Join Us!

This month's meeting will be on Thursday, October 5th at our normal location, using our regular format. The discussion this month will focus on Transgender Therapist. Among our special guests will be:

• Meral Crane, M.A., LPCC, Gender Dysphoria Program of Central Ohio
• Antone F Feo, PhD
• Diane Mueller, LPCC
• Brooke Kroto, LISW

The panel of therapists will tell us about their practices and will be available to answer questions. Those of you who haven't started therapy may enjoy coming to meet them to see who is out there to choose from.

If you are inspired to cook up an entrée for this month's meeting, please indulge yourself. Whether we eat & meet outside or in will depend on the weather ;-), so check your favorite local forecaster. If it's cold, we'll fall back to our inside menu items:

Items to bring:

Casseroles/Main Dishes
Side Dishes
Hors d’oeuvres
Snacks
Soda (pop)
And
Desserts

If it'll be a nice evening, Bob will continue to practice his bar-b-que skills, to the envy of the entire neighborhood, with burgers and hot dogs.

Items to bring:

Dog and Burger Buns, Side Dishes,
Hors d’oeuvres, Snacks
Soda (pop), and Desserts

Need directions?

Call (216) 691-HELP (4357) or
e-mail Karen at karen_gross@transfamily.org.

Volunteers are needed not only to take charge of committees but to serve on those committees as well. We need people to commit to take leadership roles in the organization and to actively serve. We really need your skills and commitment of time. If you have benefited from TransFamily, then please consider giving back. We also need people to help cleaning up after the meetings. Please, help us out.

Call or email Karen and find out what you can do to help TransFamily continue.

Celeste For U.S. Senator

An Editorial From Cynthia Huebscher-Scott

On Sunday, September 24th, I had the distinct honor of attending a Ted Celeste "meet and greet," sponsored by the Stonewall Democratic Club Of Cleveland. Celeste is running against incumbent Republican Mike De Wine for the U.S. Senate.

I was extremely delighted by the answers Celeste provided to questions important to our community. I'm placing my support and dollars behind Celeste's campaign and I strongly urge all members of the Ohio GBLT community to do the same. Where Ted Celeste is concerned, the phrase "family values" INCLUDES our community.

Although this is Celeste's first run for public office, he is hardly a newcomer to politics. His father served as the mayor of Lakewood for many years, and, of course, his brother is the former Governor of Ohio.

If I had been in the Senate, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act would be law.
-- Ted Celeste

Along with supporting the Democrat platform, which includes the formation of a real Patient's Bill Of Rights and affordable prescription drugs, Ted Celeste strongly supports the following issues important to our community:

• Will co-sponsor the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the 107th Congress
• Would co-sponsor the Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
• Will fight to lift the ban prohibiting GBLT Americans from serving openly and proudly in the United States Military
• Believes same-sex domestic partners are entitled to the same privileges and subject to the same responsibilities as heterosexual couples.

While Celeste served as a trustee at Ohio State University, he supported offering domestic partnership benefits to the OSU faculty, staff, and students.

Additionally, he believes that the Senate should "advise and consent" to judicial nominations in a timely manner, rather than playing partisan political games. His candidacy has been endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio.

To contrast Ted Celeste, in 1996 Republican Mike De Wine voted against S. 2056 (ENDA), which would have made sexual orientation a protected class under the Civil Rights Act. As ENDA was rejected by a vote of 50-49, De Wine's negative vote was pivotal. On other issues:

• De Wine has allowed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act to languish in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
• De Wine voted for a Jesse Helms amendment to prohibit funds from the Ryan White AIDS program from being used to directly or indirectly promote homosexuality.
• De Wine voted for the Defense Of Marriage Act.
• De Wine voted for a watered-down hate crimes bill.
• De Wine voted against a Patient's Bill Of Rights.
• De Wine is among the top ten Senate Republican recipients of Pharmaceutical and Biotech company money.
• De Wine serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee which has held President Clinton's judicial nominees (particularly women and minorities) hostage to partisan interests for months and years.

It's time to put an end to Mike De Wine's work against our community. De Wine is not representing US. On election day, I strongly urge you to vote for Ted Celeste for the U.S. Senate. For more information, please visit the Celeste website at www.celeste2000.com.

Democrats "Come Out" As Inclusive

Below are two excepts from the Democratic Party Platform for the 2000 election. The full text of the Platform can be viewed at www.dems2000.com/AboutTheConvention/03_partyplat.html

Hate Crimes. The very purpose of hate crimes is to dehumanize and stigmatize not only to wound the victim, but also to distort the American conscience. Every crime is a danger to Americans’ lives and liberty. Hate crimes are more than assaults on people, they are assaults on the very idea of America. They should be punished with extra force. Protections should include hate violence based on gender, disability or sexual orientation. And the Republican Congress should stop standing in the way of this pro-civil rights, anti-crime legislation.

Al Gore and the Democratic Party know that much remains to be done. We must remember we do not have an American to waste. We continue to lead the fight to end discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, age, ethnicity, disability, and sexual orientation. The Democratic Party has always supported the Equal Rights Amendment and will continue to do so, and we are committed to ensuring full equality for women and to vigorously enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act. We support continuation of the White House initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Because every American counts, we will continue to work toward a census that counts every American. We support continued efforts, like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to end workplace discrimination against gay men and lesbians. We support the full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of the nation. This would include an equitable alignment of benefits. We recognize the importance of new battles against forms of discrimination and disadvantage that stand as barriers to communities and families, such as environmental injustices and predatory lending practices. And we will fight for full funding and full staffing of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other civil rights enforcement agencies so they can do their job of ensuring that America lives up to its creed of equal rights and equal opportunity for all.

The Welcoming Congregation
invites you to a morning presentation
about transgender issues.

Presented by Several Transgendered People

Where: First Unitarian Church, 21600 Shaker Blvd., Shaker Heights, Ohio

When: Saturday, October 14th, 9 am to 12:30 pm

Schedule
9:00 am Continental Breakfast
9:30 am Keynote Speaker
10:30 am - 12:30 pm, The lives and experiences of transgendered people.

