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o u r other fin e listings in the Classified Ads.
NATIONAL
he Human Rights Cam paign
announced Jan. 9 at a news con
ference with a broad coalition of or
ganizations that it opposes the nomina
tion of former Missouri Sen. John
Ashcroft as U .S. attorney general. His
numerous anti-gay votes and com
ments raise sufficient doubts about his
ability to administer the office in a fair
and impartial manner, according to
HRC. '
“President-elect Bush is entitled to
create a cabinet of his own design,”
HRC executive director Elizabeth Birch
said. “However, he does so against the
backdrop of a fundamental promise
made throughout his campaign to unite
the nation. The nomination of Sen.
Ashcroft represents the extreme
antithesis of that goal. Ashcroft is a divi
sive figure who does not represent the
mainstream values of this nation. His
record raises serious doubt about his
willingness to fully enforce our nation’s
civil rights laws.”
Ashcroft, a one-term Republican
senator, repeatedly has earned a zero
rating on H R C ’s voting scorecards.
More importantly, his anti-gay views Kinda
make it uncertain that he will uphold
existing federal laws affecting homosexuals,
such as the Hate Crime Statistics Act and the
Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act,
according to HRC.
"We...are gravely concerned that Ashcroft,
based on his record, will turn the focus of the
department from justice to judgment, selective
ly enforcing only laws that he personally
approves,” Birch said. “As a senator, Ashcroft
was an adamant opponent of hate crimes legis
lation and failed to co-sponsor legislation that
would mandate that statistics be kept on hate
crimes against gay people.”
T
❖
he Joint Com m ission on Social Action
of the Union o f American Hebrew
Congregations is urging its constituents to
sever ties with the Boy Scouts o f America.
After almost a decade of discussion with the
Scouts, it decided the time has come to rec
ommend a different tack.
“ In
light
of
the
Supreme Court decision,
many
congregations
have asked us for further
guidance in responding
to the latest develop
m ents,” the commission
wrote in a memorandum.
“While we maintain our hope
that the Boy Scouts of Ameri
ca will abandon its discrimina
tory policies, its lack of
response to the many expres
sions of disagreement and
disappointment with the poli
cies gives us little basis for
optimism. Therefore, and
with pain, we must recom
mend that congregations
sponsoring/housing troops/packs
withdraw sponsorship of a troop/pack and/or
stop housing one.”
Scouting for All, which urges individuals,
groups and organizations to stay and
fight from within, understands why
some might make the decision to withdraw
completely.
"We support their decision 100 percent,”
said Scott Cozza, Scouting for All president.
“They are an inspiration for other denomina
tions to work on this issue and to take a stand.
T
fishy: John Ashcroft
Whether that means cutting all ties or taking a
very vocal stand from within is a decision each
denomination must make.”
Although the commission has put forward
this strong recommendation, it nevertheless
understands that some within its Reformed
Judaism Congregations might not be able or
willing to take this stand right now. With that
in mind, it has put forth some guidelines for
those choosing to work for change from with
in. Among other things, it urges constituents
to publicly amend their charters, withdraw
financial support of the Scouts and continue
official and personal protests.
r ! he National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
I unveiled Jan. 14 its new “W Watch”
Web site, which will offer valuable informa
tion surrounding President-elect George W.
Bush’s nominees and record on issues
important to the gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender community.
The site also will include a “Bush-
o-Meter," which will track the num
ber of openly gay people appointed
to the administration as well as the
number of positive gay-related
initiatives it launches. (Both
counters are stuck on zero.)
And it will provide time
ly information on inaugura
tion protests and on the
continuing controversy
in Florida, where tens of
thousands of votes went
uncounted after the
Nov. 7 election. To visit
the site, go to www.
ngltf.org and click on the
"W Watch” button.
“The price of democracy is
eternal vigilance, and we must be ever vigilant
to ensure that we are counted in the Bush
administration,” said Elizabeth Toledo, task
force executive director. “During the next four
years Bush will not be able to hide his record
on G LB T issues and G LB T appointees.
‘W Watch’ will hold him accountable.”
«5»
I he Gay &. Lesbian National Hotline, a
JL nonprofit peer counseling, information