CALENDAR

International Womer's

May 14

Year meeting

contact

COL for details

May 15

tion and business

May 21

OGRC Rally/demor.stra-

meeting see update article

Athens conference Featured speakers: Loule Crew and Betty Powell starting 10 am. Workshops in the afternoon; films, poetry reading, dance. Cost: $2.00. Contact Gay Information Service 18 N. College St., Athens, Ohio 45701 (614) 592-4397, 7-9 pm T&Th.

Washington, D.C. march from Justice Dept. to Supreme Court in observance of Sodomy Ruling's first anniversary. Contect Gay Action Committee, c/> GAA-N.J., P.O. Box 1734, Hackensack, N.J. 07606

We hope to print a new edition of the newsletter immediately following each staewide meeting. That way the contents of each newsletter will be as up-to-date as possible and any information requested at a meeting can be distributed within a week's time. Future editions will contain a "bulletin board" summarizing the activities of Gay organizations around the state. Try to get your group's statement to Oberlin right before each meeting so that it can be typed in advance. If any changes are necessary you can inform us at the meeting; otherwise, your item will be ready to print as is. A summary of the meeting will also be included.

UPDATE: OGRC MEETS AT KENT

On Sunday, April 24 OGRC held its third business meeting. The meeting was included as a workshop in Kent Gay Liberation Front's annual spring conference and as a result was especially well-attended. Numerous activists from Kent, Athens, Akron, Columbus (GAA) and Cleveland Joined the now-familiar faces from Bowling, Oberlin, COL, Gear, etc., strengthening OGRC's unifying influence on the Ohio Gay movement. The enthusiasm and energy of the participants reaffirmed our optimism: OGRC has finally reached the point where specific actions can be discussed and implemented.

Gen

OGRC's attention is now focused primarily on the enactment of civil rights legislation for Gays. COL's Marilyn Bufton briefly described the political climate in Columbus: Most of the state legislators are waiting for a "mandate" from their constituents before taking a stand on Gay rights issues. Lobbying in the state capitol will progress slowly until support is generated throughout the state. Although there seems to be little

hope of passing a Gay rights bill as such, it is possible that existing civil rights laws could be amended to include "sexual or affectional preference" clauses. In any case, legislature change will require years of sustained determination and broad-based support.

Arlene Ross, coordinator of Ohio NOW's Sexuality Task Force, suggested that OGRC would create a much stronger impact on the Legislature if our proposals took a very detailed and concrete form. She offered to contact the American Civil Liberties Union and similar supportive organizations and will approach NOW's Legislative Task Force coordinator in the hopes of gaining access to lobbying expertise for OGRC. She also recommended the Gay Legislation and Lobbying booklet ($1.50 from Legislation 76, P.O. Box 8841, JFK Station, Boston, Mass.). She is now attempting to enlist the support of law school students who could draw up detailed prototypes of Gay civil rights bills.

A rally/demonstration is planned for Sunday May 5 at the State Capitol in Columbus. OGRC plans to show our support for the Da County civil rights bill (before the June 7 referendum) and will demand similar legislation for the state of Ohio. Although nearly forty communities have enacted Gay rights amendments, no protection exists at the state level. We hope that a victory in Ohio will reinforce the efforts tor ward Federal legislation, as Jean O'Leary pointed out in her speech at Kent State on Saturday.

OGRC's next meeting will follow the May 15th rally. Please come prepared to discuss specific proposals for legislative action. The rally is scheduled from 12:00 to 2:00 and the meeting will probably be held in the Ohio Union. GAA-Columbus is making the arrangements contact Larry Bayes at 380 E. Maynard, Apt. 2, Columbus, OH 43202 (Tel. (614) 2620322) for specifics. COL will provide overnight accomodations for women who attend the International women's Year meeting on Saturday. Flyers will be distributed shortly before May 15 to remind everyone of the rally and meeting.

IMMEDIATE ACTION

Gay people often complain that all the work is done by lobbyists, lawyers, organizations everyone except them. Yet by its very nature, the gay rights movement must depend on extensive individual support. If you wonder how much one person can do, think about Anita Bryant....

Below is a list of things you can do right now. Why not choose at least one project and do it. Gay rights and gay people cannot be ignored.

