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From our fabulous News Hawks!

Have you seen a TG-related news story online or in your local paper? Send it in to TGF and become a News Hawk! Don't assume we know everything that's out there, because you are our eyes and ears. To file a story, send it in to Cindy.

IFGE Founder
Suffers Stroke

Contributed by JoAnn Roberts
via IFGE
July 17, 1998

BOSTON - IFGE Founder Merissa Sherrill Lynn suffered a stroke about 10 days ago, which left her right side partially paralyzed. At this time she is resting well in Emerson Hospital, Concord, MA. To date, she has recovered partial use of her right hand, but remains without the full use of her right leg. She is able to get around with a little help from her friends. Fortunately, her speech and strong will are unimpaired. We all wish her a full and speedy recovery.

Merissa would love to hear from friends, and welcomes visitors, especially if they bring SmartFood Popcorn. She can be reached at P.O. Box 367, Wayland, MA 01778, telephone 508-358-5919.

Christian Coalition Marshalls Opposition To Bias Order

Contributed by Hayley Rogers
via Christian Coalition web site
July 14, 1998

The following text is from the Christian Coalition web site:

HEFLEY AMENDMENT: On May 28, 1998, President Clinton signed Executive Order 13087, which includes "sexual orientation" as a protected class entitled to "affirmative action" in federal government employment. Rep. Joel Hefley (CO) will offer an amendment which prohibits funding for the administration, implementation, and enforcement of President Clinton's Executive Order. Here are the facts on the President's Executive Order:

The Executive Order fails to define "sexual orientation." Therefore, ANY type of sexual behavior, including bisexuality, transexuality, bestiality and even pedophilia could be protected under federal law.

The Executive Order goes far beyond existing civil rights law, which only protects individuals with immutable characteristics such as race, color, sex, age, disability and religion. This order provides protected status to people on the basis of behavioral characteristics, and invites costly litigation. Private organizations who contract with the federal government are usually required to adhere to federal labor and affirmative action policies. Therefore, all organizations, even religious organizations, who provide social services would be in legal jeopardy if they refused to adhere to this new Executive Order.

Executive Order 13087 is an outrageous form of governance. It effectively creates sweeping new law by circumventing the voice of the American people through Congressional legislation.

TS Sues Over School Records

Contributed by Elizabeth Parker
via UPI
July 16, 1998

SAGINAW, Mich.-- A 33-year-old man who used to be a woman is suing a Michigan school district that refuses to change his high school transcript to reflect the sex change. Vic Hrinik (RIH'-nihk) says before undergoing a gender-switch operation he graduated as a female, Vicki Hrinik, from Birch Run High School near Flint in 1983. Now Hrinik fears he'll be the target of discrimination unless his school records are amended. He needs the transcript to apply for a college program in Spokane, Wash., where he lives with a wife and stepson. But the school district is fighting the suit. District attorney Michael Eschelbach of Lansing says in today's Detroit Free Press the transcript is accurate because it reflects Hrinik's gender at graduation. The suit is apparently the first of its kind in Michigan. Hrinik says he is a transsexual and was treated for a mental and physical condition called gender dysphoria. His doctor has affirmed Hrinik as a male, and claims the high school misidentified him as a female. Hrinik tells the Free Press, "I'm married. I have a stepson. I have a good job. I have two wonderful dogs. I have a normal life....I'm the person I wanted to be." The lawsuit claims the district denied Hrinik's rights to an accurate school record and privacy, causing emotional distress and other injuries. He is seeking more than $25,000 in damages.

Anti-Gay Ad Draws Fire

Contributed by Rachelle Austin
via Reuters
July 14, 1998

WASHINGTON - A full-page newspaper advertisement by conservative Christian groups on Monday that said homosexuals could ``overcome'' their sexual identity by accepting God sparked outrage among gay rights supporters.

The Christian Coalition and other conservative groups took out the advertisement in the New York Times. It is to be followed by similar displays in the Washington Post and USA Today later this week.

