HIGH GEAR Page 3
California voters: thumbs down on Proposition 6
This editorial cartoon is from the Los Angeles TIMES and was done by Conrad.
PROP
Anita Briggs
No need seen for gay law
--Lourtesy of Record Courier, Ravenna Three out of four people in the Akron-Canton-Kent area say there is no need in their community for a Gay Rights Ordinance for homo-
sexuals.
WHLO's exclusive Telepulse survey, conducted in Summit and Stark counties and the City of Kent showed 76 percent saw no need for a Gay Rights law. Seventeen percent said there was a need for such as ordinance and 7 percent had no opinion. A total of 1,131 residents in the three areas were surveyed.
Stark County residents were more opposed to any Gay Rights law, 80 percent to 12 percent, Summit County followed 78 percent to 15 percent.
In Kent, 70 percent opposed such an ordinance, 23 percent cited there may be a need for such a law. The survey did not poll any phone numbers with a Kent State University exchange. Breaking the survey down by age, the older the respondent, the stronger the feeling that there was no need for Gay Rights laws. The male-female breakdown showed both sexes equally opposed to Gay Rights laws in their community.
WHLO's Telepulse is conducted by Evaluation and Research Associates of Akron. Telepulse bears a 95 percent accuracy rate, given the method and number of responses.
As the final election returns in California showed a definitive defeat for Proposition 6-the anti-gay Briggs Initiative-sponsor State Senator John Briggs assured that similar initiatives will appear in other states across the country. Official results showed that the proposal lost by a 58 42% margin, 3,915,415 against the issue and 2,786,171 votes for the issue.
opined.
of Orange County long a against the issue, gay leaders bastion of conservatism by a 53-47% margin. Fullerton, his hometown, even repudiated his efforts.
Support against the politically volatile Proposiation 6 mounted in the remaining weeks of the campaign when "heavyweights" such as President Carter, California Governor Jerry Brown, and former President In voter tabulations across the Gerald Ford, all announced their state after the November 7 elecopposition to the initiative. The tions, these trends appeared: surprising statement against 6 San Francisco opposed 6 by a 3 by former California Governor to 1 victory margin, 75% of the Ronald Reagan seemed to overvoters said "No" to Briggs. Los shadow all other endorsements Angeles County voted 59% for opposition. It very well could against the proposition. Despite have been just this statement his "Favorite Son" status, from Reagan that turned the tide Briggs lost his own home base for many conservatives to vote
But anti-6 efforts not only received support from political figures. Labor unions, San Franbishop John Quinn-despite cisco Roman Catholic Archhis stand, California Episcopal supposed pressure to reverse Bishop C. Kilmer Myers and the major state newspapers issued statements of opposition.
only refused the hiring but also Proposition 6 would have not mandated the firing of all school. personnel who "engaged in adVocating, soliciting, imposing, encouraging or promoting private or public homosexual acts."
See related article; page 6, "Moscone address"
Large corporations give positive answers to Nat'l Gay Task Force
In a major breakthrough, NGTF has obtained clearly enunciated policy statements from a large group of major U.S. corporations indicating non-discrimination in hiring or advancement, based on sexual orientation.
responding
NGTF's "Corporate Project," survey, begun in 1975 with an initial mailing to 86 corporations, was expanded this year to include the remainder of the "Fortunate 500" list of major corporations. More than 100 responses, most of them positive. have been received so far, and more are being received daily. Corporations positively thus far include Eastman Kodak, Colgate-Palmolive, Union Carbide, Warner Communications, Time, Pillsbury, Greyhound, Dow Chemical, Kellogg, Fieldcrest Mills, American Can, McGraw Hill, General Foods, General Mills, Bell and Howell, Addressograph Multigraph, General Electric, American Brands, Inland Steel, Allied Chemical, Carnation, Fire. stone, Ford Motor Co., Scott, Bendix, Mayer, Gulf & Western Industries, Bethlehem Steel, Exxon, Standard Brands,
Nativity pastor resigns
By Paula Chapman On Friday, November 10, 1978, in a meeting of the Board of Directors of Nativity Fellowship Church, Cleveland, Ohio, The Reverend Anthony lorio, Pastor and Co-Founder of the group gave official notice of his
resignation from the position as
minister of the church.
has not yet been written."
