I^BDA
Qtiblina Gaj^Assoclatioixl^^^wsletter
Volume 11, Number 3
^esb]/^N
February/March 1985
>lc >l >l ^ s| CGLA Is Born * * * *
After 10 years of existence, the
Carolina Gay Association has voted to
ichange its name to the Carolina Gay &
I Lesbian Association. The change came
. after more than a year of controversy
which began last winter when a member said
,she felt the CGA name excluded women in
the minds of the community.
■X- Name Change Passes
Action was not taken on the idea of a
name change until last fall when a com
mittee was formed to investigate the
issue. This committee, composed of 4
women and 4 men, sought suggestions for a
name change with articles in The Front
Page and Lambda.
Suggestions included not changing the
name, changing it to CGLA or CLGA, or
changing completely to, for instance. Gay
People at Carolina.
The committee felt the last option
should be dismissed and that "lesbian"
should be added to the present name in
order to maintain our established name
recognition. The committee recommended
the name be changed to CGLA or left at
CGA.
At a Jan. 18 business meeting, CGA co
chair Cathy Labyris said, "I’m tired of
always having to say, 'Yes we do have
women members,' whenever I talk about the
group."
Supporters of the name change empha
sized the semantic shift of recent years,
arguing that "gay" connotes primarily male
images to most people today.
Those opposed argued that the word
"gay" was not exclusively male. "The
inclusion of the word 'lesbian' only
divides us into two factions," one oppo
nent said. Notably, all the opponents
were men.
Members voted to change the name to
CGLA. Because this was a change in By
laws, a second vote was required for
passage. This second vote on Feb. 13
upheld the first.
-Jim Duley
Anniversary Tales — Part Two
CGA Comes Into Her Own
In January 1978, I decided I just had
to meet some other gay folks. Being
"newly out" as well as new to Chapel Hill,
I didn't quite know how to go about
meeting people. But when I saw a poster
announcing a CGA meeting, I left the
confines of Coker Hall and made my way to
the Union.
I have several distinct memories of
that evening. The first was that the
meeting was rather boring; it was, after
all, a business meeting. But the
closeness and sharing among the 15 or so
folks was obvious. Even in disagreement
there was respect. I don't have the
vaguest memory of what the topics of the
day were. But I did feel that this group
' of women and men shared a strong bond and
knew that v^at was happening was
important.
I was immediately taken under wing by a
woman, who appeared^ to naive me| to be the
"head lesbian." She made sure I met folks
and knew about upcoming events, and she
even helped arrange transportation for me.
I later learned that Susan wasn't the
"head lesbian," but rather the contact
dyke. My experience was not unusual;
there were people here who really cared
about others finding a place to belong.
The following May, I became chair of
CGA. What a transition.
My experience with CGA reflects some
(See CGA ANNIVERSARY, on page4)