Date: Thu, 3 Apr 1997 16:26:42 -0800 From: richter@eecs.berkeley.edu (Jean Richter) Subject: 4/3/97 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. AZ: Story on anti-gay conference in Phoenix posted to web site 2. CA: Action needed on AB101; to be heard in education committee 3. AK: Letter defending antigay speaker at Anchorage school board meeting 4. "The Gay Rights Debate: A Source Book for Teachers and Students" 5. Please support American Airlines =================================================================== I've posted a lengthy (25K) story on the recent anti-gay conference in Phoenix on our web site. Its URL is: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Alerts/States/Arizona/ministry.html If you are unable to access the web and would like to have the story emailed to you, please let me know. =================================================================== Boyce Hinman,with the Lambda Letters Project did such a great job on developing an action alert on AB 101 for his organization, that I am forwarding a beta version of his action alert to my list of folks interested in AB 101. If you are interested in joining Lambda Letters, you can contact them at Lambdalp@aol.com . Thank you, Jennifer Richard Office of Assemblymember Kuehl e-mail: richarjl@assembly.ca.gov Dear Friends, Please let us know if you do respond to this alert and, if so, how many legislator's offices you e-mailed or telephoned. That information helps us know whether or not these alerts are effective. It also helps us counter claims by legislators that they receive no calls or mail in support of our side of the issue. A.B. 101, the Dignity For All Students Act, introduced by Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl, has passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee and will be heard and voted on in the Assembly Education Committee this coming Wednesday April 9th. The exact same bill, introduced last year, passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee but then was defeated in the Assembly Education Committee. We must not let that happen again this year. A.B. 101 would prohibit discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual youth in the public schools and colleges of California and it would require teachers and school administrators to actively prohibit harassment of lesbian, gay and bisexual students by their classmates. It is a very important bill! We urge you to E-mail messages of support to the members of the Assembly Education Committee who have E-mail addresses (See the following list) and call those who do not have E- mail. (Note: you can copy and paste the list of E-mail addresses and the suggested message, found below, to create your messages.) With those offices you telephone, simply tell the person who answers the phone that you hope the Assembly Member will vote for A.B. 101 when it is voted on in the Assembly Education Committee on April 9th. Note: Shiela Kuehl's staff tells us that it is particularly important that we contact the offices of Assembly Members Alquist and Wildman. We hope you will contact all of the Assembly Members on the list below. However, if your time is limited, please contact at least those two legislators. The list of Committee member's E-mail addresses and phones is as follows: (We appologize that the Assembly Member's names connected with some of the E-mail addresses are not noted. We wanted to fashion the list in a way that allowed you to simply cut and paste the addresses into your E-mail message.) ted.lempert@assembly.ca.gov, michael.sweeney@assembly.ca.gov, Kerry.Mazzoni@assembly.ca.gov, howard.wayne@assembly.ca.gov, bill.leonard@assembly.ca.gov, assemblywoman.Alquist@asembly.ca.gov, a73@assembly.ca.gov, a64@assembly.ca.gov, a52@assembly.ca.gov, a49@assembly.ca.gov, a43@assembly.ca.gov, a25@assembly.ca.gov, a15@assembly.ca.gov, a01@assembly.ca.gov Jan Goldsmith, 916-445-2484 Bill Campbell, 916-445-2778 Louis Caldera, 916-445-4843 Susan Davis, 916-445-7210 Larry Bowler, 916-445-7402 Jack Scott, 916-445-8211 Mike Honda,916-445-8243 A sample message that can be cut and pasted into your E-mail message is as follows: Dear Assembly Member: I am writing to urge you to approve bill A.B. 101 (the Dignity for All Students Act) when it comes before you soon in the Assembly Education Committee. A recent study of over 8,400 students in the Seattle school system found that, of students describing themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, 34% reported being harassed because of their sexual orientation. They were 3 times as likely as their heterosexual peers to have been injured in a fight requiring medical treatment, twice as likely to report having considered suicide and 75% more likely to report feeling unsafe at school. In addition, for every gay youth that was harassed, about four heterosexual students had experienced anti-gay harassment. These students also showed a higher risk for assault, suicidal thoughts and diminished school performance. A survey of anti-gay sexual harassment and violence found that often teachers and other school personnel were aware of a pattern of harassment but did not intervene. Currently