Newspaper Page Text
THE NEWS June 20,1985 Page 7
(cont. from page 3)
There were folks who were frightened
then, as there are now; they sought
counsel from their more open friends and
co-workers about acting on their feelings
for the first time and about how open they
dared be about those actions once taken.
Would they be fired? Could they tell their
parents? Would their marriages be ruin
ed?
People were drawn to Atlanta from all
over the southeast. It was then, as now,
the place where a gay man or woman
could come and be a little more like he or
she wanted to be with a little less fear of
denial or censure. It was a place where
you could drink and dance the night away
with friends, find a new trick every night
of the week, or sit by the lake in the park
with your lover of 20 years and watch the
summer sun set.
Today there are at least 25 bars and
enough organizations to suit anyone’s
needs in Atlanta. Phyllis just had her 17th
annual awards, the men in the speedo’s
are still on the “beach”, and activists are
still at city hall (and elswhere) trying to
make things better for all of us. Lovers-of
20 minutes and 20 years- still sit by the
lake and watch the summer sun set;
perhaps the biggest difference is that
there isn’t any water in the lake...this
year.
Gary Kaupman
AIDS Political Issues Heating Up
Political issues on AIDS research and
HTLV-III testing have been increasingly
frequent in the past few weeks.
The New York Native, long known for
its vocal stance on increased AIDS
research, education and care funding,
has, in its June 3rd issue declared “AID-
SGATE BEGINS”. Native publisher
Charles Ortleb has blasted Dr. Robert
Gallo (National Cancer Institute and
American founder of the HTLV-III), Dr.
Max Essex (Harvard School of Public
Health) and Mathilde Krim, PhD
(founder and chair of the AIDS Medical
Foundation). Ortleb’s issues are too
numerous to list here but his premise is
that Gallo (and maybe the Reagan Ad
ministration) is controlling both free
research and information on the HTLV-
III virus and the possibility that it is not
the causitive agent in AIDS. Ortleb
says',“...get angry, as angry as if so
meone had just killed your lover. Then
call up every senator, every Congress
person you can get on the phone and de
mand an immediate investigation of
Robert Gallo and “his” virus before this
fraud and this scientific standstill does
kill you, your lover, and millions of other
Americans.” Strong words.
A Pastoral Care Workshop on AIDS
presented in Atlanta brought the politics a
little closer to home as did the impending
Aid Atlanta Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of AID Atlanta will be up for election in August. The
Nominating Committee has met, and any persons wishing to serve on the board are
urged to submit their names to AID Atlanta, according to Ken South, executive direc
tor.
The Nominating Committee will announce its slate by July 16. The election will be
held in August, and the installations of a new board takes place at the annual meeting in
September.
Interested qualified members of the communtiy wishing to serve in this capacity may
enter their names by calling AID Atlanta, telephone (404) 872-0600 or writing to that
organization at 1132 West Peachtree Street, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30309.
DO YOU HAVE
•A QUESTION ABOUT
“THE TEST
CALL THE
HTLVIII INFO-LINE
1-800-551-2728
SPONSORED BY:
AID ATLANTA/AMERICAN RED CROSS
FULTON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
STATE OF GEORGIA DIV. OF PUBLIC HEALTH
formation of the Mayors Task Force on
AIDS (see Eye on AIDS). Sponsored by
“The Concerned Clergy Group” and
conducted by AID Atlanta, the workshop
brought together clergy from 8 Christian
denominations to examine how churches
could understand and respond to the
AIDS crisis. The increased awareness
and concern about AIDS evidenced by
the group was heartening as was the fact
that the workshop was held at The
-Catholic Center and attended by two of
Atlanta’s most openly homophobic clergy
members. While neither of these white
haired gentlemen participated actively in
the proceedings, their lack of conten
tiousness was noted by several observers.
Rev. Sally Daniels (Grant Park United
Methodist Church) and Quentin Hand
(Candler School of Theology), neither of
whom are gay, were particularly vocal in
their feelings that the church and the
clergy could not hope to minister to peo
ple with AIDS or their families as long as
they maintained their homophobic feel
ings. The concensus of the group was that
while AIDS might be a medical issue and
pastoral care might be a social or spiritual
issue, that the ability and responsibilty of
the church to respond to persons with
AIDS was a moral issue and, as such,
must be addressed.
HTLV-III testing continues to be in the
news. The Defense Department continues
in its wrangles with private agencies
(such as the Red Cross) as it demands that
they make positive HTLV-III test results
on military personnel available to them.
When the Red Cross and other agencies
refused, the D.D. changed its policy to
requiring test results only for blood taken
on military installations. The Red Cross
has said that this may mean they will stop
their blood drives in such locations. The
Defense Department has said that it will
give HTLV-III tests to all its personnel
and that it would counsel those with
positive results ’ ‘to insure that health care
(cont. page 8)
WHEN YOU NEED TO BE ALONE
....OR TOGETHER
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at
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A Horse Farm With
Bunkhouse, Camping, Fishing & Hiking
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■■ ^IINANTIAI UIVICIS
r THI EQUITABLE UFE ASSUKANCE SOCIETY Of THE UNITED STATES
2635 Century Parkway, N.E., Suite #600, Atlanta, GA 30345
|AMES A. BELL, HI
Agent
(404) 321-1200
ufE-HOSPITALIZATION-RETIREMENT
BIBLICAL CHRISTIAN AND LESBIAN / GAY?
YES!
For Positive support and helpful literature contact:
EOM. INC.
(Evangelical Outreach Ministries)
P.O.Box 7882
Atlanta, GA. 30357
(404)261-5710
Local Meetings: 2nd &4th Saturdays (->:3(l |\\1. -(.A't CIXTIR