Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 16:06:51 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines - September 27, 1999 GLAADLINES - September 27, 1999 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Wonbo Woo GLAAD Communications Associate (212) 807-1700 x24 woo@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community 1) ARMY WILL COURT MARTIAL SOLDIER ACCUSED IN MURDER OF PFC WINCHELL 2) GLSEN SCHOOL CLIMATE SURVEY EXPOSES PERVASIVE ANTI-GAY HARASSMENT 3) CONFERENCE SEASON HITS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 1) ARMY WILL COURT MARTIAL SOLDIER ACCUSED IN MURDER OF PFC WINCHELL: U.S. Army officials announced last week that Private Calvin Glover, accused in the July 5 beating death of 21-year-old Private First Class Barry Winchell, will be court-martialed on a charge of premeditated murder. A date for the court martial (the military equivalent of a criminal trial) has not yet been set. Winchell's case came to national attention following reports that he had been in the process of coming out in the months prior to his death. According to testimony in an Article 32 hearing determining whether or not he would be court-martialed, Glover bludgeoned Winchell with a baseball bat after having been beaten in a skirmish by Winchell. Army prosecutors say Glover vowed revenge, telling fellow soldiers he would not be beaten by a "faggot." A second soldier, Specialist Justin R. Fisher, is also being considered for court martial as an accomplice to the murder and for obstructing investigations. Winchell's case has also renewed scrutiny of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue" policy on lesbians and gay men's eligibility to serve. During the Article 32 hearing, a superior officer admitted to having asked Winchell if he was gay, apparently in violation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue." And in response to the murder, the Pentagon released amended guidelines to the policy in August, although the newer guidelines were criticized by the lesbian and gay advocacy group Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), which described the amendments as being "too little, too late," citing the Pentagon's slow response to continuing reports of problems under the existing policy. For more information, contact SLDN Co-Executive Directors Michelle Benecke or C. Dixon Osburn at (202) 328-3244. 2) GLSEN SCHOOL CLIMATE SURVEY EXPOSES PERVASIVE ANTI-GAY HARASSMENT: The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) released Friday the results of its in-depth school climate survey, showing systemic hostility being leveled upon lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in schools across the country. A total of 496 self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning students from 32 states participated in the survey, which was administered through service providers affiliated with the National Youth Advocacy Coalition. Among the findings of the survey: 91.4% reported hearing homophobic remarks used "sometimes" or "frequently" in their schools, with 39.2% saying that faculty and staff do not intervene in such incidents and another third noting that faculty or staff members themselves were among the offenders. Rates of verbal (61%), sexual (47%) and physical (28%) harassment were also found to be extremely high, and 14% of the youth reported having been physically assaulted because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. While 58.3% of the youth said they do feel safe in schools, 46% of them still reported having been the targets of direct verbal harassment. "Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students are required b y law to attend school - an environment these students say in incredibly hostile," said GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings. GLSEN also appealed to California Governor Gray Davis, calling for him to sign the recently approved AB 537, a bill sponsored by Assemblymember Sheila Kuehl and banning discrimination based upon sexual orientation in the state's public schools and colleges. [see GLAADLines 09.13.99] Jennings said, "At the very least California schools owe all of their students a safe, harassment-free learning environment." Results from the survey will be among the many topics covered at GLSEN's national conference, "Teaching Respect for All '99," set to take place this week in Atlanta. For more information on either the survey or the conference, contact GLSEN Communications Director Jim Anderson at (212) 727-0135 x136 or by email at janderson@glsen.org . 3) CONFERENCE SEASON HITS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Two upcoming conferences in Southern California will focus on empowering and convening historically underrepresented groups within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. … In San Diego (with additional events in Tijuana, Mexico), the National Latino/a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Organization (LLEGO) will host a triad of events running from Oct. 5-11. Its seventh annual Encuentro conference will bring together Latino/a public figures, activists and allies from across the country to discuss social, political and culturally-relevant issues, while the second annual International Congress will convene Latin American and Caribbean community activists. The first California Summit will also take place, bringing Latino/a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists together to discuss the state's political climate. In a press release issued last month, LLEGO Board co-chair Nicole M. Ramirez noted, "As Latinos, we represent an important and ever-growing voting bloc, especially in California," and referenced recent attempts by conservatives to court Latino/a voters on anti-gay issues. Among LLEGO's publicly cited concerns has been the formation of a group known as La Amistad, which has allied itself with the Traditional Values Coalition, a religious political activist organization, in order to oppose inclusive and protective legislations in California. Guests expected at the LLEGO events include Mexican Congressperson Patria Jimenez, the country's first openly lesbian or gay elected official, and San Francisco City Treasurer Susan Leal. To register for the Encuentro or International Congress, or for further information, contact LLEGO's Ben Sheppard at (202) 466-8240 or by email at publications@llego.org . For more information regarding the California Summit, contact Ramirez at (619) 692-1967 or (619) 277-2833. … More than 500 individuals are expected to gather Oct. 8-10 in Los Angeles for "Forward Motion," a conference addressing issues of concern to female-to-male (FTM) transgender people. Covering a broad range of topics including history, activism, the arts, health and diversity, special guests and speakers include renowned author and performance artist Kate Bornstein; Jamison Green, president of FTM International; British lawyer and activist Stephen Whittle; and prominent historian Susan Stryker. For more information on "Forward Motion," contact conference media organizer and GLAAD Organizational Systems Manager Nick Adams at (323) 658-6775 x11 or via email at FM99Media@aol.com . GLAAD is the nation's lesbian & gay multimedia advocacy organization. GLAAD 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. 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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.