Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 16:24:43 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines 08.04.97 GLAADLINES contact: Don Romesburg (415) 861-2244 romesburg@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 4, 1997 News, Tips and Breaking Stories about the Gay & Lesbian Community EVANSTON SAYS "YES" TO TRANSGENDER PEOPLE: History was made on July 28 in Illinois as the city council of Evanston voted to include transgender people under its Human Rights Ordinance, prohibiting discrimination in employment, public accommodation and housing. The ordinance was the result of collaboration between It's Time, Illinois! (ITI), a transgender political advocacy organization, and the city's Human Rights Commission. Stephanie Young, co-founder and chair of ITI, notes, "This is why we founded ITI nearly two years ago. The credit for this goes to all the members of ITI and the transgendered community who have supported us. We also need to thank the gay, lesbian, and bisexual organizations that have supported us as well. It is truly a group effort." For more information, contact Stephanie Young at (708) 535-1506. TV MOVIE HITS CLOSE TO HOME: On Monday, August 11 at 6pm, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), will hold a reception at the Chicago Public Library to premiere Any Mother's Son: The Dorothy Hajdys Story. The made-for-TV movie, which will air on Lifetime Television the same night, is the true life story of one woman's fight for justice in the murder of her gay son by Navy shipmates. Hajdys, who will attend the event, is working with SLDN to collect one million signatures by the year 2002 on a petition requesting that the Navy deny parole to Terry Helvey, one of the two men who brutally beat her son to death. SLDN is the only national legal aid and watchdog organization that assists men and women fighting "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." "SLDN and Dorothy Hajdys are very concerned that justice is served for her son, and that this never happens again," said Kirk Childress, staff attorney at SLDN. He added that violent attacks still occur as a result of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. For more information, please contact Julia Adams (SLDN) at (202) 328-3244, or via e-mail at sldn@sldn.org. NEW LESBIAN HEALTH INFORMATION: New findings were presented at the recent National Lesbian and Gay Health Conference, including higher rates of breast, ovarian and uterine cancer, heart disease and stroke than heterosexual women. Nearly 900 lesbians and heterosexual women from the Twin Cities, Chicago and New York were studied. Behavioral and lifestyle patterns were thought to make most of the difference as although it seems lesbians eat better, they exercise less. Additionally, lesbians visit the gynecologist less often, presumably because of less concern about birth control and pregnancy and the additional concern of discrimination by their nurses or doctors. According to Marj Plumb, director of public policy for the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, "This is significant research, but because of the study design, it is not applicable to all lesbians. While the differences in risk factors of various cancers between the lesbians and the heterosexual is remarkable, it should not be seen as a cause for alarm, but a call for further research." For more information, contact Sue Brochman (GLMA) at (415) 255-4547. REPORTER PETITIONS TO SUPREME COURT: The much-watched case of Sandy Nelson, a reporter demoted because of her gay and lesbian activism work, took another step as the ACLU petitioned the United States Supreme Court on July 25 to take up the case. Earlier this year, Washington state's highest court upheld the Tacoma News Tribune's actions, stating that the state's law barring employment discrimination on the basis of political activities does not apply to newspapers. The court maintained that due to the first amendment, it was prevented from regulating the content of newspapers and therefore must uphold a newspaper's right to maintain credibility of its content by enforcing the political neutrality of its reporters. According to Doug Honig of the ACLU, "Employers should not be able to regulate off the job political activities of their employees." For more information, contact Doug Honig of the ACLU at (206) 624-2184. NO ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN IDAHO: The ACLU filed a lawsuit on July 31 against Idaho Board of Education as it rejected a professor's grant proposal because it dealt with lesbian and gay issues. The ACLU argues the board violated Dr. Peter Boag's academic freedom by denying his proposal based on the lesbian and gay content. Boag's research proposal had received the recommendation for funding from the higher education council and was given high marks by his academic peers. For more information, contact Denny Lee (ACLU) at (212) 549-2666. Erratum: Langrock Sperry and Wool, attorneys for the new Vermont Freedom to Marry case was misspelled in last week's GLAADLines. 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. 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