MARCH 1976

TOMLIN

AT KENT

Lily Tomlin

KENT-On Friday March 5, Lily Tomlin brought her uniquely bizzare brand of humor to Kent State University's Student Center ballroom. As she dashed

through both old and new

material, 1500 enthusiastic fans cheered her on. One of her antics included a skit about the reformed rubber freak (one who eats erasers, boots, tires, etc.) who has become a socially acceptable alcoholic.

Tomlin, who recently was featured in a cover story in The Advocate and has in the past written for gay magazines, was interviewed after her. performance. She began the interview by saying, "I know what to do in a situation like this" and promptly spun three somersaults over a conferenceroom table.

Tongue-in-cheek,

Tomlin

baited the interviewers. Asked if she would accept an Academy Award for her role in

HIGH GEAR

PRESS ASSOCIATION FORMS

BOSTON

High Gear, A Participant

In an historic first, on February 14, nine gay newspapers convened in Boston's Gay Community News offices to form the Gay Press Association. Represented at the conference were The Barb (Atlanta) The Empty Closet (Rochester), The Body Politic (Toronto) Maverick (New York) Gay Community News (Boston) The Philadelphia Gay News, Pittsburgh Gay News, Ohio East Gay News and High Gear.

At a news and features workshop which opened the conference, the first gay news service was established. Because GCN was the only weekly newspaper represented, it was chosen as the focal point of the service. According to the plan, news leads and stories will be phoned to the GCN office by other publications. GCN will write and research the stories, permitting all news service participants to redo the stories in their own perspective. If GCN

"Nashville," Lily replied, "No, I'm going dressed as an Indian."

To the question, how do you account for your great success, Lily peered at the troupe and said deadpan, "low standards of culture."

"The skits are based on my life," Ms. Tomlin said. Her performance included a scene depicting a single girl gulping down grasshoppers in a bar and tearfully saying, "Sometimes I think I'm an illusion." Whether she is or not, the people who caught her at Kent were duly impressed.

decides not to use any material, it will list the main points and contact people of the story on a news release sheet which will be sent to all the other newspapers using the service on a weekly basis. The other significant accomplishment of the conference was to explore possibilities of getting national advertising for the gay press. The nine papers represented have a combined circulation of near 100,000. It is hoped that a combined effort could be presented agencies which would allow an advertiser to advertise in all nine papers.

to

advertising

Promotion, public relations, staffing and distribution were The other topics discussed. newspapers represented at the Boston conference agreed to meet again in Philadelphia on May 8 to continue discussion and establish further plans.

JUDGE RULES GAY OK FOR STATE POLICE

WASHINGTON STATE -The King County Superior Court in the State of Washington has issued a precedent-setting decision ordering reinstatement of a gay employee of the State Highway Patrol, stating that homosexuality cannot be used as a bar to employment. This is the first such case in the country relating to a law-enforcement agency.

a

Douglas Wyman (1024 7th Ave. S., Edmonds, Wash. 98020; 206-774-7914) is communications technician who was trained in his specialty by the Army Security Agency, and served for a time (with topsecret clearance) with the National Security Agency. It was while he was with NSA that he "came out" as a homosexual, and he went to his commanding 'officer to tell him so, to avoid any possibility of blackmail. He was thereupon given a general discharge under honorable conditions.

He was hired by the Washington Highway Patrol in Sept. 1974 and fired a month later after he volunteered the fact that he was gay to a department investigator. He and his attorney, Ms. Christopher Yount (206-624-6800) have been fighting his case ever since.

In his opinion, issued Feb. 3, Judge Edward Efi Henry said that Wyman had been a "victim of his own honesty;" declined to accept the state's argument that public knowledge that the Patrol hired homosexuals would bring it discredit; and ruled that the state failed to show any connection between sexual preference

and job performance. Wyman was awarded $915 a month in back pay.

case.

An interesting sidelight is that Henry was the second judge in the The first, a Judge Smith, disqualified himself because he was prejudiced against homosexuals.

Rap Group Changes Format

CLEVELAND The Gay Rap Group, held Fridays and Sundays at the Free Clinic, 12201 Euclid Avenue, is open to all persons (women and men). Previously, it was publicized as a men's rap group, but any and all people are welcome to attend.

