Seen by Q: S.C. Guild Gala
page 11
RALEIGH
Michigan leader moves to N.C.
page 10
SPARTANBURG r
Church becomes Welcoming
Congregation
page 13
' Noted . Notable . Noteworthy . LGBT News & Views
Volume 23 . Number 03 www.q-notes.com June 14.2008
Marriage gains
are a two-
edged sword
Carolinas LGBTs could face
backlash from California ruling .
by Matt Comer . Q-Notes staff
In 1970, two gay students at the
University of Minnesota attempted to
obtain a marriage license. When they were
denied, they took their case to the state’s court
system. When the suit reached Minnesota’s
Supreme Court, the students lost
Forty years later, the push for basic
marriage rights for same-sex couples has
eclipsed employment non-discrimination,
hate crimes legislation and repeal of the
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy to
become the number one advocacy issue of
national LGBT organizations and influen
tial LGBT activists.
There’s no doubt that civil marriage
— and the plethora of federal, state and
They didn’t forget the wedding cake
at the California marriage ruling
celebration in tiie City of West
Hollywood.
Photo Credit: Karen Ocamb
local rights and privileges that come with
it — would allow same-sex couples to
better care for themselves and their chil
dren. Full marriage equality would also
further assimilate the gay community into
mainstream American society.
On May 15, the push toward these
ideals was given an enormous boost when
the California Supreme Court ruled
unconstitutional state laws limiting mar
riage to one man and one woman. After
surviving a right-wing attempt to have a
stay placed on the decision, on June 16 at
5 p.m., the ruling becomes effective and
same-sex couples will begin to marry.
see California on 17
LGBT youth group CEO under scrutiny
Critics charge that Time Out Youth is moving in the
wrong direction
by Jack Kirven & David Stout . Q-Notes staff
Ed. Note: In keeping with Time Out Youths policy of confidentiality for
youth members, Q-Notes has chosen to withhold the names of youth quot
ed as sources in this story. Individual youth are identified as “Youth A,"
“Youth B,”etc. Some of the youth specifically requested anonymity due to
fear of retaliation by Time Out Youth CEO Janine K. Eustache or the Board
of Directors.
Also, readers should know that Q-Notes Editor Matt Comer has been
an active member of Time Out Youth since mid-October 2007. To avoid
potential personal conflicts, he ceded full editorial control of this article to
Associate Editor David Stout.
CHARLOl TE lime Out Youth (TOY), a local support, advocacy
and education organization for LGBT youth founded in 1991, is coming
under fire from some youth members, former interns and volunteers
who feel that the agency is moving in the wrong direction under the •
management of current CEO Janine K. Eustache.
Eustache took the helm at TOY last fall. She brought with her an
impressive employment history that included 18 years of work with
non-profit organizations. She was formerly the southeast regional direc
tor of Save the Children, a global child relief organization; an executive at
LaFace Records in Atlanta, Ga.; and the executive director of the Georgia
Legislative Black Caucus. In 2003, she was appointed by Gov. Michael
Easley to the N.C. Human Relations Commission.
Despite her dazzling resume, Eustache’s critics charge that she isn’t
experienced and comfortable working with the LGBT community and,
in particular, serving the unique needs of LGBT and questioning youth.
These alleged shortcomings have directly led to internal problems at
TOY, they assert..
Community members and leaders, including current and past TOY
donors and supporters, are beginning to take notice of the growing con
troversy and are asking questions of their own.
Q-Notes became aware that things might be amiss some weeks ago
when TOY claimed that two of its interns left willingly, but it was later
see eeo on 5
Male rape victim shares his story
Part Two: Alleged victim's dealings
with assistance agencies
by Matt Comer & David Stout
Q-Notes staff
HICKORY — The first half of this two-
part series, published in the May 31 issue of
Q-Notes, began with some eye-opening statis
tics. To recap: The U.S. Justice Department
reports that one in every 10 rape victims is
male. A national study found that three per
cent of American men (2.78 million) have
been the victim of an attempted or completed
rape, and 60 percent of those men identify as
gay or bisexual.
The Hickory Police Department said a total
of 31 adult sexual assault or rape cases were
reported in 2007. Of those, only one — the
case of our alleged victim, identified here with
the pseudonym Brian — was an instance of
male-on-male sexual assault.
North Carolina law does not recognize that
a man can rape another man. Therefore, when
both parties are male, cases that would be
considered rapes elsewhere are prosecuted as
sexual assaults in North Carolina.
Part two of Brian’s
story, presented here,
details his experiences
and interactions with the
community agencies
charged with assisting
victims of sexual assault
and rape.
Hospital visitation
The harrowing ordeal
of Brian’s alleged rape didn't stop once he
returned home in the early morning hours of
Sunday, April 29,2007.
After sleeping the entire day, he woke up
that evening and talked to his parents. He
told them that a man he met at a gay night
club the previous night had drugged him,
driven him to a motel and raped him. Brian’s
parents immediately took him to the local
hospital, Frye Regional Medical Center, arriv
ing around 8 p.m.
After checking in, Brian said he waited
three hours to be seen by hospital staff.
Once he was called back
to an examination room,
he continued to wait for
assistance.
Brian told Q-Notes that
at approximately mid
night, an officer with the
Hickory Police took his
statement. He said the offi
cer didn’t take the note he
had from the alleged assailant or the clothes
he was wearing at the time of the rape.
He said a nurse told him the hospital
would not do a rape kit because “there would
be no evidence” due to lack of complete pene
tration and ejaculation. The nurse took blood
and collected a urine sample, although Brian
see victim on 12
HappyTether’s Day?
r '■ page 21
Black Prides party to different beat
■■■page'21;