f gay. ughts THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL Tuesday, March 25, 1980 Time to repeal archaic sex laws Commendably, the Wisconsin Senate has voted to repeal the state's archaic laws that meddle in the private sexual activities of consenting adults. The Assembly should swiftly concur and get the state out of the bedroom. The legislation removes from criminal statutes both sexual intercourse between unmarried per- sons and sexual acts between consenting adults, so long as such acts are not performed in public. The prohibition against prostitution would remain in force. Predatory sexual conduct would continue to be illegal. - In a long overdue change, the bill abolishes the "crime" of cohabitation by unmarried persons living together or associating under circumstances that imply sexual intercouse. Although unevenly enforced, the law remains on the books as a threat of unwarranted state intrusion. Its repeal might prove useful to unmarried persons primarily - women - who wish to take legal action against a brutal partner but who fear to do so because of the threat of prosecution for cohabitation. Individual moral scruples deserve to be respect- ed, but are not entitled to be enacted into laws that unduly intrude into private, non-predatory sexual conduct between consenting adults. And that's just what the Senate has now said in approving this legislation. We hope the Assembly will muster the courage to say so, too. - The Assembly should listen to Gov. Dreyfus who indicates he would sign the bill. The governor does not personally approve of some of the behav- ior the bill would legalize, but he wisely recogniz- es that it would make the law "conform with so- cietal standards." There's no sense in having a law that doesn't, and is therefore unenforceable. It's time for this realistic change. This is 100% Recyled Paper --- The MADISON COMMITTEE For GAY RIGHTS BOX 324. MADISON, WI 53701 TELEPHONE (608-256-4448) Senator William Proxmire United States Senate New Senate Office Building Washington, D. C. 20010 Dear Senator Proxmire: July 5, 1977 The Madison Committee for Gay Rights takes issue with your recent attempt to attach an amendment to a HUD funding bill barring single persons and homosexuals from eligibility for public housing. The notion that public housing benefits should be limited to "traditional wife-husband, stable family relationships" is such an absurdity as to restrict aid to the majority of people in this country. Have you considered how the government will implement this policy? How will the government ensure that recipients of government programs are properly certified "heterosexuals" in "stable" family relationships? Isn't this an inconsistency with your own, well-known, objection to Big Brotherism in government? This amendment is an obvious intrusion on the civil liberties of all U.S. citizens. There are a number of compelling reasons why you should reconsider your position. 1. Placement of single persons and homosexuals in a special category to be excluded from governmental programs may be a violation of the Equal Protection Amendment. Singling out these categories for punishment certainly violates the spirit if not the letter of our laws. 2. Single persons already bear a disproportionate burden of taxes while receiving fewer social and public assistance services. 3. What do you, Senator, propose to do with homosexual mothers and fathers, who are married and who have children living with them? 4. Singling out categories of people based on characteristics such as marital status and sexual preference raises some rather disturbing questions of civil liberties. How do we ensure that recipients of governmental programs are properly certified hetero- sexuals? Do we automatically exclude those 37 percent of the white male population who have engaged in homosexual acts to the point of orgasm during their adult lives? Or do we exclude only those who perform certain acts in the privacy of their bedrooms? Or only those who associate with individuals who are suspected of engaging --- News Notes MDC POLICE ON ESPLANADE BOSTON An internal investigation by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) police was ordered last week by Secretary of Environmental Affairs Evelyn Murphy, following reports that plain- clothes MDC police officers were threatening to arrest gay men walking along the Charles River Esplanade if they did not leave the area. GCN had received several reports of such incidents in recent weeks, with the most recent complaints concerning activities early in the morning of June 3. MDC I press spokesperson Frank Muoio denied, for the record, that MDC officers were staging a "crackdown" along the river, though he added that about 11 persons have been arrested since April on charges related to robberies and assaults in the area. William Delaney, administrative aide to MDC head John F. Snedeker, told GCN that his initial in- vestigation suggested that the "plainclothes offi- cers" involved may have been either off-duty officers or civilians impersonating police officers. Delaney said the description of one of the alleged "plainclothesmen" does not match any of the six regular MDC detectives. Murphy ordered the investigation following a conversation with Rep. Barney Frank. MUSIC BENEFIT FOR PRISON BOSTON - The fourth event in the "Music in Women" series will be a benefit concert of local performers at the Arlington Street Church Sanctu- ary on Wednesday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m. The pro- ceeds from the event are going to the Community Services fund at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution (MCI) at Framinham. The money will be used to increase the recreational programs at the prison. Brothers, Performers include: The Pabon Orchestra Tiempo, Sherli Sherwood, Donna Price, Jodi Shapiro and Debbie Houston, and Connie Sulli- van. There will be Latin music, Afro-Cuban drum- ming and percussion, disco, jazz, folk music and poety readings. This concert is the fourth of a series of concerts produced by Juanita Colon. Recreation Officer at SUPPORT FOR BYRNE - BOSTON Sen. Edward Kennedy (D.-Mass.) and Boston Mayor Kevin White have announced plars to appear at a fund-raising breakfast for District Attorney Garrett Byrne on Monday, June 19. According to an article in the June 4 Globe, Kennedy and White will both support Byrne's bid for reelection at the event. The $200 a plate breakfast will be held at the Copley Plaza. Byrne's handling of the arrests of 24 Revere men, his creation of an informer "hot line," and alleged entrapment in the arrest of 100 men at the Boston Public Library have been criticized by gay rights leaders as hostile and irresponsible. Massachusetts Caucus for Gay Legislation has called on members of the gay community to write Kennedy and White requesting that they reconsider supporting Byrne. Kennedy can be written to at the JFK Federal building, Room 2400, Government Cen- ter, Boston, Mass. 02203. White can be written to at City Hall, Boston, Mass. 02203. BOSTON GAY RELIGIOUS COALITION BOSTON Representatives of Dignity, MCC, Integrity, Am Tikvah and the Unitarian Universalist Association have recently held meetings out of which was formed 'The Boston Gay Religious Coali- tion. The coalition, a historic first in the history of Boston's gay religious community, aims at fasten- ing increased cooperation, contact and support not only for the religious communities themselves, but also as a hopeful symbol of unity, strength and con- cern for the larger gay community. Other groups expected to have input are the Lutherans and Me- thodists. The first meetings, held at the Dignity office, 355 Boylston Street, resulted in plans for the first cooperative effort of the newly formed coalition: an interfaith Service of Witness to the Love of God for all of God's Children. The service will be a major event of the Lesbian and Gay Pride celebra- tion and will be held immediately preceding the Lesbian and Gay Pride march at 10 a.m. June 17 at the Arlington Street Church. Homilist for the serv- ice will be the Rev. Marge Ragona, pastor of MCC/ Providence. Immediately after the service the par- ticipants will march as a group up Boylston Street to PENNSYLVANIA APPOINTMENTS HARRISBURG, PA Governor Shapp has an nounced his 1978-79 appointments to the Pennsyl vania Council for Sexual Minorities, according to Tony Silvestre, council chairperson. New council members include Jeff Britton, chairperson of the Walt Whitman Democratic Club: Specer Cox, director of the Philadelphia ACLU; Pam Erdeley of Pittsburgh; Tony Henry of the Friends Service Committee; Mary Nancarow of the Penn- sylvania Rural Gay Caucus, and Rose Weber of the West Philadelphia Mental Health Consortium. Reappointed to an additional term are Repre- sentative Norman Berson of Philadelphia; Jerry Brennan, Harrisburg; Dr. Joann Hunter Farr, State College; Paul Gehris, Pennsylvania Council of Churches; Dr. Kenneth George, University of Penn- sylvania; Barbara Gittings, Philadelphia; Marilyn Hewitt, Harrisburg; James Huggins, Pittsburgh Persad Center; Alan Lapayover, State College; Bishop Lyman Ogilby, Philadelphia; Dr. Julia Rux, Williamsport; Tom Wiestling, AFSCME, and Council Chairperson Silvestre. Dr. Walter Lear will represent the state De- partment of Health on the council. Other state agencies represented on the council include Educa tion, Public Welfare, State Police, Affirmative Ac- tion, Commission for Women, Human R Commission, and Justice. της Persons seeking information or council a ance should contact Silvestre, c/o Pennsylv Council for Sexual Minorities, 238 Main Cap.... Building, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120. ILLINOIS DEFEATS E.R.A. SPRINGFIELD, IL - On June 7 the Illinois House of Representatives failed to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. The vote was 101 for the amendment and 64 against, six votes short of the majority 107 needed for approval. The vote means that the amendment is dead in Illinois for 1978. Its prospects for adoption nationally by the March 1979 deadline are now considered to be in serious jeopardy. The defeat came after nearly three hours of heated and emotional debate. Representative Ronald Griesheimer (R-Waukegan) argued agains! the amendment because he said it was supported by "a large group of bisexual or unusully sexual people. Another opponent, Rep. Donald Douster --- editorial Attention Governor Dukakis Election and re-election campaigns are now in full swing and it is only a matter of weeks before political advertisements start cluttering the airwaves and news pages. Ordinarily, we would write off political apathy among gay people as a wholly predictable (and, to some extent, understandable) phenomenon, but certain events of the last few weeks should convince gay people to pay more attention to the re-election campaign of Governor Michael