TIIII H08!“ Illllllllllllllls SIIBIII lllfl Ill Ethan Elllllll lllalntenance 8: Au. _8EcAUSE I LE1’ suy THAT I Niieirr t5i(auTeoo mere wirii Sons em: bAcV~°I* » siu>.rH.. look QUEELi'h YOIPRE R FANTASY. YOU'RE SUPPOSED To be Hon: FUN, NoT PESSY 8: HIGH maimibiimic Q. I msM|.You're ‘NEON I NEED some ‘Air. The Ke_Ys.Are in The letlmon. ' ‘ _ We've i driven Al.l.‘l‘he WAYOIIT IIEFE $0 , You COULD snow me The (MIN-S It-NON s'i?t‘£i" 2 ha‘ I Volt“! EVEN KIl°W » NEXT oussriouz WHY on Ynis NIGHT VIE D E _ L‘! MA run in 5::-ran in.. Illa I813!‘ Illa Sfllllll . the IIIBSSIIII lllli IIIIGSISI HoW1o Dliiffifltis FKEKNJV [M asioveil 50 "W's And FFNAILY , win: is T!-|iS NIGHT DiFl-‘ERENT From All omens SIIl|IIIlIIIll.CI|_I. IIIIIOIOILGII, llIG_II'Ill@IlIIIIIl'III.GII rest of our world > continued from p 7 Ventura proposed the clause on his own initiative during negotiations last Yfifir with several state employee unions. The clause was accepted, but the unions struck when agreement could not be reached on general Wages and health benefits. When the strike was settled, the clause remained in the contract. Pres. Ford Joins GOP Gay G"°“P Board WASHINGTON, DC — The Republican Unity Coalition is we’!- °°m1ng its new Advisory Board member, former President Gerald F0fd. The RUC is a gay-straight alliance that advocates for support for 33)’ issues within the Republican :::t)’- Ford was quoted in an inter- S W With columnist Deb Price as. “PPOi‘ting equal economic benefits for gay couples as straight couples enjoy under federal law (such as social security-survivorship and tax deductions). “I think they ought to be treated equally. Period,” Ford said-in the interview. “ 9/1 1 Victim’: Partner commits suicide JERSEY CITY, NJ — In what has been called the first suicide of a gay partner of a Sept. ll victim, Mike Lyons took his own life in March. Lyons thought he was “taking a step to be with his partner,” according-to Elizabeth Burch, director of the Human Rights Campaign, which had helped Lyons apply for benefits through relief funds. Lyons’ partner was Jack Keohane, who worked at One Liberty Plaza near the World Trade Center. He was killed by falling debris when one of the towers collapsed. Keohane had reportedly sent Lyons on ahead because of Lyons’ difficulty running due to multiple sclerosis. Lyons committed suicide on his 41st birthday, just a few days before he was to receive his first relief check from the Red Cross. Gay 9/1 1 Scam Artist? NEW YORK — The Washington Blade is reporting that questions are being raised over conflicting state- ments given by a Florida man who claimed his same-sex partner had died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Patrick Ian Henn of Ft. Lauderdale claims his partner Jeff John Anderson died while on a trip to Manhattan, although the Express Gay News, a Florida-based gay newspaper investigating the case, says Andersen’s name does not appear on any official victim lists and no relatives of a Jeff John Andersen have come forward. Henri collected $25,000 is wcgniciuo His 3r_J Cocv.'rMl.. MY FAVMIiTE Nmiew is vivsrr over some Bo~t..2'/ii simsouubfvfiv Dirr:izEii1'f.?g non: not I. lwor from various agencies offering emer- gency funds to survivors of victims without ever providing proof that he was the partner of an actual person who died in the building collapse. The agencies that provided money to Henri included Empire State Pride Agenda, the United Way, Safe Horizons, and the American Red Cross. Henri contacted the Express Gay News last December to complain about ESPA’s refusal to provide more relief funds after its initial $1000 loan. ' Brandon Teena's Killer Says the Other Guy Did It LINCOLN, NB — John Lotter, on death row for the killing of transves- tite Brandon Teena in 1993, is appealing his conviction and sen- tence, saying that his partner in the crime, Marvin T. Nissen, actually committed the murder. Lotter and Nissen were also convicted for killing two witnesses to the murder, Lisa Lambert and Philip Devine. v Nissen made a deal with prosecutors to testify against Lotter and was sen- tenced to life in prison. Lotter’s appeal charges that Nissen told a cellmate that he had done the killing. Gay Partnerships Recognized in Finland HELSINKI — Except for the right to adopt a child or share a surname, gay partnerships in Finland now are rec- ognized as comparable to marriage. Finns aged 18 or over can register a same-sex union through a civil cere- mony. The status provides for proper- ty rights in inheritance and divorce. The Finnish Lesbian & Gay Association welcomed the legal change but said it didn’t go far enough. While the newly enacted law does not deal with the rights of chil- dren in gay partnerships, a gov’t group is looking into the issue. V