Vol. 6, No. 12
December 1991
Agreeing to
disagree
---page 17
Helpline opens
in Raleigh
...page 8
The Carolina’s Most Comprehensive Gay &. Lesbian Hewspaper'^^Printed on Recycled PaperFREE
ONE VOICE gives
holiday concert
Charlotte gains ACCESS
New group adds another
voice to AIDS education
By Frank Dalrymple
Q-Note Staff
CHARLOTTE—Save MAP was formed
as the direct result of the forced resignation of
Metrolina AIDS Project executive director,
John Conley, this past July. Increased apathy
among MAP volunteers and staff, as well the
MAP Board of Directors policies regarding
safe sex education and client information
were also contributing factors in the forma
tion of the ad-hoc group.
Wednesday evening, November 6, Save
MAP, after continuous failure to achieve in-
person dialogue with the MAP board, an
nounced its future plans. Save MAP has
changed its name and will open a new AIDS
service agency, known as ACCESS (AIDS
Coalition of Charlotte for Education, Service
and Support).
The “town meeting”, held at Charlotte’s
Unitarian Church was attended by about sbcty
people and moderated by a panel of ACCESS
members.
Former MAP volunteer Aleksei Reid de
livered a lengthy, comprehensive opening
statement tracing the events that led to the
formation of Save MAP (most of which has
been published in Q-Notes). Her detailed
statement also included the prolonged stale
mate with the MAP board, and chronicled
numerous resignations of MAP volunteers
and staff in recent weeks.
Reid was followed by panelist Vickie
O’Neal, who made the formal announcement
of ACCESS. The new AIDS service agency
is scheduled to open its doors in January 1992
at an undetermined location.
O’Neal outlined the proposed programs
and objectives of ACCESS: “The mission of
ACCESS is to provide education, service and
support to all people affected by HIV disease
and AIDS, and to empower its clients with an
active voice in their own care.”
Declaring education and caregiving as
primary objectives, O’Neal outlined plans
that included caregivers training, volunteer
caregiving teams, a “buddy” program, self-
care and empowerment skills training, as
well as educational programs for teens and
substance abusers (following outside coun
seling for their abuse).
She also spoke of outreach programs for
gays, minorities, and heterosexuals in AIDS
prevention, a speakers bureau, a hotline ser
vice, grief counseling, various support groups,
and peer counseling.
O’Neal was quick to point out that in
fected and affected patients andclients should
seek the services of both MAP and ACCESS.
She cited the benefits of such MAP programs
as its food pantry, individual counseling, and
financial assistance.
While ACCESS intends to establish a pro
ductive and harmonious relationship with
MAP, she emphasized ACCESS support pro
grams and educational outreach.
The new agency currently does not hold
tax-exempt status, but will in the near future.
Other panelists were Rick Carswell, David
Parsons, Charles Foesch and Dan Van Mourik.
Also in attendance were former MAP
employees and Save MAP members Toni
Tatu, David Prybylo and Dorothy Triplett.
Following Vickie O’Neal’s statements,
the panel fielded questions and comments
from the audience.
During the two-hour meeting, there was
some dispute and much discussion regarding
statements made about MAP, its board of
directors and the Citizens Review Panel.
ACCESS budgets, funds and fund-raising
strategies were the first concerns raised by
some individuals.
Community input, outreach, education and
accessibility of leadership with the new agency
were cited as strong points by the panel.
The following Monday evening, Novem
ber 11, ACCESS members held another pub
lic meeting to elect a board of directors and
officers.
The 17-member board will be headed by
RickCarswell.president, DavidParsons, vice
president, Dan Van Mourik, secretary, and
Charles Foesch, treasurer.
On November 13, ACCESS became in
corporated.
ACCESS membership fees are $5.00 for
non-clients, while client services are free of
charge.
Contact and meeting information regard
ing ACCESS can be found in Q-Notes Orga
nizations section.
