This Way Out; 100

We don't face this problem now, and we don't face it straight up and squarely, but it's going to cost us a lot more money in the future. We are communities engaged in a fragile coexistence if we are anything at all. Our most significant coalitions have been created in the realm of sex. We live in the United States of Denial. The way we get justice is by confronting the structures that oppress us in the manner that is most threatening to those structures. Welcome to this way out, the International Lesbian and Gay Radio Magazine. I'm Lucia Chappelle. And I'm Greg Gordon. Writer's conference speaks louder than words. Law suit telegraphs trouble for employee protections. And AIDS Act hatches, but the press is blinded by the light. All that and more, because you've discovered this way out. I'm Greg Gordon. And I'm Lucia Chappelle. With News Wrap, a summary of some of the news in and

affecting the gay and lesbian community for the weekend in March 11, 1990. The U .S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee has concluded that the Navy was too quick to blame a deceased allegedly gay sailor when it investigated last April's fatal blast aboard the battleship USS Iowa. Navy officials speculated publicly that the blast was set as part of a suicide attempt by petty officer Clayton Hartwig, whom Navy officials said was gay. But the committee characterized the Navy's explanation as only a tenuous hypothesis, adding that the Navy should probably no longer investigate its own accidents. By a vote of 50 to 47, the U .S. Senate has turned down a measure that would have exempted youth service agencies from the Washington DC human rights law. The Senate, which has the final word on all legislation passed by the City Council of the nation's capital, voted not to limit the anti -lesbian and gay discrimination provision by allowing agencies such as the big brothers to reject gay volunteer applicants

solely on the basis of their sexual orientation. The defeated measure was introduced by Colorado's Senator William Armstrong, whose numerous efforts over the years to attach anti -lesbian and gay amendments to pending legislation have been topped only by North Carolina's leading homophobic Senator Jesse Helms. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cincinnati is forbidding the Dayton Ohio chapter of dignity to meet on church property. The eviction is the latest in a series of expulsions of the gay and lesbian Catholic organizations chapters by Catholic diocese across the United States. Ernest Raw, the gay liaison to New York State Democratic leader Manfred Orinstein, is under fire after the New York Times quoted him as saying that New York Roman Catholic Cardinal John O 'Connor is a monster comparable only to Hitler. The Times says Raw made the statement at a state AIDS Advisory Committee meeting. The committee was debating whether the New York Catholic Archdiocese should be required to provide safe sex information for people with AIDS who live in its nursing homes. Lesbian and gay activists have often criticized O 'Connor for his stride in

support of the church teaching that homosexuality is a functional disorder. In other AIDS news, the U .S. General Accounting Office warns that the epidemic could stretch the military's health care capability beyond the limit, and the board of supervisors of the city hosting the 6th International AIDS Conference this June and the U .S. Centers for Disease Control have joined the chorus of legislative and medical groups calling for changes in U .S. immigration policies which affect HIV positive foreign nationals. Mary Van Clay has the details on these stories. The AIDS virus could stretch the military's health care services to the breaking point. The General Accounting Office says only about 2 ,000 HIV infected people are currently on duty, but by the end of the decade the report predicts 1 ,400 new AIDS cases will be hitting the military each year. There's really a ticking budget time bomb. That's Representative Ron Wyden, Democrat from Oregon, and Chair of the Committee that released the report. There are no plans at present at the military

to try to cover these very large significant costs. The GAO warns that the Defense Department will face another $3 billion in AIDS care costs by the turn of the century, and it recommended more explicit safe sex education within the military. Dr. Mizuki, a Defense Department specialist in health matters, says the department is taking that advice seriously, but he adds the military is concerned that better education efforts won't get service members to talk frankly about homosexuality or IV drug use which are banned by the military. It will be rather difficult for a good group discussion because people would be very reluctant to talk about those kinds of activities in an organization where those types of activities are forbidden. Nonetheless, the Defense Department has formally notified the GAO that it intends to improve its AIDS education and services. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors called on Congress to diffuse international tensions building up over U .S. immigration policy on AIDS. Supervisor Angela Alioto introduced legislation to revise the list of contagious diseases

that can bar entry into the country. It also urges swift action to lift the travel restrictions on people with HIV before the 6th International Conference on AIDS, which is of course scheduled for here in San Francisco this June 1990. Just days before, the Federal Centers for Disease Control also called for the travel ban to be lifted. Over the past months, many doctors and organizations upset about current U .S. immigration policy have announced they'll boycott the conference. The first AIDS service group in the U .S. to announce that it wouldn't go will San Francisco's Shanti project, but director Eric Rofas says he thinks the statements by the CDC and San Francisco officials are positive signs. I'm hopeful that in the next four to six weeks, we'll see significant changes. Even if the travel ban were lifted today, overseas boycotters would still lack time to make travel plans, but according to Rofas, the move would clear the way for a fully attended conference in Boston two years from now. In San Francisco, I'm Mary Van Clay. Rhode Island Gays and Lesbians hope their shopping spree in nearby Seaconc

