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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE December, 1989

Gay Games in Vancouver next summer

by K. D. Mahnal

Celebration '90: Gay Games III and Cultural Festival will be held in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, August 4-11, 1990. The Metropolitan Vancouver Athletic and Arts Association (MVAAA) will host the games.

The Gay Games will feature 27 athletic events and various cultural events. The Phase I Personal Data Registration is now in progress. This phase involves submitting certain personal data, housing requirements and requests for registration documents for the events. Once processed, this will begin Phase II, Specific Sport Registration, at which time entrants will receive all the necessary documents to register.

Fees are $36 per competitor per sport until January 31, 1990, and $54 thereafter. For team sports, only completed rosters will be accepted. Changes can be made until July 15, 1990 for a $10 fee. All fees must accompany Phase II registration forms, and May 31, 1990 is the deadline.

The Gay Games also offers members in the Celebration '90 Club, an organiza-

tion with over 3,000 members from 17 countries. For a minimum yearly fee of $10, members receive a quarterly newsletter and information on the Games. Also available is an advertising program for businesses wishing to show support. For a minimum of $250, a business will receive listings in Games publications and use of the official Business Backer logo for their ads and printed materials.

Following is a partial breakdown of the particular requirements governing individual sporting events:

⚫ Badminton: International rules will apply and a player may compete in only one age bracket and up to three events. All games are played to 15 points, with the option of setting at 13 ALL and 14 ALL (9 ALL and 10 ALL in women's singles). Proper court shoes must be worn during competition.

Basketball: International and Canadian Basketball Association rules, with minor variances, will apply. Open to teams of men and women with 5 to 15

NSIDE THE WASHINGTON LOBBY

by Chai Feldblum

and Laura Moskowitz

ADA Reaffirms: Homosexuality is Not a Disability

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), drafted in early 1989, passed on the Senate floor during the first week of September with almost unprecedented speed and overwhelming support. Although the bill still has to pass in the House, AIDS and disability rights activists are delighted by the success.

On paper and in theory, President Bush came out in favor of protection for people with disabilities and in favor of protection for people with AIDS some time ago. But in Washington, it is a long way between supporting a concept and agreeing to all the actual paragraphs and provisions of a bill. It was the specific ADA provisions for which activists needed White House agreement.

ADA protects people in private employment settings-so that employers can no longer discriminate against someone because that person has HIV. It also protects people against discrimination as customers in all types of businesses from a store selling video tapes to a doctor's office.

The only analogous law for that protection is Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects people from discrimination based on race, religion

and national origin. That law offers a narrow definition of public accommodations, including only restaurants, hotels and places of recreation. Bush wanted ADA also to cover only those public accommodations, excluding all kinds of social services and businesses in the private sector. ADA supporters would not negotiate that point.

Bush also took issue with the extent of monetary remedies under the bill. The ADA allowed people with disabilities who experienced discrimination to bring private lawsuits to sue for back pay in employment and to sue for damages for pain and suffering. In the civil rights laws, one can sue for back pay but not for damages (although an older civil rights law allows people who have been discriminated against on the basis of race to sue for damages).

A compromise was reached, whereby Bush agreed to the broad scope of the bill, and agreed to support the whole bill, while advocates of the bill agreed that the bill would allow only court injunctions, back pay and the private right of legal action as remedies for enforcement, similar to the recent civil rights laws.

Armed with White House support, the Senate's ADA supporters brought the bill to the Senate floor on September 7. Activists were prepared to tackle any homophobic amendments that might be introduced. In fact, longtime anti-gay spokesman Senator Jesse Helms, R-

YOUR PERSONAL SPACE

by Antone F. Feo, Ph.D.

Coming out of the Closet

The lesbian and gay community sets aside every October 11 as National Coming Out Day. On this date members of the community are asked to proudly "come out" to at least one other person. That is, self-disclose one's homosexuality. While to some this may appear to be an easy task, to others it is more difficult. Nonetheless, coming out of the closet is a very important event and often risky.

Coming out of the closet is important because it fosters a sense of identity. You inform others that you are not part of the straight community. You till others that you have little or no romantic interest in the opposite sex and prefer to be with other gay or lesbian individuals. Similarly, you recognize that you belong to a minority group who are talented, creative, and able to withstand the prejudice of ignorant persons.

If and when you decide to come out of the closet, you will have already tested the waters. That is, you will have evaluated the other person's thoughts and feelings regarding homosexuality. Typically, this process is done in a subtle manner so as not direct too much suspicion your way. When you believe that you will be accepted and respected, you most likely will reveal your secret. You will remain closeted if you feel you will be criticized or harmed. Parenthetically, gays and lesbians are very perceptive at recognizing homophobia.

Although there are positives from disclosing, there may be times you choose not to disclose. The potential risks appear too high and it is more practical and beneficial to remain silent. Some individuals remain closeted because they fear they would lose their job or be demoted. Others fear family information would put the family turmoil. Some say: "I don't tell my mother because it would kill her." Others remain closeted be-

members. Pool play will determine seeding into A or B divisions.

