LGBT History Project of the LGBT Center of Central PA Located at Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections http://archives.dickinson.edu/ Documents Online Title: Gay Era (Lancaster, PA) Date: February 1977 Location: LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection Periodicals Collection Contact: LGBT History Project Archives & Special Collections Waidner-Spahr Library Dickinson College P.O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA 17013 717-245-1399 [email protected] FEBRUARY 1977 vol. 2 no. 10 50c HAPPYHAPPY EVERYONE (that’s Valentine’s Day, silly person!) y in tZHE nE\n STATE'S COUNCIL FOR SEXUAL MINORITIES be successfully resolved. ?efoethetJr^tiVe Act1on Off1ce at the col- Although the Council’s authority under the Executive Order extends only to those agen­ Mavo’ "wil? fnii® pr®sident. Dr- Charles G. ESTABLISHES COMPLAINT CENTER the noli™V the reco™"endations of cies and activities under the Governor's jur­ HARRISBURG—The Pennsylvania Council for isdiction, the Council will receive com­ d and si9n the proposal. Sexual Minorities, formerly the Governor's plaints against other parties—seeking coop­ tive to t0 ??d one 9ay representa- Council, has announced the establishment of sociatinn thntrac?1,e9iate Government As- eration voluntarily from such parties, Sil­ ?-"rboay:h:ar^trrnment's ieg,s- a center to investigate complaints of dis­ vestre said. crimination. "Confidentiality will be maintained and ln JennX^rrh^^?oi?e^ "Any person in state employment, services no formal action will be taken by the Council or state regulated services, who believes without the consent of the person submitting ro™?vWDasseriASS0Ciwti0n Of Students unani- that he or she has been discriminated against a complaint," Silvestre said. He further ad­ solely on the basis of sexual or affectional vised that “complaints should include names, M- av ' t " endorsement of Gov. Shapp's communicatinn^t6 ordars> and sent a letter preference may file a complaint," Tony Sil- addresses and telephone numbers and specific vestre, Council chairperson, said. details of the alleged incident including Complaints may be submitted in writing to the nature of the discrimination." the Pennsylvania Council for Sexual Minori­ ties, Complaint Center, 238 Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120, or by tele­ EQUALITY FOR GAYS VOTED on gay riohts^h0" alsokset UP a task force phone through the Governor's Action Line, Cwiek and n tmembers 1nclude Tim State CoflnoA U ler’ both of West Chester 1-800-932-0784, or through the Gay Switch­ AT WEST CHESTER STATE board of Harrisburg, 1-717-234-0328, Silves- WEST CHESTER, PA—West Chester State Col­ diana State u^ ??other student f™m In­ tre advised. lege has become the third college in just as task force win Slty Of Pennsylvania. The "The center's creation is a result of the many months to endorse an affirmative action Governor's mandate to the Council," Silves- policy program guaranteeing equal rights for tre said. "The Executive Order which estab­ gays and other minorities. The action was libraries^repre6 b?°5r°" ^mos'eiuality"for lished the Council also authorized it to voted unanimously by the affirmative action receive complaints of discrimination on the policy board of the state college on Nov. basis of sexual or affectional preference." 22—one month to the day that a similar en­ seeking “rede’s. taSk force 1s a1s° Issued in January 1976 the order also out­ dorsement occurred at Temple University in lined the policy to eliminate discrimination Philadelphia. Cwieklteducationaltbls jCtion was taken by against members of sexual minorities in all West Chester State joins the ranks of agencies under the jurisdiction of the Gov­ Haverford College and Temple as the first ernor. institutions of higher learning in Pennsyl­ In the past, according to Silvestre, those vania to endorse the program. discriminated against in such areas as em­ The action at West Chester State means ployment, housing, insurance and law enforce­ that gays will now be accorded the same pro­ son to hold this position P 1y 9ay per' ment have had no recourse. "Pennsylvania tection enjoyed by other recognized mi­ as 30 members.^It i^hofdi^^jpresently has lacks legislation to prevent such discrimina­ norities on the campus. tion, nevertheless, many such complaints may According to Ms. Jeanette Sam, director Gay Olympic and World Men's Champion Figure Skater John Curry and ice choreo­ grapher Twyla Tharp talk prior to Curry's performance in the Superskates III perform­ ance at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15. At the annual Olympic Benefit/Ballet, Curry skated to Albinoni's Concerto for Trumpet in B-Flat. Curry "came out" at a press con­ ference on Feb. 11 of this year after win­ ning the gold medal at the Winter Olympics at Innsbruck. At that news conference, Curry noted that coaches had tried to force him and other skaters into "masculine" appearing styles that were unnatural for them. After