Massachusetts will help shore up support for Rhode Island's proposed lesbian and gay rights bill. About 70 shoppers spent nearly $7 ,500 in Seaconc, a small town near the Rhode Island Massachusetts border, in an effort to demonstrate gay and lesbian economic clout. The Massachusetts town was chosen because their state passed the gay and lesbian rights bill last year. And finally, a safe sex message will no longer be heard on the police dispatch radio band in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Andrew Calmar, a dispatch supervisor, said that if the message saved a life, it was worth it. But Philadelphia police commissioner Willie Williams has ordered dispatchers to stop reading the message, saying he didn't think drawing a parallel between sex and bulletproof vests was appropriate. Police dispatchers were reminding officers to wear their bulletproof vest by saying, with both sex and police work, proper protection is essential. Consider your vest a prophylactic for your body. And that's NewsRap for the week ending March 11, 1990. Remember and informed community is a strong community.

Find out what's happening in your area by monitoring your local gay and lesbian media. NewsRap was written by Jim Schrader, national news editor of the advocate, with contributions from other publications and broadcasts throughout the world. For this way out, I'm Greg Gordon. And I'm Lucia Chappelle. So any

time you're getting low, instead of letting go, just remember that amp, whoops, there goes another rubber tree plant. The last time a measure was introduced in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania City Council, to add lesbians and gay men to the city's existing anti -discrimination laws, acrimonious debate and a tie vote doomed the legislation. The change from at -large to district election of council members has brought in some new faces since then, and another effort to protect Pittsburgh's lesbian and gay community from discrimination is all but assured of passage this month. Abe Feldman reports from Pittsburgh. The council is considering an amendment to Title VI of the city code, which prohibits discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations based on race, sex, age, religion, ethnic or national origin, and physical impairment. The amendment

would add sexual orientation to that list. One of those who spoke in favor of the amendment was Dave Jackson of the Pittsburgh Fairness Campaign. Fairness Campaign was organized over two years ago to try and work for a ordinance supplementing the Human Relations Commission, which would add sexual orientation. And after the defeat in October last year or four or four times, you will, we decided to take it to the individual councilman and made it an issue in various council races. And we worked for councilman that supported this ordinance and to that, and we now have five councilmen who have been willing to introduce this and co -sponsor this piece of legislation. How was the effort to get this legislation passed this year different from the effort two years ago? Well, again, I think two years ago we were only with one councilman who introduced it this time. We have five that co -sponsored it, five is the number of votes that we need to win. We have had a six come out who is in favor of it. And we believe that we'll probably have seven that will vote in favor

of it. What effect do you think this legislation will have if it's passed? Well, I hope it will send a clear and precise message out to the community that you can no longer discriminate against gays and lesbians. And hopefully it will lower the tendency of violence towards gays and lesbians. Over 100 people signed up to speak at the public hearing. Supporters of the legislation gave personal accounts of anti -gay discrimination and harassment and compared anti -gay discrimination to other forms of discrimination. Opponents of the measure expressed concern over having to rent apartments to gays and the idea of the Catholic Church having to hire openly gay teachers which would go against church teachings. Supporters of the legislation outnumbered opponents by margin of two and a half to one. With six members of council publicly committed to supporting it, it looks like the amendment is certain to pass. For this way out, I'm Abe Feldman reporting from WYEPFM Pittsburgh. The final council vote on the city's proposed lesbian and gay anti -discrimination law is

scheduled for March 20th. Pittsburgh mayor Sophie Maslow supported the measure last time around and is expected to sign the bill. WOOPS THERE GOES ANOTHER PROBLEM CURPLOPS AND GOES ANOTHER PROBLEM CURPLOPS AND GOES ANOTHER PROBLEM CURPLOPS Meanwhile, the ability of cities in California to enforce lesbian and gay rights laws as being challenged in court, who is responsible, to name names, here's Karen Schwartz. Western Union has decided that profits are more important than gay civil rights. You are listening to naming names, a regular broadcast of the gay and lesbian alliance against defamation, alerting you to misrepresentations of lesbians and gay men. You may wish to have a pen and paper handy because in a moment I'll be giving you some names and addresses where you can write and register your opinion. Western Union Corporation is defending itself from a lawsuit filed by a gay man, Armand Ertag, who charges he was discriminated against because of his sexual orientation. The

lawsuit was filed in San Francisco, which has a gay rights ordinance prohibiting discrimination in employment among other areas. Our source for the story, a lawyer who is a glad member, tells us that what is particularly troubling is the argument that Western Union is using to defend itself. Rather than simply denying the charge of discrimination, the company is attempting to attack the legality of San Francisco's gay rights ordinance and those of other cities in California. Western Union is arguing that San Francisco's board of supervisors lacks the authority to ban anti -gay discrimination by private employers. They are also arguing that the city cannot empower individuals to bring lawsuits against discriminatory employers. The company is basing its arguments on language in the state's fair employment and housing code. The code indicates that the state, as opposed to local governments, has jurisdiction in employment and housing discrimination. Ertag's lawyers have responded that since local gay rights ordinances are not mentioned in the code, there is no clear indication that the state meant to preclude cities from acting on the issue.

