8 T ju n « 1802 ▼ just out
national briefs
Network serves youth
A national resource guide, a pen pal service,
and a telephone hotline have been established to
help link young gays and lesbians throughout the
U.S. with information, support, and each other.
The services are offered by a San Francisco-
based organizationcalled YouthNetworks, which
focuses on the needs of gays and lesbians under
the age of 25. Network organizers are seeking
information from local gay youth programs and
services to include in upcoming editions of We
Are Here , the title of its resource guide.
A copy of the guide may be obtained by
sending $5 to Youth Networks, 2215 Market
Street, Suite 479, San Francisco, CA 94114-
1612. Information to be included in the guide can
be sent to the same address. The network’s
hotline number is 1-415-386-GAYS.
Latinas, latinos focus of
conference
El Encuentro Nacional, the first nationwide
gathering by and for latina lesbians and latino gay
men was held May 21 through 25 in Houston,
Tex.
Sponsored by LLEGO, the national Latino/a
Lesbian and Gay Organization based in Washing
ton, D.C., the conference focused on the impact of
the AIDS crisis and on a number of other issues.
More information on the conference or on LLEGO
can be obtained by calling Barbara Garcia in
Watsonville, Calif., at (408) 728-0782.
Gays, lesbians visible at
King verdict protest
Bush against bashing
President George Bush has refused to sign a
document opposing federal support for activities
promoting homosexuality.
Bush’s support for the document was sought
by a group calling itself the Traditional Values
Coalition during a 20-minute, closed-door meet
ing with the president. The president told the
group he was against gay bashing and in favor of
including protections for gays and lesbians in the
federal Hate Crimes Statistics Act.
Sources and newspaper reports differed in
their accounts of Bush’s stance on gay civil rights
in general.
Police chief fired
San Francisco Police Chief Richard Hongisto
has been fired for allegedly instigating the re
moval of more than 2,000 copies of a gay news
paper from street racks after the newspaper ridi
culed him. Hongisto*s actions were in direct
violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The decision by the city’s police commission
was a political embarassment to Mayor Frank
Jordan, who took office only four months ago.
Hongisto was appointed by Jordan. Hongisto
denied that he ordered mass removal of The Bay
Times. He said he had only suggested that some
officers “take a look at the newspaper.”
“I suppose that what transpired is once I sug
gested they take a look at the newspaper, the idea
in their minds to larger proportion, and they got
carried away with the act,” he said at a news
conference following his dismissal.
Hongisto had ordered mass arrests during May 1
A noticeably large contingent of gays and
lesbians joined hundreds of protesters in Wash
ington, D.C., following the verdict in the Rodney
King case.
Shouting "This isn’tjustice, we’re disgusted,”
the group marched around the Department of
Justice building and shut down Pennsylvania
Avenue and other streets during the four-hour
demonstration. One arrest was reported.
“The gay and lesbian community knows all
too well the bitter reality of abuse by both the
police and the courts,” said Robert Bray of the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
and May 8 sweeps of areas where demonstrators had
gathered to protest the acquital of four white Los
Angeles policemen of most charges in the video
taped beating of African-American motorist Rodney
King.
Pow-wow to
draw hundreds
The largest Native American pow-wow in the
Pacific Northwest will be June 5, 6 and 7, in
Yakima, Wash.
Hundreds of Native American dancers, sing
ers and artisans from throughout the U.S. and
Canada will be on hand at the Yakima Sun Dome
for the 18th annual Tiinowit International Pow-
Wow. More information can be obtained by
calling (509) 452-6566.
Perot for equal rights
While some gays and lesbians in Texas are
still skeptical about H. Ross Perot’s true feelings
on the subject of lesbian and gay civil rights, he
told talk show host David Frost in a nationally-
broadcast interview that “we are a country of
individual rights, and it’s that simple to me."
When pressed for more details on his gay rights
stance, he went on to say that “there are a number
of ways for people to have relations and not create
a human life.”
Following Perot’s statement, the Human Rights
Campaign Fund, a national gay and lesbian lob
bying group, said it welcomed the candidate’s
support and looked forward to a more in-depth
treatment of the subject by him.
Compiled by Matt Bailey, Rex Wockner and
Ariel Waterwoman.
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