From: "David B. O'Donnell" Subject: FBI Responds in Mississippi NATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN TASK FORCE POLICY INSTITUTE 1734 14th St., NW, Washington, DC, 20009 (202) 332-6483 / FAX (202) 332-0207 TTY (202) 332-6219 / E-mail: FBI LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION IN MISSISSIPPI Agency Responds to Mail Threat Sent to Camp Sister Spirit Washington, D.C. -- (January 26, 1994) -- The FBI launched an investigation this week in the volatile situation in Ovett, Mississippi. Two lesbians in Ovett have been harassed and threatened, and opponents have organized town meetings to condemn the women and their feminist retreat and plot ways to force them from town. The FBI initiated the investigation after Brenda and Wanda Henson of Camp Sister Spirit received a threat through the U.S. mail, which is a federal offense. On Jan. 11, the Hensons received through the mail a defaced news article about themselves and Camp Sister Spirit with a threatening message hand-written beneath the original headline. The letter was handed over to the FBI last week. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) forwarded a copy of the letter to the U.S. Department of Justice Jan. 12, following a meeting NGLTF attended that same day with the Justice Department to discuss federal involvement in the situation. Justice officials said at the meeting that because sexual orientation is not included in federal civil rights laws, the agency could only launch an investigation if there are violations of other generally applicable federal statutes, such as mail or phone threats. NGLTF agreed to forward to the Justice Department details of violent and threatening incidents aimed at the Hensons so that the agency could determine whether any of the incidents violate federal criminal code and could be cause for an investigation. Following the meeting, NGLTF contacted the Hensons and received a chronological list of incidents targeting them and Camp Sister Spirit, as well as a copy of the mail threat. NGLTF forwarded the information immediately to the Justice Department. The Hensons also directly contacted the FBI in Mississippi. NGLTF has called on the Department of Justice to intervene by monitoring and mediating the situation. In a letter to Attorney General Janet Reno last month, NGLTF Executive Director Peri Jude Radecic requested that the Department of Justice intervene in the following ways: the Community Relations Service perform mediation in the community to alleviate the potential for violence; the FBI monitor the situation for any possible hate crimes; and the Civil Rights Division investigate any attempts to violate the Hensons' civil rights. "The FBI investigation is an important step towards insuring the safety and rights of the Hensons," said Robin Kane, NGLTF Public Information Manager. "NGLTF continues to stress the need for the Attorney General to direct the Community Relations Service to mediate. This situation highlights how the absence of federal civil rights laws that include sexual orientation prevent federal agencies from protecting the rights of gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens." - 30 -