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LA Community AIDS Program
Needs Participants
For Free Clinical TrialsPatients are needed to participate in free clinical trials for AIDS at The Louisiana Community AIDS Research Program (LaCARP) at Tulane University Medical Center. Participation is these programs lets patients become part of the solution to the growing AIDS problems.
LaCARP's Principal Investigator, C. Lynn Besch, MD, said, " The focus of this unique program is to conduct important HIV clinical research in community-based sites, such as public clinics and doctor's offices. In addition, this program will reach populations and persons infected with HIV who have previously been under-represented in clinical research trials. These groups include minorities (African-American and Hispanic), women and injecting drug users."
To find out if you qualify to participate in one of the trials or to get more information about the latest research studies at LaCARP, call 504.584.1971 or visit the website at www1.omi.tulane.edu/lacarp/.
Zubro At F-M Bookstore
Mark Richard Zubro, author of eleven Gay mystery novels, will be in New Orleans reading from and having a reception for his new book Are You Nuts? Wed., July 15, from 6 to 8pm at Faubourg-Marigny Bookstore, 600 Frenchmen St.
Are You Nuts? is Zubro's seventh book in the Tom Mason/Scott Carpenter series. These books are set in Chicago and feature as the sleuths a Gay high school teacher and his lover, a professional baseball player. The new book revolves around the murder of a union official and the PTA president in the school district where Tom teaches.
Zubro also has four books out in his Paul Turner series. These books are set in Chicago and feature a Gay police detective with two sons. Just out last month in paperback reprint is the most recent in this series, The Truth Can Get you Killed.
Zubro teaches junior high school near Chicago. He lectures frequently about the craft of mystery writing as well as about the problems inherent in being an openly Gay school teacher.
Udick Named Manager Of LGCCNO
Robert Udick, earlier affiliated with Loyola University's Twomey Center for Peace Through Justice, and a recipient of a Ph.D. from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, has been named Operations Manager of the Lesbian and Gay Community Center of New Orleans.
The appointment represents, according to officials of the six-year-old Center "the result of much energy and planning by the Center's Board of Directors," says Co-Director Rev. Dexter Brecht. "Envisioning and committing to a mission are processes which take time, when done well. Robert is the right person to fulfill the Center's mission and to guide us toward our vision."
"Robert will be an asset to the community center in many ways," says Acting Co-Director Mimi Jalenak. "He is active in the community and is used to working in environments with professional standards. Robert will be capable of working with the members of the Center and the Board of Directors to meet our future goals."
Udick, a member of the board of the Louisiana ACLU, LAGPAC and the New Orleans Regional AIDS Planning Council, has been active in lesbian/gay politics since the mid-'70's. The 40-year-old Udick also is former chair of the New Orleans' Mayor's Advisory Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues.
LGCCNO Board Elections July 20th
All Community Center members are urged to attend the annual Membership Meeting when elections for vacancies on the Board will take place. The meeting will be held 7pm, Mon., July 20, at the Lesbian and Gay Community Center, 816 N. Rampart St.
There will be seven positions on the Board to fill. There are five three-year terms up for election. There are also two unexpired terms that need filling, one for one year and one for two years. The office of treasurer is also open and will be filled by the Board after the membership elections.
Active members whose dues are up to date are permitted to vote in the elections. If you are unsure of your membership status, please call Robert Udick at 504.522.1103.
An ad hoc Nominations Committee, made up of Dee Martin, Jinnie Nicotera and Robert Udick, is currently seeking community members to run for the Board positions. Center membership is required of all Board members, plus the willingness to serve on one committee. Candidates must prepare a short bio and go through a short interview process. The deadline for submitting nominees is July 15.
LGCCNO To Hold New Logo Contest
To coincide with the move to its new location and the first hiring of staff, LGCCNO is sponsoring a contest for a new Center logo. The logo should have visual elements that say "lesbian and gay" and "New Orleans." Entries should be presented on white, 8 1/2" X 11" paper.
The winning design will be chosen by the Executive Committee. It will appear on the Center letterhead and newsletters, in advertisements and on clothing items.
First prize is $50. Submissions should be sent to the attention of Robert Udick at the Center by July 31st.
