Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 20:32:31 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines June 29, 1998 GLAADLINES contact: Don Romesburg (415) 861-2244 romesburg@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 1998 News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community LLEGO OUTRAGED BY PUERTO RICO DAY PARADE TREATMENT: Following a number of incidents with the organizers of this year's Puerto Rico Day Parade Committee in Chicago, LLEGO, the national Latino/a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organization, is demanding a written apology, a lead position in the next parade, and sensitivity trainings for members of the parade committee and staff. LLEGO Executive Director Martin Ornelas-Quintero said, "Several of our encounters with the parade committee and staff were hostile, unsettling and homophobic," and noted that LLEGO was grilled about whether nude or transgender individuals would appear on the float. In addition, parade staff told LLEGO that the event was "a Puerto Rican and not a gay rally," and staff tried to prevent LLEGO from using gay pride flags and symbols. While originally placed 44th in the parade line-up, after these interactions, parade organizers moved LLEGO to the very back. Ornelas-Quintero continued to say that: "We enjoyed the warm, encouraging cheers and welcome of the public during the parade, yet some members of the parade staff dealt homophobic insults and slurs at us. One staff person said that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Latinas/os were the reason for the ills of the community." For more information contact Martin Ornelas-Quintero (LLEGO) at (202) 466-8240. INTERNET DEBATE EXPANDS: The debate about Internet filtering software--which can block youths' access to information about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community--continues to expand in several states. In New Mexico, U.S. District Judge C. LeRoy Hansen blocked a law, to have taken effect Wednesday, to criminalize Internet expressions of "nudity" or "sexual conduct." In Utah, the State Records Committee ordered the educational computer network to give an Internet activist its censorship logs, which log online sites Utah students have tried to access. Anti-censorship advocates worry that while filtering softwares sporadically block pornography and hate sites, they also can keep lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth from critical information and resources. Says Jeff Walsh, editor of Oasis, the online webzine for gay youth: "There are many online sites that a parent might find inappropriate for their child. But the answer is not blocking all sites with sexual content without regard for context." The ACLU has sued to block the new law in New Mexico. For more information contact Ann Beeson (ACLU attorney) at (212) 944-9800. HEADS-UP FOR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS: For the first time, the U.S. Department of Education has explicitly extended to lesbians and gays Title IX protections against sexual harassment. Prompting the move: Openly gay student Willi Wagner and his parents, who charged that the Fayetteville, Ark., school system did nothing after other students had beaten him. The district agreed to overhaul its policies, train staff and inform them that lesbian and gay students are covered under Title IX, which bars sexual harassment. Schools must comply with Title IX to obtain federal funding. At issue, said Kate Frankfurt of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), are student safety and, potentially, a lot of local school district tax money. Courts have awarded significant damages to students targeted for being gay, she said, including Jamie Nabozny's ground-breaking case, which won the Wisconsin high school alum almost $900,000. Frankfurt said, "The majority of school districts do not have policies in place that specifically mention sexual orientation, like race and gender." For more information contact Kate Frankfurt (GLSEN) at (212) 727-0135. GAY FEDERAL EMPLOYEES CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender federal employees may be inclined to look for more "welcoming" private sector employment if GOP members of Congress continue to use them as political pawns, warns Len Hirsh of GLOBE, the lesbian and gay federal employee group. Republican lawmakers have moved to try to overturn President Clinton's May 28 executive order banning workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Democratic National Committee has characterized the Republican Party's recent efforts as "gay bashing." But, Hirsh said, "this could make really good employees of the government look for relief by working for companies that protect their employees by giving them equal rights." For more information contact Bob Sadler (GLOBE president) at (202) 482-8040. NATIONAL GUARD TO APPEAL PRO-GAY RULING: The California National Guard plans to appeal a San Francisco Superior Court ruling that jettisoned its prohibition against openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members. Unknown is how many guard members, in California and elsewhere, have been booted from the service because of their sexual orientation since the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy was instituted early on in Clinton's first term. A study of active duty forces found that discharges based on sexual orientation actually had increased since the compromise policy took effect. For more information contact Julia Adams (Servicemembers Legal Defense Network) at (202) 328-3244. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is the nation's lesbian & gay multimedia advocacy organization. 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