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COMMUNITY CONNE CTIONS Asheville Gay and Lesbian Information Line: 253-2971 A project of the Asheville Gay and Lesbian Community Council Gay and Lesbian Youth Hotline: 1-800-347-TEEN Thure.-Sun. 7 p.m.-12 a.m. To report anti-gay/HIV + discrimination/violence: 253-1656 U.S. Department of Justice toll-free: 1 -800-347-HATE Asheville, NC Serving the Southern Appalachian Gay/Lesbian Community Vol. IV, No. 9 October 1992 Oregon Becomes Battleground for Gay Rights Last month, Community Connections/wZ?- lished the text of Measure 9, the anti-gay measure on the ballot in Oregon (printed again below). The No on 9 Campaign in Oregon sent us thefollowing commentary. Dear Friend, What is going on in Oregon? Oregon is in the midst of a all-out battle for the heart and soul of our state. On November 3, Oregonians will vote on a ballot measure so extreme that, if it passes, Oregon will be the only state in U.S. history to amend its constitution to take rights away from a group of people: lesbi ans and gay men. How did we get in this terrible situ ation? In 1991, the Oregon Citizens Alli ance, a far-right group that claims mem bership in Pat Robertson's Christian Coa lition, began promoting several measures designed to single out the gay community for discrimination. One of the OCA's discriminatory measures passed in the primary election in Springfield, OR. Within days of the Spring- field Ordinance's passage, the OCA moved to investigate and censor the holdings in the Springfield public library. Then the OCA declared that the City's participation in organizing a regional meeting of the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment violates the Springfield Ordi nance because the conference includes two workshops regarding homosexuality. We've heard that the OCA is planning to sue the City of Springfield for their partici pation in the conference. continued on page 5 Oregon's Measure 9 This state shall not recognize any categorical provision such as "sexual orientation," "sexual preference," or any similar phrase that includes homosexuality, pedophilia, sadism or masochism. Quotas, minority status, affirmative action, or any similar concepts, shall not apply to these forms of conduct, nor shall government promote these behaviors. State, regional, local governments and their departments, agencies and other entities, including specifically the State Department of Higher Education and the public schools, shall assist in setting a standard for Oregon's youth that recognizes homosexuality, pedophilia, sadism and masochism as abnormal, wrong, unnatural, and perverse and that these behaviors are to be discouraged and avoided. What impact would Measure 9 have on working people in Oregon? The day the OCA handed in the signa tures they had gathered to qualify their statewide measure for the ballot, OCA head Lon Mabon was quoted as saying that homosexual teachers would need to be "fired or reassigned." If Measure 9 passes, school teachers, pediatricians, coaches, librarians, counselors, juvenile court judges, ministers, physical therapists, must be investigated and replaced if they are believed to be homosexual and have any contact with children in their jobs. What about the faith community? If measure 9 passes, congregations supporting lesbian and gay people would not be allowed to use public meeting spaces for their services, because the "promote" homosexuality. Programs funded by church-based organizations such as Ecu menical Ministries' HIV Day Center would lose state and county funding because they "facilitate" homosexuality by serving a gay clientele without condemnation orjudg- ment. Would Oregon business be affected by Measure 9? The mass boycotts experienced by the state of Arizona after that state's failure to ratify a Martin Luther King Holiday fore shadow the loss to Oregon's economy should Measure 9 pass. Early communications from across the country to the No on 9 Campaign indicate convention business loss, a statewide pub lic relations disaster, and millions of dol lars in lost revenue by consumers not willing to support a state which requires discrimination. Tobi Lippin facilitated the hard-work weekend for NCCGLE. Photo by Cynthia Janes NCCGLE Outlines Vision, Sets Goals by Cynthia Janes In a hard-working, few-frills weekend retreat at a conference center near Chapel Hill, the North Carolina Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality put a new structure in place and outlined a work plan for the next year. Facilitator Tobi Lippin helped partici pants get acquainted and have fun while they tackled the weekend's tasks. The group developed NCCGLE's new mission statement, which can also be de scribed as the group's overarching reason for existence: The North Carolina Coali tion for Gay and Lesbian Equality (NCCGLE) is a statewide coalition of indi viduals and organizations working to eradi cate heterosexism and homophobia at ev ery level; to empower and strengthen the state's gay/lesbian/bisexual community; and to encompass all the diverse aspects of our community. We will accomplish these goals by educating the citizens of North Carolina about the dangers of homopho bia and advocating for thefull acceptance and human and civil rights of ALL people. NCCGLE has gained visibility over the past couple of years by its leadership role in compiling NC's documentation statistics. Mab Segrest's goal of getting North Carolina's documentation of hate crimes organized became NCCGLE's ma jor work for the past two years. An expe rienced grants writer and community orga nizer, Mab has been successful in obtain ing funding for the statewide documenta tion effort. In the state's larger cities, volunteers and organizations, such as SALGA in the western part of NC, monitor phone lines set up for victims of anti-gay harassment, discrimination and violence. After collect ing statistics throughout a calendar year, these groups submit their results to NCCGLE, which began compiling reports in 1990. (The 1991 report is available by sending $5 to PO Box 3203, Durham, North Carolina 27715.) NCCGLE will hold a statewide meet ing on documentation, computer network ing, and leadership development October 17 in Wilmington. Issues to be covered include bonding as a State, identifying resources and skills, and creating a mecha nism for ongoing networking across the State. Although NCCGLE has focused most of its energy on documentation of violence and discrimination, the group is now turn ing its focus to other issues as well. Over the next 15 months, NCCGLE will work to: • Educate the public; • Build infrastructure among lesbian/ gay organizations; • Develop a strong multi-racial and multi-class board; and • Create a plan for legislative presence. continued on page 3
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