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Court rulings counter
legislative losses Page 3
Creech acquitted in
Nebraska church trial Page 15
The Carolinas’ Most Comprehensive Gay & Lesbian Newspaper
Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper • Volume 12, Number 22 • April 4, 1998 • FREE
. Students tear
Bailey’s death a tremendous loss
by David Stout
Q-Notes Staff
CHARLOTTE—After a long battle with
illness, Nila Bailey, 80, passed away March J 6,
leaving behind a legacy of social activism and
devotion that had endeared her to Charlottes
gay and lesbian community for decades. Nila
is survived by her husband of 60 years, Stokley,
and their daughter, Sandra.
Nila and Stokley, long considered the “Mom
and Dad” of Charlottes GLBT community, co
founded the Charlotte chapter of PFLAG (Par
ents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) in 1986.
The group was instrumental in re-shaping atti
tudes about gays and lesbians in the Queen City.
Through numerous television appearances,
newspaper interviews and speaking engage
ments, Nila and her colleagues were able to
bring discussions about homosexuality into the
mainstream.
In 1991, the Charlotte chapter hosted
PFLAG s 10th Anniversary International Con
vention. The conference received media atten
tion across the nation and spurred weeks of
positive coverage in local oudets. Organising
the historic gathering was a great challenge, but
the chapter presented a convention that was
widely labeled as “the best one yet.”
Nila and her husband were instrumental in
the formation of Time Out Youth, a support
organization for GLBT young people. Due to
their concern for the needs of gay and lesbian
youth, much of their attention during the 1990s
was directed toward improving conditions (es
pecially in the school system) for this often in
visible population.
The gay and lesbian community returned
Nila and Stokley s love by presenting them with
a special “Friend of the Family” award in 1993
for their tireless service and activism.
Further demonstrating the GLBT
community’s esteem for the couple was the cre
ation of the Nila and Stokley Bailey, PFLAG
Scholarship Fund at UNC-Charlotte. The
scholarship benefits a deserving gay or lesbian
student and is an appropriate monument for a
woman who spent her life trying to make ev
eryone else’s better.
Nila Bailey, pictured with husband
Stokley, will be greatly missed.
Readers are encouraged to honor Nila by
making a donation in her name to the scholar
ship fund. Send donations to: Jennifer
McNamara, Office of University Development,
UNC-Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd.,
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001. Make checks pay
able to “UNC-Charlotte Foundation” and write
“Bailey Scholarship Fund” on the “For” line. V
SC Pride weekend continues to draw controversy
by Dan Van Mourik
Q-Notes Staff
MYRTLE BEACH, SC—The 9th annual
South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride March
and Festival is set for April 30-May 3 and has
been for quite some time. But this year’s event
is having an even greater impact than usual on
the gay communities in Myrtle Beach, in South
Carolina and across the nation. While much
support has been displayed locally and nation
ally, an equal amount of anti-gay sentiment has
been sparked. While Pride protests seem inevi
table, the scope of this particular backlash has
focused national attention on Myrtle Beach.
Sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, adver
saries of the festival seem to be growing in num
bers. Many lay the blame for the ongoing con-
trover^ in the lap of Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark
McBride.
Mayor gains support
About 130 people attended the Myrtle
Beach City Council meeting on Tuesday, March
17 and most were there to show their support
for Mayor Mark McBride’s stance on homo
sexuality.
People in the audience handed out bumper
stickers that read, “Support McBride,” many
addressed the council and most applauded.
Steve Hubbard, an associate minister at Grand
Strand Baptist Church, said many in attendance
at the meeting are part of a group that is orga
nizing called Concerned Citizens For Tradi
tional Family Values.
“We are here to stand in support of the
mayor of Myrtle Beach, who in recent days and
months has come under tremendous attack and
pressure by special interest groups and our lo
cal media,” Hubbard said.
McBride has opposed two gay issues which
have risen during the last year: first regarding a
gay nightclub moving into the area near the
Myrtle Beach Pavilion amusement park and
then toward plans for the SC Gay and Lesbian
Pride March and Festival.
While most spoke at the meeting for
McBride and against homosexuality, Patrick
Evans, co-chairman of the Gay and Lesbian
Pride March and Festival, also spoke.
“We come from all walks of life, all religions,
all ages and all income levels,” Evans said. “And
yes, each year we march down the street be
cause we are proud of whom we are. Who is
this group of people that celebrates in such a
boisterous and in-your-face manner? We are the
Irish. Happy St. Patrick’s Day,” Evans said.
Evans said earlier in the day that the com
ments about being Irish were meant to show
that many groups have had to stru^Ie for ac
ceptance throu^out American history as well
as to show he has a sense of humor about the
controversy surrounding the Pride celebration.
McBride said the support of the people who
attended the Tuesday meeting was representa
tive of the support he has been getting through
telephone calls and mail. When asked if he had
known the group was coming, McBride an
swered. “No, I didn’t orchestrate this.”
