HIGH GEAR Page 3

Nat'l March schedule revealed

The March on Washington will step-off from the Union Square area of 4th St. at noon on October 14th. The rally will begin at 2 PM on the Mall near the. Washington Monument and last until 5 PM. Confirmed speakers for the rally are: Rep. Ted Weiss, Co-sponsor of the Gay Rights Bill; Harry Britt, San Francisco Board of Supervisors; Lucia Valeska, Co-Executive Director, NGTF; Howard Wallace, labor; leader Betty Santoro, Lesbian Feminist Liberation Spokeswoman; Steve Ault, March on Washington; Juanita Ramos, Comite Homosexual Latinoamericano; Kate Millett, feminist activist and writer; Charlotte Bunch, lesbian feminist theorist Sky Rose, Gay Youth; Eleanor Smeal, NOW President.

Confirmed entertainers for the rally are: Tom Robinson, Mary Watkns, Linda Tiller, Holly Near

LEAGUE

MIMBA

TRAHY

THE OHIO GAY RIGHTS

& Meg Christian. There will be many more who are not confirmed at this time.

RELATED EVENTS INCLUDE:

Thursday October 11th A dance at Harambee House, 2225 Georgia Ave. NW in cojunction with the Third World Conference. Music will be provided by Mary Watkins, Linda Tillery, Phillip Baker & Blackberry. For more information call 202-5400.

Saturday October 13th Men interested in sports are invited to a reception and social at the Exile Bar, corner of New York & 9th NW from 1-4PM. Bring information on local & regional sporting events in your area for the coming year.

The Washington Area Women's Center is sponsoring a

the door. Contact: 202-347-5078. Parents and Friends of Lesbians & Gay Men will old a press conference at 4PM at the First Congregational Church, 10th & N.W. They will have an open business meeting at the same location at 1 PM and a dinner there at 7PM -$4.50, reservations required. Contact Gene Baker at 202-726-3223 for reservations and more information.

The Gay Atheists League of America is hosting a hospitality suite at the Holiday Inn, 1900 Conn. Ave. at 7 PM. Contact: Don at 212-595-1445.

The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club and the Gay Activities Alliance are co-sponsoring Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte

Carlo at the National Theatre, tickets are $20, contact one of these organizations for more details.

The Washington, D.C. Gay Community Center is sponsoring Pat Bond in An Evening with Gertrude Stein and Conversations with Pat Bond. Call the Community Center at 202-2327103 for more information. Sunday October 14th

The March steps-off at noon from the Union Square area of 4th St. Rally begins at 2PM on the Mall near the Washington Monument.

At 8PM M.C.C., Gay Community Center is sponsoring Pat Bond in An Evening with Gertrude Stein and Conversations

DJ-ed disco dance for lesbians at Backed by fundamentalist lobby

the Shoreham Americana Hotel in the Blue Room, Conn. Ave. & Calvert St. NW; cash bar, $7 at

PHOTO BY ROB DAVIS

OGRC Fair Booth: "Getting better each year"

Rights bill for Senate

Washington, DC. --Senator legislative year. Paul Tsongas (D-Mass.) has sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to all members of the Senate announcing his intention to introduce legislation to prohibit employment discrimination against lesbians and gay men. The purpose of the letter is to seek co-sponsors for the proposed legislation.

Endean also suggested that introduction of the first Senate Gay Rights Bill in history gives the lesbian/gay community good reason to attend the March on Washington for Lesbians and Gay Rights on October 14th and the National Constituent Lobbying Day on Monday, October 15th. "Until Senators and Congresspeople know that they have gay constituents who are affected by this legislation, their (cont'd on page four)

Cleveland

Lobby Executive Director Steve Endean expressed extreme pleasure at this development. "This marks the first time in history that a lesbian/gay civil rights bill will be in the United States Senate. Because of the nature of the Senate, where each member state, introduction of a Senate Gay Rights Bill should provide a major assist in making this a truly national issue." The Gay Rights National Lobby has played a key role in securing this action and will continue to work closely with Senator Tsongas in securing additional sponsors and supporters. The timing of actual introduction of the Senate Bill has not yet been determined, but it is hoped that it will be introduced

represents an entire gay rights

before the conclusion of this

with Pat Bond. Call the Community Center at 202-232-7103 for more information Sunday October 14th

The March steps-off at noon from the Union Square area of 4th St. Rally begins at 2PM on the Mall near the Washington Monument..

At 8PM M.C.C., 10th & G NW is holding an Ecumenical Commemorative Worship Service. Troy Perry will speak.

