Date: Tue, 5 May 92 17:03:08 CDT
From: jglover@accs.duc.auburn.edu
Subject: Alabama outlaws gay students.
To: gaynet@athena.mit.edu
Cc: qn@queernet.org, jglover@DUCVAX.AUBURN.EDU

The bill to block funding of gay student groups in Alabama has
passed the senate and will be signed into law by the governor
who went on record against the AGLA two months ago.

Brief background:  On Nov. 25, 1991, the SGA senate of Auburn 
University voted 23-7 to deny the charter of the Auburn Gay and
Lesbian Association (AGLA).  The ACLU of Alabama threatened to sue
and on Jan. 7, 1992, Vice President of Student Affairs Pat Barnes
overturned the vote and granted the charter stating that the
SGA senate was an extension of the administrative function of the
university and could not ignore the consitutionality of their
actions.

All hell then breaks loose with funny-mentalists running hither 
and thither trying to do whatever they could to destroy the immoral
pinko liberal commie homersexuals.  It being an election year and
some of the instigators of the nonsense being politically connected,
the politicians of the state soon stuck their noses in it and
what emerged was a bill from Pete Turnham (D-Auburn) that would
do the following:

"prohibit any college or university from spending public funds 
to sanction any group that promotes a life style prohibited by 
the sodomy and sexual misconduct laws" of the state of Alabama.  

It has now been amended to read: 

"prohibit any college or university from spending public funds 
or using public facilities to directly or indirectly sanction any 
group that promotes a life style prohibited by the sodomy and 
sexual misconduct laws" of the state of Alabama.

Note that the amended version adds terminology that makes
not only funding but the very act of meeting on campus illegal.
The way it reads, it appears as though it could be used 
against AIDS awareness groups, possibly pro-choice groups,
and political groups if they do or say anything that might
"promote" a lifestyle that violates the downright primitive
sexual misconduct laws of the state.

This bill passed as follows:

        Yea  Nea  No Vote  Total
        ---  ---  -------  -----
House    76   0     29      105
Senate   23   0     13       36


As stated above, Republican governor Guy Hunt (uneducated,
primitive Baptist preacher/farmer and fishing buddy of George
Bush) will be signing this bill if he hasn't done so already.

Hopefully, I'll be leaving this state in four months.

 - Jay Glover