Newspaper Page Text
BO CENTS
'the news monthly
for southern gays
SEPTEMBER 1975
Voi. 2 No. 8
GA Y HARASSMENT CHARGES
AIRED A T CITY HALL
NATIONAL NOTES
Atlanta’s Community
Relations Commission (CRC)
was the scene of another
confrontation between
Atlanta’s gay citizens and
Atlanta’s vice-squad. Despite
repeated expressions of
support from Public Safety
Commissioner Eaves, Mayor
Maynard Jackson and the
CRC for the basic civil rights
of gay people. Atlanta’s vice
squad armed with a vicious
new anti-gay city ordinance
have arrested scores of gay
citizens in Piedmont Park
and on Cypress Street.
A large number of gay
citizens packed the second
floor of city hall to voice their
grievances concerning the
new law. CRC Commissioner
Bill Smith introduced three
proprosals into the agenda of
the commission meeting: 1)
A resolution urging city
council to repeal the six
month old ordinance; 2) A
comprehensive investigation
of the municipal court system.
The restive crowd waited
through a discussion of
Atlanta’s garbage woes
before the, Smith
memorandum came before
the commission.
The commission briefly
discussed the memorandum
before calling upon the
general public for comments.
Several citizens made strong
pleas for immediate action by
the commission. Steve Parks,
an organizer of the North
Carolina Triangle Gay
Alliance before moving to
Atlanta and becoming in
volved in the Atlanta gay
community gave a rather
impassioned plea for positive
and immediate action by the
commission, closing with
Bela Abzug’s now famous pun
made as she introduced the
“sexual orientation’’
amendment to the 1964 Civil
HUD CONCILIA TION
EFFORTS FAIL
MACON, „ GA U.S.
Department of Housing and
Urban Development (Region
IV out of Atlanta) has
decided on behalf of well-
known Gay couple Dr. Louie
Crew and Mr. Ernest Clay.
The two *j|led with HUD in
August 19$L after a Macon
realtor, Baxter E vans &
Company, reneged on a
security deposit to provide a
lease on the same terms
provided for all other
apartment occupants. Bet
ween the time of the deposit
and the time of occupancy the
realtor had learned that the
couple is Gay and is racially
integrated.
When the couple showed up
to move in, they were told
they could not rent on any
terms. After HUD made a
call on their behalf, the
realtor fearfully backed down
to the point of offering them a
lease with additional clauses
added, to the effect that they
could never have been
arrested or convicted of any
crimes, clauses that HUD
later discovered were not a
part of the leases signed by
other tenants before or after
the episode. Crew and Clay
refused to occupy on these
threatening terms and filed
complaint.
During the year-long in
vestigation, THE MACON
HERALD ran a front-page
article attacking the couple
for their work is founding
INTEGRITY, the national
organization of Gav
Episcopalians. In an effort to
Rights Action” It is time that
gay people enjoy the fruits of
a free society.”
The commission voted to
appoint a three person
committee to draft a
statement to Atlanta’s city
council concerning the idling
and loitering ordinance after
a lengthy discussion of the
whole chapter of Atlanta’s
city code on crimes against
the public morality.
The commission then
moved to the second point of
the memorandum. CRC
chairperson, Dr. Randolph
Continued on page 13
“justify” their “criminal
clause” added to the lease,
the firm Baxter Evans &
Company filed a copy of this
article with HUD, not
knowing that the couple had
informed HUD investigators
of their Gaeity from the
beginning. As the two have
never been convicted of the
felony they commit regularly
in the sanctity of their home,
technically the realtor’s
claim amounts to a
defamation of character.
Nevertheless, HUD’s ef
forts at conciliation failed
ADVOCATE
Continued on page 13
A R TICLE DR A WS FIRE
The September loth issue of
The Advocate carried an
article on Atlanta.
“Hotlanta” by Charles Morel
indicated that Atlanta Mayor
Maynard Jackson and Public
Safety Commissioner Eaves
were anti-gay. The article
also stated that Jackson and
Eaves had conspired with
Fulton Solicitor General
Henson McAluffee to harrass
gay bars and bookstores.
