GayLife, 2/22/82 Gay rights bill passes committee in Wisconsin By Stephen Kulieke Wisconsin moved one step closer toward becoming the first state in the nation to enact comprehensive gay rights laws when a state Senate committee voted Feb. 3 to send a bill banning "sexual orientation" discrimination to the full Senate for consideration. The State and Local Affairs and Taxation Committee voted 4-1 to concur with the state Assembly, which had passed Assembly Bill 70 on Oct. 23 by a 50-46 margin [Gay Life, Oct. 30]. Three Democrats and one Republican- the assistant Senate minority leader-voted in favor of the bill,and one Democrat voted against it. The seventh committee member, a Republican, was absent. Insiders said that while A.B. 70 could reach the full Senate floor as early as next week, Senate action on the bill is not expected until later, possibly the last week of February. The proposed legislation would prohibit dis- crimination based n sexual orientation in hous- ing, public accommodation, and both govern- ment and private employment. At Tuesday's committee vote, backers agreed to add an amendment which clarified that the bill does not mandate anti-discrimina- tory "affirmative action." The question of whether A.B. 70 requires employers to hire homosexuals has become a "red herring issue" since the favorable Assemblay vote: Republi- can Gov. Lee S. Dreyfus said in a press confer- ence that he would have no problem with the bill as long as it did not effect affirmative action. Backers, who have argued that the bill simply adds sexual orientation to existing cate- gories in which discrimination is prohibited, say passage of the amendment was an effort to remove any potential obstacles to the bill's enactment. ("Affirmative action" refers to required steps that would end the effects of past discrimina- tion-for example, special recruiting efforts or numerical hiring goals. Those steps would sometime involve counting the number of per- son in an affected category such as "sexual orientation" or "race.") Proponents are optimistic about the bill's chance for passage in the Senate, which has voted in favor of a state sodomy law repeal, a measure that has repeatedly failed in the Assembly. Democrats are the majority party in both houses of the Legislature. Tuesday's vote followed a Jan. 28 committee hearing that demonstrated the bill's broad- based support in the state's religious commun- ity. Testifying in favor of A.B. 70 were prominent Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Meth- odist, and United Church of Chirst leaders, as well as a psychologist and a representative of the Wisconsin Civil Liberties Union. Opposi- tion at the hearing was provided by a member of the Wisconsin chapter of Moral Majority and several others. --- Page 4, Section 1 • Wisconsin State Journal, Wednesday, February 17, 1982 Senate OKs bill prohibiting discrimination against gays From wire and staff reports Discrimination against a person be- cause of his or her sexual orientation would be prohibited under a bill passed Tuesday by the state Senate. Opponents criticized the measure, C-T 2/18/82 declaring it condones homosexuality. The measure was returned to the Assembly for concurrence in an amendment which would assure em- ployers they need not hire a specified percentage of homosexuals to be in compliance with the new law. Gay rights bill wins legislative approval A gay rights bill to prohibit dis- crimination in housing, employment and public accommodations received final legislative approval today and was sent to Gov. Lee Dreyfus. The measure, introduced by Rep. David Clarenbach, D-Madison, would bar discrimination based upon a per- son's sexual preference. On an 86-11 vote, the Assembly con- curred on a Senate amendment providing that employers need not meet quotas in order to be in compli- ance with the proposed law. Rep. David Clarenbach, D-Madi- son, chief sponsor of the bill, said the proposal could be of "national signifi- cance" because Wisconsin would be the first state to enact a such a law. California, Michigan and Pennsylva- nia have similar laws on the books but they were enacted by executive order, he said. "This bill shows that we will not tol- erate discrimination of any sort" in employment, housing and public ac- commodations, Clarenbach said. He said it is not a question of "whether we are condoning homosex- uality. It is whether discrimination is tolerable." Under the bill, sexual orientation is defined as "having a preference for heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisex- uality, having a history of such a preference or being identified with such a preference." The prohibition against discrimina- tion in employment would apply to the state civil service, companies that have business contracts with the state and the Wisconsin National Guard. The Senate amendment would pro- vide that the state's affirmative action law not apply to the proposed law so that an employer would not have to meet a hiring quota. A motion to kill the bill by Sen. David Opitz, R-Port Washington, failed 19-13. Among those joining Opitz in