all students are protected only from outright harassment by their peers, impacting their ability to learn, in grades 4 through 12. This bill is needed because it protects students from discrimination from elementary school, right up to the college level, and it applies to teachers as well as students. When teachers make limp-wrist jokes in the classroom, it creates an atmosphere which has a very negative impact on gay, lesbian or bisexual students and it tends to condone anti-gay violence of the kind found in the Seattle studies. If the schools themselves are allowed to discriminate, what kind of a role model does that provide to the students? The use of anti-gay teaching material in the classroom should be treated with the same seriousness as racist or other discriminatory material. This act would give students the same protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation that we now extend to students, staff, and educational institutions based on race, sex, ethnicity, religion, and disability. Clearly, this additional protection is needed for the sake of heterosexual as well as for gay, lesbian and bisexual students. I think it is vital that all students be free to concentrate on their studies and achieve their fullest potential free from harassment and discrimination. For these reasons I urge you to approve bill A.B. 101. Sincerely, (YOUR NAME) (yOUR ADRESS) Please do not disappoint us. Send E-mail messages to the members of the Education Committee and call the ones who do not have E-mail. Urge your friends and family to do the same. Then send us a message telling us how many contacts are made. A.B. 101 is a very important bill and we must get it passed this year. Love, Boyce Hinman Lambda Letters Project ====================================================================== Anchorage Daily News, March 9, 1997 P. O. Box 149001,Anchorage,AK,99514-9001 (Fax 907-258-2157, print run 103,831) (E-MAIL: letters@pop.adn.com) No perfect person around I was saddened upon reading Debby Bloom's Feb. 27 letter, "Open mind, not just home," in regard to Mother Lawrence. Having not been at the school board meeting, I cannot speak to that, only the good she has done for people over the years. I have never before heard of her as judgmental as to her help for others. Helping others does not mean one must take no political expression. It is interesting to me that as recently (as) ten years ago, a gay lifestyle was taught at our schools as abnormal or deviant behavior. Why is it that those who demand their rights to understanding and tolerance can without such understanding and tolerance to those who don't promote their very beliefs? Is that not hypocritical? What if they rolled over and said nothing for their beliefs? That would be as bad for them as it would be for those of us who love others, yet don't embrace such a lifestyle. Albeit, people should be understanding to everyone if for no other reason than it is loving and proper. It is a sad day in our world when one lives as selflessly as possible, serving others, and is not understood, rather accused of discrimination. People should not be accused of discrimination or called hate mongers because they don't take a certain belief. I have never met a perfect person. Why are we so eager to expect more than we are willing to be? Ginger Risch Anchorage ======================================================================= From: LWarden888@aol.com Date: Sat, 15 Mar 1997 12:37:42 -0500 (EST) Subject: Fwd: Forwarded Message --------------------- Forwarded message: Subj: Forwarded Message Date: 97-03-15 08:57:10 EST From: EMBinder I wanted to post this notice about the book, "The Gay Rights Debate" by Tom Caramagno, an associate professor at UNL. Please contact Professor Caramagno at UNL at: tcc@unlinfo.unl.edu for more information. The book will benefit many in the academic community. ========================================================= The "Gay Rights" Debate: A Source Book for Teachers and Students copyright 1997 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: The Challenge for Teachers Chapter 2: Information Resources Chapter 3: Introduction to the Debate Chapter 4: Anti-gay Violence Chapter 5: The Connection to Anti-semitism Chapter 6: Are Gays Intrinsically Promiscuous? Chapter 7: Is Homosexuality Unnatural? Chapter 8: Genetic Studies Chapter 9: Brain Studies Chapter 10: Is Homosexuality a Chosen Pathology? Chapter 11: Is Homosexuality Universally Condemned? Chapter 12: Estimates of the Gay Population Chapter 13: Bisexuality Chapter 14: Do Lesbians and Gays Recruit Children? Chapter 15: Is Homosexuality a Health Hazard? Chapter 16: Demonizing the Opposition Chapter 17: Constitutional Issues Chapter 18: Religious Liberty Chapter 19: Diversity in America Chapter 20: Religious Gays Chapter 21: Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality as a Sin? Chapter 22: Old Testament Chapter 23: New Testament Chapter 24: The Story of Sodom and Gomorrah Chapter 25: The History of Christian Homophobia Chapter 26: Is Conservatism Intrinsically Anti-gay? Chapter 27: Conclusion Chapter 28: Appendix (list of states with sodomy laws) Chapter 29: