Date: Fri, 15 Jul 94 17:30:56 EDT From: BXHNGLTF@aol.com ACTIVIST ALERT July 1994 GET THE OLYMPICS OUT OF COBB! In conjunction with the Olympics Out of Cobb Coalition (OOCC), the NGLTF is demanding the removal of the 1996 Olympic volleyball games from Cobb County, Georgia. The county has been the focus of media attention since County Commissioners passed a resolution last August that condemns the "gay lifestyle" as incompatible with the community's standards. In a three to two vote on June 28, they defeated a "compromise" resolution that was proposed by one Commissioner in an attempt to weaken the extremism of the first resolution, while refusing to rescind the original. Members of Olympics Out of Cobb Coalition have met with the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG), requesting that the volleyball venue be moved from a county that has put itself on record in support of anti-gay bigotry. To date, ACOG has not agreed to move the venue. Meanwhile, gay organizations, including NGLTF, have vowed to demonstrate in Atlanta if the Olympics are held in Cobb County. NGLTF Executive Director Peri Jude Radecic focused her speech during the Stonewall 25 rally on the hypocrisy of the multi-cultural Olympics being held in a county entrenched in divisive bigotry. If the Olympics are note moved, she said, "activists will descend on Atlanta and tie the city into an Olympic knot." Activists from across the nation should contact the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and demand that volleyball be moved out of Cobb County. As OOCC says, it is up to ACOG whether gay and lesbian people will be on the sidewalks or in the streets during the Games. Fax letters to ACOG at (404) 224-1997, 224-1989 or 224-5176; or call ACOG chair Billy Payne at (404) 224-1996. HEALTH CARE REFORM CRISIS Congress is currently marking up and amending a variety of health care reform bills, with such basic concepts as universal coverage in jeopardy. Bills are being amended and altered on a daily basis, making it impossible at this point to give definitive support to any of the current proposals. Because health reform bills are in flux, it is best to focus on reform criteria as our community assesses the various proposals. In assessing all health care reform plans, NGLTF encourages activists to use the following five criteria: 1) Universal coverage, providing health care to all those residing in the U.S.; 2) Comprehensive benefits, offering a broad package of treatments, including non-Western and alternative therapies; 3) No restrictions for pre-existing conditions; 4) Non-discrimination language, barring discrimination based on sexual orientation; 5) Permanence, ensuring that coverage cannot and will not be taken away. Call your Representative and Senators and make the following request: "I want a reform measure that will ensure comprehensive, affordable health care for all that cannot be taken away." If you have an opportunity to discuss the health reform in more depth, advocate for the five criteria previously listed. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to get the names and numbers of your Representative and Senators. EMPLOYMENT BILL INTRODUCED Sen. Edward Kennedy and Reps. Barney Frank and Gerry Studds (all D-Mass.) introduced a bill last month that would ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. The bill, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) of 1994, was introduced at a press conference June 23 where Coretta Scott King, other civil rights leaders and members of Congress expressed support for the legislation. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the pre-eminent civil rights lobbying group, has endorsed and is spearheading passage of the legislation, in conjunction with NGLTF and other gay and lesbian organizations. The legislation (S 2238 and HR 4636 ) has 30 co-sponsors in the Senate and 113 co-sponsors in the House. Contact your Representative and Senators and ask that they co-sponsor and support HR 4636 and S 2238. Act quickly--hearings are proposed for later this month. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to get the names and numbers of your Representative and Senators. OTHER ACTION ON THE HILL When Congress reconvenes after the July 4th recess, several measures of concern to the gay, lesbian and bisexual community will be voted upon. NEA: On June 28, the Senate Appropriations committee cut five percent of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) 1995 budget in a veiled punishment of the NEA and its chair, Jane Alexander, for supporting and defending a controversial performance at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. The full Senate will vote on the budget this month. Ask your Senators to oppose reduction of the NEA budget. ESEA: We're anticipating an anti-gay amendment to the Elementary/Secondary Education Act during Senate reauthorization, similar to the measure introduced in the House by Rep. Mel Hancock (R-MO). That measure, which was diluted in the House, would have prohibited programs that "encourage or support homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative." Ask your Senator to oppose all anti-gay amendments offered to this legislation. These measures may move the week of July 11, so call immediately. Contact the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to get the names and numbers of your Representative and Senators. EMPLOYMENT BILL INTRODUCED NGLTF, working in conjunction with the Human Rights Campaign Fund and other groups, is looking for individuals who have experienced discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation. The cases should clearly illustrate the negative impact of anti-gay discrimination in the workplace and provide compelling arguments for Federal protection from discrimination. We are especially looking for cases involving women and people of color, cases not in a major metropolitan city, and cases that involve working class or labor oriented jobs. Individuals would need to be comfortable with and perform well under substantial national media exposure. If you have experienced such discrimination, please contact Tanya Domi, NGLTF Legislative Director at (202) 332-6483, ext. 3308; e-mail to tldngltf@aol.com PROTECT D.C. DOMESTIC PARTNERS Because D.C. is not a state but operates under home rule guidelines, Congress has oversight of all D.C. laws. For the past two years, Congress has blocked D.C. from implementing its domestic partnership law by placing language in the annual appropriation bill prohibiting D.C. from spending any money on domestic partnerships. This month, it is expected that a negative amendment will again be offered on the floor to the D.C. Appropriation bill (HR4649). Because votes on D.C. issues do not affect their home-town voters, members of Congress often use it as an opportunity to grandstand on gay issues. Contact your Representative immediately. Urge him/her to oppose attempts to deny D.C. the right to establish domestic partnership. Tell them the act is a local law passed by D.C.'s elected officials and Congress should not meddle in D.C.'s local laws. Call your Representative through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. NEW ADDRESS FOR NGLTF NGLTF 2320 Seventeenth Street NW Washington, DC 20009-2702 Our phone numbers remain unchanged. VOICE - 202-332-6483 FAX - 202-332-0207 TTY - 202-332-6219 If you have an item you think should be included in ACTIVIST ALERT, please mail or fax it to Robin Kane, Activist Alert editor, NGLTF Policy Institute, 2320 17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20009; fax (202) 332-0207; e-mail rakngltf@aol.com. All entries should be national in scope or should allow for activists from around the country to respond.