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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.