What is the bottom line? Western Union's arguments if supported by the courts could invalidate local gay rights ordinances in several California cities. Western Union needs to hear from you that anti -gay discrimination and not anti -discrimination laws should be challenged and condemned. Right to Mr. Robert J. Aman, President and CEO, Western Union Corporation, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 07458, or Call Him at 201 -825 -5000. You have been listening to naming names, a regular broadcast of the gay and lesbian alliance against defamation. To report defamation, right to GLAD, 80 Verix Street No. 3 -E, New York, New York, 1 -013, or Call 2 -1 -2 -966 -1700. Naming names is produced by Rosemary Reed. This is Karen Schwartz for naming names. You've tuned in to this

way out, the International gay and lesbian radio magazine. With Lucicapel, I'm Greg Gordon. You've been in their system, they won't burn us and thrive, but they better survive, think you gotta live it. They better survive. It's fun and it matters, I get the edit through. It's fun and it matters, whatever you do.

Liberal and conservative forces have come together in the United States Senate to fight a common enemy, AIDS. Senators Edward Kennedy and Orrin Hatch are proposing that the federal government allocate $600 million for healthcare for people with AIDS. The money would provide disaster relief for hard -pressed healthcare systems in 13 cities and also in small towns and rural areas, which are experiencing the largest rate of increase of new AIDS cases. Mark Beavis has this report from Washington, DC. The legislation is a response to the healthcare emergency resulting from the AIDS crisis. Hospitals are overcrowded with a lack of trained personnel to deal with AIDS patients. 70 % of those patients have no health insurance or are relying on Medicaid. Current estimates are that up to a million people are infected with the AIDS virus and to date some 70 ,000 people have died of the disease. Massachusetts Democrat Ted Kennedy is the chair of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and leading sponsor of the bill.

America responded with endays to the California earthquake. We have pledged tens of billions of dollars to rescue the savings in loan industry. AIDS is a comparable disaster and we need to respond accordingly. The legislation allocates $600 million in federal spending to alleviate the burden the AIDS crisis is putting on the nation's healthcare system. $300 million is earmarked as emergency assistance for 13 cities, including New York, Washington, Houston, Chicago, and San Francisco, all of which have had over 2 ,000 diagnosed AIDS cases. The other $300 million will go towards the development and operation of more effective and efficient treatment centers around the country. Those centers include outpatient clinics and home health care services. That money will be distributed to the states based on the numbers of AIDS cases reported there. What does the Bush administration think of this legislation? That question was posed to Senator Kennedy. He deferred it to someone with closer ties to the White House. I think I'll listen to hatches in that one. Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican from Utah, is the ranking minority member of the Labor and Human Resources Committee. I happen to believe

that the administration is taking these matters very seriously. They also are taking the other burdens that they have, which are the huge budgetary deficits and difficulties that we have in this country. But I happen to agree with these people behind me that if we don't face this problem now and we don't face it straight up and squarely, then it's going to cost us a lot more money in the future. The Republican from Utah asked the rhetorical question, how much money should the government spend on this crisis? His answer was that $600 million is probably not enough. With the support of both Senator Kennedy and his Republican colleague Senator Hatch, the Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990 has a good chance in the Senate. Hearings are in progress and the bill should be on the Senate floor by April. We need money. We need lots of money and we need it now. The highlight from much of the press did not appear to be the announcement of a major piece of AIDS legislation, but the participation of movie actress Elizabeth Taylor, a longtime AIDS activist and

fundraiser. Isn't it time that we stopped fooling ourselves about the threat of AIDS and launching all -out assault on this heiniest monster? Much of the attention by the press seemed to be on Taylor when the chair of the National Commission on AIDS, Dr. June Osborne, was speaking in support of the bill, cameras were focused not on her, but on the movie star, who was surrounded by those members of Congress wishing to be seen with her. Belinda Mason, a member of the National Commission on AIDS and the president of the National Association of People with AIDS, was dismayed by the press reaction. I think it says something to me about what American people are interested in, and what people in the media are inclined to focus on. To all those people that were sitting there flashing those cameras, it didn't matter that 70 ,000 people had died, and that every 15 -minute a new infection was occurring. It just didn't matter at all, and I find that very depressing. I think it sort of says things about AIDS that I would rather not know. In Washington, this is Mark Beavis.

