APRIL 17, 1998 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 9

NEWS BRIEFS

Partner law applies to all but airlines, judge says

San Francisco-U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled April 10 that San Francisco can't force airlines to abide by most provisions of its domestic partner ordinance. But the city may still be able to demand that hundreds of other businesses do.

The Air Transport Association sued to challenge San Francisco's ordinance requiring the roughly 6,000 companies doing business with the city to offer the same benefits to employees' unmarried domestic partners— gay or straight-as they provide to spouses. The city is the first to craft such an ordinance, which went into effect last June.

In a 94-page ruling, Wilken said the ordinance is pre-empted by the federal Employees' Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, which forbids state and local regulation of most employee benefits. She said it also is federally pre-empted in cases where complying with it "forces air carriers to stop using the [San Francisco International] airport."

According to the city's interpretation, airlines will still be required to offer certain benefits not covered by the federal law, including bereavement leave, travel benefits and health club memberships.

“As far as I know, this is the first major decision upholding a domestic partners ordinance," said City Attorney Louise Renne. "And that's a major victory."

Although the airline association brought the suit, it was the contract of two members, United Air Lines and Federal Express, that raised disputes over the ordinance.

United has signed a new $13.4 million, 25-year lease at the airport and promised city officials to develop a policy on domestic partner benefits in the first 24 months. FedEx has been negotiating a $2.1 million-a-year contract to move into a new airport cargo facility.

lowa House OKs marriage ban

Des Moines, Iowa-The lowa House gave final legislative approval to a measure which denies recognition of same-sex marriages from other states. Iowa law already defines a marriage as a union between a man and a

woman.

The House approved the final version of the bill on April 6 and sent the measure to Gov. Terry Branstad, who is expected to sign it into law. More than two dozen other states

have passed similar laws.

The measure calls for a study of domestic partner laws, with a report due back to the legislature next January.

Church has bomb threat

Dallas The world's largest gay and lesbian congregation was the target recently of a bomb threat posted on the Internet.

The threat, aimed at the Cathedral of Hope Metropolitan Community Church in Dallas, contained condemnations of gays and lesbians and claimed, "You think Oklahoma City was bad, wait until you see this."

Senior pastor Rev. Mike Piazza said that the church took the threat very seriously, sending information out to members "so they know and can make their choice [about attending services]." Services went on as scheduled, with only a small drop in attendance.

"Last year's bombing of an Atlanta gay bar and more recent bomb attacks on abortion clinics have forced the church to view all threats with concern," Piazza said.

In the past 30 years, over 20 Metropolitan Community Churches have been the targets of arson and bombs.

The FBI is investigating the incident.

Sorry to everyone but gays

Milwaukee Football pro and part-time Baptist minister Reggie White issued a statement April 2, apologizing for the "somewhat clumsy and inappropriate examples of how the races differ" delivered during a recent speech to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

But while White "humbly ask[ed] for forgiveness" from ethnic and racial groups that may have been offended by his comments, the Green Bay Packers star stood firmly behind his remarks about gay and lesbian Americans.

"I did address examples of moral indescretions that threaten to corrupt our society," White said in an April 2 op-ed published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I in no way intended for my comments to personally hurt anyone, and for that, I apologize, but I do not apologize for standing on God's word when it comes to sin... My attitude is to hate the sin and love the sinner."

"We are deeply disappointed that Mr. White has failed to grasp that his attack against gay people was wrong," said Human Rights Campaign spokesperson David M. Smith. "He is justifying his anti-gay bias under the guise of religious beliefs."

Veteran golfer comes out

New York City-Eighteen-year Ladies Professional Golf Association veteran and two-time U.S. Women's Open champion Patty Sheehan came out recently in the pages of Golf World magazine.

Sheehan wrote a column in the March 27 issue titled "Bringing Up Bryce" in which she discusses the joys and challenges of her life since she and partner Rebecca Gaston adopted a baby eight months ago.

"I didn't really know how well others would deal with the idea of Bryce having two moms," Sheehan wrote, "but I've decided if they have a problem with it, it's their problem, not mine."

