6 • The Lambda • January 1993
GLAD’S MOST
SUSPECT NO. 1: CARL CLARK
Congress conservative offers retreat from bias, feel-good platform
by Matt Stiegler
T
I n the pantheon of neo-fascist
bogeymen in Student Con-
gress, Carl Clark has long oc
cupied a privileged position.
He voted to place restrictions on the
CGLA budget last year. He voted again
last fall to retain that censorship rider
on B-GLAD’s budget. He joined orlly
four others in congress in voting against
censuring Eric Pratt for his “You’re all
a bunch of faggots” outburst.
It was, then, with both a deep dread
and a vicious glee that many queer
positive folks viewed the news that he
was running for Student Body Presi
dent.
Carl Clark, far more than any other
candidate for student government’s
highest office, has come to symbolize
the kind of homophobic grandstand
ing which has made Student Congress
an embarrassment to this school.
His candidacy becomes, inevitably,
a sort of referendum on hate, but what
Carl Clark symbolizes and what he
actually is are not necessarily the same.
He isn’t Hitler, he isn’t Helms and he
isn’t Tim Moore.
He means really well.
He said he conducted a phone sur
vey of some 200 people last semester
to let students identify the important
issues. He’s identified campus safety,
not the conservative quasi-issue of stu
dent fees, as his number one concern.
And he isn’t smirking when he says
that “as Student Body President, 1 will
not allow any biases or prejudices that
someone may think that I (have) hinder
my priority on this campus to repre
sent all students on this campus. I
want to be as unifying as 1
can be as student body
president.”
Carl Clark is
homophobic.
He talks of “coming from
a small town, a conserva
tive town ... where 1 was
not exposed to people of
that persuasion. From a
religious sense, I’m taught
that this is wrong. There
are reasons why I believe
that.” He goes home to
Fuquay-Varina every weekend to vol
unteer at a rest home and play piano
for morning worship services.
Does he believe homosexuality is
wrong?
“To be very honest with you, yes.
But I don’t let that determine my friend
ships with people, or my relationships
with people.”
Clark voted his first year in congress
to approve CGLA’s budget. And last
year, when a last-minute maneuver to
defund CGLA fell short by a single
vote, Clark voted against the
defunding. “I’m not a mad dog after
the CGLA,” he said.
He’s trying to say the right things
about tolerance and diversity. He told
me at least half a dozen times in the
space of an hour how he’s got lots of
friends who are gay. He now calls
His candidacy becomes,
inevitably, a sort of
referdendum on hate, but
what Carl Clark symbolizes
and what he actually is are
not necessarily the same.
Pratt’s infamous comment “non-
prodcutive.” He mentioned repeatedly
how diverse his campaign staff was,
his two white male Student Congress
representative campaign managers not
withstanding.
It is easy to make Carl Clark look
ridiculous. And when he talks about
sports nights and pizza parties at
Lenoir, about all his best friends who
are gay, about the “several girls in
volved in student government,” about
being a “go-getter” and a “real people person,”
it is difficult to escape the conclusion that he
is a lightweight.
But he is painfully sincere and he is pain-
AND
THE
POSSE..
Lloyd leads a surprising!
T
I he field of candidates that is
emerging in the race for stu-
dent body president is a sur
prisingly encouraging one for lesbian,
gay and bisexual students.
At press time, the following candidates
were campaigning: Jen Lloyd, Kevin
Ginsberg, Adrian Patillo, Jim Copland,
Jim Ryan and Stuart Hicks.
Jen Lloyd, current speaker of Student
Congress, combines a singular sense of
moral outrage at the treatment of sexual
minorities with the energy and the expe
rience to do something about it.
Responding to B-GLAD’s treatment by con
gress in recent years, she said; “That’s just so
wrong. There should be no plea for justice. It
should be understood that they have a right
to fair treatment.”
If elected, she will name one person to
specifically address minority sexual orienta
tion rights, a sort of Queer Czar.
“I’m in a post now where I understand the
system so well, the way it works, the dynam
ics. I know how it has been used in the past
to hinder student initiative, and for bigotry.
This is why I ran for congress.”
Lloyd might be painted as a scheming
politico, tainted by her insider status. Don’t
believe the hype. Believe a cynic. Jen Uoyd is
for real.
Kevin “Cooter” Ginsberg would also be a