MARCH 1976

DISCO

DOWN

THE

BICENTENNIAL BAR

AMERICAN HOTEL & RESTAURANT

AKRON, O

St. PATRICKS PARTY on MARCH 17th

dance to the music

of Dennis Cox

HIGH GEAR

TO

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COLUMBUS EDITOR EXPLAINS BAN

COLUMBUS Charles Eggar, editor of Columbus' CitizenJournal, told O.S.U.'s Gay Activist Alliance he felt the Doonesbury comic strip of Feb. 9 13 was "inappropriate for printing." Said Eggar: "Out of the thousands or more ads we have run in the past two months, we had to drop two because they graphically dépict sexual intercourse. Doonesbury's the same thing; it's just out of the bounds of good taste."

Asked what were the rules governing good taste, Eggar replied, "It's impossible for one man to decide these things." Nonetheless, he took it upon. himself to decide to censor:

At first, the Citizen-Journal sloughed off local protests by

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claiming the strip was deleted because of a readership survey. In the words of managing editor Jack Kelor. "We've done it in the past with serials like "Little Orphan Annie" to see how many. people would object."Only later. after gay activist pressure, was the Eggar statement issued.

OSU's G.A.A. drafted a resolution marking the paper's action as "covert censorship." It immediately notified all local news media and the ban was broadcast on two radio stations. one TV station and one other newspaper. The protests resulted in a managerial decision to publish Doonesbury on the editorial page instead of the comic page.

G.E.A.R. APPOINTS NEW BOARD MEMBERS

CLEVELAND-At its February monthly meeting the G.E.A.R. Foundation appointed four new members to its Board of Trustees. The new members are Mary Jane

Dieen, Lesbian/Feminist activist from C.A.L.F.A., Phil Murawa, Secretary of Dignity/Cleveland, Dan Richmond, MCC/Cleveland minister, and Don Skaggs, social worker and co-ordinator

of the Gay Switchboard. Art MacDonald's and Peter Zelmer's resignations were accepted.

Among business discussed was the Foundation's tax exempt status, community center grant proposal deadlines, by-laws of the Foundation, and

mechanics of the Switchboard. Community Services director David Holleb reported 10-12 people had finished training for the Gay Hotline. Most of the calls, according to Holleb, involved information dispensing and referrals; gay sexuality and identity, and interpersonal matters.

High Gear managing editors acknowledged there -are sufficient funds to pay expenses of the Switchboard's call forwarding, relocation, and a tentative taped message giving information to N.E. Ohio gays. The next meeting is scheduled for March 16.

End to Anti-Gay Corps Policy

The National Gay Task Force announced today that NGTF efforts have resulted in ending a United States Job Corps policy of discrimination against lesbians and gay men. At a meeting held in Washington on February 20, NGTF Executive Director Dr. Bruce Voeller and Board member Dr. Franklin Kameny were informed by John T. Stetson, Director of the Job Corps, that the anti-gay policy would be terminated.

Dr. Kameny had met earlier with staff members of the Job Corps to clarify Task Forces objections to the manual. Prior to that meeting, letters protesting the Job Corps policy had been sent to the Job Corps and to the Secretary of Labor by Dr. Bruce Voeller and members of Congress, including representatives Edward Koch, Bella Abzug, Michael Harrington and Senator Alan Cranston.

The discriminatory Job Corps policy and "Sexual Deviation" manual were first brought to NGTF's attention by lesbians at a Job Corps facility in Astoria, Oregon. They asked NGTF's assistance because the Job Corps is one of the few agencies not covered by the recent U.S. Civil Service policy order forbidding discrimination

based on sexual orientation in federal employment. According to

Mr.

Voeller and Kameny Stetson expressed concern that the manual and related policy were still in effect in 1976 and agreed that both the manual and policy were inappropriate. Upon receipt of Dr. Voeller's letter, Stetson had drafted a letter to the ten regional directors of the Corps instructing them to withdraw and disregard the manual entirely.

During the meeting Mr. Stetson accepted the proposal that an anti-gay paragraph in the Federal Register be amended to indicate that sexual orientation shall not be a basis for administering medical assistance and is not to be construed as a basis for serving in the Job Corps.

Mr. Stetson also agreed to a reeducation project for counselors and staff already in the Corps, many of whom have had little or no contact with known lesbians or gay men. NGTF will facilitate the education of Corps staff by preparing an annotated list of lesbian and gay organizations in the vicinity of each of the local Job Corps facilities

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