September 1993 Rhode Island Defeats Civil Rights Again William Fitzpatrick The legislative battle is over for this year, but the fight will continue. On Tuesday, June 29, 1993, the Rhode Island House of Representatives killed legislation that would . have extended civil rights pro- tection to gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the areas of employment, housing, credit and public accommodations. The end did not come easy nor quietly. On May 19, the Rhode Island Senate approved the Sexual Orientation/AntiDiscrimination Act by a 30 to 17 vote. This was a tre- mendous victory as similar acts have passed in the past (by slim margins) by one side of the legislature, never by both in concurrence. That legislation was referred to the House Committee on Judiciary. A hearing was scheduled and a record 68 people testified for and against the legislation in a six hour standing room only session. On June 23rd, that committee rejected the Senate bill on a 9-7 vote. A similar House bill was also re- jected by the committee. Under new rules adopted by the Rhode Island House this legislative session, a Representative whose bill is rejected in committee has the right to ask that the full House override the committee rec- ommendation. Rep. Francis Gaschen (D), sponsor of the House bill did that. The motion to override failed on a 58-39 vote. The gallery in the House of Repre- sentatives, packed with supporters of the legislation, erupted into a chorus of jeers and a chant of “equal rights, simple jus- tice.” Other demonstrators inthe rotunda of the State House, outside the House chamber, picked up the chant. Ordered by the Speaker of the House to end the demonstration but unwilling to do so, the demonstrators were cleared from the chamber by the State Police. One pro- tester was arrested. The angry, boisterous and loud demonstration by at least 300 people continued for over four hours, of- ten interrupting the business of the House, which finally adjourned when it found that it could not concentrate on the work at hand; the state budget. Rhode Island’s effort to enact civil rights legislation has been a sad series of mis- steps compared with the strides that have been made in other states. This is the ninth consecutive yearvthat a Sexual Or- ientation/Anti-Discrimination bill has been defeated. V (State Senator William P. Fitzpatrick is a Democrat who represents District 11 in the city of Cranston, Rhode Island. The first openly homosexual member of the Rhode Island General Assembly, he is a member of the Senate Committee on Ju- diciary, the Senate Committee on Health, Education and Welfare, and is Vice Chair of the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Environment and Energy.) Read OITM Monthly AIDS HOTLINES: Vermont ' 1-800-882-2437 New Hampshire 1-800-752-2437 New York State 1-800-541-2437 Massachusetts 1-617-522-4090 Maine 1-800-851-2437 National 1-800-342-2437 Canadian 1-613-563-2437 AIDS Community Awareness Project (ACAP) PO Box 608 St. Johnsbury VT 05819 ‘ (802) 748-1149 AIDS Community Resource Network (ACoRN) PO Box 2057 _ Lebanon NH 03766 (603) 448-2220 Bennington Area AIDS Project PO Box 1066 Bennington VT 05201 (302) 442-4481 or 1-800-845-2437 Health Resource Organizations Brattleboro AIDS Project PO Box 1486 Brattleboro VT 05302 (802) 254-4444 (Helpline) (802)254-8263 (Office) Franklin-Grand Isle AIDS Task Force P. O. Box 241, St. Albans VT 05478 (800) 524-7742 0 (802) 638-7834 GayILesbian Alcoholics Anonymous GLAA, P.O. Box 5653 Burlington, VT 05402 Lesbian Cancer Support Group (802) 660-8386 North Star (Holistic Health Care) RR2 Box 3255 Morrisville VT 05661 - (802)888-2858 Vermont AIDS Council PO Box 275 Montpelier VT 05601 - (802) 229-2557 Vermont C.A.R.E.S. (Committee for AIDS Resources, Education, and Services) PO Box 5248 30 Elmwood Avenue Burlington VT 05401 (802) 863-2437 (Burlington) 1-800-649-2437 (Rutland and Washington County support groups) Vermont Department of Health 1-800-882-2437 (AIDS Hotline) or (802) 863-7245 (AIDS Program office) VT PWA Coalition , PO Box 1055 0 Brattleboro, VT 05302 1-800-698-8792 or (802) 222-5123 Vermont Women’s Health Center 336 North Avenue - Burlington VT 05401 - (802) 863-1386 0.