8 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE APRIL 4, 1997

NEWS BRIEFS

Catholic priest comes out to his congregation

Sparta, Mich.-Less than a month after Bishop Thomas Gumbelton of Detroit urged gay Catholic clergy to come out, a priest has heeded his call.

At Holy Thursday services March 27 and in a newsletter sent earlier in the week to his 550 parishioners, the Rev. Martin Kurylowicz announced he is gay but celibate. The response at Good Friday services was overwhelmingly favorable.

"I was just filled with tears, there were so many hugs," said Kurylowicz, 47, pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in this community 15 miles north of Grand Rapids. "It means more now, because they know the real me."

Kurylowicz also said Bishop Robert Rose, head of the 150,000-member Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids, was "extremely supportive."

HIV reporting bill loses sponsor

Washington, D.C.-The HIV Prevention Act of 1997 has lost one of its cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Calif. removed his name from the list of some 70 co-sponsors. The bill has received stiff opposition from AIDS activists for its mix of mandatory testing and reporting provisions.

The bill, H.R. 1062, was introduced by Rep. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. on March 13. If enacted, it would require all cases of HIV to be reported to the federal Centers for Disease Control. It would also mandate testing for any person accused of a sexual offense.

Jose Zuniga of the AIDS Action Council said he expects to see the defection of additional co-sponsors in the next few weeks. The organization continues to lobby against the bill in both the House and Senate, where

Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla. plans to introduce a companion bill in April.

Army stops billing for tuition

Dallas-The Army had decided to stop trying to collect tuition from a 1987 West Point graduate who was forced out of the service for saying he is gay.

Clayce Rodamer came out to his commander while serving at Fort Bliss, Texas in 1988. Despite his expressed desire to remain in the Army, Rodamer resigned under the threat of court martial and possible dishonorable discharge. In the 61⁄2 years since, the Army has demanded Rodamer repay $175,000 tuition.

Word of the change came hours before Rodamer appeared on ABC's Nightline to discuss his case.

Under federal law, the military may collect expenses from individuals discharged due to conduct or those who voluntarily leave. During the Bush administration, the government ended collection efforts against several gay former ROTC cadets.

In 1994, as the “don't ask, don't tell❞ policy was put in place, Dep. Secretary of Defense John Deutch ordered a halt to collection efforts against servicemembers involuntarily discharged for saying they are gay.

Church helps rights bill pass

Concord, N.H.-Backed by new support from the Roman Catholic Church, New Hampshire's House voted to bar discrimination against lesbians and gay men in housing, jobs and public places like hotels and restaurants.

The House voted 205-125 on March 19 to send the bill to the Senate. The bill was

Now Open and Serving the Community!

UNCOMMON DESTINATIONS

Specializing in Gay & Lesbian Travel •RSVP •Santo Tours •All Gay Tours

BAWNU

Uncommon Destinations is the Place to Call For Lesbian and Gay Events Worldwide!!

Call Marsha at 216/939-8099 3121 Bridge Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44113

ASTA & IGTA

THOMAS J. RANKIN

Call Thom today for your copy of his powerful free brochure:

“THE 7 MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR LENDER BEFORE YOU SIGN ANYTHING"

216-999-8100

BY REFERRAL ONLY

REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE CORP. "Your Partners In Lending"

20325 Center Ridge Road, Rocky River, Ohio 44116

endorsed by the Catholic Diocese of Manchester, which in the past had opposed it.

This is the third time the House has taken up the issue in three years. It passed a bill in 1994, but the Senate killed it after former Gov. Steve Merrill said it wasn't needed.

The diocese's endorsement is expected to increase this bill's chances in the Senate. Governor Jeanne Shaheen is expected to sign the bill if it gets to her desk. Panel clears 'killer dad' judge

Pensacola, Fla.-A state judicial panel has dismissed a bias complaint against a judge who said lesbianism made a mother unfit, then gave custody of her daughter to her former husband, a convicted killer.

The complaint against Circuit Judge Joseph Q. Tarbuck of Pensacola was filed with the Judicial Qualifications Commission in February by retired Fort Lauderdale lawyer Allan H. Terl.

