Newspapers / Community Connections (Asheville, N.C.) / Aug. 1, 1992, edition 1 / Page 1
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Asheville, NC Serving the Southern Appalachian Gay/Lesbian Community Asheville Gay and Lesbian Information Line: 253-2971 A project of the Asheville Gay and Lesbian Community Council Gay and Lesbian Youth Hotline: 1-800-347-TEEN Thurs.-Sun. 7 p.m.-12 a.m. To report anti-gay/HIV + discrimination/violence: 253-1656 U.S. Department of Justice toll-free: 1 -800-347-HATE Vol. IV, No. 7 August 1992 Asheville Gays and Lesbians Join Protest against Local Hate Crime by Betty Sharpless On Wednesday, July 22, over 80 people gathered on a front lawn on Arling ton Street in Asheville to protest the latest in a rash of "skinhead" hate crimes. The previous evening, the resident, Millard "Mitty" Owens had been beaten by white men after walking outside to investigate the sound of breaking glass. Owens, an African-American and Coordinator of the YMI Community De velopment Center, encountered a group of six white youths, one his a neighbor from across the street, and two with the shaved heads and military attire characteristic of white-supremacist "skinheads." Accord ing to reports, Owens asked whether they knew where the sound of breaking glass had come from, to which one man re sponded, "What gives you the right to ask a white man a question?" Two of the men then punched Owens in the face, knocking him down. At the rally, the diversity of the pro testers was notable. For the first time, people of color, white residents, and lesbi ans and gays stood substantial in number, firmly united, and ready to take action on the issue of hate crimes in Asheville. Local lesbian and gay leaders spoke on the need for a hate crimes ordinance, which would mandate documentation and intensive le gal followup of all hate-related crimes. During the rally, Heather McDonald, a 17-year-old white neighbor, stood on her porch across the street making obscene gestures. "If he was a white man, it (the rally) would not be happening," she yelled, according to a report in the Asheville Citi zen-Times (7/23/92). In an interview broad cast on WCQS radio the morning after the incident, McDonald said that the beating was Owens's own fault for addressing the white men, and that the skinheads werejust "defending the white race." SALGA (Southern Appalachian Les bian and Gay Alliance) has been working with the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council for over two years to pass an anti-discrimination resolution. The Buncombe County Board of Commission ers passed a hate crimes resolution, but rather than list sexual orientation with other nrotected categories, didn't list anv categories. At the rally, Bob Smith, head of the Council, spoke of his and other members' frustration with the Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Board of Commis sioners. He stressed the need for all the people present at the rally to call their City Council representatives as well as the mayor's office and demand that a hate- crimes ordinance be made a priority for the City of Asheville. P.R.I.D.E. (People Recognizing In dividuality, Dignity, and Diversity in Ev eryone), a non-profit project of the West ern Carolina Coalition for Social Con cerns, recently requested that City Council and Buncombe County Commissioners pass A Conversation with Gay Filmmaker Sam Irvin by David Hopes Over the mantle in the Biltmore Forest home of Sam Irvin, Sr., where one might expect a family portrait or—given the opu lence of the surroundings—an Impression ist original, hangs a framed poster from Sam Irvin Jr. 's film, Guilty as Charged. In it Lauren Hutton and Heather Graham flank Rod Steiger, who appears to be seated on an evil-looking winged throne surmounted by a cross. Though we can see for ourselves since the film was released on video July 1, the promotional material tells us that "Guilty as Charged is a $3.1 million black comedy, starring Rod Steiger as aGod- fearing vigilante who tracks continued on page 8 Community Connections Achieves Tax Exempt Status The donations you make to Community Connections will now be tax deductible, thanks to our new 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. This in cludes donations made this an anti-discrimination ordinance that in cludes sexual orientation. An ordinance would have greater legal impact than a resolution. People wishing to be alerted to future protests and community actions against hate crimes can call Bob Smith's office at 252-4713 to be put on the action alert phone tree, or attend P.R.I.D.E. meetings every third Monday at7:30 at the Asheville Housing Authority. Our lesbian and gay community's strong, visible turnout in response to the attack on Mitty Owens strengthened a much-needed link in the antidiscrimination network. Every effort should be made to reinforce this unity. As a united coalition, African-Americans and lesbians and gays can work together to put an end to institutionalized bigotry. □ Sam Irvin, Jr. (photo by past Spring, when we initiated the phone- a-thon. So far this year, fundraising has earned the paper nearly $3,000. The Board and staff of Commnity Connections thanks our readers for their generous support. □
Community Connections (Asheville, N.C.)
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Aug. 1, 1992, edition 1
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