Page 2 Winter 2000 l—Ex’s Get Personal When we started the work on our sec ond issue of Lambda this year, one of our editors came up with a seemingly simple question: Would we be willing to print person als ads in Lambda? But that simple question kicked off a vigorous debate that kept us busy for more than three weeks. The arguments went something like this: On one hand, we're trying to make a name for ourselves as a respectable source for news about the GLBT com munity on the UNC-CH campus and in the larger community. Personals ads might detract from our more noble pur pose. On the other hand, we have a very specific mission to our readers: to serve the larger needs of the LGBT commu nity — to be truly "the magazine of UNC- CH's queer and allied community." And if there's one thing this community needs, it's a better way to meet people and develop relationships. There were other points to our dis- :ussion: students already have easily ac cessible personals on Gay.com and PlanetOut.Gom, and there was nothing our magazine could offer that couldn't already be done better on the Internet. But that's ultimately where we de cided we might be wrong. In fact, queer students at UNC don't have a way to put up a personal that would only be open to the local commu nity — somewhere where you don't have to worry about Ihe entire Internet read ing up on your lonely existence. And that's what sold most of us on the con cept of offering personals in Lambda. But personals weren't the only thing that came up for disciisiion. We also vexed over how to make our magazine more entertaining. We decided that we could open our mailbox tO nequests for* advice with our two adwce colunrns, "Ask a Breeder" and "Ask a Flamer." But if you're looking for serious ad vice or support, there are better places for that. Marcie Fisher in the Center for Healthy Student Behaviors is designated to work with queer students. You can call her at 966-3462 or e-mail her at fisherm@email.unc.edu. You can also talk to any UNC em ployee who has displayed a "Safe Zone" training magnet. You'll find these little rainbow decorations many places on campus, from the offices of advisers in Student Affairs to centers like the Stu dent Union and the Campus Y' To find open-minded students for ad vice or simple friendship, call the Queer Network for Change at 962-4401 or e- mail their co-chair, Sarah Levin- Richardson at slr@email.unc.edu. If you're just looking to hang out in an accepting atmosphere, check out our Local-Events calendar on pages eight and nine and subscribe to the listserv. And if you're just looking for love, why not try our personals? Find your muse, whip out your pen and compose your own. They're free, they're fun, and they're totally UNC. You've got nothing to lose. Tonr letters and comments are welcome at nnc lambdanews@hotmail.com. C^Mpu.5 Y Yeah, we do lols of service. But did you know we also... • Plan Hunger & Homelessness Week and the Catalyst Conference? • Raise awareness about the criminal-justice system? • Promote healthy body images for women, and lots more! .. .in addition to providing the physical resources that other campus groups, like Lambda, need to make their voice heard. Interested in learning more? Stop by the Campus Y anytime. We’ve got our hands full. Why aren’t you here? httD://camDus-v.unc.edu/ 962-2333