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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1992)
•«•y. • vention of naval aviators and says that top Navy admirals have “tacitly approved” of such activity for years. The alleged misconduct occurred at a convention of Navy and Marine Corps aviators in Las Vegas. More than half the women involved were naval officers. Navy officials said no disci plinary action is contemplated, but said policy changes would be enacted to prevent such con duct in the future. ▼ ▼ ▼ In June, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will launch its sixth annual National Lobby Days for lesbian and gay civil rights. Held during the entire month, National Lobby Days are de signed to encourage, empower, and coordinate a grassroots lobbying front aimed at the U.S. Con gress. Activists and organizations lobby their federal legislators by hosting letter-writing par ties and arranging district-based office visits with members of Congress. For a copy of The Lobby Days Report, or for more information about Na tional Lobby Days, call Peri Jude Radecic at 1- 202-322-6483. ▼ ▼ ▼ Hundreds of gay and lesbian activists and their supporters will be on hand next month for a gala reception honoring leaders in the struggle to over turn the m ilitary’s ban on gay and lesbian servicemembers. Members of Congress as well as gay and lesbian veterans will be honored at the June 24 even sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. The recep tion, titled “Honoring Our Allies, Forging Our Future,” will honor Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), chairman of the Government Operations Com mittee who requested a study by the Government Accounting Office into the cost of discharging gay and lesbian servicemembers; Rep. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who introduced H.R.271, which directs the president to rescind the military’s ban on gay servicemembers; and members of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America (GLBVA), an organization which has taken the helm of the battle to secure civil rights for gay servicemembers and veterans. Special guests at the reception include Rep. Gerry Studds (D-M A), Joe Steffan, who was dismissed from the Naval Academy because he is gay, and Sgt. Miriam Ben-Shalom, chairperson of GLBVA. ▼ ▼ ▼ In a groundbreaking public service announce ment currently being aired on television stations across the country, members of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays proclaim their love for all their fam ily m em bers, according to Tom Sauerman. Starring 45 PFLAG family members of all races and ages, the 30-second spot evokes the image of a giant photo of a warm and diverse “ family," with voice-overs of parents recalling the experience of coming to terms with having a lesbian, gay, or bisexual family member. It in vites viewers to call a computerized voice-mail system (1-800-4-FAMILY) to obtain the num bers o f local P-FLAG helplines in over 270 com munities. The helpline messages are taped in both English and Spanish. ▼ ▼ ▼ Working in coalition with ethnic, religious and civil rights groups, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) is pressuring the U.S. Government to respond more inclusively and aggressively to anti-gay and -lesbian hate crimes. A coalition of national organizations, including NGLTF, testified before the House Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights for fuller implementation of the federal Hate Crimes Statistics Act by the Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service (CRS). The CRS has dragged its feet and at times refused to include anti-gay and religious-motivated inci dents in its educational materials and programs- sparking a year-long battle between NGLTF and CRS to get gays included in the agency’s “man date.” ▼ ▼ ▼ The Justice Department has conceded that it has yet to begin a vigorous study of 15,000 police brutality complaints nearly 14 months after the beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King prompted the agency to promise a review. The complaints covered alleged misconduct by offic ers in 4,000 of the nation’s 16,000 police depart ments. _ 'v J..- ' . ▼ ▼ ▼ Staff members of the National Gay and Les bian Task Force met with the new acting chair of the National Endowment for the Arts in a meeting that was both cordial and challenging. Acting chair Anne-lmelda Radice stated solidly that she is “not homophobic,” but reaffirmed that she will not fund sexually-explicit art. ▼ ▼ ▼ Artifacts relating to the Nazis’ persecution of lesbians and gays are being sought for display in the Holocaust Memorial Museum, which is now under construction in Washington, D.C. Museum officials said that so far very few items relating to homosexual persecution at the hands of the Nazis have been collected. More information can be obtained by calling the museum at 1-202-653- 9878. W ASHINGTON The Pride Foundation, dedicated to strength ening the gay and lesbian community through fundraising and grant awards, is now located at 2820 East Madison St., Seattle, WA 98112-4841. The telephone number is 1-206-323-3318. The Pride Foundation has made grants to over 80 organizations since it was founded in 1985. In 1991 it granted over $55,000. Compiled by Matt Bailey, Ariel Waterwoman and Rex Wockner ’ there's a lot we can do." ... ' i Get T r e a t me n t . Be here lor the cure.
