The Carolinas’ Most Comprehensive Gay & Lesbian Newspaper
Roses are red.
Violets are blue?
What are you doing,
your sweetheart and you?
See page 23 for some fun and
interesting ideas.
Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper * Volume 15, Number 19 * February 3, 2001 • FREE
South Carolina is out in front with cozy, hilly
functional Gay & Leshian Community Center
X
the South Carolina Gay & Lesbian Com
munity Center is a rare find, especially in rhe
South — a free-
standir
visibility, equality, and inclusiveness.
Because the GLBT community comprises
diverse groups with varying needs, the Center
‘ Mil'
ling communit)'
center devoted to
meeting the needs of
the gay, lesbian, bi
sexual and transgen
der (GLBT) com
munities of South
Carolina. While
most of the country
is just now recogniz
ing the need for such
places. South Caro
lina already has its
Community Center,
located at 1107
Woodrow Street in
Columbia.
The Center
boasts facilities that
include a conference
room and meeting
space; a lending li
brary; full kitchen; a
distribution center
for local and regional,
publications; a living
room setting for in
formal gatherings; and office space for the
board. Office space has also been made avail
able for OutSmart of the Midlands, an organi
zation for sexual minority young people.
The Center provides education and advo
cacy on behalf of the GLBT citizens of South
Carolina, working to educate the larger South
Carolina populace about the issues and con
cerns ,pf its GLBT citizens, and advocating for
payments are available when a donation is re
quested for a program or event.
The Center is host to a wide variety of on
going opportuni
\
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IMS
'-A
foMumity Cmlcr Entmc^
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The South Carolina Gay & Lesbian Community Center provides a warm
environment for Palmetto State GLBT folks to socialize, learn and grow.
is committed to making programs and services the space for this meeting once a week,
as accessible as possible. Sign language inter-
ties;
OutSmart in
the Midlands,
Inc., a .sexual mi
nority youth ser
vice organization,
is based at the
South Carolina
Gay & Lesbian
Community Cen
ter. It is the only
organization of its
kind in the region,
and is designed to
meet the needs of
GLBT high-
school and col
lege-age youth and
young adults.
An HlV-posi-
tive gay men’s sup
port group is of
fered in coalition
with Palmetto
AIDS Life Sup
port Services. The
Center supplies
. T* ‘
preters have been present at all large events,
and are available upon request for smaller pro
grams. The faciliry has recently been made
wheelchair accessible with a ramp at the rear
entrance and restroom enhancements. Most
programs are free-of-charge, and special dis
count rates, scholarships, and sliding-scale
Free gathering space is available to area
See CENTER on page 6
Rep. Barney
Frank to be
featured speaker
at HRC Gala
by Cheryl Ann Welsh
Special to Q-Notes
RALEIGH — Rep.
Barney Frank (D-MA)
will present the keynote
address for the Caroli
nas’ Sixth Annual Flu-
man Rights Campaign
Gala Dinner Saturday,
Fcbruar)' 17, at the Em
bassy Suites in Cary,
NC. Frank, who has
represented the Fourth
Congressional District
of Massachusetts since his election to the House
of Representatives in 1980, has written numer
ous articles on politics and public affairs.
Also participating will be Donna Red Wing,
OutGiving Director for the Gill Foundation.
Red Wing, one of the first recipients of the
Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award,
served as HRC national field director 1996-1999.
In addition to the dinner at 8:00 pm, evening
activities include a silent auction (6:00-7:45 pm),
after dintier dancing, and coffeehouse.
Reservations for the special event may be
made through Box Office Tickets at 800-494-
8497. Individual tickets are $175 ($165 until
February 7). ▼
J
Representative
Barney Frank
•r »
Judy Shepard to speak at UNCC
Army drops planned discharge of
gay reservist Steve May
by Shane Windnieyer
Special to Q-Notes
HARRISBURG, NC —The Carolinas will
be host to Judy Shepard, mother of slain col
lege student Matthew Shepard, who will bring
J
Judy Shepherd, mother of slain
college student Matthew Shepard,
continues to champion anti-hate
crimes legislation.
her crusade to tfie campus of UNC Charlotte
on April 19 for a town hall meeting and a lec
ture entitled, “The Legacy of Matthew
Shepard.’’
