Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 16:20:21 -0700 From: Jean Richter Subject: 5/13/98 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. PA: Civil rights legislation update 2. MA: Gay/straight youth march ========================================================= Immediate Release * Contacts - Partial List (Legislators' Contact Info at- p. 3) May 9, 1998 Update 13.1 of 13.1 Rita Addessa, Executive Director, PLGTF 215-772-2001 direct and 215-724-8244 before 9 am Mary Louise Cervone, CPA, VP, Dignity USA. 215-923-4936 Vivian Cooperman, President, PFLAG. 215-604-0202 Elise DeLong, Esq. Pittsburgh. 412- 885-0615 Andrew Grenier, Cry Out ! Act Up/Pittsburgh. 412-661-6264 Larry Gross, Ph.D. PLGTF CoChair. 215-898-5620 Linda Martin, President, NOW/Lancaster Area. 717-393-2883 Pastor Eva O'Diam, MCC/Harrisburg. 717-236-7387 Dan Miller, CPA, Harrisburg, PA 717-234-2250 Richard Hoke, Unitarian Church, Harrisburg. 717-737-3973 Randy Fisher, Founder, Laurel Highlands GALA, Johnstown. 814-539-0147 James Roberts, Executive Director, MAAP. 215-851-1936 Pennsylvania Civil Rights Initiative Moves Forward... National Organizations Join In Support of the Pennsylvania Civil Rights Initiative: ...According to Rita Addessa, executive director of the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force, the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Council, the National Lesbian and Gay Health Alternatives, and Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund have joined in support of the Pennsylvania Civil Rights Initiative Coalition. The Initiative is a movement of a near-thirty diverse organizations and 2800 Pennsylvanians who have signed Petitions to encourage lawmakers to support the introduction of twin civil rights bills to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and in education on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In the Senate, Allen Kukovich (D-Westmoreland County) has promised to be the prime sponsor. Promised Senate cosponsors include Philadelphia Democrats: Vincent Hughes; Shirley Kitchen; Allyson Schwartz, and Hardy Williams and in the House, Representatives Louise Bishop, Andrew Carn, Lita Cohen (R-Montgomery County), Mark Cohen, Dwight Evans, Ivan Itkin, Harold James, Thaddeus Kirkland (D-Delaware County), Benjamin Ramos, James Roebuck., W. Curtis Thomas, Rosita Youngblood, LeANNA Washington, and Anthony Hardy Williams, Philadelphia Democrats. Launched in August 1996 by the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force, the Initiative is focused on the introduction and adoption of amendments to (1) the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and (2) the Pennsylvania Fair Educational Opportunities Act. Proposed amendments to the Human Relations Act which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations, would (1) expand established areas of protection to include "education," (2) expand protected categories to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity," and (3) create a definition of the term "sex" as adopted by the Pittsburgh Human Relations Commission. Amendments to the Fair Education Opportunities Act, which focuses on postsecondary education, similarly, will expand existent protected categories to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Initiative organizers hope for introduction in June 1998. (Contact information, p. 3) *Source: Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force. Room 1005.1616 Walnut Street. Philadelphia, PA 19103-5310 The core principles which guide this effort hold that: We are committed to organizing, educating, and negotiating with integrity for a Pennsylvania wide civil rights bill, inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity. We will be grounded in and guided by the principles that we deserve our full rights. We will support the achievement of civil rights protections, minimally, in employment, housing, public accommodations, and in education. We will not suffer any restriction of our rights (e.g. parental rights, domestic partnership rights, the recognition of marriage) nor homophobic insults (e.g. the presumption of criminality or immorality) in a Pennsylvania civil rights law. We will assure the strengthening of civil rights laws on behalf of all women and all minorities. Initiative Coalition Partners (Att. 6) include: David Acosta, Executive Director, GALAEI Project, Philadelphia, PA * Rita Addessa, Executive Director, Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force Becky Belloff, Activities Coordinator; Marc Ford, Secretary; and Kenneth Grimley, Open Door Club, Bucks County Community College Gabrielle Bonet, York, PA activist Mary Louise Cervone, Vice President, Dignity/USA Inja Coates, individually [affiliated with Grassroot Queers] Robert Cogan, Ph.D., President, ACLU/Northwest Chapter * Vivian Cooperman, President, PFLAG, Philadelphia, PA