Page 2 HIGH GEAR-SEPTEMBER 1981

NEWS

New NGTF women's program

The National Gay Task Force has initiated a women's program effort aimed at promoting lesbian visibility and building coalitions

with the women's movement. Well known lesbian feminist

Charlotte Burch has been hired by NGTF to develop and execute this program.

One of the principal aims of the effort will be to strengthen ties between the gay rights movement and the feminist movement, particularly in light of increasing attacks from the new right. Bunch commented, "We believe

work with organizations such as the National Organization for Women, the National Women's Political Caucus, Ms. Magazine

and the National Women's Studies Association. Bunch will also

evaluate NGTF's past presence at various national women's conference s such as the Women & the Law Conferences. Women's Music Festivals. conventions of professional associations and also plan for future NGTF participation in such events.

Funds needed to fight "Family Protection Act"

The Gay Rights National Lobby in Washington, D.C., the most important lobbying organization in the United States representing men and women who are gay to Members of Congress. Senators, and the White House, reports that it needs more money to lobby effectively against the so-called "Family Protection Act."

According to Steve Endean, Executive Director, the Gay Rights National Lobby is short of funds at present due to costs involved in fighting against the anti-gay McDonald amendment to the Legal Services Corporation funding bill.

Endean says that thousands of

dollars were spent for phone calls and postage to gets voters across the United States to put pressure on their Members of Congress.

Endean says that even though the McDonald amendment did pass the House, the money was well spent.

"Although we lost," he says,

that it is essential to the future of Say new NGTF pamphlets

the gay and lesbian movement to build a more effective national lobbying effort in relation to the women's movement. We must convince women's organizations that it is both viable and vital to their interests to support gay rights in a time of a national backlash."

The effort will also focus on the development of educational materials about lesbians, similar to the educational materials NGTF now publishes dealing with the media, with employers, with parents of gay people, etc. This task involves both the creation of new resources and more effective distribution of existing

resources.

Finally, the program will explore international action among lesbians, particularly with the International Gay Association and the International Lesbian Information Service.

"Our efforts paid off in a number of ways. We picked up almost 40 votes more than just last year. And in many cases it was because the Representatives were besieged by GRNLgenerated citizen input.

result of our McDonald amendment related efforts and our efforts to build a larger constituent network and membership base.

"With the usual difficulties of raising funds in the late summertime, it will be difficult to continue operating as effectively as we have been recently.

"Our accountant told me, in fact, that unless we can pay our outstanding bills within the next weeks, we will have to consider suspending our newsletter Capitol Hill, and maybe even lay-

"For the very first time in history, virtually the entire House of Representatives was present for a long and vigorous floor debate on the issue of justice for gay people. Prepared by the Gay Rights National Lobby, the cosponsors of the gay rights bill and a number of others-both Democrats and Republicans-ing off staff. fought a valiant fight against this discriminatory amendment.

"Congressman Barney Frank described Gay Rights National Lobby's efforts on this issue as "first rate."""

In a special letter sent to members of the Gay Rights National Lobby, Endean explains the organization's situation as follows:

"Our accountant has told me that we are short of funds as a

Corporate acceptance of gays no

rarity

tally a private matter unrelated to the individual's capacity to perform successful on the job," said Charlie Brydon, releasing these publications on his final day as Co-Executive Director of NGTF. "The improved corporate response rate and the continued absence of negative answers can be attributed to the cumulative impact of the gay rights move ment and to the courage of the individual employee who insists

The National Gay Task Force. This project, begun by NGTF sexual orientation is fundamenannounced July 31 the publicain 1976, yielded 238 statements tion of the first 2 of 4 educational indicating to varying degrees pamphlets focusing on lesbians that sexual orientation is a priand gay men in the work place. vate matter, unrelated to an These initial publications. The employee's ability to do a job. NGT Corporate Survey and Are! Said Gurel, "The sizes of the There Gay People in My Busiresponding corporations varied ness? Answers to Employers' as widely as did the nature of Questions, were developed by their responses. While certain Project Open Employment, an industries appeared less willing 18-month research project than others to adopt positive directed by NGTF staff member statements, virtually every sector Larry Gurel and funded by the of the economy was represented CETA program and a grant from among the respondents. the NGTF Fund for Human Dignity.

