Newspaper Page Text
Mayor Stands Firm
Representatives of the American'" Civil .
Liberties Union, Atlanta Community Relations .
Commission, NAACP, aftd Southern Christian^
Leadership Conference surrounded . 'Atlanta ,
Mayor Maynard. Jackson as. he refused to with-'
draw the “Gay PrideDay Proclamation". '
' Seven anonymous Atlanta businessmen went
into Fulton County Superior Court Thursday and
Friday (June 24 & 25) in an attempt to force
Mayor.Jackson to withdraw the proclamation and
to halt the planned Gay Pride Week.March.-
Jackson, in the Gay Pride Day Proclamation,
urged Atlantans to “re-evaluate the phrase
‘human rights’ so that it may apply to all citizens
in equal fashion”. The seven.anonymous Atlanta
businessmen, took issue with the: Mayor’s
statement and demanded its withdraw!. CRC
Chairperson Tarby Bryant met at length with
various, -.factions in an effort to resolve tire.
dispute..
The proclamation was issued by the Mayor on
the Neil Bortz radio shiny. The Mayor chose this
rafher unorthodox ..approach after Bortz and
callers ftad efoneously .stated that the Mayor had
proclaimed:Gay Pride Week and had made what,
many: felt were disparaging remarks concerning
the Mayor & the proclamation. The ..Atlanta .
Journal carried a four column inch story ort the
proclamation on page 1.0-B . of its June l$th
edition; VNine days later the story became front
page news as 1/4 page protest' ads appeared in
both the Journal & Constitution>'
the news monthly
for southern gays
AUGUST 1976
NATIONAL NOTES
THE SIGNS 'WERE AS DIVER
SIFIED AS THE PEOPLE.
. The controversy ap- •
patently '■ did' not ’ deter the;
marchers. Some .300 to 500
people gathered, for Atlanta’s
largest gaypride march ever..
.The marchers sang and
chanted from the Civic*.
Center to Piedmont Park;
Despite the hcavv publicity
Friday and Saturday few
people lined the path of the
march. Only one incident of
heckling was reported while
several bystahders joined the
marchers as they.passed by. '
.Rev. William Self, Wiciica- .’
Road Baptist Church, called on
Mayor Jackson to “repent or
resign ’’. Rev. Self- was joined by
Rstell Jones, Atlanta Baptist
Pastors Conference President in
his call tor the mayor to resign.
Dr. Self stated that Jackson’s
proclamation “elevated devious
behavior*'. Jack Harwell, editor
of a Baptist publication the
Christian Index, concurred with
Dr. Self’s pronouncement.
Harwell & Self served on the
Southern Baptist Convention
Committee, that recently drew up
a resolution condemning
homosexuality as a sin and urging
Baptist Churches to deny “or
dination, employment or any
other designation of a normal
life.’* 'Hie resolution was ap
proved bv the full convention in
Norfolk, Va.
Methodist minister. Rev. Bill
Holt, editor of the Weslvan
..Christian Advocate called the
proclamation a .“travesty’-’, but;
did not join, in the call for the
Mayor’s resignation. .. .
Rev. Self’s pulpit pronouri- ’
ccmc-nt caused several gay
organizations to plan a JiilV 4th
protest - picket of Self’s Wieuca
Rd. Church. 'Hie demonstration
Was postponed after several the
city administration officials
urged the gay community
leaders to halt the demon
stration.
Dr. Self continued his
attack on Mavor Jackson and
Gay demonstrators outside posh Wieuca Raad Baptist
Church as 10 gays worship inside.
PROVIDENCE - It took a
federal court suit todo it, bi|t
Rhode Island gay activists
have been, allowed to become
official participa nts in the
state’s bicentennial ac-
tiyitiesv “I cannot help but
note ’the . ironv of i.the
Bicentennial Commission
Oxpressing .* reluctance to
provide a forum for. the
plaintiff s exercise of their
first amendment rights
•because they might advocate
conduct which . is. illegal,’’
Judge Raymond Pettine
.ruled. “Does the Bicen
tennial. Commission ’. need
reminding that from the
perspective of . British
loyalists, the bicentennial
celebrates one of .history’s
greatest illegal events'?’’
