[This file can be found in /pub/QRD/qrd/ngltf/activist.alert-7.93 at vector.intercon.com, the Queer Resources Directory] [typed in by Jessea Greenman ] ACTIVIST ALERT from National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, July 1993 YOU CAN'T BAN US! NGLTF and GLBVA (Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America) kicked off the National Mobilization Against the Ban with a July 4th action in Washington DC. Lesbian, gay and bisexual veterans held a morning rally, and then led a contingent of activists participating in the official Independence Day parade. The marchers then gathered in front of the White House, as some veterans returned their military medals, symbolizing their opposition to the ban. Next is a march from the steps of the Lincolm Memorial to the White House on July 15th, the date President Clinton has promised to issue his Executive Order. To join us, call Sandra at the Travel Partnership for special airline and hotel rates at 1-800-441-2021. Future Mobilization actions will take place throughout the summer; contact Jason Heffner, Mobilization Coordinator, at NGLTF, 202-332-6483, ext. 3360. Our efforts cannot end until the ban is lifted. More hearings are possible in the House and Senate, and floor votes are expected. Keep lobbying your Members of Congress. Write and call: U.S. Senate, Washington DC, 20510, 202-224-3121; U.S. House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515, 202-225-3121. Also contact Secretary Aspin's Special Assistant, Rudy DeLeon, at 703-697-8388 or by fax at 703-697-9080. WE SHARE A DREAM The 30th Anniversary of the 1963 civil rights March on Washington, which featured Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic "I Have A Dream" speech, will be marked by another March on Washington, to take place on August 28, 1993. The New Coalition of Conscience will convene a massive march and rally at the Lincoln Memorial to renew the call for jobs, justice, and peace. NGLTF is one of the co-conveners of the March, and is coordinating a contingent of gay and lesbian marchers to join this unprecedented coalition. To find out more about the March on Washington Mobilization, call their Southeast office at 404-526-8995 or 404-524-1956. To participate in the lesbian and gay contingent, call Linda Yanney at 202-332-6483. MOUNTAIN BIKING? Schwinn Bicycles may be rolling into Boulder, and activists from around the country should call on them to join the national boycott of Colorado until Amendment 2 has been repealed. Scott Sports is the sporting goods company that bought Schwinn's assets after it declared bankruptcy last year. Scott now hopes to move some of its current Sun Valley, Idaho operations to Boulder, along with Schwinn's administrative, marketing, and product-design functions, which were previously located in Chicago. Earlier this year, Ziff-Davis Communications, a multimillion dollar computer magazine publishing firm also considered moving to Colorado, but decided against the move. Their decision was based in part on the anti-gay climate created by the passage of Amendment 2 last fall, and additional pressure from activists to honor the boycott. Write to President, Schwinn Bicycle Company, 217 North Jefferson Ave., Chicago IL 60661, phone 312-454-7400, fax 312-454-7454. MIDWEST MEETING OF THE MINDS NGLTF will host a Fight the Right Midwest Regional Summit September 4th and 5th in Cincinnati. National and regional activists will gather for two days of dialog and skills-building to counter Right Wing organizing in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Summit sessions will include media skills, coalition building, grassroots organizing, boycotts, bigot busters, and direct action. Scheduled workshop presenters include NGLTF's Robert Bray and Scot Nakagawa; Lambda Legal Defense attorney Suzanne Goldberg; Suzanne Pharr of the Arkansas Women's Project; and key Midwest regional activists. Registration before August 31 is only $35, which includes meals and a Fight the Right Action kit. The Summit is handicapped- accessible and sign-language interpreted. Limited scholarships are available. Call Peri Jude Radecic, NGLTF Deputy Director of Public Policy, for details at 202-332-6483, ext. 3302. SO*DO*MY FRIENDS The District of Columbia's sodomy reform bill is still on Capitol Hill, undergoing its Congressional review period. Because D.C. is not a state, and has only limited home rule, legislation enacted by the D.C. City Council is subject to a 60-day review period during which Congress can block its implementation. As D.C. does not have any Senators or a full- voting Representative, constituents from outside the District actually have more clout that D.C. residents. Activists should contact their Senators and Representatives. Write and call: U.S. Senate, Washington DC, 20510, 202-224-3121; U.S. House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515, 202-225-3121. Nevada activists have successfully guided sodomy repeal through their state legislature. An intense lobbying effort led to passage in both houses by more than two to one ratios. The bill was then signed into law by the governor, marking the first legislative repeal of a sodomy law since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Bowers v. Hardwick in 1986. Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia still have laws banning certain sexual acts between consenting adults. Contact Nevadans for Constitutional Equality at 3187 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 5, Las Vegas NV 89109; 702-735-6943 to congratulate them and share ideas. Call Martin Hiraga, NGLTF Privacy Project Director, at 202-332-6483, ext. 3307 to strategize sodomy repeal. IF YOU HAVE AN ITEM YOU THINK SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN "ACTIVIST ALERT" PLEASE MAIL OR FAX IT TO RICHARD WOOD, ACTIVIST ALERT EDITOR, NGLTF POLICY INSTITUTE, 1734 14th ST. NW, WASHINGTON DC 20009-4309; fax 202-332-0207. ALL ENTRIES SHOULD BE NATIONAL IN SCOPE OR SHOULD ALLOW FOR ACTIVISTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO RESPOND. MEET YOUR MEMBERS Congress will be on its summer recess during the month of August, which provides activists a great opportunity to meet your members of the House and Senate face to face. Much pending legislation is of interest to the lesbian, gay and bisexual community. In addition to the military ban and DC sodomy repeal, increased funding for the National Institutes of Health in general and AIDS research in particular in also being debated this summer on Capitol Hill. Activists should contact their Senators and Representatives as soon as possible to schedule an appointment in their home offices. For more information and sample letters about AIDS funding, contact the Treatment Action Network of Project Inform at 1965 Market St. Suite 220, San Francisco CA 94103; 415-626-7231. Call the NGLTF publications voice mailbox at ext. 3327 for a copy of our Lobbying Tips. CREATING CHANGE UPDATE Scholarships for this year's Creating Change Conference, to be held in Durham, North Caroline, are available to assist limited-income activists, activists of color, and activists with disabilities. The scholarship application deadline is September 10 (student deadline is September 24). To receive an application, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Creating Change 1993 at NGLTF, 1734 14th St. NW, Washington DC 20009. Apply early. Funds are limited. Photos wanted. Creating Change is looking for black and white photos from past conferences. If you have pictures you are willing to donate (photos cannot be returned), please send to Creating Change 1993. To make a contribution to the Creating Change Scholarship Fund or for any other information about Creating Change 1993, contact Ivy Young, Director of Creating Change, at 202-332-6483, ext. 3304. FREE LARRY MEHOLICK! Former Navy sailor Larry Meholick has been imprisoned for more than two years after a widely-disputed conviction of forcible sodomy while in the military. Although both witnesses against him have recanted their statements, he is still serving a 6-year sentence, enduring repeated moves, mistreatment, harassment by his guards, and placement in solitary confinement. Meholick's spirits have been raised by the Free Larry Meholick Campaign and by the thousands of letters which have been sent to him. His jailors have recently prohibited him from receiving or responding to his mail, but past external pressure has led to slightly-improved conditions, and direct visits from the barracks' commandant. NGLTF has provided technical support to Meholick's attorneys and has drawn media attention to his situation. We are currently lobbying Amnesty International to classify him as the first gay prisoner of conscience in the U.S. Activists should write letters of support to Larry Meholick, Box 75800, Drawer A, Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-7140. Letters demanding humane treatment for Meholick should go to Colonel Lowe, Commandant, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027. Call Amnesty International at 212-633-4200 to ask for their support. ^^^^^^^^^^^ "Ginger Rogers did everythng Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels." Variously attributed to Faith Whittlesey, Linda Ellerbee, and Ann Richards, 1980 -----email sig of Jessea NR Greenman, crsdept@nature.berkeley.edu