election ^teeidon. JRegidter to vote!
& SO
CAROLINA
Q-Uving:
^r^dy for '•
N.C. Pride
VOLUME 20 . ISSUE 09
SINCE WWW.q-NOTES.COM SEPTEMBER lO . 2005
Tret Pure perhiws in Asheville
and Fayetteville 25
Gay rights groups
visit Israel 18
Gays blamed for
hurricane Katrina 16
Fred Phelps attacks the
King of Sweden 16
Gay rights groups oppose
Roberts nomination 21
North and South
Carolina
North Carolina:
Equality NC launches
initiative 08
South Carolina:
Clemson U. adds orientation
non-discrimination
to policy 10
ONLINE
Q.POLL
www.q«notes.com
yes. no
New Orleans gays weather hurricane disaster
Despite storm and subsequent
flooding, two gay business owners
remain hopeful
by Ed Walsh
A desperate dispatch from New Orleans
late Wednesday, Aug. 31, captured the chaos
created by Hurricane Katrina. C.W.
Stambaugh, owner of the gay Starlight by the
Park bar in the French Quarter, emailed a
final message from his laptop, which was
running on battery power. Stambaugh typed
hastily, as the typos show: "this will be my last
message out. marshall law has been decleared. they
fixed the major levee we heard but the waters are
still rising, we shall see. the gas Is being cujt off at
any moment, we cooked as much food as we cood
but there saying now 30 days before electricy will
be restored, the bar is closed, we brought people to
our home and were making the best here, waterr
was shut off last night, the gas to’s tonight, we still
have a phone but i cannot get local service. . . .
there’s a strong community still here but were try
ing to get people out. th^ announced that boats
are are coming.v thy will not say what time there
loading, were staying to make suer thar ouhers get
ourt. i hope4 this geetis to you.b keep the family!!!
our love to all. this will be my last message,
the battery in ther laptop is going out and the
room is dark, forgive the mis-spelling. WE
ARE FINE HERE!!! so far. take care and wish
us the best!!
Just a few days earlier, Stambaugh
thought he had dodged a bullet.
He decided that he and any patrons
who wanted to join him were going to
defy Hurricane Katrina when it blasted
through town on Sunday, August 28,
with an impromptu “hurricane party.”
Stambaugh kept the club open all night
throughout the storm. The nightspot
quickly became a makeshift shelter for
tourists and locals alike who had
nowhere else to go.
“We used the bar as a shelter and the
quality of the gay population, local and
tourist, was fantastic. We all pulled
together and fed and took care of each
other," said Stambaugh.
According to Stambaugh, his bar sits
on a slight hill away from the more
flood-prone areas of the French Quarter. By
default, it became a gay-friendly shelter of
last resort. The Starlight and the Moulin
Floodwaters rising on Canal Street.
see GAYSon 4
Next Issue:
Queer Cars
MeckPAC's fundraiser
raises record amount
by Bert Woodard
CHARLOTTE — The Mecklenburg Gay & Lesbian Political Action
Committee (MeckPAC) raised a record $18,955 at its annual fundrais
er, held this year at the Morehead Inn on August 25.
Several local candidates joined over 150 MeckPAC supporters at the
August 25 fundraiser. Mayoral candidate Craig Madans, City Council
candidates Darrell Bonapart, Susan Burgess, Nancy Carter, Nicholas
Heath, Patsy Kinsey and
Hardin Minor attended, as
well as, school board candi
dates Mukul Datta, Donna
Jenkins Dawson and Peter
Sidebottom.
“it is a great statement
that so many candidates
came forward for this event
to show their support of the
gay, lesbian and bisexual
community. We appreciate
their support and applaud
them for their courage in so
visibly stepping forward on
our behalf,” said Phil Wells,
MeckPAC co-chair.
Connie Vetter, who co-chairs with Wells, added, “This annual
event has proven to be a great way for candidates to connect with
LGBT and fair-minded voters who want Charlotte to be a city where
people are treated fairly and equally.”
MO: www.meckpac.org
Left to right: City Council candidate
Darrell Bonapart; fundraiser co-chairs
Brooks Shelley, Gndy Hostetler,
Elixabeth Pruett; City Councilmember
Nancy Carter; fundraiser co-choir Phil
Hargett arKi ^hool Board candidate
Donna Jenkins Dawson at the
AAorehead Inn.
N.C. Legislature
adjourns; passes on
marriage bill
Equality NC at the forefront of stopping anti-LGBT amendement
by John Palmer
GS/
Marriagl
RALEIGH — The North Carolina
General Assembly adjourned its 2005
session Sept. 2 without voting on a pro
posed anti-LGBT state constitutional
amendment. For the second year in a
row. North Carolina is the only state in the Southeast that faced an
anti-gay amendment and stopped it in the legislature.
Equality NC (ENC) and their allies worked together to stop the
attack on LGBT families that would not only have denied equal mar
riage rights to same-sex couples, but would have prohibited any form
of recognition for same-sex couples. The language of the amendment
was so broad it could even have prevented private employers from
offering partner health benefits.
“This remarkable victory is made possible because of lots of hard
work by Equality North Carolina, our allies, and our members across
the state,” said ENC Executive Director of Programs Ian Palmquist,
“Without the financial support of our members, and the willingness
of our supporters to take action, this wouldn’t have been possible.
“This is a huge viaory for LGBT North Carolinians, but our work
is far from over.
“We know that this amendment will be back again in the spring
when the General Assembly returns to Raleigh on May 9. Equality NC
will be there, ready to fight for equal rights and justice.”
info: www.equalitync.org