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CU in Massachusetts?
Boston — Leaders of the
Massachusetts State Senate are
preparing a bill that would legalize
civil unions for same-sexcouples,
providing most of the rights and pro-
tections of marriage. Robert
Travaglini, president of the state
Senate; told‘ the Boston Globe early

I last month that thelegislation would

not be introduced until the state’s
highest court rules on gay marriages.

Travaglini, a Democrat and
a Catholic, said his religion prevents
him from backing same-sex marriage,
but his desire for fairness allows him
to favor civil unions. A civil union

.bill in Massachusetts would face an

uphill battle, since Governor Romney,
a moderate Republican, and House
Speaker Finneran, a conservative
Democrat, would oppose such a
measure.

A Dangerous Place For
Transfolk .
Washington, DC — Within one week

i in August. three violent crimes

against transgender individuals were
reported: just one—‘year»after- the V
unsolved murders of two transgender
teens. As reported by the Human
Rights Campaign, Aaryn Marshall,
25, a male-to-female transsexual, was

» found beaten and shot to death hours

after another transgender woman was
found shot. Five days earlier, Elvys
“Bella Evangelista” Perez, 25, a pop-
ular drag performer was murdered.
Arrests were made in both murders.
Seven states and the District of
Columbia have hate crime laws that
include sexual orientation and gender
identity. The Local Law Enforcement
Enhancement Act pending in the

Senate would add real or perceived ‘N

sexual orientation and gender to the
categories protected by‘ federal law.
The National Transgender Advocacy
Group maintains the ‘Remembering
Our Dead’ list, with the names of
individuals who have been killed due
to transgender prejudice. They report
that 2003 is keeping pace with 2002,
which is sofar the deadliest year on

' record.

Altercation at the Altar

Hong Kong — Protesters disrupted
Mass at Hong Kong’s oldest Catholic
cathedral to protest the Bishops sup-
port of the recent Vatican announce-
ment against same-sex unions. Eight
activists chanted slogans criticizing -
the Bishop and struggled with church
officials at the altar during a moming

mass, attended by hundreds of people.

The police were called and protesters
were reprimanded.

The demonstration was
organized by Rainbow Action in
response to Bishop Zen Ze-kiun’s
articles in the Chinese Catholic week-
ly in which he supported the Vatican’s
recent directive against same sex mar-
riage. During the disruption, protest-
ers demanded a public apology for
the Bishop’s anti-gay position. "

In response to the protest,
the head of Hong Kong’s Catholic
Church called for an apology from
Rainbow Action. Some gay rights ,
activists have distanced themselves
from the protest, stating that they
share the concerns of the group but
could not support the strategy.

Homosexuality was decrim-
inalized in Hong Kong in 1991.

Later last month, asurpris-
ingly amicable meeting between
Rainbow Action and the Bishop
found “common ground” for discus-
sion, while disagreements remain
regarding the issue of gay marriage.

UPS Policy Challenged
San Francisco — United Parcel
Service continues discussions with

-_ Lambda Legal Defense & Education

Fund over couplé policies affecting

lgbt employees. Lambda Legal filed a,

lawsuit against UPS in California
state court in late August on behalf of
Daniel Kline, who has worked UPS
for more than two decades, and his
partner, Frank Sories. Sories was
transferred to Chicago by his employ-
er, United Airlines. , .

Kline had applied for a
transfer under UPS’s policy pennit-
ting employees to relocate to avoid
having their families broken apart
when loved ones are transferred. '

Kline’s transfer was approved at dis- »

trict and regional levels, but was ulti-
mately rejected by the corporation
because the men are gay and‘ there-
fore not legally married}

Hours after the lawsuit was

. filed, UPS announced that it had

changed its policy to include domes-

.tic partners. “We’re encouraged by

UPS’s public statements," said Jon W.
Davidson, Senior Counsel for
Lambda Legal. At press time,
Lambda Legal’s lawsuit against UPS
had not been dropped.

Gay 1 01

Kalamazoo, MI — Representative Jack
Hoogendyk (R-Kalamazoo) has
assembled a list of 60 courses taught
at Michigan universities that he feels
need closer scrutiny. The lawmaker is

, proposing a bill that would require

universities to submit class lists to the
legislature for approval. Legislators
could decide to prohibit the teaching

of any of the classes.

A Kalamzoo TV station
reported late last month that
Hoogendyk’s greatest concern is a
course at the University of Michigan
entitled, “How to be Gay.” He ques-
tions whether the course should be
supportedwith public tax dollars.

Other questioned courses
include “Women, Crime and
Deviance,” “The Rhetoric of Hate and
Fear,” “Gender and Society,” and
“Culture and Sexuality.”

WMU President Judith
Bailey says she and Hoogendyk have
agreed to disagree on the issue. “It’s
faculty’s responsibility to represent a
broad range of ideas, thoughts,
philosophies and facts around issues
wide-ranging from science to gen-
der,” she says.