Dukakis. The Legislature's Special Subcommittee on Children in Need of Services recently held a week-long hearing into the problem of abused children. On the final days of hearings, a representative of the Committee for Gay Youth testifed that many gay runaways are not exactly runaways but "throwaways" whose parents toss them out on the streets upon learning they are gay. There are, at any given time, hundreds of such adolescents on the streets. Yet, in nearly four years, the Dukakis Administration has not seen fit to provide services for young gay people even vaguely comparable to those offered for other youngsters. The Division of Youth Services does not know what to do with the gay residents; it is not surprising that so many gays committed to DYS attempt to escape. The Department of Public Welfare last month rejected an application for protective and advocacy services for Project Lambda, the longest- running gay youth program in Boston. The Office for Children has absolutely refused to recognize this is a valid issue. Recently, we were quite stunned by a barrage of telephone calls concerning some outrageous conduct by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) police on the Charles River Esplanade, which runs parallel to Boston's heavily-gay Back Bay and Beacon Hill neighborhoods. For the first time in our memory,plainclothes police officers under the guise of "protecting us from muggers" <- were running through shrubbery and along the riverbank threatening to arrest gay men in the well-known cruising area if they did not leave. - Our purpose here is not to defend public sex, but to observe blatant misuse of police manpower. The appropriateness of cruising is determined not by what cruising is, but by where it is going on. At Louisburg Square on Beacon Hill we would expect complaints, but not on the Charles River at 2:00 a.m. speaking out To his credit, Rep. Barney Frank has met - many, many times - with MDC officials regarding anti-gay harassment in other MDC areas. Even meeting with MDC chief John Snedeker and his boss, Environmental Affairs Secretary Evelyn Murphy (both of whom are Dukakis appointees), apparently has not been successful in informing MDC police officers that anti-gay harassment will not be tolerated. And frankly, it is very difficult for us to believe that the same police officers who would beat us themselves are truly interested in apprehending "muggers" on the Esplanade. (Emergency telephone call-boxes in the area, of which there are now none, would probably be more effective.) The Dukakis Administration must bear some responsibility for these failures. The governor has had nearly four years to put his own people into office. His alleged support for civil liberties, which was largely responsible for his liberal support four years ago, pales when one considers all the above problems with state agencies. In addition, we would note: • State police sometimes still use entrapment tactics along state highways. • The governor has refused to issue an executive order banning discrimination against gays in state employment. (Such an order would do well to ameliorate the current homophobic political climate.) • Most recently, the governor has refused even to acknowledge the Eighth Annual Gay Pride Week events with a proclamation. (Such a proclamation would cost almost nothing, yet obviously the governor is thinking more in terms of electoral rather than financial cost.) Clearly, we have an obligation to prove the governor wrong in that respect. We can do that by registering and voting, and by doing so prove that the gay community's votes are as worth seeking as any other community's. At the same time, we should let Governor Dukakis know how we feel. He has had nearly four years to give Massachusetts "the best state government we've ever had" and it is very plain to see that if he has done that, then he must consider ay people less than citizens. And that is something for us to remember on electio. day. SF Union Leader Speaks for Gay Rights By David McDonald Editor's Note On May 12, a rally was sponsored by BACABI, Bay Area Committee Against the Briggs Initia- rally. Among those speaking was the newly elected progressive president of the Hotel and Restaurant Workers and - sectors of society including positions of support and leadership of mass movements for justice and equality. With growing visibility over recent years, lesbians and gay men have become a harakaned with --- Lesbian/Gay Alliance. He commented on the church's deci- sion in response to a question from GCN, saying he generally is "not political in the church" because he prefers "a quiet place to pray." He condemned the church for its "tremendous hypocrisy in pre- tending to love us." The Episcopalian triennial con- vention last month in Denver voted three-to-one to recommend that practicing homosexuals and heter- osexuals who have sex outside of marriage not be ordained. Twenty- one Bishops, led by retiring South- ern Ohio Diocese Bishop John M. Krumm and the Rev. John Paul Boyer of a suburban Cincinnati parish, signed a "conscience clause" saying they would con- tinue performing ordination case by case. "In Minneapolis three years ago," Crew noted, "they said gay people are children of God, and we all rejoiced. It was very helpful, and brought a lot of hope to lots of gay people outside the church." Crew called the recent decision "dishonest" because it was pre- sented as a product of study and saying it "does an immense amount of damage and certainly has done a lot to cripple the spirits of those in our ranks." "I was offended by the House of Bishops' statement that this is one of the major events in our culture. It's major to you and me, but it's not that major generally. Starva- tion, poverty, ignorance, disease, and the Vietnamese boat people are the major issues, yet here they are making a 'major issue' out of who goes to bed with whom," he said. "They're scared to death of us because they're scared to death of themselves. We represent a whole lot more to them in unfinished bus- iness in their own lives than any- thing else," he added. In his talk, "Notes from an Underground Railroad Station," Crew called lack of access to insti- tutions "a big problem." Houses of prayer, he said, have been turned into "heterosexual clubs." "We must demand justice, not pity," he said, "and privilege on a par with others, not pious plati- tudes that people 'love and under- stand us."" lobby institution to gays. Service cond an- GCGC celebrat niversary. of work polishing a monthly newsletter, helping fund Gayline phone service, and coor- dinating special events with a film showing, information fair, and social. Crew's talk and poetry reading, a forum on religious and psychological issues, a disco roller- skating party and an awards dinner recognizing local gay and lesbian leaders rounded out the festival. Gay activism has blossomed here recently. New groups include the University of Cincinnati group, a speakers bureau, sports group, business league, youth group, lesbian radio programming, voter registration and City Council queries, and an area-wide chapter of the Gay Academic Union. They complement work done by Gay- line, the Lesbian Activist Bureau, a support group for Slightly Older Lesbians, Gay Alcoholics Anony- mous, a weekly gay radio show, an anti-sexism mixed men's group, Dignity, Integrity, and the Metro- politan Community Church. 'Fair and Impartial Law Enforcement' Ordered for MDC BOSTON, MA - Guy A. Car- bone, commissioner of the Metro- politan District Commission (MDC), told Rep. Barney Frank last week that MDC police officers have been ordered to deliver "fair and impartial law enforcement" with regard to gay men, Frank had accused the MDC of discrimina- tory law enforcement against gay men, especially around Revere Beach and the Cambridge "Bird Sanctuary" area (see GCN, Vol. 7, No. 9). "I have informed Superinten- dent of Police, Lawrence J. Back Bay Association Insists It Has No Bias BOSTON, MA - The Back Bay Association (BBA) insists that its policy toward new liquor licenses is not anti-gay, despite accusations to the contrary recently made as the result of an item in the merchants association newsletter (see GCN, Vol. 7, No. 12). BBA Executive Director Stuart Robbins told Rep. Barney Frank that the association "feels that any more liquor licenses associated with entertainment in the Park Square area are simply not wanted. That goes for any kind of establishment, whether it be gay, straight, or both. "The questionable atmosphere I mentioned was an unfortunate choice of words to describe the late night disruption already prevalent in Park Square," said Robbins, who added that the BBA supported the recent Chaps-Styx merger. However, additional sources told GCN that at the Back Bay Association meeting concerning the Club Max transfer, there were a number of vocal anti-gay pro- nouncements made about the Back Bay area being overrun by gay establishments. Said one observer, "Robbins was just caught with his pants down." Meanwhile, Boston's Gay Busi- ness Association (GBA) responded to the BBA in a letter last week to Robbins. GBA co-chairs Michael Campbell and Larry Kessler called the position "anti-gay and in this day and age totally without merit. . . . we feel that the BBA owes the entire gay community and the membership of the BBA an apol- ogy for such a display that not only insults gay people, but sensible, thinking people of all walks of life and lifestyles." Carpenter, of my stated goal and have instructed him to insure that police personnel perform their duties in all the areas under MDC jurisdiction," Carbone wrote Frank. Frank responded with another letter to Carbone, stating, "I will do what I can to help by bringing to your attention any evidence I re- ceive in the future of such discrimi- nation. I am told that the problem of selective arrests for sexual acti- vity focused only on gay men has been worst in Revere and Cam- bridge. To deal with this, I will per- iodically forward to you any in- stances I learn about in which gay people have been arrested while straight people engaging in similar activities are not." "If the police continue to arrest only homosexuals and not hetero- sexuals, we will know firmer steps are needed to carry out your laud- able non-discriminatory policy," he added. Frank reiterated his original statement to Carbone: "that it does not seem to me a wise use of scarce resources to arrest anybody for consenting sexual activity so long as it is not conducted in a manner disruptive of the rights of others, and late night sex in iso- lated areas does not seem to me to fall into this category." isited ring its pict Suffragettes Cited The anonymous caller said th: he and another person we following the example set by th Suffragettes, who systematical smashed the windows of shops. H said the Didsbury section is hom to "lots of gays." "Obviously," h