certain. What many do not His parting words to friends realize is that the genuine spirit and congregation of Nativity of question can at times be Fellowship Church were: "Dear beneficial. The Apostle Peter ones in the two years that I doubted and through his doubt have been privilaged to be was permitted to walk on water. associated with this group I Thomas one of the twelve have witnessed a definite, known as the doubter distinct maturing process and questioned and yet he was the spiritual growth in each of your only person who ever physically lives. Certainly the church is Citing as his reason for touched the risen Lord. Clearly bigger than anyone personality resignation an undisclosed the decision to resign from a. You have come thus far with source of personal lossand work and a people that I love so tragedy he stated: "When we, as much was not an easy one. UnChristians, elected to follow our doubtedly, time to pause and Lord, we were never promised reflect over recent and most the proverbial 'Rose Garden' or unexpected unexpected developments in 'easy street' ticket throughout my own persona life is highly inlife-Even the Master Himself dicated at this point. What of when faced at the most difficult tomorrow? The future is unhour in His life prayed: 'If it beceratin My friends I earnestly possible, let this cup pass from over your prayartal suppoo for me Life by its very nature is unthe final chpater in this story
-
our Lord, now continue on-forwardahead with Him
Reverend Iorio was licensed to the Gospel Minister through the provisions of the church by laws and by official acts of its governing board on April 1978. The church sends with him its prayerful support and reserves, him the title of Pastor
Emeritus
Western Electric, Corning Glass and (would you believe!) Green Giant.
statements was the policy cited Typical of the affirmative by Mr. James S. Bruce, VicePresident & Director, Corporate Relations, of Eastman Kodak: discriminate on the basis of sex"Eastman Kodak Co., does not hiring or in the promotion of its ual orientation either in the employees."
Also representative of surgery from Robert Mr. Steed, Viceresponses was that received President, Personnel Director of Time: "Time Inc., does not discriminate in its employment policies on the basis of sexual orientation. To the contrary, Time Inc., believes that individual employees should be judged on the basis of their performance and contributions."
In the initial survey done in 1975, only eight of the 86 firms surveyed indicated they had a policy of non-discrimination aginst lesbians and gay men. These included AT&T, Bank of America, IBM, NBC, American Airlines, Eastern Airlines, and Citicorp. Responses from over eighteen other firms ranged from equivocation to apparent fack of interest. (However, CBS and ABC-TV networks subsequently indicated clear policies of non-discrimination.)
"The far more encouraging results of this year's survey attest to the growing support for fair employment practices regarding gays and the recognition of gay rights as a national issue," said NGTF co-executive directors Jean O'Leary and Bruce Voeller.
This year's letter from the NGTF co-directors to the chairpersons of the "Fortune 500" was accomanovqksby copes of letters elicited from the 1975 mailing which contained positive statements.
O'Leary and Voeller noted in their Itter to the "Fortune 500." " is generally estimated that about ten percent of the national work force is homosexual. These women and men, like other workers and professionals, share the common concern that their jobs not be limited or lost because of their off-the-job Views or activities Con-
sequently, we are surveying the leading American corporations to ascertain if they have an existing policy forbidding discrimination based on sexual orientation." Corporations were asked whether they had sucq a policy, or whethery they would adopt one.
When the final returns of the survey are in, NGTF will proceed to publicize the full list of job protections, and will also follow up on those corporations which failed to reply on which did not enunciate a clear fair employment policy with regard to sexual orientation.
NGTF has initiated the corporate project while at the same time continuing to press for aupportive legislation at the federal, state and local levels. It is our goal not only to make it possible for openly gay women and men to secure and hopdmqmployment butualso to reassure the hundreds of thousands of gay persons already employed who live in fear of being discovered.
The second round of the NGTF Corporate Project was completed by numerous volunteers in Oklahoma City, Denver
and New York working in
cooperation with Bruce Voeller. We wish to express our deep appreciation to NGTF volunteers in Denver who typed hundreds of letters and envelopes for the Fortune 500 mailing, to two NYC members who provided funds for the project, to NYC volunphoto offset copies made of teers who areranged to have sample statements from AT&T. Bank of America, CBS and IBM so that these could be included in the mailing, to an Oklahoma City attorney who researched the names and addresses of the Fortune 500 presidents, and to NGTF's Tuesday night volunteers who collated, "stuffed" envelopes and posted the mailing at the NGTF office. This was truly a team effort!
THINK STRAIGHT
Be Gay