PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY QCQ AS A PUBLIC SERVICE
Q-NOTES
Switchboard, Charlotte 704/525-6128
AIDS Hotline, Charlotte 704/333-AIDS
PFLAG Hotline, Charlotte 704/364-1474
AIDS Hotline, Columbia 803/779-PALS
Call Linp- Wilmington 919/675-9222
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 4 APRIL 1988
I PRIDE IN PRINT I
TO ADVERTISE: 339-0679
April 1
Good Friday Services,
MCC Charlotte
April 3
Easter Sunrise services
New Life MCC and MCC
Charlotte
April 5
First Tuesday meeting
Carolina Community
Project House
April 8
Foreign Film Society
April 10
Carmen Del Rio, Scorpio
April 17
Bingo at Steven’s
Miss Charlotte Pageant
Scorpio
April 23
MCC Charlotte pot luck
supper
Business Cards, page 8
Calendar, page 2
Civilized Behaviors, page 5
Election profile, page 4
Horoscope, page 5
Miss Lillian, page 8
Organizations, page 2
Queen’s Cuisine, page 5
Social Highlights, page 7
The Soft Spot, page 3
To Your Health, page 5
For more information as to
times and locations, see calendar
and organization listing on
page 2.
Protesters Greet Concerned Charlotteans
We Were Wrong
A headline and story about Metro-
lina AIDS Project in the March edi
tion of Q-Notes was in error. United
Way of Charlotte will not oversee the
operation of MAP. United Way will
survey other cities and how they are
dealing with the AIDS crisis and
ascertain what types of support ser
vices they are currently offering.
United Way will also survey the
services offered in the Charlotte area,
and will probably report they’re find
ings to the Mecklenburg County
Commissioners.
MAP still remains an outside
agency with some county funding.
“Pornography, homosexuality, moles
tation of children and rape are all
intimately tied together.” Those words,
attributed to the Rev. Joseph Cham
bers, founder and chairman of Con
cerned Charlotteans, appeared in the
February 1988 issue of the Concerned
Charlotteans newsletter.
Concerned Charlotteans, a ^oup of
very conservative fundamentalists, has,
over the past few years, strongly op
posed various issues, including pornog
raphy, public school sex education pro
grams, AIDS education and homosexu
ality.
In 198|, the group picketed the Miss
Gay America Pageant, picketed local
convenience stores that sold Playboy
and Penthouse magazines, this past Jan
uary unsuccessfully tried to stop fund
ing for the Metrolina AIDS project on
the grounds that it is “a club for homo
sexuals,” and most recently (Feb. 6,
1988) picketed a concert by Cris Wil
liamson, a feminist entertainer.
On March 21, the Concerned Char
lotteans had their annual banquet at the
Charlotte Convention Center. In atten
dance at the banquet were members,
guests, local and state level politicians,
including Charlotte mayor Sue Myrick
and Gov. Jim Martin.
Those attending the banquet were
greeted by picket lines at points of entry
to the facility. The picketers and specta
tors peacefully avoided responding to
occasional comments and smirks from
those passing on the street.
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Picketers throw line around the Charlotte Convention Center to protest Rev.
Chambers’ stand on gays.
Also on hand for the occasion were
representatives of the major media, in
cluding the Charlotte Observer, WSOC
TV, WBTV, WPCQ and a local radio
station.
Media coverage of the picket was
generally positive towards the picketers.
Picketers remained in place until the
banquet was well under way.
After the picket dispersed many of
those involved in the demonstration
gathered at Stevens Cafe for an im-
promtu wind down party and compared
notes on the events of the evening.
St. Patrick’s Parade A Big Success
Parade participants prepare to ‘step off in Charlotte’s St. Patrick’s Day
Parade.
by Christopher Barklay
On Saturday, March 12, history
was made on a local level, both for
the gay community and for the com
munity at laree. For the first time in
the history of Charlotte’s Annual St.
Patrick’s Day Parade, the gay com
munity not only participated, but
were invited to participate by the
Central Charlotte Association, the
governing body of the parade.
A group of about 25 people
marched, holding the banners of
their various organizations, all under
the QCQ name. Organizations repre
sented included MCC Charlotte,
GLS Bridge Players, QCQ, Students
at UNCC and Cluster Buster Produc
tions.
An estimated 35,000 people were
there to see the parade, which in
cluded the first organized main
stream appearance by Charlotte’s gay
and lesbian community. Although
each of the groups received a favor
able response, a car in which two
men living with AIDS rode drew a
great deal of attention, provoked
much thought as the spectators were
struck with the daily battles that
these men live with.
The parade was about one mile
and lasted for about an hour. The
walk began at Ninth Street and
Tryon and ended at Stonewall.
After the parade broke up, all the
participants and spectators from the
gay community returned to Steven’s
Restaurant, to indulge ourselves in
the cookout spread Steven’s prepared
for the “Coming Out Party.”
There were no unpleasant inci
dents except for many stunned looks
and a little girl who referred to us in
popular slang, much to the embar
rassment of her mother. Many spec
tators cheered us on; some cheered
very quietly or waved just a little, so
that no one around would notice.
All in all, a good time was had by
everyone and our gay and lesbian
community gave Charlotte a good
thing to think about.
A very special Thank you goes to
those who participated, who
watched, who cheered, and who gave
us those knowing smiles and the
thumbs up.