Subject: NGLTF Calls on DOJ 2
From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 1995 09:39:39 -0500

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National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
NEWS RELEASE

Contact:          Helen Gonzales       (202) 332-6483 ext. 3236
                      [email-masked]   
                       Robert Bray            (415) 552-6448
                        [email-masked]

2320 17th Street NW   Washington, DC   20009
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TASK FORCE ASKS ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO TO TAKE ACTION
 ON OREGON KILLINGS

PUT FEDS ON ALERT IN ANTI-GAY INITIATIVE STATES,
 SAYS NGLTF

December 12, 1995, Washington, D.C...Citing the recent murders of two lesbian
activists in Medford, OR, and a tragic history of violence against gays,
lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in other states with anti-gay
ballot initiatives, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) has asked
U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno to lend federal assistance in investigating
and stopping homophobic homicides.

 "We are writing to inform you of a situation which unfortunately is becoming
too commonplace in our country and to seek your assistance in helping protect
the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people," said the
three-page letter, faxed to Reno's office today.  "As you may be aware by
now, two women were murdered 'execution style' in Medford, Oregon last week.
 While the specific circumstances of this case are not yet known, we are
concerned that these seemingly calculated murders were motivated by hatred
toward gays and lesbians."

 Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill, both openly lesbian activists and
upstanding community citizens, were abducted on Monday, December 4.  On
Thursday, December 8, the bodies of Ellis, 54, and Abdill, 42, were found in
a pick-up truck in Medford.  Local media reports indicate the two were bound
before being shot side-by-side in the head at close range.

 Ellis and Abdill were prominently involved with the local chapter of Parents
and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), and their community church.  Both
played highly visible leadership roles in the battle against Measure 13.  The
measure, sponsored by the Oregon Citizens Alliance, was defeated in November
1994.  The police are investigating the killings as hate crimes but have not
confirmed them as such yet.  The murders have rocked the Medford/Ashland
area, which lies near the California border.

 "Our concern is that however the facts in this case turn out, hate crimes
against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons continue to be an
epidemic in this country," said the letter.  "In the atmosphere of hatred and
gay-baiting which are expected to be waged by the Far Right during next
year's anti-gay ballot and legislative state initiatives, it is clear that
such crimes will increase."
--more--

 The letter went on to detail the rise in anti-gay violence, especially in
states with homophobic initiatives.  The ballot initiatives are designed to
overturn existing protections against discrimination based on sexual
orientation and prohibit such protections in the future.  Typically
accompanying the measures is a wave of incendiary propaganda -- ranging from
charges of child molestation to "special rights" to bestiality and "AIDS
spreaders"-- disseminated by initiative sponsors to persuade voters to
support the measures. 

 In the letter, signed by NGLTF executive director Melinda Paras, the Task
Force asks the Department of Justice to monitor the situation in Medford and,
if possible, "lend assistance to local law enforcement in assuring the
collection of all information necessary to determine whether or not this was
a hate crime."  The letter also states, "We strongly urge you [Reno] to
consider the possibility of having local FBI or other federal offices in
states with anti-gay and lesbian initiatives or legislation be on alert for
increased violence and civil rights violations against our communities."

 The record of anti-gay hate violence in initiative states and nationwide
includes:

 -- From January 1992 to early December 1994, a total of 151 known anti-gay
murders were reported to gay victim assistance groups nationwide. This
includes 59 murders in 1994; 62 in 1993; and 30 in 1992.  "One way to look at
this data," said the letter to Reno, "is that in the years since anti-gay
initiatives emerged on the scene in Oregon, Colorado, Idaho and Maine, and
made national headlines, anti-gay murders have almost doubled.

 -- In 1992, the Lesbian Community Project in Portland, OR, tallied 968
incidents of anti-gay violence, more than any other gay victim service agency
in the U.S. in that year.  Measure 9, defeated by voters, was introduced in
Oregon in 1992 by the Oregon Citizens Alliance and included sensationalistic
rhetoric such as bestiality and other homosexual "perversities."  Hattie Mae
Cohen, a lesbian, and Brian Mock, a gay man, were killed when their home in
Oregon was firebombed during the 1992 ballot battle.

 --  Reports of anti-gay violence in Colorado rose 129 percent from 1991,
when 89 such incidents were documented, to 1992, with 204 reports recorded.
 Colorado's Amendment 2 passed in 1992.  In November and December immediately
following the vote, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Colorado received
40 percent of its bias violence reports for 1992.  "The homophobic kindling
laid during the [Amendment 2] campaign exploded into a series of violent
incidents," explained the letter to Reno.

 -- Most recently, the Maine Gay and Lesbian Political Alliance (MGLPA)
reported at least 10 known anti-gay incidents between June and October 1995,
the height of the anti-gay Measure One campaign.  The measured was sponsored
by Concerned Maine Families.  By contrast, MGLPA reported only four such
incidents in all of 1994.  During the week after the initiative was defeated,
yard signs by Maine Won't Discriminate, the group that fought the measure,
were found with bullet holes in them.

 "We are concerned about the high incidence of hate crimes that continue to
occur in this country," stated the letter to Reno.  "We are especially
concerned about the documented increase in such crimes that occur in
connection with right-wing sponsored ballot initiatives.  However the facts
turn out in the [Oregon] case, these deaths are another wake up call,
reminding us of the increased violence against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and
transgender people which we can expect beginning next year as the Far Right
begins initiative and legislative campaigns against our communities."
 Activists expect ballot measures in at least Oregon, Idaho and Washington,
among other possible states, in 1996.  The U.S. Supreme Court held hearings
on Colorado's Amendment 2 last autum and is expected to rule sometime early
next year.
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