Jul - Aug  (Summer, 2001)

Faith-Based Discrimination

[Elizabeth Birch, Human Rights Campaign]

The White House-backed Community Solutions Act H.R. 7, offered by Reps. J.C. Watts, (R-Okla.) and Tony Hall (D-Ohio), passed in the House July 19. The bill would override state and local civil rights laws by allowing religious organizations to discriminate in employment decisions and in the provision of services. The measure would effectively allow tax dollars to be used to discriminate against us in places where state and local laws prohibit discrimination against GLBT Americans. Our country should not funnel tax money - that all of us pay - to groups that actively discriminate. Rep. Mark Foley, a moderate Florida Republican, and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) both prepared amendments to H.R. 7 to fix the bill. Both were rejected by the leadership.

The hypocrisy of the administration and the House leadership on this issue is astounding. We are struck by the incongruous position of "states rights" conservatives who have long trumpeted local control, only to run roughshod over state and local civil rights laws in order to ram through this discriminatory initiative.

This battle now moves to the Senate. We must challenge the White House to support a Senate version of the bill that does not discriminate against GLBT Americans. Call President Bush at 202-456-1414 and tell him: "It is wrong to use federal funding - including my tax dollars - to support programs that exempt religious organizations from civil rights laws."

And consider this: thousands of Americans received their notice of a tax refund on July 19. Think about reinvesting that refund in the battle for GLBT equality. [see also www.hrc.org]

RI Prohibits Transgender Discrimination

Rhode Island is the sixth state to prohibit discrimination against transgenders. On July 17, 2001, the Rhode Island Legislature passed a bill that prohibits discrimination against transgender Americans.

The new law forbids schools, banks, employers, and other non-religious institutions from discriminating on the basis of gender identity and expression, a category that will join current protections for race, religion, sex, nationality, age, disability and sexual orientation.

Rhode Island joins Minnesota as the only two states to enact such a measure.

August PFLAG Speaker

Dr. Valerie Fein-Zachary, representing The Freedom to Marry Coalition of Massachusetts, will discuss the current dialogue regarding same-sex marriage, civil unions, the MA lawsuit, and current legislative bills at the regular meeting of PFLAG on August 20.

The Freedom to Marry Coalition of Massachusetts is a non-profit organization that promotes equal civil marriage rights for same-sex couples through public education, grassroots advocacy, and lobbying; and provides resources to organizations, community leaders, and elected officials. Their vision is the legal recognition of same-sex marriages and social respect for same-sex couples throughout the United States.

Valerie is a radiologist at Union Hospital, North Shore Medical Center, Lynn, MA, and runs four Mammography Centers. She joined the Freedom to Marry Coalition in 1997 and has served as co-chair since 1999. In addition, she is a member of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and a board member of Women in Medicine, a national lesbian physician non-profit organization.

As an added attraction for this meeting, Ben & Jerry’s has offered to send their "Joy Team" with four flavors of ice cream. We’ll take an ice-cream break after Valerie’s talk and before our regular support session (about 8:15).

PFLAG meets in the Brewster UU Church, on route 6A near the intersection of route 124, and all are welcome!. For more information call 508-432-8119 or 508-255-5200.

Letter Worth Repeating

The following letter was sent to the Massachusetts Judiciary Committee chairman by Greater Boston PFLAG Board member Josh Kershenbaum.

"I am writing to you as a married citizen of the Commonwealth who is extremely alarmed by Bill H3375, also known as the Super Defense of Marriage Act (Super DoMA). I have been married for almost two years and have enjoyed all of the rights and privileges granted to me by virtue of this recognized legal status. I am outraged that my gay and lesbian friends and neighbors, who are as committed to their partners as I am to my wife, do not receive the same benefits as my wife and I. The fact that marriage has, in the past, been typically thought of as a union between a man and woman, does not–in my mind–preclude our Commonwealth from embracing a more complete understanding of the term. Indeed, it is only with a more inclusive definition that we can preserve the integrity of the legal construct we term ‘marriage.’

