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CGA Plans Outreach Training
The outreach program of the
Carolina Gay Association will train
new speakers in February. The pro“
gram provides speakers on lesbian-
and gay male-related topics to
classes and organizations on the
UNC-CH campus and also outside the
Chapel Hill community.
This year the training session
will be held on a weeknight. There
will be a repeat session on a week
end for people who cannot come dur
ing the week.
Past CGA president Karen Peterson
said the program is seeking a variety
of gay people and that interested
people do not need to be experienced
public speakers.
The one important criterion is
that speakers have a positive gay
self image. ’’People should feel
good about being gay since some
observers may be coming out and
also because we need to help the
j\on—gay public understand us, said
Peterson.
The training session will con
sist of simulated questions and
suggested points to make in response.
Prospective speakers will also ob
serve one or more outreaches before
their first outreach. ’ /
Peterson' said that people who
are interested in the training but
who do not want to commit themselves
to speaking engagements are welcome
to attend the training sessions.
Interested people will also be given
a suggested reading list.
The outreach program training
will be in mid or late February.
The specific time and place will
be announced in the Daily Tar Heel«
Cellar Door, UNC’s undergraduate
literary magazine, is sponsoring a
24-hour marathon reading of the work
of Gertrude Stein. The reading will
begin at 9:00 pm, Feb, 15, at the
Wesley Foundation, 214 Pittsboro
Street, Chapel Hill, and will con
tinue to 9:00 pm on Feb. 16.
Those wishing to read should
contact the Cellar Door, 205 Y
Building, to sign up for a time.
A movie, "When This You See,
Remember Me," will be part of the
program.
Kennedy, Brown Propose Plank
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA),
a Democratic presidential candidate,
expressed his support for gay rights
in response to a questionnaire sent
by the National Gay Task Force to all
presidential candidates.
Kennedy said that he will endorse
a Democratic Party plank calling
for the rights of lesbians and gay
men to full participation in the
30cial, economic and political life
of the nation, according to Gay
• Community News.
According to NGTF, Kennedy’s
pledges were substantially the same
as those made by California Gov.
Jerry Brown at a gay rights fund
raiser in November of 1979,
The Kennedy and Brown pledges make
it probable that the Democratic con
vention will debate a gay rights
resolution. In 1972 and 1976 similar
planks were killed in committee at
the Democratic conventions,
Kennedy said, "I believe our
party’s platform should also commit
itself to the issuance of an execu
tive order prohibiting discrimination
based on sexual orientation in
government programs and the enact
ment of legislation protecting the
civil rights of those who have his
torically been stignatized on the
basis of sexual orientation."
Steve Endean, the executive direc
tor of the Gay Rights National Lobby,
said that a major obstacle for gay
rights is that it is not taken seri
ously. He said that Kennedy’s
status as a "very credible liberal"
would make it easier for other pre
viously silent liberals to support
gay rights.
Charles F, Brydon, co-executive
director of NGTF, said that Kennedy’s
statement was an attempt to establish
credibility with the gay voter. He
warned that the gay community "must
look carefully at the rhetoric and
look for some specific actions."
Brydon specifically cited the need
for Kennedy to co-sponsor the Senate
gay rights bill authored by Paul
Tsongas (S-2081) which would amend
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by
adding the phrase "sexual orien
tation" to the provision on equal
employment opportunities.
According to a Kennedy campaign
spokesperson, Susan Estrich, possible
co-sponsorship of the bill by Ken
nedy is "up in the air."
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