Date: Sun, 30 Jan 1994 09:06:16 -0500 From: "David B. O'Donnell" Subject: Anti-Civil Rights Initiatives Filed Originally Posted By Tom Freeman >From Works in Progress Community Newspaper Thurston County Rainbow Coalition PO Box 295 Olympia, WA 98507-0295 Anti-Civil Rights Initiatives Filed by Anna Schlecht Two competing factions of the radical right filed their initiatives on Monday, January 12th as separate bids to legalize discrimination against bisexuals, gays, lesbians and trans people. Once these two initiatives are approved, their signature gathering campaigns will hit the streets of communities all accross the state. As anticipated, the Citizens Alliance of Washington (CAW), Lon Mabon's Washington franchise, filed their initiative titled "Minority Status and Child Protection Act." The CAW delieved on its promise to be the "82nd Airborne" by attacking child custody, same-sex marriages, government funding for any form of "expression or approval for homosexuality," and any potential or existing statutory protections for civil rights pertaining to housing or employment. Their initiative also makes special mention of only recognizing transgender or transsexual people by their bith gender. A new organization called "the Washington Committee for Equal Rights not Special Rights" filed their initiative hours before the CAW. They are speculated to be an umbrella committee of other radical right groups, including Traditional Values Coalition, which was formed by Robert Larimer upon his ouster from CAW, the Youth Action Coalition, which the Seattle Gay News has likened to a "Christian Act Up!", the Washington Public Affairs Council, the Washington Association of Families, and others. On a slightly more compact scale with their initiatives zeroed in on barring any state, county, city or town from enacting any policies that extend civil protections, and prohibiting any school from "presenting, promoting, or approving homosexuality..." As a testament to their "heightened awareness" of diversity, their initiative makes it a point to list their targets specifically as "homosexual, bisexual, transsexual, transvesite..." While being characterized as a somewhat more "moderate" approach, the intent is still largely the same. WCF organized a powerful response to these attacks by holding press conferences in nine locations across the state. Here in Olympia, we gathered with a diverse group of local civil rights leaders, the Governor and Lt. Governor of Washington and other elected officials to denounce the initiatives. Despite the ominous prospect of fighting two initiatives at once, it was heartening to see the incredible range of support throughoutr our state. Building upon that support will ensure our victory. It's going to take everything we have and more to sweep the radical right's campaign of intolerance into the dumpster of history. Thurston County Washington Citizens for Fairness (Hands Off Washington) Campaign urges you to get involved in this civil rights battle. Please call (206) 786-6608 or write Thurston County Washington Citizens for Fairness Hands Off Washington PO Box 5619 Lacey, WA 98503 -30- Submitted by: Tom Freeman KAOS Olympia Public Radio The Evergreen State College CAB 301 Olympia, WA 98505 (206) 866-6000 ext. 6894