PREVIOUS NEWS JULY 1-JULY 20, 1996

Justice Department Settles Case Against Restaurant Alleged to Have Fired Waiter with HIV/AIDS

Washington, D.C. July 11, 1996-- The Department of Justice today announced a settlement with an Illinois restaurant that allegedly fired a watier because he had AIDS. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), persons with HIV and AIDS are protected "individuals with disabilties."

According to the agreement, the Decatur Illinois Park District, operators of the Mian Hanger Restaurant in Decatur, will implement a policy to educate its works about the ADA, which prohibits discrimination against people who have AIDS or HIV. The park district will also pay compensatory damages to the fired waiter.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has founded no evidence indicating that AIDS can be transmitted in connection with the preparation of food or beverages. AIDS can only be transmitted by sexual contact with an infected individual, exposure to infected blood or blood products, and from an infected mother to her infant.

"The Justice Department is committed to providing the rights of people with HIV and AIDS," said Deval L. Patrick, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "There is no medical or legal justification to exclude individuals with AIDS or HIV as food service workers."

In 1994, the man filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) alleging that he was terminated from his position as a waiter at the Main Hanger restaurant because he had the AIDS virus. He began his job on February 1, 1994, informed the restaurant of his condition on February 16, and was terminated from his position on February 22.

Under the agreement the park district will:

• sponsor a training program to educate food service employees about the requirements of the ADA with respect to individuals with HIV/AIDS;

• publish an HIV/AIDS non-discrimination policy in employee handbooks; and,

• pay compensatory damages of $17,5000 to the complainant.

The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities in employment, public services and public accommodations.

As part of its public education campaign, the Justice Department has created a public service announcement advertising a toll-free ADA hotlines. The ADA hotline number is 1-800-514-0301 or (TDD) 1-800-514-0303.

Senate Hears testimony on Anti-Marriage Bill as House Begins Debate

Washington D.C. July 11, 1996-- The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing today on the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, while across the Capitol, the House began debate on the same bill.

Both events were characterized by bitter rhetoric, with opponents of the bill decrying it as unnecessary and nothing more than election-year gay-bashing, and supporters claiming the measure is needed because Hawaii is on the verge of approving same-sex marriage.

Elizabeth Birch, executive director the the Human Rights Campaign, charged proponents of the bill with wasting time on a non-existent "problem" and hotly disputed that the Hawaii case is anywhere near resolution.

"A gay person can't get married in any of the 50 states today, and that's not likely to change for at least another two years," Birch said. "Yet gay people can be fired from their jobs in 41 states merely because of their sexual orientation. Congress should quit wasting time on legislation to outlaw an institution that doesn't exist and pass a bill to end discrimination that does."

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., announced at today's hearing his plan to introduce a bill to outlaw employment discrimination based on sexual orientation as an amendment to the Defense of Marriage Act. Kennedy released a letter, which was also signed by Sens. James Jeffords, R-Vt. and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. urging their colleagues to vote with them when they attach the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to the marriage bill.

"During the remaing weeks of this Congress, the Senate should turn its attention to legislation that will enhance the lives of Americans," the senators wrote. "IF America is to compete in a global economy, all Americans must be able to contribute. The price of prejudice is too high."

Administration officials also told HRC that President Clinton supports the plan to attach ENDA as an amendment to the marriage bill. "The president strongly opposes discrim ination against any group of Americans, including gay and lesbian individuals, and he supports legislation to outlaw such discrimination in the workplace," the administration said in a statement to Congress today.

At the Senate hearing, meanwhile, Mitzi Henderson, national president of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays called the bill mean-spirited, and said "it targets a group of people for discrimination and sets up a debate that misrepresents a community already under attack."

"My marriage does not need to be defended," she told the committee. "My husband and I do not need your help to continue to cherish one another, and to respect our vows of more than 40 years. What my family needs is a more tolerant America."

The absurdly titled Defense of Marriage Act attempts to bring the definition of marriage into the federal arena for the first time in U.S. history. While the bill purports to address the imminent legalization of same-sex marriage by the state of Hawaii, the fact is that the Hawaii case will not be resolved for at least two years.

Unlike House, Senate Passes "Hate-Free" 1997
Defense Authorization Act

Senate Bill Not Loaded with Anti-Gay Language

Washington, D.C. July 10, 1996-- The Senate version of the 1997 defesne authorization bill, passed today by a vote of 68-31, is free of hateful, anti-gay amendments, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

"The Senate bill is a stark contrast to the House version, which extremist members of Congress loaded with ugly, anti-gay measures," said Winnie Stachelberg. HRC's legislative deputy. "We are confident that when the two bills go to conference, that these House measures will be stripped out, as they should be."