Reservations: Please call First Church at (216) 751-2320
Ask for Christine Kozlevear

Questions? Call Lois Davis at (440) 248-5729 All are welcome!

Transgender Rights: A New York Times Editorial

August 29, 2000 - People who have had sex-change surgery, cross-dressers and others whose gender identity does not conform to societal norms are often targets of violence and bias that force them to live in fear for their safety or the loss of their jobs and shelter. A bill now before the New York City Council would give this marginalized population basic protection against discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations.

The city's human rights law has long barred discrimination based on gender. Since the 1980's, the law has also prohibited discrimination based on "sexual orientation." But that provision focuses on issues of heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality. It does not protect those who identify themselves as transgender. The new legislation, which has 28 sponsors in the City Council, would broaden the definition of "gender" to include not only a person's sex, but also a person's expression of gender identity, self-image and appearance.

Similar anti-bias laws have been enacted in nearly two dozen cities, including Atlanta, San Francisco and Minneapolis. The proposed measure has strong support from civil rights groups and political leaders, including Public Advocate Mark Green and City Comptroller Alan Hevesi. Council Speaker Peter Vallone, however, has not taken a position on the measure. Mr. Vallone should move swiftly to get the bill passed, and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani should sign the measure.

Vermont Lawmakers Ousted Over Gay Law

By Ross Sneyd, Associated Press

MONTPELIER, Vt. - September 13, 2000 (AP) _ Vermont voters had their first chance to weigh in on the civil unions law _ and they sent a mixed message.

Five Republican state legislators who supported the law granting gay couples many of the rights and benefits of marriage were defeated in their primaries Tuesday. One Democrat who opposed the law was also ousted.

Four Republicans and one Democrat who were targeted for defeat because they backed the law survived their primaries. Another lawmaker who was challenged for opposing the law was re-elected.

It was the first opportunity voters have had to register their views since the Legislature earlier this year enacted the closest thing in America to gay marriage. The results reflected the deep split in Vermont over the law. ``I voted the straight Democratic ticket, primarily because I'm in favor of civil unions and the Republican Party is on a kick about trying to turn it back,'' said Ed O'Neil, a builder from Newfane.

One of the chief authors of the bill, House Judiciary Committee chairman Thomas Little, a Republican, beat back a challenge. Granting marriage benefits to gay couples ``is probably something that's going to take a generation to resolve,'' Little said.

Two of the biggest casualties among the law's supporters were Marion Milne, who represents six conservative towns, and John Edwards, who serves on the Judiciary Committee and represents a couple of small towns on the Canadian border. Both had been targeted by opponents of civil unions. Milne said that she knew when she cast her vote that it might lead to her defeat but that she did the right thing.

Altogether, more than a dozen Statehouse primary races were expected to turn almost exclusively on a legislator's vote for or against civil unions. Most of those races involved GOP incumbents who backed the law.

Signs imploring voters to ``Take Back Vermont'' by ousting those who voted for civil unions have dotted the Vermont landscape.

Loophole allows woman and transsexual to get Texas marriage license

News-Journal Wire Services, SAN ANTONIO, September 7, 2000 - A woman and a transsexual who was born a man obtained a marriage license Wednesday, taking advantage of a court ruling that defines gender only by chromosomes.

Jessica Wicks and Robin Manhart Wicks, who took Jessica's surname this year, were allowed to pay $36 to get their license, even though they consider themselves a same-sex couple. Had Jessica Wicks been born a woman, their marriage, set for Sept. 16, would be illegal under state law.

However, because of a state appeals court ruling that said chromosomes, not genitals, determine gender, the two will be able to wed.

Phyllis Randolph Frye, an attorney for the Wicks, said the couple has advanced the rights of gays, lesbians and transsexuals across the country.

"We feel that this could open an equal protection argument from a legal standpoint because lesbian and gay couples can argue, 'Well, if this lesbian and gay couple can get married, why can't we get married?'"

The appeals court ruling upheld a lower court's decision that threw out a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Christie Lee Cavazos Littleton after the death of her husband. The court said that although Littleton had undergone a sex-change operation, she was actually a man and therefore her marriage invalid.

Frye would not disclose whether Jessica Wicks has actually had a sex-change operation or if she simply is taking hormones.

"Why should transgender people have to be submitted to drop-drawer inspections?" Frye said.

Beaming on the courthouse steps after obtaining the license, Jessica Wicks expressed compassion for Littleton, who sood nearby with other advocates for transsexual rights. Littleton's case is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

"This woman here, Robin, I love her," Jessica Wicks said. "I love her with all my heart and soul and we deserve to be married. But I can't forget even for a second that Christie here has gone through hell for me to be able to do that."

The Wicks, who live in the Houston area, had been denied a license in their hometown by a clerk who considered their union to be same sex. But in San Antonio, Bexar County Clerk Gerry Rickhoff said the couple met the legal requirements for a license.

Transgender advocates called upon the state to clarify the law.

"We are planning to go to the Legislature and say, You cannot have this both ways,"' said Sarah DePalma of the Texas Gender Advocacy Information Network. "You cannot say that a heterosexual marriage is illegal and a gay marriage is illegal. Which is it?"

State Rep. Warren Chisum, a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage, said he doubted the Legislature would take up the issue.

"Virtually what we have is a man that looks like a woman that's getting married to another woman, and clearly that's within the law," Chisum said.

The Republican denied that the appeals court ruling could open the door for same-sex marriages. The Wicks' impending marriage, he said, "is a red herring."

"I don't think it happens very often," he said. "You can't make laws to cover every little detail."

Madison bans discrimination against transsexuals

By The Associated Press

Madison, WI, September 21, 2000 - The Common Council has voted unanimously to include transsexuals under Madison's equal-opportunity ordinance.

Backers said the decision makes Madison the first municipality in Wisconsin, and the 29th in the nation, to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity.

