News stories from the Gay People's Chronicle

October 5, 2001

United Way diverts Scout money to school program’

No real change: School program money now replaces United Way funds in regular Scout groups

No real change: School program money now replaces United Way funds in regular Scout groups

by Eric Resnick

Cleveland--United Way Services of Greater Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Council of the Boy Scouts of America have agreed to an accounting sleight of hand in order to continue funding the Scouts at the same level while appearing not to support the group’s ban on gays.

United Way of Cleveland has granted its entire Boy Scout allocation to a relatively small and non-traditional Scout program called Learning for Life. That program’s United Way funding, originally $90,000, is now $268,000.

United Way then stopped funding all other Boy Scout programs. However, the new funding policy is a matter of accounting, and does not change the amount going to the Boy Scouts.

According to Boy Scouts spokesperson Susan Lewis, the change represents "no impact on general funding."

"It just means that the United Way funds are designated only for Learning for Life," said Lewis.

Lewis added that in the past, funds from other sources have been used to run Learning for Life. Now, the council will use that money to support the traditional programs that United Way once funded.

Learning for Life, which began in 1991, is a classroom-oriented program run by teachers in schools. The goal is to teach students age 6-18 how to apply their academic knowledge to everyday life. Learning for Life has also incorporated the former Explorer programs, which are designed to expose youth to business practices and contacts.

Because Learning for Life is school-based, it is the only Boy Scout program that does not ban gays.

"This just gives [United Way president] Mike Benz the ability to say he’s not funding programs that discriminate, when, in fact, we know that the Boy Scouts are just jumbling budget lines," said Patrick Shepherd, a Cleveland activist and longtime critic of the United Way’s funding of Boy Scouts.

United Way director of marketing Paula Slimak said the volunteer leadership that allocates United Way funds still struggles with the issue of the Boy Scouts.

The August 29 Cleveland Free Times quoted United Way campaign chair Ernie Novak, who is the managing partner of Ernst and Young, saying "Under my watch, funding to the Scouts is not in jeopardy."

Reportedly, Novak was responding to publicity around the Scouting for All rally held August 25 on Public Square, and said he would resign his chair and that Ernst and Young would withdraw its significant United Way gift if Boy Scout funding was cut.

Novak did not respond to requests to comment for this report, nor has he spoken further to the Free Times.

Similar accounting techniques are used by United Ways across the country to make donors believe they can withhold their contributions from organizations they find objectionable.

Most United Ways allow donors to say they don’t want their money to go to specific organizations. Still, all the money collected goes into the general account. The agency allocations are done a year in advance, so such donor stipulations have no effect on any agency’s budget.

Slimak says that the United Way took a stand saying that program funds are to stay with non-discriminating programs.

"This change says the United Way is making non- discrimination a requirement to access United Way funds," said Slimak.

United Way Services of Greater Cleveland does not include sexual orientation in its non-discrimination policy.

Two gay candidates lose in council primary

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland—The city held its mayoral and council primaries on October 2, and both gay council candidates were knocked out of the race.

Joseph Santiago, running for Ward 14’s council seat, came in a close third, nipping at Ignatius James DeMio’s heels. Nelson Cintron, Jr., the incumbent, took 55% of the vote in his district, while DeMio had 22% and Santiago garnered 17%. John W. Neu came in a distant fourth with 5.5%.

Santiago’s campaign seemed strong, especially after the Plain Dealer, Cleveland’s daily newspaper, gave Santiago their endorsement.

"There is no really good choice," the paper said of the Ward 14 race. "That said, Santiago is Ward 14's best bet. He can learn the issues. He appears to have integrity. And in this race, that goes a long way."

In Ward 17, Matt Zone beat all comers by a 2-1 margin, including Michael "Buck" Harris, a longtime community activist.

"I knew going into this it was a long shot," Harris said. "I’m okay, I will survive."

Harris was disheartened at his poor showing in the primary. He came in fourth, with 6.5% of his district’s vote. He acknowledged that he didn’t run the strongest campaign, but noted that a strong campaign does not make a good politician.

He also expressed concern at a lack of support from the gay community during his campaign.

Harris had contacted the Victory Fund, a national organization that strives to get LGBT candidates elected, but never heard back from the group. He also contacted the Stonewall Democrats, asking them to help publicize a candidates forum. According to Harris, 300 people turned out for the forum, but he recognized none of them from the gay community.