In May, when the House considered the defense bill, extremists led by Rep. Bob Dornan, R-Calif., used the legislation to push their obsessive, anti-gay social agenda, rather than deal with the nation's vital defense interests.

At Dornan's behest, they attached the following irrelevant and inappropriate measures to the 1997 defense authorization bill:

• a mandate to discharge, within two months of diagnosis, all members of the armed services with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. A similar measure, enacted in January, was repealed by Congress on April 25;
• a gratuitous reopening of the ban on gays in the military and a reversion to the old anti-gay policy, including reinstating the policy of asking recruits their sexual orientation and sanctioning witch hunts of suspected gay men and lesbians.

"The Dornan provision singles out service members with HIV and treats them differently from those with other chronic medical conditions," said Stachelberg.

Currently, service members with HIV are allowed to serve their country as long as they can perform their duties, but they are not deployed overseas. The same policy applies to service members who have other chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease or cancer.

"Congress spoke on this issue already when it repealed Dornan's HIV discharge measure in April," Stachelberg said. "Spite and bigotry are the only conceivable reasons why Bob Dornan would have reintroduced this measure after seeing it resoundingly defeated."

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian and gay Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.

AIDS CONFERENCE PREVIEW

The 11th international conference on AIDS opens Sunday, (7/7) in Vancouver, Canada. Organizers say the theme of this year's conference will be more optimistic than of those in the past.

It is estimated there are at least 17-million people worldwide infected with the virus that causes AIDs. Despite that figure, organizers of the 11th international conference on aids say the theme is "one world, one hope." AIDS conference spokesman Greg Hamara explains why this gathering will be more upbeat:

"We believe that we have turned a corner on the HIV AIDS epidemic. The organizing committee of this conference believes that the doom and gloom of previous conferences will be replaced by one of hope and sustained progress in our struggle against the epidemic."

Some 15,000 people are expected to attend, including delegates, exhibitors and media personnel. More than 5,500 research studies, from 125 countries, have been submitted. But Mr. Hamara says the conference will encompass a lot more than strict scientific research:

"Many of our participants this year will be from HIV support organizations from community groups, from non-governmental organizations, from support organizations. So while the conference at its core is still a medical-scientific conference, the participants and the diversity of research studies have broadened as the epidemic, itself, has broadened."

By far, the greatest number of people believed infected with the HIV virus are in sub-Saharan Africa, over 11-million, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO says south and Southeast Asia follow with 3-million.

Microsoft Apologizes

Microsoft Corp. issued a public apology in Spain and Mexico Friday for a Spanish- language version of a software product that offered "savage" and "man-eater" as synonyms for the word "Indian." The problems turned up in the thesaurus for Microsoft Word 6.0, a word processing program. Other synonyms included "vicious" and "inverted" for homosexual and "vicious" and "pervert" for Lesbian. Microsoft apologized in a press release in Mexico City Friday and also took out newspaper ads in Mexico and Spain promising to make new software available for free.
July 6, 196

Presbyterians Limit Gay Ordination

Albuquerque, N.M- Saying the church must speak clearly on scripture and human sexuality, the governing body of the Presbyterian Church (USA) approved a policy Friday allowing the ordination of gays -- as long as they remain celibate and disavow their past sexuality. The policy also would prohibit unmarried heterosexuals who are ordained from having sex.
July 6, 1996

HRC Lauds Congressional Passage of Church Arson Prevention Act

Hate Crime Statistics Act Also Passes an an Amendment

Release June 28, 1996
WASHINGTON, D.C. (GLINN)- Responding to the recent wave of arson attacks predominantly aimed at African-American churches, the Senate has passed the Church Asrson Prevention Act, which includes an amendment reauthorizing the Hate Crimes Statistics Act until 2002.

"Americans disagree on many issues, but we come together as a people when human beings and our houses of worship are targeted by hate violence," said Nancy Buermeyer, senior policy advocate for the Human Rights Campaign Fund, the largest national lesbian and gay organization. "Lesbians and gay Americans know the pain of hate violence firsthand, so many of us are feeling a great sense of relief that Congress is taking action against these apparently racially motivated attacks on people of faith."

Although the Senate had passed the Hate Crimes Statistics Act in May, the bill had not made any progress in the House -- until Thursday when it passed unanimously as part of the church arson bill.