"We have to prohibit all forms of gender-based discrimination," said Ald. Mike Verveer, chief sponsor of Madison's ordinance. "It's wrong, dead wrong."

Activists started working with Verveer in April to amend the city's equal-opportunity law, which had barred discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on sex and sexual orientation but, until now, not gender identity.

The council approved the change Tuesday night.

The above article appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Sept. 21, 2000.
© Copyright 2000, Journal Sentinel Inc.

From ACTION WISCONSIN

At the September 19, 2000, meeting of the Common Council of the City of Madison, Wisconsin, a proposal to add "gender identity" to Madison's nondiscrimination ordinance passed unopposed. This makes Madison the first jurisdiction in Wisconsin to protect transgendered individuals from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodation, and other categories.

Those testifying in favor of the ordinance included representatives of It's Time Wisconsin, Action Wisconsin, Pride in Wisconsin Government, and OutReach. Four students from the Gay/Straight Alliance at a Madison high school also spoke in support. Another speaker read a letter from a transgendered individual who was fearful of speaking out because of the current lack of protection from discrimination. Forty-six others registered in support. No one registered or spoke in opposition.

The ordinance was cosponsored by Alders Verveer, Poulson, Sentmanat, Olson, Sloan, Holtzman, Vedder, Palmer. Ten councilmembers--the eight cosponsors, plus Alders Bellman and Borchardt--voiced their support for the ordinance, which passed on a voice vote with no opposition.

The amendment adds gender identity to the definition of sexual orientation, and then defines gender identity:

GENDER IDENTITY is the actual or perceived condition, status or acts of

1. identifying emotionally or psychologically with the sex other than one's biological or legal sex at birth, whether or not there has been a physical change of the organs of sex;
3. presenting and/or holding oneself out to the public as a member of the biological sex that was not one's biological or legal sex at birth;
5. lawfully displaying physical characteristics and/or behavioral characteristics and/or expressions which are widely perceived as being more appropriate to the biological or legal sex that was not one's biological or legal sex at birth, as when a male is perceived as feminine or a female is perceived as masculine; and/or
7. being physically and/or behaviorally androgynous.

Madison joins cities such as Seattle, San Francisco, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Among Midwestern jurisdictions, Madison joins Iowa City, Iowa; Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and Ypsilanti, Michigan; Evanston, Illinois; Jefferson County, Kentucky; and the State of Minnesota. The State of Iowa currently protects state government employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity via an executive order by the governor.

Action Wisconsin: A Congress for Human Rights, Inc. is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to advancing and protecting the civil rights of Wisconsin's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered citizens and their families. Membership is open to all who support that goal.

California Trans Certificate Bill Vetoed

By The PlanetOut News Staff

September 21. 2000 - For reasons as yet quite unclear, California's Democratic governor refused to sign a measure that would have helped transsexuals document their post-op gender.

California Governor Gray Davis (D) on September 20 vetoed a bill clarifying the process for transsexuals to legally document their post-surgical gender, particularly if they were born outside the state. Assemblymember John Longville's (D-Rialto) AB 1851 provided for a Certificate of Sex Change designed to expedite the process of changing other documents. It's not easy to understand Davis' need to quash this move.

Davis' veto message had three basic points. First, he said AB 1851 was unnecessary because transsexuals can already legally change their names, driver's licenses and passports. He seems to believe this is considerably easier than it's proven to be for transsexuals in real life; as Longville's legislative consultant Kristin Wingate said earlier in the bill's history, "While Californians can now change their birth certificates to reflect a new sexual identity, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible to do so." Boyce Hindman, administrator of the Lambda Letter Project, which lobbied hard for the bill from before its introduction, wrote that, "The fact is that a birth certificate is required when applying for a passport. In addition, if the person presenting the birth certificate has a different name or sex than shown on the birth certificate, he or she must also submit a court order noting the old name and gender and officially recognizing the new name and gender."

For those born outside the state, the process is still more complex, because revised birth certificates are issued by the county of birth, and a California court can't order another state's county clerk to issue a new birth certificate. To assist with this dilemma, AB 1851 provided for courts to order California's State Registrar to issue a Certificate of Sex Change which could have served in lieu of a new birth certificate and provided a basis for the county of birth to issue a new birth certificate. But Davis wrote that this function "is inconsistent with the State Registrar's statutory responsibility," as if that statutory responsibility were not subject to amendment through legislation.

The governor also expressed concern for transsexuals' medical confidentiality "since the [proposed] Certificate of Change of Sex does not result in the sealing of the person's original birth certificate, or in the issuance of a new birth certificate." Again, for those born out of state those steps are both in the hands of the county of birth and cannot be achieved directly by a California court.

Getting the bill through the legislature, was no easy task. It passed the Assembly but then failed a Senate committee vote in August. However, it was later given a second chance, passed out of committee and passed by the Senate.

AB 1851 fared better than its more potent companion, Assemblymember Fred Keeley's (D-Santa Cruz) AB 2142, which would have added gender identity as a category protected from discrimination under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. It died in a Senate committee after passing the Assembly. The Bay Area Reporter believes it was actually the negative recommendation of an openly lesbian aide to the governor that stopped that bill's progress, although the newspaper was unable to obtain comment from the aide herself.

Both AB 1851 and AB 2142 are likely to be reintroduced next year, although Davis' opposition will make it more difficult to advance them.

© 1995-2000 PlanetOut Corporation.

Orlando Protects Rights For Gays

By Dan Tracy, The Orlando Sentinel

With no discussion or fanfare, the Orlando City Council has quietly agreed that no city employee can be hired, fired or harassed because he or she is gay or bisexual. "It`s the right thing to do for this day and time," Mayor Glenda Hood said. The decision, made late Monday by a unanimous vote on more than 100 unrelated pieces of business, came less than two weeks after the United Way concluded a contentious debate over discrimination against gays.

The city law was months in the making, going back to the spring elections. That`s when a gay and lesbian business group approached Orlando candidates, asking them to sign anti-discrimination pledges. Among those who agreed to the terms were Hood and new council members Vicki Vargo and Patty Sheehan. Sheehan is Orlando`s first openly gay politician.