Terl, a gay civil rights activist, disclosed the confidential decision March 20 by releasing a copy of a letter he wrote to Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald Kogan that suggested the commission lacked the background to handle discrimination cases.

Terl pointed out that a judicial ethics canon prohibiting anti-gay bias was adopted only 18 months ago, and suggested to Kogan that sensitivity training be required for commission members and judges.

The mother, Mary Ward, had appealed Tarbuck's ruling, but she died Jan. 21, making the custody battle moot, Terl said.

Marie G. Bielefeld. AWD,

COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST

ISDIVIDUNE COCPHE

LESBIAN gay IssUES

SELF-EXPRESSION

BROUGH VOCAHON

PERSONNE SPERITONI C4120WI11

COPING WILL AH DINT PROBLEMS

800

MATE

34 8164

WESTGATE PLAZA BUILDING 20325 CENTER RIDGE ROAD (ACCESSED FROM LINDEN ROADI

Want a man

of your own?

Try PALS, a DATING SERVICE for OHIO MEN. Let Pals introduce you to lots of friends and maybe even your LOVER!

Pals

of Ohio

Send for a FREE

BROCHURE

Discreetly mailed

PO Box 1444, Johnstown, PA 15907 Phone: (814) 532-PALS, Fax: $35-8526

MIT pays gays kept out of ROTC

Cambridge, Mass.-The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has decided to offer grants and loans to replace any ROTC scholarship lost due to a student's sexual orientation.

No MIT students have lost ROTC scholarships since the 1993 start of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. MIT sought, however, to reconcile its anti-discrimination policy with the military's ban on openly gay members, which extends to 102 students enrolled in the school's Reserve Officers Training Corps.

Gay teachers meet in Utah

Salt Lake City-The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Teachers Network's first national convention drew over 200 participants in Salt Lake City. Utah's capital was chosen for the event to respond to the controversy surrounding gay student clubs there, said GLSTN's executive director Kevin Jennings.

In that spirit, one of the recipients of the organization's Pathfinder Award was the group of local East High students who had formed the Gay-Straight Alliance. The youths did not give up when the Salt Lake City school board banned all school-sponsored clubs rather than allow the Alliance to meet. Instead, they used Utah's Civic Center Act to rent space in their school so that they could still meet after hours.

Another Pathfinder winner was East High principal Kay Peterson, who sup ported the Gay-Straight Alliance against the school board even after the state legis. lature passed a law aimed at prohibiting gay groups in public schools. Rights fail, but so does ban

Annapolis, Md.—A state lesbian-gay civil rights bill that supporters thought would pass this

year

died in committee. The House Judiciary Committee on March 21 voted 11-10 for the bill, one vote shy of the 12 needed to pass it. The vote came after an amendment that was expected to garner the 12th vote failed.

Civil rights advocates had thought they finally had enough support to pass the bill after six years of trying.

Legislators also decided not to take a stand on same-sex marriage this session. Both an anti-marriage bill and a pro-mar. riage bill were rejected by the House Judiciary Committee.

Bashers to be tried as juveniles

Fayetteville, Ark.-Two teenagers accused of beating a fellow high-school stu dent because he is gay won't stand trial as adults.

Bradley Hufford, 17, and Jerry Lynge, 17, are accused of attacking William Wagner on Dec. 2 as he was returning from lunch at Fayetteville High School's east campus. Wagner, 16, told police the boys tackled him to the ground, punching, kicking and cursing at him.

Wagner's attackers, if found guilty as adults, would have faced up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If convicted as juveniles, a probation officer will recom mend sentencing alternatives.

Rights law survives challenge

Washington, D.C.—A New Jersey law that protects gays from discrimination sur vived a Supreme Court challenge March 31.

The court, without comment, turned down a minister's argument that the law violates his free-speech right to condemn homosexu ality as sinful.

The Rev. David B. Cummings Pittsgrove, N.J., had challenged sections of the law that prohibit aiding or coercing some one into discriminating against people cause of their sexual orientation. He said 'coercing' language could include preaching.

Compiled by Bob Boone and Brian DeWitt from wire reports.