MARCH 24, 1995

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 13

COMMUNITY GROUPS

A local Colorado group has wide-reaching activities

by Bill Henderson

Last of a series on the new Radical Right. Colorado for Family Values presents itself as a folksy, grassroots, local group in Colorado Springs, concerned only in fighting against civil rights for local lesbians and gays. But, by its tactics, its sophisticated boards, its financial power and vote-generating success, it is another thing entirely.

CFV is one of only two radical political organizations, created solely for promoting anti-gay initiatives, that is capable of training, organizing, and funding initiatives in states other than its own. (The second is the Oregon Citizens Alliance headed by Lon Mabon.) CFV contributed 80 percent of the $500,000 spent by pro-discrimination forces on Cincinnati's Issue 3, outspending defenders of that city's anti-discrimination law by three to one. Was all that money from out of state, or was much of it from Ohio contributors "laundered" through CFV?

Despite state investigations and a lawsuit, we may likely never know with certainty. At this time it seems clear that CFV probably ignored Ohio campaign financing laws and possibly tax-filing regulations.

CFV will play a role in Ohio again, along with Focus on the Family, American Family Association, and the Christian Coalition as integral funders and organizers for the exclusionist programs of Ohio Pro-Family Forum.

Statewide, as well as local, anti-gay initiatives continue to be a goal of these new Radical Right groups. Oregon and Idaho just narrowly defeated OCA-sponsored ballot initiatives. Maine will have an anti-gay campaign this year. In 1994 People for the American Way estimated 40 state and local initiatives were in various planning stages. Why are there so many of these? What is the Radical Right gaining from all this activity? So much effortand so much money-just to deny a small fraction of Americans protection of their civil rights? Who benefits? And who is overlooked during the past 20 years of dehumanizing pro-discrimination campaigns?

Well, who has lost historically to Radical Right organizing and propaganda? Women throughout our history have been denied equal status. In the '80s the Equal Rights Amendment anti-discrimination protection for women was defeated in the interests of a large industry. That same insurance industry is organizing, through many of these organizations, to defeat a national health care plan.

In the '90s, that smokescreen of anti-gay activity diverts our attention from Radical Right efforts to assure "status quo" despite the ongoing struggle for women's parity.

These ballot initiatives also divert attention and energy from halting efforts of the new Radical Right to deny America's children access to diverse knowledge, access to complete human sexuality education at the natural stages of inquiry, to defund public school programs and facilities. Their goals are to maintain class disparities, because

knowledge is empowerment; and to enforce the values of exclusionist conservative religious and political groups upon young minds who could instead be learning openness and inclusion principles which threaten the Radical Right's ability to gain political control in America.

Citizens for Excellence in Education (a religious-based Radical Right group) claims that over 6,000 Radical Right "stealth" candidates have been elected to school boards nationwide. They are not there to expand upon the knowledge we pass on to

limit their access to those citizens "chosen❞ by the others to receive them; and finally, to dominate elected and appointed local, state and federal positions in order to defund and replace them with administrations controlled privately by people who share their exclusionist vision of America's future.

During the past 20 years, behind a smoke screen of anti-gay demagoguery, Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Phyllis Schlafly, Lou Sheldon, Jerry Falwell, Paul Weyrich,

OUT Voice

our children! You must help stop this, and 1995 is a local school board election in Ohio.

Finally, people of colors' continuing struggles to achieve full protection from discrimination are overlooked. Anti-gay initiatives hide Religious Right efforts to halt antidiscrimination progress through affirmative action programs. Pat Robertson, Lou Sheldon, James Dobson, Donald Wildmon and other white men and women of power and privilege use such initiatives to obscure in American's minds the truth: that civil liberties are guaranteed by our constitution.

If enough folks are manipulated to believe that rights are earned by only some and granted only by other citizens, everyone's protections by our Constitution are endangered.

We have learned that the new Radical Right is a centrally coordinated, highly organized, open political movement. This is not "a conspiracy." Their goals are: To alter the constitution and to claim America as a “Christian" nation; to alter our concept of rights and protections established for all equally, and

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Buchanan and a few dozen others have been busy creating a very different America. The power shown in the past election is probably your wake-up call if you really believe America was created to become the most free, most inclusive government in history. A lot of work must be done, and your help is critical.

First, you must talk, talk, talk! Tell neighbors, family and friends what you are learning about the goals of the Radical Right. At the very least, you personally must help others begin to look behind the manipulative words of their rhetoric so others can refocus their fears back onto those privileged few Radical Right leaders working to control all of us.

Secondly, you have to become an actively involved citizen. Activism to protect our Constitution and freedoms is the responsibility of all of us in this democracy. It's your job. We can accomplish together what we might feel powerless to do alone. Join a national advocacy group that promotes an open democracy and an inclusive view of citizens rights and the rights of those who wish to live and work with us. Several good

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ones include People for the American Way, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the National Gay and Lesbain Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign Fund, and the American Civil Liberties Union.od

These groups are up to their hairlines in the struggle to hold back all of the campaigns sponsored by the Radical Right leaders. They need your membership, and you need their information to stay on top of the struggles going on around the country. Most importantly, join an Ohio-focused organization to keep aware of local and regional assaults on rights of others. There is Out Voice, the ACLU of Ohio, the Ohio Education Association, and your local chapter of the National Organization for Women, as well as others.

Thirdly, you will have to give ongoing financial support to the local, state and national groups you choose to work among. Conservatives now understand how critical this financial support has been to their success. You should know that your opponents are wealthy, with organizing funds and experts at work to keep the cash flow coming in after more than 20 years. You will need to dig as deeply as you can as often as you can. These requests for operating funds are not frivolous. They come from organizations struggling against the wealth and privileged connections of Radical Right members. A new PAC, Ohioans Against Discrimination, has been created to support candidates and office holders who share our inclusive vision of what America must become. I urge you to support OAD as well as the membership organizations you choose to join. This is critical. Use the weapons of your ideas, your energies and your support to halt the Radical Right assault!

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