Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 13:49:38 -0700
From: glaad@glaad.org (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)
Subject: GLAAD MEDIA ADVISORY - HIGH COURT RULING EXPECTED IN COLORADO ANTI-GAY MEASURE

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Alan Klein
212-807-1700, 800-601-5483


HIGH COURT RULING EXPECTED IN COLORADO
ANTI-GAY MEASURE
Lesbians and Gays Nationwide Anticipate Supreme Court Decision

NEW YORK CITY, May 10 -- Lesbian and gay activists eagerly await the U.S.
Supreme Court's decision on Colorado's Amendment 2, which could be
announced as early as Monday, May 13, 1996.  The Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation (GLAAD) and gay civil rights advocates view Amendment 2
(Evans v. Romer) as the single most important gay rights case since Bowers
v. Hardwick, which upheld Georgia's sodomy statute and was decided by the
High Court nearly a decade ago.

The Colorado amendment, passed in 1992, is a statewide ballot initiative
that makes it illegal to enact any law protecting lesbians, gay men and
bisexuals from discrimination in the state.  Lesbian and gay groups
nationwide fear that if the Supreme Court upholds Amendment 2, a rash of
Colorado-style anti-gay initiatives are likely to be introduced across the
United States.  Fueled by a victory, gay civil rights activists expect
radical conservatives, who have spearheaded the move toward passing local
anti-gay legislation nationwide, to pursue their agenda with renewed
fervor.

"Whichever way the Court decides, it's clear that the Court can't change
the public's perceptions of lesbians and gays," said Donna Red Wing,
GLAAD's Community Affairs Director.  "That's why GLAAD's job-to promote
fair and accurate images of lesbian and gay men in the media-remains our
number one priority.  We will continue to fight bigotry on the media front,
to show Americans that lesbians and gay men want nothing more than equal
civil rights."

GLAAD announced a renewed effort to instruct opponents of anti-gay
initiatives on how to combat these measures through the media and the
Internet.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is the national
organization that promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of
individuals and events in all media as a means of combating homophobia and
all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity.

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GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of
challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity.
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