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SOUTHERN Moraitakis campaigns for gay and lesbian vote Page 6 VoL 1, No. 11 Taking Pride in Our Culture July 21,1988 Klan Not Allowed to March Riot police protect Neo-Nazi skinheads from an angry crowd at the site of the Democratic National Convention. Atlanta- Beginning with a raucous counter demonstration at the Georgia State Capitol, a coalition led by the All People's Congress, including the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP), Justice for Janitors and assorted self-proclaimed anarchists, stopped a planned march and rally by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups on Sunday aftemnon. As riot police were attempting to separate the two groups, Public Safety Commissioner George Napper issued a terse statment revoking the Klan's permits to march to the Free Speech site near the Democratic Convention site and to hold their scheduled rally there along with other white supremacist groups. Napper said he was determined to see that there was no "bloodshed on the streets of Atlanta." The exultant crowd of counter demonstrators then headed for the Free Speech site across from the Convention hall, where they took over the area. Upon learning that Richard Barrett, a Klan leader, was in their midst, the angry crowd turned on him in unison calling him a "yellow-bellied red neck." Although Barrett was shoved,grabbed at and spat upon, officers made no attempt to attest any of the crowd.Barrctt escaped the area when police officers dragged him across barricades to safety. Suddenly,nine members of the neo-Nazi skinheads circled the rally sight, heading away from the convention halls. The angry crowd intercepted and attacked the seven men and two women. The media and skinheads alike were pummeled by the mob in their attempt to snatch American flags away from the nine neo-Nazis. Shouting threats and obscenities, the crowd closed in and began spitting into the skinheads' faces while those on the outside edge of the mob Cont'd. Page 3 ;.Qam Gay Activist and AIDS Lobbyist Gil — _■ . - .. .. .... Ga. House District 404iimself. A strong talk with a convincing speaker. Page 13. men to complete the study. This second group of test subj D.C. things to see while you are there, but it also LEGAL Rally Draws 1,000 To Convention Site Atlanta-Dcspilc threats of confrontation by white supremacists, the rally sponsored by Atlanta-basal Legislate Equality for Gays and Lesbians (LEGAL) in the Free Speech Area of the Democratic Convention site took place Sunday afternoon without incident Approximately 1,000 people, over half of which were from the Atlanta area, braved a broiling Georgia sun to demonstrate their solidarity and commitment to gay and lesbian issues. Mindful of threats from the supremacists-whose rhetoric includes virulent homophobic cliches-LEGAL joined the Center for Democratic Renewal, a watchdog group that tracks and documents the white supremacist movement, in obtaining an injunction against the racists last Friday. The injunction, designed to reduce the threat of harm by the supremacists to others, prohibited the supremacists from carrying weapons or replicas of weapons and carefully proscribed their movements and actions during their protest On Friday, police spokesperson Sandra Blount dismissed the threat of disruption saying, "We don’t anticipate any trouble." Police officials could not be reached for comment Monday morning. With the threat of the supremacists eliminated, the LEGAL Rally lived up grandly to expectations. Speakers ranging from local activists to nationally recognized politicians received warm response from the crowd as they affirmed gay and lesbian pride and discussed their political agenda. "We have a very simple message," Gwen Craig, Co-chair of the Lesbian/Gay Caucus delegates in 1984 and emcee of the event, told the cheering throng. "Stop AIDS. Stop violence. Stop discrimination. This is America." Throughout the rally, buttons, stickers and leaflets were distributed through the crowd. By the end, nearly everyone present was wearing at least one "Silence = Death" sticker. In addition, lesbian/gay pride and Stop AIDS T-shirts were sold and banners floated brightly above the heads of the faithful. Fulton County Commission Chair Michael Lomax received a rousing welcome. He stressed the role the Democratic Party can play in bringing gay and lesbian issues to the political arena. Predicting victory for the Democrats in November, Lomax said the party will re-focus the attention of the nation on human issues. "All of us hope this week in Atlanta is the beginning of change in America," he said. "For the last eight years, human beings and the rights of human beings have been ignored." The one sour note of the day came when members of the crowd booed Connie Curry, commissioner of Atlanta's Department of Community Affairs, who was sent as an emissary from Mayor Andrew Young's office. Young was greeting Michael Dukakis at the airport and was unable to address the gathering, according to aides. Felicity quickly returned, however, when Pete Duttweiler, an aide to Councilmember Mary Davis, reminded everyone that Atlanta is one of only a few cities in the country in which it is illegal for the city to discriminate in employment matters on the basis of sexual orientation. Despite an effort to repeal the ordinance, it remains on the books, largely due to the united effort mounted by the gay and lesbian community against the repeal effort. Houston activist Ray Hill sounded a cautionary note for politicians who might take gay and lesbian votes for granted. "I predict," he said, "that in November, there will be many Democratic levers pulled by the people here today. But we are not through teaching Democrats to be sensitive to gay and lesbian issues." Senator Alan Cranston of California, a former presidential candidate and author of a bill to crack down on hate motivated crimes, promised more push for funding of AIDS research and more help for those who have been infected. He promised to press for faster approval of drugs that show promise in treatment and for access to those drugs for as many PWAs as possible. "Political action," he told the crowd, "will lead to more funding. More funding will lead to more medical action. And more medical Cont'd. Page 10 Attending Sunday's rally were (1-r) Palmer, Steve and Lamar Huff, acting as unofficial flag bearers. Photo by Pamela J. Cole