Page 4 HIGH GEAR-FEBRUARY 1982

Supreme Court to Oklahoma U: recognize gay campus group

Ending over five years of litigation, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma on Wednesday, December 30, ordered the Regents of the University of Oklahoma to grant recognition to the Gay Activists Alliance, a gay student group that has been seeking official status since 1976. The Court's action reversed decisions by the Student Congress, the Board of Regents and lower courts, all of which had denied GAA's application for recognition as a student organization, principally on the ground of "immorality." In a 5-2 decision, the Court held the students' First Amendment rights of

speech and association required recognition as a university organization: "Mere undifferentiated fear or apprehension on the part of the University Regents or disagreement with philosophy no matter how repugnant to those officials is not enough to overcome First Amendment freedoms."

This case is the latest of several decisions against such institutions of higher education as Texas A&M and the Universities of Missouri and Virginia, unanimously forbidding discrimination against any gay student organization. "It is significant," said Don Knutson of Gay Rights

Police involved in Canton brawl

Editor's note: The following story is reprinted from the January 1982 issue of METROPLEX NEWS, a new publication published by The Metroplex Associates, P.O. Box 9323, Akron, Ohio 44305.

On Sunday, December 6, between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m., three plain clothes and three ununiformed police enterd Dinsio's Lounge at 1432 West Tuscarawas Street (formerly Boobie's Why Not Club) in Canton for what they called a routine check on a possible after hours sale of liquor. According to the police, a man was sighted leaving the bar at 2:30 a.m. carrying some beer.

The bar had closed at 2:30 a.m. as usual and all bottles · were covered according to . Bertha Dinsio, owner of the bar. After the bar closed, a number of patrons remained to eat and have soft drinks to celebrate Ms. Dinsio's birthday (as allowed by the license).

One of the plain clothes policeman walked onto the dance floor, before saying why they were there, so Dinsio's bar manager, Larry, asked the man if he could help him. A scuffle ensued following some conversation and the bar manager was thrown to the floor and beaten by three of the police, according to one of the patrons.

Gas

After being alerted as to what was happening by one of the patrons, Dinsio arrived to find the bar manager being held on the floor near unconscious, so she tried to persuade the police to let the man up so that medical attention could be gotten.

An argument followed with a brawl that ended up with a total of 14 people receiving injuries. Four of them needed treatment, but were whisked off to jail first. Three male patrons and four policemen also received injuries.

One of the patrons reported. that one of the policeman said when the scuffle began, "Let's get these queers!"

continued on page 5

Harmony Productions Valentine dance

Harmony Productions will hold a Valentine's Dance at the Civic, formerly known as the Temple, 3130 Mayfield at Lee, on Saturday, February 13, 1982 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Live music will be provided. Advance tickets, $6.00, may be purchased at Coventry. Books and Arabica. Admission will be $6.50 at the door."

Lite Inn

638 West Main Street Springfield, Ohio

Gay Owned & Operated

OPEN DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY 8:00 2:30

Advocates, "that this decision comes from one of the most homophobic Bible-belt states. We should learn from these decisions that our First Amendment claims will receive fair hearing from even the most conservative courts."

Knutson predicted the opinion would have an important impact on Gay. on Gay

Rights Advocates' federal court challenge to Oklahoma's version of Proposition Six, the California initiative that sought removal of homosexual school teachers."This decision should prove decisive in convincing federal court that First Amendment protections apply to all regardless of sexual orientation," he stated.

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