■
north
& sout
CAROLIN
Honor your LGBT veterand on Nov, 1
Musicology:
.Liza's gotta" new
Hits'CD
Poll shows five percent ^
of students identify as gay M
Gov. Schwarzenegger
gels a coloring book
HRC list of best and
worst companies to
work for
North and South
CaroSina
North Carolina:
Gay group withdraws
Easley endorsement 10
South Carolina:
S.C.'s history of political
gay-bashing 12
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enlisting^
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noted . notable . noteworthy GLBT issues
Q-Living
Siwcial Section:
The Parly Season
':.i /“f V
T
VOLUME 19 . ISSUE 13
SINCE 19S« WWW.Q-NOTES.COM
NOVEMBER « . 2004
Charlotte protests homophobic reggae act
Jamaican dancehall performer Capleton
plays venue while protestors march
by David Moore
Q-Notes staff
CHARLOTTE — In this traditionally con
servative, non-confrontational city some
members of the local LGBT community
decided to take a stand against reggae artist
Capleton, who performed at Amos’ South
End in Charlotte on Oct. 20.
Capleton and a handful of'other reggae
artists who espouse anti-gay lyrics in their
music have faced protests at their appear
ances for their songs that encourage violence
against gays. In California and Louisiana, all
performances by Capleton at multiple House
of Blues venues were cancelled, beginning
with the Los Angeles site on Oct. 11 — which
coincided with National Coming Out Day —
followed by shows in New Orleans and West
Hollywood. Another San Francisco concert
was also canceled.
Not so in Charlotte, or at the Lincoln
. Theater in Raleigh where he apparently per
formed without incident. 'i
Capleton’s lyrics have suggested gays be
hanged, drowned, burned or shot. Among his
songs is one with the Jamaican-dialect lyrics.
“Bun Out Di Chi Chi,”
which translates to
“burn out the gay
man.”
in an interview
with the Santa Cruz
Sentinel Capleton said
he is not advocating
violence against gays
but said that he
believes homosexual
ity is “against human
ity. It’s against your
mother, it’s against
your father, it’s against yourself.” In using
the word fire, he claims he is referring to a
spiritual fire.
In early October, the Los Angeles Gay &
Lesbian Center contacted the House of
Blues urging them to cancel Capleton’s
concert in West Hollywood, which has a
large gay population.
The House of Blues tried to create a
forum in which the center, city leaders and
Capleton could “resolve the interpretation of
certain song lyrics,” House of Blues spokes
man Jack Gannon said in a statement.
Capleton, who is on tour, was unable to attend,
Gannon said, and the concert was canceled
“out of respect for the community.”
MeckPAC representative and
Charlotte attorney Connie Vetter,
A group of demonstrators (inset) outside Amos'
South End protest an appearance by reggae
artist Capleton.
along with other LGBT activists, attempted to
mediate a similar forum with Amos’ South End,
but the business did not want to cancel the show
see PROTESTon 7
Chapel Hill's gay
Town Cound
member
Mark Kleinschmidt has served on Chapel Hill
Town Council for over three years
by David Moore
Q-Notes staff
Mark Kleinschmidt has.served as a Chapel Hill
town council member
since December 2001. In
addition to his work with
the council, he’s also a
staff attorney for the North
Carolina Center for Death,
Penalty Litigation.
“I’d been interested in
local politics for a number
of years and had consid
ered a run a couple of
years prior,” says
Kleinschmidt. “Like a lot of
people, I was a council
watcher and was interest
ed in how the town was
managing its growth and
improving its transporta
tion policies.
“I’m actually the sec-
Mark Kleinschmidt is a
town council member
for Chapel Hill and a
staff attomev for the
N.C. Center for Death
Penalty Litigation.
ond gay man to serve on the
council,” Kleinscmidt offers see CHAPEL on 5
Triangle Y scraps rate
plan that rewarded married
couples
Victory with an asterisk'for
activists because gay partners still not deemed 'family'
by David Stout
Q-Notes staff
DURHAM, N.C. — First, the good news: After months of
controversy and ongoing pressure, the YMCA of the Tbiangle
Area has adopted a new pricing policy that extends to same-
sex couples the same discounted rates previously only avail
able to married couples.
Now, the could-be-better news: Activists say the decision
is “a victory with an asterisk” because officials opted to over
haul the Y’s fee structure rather than simply broaden its def
inition of “family” to include gay partners.
“It’s an imperfect solution from my end,” Teresa Sakash,
a Duke University law student and member of lobbying
group YMCA For All, told The Associated Press.
YMCA For All, comprised of Duke faculty and students
and community supporters, had pressed for recognition .of
gay families, but Sakash remained pragmatic about the out
come. “I’m of the mindset that progress is incremental. Any
forward movement is positive movement.”
Such sentiments might be particularly applicable to the YMCA. George Williams
established the first Young Men’s Christian Association in London in 1821. The organ
ization has spread around the world since then but its mission has remained the
same: to “put Christian principles into practice” — a goal that is inexplicably often at
odds with advancing equality for gays and lesbians. RATE on 4
Duke's Mindy
a$k
Komberg asked the Y
to treat gays and
straights equally.