Ordinance affirms rights policy
Is Ginny in a draft?
n November 1986 voters, by charter
amendments, authorized reform of the
personnel system of the City of
Portland, through the transfer of adminis
trative functions from the Civil Service
Board to the Bureau of Personnel Services.
With unanimous approval of the City
Council on May 7, die City Charter was
amended to include chapters on personnel
policy and attendant definitions.
The first section of the first chapter
reads as follows:
couple of months ago, we published
a commentary by Boston City
Councillor, David Scondras, in
which he urged us to run an openly lesbian
or gay person for president. Scondras
urged us to advance the candidacy of
Ginny Apuzzo, in particular.
We think the Scondras idea is terrific. It
appears that a whole lot of other people
think so, too. Scondras reports he has re
ceived hundreds of enthusiastic responses
from all over the country. Articles about
the Apuzzo campaign have garnered main
stream press and radio coverage.
Ginny Apuzzo, former head of the Na
tional Gay and Lesbian Task Force, is cur
rently Deputy Director of the New York
State Consumer Protection Board. Her ex
perience in testifying before Senate and
Congressional Committees on issues rang
ing from increased AIDS funding to op
position to President Reagan's politicali
zation of the Civil Rights Commission has
earned her respect in Washington as a
forceful spokesperson for our community.
By fielding an articulate and attractive
candidate, the lesbian and gay community
will gain invaluable air time and press
coverage by having one o f us present our
issues. Not only will the mainstream have
to deal with our issues, millions of children
will see that being gay or lesbian is a
strength to be celebrated and utilized.
So, if you’re thinking, “ Run, Ginny,
Run,” write to Apuzzo and let her know of
your support — tell her why it would make
a difference to you if she ran: Ginny
Apuzzo, 99 Washington Avenue, Room
1020, Albany, NY 12210.
Grassroots support is the key to success
in this campaign. That’s why it’s so im
portant to contact Ginny directly.
I
4.01.010 Policy Statement. To ensure
the provision of high quality services
which are responsive to the needs of the
community, it is the policy of the City
Council to provide a fair and equal op
portunity for public service to all interested
citizens. It is also the policy o f the City
Council to provide for conditions of service
which will attract, develop and retain of
ficers and employees whose integrity,
skills and abilities will promote excellence
in the organization. To accomplish these
policy objectives requires that the City
Council authorize and direct the adoption
o f a uniform system o f personnel
administration.
Furthermore, the duties of the Personnel
Director include the implementation of re
gulations which must include: Provision
fo r fair treatment o f applicants and
employees in all aspects o f personnel ad
ministration without regard to race, color,
religion, sex, national origin, political af
filiation, marital status, sexual orienta
tion, age, handicap, or other nonmerit-
based factors and with proper regard for
their privacy and constitutional rights as
citizens (4.01.050 [11]).
Chapter 4.02 Definitions includes the
following:
4.02.010(23) DISCRIMINATION
COMPLAINT: A complaint that a person
nel action was motivated by discrimina
tion on the basis o f race, color, religion,
sex, age, marital status, national origin,
family relationship, sexual orientation,
handicap or political affiliation.
and:
4.02.010(27) EQUAL EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITY: A directive that the hir
ing o f persons into classified service shall
be based solely on job related standards
regardless of race, color, religion, age,
sex, national origin, handicap, sexual
orientation, marital status or political
affiliation.
So, who could find fault with that?
Know your enemy
£ 4 / " \ ne ofthe most dangerous men
I
I in America” says Surgeon
General C. Everett Koop of
discredited psychologist and homophobe,
Paul Cameron. In Portland over the
Memorial Day weekend to advocate
“ elimination” of gays, Cameron played
true to Koop’s characterization.
Cloaking his homophobic diatribe un
der the topic, “ Will condoms and educa
tion stop AIDS,” Cameron lectured his
small audience on his urgency of need to
“ incarcerate and eliminate” gays.
Concerned Women of America, a clone of
Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum, sponsored
Cameron’s appearance, which was billed
as a debate with Joan Binninger, director
of community services for Planned Parent
hood of the Columbia-Willamette.
