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ANNAPOLIS, MD: The Maryland Court of
Appeals ruled in October that a state law prohib­
iting “unnatural or perverted sexual practices
does not apply to oral sex in private by hetero­
sexual couples, married or not. The law does,
however, apply to homosexuals in identical
circumstances.
BOISE, IDAHO: Three men who faced life
in prison for committing “the infamous crime
against nature” pled guilty to a lesser charge of
indecent exposure in October. An “infamous
crime against nature” is any sexual penetration of
any bodily orifice other than the vagina.
BURBANK, CA: The Gay and Lesbian Al­
liance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is seeing
red over a scene in Harrison Ford’s new film
Presumed Innocent where a cop tells Harrison
that the new police chief is a winner because he
“cleaned up the park and got rid of all those fag­
gots.” Letters to Robert Daley, CEO, Warner
Bros., 4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91522..
pay attention to the ways in which they are por­
trayed in the media. That’s my contribution.”
Russo was a founder of GLAAD and a member
of ACT UP, NGLTF and Lambda.
NEW YORK: Outweek magazine ousted
novelist/critic Susan Sontag Nov. 14. Columnist
Michelangelo Signorile wrote: “How could Son-
tag have the fucking nerve to pen a book on
AIDS —AIDS and Its Metaphors — without at
least telling us in the introduction what point of
view it came from? How could she not see the
power in coming out publicly in the media, espe­
cially when writing about this disease?...”
SACRAMENTO: The gay rainbow flag
flew over the California Capitol for four hours
Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, before aides
to Gov. George Deukmejian ordered it removed.
The Joint Rules Committee of the state Senate
and Assembly had okayed the flying of the flag.
But Dcukmejian’s cabinet secretary, David Caf-
frey told gays that the state had “clear guide­
lines” on Capitol flag-flying. He later admitted
DENVER, CO: The Denver City Council that no such document exists.
voted 8-4 in favor of an ordinance that bans dis­
ST. LOUIS: County Executive H.C. Milford
crimination against gays and lesbians in employ­
ment, housing and public accommodations. Also relented Oct. 16 and said the local chapter of
protected are those who face discrimination be­ Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays could
cause of race, color, religion, national origin, join the county’s Adopt-a-Roadway anti-litter
gender, age, marital status, military status, or program after all. P/FLAG’s application to the
physical or mental ability. The ordinance was program was rejected this summer because offi­
written by gays and lesbians. Denver did not cials did not want to place the words “gays” and
previously have a local civil-rights law.
“lesbians” on a sign that would have publicized
P/FLAG’s volunteerism along their stretch of
HOLLYWOOD: “In her frankest interview road. Milford then ordered a survey of litter-
ever, Cher dcfend[ed] her lesbian daughter,” program participants. To his and others’ sur­
reports Star. Cher said, “It would be a lot more prise, 156 surveys were returned with 155 saying
important to me that Chastity be a good person the county should allow anyone to adopt a stretch
than what her sexuality is.... Chastity is every­ of highway and be honored with a sign. Soon
thing I would want her to be—sensitive, smart after this incident the North Carolina Department
and talented.”
of Transportation rejected a similar application
by a Lesbian and Gay Alliance there. Here we
KEY WEST: Activist Edward Seebol and go again!
the ACLU have filed suit against the Florida
Health and Rehabilitative Services department
WASHINGTON: Congress Oct. 18 passed
over a 1977 law that prohibits homosexuals from a sweeping immigration-reform bill that wipes
adopting children. Seebol applied to adopt a 10- from the lawbooks the 38-year-old ban on gay
to 15-year old HIV-positive child but was told he and lesbian visitors and immigrants, and paves
“didn’t meet the criteria.” New Hampshire is the the way for lifting the nation’s ban on HIV-posi­
only other state that specifically bans gay adop­ tive foreigners as well. President George Bush
tion. In New York and California, on the other plans to sign the entire immigration package into
hand, it is illegal to consider someone’s sexual law.
orientation when making adoption decisions.
WASHINGTON: Sen. Jesse Helms’ (R-
MINNEAPOLIS: More than 165 gay and N.C.) two-year campaign to ban federal grants to
lesbian students from universities around the artists who produce erotic anti-religious and cer­
nation gathered Nov. 9 to swap strategies in their tain other types of art ended abruptly Oct. 17
ongoing battles against the Reserve Officers’ when Congress approved a $175 million appro­
Training Corps, which bans homosexuals from priation for the National Endowment for the Arts
enrollment in accord with Department of De­ with no specific restrictions on how the agency
fense policy.
may spend its money.
NEW YORK: Pete Townshend, guitarist for
the group The Who, has come out of the closet
in the new book Rock Lives: Profiles and Inter­
views. Townshend, and has three kids, said,
"[My 1980 song Tough Boys’ was my] coming
out—an acknowledgement of the fact that I’d
had a gay life and that I understood what gay sex
was about”
NEW YORK: Author and lecturer Vito
Russo, 44, best-known for his book The Cellu­
loid Closet, died Nov. 6 of AIDS complications,
following a five-year battle with the disease. Thè
Celluloid Closet traced and analyzed the role of
gays in films from the silents to the present day.
“I have a much more serious urgency about my
writing now [that I’ve been diagnosed with
AIDS], Russo said in an interview this year. “I
want to leave something behind to make a state­
ment to my people about how important it is to
WASHINGTON: Perry Watkins is about to
become the first gay American allowed back into
the Army after being kicked out for being homo­
sexual. The Supreme Court Nov. 5 refused to
review a Seattle federal appeals court decision
that granted Watkins the right to serve. The
lower court rejected the military’s arguments that
the presence of Watkins—as an open gay—
would undermine morale and discipline, pointing
out that the Army had allowed Watkins to re­
enlist three times since 1967 before it discharged
him in 1981 for being gay.
WASHINGTON: The Smithsonian Institu­
tion has formally acquired memorabilia from
“the cause of gay rights political activism. In*
eluded in the artifacts are a photo of 1987’s Na­
tional March on Washington, buttons, and
NGLTF’s Privacy Project “Never Another Jailed
For Love!” placard.