said, "the licensees' grapevine working and gay people are bein refused service all over the area. "Pickets aren't enough. Th time has come for gay people t make stronger moves. Queer is no namby-pamby. This is poofter te rorism, it is a political act. "The question is," the calle continued, "do we accept mil hostility- - or show our anger an bring it to a head in its true propo tions?" GAA issued a statement upc learning of the pink brick attack disassociating the organizatic from the "irresponsible action" the "terrorists." "At no time h GAA employed or advocated policy of violence," the stateme read, "but has, by negotiation ar DON'T LOOK NOW: Abov Philadelphia police stand befor Pope John Paul II and his e downtown section of the city. B a group of lesbian/gay Catholic agents in the above photo were banner in an effort to shield th GREET FRON THE MY LESBIAN CA PHILADELPHIA STO LAT --- Theless, Frank feels that, all things being relative, this blemish on Flynn's record should be overlooked, since "nobody from South Boston ever prevent that clinic from gaining a license. He did this by using his membership on the House Post- Audit Committee to pressure the Department of Public Health into int ing that by having the Bosto a number of articles WCHC was "illega nd unlic- ensed," neither of which was true. Continued on Page 6 Arrests by MDC Police Reach Unprecedented Numbers BOSTON, MA Arrests of gay men by Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) police offi- cers have reached unprecedented numbers recently and there have been no indications that such arrests are about to stop. The MDC police patrol state- owned properties throughout the greater Boston area. Arrests (usually for the felonies of "unnatural acts" or "open and gross lewdness") have been reported in Boston along the Charles River Esplanade; in Cambridge at the "Bird Sanctuary"; in Revere opposite the Revere Beach bathhouse; in Milton around the Blue Hills Res- ervation and in Stoneham near Spot Pond. The arrests have been made by both plainclothes and uniformed MDC officers. In addition, Norumbega Park in suburban Weston fas been the site of plainclothes "solicitation" arrests, in which a young, attractive MDC officer is alleged to have made sexual advances to gay men in hoped of encouraging a positive response. An attorney representing one such man said that the officer spent nearly an hour "cruising" one gay man before arresting him. This is the first year that MDC officers have ever been accused of this type of "entrapment" arrest. The MDC police have consis- tently been one of the most prob- lematic police forces in New England as far as gay men are concerned, although in the past, some control was exercised under the administration of former Gov. Michael Dukakis, whose high- level appointees were generally sympathetic to gay concerns. However, the MDC police union strongly supported Edward J. King in his contest against Dukakis last year, and ever since King's election, gay men have been arrested in increasing numbers and places. The secretary and assistant secretary of Dukakis's Office of Environmental Affairs, Evelyn Murphy and Joan Tuttle (a former lobbyist for the Civil Liberties Union), kept pressure on MDC officials to refrain from such arrests. The new commis- sioner of the MDC, however, is an extremely conservative Water- town selectman who ran as a "conservative alternative" last year to Middlesex County District Attorney John Droney, who is regarded as being among the most right-wing of the state's prosecutors. Atty. John Ward presently has a case pending in Middlesex Superior Court accusing the MDC police of discriminatory enforce- ment of the law concerning sex- ual activity. Ward has sworn statements from men who have observed heterosexual couples en- gaged in sex around the Cam- bridge "Bird Sanctuary" who have not been arrested by MDC police while gay men have been. (Under two decisions of the Mass- achusetts Supreme Judicial Court, there is no legal differ- ence between homosexual and heterosexual acts.) A similar situation is reported in Revere, where the area frequented by straight couples "parking" in cars is unbothered by MDC officers, but the known gay area is. In a letter last week to MDC Commissioner. Guy Carbone, Rep. Barney Frank called the new wave of arrests "a monumental waste of scarce public funds." Frank said, "I know that there is little if any inconvenience at all caused to others by sexual activity (in the Esplanade) late at night. . . ... If sexual activity on MDC parklands in the late hours is a legitimate law enforcement problem, because of noise or im- Barney Frank has lodged a protest with the MDC. positions on others, then it should logically lead to police action against heterosexuals and homosexuals." Historically, the apparent obsession of MDC police officers with the sexual activity of gay men has been attributed to the fact that there is little serious crime on most Continued on Page 6 er, pay a $1000 fine, and perfor 200 hours of community servi work. Stern specified that th work should have something to c with people disadvantaged by di ability, sex, race, or poverty. Amy Oppenheimer, legal inter at the office of Levine's advisir attorneys, Mary Morgan and To Steel, told GCN that she fe "very positive about the senten itself. Obviously the jud took what this man had done ve seriously." Oppenheimer said th judge requested that Marr repo to him personally so that he ca see how the community servic work is affecting Marr. S further commented that th sentence was "steep for a fir offender." Preliminary Ruling I on Gay Publications Compiled By Cindy Stein WASHINGTON, DC - An unprecedented ruling by U.S. Dis- trict Court Judge Barrington D. Parker will enable the plaintiffs in the case of National Gay Task Force, et.al. v. Carlson (Norman Carlson, Director of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons) to present their arguments at trial. Parker issued an order on July 31 dismissing a motion by the defendant's at- torneys which would have pre- vented counsel Margot Karle from proving at trial that the Federal Bureau of Prisons employs an across-the-board policy which denies prisoners access to gay publications. Karle is an attorney with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. The ruling not only blocked an attempt by the defense to dismiss the suit, but it also denied a cross- motion by the plaintiffs to accept their proof of the existence of such a policy without resort to trial. Parker concluded that a "sharp dispute exists on the central factual issue in the case - whether there is a national policy barring gay literature from the federal prisons." Claims Set Forth The suit, filed on May 13, 1977, sets forth the claims of four com- plaining parties: the National Gay Task Force, publisher of a news- letter called It's Time, Gay Com- munity News, Off Our Backs, a Washington (DC)-based feminist newspaper, and Join Hands, a newsletter for gay prisoners pub- lished by the Inside-Outside Col- lective. All have had their publica- tions refused and returned by war- dens at various federal prisons. Carlson denies that a policy ex- ists which bans all gay publica- tions from the federal institution: asserting that any refusals have r sulted from the individual dec sions of the wardens involve Furthermore, his claim is tha these decisions have rested on th wardens' reliance upon a writte guideline promulgated by the Bu eau. That guideline regulates th acceptance or refusal of period cals into prisons. It states that publication cannot be "detrimen al to the security, good order, c discipline of the institution." The plaintiffs meet that argu ment, not only by furnishin proof of the existence of an ant gay policy, but by introducing ar other Bureau guideline. This se ond directive states that a decisio to ban a publication "should no be based solely on its religiou philosophical, political, social c sexual views.' What is the Policy? Five arguments are made whic favor a finding that such a polic exists and is employed. First, in an earlier state cou action, Smith v. Carlson, whic was brought by a prisoner bu contained the same issue concerr ing gay publications, the defenc ant agreed, as a stipulation c fact, that an "absolute across-the board policy applicable to all' gay literature was in existence. Second, in a letter by Carlson t then-Congressperson Ed Koch (i response to the latter's protesta tion concerning the ban on ga publications), Carlson stated tha "such gay publications should noc be permitted in federal institu tions." Third, the minutes concerning policy adopted at a Nov. 197 meeting of the Executive Staff o the Bureau of Prisons stated tha --- GAY MADISON New Right gains new clout By Karla Dobinski The legislative equiva- lent of queer bashing has been recently introduced in Congress. Misnamed the Family Pro- tection Act, this bill, if passed, will cut off lesbians and gays from any form of fed- eral funds, including Social Security, welfare, veterans benefits, or student assis- tance. This bill would okay dis- crimination on the basis of race, color, gender or na- tional origin if the person discriminated against was gay. Before you dismiss this bill as too outrageous to be considered by Congress, you should know that the Moral Majority has said that the anti-homosexual issue is the only issue that unites all of the right wing groups. The New Right has just shown us a frightening dis- play of its new legislative clout: last month's passage of the anti-gay MacDonald amendment. Defeated in pre- vious years, the MacDonald Amendment bars legal aid lawyers from taking cases that would foster the rights of gay people. For instance, in Madison Legal Action of Wisconsin might be forced to refuse to represent a woman threatened with the loss of custody of her children. Or, Legal Action might be forced to refuse your case if you were seeking unemployment benefits after being fired for being gay. appro- Because Congress' val of funding for legal ser- vices was still uncertain, the anti-gay provision was tolerated by many liberals in an attempt to save the rest of the legal aid pro- gram. When, for example, the MacDonald Amendment was first proposed three years ago, this writer was on the Dane County Board of Legal Action of Wisconsin. We were told that the Legal Services Corporation did not consider US 4 OTHERS the MacDonald Amendment im- portant and would not jeopar- dize its funding by strongly fighting against the anti-gay amendment. Be warned that unless les- bias and gays become vocal and strong to their fullest potential, we may once again be the sacrificial lambs in future political battles a- gainst the New Right. But, though it might be too late to stop the MacDonald Amendment, there is still time to stop the misnamed Family Protection Act. The worst response to le- gislative queer bashing would be panic