National & International News

Rescue Workers Refuse Assistance to
PWA’s

Arvada, CO - The Arvada, Colorado, fire
district’s new policy on handling medical
emergencies prohibits responding to
calls from people known to have in-
fectious diseases, including people with
AIDS. The policy was issued after an in-
cident in which a volunteer firefighter
was vomited on by a person thought to
have the AIDS virus. Following outraged
response from AIDS activists and others,
district manager Joe Schumacher said
Fire Chief Bob White made a mistake in
issuing the memo. (Burlington Free
Press)

Newspaper Resists Threats

Tacoma, WA - The Tacoma Morning
News-Tribune ran a series of anti-
homophobia ads produced by the Los
Angeles Lesbian and Gay Public Aware-
ness Project, despite subscription can-
cellations and threats of boycotts.

The first ad, published in February, re-
sulted in a barrage of calls and letters, in-
cluding some parents pulling their chil-
dren off carrier routes. Local and
national advertisers reported receiving
calls urging them to boycott the paper.
Officials at the paper responded by say-
ing the series, which it published as a
public service, would continue because
the negative reaction is proof that it is
needed. (LA. Lesbian & Gay Awareness
Project)

Frat Members
pended

Permanently Sus-

Syracuse, NY - Fifty-four members of
Alpha Chi Rho fraternity at Syracuse
University were permanently suspended
by officials from the national office after
distributing t-shirts showing anti-gay slo-
gans. The front of the shirt said “Homo-
phobic and proud of it!" and the back
“Club Faggots, Not Seals!” with a pic-
ture of a crow (symbol of the fraternity)
holding a club over the prone figure of a
human.

Alpha Chi Rho executive director, Jim
Spencer, said “We hope that by taking
decisive action, we, in the national fra-
ternity, can put this issue behind us, but
not forget the lessons that can be
leamed.” (Washington Blade)

DOD Urged to Drop Ban

Rabbi Alexander Schindler, the leader of
Reform Judaism, has written President
Bush, urging him to drop the Pentagon’s
policy of banning lesbians and gay men
from serving in the armed forces. In the
letter, disclosed in a press release on July
2nd, Schindler called on Bush to issue an
executive order barring anti-gay dis-
crimination in the military. Comparing
discrimination against lesbians and gays
to that used to bar blacks from equal par-
ticipation and opportunity in the military
before 1948, Schindler asked Bush to
“Bring justice to our sons and daughters,
our brothers and sisters, our friends and
ourselves, who have been denied it for so
long.”

Rabbi Schindler, president of the 1.3 mil-
lion member Union of American Hebrew
Congregations, has been a strong ad-
vocate for the civil rights of lesbians and
gays and appeared in June on the public
television program Out in America.
(Washington Blade)

ACT-UP Wins Settlement for Fired
Employee

Kansas City, MO - The threat of a boy-
cott and demonstrations by ACT-UP of
Kansas City forced a national firm to set-
tle with an employee fired because the
company assumed he had AIDS. In
April, Bill Homburg was fued from Pay-
less Shoesource because of his presumed
HIV status. While pursuing legal re-
course, Homburg also contacted ACT-

September 1991

UP, which demanded a settlement and an
end to discriminatory practices from the
parent company (May Department
Stores). Three days before a planned
demonstration at one of Payless‘s busiest
stores, Homburg was contacted and a
settlement was negotiated. Payless also
sent ACT-UP a letter outlining an addi-
tion to their employment policy specif-
ically prohibiting discrimination based
on HIV status. (ACT-UP Kansas City)

Fourth of July Float Wins Trophy

Takoma Park, MD - Takoma Park Les-
bian and Gays, a local gay organization,
won second place with their entry in a
Fourth of July parade sponsored by the
city. The float, featuring a closet and
signs reading “Closets Are for Clothes,”
drew an overwhelmingly positive re-
sponse from most spectators. (Washing-
ton Blade)

Gay Minister to Head Unitarian Con-
gregation

Hollywood, FL) — The Unitarian Uni-
versalist Church installed The Reverend
Scott Alexander as senior minister of the
Church of the Larger Fellowship in Bos-
ton. Naming Alexander to head the larg-
est congregation in the Association high-
lights Unitarian affirmation of lesbians
and gays at a time when many de-
nominations are questioning their right to
be full members. (Equal Time) V

Help
Help

Help a Neighbor
a Friend

a Fellow Vermonter
Help the AIDS

support organization in your area by giving a donation to the
Music of Life radiothon. September 14, 1991

Sponsored by Vermont C.A.R.E.S.

Call 863-2437 in Ch'rh‘enden County

or A
1-800-649-2437 for Washington, Addison, and Rutlond
counties.

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