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The Carolinas’ Most Comprehensive Gay & Lesbian Newspaper
Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper • Volume 14, Number 5 • July 24, 1999 • FREE
New gay “family” event planned
iSsi
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Vice President AI Gore
Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ)
Analyzing candidates for president
The Democrats
by Gip Plaster
Special to Q-Notes
[Ed. Note: The next American president will
take office during a pivotal time for the GLBT
community in the US. As he plots the nations
course into the new millennium — either main
taining the political center like Bill Clinton or
taking usfirther lefi or right—public reaction
to gays and lesbians will largely reflect the tone of
the'^ite House. Cleary, this is an important elec
tion. In this first installment of a two-part series,
we’ll examine the Democratic presidential candi
dates and their positions on issues of importance
to the GLBT community. Next issue, our focus
will switch to the Republicans?^
Vice President Al Gore, considered the
frontrunner for the Democratic presidential
nomination, visited a gay and lesbian center in
Los Angeles on June 24. Senator Bill Bradley
(D-NJ), Gore’s only announced competition,
visited the center a week earlier. Spokespeople
for both candidates claim they had the idea first.
“The vice president’s visit had been long
scheduled and had been planned for some
time,” said Marla Romash, deputy chairman
of Gore 2000, the campaign to elect Gore as
president.
“That’s completely untrue,” Eric Hauser,
Bradley’s press secretary, said.
Whoever had the idea first, both candidates
are courting gay and lesbian voters. With very
Films ready to roll at NC festival
by Amy Barefoot
Special to Q-Notes
DURHAM, NC—The 1999 North Caro
lina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, now in its
fourth year, will be held August 5-8 at the his
toric Carolina Theatre in downtown Durham.
After hosting a record 3200 attendees last
year, the programming committee, comprised
of volunteers from the local community, have
expanded the festival by adding an extra day
and increasing the number of films being
screened. Festival passes will also be available
for the first time this year.
Last year’s positive additions, a live perfor
mance and the Community Outreach Room,
continue in 1999. On Friday, August 6, come
dian Marga Gomez jaywalker, a one-
woman show about her harrowing experiences
as a native New Yorker in pedestrian-hostile Los
Angeles. Prior to Gomez’s performance and the
Friday evening films there well be a celebratory
reception held in the Connie Moses Ballroom
from 6:30-8;00pm.
“Due to the growth in festival attendance
by Robert Marcus James
Special to Q-Notes
CHARLOTTE—Family Fest ’99 is a new
“family” event for the entire gay, lesbian, bi
sexual and transgender community. Typical
“family” fare will be featured. Bring a picnic,
play some games, and win a prize.
On Sunday, August 1, OutCharlotte will
sponsor this community event at Midwood
Park (off Mecklenburg Avenue in the Plaza-
Midwood neighborhood). The event will take
place from 12:30-4:00pm, rain or shine. The
picnic starts at 12:30pm (bring your own or
purchase hot dogs and sodas in the park).
Team games start at 1:30pm. Approximately
30 GLBT organizations have been Invited to
enter teams in Charlotte’s version of the “gay
games.” Teams will compete in egg toss, sponge
bucket relay, water balloon toss, clothes relay
and three-legged race. The winning team’s or
ganization will receive a cash prize, trophy, and
bragging rights for the next year. Each organi-
few differences on most issues — and no real
differences on gay and lesbian issues — it is
not surprising to see them popping up at the
same places. Both are looking for gay and les
bian votes, but both fall short on at least one
issue of importance to most gay and lesbian
voters — marriage. Their positions on allow
ing gays in the military are not strong, either.
While Gore now appears likely to win the
nomination, Bradley’s views are important, too,
■ because he could become Gore’s running mate.
Or he could still win the nomination.
Who they are
Both Gore and Bradley are sons of the South
and both were senators who had other careers
before stepping into the chamber.
Gore, born March 31,1948, is the son of a
senator. He was raised in Carthage, Tennessee
and in Washington, DC. He graduated with
honors from Harvard in 1969 with a degree in
government. Gore later became an investiga
tive reporter for The Tennessean in Nashville and
also attended divinity school and law school.
His home church is New Salem Missionary
Baptist Church in Carthage.
He served in the US House of Representa
tives from 1977 to 1985, then served in the
Senate from 1985 until 1993 when he was in
augurated as vice president.
Bradley, born July 28,1943 in Crystal City,
Missouri, is the son of a banker and school-
See CANDIDATES on page 12
each year and the ongoing relationships that
have been cultivated with film distributors, the
North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
is creating a name for itself,” said Jim Carl, di
rector of programming at the Carolina Theatre.
