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Page 13
Nationwide Support Shown During
Dubuque Pride March
AIDS Medical Insurance, Industry Skeptical
Dubuque, /owa-Rebounding from a
disastrous pride march last fall in which the
twenty-odd participants were verbally abused
and pelted with eggs by a crowd of angry
onlookers, gay and lesbian activists in
Dubuque, Iowa were joined by supporters from
all over the country Saturday, April 30th for a
massive second march which organizer Stacie
Neldaughter described as "a dream come true."
Organizers last September were not prepared
for the degree of hostility their first-ever march
would generate in the residents of this blue-
collar, predominantly Catholic city. They also
had not anticipated that once onlookers began
to vent their hatred, members of the city's police
force would prove reluctant to get involved.
"There was a police officer in the crowd,"
recalled organizer Ginny Lynns, "but he failed
to respond to any of this.”
Nevertheless, march organizers wanted to
demonstrate that they were not cowed, and
scheduled a follow-up march. This time
around, however, they asked for help.
"People started talking about it everywhere
they went," Lynns said. The word-of-mouth
publicity, along with coverage in a number of
gay- and lesbian-oriented periodicals, resulted
in a turnout variously estimated between 400
and 800 participants, some of whom came from
as far away as California, New York, and
Georgia to lend their support.
Guest speaker Sue Hyde, Privacy Project
director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force (NGLTF), addressed listeners at a post
march rally, saying, "We challenge (Dubuque)
Mayor James Brady to realize that our sexuality
is not simply a private matter, especially when
he himself is quoted in the paper as saying, 'I
wouldn’t want to live next door to one.'
"Mayor Brady," Hyde continued, "we want
you to know that there is nothing private about
your public declaration of bigotry and hate."
She also challenged civic leaders to create
legal protection for the civil rights of all
Dubuque citizens, "Surely the events of last
year's march are evidence enough of the need
for basic protections for lesbians and gay
men," she said.
While hostility was still readily apparent
from some who attended, the situation was
under control this time around, Neldaughter
said. "A lot of people were verbally violent,
but it was nothing like last time."
She credited the police with greatly
improved response over the initial march.
Streets were blocked off so as to protect the
marchers, the police officers videotaped the
proceedings from a nearby rooftop. "And they
confiscated 16 eggs," Neldaughter added with
a laugh. More importantly, perhaps, one of the
onlookers who threw eggs at the first march
re-appeared this year and was taken into
custody by police, who, according to
Neldaughter, found that he was carrying a
concealed weapon.
Although she was delighted by the outcome
of this year's march, Neldaughter admitted that
Dubuque is still a very inhospitable place for
gay and lesbian citizens to live openly. "You
don't fit in unless you're closeted around here,"
she said.
Many of those closeted people were upset
by the marches and the resulting publicity, she
said. "The gay and lesbian community does
not appreciate us at all. A lot of them are
angry at us for doing it."
Hyde agreed that the situation in Dubuque
is far from ideal, adding that Neldaughter and
Lynns were "quite brave to have organized
this," but told Southern Voice she was
optimistic about the effects of this year's
march.
"I can't help but think that some minds in
Dubuque are changed today because of this
event," she said.
- David Tucker
A major insurance company is now offering a
new health care policy that would pay AIDS
benefits without requiring applicants to be tested for
the disease.
Golden Rule, an Indiana-based insurer, described
its new product during recent hearings held in
Washington by the President's Commission on
AIDS.
The policy provides AIDS benefits as long as no
signs of the disease appear during the first twelve
months of coverage. For cases appearing after the
first year, coverage goes up to $1 million. So far,
six states have approved the policy. They are
Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Vermont, Delaware and
North Dakota Talks are now underway with the
Florida Insurance Commission to determine if that
state will approve it Golden Rule will wait for the
outcome of those talks before applying in Georgia
The company has hired an activist lesbian who
has long been involved in civil rights work in
Indiana as an AIDS-legislative consultant
Marla Stevens, who says she started her career of
activism in Savannah and was run out by the Klan in
1977, works with the Indiana Civil Liberties Union
as head on-site lobbyist for its Gay and Lesbian
Task Force. She jokes claiming to be the first
lesbian ever hired by an insurance company because
she is a lesbian and an activist
Stevens told Southern Voice the idea for Golden
Rule's policy came from the company's chairperson,
Patrick Rooney. Rooney, she explains, is on the
Board of the ACLU in Indiana - an uncommon
cause for a major corporate executive. His
company, she says, "has a long history of doing the
right thing." When he heard about the devastating
effects of AIDS and medical coverage problems, he
decided to do something constructive, and this
policy was the result
She said that estimates are that approximately 30
percent of people who are infected with AIDS at the
time they purchase the policy will receive benefits.
That is, 70 percent would be excluded for exhibiting
symptoms during the first twelve months. Still, the
fact that Golden Rule will not screen applicants for
AIDS is raising eyebrows within the insurance
industry.
