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THE FOLLOWING ITEMS HAVE BEEN REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF CONTACT NEWSPAPER. DUE TO A LACK OF TIME, AND PERSONNEL, IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR US TO RETYPE THE ARTICLES. THEREFORE THEY APPEAR HERE EXACTLY AS THEY APPEAR IN THE OCTOBER 23, 1974, ISSUE. PLEASE EXCUSE THE POOR QUALITY OF THE COPY DUE TO BEING PRINTED FROM NEWSPRINT TO NEWSPRINT.

NATIONAL EQUAL RIGHTS BILL

by Joe Stewart

CONTACT Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C.

A porposed amedment to the Equal Rights Bill to protect gays by adding to the original bill the term "sexual orientation" was introduced in the House of Representatives recently..

This bill would essentially provide for the protection of gays from discrimination in public accomodations, education, and employment.

In accepting the possibility of voter backlash in their home districts, Representatives Ed Koch and Bella Abzug, both New York Democrats and the co-sponsors of the legislation, indicated an uphill battle for passage. "It's controversial... many people are afraid to be identified with it because they're (congressmen) afraid how their constituents will react," Congressman Koch replied when questioned on the bill's chances.

Continuing with his remarks, Mr. Koch placed success squarely in the laps of the gay community nationwide by urging gay leaders to "undertake an educational

campaign... to work with your leaders so as to obtain a hearing on the bill in the House Committee."

The signifiance of Congressman Koch's advice is realistic. Approximately 6% of the bills introduced into Congress each year get a hearing and about 5% of those are enacted into law.

The key is therefore a militant.grassroots lobby effort as a result of education on the issues.

In accepting the challenge gay leaders nationwide are setting the format for the bill's eventual passage. One such source indicated the campaign must begin by massive educational seminars, large-scale letter-writting to individual congressmen, constructive lobbying, and a consistent interest during the many months required by due process. If the hearings prove successful it is voted. upon in committee, then on the floor of the House.

Transfered to the Senate for similar action, the bill is then ready for Presidential signature.

Strategically what is happening to the bill now is that internal memoranda is being passed around the Congress to pick up additional supporting co-signers.

The bill will be introduced both this year and next as required by law. It will then be sent to the House. Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil Rights and

Constitutional Rights chaired by Rep. Donald Edwards (D.-Calif.).

Many feel that the hearings to confirm Vice President-designate Nelson A. Rockefeller will fill the House dockets for the remainder of the 1974 session. This fact further empasizes the need for "middle-American" gays to write their congressman now and often throughout the campaign.

According to Mark Stout in Congressman Robert Nix's office, another gay rights amendment supporter "the key to the effort is persistence."

Nix is now working on a "Dear Colleagues" letter circulating Capitol Hill.

Among those he is hopeful of joing the cause is Congresswoman Barbara Jordan of Houston (D.-Texas). Ms. Jordan would be doubly helpful as she is a member of the powerful House Judiciary Committee. Those supporting the bill know the importance of promoting the bill in an election year when legislators are most anxious to listen to constituents.

Columbia's onetime Congressional candidate and gay spokesman, Dr. Franklin E. Kameny, and Gay Raide Mark Seigel were scheduled to hold a joint press conference in late September to discuss the bill.

GPU News

AT&T CHANGES POLICY

NEW YORK The employee publication of the American Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, AT&T NEWS, has announced that homosexuality would no longer be tolerated as a discrimination barring employment. This company-endorsed reply was a response to a reader's question on the company's attitude toward homosexuality.

The new policy statement read in part that "an individual's sexual preference isn't a criterion either for becoming an employee or remaining an employee of the Bell System." It also stated that "job retention and promotability are based on demonstrable job performance and behavior. An individual's sexual tendencies are strictly personal and information about these matters shouldn't be sought out by company personnel."

Furthermore, the statement warned supervisors that anyone "who is proven to have taken discrimatory actions against any employee for sexual behavior occuring off the job wouldn't be defended by the company."

Warning the gay employee, the company did emphasize that "an employee whose overt actions on the job prove to be a disruptive influence on the work force could be disciplined or dismissed." It added that this policy applies "to all individuals regardless of the sexual preference."

