newsbriefs

November 5, 1999 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

promoting lesbian ideals in the community.

Bill Curry, a spokesman for Amazon.com, says the tactic is only designed to show that the two companies are not in the same busi-

ness.

A judge is expected to rule next week on the motion filed by the bookstore's lawyer to protect against such questions.

"Litigants should not be chilled from entering a courtroom to resolve a commercial dispute by the fear of inquiries into their personal lives," the bookstore's motion argued.

Tower climber sentenced to jail

Seattle-A woman was sentenced November 1 to serve 10 days in jail for climbing an electrical tower, where she spouted flames and danced topless to the amazement of drivers on nearby Interstate 5.

Ara Tripp climbed the 180-foot tower on the morning of Sept. 8 as a stunt to protest discrimination against women and laws that allow men to take their shirts off but not women. Tripp was a man before undergoing a sex-change operation.

Atop the tower, she took off her shirt and began dancing, occasionally taking swigs from a vodka bottle, spitting out the liquor and setting it aflame.

Tripp, 38, pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and second-degree criminal trespass at a hearing in Seattle Municipal Court.

She must also perform 100 hours of community service under an agreement with the city attorney's office, said spokeswoman Ruth LaRocque.

Ontario provides partner protections

Toronto-The Ontario government passed legislation October 27 in line with a Supreme Court decision stating that laws that treat straight couples differently than gay couples were unconstitutional, according to Gay Financial News.

The Supreme Court ruling came in the case of "M" versus "H," where the court ruled common law couples deserved equal rights under family law.

This ruling did not require that same-sex partners be provided status as spouses under Ontario law.

The legislature amended Ontario's Family Law Act October 27 to give same-sex couples new options concerning adoption, termination of relationship and rights in medical emergencies.

"We should all be proud of this bill," said liberal leader Dalton McGuinty, "because, quite frankly, it is the right thing to do."

We all deserve some rest

Boston-A Middlesex Superior Court judge October 29 issued an order forbidding the state police from forcing a gay man to leave a public rest area along Route 6, as long as he isn't breaking the law.

The man, a Cape Cod resident identified only as John Doe, was allegedly asked to leave the rest area four separate times by Trooper Shawn Walsh.

The trooper acknowledged he asked Doe to leave on two occasions, according to Doe's attorneys from the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders. They said he wasn't doing anything illegal either time.

Doe filed suit in August, alleging the state police were motivated by anti-gay stereotypes.

Rest areas are rumored to be meeting grounds for gay men who wish to engage in sex, said John Ward, a lawyer for Doe.

"It is without dispute that Doe is entitled to use public roads and rest areas without having to fear harassment by police," said Judge Wendie Gershengorn in her opinion. "Doe's actions, even as described by Walsh, were clearly legal." A trial is scheduled for January.

Clinton vetoes citing hate crime failure family will finally give my children a sense

Washington, D.C.-President Clinton vetoed commerce, state, justice appropriations bill Oct. 26, citing the removal of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) from that bill as part of his reason for vetoing, according to Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

The HCPA, which passed in the Senate in July as part of the appropriations bill, was omitted from the House version, and subsequently removed from the version crafted as a compromise between the House and Senate.

Recent findings by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) show that reports of hate crimes based on sexual orientation have risen 14.3% since 1997, making them the third most common type of hate crime. Lesbian couple wins custody battle

Muskegon, Mich. After a year and a half battle, a lesbian in Muskegon, Michigan, won permanent custody of her three children, according to the Triangle Foundation lesbian and gay civil rights organization.

In early 1996, Kelley McKay divorced her husband, Gordon Dykema. McKay and her new partner Debra Woodford bought a house together. McKay's children, now ages 11, 6, and 13, considered McKay and Woodford their primary caregivers.

Because her children had chosen to spend their time with McKay, and since Dykema had not been involved emotionally or financially with raising the children, McKay and Woodford filed for permanent custody.

Reportedly, Dykema had been content with the children living with his ex-wife until he learned that the couple was seeking permanent custody. If permanent custody were granted to McKay and Woodford, Dykema would be required to begin paying child support. He challenged their motion, and argued that it would be “unhealthy” for the children to live with the lesbian couple.

On October 25, attorneys for each side came to an agreement which granted permanent custody to McKay and Woodford.

"It's offensive that Mr. Dykema resorted to gay-baiting to avoid paying child support for his own children," said Triangle Foundation Policy and Victim Services Director Sean Kosofsky. "Ms. McKay was able to bring forward family and friends that all agreed her children should stay in her home. She has proven to be able to provide the best home for her children."

"My whole life revolves around my children," McKay said. "This victory for my

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of closure and certainty that they have at least one stable place they call 'home.””

"I am relieved that this is finally over," said Debra Woodford. "It has been hell living through this long process. Although I generally believe that in situations like these the father should still play an active role in raising these children, I know that they are in the best possible place right now."

State Dept. denounces Museveni

Washington, D.C.-The U.S. State Department on October 15 denounced Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's Sept. 27 announcement that the nation's homosexuals will be arrested for "abominable acts."

Museveni said: "I have told the CID [Criminal Investigations Department] to look for homosexuals, lock them up and charge them. Even the Holy Bible spells it out clearly that God created Adam and Eve as wife and husband, but not men to marry fellow men."

"The United States views with deep concern and consternation the reported comments by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on September 27 threatening the arrest of homosexuals based on Ugandan legislation barring homosexual activity," State Department deputy spokesman James Foley said in a written statement. "We would view the arrest and imprisonment of persons based on their sexual orientation as a serious human rights violation, regardless of whether such arrests are sanctioned by Ugandan leg-

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Foley continued: “Uganda is party to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as to international conventions on civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights.

"Although they do not specifically address sexual orientation," Foley added, "Uganda's participation in these conventions entails a broad commitment to respect the rights of individuals in general. We urge the Ugandan government to ensure that none of its citizens face harassment or detention as a result of their sexual orientation."

Lesbian group fined for TG bias

Vancouver, B.C.-The Lesbian Connections organization was fined $2,030 by a British Columbia human rights tribunal Oct. 15 for banning a pre-op transsexual from its drop-in center.

Susan Mamela was told not to come back in March 1997 following an argument over the nature of womanhood. Mamela considers herself a radical lesbian-feminist who is "female" but is not a "woman" because of the socio-political baggage attached to the idea of "woman."

The tribunal said the organization injured Mamela's dignity, feelings and selfrespect.

Compiled from wire reports by Denny Sampson, Michelle Tomko, Dawn Leach, and Rex Wockner.

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