custody will be awarded to the nearest
non—gay relative. If no such person exists,
children will be taken from their parents
and put in foster care or up for adoption.
The initiative, filed by the Citizens
Alliance of Washington, also bars
“minority status based on homosexuality”,
prohibits schools from presenting
homosexuality as positive behavior, and
bans sarne-gender marriage. (GLPCI, AOL,
The Washington Blade)

Joycelyn Elders: Anti-Gay Attitude is
Caused by Fear of Sexuality

Washington D.C. — . An irrational fear of
sexuality is behind anti—gay behavior in
this country, Surgeon General Joycelyn
Elders says in this month's issue of The
Advocate. “We need to speak out to tell
people that sex is good, sex is wonderful,”
she said in an interview. “It's a normal part
and healthy part of our being, whether it is
homosexual or heterosexual.” Elders
endorsed gay and lesbian adoptions, called
the Boy Scouts’ ban on gays unfair and
denounced certain sexual attitudes of
conservative religious groups. “I think the
religious right at times thinks that the only
reason for sex is procreation,” she said.
“Well, I feel that God meant sex for more
than procreation. Sex is about pleasure as
well as about responsibility.” She added that
anti-gay attitudes will persist until
Americans “learn that gay people are not
just out there wanting to have sex with
anybody who walks down the street and that
gay pepole have real loving, lasting
relationships and families.” (The Advocate)

Supreme Court Upholds Gay Marchers

Washington, D.C. - Supreme Court Justice
Daivid Souter turned down an emergency
request aimed at excluding gay groups
from the St. Patrick's Day parade in
Boston. Justice Souter made no comment
in denying a request by the veterans‘ group

Giita Clark, M.A.

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that sponsors the parade. The South
Boston Allied War Veterans Council had
said it would cancel the parade scheduled
for Sunday if Souter refused to let it
exclude the gay marchers. The
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court had
ruled that parades are public events
covered by a state law barring
discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation. Souter handles emergency
matters from Massachusetts for the high
court. (AOL, Washington Blade)

California Court Lets Scouts Bar Gay
Leaders

Los Angeles, CA - A state appeals court
ruling gives the Boy Scouts and numerous
charitable organizations “free rein . . . to
exclude blacks and women and Jews,”
according to an attorney for the American
Civil Liberties Union. The court decided
the scouts are not covered by California
civil rights law and can bar gays as scout
leaders. “The imposition of a leader who is
an improper role model is a severe
intrusion upon the First Amendment
activities of an expressive association” like
the Boy Scouts, said the 2nd District Court
of Appeal in a 2-1 ruling. The court said
disapproval of homosexuality was part of
the scouts‘ moral code. The court also said
the Boy Scouts were a private membership
organization, not a “business,” and were
therefore exempt from the state's Unruh
Civil Rights Act, which forbids
discrimination by businesses. That part of
the ruling apparently allows the scouts to
exclude gays or any other group as
members. Even if the scouts were a
business, the court said, their constitutional
right of freedom of association would
override the state's interest in outlawing
discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The ruling did not mention a decision last
month by the 4th District Court of Appeal
in Santa Ana that the Boy Scouts were a
business and could not bar atheists as

May 1994

members. The case originated in 1981,
when Timothy Curran, an 18-year-old
former Eagle Scout, applied to be an
assistant scoutmaster in the
l3,500—member Mount Diablo Council in
Contra Costa County. Curran had recently
taken a male date to his high school prom
and had described himself as a gay—rights
advocate in a newspaper interview. The
council rejected him for the volunteer job,
and Curran sued after moving to Los
Angeles. The Appeals Court, in a majority
opinion, ruled that the Boy Scouts and
many other charitable organizations are
exempt from California's anti-discrimination
laws and are free to exclude whomever they
want, on any basis, the ACLU said. “This
overturns decades of state law to the
contrary,” Davidson said. “I cannot believe
that the court would have reached this result
if Tim had been excluded by the Boy Scouts
because of his race or religious beliefs." The
ACLU said it would seek a re-hearing of the
case before the Court of Appeal, and, if
necessary, appeal the decision to the
California Supreme Court. (Reuters, The
New York Times)

IKEA Includes Gays in Marketing

Plymouth Commons, PA — The IKEA
chain of stores has created a TV
advertisment that shows an average gay
male couple shopping for fumiture. In
response to the ads, IKEA’s phone lines
have been flooded with comments, mostly
negative. A special IKEA Marketing
Comment Line has been established to
receive comments. Lesbian and gay groups
are asking people to call or write in support
of the ads. (AOL)

To contact IKEA about the “Lifestages”
marketing campaign, write to: IKEA USA
Inc. Plymouth Commons Plymouth
Meeting PA 19462 or call (215) 834-0180
Fax: (215) 834-0872. Make sure to
mention that you shop at IKEA. V

21

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