Mayor loses support
However, several council members dis
agreed, feeling that McBride was very much
behind the group’s attendance. In fact, one
concil member has requested information on
the process for impeaching the mayor, stating
he had made the request on behalf of a con
stituent.
Councilwoman Rachel Broadhurst told the
audience, “All council people are committed to
fight for the rights of all people...diversity makes
us stronger. I am very saddened by what hap
pened tonight.”
Councilman Chuck Martino said he, too,
was disturbed by the comments made during
the meeting. “First off. I’m a devout Christian
Catholic and I don’t agree with the acts of ho
mosexuality,” Martino said. “However I was
elected to uphold the constitutions of the
United States and of this state.”
See PRIDE on page 4
AIDS Council votes “no confidence” in Clinton
by David Stout
Q-Notes Staff
WASHINGTON, DC—Two of the
nation’s gay civil rights groups blasted the
Clinton Administration after ffie Presidential
Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS
passed a strongly-worded “no
confidence” statement on the
government’s willingness to ag
gressively combat HIV.
“Hard, objective science is
proving no match against soft,
political backbone,” said Na
tional Gay and Lesbian Task
Force (NGLTF) Executive Direc
tor Kerry Lobel regarding the
Clinton administration’s refixsal
to support needle exchange pro-
Pres. Clinton
grams, considered to be one of the most im
portant components in mounting an effective
war on AIDS.
Both NGLTF and the Human Rights Cam
paign (HRC) lauded the Advisory Council for
its strongly-worded March 17 re
buke of President Clinton and
Health and Human Services Sec
retary Donna Shalala for their
“almost complete silence and
continued inaction” on needle
exchange policy. The resolution
called on the Secretary to issue
an immediate determination on
needle exchange programs.
Winnie Stachelberg, HRC
Political Director, echoed the
Council. “It is time for...Donna
Shalala to publicly state that needle exchange
programs work and that they do not encour
age drug abuse.”
Studies on needle exchange programs sup
port Stachelberg and her colleagues. In fact, the
American Medical Association and the National
Institutes of Health are among the many orga
nizations who support needle exchange pro
grams. And, as stated by the Advisory Council,
there is absolutely “no credible evidence that
needle-exchange programs lead to increased
drug abuse.”
“The politics of fear and timidity prevail,
and as a result so does HIV,” said Lobel. “Lives
are being lost because of this inaction.”
According to the Centers for Disease Con
trol, approximately half of all new HIV infec-
See CLINTON on page 22
down the wall
by Juli Treadway
Q-Notes Staff
CHARLOTTE—Because there is potential
for ostracism, verbal abuse and even physical
violence associated with being out in school,
many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered
(GLBT) teenagers have felt forced to spend their
high school years hiding behind a wall. With
the recent installation of a new project, spon
sored by a local support group for GLBT youth,
however, that is changing a little.
Kim Honeycutt, who is currently pursuing
a Masters degree in Social Work at the Univer
sity of South Carolina, has been participating
in an internship with Time Out Youth since
August 1997. In that capacity, she is able to
talk daily with teenagers who have experienced,
or are still having, problems due to their sexual
orientation. Because of this dialogue, she de
cided it was time to make a visible statement.
“These kids are persistent and consistent,”
she told Q-Notes. “They are so used to being
called ‘fag,’ or being pushed around just because
they are gay, that they have developed a high
degree of tolerance. This is not acceptable.”
To bring attention to the problem,
Honeycutt, along with members of Time Out
Youth, created a thought-provoking art display
called “Breaking Down the Wall of Homopho
bia” that can be viewed throughout this month
in North Charlotte’s Blue Pony Art Gallery.
“[Students] are so used to
being called ‘fag’ or
being pushed around
because they are gay that
they have developed a
high degree of tolerance.
This is not acceptable."
The display consists of a symbolic wall con
structed of cardboard bricks. Each brick is one
of four colors, representing a different struggle
gay youth encounter in school: red is for physi
cal violence; blue is for emotional violence; yel
low is for faculty/staff abuse; and green is for
the increased dropout, or school transfer, rates
of GLBT students.
One student’s experience with school-based
homophobia has been placed within each brick,
Honeycutt says, but the recolleaions will not
be available to the public “because many of the
stories are too painftil, too private.” The out
side of the briclu will, however, carry the name
of the school, and the city and state where the
school is located.
In addition to the wall, the display features
videos and a mini-project called “Writing on
the Wall,” written testimonies of teens’ experi
ences in school that are available for all to read.
When asked what she hopes to accomplish
with this project, Honeycutt stated, “All of our
youth deserve an equal education. I want people
to understand, and see, that those youth who
are being mistreated have incredible fortitude.
If you’re not part of the solution, then you’re
part of the problem. Maybe our wall will con
vince more people to become a part of the so
lution.”
“Breaking Down the Wall of Homophobia”
can be seen at the Blue Pony Art Gallery, 3202-
A North Davidson St., Charlotte, throughout
April. For more information, call Time Out
Youth at (704) 537-5050 or the Blue Pony Art
Gallery at (704) 334-9390. T