,\.......... SHRK BY MIKI THOMAS h, summer! Yes, we’ve hit “that time of the year when for two months or so, it doesn’t snow, slush, or sleet, and days are spent lazily soaking in the sun. Of course, that means certain household items such as computers get ignored. However, if inclement weather puts a crimp in your plans to go the beach, here are some new and not-so- new Web sites for you to check out. The NationalGayLobby.0rg is a new organization of Intemet users pushing for equal rights for the GLBT community. What is unique about this group is that it is almost entirely Intemet—based. That means those who may not be comfortable taking on an THE HOT LIST NationalGayLobby.0rg www.nationa|gay|obby.org The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force www.ngltf.org/pub.htm| Larry Hines‘ campaign site www.gaywired.com/larryhinesin2000 Millennium March on Washington www.planetout.com/mmow/front.html Blithe House Quarterly www.blithe.com Quentin Crisp www.quentincrisp.com activist role in public can do so via the Web. The site offers links to both state and federal govem- ment Web sites. There are also news updates about relevant leg- islation and Religious Right shenanigans. Chat rooms on the site allow for networking. The NationalGayLobby.0rg is cur- rently on a membership drive to attract at least 28,000 members to help raise $1 million for an advertising campaign prior to the 2000 elections. The more established GLBT political organizations have a Web presence as well. The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force has just released a “com- prehensive resource” on domes- tic partner benefits. It includes information on what companies and communities offer domestic partner benefits and the pros and cons of such benefits. You can download this publication at the NGLTF site. Larry Hines is an I-IlV-posi- tive gay man with a Web site. Big deal? As a matter of fact, it is. If you visit his site, you’ll see why: he’s running for the office of President of the United States in ENDA continued from front page 2000. He’s out, pardon the pun, for the Libertarian Party nomina- tion, and that means going up against the party’s 1996 candi- date, Harry Browne. His heavily wired campaign already has the attention of the mainstream media and quite a bit of support from Libertarians. The Millennium March on Washington is less than a year away and it has already attracted controversy on all sides, especial- ly from those who question the necessity of the March itself. However, at the March’s official Web site, such concerns are obvi- ously absent. Instead, you have the opportunity to get discounts on hotels and restaurants in the DC area by signing up for the March as well as read up on the March itself. The summer is usually the time when one curls up under the beach umbrella to read the latest potboiler from Danielle Steele or John Grisham. However, if your tastes are more, say, epicurean, then check out the Blithe House Quarterly site, an online literary journal for GLBT short fiction. Like most literary journals, you get your pretentious twaddle and failed experiments, but there are quite a few gems as well. Eight issues are available online for your perusal. You can also submit stories to the Blithe House Quarterly; submission guidelines are available at the site. The inimitable Quentin Crisp is now online, and you can get a free email account at his site. If you sign up for an email account, you’ll receive a Quentin Crisp lapel pin and be eligible for monthly draws for cartoon prints and t-shirts. Of course, the site is more than just free email — some- how, I can’t picture Mr. Crisp spending his time on something as mundane as that. So, there’s a gallery of Quentin Crisp pictures and sound bites, a guest book where one can submit a story about an encounter with him, and a schedule of personal appear- ances. Here is where I am supposed to make a cute pun about surfing either on the Web or otherwise consideringthe time of year. Much to the relief of us all, I won’t. I will, however, wish everyone an enjoyable summer! V ENDA. A survey by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Center for Lesbian Rights, and the national transgender lobby group GenderPAC found that 28 percent of gay, lesbian and bisexual respondents reporting job discrimination said that discrimina- tion was based in part on their gender expression. Because of this omission, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force this year did not endorse ENDA, in what may be the first time a national gay rights group has withheld support from the bill because of the trans- gender issue. NGLTF executive director Ken'y Lobel said in a statement earlier this month, “We do not oppose ENDA, but advocate adding language that is more inclusive. We intend to do no harm to ENDA, but just as our African-American colleagues in several states have refused to move forward on hate crimes legislation that covers race but not sexual orien- tation, we too feel obligated to move forward together.” Lobel said this was “not about political pragmatism, it’s about progressive principles,” and emphasized that NGLTF amended its mission statement in 1997 “to include the struggle for equal rights for trans- gendered people.” HRC was “saddened” by NGLTF’s stance, and did indicate that if an amendment were offered to add gender identity to ENDA, HRC would support it. But in the words'of HRC’s David Smith, “This bill is where Congress is,” and HRC does not believe a trans- gender—inclusive bill would pass. A bipartisan I998 poll conducted for the Human Rights Campaign by Lake Snell Perry and Associates and American Viewpoint shows that 58 percent of Americans sup- port the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. ENDA would not cover small businesses with fewer than 15 employees. There is an exemption for religious organizations, including educational institutions substantially controlled or supported by religious organizations. Under this legislation, preferential treatment and quotas are explicitly forbidden, and the legislation clearly states that affir- mative action programs may not be imposed as a remedy for sexual orientation discrim- ination.V ' Tellthem Sfllll you itin JULY EVENTS 12 MONDAY, 6-8PM G=o~oaI>‘ ~C'O'0l<:l=N;’ —po#rLu%c:I<. -.I.>-l?CN:l.?’C Join local GLBT people at Battery Park (Battery Street) in Burlington for for a sunset feast. Please bring your plates and utensils, a tasty dish to pass or a non-alcoholic beverage. All are welcome. Free. (Rain location: Rhombus Gallery - corner of Bank & Church) 24 SATURDAY, 1 1 -4PM "Bi"(':E:,R'-""~s: ‘-D"-EL-I.?G-‘I-l.=.TS‘ B-,A’l<':.Ef SAILE Share your culinary masterpiece or throw together mom's tollhouse recipe for a good cause. R.U.1.2? volunteers sell your goodies on Church Street to benefit the future Burlington Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Community Center while building awareness in the greater community about our mission. Stop by and support the center while you shop, sun or stroll! Contact R.U.1.2? about donating goodies. Burlington Fl.U. 1.2? Community Center is a charitable organization with the purpose of providing venues for the social, cultural, artistic and educational endeavors of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and allied communites through, visibility, awareness, and community—bui/ding. [I I I M BURLINGTON R.U.1.2? COMMUNlTY CENTER, PO BOX 5883, BURLINGTON, VT 05402 ru12ccenter@hotmail.com 802.860.1044 homepages.together.net/~lerpad/ru12/index.html