"The only way I would consider running for any office is if going in, I had a campaign staff and commitments from the Stonewall Democrats and the Victory Fund," he said, noting that his campaign was almost a one-man show.

"Campaigning for me has been a lonely experience, and not one I’d look forward to in the near future."

Harris is throwing his support to Julie Candela, who came in well behind Matt Zone but edged out Frank Johanek.

In the mayoral race, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jane Campbell, seeking to become Cleveland’s first female mayor, and Clinton appointee Raymond Pierce pulled ahead of the pack to clinch the two spots on the November ballots.

Both candidates spoke strongly in favor of AIDS resources and LGBT rights at a candidates forum at the Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center on September 24. Pierce has a lot of support from the African-American community in Cleveland, and was endorsed by U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Campbell is popular with the voters, and has more experience in elected office.

Despite the defeat of Santiago and Harris in Cleveland, the outlook is better for gay candidates in the rest of the state.

Dennis Lange and incumbent Toledo council member Louis Escobar both won in that city’s September 11 primary, while James Moore-McDermott in Bucyrus and John Schlagetter in Cincinnati are also still in the running for their city councils. All face general elections on November 6 for at-large seats.

Ohio marriage ban bill gets first hearing

Sponsor says his bill is ‘not anti-gay’

by Eric Resnick

Columbus--A measure to deny recognition of same-sex unions made in other states has resurfaced in the Ohio Legislature.

House Bill 234, introduced last May by State Rep. Bill Seitz, a first-term Cincinnati Republican, may also eliminate local domestic partner laws in Ohio.

During sponsor testimony October 3, Seitz told the House Civil and Commercial Law Committee that his "bill is not anti-gay."

"The principal focus of H.B. 234 is to establish that same-sex marriages are against the strong public policy of Ohio," Seitz began.

Seitz continued that he and the 39 co-sponsors believe that current Ohio law correctly limits the institution of marriage in this state to heterosexual relationships between one man and one woman.

"I recognize that others may disagree," Seitz testified, "and to them I say the answer to your concerns is not passage or defeat of House Bill 234 but rather in some other bill that would re-define marriage in Ohio to be more inclusive."

Seitz said that legislators should pass his "Defense of Marriage Act" if they believe that Ohio law is already correct in how it defines marriage "because of the risk that marriages and civil unions conducted in other states under other standards are going to be recognized as valid by Ohio’s courts unless we pass H.B. 234."

Seitz’s bill was introduced May 2 at 6 am, following a lengthy floor debate on school funding.

The bill is a collaborative effort between the Republican caucus and the Cincinnati Citizens for Community Values. Only one of the co-sponsors is a Democrat.

CCV is the organization that spearheaded the 1993 petition drive to put the anti-gay Issue 3 charter amendment on the ballot.

Civil and Commercial Law Committee Chair John Willamowski, a Lima Republican, is a co-sponsor of the bill.

It is Willamowski’s policy to grant sponsor testimony for all bills before his committee. Bills that have support and are likely to make it to the floor are quickly granted proponent, then opponent testimony prior to committee vote.

"We are 95 percent sure that they will schedule proponent testimony for [October 10]," said Seitz aide Andie Snider.

Seitz acknowledged to the committee that prior DOMA bills introduced by Senators Hottinger and Jordan failed to be passed out of committee, but said "those bills dealt with a largely theoretical problem."

Seitz cited the civil unions recognized in Vermont and Germany and the more recent same-sex marriages in the Netherlands as another reason why he believes Ohio needs to pass DOMA.

"We are no longer dealing with hypothetical problems," Seitz said. "We should [pass] it now, before Ohio’s courts point to our inaction as the reason why they must recognize, for Ohio law purposes, same-sex marriages or civil unions performed in other states or foreign countries."

Seitz concluded by saying his bill is not anti-gay because same-sex marriage is already prohibited by Ohio law.

"Therefore," he added, "the bill is not discriminatory and instead is a mere exercise in closing a loophole" for the purpose of ensuring that Ohio will never recognize civil unions or same-sex marriages in other states.

Following Seitz’s statement, Reps. Peter Lawson Jones, a Shaker Heights Democrat and Ed Jerse, a Euclid Democrat, both members of the committee, questioned Seitz as to how the bill would affect local communities’ rights to enact civil rights ordinances and domestic partner benefits.

