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PAGE 6 ▼ Q-Notes ▼ November 11, 2000
Vol. 15, No. 13 - November 11, 2000
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Index
Articles
Fall heats up aaivities in Wilmington 1
Newly retired Court of Appeals Judge
compares military anti-gay policy
to McCarthy-era witch hunts 17
Memorial to gay vets dedicated 1
Out and Equal workplace summit
challenged by TG issues 3
Phoenix conference of GLBT public
servants is largest annual gathering.... 3
Wife of AOL chairman gives 5.8 million
to Florida school connected with
fundamentalist church 1
Winn-Dixie fires trucker who
crossdresses away from work 5
Features
New home design series on the Net 18
Reconciliation offers theatre the way
it’s supposed to be experienced 19
Two, Four, Six, Eight...Uncle Sam
assumes your straight 4
Columns
Classifieds 25
Community Cards 22, 23
Curbside 26
The Drag Rag 18
ePlay 13
GLAAD Notes 25
Money Matters 22
News Notes 11
Out and About 26
Out In The Stars 21
Poll Question 19
QFYI 23
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300 Stonewall
20
Jeffrey Grant Koenig, Attorney
....10
Alyson Travel
...4,23
Leah’s Bookkeeping & Tax Service ....
....22
American Express Financial
8
Liaisons
4
B. B. Collins Fashion Design
22
MCC Charlotte
....12
Blue Ridge Trust
3
Markham Landscape Products
....22'
The Brass Rail
13
Mary’s Top-side Beach Club
5
eSA Real Estate
11
Menu by Melissa
....23
Calhoun House
16
Miss NC USofA Pageant
....27
Carolina Funeral & Cremation...
26
Bruce Moyer, Counselor
9
Center for Positive Living
3
New Life MCC
....23
Central Records
23
Newsstand International
7
Central Station
7
Norman Russell Salon and Spa
....18
Charleston Beach B&B
23
Joe O’Connor, Realtor
7
Charlotte Realty Group
8
Parliament Social Club
....10
Cheyenne Cattlemen’s Club
13
Patkview Video & News
.... 10
Jeff Childs, Broker/Realtor
22
Phat Burrito
....21
Club Myxx '.
.14, 15
Pink Fairy Travel
8
Cris Williamson in Concert
19
Posh Pets
9
Computing Essentials
23
Queen City Antiques
3
The Cove
10
Carol Reinard, Realtor
....22
Doug Detwiler, Psychotherapist..
22
Scott Lawn & Landscaping
....13
M. A. Dixon, Law Office
22
Sharon Memorial Park
....10
Edwin G. Farthing, Attorney
22
Joan Simpson, Psychologist
....22
Elizabeth Station
18
Sir Speedy Printing
9
Ricki Geiger, Psychotherapist .....
22
Sleepy Poet Antique Mall
Genesis
24
Joel Smith, Hair Designs
....22
Georgetown Body Works
5
Sub Station II
....21
Ghostrun.com
21
Summit Grandview Apartments
3
Good OF Days
21
Scott Thompson, Hair Design
....23
Good Year Tire
23
Thrailkill Counseling
....22
Lisa Griffin, Family Therapist
7
Tile Impressions
....23
Hair Club for Men and Women
9
Timberfell Lodge
....16 ■
Home For Sale
4
Time Out
....11
Home Resources..
22
The Tradesmen Leather/Levi Club ...
....23
Homosexuality and the Scriptures..
.25
Trish Works
....23
Independence News
16
Unitarian Universalist Church
....25
Insomnia
17
Andy Vernon, Realtor
....22
InTouch Body Therapy
5
Connie Vetter, Attorney
....23
Italian American Reconciliation....
19
Nan Walker, Counselor
....23
J & W Communications
2
Vinson Washburn, Realtor
....16
Jemsek Clinic
22
White Rabbit Books & Things
....21
Klutts Property Management
10
The Wizard ofOz
....28
viewpoint
Why America must
honor ALL veterans
This fight is personal.
A year ago, our son Barry was attacked and
killed — viciously beaten with a baseball bat
— by fellow soldiers in the United States Army.
Their reason? They thought Barry was gay, and
so they beat him while he was asleep.
Our sun was killed on American soil by an
American solider. That is disgraceful.
We are appalled that our military lets cow
ards like that serve in its ranks, but discharges
brave lesbians, gays and bisexuals who wish to
serve their country. The Pentagon needs to re
think its priorities.
It is time for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t
Pursue, Don’t Harass” to end.
This policy is a lie. It forces service mem
bers to lie to their friends about who they are
under penalty of expulsion. This policy is also
an excuse. It is an excuse to abuse and harass
men and women who protect our country.
