March 24, 1989• Vol, 20, No. 12 750$ Outside of D.C./Baltimore Areas AM. THE GAY WEEKLY OF THE N N'S5C t i CAIN VAIrelP3511°T.M1,1„. RT.! V A• /11P7-. 16.7111 111 I I 111• II/ I ma III\ 11 MI Mb 1 MI I I MI Jill IL / — — Hill conservatives pummel two federa AIDS efforts Helms, Armstrong, Nickles OMB, at Dannemeyer's block action on extention request, halts funding of federal AZT subsidies for federal sex survey by Lisa M.Keen by Lou Chibbaro Jr. It was only the first volley in what is At the request of Rep. William Dan- expected to be a long war of wills in the nemeyer (R-Calif.), the federal Office of 101st Congress, but Senators Jesse Management and Budget (OMB) has Helms (R-N.C.), William Armstrong (R- blocked funding for a federal sex study Colo.), and Don Nickles (R-Okla.) won that calls for asking as many as 20,000 the first skirmish last week by blocking Americans intimate details of their sex action on a bill that would have sent $5 lives, including questions about whether million in AZT subsidies to financially they engage in Gay sex. strapped people with AIDS. C The study, expected to cost ap- The battleground was a bill introduced proximately $15 million, is sponsored by by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) to the National Institutes of Health and is give the.Department of Human Services being billed as a necessary step in the an additional six months in which to a government's efforts to prevent the award AZT subsidy money to state .1: spread of AIDS. governments for distribution to people • Sen. Jesse Helms refused to give his Dannemeyer, in a statement released An OMB spokeswoman said funds are with AIDS, The Congress, last fall, ap- consent to Sen. Edward Kennedy's by his office, said "middle America" being held up \ for the sex study while proved a bill to authorize HHS to spend, request to forgo committee action on will be offended by the intimate 0M13 officials determine whether ques- Continued on page 11 the AZT bill. nature of the survey. Continued on page 11 IN FOCUS `13 Street Pickpocket' trial ends with deadlocked jury by Lou Chibbaro Jr. the two. Suda said a dismissal would be A week-long armed robbery trial of based on allegations by the defense that Eugene Price, a suspect known in the prosecuting attorney Kathyrn Gay community as the "P Street Pick- MyerscoUgh engaged in "prosecutorial pocket," and codefendant David misconduct" during the trial by coaxing a Caldwell, ended in a mistrial last Friday witness to disclose that Price had a prior after D.C. Superior Court Judge John encounter with police. Suda ruled that the jury was deadlocked The accusations against Myerscough, and could not reach a verdict. who denied acting improperly, climaxed The case involved charges that Price a sometimes acrimonious trial in which robbed Gay bank teller Scott Schaut at court rules prohibit the prosecution from knife-point in the wooded area surround- informing the jury that Price had been ar- ing P Street Beach on the morning of Gay rested numerous times in the past for al- Hinckle Pride Day last June and that Caldwell legedly robbing Gay men in P Street "aided and abetted" Price in the robbery. Beach and in Gay bars in the Dupont Doug Suda directed the prosecutor and Circle area. by defense attorneys to return to court on Schaut testified that he was ap- Letitia Gomez and Paula Salinas have brunch together at Julio's April 14 to argue whether or not he proached by Price, who wielded the should schedule Price and Caldwell for knife, and Caldwell as he walked through on Capitol Hill. another trial or dismiss charges against Continuedon page 7 embraces man with AIDS D.C. Council trims Barbara Bush current AIDS budget• 3 by Lisa M.Keen AIDS who heads up another shelter for coni was historic. It was totally on her AIDS incubation First Lady Barbara Bush focused people with AIDS, Bush made a state- own impetus, she came forward, it was about AIDS "and then gave me a very emotional but warm, she gave him a period may be 10 years 13 media attention on AIDS this week and ment startled some city activists when she great big hug in front of everybody." real body hug." Christian group protests hugged a Gay man with AIDS in Tesconi and Jim Graham, ad- Tesconi said Bush was clearly ministrator of the Whitman-Walker Clinic responding to his suggestion during the series' Lesbian character 16 deliberate view of a field of news cameras. and one of the other activists who briefed briefing inside the shelter that the First during the visit, said they Lady use her visibility,. and position to life-long search Bush had just finished visiting a local Bush on AIDS A shelter called Grandma's House, for considered the First Lady's hug to be an "collectively hug people with AIDS in for women's virtues 21 babies With AIDS, Wednesday morning important symbol. front of the world." Tesconi said Bush when she escorted a small group of AIDS "This was really a splendid oppor- hugged him while they were inside the Exactly what activists outside to a waiting corps of tunity," said Graham, "for the First Lady shelter, too. is a family? 