Newspaper Page Text
SOUTHERN
VOICE
Southeastern
Conference
Schedule
Page 6
Vol. 1, No. 4
Taking Pride in Our Culture
April 14,1988
INSIDE
News in Brief tops off the news,
following the story of a Houston
musician discriminated against
because he is a person with AIDS
(PWA). Religious persecution
continues in New York City, where
more Catholic members of Dignity
were denied by the mother church and
arrested by the police. From
Poughkeepsie to Singapore, the news
at a glance. Page 2.
The Pride Foundation of Seattle was
bequeathed $1.1 million dollars by two
men who died last year. Seattle is
bursting at the seams with mega-buck
dreams. Page 3.
Deignan speaks for the first time in
Southern Voice, and delivers her
clipped assessment of lesbians
pursuing parenting. A special,
controversial addition to the opinions
of the Atlanta gay and lesbian
community. Page 4.
Sports Reporter Michael McMillan
delivers his own antic version of the
opening of the Hotlanta Softball
season, using Ball Park Franks and
lusty cheers to tell softball like
nobody's told softball. Be sure to read
McMillan's comedy disguised as
sports. Page 11.
Author Rebecca Ranson reveals a
poignant passage from her
forthcoming book, Ward 5B: Voices
of AIDS. Jesse, a closeted gay man,
faces the realities of death and
sobriety, in an interview with Ranson.
Page 12.
The Normal Heart, currently running
at the Alliance Studio, is reviewed by
Johnny Walsh. As seen through his
eyes, no stone is left unturned in the
search for theatrical perfection in Larry
Kramer's autobiographical play. The
rage is apparent. Page 13.
Comic Linda Moakes, scheduled to
appear at the XIII Annual Southeastern
Conference, takes a moment to talk
seriously with Managing
Editor,Christina Cash before jumping
on stage in Atlanta this weekend.
"Can we talk...?" Page 16.
AID Atlanta, SAME Receive Heartstrings Grants
The Atlanta Housing Authority was recently confronted about a
lack of accesible housing in projects such as Capitol Homes. See
story, Page 3. Photo by Jeannine Quintana
Focus '88 Delivers
Focus:88 spotlighted the activities of the
Metropolitan Atlanta Council of Gay and Lesbian
Organizations (MACGLO) on April 8th, with an
impressive array of local organizations presenting
their wares to Atlanta's lesbian and gay community.
A crowd variously estimated between 200 and 400
people crowded the Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of Atlanta hall, sampling the latest
move to provide outreach to non-involved gay men
and lesbians throughout the metropolitan area.
Organizations that staffed booths included the
Atlanta chapter of the National Association of People
with ADS (NAPWA), the Names Project-Atlanta,
the Alfo-American Lesbian Gay Alliance (AALGA),
the Atlanta March Committee-More than a phase, the
Greater Atlanta Political Awareness Coalition
(GAPAC), Atlanta Venture Sports (AVS), and
Legislate Equality for Gays and Lesbians (LEGAL),
among others.
In its conception, according to MACGLO
Executive Secretary Jeffrey Laymon, Focus:88 was
"to bring all of the diverse elements of our
community together under one roof." Focus:88
gained the air of a press conference for a while,
however, as Dekalb County Commissioner Sherri
Schulman made an unscheduled announcement
regarding a proposal she intends to place before
the full commission in the near future.
Schulman startled the observers by
announcing a comprehensive hale-crimes
ordinance she intends to introduce. Schulman
did not give any specifics about her proposal,
beyond that it would cover crimes based on race,
gender, age and sexual orientation. "Don't think
that I’m telling you its going to be easy (to get the
ordinance passed)", said Schulman. "Look to
hear from me," she warned, referring to
community support she will need to get the
measure past the conservative forces on the
Dekalb Commission.
Schulman has been unavailable for comment
since making her announcement.
Geoirgia AIDS Coalition lobbyist, and local
attorney, Gil Robison also tested the political waters
Friday night, when he tantalizingy discussed the
possibility that he might run for either of Fulton
County's at-large seats to the Georgia House of
Representatives in districts 39 and 40.
Commenting on his possible candidacy, Robison
said, 'Tm mulling over the options on the likely
support within and outside the (gay and lesbian)
community." Robison, who is a gay man, said, "I'm
very tempted. I enjoy working with tire legislature. A
lot of people think we did a good job with the AIDS
bill (H.B. 1281)... and they are encouraging me to
run."
Robison refused to definitively announce for the
race, saying only that he would make his decision on
Monday, April 11th. If he were to enter the race,
Robison would become the second openly gay
candidate to announce for a seat in the Georgia House
of Representatives. Due to press deadlines, please see
Southern Voice issue 5 for his decisioa
With the maelstrom of political victories and firsts
for the gay and lesbian community in Atlanta this
year, most obvservers were not really suprised at the
flurry of political excitement in the air at Focus:88.
-Leigh VanderEls & Chris Duncan
Atlanta-The Heartstrings Fund of the
Metropolitan Atlanta Community Foundation
announced the first recipients of its 1988 grants
on April 1. The organization awarded grants
totalling $229,800 from monies raised during
the 1987 Heartstrings: A Revival, which was
billed as "an evening of hope for the healing of
AIDS."
AID Atlanta, an AIDS social services
agency, received the lion's share of the
allocated funds with $200,000. Specifically
cited for funding by the Heartstrings board
were programs of AIDS prevention and
education campaigns (S60K), housing for
PWAs (S60K), social services ($50K), and
administration/resource development ($30K).
The Southeastern Arts, Media, and
Education Project, Inc. (SAME) received a
grant of $12,700 to develop "a trilogy of AIDS
plays by three Atlanta writers which examine
AIDS and the effects on family, friends, lovers
and (the) larger communities." SAME is the
publisher of Southern Voice.
The Atlanta Gay Center (AGC) received the
third highest amount, $10,000. The AGC
operates a three-night weekly HIV/Sexually
Transmitted Disease Clinic, in addition to
support groups for HIV-antibody positive
individuals.
The fourth recipient was Atlanta
photographer, Billy Howard. Howard, whose
wok was exhibited during the benefit
performance, received $7,100 to complete
Epitaph for the Living, a book of photographs
and personal accounts of PWA's. Howard
intends to doiate the proceeds from the book's
sales to AIDS social service agencies,
according to Heartstrings officials.
More grants are yet to be awarded,
according to Carolyn Bryson of Heartstrings.
She said, "We're doing a little further research
into the applications we already have on hand."
No more grant applications are being accepted
at this time.
- Chris Duncan
Dekalb County Commisioner Sherri Schulman and Georgia AIDS Coalition
lobbyist Gil Robison. Photo by Jeannine Quintana