The benefits granted to married people are presumably written into our laws in order to encourage and support stable, healthy families. These benefits have an even more far-reaching impact on families that have children. So long as such privileges and benefits are being legally granted to some people, such as my wife and me, I feel it is in our community's best interest to extend them to all families. The fact is, many of my gay and lesbian friends and neighbors are raising happy and healthy children, while my wife and I are not. Many of these committed, happy and healthy couples have been loving and supporting each other longer than I have been alive, let alone married. Thus, I cannot accept the flawed premises upon which Bill H3375 is based, nor can I ignore the devastating implications the passage of the Bill would have for my gay and lesbian friends and neighbors.

To accept this Bill would be to accept the specious notion that I deserve special rights and privileges simply because I am a man and my wife is woman. According to Bill H3375, it would not matter if my wife and I never wanted to have children. It would not matter if we were incapable of having children. It would not matter if we lived in separate houses. It would not even matter if we planned to divorce in three years. In fact, the only relevant factor in determining our eligibility for marriage benefits would be our respective genders and our signatures on a piece of paper. Conversely, two other people who share a home together for 25 years in an exclusive, committed relationship and raise two children would not be entitled to the vital benefits I enjoy simply because they are both men. Please do not allow Massachusetts to enact legislation that would promote such a demonstrably perverse idea.

I urge you to fight against H3375. This Bill is more than anti-gay. It is a threat to our Commonwealth, which depends on the health, safety and stability of ALL of its families."

Hepatitis Vaccine

The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) Board of Directors has called for universal vaccination against hepatitis A and B for men who have sex with men.

Hepatitis is a family of serious diseases, and men who have sex with men are infected more often than the general public.

Vaccines are available from Outer Cape Health in P’town (487-9395) or Wellfleet (349-3131). The state of MA provides the vaccines free of charge, but there is a fee for administration.

Surgeon General Urges Sex Education

[Washington Post 6/28/01]

Surgeon General David Satcher has urged parents and teachers to provide children with a thorough sex education that promotes abstinence but also permits distribution of contraception in schools.

In a comprehensive report on educating children about sexuality, Satcher also says that homosexuality is not a reversible lifestyle choice and that committed, "mutually monogamous" relationships are an acceptable alternative to marriage.

Despite the controversial nature of the topic, Satcher said he was releasing the document because the nation faces an array of grave public health problems related to sex, such as unintended pregnancies, anti-gay violence, and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS. "We have created an environment where there's almost a conspiracy of silence when it comes to sexuality," he said at a news conference. "It's talked about in the wrong places in the wrong ways."

KKK "Cleans Up"

[originally from Durham Herald-Sun]

After the US Supreme Court ruled that the state of Missouri could not discriminate against the Ku Klux Klan when it comes to groups that want to participate in the adopt-a-highway program, the DOT in Missouri got their revenge.

Sure, they can't remove the KKK's adopt-the-highway sign, but few would dispute the state's ability to rename the highway.

The KKK is now cleaning up a stretch of the newly-christened Rosa Parks Freeway.

‘Nightline’ to Show Gay Lives

[PlanetOut.com Network]

The ABC news program "Nightline" will broadcast a week-long special in September based on the lives of lesbian and gay people in America. The series, "A Matter of Choice? Gay Life in America," will focus on experiences of several GLBT people.

One segment will focus on the challenges faced by seniors living in a gay and lesbian retirement community. Another will explore how citizens in Roanoke, Va. took a stand against violence after a man was murdered in a gay bar.

The title of the series, "A Matter of Choice?," has generated concern. Some people feel that it misrepresents the nature of sexual orientation and perpetuates the outdated stereotype that one's sexual orientation is a choice.

Tom Bettag, executive producer of "Nightline," acknowledged that the special's title was controversial. He said ,"the series is not engaging in the debate" over whether homosexuality is a choice. "The real goal of the show," he said, "is to cover the day-to-day experiences of this community, which we've never done before."

Same-Sexers Under Siege

[Excerpted from The Nation 7/2/01]

The warning signs of a real crisis for the gay rights movement are there for all who care to read them. In five of the six places where equal rights for homosexuals were placed before the voters last year, the anti-gay forces won. Referendums banning marriage equality for same-sex couples passed easily in California, Nebraska, and Nevada. Worst of all, a Maine law protecting gays against discrimination in jobs, housing, and credit which was passed by the State Legislature after years of struggle by local activists, went down to defeat at the hands of a well-funded referendum campaign by the Christian right. And while Oregon rejected a vicious "no promo homo" amendment that, by forbidding realistic teaching about homosexuality, would have vitiated AIDS education in public schools and colleges and threatened the livelihood of openly gay teachers, the margin of victory was too close for comfort.

