Newspaper Page Text
SO CENTS
the news monthly
for southern gays
Houston Gay
Endorsos Hofheinz
By Darryl Billiu
Houston - Houston infant Gay
Political Caucus has begun to
show its potential political
muscle. A massive voter
registration project headed by
GPC’s Keith McGhee has lead
the way to. Houston’s first
municipal election with gay input.
Activated by the coming out of
Harris County Comptroller Gary
Van Otingham the two month old
Gay Political Caucus registered
over 3,000 citizens.
The GPC had organized an
intense campaign of input into the
city government. On October 1st
GPC and other gay activists met
at houston’s Metropolitan
Community Church with Mayor
Fred Hofheinz. Hofheinz agreed
to the establishment of a liason
officer with the gay community.
He also pledged his support to
including “human sexuality”
courses in the police cadet
training program.
The GPC organized a Screening
Committee to question politicans
and recommend favorable
candidates. On October 8th the
caucus endorsed incumbent
Mayor Hofheinz for re-election.
In races for city council the caucus
endorsed:
Caucus
Houston Mayor Fred Hofheinz
District B: Judson Robinson
District C: Jim Whitmire
District D: Homer Ford
District E: Helen Hopkins
Sagal's Gay Gaidars Ralaasa
Governors Study
Philadelphia - Mark Segal’s
Gay Raider’s have released
preliminary result of a five month
study of U.S. Governor’s
positions on gay rights. The
survey was prompted by the Gay
.Raiders successful efforts with
Pennsylvania Governor Milton
Shapp. (Shapp issued an
executive; order prohibiting
discrimination- based on sexual
orientation on April 23,1975.)
The Raider’s preliminary
report concluded that “gays must
start to work on a state level.. .we
now see that state governments
can be moved and worked with.
Many state departments such as
Human Relations, Affirmative
Action and the State Justice
Department can be dealt with to
change theoppressive laws and
regulations that hold back
lesbians and gay men from
achieving a life-style without .
repression.” > ■- g;
Commenting oty the report ;
M^rk Segal staled that “If this
survey was done just a year ago, 1
don’t think we could have
received the replies that we have.
Governor’s as well. as almost
everyone are beginning to see the
gay community as it really is, not
as [the fictional character out of
the dark of the room as they had
believed. Gays have made many
intoads into society, but we jire
OPEN liTTERTO ATLANTA
October 1975
Vol 2 No 9
NATIONAL NOTES
The GPC also urged that gay
citizens cast no vote in the
unopposed candidacy of Frank
Mann.
just beginning. We have changed
the way the media has treated us
in the past, and in the future we
must make the elected officials
live up to their obligation to
protect the rights of all people.”
Several of the Governor’s have
stated, that they will ask their
legal staff to look into the
possibility of issuing an executive
order similar to the one that
Governor Shapp has issued.
Other Gov ernor ’ s state simply
that their state government does
not discriminate in hiring and
promotions in state employment,
while other governor’s state that
they will add “sexual orien
tation’ to their state affirmative
action program. Some of the
Governor’s believe that
legislation is the answer.
Continued on page 9
Each month we get many
letters and telephone calls asking,
“What can I do to help further
gay rights. Atlanta doesn’t have a
gay political organization.”
Time, ideas, hard work,
money, all in short supply, are
what you can provide. Money,
funds for a professional effort for
gay civil rights is the most crucial
need.
Atlanta gay business people
are ready to give. Elain Noble’s
October visit to Atlanta to speak
at the Southern Regional
Democratic Caucus is being
financed by Atlanta’s gay
business owners.
ariian
3uk,U
Business people are doing their
pant; what about you?
fjrhe next step is up to you. Its
going to cost you $1.00 each
mqnth. Participating lounges in
Atlanta, Macon, Columbus and
Chattanooga will be collecting a
$l,j()0 cover chargeon Wednesday,
November 12th. All funds
collected will go to organize and
operate the British Sterling
Memorial Fund.
■ v Vj
Tile fund will then be used to
begin an intensive lobbying
BOSTON, MA- Former Georgia
Governor and announced can
didate for the 1976 Democratic
Presidential nomination, Jimmy
Carter, has announced his
support for HR 5452, the federal
gay rights bill now in congress.
“I oppose all forms of
discrimination against individuals
including discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation. As
president, I can assure you that
all policies of the federal
government would reflect this
commitment to ending all forms
of discrimination,” Carter said.
NEW YORK, NY- The General
Welfare Committee of the New
York City Council voted 7 to 4
against the passage of the city’s
gay civil rights bill, Intro 554, to
the floor of the General Council. It
was the sixth time the bill has
been defeated.
DOVER,DE- Air Force Staff Sgt.
Rudolph S. (Skip) Keith, a black
jet engineer mechanic at Dover
Airforce Base who announced
that he was gay to a race relations
class, has been given an
honorable discharge. Keith is
expected to appeal the decision.
I1TTLE ROCK, AK- Arkansas
quietly repealed its sodomy laws
earlier this year as part of a
general criminal code revision.
The code revision was signed into
law by Govern David H. Pryor on
March 3 and goes into effect on
Jan. 1, 1976. The age of consent
for adults in private is 16.
BOSTON, MA ; - Senator Edward
M. Kennedy sent a written
protest to Acting Secretary of the
Army, Norman Augustine, on
behalf of two women whom the
military is trying to oust because
they are gay.
Sen Kennedy wrote the letter in
response to charges from the
American Civil Liberties Union
that discharge hearings in the
case of PFC. Barbara Randolph
and Pvt. Debbie Watson confine J
irregularities.
NEW YORK, NY- Gay
organizations throughput the
country are being asked by the
National Gay Task Force to sign
The “Montrose Circuit”
up for a new “gay media alert
network.”
The network will be “used to
consolidate and speed in
formational exchanges within the
gay community on broadcast
problems and issues of concern to
us.” according to a NGTF
release.
Interested organiations should
contact: Loretta Lotman, Media
Director, NGTF, 80 Fifth Ave.,
Rm., 506, New York, NY 10011.
DETROIT, MI- Men in the
nation’s fifth largest city have
won the right to dress any way
they want-even as a woman. A
Wayne County Circuit Court
judge has struck down as un
constitutionally vague Detroit’s
ordinance which prohibits males
from dressing in female clothing.
LOS ANGERLES, CA - Over the
strenuous objections of Chief Ed.
Davis, the city Civil Service
Commission ruled he must accept
homosexual police officers-but
they must be discreet
homosexuals. The commission
voted unanimously to approve ne
standards for police employment,
eliminating homosexuality alone
as grounds for rejection of ap
plicants or dismissal of officers
already on the force. Homosexual
officers however must be
regulated by the same moral
regulations as heterosexual of
ficers, the commission said.
SEATTLE,WA- Washington
courts may be handing down a
major decision soon supporting
the rights of gay youths to be
placed in gay foster homes.-
According to a lawyer in the case,
a legal victory is likely after two
state agencies recently lined up
behind a 16 year old with
“homosexual tendencies” who
previously had been denied
placement with a gay male
couple.'
WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S.
Senator Patrick J. Leahy (Dem)
and Rep. James M. Jeffords
(Rep.), Vermont congressmen,
recently announced that they both
intend to support HR 5452, the
federal gay rights bill.
Has°Moved
campaign for gay interests in city
state and federal legislative
areas.
November 12th will be a very
important night. If you participate
the fund will go, if you stay away
from your local lounge because of
the cover charge business people
will have no choice but to with
draw from the funding process.
Are you willing to give a dollar
for gay rights? Mark November
12th on your calendar and support
your favorite lounge as they try to
support you!