just out ▼ January 6, 1009 ▼ 7
^
in
LOTTA’S S elect beaded cocktail dresses, vintage fashion,
sequined evening wear and fine collectables!
professional misdeeds.
NGLTF. Those included Virgina Apuzzo, Suzanne
The thousand-word press release trumpeting
Pharr, Steve Lew, Kate Clinton, Mandy Carter,
Paras’ selection was accompanied by a highly
Urvashi Vaid, Carmen Vazquez, and Jeff
unusual five pages of “testimonials” from selected
Richardson.
leaders. The package was curious for the number
Most prominently among the missing of those
of omitted elements normally contained in such a
testifying to the worthiness of Paras were the
document. There was virtually no mention of per
national AIDS organizations: ACT UP, AIDS
sonal data, such as where she was bom or her age.
Action Council, the National Association of People
It omits her long years of membership in the
with AIDS, the National Minority AIDS Council,
Marxist group Line of March, her sojourn to Cuba
and the National Task Force on AIDS Prevention.
as part of a Marxist
They simply were not
The thousand-word press release asked.
brigade, and her de
portation from the
“I’m not surprised
trumpeting Paras ’ selection was
Philippines for anti-
that they didn’t target
accompanied by a highly unusual or
government activi
focus on AIDS or
five pages o f “testimonials” from ganizations, because
ties.
Her principle
I’ve never known
selected leaders.
identification, in the
NGLTF to be a player
first line of the release, was as a San Francisco
on AIDS,” said Alexander Robinson, president of
Health Commissioner, a political appointment to
NTFAP and Washington lobbyist on gay, lesbian
an advisory body that meets once a month and
and AIDS issues for the ACLU.
carries a modest honorarium. Her highest-paying
“I don’t think it is significant that they chose
and most professionally responsible previous job,
someone who briefly worked in an AIDS organi
as deputy director at Shanti Project, wasn’t men
zation,” he explained, “I think they will continue in
tioned until the final sentence of the document.
their same pattern of giving AIDS cursory atten
The “testimonials of support” from various
tion.”
leaders seemed to fall into two categories. The
NAPWAexecutivedirector Bill Freeman found
most effusive testimonials came from Dr. Mitchell
that prospect “real disconcerting, because the health
Katz; Elizabeth Birch, the new executive director
challenge that our community faces is clearly HIV
of the Human Rights Campaign Fund; Torie
disease. NGLTF has not made AIDS any kind of a
Osborn, former executive director of NGLTF;
priority.”
Carole Migden, supervisor of the city and county
Paras does not seem likely to change that focus
of San Francisco; and Kevin Cathart, executive
of the task force. An interview she did with The
director of the Lambda Legal Defense and Educa
Washington Blade states, “Paras cited AIDS as one
tion Fund.
of about 20 issues ‘of enormous importance’ to the
Many of the more prominent names signed on
gay movement which she believes NGLTF must
to a much blander statement pledging to work with
address.”
▼
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T
Attentive service in a safe and comfortable environment
B e^uee
th at’s
Open
Tuesday
thru
Sunday
from
11-8 pm
Gerry Taylor
and
Mark Stucker,
Proprietors
Janice
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at the
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every first
Thursday
274-2574
IN NlllMIIWI ' l I'o it'liw il ON 'llI K ColîNKIÎ 01 VUUIN & 2.'5lll) Pl.ACK
The incredible shrinking task force
KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
,
Two more senior employees leave NGLTF
while one very controversial one joins the staff
T
«¡8
«8
by Bob Roehr
egislative director Tanya Domi, on admin
June layoffs for Marj Plumb, director of the les
istrative leave without pay and working in
bian health project; Martin Hiraga, director of the
Nepal, faxed her letter of resignation to the
anti-violence and sodomy reform projects; and
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force on Nov. 30.
senior accountant Robert Rodriquez.
Executive director Peri Jude Radecic, who was
Late summer saw a resignation by communi
supposed to return to the job of director of public
cations director David Smith, with board member
policy, added her own resignation later that day.
Gregory Fisher filling in on a temporary and
She is staying on through a brief transition period.
unpaid basis.
How many people work full time for the task
Spokesperson Robin Kane, director of finance
force? “I’m not sure, hang on one second,” said
Deborah Cox, and director of theCreatingChange
spokesman Gregory Fisher on Dec. 6. He turned
conference Ivy Young all left in early September.
away from the
NGLTF adopted a
phone and shouted
1994 budget of $4.3 mil
the question to oth
lion
at its board meeting
NGLTF adopted a 1994 budget
ers. Then he covered
in September 1993. It
o f $4.3 million at its board
the receiv er and
soon realized that budget
meeting in September 1993.
then, after a long,
projected an overly opti
silent pause, the of
mistic increase in rev
It soon realized that budget
ficial word came
enue and operations. It
projected an overly optimistic has been reduced by 40
back, ‘Twenty-two
full time and one
percent— in three incre
increase in revenue and
part-time consult
ments, at board meetings
operations.
ant.”
in January, May and Sep
The executive
tember—to the current
director’s office has been a veritable musical
level of $2.6 million.
chairs since Urvashi Vaid left in late 1992. Since
Yet, by this fall, the board still projected a
that time the names Scotch taped to the door have
large deficit at the end of the year. This reflected
been: Peri Jude Radecic (on a three-month acting
a continued decline in revenue from its small-
basis), Torie Osborn (who announced her resig
donor-income stream of memberships, direct mail
nation after less than six months on the job),
gifts, and fees for attendance at events such as the
Radecic again (who, after nine months, said she
Creating Change conference.
would only fulfill her one-year contract), and now
Only two large individual gifts totaling
$300,000 have rescued NGLTF from ending the
Melinda Paras.
Senior personnel left NGLTF in three waves
year in the red. Those two gifts represent more
this year. The workplace organizing position has
than 10 percent of the organization’s income for
been vacant since George Kronenberger retired
the year.
for-medical reasons. Financial constraints brought
L
•4
W ish in g g on Peace, P ride a n d
P rosperity J o r the h o lid a ys
a n d the com in g y ear: 1
s*
8>
Thank you, lesbian & gay community!
Your generous support of my
business has enabled my continued
support of community causes and
groups such as No on 13, Lesbian
Community Project, Right to
Privacy, Human Rights Campaign
<4
Fund.GLAAD, and many more.
s*-
<4 John L. Scott Real Estate
4
Broadway Branch
2100 NE Broadway, Ste. 1-B
5 0 3 -2 8 7 -9 6 3 2 , ext 122
mobile 720-4642
fax 5 03-284-1618
JvU iiyn n d a m e s
, gri
Associate Broker
y o u r real estate professional
▼Be s t w ish es f o r a w a rm , w on derfu l ¿y
«8 sa fe h o lid a y season! 1 look fo r w a r d
to
m ovin g you,
y o u r f r i e n d s in 1 ,9,96/
■4
«8
►
►
V S p e c ia lis in g in c la s s ic ¿y restorahie
homes in p d x 's e sta b lish e d neighborhoods
&
8»
8*