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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2002)
in i juna Z^2QÜ2 news C on tin u ed from P age 2 1 ALABAMA public school district in A labam a violated the U .S. Q institution by firing a teacher because he is gay, according to a federal lawsuit filed May 10. T h e man was deeply closeted hut was fired anyway because officials suspected he was gay, according to the Am erican C ivil Liberties Union. “T h is is a top-notch teacher. He was the first to get to school in the m orning and the last to leave at night— and in between he created a new school program that won statewide awards,” attor ney Leslie Q x ip e r said. “O ne day he sat down with his principal and received an excellent eval uation, and literally the next day he was fired.” W ithin days o f the term ination, kids circu lated written petitions asking the school board to let him keep his job— and more than a quar ter o f the entire student body signed them , C o o per said. T h e school board, the superinten dent and the principal stood by their decision, how ever, an d rep laced him w ith an o th e r instructor w ho was not even certified to teach the subject, the lawsuit charges. T h e fired m an is identified in the case as “Joh n Dcx?” because he is working at another pub lic schixil in A labam a where he rem ains closeted. In a court affidavit filed by the A C L U , he says he fears harassm ent or violence if his identity is known and that he again will he fired and becom e unemployable as a teacher in the*state. “ I know I’m a good teacher,” the m an said. “ My bosses know it, my students know it, and their parents know it. I’ve always understood that the bargain here is that 1 do my job and do it well and that I keep my private life private. I did that, and it didn’t matter. 1 lost my job anyway.” 23 W e can meet all of your m ortgage lending needs. tutional obstacles in their attempt to get this amendment enacted, so we must put this threat in its proper context,” Birch said. “The amendment currently has little support and is nowhere near passage, hut we must remain ever-vigilant and work with our allies in Congress to ensure the C o n stitution continues to represent all Americans.” Free preapproval over the phone, first time buyer, zero down payment, complicated credit, all loan types, cashout Christopher Mee Rose CIt Mortgage Specialists (5 0 3 ) 6 3 5 -0 1 0 1 WWW.R0SeOtyMtg.com R o b e rt C o m p to n an d D av id W ilson are o n e o f se v e n sam e-se x co u p le s ch allen gin g M a ssa c h u se tts law s th at d en y them the fu n d am e n tal right to m arry MASSACHUSETTS c h rism e e @ ro se c ity m tg .c o m (5 0 3 ) 232-3600 AUTOBODY G ay & Lesbian A dvocates & Defenders appealed M ay 21 a trial court ruling deny ing m arriage licenses to seven sam e-sex couples who challenged M assachusetts laws that deny them the fundam ental right to marry. A judge dism issed the case M ay 9 despite acknow ledging the im portance o f the status and the legal pro tections that m arriage provides. “W e believe we have a strong case on appeal," attorney Jennifer Levi said. “ Despite sharing the same love and com m itm ent as their nongay neighbors, Ithey] cannot provide the same securi ty for their family because they are not allowed to marry. T h a t’s unfair, and the state can provide no justifi cation for it.” Collision Repair Problems Solved Wheel Alignment Tires Oil Changes Service Work State Farm Service First Provider Specializing in Foreign & European Cars Mini-Vans & Sport Utility Vehicles • • • • • 2454 E. BURNSIDE • PORTLAND, OR 97214 www.fergusonauto.com Family Owned & Operated Since 1952 FLORIDA I n response to legal de mands made by local and national civil rights groups on behalf of two students at Bloomingdale High School T h re e o f the Federal M arriage A m en d m en t’s H o u se co-sp on sors in Valrico, the principal has are D e m o crats: from left, R alp h H all o f T e x a s, D avid P h elp s of agreed to allow girls to wear Illinois and R o n n ie S h o w s o f M ississipp i slacks underneath their gowns at graduation. T he discriminatory dress code NATIONAL policy stated that senior girls only were allowed to n anti-gay constitutional am endm ent was wear dresses or skirts with hemlines above their introduced M ay 15 in C ongress to preclude gowns during the ceremony. recognition o f sam e-sex m arriages and prevent “Forcing girls to wear a skirt or dress reinforces courts from requiring that m arital benefits he stereotypical gender norms that are harmful to all conferred on unm arried couples. T h e initiative students," said Kate Kendell, N ational C enter for could deprive gay fam ilies o f fundam ental pro Lesbian Rights executive director. “We applaud tections such as hospital visitation rights, inher B loom ingdale H igh S ch o o l for prom ptly itance rights and health care benefits, according responding based on reason and com m on sense.” to opponents. Attorney Karen M. Doering sent a demand let “T h e U .S . C o n stitu tio n is a revered d ocu ter May 22 on behalf o f seniors Alicia Traurig and m ent and should not he used for cynical e le c A m ber Sm ith, both o f whom wanted to wear dress tion-year p o stu rin g,” said E lizabeth B irch , slacks to graduation. She argued that the policy H um an R ights C am p aign execu tive director. unfairly discriminates against female students in “ A t a tim e when not a single gay couple can violation of their “constitutional right to privacy, marry in any state o f this nation , and as our liberty and First Amendment protections.” country faces m uch larger challenges, this is Doering demanded that the school amend its hardly the kind o f sideshow anyone needs.” policy to accom m odate the requests of Traurig, T h e H o u se an d S e n a te in tro d u ctio n o f th e Sm ith and dozens o f others who objected to the F ed eral M a rria g e A m e n d m e n t w as a n outdated and biased policy. W ithin hours after n o u n ced at a press c o n fe re n ce by a grou p o f receiving the letter, Bloom ingdale agreed to religio u s p o litic a l a c tiv ists k n o w n as th e change its dress code to permit girls to wear slacks. A llia n c e for M arriage. H o u se co -sp o n so rs are “ Every year, when graduation rolls around, U .S . R e p s. R a lp h H a ll, D - T e x a s; D a v id sch o ol districts across the country becom e P helps, D-I1L; C h ris C a n n o n , R -U ta h ; S u e obsessed with dictating what students can wear M yrick, R - N .C .; J o A n n D av is, R -V a.; an d underneath their gowns,” said R andall M arshall, R o n n ie S h o w s, D -M iss. A m erican C iv il Liberties U n ion o f Florida legal Passing a constitutional am endm ent requires director. “A n d in alm ost every circum stance, two-thirds o f both houses o f C on gress voting in the students have prevailed.” J H favor o f it. If this is accom plished, then three- fourths o f the states m ust ratify the initiative Com piled by New s Editor JlM RADOSTA, who can before it takes effect. be reached at jim@ justout .com. “Our opponents face significant built-in consti A enter Townhouses 2 Bedrooms & Bonus Room NEW PRICE $ 174 , 900 — $ 209,000 ■ H Innovative Design Convenience of the MAX of 2ò units left financing available 1 0 mk for appointment call Windermere 503 ^ 497-5255 '■*'Slron,ki - Cronin & Captan Realty Group, Inc. _ stranski@windermere.COm