his open gayness made the rounds at Olympic Village, Curry was greeted by "deafening cheers, demands for two en­ cores, flowers and waves from people who will never meet him," when he finished skat­ ing, according to the Toronto Globe and Mail. ---------------------------- - Gay Community News Photo by Bgttyo Lane is no longer a question of isolated cases here and there. The ACLU will get into it tivities night, and questioned two local and it will be easier to fight in court. candidates prior to November's election on CAR8LuSt0Nper°hUaSpIEtRhl best hope for a reversal their gay rights positions. The candidates, of policy may come when Jimmy Carter takes Campinella and Taylor, both expressed op- the oath of office on Jan. 20. Reliable position to discrimination in any form, but sources indicate that there is a "good failed to support any legislative remedies. chance" that the President-elect and h1s - Gay News attorney general will choose a new prison director, probably a black, to replace Carl­ son. The director of the U.S. Bureau of GAY PRESS BARRED Prisons has traditionally been a non-parti­ Labyrinth/ cpf san career position. One director, James FROM ALL FEDERAL PRISONS Bennett, served from the Roosevelt through by Neil Miller cations only in cases where there is a clear­ the Johnson administrations. Carlson him­ ly overriding institutional interest, Carl­ self is a Nixon appointee who assumed the WASHINGTON, DC—Norman Carlson, director son continued. "In this «se, we believe post in 1970. However, with revelations of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, has official­ that such is the case, as publications ad­ of abuse within the FBI and the CIA, the ly banned all gay publications from federal vocating or supporting homosexuality exacer­ concept of career positions 1n sensitive prisons in this country. Carlson's decision bate a major problem. Publications which areas is going out of favor, and Carlson which was announced in a letter to New York call attention or identify inmates who ac­ may find himself a victim of this trend. Rep. Edward Koch on Dec. 10, is a blanket cept homosexuality can, in our opinion, be "It's our real hope," said the NGTF's order and is to be effective immediately. In detrimental to their safety as well as to Ginny V1da. the past, decisions on publications had been the safety of others. For that reason we - Gay Community News (GCN) left up to individual wardens—following have concluded that such publications should qeneral guidelines—but the new decision be prohibited." overrules past policy. The Carlson decision U.S. Bureau of Prisons press secretary , MOUNTIES CHARGED WITH BIAS will have no effect on state and local Mike Aun told GCN by telephone that Carlson s prisons. decision was a matter of balancing Jnstitu- OTTAWA, CANADA—Bias against gays in the screening of potential members of the Royal The Carlson decision came after the Pris­ tional needs vs. individual tights. on Bureau director agreed to review the de­ "Straight" publications such as Playboy, Canadian Mounted Police is being protested cision of a Leavenworth Penitentiary warden, Hustler, and the like are not affected by by the National Gay Rights Coalition of denying prisoner Calvin Reach's receipt of the ba"n on the gay press and may continue to Canada. .. ... gay publications, including GCN and It's The qroup has demanded a meeting with be received by prisoners. Time, the publication of the National Gay Solicitor General Francis Fox, this country s TasE Force. The review came at the request ^^Gay1 organizations reacted swiftly and an- equivalent of the U.S. Attorney Genera , to of Rep. Koch. Keach was one of many gay qrily to Carlson's decision. Ginny Vida, work out agreements to end discrimination prisoners at several prisons throughout the media director of the National Gay Task aqainst gays by the ROMP. country who had been denied permission to Force, called the decision "appalling. V1da Coalition Coordinator David Gannaise criticized printed comments from RCMP spokes- receive gay publications. told GCN that she had already spoken with persons to the effect that homosexuality was In a letter to Rep. Koch, director Carl­ Lambda Legal Defense about the possibility among the "character weaknesses which the son stated, "The reason for this decision of going to court to reverse the decision. Mounties attempt to uncover in background focuses exclusively on the fact that homo­ In the meantime, the American Civil Liber­ sexuality is a major problem in correctional investigations of applicants. ties Union's Prison Project presently has a institutions. As you will recall, the re­ Such character weaknesses—among which class action suit in the making, which in­ the spokesperson also included alcoholism cent investigation into eight murders at cludes a section on the rights of gay pris­ Lewisburg (a Pennsylvania prison) revealed and "extreme dependence on one's mother^-are that five of them had homosexual overtones.