Sheehan, along with members of the gay Metropolitan Business Association, soon began pushing Hood and city staff members to add the words "sexual orientation" to the list of categories protected from discrimination for the city`s 3,000 employees.

The legislation finally made its way to the council on Monday. The lack of notice, Sheehan said, was intentional. "Frankly, we just didn`t want to deal with three hours of nasty stuff like we did with the flags," Sheehan said. She was referring to a firestorm of protest triggered during the summer of 1998, when the council allowed multicolored flags signifying gay pride to fly for a month in downtown.

Among those who criticized the city was televangelist Pat Robertson, who warned that the wrath of God, possibly in the form of tornadoes or a meteor, would befall Orlando if it did not take down the rainbow banners.

On Wednesday, the Rev. John Butler Book, a conservative Maitland evangelist, complained about the new provision. "They`ve attempted to make vice a virtue," Book said. "All the laws of the world cannot change the laws of nature, the law of God."

Sheehan sees the new rule differently. "I wanted to see the city take the lead on that. And we did. I think it`s pretty cool." Debbie Simmons, a print shop owner and president of the Metropolitan Business Association, said, "This is a big hurdle. I can`t tell you how many people in our community can breathe a sigh of relief."

By adding sexual orientation to its safeguarded list, Orlando joins more than 150 cities, counties and government agencies, as well as 10 states with similar legislation. Such laws are spreading, said Stephen Scarborough, a staff attorney with Lambda, a gay and lesbian legal defense and education fund. "What you are seeing," he said, "is the general public is starting to understand how basic protections should be extended to gays and lesbians."

Orange County, though, does not have such a law. And county Chairman Mel Martinez has "no intention" of pushing for an anti-discrimination clause, chief of staff Dan Murphy said.

Orlando actually tinkered very little with its existing discrimination law, choosing only to add the words "sexual orientation" to a slate that includes race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age and disability. Sexual orientation, city officials say, refers to heterosexuals, homosexuals and bisexuals.

The absence of discussion by the council on Monday was in direct contrast to what happened to the Heart of Florida United Way, which collects donations and distributes them to charities and nonprofits.

United Way directors argued over giving money to the Boys Scouts, which bars gays from being Scout leaders. After board president John Lord resigned in protest, the board approved a policy barring discrimination by any of its agencies on any grounds, including sexual orientation.

But there was a catch. The edict applies only to the programs that get cash. That means United Way wouldn`t interfere with its agencies` decision on leaders and administrators, which would allow the Boy Scouts to exclude gay scoutmasters while receiving United Way money. But the Scouts must agree to accept every boy, even if he is gay.

Scott Maxwell of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
Published in The Orlando Sentinel on September 14, 2000

Cities Move Against Scouts Aid

By The PlanetOut News Staff

September 20, 2000 - In Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Florida municipalities are swearing off their Boy Scouts support because of the organization's homophobic policies.

Communities across the U.S. have been reconsidering their relationships with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) since the Supreme Court in June recognized their right to exclude gays (see PlanetOut News of June 28). The following are some current decisions in the areas of school access, public funding and funding through United Way groups. More typically, though, communities have decided to maintain the status quo.

Bethel, OR to End School Recruitment

Bethel last week became the first school district in Oregon to decide to bar the Scouts from recruiting in its elementary schools until the national BSA lifts its ban on gays, the Eugene Register-Guardian reported; the new policy is set to begin in 2001. Since BSA's 1910 founding, schools have been its main avenue of recruitment, and BSA visits most primary schools in the nation -- a privilege few groups share. Despite a long tradition of annual recruitment in Bethel's six primary schools, the Bethel School Board was unanimous in choosing to uphold its policy against discrimination.

School administrators first raised the issue, conscious of a conflict between the emphasis they've given their policy of "zero tolerance" of discrimination and welcoming BSA with its policy of exclusion. A committee of administrators voted 5 - 2 on September 11 to recommend that the board ban BSA recruiters, and the board acted at its meeting that night. BSA will continue to have the same opportunity to use school district facilities that other community groups do; it loses only its secial access to recruit students.

Although Oregon has some of the most progressive communities in the nation, Bethel is way ahead of them on this issue. Eugene administrators have barely discussed it, while the issue hasn't been raised at the school boards of Eugene, Springfield or Portland. However, the Portland School District is facing a lawsuit from a family objecting to school recruitment there because of BSA's exclusion of boys who do not believe in God (affirmed in the California Supreme Court), while the United Way chapter based in Portland is considering adopting an anti-discrimination policy that would end funding of BSA.

Perhaps the more pressing "gay" issue for Oregon schools is Measure 9, the November ballot initiative to prohibit "instruction encouraging, promoting and sanctioning homosexual and bisexual behaviors"; recent polls have shown voters evenly divided on the question.

Philadelphia, PA United Way Restricts Funds

The Philadelphia-based United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania announced September 19 that it will restrict its contributions to BSA to a specific school-based program which will have to demonstrate that it's open to all boys. "As a community-wide organization, we cannot support services that are provided in an exclusive way," United Way president Christine James-Brown told the Philadelphia Inquirer. She said the United Way chapter had been mulling the issue of BSA's exclusionary policies for several years, but that recently they've been receiving several phone calls each day about it.

This United Way group contributed some $540,000 to the Boy Scouts Cradle of Liberty Council and $22,000 to the Chester County Boy Scouts in 1999, but all funds for both those groups will now be channeled into Learning for Life. That program to provide "character-based education" in urban schools (discussions of ethics, etiquette and career planning) is locally run and the Scout groups say it is not subject to the national BSA's ban on gays. The change is less dramatic than it may appear, since about two-thirds of the Cradle of Liberty Council's participants had already been in Learning for Life rather than traditional Boy Scouts. The United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania was looking for a way to continue to support what its donors view as a valuable service while not being a party to discrimination.

