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Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper . Volume 15, Number 8 • September 2, 2000 • FREE
NC delegates
represent gays
at convention
by Shane Wolf
Special to Q-Notes
LOS ANGELES, CA—Rainbow flags
and pink triangles waved proudly at the
2000 Democratic National Convention
in Los Angeles, and some of those wav
ing them were from North Carolina.
On the floor of the Staples Center or
watching on television, the openness of
this years convention was evident. From
Melissa Etheridges stirring rendition of
the “Star Spangled Banner” to Rep. Tammy
Baldwins (D-WI) touching story about health
care, gays and lesbians were out front.
“This [convention] was an unprecedented
opportunity to bring our issues into focus for
the entire nation and show we are a vital part
of the American family,” said Human Rights
Campaign (HRC) Executive Director Elizabeth
Birch. Appearing during primetime on Tues
day, August 15, Birch was the first leader of a
gay and lesbian organization to speak at a na
tional political convention.
At the podium, nine openly gay officials
spoke on issues ranging from civil rights and
the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) to
health insurance and economic leadership. Five
of those speakers were elected officials and in
cluded Andrew Tobias, Treasurer of the Demo
cratic National Committee.
“There were over 200 openly gay and les
bian delegates to the Convention, and A1 Gore,
Richard Gephardt and Bill Clinton addressed
our issues,” said Mecklenburg County Demo
cratic Party Chair Andrew Reyes, who serves
on the board of HRC and the Gay and Lesbian
Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and
was one of five openly gay delegates from North
Carolina.
These were important .steps for the Demo
cratic Party to embrace our community as a vi
tal part of its constituency,” Reyes added.
North Carolina has had gay and lesbian del
egates in the past. Carrboro Mayor Michael
Jslelsorr has served as a delegate since 1992.
Mandy Carter of Durham serves as an at-large
member of the Democratic National Commit
tee and was a delegate for the first time this
Upcoming conference will address
issues of lesbians and cancer
by Bob Witeck
Special to Q-Notes
^O^^ASHINGTON, DC—The Mary-Helen
Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer will
present “Healing Wotks: The First National
Conference on Lesbians and Cancer” Septem
ber 21-23 in the nations capital.
“Healing Works is an unprecedented ad
vance in the field of lesbian health,” says
Mautner Project Executive Director Rathleen
DeBold. “For the first time evet we are bring
ing together the many constituencies who share
a common vision of increasing care, services,
research, programming and organizations for
lesbians with cancer, their partners and
caregivers.”
Featured speakers at Healing Works will in
clude Assistant US Surgeon General Marilyn
Gaston, MD; breast cancer surgeon and author
Susan Love, MD; National Black Women’s
Health Project founder Byllye Avery; GLBT
youth issues expert Caitlin Ryan, MSW; gyne
cological oncolpgy surgeon Kate O’Hanlan,
MD; National Lesbian Herstory Archives
founder/cancer survivor Joan Nestle and Les
bian Senior Health Advocates Del Martin and
Phyllis Lyon.
Additionally, the conference will convene
scores of panels, roundtables and workshops
that enable cancer survivors, healthcare provid
ers, researchers, activists, public policy advo
cates, and government officials from around the
country to share their information and expeti-
ence.
Workshop topics will include “Creating a
Grassroots Lesbian Cancet Project,” “African-
American Lesbians and Cancer,” “Outreach to
Latino Lesbians,” “Gender Identity as an Ob
stacle to Healthcare,” “Senior Lesbian Health,”
and “Removing the Barriers to Quality
Healthcare for Women Who Partner With
Women.”
For more information on Healing Works or
to register, contact the Mautner Project at (202)
332-5536, email mautner@mautnerproject.org
or access www.mautnerproject.org. T
Justice Dept, supports anti-bias law
Mecklenburg County Democratic Party
Chair Reyes (I) and NC Governor Hunt
year along with Reyes, Gary Palmer of Greens
boro and Shannon Bennett of Burlington.
“There has been a National Gay Caucus at
different times all the way back to the ’70s,”
said Nelson. “The biggest change I have no
ticed in the three conventions I’ve attended is
how the party structure has grown to embrace
the gay delegates and the iiisues we really care
about.
“While the Clinton-Gore ticket always was
very inclusive of us, the party took a bit more
time to embrace us,” continued Nelson. “This
year we were completely included, completely
a part of the planning, activities and i.ssties. The
inclusion and embracing of our constituency
was incredible.”
Nelsoiji attributed this gradual inclusion to
a learning process about our community and a
recognition of why the GLBT caucus was in
attendance and what issues were important to
them. He cited as an example the high-profile
list of speakers who addressed the Gay and Les
bian Caucus.
“In 1992 wc had the more liberal party
members speaking to us,” said Nelson. “We had
Jesse Jackson and Ted Kennedy that year. Then
the next convention we had Tipper Gore, which
was great because she was the wife of the Vice
President. And then this year we had Hillary
Clinton and Joe Lieberman. So you can sec that
the party felt it was more and more important
to send bigger names to speak to us because
they have grown to understand the importance
of our constituency.” ▼
[Shane Wolf serves as Communications Direc
tor for the Mecklenburg County Democratic
Party.]
by Eric'Ferrero
Special to Q-Notes
LOUISVILLE, KY—For the first time in
history, the US Department of Justice (DOJ)has
offered otficial support to a law barring di.s-
crimination based on sexual orientation and
gender identity.
