Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 10:37:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: NBGLLF@aol.com
Subject: Forum Response to Prop 209

THE NATIONAL BLACK LESBIAN AND GAY 
LEADERSHIP FORUM

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release								Contact:  Monique Meadows
April 10, 1997						    						(202) 483-6786

BLACK LESBIAN AND GAY FORUM RESPONDS TO COURT DECISION ON CALIFORNIA PROP.
209

Washington - The National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum today
expressed great displeasure with the decision Tuesday by a California Appeals
Court upholding controversial Proposition 209.

"Thousands of people of color and women will soon lose the legal protections
from discriminatory and unjust practices," said Keith Boykin, the Forum's
Executive Director.  "This is alarming not only for blacks but also the gay
and lesbian community because it sets a precedent of intolerance for
communities who have been historically disenfranchised."

The measure, which was approved by a narrow margin in California in November,
eliminates considerations of gender and race in state employment, education
and state contracting.  "The measure is a direct attack on affirmative
action, which was designed to provide equity in hiring and educational
practices throughout the nation," the Forum announced.

"For 200 years, the nation's courts have been the last refuge for the
powerless to seek justice," said Boykin. "Now, with the stroke of a pen,
three judges in California have decided to ignore that legacy and the
nation's history of racial and gender inequality."

The National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership is the only national
organization dedicated to the nation's two and a half million
African-American gays and lesbians.  Established in 1988, the Forum works to
empower black lesbians and gays by developing their leadership skills,
increasing their visibility, and building bridges between various
communities.

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