opposition was Sen. Marvin Roshell, D-Chippewa Falls, who said he hopes Gov. Lee S. Dreyfus would veto the bill if it reaches his desk. Opitz said if the measure became law, it could create headaches for em- ployers. "If you have an incompetent homo- sexual on your staff, you will have to get some trumped-up charge to fire him," Opitz said. He said the legislation is bad be- cause "it is a government body sanc- tioning an aberrant behavior." "We have a non-fornication statute, yet we are saying that homosexuality is acceptable," Opitz said. The Assembly passed the bill 50-46 last October, Clarenbach said, adding he expects the governor will sign the measure. The measure (Assembly Bill 70), which received the blessing of reli- gious leaders in Wisconsin, probably would have little legal application, Clarenbach said. --- W59 2/24/02 Gay-rights bill triggers phone deluge The governor's office is being "del- uged" with citizens' calls on a bill to prohibit discrimination against homo- sexuals, aides to Gov. Lee Dreyfus said Tuesday. "Our life has been ruined," a har- ried William Kraus complained. Kraus, Dreyfus' communications aide said the executive office re- ceived 300 calls Friday, the day reli- gious radio stations in Madison and Milwaukee broadcast discussions of the bill, which lacks only the gover- nor's signature to become law. Staff members took another 600 WORT, a Madison listener-spon- sored radio station, got into the act Monday and spurred several hundred calls. Calls that day ran about 2-1 in favor of the bill. "It looks to me like a battle of the radio stations - the Christian stations versus WORT," aide Susan Riordan said. Calls are now about evenly divided between supporters and opponents, Kraus said. Although most have come from the Madison and Milwaukee areas, the office has taken calls from calls Monday and were about as busy all over Wisconsin. Tuesday, Kraus said. "It's just a deluge. We're not get- ting anything else done around here," he said. "It's enormously tiring and distracting." Kraus said he hopes Dreyfus acts on it as soon as possible, to rescue the staff. Most opponents of the bill have based their opposition on the Bible. "The main concern (of opponents) is that homosexuality is outlawed in the Bible," Ms. Riordan said. But much of the favorable response has also come from religious organiza- tions, she added. Rep. David Clarenbach, D-Madi- son, author of the bill, has attributed the success of the bill this session to support from what he called "main- stream" religious leaders, especially the Catholic Church in Wisconsin. He said if Dreyfus signs the bill, Wisconsin will become the first state to "enact by statute an anti-discrimi- nation measure based on sexual orien- tation." The bill may not apply in instances in which it conflicts with federal law, as with the Wisconsin National Guard. --- IN THE NEWS WIN! WISCONSIN!!! Wisconsin State Representative David E. Clarenbach notified THE VOICE that his Assembly Bill 70 has passed both houses of the legislature and should be signed into law by Republican Governor Lee Sherman Dryfuss within a few days. The bill was "enrolled" for the Governor's signature on February 18, 1982 after an attempt to defeat an amendment failed on a "non-concurrence" vote in the Senate. The Bill had passed by a voice vote, and there was considerable support. THE VOICE got a detailed explanation of the legislation directly from Clarenbach. His description is as follows: Assembly Bill 70 would extend the state's prohibition on discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations because of political or religious opinion or affiliation, age, sex, handicap, race, color, national origin and ancestry to include sexual orientation. The question this proposal raises is: Why should any person be denied a job, a home, or the use of a public place because he or she is a homosexual? All over the country, state legislatures and municipal governments are eliminating archaic laws that permit discrimination against gay men and lesbians. The city of Madison, Dane County and most recently, Milwau- kee, have added sexual orientation to their discrimi- The state of Wisconsin needs to grant homosexuals, as we have other minorities, that extra protection to realize basic' rights that most take for granted. In getting support from the various religious organizations indicated by Clarenbach, it should be noted that none were altering the fundamental tenants of the religions involved; but were merely taking a logical, human position. For example, The Most Reverend Rembert G. Weaklan, O.S.B., Archbishop of Milwaukee, wrote to the Office for Human Concerns, which supported the legislation: "I feel that your com- mission can in good conscience support this legislation insofar as it bans discrimination be cause of sexual orientation in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodation. "You will recall that the National Conference of Catholic Bishops spoke to this issue in 1976. There has been no change in the Catholic position concerning homosexual activity, which has always been con- sidered