The Carolinas’ Most Comprehensive Gay & Lesbian Newspaper The Latest Q^POLLResults Speculating on pop star Ricky Martin's sexual orientation has become the new national pasttime. What does your gaydar tell you? Queer as a Despite those hips Who is/cares about $3 bill he’s straight Ricky Martin 38% 30% 32“/“ Vote at www.q-notes.com Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper • Volume 14, Number 8 « September 4, 1999 » FREE Militaiy ban revisions tighten compliance by David Stout Q-Notes Staff WASHINGTON, DC—On the heels of 1998’s record-high servicemember discharges due to sexual orientation and the July 5 beat ing death of a gay Army enlistee, on August 13 the military’s top brass announced revisions to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy regarding gays in the armed services. “I’ve made it clear there is no room for ha rassment or threats in the military,” US Secre tary of Defense William Cohen said about the release of the guidelines. Under the new directives, the Pentagon or dered commanders to seek approval from se nior civilian officials before undertaking cer tain kinds of investigations; instituted anti-ha rassment training at all levels of the service; and mandated that military lawyers consult superi ors before investigating soldiers suspected of being gay. The revisions came just after testimony had wrapped up in the Article 32 hearing (the mili tary equivalent of a grand jury hearing) for Pri vate Calvin Glover, 18, charged with the pre meditated murder of Pfc. Barry Winchell, 21. A second soldier, Spc. Justin Fisher, 25, is ac cused of encouraging Glover’s actions. The post commander, Maj. Gen. Robert Clark, will decide if Glover and Fisher will be tried for their alleged crimes. At press time, he had not issued a ruling. According to military observers, the brutal slaying at Fort Campbell, KY, in which Glover is alleged to have beaten Winchell to death with a baseball bat, provided the final push for the policy clarifications. “It’s truly unfortunate that some thing so serious had to happen be fore the Pentagon would finally move on this,” said Stacey Sobel, senior staff attorney for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), noting that Winchell had been the subject of rumors and anti-gay ha rassment for several months prior to his murder. “Pentagon officials have had very similar guidance sitting on the shelf for two-and-a-half years. It’s shame ful that it wasn’t released earlier when so many other servicemembers’ careers and physical safety were at risk.” According to a Pentagon report, 617 Defense Secretary William Cohen servicemembers were discharged for homosexu ality in 1994, the year “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” took effect. That figure soared to 1145 last year, the highest number since 1987. T Gay health leader to speak at Expo by Jeff Prince Special to Q-Notes GREENSBORO, NC—Dr. Saul Levin, president-elect of the Gay and Lesbian Medi cal Association, will be the keynote speaker at the “Triad Wellness Expo for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community” on Sat urday, September 18 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Greensboro. The Expo will open at 9:30am and conclude at 5:00pm. Levin’s ad dress will be presented at 10:00am. Dr. Levin, currently the president of a pri vate consulting firm in Washington, DC, has served as a special expert to the Department of Health and Human Services and to the direc tor of the Office on AIDS for the Clinton ad ministration. In his role as president of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, Levin will head the organization with a membership of more than 2000 gay and lesbian physicians. In addition to Levin’s address on “Coming Out of Your Health Closet,” the conference, sponsored by Triad Health Project, Guilford County’s leading AIDS service organization, will feature several workshops on health-related issues important to the GLBT community. Topics will include aging, health-related legal issues, body image, transgender issues, men’s health and substance abuse. Additional featured speakers at the confer ence will include Dr. Cheryl Viglione, director of Women’s Imaging at Southeastern Radiol ogy in Greensboro, who will present a discus sion on cancer issues in the GLBT community. Viglione’s talk will be followed by a presenta tion of My Left Breast, a powerful one-woman play focusing on a lesbian dealing with breast cancer. The play is presented by Greensboro s L’Chaim Productions. Dallas Denny, founder and the former ex- See EXPO on page 24 Gay-themed cemetaiy memorial approved by VA by David Stout Q-Notes Staff PHOENIX, AZ—In a landmark decision, the Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Af fairs in the National Cemetery Administration has approved the design and donation of a memorial for GLBT Veterans of the US Armed Services. The memorial is scheduled to be installed next year in a veterans cemetary in Phoenix and is sponsored by the local chapter of Gay, Les bian & Bisexual Veterans of America (GLBVA). In approving the donation. Under Secretary Roger Rapp stated, “The design of the proposed [memorial] conforms precisely to the estab lished National Cemetery Administration cri teria for size, shape, and material. The proposed inscription is non-offensive and clearly com memorates veteran service. The donor organi zation — Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans of America — is an established nationwide vet eran group which has a National Constitution and Bylaws. It appears that the organization is primarily