Newspapers / Q-notes (Charlotte, N.C.) / July 7, 2001, edition 1 / Page 1
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J The Carolinas’ Most Comprehensive Gay & Lesbian Newspaper www.q-notes.com Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper • Volume 16, Number 4 > July 1, 2001 » FREE S - i There’s more J in store for - * our coverage for t5 'years of our 15-year history See page 3 for more details. 1986 2001 Familv Weeks will again bring BlBT famines together in Michigan anh Massachnsetts for a host of fun ana empowering activities. Seepage l2foraetaiis. What’s inside... Southeastern gay men to gather for health summit next month page 13 Vote In CRN’s annual “best of ” poll page 20 Study; Public support of key gay egnality issues increases paged Amnesty International convinces congressman to introduce anti-torture bill page 21 See these ami mere news, enitorialsamlleawres when lieu sten InsWel See the Imlex on page 6. Take tne latest Q-Pell: What is your favorite aspect of the summer seasonP Wacationing Working outdoors The skimpy ciothes Betting hot and sweaty To participate in our Q-Poii, access www.g-notes.com See our iatest poii resuits on Raleigh to DC AIDSRide peddles in $7,000,000 by Audre Nelson Special to Q-Notes RALEIGH — A total of 2018 bicyclists trekked 330 miles from Raleigh to the nation’s capital June 21-24 raising upwards of $6.7 mil lion in donations for AIDS service organiza tions in both cities. The Washington, DC AIDSRide, the sixth annual staging of the fundraiser sponsored by Tanqueray, is not a race. Each participant ped als at his or her own pace for an average of 83 miles a day, including two “century” — or 100- mile days. The AIDSRide route took riders from small towns in North Carolina to Virginia’s quiet back roads to Washington for the triumphant Vic tory Ride on the Mall. Each rider had to raise a minimum of $2400 to participate in the AIDSRide, but many raised much more. An all-volunteer crew of550, many of whom used vacation time to participate, put in 12 hours or more each day supporting the riders. They did everything from pouring water to parking bikes to picking up trash, all to keep the riders moving and their spirits up through their grueling physical and emotional journey. An amazing mobile city that picked up and moved every day provided a temporary home for all the participants. This traveling com munity was fully equipped with a dining area providing hot catered meals, hot showers, bike mechanics, a stage for nightly entertainment, a general store, comprehensive medical services and tents for camping. Services made possible by AIDSRide funds vasdy improve the quality of life for those liv ing with HIV and AIDS. Craig Shniderman, Rider #1 and executive director of DC-based AIDSRide beneficiary Food & Friends, shared this story; “Karen, age 27, lives with her son, Michael, in Washington, DC. Karen is living with AIDS and her son is HIV positive. On the first day of delivery from Food & Friends, ours was the only food in her refrigerator.” Food & Friends delivers 800,000 freshly prepared meals annually across more than 6000 square miles ofWashington DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia. The AIDSRides actually pay for one out of every four meals they serve. Tanqueray’s AIDSRidesUSA fund has given more money, more quickly, to direct AIDS services than any other event in his tory through the 2000 season. A total of $83.9 million has been raised since 1994, a year in which 470 riders participated in the very first event. Since then, more than 64,000 people have participated as riders and crew, and Tanqueray’s AIDSRidesUSA has grown into a national move ment with more than 10,000 people expected to participate in various Rides this summer. T {For more information on how to ride, volun teer or donate to the Washington, DC AIDSRide, call 866-648-0747or visit www.aidsride.org.} Openly gay North Carolina mayor will seek fourth term by Wanda Pico ' Special to Q-Notes CARRBORO, NC — Carrboro Mayor Michael Nelson, the first openly gay mayor in NC and one of only a handful in the country, has announced plans to run for re-election. Nelson, 37, is currently serving his third term as mayor. Nelson’s terms in office have coincided with great change in Carrboro. Through the passage of the town’s Small Area Plan, Carrboro adopted growth man agement and environ- mental protection laws that are amongst the strongest in the southeast. In addi tion, there has been significant growth in the commercial tax base in Carrboro. The town’s revenue from the commercial sector has in creased by 30 percent over the past four years. “The Aldermen and I have worked hard to shift the tax burden from residential homeowners to commercial,” said Nelson. “We still have a long, long way to go, but I’m proud of the progress we’ve made in a short time. It should be noted that we have both protected the environment and supported small business in our community.” Under Nelson’s leadership the community Carrboro Mayor Mike Nelson served as Grand Marshal for NC Pride 2000. has continued to grow as a destination for en tertainment and the arts. Nelson worked with the town’s Art Committee to create Fete de la Musique, NC’s largest music festival. This year’s festival boasted 120 acts on 15 venues in Carrboro. “It is amazing that a small town of 17,000 can pull off a festival of this magnitude,” said Nelson. Nelson also spearheaded the effort to buy and renovate the Carrboro Baptist Church into the Century Center, the town’s new commu nity center and per formance hall. ■ For his next term in office, the Mayor has identified a number of issues that need to be ad dressed; protecting Carrboro’s neighborhoods from the negative impacts of development; continuing to diver sify the tax base; and diversifying the housing stock. “If re-elected, I will work hard on these and many other issues facing our commu nity,” Nelson promises. “I’ve always worked hard for Carrboro and, if the voters permit, I will continue to give my all to the people of Carrboro.” Nelson will officially file for re-election in the early July filing period. T Census figures show huge increase in gay households by David Elliot Special to Q-Notes WASHINGTON, DC — The latest statis tics released by the US Census Bureau show a dramatic and unprecedented increase in the num ber of reported same-sex parmer households in eight states plus Washington, DC. These figures reinforce a trend first detailed earlier, when statis tics from the states of Delaware and Vermont were released. The new data show that the number of re spondents who reported in the year 2000 that they make up same-sex parmer households increased since 1990 by more than 700 percent in Nevada; more than 500 percent in Louisiana; more than 400 percent in Indiana and Nebraska; more than 300 percent in Montana; more than 200 percent in Connecticut, Illinois and Massachusetts; and about 66 percent in Washington, DC. The new statistics reveal the most comprehensive picture ever recorded of the changing nature of the US family in the 21st Century US Census Bureau data documenting same- sex partner households has now been released fi'om 10 states plus Washington, DC. Previous figures showed a 781 percent increase in Delaware and a 422 percent increase in Vermont. “For the first time ever, government has be gun documenting the 21 st Century family,” ^d Lorri L. Jean, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF). “The dramatic increase in same-sex partner households reflected in these Census figures shows that one of our primary mandates is to ensure that every gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender family re ceives the same services, benefits and treatment given to other families.” Paula Ettelbrick, NGLTF’s family policy di rector, noted that the US Census does not count single GLBT people, but since 1990 has counted unmarried, same-sex partner households. In See CENSUS on Page 13
Q-notes (Charlotte, N.C.)
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July 7, 2001, edition 1
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