as morally wrong; on the other hand, it has also been consistent with Catholic teaching that homosexuals should not be deprived of their basic human rights. For this reason I feel that support of this Bill would be indeed proper and consistent with previous positions that the Church has taken." Methodist Bishop Marjorie S. Mathews, of Wisconsin quoted a principle adopted by the 1980 General Conference of the United Methodist Church, in support of the Bill. "Homosexual persons no less than heterosexual persons are individuals of sacred worth, who need the ministry and guidance of the church in their struggles for human fulfillment, as well as the spiritual and emotional care of a fellowship which enables reconciling relationships with God, with others, and with self. Further we insist that all persons are entitled to have their human and civil rights insured, though we do not condone the pracxtice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatable with Christian teaching." --- cardinal-Thursday, February 25, 1982 They're calling Dreyfus Church groups assail sex By Mike Plaisted of the Cardinal Staff A bill that would outlaw discrimination. in hiring and housing on the basis of sexu- al orientation has provoked an average of 800 phone calls a day to Gov. Lee S. Drey- fus attempting to persuade him to either sign or veto the bill. A spokesperson for the governor, howev- er, said Dreyfus has already decided on the bill's merits, regardless of the calls. She gave no indication what action he plans to take. ASSEMBLY BILL 70, the first of its kind in the nation, was passed by both the Assembly and Senate last week. Most of the phone calls have been promp- ted by several Christian radio stations in the state. Last Friday, Christian stations in Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine began broadcasting "public service announce ments" urging listeners to call the gover- nor's office with comments on the bill. Ac- cording to Greg Walters, assistant manag- er of station WNWC in Madison, the an- nouncements expressed no opinions on the merits of the bill. Some people, however, who have called the station for clarification of the an- nouncement, have been told that the bill would force school systems to seek out and hire homosexuals. There are also uncon- firmed reports that such comments have gone out over the air. Walters denied this has happened, at least in Madison. He said the mostly nega- tive response to the bill reported by the governor's office (65 percent of the callers oppose the bill) was a result of the natural inclination of Christian radio listeners to be against this type of legislation. Walters said the announcement was being read twice every three hours. SINCE FRIDAY, GROUPS in favor of AB 70 have also begun encouraging sup- porters of the bill to call the governor's office. To register your opinion with the governor, call 266-1212. While the opinions of people calling in are always a consideration for the gover- nor, a spokesperson for the governor said Tuesday that Dreyfus had already decided what to do with the bill before the "phone war" began. The spokesperson, Tracy Ell- ingson, said that Dreyfus, who has been in Washington all week, would act on the bill at the end of this week. Prospects for the governor's signature appear to be good. Ellingson reported Dreyfus sees AB 70 as a "human rights issue." This is also the justification given by the "mainstream" churches, whose sup- port was largely responsible for the bill getting through thre Assembly and the Se- nate. Although Dreyfus has recently drawn. praise from the Reagan administration for his support of its economic policies, Elling- Gov. Dreyfus has been getting a lot of calls orientation bill photo by Bob Pearl son saw no reason for Dreyfus to back Rea- gan on social issues. This statement ap- pears to eliminate concern that the gover- nor would veto the bill simply to toe the Reagan line. ONE EASY WAY OUT for the governor is to let the bill become law without his signature. This would happen next Tues- day if Dreyfus chooses not to act. Ellingson said this was not likely because it was "not the governor's style." The bill's chief sponsor, State Rep. David Clarenbach, D-Madison, is anxiously awaiting action by the governor. Clarenb ach, who has been trying to get the state to adopt the anti-discrimination bill for eight, credits the support of the "mainstream" churches for getting AB 70 through both houses of the legislature. This is the first year churches have supported the bill in writing. Also important to the bill's passage and possible signature by Dreyfus was an amendment eliminating the need for quo- tas in hiring and housing. Clarenbach said affirmative action was never a part of the bill, but there was concern that it could have been read into the bill in the future. Another minor obstacle to the bill arose this Monday, when a spokesperson for the Wisconsin National Guard said there may be a conflict between the provisions of AB 70 and federal military regulations that prohibit homosexuals from serving in the armed forces. ANALYSTS FROM