Newspaper Page Text
Taking Pride in Our Culture
Racism
topped the Lesbian
Agenda during the
Atlanta Conference.
Religion
Church
has too strong a pull
for some gay people to
leave altogether.
13
Celebrate
Mother’s Day
is particularly sweet
for gay kids whose
moms stand by them.
15
Advisors, Activists Wait on Action from Jackson
by KC Wildmoon
Atlanta-The Mayor's Senior Advisors from the
lesbian/gay community reacted with "cautious optimism"
following a meeting with Maynard Jackson on April 30,
although other local activists' reaction to the meeting
could best be termed "cautious pessimism."
Mayor Jackson and advisors Joan Gamer, Jay Neely,
and Maury Weil met for an hour and a half, following
weeks of pressure from activists and a letter from the
advisors telling the mayor "he needs to get on with it."
"We told him in that letter that we've waited long
enough. Let's sit down and address these issues," said
Neely. "It's time for him to move forward or there will be
irreparable damage."
Some activists say the damage has already been done.
"As far as I'm concerned the door with Maynard is shut,"
commented Queer Nation's Lynn Cothren. "It may not be
locked, but it is definitely shut."
During the meeting, the advisors reiterated that the les
bian/gay community was growing more impatient with
the mayor's inaction on both his lesbian/gay platform and
the administrative order he issued in June 1990. The
meeting centered around four key issues, as well as com
plaints about Jackson's refusal to attend Gay Pride for the
second year in a row.
On Domestic Partnership, Jackson delegated responsi
bility to the advisors. "He told them to develop a policy
and we'll run with it," said the mayor's staff liaison to the
gay community, Sue Ellen CrossLea. Advisor Joan
Gamer said she feels "good about that. I think we'll get
something done."
On hiring an openly gay staff person, the mayor once
again promised to do so. "There will be a significant
announcement on that in 30-60 days," said Jay Neely.
The mayor promised to convene a meeting of all par
ties and organizations concerning housing for PWAs. The
responsibilities of that meeting will be to define the goal,
name a steering committee, and come up with a plan to
assist PWAs who need housing.
Of most concern with both activists and advisors is the
increasingly strained relationship between the gay com
munity and the police department. "I have given (Chief
Eldrin Bell) direct instructions as to what needs to be
done stylistically, substantively, and proceedurally," the
mayor told the advisors. "I've let him know that this is
the number one priority of the gay and lesbian communi
ty." The mayor also requested that staff liaison CrossLea
and the city's Executive Officer John Reid meet with
Chief Bell to go over those instructions. At press time
that meeting had not been scheduled.
All three advisors expressed reservations about
improving relations with Chief Bell. "(Chief Bell) sees
himself as gay/lesbian positive," said advisor Maury Weil.
"But most of us haven’t come away with that feeling.
There's a large gap between those views."
"I want to reserve the right to talk about Eldrin Bell,"
commented Joan Gamer. "The mayor was adamant in
standing behind him, but I want to hear publicly from
Eldrin, or see a statement from him. And that would be
just a step."
Local activist Cathy Woolard, president of the Lesbian
and Gay Rights Chapter of the ACLU, was less encour
aged. "I think the mayor is in a difficult position with
Eldrin Bell as chief of police. There's a serious problem
with his lack of cooperation. I don't see at this point how
we're going to get a serious change in that behavior."
See page 5
HRCF's Steve Endean
is One Tough Cookie
Jim Marks
Steve Endean's grassroots and practical approach spawned HRCF's highly
successful Speak Out program. Speak Out will sign up 75,000 people this year
to send messages to congresspeople on lesbian, gay and AIDS legislation.
by Jim Marks
F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous observa
tion that there are no second acts in
American lives often seems tragically true
in the gay and lesbian community, which
has had a ferocious tendency to consume
its leaders. Harry Hay founded the first
modern gay organization, Mattachine
Society, in November 1950; he was
purged from its ranks in May of 1953.
As the exception to the rule, consider
Steven Endean. Six years ago he was
ousted as head of the now defunct Gay
Rights National Lobby (GRNL), and the
Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF),
both organizations he founded, in as bruis
ing and messy a public battle as the
national gay community has seen. Yet for
two and a half years he's been back at the
Campaign Fund, where he runs HRCF's
field operations and directs the first suc
cessful effort to generate gay constituent
mail to the nation's lawmakers, HRCF's
Speak Out Program.
Square and blocky, 43 year old Endean
has the energy of a man half his age. One
can see how some people could find him a
little disconcerting. Endean has a kind of
roll-up-his-sleeves, one-of-the-boys,
poker-playing macho swagger. At the
same time, one can't help noticing that a
large number of the women on the mostly
white male HRCF staff seem to be in the
field division: national canvass manager
Cathy Nelson of the Speak Program;
National Field Manager Tacie Dejanikus,
Southeast Coordinator Cathy Woolard,
and Midwest Coordinator Laurie Dittman
(who has just left HRCF for a Chicago
based gay organization).
But two characteristics are key to
Endean's personality. Washington, D.C.
Corporation Council lawyer Tom Bastow,
an Endean loyalist, says, "Steve has got
two things: he's very knowledgeable
about practical politics, about what's new
and what works. And he is incredibly
persistent against all odds." No theorist,
Endean loves to talk poll numbers and
voting records, and peppers his speech
with his slogans, punching out the phrase
that participants in Speak Out can "make a
difference" at least a dozen times in a thir
ty minute chat. Vic Basile was Endean's
successor at HRCF, and it's no secret that
Basile was not Endean's choice for the
job. Yet five years later, Basile brought
Endean back into the Campaign Fund:
Endean, he says, is "a very tenacious guy."
Practical politics, and Endean's persis
tence, in almost equal measure got the
Speak Out program off the ground. After
GRNL, Endean left gay politics for the
first time in his adult life, and went to
work for organized labor. He wasn't,
Bastow recalls, happy. "I did some soul
searching," Endean says, "and asked, what
am I supposed to be doing in life? The
answer kept coming back, working on gay
and lesbian civil rights." About this time
he heard about a new political wrinkle
which he thought would solve a major
problem in gay political life.
Six years ago, no one was under any
illusions that the gay and lesbian commu
nity needed to influence Federal legisla
tion. HRCF was beginning to raise signif
icant amounts of money to give
Congressional candidates. Although the
demise of GRNL had reduced the com
munity's lobbying ability, there were a
number of gay people who worked with
HRCF to present the gay case on many
issues, especially AIDS, while Jeff Levi at
NGLTF was also influencing the content
of legislation and dealing with the bureau-
See page 19