Newspaper Page Text
Page 2 THE NEWS, Dec. 6, 1984
CS
THE ATLANTA GAY CENTER
848 Peachtree St, 3rd Floor, Atlanta, Georgia 30308
December 6, 1984
Dear Readers:
You hold in your hands the first issue of a new publication
from your Atlanta Gay Center, The News. It is offered to you
proudly and with high hopes for its impact and usefulness in
our community. It is the product of many hours of hard work -
from those who envisioned it, advocated for it, designed and
developed it, wrote it, delivered it and more.
We pledge to continue expending our best energy so that
The News may realize its potential as a comprehensive and
reliable dispenser of information to the total Metro-Atlanta
gay/lesbian community.
In order to accomplish these rather considerable goals we
will need much more than the pledges of those already involved -
we need you! You are needed to support The News and other
community programming at your AGO. You are needed to utilize
the services of your other gay/lesbian organizations'(whose
advertisements are encouraged by rates set intentially low
enough to be affordable by any group). You are needed to support
our commercial advertisers. You are needed .to help in all phases
of production and to be our "ears" in Atlanta and across the
country.
But most of all we need you to read and use The News so that
the informed, cohesive, and involved gay/lesbian community
envisioned today can continue becoming the reality we all know is
possible tomorrow.
Bill Gripp
Chairperson, Board of Directors
Atlanta Gay Center, Inc.
ACHR ATTACKS LOCAL GAY APATHY
Is Atlanta; the focal
point of gay life in the
southeast, waiting for a
political crisis to happen
before it acts? Seventy
members of the community
answered "No" to this
question when they met for
the first fundraiser for
the Atlanta Campaign for
Human Rights, Inc. at Gal
lery Two Nine One last
Friday night.
Virtually all city and
county officials were in
vited. Among those who
attended were Julian Bond,
John Franklin, Jim Martin,
Robb Pitts, Melinda
Langston, Charles Jackson
from Wyche Fowler's of
fice. Mayor Young was not
able to attend but sent a
letter which Mary Davis
read.
The ACHR has been esta
blished as a non-profit
and non-partisan political
action committee modeled
after similar PAC's in Los
Angeles, New York, Minnea
polis and Chicago. Tony
Armas, interim co-chairpe
rson says, "The ACHR is
concerned with two primary
issues. The security of
our civil and human rights
and the enhancement of the
gay community's influence
on local and state govern
ment's political and eco
nomic policies." /
How does the ACHR pro
pose to do this? "Like
many other special inter
est groups, such as the
Moral Majority, by raising
money to support, finan
cially and otherwise, lo
cal and state candidates
who are supportive of hu
man and specifically les
bian and gay rights," says
Armas.
The founders of the
ACHR believe that gay At
lanta is ready to shed its
reputation as possibly the
most politically apathetic
large city in the country.
The founders of ACHR be
lieve that a PAC will
attract both money and
energy from many people
not previously involved in
gay activities. Since con
tributions are private,
anyone can give without
the risk of public expo
sure. The ‘Committee also
believes that the simple
lack of an organization
like this has been part of
the cause for the wide
spread political disin
terest in the community.
The Committee will in
itially consider funding
candidates who are willing
to respond to and partici
pate in their fact-finding
process. "Once their posi
tions on lesbian and gay
issues is evaluated,we l l'l-
"The News" is published
by the Atlanta Gay Center,
Inc. for the people and
organizations that make up
the lesbian/gay community.
This newspaper reports
the events and activities
of our community and en
courages discussion of
community concerns such as
personal liberty and posi
tive lesbian/gay life
styles.
Unsolicited contribu
tions are welcomed and en
couraged. Letters, manu
scripts, drawings and
photographs should be sub
mitted to "The News", 848
Peachtree St, NE, 3rd
floor, Atlanta, GA 30308.
Unsolicited works will not
be returned.
Opinions expressed by
columnists, writers, or
any other artistic expres
sion, are those of the
writers and artists and do
not necessarily represent
the opinion of "The News"
or the Atlanta Gay Center,
and neither claim respon
sibility for them.
Publication of names,
photographs or likeness of
any person, persons, or
ganizations or businesses
in advertising or articles
in "The News" does not
imply, and is not to be
construed as, any
indication of the sexual
orientation of such per
sons or organizations.
"The News" can not
assume responsibility for
claims made by adver
tisers. "The News" reser
ves the right to reject
any advertisements or un
solicited material for any
reason.
"The News" is a bi
weekly publication. Sub
scription are $20 per year
or as part of membership
to the Atlanta Gay Center.
The mailing list of
"The News" is confidential
and will under no circum
stances will it be sold or
made available to any per
son or organization.
"The News" is Copy
right, J.984, Atlanta Gay
Center, Inc. Permission is
hereby granted to 1 all
other avowedly gay or les
bian publications which
affirm freedom for sexual
minorities to publish ex
cerpts from this newspaper
provided proper credit is
given to "The News,
Atlanta Gay Center".
Others must obtain per
mission in writing.
The Staff.:.'■
[Dave Schulze, Gene Koland ~i
J.P. Sligh, Gary Kaupman .
Alexander Wallace, Tom York.
Nelson Elliott, King Thaxton
A1 Cotton, Frank Page, David
O'Shields,.and Aaron Taylor
rate them in one of three
ways. We will contribute
money to - those that we
agree to "sponsor." We
will rate some candidates
as "acceptable" but not
support them with contri
butions and we will rate
some as "unacceptable,"
added Richardson.
Tim Forshay, vice-
president of First Tues
day, said he didn't think
that his group and ACHR
would be doing the same
work at all.
"First Tuesday's pri
mary interest is informing
the community about the
position of candidates on
issues important to les
bians and gays. It doesn't
make contributions to can
didates or attempt to di
rectly influence them in
the way ACHR will," says
Forshay.
BUSINESS GUILD
ELECTS OFFICERS
Thirty—six members attending
the Atlanta Business and
Professional Guild annual meeting
on December 5 elected
President — Ted Binkley
V. President — Lainey Richardson
Board of Directors
Tony Armas
Ken Exum
Benjamin Nistal Moret
Scott Muir
Pattie O'Brien
Gail Parker
Tom Sands
Sid Shier
Dirk Ten Bosch
Dick Bunn