Due to participant's request, the format of the group has been changed. On Fridays from 8 p.m. to 11, the group will be a general, informal rap, with possibilities of small groups breaking off to discuss particular interests or to just meet new friends. The groups will be open and changing each week.

The Sunday group starts at 7 p.m. and will take the form of small, semi-closed, personal growth groups which will focus

on interpersonal

com-

munication, coming out, sexuality, and personal problems. If you wish to attend, you must call the Gay Switchboard, 696-5330 in the evening, and leave your name and number. You will be called back within a few days and notified when the next Sunday rap group is forming. Sundays will also feature an informal open group as on Fridays.

For any additional information on either rap group, call the Switchpoard at 696-5330. We hope you'll drop in on Friday, or call and sign up for a Sunday group.

Page 3

ON THE CANDIDATES

The following, provided by the National Gay Task Force, 80 Fifth Ave., N.Y., N.Y., is a capsule summary of how each Presidential candidate stands in respect to gay rights:

Birch Bayh: Has agreed to cosponsor a Senate companion bill to HR 5452; promised to issue an executive order barring discrimination on grounds of sexual preference.

Lloyd Bentsen: Evasive response gay rights

to

has been

support. Jimmy Carter: Although he announced some months ago his opposition to all forms of discrimination, he backing off somewhat from this position regarding gays. Frank Church: No response yet.

Fred Harris: Supports HR hold 5452, right of gays to maximum security positions in government.

Hubert Humphrey: In 1972 and 1975, issued formal statements supporting gay rights.

Henry Jackson: Opposed to gay rights, sodomy repeal. He is recruiting anti-gay politicians as delegates on his slates.

Terry Sanford: Supports HR 5452; fears blackmail of homosexuals on

grounds of

"national security."

Milton Shapp: Supports gay rights legislation, including elimination of tax inequities; supports repeal of laws regulating consensual adult sexual behavior; issued executive order as Pennsylvania governor protecting rights of gays; vetoed anti-gay bill in Pennsylvania.

Sargent Shriver: Supports HR 5452 and has recently voiced full support for gay rights in public.

Morris Udall: Supports HR 5452; wants to hold option of thinking of some sensitive areas where gays shouldn't be employed; supports right of gays to serve in the armed forces.

George Wallace: No response. been

No resporises have received yet from the Republican candidates, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagen. Ford referred .one request for his position to a member of the military who returned the official Navy position on the matter. In responding to letters from the editor of NGTF's Action Report, Betty Ford has declined comment on the question of support for gay rights, and has suggested that we contact our Congresspeople.

SWEDEN'S NEW LEAD ON SEXUALITY

-

STOCKHOLM A special government committee recently proposed that sexual intercourse as early as age 14 be permitted in Sweden without the possibility of punishment, that the ancient taboo against incest that the be abolished, and separate legal treatment of homosexuals be ended.

The committee of experts was headed by Bjoren Kjellen, chief appeals justice of Malome. The committee justified its stand by pointing to the more tolerant attitudes toward sex in society today, and emphasized that the age of puberty is lower than before and that many youths now make "their sexual debut before 15" without being prosecuted.

The group was not swayed by "genetic and ethical reasons" usually propogated against incest and would treat such sex acts between siblings or child and parent the same as any other sex act. The consenting age of 14 would apply here as well.

The committee proposed dropping all separate laws governing homosexual acts; any offenses would be prosecuted under laws that govern heterosexual acts. This would mean lowering the present 18 year age limit on homosexual relations to 14 under the committee's proposal.

The recommendations are the most progressive yet realized in the Western World.

Lesbian Victories in Canton

CANTON Gay power made itself visible on the Canton Volleyball courts as Dumont's Joses won the Women's City League Championship on Thursday March 4. The Joses, a team of 13 lesbians, shut out their opponents, Tim's Tavern, in the championship with scores of 159, 17-15, and 15-11. During the second game Dumont's Joses were behind 12-2 but managed to rally for the 17-15 victory.

The team was captained to victory by Mary Boron, who went to Mexico City as an alternate for the 1972 Summer Olympics.

When asked if the team received any animosity from the other teams in the league because they were gay, she said, "they all cheer against us but we still win...we're down there for the sport. If they want to make a personal thing out of it, it's up to them."

The team is not resting on its laurels. They have already started practice for their softball league which starts in May. Are they going to win? According to their softball manager, Effie, "Definitely!"