The MAXReport is a monthly newsletter published by Men's Associated Exchange and mailed to more than 900 members and friends. This online version contains most of the articles from the printed newsletter as well as post-publication updates.

For a free copy of the printed MAXReport, call the MAX Information line at  442.1994.  Be sure to indicate you learned about it on MAXOnline.

In the next several weeks, MAXSouth will be holding planning meetings for men interested in growing the group, adding new programs and events. Initial MAXSouth programs are expected to be joint events with such South Bay groups as Gay Rodeo, Front Runners and Rainbow Recreation. If you're interested in working with us, please call Stuart McFaul at  941.6282.

MAXParty and TANQUERAY are enticing all man-hungry men to attend Wild Hearts '99. Our goal is to stimulate your desires, your passions and your wild heart. We are flexing all muscles to ensure romantics will be sensuously electrified.

This is not a traditional Valentine's celebration. So leave your tuxedo and long stem roses at home. We have designed a night filled with stimulating entertainment. By popular demand, the spectacular and dazzling Phil Walker will host The MAX Dating Game. Phil promises to join some lucky men's stars, by thrusting them into celestial ecstasy.

The night will be filled with HARD DANCING to your favorite beats both past and present. Additionally, we will be conducting a stud auction for he who puts his money where his mouth is. We have a huge treasure chest of tools aimed to get you coupled. Dare to be thrilled as we turn up the heat. And couples, we promise to spice things up for you too!

The Fire Marshall has limited our load, so be sure to call ahead. $22 members, $27 guests cover - includes TANQUERAY'S hosted bar and dessert buffet. Ty Rollins expects your call at  735-7202 or do it online at MAXEvents. The event is from 8:00PM - midnight and will be at The Lab, 2948 16th Street in San Francisco.

Bridge is back. MAXParty is hosting a game night every month. This February 14th we will be setting up the tables and dealing out the cards. Teams will form in accordance to your level. If you have a home, a table and chairs, let us know. To get involved call Jim Boey  387.0378 - and may the luck be with you!

Join Max at San Francisco's new ice skating rink at Yerba Buena Gardens, which is located at 750 Folsom between Third and Fourth Streets. All levels of skaters welcome, from novices to Olympic wannabes. Practice your triple toe loops, try pairs skating, or just keep from falling. Guaranteed to be more fun than Disney on Ice. We will meet at 7:30PM. Optional dinner afterward around 8:30PM. Admission is $6 plus $2.50 for skate rentals. Call Jim Tom at  522-5607 for info and reservations.

While many are worrying already about the year 2000, the Chinese people have been there and done that long ago. Come celebrate the year of the hare, 4697, in style with MAX at the Hong Kong Flower Lounge, 5322 Geary Boulevard. A sumptuous family-style feast will include an entire Peking duck and a variety of specialty fish, chicken, beef, and veggie dishes. We'll meet for drinks at 7:00PM and dinner will begin at 7:30PM. The price is $40 for members and $45 for guests. You can make reservations online at MAXEvents, or contact Bill Funke at  431.2928.

You found him, now how do you keep him? MAXForum presents "Cooking for your Man" on Saturday, February 20, at 6:00PM. How about improving your cooking skills with Mark Cecil, a fellow MAX member who is an extraordinary cook, schooled in New Orleans and Europe, and has kept his man for over a decade! Mark is planning on teaching you how to prepare the perfect meal, very interactive, in your own kitchen. So as long as you don't date the same man twice, you will look like a genius after this event.

The cost is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Please call Mark Cecil at  752.9851 before February 17 to make your reservation, and get the location. Mail your check to the MAX address with "Forum Cooking" on the memo line. Come prepared to roll up your sleeves and COOK!

Come delight with other MAX members and guests in the stellar musicianship of the New Century Chamber Orchestra under the directorship of Stuart Canin. The program will feature the world premier of Kurt Rohde's Minerva's Pool, Elgar's Serenade in E, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #3, and Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings featuring David Krehbiel and Norman Shankle. The performance at Herbst Theater in San Francisco begins at 8:00PM and tickets are only $20 for members and $25 for guests. For reservations and information regarding the performance and an optional dinner before the show contact Bill Denton at  626.5899.

