ju st out ▼ fo b ru a ry 4, 1 0 0 4 ▼ 5
national briefs
ARIZONA
rulings allowing gay men and lesbians to march in
An attorney for four gay couples is challenging the parade. The judge ordered a permanent injunc
the constitutionality of a state law that prevents the tion barring the South Boston Allied War Veterans
couples from getting marriage licenses. Attorney Council from ever refusing marchers because of
Linda Harter of the National Lawyers Guild argues their sexual orientation. The Veterans Council has
that the statute is unconstitutional because it vio responded by appealing Flannery’s decision to the
lates a person’s right to privacy. Harter contends, State’s Supreme Court and by vowing to withdraw
“The right to choose a partner, regardless of sex, is its support of the parade if a gay and lesbian
a private decision. It is not a decision forihe state.” organization is allowed to march. The Veterans
Harter is hoping for a summary judgment by the Council maintains that the injunction violates its
Pima County Superior Court soon.
First Amendment right to free speech. Boston
Mayor Thomas Menino said the city administra
tion would ensure that the parade marched on even
▼ ▼ T
Organizers of the Traditional Values Coalition without the Veterans Council’s sponsorship.
in Phoenix are ready to kick off its statewide
MINNESOTA
petition drive to place a discriminatory amendment
The Court of Appeals in S l Paul has ruled that
on the state’s ballot for 1994. The group, an arm of
the national TVC organization, filed papers with former patients of a doctor who died of AIDS can
the Secretary of State’s office in December. Over sue his estate and the clinic where he worked for
105,000 signatures of registered voters are needed emotional distress. After being diagnosed with
by July 7 to place the initiative on the 1994 general AIDS, Dr. Phillip Benson continued to practice
election ballot. The proposal would prohibit state medicine, under the restrictions placed on him by
or local governments, including school districts, the Board of Medical Examiners, until June 1991,
from adopting ordinances that give gay men and when he had what the court referred to as “weeping
sores on his hands and arms.” The ruling overturns
lesbians protection from discrimination.
a lower court’s ruling that said that patients had to
prove they had direct contact with the doctor’s
CONNECTICUT
A domestic partnership ordinance has been blood or bodily fluids before they could seek
narrowly rejected in New Haven. The proposal damages. The Court of Appeals ruled that “actual
would have allowed lesbians, gay men and unmar exposure" is not necessary and that “plaintiffs here
ried heterosexuals to register legally as couples need show only that they...reasonably feared for
and gain access to benefits. The ordinance failed by their safety and consequently suffered emotional
a vote of 15-14 with one abstention. Opponents of distress.” The ruling sent three class action suits
the proposal said the rights of the family, as well as back to District Court for trial. Tests for HIV were
of those couples legally married, were not being negative for all 315 patients.
preserved.
MISSISSIPPI
Residents
in
the
town of Ovett who arc trying to
ILLINOIS
Researchers worlringon the continuing Nurses’ oust neighboring lesbians from their land have
Health Study have found that tubal sterilization held another town meeting on the subject Orga
significantly reduces the risk of ovarian cancer. nized by resident James Hendry, the meeting con
The study, published in the Journal of the Ameri sisted of viewing video clips from the Oprah
can Medical Association, states that women who Winfrey show that featured Hendry and the two
had the procedure were two-thirds less likely than lesbians; reading the Bible by local ministers; and
other women to develop the cancer. Researchers viewing a clip from a right wing video that selec
tracked 78,000pre-menopausal women from 1976 tively highlights provocative events from last year’s
to 1988. The study also found that after eliminating March on Washington. Hendry also solicited funds
the effects of other traits such as long-term use of to establish the “Ovett Community Defense Fund,”
contraceptives and prior pregnancies, the risk might the purpose of which he did not specify beyond
also be altered. Ovarian cancer is the fourth lead repeating a reference made to the group’s attorney
ing cause of cancer death among women in the to help "protect themselves and their property.”
United States after lung cancer, breast cancer and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Robin
Kane attended the meeting along with ten mem
colon cancer.
bers of the lesbian and gay community. At the
conclusion
of the meeting four gay men and a
MASSACHUSETTS
Citing a state law barring discrimination based lesbian were forcibly removed from the court house
on sexual orientation, Suffolk Superior Court Judge and harassed and yelled at by four deputy sheriffs.