The Department of Defense, in its own
study, found that 80 percent of service mem
bers surveyed had seen or witnessed some form
of harassment during the past year. We should
all, as American citizens, be concerned.
The time has come for accountability in the
nation’s armed forces. A commander’s job is to
take care of his or her soldiers. All soldiers. A
letter
commander who does not hold soldiers respon
sible for their actions is simply not doing his or
her job. The Pentagon must learn to play by its
own rules. “Do what I say, not what I do”
doesn’t work in the military. Commanders must
set an example for their soldiers to follow.
Just recently, we received Barry’s belongings
from the Army — a year after his death.
Barry’s items were thrown into a cardboard
box. A medal he worked so hard to earn was
sticking out of the side; it could have easily
slipped out while being handled by the post
office. The Army did about as good a job car
ing for his things as they did caring for his life.
Among the things we found in that box was
a card from SLDN that lists a service members’
rights under the policy. Say nothing. Sign noth
ing. Get legal help. It was probably the most
valuable thing Barry could have had. We just
wish he would have called that number.
As a soldier, Barry had few people to turn to
for protection. As parents, we thank you for
caring, and ask you to help those who are the
targets of military intolerance.
This Veteran’s Day (November 11), please
join us in honoring the memory of Barry and
all service members. Write your elected officials,
call the Pentagon, and let them know: It is time
for this policy to go. Our military must become
whole. ▼
— Pat and Wally Kutteles
Kansas City, MO
[Service members may callServicemembers Le
gal Defense Network for free, confidential legal
counseling at202-328 FAIR. For more informa
tion, visit SLDN on the web at www.sldn.orgl\
The play’s the thing
I’d like to respond to a few observations or
criticisms you made in your theater review col
umn regarding Passing Ceremonies [“Play issues
aren’t so black and white,” October 28, 2000,
page 18]. Also, I would like to answer your post
column inquiries in regards to this wonderful
play which I attended on Saturday, October 7.
In your column, you never mention the
name of the director with whom you noted sev
eral directorial problems.
For me enhancing the set with a more physi
cal environment isn’t what connects me to the
characters or the plot, it’s the story itself and
the actors who convey the playwright’s words.
They could have been on stage in front of a
blank screen instead of a cafe overlooking the
river, and this play would have still “moved”
I think Mr. Kamtman used what was avail
able and made it work to the advantage of the
actors and the audience.
Let’s also give credit to the stage manager.
Velvet Dockrill for the hard work this play
demanded, and the OUTCharlotte committee
for their insight allowing this work to be com
missioned and to seen by so many.
Now, with regards to the playwtight, and a
quote in your column about the homogeniza
tion of the characters down to “gay artists (who
by the way are black).”
You say that the mostly “Caucasian” audi
ence was able to share in the experience of these
two dynamic writers, poets, and artists but they
are not exposed to the “passion” that made them
who they were.
Tom Wirth, the executor for Richard Bruce
Nugent, (who was consulted and was present
during the play) and Steve would have to dis
agree with this observation. Although I am not
speaking for Steve, I am privy to the fact that I
know how hard he researched these two fea
tured men to capture their individuality and
passion enough to bring that element across the
stage.
Essex was clearly passionate in his poetry and
prose, and during the play Essex dialog with
Richard was very tense. At one point, Richard
does ask if Essex was a preacher because it ap
parently grates against Richard’s nonchalant,
easy-going nature. Essex is angry, and audiences
feel that anger in Essex’s tense and metered tone
that he gives off to Richard and Rafael, Richard’s
love interest in the play. Richard is passionate
about his travels to Italy and it is reflected in
his writing and drawings. Steve’s dialogue be
tween the characters are an accurate depiction
exposing each man’s personality, what made
them human enough to care about.
' I’m not quite sure what you meant when
you say that Steve can only intellectualize the
ideas of bigotry and culturism. Is it because
Essex and Richard are no longer alive and he
can’t actually know how these two subjects af
fected their works? Does that have anything to
do with his being white?
To convey a message or story about a
person(s) is to take what you know about the
person(s). So, to me, that means research, read
ing and breaking down the essence of a person
by taking an extrapolation of what is factual
without the main body present as a resource.
As a playwright, one should have literary li
cense to create a story for the audience to enjoy
or to make the intellectual leap. I don’t think
Steve underestimates his audience, whether they
are mostly white or all black. I, being the latter,
don’t find his contribution coming at the ex
pense of the black or gay communities. If he
didn’t tell the story about these two men, who
would?
Has he treaded on territory best discovered
See LETTER on page 9
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