In what has become the national focal point
of the debate over whether personal religious
beliefs trump local civil rights laws, the Ameri
can Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has asked a
state court to dismiss a challenge to Louisville’s
Fairness Ordinance. The Justice Department
filed a brief August 15 supporting ACLU’s po
sition.
Representing a broad coalition of GLBT
people and their allies, the AGLU told a state
court that there is no merit to a lawsuit filed by
Dr. J. Barrett Hyman, a Louisville gynecolo
gist who claims his religious beliefs compel him
to engage in job discrimination. Hyman’s law
suit seeks to overturn the non-di.scriminatioii
ordinance.
The Justice Department brief marks the first
time the federal government has actively sup
ported a local law barring di.scrimination against
GLBT people.
In itsbrief, DOJ noted that if Hyman’s law
suit were successful, it could jeopardize the ba
sic civil rights of a broad range of Americans
— including people of color, women and dis
abled people.
“This case is about equality for all Ameri
cans,” .said Michael Adams, associate director
ot the ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project.
“Reasonable provisions were made to ensure
that these ordinances protect religious liberties.
This case uses religious freedom as a
smokescreen for discrimination.”
Local non-discrimination laws currently are
receiving wide attention. Recently, a federal
court ot appeals struck down a lawsuit in Alaska,
where a landlord claimed that his religion pro
hibited him from renting to unmarried couples.
In August, anti-gay groups failed to gather
enough signatures to qualify for ballot initia
tives repealing similar laws in four Michigan
cities. On August 11, a legal challenge to the
non-discriminatioti law in Henderson, KY, was
dismissed when it was revealed that tlie plain
tiffs in the ca.se knew very little about the ordi
nance, and that it did not apply to them. That
lawsuit was nearly identical to the one in l.ou-
i.sville, and Hyman’s attorney was also repre
senting the former plaintiffs in Henderson.
“The.se recent developments .should leave no
question that whether they’re challenged at the
ballot box or in the courtroom, these ordinances
will prevail because they ensure basic fairness,”
Adams said. T
[ The ACLU and US DOJ briefs can be viewed
online at www.aclu.org.]
Olympics closing will be a real drag
by Clay Ollis
Q-Notes Staff
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—The 2000
Olympic Games open this month in Sydney,
but their October 1 closing is getting most of
the attention. Closing ceremonies will feature
drag queens, the Sydney Morning Herald re
ported August 23, touting the “first open dis
play of homosexuality” at the Olympics.
Sydney’s drag queens got a casting call of
sorts from Olympic organizers looking for lo
cal performers to participate. Wearing original
costumes from the Australian-made hit. The
Adventures of Priscilla, Qtieen of the Desert, they
will recreate scenes
from the 1995 story
of a group of drag
queens on a bus trip
through the
outback. The film
won an Oscar for
best costume de
sign.
Performers from
other Australian cit
ies praised the deci
sion, but expressed
disappointment that they had not been told.
Melbourne performer Barbra Quicksand said,
“I would have jumped at the chance had I
known about it.”
Picked up by local radio and other newspa
pers, the story set off a barrage of calls to talk
radio shows. “The people one might expect to
object” — as Melbourne’s The Age aptly put it
— were quick to weigh in. The Rev. Fred Nile,
a Christian Detnocrat representing New South
Wales in Australia’s Parliament, .said that “ho
mosexual and lesbian behavior is not a true rep
resentation of Australian culture and lifestyle.”
He predicted the “blatant condoning of public
homosexual display during’the closing cer
emony” would embarrass maoy Australians.
David Oldfield, representing One Nation,
another right-wing group, said Olympic orga
nizers were “out of their minds,” and Parlia
mentarian Bob Katter said it would make
Sydney "a world sleaze capital.” Some feared it
would make Sydney the “homosexual capital
Newspaper commentators
applauded the idea, noting
that along with Australia’s
macho, sporting image, drag
is an important part of the
nation's arts culture.
ol the world.”
Many in the gay and lesbian community
find that ironic. Since Sydney is home to the
world's largest gay parade — which attracts up
to a millioti [leople each February and brings
in about $ 100 million (zXustralian; $60 million
US), more than any other single cultural event
on the continent. Some feel that Sydney is al
ready the world’s gay capital; they are elated at
the opftortunity, calling it a breakthrough in
the acceptance of gay and lesbian people.
Olympic Ceremonies Director Ric Birch re
marked, “There is a Gay and Lesbian Mardi
Gras parade...[which is] watched by hundreds
of thousands of
Sydneysiders and
which attracts a
huge international
contingetit. That’s
part of Sydney lile
whether they like it
or not. ”
As for the out
rage, Birch said the
segment was “only
a tiny part of a huge
celebration and, for
whatever part of a community is outraged,
they’re always going to be outraged.”
Newspaper commentators and some of the
public also applauded the idea, noting that
along with Australia’s macho, sporting image,
drag is an important part of the nation’s arts
culture.
Olympic Minister Michael Knight tried to
smooth the ruffled feathers: “There is no cel
ebration of drag or drag queens or the Gay and
Lesbian Mardi Gras or homo.sexuality in the
closing ceremony.” There is only a tribute to
Australian film, he emphasized, confirming that
it would include Priscilla. He declined to .say
what other movies would be repre.sented, but
mentioned Crocodile Dundee and Babe as
possibles.
Birch promi.sed a spectacular show, in keep
ing with Olympic tradition, saying, “Everyone
who’s ever seen an Olympic ceremony knows
they are massive cavalcades of color, movement,
and celebration.” T