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AIDS Ride Producer closes

Los Angeles -- Pallotta TeamWorks,
the controversial company which
organized charity bike rides to raise
money for AIDS groups, abruptly
closed over a weekend in late August,
laying off more than 250 employees.

The Los Angeles-based
company had run the California
AIDS Ride, but discontinued it after
groups who were to receive money
from the ride complained they actual-
ly got far less than expected. A simi-
lar ride in New York and one dubbed
the Canada-to-US AIDS Vaccine
Ride were also cancelled this year.
One AIDS support group claims $19
million dollars was raised by partici-
pants in three Pallotta AIDS rides but
that less than three million went to
fight AIDS after the company took
out its expenses.

One volunteer, Greg
Rodehau, told the San Francisco
Examiner he participated in two
Pallotta- produced AIDS rides, rais-
ing close to $12,000, but became dis-
illusioned with the company. “I saw
how much money they were wast-
ing,” he told the paper. “There were
huge trucks, fancy marketing
brochures that were very expensive
to produce, mobile trailers for the
staff to live in, elaborate signage. I'm
in marketing so I understand the cost
of these things. It became more about
Pallotta promoting Pallotta than
about the San Francisco AIDS
Foundation.”

Pallotta also ran the Avon
Breast Cancer 3-Day Walks, Out of
the Darkness walks to raise aware-
ness of suicide, and KidsMarch to
benefit a children and family center
in Los Angeles.

In a statement the company
called the closure and layoffs tempo-
rary, saying it was a cost-cutting step
and vowed to press ahead with breast
cancer fund-raisers later this year in
Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York.

Now We're ‘Fit to Print’

New York — The New York Times will
begin printing civil union announce-
ments in September. .

Although a significant step
for the nation’s paper of record, it
follows similar — and some say
braver — decisions‘ by smaller papers
around the country. In July, the
Fayetteville Observer in North
Carolina ran its first recognition of a
same-gender union. The South
Florida Sun-Sentinel has published
the announcements for three years.

The National Lesbian and
Gay Journalists Association immedi-
ately commended the Times for its
decision to publish same-sex civil
union and commitment announce-
ments. The decision followed a meet-
ing held in December 2001 with the
leadership of NLGJA; gay and les-
bian members of the newspaper's
staff and Publisher Aithurtsulzberger
Jr. and other senior officers of the
Times. '

A week after the Times
annojunew its plans to accept gay and
lesbian union announcements, the
Miami Herald and the Orlando
Sentinel said they would follow suit.
Sentinel publisher Kathleen M. Waltz
said the company was still develop-

ing a formal policy, but that the goal
was to accept “celebrations of many
different kinds.”

NLGJA leaders have also
met with Boston Globe editor Martin
Baron, as well as editorial staff at
other papers around the country.
Although Baron said the decision
was up for discussion, no decision
has been made. In the meantime, the
paper’s ombudsman has spoken out
in a column in favor of printing same
sex union announcements.

In Vermont, due to public
access laws, any newspaper that
prints wedding announcements for
heterosexual couples must also print
civil union announcements submitted
to it.

Red Cross and Gay Partners

New York — The American Red Cross
is making permanent the guidelines it
put in place regarding the September
11, 2001 terrorist attacks that provid-
ed gay domestic partners the same
disaster relief assistance that spouses
received.

Over the past few months
the Empire State Pride Agenda, New
York’s statewide lesbian and gay civil
rights organization has worked with
several New York council members
to get that commitment enshrined in
Red Cross national policy.

Following a series of meet-
ings, Harold Decker, CEO and
Interim President of the Red Cross,
announced “the guidelines that we
used successfully in New York
should be adopted more broadly as a
permanent procedure of our organiza-
tion.” He also indicated that existing
guidelines for all Red Cross chapters
would be revised to reflect the new
policy

An Information Bulletin
sent last month to all chapters across
the US titled “Guidance on ‘Family’
Definition and Verification” states
that immediate family includes “reg-
ularly financially supported signifi-
cant others, fiancées, housemates
and/or other family members.”

The Bulletin also provides
guidance on acceptable documenta-
tion that can be used to verify these
family relationships and then lists
many of the criteria that were used
for gay partners of the September 11
victims, such as joint ownership of a
home, joint leases, joint bank
accounts, joint credit cards, utility
bills with both names and joint
renter’s or home owner's insurance.

“This action by the Red
Cross bringsreal meaning to its stat-
ed commitment to using a broad and
inclusive definition of family when
distributing assistance to all those
who-suffer due to a disaster or emer-
gency, including lesbians and gay
men,” said Joe Grabarz, executive

-director of the Empire State Pride

Agenda.
“We have only the highest
regard for how the Red Cross

responded to the concerns of the les-

bian and gay community in New
York City region. They listened; they
understood; and, they took action. We
believe the decision to make them
permanent across all chapters was a
wise one and will help avoid a repeat
of what initially happened here,”
Grabarz said.

Gay Foster Parents in
Arkansas

Little Rock — Four prospective foster
parents, including a gay couple and a
heterosexual man who has a gay son,
are challenging the ban on gays and
lesbians from becoming foster par-
ents in Arkansas.

In 1999 the state Child
Welfare Agency Review Board voted
6 - 1 to bar gays and lesbians. Since
then, the state Department of Human
Services has asked prospective foster
parents if they are gay. Those who
answer affirmatively are denied the
right to become foster parents.