However their choice is entirely unsatisfactory to the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force, particularly since no public hearings were held. The Task Force, which has lobbied United Way about its funding of the Boy Scouts for several years, had heard more than a month earlier of the possibility of United Way's "compromise" and has been actively protesting it ever since. In an August 21 statement, the Task Force said, "One cannot fund part of a morally corrupted organization. One cannot fund part of an organization whose organization headquarters practices and promotes bigotry and prejudice." Or, "You can't have it both ways," as Task Force executive director Rita Adessa said -- you're either funding BSA or not. Her group has serious doubts about Learning for Life's independence of BSA and the inclusiveness of its practices. The Task Force would now prefer to see donors bypass the United Way and contribute directly to inclusive organizations, desirably to gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender organizations which the group believes have not been funded proportionate to what the community has donated to United Way.

Fort Lauderdale, FL Ends City Funding

It's been a tumultuous week in Fort Lauderdale, Florida since the City Commission's preliminary vote to withhold public funds from BSA, and it reached a dramatic climax on September 19 as hundreds of people turned out for the second and final Commission vote, just as they had the week before. Despite four hours of largely pro-Scout and often viciously anti-gay testimony, three Commissioners stood firm against funding discrimination while a fourth, Mayor Jim Naugle, begged religious right groups not to carry out a threatened boycott of the city; a fifth commissioner was absent.

Much of the testimony clearly conflated homosexuality with pedophilia, including those who saw "homosexuals" infiltrating Scouts to "recruit" children. Among those speakers were anti-gay activist James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries, the group that spearheaded last year's series of national advertisements ostensibly calling gays and lesbians into "conversion" programs but not subtly arguing against their civil rights as well, and Janet Folger, the woman who designed that campaign and is now national director for Kennedy's National Center for Reclaiming America. Among the nearly eighty speakers, gays and lesbians and their allies were distinctly in the minority, as had been their phone calls, faxes and e-mails to Commissioners throughout the week compared to those that came in from across the country from the religious right.

The gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender community and supporters won numerically only in presenting a petition with 1,000 signatures, twice as many as their opponents. Even in raising $5,760 for Broward County's Boys and Girls Clubs, which like most youth organizations do not have discriminatory policies, they were outdone by a local church that raised more than $10,000 for the Scouts. The whole controversy began when Scouts submitted a proposal to the city for a $10,000 grant, which a budget committee cut down to $4,167; the Commission declined that request because of BSA's discriminatory policy, and later gave those funds instead to two other local youth programs. At least two Commissioners now intend to end altogether the city's discretionary grants to community groups rather than face this kind of division again.

© 1995-2000 PlanetOut Corporation.

Scout's Honor

By Rembert Truluck

"Scout’s Honor" was a familiar tradition that meant that a scout told the truth and that you could trust what a scout told you. It was the basic underlying principle that gave quality to all of scout life. Now, however, scouts and scout leaders are being told to lie about their sexual orientation or be rejected from the scouting program.

The decision by Boy Scouts of America and by the Supreme Court to allow discrimination against gays is a great leap backwards and away from what scouting was all about in the first place. It follows the same thinking that prevails in many churches that say: "You can be gay and still lead and give, but just lie about it. Stay in the closet. Don’t tell the truth about yourself."

The spiritual and personal damage of that distorted set of values is obvious. So why does our culture, even including the Supreme Court, continue to support anti-gay public attitudes and abysmal misinformation about GLBT people?

Scouts Are Not A Private Club

I grew up in a small southern town where Boy Scouts were as much a part of the public community as the fire department, the schools, the police department, and the post office. To allow and even encourage discrimination against gay scouts is rank hypocrisy and cannot go unchallenged. Many individuals and groups now are challenging homophobic public policies that are simply unfair and unjust and that are not tolerated in other areas of life.

During this summer, the Internet has been filled with news stories attacking and defending the anti-gay policy of The Boy Scouts of America. On the local scene, however, the scouting programs continue unchanged. Gay men still serve effectively as Scout Masters and gay boys learn and grow in social and wilderness skills.

When my Scout Master moved away from town and nobody else was willing to take up the job, I stopped the program just 4 merit badges short of becoming an Eagle Scout. This was very disappointing to me. I had begun to serve as a "Den Chief" for Cub Scouts, for which my mother was the "Den Mother." Without sensitive caring gay men to serve as Scout Masters, many boys will suffer needlessly without a program that is still terrific. There is nothing wrong with scouting. There is everything wrong with homophobia!

School District To Reverse Gay Ban

By The Associated Press

SANTA ANA, Calif. - September 6, 2000 _ The Orange Unified School District plans to settle a federal lawsuit by reversing an earlier decision to ban a gay-tolerance club from meeting at an area high school.

The district's board was expected to formally approve the agreement Thursday, the first day of classes for the system's high schools, spokeswoman Judy Frutig said. As part of the settlement, the board said Tuesday it will vote to change its policies on school clubs before approving the Gay-Straight Alliance Club, Frutig said. The new rules will prohibit student clubs from discussing sexual activity and create a system that will allow parents to object to a child's participation in any school group, she said.

In December, the board unanimously rejected the Gay-Straight Alliance Club at El Modena High School, prompting a federal lawsuit by two students who wanted to create a forum for gay students to discuss discrimination. They said the board violated the Equal Access Act, which prohibits public schools that take federal money from excluding particular noncircular clubs if they allows others.

The students involved in the club are happy their fight with the school board has ended, said their attorney, Myron Dean Quon. ``What it comes down to is, we're happy to be able to dispense of costly litigation and we're happy the kids can go back to being regular school kids and not under such great public scrutiny,'' he said. There is no financial settlement included in the agreement, he added.

In Utah, meanwhile, the Salt Lake City School District voted Tuesday to end its four-year ban on nonacademic clubs that was imposed to keep a gay-straight alliance from meeting. Board members _ some who even voted for the ban in 1996 _ rejected the idea that allowing students to form extracurricular clubs would be promoting a gay and lesbian lifestyle. The new policy allows students to create academic clubs sponsored by the school, and nonacademic clubs that cannot participate in school fund-raisers.

