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news notes:
from the Carolines, nation and world
co/np/Zeofib/Lainey Millen:: lainey@goqnotes.com | David Stout:: david@goqnotes.com | Matt Comer:: matt@goqnotes.com
PFLAG chapter
HICKORY — A small group of people got
together on Jan. 18 to begin the process of
creating a Parents and Friends of Lesbians
and Gays chapter. Each of them simply
wanted to help create a safe place for those
who have gay and lesbian children or friends.
They wanted to provide a confidential envi
ronment for conversations and discussions to
ease the pain and/or confusion of the coming
out process.
Kathy and Richard Greathouse, together
with Debbie Cox and Ed Farthing, spearhead
ed this effort. They wanted to revive a chapter
in the Catawba area that had laid dormant
since 2005 when it disbanded. ,
Greathouse remembered when in the
1990s, her son came otit and found PFLAG
helpful. She saw parents at every stage of the
journey and felt comforted by their stories.
She stayed with it until the early 2000s.
With the recent suicide deaths of youth
across the nation, they all felt that it was
time to get together to discuss bullying. None
of them felt that they could simply stand by
without doing something.
"Fear is big enough. The group is essential
for parents who are trying to figure things
out," Greathouse said.
Currently, the chapter is in the forma
tive stage. It will be meeting on the fourth
Monday of every month at the Women's
Resource Center, 125 3rd St. N.E. At the next
rrieeting, regional and state PFLAG officials
will be joining them to get information and
organizational tips. They will also share how
a chapter works and it can benefit from
established resources.
Greathouse added that PFLAG was about
wanting love, not hate, thus becoming a bit of
a moniker of the organization.
For more information, call the
Greenhouses at 828-994-2131; Cox at 828-466-
2284; or Farthing at 828-322-2805.
— L.M.
Charlotte
TOY welcomes new board members
CHARLOTTE — Ivey Graham, Michael
Holmes, Steve Wilson and Jeremy Carter
have taken positions on the Time Out Youth
board. Leaving are John Johnson and
Brandon G. Major.
-LM
Triad
Parade slated
WINSTON-SALEM — Equality Winston-
Salem (EWS) has announced its plans for a
Pride parade on Oct. 15, the first one in well
over a decade.
Steve McGinnis, one of the co-founders
of the community rights organization, told
The Winston-Salem Journalthatthe city
was not visible enough. The retired school
system principal wants people to recognize
the presence of the LGBT community and the
differences that it makes to the Triad.
The leaders of EWS felt that the climate
6 qnotes Feb. 19-March 4.2011
was just right to be holding a celebration. On
the coattails of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't
Tell," recent statements’by Rep. Larry Brown,
as well as other issues, there could not be a
better time to champion LGBT equality.
The parade will be coordinated with other
local groups in order to represent all factions.
— LM
Triangle
March hits streets
RALEIGH — On Feb 12, Equality North
Carolina (ENC) and the NC Aids Action
Network (NCAAN) participated in the fifth
annual "Historic Thousands on Jones Street"
(HKonJ) march in downtown Raleigh.
The rally was organized by 107 civil rights,
religious and other non-profit groups, lead by
the North Carolina N/WCP,to bring attention
to a progressive 14-point agenda that included
equal rights, education, jobs, criminal justice,
and voting rights. Almost 1,000 participants
(according to WRAL.com; News Channel 14
says "hundreds;" NBC 17 says "thousands")
marched from Shaw University to rally outside
the state Legislative Building on Jones St.
During the event ENC worked to raise
awareness of LGBT issues and gathered
signatures to oppose a proposed marriage dis
crimination amendment to the North Carolina
Constitution. NCAAN focused on educating
participants on HIV/AIDS related issues and
getting people to sign up to protect the Aids
Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) which
prE)vides essential medication to low-income
citizens in the state. I^orth Carolina officials
say ADAP will run out of funds for new enroll
ments in late March. Over 330 signatures were
collected.
North Carolina NAACP President Rev.
William Barber noted that it was the 102nd an
niversary of the NAACP's founding. "We stand
in that tradition that still refuses to believe that'
inequality and injustice has the last word," he
said. "We want economic justice, good jobs
and labor rights for all our people, and we
want to see equal protection under the law for
everyone."
Though LGBT equality is not currently part
of the HKonJ agenda, one of the speakers
did allude to LGBT civil rights, referencing the
need to end discrimination against people
based on whom they love.
— LM (Shawn Long, ENC, contributed
to this report.)
Asexuals to hold meeting
RALEIGH — The first meeting of Aces
United, a group for asexuals, will be held on
March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Cheesecake Factory,
4325 Glenwood Ave.
The focus of the get-together is to allow
members the opportunity to talk about their
experiences and share what they hope to get
out of participating in the group.
Asexuality is the states in which a person
does not experience sexual attraction.
Stephanie Silberstein, the organizer, said
she felt out of place in LGBT social events
and wanted to create a space where she and
others could find common ground.
Attendance is free and is open to anyone
who identifies as asexual.
For more information, visit meetup.com/
Aces-United.
— LM.
Getting better at NCSU
RALEIGH — North Carolina State
University's (NCSU) GLBT Center has hit the
small screen, so to say, with the release of a
video for the "It Gets Better" project which
was launched by syndicated columnist and
author Dan Savage last fall.
It was produced by Center director
for GLBT Programs and Services Justine
Hollingshead.
The Technician reported that Hollingshead
"selected the three main people so that there
would be differing perspectives. She said she
wanted to select a transgender student, a gay
student and a lesbian student."
Maddy Goss, a part-time computer sci
ence major represented the transgender
portion of the campus. Justin Kadel, who left
the campus in 1995 due to harassment, is the '
voice of the gay population. Communications
Senior Stephanie Raney rounds out the trio as
the lesbian representative.
Will Lamb recorded and edited the
piece. He is a senior in communications.
Hollingshead was pleased with his treatrnent
and said that the two wanted to be sure to
have the filming be "Wolfpack warm." They
included the Belltower,the Free Expression
Tunnel and classroom settings as a backdrop
to the storyline.
To view the video, visit youtube.com/
watch?v=xuSNuPM5Bsl.
For more information, visit news.college
medianetwork.com/news/glbt-center-
creates-own-it-gets-better-video.
— LM.
Western
WNCAP's leader retires
ASHEVILLE — Ron Curran, Western North
Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP) executive
director, has announced that he will retire
from the board effective June 30.
The board has initiated a formal search
committee and is accepting applications
and hopes to fill Curran's shoes prior to his
departure.
According to the Citizen-Times, "Curran's
legacy includes a stable financial future
thanks to a diverse source of funding, which
includes a mixture of state and local money
and foundation grants." The newspaper also
reported that Curran was someone who did
not leave his work at the office. "I know Ron,
and I know him personally, and I know that he
is always thinking a bout WNCAP. And I think
that's unique. I think his leadership style is
very unique in that it was not just in his mind,
but in his heart," Pam Siekman, friend and
board member said.
WNCAP's successful signature fundrais
ers, Dining Out for Life and Raise Your Hand,
have been part of his leadership legacy. This,
peppered with unwavering passion and fiscal
responsibility, helped to solidify the future of
the organization through capturing both state
and local money along with foundation grants.
With offices in Asheville and
Hendersonville, it also operates two satel-
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