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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 20, 1997)
j u s t o u t T ju n e 2 0 . 1 9 9 7 ▼ 11 BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE two such groups named, both o f which, the re lease says, have labeled what it calls “pro-fam ily” organizations as extremist and bigoted. USA Today , the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram refused to print the ad, prompting the right-wing coalition to make a statement accusing the national press o f long standing bias in favor o f the "hom osexual activist m ovement” and calling the refusal an “outright suppression o f dissent.” University is chided for anti-gay conference M embers o f the Human Rights Cam paign and other activists are concerned about the anti-gay views they say are promoted by the American Public Philosophy Institute, a group o f conserva tive scholars who advocate the so-called natural law theory, which is holding a three-day confer ence on “ Homosexuality and American Public Life” on the G eorgetown University campus. Literature for the conference, quoted in the Washington Post, claim s that the forum will present a “com prehensive analysis o f the ques tion o f homosexuality and an appropriate stance for our society to take.” That question, it seems, has already been answered by the institute’s self- styled experts, who also reportedly state that “homosexuality is a tragic affliction, with harm ful consequences” and who advocate “prevention and treatm ent” for young people at risk. Dean Porterfield, associate vice president for com munications at the Jesuit university, said Georgetown did not book and does not endorse the conference, which will be held at a facility owned by the school and located on school prop erty but managed by M arriott Corp. A M arriott spokesman downplayed the conference’s stated goals, and said his com pany “books groups o f all kinds all the tim e.” Porterfield told the Post that “in general, uni versities find the best response to offensive speech is more speech.” But HRC communications director and senior strategist David M. Smith told the newspaper a university should not be associated with the kind of prejudice he believes the institute represents: “If this was a conference to promote racial hatred or to undermine religious freedom, there is no question that Georgetown University would not allow such an event to take place on their campus,” he said “This conference promotes anti-gay prejudice and should be held to the same standard.” Activists feel jilted, say United broke its promise At a May 24 protest outside United A irlines’ offices in San Francisco, queer activists burned frequent flyer cards, chanted “liar, liar, pants on fire” and called for a boycott of the carrier. The Associated Press reports that the demonstrators were angered by the airline’s refusal to comply with the city’s dom estic partner benefits ordi nance and what they believed was a promise to provide the benefits. The Air Transportation Association, a coali tion representing United and 24 other airlines, has filed a lawsuit challenging San Francisco’s do mestic partner benefits ordinance on the grounds that it violates federal jurisdiction over interstate com m erce and transportation. A statement issued by the Chicago-based air line said it is still considering internally w hether to offer domestic partner benefits, regardless of the outcome o f that case. United maintains that it did not promise to grant such benefits, but only told activists it would review the city ordinance. Members of the Harvey Milk Lesbian/Gay/ Bisexual Democratic Club, however, claim airline officials privately told leaders of the sexual minor ity community that they would offer the ben efits. A representative of the group said that m ore p ro te s ts are planned and that United should not expect sup port from the gay and lesbian community if it does not offer the ben efits. He said the club was not targeting other airlines that court queer consumers, such as Ameri can Airlines, because those companies did not pledge to provide domestic partner benefits. Actors’ union will pay for drug ‘cocktail’ The Screen Actors G uild has begun to provide protease inhibitor and antiviral-com bination therapy free o f charge for members lacking health insurance. A written diagnosis, a current prescrip tion for the drugs from a licensed physician and a minimum o f five years’ membership in the guild are required to receive the free treatment. The Los Angeles Daily News reports that SAG is the first union or corporation to offer such a program for HIV-positive people. It is estimated that half the HIV-positive popu lation in the country is taking protease inhibitors. Four of these drugs have been approved for use in the United States since December 1995. A spokesman for AIDS Project Los Angeles told United Press International the cost o f such treatment can be as high as $16,000 per year per patient. Committed to providing high- quality products that really do work!! 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Sexual mi nority activists are concerned that the coalition’s anti-gay rhetoric will disturb the “live and let live” attitude they say is prevalent in the black religious community, reports the Washington Blade. The rally was organized by the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum and the Free State Justice Campaign to counter the Christian C oalition’s "Congress on Racial Justice and Rec onciliation,” held in the city four days earlier. According to the Blade , the coalition’s Web page describes its Samaritan Project, launched in January of this year, as a campaign to promote racial justice and the “essential building blocks of the family.” ‘T h ere is nothing wrong with overcoming poverty and engaging in race reconciliation work,” said Val Tavai, co-chair o f the Free State Justice Campaign, “ [but] this strategy is also tied into the coalition’s teachings o f intolerance.” Mandy Carter, field director for the Leader ship Forum, which has been tracking the religious right’s activity in the black community, said there was no substantial mention o f homosexuality during the coalition’s May 10 event, but that traditional families and pro-family values were stressed. However, Carter is critical o f what she calls the coalition’s “history o f indifference to blacks, the poor and the inner cities,” saying she sees its racial justice projects as an effort to bring its anti-gay message into black churches that so far have remained neutral on the “gay issue.” Compiled by Christopher D. Cuttone A n y ice cream or frozen yogurt treat your heart desires plus low-fats and no-fats, cool drinks, steamy, creamy coffee concoctions, fresh baked goodies, perfect ice cream cakes & more euphoric flavors than you ever dreamed. RRY’S VERMONT’S FINEST« ICE CREAM &> FROZEN YOGURT, 1428 SE 36th Ave., Portland, 97214 at the corner o f SE Hawthorne Blvd. 503-234-2223