patriotic in nature and its objective is to commemorate military service.” The Rainbow Memorial will be located in the Founders Plaza of the National Cemetery in North Phoenix. It will be a boulder-shaped monument made of rainbow granite. On its face will be inscribed “VETERANS MEMO RIAL, In Memory of all Veterans who served with courage and pride, donated by the Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans of America.” The National Memorial Cemetery of Ari zona is currently undergoing a $13 million improvement project, but the memorial is ex pected to be placed in a new plaza and dedi cated on Veterans Day 2000. Wally Straughn, president of the Phoenix chapter of GLBVA and a naval veteran, com mented about the memorial, “It’s in memory of all veterans who served, but it will be the first memorial in any National Cemetery that we know includes us. We invite all veterans, servicemembers and their families to join the Phoenix chapter of the Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans of America in dedicating the only monument in this country that specifically and pointedly includes everyone who has fought for its ideals.” Edward Clayton, national president of GLBVA, congratulated the Photfnix chapter. “On behalf of the National Board of Directors, GLBVA chapters from coast to coast and the entire membership of Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans of America, I extend to Phoenix GLBVA our warmest congratulations on the approval of the memorial. The Phoenix Chap ter has written another important page in the history of our organization as well as another chapter in the distinct history of our nation.” Additionally, Clayton, a veteran of the Ma rine Corps who was dishonorably discharged in 1987 due to his sexual orientation, stated, “The membership of Phoenix GLBVA, in lead ing this effort, exemplifies the qualities of lead ership and dedication that is the goal of mili tary training and they bring great distinction to our national organization, the State of Ari zona and the United States of America.” Mainstream veterans groups say they have no problem with the memorial. Julius Maklary, a 21-year Army veteran and state commander of the American Legion, stated, “I’m sure there are gays and lesbians who lost their lives dur ing wars. These people do good things. They have their rights also. As long as they don’t in fringe on anyone else, straight people shouldn’t 'infringe on them. They should be left alone.” The monument is also fine with the admin istrative officer of the statewide chapter of Vet erans of Foreign Wars. “We’ve never protested against anyone putting a memorial in the Na tional Cemetery,” said Gil LaMontagne, a Navy veteran. For more information on The Rainbow Memorial or GLBVA, contact Phoenix GLBVA, 2039 W. Northview Ave., 'Phoenix, AZ 85021; call (602) 864-6092; email pglbva@aol.com. T Falwell agrees to soften rhetoric; meet with gays by Dan Van Mourik Q-Notes Staff LYNCHBURG, VA—The Rev. Jerry Falwell agreed to tone down his anti-gay rheto ric after meeting with the Rev. Mel '^ite, a gay activist who was the ghost writer of Falwell’s autobiography. “It’s historic,” White said. “We are eu phoric.” White said he told Falwell the purpose of the meeting was “not to stop you from preaching your conscience, but to lower the volume and shrillness of the rhetoric.” Falwell said the discus sion was not new. He and White first discussed the same issues three years ago and Falwell noted that he has his own concerns. “I speak constantly around the country and al most invariably some of the radical activists...disrupt the meeting or commit vio lent acts,” Falwell said. “It Rev. Jerry Falwell has been getting more precarious with passing time.... “Mel sincerely wants to lower the rhetoric on both sides. That is exactly what we want.” White, who co-chairs Soulforce, Inc., said his group will be coming to Lynchburg Octo ber 22-24, and had been prepared to demon strate in front of Falwell’s Thomas Road Bap tist Church, if necessary. But now, instead of bringing 5000 people, he will invite only 200 . who will be trained in non violent discourse before a Saturday night dinner with Falwell. While White said Falwell invited him and his group to dinner on Octo ber 23, Falwell said noth ing is firm yet. The two plan another meeting be fore then to finalize details. White also asked Falwell to have members of his congregation house the 200 activists coming to Lynchburg, but Falwell declined, citing Biblical quotations about not showing hospitality to sin ners, White said. White said his group sees Falwell as a victim of misinformation and welcomes the chance to share stories with Falwell and his people. “Speech has power.... Words do not fade. What starts out as a sound ends in a deed,” said Rabbi Abraham Heschel in one of White’s flyers. Those words describe the purpose of the meeting with Falwell, White said. Falwell said his anti-gay rhetoric is aimed only at the “fringe activists” who believe in same-sex marriages and commit violent acts, but White disagrees. “We have 10 years of horrible stuff,” he said. A letter signed by Falwell about A1 and Tip per Gore entertaining 150 members of the Human Rights Campaign, for example, says, “I wonder how much of our tax funds were used to wine and dine these perverted homosexuals who absolutely hate everything that you and I and most decent. God-fearing citizens stand for.... “Make no mistake. These deviants seek no less than total control and influence in society, politics, our schools and in our exercise of free See FALWELL on page 24