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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 16, 1997)
0 ▼ m ay 10. 1997 ▼ ju s t ou* BE THE BEST Y O U CAN BE p* Committed to providing high- quality products that really do wirrld! KICK START MAXIMUM ENERGY A safe and effective energy Ixxwt without Ma Haung or Ephedra WOMEN'S DAILY V ITA M IN SYSTEM COMPLETE Keep hormones level all month, and get the vitamins and minerals lacking in diets ULTIMATE METABOLIC REGULATOR BURNERS Liver and kidney cleanser assists in breaking down excessive body fat Health Basics national news School’s “ safe zone” doesn’t extend to teacher A group of concerned citizens and impromptu activists are rallying around Veronica Berrill, a 71- year-old Brookfield, Conn., high school teacher who spoke out against anti-gay harassment in her classroom only to be accused of “homosexual re cruitment” and “promoting a homosexual agenda.” According to a press statement released by the Committee for the Defense o f Classroom Toler ance, several weeks after Berrill established her classroom as a “safe zone” where sexual minority youth would be assured of safety and acceptance, the parents of one o f her students made false statements to school officials and local media saying that Berrill was a “homosexual teacher looking for fresh recruits.” The committee was formed to generate finan cial and emotional support for Berrill’s libel suit against her accusers, and to address the ongoing need for fair and equal treatment of all students and educators regardless o f sexual orientation. The committee says fund raising is a priority at this point, as the defense team has am assed legal and monetary support from a number o f right- w ing org an izatio n s, including the Rev. Pat R obertson’s American Center for Law and Jus tice and the Family Institute o f Connecticut. Court 4326 SE W oodstock Rlvd., Suite *465 Portland, OR 97206 (503) 771-0990 • (888) 771-0990 Fax: (503) 771-1771 E-mail: i_m_fit@ nwpacificia.net Discounts on multiple orders Wholesale /vices available on request Veronica Berrill documents submitted by the defense attem pt to vilify Berrill and the Safe Zones program by linking them to pom ographers, child abusers and sexual predators. Contributions to the Com m ittee for the D e fense o f Classroom Tolerance may be sent to 36 Tamarack Ave., PO Box 311, Danbury, C T 06811. For more information, or for help in sponsoring a fu n d -ra is in g p a rty , call T e d L a B o n n e at (203) 743-5552. GLMA denounces HIV Prevention Act 503-331-0722 2745 NE Broadway - NE Broadway and 28th The Gay and Lesbian M edical Association announced in a press release April 28 its opposi tion to the HIV Prevention Act sponsored by U.S. Rep. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and endorsed by the American Medical Association. Provisions o f the bill stipulate the creation of a national database of HIV-positive individuals, permit health care pro viders to test patients for HIV before perform ing medical procedures, and allow testing o f indi viduals charged with sexual offenses. The group also rejects a similar bill introduced in the Senate by Don Nichols (R-Okla.). G LM A, a national organization o f more than 1,800 physicians, says the measure is costly and will do nothing to stop the spread o f HIV. It says the bill would encourage the denial o f care to patients who are or are perceived to be at risk for HIV; withhold millions o f federal M edicaid dol lars to force state compliance; and, under the guise o f protection for sexual assault survivors, mandate testing o f persons accused o f sex crimes. Meanwhile, after more than two years o f plan ning and preparation, GLMA has released the première issue of the Journal o f the Gay and Les bian Medical Association, the world’s first peer- reviewed, multidisciplinary periodical dedicated to sexual minority health concerns. The journal will be published quarterly and will focus on original clini cal research, but it will also print review articles, topical essays and commentaries. Rainbow banner blanches Christian group The Sylacauga, Ala., Business Association was hoping to spruce up the downtown and drum up business by flying banners during special events. Nothing controversial about that, but when it hoisted a rainbow -striped banner in honor o f a weekend arts festival in late April, protesters lit up the switchboard at City Hall and complained that it was the same flag as that waved by sexual minority groups. Business association mem ber Carole W atson told the Birm ingham Post-Herald that the flags were replaced with ones bearing a sunburst in order to appease the offended, adding that to her knowledge most people were unaware that the rainbow was also a symbol o f sexual minority pride. According to the Post-Herald, Kevin White, pastor of Sylacauga’s Church on the Rock and self- professed expert on occult and other symbols, said city officials didn’t take his word at first and refused to remove the flags. But when confronted by infor mation he had downloaded from the Internet, in cluding a color picture of the queer pride flag, they acquiesced. White, whose interdenominational church welcomes homosexual visitors who want to change their lifestyle, said he is satisfied with this resolution but remains suspicious o f whomever wanted such a message displayed in the first place. Parks and Recreation D irector David Price said he finds it sad that a simple band of colors could stir up so much animosity. “God put the rainbow in the sky to sym bolize a prom ise,” he said. ‘T h a t’s what I think o f when I see one. It’s ironic that the first thing a Christian group thought o f was gay pride.” Onward, queer Christian soldiers The Universal Fellow ship o f M etropolitan C om m unity C h u rch es’ biennial congress in Sydney, Australia, to be held July 20 through 25, will be the largest international gay and lesbian religious gathering ever held in the Pacific Rim, said the Rev. Troy D. Perry, UFM CC founder and moderator, in a press statement. The organization’s 18th General C onference will feature a rally; keynote speeches by internationally recognized human rights activists and theologians; business and planning sessions; and workshops on such topics as lesbian and gay parenting, AIDS m inis tries and the use of technology on behalf of queer spirituality. Founded in 1968, UFM CC is the largest and oldest faith community with a primary ministry to sexual minorities. It com prises more than 300 congregations in 19 countries. Information about the conference is available at U FM C C ’s W eb site, http://w w w .ufm cc.com , by e-m ailing U F^M CCHQ ^aol.com , by calling (310) 360-8640, or by writing 8704 Santa Monica Blvd., Second FHoor, W est Hollywood, CA 90069. San Jose Asian community debuts drag pageant In April, San Jose’s first gay coffeehouse, Cafe Asia, crowned the city ’s first “ Miss Gay A sian” at a female im personation pageant touted as a com ing out celebration for the local V ietnam ese gay com m unity, according to a story in the San Jose Mercury News. O rganizers said they consider the event, which drew about 100 people, mostly Southeast Asian gay men, a sign that