Billiee Pendleton-Parker is one of the organizers for Atlanta events associated with the ‘Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights’ campaign Oct. 7-13. (Photo courtesy of Pendleton-Parker)
Lighting candles, enlightening minds Straight allies plan week of gay rights vigils across U.S.
By
SEP. 28, 2007
MORE INFO:
Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights
Oct. 7, 7 p.m.
Martin Luther King Jr. Center
449 Auburn Ave.
www.sevenstraightnights.org
THROUGHOUT
HER
TWO
DECADES
WORKING
at
Georgia
Tech,
Billiee
Pendleton-Parker
has
become
an
adviser
and
confidant
to
generations
of
gay
and
lesbian
Yellow
Jackets.
“I
do
a
lot
of
informal
advising
—
people
somehow
just
seem
to
find
me,”
says
Pendleton-Parker,
who
is
heterosexual
and
works
as
assistant
director
of
the
President’s
Scholarship
Program
at
Georgia
Tech.
Since
arriving
at
Georgia
Tech
in
the
late
1980s,
Pendleton-Parker
has
seen
the
campus
and
surrounding
community
become
more
welcoming,
but
she
adds,
“The
more
things
change,
the
more
they
stay
the
same.”
“Even
though
there
has
been
incredible
progress
and
so
many
more
of
the
young
people
are
able
to
be
100
percent
out,
there’s
still
so
many
who
aren’t
out,
or
who
may
be
out
in
the
collegial
environment,
but
not
to
their
family
or
in
the
work
environment,”
Pendleton-Parker
says.
“We’re
not
where
we’re
going
to
be
yet
[when
it
comes
to
society
accepting
gay
people],
but
we’re
getting
there,”
she
says.
Pendleton-Parker
hopes
Atlanta
takes
a
few
more
steps
toward
“getting
there”
with
an
Oct.
7
rally
at
the
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
Center
that
is
part
of
a
weeklong
national
campaign
known
as
“Seven
Straight
Nights
for
Equal
Rights.”
Created
by
the
gay
rights
organizations
Soulforce
and
Atticus
Circle,
the
“Seven
Straight
Nights”
event
calls
for
candlelight
vigils
to
take
place
in
more
than
two-dozen
cities
across
the
U.S.
from
Oct.
7-13,
where
straight
allies
will
“demand
equality
for
LGBT
Americans.”
Pendleton-Parker
and
fellow
Atlanta
organizer
Alana
Zavett
have
planned
three
hours
of
speakers
and
musicians
for
Atlanta’s
“Seven
Straight
Nights”
observance,
which
will
include
King’s
“I
Have
A
Dream”
speech
played
over
loudspeaker.
“With
the
rich
history
Atlanta
has
in
civil
rights,
we
wanted
to
focus
on
delivering
Martin
Luther
King’s
message
of
the
‘beloved
community’
being
open
to
all
people,”
Zavett
says.
ATLANTA
ORGANIZERS
ALSO
hope
to
recruit
a
member
of
the
King
family
to
speak
at
the
Oct.
7
vigil,
as
well
as
attract
speakers
from
Soulforce,
the
Anti-Defamation
League
and
local
non-profit
organizations
that
serve
gay
men
and
lesbians.
Already
confirmed
to
speak
at
the
vigil
are
gay
Rabbi
Joshua
Lesser
of
Congregation
Bet
Haverim,
and
Stephanie
Ray,
associate
dean
of
students
and
director
of
diversity
programs
at
Georgia
Tech.
The
event
will
also
include
personal
reflections
by
straight
allies
in
attendance,
testimony
from
members
of
Georgia
Tech’s
Pride
Alliance
and
a
performance
by
local
singer
Ari
Zelig.
With
this
being
the
first
year
for
“Seven
Straight
Nights,”
organizers
are
unsure
how
many
people
will
turn
out,
but
they
have
no
doubts
about
the
importance
of
the
event.
“Our
vision
is
just
to
serve
as
a
catalyst
for
peace
and
education
for
all
of
Atlanta,”
Zavett
says.
“We,
of
course,
hope
lots
of
people
come,
but
if
we
can
touch
a
small
handful
of
people
who
can
come
and
feel
the
support
of
the
community
and
get
resources
— we
will
feel
successful
if
we
can
provide
that
kind
of
network
for
those
people.”
Pendleton-Parker
was
attracted
to
the
“Seven
Straight
Nights”
campaign
because
of
the
chance
to
be
part
of
a
new
voice
in
the
national
discussion
about
gay
rights.
“For
many
years,
I’ve
been
involved
with
different
efforts
— on
a
smaller
and
informal
scale
— to
help
deal
with
the
inequalities
the
GLBT
community
faces,”
Pendleton-Parker
says.
“It’s
always
fun
to
be
with
something
on
the
ground
floor,
the
inaugural
year.”
IN
ADDITION
TO
WORKING
IN
the
office
of
the
President’s
Scholarship
Program
and
teaching
courses
at
Georgia
Tech,
Pendleton-Parker
serves
as
the
faculty
adviser
for
several
student
organizations,
including
three
gay
groups
— the
Pride
Alliance,
Safe
Space
and
Georgia
Tech
C.O.W.
(Coming
Out
Week).
She’s
also
a
board
member
of
the
Atlanta
chapter
of
PFLAG.
Pendleton-Parker
has
been
friendly
with
gay
people
for
longer
than
she
can
remember,
but
the
“tipping
point”
for
her
identifying
as
a
straight
ally
came
in
the
late
’80s
when
she
befriended
a
gay
administrator
at
Tech.
“He
was
closeted
because
he
had
to
be
at
that
time
with
his
job,
and
that
always
bothered
me,”
says
Pendleton-Parker,
who
believes
non-gay
people
may
be
more
receptive
to
calls
for
tolerance
from
other
heterosexuals.
“I
think
perceptions
…
can
absolutely
be
different
if
the
message
is
coming
from
a
straight
person,”
says
Pendleton-Parker,
who
adds
that
it
appears
she
has
no
“vested
interest”
in
fighting
gay
discrimination.
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