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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 16, 2000)
junaJfi. 2000 ■ k 1 rui [ijivm news \ . Dohm: “Just like the communities we live in, the courts are waking up to the truth about les bian and gay parents and our families. D eci sions like this give us hope that the law will catch up to reality and do away with the dis criminatory barriers that divide us and harm our children.” MARYLAND nun and priest forced last July to end their ministry to gay men and lesbians were ordered by the Vatican in late May to stop speaking publicly about their work or the deci sion to discipline them, reports T he Associated Press. Although they obeyed the order to end their ministry of more than 20 years, both Sister Jean- nine Gramick and the Rev. Robert Nugent have spoken out about the church’s decision. Gramick, a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, said she would continue to speak out. “I choose to obey the voice of God within me, and in this instance, the voice of God is say ing that I should not collaborate with my own oppression,” she said. A member of the order for 40 years, Gramick could be dis missed if she does not comply with the Vatican’s directive. Nugent said he would abide by the Vatican’s decision. Gram ick and Nugent co-founded New Ways Ministry in 1977 in Mount Rainier, a town near the border of the District of Colum bia. They ministered to gay men and lesbians, held retreats, published works on homosexual ity and the Catholic Church, and held work shops around the country. A NATIONAL r. John Hensala, a psychiatrist, made a deal with the Air Force in 1986. In exchange for his medical training, Hensala agreed to serve four years in the Air Force and entered the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program. T he Air Force paid for his training at Northwestern and Yale universities. Hensala served 20 weeks of active duty over a four year period. T he Air Force deferred his active duty service during his three-year residency at Yale and a two-year fellowship at the University of California at San Francisco. In 1994, days after the Air Force informed him that his active duty would begin the next year, Hensala announced he is gay. He was dis charged and ordered to repay more than $70,000 for the cost o f his education. Hensala responded to the demand for repayment by filing a lawsuit against the Pen tagon on May 18. According to T h e Associated Press, this may be the first such lawsuit ever filed against the Pentagon. Dozens of others who have been discharged from the military for being gay have faced similar demands for repayment, including former Naval Academy student Tommie Lee Watkins Jr., whose story was reported in the June 2 issue o f Ju st Out. Hensala claims he did not know he was gay when he joined the Air Force. T h e Air Force maintains that Hensala intentionally timed his announcement to get out o f his military obligation. Hensala insists, however, that he is willing rejoin the Air Force. “There were a lot o f elements I really liked,” he said. “1 wanted to serve, but I didn’t feel I could abide by a policy that was bad for my own mental health." D Earlier this month, dozens of people marched through downtown San Juan demanding that lawmakers do away with the sodomy law. Gay rights advocates have been lobbying lawmakers to change the law, but no one is will ing to sponsor the legislation needed to do so. Called the “Decade of Reclaiming the Streets with Pride March,” the demonstration wound through the Condado tourist district. A rally was held in Luis Munoz Rivera Park. "W e demand peace for the lesbians, homo sexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals and transgen- dered who are bombarded with taunts, contam inated by homophobia, abused by violence,” Rainbow Pride spokeswoman Amparo Fidalgo told the crowd. N Com piled by KRISTINE C h ATWOOD, a Portland- based free-lance writer and longtime Just Out con tributor. What Makes a Gay Soul Unique? A n 8 W e e k G roup for G a y M e n on a Spiritual Jou rn ey L PUERTO RICO eclaring a determination to “take whatever steps necessary” to eliminate the common wealth’s sodomy law, the American Civil Liber ties Union announced May 22 it will appeal to the Puerto Rico Supreme Court if an appellate court does not reverse its ruling dismissing a major legal challenge to the island’s “crime against nature” law. “From time to time, we see deeply misguided decisions like this. In this particular case, the court’s decision isn’t just conservative interpre tation of the law. It’s legally inaccurate and incorrect,” said Michael Adams, associate direc tor of the A CLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Pro ject and lead attorney in the case. “We will take whatever steps necessary to repeal this law, but first we want to give the appellate court anoth er chance to look at it.” By a 2-1 vote, the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals dismissed the A C LU ’s challenge to the sodomy law. T he court said no citizen could show that they are directly impacted by the law and that the law does not jeopardize any citizen’s constitutional rights. “Many of us were particularly baffled by the notion that Puerto Rico’s sodomy law does not directly affect our people,” said Janice Gutierez Lacourt, executive director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico. “In fact, this law is a clear danger to every lesbian and gay man in Puerto Rico.” Puerto Rico’s sodomy law forbids private, consensual sexual intercourse between people of the same sex. It also prohibits private, con sensual anal sex, regardless of whether the cou ple is heterosexual or homosexual. Violations are a felony, punishable by a fine up to $ 1,000 or as many as 10 years in prison. The Puerto Rico Department of Justice has announced that it intends to enforce the sodomy law if police provide evidence of viola tions. T h e A C LU lawsuit contends that the sodomy law violates the commonwealth and federal constitutions by criminalizing private, consensual, noncommercial intimacy between adults. T he ACLU has used this argument suc cessfully against several state laws in recent years. ft** » S um m er: T h u rsd ays July 13th - A ugust 31st Fall: T u esd ays O cto b er 3rd - N o v e m b e r 21st Individual G u id an ce Also A vailab le D ale R hodes, M S ., M .A . Spiritual Director Interfaith Spiritual C e n te r (5 0 3 ) 2 8 9 -4 1 0 3 www. hom etow n .aol ,co m /d jrh o 5/w eb p ag e. html am Your fresh flower professionals JACKSON’S FLO W ERS 3804 N. E. 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