Another openly lesbian LPGA golfer, Muffin Spencer-Devlin, congratulated Sheehan "for making the decision to be open about her sexual orientation, and especially for sharing her feelings about the process of adopting Bryce."

Remembering her own coming out as a "freeing experience," Spencer-Devlin added, "I am sure that Patty will find continued support from both her fans and colleagues."

Perot cancels partner benefits.

Dallas Presidential perennial H. Ross Perot is cutting back on domestic partner benefits at his computer company, which means that any newly hired gay employee will not be able to to get health insurance for their same-sex partner. The cutback will not affect gays and lesbians already on the payroll.

Perot, who ran for president in 1992 and 1996, has moved back into the chief executive role at the company he founded, Perot Systems Inc. He said that removing the policy is not discriminatory.

"Do we discriminate against people who are homosexual? No we do not," he said. "These [lesbian and gay] organizations are very aggressive in trying to embarrass anybody that doesn't do what they want to do. It has nothing to do with homosexuality. If we made this benefit available to everyone living together in the same apartment the cost would be through the roof."

Kim Mills, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, called the decision "totally unnecessary and mean-spirited."

"This is tantamount to ending the benefits," Mills said. "Granted, they're taking care of the few employees who currently have the policies, but going forward it's

over.'

HRC executive director Elizabeth Birch added, "To date, no company has rescinded domestic partner benefits once instituted."

Conservatives meet with airline

Washington, D.C.-American Airlines executives met March 23 with leaders of several anti-gay organizations.

One of those groups, Concerned Women for America, released a statement the next day announcing that American Airlines "has agreed that providing special services is an endorsement of a lifestyle that is deadly for the individuals involved."

The group said that American Airlines

President Robert L. Crandall “promised that AA subsidizing of homosexual 'cruise parties, lobbying groups, and activities will stop."

American Airlines released a statement March 25 saying that they had told the groups

that they intend to give quality service to everyone and give their employees an environment free of discrimination.

"American must and will promote its services to all constituencies, and we will continue to treat every employee with dignity and respect."

The statement said that the company has "a strictly neutral stance with respect to lifestyle."

"We urge individuals and organizations of all perspectives to respect our neutral position, and one another, and to avoid misrepresenting our position."

IRS tells group to drop lesbians

New York City-An Internal Revenue Service agent told a Rhode Island group for lesbians with cancer that they must remove the word lesbians from their mission statement in order to get tax-exempt status.

Lambda Legal Defense sent the IRS a letter demanding that the agency grant Kathy's Group tax exempt status immediately without changing its mission statement. Lambda said the agent acted improperly to make the requirement.

"The only appropriate question before the IRS is whether the group meets the legal criteria for educational and charitable groups entitled to tax-exempt status," said Lambda attorney David Buckel, “and Kathy's Group fits those criteria perfectly."

In 1996, the IRS told a North Carolina gay youth group "to assure that counselors and participants do not encourage... the development of homosexual attitudes and propensities."

The IRS later apologized and approved the youth group's tax-exempt status.

Man gets life for killing lover

Charleston, W.V.-Thomas W. Pennington was sentenced April 6 to up to life in prison for killing his lover with two gunshots to the head.

Pennington, 24, was convicted last month of first-degree murder.

A Kanawha County Circuit Court jury had recommended mercy, allowing Pennington to be eligible for parole in 15 years.

The body of George R. Owens, 47, of Marion, S.C., was found at a South Charleston dump in February 1997.

The men had met at Myrtle Beach, S.C., and had known each other for about a year. Police said Pennington admitted killing Owens because Owens became increasingly possessive and demanding in their relationship.

Defense lawyer Steve Warner said Pennington wanted out of the relationship but was afraid because he was being stalked by Owens.

Singer comes out after arrest

Los Angeles-Singer George Michael told CNN that he is gay in an April 10 interview.

"I have no problem with people knowing that I'm in a relationship with a man right now," Michael said. "I have not been in a relationship with a woman for almost ten years."

The interview was his first public statement since he was arrested April 7 and charged with "lewd conduct" in a park known for gay cruising.

Michael is scheduled to be arraigned May 5.

Compiled from wire reports by Doreen Cudnik, Dawn Leach and Eric Resnick.

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