J. Harold Flannery has ruled that organizers of They report they were never given a reason for
Boston’s S t Patrick’s Day Parade cannot stop a being removed. Kane says the NGLTF is continu
gay and lesbian group from marching in the parade. ing to work at meeting with the Justice Department
This ruling is different than the last two years’ to gain federal intervention in the situation. She
cathartic comics I
goes on to say that even local officials are involved
in the organized attempt to drive the women from
their land. She quotes U.S. House Representative
for Ovett, Mike Parker, who recently, “stated in a
news article that he opposes the lesbians’ existence
in Ovett and supports the community’s attempt to
oust them.”
MISSOURI
The Baptist Student Union at the University of
Missouri-Rolla proposed a resolution to removeall
references of support for gay men and lesbians
from the university’s cultural diversity regula
tions. The proposal was subsequently defeated by
a vote of 40-18. The resolution said that one of the
responsibilities of the university is to “produce
law-abiding citizens” and that acceptance of gay
men and lesbians conflicts with that goal. The
student council members who proposed the de
feated resolution said they intend to introduce
another measure that will ask for the removal of all
protected categories in the university’s protection
policies, including gender and race. “What group
will want to be protected next?” said one of the
resolutions' proposers. “(People with) long hair?”
want to go,” said Paul Whitfield, the lawyer repre
senting the families. “But I don’t want one in my
neighborhood.” Superior Court Judge ZoroGuice,
Jr. said the town failed to notify surrounding own
ers about the zoning variance that allowed the
church to locate there. Guice is set to decide soon
whether area homeowners have the right to drive
the church out.
PENNSYLVANIA
The Philadelphia Board of Education is sched
uled to vote on a multicultural, multiracial and
gender-equitable education policy. The policy in
cludes a philosophy statement that says the educa
tional program will “facilitate the practices neces
sary to assist all children to become effective and
successful leaders regardless of race, ethnicity,
social class, gender, disability or sexual orienta
tion.” The president and vice president of the city’s
Board of Education have pledged their support for
the program.
▼ ▼ ▼
A U.S. District Judge has found that federal
laws protecting men and women from sex dis
crimination do not apply to transgcndcrcd indi
NEW YORK
viduals. Judge Herbert Hutton threw out a case
A group which calls itself the “Barbie Libera brought by a transgender woman, Andria Adams
tion Organization” did a swap with the voice- Dobre, against Amtrak. Adams claims her superv i-
simulated computer chips of some 300 G.I. Joe and sors harassed her after she told them she was
Barbie dolls bought this past Christmas. The result undergoing hormone treatments to become a
of this “unabashed public- N f) ( T A I (j I (
woman. She was forced to resign in March 1990.
ity stunt” by the BLO was 11 u ' 1 * LN 1 v
The case is being appealed to a Federal Appeals
that kids found G.I. Joe
Court panel in Philadelphia.
dolls exclaiming in the
voice of a teenage girl,
SOUTH CAROLINA
“Let’s go to the beach,” and
Not long after a Reserve Officer Training Corp.
Barbie’s snarling out, “Eat
cadet at the University of South Carolina declared
lead. Cobra!” The BLO re
he was gay, he was brought up on charges of not
ports that this was an at
maintaining good grades and not participating in
tempt to attack the “gender
drills. After coming out, cadet Jay Bclangia was so
based stereotyping in kids
harassed by his fellow students that he was unable
toys.” It proved to be a success since no one has to function well as a student or a cadet. As a result
accepted Mattel’s offer to exchange any of the of the charges he not only lost his ROTC scholar
butch Barbie’s computer chips.
ship but was told he must repay an estimated
$3,000 in ROTC scholarship money, Bclangia
NORTH CAROLINA
said. He is appealing that ruling. Despite it all,
Homeowners who live near a New Life Metro Bclangia said, he feels good about coming out and
politan Community Church are asking a court to plans on attending a college in a larger city and still
order the church to move out of their neighbor would like to serve as an officer in the military.
hood. While the church waits for a court date, its
pastor, the Rev. Robert Darst, said they have been
TENNESSEE
experiencing harassment, disturbances and a death
Thirty five country music stars will be seen in
threat from the surrounding neighbors. Still, Darst public service announcements on radio, TV and
says, the church won’t leave the 2.6 acre site print media to talk about AIDS awareness. Some of
recently purchased for $50,000. “If they want to the stars featured in the “Break the Silence” ads are
buy it from us, we’ll sell it to them,” said Darst. “At Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Johnny Cash, Tammy
a profit, of course. We’ll make money off their Wynette, Wynonna Judd, Dolly Parton and Willie
homophobia.” Neighbors say they object to lesbi Nelson.
ans and gay men worshipping in their community.
“Homosexuals are entitled to go wherever they
Comp iled by Lee Norwood
featuring The Brown Bomber and Diva Touché Flambé
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