Billiards: Billiards Congress of America rules will apply. Both singles and coed teams will compete, and teams will consist of 3 to 4 players with a designated captain. One alternate is allowed per match, and winning teams receive three bonus points and one point for each win posted by a team member. Teams will play nine games. For individual play, 8-ball matches will be best 3 of 5 games; 9-ball matches will be the best 4 of 7 games. Both will be double elimination.

• Croquet: American Six-Wicket rules apply, and tournament is open to doubles teams only. Format will be double elimination, and teams can be any mix of men and women.

⚫ Cycling: Canadian Cycling Association rules will apply, and competitors must provide their own bicycles.

N.C., spoke at length to the sponsors of the bill asking why Congress should protect homosexuals with AIDS. But in fact the Helms staff focused mainly on ensuring that current drug users would not be covered under the ADA.

Another notoriously anti-gay representative, Senator William Armstrong, R-Colo., attempted to pass a broad, overreaching, homophobic and blatantly discriminatory amendment that would have allowed anyone to discriminate against gays and lesbians whether they were HIV-infected or not, drug addicts, alcoholics, and others, as long as they had a religious or moral belief for such discrimination. That would have gutted the ADA bill completely. Even though it seems absurd, worse amendments have indeed passed in the Senate. In response to Armstrong's reactionary amendment, proponents of the bill developed an alternative amendment, which avoided the reference to moral beliefs and stated simply that the term "disability” did not include a limited list of conditions. On that list were the people that, as we say here, Congress "loves to hate": transvestites, transsexuals, exhibitionists, voyeurs, pyromaniacs, kleptomaniacs, those with psycho-substance-induced organic mental disorders, gender identity disorders, other sexual behavior disorders, homosexuals and bisexuals.

From a legal perspective, there is no harm done by having homosexuality and

cause they fear the loss of their wife, husband or children.

Disclosing or remaining closeted is a choice every lesbian and gay man has to make at some point in time. Only you can decide what is best for you. If you decide to confide in another person, your approach will be determined by your self worth, to whom you are telling and why you are telling your secret. You will tell

Mom and Dad in a different manner than you would tell a friend. The stakes may be higher in one situation than in another. There is no one correct way to disclose.

The most obvious disclosure approach is to be forthright. This style is filled with self love, self worth and pride. No apologies are made because you are at peace with yourself. In these situations, the discloser may go like this: "Dad, I love you and want to remain close, therefore, I have something important to tell you. I am a homosexual." In a hostile disclosure one uses their

Entrants must submit proof of membership with their local cycling authority. If not a member of a local cycling authority, one-time event memberships with the Bicycling Association of British Columbia will be available for a nominal fee. All bicycles must meet safety standards of meet organizer, and ANSI or Snell-approved helmets must be worn during events. Bicycle and helmet rentals may be available at the start of "City Tour" events.

Darts: General soft-tipped dart rules apply and will be sent with registration request. Open to men and women in a wholly mixed competition.

The above events are open to all, regardless of age, ability, and with or without local city affiliations (except cycling). Rules for these sports may be obtained from the MVAAA office for a $15 fee.

For registration forms, rules and information, contact: Celebration '90, 1170 Bute Street, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6E1Z6. Phone: 604-684-3303 or fax: 604-683-2276. ▼

bisexuality on this list. From a policy perspective, it is completely distasteful because it reflects the homophobia of the current Senate. Legally, homosexuality and bisexuality haven't been considered mental disorders for the last 15 years. ADA was never intended to be a gay rights bill, because gay rights advocates would not want to argue that being gay is a disability. We will get gay rights in a gay rights bill, not in a disability bill. Transvestites and transsexuals, under the American Psychiatric Association's definition, are still considered disabled, and so this amendment does affect protection they might have had. This is unfortunate, although many people feel uncomfortable making the argument that transvestites and transsexuals are mentally disabled.

But people with AIDS and HIV infection continue to be covered-which is key. In a roundabout way, this amendment has helped the bill, giving sponsors a clear way to convince more conservative members of Congress that ADA isn't a gay rights bill.

ADA passed, practically intact, by a 77-8 vote. That vote reflected the White House compromise the fact that most members felt comfortable with the bill. The curtain is down on Act 1 of the ADA drama (and the players deserve a standing ovation).

Stay tuned for Act 2, "ADA Goes to the House of Representatives."

homosexuality as a weapon. The intent is to hurt and punish. Often the discloser has not fully accepted their homosexuality and wishes to be heterosexual. They blame and resent others for their sexual orientation. The unhappy individual may say: "Yes I'm a faggot, and it is all your fault. You were a lousy father."

Another approach is to tell others directly, but also not hide or deny one's homosexuality. If you hear a work peer making a homophobic remark, you tell them that their statement is offensive. Your assertive manner informs others that you are sympathetic towards gays and lesbians in the community.

A most difficult task is to remain closeted and attempt to pass oneself off as straight. This is taxing on the total psychological will being of the individual. The damage occurs because it forces one to lie to himself and others. There is no opportunity to grow emotionally and interpersonal relationships are stifled.▾