Monday October 15thConstitutency Lobbying Day

Congressmen introduces anti-gay resolution

At the urging of the Christian Voice, a new fundamentalist religious lobby which boasts of 100,000 members across the United States (including 1500 ministers). Representative Larry McDonald, a Democrat from Georgia, has introduced a bill concurrently in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate that would put Congress on record as opposing gay rights.

McDonald's resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 166, which was introduced in the House on July 24, has little chance of passing. It was referred to the Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional and Civil Rights, which is chaired by Don Edwards.

Edwards, a Democratic Representative from California, is a supporter of gay rights issues and a co-sponsor of HR 2074 (the Waxman-Weiss Bill), a federal gay civil rights measure.

Edwards said that McDonald's bill will go "nowhere" in committee.

Introducing it was probably a move by McDonald and the Christian Voice to counter growing support for the gay rights bill which now has 46 co-sponsors.

"The real importance of this legislation," said Steve Endean, director of the Gay Rights National Lobby, based in Washington, D.C., "lies not in its chance of passage but in its creating the climate for inaction on basic civil rights for the nation's lesbians and gay men. I am sure that Christian Voice' will use this legislation to mobilize anti-lesbian and gay male sentiment around the country and stop the progress of our civil rights stran

The Human Rights Investigative Commttee of the GEAR Foundation is working toward The Resolution concludes with the introduction of a human this ominous paragraph, "Be it, rights-gay rights bill in Cleveland therefore, resolved by the House City Counil in early 1980. Inter-, of Representatives (the Senate ested in working for your rights Concurring) it is the sense of the by lobbying, organizing, conCongress of the United States tacting groups or speaking with that homosexual acts and the your councilperson? Please call class of individuals who advothe GEAR-line 216-621-3380 cate such conduct shall never evenings and leave your name receive special consideration or and telephone number for Riki a protected status under law

Anne

Sinc respons mail th of the Cistian Voice lobby are probably planning to rally around McDonald's bill and with their friends and supporters flood the offices of Senators and Representatives with mail supporting HCR 166 and opposing H.R. 2074.

officials are

to le amounts of Pive, members

Endean said that the Gay Rights National Lobby suggests a five point plan of action "to combat this threat to our progress:"

1) Gays should write to their Senators and Representatives expressing opposition to House Concurrent Resolution 166 and support for HR 2074.

2) They should contact at least ten friends and ask them to write such letters.

3) They should contact local gay organizations and "urge that

they make this their fight."

4) They should seek the support of local non-gay organizations and community leaders and urge that they contact members of Congress is support of basic rights of gays.

5) They can help Gay Rights National Lobby build up a strong constituent network for combatting this and similar threats.

Appearing to fulfill Endean's worst fears, "Christian Voice" issued a press release in which Dr. Robert Grant, policy spokesman for the organization, declared, "This is the beginning of a national campaign to oppose H.R. 2074, the national gay rights bill." Christian Voice" announced plans to mail to its 100,000 members, including 1,500 ministers, to urge them to write their Representatives and Senators to support the resolution

More groups for march

September saw several new endorsements of the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights to take place on October

14.

Those endorsing the march included the Gay Rights National Lobby, the National Gay Task Force, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, the National Organization for Women (NOW), and Gloria Steinem.

The Gay Rights National Lobby had originally withheld its endorsement of the march due to doubts about the "timeliness" and "focus."

Steve Endean, executive director of the Gay Rights National Lobby, explained why it changed its mind in the September 20 issue of The Advocate: "The introduction of Congressman McDonald's anti-gay resolution gives a new sense of timeliness to

the march in our minds. While White House Concurrent Resolution 166 will not pass, it nevertheless poses a great danger to Our progress because it will be

used by Christian Voice to mobilize anti-gay constituent mail."

Endean said that the March on

October 14 and the accompanying Constituent Lobby Day set for October 15 are important for the "critical mobilizing of lesbians and gay men" in support of H.R. 2074, the federal gay civil rights bill and in opposition to Representative Larry McDonald's anti-gay resolution.

Also changing its position by endorsing the march was the National Gay Task Force (NGTF). While never opposing the march, NGTF had withheld its official endorsement of it due to doubts about how it would be organized and how inclusive it would be.

NGTF said that its qualms were set to rest by a report filed by board and staff members who attended the July March conference in Houston. NGTF repre-

sentatives at the conference were said to have been impressed by grassroots organizing efforts and by the number of female and third world delegates