After the meeting, students from Highland High School were already making plans for what clubs they want to form, including ones for meat eaters, swimmers and skiers. ``I'm so excited. I can barely wait to have clubs,'' said senior Bridger Jensen. ``Now we can have more leadership opportunities.''

An Incredible Speech For Hate Crimes Legislation

The Georgia House voted 83-82 to SHELVE a proposal to make crimes carry tougher penalties when they are motivated by hatred. Then, Rep. Ponder gave the following speech. Republicans and Democrats alike gave Ponder two standing ovations, then outlawed all hate crimes by a vote of 116-49. Georgia Governor Roy Barnes signed the new law at a synagogue scarred by swastika-painting vandals.

Remarks on SB390, Hate Crimes Legislation by Representative Dan Ponder, Thursday, March 16, 2000

Thank you Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House. I am probably the last person, the most unlikely person that you would expect to be speaking from the well about Hate Crime Legislation. And I am going to talk about it a little differently from a lot of the conversations that have gone on thus far. I want to talk about it a little more personally, about how I came to believe what I believe.

About two weeks ago my family got together for my father's 70th birthday. It was the first time since my oldest daughter was born 19 years ago that only the children and spouses got together, no grandchildren. We stayed up until 2 o'clock in the morning talking about hate crime legislation, this very bill. Even my family could not come to a resolution about this bill, but we did agree that how you were raised and who we are would likely influence how you would vote on this bill. So I want you to know a little bit about me, and how I came to believe what I believe.

I am a White Republican, who lives in the very Southwest corner of the most ultraconservative part of this state. I grew up there. I have agricultural roots. I grew up hunting and fishing. I had guns when I was a kid. On my 12th birthday I was given that thing that so many southern boys receive, that shotgun from my dad that somehow marked me as a man. I was raised in a conservative Baptist church. I went to a large, mostly white Southern university. I lived in and was the President of the largest, totally white fraternity on that campus. I had 9 separate Great-Great-Great Grandfathers that fought for the Confederacy. I don't have a single ancestor on all of my family lines that lived north of the Mason-Dixon line going back to the Revolutionary War. And it is not something that I am terribly proud of, but it is just part of my heritage, that not one, but several of those lines actually owned slaves.

So you would guess just by listening to my background that I am going to stand up here and talk against hate crime legislation. But you see, that's the problem when you start stereotyping people by who they are and where they came from, because I totally, totally support this bill.

I come from a privileged background, but hate has no discrimination when it picks its victims. I have a Catholic brother-in-law. My sister could not be married in their church, and his priest refused to marry them because they were of different faiths. I have a Jewish brother-in-law. The difference in that religion has caused part of my family to be estranged from each other for over 25 years.

I was the President of the largest fraternity at Auburn University, which won an award while I was there as the best chapter in the country. Out of over 100 members, 6 of those are now openly gay. But the "lasting bond of brotherhood" that we pledged ourselves to during those idealistic days apparently doesn't apply if you should later come out and declare yourself gay.

Some of you know that my family had an exchange student from Kosovo that lived with us for six months, during the entire time of the fighting over there. When we last heard from her, her entire extended family of 26 members had not been heard from. Not one of them. They had all been killed or disappeared because of religious and ethnic differences that we cannot even begin to understand.

My best friend in high school and college roommate's parents were raised in Denmark during the war. His grandfather was killed serving in the Resistance. For three years, that family survived because people left food on their doorstep during the middle of the night. They couldn't afford to openly give them food because they would then be killed themselves.

And to Representative Kinney, we are probably as different as two people can be in this House based on our backgrounds. But I myself have also known fear, because I am a white man that was mugged and robbed in Chicago in a black neighborhood. And you are right. It is a terror that never goes away. It doesn't end when the wounds heal or the dollars are replaced in your wallet. It is something that you live with the rest of your life. But I want to tell you the real reason that I am standing here today. And this is personal, and in my five years in this House I have never abused my time in the well, and I only have 2 days before I leave this body, so I hope that you will just listen to this part for me.

There was one woman in my life that made a huge difference and her name was Mary Ward. She began working for my family before I was born. She was a young black woman whose own grandmother raised my mother. Mary, or May-Mar as I called her, came every morning before I was awake to cook breakfast so it would be on the table. She cooked our lunch. She washed our clothes. But she was much more than that. She read books to me. When I was playing Little League she would go out and catch ball with me. She was never, ever afraid to discipline me or spank me. She expected the absolute best out of me, perhaps, and I am sure, even more than she did her own children. She would even travel with my family when we would go to our house in Florida during the summer, just as her own grandmother had done.

One day, when I was about 12 or 13 I was leaving for school. As I was walking out the door she turned to kiss me good-bye. And for some reason, I turned my head. She stopped me and she looked into my eyes with a look that absolutely burns in my memory right now and she said, "You didn't kiss me because I am black." At that instant, I knew that she was right. I denied it. I made some lame excuse about it. But I was forced at that age to confront a small dark part of myself. I don't even know where it came from. This lady, who was devoting her whole life to me and my brother and sister, who loved me unconditionally, who had changed my diapers and fed me, and who was truly my second mother, that somehow she wasn't worthy of a good-bye kiss simply because of the color of her skin.

Hate is all around us. It takes shape and form in ways that are somehow so small that we don't even recognize them to begin with, until they somehow become acceptable to us. It is up to us, as parents and leaders in our communities, to take a stand and to say loudly and clearly that this is just not acceptable.

I have lived with the shame and memory of my betrayal of Mary Ward's love for me. I pledged to myself then and I re-pledged to myself the day I buried her that never, ever again would I look in the mirror and know that I had kept silent, and let hate or prejudice or indifference negatively impact a person's life; even if I didn't know them.

