the rest of Out in left field LOS ANGELES—- Apparently lesbians are wel- come at Dodger Stadium after all. The Dodgers baseball team apologized to a couple a day after ejecting them from the ballpark for kissing during a game. “It means a lot to me that you are Dodger fans,” team president Bob Graziano told the women. “We will continue to do the right thing.” Danielle Goldey and Meredith Kott were escorted out of Dodger Stadium on Aug. 8. They said they initially were not told why they were being ejected but later were told that someone complained and said children should not be exposed to “those people.” The couple said their com- panions, a heterosexual couple, also kissed but were not eject- ed. Because of this, they felt the action of the eight security guards was discrimination. He will survive LOS ANGELES— America’s latest media celebri- ty is gay. Richard Hatch is the man who won the “Survivor” $1 million prize. Since being crowned as the king of the CBS island, he’s been besieged by all kinds of mail, including proposals of marriage from both men and women. All summer, viewers had debated which castaway would outlast the others. Finally, the secret was revealed. Hatch, who had been taunt- ed for his penchant for nudity, condemned as a snake by a fel- low castaway, and stood out_ as the only openly gay contestant emerged with another label: millionaire. The 39-year-old ‘corporate trainer took home the cash prize and a new car, confound- ing those certain his scheming would cost him in the end. Scouts lose donors DALLAS—Corporations that have traditionally support- ed the Boy Scouts are trying to decide whether to continue. Their concerns are about the Supreme Court ruling that allows the Boy Scouts of America to discriminate against gays. Some corporations that have been longtime supporters of the Boy Scouts have anti-dis- crimination policies that would prohibit the same stance as the Scouts. The stance already has cost the Scouts financial support from companies such as Levi Strauss & Co. and Wells Fargo. Others, concerned about hurt- ing the beneficiaries of such funding—the boys them- selves—are weighing their options. Providence, R.I.-based man- ufacturing giant Textron has decided not to give to an annu- al dinner for the Scouts, although it gave $3,000 last year, spokeswoman Sue Bishop said. Chase Manhattan Corp. is considering revoking its contri- butions. Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York, which gives between $100,000 and $150,000 a year, is “actively reviewing” its rela- tionship with the Scouts, said spokesman Joe Cohen. Media company Knight Ridder has asked that funds it gives to the United Way not be directed to the Boy Scouts because it conflicts “with the company’s philosophy on peo- ple and diversity, and the com- pany could not support such a discriminatory stance,” said Polk Laffoon, vice president of corporate relations. Innocent plea FAIRMONT, W.Va—A pair of teen-agers accused of beat- ing a gay black man to death have pleaded innocent to mur- der. The 17-year-olds are accused of killing Arthur “J.R.” Warren, a 26-year-old acquaintance, and then running over him with their car in a bid to disguise his death as a hit- and-run. Jared Wilson of Fairview and David Parker of Grant Town are jailed without bond on charges of first-degree mur- der and conspiracy. Both have been transferred from juvenile to adult court, where convic- tion could mean life in prison without parole. The teens are accused of pummeling Warren with their fists and feet during an argu- ment at a vacant house in Grant Town, near Morgantown. Authorities say the boys then dumped Warren along a road and ran over him four times with a car in a failed attempt to disguise his injuries as a hit-and-run. German soldiers BERLIN—lt’s OK to be gay in the German military. The German government said being gay is no reason to reduce a soldier’s status or limit his responsibility. The issue had arisen in the case of an officer who was reassigned from platoon leader to an office job after a back- 83)’- -He filed suit in Germany’s Constitutional Court last year against the move, and in April . the Defense Ministry said he . would get his old job back. In a response to a question by the parliament faction of the Party of Democratic Socialism, the government reaffirmed that homosexuality was no “sepa- rate entry criterion” for mili- tary service. The Defense Ministry will also make it clear in army regulations the conse- quences of discrimination based on sexual orientation, and offer advice for leaders in a brochure on dealing with gay troops in the army. Scout camps OK WASHINGTON——The Boy Scouts can still camp in federal parks. The US. Interior Department caused a furor when it requested Justice Department advice on whether an executive order prohibiting discrimination would apply to the Boy Scouts of America. President Clinton’s order prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in federally conducted education and training programs. After