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