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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2002)
October 4. 2002 1 Vacation TVavel Planners ‘Serving O ur Community.. .by Meeting Your Needs' R ip R u p in sk i right thing and remove himself from the land scape,” executive director Kevin Jennings said. “He has proven himself uninformed and unfit to he a role model and leader." In early September, Silber pulled the plug on the Gay Straight Alliance at BU Academy, a private school including grades eight through 12 on the college campus. The club had been oper ating successfully for two years and had spon sored events that drew participation from as much as a quarter of the student body. "We’re not running a program in sex educa tion,” Silber told the Boston Globe in an inter view published Sept. 9. “If they want that kind of program, they can go to Newton High School. They can go to public school and learn how to put a condom over a banana.” The Globe article continued: “Silber com plained that children get messages about sex ‘pounded’ into them ‘from the time they’re 6 years of age.’ He referred to slain child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey as an example: ‘Look at that little girl out there in Denver that got killed— all dressed up like a whore when she was 5 years old.’ ” Adding salt to the wound, Silber made a two-hour appearance Sept. 27 before 40 stu dents and faculty to deliver a speech titled “Tol erance and Its Consequences," in which he defended his actions and said: “I think you can’t exercise tolerance intelligently without discrim ination. If you don’t discriminate, how are you going to decide what to tolerate and what not to tolerate?” Silber then said the G S A was founded to “focus the attention of young people on issues of sex." He called this activity “homosexual mili tancy” and “evangelism,” according to the Daily Free Press student newspaper. At least one BU faculty member, massage therapy instructor Eric Lindemer, already has resigned in protest of Silber’s attack on the G S A . “He’s either extremely ignorant or extremely homophobic,” he said. with New York City, so the local law is expect ed to have enormous repercussions all across the nation. “Virtually every sector of American enterprise— both for-profit and nonprofit— does business with New York City, and that means every sector will have to stop discrimi nating in the extension of benefits to their employees if they want to keep that business,” Foreman said. The bill is expected to generate opposition from some businesses and religious groups. “We will be able to convince the majority of the council and the people of New York City that this bill is only about basic fairness— equal pay for equal work— nothing more,” Foreman said. he Buffalo City Council extended protection against dis crimination in employ ment and housing to trans people Sept. 17. Mayor Anthony Masi- ello has announced he will sign the amend ments into law. The proposal add ing protection for “gen der identity and expres sion” was initiated by Councilor Antoine Thompson. “It’s another step to break from Buf falo’s past and encourage tolerance and diversi ty,” he said. Earlier this year, Thompson met with com munity leaders to help draft amendments to Buffalo’s anti-discrimination laws. Although "sexual orientation” already was covered, the advisory group decided the phrase “gender identity and expression” needed to be explicit ly included as a protected class. “ In my outreach and education efforts throughout the Buffalo area, I often encounter transgender individuals who are in constant fear of losing their job, their apartment or being the victim of a hate crime,” said Camille Hopkins, a City Hall employ ee and male-to-female trans sexual who testified before the council that she lost her apartment simply because her landlord did not like trans people. “I just want to live an From left, queer New York City Councilors Christine ordinary life without fear of Quinn, Margarita Lopez and Philip Reed sponsored the reprisal from those who want nation’s “ single most important piece of pro-gay legislation” me to disappear.” T r.S ( 503 ) C A LIFO R N IA he New York City Council introduced leg islation Sept. 23 requiring that firms and contractors doing business with the Big Apple provide the same job-related benefits to the domestic partners of their employees that they provide to their employees’ married spouses. The Equal Benefits Law is being sponsored by Councilors Christine Quinn, Margarita Lopez, Philip Reed and many others. During the 2001 campaign, Mayor Mike Bloomberg sup ported the legislation in principle. “This is the single most important piece of pro-gay legislation on the table anywhere in the United States,” said Matt Foreman, Empire State Pride Agenda executive director. “Its enactment will extend health insurance and other benefits to hundreds of thousands of les bians and gay men— here in New York and across the nation.” Similar legislation passed in San Francisco five years ago and resulted in an estimated 50,000 people obtaining health insurance bene fits. Oakland, Calif., and Seattle since have adopted such ordinances. An estimated 100,000 firms do business "< ov. Gray Davis signed a groundbreaking J bill Sept. 23 providing paid leave to work ers who need to care for a seriously ill domestic partner, spouse or other family member. The leg islation was sponsored by lesbian state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles. The bill will provide up to six weeks of leave in which workers can be paid 55 percent of their salary to care for an ill partner, spouse, child or parent or to bond with a newborn or adopted child. The new program will be funded entirely through contributions from employees, which will average less than $3 a month per employee. “This is really a momentous occasion for LG B T Californians,” said Geoffrey Kors, C ali fornia Alliance for Pride and Equality executive director. “For perhaps the first time, same-sex partners are being recognized as equal family members for a newly created benefit. I predict that the success of this bill heralds a new era for gay rights.” JH C Compiled by News Editor JlM R a d o s t A, who can be reached at jim@justout .com. —presents— Gay Games VI Sydney, Oct 30-Nov 15 Ip p “Join our group o f Team Oregon members and supporters to Sydney fo r the Gay Games ” 223-1180 LINNTON FEED & SEED i i ’ t jm S S m ^ 4. * ■ V ■ 10920 NW St. Helens Rd Portland, OR 97231 Phone: 503.286.1291 ■ *w( y a ■ ix ii/ « ^ I p x u i u n w ► / r 1 Mention Just Out for 10% discount T NEW YO R K T JÆ • Oregon’s FIRST certified Tahiti “Tiare” Specialist • certified Fiji “ Matai” Specialist • certified Australian “Aussie” Specialists • Give a call for all your travel needs! haven't you always wanted to grow passion flower every sleeping beauty needs beauty sleep H O G A N & SAN DHRSOiN Beds Plus CISTUS 52567 C o lu m b ia Rivet H w y S c a p p o o s e , OR 503/543-3066 D ESIG N NURSERY 2 . 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