or paralysis. The best defense, as Wis- consin's own Vince Lombardi would have said, is a good offense: 1) support national groups with your money or time; 2) support local action groups; 3) write or call your federal elected officials: Rep. Robert Kastenmeier, Ray- burn House Office Building, Washington, D. C. 20510; phone, (202) 225-2906%; Sen. William Proxmire, 5241 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20510; phone (202) 224-5653; cpf A Sen. Robert Kasten, 221 Rus- sell Senate Office Bldg., Wa- shington, D.C. 205103B phone (202) 224-5323. If we don't protect our family from the Family Pro- tection Act, who else will? No. 13 July 1981 ALL-GAYS phoneline opens For the first time lesbi- ans and gay men in Madison have a crisis phoneline they can call for short-term coun- seling and support in crisis situations. By dialing the letters ALL-GAYS (255-4297), indivi- duals in crisis can talk in person to a paraprofessional trained to give support, pro- vide information, and offer referrals to needed services. In addition, the ALL-GAYS Phoneline provides support services for those who have been victims of gay-directed assault. According to Phone- line staffer Linda X., support persons are available to ac- company lesbians and gay men in obtaining medical care, for example, or in reporting the assault, filing a complaint, Gay-directed assault occurs whenever violence is directed against us as gay men and women. It includes sexual and physical assault ("queer- bashing"), threats, intimidation or attempts to com- mit assault, as well as verbal assault (harassment). Verbal assault (harassment) that creates a public disturbance can be held criminal under the state's disorderly conduct statute. On-the-job harassment in city and private employment is prohibited by city ordinance. Holding hands, showing affection, making contacts, verbally or physically defending ourselves, or any other behaviors permitted to heterosexuals, are equally permitted to us. It's the law. SUCH BEHAVIORS PROVIDE NO JUSTIFICATION FOR ASSAULT. Happy Magic Picnic to us all FREE or going to court. Victims may request either a man or a woman, she notes, emphasi- zing the importance ALL-GAYS places on reducing stress in the life of assault victims. According to ALL-GAYS staffer Joe Cameron, the ser- vice is set up to assure the greatest confidentiality pos- sible. Breach of confidence on the part of any staffer is grounds for immediate dismis- sal, Joe says. "We know our success depends on confiden- tiality," he adds, noting that callers may choose not to reveal their names or may use their first names only. The idea of ALL-GAYS be- gan with concern over the in- creasing number of gay-direc- ted assaults in Madison, and the need of assault victims to have a crisis and counsel- ing service that is specifi- cally lesbian- and gay-iden- tified. "We were hearing a- bout a lot of 'queer-bashing and rape that we hadn't heard about before," staffer Mich- ael Thommen said, "and we knew that some of the victims at any rate had wanted to talk about how they were feeling. So we set up ALL-GAYS as a way to listen and to give sup- port. " Then Linda and Joe joined the all-volunteer staff. Lin- da had coordinated a crisis hotline for the general popu- lation in a college town. Joe had done phones for one in Florida. "I was real insis- tent about providing counsel- ing for lesbians. and gay men in any crisis," Joe said. "Getting past suicide is just It's not only one example. victims of gay-directed as- sault that might want to get past that." "We saw Linda agrees. the importance of giving sup- port for all crises. So we sat the ALL-GAYS staff down, assessed our resources, deci- ded we could do it, and set up the training we needed." Although the hours will expand as more people are trained, present hours for ALL-GAYS are Monday and Wed- nesday, 7 pm 9 pm and Fri- day, 7 pm 3 am. During oth- er hours, both men and women may call the Rape Crisis Cen- ter at 251-7273 (251-RAPE) or Crisis Intervention at 251- 2345. --- Chief urges reporting of assaults Madison Police Chief David Couper has urged that victims report incidents of gay-direc- ted assault as soon as pos- sible. At a meeting of The United with the Police Chief and District Attorney James Doyle, Jr., Couper said that his department cannot begin to deal adequately with the problem until it has some in- dication of how, when, where and how often gay-directed assaults are occuring. The Police Department has no statistics on gay-directed assault, even where the victim had indicated the circumstan- ces were gay-related or where a report might mention that they were. United member Terence Gilles agrees that there is a need to get information to the police on the circumstan- ces of gay-directed assault. "But," he says, "we're equal- ly concerned that we don't push victims beyond what they themselves think is safe. A lot of us are afraid of being turned on by the police if we do report. Others are afraid that our names will get out." Gay volleyball tourney July 18 The Organization of Mad- ison Area Gay Athletes (OMAGA) is hosting the 2nd Annual Madison Midwest Invitational tournament. This year's e- vent is being held at Memo- rial High School gym and starts at 8:30 am on Satur- day, July 18, with tourna- ment play continuing through Sunday. Competition will be suspended at 2:30 pm Saturday to allow participants and spectators to attend the MAGIC picnic slated for Sat- urday afternoon. This year's tourney will be longer than the first, and the teams competing will represent cities from around the country. Participants will arrive Friday night and be welcomed by the City's hosts at the Pirate Ship for registration beginning at 8:00 pm. According to a release is sued by the group, OMAGA is able to sponsor the tourney because of the hard work and dedication of its members, along with the moral and fi- nancial support the gay com- munity has provided. Fund- raising and individual contri- butions are the only means of financial support available to OMAGA. "We hope everyone will come to the tourney July 18 and 19 at Memorial Gym and cheer the Mad City Kruisers on to victory," the group says. For more information, per- sons may call Sassy at 251- 7324 or Kevin at 233-7697 or talk to any OMAGA member. Willy Bear brings a little bit of Sunday morning to Tuesday nights! That's right! Every Tuesday from 5-9 pm Willy Bear now serves his famous crepes & quiche in addition to his regular menu. So take a break from the ordinary, and "step out" to The WILLY BEAR P.S. Don't forget Sunday brunch, every week from 10:00 am-1:30 pm. Crepes, quiche, pastries, live classical music and more! For reservations, call 251-3902 1210 Williamson St. (Hat and tie not required) Gilles points out that police training and monitor- ing of pclice behavior is the beginning of the answer to the community's concern over inappropriate police behavior. The fear of having our names get out can be met by reporting anonymously to the police, Gilles says, or by reporting the incident to the ALL-GAYS Phoneline. "We're urging that every- body report somehow, in some way, even if anonymously, he says. " Reports made to ALL-GAYS will be used to compile sta- tistics for use in determi- ning how best to stop assaul- ters. Names will be kept con- fidential, and only those de- tails necessary to design an- ti-assault programs will be used, according to ALL-GAYS staffer Joe Cameron. Assaults occuring in the City of Madison can be re- ported to the police by cali- ing 266-4275%; those in Dane County outside of Madison by calling the Sheriff's Dep't. at 266-4930 (days) or 266- 4948 (nights). ALL-GAYS (255-4297) is the number to call to report, anonymously or not, to the Phoneline. come out and play in TENNEY PARK! (off Gorham) Women's Picnic 5-9:30 p.m. July 31 Softball, volleyball, horseshoes, mosquitoes, pot luck, all f SPONSORED BY LESBIAN CENTER FreeClassifieds Free Classifieds Free Classifieds Free EMPLOYMENT: Call The United at 255-8582 for further de- tails. GAY MADISON Published by The United 306 North Brooks Madison WI 53715 255-8582 For a variety of your printing needs 608-249-9987 Newsletter ress 2725 Atwood Ave. Madison, WI 53704 Free Pick-up and Delivery 249-9987 WANTED: Secure parking space; prefer garage. Will pay $30/ month. Near Langdon and Lake. Call Jim at 255-2603. END THE INVISIBILITY OF LESBIANS IN HEALTH CARE by participating in a study on hemophilus, a common vaginal infection. Stop by the Mad- ison Community Health Center, 1133 Williamson Street, on any Thursday in July or the 1st Thursday in August from 7 pm to 8 pm to fill out a questionnaire and have a wet mount done. A wet mount in- volves taking a swab of mu- cous from the vagina. You do not have to have a vaginal in- fection to participate. If you have any questions, call 255-0704. 18¢ Pap smears for all participants! THE SOAP OPERA Hair Brushes Bath Brushes Nail Brushes Children's Brushes Complexion Brushes Combs Moisturizers Moisture Lotions •Imported Soaps Soap Substitutes Body Shampoos Bubble Baths Bath Oils Bath Salts Creams Massage Oils • Books Herbs Teas Sea Sponges Loofahs Tiger Balm Love Oils Salves Rysistrata a community center. a gallery. a restaurant. a cabaret. a bar 312 State Street Madison, Wisconsin 53703 (608) 251-4051 The Cardinal Bar Now Open Bring this ad for one free drink!!!!!!!!!!!!! A COOPERATIVELY OWNED • FEMINIST ESTABLISHMENT open 10-6 Mon-Thurs eves until 9 --- Sen. Proxmire -2-, 7/5/77 in those acts? Do we exclude women who fall into one or more of these categories? What about married individuals who engage in extra-marital activities? What about married individuals who in the privacy of their own homes engage in sexual activities which make them criminals in most of our states? And just how do we propose to identify these people? Shall we make them all register with the government or will we spy on them and their associates? Perhaps we ought to require a "morality test" as a prerequisite for eligibility? These are not trivial considerations. 5. Public housing is after all, for the public. It does not mean except if a person belongs to an unpopular minority, i. e. particularly one which is the object of timely hysteria. 