Date: Fri, 11 Mar 94 14:38:41 EDT From: Bob Summersgill Subject: GLAA of DC meeting minutes of 3/8/94 Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC P.O. Box 75265 Washington, DC 20013 Meeting Minutes--3/8/94 Introductions - 15 people present. Special guest: Carole Gush, Executive Director of the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL). SMYAL is interested in making opportunities for involving gay and lesbian youth in our community and to motivate youth into activism. GLAA can involve youth in meeting with politicians and testify at hearings. Youth need to learn how the processes work through mentoring. SMYAL will be included in future GLAA actions. Condom Availablity Coalition needs youth participation. Candidate rating project is a good way to introduce SMYAL youth to the political process and de-mystify the political process. GLAA speakers bureau will work with SMYAL speaker's bureau. II. Armstrong Amendment -- Jeff Coudriet has talked with Council Chair Clarke's office regarding Council member Lightfoot's concern that the DC Council has power to rewrite law previously written by Congress. Council's Counsel is reviewing legal status. GLAA and Clarke's office believe that the DC Council is empowered to enact the Armstrong Amendment Repeal. III. Domestic Partnership -- Meeting to be held with Delegate Norton on Hill strategy and previous failed strategies. HRCF and NGLTF do not know how Domestic Partnership Laws will be affected by Clinton's Health care plan as there is no real plan available. Both groups will focus their efforts on the non-discrimination language of the various bills and attempt to get "sexual orientation" included with the other categories. IV. Office of Human Rights - GLAA Testimony submitted by Craig Howell. The number of investigators in the OHR has been cut from 12 to 6 under Mayor Kelly. Case load is building up. GLAA asked to restore those positions. Kelly also cut a staff member. GLAA asked to restore that position as well. The Mayor's office instructed OHR not to testify for Sodomy law reform and previously stopped from testifying on the Marriage case as well. GLAA's testimony protested these actions. Our community's HRC representative's term is ending. We are now looking for a new representative. V. Agenda -- A revamp of "The Agenda for the 1990s" is needed reflecting our successes. The updated agenda will be the basis of the questionaire for the candidate rating process. The candidate rating need election coordinator. Craig Howell has declined from running the project this year. School Board member R. David Hall has announced intention for either running for Mayor, as a Democrat or D.C. Council at large (Hilda Mason's seat.) as an Independent. He will vacate a Ward 2 School Board seat. Hilda Mason will be running again. VI. GLAA's 23rd Anniversary Party will be held Tuesday April 19, 1994. Community Service Awards nominations were made. Decisions will be made in executive session. VII. St. Patrick's Day - Thursday, March 17th, GLAA's longest running party tradition will be held again this year at the home of Morgan McDonald. VIII. Condom Coalition - Now conducted four visits to institutions for quality assurance. Visits will continue. The medical facility at the Lorton medium security prison is terrible. No actual doctors. They were concerned that if condoms were available on the counter, instead of behind the guard's desk, then prisoners might take "as many as they like" and tie them together for a rope to use in an escape. (We thought that was very funny!) Conditions are improving as a result of the visits. At least the dental dams are now in individual baggies instead of lying out unwrapped. Condom availability is expected to be a serious problem in the maximum security prison. Prisoners are locked in cells 23 hours a day. A full report on the Correctional Institutions is to be issued by the Coalition with recommendations. IX. AIDS - Jeff Coudriet is working on being appointed to the Ryan White Planning Council, replacing Mindy Daniels. X. New Business - Craig Howell will represent GLAA at the annual national Days of Remembrance commemoration arranged by the US Holocaust Memorial Council at the Capitol. GLAA will be represented by Mindy Daniels at the WACHIVY event. GLAA has made an unconditional emergency loan of $2000 to the Dwanye S. Brown Foundation, an AIDS Service Organization. According to William Beale, representative of the Foundation, the Foundation was to be evicted for non-payment of rent. The loan will allow the Foundation to continue to operate and serve PWAs. A motion passed to approve the loan which was made in emergency execute session. XI. Minutes of the 2/22/94 meeting and the financial statement are accepted. XII. Announcements -- Memorial Day, Monday May 30th at 3:20pm, GLAA will once again lay a wreath in a military ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. All are welcome to participate. Next meeting: Tuesday, March 22, 1994 at 8:00pm in the Charles Sumner School, 17th and M Streets NW, Washington, DC. - Bob Summersgill | Xq28 -- Thanks Mom! XE605C @ GWUVM.GWU.EDU |