Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1999 15:32:45 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines - July 19, 1999 GLAADLines - July 19, 1999 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Contact: Wonbo Woo GLAAD Communications Associate (212) 807-1700 x24 woo@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org 1) POSSIBLE HATE CRIME ON U.S. ARMY BASE IN KENTUCKY 2) SUSPECTED LINK BETWEEN ANTI-GAY MURDERS AND SYNAGOGUE ARSONS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 3) RELIGIOUS LIBERTY PROTECTION ACT PASSES IN HOUSE 1) POSSIBLE HATE CRIME ON U.S. ARMY BASE IN KENTUCKY: On Monday, July 5, at the U.S. Army base in Fort Campbell, Ken., Private First Class (PFC) Barry Winchell was allegedly bludgeoned with a baseball bat in his barracks on base by fellow soldiers. Injuries sustained in the attack led to PFC Winchell's death the following day in Nashville. In response to concerns raised by local military and lesbian and gay community members, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) has been working in conjunction with the Nashville-based Lesbian and Gay Coalition for Justice to dispatch representatives to Fort Campbell; and SLDN has set up a special e-mail address (PFCBW@aol.com) through which condolences can be sent to Winchell's family. In addition, SLDN called upon Army officials to investigate possible anti-gay motives in the murder, which officials had originally cited as the result of a "physical altercation" prior to a complete investigation of the incident. "SLDN's primary concern," said senior staff attorney Stacey Sobel, "is to ensure that Army officials investigate PFC Winchell's murder fully and take all factors into account, including reports that it may have been an anti-gay hate crime." Fort Campbell officials recently promised that "[a]ll aspects of [Winchell's] death will be examined and the results of this investigation will be made public as appropriate." In its March, 1999, report Conduct Unbecoming, SLDN detailed a 120% rise in reported incidents of anti-gay harassment in the military, as part of its continued efforts to monitor implementation of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue" policy enacted in 1993. For more information, contact SLDN's Julia Adams at (202) 328-3244 or by e-mail at sldn@sldn.org . 2) SUSPECTED LINK BETWEEN ANTI-GAY MURDERS AND SYNAGOGUE ARSONS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: Benjamin Matthew and James Tyler Williams were arrested July 7 on stolen property charges linking them to the shooting murder of gay male couple Gary Matson and Winfield Scott Mowder in Happy Valley, Calif., a small town near Redding. Matson, 50, and Mowder, 40, were found dead at their home on July 1. Upon searching the Williams brothers' homes, authorities retrieved literature espousing White Supremacist beliefs. According to various media reports, they also found materials linking them to three Sacramento-area synagogue fires which took place on June 18. Among those materials: a notebook filled with anti-Semitic writings and a list of some 30 people whose names had been mentioned in news reports concerning the fires. According to the Los Angeles Times, law enforcement officials believe that the brothers may have been motivated by involvement in Christian Identity, "a fringe faith that considers Jews and people of color subhuman, and views abortion and homosexuality as unpardonable sins." Authorities are investigating the murders as possible hate crimes. For more information, contact Jennifer Rakowski at Community United Against Violence (CUAV) at (415) 777-5500 x306. 3) RELIGIOUS LIBERTY PROTECTION ACT PASSES IN HOUSE: In a 306 to 188 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Religious Liberty Protection Act (RLPA) on Thursday, July 15. Designed to protect freedom of religious expression, the RLPA prohibits state and local offices from placing a "substantial burden" on religious exercise without compelling reason for doing so (such as public health or safety). But civil rights advocates across the country raised concerns that a loophole in the bill could be used to undermine anti-discrimination laws protecting members of the lesbian and gay community as well as women, persons with disabilities and other minority groups. A proposed amendment sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) suggested closing the loophole by limiting the scope of institutions that would be affected by the RLPA, but the proposal was defeated by a vote of 190 to 234. In response to the votes, Rep. Nadler affirmed his belief in religious liberty but noted his grievances with the RLPA, saying: "[T]his bill forces us to choose between religious freedom and civil rights. That's a false choice; we can do better." For more information on the RLPA, contact David Smith of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) at (202) 628-4160. For further details on the proposed Nadler Amendment, contact Joel B. Finkelstein in Rep. Nadler's office at (202) 225-5635. 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 . 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