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NATIONAL NOTES Washington, D.C.—The United States Supreme Court may produce a major decision on gay rights during their current session. It may decide whether to intervene in a dispute between the University of Missouri and a “gay lib” student group. The University has appealed a lower court decision which held that the school must recognize gay organizations on its campus. In its appeal to the high court, the University has said that formal recognition could bring about “students with latent homosexual tendencies to become overt homosexuals.” It also claimed that such students might avoid seeking medical treatment because they will deem homosexuality to be normal if gay groups are given official status. Chicago—Resolutions approved by the American Sociological Association have condemned all attempts—including the use of “abused sociological data”—to prevent homosexuals from gaining equal rights. 'Hie sociologists approved resolutions opposing oppressive action against gays and favoring legal measures to guarantee civil rights for gays. The action came along with the association’s national convention. Oklahoma City—An Oklahoma Baptist church leader says church members were shocked to learn sex-change operations have been conducted at Baptist Medical Center. He says permanent action will be taken to stop the surgery. The hospital’s board of directors had voted in favor of the operations, but suspended them this summer at the request of church officials after an unidentified rural preacher complained about the operations. Washington, D.C.—There is a chance that this city’s gay rights ordinance, considered to be one of the nation’s strongest may be revoked by referendum. When D.C. voters go to the polls on November 8, they will decide whether locally elected officials and previously passed legislation can be recalled or reversed by a referendum. New York—The nomination of Ed Koch by the Democratic Party for mayor of New York may prove a major victory for gays of that city. Koch, who is the U.S. house sponsor of the national gay rights bill has declared if elected he will, by executive order, prohibit any and all discrimination by the city government against any individual based on sexual preference in employment, housing and places of public accomodation. Chicago—The American Bar Association, meeting in Chicago, has tabled until next year a resolution supporting civil rights for gay people. After hearing emotional pleas from speakers on both sides of the issue, an ABA panel on homosexuality had recommended that the association’s House of Delegates, its governing body, take a strong gay rights stance. But by a split voice Vote, the delegates decided to hold off on the issue for another year. Washington, D.C.—< m J. Gilligan, the head of the Agency for internal Development, recently announced that L.M.Smith, fired in July 1972, for being gay, would be awarded four years back pay; be g iven permanent bond foreign service status; and be reinstated in his position. Gay politician Franklin Kameny called the decision on tne Smith case the first acknowledgement by a government agency that it has been the government itself, in considering homosexuals security risks, that has required the secrecy which has often made gays in high security positions vulnerable. Chicago—Sixty-four per-cent of readers responding to a survey by a Catholic nun said homosexual men who want to become priests should be ordained if they agree to be celibate, U.S.Catholic magazine has reported. The readers were asked to respond to a survey and article written by Sister Lois Spear who said, “To live as a gay Christian today entails a great deal of pain and suffering, heroism even.” About 82% of the respondents agreed gays have the right to live in any housing they choose and 63% agreed gays Kave^rrightto do whatever they want as long as they doit>in private. ■ Mayor Jackson Hedges on Gay Rights Atlanta—Mayor Maynard Jackson has put distance between his current cam paign and his campaign statements of1973. The then Vice-Mayor told a predom inately gay audience in Winn Park that he sup ported gay rights fully and would have no problems with gay rights legislation. This year in response to the question of “How far would (he) go beyond making state ments saying that (he) sup ported all human rights” He said “I’d certainly con sider the idea...then it would depend on what I decided after considering it.” Jackson seemed unruffled by not receiving any gay endorsement in this year’s race. He stated at a late September news conference, “I will not be deterred by the absence of an endorsement or by tile other organization, (First Tuesday) nor will I ^Change my positions as a result of that. I still favor human rights for all people, even regardless of their sex ual inclinations. The ab sence of the endorsement by the Gay Rights Alliance does not change my position on that. I don’t take my positions based oh who does not endorse me. I take my positions on whatlbeleiveis right.” Jackson’s record in the past as Vice-Mayor and as Mayor has been one of strong, vigorous and even courageous support of gay rights.His current cam paign statements are more in line with those white politicians who supported Black civil rights but not legislation that would give them the opportunity to exercise those civil rights. the barb publisher and Jackson appointee to the Community Relations Commission, Bill Smith was at a loss to explain the mayor’s toned down support. Smith said “I have been a strong supporter of Mayor Jackson in both his positions on gay rights and his general administration of government in Atlanta. If he supports gay civil rights as he has