Do you remember hot pants, the Village People and Roller Disco?! MAX does, and that is why we are sparking that long shelved memory and lacing 'em back up to round the rink once more. Join us February 24th as MAXparty is heading down the peninsula to the Rolladium for Gay Skate Night. On this night the DJ will only be taking requests from MAX members. Rollerblades are permitted. And the cost is only $5.00. Contact your MAXParty boy Brian Christensen at  337.7719 to get all the info.

Here we go again! Every month, on the last Sunday, MAX will sponsor a theme pot luck dinner at a member's home followed by a classic movie. This February we're showing The Women. It will be interesting to see how many of you know every word. Coming in March is our first Joan Crawford birthday tribute drag sleepover. Girls, get those dresses out of the closet! This one is sure to be wild! We need hosts and creative chefs. Call Jim Myers at  864.8349 for directions and menu theme.

Shanti and MAX Outreach to host Casino Night! Mark your calendars for Saturday March 6, 8:00PM to midnight, for a tropical and fun-filled evening of roulette, craps, blackjack, entertainment, dancing, and food. The MAX Outreach Committee is a major sponsor of Shanti's Third Annual Casino Night at The Rincon Centre, 101 Spear Street, San Francisco. The theme this year is tropical and will feature Polynesian dancers and other entertainment. This event raises money and awareness for Shanti's Volunteer Services Program, now in its 25th year of providing services. The Rincon Center is a great place for this event. A large multi-level indoor space with a ceiling-to-floor water fountain, it has a tropical feel to it even without decorations. Wander about from gaming table to gaming table, dance to live bands and the music of Brazilian DJ, Clay, and enjoy live entertainment provided throughout the evening. The $20 donation includes food, entertainment, dancing, a chance at raffle prizes, and 25 units of "play" money to start your trip round the tables. There will be a cash bar. For $250 you can buy your own table and 5 entry tickets or for $500 a table and 10 tickets. This is a great way to throw a party for your friends. Or, consider getting your company to sponsor a table. Both the Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank are major corporate sponsors. Get Involved! The Outreach Committee is looking for MAXers to help sell units of "play" money during the event. Call Jeff Nigh to volunteer for a shift at  752.7340. To reserve spaces and for more information on the event call Doren Martin of Shanti at  674.4764.

Next month your MAXparty boys are throwing a dazzler. We are suiting up in full green and hopping on a motorized cable car to a few bars around the city in search of the perfect ale. The car and the ale all for one price. Call Brian Christensen Gary Hawthorne at the MAXParty line for more info and your reservation at  641.5906.    337.7719

Enjoy the smooth jazz piano sounds of Bakersfield-native David Benoit along with the San Francisco Symphony. He will perform many of his hits and will be conducting the SF premier of his new classical composition "Kobe". Find out more about David Benoit and hear sound clips of his music at http://www.benoit.com. Tickets will be $35 for MAX members and $40 for guests. The 8:00PM concert at Davies Hall will be preceded by an optional dinner nearby. For reservations and information contact John at  587-4899.

Had a hard winter on the playing field? Are your pores pooped? Then sign up for MAX's Sports Therapy day in Calistoga on Saturday, April 10. We'll visit the famous Golden Haven hot springs spa for a day of mud and mineral baths, facials, massages and more - the choice is yours! Just pick the treatments you want, sit back and let the beauticians work their magic. When we're done, we'll gather for lunch in downtown Calistoga before heading home. Sports Therapy day is limited to 12 people. If you'd like more information including types of beauty treatments, price ranges and transportation, call Jonathan Swain at  440.4636.

We'll leave by carpool at 9:15AM and be given a guided tour of the elegant mansion designed by Willis Polk. Our docent will then lead us through the 16 acres of cultivated gardens. Tickets are $12 for members and $17 for guests. For information and reservations contact John at  587.4899 or do it online at MAXEvents.

Live the life of the über-rich of the Roaring Twenties, as MAX carries you in decadent luxury aboard our well-appointed motorcoach for a weekend of pampered elegance as a guest of the late William Randolph Hearst's Cuesta Encantada. A delicious brunch with beverages will be served on the four-hour trip down, arriving at the comfortable Cavalier Oceanfront Hotel in San Simeon with plenty of time for swimming, shopping or sightseeing. The evening will be spent following in the footsteps of Marion Davies and the other Hollywood and European gliterrati. After our evening tour of the castle, there is still time for a quiet drink on a terrace overlooking the Pacific. Sunday morning provides a daytime look at this vast estate, followed by a sumptuous Champagne Brunch at the popular Moustache Pete's in town. Our weekend of old-time decadence has not ended as we board our motorcoach for the trip home: MAX Party Aboard will feature munchies, drinks, and the celebrated Randolph Hearst/Marion Davies Look-a-Like contest. The cost for this MAXite taste of vanished elegance is a non-princely $150 (non-members $175). Call Mike Smith at  552.0236 for more information and reservations.

