September, 1990
GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE Page 15
Soviet gay paper improves, registers with government
by Rex Wockner
Issue two of Tema, the magazine of the Moscow Union of Lesbians and Gay Men, is on the streets in a more manageable size and with improved printing quality.
Activists have printed 10,000 copies and are handing them out on street
corners.
"Today this is no longer forbidden," said publisher Anna Petrova, "and passersby have sympathetic reactions." Petrova said Tema will soon be offi-
Dukakis now endorses gay
foster care
Gay activists claimed a major victory when Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis vetoed a budget amendment which would have restricted the rights of gay men and lesbians to adopt or serve as guardians or foster parents of children. Dukakis announced the veto in early August at a state house press conference prior to the signing of the 1990 budget.
Governor Dukakis caused a furor of controversy in 1985 when he ordered the removal of two foster children from the home of two gay men. The Massachusetts legislature then followed Dukakis' example by attaching more restrictive language to the budget each year. 1990 is the first year since 1985 that gay men and lesbians have managed to defeat this restrictive language.
The foster care veto came in response to public pressure and lobbying orchestrated by the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay civil rights. The Coalition urged the governor to oppose both the extremely restrictive House version of the amendment proposed by Rep. Steven Pierce, Republican candidate for governor, and the somewhat milder Senate version authored by Republican Lucile Hicks.
"It is both ironic and gratifying that Dukakis, who originated this anti-gay policy, should now use his power to overrule the discriminatory language adopted by the legislature," said David LaFontaine, Lobbying Director of the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights. "Whether he has had a change of heart over the last five years is not known, but years of protests and public confrontations have certainly taught him to respect the power and tenacity of the gay and lesbian community."
áThe lesbian and gay community will not tolerate fallacious and hateful attempts to brand gay, lesbian, and bisexual people as dangers to children,” added coalition lobbyist Ed Boyce. "We are committed to preserving the parenting and adopting rights we have secured this year."
Massachusetts activists expect this positive turn of events to have national significance, since the restrictive foster care policies adopted in Massachusetts were imitated by several other states. This victory may have the potential to turn the tide nationally toward the adoption of unbiased parenting policies.▼
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cially registered, “since a new law now permits the creation of magazines without the authorization of the communist party."
The magazine is printed in distant Lithuania, where there is a pro-gay printer. Moscow activists travel there by train each time carrying the pasted-up "boards."
Meanwhile, Petrova and fellow activist Roman Kalinin have recently appeared on a popular national TV show and elicited positive feedback to the network from viewers.
"Soviet society is evolving," Petrova said. "It's just the politicians who are always on a late train. Material life is becoming more difficult, of course, but words are more free."
MULGM's main goal at present is the abolition of article 121.1 of the Soviet criminal code, which permits a five-year prison sentence for the crime of being homosexual.
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"We have tried in vain to modify the legislation,” Petrova said. “Politicians are turning a deaf ear. We fear that the situation is growing worse. Everything will depend on political changes."
MULGM is also beginning outreach to PWA's, "who currently meet a few dozen at a time in private apartments — far from prying eyes.”
The group is in great need of gay literature, condoms, lubricants, disposable syringes and money.
Since the mail is unreliable, gifts should usually be sent with tourists. The best way to contact MULGM is via direct-dial fax: 011 7 095 200 2216. Their mailing address is: Kalinin Roman U., Do Vostrebovania, SU-103009 Moscow K-9, USSR.
Activists are also encouraged to write President Mikhail Gorbachev and demand abolition of the Article 121.1.
His address is: Moscow, USSR. ▼
bill clears
Congress, president urged to sign
Washington On August 2, the U.S. House of Representatives approved crucial funding for housing subsidies for people with AIDS and HIV infection by a vote of 378 to 43. The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) heralded the landmark vote as an aggressive federal response to the problem of homelessness and AIDS.
The House bill (HR 1180, the Housing and Community Development Act) appropriates $150 million for direct rent subsidies, reconditioning of single-room
occupancy units, and AIDS housing information. The House version of the bill is designed to prevent homelessness before it occurs and offers greater protections than a companion bill passed by the Senate.
NGLTF urges all concerned individuals to encourage President Bush to approve the legislation with the AIDS housing appropriations. Write or call the President at: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W, Washington, DC 20500, 202-4561414. ▼
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