Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 09:34:58 -0700 From: glaad@glaad.org (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Subject: HIGH COURT STRIKES DOWN COLORADO ANTI-GAY MEASURE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Alan Klein 212-807-1700 Pager 800-601-5483 HIGH COURT STRIKES DOWN COLORADO ANTI-GAY MEASURE Lesbians and Gays Nationwide Applaud Supreme Court Ruling NEW YORK, NY, May 20, 1996 - The U.S. Supreme Court today announced their highly anticipated ruling in the challenge to Colorado's Amendment 2. The amendment, passed in 1992, is a statewide ballot initiative that would have made it illegal to enact any law protecting lesbians, gay men and bisexuals from discrimination in the state. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and gay civil rights advocates view today's ruling as the single most important gay rights win to date. While lesbian and gay groups nationwide celebrate the unprecedented gay rights victory, some groups suggest that the lesbian and gay community should remain cautiously optimistic. The radical conservatives, they warn, who have spearheaded the move toward passing local anti-gay legislation nationwide, may pursue their agenda with strategies that satisfy the Supreme Court's objections to Amendment 2, requiring future court challenges. "Despite today's victory, the final test of the Supreme Court's ruling resides in the court of public opinion," said Donna Red Wing, GLAAD's Community Affairs Director. "Even though gays and lesbians have won an important battle, the war on homophobia continues. GLAAD will build on today's victory with a nationwide media effort to bring accurate images of lesbians and gay men to the public. GLAAD's campaign will show, above all, that gays and lesbians want what every single American wants, and expects-fair and equal treatment." GLAAD announced a renewed effort to instruct opponents of anti-gay initiatives on how to combat these measures through the media and the Internet. "In our 'Media 101' trainings, we teach the difficult art of communicating one's message on television, in print and on the Information Superhighway," said Donna Red Wing. "We must use all of our resources to fight Amendment 2 clones where ever they crop up." The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is the national organization that promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of combating homophobia and all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ### MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Alan Klein 212-807-1700 Pager 800-601-5483 EXPERTS AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT ON SUPREME COURT RULING ON COLORADO ANTI-GAY MEASURE NEW YORK, NY, May 17, 1996 - The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) encourages media outlets to consider the experts listed below as possible spokespersons qualified to comment on the Supreme Court's decision on Colorado's Amendment 2 case (Evans v. Romer). The decision is expected to be handed down by the High Court as early as Monday, May 20, 1996. The Colorado amendment, passed in 1992, is a statewide ballot initiative that makes it illegal to enact any law protecting lesbians, gay men and bisexuals from discrimination in the state. Legal Experts (National): Thomas B. Stoddard is an adjunct professor of law at New York University School of Law and is former executive director of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., author, lecturer and noted gay rights activist. (212) 362-8282 William Rubenstein is a Visiting Professor at Stanford Law School and a leading national expert on sexual orientation and the law. He was an attorney with and Director of the ACLU's national Lesbian and Gay Rights Project. He has taught legal courses on lesbian and gay law at Harvard, Yale, and Stanford Law Schools. Mr. Rubenstein is also the author of Lesbians, Gay Men, and The Law. (415) 723-0146 Suzanne B. Goldberg is a Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and co-counsel in the Colorado Amendment 2 case. (212) 995-8585 Gene Nichol is a civil rights attorney and former Dean of the University of Colorado School of Law. He chaired a Denver city task force on gay rights and is currently running for U.S. Senate. (303) 765-2500 (Campaign Headquarters) Legal Experts (Colorado): Jean Dubofsky is the former Colorado Supreme Court Justice and lead counsel in the legal challenge to Amendment 2. (303) 447-3510 Jeannie Winer was the trial attorney in the legal challenge to Amendment 2. (303) 938-6836. --more-- Mary Celeste is the co-founder and media representative of Colorado Legal Initiatives Project (CLIP). CLIP is lead counsel in the legal challenge to Colorado Amendment 2. CLIP coordinated the plaintiff's case and directly funded the lawsuit. (303) 863-1711 Social Action/Political Experts: Meg Moritz is a journalism professor at the University of Colorado, School of Journalism and Mass Communications. She has written extensively on gays in the media for the past 10 years. (303) 443-3210 Donna Red Wing is GLAAD's national spokesperson and a long-time community activist. (503) 224-5285 ### ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org VISIT THE GLAAD WEB SITE AT http://www.glaad.org! GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.