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taste” or will we "be remembered in spite of ourselves”?
Nikoli came from South Africa but few
heard his message.
appears to be far, far away.
• Ray Kluka long time gay/lesbian activist,
friend of the community and associate editor of
Etc. magazine died of complications from AIDS.
Kluka was also well known for his neighbor
hood activism. His wit and conscientiousness
will be sorely missed.
July
• Three years after they whalloped us with
Hardwick, the US Supreme Court is back with
another scary decision, this time throwing deci
sions on abortion into individual states’ laps.
Local gays and lesbians continue to be prominent
among those marching in protest of the decision
which is seen as an erosion of the same privacy
rights so important in sodomy cases.
August
• The Dr. Ruth of Dykedom, therapist JoAnn
Loulan, is in town for a series of workshops on
various aspects of relationships and lesbian sexu
ality as well as "an evening of Provocative
Humor and Lesbian Education. "We like the idea
of laughing while you learn—especially about
sex!
• The Hotlanta River Expo is back, bigger than
ever with more than 5000 participating in a week
of fun and frolic climaxed by the campiest day
of Chattahoochee rafting seen in a long, long
time. Charles Pierce headlines the Mr. Hotlanta
pageant; John Howard wins the title.
• But not all is fun and games as, at The
Hotlanta Silver Ball, members of ACT UP
Atlanta are prohibited from distributing safe sex
info and condoms and threatened with arrest.
Southern Voice's Viewpoints page is filled with
letters, pro and con for several issues.
• The Hotlanta Volleyball Classic III drew 20
teams to Atlanta as preliminary to a national
competition planned for later in the year. The
Atlanta Peach Fuzz made it to the semi-finals,
but Tampa and D.C. went home winners.
• The Thirteenth Gay Softball World Scries is in
town for five days of competition among 60
teams (including 5 from Atlanta) from the US
and Canada. Expectations arc high for several
Atlanta teams, but the trophies go to bailers from
Chicago, L.A. and San Francisco.
September
• Simon Nikoli, a gay South African anti
apartheid activist, visited Atlanta. The City
named a day in his honor, but poor publicity pro
duced a minimal turnout for Nikoli's Atlanta
appearance.
• ACT UP Atlanta startled opening day crowds
at the Atlanta Arts Festival when they zapped the
event with a demoastration focused on the pit
falls of AZT. But is it art ? Probably not the kind
that the organizers had in mind !
October
• Local activist Cathy Woolard adds yet another
title to her list of many as she is chosen by
HRCF to direct its constituent mail pressure pro
gram in the Southeast. Woolard at HRCF? The
times they arc a changin'!
• Plans for MACGLO's second annual full page
National Coming Out Day ad in the Atlanta J/C
fizzled and then flopped. A barrage of letters'fol
lowed this paper's editorial suggesting that poor
planning was the culprit. What's up for next
year, guys ?
November
• Charis Books and More in Little Five Points
celebrated its 15th Anniversary. Amazing? No,
maybe more like wonderful.
• MACGLO surprised nearly everyone by vot
ing 11-9 to table a proposal that the organization
become a member of Georgian's for Choice,
whose members include NOW, Planned
Parenthood, the ACLU, The SCLC and the
YWCA. The motion passed at MACGLO’s
December meeting.
Enemies
January
• White supremacists and other such charm
school graduates marched in Atlanta. Their
number was far smaller than the battalions of
police and National Guard that protected them.
Gays and lesbians were among the counter
protesters, but enraged rock throwers surprised
all with their violent reaction and captured most
of the media.
April
• Active community member Gary Piccola,
Ph.D. died of AIDS and his partner Chuck Rose
attempted to have himself listed as a survivor in
Piccola's obituary in the Atlanta JIC. The JIC
added to Roses's grief by refusing to grant that
courtesy on the grounds that Georgia doesn't
recognize same sex marriages. The issue
brought up numerous questions about how
AIDS deaths are handled in the JIC. Most
remain unanswered.
Hot, Hot, Hot. John Howard is
Mr. Hotlanta
August
• Remember Citizens for Public Awareness ?
Well, those self-appointed guardians of public
morality arc back in the news with rumors that
they will soon mount another attack on the sexu
al orientation portion of City of Atlanta’s non
discrimination policy. Believe it when you sec it:
tougher legislation makes it almost impossible to
get enough signatures on repeal petitions that arc
hate motivated. .
October
• In an attempt to remove herself from a contro
versy that invokes words like "anti-male" and
"pro-feminist" and that frequently devolves to an
attack on lesbianism, Executive Director of the
Women's Resource Center of DcKalb, Sherry
Siclair has resigned that post. Much press, but
little resolution will follow.
November
• Poor Lillian Webb. If she didn't have problems
enough already with angry Gwinnett residents
who want her recalled for excessive junketing,
now she gets zapped by ACT UP for saying that
she would be repulsed if she had to work with
someone who has AIDS. County Commission
Chair Webb, you give new meaning to the word
"repulsive."
• The Synagogue Council of Atlanta voted to reject
Congregation Bet Haverim's application for uncon
ditional membership. Seems the issue is whether
the synagogue will be called a "Rcconstructionist
Gay and Lesbian Synagogue" or a
"Reconstructionist Synagogue with Special
Outreach to the Lesbian/Gay Community." Is that
like a Jewish Synagogue or a Synagogue for Jews?
Law
February
• The Georgia Insurance Commission released a
regulation that prohibited insurers from asking
questions about their potential customers' sexual
orientation, living arrangements, occupation and
Zip Code. Good move guys, but if you don't
know my Zip how's the Post Office gonna' bring
the check?
• A Fulton County Probate jury upheld the will
of David O'Shields who had died of AIDS the
previous May. O'Shields father and brother chal
lenged his will claiming that he was mentally
incompetent from "parasites on the brain" when
they discovered that David had left the bulk of
his estate to a friend. Score one for us.
June
• Leigh VanderEls won a major victory in her
three year long battle to regain custody of her
son when Clayton Superior Court Judge Boswell
removed the original trial judge, William Ison,
from the case because Ison admitted that he had
granted a change in custody based solely on the
fact that VanderEls is a lesbian. Currently,
RAD I CAL
FA.6D I £3
Four of Pride '89s two thousand
plus faces.
VanderEls awaits word from Boswell on
whether or not she will be granted a new trial.
October
• Greg Scroggins was found guilty of attempted
murder because he bit a Cobb County police
officer who was choking him. Scroggins who is
HIV positive and taking AZT was denied his
medication during the early part of his incarcera
tion. He called the jury's verdict a hate crime
against homosexuals. ACT UP Atlanta protest
ed, but Scroggins remains in jail and other gays
continue to live quietly in Cobb.
In the next issue, Gary Kaupman lakes a
look at Counterculture and Politics as they took
shape in the lesbian and gay community during
1989.
n
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