ju s t o u t ▼ June 10. 1009 T 7
national briefs
CALIFORNIA
Glenn Burke, one of the first openly gay ath
letes to play professional baseball, died recently of
AIDS-related complications at the age of 42.
Burke—credited with giving baseball’s first “high
five,” during the 1977 World Series—played only
four seasons of professional ball, from 1976 to
1980. He was an outfielder for the Los Angeles
Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics. According to
an Associated Press story, Burke believed he was
run out of baseball because he was gay.
KENTUCKY
More than 50 Reconciling Congregations and
Reconciling Pastors have written to the president
of Lindsey Wilson College, a United Methodist
school in Columbia, protesting the firing of Diana
Chalfant. Chalfant, the women’s volleyball coach,
was asked by the school to resign last December.
Reasons given were that the school wanted to “take
the volleyball program in a different direction” and
that there had been “lesbian incidents.” Chalfant
was fired when she refused to resign.
▼ ▼ T
MASSACHUSETTS
May 20 marked another date in civil rights
history, when an estimated 1,000 gay and lesbian
youth and adult supporters rallied in front of the
state House in Boston in the first gay and lesbian
youth march in the nation. Over 40 gay-straight
youth alliances from schools across the northeast
also participated in the march.
California has joined six other states in asking
the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Colorado’s anti-
sexual minority Amendment 2. Citing support for
states’ rights as the reason, Attorney General Dan
Lungren signed on to the brief already signed by
the attorneys general from Alabama, Idaho, Ne
braska, South Carolina, South Dakota and Vir
ginia. Amendment 2 was struck down by the Colo
rado Supreme Court on the grounds that it was
unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court is ex
pected to hear the case this fall.
V
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The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
announced on May 19 its support for clinical trials
of the therapeutic uses of marijuana for AIDS. The
association also advocated access to artificial in
semination services without regard to sexual ori
entation or marital status. In commenting on the
group’s position on insemination, Policy Commit
tee Chair Jocelyn White, a Portland internist said,
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Although it had to pay $ 165,682.90 in penalties
to five hotels, the American Historical Association
canceled plans to hold its 1995 conference in
Cincinnati after voters in that city passed an anti-
sexual-minority initiative. According to a story in
The Washington Blade, although the penalties are
less than half those specified in the AHA contract
with the Cincinnati hotels, the amount is still a
huge blow to the association’s budget. AHA Presi
dent John Coatsworth has appealed to members
and friends of the association to donate money to
make up the loss.
▼ ▼ ▼
Rep. Robert Doman (R-Calif.) has introduced
a provision in a Defense Department bill that
would force the m ilitary to discharge all
servicemembers with HIV. Military leaders have
said they do not support such a policy. Current
military policy allows servicemembers with HIV
to remain on active duty as long as they can
perform their work assignments.
Doman, who is a candidate for the Republican
nomination for president, is considered to be one of
the strongest opponents to gay and lesbian civil
rights in Congress.
Announcing the
opening of a
second location
4848 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97206
7819 SE Stark St.
Portland, OR 97215
253-6876
256-2920
o
Scheduled to
open 6/26/95
MICHIGAN
Speaking at a weekend rally of the Promise
Keepers, Dallas evangelist Tony Evans told the
72,000 men gathered in the Silverdome that black
and white Christians can unite to put a stop to gay
men and lesbians, according to Wisconsin Light.
Promise Keepers is an international far-right reli
gious group founded by former Uni versity of Colo
rado football coach Bill McCartney. The group
exhorts men to become better husbands, father
more children, and become community leaders
dedicated to the “return of America from sin.”
The group’s message is considered by many to
be both anti-gay and anti-woman.
MISSOURI
That bastion of the greeting card, Hallmark
Cards Inc., has now added 800-number service for
two of its ethnic-oriented card lines. Customers
searching for either Mahogany, a card line targeted
to African Americans, or Primor, greeting cards
specifically for Latino/as, can now dial a toll-free
number to find the nearest merchant who carries
the desired card line. Consumers looking for Ma
hogany cards can call 1-800-650-4505. Primor
customers should dial 1-800-PRIMOR5.
"No one should be denied access to artificial
insemination services solely on the basis of sexual
orientation or marital status. Lesbians, gay men,
bisexuals, transgendered individuals and unmar
ried heterosexuals can be loving, capable parents.
They should not be subjected to a ‘family values’
litmus test in order to gain access to a medical
procedure.”
TABOR FLORIST
FOR HIV POSITIVE ONLY
A S P E C I A L D E N T A L C A R E P R O J E C T T O HEL P
P ro ject D ental
Health at the Russell
S treet C lin ic needs
HIV p artic ip a n ts for
an O ral C are Project
to study the overall
h ealth e ffe cts o f
reg u lar d en tal care
for people with HIV.
NEBRASKA
Activists from around the country demonstrated
outside the Richardson County Courthouse last
month to protest the murder of Brandon Teena, a
female-to-male transsexual, reported The Wash
ington Blade. Approximately 40 people partici
pated in the rally, which was organized by a group
called Transsexual Menace. Teena and his room
mate, Lisa Lambert, were murdered in December
1993. One man has already been convicted in the
case. A second suspect was on trial at the time of
the demonstration.
E llg ib ilty :
• H I V p o s itiv e
NEW YORK
Beginning this month, America Online Inc.
will offer a new on-line service providing news,
entertainment and discussions about African
Americans. According to a Reuters news service
story, NetNoir Inc., a San Francisco-based com
pany, said the new service, known as NetNoir
Online, will offer departments in music, sports,
business and interactive message boards.
• 20 to 49 ye a rs of
a ge
• Have a T 4 count
b e t w e e n lO O and
500
• H a v e at le ast 20
te e th
P a rtic ip a tio n :
• D e n ta l e x a m s three
TENNESSEE
A federal jury in Nashville awarded $1.6 mil
lion in punitive damages to a male employee of
Waldenbooks, in a case where the employee al
leged that he was fired after being sexually ha
rassed for years by his gay supervisor. According
to a story in The Washington Blade, the lawsuit,
which was filed on behalf of the employee by the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, ar
gued that the firing violated Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964. Title VII prohibits discrimina
tion in employment on the basis of race, color,
religion, sex or national origin.
Compiled by Kristine Chatwood
tim e s e a c h ye a r
To participate in the
Oral Care Project call:
P o s s ib le c le a n in g
e v e r y t w o m o n th s
M elody Scheer
Russell St. C linic/
Possible daily use of
a sp o c ia l m o u th
Project Dental Health
rinso
(503) 494-6300
All participants will be paid $15.00 for each examination and a $ 2 5 .0 0 b o n u s
for the final exam. Participants will help in efforts to improve the q u ality o f
life for people with HIV.
Study director: Dr. David Rosenstein. Oregon Health .Sciences University
Wl
OREGON HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY
OHSIJ is an equal opportunity'. afftrmato'e action institution
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