Cautioned beforehand that Cameron
would try to set her up as a foil for his
A
specious arguments, Binninger walked out
on him when he did just that. After Binnin-
ger’s departure, Cameron continued to
spew venom under the guise of answering
questions from the audience.
Cameron’s appearance in Portland is
something I have dreaded since I first read
about him and his appallingly dangerous
propaganda three years ago. At that time,
Cameron inflamed the gay community
when he appeared on a talk show in
Philadelphia. Cameron’s heinous fabrica
tions about gays contributed to his expul
sion from the American Psychological As
sociation in 1984, but his virulent
homophobia has made him a rising star
with the fundamentals! right wing.
In an interview published in the Village
Voice [quoted above], Surgeon General
Koop said that he hears Cameron’s
“ phrases coming out of mouths in the
White House and that scares me.”
“ His answer to everything is genocide
of homosexuals,” Koop said.
Cameron’s slither through Oregon must
be viewed by gays and lesbians as a
resurgence of activity by the homophobes.
Portlanders may face an initiative to strike
from the City Charter recently approved
civil rights protections for Portland City
employees.
Looking ahead
ow that the Portland City Charter has
been amended to guarantee civil
rights protections on the basis of
sexual orientation to employees under its
jurisdiction, the community may face an
initiative ballot measure to strike the pro
tections from the charter.
The employment guarantees apply only
to city employees and have no effect in the
private sector, yet Drew Davis, a Lake
Oswego resident, Beaverton attorney
Henry Kane, and others who may or may
not live in Portland are gearing up for an
initiative campaign as soon as possible.
Three and a half years ago, Multnomah
County Commissioners approved similar
employment guarantees only to repeal
them when challenged to an election battle
by Drew Davis and Concerned Citizens of
Portland. The County then approved a re
solution which is not subject to initiative.
The maneuver was challenged, unsuccess
fully, in court by the same group of people.
Will the City follow the County and
repeal the “ offending” language? Or will
the City Council progress to extending
civil rights protections to all citizens of
Portland by approving an ordinance to that
effect.
Could we initiate our own ordinance?
N
DR. TORI HUDSON
Naturopathic Physician
Specializing in Natural,
Drugless Therapies
for chronic disease.
• HOMEOPATHY
• HYDROTHERAPY
• NUTRITION
Portland Naturopathic Clinic
11231 SE Market Street
255-7355
• By Appointment
• House Calls Available
Right to privacy given reprieve
eattle Superior Court Judge Warren
Chan, on May 14, issued a novel legal
decision in a three-year legal battle
over First Amendment rights when he
signed a default order against the Freedom
Socialist Party (FSP) for refusing to di
vulge its minutes, but in a surprise move
announced that he would delay filing the
order while the Washington State Court of
Appeals considers whether to accept dis
cretionary review of the constitutional is
sues in the case.
At an earlier April hearing, Chan had
given the FSP and nine Northwest radicals
also named in the suit 20 days to disclose
party minutes. If the defendants refused to
turn over the minutes by the deadline,
Chan had ruled, they would forfeit their
right to trial in a lawsuit brought against
them by a former FSP member, Richard
Snedigar, over a $22,500 donation. How
ever, at the May 14 default hearing, Chan
acknowledged that no appellate court has
yet reviewed the privacy claims raised by
the defendants.
Visibly frustrated by Chan’s desire to
protect the defendants from seizures of
property and garnishment of wages,
Snedigar’s attorney queried, “ What
makes these people so special?” In tum,
Chan asked, "How do you weigh a claim
for $22,000 against a claim of invasion of
constitutional rights?”
Attorney Valerie Carlson stated that the
defendants (FSP, et. al.), will immediately
ask the state Court of Appeals to consider
the case. FSP spokespersons give credit to
the many people who wrote to Judge Chan.
S
TW O
TW O
P + L + U + S
_
AN EXCEPTIONAL JEWELRY
STORE FOR MEN AND WOMEN
Just Out.
5. June. 1987