6. How can you justify barring, for example, a single parent with children from public housing when it is especially such people who are in most need of this type of aid? 7. This sort of action, taken on a federal level, is perpetuating the lies and misconceptions about singles and homosexuals. At a time when more and more individuals are choosing to live outside of the so-called stable family relationship, our government must begin to respond to these social changes, not bury its head in the sand, or fan the flames of hysteria and misinformation. Our perception is that most people here in Wisconsin agree with our point of view, not necessarily to defend our rights but to defend their rights as well. The votes of a minority of your constituents are not at stake in this controversy, but rather the votes of a majority. We sincerely hope you will reconsider your position on this issue. Please follow the enlightened example of your colleagues, Senators Magnuson and Weicker, who have the courage and intelligence to speak out for everyone's human rights as guaranteed by our Constitution. xc: Sen. G. Nelson Sen. W. Magnuson Sen. L. Weicker Rep. R. Kastenmeier Rep. Obey Rep. Reuss Rep. Cornell Rep. Zablocki Rep. Steiger Rep. Baldus Rep. Aspin Rep. Kasten Rep. E. Boland Sincerely yours, The Madison Committee for Gay Rights Wisc. State Sen. C. Thompson Wisc. State Sen. F. Risser Wisc. State Sen. D. McKenna Wisc. State Rep. D. Clarenbach Wisc. State Rep. M. L. Munts Wisc. State Rep. M. Miller Wisc. State Rep. P. Bear Mass. State Rep. Elaine Noble --- gay rights + interpreters for the deaf, the deaf are not able to attend those club activities and are forced to attend the straight social clubs and hide the fact that they are gay.' John Nunier, vice-president of the Empire Rainbow Alliance and coordinator of the campaign, is the only hearing person to hold an elected office in any of the local chapters of the Alliance. He has long been an activist for the gay- deaf community and for the gay community in general. Organizers of the campaign said that many gay-deaf people feel that they have been forced to live in a "hearing closet." The hearing person assumes that a deaf person can read her/his lips, when in fact, even after much training, most deaf persons can only comprehend about one-third of the spoken language. Obstacles is not as easy as most people think, and since most gay people socialize in bars or clubs, where the lighting is bad, a solution was needed. The solution is that many local chapters of the gay-deaf clubs have started sign language classes open to the gay-hearing community. This has been only a small step in trying to break down the communication barrier." As the gay-hearing community becomes more aware of the numbers of gay-deaf, steps are being taken toward the inclusion of gay-deaf persons. Groups have begun to provide sign language interpreters at meetings and rallys. "Discrimination within the gay community still exists when the deaf are excluded from activities because a sign language interpre- ter is not provided," Nunier said. "By providing an interpreter for people who participateu meetings, guided tours, parties, and a banquet. Many in attendance at the convention live in areas where no gay-deaf clubs exist, and organizers of the Awareness Campaign hope that more such clubs might begin as a result of the campaign. The third annual Gay-Deaf Convention is scheduled for Cleveland (OH) from Sept. 21-23. further Persons wishing information about the national Gay-Deaf Awareness Campaign or the third annual Gay-Deaf Convention may contact John O. A. Nunier, 304 E. 20th St., No. 2- B, New York, NY 10003. The campaign center is equipped with a regular voice telephone for hearing people and a teletype for communicating with the deaf. The telephone number is (212) 677- 5379. Frank Condemns Vice Raids BOSTON, MA Rep. Barney Frank last week lashed out at the Boston Police Department for its recent series of raids on downtown adult movie theatres and the city's only gay after-hours club, accusing Police Commis- sioner Joseph Jordan of wasting taxpayers' money on "frivolous excursions" by the vice squad. Since the beginning of this month, three adult movie theatres have had their films confiscated by detectives from the Vice Con- trol Unit of the Boston Police De- partment. Two of these theaters the Jolar Cinema and the Art Cinema - cater primarily to gay men. In addition, two police de- tectives joined in on a raid on the Loft 21 on Stanhope Street earlier this month (see GCN Vol. 7, No. 1) at a time when the club was closed. [The establishment was given a fire inspectors' warning for having its door locked, even though the building was not open.] In a letter to Jordan, Frank complained that the police have been unable to supply officers for patrol duty to protect black resi- dents in Dorchester, where, he said, "a 24-hour police presence should be provided if necessary to keep racist hoodlums from sub- verting our Constitution." He also noted that, while the Public Garden (the location of the summer's first gay murder on July 9) and Charles Street have been suffering from a lack of adequate protection, "I was very unpleasantly surprised to learn that able-bodied, fully-armed, well-trained officers are wasting their time raiding movie theaters and serving summonses on unre- sisting nightclubs in posse for- mation." "I vehemently object to your choice of movies and closed night clubs over assaults, robberies, and destruction of the Public Garden as choices for àllocation of your resources. The continued di- version of fully-paid police offi- cers on the vice squad away from protecting residents from crime in favor of having them censor adults' reading matter and intimi- dating club owners is a very grave error," he continued. Frank told Jordan, "I do hope that until you are able to provide a very high degree of such protec- tion you will direct your staff to concentrate on the serious problems that affect Boston resi- dents, and not waste their time and our money on the frivolous excursions on which the vice squad has lately embarked." The police department denies Frank's charge that expending resources on anti-pornography activities threatens public safety. "It's not an either-or situation," said Michael Donovan, press sec- retary to Jordan. "Our number one priority is public safety, and that has more priority than vice activities in general." "But I think we can do both," said Donovan. "The laws are on the books and we have no inten- tion of deterring Vice from making legitimate arrests." Warrant Issued for Murder Suspect Haan Telisive, as well as a tear gas pistor to discourage "any men who might hassle [her]." In front of pornographic bookstores and x- rated movie houses, she harrasses customers and "cleans up" by squirting dishwashing liquid on pornographic materials. "Now I'm laughing at those mambi-pambies," she told GCN, referring to feminists in the Boston women's community who denounce her tactics as "too male," "too separatist," or "ali- enating." Womongold had pleaded "not guilty" to the charges against her. At the time she entered that plea, she was sure that her guilt could not be proven, but she had not. considered the possibility that one of her three accomplices would testify against her. In the week following [April 15th at 3:30am], Debra Shepherd apparently had "second thoughts" about her role in it, said Womongold. Since Womon- gold,Shepherd, and the two other women involved had driven away unapprehended, Womongold was puzzled when she received a sum- mons in the mail in late April. "I couldn't figure out how they knew. Then I overheard a book- store owner telling another that one of the women with me had turned me in and was going to tes- tify against me." Womongold believes that Har- vard Square bookstore owners are colluding so that all of them can display pornography in front of their stores unchallenged, "If one has porno stuff out on the side- walk, the other does it, too," said Womongold. As a result, when she complains to an owner about the prominence of pornographic material, the owner excuses the women are reporting beatings and rapes. Womongold, however, feels the opposite is more likely to be true: that the percentage of rapes and batterings that women. report may actually have declined because there are no convic- tions ...What is the point of reporting it and going through all the humiliation if the rapist is going to go free anyway?" she asks. "For every 1,000 arrests for rape, only 18 convictions are made because rape is not really illegal in this country." Womongold contends that, as a lesbian, her relationship to rape is different from a "straight" woman's relationship to rape. "Straight women don't mind letting some men touch them . . . For a 'straight' woman, having a man touch her doesn't annihilate her whole identity. . . . I've never been raped, but I know that I'd kill any man who did because he would be annihilating my whole lesbian identity Lesbians can't have lesbian sexuality unless we can protect ourselves from a 'straight' men. . . I'm not a vio- ·lent person; I just want my pri- vacy: I want to be a dyke and If I don't want to relate to men I won't." Womongold said she carries a gun for protection. Asked whether she would recommend that all women carry firearms, she responded that a revolver is "foolproof" and "as simple to use as a can opener." "It's just conditioning [that prevent women from carrying guns]," she asserted. "If we're going to be free, we have to fight back, and it's dumb to think that taking three years of karate will help you when some man is pointing a gun at you." Darts is Subject of Licensing Hearing By David Brill BOSTON, MA Supporters and opponents of the local disco, - approval of the Licensing Board. Other complaints against the har were mostly from residents of --- BODY POLITIC DELAY - TORONTO, ONT The trial of Pink Triangle Press and its three directors, who also are mem- bers of the Body Politic Collective, has been delay- ed. The case against the publishers and Edward Jackson, Gerald Hannon and Kenneth Popert will probably not be heard until the first week of Jan- uary. The trial stems from the raid last December on The Body Politic offices when police removed ma terial from the paper's office following the publica- tion of the article "Men Loving Boys Loving Men." The three collective members were charged with possession of obscene material for the purpose of distribution and with using the mails for the trans- mission of obscene, indecent, immoral or scurrilous material.: It is not known at this time whether the gov- ernment will ask for an indictment against those charged or move by way of "summary conviction." The latter would involve a quicker resolution of the matter and lesser maximum penalties. ORIGINS IN SALEM SALEM, MA - Origins, the women's center in Salem, Mass., offers health and counseling services to women on the North Shore. The services include pregnancy testing and related health counseling, health education workshops and courses with a "well woman focus," individual, group and family counseling, and extensive referrals. An open discussion group is held for women every Thursday from 7-9 p.m. The drop-in center houses a library of feminist literature and announcements of local events. Origins has published two health care pamphlets written by and for adolescent women, that are available here. Origins is the contact point for the North Shore Lesbian Community. For further information, contact 169 Boston St., Salem, MA. 745-5873. NO ANTI-GAY