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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1992)
ju s t o u t ▼ d « c » m b « r 1. 1 9 0 2 ▼ 7 national briefs CA LIFO R N IA Stanford University’s faculty senate voted overwhelmingly to extend the same medical, den tal, insurance and other benefits to unmarried heterosexual and gay and lesbian domestic part ners as those received by the spouses and family members of married employees. If the university’s board of trustees agrees to the proposal at their next meeting, in December, Stanford will become one of the first universities in the nation to include all unmarried domestic partners in their benefits plan. TTY Budget Director David Nelson of the Jesuit- run University o f San Francisco has been repri manded for appearing in the gay porno film. Hot Pursuit. Nelson, who refers to himself as a “gay non-Christi an,” apologized “for whatever embar rassment or harm may come” from his perfor mance, but he also noted that “my off-duty con duct is a matter of personal privacy unrelated to my professional employment at the university.” Although Nelson received a letter of discipline threatening job termination for any further, simi lar activities, student newspaper editor Kimberly Kauer criticized the university for giving him only “a slap on the wrist.” ▼ ▼ ▼ In a counterattack againstthe Republican strat egy of trumpeting family values, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has un veiled the first of a series of billboards, featuring a lesbian couple, one of whom is pregnant, and the slogan, “Another traditional family.” Karen and Pat Norman’s son Zachary was bom five days after the picture was taken. At a rally celebrating the unveiling, San Francisco Supervisor Carole Migden said, “We will not be scapegoated and allow the Patrick Buchanans of the world to ridicule us.” CO LO RA D O Following the passage of the anti-gay rights measure in Colorado, the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights has canceled plans made a year ago to hold its annual conven tion in Denver next A ugust “We cannot in good conscience bring our members and our dollars to a state that would so willingly deny basic civil rights to gay and lesbian people,” said Dr. Larry Prater, who is AAPHR’s president. The conven tion for the San Francisco-based gay and lesbian professional organization draws members from across the United States and Canada. IL LIN O IS T he N atio n al L esb ian and G ay Law Association’s third biennial “ Lavender Law” Conference in Chicago was attended by more than 500 gay and lesbian lawyers, judges, law students, educators and legal professionals. NLGLA was founded in 1988 and officially af filiated with the American Bar Association. Con ference attendants condemned anti-gay ballot measures in Oregon and Colorado and voted to hold the 1994 Lavender Law Conference in Port land, Ore., following the failure of Measure 9. A new board of directors was also elected, including Vice Co-chair Ben Merrill o f Portland. M ARYLAND Researchers at Johns Hopkins University re port that the suicide rate among people with AIDS has declined from its high rate during the late 1980s. In 1987, the suicide rate for people with AIDS was 10 times greater than that for the population as a whole, dropping to six times the overall rate by 1989. M ASSACHUSETTS A spokesman for R.R. Donnelley, publishers of Madonna’s controversial book Sex, was quoted in the Boston Globe as saying, “We [R.R. Donnelley] can’t reject work just because people might find it controversial.” However, the pub lisher has a history of rejecting books with gay themes, including the widely respected Gay Ideas: Outing and Other Controversies, by University o f Illinois Professor Richard Mohr. Sasha Alyson o f Alyson Publications, the country’s largest gay publisher, noted that R.R. Donnelley had refused several of their books merely because of their gay theme. “Even by election-year standards, this is a startling level of hypocrisy.” TEXAS The second annual Night of Pride, the North American gay and lesbian bodybuilding competi tion, took place in Dallas, with $3,500 donated to the AIDS programs of Oak Lawn Community Services and the Allen G. Caulkin Fund of the lesbian and gay rights lobby. M en’s middle w eight w inner Jam es-M ichael Lavigne o f Montreal, Quebec, was also