Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 18:46:35 -0800 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines - November 29, 1999 GLAADLINES - November 29, 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) CALIF. ATTORNEY GENERAL CHANGES "MISLEADING" TITLE OF KNIGHT INITIATIVE 2) PENNSYLVANIA ACTIVISTS BLAST STEALTH SIGNING OF ANTI-GAY LEGISLATION 3) BUSH RECEIVES "F," GORE, "C" ON LAMBDA'S WORLD AIDS DAY REPORT CARD 1) CALIF. ATTORNEY GENERAL CHANGES "MISLEADING" TITLE OF KNIGHT INITIATIVE: Ruling that the original title was inaccurate and misleading, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer on Nov. 24 changed the name of a March 2000 state ballot measure banning gay marriages. The "Definition of Marriage" initiative, also known as the "Knight Initiative," will now appear on the ballot as the "Limit on Marriages" initiative. The fourteen-word measure, sponsored by Republican State Sen. William "Pete" Knight, states that, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Lockyer's action drew praise from the measure's opponents, including "No on Knight" campaign organizers Californians for Fairness. "The deceptive ballot title advocated by the Knight campaign is but one example of their attempts to deceive voters," said Californians for Fairness Campaign Manager Mike Marshall. "As the attorney general determined, the Knight Initiative is not about defining marriage. It's about singling out gay and lesbian people for discrimination." Lockyer changed the title after the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund argued that the original title concealed the measure's actual purpose: to ban lesbian and gay marriages in the event that another state rules them legal. "This change in the title is an important step in our efforts to show voters that there is much more to this unfair, divisive, and intrusive measure than meets the eye," Marshall said. For more information, contact Californians for Fairness Press Secretary Tracey Conaty at 415-227-1020. 2) PENNSYLVANIA ACTIVISTS BLAST STEALTH SIGNING OF ANTI-GAY LEGISLATION: Legislation designed to ban Pennsylvania state-owned and funded colleges and universities from providing benefits to the partners of their gay and lesbian employees was signed into law by Gov. Thomas Ridge on Wednesday, Nov. 24. HB 115, which was approved by the Pennsylvania General Assembly and Senate on Nov. 16 (see GLAADLines 11.22.99), came on the heels of a lawsuit filed against the University of Pittsburgh by former instructor Deborah Henson asking for equal benefits under Pittsburgh's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights ordinance. The new law allows state-funded universities and colleges to disregard local non-discrimination ordinances. "This is an unacceptable act of interference by the state into the affairs of local municipalities who want pass anti-discrimination laws," said Steve Glassman, co-chair of the Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition (SPARC). Glassman also notes that the signing of the bill on the day before the Thanksgiving holiday seemed calculated to minimize media coverage of the governor's part in the controversy. "This situation has galvanized activists and those who have never been politically involved to respond to this attack on our families and our rights," Glassman adds. "Our community is now focusing on educating our representatives, preventing further legislative damage, and rectifying the injustice of HB 115." For more information, contact SPARC co-chair Steve Glassman at 717-624-3339. 3) BUSH RECEIVES "F," GORE, "C" ON LAMBDA'S WORLD AIDS DAY REPORT CARD: On the eve of World AIDS Day (Dec. 1) the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund released its fourth annual World AIDS Day Report Card, criticizing both leading presidential candidates as "callous and compromising public officials," while praising Cordetta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., for her AIDS activism in the African-American community. Vice President Al Gore received a grade of "C," Lambda noted, for "retreating from his strong record on AIDS issues, and siding with pharmaceutical companies out to block South Africa from producing affordable, generic versions of HIV treatments for its citizens." Lambda gave Republican Texas Gov. George W. Bush failing marks. "Pop quiz for the leading Republican presidential candidate:" the Report Card asks, "What do public health officials overwhelmingly say will curb HIV rates among adolescents? Answer: safer-sex education. But Bush sought to cut funding for health clinics in Texas schools, and if elected, promises to promote so-called 'abstinence education,' funding religious groups to administer those programs." Among those praised by the report: Cordetta Scott King, who continues to urge the African-American community to pay attention to AIDS and lesbian and gay issues. The full report card - which is divided into three sections: "Politics, Policy & the Law," "Prevention" and "Treatment Access and Research" - can be found on the Lambda Web site at www.lambdalegal.org. For more information, contact Peg Byron at the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund at 212-809-8585, ext. 230. For more information about World AIDS Day, please visit the The Body: An AIDS and HIV Information Resource online at www.thebody.com. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. To subscribe, contact Wonbo Woo at (212) 807-1700 or at woo@glaad.org. 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Make sure that you turn off all signatures and extraneous text. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.