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4 The Latest Q^POLL Results If Vermont passes proposed legislation extending gay and lesbian couples the same rights as married couples, will you be tempted to relocate to that state? Maybe 29% The Carolinas’ Most Comprehensive Gay & Lesbian Newspaper Vote at www.q-notes.com Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper * Volume 15, Number 1 • May 27, 2000 • FREE NC cities’ partnership laws upheld — ^ , V'' Charlotte's oldest gay club will be torn down after 30 years of operation Much is lost in Oleen’s closing by David Stout Q-Notes Staff CHARLOTTE—Once their eyes had ad justed to the darkness and the everpresent cloud of disco fog mixed with cigarette smoke that saturated the club, first-time visitors would find the entire GLBT community in microcosm laid out before them. The scene: A shirtless bartender is busy mix ing a Manhattan for a grandfatherly sort while two Birkenstock-clad lesbians challenge a redneck male couple in matching flannel for control of the pool table. Sitting by the dancefloor is a boisterous crowd of straight-but- not-narrow crossdressers lobbing money and words of support at the drag queen making her public debut. Bookended by these scenes are customers of all ages, races, genders, sexual per suasions and economic levels, socializing shoul- der-to-shoulder on the dusty concrete floor of the one-room establishment. Welcome to Oleen’s. Be glad you got here before she’s gone. Following the last weekend in May, Oleen’s will close its doors for the final time at 1831 South Boulevard, the same location it has oc cupied for the past 30 years. The Greenville, SC family that owns the property has sold it out from under the club, cashing in on the frenzied growth that is re making this former industrial zone into one of the city’s most vibrant entertainment districts. Southend, as the tony locale is now known, sim ply outgrew the little, ramshackle gay club. When Oleen Love joined with Don Robertson and Marion and Oakey Tyson (who later started Scorpio) to open the club in May 1970, they probably had no idea how impor tant it would become in building an organized GLBT community in Charlotte. (The city’s only other gay club. The Neptune, a converted gas station with dirt floors located on North Tryon St., closed shortly after Oleen’s opened.) One person who watched the journey from the front — first as a patron and from 1985 onward as the club’s manager — is keenly aware of the bar’s place in history. “Gay bars were the only places to go to meet others. It’s not like today with the Internet, social organizations and See OLEEN’S on page 17 NC Pride readies for annual event SC Pride “postponed” by Mark A. Colston Special to Q-Notes DURHAM—The North Carolina Pride 2000 Coordinating Committee is putting the finishing touches on this year’s gay pride fes tivities. Multiple events are scheduled for the weekend of June 9 - 11 at various locations around Durham. The official festival, match and rally will be held Saturday, June 10 on Duke University’s East Campus from 10:00am until 5:00pm. This year’s gathering marks the 15 th con secutive year for Pride in North Carolina. To mark the anniversary, the event will carry the theme, “Its Time: Come Out for Pride,” which organizers say reflects the fact that despite the many social, political and economic gains that have been made by GLBT individuals and in stitutions across the state, much work still needs to be done to achieve full civil rights. Still, the gathering is meant to be ah upbeat occasion. “Accomplishments and victories will...be celebrated by promoting unity and vis ibility among lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered people,” organizers assure. The official NG Pride 2000 March and Fes tival kicks off Saturday at 10:00am with a wotk- shop on ttansgender issues. An anti-racism workshop begins at 11:00am, followed by the march at 1:00pm. The rally — scheduled to run until 5:00pm — will conclude the day’s events on Duke’s East Campus. Among those expected to speak at the tally are openly-gay Carrboro Mayor Mike Nelson, Rev. Jimmy Creech and openly-gay Superior Court Judge Ray Warren. Coordinating Committee member Shelly Golden says that volunteers and money -are needed to make this year’s event a success. She encourages anyone interested in volunteering or financially supporting NC Pride 2000 to contact the Committee. Members can be reached at the official web site (http://go.to/ ncpride) or by email (NC Pride2000@aol.com). SC Pride on hold Even as North Carolina Pride prepares to kick off, the South Carolina Pride Committee has postponed its annual event. SC Pride Committee President Bert Easter stated in a press release, “We had formed a Pride Committee of volunteers that really never got off the ground.” He added that because Pride was not held in the spring, fall was the target period for a series of local events around the state. Regional celebrations ate being planned in Florence and Columbia with hopes of adding more cities to the schedule. Reportedly, the SC Pride Committee is also planning to adopt a year-round campaign of community service rather than continue focus ing on a once-a-year party. They are meeting every 3rd Sunday at the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Community Center to investigate the options. ▼ by Clay Ollis Q-Notes Staff Chapel hill—Orange County Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson issued a sum mary ruling on May 9 permitting the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro to continue to pro vide health insurance benefits to domestic part ners of their employees. The laws were challenged in a suit filed in i, 1999 by 12 plaintiffs from Chapel