Texan's Gay Immigration Case Attracting National Attention By Don Ritz Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Longstaff said that NGRA would fund Immigration of gay men and women to the Orleans. Late last September, the Appeals the majority of costs for the Supreme U.S. is a subjectthat has been picked up by Court, by a vote of 2 to l, affirmed the Court case, and the organization would be the national news media. Federal District Court's decision. accepting donatiorui. (Donations are tax Richard Longstaff, owner of the Union After the Appeals Court decision, the dedut'tible, and checks should be made to Jack clothing stores in Dallas and Hous­ National Gay Rights Advocates (NGRA), NGRA or the Legal Foundation for Per· ton, immigrated to the U.S. from Great located in San Francisco, requested a sonal Liberties, 540 Castro, San Fran­ Britain in 1965. Shortly after immigrat­ rehearing en bane by the Appeals Court. cisco, Calif. 94114.) ing, Longstaff opened his store in Dallas NGRA, citing numerous contradictions Longstaff said, "Speculation is that the and later opened a second in Houston. between the Fifth Circuit's decision and Supreme Court will hear the ca8e, but it is Eleven years after immigrating to this other smiliar immigration cases, purely speculation as to when they will country, Longstaff applied for U.S. citi­ requested that the case be heard by the hear it. The timing (of the case) does not zenship. entire Fifth Circuit Court, not just three have the priority of something like a case The U.S. Federal District Court Judge judges. ,..;th the death sentence. It,.. ould be up to a Joe Estes twice denied Longstaff citizen• The appellate court refused the rehear­ ye.ar before they decide to hear the case, ship and based his decision on two issues. ing request. NGRA has now filed for the then another year before they actually do Este,; claimed that Longstaff was in viola• Supreme Court to hear the case. The hear it, and another 12 months to make e tion of the Texas State Penal Code, Sec• Supreme Court received the writ on Wed­ ruling." tion 21.06, the "homosexual conduct" law, nesday, Jan. 25. Ron Ranum, :-GRA administrator, said and that Longstaff had illegally entered NBC national news learned of the case, he lioped the case would not take quite the country. and reporter Carl Stem and a camera crew that long. Ranum said he thought a deci­ A law passed by Congress in 1952 states were sent to Washington to interview sion on whether or not the case would be that individuals with "psychopathic per• Longstaff on Tuesday, Jan. 23. heard would be made in October Ranum sonalities" are exdudable and ineligible Longstaff said that he was uncertain added that it's hard to predict any judicial to receive visas to immigrate to the U.S. In when the interview would be aired, but decision. 1965, the law was amended to include anticipated it would be aired on the same "NGRA is reaching out to get the best "sexual deviants." day the Supreme Court received the writ, Gay Texas' businessman poti 1ble lawyertodotheoral agrumentfor Longstaff appealed the decision to the on the evening news with Tom Brokaw. Richard Longstaff the caae before the Supreme Court. " That Little Brown Bottle THE STAR Under Your Nose AUSTIN * SAN ANTONIO Joe Baker, Commentary, p.7 Feb. 3, 1984 D Issue •7 o Published Every Other Friday ig Bro er as een ,ng• or ears, ays 1minoski By Hollis Hood some $165. This attitude, he says, typifies procedure-of homosexuals. If this can go the Reagan's administration's position of on here, it can go on anywhere, and does," 1984 is here, end Biir Brother and Big Sis­ trying to undermine the purpose of the he said. ter have already been watching for FOIA. He encouraged the Journalistb to go decades. Dan Siminoski, who ret"ently Virginia Apuzzo, executive dirt'ctor of back to their respective cities and discover filed for release of FBI gay surveillance the National Gay Task Force, has voiced if their police departments had such files. documents under the Freedom oflnforma­ support for Siminoski's cause, saying, "We should all c-are about these tion Act, said in his keynote address at the "The FBI's refusal to waivl' fees for Dr records," the longtime activist said. "It's Srcond Annual Gay Press AsRociation 's Siminoski's Freedom of Information Act one of the great scandals of administra• Southern Regional Confrrence Jan. 27 in requl'st is another example of the federal t1ve Justice. It is a dark, illicit, ugly history Houston. government's special and systematic to taxpayer waste and secrecy " Siminoski was in Houston to promote hara. smcnt of the gay lesbian movement The FBI',. refusal will result in the larg­ Siminosk1 VB. the FBI, the case filed on his which Dr. Simmosk1 and other histonans est FOIA