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Summer fun queer sports and more page 25 Interview meet cartoonist Alison Bechdel page 25 Noted . Notable . Noteworthy. LGBT News & Views Vol. 21 . Number 04 www.q-notes.com July I . 2006 Celebrating 70 years A look at theACLU’s history with LGBT Rights and HIV/AIDS by Kara Gotsch Since coming to the defense of “The Children’s Hour,” a play that was banned in 1936 for a suggested lesbian relationship, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been protecting the rights of LGBT Americans. The ACLU’s work has and contin ues to challenge discrimination in the courts and legislatures — case-by-case, law-by-law — to change anti-gay policies. As the efforts to win full civil rights and equality for LGBT people continue, the ACLU marks 70 years of important legal victories. The ACLU began a full LGBT rights docket 50 years ago. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project was founded 20 years ago. The following is a timeline of major events and legal cases in our civil rights struggle, a measure of how far we’ve come and where we need to go. 1936 • Defense of “The Children’s Hour” against censorship for lesbian content 1956 • Defense of San Francisco Bay Area gay bar (Hazel’s Inn) raided by police 1957 • Defense of Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” against obscenity charges for gay content 1963 Defense of gay man fired by US. Government {Scott v. Macy) 1963 • Sodomy law challenge (Enslin v. Walford) 1965 • Challenge to police raid on San Francisco event sponsored by the Council on Religion and the Homosexual • One of the first gay rights rallies held at Independence Hall in Philadelphia to demand changes in policies that listed homosexuality as an illness and national security threat 1936 First Cm* 1956 LCBT Program 1986 LOST Projtct 2 0 0c 1966 • Challenge to Florida law outlawing gay bars (Inman v. Miami) 1967 • Challenge to Los Angeles ordinance mak ing it illegal for performers to “im personate a person of the opposite sex” • Challenge to deportation of gay man (Boutilier v. INS) • Sodomy law challenge (Delaney v. Florida) 1969 • Demonstrations against a police crack down at the Stonewall gay bar in New York City sparked the LGBT rights movement 1970 • First challenge to policy on gays in the mil itary (Schlegel v. U.S.) 1971 • Challenge to anti-gay security clearance rules (Go)'er v. Laird) 1972 • First challenge to law restricting marriage to persons of the opposite sex (Baker v. Nelson) 1973 • Defense of Washington teacher fired for being gay (Gaylord v. Tacoma) • Defense of gay man denied a security clear ance (Rock V. Department of Defense) 1975 • Defense of gay federal employee fired for being “Flamboyant” (Singer v. U.S.) 1976 • Defense of gay father denied visitation with I THE HOUR In 1937 the ACLU took their first stand in support of the LGBT community when they fought against a ban on the play ‘The Children’s Hour,’ by Lillian Heilman. his children (Voellerv. Voeller) 1977 • Challenge to university’s refusal to recognize lesbian/gay student group (Mississippi Gay Alliance v. Mississippi State University) 1978 • Lawsuit against the Briggs Initiative, a meas ure to ban gay people from teaching in California’s public schools (California Federation of Teachers v. Eu) see civil on 12 A soldier’s story More from Iraq Editor’s Note: These are the thoughts of a gay soldier — a North Carolina native — who has been deployed to Iraq. Because of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’’ policy, he must remain anonymous. My reaction to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s death was a mixture of shock and excitement. It’s a great win for the Coalition Forces and the Iraqi Army. It was disappointing to hear some of the locals portray the coalition forces as vil lains — I heard some of them say that Zarqawi wasn’t dead and American soldiers beat him to death. In my opinion this was a bad man — he was responsible for the deaths of so many — he didn’t deserve to live. The overriding opinion of the Iraqi military, civil ians and Codition Forces soldiers I have spo ken with indicates that most people feel justice was done. see soldier on 22 Out, young and proud: Matt Hill Comer UNCG student forms new LGBT political organization by Jim Baxter . Q-Notes staff Matt Hill Comer, a 20-year-old native of Winston-Salem, is an LGBT rights and youth advocate with some bright and exciting ideas. Currently a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNC-G), Comer is harnessing the power of the internei not only to connect but to organize. Coming out to himself as a gay man was remarkably brief, although dealing with his religious upbringing and family proved diffi cult. WTiile his family was apprehensive about his sexuality six yeas ago. Comer says they are growing more accepting and embracing with each passing day. “1 think 1 always knew I was different. I remember feeling a lot closer to guys than girls my whole life. In fact, I actual ly had a crush on the two guys who played in‘The Never-Ending Story’,” he told Q- Notes. “1 don’t think I was ever actually aware that my feel ings were‘gay’or ‘homosexual’ until I was about 11 or 12, Baptist Convention surprises page 17 a Sna IW though. I got a lot of support and information on my own, at the public library or the school library and such. When I came out at 14, in eighth grade, I got a lot of support from my teachers and a few friends.” Today, Comer serves on the execu tive board of UNC-G’s LGBTQ student organization and he has just started a ‘Politics is how I think and what I think, and a political group was something I have always wanted to do.’ — Matt Hill Comer new project called the North Carolina Advocacy Coalition (NCAC). But his activism started much earlier. “During the summer between my see comer on 18 cMndMlIyvn MtktCaniMi More lies from Focus on the Family page 21
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