A blue ribbon group
The Capital Cowboys, Raleigh’s gay country-western line dance group, recently
won first place in the Folk Festival Dance Competition at the 1991 North Carolina
State Fair. See story page 4.
by Dan Kirsch
Q-Notes Staff
CHARLOTTE — Selections from
Handel’s “Messiah,” along with a song by
PDQ Bach and “Grandma Got Run Over By
A Reindeer” are just a few of the numbers
planned for ONE VOICE’S Holiday Festival
Concert, December 13 and 14 at 8:15 pm at
the Unitarian Church of Charlotte. Last year’s
sold-out Christmas concert inspired the Cho
rus to add a second performance this year.
Conducted by D. Jan McCoy, the gay and
lesbian chorus features 45 voices. The Cho
rus has been rehearsing since the first week of
September, and music selections will include
“In The Bleak Midwinter,” “Dona Nobis
Pacem,” “Throw the Yule Log On, Uncle
John,” “The Three O’clock Rehearsal,”
“Christmas Dreams,” “Silent Night,” and
other holiday favorites. In addition, there will
be an audience sing-along. Following the
concert, a reception will be held fof all audi
ence members.
This concert will mark the end of the ONE
VOICE’S second year. When they begin re-
' hearsal in January, the focus will be on pre
paring a May concert and getting ready for
their appearance in Denver in July at GALA
Festival IV (Gay and Lesbian Association of
Choruses). Ticket proceeds from the Holiday
Festival Concert will help support travel and
housing costs for the more than 30 members
who are planning to make the trip. Persons
wishing to join the chorus in Janu^ are
urged to contact Vice President Dan Kirsch at
704/536-1372 by December 15.
Tickets for the Holiday Festival Concert
are $7-10 on a sliding scale, and are available
from chorus members. Rising Moon Book
store, or by calling 704/536-1372. The con
cert will be interpreted for the hearing im
paired at the Saturday performance. “The
Bear Men of Charlotte” 1992 calendars and
chorus tee-shirts will also be on sale at the
concert.
The concert will be held at the Unitarian
Church of Charlotte, 234 N. Sharon Amity
Road. The chur^ is handicapped accessible.
HEART STRINGS tour to raise AIDS awareness
by Dan Kirsch
Q-Notes Staff
CHARLOTTE — A Broadway-style mu
sical show will light up Ovens Auitorium on
Monday, June 15,1992, and all the proceeds
will go for the fight against AIDS in Char
lotte.
The HEARTSTRINGS National Tour. An
Event in Three Acts, will benefit The Broth
ers Foundation, the House of Mercy, and the
Metrolina AIDS Project. The event, awarded
to the Brothers Foundation by DIITA (The
Design Industries Foundation for AIDS), is
co-sponsored by the three beneficiaries and
the Charlotte Chapter of the NAMES Project.
“For us, this is a great way for AIDS
service organizations to work together and
sing from the same sheet of music,” said
Sister Mary Wright, executive director of the
House of Mercy in Belmont.
Billed as an event in three acts, the first act
is the HEART STRINGS production, an up
beat musical fundraising benefit. Celebrity
narrators and actors tie the musical selections
together with the words of mothers and fa
thers, brothers and sisters, people living with
AIDS, their friends and caregivers. The show
will feature a national touring company of
twenty singer-dancers. A few local acts will
be asked to participate in the show. Tickets
for the event will range from $25-$250, and
local corporations will be asked to participate
as sponsors.
Act two will be a display of the AIDS
Memorial Quilt later that same week. The
Quilt display will be coordinated by the
NAMES Project. Displayed free to the pub
lic, it will provide a continued look at the
issue and dramatically illustrate the humanity
behind the statistics. The Quilt visited Char
lotte once before, in September 1990.
Act three is you. The event will involve
hundreds of vornnHeers, and thousands of
persons contributing dollars or services to
help the fight against AIDS. Goals of the
event include mobilizing a broad-based re
sponse from the medical, religious, social,
corporate, entertainment, PLWAs and politi
cal communities, thereby empowering local
communities.
On-again, off-again
Heartstrings began in 1986 in Atlanta as a
local benefit for AIDS organizations. A re-
Continued on page 10
HEART STRINQS'THE AIDS MEMORIAL QU