case m history, he said. behalf by the California Civil Liberties and social scientists seek to document. The government hasn't just saHld Union this past October, and to promote This case will give us the opportunity to records on ind1v1duals such as John Lc.n his forthcoming book, Spies m the C/osrt. inform the American public about the dis­ non or Martin Luther Kmg, he said In the The case nrose when h(• requested the crimination we face nnd will be a major case of the ga) movement, "as with the release of FRI documents for hook test of the rights of gay men and lesbians ,..omen's mO\ement or any other move­ research, "including hut not limited to" 1:1 to b,• secure in their civil liberties." ment wanting change," they have docu­ gay organizations nationwide which the "I have been asked why I should care mented an entire SO<'lal history. bur(,au had been tracking since the early about 'old, dusty records,"' Siminoski told That'.s one reason Simmoski wants the Hl.iOs. the gathered newspersons. "What differ• records, he said. "The litigation will gh e "But it doesn't matter who's watching," encc will it make? Well, I'll give you sev• us an opportunity to gather a large piet"e of the political consultant said, "the gay eral reasons." gay history. A chance to recover much of movement will make progrPSs. We must do ThiR is not just a gay case, he explained. what has not been kept by others. They whatever is necessary to maximize sup· It is of interest to ell civil libertarians. It have records on the Mattachine Society port in this frightening world." demonatrate.s that no person nor group of and One, Incorporated from the very It is time for the gay movement to reach persons is "safe under the law until they beginning. out to the other human rights groups and know exactly how that law may be "If there's one thing you can i;ay for the b(-come a part of the mainstream human abridged to violate their rights. federal government, it is a wonderful rights cause, Siminoski said. Through this PHOTO SMOAOOJlli '1'his case will tell us e lot about the archivist," he jokingly stated "It gathel'II clout, gays can imprnss upon the govern­ Dan S1minoski relation.ship between gay rights and the ever~1hing and keep its. It keeps thmgs ment that they will no longer toleratl' federal government, which alledgedly like a pack rat-all the dirt in all the being spied upon and harassed. dollars. stands for freedom. It \\ill demonstrate closets-end they save, save. save." "We are Am(•ric.an citizens, and we need In essence, gays are paying taxes to be that civil liberties are only up to the defini­ The emplo) ees routinely chp from gay to rPach out to electoral candidates who spied on by their gover_nment, and that tion (given them) by local law enforcement and non-gay publications anything that are supportive of gay rights," he said government is not allowing th~se persons agencies. Gay rights have always been refers to gay issues or gay individuals, he "and make gay rights part of the huma~ to see the information that 1s being accum­ violated and are continuing to be," said said, citing a meeting notice which rights coalition-call it ~he Rainbow Coa• ulated about them. Siminoski, who holds a doctorate from the appt>ared in the university newspaper in lition, Roosevelt Coaht10n or what hav!' Siminoski was told that the documents University of Wisconsin. Hayward, Calif. The Gay Academic you," . he rt'<juested would "endanger national He specifically referred to ret"ent bar Union listed the name of the organization, Not only is the surveillance of the gay Sl-curity" if they were released, and that raids in Houston where some 46 persons location and time of meeting and other movement and prominent figures in it the public served by such a releruie would were randomly taken in for alleged public "juicy tidbit.s, like bring a sack lunch and (documentation which. according to Sim­ be "so small" that it essentially was not intoxication. cofftoe v.ill be furmshed." This clipping inoksi, numbel'!I in the thousands of pages worthwhile to go through the clerical pro­ "Houston is considered the liberal capi­ was filed in the Hayward Pwneer file in eight major cities nationwide) contrary CCIISes involved. He termed this attitude tal of the South, but the police department under a national security classification. to the basic freedom of speech guarant.•ed "unadulterated poppy coc-k" admittedly has a file of license plate That indicated it to be an organization by the Bill of Rights, it is a dreadful waste He was also denied a fee waiver request numbers, names and photographs-some continued of hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' for copying what records he could get, taken out of the context of regular police 2 THE STAR I FEB.