1,2002»
if i
n:
news
overturned the state’s ban on gay adoption, imple
mented the New Hampshire Safe Schools Act and
officially proclaimed each June as Gay Pride
Month. She remains the only elected official in
the nation to vote for nondiscrimination law
while in the state Senate, then sign it as governor.
Shaheen’s Senate opponent, John Sununu,
maintains a dismal record on gay and lesbian
issues. He opposes all nondiscrimination and hate
crime laws that include sexual orientation. He
continually has refused to sign a pledge stating he
will not fire his own staff based on their sexual ori
entation, and he voted to overturn President Bill
Clintons 1998 executive order banning discrimi
nation against gay and lesbian federal workers.
MICHIGAN
he Michigan Court of Appeals overturned
Oct. 23 the $29 million judgment in a civil
lawsuit entered against The Jenny Jones Show in
1999 stemming from the murder of a guest,
Scott Amedure, by another guest, Jonathan
Schmitz. It held that the program “had no duty
to anticipate and prevent the act of murder
committed by Schmitz three days after leaving
[thej studio and hundreds of miles away.”
“We are deeply gratified by the courts rul
ing,” said Jim Paratore, Telepictures Productions
president. “For seven years, our position consis
tently and steadfastly has been that the show
was not to blame for this brutal murder, and the
court today affirmed that the case against us had
no legal merit and should have been thrown out
of court long before it ever went to trial.”
Several days before the March 1995 murder,
Kith men had appeared as guests on an episode of
The Jenny Jones Show. During the taping, Ame
dure, who was gay, revealed he had a crush on
Schmitz. The two men, who were friends, flew
back to Detroit together, went out drinking and
made plans to go shopping the following weekend.
T
1
have always believed that it was fundamentally
wrong and unfair to blame the show.”
-8*
istory was made Oct. 21 when Lansing
Community College decided to offer domes
tic partner benefits to
its • gay employees.
The board of trustees
voted 5-2 to accept a
collectively
bar
gained union bene
fits package that
includes extending
health care benefits
to the unmarried
same-sex partners of
employees.
The vote makes Todd Heywood
Lansing the state’s
first community college to offer such benefits,
even though scores of other Michigan-based
employers such as General Motors, University of
Michigan and the city of Kalamazoo offer them.
The primary advocate for the measure was trustee
Todd Heywood, the first openly gay elected offi
cial at a Michigan higher educational institution.
“The Lansing area has always been ahead of the
game on GLBT rights,” said Sean Kosofsky, Trian
gle Foundation policy director. “East Lansing.. .was
the first city in the country, and possibly the world,
to pass a human rights law that banned discrimina
tion based on sexual orientation. Now Lansing
Community College is continuing that tradition
by sending a clear message that all families are val
ued regardless of their sexual orientation.”
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NATIONAL
he American Academy of Family Physicians
passed a resolution Oct. 16 supporting legis
lation that would protect children of same-sex
parents. The group represents more than
93,500 physicians and medical students
nationwide.
The academy’s congress of delegates
passed the resolution at its annual meet
ing in San Diego, calling on the group to
“establish policy and be supportive of leg
islation which promotes a safe and nurtur
ing environment, including psychological
and legal security, for all children, includ
ing those of adoptive parents, regardless of
the parents’ sexual orientation.”
The group also supports equal rights
PROGRAf,
for same-sex parents through domestic
TAPED ON U ARCH j
partner life and health insurance and a
BUT WAS NEVER B
certain legal relationship to both par
ents through second-parent and joint
Jonathan Schmitz (center) looks toward his friend
adoption. In a written statement, acad
Donna Riley (left) as he is hugged by Scott Amedure
emy president Warren A. Jones said the
But days later, after Amedure left a blinking resolution reflected the need to protect all U.S.
light and sexually suggestive note on Schmitzs children by supporting the diverse families in
which they live.
dexirstep, Schmitz went to Amedures home and
“As family physicians who care for all ages, we
killed him. Schmitz was convicted of second-degree
believe the health of American’s children is one of
murder and is serving a 27- to 50-year sentence.
the utmost importance,” he said. “Children deserve
In its eight-page ruling, the Michigan Court
to be raised and protected in a safe and nurturing
of Appeals found that The Jenny Jones Show had
environment. This policy advocates for the family
neither the ability nor the duty to predict and
in all its complexities and particularly for children."
prevent Amedures murder: “Schmitz gave every
The resolution follows positive steps taken by
appearance of being a normal, well-adjusted adult
who consented to being surprised on the show by other key professional health organizations. In the
Febmary issue of a peer-reviewed journal, the
a secret admirer of unknown sex and identity....
American Academy of Pediatrics urged its mem
Nothing in Schmitz’ demeanor, or in any of his
interactions with the show, put defendants on
bers to “support the right of every child and fami
ly to the financial, psychological and legal security
notice that he posed a risk of violence to others."
that results from having legally recognized parents
The court said that the case never even should
who are committed to each other and the welfare
have gone to the jury and that “the trial court
should have ruled that the murder was not fore of their children." The statement was accompa
nied by a technical report providing details from
seeable as a matter of law and entered judgment in
the best available scientific studies of children who
favor of defendants.” It held that to find the show
liable under the circumstances “would expand the grow up with same-sex parents. J H
concept of duty to limitless proportions.”
Compiled by News Editor JlM R a d o sta , who can
Jones said she is “elated" by the ruling. “Scott
Amedures murder was a horrible tragedy, but 1 be reached at jhn@justout .com.
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