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noted . notable . noteworthy GLBT issues
Ejemplares anteriores 13
Travelogue:
Having a gay oT time in
Wilmington, NC
VOLUME IS . ISSUE 3
SINCE ±9SA
WWW.q-NOTES.COM
JUNE 21 . 2003
Wilmington police sting arrests local
men for sexual activity lluiirgton &cngiLiiiprhaicaa^
Centuries-old 'Crime Against Nature' law
used to single out 'Wilmington 6'
by David Moore
Five men from Wilmington, N.C. and the
surrounding area have been arrested and
charged with North Carolina’s antiquated
Crime Against Nature (CAN) law.
All of the men were arrested and charged at
some time during the past five months, though
the Brunswick County police department chose
to release their names and images simultane
ously to the local press on May 30.
According to the press release, the sheriff’s
department had received complaints from resi
dents of the Belville Community of Brunswick
County about possible sexual activity in the men’s
restroom at John D. Long Park, which is located
across the street from Bellville Elementary school.
After conducting surveillance, the depart
ment arrested the five men — some reportedly
from bathroom stalls and two in the front seat
of a truck.
Repeated phone calls to Brunswick County
Sheriff Ronald Hewitt went unreturned, but
Wilmington area activist Michael Moore told Q-
Notes a sixth individual was reportedly issued a
warning and released but later sought for
arrest. According to the press release, an arrest
warrant has been issued for a sixth man,
although he has yet to be apprehended and is
considered to be a fugitive.
Detailed information about the men —
names, addresses and more — was shown on
television and is posted
on two Wilmington web
sites. QrNotes has chosen
not to print that informa
tion here, in order to
spare the men further
embarassment.
Used to arrest the
men and derived from a
statute passed during the
reign of British King
Henry Vill is North
Carolina General Statute
M-]77. The law reads as
follows: “If any person
shall commit the crime
against nature, with
mankind or beast, he
shall be punished as a
Class 1 felon.”
North Carolina courts have described the
statute as “sexual intercourse contrary to the
order of nature,” which includes all “acts of bes
tial character wherein degraded and perverted
sexual desires are sought to be gratified.”
According to a website maintained by North
Carolina Gay and Lesbian Attorneys (NCGALA),
direct enforcement of the law penalizes gay
men more severely than heterosexuals for sex
ual activity in secluded areas. For example, the
site says, a heterosexual couple parking at night
in a deserted area or making love far into the
woods will probably be ignored by law enforce
ment officers. At most, they will be charged with
indecent exposure, a misdemeanor. TWo men in
Caught up in a swirl of controversy: six Wilmington men charged
with N.C.'s 'Crime Against Nature' law face uncertain futures.
an identical situation will generally be charged
with the felony CAN law.
According to Moore, a board member at
Saint Jude’s MCC in Wilmington who has had
direct contact with the six men, the impact of
the arrest and charges against them have been
overwhelming. “As you canimagine it would be
an absolutely devastating thing to happen to
have your family to know all about it,” says
Moore.
“Their responses have been everything from
anger to [contemplating) suicide. Some of these
men attended mainstream churches — that
see STING on 7
Bike trek raises funds to fight AIDS
Four-day Tour de Friends' bike ride rais
es funds for multiple AIDS
organizations
by Leslie MacKenzie
It’s quite possible that by the tirne you read
this a number of really tired, but happy bikers
will find themselves somewhere on the the last
leg of a journey between Raleigh, N.C. and
Washington D.C.
Roger Striffler and his partner Pete Weber,
both from Apex, North Carolina, are excit^
about riding in the Tour de friends bike
Marathon for a second time.
In an effort to raise funds for three AIDS serv
ice organizations — Raleigh’s Alliance of AIDS
Services, Richmond’s Fan Free Clinic and D.C.’s
Food & Friends, countless individuals are expect
ed to take part in the four-day event, which
kicked off June 19 and continues through June 22.
Founded in 2002 by D.C.’s Food and Friends
organization, this year marked the beginning of
a completely brand-new 330-mile bike ride that
crosses through two states and into the nation’s
capital in the District of Columbia. It’s a travel
ing bicycle-cade of thousands of riders, fully
supported by a tireless army of volunteers and
support staff. For many, it’s likely the test of a
lifetime. But then, waking up everyday and liv
ing with HIV and AIDS can be a lot like that, too.
Roger Striffler, 39, is keenly aware of the
impact his efforts as a riding participant will
have on people who are living with AIDS and
HIV. “There are a lot of groups working on med
ical research and new drugs to help fight AIDS,
and that’s great, but it’s very political and its
successes will be down the road,” Striffler says.
Striffler is riding for the second time with
his partner, Pete Weber. Both of the men are
from Apex, North Carolina, a small suburb
see TOUR on 16
Gay-bias
charge unclear
in Eric Rudolph
case
Despite hostility toward gays and pur
ported bombing of a lesbian bar, hate
crime charges remain uncertain
by David Stout
Q-Notes staff
ATLANTA — Although
Eric Rudolph is accused of
targeting an Atlanta gay club
as part of his serial Jjombing
campaign, it remains to be
seen whether a gay-bias
hate crime charge will be
added to his indictment.
Rudolph, who was cap
tured in Murphy, N.C. on Rudolph
May 3l, is charged with placing the nail-packed
bomb in the Otherside Lounge that wounded five
patrons on Feb. 2l, 1997. Additionally, his sister-
see ERIC on 20