Date: Mon, 17 Feb 1997 09:47:39 -0600 (CST) From: Jim Fagelson Subject: Parents' Network - 2/16/97 PARENTS' NETWORK February 16, 1997 To SUBSCRIBE, send an e-mail message to glpcinat@ix.netcom.com saying "subscribe Parents' Network", To UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message to glpcinat@ix.netcom.com saying "unsubscribe Parents' Network" and you will be removed from the list. FROM The Netherlands - Wockner News Service Holland's Lower House voted 150-104 in late December for a gay-partnership law that grants all rights of marriage except access to adoption. Similar laws are in effect in Denmark/Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Hungary has common-law gay marriage that includes all spousal rights except access to adoption. Dutch State Justice Minister Elisabeth Schmitz said that once the law takes effect, gay couples who have signed the symbolic partnership registries offered by numerous Dutch cities will become automatically married under the new statute. Meanwhile, Dutch officials are seriously considering legalizing regular marriage for gays. Parliament has instructed the government to present the necessary legislation by August. FROM Israel - Wockner News Service A gay man has won his fight to receive an Israeli Defense Force spousal pension. A Tel Aviv District Court Appeals Committee ruled Jan. 8 that the military engaged in illegal gender-based discrimination when it withheld benefits from Adir Steiner after his male lover, Col. Doron Meisel, died of cancer in 1991. Israeli businesses are required to provide equal benefits to gay employees' families but the military was not covered by that law. FROM the United States - Pennsylvania -Philadelphia Gay News February 1997 An area lesbian is asking a Family Court judge to validate her relationship with the biological child of her former lover by granting partial custody and visitation rights. The outcome of the case, known as J.A.L. vs. E.P.H., will be noticed by gays and non-gays alike. Because of the nature of their 11-year relationship-- which wasn't recognized by law -- the soundness of gay and lesbian bonds also will be judged. Court documents and her attorney report that J.A.L. participated in the conception, birth and rearing of E.P.H's child. For the year the two women were together after the child's birth, J.A.L. was as much a parent as E.P.H. She views herself as a mother to the child. But there is no legal recognition of her status. That's where the court comes in. If a judge rules in her favor, J.A.L. will have legal standing behind her claim as a parent to the child. The ruling also would indirectly validate this lesbian relationship -- even after its end -- as being as real as any former marriage. That conclusion is what's driving the fight for same-sex marriages in Hawaii FROM the United States - Ohio -The Akron Beacon Journal February 7, 1997 MotherWit, a group for lesbian mothers, will hold a conference, "Lesbian Families: Outlaws in Love," from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 15 at the Gardner Student Center on the University of Akron campus. The conference will be presented with the support of the university's Women's Studies Program, the Akron Area Chapter of the National Organization for Women, Stonewall Akron and other organizations. For registration or more information, write Family Conference, c/o MotherWit, P.O. Box 265, Kent, OH 44240; or call 330-920-0996 or 330-678-4686. FROM the United States Supreme Court - Loving v. Virginia (1967) "Marriage has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men." Youth Internships Announcement (Summer 1997) LYRIC is a non-profit youth community center providing educational, recreational and peer leadership development activities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth in San Francisco, California. Since all of LYRIC events are peer-based, most of the following internship positions are for LGBTQQ youth 23 and younger. Please submit a cover letter and resume if available by appropriate deadlines. Please specify for which position you are applying. LYRIC can not provide housing for the period though we will try to help people find summer accommodations. The following internships are available in 1997: Young, Loud and Proud Steering Committee intern: Young Loud and Proud is a youth conference focusing on LGBTQQ youth issues. The conference is planned and produced by people under 25. Last year's conference had more then 400 LGBTQQ youth participants from around the country. We expect at least 500 people this year. The conference consists of informational and skill building workshops, activism trainings, plenaries, an art fair, sports, dance and more. The intern will assume a leadership position as part of the conference steering committee. This position entails working on a team with several queer agencies and other queer youth. The position requires good people's skills and organizational and computer skills, experience in queer youth activism is a plus. The internship begins on 4/21/97 as a half time position. On 6/2/97 the internship becomes a full time position. The internship ends on 7/14/97. This is a paid internship for $300 a week. Deadline for applications 3/1/97. Summer Program Intern: LYRIC's summer programs include several events. The Summer of Arts program is a 4 - 6 week program consisting of 4 - 6 daily art workshops. Last year the program had 30 people enrolled in one or more of the following: video, writing, self defense, dance and drama improvisation. This year the program will be produced in collaboration with the Harvey Milk Institute and the Eureka Valley Recreation Center. The summer program also includes a 3 day camping trip, outings and daily drop in. The intern will be responsible for running the Summer of Arts program. Duties include outreach, working with participants and instructors, help producing the final show and registration. The intern