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* lune 7. 2002
nTÌTTTTTm news
PO R TLA N D GAY
M E N ’S C HO RU S
3rd A n n u a l
Rainbow Ball
On«? again the chorus will kick up its heals and spin tunes
from the mind altering Disco Inferno Days. So, dust off your
platforms, squeeze into your favorite Vanderbilt or Jordache
Jeans and boogie, oogie, oogie till you just can't stand it no
more. Creative dance attire is encouraged and awards for
the zaniest costume will be presented through out the night
of groovin' and shakin’.
NEW YORK
rompted by speculation
resulting from a May 20
gossip item in the N ew York
Post, New York Mets All-Star
catcher Mike Piazza announced
at a press conference last month
that he is not gay, reopening the
public
discussion
about
whether and when an openly
gay athlete will be able to play
in professional team sports.
His remarks were
in
response to unsubstantiated
rumors about Mets manager
Bobby Valentine’s comments in
the upcoming issue of Details
magazine. According to the . . . .
.
. . .
,
. . .
.
n
\ / * • *
.
.
Mike Piazza is congratulated by teammates after hitting a solo
Post, Valentine s suggestion that .
t ™ . . . . . . ™ ....
. . .
.
■
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homer against the Philadelphia Phillies during the seventh
major league baseball is ready
™ _ c.
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inning May 2 9 at Shea Stadium in New York
for an openly gay player was cal
culated to precede one of his own players coming
state Supreme Court to hear exactly how this
affects real families— how it affects my family.”
out. (Amid intense mainstream news coverage of
T he A CLU initially filed the case in state
Piazzas press conference, the Post found itself in
the spotlight again when sports columnist Wal
court three years ago, shortly after Alaska’s voters
passed a constitutional amendment barring recog
lace Matthews abruptly departed under con
nition of gay marriage. Although the suit does not
tentious circumstances after he publicly criticized
the papers sensationalistic treatment of the story.)
seek to invalidate that initiative, attorneys say that
in light of the prohibition, using marriage as the
“T h e current media frenzy and guessing
litmus test for benefits constitutes discrimination
game o f ‘W ho is the gay baseball player?’ doesn’t
serve anyone unless it leads to a discussion o f the
based on sexual orientation and gender, thus vio-
larger issue of homophobia in sports,” said Cathy
fating the state constitution, which guarantees “all
Renna, Gay and Lesbian A lliance Against
persons are entitled to equal rights, opportunities
Defamation news media director. “And we’d
and protections under the law.”
hope that Mike Piazza and Bobby Valentine are
Last November, an Alaska Superior Court judge
right and that the current environment would
ruled that the benefits policy does not discriminate
allow sports professionals to be open about their because it treats unmarried straight couples no dif-
sexual orientation. However, the absence o f ferently than it treats unmarried gay people. Jen-
openly gay athletes in team sports tells us pretty
nifer Rudinger, Alaska Civil Liberties Union exec-
clearly that this is not the case.”
utive director, said this reasoning “defies all logic
and common sense— of course the state discrimi
ALASKA
nates against gay couples when it conditions bene
fits on a status that gay couples cannot attain.”
he American C ivil Liberties U nion filed an
appeal May 22 in the Alaska Supreme
Court in a case challenging the “C atch -22” of
TEXAS
the state banning gay marriage and then saying
fforts to end discrimination at ExxonM obil
marriage is the only way its employees can get
'gained enormous momentum May 29 after a
benefits for their partners. T h e same day, an
record number of shareholders at the company’s
uninsured stay-at-home mother filed a friend-of-
annual meeting in Dallas voted to add sexual
the-court brief in the case, saying she cannot get
orientation to its equal employment opportuni-
health benefits through her same-sex partner’s
ty statement.
job as a public employee— but was denied Med-
“W e are extremely heartened by today’s vote,
icaid benefits because the government assessed
where 23.5 percent of shareholders, representing
her need as though the women were married.
$63.75 billion in company stock, voted against
“I need health insurance— which I can’t get
discrimination and in favor o f an inclusive com
from my partner’s taxpayer-funded employer
pany policy,” said Elizabeth Birch, Human
because we aren’t married and 1 can’t get from the
Rights Campaign executive director. “W e hope
Medicaid ‘safety net’ because we’re treated like this stunning vote encourages the management
we are married,” Mari Billington said. “I want our and board of ExxonM obil to adopt an integrated
P
T
T h e O f f i c i a l k i c k o ff t o t h è P r id e N o r t h w e s t W e e k e n d !
7 0 ’s a n d 8 0 ’s R e t r o D is c o In f e rn o !
To P u rch a se T ic k e ts C on tact:
P G M C ( ¡ 5 0 3 - 2 2 6 - 2 5 8 8 or
O n l i n e (t w w w . p d x g m c . o r g
From left, Shelley Alpem of Trillium A sset Management, the Rev. Roger Wedell of the Dallas
Lesbian & Gay Alliance and Elizabeth Birch of the Human Rights Campaign react to the
ExxonM obil shareholder vote during a press conference May 2 8 in Dallas