An AT&T spokesman added that gay employee participation in gay rights organizations would be sanctioned.

"The company employs over a million persons and is therefore a major breakthrough for gay rights," replied gay leaders nationwide. This decision affects all of AT&T's operating companies, many of which have publicly admitted a bias against the homophile community.

In Minneapolis, on August 2, the American Civil Liberties Union announced that Northwestern Bell Telephone Company, an AT&T subdivision, had settled a lawsuit and paid $900 in back wages to a gay man it refused to hire last year. Byron Schmitz, 25, had accepted a $122 a week messenger's position when the company asked him why his draft status was 4F. After explaining that he was a homosexual, a company nurse told him he could not be hired "because we have no medical program for homosexuals." A Bell spokesman later said that the firm never hires known gays because homosexuality "is not socially acceptable" and because to do so would tarnish Bell's public image.

In April of this year, Minneapolis amended its civil rights ordinance to cover "affectional or sexual preference," thus extending anti-discrimination rights to homosexuals. Northwestern Bell promptly reversed its policy and announced that its new policy would be effective not only in Minneapolis, but all 27,000 jobs in the five states it serves.

When the Schmitz case came to court last July, Northwestern Bell quietly settled out of court and no public statement was released until early August.

R. Michael Weatherbee, ACLU attorney of Schmitz, was pleased about the settlement, but disappointed that no legal precedent had been handed down.

Two important arguments had been used in the case. The U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids discrimination on the basis of "sex" and as yet no judge has ruled "sex" to include "sexual orientation." Bell lawyers, in a pre-trial argument, had challenged the argument, but U.S. District Judge Miles Lord let the argument stand.

The second argument said that because Bell serves the public it is quasi-governmental in its scope and therefore should provide it employees due process of law and equal protection under the law.

Weatherbee has now joined the law firm of gay activist Jack Baker and may have other chances to use these arguments in court.

Gay leaders throughout the country have hailed the new policy of American Telephone and Telegraph as being very important because other companies might now be inclined to follow suit.

Notes From England

LONDON The Sexual Law Reform Society has recommended Britain lower the legal age of consent to 14, classify rape and incest as assault, and eliminate all legal discrimination against homosexual behavior. The report by an eight-member committee also recommended repeal of laws restricting pornography and the legalization of brothels.

GCSC LOOKING FOR WORKERS

LOS ANGELES

GPU News

Morris Kight, nationally prominent founder and leader of the Gay Community Service Center (GCSC), has announced that the agency is accepting applications to fill eleven full-time, paid positions beginning October 1.

The positions available with GCSC included: VD Control Project Director. $9600; Co-ordinator of Volunteers, $9000; Community Outreach Workers (two), $8400; VD Program Assistants (four), $8400; VD Records Clerk, $7200; and Billing Clerk, $6600. A resume stating experience and qualifications should be sent to Don Kihefner, Betty Taylor, or Ken Bartley, The Gay Community Services Center, 1614 Wilshire

Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90017 or telephone (213) 482-3062.

In the same press release, Mr. Kight announced that the three-year court battle the GCSC had waged to join tax-exempt status was recently won, making the gay clinic the first gay tax-exempt agency in the nation. Kight predicted other qualifying gay centers would soon make similar announcements.

Kight elaborated that many gay groups are non-profit and therefore do not pay taxes, but only a few educational or political groups are tax-exempt, which means that contributions are tax-deductible to the donor.

LONDON A British drug firm says it has developed a pill to hold down the male sex drive.

Schering Chemicals calls its drug, "Androcur." London's Wormwood Scrubbs Prison says the pill will be given to inmates who request it, especially inmates who are serving time for sex offenses.

Schering says the drug has been tested on 500 male volunteers. Side effects were few, they say, with only about five percent suffering depression, tiredness, or weight fluctuations.

Britain's National Health Service says it will make Androcur available without charge to the public. Dr. William Marcus, head of clinical research at Schering, says the drug reduces the sexual drive and temporarily makes the user infertile.

Fertility is recovered within a few months after treatment, the firm says.