Would you like to donate your home for a one-time or occasional site for some of the MAX game nights or pot luck dinners? If interested, call party meister Brian Christensen at  337.7719.

Member Recruitment Coordinator. Seeking a member to work with Membership Director to coordinate our membership recruitment program. Contact Rick Sneed at  206.1771.

The 1998 financial books have been closed. Income generated was $366,743 with expenses totaling $349,321, showing a net income of $17,422. Of that total, $9,500 will be used to pay outstanding invoices with the remainder being added to cash reserves. As of January 1, cash reserves totaled $24,000.

Mark Sweeny
VP Finance

On Monday December 21, MAX, represented by Jim Acker, Randy Bailey, Norm Dito, and Jeff Reich, presented a check for $10,500 to officers of the Volunteer Auxiliary of the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center. This represented the net proceeds from the best Green Room Party ever. Over 350 MAXers and friends of the Youth Guidance Center started the holiday season with a bang at the festively decorated Green Room of the Veterans Memorial Building. Those who braved the wet and cold weather were treated to a party full of pizazz, thanks to DeeJay Frank DeLuna and live music by Deuce with fabulous Libby McLaren on vocals. Few wanted to leave, especially with Frankie still spinning great dance tunes even after the official 11:00PM closing hour. Once again Cliff Arnett catered the event and added his own distinctive touch to the decorations, including a model train racing around the main food table. Thanks to Leslie Barclay, Absolut, and Seagram for setting up the bars and serving up free cocktails. Special thanks to MAXers from the Board, Outreach and Party Committees (Jim Acker, Randy Bailey, Gordon Deegan, Norm Ditto, Tim Farr, Bob Emerson, Gary Holbrook Steve Kleine, John Coleman, and Chris Moore) who helped set up and serve drinks. Thanks also to Jeff Reich and the TGIF Committee members for collecting donations at the door.

A friend of mine recently told me of an incident that upset him. He met someone at a party and spent several hours with the guy. At the end of the evening they both left at the same time. Rather than wait for the elevator, my friend decided to take the stairs. When he invited this guy to walk down with him, the guy commented, 'you don't have to be so Jewish about it, the elevator is free.' My friend was quite taken aback by this comment and didn't know how to respond to it. Was it a joke, albeit a tasteless one or was it meant to offend? The incident caused me to think about the subtle anti-semitic remarks I have heard throughout my adult years as a gay man, from friends, acquaintances and even someone I had dated. How ironic that gays, one of the hated groups in our society today, perpetuates the bigotry ourselves. We don't like the discrimination, yet can turn around and impose it on someone else because of their religion, color, race, economic or educational background. There is no excuse for gay men to express bigotry to anyone. We need to understand and recognize our own prejudices, then change those prejudices to acceptance of others. You and the world will become a more peaceful place. When we put an end to our own discrimination we can rightfully demand the discrimination against us to stop.

Howard Miller
VP Communications

The Imperial Council of San Francisco is the oldest gay and lesbian group in the United States (33 years). Every year they elect an Emperor and Empress. The Emperor and Empress become the good-will ambassadors for San Francisco. They represent the SF community in parades in other cities, and also host non-profit fundraisers for local groups. These titles are elected by the residents of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties. Election Day is Saturday, February 20, 1999, 9:30am-7:30pm at the Giraffe bar on Polk Street and at the Box Office in the Castro (400 Castro - the old BofA building). You need to have a valid ID to vote. Campaigns are beginning all over San Francisco starting January 30th with a gala presentation of the candidates at the following bars: the Giraffe, the 1100 Club, and the Motherlode (all on Polk Street), and in the Castro at Daddy's, Harvey's and the Edge. The presentation ends at Marlena's in Hayes valley. The coronation event is February 27th at the Gift Center Pavilion at 6:00PM. This event is a sell-out. For ticket info contact John Carrillo at  673-0405. John's sponsor is Dean Len and the 1100 Club. If elected John will be the 28th Emperor after the Emperor Norton.

Published monthly, the MAXReport is the official publication of Men's Associated Exchange and is included in membership. It is mailed at the end of each month from San Francisco.