will also be part of the team that helps put together the camping trip and other recreational activities, new program ideas are very welcome. The position requires good people's skills and organizational skills, experience in recreation is a plus. The internship begins on 6/30/97. The internship ends on 8/29/97. The intern will be invited to planning meetings in May and June, though attendance is not required. This internship might have a stipend. Deadline for applications 5/17/97. Youth Contingent Intern: San Francisco's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade attracts thousands of people from all over the world. Bay Area queer youth agencies collaborate in producing a youth contingent with queer youth from all over Northern California. The project includes planning a float, outreach, building a Bay Area wide network of collaborating agencies and a youth booth at the fair at the end of the parade route. Last year 7 agencies with more then 100 young people marched in the queer youth contingent in the parade. The intern will be the key person in coordinating all the aspects of the contingent. The internship requires a lot of coordination and team work. The character of the float and booth change annually so there is a lot of opportunity for new creative ideas. The internship begins on 6/2/97. The internship ends on 6/30/97. The intern will be invited to planning meetings in May. Though attendance is not required. Applications deadline 5/2/97. Peer Health Educators: The LYRIC HIV Prevention Program has several internship openings for Peer Health Educators. The peer educators will be trained in basic heath and facilitation skills. They will work on projects within LYRIC in encouraging healthy behavior and health related information.. The interns will be hired for a period of 3 months. No prior experience required. There will be a stipend of $150 a month. The internship will begin in July. Call Alfonso at LYRIC at 703-6150 for deadline and exact internship dates. Applications are strongly encouraged from women, people of color, young people, transgendered people, people with HIV/AIDS and people with disabilities. For additional information please contact LYRIC at 415/703-6150 or fax: 415/703-6153 or email: lyric@thecity.sfsu.edu. Please 2submit resumes to: LYRIC - Internship 127 Collingwood St. San Francisco, CA 94114 FROM the United States - California (Los Angeles Times - January 27, 1997) An article details a disturbing trend of "numbingly similar" custody battles between lesbian co-parents where biological mothers cite archaic custody laws to end contact between their children and their exes. Santa Rosa attorney Caren Callahan, who represented Georgia Prescott in her unsuccessful attempt to gain visitation rights with her non-biological daughter, said that because gay men and lesbians cannot marry, they end up in a legal Catch-22: "The court is creating a fiction to not deal with the reality of our families." Kate Kendall, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco that, "It is classic hypocrisy for a lesbian or gay couple to march down the street waving banners in favor of legal recognition...and then, in the event of a breakup, for one of the partners to claim that no relationship worthy of legal protection ever existed." This "messy flip side" to the past decade's boom in gay parenting further underscores the necessity for same-sex marriage rights. While a handful of judges in urban cities around Los Angeles and the Bay Area have seen fit to allow for co-parent and gay couple adoptions, gay parents in most of the country are being locked out of their children's lives. USA Today (January 20, 1997) by GLAAD The January 29 USA Today featured a story by Austin-American Statesman writer Juan Palomo celebrating the wacky but touching Web site Wes & Tom's Cool Site! (http://members.aol.com/topdadtx) created by gay couple Wes Nyberg and Tom Adkins. According to Palomo, the personal web site started with the simple purpose of exposing the "inanity and danger of anti-gay rhetoric" but has become a "surreal world" of 100 files of text and graphics bound together by a "childlike fascination with the way things and people work." Frustrated by a relative's resistance to Wes bringing Tom to a 1995 family reunion, Wes, the relative and other family members exchanged a flood of letters on homosexuality, AIDS and radical religious groups. This became the foundation for this site and has drawn the interest of a sociology professor requesting the use of the letters for a class study. Palomo writes, "Despised as impersonal and feared as the intrusive first step toward Big Brotherism, the Internet has become a valuable tool for promoting the unfettered exchange of ideas." Wes' mischievous online discussion of his family life and his fight against AIDS is an important breath of fresh air. AND FOR A WEEKLY DOSE OF HOMOPHOBIC RHETERIC Jackson, Mississippi (The Associated Press By Gina Holland) Gov. Kirk Fordice denounced same-sex relationships as ``perverse'' Wednesday as he signed a law making Mississippi the 17th state in a year to ban homosexual marriages. "For too long in this freedom-loving land, cultural subversives have engaged in trench warfare on traditional family values," Fordice said. Mississippi's law also denies recognition of homosexual marriages performed in other states. And Fordice said the law would ensure that gay couples do not enjoy benefits of marriage such as health insurance. "Insurance benefits for dependents were never intended for perverse relationships such as the same-sex marriage,'' he said. "They were intended for traditional families." State Rep. Jim Evans, one of three lawmakers who oppose the bill, said the governor should "be giving it a second thought before he begins to moralize right now.'' Fordice is recovering from injuries suffered in a car accident 14 weeks ago while returning from lunch with an unidentified