ju st o u t ▼ d o co m b o r 2 , 1 9 9 4 ▼ 9
national news
Latina lesbians network
at Tucson conference
Some 550 respondents were the parents of public
school children.
The survey extrapolated the responses of white,
African American, and traditional Christian par
ents—those who agreed with the statement "The
Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken
literally, word for word,” or described themselves
as “born-again Christians”— who have children
in public schools.
Only 13 percent of traditional Christian par
ents said they would want to fire or reassign a gay
or lesbian teacher to another school. However,
traditional Christian parents were more likely (65
percent) than African American parents (47 per
cent) or white parents (49 percent) to object to
schools providing gay and lesbian support group
phone numbers.
Survey respondents said gay men and lesbians
are treated unfairly in the textbooks and lesson
plans at their local schools (40 percent of the
entire sample, 52 percent of African American
parents, 29 percent of white parents, and 28 per
cent of traditional Christian parents).
Everything from safer sex to community orga
nizing and Latina lesbian visibility were topics
covered at the Latina Lesbian Leadership and
Self-Empowerment Conference held in Tucson,
Ariz., in September. According to The Washing
ton Blade, women who attended reported that
attitudes in the Latina lesbian community are
evolving, not just
about sex, but also
about organizing
in their own com
munity. About 150
women from a va
riety o f b ack
grounds attended
the conference.
M a r t h a
R am irez o f the
National Latino/a
Lesbian and Gay
Organization said
about the conference, “Our power comes in num
bers. ... A Latina lesbian who lives in Oregon can
feel she’s not alone out there even though physi
cally she might be. It’s a safe place where you
don’t need to explain your background, where
you are respected, and your needs are being met.”
Doralissa Goitia, a speaker at the conference,
said, “I think the most important thing that hap
pened to me at the conference was the awaken
ing— to see how many subcultures there are within
the Latino culture itself. When I saw how many
Latinas there were, the different dialects, and the
different foods, it was amazing. I had never thought
about it or seen it that way.”
Avis and National
go the extra mile
Harassed man
changes story
Two major car rental companies— Avis Rent
A Car and National Car Rental— have quietly
changed their policies to include gay and lesbian
couples who rent from them, according to Boston’s
Bay Windows. Previously, second drivers who
were spouses were not assessed extra fees for
driving, while those who were unmarried were
charged from $3 to $ 10 per day. This meant
lesbian and gay couples had to choose between
paying the extra fee or limiting the driving to one
person.
At National, the new policy— which took ef
fect in June— also exempts married couples with
different last names and common law marrieds
from paying the extra fee. National requires only
that both drivers have the same address on their
drivers licenses.
Jim Gabbert, owner of the independent Cali
fornia television station KOFY-Channel 20, first
told police the man who blackmailed, terrorized
and stalked him was only an acquaintance, ac
cording to an Associated Press story. Now Gabbert
says he lied to hide his homosexuality.
Gabbert has now conceded that he and Jim
Sebring, 25, met at a Russian River club for gay
men, and that they spent time together after that.
He claims they were never alone and were never
involved sexually. He also claims that after get
ting together half a dozen times, Sebring became
erratic and demanded millions of dollars.
Sebring, held in San Francisco city jail on
felony charges, has threatened to claim publicly
that Gabbert raped and repeatedly threatened to
kill him. Sebring claims that Gabbert drugged and
sexually assaulted him on Gabbert’s yacht.
According to Sebring’s mother, Sharon
Sebring, who supports her son’s claims, her son
showed no erratic or paranoid behavior prior to
that incident.
CDC director outlines
priorities at AIDS
conference
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Director Dr. David Satcher gave one of the key
note addresses at the National Skills-Building
Conference early this month in Atlanta, Ga. Nearly
2,000 AIDS service workers attended the confer
ence, its keynote addresses and more than 190
workshops and seminars, reported Southern
Voice.
In his speech, Satcher said the CDC had
identified problems in public health, mainly in
the health care delivery system. Other priorities
include improving the ability to respond to urgent
threats to health (including violence and environ
mental toxins), development of nationwide strat
egies, and increased attention to women’s health.
Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders gave her
address on the topic of lessons learned: that
politics should not determine public health policy;
that women with AIDS are a “special popula
tion”; that sexism, racism, homophobia and elit
ism are too costly; and that community involve
ment is vital.
Workshops at the conference included those
on AIDS and the African American church, inter-
cultural communications, grant writing, youth
outreach, and managing burnout.
Education survey
shows positive trend
In a story from The Washington Blade, results
of a national poll show 6 1 percent of people in the
United States surveyed believe it is appropriate
for public schools to teach “respect for people
who are homosexual.” The survey, called “First
Things First: What Americans Expect from the
Public Schools,” was designed by the Public
Agenda Foundation to determine the public stance
on education reform and the role of public schools
in teaching values.
More than 1,100 people over 18 years of age
were randomly selected to take the phone survey.
Atlanta mayor appoints
woman police chief
N a tio n a l
C a rR e n ta L
At Avis, spokeswoman Demetria Mudar said
any couple who identifies one partner as a spouse
can rent a car without paying the additional driver
charge. “We’re not going to question your rela
tionship at the counter. I know I don’t carry my
marriage license around with me.” She said Avis
changed their policy about a year ago, saving
couples who rent from the company the $25
additional driver flat rate.
Thrifty Car Rental, Alamo Rent A Car, and
Hertz Rent A Car all charge the additional fee for
couples who are not married and wish both driv
ers covered. Hertz spokeswoman Lauren Garvey
said, “Should the law change so as to recognize
same-sex marriages as the same as heterosexual
marriages in terms of rights and responsibilities,
Hertz will accord spousal treatment to such per
sons.”
Beverly Harvard has been appointed to the
position of Atlanta, Ga., chief of police by Mayor
Bill Campbell. According to the Atlanta gay and
lesbian newspaper Southern Voice, Harvard is
the first African American to head a major police
force. Activists in Atlanta are hoping the appoint
ment signals the end of a contentious era.
Harvard has been the acting chief since April,
when predecessor Eldrin Bell resigned to pursue
a county commission post. Harvard has already
begun to stir some opposition in the gay commu
nity for launching a sting operation in October
which was aimed partly at gay cruising spots in
public parks.
“We know that she is not Eldrin Bell, and
that’s great news,” said Larry Pellegrini, an advi
sor to the mayor’s panel on gay and lesbian
issues. "She certainly deserves the chance to
show she can reverse the tone of the last admin
istration.”
Harvard has spent most of her 21 -year career
with the Atlanta Police Department in adminis
trative positions.
Compiled by Jann Gilbert
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