Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 18:05:02 -0800 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLINES - November 22, 1999 GLAADLINES - November 22, 1999 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Wonbo Woo GLAAD Communications Manager (212) 807-1700 x24 woo@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Index: 1) GEORGE W. BUSH "PROBABLY" WON'T MEET WITH LESBIAN AND GAY GROUP 2) REV. JIMMY CREECH STRIPPED OF MINISTERIAL CREDENTIALS AFTER CHURCH HEARING 3) PENNSYLVANIA HIT BY A STEALTH BOMB 1) GEORGE W. BUSH "PROBABLY" WON'T MEET WITH LESBIAN AND GAY GROUP: Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. George W. Bush told NBC's Meet the Press yesterday that he probably would not meet with Log Cabin Republicans (LCR), a lesbian and gay political organization, because it would create "a huge political scene." He elaborated by saying, "I am someone who is a uniter, not a divider. I don't believe in group thought, pitting one group of people against another." A number of Bush's GOP rivals for the Republican nomination expressed their thoughts yesterday on Bush's statements. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has met with LCR, told CBS' Face the Nation that he believes "strongly in the party of Abraham Lincoln. And the Log Cabin Republicans are a part of our party." Publisher Steve Forbes told CNN's Late Edition, "If people want to talk to me, that's fine. They might not like what I have to say on issues, such as same-sex marriage Š [but] I'm open to meeting a lot of people." During the course of the hour-long Meet the Press, Bush also touched on issues including same-sex marriage rights and adoptions by same-sex couples - both of which he opposes on the grounds that "a person in my position ought to be promoting the ideal, and the ideal world is for a mom and dad to adopt a child." Rich Tafel, executive director of LCR, responded today to the interview, saying: "He meets with scores of groups, including the Christian Coalition, and lectures the Republican Party on the importance of reaching out to minority groups like Latinos and African Americans, and now he says he won't meet with gays because we are a 'group.' Š He's run a Rorschach campaign, reflecting back what donors and supporters want to hear even if the messages completely contradict each other." Lesbian and gay issues have been focal points in the campaign platforms of all the major candidates for next year's elections, with Democratic frontrunners Vice President Al Gore and Bill Bradley publicly decrying the anti-gay Knight Initiative proposed in California and Bradley calling for an amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation among the existing list of protected groups. In September, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) released a report entitled Courting the Vote 2000 - a comprehensive analysis of the twelve leading presidential candidates at that time. The report is available online at http://www.ngltf.org/pub.html . For more information on LCR, its meeting with Sen McCain, or its response to Bush's comments, contact LCR Communications Director Kevin Ivers at (202) 347-5306 x12. 2) REV. JIMMY CREECH STRIPPED OF MINISTERIAL CREDENTIALS AFTER CHURCH HEARING: The Rev. Jimmy Creech was tried by the United Methodist Church last week and found guilty of disobeying its Social Principles by performing a same-sex covenant ceremony between two men in North Carolina. He was stripped of his ministerial credentials. During the proceedings, officiated by Rev. William Boyd Grove, Creech refused to give an opening statement or enter a plea in protest of the trial, saying "the law was unjust and the whole trial is corrupted. Š To put on a defense will give credibility to the law and will say the law is valid and just. I will not give any credibility to the law." Following the sentencing, Rev. Grove closed the trial by praying for Creech and "all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people wounded by the verdict. We know they abide in Your care." Creech's supporters in the trial included Soulfource, an ecumenical organization teaching non-violent principles and working to advance the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people; and In All Things Charity, a network of clergy and laity who support full inclusion of lesbians and gay men in the life of the church, and which has garnered signatures from 1,400 pastors who have said they would perform or participate in same-sex unions. For more information, contact Laura Montgomery Rutt at (717) 627-7180 or by cell at (949) 233-3592. 3) PENNSYLVANIA HIT BY A STEALTH BOMB: On Tuesday, Nov. 16, Pennsylvania's General Assembly pushed through - and passed - a measure that exempts state institutions and universities from local non-discrimination ordinances. The measure was a last-minute and unexpected amendment to a proposed Democrat-sponsored bill (HB-115) providing additional funding for police training. The amendment was crafted in response to the University of Pittsburgh's refusal to offer benefits to the domestic partners of its lesbian and gay employees, which was at odds with the city's civil rights ordinance, which was enacted in 1990 and states that qualifying businesses must comply with the city's standards of non-discrimination. In 1998, it was updated to include gender identity and again in 1999 to include domestic partnership. Steve Glassman, co-chair of the Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition criticized the Assembly's tactics, calling the measure a "stealth move," and further said: "This is the first step down a slippery slope of legislation which persecutes a group of Pennsylvania citizens. It represents an act of cowardice on the part of the legislature and the administration." In recent months, the debate over the University's refusal has resulted in student, faculty, and community protests at the University, including a three-week hunger strike by students this Spring [see GLAADLines 04.26.99]. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge has not yet signed the bill, but is expected to do so soon. For more information, contact Glassman at (717) 624-3339. 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