Vol. 9, No. 11
November 1994
Christian party iine
...Page 4
Fun with
Liiy and Jane
...Page 7
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Two gay men murdered in Mississippi
by Dan Van Mourik
Q-Notes Staff
LAUREL, MS—Late Friday night, Octo
ber 7, two gay men were murdered “execution
style” near Camp Sister Spirit, a feminist-
lesbian retreat near Ovett, MS. Both the Jones
County Sheriff’s Department and Laurel Po
lice Department are working on the killings
since investigators do not know exactly where
the slayings occmred.
The bodies of Robert Walter, 31, and Jo
seph Shoemake, 24, were discovered Satur
day morning by two women walking along
unused railroad tracks just north of the Laurel
city limits and about 30 minutes from Camp
Sister Spirit. Laurel police investigator Lee
Knight said both men were shot at least once
in the front of the head with a small-caliber
weapon. Knight also stated the men were
apparently killed between midnight and
1:00am, their bodies then dumped next to the
tracks.
Investigators said the underwear of one
victim had been pulled down aroimd his ankles,
but no motive has been determined.
Brenda Henson, one of the founders of
Camp Sister Spirit, believes the motive is
homophobia. She went one step further,
blzuning opposition groups for encouraging
violence against gays and lesbians.
“By their propaganda, by their meetings, I
feel they give a green light to those that would
kill and hurt gay and lesbian people,” Henson
said. “It is an atmosphere of hate that has been
created here.”
Camp Sister Spirit has been at the center of
a 10-month string of violent incidents. Over
64 acts of violence and intimidation have
been reported, including a dead dog and femi
nine napkin draped over the camp mailbox,
gun shots fired at caretakers, bombs deto
nated on the property, armed men patrolling
the camp’s borders, and telephoned death
threats. In fact, gim shots were fired across
the property only six hours after the bodies
were found near Laurel.
“We’re looking at it [the double murder] as
a hate crime and a possible escalation against
Camp Sister Spirit. We are going on 24-hour
alert,” said camp caretaker Kathy Wilson.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
(NGLTF) has requested that Attorney Gen
eral Janet Reno oversee a federal investiga
tion into the murders, mediate between the
local gay community and law enforcement
officials, and monitor the action of Jones
County Sheriff Maurice Hooks. NGLTF first
acted on behalf of Camp Sister Spirit in De
cember 1993, requesting that the Community
Relations Service (CRS) mediate between the
camp and the local community. Reno re
sponded by authorizing CRS to intervene.
That action marked the first time the agency
had mediated community tensions based on
sexual orientation.
“After months of asking, requesting and
Town meetings scheduled
CHARLOTTE—^Almost 100 people en
joyed the second aimual National Q>ming
Out Day (NCOD) Commimity Dinner on
Tuesday October 11 at the Unitarian Church.
Sponsored by NC Pride 1994 as their official
final event, those assembled, in addition to
enjoying great food, heard brief statements
from 16 community groups represented.
“NCPride 1994 has hadawonderful ripple
effect,” said Sue Hemy, Pride co-chair, “in
that people seem energerized to continue the
work to make things better for the gay, les
bian, bisexual and transgendered community.
The Switchboard recently organized a state
wide meeting. Time Out Youth is planning a
statewide meeting, and other groups ben
efited from the publicity generated around the
weekend.”
To capitalize on this energy, Henry and co
chair Dan Kirsch have been taUdng to several
leaders in the community about ‘What’s
next?’, and have scheduled three town meet
ings to involve the community in the discus
sion.
“We have some choices to make about
how we grow as a community,” said Kirsch.
“Many people still ask ‘What is our commu
nity—^o we have a community?’ We have
lots of options to discuss about Ae next steps
that will eliminate fear, make us visible and
generate positive images.”
The three town meetings will all use the
same format, so a person need only attend
one. The time of all three meetings is from
7:00-8:45pm, and the dates and places are:
• Sunday, November 6 at Holy Trinity
Lutheran Church, 1900 The Plaza, co-hosted
by Lutherans Concerned;
• Wednesday, November 9 at the Main
Branch of the Public Library, 6th & College
Streets, co-hosted by the Gay & Lesbian
Switchboard of Charlotte; and
• Tuesday, November 15 at Christ Episco
pal Church, 1412 Providence Road, co-hosted
by Queer Conversations.
At the NCOD Community Dinner, an in
formal survey was taken to prepare for the
Town Meetings. Of 81 surveys returned, it
showed that 90% are registered to vote, 73%
make a financial contribution to local groups,
and 68% volunteer time with local groups.
Regarding the question, “How out are you to
friends, family and at work?,” 20% responded
they are totally out everywhere to everyone,
and 74% are mostly or somewhat out to friends,
64% are mostly or somewhat out to family
and 54% are mostly or somewhat out at work.
The survey also asked if it was important to
have a gay or lesbian community center in
Charlotte — 79% said it was either urgent,
very important, or important to have a com
munity center. The survey also asked what
issues the community should address. A wide
variety of responses were given, including:
discrimination, job security, homophobia, a
local rights ordinance, overcoming factions,
overturn the Crimes Against Nature law, preju
dice, and unity within the community.
“These Town Meetings give us a way to
have a more effective voice,” stated Tonda
Taylor, executive director of Time Out Youth.
Taylor and other community leaders will be
on hand to answer questions about their area
of expertise.
We hope we can get a consensus on two to
four issues,” explained Kirsch, “then form
short-term task forces to address those issues.