Thousands join Tammy Faye seeing red, all night long

by Kaizaad Kotwal

Columbus-Columbus’ contribution to the national gay circuit party scene was held this year at the Valley Dale Ballroom on Sunbury Road on September 29.

The annual Red Party, which started at 10 pm, wound up at around 8 am the following morning as revelers headed off to brunch parties and tea dances around the city.

The special guest of honor this year was none other than Tammy Faye Bakker (now Messner), who did her part by showing up in a sharp red pant suit with her trademark eyelashes and makeup. She stood on a platform at the entrance, meeting and greeting Red Party revelers who were also invited to pose for pictures with her.

The crowd of approximately 5,000 was packed into a very hot and steaming ballroom, which was decorated in all things red. The theme for this year’s party was "Red Fetish" and the sundry accoutrements included a scantily clad boy dressed as a bird in a red cage, a dancer atop a pedestal painted entirely in red, drag queens galore, and strippers in red thongs.

While few showed up in extraordinary costumes, in early anticipation of Halloween, most were there in typical club and circuit part wear, the common thread being as little clothing as possible.

Because the Red Party seems to attract a mostly male crowd, the Wall Street Night Club held an alternative party called The Lady in Red Party, which was also extremely well attended.

High court to hear case of couple denied name change

Butler County magistrate cited ‘divine edict’

by Eric Resnick

Columbus--The Ohio Supreme Court has decided to hear the case of two Butler County lesbians denied the right to change their last names by a probate judge.

The judge’s ruling was upheld by the 12th District Court of Appeals February 12.

The women, Belinda Lou Priddy and Jennifer Lane Bicknell, sought the mutual last name Rylen, made from letters of their present last names, in February 2000. At the time, Bicknell was pregnant from artificial insemination, and the couple wanted to deepen their commitment to each other and share a last name with their child.

The couple has been together ten years and has exchanged rings and vows.

The name change was first denied by magistrate Charles Pater, who cited religious "natural law" and "divine edict" in refusing the name change.

The case was appealed to probate judge Randy Rogers, who agreed with Pater and further cited a 1991 law ending common-law marriages as evidence that Ohio public policy "promotes legal marriages and withholds official sanction from non- marital cohabitation."

The Court of Appeals agreed with Rogers that granting the name change would contravene Ohio’s statutes favoring marriage and discouraging cohabitation, by a 2-1 vote.

According to the couple’s attorney, openly gay Scott Knox of Cincinnati, the lower courts erred in prejudice against the women instead of applying the proper legal standard for name changes.

Knox is pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision. "I can’t imagine them wanting to hear the case if they thought the appeals court’s opinion was persuasive," said Knox. "They’re busy folks down there."

Knox said once the appeals court transmits the record to the Supreme Court, he will have 40 days to submit a brief. He expects the court to schedule the hearing sometime in the spring.

Knox also represents a transgender woman denied a legal name change by the same courts because she is pre-operative, and they think she might change her mind.

Knox filed a jurisdictional memorandum in that case with the Supreme Court September 26.

"If the court clarifies the law around name changes in the lesbian couple’s case, it could also decide [the transgender name change] case," said Knox.

Stonewall Cincinnati’s new board girds for the future

by Anthony Glassman

Cincinnati—After a period of upheaval that cost the organization its executive director position and saw dwindling numbers of board members, Stonewall Cincinnati is poised to retake its position in the vanguard of human rights work in Southwest Ohio.

The organization elected nine new board members at their September 11 meeting.

Incumbent board member Heidi Bruins is now the co-chair of the group. She is also the co-chair of this weekend’s Out & Equal Conference. She works for Procter & Gamble, and is a member of the leadership team of GABLE, Gay, Bisexual and Lesbian Employees, instrumental in organizing Procter & Gamble’s advertising boycott of Laura Schlessinger’s television show last fall.

Bruins is joined by co-chair Roy Ford, a new addition to the board of directors.

Other new additions include former executive director Doreen Cudnik, Mike McCleese, Jaime McCauley, Amy Vincent, Brionnea Williams, Diana Brewer, Chsris Seelbach of the Xavier Alliance at Xavier University, and Jan Scholler.

M. Freeman Durham is now an ex officio member of the board. Term limits in the bylaws forced his shift in role. Doreen Quinn, who was an ex officio member of the board last year, now serves solely on the Stonewall Political Action Committee board. Elisheva Kaftal also remains on the board.