THE Dept. of Ad- ministration, however, have reportedly as- sured Dreyfus there is no conflict between federal regulations and the bill. Clarenbach dismissed this potential problem. He said that since federal regula- tions superseed state laws in all circum- stances, the law would simply not be app- lied to hiring practices of the National Guard. Clarenbach has also questioned the in- terpretation of the regulations. They state that someone can be denied elistment with the National Guard because of "overt ho- mosexuality." Clarenbach contends the "overt" homosexual or heterosexual be havior is a legitimate basis for denial of employment. The most obvious immediate effect of the AB 70's enactment would be in hiring and housing. But to Clarenbach the main effect is more subtle. He sees changing attitudes coming in the future as a result of AB 70. In the civil rights movement, he said civil rights came first, followed by a gradual erosion of racial hatred. He said he hopes this law will do the same to open up people to healthier attitudes about homosexuals. --- CT 2/22/82 State gay rights bill may not sway military By ROB FIXMER Capital Times Staff Writer A spokesman for the Wisconsin Na- tional Guard said today that "there would seem to be a possible conflict" between federal military regulations that prohibit homosexuals from serv- ing in the armed forces and a new state statute now awaiting the gover- nor's signature. Chief Warrant Officer Donald Erickson, a National Guard public af- fairs specialist, said today that he was not qualified to make a legal judge- ment on the issue. But he said that he had notified the governor's office this morning of Army and Air Force regu- lations that would preclude any homo- sexual from enlisting in the National Guard. The bill in question, AB270, would amend the state's fair employment statute to add "sexual orientation" to the list of grounds on which employ- ers are not allowed to discriminate in hiring practices. It has passed both houses of the Legislature and now awaits Gov. Lee Dreyfus' signature. Dreyfus returns to the state Thurs- day. The bill, which had failed in three previous legislative sessions, won this time around with heavy support from state religious leaders. It cleared its last hurdle Feb. 17, when the Senate passed an amendment clarifying that no employer will be required under the statute to hire a certain number of homosexuals. The bill's author, Rep. David Clarenbach, D-Madison, says the new (Continued on Page 26, Column 3) State gay rights bill (Continued from Page 25) law would apply to all state agencies, firms that do business with the state, and the National Guard. Among the questions Dreyfus will consider in deciding whether to sign the bill will be whether it conflicts with federal laws on who can and can- not serve in the military. By law, Army regulations apply to the Na- tional Guard. Army Regulations 40-501 list homo- sexuality as a "character and person- ality disorder" under the heading of "Medical Fitness Standards," and state: "The causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment and induc- tion are... overt homosexuality or other forms of sexual deviant prac- tices, such as exhibitionism, transves- tism, voyeurism, etc." Air Force regulations, which apply to the Air National Guard, contain al- most identical wording. Erickson said that he queried the Pentagon's National Guard Bureau last Friday, "and their response basi- cally was that those regulations mean what they say." The crux of the conflict between federal regulations and the new state law would seem to lie in the definition of the word "overt." Clarenbach says "the issue of overtly being either heterosexual or homosexual is a legitimate grounds for denying employment." The Guard and anyone else can deny employ- ment or fire someone for inappropri- ate behavior, he said, and "if a guards- man were to make sexual advances to someone while on the job, whether of the same sex or the other sex, that might be considered inappropriate behavior." Erickson said it was his impression that "overt" could mean any manifes- tation of homosexual preferences on the part of a man or woman. "In other words, if we know that a person is a homosexual, I think the behavior would have to be overt," he said. The governor's office has been del- uged by phone calls concerning the bill in recent days. The calls, which last Friday ran 350-20 against signing the bill, began after evangelical Chris- tian radio stations in Milwaukee and Madison announced last Thursday that the bill needed only Dreyfus' sig- nature to become law. A spokesman for the governor said today that legislative analysts from the Department of Administration had assured Dreyfus earlier that there was no conflict between federal military regulations and the bill. However, the spokesman added that, in light of Erickson's call, "we're going to continue getting legal opin- ions before the governor gets back on Thursday." Clarenbach said federal law super- sedes state law "under all circum- stances." He said that if the federal regulations are interpreted