It’s important to us to involve a lot of new
people in the process, and we hope this method
will enable people to feel good about partici
pating. And if they feel they contributed, the
community benefits not only from solving
some problems, but from encouraging new
leadership as well.” The town meetings are
open to everyone. Questions can be ad
dressed to Sue Henry at 704/332-7473 (days)
or Dan Kirsch at 704/536-1372.
demanding federal intervention in central
Mississippi, we achieved this historic re
sponse, but it was not enough to save the lives
of these two men,” said NGLTF Executive
Director Peri Jude Radecic.
The tension in Laurel and Ovett directly
following the murders was extremely high.
Todd Emerson and April Richards of G/L
Friendly, an advocacy group for gay Missis-
sippians, were in Laurel to monitor the situa
tion. Emerson said, “We have a gun, and we
have oiu- hotel door barred. The sheriff has
already said we’ll be chased out of Jones
County.”
A 17-year-old African-American male was
arrested in cotmection with the murders on
Thursday, October 13, but that did not lay
fears to rest.
San Francisco-based hate violence experts
Jill Tregor, Executive Director of the Inter
group Clearinghouse, and Lester Olmstead-
Rose, Executive Director of Community
United Against Violence, were dispatched to
Laurel by NGLTF to help focus national
attention on the murders and to develop anti
violence organizing.
“Our job now, and the task before the gay
and lesbian community everywhere, is to con
tinue to insist that the Department of Justice
intercede in this terrible tragedy to ensure that
justice is served. An anest has been made, but
there are glaring discrepancies in the sheriff’s
Continued on page 27
MAP Seminar
accents positive
by Gene Potent
Special to Q-Notes
How does HTV become AIDS? What is
meant by an “open label” drug study? How do
I go about applying for disability? Just what
are alternative therapies? Should I fire my
doctor? For those
affected by HIV
or AIDS the gen
eration of ques
tions and the
quest for answers
is endless. “In
formation is the
most powerful
tool people with
HIV have,” says
Adam Robinson,
Director of Edu-
cation for Metro-
lina AIDS Project (MAP).
In response to the needs of the newly
diagnosed, for long term survivors of HIV
infection, including their families and
caregivers, and for accurate and current infor
mation, MAP is sponsoring PLUS (Positive
Living for US), a weekend long seminar,
November 11, 12 and 13, that according to
Robinson, “...is designed to inspire and en
courage people to take control of their health
Continued on page 4
Barbara Rein
Pride PAC issues faii endorsements
RALEIGH—North Carolina Pride PAC
(Political Action Committee) for Lesbian and
Gay Equality’s board of directors has voted to
endorse a record 41 candidates for the fall
elections. This includes a re-endorsement of
27 candidates endorsed in the spring who won
their primary bids; 14 additional candidates
have been endorsed or recommended for their
fall bids. The board also re-issued its support
for Jim Fuller for Supreme Court.
Pride PAC has introduced a new system to
better communicate candidates’ support of
the issues delineated in Pride PAC’s Survey
to Candidates. The new system gives candi
dates one of three recommendation levels: E
(Endorse Fully), R (Recommend) or P (Pre
ferred). A candidate receiving an “E” — the
highest level of recommendation—returned
a survey to Pride PAC with favorable re
sponses. Level “R” indicates a candidate who
may not have scored as well on their survey
but did well on Crime Against Nature revi
sion, Pride PAC’s key issue. An “R” may also
indicate a candidate who did not return a
survey but is an incumbant who (1) has re
ceived endorsement in the past, and/or (2) has
a good voting record or history with gay
issues. The third level of recommendation,
“P,” indicates that the candidate will clearly
be better for us than his or her opponent.
Pride PAC plans to donate over $6,000 to
candidates this fall. The general election is
November 8.
p _ > Clip & Carry - — ^ — — — — — — — — —i—• — — ^
North Carolina PRIDE PAC 1994 General Election Voter Guide |
Supreme Court
Jim Fuller E
Senate
S7 Luther Henry Jordan (D) E
512 Virginia Foxx (R) E
513 Jeanne R. Lucas (D) E
513 Wib Gulley (D) E
514 Ruth E. Cook (D) E
S14 JK Sherron(D) R
S16 Fred Hobbs (D) E
S27 Donovan R. Kirby (D) E
S27 James Owen Rose 03) E
531 Bill Martin (D) E
532 Dot Kendall Kearns (D) E
S36 Linda Gunter (D) E
S40 Leslie Winner (D) E
House
H13 Karen Gottovi (D) E
H19 Clyde J. Rhyne (D) E
H23PaulLuebke(D) E
^H23 Mickey Michaux (D) R
H24 Joe Hackney (D) E i
H24 Anne Barnes (D) R ■
H25 Bertha Holt (D) R j
H26 Alma Adams (D) EI
H35 A. Neal Smith (D) E|
H48 Edith Lutz (D) R|
H51 Doris Giezentanner (D) R ■
H52 Liston B. Ramsey (D) E ■
H56 Martha Alexander (D) E j
H60 Beverly Earle (D) EI
H61 Brad Miller (D) EI
H62AndyPenry(D) E|
H64Bob Hensley (D) El
H65 Larry Wayne Womble (D) E ■
H67 Warren Oldham (D) E [
H68 Bill Ives (R) E [
H78 Joseph Alexander (R) EI
H87 Frances Cummings (D) E |
H89 Mary L. Jarrell (D) E |
H89 Maggies Jeffus (D) E i
H93 Billy Joye (D) EI
H97 Jerry BrasweU (D) ^