From: Babngltf@aol.com Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 17:56:32 -0400 Subject: NGLTF ACTION ALERT: May 1995 ************************************************* NATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN TASK FORCE ACTIVIST ALERT May 1995 2320 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 332-6483 FAX (202) 332-0207 TTY (202) 332-6219 EMAIL ngltf@aol.com ************************************************* BOTTOMS DECISION AFTERMATH Gay and lesbian parents and people of conscience from all across the country mourned the recent news that the Virginia Supreme Court had separated a lesbian mother from her 3-year-old son. Sharon Bottoms lost custody of her son Tyler on Friday, April 21, after a controversial 4-3 ruling by the state's highest court which cited the biological mother's sexual orientation as a significant motivating factor. According to a spokeswoman at the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco, Virginia now joins Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Oklahoma in finding that a gay or lesbian sexual orientation makes a parent unfit. Activists in Virginia remain hopeful that the VA Supreme Court may review the decision and agree to rehear the case if 1 of the 4 justices agree that a mistake has been made. Plans for letter writing campaigns and protest are well underway. ACTION: WRITE A LETTER OF OUTRAGE. The Richmond chapter of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is collecting letters addressed "To the Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia" to be presented en masse at a protest on Friday, May 19. Send a second copy of your letter (including your name, signature and day time phone number) to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Write: GLAAD/Richmond 2333 Krouse St., Richmond, VA 23234 or email: GLAADRCHMND@aol.com. Send a copy to: Editorial Page, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 333 E. Grace St., Richmond, VA 23219-6100 or fax (804) 775-8059. PARTICIPATE IN THE NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER. The Metropolitan Community Church invites people of all faiths to participate in a National Day of Prayer for gay and lesbian parents this Mother's Day, Sunday May 14. For more information, contact a local MCC chapter or call (213) 464-5100 or (214) 351-1901. *** FROM OJ TO PIZZA...RUSH IS BACK Rush Limbaugh eats pizza while commenting on his knack for "always being right" in a new series of tv and radio commercials for Pizza Hut. According to the Washington Feminist Faxnet, Limbaugh recently commented on a rural meeting of lesbian organizers saying they were "mating with pigs" to "perpetuate the species." ACTION: Register your distaste for homophobic and anti-woman radio. Call the Pizza Hut comment line: (800) 358-2222. *** AFFIRMATIVE ACTION -CALL-IN DAY Based on a campaign of misinformation, drastic changes in affirmative action programs may be advanced in Congress over the next few months. It is an illusion to believe that the human dignity and civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people can be recognized and protected in a society that is working to dismantle policies geared toward remedying discrimination against any group of people. It is therefore critical that you express your support for these programs. Join the Coalition of Labor Union Women by calling the White House, your Senators and Congressperson on Wednesday, May 10. ACTION: Tell Washington not to turn back the clock on progress. Support Affirmative Action programs. Call the White House: (202) 456-1414 and Congress: (202) 224-3121. *** CONGRESS: DAY 101 Day 101 and beyond will likely bring trying and volatile times for progressive activists and lobbyists working for change in the nation's capitol. According to broadcasts, writings and mailings by Religious Right organizations, many hope to push a social agenda that includes: limiting access to and funding for abortion, cutting spending for AIDS research, prevention, and services, dismantling of welfare, defunding of pro-tolerance education, hearings on the "homosexual agenda," rescission of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" military policy and ending of federal government diversity training and AIDS prevention education. ACTION: GET INVOLVED. For up-to-the- minute alert, subscribe to the electronic list for g/l/b/t action alerts. A well timed letter or message can make a difference on Capitol Hill. Send email to: majordomo@vector.casti.com, in the body of the message write: subscribe action-alert. ARM YOURSELF WITH INFORMATION: NGLTF has created a new publication, Born On November 8?, ($2) highlighting the anti-gay records of the top Republicans in Congress. Also order Lobbying Tips, ($1) a step-by-step guide to lobbying Congress. Call the NGLTF Publications line: (202) 332-6483, ext. 3327. *** PRESERVE HUMAN RIGHTS IN HILLSBOROUGH The Hillsborough County Ordinance, passed in May 1991, prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, public accommodations and in the awarding of county contracts. On May 17 the Hillsborough County Commission will hear testimony at the Florida Fairgrounds at 8:30am, as they decide whether to repeal the ordinance. ACTION: Hillsborough County residents should be sure to attend the hearing. Also call the Board of County Commissioners (813) 272-5735 and tell them you support the ordinance. Non-county residents can let the Commissioners know how you feel about spending money in a county that actively seeks to deny your civil rights. For more information, contact the Human Rights Task Force: (813) 273-8769 or HRTFFL@aol.com. *** HATE IS NOT A JOB SKILL Students and staff at the Job Corps Center, in Albuquerque, NM, have been outed, harassed and threatened by other students and staff according to a local paper. Despite public outcries and assistance from the Lesbian Avengers, Job Corps administrators have been of no assistance and did not return numerous NGLTF phone calls. Job Corps, a federally funded vocational program sponsored by the US Department of Labor (DOL) and administered by the Teledyne Co., seems to have failed to implement its policies of "zero-tolerance" for violence and acceptance of homosexuality. ACTION: Write or call to demand that the national non-discrimination and sexual harassment policies be strictly enforced; that DOL follow-up with an objective investigation of the Albuquerque Job Corps Center incidents immediately. Contact: Richard Trigg & Dan Cox, US DOL, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20210, (202) 219-5571 or (202) 219-5183; John Gaines, Teledyne Corp, 11340 West Olympic Blvd Ste 120, Los Angeles, CA 90064, (310) 478-0911; Barbara Calderon, Center Director, Albuquerque Job Corps Center, 1500 Indian School Road NW, Albuquerque NM 87104 (505) 842-6500 *** Help end discrimination and build a strong national movement for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender freedom through your membership in and contributions to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. NGLTF membership is $35 for individuals, $60 per household, $125 for organizations, $20 limited income. Contact the NGLTF membership department at (202) 332-6483 or email ngltf@aol.com. *** If you have an item you think should be included in ACTIVIST ALERT, please mail or fax it to , Activist Alert, NGLTF Policy Institute, 2320 17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20009; fax (202) 332-0207; e-mail ngltf@aol.com. All entries should be national in scope or should allow for activists from around the country to respond.