From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 1995 12:04:28 -0400

*************************************************
NATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN TASK FORCE
          
             ACTIVIST ALERT

JULY 1995

2320 17th Street, NW  Washington, DC   20009
(202) 332-6483    FAX (202) 332-0207    TTY (202) 332-6219
EMAIL [email-masked]
*************************************************

Post Pride Hate Report

 Pride celebrations in Boise, ID and Helena, MT in June were both marred by
hateful anti-gay protesters.  The near 1000 participants of the pride event
at the steps of the Idaho Capitol were accosted by hate mongers dressed as
the Grim Reaper who shouted "Die Queer Die!" through their megaphones.  The
protesters also hung an NGLTF staffer, who was a keynote speaker at the
event, in effigy.  Anti-gay protesters at the Montana event held hate signs
such as "Pedophiles Go Home," as they screamed hateful epithets and threw
rocks and eggs at participants.  In both cities, police intervention was
minimal despite repeated complaints.  Rally attendees said they felt
physically threatened as anti-gay protesters were often allowed to
intermingle with them.  Elected officials in both states have been slow to
speak out against the hate protesters who went beyond their free speech
rights by physically threatening and harassing attendees.

ACTION: Contact the governors of both states and ask them not to let another
minute go by before denouncing malicious speech, harassment and violence
against gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens at their states' pride events.
 Write:  Idaho Gov.. Phil Batt, Governor's Office, State Capitol Bldg., West
Wing, 2nd Floor, Boise, ID  83720-0034, call: (208) 334-2100 or fax (208)
334-2175.  Write: Montana Gov. Marc Racicot, Governor's Office, 204 State
Capitol, Helena, MT  59620 or call: (406) 444-3111 or fax: (406) 444-4151.
 Ask your friends and family in Idaho and Montana to do the same.

Ryan White CARE Act Needs Help

 Time is running out for the Ryan White CARE Act, a major federal funding
source for people living with HIV and AIDS.  Delays in both the House and
Senate must be resolved quickly before the clock runs out on the Act this
September.
 In the Senate, Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC) has stalled the process, preventing
the Act, which has 61 cosponsors, from coming to the floor for a vote.
 Senate Leader and Ryan White cosponsor Bob Dole (R-KS) must negotiate with
Helms to force a full Senate vote.  You can help by contacting your senators
 and Sen. Dole.  If your senator is not a cosponsor ask him or her to sign
on.  Then contact Sen. Dole, asking your senators to do the same. 
 In the House, The Ryan White CARE Act has passed the subcommittee level and
is now scheduled for debate in the full House Commerce Committee in mid-July.
 Efforts to move the bill quickly may be tripped up by Rep. Tom Coburn
 (R-OK) who intends to push an amendment that would force mandatory HIV
testing for infants.  If your representative is a member of the Commerce
Committee, ask that he or she support Ryan White as written, vote against the
Coburn amendment - which would open the door to mandatory HIV testing- and
move the bill quickly to a full House vote.

ACTION: Contact the Capitol Switchboard (see above).   Call or fax Sen. Dole
directly at (202) 224-6521 voice, or (202) 224-8952 fax.

Dornan Does It Again

 US Representative Robert Dornan (R-CA-46th), presidential candidate and a
leading House homophobe, introduced a bill that would promote federal
witch-hunts for any taint of homosexuality in federally-assisted programs.
 In H.B. 862, Dornan calls for the prohibition of federal funding that would
"directly or indirectly...promote, condone, accept, or celebrate
homosexuality, lesbianism, or bisexuality."  This language is reminiscent of
last year's curriculum specific debates for public schools and current
anti-gay Senate bills 23 and 25 introduced by Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC.)
 However, the Dornan language is so broad that it would literally defund
countless programs, agencies, and services across the country.
 Lobbyists are calling on a wide coalition of supporters to stop this
hate-filled bill and any of its potential offspring.  The Dornan bill
threatens public schools, mental health institutions, labor unions, religious
organizations, hospitals and medical centers, AIDS prevention and services,
federal agencies including employee groups and health research, and countless
other federally supported institutions that might be guilty of indirectly
accepting gay men, lesbians and bisexuals.

ACTION: Call upon any organization your are involved in to taking a stand
against the Dornan bill.  For more information on organizational opposition,
contact Ty Harrell, People For the American Way, at 202-467-2395.  Call your
Representative and Senators to speak out against the HR 862 and S 23 and 25.
 See Senate and House contact information above.

ENDA Re-Introduced

 The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which received unprecedented
bipartisan support during the 103rd Congress, was reintroduced in June.  The
bill would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,
defined as heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual, whether real or perceived.
 If passed, the law would reflect the sentiment of most Americans that no one
should be discriminated against in the workplace because of their sexual
orientation.

ACTION: Call or write your Senators and Representatives and ask them to
become an ENDA cosponsor.  Contact the Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 or
write: The Honorable_____, US House of Representatives, Washington, DC  20515
and The Honorable_____, US Senate, Washington, DC  20510.

Talk Back To Talk Radio

 Tired of the Right getting the last word on radio talk shows?  Here's your
chance to talk back.  The Mobilization for Survival, a non-profit progressive
alliance of Milwaukee, WI, has developed a kit to help listeners stand up to
airwave bullies.  Based on a training model used by the group, the guide (a
sample of which is included with this mailing) is full of useful tips on
getting past program screeners, getting the host to misstep, and running
training programs in your area.

ACTION: Use the enclosed guide and take on a talk radio personality today.
 For more information on the program or to order a full training kit, contact
the Mobilization for Survival, 1001 E. Keefe, Milwaukee, WI 53212 or call
(414) 964-5158.