Across the nation, the right-wing crusade to roll back gay civil rights gains and block further advances is gathering momentum. This year and next, there are at least thirteen anti-gay referendums in the works around the country, with the likelihood of more to come. We've already lost the first one: In May, Royal Oak, Michigan, outside Detroit, repealed an anti-discrimination ordinance for gays by a crushing margin of 2 to 1. The anti-gay campaign was organized by the Michigan arm of the Rev. Donald Wildmon's American Family Association based in Tupelo, Mississippi. The AFA, which boasts a $17 million annual budget, is rapidly becoming the new spearhead of the anti-gay Christian right (its latest target: the Girl Scouts, for not discriminating against lesbians). The Michigan AFA, led by Gary Glenn, a former anti-labor mercenary from Idaho, has gotten measures on the ballot this November to repeal gay rights protections in Kalamazoo and Traverse City, and similar campaigns have begun in Grand Haven and Huntington Woods. The six other Michigan cities that have such ordinances are also on Glenn's eventual hit list.

Harwich Congregational Church is ‘Welcoming’

[Excerpted from CC Times 6/28/01]

The First Congregational Church in Harwich has voted overwhelmingly to designate their church an "open and affirming" place, a step that declares the church as welcoming to gays and lesbians. It is the only parish among the 18 other Congregational Churches on the Cape that has done so.

A welcoming statement is printed on the back of the worship bulletins that includes people of every race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical and mental ability. The members also voted with 78 percent approval to change the bylaws of the church to state that it is open and affirming.

This means accepting gays and lesbians as full members of the congregation, participants on boards and committees, and supporting blessing ceremonies for same-gender couples.

"Jesus said there is only one rule: Love one another," said the Rev. Terry Newberry of the Harwich Church.

Amnesty Reports Violence Against GLBT’s

[Excerpted from AP 6/22/01, Katherine Roth]

Homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgenders are tortured and mistreated in at least 30 countries, including the United States, according to an Amnesty International Report.

``There is an overriding tolerance of abuse because of the social stigma attached to homosexuality and (because of) defined gender norms," said William F. Schulz, executive director of Amnesty International USA.

The report documented alleged cases of torture and mistreatment in Uganda, Pakistan, Argentina, Russia, and the United States. Among them were cases in which people were antagonized while in custody, physically and sexually assaulted, subjected to unnecessary medical or psychiatric treatment, and forced to flee their countries because of persecution based on their sexual identity.

Many countries--and US states--consider same-sex relations a crime which in some countries is punishable by the death.

Anti-sodomy laws exist in Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia, as well as Puerto Rico.

To stop torture and mistreatment based on sexual identity, Amnesty urges the repeal of such laws and said forced medical ``treatments" designed to ``cure" homosexuality should also be banned. [See also http://www.amnesty.org]

Presbyterian Progress

[New York Times 6/16/01]

The chief policy-making body of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to recommend lifting a ban on ordaining gays. The proposal to remove the ban from the church's constitution, was approved 317 to 208 by the General Assembly of the church.

The current standard for ordination requires ministers, deacons, and elders to "live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness." This standard was inserted into the church's constitution in 1997 and withstood a repeal effort the next year.

The measure now goes to a vote by the church's 173 presbyteries during the next year. A majority vote is required.

Scouting for All?

"And this one’s for homophobia." [New Yorker 1/22/01]

‘Wedding Bells’ in Germany

[Excerpted from Boston Globe 8/2/01]

Dozens of German gay couples exchanged vows on the first day after new legislation took effect. The new law allows gay couples to register their unions at government offices and requires a court decision for divorce. Same-sex couples also will receive the same inheritance and health insurance rights given to married spouses.

The law brings Germany into line with countries such as Denmark, which was the first to grant rights to gay couples in 1989, and France and Sweeden. It also underlines growing tolerance in a country where the Nazis persecuted gays, and where homosexual couples have been allowed to live together only since 1984.

Thoughts from Pem

You have heard the expression "When you no longer need PFLAG, PFLAG needs YOU!

