From: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 08 Aug 94 17:26:10 EDT

NATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN TASK FORCE 

LEGISLATIVE ALERT

AUGUST 8, 1994

Helms Attacks Gay and Lesbian Youth
Action Needed Now

NGLTF urges all supporters of gay, lesbian and bisexual youth to take
immediate action against an amendment recently passed in the US Senate.
 During debate on August 1 on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act,
Senators Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Bob Smith (R-NH) succeeded in passing an
amendment that the Washington Post called a "cheap gay bashing vote."
 However, an opportunity now exists to strike the Smith/Helms amendment from
the final version of the law.

If made into law, the Smith/Helms amendment would put gay youth in jeopardy.
 It would have a chilling, devastating effect on the lives of gay and lesbian
youth.  Gay youth seeking counsel at school would be turned away under this
measure.  Your Senators must be held accountable for their votes on this
issue.  The Smith/Helms amendment must never reach the President's desk.

What Happened

The following is a synopsis of what took place in the Senate on August 1 - 2.

1. Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) introduced an amendment to the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that would ban federal funds to be used in
schools that "carry out a program or activity that has either the purpose or
effect of encouraging or supporting homosexuality as a positive alternative
lifestyle."  The amendment would cover the distribution of instructional
materials, counseling and referral of students to outside organizations.

2. Again using the Senate Floor as a stage for political gay bashing, Senator
Jesse Helms (R-NC) spoke in favor of the Smith amendment and succeeded in
adding a "second degree amendment" that prevents any further amendment to the
Smith amendment. The Smith/Helms amendment passed in a 63-36 vote very late
in the day.

3. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) then offered a conflicting amendment that
would prohibit the use of federal funds to promote sexual activity, whether
homosexual or heterosexual. Because no federal funds are used for this
purpose, the Kennedy language would have no actual impact, but could be used
in conference committee as leverage to delete the Smith/Helms measure. This
strategy of offering a similarly-worded but conflicting amendment is common.
This free standing amendment passed 99-0, but was not covered in initial
stories of the Smith/Helms amendment. 

4. The following day, on August 2, in an effort to counterstrike another
threatened Helms attack, a second Kennedy amendment passed.  This one would
prohibit federal funds for condom distribution in schools.  The amendment was
adopted by voice vote.

5. Finally, the Senate voted to combine all three amendments under the Smith
amendment despite the conflicts between each of its three sections.  The
final combining amendment passed 91-9.

Why it Happened

The unusual proceedings on the Senate floor were an attempt by Sen. Helms to
keep gay and lesbian organizations and constituents on the defensive rather
than advocating for other, pro-active measures such as ENDA or health care
reform. To counteract the anti-gay propaganda of Helms and his supporters,
Kennedy introduced two counter amendments and then combined all three into a
single conflicting amendment. In this weay, gay groups and political
strategists hope to create grounds to strike the Smith/Helms anti-gay
measures in a future joint Senate/House committee.

Because the House of Representatives already passed a measure similar, but
not identical, to the Smith/Helms amendment, the fate of all the amendments
must be decided in a Senate/House joint conference committee later this fall
that will work to reconcile the differences.  The conference committee
co-chairmen will be Sen. Kennedy and Rep. Bill Ford (D-MI).  The Senate will
be represented by all members of the Senate Committee on Labor and Human
Resources.  Representatives will be appointed from the House Committee on
Education and Labor.  With a 99-0 vote in favor of the Kennedy language, and
a 63-36 vote in favor of Smith/Helms, Sen. Kennedy has strong standing to
remove the Smith/Helms language during the conference committee.

What NGLTF Has Done

The National Gay and Lesbian Task is working in coalition with several
progressive organizations on the best strategy to delete anti-gay amendments
from ESEA. NGLTF anticipated the Helms anti-gay crusade in the spring after a
mitigated victory in the House of Representatives on the same issue. On
Capitol Hill, NGLTF worked to find a senator willing to draft and introduce
counterattack legislation and will now concentrate on strategies to delete
the Smith/Helms amendment in the conference committee. Your help is needed.
 Teachers and gay, lesbian and bisexual youth need your active support now!

What You Can Do

63 Senators betrayed gay, lesbian and bisexual youth!  Our community is
outraged!  Contact your senators!  Write or call Senator Kennedy,
Representative Ford and the other members of the conference committee!  Visit
your members of Congress during the August recess.  Write letters to the
editor.  Join with teachers, students and school board members in expressing
your concern.  Make your senators accountable for their anti-gay votes!
 Don't let Smith/Helms become law!

Contact your Senators

t If your senators opposed the amendment, thank them for their support and
ask for their pledge to strike the amendment in conference committee.

t If your senators supported the amendment, express your concern and ask that
they work to strike the amendment in conference committee.

Suggested Talking Points:

t Each school district, with the input of teachers, counselors, and parents,
must have the right to support its students according to local community
standards.

t Youth questioning their sexual orientation are desperate for resources and
assistance.  Several studies suggest that gay and lesbian youth are more
likely to attempt suicide -- we must not bar counselors from helping these
youth! 

t The Smith/Helms amendment must be struck in conference committee.  The
lives of gay, lesbian and bisexual youth depend on it.

t The use of valuable congressional floor time for political gay-bashing by
Helms, Smith and others must not be tolerated.  Tell your senators to stop
voting for Helms!

Contact NGLTF

t Send letters of support from school districts or teachers to NGLTF for use
in lobbying.

CONTACTS

CAPITOL HILL
Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard for phone numbers of your Members of
Congress at: 202-224-3121.
Or Write: The Honorable ___________, U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC  20515  The Honorable ___________, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC
  20510

Definite Conference Committee Members from the Senate
Christopher Dodd (CT), Tom Harkin (IA), Paul Simon (IL), Dan Coats (IN),
Nancy Kassebaum (K), Edward Kennedy (MA), Barbara Mikulski (MD), Dave
Durenberger (MN), Paul Wellstone (MN), Jud Gregg (NH), Jeff Bingaman (NM),
Howard Metzenbaum (OH), Harris Wofford (PA), Claiborne Pell (RI), Strom
Thurmond (SC), Orrin Hatch (UT), Jim Jeffords (VT), 

Possible Conference Committee Members from the House of Representatives
Eni Faleomavaega (AS), Karan English (AZ), Xavier Becerra (CA), Randy
Cunningham (CA), Matthew Martinez (CA), Howard McKeon (CA), George Miller
(CA), Lynn Woolsey (CA), Dan Miller (FL), Patsy Mink (HI), Harris Fawell
(IL), Tim Roemer (IN), Scotty Baesler (KY), William Ford (MI), Peter Hoekstra
(MI), Dale Kildee (MI), William Clay (MO), Pat Williams (MT), Bill Barrett
(NE), Robert Andrews (NJ), Donald Payne (NJ), Marge Roukema (NJ), Eliot Engle
(NY), Susan Molinari (NY), Major Owens (NY), Cass Ballenger (NC), John
Boehner (OH), Thomas Sawyer (OH), Ted Stickland (OH), William Goodling (PA),
Ron Klink (PA), Austin Murphy (PA), Carlos Romero-Barcelo (PR), Jack Reed
(RI), Richard Armey (TX), Gene Green (TX), Robert Scott (VA), Ron de Lugo
(VI), Jolene Unsoeld (WA), Steve Gunderson (WI), Thomas Petri (WI), 

EDUCATORS. . .To form a coalition with local teachers and school board
members contact your local teachers' association and your local school
district office

NGLTF. . . For more information, contact Tanya Domi, Legislative Director,
ext. 3308 or Beth Barrett, Legislative Assistant, ext. 3215.