Financial support:

OGRC

354 Bratenahl Rd. Bratenahl, OH 44108 (we need your support)

The Gear Foundation is asking for donations to pay for the newly-opened Cleveland Gay Cen-

ter:

The Gear Foundation P.O. Box 6177 Cleveland, OH 44101

The Dade County ordinance depends upon funding from gays to support the referendum. Contributions go to the Dade County Coalition (see article).

Mary Jo Risher, a Lesbian mother, is fighting a public and legal battle to regain custody of her 11 year old son, Richard. Financial support for this important test case may be sent

to:

Friends of Mary Jo Risher c/o Dallas City NOW P.0. Box 12431 Dallas, TX 75225

The Gay Rights National Lobby has launched a membership and contribution drive to support their work for federal legislation. Memberships start at $15, Sustaining Memberships are $25, Contributing Memberships are $100, Business Memberships are $250, and Benefactor Memberships are $500. Join today, by writing:

Gay Rights National Lobby, Inc. Suite 210

110 Maryland Ave., N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 546-5135

The Oberlin College Gay Union recently held an Anita Bryant Memorial Gay Dance, the profits going to the Dade County Coalition.

Letter Writing

Ohio still lacks legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. See insert in this newsletter for some guidelines for contacting your state representatives or senator.

Letters protesting businesses' support of Anita Bryant should be sent to the Florida Citrus Commission and the Singer Sewing Machine Co. (see article).

NBC-TV is now preparing a prime-time film about the Air Force discharge of Sgt. Leonard Matlovich for homosexuality. An Arlington, Va. group called Liberation in Jesus Christ has been circulating petitions protesting this film. These accuse networks of "forcing homosexual themes. upon the public" and "glorifying murder, mayhem and immorality." They promise boycotts and further protests, as well as calling for TV presentation of "the other side of the homosexual picture, namely those who are able to change their sexual life-style, rather than attempting to force it upon others." Letters countering their opposition and demanding more and better gay programming should go

to:

Mr. Herminio Traviesas Vice-President,

NBC-TV

30 Rockefeller Plaza

N.Y., N.Y. 10020

(212) 247-8300

The addresses of the other two networks are:

CBS-TV

51 West 52nd St. N.Y., N.Y. 10019 (212) 975-4321

ABC-TV

1330 Ave. of the Americas N.Y., N.Y. 10019 (212) 581-7777

The NGTF suggests (Feb. 1977 Action Report) that gays file letters of complaint with the Federal Communications Commission in regard to the way Lesbians and gay men are treated (or ignored) on radio and television. Any individual or group may complain to the FCC, but to be effective a complaint should be:

1. Prompt. Send it directly following the broadcast that offended you.

2. Brief. Confine your letter to one page. Type it if possible. 3. Specific. State the name of the program, the date and time it was aired, and the station that carried it. Indicate as clearly as possible exactly what you are objecting to.

4. Responsible. Sign your name. Be sure to include a statement indicating what you want the station and/or the FCC to do, and enclose a copy of any previous correspondence between. you and the station concerning the subject of the complaint. (You should complain directly to the station before writing to the FCC). Address your correspondence to:

Chairman Richard E. Wiley, Federal Communications Commission

1919 M Street,

Washington D.C. 20554, and please send a copy to Ginny Vida at NGTF (see advertisement).

Any letters of approval of a program aired are as important.

NGTF, in It's Time, March 1977, has issued "a national media alert to gay groups urging then to protest the "CB Savage" record now being played on radio stations around the country. The 45 rpm is about police officers doing a stereotypic mockery of gay men to entrap a speeding truck. Groups have been encouraged to contact their local radio stations and request that the record not be played. We hope that you'll assist your local groups with this effort or initiate it if it's not already underway. If you wish to write a letter of complaint to the recording company, send it to: Mr. Shelby Singleton President

Shelby Singleton Corp. 3106 Belmont Blvd. Nashville, TN 37212

Rep. Edward I. Koch (NY-D) has introduced the national gay civil rights bill in the Ilouse of Representatives. I.k. 2008 would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by adding the words "affectional or sexual preference" to each list of human condition for which people can not he dis criminated against. The Fill goes to the Subcommittee on Can