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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.