Just out., October 01, 1990, Page 7, Image 7

Litter program trashes P/FLAG
which require food handling. The Roman
Catholic church has not given its official
support to the group. AIDS activists in
Townsville likened the proposal to Nazism.
Rather than allow the local chapter of
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
(PFLAG) to adopt a section of a freeway in its
“Adopt-a-Roadway” program, the St. Louis,
Mo., highway department is considering
trashing the whole program.
Organizations that adopt a stretch of road
and commit to keep it free from litter are
honored with a permanent sign along the
adopted stretch. The department doesn’t want
to allow the words “gay” and “lesbian” to be
placed on a sign on the highway. Highway
director Jan Payton said the group’s name had
certain connotations that some people wouldn't
approve of. Currently, 270 organizations have
adopted a length of roadway. At a commission
meeting, the P/FLAG group was likened to the
Ku Klux Klan and Nazis and a commissioner
said if P/FLAG were allowed to have its name
on a sign, the highway department would have
to provide a sign for the Nazis.
Western Union issues
non-discrimination policy
Western Union Corporation, which earlier
this year was sharply criticized by lesbian and
gay rights advocates for their attempts to
overturn the San Francisco lesbian and gay
rights ordinance, has issued a revised non­
discrimination policy for its employees which
specifically includes sexual orientation.
In a statement signed by Western Union’s
president and chief executive officer, Robert J.
Amman, the company states that its policy of
equal opportunity “is founded on sound
business judgment and our belief in respect for
the individual. We depend on the full and
effective employment and development of
qualified persons regardless of race, color,
religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual
Group wants visual identifcation of gays orientation, physical or mental handicap or
veteran status."
“Western Union is sending a clear message
A group of Catholic parents in Townsville,
Australia, have recommended that gay men and that discrimination against gay and lesbian
lesbians be required by law to wear identifica­ Americans is counterproductive and wrong. I
tion that is visible to the public. The group cited hope many other companies follow this
“modem minimum health precautions” to fight example of responsible corporate citizenship,”
stated Tim McFeeley, executive director of the
AIDS as the reason to institute the policy.
Human Rights Campaign Fund.
The Queensland Association of
Catholic Parents presented to the Criminal
Justice Commission a 10-point plan to “stop the
New Jersey Supreme Court
spread of AIDS.” Other proposals outlined in
prohibits anti-gay discrimination
the plan included quarantining people with
AIDS and HIV and compulsory HIV testing of
The New Jersey Supreme Court has
all male flight attendants and “known homo­
announced
changes to the state’s judicial and
sexuals.” The group would also like to ban gays
professional codes to prohibit lawyers and
and lesbians from teaching and holding jobs
judges from discriminating against people
Human Rights (MOHR), one of the plaintiffs in
the suit, along with 11 diverse individuals.
because of their sexual orientation.
MOHR brought the lawsuit together with
The changes, which were originally
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund,
proposed by the American Civil Liberties
Union of New Jersey, make the stale’s judiciary the national lesbian and gay rights advocacy
group, and the ACLU of Michigan.
the first in the country to adopt anti-gay
"The right to privacy victories in Michigan
discrimination clauses for lawyers and judges.
and Kentucky within a month are extremely
"The Supreme Court of New Jersey has
significant, because they show that state courts
declared that bias in the state’s legal system
against gay, lesbian or bisexual people will not and state constitutions can do what the federal
be tolerated,” said Ruth E. Harlow, a staff
courts used to do: protect minorities and basic
attorney with the ACLU-NJ. "These new rules American freedoms against government
send a very important signal to all New Jersey
intrusion,” said Paula Ettelbrick, one of two
judges and lawyers that all forms of discrimina­ Lambda attorneys on the case.
tion—including that against gay people and the
Excerpted from Gay & Lesbian Nation.
poor—will not be accepted.”
The amended portion of the Code of Judicial Dukakis vetoes gay
Conduct now says that “a judge should be
foster care restrictions
impartial, and should not discriminate because
of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual
orientation, national origin, marital status,
Gay activists claimed a major victory with
socioeconomic status, or handicap.”
Mass. Governor Michael Dukakis vetoed a
budget amendment which could have restricted
the rights of gays and lesbians to adopt or be
guardians or foster parents of children.
Sodomy laws fall in two states
Dukakis created an explosion of controversy
in 1985 when he ordered the removal of two
New York—A trial court in Wayne County, foster children from the home of two gay men.
Michigan has become the second court in a
The Massachusetts legislature followed
month to strike down a state sodomy statute on Dukakis’ example by attaching even more
restrictive language to the budget each year.
state constitutional grounds. In reasoning
similar to that used by a Kentucky court in
1990 is the first year since 1985 that lesbians
and gays have managed to defeat this restrictive
early June, the Michigan court recognized in
July 6 that the state sodomy law and related so- language.
called “gross indecency” laws violate every
Gay activists in Massachusetts believe that
citizen’s right to privacy under the state
this positive turn of events has national
constitution.
significance. The restrictive foster care policies
“The Michigan ruling is a good example of adopted in Massachusetts were imitated by
the growing trend around the country to
several other states. Activists believe that this
challenge and overturn these antiquated, op­
Massachusetts victory has the potential to turn
pressive laws,” said David Piontkowsky, lead
the tide nationally through the adoption of
unbiased parenting policies.
attorney for the Michigan Organization for
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