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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 1994)
ju st out ▼ d o cs m b o r 10, 1094 ▼ O national news Angelou cancels reading due to picketers Poet Maya Angelou recently canceled an ap pearance at Emporia State University in Topeka, Kan., after an encounter with homophobic picket ers. Angelou was to have spoken at two sold-out performances, according to the Baltimore Gay Paper. The picketers—the Rev. Fred Phelps, pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, and his followers—often show up at appearances by those whom they perceive as sup portive of homo sexuality. A ngelou ap peared rattled when she encoun tered the picketers the night before her appearance, ac- , , . , cording to Mistee An^ lou Leighty, spokeswoman for the Stormont-Vail Regional Medical Center. The medical center houses the Jane C. Stormont Women’s Center, which sponsored Angelou’s Topeka appearance. “[The encounter] prevented her from being able to give us the type of performance she’s used to giving,” said Rueben Perez, director of student organizations and activities at Emporia State. Nearly 5,000 people held tickets to the two perfor mances, which have reportedly been postponed until the spring semester. effective [in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases], but there are kids out there who will have sex,” said Amanda Stevenson, 18, a youth representative of Metro TeenAIDS. The Catholic League ads “undermine their trust in the only safe way [to have sex].... You don’t keep people healthy with fear,” she added. NGLTF honors creators of change At this year’s Creating Change Conference, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force pre sented awards to nine individuals and organiza tions in recognition of their activist efforts. Pre sented just days after Election Day’s victories and defeats, the awards provided an opportunity to reflect on the victories of the gay, lesbian and bisexual community. Creating Change Community Service Awards went to Diane Hardy-Garcia, executive director of the Lesbian and Gay Rights Lobby of Texas, for building a grass-roots gay and lesbian move ment; Alan S. Hergott for pioneering support of gay and lesbian rights in the entertainment indus try; and Mandy Carter, coordinator of the “Na tional Call to Resist,” for inspiring and leading communities of color. Catholic condom ad may harm, not help Local and national AIDS organizations re cently denounced an advertisement posted on 50 Metro buses in Washington, D.C. The ad, paid for by the Manhattan-based Catholic League for Re ligious and Civil Rights, reads, “Facts about condoms: Some break. Some leak. Some are damaged. We put warning labels on cigarettes. We put warning labels on beer. So why not on condoms?” The ad identifies itself as “some com mon sense” and “a public service message.” It has also been purchased in Boston and New York. In a press conference, representatives of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the National Associa tion of People with AIDS, the AIDS National Interfaith Network, and Metro TeenAIDS all de nounced the message. “We all know that abstinence is 100 percent f Organizations that received the award include the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center of New York; the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center; the Gay Asian Pa (r * cific Alliance Community HIV Project; the Japa nese American Citizens League; Apple Com puter Inc.; and Olympics Out of Cobb, which kept Cobb County, Ga., from being the site of two Olympic events after passing an ordinance which discriminates against lesbians and gay men. Plenary speakers at the conference were Glen Maxey, the first openly gay elected official in the state of Texas; Mel White, author of Stranger at the Gate: Being Gay and Christian in America ; Letitia Gomez, executive director of the National Latino/a Lesbian and Gay Organization; and Phill Wilson, director of public policy at AIDS Project Los Angeles. NGLTF is a gay, lesbian and bisexual civil rights lobbying, education and organizing group. It has worked since 1973 to end discrimination and hate-motivated violence based on sexual ori entation and HIV status. Creating Change is an annual organizing and skills-building conference for gay, lesbian and bisexual activists. The next conference will be held in 1995 in Detroit, Mich. An eye for an eye? Jeffrey Dahmer, confessed killer of 17 young men and boys over a 13-year period, was mur dered in prison while he and another prison in mate were cleaning a toilet, according to prison officials at Columbia Correctional Institution in Paramount extends benefits to domestic partners In 1995 Paramount Pictures will join a grow ing number of entertainment companies that offer medical and dental Jeffery Dahmer benefits to the same-sex domestic Portage, Wis. Dahmer had been a prisoner there partners of com since 1992. Officials say he died of massive head pany employees. In , injuries while en route to a hospital. The inmate a report by the Bal working with Dahmer survived the attack. timore Gay Paper, Dahmer survived an attempt on his life earlier Pa ramount ’s . this year when another inmate attacked him with policy will place it a sharpened toothbrush. There is a suspect in the in compliance with current attack, according to Michael Sullivan, the a Viacom (its new state corrections secretary. The weapon has not owner) policy of yet been identified. offering these benefits to employees’ same-sex Dahmer had admitted to luring his victims partners. away from gay bars, drugging, killing and dis Universal was the first studio to extend health membering them, and using the body parts for sex coverage benefits to same-sex domestic partners. and cannibalism. He was convicted of all but one It was followed by Warner Bros, and Sony Pic of the killings with which he was charged and was tures, which includes Columbia and Tri-Star. serving 16 consecutive life sentences. Hollywood Supports, a lobbying group that “It’s a sad ending to a very sad story. He’s promotes workplace rights for gay men and lesbi inflicted so much pain on families, and now ans, has a model benefits agreement which has so unfortunately his family will feel the same thing,” far been used by 14 companies in the entertain said E. Michael McCann, the Milwaukee district ment industry. Other companies which have attorney who prosecuted Dahmer. adopted the standard are Ticketmaster and the Entertainment Radio Network. Compiled bx Jann Gilbert Dykes To IDatch Out for J 'U AH**? ~ I OVH MbcT&Jttl rtW OMy ? w » m T HAfriH£t> f ft