Page 2 HIGH GEAR JULY 1981
NEWS
Judge to lesbian couple:
You are no
family
On May 27, 1981 New York Housing Court Judge Ferdinand Pellegrino ordered the eviction of a lesbian couple on the basis that only one of the women was named tenant in the apartment lease. The tenants represented
by Lambda Lega! Defense and Education Fund, Inc., Michael J. Lavery. General Counsel, argued
that the eviction proceeding vio-
lated the provisions of the NYC
and NYS Human Rights Law prohibiting discrimination based on marital status.
Attorney Lavery also argued that the women constituted a
family unit. In rejecting these arguments, Housing Court Judge Pellegrino stated, "To hold otherwise, this or any other
court would lend itself to the
ultimate destruction of the family
unit, the foundation of society."
Marlene R., the tenant named in the lease, had lived in the apartment since July 1973. Her lover moved into the apartment in July 1979 and they have continued to occupy the apartment together since that time.
In reaching his decision, Judge Pellegrino rejected the two prior NY decisions on this
⚫
issue which held that an unmarried couple did constitute a family unit and that an eviction proceeding on these grounds violated the NYS Human Rights
Law.
Judge Pellegrino relied, instead on his prior decision in Perl v. Saul, which sustained the eviction of a gay man from his
deceased lover's apartment. Quoting from his decision in the Perl case, Judge Pellegrino stated, "This court has researched the question and has been unable to find any authority that holds homosexuals living together constitute a family
unit."
TWA targeted also
World wide demonstrations against U.S. Immigration over anti-gay hassling
Reprinted with permission of GAY COMMUNITY NEWS, 22 Bromfield Street, Boston, MA.
02108
By JII Clark
The deportation by U.S. immigration officials of a Canadian gay man attempting to visit a friend in Washington, D.C. recently sparked the first international demonstration by lesbians and gay men.
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and unfurled a banner which read, "Gay tourists are good tourists$$$$." Airport police arrested six of the protestors for "bannering," a misdemeanor when they reassembled in the airport's main lobby."where we could get more publicity," according to Claude Peck, one of those arrested.
Clark, a lesbian, was among the State Representative Karen protestors. Arrested were Robert Halfhill, a candidate for city council in Minneapolis' heavily gay seventh Ward; Mike Willis-
sidewalk in front of the building, they regrouped across the street and picketed for two hours. According to Carl Hill, a British citizen who challenged U.S. immigration policy when he was turned away from a port in California in 1979, U.S. Security guards photographed demonEmbassy and police harassed strators from the roof of the the crowd by summoning paddy wagons to the site.
Approximately 25 San Franciscans chanted, "Every gay to
Simultaneous protests took place on May 29 in London, Stockholm and six cities around the U.S. and a ninth is scheduled in Amsterdam for June 23. Acti-ion, coordinator of the 1981 gay the U.S.A." and "TWA is antivists in Dublin, Copenhagen, pride festivities; Jim Campbell gay." according to protest organOslo, Toronto and Sydney also editor of the GLC Voice, Minne-izer Jim Mannes.
attempted to participate, but could not organize their communities quickly enough.
The demonstrations were coordinated by a gay organization in Amsterdam, the Community for Homosexual Equality in London, the Media Center of the International Gay Association in Dublin and the Lesbian/Gay Press Corps (LGPC) and newly formed National Organization for Lesbians and Gays (NOLAG)
Attorney Michael J. Lavery stated, "We are dismayed at the decision and are concerned about the broad language used by the court which suggests that in the U.S. lesbianism is incompatible with the creation of a family unit. The Perl case relied on by the court is clearly distinguishable from the situation in this case."
No decision has yet been reached as to whether an appeal will be filed in this case. Execu-
tion of the eviction warrant was stayed until September 30, 1981.
"We are out to embarrass the U.S. government to the core." sald Philip Fotheringham, who was ordered to fly back to EngKennedy International Airport on land by border officials at May 5.
sota's gay newspaper; Jerry Law-
rence; Bill Frishberg; and Peck, moderator of the radio talk show, "Fresh Fruit Radio."
In London, about 30 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy to deliver a petition demanding an end to "this discriminatory U.S. law which classifies homosexual men and women as undesirable aliens," according to Greg Day, a member of LGPC. Day told GCN that a U.S. citizen who attempted to deliver the petition was forced to leave under threat of arrest.
When embassy officials ordered the protestors off the
A score of lesbians and gay men picketed the Immigration and Naturalization Service's national headquarters in Washington, D.C., leafleting those who left the building. including David Crosland, former acting commissioner of the INS, according to Day. The protestors also filed a formal complaint with the Office of Professional, Responsibility, a federal agency which investigates improper acts by civil service agencies.
Other demonstrations took place in Boston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Stockholm.
