State University of New York College at Buffalo - Buffalo State College Digital Commons at Buffalo State The aM deline Davis Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, The iF fth rF eedom Transgender Archives of Western New York 5-1-1978 Fifth rF eedom, 1978-05-01 The aM ttachine Society of the Niagara Frontier Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/fifthfreedom Part of the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons Recommended Citation The aM ttachine Society of the Niagara Frontier, "Fifth rF eedom, 1978-05-01" (1978). The Fifth Freedom. 73. http://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/fifthfreedom/73 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the The aM deline Davis Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Archives of Western New York at Digital Commons at Buffalo tS ate. It has been accepted for inclusion in The iF fth rF eedom by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons at Buffalo tS ate. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FREE Freedom5th Publication of the Mattachine Society of the Niagara Frontier MAY 1978 Boston GaysProtest Library Dade County Replays Entrapment Arrests in Three Cities The repeal of the Dade County uled for May 23. Opponents of the rights law last June appears to have ordinance are led by housewife Mau- inspired reen similar attempts throughout Gieber, a woman who spearheaded the United States. Wichita (KS), St. the drive which collected 10,000 Paul (MN) and Eugene (OR) are cities signatures. Gay people there feel where efforts are that currently being chances of winning the referen- made by Bryant-like fundamentalists dum are good. to repeal recently enacted Gay rights In New York City, a'general legislation. There is also some concern strategy meeting among representatives in New York's Gay of community about a groups concerned with the ongoing referendum Gay rights if legislation crusades against Gay rights was held. is passed Some there. of the conclusions relating to In Wichita, 31,000 signatures strategy were : the best routes for have been collected and filed with defeating referenda appear to be close city officials since' scrutiny of the Gay ordin- local and state laws for ance passed in September. Since only general or technical violations in 10,000 were needed, a referendum will the referenda process; the need to be held on May 9th. A poll taken in build political coalitions and to September showed public sentiment to work with other groups and prominent be 3 to 1 for repeal. citizens in support of human rights In St. Paul, the vote, taken was declared the best overall strat- April 25th was 2 to 1 for repeal agem. just — as in the Dade County vote. At On March 13, 1978, Del Martin the same of time, a Gay vet lost a San Francisco and Leonard Matlo- BOSTON GAY DEMONSTRATORS legislative office race. vich of Washington, D.C. announced In Seattle, the BOSTON—More than 200 persons demon- eral to hold hearings and summon - police officer Dav- formation of the Tri-City Nation- id Estes filed an initiative al strated in front of the Boston Public witnesses for the purpose of making in mid- Defense Fund, for the purpose of January to have the Library and at Boston police head- the investigation. local Gay rights raising funds on a national level for ordinance quarters Saturday, April 1, to pro- Extra police officers—four repealed through public the three cities. Tri-City will vote. Though initially test police harassment and entrapment patrol-officers, one sergeant, and rejected, the afford lesbians and Gay men across initiative was at the library. The protest was the and officer from the Mounted Patrol- refiled in revised the country the opportunity to help form approved. product of a community meeting held had been assigned to cover the demon- and Estes has until the people in these three cities. July 24 to collect 17,600 All three days earlier to discuss possible stration at the request of nervous signatures. donations will be gratefully ac- The Seattle law cepted : responses to the library situation, library officials who had feared dates from 1973. Tri-City National Defense In Eugene, Fund, which has resulted in the arrest of that the group would attempt to a referendum on the P.O. Box 3949, Hollywood, CA rights more than 100 men during a two-week storm the building.