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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.