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promised to donate 5,000 tickets to gay and les­
bian organizations next season and to undergo
sensitivity training.
“We will continue to do the right thing,”
Graziano pledged. “We will continue to train our
employees. We will continue to offer benefits to
all our employees and domestic partners. We will
continue to ensure that the nondiscrimination
policies in our company are adhered to.”
prohibiting “discrimination on the basis of race,
color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex,
sexual orientation or veteran status.” What he
failed to mention was that it came with a “don’t
ask, don’t tell” stipulation.
As soon as student activists announced the
new policy in a press release, Bowen abruptly
announced that its implementation was being
delayed. Since then, they have tried to meet
with him.
MICHIGAN
The students were able to secure a brief
ay and lesbian activists are slamming
meeting Aug. 22— only to be told to “trust” the
J Republican state House Speaker Chuck A&.M administration on this issue and “don’t
Perricone’s wife, Jenny, for sending a hateful
write any more press releases!” In an Aug. 23
e-mail. The Triangle Foundation says her mes­
letter faxed to Bowen, the president was urged
sage listed the “prerequisites” for being a Demo­
to reconsider his decision.
crat, including believing “the A ID S virus is
“Absent a clear, official statement on this
spread by a lack of federal funding,” “gender
matter, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
roles are artificial but being homosexual is nat­
students remain vulnerable to unfair and
ural” and “homosexual parades displaying drag,
unequal treatment and are discouraged from
transvestites and bestiality should be constitu­
reporting victimization to campus or civil
authorities,” wrote Elizabeth Toledo, National
tionally protected.”
Gay and Lesbian Task Force executive direc­
Perricone told the Kalamazoo Gazette that
tor. “Failure to expressly forbid discrimination
his wife didn’t mean to forward the e-mail but
also sends the message to the campus commu­
that it was attached to another message. He
nity that G L B T people are second-class citi­
called it “tasteless, crude and without merit.
zens and that discrimination against them is
Once my wife realized the nature of the e-mail
acceptable.”
she had received, she immediately apologized to
Toledo noted that a number of Texas institu­
all concerned. She feels badly about this.”
tions of higher learning— including the Univer­
Sean Kosofsky, Triangle Foundation policy
sity of Texas at Austin, University of Houston,
director, called the e-mail “offensive and irre­
Rice University, Texas Christian University and
sponsible. The Republican Party has attempted
Texas Women’s University— have nondiscrimi­
to posture themselves as ‘compassionate conser­
nation policies covering sexual orientation. In
vatives’ who are tolerant of gays and lesbians,
addition, Southern Methodist University has a
but the actions o f Perricone show that the party
policy banning student harassment on the basis
is still living in the dark ages when it comes to
of sexual orientation.
acceptance and diversity.”
on lim ited Edition
4 2 3 5 S h W oodsiock Blvd. • Portland. O R 9 7 2 0 6
503-774-3531
Single in Salem?
(
TEXAS
f
l ay Bowen, Texas A&.M University presi-
k dent, unveiled a new policy last month
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campaign. I look forward to working with
ice President A1 G ore announced
her as we continue to fight to widen
Aug. 28 that Campbell Spencer
the circle of fairness and dignity to
has joined his campaign as national
include our brothers, sisters,
director for gay and lesbian out­
friends and neighbors in the gay
reach. She has almost 10 years o f
and lesbian community.”
experience working with the gay
Prior to joining the Gore/
and lesbian and women’s com ­
Lieberman team, Spencer was
munities at both the national and
the western field organizer at the
state level.
Human
Rights Campaign in
“I am very pleased to have
W ashington, D .C . She also
Campbell Spencer on our team,”
worked in H R C ’s development
Gore said. “Her leadership in the
Gore
department
managing the mem­
community and strong relation­
bership expansion program for
ships with activists throughout the
the eastern half of the United States.
country will be important assets to this
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