Likewise, my wife and I promised to each other on the day that our oldest daughter was born that we would raise our children to be tolerant. That we would raise them to accept diversity and to celebrate it. In our home, someone's difference would never be a reason for injustice. When we take a stand, it can slowly make a difference. When I was a child, my father's plants had a lot of whites and a lot of blacks working in them. We had separate water fountains. We had separate tables that we ate at. Now my daughter is completing her first year at Agnes Scott College. She informed me last week that she and her roommate, who happens to be black, they were thrown together just randomly last year as first year students, had decided that they were going to room together again next year. I asked her the reasons that they had decided to live together again. She said, "Well, we just get along so well together." She mentioned a couple of other reasons, but do you know what was absent? Color. She just didn't think about it.

You can make progress when you take a stand. Our exchange student, who grew up in a country where your differences absolutely defined everything about you, now lives in Dallas where a whole community of different races has embraced her and is teaching her how to accept people who are different from her and who love her.

To those that would say that this bill is creating a special class of citizen, I would say...Who would choose to be a class of citizen or who would choose to be gay and risk the alienation of your own family and friends and coworkers? Who would choose to be Jewish, so that they could endure the kind of hatred over the years that led to the Holocaust and the near extinction of the Jewish people on an entire continent? Who would choose to be black simply so that their places of worship could be burned down or so that they could spend all their days at the back of the line? We are who we are because God alone chose to make us that way. The burdens that we bear and the problems that we are trying to correct with this legislation are the result of man's inhumanity to man. That is hardly trying to create a special class of people.

To those that would say that we already have laws to take care of these crimes, I would say watch the repeats of yesterday's debate on the Lawmakers. We made passionate pleas on behalf of animal rights. We talked with revulsion about cats being wired together with barbed wire. Surely, surely, Matthew Sheppard's being beaten and hung up on a barbed wire fence and left to die is no less revolting. Surely our fellow man deserves no less than our pets.

Hate crimes are different. When I was a teenager, on more than one water tank, I painted "Sr's of '72". Surely no one in here is going to tell me that the words that are painted on walls that say "Kill the Jews" or a swastika or "Fags must die" or "Move the Niggers" are somehow the same as "Sr's of '72". Even today, those very words make us feel uncomfortable and they should. Surely we are not going to equate a barroom brawl or a crime of passion with a group that decides, with purpose, to get in a car and go beat up blacks or gays or Jews without even knowing who they are.

Hate crimes are about sending a message. The cross that was burned in a black person's yard not so many years ago was a message to black people. The gay person that is bashed walking down the sidewalk in midtown is a message to gay people. And the Jews that have endured thousands of years of persecution were all being sent messages over and over again.

I would say to you that now is our turn to send a message. I am not a lawyer, I don't know how difficult it would be to prosecute this or even care. I don't really care that anyone is ever prosecuted under this bill. But, I do care that we take this moment in time, in history, to say that we are going to send a message.

The pope is now sending a message of reconciliation to Jews and people throughout this world. Some of those crimes occurred 2,000 years ago. My wife and I have sent a message to our children that we are all God's children and that hate is unacceptable in our home.

I believe that we must send a message to people that are filled with hate in this world, that Georgia has no room for hatred within its borders. It is a message that we can send to the people of this state, but it is also a message that you have to send to yourself. I ask you to look within yourself and do what you think is right. I ask you to vote YES on this bill and NO to hate.

Hon. Dan E. Ponder, Jr.

The Dr. Laura Watch

By Rick Cordaro

For those of you unaware, "Dr." Laura bigot-fest has reached the Cleveland airways thanks to NBC affiliate WKYC channel 3. It is airing at 9am. You can send a letter of "thanks" to them at their website www.wkyc.com/talkback/index.ssf/ or by snail-mail at:

Programming Director
WKYC-TV Channel 3
1403 E. 6th Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44114

Let them know how you feel about this programming decision and how much support her sponsors can expect from you. Now "go do the right thing."

The following are a few of the sponsors I've gathered information about from her show.

• Metropolitan Bank & Trust: E-mail on their website, www.mortgagemag.com/guide/c080/c080272.htm .
• Value City Furniture: E-mail on their website at www.vcf.com
• Window Systems: Give 'em a call at 1-800-353-5113
• Levy & Gruin Lawyers: Call spokesman Hal Levy at 216-696-1111

CONGRATS TO Progressive Insurance!

When contracted about their advertisements running on the Dr. Laura show, their office said that they specifically instructed that ads not be purchased for this program and that they are airing without their knowledge or consent through a block-purchase. They are contacting the affiliate to instruct them to place no more ads on this program.

The Wit And Wisdom Of Dr. Laura

Here's a Dr. Laura gem, gleaned while she was speaking on the topic of working moms; "I have my own opinion which you agree with unless you're a crummy person."

Sponsors Who Have Dropped Dr. Laura Include:

• Ohio Lottery
• Procter & Gamble
• Ohio State Lottery
• Sears
• Skytel
• Geico Insurance
• Xerox
• ToysRUs
• BoxLot
• United Airlines (banned Laura from advertising)
• AT&T
• American Express,
• Kraft
• Amica Insurance
• TCF Bank

Late Breaking News

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Dr. Laura Schlessinger's new television show is ailing. Her syndicated talk show has drawn low ratings and protests from gay activists, and now production has been stopped for a week, officials said. Show spokeswoman Linda Lipman said the move was part of a pre-planned hiatus. But it is surprising because the show premiered only last week. The break will give Paramount a chance to retool the daytime show, according to Friday's Los Angeles Times and the New York Post. The 53-year-old Schlessinger, who first gained a wide following with her radio call-in advice show, has been roundly criticized by gay activists for her comments on homosexuality, which she has termed "deviant" and "a biological error."

Advocates have pressured several sponsors from advertising on the show. Procter and Gamble, one of the nation's largest advertisers, pulled ads from Schlessinger's radio program in May and dropped plans to advertise on the television show. Paramount and its stations have been forced to sell advertising time at discounted rates. Critics of the television show claim that Schlessinger has been too tame and has been attempting to avoid controversial topics. Lipman said that "all parties will be very happy" after new episodes that begin taping late next week are broadcast.

