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Looking back on
the 'Year of the Queer'
Washington-The dispute over gays in the military, a large march on Washington and several high-level Clinton administration appointments brought the lesbian-gay civil rights movement unprecedented scrutiny in 1993.
Even before 1993, gay activists had proclaimed it "The Year of the Queer." And it was precisely that to the delight of some and the horror of others.
The March on Washington for Gay, Lesbian and Bi Equal Rights in April was the largest such gathering ever. One of the demonstrators' demands was the right to serve openly in the armed forces.
Gay people almost got that wish in 1993. But Bill Clinton, a president more sympathetic than any of his predecessors to gay rights, couldn't—or wouldn't-reverse the 50-year-old policy aimed at keeping gay men and lesbians out of the military.
Yet Clinton did name more than a dozen openly gay men and women to mid-level government posts, starting with then-San Francisco Supervisor Roberta Achtenberg as an assistant housing secretary. Although Sen. Jesse Helms, R-North Carolina, opposed her as a "damned lesbian," Achtenberg won confirmation by the Senate.
Gay people found friends in unexpected places in 1993. Sen. Barry Goldwater, a bastion of Republican conservatism, said the ban on military service was "just plain dumb." And Sen. Claiborne Pell, D-Rhode Island, took to the Senate floor to speak lovingly of his lesbian daughter.
But when three Oklahoma congressmen said they would refuse to hire openly gay people, House Speaker Tom Foley, D-Washington, surprised some with his response. The liberal Foley said he understood that members of Congress have a special need to hire whomever they want for sensitive jobs.
Overall, gay Americans were treated with ambivalence in 1993.
Lesbians were declared chic, making the covers of magazines ranging from Newsweek to New York to Vanity Fair.
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But that news apparently didn't reach Ovett, Mississippi, where townfolks left a dead dog on the mailbox of a lesbian couple who were trying to open a feminist camp. Some residents said they feared women from the camp would kidnap and sexually abuse their daughters.
Georgetown, Texas, said it didn't want Apple Computer Inc. to open an $80 million customer support office there because of its policy of providing health benefits to unmarried partners, including gays. But a week after the county commissioners rejected a tax break for the computer giant, they did an about-face.
A federal judge in Virginia denied custody to a lesbian couple solely because of their sexuality, and turned the son of one of the women over to his grandmother.
But in Boston, a state Supreme Court ruling made two lesbians the first gay couple to win approval from Massachusetts to adopt a child. And in New Jersey, a Superior Court judge allowed a lesbian to adopt her partner's daughter, making them both the child's parents.
On Election Day, voters rejected gayrights protections in Cincinnati, repealed them in Lewiston, Maine, and said no to such a measure in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
But a year after Colorado passed an initiative outlawing gay-rights laws, a state district judge ruled that the measure was unconstitutional. But he also said gays didn't need the special protections afforded other minorities who have been victims of past discrimination.
Marietta, Georgia, passed an ordinance condemning "lifestyles advocated by the gay community" after a straight couple complained about a production of Lips Together, Teeth Apart, a play about AIDS.
But in Hawaii, the state Supreme Court decided that a rule barring same-sex marriages violated an anti-discrimination clause in the state constitution.
Mayor White backs rights bill
Continued from Page 1
of all of its citizens. But you know as well as I that this has not been the case. It is still not illegal in many places, including the City of Cleveland unfortunately, to deny housing, employment, education, and services to people strictly on the basis of their sexual orientation. This is wrong. It is wrong in Cleveland, it's wrong in Ohio, and it's wrong in America... I will sponsor legislation that will protect any Clevelanders from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, ethnic origin, Vietnamera and disabled veteran status."
WKYC-TV, Channel 3 in Cleveland, gave prominent and positive coverage to the announcement during their evening news, soliciting comments from lesbian and gay community leaders and interviewing White, who said, "I know it's controversial. I made up my mind last year that if I was reelected I was going to promote it, and I'm going to go forward with this." Channels 5 and 8, while covering the mayor's speech, made no mention of the discrimination pro-
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Continued from Page 1
can also be misleading. Improper use of the condom and lack of water-based lubricants could cause the condoms to fail, a "dangerous" situation according to Sissyfag.
The four television networks agreed to run the spots but imposed conditions, such as suggesting abstinence as an alternative.
tections. The Plain Dealer gave it a brief mention.
Given White's political clout and City Council President Jay Westbrook's gaysupportive stance, the human rights ordinance has an excellent chance of passage intact. The mayor set a goal of late January to see his legislative package approved.
Sister Spirit
Continued from Page 1
to do here in Ovett."
The conflict in the town of about 400 people has drawn national attention. The Hensons and community leaders squared off on the Oprah show, on the national news and in news magazines. The ABC news show 20/20 was scheduled to film the January 3 meeting.
After Oprah aired December 21, Brenda Henson said supporters began calling offering help.
The Hensons say they are fighting off harassment and death threats. Earlier, in December, Attorney General Janet Reno was asked to assist the women.
Following the January 3 meeting, three members of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Family Association presented to Ocean Springs and Jackson County officials a petition seeking the prohibition of gays and lesbians in Ocean Springs. The petition contained about 100 names.
The city aldermen voted to accept the petition, but were not asked to pass a resolution.