The Barb. (Atlanta, Ga.) 197?-197?, February 01, 1975, Image 1
Vol. 2, No. i PUBLISHED IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA 25 cents TULANE GAYS TO SUE UNIVERSITY On January 17, 1975, the ACLU of Louisiana filed suit on behalf of both the associated Student Body of Tulane University and the Tulane University Gay Students’ Union against Tu lane University and the Di rector of Charity Hospital in order to enjoin Tulane University from refusing to grant The TU-GSU offi cial University recognition. The TU - GSU is a group of homosexual, bisexual, and heterosexual students at Tulane University and since its organization on or about October 14, 1972 has continuously sought official university recogni- tion and has been continu ously denied such recogni tion. The TU-GSU was “provisionally approved” by the Associated Student Body and the University Senate Committee on Stu dent Affairs, but through out the academic year of 1972-73 the TU-GSU was denied meeting space in the University Center con trary to the rights of such provisionally approved stu dent organizations. On or about February 1974, the University Senate Commit tee on Student Affairs voted to approve permanent re cognition of the TU-GSU, but later in April the Uni versity Senate voted to deny such permanent recogni tion. The suit filed by the ACLU of Louisiana chal lenges the denial of uni versity recognition on se veral different theories. Basically, it contends that the rights to freedom of speech and assembly of both the ASB and the TU-GSU have been violated. On one theory the petition asserts that the decision of the University Senate was in fact coerced by certain ad ministrators and university officials. Such alleged coercion and influence con stitutes ' a conspiracy to deny plantiffs their consti tutional rights violative of 42 U.S.C. 1985 (3). As a result of such deprivation, each plaintiff has prayed for damages in the amount of $15,000. Second, the lawsuit as serts that the actions of the defendants < constitute a violation of the First and Fou rteenth Amendment rights of the plaintiffs vio lative of 42 U.S.C. 1983. Thus, plaintiffs have re quested the court to issue an injunction prohibiting Tulane University from its continued denial of univer sity recognition of the TU- GSU. Third, the plaintiffs have additionally requested the court to enjoin Charity Hos pital from its continued permission to allow Tulane University to use its faci- ities. Petitioners contend such use of facilities actu ally enhances the attrac tiveness of the University as an educational institu tion and has in fact gen erated capital savings to such university. Plaintiffs assert that such use con stitutes an impermissible action on behalf of the state ascribing to it the discrim inatory actions of Tulane in its refusal to recognize the TU-GSU. The plaintiffs in this law suit contend that this is not a situation where a group of homosexuals seek to use university facilities to en gage in unlawful acts. Ra ther, it is a situation where a group of male and female students, some of whom are homosexual, bisexual or The Miami police vice officers were confronted by an unidentified caller on a recent radio talk show aired on WKAT radio. The subject of the show was prostitution; Responding to a question about male prostitution, the officers said they ar rested men dressed as women engaged in prostitution, but didn’t say if they ar rested males in general* The caller, who said he was “in the entertainment business”, asked the of ficers if the alleged rape of a young female prosti tute oy six or so Miami police officers was an iso lated incident. Two of the officers were convicted of “conspiracy to perform Cover Photo The Barb’s stud of the month is Ray Scarborough. Ray is 5’8”, has brown hair, weighs 148 lbs., and is 23 years old. He is the 1974 Mr. Onyx Lounge in heterosexual, have through non-violent and normal uni versity channels sought to form an organization with faculty supervision to en gage in constitutionally protected assembly and speech. Plaintiffs assert that a university may not wield unrestricted power in deal ing with students. It is not the prerogative of college officials to impose their own preconceived notions and ideals on the campus by . choosing among pro posed organizations pro viding access to some, and denying a forum to those with which they do not agree. The vigilant pro tection of constitutional freedoms is nowhere more important than in the com munity of American uni versities. Teachers and students must always re main free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and