REMARKS BOSTON Police Commissioner Joseph M. Jordan last week announced he has issued direc- tives to various police commanders ordering that "derogatory references to gays...will not be toler- ated on the part of police officers." In a letter to Rep. Barney Frank, Jordan said, "The policy and at- titude of the Boston Police Department is to remain objective in the provision of police services and to avoid the interference of officers' prejudices." "In particular," Jordan continued, "the use of slang terms to refer to any minority is clearly pro- hibited, as is any reference which explicitly or by implication reflects negatively on any group of citi- zens." Jordan also stated that he has ordered Nich- olas Foundas, Legal Advisor to the Police Depart- ment, to work with the city's Law Department on the matter of expunging arrest and prosecution records of persons found not guilty. Jordan said the objective will be "to formulate a policy which bal- ances privacy and civil liberties of all citizens against the legitimate interests of the city and state." Page 2 GCN, August 19, 1978 56,000 ran ---h year, but the actual teta! is "probably to 250,000," the report said. The study added that improved treatment of rape victims probably would increase the percen- tage of rapes reported. A quarter of the victims interviewed were dissatisfied with their medical treatment, complaining of delay and disrespect. BILLERICA DEATH BILLERICA, MAA 20-year old Billerica man was found crushed and beaten to death in a rest area on Route 3 which was known as a gay cruising spot. Brian E. McGarry was discovered early in the morning on Aug. 4 by a stopped motorist. Lt. Col. John O'Donovan, commander of the in- vestigations unit of the Massachusetts State Police, told GCN that there is conflicting evidence as to whether McGarry was the victim of a hit-and-run accident or a homocide victim. "The evidence shows a little of both," O'Donovan said. The man had apparently been run over several times by a large truck. An initial autopsy report indicated cause of death as a crushed skull and chest. The incident is under continuing investigation by the Middlesex County District Attorney's office, state, and Billerica police. LESBIAN CANDIDATE IN D.C. - WASHINGTON, D.C. Washington's Demo- cratic Primary on September 12 will have a lesbian- feminist listed as candidate for Delegate to the Na- tional Democratic Mid-Term Conference, to be held in Memphis this December. Tayloe Ross, a member of the D.C. Area Feminist Alliance and of the Sexu- ality Task Force of D.C. NOW, was nominated at a Democratic ward caucus June 20. She will run for Congressional District 1, one of Washington's two congressional districts. Ross has been endorsed by the D.C. chapter of Americans for Democratic Action, by the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, and the D.C. Area Feminist Alliance. She is a media activist, has supported af- firmative action, and seeks full voting representa- tion for Washington. In December 1977 she organi- zed a community coalition on the sexual abuse of children, which presented a local television pro- gram on the issue this June (WDCA-TV). She was previously co-coordinator of the Gay Media Coali- tion of New York, and TV co-coordinator for Les- bian Feminist Liberation there. TEACHERS REAFFIRM SUPPORT NEW YORK - The National Education Associa- tion has reaffirmed its support of gay teachers. At its annual convention, the NEA passed a resolution that stated, "The NEA reaffirms its opposition to situations such as the Briggs Initiative in California and the recently passed law in Oklahoma which discriminates in the hiring and retention of teachers on the basis of sexual orientation." The resolution direction the NEA to use "any and all legal and legislative means" to defeat anti- gay initiatives and other discriminatory actions. The NEA also passed a resolution at the convention suppporting the reproductive freedom of women a vote in support of the right to abortion. - THE TI LON another headline ty leade not resig ges aga Scott. Scot a homos MP deni Thor conspirir ded on $ The ious to t times an Liberal P GAY I SAN continue Baytimes Men," di three iss on news! or baths. Rola paper, enough tising to Mea announc issues. T came out AWAI CHIC tion's G Award to Book, ed spring by In p Force, B pictures whole, t other pa The ence of recently. LONG LON selling a the comm has rece Coalition (212) 665 hours of Thursday ical refe clearing functions listings or --- 2, when he submitted his resignation as Chief Justice of the Superior Court to Governor Michael S. Dukakis. Bonin's resignation came less than 24 hours after the House and Senate had both voted overwhelmingly in favor of a "bill of address" to remove the contro- versial jurist from the bench perma- nently. Bonin's troubles resumed on July 31 when the House of Representatives spent the better part of a day debating the "bill of address," which had been endorsed by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary by a vote of 17-3. Senate airperson Alan D. Sisitsky (D- ngfield) joined Rep. Roland Or- D-Boston) and Rep. Norman S. erg (D-Brighton) in a minority asserting that Bonin should be "The General Court [Legislature] has a special responsibility to proceed with caution in this matter because of the prejudicial atmosphere. Long term confidence in the integrity of our system of justice is at stake," wrote Sisitsky. "The Legislature should be prepared to sacrifice an individual to appease public clamor." However, the majority opinion stat- ed: "...the position of Chief Justice of the Superior Court must be held to the highest standard of judicial conduct" and recommended approval of the bill of address. The majority of the Com- mittee found Bonin guilty in several matters that the Supreme Judicial Court had acquitted him of earlier last month matters largely stemming from his attendance at a lecture by - During eight hours of heated debate on Monday, Bonin's supporters in the House charged that he was being rail- roaded from office without a fair trial because of a personality problem. Rep. William G. Robinson (R-Melrose) at one point suggested that anti-Semitism in the largely Irish-Catholic legal es- tablishment was a factor in the Jewish judge's downfall. Rep. H. Thomas Colo (D-Athol)and Rep. Bruce Wetherbee (D-Pepperell) supported a motion by Orlandi to re- move Bonin through the impeachment process, which would entail a full trial, rather than the bill of address, which merely requires a majority vote in each branch and the approval of the gov- ernor and Executive Council. Orlandi's motion failed by a vote of 177-48. Noble Votes to Oust The three legislators most closely identified with gay rights all took dif- ferent positions on the Bonin matter. Rep. Mel King voted in support of a full trial and against the bill of address. Rep. Barney Frank announced at the beginning that he would abstain from all voting because he was the first speaker at the Arlington Street Church on April 5 when Vidal spoke. [See box]. Rep. Elaine Noble voted to give Bonin a trial, but when that motion failed, Noble voted with the majority to remove him from the bench. On Tuesday, some of the most influ- ential state senators debated the bill of address all afternoon. Sisitsky emerged as Bonin's most tenacious supporter, Continued on Page 6 Police Commissioner Urged to Act Against Homophobic Attitude BOSTON Rep. Barney Frank re- cently met with Boston Police Com- missioner Joseph M. Jordan to discuss a number of complaints which the gay community has made regarding the conduct of the city's police officers, es- pecially in District Four (Back Bay and South End). Also attending the meet- ing were Atty. John Ward and GCN writer David Brill, as well as Robert Wasserman, the Commissioner's oper- ations assistant, and Deputy Supt. James J. MacDonald, commander of Patrol Area "C", which includes Dis- tricts Four and Fourteen (Allston- Brighton). Verbal harassment of gay men by polic officers was a major point on the meeting's agenda. Ward described how one of his clients was called "honey" and "dear" by police officers at Bos- ton Municipal Court, while Brill told of name-calling complaints he had re- ceived by gay men who merely went to the police station to report a house- break. Frank suggested that the ad- verse publicity following the so-called Revere indictments last year and the Boston Police Commr. Joseph Jordan Boston Public Library arrests in March may have contributed to increasingly homophobic attitudes in the police de- partment, and urged the commissioner to take immediate corrective action. Frank also urged the police to estab- lish priorities regarding enforcement of prostitution laws in his district. While he agreed that a uniformed police pre- sence on "The Block" in the Back Bay is necessary because it is a heavily resi- dential neighborhood, he told Jordan he had no objections at all to male cruising in the commercial Park Square area. Frank also cited a letter from "A. Nolder Gay" to Boston Mayor Kevin White concerning entrapment at the Boston Public Library, while Brill and Ward offered other examples of police harassment such as the arrest of a 49-year old man for being a prostitute. - While there were differences between Frank and the Commissioner on certain issues, there was agreement that demeaning, verbal harassment because it is so difficult to prove and nearly impossible to fight is totally unacceptable. After the meeting, Frank sent Jor- dan a clipping from a recent issue of the Boston Globe, in which an official police department spokesperson was quoted concerning the Blackfriars Pub murders as saying, "It's not a gay place or anything like that... it's al- ways been a pretty quiet and straight place." Frank also sent a copy of a complaint he had received concerning police dispatchers calling gay men "faggots" over the police radio. Also as a result of the meeting, the police department and the city's Law Department are checking into ways that criminal records of gay men ar- rested, but found innocent on "lewd- ness" or similar charges, can be re- trieved from the FBI and local criminal files. "I have had called to my atten- tion two cases in which people found not guilty of gay-related charges were damaged," said Frank. "Given the prejudice that, unfortunately, still ex- ists in this society against gay people, allowing arrest records to be circulated - and thus inevitably used to the disadvantage of men who have been found innocent in court of any crime is unjustified." Frank also urged gay people with complaints to make them known, either to him or to GCN, in order to check the effectiveness of the meeting with Jordan. --- Rep. Barney Frank Rep. Frank Raps MDC By David Brill BOSTON State Representative Barney Frank (D-Boston) last week took the Metropolitan District Com- mission police to task for what he termed "a