Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 18:05:16 -0500 From: LLDEFNY@aol.com EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE 6:00 P.M., February 24, 1997 Contact: Peg Byron, 212-809-8585 x 230, 800-314-5149 (pager) After Bombing, Lambda Meets with Atlanta Lesbian, Gay Lawyers Sexual politics link victims of recent bombings (NEW YORK, February 24, 1997) Calling last weekend's bombing of an Atlanta lesbian and gay nightclub "a cowardly, despicable act of hatred," a Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund attorney met Monday with local lesbian and gay lawyers to discuss civil rights issues, including anti-gay violence. "The bombing of a lesbian and gay bar was a cowardly, despicable act of hatred," Lambda Staff Attorney David Buckel said, adding that whatever the attacker's motives, "We will not be bombed back into the closet." Buckel noted the similarities of the attack to the January bombing of an Atlanta-area women's health clinic. "Gay civil rights and women's right to end unwanted pregnancies are linked by a commitment to freedom of sexual choice. That connection, plus the fact that the bar that was bombed is known to be popular among gay women, suggest that misogyny and anti-gay hate fueled this violence." A powerful bomb filled with nails exploded February 21 on the patio of the Otherside Lounge, an Atlanta nightclub especially popular among lesbians. At least five people were injured. A second bomb was found in a backpack in a nearby parking lot and detonated safely. Officials have compared the attack to the January 16 clinic bombing as well as to the Olympics' Centennial Park bombing in July. Buckel, who works extensively on issues concerning youth and anti-gay violence in schools, had been scheduled to discuss family law in a presentation to the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia, but he expanded the focus of his talk following the weekend's bombing. Lambda, the oldest and largest lesbian and gay legal organization, will open a Southern Regional Office in Atlanta later this year, making it the first national gay organization with a presence in the South. Lambda Executive Director Kevin M. Cathcart said, "Martin Luther King, Jr., warned that the fight for justice is often met by violence. No terrorist will deter our work toward achieving full recognition of civil rights for lesbians, gay men, and people with AIDS and HIV." Cathcart, who will meet later in the week with Atlanta supporters, added, "There is much civil rights work to do in the Southern Region. We have no doubt that, just like the lesbian and gay community here, Lambda will thrive in Atlanta." Lambda currently has a Western Regional Office in Los Angeles, a Midwest Regional Office in Chicago, and its national headquarters in New York. - 30 -