COMMUNITY
CONNECTIONS
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.-ll a.m.
To report anti-gay/HIV+
discrimination/violence:
Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council:
253-1656 / 252-4713
U.S. Department of Justice toll-free:
1-800-347-HATE
Asheville, NC
Serving the Southern Appalachian Gay /Lesbian Community Circulation 7,000 Vol.VI No.l January 1994
Lesbian Health Fund Awards
Historic Research Grants
SAN FRANCISCO, CA- The
Lesbian Health Fund (LHF) has
awarded its first round of research
grants to three important studies ad
dressing the health issues of lesbians
and their families. The research ad
dresses such key issues as alterna
tive insemination methods, the im
pact of stigma on children of lesbians,
and health practices of lesbian physi
cians.
The grants, totalling $28,000,
were announced at an Oct. 30 recep
tion in San Francisco at which LHF
made its official public debut. LHF is
the only American or Canadian fund
ing entity, solely dedicated to sup
porting lesbian-specific health re
search.
"The funding of these research
grants is an historic occasion. Les
bian healthcare is an area of medical
care that has been seriously ne
glected,” said Patricia A. Robertson,
MD, the San Francisco obstetrician/
gynecologist who heads LHF’s grant
review committee.
LHF was formed to support a
broad area of medical research fo
cused on lesbian areas of interest,
including the rates and risk factors
for cancers, infections, and diseases
among lesbians; mental health con
cerns of lesbians and their families;
and issues of access to the healthcare
system for lesbians. Another goal is
to promote the education of
healthcare workers about lesbian
health needs and the education of
lesbians about risk reduction and
early diagnosis of health problems.
Tax-deductible contributions
made payable to the Lesbian Health
Fund can be sent to AAPHR, 273
Church St., San Francisco, CA94114.
For more information about AAPHR,
call 414/255-4547.
(Gay Mens Chorus performs at their annual Holiday Concert at All Souls
Episcopal Church In Biltmore. About 125 people attended the event. Their next
performance will be on Sunday, Febnjary 13th at 7:30 p.m. at All Souls.)
First South Carolina Statewide
Meeting Attracts Over Thirty Activists
COLUMBIA, SC— The call to
defeat anti-lesbigay legislation cur
rently before the South Carolina Gen
eral Assembly brought together over
thirty activists from around the state
in December 4 meeting. The meet
ing, held at the newly-opened South
Carolina Gay and Lesbian Commu
nity Center in Columbia, SC drew
individuals and organization repre
sentatives from Greenville,
Spartanburg, Charleston, Anderson,
Columbia, and other locations.
The attendees spent the morning
in a training session about the South
Carolina General Assembly. Speak
ers included Susie Nickles, a veteran
SC lobbyist with over ten years expe
rience; State Senator Ernest
Passallaigue, Jr. of Charleston; and
Mandy Carter, a North Carolina na
tive, now an organizer for the Human
Rights Campaign Fund.
After a working lunch, a strategy
discussion dominated the afternoon
session. The attendees discussed
various ideas for defeating anti-
lesbigay legislation when the Gen
eral Assembly reconvenes in Janu
ary. Current bills targeted against
the state lesbigay community include
the following:
H3649-Would ban bisexuals,
gay men and lesbians from being fos
ter or adoptive parents
H3569--Would ban bisexuals,
gay men and lesbians from serving in
the SC National Guard
H3932--Would ban “practicing
homosexuals” from donating blood
H3938--Would expand the state’s
“buggery” law to ban more sexual
acts
H3649 and H3569 have passed
out of the House committee and are
on the House contested calendar.
They will likely be considered early
in the legislative process. The other
two bills have not received House
sub-committee hearings yet.
South Carolina citizens should
contact their state representatives
and senators at home or work by
phone or letter. Anyone needing ad
dresses and phone numbers or need
ing to find out in which district they
live should contact their county voter
registration office.
At the end of the meeting, attend
ees agreed that the day had been
productive and encouraging. In what
may be the beginning of a statewide
coalition, they also decided to meet
again the first weekend in March at a
meeting near Greenville.
For more information, call Roger
Bell at 803/843-1070.
Snapshot
4
Strides & Slides
5
Book Review
6
Focus on:
8&9