Newspapers / Lambda (Carolina Gay and … / Oct. 1, 1981, edition 1 / Page 3
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GoVc Jerry Brovm of California ap pointed Mary Mor^^n^. the first, openly lesbian judge in the nation» to the San Francisco Municipal Court in August. Morgan, 35, describee?, her appointment as '*a momentous event, not only for me but for the entire .lesbian ana gay community. '* ”I think it's absolutely a step for ward for the gay and lesbian community. "I think it's important to have more lesbians and gays visible in our society sc people can see there's not. an enor mous difference between us and v;e don't have anything to fear from each other. Most l.ikeiy, Morgan will not be rul.ing on cases involving lesoian and gay rights. Municipal Court dealst only with personal injury and contract dis putes of less than $5000 .as well as minor criminal matters. Morgan hopes to "bring to the'bench not only my life experiences and sensi tivity as a lesbian, but also my deeply felt cemmitment to equal justice for everyone in our society. "I also hope my presence and visi bility will be a source of pride and strength for the lesbian and gay com munity ." According to Gay Community News of Boston, Morgan’s August 26 app>ointment was the. second by Gov. Brown involving openly gay people. In 1979, Brc\vmi appointed to the Los •Angeles Superior Court the country’s first openly gay male judge, Stephen Lachs. Her Municipal Court post has a $57,231 salary. 5f L.lghtr..i.ng BrowTi, a, local member oi the. gay coi'amunity, is currently running for ti seat on the Town Council here in Chapel Hill. Brown, a former Cofrmunity Education Coordinator of the Carolinti Gay Associa tion, became interestJ.ncj in running for Town Council when he realized liis apart ment was go.Lng to be converted to a con- dominiv.ra. “'Chapel Hill Healty, which raanages Brooksicle Apartments where I live gave two and a half 'weeks’ notice to its tenants that it vv'as converting the status of the apartments froxm rental units to condominiums," Brown said. Under Town guidelines, any changes in the status of a multiple family dwelling must be approved first by the Town Council, which authorizes a change in the building's Special Use: Permit. The owner must then notify the tenant one hundred and twenty days before the change goes into effect. "Chapel Kill Realty has not applied for a chai'ige in its permit and has asse.rted that it does not intend to ob serve the Town soning ordinance," Brown said. "In fact, this is not the first time that Chapel Hill Realty has flaunted the law in this fashion. "Since July, a similar ccnvers.ion has been undei"wa.y at University Gardens Apartments as well -- also without a permit," said Brown. BroWTi sees condojnini'dni conversion as being part of a much larger .issue in Chapel Hill. He said that unregulated conversion, without growth in the .rental market, reduces the tax base, hurting all tax payers. Tenants who can afford neither rent increases nor downpayments are forced out of tov^vi, though they may still rely upon Chape-l Hill for their livelihood. "TVo thirds of the people working at the University cannot atford, to live in Chapel Hill," said Brown. "And yet they still require town services such as water, police and fire protection and highway maintenance." According to Brown, condomin.ium con versions will .increase this number. Conversions without rental growth also threaten the rental market by driving up costs in remaining apart ments . BrovTTi said that he would like to see a town council with a strong com mitment to increasing the amount of rental housing. Since tlie present council does not have a single tenant in its membership, lie said it cannot ac-^ curately reflect the interests of its tenant constituency. Although Brown's gayness is not cen tral to his campaign, his openness about his gayness has made a difference for certain towi'! offic.ials and department heads. "Gay liberation is not a platform of the Town Council, though it is an issue regarding the changing stereotyped no tions of gay people," said Browri. He said that it has changed their ideas about v.’hat gay people are like, (continued on p.10) !h ill jul
Lambda (Carolina Gay and Lesbian Association, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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Oct. 1, 1981, edition 1
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