Oct. 14 March for Lesbian and Gay Rights

Workers World-Organizers of the Oct. 14 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights are reporting a groundswell of activities and are especially enthused by the efforts in communities that had no previous lesbian/gay organizations. Sixty-six offices have sprung up around the country

to build for the march. Organizers for the march expect as many as 100,000 will attend to make the following demands:

• The repeal of all anti-lesbian/gay laws

• A comprehensive lesbian/gay rights bill in Congress

• A presidential executive order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in the Federal Government, the military, and federallycontracted private employment

An end to discrimination in lesbian mother and gay father custody cases

• Protection for lesbian and gay youth from any

Rape Victims Victimized

Six county prosecutors in Washington State revealed last month that they routinely ask women who have been raped to take lie detector tests. If the victims won't take the test, or "fail" it, the county prosecutors refuse to press charges against the accused man. The tests show that "the system still doesn't believe women," said Evelyn Brom of Seattle Rape Relief.

Experts familiar with the polygraph lie detectors say that rape victims who tell the truth often fail the tests. That statement is backed up by figures from Yakima County in Washington. There about a third of the county's rape victims were asked to take polygraph tests last year. Half of them failed, and their charges were never followed up by the prosecutor's office, according to the Seattle PostIntelligencer.

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Peter Judge, director of the state ACLU, said the use of lie detectors reinforces the feeling among women that "law enforcement officers are the least sensitive group in dealing with rape victims.” Because no other kinds of crime victims are required to take lie detector tests in the state, Judge pointed out that rape victims are being denied due process of law.

--The Guardian August 29, 1979

laws which are used to discriminiate against, oppress and/or harass them in their homes, schools, jobs, and social environments

During the past ten years, the fight for lesbian and gay rights has continued to grow. The movement has scored many victories, such as the defeat of Proposition 6 in California. However, basic rights-housing, employment, cild custody, and even the right to walk the streets in safety-are still denied to lesbians and gay men.

The march will include contingents from 50 states and will be led by Third World lesbians, followed by other lesbians, disabled lesbians and gays, children and senior citizens, and an international contingent led by Puerto Rico. Other contingents will follow. The march will begin at noon and will end in a rally at the Washington Monument.

A Third World Lesbian/Gay Conference sponsored by the National Coalition of Black Gays has been called for for Oct. 12-15 in Washington.

Workshops will be held for the over 500 expected participants.

Over 100 organizations and individuals have endorsed the march, including American Federation of Teachers, Local 3220; Gay Teachers Assocation; Gay Nurses Alliance; James Farmer, Executive Director, Coalition of American Public Employees; Salsa Soul Sisters; National Coalition of Black Gays; Comite Homosexual Latinoamericano; Gay Chicano Caucus of Houston; Congressman Ron Dellums; Harry Britt, San Francisco Supervisor; Marion Barry, Mayor of Washington, D.C.; National Organization for Women; Mobilization for Survival; Clergy and Laity Concerned; Buckeye Rainbow Society for the Deaf; Youth Against War and Facisin; and Workers World Party,

Buses will leave Cleveland from Exedra's, 1762 East 18th, at Saturday midnite and will leave Washington at 8 pm Sunday evening. Tickets are $22. For more information, call the Cleveland Committee for the March at 234-4446.

Gay Rights Suspended in California

New York (LNS)-A gay rights ordinance set to take effect September 5 in Santa Clara County, California, was suspended after opposition petitions. bearing about 57,000 signatures were turned in to the county's registrar of voters. The ordinance will now appear as a referendum on the June ballot.

The ordinance, which had been approved by four out of the five county supervisors, would have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, employment, business, real estate transactions and access to government.

"The ordinance had included an exemption to religious organizations so that they would not have to

hire gay people," a member of Gay Rights Ad vocates, a San Francisco law Tirm, told INS. “Although we are not in favor of blanket exclusions, we (gay rights activists had hoped that it would be sufficient to religious groups and they would not oppose the ordinance. The drive against it was largely conducted by Fundamentalist Christian groups, anyway.

The ordinance would have affected all unincor porated townships and rural areas in Santa Clara County. San Jose, located in that county and an incorporated area, has a similar ordinance that was ap proved two weeks ago. It is also the target of a peti tion drive.

Did You Take Your Pill Today, George?

No one doubted that the re-opening of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S. would be advantageous for both nations. But perhaps one of the most significant benefits for the U.S. was unfore seen. At the end of 1978, the Chinese began to disseminate important research information on the male contraceptive preparations they had developed.

Three male "pills" are currently being taken by more than 10,000 Chinese. The contraceptive agent common to the three preparations is gossypol. Gossypol, an active chemical agent, is a by-product released in the modern press production of cooking oil from cottonseed.

Gossypol was isolated in the course of investigating complaints, including infertility and heart problems, exhibited by commune members in the upper Yangtze province of Hebek in the 1950's. These physical symptoms coincided with innovations in cooking oil production. The investigation revealed that gossypol, de-activated in the older boiling process, is released in an active form in the modern press method.

Gossypol is a promising contraceptive substance for a number of reasons. It inhibits the production of viable sperm without interfering with the male hormonal balance. No change in testosterone levels has been found in the men taking any of the gossypol preparations. In contrast, the effectiveness of female pills depends on changing the hormonal balance. Cancer has been associated with drug-induced changes in hormonal balance. In this respect, the male pill seems to be safer than the contraceptive pills so widely used by women.

Large quantities of gossypol result in fatal cardiac irregularities. However, the doses administered for use as a contraceptive (20 milligram doses daily for

the first few months, and a maintenance dose of only about 200 milligrams per month after the initial period) produce only occasional side-effects. Small percentages of men reported passing episodes of (continued on page 13)

CETA Funding Available

A total of $3.25 million out of a $5 million program has been set aside by the Employment and Training Administration to provide supportive services for displaced homemakers.

The Displaced Homemaker Program, as specified in Title III of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), serves low-income, unemployed persons displaced due to separation, divorce or loss of the primary wage carner because of disability or death.

The $3.25 million has been distributed to each of the 10 ETA regional offices based on the number of potential displaced persons in each region. Region Five (including Ohio) has been granted the second highest allotment of funds, totalling $540,600.

One million dollars of the remaining $1.75 million will be used to fund national demonstration programs to test and document the effectiveness of various approaches to meeting the needs of the displaced homemaker target population. Evaluation and documentation, promotion and support activities will be carried out with the remaining $75,000 in fiscal 1980.

-Ohio Report Vol. 5, No. 4

October, 1979/What She Wants/Page 5