PFLAG South Atlantic Region

Fellow PFLAGger’s,

I hope that everyone is finally enjoying some warmer weather and making summer plans.  I encourage you and your local PFLAG chapters to make plans to participate in any area Pride Celebrations and Parades.  You will find excellent opportunities to meet wonderful people and also to get the word out about the work that you are doing with PFLAG.  Hopefully you will see some of the impact from the work that PFLAG and other groups are accomplishing.

We have a lot to celebrate with our chapters and the work that they are doing and also we can celebrate the fact that marriage equality is being embraced by another state, legislation is being presented for justice to those who perpetrate crimes against us and I believe that we will see schools actively seek ways where students don’t have to suffer in silence from harassment and bullying.  We cannot rest until there is full equality and equality will not be attainable without YOU!

Speaking of celebrating, Tri-Cities PFLAG (east Tennessee) is celebrating their First Anniversary.  Kerry Holland (president) and John Shuck have provided EXCELLENCE in leadership and Tri-Cities PFLAG is a thriving chapter with energetic members who want to make a difference and are active in that pursuit.

Recently I had the honor of speaking, along with David and Joan Parker, at East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, North Carolina.  This is the first year for their GSA and the group was so inquisitive and SOOO polite.  How pleasant it is to see such accepting young people in high school, this is a club that would never have been allowed to form when I was in high school and to this day my high school STILL doesn’t have a GSA. 

I also recently had the joy of presenting Catherine Carmichael with a plaque honoring her dedication for the last 18 months as PFLAG Asheville’s president.  Catherine has recently resigned after serving tirelessly to PFLAG and the LGBT community in Western North Carolina.  One of the most recent programs and most successful programs of PFLAG Asheville is Youth OUTright, a dynamic group of young people which was started through PLFAG and is now their own independent entity.  Please view their website http://www.youthoutright.org/.

I would love to hear from your chapter.  The South-Atlantic Region covers the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky.  Fortunately I have been able to visit chapters in Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina.  If you would like a visit don’t hesitate to call or e-mail me and we will get a time set up.

Jaime Combs
PFLAG Regional Director
South Atlantic Region
(865) 755-1362
jaime@pflagsouthatlantic.org

http://pflagsouthatlantic.org

According to a press release from the Fayetteville Police Department:

At approximately 0004 hours on Tuesday April 14th Fayetteville Police Officers along with EMS responded to 119 Joseph St in Bonne Doone reference an unconscious, unresponsive subject. Upon their arrival to the scene officers discovered a B/M approximately 35 years of age deceased at the edge of the roadway in front of 119 Joseph St. The investigation is currently being worked as a homicide. The name of the victim is not being released pending notification of the next of kin. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact the Fayetteville Police Department Homicide Investigation Unit at 433-1856 or call Crime Stoppers at 483-TIPS (483-8477)

Q-Notes News Article

Police confirmed on Tuesday afternoon the identity of a homicide victim found near a local gay and lesbian bar.

According to the Fayetteville Police Department, officers found transgender drag performer Imaje Devera (born Jimmy Ali McCollough), 34, shortly after midnight on April 14 in front of 119 Joseph St. The body was found near Club Emages, formerly Club Spektrum.

Police are not releasing any more information at the time, including how the victim died, citing the sensitive nature of the case.

Club Emages owner Dy’Mond Cartier told Raleigh news station WRAL that police said Devera had been stabbed and that the case was being investigated as a hate crime.

What do you get when you take the ‘Big Apple’, great entertainers like Sigourney Weaver, top business leaders like Rick Anacetti, CEO of Food Lion, LLC,  elected officials of possibly the most powerful city in the world like mayor Michael Bloomberg, educators and humanitarians like Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, a great author and voice for all like Dr. Maya Angelou, wonderful food and 600 people gathered to say we are going to support equality?  The answer, of course, would be PFLAG’s First Annual Straight for Equality Gala that was held last Thursday, February 5 in New York City!

