2 0 J u s t ou t ’ aprii 6. 2001 TTTTTiTTTiTI news Scappoose & St. Helens Premier Real Estate Resource Country Kving only 20 minutes from downtown Portland. 3olw L Scott REAL E S T A T E h ^ - ff (=y *** . ,S££2r www.columblacountyhome.com jenntferpugsley@ johnlscott.com 503-543-3751 (o) 503-313-8130 (c) From left, U .S . Rep. C onnie M orelia, R -M d .; U .S . Sen. Edward Kennedy, D -M ass.; 17-year- old Sara Ellzey of Pennsylvania; and U .S . Sens. Gordon Sm ith, R -O re ., and Jo h n C onyers Jr., D -M ich., answer reporters' questions NATIONAL L A w eekly discovery • C">o;i) 77 www -.poi tersile Hiseminisiries.org ■ email: familylilecenterC« poiicrshouscminislrics.org A welcoming c ongregation c del »rating all people. MILLION 50 % DOLLAR We are forced to liquidate a major part of our fine selection of fiand-made rugs. IH A M I U S I to 75 % i b r Shop early for the best selection! YOU WILL SAVE BIG. BECAUSE WE MUST RAISE CASH. RUGS STARTING AS LOW AS $25 Choose from a large selection of Decorative, Vegetable Dye, Tea Wash, Persian and Afghani Tribal, Cabeh, Kaskoli, Caucasian design, Traditional, Modern, New & Old rugs. H A M ID S P E R S IA N R U G S • (5 0 3 ) 2 4 8 -9 5 1 I 901 SW W ashington • Portland, OR 97205 IPERSIAN RUGSI SINCE 1981 inding that “reports o f death threats, assaults and verbal gay hashing continue almost unabated,” Servicemembers Legal Defense N et­ work released Conduct Unbecoming, its seventh annual report on “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue, don’t harass.” Citing a total of 871 inci­ dents of anti-gay harassment, it again called on the Penta­ gon to issue its promised orders to the services to revise regulations and training to curb harassment. The group urged Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to implement the 13- point Anti-Harassment Action Plan published by a working group in July 2000. T he Pentagon adopted the plan’s recommendations hut has F VERY LIM ITED TIM E SAVING OPPORTUNITY! INVENTORY REDUCTION .S. Sens. G ordon Sm ith, R -O re., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., reintroduced legislation March 27 to extend existing federal hate crimes laws to include gender, disability and sexual orientation. T h e Local Law Enforcement Enhancement A ct, formerly the Hate Crimes Prevention A ct, had a record number o f original co-sponsors— 51 in the Senate and 180 in the House— at the time o f the announcement. In June 2000, the Senate voted 57-42— including 13 Republicans— to pass the act. O n Sept. 13, the House voted 232-192— including 41 Republicans— to pass a motion to instruct conferees to keep the hate crimes measure in the Defense Department spending hill. Despite bipar­ tisan support in the House and Senate, the G O P leadership successfully stripped out hate crimes legislation while the hill was in conference. If passed, the bill would amend the 32-year-old federal hate crimes statute— which covers race, religion, color and national origin— to include real or perceived gender, sexual orientation and disabil­ ity. It would serve as a tool to help law enforcement by allowing federal assistance, when necessary, in the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. The measure has broad support from notable law enforcement agencies and state and local lead­ ers, including 22 state attorneys general, the Police Foundation, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs’ Associ­ ation. A September 2000 Gallup poll showed 72 percent of U.S. citizens agree that hate crime laws should cover lesbian and gay people. Hours: M on.-S at 10-6, Sunday 12-5 failed to implement them. T he plan included, among other things, increased rank-appropriate training for all military personnel. T he Pentagon developed the plan in the wake of its own inspector general’s survey of 75,000 servicemembers, which found that 80 percent of men and women in unifonn had heard derogato­ ry, anti-gay remarks during the past year. O f those, 37 percent said they had witnessed or experienced targeted incidents o f anti-gay harassment. “T he Pentagon’s failure to move aggressively to implement the Anti-Harassment Action Plan is inexcusable,” said C . Dixon Oshum, Servicemem­ bers Legal Defense Network executive director. “T he Pentagon itself hits said anti-gay harassment undermines good order, discipline and morale. By tolerating continued harassment, ridicule and assault of men and women in unifonn, the Penta­ gon is working against what it knows to he in the best interest o f our armed forces.” Media LLC recently announced its pending acquisition o f the Washington Blade and the N ew York Blade News, two of the nation’s premier lesbian and gay newspapers, making it the world’s largest gay newspaper group. “We are honored and excited to steward these respected institutions," president William Way- bourn said. “We hope to build upon their historic community roles while bringing new energy to their operations and expanding their capabilities." Founded in 1997, Window Media publishes the Atlanta-based Southern Voice, the nation’s largest gay and lesbian newspaper with editions covering Geor­ gia, the M id-South, New Orleans and the Gulf G»ast; the Houston Voice; Eclipse, a night life guide for gay At- lanta, New Orle ans and Texas; and SO V O maga­ zine, a glossy quarterly publication exploring fashion, entertainment and human-interest top­ ics in gay Atlanta. The company’s existing pub­ lications reach a com­ bined weekly reader- ship of more than 200,000. N ot everyone is pleased about the merger, though. W in ­ dow Media has become the tar­ get o f a cybercampaign spear­ headed by Greg Herren, Lam b - da B ook Report editor, doesn’t believe claims that the newly