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 Line, Wilmington (919) 675-9222
BEST BETS
Southeastern
Conference
For Lesbians
& Gay Men
Mar. 22-25,1990
Feb. 1-4
Last chance to buy
tickets for MCC
Charlotte Anniver-
saiy with Troy
Perry. 568-5810
Feb. 3
Mature Gay Men
7:30 PM
Feb. 3
"Serving Time in a
Dixie Diner'' at
Spirit Square
Feb. 8
PFLAG/Gay
Parents 7:30 PM
Feb. 10
Queen City Friends
Valentine's Day Ball
9:(X)PM
Feb. 10
Troy Peny Speaks
at MCC Charlotte
10th Anniversary
Dinner/Dance at
Radisson
Feb. 14
Queen City Friends
Feb. 24
Potluck Dinner at
MCC Charlotte
iNbEX
Business Cards
Page 12
Calendar
Page 2
Letter to the Editor
Page 4
Lutherans Ordain
Gays
Page 11
Movie Review
Page 4
Organizations
Page 2
Soft Spot
Page 6
Committee Amends Mission Statement
By Chris Werte
Special to Q-Notes
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community
Relations Committee, a joint agency of the
City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County,
recently amended its Mission Statement to
include the phrase “sexual orientation.”
Maijorie Storch, committee member, told
First Tuesday that this was the first step in the
Community’s assistances with First Tues
day’s mission for City and County anti-dis
crimination ordinances.
The Committee’s amended mission state
ment now reads:
It is the mission of the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Community Rela
tions Committee to prevent dis
crimination because of race,
color, religion, national origin,
sex, family status, disability,
sexual orientation or age; to ame
liorate the effects of past dis
crimination; and to promote
harmony among the citizens of
Charlotte and Mecklenburg
County.
The Committee, composed of a govern
ing board of sixty members appointed by the
Mayor and Chairman of the County Com
mission and a. forty-five member Advisory
Board, currently includes Peter Gilcrist,
Charlotte District Attorney and Peter Relic,
Chorus Votes To
Continue Singing
After only two weeks of rehearsal. Broth
ers & Sisters in Song, the new Charlotte Gay
& Lesbian Chorus, unanimously voted to
continue rehearsing on Thursday nights, and
to begin planning a concert for later this
spring.
In the first two weeks, 32 men and women
have joined the chorus. Choms membership
is stiU open to anyone who likes to sing and
meet new friends. At each weekly rehearsal,
discussion is held on what the future of the
choms could be, and how to accommodate
the many different levels of being “out” in
the Charlotte community.
Rehearsals are held on Thursday eve
nings at the United Way Auditorium, 301 S.
Brevard Street, Charlotte, from 7:00-9:30
p.m. In addition to singing, there is time for
everyone to socialize and meet new friends.
Interested persons are welcome to just drop
by, or to call Dan Kirsch at 536-1372 for
more information.
Superintendent of Mecklenburg County
Schools. The amendment passed without any
major opposition.
Action by the Committee coincides with
the beginning of First Tuesday’s Documen
tation Project. The information gathered
through the Project is necessary to prove that
discrimination and harassment exists in the
City and County. A coalition is being created
with other organizations in Charlotte, in
cluding N.O.W. and the A.C.L.U. to add
strength to First Tuesday’s position with
City and County government.
Although the action of the Community
Relations Committee is a first step, there is a
lot of work still ahead. If you would like to
help, please contact First Tuesday at 549-
1421 or 532-8578.
Raleigh City Council Joins
Supporters of AIDS Quilt
Raleigh, N.C. — Tuesday, January 16,
1990. The Raleigh City Council voted to be
a co-sponsor of The Names Project/National
AIDS Memorial Quilt display which will be
at the Raleigh Civic and Convention Center
March 22-25,1990.
Along with co-sponsorship, the Council
voted to give the project $3,000 to help with
its $9,000 overall budget. The request was
brought before the Council by The South
eastern Conference For Lesbians and Gay
Men, Inc. ’90 as part of the projects it is
sponsoring in March.
Memorial Quilt Project
Forms In Charlotte
This request was strongly supported across
the AIDS Services Community of Raleigh
and Wake County. Other sponsors are the
AIDS Service Agency of Wake County, and
the Raleigh Religious Network for Gay and
Lesbian Equality.
The combined Quilt Committees reminds
the community that we now have $5,500 of
ourbudget of $9,000, so donations are needed.
Donations can be sent to SECLGM, ’90, P.O.
Box 28863, Raleigh, N.C. 27611-8863. For
more information, call 919-833-1209.
