scorching 91-degree heat. Some passersby were surprised as the
procession chanted and danced its way from Shinjuku to
Shibuya, two commercial areas packed with young couples and
families. Others waved and took pictures. The three—mile route
took nearly three hours. The turnout pleased organizers who
said they had originally received only 300 applications. Lesbians
outnumbered gay men by a substantial margin and no negative
incidents were reported. Some parade—goers were dressed in
drag and one lesbian couple wore matching wedding dresses.
“Up until now, it was hard to come out and say you’re gay,”
said parade chairman Teishiro Minami. “But changes in our
society have made it easier to be open about it.” Minami said
he’s waited 20 years to organize a gay march. “This is a
landmark day for us,” said a 28-year-old lesbian painter who
gave her name only as Mizuko. “We are able to prove that we’re
alive and that we exist in this society.” Sponsors for the parade
included companies such as Tower Records. Marchers carried
signs with such slogans as “Mother, Your Son Is Gay” and
“Stop Homophobia”. Awareness of gay issues has increased in
recent years but homosexuals are still excluded from many
aspects of Japanese society and most gays hide their sexual
orientation. (Frontiers)

Anti-Gay Measure
Will Be On Oregon Ballot

OREGON -- The Oregon Court of Appeals on September 1
unanimously reversed a lower court decision that an Oregon
Citizens Alliance—sponsored anti-gay measure unconstitutionally
contains more than one subject. As a result, the “Son of
Measure 9,” a revised version of its more harshly worded
progenitor defeated by Oregon voters in 1992, will be on the
November ballot. Should it pass, the initiative would bar the
use of public funds to in any way promote or express approval of
homosexuality; prohibit teaching children that homosexuality is
a classification similar to race, religion, gender, age or national
origin; and allow adults—only access to library books on
homosexuality. The gay community was not surprised by the
appellate ruling and has been preparing for the battle to defeat
the amendment, said Julie Davis, campaign manager for the
Campaign to Defeat Ballot Measure 13. “We have a very good
chance of defeating this measure. It won’t be an easy task — we
have our work cut out — but we do have the ability to win,”
Davis said. But win or lose, she said, the “OCA will continue to
do these initiatives time and again.” The radical right’s real
goal, Davis said, is to “ultimately legalize their moral beliefs.”
(Frontiers)

The Anti-Gay Record of George Pataki

NEW YORK -- Gay and Lesbian Activists/NYC decry a series
of Pataki votes during his ten—year tenure in the State Assembly
and Senate, including votes against a bill barring discrimination
on the basis of sexual orientation in housing; against a bill
ensuring confidentiality of AIDS information; and against every
AIDS funding measure during his legislative tenure. In an
interview on the gay cable program GAY U.S.A., Pataki was
asked his position on the Non-Discrimination bill which was
killed by the New York Senate for the second year in a row. He
parroted the rhetoric of the radical right by stating that the
legislation would create “special rights”. When asked if the
same reasoning might apply to civil rights protected under state

  
    
    
    
  

November 1994

law, he replied by saying, “I remain unconvinced that the
legislation is necessary and don’t support it at this point.” (The
Prism Newsletter)

Scrabble P3U1R1G2E1

GREENPORT, NY -- A “dyke” and a “faggot” are fine, but a
“lezzie” and “pooftah” will be prohibited. Not to worry — this
isn’t some strange new ballot initiative. The new rule is part of a
purge of offensive Scrabble words to take place by the end of
the year. About 75 to 100 words will be eliminated from the
next edition of the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary,
according to John D. Williams, Jr., executive director of the
National Scrabble Players Association. The purge will effect
only the 10,000-some Scrabble players who play in
tournaments or clubs, said Williams. Casual players in the
country can use any dictionary as long as it is agreed upon
before the game begins. The move was prompted by
Anti—Defamation League complaints and a desire by the game’s
manufacturer to draw more young people to the game, said
Williams. Scrabble, a crossword game, is manufactured by
Milton Bradley and marketed to people ages eight and up.
Some of the offensive words to be deleted include racial and
ethnic slurs such as “spic”, “darkie”, and “kike”; terms for body
parts such as “cunt”; and derogatory references to gays,
according to Williams. Gay—related words that Williams said
will be deleted include “faggotry”, “faggoty”, versions of
“poof” (a British word for a male homosexual), “lez” and
“lezzie”. Words such as “gay” and “lesbian” will remain. The

Continued on page 7

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