noted . notable . noteworthy GLBT issues
Morehouse is ;
less than he^jihii,
angers stud^^ 9.
Mapiolia Bsi wra^M4>
amounoes af natne
change 17
Spoieto in Qiarteston,
Sixjth Caroima —
have a gey d’time! 25
Ousted Kngutd: sfieaks
out at South Cardoia
Pride weekend : ; , ; 27
Black gay m^’s (»il
to action in the fight
against HiV/AIOS 28
,sjti % 4. .. / ^ y''
ONyNE
fire you out at church
synaghgue, mosque?
VOLUME 18 . ISSUE 1
SINCE 1988
MAY 24.2003
MeckPAC stands firm in face of City Mali
Group responds to Charlotte city attorneys' misguided
recommendations made recently to City Council
CHARLOTTE — Leaders of the Mecklenburg Political Action
Committee, the LGBT political advocacy group in Charlotte-
Mecklenburg, held a press conference to refute claims by City of
Charlotte’s Attorney DeWitt McCarley, Assistant City Attorney
Hope Root and Human Resources Director, Timothy Mayes that
the city is not clearly authorized to offer domestic partner bene
fits to city employees and to expand the city’s non-discrimination
policies to include sexual orientation.
The city legal staff maintained:
• the city had no legal authority to extend domestic partner
benefits to city employees;
• state law recognizes only marriage as the determinant for
city benefits;
• city policy can not supercede state law.
At the press conference, attorneys Connie Vetter and Phil Wells
of MeckPac, said,’’The City of Charlotte has authority to add sex
ual orientation to the city’s non-discrimination policies and to offer
domestic partner benefits to City of Charlotte employees. Action by
the North Carolina state legislature is not necessary in order for
the CiTy of Charlotte to do so.” .......
seeMeckPAC on 3
AAecklenburg PolHkal Action Coalition leaders, L-R: activist and city employee
Tom Warshauer, Attorney Connie Vetter and Attorney Phil Wells
Greensboro bookstore closes, leaving void
Community decries
loss of commu
nity resource
by David
Moore
After
more than
20 years in
business,
Greensboro’s
V\fhite Rabbit
Books closed its
doors May 10. According to area residents, the
closing of the business will likely leave the
Greensboro area without a valid resource for
the GLBT community.
“Obviously it was a source of material
that’s not available in mainstream book
stores,” says Greensboro Gay, Lesbian and
Straight Education Network representative
Chuck Strom. “For the youth of the comrriuni-
ty, it was a safe place to go to approach their
coming out.
“We don’t have a gay center and it was also
a place for people who weren’t ready to join
organizations such as GLSEN to go and feel a
sense of community. There will definitely be a
gap.”
The original store in a chain of North
Carolina-based gay and lesbian bookstores
that includes storefronts in Charlotte and
Raleigh, the company has seen greater suc
cess in recent years with outlets in the two
larger cities.
“This was the smallest store of the three,”
owner John Neil explains. “The Charlotte and
Raleigh stores are doing extremely well and I
have more stuff to do in my personal life, so
I’m trying to simplify things.”
Neil is also the owner/operator of the callig
raphy business John Neil Bookseller, which will
expand to occupy the former White Rabbit
space. >
According to Neil, the possibility exists the
store may reopen in the near future.
“[ have been approached by a few individuals
who are interested in buying the business for a
different location in the Greensboro area,” Neil
said.
“We’ll keep our customers informed about
developments through our email newsletter.”
Until further notice Greensboro patrons are
encouraged to continue to shop White Rabbit
at the nearby Raleigh and Charlotte locations.
White Rabbit’s Greensboro location
opened in 1983, initially as a single room,
selling a small selection of gay and lesbian-
oriented book titles. Over the years the com
pany expanded with the addition of the
Raleigh store in 1991 and the Charlotte store
in 1993.
“We didn’t exactly put out the Rainbow
Flags when we first opened in 1983,” Neil
see BOOKSTORE on 3
South Carolina's message is out and above it all
After last spring’s media campaign success, the South
Carolina Gay and Lesbian Business Guild has launched a new
one with plans for two more billboards, print ads and radio
spots which will continue throughout the summer.
Over the next few months, the Guild will be waging a
fundraising campaing to support the media project.
This weekend marks the unveiling of the black and white
billboard pictured at left (Q_-Nofes added the color SCCLBC logo to
give some color to the graphic) in downtown Columbia.
participate: SCG+LBG Media Campaign. PO Box 7913. Columbia, SC 29202
WWW. .‘^cglpni.org
S >5iv [.>n'ic' MKAvtiK'nl
Homosexuality isn’t the problem,
South Carolina Ga>r& Lesbian Business Guild
Member of flic South Carolina equality Coalition
prejudice is.
w wu.sf glbe.opg