June 2000 | Out in the Mountains I3 he rest of our world... N1 Willflllflll Ialflfillll WASHINGTON — A woman whose son was mur- dered becaue he was per- ceived to be gay is suing the Army. Patricia Kutteles of Kansas City, M0,, filed suit against the Army for $1.8 million for the death of her son, Pfc. Barry Winchell, 21. She said fellow soldiers believed Winchell was gay and harassed him for months before he was beaten to death while sleeping in his cot last July at Fort Campbell, Ky. The Army knew about the harassment but did nothing to stop it, she said. “We want the Army to be held accountable,” Kutteles said. Pvt. Calvin Glover, 19, of Sulphur, Okla., was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison for the attack on Winchell. Another soldier was given a 12-I/2-year sentence for lying to investigators and obstruct- ingjustice. "tall GIIIII can IIIBBI SALT LAKE CITY — A student club focusing on gay and lesbian issues will be able to meet after all. A federal judge says PRISM, or People Respecting important Social Movements, should not be shut down while a lawsuit against the city school district is pending. PRISM sued, arguing the school district unfairly denied the East High School students permission to meet. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell suggested that school officials violated their own policy and the Constitution in snubbing PRISM. In 1996, the school district eliminated all nonacademic clubs rather than allow a gay club at East High, a move that was upheld in federal court. In response, Jessica Cohen and Maggie Hinckley applied in February to set up PRISM as an academic club. The club’s goal is to discuss histo- ry through gay and lesbian issues, and their application said the club would “expand and enhance our study and understanding of American history and government.” llnIi-tliscrimina- Ii0III3WS WASHINGTON — Anti- discrimination laws don’t result in greater numbers of lawsuits. That’s the word from a report that went to the U.S. Senate. “I think the facts are clear, there has been no litigation explosion as a result of laws preventing employment dis- crimination based on sexual orientation,” said Sen. Jim Jeffords, R-Vt. A General Accounting Office‘ study requested_ by Jeffords found that in the 11 states and the District of Columbia that have sexual orientation anti-discrimina- tion laws, there was “no indi- cation that these laws have generated a significant amount of litigation.” The study by GAO, the investigative wing of Congress, also revealed that sexual discrimination cases are a relatively small propor- tion of all employment dis- crimination complaints. Jeffords and Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., are sponsoring a bill that would give federal protec- tions against sexual orienta- tion discrimination. Girls at nrnm FLOYD, Va. — A high school girl braved criticism and complaints last month and went to her prom — with a girl on her arm. Scores of parents and other community members turned out at recent school board meetings to oppose Tiffany Lapine’s plan to attend the Floyd County High School junior prom. with another girl. The American Civil Liberties Union‘ took Tiffany’s side and told school officials that barring her from taking a female date would be illegal. School officials ultimately decided that Tiffany could attend the prom with her date, who is not a student at Floyd County High. March on S Washington WASHINGTON — At least 200,000 people — perhaps as many as 1 million —— turned out for the Millennium March on Washington for Equality. Authorities said they esti- mated the crowd that marched up the National Mall and gathered a couple of blocks from the Capitol at around 200,000. In a crowd dotted with openly gay celebrities, the marchers celebrated what had been a week of victories that included passage of a new law in Vermont giving gays marriage-like rights and a renewed plea by President Clinton for a federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act. But participants vowed not to rest until same-sex couples get equal rights in all 50 states, and some wore cos- tumes or carried signs calling attention to fights still on the horizon. Clinton spoke via video- tape to what was the first gay rights march on Washington since 1993. His image shown on a giant screen, the presi- dent declared he had presided over “the most inclusive administration in history,” that has appointed more than 150 openly gay people to important government posts. AIIIS 8. national SBGII|'iW WASHINGTON — The Clinton administration has declared AIDS a potential threat to national security. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said that with millions of people suc- cumbing to the disease “AIDS is a national security issue.” She said the administration was asking for another $100 million next year for preven- tion education programs and “it is very important for all those in leadership positions to understand what the new - threats to our societies are in the 21st century.” Albright said Senate Majority Leader‘ Trent Lott was “stuck in the past” in not recognizing AIDS as a threat to national security. “It is very important for people to understand what are the threats to national securi- ty,” Albright said at a news . conference. Lott, a Mississippi Republican, said the adminis- tration’s declaration that the disease was a threat “is just the president trying to make an appeal to, you know, cer- tain groups.” “I don’t view (AIDS) as a national security threat, not to our national security interests, no,” Lott said. ll: M|§SISSIllllI 3 IIIIIIOII JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi has become the third state in the nation to ban adoption by same-sex cou- pies. Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove signed the bill after it easily cleared the Legislature in the final days of the recently concluded 2000 session. Florida and Utah have similar laws. The American Civil Liberties Union has vowed to file a lawsuit on behalf of an unidentified gay couple plan- ning an adoption in Mississippi. ‘The ACLU is already fighting Florida’s law in court. V Mississippi’s law takes effect July 1. Its supporters said it was spurred in part by Vermont’s new law giving gay couples nearly all of the benefits of marriage. “We need to put up a fire- wall and say, ‘This is not going to happen here,’ Mike Crook, state director for the Tupelo-based American Family Association, said Wednesday. “They can go to court all day long, and I think we’ll prevail.” Opponents said there was no reason for the state to get involved in the issue. “lt’s a part of the get ‘em mentality. They have to be getting somebody,” said Democratic state Rep. Jim Evans. flfalfl IIIBS LOS ANGELES — A pub- lisher and pioneer in estab- lishing cityhood for West Hollywood has died. Robert F. Craig was an activist who pushed AIDS education, fought for West Ho1lywood’s cityhood, and founded the gay news- magazine Frontiers. He was 65. Craig co-founded Frontiers in 1982 and eventu- ally became the sole owner, turning the 16-page tabloid into a magazine with a current ‘ circulation of 86,000. Early on, Frontiers publi- cized the new threat of AIDS, to the discomfort of gay bars and bathhouses, who vowed a boycott. In the 1970s, he co-found- = news = ed a group for gay and lesbian business owners that is now called the Los Angeles Business Alliance. . In 1984, he was elected chairman of the West Hollywood Incorporation Committee. WASHINGTON - The FBI is investigating what hap- pened to some money associ- ated with the Millennium March on Washington. Federal agents are looking into reports that approximate- ly $750,000 is missing from the march. Organizers of the march said they have not received the funds from the company that produced the festival related to the event. “We haven’t determined the sum of money that’s miss- ing, who might have been involved and what happened to the money that’s allegedly missing,” said Susan Lloyd, an FBI spokeswoman. Agents have launched a preliminary inquiry into the allegation and eventually will consult with an assistant U.S. attorney to determine whether a full investigation is warrant- ed, Lloyd said. canatlians SGIIIII laura OTTAWA — Canadians say they won’t put up with Dr. Laura’s hate. A Canadian regulatory group has chided radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger for “abusively discriminatory” comments about gays and lesbians on her show. The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council said Schlessinger, known as Dr. Laura, violated the human rights provision of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ code of ethics. The decision means Canadian networks that broadcast the syndicated show must make a public announcement about the council ruling during prime- time hours. Her program is believed to reach almost 1 million Canadians. There is no further penalty on the show. Known for her socially conservative opinions and combative style, she offers fifitffiizéiéfifi 33% €33 ‘E