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Hearings to be held on
medical marijuana
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) will hold hear
ings next year on legalizing the use of marijuana
for medical purposes. Frank made that announce
ment Sept. 3, at the 1994 national conference of the
National Organization for Reform of Marijuana
Laws, in Washington, D.C.
Many people with HIV/A1DS have found mari
juana effective in relieving the nausea sometimes
associated with the disease or with treatments and
medications used in therapy. The herb also has
medical applications for glaucoma, multiple scle
rosis, nausea associated with chemotherapy for
cancer, and other afflictions.
Frank called the classification of illegal drugs
“probably the most important undiscussed issue
that we have.”
He said, “For the government of the United
States to deny a doctor’s right to prescribe what he
thinks is best for that patient in this situation is
wholly at variance with most of the principles my
colleagues profess.” Frank said he hopes to “shame
my colleagues into changing this policy.”
NORML is organizing a nationwide civil dis
obedience action Nov. 15 to bring attention to the
issue of medical marijuana.
Transitional turmoil
at NGLTF
Peri Jude Radecic is stepping down as execu
tive director to return to her old job of public policy
director at the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force. Radecic was elevated to her current position
a year ago, when Torie Osborn unexpectedly re
signed after six months on the job.
Radecic decided that what she enjoyed most
and did best was the public policy work. She
wanted to return to that rather than remain in her
current post, with its heavy responsibilities in fund
raising and administration.
Radecic will stay on as executive director until
a successor is found. Board co-chair Deborah
Johnson-Rolon heads up the search committee.
She hopes to complete that process in November
and have the person in place soon thereafter.
Meanwhile, three Washington, D.C., employ
ees of NGLTF will leave the organization in Sep
tember. This follows a budget cut at the start of the
summer that eliminated four program positions.
One of the slots had been left vacant for a time,
following a resignation for reasons of health.
Among those departing is Deborah Cox, direc
tor of finance and administration, the first person
hired by Osbom last summer.
Spokeswoman Robin Kane is leaving after four
years with the organization.
Ivy Young has logged five years with NGLTF.
She is currently director of its well-known “Creat
ing Change” conference. She leaves two months
prior to that annual event.
N A T I O N A L
GAY & L E S B I A N
TASK
FORCE
Two board members will come to Washington
during this time of transitional turmoil. San
Franciscan Chris Collins will “assist with fund
raising and other organizational duties.” Texan
Gregory Fisher will become interim director of
communications. An interim office manager will
be hired.
Crime bill takes on gay
bashing and violence
against women
Included in the federal crime bill passed re
cently in both the House and Senate are provisions
that increase the penalties for hate crimes and
crimes of violence against women. This marks the
first time Congress has moved to punish crimes
against lesbians and gay men.
Once signed by the president, this $30.2 billion
legislation will increase sentences by at least three
offense levels for federal crimes motivated by
actual or perceived race, color, religion, national
origin, ethnicity, disability, genderor sexual orien
tation.
The Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act
attached to the bill was sponsored in the Senate by
Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) and in the House by
Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). Twenty-six states and
Washington, D.C., have laws that enhance penal
ties for hate crimes; 12 states and the District of
Columbia include sexual orientation in those stat
utes.
A second measure included in the federal bill is
the Violence Against Women Act, which doubles
the federal penalty for repeat sex offenders. It also
requires that federal laws treat as the same ac
cathartic comics I
quaintance rape and rape by a stranger. The act
mandates restitution for the victims of sex crimes
and includes money for a variety of police training,
counseling, data collection, and educational pro
grams.
P-FLAG members shot
at abortion clinic
The July 29 shooting outside an abortion clinic
in Pensacola, Fla., took the lives of the clinic’s
doctor and an escort, and injured a second escort.
James Barrett, 74, and his wife, June Barrett, 68,
were volunteering as escorts at Dr. John Britton’s
clinic. The Barretts were also members of Parents
and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
When the three arrived at the clinic that day,
antiabortion activist Paul Hill shot at them, killing
Dr. Britton and James Barrett. June Barrett re
ceived injuries to her arm and breast, but survived.
Hill was arrested in connection with the shootings
and charged with murder, according to The Wash
ington Blade.
June Barrett’s son had died of AIDS-related
causes. She and James Barrett, married four years,
had also volunteered for P-FLAG and Escambia
AIDS Service and Education. James Barrett, a
retired Air Force lieutenant, had learned to accept
gay men and lesbians after meeting June.
“They were both loving and good people. It
[the shooting] makes us sick,” said Bonnie Bryant,
Pensacola P-FLAG member.
All women welcome,
except...
Six openly transsexual women were allowed to
enter the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival this
year, despite the festival’s exclusionary policy of
allowing only “womyn-bom womyn.” The event
followed a week-long protest by 13 transsexual
women and their friends and supporters.
The protesters camped across the road from the
festival’s main gate beneath a bright green banner
which proclaimed, “Camp Trans: For Humyn-
Bom Humyns.” The protest included a variety of
workshops and activities aimed at informing festi
val participants about gender issues, and included
a speech by Leslie Feinberg, author of Stone Butch
Blues. Schedules of these activities were handed
out to women waiting to enter the festival.
The six transsexual women were finally al
lowed to attend a meeting of the Lesbian Avengers
inside the festival grounds, after their request for
clarification of the exclusionary policy was passed
on to festival owners Lisa Vogel and Barbara
Price. The women were escorted to the meeting by
a contingent of Lesbian Avengers.
featuring
The protesters believe the action was success
ful, but said they still feel the wording of the
festival policy is unclear. The group plans to pro
test again next year.
Bias to be addressed
in U.S. HIV/AIDS policy
Administration officials met last month with
national gay and lesbian organizations and agreed
to a new approach in HIV/AIDS policymaking.
Clinton’s chief domestic policy advisor and acting
HIV/AIDS policy coordinator agreed to include
the Department of Justice in a new govemmentwide
working group, in order to address the problem of
homophobic discrimination as part of combating
the epidemic.
Carol Rasko, chief domestic policy advisor,
and Patsy Fleming, acting HIV/AIDS coordinator,
attended the White House meeting. Also repre
sented were the Human Rights Campaign Fund,
the National Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership
Forum, the National Latino Lesbian and Gay Or
ganization, the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force and the American Association of Physicians
for Human Rights.
Gay and lesbian leaders also emphasized at the
meeting that the new HIV/AIDS policy coordina
tor needs to be able to influence policymaking in
the White House and Congress, and should have
offices in the White House itself.
Texas jury opts for death
sentence in gay murder
Donald Aldrich, 29, has been sentenced to
death by a Kerr County, Texas, jury for killing
Nicholus West, 23, because West was gay. Ab
ducted at gunpoint from a gay cruising spot. West
was driven 10 miles to a remote spot where he was
stripped, beaten and shot to death, reported to The
Washington Blade. The trial was moved from
Tyler, Texas, to Kerr County due to publicity.
Civil rights activists say this is the first hate-
crime murder in Texas where the accused was
convicted of capital murder instead of a lesser
verdict.
“In Texas, there is a history of devaluing the
rights of gay men and lesbians, which means
people who murder them tend to receive lighter
sentences because of who their victims are,” said
Dianne Hardy-Garcia, executive director of the
Lesbian/Gay Human Rights Lobby of Texas.
Aldrich admits he committed the crime be
cause the victim was gay, according to the Associ
ated Press.
Compiled by Jann Gilbert and Bob Roehr
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