to mean the National Guard cannot accept homosexuals, that portion of the bill simply could not be applied. --- Green Bay Press-Gazette FEB 19 1982 Little opposition claimed as state gay rights bill passes By ARTHUR L. SRB Of The Associated Press a MADISON Only couple of legislative sessions ago, a gay rights bill which breezed through the Senate this week would have died a quick, publicly unlamented death. This time, instead of tying the lawmakers up in debate for hours, the bill sailed through the Senate on a voice vote with no discus- sion. Opponents, who attacked the bill off the floor, ap- peared resigned to the fact the measure would pass. What happened to reduce so significantly the opposi- tion to a proposal to ban dis- crimination against homosexuals and bisexuals in employment, housing and public accommodations? "Religious leaders," says Commentary Rep. David Clarenbach, D- Madison, a champion of af- firmative action and gay rights causes. Clarenbach, 28, veteran of four Assembly terms, said much opposition to the bill crumbled when clergymen and women testified at hear- ings that they could not sup- port discrimination against persons because of their sex- ual preferences. "It was the principle that no minority should be discri- minated against," Claren- bach said. 99 It would be a landmark bill, Clarenbach said, be- cause no other state has adopted such a law. Califor- nia, Michigan and Pennsyl- vania have similar laws on the books, but they were en- acted by executive order, he said. The Senate returned the bill to the Assembly, where it had been intensely de- bated earlier, for expected approval in an amendment stating employers need not hire a specified percentage of homosexuals to be in compli- ance with the proposed law. Opposition was expected to surface in the Assembly again from Rep. Joseph Tre- goning, R-Shullsburg, who said he will urge Gov. Lee Dreyfus to veto it should it reach his desk. "It's going to create pro- blems," Tregoning said, not- ing that the bill applies to the Wisconsin National Guard as well as to state civil service and state con- tractors. "There are those of us who think the state's gone far enough in the area of job discrimination," Tregoning said. "Why should we make it more difficult for employ- ers to hire the kind of people they want?" Continued on A-2 Sen. David Opitz, R-Port Washington, who made an unsuccessful motion to kill the bill in the Senate, echoed Tregoning's sentiments, say- ing he believed the measure will create unnecessary headaches for management. "If you have an incompe- tent homosexual on your staff, you will have to get some trumped-up charge to fire him," Opitz said. He said the legislation suggests state government is "sanctioning an aberrant be- havior." "We have a non-fornica- tion statute, yet we are say- ing that homesexuality is ac- ceptable," Opitz said. Tregoning, who led the fight aginst the bill in the Assembly, where it passed 49-46, said he was sorry that senators opposed the mea- sure made no effort to scut- tle it. Senators voting with Opitz to kil the bil were Democrats Kurt Frank of Milwaukee, John Maurer of Kenosha, Marvin Roshell of Chippewa Falls and Jerome Van Sistine of Green Bay, and Repuboicans Everett Bidwell of Portage, Walter Chilsen of Wausau, Donald Hanaway of De Pere, James Harsdorf of Beldenville, Richard Kreul of Fennimore, Clifford Krueger of Merrill, Alan Lasee of De Pere and Daniel Theno of Ashland. Against killing the bill were Democrats Lynn Adel- man of New Berlin, William Bablitch of Stevens Point, David Berger and Warren Braun, both of Milwaukee, Timothy Cullen of Janes- ville, James Flynn of West Allis, Gary George of Mil- waukee, Thomas Harnisch of Neillsville, Gerald Klec- zka and James Moody, both of Milwaukee, and Paul Of- fner of La Crosse. --- Homosexuality bill draws opposition By Eldon Knoche Sentinel Madison Bureau Madison Gov. Dreyfus' office fielded 370 telephone calls in 6 hours Friday, mostly in opposition to- a bill prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals. The calls apparently were trig- gered by statements broadcast by at least two Christian radio stations, WVCY-FM in Milwaukee and WNWC-FM in Madison. Dreyfus' office said the callers, most of whom were from the Mil- waukee area, opposed the bill by a 350-20 count. The bill, sponsored by Rep. David Clarenbach (D-Madison), would pro- hibit discrimination in housing, jobs and public accommodations based on a person's sexual preference. Sue Riordan, Dreyfus' media coor- dinator, said many of the callers said they believed "they would be forced to rent to homosexuals." Vic Eliason, executive director at WVCY, said people at the station learned earlier this week that the bill was on Dreyfus' desk and, "in re- sponse to community pressure," opened the station's hour-long call-in show Friday afternoon to discussion of the measure. "They raised this question and we let them talk about it," he said, add- ing that the governor's office phone number was given on the air. Steve Sorensen, production direc- tor at WNWC, said he opposed the bill because it "could violate freedom of conscience." He said someone called the station and gave the governor's number for listeners to call. The bill cleared the Senate and Assembly earlier this week. Riordan said Dreyfus had not de- cided whether to sign the measure. MS 2/20/82 Radio stations spur calls to governor Sentinel Madison Bureau Madison-Gov. Dreyfus' office received more than 600 telephone calls Monday concerning a bill that would pro- hibit discrimination against homosexuals. By late in the day, 406 callers had registered their sup- port for the bill, while 216 opposed it. Many apparently were spurred by announcements over WORT-FM, a listen- er-supported station in Madison. Last Friday, the governor's office received 370 calls after I comments on the bill by two Christian radio stations, WVCY-FM in Milwaukee and WNWC-FM in Madison. The total that day was 350 against the bill and 20 in favor. 2/23 Milwo Sent, The bill, which awaits action by Dreyfus, would prohibit discrimination in housing, jobs and public accommodations based on a person's sexual preference. Terry FitzPatrick, WORT-FM news director, said inter- ested persons may place whatever they want on the sta- tion's announcement board. It is up to individual program- mers to read the messages on the air if they wish. A Dreyfus aide said a priest at St. Paul's Catholic Church on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus has urged persons to call Dreyfus asking him to sign the bill. --- Tuesday, February 23, 1982-the daily cardinal-page 4 CARDINAL OPINION AB 70 is essential to lesbian and gay rights "THEY'RE LEWD," "THEY tion in employment, housing, credit, molest small children," "They'll claim discrimination and you'll nev- er be able to fire them," these are just a few of the slurs heard on reli- gious radio shows this past wee- kend. These quotes are an effort by intolerant opponents of Assembly Bill 70 to discredit lesbians and gay men. The insulting misnomers spurt from the mouths of the moral minor- ity most loudly when their narrow beliefs are being challenged. And they're challenged now. AB 70 would prohibit discrimina- tion on the basis of sexual prefer- ence in the entire state of Wisconsin. Its passage would be a landmark de- cision which would set a national precedent and according to Barbara Lightner of the Madison United, "it would prove that the (alleged) moral majority isn't all it's cracked up to be." Many Madison residents believe the City's Equal Opportunities Ordi- nance is adequate protection for les- bians and gay men. It's not. Grant- ed, the law does prohibit discrimina- city facilities and public accomoda- tions. The law does not, however, prevent landlords from evicting te- nants they disapprove of, nor does it protect individuals who are em- ployed by the state. This means that anyone working for the University (professors, instructors, work-study students, clerical workers, mainte nance staff), individuals employed in Wisconsin schools and other go- vernment workers can legally be dis- criminated against purely on the ba- sis of their sexual preference. AB 70 would fill this loophole. Opposition to AB 70 is great and is coming largely from religious leaders who have slandered the bill through their radio shows. Addi- tional outrage has emerged from military personnel who fear the en- trance of gay men into their ranks. This fear, according to Rep. David Clarenbach, D-Madison, sponsor of the bill, is unfounded because the military could be excluded from the bill's boundaries. THE MUCH-NEEDED LAW C "THOSE WHO UVE BY THE SWORD, SHALL DIE BY THE SWORD. Giaino MORAL MAJORITY now awaits Gov. Dreyfus' yea or nay, but you have the power to help determine the fate of lesbians and gay men in Wisconsin. With your support, via a simple phone call, these human rights violations can be stamped out. Without it, the pow- AB-70 er hungry fundamentalists could scoop a horrifying victory. Call 266-1212 and voice your ap- poval of AB 70. Put an end to the appalling actions of a voiciferous minority. A victory for AB 70 is à victory for all of us. --- WSJ 2/23/82 State's 'sexual-orientation' bill may conflict with military rules Associated Press A Wisconsin National Guard spokesman said Monday there may be a conflict between federal military regulations that prohibit homosexuals from serving in the armed forces and a new state bill awaiting the gover- nor's signature. Chief Warrant Officer Donald Erickson, a National Guard spokes- man, said he has notified the gover- nor's office that Army and Air Force regulations may preclude homosex- uals from enlisting in the state Na- tional Guard. The bill, which passed through the Senate last week and awaits Gov. Lee Dreyfus' signature, would amend the state's fair-employment law to add "sexual orientation" to the list of grounds on which employers are not allowed to discriminate in hiring prac- tices. The bill's author, Rep. David Clarenbach, D-Madison, has said the new law would apply to all state agen- cies, firms that do business with the state and the National Guard. A spokesman for the governor said Monday that legislative