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Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper • Volume 12, Number 1 • May 31, 1997 • FREE
MCC Charlotte leader
is forced to resign
by Dan Van Mourik
Q-Notes Staff
CHARLOTTE—Effective Friday, May 23,
Rev. V. Randy Votsch stepped down from his
position as Interim Pastoral Leader of the Met
ropolitan Community Church of Charlotte
(MCCC) an affiliated church of the Universal
Fellowship of Metropolitan Community
Churches (UFMCC). This move was man
dated by the Gulf Lower Atlantic District
(GLAD) committee. His resignation follows
several years of uneasiness between Rev. Votsch
and the church’s board of directors, stemming
from financial improprieties involving misuse
of MCCC credit cards in 1995.
At the Sunday, May 25 morning church ser
vice, board member Judy Ridenhour made the
following announcement to the congregation:
“First of all, today is a day of change for MCC
Charlotte. Some of you have heard the news,
some of you are probably going ‘What in the
world is going on?’ On Thursday evening, the
board was called to a meeting with the district
committee and Randy also. And at that time,
we were notified that their approval had been
removed for Randy as Senior Pastoral Leader.
And it went effective Friday, May 23rd. And
after that meeting, we were instructed to carry
on. We have spoken with Randy, been with
Randy, and he wants everyone to know he loves
you very much, that he is going to be okay, and
that he asks us to go on. He stressed that with
his whole heart — to go on with what God has
called this church to do.”
Pastoral leaders of UFMCC-affiliated
churches are not ordained ministers by the
church itself but are approved to serve by a com
mittee from the church’s district. In 1995, al-
though credentialed by three other denomina
tions, Rev. Votsch was deemed ineligible to
apply for ordination with UFMCC due to his
misuse of MCCC credit cards. Instead, he was
given the title “Interim Pastoral Leader.” The
procedure for ordination involves an investiga
tion and an interview. Due to the financial
concerns. Rev. Votsch was not allowed to ap-
ply for ordina
tion until spring
1997. When he
applied, the
process stopped
at the investiga
tional level and
he was told his
interview would
be postponed
until Novem
/
Rev. V. Randy Votsch
Despite the myths, lesbians
are vulnerable to AIDS
by Randi M. Bearden
Special to Q-Notes
This past April, I was in Greenville, SC to
vacation, visit my children and grandchildren,
scout out employment and living arrangements
and participate in the annual South Carolina
Pride March. As the coordinator of an HIV/
AIDS education and prevention program, the
reality of this disease and its impact upon every
race, gender and sexual orientation is something
that I deal with on a daily basis. With this in
mind, while I was home, I spoke with some of
my friends regarding HIV. The first thing that
was said to me when I raised this topic was.
“We don’t get AIDS; we’re lesbians.” Sadly, this
is the perception of most lesbians that I have
encountered. Quite frankly, there was a time
when I too subscribed to the same errant think
ing.
The fret is that lesbians do get HIV. Recendy,
I was in California for the National Confer
ence on Women and HfV. The conference gave
scholarships to over 400 HfV-positive/AIDS-
infected women to attend. And while I do know
lesbians who have AIDS, it was quite another
matter to encounter at one time so many of
the 400 who identified as lesbians and were
See LESBIANS on page 3
Fairy flies to association board
ber. Approximately three weeks later, the six-
member GLAD committee voted unanimously
to “disapprove” Rev. Votsch’s position as Interim
Pastoral Leader.
GLAD District Coordinator Jay Neely could
not be reached for comment and MCCC board
of directors member John Whitesell said an
official statement from the board would be is
sued, but was not received at press time. When
asked why Rev. Votsch was not approved as
Pastoral Leader, he said, “I have no comment.”
A telephone call placed by Q-Notes to Rev.
Votsch was not returned by deadline.
Whitesell said the board of directors will act
as a search committee for a new pastor, bring
ing on additional members from the congrega
tion. Again, at press time, it had not been de
cided who would condua services in the in
terim. However, Whitesell stated that the
church has an Assisrant Pastoral Leader (Jill
Johnson) and several members of the congre
gation are qualified to lead services.
This is the second time the religious leader
of MCCC has left the church with little or no
explanation. Rev. Lynn Guerra resigned in Feb
ruary 1992 stating, “...I have spent over nine
years here in Charlotte building a home for
God. My work here is finished.”
On Sunday, June 1, MCCC will host a re
ception from 5:00-7:00pm to honor Rev.
Votsch, his ministry, and his five-year leader
ship. Rev. Votsch indicated that he would an
swer all questions at that time. MCC Char
lotte is located at 4037 E. Independence Blvd.,
3rd floor. ▼
by David Stout
Q-Notes Staff ^
PHILADELPHIA—Charlotte travel agent
Beverly McIntyre was elected to the board of
the International Gay and Lesbian Travel As
sociation (IGLTA) during its recent
I4th Annual Convention. In
cruising to victory, McIntyre,
perhaps better known as The
Pink Fairy, received the most
votes of any director in the
group’s history — despite
the fret that she was a late
entry in the race.