This has never been more true than it is NOW! Why? Discrimination issues arise monthly, and your input at our meetings could be very helpful. For example, the town of Harwich's Superintendent of Schools has been asked by a group, "Concerned Parents," to back off from using the Mass. Dept. of Ed.'s SAFE SCHOOL PROGRAM. He is considering complying with them.

It is becoming more and more necessary for us as GLBT and straight members to speak up and out about understanding diversity and demanding equal rights for all. When one of my four children does not have the same rights as her brother and sisters, this IS a civil rights issue. For example, it is legal in 38 states to be fired if you are openly GLBT; it is legal in 38 states to be denied rental of an apartment if you are openly GLBT; in either case, suspicion alone can possibly be a cause!

PFLAG helps us be aware of what is happening and is a safe place to brainstorm strategies for education, support, and advocacy. More than half of our membership are from the GLBT community! We have about 60 paid members and about 20 involved nonpaying members. Dues help to purchase educational materials which are handed out to each school Health class participant when we speak for the SAFE SCHOOL PROGRAM. Dues help with travel reimbursement for our speakers who travel from P'town to Falmouth. Dues help with our quarterly newsletter expenses and occasional new books for our lending library. We also would love to have new board members. Come to our next board meeting Sept. 17 (regular meeting night) at 5:30. Bring a sandwich and see what we are about. The board meets about three times a year.

Our need for openness and education in the public domain is critical. Those who are keeping "HATRED ALIVE AND WELL" have mobilized, and we are seeing all we stand for being negated by some local, state, and national governing bodies. Yes, PFLAG NEEDS YOU! Our beliefs of truth, freedom, safety, respect, and the dignity of all need to be upheld and spoken for.

See you on the third Monday of each month or call to share your feelings. 508-432-8119.

Gay-Friendly Companies

[www.gfn.com]

The following Fortune-500 companies have been chosen by the Gay Financial Network for inclusion on their list, "The Most Powerful & Gay-Friendly Public Companies in Corporate America." After meeting the ‘Power’ criteria, the two absolute requirements for inclusion is that the company must have a policy stating that it does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, and that it extends benefits to same-sex domestic partners.

After that, the companies were analyzed in terms of revenues, growth, economic power, as well as how they ranked on issues of corporate policies relating to diversity training, employee benefits, employee groups, nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the sale or purchase of goods and services, advertising to the gay market, and having in place a ban on any negative stereotypes based on sexual orientation, among others.

GLBT Group Info

Dates to Remember

Nov 19, Dec 17, Jan 21: Brewster PFLAG, 7 pm

Nov 19 PFLAG Board meeting, 5:30pm

Nov 19, Dec 17, Jan 17: Straight Spouse, 896-9060

Nov 25, Dec 23, Jan 27: Transgender Support, 432-8119

Nov 23: CIGYA Thanksgiving Potluck, 5:30; ph 778-7744 x12

Dec. 1 WORLD AIDS DAY

Dec. 1 Diversity Dinner and Pride Lighting at CIGNA, 6pm

PFLAG/Cape Cod, Brewster

PO Box 1167 Orleans, MA 02653

MISSION: Promote the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons, their families and friends, through Support, to cope with an adverse society; Education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and Advocacy, to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights.

MEETINGS: 7 pm on the third Monday of each month at First Parish Church, Brewster; everyone is welcome. For information call 508-240-2737, 508-432-8119, or 508-398-6471.

MEMBERSHIP: Dues-paying members support the efforts of PFLAG both locally and nationally. Ten dollars goes to PFLAG National (includes subscription to Pflagpole), and the balance is used for our own Newsletter and the purchase of pamphlets, books, and videos. Our fiscal year begins October 1.

OFFICERS: Co-Leaders, Pem Schultz. & Rob Lewis; Treasurer, Jeanne Chagnon; Corresponding Sec’y, Betsy Cochran; Publicity, Martha Berndt; Newsletter, Doris Scherbak and Joann Figueras; Program, Sandy Bayne; Library, Martha Berndt; Computers, Joann Figueras; other board member Randy Kendall.

NEWSLETTER: Published four times a year. We welcome articles and/or comments. Send to above address or call 508-240-2737 or 508-255-7307. E-mail: j.figueras@verizon.net.

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