Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 20:50:29 -0800 From: jessea@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Jessea NR Greenman) Subject: GOOD NEWS!!!!! USA TODAY Thursday, November 30, 1995 ACROSS THE USA: NEWS FROM EVERY STATE, page 8A KANSAS - OLATHE: Annie On My Mind, a novel about two girls who discover their homosexuality, should remain on the school district's high school library shelves, a federal judge has ruled. ---- And this from : The Olathe KS public school board has lost the battle in court to uphold removal of the lesbian-themed book Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden. The federal judge found that the school board president, who doubles as president of student life at a fundamentalist college, acted solely on his own negative attitudes toward homosexuality in removing Annie from Olathe high school library shelves.The board has not said whether it will appeal the decision or not, but the board vice president said that he had expected the outcome. Thanks to Dick Kurtenbach of KS/west MO ACLU. He did a great job. ----- Area newspapers which had previously covered this story, and to which letters may be written, are: The Kansas City Star,1729 Grand Avenue,Kansas City,MO,64108 -(Fax 816-234-4926, print run 288,571) THE WICHITA EAGLE South Kansas Avenue,Wichita,KS,66603 -(Fax 316-268-6627, print run 122,320) (NOTE: The Wichita Eagle's "Opinion Line" feature lets you call in your anonymous remarks, which are printed in the paper. Phone - 316-436-1200, then enter 3517. You will have only 45 seconds to record your remarks, which will be printed anonymously on the editorial page, so write your remarks down in advance and then read them into the tape machine. You will not be asked to leave your name.) ------ ''Annie'' was hailed by the American Library Association as a ''Best Book'' of 1982. ''Annie'' was burned in Kansas City, Mo., during the 1993-94 school year, when it was the nation's most challenged public school book, according to People for the American Way, a civil rights group. === The ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri is accepting contributions to help defray the costs of this suit. Checks may be made out to ACLU Foundation with a note in the memo section stating that the funds are for the "Olathe School District Suit" and they should be mailed to ACLU, 706 W. 42nd St. Suite 108, Kansas City MO 64111. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ YOU MAY RE-POST. Jessea Greenman The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project*; ph/fax: 510-601-8883, 586 62nd St. Oakland, CA 94609-1245 Gopher to "gopher.outright.com" Web sites: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/ http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/glb/person.html/ http://www.pride.net/pridenet/person The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project is *always* looking for volunteer organizers. Please cc us (for our files) on correspondence you send or receive re our action alerts. *Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally.