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' The Carolinas’ Most Comprehensive Gay & Lesbian Newspaper http: / / WWW. q-HO tCS. CO III
Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper • Volume 13, Number 8 • September 5, 1998 • FREE
sc Pride sponsors state conference
by Brian M. Myer
Q-Notes Staff
COLUMBIA, SC—In the midst of a year
that brought a flurry of challenges to the South
Carolina gay and lesbian community, the South
Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement
(SCGLPM) has announced plans to hold a state
networking conference on Saturday, Septem
ber 12 at the University of South Carolina in
Columbia.
“Working together,” Tony Snell, SCGLPM
president, said, “is the key to our strength. We
must unite as one community, one South Caro
lina, one America to succeed.”
Registration for the free day-long event will
run from 9:00-9:30am and the conference is
slated to begin thereafter with a half-hour open
ing session entitled “Equality Begins at Home,”
presented by The National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force. Then, after a brief welcome by the
SCGLPM board, participants will have the
opportunity to choose from one of these con
current workshops: “Youth Issues,” “People of
Color,” “Health Issues,” “Community of
Faith,” “Women’s Issues” and “Organizational
Development and Non-Profit Status.”
The conference also includes a panel discus
sion on “Politics and Grassroots Organizing,”
networking workshops based on state geo
graphic areas (Piedmont, Central, Coastal, Pee
Dee) and organizing sessions related to the
upcoming 10th anniversary pride celebration.
The last event hosted at the University will be
at 4;00pm — a dialogue to process, evaluate
and build on the events of the day.
Later in the evening, between 6:00-8;00pm,
participants are invited to attend an open house
at the South Carolina Pride Center. Finally, the
conference is scheduled to close with a special
Pride99 Benefit Show at 11:00pm at Metropolis
nightclub, 1800 Blanding St., starring power
house vocalist and Broadway star Jennifer
Holliday. Tickets for the show are $12.50 and
available at Metropolis’ Columbia and Myrtle
Beach locations; the GLPM Pride Center, 1108
Woodrow St., Columbia; from GLPM mem
bers and by mail or fax.
Recalling some of the many difficulties that
erupted in South Carolina during the past year,
Snell observed, “We can be very proud for pro
ducing one of the most successfiil Pride celebra
tions ever. The mayor of Myrtle Beach and the
city’s largest developer failed in their attempts
to stop us. A candidate for the Republican
nomination for Commissioner of Agriculture
attacked gays — and fell to defeat. The Indigo
Girls went on to perform at no charge for stu
dents, despite being canceled by a Midlands
high school. Charleston’s Solicitor overcame
meanspirited charges from his own political
party for being gay. A lesbian who was brutally
attacked continues her fight for justice against
an incompetent Upstate law enforcement
agency. Homophobic thetoric from the gover
nor, attorney general and other so-called lead
ers will not break our spirit! We stand firm in
our resolve for equal rights and justice for all
people.”
He added, “In the eyes of many politicians,
we’re seen as nothing more than the state’s un
official ‘punching bag.’ We’ve taken the blows,
we’re still standing tall and we’re winning the
fight — round by round!”
While there is no charge to attend the con
ference, organizers request that interested par
ties call to reserve space. For reservations or
show tickets, write: GLPM, PO Box 6652,
Columbia, SC 29260; phone: (803) 799-8727;
fax: (803) 790-1222; email: scglpm@
scpride98.org. V
Unity Festival ’98 plans unveiled
by Brian M. Myer
Q-Notes Staff
DURHAM, NC—^The folks who produce
the Triangle-based newsletter Out In Black have
announced the creation of a new festival to sup
port and highlight the lives and contributions
of NC GLBTs of color. As stated in promo
tional materials, the People of Color Unity Fes
tival ’98 will “take Raleigh-Durham by storm”
September 25-27.
The first celebration of its kind in the Tarheel
state, the Unity Festival is designed to salute,
empower and embrace both
the community and the in
dividual. It also provides the
opportunity for others to ex
perience the full richness and
diversity within these com
munities and build bridges
of understanding throughout all
communities.
The festival begins September 25 with
an 1 l:00am-2:00pm tea. This wfll be a
time for participants to mingle and get to
know one another. A welcome reception
with free buffet and cash bar is planned
between 6:00-8:00pm. Immediately
afterward, a candlelight vigil will be
held. An “Open Mic” event — for
sharing poetry, music, singing, com
edy, etc. — begins at 8:30pm. The
Unity Fest ’98 Kick Off Party, scheduled
for 11:00pm, promises to be a time of fun,
relaxation and networking. Tickets to the party
will be available for $7. All of these opening-
day events will be held at J & L’s Restaurant &
Bar, 2627 Hillsborough Rd., Durham.
Saturday’s information fair, including art
exhibits; open forums; entertainment; guest
speakers; discussion groups; food and merchan
dise vendors; and health, business and finan
cial seminars, is scheduled to take place at the
prestigious and historic Hayti Center, 804 Old
Fayetteville St., Durham. There will be no ad
mission at the center. At 11:00pm, participants
will return to J & L’s for the Unity Fest ’98
Party. Like the previous night, tickets will be
$7 each.