The first annual gala was truly an evening to remember with not even the smallest detail being left out.  The enormous task of organizing an event like this, especially considering PFLAG’s small national staff, was definitely a testament to their dedication and hard work.  The event was executed flawlessly and the efforts of all raised over a quarter of a million dollars to advance equality!  Congratulations PFLAG!

‘Straight for Equality’ has provided training for over 2,000 people and it empowers all people in supporting and advocating for the rights of GLBT people.  This program has been a wonderful outreach opportunity to engage allies to the GLBT movement and to introduce people to PFLAG and what we are all about.  ’Straight for Equality in the Workplace’ is one of the programs and it has been given to more than 20 U.S. corporation.  ’Straight for Equality’ will also launch a new module of this program for the healthcare profession in 2009 and in the future will have modules in faith and also in education.

 I have lived all my life in Tennessee and am regional director for the South Atlantic Region (one of the most conservative regions).  I was so impressed to see what can be accomplished through the support of straight allies, GLBT people and PFLAG when we come together to support equality in one of the most diverse and supportive regions.  New York has allowed me for the first time in my life to experience a brief moment where I could say that I honestly felt equality–there were no judgments about gender or who we love, there were no looks of scorn and not one time did I hear whispers or even blatantly disrespectful comments.  My friends, we have a lot of work to do.

Dr. Johnetta B. Cole, an honoree of the gala, spoke and exclaimed that we have gone from asking for tolerance (of the GLBT community) to asking for acceptance.  I am happy to say that the South Atlantic Region of PFLAG has transcended mere acceptance and instead practices embracing the GLBT community.  Thank you.

In addition to the gala we also had our regional director’s meeting.  I will send another communication about the meeting soon.

Blessings,
Jaime Combs
South Atlantic Regional Director
PFLAG

On May 16, 2007, Sean Kennedy, a 20-year old gay man, was attacked on the streets of Greenville, South Carolina. He died of his injuries later that night. Yet, because of the lack of hate crimes legislation, his attacker may be eligible for parole in February!

Sean was a brave young man with a bright, infectious smile. But his life was cut short and justice left unserved.  Now, PFLAG is joining with Sean’s mother, Elke Kennedy, and asking all of our members to write to the parole board and urge them to rule that Moller must serve his complete sentence for this heinous, anti-gay crime.

Because South Carolina – and many other states- lack protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, Moller was able to plea-bargain to involuntary manslaughter charges (considered a “non-violent crime”) and received a suspended five to three years sentence for his crime. Because of the credit he received for time served before sentencing, his full sentence means that he will be free in September 2009. And he is also eligible for parole in February, which means that he will have served only 8 months of his full sentence for Sean’s death. 

The parole board is currently conducting a review on whether to grant Moller parole.  It is critically important that they hear from our community, and that we each send a strong message that it is unacceptable to grant such early parole following a brutal anti-gay murder! 

Please join us in writing a letter to the parole board, and ask them to deny Stephen Moller’s parole. If you have the time, please write a personal letter by hand or by computer, as those will be the most effective, and if you knew Sean or his family personally, please include that information. 

Also, please let Elke Kennedy, Sean’s mother, know if you send a letter. Elke has asked that you also send her a copy of the letter, so she can have copies to take with her to the parole hearing. This will help her in building her case – and send a clear message that PFLAG families won’t tolerate anti-gay violence. 

Be sure to include Moller’s full name and ID number: Stephen Andrew Moller – SCDC ID # 00328891. 

Send your letters to: 
Department of Probation Pardon and Parole Services 
2221 Devine Street, Suite 600, 
PO Box 50666 
Columbia, SC 29250 

Also, please be sure to send a copy to Elke Kennedy, Sean’s mother. You can send materials to her at: elke@seanslastwish.org

Or via mail: Elke Kennedy 
PO Box 5697 
Greenville, SC 29606 

Be sure to read about PFLAG’s policy position in advocating for federal hate crimes legislation, too – to ensure that all people in all states have protections, and that future anti-gay violence will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!