A press aide to Mayor
Jackson was shocked by the
story. CRC Commissioner
Bill Smith stated ’“the ar
ticle’s author is obviously not
in touch with what is hap
pening politically in Atlanta.
The idea of an Eaves,
Jackson and McAluffee
alliance is pure foolishness.”
Atlanta MCC assistant
minister Jim Snow was
surprised by the article’s
content.
The Advocate’s editor, John
Preston, stated that “The
Advocate will stand by its
writers.”
KEY WEST, FL. The NAVY
confirmed on August 25 it had
conducted an investigation of
eight service women
suspected of being lesbians
and that two had agreed to
general discharges. Another
1 two of the young women have
I told newsmen that their civil
| rights had been violated and
| that they would fight to stay
in the service. The plans of
the other four were not
disclosed.
BOSTON U. S. Senator Fred
Harris (Dem. - Okla.) an
announced candidate for
president in 1976 has come out
for gay rights. Harris made
his announcement at a
convention of the National
Women’s Political Caucus
stating that “I fully support
all legislation to end
discrimination based on
sexual preference.” The
NWPC also passed two pro
gay rights resolutions.
MARCHALL, MN., Yellow
Springs, Oh., Santa Barbara,
Ca. and Austin, Tex., became
the latest cities to provide
employment protection for
gay people. The Yellow
Springs ordinance bans
discrimination in em
ployment, public ac
comodations and housing; the
other cities cover em*
ployment only.
WASHINGTON, D.C. the
Bicentennial Conference on
Gays and the Federal
Government will be held in D.
C. during Columbus Day
weekend (October 10-14). The
central theme of the con
ference is “the many ways by
which the federal govern
ment affects the lives of
America’s 20 million gay
women and men.” For
registration information
write:, GAA, Box 2554,
Washington, D. E. 20013.
BOSTON - 16 Mass, state’
legislators recently
telegraphed President Ford
asking* him to realize the
“immediate necessity of
changing provisions of the U.
S. Military Code” and to
“recognize that sexual
preferences have no bearing
on an individuals ability to
capably perform their
duties.” A spokesman for the
Director of Military Per
sonnel replied that “The
homosexual person is con
sidered Unacceptable for
military service” because
’’the Department of the Army
has an obligation to provide
young men and women in the
army with the most
wholesome and healthful
environment possible.”
HOUSTON - The Chief
Accountant of Harris
County (Houston) Texas has
declared his homosexuality.
Gary J. Van Ooteghem who
controlled the $200 million
financial accounts for the
county was inspired by the
public declaration of Sgt.
Leonard Matlovich who
recently ' gained national
attention (and the cover of
Time magazine) by his
Coming out. Van Ooteghem
who lost his highly paid job
for his actions has vowed to
become active in the gay
rights struggle.
SANT CRUZ, CA. - Santa
Cruz County became the first
county in the U.S.A. to
prohibit discrimination
against gay people in em
ployment. The ordinance was
passed onJuly 15.
NEW YORK - Lesbian
Feminist Liberation an
nounced that it has completed
the first in a series of
meetings with editors of MS.
magazine. LFL’s main ob
jective was to encourage
better coverage of lesbians,
in MS. Further meetings are
planned and LFL is asking
input from gay women across
the country. Write LFL, Box
243, Village Station, New
York, N.Y. 10014.
WASHINGTON,D.C. the U S.
Air Force now has two openly
gay segeants to contend with.
Staff Sgt. Rudolph S. (Skip)
Keith an aircraft main
tenance specialist at Dover
(Del) Air Force Base
discussed his sexual orien
tation before a group at a
race relations semininar on
May 23. Keith, a black man,
said that “for the Air Force
to discharge me for being gay
would make about as much
sense as discharging
someone for having green
eyes.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The
Defense Department is
quietly abandoning its long
standing policy against
permitting gay people to hold
security jobs for defense
related jobs in private in
dustry according to gay
activist Fank Kamey. The
pentagon has dropped it
appeal in the case of Otis F.
Tabler, who last December
was allowed to retain his
secret level security
clearance by a hearing
examiner in the defense
Department’s Administrative
Clearance Review System.
The department was bowing
to “sociologial realities”
according to a pentagon
spokesman.