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NATIONAL NOTES New Yock - Kenneth Sheri)I, 34-year-old political science professor at Hunter College has become the first openly gay candidate elected in New York City. Sherill will represent the 69th Assembly District Part A oh the New York City Democratic Committee. As a holder of this post, Sherrill will be the channel for neighborhood concerns of his district. Sherrill has announced his intention to name the Gay Independent Democrats his official “clubhouse” making it the first gay political club in that city to have a representative on the Democratic Committee. ? , San Francisco - The Gay Law Students Association here has presented oral arguementsbefore the California Supreme 'Court in its long running suit to force the state’s Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) to recognize the illegality of job discrimination against gay people. The FEPC has refused to consider claims of arbitrary discrimination filed by four men who allegedly lost their jobs or were refused employment by Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. because of their sexual orientation. The FEPC has argued that it lacks power to act in such cases. Port Lucie, FL - The Bishops of the Episcopal Church, meeting here, has adopted overwhelmingly a theological -statement that condemns homosexuality as unbiblical, bars ordination of gays to the priesthood and forbids priests of the church from blessing a gay marriage. But they sidestepped a proposal to censure one of their number, Bishop Paul Moore, Jr. of New York, for ordaining a gay woman last January. In their statement, the Bishops asserted that the Bible “rejects homosexual practice” and therefore the church “is right to confine its nuptial blessing exclusively to heterosexual marriage. Hillbum, N.Y. - The landmark, Motel-on-the-Mountain embarked on a new policy of catering to gays recently and irate local residents said they feared it would change their community. A demonstration by 35 local people against the motel’s policy change was met by a counter demonstration of New York City gays who chanted militant slogans and carried signs reading “Gays Are Here To Stay." Approximately 1,000 gays traveled to the motel for the grand re-opening. There were no attempts by their opponents to stop them. Sacramento, CA - Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill into law that would give transsexuals the right to get a re-written birth certificate. The new birth certificate would take note of the person’s sex change. The bill, which was sponsored by Assembly-person Willie Brown (who also led the fight for the state’s recently enacted “consenting adults law”) is expected to affect about 100 people. Washington - The Advocate recently gave a luncheon for eight individuals “who have demonstrated a concern toward enlightening society to the humanity of gay women and men." It is not known at press time, how many of the individuals selected attended the luncheon. They are: Rep. Edward Koch, democratic mayoral candidate, John Askew of Mutual Black Network, Joseph Lovett, a CBS-TV producer, Rod McKuen, the entertainer and author, Elaine Noble, Mass. State Sentator, James Landis, editorial director and vice-president of William Morrow Publishing Co., U.S. Senator Alan Cranston (D-Cal.) and Midge Costanza, in assistant to President Carter. Denver - An ordained minister with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s Divinity School has written a full- length manuscript in which he argues that Jesus was gay. According to an article in New Times Magazine, the book, written by Denver artist Gary Michael, states that there was no theological basis for Christ to have surrounded himself with males. There are only two instances throughout the gospels in which Jesus touches a woman and both encounters, asserts the author, are awkward. Michael, who is not gay, says thaj he sent a copy of the manuscript to Anita Bryant. Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Edward Koch has agreed to amend the national gay rights bill, HR 2998, to prohibit the "fashioning of any remedy requiring any sort of quota” based on affectatiqnal or sexual preference. The bill remains in a judiciary subcommittee and the Koch amendment is designed tp counteract arguements by the bill’s opponents that its enactment would lead to quotas for gay people in different jobs. Berkley, CA -The directors of the 2,400 member Association for Humanistic Psychology (AHP) has come out in favor of gay rights. The executive board of the AHPcalledfor federal legislation to ban all discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation. Meanwhile, in nearby San Francisco, a record crowd of about 300 gay psychologists participated in a series of seminars and social events sponsored by the Association of Gay Psychologists. The program was held in conjunction with the annual convention of the American Psychological Association. Delinquent Sentenced to Football Therapy by H.Michael Bardin; Trustee,D.C.C.H.R. Miami — a 16-year-old juvenile was declared a delinquent by Judge Seymour Gelbert of Juvenile Court after pleading 'no contest to charges Of aggravated battery and the use of a weapon in the BB-gun t shooting of John Ward onJune27. Ward, 27, a bartender at a local gay bar, suffered a collapsed lung iafter he was shot while waiting for a taxi in Coconut Grove. He had just left a street dance sponsored by the Miami Victory Campaign. Before the trial leaders of the Dade County Coalition .for Human Rights appeared 'before Judge Dixie Chastain asking permission for members of the Coalition to attend the trial and that their official photographer be allowd to take pictures during ■court. After testimony from John Ward, the defense called Dr., Ronald Shellow, a Miami ' psychiatrist who specializes in adolescent behavior, to the witness stand. He testified that the tall-broad shouldered youth, who looks much older than 16, “has a great deal of anxiety and feelings of inadequacy about his manliness. He exerts macho behavior which responds in hare-brained and destructive ways.” Shellow said that he has seen him three times since July. Although psychiatric tests showed he has “serious emotional difficulties,” Shellow said, it would be as theraputic for him to participate in the football program at the high school he attends as it would be to continue psychotherapy. I Football would let him vent his ' agressive feelings, Shellow said. I Gelber asked the psychiatrist if I people were safe from the youth i now. Shellow answered yes, j because “he’s in an intense athletic i program.” : The judge asked if society would ' have to watch out for him during the off-season and Shellow ' responded, “Yes, but we plan to pick up psychiatric treatment after football season.” The youth testified that on the night of the shooting he and some friends had gone out to get something to eat and went to get some ice cream. “We were riding around the Grove and we just wanted to shoot out a sign or at a garbage can as a joke,” . he said. “We didn’t have any idea the gun was that powerful. We : had no idea it would harm Mr. Ward.” i More than 40 members of the j Dade County Coalition for Human Rights stood outside the ' small courtroom while a doxen ! members were inside. Jack j Campbell, President of the Coalition, said he didn’t favor ajail j term for the youth. .