Date: Mon, 5 Jun 1995 10:31:07 -0400 From: Mary Ann Murphy Following is this month's sample letter on lesbigay issue. It is for members on the House Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. The sample letter is for California resident's, please modify for your own state. If you do send a letter, make a phone call or send an E-mail message on this issue please let us know. We need to know whether our efforts are effective. Henry Waxman's fax number (202) 225-4099 June 12, 1995 The Hon. Henry Waxman The U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Representative Waxman: I am writing to you as a Representative of California who sits on the Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. Currently, H.R. 862 (Dornan) is assigned to your subcommittee. I urge you to assure that it is never approved by the subcommittee. H.R. 862 states that no federal funds may be used directly or indirectly to promote, condone, accept or celebrate homosexuality, lesbianism or bisexuality. I note with pride and gratitude that you have pledged not to discriminate in your own hiring practices on the basis of sexual orientation. Therefore, I hope you agree with me that discriminatory legislation like H.R. 862 should be defeated. This country is seeing an alarming increase in suicides among lesbian, gay and bisexual youth. Programs in our schools to reduce this epidemic must, to be effective, include efforts to raise the self esteem of these youth. Such efforts are bound to be viewed by people like Mr. Dornan as promoting homosexuality. Similarly, there has been an accelerating outbreak of violence against lesbians, gays and bisexuals or people who are assumed to belong to one of these groups. Most of the violence is committed by teenage boys. Any program to reduce the violence must teach our youth to treat people with respect regardless of sexual orientation. Again, Mr. Dornan and other conservatives would consider such efforts as condoning homosexuality. Yet if we are to stop the rising tide of violence our schools must teach such respect for all people. Experience has shown that AIDS prevention and education programs directed towards the gay, lesbian and bisexual community must be culturally relevant and non judgmental if they are to have any hope of being successful. Again, it seems certain that the supporters of H.R. 862 would find such programs offensive and would oppose funding them. I urge you to help us combat AIDS, homophobic hate violence and suicide among gay youth by assuring that H.R. 862 never gets out of your subcommittee. yours truly,