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
Asheville, NC
Serving the Southern Appalachian Gay/Lesbian Community
Vol. IV, No. 8 September 1992
It's Us v.
by Cynthia Janes
Ballot box battle lines have been drawn
at national and state levels in this year's
elections as never before. The right-wing
fundamentalist Christians, led by Pat
Robertson, Jerry Falwell and others, have
made very clear their intention to take over
governmental systems in this country. And
a major weapon—the so-called "Willie
Horton" of the '92 campaign—is homo
phobia. Three of the most visible examples
of this election year's "us versus them"
contest are the presidential race and the
Oregon and Colorado ballot initiatives.
In no previous contest for President of
the United States have gay-related issues
played such a role. When it comes to "the
gay thing," the two parties as well as their
standard-bearers could hardly be farther
apart. There is no grey area. At their
convention the Republicans, from their
Cookie Kisses Off
Cookie LaRue, a local entertainer and author of
"The Cookie Chanel," a column that has
appeared monthly in Community Connections
for the past year, gave her final Asheville
performance, "Cookie Kisses Off Asheville,"
on Friday, August 21 at 0.Henry's. Cookie,
AKA Michael Sheldon, is moving to Seattle.
Them
platform to Pat Buchanan to Pat Robertson
to Jerry Falwell, made their position per
fectly clear. Did anyone miss it? They are
anti-gay and ridicule any party or candi
date who speaks out for gays.
And Democratic presidential candi
date Bill Clinton has spoken out for gay
“ In no previous
contest for President
of the United States
have gay-related issues
played such a role.
When it comes to 'the
gay thing,' the two
parties as well as their
standard-bearers could
hardly be farther
apart.”
men and lesbians more clearly than any
presidential candidate in history. Specifi
cally, Clinton would (1) issue an executive
order banning discrimination against gay
men and lesbians in the military, and (2)
urge passage of the national gay and les
bian civil rights bill. In addition, Clinton
will defend a woman's right to choose, and
is committed to the eradication of AIDS.
Clinton has told gay men and lesbians, "I
have a vision and you are part of it. I
believe tomorrow will be better than today
Parental Rights Debated
Asheville Lesbian Sues Gay Man
by Cynthia Janes
An Asheville case involving a lesbian
and a gay man may have made U.S. legal
history. Many legal experts believe that
this is the first case of a lesbian suing a gay
sperm-donor to remove his rights as a
father. The case, litigated in Buncombe
County District Court in August, was
concerned with parenting rights of a child
borne by the women, using sperm donated
by the man.
if we act. And we are all a part of the same
community, and we'd better start behaving
as if we are" (HRCF press release 6/25/
92).
Clinton's running mate, Tennessee
Senator Al Gore, achieved voting marks
for gay- and AIDS-related measures of
89%, 92%, and 100%, in the last three
Congresses. Gore has voted repeatedly
against amendments by North Carolina's
Senator Jesse Helms. Gore has strongly
opposed discrimination based on sexual
orientation and has said he would vote for
a gay rights bill as long as it did not include
affirmative action.
Gay men and lesbians and their orga
nizations are hearing Clinton. For the first
time in its 12-year history, the Human
Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF), the larg
est national gay and lesbian political orga
nization, has endorsed a candidate for
President of the United States. The group
is strongly urging members to support and
work for Clinton's election. The HRCF
states that "changing the Administration of
this country from George Bush to Bill
Clinton [demands not just endorsement
and commitment, but] should be a relent
less, passionate and determined crusade
for every gay, lesbian and bisexual Ameri
can and for every person who cares about
fairness in this country." (To join the
HRCF, write them at PO Box 1396, Wash
ington, DC, 20077-4462.)
Meanwhile, efforts are underway to
change the state constitutions of Oregon
and Colorado to outlaw passage of anti
continued on page 4
Long before the child was born, the
two parties had worked to get just the right
wording on an agreement regarding the
rights and responsibilities of both biologi
cal parents. They modified a form supplied
by the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
According to the Asheville Citizen-Times
(8/16/92), the agreement stated that the
man would "have visitation rights, but no
rights as a parent, and that he would not be
continued on page 7
OutSouth
Feste '92
Is Ready!
Asheville Hosts
Major Event
The visual and performing art
spaces have been reserved. The per
forming artists have been selected.
The lecturers are fine-tuning their
speeches, OutSouth Feste '92, the
First Annual Southeastern Regional
Cultural Arts Festival, is on sched
ule for the weekend of September
24-27 in Asheville. (See related ad
on page 8 and schedule on page 11).
The purpose of OutSouth is to
spotlight the diversity and vitality
of bisexual, gay and lesbian life,
and to celebrate our community's
contributions to the contemporary
South. Organizers expect the event,
the first of its kind in the nation, to
draw between 2,000 and 4,000 par
ticipants.
The festival will be the second
major gay and lesbian event to be
held in Asheville this year. In June
it hosted the NC Pride '92 March
and Celebration. The OutSouth
Foundation, an Atlanta-based orga
nization, chose Asheville because
of its large arts and crafts commu
nity, its beauty, and its more or less
central location in the Southeast.
They also wanted to hold the Feste
in North Carolina because the state
is home to homophobic Senator Jesse
Helms.
According to Michael
Strickland, all that remains to be
done is signing up visual artists,
which is progressing slowly. "I've
had no problem finding performance
artists," says Strickland; "as a mat
ter of fact, I'm already booking acts
for next year." Anyone interested in.
displaying their visual art can reach
Strickland at (404)607-8225, or
write OutSouth Foundation, 1616
Piedmont Ave., Suite 0-1, Atlanta,
GA 30329. _ -