The only Domestic Partnership Registry in Arkansas--and one of the few in the Mid-South region of the country--may soon be history, if one right-wing state legislator has his way.

But the City of Eureka Springs and DPR advocates, vow to vigorously oppose a move by Republican Arkansas State Rep. Bryan King to do away with it.

In only 22 months, 256 unmarried couples from 55 Arkansas communities and 14 other states have registered as domestic partners in Eureka Springs.

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One hundred seventy three days after four ordinary civilians armed with laptop computers hunkered down in a Eureka Springs living room to Google the subject, the first Domestic Partnership Registry (DPR) in Arkansas became a reality on June 22, 2007.

Three hundred and fifty three days later, Jan and I traveled to Washington, D.C. to talk about Eureka's DPR at the 2008 ACLU Membership Conference.

I didn't think I was going to make it through the security checkpoint at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.

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Fayetteville writer and cable talk-show host Richard Drake gives a no-star rating to the American Family Association's hate-based travelogue about Eureka Springs on his Arkansas Times blog.

«They're Coming to Your Town» tells the story of this small Christian oriented community that was invaded - invaded, I say! - by hordes of godless folk in the 1960s and 1970s. Little by little, they stepped out of the closet and wrenched control of this sleepy burg out of the hands of the holy and into the hands of those who worship at the altar of «diversity.»

Read the entire review here:

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The Eureka Springs City Council seems to have been afflicted with collective amnesia regarding the Domestic Partnership Registry.

Despite deliberately setting aside time during a January 14 meeting to review its 2007 accomplishments, the council made nary a

mention of last year's historic enactment of the only Domestic Partnership Registry in the state. Having approved the measure unanimously on three separate occasions, the council was more than happy to take credit for it at the time.

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The dedicated corps of bedroom police at the Arkansas Family Council have announced their petition drive to put the Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act on the ballot. If passed, the initiative will prevent Arkansas adoptive and foster children from being placed with unmarried couples. As the act puts it:

... a minor may not be adopted or placed in a foster home if the individual seeking to adopt or to serve as a foster parent is cohabiting with a sexual partner outside of a marriage...the foregoing prohibition applies equally to cohabiting opposite-sex and same-sex individuals.

That's right, all you «One Man/One Woman» folk. The Arkansas Family Council means you. Just when you thought choosing heterosexuality would keep you safe from the prying eyes of Dr. James Dobson, here comes the Arkansas Family Council. «They're coming to your bedroom,» straight people... with a pair of binoculars and a clipboard. And we don't care what you're doing in there but, whatever it is, you'd better have a license to practice.

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Eureka Springs is abuzz over the AFA's gay tourism promotion movie, «They're Coming to Your Town.» Sooner or later, someone will upload this stellar example of the cinematic arts to YouTube and everyone will get to see it--even if they're «not about to give those AFA bastards a dime!»

Here in Eureka Springs, Gay Mecca, the seething epicenter of cultural upheaval, Gay News invested the «suggested donation» of $14.95 in a copy of, «They're Coming to Your Town.» (We wanted to «suggest» a different «donation» but the shopping cart wouldn't let us. Go figure.)

Local citizens have been gathering to watch--and point and snicker at the movie. This critique, our favorite from Eureka's discussion forum, will give you an idea of the community reaction:

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The AFA is doing a fine job of promoting Eureka Springs, AR as the Gay Mecca of the South and, here at Gay News, we're delighted with the attention.

We couldn't hope for a better launch to the gay tourism season in Eureka Springs. There are too many online mentions to list, but here are a few of our favorites:

First, from Pandagon:

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The Rev. Phil Wilson's leather-clad posse, the Jericho Riders Christian Motorcyle Ministry, returns to town Jan. 4 for another sidewalk cardio workout. They call it a «prayer walk,» though how these bible thugs will be able to do two things at the same time remains to be seen.

It is not yet known whether Wilson will throw another party for them at his First Christian Church of Eureka Springs after they finish braying for divine intervention to keep the town «from worshiping of satan and other gods.»

The Gay News Bureau film crew will be on hand to gather footage for our upcoming video entitled, «Crap, They're Coming To Our Town--Again.»

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The promotional trailer for the American Family Association's video bashing Eureka Springs, «They're Coming to Your Town,» has been unlocked for the first time in weeks on the AFA's website.

You can now see and hear the Rev. Phil Wilson of the First Christian Church of Eureka Springs shoot himself--and «faith-based» tourism--in the foot and mortify his congregation yet again here:

Movie Trailer

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Jacqueline Froelich, radio journalist from KUAF in Fayetteville, asked me last week what I thought about the American Family Association's new video featuring Eureka Springs and entitled «They're Coming to Your Town.»

«I give it two thumbs down for the title alone,» I said. «It should have been «They're Already IN Your Town, Stupid.»

As sound bites go, it was decent. And, probably, I should have just left it at that. But under Froelich's intense questioning, I blurted out the entire gay agenda for the total domination of Eureka Springs.

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