Elise DeLong, Esq, legal activist, Pittsburgh, PA Randy Fisher and Tim Fetters, Jr., founders, Laurel Highlands Gay and Lesbian Alliance [Somerset, Cambria, Blair, and West Moreland Counties, PA] Angela Gardner, Executive Director, Renaissance Transgender Association, Inc. Lynda Goldstein, Ph.D., academic activist, Wilkes-Barre, PA Andrew Grenier, Cry Out! Act-UP, Pittsburgh, PA Billy Hileman, Spokesperson, Cry Out! Act-UP, Pittsburgh, PA Kristine W. Holt, Temple University law student Joseph Melillo, President with Richard Hoke and Becky Wenger, United Church of Harrisburg, PA * Jim Fischer Keller, Treasurer & Board Member, Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Pittsburgh Bonnie Jouhari, Chair, Berks Hate Crimes Task Force * Rabbi Mordechai Liebling, Executive Director, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation Reverend Dwight Lundgren, Minister, First Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA Linda Martin, President, Pennsylvania NOW Lancaster, PA Chapter Joyce Masquelier, member, Erie PFLAG Dan Miller, CPA [Harrisburg, PA] Chris Niebrzydowski, past-President, Pennsylvania NOW, 1988-1993 Evan O'Diam, Pastor, Metropolitan Church of the Spirit, Harrisburg, PA James Roberts, Executive Director, Minority AIDS Project of Philadelphia and Vicinity Eugene Root, Political Action Chair, Men of All Colors Together/Philadelphia, PA Deborah Sieger, Ph.D., past-President, Pennsylvania NOW, 1986-1988 Rich Schulze, D.Ed., CHES, Williamsport, PA [Lycoming County] Deni Scott, Founder, Transsexual Menace of Western Pennsylvania Tyrone Smith, Executive Director, Unity Inc. Marie Summers, President, Dignity/Philadelphia, PA Jim Testerman, Co-Chair, National Education Association [NEA] Gay and Lesbian Caucus Paul Thomas, Ed.D., Staff Representative, Pennsylvania Federation of Teachers and Founder, American Federation of Teachers [AFT] Human and Civil Rights Committee Carol Anne Villanova, individually [currently President, Allies, Kutztown University] Melina Waldo, Regional Director, PFLAG [Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays] PA, NY, and NJ Reverend Paul Washington, Rector Emeritus, Church of the Advocate [Philadelphia, PA] Delma and Peg Welch, York, PA activists Michael Valoris, President, Congregation Beth Ahavah * R. Franklin Williams, President, York Area Lambda -* Denotes organizations that have joined the Initiative Coalition (Att. 6) since February 1998 Initiative Coalition Supporters (Att. 5) include: National Organizations Beverly Saunders Biddle, Executive Director, National Lesbian and Gay Health Association Kevin Cathcart, Esq. Executive Director, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Jubi Headley, Executive Director, National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Council Pennsylvania/Non-Pennsylvania Organizations Mark R. Banister, President, Dignity/Pittsburgh, PA Brigid Brooker and Marya Kaye, Creative Characters Barbara Burgos DiTullio, President, Pennsylvania NOW Randal G. Forrester, Executive Director, PERSAD Center, Inc./ Pittsburgh, PA Stephen A. Glassman, Co-Chair, Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition Carol Goertzel, Executive Director, Women's Association for Women's Alternatives, Swarthmore Melanie A. Thompson, Coordinator, Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Helpline of Altoona, PA Carole J. Johnson, Executive Director and staff, Women Organized Against Rape/Philadelphia, PA Carol Kirschner, President, PFLAG/Mechanicsburg, PA Brian McNeill, President, Dignity, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN David M. Rosenblum, Chair, Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia, PA James L. Weston, President and members of Dignity, Seattle, WA Individuals: The Pennsylvania Civil Rights Initiative Petition to Pennsylvania Lawmakers And, more than 2800 Pennsylvanians have added their voice to community organizations for civil, human, and education rights in Pennsylvania. Now, it is time to add your voice and to tell your representatives that lesbian and gay people as well as bisexual and transgendered people are human beings entitled to the same rights and privileges that other citizens take for granted. Clip and Save: Please make 3 Calls to Get and to Give Information: The Message: Discrimination is wrong. The time to act is now. Support the Core Principles and the Pennsylvania Civil Rights Initiative twin bills. Support proposed introduction for early June 1998. For the names, addresses, phone and fax numbers of your Pennsylvania Legislators, call any of the following: The Senate Clerk at 717-787-5920 and House Clerk at 717-787-2372; and/or the Philadelphia Delegates at 717-787-9104. You can also ask for a Senate and House legislative directory (the "Blue Book" ) from the Clerk (above) or your rep. Additional contacts: The League of Women