From: MShernoff@aol.com Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 14:06:11 EDT Subject: Fwd: URGENT NOTICE: ALL LESBIAN & GAY CONSUMERS, EMPLOYEES AND INVESTORS From: USSGRANT@aol.com Subject: URGENT NOTICE: ALL LESBIAN & GAY CONSUMERS, EMPLOYEES AND INVESTORS Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 13:13:01 EDT Contacts: Diane Bratcher, Leadership Co-chair 212 870-2296 Grant Lukenbill, Leadership Co-chair 212 727-8257 ussgrant@aol.com Nick Curto, Board President 289-1741 Per Larson, Board Treasurer 914/534-9642 perlarson@aol.com Please Support The New Equality Project Lesbian & Gay Consumers, Employees, & Investors Make Your Voice Heard Regarding the Following: The Culinary Institute of America (www.ciachef.edu) is about to honor , Ronald. N. Magruder, President of the notorious anti-gay Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores (615 444-5533 fax: 615 443-9399). A demonstration is planned the night of the event at 6pm at the Culinary Institute's 1998 Annual Gala in New York City, Wednesday, October 14th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, 1535 Broadway, NYC, between West 45th St. and 46th St. If you can't attend, please call, fax, email or write to the address below to speak out against the Culinary Institute of America for honoring Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores with their tasteless tribute of calling the President of the company a "respected leader in the food service industry". As you may remember, Cracker Barrel announced in 1991 that it would fire any employee "whose sexual preference fails to demonstrate normal heterosexual values". At least 11 employees were fired and none have since been rehired or compensated for their dismissal. Since that time, Cracker Barrel has been plagued by boycotts, sit-ins, shareholder resolutions and barrage of media covering their anti-gay policies including Oprah Winfrey, Larry King Live and ABC's 20/20. Even the Roman Catholic Nuns and the New York Employees Retirement Fund have spoken out against Cracker Barrel. The Equality Project was organized to help gay and lesbian consumers, employees and investors stay informed about emerging economic and employment related issues in the communities where we live, work and spend money. Our helpful list of Equality Principles is attached below for employers, marketers and human resources managers. Please join us on Wednesday October 14, at 6pm in our first public action. If you cannot attend, please join us by letting the Culinary Institute of America known they can't get away with falsely honoring Cracker Barrel. Let them know that Cracker Barrel has never fully repudiated its policy towards gays and lesbians despite calls from major shareholders and countless human rights organizations. Let them know that you support other important groups taking a stand against Cracker Barrel including the Human Rights Campaign, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Lambda Legal Defense and others. Join the Equality Project along with New York City Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi, Assemblymember Deborah Glick and Councilmembers Tom Duane, Margarita Lopez and Phil Reed in publicly denouncing Cracker Barrel for its anti-gay and lesbian hiring practices.. Here's everything you need to know including email addresses, websites, fax numbers & contribution information. The organizers thank you for supporting the Equality Project. Participate in the "Don't Feed Bigotry" Demonstration Sponsored by the Equality Project of Gay Lesbian Consumer Investors and Employees 6:00 PM Wed Oct 14, 1998 Meet out in front of the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel 1535 Broadway, between West 45th & 46th To help with the demonstration, call Equality Project Board President, Nick Curto 289-1741. Additional Contacts: Culinary Institute of America Ferdinand Metz, President 433 Albany Post Road Hyde Park, NY 12358-1499 Tel: 914/452-9600 x1230 Fax: 914/452-0165 Web www.ciachef.edu Chat college-talk.com Cracker Barrell Old Country Stores Ronald Magruder, President 305 Hartmann Dr. Lebanon, TN 37087 615 444 5533 fax 615 443-9399 Dinner Co-Chairs J. Willard Marriott, Jr. Chairman, Marriott International 10400 Fernwood Road Bethesda, MD 20817 301/380-3000 x87511 fax: 301 380-8957 (office of the chairman) Eric Hilton Vice Chairman Hilton Hotel Corproation 3930 Howard Huges Parkway Las Vega, NV 89109 702/699/5000 702/699/5179 The Equality Principles On Sexual Orientation 1. Explicit prohibitions against discrimination based on sexual orientation will be included in the company's written employment policy statement. 2. Discrimination against HIV positive employees or those with AIDS will be strictly prohibited. 3. Employee groups, regardless of sexual orientation, will be given equal standing with other employee associations. 4. Diversity Training will include sexual orientation issues. 5. Spousal benefits will be offered to domestic partners of employees, regardless of sexual orientation, on an equal basis with those granted to married employees. 6. Company advertising policy will bar negative sexual orientation stereotypes and will not discriminate against advertising in publications on the basis of sexual orientation. 7. Companies will not discriminate in the sale of good or services on the basis or sexual orientation. 8. Written non-discrimination policies on sexual orientation must be disseminated throughout the company. A senior company official will be appointed to monitor compliance corporate wide. Our Purpose as stated in the EQUALITY PROJECT bilaws: To create a not-for-profit consumer information source whose goals and services that serve the lesbian and gay community, and friends of that community. To research and inform members on corporate policies, associations, finances and contracts of private companies and non-profit organizations in relation to sexual orientation. To pursue equality and non discrimination in the workplace, marketplace, and civic space. To do everything normally associated with operating a public policy center for research including providing the public with information on goods and services, references, sources and statistics. To provide referral, advocacy, career and peer counseling information services. To conduct workshops, seminars, lectures, and conventions. To publish newsletters, magazines, newspapers, articles, journals, flyers, position papers and to disseminate information in any media. --part0_907956372_boundary--