analysts had assured Dreyfus earlier there was no conflict between federal military regulations and the bill. --- c.T 2/23/82 Callers, radio stations sparring over bill for homosexual rights By DAN ALLEGRETTI Capital Times Staff Writer A bill to outlaw discrimination in Wisconsin on the basis of "sexual ori- entation" apparently is becoming a major religious issue, spurred on by what a governor's aide calls a "battle of the radio stations." The governor's office has received thousands of phone calls and letters since the bill was passed by the State Senate last week, with most of the op- position based on the Bible. "The main concern (of those op- posed to the bill) is that homosexual- ity is outlawed in the Bible," Susan Riordan, an aide to Gov. Lee Dreyfus, said today. On the other hand, much of the favorable response to the measure has come from religious organiza- tions, she said. The author of the bill, State Rep. David Clarenbach, D-Madison, has been fighting for its passage for eight years and attributes its success in the Legislature this session to support from "mainstream" religious leaders, especially the Catholic Church in Wis- consin. On Friday, Christian radio stations in Madison and Milwaukee broadcast discussions of the bill and triggered some 400 calls to the governor's of- fice, overwhelmingly opposing the measure. Then on Monday, Madison radio station WORT got into the act and spurred more than 600 calls to the governor's office. Those calls. ran about 2-1 in favor of the measure. "It looks to me like a battle of the radio stations, the Christian stations versus WORT," Riordan said of the massive response to the bill. WORT is a listener-sponsored, progressive-ori- ented station that on Monday broad- cast news and public service an- nouncements about the measure, in- cluding the governor's phone number. The bill needs only the governor's signature to become law. It would make Wisconsin the first state to "enact by statute an anti-discrimina- tion measure based on sexual orienta- tion," Clarenbach said. A letter to the governor from a Black River Falls resident, which Riordan said was representative of the said, opposition viewpoint, he said. "It would be directly in con- flict with Catholic teaching to deny these people equal rights." Clarenbach said the bill would probibit discrimination against homo- sexuals in virtually all areas of hous- ing and employment. "It does not legalize homosexuality any more than one must legally endorse any particu- lar religion in order to defend protec- tions against religious discrimina- tion," he said. "Simply to be, in one's private life, either homosexual or heterosexual should not be a ground for dismissal or for denial of employment," he said. The only areas in which the bill may not apply are where it conflicts with federal law, as with the Wisconsin Na- tional Guard, which is under federal jurisdiction and prohibits "overt homosexuality." Some of the concerns frequently ex- pressed by opponents of the bill who called the governor's office were that they might be required to rent to homosexuals, and that schools might be forced to hire homosexuals, Rior- dan said. She said the governor's staff is cur- rently studying the bill to determine how it would apply in such situations. Margaret Lewis, Dreyfus' legislative liaison, said, "I know the governor has said he doesn't care if a teacher is homosexual or heterosexual, he doesn't think sex should be brought into the classroom." Clarenbach said the law definitely would forbid schools, including pri- vate schools, from discriminating against homosexuals in hiring teach- ers. It also would protect homosex- uals from discrimination in renting and all other forms of housing, as well as in all private employment, he said. --- My 2/24/8 Phones ring on gay rights Madison-More than 900 telephone calls about a homosexual anti-discrimination bill tied up the Gov. Dreyfus' phones and staff again Tuesday. it. There were 546 calls for the bill and 364 against - The calls brought the three-day total to 1,902 - 972 for and 930 against since two Christian radio stations, WNWC-FM in Madison and WVCY-FM in Milwaukee, publicized the bill, which passed the Legislature last week. Later, Madison's WORT-FM joined what Drey- fus' media coordinator, Sue Riordan, referred to as "the battle of the radio stations." Calls have been coming from all over the state, she said, prompted not only by the radio stations but by news stories about the calls, which began Friday. "It pretty well has tied us up," Riordan said, S Gay rights issue keeps MJ 2/24/82 governor's phone ringing Madison, Wis. -AP- The gover- nor's office is being deluged with telephone calls concerning a bill that would prohibit discrimination in housing and employment against homosexuals, aides to Gov. Dreyfus said Tuesday. William Kraus, Dreyfus' communi- cations aide, said the executive office had received hundreds of calls Friday after religious radio broadcasts in Madison and Milwaukee carried dis- cussions of the gay rights bill. The office said the calls ran about 350-20 against the bill. The