“Film distributors are recognizing the festival’s
reputation and realizing that there is a viable
market for higher caliber films.”
This year the programming committee re
ceived the most film submissions ever (over 70)
and had a major independent film distributor
contact them wanting to open the festival with
its film.
“The volunteer steering committee is very
excited with the diversity of this year’s films.
They represent not only the entire GLBT popu
lation but also have a major international flair
to them. It is also an extremely strong year for
female directors,” said festival volunteer Cheryl
Ann Welsh.
Film selections for this year’s festival, once
again sponsored by Replacements, Ltd., come
from the US, Germany, Australia, New
See FILMS on page 16
zarion is also encourged to send a cheerleading
squad and rhe best squad will also receive a cash
prize for their organization.
The community games start at 3:00pm.
Many of the same team games will be played.
There will be free games for children under 10,
then pairs (a child with a parent). The day will
end with open competition in various games.
Each game in open comperirion will carry an
entry fee of $ 1 with various prizes available to
winners.
OutCharlotte produces cultural programs
celebrating the GLBT community. “We have
an ongoing commitment to provide free or low-
cost events for the community,” stated Dan
Kitsch, OutCharlotte executive director. “Fam
ily Fest ’99 is our way of including more folks
in community events, and is a way to express
our thanks for the support we receive for the
annual cultural festival in October.”
For more information on Family Fest ’99,
call OutCharlotte at (704) 563-2699. ▼
GLBT activists protest in support
of death row inmate Abu-Jamal
by John Riley
Special to Q-Notes
PHILADELPHIA—Dozens of GLBT ac
tivists from around the country joined coordi
nated nonviolent civil disobedience actions on
both coasts July 3, demanding a new trial and
urgent medical attention for award-winning
African-American journalist and Pennsylvania
death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.
At Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell, amidst 100-
degree heat, 95 protesters from all over the
country disrupted business as usual and closed
the building for the afternoon — during the
heaviest tourist weekend,of the year. In San
Francisco, after a mass march from the Federal
building to Union Square, 27 activists blocked
the street and were arrested. Taken together, the
demonstrations amount to the largest civil dis
obedience action against the death penalty in
US history.
The unprecedented actions, accompanied by
support vigils of hundreds nearby, were spon
sored by broad coalitions
of progressive groups (in
cluding ACT UP/New
York) and marked 17 years
to the day after Abu-
Jamal’s death sentence was
imposed in a trial deemed
grossly unfair by Amnesty
International and many
other observers worldwide.
One of the most visible
parts of the Philadelphia
protest occurred when the
“Simon Nkoli Queer Cru
saders for Mumia” took
the lead position in block
ading one entrance to the
Liberty Bell Pavilion.
Brandishing a banner
reading “Queers Say: Stop the Execution of
Mumia Abu-Jamal,” the group of 10 joined
other activists in front of the door to which
two people had chained themselves, while US
Park Police looked on helplessly. (Simon Nkoli
was an openly-gay, black. South African anti
apartheid activist who narrowly escaped execu
tion in the 1980s, then went on to form gay
and AIDS advocacy groups. He was a leader in
the successful effort to make South Africa the
first country to include sexual orientation in
its constitutional protections. Nkoli died of
AIDS earlier this year.)
ACT UP/NY member Bob Lederer, orga
nizer of the Simon Nkoli group and one of those
arrested, said, “Anyone concerned about the
future of queer and AIDS activism should be
outraged by Mumia’s impending execution.
Many of us have experienced or witnessed vi
cious homophobic [and] AIDSphobic police
brutality against our movements. The injustice
against Mumia springs from his history as a
journalist and activist against police brutality,
and his prior membership in the Black Panther
Party was used to inflame the jury to sentence
him to death. That makes this a bellweather
case. If Mumia can be executed without ever
having had a fair trial, it sets a dangerous pre
cedent that would make it easier to heighten
repression against all types of activists. That’s
one reason groups which rarely work together
united in action today. In addition, many of us
oppose the use of the death penalty against
anyone.”
The Philadelphia protest was made up of
16 affinity groups from GLBT, AIDS, peace.
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Protesters form a human chain at Liberty Bell action
anti-intervention, African-American, Latino,
student and leftist groups. Before the door
blocking action, four people went inside the
Liberty Bell Pavilion and unfurled a banner
reading “Let Freedom Ring for Mumia” next
to the historic icon. Two student activists clam
bered onto the building’s awning and held a
banner reading “Liberty for Mumia” for three
hours, until they were removed via forklift. It
took police several hours to clear all 95 protest
ers. And those arrested were released within 10
hours after being charged with failure to obey
a lawful order. They now face fines of $250 each
See PROTEST on page 30