January 17, 2003
Serving the Carolinas' Gay & Lesbian Communities Since 1979
Volume 24. Number 2
OpWon: War Exposes Hypocrisy of ‘Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell’, p.14 Capital Letters: LGBT Groups Planning for 2003, PJffl
Pistol Packin’ Lesbians & Gays
Lisa Miner, right, anjjJ her partner Sandy Figueroa, left, stand under a rainbow
flag in front of their house in Arlington, Mass., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003. In March
2002, Miner shot an intruder at her home. Miner doesn't know if she was tar
geted because she and her girlfriend live openly. But like other members of a
burgeoning group called the Pjjjk Pistols, she is challenging the notion that
gays and guns'don’t mix. See story, page 4. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)
Revived Military Draft
Gould Include Gays
By Bob Roehr
Contributing Writer
"I will introduce [legislation] to
resume the military draft," Rep.
Charles B. Rangel wrote in a column in
the New York Times on December 31.
The call did not come from a conserva
tive but from a leading liberal who is a
senior member of the congressional
delegation from New York City and of
the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).
"I believe that if those calling for war
knew that their children were likely to
be required to serve - and to be put in
harm's way - there would be more cau
tion and a greater willingness to work
with the international community in
dealing with Iraq," he wrote.
Rangel, a Korean War combat veter
an, had voted against the congressional
resolution supporting the President
against Iraq. He made it clear that his
proposal was antiwar in nature and not
in support of a larger military.
"A member introducing legislation
that they don't really support in order
to play politics and embarrass the
President is disingenuous," Rep-Nick
Smith (R-Michigan) told the
Washington Post. He cosponsored the
Universal Military Training and Service
Act of 2001, which died in the House
Armed Services Committee without a
hearing. Rangel's bill is expected to suf
fer a similar fate.
One of the few members of congress
to join Rangel was John Conyers, Jr. (D
Michigan), another senior member of
the CBC. In a prepared statement,
Conyers said the draft "removes the
long-held stigma that people of color
and persons from low income back
grounds are disproportionately killed
and injured while serving as ground
troops on the front line."
That claim was disputed by Larry
Wortzel, a retired Army colonel and
defense analyst at the conservative
Heritage Foundation. He agreed that
African Americans suffered a dispro
portionate number of casualties during
contined on page 20
Presidential AIDS
Council Appointees a
Mix of Bad, Good
By Bob Roehr
Contributing Writer .
A mix of rants and raves are greeting
seven names being mentioned as new
members of the Presidential Advisory
Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). At
least two of the people are openly gay,
while one has been called a homo
phobe. Announcement of the appoint
ments has not yet officially been made
but it is expected before the next
PACHA meeting that begins on
January 30.
The controversy is swirling around
Jerry Thacker. His wife became infected
with HIV through a blood transfusion
in the early 1980s. The virus was trans
mitted to him through sex and to their
infant daughter through breast-feeding.
Thacker learned he was HTV positive
when he donated blood in 1986 and the
virus showed up during a routine
screening of that donation.
Thacker has created his own little cot
tage industry of speaking, publications,
and paraphernalia "helping church
leaders to formulate AIDS policies that
are both biblically based and legally
sound." The self-proclaimed "commit
ted Christian," a graduate and former
faculty member of the ultra conserva
tive Bob Jones University (BJU),
emphasizes the abstinence only
approach to AIDS prevention, to the
exclusion of everything else - including
condoms.
On September 25, 2001, Thacker
spoke at BJU. According to "Chapel
Messages" posted on the university
website, he called homosexual behav
ior a "deathstyle" and "believes that
homosexuality is the judgment of God
on America." In the speech he dted
much discredited statistics on gays and
AIDS created by the noted homophobic
"researcher" Paul Cameron.
"His approach to fighting AIDS is
frightening," said David Smith,
spokesman for the Human Rights
Campaign. "The single-minded focus
on abstinence is dangerous," it does not
represent reality and will lead to more
people becoming infected with HIV.
Smith went on to criticize the admin
istration for proposing flat funding of
AIDS services in their budget and "a
focus on abstinence only programs [for
prevention] that is not based upon
sound science."
David Greer is the new member of
PACHA best known to the gay commu
nity. He worked for several years as
communications director and
spokesman for Log Cabin Republicans.
He later moved to Philadelphia to work
in the private sector and eventually
served as president of Log Cabin
Pennsylvania.
During the fight for the Republican
nomination, in April 2000, Greer was
one of the "Austin 12." Those dozen
gay and lesbian Republicans who met
with then candidate George W. Bush to
discuss gay issues. He is HIV positive
and currently serves on the Board of
Governors of the Human Rights
Campaign.
Carl Schmid, a Washington political
consultant and another member of the
"Austin 12," said that Greer's appoint
ment exemplified that gays can work
with the administration and that loyal
ty is rewarded.
Don Sneed, 49, is executive director of
Renaissance HI, an AIDS organization
serving black men in Dallas, Texas. Last
November, speaking before a Southern
States Summit on HIV / AIDS and STDs
organized by the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC), the Vietnam veteran
described himself as "an HIV positive,
African American, gay male, ex drug
addict, and I've been to prison."
"Since African American gay men,
and African American MSM [men who
have sex with men] were the most
impacted, the most infected and infec
tious members of the African American
community we had the most to lose
and the most to gain. A lot of us had
already been in treatment, participating
with planning councils and so forth.
Who better to lead the battle on behalf
of African American males as a whole."
Another nomination drawing praise
is David Reznik of Atlanta. The dentist
is perhaps the nation's leading expert
contined on page 20
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