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Lesbian & Gay
Pride Week '88
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Saturday, June 18th
•The Pride Prom-Come kick off Atlanta’s
Pride Week and dance the night away at the
historic Inman Park Trolley Barn. Photo
packages will be available and prom attire
is requested. The Trolley Bam is located at
963 Edgewood Avenue. The Prom will
begin at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $ 12/person,
or $40 for a group of four (first beverage is
included). Tickets are available at Charis
Books and More and The Boy Next Door.
AH proceeds benefit the Atlanta March
Committee. Call 377-8312 for information.
Work exchange slots are available prior to
June 10th.
Sunday, June 19th
•HVA Volleyball Tournament-The action
gets exciting as the Hotlanta Volleyball
Association hosts both a competitive and
recreational tournament at Piedmont Park
(comer of 10th and Monroe) from 2:00
8:00 p.m. The cost is $50 per 6-member
team, all proceeds to benefit Pride Week
’89. Call 633-0467 to enter and for further
information.
•GAPAC Volunteer Thank You
Party-Atlanta’s lesbian & gay political
action committee will host an open party to
say thank you to their volunteers. A $5
donation is requested 1106 Lullwatcr
Road 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Monday, June 20th
•Family Night-The Country Place at
Colony Square will be the site of our family
reunion. Parents and Friends of Lesbians
and Gays, Gay and Lesbian Parents (and
their children) Coalition International,
Atlanta Couples Together and Couples, Inc.
invite you to join them for dinner. The full
menu will be available. Bring your parents,
children, lovers and friends. Please arrive
by 6:00 p.m. for dinner, or later for dessert
Please contact MACGLO at 242-2342 for
reservations and information.
•Friends Atlanta at the Fox-Join Friends
Atlanta at the fabulous Fox Theatre for an
old-fashioned evening at the movies.
Classic cartoons and sing-a-longs begin at
7:20 p.m. "Three Men and a Baby" (they
say it’s a coincidence!) begins at 8:00 p.m.
Admission is $3.50 per person.
Tuesday, June 21st
•"We Are Family"-Channel 30 WPBA
will show this touching exploration of gay
and lesbian couples who have children. A
thank you to WPBA may be made by
calling 873-4471.
•Higher Ground: Voices of A /DS-opens
at the Horizon Theatre in Little 5 Points.
Presented by the Southeastern Arts, Media
and Education Project, Inc. (SAME) and
tiie National Association of People With
AIDS/Atlanla Chapter (NAPWA), Atlanta
Jay Rogers, Mike Edwards and John Williams at the closing ceremonies for the Names Quilt display
in Atlanta over Memorial Day weekend. See story Page 12.
PHOTO BY GERALD JONES
Creature Patrol" Cops Provoke Stonewall Rumblings
In what has become a regular occurrence,
Special Investigative forces of the Atlanta
Police Department set up road blocks at the
comer of Cypress and 8th Streets in
Midtown Atlanta during the evening of
Thursday, June 2nd. Officers arrested three
men on what onlookers called "trumped-up
charges" just as the road block was being
discontinued for the night The Special
Investigations unit and the Zone 5 Precinct
have been aggressively targeting this comer
outside of the Gallus Restaurant for the past
two months. The officers whimsically call
this duty assignment "the creature patrol".
What had been a resentful crowd of
onlookers observing the action from
windows and doorways, quickly turned near
riotous when the three men were arrested. In
the events that led up to the arrests, no illegal
conduct was seen by the crowd on the part
of the men. Describing the officers' actions
as illegal and un-constitutional, a lawyer
who was present but declined to identify
himself, urged friends of the three men to
press civil rights charges against the officers
and the City of Atlanta. As the officers were
waiting for the "paddy wagon" to transport
the men to the City Jail, the angry crowd
was more interested in immediate retribution
against the officers than talk of lengthy legal
manueverings.
It was ironic that while lesbian and gay
community leaders were struggling to devise
the best strategy to improve relations with
the Atlanta Police Department, the crowd
was reliving the vivid imagery of the
Stonewall riots in New York City which
were sparked by similar police actions and
gave birth to the modem gay and lesbian
civil rights movement Although the officers
escaped the area safely and no other arrests
were made, it was obvious that they were
very aware of the increasingly hostile crowd,
and the possibility of danger.
Although Atlanta Police spokesperson
Myma May denied that any misconduct or
selective enforcement was involved, patrons
and employees of The Gallus complained
bitterly that they were often chased into the
restaurant/bar by officers, who then waited
until closing time to seize and harass them
when they tried to go home. It is widely
believed that Cypress Street, known as the
home of Atlanta's male prostitutes, has been
gamering this much attention due to a city
wide attempt to clean up the city's streets
prior to the Democratic National Convention
in July.
Perhaps most galling to the crowd, was
the use of rubber surgical gloves by the
officers while they were searching the three
men. According to department profiles, it is
up to the discretion of the officers involved
whether or not to use the gloves while in
close contact with "suspected AIDS
patients". That profile includes perspiration
as a means of transmission of AIDS.
According to Ed Younger, a bartender in
the bottom-floor bar for 7 years, the police
held a meeting with the owners and staff of
The Gallus on May 31st to explain that they
were performing the road blocks as a service
both to The Gallus and the Midtown
community. What they failed to address,
said Younger, was "a 30 to 40 percent
decrease in business (due to customers being
scared away). Thank God for our regulars,
they're the only thing that has been keeping
us going." Due to the late-breaking nature
of this story, it was impossible to reach the
owners of the restaurant for comment
The events that led up to the arrests were
seemingly innocent Ronny Ray and an as
yet unidentified passenger, whom Ray had
agreed to drive to The Gallus, pulled up to
the comer of Cypress and 8th just as
Continued Page 3.
Taking Pride in Our Culture