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 Lin‘- Wilmington 919/675-9222
September 1988^ ^ ^ . ■ PRIDE IN PRINT ■
L . ^ 1 TO ADVERTISE: 339-0679
INDEX
Calendar
Horoscope
Page 2
Page 7
MCSP Report
Page 4
National Coming Out Day
Page 3
Organizations
Page 2
Social Highlights
Softspot
Page 5
Page 6
To Your Health
Page 6
BEST BETS
Sept. 4
Labor Day Celebration,
Scorpio
Pig Picking, Stevens
Sept. 8
PFLAG Meeting
Sept 12
Bowling Starts
Sept. 15, 16
Switchboard Workshop
Sept. 18
Bingo, Stevens
Sept. 21
Wednesday Night Workout,
Scorpio
Sept. 24
MCC Charlotte Pot Luck
Supper
YOUR POWER IS IN YOUR VOTE!
TO VOTE, you MUST be
registered by OCT. 7th.
TO REGISTER: Contact the
Mecklenburg County Board of
Elections, OR go to ANY
pubiic library in
Meckienburg County.
You MUST be 18 years oid on
eiection day in order to register.
FOR MORE INFORMATION on the
political process contact
FIRST TUESDAY at
704/393-2536
Card Creates Controversy
By P. Scott Ferguson
and Dean Gaskey
Q-Notes Staff
Safe Sex cards are in the news again.
In January of this year, Joe Chambers and
Concerned Charlotteans pressured the Meck
lenburg County Commission to prohibit
Metrolina AIDS Project (MAP) from dis
tributing the Safe Sex cards donated by AID
Atlanta.
In jeopardy of losing county funding,
MAP agreed to cease distribution of the card.
MAP further agreed to allow the Meck
lenburg Health Department to screen all
future literature before it is published.
Enter First Tuesday, the gay and lesbian
political action group, who recognized that
the need for education in the community
concerning safe sex was not being met by
any Charlotte organization. Partial funding
was provided by Oleen's lounge who pro
duced a fundraiser in March, with over 200
people attending. The event raised in excess
of $550. At the May meeting of First Tues
day, it was decided that the group would
print and distribute a revised form of the Safe
Sex card.
With the explicit discussion of sexual
activity and graphic "street language," the
new cards drew the attention of the public.
Rev. Lynn Guerra of MCC Charlotte and
First Tuesday, said that she, "...would prefer
that this card could be in different language,
...however, when you try to communicate
with people you must speak at their level and
not expect them to come up to your level."
The Rev. Joseph Chambers, pastor of
Paw Creek Church of God, and leader of
Concerned Charlotteans has denounced the
card as obscene and requested that the Meck
lenburg District Attorney Peter Gilchrist,
prosecute the individuals responsible for
producing and distributing the new cards
under North Carolina obscenity laws.
Gilchrist refused the request of Concerned
Charlotteans to prosecute First Tuesday.
Gilchrist has been quoted as saying, "...in
my opinion, it (the Safe Sex Card) will not
support a criminal prosecution. I think that
there is legitimate argument that the thing
has an educational value."
Q-Notes attempted to talk with Rev.
Chambers in order to get his reaction to the
district attorney's refusal, but were told that
Chambers was "...unavailable to talk with
you (Q-Notes)."
Don King, a Charlotte activist, and
member of First Tuesday, told Q-Notes,
"The flap (over the safe sex cards) has had
only one effect, and that is to make it (the
card) famous or infamous, depending on
your point of view." King added, "Nobody
has told us that we can't distribute the
card...and we intend to make the card avail
able to non-gay bars in the future if they
request it."
King has also asked that anyone who
wishes may help repay the additional print
ing costs that were incurred with the com
plex folding of the card. Expenses of ap
proximately $350 were not covered by
Oleen's fundraiser.
Individuals who wish to participate with
First Tuesday financially or otherwise may
contact Pat at 393-2536.
Editor's Note: Articles in the Charlotte
Observer were used in preparation of this
story.
Conventions Choose Party Candidates
By Greg Winston
During this convention season, once again
the American public was given a view of
their presidential candidates. Again this view
was a pre-packaged media event. In July, we
witnessed the Democratic Convention that
was held in Atlanta, Georgia. More recently
we witnessed the Republican Convention in
New Orleans, Louisiana.
The role of these huge conventions is
twofold. First, it is a formal recognition and
endorsement of the selected candidate. Sec
ondly, it is an opportunity for the party to
show their candidate off to the public, in the
best possible light.
The Democrats nominated Michael
Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts. He
selected as his running mate. Senator Lloyd
Bentsen of Texas. The Texas senator offered
the party ticket a broader base of appeal.
The Dukakis speech was one that empha
sized the trade and budgetary deficits of the
Reagan Administration and called for a
change of leadership. He focused on compe
tency as the litmus test for being the presi
dent. Dukakis claimed in his speech, that he
had been the governor of a state, which is
equivalent to the office of President. He
Mchael Dukakis, Dem. Nominee
spoke of his tum-around of theMassachusetts
economy and how with his running mate,
Lloyd Bentson, they offer a ticket with di
versity.
The Democratic convention showed a
party that wanted to get back in power. They
avoided taking stand on issues such as no
MAP Gets CDC Funds
By P. Scott Ferguson
Q-Notes Staff
The Centers for Disease Control has allo
cated a $24,500 grant to Metrolina AIDS
Project to develop a safer sex campaign. An
additional $5,000 was awarded to the Meck
lenburg County Health Department.
The grant is a portion of the $ 180,(X)0 in
CDC funds that were allocated for AIDS
educational efforts in North Carolina.
In the fall of 1987, MAP received a re
quest for a grant proposal from the North
Carolina Secretary of Human Resources,
David Flaherty who handled the disburse
ment of the funding for the CDC in North
Carolina.
The original proposal submitted by MAP
for $35,000 was rejected citing a need for
more Health Department involvement. The
proposal was revised to allow the Meck
lenburg County Health Department to ad
minister the funding and was re-submitted.
After a delay of more than a year, MAP
will receive the funding, funneled through
the Mecklenburg Health Department. It will
be used for producing literature and to pay the
salary of a health educator who will develop
and manage a Risk Reduction/Safer Sex
Campaign.
The educational efforts will be targeted
primarily at the Charlotte gay male commu
nity. The campaign manager will hold safe
sex seminars as welj as working directly with
the community through the local bars.
George Bush, Rep. Nominee
first use, which would put into law that
America would definitely not be the first
nation to use their nuclear weapons arsenal.
A stance that has strong support among
many democrats, this view is opposed by the
more conservative elements of the party.
In the Republican convention, we wit
nessed much of the same situation. There
was a reluctance to stress the issues and how
the candidate stood; rather, the focus was on
the candidate and his personal qualifica
tions. George Bush stressed his military
service, and the fact that he was the youngest
fighter pilot to serve in the Navy. He stressed
his service as Ambassador to China, and his
role as vice president and "hands-on" expe
rience that he has gained from that position.
He spoke of the sustained period of eco
nomic growth that the Republicans have
provided in the eight years that they have
been in office. In his acceptance speech he
mentioned that the two candidates that were
trying to win the presidency, were com
pletely different. He said he was of a conser
vative leaning, whereas Dukakis was a typi
cal Carter-Kennedy-Mondale liberal.
He mentioned that he was against abor
tion, for school prayer, for a strong defense,
for ADI, and for a continuation of the Re
agan Era.
see convention, page 8