From: HRCFCOMM@aol.com Date: Thu, 31 Aug 1995 14:41:26 -0400 Subject: HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE TO STAGE HEARING FOR ANTI-GAY ZEALOT ***************************************************************** PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND The Nation's Largest Lesbian and Gay Equal Rights Organization ***************************************************************** To contact the HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND, please call us at (202)628-4160, fax us at (202) 347-5323 or write to us at PO Box 1396 Washington, DC 20013. ***************************************************************** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, August 31, 1995 HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE TO STAGE HEARING FOR ANTI-GAY ZEALOT -- Lobbyist Who Advocates Concentration Camps for People With AIDS Is Promised Taxpayer-Funded Platform for Prejudice -- Washington -- A radical right extremist who has called for men, women and children with AIDS to be confined in concentration camps has been promised a congressional hearing to air his prejudices against gay and lesbian Americans, according to information obtained by the Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF). Lou Sheldon, lobbyist for the right-wing Traditional Values Coalition, bragged in a recent fundraising letter that House Speaker Newt Gingrich had delivered on a promise to hold a taxpayer-funded hearing sought by Sheldon to single out gay and lesbian youth for discrimination in schools. After inquiries by HRCF, staff of U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee, confirmed that a hearing would be staged for Sheldon on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Democratic committee staff had not been notified of the hearing as of yesterday. "I was so excited when I received the call informing me of the hearing dates," Sheldon wrote in a letter seeking $25,000 in donations to hire a public relations firm to promote the hearing. In the letter, Sheldon took credit for "doing research" and "calling across the country tracking information leads" on behalf of the committee. He also revealed his plans to use the hearing to distort the purpose of local school programs developed by some communities to prevent violence, discrimination, AIDS and suicide. "Sheldon's obsession is to dehumanize gay and lesbian young people and promote discrimination. Sadly, he is being provided with a taxpayer-funded platform for his prejudice," said HRCF Executive Director Elizabeth Birch. "Parents and educators should decide how best to address these issues in their local communities, not the federal government. Sheldon is pushing for an unprecedented intrusion by the federal government into local control of our public schools." In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Nov. 26, 1989, Sheldon called for men, women and children with HIV/AIDS to be confined in concentration camps that he called "cities of refuge." In 1986 and 1988, he backed discriminatory anti-gay initiatives sponsored by right-wing extremist Lyndon LaRouche. He failed to convince voters in California and other states to pass ballot initiatives that would single out gay and lesbian people for discrimination. "The American people have repeatedly rejected Sheldon's extremist agenda, but now he is being given free reign to promote discrimination at taxpayer expense," Birch said. "He is shamelessly distorting the purpose of programs designed to keep young people safe and healthy. Congress should resist the temptation to stage sideshows for right-wing lobbyists and get on with the business of governing." The subcommittee has no jurisdiction over the content of curriculum and programs offered by local schools. Traditionally, local communities and state education boards set guidelines for curriculum, counseling and instructional materials. Some communities have adopted modest programs to address an epidemic of violence and discrimination against lesbian and gay youth in schools. Just yesterday, a coalition of government agencies and community organizations in Seattle released a report detailing 27 bias-motivated attacks in area schools that ranged from name- calling to rape and other violent assaults against young people perceived to be gay. The Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF), the nation's largest lesbian and gay political organization, works to end discrimination, secure equal rights, and protect the health and safety of all Americans. With a national staff, and volunteers and members throughout the country, HRCF lobbies the federal government on lesbian, gay, and AIDS issues; educates the general public; participates in election campaigns; organizes volunteers; and provides expertise and training at the state and local level. - 30 - 1101 14th Street, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 phone:(202)628-4160 fax:(202) 347-5323