woman in Memphis, Tenn. His wife, Pat, was out of town. The governor said he has no memory of that day. "The whole nation has felt threatened by the actions in Hawaii," Fordice said. The American Civil Liberties Union is considering challenging some of the state laws banning gay marriage, said Mississippi ACLU executive director David Ingebretsen. "It's just another expression of intolerance," Ingebretsen said. "Mississippi has a history of intolerance of people of different colors, different beliefs and people of different sexual preferences." SCHOLARSHIPS for L/G/B/T graduate students I wanted to let you know that a foundation I am affiliated with offers scholarships to lesbians. The deadline is May 1st and would be for next year. Scholarships are for $1,000. The foundation is An Uncommon Legacy Foundation. Those interested can check out the foundation at its Web Site: WWW.UncommonLegacy.org. 1997 GLPCI CONFERENCE IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA When our children recite the Pledge of Allegiance, will the phrase, "...WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL" ring true for our families? The 18th Annual GLPCI & COLAGE conference will be held on July 24-27, 1997, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Warwick is located within walking distance of many of Philadelphia's most exciting historic attractions. Joins us as we: - Experience the fellowship of families from around the country and around the world that share our concerns, our hopes, and our dreams; - Learn better how to effect change in our nation, our states, our communities, and our schools; - Discuss new legislation and political initiatives, and gain better understanding of their impact on our families; - Share with our children the history of this country, and a system of government designed to balance the needs of a nation with the rights of the individual; - Give our children a chance to share and learn with their peers; and - Celebrate together the love that makes a family! Workshops! Throughout the GLPCI conference, there will be many educational and engaging workshops to choose from, such as: - Lobbying Skills .... How can you make a difference ? - Marriage, Hawaii, and the Constitution .... What does it all really mean? - Our Families and the Schools.... Creating a safe place for our kids' education - Multi-Cultural Families...More than just a Gay or Lesbian Family - Love, Marriage, and Divorce ... Are you prepared if your relationship ends? - Rap Groups ... With other parents who have@ kids your age -- And Many More! Guest Speakers! GLPCI is currently talking to a number of important figures in the world of Gay and Lesbian Parenting and legal rights to create an exciting roster of guest speakers. Already we have confirmed April Martin, Ph.D. and author of The Gay and Lesbian Parenting Handbook, one of the most widely read books on the subject and Elizabeth Birch, Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest L/G/B/T rights organization in the United States. COLAGE Activities! Children of Lesbian and Gays Everywhere will have a surprise off-site activity on the 25th and workshops on the 26th and 27th for its members, ages 13 and up-- such as How & What to Tell Your Friends; Mom or Dad is Gay: What Does That Make Me?; and Networking in Your Neighborhood. Children, ages 6 to 12, will enjoy our Children's Conference, and day care will be provided for younger children. Family Activities! Besides the workshops, speakers, and COLAGE activities, there will be opportunities for families to tour important historical sights... and see first hand this "Birthplace of Democracy." It is a terrific opportunity for families to experience together the power of our heritage, our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, and to celebrate the fact that all men and women are not only created equal, but are also empowered to fight and secure all of the "Blessings of Liberty" for ourselves and our families! The Costs! This conference is one of our most affordable ever -- the fees below include hotel accommodations, seven (7) meals, and conference registration! Early Bird Discount! After March 1st Adults (includes Hotel room) $350 $375 Cost for children staying in parent's room: Children under 6 $ 75 $100 Children, ages 6-18 $175 $200 COLAGE Members (ages 18+ staying in their own rooms) $350* $375* *Discount as low as $175 available by sharing rooms. For more information, contact COLAGE at 415-861-KIDS. Local Rate - 2 Day (include conf. fee and lunch, but no hotel) $150 $175 Local Rate - 1 Day (include conf. fee and lunch, but no hotel) $ 95 $120 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- GLPCI 1997 REGISTRATION _______________________________________________________ Name _______________________________________________________ Street address _______________________________________________________ City State/Province _______________________________________________________ Phone Number Chapter Affiliation Names of Attendees Type Amount ____________________________ ______________ $ _____________ ____________________________ ______________ $ _____________ ____________________________ ______________ $ ______________ ____________________________ ______________ $ _____________ Daily Luncheon and Workshops ______________ $ _____________ Total Registration Costs $ _____________ Payment $ _____________ (Minimum deposit of $50.00 per person is not refundable) Make checks payable to GLPCI 1997 VISA ____ MC _____ Money Order ___________ ______________________________________________________________ Card Number Expiration Date ______________________________________________________________ Signature Is this your first conference? Yes ____ No ___ If no, how many previous Conferences have you attended? _____ Please mail the completed form to: GLPCI Conference 97 P.O. Box 43206 Montclair, NJ 07043 or call 201-783-6204 --=====================_856204171==_--