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Teen idols turn queer in
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Homeland Security 09
East Meek High in Giarlotle
starts gay/straight student
alliance 07
Aussie serial killers
found guilty 20
Audiophile:
Rufus Wainwright on
his latest CD and more 28
Charleston (k)ltege In
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studies program
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SINCE 198«
WVWW. Q-NOTES. COM
SEPTEMBER 27.2003
Serial rapist admits attacking teen
by David Moore
Q-Notes staff
Police in Grand Rapids, Mich, say 63-year-
old lames D. Moore has confessed to the attack
on bisexual teen justin Bogdanik and has told
them he assaulted other teens he picked up on
the streets of the city, but he has not given any indi
cation of the number.
Q.-Nofes reported on the mysterious circum
stances surrounding the death of Justin
Bogdanik this past July 8 (vol. 18, iss. 6).
Bogdanik had been a high school student
who was kicked out of his family home and had
subsequently dropped out of school, prior to
taking up residency at a local YMCA. According
to friends the young man was last seen climbing
into a white tractor trailer rig that was similar to
one driven by Moore.
“Justin was lovable, eccentric and one of the
sweetest people you’d ever meet,” Rachel Lukas,
a friend and classmate of Bogdanik’s told Q-
Notes at the time. “He liked to listen to music and
enjoyed going to the park with his friends. He
wanted to go into the military.”
At press time Moore had not been charged in
Bogdanik’s death because a pathologist had not
yet been able to rule it a homicide. Grand Rapids
Police Detective Thomas VanderPloeg said he
and Detective Ralph Bekker hoped to put togeth
er a case to charge Moore with the crime.
“We’ve been working with experts around
the state, trying to determine the cause of
death,” VanderPloeg told Q-Notes. “Without
that. I’d have to charge [Moore] with kidnapping
[Bogdanik] with intent to kill. He’s already con
fessed to the abduction and the assault.
“I don’t want to charge [Moore] with kidnap
ping and intent because of double jeopardy. It
looks like Jason caught pneumonia because of
what happened to him, it went unrecognized by
doctors, and that’s what led to his death. He was
assaulted and left in such a manner that he was
unable to help himself. If we’re going to charge
Moore with murder 1 need to show that his death
was a result of the assault.”
Some gay rights
advocates feared a
serial killer or rapist
was targeting gay
men for hate crimes
after Bogdanik was
identified’as bisexu
al. But VanderPloeg
said Moore, a soft-
spoken married man
see TEEN on 4
After drugging and
assaulting Justin
Bc^danik (left), truck
driver James Moore
dumped him in a
ditch on the side of an
interstate highway.
Bogdanik later died.
Tammy Faye is back in town!
Former televangelist is back in the place
she calls home with a new novel, new'
TV projects and a lot of love for the
LGBT community
by David Moore
Q-Notes staff
Tammy Faye.
it’s all you really need to say. Even though
her full name is Tammy Faye La Valley Bakker
Glad to be home again: Tammy Faye AAessner.
Messner. Chances are — if you’re a North or
South Carolina native — you’ll know her by just
the first and middle names.
Kind of like Cher or Elvis — no need for a last
name at all because the persona is so strong —
there’s no one else like ’em.
Tammy Faye started off life as a little
Minnesota girl and grew up to embody the per
sonification of the flashy southern televangelist:
big cars, giant houses, flamboyant jewelry, over
sized hair and an abundance of make-up.
Along the way Tammy and former husband
Jim Bakker created the PTL (Praise The Lord) net
work, which at one time was the largest Christian
cable television network in existence. It grew
beyond just a simple TV ministry and developed
into an empire that included Heritage USA (in Fort
Hill, S.C.) which spread out over hundreds of
acres, boasting hotels, multiple private residences,
a theme park and massive production facilities.
Then, of course, came the fall. Personal scan
dal and charges of embezzlement for Jim Bakker
led to the failure of PTL and ultimately, the fail
ure of his marriage to Tammy Faye.
Tammy hasn’t forgotten about the negative
experiences she had in Charlotte — but she has
forgiven, she says.
“When i came first came back to Charlotte
my husband Roe didn’t really want to bring me
back here because he was afraid people would
be mean to me,” Tammy recalls.
“But it was a decision I decided to make.
Those hurtful memories — they weren’t just
unpleasant, they just about killed me. They were
hurtful, horrible memories.
“I love people and to see people that you love
do a flip-flop and turn totally against you with
their whole purpose being to destroy you — it
will just cut your heart into pieces. I felt like my
heart was just a piece of liver that had been
pounded raw.”
But that’s old news.
The latest scoop on Tammy Faye these days
is that she’s promoting a new book, she’s hard
at work on a handful of different television proj
ects and she’s back in North Carolina (in
Matthews, a suburb of Charlotte).
see TAMMY on 11
Charlotte
agrees to
explore DP
benefits
Four-month study commission
expected to lead to NC Legislature
decision in '05
by Taylor Braeden
Following heated debate in a previous
meeting Aug. 25, Charlotte’s City Council
agreed Sept. 8 to
form a study com
mission to look at
the possibilities of
making domestic
partnership bene
fits available for
gay and lesbian
city employees.
The decision
came after loud
opposition from
Charlotte
Republican Mayor
PatMcCrory. MeckPAC member
"I disagree with 'Connie Vetter feels the
the Mayor’s rea- city already has the
soning that he right to institute domes-
opposes it because partnership benefits,
companies are cutting back on benefits and
because it costs money,” says MeckPAC repre
sentative Connie Vetter. “That’s why we need
the study committee. He’s drawing a conclu
sion and i don’t believe he actually knows what
it costs.”
sw BENEFITS OT 4