Subject: NGLTF on Colorado's A2
From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 19:01:38 -0400

NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE
PRESS STATEMENT
Contact: Beth Barrett, 202-332-6483, ext 3215; [email-masked]
*************** 

NGLTF STATEMENT ON UPCOMING SUPREME COURT 
HEARING OF AMENDMENT 2

Washington, DC -- September 21, 1995 -- Following are the remarks of Melinda
Paras, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force,
delivered at a media briefing at the National Press Club on September 20,
1995.  The media briefing about the Supreme Court's scheduled October 10
hearing on Colorado's anti-gay Amendment 2 was sponsored by Lambda Legal
Defense and Education Fund.  For other information from the briefing, please
contact Lambda at 212-995-8585.
************

 My name is Melinda Paras, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force.  My perspective today is not that of a lawyer or legal authority.
 I am speaking from the viewpoint of how a ruling on Amendment 2 will affect
people far away from the Supreme Court and outside the Beltway.  Since before
Amendment 2 was passed in 1992, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has
helped activists fight these measures around the country.  We have traveled
more than 150,000 miles to some 30 states and 50 cities to assist in the
fight against these anti-gay ballot initiatives.  

 Our experience in the field tells us that the center of gravity in this
battle is at the state and local level, where Amendment 2 and other measures
are tested and advanced.  We know that a ruling in this case will have a
dramatic political and symbolic impact on gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens.
 Amendment 2 prohibits all elected bodies in Colorado from ever considering
laws to ban discrimination against gay people.  In this way it changes the
playing field for gay people in Colorado, singling us out for a different set
of political rules than other Colorado citizens.  It creates special barriers
only for gay people, adding political hoops and hurdles to curb our ability
to address discrimination in our communities and workplaces.  And it pits
Coloradan against Coloradan, creating an atmosphere in which hate crimes
increased and anti-gay rhetoric skyrocketed.  

 And yet, Amendment 2 doesn't just impact Colorado.  As always, a Supreme
Court ruling sends a powerful signal.  In this case, the court can stand in
defense of equal participation and fair play for all, or it can codify
discrimination against one targeted group.  A ruling  that permits this
outrageous Amendment to go into effect would be hailed by the Radical Right
as justification for ongoing efforts in many other states to extend these
walls and barriers through similar ballot measures -- efforts are already
underway in Idaho and Oregon for 1996.  And while these initiatives single
out gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans, they are part of a broader attack
occurring today on the civil rights of other people.  

 Amendment 2 is truly outrageous and should never be implemented.  The
Supreme Court should support justice and equality, and refuse to concede to
popular prejudice.

 But the authors of this Amendment are not even waiting for the Supreme Court
to rule on Amendment 2.  The Radical Right continues to evolve its language
and tactics to stay one step ahead of the courts.  The initiative before
voters in Maine this November is a perfect example of the changing tactics of
the Right.  It presents a list of who is protected against discrimination,
and by omission declares who is not -- who is a first-class citizen and who
is second-class.   It's not a constitutional amendment.  It is deeply flawed
and intentionally confusing.   It is different from Amendment 2 and designed
to avoid the legal questions of that measure.

 No matter how the Supreme Court rules, the Radical Right will not stop in
its quest to deny gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans our basic right to live
free of discrimination. 

  If the Court rescinds Amendment 2, the Right will try new language and
tactics.  If the Court upholds Amendment 2, we foresee a proliferation of
initiatives.

 Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules in this case, our struggle for
equality must continue.  We are a dedicated and resilient community that will
continue to come out and challenge all efforts to come between us and
justice.

 Because our freedom is not won and lost at the Supreme Court, the National
Gay and Lesbian Task Force is supporting a National Call To Action by
Equality Colorado, a gay and lesbian political organization.  The National
Call to Action requests that people of conscience around the nation support
those in Colorado by holding vigils on October 9, the eve of the Supreme
Court hearing, and also be prepared to hold simultaneous actions on the day
the ruling is handed down.  

 The plaintiffs, the attorneys and the Supreme Court justices will be the
focus of attention in the coming months.  Meanwhile, the impact of this case
will be felt by millions of gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans and our
allies who hope that the Supreme Court will not give the green light to
special barriers that curb democratic access for some citizens.

--end--