“There is no record, no data
of foster children being sexually
abused by gay and lesbian couples,”
said Rita Sklar, executive director of
the ACLU of Arkansas.

“They allowed their bias
against gay people to guide their
actions in the face of overwhelming
social science evidence that lesbians
and gay men make perfectly good
foster parents,” Sklar said.

The ACLU is representing
the prospective foster parents in their
suit. Lawyers for the ACLU filed
papers in Pulaski County Circuit
Court asking a judge to skip a trial
and lift a ban on lesbian and gay fos-
ter parenting.

The case had been sched-
uled to begin in November. There has
been no indication when the judge
will issue a ruling on the ACLU
motion or decide to proceed to trial.
Julie Munsell, spokesperson for the
DHS, declined comment on the court
filings by the ACLU.

“Right now it’s in the
hands of the court system. We’ll
await the verdict. We’ll do whatever
the court orders us to do,” she said.

Gay Black Men Need HIV
Education

Washington, DC — Up to 93 percent
of young HIV-positive black gay men
are unaware of their infection,
according to a new report from the
Centers for Disease Control.

The study, issued by the
CDC in August said, “Nearly three
quarters, or 71 percent, of those men
who were found to be HIV-positive
believed that there was either no
chance, that it was very unlikely, or
that it was unlikely that they were
infected with HIV.”

The Human Rights
Campaign called the report a wakeup
call for Congress. '

“The new numbers released
by the CDC this week are very
alarming, and reflect a very danger-
ous trend in the fight against
HIV/AIDS,” said HRC Senior Policy
Advocate Christopher Labonte.

Labonte called on Congress
“to put forth the necessary resources
for scientifically proven methods of
HIV/AIDS prevention programs,
such as those within the Minority
HIV/AIDS Initiative.”

“With no cure, the only
effective way we have to fight this
epidemic is prevention,” Labonte
said.

Created in 1999, the
Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative
(MHAI) provides funds throughout
various federal HIV/AIDS programs

to community-based organizations
and other entities to address the _
HIV/AIDS epidemic within minority
populations. It currently receives
$381 million in funding.

The new study is consistent
with other recent studies indicating
that in several U.S. cities, the majori-
ty of young HIV/AIDS-infected gay
men are unaware of their infection.
The new numbers also showed that
37 percent of the men surveyed
reported having unprotected anal sex
in the previous six months.

“Young black gay men are
not getting the prevention education
that they need,” said HRC Field
Constituency Organizer Donna
Payne, who specializes in minority
outreach. _

“Without targeted preven-
tion effoits, this situation will contin-
ue to deteriorate. There are countless
lives at risk every day.”

HIV/AIDS is dispropor-
tionately affecting communities of
color. In 1999, approximately two-
thirds of all women and more than 40
percent of all men diagnosed with
AIDS were black. Researchers in a
separate study recently found that
nearly one-third of young gay black
men in six major US cities are infect-
ed with HIV.

Taking (ms to Hooslers
Chicago — Three same-sex couples

filed suit today to have civil unions
recognized by the state of Indiana.

Ruth Morrison and Teresa Stephens,

Dave Wene and David Squire,
Charlotte Egler and Dawn Egler, all
of whom have entered into civil
unions in the state of Vermont, want
their unions validated in their home
state.

A 1997 Indiana law pro-
hibits the state from recognizing
same-sex unions performed in other
states. State law already had banned
same-sex marriage.

The suit was filed on behalf

of the couples by the Indiana Civil
Liberties Union in Marion County
Superior Court.

ICLU Executive Director
John Krull said, “Gay Hoosiers work,
like everyone else. They pay taxes,

, like everyone else. They have mort-

gages and bills to pay, like everyone
else. But they are denied the right to
have their unions recognized by the
state of Indiana. That's just not
right.”

The suit names Gov. Frank
O'Bannon and the clerks of Marion
and Hendricks counties as defen-
dants. County clerks issue marriage
licenses. — — <
“We just want to be treated
like any other couple,” said Teresa
Stephens, 45, of Indianapolis. "We
expect to spend the rest of our lives
together."

State Rep. Woody Burton,
R-Greenwood, who authored
Indiana's “Defense of Marriage” law,
said he will seek further legislation if
the lawsuit succeeds.

“The relationship between
a man and a woman_ as a man and
wife has been the standard since this
country was founded,” he said.

Sean Lemieux, The ICLUs Equal
Rights Project Director, will be argu-
ing the case for the three couples.

“Our clients want to be
treated just like any other citizens.
They just want the same opportunity
to build a life with someone they
love that other Hoosiers have. They"
want to protect themselves and their
children by gaining access to the
comprehensive system of protections
and obligations that are only avail-
able through marriage.“

Gay Senator Leads Aussie
Dems

Sydney — An openly gay Senator has
been elected as interim leader of the
Australian Democrats.

Senator Brian Greig will
serve until a party convention choos-
es a new national leader, probably in
about a month, to replace Natasha
Stott Despoja who was forced out in
a party coup.

Greig said the first thing he
will do as interim leader is apologize
for the way the party had behaved in
recent weeks.

The Democrats are deeply
divided over a successor to Despoja.
Even the election of Greig was con-
troversial. Senator Greig was a town
Councilor in Perth and a prominent
gay rights advocate before entering
federal politics. But, he is not the
first gay to lead a national party in
Australia. The Greens already have a

gay as leader in Senator Bob Brown.
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