Anti-gay groups plan referenda Index

on new California rights laws

by Bill Calaman

SAN JOSE-Two gay rights ordinances are the objects of petitions for referendums here.

Santa Clara County supervisors Aug. 6 passed an ordinance banning discrimination against gays in housing, employment, business transactions and access to government services.

San Jose City Council followed suit Aug: 14 when it passed similar ordinances for the city.

Within a week, both ordinances. became the concern of Concerned Citizens Opposed to the Homosexual Ordinance.

The anti-gay group has already garnered 56,846 signatures in a petition drive to put the county ordinance on the ballot in next year's June primary. Only 37,092 validated signatures are needed to affect such a move, according to the county registrar's office.

The city petition is tentatively scheduled for submission Sept. 25. At least 17,000 signatures will be needed to put the city ordinance on the ballot.

Rick Harrington, chairman of the anti-gay group, could not be reached for comment, but had earlier predicted that the petition, effort would easily succeed on both the city and county levels.

Conversely, gay rights supporters had predicted certain failure for the petitions, based on Santa Clara's vote against Proposition 6 last November. (Proposition 6 was an anti-gay measure that was defeated statewide.)

"The county had a higher percentage against Proposition 6 than the whole state," Johnie Staggs, head of the Lambda Association,. told the San Jose News.

Staggs also said, "The whole point (of the ordinance) is that we

want to be judged on our ability to pay our rent and do our jobs well."

Harrington had told the News that the ordinance would allow "homosexuals to gain a status of recognition of being a legitimate minority group that's being discriminated against."

At this point it appears to observers as though the petition on the city ordinance will succeed. If the subsequent referendums fail, Harrington said his committee will try to weaken the ordinance by some other means.

Similar referendums on gay rights ordinances have been held previously in Dade County, Fla., Wichita, Kan., St. Paul, Minn. and Eugene, Ore., where gay rights. laws were repealed by popular vote; and in Seattle, Wash., where residents voted to retain the law.

Chicago mayor pledges support as law passed

by Denise Sudell

CHICAGO-A pledge of support from Mayor Jane Byrne was the key factor in a unanimous "do pass" vote for a proposed gay rights ordinance by a key committee, says the bill's author, Alderman Clifford Kelley.

Kelley told the Gay News that Byrne let members of the Chicago city council Human Rights and Consumer Protection committee "know of her interest in it (the bill)" and that the action was "the only reason it came out of committee with a unanimous vote do

by key committee

Mayor Jane Byrne

called up for a vote by the council at some future date.

"Some half-crazed religious fanatic types ran a full-page ad in both of our Sunday papers (the Chicago Tribune and the ChicagoSun-Times)," Radis explained.

Kelley said that the ad "caused a major reaction among all the weirdos in the city" and that naga-. tive publicity by persons he characterized as fundamentalists "gives (councilmembers) who are against the bill, either in actuality or just philosophically, a reason to say they don't want to vote for it."

passa unanimous vote for discrimination on the basis of sexAt the Sept. 12 meeting, accord-

Byrne pledged her support for the bill, which is an amendment to the city's current human rights ordinance, during a meeting with the Illinois Gay Task Force, according to Britt Radis, one of Kelley's legislative aides.

After Byrne's pledge of support, the committee members voted 9-0 to release the bill to the full city council and recommend its passage. The bill would add a ban on

ual preference to Chicago's current law forbidding discrimination because of race, color o creed in jobs, housing or public accommodations.

According to Kelley and Radis, the bill was scheduled for a vote by the entire council on Sept. 12; however, negative publicity by opponents of the bill caused Kelley to choose to "defend and publish" the bill. As a result, the bill will be

ing to Radis, "there were gay people represented, as well as casts of thousands of ministers, would-be ministers, and every other type of religious fanatic. It got ugly."

Because of the negative climate at the council meeting, Kelley felt that the measure "couldn't get a fair vote," and chose to defer the vote by the full council. He was unable to estimate when the measure would be called to the floor again.

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of 'unrepentant' gays by government Advertising Representatives

by Bill Calaman

WATERTOWN, NY-It was 10 years ago when the gay rights movement originated in New York City with the riots at the Stonewall Inn.

As it is with movements, the growth of gay rights has not the high level of energy and emotion it had during its genesis.

So it is not surprising that gays in Watertown, NY, population 30,787, have just now begun to publicly espouse the cause of gay liberation.

"We're here to stay," vowed Norm Glassford, treasurer of the Watertown Gay Task Force. The task force was formed in mid-Aug-. ust after a rash of beatings of supposedly gay persons by Watertown residents.

Since then, the task force has been the object of numerous crank telephone calls and one funda-. mentalist Baptist minister, whose

verbal attacks precipitated the threat of a lawsuit.

Glassford described the city, .which is about 250 miles northwest of New York City, as "basically hostile" in its attitude towards gays, although most of the beatings and crank calls have been perpetuated by teenagers, he said.

"On an organized level this is the first act of gay activism (in Watertown)," Glassford said of the task force which has approximately 25 members. "We're all starting from scratch and we're just getting on our feet."

From the outset the task force has had difficulty establishing itself in the community. Shortly after its formation two fire bombs were allegedly thrown in front of the task force headquarters, although Watertown police say the incident never took place. Threatening and obscene phone calls fol-

lowed, but Glassford reported that the number of calls has gradually diminished with each passing day. The task force's most vocal and well-known opponent is Rev. Dan Lovely, pastor of the Watertown Baptist Temple. At various times this summer Lovely has posted anti-gay signs in front of the temple. Included among the signs was one that read, "God said: Death to Homos," and another, "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve."

The 30-year-old Lovely told the Gay News that he favors the death penalty for persons convicted of engaging in sodomy and doctors who commit abortion.

"When something tries to come out of the closet and it's ugly and it's monstrous, we want to shut the door on it," Lovely said, explaining his opposition to the task force. (Continued on page 4)

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The views of the Gay News are expressed only in the editorials that appear in the "Editorial Viewpoints" column. Opinions expressed in bylined columns and letters are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of this newspaper. The appearance of names or pictorial representations in this newspaper does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons.

GAY NEWS-Sept. 21, 1979