un derstanding, otherwise our civilization will stagnate and die. unnatural acts.” The vice officers said they knew a- bout the case but it was an isolated one. The caller then asked if the officers knew anything about “rumors being spread all over Miami” that police officers were routinely forcing female impersona tors to engage in sex acts with them under threat of arrest. The officers said they didn’t know anything about it. The caller then asked if homosexuality was illegal in Florida, and the police said they didn’t ar rest Gays unless prostitu tion was involved or of ficers were solicited for sex acts. The caller then asked if there were any homosexual officers on the police force, but this ques tion went unanswered. Atlanta, and in 1973 held the titles of Mr. Mad Laura’s and Mr. Potpourri. In At lanta, he is working for a local jewelry company and as a light technician for the- Cove. He is planning drama school and hopes to pursue a career in the theatre. Vice Officers Confronted On Miami Radio Show ★★★ NATIONAL NOTES ★★★ Portland - By a vote of 3-2 , the city council, of Portland Oregon voted to ban discrimination in the hiring of city employees. The resolution authorizes the city’s personnel de partment to investigate all complaints on the basis of sexuai orientation in all city employment. warded a resolution by its Council on Mental Health that would put the AMA on record as being opposed to laws that would restrict “private sexual behavior between two consenting adults” to its Board of Trustees for further dis cussion. Detroit - The Priests Senate of the Detroit Cat holic archdiocese has de clared its support of the full civil rights of Gay people. The gay rights resolution, approved 18-0, declares its - support of gay equality in areas such as jobs, housing govern mental service and the rearing of children. Minneapolis - The U. S. Internal Revenue Service has disallowed the claim of gay activists Jack Baker and J. Michael McConnel the right to file their in come tax returns jointly as a married couple, despite their marriage in 1971 by a United Methodist Mini ster. Boston - By a vote of 12-11 the Board of Trus tees of the Unitarian- Uni- versalist Association has rebuffed its president and voted to open a church office of gay concerns with a budget of $38,000 a year. San Francisco - The Cali fornia Department of Motor Vehicles has been ordered in a unanimous decision by a three judge court of appeals to explain why it has denied a license plate reading “GAY LIB” to gay activist Dick Gayer. The judges questioned how the term “Gay Lib” could be call in bad taste and indecent when the DMV has issued plates reading “BALLS” “PUSSY” “HORNEY” and “CHINK.” Boston - The Gay Stu dents Organization at the University of New Hamp shire has secured a favor able decision from theU.S. Court of Appeals regard ing the right of the group to hold social functions on the campus. In response to the Boston ruling, New Hampshire Gov. Meldrim Thompson. n said- that the court’s decision “doesn’^ mean the battle is over by any means-and you can emphasize that latter point.” Portland - The American Medical Association for Grinnell, I A, - Gay people committed to an ecologi cally-orientated rural life style are beginning a cam paign against alleged anti- gay polices of Mother Earth News, one of the major publications in the country living field. The policy of Mother Earth _ News, a bi-monthly, came to light when it refused to run a listing in the “Positions and Situations” column informing people about R. F. D. a rural orientated quarterly pub lished by gay men here. The magazine told R.F.D. that it would not run list ings for gay people be cause “many of our readers are not young, hip, open-minded folks, but are little old ladies in tennis shoes.” Santa Barbara, CA - County Board of Education member Gary Hess recent ly announced his gayness and his candidacy for re- election in an open letter to the board. Promising not to use his board seat as “a platform for gay liberation” Hess said: “Should an opposing can didate make a campaign issue of my private self, I would respond simply that my sexual orientation has nothing to do with my ability to serve effectively as a board member.” E. Lansing, MI - A women’s collective, Ambitious A- mazons, is publishing a free national newsletter for gay women, the Lesbian Connection. Subscribers, news information, opinion and donations are being solicited by the Collective. The address of the Lesbian Connection is: Ambitious Amazons, P.O. Box 811, E. Lansing, MI 488823. CHECK OUR CLASSIFIED ADS