WAVAW Wins Warners Boycott

(HerSay)-A two and a half year boycott against some of the U.S.'s major record companies has been ended. The boycott was originally called in 1977 against Warner Communications Incorporated by the Los Angeles group, Women Against Violence Against Women. The anti-violence organization had charged that Warner Communications, which owns Warner Brothers, Atlantic and Electra/Asylum Records, allowed women to be depicted as sex ob-

Not for UN Me!

(HerSay)-WIN News, an international bulletin of women's news, is charging that after 34 years of operation, the United Nations still continues to practice "rampant❞ discrimination against women.

WIN reports that despite public promises to establish equal treatment for women by U.S. Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, only one of 33 people appointed to directors' jobs at the UN this year has been female. The lone woman, WIN says, was appointed only after considerable pressure was put on the UN.

WIN says anti-female discrimination is widespread at the UN, largely because of the increasing influence of Arab/Moslem delegations. The Moslem Koran specifically commands the exclusion of women from the public sphere.

WIN says a review of the UN's hiring practices has confirmed what was charged in a recent investigative piece by The New York Times. The Times wrote that "winning one of the 2700 professional positions no longer depends on merit, but on politics, favoritism and 'knowing someone.

Who's on Trial?

(HerSay)-A Mormon advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment has been called before a religious court to answer for her support of the amendment.

Sonja Johnson, a 43-year-old Virginia woman, is a spokesperson for a group called "Mormons for ERA." The Mormon church, however, believes that the amendment threatens the family, and has taken a strong stand against its passage.

Johnson's pro-ERA activities include hiring a plane to tow a banner supporting the amendment over assembled churchmembers in Utah.

jects and objects of violence in its advertising and on record albums.

One particular target of the boycott was the Rolling Stones album, “Black and Blue," the jacket of which depicted a woman who appeared to have been beaten.

Women Against Violence Against Women charged that Warner's ad policy was irresponsible in light of the number of women who are actually beaten and sexually molested in the U.S.

The boycott was called off in early November after Warner Communications issued a formal advertising policy statement saying the corporation would, in the future, "strongly discourage the use of images of physical and sexual violence against women" in its advertising and on LP covers.

Sexist Rites

(Her Say)-America's Roman Catholic bishops recently dealt a severe setback to the struggling feminist movement in the Church when they rejected

CCC

two proposals to eliminate sexist references from the Church's liturgy.

In one vote, the bishops vetoed a proposed oneword change in the communion service, which their own liturgical experts maintained would be truer to the original Latin. Thus, when the priests administer communion at mass-the central part of the Catholic religion-they will continue to say that Christ died merely "for all men"-rather than "for all."

A second proposal would have given priests discretionary authority to change sexist language in formal prayers.

The changes had been recommended by groups of liturgists, nuns and canon lawyers.

Government Apologizes to Gays

Saying "we very much regret this unfortunate incident," Acting Associate Attorney General John H. Shenefield, writing at the request of Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti, has responded to the joint complaint filed by the National Gay Task Force and the National Organization for Women over the treatment by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service of Canadian women who sought entry to the United States August 23 and 24 to attend the Fourth Annual Michigan Women's Music Festival at Hesperia, Michigan.

Mr. Shenefield indicated that upon receipt of the telephone complaint from NGTF August 24, thenINS Commissioner Leonel Castillo took immediate action to rectify the situation. Subsequent investigation revealed that the Port Huron crossing point had not received Commissioner Castillo's August 14 policy cable ordering deferral of further examinations where the sole ground requiring determination is the issue of homosexuality. Attributing the resultant situation to a "communications breakdown,” Mr. Shenefield stated that Port Huron officials "never got the word."

"As a further followup to this matter, all ports of entry throughout the country were telephonically

contacted and confirmation of receipt of the policy cable was made. It is not anticipated that a similar Occurrence will arise, Mr. Shenefield wrote.

"

Notwithstanding this assurance, a Canadian gayə man was prohibited from entry at Blaine. Washington, on August 26 and two Italian lesbians were harassed for forty minutes by Immigration authorities at Kennedy Airport on September 5. Perhaps anticipating further problems, Mr. Shenefield has asked NGTF to assist the Justice Department by monitoring the situation and advising of any further instances of such conduct by INS officers.

NGTF has asked for the help of individuals and local gay groups to accomplish this monitoring role. Incidents of misconduct should be reported promptly to NGTF (212-741-5800). In addition, a written complaint detailing the incident, the date and time of day it occurred and the name of the INS official involved should be addressed to Mr. Norman Alt, Office of Professional Responsibility, Immigration and Naturalization Service, 425 "I" Street NW, Washington, DC 20536, with a copy to NGTF, 80 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011.

BITS & PIECES

US Babies Endangered

(HerSay)--The American Foundation for Maternal and Child Health is charging that medical technology in the United States is endangering the lives and future intelligence of babies. The Foundation alleges that much of the modern technology used in hospitals today for maternal care is unproven, and is resulting in an unnecessarily high rate of infant mortality and mental retardation among newborn infants.

The Foundation points out that in the U.S., where most babies are delivered in hospitals allegedly with the latest technological innovations, a baby is three times more likely to die during the first day of life than if it is born in Japan or the Netherlands. In both of the latter countries, most babies are born at home. The Foundation adds that one out of every 35 children born today will eventually be diagnosed as retarded, and that one of every 10 U.S. children currently has a learning disability.

The health professionals allege that the U.S. medical professions' use of unproven technology on childbearing women is responsible for the high death rate and rate of mental retardation.

No Custody

(HerSay)—A judge in Houston, Texas has overturned a controversial court ruling which gave custody of an unborn fetus to an abortion opponent. In a lower court decision, Judge William Bear awarded anti-abortion activist Eileen Brady the guardianship of the unborn child of a Houston teenager. Brady also reportedly filed suit to prevent the teenager, who was ten weeks pregnant, from obtaining an abortion.

The National NOW Times is reporting a Houston family court overturned the guardianship after a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union argued that a fetus is not a person, and therefore can't have a guardian.

SCURATO/LNS

Give me your tired, your poor, your wretched mass murderers yearning to breathe free....

December, 1979/What She Wants/Page 5