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VERMONT’S NEWSPAPER for LESBIANS and GAY MEN

  

l Vol. 2, No.9

Immigration Bill Introduced

Member of Congress Barney Frank
(Democrat, Massachusetts), an openly gay
member of the U.S. Congress, has
introduced a t".l to overhaul part of the
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Act.
HR. 1119, which has over 60 sponsors,
would repeal the legal authority for
excluding gay men and lesbians from entering
this country. Section 212(a), a 1950's
McCarthy-era law, excludes a wide variety oi
aliens from Visiting the U.S. This bill, which
would give Congress the opportunity to
"bring our nation’s immigration law into the
twentieth‘ century", would remove the term,
"sexual deviate".

Despite the determinations
by the American Psychiatric Association,
other professional organizations, and the
Surgeon General that homosexuality is no
longer considered a "medical condition", the
U.S. Supreme Court let stand a 1984 lower
court ruling that permits gays to be excluded
under this provision. At public hearings,
representatives of the Reagan administration
did not object to the repeal of Section
212(a)(4), the "sexual deviate" exclusion.

Those testifying in favor of the bill were
the American Bar Association, the American
Association of University Professors, and
People for the American Way. Testifying
against it were the Heritage Foundation, the
American Legion, and William Rusher,
publisher of the National Review.

CANADIANS PLEASE NOTE: Until
this section of the U.S. Immigration law is
repealed, you can be excluded from entry
into the United States solely because you
are a lesbian or gayman. As long as you do
not identify yourself as being gay, by wearing
gay t-shirts or buttons, or telling U.S.
Immigration officials of your sexuality, there
is no problem crossing the border.
AMERICANS ARE URGED TO WRITE
YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS and
demand that they support H.R. 1119.

   

December, 1987 I

RISTMAS!

 MOW Coffers Grow

‘ The March on Washington organization
recently reported it will have a surplus of at
least $70,000. Activists from across the
country have begun imagining what could be
done with such a large sum of money.

According to March staffperson Kay
Ostberg, an audited -report will be made
public as soon as all the financial
information is compiled. Ostberg noted the
March office is still receiving bills for the
October 11 March and related events. In
addition, said Ostberg, further bookkeeping
is required to determine how much was
spent by the organization and how much
was raised on the day of the March.
Ostberg estimated that about $40,000 was
raised from the sale of T-shirts and buttons.

The Executive Committee, a 7-member
body elected by the Steering Committee to
oversee .the coordination of the March, will
meet later this month to discuss the
distribution of the surplus funds. The
distribution is "something that is on

01.

  

National March on Washington
for Lesbian and Gay Rights

OCTOBER 11, 1987 0 WASHINGTON, D.C.



everyone’s mind," said Executive Committee
member Steve Ault from New York. "We
have to be very careful and scrupulous."

Jim Morgan, :1 Burlington member of
the National Association of Social
Workers/Lesbian and Gay Issues Committee,
suggested some of the money go toward
continual lobbying on the AIDS issue.
Citing the Senate’s recent decision to cut
funding to the Gay Men's Health Crisis in
New York, Morgan said, "it’s important to
maintain a steady presence."

Boston March organizers have come up
with the first official proposal for distribution
of the money. At an October 28 meeting
they proposed the money be- used to pay
debts incurred by local March organizations.
The Boston committee further proposed that
the remaining money be divided‘i_nto thirds,
with two portions going to the National
Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays
(NCBLG) and the newly-formed National
Latino Lesbian and Gay Activist Coalition
(NLLGAC). The remaining third should be
given to grassroots political projects,
according the proposal.

"We feel at this time the strength of
the movement is in the grassroots," said
Boston organizer Nancy Wechsler. She
added that new groups which are forming
nationwide as a result of the March and
established activist organizations need money
and encouragement.

Gay Community News

Table of Contents
Letters to the Editor page 2
AIDS Education page 3
Recipes page 4
Letters Home page 5_
Africa and AIDS page 7
Gert & Alice page 11
Calendar page 11

HAPPY HANUKKAH!

MAI