pattern of harassment of gay men" on MDC-operated beaches, with specific regard to Revere Beach. Frank made the charges in a letter to MDC Commissioner John F. Snede- ker. "If there is a problem of disturb- ance of the peace, of course, I would expect the MDC police to respond to it," remarked Frank. "On the other engayomen are behaving discreet. ly, quietly, and in a manner that does not inconvenience or disturb others in a non-residential area, it seems to me both a violation of civil liberties and a waste of scarce police resources to harass them.' Additionally, Frank asked Snedeker to arrange for a meeting among members of the gay community, MDC police officials, and himself, to discuss the problems that have gained atten- tion in recent weeks. "I have partici- pated in several such conferences with the Boston police," he said, "and while they have obviously not solved all of the problems involved, they have been very helpful in advancing our common interests in protecting both public order and personal liberty and privacy.' The representative from the Back Bay-Beacon Hill area specifically cited the manner in which an MDC police sergeant refused to speak on the telephone with a reporter for GCN. "The information I have received cer- tainly justifies further investigation," he said. Photo by Martha Adams By Neil Miller ry System Un SAN FRANCISCO The Grand Jury system, which has been under attack because of its use in harass- ment of lesbian communities in New Haven and Lexington, is now legislative target. a Twenty-five members of the U.S. House of Representatives have intro- duced a bill to restrain the powers of grand juries to investigate private citi- zens. According to Rep. John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, one of the co-sponsors of the Grand Jury Reform Act, the proposed legislation would "introduce rudimentary protections and rights into the grand jury process." " Conyers, writing in an article called "The American Inquisition" in the August-September issue of Ramparts Magazine, lists some of the provisions of the proposed legislation including "the right to counsel for witnesses [be- fore a grand jury], minimum notice of subpoena, and the requirement that a complete transcript be kept and made available to the witness." In addition, "a witness would have to be told what the investigation is about and could refuse to answer questions violating constitutional protections." These safeguards, routine in criminal and civil cases, have been absent in the grand jury process. The proposed legislation is designed HCHS Gets Clinic License BOSTON The Homophile Com- munity Health Service has just received clinic licensing from the Massachusetts- Department of Public Health. The granting of the license comes after two years of intensive work by H.C.H.S. director Don McGaw. The licensing assures the consumer that specific re- quirements have been met and that there is a measure of quality control in the services provided. HCHS will now become eligible for third party payments through the state for persons on welfare, medicaid, and other assistance. In addition, the licensing will enable other agencies of the State to make direct referrals to HCHS and for HCHS to be reim- bursed for these referrals according to the rate established by the State Rating Commission. Director McGaw also stated that, to his knowledge, HCHS is the first gay agency of its kind in the country to be licensed by the state. Community Leaders BOSTON Three spokespeople from the gay community have begun the first in a series of ongoing meetings with high officials of the Massachu- setts Welfare Department. The pur- pose of the meetings is to "sensitize" he Wolf D . to prevent the kind of harassment which the government has been ac- cused of using in its search for political fugitives Susan Saxe and Kathryn Power. As recently reported in GCN, Jill Raymond remains in jail in Kentucky for refusing to cooperate with a grand jury and Ellen Grusse and Terri Turgeon are imprisoned for the same offense in Connecticut. According to Conyers, the Organ- ized Crime Control Act of 1970, enacted during the "law and order" fervor of the Nixon years, has "turned the grand jury into a devastating instrument of repression." This law legalized the previously unconstitu- tional procedure of "use immunity" which enables "the government to compel a witness to testify and then still prosecute that person for the very things the forced testimony was about." h 1 ba Gay St Program Bas Mu tog and A BOSTON The Institute of Homo- phile Studies has expanded its focus to offer a variety of courses-some with gay themes and others of a general interest to the gay community. The organization is sponsored by the Edu- cational Division of the Homophile with Community Health Service. The three due year old program, newbbed the HCHS Adult Education Program, be- gins in October and continues through December. Applications and registra- tion will take place this month. MAINE LINE By S. W. Henderson AUGUSTA Gay persons fre- quenting the Augusta rest area on Interstate 95, southbound lane, are warned to exercise extreme caution. A homophobe armed with a pistol is on the loose there and two people have been attacked. BE CAREFUL! + Meet with Welfare at the meeting were Asst. Commis- sioner for Social Services Beth Warren and Administrative Assistant Chris Crowe. Rep. Noble told GCN that the meeting was intended to encourage the behind Project Lambda, the gay youth advocacy program which has come under attack. Rep. Noble indicated that although there was "a long way clas cou Me HO call ANNA Li at Ma 14. M. po for tari dis 10. or s Ma Gay Stei Me pla ings for E Acti Gav St. inter writ 0440 Gay --- New York City. She continues to work in the areas of legislation and national coordination. O'Leary's appointment was made by the newly-appointed NGTF Board of Directors at its first meeting, held in New York City June 12-13. For the first time, the NGTF Board contains repre- sentatives from all parts of the United States. An also for the first time, some non-gay individuals were elected. Named Co-chairpeople of the NGTF Jean O'Leary Board were Betty Powell, an instructor at the Brooklyn College School of Education and an officer of the Gay Photo by John Gamble are Charlotte Dunen, Rev. Carter, 2701 Duberman, Ms. Friedman, Dr. Norton, and Ms. Riddle. Dr. Norton will serve as Secretary and Ms. Friedman as Trea- surer. Also among the NGTF Board members newly elected by the membership are Ruth Abram, Executive Director, Women's Action Alliance, New York; Pokey Anderson, Gay Political Cau- cus, Houston; Charles F. Brydon, The Dorian Group, Seattle; Dr. Louie Crew, Associate Pro- fessor at Fort Valley State College, Georgia; Jean Crosby, Women's Center, San Francisco; Steven Endean, Human Rights Commission, Minneapo- Frank Assails MDC Bush Busts BOSTON By David Brill - State Rep. Barney Frank announced last week that he has asked Metropolitan District Commissioner John Snedeker to set up a meeting to discuss the heavy MDC police presence at the so-called "Bird Sanctuary" off Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Frank contacted Snedeker after learning that MDC police were deliberately obstructive while GCN was attempting to gather information concerning two men arrested for "un- natural acts" in the bushes on June 9. When GCN was advised that the Cambridge cruising area was being heavily patrolled by police, this reporter attempted to confirm some of the infor- mation with the commanding officer of MDC Upper Basin police. One caller reported to GCN that police in the area had their guns drawn, called the men "faggots" and argued with each other as to whether an arrest should be made. Over a half-dozen persons telephoned the GCN office within a day after the arrests. MDC press relations officer William Delaney told GCN that information concerning the arrests could be ob- tained directly from Sgt. Burbank, night commander of the MDC Upper Basin police. However, Burbank re- fused to discuss the arrests or provide any information at all. When told by this reporte that Mr. Delaney of MDC headquarters had insisted the newspaper obtain the information from him, Burbank replied, "I don't care if you bring the fuckin' governor with you, nobody's finding anything about those arrests." GCN later contacted Delaney, who apologized for Burbank's uncooperativeness. "There is no way I can possibly justify his remarks," said Delaney. "There is no reason for him to have treated you that way." Delaney called GCN back in less than fifteen minutes, and provided the names and addresses of the defendants, the specific charges, and stated that their cases had been continued in East Cambridge Dis- trict Court until July 9. MDC police press regulations are nearly identical to those followed by the Boston police, which routinely Fires Damage Herbie's and Twelve Carver Rep. Barney Frank cooperates with GCN regularly on police matters. Newspapers are entitled to information concerning arrests and Photo by Martha Adams [New York; Charlotte Bunch, Editor, Quest, Washington, D.C.; Rev. Robert Carter, a Jesuit priest and instructor at Union Theological Seminary, New York; Frances Doughty, New York; Martin Duberman, Distinguished Professor of History, Lehman College, New York; Meryl C. Friedman, Gay Teachers Association, New York; Barbara Gittings, American Library Association Task Force on Gay Liberation, Philadelphia; Dr. Bert Hansen, Associate Professor of History, State University, Binghampton New York; Dr. Franklin Kameny, Human Rights Commission, Washing- ton, D.C.; Barbara Love, author, New York; and Dr. Joseph Norton, educator and psychologist, Albany, New York. defendants, if they are over 17, the charges, and arresting officers. The information is a matter of public record. Rep. Frank is asking Snedeker to ar- range a meeting with representatives of GCN, the MDC police, and possibly with attorneys for the two men arrested on June 9 to discuss the "Bird Sanctuary" situation. Frank said he was outraged by the reported police conduct as well as the arrests, and complained that if the situation is allowed to continue, male cruising will relocate to "The Block," a residential area within Frank's district that the representative has been trying to discourage. Snedeker told Frank that at one time officials of the Browne and Nichols School, which is opposite the Bird Sanctuary, registered complaints with the MDC about the area because they feared that their students would be "harmed." Frank responded by stating that the school is closed during the summer and at night. As of press time, no date had been set for the requested meeting with MDC officials. Snedeker's office indicated that the meeting would take place as soon as the current state employees' labor dispute is settled. --- Mass. Officials Discuss MDC Harassment BOSTON By David Brill - Officials of the Du- kakis Administration met last Wednes- day, Sept. 21, with representatives of the gay community to discuss harass- ment of gay men by Metropolitan Dis- trict Commission (MDC) police offi- cers. The meeting was held in the office of Secretary of Environmental Affairs Evelyn Murphy, with Murphy, Assist- ant Secretary Joan Tuttle, and MDC Commissioner John F. Snedeker pres- ent. Representatives of the gay commun- ity included Gay Legislation CO- ordinator Joe Martin, Rep. Barney Frank, Boston attorney Richard Rubino, and John Reinstein, general counsel to the Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. Rep. Frank began the meeting by asking "how long this harassment is going to continue?" Frank cited con- tinuing reports of police pressure at the Cambridge "Bird Sanctuary," Revere Beach, and along the Esplanade. The Cambridge area has been the site of many arrests for "unnatural acts" over the last few years, while police at the other two areas have been regularly using such tactics as name-calling and enforcement of non-existent "cur- fews." Frank asked Snedeker to limit police presence to locations where docu- mented complaints from individuals can be produced. And in that case, he sug- gested that a visible marked vehicle be used to dissuade persons from entering the area, rather than arresting men on felony charges. Snedeker said the complaints about the Esplanade "are new to me." He maintained, however, that the MDC had received a dozen complaints be- tween may and August of this year concerning male cruising the Bird Sanctuary. He said the complaints came from officials of the Browne and Nichols School, the nearby American Legion post, and passing motorists. He insisted that complaints were also re- ceived from the Revere Beach area, which is directly opposite the MDC police station. Murphy, who is Snedeker's boss, asked the commissioner to make sure the police "are not yelling" at the gay men in these areas, and suggested he designate a supervisor who would be specifically assigned to monitor com- plaints and resultant police activities. Snedeker agreed to assign an admini- strative lieutenant to the position. Rubino, who has defended many men arrested by MDC police, pointed out that in most cases, men arrested in cruising areas have no records, yet are often dealt with much more harshly by local courts than are persons arrested on much more serious offenses. "The punishmnent is much more serious than the crime," Rubino said. Some men arrested in the Bird Sanctuary have been found guilty and given fines of as high as $500, Rubino said. The crime of "unnatural acts" is a felony in Massachusetts, and men so convicted are often stigmatized for life because of a relatively minor indiscre- tion, he added. Murphy asked Snedeker whether the police policy was to scatter the cruising or to make arrests. "Some of both," he answered. The meeting concluded after Snede- ker agreed to make clear to MDC po- lice officers that anti-gay harassment was unacceptable, and that police ac- tions should be commensurate with documented complaints. Rep. Frank, who called the meeting, said he was satisfied with the results. He emphasized that men in outdoor cruising areas would have to accept some police patrols in the event of complaints, but expressed optimism that areas like the Esplanade which is in Frank's district would no longer be the site of reports of police misbehavior. - Screen Actors Guild, Stars Back Fundraising Event LOS ANGELES The Board of Directors of Hollywood's Screen Actors Guild and a host of Hollywood stars and personalities announced their support of "A Star Spangled Night for Rights" last week just before the Hollywood Bowl fund-raising event. The fund-raiser, produced by Aaron Russo, was organized to raise funds to fight against the anti-gay initiative pro- posed by Sen. John Briggs. In its statement, the Screen Actors Guild Board of Directors condemned "the growing attack on human rights and a heightening of discrimination as a result of the recent Anita Bryant backlash." "These campaigns which are spawned in hatred and fueled by fear and misconception are reaching dangerous proportions. . ." said the statement. "The attack on school teachers is already being expanded to suggest blacklisting of actors and other creative artists. The entire campaign appears to have brought out the very worst in our society: the fear and hate peddlers, the censors and destroyers. The Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild feels it necessary to speak out to restore some balance of perspec- tive and urge everyone to consider carefully that the next person's rights to be invaded may be theirs." The Screen Actors Guild statement, while it did mention Anita Bryant by name, never used the word "gay" or "homosexual." Among the large number of Holly- wood performers listed as sponsors of "A Star Spangled Night for Rights" were comedian Woody Allen; singers Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, Eartha Kitt, Paul Williams, Linda Ronstadt, Jack Jones, Donna Sum- mers, Barry White, Helen Reddy, and Bette Midler; rock stars Gregg Allman and Alice Cooper; actors Paul New- man, Burt Lancaster, Jon Voight, Tab Hunter, Gene Hackman, Jack Lemmon and Ryan O'Neill; actresses Lauren Bacall, Ann-Margret, Mary Tyler Moore, Marlo Thomas, Candice Bergen, and Nancy Walker; comedi- ennes Phyllis Diller and Carol Burnett; football player Roosevelt Grier; directors Peter Bogdanovich and John Schlesinger; authors Truman Capote and Christopher Isherwood; and comedian Richard Pryor. --- come the first reported gay person to have a 'general' discharge upgraded to an honorable one as a result of military service during the Vietnam war era. Robert A. Martin, who was given a general discharge in 1972 because of "unfitness due to homosexual acts,' had his discharge upgraded on Oct. 6. The upgrading comes as part of the Carter Administration's program to improve discharges of several classes of veterans who served in Vietnam. " equitable." However, because Mar- tin's actions were "off base-off duty" and done with "consenting adults," the Navy board decided that the total circumstances of the case did warrant relief. "In compliance with the desire of the President that other than fully honorable discharges of the Viet- nam era be reviewed in the spirit of mercy and compassion, the discharge is recharacterized to honorable in the absence of aggravating factors," the after a nine-month battle in 1971-72, at which time he was defended by the American Civil Liberties Union. Mar- tin's case had the support of North Carolina Sen. Sam Ervin, and Reps. Bella Abzug and Edward Koch. "If my service to the Navy and the country can now be characterzed as honorable," said Martin, "then there is no rationale for the services to deny honorable discharges to men and women being discharged for 'homosex- Rep. King Demands Ken's Harassment Probe BOSTON State Rep. Mel King last week demanded that the Boston Police Department investigate "a continuing pattern of harassment of gay citizens" by Boston Police officers in District 4, which encompasses Back Bay, the South End, and Fenway areas of the city. King made the charges in a letter to Police Commissioner Joseph M. Jordan after several of his constitu- ents reported being harassed at Ken's Restaurant, Copley Square. (See GCN, last week.) Ken's has been the source of con- tinued complaints for the last several months from gay men. In addition to arresting gay men for disorderly con- duct and placing them in "protective custody," the detail officers at the restaurant who are employed by the management - are accused of name- calling and physical violence as well. Ken's is an expansive deli-restaurant very popular with gay crowds, particu- larly late at night. - In his letter to Jordan, King made three requests: 1) That the actions and conduct of the police at Ken's be thor- oughly investigated, 2) That the com- missioner also check on the "ongoing and systematic patterns of harass- ment" of gay people at District Four, and 3) That the commissioner meet with representatives of the gay com- Photo by John Scagliotti Rep. Mel King munity and King to discuss the re- peated problems with District 4 police. In a letter to Boston Police Depart- ment District 4 Captain James Mc- Donald, Rep. Barney Frank urged McDonald "to take steps to put a stop to any harassment or abuse of gay men that does go on." Frank noted that, while he favors enforcement "by uni- formed officers of the anti-prostitution laws in the residential part of the neigh- borhood," this can still be done "with- out name-calling or abuse." "There is no reason why this policy should lead have to be revoked." The decision to upgrade Martin's discharge does not represent any change in the U.S. armed forces' attitudes towards homosexual service- people, however. Although the Carter Administration has been rumored to be contemplating a relaxation of the military's anti-gay attitude, there has been no official policy change. to harassment of gay men elsewhere, in restaurants - e.g., Ken's or else- where," wrote Frank. Rep. Frank Urges Officials to BOSTON - Act on Court Decision Rep. Barney Frank last week called on three of the state's leading law enforcement officials to take action to protect the rights of gay people following the Nov. 9 Supreme Judicial Court decision, Common- wealth vs. Scagliotti. In separate letters to Boston Police Commissioner Joseph M. Jordan, Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) chief John F. Snedeker, and Attorney General Fran- cis X. Bellotti, Frank called upon them to issue written orders to all law en- forcement officers in the state appris- ing them of the significance of the SJC decision. Frank told Jordan, "Now that pri- vate sex acts are no longer a crime, the justification for police officers reading Phoenix ads and putting on tight pants and tee-shirts in dark places... totally disappears." In his letter to MDC Commissioner Snedeker, Frank said, "Circulation of this text and its meaning to your officers should be very helpful..." The MDC has been the most troublesome police force for gay people of any in the state this year. Frank called upon Bellotti to take action to inform every other police de- partment in Massachusetts of the court ruling. "I am writing to urge you to take the appropriate steps to make this decision known to law enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth. Action by you to circulate the text and mean- ing of this decision. . . will, I think, prevent a number of civil liberties vio- lations from happening..." The Scagliotti decision affirmed the right of adults in Massachusetts to en- gage in consensual, private sexual ac- tivity without fear of arrest. "A con- sensual unnatural act must be commit- ted in a public place in order to be pun- ishable (under state law)," wrote the Court. ---