singer, Ian (Alessandro Nivola), is her much younger lover.

Marbury’s philosophy is what makes Adventures in Good Company so unique. Together with her guides, the company:

* Creates a space where you feel supported in following your own agenda, whether that’s to challenge yourself or to take some much needed R&R. It’s your trip.

* Thinks that groups form the strongest bonds when individual needs and wants are being met. They design their itineraries to maximize flexibility and will do everything they can to help you have the trip that you want.

* Strives to create an atmosphere where women feel comfortable being who they are, and where everyone enjoys sharing their similarities and celebrating their differences.

* Believes that feeling truly connected to the natural world is both a human need and deeply rejuvenating. In this context they also understand the joys of challenging your limits.

* Finds that experiencing other cultures, in ways that are respectful and not exploitative, enriches our understanding of our common humanity.

* Is committed to being a leader in sustainable travel among travel companies.

* Loves eating good food and laughing lots.

With more than 40 trips a year, they’re confident they can help women – both gay and straight - find just what they’re looking for.

Adventure activities include hiking, canoeing, sea kayaking, dog sledding, cross-country skiing, rock climbing, backpacking, and horseback riding (many trips include a combination of multi-activities). A variety of trips are offered to provide different levels of physical activity (from vigorous to relaxed) and most of the trips accommodate women of various fitness stages. The age of women participating in adventure tours spans the entire range, with their youngest participant being 20 years of age, and oldest coming in at 81 and there is no typical profile for adventure trip partakers… their enthusiasts have been harried businesswomen, stay-at-home moms, and women at a crossroads in their life (such as a divorce, career change, or children who have left the nest).

Their destinations are located all over the world, and are chosen for their aesthetic beauty and interesting terrains. Accommodations vary by trip, and may include cabins, lodges, resorts, inns, hotels, and campsite locations.

Early 2009 international journeys
Beaches, Castles and Caves of Mexico: 2/7 - 2/14.
Exploring Panama: 2/21-3/2.
Trekking in Nepal: 4/19 - 5/10.
Amazing Amalfi: 5/8 - 5/16.
Treasures of Tuscany: 5/17 - 5/24.

Upcoming domestic adventures
Death Valley Delights: 3/1 - 3/5.
Dog sledding up North: 3/14 - 3/18.
Rock Climbing and Yoga: 3/21 - 3/28.
Havasu Hike: 4/5 - 4/11.
Exploring Utah’s Canyons: 4/12 - 4/19.
Wildflowers and Waterfalls (second trip just added): 4/26 - 5/2.

For more information visit http://www.adventuresingoodcompany.com.

Lesbians and gays who enjoy the recreational and exciting activity of scuba diving are steadily becoming a part of one of the most successful LGBT scuba clubs in the world - Lambda Divers.

As a nonprofit, social organization dedicated to promoting scuba diving among the members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, Lambda Divers grew from a desire to meet other LGBT divers whom enjoy diving in a supportive “family” environment.

What began as a small gathering has grown to over 125 members from L.A. to Toronto to London. Lambda Divers provides a unique forum through which LGBT divers can meet, learn more about diving, make friends and dive buddies, and enjoy great camaraderie on some of the best-priced dive trips available.

Members of the club gather several times a year in the Washington/Baltimore area and on dive trips. In addition to the trips, the organization may sponsor “discover scuba” classes, photo classes, or local interest visits such as the hyperbaric chambers in Baltimore, and more. With picnics, holiday parties and Pride Day, there is also ample time for social interaction.

The main mission of Lambda Divers is to provide a fun and inexpensive diving venue for LGBT divers. With the power to arrange group travel with no intermediaries, Lambda Divers provides its members with a LGBT family environment and attractive pricing. Organizing two to three dive trips a year from a “cheap and easy” long weekend to live-aboards, Lambda Divers works to bring its members the best in LGBT diving.

Since its inception, Lambda Divers has been to such locations as: Cozumel, The Bahamas, Bonaire, Belize, Florida Keys, Dominica, Papua, New Guinea, Turks & Caicos, Saba, and Kona.

Participation on the trips ranges from a few to thirty divers. All trips are organized by club members who receive a modest stipend for their work. The bulk of the rebates and commissions are shared among the participants and the club treasury. No diver goes on a Lambda Divers trip for free.

Most members are certified divers with certification levels ranging from basic to instructor. As well, Lambda Divers can help arrange introduction to scuba events and scuba classes for uncertified divers who are curious about the sport or who are ready to dive right in.

Lambda Divers has also shown a tremendous presence at Diving for Life, the International Gay and Lesbian Scuba Jamboree. Proceeds from this annual event go to gay and lesbian charities. As a result of its participation, to date, Lambda Divers has donated over $120,000 to DC and Baltimore charities, including Food & Friends, Lesbian Services at Whitman-Walker, The Mautner Project, and Maryland Community Kitchen.

Upcoming trips include the Key Largo Dive Trip during Veterans Day weekend, the Cozumel Dive Trip from May 2-9, 2009, and the Great Barrier Reef Trip from November 4 - 11, 2010.

