The Carolinas’ Most Comprehensive Gay & Lesbian Newspaper
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March is Women’s
History Month.
Our community is loaded
with some phenomenal
talent
See page 21 for a look at past
and present contributors.
Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper • Volume 15, Number 22 • March 17, 2001 • FREE
Triangle Business
Guild gives awards
RALEIGH — In the first of what they hope
will become an annual ceremony, the Triangle
Business and Professional Guild presented
awards to those deemed to be outstanding lead
ers in GLBT communities in North Carolinas
research triangle, which includes Raleigh,
Durham, Chapel Hill and surrounding com
munities.
Art Stone, guild board member and Awards
Chairperson, explained, “The Guild though it
was time that we begin to recognize these people
publicly for the efforts they make on behalf of
all of us.”
Categories for the awards included Business
of the Year, Community Leader, Professional
of the Year, Straight Ally and, of course, the
Rotten Raspberry Award for the individuals or
groups “who have done their best to do their
worst” to the GLBT community.
• This year’s recipient of the Rotten Rasp
berry Award was North Carolina’s US Senator
Jesse Helms, who has been a long-time foe of
the GLBT community. The Senator was pre
sented the award in absentia.
• The Straight Ally Award this year was pre
sented to former minister Jimmy Creech, who
received national attention — and was stripped
of his ordination by the United Methodist
Church — for his celebration of holy unions
for same-sex couples. Creech, currently a Ra
leigh resident, is Chairman of Soulforce, a La
guna Beach, CA,' interfaith organization that
uses civil disobedience methods to combat re
ligious discrimination against GLBT people.
[An essay by Creech can be found on page 8 of
this issue.]
• The Community Leader Award was pre
sented to David Jones, who has helped raise
more than $3 million to create two new clinics
in Africa. Jones, Program Development Coor
dinator for the UNC AIDS Research and Treat
ment Group, is also involved with numerous
HIV/AIDS-related committees and task forces
in the state.
• The Professional of the Year Award was pre
sented to Sharon Thompson of the Sharon Th
ompson Law Group. Thompson is co-founder
of the North Carolina Gay and Lesbian
Attorney’s Association, has successfully argued
cases for several gay and lesbian clients, and
teaches the first ever classes on sexual orienta
tion and the law at the UNC School of Law.
• Business of the Year was awarded to White
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Continental pageants net winners
On Friday. March 2. the Second Annual Miss NC Continental and
Continental PLUS was held at Scorpio. The winner of the NC
Continental was Kirby Kolby of Raleigh (right); her first
runner-up was Kysha Wellington of Charlotte. Amaya of
Fayetteville (center) captured the title of Miss NC Continental
PLUS; her runner-up was Chastity Nichols of Fayetteville. Lola Lush
of Miami will represent Miss SC Continental PLUS. The national
PLUS contest takes place Easter weekend in Chicago. Also pictured
is Alyson Thomas (left), promoter and producer of the North and
South Carolina Continental pageants.
Look for more details next issue in the Drag Rag. ▼
TOY auction: bids
for the future
by David Stout
Q-Notes Staff
CHARLOTTE — This yeat Time Out
Youth is celebrating a decade of service and
support to GLBT youths. The group’s largest
annual fundraiser, an auction of goods and ser
vices donated by a variety of individual and
business benefactors, will reach the .same mile
stone later this month.
Local news anchor Cullen Fergusen will
serve as Master of Ceremonies for the Diamond
Anniversary Auction 2001. He and his wife,
Gwen, have been active supporters of the GLBT
community and Time Out Youth since com
ing out as- a family about son Doug’s homo
sexuality in the mid-1990s.
On Saturday, March 24, the live auction
(typically featuring items valued over $300) will
begin at 8t00 pm while the silent auction gets
underway a little earlier at 6:30 pm. Between
the two. Time Out Youth officials hope to reach
this year’s lofty goal of $50,000 — a 40 per
cent increase over Y2K’s haul.
Aside from the attempt to smash the
fundraising record. Time Out Youth Executive
Director Tonda Taylor says that the Diamond
Anniversary Auction will be memorable for a
few more reasons: this year’s donations repte-
sent the most eclectic grouping of auction items
ever; youth leaders from the past are expected
to attend; and a variety of special entertainment
is scheduled.
Attendees will be treated to all this plus an
open beer/wine/coffee bar and heavy hors
d’oeuvres for the $20 admission charge. Every
one is encouraged to “dress to express in your
favorite after-five attire” and join the fun at the
First Union Atrium, 301 S. Tryon Street in
uptown Charlotte.
