Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 07:37:26 -0500 (EST) From: David Casti Reply-To: WillNich@aol.com Subject: ACTION ALERT: Inflammatory Ads Debut in Kentucky Submitted by: WillNich@aol.com ACTION ALERT: Please read this and pass it on to everyone you know. The group that is running this ad will send you a free packet of information if you call the number below, or write to them. Discretion is advised as this group is RABIDLY homophobic, with connections to other homophobic groups around the country. Use of a PO Box for a return address is strongly advised. If enough people call to get the "free packet of information," maybe it will deplete their limited resources (it's a small organization) and we won't have to put up with them for awhile, at least, here in Louisville. INFLAMMATORY ANTI-GAY COMMERCIALS DEBUT IN LOUISVILLE Louisville, Kentucky (March 23, 1995). An anti-gay commercial aimed at defeating a proposed ordinance that would protect gays and lesbians against workplace discrimination has debuted on WAVE-TV News in Louisville. The ordinance was introduced before the Louisville Board of Aldermen on February 28 and was voted out of committee, without recommendation, yesterday evening. A vote by the full board is expected March 28. The 30-second spot, sponsored by the American Family Association of Kentucky, and narrated by a white female warns that the proposed ordinance would give homosexuals "special minority rights in the workplace, including our schools." Supporters of the ordinance are shown walking out of Louisville's City Hall; one is carrying a sign that says "God Is Gay." The ad then trots out discredited statistics to show that homosexuals on average earn over $23,000 more than the "average American" and asks rhetorically, "Does this indicate discrimination?" Finally, it shows a contingent from NAMBLA parading down a street. "This group's motto," the voiceover notes, "is 'sex before eight or else it's too late.'" The statistics on income were taken from the July 18, 1991 edition of the Wall Street Journal, which in turn probably borrowed them from an upscale gay travel magazine aimed at upper income gay males. A more recent study from 1994 has shown that average gay male income is about the same (actually, a little lower) than heterosexual male income, and that lesbians suffer even lower incomes than their heterosexual counterparts. Concerning the motto, Peter Herman of NAMBLA says that NAMBLA has no such motto. "This motto was coined by Tim O'Hara of the Rene Guyon Society," he says. The Rene Guyon Society was a one-man heterosexual group that is no longer in existence, according to Herman. Herman does note, however, that the right wing may be taking this "motto" totally out of context. "SIECUS (Sex Information and Educational Council of the United States), a respected organization, used to point out that if parents did not begin teaching sexuality to their children by age 5 they were risking having them grow up with a poor attitude to sexuality. One could interpret that matter in this way." The American Family Association of Kentucky has also been passing out inflammatory leaflets in Louisville neighborhoods which attempt to link homosexuals with pedophiles. Attached to the leaflets is a xerox copy of the September 1988 cover of the NAMBLA Bulletin, which shows a small boy being forced into a corner by two shadowy figures resembling Spiderman. Etched onto the photograph in the area of the boy's crotch is a cross. The xerox copy has not been retouched. The American Family Association of Kentucky is headed by Dr. Frank Simon, an allergist living in Jefferson County, the county in which Louisville is located. The ads urge viewers to call his office for a free packet of information. Dr. Simon's office phone number (the same one shown in the ad) is 502/895-6263. Fax number is 502/897-2426. Address for the group is PO Box 6689, Louisville, KY 40206.