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4 riic Latest Q^POLL Results Regarding advancement of GLBT issues, how will 1999 compare to 1998? Better Worse Same 49% 28’'* 23’'* Vote at www.q-notes.com The Carolinas' Most Comprehensive Gay & Lesbian Newspaper Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper • Volume 13, Number 19 • February 6, 1999 • FREE Focus is on “home” work 1. , US Dept, of Ed. issues school bias guidebook by Rodger D. Murphey Special to Q-Notes WASHINGTON, DC—The US Depart ment of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the National Association of Attor neys General Bias Crime Task Force Education Subcommittee has issued a valuable report en- . tided Protecting Students from Harassment and . Hate Crimes, A Guide for Schools to help school officials deal more effectively with instances of harassment and violence in elementary and sec ondary schools. The guide is intended to: offer strategies for longterm solutions; increase awareness of the need for organizing school/parent/community partnerships; offer information that will help schools write, revise and enforce written anti harassment policies; help school personnel rec ognize harassment and respond effectively to stop escalation or recurrence; review support strategies for victims; provide advice to schools by Tracey Conaty Special to Q-Notes WASHINGTON, DC—Next month, thousands of GLBT people will launch an un precedented nadonal week of acdon for gay civil rights. The campaign, dubbed “Equality Be gins at Home,” is a major initiadve to push state lawmakers to support a platform of equality. Several high-profile events are being organized in NC to tie in with the effort. “The batdeground for equality has moved to the states and so have we,” said Paula Ettelbrick, Equality Begins at Home national coordinator. “We are throwing down the gaunt let and demanding that state officials resist the right wing’s efforts to deny us our basic rights as citizens.” From Montana to Maine, GLBT people will come out during the week of March 21 -27 and speak up in simultaneous events nadonwide. These actions will, among other things, build support for laws that counter hate violence, ban employment discrimination, provide for safe schools for all smdents, ensure the dght to adopt and become foster parents, and address health issues including HIV/ AIDS. Equality Begins at Home is being administered by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) and organized by the Federadon of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Statewide Po litical Organizations (Fed eration). As pan of its coor dinating efforts, NGLTF gave Federation member groups $5000 each to sup port their organizing cam paigns and hired Ettelbrick to oversee the event. Doz- Ettelbrick (I) and Nadine Smith (Federation co-chair) ens of other national orga nizations have signed on in support, as well. In NC, statewide political acdon and lob bying group NC Pride PAC (which announced a name change to Equality NC PAC as this is sue was going to press) is coordinating Equal ity Begins at Home activides after solicidng input ftom the community. Three mid-Janu ary meetings were held in the Triangle for this purpose and another was scheduled in the Triad for February 22. (No meeting had been con firmed for Mecklenburg County at press time.) See HOME on page 23 5000 couples expected to “marry” at 2000 March by James N. Birkitt, Jr. Special to Q-Notes WASHINGTON, DC>-The world’s larg- est-ever celebration of same-sex marriage will be one of the highlights of the Millennium March on Washington for Equality in April of 2000, one of the world’s first human rights marches of the new millennium. Losses in the 1998 elections in Alaska and Hawaii have fueled a new emphasis on same- sex marriage rights, according to Rev. Troy D. Perry, founder and moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), the world’s largest and oldest GLBT spiritual organization. “The setbacks in the last elecdon were only temporary setbacks in a long journey toward full civil rights for all people,” said veteran hu man rights activist Perry. “We’re going to con tinue to raise the visibility of this issue over the next two years.” As part of that strategy. Perry has announced plans for “The Wedding: Now More Than Ever,” a public celebradon and blessing of same- sex marriage. Perry conducted “The Wedding” for 2600 couples at the 1993 March on Washington. That event currendy stands as the largest same- sex wedding celebration in history. “Based on early response, I andcipate that more than 5000 couples will take part in ‘The Wedding: Now More Than Ever,’” Perry said. “Participants will not only be able to cel ebrate their love and commitment in a memo rable event, but we’re going to make a power ful statement to the world and we’re going to make history,” he added. “The Wedding: Now More Than Ever” will take place in front of the Internal Revenue Ser vice Building in Washington, DC on