Voters at 800-692-7281 or web site http://www.pa.lwv.org/pa/ In Philadelphia, the Committee of Seventy at 215-557-3600 or web site http://www.libertynet.org/seventy Do You Want to Organize? Call your local contact or the Task Force (215-772-2000) for Petitions, Statements of Support (Att. 5) and Organization Partnership forms (Att. 6). The Pennsylvania Civil Rights Initiative: Introduction Phase-1998 Timely Alert. Please make 3 to 7 Calls this week to Get and to Give Information: The Message: Discrimination is wrong. The time to act is now. We are your family. Support the Core Principles. Cosponsor the Pennsylvania Civil Rights Initiative twin bills. Support proposed introduction in early June 1998. Who Are My (Our) Representatives? For the names, addresses, phone and fax numbers of your representatives, call any of the following: The Senate Clerk at 717-787-5920 and House Clerk at 717-787-2372; and/or the Philadelphia Delegates at 717-787-9104. You can also ask for a Senate and House legislative directory (the "Blue Book" ) from the Clerk (above) or your representative. Statewide, call the League of Women Voters at 800-692-7281 or visit their web site http://www.pa.lwv.org/pa/ In Philadelphia, contact the Committee of Seventy at 215-557-3600 or search their web site http://www.libertynet.org/seventy What Legislators Promised to Cosponsor the twin bills? (19 of 128 total needed for adoption) Reinforce their agreement to cosponsor with a simple thank you. Of the 19 legislators listed below, only Senators Kukovich and Schwartz participated at a planning meeting with Initiative cosigners in early May to discuss a proposed June introduction. Status: Kukovich will introduce if each senator below or others concur to introduce in June. Will they? Senator Allen Kukovich [D-Westmoreland], Chair, State Government, a solid and committed man, has been willing to be a prime sponsor in the Senate. Promised Senate co-sponsors, all Philadelphia Democrats, include: Vincent Hughes, Chair, Communications; Shirley Kitchen, Chair, Urban Affairs/Housing; Allyson Schwartz, Chair, Education; and Hardy Williams, Chair, Public Health and Welfare, who is retiring from the Senate shortly. Representatives Louise Bishop, Chair, Health Subcommittee; Andrew Carn, Secretary, Insurance; Lita Cohen [R-Montgomery], cosponsor of the Bias Crime amendment; Mark Cohen, Caucus Chair; Dwight Evans, Chair, Appropriations; Ivan Itkin [Allegheny], Democratic Whip - ?; Harold James, Chair, Crime and Corrections Subcommittee and Chair of the Black Caucus; Thaddeus Kirkland [Delaware], Secretary Education; Benjamin Ramos, Secretary, Health/Human Services; James Roebuck, Chair, Basic Education; W. Curtis Thomas, Secretary, Urban Affairs; Rosita Youngblood, Secretary, Intergovernmental Affairs; and LeANNA Washington, Urban Affairs, Subcommittee Chair, First Class Cities and Counties; and Anthony Hardy Williams, Co-Chair, Philadelphia Delegation who is expected to run for his father's Senate seat. Do You Want to Meet New Friends and Organize? Call your local contact or the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force at (215-772-2000) for a civil rights background packet and/or Petitions, Statements of Support (Att. 5) and Organization Partnership forms (Att. 6) to distribute at PRIDE events or anywhere you may go. ================================================================================== Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 06:33:58 -0700 From: EJLeMay (by way of Steve Basile ) Subject: MA: Gay/Straight Youth March 5/16/98 The Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth State House, Room 111 Boston, Massachusetts 02133 617-727-3600 x312 ejlemay@AOL.com & elemay@massasoit.mass.edu www.magnet.state.ma.us/gcgly/index.htm Press Advisory For Immediate Release Contact: Ed LeMay 617/727-3600 x312 or Ed LeMay at 617/727-1740 x 1679 Thousands of Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Students to attend the Nation's ONLY Gay/Straight Youth Pride March Historic March Gathers Gay Students from More than 100 High Schools and Youth Groups WHO: Several thousand gay and straight teenagers from more than 100 high schools and youth groups in Massachusetts students from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, Utah, New Jersey and other states. College students to march in support of gay and lesbian youth. WHAT: the ONLY Gay/Straight Youth Pride March held in the United States in 1998, followed by the Annual Prom of BAGLY at Boston's City Hall WHEN: Saturday, May 16, at noon (Pride March) WHERE: Kickoff at the steps of the State House on Beacon Hill in Boston Park Street T-stop, Red Line ================================================================================ Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK OUT OUR INFO-LOADED WEB PAGE AT: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/