Popping.the question
Stylish tips to hear ‘Yes, I will’
page 29
Corporate gaydom
Tips to navigate Corporate America
page 22
Like no other
QueerView lends helping hand
page 26
Noted . Notable . Noteworthy . LGBT News & Views
Volume 22 . Number 20 www.q-notes.com February 9.2008
Trans group to hold
Initiative’ at HRC Gala
Activists upset with HRC’s stance on
trans-exclusive ENDA
by Matt Comer . Q-Notes staff
CHARLOTTE — For several years, the
Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Carolinas
Gala has attracted about 1,500 people to the
Queen City for the Carolinas largest LGBT
fundraising event. While this year will offer
the usual mix of exciting activities before and
after the extravagant dinner on Saturday, Feb.
16, attendees will notice one thing that is very
different from previous gatherings.
Unlike this National Transgender Advocacy Coalition
protest of the national HRC dinner in Washington, D.C
October, It’s Time-North Carolina plans to hold a non-
confrontational educational effort.
Many transgender, former HRC supporters
won’t be attending the main event this time.
Instead, they’ll be standing outside the
Charlotte Convention Center.
In what they are calling an “educational ini
tiative,” members of the informal activist, news
and networking group It’s Time-North Carolina
will be passing out fliers and other materials to
inform Gala attendees about HRC’s history and
actions regarding the Employment Non-
Discrimination Act (ENDA) and their treat
ment of the transgender community.
Last October, transgender activists and
their allies in national, state and local LGBT
advocacy organizations banded together in
the United ENDA Campaign to confront what
they saw as HRC and U.S. House leadership’s
attempt to write a portion of the community
out of protections guarding against employ
ment discrimination.
When Q-Notes first covered this situation,
we spoke to activists, spokespeople and con
gressional offices to get a sense on where
everyone stood.
At the time, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)
had proposed a new strategy for ENDA, split
ting protections into two difeent bills. The
first of those bills (H.R. 3685), protecting only
lesbian, gay and bisexual members of the LGBT
community, passed the House on Nov. 7. HRC
came out in support of the bill after hundreds
of other organizations had condemned it.
The second bill (H.R. 3686), including pro
tections for transgender citizens, still sits in
committee. It is an unfortunate reality that
transgender activists said would happen.
According to It’s Time-North Carolina organiz
er Angela Brightfeather,
there is plenty of historical
evidence that these “We’ll
come back for you later”
bills are never enacted.
“If you are going to
come back for us like you
say, then point to some
place where you were actu
ally able to do that,”
Brightfeather told Q-Notes.
“We have a number of
states that had bills
changed to be non-inclu-
sive [of transgender peo
ple] and they never came
bacL One of the best exam
ples is New York’s Sexual
Orientation Non-Discrimination Act. Thirteen
years later, we’re still waiting on people to
come hack for us.”
While acknowledging that all the hlame for
this ineffective strategy can’t be placed on
HRC, Brightfeather said the group has a
responsibility to do what is right because of
their role as a powerful and influential nation
al organization.
“HRC not only sets a standard for them
selves, they also set a standard for groups
across the states,” she said.“The idea of‘we’re
coming back for you has propagated all the
way down to locd grassroots movements.
Even in Winston-Salem, N.C., we just recently
saw a non-trans inclusive employment policy
pass.”
HRC President Joe Solmonese told Q-Notes
in an exclusive pre-Gaia interview that his
organization is doing all it can to educate
members of Congress.
On the issues
HRC’s Joe Solmonese speaks
with Q-Notes
by Matt Comer . Q-Notes staff
exclusive
Q-Notes got the chance to speak to
Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President
Joe Solmonese in an exclusive pre-Gaia
interview. Discussing issues from “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Employment Non-
Discrimination Act (ENDA) to youth
involvement and the state of rural, “red”
America, Somonese gave us a view into the
direction of our national movement.
Matt Comer: Now that white collar
jobs are getting more wide-ranging
protections from corporations, what
can be done for middle and lower
class workers?
Joe Solmonese: The first target for us were the
Fortune 500 companies. Going into big com
panies which already have human resources
infrastructures and policies, we knew that
we’d have somewhat of a start. That was just
step one for a few years. Now we are starting
to take it out to medium- and small-sized
businesses and trying to figure out how we
can be a resource for these smaller companies,
There are very few things that small busi
nesses can’t do. The §ame policies large, multi
national corporations have regarding employ-
HUMAN H «ti H I S GAM P A i
■ ‘-tlM
Photo Credit: Judy G. Rolfe/HRC %
ment and healthcare, can certainly be created.
You can do all the things big businesses do,
with perhaps the exception of the large amount
of philanthropic activities many corporations
engage in, especially considering their scope
and volume of work. HRC certainly wants to be
a resource and way for small businesses to start
navigating toward creating more equitable
experiences for our communities.
How does HRC invest in youth and
the future of our movement?
GLBT youth really are our most important
resource. Young people in general, gay and
straight alike, present a great opportunity for
us in terms of their support and compassion
surrounding GLBT issues. Also, our greatest
challenge is that youth are the most expensive
see solmonese on 18
Carolinas Black Pride honors two
Youth, transgender performer receive
MLK Day honors
by Will Billings . Contributing Writer
CHARLOTTE — Scores crowded into the
Afro-American Cultural Center (AACC) the
Equality in the workplace
page 23
see enda on
GLAAD unveils award noms
page 29
Saturday after the Martin Luther King, Jr. holi
day to celebrate the visionary leader’s life and
legacy, and to honor two members of the
LGBT/Same-gender loving (SGL) African-
American community. ,
Bishop-elect Tonyia Rawls of the Unity
Fellowship Church waited in the wings and
happily greeted those who came to participate
in the Carolinas Black Pride Movement’s
■ (CBPM) Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Community Leadership Honors and Gala
Reception.
In her opening invocation, Rawls stressed
diversity, unity and strength. She praised her
fellow LGBT/SGL brothers and sisters for all
their organizing and work in the community.
see cbpm on 20
CBPM Martin Luther King, Jr. Gala award
winners DeArcy McVay and
Dorae Saunders.
Photo Credit: Moy6/moyephoto.net
Ed Farthing to leave ENC
page 4