Saturday, April 29. The event is open to all couples who wish to publicly make their wedding vows or wish to renew their wedding vows. For a $25 registration fee, couples’ names will be registered in a permanent historical archive of “The Wedding: Now More Than Ever” and a limited edition, personalized cer- dficate of participation suitable for framing will be prepared. There is no charge for those who wish to participate without registering for the archive and certificate. For more information or to register for this historic event, visit “The Wedding” web site at http://www.ufmcc.com/weddingl.htm. T Gay militaiy discharges hit record high in ’98 by David Stout Q-Notes Staff WASHINGTON, DC—The number of enlistees discharged for being gay from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps in creased 14 percent to 1145 in 1998, according to new Pentagon figures obtained by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), an independent legal aid and watchdog group that monitors imple mentation of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pur sue” policy. The Pentagon adopted “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” in 1994 after a protracted battle between President Clinton and Con gress. The new law man dated that commanders could no longer ask about nor investigate service- members’ sexual orientadon without specific types of corroborative evidence. However, it retained the old policy’s requirements for se crecy and celibacy as a con dition of service. In 1998, the Air Force fired a record 414 people for being gay. That number represents a 130 percent increase in Air Force discharges since “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” was adopted. The figiue also rep resents the largest number of Air Force gay dis charges in more than two decades. The Army also set a record last year, firing 310 soldiers for being gay, up 62 percent ftom Costs of Training Replacements for Servicemembers Discharded Under Gay Policy Year # Discharged Cost 1980-1990 16,919 $498,555,244 1991 949 $27,964,355 1992 708 $20,862,764 1993 682 $20,096,617 1994 597 $17591,907 1995 722 $21,275,305 1996 850 $25,047,104 1997 997 $29,378,780 1998 1145 $33,739,923 Total 21,722 $640,086,115 the 194 discharged in 1997. The Army’s dis charge numbers are the highest since 1987. Discharge totals for the Navy (345) and Marine Corps (76) in 1998 were in line with figures from the previous year, in which the Navy discharged 413 servicemembers and the Marines 73. Although SLDN had been asking the Pen tagon to release the dis charge figures since they were tallied in December, the totals weren’t disclosed until Friday, January 22 af ter 5:00pm — likely timed to lessen media coverage. C. Dixon Osburn, co executive director of SLDN asked, “Why is the Pentagon hiding the ball with the dis charge figures? It is because the numbers are awful. They appear to show that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pur sue,’ rather than providing some relief for gays serving our country, has been used to target gays even more.” An investigative article by Richard Parker of Knight Ridder newspapers seemed See HIGH on page 23 “Our schools owe students a safe environment that is conducive to learning and affords all students an equal opportunity to achieve..." — US Sec. of Ed. Richard W. Riley on ways to establish formal reporting and com plaint procedures; and provide information to schools regarding when and how to refer inci dents to law enforcement authoriti^. “Our schools owe students a safe environ ment that is conducive to learning and that af fords all students an equal opportunity to achieve high educational standards,” US Sec retary of Education Richard W. Riley stated in a letter distributed with the guide to schools. “Harassment and hate crimes undermine these purposes and may cause serious harm to the development of students who are victimized by this behavior.” The latest FBI crime statistics indicate that there were more than 8000 bias-motivated crimes reported in 1997. Of these, more than 10 percent (848) occurred in schools. Protecting Students gives practical step-by- step advice on the most effective ways to deal with persistent episodes of harassment of stu dents and hate-motivated threats and violence. Specifically, the guide encourages school officials to: develop written anti-harassment policies; identify and respond to incidents of harassment; develop formal complaint proce dures; create a school climate that values diver sity; address hate crimes and conflicts in school and the community. The guide discusses various federal, state and local laws that address discrimination or crimi nal acts directed at students because of their race, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, and/or religion. School officials are encouraged to take immediate and appropriate steps to stop such harassment and prevent its recurrence. See SCHOOL on page 23
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