The first conference for lesbian and gay writers in the United States called outright drew over 1 ,000 participants the weekend of March 3rd and 4th in San Francisco. Censorship, politics, and the impact of the AIDS epidemic were the leading topics on the agenda. Mike Alcalae of AIDS and Focus was there and files this report. The opening plenary session of this historic gathering of lesbian and gay writers was

devoted to the AIDS epidemic. How it's been affecting their lives and their writings. Pat Caliphia writes a dear Abbey -type sexual advice column for the advocate, probably Andy Rooney's least favorite National Gay Weekly magazine. Caliphia's weekly column puts her in direct contact with many most affected by the epidemic. Outside of the big cities, safe sex education is not working, and that even inside major cities where we have done intense grassroots education about how to have safer sex, people are looking for any excuse not to do it. You will not believe the letters I get. Well, you will because some of you wrote them. Now, some of these complaints are valid. You know, condoms don't fit me. Men write in to say. And that's true. People are afraid of them breaking, so they persuade themselves that condoms are not effective anyways, so why use them in the first place. The most frequent letters I get are from people who are saying, I can't meet anybody. I can't find

partners. I can't connect. And in a world where we still have that much trouble just connecting with each other, when you ask people to risk getting off, you're asking them to take a big gamble. And for a lot of gay people who don't have access to organizations, activities, a community, gay sex is their gay identity. And if you think it's hard to get gay men to use condoms, you should try to get dicks to use dental dams. On another level, as example, a poet and editor of an upcoming anthology by black gay poets says that AIDS has magnified the racism practiced by white gay men. Some of the best minds of my generation believe AIDS has made the gay community a more responsible construction. But what AIDS really manages to do is clearly point out how significant are the cultural and economic differences between us. Differences so extreme that black men suffer a disproportionate number of AIDS deaths, and communities with very sophisticated gay health care services. We are communities engaged in a

fragile coexistence if we are anything at all. Our most significant coalitions have been created in the realm of sex. What is most clear for black gay men is this. We have to do more for ourselves now and for each other now. The only sure guarantee we have of survival is that which we construct from our own self -determination. We are a wandering tribe that needs to go home before home is gone. Our mothers and fathers are waiting for us. Our sisters and brothers are waiting. Our communities are waiting for us to come home. They need our love, our talents and skills, and we need theirs. I am coming home. There is no place else to go that will be worth so much effort and love. Thank you. Sarah Schulman is an award -winning novelist and a member of the New York branch of ACT UP.

For Schulman, writing is only part of a true activist's life. There is no book that got any drug released. Any drug trial opened or any service provided. Reading a book can help someone decide to take action, but it is not the same thing as taking action and writing a book is not the same thing as taking action. The responsibility of every writer is to take their place in the vibrant creative activist movements along with everybody else. The image created by the male intellectual model of an enlightened elite who claim that their artwork is their political work is parasitic and useless for us. At the same time, I don't think that any writer must write about any specific topic or in any specific way. Writers must be free of formal and political constraints in their work so that a culture can

grow in many directions. But when they are finished with their work, they need to be at demonstrations, looking envelopes, and put their bodies on the line with everybody else. We live in the United States of Denial. A nation where there is no justice. The way we get justice is by confronting the structures that oppress us in the manner that is most threatening to those structures. That means in person as well as in print. Thank you. That's novelist Sarah Schulman, and in San Francisco, this is Mike Uncleley. And somewhere not so far

away, a feeling starts to grow. And everything I try to say is ground by what I know. I got a fury deep inside my very soul. And it's going to be us more than we go. It's going to be one of the other than I know. I got a fury deep inside my very soul. And I'm going to get it show. Thanks for choosing this way out, the International Lesbian and Gay Radio Magazine. This week, Jim Schrader, Mary Van Clay, Abe Feldman, Karen

Schwartz, Mark Beavis, and Mike Alkalay contributed program material. Special thanks to Judith Gabriel and Mary Pam Sprague. Frank Sinatra with Eddie Hodges, Randy Newman, John Williams in the Boston Pops, The Monotones, and Margie Adam performed some of the music you heard. And Kim Wilson composed and performed our theme music. Satellite distribution of this way out is made possible through a grant from Christopher Street West Los Angeles. You know, we'd like to hear from you with any comments, suggestions, or questions that you might have. Addressed to this way out, Post Office Box 38327 Los Angeles, California 90038. This way out is produced by Lucia Chappelle, and Greg Gordon. And we thank you for listening on 3CR Melbourne, W -O -B -C Oberlin, and K -P -F -K Los Angeles. Among others. And for supporting this, local community radio station. Everybody stay tuned.