For more information about the Diamond
Anniversary Auction or Time Out Youth, call
704-344-8335. ▼
Rabbit Books and Things. White Rabbit has
stores in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Greensboro
offering a central place for community news
and information as well as GLBT books, gifts
and accoutrements.
The Triangle Business and Professional
Guild, founded in 1989, now has over 300
members, who submit nominations and deter
mine winners for the awards. T
Westenhoefer and Estrada highlight
entertainment for Charlotte Pride
Ch:
by Jeff Schmel
Special to Q-Notes
Carolinas HRC honors couple
X.
by David M. Smith
Special to Q-Notes
te Carolinas Human Rights Campaign has
honored Wendy Scott and Susan Parker with the
Community Service Award. Approximately 450
persons participated in the sixth annual HRC Gala
held February 17 at Embassy Suites in Cary, where
the award was given.
■ Over the past six years, Scott and Parker, who
are partners, have involved themselves in the work
of numerous local, state and national advocacy
groups as advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender civil rights.
Scott has served on the boards of Triad Busi
ness and Professional Guild and Alternate Re
sources of the Triad. Currently she sits on the
board of GLSEN-Winston-Salem and acts as a
co-facilitator of YouthFlag. Parker, who entered
Wake Forest University Divinity School as a mem
ber of its first class, will graduate in May of next
year. Her work has focused on advocacy issues
within the Triad Advocacy Network. Parker and
Scott’s same-sex union was celebrated in Wait
Chapel on the campus ofWake Forest University
in September 2000.
“We recognize and honor these two women for
their commitment to their religion, to each other
and to equality for all members of the LGBT com-
munit)',” said Cheryl Ann Welsh, a member of the
HRC Carolinas Steering Committee, who pre
sented the award.
US Representative Barney Frank was the key
note speaker. Frank, who has represented the Fourth
Congressional District of Massachusetts since his
election to the House of Representatives in 1980,
has written numerous articles on pwlitics and pub
lic affairs. He was introduced by Donna Red Wing,
a representative of the Gill Foundation, who cited
Frank’s commitment to social justice. T
Suzanne
Westenhoefer
harlotte Pride, the Queen City’s first Pride
Celebration in years will feature lesbian comic
Suzanne Westenhoefer and sexy Latin pop star Jade
Esteban Estrada during Pride Weekend May 4-6.
Co-sponsored byTremont Music Hall, Suzanne
Westenhoefer will perform at Charlotte Pride on
Friday, May 4. The
GLAMA (Gay & Usbian
American Music Award)
winning Westenhoefer
has performed on Com
edy Central, Sally Jesse
Rafael, Politically Incor
rect, Comic Relief and
Evening at the Improv.
Westenhoefer also starred
in her own HBO special
and is currently filming
the feature film A Family
Affair for late 2001 release. Tickets for
Westenhoefer’s performance can be purchased from
Tremont by phone at 704-343-9494. Charlotte
pride is also hosting a reception for Westenhoefer
immediately following her performance. The $3
admission fee goes to Charlotte Pride.
^ A'
Jade Esteban Estrada will make his Charlotte
Debut Saturday, May 5
during the Pride Celebra
tion at Marshall Park in
uptown Charlotte. Out
Magazine calls Mr.
Estrada “the first gay
Latin star.” He has per
formed in seven lan
guages and in 25 coun
tries and has shared the
stage with performers
such as Martha Wash,
Jade Esteban
Estrada
Margaret Cho, and Jimmy Somerville. Mr. Estrada
is currently on tour promoting his “Angel” CD.
The Charlotte Pride celebration will also fea
ture a variety of local favorites like Jill Austin Band,
Babyshaker, Southern Country Charlotte, Atlanta
performance artist Petra, and many more excit
ing acts. The event will also include provocative
speakers, vendors and a blessing ceremony, which
will conclude the event.
The Host Hotel for the event is the Adam’s
Mark at 555 S. McDowell Street. The Charlotte
Pride rate is $89 per night/excluding tax. For res
ervations call 800-444-ADAM (2326) or 704-
372-4100 and request the Charlotte Prilte group
rate. T
The latest Q^Poll results
Racism in the GLBT community is:
Better than in society at large 36% More hidden than in society at large
33% More blatant than in society at large 30%
To participate in our new Q-Poll acce^ www.q-notes.com 1
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