Hill and > Carrboro. Nate Pendley, attorney for the plain- j tiffs, argued that the towns overstepped their ! authority by passing such ordinances and that - state law allows only spouses and children to ; be considered as dependents. Sharon Thompson, attorney for Chapel Hill, argued that state law allows municipalities to set their own definitions for the term “depen dents.” “It’s just a contractual decision as to who should be given dependent covetage,” said Michael Brough, Carrboro’s town attorney. The ruling means the towns can continue to_ provide the benefits, though the plaintiffs have 30 days to file an appeal. In practice, few employees take advantage of the benefit. Chapel Hill estimates that it spends about .005 percent of its budget on ben efits for domestic partners. “I am extremely pleased that the judge agreed with what we have been saying all along — local governments have the authotity to pro vide domestic partner benefits, it is a reason able thing for them to do and it does not vio late any public policy. It is unfortunate that the town is being forced to spend taxpayers’ dol lars to defend their actions against such an or ganized political attack,” said Thompson. “Clearly, the judge wants someone further up the line to decide the issue,” said Pendley, implying an intent to appeal the decision. A 1996 challenge to the laws was thrown out when the anonymous Chapel Hill plaintiff refused to be identified. T Money missing from March coffers As much as $750,000 might be involved by Dan Van Mourik Q-Notes Staff . WASHINGTON, DC—.The Millennium March on Washington for Equality (MMOW) has struggled with controversy since its incep tion. Even now that the event — held the week end of April 28-30 — is over, problems con tinue to plague the organization. Organizers state they have not received any of the revenue promised them by the company that produced the festival in conjunction with the march. Believing an amount of money reaching six-figures was stolen, they called in the FBI to investigate. The FBI confirmed that it is investigating allegations that someone might have walked off with as much as $750,000. “We did receive allegations that the funds are missing,” said FBI spokeswoman Susan Lloyd. “We have opened a preliminary investigation into this allegation. At this point, we have not indepen dently confirmed any of it, including the amount of money or the people in volved.” MMOW organizers have not ruled out a lawsuit against Millennium Produc tions LLC, the company that agreed to turn over 65 per cent of the revenue from the sale of food, souvenirs and tickets to entertainment events during the festival. However, Jose Ucles, director of Millennium Productions, said that he and his business part ners were also “victims.” “We were robbed of half a million upwards, perhaps $750,000,” Ucles said. “It had to be someone who knew us, and that is the sad part.” Ucles said he and his staff have been audit ing wristbands as well as food, drink and entry tickets since the event, in an attempt to figure out exactly how much money is missing. “We are not the only victims, so are the many people and organizations that worked so hard to make the Millennium Festival and MMOW such a success. We feel terrible that we are un able to meet all the financial responsihilities associated with the festival,” Ucles said. “Our hope is that the authorities will be able to get to the bottom of this and be able to recover the “/t is fair to infer at this point that someone simply walked off with the money" said Michael Boucher, general counsel for the march stolen amount.” Wristbands were sold to attendees of the fes tival for $5 as a donation to MMOW, to offset its related expenses and for accounting pur poses. Food and drink tickets were used for similar accounting purposes. The dispute over funds began on the last night of the event. Organizers said members of Millennium Productions told them “that they couldn’t pay us what they owe us,” said Ann DeGroot, MMOW co-chair. “We think they owe us about $750,000.” At the end of the march, organizers said they tealized that they had a major problem. Without the money, they couldn’t hope to repay the money they bot- rowed from companies to stage the event. On Monday, May 8, they informed other commit tee members. On Tuesday, May 9, they ap proached the FBI’s Washington field office. “It is fair to infer at this point that someone simply walked off with the money,” said Michael Boucher, a Washington-based lawyer who served as general counsel for the march. ___________ Two agents from the FBI’s white collar crime unit met with Boucher and two MMOW boatd members — Raleigh attorney Michael Armentrout and Human Rights, Campaign (HRC) staffer Margaret Conway. At least three people have been identified as suspects, Boucher said. While the FBI continues to investigate the missing funds, additional questions arose about the handling of the money for which they’ve already accounted. Some people involved said there were problems get ting the money from the Brinks trucks to the bank. However, Malcolm Lazln, a former execu tive director of the march, has been repaid the $400,000 loan he made to the Millennium Festival. On May 4, Millennium Productions wired the money to Lazin plus $100,000 in interest. Lazin stated that the interest, less fi nancing costs, “would go to charity.” Michael Gallagher, MMOW’s financial di rector until he was dismissed several days after the march, said Lazin’s $100,000 loan fee was meant to “ensure that money goes back to the community.” He said MMOW had promised to give money to local community organiza tions, but that it was unlikely that MMOW See MONEY on page 22
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