Newspaper Page Text
the news monthly
for southern gays
25 CENTS
JULY, 1975
VOL 2 NO 6
RAIN DAMPENS NEW YORK
GAY PRIDE PARADE
NATIONAL NOTES
An estimated 45 to 55 thousand
men and women marched in New
York’s 5th annual Christopher
•Street Commeration Day Parade^.
Cloudy skies and legal hassels '
from a Lutheran Church near the
parade formation site detures few
of the marchers. The churchy
located on Christopher St. in the
Village, had sought to prevent the
parade’s formation in the portion
of Christopher St. in front of the
Church. Hundreds of New York
police officers surrounded the
front of the church as the parade
participants lined up Sunday
accross the street from the
church.
The march was lead by a full
range of gay Qiurch groups
dressed in everything from basic
black to flowing robes of gold and
purple. One prominate New York
clergyman was carried the length
of the parade in a golden hassock.
Eastern gay political and social
organizations; from Baltimore to
Toronto participated with banners
and floats. New York’s Village
leather bars organized several
beautifull floats including one
with a live band and a flawless
sound system _to accompany the
dancing matchers on their four
hour trek to Central Park.
As the parade Wound its way
into Central Park “Mama Jean”,
Chairperson of the Christopher
Street Committee, welcomed
them to the bark and the high
point of New York’s Gay Pride
Week ‘75 Celebration. Sally
Eaton, of the Broadway play
“Hair”, started the afternoon’s
schedule of entertainment. As
Eaton’s performance began so
did the rain. A two minute drizzle
was followed by a two. hour
torrent that scattered the
assembled marchers and shut
down the parks sound system ,
A small brave and throughly
soaked crowd remained as a few
speakers and one band attempted
to carry on with the show. The
lack of a sound system virtually
shut down the remaining portion
of the parade’s schedule of
speakers and entertainment.
The parade *s solidarity was
also marred by the Stonewall
Committee’s counter march,
protesting bar owner’s par
ticipation in the celebration and!
the refusal of a significant
number of lesbian feminists to
participate. A number of gay
CIVIL SERVICE
COMMISSION RULES
ON GAY RIGHTS
The U.S. Civil Service Com
mission July 3rd -reversed its
long standing policy toward .
homosexuals by issuing new rules
that ban federal employment
discrimination against them.
Under the new rules, which
must be followed by most
government departments and
agencies, homosexuals may not
be refused civilian federal em
ployment, nor fired front a federal
job solely on the basis of their
sexual preference. '
Homosexuals were not*
specifically barred from the
federal civil service under the old
rules. However, Joseph Oglesby,
a Civil Service Commission
spokesman, said “in effect, if
they were known” as
homosexuals, “they were barred
and, if caught, removed.”
The rules, issued on behalf of,
the commission by Barnard
Rosen, its executive director, do
not apply to such federal em
ployees as the FBI, Foreign
Service or Central Intelligence
Agency, which have their own
employment systems separate
from the civil service.
Carl Goodman, deputy general
counsel of the commission, said
the decision to issue the new rules
resulted from a recent California
deral court- decision thati
women celebrated on Christopher
Street the day before the mass
parade with a parade and rally.
The parade attracted ‘a wicle
range of non-gay support groups.’
Despite the rain and break-away
groups the celebration evidenced
a high level of unity among the
widely diversified gay com
munity.
Parade leaders and many gay
spokes persons throughout the
country were dismayed over the
lack of coverage by local and
national media sources of such a
large riumbetof people marching
in support of gay civil rights,
“The torrential rains occurred
at the parade’s end” stated on
Christopher Street Committee
member, “and can be no excuse
for not covering- 50,000 people*
marching in Support of gay civil
rights for four hours in dry
weather.”
stopped foe government “from,
finding a person disqualified for
federal employment solely on the
basis of homosexual conduct.” 1
Other court decisions in recent
years have tended to take that
position, Goodman explained.
Until yesterday, howeve^, the
commission interpreted the court
decisions to apply only to the
Continued oh Page 14
COVER PHOTO:
TONY ROMANO
Mr. Tony Romano is the
winner of the first annual Mr. Gay
Atlanta Contest. A native of New’
York City, dark, handsome Tony
is a Sagittarian, born on
December 6th. Tony came to
Afianta to attend college and
received his master in English
Literature.
Being on center stage is
nothing hew to Tony as he
traveled for two years with the
“Stage Door Review,’’ as the lead
singer and Master of Ceremonies
for the‘show when it toured the
USA, Canada and the Bahamas,
Tony has won many friends and
admirers with charming^
manners and sparkeling per-*
sonality as he has. served as
DisJockey at the Cove, Bayoui
Landing and now at Sweet Gum
Head.
. , “I’d like to thank everyone whej
gave me their support in •"this;
contest. No, I won’t be running
around trying to win ’em all but
will try to represent Atlanta in the
best way I can. If it means
another contest I’ll go....Gotta
live up to the title.”