reiterated publicly even after being voted ‘unacceptable’ by the First Tuesday Democratic Association why can’t he support legislation to insure those rights? It just doesn’t make sense to appear to hedge on the issue at this point. In June of ’76 he refused to back down in the face of some very influential and well-financed oppo sition. Now he is assured of at least six council people who will support a gay rights ordinance and an additional four supporters who will in all probability be elected to council. It seems peculiar that a man who refused to withdraw a Gay Pride Day Proclamation in the face of strong opposition would not be willing to say publicly that he would support a gay rights ordinance at this point in time. Jackson appears to be unbeatable as mayor. Most political pronosticators are predicting a win for Jackson without a runoff despite the crowded field of mayoral hopefuls. THE BARB the southern 500 gay voice issue 43 October 1, 1977 Gay Democrats Rate Candidates and Dr. Stuart Strenger. by Bill Smith The Magic Garden Disco hosted an informal “Meet the Candidates Night,” September 20th. First Tuesday organizer, Gil Robison, arranged the evening highlighted by a lengthy visit from mayoral candidate Emma Darnell. Sixth Council District candidates Esther Lefever and Mary Davis cam paigned almost simul taneously. Lefever may have missed a few hand shaking opportunities as she took to the disco floor with Robison in tow. Magic Garden owner, Ron Zappi donated the night’s door receipts of over $400 to the First Tuesday group. The funds moved the organization into the black and made possible a mass mailing of First Tuesday’s fact sheet on the candidates. The fact sheet began with a questionaire designed to determine candidates’ position on gay rights. The questionaire was followed up with an invitation to speak to the gay community at a First Tuesday sponsored forum at Atlanta’s Metropolitan Community Church. On the basis of the candidates’ responses to the questions and response to the Forum the membership voted on acceptability and non-acceptability of candidates at a meeting on September 15 and 20. The September 20 meeting held at The El Matador Lounge was marked by spirited debate. Despite the sometimes acrimonious differences of opinion being aired the organization arrived at a unified decision. The membership was in an almost militant mood. Candidates that failed to respond to the questionaire were listed as unacceptable. Several members at tempted to have certain candidates listed as acceptable or no response with various explanations. After a great deal of debate and numerous changes two additional days were granted to allow members who felt very strongly about certain candidates to obtain written verification of their candidate’s position. The First Tuesday members*" p voted to allow Howard Wells, Stuart Strenger, Frank Scheuren and Gil Robison to finalize the information that would be distributed. The candi dates rating sheet issue by First Tuesday does not endorse any candidates. It does inform the community via rating the candi dates from most acceptable to unacceptable. The candidates’ ratings reflect the sharp debate that ensued over certain candidates and the person alities supporting those candidates. The results is a somewhat uneven criteria for judging the candidates. There was apparently some ambiguity on the meaning of most acceptable. Some members saw this as an endorsement tool while others saw it as being used only in contested races Incumbent Council Presi dent Carl Ware received a rating of “Most Acceptable” while council candidates Ira Jackson, James Bond, Mary Davis, Esther Lefever and Fred First received ratings of only “acceptable” despite similar answers to the First Tuesday questionaire. Lefever, Davis and First all attended or sent repre sentatives to the First Tuesday forum. Incumbents Marvin Arrington and Q.V. Williamson received ratings of . “no response.” Both Arrington and Williamson voted against Council- person Hugh Pierce’s attempt to remove gay rights as an area of concern for Atlanta’s human rights agency, the Community Relations Commission. Pierce received the same rating as Arrington and Williamson. Politics is often an intuitive game with serious results. First Tuesday has made political history in Atlanta. It has the potential to become a potent force. It’s leadership includes some of the best minds involved in Atlanta’s gay rights struggle. It’s membership is more professionally ori ented than any other gay organization attempted in this city. Its newness to the political scene will result in some errors but it has already had some tremen dous successes. The listing of the incumbent mayor as unacceptable is, however, not one of them. His rating is, perhaps, based on a bit of over-reaction to the bitterness felt in the gay community over the Mayor’s apparent retreat from his courageous defense of gay rights in June of 1976. Other council candidates such as James Howard, Morris Finley, Arthur Langford, Bob Waymer and Q.V. Williamson received the same “no response” rating that coucil candi dates Pierce and Folkes got. Pierce and Folkes have spoken out against gay rights while the five mentioned above have never done so and have on occasions been supportive of non-public gay rights efforts. The guide doesn’t purport to take such things into consideration and is a definate reflection of the club membership’s deter mination that candidates state publicly and in writing their support or lack of support of gay rights. It is apparent that behind the scenes support is no longer enough. First Tuesday feels that it is ready to tell Atlanta what the National Gay Task Force is telling Washington. It’s Time!