What is most evident is that the largest firms are taking the lead The NGTF Corporate Survey in this area. For example, all of In developing mechanisms for reports on NGTF's survey of 850 the top 10 corporations networking and coordinated major corporations, soliciting responded positively; further, actionamong lesbians active on a non-discrimination statements 51% of the top 100 furnished posnational level, Bunch expects to based on sexual orientation. itive policy statements in con-

Gay business convention

a

Singer Joan Baez is to be The conservation includes honored by the National Associbusiness meetings, a cocktail ation of Business Councils dur-party in the rotunda of San Franing the first national lesbian and Cisco's City Hall, the luncheon, gay business and professional theatre party and a Sunday convention which will be held in brunch. San Francisco November 6-8, 1981.

Baez will appear at the Plenary Luncheon of the convention, Saturday, November 7 at the Golden Gateway Holiday Inn. Paul McCloskey, member of the United States House of

Representatives and a cosponsor of the gay civil rights bill in Congress, will be the keynote speaker at the luncheon.

The convention is designed to offer lesbian and gay business and professional people from all over the United States an opportunity to meet and coordinate their business interests.

Two panel programs will be offered on Saturday morning on the subjects of "Tax, Estate, and Personal Financial Planning for Lesbians and Gays" and "How to Build a Strong Local Business/Professional Organization."

trast to 30% for all 'Fortune 500' firms."

on fair treatment."

"Clearly, the battle is far from finished," Brydon cautioned. "More corporations must learn that it is in their self-interest to act. And even in companies with acceptable staements, we found a disturbing lack of awareness by mid-level managers as well as the general work force. Ultimately, this undermines productivity and employee morale, as the booklet for employers points out."

"But we recognize the pro-

"In conducting the corporate survey, we noted a pattern of questions often raised by employers," continued Gurel. "Therefore, we designed another gress evident from the current publication to address these survey results. These pamphlets issues, Are There Gay Pepole in are persuasive tools for use in My Business? Answers To convincing more employers to Employers' Questions." This move on this issue. Both gay booklet addresses 15 questions, individuals and organizations such as: What kinds of problems can use this educational material do gay people have on the job? effectively. I urge every lesbian Are gay people asking for affirand gay man employed by cormative action? Is it illegal to disporate America to send these criminate on the basis of sexual pamphlets to their senior manorientation? How can I make it agement or union leadership. clear that my firm does not disThis educational material procriminate against gay people? vides an opening to serious manGurel continued, "These 2 bookagement consideraton of this lets provide a clear understandissue." For additional informationing of the issues involved and will Copies of The NGTF Corpohelp employers who seek fair rate Survey (75€) and Are There employment policies." Gay People Working In My Busi"I believe the corporate survey ness? ($2.00) may be ordered results indicate a growing accepfrom NGTF, 80 5th Ave., Room tance by corporate America that 1601, New York, NY 10011.

The National Association of BusinessCouncils was formed in 1979 as an affiliation of grassroots business associations across the United States.

about the convention, write:

NABC Convention P.O. Box 15054 San Francisco, CA 94115

"This would be unfortunate at any time, but is especially unfortunate right now when the socalled Family Protection Act has just been introduced. We had been preparing a campaign against it."

Endean points out that one section of the Family Protection Act would deny Federal funds to "any public or private individual, group, foundation, commission, "advocating, promoting or sugcorporation, or association" for gesting homosexuality, male or female, as a lifestyle."

Endean quotes the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress, “certainly a neutral source," as having said about what the bill will do. "No person who was homosexual or who even intimated that homosexuality might be an 'acceptable' lifestyle could receive any Federal funds under such programs as Social Security, welfare, veterans programs, or student assistance."

He quotes the Village Voice as having said, "A publisher or filmmaker who creates or distributes a realistic image of homosexuality might be subject to denial of Social Security. A clinic with a gay outreach program might be ineligible for

Medicaid. A church's concern for gay rights could cost it federal aid."

the time for Gay Rights National Says Endean, "This just isn't Lobby to be cutting back our operations."

phone call on August 19, Endean During a long distance teletold HIGH GEAR that he hoped that the letter sent to Gay Rights National Lobby members did not sound too negative.

"There is no doubt about the

Lobby's long term viability," he said. "Membership growth has been tremendous and we are not worrying about continuing to grow.

will be moving ahead in th eim"It's just that how quickly we ting people to help us jump over mediate future depends on getwhat is now our one big hurdle." GRNL, P.O. Box 1892, WashingDonations car. be sent to ton, D.C. 20013.

Cover

photo

issue HIGH GEAR begins its Hearing that with this month's eighth year of publication, actress Bessie Love was so 01excited that she baked a cake.