Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 17:40:50 -0700 From: Jean Richter Subject: 10/29/99 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. MA: Goldfish GSA to hold Diversity Day 2. CA: Editorial on the success of AB 537 3. CT: Teacher's libel lawsuit over school safe zones settled 4. MI: School board bans Gay History Month displays 5. !OutProud!'s coming out archive site =================================================================================== Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 10:52:44 -0700 From: "Bixby" Subject: Diversity Day `99! Hello to all the friends and acquaintances of the Goldfish Gay-Straight Alliance! We are pleased to announce our upcoming "Diversity Day" to be held on Saturday November 6th, from 11am-4pm, at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Brookfield, MA. You'll have to chance to explore racial, religious, civil, mental, and sexual diversity at the several tables held by local and national organizations. They will include the nationally acclaimed Love Makes A Family photo exhibit, and the National Conference on Community and Justice, not to mention our main information table and a bake sale to benefit the GSA and the church. There will also be fun and educational workshops, several video showings, speakers, and games for the kids! Come enjoy the day, and take advantage of hours of activities! For directions, please call (413)245-9510, or e-mail goldfish_gsa@hotmail.com. Spread the word and we'll see you there! Peace and Love, Kate Bixby (student leader) and the members of the Goldfish GSA p.s. if you are an organization, please mail us any publications (i.e.business cards/fliers) that we can hand out at our main table. please reply for our snail-mail address. also, please be sure to make this information available to everyone in your organization! thanks again! =================================================================================== NEW YORK TIMES, October 9, 1999 229 W. 43rd Street, New York, NY, 10036 (Fax 212-556-3622 ) (E-MAIL: letters@nytimes.com ) ( http://www.nytimes.com ) Gay Rights in California California sets an admirable example for the nation by moving ahead with legislation that will help deter discrimination against gays in public and private life. Although California earlier enacted hate-crime laws to protect gays and lesbians from violence, the three bills signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis last week will help ensure that gays receive fair and equal treatment at work, in housing and at school. The movement in California, the nation's largest state, to normalize government treatment of gays is an important step toward ending anti-gay bigotry. Under the new laws, California will create a statewide registry for domestic partners, defined as same-sex couples and unmarried couples age 62 or older, when marriage may in certain cases reduce limited retirement benefits. Domestic partners will be able to get hospital visitation rights, as family members do now, and those who are state employees will be eligible to receive health insurance benefits for their partners. Many cities in California, including Los Angeles, already provide health benefits for domestic partners under local laws. This state statute will make it easier for local governments to offer such benefits. A second measure would outlaw harassment of gays in public schools and colleges. Violence and threats against students based on their sexual orientation are a clear danger, but many school officials have failed to take such harassment seriously or have not known how to respond. The new California law, following similar laws enacted in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Connecticut, now prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. It will make school administrations accountable for combating anti-gay harassment. Another measure strengthens older state laws that ban discrimination against gays in housing and employment. These new laws do nothing more than provide gays the basic rights that heterosexuals have without question. Still, they are an important advancement in ending discrimination as a matter of public policy. ================================================================================= ASSOCIATED PRESS, October 10, 1999 Lawsuit over homosexual `safe zone' in classroom settled Associated Press BROOKFIELD, Conn. - A retired school teacher has settled a libel lawsuit against a conservative Christian couple who accused her of recruiting students to become homosexuals. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] ================================================================================ From: SidBru@aol.com Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 22:26:08 EDT Subject: Showcases/BulletinBoards On Thursday, October 7, the superintendent in our school district (Plymouth-Canton, Michigan) ordered that all displays referencing and celebrating Gay/Lesbian History month be dismantled. One was at a middle school (where I teach) and the other was at one of our High Schools. We have had a display for G/L History and Pride for about five years. This was the first year we have ever had to take it down. The High School had one last year and it was allowed. Thanks. Mike Chiumento Co-Chair, NEA-GLC (734) 422-8078 (H) (734) 416-7673 (W) ================================================================================ Reply-To: listserver@channelq.com Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 16:50:56 -0700 From: "Channel Q" To: qnews@channelq.com Subject: !OutProud! Launches Coming-out Archives NEWS RELEASE !OutProud! Launches Coming-out Archives New Outpath Web Site Provides Invaluable Resource to Queer Youth San Rafael, California (October 11, 1999) - !OutProud!, The National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth, announced today the launch of a new web site designed to provide an archive for coming-out stories. Outpath can be found at www.outpath.com and provides an international resource to queer youth considering coming out. "Over six years ago, when !OutProud! pioneered the use of the Internet to reach queer youth, we couldn't have imagined how indispensable this technology would become in the lives of these teens," said Christopher Kryzan, Executive Director of !OutProud!. "Now, in commemoration of National Coming Out Day, we are excited to expand our extensive presence on the Internet with Outpath, an international archive of coming-out stories." Outpath is designed as a resource both for queer youth going through their own journeys of self-acceptance and coming out, as well as to family members who are searching for the right way to deal with this news. It contains the personal accounts of both youth and their families, and an extensive search capability which allows readers to find stories which most closely pertain to their own situations. Individuals can also add their own stories using a simple, interview-based format, allowing others to benefit from their experience. About !OutProud! !OutProud!, The National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth was founded in 1993 to provide advocacy, information, resources and support for queer youth. The organization pioneered outreach to teens through America Online and the Internet, and today serves more than 100,000 youth each year. !OutProud! is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. !OutProud! can be contacted at: !OutProud! 369 Third Street, Suite B-362 San Rafael, CA 94901-3581 phone: (415) 460-5452 fax: (415) 460-5451 email: info@outproud.org Web: http://www.outproud.org _________________________________________________________________________ This message has been distributed as a free, non-profit informational service, to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. Please do not publish or post in a public place on the Internet, copyrighted material without permission and attribution. Forwarding of this material should not necessarily be construed as an endorsement of the content. Some messages may be from anti-gay organizations and are forwarded as opposition research. ================================================================================ Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) These messages are archived by state on our information-loaded free web site: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/