LAGPAC Seeks Nominees For Awards
Nominations are now being sought for LAGPAC's annual "Community First" Awards. LAGPAC is looking to honor one man and one woman who truly have placed their community first-above career, fortune, social life, etc. Recipients will be selected based upon a career of activism, or for outstanding efforts during the past year. Special consideration will be given to today's activists to thank them for their current efforts and to encourage them in their ongoing and future work.
Nominations, along with the nominee's biography, should be forwarded to: LAGPAC Nominations Committee, P.O. Box 53075, New Orleans, LA 70153.
Deadline for submissions is Sept. 1, 1998.
A Lott Of Irony For Trent Interviewer
[from New York Magazine, June 29 - July 6, 1998]Armstrong Williams, the conservative talk-show host who instigated a firestorm recently by asking the senator from Mississippi, Trent Lott, whether homosexuality is a sin, is being sued for sexual harassment by a former employee who happens to be male. Last year, Stephen Gregory--the former YMCA personal trainer whom Williams promoted to executive producer of his show--alleged in his suit that the boss grabbed his buttocks and penis, tried to kiss him, and climbed into his hotelroom bed asking for "affection" while they were traveling together. Williams immediately held a press conference to denounce Gregory's allegations as "false, baseless, and completely without merit." Gregory's attorney, Mickey Wheatley, who says the case will probably proceed to trial this fall, has spoken with Gregory since Williams' news-making interview with Lott. "He's not that political," says Wheatley, "but his reaction was, `That sounds like Armstrong shooting his mouth off.'"
Barney And Herb Split
Barney Frank, openly Gay U. S. Congressman (D-MA), confirmed June 30 the breakup of his 10 r year relationship with potter Herb Moses, according to Boston Globe reporter David Marcus. Moses broke ground as the first same-gender Congressional "spouse." Frank said the split was amicable.
Jesse Swats At Gay-Infested Press
Homophobic U.S. Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) told the Congressional Quarterly that, "The New York Times and The Washington Post are both infested with homosexuals.... Just about every other person down there [at the Post] is homosexual or Lesbian." Helms was responding to word that the papers were reviewing the unflattering documentary "Dear Jesse" by openly Gay Tim Kirkman. In the film, Kirkman says to Helms (who is not present), "For a long time, I thought we had nothing in common, but I realize now I was wrong. You and I were both born in Monroe, North Carolina, and raised as Southern Baptists. We both attended Wingate College for one year each before transferring to other schools. We've also both worked in journalism and radio broadcasting. But I believe we have a more significant similarity-for most of your 24 years in the U.S. Senate, you've been obsessed with homosexual men; for most of my adult life, so have I."
ABC To Air "Missing" Ellen Episodes
On July 15 and 22, ABC will air the two "missing" Ellen episodes which were initially intended to lead up to the finale. On Apr. 15, ABC decided not to air these two already completed episodes from its May sweeps lineup, opting instead to run episodes of Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place. ABC's sudden decision came as a shock to the beleaguered show and for millions of fans.
Throughout the summer, ABC has been airing Ellen, including the episodes featuring the developing relationship between Ellen Morgan and her girlfriend, Laurie. The network has also, unfortunately, continued to place a "parental warning" on the show.
After Stonewall
Executive Producers John Scagliotti and Vic Basile announce the start of production of After Stonewall, the sequel to the Emmy Award winning documentary Before Stonewall.
The film will chronicle the history of the Gay and Lesbian community following the 1969 Stonewall riots. It has been made possible through major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding has been provide by the Soros Documentary Fund, the Gill Foundation, the H. Van Ameringen Foundation, the Joseph and Sally Handleman Charitable Foundation, and many individual contributions.
Production, which began in June, will continue throughout the summer in the United States and locations abroad, including coverage of the Gay Games in Amsterdam. After Stonewall will focus on the unprecedented growth of the Gay and Lesbian community since the historic riots in New York. Production is scheduled to be completed by June, 1999, for release during the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.
As with its popular predecessor, After Stonewall will include archival and never-released footage from the Gay and Lesbian community, including personal videos and 8mm home movies. The producers are interested in hearing from individuals who may be able to contribute materials for the documentary. They may contact the producers by visiting After Stonewall's website at www.sover.net/~frogfarm/after/htm or by writing Janet Baus at RR 3, Box 333, Guilford, VT 05301.
