News Briefs , Continued from pg 3 advice to listeners on relation- ships and other matters. Gay rights groups have protested the program in the United States, including a rally in March outside the Paramount Pictures lot in Los Angeles against the studio’s plans for a television talk show hosted by Schlessinger. The Canadian council cited Dr. Laura for characterizing the sexual behavior of gays and lesbians as “abnonnal,” “aberrant,” “deviant,” “disor- dered,” “dysfunctional,” and “an error.” “To use such brutal lan- guage as she does about such an essential\ characteristic flies in the face of Canadian provisions relating to human rights,” the council decision said. fillnllffslllll 0 3 BSIWBIIIIBII CHICAGO —- The American Psychiatric Association pulled the plug on a discussion of reorienta- tion therapy at its convention after two scheduled panel members decided the issue was “too politically charged” for them to participate. Exodus International, a Christian organization dedi- cated to helping gays and les- bians alter their sexual orien- tations through therapy, protested the cancellation. Board chair John Paulk of Colorado Springs told reporters he represented a “virtually unseen but sizable population” whose existence the APA denies. The organizer of the debate, Dr. Robert Spitzer, said he was “distressed” by the cancellation, citing a lack of study and convincing evi- dence on either side of the debate. “There is only anecdotal evidence, mostly from the therapists themselves, claim- ing that what they do works. That’s not very scientific.” Spitzer was at the head of the movement that saw the APA remove homosexuality from its official list of mental disorders in 1973. Gav Illlllsllllllllall ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Navy review panel says it wasn’t fair, but a former mid- shipman at the Naval Academy still has been ordered to repay the govern- ment for his education because of his sexuality. The academy began inves- tigating Tommie Lee Watkins, Jr., in 1997 following alleged homosexual behavior, which is banned in the military. Watkins, president of his class and an aspiring Navy pilot, said he was pressured to resign and did so because he feared homophobia would prevent him from receiving a fair trial. Carolyn H. Becraft, assis- tant secretary of the Navy for manpower, ordered Watkins in March to repay the govern- ment nearly $67,000. But a report issued in November by the Navy’s highest personnel review panel, made public by The Washington Post, said making , Watkins reimburse the gov- ernment violates Pentagon policy. A 1994 policy says those discharged for being gay should only be required to repay the government under certain circumstances that require a specific written finding of homosexual mis- conduct. “There was no finding of any aggravated homosexual behavior,” the Board for Correction of Naval Records said in its report. '50s activist ilies LOS ANGELES — A gay activist who worked for equality starting in the early 1950s died of respiratory fail- ure on May 11. William Dale Jennings was 82. Jennings was best known as co-founder of the Mattachine Society, the first major American gay rights organization that broke ground in the gay liberation movement before Stonewall. Jennings was also a co- founder of ONE magazine, the first gay publication in the United States, and the author of novels including The Ronin and The Cowboys, the latter of which was adapted into a motion picture starring John Wayne. T|‘VIIl!l Ill T0 TORONTO, ON — Vermonters may recognize the pattern: couple approach- es clerk; couple requests mar- riage license; couple rejected because they’re gay. But ’that’s where the familiar ground ends. On May 19, the city of Toronto took the unusually proactive step of asking a provincial court how to han- dle the situation when Michael Leshner and Michael Stark asked for their rejection in writing. Paul Jones, the city’s direc- tor of legal services, said that the law is no longer clear on the issue, given the Supreme Court of Canada ruling last year in M. v. H. that said gay and lesbian couples should receive the same benefits as common-law ‘ heterosexual couples. “We need to know that the law specifically says today,” said Jones. “We’ve neither rejected nor approved the application. We’ve simply said we don’t know any- more.” Further muddying the waters is the fact that Ontario law does not define marriage as heterosexual or homosexu- al, although pending federal legislation that offers gay and lesbian couples many marital benefits without marital status" does include a definition of marriage as “one man, one: woman.” Leshner and Stark applied for the license in order to join a test marriage lawsuit cur- rently in the works. The two men were previously involved in a landmark 1992 case that established Stark’s claim to Leshner’s survivor pension benefits. LONDON — Legendary British actor Sir John Gielgud died on May 21 at the age of 96. Although a distinguished Shakespearean actor credited with the definitive portrayal of Hamlet, Gielgud was per- haps most widely known for his Oscar-winning role as Dudley Moore’s sarcastic but- ler in Arthur. June 2000 | Out in the Mountains |7 ‘: news ==‘ Gielgud lived for more than two decades with long- time partner Martin Hensler. Although he preferred priva- cy to gay rights activism, he was open about his homosex- uality and was once denied entry to the United States on that basis. The actor and director, whose career spanned eight decades, worked almost up until the time of his death. His last project was a film adapta- tion of Samuel Beckett’s Catastrophe. V ' A Different Stroke Bodv Piercing Q T attoo 132. church st. burlington, Vt eFr%flee June 11th-17"! PRIDE on Burlingtonlis Waterfront JUN E 17th BOdy Piercing and temporary PRIDE Tattoos by A Different Stroke 801-660-2700 FEST GOLDEN THREADS’ 14th Annual Celebration at the Provincetown Inn,‘ Provincetown, Massachusetts is: June Z2—25tII, Zllllll esbiansfrom around the world converge at the Inn to focus on the Joy of being Lesbia We make friends, play, dance, laugh and share who we are.This is our weekend of empo -ennent. Thurs: Jamie Anderson (our very own dd s b le i n ) sings her music with humor & compassion. Friday: Bring your drum for an Ubaka Hill performance supreme! Sat: Robin Tyler presents Comedy, Comedian 8. Comics for your education! Workshops: Belly dancing, lesbian lawyer, Hypnotist: Past Lives, writer/writing, spiritual director, the sex-toy lady & more, Plus Line Dancing with Mickie! Crafts tables are availabl for vendors. Singles are “honored” with special activities to meet singles BEFORE the banquet on Sat. Nite! The Great Banquet, Saturday Night is led by our favorite: DJ Mary V. (This year’s closing ritual will be a surprise event that will make an indelible mark in the herstory of GOLDEN THREADS I!) So you might want to stay an extra day to not miss anything! SASE to: GOLDEN THREADS or email: GOLDENTRED@ao|.oom P. O. Box 65 Richford, VT 05476-0065 (phone: (802) 848-8002 http://members.aol.com/goldentred/index.htm All lesbians are invited...one need not be a Golden Threader to attend! CivilUnionGuide.com --Q} . Lodging n Caterers I Florists I Clergy Ceremony Sites - Photographers - Musicians Vermont's Comprehensive Civil Union Guide