questions from the top lawyer at the Interior Department, Attorney General Janet Reno determined that “Boy Scout Jamborees are not federally conducted education or training programs,” accord- ing to a Justice Department statement. . She said the Clinton order “does not apply to private orga- nizations that may use federal lands for their own training programs.” The Supreme Court has said that the Scouts may prohibit openly gay members or leaders of the organization. Orange GSAs a go SANTA ANITA, Cali£—A Gay-Straight Alliance will be permitted in suburban Los Angeles schools. The Orange Unified School District decided to settle a fed- eral lawsuit by reversing an earlier decision to ban the club from meeting at an area high school. - As part of the settlement, the board changed its policies on school clubs before approving the Gay-Straight Alliance Club. The new rules prohibit stu- dent clubs from discussing sex- ual activity and create a system that will allow parents to object ground check revealed he is * to a child’s participation in any school group." , A ' ' In December, the board unanimously rejected the Gay- Straight Alliance Club at El Modena Hi gh‘ School, 0 prompt- ing a federal lawsuit by two students who wanted to create a forum for gay students to dis- cuss discrimination. Texas marriage SAN ANTONIO—A same- sex couple in Texas has been permitted to marry. A woman and a transsexual who was born a man obtained a marriage license by taking advantage of a court ruling that defines gender only by chro- mosomes. Jessica Wicks and Robin Manhart Wicks, who took Jessica’s surname this year, were allowed to pay $36 to get their license, even though they consider themselves a same- sex couple. Had Jessica Wicks been born a woman, their mar- ' riage would be illegal under state law. _ i * However, because of a state appeals coiirt ruling that said chromosomes, not genitals, determine gender, the two will be able to wed. Phyllis Randolph Frye, an attorney for the Wicks, said the couple has advanced the rights of gays, lesbians and transsex- - uals across the country. “We feel that this could open an equal protection argu- ment from a legal standpoint because lesbian and gay cou- ples can argue, ‘Well, if this lesbian and gay couple can get married, why can’t we get mar- ried?’-” Turk _cli_scrimination ISTANBUL, . - Turkey- Turkey can be a tough place to visit for a boatload of gays and lesbians. Passengers on a gay-orient- ed cruise were barred by police from visiting the ancient ruins of Ephesus. It prompted high- level apologies from Turkish oflicials. “I haven’t seen anything like this anywhere,” said Bruno Gideon of Toronto, a cruise passenger. “I didn’t think a country like Turkey would act like this. I still don’t under- stand.” The cruise liner Olympic Voyager was taking 800 pas- sengers, many from the United States, on a seven-day tour with stops in Egypt, Israel and Greece. "Turkish Aegean ' The cruise stopped at the port of Kusadasi and‘ passengers boarded buses for Ephesus, which draws thousands of - tourists each year. . After‘ allowing several groups to leave, police turned back at least two other buses. . The sudden change apparently came after they realized the passengers were all homosexu- _ als, the tourists and members of the tour’s crew said. Police also chased after buses headed from the cruise liner to the Ephesus, They caught one in the town of Selcuk, some two miles from the Ephesus ruins, and sent it back to the cruise liner. Gays in the news SAN FRANClSCO——Gay journalists say there’s greater acceptance in newsrooms across the country, but news coverage of gays and lesbians isn’t keeping pace. The survey also found that anti-gay slurs are still com- monly heard in newsrooms, despite improvement in other areas important to gays and les- bians, including domestic part- ner benefits and anti-discrimi- nation policies. ‘ “It shows that we’ve made lots of progress but that there’s still a lot to do,” said Robert Dodge, president of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, which released the study at its 10th annual convention. The association’s survey of 363 gay print and broadcast journalists included questions ranging from how comfortable the journalists felt being “out” in their newsrooms to how . often managers asked their opinions on coverage of les- bian and gay issues. The research found that gay journalists applaud national coverage of gay-related news, such as the killing of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming and the coming-out of comedian Ellen DeGeneres._ However, fewer than half of the journalists sur- veyed said their organizations paid enough attention to ongo- ing issues, such as same-sex marriage and gays in politics. Dutch marriage THE HAGUE, Netherlands- Gay and lesbian couples in the Netherlands can now get mar- ried. Lawmakers gave same-sex couples all the trappings of marriage, too, including adop- tion and divorce—approving legislation that provides gays hiififiifi §Ri§§$:~$