“That would not help anything,” j he said. “I am very interested to see if the judge feels having this young man vent his -aggressions on the football field is the best way to deal with the problem.” ! Gelber, in setting sentencing for October 18, stated that any group of concerned citizens or citizen could have their opinions on the case expressed at that time through a deposition. The Coalition plans to file one. Encore Owner Indicted in Garden Fire Ron Zappi and Bill Smith Survey Garden Arson Atlanta — Frank Cashman and Keith,Langdonwere indicted by the Fulton County Grand Jury for the September 4 fire at the Magic Garden. Cashman and Langdonwho are connected with the Encore Lounge in Atlanta were charged with 2nd degree arson. The Atlanta Constitution, in a front page article by Jim Steward and" Paul Lieberman, virtually convicted Cashman and iLangdon'of the fires and indicted the gay business community in general for being involved in organized crime and “a vindictive struggle for Atlanta’s increasingly profit able homosexual market.” The Constitution bases their story on District Attorney Louis Slaton’s ‘Gay Bar War’ allegations advanced during the Robbie Llewellyn trial They proceed to document this theory with a series of charges and statements that leave the reader to believe that gay bars and organized crime are. virtually synoymous. According to the article Atlanta’s ‘Gay Bar War/Feud’ was thought to be ended with the conviction of and sentencing of Robbie Llewellyn to life imprisonment. Their investigation alledges to reveal that the ‘War/Feud,’ rather than ending, has merely changed principals. Stewart and Liberman raise, ; once again, the charges that the" Magic Garden owner, Ron Zappi, is tied-in with the Carlo Gambino organized crime family via a connection with Ettore Zappi of Miami. Ronald Zappi has repeatedly denied any relation to Ettore Zappi and has offered to bring his mother to Atlanta to testify to ' his family tree. The article also raises the charge that one of the principals in The Magic Garden is “a California gay club operator denied a license here two years ago.” That, license was denied largely due to a police report issued by the Los Angeles police department which is headed by the notoriously homophobic Ed Davis. The Constitution charges that Encore owners Frank Cashman and the Vara family operated bars in Boston that were fiercely opposed by community groups. The article fails to note that much of the opposition to these '“gay” bars came after property I adjacent to the them (Jacques land the Otherside) had ! undergone renovation. The new neighbors found these relics of the old neighborhood a nuisance. Boston gay activists considered the bars marginally gay with a mixture of people ifrom various street lifestyles, i The fourth charge was that still another group of gays, I possibly two separate groups, 1 were trying to open an all gay hotel in Atlanta. Both Man’s World and Parliment House i investors in Florida haver explored the Atlanta market recently. It may surprise the Constitution to learn that the majority of Atlanta’s hotels have non-resident investors. The fifth major charge concerned threats received by two gay business owners out of the over forty “gay businesses that operate here. The article leaves the distinct impression that the threats are from other bar owners. No mention is made of the bomb and other type threats received by Atlanta’s gay oriented church MCC or other gay businesses and organizations such as this newspaper that were definately not made by other gays. Fire has plagued many gay businesses and organizations. Some have proven to be arson. The idea that these arsons could only have been committed by other gays is patently absurd. Minority groups have ■ historically been the victim of the anonymous arsonist. The rash of fires that hit the Lauderdale Beach Hotel where Magic Garden’s Ron Zappi was Food and Beverage Manager came about shortly after the : Mayor of Ft. Lauderdale called for the elimination of the i growing gay population of that city. The article also failed to I note that the Vara/Cashman managed bars in and around I Boston have generally been well i run and only their gay bar j operations have brought ' “community opposition.” i It is unfortunate that the i Constitution devoted over a half page of copy to the Cashman/Langdon 'indictment without any information on the actual facts leading up to their indictment. It will be interesting to see whether Mr. Cashman or Mr.'Langdonjcan , receive a fair trial in an area j where many potential jurors i minds have been affected by the .reportage of the Constitution. Who Is This Man? An unidentified man found 'beaten to death September 25 may have been gay, Atlanta Police informed The Barb. The body was found in the Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge at 1-75 land Northside Drive, bound (with torn bedsheets and gagged. !The man’s jaw had been Crushed and he had been pistol- whipped to the extent that all his lower teeth were knocked out. Homocide detectives are asking for the help of the gay community in identifying the corpse and gave the following description: White male, early to middle 20’s, 1.29 lbs., 6' tall, brown hair and eyes, scar on iright arm and shoulder, scar on left knee (could be an injury from football or some similar isport). He had been wearing 'navy blue pants, black patent; leather loafers, a white long- jsleeved shirt, red crushed velour .vest, with a silver pocket watch. \on a chain. (May have been a 'waiter’s or bartender’s 'uniform.) ; Anyone with any information {concerning this case should (contact Det. Genson at 658- {6654, or if you wish, The Barb office can relay your" (information during the week {between 12 noon and 4 pm. ;