For more information about Lambda Divers visit http://www.lambdadivers.org.

The first few days of 2009 came and went this week and left behind hangovers and days off work in their wake. For those lesbians out there who were busy partying in the new year, Cherry Grrl is here to catch you up on the latest news from our community.

ACLU sues Arkansas over adoption ban
The November measure to ban all unmarried co-habitating adults from adopting children, including gay and lesbian couples, in Arkansas won’t go unchallenged. Arguing that the adoption of children should be decided on a case-by-case basis by what is in the best interest of each individual child, the Arkansas chapter of the ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of 29 Arkansans to strike down the recently approved measure on Tuesday, December 30, 2008.

Arrests made in California lesbian gang rape
Richmond, California police have arrested three suspects in the 12/13 kidnapping and gang rape of a lesbian, and have issued a $1 million warrant for a fourth man still at large. The victim is a 28-year-old woman who police say is openly gay. The attack occurred when the four suspects approached her as she walked to a house, struck her with an object and took her somewhere away from the street where they assaulted her. The suspects made comments about her sexual orientation during the attack. Police arrested one man and two teenagers Wednesday in connection with the assault, which detectives are investigating as a hate crime. Humberto Hernandez Salvador, 31, was arrested at his Richmond home on suspicion of kidnapping, carjacking, rape, probation violations and other felony crimes. Detectives believe he was the ringleader.

New Jersey lesbian couple win key ruling
Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster were denied access after they requested to rent an ocean front space from Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (a Methodist organization) for their civil union ceremony. The couple sought redress through the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, under the state’s public accommodations provisions of the Law Against Discrimination. The Division ruled decisively in the couple’s favor Monday, December 29. The Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona based anti-gay group representing the New Jersey church organization, has filed a federal lawsuit asking that the case be decided on a federal level rather than through the state’s Division on Civil Rights. The case is before a federal appeals court currently, after a lower federal court ruled the issue should be decided by the state.

With an ongoing insufficient amount of lesbian representation in television and film, our community has had to get creative in its approach to entertainment that involves our interests, our styles, and our culture. Thankfully, three lesbians in San Francisco have stepped up to the plate and created a podcast that gives its audience all these things and more. The Lesbian Podcast is a dialogue between j.Church, Charlie, and Mickey Carfora about current gay culture, news, and entertainment featuring special guests that impact the lesbian community. Cherry Grrl wanted to learn more about this creative and funny show so recently talked to the hosts - and their Producer, Cory Gunn - about how it all started and where it’s going next.

Mickey: I had the idea to do a lesbian podcast for four years, ever since I first heard about podcasting. But, it wasn’t until I met j. and Cory that it became a possibility.

j.Church: Mickey mentioned that she wanted to do a podcast and I knew Cory had a studio in our loft so it just seemed like it was meant to be.

Cory: We’ve been doing this show for 16 weeks, we started in September.

CG: How often do you record new shows?

Charlie: We record roughly every two weeks.

CG: Did any of you have prior experience in radio or podcasting prior to the show?

Mickey: My first job was at a radio station when I was 16, as an assistant to one of the djs. I always wanted to be a dj. Right now, I’m taking classes in broadcast journalism and I’m working on my own documentary, “Lady Hunters,” about women who hunt in the firearm deer season in Upper Michigan, which is in post-production. Previously, I worked with David Brown, a documentary filmmaker based here in SF, on his film “Chasing Maya.”

Cory: I’ve been doing audio production for years under the name The Real Dionysis, but this is the first time I’ve been able to do broadcasting in a sense. There’s a different mindset for producing as opposed to broadcast, namely in respect to the time lines.

CG: What kinds of things do you discuss on the shows?

Mickey: Lesbian news (Homo Headlines), entertainment gossip (Rainbow Rumors), events, and a wide range of guest interviews from the community.

CG: What are your overall goals with The Lesbian Podcast?

Mickey: Many people can’t express themselves as freely as we can here in San Francisco. I hope to reach those people and give them a connection to the larger queer community.

CG: What has the response from listeners been so far?

Cory: We’ve had positive feedback across multiple demographics.

Mickey: We recently got a really nice e-mail from a gay man in Chicago.

Charlie: Yeah, he said he’s been trying to educate himself on other sub-cultures and he came across our podcast.

Mickey: He said it was the first time he was able to connect with the lesbian lifestyle.

j.Church: So, we thought it was really cool, that an audience bigger than what we initially expected finds our show relevant.

CG: Where do you hope to take the podcast in the future?

TLP: Our goal is to be the best lesbian podcast by exploring the social, psychological, and educational aspects of queer culture.

For more about The Lesbian Podcast visit www.thelesbianpodcast.com.

A Melange of Treasures by the Lavender Chameleon focuses on the subject of unrequited love – something Keriotis writes about insightfully and romantically. She explains her inspiration for her stories when she says, “As an enthusiastic voyeur, I seem to always be conveniently located at some private setting…or visualizing the situation in my head in hopes of living it.”

The author feels that her writing definitely has a place among the lesbian community and beyond because “we all covet fantasies,” and is currently working on writing more erotica and finishing her third screenplay in order to fill that need among her readers.