All persons interested in making a panel
to be added to the memorial quilt for either-a
family member, friend or loved one lost to
AIDS, are urged to contact the “NAMES”
Project Charlotte - Metrolina.
The Names Project is the grassroots or
ganization that developed the AIDS memo
rial quilt. Originally started in San Francisco,
there are now 23 chapters across the nation
and eight chapters currently in formation.
The AIDS memorial quilt has a powerful
message and helps to make us understand the
humanity behind the statistics. The quilt’s
power to encourage support for people with
AIDS and their loved ones is unequalled. It
continues to inspire love and compassion,
combatting the epidemic of fear and hatred
that often accompanies AIDS.
A steering committee is now being formed
to bring a local chapter of the “NAMES”
Project to the Charlotte-Metrolina area. No
previous experience with the “NAMES”
Project is required, but it helps to have some
community-organizing or group-organizing
experience. ,
The following positions need to be filled:
Production/Logistics Coordinator, Volunteer
Coordinator, Outreach Coordinator, Finance
Coordinator/Treasurer and Media Coordina
tor. Each position will be filled by two people
who will be referred to as co-chairs.
All persons interested in co-chairing a
position, please submit a short letter with
background information and reason for your
interest.
Send letters to Sheila, P.O. Box 36261,
Charlotte, North Carolina, 28236.
The deadline for letters to be considered is
February 12th. We will be sending two rep
resentatives to San Francisco on February
16, 17 and 18 to the “NAMES” Project
Chapter Conference.
A Newcomer's Guide To Meeting People
By Nancy Campbell
Q-Notes Staff
For a variety of reasons the bar scene is
not right for everybody. Some are underage;
some are alcoholic and trying to stay sober;
others simply prefer quieter, conversation-
oriented meeting places. Here, for the record,
are some of the myriad alternatives in Char
lotte — a veritable mecca for meeting other
gay and lesbian people. See page 2 Organiza
tion listings for details, or call the Switch
board at 525-6128.
For women only - there is Queen City
Friends, a twice-a-month gathering of the
clans at Godfather’s Pizza in Park Road
Shopping Center (second and fourth Wed
nesdays at 7 ;30 p.m. Just go upstairs...) Over
2CX) women belong to this social and net
working group, so go several times to in
crease your chances of meeting everyone.
For men only — Mature Gay Men
(MGM), a men’s social group that holds a
covered dish dinner every first Saturday in
different locations. Don’t let the “mature”
scare you off. Those mature men bring
younger dates and like to meet younger folks.
Call Ed at 365-2308.
For both — For those who bowl, there is
the Queen City Rollers who meet Monday
nights at Coliseum Lanes on Independence
Boulevard. There is volleyball every Sunday
afternoon at Manfred’s, 3108 The Plaza.
Bridge Players can find a kindred soul in
GLS Bridge Players. If you sing, join Broth
ers and Sisters in Song, the new chorus that
meets at the United Way Auditorium on
Thursdays at 7 p.m. Call Dan Kirsh at 536-
1372.
Another great place to meet interesting
people is Closet Busters Productions, which
produces the monthly Gay/Lesbian Fomm
show for TV. Watch it on the second and
fourth Friday nights, then join. All positions
are needed: camerapersons, producers, talk
show hosts, writers, directors, you name it!
Training is provided. Write P.O. Box 35222,
Charlotte, NC 28235 for details on how to
become involved.
Or if politics is your cup of tea, try First
Tuesday, a political action group that meets
- you guessed it! - on the first Tuesday of each
month. Call Keith Bernard at 549-1421 for
details. This group organizes political action,
takes surveys, works to overturn unjust laws
such as crime against nature statutes, and
lobbies for effective change.
For a one-shot event, MCC Charlotte’s
Tenth Anniversary Party Feb. 10 at the
Radisson will be the social event of the
season. For this dinner-dance (“dress to
impress”) tickets are available from MCC
Charlotte (call 563-5810 forreservations and
information, please leave message on ma
chine during non-business hours). Tickets
are $25 and include free parking at the Radis
son and a chance to win a $250travel voucher.
Troy Perry, national gay leader and rights
activist, will be the guest of honor.
If you can walk and chew gum at the same
time, then Q-Notes, the community newspa
per, could find a job for you. In fact, make
that chew gum OR walk! This is a fun group
of people which includes writers, editors,
graphics people for ads, salespersons, deliv
ery folks, typesetter, idea generator, coffee
makers, etc., etc., etc. We meet every Tues-
Continued on page 9