Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 1997)
ju st out ▼ o cto b o r 3, 1907 ▼ 7 They UJere the Best of Friends It Bias the LUorst of Times Say what?! By way of introducing legislation to remove protections for sam e-sex couples under Kentucky’s domestic violence laws, Republican state Sen. Tim Philpot claims that gay men and lesbians enjoy violent sex and other “aberrant forms of violent behavior,” reports the Washing ton Blade. Philpot’s bill seeks todefme unmarried couples as only opposite-sex couples under state law, which currently does not provide a definition for unmarried couples. If approved, it would prevent gay men and lesbians from obtaining emergency court-ordered protection from an abusive partner. According to the Letter, a Kentucky gay news paper, Philpot said earlier this year gays don’t domasochism seem[s] to be more accepted in the homosexual subculture.” Considered an arch foe of civil rights for sexual minorities, Philpot has in recent years sponsored other anti-gay legislation, including a ban on same-sex sodomy (the state Supreme Court struck down Kentucky’s sodomy law in 1992), a prohibition of the practice or promotion of same-sex sexual relations, and a bill to prevent HIV-positive people from practicing cosmetol ogy. All three proposals failed. Queer civil rights activists and anti-violence workers were given a chance to express their outrage over the measure at a hearing held by the Kentucky General Assembly’s joint Judiciary Committee on Aug. 19. The committee is not expected to vote on the matter until the Legisla ture convenes in January. be distributed to gay-straight student alliance groups nationwide. Groundbreaking admission of lesbian-baiting in Army A report released Sept. 11 by the Army’s Senior Review Panel on Sexual Harassment ac knowledges the phenomenon of lesbian-baiting in the ranks. In what the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is calling a historic development, the report describes the threatening use of accusa tions of homosexuality: "One particular form of sexual harassment not addressed in the survey but commented on in a few focus groups and by other female soldiers in informal discussions, was the fear of being accused of being a homosexual. Female soldiers who refuse the sexual advances of male soldiers may be accused of being lesbians and subjected to investigation for homosexual conduct.” In a press release, SLDN explains further that, in this environment of fear and accusation, the “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue” policy is an obstacle to women’s safety which arms perpetra tors with a tool of sexual extortion and forces silence on women who have been victimized. SLDN has been working since its inception to raise awareness about this type of harassment. The panel was appointed by Army Secretary Togo West to review the force’s policies and procedures for dealing with sexual harassment, as well as the underlying reasons for harassment. 1 Pride and Solutions is the nation’s leading provider of mental health and addictions treatment to the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities. We’re also HIV/AIDS-related stress, depression and grief specialists. From coast to coast, our centers offer a safe, personalized, professional and tranquil atmosphere to address the issues that effect your life. Whether it’s the company you keep, the behaviors you’ve struggled with or the overwhelming sense of helplessness - we have the solutions. Better times could be just a phone call away. Call Us Today 1-800-DIAL-GAY Medicare and Most Insurance Accepted Internet filters sabotage youth access to queer resources Young people trying to access gay and lesbian Web sites are running into more and more ob stacles, says the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAAD, through monitoring the develop ment of Internet filtering software such as Cyber i ' ’• -, Memorial fund commemorates gay youth leader Seventeen-year-old Jacob Orozco, slated to serve as the next president of a highly controver sial Gay-Straight Alliance group in a Salt Lake City high school, took his own life Sept. 4 after a two-year battle with school officials. The plight of gay and lesbian youth in deeply conservative Salt Lake City was thrust into the media spotlight in 1996, when students at East High School attempted to form a Gay-Straight Alliance. The Utah State Legislature retaliated by banning all extra-curricular clubs. Several hun dred high school students marched on the capital in protest. The Gay-Straight Alliance survived the Legislature’s attack and became a symbol of a new gay and lesbian generation notable for its up front activism. Jeff Dupre, who coproducedthe documentary Out o f the Past about the Gay-Straight Alliance’s struggle, characterized Orozco as “a dynamic, funny and seemingly confident young man.... He was an accomplished athlete, a talented gymnast and an inspiration to the fellow members of the Alliance.” A memorial for Orozco was held Sept. 12. Concerned organizations such as Tzabaco Catalog’s Safe School Initiative, on-line commu nity PlanetOut, and XY Magazine, the nation’s leading publication for young gay men, have banded together to create a memorial fund in honor of Orozco. To donate, call l -800-856-1667 and ask for reference “Jacob.” The proceeds will Patrol and Net Nanny, has ing programs are blocking more gay-related sites by labeling them “adult.” InterGO’s products KinderGuard and the SafeSearch search engine rate several youth gay and lesbian sites as appropriate for “mature” users only. Other sites are labeled "adult only.” PC Data Power’s NetRated also deliberately blocks gay and lesbian resource sites, including GLAAD’s, one for a gay-friendly Jewish congregation, and even the Web site of the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs. NetRated is endorsed by Enough is Enough, an anti-pornography group allied with anti-gay ministries. Ultra right wing groups such as Focus on the Family and the American Family Associa tion have also been involved in marketing Internet filtering software. GLAAD, which has previously challenged Cyber Patrol, SurfWatch, Net Nanny, Planet View and CYBERsitter for anti-gay censorship, says the censorship has only gotten worse following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year striking down the Communications Decency Act. Compiled by Christopher D. Cuttone and The Rainbow Writers Group m . PRIDE INSTITUTE AT SOLUTIONS Los Angeles (three facilities) New York Area Washington, D.C. Pride Institute at So lu tio n s