The weekend’s events are scheduled to end
Sunday, September 27 with an opportunity to
“come together in worship and fellowship.” The
location of this free-of-charge service had yet
to be finalized as Q-Notes
was going to press.
John D. Hardy,
publisher of Out in
Black, says the event
promises to be unlike
anything NC has seen
before. “We are going to
have lots of fun, talk about
some issues concerning our com
munity, solve some problems,
learn some new stuff, do some net
working, show mad love and sup
port for each other, show off our tal-
ents, eat, party and pray
together... like family!”
If any individuals, clubs, orga
nizations or businesses would like to
be a part of this landmark gathering
— by volunteering, leading a workshop
or discussion group, donating or showing a
film, exhibiting artwork, selling products, set
ting up information tables or helping to spon
sor the event — they should contact Unity Fes
tival ’98 at PO Box 46663, Raleigh, NC 26720;
email Jd2hard@aol.com or call (919) 873-
3025. For hotel and flight information, call
Rainbow Travel at 1-800-633-9350. T
Roh Morris (1) and Steve Gunderson have gone from secrecy to celebration
Openly gay former Congressman
Gunderson to speak in Charlotte
by Dan Van Mourik
Q-Notes Staff
CHARLOTTE—Former Wisconsin Con
gressman Steve Gunderson (R-WI) was outed
on the floor of the House of Representatives in
1994 by then-Congressman Robert Dornan (R-
CA). “The gentleman from Wisconsin didn’t
tell you...he has a revolving door in his closet,”
Dornan said. Other Congressmen shouted
Dornan down, but in a New York Times pto-
file, Gunderson decided to officially come out.
Later that year, he was solidly re-elected.
When Gunderson came out in 1994, he was
the highest-ranking, openly-gay. Republican
official in US history. But Gunderson had de
nied his homosexuality for years. In 1991, when
asked by an Associated Press reporter if he was
gay, Gunderson replied, “I’m married to my
job,” denying his then eight-year relationship
with his partner, architect Rob Morris.
Gunderson retired from Congress in 1996
after 16 years, partly because he learned that
right-wing forces were conspiring to defeat him
even before he announced his candidacy.
Also in 1996, he and Morris wrote about
Gunderson’s public coming out and their life
together in House and Home: The Political and
Personal Journey of a Gay Republican Congress
man. Theirs is a story of building their rela
tionship and an extended family and of accept
ing responsibility as a member of the gay com
munity in the halls of Congress.
Gunderson now serves as a senior consult
ant and manager of the Washington office of
The Greystone Companies, a strategic manage
ment and communications consulting firm, but
also spends a great deal of his time on the speech
circuit and writing. He is quickly becoming a
popular speaker who is helping people under
stand national politics through his close per
sonal relationships on both sides of the politi
cal aisle, offering not only political explanation
but insider expertise as well. During his time
in Congress, Gunderson made his mark on
Washington and the nation as a leading Re
publican moderate and a leader on issues from
employment policy to health care to agricul
ture, education and human rights.
Gunderson and Morris will speak at the
University of North Carolina-Charlotte on
Thursday, October 22. The event is being co
sponsored by the Charlotte Business Guild and
the University Program Board. The Business
Guild will host a reception for them from 5:00-
7:00pm. Tickets for the reception are $18.00
and include admission to the talk. Tickets are
available in Charlotte at Paper Skyscraper,
White Rabbit Books & Things, Urban Evolu
tion and Superior Feet Playhouse. For more
information or for details on tickets for out-of-
towners, call the Charlotte Business Guild at
(704) 565-5075. ▼
Journalist is a write to life activist
by Karen Cress
Special to Q-Notes
AIDS reporting has played a key role in the
development of the AIDS activist movement.
John S. James, editor oiAIDS Treatment News,
has remained one of the leading figures in this
area for more than a decade. His no-nonsense
approach to the epidemic has made A/DS Treat
ment NEWS required reading for thousands of
PWAs over the years. Recently, James talked
about his goals as a journalist and an activist
— and how he reconciles the ethics of both.
Q-Notes: You started ri/Z)S Treatment News
in 1986. Why did you take it on? Was some
thing lacking in AIDS reporting or the quality
of information available?
John S. James: There wasn’t much of an ori
entation toward saving people’s lives. When I
got involved, the Beautiful Death idea was just
on its way out. Most service organizations were
basically holding people’s hands on the way to
death and taking care of practical matters for
them. In the beginning, there was little effort
to keep people alive.
QN: What image did you have in mind for
AIDS Treatment News when you started it?
JSJ: To some degree, I had an image of I.F.
Stone’s Weekly Journal. That was a political
newsletter. Basically it focused on very thor
ough research of government records and bring
ing out information that wasn’t part of the de
bate. I.F. Stone was a bit more oppositional than
we are. He loved to show up government offi
cials in a lie.
QN: Have you made a conscious decision
not to strike that same oppositional tone in
ATN.
JSJ: We give our readers information to
make good decisions for themselves. When that
means going against the prevailing view, we will;
but it isn’t our favorite thing. We are happy to
cooperate with industry, with government and,
of course, with other activists, but we will not
See JOURNALIST on page 11