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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1994)
jw «t ©«ft ▼ January 7, 1994 7 7 tive director for the National Gay and Lesbian can probably write them [ FBI] off as a closed book Task Force, remarked that the new regulations and it is done,” said Frank Kameny, a gay activist "institutionalize and accommodate prejudice and expert on federal employment and security against gay people in the military.” She added, clearance matters. However, he noted that often Various representatives of youth service orga "The regulations are simply a repackaging of the “the best of intentions and good faith from the top” nizations and sexual minority youth met with head same prejudice and discrimination that existed are marred by "spotty implementation down be staffersof Donna Shalal a, secretary of U.S. Health under the pre-Clinton policy.” The NGLTF has low.” He says continued vigilance is necessary. and Human Services. At an unprecedented meet vowed to continue the fight against the policy. It The language of the settlement is being re ing the new group, the National Advocacy Coali promises to work toward the expulsion of ROTC viewed in Washington. The settlement also in tion on Youth and Sexual Orientation, presented programs from college campuses as long as the volves restitution to Buttino and would allow him recommendations to Shalala’s department about policy exists. to return to work as an FBI agent. He has since how it can serve youths struggling with sexual More than 3,500 military personnel have been chosen to pursue other career options. orientation and identity issues. discharged for being gay or lesbian since 1989. Another party to the suit, Dana Tillson, had Particularly effective were the personal stories been denied hiring when it was learned she was a of several youths who shared their experiences Lee Norwood lesbian. She will be hired in the next training class and problems. One youth told of his experience for new FBI agents, though that may not be until coming out to a public high school guidance next fall due to a hiring freeze at the Bureau. counselor at the age of 16. The youth said the U.S. rescinds attempt counselor violated his anonymity and confidenti Bob Roehr ality by telling his parents, who then sent him to a to suspend ILGA psychiatrist. Another teenager told of being thrown The U.S. Mission to the U.N. has decided not Anti-gay politics out of the house after coming out and subsequently to introduce a resolution seeking the suspension of being rejected by Child Protective Services for the International Lesbian and Gay Association’s documented being “too” openly gay. A third youth shared a consultative status to the U.N. Economic and Hostile Climate: A State-By-Slate Report on story of rejection coupled with physical and verbal Social Council because of its affiliation with the Anti-Gay Activity was just released by People For abuse from his mother. He said he attempted North American Man-Boy Love Association. the American Way, a 300,000 member nonparti suicide and practiced other unhealthy behaviors Rather, it has agreed, with the support of several san constitutional liberties organization. before finding a youth support group for sexual key Western nations, to give ILGA a chance to The 60-page report “documents a wide range minorities. of incidents in the arena of public policy that were sever its ties with NAMBLA by June, as ILGA Lee Norwood promised. intended to restrict the rights of gays and lesbi Lee Norwood ans.” It covers an 11 month period ending with September 1993—focusing on state and local ac Pentagon finalizes tivities, not national ones. FBI’s closet doors open The report noted that the last year has seen details on military ban The FBI has agreed to adopt regulations that unprecedented public attention given to gay and The new policy on gay men, lesbians and expressly state that sexual orientation will not be lesbian concerns—some beneficial—but “it has bisexuals in the military was announced by Secre considered a negative factor in deciding security also sparked a strong backlash of intolerance in tary of Defense Les Aspin. The new regulations of clearances or employment. It also agreed that communities across America. The spread of anti the “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue” policy sexual conduct will be considered equally for gay political activity has reached a point where millions of American citizens now feel that their include a ban on anyone openly admitting sexual people regardless of sexual orientation. orientation but also puts a stop to the “witch hunts" The settlement came in the middle of the trial, most basic rights are being held hostage to a used to force lesbians and gay men out of the in the U.S. District Court of San Francisco, of a particularly virulent form of hate politics.” Cen armed services. class action suit initiated by former FBI agent tral to this is the religious right’s role in “exacer