31 press photographers and reporters. Ac- to indicate her general concern about Wednesday's meeting was initiated by .iiimisiiiiimummealigialiatie cording to Lou Tesconi, a Gay man with gee. Ple. with,ATM ger holding Lou Tes- .Continuedan page 9 2— THE WASHINGTON BLADE — March 24, 1989 ...No maw woo sm.* •••••••••••••••••• moot ammialeis Wednesdays Specials On All Your Favorite Well/Vodka Drinks 8:oo p.m. to Closing March 24, 1989 — THE WASHINGTON BLADE —3 N EWS Activists lament deficit's effect on DZ. AIDS budget by Lisa M.Keen "I'm extremely frustrated," said Gay small to handle the workload necessary to The D.C. Council voted Tuesday to and Lesbian Activists Alliance President prepare quarterly budget reports. trim its original AIDS budget for the cur- Roger Doughty, "that the Council would rent fiscal year to down want $4,769,000 not a means to rectify the problems Cases up 42%; dollars up 27% from the $6,211,000 it approved last we've been pointing to as chronic March—and to approve an AIDS budget problems in AIDS-related areas." Gay activists following the DC. AIDS of $6,164,000 for the next fiscal year, Doughty said Council Chairman Dave budget said this week that while they feel 1990. Clarke, at the suggestion of the compelled to acknowledge the Council's The budget for FY 90, while seen by Metropolitan Committee on AIDS Issues, budget constraints because of the city's D.C. Gay activists as inadequate to ad- introduced an amendment to the city fiscal crisis, they believe that short- dress an ever-increasing caseload, budget bill to require the Department of changing the AIDS epidemic at this point represents a 27 percent increase over Human Services' AIDS Program Office will only lead to much higher costs down what the city is expected to spend in FY to file quarterly reports on how its budget the road. 89 at a time when the Council is increas- is being spent. "People concerned about AIDS are ing the overall city budget by only 7 per- The Metropolitan Committee asked concerned, about the entire budget pic- cent. for the amendment in reaction to revela- ture," said Steve Smith, a member of the D.C. Gay activists seemed ready to tions in recent months that the city has Metropolitan Committee. "But the acknowledge this week that the Council's not spent much of the money Council ap- caseload continues to grow and will con- decision not to raise the AIDS budget by propriated last year for AIDS and has, in- tinue to grow, and Council will have to 42 percent—the same percentage by stead, attempted to direct some AIDS find a way to fund real needs—not just which the number of people living with money to to cover the budgets of agen- think they can manage within what they who AIDS in the District has increased in the cies dealing with other health and welfare Councilman H.R. Crawford, budget constraints." has led Council efforts to increase past year—is in reaction to the D.C. issues. Last year, at this time, there were ap- AIDS funding; led the opposition to government's serious financial woes over Councilman H.R. Crawford (D-Ward proximately 437 people living with AIDS the Metropolitan Committee's re- a $175 million deficit. 7), who has in the past led Council efforts in the District. Currently, there are about quest for quarterly reports. But some activists expressed frustra- to increase AIDS funding and programs, 200 more people. Data available from don that the Council refused to mandate led the opposition Tuesday night to the Congress indicates that about one in four caseload is up 17 percent over last year. that the city's agencies dealing with Metropolitan Committee's request for District citizens with AIDS is receiving In his budget requests, Mayor Marion AIDS prepare quarterly reports on how, quarterly reports. According to a spokes- federal subsidies for purchasing AZT. Barry asked to revise the Council's FY when, and where the Council's ap- man for Crawford, the Councilman Statistics. available from the Whitman- 89 AIDS budget down from $6,211,000 propriated AIDS budget is actually spent.