According to Bruins, board membership had dwindled in recent years as the organization foundered in financial woes and lack of direction, something she credits Cudnik with helping to rectify.

As racial unrest gripped Cincinnati last spring following the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager by police, members of the Cincinnati LGBT community came to Stonewall, asking why the organization was not taking more of a stand on the human rights issues brought up by the death.

Cudnik stepped forward and showed solidarity with African-American leaders in the city, incurring the ire of some of the members of the board, who felt that Stonewall Cincinnati was stepping outside of its bounds.

Cudnik’s actions, however, were viewed more favorably by the LGBT community at large. Interest in board membership soared, and a large number of people sent in board member applications.

"Some of the people who had been on the board were feeling threatened," Bruins said.

Lackluster attendance at the June 16 Stonewall Cincinnati dinner, its largest annual fundraiser, caused the group to retrench, forcing the elimination of the post of executive director.

Following the announcement of the dismantling of Cudnik’s post at the August board meeting, community members expressed anger at the process by which board members were elected. It was decided that all people who had turned in applications could be on the ballot for the board of directors.

Barb Martin, according to other board members, took the brunt of hostility at the meeting and felt unwelcome. She and Paul Groneck resigned from the board.

The remainder of the board, however, voted to hold the elections in September.

Now with 12 members, the board stands ready to move towards equality for all people in Cincinnati. One of their primary goals will be to have voters rescind Article 12, the city charter amendment banning the city from extending equal rights protections to LGBT people.

They will also continue the work, started under Cudnik’s stewardship, to build bridges with other arms of the civil rights movement in Cincinnati.

Lydick plea-bargains in Kent restaurant bashing

by Eric Resnick

Ravenna, Ohio--A man accused of assaulting a gay Kent State University student has pleaded no contest, thus avoiding a second trial in the case.

The second trial of Brian D. Lydick, 28, was set for October 2 after the jury split in the first trial on September 6.

Lydick was accused of punching Mikell Nagy, 22, at a Denny’s restaurant on Ohio 59, near the edge of Kent, in the early morning hours of April 20.

According to police and prosecutors, Lydick and Nagy had a confrontation after Lydick called Nagy a "faggot" and the two exchanged words over Nagy’s sexual orientation.

Nagy suffered cuts and bruises to his head and lost four teeth as a result of Lydick’s punch, which also knocked him unconscious.

To avoid the second trial, Lydick, who had been out on bond, pleaded no contest to assault and will pay a $200 fine and spend 10 days in jail with work privileges.

Had he been convicted of assault at trial, Lydick could have been sentenced to up to six months in jail and fined up to $1,000.

Nagy said the Portage County prosecutor and his advocate from Victim Assistance approached him about accepting the deal after the first trial. While the split jury meant there was no verdict, they had voted 5-3 for acquittal.

"The prosecutor and my advocate told me this was a good sentence for Portage County," said Nagy, "but I’m still pissed."

"My car was just towed for being parked on Clifton after 7:30, and I paid almost $200 for that," said Nagy. "[Lydick] has someone make his breakfast, send him to work, and tuck him in at the end of the day [for the duration of his sentence]."

Nagy now lives in Cleveland, after transferring from Kent State to Cleveland State for his safety.

During the first trial, Lydick’s attorney presented the incident as a "bar fight" and, according to observers, painted Nagy as a "crazed gay person" and suggested that the jury imagine themselves at a restaurant booth when a crazy homosexual started screaming at them.

Nagy realizes that his case probably would not have met the high legal standard as a hate crime, even if Ohio had hate crime enhancements for sexual orientation, but still wants to spend his time working for passage of a hate crime bill.

"There’s a mindset in these communities," said Nagy, "that gets shaped every time an anti-gay marriage or adoption law gets out there, that we are not worth protecting."

"We need to look to the government to set the standard and lead."

Capitol politics are changed in wake of terror attacks

by Bob Roehr

Washington, D.C.--One effect of the September 11 terrorist attack has been to paper over partisan divisions, at least temporarily, in the political terrain of Washington. That has both positive and negative effects on what advocates had hoped to accomplish during the remaining days of this session of Congress, on issues that affect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

A traditional priority at the end of session rush is to pass the appropriations bills to operate government agencies for the fiscal year that began on October 1.