The following corporations deserve your support for their commitments to the GBLT community.

AT&T
American Airlines
American Express
Anheuser Busch
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
Coors Beer
Disney Corporation
IBM
Kodak
Levi Strauss
Miller Beer
NAYA Spring Water
Neiman Marcus
Starbucks Coffee
Subaru
Toyota

Community Calendar

Courtesy of The Center

October

October 5 TransFamily Of Cleveland, meeting at our usual location, 6:30 pm

October 5-8 The 4th International Congress On Crossdressing, Sex, and Gender presented by The Renaissance Transgender Association, Philadelphia, PA.

October 6 Culture Club in Concert, show to benefit Out in Akron, 7:30pm $36.50/$21.50. Akron Civic Theater charge tickets at 330-945-9400 or 216-241-5555

October 7 Center's 25th Anniversary, Cleveland Lesbian/Gay Community Service Center's dinner and reception. Virginia Apuzzo is the keynote speaker, tickets are $100. Metropolitan Club in the Huntington Bank Bldg, East 9th at Euclid Ave. For more information or tickets call 216-651-5428. Come help us remember our past, celebrate our achievements, and look toward the future.

October 9 The Center's 7 week Women's Coming Out Group begins. The group is designed to help you get through your own personal coming out process. Registration is required and Space is limited. Confidentiality is assured. Please call 216-651-5428 to register.

October 9 Columbus Day

October 9 Yom Kippur

October 10 The Center's 7 week Men's Coming Out Group begins. The group is designed to help you get through your own personal coming out process. Registration is required and Space is limited. Confidentiality is assured. Please call 216-651-5428 to register.

October 12 It's Time, Ohio! at 7:30 at the Denny's at the Mansfield exit (exit 169 / route 13) off I-71, between Cleveland and Columbus.

October 12-15 Fall Harvest 2000 sponsored by Mid America Gender Group Information Exchange, St. Louis, MO

October 13-15 Out in Akron, annual Akron Pride event at the Highland Theatre, most events will be free.

October 14 Transgender Issues at 9:00 am, First Unitarian Church, Shaker Hts. Call (216) 751-2320 for reservations.

October 14- One more River to Cross, Black and Gay in America, community forum with Keith Boykin, 2pm Highland Theatre, 826 W. Market St. 330-923-3413. Queer Short Film Festival 8pm Highland Theatre

October 15-22 The 26th Annual Fantasia Fair, Providencetown, Mass

October 15- Community Brunch noon. $10 advance tickets are available at Angel Falls Coffee Cabaret Q- featuring Shelley McConnell and her troupe of Fantabulous All-stars. In addition; There's Naught so Queer as Folk, lecture examining the impact of LGBT artists in the 20th century by Thomas Sokolwski, director of the Andy Warhol Museum 2;30pm at the Akron Art Museum.

October 17 Candidate's Night At The Center. 6pm- reception and 6:30p is the candidate's forum. The Community is strongly encouraged to come and participate. Find out where the candidates stand on the issues important to you.

October 21 Cleveland Couples Annual Hayride

October 22 The Center's Annual meeting 3pm-5pm at The Center 6600 Detroit Ave. For more info call 216-651-5428.

October 29 End Of Daylight Savings Time for 2000

October 31 Halloween

November

November 2 TransFamily Of Cleveland, meeting at our usual location, 6:30 pm

November 5 SSAFE Night Out at the Playhouse for "Elliot Ness in Cleveland" a new musical about the gruesome torso murders. Reception and book signing before the show with John Stark Bellamy II. Proceeds will benefit the SSAFE program. Call 216-651-5428 to reserve tickets.

November 7 Election Day Don't Forget to VOTE Today! Then come to The Center for our election returns party from 7pm-10pm.

November 9 It's Time, Ohio! at 7:30 at the Denny's at the Mansfield exit (exit 169 / route 13) off I-71, between Cleveland and Columbus.

November 11 Adoption Network is offering a workshop for anyone in the lgbt community interested in the adoption process. 10am- noon at The Center 6600 Detroit Ave. For more info call 216-651-5428.

November 11 Veteran's Day Give a vet a hug and say "Thank you." They'll appreciate it.

November 14 Reel Lives- three evenings of films followed by discussion. The first film is "Edge of Seventeen" at 7pm. Then stay for the discussion. Event co-sponsored by The Cleveland Psychoanalytic Society and the Lesbian/Gay Community Center. For more info call 216-651-5428.

November 23 Thanksgiving

December

December 7 TransFamily Of Cleveland, meeting at our usual location, 6:30 pm

December 14 It's Time, Ohio! at 7:30 at the Denny's at the Mansfield exit (exit 169 / route 13) off I-71, between Cleveland and Columbus.

December 21 Hanukkah

December 25 Christmas

December 31 New Year's Eve

Feeling Creative??

Hey folks, we need some input. This family newsletter is for the whole group. Please share! Turn in articles and ideas as soon as possible so that they may be included in the next newsletter. Also, don’t forget to inform us of the date, time and place of upcoming events.

If you have any ideas, articles, poems, etc. for the next newsletter, please get them to Karen or Cindy at the next meeting, or calling (216) 691-HELP (4357) or e-mail Karen at karen_gross@transfamily.org or Cindy at cindy.scott@transfamily.org

Promoting Awareness

TransFamily of Cleveland was founded to provide support and education for transgender persons, their families, friends and significant others. We hope to form an outreach group to promote awareness of transgender persons and their issues through PFLAG and to bring awareness to our school systems, through their principals and counselors, by offering literature, speakers, consultation and support.

Notice

Organizations, health care providers, gender clinics, etc. If you have a web site or e-mail address and would like to have us put a link to you on our web site, please contact Cindy Scott at cindy.scott@transfamily.org

TransFamily is provided as a service of Pro-Motion Internet Design a division of Pro-Motion Video and Global Graphics Internet Design, . Website design ©® by Rick Cordaro for Global Graphics Internet Design. Original content and design © copyright TransFamily, all rights reserved.