The organization, which
unanimously voted to
change its name from the In
ternational Gay Travel Associa
tion at the May 8-11 gathering, is
comprised of individual and corporate
members who work in the travel- or conven
tion-related fields. Membership in IGLTA in
dicates an affiliate’s desire to serve the boom
ing gay and lesbian travel market.
McIntyre, who has four children (two of
whom are gay), is the current president of the
Charlotte Business Guild, a networking orga
nization for gay/supportive business owners and
executives, and staned Pink Fairy Travel in Janu
ary ’95. The agency’s memorable name is based
on a comic character she has portrayed at a va
riety of venues and at performances
with One Voice, Charlotte’s gay
and lesbian chorus.
McIntyre told Q-Notes that
her selection was a promo
tional step in the right direc
tion for the Queen City. “I
feel that this should bring
even more attention to
Charlotte, but in a very posi
tive way, rather than the
negative one from the County
Commissioners.”
Five additional board members
chosen at the convention were from
Montreal, Canada; Cologne, Germany;
Munich, Germany; Philadelphia and Dallas.
For more information on the International
Gay and Lesbian Travel Association or to make
travel arrangements, call Pink Fairy Travel at
(704) 332-5545 or 1-800-243-3477. T
Pride PAC tracks bills in Assembly
by David Jones
Q-Notes Staff
RALEIGH—M.K. Cullen works NC’s
General Assembly on behalf of NC Pride PAC
for Lesbian and Gay Equality, the state’s gay-
rights political organization. She moves confi
dently through the maze of hallways, meeting
rooms and offices that make up the legislative
complex in Raleigh. Between meetings, she can
be seen conferring with other progressive lob
byists, checking vote counts, explaining some
technical aspect of the legislative process, but-
ton-holing someone to make a point, all while
proudly wearing a prominent name tag that says
clearly who she works for.
Cullen always seems to know what’s about
to happen when she arrives for one committee
meeting and what’s likely to happen in the sev
eral other meetings that she will attend on any
given day. And that isn’t easy. NC’s legislature
is considering more proposals this year affect
ing lesbians and gay men than at any other time
in history.
May 1 was an important date on the legisla
tive calendar, the day that a policy bill had to
clear either the full House or Senate to stay alive.
Some of the gay-related bills dropped out on
that day because neither body had passed them.
But several others are still being debated. Pre
sented here is the scorecard so far, based on a
recent NC Pride PAC update.
Gone but not forgotten
Bills that did not meet the May 1 “cross
over” deadline and are dead for this session in
clude Sexual Privacy at Home, SB 1050, intro
duced By Sen. Eleanor Kinnaird of Orange
County. It would have reformed the state’s so-
called Crimes Against Nature law to exempt
sexual acts by consenting adults performed at
home.
Ethnic Intimidation Act Changes, HB 1065,
was introduced by Rep. Paul Luebke of
Durham, and would have added sexual orien
tation and gender identity to the current Eth
nic Intimidation Act which makes it a felony
to assault someone because of these character
istics. Both bills were supported by NC Pride
PAC.
Parental Rights and Child Protection Act,
HB 1085, would make it illegal to give any
materials to a minor child that “suggests, rec
ommends, condones or advocates, explicitly or
implicitly, engaging in any of the following:
...unnatural sex acts, alternate lifestyles, or any
other form of sexual activity outside the bonds
of matrimony between a lawfully married man
and woman....” After a heated debate, the bill
was defeated in committee. Pride PAC opposed
the bill strongly.
Still in the running
A number of bills are still alive with the po
tential to have a significant impact on the
GLBT community.
Orange County is trying to add sexual ori
entation to its existing human relations ordi
nance in the Orange Omnibus Act, SB 632/
HB 758, sponsored by Sens. Eleanor Kinnaird
and Howard Lee and Reps. Verla Insko and Joe
Hackney of Orange County. It has been referred
to House and Senate committees for further
consideration.
Domestic Violence Changes, SB 627/HB
929, would give a “household member,” includ
ing gay men and lesbians, the right to get a re
straining order from a court if he or she is in an
abusive relationship. It was introduced by Sen.
Brad Miller ofWake County. It has passed both
the House and the Senate. But. at press time,
an effort was underway to remove homosexual
partners as household members covered by the
law.
Military Job Recruiters, HB 628, passed the
House 94-19 and has been sent to the Senate
Higher Education Committee. It would force
state institutions of higher education to allow
military recruiters to operate on university cam
puses. The law schools of UNC-Chapel Hill
and Duke University currently deny access to
recruiters for the military Judge Advocate Gen
eral (JAG) Corps because of the military’s policy
of discriminating against gay people.
To help train activists generally and focus
attention on the work that needs to be done in
the final weeks of the legislation session. Pride
PAC will hold its first Activist Training work
shop in conjunction with the Pride ’97 week
end in Carrboro, June 6-8. The workshop will
be held Friday, June 6 from 12 to 4pm, fol
lowed by a reception. The cost, including ma
terials, lunch and the reception, is $10. The
agenda includes strategy, recruitment and lead
ership development and lobbying. For more
information, contact NC Pride PAC for Les
bian and Gay Equality, PO Box 28768 Raleigh,
NC 27611-8768; (919) 829-0343; e-mail:
ncpridepac@aol.com. T