Listing Patricia Cornwell, Tristan Taormino, Anne Rice, and Violet Blue among the writers who she most admires, Keriotis seems to definitely appreciate and respect her area of work – which also includes co-authoring a children’s book with her 11-year-old godchild - but also finds time for her other hobbies and interests including animal rights, intimate dinners, French films, daily reading of Perez Hilton’s gossip site, and an ongoing correspondence with women from all over the world.

At only 36 years old the Brooklyn based lesbian writer has a long career ahead of her and looks forward to more success. “My life-long dream is to become a compensated, established Hollywood screenwriter and continue to write erotica exclusively for my guilty pleasure,” she explains.

Visit http://openlibrary.org/b/OL8526570M for more about A Melange of Treasures by the Lavender Chameleon.

10. 2009 Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. Forty performances, a film festival, an artisan/craft show and a full roster of workshops, parties and dances are all slated for one glorious week in August (8/4-8/9) on 650 lush green acres in Michigan. This year’s line-up features Michigan’s signature combination of new blood and longtime beloveds, representing every genre and generation through the sounds you hear from the stages as well as from the womyn you meet on the wooded path.

9. 2009 IGLFA Gay Soccer World Championships. For the first time since 2004, the International Gay Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) will be holding its Gay Soccer World Championships in North America. The event will take place June 14 – 21 in Washington, DC.

8. The Million Gay March. The BIGGEST gay rights demonstration in the world will take place on June 28th 2009. The Million Gay March - “Unite for Equality” is under works. Details and logistics are currently being arranged but you can mark your calendars now.

7. Outlaugh 2009. America’s first and continuing queer comedy festival, Outlaugh goes grass roots with America’s first multi-city National Comedy Festival. Outlaugh 2009 runs March 4th, March 5th, and March 6th, 2009 at Gotham Comedy Club in New York, The Hollywood Improv in LA, and Tepps in Lake Tahoe.

6. Sweet Caribbean Cruise. Sweet will take off on their first cruise - featuring seven sun and fun-filled days in the Western Caribbean, from November 8-15, 2009. Their journey (that we can all still be a part of) starts in New Orleans, where they will light up Bourbon Street with a huge party to launch their first cruise the night before departure.

5. The Dinah 2009. It comes just once a year and when it’s over lesbians across the country count the days until the next year brings it back. The Dinah 2009 will take place in Palm Springs, California from April 1-5, 2009. Indigo Girls, Uh Huh Her, dancing, and pool parties… it’s definitely worth the wait.

4. New Indigo Girls. It’s been three years since the Girls put out a new studio album so 2009, for many fans, means a fresh batch of tunes to memorize and sing along with for years to come. Their 2-CD album, Poseidon And The Bitter Bug, will be released early this year and on their new label IG Recordings.

3. The 6th and Final Season of the L Word. Bittersweet as it is, the 2009 premiere of our favorite lesbian television series is sure to bring us big drama and great entertainment – even if it is for the last time.

2. Women’s Professional Soccer is Back! Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) is the highest level women’s professional soccer league in North America and – after forming in September 2007 as the result of the efforts of the Women’s Soccer Initiative, Inc. – WPS will finally begin play in April 2009 and consist of seven teams across the country.

1. President Barack Obama. Don’t you just love the way that reads? Goodbye, George W. January 20th, 2009 – change will come to America.

Sponsored by Community Visions, co-sponsors of Colorado’s increasingly popular Vail Gay & Lesbian Ski Week, the Utah festivities have become a top event among LGBT ski enthusiasts from all over the country.

Park City is a resort town just a half-hour’s drive from Salt Lake City and is best known in January for its prestigious and star-studded Sundance Festival, which dominates the entire region during the second half of January (January 15-25 in 2009). Gays and lesbians, however, start heading to Park City just a bit earlier for the town’s fun-filled gay ski week.

The week has become a favorite among the community for its wonderful location that offers great shopping and dining as well as the opportunity to enjoy Utah’s Wasatch Mountains - which offer some of the best skiing conditions in the world: spectacular powder, sunny weather, and beautifully kept facilities.

The event kicks off on Wednesday with welcome lunch events at Mid-Mountain Lodge, at Park City’s own Park City Mountain Resort. That first evening there’s also a Friendship Dinner at 7:30 pm at the gay-friendly Wasatch Brewery Pub. Park City’s The Canyons resort is set to host the skiing and midday lunch on Thursday.

The resorts remain the focus of skiing and snowboarding throughout the five-day event, with one notable exception - Deer Valley is one of the only facilities in the country that does not allow snowboarding, so boarders choose between The Canyons and Park City Mountain.

A number of bars and restaurants in Park City will be hosting parties and events during the week including the popular Wasatch Brewery Pub and Kristauf’s martini bar.

The aforementioned Canyons Resort is one of the region’s best options for upscale accommodations. The organizers of Utah Gay & Lesbian Ski Week also have information on condo rentals on their website at http://www.communityvisions.org/SKIING/sku6con.htm.