Matthew, who attended Catawba College in
Salisbury, NC, before transferring to the Uni
versity of Wyoming, was brutally attacked in
October of 1998. The Shepards discovered later
that their son was beaten because he was gay.
Found hours later, Matthew lingered in a coma
for several days before dying.
The tragedy galvanized millions of people and
focused the nation’s attention on the growing
epidemic of hate crimes. Vigils were held across
America. The Shepard family received tens of
thousands of letters and emails of support.
In the aftermath of his death, the Shepard’s
started the Matthew Shepard Foundation
(www.matthewsplace.com) to help carry on
Matthew’s legacy by embracing the just causes
their son had championed. This includes work
ing for gay and lesbian equality and helping to
prevent hate crimes.
The Charlotte lecture is one of many Judy
Shepard has given since the death of her son. It
is her daily tribute to his life, she says. On May
11, 1999, Judy testified before the Senate Judi
ciary Committee in support of the Hate Crimes
Prevention Act. In front of the committtce, she
delivered a powerful message to those who op
pose hate ctimes laws.
“I can assure opponents of this legislation
firsthand, it was not words or thoughts, but
violent actions that killed my son.”
She appeared in two Human Rights Cam
paign public service television spots aimed at
See SHEPARD on page 17
If. Steve May
by Steve Ralls
Special to Q-Notes
WASHINGTON, DC — The Army an
nounced January 15 it will not pursue its
planned discharge of
Lr. and Arizona Re
publican Legislator
Steve May for alleged
violations of “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Fell, Don’t
Pursue, Don’t Ha
rass.” May will con
tinue to serve in the
Army Reserves until
May 1 I, when his
two-year obligation is complete.
“It is gratifying that the Army has decided
to drop the case,” May said. “I have always
served my country with honor, integrity, and
loyalty, and it hurt me deeply that the Army
would try to fire me — not for anything I did
in the Army, but for who 1 am and for doing
my legislator’s job. 1 didn’t ask to go back into
the Army, but when called, I reported for duty
and did my job there. My sexual orientation
and my statements about my sexual orienta
tion have never interfered with my performance
as an officer in the United States Army,” he said.
“The Army has tacitly recognized it never
should have pursued May,” said Service
members’ Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Ex
ecutive Director C. Dixon Osburn. “The cur
rent law does not contemplate discharging
elected officials for statements they have made
as elected officials,” Osburn said. “Nor does cur
rent law contemplate punishing soldiers for
statements made as civilians or while in the in
active reserves. The Army has made the right
decision to drop the case at long last,” Osburn
continued.
Fhe Army has declined to provide an offi
cial reason for dropping the discharge action.
The Secretary of the Army retains ultimate au
thority to accept or reject any proposed dis
charge recommendation.
The Army initiated discharge proceedings
against May after learning about remarks he
made about his sexual orientation during a de
bate on domestic partner benefits for state em
ployees in the Arizona State Legislature. At the
time, he was on inactive status with the Army
Reserves. The Army called May back to active
duty at the time of the Gulf War — after mak
ing his remarks and after winning re-election
as an openly gay candidate for the state legisla
ture — making his sexual qrientation a matter
of record at the time the Army called him to
active duty. Lt. May served as executive officer
of his reserve unit.
Lt. May has been hailed as an exemplary of
ficer. In his recent evaluations, his superiors stated
that May had “unlimited potential,” even after
the disclosure of his sexual orientation. May’s
fellow soldiers also testified in September at his
administrative discharge hearing that his removal
would hurt his unit’s cohesion and morale. T
Th/y J/rfetei- l^nll What effect do you think the election results will have on the GLBT community?
TIC ICILCSL ±011 ±CSU1lS Things will get better: 23% Things will get worse: 38% ' Things will stay the same: 38%
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