Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 38, Ed. 1 Friday, February 5, 2010 Page: 4 of 36
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texasnews
Strip on the verge of a comeback
Hunky's moving by mid-February;
2 new restaurants, 1 new bar plan
to open on Cedar Springs soon
JOHN WRIGHT I News Editor
wright@dallasvoice.com
Dallas' gay entertainment district, frequently
written off by those who say LGBT people will
assimilate, appears to be poised for something of
a comeback.
Three new businesses, all at least partly gay-
owned and -operated, have announced plans to
open in the next few months on the Cedar
Springs strip, an area plagued by vacant store-
fronts for the last several years.
The new businesses are a Subway franchise, a
fast-casual Tex-Mex eatery and a nightclub.
'It's almost like a miracle if you want to know
the truth, because the economy is horrible, and
we're all feeling it," said Scott Whittall, co-owner
of Buli Cafe and president of the Cedar Springs
Merchants Association. "These places leasing up
in this kind of economy that's amazing."
Whittall sparked controversy recently when he
criticized plans for the Subway, saying the strip
has traditionally been occupied by independ-
ently owned business- But he conceded that
chains are inevitable and said he was pleased to
learn that the franchise owner is gay.
"The worst thing for the strip is to have empty
spaces/' Whittall said. "We're just hoping that all
CONSTRUCTION SITE
SUBWAY THE GAY WAY | Chet Whiseriant, owner of the Subway franchise set to open on Cedar
Springs, says the new sandwich shop will be a "concept store," with flatscreen TVs, a living room area and
extended hours on weekends. (John Wright/Dallas Voice)
the new merchants that come on are as excited as
we are about preserving the street, about re-beau-
tifying it, and about bringing back the glory days
of Cedar Springs."
Chet Whisenant, owner of the Subway fran-
chise:, said he plans to open by mid-March in the
newly renovated building that once housed
Crossroads Market, which closed after nearly
three decades in late 2008. The Subway will oc-
cupy the portion of the building that was de-
voted to a bookstore. Hunky's Hamburgers is
getting ready to move across Throckmorton
Street into the portion of the Crossroads building
■ STRIP, Page 8
I
Log Cabin president takes on spouse
of longtime Eagle Forum leader
Rob Schlein
4 dallasvoice.com ■ 02.05.10
Rob Schlein running against Homer
Adams for Republican precinct chair
JOHN WRIGHT I News Editor
wright@dallasvoice.com
Forget about Gov. Rick Perry vs. Sen. Kay Bailey
Hutchison vs. Debra Medina.
The most intriguing matchup in the March 2
Texas Republican Primary — at least from a local
LGBT standpoint — may be the race for chair of
Far North Dallas' Precinct 1800.
That's where Rob Schlein, the openly gay pres-
ident of the Dallas chapter of Log Cabin Republi-
cans, is challenging incumbent Homer Adams.
Adams is the husband of former Texas Eagle
Forum president and current state Republican
Party Chairwoman Cathie Adams, one of the lead-
ing anti-gay voices in Dallas over the last few
decades.
In some ways, the Schlein-Adams race might
VOTE*
*2010
Seem like an
epic battle in the
ongoing GOP
civil war be-
tween: right-
wing social conservatives and moderates who
espouse a "big tent" philosophy.
Butboth Schlein and Dallas County Republican
Party Chairman Jonathan Neerman, who's him-
self been criticized by Cathie Adams for welcom-
ing gays into the party, are downplaying the
symbolism of the contest — at least for now.
"It's just a precinct chair race, and I don't want
to make it bigger than it is/' Schlein said. "I think
maybe the result could speak to something bigger,
but you'll just have to wait and see. If I kick his ass
in a significant way, then maybe we can say it's
epic, but it's just a precinct race."
Neerman called it "unfortunate" and "incredi-
bly ironic" that Schlein and Adams happen to live
■ SCHLEIN, Page 12
instantTEA
DallasVoice.com/Instant-Tea
LGBT leaders react to
Rep. Hodge's guilty plea
Rep. Terri Hodge withdrew from the pri-
mary for re-election to her District 100
Texas House seat and pleaded guilty to a
charge of not reporting about $75,000 in
income on Wednesday, Feb. 3. Hodge's
federal trial would have started six days
after her March 2 primary race against Eric
Johnson.
The district encompasses parts of Oak
Lawn, including the southwest side of
Cedar Springs Road.
Stonewall Democrats President Erin
Moore said, "We're sorry to have this hap-
pen. She's been a great advocate for our
causes, but she
needs to take
care of her per-
sonal matters."
For the pri-
mary, Stonewall
endorsed Hodge.
Although it is a
procedural mat-
ter, Moore said
that the group's
board would meet
to discuss what happens with that en-
dorsement. She could not change or re-
scind the endorsement on her own.
Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance Presi-
dent Patti Fink said, "I think it's a sad day
for our community because she's been
such an amazing advocate for us in the
House."
Paul Scott, executive director of Equality
Texas, said, "We have worked with Terri
and she has been supportive and receptive
during her tenure. She was supportive of
the Resource Center, which was in her dis-
trict. We look forward to continued support
from Eric Johnson or whoever replaces
her."
Scott is the former executive director of
Resource Center Dallas. Johnson's wife,
Nakita, is on the board of Resource Center
Dallas.
Johnson could not appear for his
Stonewall candidates' screening and was
therefore not considered for the group's en-
dorsement. In April, new endorsements for
the general election will be made.
On Wednesday, Johnson commented
on Instant Tea, "The LGBT community can
count on my support. I may not be family,
but I am sure a friend. That goes for my
wife, too. Now let's go out and win this
election on March 2!"
With Hodge's withdrawal from the race,
Johnson does not automatically become
the nominee.
Hodge's name will not be removed from
the ballot. If she receives the most votes,
the precinct chairs from District 100 will
choose the candidate. They may choose
Johnson or they could select someone else
to run in November. That person will be-
come the representative because there is
no Republican challenger in the race.
— David Taffet
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Nash, Tammye. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 38, Ed. 1 Friday, February 5, 2010, newspaper, February 5, 2010; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth239102/m1/4/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.