Works Cited A - I Chapter 30: Works Cited I - Z Chapter 31: "Public Issues out of the Classroom Closet: Analyzing and Contributing to the Discourse of Lesbian and Gay Rights in the Writing Classroom ==================================================================== [though this is not particularly education-related, it's important to support our allies, particularly when they're being threatened by RPE's] Subject: Attack on American Airlines From: daninalaska@juno.com (James D Carter) Date: Sat, 15 Mar 1997 12:40:18 EST PLEASE THANK AMERICAN AIRLINES Below you'll find an action alert that was received here at SLDN about an anti-gay phone and email campaign against American Airlines, as well as a portion of a press release by the extremist anti-gay Family Research Council. American Airlines has strongly supported the work of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network in protecting military personnel hurt by Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue. Without their support, much of our recent work, including support to the servicemembers targeted in the Hickam witch hunt and arranging travel by servicemembers to speak at our Feb. 26 press conference, would not have been possible. At SLDN we feel strongly that, as a community, we must let our allies know that we appreciate them. Please email or call American, on behalf of military personnel hurt by the current anti-gay policy, and let them know that you appreciate their stand for fairness and justice. Emails should be directed to webmaster@amrcorp.com . Phone calls to 817-963-1234, then hit "0" and request the operator to send your caller comment to their executive offices. You should be able to reach an individual to whom you may register your views. Thank you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kirk Childress, Esq. ~ Staff Attorney Servicemembers Legal Defense Network PO Box 53013 ~ Washington, D.C. 20009 Voice (202) 328-3244 ~ Fax (202) 797-1635 kchildress@sldn.org ~ http://www.sldn.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ***FORWARDED ALERT:*** An unusual joint letter was released to the media today [10 March] from the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, American Family Association and Coral Ridge Ministries. Radical right leader Beverly LaHaye also went on Christian "talk radio" today to blast American Airlines because "American's sponsorship of homosexual 'pride' events constitutes an open endorsement of promiscuous homosexuality." She and the others have written CEO Bob Crandall at American to complain that the airline has "gone beyond mere tolerance" for gays and lesbians. [The full article appears in today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and possibly picked up by other newspapers around the country.] American Airlines is a major sponsor to and supporter of groups like GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, AIDS Action Foundation, DIFFA, AmFAR, and scores of community-based groups representing gays and lesbians. It is also the first airline to adopt a written non-discrimination policy covering sexual orientation in its employment practices, and it is well represented by the leadership of its gay and lesbian employee group, GLEAM. For these pioneering efforts, and its marketing and sales outreach to the gay and lesbian traveler, American has become the next bullseye for hard-hitting, anti-gay corporate attacks. THE RESULT: American's switchboard and e-mails are being bombarded now by homophobic and hateful callers who have been urged by LaHaye and others to demand the company terminate its gay-friendly policies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL PRESS RELEASE:** WASHINGTON, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- "American Airlines' support for homosexual activism, both inside and outside the company, has gone beyond mere 'tolerance,' to open endorsement of sexual behavior that has been universally discouraged because it is immoral, unhealthy and destructive to individuals, families and societies," Family Research Council President Gary Bauer said Monday. "That's why I've joined other pro-family leaders to try and protect the rights of Christian, Jewish and Muslim employees of American Airlines who are being forced to promote behavior that their faiths declare to be immoral and destructive." Pro-homosexual activities by American Airlines include: -- Sponsorship of homosexual "circuit" parties, at which illicit drug use and promiscuous sex occur, according to reports in The Washington Times and The Advocate magazine. -- Adoption of "sexual orientation" as a specially protected category under workplace rules. -- Aggressive promotion in the homosexual travel market including discount fares for "domestic partners" and discount fares connected with homosexual celebrations. -- Donations to homosexual activist organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Thanks for your help....Dan Carter ==================================================================== Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK OUT OUR INFO-LOADED WEB PAGE AT: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/