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Hearing Scheduled
In Durham Murder
DURHAM—Trial and probable cause hearing
d^tes have been set for two Durham men
accused of murdering a Richmond, Virginia
man. Roland Black, 43, of Richmond was shot
to death sometime after being last seen
leaving an adult bookstore Saturday night,
October 24, 1981. The body was discovered
the following Tuesday in southeast Durham.
Gary Lee Webb, 24, of Durham has been
charged with first degree murder; the trial is
set for April 19. Motions have been filed in
behalf of the defendant: to move the trial to
another county, to draw jurors from another
county’s pool, for assistance of a private
investigator and for a private psychiatrist’s
services in evaluating his mental condition. A
delay in trial has been granted from February
22 to April 19. Among the reasons for the
change of date are : 1) the defendant is
contemplating a defense of self-defense which
would put in issue the alleged victim’s
reputation and character, and 2) his defense
cannot be adequately prepared by February
22,1982 since little more than rumor is known
about the alleged victim’s reputation and
character at this time.
Ricky Richard Kennedy, 24, of Durham will
have a probable cause hearing on February
22.
Both accused men have court-appointed
lawyers: Hayes Hofler represents Webb, and
Ann Loflin represents Kennedy.
Gays Unite at USC
COLUMBIA, S.C.—Students at the
University of South Carolina in Columbia
have recently formed a Gay Student
Association, the first organization of its kind
on their campus. The genesis of this
organization stemmed from strong reaction
to a homophobic editorial which appeared in
the Gamecock, the U.S.C. student
newspaper. (The editorial was reprinted in
The Front Page, Vol. 2, No. 19.)
Don Weatherbee, author of the editorial
wrote very disparagingly about “gays
tumbling out of the closet” at U.S.C. “like
dirty laundry.” The editorial provoked a storm
of protest from both gay and non-gay
members of the university community.
Four U.S.C. students — Steve Polaski,
Tony Price, Mitty Alexander, and Cherry
Granting — had begun independent attempts
to found a gay student organization. They met
one another as a result of the editorial and
decided to combine their efforts in a common
cause. Thus, the G.S.A. was born.
The four co-founders wrote a constitution,
which they hope to have approved shortly by
the University Activities Board. The G.S.A.’s
Charter is pending approval, but in the
meantime an organizational meeting was held
on campus December 6 and was attended by
seventeen students and faculty members. A
benefit dance for the G.S.A. will be held in
February, sponsored by McBee’s Saloon in
Columbia.
S.C. Women’s Coach
Denies Charges
COLUMBIA, S.C.—Former University of
South Carolina women’s basketball coach
Pam Parsons lost her job because of
allegations that she was involved in a lesbian
relationship with a player, the Greenville
(S.C.) News reported January 20.
In a statement released to the press,
Parsons attorney, Jean Toal of Columbia,
called the report “unsubstantiated rumor”
and said that her client denied the allegations.
Neither the university nor Parsons has
publicly discussed the specific reasons for
Parson’s departure in early January.
University officials said at the time that
Parsons resigned because of “health
reasons.” Parsons has maintained that she did
not resign.
The Greenville newspaper quoted
unidentified university sources who said that
Parsons resigned when she was confronted
with allegations that she had a lesbian
relationship with one student basketball
player and had made sexual advances toward
another.
LETTERS
A Few Valentines
For Us. . .
(Somewhat shamelessly we admit, we’re
printing a few kind letters we’ve recently
received. Hope you don’t mind. Some of the
very nicest we’ve received have come from
folks who indicated that their letters were not
for publication. So alright, we thought. . .
how about if we print the flattering sentence
and just sign it “Anonymous” ? Hope that’s
alright.)
I would like to take a minute to comment on
your paper. I’ve lived in eastern N.C. for a little
over two years now and have really come to
appreciate The Front Page. Particularly like
features and gay news excerpted from other
out-of-state papers. I particularly appreciate
the fact that the paper is a labor of love for you
and not purely profit induced!
Best of luck in your future endeavors with
The Front Page — N.C. is “up and coming”
and your paper provides a needed service to a
large number of people who are making N.C.
a great place. Keep up the dedication and
hard work.
Respectfully,
Anonymous
Fayetteville
I love your paper and commend you for the
fantastic job you are doing.
Sincerely,
Anonymous
High Point
(Now do you see why we couldn’t resist
printing these excerpts? Forgive us.)
Gentlemen,
1 enjoy and appreciate your paper. The tone
and attitude are exactly what they should be.
Thank you!
Jim
Fayetteville, NC
To The Front Page:
Thank you for your assistance and for your
badly-needed paper.
Roger
Chapel Hill
Dear Front Page Staff:
This brief note is for two reasons: one being
a compliment for your paper. I think it’s great
the things you are doing. Especially bringing
out the names, as much as possible, of gay
operated businesses in North Carolina. Keep
up the good work.
Secondly, I would like to place the following
personal ad in your roommate listings.
Thanks, Front Page,
Ric
Charlotte
I enjoy your publication and wish you much
success.
Jack
Durham
Gentlemen,
I have been very pleased with your work on
The Front Page and I wish you much success.
Take care,
B.J.
Charlotte
Dear sir,
Please find on the following page, my ad, for
which 1 desire to be placed in your excellent
paper. Thank you very much, for allowing this
ad to be placed free of charge.
A.W.
Asheville, NC
I must state that I feel that your newspaper
is an excellent production.
With respect,
Raymond
Fairview, NC
AWARE Regional Meeting Valuable.
WINSTON SALEM — The organization
known as AWARE held an informal meeting
on January 17th to which they invited groups
and organizations from throughout our area.
The meeting was billed as “a chance to gather,
share, discuss and get to know one another.”
for groups concerned with gay awarness,
issues and interests. The attendance was very
good and the meeting proved realy valuable to
everyone who attended.
Representatives of groups from Greenville
and Spartanburg South Carolina, as well as
North Carolinians from Asheville, Winston
Salem, Greensboro, Chapel Hill and Raleigh
shared in the discussion. It was refreshing to
see so many people from gay related groups
from such a wide area sharing ideas and
experiences. It was the consensus that some
sort of regular gathering of this sort for
networking and mutual support would be a
big help to these and other groups. The North
Carolina Human Rights Fund has agreed to
sponsor another such meeting this Spring.
When we learn details, The Front Page will let
you know about this next meeting.
One of our major objectives at The Front
Page is to provide a means of communication
for the gay community. When we see efforts
like this one by AWARE to further
communications on another level, we’re very
encouraged about the future potential for
building a strong regional support network for
our community. Congratulations AWARE!
ADVERTISERS WANTED:
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Without support from advertisers, the paper will have no choice but to
cease publication. If you’re a business that caters to the gay community,
we urgently solicit your support. If you’re a reader, let the businesses you
patronize know that you’ll appreciate their support of the paper. Thanks!
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