SAN JOSE >. Santa Clara
County;- Cal. has become the
fifth •county in the United
States, id;provide civil rights
for. gays; - The unanimous
vote of the county board of
supervisors stated that
county contractors could hot
discriminate on the basis of
sexual preference,
DES MOINES - “It takes one
Of each, not two of one’’ said*
John King, an assistant
county attorney in Polk
County, Iowa as he thwarted
the attempts of two meii to
get a marriage license. The
men have vowed to. continue
their fight to the Iowa
supreme court.
LOS ANGELES - The
University of Southern
California backed away from
enforcing the law school
faculty’s mid-march
resolution that the US.C Law
Center’s placement facilities
he available only to
prospective employees that
do not discriminate against,
gay people. The University’s
administration voided the
policy, after .several Los
Angeles law: firms an
nounced that they would no
longer recruit USC law grads
because of the controversial
discrimination ban*.
SAN FRANCISCO - TheU.S.
Ninth Circuit. Court of
Appeals in San Francisco
issued an historic restraining
order in laid June prohibiting
the Marine Corps from
discharging Staff Sgt. Robert
LeBlanc on grounds of
homosexuality. LeBlanc; a
recipient of a purple heart,
and: f6 combat ribbons*
whose military career in
cludes two combat tours in’
VietNam and a stint as
military - police chief in Los
Angeles county is appealing
his dismissal on the grpuiids;
that the discharge is urn
constitutionally capricious
and arbitrary. . '■ •
CHICAGO - The Illinois
Department of Insurance,
idled that Illinois insurance
companies could not-
disenminate against gay
people. The regulations
guarantee, gay people equal
treatment in terms or con
ditions of insurance contracts
and in the underwriting
criteria of insurance carriers.
SOUTHAMPTON ENG. -
Air Force Sgt. Leonard.
Matlovich got a largely
negative reaction as guest
speaker at Britian’s largest
gay organization. CHE, the
gay group, tried to put
through a resolution dis
uniting Matlovich a day
before the speech was to be
scheduled; After the defeat
of the resolution, Matlovich
did speak, but according to
the GAY News was received
in “stony silence. 4 ‘
WASHINGTON D,C. - The
growing sex scandal here is
apparently expanding in
scope beyond Rep. Wayne
Hays and Elizabeth Ray.
According to Colleen Gar
dner, who quit her
congressional staff , job two
months ago, gay men on
congressional staffs have
been compelled to have sex
with congressmen. “The
men are as much affected by
this system as women are,’’
Gardner told the Associated
Press. . ..
NEW YORK - Members of
-the National Organization for
Women (NOW) marched
near the site of the
.democratic convention
demonstrating for the Equal
Rights. Amendment, child
care and gay rights. The
subject of gay rights has
caused division in the ranks
ofNQW.
NEW YORK (NGTE)-In the
wake of virtually unanimous
criticism of the U. S.
Supreme Court’s recent
decision denying a challenge
to the Virginia “sodomy**
statute, two states in
heartland America, Iowa and
West Virginia, have repealed
laws . which criminalized -
sexual behavior between
consention repealed their
“sodomy” laws over the past
few years. The figure
represents one third of the
states and one third of the
nation’s population.
Risher Speaks At GSU
MCC/Atlanta marquee asks
prayers for Wieuca Rd. Baptist
Church Pastor, Bill Self.
the
the
gay community during
next week. Reluctantly
Wieuca Rd. demon
stration was rescheduled for
the following Sunday.
Over fifty demonstrators
surrounded the front of Dr.
Self’s church. Ten gay
Christians Walked quietly
inside to- join the regular
Sunday morning worship.
Dr. Self had no comment
on the Sunday demon
stration.
Church Must Be
* J Thc ChOrch iitust be.
with gay men arid women,
learn from thehi ajid be their
advocates,” according to fin
explosive • statement issued
recently by the Young Adult
•Ministry Board of the United
States Catholic Conference.