declared men’s open division winner. Danney D ’Alexandris of Dallas, Texas, won first place in the open women’s divi sion. An officially sanctioned event. Night of Pride winners may go on to compete in the Mr./ Ms. America and the Mr./Ms. USA competitions. VIRGINIA A Fairfax County judge has awarded custody to a lesbian of her three children but required that her lover not reside in the same house with them. Rose Valentino requested custody following her former husband’s hostile reaction to the knowl edge of her lesbian relationship. Both parents requested custody, but the father was granted visitation rights only, and those on the condition that he undergo counseling and the court is satis fied that “progress in parenting skills and related issues sufficient to justify such visitation is occur ring.” W ASHINGTON, D.C. The conservatively stacked Supreme Court has voted to support the Bush administration’s health-care policy allowing companies to with draw previously promised levels o f health-care insurance to seriously ill employees. The ruling was in response to a lawsuit against a company that reduced its lifetime maximum payment for AIDS treatment from $1 million to $5,000 when it learned that an employee had contracted the disease. Christmas by candlelight 0 Flawless flowers and French glass candlesticks to grace | the table all year long. We can send one anywhere. Y Y Y The Bush administration’s modified gag rule restricting all medical staff except for doctors from providing abortion information has been thrown out by the U.S. Circuit Court o f Appeals. Initially the gag rule had applied to doctors as well but was changed for political expedience. Since Bush lost his bid for re-election, the gag rule in any form is effectively dead since there is not enough time in his lame-duck tenure to imple ment a new one. ▼ ▼ ▼ Torie Osborn has been named as the new executive director of the National Gay and Les bian Task Force and NGLTF Policy Institute. Osborn will succeed Urvashi Vaid to the position in March, 1993, leaving her current position as executive director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center, which is the nation’s largest gay organization. During her tenure at LAGLCSC, the staff and budget grew to more than two and a half times their levels at her inception. She has been active in numerous gay and lesbian political causes in California. Compiled by Jim Hunger Call for all the information. Air to Vancouver B.C., shuttle bus to the mountain. Rates on hotels, guest houses, or full 3 bedroom houses for groups. Group rate for ski lift. Don’t miss this great week. ARIZONA ADVENTURE Gay Rodeo O melloni M ary Jean's Flowers and Gifts 13822 SE Oatfield at Courtney Milwaukie 6 5 3 -8 4 4 4 1 - 80 0 - 6 5 3 -8 4 4 4 Jan. 12-21 Includes Tucson, Tabac M exico, Phoenix Hotels, most meals, rodeo entrance, tours and more... or...just start the tour i Phoenix on Jan. 15. Rate $395 ppdo each segment plus air. Resort and hotel stays... call for brochure or info. You will love Arizona in January! COSTA RICA UNBELIEVABLE! Y Y Y Roman Catholic bishops in the United States have come out firmly against spousal abuse, re jecting the notion that the Bible requires women to submit to abusive husbands. In a joint state ment issued by the bishops’ Committees on M ar riage and Family and Women in Society and in the Church entitled “When I Call for Help: A Pastoral Response to Domestic Violence Against Women,” the bishops say, “Violence in any form-physical, sexual, psychological, verbal-is sinful.” The bishops went on to say that the parish must be a place where both abused women and men who batter can come for help. WHISTLER B.C. Gay Ski Week Feb. 7-14 RT air, 6 nights hotel, city tour, airport transfers from $895 ppdo... it’s a bargain! Beach extensions available. 6 .9 9 % year 2 ,7 .4 % year 3, 7.9 % year 4-30. (To ta l m onthly payment [PITH] on $80,000 loan is approxim ately $650 year 1.) DOWN PAYMENT NEED NOT BE 1st TIME BUYER $39,300 max. household income $154,980 max. cost new home $104,280 resales in target areas $85,320 max. cost o the r areas WAYNE BOULETTE TRAVEL CONSULTANT LIM ITED FUNDS, call Marty Katkansky, Assoc. Broker 641-8190 res. 297-2523 office Kaz Travel Services , Inc, 1975 SW First Avenue, Suite K Portland, Oregon 97201 (503) 223-4585 FAX 223-2361 Toll Free 1-800-637-3874
