ju s t o u t ▼ July 2 1 . 1 9 9 5 ▼ 3
national briefs
LEA V E IT TO A PRO!
Marvin Salles
’
Associate Broker
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Checks started rolling in this spring for four
studies on lesbian health issues, reports The Wash
ington Blade. Grants were awarded to the projects
last fall by the National Institutes of Health. The
total amount awarded is estimated at $350,000.
The funded studies include: a District of Co
lumbia project to determine breast-cancer-screen
ing practices among lesbians and bisexual women
with a family history of breast cancer; a North
Carolina study to determine the most effective
methods for delivering health maintenance mes
sages to lesbians; a project in Miami that will study
the psychological impact on lesbians of breast
cancer diagnosis and treatment; and a San Fran-
cisco-based project that will study the mental health
conditions among lesbians who have had breast
cancer surgery.
▼ ▼ ▼
According to the Human Rights Campaign
Fund, the National Republican Congressional
Committee, the campaign arm of the Republican
Party, has joined the ranks of offices on Capitol
Hill prohibiting employment discrimination based
on sexual orientation. The committee’s policy is
similar to policies in many congressional offices.
At the present time, 293 members of Congress
have office employment policies that forbid dis
crimination based on sexual orientation.
GEORGIA
The Centers for Disease Control and Preven
tion and the Environmental Protection Agency
issued a report last month advising people with
compromised immune systems to boil their drink
ing water. According to the report, boiling the
water for one minute is
the best way to kill
C ryptosporidium , a
parasite som etim es
found in water supplies
contaminated by sewage
or animal waste. Alter
natively, water can be
filtered or one can drink
bottled water.
Although not usually
life-threatening, the parasite can cause serious
illness in people with AIDS or cancer and trans
plant patients taking drugs that suppress immu
nity. The parasite can cause severe diarrhea, nau
sea and stomach cramps.
MASSACHUSETTS
Two hundred gay and lesbian organizations
received donations totaling more than $100,000
from the Pride Network, a long-distance telephone
service provider serving the gay and lesbian com
munity. Pride Network donates 3 percent of net
residential long-distance charges and 2 percent of
commercial charges to gay, lesbian or HIV-related
organizations. Recipients are chosen by Pride Net
work customers.
The Pride Network, started in February 1994,
offers discount long-distance service to persons
and businesses who support lesbian, gay and HIV-
related causes.
▼ ▼ ▼
The town of Northampton, thought by many to
be a “lesbian heaven,” is in the throes of a commu
nity conflict over a domestic partnership ordi
nance, according to a story in Bay Windows. The
Northampton City Council unanimously passed a
domestic partnership ordinance in May. One month
later, a group calling itself Northampton forTradi-
tional Values collected nearly 3,000 signatures on
its petition to place the issue on the ballot. Accord
ing to the city clerk, Christine Skorupski, this is the
first time in nearly a quarter of a century that an
ordinance passed by the city council has been
placed on the ballot.
Supporters of the petition stated they did not
want to be portrayed as “anti-gay.” However,
Christopher Aquadro, a member of Northampton
for Traditional Values, told Bay Windows, "Mar
riage is a big part of traditional values with a
traditional family being made up of a man and a
woman. I don’t think there should be a law on the
books promoting [same-sex marriage].”
OKLAHOMA
At least one lesbian was among the 166 people
killed in the Oklahoma City bombing in April,
according to a story in the June issue of the Chicago
newspaper Outlines. Sheryl Schelkun, owner of
the Bunkhouse, a gay bar, said that Kathryn Rid-
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early 20s, had moved
back to O klahom a^
City shortly before the xfA
bombing; she had pre-
viously been living in SjiV
Alabama with her
girlfriend, Johnika
Edwards.
x;:
A ccording
to
Schelkun, a numberof
lesbians and gay men were displaced when their
apartment building was damaged by the blast. A
fund has been established to help lesbians and gay
men hurt by the bombing, write: G/L Disaster
Relief Fund, c/o Bunkhouse, 2800 NW 39th, Okla
homa City, OK 73112.
UTAH
The Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats spear
headed a petition drive calling for the protection of
equal marriage rights of gay, lesbian and bisexual
people in the state. Over 1,200 people signed the
petition at the Utah Gay and Lesbian Pride ’95
celebration last month.
The petition is in response to Utah’s Recogni
tion of Marriages law which prohibits recognition
of same-sex marriages. The Democrat group plans
to challenge the law in court.
WASHINGTON
The Pacific Northwest Conference of the United
Methodist Church voted to oppose two anti-gay
initiatives, according to an Associated Press story.
Rejected by the 900 clergy and lay representatives
from Washington and Northern Idaho were Initia
tive 166, which would bar schools from portraying
homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle, and Ini
tiative 167, which would bar gay men and lesbians
from adopting children or becoming foster par
ents.
Additionally, conference representatives voted
to ask the church’s national board to change the
Book of Discipline. That document is a set of
guiding principles that describes homosexuality as
incompatible with Christian teaching.
▼ ▼ ▼
Starbucks, the ever-expanding coffee company
headquartered in Seattle, agreed at its February
stockholders meeting to adopt a code of conduct
for all of its coffee production, according to the
Portland Central America Solidarity Committee
new sletter
La
Lucha Solidaria.
Active in writing
the code of con
duct are represen
tatives from the
U.S. Guatemalan
Labor Education
Project.
That
group was the
main organizer of
a nationwide cam
paign for justice for coffee pickers that prompted
the company’s decision.
Picketing and leafleting at Portland Starbucks
stores was coordinated by Jobs with Justice and
PCASC.
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