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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2003)
— |Z7 news Serving M id -C o u n ty Since 1968 Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore (right, with wife Kayla and son Caleb) called homosexuality “ abhorrent, immoral” and “ detestable” as well as “ an abominable sin” [homosexual] conduct with physical penalties such as confinement and even execution...to prevent the subversion of children toward this lifestyle.” The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which called for Moore’s removal 21 months ago, bailed the nine-member panel’s unanimous decision. "We are glad that, nearly two years after Chief Justice Moore shocked the Ameri can public with his medieval endorsement of capital punishment for gay people, fair-minded Alabamians have agreed that Mtxire is not suit ed to lead this most sacred and important insti tution of our judicial branch of government,” executive director Matt Foreman said. G E O R G IA ambda Legal announced Nov. 5 a lawsuit settlement requiring civil rights safeguards when faith-based organizations receive taxpayer dollars to provide child welfare scx'ial services. The terms dictate that these charities must not infringe on the rights of employees, taxpayers, recipients of services or religious groups. ‘This settlement is a significant breakthrough in the national debate over whether more taxpay er money should he given to religious organiza tions," attorney Susan Sommer said. “There can’t he a sign on the dcxir of a government-funded social services provider saying ‘Taxpayer Funded Position: Jews and Catholics Need Not Apply.’ ” The closely watched case, filed in August 2002, said taxpayer money was being used unconstitu tionally to discriminate in employment and serv ices at the United Methodist Children’s Home. Sommer represented Aimee Bellmore, a highly capable youth counselor who had been told she s(x>n would be promoted but instead was fired after the agency learned she was a lesbian. Another plaintiff, Alan Yorker, an exceptionally qualified psychotherapist with more than 20 years of experi- ence, interviewed for a position at the children’s home but was turned away when, its the inter view began, a senior staff mem ber realized he was Jewish and told him the agency does not hire Jews. founded in 1968 by the Rev. Elder Troy D. Terry. Today, it boasts almost 300 churches lor its 43,000 members and adherents in 22 countries. In Bush’s letter dated Oct. 14 to M CC’s founding congregation in Los Angeles, he wrote: “By encouraging the celebration of faith and sharing of G od’s love and boundless mercy, churches like yours put hope in peoples hearts and a sense of purpose in their lives. This mile stone provides an opportunity to reflect on your years of service and to rejoice in G od’s faithful ness to your congregation." The letter was written during “Marriage Pro tection Week," an effort endorsed by Bush and organized by religious right leaders such as Jerry Falwell, James Dobson, the Southern Baptist Convention and the American Family Associa tion to deny equality under the law to gay men and lesbians. Bush’s letter left the Rev. Neil Thomas, senior pastor of M CC Los Angeles, baffle I “H,™ Tv«« one denounce the right of gays and lesbians to marry in their churches and suggest they are incapable of having healthy marriages in one moment, and in the next rejoice in God’s faithfulness to a gay and lesbian congregation that perfonns such same-sex marriages?” told him that because he has HIV they would not continue to employ him. Cusick describes the Cirque du Soleil position as a “dream job" tor any gymnast. In the letter Cirque du Soleil is sending members of the public who write to complain about the discrimination, senior staffer Renee- Claude Menard says Cusick was fired “solely for safety reasons." Cusick was hired to perform on the Russian high bar and the Chinese poles. Menard’s letter and Cirque du Soleil’s other public statements on the issue offer no explana tion for how a highly trained gymnast could transmit HIV while performing in such a heavi ly rehearsed and choreographed show. NEBRASKA he American Civil Liberties Union filed lawsuits Nov. 1 3 on behalf of an HlV-posi- tive 19-year-old woman against two of her former pmnl,w.>rv j N].-Kr.i«Ta restaurant and Casey's General Stores Inc., for illegal discrimination. Priscilla [Ax, who is suing under a pseudo nym to protect her pri vacy, was fired from her job as a hostess at a restaurant in the small town where she lives when the owner learned she was HIV / ne week after Lambda positive. Just one week * Legal and San Francisco later, she suffered signif activists launched protests icantly reduced hours against Cirque du Soleil for and was forced to wear discriminating against people protective gloves by the with HIV, the company has manager at Casey’s after i started sending a six-paragraph the manager learned of her HIV status. letter to members of the pub lic— admitting it fired a gym Dix* was hired as a nast solely because he has HIV hostess at a restaurant hut claiming such action is not in August 2002. She “discrimination.” Cirque du Soleil fired gymnast Matthew got along well with the “Today, it’s clearer than Cusick because he has HIV owners until May 9, 2003, when she was ever that Cirque du Soleil just called just before she was to report to work doesn’t get it,” attorney Michael Adams said. “People with HIV can work safely in a wide and terminated over the phone. She later variety of jobs, and it’s illegal to fire people learned from other employees that the owners because they have HIV.” fired her because they found out she was Protesters launched the campaign, “Discrimi HIV-positive. [Ax also had a second job as a shelf stocker nation: Another Side of Cirque du Soleil,” by greeting people waiting in line to see the opening at Casey’s, a convenience store chain with more night perfonnance of Alegría Nov. 6 with leaflets than 1,300 stores throughout the Midwest. She started off working just two nights a week. By and materials on the company’s discrimination. March 2003, she was working five evenings a Lambda Legal filed a federal discrimination complaint in July against Cirque du Soleil on week and was told by her manager that she was the store’s best stocker. behalf of Matthew Cusick, who was fired because he has HIV. Although the company’s In May, shortly after she was fired from the own doctors cleared him to safely perform for restaurant, her manager at Casey’s asked if she the Las Vegas-based show M ystere, managers was HIV-positive. When she answered that she was, the manager told her that she would have to wear rubber gloves at all times, that she could not tell anyone about her HIV status and that if she came in late or violated any of these rules she would ietropoutan be fired. She also told Doe to look for another job. Her COMMUNITY CM hours were reduced from five evenings a week to three. “When 1 tested positive, my whole world turned upside down, and 1 had to reevaluate everything,” Doe said. “ I knew that living with HIV wasn’t going to be easy, but I wasn’t prepared for people to be so mean and ignorant." J H T CALIFORNIA all it a mixed message at best. Or maybe politics at worst. [Airing the same week President Bush issued an anti gay marriage proclamation, he sent enthusiastic 35th anni versary congratulations to the predominantly gay Metropoli tan Gimmunity Churches, a grtnip that performs more than 6,000 same-sex weddings annually. MCC, one of the worlds MCC founder/moderator the Rev. Elder Troy D. Perry (left) and MCC Los Angeles largest gay organizations, was pastor the Rev. Neil Thomas show off their congratulatory letter from President Bush C Complied by New s Editor JlM R aix ^STA, who can he reached at jim @ justout.com . International Collision Repair "No Shop Tries Harder To Make The Repair Process Easier For Its Customers " A ll Makes A ll Models Recom m ended B y A ll M ajor Insurance Companies Insurance Claim Assistance 30 Years of Satisfied Customers • Certified Master Technician • A Written Lifetime Warranty (ask for details) • Computerized Frame & Alignment Systems • Computerized Color Matching • Towing &. 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