"Previous to September 11, I think that we were all pessimistic about increases in funding for a number of domestic discretionary programs, including AIDS, breast and cervical cancer detection and research programs," said Winnie Stachelberg, political director of the gay and lesbian Human Rights Campaign. "Things are very different on every level in all of our lives since September 11."

"The starkly partisan political debates" over tapping the Social Security Trust Fund for deficit spending have virtually disappeared, said Bill Arnold, with the ADAP Working Group. The AIDS Drug Assistance Program pays for HIV drugs and is in need of additional money.

"We’re benefiting somewhat from the ‘let’s not have any fights’ atmosphere on Capitol Hill, said Arnold. "The politics of the moment is that if the economy tanks, there won’t be any body working to provide the money," so spending to stimulate the economy is okay.

"It’s no secret that the White House is advocating for more ADAP money," but it is still unclear what the final number will end up being, he said. The Department of Health and Human Services has promised to release the money early and "that may prevent the Florida ADAP program from collapsing in November, and who knows what else."

"I think that the proactive legislative agenda is very much on hold as we, as much of the rest of the country, grieve, and as we try to figure out what our next steps are," said Stachelberg.

A Senate hearing on ENDA, the gay and lesbian Employment Non-Discrimination Act was scheduled for October 2. It was canceled.

Log Cabin Republicans spokesman Kevin Ivers was even more blunt. "What was defined as the gay agenda before September 11 has been shoved to the side" along with most other legislation, "and you are not hearing any screaming and yelling from the gay groups about that. If you walk the gay neighborhoods, you see American flags everywhere, you realize that things have changed."

"Very real concerns have come to the forefront, things like partner and survivor benefits, and the Pentagon policy" on gays in the military, said Ivers. He added that gays and lesbians are looking for a way to support the effort against terrorism.

He pointed to public officials’ statements of tolerance and nondiscrimination, even though they were directed toward Muslims and Arab Americans, as having a spillover effect on creating a better atmosphere for the GLBT community. The fact that the FBI is investigating over 300 allegations of such discrimination perhaps lessens the need for further legislation in this area, he said.

A vote on hate crime legislation, once promised in the fall by Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota), now seems unlikely this year. The measure could be attached to antiterrorism legislation, with the acquiescence if not quite the support of the White House, to help allay fears of the erosion of civil liberties.

Stachelberg said HRC has taken on other responsibilities. One was to closely monitor the package of financial relief for the airline industry that was rushed through Congress.

"We were concerned that a provision might be attached to exempt airlines from state and local laws" that the industry views as financial burdens. She mentioned local living wage laws and the San Francisco domestic partners benefits law that the industry has been fighting. But that did not happen.

Judge allows restroom video to be used in court

by Eric Resnick

Toronto, Ohio--A judge has allowed videotape from hidden restroom cameras to be used in the indecency case against an eastern Ohio man.

James Henry of Empire had moved to suppress the tape because police had no warrant when they put in the cameras. He also claimed that his Fourth Amendment right to privacy was violated.

Jefferson County Judge Joseph Corabi denied the motion on September 26.

Saline Township police and the Jefferson County prosecutor hid video cameras in the men’s restroom at a highway rest area on Ohio 7 near Ohio 213, on the Ohio River between Toronto and East Liverpool. The cameras ran for eight hours every day from January to May of this year.

Thirteen men were mailed arrest notices on July 5. Twelve plea-bargained and paid fines; only Henry is contesting the charges.

Henry, an openly gay employee of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, faces charges of public indecency and disorderly conduct.

At a September 18 hearing on the motion to suppress, police chief Ken Hayes testified that complaints had been made by individuals who opened the restroom door and saw men engaging in sexual acts in the "common area."

Corabi cited four Ohio cases in his decision, but cautioned, "These cases, while helpful, are not dispositive of the issue in this case."

"It would seem to this court," wrote the judge, "that the public right to expect privacy in public restrooms is reasonably limited to the performance of excretionary and other bodily functions incident to a restroom, not for sexual acts of any nature performed either with another person or with oneself."

He continued, "This court would not permit . . . the random placement of a camera in a public restroom without cause, but in this case, the state offered testimony of repeated and continual criminal activity including homosexual activities."

In light of U.S. Supreme Court case law prohibiting video surveillance in public restrooms, locker rooms, jail cells, and dressing rooms, Corabi concluded by writing, "The court is confining its ruling to the facts in this case."

