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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 19, 1996)
ju s t o u t ▼ July 10. 1 9 0 0 ▼ 7 M edical Malpractice & Personal Injury A tto rn e y Hala Gores Free Consultation No Fee Unless You Recover In te g rity , E x p e r ie n c e 295-1940 & 12th Floor, 621 SW Morrison Gay billboards to adorn San Diego for GOP convention Gay and Lesbian Families of America, an organization formed to present a positive image of gay men and lesbians during this year’s Repub lican Convention, Aug. 12-18, recently released photos of the first of three billboard ads that will appear in selected areas of San Diego. It features an actual four-generation family at a barbecue, with the tag line “Someone you know and love is gay.” GLFA has rented 12 billboards and 17 bus shelter displays placed throughout San Diego. The ads will appear on all the city ’ s major arteries. In addition, GLFA will place ads in key San Diego publications. The blitz will run from July 15 to Aug. 15. The campaign focuses on themes of family, workplace and basic human rights. GLFA hopes to deliver a positive message from the gay and lesbian to the mainstream community and to direct na tional attention to the “broad spectrum of diversity that exists among gay and lesbian families.” No anti-gay measures to appear this November When the Idaho Citizens Alliance abandoned its drive last month to place an anti-gay ballot measure on that state’s November ballot, 1996 became the first year since 1992 that no anti-gay ballot initiatives will appear on the ballot in any state. Oregon voters have rejected such measures twice since 1992. Voters in Idaho and Maine rejected one anti-gay measure each. Only Colorado’s Amendment 2 was passed by voters in 1992. In May of this year the U.S. Supreme Court found Amendment 2 unconstitutional because it denied lesbians and gay men equal protection under the law. This does not mean that the battle is over, however. “After losing at ballot boxes and now at the Supreme Court, anti-gay groups are shifting their focus to other venues, including state legislatures, where they continue their political attacks against lesbian and gay lives,” said Cathy Woolard, national field manager for the Human Rights Campaign. Support for civil rights leads to threats The Rev. Amos Brown, pastor at Third Baptist Church and recently appointed to the San Fran cisco Board of Supervisors, has received two threat ening letters denouncing his support for lesbian and gay rights and stating that his end will be “swift and terrible,” reports the Associated Press. The first threat was handed to Brown outside his church by a man in combat fatigues. The second threat was a flyer left on the windshields of cars parked near Brown’s church. “Because you have refused to repent, you are bound in your own utter depravity and are cursed unto death. Your end shall be swift and terrible. You should now perish in your own corruption,” the flyer said. Brown believes the flyers were attacks on his mostly African American congregation and civil rights activists as well as gay men and lesbians. “If you study this kind of sickness, it’s a hatred that usually combines racism, sexism and all kinds of xenophobia,” he said. Police are investigating the case. ombard Two more states board anti-gay-m arriage bandwagon Legislation banning same-sex marriage was signed into law in June in both Michigan and Delaware. This brings to 13 the number of states that have enacted laws banning lesbian and gay marriages since 1995. In addition to banning such marriages, the laws in both Michigan and Delaware refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. Compiled by Kristine Chatwood Proudly Serving The Greater Portland Metro Area 503/ 286-1330 WE Located in Historic St. Johns 8 3 0 2 N. LOMBARD • PORTLAND, OREGON 9 7 2 0 3 California settles dispute w ith youth agency The California Department of Social Services and Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services reached a settlement in June that brings to a close the state’s efforts to shut down the Los Angeles gay and lesbian youth agency. As part of the settlement the agency admitted to some “inappropriate sexual conduct” involv ing teenagers in its care and agreed to remove all day-to-day oversight duties from the agency’s founder, reports The Los Angeles Times. Neither the agency nor its founder and execu tive director Teresa DeCrescenzo admit any of the specific allegations made by the social ser vices department. The agency does acknowledge in the settlement order that agency youth and/or adults associated with the agency engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with youth under the agency’s care. They also acknowledge that on more than one occasion the agency knew about such misconduct and failed to take action to protect the children. The agency will remain on probation for five years. If the probation is successfully completed, the conditions on the agency and on DeCrescenzo will be lifted. The agency, the only one of its kind in the country, runs five group homes for troubled or neglected gay and lesbian youth and three foster family agencies. R e s u lts investing Is Life (gardening. Just 9 [ant theSeed andWatcfilt (Jrozv If you want a good harvest in your later years, the time to start planning for your financial future is now. Floreid Walker, an experienced Waddell & Reed account representative, can help uncover the true potential of your invest ments. She'll help analyze your financial resources, understand your goals, then design and implement a personal program specifical ly for you. 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