Deconstructing Homophobia
Columnist William Wineke, in the June 27 Wisconsin State Journal, asks: "Can someone define for me what a 'homosexual lifestyle' is? The phrase seems used generally as the second part of a statement about Gay and Lesbian people. The first part goes something like, 'we don't hate the homosexual...' and ends criticizing the 'homosexual lifestyle.' That all sounds somewhat reasonable, but I don't really know what these people are talking about...The term 'homosexual lifestyle' conjures up images of lurid orgies and San Francisco bath houses and, I guess, such exist. This is a big, diverse country, and there are many, many weird people in it. Some of them, I'm sure, are Gay and Lesbian. But not the men and women I know."
Wineke uses a light touch and a heavy dose of common sense to deconstruct one of the most common homophobic buzz phrases in a way that spotlights its ultimate lack of meaning. [GLAAD]
Gay & Lesbian Atheists & Humanists
Raise Objections To
Millennium March, MCC SponsorshipUpon reflection and consideration of the issues involved, the Board of Directors of Gay and Lesbian Atheists and Humanists (GALAH) has decided to express the organization's strong objections regarding both the proposed "Millennium March" and the Metropolitan Community Church's position as one of the two main sponsors. This proposed rally is more than a year away, giving the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) plenty of time to recognize that it is inappropriate for a religious group to be a main sponsor of such an event and that the concept of the rally is severely flawed.
MCC's presence as one of the two main sponsors of the proposed march is a violation of Separation of Church and State. The experiences of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities make it clear how important it is for churches to stay out of politics. Not only is state/church separation important for atheists and humanists, it is vital to the prevention of persecution of minority sects, including the MCC.
The presence of religion in politics is divisive in general, and this case is no exception. Previous marches had some degree of dissension beforehand, but previous strife and disagreements were far less frequent and far less heated than what is happening now.
Another issue is the tax-exempt status of churches. The Gay movement should focus its energies on creating pressure for the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of churches that get involved in political activities-activities which are overwhelmingly homophobic-not to encourage the largest LGBT-identified religious group to get involved in activities which may violate its tax-exempt status. The recent retroactive loss of tax-exempt status by the Christian Broadcasting Network shows that enforcement of tax laws against the political activities of religious groups is a viable course of action.
Having a religious group as one of the two main sponsors creates a less-than-friendly atmosphere for non-Christians including Atheists, Agnostics, and Humanists.
The homophobic nature of Christianity makes having a Christian church as a main sponsor a tactical error. Having a "Christian" march will only remind homophobes of the main reason why they think they should be hostile towards Gays and their civil rights. While some in the Gay community have tried to rationalize condemnations of homosexuality in the Bible, the attempts have been based more on hope than reality. The fact that the homophobic passages in the Bible are worded differently should make even the most desperate queer Christian realize that the problem is not one of translation, but one of prejudice within the original text.
Through its sponsorship, the MCC has the power to push agendas which are not consistent with the views and needs of the community as a whole. The most glaring example is the theme of the rally, "Faith and Family," an attempt by the MCC to impose religion on those of us who are atheists, agnostics, and humanists.
The two largest religiously sponsored rallies in Washington, The Million Man March and the Promise Keepers Rally, had limited impact after the events were over. If there is to be any chance at all of the effort behind such a march having a lasting effect, the only hope is to keep it secular.
The very concept of the rally is discriminatory to non-believers. The millennium has Christian context based on the supposed date of Christ's birth. With any other calendar, we would not be at the "Millennium." Also, the timing and form of a national event in the coming years must not be determined and proclaimed by any single group or pair of groups. Any organization which presumes to make so great a claim on community resources also must be non-partisan and non-sectarian in its call.
GALAH hopes that the HRC and MCC will abandon their irrational approach and support a secular and more broadly based march at a time agreed upon by a broad cross-section of the Gay community.
National Guard To Appeal Pro-Gay Ruling
The California National Guard plans to appeal a San Francisco Superior Court ruling that jettisoned its prohibition against openly Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender service members. Unknown is how many guard members, in California and elsewhere, have been booted from the service because of their sexual orientation since the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy was instituted early on in Clinton's first term. A study of active duty forces found that discharges based on sexual orientation actually had increased since the compromise policy took effect.
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