Most companies have instituted universal testing
for individual policies (group policies are still for the
most part unchanged) or, what is worse, many have
a peculiar style of selective testing where applicants
who appear to be in a high-risk group (i.e. "people
appearing to be gay") are either told to be tested, or
denied coverage. This is a clear violation of
industry guidelines against using sexual oricntaton
as a factor determining coverage.
The industry as a whole, not surprisingly,
opposes Golden Rule’s move. Stevens says they
want universal testing to be the norm and they
believe the company will "lose its shirt" with this
policy.
Reaction among AIDS groups has not been
totally positive, either. Some have criticized the
policy, saying it sets a negative precedent by not
covering 100 percent of insured people's AIDS care
costs. In response, Stevens points out that coverage
for everyone would make the premiums too
expensive for any AIDS coverage to be viable. In
addition, she explains, all policies have limitations
on pre-existing conditions. In this case, the one year
exclusion takes the place of the limitations, and
protects applicants from the serious gaps in
insurance confidentiality.
In her opinion, this is definitely a positive
development in the AIDS crisis.
Golden Rule, says Stevens, has been successful
with many innovative policies in the past The
company has remained profitable, taking in more
than $300 million in premiums last year. It bills
itself as the nation's largest underwriter of individual
medical insurance.
One of the reasons for their success is that they
emphasize cost containment That's why they think
they'll be able to offer AIDS coverage without
"losing their shirt" and with premiums no higher
than most other policies. In cutting costs, Stevens
says, they offer better care. They pay for home and
hospice care, trying to avoid the exorbitant costs of
hospital stays. They cover AZT and other AIDS
drugs. "They try to keep patients healthy, which is
better for everyone."
Stevenson would not predict the outcome of the
application with Florida's insurance authorities, but
reiterated that if approal is received, the outlook for
approval in Georgia is pretty bright -F.G.
Heartbeat
Continued From Page 11
she's the one.' Tm a little rebellious so my reaction was
to keep things as mysterious as possible." Hecht was
also anrily questioned by a grip about lesbians. He
wanted to know "What they're all about," and What do
they warn." Hecht believes his anger comes from a lack
of understanding which she believes "Heartbeat" can
change if given a chance to stay on the air. "Maybe if
people see it more, on television and in the rest of the
media, they might get a better understanding of the
situation and be less frightened and angry," she said.
Hecht staled she had no problem as a straight woman
playing the role of a lesbian in a romantic relationship.
"Love is love," she said. "Anytime I play a role where I
am involved with someone, whether it's Robert Redford
or Gaif I personalize them. I substitute someone in my
life for the other actor so I can call up the feelings.
There's no difference. It is what it is." That's ev irdent in
Hecht's performance. She is excellent in her role and
comes off a bit more believable than Strickland.
I asked Hecht if she knew of any openly gay or
lesbian actors in film or television. She stated that she
didn't, that being open means sure career suicide. "They
can’t be open and get a variety of jobs," she said. Hecht
stated she knows lesbians who are "some of the hottest,
sexiest women you’ll ever see." But if they are open, she
says, they will not be given roles that require than to be
in a love relationship with a male. 'T wouldn't encourage
lesbians to be out in this business," she said. "It would
greatly limit their casting You're stereotyped anyway.
It's the nature cf the business."
"Heartbeat is a mixed bag. The writing and acting are
uneven with the exception of the lesbian segments. In its
attempt to be the medical version of "LA Law",
"Heartbeat" falls short. It's choppy and loses its impact
because it tries to include too many stories and too many
characters in sixty minutes. And the people are just too
too pretty and polished and "good", fm sorry, but I find it
awfiilly difficult to believe that there can be that many
beautiful wonderful people in one medical center.
But we need "Heartbeat". We need it as a good first
step toward introducing lesbians and gays on prime time
TV. The general educational benefits are tremendous.
TV is the only way, unfortunately, to reach millions of
"typical" Americans. And just think cf the personal
benefits to be derived from this show. Your parents,
your employers and your co-workers are likely to watch
if it is carried into the new season. Wouldn’t it be nice,
for a change, for someone else to carry a bit of
responsibilty for education other than us? It could pave
the way somewhat It's a nice thought - and it's about
time.
If you want to see "Heartbeat" in the new season you
need to let ABC know. Hecht says every letter is read
and we need to write in for support to counter and
outweigh the negative responses ABC is sure to receive.
Write to: ABC Entertainment, "Heartbeat”, 2040
Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA, 90067.
-Christina Cash
Southern Voice would like to thank Atlantan Robin
Cohn for arranging the interview with Ms. Hecht.
Robin had an inside line - Hecht is her aunt.
It Isn’t Easy Being Green
But knowing who to talk to makes a big difference.
We understand your concerns. You don't need to have a problem
to come in for information, a check up, or expert advice about
staying healthy.
Our job is to keep you in bloom. And we know how. Call us. Soon.
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