With his good looks and ex
cellent singing voice , Tony hope?
to return to the theatre, singing
and dancing, or become a model.
He’ll consider any offer ....in
these fields. He has plenty of
those of the other kind. Any field
that you go into Tony we say
CONGRATULATIONS and the
BEST. We love you and keep ’em
spinning.
SANTA FE, N.M. Sex acts
between consenting, adults in
private will no longer be illegal in
New Mexico beginning July 1.
Sodomy sections of the penal code
were repealed during this years ’ s
legislative session and signed by ,
the governor on April 3. New
Mexico becomes the tenth state to
eliminate penalties for sexual acts
between Consenting adults in
private, joining California,
Oregon, Colorado, North Dakota,
’Hawaii, Illinois, Ohio, Delaware
,and Connecticut.
LOS ANGELES - The recently
passed state bill allowing sexual
acts between consenting adults in
private is in danger.of being
repealed. A group composed
mainly of fundamentalist
Christian religious groups,
Coalition of Concerned Christians
is attempting to force a state wide
vote on the issue. If the Coalition
succeeds in obtaining the
required number of names, the
repeal measure will be on the
Uuqe, 1976 ballot.
OLYMPIA, WA. The state
supreme court here ruled that a
public school teacher cannot be
dismissed solely on the grounds
of homosexuality. “A prepon
derance of evidence” the court
said, “must be presented to show
that a person’s homosexuality
impairs efficiency as a teacher.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. A U.S,
District Court has ruled that the
state prison ban on Metropolitan
Community Church services is
unconstitutional. The court ruled
that the California Department of
Corrections cannot continue, its
ban unless it can prove that the
gay church services constitute a.
“clear and present danger” to
the “good order” of the persons
involved. The-court held that the
MCC is a bonafide church, and
that the ban violates, con
stitutional guarantees of freedom
of religion.
ST. PAUL, MN. Gay minnesotans .
.suffered a second major defeat
May 20 when the Minnesota
senate rejected an attempt to
repeal the state’s sodomy law for
consenting 'adults., Earlier att*'
•tmpts to enact a gay civil rights
bill into law was defeated.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. Sen.
Henry “Scoop” Jackson (D-WA)
and avowed candidate for
president in 1976 has stated in a
newspaper interview here that “I
lam not about to give into gay
liberation and codify into law the
business of homosexuality/,. It is
the beginning of a breakdown of
society. It. strikes at the heart of
family life and I’m not about to
encourage this sort of thing, -y
.This is the way civilizations
crumble. The logical end of
homosexuality is the end of the
human race.. .”
SEATTLE, WA. The Mayor .of
this city has refused to proclaim a
city wide Gay Pride Week calling
the concept, “inappropriate and
counterproductive.” As a result
of the statement, the Seattle
Women’s Commission has voted
to inform the mayor that he was
being “insensitive.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. Fifty gay
public school teachers here have
united under a Gay Teacher’s
Coalition banner and are
demanding equal rights before
the city’s board of Education. The
Coalition has been denied use of
the monthly school newsletter
and has been left out of a board
adopted resolution calling for
nondiscrimination in the hiring
and advancement of women and
numerous minorities.
MACON, GA. An NBC affiliate
station here, WCWV-TV invited
Dr. Louie Crew, founder of
Integrity, a gay Episcopal group
to appear on a regular basi/ on
their weekly program, “With
Middle Georgia Ministers” in 1
which various ministers answer
questions sent in by listeners
about problems they are having.
Dr., Crew is a lay person add a
professor at Ft. Valley State
Teachers College.
Pittsburgh a reader poll in
the United Methodist Reporter
uncovered the fact that 47.4% of
the 8,610 UMR reader responding
want to . replace the United)
Methodist stand on gay people
with one which “expresses the
churches disapproval of A
homosexual lifestyle in stronger
terms.” The readers also
overwhelmingly took ^ standi
against the ordination of gaji
ministers with 95% checking oft
an absolute “No” on the
question. The Methodist position
on gays approves of civiL rights
for homosexuals, • hud consider^
the practice of homosexuality as
incompatible with christ tin
teaching.
FT. DEVEN, MA. Challenges tni
the U. S. Armed Forces policy
against retaining homosexuals obi
continuing. In audition to the
much publicized legal battle of
Sgt. Leonard Matlovich
(U.S.A.F.) against his impending
discharge, two WAC’s PFC
Barbera Randolph and PV2
Debbie Watson decided to tell
officials that they are lovers
because of increased harassment
and fear at the base since the
arrival of the new commanding
officer several montits ago. They
are appealing their discharge, fat
addition, Gary Hess, a college
professor and member of the
Santa Barbera. (CA) Board of
Education had legally challenged
his dismissal. after twenty two
years service as a member of the
U.S.' Naval Reserve. Hess
dismissed as a result of his gay
activism.
