Greensboro PFLAG newsletter, April 2000

              Parttb, Families and Friends of LeshfansamfGays
GREENSBORO, N.C.
Vol.7 No. 4
APRIL, 2000
Notes from the editor
The Guilford Green Foundation held its big gala
fund-raiser in March. I had an enjoyable weekend, and
several other PFLAG folks were there. On Friday
evening there was a formal dinner with about 200
people at the new Grandover resort. There was a silent
auction, a stirring speech on fighting hate crimes by
Donna Redwing, and a performance by the Triad Pride
Men's Chorus On Saturdav there wss — Msrdi Gras
Costume Ball, with lots of interesting costumes, along
with dancing and great food. We are all especially
grateful to the Guilford Green Foundation for its
support of Greensboro PFLAG and other groups
serving GLBT people and their allies in the
Greensboro area.
Another notable event in March was the
appearance by Rev. Jimmy Creech at Greensboro
College. (See Retta's column on page 3.)
In April, several people from our PFLAG group
will be heading to Washington, D.C. The national
PFLAG conference will be there (see page 3) followed
by the Millennium March (see article on this page).
* *   *
The Quarterly Coordinating Committee is
scheduled to meet on April 25. All members are
encouraged to attend. We will discuss a new proposal
to the Guilford Green Foundation as well as other
business matters to keep our chapter running smoothly.
* *   *
I'd like to welcome the newcomers and urge you
to continue to ioin us at our monthly meetings tc
continue to share experiences and to support each other
in the sometimes painful process of coming out.
- Tom Clarke
Greensboro PFLAG
April Meeting
April 18,2000,7:30 p.m.
Piedmont Friends Meeting House
1103 New Garden Road
Quarterly Coordinating Committee
April 25, 7:30 p.m.
Piedmont Friends Meeting House
Welcome to PFLAG. We offer a safe, confidential
space in which to explore our feelings and
understandings about the gay experience, especially
"coming out" and what this means to families and
other loved ones. Listen and share as much or as
little as you feel comfortable with, knowing that
others can understand. Welcome especially to our
returning members whose love is so healing.
Millennium March on Washington,
April 30
The Millennium March will be on Sunday,
April 30. Hundreds of thousands are expected in
the nation's capital, seeking equal rights for GLBT
people. The march starts at the Ellipse at 10 a.m.,
followed by the rally at 12 noon.
The march will be preceded on Saturday by
the Millennium Festival, a mass wedding
ceremony, and Equality Rocks, a concert at RFK
Stadium, featuring Melissa Etheridge, k.d.lang,
George Michael, and the Pet Shop Boys.
"It is tremendously empowering to come to
your nation's capital and stand on that mall and
demand to be treated equally," stresses march
organizer Dianne Hardy-Garcia. "We do it to send
a message to Congress, but we also do it for
ourselves to empower and inspire ourselves."
The first national gay march took place with
25,000 demonstrators in 1979, when the
movement was barely out of its infancy. In 1987,
at least 200,000 marchers rallied for their friends
and relatives suffering from AIDS and demanded
federal funding for AIDS research. In 1993, the
controversy over gays in the military and the
promise of outreach by just-elected President
Clinton helped bring out more than 300.000
demonstrators.
The march follows the annual PFLAG
conference, and many parents and friends will be
marching to show their support for their gay and
lesbian friends and family members.