Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 16:48:59 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines 12.16.96 GLAADLINES contact: Don Romesburg (415) 861-2244 romesburg@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 16, 1996 News, Tips, and Breaking Stories about the Gay & Lesbian Community NAVY SETTLES ANTI-LESBIAN WITCH HUNT SUIT: In the first successful suit to challenge violations of the current "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" policy's prohibition on military witch hunts of lesbian and gay servicemembers, the Department of Justice and the Navy settled a lawsuit brought by former Seaman Amy L. Barnes on December 12. Barnes sued the Navy earlier this year for wrongful discharge and for violating her constitutional rights. The Navy agreed to pay Barnes an amount roughly equivalent to the G.I. Bill educational benefits to which she would have been entitled had she been allowed to complete her enlistment term. The Navy also issued her a new discharge form removing all references to "homosexual conduct." Barnes had been discharged following a witch hunt of women accused as lesbian on the USS Simon Lake, a nuclear submarine, in the fall of 1995. "This is a victory not just for Amy Barnes, but for all servicemembers jeopardized by the military's anti-gay policy and the witch hunts that can result from it," said Kirk Childress, Staff Attorney of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN). For more information contact Kirk Childress (SLDN) at (202) 328-3244. BAY AREA BOY SCOUTS SET "DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL" POLICY: In what many lesbian and gay groups speculate is an attempt to curry favor with the United Way, the San Francisco Bay Area Council of the Boy Scouts have quietly adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" policy towards gay scouts and troop leaders. While gay members and leaders have been expelled simply because of their sexual orientation nationally, the Bay Area Council will only call for expulsion if a person "engages in public homosexual conduct or advocacy." In 1992, the United Way cut nearly $500,000 in annual funding to seven Bay Area councils because of the Scouts' anti-gay policy. "It looks good, but it's a double message," said San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano. "What do they mean by 'as long as you don't advocate?' What do they mean by 'public homosexual conduct?' It's back to the Anita Bryant days of staying in the closet." For more information, contact Supervisor Ammiano at (415) 554-5144. RUSSIAN LESBIAN BATTLING FOR ASYLUM IN U.S.: On December 11, a lawyer for Alla Pitcherskaia, a Russian lesbian, pleaded with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for political asylum, saying the woman would be institutionalized and subjected to electroshock therapy if returned home. It is the first time a federal appeals court has heard a case using sexual orientation as a basis for political asylum. In the early eighties, "she was repeatedly threatened with forced psychiatric institutionalization solely because she is a lesbian, and repeatedly detained for political actions on behalf of gay rights," said Pitcherskaia's lawyer Suzanne Goldberg of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (LLDEF). The Justice Department asserts that since the fall of the Soviet Union laws banning homosexuality have changed, and the psychiatric counseling sessions Pitcherskaia was forced to undergo by the state were a good-faith attempt to help her. A decision is expected in anywhere from six weeks to a year. For more information contact Peg Byron (LLDEF) at (212) 995-9475. GAY GROUPS DEMAND MEETING WITH CHICAGO TRIBUNE: A series of Mike Royko columns that mock the severity of gay domestic violence prompted two of the Midwest's largest lesbian and gay organizations to demand a meeting with Chicago Tribune officials. To date, the paper has been unresponsive to Horizons Community Services and the Illinois Federation for Human Rights (IFHR) request to discuss what they are calling "the chronic problem of Mike Royko." According to Jerri-Lynn Fields, program director of Horizon's anti-violence project, "Royko perpetuates myths about domestic violence and makes light of this serious problem. In the past year, Latino and African-American organizations have also been outraged by Royko's columns. Tribune officials have long ignored minority community requests to reprimand or discipline Royko. "He is a bitter, arrogant and ignorant man out of tune and out of touch," said Rick Garcia, director of IFHR. For more information contact Rick Garcia (IFHR) at (773) 244-3371 or Jerri-Lynn Fields (Horizons) at (773) 472-6469, ext. 249. OUTBOX PRODUCES GAY NEWSWIRE IN ASSOCIATION WITH GLAAD: BoxTop Interactive (www.boxtop.com), one of the country's leading interactive entertainment firms, has launched the company's first original content project. Outbox (www.outbox.com) is a Web site for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities that features a comprehensive search index for news and information. As part of this service, Outbox is offering a GayNewsWire in association with GLAAD, offering links to the headline stories affecting the global gay community. "It's thrilling to be able to bring this online," stated Outbox producer Helen Mendoza. "This is just the tip of the iceberg of what we can do to provide excellent programming for the community." Additionally, Outbox will offer original content programming, including online outreach programs with key community organizations. For more information contact Heather Gore at (310) 235-3906 or e-mail: hgore@boxtop.com. To report events that merit media coverage, or news stories breaking in your area, please contact us. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is the nation's lesbian & gay news bureau and the only national lesbian & gay multimedia watchdog organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. To subscribe contact Don Romesburg at (415) 861-2244 or at romesburg@glaad.org. "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's DISPATCH AND QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" GLAAD is the nation's lesbian and gay news bureau and the only national lesbian and gay multimedia watchdog organization. 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 registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.