The advertisement features the testimony of Anne Paulk, a self-described ``wife, mother and former lesbian'', who says she was able to change her identity through a commitment to religion.

``Leaving homosexuality was the hardest thing I've ever had to do,'' Paulk says in the advertisement.

``As I grew in my relationship with God, I knew He had changed me forever. Gone was the hardness. Gone was the hurt. And gone was the shrill cry inside, replaced by God's still, small voice,'' the advertisement quotes her as saying.

Tracey Canaty of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said her organization viewed the advertising campaign as a new attack on homosexuality.

``The bigotry, hatred and intolerance that this ad represents is the real perversion,'' she said.

Homosexuality has recently become a hot political issue after Republican Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott compared it to alcoholism, sex addition and kleptomania.

Asked in a television interview if he believed homosexuality was a sin, Lott replied, ``It is.''

Barricaded TG
Dies In Siege

Contributed by Elizabeth Parker
via Reuters
July 15, 1998

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. - A 13-hour siege at a house booby-trapped with pipe bombs ended Wednesday when police found a man thought to be holed up inside dressed in women's clothing and dead on the floor. The bizarre standoff in a quiet residential area in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Pembroke Pines began at 2:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday when police and fire crews were called to douse a fire in a pickup truck outside the home, authorities said. When police looked into the house, they believed they saw the body of a dog on the living room floor, and nearby the body of a woman. Special weapons teams surrounded the house, thinking the homeowner, who was well known to police, was still inside. They had been called to his home 14 times in the past 10 years. Small explosions were heard inside the home, leading police to believe the man was either firing a weapon or setting off explosives. Neighbors were evacuated and SWAT officers entered the house and spent hours going through it room by room, ignoring the bodies of the dog and the woman as they cautiously searched for explosives and the resident, police said.

They found at least a dozen explosive devices from the ground floor to the attic, including pipe bombs and others fashioned from gasoline, some attached to timers. "There were explosive devices placed within that residence ... that could have caused grave bodily injury," SWAT team Sgt. Brad Ostroff told reporters. When the home was finally cleared about 13 hours after the siege began, officers took a closer look at the body and found it was a man, dressed in a "cowgirl" outfit. Neighbors said cross-dressing was not unusual for the homeowner, whom police identified as Thomas Whelan, 42. "I'm glad he's gone. He was very troubled," said neighbor Olga Hidalgo. "He use to dress up like a woman, put makeup on and drive by. He tried to hit my husband with a two-by-four." The victim, who had a massive chest wound, was thought to be Whelan, police said, but a positive identification was pending.

"Southerners on New Ground"
People of Color
LGBT Leadership Retreat '98

via NGTLF
July 14, 1998

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

It's our pleasure to tell you that our second annual SONG People of Color LGBT Leadership Retreat will be held August 14th though 16th at the Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center in Little Rock, Arkansas which will bring together lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders of color from across the South.

Part of the work of SONG, now in our 5th year, is to hold retreats for lesbigaytrans organizers and cultural workers to talk about their lives and work and how to expand our organizing work and cultural work for social justice. Our goal is to help shift work against racism, sexism and economic injustice into lesbigaytrans organizing and to integrate work against homophobia into freedom struggles in the South.

This People of Color LGBT Leadership Retreat will embrace ethnicities and communities of color for a time of work, developing strategies, networking and socializing. Much of the work is about sharing our truths and building bridges that connect our fragmented communities. And all of the work is about working together to create a movement that cuts across issues and creates a world where all of us know justice and can live our lives in peace with freedom and equality.

Please share this information with other lesbigaytrans organizers and cultural workers of Asian, Pacific Islander, Latin, Native, Middle Eastern and African descent who may want to attend.

Participation is limited to 33. We hope you are able to join us. You can e-mail us back the Application Form.

In the Struggle,
Mandy Carter, Coordinator
POC LGBT Retreat '981
(919) 682-8094

Aida Rentas, Co-Coordinator
POC LGBT Retreat '98

Vernon Stokay,
SONG Board Member

For more information:
E-mail: MandyC1997@aol.com

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