About The News : a publication of the Atlanta Gay Center. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1984-199? | View Entire Issue (May 23, 1986)
© A Publication of The Atlanta Gay Center VOLUME 2 NUMBER 9 MAY 23,1986 AGC BOARD NAMES SWANSON by David Herring Richard Swanson will become the new Atlanta Gay Center administrator as of June 1, 1986. Ken Bartuka, Chair of the AGC Board of Directors, in making the announcement, said, "I think Richard will be a welcome addition to our staff. He's very energetic with good ideas. He's going to bring a new vitality to the Center. We are glad to have him and look forward to working with him." Swanson, a Florida native, moved to Atlanta five years ago to attend Candler School of Theology. He graduated from Florida State University, having earned two degrees there. Later while working at Georgia Southern College in Statesboro, Swanson came out as a gay man. Swanson left Candler without receiving a degree. In fact, he almost didn't get in. Having applied as an openly gay man some 18 months before the school year began and having been given a scholarship by Emory, he was told two weeks before the start of classes by the dean that it would "threaten the financial integrity" of the institution if he were admitted with a Dean's Award. It was only after threat of a lawsuit and much letter writing that Swanson was finally admitted to classes. 'There isn't much point spending a lot of money on a theology degree except for personal enrichment, unless you can be employed," Swanson says, so he left Candler School of Theology. While new to the Atlanta Gay Center, Mr. Swanson has been, active in gay organizations since his move to Atlanta. He was a member of the student clergy at Metropolitan Community Church where he and his lover Martin Brooks were joined in Holy Union. He sang with the Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus for a couple of seasons and started the first Affirmation Group in Atlanta, aUnited Methodist Gay Group, but "with a lot of help from other people," Swanson quickly adds. He is currently on the Administrative Council of Grant Park United Methodist Church. Swanson is also currently chairing the Pride Committee for 1986 and promises a celebration in June long to be remembered by Atlanta's gay and lesbian community. Swanson, on the subject of what he would like to see the AGC do, says he thinks the Center should move toward a broad based service orientation and to a willingness to fill needs that are not being met right now. He perceives the Center as doing this essentially by establishing a strong and committed volunteer base and a strong base of contributors who give modestly but regularly. Swanson points out that the TV evangelists of the Religious Right like Jim Baker and Jerry Falwell take in over a billion dollars a year and that this money comes from small contributors. He suggests that we need to stress to the gay and lesbian community that "nobody is going to fund gay community services at the level they need to be funded but the gay community" and that we need to find a strategy to reach our community and convince them to support gay organizations, not just the Atlanta Gay Center, so that many people will give small contributions regularly. Swanson, as many other gay people, sees the AIDS crisis as our biggest problem right now because of what he calls the "crisis of confidence, that the AIDS nightmare has caused people to dredge up old questions they thought they had answered adequately." We as a community over the years have allowed ourselves to be defined as a minority by our sexual practices, he says. The 70's were a time of sexual freedom that extended into other every area of life. People felt good about themselves sexually and confident and alive. Now the AIDS crisis for many has called into question "even the validity of the wholeness of our lives," Swanson says. So he sees a great challenge at this moment in becoming the AGC administrator. ' I can't think of a better way to put myself to use, to work." "I think there are people holding.their breath waiting for the Atlanta Gay Center to fall apart, but it isn't going to happen," Swanson affirms. Tm committed to its not falling apart." He describes himself "not as a miracle worker," but rather a hard worker and expresses his looking forward to working with such a fine board of directors and group of volunteers. Swanson appears excited about beginning a job that no doubt will often be frustrating-and difficult. As the Candler episode demonstrates, however, he has not avoided difficult or controversial situations in the past He also spoke briefly and quietly about parents who haven't talked to him in 3 or 4 years because he is gay. "Life is so precious, there's so little of it," Swanson says, "that when an opportunity comes along to do something that you really love doing, you just have to grab it and make the most of it." The things I have been through with my parents have given me greater clarity, a perspective on what's really important," Swanson says. Tm not afraid of risking something." Life is so precious...when as opportunity comes along, you just have to grab it... FORWARD TOGETHER The Seventeenth Annual Lesbian and Gay Pride Celebration will be marked in Atlanta with a parade and festival at 12:00 noon on Saturday, June 21,1986. As in previous years, participants and parade units will gather at the Atlanta Civic Center parking lot. For the first' time in several years, however, the parade will proceed to the State Capitol where festivities will continue. The nationwide theme for this year's event is "FORWARD TOGETHER", and has been adopted by the Atlanta Committee for use on T- shirts, flyers, and for the parade itself. After a tentative beginning, the 1986Atlanta Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee has set to work to produce what one member of the Committee called "the most exciting celebration in the history of our community." To accomplish this goal, the Committee has organized itself into five sub-committees, the chairs of which serve on the Steering Committee. Also serving on the Steering Committee is the Pride Committee Chairperson. The following persons are serving in these leadership capacities for this year: Richard Swanson 1986 Atlanta Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee Chair Fundraising Chair Finance Chair/Treasurer Marketing and Promotions Public Relations and Program Chair/Secretary Gene Holoway Logistics Chair Each of these sub-committees is eager for interested people to become involved. A variety of fundraising activities has been planned for this year's event. Organizers hope npt only to finance current plans, but to provide a secure funding base for future celebrations. Among presently-planned fundraisers will be a Monday evening film series at Weekends on Peachtree, beginning at 7:45PM, with The Hunger”, "All About Eve", The Times of Harvey Milk", "Young Frankenstein", and "On Guard". There will also be a "cut-a-thon" at Perfect Cut located at 6th and Argonne on May 19th form 11AM to 6PM. The price will be $5.00 a hair cut. These and other fundraising activities will be publicized in coming weeks. The Committee anticipates a substantially larger crowd this year than in recent years, due to the passage of the Atlanta Lesbian and Gv Rights Ordinances, and the long-awaited Supreme Court decision in the Hardwick case. Don Weston Douglas Smith Robert Harris Chair Martin Brooks
