Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 18:34:00 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines - August 30, 1999 GLAADLINES Contact: Sean Lund, GLAAD (323) 658-6775 x17 lund@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org =46OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AUGUST 30, 1999 News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (lgbt) Community ANTI-GIULIANI PROTEST SPURS BEATINGS, CHARGES: Representatives from the New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP) have called for an investigation into the violent end to a protest at the Log Cabin National Leadership Conference on Saturday, August 28. Protesting the appearance of New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani at the convention, Fed-Up Queers formed a human chain inside the Roosevelt Hotel. Hotel security staff, who began forcibly removing the protesters, allegedly began physically assaulting them as well. Several of the activists involved were arrested and charged with criminal trespass. Fed-Up Queers accused nearby N.Y.P.D. officers of failing to stop the attacks. "We find it appalling that the police stood by and did nothing while peaceful protestors were beaten and abused by private security personnel," said Fed-Up Queers spokesperson Michelle Cronk. "We will certainly be considering legal action against the assailants and possibly against the N.Y.P.D." For more information, contact Fed-Up Queers' Michelle Cronk at (908) 419-4369, New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project 's Clarence Patton at (212) 714-1184, and Log Cabin Republicans' Kevin Ivers at (202) 347-5306. INTERNET-RELATED SYPHILIS BREAKOUT UNITES HEALTH, ONLINE COMMUNITIES: The recent discovery of an outbreak of syphilis among visitors to an America Online (AOL) chatroom led to a week of outreach and education on the part of AOL, lgbt Internet company PlanetOut and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH). After discovering a common chatroom link in the new syphilis cases, the SFDPH contacted AOL, which put the health department in touch with Planet Out. Sensitive to Internet privacy issues, Planet Out used e-mail, volunteers and its own web site to alert community members to the health crisis, leaving the SFDPH able to focus its activities on partner notification and contact tracing of cases. "Planet Out has done an extraordinary job of offering their staff and resources to educate the gay community," said Jeffrey D. Klausner, Director of STD Prevention and Control Services for the SFDPH. "This has been a successful and effective partnership." For more information, contact Planet Out founder Tom Rielly at (415) 547-2800 and SFDPH Director of STD Prevention and Control Services Jeffrey D. Klausner at (415) 437-8090. ANTI-GAY ALLIANCE DENOUNCED BY LLEG=D3: The recent alliance between La Amistad, a group of mostly Spanish-speaking Protestant Pentecostal congregations, and the anti-gay Traditional Values Coalition (headed by the Rev. Lou Sheldon) has come under fire by LLEG=D3, the National Latina/o Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Organization. LLEG=D3 has called on th= e Latina/o community to be wary of uniting with conservative religious political activists such as Sheldon, whose group lobbied heavily for the passage of California Prop. 187. "Lou Sheldon is relying on old, tired stereotypes of Latinas/os being 'naturally inclined' toward homophobia and intolerance, when in reality our attitudes are much more welcoming of diversity," said Mart=EDn Ornelas-Quintero, executive director of LLEG=D3. "What is real here is that Latina/o fundamentalist preachers are hungry for political clout of any kind, that they'll willingly sell their pulpit to mainstream right-wing extremists." For more information, contact LLEG=D3 Publications Manager Benjamin Sheppard at (202) 466-8240, ext. 109. "DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL" TARGETS REPUBLICAN STATE LEGISLATOR: Arizona State Rep. Steve May - a conservative Republican, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve and the only openly gay GOP state legislator in the country - is currently under investigation after having revealed his sexual orientation during the course of legislative debate. "Lieutenant May has a flawless record of military service, yet he is being targeted for investigation just because he has the character to be honest about who he is," said C. Dixon Osburn, co-executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which is advising May during the investigation. "The voters elected Steve May because he embodies the very same leadership qualities of honesty and integrity for which the military may now discharge him," said Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Communications Director Sloan Wiesen. For more information, contact Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Communications Director Sloan C. Wiesen at (202) 842-8679, ext. 310, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network senior staff attorney Stacey Sobel at (202) 328-3244, and Log Cabin Republicans Director of Public Affairs Kevin Ivers at (202) 347-5306. JUDY SHEPARD TO SPEAK AT STONEWALL 30 EVENT IN OAKLAND: Judy Shepard, mother of Wyoming hate-crime victim Matthew Shepard, will speak at the Wednesday, September 1 opening ceremony of Stonewall 30 at Oakland City Hall. Stonewall 30, the nation's first major lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride event where no parade is planned, will take place this weekend in several East Bay cities and in Johannesburg, South Africa. Shepard also will join Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown for Wednesday night's "Lighting of the Lake" ceremony on Lake Merritt. For more information, contact Stonewall 30 Media Coordinator Allen White at (415) 280-0265. GLAAD, the nation's lesbian & gay media advocacy organization, promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. To subscribe, contact Wonbo Woo at (212) 807-1700 or at woo@glaad.org. "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered 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 QUARTERLY GLAADNOTES 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" (without the quotation marks). Make sure that you turn off all signatures and extraneous text. TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" (without the quotation marks). Make sure that you turn off all signatures and extraneous text. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in the media as a means of combating homophobia and 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.