Smeal again
NOW president
by Ja y Brown
Eleanor Smeal, president of the National
Organizaton for Women from 1977 to 1982,
was again elected president of NOW at the
organization's annual convention in New
Orleans last month. Smeal, who vowed to
take feminists "back into the streets," upset
Judy Goldsmith, the incum bent
In her election campaign, Smeal said it was
time to put the right wing on the defensive. A
veteran voice in the women’s movement
Smeal said she would lead the nation's largest
feminist organization to greater activism when
she takes office on September 1.
“ Ellie s leadership is dynamic," says Peggy
Norman, an Oregon delegate. "But her elec
tion will make little change in Oregon NOW.
Oregonians have always been active.”
Oregon NOW members are already out in
the streets, according to Norman, who is Ac
tion Coordinator for Oregon NOW. NOW
members are waging a door-to-door cam
paign against an anticipated 1986 ballot
measure to abolish state funding for abortion.
"Women of means have a choice; the bal
lot measure to abolish state funded abortion
will target poor women," Norman said.
"NOW is not waiting; we are canvassing now
and fundraising to that purpose. We have
made a major commitment for a march on
Washington in support of reproductive rights
in 1986."
Included in the twenty-one resolutions
passed at the NOW convention, several are of
particular interest to lesbians and gays.
Wording in the Lesbian and Gay Parenting
and Custody resolution commits NOW “to
take a leading role in defending or assisting in
the defense of lesbian and gay families, and
in joining with lesbian and gay legal organiza
tions in challenging sodomy statutes, and
urges its state and local chapters to work for
adequate and effective sex education pro
grams that present a positive view of
women’s sexuality, and of lesbianism and
homosexuality, and for the development of
programs to support lesbian and gay youth."
A lengthy resolution on AIDS contains writ
ing which calls for NOW to oppose the use of
quarantines to control the AIDS epidemic
and in the event that a quarantine is im
posed shall immediately call a press con
ference condemning such action and take
whatever other actions are necessary and
at all levels encourage federal, state, and
local health departments and health care
providers to educate the public as to the
m edical facts regarding AJDS and its inter
mission and the effects of discrimination
against lesbian and gay people and prosti
tutes. And the Right Wing resolution urges
that NOW media and action programs in the
areas of Reproductive Rights (eg. In Support
of Women’s Lives), Equal Rights Amend
ment (eg. ERA Extension and Vermont ERA
Project), and Lesbian and Gay Rights (eg.
New Jersey Lesbian and Gay Rights Project)
focus on exposing the right wing’s sexism,
homophobia and bigotry.
Membership in the various NOW chapters
in Oregon numbers more than 3000, with
national membership exceeding a quarter of
a million.
Reagan tax plan
favors nuclear
families
Gay people will see few benefits from the
tax reform measures now being promoted by
the Reagan administration — unless they’re
rich. High income people will benefit most
from the Reagan plan because the top tax
rate has been slashed to 35% from the cur
rent 50%.
In the middle and low income range, mar
ried couples with children and a stay-at-
home spouse will see their taxes reduced by
larger percentages than single people. The
reason is that the Reagan plan doubles the
personal exemption to $2,000 for every fam
ily member and allows a housewife to omit
up to $2,000 from taxable income for an IRA.
As the chart shows, a single gay man earn
ing $30,000 will see his taxes raised 3% by the
Reagan tax "reform,” but a married man, with
two kids and a wife at home, will find his taxes
reduced a whopping 18%. "Ronald Reagan is
paying off his fundamentalist supporters by
building more nuclear family bias into the tax
code,” comments Matthew Reed, CPA, in San
Francisco.
Singles are not the only people being left
out of the “Second American Revolution.”
Straight married couples in the medium in
come range, with two paychecks and no
children, will be paying more taxes too.
Ronald Reagan seems to be echoing Phyllis
Schlafly, telling them that if the wife will just
give up her career and have some children,
they will be rewarded with a tax break.
Barbara J. Torelle, L.M.T.
Träger Psychophysical
Integration SM & M assage
For an appointment call: -23 + - Ó S S 7
The brochure is free, but please send a
self-addressed stamped envelope to NGRA,
540 Castro Street San Francisco, CA 94114.
How Reagan
Tax Plan
Affects Hypothetical
1986 Returns
Current Reagan
Plan
Law
INCOME
First Earners Wages 30,000
Second Earners Wages
Emplyr-pd Health Ins
3,0000
Current Reagan
Law
Plan
Current Reagan
Law
Plan
30,000
30.000
20.000
30.000
20.000
300
300
30,000
300
30,000
30,300
30,000
30,300
50,000
50,300
2,000
2,000
2,000
4,000
2,000
4,000
4,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
4,000
6,000
4,000
ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME 28,000
28,300
28,000
26,300
44,000
46,300
Total
Income
ADJUSTMENTS
Second Earner Ded
IRA Contribution
Total Adjustments
* ITEMIZED DEDUCTIONS
Charatable Contribs
Home Mortgage Int
State A Local Taxes
1,000
4,500
2,184
1,000
4,500
1,000
4,500
2,184
1,000
4,500
0
1,000
4,500
2,860
1,000
4,500
0
Total Itemized
Less Zero Bracket
7,684
2,480
5,500
2,900
7,684
3,670
5,500
4,000
8,360
3,670
5,500
4,000
Allowable Itemized
Personal Exemptions
5,204
1,080
2,600
2,000
4,014
4,320
1,500
8,000
4,690
3,670
1,500
4,000
6.284
4,600
8,334
9,500
8,360
5,500
21,716
23,700
19,666
16,800
35,640
40,800
3,570
3,690
2,353
1,920
6,221
6,700
Total
ItemAExempt
TAXABLE INCOME
TAX
PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN TAX
MARGINAL TAX RATE
♦ 3%
261
251
♦ 7%
-18%
18%
15%
25%
28%
—
SANDRA K. PINCHES
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Counseling and Psychotherapy
Massage for women ami men
Neo-Reichian &
Shiatsu
National Gay Rights Advocates, the San
Fr ancisco-based public interest law firm, has
published a new brochure on wills. Written in
a question-answer form at the brochure ad
dresses the typical concerns of gay men and
women. Some of the areas covered are pro
bate, taxes, joint ownership of property and
estate planning.
NGRA Executive Director Jean O’Leary
said; "Wills give us the power to make im
portant decisions about the disposition of our
property. With a will, you can make sure your
last wishes are respected so that those most
by Morgan Pinney, CPA
N if e h n ORI i o o o
Valerie Lyon, M.S., L.M.T.
important to you will be remembered. With
out a will, you simply have no choice.”
Leonard Graff, NGRA Legal Director, said:
"We just finished successfully defending the
validity of a gay man's will that his two nieces
had challenged. Unfortunately this sort of
thing happens all the time. NGRA’s brochure
has a section that specifically deals with the
problem of will contests.” Graff noted that the
defense of the will was a joint project with
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund
and the Fund for Human Dignity.
Wills brochure
published
Individuals, Couples, and
Families
Adolescents, Adults
Gay, Lesbian
and Couples
Individuals
í «U
Relationship Problems
Depression
Stress
Partners of Alcoholics
Caterers 223-8690
11H12 X.W. 24ili • Pori land. O regon 97210
Unique FcxxJ Presentations
1809 N.W. JOHNSON, SUITE 7
PORTLAND, OR 97209
(503) 227-7558
IV iv l. m u he« • I'in n e r »
Plena.' I tinkle or Out
I ’.irr ie ' • P riv a te o r I V i 'i n c "
Lin e W in e S e le c tio n ' • T .i'fn u .’'
Just O ut.
August. 1985