To get the HCSA through the House, Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, worked with House Judiciary Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., to attach the hate crimes measure to the Churcn Arson Prevention Act. The latter bill passed the House earlier in June.

Hyde agreed, but insisted on changing the hate crime bill to make it expire in six years. The version of the HCSA that had passed the Senate was a permanent reauthorization.

"The Human Rights Campaign would have preferred the permanent reauthorization, but we are pleased that the revised Hate Crimes Statistics Act passed both the House and Senate unanimously and is on its way to President Clinton," Said Buermeyer .

The president is expected to sign the bill quickly.

The Hate Crime Statistics Act requires the Department of Justice to collect data on crimes that show evidence of prejudice based on religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability. The original bill, passed in 1990, expired on Dec. 31, 1995.

Information collected under this law is essential in identifying how law enforcement should focus its resources in dealing with hate crimes. Although the measure the FBI to compile this information, data collection is voluntary for states and localities.

Legal Victories Give Lesbians and Gay Men More to Celebrate

Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Lists Evidence for Extra Gay Pride

NEW YORK, June 29, 1996 (GLINN)- Lesbians and gay men have extra reason to rejoice with Gay Pride '96 events this weekend, thanks to recent court rulings that reflect dramatic changes in American society, said Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.

"From marriage to the military, the gay rights movement is challenging the biases of major social institutions and making real headway toward ending discrimination in many other areas," Cathcart said.

"The evidence of success has never been so powerful. We have a lot to be proud of," said Cathcart, as Lambda's offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles prepared for local gay pride celebrations. Lambda, the oldest and largest legal organization dedicated to the civil rights of lesbians, gay men and people with AIDS and HIV, issued a list showing signs of recent progress in gay rights.

"Most exciting is the ruling won last month from the U.S. Supreme Court that transformed the battleground for lesbian and gay rights," said Patricia M. Logue, managing attorney for Lambda's Midwest Office in Chicago. She referred to the high court's striking down Colorado's anti-gay Amendment 2 as an unconstitutional violation of equal protection rights for lesbians and gay men. Passed by Colorado voters, Amendment 2 would have banned any protections against anti-gay discrimination throught the state. Lambda was part of the legal team that challenged the measure.

"The country's highest courst said that social prejudice cannot justify anti-gay discrimination by the government," said Logue, who was co-counsel in a related case against a federal appeals court's upholding of Cincinnati's anti-gay Issue 3, which the Supreme Court rejected earlier this month. "The end of Issue 3 is near," Logue said.

Dramatic Progress Fuels Marriage, Military Controversies

Lambda legal Director Beatrice Dohrn said there are many more signs of the dramatic progress in gay rights, "even when courts are slow to do the right thing." She noted the the military's anti-gay "don't ask, don't tell" policy now being tested in the courts already has drawn acknowledgements from military commanders that sexual orientation is irrelevant to quality of service by sailors and soldiers.

"Even as we march for gay pride on Sunday, we are awaiting a ruling from the Second Circuit Court on a constitutional challenge by Lambda and the ACLU," Dohrn said. "It is widely agreed that the military's anti-gay policy causes the explulsion of highly dedicated and decorated service members. It is just a matter of time before we abolish it."

"Marriage for same-sex couples was barely thought of one year ago. Now, it is widely discussed and some oppenents even apologize that they need more time to understand the issue," said Jenifer Pizer, managing attorney for Lambda's Western Regional Office.

"Regardless of what happens next on the military and marriage controversies, American society is experiencing a sea change in gay civil rights," said Pizer as he prepared to joined the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration.

Cathcart added, "Major social biases can be challenged now thanks to progress in gay rights on so many other fronts."

Evidence of State-by-State Progress for Gay Civil Rights:

local and state anti-discrimination ordinances protecting lesbians and gay men now are so widespread that a majority of the country's population lives in areas with such protections;

more family law cases are resulting in rulings that refuse to discriminate based on sexual orientation of the parent (e.g., fewer custody cases result in removal of children from the care of parents who are openly gay(;

sodomy laws, which have been put to pernicious use in myriad unrelated contexts, increasingly are being abolished or overturned;

fairer treatment in employee benefit practices is increasingly available to gay workers (e.g., voluntary actions by private employers like Disney, Levi Strauss, Reuter, in offering family health benefits to unmarried gay workers);

the Americans with disability Act is now available to challenge discrimination against those with AIDS/HIV.

Lambda was founded in 1973 and has its national headquarters in New York City and regional offices in Chicago and Los Angeles, with plans to open an office in Atlanta in 1997.

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