“Like the Apostles at the
first Pentecost, our calling is
to go forth and speak to our
brothers and sisters in their
own tongue,... (The Spirit)
calls us to be with gay men
and women who are
alienated because of
frequent expressions of fear
and hatred, based on myth
and questionable scriptural
•i ntpr p ret a t. to'ti.-. tne
statement. issii.ed. June 5th,
insisted jn part. ’ •. > ,
. .Cpmmissidiied< by=the
Department of Education of
the United- States Catholic
Conference to reach those
persons (1.8 to 35 years old)
who have been - alienated
from the Church, the Yburig
Adult Ministry Board
commited itself to work with
gays in language, never
before used by an official
committee of the United
States bishops.
“It’s the first time
anything like this has ever
come out of the O.S.C.C.,”
stated Fr. Paul Shanley, a
Board member and• official
liaison to . the gay _ and
bise.xual community-’-.in
Boston, ., ;
Headed by Fr.. Patrick
O'Neill, O.S.A., the. .15.
person- board represents a],
neaithy . crosssection of.
persons -whip are working
, with young adults- on a full-.
time basis througho ut: the
Country and in various
Christian denominations;;
. ; Brian McNaugh‘
DIGNITY’S Social Action
Chairperson, was invited by.
.the Board to attend their first,
conference of young adult
ministers, held at the
.Catholic University , in
Washington, D.C., June 2nd
to the 5th.
VI was becoming
increasingly uncomfortable.
ATLANTA - Mary Jo Risher,
a lesbian mother whose child
was taken from her in \a
Dallas court, spoke at
Georgia State University on
July 22. Sponsors of Ms.
Risher’s appearance at
Georgia State University
(GSU) found school officials
uncooperative. Despite
numerous delays in publicity
a large number attended Ms.
Risher’s speech.
Ms. Risher lost custody of
her son, Richard, on
December 23, 1975 when
twelve jurors decided in. a
domestic relations court in
Dallas that Ms. Risher
should waive custody of her
son to his father, Douglas L.
Risher Jr. Mr, Risher filed
suit in 1974 claiming he
should have custody of the
boy because his ex-wife lives
with and has a homosexual
relationship with Ms. Ann
Foreman.
The National
Organization for Women
(NOW) clainis that Ms.
Risher’s basic legal rights
have been compromised as a
result of the court’s decision
because that decision .’was
based on the fact that she is a
lesbian.
ALFA (Atlanta Lesbian
Feminist Alliance) and the
Red Dyke Theater sponsored
a benefit show July 21st at
the Sweet Gum Head Lounge
for Ms. Risher’s Defense
Fund. MS; Risher is
currently appealing the 1975
Texas Court decision.
MARY JO RISHER (R) AND
Ann Foreman (L) at Sweet
Gum Head Lounge Benefit
with the lack of direction tne
conference was taking,” Me
naught said. “One speaker
•complained to the ministers
about the needs of a single
woman who is moving into an
■ apartment for the first time
and’ lacked furniture. I
.Ranted to talk about the
*. people who commit suicide
; because of the refection they
feel at the hands of the
.Church.*’
' K-was the decision of the
15 member board to issue a
statement which would
clearly indicate the direction
they -felt- all- persons working
with ..young-' adults should
take.- • THE STATEMENT
WAS THEN SUBMITTED
TO THE U;S.C.C. for
distribution .to the National
Catholic News Service,
Religious New-s Service (both
of which supply news to the
various religious publications
across the country) and to a
variety of secular papers,
including the New York
Times.
In addition to saying that
gays suffer from
“questionable Scriptural
interpretation”, which in
itself is a landmark step
forward, the statement of the
board was written in the
spirit of the ■ Theology of
Liberation, affirming that not
only does the Church have to
reach out but more im
portantly learn from the
oppressed what truths- they
have discovered in the
process of liberating
themselves from oppression.
Continued On Page 14.
ON THE COVER THIS M ON TH IS A COLLAGE
OF PHOTOGRAPHS BY Skip Richards. Mr.
Richards captured the rich diversity of the
participants in Christopher Street South.