20 jUSt OUt » october 21.2005
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Law enforcement officers across the nation
are accused of abuse of power, tantamount to
torture, against the queer community. This
accusation came Sept. 22. from William
Schultz, executive director of Amnesty Inter
national USA.
Schultz did not condemn all law enforce
ment, hut called to account those who have
misused police power and committed human
rights violations against the queer community. It
is a sorry state of affairs when police officers mis
use their power to inflict suffering rather than
prevent it, but that is precisely what Amnesty
International’s new report has found.
The report makes clear that if you are gay,
lesbian, bisexual or transgender, certain laws
and ordinances, such as vague “morals” regula
tions or quality-of-life statutes, may be selective
ly enforced against you. And if you are trans
gender or a person of color, if you were bom out
side the United States or if you are young or
low-income, your chances of being abused are
even greater.
The report also documents incidents of
cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of
queers during arrest and searches and while in
police detention. Transgender people and indi
viduals who do not conform to stereotypes about
gender report that during searches police have
sometimes inappropriately touched their geni
tals to establish their “true” sex or conducted
personal body searches in public.
Amnesty International called on police
departments to sign their Pledge for Profession
alism, affirming that they will do the following:
• Send a clear message to all officers that abuse
and ill treatment of queers will not be tolerated.
• Ensure that all allegations and reports of
police abuse and misconduct are promptly, thor
oughly and impartially investigated and that
officers found responsible are held accountable.
• Ensure the safety of queers while in detention.
Schultz noted: “We realize that pledges and
programs can easily become empty gestures
without the continued vigilance of human
rights advocates. For that reason, today
Amnesty begins to focus its spotlight on this
persistent and shameful situation.
“Amnesty International will mobilize our
worldwide membership to exert pressure on
police and city, state and federal authorities to
protect LGBT people from police abuse and mis
conduct. We will issue public actions on individ
ual cases of police abuse and brutality to ensure
that all allegations are fully and impartially
investigated and that officers found guilty are
brought to justice. Our spotlight will not dim
until the human rights that lesbians, gays, bi
sexuals and transgender people are guaranteed in
law and are also protected in the real world.”
D ems D ecry GOP C ronyism F avoring
A nti -G ay A ctivists
The National Stonewall Democrats called
on the White House and the Republican Party
on Oct. 6 to meet with gay and lesbian families
instead of only consulting with anti-gay activists
on key issues such as judicial nominations and
marriage equality. Reports have detailed the
exclusive access granted by the White House to
anti-gay activists while Republican appointees
in New Hampshire pushed through a controver
sial anti-gay recommendation Oct. 5 despite
Democratic objections.
“The Republican Party’s reliance on the cor
rupt counsel of anti-gay activists is poisoning
American policy with toxic cronyism,” said Eric
Stem, National Stonewall Democrats executive
director. “President Bush, [Republican National
Committee chairman) Ken Mehlman and the
entire Republican Party is callously out of touch
with our community. In almost five years in
office, the Bush administration has failed to meet
with one gay family over our concerns, yet they
continue to push anti-gay policy as a reward for
regular meetings with anti-gay activists.”
G ay P arents ’ C hildren N o D ifferent
from O thers , S tudy S ays
Children raised by gay and lesbian parents
are as well-adjusted as other children, accord
ing to research presented the week of Oct. 8 at
the American Academy of Pediatrics Confer
ence and Exhibition. “The vast consensus of all
the studies shows that children of same-sex
parents do as well as children whose parents are
heterosexual in every way,” said Ellen C. Per
rin, professor of pediatrics at Tufts University
School of Medicine.
L og C abin P resident A lmost G ets
P ie in F ace
National Coming Out Day at University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill was the site of an
attempted pie assault on Patrick Guerriero, pres
ident of Log Cabin
Republicans. He was
there Oct. 11 to give
a speech about the
future of sexual poli
tics when someone
approached
the
lectern and lobbed a
cream pie at his face.
Guerriero dodged
the pie, some of
which landed on his
suit. Between 100
and 200 people witnessed the event, which was
then further disturbed by a prank fire alarm,
forcing him to finish his speech outside.
Ed McMahon
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Rebecca Marshall and son Nathan George
Micciulla Marshall horse around Oct. 16 at
Q Center's Spooktacular Pumpkin Party,
enforcing findings of a study that found queer
parents' children are no different from those of
straight parents.
National Stonewall Democrats have part
nered with two statewide campaigns working to
defeat anti-gay ballot initiatives this November.
Their Web site, StonewallI3emocrats.org, has
set up a special action center that allows people
to donate, and tell their friends, about the work
of these two groups.