decembar 19.2003 * nTtTiTrTCTCTSnewsbriefs Continued from Page 9 G L A A D H onors P o r t l a n d D ir e c t o r Wing Works, a consulting firm that meets the needs of nonprofit organizations and political campaigns. Until April she worked as national policy director at the Gill Foundation. She previously served as national field direc­ tor for the Human Rights Campaign from 1996 to 1999 and for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation from 1993 to 1996. While in Oregon she worked against 1992’s Ballot Measure 9, earning both “Woman of the Year” from The Advocate magazine and the moniker "the most dangerous woman in Oregon” from the radical right. A E x p a n d e d A d o p t i o n L aw C o m m en d ed T he Seattle-based organization Families Like Ours commended the passage of legislation intended to increase the placement of children from foster care to permanent homes. President Bush signed the law Dec. 2 at a White House ceremony among adoptive families. The legislation expands a 1997 law that pays a state $4,OCX) in federal money for every child who is adopted, provided the state passes place­ ment requirements. Under this new expanded law, the state can receive an additional $4,000 for every adopted child older than 9. “President Bush has been very good with his policies toward adoption relation issues in gen­ eral,” said David Wing-Kovarik, Families Like Ours executive director. “Overall, this reautho­ rization will help place more children in fami­ lies— regardless of their structure— including those headed by gay or lesbian parents. Provid­ Hawt hor ne Hawt hor ne A documentary by gay Portlander Eric Slade (right, with the late Harry Hay, center, and H ay’s longtime partner, John Burnside) has been nominated for a G L A A D Media Award ed a state can meet the federal adoption guide­ lines, this could he a long-term boost to the ail­ ing foster care system. It does not, however, address the current needs of budget cutbacks and overworked caseworkers.” Because this law will encourage more place­ ments, it has the potential of being good news for gay and lesbian adoptive families. Accord­ ing to a recently released study by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, public agencies are 83.3 percent more likely to place a child with a gay or lesbian family than they were in the past. Hawt hor ne Hawt hor ne However, even in more progressive states, some workers still consider nontraditional families to be unsuitable for the children on their caseload. Some states— New York, New Jersey and Califor­ nia, for example— have enacted protections that make it illegal for public agencies to reject adop­ tive parents based on sexual orientation. More than 500,000 children are in the foster care system nationally, and as many as 126,000 are awaiting adoption. While adoptive family place­ ments have increased— including those to gay and lesbian families— the number of foster fami­ lies available for children has seen a reduction. Hawt hor ne Hawt hor ne documentary directed hy a gay Portlander is among the nominees announced Dec. 8 for the 15th annual Gay &. Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards. Eric Slade’s Hope Along the Wind: The Life of Harry Hay, which aired on PBS, profiled the man generally recognized as the father of the gay rights activist movement. The other nominees in the Outstanding Documentary category are Showtime’s A Boy Named Sue, M T V ’s School’s Out: The Life of a (Jay High School in Texas and PBS’ Brother Outsider and Daddy & Papa. The awards recognize and honor the media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representa­ tions of gay, lesbian, hi and trans people and the issues that affect their lives. Ceremonies will he held March 27 in Los Angeles, April 12 in New York and June 5 in San Francisco. “Fair, accurate and inclusive media images of our lives and our families have incredible cultural power— and right now those images are more important than ever,” said Joan M. Garry, G LA A D executive director. “This year, audiences saw stories of gay and lesbian fami­ lies and children in Under the Tuscan Sun, Girl- friends and Essence magazine. They saw com­ plex, authentic stories about transgender lives in Normal and Soldier's Girl. Time and again, story after story, this year’s G L A A D Media Awards nominees made a powerful case for fair­ ness and equality, and it’s our privilege to honor them. ”jn Compiled by JlM R adqs TA and T im o th y K rause Hawt hor ne Hawt hor ne Everything Cats! Everything Fun! • Gifts • Jew elry • Clothing • Kitty Fun; toys, treats, and supplies • Cat Bingo • Cat-topoly • Honeysuckle a positive alternative to catnip 18 v I / of PuwifectioM . 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