Date: Mon, 7 Jun 1999 21:07:03 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines June 7, 1999 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 7, 1999 GLAADLINES Contact: Jerry Weinstein GLAAD Publications Manager (212) 807-1700 x18 weinstein@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Index to Stories: MASSACHUSETTS PREP SCHOOL STUDENT VICTIM OF HATE CRIME HORMEL BECOMES AMBASSADOR TO LUXEMBORG CALIFORNIA ANTI-DISCRIMINATION MEASURE DEFEATED BY ONE VOTE BANK OF SCOTLAND CANCELS U.S. VENTURE WITH PAT ROBERTSON RURAL GAY CONFERENCE TO BE HELD JUNE 24-26 MASSACHUSETTS PREP SCHOOL STUDENT VICTIM OF HATE CRIME: The prestigious Northfield Mount Hermon school was the site of a horrific attack against a member of its student body. On May 27, a junior was allegedly forced against a dorm room wall by two graduating seniors who carved the epithet, "HOMO" in 5-inch block letters across his back with a pen knife. The victim came forward to his headmaster two days later. On June 1, police charged Matthew Rogers, 20, and Jonathan Shapiro, 18, as follows: assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to maim, and assault with intent to intimidate, resulting in bodily harm. The third charge made the alleged assault a hate crime. Both young men have pleaded not guilty. Laurie MacLeod, a Massachusetts Northwestern Region assistant district attorney, was unaware of whether the victim identified as gay or was perceived as such. For further information, please contact Jim Anderson, communications director at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) at (212) 727-0135 x 136 or by e-mail at janderson@glsen.org. HORMEL BECOMES AMBASSADOR TO LUXEMBORG: In October, 1997, during the 105th Congress, President Clinton nominated James Hormel, an openly gay San Francisco philanthropist, to the post of Ambassador to Luxemborg. Senate Republicans, led by Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss, stalled his appointment, questioning his moral fitness solely on the basis of his sexual orientation and outspoken support of lesbian and gay causes. On June 4, 1999, Clinton exercised his prerogative to offer Hormel a recess appointment (as he did with Civil Rights Chief Bill Lann Lee), while Congress is out of session. Hormel becomes the first openly gay ambassador to serve his country, and has a secure appointment through Jan. 3, 2001. For further contact information, please contact Wayne Besen of the Human Rights Campaign at (202) 216-1580 or by pager at (800) 386-5997. CALIFORNIA ANTI-DISCRIMINATION MEASURE DEFEATED BY ONE VOTE: On June 4, after rancorous debate, California's AB 222 missed passage by one vote. Authored by openly lesbian Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl, the bill would have amended non-discrimination provisions of the California Education Code to include sexual orientation, thereby prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in California's public schools and community colleges. In the weeks prior to the roll call, a conservative Christian group took out full-page print ads, targeting the Latino/a community, asking assembly members to "Protect the children against sexual assault," and to vote down AB 222. Following the vote, the bill was placed on the inactive file, and it can be reconsidered for a fourth time next year. For further information, please contact Eric Astacaan at (916) 455-1049 or by e-mail at laxnmsfmca@tomatoweb.com, of the California Alliance For Pride And Equality, the co-sponsor of this legislation. For context on issues that affect lesbian and gay students, please contact Jim Anderson, communications director at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) at (212) 727-0135 x 136 or by e-mail at janderson@glsen.org. BANK OF SCOTLAND CANCELS U.S. VENTURE WITH PAT ROBERTSON: The Bank of Scotland announced on Saturday, June 5, that it would not go forward with a proposed joint bank venture with televangelist Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, due to mounting public threat of boycott and withdrawal of funds. When the partnership with Robertson Financial Services was first announced in March, the bank did not foresee any contretemps, but as the public became more familiar the profile of Pat Robertson himself, the venture became the subject of public debate. In turn, the Edinburgh City Council condemned the deal in a unanimous resolution, over 400 small investors closed their accounts, and members of Scottish Parliament were considering closing the government's account. Robertson further enraged the citizenry by describing Scotland as a "dark place" where "you can't believe how strong the homosexuals are." Robertson will be compensated for this aborted transaction--to the tune of 30 million British pounds. But it would seem that Robertson's troubles are not quite over. A gay rights campaign group, Outrage!, is calling for Laura Ashley, the women's retailer, to remove Robertson from its corporate board, on which he serves as non-executive director. For more information, please contact Jerry Weinstein, Publications Manager for GLAAD at (212) 807-1700 or via pager at (917) 240-3710. RURAL GAY CONFERENCE TO BE HELD JUNE 24-26: Out on the Prairie is the first national conference that seeks to bring together social workers, students, the public and others from the service professions to explore the unique challenges faced by professionals who provide services in rural areas. This three-day national conference is sponsored by the Department of Social Work at the University of North Dakota (UND) and will be held in Grand Forks, ND. It is directed towards members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, their families and practitioners, who work, live, or provide services in rural areas. Speakers include Allen Young, editor of Lavender Culture; Dr. Dean Pierce, professor and Director of the School of Social Work, University of Nevada, Reno, NV; Robyn Ochs, co-founder of the East Coast Bisexual Network; and Will Fellows, author of Farm Boys: Lives of Gay Men from the Rural Midwest. For more information please contact Nancy Rice, Dept of Social Work, UND at (877) 688-3660 and visit the conference web site at www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Castro/2921. GLAAD is the nation's lesbian & gay multimedia advocacy organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. To subscribe, contact Wonbo Woo at (212) 807-1700 or at woo@glaad.org. "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. 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The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in the media as a means of combating homophobia and challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.