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SOUTHERN I
In This Issue
vOCE
GAP AC MEW’S
See Centerspread
Vol. 1, No. 9 Taking Pride in Our Culture
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June 23,1988
Lesbian and Gay Pride Week '88
The Pride Prom, hosted by the Atlanta March Committee, drew more than
300 people for the kickoff of Pride Week '88. Vying for the title of Prom
Royalty were Myrna Jean Sims, Delta Dawn Davenport (winner), Maxine
Lewis, and Magnolia Jackson. Rip Jackson and Amy Bernstein (pictured at
left) split the prize with Ron Halstead and his partner in the dance contest
Billed as a Celebration of Life, this year's events will continue through June
27th.Please see Page 6 for a full schedule of Pride Week '88 activities.
Gay and Lesbian Groups Hard at Work in
Atlanta: MACGLO Meeting Shows Results
Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Find out how
to stay informed and what to do if you're a
victim. Page 3.
Lesbian and Gay Pride Week '88-Pride
Week concludes June26th with a sunrise
interfaith service, the annual march
beginning at 12:30p.m. at the Civic Center,
and day-long festivities at Piedmont Park.
See the centerspread Calendar and page 6
for complete Pride Week information.
ALFA turns 16-and contributor Elizabeth
Knowlton examines the life of what is
conceivably the oldest lesbian center still in
existence. Always a political organization,
ALFA has changed in some ways, but
stayed constant in its desire to build a better
world for lesbians. Page 6.
Counterculture takes you on a trip to
WomonWrifes X and back in time to
Christopher Street during the time of the
Stonewall Inn riots. Writer Amanda Gable
was a participant in the tenth annual
WomonWrifes-one of the few lesbian
writer's conferences in the country, aid
perhaps the oldest-and she ensures that you
won't want to miss the 11th. The Company
We Keep, the first gay and lesbian
production compaiy in Atlanta, will b e
producing "Street Theater," A raucous
comedy/drama that relives the first days of
the gay and lesbian civil rights movement.
Page 7.
Experimental AIDS Drugs-are examined
in this first of a two part series by Terry
Francis. Drawing from scientific aid lay
sources, as well as his own vast experience,
Francis begins the series with a review of
the role T-celis are thought to play in the
immune system, as well as the drugs AZT
(Retrovir), Ribavirin, and AL 721. Page 12.
Keep Refrigerated-will keep on ticklin'
your funny bone with the all too real
exploits unveiled in Alison Bechdel's
"Dykes to Watch Out For" and Charles
Haver's "Bittersweet." If you wanna know
what the July 4th weekend holds in store for
you, check out "Star Gays." Lots of things
going on up there you should know about.
Page 14.
Judging by the enthusiasm and devotion of
gay and lesbian leaders in Atlanta and around
the country, the community is ready to bring
about change. But then, what else can you
expect at a time when the front-runner in the
race for the White House, Mike Dukakis, is a
son of the Greek Island of Lesbos. Against
the background of a possible - you can say it -
lesbian president, organizers are working
tirelessly on every' possible front.
Representatives of Atlanta's gay and lesbian
organizations displayed an intense level of
activism in our city at the June 16th meeting
of the Metropolitan Atlanta Council of Gay
and Lesbian Organizations (MACGLO).
The meeting had strong attcndcnce with
representatives ranging from members of
political action committees, civil rights
organizations, and parents of gays and
lesbians, to arts groups and several religious
denominations. The mood showed a
community determined to play a strong role
in its own future, and one whose organization
has brought it to the status of a political force
of tremendous potential.
The undeniable political power of gays
and lesbians in the metropolitan area was
evidenced not only by the presence of two
openly gay candidates to the Georgia
legislature, but by official requests for gay
and lesbian support from mainstream
candidates.
Among those asking for help from the
community are, most notably, the two openly
gay candidates, Gil Robison and Dick
Rhodes. Robison made a pilch for support
"We're off and running a vigorous race," said
the Atlanta attorney whose work on AIDS
legislation has been widely praised. Even
though more than 600,000 people live in
House District 40, Robison's target the
candidate said 40,000 votes would win the
election. The election of Dick Rhodes'
district in the DcKalb County area could also
be decided by the gay vote.
Among other candidates requesting
support Dick Rubin, running for Superior
Court of Fulton County spoke at the meeting.
Ben Jones, running for Pat Swindall's seat
Michael Lomax, vying for the Mayor's office
and Leah Sears-Collins, also looking to reach
the Superior Court bench, have all recognized
the power of the gay and lesbian vote.
With Lesbian and Gay Pride Week only
days away, spirits soared at MACGLO’s .
meeting. A proclamation signed by Andrew
Young and the Atlanta City Council,
declaring this the week of Gay Rights and
Gay Pride, respectively, were read. In
DeKalb County, Commissioner Sherry
Shulman signed a similar document as did
Brince Manning. A member reported the two
commissioners received abuse by other
DcKalb County Commissioners because they
signed the proclamation. (Thank you calls for
the commissioners at 371-2881.)
In an emotional moment organizers of the
Southeastern Conference for Lesbians and
Gay Men said that April’s conference here in
Atlanta was a huge success, turning a profit of
$2,400. They presented MACGLO with a
donation of $1,000 and announced a $600
donation for Pride Week 1989, and $250 gifts
to National Association of People With
AIDS, the Council on Batlcred Women and
the Atlanta Feminist Women's Health Center.
All is not peace and love among gay and
lesbian groups in the city, though. The
representative of Atlanta Lesbian Feminist
Alliance (ALFA) read a letter sent to the
Atlanta Gay Center (AGC). ALFA, the
longest continuously functioning lesbian
group in the country, as a result of AGC's
repeated attacks on women-only events, has
asked to be removed from the AGC's
directory and to no longer be listed in the
AGC's publication, The News.. ALFA
requested that other groups join in the protest
until AGC ceases its attacks and apologizes.
In another interesting discussion, the
representative of P-FLAG brought up the
subject of Tammy Lloyd's statements
affecting the community, which have been
covered by Southern Voice. Possible courses
of action discussed included calling the
station's advertisers to protest the blatant
misrepresentations and inappropriate
statements by the WGST talk-show host.
Cont'd Page 3
PHOTOS BY PAMELA J. COLE