Newspapers / Lambda (Carolina Gay and … / Oct. 1, 1981, edition 1 / Page 2
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i, 1 i = I w !i 'macho' marines sentenced Two marijies accused of throwing tear gas canisters into a Washington, D.C., gay bar received sentences in September*, according to the Post. pfc. William J. Davidson* 23, was sentenced to nine months, and Pi.c. David H. Jenkines was given one year probation wirh the agreement of paying $3,000 to the owners of Equus. “A very cruel and malicious act was done against people and I have no doubt it was done because they were gay* said Frank E. Schwelfo, D.C. Superior Court Judge. _ ^ Davidson told Schwelb tnat he tOKisea twc:) tear gas canisters into a crowd of about 40 people "more or less tor the people around us. Tt would be soraerhing that would be laughed cit iby] an^ aver age Marine. .It wairnH. meant to harm anybody." "It Vt’uS an act of stupidity-d his accompi Ic e sa i.d. One of the lawyers said, inore s a certain m3.cho element in this, wnile another compared it to a college parity raid. ■sohwe.lb said, "Tbat's macho? That's manly? To tlvrow that in the bar of a vilified iti-inoritvy?. - - Wh-at do you think i t. was caJ culatcd to iu. 3.t..t joy?"’' ^The raid .at the Equus marks one incident of many between marines ana gays in the District of Columbia. One post comi'iander has put piacrois around Capitol Hill gay bars to try to avoid futuie inciden ts. fla lawyers face sex questions Florida attorneys cont,i.nue to race cuestioiiing from Bar exaininers about their sex lives, despite two decib.L.ohii' by the State Supreme Court outlawing that practice. "Private noncommercic-il sex acts be- r.vrcen consenting adults are not relevant ro prove fitne.ss to practice law,” the court ruled on -June IB. Yet, according to the Weekly Mevys of Hiami,. at least two applicants nave been quGSt..i.oriOd about hoTrio.sexuality ‘since the»i. Robert Ei.mers, a lawyer for the Dade vCounty Coalition for Human Rights, said chat probably each case w'ill have to be litigated separately, although Elmers himself v.‘on a K.inular decision in 1978. The Florida Supreme Court ruled that the state Bar acted illegally vmen it ci€inied E.iiners*s application on the basis of his sexual preference. As after the 1978 decision, examiners have continued to question lavr/ers in directly, asking about same-sex acts rather than their sexual preference per se. House Vetoes Sex inaliziition 'Hie U.S. House of Representatives voted by a wide margin on Oct. 1 to veto decriminalization of most forms of private sex between consenting adults in the District of Columbia, according to Gay Community hews. The measure had been passed by two unanimous votes in July in the D.C. City Council. However, the law is that the Coiigre.ss has 30 days in which to veto .legislative changes of the City Council. The measure would have decriminal ized homosexual acts, sodomy^ fornica tion and adultery between cousen_ing adults us of Oct. 5. It also would have allowed women to press rape charges against their hu-sbands^ and would have changeo the maximuiri rape sentence from life im prisonment to 20 yearsj, a move desired because of improved chances of prose cution. The veto of this reform marks the first overturning of a District of Columbia criminal law change by the federal government si.nce home rule for the District began in the 1970s. With the help of the tvational Gay Task Force and local gay groups, the Gay Rights National Lobby worked for approval of the proposed measure. The Moral Majority led lobbying for veto of the measure, after local Clvristian groups asked them for help. "What happened was that a lot of [legislators] just lost their spines. They were really scared that the Moral r.(vijority was going to pressure them right out of the next election,” Susan Green, GRNL Legislative Assistant said. '•I really feel good about the work we put in.” The defeat of the measure does not indicate lack of adequate vrork by gay organizations, .she said. The Moral Majority has described this overturn as its first major victory in the federal legislature. One advertisement in the. Moral Majority Report inaccurately described th^ proposed change as legalizing se duction of children by teachers, repeal ing the statute against public sex, and decriminalizing sex with animals, (continued on p. 6) ( li
Lambda (Carolina Gay and Lesbian Association, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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Oct. 1, 1981, edition 1
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