august 20.2004 * JlMt Mlt| j 9
FTÍV7TT7ÍT1 news
ENDA was introduced in 1994 and barely
lost a Senate vote in 1996. “Passage of ENDA is
a brass ring for our community, and we’re mak
ing it clear that it must have the strongest teeth
possible to protect everyone," said Tim Boggs,
HRC board co-chairman.
HRC took this step to ensure that ENDA
will provide real protection to incidents of work
place discrimination. Attorneys who specialize
in civil rights laws believe legislation without
gender identity and expression explicitly stated
may not adequately address discrimination
against queers who are often singled out because
they’re viewed as not conforming to gender
norms.
. “We are strongest as a community when we
are united, and that’s why we need the strongest
and most unifying protections,” HRC president
Cheryl Jacques added. “The staff of the Human
Rights Campaign will continue to work tireless
ly to enact this comprehensive ENDA.”
r
tions, such as civil unions, for gay and lesbian
couples.
“Sen. Kerry’s position before had been that
he would only support an amendment that
provides some protections for gay and lesbian
families,” said Chris Barron, Log Cabin polit
ical director. “He has flip-flopped once again
and now supports a discriminatory amend
ment, without any protections, in a state
where the law is already clear. This is an
alarming departure from Sen. Kerry’s previous
position. It is wrong for President Bush to play
politics with the constitutional process, and it
is wrong for Sen. Kerry...to do the same
thing.”
UTAH
he three candidates for attorney general of
Utah issued a joint statement Aug. 6 oppos
ing an anti-gay marriage and legal rights constitu
tional amendment. According to the Don’t
Amend Alliance, conservative Republican
incumbent Mark Shurtlefif and opponents Greg
Skordas and Andrew McCullough realize that
the amendment is overly broad and will have
unintended consequences that will hurt Utahns
and their families.
The Legislature put the two-part amend-
ment on the November ballot. The first part
would define marriage as
between a man and a
woman, and the second part
would deny any basic rights
afforded to married couples
from ever being granted to
same-sex couples.
“Utahns of good faith dis
agree over whether the state
Mark Shurtleff
constitution
should
be
amended to define marriage as the union of a
man and a woman," the statement said. “We
respect each citizen’s views on this complex
issue. However, because proposed Amend
ment 3 goes far beyond simply defining mar
riage, and would prove unnecessarily hurtful to
many Utahns and their families, we oppose
the amendment.
“As written, Part Two of the proposed
amendment would prohibit the Utah Legisla
ture from ever extending even the most basic
partnership rights to an unmarried couple, such
as rights to hospital visitation, to emergency
medical decision-making and to inheritance.
Moreover, Part Two’s overly broad language
could lead private employers in Utah to ques
tion the legality of their desire to extend certain
benefits (such as health care) to unmarried part
ners of employees.
“Furthermore, proposed constitutional
amendments, such as Amendment 3, ought to
be given the careful scnitiny of the Utah Con
stitutional Revision Commission.”
T
MISSOURI
n an article published Aug. 6 by The Los
Angeles Tones, Democratic presidential nomi
nee John Kerry said he would have voted for the
anti-gay constitutional amendment that Mis
sourians approved Aug. 3. Dig Cabin Republi
cans denounced the position as "yet another
example of a Kerry flip-flop.”
The Missouri amendment is different from
a proposal in Massachusetts that Kerry also
supports. Unlike in Massachusetts, Missouri
law already defined marriage as between a
man and a woman. Additionally, unlike the
Massachusetts amendment, the Missouri
amendment does not provide any protec
Terry McAuliffe
TEXAS
emocratic National Committee chairman
Terry McAuliffe has called on President
Bush to renounce language in the Texas Repub
lican Party platform calling for unnecessary and
discriminatory changes in the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
The Texas platform inaccurately calls for
the immediate removal of people with
“homosexual practices” from protection
under the ADA. Since its passage in 1990,
the ADA has clearly stated that sexual orien
tation is not a disability and as such is not
covered under the law.
“The Texas Republican Party is changing
facts in a blatantly homophobic attack against
gay and lesbian Americans,” McAuliffe said
Aug. 11. “Republicans are abusing the ADA,
which has guaranteed equal opportunity and
access for millions of Americans, for their own
political games.
“This platform does not represent the values
of Texans, just as it does not represent the values
of the American people. George W. Bush must
take a stand and renounce the discriminatory
and divisive rhetoric coming from his own party
in his own state."
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Compiled by News Editor JlM R adosta , who can
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ALABAMA
wo men recently were killed in Alabama
because of their actual or perceived sexual
orientation.
Scottie Joe Weaver of Bay Minnette was beat-
en, strangled, stabbed, par
tially decapitated and
burned; his mutilated and
decomposed body was
found July 22. Defendant
Robert Holly Lofton
Porter expressed his hatred
of homosexuals and told
Scottie Joe Weaver
others he wanted to kill
the 18-year-old days before the victim was mur
dered, according to a lawyer representing co
defendant Christopher Ryan Gaines.
Roderick George of Montgomery was shot in
his car July 27 and died July 28. Anthony T.
Johnson, who has been charged with capital
murder in the 40-year-old’s slaying, told police
that the incident was brought on by “inappro
priate sexual advances.” JF1
A ’family’ owned and operated
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