staff got about 600 more calls Monday after a University of Wis- consin campus clergyman and anoth- er Madison station issued opinions on the bill, and said the vote by compar- ison was almost 2-1 in favor of hav- ing Dreyfus sign the bill into law. Kraus said office telephones were just as busy Tuesday, with calls about evenly divided between sup- porters and opponents. "It is just a deluge. We are not get- ting anything else done around here," he said. Kraus said he hoped that Dreyfus would act on the bill as soon as possi- ble, if only to rescue the staff. Susan Riordan, another Dreyfus aide, said most opponents of the bill based their opposition on the Bible. Yet much of the favorable response has come from religious organiza- tions, she said. Rep. David Clarenbach (D-Madi- son), author of the bill, said that if Dreyfus signed the bill, Wisconsin would become the first state to "enact by statute an anti-discrimina- tion measure based on sexual orienta- tion." --- C-T 2/23/82 Callers, radio stations sparring over bill for homosexual rights By DAN ALLEGRETTI Capital Times Staff Writer A bill to outlaw discrimination in Wisconsin on the basis of "sexual ori- entation" apparently is becoming a major religious issue, spurred on by what a governor's aide calls a "battle of the radio stations." The governor's office has received thousands of phone calls and letters since the bill was passed by the State Senate last week, with most of the op- position based on the Bible. "The main concern (of those op- posed to the bill) is that homosexual- ity is outlawed in the Bible," Susan Riordan, an aide to Gov. Lee Dreyfus, said today. On the other hand, much of the favorable response to the measure has come from religious organiza- tions, she said. The author of the bill, State Rep. David Clarenbach, D-Madison, has been fighting for its passage for eight years and attributes its success in the Legislature this session to support from "mainstream" religious leaders, especially the Catholic Church in Wis- consin. On Friday, Christian radio stations in Madison and Milwaukee broadcast discussions of the bill and triggered some 400 calls to the governor's of- fice, overwhelmingly opposing the measure. Then on Monday, Madison radio station WORT got into the act and spurred more than 600 calls to the governor's office. Those calls. ran about 2-1 in favor of the measure. "It looks to me like a battle of the radio stations, the Christian stations versus WORT," Riordan said of the massive response to the bill. WORT is a listener-sponsored, progressive-ori- ented station that on Monday broad- cast news and public service an- nouncements about the measure, in- cluding the governor's phone number. The bill needs only the governor's signature to become law. It would make Wisconsin the first state to "enact by statute an anti-discrimina- tion measure based on sexual orienta- tion," Clarenbach said. A letter to the governor from a Black River Falls resident, which Riordan said was representative of the opposition viewpoint, said, "Homosexuality and lesbianism are condemned by God and I fear for Wis- consin if this (bill) should pass." But Rev. Stephan Umhoefer, pastor of St. Paul's University Catholic Cen- ter, said there is "no Biblical interpre- tation that would stand in the way of (homosexuals') rights, and certainly no (Catholic) church teaching that would deny them their rights." While the Catholic Church does not endorse homosexuality, "it would be immoral to deny them their rights," he said. "It would be directly in con- flict with Catholic teaching to deny these people equal rights." Clarenbach said the bill would probibit discrimination against homo- sexuals in virtually all areas of hous- ing and employment. "It does not legalize homosexuality any more than one must legally endorse any particu- lar religion in order to defend protec- tions against religious discrimina- tion," he said. "Simply to be, in one's private life, either homosexual or heterosexual should not be a ground for dismissal or for denial of employment," he said. The only areas in which the bill may not apply are where it conflicts with federal law, as with the Wisconsin Na- tional Guard, which is under federal jurisdiction and prohibits "overt homosexuality." Some of the concerns frequently ex- pressed by opponents of the bill who called the governor's office were that they might be required to rent to homosexuals, and that schools might be forced to hire homosexuals, Rior- dan said. She said the governor's staff is cur- rently studying the bill to determine how it would apply in such situations. Margaret Lewis, Dreyfus' legislative liaison, said, "I know the governor has said he doesn't care if a teacher is homosexual or heterosexual, he doesn't think sex should be brought into the classroom." Clarenbach said the law definitely would forbid schools, including pri- vate schools, from discriminating against homosexuals in hiring teach- ers. It also would protect homosex- uals from discrimination in renting and all other forms of housing, as well as in all private employment, he said. ---