Corabi has not seen the videotape.

Henry’s attorney, Sam Pate of Steubenville, is confident that Henry will be acquitted of the public indecency charges because the tape doesn’t show Henry doing anything he believes a jury will find indecent.

"But if they do find him guilty," said Pate, "we will appeal it on the grounds that this judge is wrong in allowing the tape. No appeals court will allow this."

Henry’s trial is set for October 4. Before the trial begins, the judge must also rule on Pate’s motion to dismiss the disorderly conduct charge on the grounds that it is a minor misdemeanor that cannot legally be tried by a jury.

Study: More employers offer domestic partner benefits

by Leigh Strope
associated press

Washington, D.C.—The number of U.S. employers offering or planning to offer health insurance benefits to same-sex partners increased by 20 percent in the last year to 4,284, according to a study by the nation’s largest gay and lesbian political organization.

At least 712 employers added the benefits from August 2000 through August 2001, according to a "State of the Workplace" study by the Human Rights Campaign in Washington. The number of employers offering the benefits has almost doubled in two years, from 2,846 in August 1999.

"We believe employers are bringing their policies into line with the changing makeup of the American family," said Kim I. Mills, editor of the report.

The number of Fortune 500 companies offering domestic partner benefits has more than doubled in the past three years, from 61 in 1998 to 145 in 2001.

Despite the increased availability, "it may be too soon to tell what, if any, impact we might see from rising health insurance costs and the economic instability," said Daryl Herrschaft, an author of the report.

Starting next year, Corning Inc. of New York will extend benefits to employees’ same-sex domestic partners, the company announced last month.

Gannett Co., the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, said in August that it would offer full medical benefits to same-sex partners who live together.

Acting Massachusetts Gov. Jane M. Swift said in August she would extend some domestic partnership benefits to gay and lesbian state workers.

Forty-two Ohio employers offer health-care benefits to domestic partners, including Federated Department Stores, Key Corp., Nationwide Insurance, NCR Corp., Lexis-Nexis, The Limited, Progressive Insurance, TRW, University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University.

Employers continued to add sexual orientation to their nondiscrimination policies. The study identified 2,001 employers that had written policies covering sexual orientation, an increase of 293 employers, or 17 percent, in a year.

Eleven states, the District of Columbia and 122 cities and counties have banned anti-gay discrimination in workplaces in their jurisdictions.

The higher on the Fortune 500 list a company is, the more likely it is to offer domestic partner benefits and prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Seventy-nine percent of the Fortune 100 and 88% of the Fortune 50 companies prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation; 29% of the Fortune 500 companies offer domestic partner benefits, while 54% of the Fortune 50 companies offer benefits to same-sex partners of employees.

News Briefs

Compiled from wire reports by Brian DeWitt, Anthony Glassman and Patti Harris.

Finland passes domestic partner law

Helsinki, Finland—Lawmakers passed a government proposal on September 28 that makes same-sex partnerships legally binding but stops short of letting gay couples adopt children or use the same surname.

The bill, which comes into force next year, was approved 99 to 84, with 17 abstentions or absences.

The new law says Finns who are at least 18 can register a same-sex union in a civil ceremony comparable to matrimony. It also gives gay couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples when inheriting each other’s property and in cases of divorce.

The Finnish Lesbian and Gay Association welcomed the law but said it wished it went further.

"This at long last gives gay couples the rights they deserve," said Rainer Hiltunen, the association’s secretary-general. "But it’s a compromise, and we are disappointed that it doesn’t secure the rights of children in a gay marriage because they can only be registered to one parent."

The new law is in line with similar legislation in the other Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, where gay partnerships have been legalized. Denmark and Iceland permit adoptions by gay couples in certain circumstances.

France and Germany also have limited recognition of domestic partners. The Netherlands is the only nation in the world that has full same-sex marriage.

City worker benefits put on ballot

Houston—Voters here in November will consider whether the city should offer health and other benefits to same-sex partners of its employees.

The Houston City Council on September 26 approved for the Nov. 6 ballot a referendum that, if passed, would prohibit the city from providing same-sex benefits. The city doesn’t offer those benefits now, but had been considering changing its benefits policy to include them.

The council approved the ballot addition by a 9-5 vote after City Secretary Anna Russell validated enough signatures on petitions to call for a vote.