Support for gay rights bill In Minneapolis, 25 lesbians from from religious groups
and gay men with signs gathered near customs in Hubert H. Humphrey International Airport
National Gay Task Force restructured
Reprinted with permission of GAY COMMUNITY NEWS, 22 Bromfield Street, Boston, MA 02108
By David Morris NEW YORK-Charles Brydon will leave his position as coexecutive director of the National Gay Task Force (NGTF) on ⚫ August 1, as a result of a decision by the NGTF board of directors to abolish one of the two. codirector positions, leaving Lucia Valeska as the single head of the
organization.
Meeting here on June 6 and 7, the board voted overwhelmingly to accept a structural change to a single executive directorship, a change which, according to an NGTF press release, has been strongly urged by both Valeska and Brydon.
The change follows heated, criticism of NGTF in recent
months, including a demand by. the Stonewall Gay Democratic Club in San Francisco that Valeska and Brydon resign if the organization's policies were not changed. Commenting on his organization's demand, Stonewall Democrat Ben Gardiner told GCN at the time, "We're condemning NGTF because it'
doesn't represent us. Their strategy is all wrong, their tactics are abominable and they don't represent anybody."
WASHINGTON, D.C.Despite considerable press attention of Moral Majority's efforts against gays and the growing perception of some gay people that religion is their enemy, the Gay Rights National Lobby denominations, as well as a varreports that many religious iety of other groups, have sent letters to Members of Congress urging support and co-sponsorship of H.R. 1454, the lesbian/gay civil rights bill in the House.
Of Brydon's leaving NGTF. Gardiner said, "It's about time." Gardiner says that, based on the history of Valeska's more radical political activity in Albuquerque, New Mexico before working for NGTF; he assumes Among the religious bodies she has either changed her views and denominations that have or has been unable to express sent letters are: the National them because of Brydon's domiCouncil of Churches of Christ (a nation of the organization. Gar-coalition of 34 Protestant and diner says he suspects the latter.
Specific criticism concerned NGTF's failure to support the 1979 March on Washington until shortly before it was to take place, their endorsement of Jimmy Carter in the last presidential elections, their refusal to allow the issue of immigration to be raised at the National Lesbian and Gay Constituent Lobbying Day in 1979, their condemnation of the riots following the sentencing in NGTF. ing of Dan White for the murder of Harvey Milk and their advice to a federal legislator that a military anti-discrimination bill not be introduced.
Two other San Francisco Democratic clubs and a number of groups and individuals in other parts of the country made similar criticisms.
Gardiner says most of his organization's objections have been directed at Brydon. "He's the mouthpiece and he's the one we've been talking about: ..You can attribute almost 100 percent
of what's been' happening at NGTF to Charles Brydon.".
Gardiner is optimistic, he says, that Valeska will now be able use her own judgment in work-
Orthodox denominations); the Union of American Hebrew Conto.gregations, the United Church of Christ, the Lutheran Council, the States, and the United PresbyPresbyterians in the United terians.
Lobby indloated that it would The Gay Rights National continue to seek support from other religious groups.
An NGTF statement claims the change was made reluctantly for the sake of managerial and financial efficiency. Valeska told GCN that having two coparity but that it stifles decisive directors was needed for gender decision making and the organization's ability to take quick and clean action on urgent matters." According to the statement, part of the $42,000 a year saved by eliminating one of the director positions will be used to pay a fulltime "communications director" beginning in December to improve relations with the les-1454 claim. Our position is that
blan and gay press.
nation against any person is dehumanizing and immoral."
GRNL indicated that the cooperation of Lutherans Concerned may have played an important role in securing the support of the Lutheran Council.
A number of other organiza-
tions have also sent letters at the urging of the lobby, including the
Americans for Demodatic
Action, the National Wome Political Caucus, the National Organization for Women (NOW). and the American Civil Liberties Unior. (ACLU).
Minnesota State Senator Allan Spear, a member of GRNL's Board of Directors, described the effort to mobilize non-gay support as part of the strategy of building broad-based respectability:
"Elected officials remain skeptical about constituent support letters from these prestigious for gay/lesbian civil rights, and religious denominations and other organizations should go far in reassuring them."
GRNL urged lesbians. gay men, and others committed to
the immorality of discrimination. Most of these letters stressed tor of Family Ministries and social justice to approach organThe Rev. William Sheek; DirecHuman Sexuality for the Nationalizations, associations, unions. Council of Churches, wrote: etc., to which they belong to pass understand how such civil rights and to keep Gay Rights National "Indeed, we are at a loss to pro-gay civil rights resolutions.
legislation would endanger famiLobby informed of developments lies as some in opposition to H.R. (Post Office Box 1892, Washingwe.deeply believe that discrimi4255).
ton, D.C. 20013 or (202) 462-