November 20, 1992 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
Page 9
Lesbian U.S. Senate candidate gets 331,133 votes in Ohio
by Susan R. Schnur
Cleveland resident Martha K. Grevatt, the first openly lesbian candidate to run for U.S. Senate in Ohio, received 7.1 percent of the vote against opponents John Glenn and Mike DeWine. This was an impressive showing considering the virtual media boycott of her campaign. Even to be included in the League of Women Voters candidate booklet took much effort. Not only was Grevatt excluded from the senatorial debates, but the Cleveland Board of Elections left out her name when informing the Chronicle of the various races. This did not stop the 20-year member of Workers World Party from bringing the message of fightback and struggle to people around Ohio.
Lesbian and gay rights have always been an important part of the Workers World platform. The first lesbian-gay caucus was formed in 1971, two years after the Stonewall riots in New York City.
Grevatt sees the history of the oppression of women and lesbians and gays as closely linked under the capitalist system. "Women are not only exploited in the workplace but also seen as the caretakers for future workers. Gay and lesbian lifestyles are seen, under capitalism, as a threat to the traditional family and traditional roles of
women.
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When campaigning, Grevatt was asked what if any improvements there would be under a Clinton administration. "Bill Clinton and Al Gore have done nothing in the past to help our community. The people of Arkansas are some of the poorest people in the United States. Clinton supports capitalism which has kept us oppressed for centuries."
Also at issue during the campaign was the AIDS crisis. Medication costs $8,000 to $10,000 per year. For their lives, many people with AIDS have to quit their jobs and endure a life of poverty before Medic-
United Auto Workers includes protection for gays in bylaws
San Diego--At the June national convention of the United Auto Workers here, members voted to include sexual orientation and marital status to an anti-discrimination code in the union's constitution.
A press release from the UAW's Local 1981, the National Writers' Union, reported that the vote, which passed without much opposition, came about because the local chapter of the union in Twinsburg, Ohio, had submitted a resolution to include protection of gays in the constitution.
The local had unanimously voted to submit the resolution to the convention,
and at least one other local had submitted such a resolution, the release said.
Martha Grevatt, a lesbian who ran for John Glenn's Senate seat in this month's election, wrote the Twinsburg chapter's resolution. She said the local submitted a similar resolution three years earlier, but it was killed before it received a reading before the convention.
Grevatt said the next step is to get the "Big Three" automakers--Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler--to include protections for gays in contracts with automotive workers.
aid will finance their treatment.
"Health care is not a priority of the capitalist government. Democrats and Republicans would rather fund the war machine to protect the interests of rich oil companies rather than struggle against AIDS as well as fund universal health care for all."
Grevatt used her campaign to show that elections do not make change. "We must organize together to fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. The same capitalist politicians who voted to go to war against Iraq will not lift a finger to help anyone except themselves unless forced. Has Clinton spoken out against police brutality which terrorizes the African-American and Latino communities? All Clinton has proposed are more jails and police. He is also proud to support the death penalty. How many times did the Democratic ticket call for an end to racism and full reparations to African-American people? Clinton also claimed to be for women's rights. But did he raise the demand for equal pay for comparable worth? Of course not, as that would be against the anti-union right-towork laws in Arkansas.
"I ran in the race for U.S. Senate as a way to reach working class people in Ohio. As I traveled around Ohio I explained that even if a socialist was elected to the Senate it would not make a difference as the Senate as a whole represents the ruling class. We must organize independently in order to fight racism, sexism, lesbian-gay-bi bigotry, for jobs, and for community control of the police. I was one of 400 activists who convened in Baltimore on March 28, 1992 at the founding conference of the Movement for a People's Assembly. The People's Assembly will be a decision making body that will truly represent the workers and oppressed. The next gathering will be in the spring so that everyone who is under attack will have a voice. We are also participating in the April 25 Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual March on Washington."
Now that the election is over Grevatt will return to her job as an auto worker. She says she will continue to fight for the rights of all people.
For more information about the Movement for a People's Assembly, call the People's Fightback center at 921-8130.▼
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