Smoking Kills More Than
AIDS I

Sacramento, CA — Gay activists and

' health professionals aretargeting

smoking as a health risk bigger than
HIV. “Smoking kills more gays than
AIDS, hate crimes, suicides and
breast cancer combined,” according to
Kathleen DeBold, executive director
of the Mautner Project, a Washington-
based LGBT health advocacy group.
As reported in the St. Petersburg"
Times in August, the Mautner Project,
the California Department of Health
Services, and the American Legacy

Foundation have created anti-smoking" 

campaigns specifically for gay and \
lesbian smokers.~The Mautner cam-
paign boldly declares, “Lesbians pre-
fer smoke-free kisses.” The Gay
American Smoke Out was created in
San Jose and Seattle to coincide with
the Great American Smoke Out, each’
November.‘ '

A UCLA survey of 55,000
people found that gays and lesbians ,
are 70 percent more likely to smoke
than heterosexuals. Even more dra-
matically, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention reported that
as many as 59 percent of LGBT teens
use tobacco, compared to 35 percent
of straight teens.

State Dept Bans HIV+
Workers ‘ _ 5
Washington, DC — Lambda Legal
Defense and Education Fund filed a
lawsuit in federal court arguing that
the State Department illegally pro-
hibits anyone with HIV from being
hired as a Foreign Service officer.
Lambda Legal announced
last month that it represents Lorenzo
Taylor, a federal employee who is flu-
ent in three languages, holds a
Foreign Service degree from

Georgetown University, and easily
passed the State Department’s diffi-
cult Foreign Service Officer exams,
but was rejected because he has HIV.
The State Department
claims that people with HIV may
require medical treatment unavailable
in less developed countries. Taylor
has been living with HIV for 18 years
and has never had long-term illnesses
or opportunistic infections. His doctor
reports that Taylor is in ‘excellent’
health. '
Ironically, Secretary of

State Colin Powell spoke passionately
about the need for employers to stop
discrimination, calling for corporate

:leaders to “ensure there is no discrim-
A ination related to a person’s HIV sta-

tus.” He continued, “[U]nder
President Bush’s leadership, this gov-
ernment will commit all of its
resources, all of its energy, all of its
leadership ability, to playing its part.”

First Annual Texas
Shootout

Dallas, TX — Different Strokes isn't a
sex club, though clubs are certainly
involved — golf clubs, that is. It’s a
gay golf association that is announc-
ing a golf tournament open to gay
golfers from around the globe. The
“Texas Shootout” tournament, will be
held October 25-26 in Dallas, co-
sponsored by American Airlines and
Avis. ‘   g
“"" ‘ ""The'2-day stroke event will
award trophies in a variety of cate-
gories. An established USGA handi-
cap or the last five scorecards are
required to compete.

The Different Strokes Golf
Association (DGSA) has created an
event for gay and lesbian golfers “to
share their love for the game,” com-‘
pete in a “highly organized stroke
play tournament” following USGA
rules, and socialize with other gay
golfers, according to their press
release. Check the web site for info:
www.dsgadallas'.org.

Corporations Good For
Gays _
Washington, DC — In a recent report,
the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
praised corporate America for work-
ing toward equal treatment of lgbt
employees. Nearly 95 percent of the )
companies rated this year include a

"sexual orientation non—discrimination

policy, and 74 percent incorporate
diversity training. ,

HRC’s Corporate Equality
Index rates America’s largest compa-
nies. on how they treat lgbt employ-
ees. Factors evaluated include exis-

tence of domestic partner benefits,
gender expression protection, lgbt
employee groups, and intolerance of
activities “that would undermine the
goals and equal rights” of lgbt people.

“Most business decisions
come down to dollars and cents,” said
Daryl Herrschaft, deputy director for
HRC WorkNet. “The positive move-
ment in the Index says that being fair
to glbt Americans  is the best way
to do business.”

Most improved was
Lockheed Martin, moving from 0 per-
cent in 2002 to 71 percent this year,
in response to shareholder demands.
No company scored 0 percent, and 21

major firms, including Xerox, Nike, ‘

Lucent, Intel, American Airlines,
Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Apple
Computer, Aetna, and Capital One,
among others, scored a perfect I00
percent.

The lowest-scoring compa-
nies include ExxonMobil, Domino’s,
Meijer and National Gypsum.

Gay catholics Claim

. Territory

Chicago, IL - In a prepared statement,

‘the Rainbow Sash Movement (RSM)

challenged Soulforce, an interfaith
gay group, to stay out of the struggle
within the Catholic Church regarding
homophobia and acceptance of gays.
RSM was apparently responding to

. Soulforccfs armouncement that it

would demonstrate, for the fourth
consecutive year, at the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops meet-
ing to be held in Washington, DC in
November. Three Soulforce demon-
strators were arrested at last year’s
meeting and charged with misde-
meanor unlawful entry.

RSM, a national Catholic
lgbt organization, applauded
Soulforcc for their actions against the
Southern Baptist Church and agreed
“[b]igotry must be addressed where it

Ifihappens.” But, their statement contin-

ued, “We ask that you respect our
faith differences, and allow your
slower sisters and brothers in the
Catholic faith to make their own jour-
ney.” RSM members have chosen to
stay within the Church and “to speak
out from the pews."

‘ Soulforce, a network of
local groups committed to non-violent
resistance, is dedicated to “ending the
spiritual violence perpetuated by reli-
gious policies and teachings against
GLBT people.” This month, they will
demonstrate for the third year at Jerry
Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist
Church in Lynchburg, Tennessee.V