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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 18, 2004)
news NATIONAL A l O U S i lU j Sc c yZomanlio A ccessories' Corner of Sandy and Nf 64th White house with picket fence 50J 280.8080 3 106 NF. 64th • ftxtland. OR 97213 A utom otive M ain ten an ce & R ep air AT IT S B E S T ! ALL FOREIGN & DOMESTIC AUTOMOBILES QUALIFIED, HONEST, QUICK & FAIRLY PRICED SATISFIED CUSTOMERS TELL THEIR FRIENDS — THEY ALL COME BACK! 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Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., criticized a Bush adm inistration official al employees. for failing to protect gay federal employees from discrimination U.S. Reps. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.; Bar ney Frank, D-Mass.; George Miller and Henry NEW YORK W axman, D-Calif.; and Tammy Baldwin, New York state court ruled June 10 in favor ¿4 of same-sex marriage because denying gays D-Wis., sent a letter June l to special counsel Scott BliKh about the lack of evidence that his and lesbians the right to wed goes against equal office has genuinely reversed its policy of ignor protection measures in the state’s constitution, ing the rights of gay, lesbian and hi federal Reuters reported. employees. “This marks the first official step in the “Mr. Bloch is continuing his right-wing march toward full equality for gays and lesbians assault on the rights of gay and lesbian federal in New York state,” attorney E. Joshua employees,” Engel said. “The W hite House Rosenkranz said. “The court has ruled that issued a statement publicly opposing Mr. Bloch’s same-sex couples have not just some of the same policy after it became well-known, hut consider- rights, and a modicum of legal protection from ing he is still employed and using his authority blatant discrimination, hut full equality in the to subvert federal law, I am concerned that the eyes of the law. It is the first time that any court president is allowing Mr. Bloch’s homophobic in this state has declared that same-sex couples agenda to move forward." have the same rights, same status and same dig T he office has reportedly ordered all discrim nity as every other citizen. If history is any guide, ination complaints to he assigned to political this is the beginning of an unstoppable trend in New York.” appointees instead of career employees. It has also issued a gag order preventing staff from dis T he New Paltz Justice C ourt also threw out cussing its nondiscrimination policy. charges that the tow n’s mayor, Jason West, vio lated the law by marrying dozens of same-sex couples in February without licenses. “With he National Black Justice Coalition con- remarkably clear vision, th e...court has seen vened May 28 in W ashington, D.C., for its | what anyone who has approached the question first physical board meeting since the organiza thoughtfully knows to he the truth: that there’s tion’s inception in December 2003. no fair reason for keeping same-sex couples from Among the strategies and ideas discussed, the marrying,” said James Esseks, litigation director coalition solidified a July launch date for an adver of the American Civil Liberties U nion’s Lesbian tising campaign aimed at African American news and Gay Rights Project. papers featuring black gay and lesbian couples and he Office of Special Counsel— the federal their families. The areas targeted include New agency responsible for investigating work York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Detroit, I « ambda Legal urged Geico Insurance on J U June 14 to comply wirh state law and respect place discrimination— has failed to fully reinstate Chicago, New Orleaas, Philadelphia, Baltimore, protections from bias based on sexual orientation. Washington, D.C., and Birmingham, Ala. valid marriages of all same-sex couples in deter mining car insurance rates and coverage. During the past few months, the New York-based com pany has recognized the marriages of some same- sex couples and denied recognition to others. Two New York couples who were married in Canada have been treated unequally by the insurance giant in their auto coverage. Martin Farach-Colton and his spouse recently received written confirmation from the statewide under writer that their marriage would he respected by Geico and that the two men could share Farach- C olton’s policy just like any married hetero sexual couple. Bur Geico refused to recognize the marriage of Thom as Hroncich and his spouse, which could require the couple to pay hundreds of dollars more annually in premiums to receive the same level of insurance coverage. “New York law says that marriages validly performed elsewhere must he respected here,” attorney Alphonso David said. “Geico is break ing the law by denying Mr. Hroncich and his spouse benefits that the insurer provides to its other married policyholders. Geico must stop its practice of randomly recognizing some married From left, National Black Justice Coalition board members Alexander Robinson, Irene gay or lesbian couples hut not all of its married Monroe, Donna Payne, Mandy Carter, Jasmyne Cannick, Sylvia Rhue and Keith Boykin meet gay or lesbian policyholders.” May 28 in Washington, D.C. onservative leader Paul Weyrich believes kw President Bash should shift the focus of his re'-election campaign from the war on Iraq to the Federal Marriage Amendment, The Asso ciated Press reported June l. “If [Bush] wishes to he re-elected, then he better he upfront on this issue, because if the election is solely on Paul Weyrich Iraq, we’ll he talking about President Kerry,” he said. “If he wants to change the subject— which if I were president I would certainly want to do— then I think he would he well-advised, in fact, to take the leader ship on this particular point.” Human Rights Campaign president Cheryl Jacques urged Bush-Cheney '04 campaign manag er Ken Mehlman to reject Weyrich s recommenda tion. “This kind of cynical advice...further illus trates that the movement behind the FMA is not about ‘protecting marriage’ hut about partisan elec toral politics,” she wrote in a letter sent June 2. The Senate Republican leadership is aiming for a mid-July vote on the amendment, forcing Demo crats to take a stand on the controversial topic just before the party heads to Boston for its presidential nominating convention. Bush reaffirmed his sup port for the marriage ban during an interview with religion reporters and editors May 26. “This dialogue needs to he a dialogue worthy of a nation and worthy of a debate over a consti tutional amendment,” he said. “And it’s a very important discussion. And it’s one that should not he politicized. It should he debated in a very profound way. Politicized means, put it in a con text of a real process which to me will change the debate from where it needs to he. You don’t want people making up their mind whether or not this benefits a candidate or not. You want people making up their mind on this issue about whether it benefits America— in the long term for America, I think is the best way to put it.” Bush also underscored the lack of groundswell support for the amendment. “I will tell you the prairie fire necessary to get an amendm ent passed is simmering at best...I’m not sure people quite understand the issue yet.” T