Petitioner Dave Wilson, who opposes offering same-sex benefits, led an effort to gather 21,028 signatures on those petitions. City law requires 20,000 valid signatures from registered voters in Houston to force a vote on a change to the city charter.

Councilwoman Annise Parker, the city’s only openly gay elected official, voted against adding the referendum to the ballot, claiming that Russell missed errors or irregularities on 1,101 signatures.

Parker said those errors included signatures of people who died before 2001 or lived outside the city limits.

Houston voters in 1985 nullified a nondiscrimination ordinance approved by the council. Earlier this year, the council approved a similar ordinance protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination. The November 6 referendum does not address the ordinance.

High court to hear adoption case

Lincoln, Neb.—As the state Supreme Court prepares to hear a case that could decide if gay couples have the right to adopt children, groups on both sides are weighing in on the dispute.

The high court is to hear the case of a Lincoln lesbian who wants her partner to be able to adopt her three-year-old boy.

The case already has generated "friend of the court" briefs from scores of organizations, including: the American Psychological Association;; the Alliance for Children’s Rights; the National Organization for Women; the National Adoption Center; and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.

The Nebraska Catholic Conference, the Family Research Council, the Family Research Institute, the Nonpartisan Family Coalition and Family First also have weighed in.

The boy, called "Luke" in court papers, was born to "B.P," in 1997 through artificial insemination. The boy has lived with his mother and her lover, "A.E.," since birth. The two women were joined in a commitment ceremony in 1995, according to court records. B.P. already has custody of her 9-year-old son from a previous marriage.

While Nebraska law contains no specific provision prohibiting adoptions by gay couples, Deputy Attorney General Steve Grasz said that does not mean it is legal.

He also said A.E. has no legal rights to adopt the child, even though she has helped raise him.

Amy Miller, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, dismissed his arguments.

"The state’s bias is based on its discomfort with A.E. and B.P.’s relationship, but is irrelevant as the real issue is Luke’s interests," she said.

In August, a federal judge in Florida acknowledged that two gay men have a family-like bond with the boys in their care but that the state has the right to stop them from adopting the children.

Florida is the only state with a law specifically banning any homosexual from adopting. Utah and Mississippi do not allow same-sex couples to adopt but have no prohibition against adoptions by gay individuals.

Teen gets 17 years for gay sex

Kansas City, Kan.—A teenager will be in jail until he is 36 for performing oral sex on another male teenager. If his partner had been female, he would go to jail for a year.

Matthew Limon, who had just turned 18 when the act occurred, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for fellating a 14-year-old fellow resident of a boarding school for developmentally disabled youth.

According to Kansas law, the maximum penalty for such an act is one year if the younger teenager is between 14 and 16, there is less than four years difference in ages, if the older teen is under 19 and if the two teens are of opposite sexes.

Limon and his court-appointed attorney are appealing the sentence on equal protections grounds, charging that the law unfairly discriminates against gay people.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a friend of the court brief on Limon’s behalf.

Relief agencies include gays

New York City—As the city returns to a semblance of normalcy following the September 11 attacks, more and more partners of LGBT victims of the devastation are coming forward seeking emergency relief.

The American Red Cross and Safe Horizons, two organizations providing disaster relief to survivors of victims of the tragedy, have said that they will not discriminate against partners of gay and lesbian victims. However, neither of the organizations has a written policy covering same-sex domestic partners, which makes it possible for individuals working for the agencies to not realize that domestic partners are able to receive benefits.

The number of people seeking relief from the loss of their partners is expected to rise as more people realize that they are entitled to disaster relief funds and worry less that their openness will be used against them.

A number of LGBT organizations and businesses are stepping up to help alleviate fears and make sure that money is going to people who need it.

In Columbus, the Eagle in Exile, 893 N. 4th St, will be holding a fundraiser for gay victims and their families on Saturday, October 6. The staff will be donating their tips to disaster relief, and the owner has pledged to match the funds raised. More information is available by calling 614-294-0069.

On October 27, the Nickel at 4365 State Rd. in Cleveland will be hosting Metronome Night; the disk jockey will donate her pay to relief funds, and raffles and drink specials will also benefit victims’ funds.

West Virginia’s gay bars, meanwhile, have all joined with P-FLAG and the Marshall University LGB Outreach Office to sponsor a month of fundraising for victims’ relief funds. Various bars will hold benefits along the course of November for those affected by the attacks on New York and Washington.