Specifics of the guidelines include barring Frank Buttino. The 20-year veteran had been fired bating intolerance...Implicit in their choice of targets is the cold political calculation that this is military police from recording the license plate when it became known that he was gay. numbers of cars in the parking lots of gay bars near ‘This is a major step forward for lesbian and one form of bigotry they can still exploit without military bases, or pursuing people whose names gay rights in federal employment, especially those fear of public censure.” It noted the latest tactic is are found on a list of those suspected as being gay. requiring security clearances,” said RichardGayer, to try to “drive a wedge between” queers and other Sexual acts between members of the same sex are an attorney with the case. minority populations, particularly African Ameri The settlement comes one week after Attorney cans. also banned under the new guidelines. These acts Bob Roehr include kissing, holding hands or otherwise “touch General Janet Reno announced that the entire ing a person of your same sex or allowing such a Justice Department would no longer discriminate person to touch you for the purpose of satisfying on the basis of sexual orientation. It closes the remaining loop holes differentiating between ori ‘Cover-up’ led to deaths, sexual desires.” The new policy, set to take effect Feb. 5, entation and conduct. As Gayer noted, ‘The FBI, at least for the last group charges restricts the Pentagon from asking a service member’s sexual orientation and requires any gay, three years, has claimed that they do not discrimi The Health Research Group of Public Citizen, lesbian or bisexual service person to hide their nate on the basis of sexual orientation. But homo Ralph Nader’s public advocacy group, is charging sexual orientation or face expulsion from the ser sexual conduct, even among consenting adults, in Eli Lilly, Inc. with a cover-up of data which led to private, caused a big, big problem.” vice. the deaths of five people in clinical trials of the “If they follow through in good faith, then we experimental hepatitis B drug FIAU. Former Army Captain Tanya Domi, legisla Stories of gay youth stir government health officials The phase II clinical trial had taken place at the National Institutes of Health in the spring and summer of 1993. Three of the dead and several of those who survive with liver damage are known to be gay. FIAU is a nucleoside analog, the same family of anli-virals as the principal HIV drugs AZT, ddc, and ddl. There is some evidence of toxicity in all of these drugs. “It is clear that this tragedy could have been prevented but for a cover-up of data on liver toxicity by Eli Lilly, Inc., the licensee of the drug,” read the opening paragraph of the letter sent to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler by Health Research Group Director Dr. Sidney Wolfe. The letter and accompanying nine-page report, dated Dec. 9, detailed the complaints that HRG found. It cited liver toxicity in animal studies which were incorrectly interpreted, and toxicity tests in normal volunteers (people not infected with hepatitis B) which were not reported in a timely manner. "There is no question that Eli Lilly should have stopped the NIH trial by the end of March, or in the first days of April, before three of the five patients who eventually died had gotten any doses of FIAU and at a lime when two of the others who died had gotten only a fraction of the dose that would eventually kill them. “Not only did Eli Lilly fail to get NIH to stop the trial, but the company did not inform NIH in a timely manner that one normal volunteer was hos pitalized in Indianapolis because of FIAU liver toxicity after only two doses on the drug." Lilly spokesman Ed West responded: “Dr. Wolfe has characterized this in a typically sensa tional manner without regard to the facts.” Wolfe’s work was built upon the 90 page FDA task force report, "Fialuridinc (FIAU): Hepatic and Pancreatic Toxicity,” which was released on Nov. 12. The FDA report was unusually strong, though it did not go as far as Wolfe did in laying blame. Two of the task force’s more telling comments read: “Optimism may sometimes unconsciously lead investigators and sponsors to attribute signs of drug toxicity toother more positive causes. Failure to report the cause of death accurately may have obscured an early instance of fatal event caused by FIAU.” The report called for major revisions in the design, analysis and reporting of clinical trials. The saga of FIAU is ongoing. The NIH is still at work on its investigation of what went wrong. Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) will chair commit tee hearings early next year. Several of the injured surviving patients, as well as the heirs of those who died, arc pursuing legal action. Bob Roehr cathartic comics I featuring The Brown Bomber and Diva Touché Flambé by P rof. I.B. 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