- An even larger Gay ordinance has been sched- 90028. GPU News period. unit was deployed to police head- At 1:45, several of the marchers quarters on Berkeley Street for the burned their library cards in a de- same purpose. There were no inci- monstration which recalled the draft- dents, however. card burning ceremonies of a decade Officials at Boston Police Dis- ago. trict Four have consistently main- Gay Legislator is Representative Mcl King announced tained that the library arrests were that he had filed legislation direc- solely the result of many complaints ting state Attorney General Francis from library management concerning X. Bellotti to Senatorial investigate "allegedly the nuisance "cruis- Candidate alleged posed by unlawful conduct" by police officers ing" on the first and third floors Mass State Representative, in Boston Police District Four. of the building. Police have denied as saying that her being "different" Elaine Noble, D-Bo&ton, one of the Nous£ Bill 4882, which is presently that entrapment tactics were used should not stop her from seeking and first admitted homosexuals an in the Legislature's Judiciary com- to make the arrests, many to win winning a seat in the Senate anymore although election to a state legislature mittee, authorizes the attorney gen- of the 103 men arrested insist that in than it should prevent the elderly, the United announced her can- the plainclothes officer was either States, blacks or other minorities from seek- didacy this past month for the Demo- masturbating himself the men's ing office. in cratic nomination for the room or initiated conversations in U.S. Senate Rep. Noble has gained the support seat now held by Edward Dismissal of the library. Brooke, R- of Massachusetts 'heavyweights' such Gay Mass. as House Speaker Thomas O'Neill, Jr. It seems somewhat ironic that The Citizens for Participation Drug Abuse Chief she, a minority as a lesbian, should in Political Action (CPPAX) has failed D.C. be running against this contry's only however, to endorse any candidate Rescinded by PROPOSED Black senator. She is quoted by UPI for this important election. The lib- eral group was expected to give its State Board CRIME support to Elaine Noble. The decision CODE of the group not to endorse her is Sacramento, CA California Gov. Jerry- LEGALIZES seen by political observers as a set- Brown has been delivered a Stinging back in her campaign. Buffalo Even- rebuke by the state Personnel Board ing News and Gay Community News in its rehiring of openly-Gay Dr. SODOMY Josette Mondanaro as chief of the State's drug abuse office. Dr. Mon- Washington, DC A new crime code which danato was fired last October by includes legalizing homosexual acts be- AAAS Brown after a sexually explicit let- tween consenting adults has been approv- Shifts ter written on state stationary sup- ed by the District of Columbia Law Re- posedly written by Mondanaro was made view Commission. The changes in the Conference to public. code have been forwarded to Congress Mondanaro had contended that her for action. Passage of the bill, with- Support ERA sexual orientation was a factor in the out modifications, could come by Sep- firing, a charge Brown denies. tember. Congressional staffers report- Chicago, 111 The American Associa- A spokesperson for the Govenor edly have warned that the code could tion for the Advancement of Science stated that " We disagree with the run into some legislative troublf says it will not hold next year's an- decision but we will respect it." The proposed code goes before the nual conference in Chicago as origin- ally The personnel board, meeting in Senate and House District Committees planned. San Francisco, concurred with the where hearings are expected to begin The Board of Directors of the 125,000-member recommendations of the hearing, offic- this month. The code can be revised by association says it er, who stated that Mondanaro s per- Congress at any point along the legi- voted to boycott Chicago because the' sonal letter, dated Jtjne 24 of last slative process. State of Illinois has failed to ratify year, to a friend decrying the use The code would repeal the existing the passage of the Equal Rights A- mendment. of children in pornography, was an sodomy law and set the age of consent error in judgement but not serious at 16, except where one partner is be- The board said that the con- vention, enough to warrent firing of "an out- tween 11 and 15 years of age and the instead, will be held Jan- standing employee." Philadelphia other partner is no more than five uary 3-8, 1979, in Houston, which " Gay News years older. Gay Community News STATE REP. ELAINE NOBLE was the site of the National Women's Conference. Philadelphia Gay News EDITORIAL th This strong sense of self is vital to our survival: sth5 Freedom Rebirth we are still a hated minority in many segments of the The new life and energy of spring are reinvi- community; and the city administration not only Publication of Mattachine Society of the Niagara Frontier gorating Buffalo's gay community through the Matta- opposes our interests but, as the feature story in chine Society and the resources it is now offering.