The major organization channeling funds to surviving partners and families of LGBT victims is the Stonewall Community Foundation, 119 West 24th St, New York City, N.Y. 10011. The foundation has established a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Disaster Relief Fund, and all donations earmarked for disaster relief will go to meet the needs of survivors of attack victims. Donations to the fund are tax deductible.

For more information on Stonewall Community Foundation’s efforts, call 212-367-1155, or log onto their web site at http://www.stonewallfoundation.org.

Wandering troubadours

Local and national artists sing their way around the Buckeye State

by Anthony Glassman

For some reason, in the mind of the general public, women playing folk music are lesbians. If they’re playing folk rock, they’re lesbians. If they’re playing country folk, they’re lesbians. If they’re playing alt-folk, they’re lesbians.

Now, keep in mind, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Decline, a Cleveland folk rock band with a definite Etheridge flair, has played Pride, they play at queer bars a lot, and they’re pretty good.

The Decline, being the Cleveland favorites they are, seem to play there at least once a week. Most often, they can be found at Victory’s in suburban Lakewood, but they have also been bringing live performances to the recently-opened Club 727, a dance club behind Jacob’s Field downtown.

The Decline, who just released an eponymous EP, say that they’re going into hiding for the month of October, but rumor has it that they will be seen playing some gigs in Columbus. Central Ohio is about to get a boot in the tuchus, and it will be begging for more.

Commonbond, on the other hand, is more along the lines of the country-folk; some of the songs might bring to mind the lovely k.d. lang, but similarities lie mostly in genre. Their song "Slick Skin Boogie" perhaps fosters the most comparisons (favorable, mind you) to lang, but those comparisons are to the early, Reclines-leading lang, that good-natured twangy country-styled folk music. Other songs are far more traditionally folk.

There’s also blues here, giving rise to thoughts of the red-headed goddess Bonnie Raitt. Commonbond, who hails from Washington, D.C., pretty much covers as many of their folk bases as they can, and they do it well.

They’ve played more than once at Lydia’s in Akron, one of the state’s best spots for women’s music. Now they’re back in the state on a four-day whirlwind tour of Ohio, starting at Slammer’s in Columbus on October 4, moving to Bullfishes in Cincinnati on October 5, then Saturday night back at their old haunt in Akron, Lydia’s, wrapping up Sunday with a show at the Nickel in Cleveland. Four days, four cities, who knows how many happy women dancing the night away.

Then, representing the "new guard," the young Turks, the hip thang brigade, is Catie Curtis, falling squarely into alt-folk.

There are touches here, since comparisons to other artists are the theme of the day, of Sarah McLachlan, a drop of Edie Brickell, some nouveau k.d. lang, all tossed into a blender and as gay as lang. This is the folk that people went to Lilith Fair to hear. This is the stuff that the less-angry young lesbians like (or so they say.)

Were this not the age of Boy Bands, Teen Tramps and Hardcore Hooligans, Curtis would probably be getting major airplay right now. Were there any justice, she definitely would be getting it, along with maybe a nice platinum album plaque for her wall.

Her latest album, My Shirt Looks Good on You, came out in August on Rykodisc. She and a handful of other Ryko artists are going to be in Ohio over the next month or two; according to their publicist, though Curtis is the only one of the performers who is openly gay.

Curtis will be in Ohio on Tuesday, October 9, playing Memorial Auditorium at Ohio University in Athens. The phone number of Memorial Auditorium’s box office for tickets and information is 740-593-1780.

Finally, and far more briefly, the iconic Holly Near will be giving two performances in Ohio this month.

The first, and probably the more important of the two shows, is "Singing for Our Lives with Holly Near and Guests," a concert benefiting the AIDS Taskforce of Cleveland. Tickets to the show, which will be held at the Odeon Concert Club, 1295 Old River Road on the east bank of the Flats, are $25, and will be available through the Taskforce, at Diverse Universe in Lakewood, High Tide Rock Bottom on Coventry, and at Muggs, Victory’s and the Nickel. They are also available by calling 216-621-0766 ext. 337. The evening starts at 7:30 pm.

Her second show will be on October 14 at Canal Street Tavern, 308 East First Street, in Dayton; 937-461-9343 or http://www.canalstreettavern.com. Doors open at 8:00 pm, the show starts at 9:30 pm.