May 1991

 

Hawaii, Connecticut Pass Gay Rights Bills (frompageone)

Maine has been trying to pass gay
rights legislation since 1977. The environ-
ment for re-introducing the measure looked
good this year, especially as the Catholic
Church in Maine modified its previous op-
position to the bill and stated that it would
not stand against anti-homosexual dis-
crimination.

Even so, the bill drew fire from the
Director of the Christian Civic League of
Maine, Jasper Wyman, who led a massive
campaign to defeat the measure. Drawing
on fundamentalist factions within the state,
Wyman targeted those legislators whose
votes were known to be undecided on the
issue.

Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

 

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The Maine bill was not without its
supporters, however. A number of state
groups, including the Maine Council of
Churches, the Maine Teachers’ Associa-
tion, and the Maine Psychological Asso-
ciation, all endorsed the legislation.

In Connecticut, expected opposition
to the bill from the Catholic Church was al-
layed by the addition of an amendment
which stated that the bill did not “endorse
or promote a homosexual lifestyle as nor-
mative,” according to the Rev. Thomas
Barry, spokesperson for Archbishop John
Whealon. Since this addition focused more
on what the bill wasn’t and not what it was,
the inclusion didn’t upset the bill’s lobby-
ists and supporters.

The Connecticut Coalition for Gay
and Lesbian Civil Rights has struggled for
this legislation since 1973. In the 18 years
between then and now, the bill has gone
through nine reworkings. In 1975, the state
was the first to have a gay rights bill pass in
either legislative branch. It now becomes
the fourth to approve such legislation.

National AIDS Lobby
Days May 24-June 3

In the first nationwide effort of its
kind, a grass roots army of citizen lobbyists
from around the country will meet with
U.S. Senators and Representatives at home
and in their district offices fom May 24 to
June 3 to press for a more compassionate
federal response to the AIDS crisis.

Among the lobbyists‘ goals are in-
creased funding for prevention, care, and
research programs, and for replenishment
of the Comprehensive AIDS Resources
Emergency Act (Ryan White CARE bill).

National AIDS Lobby Days also oc-
cur at a noteworthy time in the AIDS epi-
demic, as June 5th marks the tenth anniver-
sary of the first AIDS cases reported by the
federal Centers for Disease Control.

Joining ACT UP/DC in endorsing and
promoting the effort is a coalition of groups
that includes the AIDS Action Council,
Gay Men's Health Crisis, Human Rights
Campaign Fund, Iowa Dignity and Equal-
ity Task Force, National Association of
People with AIDS, National Coming Out
Day, Project Inform, and ACTUP chapters
throughout the country.